Konnichiwa, minna-san! I have done it! I have begun the second installment of my "Ordeal Trilogy"! Aren't we all proud of me? I, personally, am very happy with the way that this prologue has turned out...definitely one of my favorite things that I've written to this date. Well, I'll let you read it and, hopefully, you'll like reading it just as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Disclaimer: You know...I know that something is supposed to go here, but I just can't think of what...it has something to do with my lack of ownership or something or other...well, I guess I'll leave that for you to figure out!
------------The Judgment of the Heavens: Prophecy Revealed-------------
The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the wide space of the hallway as a lone figure slowly made his way down it, the lantern clutched in his fist providing the only light, illuminating the hallway in a soft, ethereal glow. His long robes brushed against the stone floor, the swishing sound mingling with the sounds of his feet hitting the ground. One only had to look at him to know that he was deep in thought and that those thoughts were serious. His posture stiff, his face contorted into a mask of contemplative worry, the look in his eyes reflected his state of mind better than anything else.
He knew there was a key to her destruction, a flaw in her being. He only had to find it to bring his Queen down…to end the rule of Queen Milena forever and to start anew, creating a society that didn't rely on chance to determine its place on the spectrum of good and evil. Never before had there been the crowning of an evil queen and he never wanted to see it take place. He had enjoyed peace for the 5000 or so year span of his lifetime and he wasn't going to see it end. It was up to him to find a way to keep peace and happiness alive in his world for no one else dared to defy Queen Milena's ways.
His walking slowed to a stop as he reached his destination: the royal library. Only the Queen, the High Priests, and those appointed by either the Queen or the High Priests was allowed in the library. Fortunately, he was one of those permitted to enter the library; sometimes, being one of Milena's High Priests had its advantages.
Using his magic as a force, he opened the great, wooden double doors in front of him that led into the library, watching silently as the doors swung open on well-oiled hinges. He stepped into the library and set down the lantern on small table that rested just inside the doors. The moment they noticed his arrival, the Warrior-Mages that guarded and participated in the upkeep of the library stood up straight, prepared to ward away any unauthorized visitors. He stepped over to the two Warriors-Mages and waved them aside, letting them drop their guard.
"Oh, it's you, your Holiness," the taller Warrior-Mage said, letting his shoulders relax, "What are you doing down here at this late hour?" He smiled at the Warrior-Mage.
"Just some late evening research. Nothing to be concerned with, Goran." Goran smiled slightly.
"You been down here quite a bit lately," Goran said, "Researching for a secret project?" He smiled, knowing that Goran was hitting on the truth, but only vaguely.
"No," he lied, "Merely researching for information on Queen Milena's sacrificial ritual. There is much to be learned since this is our world's first female sacrifice."
"Ah, yes. I had heard that Queen Milena had obtained her sacrifice not too long ago. Only about 4 sun-cycles ago, am I correct?" Goran asked.
"Yes, Goran, that is right. After years of searching, Queen Milena has finally found her sacrifice." Goran sighed, a frown taking over his face.
"You know, just between us, your Holiness, in some ways I wish her Highness hadn't found her sacrifice. This is the first female sacrifice Cresilia has ever witnessed and it will only bring evil upon our lands. But, we cannot go against our Queen. We are nothing without her power." He smiled internally, happy with the knowledge that he was not the only one who felt that Milena's rule would bring a scourge down upon her people.
"Ah, yes; there are many people who feel the way that you do about her Highness. But, Milena is our Queen and, as her subjects, we must obey her orders and her power," he said, relaying the bitter truth of what would happen if he failed to find a way to bring upon her downfall. Goran sighed and turned to his partner Yasarine, who had her nose shoved in a book.
"Yasarine feels the same way I do," Goran said, "Don't you, Yasarine?" Yasarine lifted her head out of her book and looked up, nodding her head.
"Yes, I do. But there is nothing that anyone can do," Yasarine said, sighing as she turned her attentions back on her book. Goran turned back to look at him, a worried look in his eyes.
