OFFICIAL
OUTLINE
(EPISODE
II)
"No matter how many
kingdoms you conquer, you will never escape the
gravity of love."
~Gen Zeridian~
Gray =
Event/Title
Blue = Signficant Item/Character
White = Time Passage/Actor or Actress
Aiemara ™
Episode II - Bloodlines
Draft II
1/24/07
NOTE : Everything here is subject to change as it is only a draft
and
will as time goes on.
INTRODUCTION
In the aftermath of the
Spectral War
in which D
the
Master of The Dark was defeated by Eve,
the Mistress of the Light, Eve sacrificed her life to preserve the
second
generation of Aiemarians, the populace who inhabits the planet known as
Aiemara from total destruction. With these two warriors laid to rest,
the
ability to wield the mystical powers of The
Light and
The Dark vanished.
Having rebuilt their society after
suffering
tremendous damage to the planet’s surface from D’s attempt to
annihilate
their existence by draining its core of energy, the Aiemarians adapted
a world based upon the technology and aspects of the Dark Ages.
Within this medieval construct was erected
a feudalist society in which one king ruled over various kingdoms that
were divided across the land. In time, the normal populace of Aiemara
forgot
about the powers of The Light and The Dark where truths became legend
and
legend became myth.
However, the remaining Light and Dark
Masters,
those with the gift to use this power were stripped of their abilities
and granted the gift of eternal youth. These former enemies who were
now
known as Light
and Dark Sages were
drawn into an uneasy truce in order to prevent another Spectral War
that
would threaten to destroy them all.
The Ancients and
The
Fallen hid
the keys to The Light and The Dark inside opposing structures known as
Libraries. In order to fulfill the prophecy, there were two swords of
mystical
origin created. Just how long each of these weapons had been in
existence
is unknown and it is believed they were constructed of a metal that
fell
from the heavens. It is known that these swords were created to decide
the outcome of the living.
Representing the forces of good was the
sword
known as Destiny.
When drawn from its sheath the blade
appeared
to be made entirely of light, yet exhibited the same properties of
steel.
The blade was believed indestructible but would only emit its radiance
when it was awoken from its slumber.
Vengeance
represented the powers of The Dark.
Vengeance
possessed a menacing design with sharp angles and a blade of such
malevolence
the steel was turned obsidian. Blue flames surrounded its deadly edge.
Both of these weapons were constructed of the same metal but inhibited
different properties in the hands of their owners.
Only one contender was chosen to wield each
weapon. They would possess the highest level of Light and Dark as well
as be the most disciplined in mastering their respective powers. These
sole wielders were known as “The Master
of
The Light/Dark”.
Also both weapons, after The Spectral War
contained
a consciousness that allowed them to determine who was worthy to wield
either The Light or The Dark. Without mastering these weapons, The
Light
and The Dark would not return to Aiemara and it would remain safe. The
Light and Dark Sages gave one another control of the opposing swords
and
hid them away somewhere inside the depths of two structures, The
Light Library and
The
Dark Library.
These buildings housed the remaining
knowledge
and artifacts created during the time when The Light and The Dark
existed.
Shelves of books documented the detailed history of D and Eve’s
lifetime
as well as the Masters that came before them. In these hallowed
sanctuaries
the history of both sides was safely preserved and guarded.
However it is believed fate could not be avoided
and as such the two weapons as well as The Light and The Dark were
destined
to rise again and it would only be a matter of time before they were
found
and awoken. So begins the journey of the third generation of Aiemarians
where two new contenders will unlock these ancient powers and finally
fulfill
the prophecy.
I. A New Saga Begins
a. The scene opens within a vast clearing
surrounded by trees as two men face off again in a brutal clashing of
swords. They wear no protective gear, just simple tunics and leather
pants. A woman with blonde hair watches fearfully, dreading the outcome.
b. The two fighters duel until Jaiden Versai (Hugh Jackman) slashes
his opponent’s sword arm. (Jaiden has wavy brown hair and blue eyes
with a modest muscular build while the woman, Kathryn Versai (Nicole Kidman) has
pure blonde hair and green eyes, captivating figure and modest bust.)
c. The other opponent named Mordric (Jason Isaacs), baring
black hair and piercing blue eyes growls from the pain as Jaiden sweeps
his sword across Mordric’s legs, sending the man toppling to the ground.
d. Pointing his sword at Mordric’s throat,
Jaiden demands Mordric’s surrender. Mordric reaches into his boot and
swipes the dagger across Jaiden's cheek slicing it then stabs Jaiden's
shoulder before picking up his sword and retreating into the woods,
fleeing in bitterness from losing the duel and the shame of his defeat
in front of Kathryn.
e. Kathryn rushes to Jaiden's aid and
carefully removes the dagger from his shoulder, dressing the wound.
Jaiden runs his fingers along the gash in his cheek and glares looking
down to the blood on his fingers before the scene shifts to black.
II. The Discovery
a. Several years later a great battle
takes place between warriors in dented armor as swords clash. The
knights defending the entrance to the neglected Dark Library. This
building has menacing curves and sharp, jagged angles that exude a
level of malevolence. The knights are outfitted with special insignias
representing guardians of the temple who work for the Dark Sages whom
have hired them to ensure the Library’s safety. While rival forces
distract the guardian knights. A single rival figure in black obsidian
armor distinctive from the guardian knights sneaks past the chaos and
enters The Dark Library.
b. Once inside with the battle raging
outside, this rival figure removes its helmet to reveal an older
Mordric with the same piercing blue eyes and sweeping black hair. He
wanders around the Dark Library trying to read the ancient writing.
