Undead Rising: Part Six

      "E ww, what are we doing in a crypt?” Zeena complained, swiping at the various cobwebs that hung from the ceiling. The Wocky was right, Bernard agreed, this place was creepy and gross… what on earth could they possibly be doing here?

      “This is where all of Altador’s dead lay. If we are to find answers on the Sun Warrior, here would be our best bet.” Jerdana explained. “The Sun Warrior was buried with his amulet... even if he did exhaust its’ magical abilities. His final wish was for it to never fall into evil hands.”

      Jerdana brushed against the walls of the crypt, wiping away some of the dust and dirt that coated the walls. “If his amulet is missing from his grave… then we may have a start about your friend’s past.”

      Bernard couldn’t believe that finding a simple ghost Lenny in the woods would lead to all of this… he could never have imagined that Edward would be the key to saving Neopia.

      The foursome finally reached a large stone door, decorated with sun, moon and star patterns all over. Jerdana pushed it open, revealing several caskets lined up against the walls, leading down a long hallway to a grave lit by light from the city above. At the end of the hall there was a decorated casket made of gold, with a large sun on the top of it.

      Bernard shivered. He could only imagine how long those had been here… what if they came to life while they were searching? They’d be goners!

      Jerdana calmly shuffled down the hall of the crypt, as if she had been here numerous times before. She carefully ran her hand along the casket, pausing when she reached a small indentation in its surface. It was a smaller sun shape, looking as if it was previously sealed by an old-looking chain. The chain now lay on the floor, broken to bits.

      “As I suspected… The amulet has been taken. Who could have done this…?” She tapped her chin. “This crypt has been tampered with… Whoever did this didn’t want any chance that the Sun Warrior could be revived.”

      “Revived?” Bernard repeated. “You mean that’s actually possible?”

      Jerdana nodded. “It is, with the help of another with a pure heart and a just cause, one could revive the Sun Warrior. No one has ever tried in many years, however… None have passed the test to bring him back to life.”

      Zeena peered over the top of the casket. “Has anyone else tried in the past few years?”

      “Many became discouraged and stopped trying to revive the beloved warrior long ago. Since so much time has passed… very few remember who he actually was. Many just assume it’s an old tall tale and dismiss it.”

      Edward’s expression saddened. If he was indeed the Sun Warrior like Jerdana claimed, then it seemed like the entire world had forgotten his existence.

      Zeena poked the indent where the pendant once was. “Do you think someone could try now?”

      Jerdana sighed softly. “Whether or not we would be able to find someone to try and revive him is questionable… but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to try.”

      “I’ll try it.”

      Everyone turned around to look at the yellow Lupe, who now felt slightly awkward for speaking up. They looked at each other for a moment, but none opposed his suggestion. They stepped aside, making room for Bernard to pass and take a look at the casket. He stared at the indentation with a hand on his chin, something sparking in his memory for a brief moment. He was just about to place a hand in the indentation where the amulet once was, before his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a loud clatter behind them.

      As they suspected, the coffins behind them began to shake and rattle, their lids slowly sliding off to reveal a whole group of zombie Neopets rising from their graves. Many of them had missing limbs and twisted faces, and moaned loudly when they took a look at the group of very-much-alive pets. Jerdana quickly stood between them and the zombies, her hands glowing red with her magical powers. “Quickly, the casket! You must try!”

      Bernard quickly pulled the amulet off Edward’s neck, snapping its’ string and placing it in the casket’s opening. Edward immediately vanished upon this action, a swirling mass of blue being sucked into the amulet. The Lupe didn’t want to have to do that to his new friend… but if he was going to revive the Sun Warrior, he had no choice.

      The casket began to glow brightly in a golden light, dissolving the thorns surrounding the amulet and replacing them with vines of gold. The amulet itself glowed like the sun, nearly blinding the Lupe as he stood before the casket. He stepped back as the casket’s lid shot off, shattering in a million pieces on the roof of the crypt. Everyone stopped and stared in awe at the figure that now hovered above the casket. A white Lenny wearing golden armour and wielding a shield and sword of the same colour hovered above his grave, eyes narrowed in anger at the zombies that lumbered towards the three pets.

      He raised his sword high in the air, the blade glowing a bright white before he swung it in a circle, sending a ray of light slicing through all the zombies and reducing them to dust. The three pets stood stunned, staring confused at the Lenny behind them.

      Bernard timidly approached him. “…Edward…?”

      The Lenny shook his head, sheathing his sword and shield. “Edlun, Warrior of the Sun and Hero of Neopia.” He declared, looking more serious than ever. The Lenny knelt down, placing a wing on Bernard’s shoulder. He didn’t look like his previous ghostly form anymore, but he still looked like a spectral being, his wing completely transparent on the Lupe’s shoulder. “You are a brave young lad… I cannot thank you enough for awakening my true form once more.”

      Bernard grinned sheepishly. “Well, I’m glad you’ve got your memory back Edwa- I mean uh, Edlun.” He scratched his head. “But then… Why me? Why could I revive you when no one else could?”

      The Lenny seemed surprised for a brief second, then quickly hid it with a confident smile. “You will understand in due time. For now we must leave this place… Things are only going to get more difficult from here.”

      “Edlun, it is an honour to have you in our courts once more.” King Altador said with a bow towards the spectral warrior. “If you have anything that you need, please do not hesitate to let Jerdana or myself know.”

      “Thank you, King Altador, I am grateful for your kindness.”

      The elder Lupe excused himself from the council chambers, speaking with the other members of the court as they debated their plan on defeating these undead Neopets for good. Meanwhile, Bernard, Zeena, Jerdana and Edlun stood in a circle, the two younger pets looking as confused as ever. “So what are we gonna do?” Zeena piped up. “We have the Sun Warrior right here, but we don’t know where to go next! These things are popping up everywhere, and we don’t even know where they’re coming from!”

      “Patience, young one.” Jerdana looked out the window. “Though the situation is dire, we are doing our best to locate the source of these attacks. We must trust King Altador and the other heroes.”

      Bernard frowned. He knew that they would have a solution to things, but at the same time Edlun would probably know more about what they were dealing with than anyone else. No one had even bothered to ask him about his side of the story in all this. “Edlun, what exactly happened to you so long ago? Maybe we could get a clue about where this all is happening by what happened to you before.”

      Edlun tapped his beak. “It has been some time, but I do remember when a similar situation like this happened… It was also the reason why I perished in the first place.” He clenched his fist. “Twins… a pair of them, leading an enormous army of the undead. They attacked Neopia with those that had long since perished. They planned on making Neopia their playground with their shambling friends, but I was not about to let those two take away everything that we held dear.”

      Edlun began to make hand gestures as he recounted the story. “It took everything I had… but I was able to stop them with the power of my amulet. However…” He grasped it and stared at it for a moment. “Why the amulet ended up in the Haunted Woods is beyond my knowledge. I cannot imagine why it was placed on that grave… but my spirit remained trapped in the amulet as it was taken from its’ pedestal.”

      “Do you think that whoever is behind all this took it there? So no one would find it?” Bernard questioned.

      “Oh dear.”

      “You figured it out.”

      To Be Continued...