• Sylance

    -The Fallen Promise-

    Chapter 1: Plot-Fire


    A boy’s hand reached for a circular object atop an empty stall in the middle of a bazaar. The hand seized the fruit and withdrew to under the stall. This was Aile, a 17 year-old boy who lived in the slums of one of the greatest cities in the world; Gran Hauver. He has been living here for close to 10 years on his own but without help from another orphan, Tana, he would have never survived to this point. He apprehended another fruit before departing. He wanted better for them both but had neither the finances nor the know-how. During his excursion for food, he had heard rumors of a great treasure that lay within the walls of Zweinswaltz Castle and they speaking of how it would sell for billions of valta . He returned to a shabby looking box with various piles of junk nearby. He sat in the crate and began to eat the pieces of fruit he had gathered,. He reached out of the crate and into a pile of junk and fished out a long strand of wire.
    He was planning on breaking into the castle and stealing the so-called treasure to make both his and Tana’s lives a lot better. Little to Aile’s knowledge, an event was taking place in the castle that would change his life, forever.
    Within the castle, a young man walked down a hallway whose walls were lined with unlit torches and fading lighting. He was donned in flowing white clothes with a gold pauldron on his right shoulder. His flowing white cape matching his long golden hair . His face had a gentle demeanor as did his cerulean eyes that glittered in the daylight that poured in from the windows that dotted the hallway. At his waist, on his right, was a medium length sheath that was emerald in color and the hilt, which could be seen, was in the design of a pair of angel wings, gold in color. He passed many people in armor who greeted him and sometimes patted him upon his free shoulder.
    “Welcome back, General Evesdray! And congrats on your victory!” a tall knight cried, slapping the man on his pauldron as they passed one another.
    The young man gave a humbled chuckle as he passed by and faced forward. Many other congratulations followed down the long hallway. He received a short bow from a maid before arriving at a large door. He pushed it open with both hands and stepped through into a large room with a round table settled in the middle. It was made of a clear, white crystal and was surrounded by 10 chairs also made from the same material.
    One chair, however, had a red crest upon it. The young man took a seat and crossed his arms. He looked to his left to see someone else has already been seated. It was a man donned in bulky black armor. He has shoulder length violet hair and cold-looking pale eyes. He had a somewhat stern look about him and his left arm was bare of both armor and clothing. His right arm, of course, was in a spiky style armor whose fingers resembled the claws of a demon. He had both of his hands clasped in front of him.
    His eyes made a glance at General Evesdray and then returned to looking straight ahead with an unflinching stare as another person entered to take their seat two seats to the left of where the stern man was sitting. It was a girl with bobbed black hair and dead-looking pale-violet eyes. She wore a black gown with draping sleeves and had a purple bow in her hair. Around her neck was a necklace which featured a black rose ornament and she also had purple lips obviously from lipstick. She had pale skin whose color was only shades away from being totally white. She placed both her hands on her lap and remained silent, breathing very lightly. The golden haired man was about to speak when a figure in a velvet green robe entered and sat at the chair with the red crest upon it. Atop his head of wavy brown hair was a silver crown with nine points to it. His eager blue eyes glanced at each seated person before he spoke.
    “It appears as though we are short-handed at the moment,” said the robed young man, “but that cannot be helped. First of all, welcome back, Qwainn Evesdray ; your mission was a great success and it boosted our soldiers’ morale magnanimously.” The blonde haired man called Qwainn gave a polite nod and an affirmed chuckle.
    “It was nothing. “ he said. “It was an easily earned victory after all.” The armored man laughed out loud, throwing back his head and shortly after gave a smug look to Qwainn.
    “Easy? Pah, only for you perhaps.” the armored man scoffed. “You flatter yourself, Qwainn.” The man stared at a slight bruise to Qwainn’s neck. “It seems even you cannot handle a Menarl…it was the same with Fabio.”
