The Last Legend: Awakened

by Joshua B. Wichterich

  “I’ve been hearing the name, Lucif, mentioned many times. I’ve read of him in ancient writings and heard of him in old lore—but still I do not understand where he comes from,” Tairren said as he rubbed his bandaged arm. His arm throbbed a little at the mention of Lucif.

  “Lucif was once a Legna, long ago in the very beginnings of time. Before this very earth was created, Lucif was an Archlegna and servant to The Great King of light and the commander of the Legion of Light. Out of jealousy and spite, he tried to deceive The Great King, but could not—for The Great King knows all. Lucif yearned to become ruler of Nevaeh and everything that The Great King created. He rose up against The Great King with his followers, to try to rule The Great Kingdom of Light.

  “There was a great war. Then when it was all finished, The Great King had won and exiled him and his followers out of Nevaeh and unto the darkness. Lucif, a fallen Legna, and his followers, other fallen Legna also known as Nomed, infested The Great King’s creations—like that of the earth and everyone upon it.

  “You see Tairren, Lucif and his Nomed loathe The Great King with all of their might, and will do anything to stop his great works. They, known as darkness, will do anything to destroy the creations of God and the children of light. They yearn to destroy light. The creations of God and the children of light consists of you, and everyone else who follows Him—everyone and everything which was created by The Great King of light—every living soul upon this earth.

  “Over the many years and ages and phases of the world, Lucif traveled upon these lands as a wicked nomad and soul snatcher. He prowled around like a roaring lion—looking for anyone to devour.

  “Lucif continued to lurk upon these lands for many years until he crept his way into the royal family by the overtaking of the beautiful Queen Karnidge of Minslethrate, Marrisa’s grandmother. The doors of darkness began to open as the royal family fell prisoner to Lucif and his powers. Princess Marrisa is Lucif’s ultimate piece and prize in this insidious scheme and will stop at nothing to snatch her soul and overpower her body.

  “If Marrisa’s body is taken in full—that means a nightmare, which is the end of light upon this earth and human freedom, will become a reality. If Marrisa is overtaken, Lucif will have his way with whomever Marrisa comes in contact with… The Kingdom of Ishkar is a great kingdom of this world and by far the strongest—and this kingdom is the one place in which Lucif will infiltrate next, after Minlsethrate has fallen… The kingdom of Ishkar is anticipating Marrisa’s arrival as queen, along with Phillip as king...

  “False prophets will rise in her name like foul winds, wickedness will become normality, and the mighty laws of the God of Light will be taken for granted and forgotten. And because of Ishkar’s greatness and influence, this very world will fall into the shadow of darkness for many years. Lucif reigns over the world as a deceiving prince and will do anything to become king…”

  “How will Lucif reign in Marrisa’s body without a king? Marrisa is betrothed to Phillip, but Phillip knows of Lucif’s plan and will not be so blind to become deceived by Lucif. He will not bring Marrisa to his kingdom knowing that she is filled with unclean spirits. The light within Phillip grows stronger every day,” Tairren said.

  “Tairren, Lucif will stop at nothing, and will force the power of darkness upon all men of this earth. Men will be deceived and brainwashed and a blindfold will be pulled tightly upon their eyes. They will submit to him, they will worship him, they will want to become like him. Sin of man is so powerful when one is weak…

  “But among all of the darkness there will be guilds of people who follow the light—and they will continue to build the light within them until they die… But only physical death will come upon them—for they will live an eternal life even after death. It is so important to keep the reign of darkness from happening. So many people will become lost—so many people will fall into the clutches of Lucif and his Nomed, and those fallen people will become darkened. Their souls will die and everything good in mankind will fall. They will be tormented in the ruthless lake of fire if their soul is not awakened by light… So many people will be deceived and will die—physically and spiritually… That is why it is so important to spread the light of God.”

  Rafiul looked saddened for a moment as he looked away.

  “We cannot let this happen! Mankind must be delivered! Marrisa must be saved—she must. I love her dearly. I long for her to be my prize at the end of this quest,” Tairren said as his face lit up.

