by Aeon Solo
Sonje utilised his ability to run, and with his adrenaline pumped to the max, he rushed home. Sprinting for fifteen minutes without stopping. First, he buried the sword in a secret location by the rock at the entrance of the forest because he realised its importance. He witnessed a bright light bolt through the night sky.
Afterwards he returned home to an enraged mother who feared for his well-being for returning so close to complete darkness.
“You should know the dangers of being in and around that forest come nightfall, I am very disappointed in you!” his mother yelled. Sonje accepted the verbal punishment without hesitation and went to his bedroom immediately. There he laid for ten hours unable to sleep, pondering on the implications of the events of that evening; fearing Viden’s demise at the hands of a monster.
The beast picked up Viden over his shoulder and carried him to his ship. Viden watched Sonje’s movement diminish as he passed through the trees, sobbing with disappointment at being abandoned by his cousin and only friend.
With a click of a button on the interior of the craft, a table extended from the wall. There, Viden was placed, harshly by his captor, to be examined. The terrifying figure left a petrified Viden on the table as it continued up the ramp to the cockpit. Various pieces of equipment emerged from the table and scanned the boy. The data was transferred to the wrist device of the captor. He activated his communication device.
“My lord, I was hunting a forest area in Artsul and found a human boy.” The creature spoke a foreign language to Viden’s ears. He tried desperately to hone in on the voice in the next room.
“Is there anything particularly interesting about the boy?” the response echoed through the ship.
“I ran diagnostics and discovered he was the offspring of a powerful Imperial human warrior and his mind was different to the others,” Monstah said in a puzzled tone.
“Different, how?” the Archon responded, interested by the proposition of Monstah.
“I’m unsure, would you like to examine him yourself or can I eat him?” There was a slight pause for a few seconds whilst the Archon considered uses the boy could have for him.
“Wait, don’t be too hasty my friend there will be plenty of humans for us to consume, if what you say about the human was true then bring him to me,” the voice transmission concluded.
Monstah set coordinates for the mothership Ibu, which was present in space above Agarta. The craft bolted off into the night sky.
Viden’s parents and the village folk scoured the village and forest all night for Viden, but with no hope of finding the boy, they quit until dawn.
Viden’s parents did not sleep that night, filled with anguish and guilt, feeling as though the gods had cursed them for their sins.
His parents argued and had become increasingly bitter and distant with one another through the ensuing years.
Sonje did not speak of that night, he kept it a secret and said he left Viden by the entrance to the forest earlier in the evening. Guilt continued to persist for many years in Sonje. He would become a notable Imperial after graduating the Academy at eighteen years old, still awaiting the correct time to unearth the sword he had taken that night. He did not know whether Viden was right or whether the gods punished him for his words, he did not speak of the encounter, ever.
Scyfer over the coming years became the most feared Imperial, driven by grief, anger and a lust to avenge or find Viden. He obtained legendary status. This however, created a greater divide between him and his wife Anya. They argued every day as she blamed him for Viden’s disappearance; a very upsetting life for a family that was once whole. There were whispers about the whereabouts of Viden. Some believed he had perished by the hands of a mystical creature. Some believed he had faded into the night. Others believed there was a murderer among them, unknown and lurking to strike again.
Chapter 3
10 years later….
A man cloaked in a dark robe, hooded with a deep purple mask, three deep lacerations indented across the face, stood before an obsidian door towering 15 feet tall. Awaiting a visitation with his master, Monstah approached the man.
“He calls for you too?” the man pivoted his head to face Monstah. Displeased at the site of him. “Yes, why would the Lord Archon call for us both?” he pondered
“It can’t be anything good, he wouldn’t have called for you otherwise,” Monstah responded bluntly.
The man faced Monstah in defiance. “You know, it was you who lost the Sword of Anu, you’re lucky he didn’t take your head for it and now might be the moment he does!”
Monstah, furious with the remark unhinged his weapon aggressively and used his physical superiority to try and intimidate the man. “That was ten years ago human, watch your tongue because I would gladly take it!” Monstah snarled.
The two faced-off, the man laughed at Monstah’s intimidation. The door opened before they engaged in a physical confrontation, they both turned and entered the room. They passed two guards who gave them passage. The room was tall and littered with Anuai symbology. Statues of serpent kings were placed besides the throne of the Archon. The stonework was breath-taking.
The two marched toward the Archon, matching each other’s strides, a difficult task for the man whose stature was much less than the Anuai warrior. Both bowed before the Archon, giving a condescending look at each other. The masks obscured their facial expression.
“Are our forces ready?” the Archon enquired of the two.
“I believe my forces are capable,” a confident response came from the hooded man. He pivoted to Monstah. “His forces however…”
Monstah enraged, pushed the man to ground with force. He leaped back instantly, blade in hand ready to attack.
“Enough!” the Archon bellowed angrily as he stood to his feet. The two cowered in submission.
“Forgive me my lord,” Monstah said. The man followed with the same response.
“The two of you are my most prized warriors and if we are to accomplish a complete takeover of this planet you must cooperate effectively!” They nodded in acceptance. “I believe we are ready to begin our conquest, prepare the forces and take the kingdom of Ragmana.”
