by J Hawk
And the next instant, the dead body lying on the desert floor below sprang back to life, sitting upright. The vultures surrounding and pecking at the body rose and soared off hastily.
Zardin turned his head around, trying to look all around him.
But he couldn’t see.
What is this? As he brought his trembling hands over his eyelids … he found that there was nothing underneath them. The vultures had pecked his eyes out as well. Leaving empty sockets, devoid of vision. I’m … blind.
He sat there for many seconds, motionless, gaping about his surroundings. But there was nothing more that could be done … his eyes were lost.
Slowly, Zardin raised his hands, running them over the skin of both arms. It felt lifeless and dry, and he could make out that the colour of his skin was now a dull pale. As his tongue tasted the insides of his mouth, he saw that his teeth were no longer the normal set of teeth. They were sharp, razor like and pointed. And his fingernails were sharpened to a dagger like state as well…
As he had promised, the creeper had used his powers to heal Zardin’s body, to render it capable of holding life again. But in the process, he had made other, slight alterations to him as well. Alterations that added a terrifying effect to his body: he was now a pale skinned, eyeless man with knife sharp teeth and nails. Zardin had a very faint suspicion that the creeper had done it to him on purpose.
And for that one reason … I like it.
Trying very slowly, he pushed himself upright, staggering in the fumbling darkness all over him. But in the absence of sight, his hearing and other senses had been sharpened manifold. After a minute or so, he was on his feet, swaying slightly in the effort of it. The heat of the desert seemed to now cloak his flesh with a new fury, in the keener sense of touch he now had.
Despite being unable to see, Zardin could feel the world around him glow with a newfound beauty. And despite the darkness around him, a radiating light ignited him from within.
The light of understanding…
For he now understood the true value of the gift that he held, the gift of life. And the gift of time. Every moment that ticked past held a treasure in his eyes, a treasure that nothing in this world, no amount of riches, could garner … a treasure he knew he would not waste. For this was a life he would not waste. This was the life that he would utilise to return everything that the previous one had given him. To return all of the misery to the world.
And he knew what he now needed to do…
Without wasting another breath, Zardin stormed down the desert lands. His mind was now ablaze like never before…
In any other circumstance, his lack of eyesight would have been the greatest blow possible to him. It would have left him crippled, senseless, powerless. But in this circumstance, his lack of outer vision was absolutely no hindrance. For he had a far more deadly vision. Inner vision. He now saw the world through renewed eyes. He now saw his life with renewed eyes. The experience of facing death, and then being rewarded a second chance … it transformed him. It shook him, and it showed him the true reality of the world. It now showed him that every passing moment was a gift he could not waste this time. Life would not wait … Life took no excuses.
And so, seized by an iron hard resolve, he swept aside everything, all hindrances, all pains and all excuses, and moved onward. Towards the goal of his new life. With a parching thirst in his soul.
It took him a few painful months to find the Xeni. But when he found them, he saw that they were a meek shadow, weakened and almost powerless. But Zardin had come to change that … and so, he sealed himself with the Xeni.
Devoting everything he had to learning their ways, he lived with them and learned the darkest arts of man’s mind. He drank everything they had to teach him, his thirst unquenchable. And under the time he spent with them, his mystical powers grew exponentially. He was beginning to morph to become one of the most powerful dark mystics they had ever known. And soon, he emerged as a man with powers unlike anything seen before. He had completed his training with the Xeni, and had climbed to the heights of power they could offer him. His lack of eyesight was insignificant now: for he now bore powers that allowed him to sense his surroundings, and perceive them to the finest clarity possible, in his mind.
And so, having finished his training with them, Zardin completed the first step. He then proceeded with the next.
He led the Order of Xeni to new heights of power. They were, at the time, weakened and diminished. But Zardin strove to make them stronger than ever. He sought out and found countless stay mystics who were willing to join them. He garnered the support of others who saw eye to eye with the Xeni’s goal, and decided to devote themselves to their cause.
But Zardin took their cause many steps further. He sought out the support and friendship of other allies, more deadly allies. These weren’t mystics. They weren’t even men … But they were creatures who shared the same devious goal that they had…
Zelgron.
He made an alliance with Carcasar. He gained the support of the Zelgron warlord, along with all of the monstrous creatures that came under his command.
And under Zardin’s supreme leadership, the Order of Xeni swelled steadily with power. He bolstered their strength, allowing them to mount to all new levels. And then, with the Xeni having reached a new height of power, Zardin brought them out of hiding. Just as the creeper had asked.
And now, the final step of their journey awaited…
The present