  “I understand your determination, Tairren, but I will never understand the love of a human—for I am in love with the light which the mighty king keeps and gives—my passion is to do what my king commands,” Rafiul said with intense eyes. “To save mankind, we must stop the darkness and continue to plant seeds of light into their souls. Those seeds should be planted by the passion of light and the mighty words of God.”

  “Marrisa is my love and the King of Light is my passion—so I will have this quest and I will not fail!” Tairren said with a shaken voice.

  Rafiul nodded and smiled at his zealous mannerism. The dim light of the fire sparkled in his eyes, and through that sparkle, Rafiul could see that Tairren’s heart consisted of golden-light. Rafiul knew right then and there that Tairren was the key to this mighty quest, not because he could see a strong burning light deep inside of him, but because he was chosen by The Great King of light himself.

  “Lilith will not have Princess Marrisa—Lilith will not defeat us…,” Tairren said in a low tone with emotion beginning to stir. “…Lilith has been in Marrisa’s life since she was young—I do not understand the change that has taken place in her.”

  “Lilith was once a typical maiden of Minslethrate. But she came from a very broken past. Many years ago, somewhere in her life, she submitted to the darkness and was seduced by its deception. A seed of iniquity was planted inside of her soul by the darkness—and over the years it grew, and her body was taken over till the very breath of her soul was suffocated. This seed could have taken root by deep anguish, wrath, great sin, or even by closing the windows of light.

  “Your companion Phillip could have been in the same state of torment if he was not saved by the light—for Phillip’s heart is new upon the covenant of light. Lilith is not a threat—but the army of darkness inside of her is… This army of darkness will spread across these lands like a wild plague.”

  Rafiul placed his hand upon Tairren’s shoulder, then brought his hands to his dirty bandaged arm. His arm continued to tingle a little and pulsated with an uncomfortable pain.

  “Darkness is like an infectious disease—and will slowly but surely take over one piece of your body at a time till it contains it in full, if you allow it to,” Rafiul said as he unwrapped Tairren’s wounded arm. The almost black bandage became whiter as the untouched ends of the cloth were unraveled. “And sometimes what seems like nothing—is ravaged with something dreadful and unstoppable,” Rafiul said as he unraveled the last bit of cloth.

  Tairren was taken aback at what dwelled on his arm. He cringed at the sight of it. The deep gashes that the flying creatures left on his arm were infected and seemed to become larger. The wounds covered his arm, and oozed out small amounts of pus. The skin between the lacerations was red and the edges of each wound had black and green around it. He never noticed that his hand was red as well because of it being stained with dirt. Rafiul raised Tairren’s sleeve to reveal red vein-like streaks which ran up his arm.

  “Your arm is badly infected which is releasing a poison into your blood... When penetrated by a Nomed, infectivity and corruption slowly takes over the body tissue until it dies…”

  A worried look came over Tairren as he pulled open the collar of his tunic. He found more red streaks on his chest, so he pulled his tunic off. The red streaks went up his arm, over his shoulder and across his chest, appearing like a web of dark-red veins that reached for his heart.

  “The infection of the wound is trying to make its way to your hear
t. It must be stopped before your heart becomes poisoned.”

  “What must I do?” Tairren asked as he looked into Rafiul’s golden eyes.

  Rafiul was quiet for a moment, then looked at the beautiful wing pendant that hung on Tairren’s bare chest. The many jewels of the pendant sparkled in the fire light of the candles.

  “Like us, I see that you wear a symbol of light upon your breast. And if you wear this symbol as we do, it must not be an idol, but merely a symbol which is meant to show other eyes whom you follow—for our lord is the King of Light who is with us, inside us, and all around us. So you must keep the lord, who is The Great King of light, upon your heart. Meaning, like us, you must be a follower of The Great King of light”

  Tairren nodded his head slowly. He noticed that he was still looking at his pendant. He held it up to get a better look at it, then left it alone.