    Qwainn gave a small smile and chuckled a little. “Nothing gets by you, does it Edmund?” Qwainn then turned to face the little girl who sat very quietly. “Lydia, is there something you wish to say?”
    The girl’s lips then opened with a heavy sigh. “I’d like to address my lack of a mission. Lately…all I ever seem to do is lay about the castle all day long; it’s getting really boring and dull around here.”
    The young king laughed nervously. “I’m very sorry, Lydia, but there haven’t been any available ones since Qwainn’s.” said the young king. “I apologize once more, Lady Lydia, but you must practice patience until the next available mission turns up.” Lydia puffed her cheeks and sunk into her chair.
    “Perhaps you’d like to accompany me on my next mission, Miss Lydia?” asked Edmund, his bare hand making an offering gesture.
    Lydia simply shook her head. “No…I’ll only do a mission with Fabio and no one else.” She was blushing ever so slightly. “He’s my only partner.”
    Edmund laughed a bit. “Ah yes. You and Fabio make quite the splendid little team as well as a cute couple.” Lydia turned away, turning red with embarrassment,. Edmund snickered a bit. “But it is a shame Fabio’s not here at the moment; we could use his prowess right about now.”
    Qwainn looked over to Edmund. “What do you mean by “now”?” asked Qwainn, curious of what Edmund was talking about. The young king sighed despondently and arose slowly.
    “One of the reasons I brought you three out here today was to address this; apparently Exile is making their move.” Qwainn grunted softly, eyes looking down. “The rumor is….one of the generals here at Gran Hauver, is an Exile spy, seeking to rob us of our great treasure, The Gauntlet of Valogue.” Edmund’s eyes suddenly filled with bewilderment while Lydia’s filled with anticipation.
    “But why?” protested Lydia, “It’s just an old piece of useless junk. It just sits in the treasury collecting dust.”
    “How little you know, Miss Lydia!” Edmund snapped, “It is an instrument of great destruction which houses a spirit.” Lydia’s eyes were now full of intrigue. “They say it houses a potent amount of Zeal within it and is a very rare Edge.”
    “If that’s the case,” sighed Lydia, “Why hasn’t it been taken out of the treasury or used by anyone else before? “ Edmund chuckled a bit.
    “I believe Qwainn could better answer that, couldn’t you?”
    Qwainn had an uneasy look on his face as he interlinked his fingers and closed his eyes. “That Edge has not been wielded in over twenty millennia. The reason for that is…it will not accept anyone as it’s master.” said Qwainn darkly.
    Lydia wore a puzzled expression. “And why not?” she demanded.
    Qwainn had his eyes still shut. “Because…the last person to wield it…was a Zylvanian.”
    Lydia gasped. “Oh…I see now. But, what makes you think Exile can use it?”
    The young king had sat back down but instantly addressed Lydia’s question. “Because…there is another rumor that a Zylvanian is among them.”
    Edmund closed his eyes and smirked. “Isn’t Sakiu a descendant of the Zylvanians? “ stated Edmund.
    Lydia’s mouth gaped and looked over to the young king. “Indeed, “ said the young king “however, he has been with us for over 5 years now and there is no need to suspect him. My advice, to you three would be to keep an attentive eye out for any suspicious persons…is that clear?”
    All three arose and bowed and boldly stated. “Yes, your majesty, King Blauleben.”
    “Please,” stated the young king, “call me Shiloh.” The three seated themselves once more as Shiloh was about to say something else. “Anyway, General Evesdray’s mission was a complete success. Now for the second reason I’ve brought you all here today. The researchers below the castle have stumbled upon something quite interesting and I am very eager to show you three. Even though the others will miss out, I cannot bear to keep this a secret any longer.”
    “Oh? And what, pray tell, did they discover?” queried Edmund pretentiously, “And why should it concern us?”
    “Watch it, Edmund!” Lydia seethed, eyes narrowed and glaring at Edmund.