The Archon returned to the throne.
“Yes, my lord,” Monstah replied.
“We will do as you please,” the man said. He bowed his head in submission. The two began to exit the room the way they came.
“Anu-Krai,” the hooded man stopped in his path, he twisted his head toward the Archon. Monstah continued his exit.
“I trust you will succeed, failure will result in judgement,” the Archon said in a stern, authoritative tone.
Anu-Krai responded in kind. “I will not fail.”
The Anuai wore their masks when interacting with humans, to protect their identity. The Anuai were viewed as gods in the kingdom of Naprador. The people worshiped the Archon like an almighty god. The Anuai had carefully manipulated and calculated their takeover of Naprador over the previous ten years and now believed their human forces could progress in the conquest of Agarta.
There were seven kingdoms in Agarta. Naprador was the stronghold and Konungur had been rendered obsolete. Five kingdoms remained to be ruled.
The masks were equipped with a translation device so humans and the Anuai could communicate freely without a language barrier. They could breathe a similar atmosphere to the humans, but the masks could slightly alter the chemistry of the air to a concoction more suitable for their biology, although it was not essential.
The Anuai did not show their faces to any human. They ensured their true form was hidden in the writings and religious symbology created by the humans, like Anu originally did with Earth.
Anu-Krai was the leader of the knights of Anu. They were a group of five humans who were taken as children, manipulated and tortured until they served the will of the Archon. They were some of the most powerful human warriors in Agarta. Legend had spread of their existence throughout the kingdoms. They utilized the
technology gifted to them by the Anuai and their armour could withstand conventional weapons used by the humans for the most part, with Anu-Krai having impenetrable armour. Their masks were equipped with voice modifiers to increase their intimidation.
Anu-Krai wished to become equal to the Anuai. He had a hatred for the Anuai warrior Monstah, the Archon’s most trusted servant. The two challenged one-another for the acceptance and gratitude of the Archon. Anu-Krai’s thirst for knowledge and respect, made him a very dangerous warrior. It was the reason why the Archon valued him so highly. No other human had direct contact with the Archon, not the even the rest of the Knights of Anu.
Anu was an ancient Anuai warlord and ruler. The Knights worship Anu and admire his strength, because he controlled swaths of the galaxy, thousands of years prior to the current day. Currently it was the year 19,630 on Earth. Anu waged war for thousands of years and was eventually defeated by the Galactic Alliance in the year 7812 Earth time. The Archon escaped the great battle for Draconis by direct order of Anu, in the hope that he would one day re-take the galaxy. The battle for Alpha Draconis was the final stand for the Anuai in their home solar system. The war had rendered the system uninhabitable due to the destructive conflict destroying the entire solar system.
The Archon’s goal was to take back galactic control to avenge Anu and serve his masters purpose, but first he needed to construct an army and have strongholds capable of doing so. He wandered the galaxy unnoticed until he arrived on Agarta. Utilising the time-bending effects of high speeds to time travel forward essentially. The Ibu aged slower than the rest of the galaxy.
Agarta was not under the jurisdiction of the Alliance. The human settlers originally escaped the devastation of another world during the war. They were technically from Earth but were living on Bamphia at the time. Unfortunately, they had to land on the closest inhabitable planet, which was Agarta, they did not have the resources to travel to another Alliance world. There was no functioning hyperdrive on the ship.
The people of Konungur had retained some of the technology and wisdom of the original human settlers who travelled from Bamphia. This was the reason why the Archon massacred the people of Konungur first, as they contained the only hope of assistance from external human and extra-terrestrial forces. The planet was essentially unseen in the galaxy, so the Archon could rule freely for now.
Anu-Krai left the pyramid structure which the Anuai used as a base on Agarta. It was a gargantuan structure that was visible from space. It had a deep black outer appearance and was approximately 500 metres in length on all sides, reaching a height of 500 metres.
It was created by the Anuai who utilised their technology and created the structure using materials mined from Agarta and other bodies in the solar system. It took only a few weeks to complete this structure. Scouts and labour forces had been sent across the solar system to gather valuable resources to aid in the war effort. The Archon had allowed other factories and supporting infrastructure to be created in Konungur to expand the space-bearing military forces. This included weapons, spaceships and artificial intelligence (AI).
The Anuai warriors were few in numbers after the war. Cloning was also initiated, to increase the amount of Anuai warriors, but this project would take months to complete. Humans were also used as a food source by the Anuai to maintain their bodies. They use cattle too, but they prefer humans because the adrenal gland gives them the feeling of being high when consumed. This was the primary reason that the Alliance destroyed the Anuai instead of merely imprisoning or making a peace agreement with them. The Anuai feed on other intelligent civilisations physically to maintain physical form, this brings them nutrition and feeds their animalistic lust for power. The ultimate power trip for them.
