Before True Light: The Awakening 2nd Edition

by Sarah Buchynski

The silhouette of an oak tree was painted onto the window’s blinds. Though it was still early in the morning, the sun’s rays were strong and warm. Izanami’s dark eyes were barely open and her body was entangled in a blanket. She smiled in contentment. However, it was short-lived. As she became more conscious, Izanami realized that she was not in the oak forest that she called home, but in a strange, urban metropolis. She stumbled out of bed, which was the usual routine for Izanami in the morning, and opened the window’s blinds. There was an oak tree in front of the window, but it was the only one among the sea of buildings and towers.

  Waiting on a bench in front of the inn, Zane sat with his head down, his chin resting on his chest. When Izanami walked out of the inn, she stopped and looked at the sleeping Zane. She could see that his face was covered in coal. Looking around, she spotted a fountain. Dipping a corner of her cloak into the water, Izanami began to wipe the coal smears from Zane’s face. As the coolness of the water touched his face, Zane’s head jerked and he woke up.

  “Wha…what are you doing?” Zane said, startled.

  “Hold still… you have coal smeared all over your face. There, all better!” Izanami said cheerfully.

  The sun had only risen about an hour before, so the streets were still quiet. All the shops were still closed. Birds’ singing could be heard. This was a comforting and familiar sound for Izanami and Zane. It reminded them of home. But, once the city awakes, the singing will be drowned out by the roar of the crowds and all that seemed familiar will again become foreign.

  “So, do you wanna head back to the library?” Zane asked coolly.

  “I guess so. We have nowhere else to be. But, do you think it’s open yet?” Izanami asked. Zane did not reply. He began walking in the direction of the library. Without making a fuss, Izanami followed Zane.

  “So, I don’t sense that anyone is following us today. Maybe we are in the clear now?” Izanami said, trying to break Zane’s silence. He just kept walking in front of her; he did not acknowledge her attempts at conversation.

  Izanami continued, “Once we are at the library we should be okay, anyway. Like you said yesterday, it’s a library – there’s no threat to us and no one knows who we are. Besides, if we run into trouble I’m sure the two of us won’t have any difficulties. And if I do, I have my trusty guardian, Zane, to save my hide.”

  “Humph,” Zane snorted.

  “Okay, I’M SORRY! I didn’t mean any of it, happy now?” Izanami shouted in frustration. Zane was, yet again, silent. “You are impossible! Fine, be that way!” Izanami said in a hurt voice.

  Izanami’s attention was now distracted. She followed Zane while shuffling her feet against the cobblestone on the street. Feeling guilty and remorseful over what she had said to Zane last night, Izanami hung her head down. Inadvertently, she had let her guard down.

  “Halt, don’t take another step!” a man, who was clearly a soldier, ordered.

  “Why do you wish us to halt?” Zane challenged. Izanami and Zane were now surrounded by five other soldiers, who were armed with the same weapons they first saw during the attack on the village.

  “You two are under arrest!” spoke the leader of the squad.

  “Under what grounds?” Izanami fiercely demanded.

  “Under orders of His Royal Highness, Cornelius the Third,” the Squad Leader answered.

  “And what if we do not comply?” Zane tested. The response from the squad was the raising of their weapons. Commoners had now begun to emerge into the streets of the city. Some, who realized what was happening, hid in fear while others stood at a distance and looked on in curiosity. Being trained in the advanced Arts of the Red Mage, Zane calculated that their chances of escaping were probable. However, the risk that an innocent bystander may be put in harm's way was also probable; therefore, it was too risky to attempt an escape. Another problem surged through both Izanami and Zane’s minds. If they did attempt an escape and used the Arts to do so, then this would draw even more unwanted attention. Izanami and Zane decided to go quietly with the soldiers.

  The bystanders looked at Izanami and Zane in disgust as they were put into the back of one of the odd, horse-less carriages. Izanami could hear one elderly woman say, “Must be some outsider riffraff causing trouble in our city. Good fer da military to clean up our streets of such garbage.” Izanami and Zane were speechless. The leader of the squad sat between them in the back of the horse-less carriage, with two more soldiers in the front. One seemed to be directing the contraption with a wheel. Another horse-less carriage followed behind them with the other two soldiers.