    “Now, now…” nervously spoke Shiloh, “I’ll think you’ll find this quite interesting.” Edmund’s left eyebrow arose questioningly. “Please…if you three will just follow me…..” Before he arose, a knight walked over to him and stooped down, whispering something into his ear. The knight then strode backward as Shiloh turned to face Lydia. “Well Miss Lydia, it seems as if Fabio is requesting your presence at Karukoli Village. Apparently, they’re having trouble containing some nasty beasts.”
    Lydia arose with a bright smile and gleefully left the room, skipping. “Have fun you guys!” she cried. “Fabio…I’m coming!” She then disappeared from sight. Qwainn shook his head with a sigh.
    “Now, shall we go?” asked Shiloh. He slowly departed from his seat and entered a door to his left. Qwainn and Edmund silently followed the king into a large hallway.
    Edmund approached Qwainn, the both of them now walking side-by-side. “So, Qwainn, do you have any idea who the spy might be? Hm?” Edmund’s probing stare seemed to hurt Qwainn a bit. Qwainn
    looked away with pained eyes. Edmund grinned maliciously. *So you do know don’t you?”
    Qwainn refused to speak up to this point and simply stated “Sorry, Edmund, I really don’t know anyone here who falls into that category.” Edmund’s face cringed with disgust and faced forward. They slowly approached a large door. Shiloh was the first to open and enter, quickly followed by Qwainn and Edmund. They were now in a very dull green hallway made of a peculiar metal. Qwainn, without Edmund’s notice, was keeping a sharp eye on him as they proceeded. They reached a spiraling stairway where they each descended, the air growing colder and colder. As they reached the bottom of it, they came to another door with a keypad next to it. Qwainn and Edmund waited patiently as Shiloh inputted the code rather meticulously. The door opened with a whoosh, a thick fog flooding out from the inside. The three walked into an enormous laboratory filled with various men and women in lab coats, The scenery was dimly lit by the screens of the equipment and the tanks with floating figures in them. They came to a stop in front of a gaunt man with gnarled fingers and a scar upon his bald head. He too was in lab coating.
    “Ah, King Blauleben, so good of you to come.” said the man whose voice was both hoarse and drawn out.
    “Please,” said the young king, holding up his right hand, “call me Shiloh, Dr. Muramo.”
    “Ah, yes…well…never mind.” the doctor said, clearing his throat. “Observe, Shiloh.”
    The man pointed at a glowing tank with a rather large figure within. The three looked closely at it and Qwainn’s eyes were full of shock. Within was a decomposed body with a pale mask on its face which had three holes in them. It had claws instead of hands and feet and it’s heart was visibly seen on its protruding floating ribs. “As you asked, Shiloh, the fossil you found; I’ve regenerated this being from its DNA.” Shiloh looked upon it with wonder while Edmund gawked at it with a puzzled face as if to say “it’s not possible.”
    “It’s…amazing Dr, Muramo! Simply amazing!” exclaimed Shiloh. “Is it strong?”
    The doctor nodded. “Very. Just as strong as the original race.” he replied.
    “Impressive. “ grinned Edmund, “but it’ll never rival my arms!” He proudly displayed both of his arms. He looked at the creature again. “Can you make more of these or something?”
    The doctor nodded. Shiloh looked over to Qwainn who was still in shock. “is something the matter, Qwainn?” asked Shiloh curiously. Qwainn snapped out of his shock and shook his head.
    “it’s nothing” replied Qwainn. He then thought to himself “That’s…..it can’t be…they’re…”
    Shiloh looked up at the tank proudly. “From this day forward, Gran Hauver shall fear no one! Now that we have the legendary invincible warriors; the Sothos!!” Declared Shiloh. Qwainns eyes looked away.
    “Not…them again…” he thought. “They were…exterminated for a reason…”
    Later that day, Qwainn was in a lavish bedroom sitting upon an extravagant red velvet bed. Sunlight poured into the room nearly filling it with the bright luster of the sun itself. Qwainn simply smiled as the sunlight dimmed and brightened as clouds in the sky passed by. He then held his forehead and gave a pained groan, thinking about what he had seen in the labs earlier that day. “It’s...impossible.” He thought, “There shouldn’t even be a fossil of them around here for miles…so why was one found here?” His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a sudden knock at the door. An unannounced knight came waltzing in and bowed quickly to Qwainn. “What is the meaning of this interruption?”