"Your Holiness…you will not tell Queen Milena about what I said, will you?" Goran's eyes reflected the worry in his voice. He shook his head.
"No, Goran, I will not relate any of this conversation to Queen Milena. You have my word." Goran sighed with relief.
"Thank you, your Holiness. I'll let you move on to your research. Sorry to have taken up your time," Goran apologized. He shook his head.
"There is nothing to apologize for, Goran," he said, "You have not taken up my time in any way, my friend. Research can wait; friendships cannot. Well, until tomorrow." With a bow of his head, he walked away from the Warrior-Mages, his hands folded together in front of him, covered by the long sleeves of his robes. He made his way to the back of the huge library and over to a modest-sized door, an area of the library that was closed off to all but the Queen, the High Priests, and the one Warrior-Mage that made sure the room was clean and that the spells preserving ancient books were still in place.
That room had become, in many ways, his second home, a place where he was free to do his research without interruption. To his knowledge, he was the only one who entered the room, besides that one Warrior-Mage. Queen Milena had never bothered to even enter the library unless she was forced to do a little reading about a visiting planet and its customs. She had never been into the room he was about to enter; she only knew about the room and the books contained within. The room housed the most ancient and powerful books that existed on Cresilia, most of them written in a language that only the High Priests could understand. That was one reason why Queen Milena had never entered that room: she couldn't read most of what was in there.
He smiled at that fact. If he found the key to her downfall in that room, she would never know about it until it was too late; she could never figure it out, never read about it. With a small smile on his face, he entered the small room, feeling comfortable with blue glow that filled the room, a glow that would make most people uncomfortable with its mystical nature.
He walked over to the long row of shelves that covered the length of one wall and began browsing though them, plucking books off of the shelf and scanning the material within, hoping that one would hint at information that could help him in his mission to save his planet and the universe from Queen Milena's evil rule.
It was a couple of hours later that he finally sat down at the small table in the middle of the room, exhausted from translating the Old Tongue that the books were written in. He let his eyes wander the room, eventually settling on the light source. He smiled softly as he looked at what lit up the room, looking over at the 35,000-year old statue, the magic surrounding it still as strong as it was when the spell was cast. As he scanned the statue, his eye caught on something resting by the statue's base. His curiosity piqued, he stood and walked over to the statue, kneeling so he examine the object that had caught his eye.
Reaching for it, he ignored the waves of power emanating from the statue, the chill going through his body from the raw power answering his question as to why no one had picked up the object on the floor. His hand closed around it and he stood up, wanting to get away from the statue. With his prize in his hand, he walked back to the table and sat down. To his surprise, it was book, a very thick one at that.
Blowing the thick layering of dust off of the cover, he was disappointed to see that there were no words on the cover, no title to speak of. Opening the book, he felt the faint residue of a preservation spell that covered the book, protecting it from destruction. Reaching out with his magic, he fortified the spell, making sure that it would last for a long time to come. Upon opening the book, his eyes scanned the words that were on the first page, not surprised to see that it was written in the Old Tongue. What he read was, perhaps, the greatest surprise that he had received in his 5000 years of life.
"Dakaran's Journal," he read out loud in shock. Dakaran was a legendary figure on Cresilia, the founder of their society and a magician of unimaginable strength. The stories told of him being the last of a dying race of Sorcerers that lived on Cresilia, a Sorcerer who had a great love for people and life.
He was breathless as he looked down at the book in front of him. In his hands was the proof of Dakaran's existence. His heart soared, skipping a couple of beats as it did so. The journal could hold the answers he had been searching for. As he turned the page to begin reading the journal, his hands shaking as he did so, a voice in the back of his mind reminded him that his dear wife Keresei was going to be angry with him for staying so long in the library. He ignored that warning voice as he read, his mind refreshed anew from his discovery, rapidly translating the Old Tongue in his mind, reading the words that were written over 50,000 years ago.