With the guardian Knights distracted by his hired forces, It is clear
that it has been Mordric’s intention to gain access to this location to
search for an item of significant importance.
c. Mordric having long past the day of
his duel with Russell joined a band of thieves and mercenaries until he
was imprisoned and forced to serve a king named Ras Kruger (Max Von Sadow)
entering into his service as his wicked servant. Mordric searching for
a way to escape his servitude began pursuing the tales spoken by the
Sages and unlike the rest of the ignorant populace, Mordric paid close
attention to details surrounding The Fallen and The Ancients.
d. Mordric sought to unleash the powers
of The Dark for himself and crown himself the new Master of the Dark
but without Vengeance such a feat was impossible. Adding to the fact he
could not translate the writing in the Library, Mordric grew more and
more obsessive and that obsession turned to bitter resentment.
e. After countless failures to translate
the ancient writing inside the Dark Library he decided the information
was useless to him and sought to find another answer. As Mordric was
leaving the temple a box mysteriously toppled to the floor with a
glowing element inside along with a note in a language he could
decipher with enough time.
f. Mordric grabbed the box and fled
through a secret exit of the Dark Library knowing his forces would not
last long once reinforcements from the Dark Sages had arrived.
g. This unseen glowing element would
later grant Mordric the ability to achieve his goals but would not yet
unleash the powers of The Light or The Dark.
h. As Mordric exits the Dark Library, he is
ambushed by incoming reinforcements sent by the Dark Sages. Several men
surround and begin viciously stabbing him to death as he lies in a pool
of his own blood.
i. Suddenly his body begins to emit
beams of crackling orange light which then release tendrils of
electricity around his body miraculously healing his injuries. With the
other rivals stunned by this awesome display, it gives Mordric enough
time to launch a counter assault as his anger fuels his passion to win.
j. In a few moments, despite several
successful hits dealing damage that would kill a ordinary man, Mordric
is able to eliminate his attackers. Unsure of the source of his power,
Mordric’s lips shift into a wicked grin as he stares to his blood
covered hands and the fallen opponents at his feet. He believes now he
has found the edge he’s been searching for and the trip to the Dark
Library was not a total loss after all.
III. Trouble on the Cliff
a. Two years since Mordric’s discovery the scene reveals Kathryn and
Jaiden sharing a spectacular view hand and hand from a cliff side
overlooking the ocean with a setting sun and water crashing on the
rocks below.
b. Suddenly, one of Jaiden’s loyal guards rushes on horseback
with news of an attack taking place in the nearby forest. Jaiden is
forced to leave Kathryn on the cliff side with two of his trusted men
to watch over her.
c. While Jaiden and his guard rush off to aid their troubled
knights, it is revealed that the attack was a set up to unleash a
larger plan.
d. Two rival soldiers appear from the shadows and set fire to a
pre-conceived arrangements of brush arranged to burn in a circle that
swiftly envelopes Kathryn in a semi-circle of roaring flames, forcing
her closer to the perilous edge leading to the smashing rocks below.
e. As the two guards advance on Kathryn driving her further and
further back to the cliff’s edge, a lone figure streaks through the
landscape, unleashing a volley of arrows from a crude crossbow which
make short work of the opposing guards.
f. Kathryn stares horrified towards the rocks below and becomes
disoriented, losing her balance and tumbles off the cliff but is able
to cling desperately to the side with one hand.
g. The figure suddenly tears through the wall of flames and grabs
Kathryn’s hand, pulling her to safety.
h. When Kathryn has managed to settle down and recover from her
new found fear of heights, the figure reveals herself as a young girl
named Vachon
who from the looks of her has not been fortunate with life, clothed in
tattered rags and her features weathered by the harsh environments
around her.
i. Jaiden and Kathryn offer Vachon shelter and a better life in
gratitude of her heroism and she joins the royal family as their loyal
(and willing) servant.
IV. The Young Prince is Born
a. Two years after the foiled assassination attempt, Kathryn
gives birth to Jaiden’s first born son and they name him Valaryc Versai.
b. As the years pass, Jonathan Aslin,
an older man with distinctive black and white hair and Jaiden’s Captain
of the Guard and trusted advisor takes a special interest in looking
after young Val. Vachon is also given the task of watching over him
while Kathryn and Jaiden attend to the needs of the kingdom.
V. A King by His Own Hand
a. Using his discovery in the Dark Library and having waited
patiently for the right moment, Mordric makes his move and challenges
Ras Kruger for control of his kingdom.
b. With his special advantage, Mordric is able to defeat Ras
Kruger and becomes a king by his own hand…declaring the age of Kruger
over and that his reign would begin with the destruction of Ras’s
rival, The Versai.
c. Mordric does not reveal his personal history with the Versai,
keeping his methods more political and soon begins planning his
invasion strategy but knows it will take patience and time to build his
forces since the Versai Kingdom is heavily protected.
VI. The Versai Family Reunion
b. Three years later Jaiden and Kathryn hold a grand celebration
inside the Versai Kingdom in honor of Val’s first birthday. Among those
in attendance are members of the Versai family, friends, and Jaiden’s
trusted band of protectorate knights.
c. As the festivities are prepared to commence, Vachon enters the
room and takes her place next to the King and Queen’s side. Trumpets
blare and people rejoice as the Versai Family Reunion gets underway.
d. Suddenly there are screams of terror as Mordric’s forces, led
by King Mordric himself in black armor invade the throne room and begin
taking the room by force under their control. Mordric himself
approaches Jaiden and Kathryn as he removes his helmet and glares
upward to the couple, and young Val set between them.
e. Kathryn and Jaiden are outraged by the invasion as their
protective knights struggle to reach their location, cut off by
Mordric’s forces. Jonathan secretly slips from view to allow his
soldiers to enter the throne through another passage.
f. It is suspected that Mordric has invaded the kingdom consumed
with vengeance from losing his duel with Jaiden previously and in turn,
Kathryn’s love which he believes is rightfully his.
g. Mordric having learned of Val’s birth became furious that
Kathryn bared what he believed should have been HIS child. However
appearances can be deceiving.
h. As Mordric approaches Jaiden and Kathryn it is revealed that
Mordric has in fact not come to slaughter them but wishes to kill their
firstborn son, Valaryc Versai before their eyes.
