by J. D. Netto
My heart skipped a beat as I could no longer hear Demetre’s screams. He was on the ground, lying immobile, with his face pressed against the muddy road.
“Demetre!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. Tears of desperation descended on my cheeks.
Cyro slowly approached him and gently knelt beside him. “I would not dare leave you here, Demetre. You are riding with me on my horse.” He picked him up from the ground and placed him on top of the horse. As Demetre’s head reclined forward I caught sight that he was still breathing. I sighed in relief.
“Now you…” he spoke as he dragged me from where I was, violently placing me in front of the horse. “You will go ahead of me, like a dog, lead the way,” he said with a grin on his face. “Will you do a good job at it?”
“It amazes me how low you will go in order to achieve the desires of your lord,” a voice spoke from the woods. I desperately looked around, hoping to see a familiar face from Agalmath.
I heard Cyro grunt and his teeth cringe. “I did not think you were going to find us so soon, Nephilin.”
“And I thought you would have been done with your duty long before you had even arrived.” His voice was soothing but powerful. The sound of breaking branches came from my left side and shortly after, a rider appeared mounted on a white horse, his garments old and ragged. His dirt-covered boots showed signs that he had been out on the road for a while now, and his shoulder-length fair hair was scattered across his face from the wind. “Cyro, release the boys,” he exclaimed in a loud voice.
“I am not one to give up easily, Devin. It is a shame that you have chosen the harder path in this journey. One must be a fool to believe he can so easily neglect his own nature. You come from one of us.”
I did not understand what was taking place. Why did this Devin want to help us? Was he trustworthy? Who was he in the first place?
Slowly Devin descended from his horse. From his waist he removed a beautiful sword. Surrounded by a red glow, the sword very visible, even during this torrential rainstorm.
“I will not ask you again, Cyro,” he said as his hand tightened around the sword handle.
“I never said you had to ask me twice…traitor.”
My eyes could barely keep up with their rapid movements. They fiercely attacked each other with an inhuman agility and precision. No human could move the way they did. I could see the raindrops touching their bodies as they attacked each other in midair, in the woods, and on the ground. I could hear the whooshing sound of Devin’s sword trying to touch Cyro. From what I was able to capture, Cyro was extremely fast.
When I saw Demetre and the situation he was in, I knew there wasn’t a moment to spare. I mounted Cyro’s horse and galloped away, heading toward the forest. My heart knew of the risks and also consequences, but I had to do something.
I heard trees falling and branches breaking behind me, but I kept galloping through the forest, heading home. There was something that Cyro wanted that was apparently there and I needed to find it quickly. I heard Demetre’s low groans as I rode through the forest’s narrow path. The tree branches smacked against my face. As I made my way deeper into the forest, I noticed the noise from the fight had suddenly ceased.
I could see my house in the distance; I was almost there. I rode straight up to the door and I tied the commandeered horse to the tree. I helped Demetre off the horse and dragged his body inside the house. To my relief, the house looked exactly the same as it did when I first left.
I laid Demetre on the old settee near the fireplace. I stopped for a minute and tried to process everything that had just happened in the last couple of hours. I was so agitated that the soft ticking noise of the living room clock made me shiver.
II
I heard a knock as I covered Demetre with a blanket. It seemed that time stood still as I stared out the window, watching the rainfall. There was another knock.
“Isaac, please, open up!” a voice shouted from outside.
I gasped as I felt my senses escaping me for a while. I was not able to move. I roamed around the living room trying to find something in case I needed protection. I was startled when I heard the sound of the door being brought down by what I supposed was a really strong kick.
“We need to leave now. Grab a couple of things you might need and let’s go.”
“What do you mean let’s go?” I shouted. I felt my body trembling.
He apprehensively paced around the house. His breathing was heavy. It was the rider that fought against Cyro in the forest. He was drenched from the rain but he showed no signs of weakness in any way. He immediately walked to the settee to see Demetre.