  “Don’t worry; you kids aren’t in any trouble. We just need to talk to you. Why do you think we let you keep your swords? Strange, though… no one walks around with a sword these days,” the Squad Leader said with a smile. It was odd to Zane and Izanami that they did not confiscate their weapons, but their hands were firmly tied behind their backs so, at this point, swords were of no use.

  The horse-less carriage travelled through the busy streets for a lengthy time. Their speed was slow due to the throngs of people now walking about the streets. On each side of them were all manner of different-sized buildings. There was little to no space between them. Once in a while, there were alleys and side roads between buildings, but not many. As they made their way, the streets became busier.

  Suddenly, after winding through a sea of people and buildings for some time, the city disappeared. On the horizon, they could make out what appeared to be a very large structure, larger than what they’d seen so far. Izanami and Zane could not help but stare in amazement. The closer they got, the less the structure seemed a building; rather, more like a mountain.

  “Amazing isn’t it? This castle is only two hundred years old and it took fifty years to build it. Over one hundred thousand men and women volunteered their services in its construction,” the Squad Leader said with pride.

  Izanami and Zane kept silent. They were curious about the castle, but right now their main concern was that this man and his king were their enemy, until they were convinced otherwise. A gate opened to let the horse-less carriage into the castle courtyard. A fifty-foot wall surrounded the entire complex. An enormous, beautiful water fountain, with statues of cherubs at the top, adorned the center of the courtyard. A path to the fountain was lined with oak trees on either side. Beyond the fountain a path led to the entrance of the castle, through a rose garden, with side branches leading off into other walking paths.

  Heavy white doors opened as the soldiers led Izanami and Zane into the castle. Words could not effectively describe what went through Izanami’s and Zane’s minds when they entered the castle. They were in a grand, open room. The floor was a sea of white marble with burgundy swirls. A burgundy velvet carpet laid a path to a pair of massive, black doors that were lined with gold straight ahead of them. Two winding staircases flanked the black and golden doors, one on each side, outlined by spiralled banisters made from alabaster. A richly-adorned golden chandelier hung above them, sparkling from the light it produced. The staircases to the left and right of the black golden doors met together on a central balcony that overlooked the entrance. Corridors also led to areas beyond view on both sides of the room, and on each level. Many luxurious ornamental objects – paintings, vases, and statues – decorated the entrance.

  The squad of men escorted Izanami and Zane off the path of the velvet carpet towards a side door that was closest to the left staircase. Next to the door was a magnificent statue that caught Izanami’s attention. The bluish-white statue, carved from onyx, depicted a woman holding a sword in her left hand. The blade was pointed downward and at an angle towards the right. The right arm was resting at her side with the elbow slightly bent. Slender, studded boots came up to just below the knees. Her clothes were those of battle. The hem of her skirt rested just above the knees. At her waist hung a belt made of large, concentric circles that draped down and covered most of the skirt. One of the most eye-catching details of this statue was the ca
pe that seemed frozen in place by an invisible wind, and rested on the right shoulder. The long, flowing hair also had a similar effect. Izanami was interested to know why this statue was here and what the importance of this person was, because it was the same woman as the one depicted in the stained glass in the library.

  “No gawking, get moving!” one of the soldiers from the squad said as he pushed the butt of his weapon into Izanami’s back. Izanami turned back and glared at him. She was very tempted to use her elemental abilities to scorch him with the brilliant fire glowing from the massive fixture on the ceiling – not enough to kill him, just to “encourage” a little respect. Perhaps a reaction of some sort, making the materials in his weapon explode, would be better. No… Izanami knew that that would not be something a responsible Mage would do, nor would it be wise to cause a commotion in an unfamiliar place that is filled with armed guards.

  The door next to the statue had stairs adjacent to it. These stairs led to the base level of the castle.

  “Where are you taking us?” Zane questioned.

  “To the dungeon,” the Squad Leader said.

  “Dungeon?” Zane seemed confused.

  The man looked at Zane curiously. It took the man a moment to comprehend that Zane was not aware what a dungeon was. The Squad Leader answered with, “It’s the place in a castle or fortress where prisoners are locked up.”

  “So, we are prisoners now?! I thought you said that ‘we just need to talk’,” Izanami blasted. The Squad Leader did not say anything. They reached the base of the stairs and were led to a cell with bars covered in moss. A table was the only item inside. The sole light source was a small glass bulb hanging over the table. Zane and Izanami had seen the same, fireless, light source throughout the city. It was a foreign image to them, as they had no such equivalent in the forest. But Izanami could still sense similar properties within it, and this confused her even more.