VII. The Truth Revealed.
a. Mordric explains that at one time he loved Kathryn more then
life itself but consumed by the shame of his loss to Jaiden he joined
forces with another dictator then overthrew him and took a kingdom by
his own hand. After the feelings of betrayal settled, Mordric learned
of Val’s birth and in that moment his aspirations shifted to finding a
way to deal Jaiden and Kathryn the worst possible atrocity but he could
not do such a task on his own.
b. It is in that moment that Vachon grins devilishly and leaves
Jaiden and Kathryn’s side as Mordric reveals that the entire time he
had tainted the sanctity of trust inside the Versai kingdom. Mordric
says that Vachon was part of a master plan seven years in the making to
overthrow Ras from the start and that her heroic act of saving
Kathryn’s life “from assassination” was a set up to gain their trust.
c. Vachon reveals to Kathryn and Jaiden that it was her all along
who had waited patiently for her lover to take his kingdom and that she
was responsible for the ease of Mordric’s forces getting into the
castle and how Mordric knew of Val’s birth and the family reunion.
Vachon was instructed to wait until the proper time to reveal her true
nature.
d. Jaiden is outraged reaching for his sword, swearing that
Vachon would die for her treachery. Adding insult to injury Mordric
swears by the scar on Jaiden’s face that Val would never take his place
as King of the Versai.
e. Standing no more, Jaiden leaps from the throne with alarming
speed and engages into a fierce battle with Mordric. Mordric has a
dirty little secret that is not related to his family and proves barely
able to stand toe to toe with Jaiden’s superior swordsmanship.
f. Meanwhile Vachon rushes towards a frightened Val but finds
herself entangled in a fight with Kathryn. Kathryn is not as weak or
meek as a typical princess type, she is quite able to fight her own
battles as the two women struggle over their objectives. Vachon pulls a
dagger and tries to stab Kathryn but Kathryn is too quick grabbing
anything she can to keep the odds even.
g. Vachon informs Kathryn that she too gave birth to a son and
that son would rule where the Versai failed and that she and Mordric
would conquer the realm of not only the Versai Kingdom but all kingdoms
of Aiemara long after the King and Queen and their prince were executed.
h. Meanwhile Jonathan has finally been able to get his trusted
knights to overpower Mordric’s forces as the knights flood into the
throne room through secret passages to even the odds while Mordric’s
knights are ordered to start slaughtering the innocents in the room.
VIII. A Die for a Die.
a. Jaiden and Mordric continue to battle back and forth until
Jaiden is able to mortally injure Mordric, sending him spiraling to his
knees.
b. Vachon is cut off from Kathryn and Val as Jonathan’s forces
protect the prince while another handful attempts to aid their king.
c. Vachon sees a moment of vulnerable as Jaiden struggles to
catch his breath while Mordric lays beaten at his feet. Vachon charges
towards Jaiden but on instinct, Jaiden spins his sword around and turns
to face her, accidentally driving his sword clean through Vachon’s
chest as her eyes widen in utter shock.
d. Mordric on the ground recovers and watches his lover run
through by Jaiden’s sword. With blinding speed it is clear his injuries
were not as fatal as he wished others to believe, overpowering some of
the knights until he reaches Vachon.
e. Vachon whispers venomous words in Mordric’s ear, forcing him
to swear to make the Versai pay for what has transpired and to avenge
her death by wiping out the family bloodline itself for the pain they
have caused him.
f. With Vachon’s last breath dying in his arms, Mordric’s eyes
train on Kathryn and he sprints towards her, slashing his way through
all who stand in his way while Jaiden is forced to defend himself
against another wave of Mordric’s men.
g. The knights are too overwhelmed between saving their King and
Queen and the innocent guests of party. Mordric screams in anguish as
he glares to Vachon’s toppled corpse. For the “Sins of the Father”,
Mordric tells Jaiden a “Die for a die”
h. Mordric looks into Kathryn’s horrified eyes lifting her off
the ground with one hand wrapped around her throat as she looks to the
dizzying heights below through a stained glass window – flashbacks of
her fall off the cliff years ago; paralyzing her in fear.
i. Jaiden despite his injuries rushes up the staircase just as
Mordric sets Kathryn down, swearing he could never harm her, “but the
fall will.”
j. Mordric suddenly hurls Kathryn through the stain glassed
window without warning. Jaiden rushes up the stairs and tries to grab
her hand but is a moment too late, forced to watch helplessly as she
falls to her death stories below, landing on the ground with a
sickening crunch.
k. Jonathan’s eyes widen and he is particularly saddened and
angered by Kathryn’s death, perhaps even more so then Jaiden over the
loss of his wife.
l. Mordric allows Jaiden to live with that failure…with that loss
as he goes to kill Val, but much to his surprise Jonathan has drawn up
his sword and both Mordric and Jonathan’s blade cross over the boy.
Jaiden still devastated by the loss of Kathryn looks down to his own
weapon then spins his anger towards Mordric as Jonathan courageously
defends the prince.
m. Mordric is suddenly surrounded by more of the knights in
Jaiden’s defense which causes just enough time for Jaiden to hand
Jonathan the Versai Locket around his neck. Jaiden commands Jonathan to
take Val and flee the kingdom, no matter what happens so that Mordric
cannot make good on his word.
n. With a heavy heart, Jonathan agrees and scoops up Val in his
arms dashing through a secret exit before Mordric can reach him,
finally overtaking the knights.
IX. The Versai Massacre
a. Jaiden and Mordric continue to battle until Jaiden is able to
severely injure Mordric, sending him spiraling to his knees.
b. In a fierce, emotionally driven duel fueled by the loss of
their lovers, Mordric and Jaiden fight again. Mordric did not plan on
losing Vachon and Jaiden certainly did not plan on losing Kathryn.
c. Jaiden stabs Mordric clean through the heart with his sword.
Here it is revealed that Mordric’s secret is that he has found a way to
become immortal and cannot be killed but the source of his power still
remained a mystery. With a malicious smile, Mordric pulls his body off
Jaiden’s sword as beams of orange light surround and heal his wound.