“What are you doing? Why are you not getting ready? Do you understand how serious of a situation we have here right now?” he exclaimed. I could sense agitation in his voice.
“As far as I remember I barely know who you are,” I said.
“Right now the only thing you need to be concerned about is gathering food and supplies. We are going on a journey and trust me—we have no idea when we will be coming back.”
I bowed my head and took in a deep breath.
“Is he dead?” I asked him.
“Dead? Those things cannot die, Isaac. They are Fallen Stars. They may vanish when touched by a blade but die, that’s impossible for their kind. They quickly come back and that is why we must go.”
Suddenly the horse outside neighed loudly.
“Whose horse is that?” he inquired.
“It was Cyro’s. I snatched him so Demetre and I could…” Before I could finish my sentence, the rider had gone outside with his blade and decapitated the horse. To my surprise the horse did not bleed, nor did it fall to the ground, but it disintegrated into ashes, slowly taken by the wind.
“Are you ready to pack up now?” he asked me.
In fear, I trembled as I made my way to the kitchen. I grabbed one of our old bags that Dad used to bring crops in, and filled it with bread and fruits. Then I heard a loud banging noise coming from the living room. Quickly I ran to see what was going on. I found Devin breaking up the floor with his bare hands.
I gasped.
“What are you doing?” I questioned him, looking around to see a whole section of the wooden floor broken apart into pieces.
“Looking for the thing that Cyro wanted so badly. Are you done packing?”
I nodded.
“Good—do you have any spare horses?” he asked.
“I’m afraid I don’t. The ones we were riding were Demetre’s.”
He kept on breaking everything, his eyes relentlessly looking everywhere at a rapid speed. I did not know if I should fear him or trust him.
“You…you are not human, are you?” I asked reluctantly.
He chuckled.
“How did you guess?” he said without taking his eyes off the floor, his hands briskly tearing it apart. “Am I giving that away so easily?”
“What are you? Should I fear you?” I asked. He came to a complete stop.
“Yes…you are supposed to fear me but you don’t have to. Trust me, I am on your side. Now to tell you what I am…I just don’t have enough time right now.”
I looked at Demetre. His face was pale and his lips colorless.
“Will he be alright?” I asked.
“He will be if we keep our…” He stopped speaking and hastily reached inside the gigantic hole he had made in our floor.
“Here it is,” he whispered, pulling out a golden box from the debris. The box was covered with a thick coat of dust. Strange patterns were engraved into the gold and I could make out designs of some sort. Devin used his hands to wipe away the dust. From a few steps away, I could make out a symbol etched on top of the box: a circle with a straight line in the middle. An old, rusty lock was placed on the right side of this ancient-looking object. I could tell this was no ordinary trinket.
“And what exactly is that?” I asked as my heart pounded just by the sight of this amazing object.
“Get Dem
etre, we are leaving now,” he said, pacing around the hole in the floor.
“Leaving? Remember I told you about the horses? Are we supposed to walk under the rain until we find some sort of transportation?” His apparent lack of understanding enraged me.
“Please,” he whispered as he closed his eyes. “Do you have any carriages outside?” he asked, wrapping the box with a couple of old rags he had with him.
“My dad has one out back but…”
He placed the box inside the old leather pack on his hip and opened the door. I caught sight of a white horse standing outside, immobile under the violent storm. It was my dad’s horse, Crystal.
“Let’s go then,” he said with a soft grin on his face.
“How did—” I mumbled. “That’s my father’s horse! She ran away last week…”
“Where is the carriage at?” he asked, without taking his eyes off the horse.
“Inside the old barn,” I remarked, dumbfounded as to how Crystal had gotten here.
I tried to place Demetre on my shoulder, but he was extremely heavy. I was struggling when Devin pushed me aside and threw Demetre over his shoulder.
“I saw you struggling there…thought you needed a hand,” he alleged. “Can we go through the back door?”