  “Alright, surrender all weapons and anything else on your person and place them on the table. It’s procedure,” the Squad leader ordered.

  Hesitantly, Izanami and Zane decided to play their game for a while longer. They detached the sheaths from their belts, which held their swords, and placed them on the table. Izanami removed two small daggers from her cloak and one small knife from a strap on her thigh. Zane also removed one small knife from his cloak, a dagger from his belt, and a small knife that was strapped inside his boot just above the ankle and placed them on the table. The soldiers’ eyes widened, wondering why children would carry so many weapons on themselves. Izanami and Zane then removed their cloaks. The soldiers searched the cloaks and gave them back once they were satisfied that nothing was hiding in the folds. Next, they motioned to check the bag. With incredibly fast reflexes, Izanami grabbed her sword from the table, drew it, and pointed it to the throat of the soldier who held the bag.

  “Give us the bag back. You don’t, and I’ll cut you up so bad that even a mother couldn’t love what will be left of your face,” Izanami threatened. At the same time, the other soldiers raised their weapons to her head.

  The Squad Leader laughed and said, “Give them the bag; we need them alive for the General to question them.”

  Izanami put her sword back inside its sheath and set it back on the table.

  “Should we take the girl’s pendant?” one soldier asked. Izanami tightly clenched her pendant in her hand.

  “No, leave it. Now, if you will please go into the cell,” the Squad Leader said.

  Izanami and Zane entered the cell obediently. They were now imprisoned in a ghastly, damp hole in the ground beneath the castle.

  “So, how long do we have to stay locked up here like animals?” Izanami sarcastically asked.

  “Just until the General comes to question the two of you,” the Squad Leader replied.

  Izanami sat down on the floor of the cell and moaned. The floor was rather wet from the dampness. Droplets of water could be heard dripping from the limestone roof.

  Water began dripping onto Izanami’s head. She made another disgruntled moan. She raised the hood of her cloak to protect herself from the nuisance. Drip, drip, drip, drip… the speed and size of droplets falling on Izanami’s head increased. Izanami could have moved out of the path of the dripping water but, since the cell was so small, she would be right next to Zane. Izanami was still upset at him and would rather have water droplets fall on her than sit any closer to him.

  Izanami was terribly irritated. She was cold, wet, hungry, upset at Zane, tired, and still reeling from the horrific destruction of her village. She aggravated their situation further by taunting, “’Go to the library’ he says… ‘no one knows who we are’ he says… ‘there’s no threat’ he says; well, now I’m caged up like an animal!” Zane let out an annoyed sigh, but did not speak. The tension between the two was considerable at the moment. An uncomfortable silence settled between them in the musty dungeon. The dripping sound of water was the sole noise that penetrated their ears.

  Half an hour passed with Izanami and Zane neither speaking to the soldiers nor each other. They took this time to rest, even though their current environment was not the most pleasant. The dimness of the room seduced them to sleep.

  Finally, the sound of an opening door, and then footsteps, echoed throughout the room. Izanami and Zane became alert, but did not move. As a man appeared, all the soldiers rushed into a line formation and saluted the man. The dim light captured a hint of glistening hair. Izanami and Zane were visibly startled when they recognized the General from the previous day.

  “General Kyros, we have apprehended the targets for questioning, as you so desired,” the Squad Leader reported.

  “Captain Genero, why do you have the King’s guests in such a rancid place? I asked you to bring them here, not cage them up like beasts.”

  “We were just taking precautions, sir,” Captain Genero replied in a nervous tone.

  “Well, would you please release them? I have already wasted precious time looking for our guests,” General Kyros ordered in an annoyed tone.

  Izanami and Zane were released from the dungeon’s cell. They were confused. What did it mean that they were the King’s guests? No one within this city should know or care who they were. For the time being, the two stayed quiet.

  Upon their release, Izanami and Zane were asked by the General to follow him. Oddly enough, they were given back all their confiscated belongings. This added to the confusion that the two Mages were experiencing.

  “Before having an audience with the King, I’d like to talk to the two of you myself, first… any objections?” General Kyros spoke in a serious, but non-threatening voice. Izanami and Zane nodded in agreement. They were not exactly in a negotiating situation at the moment.