Mordric then stabs Jaiden through his chest almost at the same point he
becomes freed with an ancient dagger known as “Fate” recovered from the
Dark Library years before. Exhausted and in shock of the discovery of
Mordric’s immortality, Jaiden knows this is a battle he cannot win.
d. Jonathan and Val behind the walls of the throne room make
their way through the secret passage stop and peer through a crack,
allowing just enough of a vantage point for both of them to see Mordric
standing over Jaiden’s body.
e. Mordric swears to Jaiden as he lies dying at his feet that the
Versai Massacre would never end until every last member of the family
is executed. This would be the price Jaiden would pay for taking both
his women away from him.
f. Before Jaiden can utter vital words regarding the nature of
Mordric and Jaiden’s other connection, he dies.
g. Quickly, Jonathan tries to spare Val the horrific imagery by
tugging him away but it isn’t much use as Val watches his father die
but is unable to see clearly the details of Mordric’s face. This image
would plague his nightmares in the years to come.
h. Mordric cleans the dagger on a scrap of linen and then turns
to the members of the Versai family left inside the castle ordering his
men to kill every living soul. All the guests are relentlessly
slaughtered with no witnesses left alive.
i. While Mordric orders Jaiden and Kathryn’s bodies brought to
the courtyard of the kingdom to be set on fire after the massacre,
Jonathan and Val escape on horseback into a dense forest.
j. Against the backdrop of flaming buildings and dead bodies,
Mordric is furious that Jonathan escaped with Val. With the domain in
ruins, Mordric is forced to leave the Versai Kingdom and thus that
fateful day draws to a close…the Versai Kingdom is no more.
X. The Aslin Family
a. 10 years later, Val appears grown up showing impressive
swordsmanship skills as he and his best friend Lance Jade
spar in an open field. There are no knights to protect the prince.
b. Val is haunted by the nightmares of his past and the fact that
he does not know the face of his father’s killer, just the name
“Mordric” swearing that some day he would avenge his father’s death.
c. While Lance and Val spar, Jonathan shows up and takes Val
aside talking to him on one of those “father/son” discussions. Jonathan
tells Val since he was a child stories of the Spectral War and how one
time long ago, people were able to wield powers known as The Light and
The Dark but as Val grew up he viewed these tales as nothing more then
fairytales and myths and nothing more. Val was not aware that Jonathan
is a Sage.
d. Mordric obsessed for years manages to locate Jonathan Aslin,
via planted spies inside the tiny village where he lives.
e. Mordric invades in full force, hell bent on completing his
quest to purge Aiemara of every Versai. He arrives in the village and
fights his way in Jonathan’s home.
f. Val views Mordric as a threat to his adopted father and
attempts to help Jonathan, but Mordric’s minions hold Val at bay. Much
to their surprise Val is very good with a sword and manages to kill a
few.
g. Jonathan battles his way free and pulls Val aside giving him
the necklace baring the Aslin crest around his neck and tells him to
flee on his fastest horse and no matter what happens, not to turn back.
h. Val doesn’t want to listen and wishes to fight by Jonathan’s
side to avenge the Versai Massacre but Jonathan shouts for him to leave
as he picks up his Sage sword to face Mordric while the warlord takes
his time, picking off any farmers who stand in his way.
i. Reaching Jonathan, Mordric eventually overpowers the brave Sage and
murders him with Fate, the same dagger used to kill Jaiden. Val looks
back just in time to see Jonathan collapse at Mordric’s feet. Val is
plagued by an overlay of flashbacks from when Mordric killed Jaiden and
he realized the past was repeating itself and he was once again
helpless to stop it.
j. Mordric snaps his eyes upward to the sound of moving hooves
and spots Val on his horse as he quickly orders his men to pursue him.
k. Val flees on horseback as Mordric’s forces chase him. Among
the men, the second in command to Mordric sees Val overpower the guards
and flee. As the figure removes his helmet, we see another 17-year-old
soldier named Cire T’Negun
(Gary Sinese type)
glare with teal blue eyes and dark pits that surround them. Wavy black
hair spills across his armored shoulders as he gives chase after Val.
l. Val loses Mordric’s forces in a dense forest and they return to
Mordric empty handed.
m. Later, inside the throne room of Mordric’s kingdom, Mordric
yells at Cire furious that his second in command, failed to capture
Val. Mordric proceeds to berate Cire’s abilities and reminds him that
the only reason he is alive is because of the life debt he owes Mordric.
n. After leaving the room, Cire retires to his quarters and
slumps into a chair against a crackling fireplace and begins removing
his armor. At This point, Cire has a flashback that further shows that
at one time Cire had also defended a village that fell to Mordric’s
immortal skills.
o. In the flashback, Mordric sees promise in Cire’s skill and
allows him to live in exchange for absolute loyalty and servitude to
him. With most of the town dead, Cire agrees and the life debt is made.
p. Returning to present, 3 years later Cire reflects on the anger
he feels towards Mordric’s undermining. (Cire is smart and cunning,
biding his time to let Mordric believe he’s superior for the time
being.) Having witnessed Mordric’s immortality first hand on several
occasions, Cire schemes to find the source of Mordric’s power and
eventually destroy his “Master”.