I shivered as we once again stepped out into the storm. My clothes were soaking wet and mud permeated my boots.
“Is the horse not going to flee if we just leave her there? She’s always been afraid of storms,” I asked curiously.
“She won’t leave unless I tell her to,” he responded as his eyes avoided any contact with mine.
“So you control animals?” I anxiously waited for his reply.
“Some.” He nodded his head as he tapped his fingers on his right thigh. “Can we please talk about this later?” Devin raised his voice.
I sealed my lips and swallowed my strongly worded response to his lack of understanding, but he was right. We had greater matters to tend to. The town looked deserted. All the neighbors were probably inside their homes sitting by the fire with their families, unaware of the mysterious events of the day.
The door of the stable creaked as I opened it. I shivered as my eyes roamed around the place. Even though everything looked exactly as it always had, the barn felt oddly eerie.
“There is the carriage.” I pointed to my left where Dad kept it. Our carriage was a beautiful, elegant four-wheeler.
“Let us hope this does not draw too much attention,” he said as he checked the inside of the vehicle.
As Devin laid Demetre inside, I caught sight of my dad’s smoke pipe sitting near the window. Then it struck me. I was so caught up with everything that I forgot our parents could be dead.
“Where are we going, Devin?” I said, closing the door.
To my surprise, Crystal walked inside the barn and smoothly walked to the front of the carriage. Her white coat was stained with mud and small cuts.
“I want to know where we are going,” I insisted.
He ignored me.
I was growing tired of this guessing game. “If you expect me to get on that carriage you better start to give me answers, otherwise neither Demetre nor I will be going with you.”
“Then you die,” he replied, climbing atop the carriage.
“What do you mean die? What is this box? Who are you? Who was Cyro? I think I deserve to know, don’t you think?” I was irritated and frightened. If I was going to get in a carriage with a complete stranger and venture into the unknown, I deserved to know the truth.
“All ready. Let’s go,” he said.
I stood motionless, fixing my eyes on him, waiting.
“All right…Cyro was after you and Demetre because of this box. Inside it contains a book. Many think this book does not exist and is merely a legend. The fact is it has been hidden away from the Kingdoms of Elysium for thousands of years.”
His answers stirred up new questions.
“How did this book end up in my house and how did you know it was there?” I asked; my eyes quickly surveyed the barn for any signs of potential danger.
“Listen,” Devin snapped. “We can stay here and chat about these things and then be caught by one of those Fallen Stars or we can be on our way and I’ll explain everything to you. Now which one do you want?”
“How can I trust you, Devin? You showed up suddenly, broke down my door, tore up my house, and you happened to know that a mysterious book was inside…”
He sighed.
“Diane and Dustin Khan are your parents. You were born eighteen years ago—on November thirtieth to be more precise. Your father owns an enormous field where he grows various crops such as tomatoes, carrots, and some fruits as well. Your mother is an amazing cook and an amazing seamstress… Oh—this carriage was given to your father by me to celebrate your birth.” He stopped, his eyes staring straight at me. “Is this enough for you, Isaac?”
Slowly I climbed up on the carriage and we were off. Crystal calmly conducted us. Devin blankly gazed ahead, seemingly unaware of my presence.
It was hard to ride in this storm, especially because the roads were muddy and slippery. I looked up and could see we were going down the same road that took us to the fields.
“Where are we going?”
“To meet the Council,” he responded with an edge to his voice.
I stared at him blankly, waiting for a more complete answer. He was silent for a while, and then he started:
“Tristar is a kingdom that has existed since before the creation of our world. Before good and evil ever battled, it stood strong and mighty. It is not here, but in a place that is far, but at the same time so close. This kingdom is also the dwelling place for the Creator and his servants called Stars. But in the ancient days, there was one Star that shone brighter than any other and had power beyond measure.”
“Which I would assume was Lucifer?” I muttered.