"My end is near. There is no denying it. With each passing day, my heart beats slower, weakens ever so slightly. With my death, the end of my race will die as well. I am the last of the Sorcerers. I no longer have the strength to carry on…but I must. The people of this planet rely on me, look to me for guidance. Their war of men is finally over, leaving the survivors, few in number, to pick up the pieces of their broken society. They look to me to create a new life for them, a new way of living and that, I shall do.
"As my last act before my death, I will give these people peace, a respite from the war that has plagued them. It is the least I can do for their hospitality towards my people. Not originally from this planet, my people have been able to live here in peace and quiet, allowed to live our lives to our doing. But, many of us have perished over the years, our numbers lost during the war immense. There is no one besides myself to carry on our race and I am dying. The universe will never see another Sorcerer.
"But, my legacy will live on…through the society of this planet, lovely Cresilia. I already have many ideas in mind on how the society and government shall be set up, but one thing is certain: men will not lead this nation. I have found many of the men on this planet to be rash and violent. A woman, a queen, will lead this planet on its path for peace. I have the perfect candidate for the first Queen of Cresilia: my sweet, little Erilise. Gentle and fair, she will make a great Queen and, with my power, her gentle rule will last for 1000 years…"
He continued to read, pouring through the pages about the steps Dakaran went through to create the society that he know knew, including the creation of how the type of Queen would be decided, the Grace's Tears and Heaven's Sea. He read it all, reading until the early hours of the morning. He was towards the end of the journal when a certain passage caught his eye.
"I had a dream last night, a dream that has pointed out the flaws in the society that I have created. I know this dream to be a prophecy, but I do not know what it means. When I set up the creation of the monarchy and the process with the Grace's Tears, I had meant for when the Grace's Tears were blue for the Queen to rule during a time of great prosperity and when purple, during a time of great strife.
"Thanks to my dream, I have realized my mistake in my spell casting. My error was not for when the Grace's Tears turned blue, for, as I have planned, peace will reign for 1000 years. My error was for when the Grace's Tears are purple. Instead of the 1000 years of strife, it will be 1000 years of evil and death, far worse than I had planned. There is no changing it now; the spells are irreversible. Even if they were, I haven't the strength to change them.
"My mistake has endangered the universe for, in 50,000 years time, there will be Cresilia's first female sacrifice, announcing the evil intent of the future Queen. She will conquer the universe, her power unimaginable. She will cause entire races to cower in fear, leaving death in her wake. If allowed to ascend to the throne, she will be an unstoppable force of evil, a plague upon the universe.
"But, there is on ray of hope that appeared to me in my dream. I dreamt of a young man, young in body, wise in age. He will be the Key, the savior of the universe. With his power and the assistance of two aides, an aide of strength and an aide of wisdom, he will have a chance gain the power of the immortals through the trials he will face…the Judgment of the Heavens will be his to face and his alone. May he succeed and save the universe from doom."
He set down the journal, his mind rapidly analyzing the passage he had just read. It only took him a couple of seconds to figure out what Dakaran's prophecy meant. The only person who could fulfill the prophecy and save the universe was Queen Milena's new pet, the one she kidnapped from Earth along with her sacrifice. He also knew who the two aides were.
The aide of wisdom was himself; something inside of him just knew that he was to help in the salvation of the universe. The other aide, the aide of strength, he somehow knew the identity to as well. With a small smile on his face, and a sliver of hope in his eyes, he looked over at the statue where he found the journal, looking hard enough that he thought he could see it breathing ever so slightly.
"Well, my friend," he said to the statue, "You and I are about to become a legend. And then, this planet can start anew…"
***
In his room, Gohan didn't know of the prophecy that he was going to take part in. As he lay on his bed, he was oblivious to the workings of destiny, completely unaware that he was soon going to face the hardest thing to ever come his way.
-------------------
I finished my prologue! And so much sooner than I had anticipated, too! Well, I'll try to start working on the 1st chapter as soon as possible, alrighty? Hoped you liked it! I really enjoyed writing this one. It was so much fun...Oh, be prepared to hear/read more about Dakaran and his journal later on in the story. For a dead character, he's going to be pretty damned important. So, until the next chapter, ja ne!