XI. The Price of Failure
a. After 3 days, Val having no other place to go returns to the
Aslin cottage only to find a smoldering plot of ground where the small
house once stood. Littered around the carnage are the bodies of the
family who raised him.
b. Seeing something glint under a pile of ash and splintered
wood, Val recognizes Jonathan’s sword, stained with blood.
c. To his left, Val is horrified to see a patch of burned ashes
which he knows from the recognizable fragments of cloth are the charred
remains of Jonathan.
d. Anger fuels his veins but also a wave of guilt believing if
his swordsmanship was stronger, if he had been a better fighter, Val
would have prevented this tragedy from occurring. Flashes of memories
from the Versai Massacre also add to this new found quest to become
stronger, better, and ready to avenge the death of the Versai Family
and now the Aslin Family as well.
e. Knowing he cannot attain his goal here in a disheveled
village, Val clutched Jonathan’s sword in his hand and slowly departed
not knowing where his path would take him next becoming a wanderer.
f. Days pass as Mordric and Cire exit the throne room; suddenly a
masked figure attempts to kill Mordric with a sword made of wood. The
wooden weapon pierces into Mordric’s back and Cire is swift to draw his
blade quickly striking down the assassin.
g. Mordric’s wound heals almost instantly with a flicker of
orange light while he glares angrily to the dead assassin. Ripping off
the mask to see the face of a bearded man, Mordric notices a familiar
tattoo on the assassin’s upper arm.
h. Mordric informs Cire that the assassin is a member of The Shadow Guild,
a band of rebels opposed to his rule. Mordric complains that every time
he finds their hidden location and invades it, The Shadow Guild
vanishes to a new site.
i. Mordric picks up the wooden sword and snaps it in half. Cire
questions why someone would be foolish enough to fight a king with a
wooden sword but Mordric clarifies that his enemies have been trying to
find a formula or material that would allow them to kill him
indefinitely for years.
j. Before Cire can question him more, Mordric orders him to leave
him alone for the remainder of the evening.
XII. The Contest
a. Three years later, word spreads among the inner circles of
Mordric’s kingdom, within those not loyal to his rule that the leader
of the Shadow Guild has devised a contest to recruit new members to
share in the rebellion.
b. Val learns of this contest and having heard of the skills the
Shadow Guild uses in their various raids and the mastery they have for
various weapons, it proves a perfect opportunity for Val to become a
better fighter and eventually fulfill his quest to avenge the death of
his family.
c. Meanwhile Cire on his rounds patrolling the kingdom from
possible spies orders a man to stop on horseback. Drawing a crossbow,
Cire fires and the man topples hard to the ground.
d. Cire discovers this man was a messenger for the guild as he
recognizes the Shadow Guild insignia on his armband. Tucked away in the
man’s pants is a slip of paper curled up with a wax seal.
e. Cire breaks the seal and reads the paper, grinning broadly as he
tucks it into a satchel on his horse and returns to Mordric’s throne
room.
f. Cire informs Mordric that he has attained an invitation to a
contest being held by the mysterious leader of the Shadow Guild.
Mordric schemes to allow Cire to enter the contest and gain favor by
joining its ranks to uncover the leader of the Shadow Guild as a spy
and in due time, crush the rebellion from within since each time he has
invaded the grounds with soldiers, the guild relocates.
g. The following couple of days all the contenders make their way
to the hallowed location deep within the woods. Here the Headmaster of
the Shadow Guild also arrives, settled upon a safe dais overlooking the
battlefield, draped in black shrouds and glittering armor plates,
concealing their identity.
h. Several events take place to determine skill and dexterity
from shooting arrows to dueling with various weapons, crossing obstacle
courses until only four members remain.
XIII. The Headmaster is
Revealed
a. After a round by round elimination, all of the fighters are
eliminated from the contest except the two who want to win most, Val
and Cire.
b. Val and Cire are then forced to fight one another to determine
the final winner. Although it is a close battle, Val manages to defeat
Cire by disarming him of his sword and tossing it into the trees.
c. In return, Cire steals a local member of the Guild’s blade
which is forged of a special metal, ten times stronger then standard
steel. Cire swings the stolen weapon with such force; Jonathan’s sword
wielded by Val is broken in two pieces.
d. Devastated by the loss of his father’s weapon, Val tackles
Cire to the ground, knocking his weapon from him. The two struggled
back and forth grappling on the ground but it is Val who continues to
beat the hell out of Cire until the Headmaster signals for him to stop.
e. Cire wipes the blood from his lip and spits it in disgust on
the ground. Val then grabs Cire’s sword and forces him to surrender the
duel. Having no choice, Cire agrees to surrender while he struggles to
place where he has seen Val before, unsure exactly what significance
the man’s name is having forgotten the teenager who escaped on
horseback previously. While Cire tries to remember he already begins to
build a grudge against Val that would deepen over time.
f. The final test of those worthy to join the Shadow Guild was
revealed to be the one who could survive a duel with the leader
themselves.
g. Val grasps his sword tight as the leader descends the dais and
begins to disrobe. Much to everyone’s surprise not part of the Shadow
Guild, as the figure removes a protective headpiece, purple hair spills
across a woman’s shoulders.
h. Gen
Zeridian (Elisha
Kuthbert) , Headmistress of the Shadow Guild, bares intoxicating
beauty and the distinct trait to reduce her opponents to lovesick
puppies upon the gaze into her suggestive eyes. She easily overpowers
Val in the fight because of this trait and at that moment Cire also
feels desperately in love with the purple haired vixen.
i. Gen is not so easily seduced however. Her affections are
nothing but tools to manipulate her opponents in battle. Gen is a tough
warrior who for various reasons grew to hate Mordric’s rule because at
one point Mordric killed her family as well, she also wears a glove on
her left hand which holds a mysterious secret and never takes it off in
public. Her emotions are well guarded and she’s for the most part
untouchable by feelings of compassion or love. Her attitude is sensual,
yet commanding and restricted.
j. Gen demands Val to rise to his feet and takes his sword from
him telling him that weapons of such caliber did not yet belong to him,
he and Cire will be allowed to join her Shadow Guild but they also
needed to have much more training and before they deserved the right to
be given ranks.
k. Gen returns the sword Cire stole to its owner, then orders
Cire and Val to kneel at her feet.
l. Gen explains that The Shadow Guild is dedicated to
destroying Mordric’s iron grip on its people and Val finds the path he
has been looking for. By joining the Shadow Guild and learning to be a
better fighter he would find out more information about Mordric and
would eventually find his opportunity to take his revenge.
m. Val and Cire are then told to swear their allegiances and keep
the nature of the guild and its members a secret. Cire succeeds in
carrying out Mordric’s plan, a spy is now set within the Shadow Guild.
