The Demon Lord And His Hero

The castle balconies of Silent market served as places where guests could converse with each other without their voices getting absorbed. Rowan paid for an unoccupied balcony and they walked out of the oppressive silence. It was a relief for Syryn to finally hear something. Waves hitting the rocky island never sounded sweeter to the alchemist.

"Did you find what you wanted to buy?" Syryn asked the anti mage. The hood over Rowan's head had slipped back and the golden hair that Syryn loved was on full display. Moonlight's kiss on Rowan was magical to the observant Syryn.

"Unfortunately no," Rowan replied, unaware of Syryn's appreciation of his form. "But I'll keep looking."

"You still acquired so many items, Ro. Are you sure your treasury can bear the expenses we've incurred today?" Syryn said as he looked out towards where the sea line touched the dark sky. A strong wind was blowing and it ruffled his clothing, swept through his hair, and left coolness in its wake.

"I might have to rely on you for my next meal, Ryn," Rowan joked.

Syryn's answering smile had barely formed when it slid right off his face. The wind carried a familiar whistling to his ears. Wide-eyed, he looked at Rowan, willing the blond to say that he could hear it too.

The anti mage was surprised by the sudden change in Syryn. "Is something wrong?"

The lonely whistling sound evoked several feelings in Syryn the chief of which was a slowly rising dread. His gaze swept past the water looking for any sign of movement.

"Syryn, what's going on?" Rowan asked now more concerned by the alchemist's sudden alertness.

"Whistling," Syryn answered grimly. "Only I can hear it, Ro. I heard it when we were crossing the bridge, and I can hear it now."

"Describe it to me."

Syryn lightly puckered his lips and forced the air out, creating a high pitched sound that he matched to the whistle he alone could hear. The feeling of dread intensified and Syryn went quiet.

"That's how it goes.."

"You began hearing this only when we arrived at the beach," Rowan confirmed with him.

"Yeah. It started when I was almost halfway across the bridge."

"And you saw absolutely nothing from where the whistle could have originated?"

"Look around us, Ro," Syryn looked out to the water again even as the whistle continued to haunt him. "I don't see anything. Do you?"

Rowan cast out his net but the ocean did not respond. There was no magic at play.

"Let's get back inside and leave, Ryn. We won't come back here anymore."

The mage nodded. He was decidedly uncomfortable but felt safer with Rowan around.

At an appointed time that was discussed before their entrance, the other members of their group arrived one by one at the exit rift. Vincent was last to arrive, but when he did, Artemus opened a rift and they all marched in.

Syryn hadn't yet told them about the whistling that had followed him to the balcony, but they all could sense that Rowan and Syryn were uneasy. The uneasiness infected them in turn and they began asking questions the moment they were out of the castle.

Within the foggy environment of the lost path, the blessed absence of whistling washed the alchemist in a sense of relief that was so deep, it instantly buoyed his mood.

"Syryn, is everything okay?" Artemus asked him first. The anti mage had been talking to Rowan at the bridge when Syryn had told the others about the whistle. He still didn't know about what had happened.

Syryn explained it to him.

"That's very strange," Artemus replied after hearing the mage recount his story. "I've never heard of something like that happening."

"S'ryn, if you alone can hear it then it means somethin' might be wrong with ya. Or yer cursed."

The alchemist thought about it. For a curse, it was pretty tame, if it was one. Although... the whistling could potentially drive him crazy. He immediately revised his opinion about the danger it posed to him.

"But it shouldn't be a problem if he only hears it when he's at the Silent beach right?" Vincent asked.

"It's a problem," Rowan answered. "Syryn alone shouldn't be hearing any whistling.

I don't like not knowing what's going on."

Artemus replied, "I'll check the archives for information on strange whistling if there are any. Until then, there's nothing we can do that doesn't involve going back and searching the beaches."

He opened a rift and allowed Syryn to step through first. Rowan followed. The others would continue on to their destinations.

"Hear anything?" The blond asked after they watched the rift close. They were back at Syryn's manor. The garden looked peaceful. The only sounds he could hear were the sounds of the night.

"All good," Syryn replied feeling like himself again.

----

That night, Syryn fell asleep unaware that his ordeal had only just begun.

No sooner had he closed his eyes, a vivid dream began that had him out on a boat at sea. He was all alone, drifting by himself over an ocean that looked the same no matter which direction he looked towards. The sky was without stars or a moon. It was just a deep black shroud of darkness that encumbered his sights.

Syryn hugged himself as a sense of dread bathed his entire being. Where was Rowan? Why wasn't he with Syryn? He didn't want to be alone. Something in the water was coming to get him.

Something in the water... How did he know that? The alchemist set his gaze to the bottom of the tiny boat. It was a thin layer of rotting wood that separated him from the water.

The sound of waves lapping against the side of his boat became his only friend as it was the one recognisable sound he could hear. Syryn's heart thudded in his chest, and the blood roared in his ears.

And then the whistling began.