My name is Daniel Diaz, but everyone calls me by my last name, Diaz. I'm a searcher, someone that has the objective of finding the truth no matter what, and got some experience behind me. I practice swordplay, martial arts and magic, all for self defense in this world of dangers, I use a silver saber and a big black cape that covers me entirely.
I live in a world where is normal to travel between worlds, and we do it using the Soul Crossing, the most powerful kind of portal that exists. Thanks to this, there are a lot of different races, some you can find in certain worlds and not in others.
But I'm not here to talk you about my place or the worlds of the Soul Crossing, I'm here to tell you something that I promised to keep as a deep secret. But someting happened recently and now I've got no other choice. Even so... it will be the same, I can't help it.
This is not my story, it's the story of someone else...
It was going to be a normal day that time, I was finishing a sandwich in Jaztenia´s, Sekmeth´s kingdom capital, park, when I got a message delivered by magical means... and with that I mean it popped abode my head and hit me. It was just paper, didn't hurt, but was annoying.
The message asked me to go to the library close to where I was in that moment. Minju wants something I thought. The librarian, Minju, sometimes asks me to do certain things. The major part took me a while to understand until I finished the task, others didn't had a clue. How it wasn't the first time I just went there, to see that old man.
Every time I receive something from him, he always waits me close to the entrance of the library, inside of it. As normal he was using a wooden staff with no decoration and a white old tunic. Smiling, while looking at me with his tiny eyes through those big glasses. A common old man from Sekmeth indeed. At least, that's what he wants you to believe.
"Welcome, Diaz, I see you received my message" said still smiling, walking towards me.
"Well, it fell in my head, so there's no way I could miss it" I crossed my arms proving how annoyed I was about that message system.
"Well, well, It's nothing to be concerned right now" Minju stopped in front of me, looking up to see my face "I need you to find something and someone"
Please, don’t let it be princess Quini's underwear and another clothes thief, for the Creator´s sake, that's Kinory´s job I thought, I still remember about some of the cases I've worked for the kingdom. Sometimes I don't know what's Kinory, the princess's personal bodyguard, is doing in is job. I had enough searching for the princess's underwear, trying to get information and clues was annoying when started thinking about me as a pervert.
"Someone stole a book from the library" Minju said, his voice got a more serious tone.
“Thanks! They only stole a... wait, what? A book?!”
"A-a book?! " My voice cracked for a while, repeating what passed through my mind.
"Yes, nothing special, an ordinary book, nothing to worry about" he said.
Liar, when someone stoles a book from you, YOU HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT I pressed my teeth trying not to get angry while he tries to hide from me something that became obvious a while ago. Minju always has some weird books in his library, some magical, and others that can change your perspective about the history of the universe, always gives me the creeps.
"Okay, tell me something about the guy and the book" I said, there's no way I was going say no "I'll go and see how I can retrieve it"
"Okay, you'll find him in the illusion's forest, to the North West of the Capital" said smiling in an annoying way.
... I'm going to kill him one of these days... If I don't kill myself before... I thought, not believing what I just heard. My hand turned into a fist and literally lighted on fire (remember that I practice magic)
"And how the hell do you know where he is?!" I asked furiously.
—There, there, Diaz, he left a note— Minju said that with a smile that probed he knew how I was going to react. While enjoying my surprise, he takes a piece of paper out of one of the pockets of his tunic and hands it to me.
Annoyed, I take the paper of read it pressing my teeth.
"I need to see the person that controls fire, just then I’ll return the book. I’ll wait on the forest, North West of the city.
-Mobhrun”
"Odd…" I said when I finished reading. First, I noted the signature. Why would he do that? I can imagine three reasons. The first one being that no one knows who it’s him, Mobhrun it’s an odd name and the first time I read it, even in this world with estrange names. The other one, which could be connected with the first, it’s that he doesn’t care about people knowing who he is. The third one, a nick name, maybe the mot obvious. The other weird thing it was the book, it seems like he only wants to talk with me and then return it… but why steal it? And why return it? ...there’s something in it, clearly important, there’s no way anyone, namely Minju, could fool me about that.
"I suppose you noticed something, Diaz" Minju was looking at my face, it’s easy to know when I’m thinking about something —Well, good luck, and remember to bring me the ordinary book.
Ordinary, my ass I repeat, there’s no way he could fool me And that was a very lame and obvious try, what the hell?
I didn’t try to ask any question about the book, the only think I asked was how it looked. A book with a black leather cover, there’s nothing written on the cover and it’s magically protected, so time can damage it.
Being a searcher it’s not only finding the truth, but it’s our main job. The other things we do are search for lost objects an people, thieves, murderers, bounties and a lot of other stuff. But you aren’t only searcher naming yourself as one, you must travel to a city that you must discover where is located, pass a test (a difficult one) and then make a pact that you must find the truth, no matter what. With this, you’ll get some benefits too, but I’ll get to that later.
This time I had the information where to find what I needed, obviously, this was more difficult than what it seemed to be.