XIV. The Shadow Guild
a. Three years pass as various montages run of Val and Cire
expanding their training, learning how to tolerate pain, control fear,
and wield various weapons and handle manipulating their opponents as
well as exploiting the weaknesses in Mordric’s forces, chinks in the
armor and so on. Both Cire and Val also construct their own
personalized swords in a smelting cavern where they mine and utilize
the precious metal known as “Elemental Steel”
which is considerably stronger then standard metal and is exclusive to
the Shadow Guild alone and its members.
b. While these times occur, Cire manages to slip away and report
back to Mordric during the night, then return in the morning as if he
was sleeping the entire time. Mordric continues to tell Cire to monitor
the progress of the Shadow Guild as he waits for just the right moment
to strike. Mordric is not foolish enough to invade the guild straight
away because he knows if the location of the guild was revealed; it
would relocate and make it harder for Cire to deliver his reports.
c. Also with Cire feeding him information, Mordric is able to
know when and where the guild will strike. Gen herself remains inside
the sanctuary of the guild so that she can not be captured, knowing if
such were to occur the guild could collapse from within.
d. Over this period of three years, Val never forgets the beauty
of Gen and their duel during the contest. Inside he feels destined to
have her as something more then a leader. Gen herself also begins to
see these feelings emerge but stubbornly she tries to bury them deep
down as to not display weakness.
e. Meanwhile Gen spurn Cire’s advances.
f. One night Cire tries to take further advantage of Gen in a
secluded location and she slaps him, this only spurns Cire more as he
turns his attention back on his “contender” Val.
g. This rejection leads to a boiling point as Val is busy
training when Cire rushes towards him and forces Val into a volatile
battle. Driven by his hatred Cire seems to hold the advantage injuring
Val’s shoulder, but Val proves more resourceful and disciplined,
eventually defeating Cire again as before while Gen watches the
confrontation. This display of skill under spontaneous pressure and the
manner in which Val conducts himself begins to crack Gen’s emotional
shield she’s erected around herself and she admits he’s beginning to
impress her even further.
XV. The Assassin
a. Much like his “Master” King Mordric, Cire begins to develop
the same sour grapes as the love triangle between
Mordric/Jaiden/Kathryn. This leads Cire to decide if he cannot defeat
Val, then he needs to find someone who could eliminate him while
preserving Cire’s “innocent” and “loyal” image to the guild. An advance
on Gen and quarrels with Val did not qualify as treachery in the Shadow
Guild’s eyes.
b. Cire sneaks out at night and returns to Mordric’s kingdom,
undetected. Having returned to Mordric’s throne room after months of
absence, he is greeted with somewhat open arms as he gives his report.
Cire explains of the relationship between this “Valaryc Aslin”
character and that the leader of the guild’s name is Gen Zeridian.
c. Mordric recognizes Gen’s name as he had at one point executed
her father Xerlin Zeridian as a traitor to his dictatorship. Much like
Gen, her father had started the first rebellion known as the Obsidian
Order but it was quickly infected by distrust and treachery which
allowed Mordric to eventually crush the band of rebels and kill Xerlin.
It appeared now that history would repeat itself with the daughter
leading the guild this time.
d. Mordric is not yet aware that Valaryc Aslin is actually the
last relative he’s been searching for but the unique name “Valaryc”
piques his interest, ordering Cire to keep a closer eye on him.
e. Cire meets with his sister, a skilled assassin named Crymson Vachon.
Crymson is an athletic built woman with staggering speed and various
weapons training. She bares a tattoo of a cat’s eye on her right
shoulder and has black hair with a single, distinctive white streak.
Cire tempts his sister with providing her a chance to battle her rival,
Gen Zeridian in exchange for taking Val out of the picture.
f. Crymson, driven by the thrill of the hunt is intrigued by
Cire’s offer and relishes the task of taking down the guild’s “best”
duelist.
g. Years before, Crymson led a band of mercenaries and thieves.
Gen Zeridian challenged her for control of her minions and defeated her
in battle. Consumed with anger, Crymson left the group and disappeared.
h. After Crymson left, Gen having taken control of this sect
officially renamed it and The Shadow Guild was born.
i. Crymson mentions nothing of this to Cire who whines
endlessly about how important Val has become to Gen. Seizing this as an
opportunity to deal Gen the worst possible suffering, Crymson eagerly
accepts the assignment to kill Val.
XVI. Crymson Dawn
a. Cire quickly returns to the Shadow Guild, sneaking past guards
into his quarters as he awakes the next day knowing what will come.
Having erased any suspicions of his actions during the night before,
Cire waited eagerly for the day to progress as normal.
b. Gen remains training in her own quarters, unaware of the plot
as Val is off deep in the forest enjoying the landscape and exercising
to keep in peak physical condition. He is not highly muscular but
rather thinner and semi-muscular to take advantage of his agility and
speed over power and strength.
c. Val begins to sense something looming within the trees above
as an arrow suddenly whizzes by his head. Dodging the onslaught of
arrows, Val manages to reach shelter just before Crymson swoops down
from the sky with a brandished crossbow, reloading for another salvo of
projectiles. Val flips away and dodges the artillery until Crymson’s
crossbow jams just enough for Val to charge towards the assassin and
unleash his sword from its sheath.
d. Crymson uses a baton named “Widowmaker”
with two spiked stilettos on each end as her primary weapon but to
Val’s surprise she separates the baton into two menacing katana blades
that slide from their handles. Having never encountered this sort of
weapon before, Val is overwhelmed by Crymson’s blinding speed and
superior weapons skills.
e. The commotion of the battle and the attention it has drawn
sparks Gen’s attention as she picks up her personal sword "Huntress"
and leaves her quarters to investigate what is going on.
f. As Val fights for his life with his custom katana, Crymson
captures the blade in one of the sword breaker grooves of her sword and
with great force snaps Val’s blade in two, despite its construction of
Elemental Steel.
g. The shattering of his weapon causes flashbacks of Mordric
slaying Jonathan and his Father reminding him of his failure to be
strong enough to prevent people he loves from dying…to be that great
fighter he needed to be. Crymson successfully manages to break Val’s
spirit and he is unable to fight to his potential, eventually losing
ground to his vicious opponent feeling he cannot beat her.