“Yes. Under the Creator, Lucifer was the one to oversee the Stars and to keep order in place. But he had one thing the others didn’t, something the Creator risked so much when he gave him this…weapon.”
“What weapon?”
“The choice between good and evil. Slowly he discovered powers that were asleep inside of him, powers that would eventually spring forth. Unfortunately, the Creator believed Lucifer would ignore this gift freely.”
“Why would the Creator take such a big risk? I don’t understand.”
“You see…the Creator never wanted puppets, he wanted beings that would choose to be part of his kingdom, not someone that tried to take over it. Yet he had to give Lucifer this choice. It is only by choice that our true nature is revealed.”
I sighed.
“In secret, Lucifer deceived the other Stars. He spoke to them about this power that was stirring inside of him, a force he had never seen anywhere in Tristar. That very force was the birth of evil itself.”
The events Devin spoke of daunted me. I knew my mind was too limited to fully comprehend what Lucifer started when evil was birthed out of him.
“Lucifer gathered secret meetings in the Wastelands, plotting against the Creator. Like a deceiving snake, he spoke to the others, luring them into this new power he had uncovered inside of him. Some Stars resisted Lucifer and warned the Creator of the coming of evil.” He sighed softly. “Of course, the Creator was completely aware of their plans but he wanted to see which Stars would be faithful enough to inform him.”
“So they also had a choice. They all had a choice,” I said.
“Exactly. But Lucifer was the only one with enough power to become evil. The Creator and the other Stars marched to the Wastelands to encounter Lucifer. Judgment came swiftly upon those that were found with him. They were purged in fire and lost all their beauty. Inside of each one, darkness not only grew, but it became part of their very nature.”
The rain finally tampered off. I looked to the sky but there was no sign of sunlight, and heavy gray clouds hovered above.
“So
what happened to Lucifer and the Stars that sided with him?” I asked.
“They were sent to a place the Creator designed especially for them. He named it the Abyss. When they fell, Lucifer and the Fallen Stars continued to plot against the Creator. There were already foul creatures and other living beings that dwelled there, creatures that were forced to accept Lucifer’s ideals.”
“And how did this book come about?” I inquired. I felt the hairs on my arms stand on end.
“It is said by the wise men of the Council that Lucifer kept a book where he wrote the things he discovered, and the new powers that awoke inside of him. Before they attacked Tristar, he advised the Fallen Stars that if something was to ever happen to him, if he was ever imprisoned, the Diary held the secrets to his awakening.”
“Awakening?” I asked as I shrugged my shoulders.
“All the Fallen Stars were sent back to the Abyss by the Creator and his servants. There had to be a complete reformation of orders and ideals in Tristar. There had never been such things as evil, or war, or an attempt to hurt one another. The hierarchies had to be reorganized.”
I was trying to fully grasp this information. I pictured what it would be like to spend eternity under rules created before the world and then, all is changed because of one’s choice.
“Well…what happened to Lucifer then?” At this point, my questions and doubts seemed insignificant before the mysteries he was sharing.
“The Creator damned his body, placing it into a deep coma. His body was hidden somewhere in the Wastelands of Tristar. But his spirit endures, manifesting itself in many shapes and forms, but never in its entirety. Lucifer’s spirit visits our world of Elysium every now and then.”
We were silent for a moment. I stopped and tried to let everything sink in. I was looking around and finally noticed how quiet the forest had become. The trees were still dripping with dew from the rain.
“How did the Diary end up with my parents?” I asked reluctantly.
“When Lucifer and the Fallen Stars fell, the Creator already had plans to create Elysium and all that you see here. During this process of creation, after the waters were separated from the land, the first humans were born. To that first group of humans, he entrusted them with a book recovered from the Abyss by Leethan, one of the Higher Stars of Tristar. He wanted to know that his creation was…trustworthy. He gave them a choice as well, choice between the light and the darkness. Those first humans were immortals with amazing powers. Many went on to be kings and queens in Elysium.”