  Rafiul continued in a low tone, “Because you have made the Lord, which is my refuge and king, even the most high, your habitation, there shall no evil befall upon you—even shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling… Our Lord the most high says that he will restore health upon you, and will heal you of your wounds—if you would just believe and declare this in your heart… And I see the belief in your eyes and I feel the faith in your beating heart…,” Rafiul said as he placed his hand on Tairren’s arm. “Accept healing and believe it deep within your soul,” Rafiul said as he closed his eyes. I shall bless you with the song of healing. Close your eyes and call out to The Great King with your heart, as you once did.”

  After a moment of silence, Rafiul began to softly sing out in the divine tongue again. He sang out a peaceful prayer and even though Tairren could not understand it, he felt that it was good. The prayer song was soft and lovely and seemed to sooth his wound, even his soul.

  After he was done singing, Tairren opened his eyes. He was amazed that his wounds did not tingle and throb anymore as they did before and looked much better. The skin around his wounds was no longer red and the wounds themselves looked much better. The skin on his arm no longer looked sick and grotesque, but alive.

  “Thank you,” Tairren said in a low tone, still looking at his arm.

  “Thank the lord of light,” the Legna responded. “For healing does not come from the song, but from the lord of the most high.

  Rafiul smiled then walked over to the wooden tub. He took the small vessels of liquids and oils from the table and poured them into the hot water, and then sprinkled the dried herbs and flower petals out onto the steaming water as well. He pulled his sword from its jeweled sheath. The sword was of pure gold and the hilt was embedded with jewels. The glow from the soft candle light flickered off of it. He stirred the hot tub water with the grand sword, then looked up at Tairren with his piercing, yellow-golden eyes.

  “Come, Tairren, you must finish the cleansing.” Rafiul walked over to the entrance of the tent, then looked back. “Make rest in the lord and he will calm your weary soul—his yoke is easy and his burden is light. Come—find your peace and be made whole. Rest your aching muscles and wounds in the water. There are clean garbs ready for you. You must be famished and exhausted after a long journey. When you are ready, come to the great fire in the center of the camp—we will feast and celebrate all of the great things the God of Light has done for us.”

  After Rafiul left, the calm and ambient atmosphere came over Tairren. He looked at his dirty hands and torn and soiled garments. He thought he must’ve looked filthy standing amongst the Legna and their clean and orderly provisions. He glanced at the pile of fresh garbs they had ready for him and smiled at the thought of becoming new again. He stripped off his clothing and got into the hot water. Goosebumps that felt like rays of sunlight went through his skin as he settled down in the soft, hot water.

  He thought of all the things Rafiul had said as he melted into the water. Every tense muscle and burning cut seemed to diminish as he thanked the God of Light for everything. He felt very blessed and thankful for the Legna and their kind hospitality and words of wisdom. He was thankful for healing and protection. He was thankful that even in the times of the most intense situations, he seemed to be in God’s favor.

  He couldn’t get over how one day he was worried about their lives and not having food and the next he was being taken care of. He knew this was by the grace of The Great King. He then thought of Marrisa and wondered if she was okay and if she was in good health. He began to feel great pity for the women he loved; because while he was relaxing in hot, sweet-smelling herbal cleansing water, he knew that Marrisa wouldn’t be.

  After a long while of resting and washing in the hot water, Tairren slipped on the soft garbs that the Legna had ready for him. He strapped on the sturdy belt they left for him and attached his dagger and its sheath to it. He pulled on the boots that sat on the floor next to his new provisions, realizing that it was like putting each one of his feet into a perfectly molded cloud.

  He was anxious to see the Legna and if Phillip was well. He wondered if both Phillip and Natalia were being treated as wonderfully as he was—and he hoped that they were.

  Tairren walked out into the cool, open air of the camp. He was surprised by the quietness of his area of the camp. There were no Legna anywhere around him, and everything was still around him. He could hear the soft sounds of music and laughter coming from the distance. The soft sounds of the drums and flutes made him feel happy and the smells of the food made him hungrier. The Legna must’ve begun their celebration without him. He thought he must’ve been in his tent too long, but he couldn’t resist the lengthy time he was allowed to have in the hot, cleansing water.