Disclaimer: You know...I know that something is supposed to go here, but I just can't think of what...it has something to do with my lack of ownership or something or other...well, I guess I'll leave that for you to figure out!
------------The Judgment of the Heavens: Prophecy Revealed-------------
The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the wide space of the hallway as a lone figure slowly made his way down it, the lantern clutched in his fist providing the only light, illuminating the hallway in a soft, ethereal glow. His long robes brushed against the stone floor, the swishing sound mingling with the sounds of his feet hitting the ground. One only had to look at him to know that he was deep in thought and that those thoughts were serious. His posture stiff, his face contorted into a mask of contemplative worry, the look in his eyes reflected his state of mind better than anything else.
He knew there was a key to her destruction, a flaw in her being. He only had to find it to bring his Queen down…to end the rule of Queen Milena forever and to start anew, creating a society that didn't rely on chance to determine its place on the spectrum of good and evil. Never before had there been the crowning of an evil queen and he never wanted to see it take place. He had enjoyed peace for the 5000 or so year span of his lifetime and he wasn't going to see it end. It was up to him to find a way to keep peace and happiness alive in his world for no one else dared to defy Queen Milena's ways.
His walking slowed to a stop as he reached his destination: the royal library. Only the Queen, the High Priests, and those appointed by either the Queen or the High Priests was allowed in the library. Fortunately, he was one of those permitted to enter the library; sometimes, being one of Milena's High Priests had its advantages.
Using his magic as a force, he opened the great, wooden double doors in front of him that led into the library, watching silently as the doors swung open on well-oiled hinges. He stepped into the library and set down the lantern on small table that rested just inside the doors. The moment they noticed his arrival, the Warrior-Mages that guarded and participated in the upkeep of the library stood up straight, prepared to ward away any unauthorized visitors. He stepped over to the two Warriors-Mages and waved them aside, letting them drop their guard.
"Oh, it's you, your Holiness," the taller Warrior-Mage said, letting his shoulders relax, "What are you doing down here at this late hour?" He smiled at the Warrior-Mage.
"Just some late evening research. Nothing to be concerned with, Goran." Goran smiled slightly.
"You been down here quite a bit lately," Goran said, "Researching for a secret project?" He smiled, knowing that Goran was hitting on the truth, but only vaguely.
"No," he lied, "Merely researching for information on Queen Milena's sacrificial ritual. There is much to be learned since this is our world's first female sacrifice."
"Ah, yes. I had heard that Queen Milena had obtained her sacrifice not too long ago. Only about 4 sun-cycles ago, am I correct?" Goran asked.
"Yes, Goran, that is right. After years of searching, Queen Milena has finally found her sacrifice." Goran sighed, a frown taking over his face.
"You know, just between us, your Holiness, in some ways I wish her Highness hadn't found her sacrifice. This is the first female sacrifice Cresilia has ever witnessed and it will only bring evil upon our lands. But, we cannot go against our Queen. We are nothing without her power." He smiled internally, happy with the knowledge that he was not the only one who felt that Milena's rule would bring a scourge down upon her people.
"Ah, yes; there are many people who feel the way that you do about her Highness. But, Milena is our Queen and, as her subjects, we must obey her orders and her power," he said, relaying the bitter truth of what would happen if he failed to find a way to bring upon her downfall. Goran sighed and turned to his partner Yasarine, who had her nose shoved in a book.
"Yasarine feels the same way I do," Goran said, "Don't you, Yasarine?" Yasarine lifted her head out of her book and looked up, nodding her head.
"Yes, I do. But there is nothing that anyone can do," Yasarine said, sighing as she turned her attentions back on her book. Goran turned back to look at him, a worried look in his eyes.
"Your Holiness…you will not tell Queen Milena about what I said, will you?" Goran's eyes reflected the worry in his voice. He shook his head.
