Chronicles of Slyfar Blaze (Series Book One: Origins)

by S. I. Dogo

  ​Finally, all his years of studying the sacred texts of Arvilon were going to pay off. Joining the two pieces together Orix began to read, "Magnashtali Alohem. Wi'agnidak Zaraktos". The earth beneath them began to shake and the stone door began to sink into the forest floors creating a small opening for them to pass through. Even from outside the cavern, faint blue-green sparkles of light could be seen emanating from something inside the cave, which looked like a pond.

  Walking down the steps of the carven, they discovered that the underground cave was bigger than they had thought. Around and above the pond stood piles of all the treasure the two warriors could ever wish for. The reflection of light from the jewels made the cavern look as if light bulbs had been placed around the walls of the cave. Looking at each other, they both dropped the torch lights in their hands and began to pack as much as they could into their bags. And since all they had to do was wait to be teleported back home, they needn't worry about putting on too much weight.

  ​Moments later as they sat around in the cave sharing jokes along with a bottle of wine Orix had brought with him from his home on Prime Star, they began to hear a soft voice whispering undecipherable words to them from the pond. Drawing closer to investigate, they discovered the voice was coming from a beautiful blonde lady in the pond who was swimming playfully beside a dark-haired friend she had brought along with her.

  The dark haired lady whispered, "What are you doing in our cave?"

  ​“Easy dear, we don't want to frighten our guests now, do we! I'm pretty sure they don't bite! Ha-ha, at least not as hard as we do!” The blonde lady said as she turned towards the enchanted men who were staring down at her nude torso, desperately searching with their eyes for her legs underneath the glowing pond.

  “​Uhn-Uhn boys! Up here. Now tell me, who do we have the honour of inviting to dinner?”

  ​With a stupid smile on his face, Jayti responded, “He's Orix & I'm Jay. We're warriors, on a mission, with the Prime's son.”

  ​Swimming closer to Jayti the dark haired lady asked in surprise, “Slyfar! You mean he's here, in the forest?”

  "Yes, and were meant to protect him!" Orix pronounced excitedly.

  ​“If you're meant to protect him, then why are you here?” The blonde lady asked as she swam closer to Orix.

  ​“Because we love treasure …lady treasure!”

  ​Taking a long sip from the wine bottle in Orix's hand the blonde lady mused aloud, “Well then Mimi, what do you say we help these boys find even more treasure.”

  ​“I agree with you Lily, let's help these boys find even more treasure.”

  ​In an instant, the doorway to the cave was sealed shut once again and the only thing left on the surface of the pond was an empty bottle of wine floating aimlessly in the turbulent currents of the pond.

  Chapter 7

  When Two Titans Meet

  ​"Vi'akten Nos!"

  The moment Slyfar uttered these words to the door leading into the cell that had held the soul of a Guardian for over a century The Bane's image on the stone door smiled and replied "so you wish to free my killer! How foolish of you, son of Blaze."

  Almost immediately it seemed as if the land beneath his feet divided into two and before he could say anything else the grandson of Kalahan the Great was falling into an abyss made of rock and fire. Looking beneath him, Slyfar saw a creature of pure darkness and raw power smiling at him with open arms. Surrounded by rock and flame it was waiting for him to complete his fall so it could begin crushing this itsy bitsy bit of Guardian scum that had journeyed all this way to meet the shadow of death.

  Unluckily for this titan, the son of Blaze would have none of that. Instead of the tiny scared fly, the Bane of Syt was expecting to see, it saw an angry prince flying towards him to deliver a well-energized blow to its knee; a blow so powerful it made the Bane bow in agony. The next gift it received was a powerful uppercut to its jaws which sent the beast flying out of the pit and back onto the plains of Dsadur.

  Coming out of the fiery pit, Slyfar was welcomed back to the plains by a punch from The Bane that reminded him of all the terrible mistakes he had ever made. He flew across the plains and crash landed into a pile of rubble east of were Joreh awaited his victory.