  Tairren walked to the large tent where he last saw Phillip. He became nervous for Phillip as he walked into the soft glow of candle light which filled the tent. He didn’t know what state of mind he would be in. Tairren looked around, noticing that the tent was empty as well, and quiet. He could tell that the tent must’ve been used for mending and healing because of all the bottles of liquids, herbs, and strange looking devices that sat on shelves all around the tent walls. There were many other beds in the tent, each one having a large wooden tub sitting by its side.

  There was a doorway in the back of the tent which led to another section of it. Tairren didn’t notice the door-way before because of all the commotion that filled the tent earlier. It was strange how calm and quiet it was compared to when they first arrived to the camp. Someone came out of the doorway, startling Tairren. It was Phillip, appearing refreshed and almost back to normal. He was wearing the same new garbs as Tairren, appearing not as a prince, but a reborned man. Tairren walked over to him, not saying anything, but only having a small smile on his face.

  “I was worried, for your sake, prince,” Tairren said, placing his hand on his shoulder. “It is nice to see that a familiar face is doing so well.”

  Phillip stood quiet for a moment, placing his hand on Tairren’s shoulder as well.

  “I have been saved and made new,” Phillip said, then pulled Tairren to him and gave him a warm hug. “We are brothers now.”

  They both chuckled a little bit at the situation they were in, going from disliking each other and fighting one day to embracing each other the next.

  “That is strange to hear,” Tairren said, with a smirk.

  “Everything is strange now, Master Tairren, or should I call you—brother Tairren,” Phillip said with a large smile.

  Tairren laughed a little, then cleared his throat.

  “So tell me—how are you feeling? You were not in a good state of health or mind at all when I last saw you,” Tairren said. “The state of you was not welcoming, but very uncomfortable and somewhat jarring.”

  “Well—I do not know much of what happened to me,” Phillip said as he walked over to his things. He inspected his sword and other weaponry. “All I remember is darkness. I remember I was in the Black Forest with you all, then I remember falling into darkness, down, down—then I opened my eyes and I saw that hand of light again.
The hand was loving and glowing and made of bright fiery light—and I reached out and touched it… Then I opened my eyes again and I was lying on this bed and looking up at the many wonderful faces of the Legna…

  “But I am well now and feel as if I’ve been reborn! I feel as if I am a new person! I feel as if my eyes had been closed all of this time and now I can finally see. I feel as if I’ve been awakened somehow—as if I have been sleeping my whole life and now I am full of life…”

  Tairren nodded and smiled at his enthusiasm. The words that came out of his mouth were wonderful to hear.

  “Welcome back,” Tairren said, then patted him on the shoulder. “You have surely been spared and saved…”

  After a moment of appreciation, Tairren gave Phillip one last brotherly hug. “I suppose we should be off to find Natalia and the others.”

  With that being said, they left the tent and walked out into the still darkness of the night. They passed through the camp, walking past many tents, torches and small fires that glowed with soft orange hues. There was no motion around them, except for the dancing fires that crackled here and there around them.

  Something caught their eyes in the stillness of the tents. It looked as if someone was watching them. They saw something rush past one of the tents. They thought they saw someone in a dark cloak with a hood that shadowed its face. They rushed over to where they thought they saw it to find that there was no one there. They thought it could’ve been a Legna rushing by, but it was too dark to be a being of light. They thought it must’ve been a trick of the dancing shadows which came from the fire light. Instead, eager to get to the celebration, they continued through the hall made by the tents.

  As they came closer to the center of the camp, the music got louder, as well as the laughter. The closer they got, the more their hearts began to fill with joy. Soon they made it to the center, walking out of the wall of tents and into a very large space and an atmosphere filled with excitement and companionship. The area of the center of the camp was one large circle with a huge bonfire which sat in the very center of it. All of the tents circled around the center, giving the space the appearance of some sort of courtyard.