XVII. Gen Zeridian vs. Crymson
a. By the time Gen makes it to where Val is, he’s sliced up
fairly bad and about to be killed by Crymson’s final blow. Crymson
finds her blade deflected as Gen unleashes her own powerful duelist
mastery, the likes and speed none have ever seen before.
b. Gen is utterly stunned to see Crymson, recognizing her right
away. Crymson is relentless driven by vengeance as she attacks Gen,
seeking to destroy the woman who took away her prized group from her.
c. Crymson and Gen battle back and forth in an endless barrage of
turns, parries, uppercuts, arcs, everything imaginable as swords clash
and grind against each other.
d. Several portions of the fight, both women lose their weapons
and resort to hand to hand tactics.
e. Gen tries to reason with Crymson but Crymson screams that this
fight would be to the death and that if Gen did not win, Crymson would
kill them both.
f. With no redemption left in Crymson’s heart, Gen battles
on until she finally manages to stab Crymson and send her toppling off
a waterfall cliff to her watery grave below and win the duel.
g. Val whom is barely alive from his injuries is then rescued by
Gen as she orders the remnants of his sword retrieved while she placed
him in her personal quarters. Upon this moment, at the risk of losing
Val forever…Gen admits that she loves him.
XVIII. Treachery and Lies
a. Six more months pass and Val and Gen’s love for one another
grows deeper. Gen reveals that the glove she wears covers her injury
that reminds her of her father Xerlin Zeridian’s
death. In an attempt to free him from the searing fire, her hand was
viciously burned revealing her own failure to save him and this
revealed that both Val and Gen seek a similar goal of being the best
fighters possible.
b. Val reveals to Gen that his last name is in fact Versai and
not Aslin and that Mordric had attempted to wipe out his entire
bloodline just as he tried to extinguish the Zeridians. Gen agrees to
keep Val’s true heritage a secret from the other guild members for the
time being.
c. Likewise, still haunted by the attack from Crymson and the
shattering of his weapon, Val swears that he is not good enough to
protect anyone with a sword and options to use a steel staff crafted
from Elemental Steel.
d. Although Val proves quite effective with his staff, it is
clear that his strength has always lied with his sword which was kept
on a mantle in Gen’s quarters.
e. This sets doubt into some of the lesser dedicated members of
the guild that Gen’s emotions are making her weaker. This eventually
forces Gen into a conflict to defend her right to remain leader of the
Shadow Guild against a man named Skorne.
f. Taking on those who question her abilities to handle her duty
or dedication to the Shadow Guild, several members attempt to fight her
for control of the group but Gen’s incredible fighting prowess, even
swearing off her advantage with her suggestive eyes overpowers all of
the would be contenders which once again seals her place as Headmaster
of the guild.
g. Even with their attempts defeated, those who question Gen’s
loyalty continue to harbor their suspicions in secret. Cire takes
notice of these individuals and starts to befriend their self imposed
ringleader Skorne,
feeding them lies and promises that if he were leader, things would be
different. Skorne is a tall, muscular man with a gash running down his
eye and has a specialty in using throwing daggers. In the past, Skorne
received the injury to his eye when the other members of the guild
didn’t rescue him from capture under Gen’s orders.
h. Ever since that occurrence when Skorne was eventually rescued
by those most loyal to him against Gen’s wishes. Skorne challenged Gen
for control of the group but lost to her in combat, forcing him to
remain under her rule.
i. Skorne has no respect for Mordric but he also has no respect
for Gen either, making him a loner type figure caught in the middle of
both wars.
j. Cire convinces Skorne and his minions that it is Val’s fault
the Shadow Guild is starting to weaken and that he suspects there is a
traitor in the midst, which explains how Mordric knows where and when
to strike. Cire tells Skorne if he can help him overthrow Gen, he would
give him the rewards and splendor he desired.
k. Cire slips out again when night falls to go speak to Mordric
but this time, Val sees Cire taking off on horseback, flanked by
Mordric’s soldiers. This now leads Val to suspect who the real traitor
is within the guild.
l. Cire is not aware that he has been detected by Val. Having
returned to Mordric’s castle, awaiting his meeting with King Mordric,
Cire slips into a deep sleep.
m. In his dream Cire revisits the life debt he owes Mordric in
flashback sequences but then as he advances to the Aslin family demise,
he finally realizes why Val’s face is familiar to him…at that moment
Cire wakes up from his sleep and knows that the Valaryc Aslin in the
Shadow Guild is in fact the same 15 year old boy that slipped through
his fingers years before.
n. Knowing Mordric would be delighted by this revelation, Cire
sought to use this to his advantage and drive Mordric’s wrath enough to
finally move against the Shadow Guild. Cire also plotted that by doing
so he could not only solidify to his minions that Val was a traitor but
possibly he could even cause Gen to turn against Val and run into his
arms.
XIX. Cire’s Deception
a. As part of the plan to frame Val as a traitor, Cire convinces
Mordric to allow him to conduct a mastermind plot to not only capture
Gen Zeridian and Val but in one swift stroke eradicate the Shadow Guild
and its members.
b. Mordric agrees to Cire’s plan, finding the notion of
discrediting Val’s reputation all the more appealing. Cire warns
Mordric that in order for the plan to work to its full completion, it
had to appear as if Cire was captured, then escaped. Mordric also gives
Cire, Fate a dagger he demands to have back after he kills Gen with it.
Mordric explains that this dagger has a long running bloodline of
bloodshed he wished to continue and that he wanted Gen added to its
list of victims.
c. Cire is then willingly beaten and whipped to preserve
appearances as he runs out the next day with Mordric’s forces seemingly
on his heels.
d. Cire charges into the Shadow Guild and warns that he was
captured by Mordric’s forces while on a mission. This again places more
credit to Cire’s innocence as the members who support him in the guild
prepare for battle.
e. Meanwhile, unknown of these events Gen and Val are off in the
forest discussing matters of great importance where Val informs Gen
that he saw Cire leaving with Mordric’s soldiers the night before.
f. As Val and Gen return to the Shadow Guild it is under siege.
