Succession of the Tourmaline Blade

“As he plunged the Tourmaline blade into the heart of the Great Leviathan King, a blinding light emitted from the devastating wound. The world shook as the fearsome Leviathan screeched and writhed, feeling itself dying inside and out. Leiv held into the blade tight as he plunged it deeper and deeper. The lair’s ceiling fell around him, stalagmites crashing into the cold ground around them. In the corner of his eye he saw his friends preparing to leave; calling for him to run before the lair collapsed completely. But Leiv knew something they didn’t. From the moment his blade pierced his fearsome foe, he knew their story had only one ending. The two of them would perish together. Two age old enemies, a hero and a villain, sealed away for eternity in that lair, and from their eternal grave a new world would blossom…”

 Louis looked up at his audience, taking note of their shocked and grief-stricken faces. One fan was sobbing into her friend’s shoulder, muffling her wails as best she could. He knew from the moment he handed the completed and edited manuscript to the publishers; his fans would not be ready to say goodbye to their favourite hero.

They had known Leiv, since he first debuted in the very first book he published almost fifteen years ago. They fell in love with him and watched him grow from a nothing elf peasant working for a cruel master, to a selfless hero who was chosen to wield the legendary tourmaline blade and slay the Great Levithan King. They were there when Leiv lost his mentor and father figure, when he was betrayed by his very first love interest who was actually a spy for the villain, when he led the golden army to victory and when he married his other love interest- Princess Trinia.

Now they were there when he gave his life for his home and loved ones.

It was Leiv’s story who kicked off Louis Blanche’s career as an author, but that didn’t mean he wanted to keep writing about him. If he was to be honest, as much as he loved writing the series in the beginning, Louis felt ridiculous writing fantasy. He wanted to write crime and sci-fi, and he had published works in those genres. But they were never going to be as beloved as ‘The Tourmaline Blade’ series. And so, after so many years of thinking about it, Louis quite literally killed his darlings.

He finished reading the rest of the final chapter but was met with very little applause. His agent took over and announced it was now the time to ask questions, but the questions were all the same. Why did Leiv have to die? He’s not actually dead is he? Is there a chance Leiv survived?

He answered them honestly.

“Unfortunately, yes, he had to die.”

“He is in fact dead, I’m sorry to say, but he died a hero.”

“The lair collapsed, so no I’m sorry he did not survive.”

When the Q & A was over, very few people stayed to have their new copies of the book signed. Those who did thanked him for the memories and for writing the series, with one fan coldly telling him the ending sucked. When the signing was over and the bookstore began to close, he sat at the table in silence looking at the stacks of unbought books. It was a shame they did not like the conclusion, but he was just glad he could now move onto better things; assuming his other publications didn’t pick up in popularity. He thanked the bookstore for hosting him, bid his agent goodbye and drove home with one less weight on his chest.

The long drive home was his least favourite part of the night. The empty streets and rows of streetlights gave way to deep thoughts, ones he would have preferred to bury in the back of his mind. Not even the radio, which currently played David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ was enough to alleviate the thoughts.

He was fifty-three years old, and all he felt he had left was his gift as an author and his natural southern charm born from Cajun roots. His wife Juliette had long since fallen out of love with him, treating him more like a roommate nowadays while she sought out affection in their neighbour Joel; a thirty-something woodworker who lapped up the attention like a parched dog. His sales would likely plummet following the debut of his final book in the ‘tourmaline blade’ series, and it would likely take a long time for him to write something to live up to its reputation. His daughter Charlotte hardly had time to see them since becoming an RN, and when she did she was deflated and relied on terrible energy drinks to keep her energised.

He sighed away the thoughts and turned up the radio. He needed noise. He needed a distraction. When he looked back up he was met with a bright light. It stung his eyes to look at. Fearing it was a truck and that he somehow merged into the opposite lane, he turned the wheel hard. The car swerved, then flipped over. Louis was helpless as his car spun and flipped, still blinded by the light. He didn’t want to die, not like this. The terror only ended when his head struck the steering wheel and all went black.

His eyes fluttered open to the early dawn through his ruined windscreen. For a moment, he thought he was dead. But then he felt the ache of numerous bruises and the sting of cuts all over his arms. He winced at the pain and did his best to examine his surroundings. The car was right side up, but his windshield and windows were shattered and cracked- in need of an expensive repair no doubt. He looked himself over next. Bruises and cuts coated his arms, and based on what he could make out in a broken rearview mirror he had a bloody nose and a nasty cut on his head. He would need medical help, that much was sure. And yet, he couldn’t help but wonder how it was that no one had found him yet.

His thoughts were disturbed by a sudden bang against his car, followed by another in quick succession. Louis swore loudly, looking around for the source of the sound. There was another bang, then something crashed through what was left of his driver side window and landed in the passenger seat. It was a stone, smooth and coated in small specks of dirt. He scoffed at the sight of it. He had just got into a car accident, and someone was throwing rocks at him. The audacity of some people.

He painfully climbed out of the car to find himself in a clear field surrounded by trees. It was startling to see, but he could barely remember where it was exactly, he crashed. Standing not too far from him were two children, who were now standing stunned with stones in their hands. He opened his mouth to snap at them when he noticed something odd. Not only were the kids dressed as if they made their clothes from scratch, but one kid had extremely long and pointed ears while the other had feline features and long fingers. He blinked a few times but they did not change.

“Asiry! Frondren!” a voice called from the distance. A tall woman with green skin and long tusks protruding from her lower jaw emerged from the trees, hands on her hips and shaking her head. “Don’t go beyond the hills where I can’t see you! You’ll get attacked by wolves-“

The woman paused, noticing Louis at last. She protectively pulled the children towards her, but eyed his wounds with concern. If his jaw didn’t hurt so much, he would have let it fall open. They were fantastical creatures, standing and breathing before him. They didn’t even look like cosplay either. They were the real deal, much to his horror and confusion. His vision spun again, and his legs felt like jelly. All he could do was mutter a weak and sore ‘help me’ before finally fainting.