"No, Goran, I will not relate any of this conversation to Queen Milena. You have my word." Goran sighed with relief.
"Thank you, your Holiness. I'll let you move on to your research. Sorry to have taken up your time," Goran apologized. He shook his head.
"There is nothing to apologize for, Goran," he said, "You have not taken up my time in any way, my friend. Research can wait; friendships cannot. Well, until tomorrow." With a bow of his head, he walked away from the Warrior-Mages, his hands folded together in front of him, covered by the long sleeves of his robes. He made his way to the back of the huge library and over to a modest-sized door, an area of the library that was closed off to all but the Queen, the High Priests, and the one Warrior-Mage that made sure the room was clean and that the spells preserving ancient books were still in place.
That room had become, in many ways, his second home, a place where he was free to do his research without interruption. To his knowledge, he was the only one who entered the room, besides that one Warrior-Mage. Queen Milena had never bothered to even enter the library unless she was forced to do a little reading about a visiting planet and its customs. She had never been into the room he was about to enter; she only knew about the room and the books contained within. The room housed the most ancient and powerful books that existed on Cresilia, most of them written in a language that only the High Priests could understand. That was one reason why Queen Milena had never entered that room: she couldn't read most of what was in there.
He smiled at that fact. If he found the key to her downfall in that room, she would never know about it until it was too late; she could never figure it out, never read about it. With a small smile on his face, he entered the small room, feeling comfortable with blue glow that filled the room, a glow that would make most people uncomfortable with its mystical nature.
He walked over to the long row of shelves that covered the length of one wall and began browsing though them, plucking books off of the shelf and scanning the material within, hoping that one would hint at information that could help him in his mission to save his planet and the universe from Queen Milena's evil rule.
It was a couple of hours later that he finally sat down at the small table in the middle of the room, exhausted from translating the Old Tongue that the books were written in. He let his eyes wander the room, eventually settling on the light source. He smiled softly as he looked at what lit up the room, looking over at the 35,000-year old statue, the magic surrounding it still as strong as it was when the spell was cast. As he scanned the statue, his eye caught on something resting by the statue's base. His curiosity piqued, he stood and walked over to the statue, kneeling so he examine the object that had caught his eye.
Reaching for it, he ignored the waves of power emanating from the statue, the chill going through his body from the raw power answering his question as to why no one had picked up the object on the floor. His hand closed around it and he stood up, wanting to get away from the statue. With his prize in his hand, he walked back to the table and sat down. To his surprise, it was book, a very thick one at that.
Blowing the thick layering of dust off of the cover, he was disappointed to see that there were no words on the cover, no title to speak of. Opening the book, he felt the faint residue of a preservation spell that covered the book, protecting it from destruction. Reaching out with his magic, he fortified the spell, making sure that it would last for a long time to come. Upon opening the book, his eyes scanned the words that were on the first page, not surprised to see that it was written in the Old Tongue. What he read was, perhaps, the greatest surprise that he had received in his 5000 years of life.
"Dakaran's Journal," he read out loud in shock. Dakaran was a legendary figure on Cresilia, the founder of their society and a magician of unimaginable strength. The stories told of him being the last of a dying race of Sorcerers that lived on Cresilia, a Sorcerer who had a great love for people and life.
He was breathless as he looked down at the book in front of him. In his hands was the proof of Dakaran's existence. His heart soared, skipping a couple of beats as it did so. The journal could hold the answers he had been searching for. As he turned the page to begin reading the journal, his hands shaking as he did so, a voice in the back of his mind reminded him that his dear wife Keresei was going to be angry with him for staying so long in the library. He ignored that warning voice as he read, his mind refreshed anew from his discovery, rapidly translating the Old Tongue in his mind, reading the words that were written over 50,000 years ago.
"My end is near. There is no denying it. With each passing day, my heart beats slower, weakens ever so slightly. With my death, the end of my race will die as well. I am the last of the Sorcerers. I no longer have the strength to carry on…but I must. The people of this planet rely on me, look to me for guidance. Their war of men is finally over, leaving the survivors, few in number, to pick up the pieces of their broken society. They look to me to create a new life for them, a new way of living and that, I shall do.