Anu-Krai had his own living quarters within the pyramid to ensure he had as little human contact as possible. This was done by design from the Archon to keep him focussed solely on serving him. The Archon offered him technologies to increase his quality of life and given him knowledge of the universe, but with caution. To ensure his identity remained hidden. This kept Anu-Krai subservient to him because he could give him what he wanted, and he had no one else. With no friends, no partner, no family, the Archon was all he had.
Anu-Krai stood at the foot of the pyramid and walked calmly down the steps leading to the streets below, some of the people turned their heads in curiosity, but with fear they continued their tasks or stroll. There were various stalls and services being sold, there was a market near the pyramid. He reached the bottom where he scanned the horizon. He saw three men in the distance harassing a middle-aged woman by a fruit stall and he walked over toward them. Solely focussing on their harassment, they did not see the Knight of Anu until he reached them. The man attempted to slap the woman, but Anu-Krai grabbed his arm.
“Is there a problem here?” he said firmly. The man began to squirm painfully, his two cohorts fled fearfully.
“No, I’m sorry my lord, please have mercy,” he squealed. Anu-Krai released his overpowered grip and the man fled in terror. He turned toward the woman. She brushed herself off.
“Are you ok?” he asked kindly, despite his modified voice.
“I’m fine, I don’t need your help. I would have dealt with all three of those bastards myself!” she exclaimed. Anu-Krai remained silent for a moment whilst the woman assembled her produce ahead. He gestured to a piece of fruit.
“Since when does a monster like you eat fruit?” she snarled at him.
Frustrated with her remarks he began to return to the pyramid.
“You took my boy! No one else believes me but I know what you are!” she screeched. He twisted his head back toward her quickly. Distracted by her words which clambered through his mind, he bumped into a woman in her twenties in appearance, on his approach to the pyramid.
“I’m sorry,” she said, somewhat fearfully. “Forgive me,” she commented quietly as she continued her walk towards her stall. He looked in her direction, followed her with his hidden eyes.
“I’m sorry too,” he whispered under his breath, unbeknown to the woman who was now too far away. He watched her for a moment.
“Krai!” his attention was taken by Monstah who was stood atop the staircase of the pyramid. “It is time to prepare.”
Monstah entered the pyramid, followed by Anu-Krai, he glanced back to the young woman at the stall. He entered his chambers to prepare. He removed his outer garments and entered his isolation tank to focus. This isolation tank was used to deprive his senses, it was soundproof with no light and contained saltwater heated to body temperature. He would float on top. It created the sense of nothingness and allowed the mind to roam freely, detached from the physical body. He spent 30 minutes in the tank before he was interrupted.
An Anuai labourer spoke through an audible device attached to his chamber door. “Commander Krai, your Knights of Anu have arrived,” the voice projected through a receiver in the tank. The tank opened slowly; steam ejected into the atmosphere.
He prepared his battle garments. Anu-Krai had a full-body suit made of light and extremely strong resistant garments, this maintained his body temperature and allowed for comfort in addition to its protective capabilities. Above this was placed a set of full-body armour made of an even stronger material. The materials were unknown to the Alliance as they were mined from Alpha Draconis and only the Anuai had access to the material. It could withstand the effect of many types of damage. No human weapon on Agarta could penetrate the armour, only specialised or extremely strong weapons. The Anuai used the same materials in their body armour. The Archon and the prime elders had an even rarer, and stronger element called Draconite to compose their armour, an element so strong it withstood damage from even a weapon like Anu-Krai’s. The result ensured their safety and propagated their status as gods, because to the humans, they couldn’t be killed.
His arsenal contained weapons that the humans used but with augmentations. He had the Bow of Margan which, at the pull of the elastic
launching device, instantly created a 3D printed diamond tipped projectile capable of dealing massive amounts of damage. The 3D printing allowed for unlimited ammunition. His sword forged by the Archon himself, could cut through most materials and could, at the push of button, become super-heated, super-cooled or poisonous to add further potency on attacks. His small blade used as a secondary weapon was created from the same metalloid as the sword but lacked the temperature altering capabilities. His metalloid gloves increased his grip strength by multiple factors and were impenetrable. He could punch through sturdy obstacles and deal massive damage to the enemy on a physical blow. In addition to his technological enhancements, he was highly skilled in combat and a notable battle strategist. The result, to human eyes, was a god-like being who was practically un-killable. The Knights of Anu did not share all the advancements as Anu-Krai, their armour was of a very high standard and could withstand a lot of damage and their weapons were strong but not made of the same metalloid as Anu-Krai’s and the Anuai warriors. The Archon favoured Anu-Krai, more than he would like to admit.
All the knights had different styles of combat, some opted for alternate weapons including, axes and hammers on the battlefield. They all covered their face with intimidating masks to increase fear in their opponents. The masks were all different and unique to them. Each of the knights was given the title Anu in honour of their god, their name then follows the title such as; Anu-Krai. There were five in total including Anu-Krai. The Archon had manipulated these warriors into servitude. He needed some human warriors to assist in the take-over of Agarta. This was essential for various reasons; to save resources, prevent the loss of Anuai warriors, keep their true identity and desires hidden and to be able to manipulate humans from the inside. The Archon needed human servants if his plan was to succeed efficiently.