  ​Seeing what was happening on the plains, the companions of Slyfar stood with mouths opened wide in amazement. Tales of this battle would be sung in the halls of the great if they ever made it out alive. Behind them, a small dwarf-like creature plumed out of the forest with a horn in its hand. Looking at the little creature, the warriors chuckled and looked at Ragnal. "Keep your eyes sharp, boys. Wherever there's a little Bizra, a Buldaraq is never far behind"

  The moment the commander finished speaking the Bizra blew the horn in its hand and within a few minutes, the warriors were surrounded by 2 dozen dark creatures and 3 Buldaraqs.

  ​While his companions battled for their lives, Slyfar was struggling to cling on to his own as The Bane was not giving him any room to breathe. It was surprising to him how a creature of its size could move so quickly, as he constantly found himself manoeuvring his way through the flurry of attacks the beast kept throwing at him.

  Slyfar had brought along with, him like he always did, the less powerful but effective replica of Aiden's Triumph called The Bliss of Prime.

  The Bliss of Prime was a weapon used by Prime Heirs until they were crowned Prime Sovereign. Every bit of detail about it was identical to that of the Aiden's Triumph however two things made it different: the fact that the inscriptions and designs around its hilt, guard and fuller were always blue in colour, unlike that of Aiden's Triumph which glowed fiery blue only when it was wielded by a true Prime, and two, the fact that though it was also made out of Kelkis metal, it had not been forged in flames blessed by the seven Guardians of the first era like the Aiden's Triumph was; hence it could not be used to help a Prime control the state of Phoenix. The rune of a Prime was engraved on its pommel, while the other six runes of the Guardians were engraved along its fuller. In general, the blade looked like a more complex version of the Chinese Dao and both the Bliss of Prime and Aiden's Triumph were twin blades.

  ​Unsheathing the Bliss of Prime strapped around his back Slyfar was able to cut off the huge left horn of The Bane. He then used this to sink a deathly hollow into the heart of the beast just as it was about to unleash another punch which Slyfar, now near the point of exhaustion, would have found very difficult to recover from.

  ​Slyfar brushed off the dirt on his Arvilonian War Robes and took the tooth that had dropped on the ground after the body of the Bane of Syt had withered into a pile of ashes and dust. He then walked through the giant doorway which led him to a tall, white-bearded old man within the cave whose countenance was like that of a celestial being.

  ​Joreh spoke, “Ah, the grandson of Kalahan. He told me this day would come! Finally, after all these years, I can finally rest. Take this.” He handed Slyfar a golden key and a golden necklace that had a small stylish bamboo locket attached to it. “Only press the button within the pendant when you rise to see everything you hold dear torn away from you. Keep the key with you at all times and when it is time, the path to The Invincible will be revealed to you.”

  ​The moment the Guardian completed his last sentence an eruption of white light engulfed the entire Red Forest, taking both Slyfar and his companions; who were still fighting their way through the third wave of dark creatures that had surrounded them, to the prayer grounds of the Temple of Nobles. There The Guardian of Ratasu and all the leading priests that served at the temple had been standing, awaiting their return ever since they stepped foot into the dark regions of the forest.

  ​After Slyfar had freshened up, he decided to take a walk through the Halls of Wisdom located at the south-most part of the temple. This he hoped would help to clear his mind from the troubling words that kept floating around. "When you rise to see everything you hold dear torn away from you." What did he mean by this? And what was he re
ferring to as the Invincible?

  He was still pondering on his encounter with The Crown Noble when a happy Max, who was strolling past the Venus Wood door leading into the hall, caught sight of his friend wearing a troubled look on his face. Max was wearing a blue denim jacket on top a white turtleneck shirt. The last time he had seen The Prince, parts of his robe were burnt and he was all covered in ash and blood.

  ​“Sup pal! Was beginning to wonder where you had flown off too.” Max said to his friend, “Heh, don't let anything that old man told you get you down, I mean, you do know your Resurrection Gala is coming up in three days time right!? Who're you gonna impress walking through the ballroom looking like you just lost a thousand Hyfas to Jimmy playing a game of Decks on Boats.”

  ​Slyfar kept his gaze on the large painting hung on the wall of a man wrestling a black dragon, “You know I still don't understand how he manages to win every single time.”