"As my last act before my death, I will give these people peace, a respite from the war that has plagued them. It is the least I can do for their hospitality towards my people. Not originally from this planet, my people have been able to live here in peace and quiet, allowed to live our lives to our doing. But, many of us have perished over the years, our numbers lost during the war immense. There is no one besides myself to carry on our race and I am dying. The universe will never see another Sorcerer.
"But, my legacy will live on…through the society of this planet, lovely Cresilia. I already have many ideas in mind on how the society and government shall be set up, but one thing is certain: men will not lead this nation. I have found many of the men on this planet to be rash and violent. A woman, a queen, will lead this planet on its path for peace. I have the perfect candidate for the first Queen of Cresilia: my sweet, little Erilise. Gentle and fair, she will make a great Queen and, with my power, her gentle rule will last for 1000 years…"
He continued to read, pouring through the pages about the steps Dakaran went through to create the society that he know knew, including the creation of how the type of Queen would be decided, the Grace's Tears and Heaven's Sea. He read it all, reading until the early hours of the morning. He was towards the end of the journal when a certain passage caught his eye.
"I had a dream last night, a dream that has pointed out the flaws in the society that I have created. I know this dream to be a prophecy, but I do not know what it means. When I set up the creation of the monarchy and the process with the Grace's Tears, I had meant for when the Grace's Tears were blue for the Queen to rule during a time of great prosperity and when purple, during a time of great strife.
"Thanks to my dream, I have realized my mistake in my spell casting. My error was not for when the Grace's Tears turned blue, for, as I have planned, peace will reign for 1000 years. My error was for when the Grace's Tears are purple. Instead of the 1000 years of strife, it will be 1000 years of evil and death, far worse than I had planned. There is no changing it now; the spells are irreversible. Even if they were, I haven't the strength to change them.
"My mistake has endangered the universe for, in 50,000 years time, there will be Cresilia's first female sacrifice, announcing the evil intent of the future Queen. She will conquer the universe, her power unimaginable. She will cause entire races to cower in fear, leaving death in her wake. If allowed to ascend to the throne, she will be an unstoppable force of evil, a plague upon the universe.
"But, there is on ray of hope that appeared to me in my dream. I dreamt of a young man, young in body, wise in age. He will be the Key, the savior of the universe. With his power and the assistance of two aides, an aide of strength and an aide of wisdom, he will have a chance gain the power of the immortals through the trials he will face…the Judgment of the Heavens will be his to face and his alone. May he succeed and save the universe from doom."
He set down the journal, his mind rapidly analyzing the passage he had just read. It only took him a couple of seconds to figure out what Dakaran's prophecy meant. The only person who could fulfill the prophecy and save the universe was Queen Milena's new pet, the one she kidnapped from Earth along with her sacrifice. He also knew who the two aides were.
The aide of wisdom was himself; something inside of him just knew that he was to help in the salvation of the universe. The other aide, the aide of strength, he somehow knew the identity to as well. With a small smile on his face, and a sliver of hope in his eyes, he looked over at the statue where he found the journal, looking hard enough that he thought he could see it breathing ever so slightly.
"Well, my friend," he said to the statue, "You and I are about to become a legend. And then, this planet can start anew…"
***
In his room, Gohan didn't know of the prophecy that he was going to take part in. As he lay on his bed, he was oblivious to the workings of destiny, completely unaware that he was soon going to face the hardest thing to ever come his way.
-------------------
I finished my prologue! And so much sooner than I had anticipated, too! Well, I'll try to start working on the 1st chapter as soon as possible, alrighty? Hoped you liked it! I really enjoyed writing this one. It was so much fun...Oh, be prepared to hear/read more about Dakaran and his journal later on in the story. For a dead character, he's going to be pretty damned important. So, until the next chapter, ja ne!