The Forest of Illusions, on the west side of the capital, has his name for many reasons, but the one we know it’s the real one is the fact that people disappeared when Jaztenia was founded, reasons are still a mystery, but there were reports of human forms moving between trees and the constant feeling of being watched.
I didn’t lose any time and take North West from the capital thinking if it was really something there. As long as I knew there was nothing, but I had to continue and try to find that person. Then I’ll see what’s on that book and why that person wants to see me.
20 minutes later, I was thinking that maybe I was going to get lost if I didn’t turn back. Walking was getting annoying and I got bored. Didn’t find any creature from the forest in my way… Then I stopped when I realized something, it was really odd that n creature attacked me, and the forest was very quietly, no birds singing, just the wind moving the leaves from the trees… something was in the air, something cold, something that, somehow, I thought I felt it in another place, just didn’t remember where.
Every step the sensation grew more intense, I was used to it, it didn’t affect me as I advanced, but the chill that passed through my back probed how nervous I was in the moment, what was causing it was close.
When I got to a clearing I found myself with a person that was looking a tombstone in the middle. The sensation disappeared in a second. I stopped looking what I found.
The tombstone was empty, nothing was written on it. The dirt appeared to be moved recently. Maybe some days ago someone was buried there. Why not on a graveyard? Why here of all places? The man, standing still, was staring at it, maybe he knew the person buried there… it had something to do with the reason that took me there?
The man had some strange robes with patterns between brown and blue tones. Touching the ground, they were very dirty with and I couldn’t see his hands. His hair was large and brown, I just noticed that the wind stopped because it wasn’t moving at all.
"I was waiting for you, Ignus Soul " he suddenly spoke. Clearly, he didn’t knew my name, just the nickname someone from Jaztenia gave me.
"I know… what do you want from me?" I asked looking at that person, ready for anything.
"It’s not polite to present yourself before start making questions?" Mobhrun turned around and I saw a perturbed smile on his face for a second" You know my name, but I’ll introduce myself again: I’m Mobhrun, a pleasure to make your acquaintance" he bows.
"Daniel Diaz, a pleasure too" I say and bow "Now, I need to know why you want to talk with me"
"I’ve heard about you, Mister Diaz" starts walking towards me, and stops midway", about your powers, the fire control because of the cha…"
"Don’t think I’ll use my power for you, unless it’s a good reason" I answered and took my saber under my cape", and I need to see that book"
He smiles again, and takes a book with a black leather cover from his robes. Stretch his arm and looks at me.
A trap, but I’ll follow him I needed to take answers from him and see what’s in that book. It was clear he wasn’t going to give me the book that easy. Maybe that wasn’t even the book that he stole and it was a fake.
I started walking towards Mobhrun. I was paying attention to every move he made, and I noticed the left arm (the other one was holding the book), wich hand I couldn’t see. Stretched my arm when I was in range to take the book, but I used my left hand, and then…
In a fifth part of a second, I saw a knife coming out from the left sleeve of his robe. With my right arm I took my weapon stopped the attack. My sword struck his blade and I jumped back some steps, putting myself on a safe range.
"I supposed this was going to end like this" I said while pointing my saber towards him "I want that book, know"
"Come and get it, Chaos flame! I need your power!"
You wont get it… never I thought. I was going to finish this quick, so I just ran against him.
Just one strong and fast hit with my sword against his knife and I could disarm him. I was going to attack him with a hit with the grip, but he managed to hit me with in the face. It was more powerful than I expected, he even managed to make me throw my weapon and get on my knees. I stood up, making sure I wasn’t bleeding. It was a painful hit.
"Do you want my power?" I said looking at him "Then, I’ll give you a taste!"
Started running again towards him. I made a fist with my hand and lighted in fire with magic and when I was in range, I attacked with all my power.
Mobhrun made something I wasn’t expecting, there was no way I could predict what he did in that moment. He put the book in the way of my fist, laughing, and I punched the book.
A white light blinded me off. I couldn’t see anything and I felt that I was flying in some direction. Left? Right? I had no clue, but I knew what was going on. We were traveling to another world, and the mystery was where.
The light faded out, and I opened my eyes to see my surrounding. We appeared in an open area. In the distance I saw some trees and something that seemed to be buildings. The fauna was something that I never saw. That was an unknown world, for me at least.
But, for a damn second, I forgot about something important.
Suddenly, Mobhrun was in front of me, and I felt a pain and a heat in my stomach. I put my hand on what was there. He stabbed me with a knife. I saw his face, he was smiling again, made it to catch me by surprise. I was quickly losing strength, there was nothing I could do. Mobhrun takes out his knife and I fell down to my knees, slowly losing consciousness. I press the injury trying to stop the bleeding, but it wasn’t working. I fell to the floor, staining the green grass with red. Everything was fading T-the knife was… poisoned? I thought, I was feeling how my body was getting paralyzed.
Then, Mobhrun said something.
"Thanks to you, I’m back" he said "I hoped that our meeting could last longer, but I see it wasn’t possible. Well, I got business in this world, so I’m going"
I listen him walk, and stops close to me. I tried to see him, but I wasn’t able to move my head. He crawls. He says something more.
"Welcome to Equestria"
Then, I fainted…