  ​Max shook his head, “Yeah, me too. Last time we played he scored over fifty points and I had to pay him twenty Hyfas for losing the bet.”

  ​While they laughed, a blue-eyed girl with pink-white hair who was about 17-18 years old and wore a long, red-black tunic which was split at the sides to reveal the white tapered trousers she wore underneath, walked into the room. She greeted The Crown Noble and Prime Heir then continued with her extra morning chores which included cleaning the stationeries and floors of the large hall.

  ​Slyfar addressed the young priestess in training, “Have Jayti and Orix been found?”

  ​“Yes my lord.” Jarel replied, “Crown Noble Suraya is on her way to…”

  ​Just then Suraya walked through the red coloured doors leading to the Halls of Wisdom. “Ah! Prime Heir, I was just looking for you.” After exchanging salutations with Max she continued, “I see you've already met my favourite student. Jarel! You work too much. Go play with Zuri and the others at the shore.

  Suraya waited until after Jarel had left the Guardians. “Jayti and Orix have been found, well at least what's left of them. Follow me.”

  ​She led them to the eastern shores where the boots and armour that had floated its way onto the shores of the temple had been found.

  "They stood by me when I journeyed into The Dark Regions of Red. They died under my watch. I'll take care of it." Suraya nodded to the son of Blaze and flew back to the temple. "Sorry Max, it seems I won't be meeting that lady friend of yours after all!"

  "Yeah well, you had better inform Jimmy."

  "Yeah, you're right." Slyfar pulled out his smartphone from the right pocket of his brown duffle jacket. “Yo! Jimmy, there's been a slight change of plans. After Max and I return from Prime Star, we're gonna come pick you up …but not for the party as we planned!”

  ​“No! No! No! Don't do this to me bro, the last time you used this line you made me follow you to that weird party in Skyro! I couldn't get the fish smell out of my clothes for weeks!”

  ​Shaking his head in remembrance of how the boat racing competition he was invited to had turned out to be a fishing festival Slyfar reassured his brother, “Trust me, Jim, this trip is nothing like Skyro and I promise, it's gonna be worth it..."

  Chapter 8

  Blue Coat

  Two Nights Ago…

  ​Sev was emploring Nat, “You can't keep doing this Natareh! No matter what you do, you're not one of them and you never will. Besides, it's not safe for you out there!”

  ​“Safe! …You want to talk about security, ok tell me, when was the last time you took a stroll down the streets of any of the towns in Low-Land, huh!

  “Instead, you always lock yourself up in that boardroom your council members love so much. Nothing ever gets done dad, nothing. Life doesn't get better for anyone else other than the same people who sit down together in that boardroom... and perhaps the High-Class citizens of High-Land.”

  ​“What would you have me do Nat!” Sev pleaded. “I have a responsibility to look after my family; The High-Land Nobles inclusive. Tell me, whose taxes do you think pay for the good roads and technological advancements you see every day, huh!? It's my job to ensure things keep moving forward and if we start diverting money to handle projects bound to bring very little returns, what good does that do us?”

  ​“It's not about the money dad. It's about doing what's right. And now you want to talk about family! Ok, answer this. When was the last time you showed up to any of Loretta's Dance Recitals? Heck, you didn't even show up to my graduation from high school 8 months ago. If mum were here what would she say, huh!?”

  ​“That's exactly my point! …I can't afford to lose you too.”

  ​Drawing closer to console her father, Natareh said, “Heh! I'm your heir You could never lose me the same way. Besides, you had me trained by the best. I think am as safe as safe can be.”

  ​Resigned and only slightly comforted Sev asked, “Please, just promise me you won't go doing something crazy again ok? Deal?”

  ​Wrapping her arms around her father. “I love you, dad.”

  ​“I love you too sweetheart. It's late, try and get some sleep.”

  ​From her large blue-white bed which was only 4 feet away from that of her little sister -who was still sound asleep and well tucked in within her fluffy pink blanket - she wished her father goodnight as he walked back to his chambers. The moment he left the room, she jumped out of the bed and went straight to her wardrobe. No way in hell was she going to miss the most anticipated grudge match of the century.