    “Pardon my intrusion, General Evesdray, but King Blauleben requires an audience with you immediately; no questions asked!” spoke the knight quite boldly. Qwainn arose with a sigh and left his room, the knight arising and following shortly after. Qwainn took down a hallway as the knight went in the opposite direction. He made quick strides past various doors until he arrived at a large door which he pushed open. It led into a grand throne room with a fountain and a small garden and walkway. A small stepway led to the throne itself where the young king sat, his hand to his cheek.
    “You needed me sire? “ asked Qwainn who sat at the fountains lip.
    “Yes…Qwainn, I have a question for you.” Spoke Shiloh.
    “What is it?” asked Qwainn, eye perplexed a bit.
    “How do you feel about the Sothos?” asked the serene king. Qwainn clenched his eyes and looked away; the question catching him off guard. A long moment passed, the waters in the fountain echoeing calmly throughout the room.
    Shiloh looked upon Qwainn with a worried grimace. Finally Qwainn spoke up. “Truthfully?”
    “Yes, please!” pleaded Shiloh.
    Qwainn lifted himself off the fountain’s lip with an immense sigh. “I do not like it, King. Those things are way more dangerous than what you may think. True they possessed overwhelming power but that is exactly why they were eliminated. That power was their downfall. They could not discern friend from foe and were extremely violent. If they went out of control, think of what would happen to this kingdom; it’d be turned into a bloodbath and many would perish before even one could be stopped! My King, I advize against this and request their immediate destruction.”
    Shiloh sat there, a dark expression on his face. He wore a grim frown and lifted up his head. “I knew it…he said you’d be against it.” Said Shiloh. “He also said…you were the traitor. Qwainn..how could you? You’re going to steal our treasure…our kingdom’s symbol…”
    Qwainn’s pupils constricted, mouth gaping. “Who told you this!?”
    ‘I did.” Replied an unfamiliar voice.
    From behind the king emerged a man in violet robes with draping sleeves. He had bright orange hair with glittering blue eyes that also showed a hint of secrecy in them.
    “Sakiu…..you! You did this to our king! How could you?!” roared Qwainn.
    The man smirked and spoke in a non-chalant manner to the king, speaking indirectly to him from his side. “You see my king? He was planning on robbing you of your soldiers which in turn would leave Gran Hauver defenseless if we Generals weren’t here to look after it. We need those soldiers exactly for that reason; to protect out kingdom. You see my king? He was also going to rob you of your precious treasure and take it back with him to that filthy Exile leader! Face it Qwainn, you’ve been discovered and now you shall be punished, isn’t that right dear king?”
    “Sakiu…! You!!” Qwainn drew his weapon and lunged it at Sakiu who evaded it with ease. Sakiu held up his left index and middle fingers. At their tip, a jet-black sphere emerged.
    ‘Zeal Art: Dark Bang.” The fingers then quickly tapped Qwainn’s chest. Sudeenly there was an erupting bang like a bullet and Qwainn went flying backwards, crashing into the walls. Qwainn left an indentation on the wall, the radius of his impact crumbling with insurmountable cracks. He fell limply to the ground as Shiloh screamed for the guards. Guards flooded into the room and seized Qwainn by his shoulders; lifting him up off the ground. On Qwainn’s chest was a small burn mark where the black sphere was. His face hung with defeat and his face was wrought with the echoing pain in his body from the impact.
    “Guards, take him away!” ordered the king. “And confiscate his weapon as well!” The guards pulled Qwainn away out of the room and out of sight. Shiloh sighed. “Glad we caught him when we did; now our treasure is safe.”
    “Indeed it is, your majesty.” Said Sakiu graciously. Then a wide smirk spread across his face.