  Ascending from the base level of the castle, Izanami and Zane followed the General back into the stunning entrance. They went up the left staircase and headed towards the west wing of the castle. The centre of the corridor was lined with the same burgundy carpet as in the entrance, and the same marble followed along on each side. Suits of armour lined each side of the corridor, at intermittent distances. As Izanami glanced at the different models of armour, some looked familiar to her. This resulted in a look of shock on her face. Zane shared a similar expression. The paintings hanging from the walls were different from the ones in the entrance. Again, some of the paintings, or their elements, seemed familiar to Izanami and Zane. However, they kept quiet.

  After what seemed like a long walk down the corridor, they stopped in front of a door to the right. General Kyros unlocked the door with a key and motioned for Izanami and Zane to enter. The room looked like a lounge. Two couches were placed across from each other, with a decorative marble table between them. A luxurious space rug covered the area under the couches. Beyond the couch furthest from the door, a small balcony was in view. The burgundy curtains on each side of the balcony entrance were draped at the floor, and gently moved from the breeze of the open door. In the back of the roo
m a desk could be seen, with papers scattered throughout its entire surface.

  General Kyros motioned for Izanami and Zane to sit and asked, “Can I get you anything to drink or eat?”

  “No, thank you, we are fine,” Zane replied.

  “Well, I think your friend would disagree. Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned.” The General poured a small glass of a dark brown liquid that he retrieved from a cabinet near the desk. He drank the liquid and said, “See, no poison. Here you go, miss. Try some, it will relax you a bit,” the General gave her a friendly smile as he handed a glass of the dark brown liquid to Izanami. After one sip she began coughing and made a sour face.

  “What the hell did you give her?” Zane snapped.

  “Don’t worry. Almost everyone has that kind of reaction the first time they drink it. Would you like to try some? You look tense, too.” General Kyros poured Zane a glass and, as predicted, Zane’s reaction was similar to Izanami’s. “Alright, let’s get down to business. When I first met you two in the city, I never got your names. So, that’s a good place to start.”

  Izanami and Zane were not certain how they should introduce themselves. In the village, they were taught that, for an introduction, one would say their given name and then say the title of their parent who held the highest rank. So, Izanami would introduce herself as ‘Izanami, daughter of Asta, Maiden of Light’. Zane’s introduction of himself would be ‘Zane, son of Euclid, Elder of Black Heka’. These introductions were common only to the village, according to past observers. Not wanting to give away any information that might reveal who they were and where they were from, Izanami and Zane hesitated to reply.

  After more than a brief pause, Zane spoke, “I am Zane, and this is my friend, Izanami.”

  “What, no last names?” General Kyros said with a slight laugh. Zane shook his head nervously. Izanami stayed quiet and gripped her glass firmly. “Well, I suppose that’s normal where the two of you are from, since you are clearly not from around here. So, where are the both of you from?”

  Both Izanami and Zane grew more nervous. They had to say something, but not give away too much information.

  Izanami mustered up the nerves to say, “We are from a small village to the southeast of this city.”

  “Is that so? Well, the forest to the southeast is full of treacherous creatures and is always confined by a heavy mist on the forest floor. I would imagine that a village could never exist in such conditions,” General Kyros replied. They knew he was treating this like a game, anticipating their attempts at evading his questions.

  “We are from the other side of the mountain range, near the forest,” Izanami continued nervously.

  “Hmm… But what does this mean? Why would such people be here?” General Kyros said aloud, but to himself. Izanami and Zane were now very confused as to what was happening. “Izanami, Zane, I’m going to be blunt. That emblem on the back of Izanami’s cloak is the sign of the Red Mage Warriors. By observing your swords, I recognize that the designs are completely foreign to this land and follow a guideline similar to the ancient warriors of the past. I’m assuming something must have happened to your village, since two Red Mage Warriors are now here, in front of me, after being in hiding for a thousand years.”

  Izanami and Zane were stunned. How could an outsider know everything that this general just recounted? Their hearts raced.

  “How the hell do you know all this?” Zane asked in a flustered tone.

  “Our King, Cornelius, is a bit of an historian. I’ve been aiding him in his research for the last thirteen years. We have found many historical documents, among other things, related to the Red Mages of ancient times. I’ll let King Cornelius explain why you were asked here to verify that you are, indeed, Red Mages. By the way, it was by complete coincidence that I came across you both yesterday.”

  “Then, take us to your king!” Zane demanded.

  Chapter 14