  Slipping out of her silver nightdress, she put on a white t-shirt, some black pants and a matching scarf - to hide the rune on her neck. After grabbing the blue, double-breasted swing coat on her coat stand, she stepped out onto the window balcony connected to her room. She soaked in the cool city breeze that saturated itself across the great city of High-Land. Now standing atop the balcony railings, she let herself fall, right into the arms of the teleport circle she had created near the bottom of the huge white mansion she lived in.

  ​The kingdom of Seva is divided into 3 districts: High-Land, Mid-Land and Low-Land. Although the governing council claims the division is based on nobility, many believe money and politics are the bases for the division. Low-Land is the poorest district, with High-Land being the most expensive and also the most secure city to live in on Prime Circle. High-Land is also the smallest of the districts.

  ​The Crown Nobles of Seva have the special ability of Sevan Syt which allows them to dematerialize at one point along with anyone or thing within a loop or teleport circle they create and reassemble at another point within or outside the Prime Circle. This, in a simpler term, is known as teleportation. The most powerful wielders of the Sevan Syt can teleport themselves to other planets. Only Crown Nobles of Seva can create teleport loops that can carry more than one individual to another planet or realm at the same time.

  ​Settling into her seat at the Arena of Valor, located in the capital city of Amira'Galare, Natareh popped open the bag of merry pops she had bought on her way into the arena. A few minutes from the end of the hour-long match, she spotted in the distance along the mid-row seats, a guy with black-white hair, dressed in a long top-low side fashion. He was wearing a grey, double-breasted, hooded, trench coat and was staring straight at her. Great! One of my dad's spies she thought to herself. When Max knocked out a tooth, she quickly slipped through the roaring crowd and went towards the ladies room. After the match had ended, on her way to get another bag of merry pops, she sensed someone was tracking her. Knowing a change in location would lose the tracking signal she left the change with the pops retailer and hastened towards an alley close to where she previously stood and teleported herself back home.

  ​On getting back home she discovered her nine-year-old sister was wide awake and was reading a book Natareh had left behind on the bed. "Heh, how did you find my diary?"

  "Welcome back Natareh, meet anyone special while you were gone?"

  Natareh cuddled up next to her little sister who was n
ow beaming with a smile, "What are you reading?" Scanning the page in her sister's hand she discovered Loretta had found a poem she had written back then when she was still a junior at high school. It was about a boy she once had a crush on but had never summoned the courage to talk to.

  ​"If only your heart could feel what I see. If only your heart could see the love in me. You would sail a thousand seas just to be with me. Harry, my love, my heart, my joy; when will you fall in love with me? ..." Loretta read.

  ​Natareh snatched the book and lifted it to a certain height with her hands where her sister's little fingers could not reach; even though they tried. After putting the diary away, Loretta began to ask questions, "Where will you go tomorrow?”

  ​“Well, tomorrow, after I get back from some boring events where I'm scheduled to make an appearance; I'll drop by your school and watch you perform,” Nat responded.

  ​“Really?” Loretta asked excitedly.

  ​“Yes, really. Ah, wouldn't miss it for the world!”

  ​“What about Aunty Jay?”

  ​“I'll pay her a visit in two days time when her husband returns from his trip with the Prime's son.”

  ​“Is it a dangerous trip?”

  ​“No, so no need to worry your little head,” Nat comforted, brushing her fingers through Loretta's hair. “The Resurrection Gala is going to take place in four days. There you'll get to see uncle Jayti receive a medal of honour for his heroic service to the prince of Arvilon.”

  ​“Is that where you're going to meet the prince?”

  ​“Who?”

  ​“Slyfar Blaze!” Loretta clarified, with an air of obviousness.

  ​Laughing to herself Natareh said, “No, well, yes. But he's not my type.”

  ​“How do you know?”

  ​“You are full of questions!” Nat said through her smile. “Ok. Well from my experience, though I've never met him, most nobles tend to be full of themselves and care very little about those they feel are beneath them. Some even feel too big to venture into the rural areas of their kingdom. Hence, they can never really understand the level of suffering the larger portion of their subjects are actually going through.”