Val and Gen race into battle and in the fight Val’s staff is lost and
Gen is eventually overpowered and dragged away unconscious. Cire
screams that it is Val’s fault that the great “Headmaster” was taken
away. Val in return points the finger at Cire to explain his
disappearance the night before. Having already planted the idea of
Val’s treachery in the minds of his fellow minions who listen to
Skorne. Because of the extent of injuries dealt to the Shadow Guild,
they view retrieving Gen as a suicide mission and Skorne elects Cire to
temporarily take her place…that Gen is beyond reach for the moment and
the order of power must be maintained.
g. Val disgusted with what Cire has done to the guild leaves the
room while Cire revels in his celebration. During the events, Val
reflects on the battle, feeling both anger and guilt wash over him as
he recalls all the circumstances he wasn’t strong enough to rescue
those closest to him from death.
h. Val focuses clearly on the last battle, realizing that his
strength truly does lie in his ability to wield a sword and not a staff.
i. Glancing to the shards of his sword, Val makes a choice to
forget the tragic battle with Crymson and “get back on the horse” as he
goes out into the smelting cave alone and spends the remainder of the
evening re-forging the shattered blade of his katana which he now
etched with the name “Redemption”
in Aiemarian script.
XX. The Rescue
a. Against interim Headmaster Cire’s orders, Val carries on a one
man hunt, single handedly fighting, clawing, slicing, and hacking his
way through the entrance to Mordric’s castle into the depths of the
dungeon itself. Unknown to him, his somewhat ease of entry is because
Mordric has taken special precautions to allow Val to reach Gen.
b. When Val reaches Gen she has been tortured and beaten by
Mordric’s interrogators and confronted by Mordric himself who tells her
of her father’s demise in grisly detail. Still at this point, there is
no real evidence that Cire is a traitor other then Val’s word to Gen.
c. Val frees Gen and battles his way with her through the gates
of Mordric’s domain and both flee back into the darkness of the woods.
d. Mordric watches from a window and smiles broadly, seeing the
pieces of his puzzle hatched by him and Cire slide into place. Mordric
knows that the next day all that he has desired for these years and all
the patience he has had over the collapse of the Shadow Guild was
finally about to pay off.
XXI. The Balance of
Power Shifts
a. When Val and Gen return to the Shadow Guild they expect to be
greeted with open arms but in the time that they have been away, Cire
has tainted 75% of the Shadow Guild members into buying his lies.
b. Furthermore, Cire spouts that Val and Gen are for the most
part in too good a shape to have fought their way out of Mordric’s
castle and the reason is that Val was purposely let go to lead
Mordric’s forces directly to the Shadow Guild’s doorstep. This evidence
is the perfect ploy Cire needs to discredit Val’s reputation.
c. Gen counters demanding Cire explain HIS whereabouts the night
Val said Cire had disappeared with Mordric’s soldiers. Instead, Cire
claims that Gen was being lied to by Val and set up and that Val was
still a traitor and therefore whatever Val has said cannot be trusted.
Gen knows that Val would never lie to her given their time together and
continues to protest. Cire then takes a vote to strip Gen entirely of
her role as Headmaster, claiming that her emotions have clouded her
judgment and she is no longer worthy enough to be unbiased to rule the
Shadow Guild against Mordric.
d. Since Cire has befriended Skorne who in turn has the loyalty
of most of the guild, the vote rules in favor of Cire and he becomes
officially the new Headmaster of the Shadow Guild. All of his plans
come together as his first order places Val in chains to be tried and
convicted as a traitor while Gen is confined to house arrest until the
truth is hashed out.
XXII. The Trial and the Traitor
Revealed
a. As Val is placed on trail the next day the proceedings are
interrupted as Mordric’s soldiers surround the Shadow Guild and invade.
As per his previous orders one soldier is given the task to seek out
Cire specifically and slightly wound him to keep up appearances of his
innocence.
b. During the ensuing chaos, Gen manages to free one of Val’s
hands from his chains while she and the other members of the Shadow
Guild fight for their lives.
c. Cire is then attacked by the specific soldier as Gen, knowing
that regardless of her suspicions must defend her members of the guild
and its leader rushes to Cire’s defense then turns her back to release
the second of Val’s chains. However Val watches out of the corner of
his eye as another set of archers’ aims to fire at Gen with their
deadly arrows.
d. Cire appears as if he’s about to aid Gen from the onslaught
knocking out and grabbing a soldier’s crossbow as he takes aim at the
opposing archers but with a broad grin and a sadistic smile, he pulls
the trigger and sends an arrow through through Gen’s back.
e. With his arms free but his legs still bound, Val clutches Gen
next to him, snapping off and removing the arrow just as Cire rips her
away from his grasp.
f. Cire stares into Gen’s half closed eyes and offers her
redemption in exchange for taking his hand in marriage. Gen responds by
grabbing a dagger from her boot and slashes Cire’s left cheek in
defiance.
XXIII. Tragedy – The Fall
of Gen Zeridian
a. Cire kicks Gen’s dagger away then orders the guards to remove
Val from the chains and restrain him. He watches Cire withdraw a dagger
(Fate) and ruthlessly, bound by his arms by the soldiers sees Cire stab
Gen through the chest with it as he sadistically kisses her lips,
sucking away her last dying breath before dropping her lifeless body to
the floor.
b. Screaming in utter anguish, Val overpowers his captors and
rushes to Gen’s body, fighting valiantly to stay near it but is struck
in the head, losing his consciousness. Cire orders Gen’s corpse wrapped
up and taken back to Mordric’s castle. The other members of the Shadow
Guild finally know who the real traitor is far too late as Cire orders
Mordric’s men to capture and bound the members. With Fate in his hand,
Cire licks the blade and declares the Shadow Guild finished.
c. Val is dragged to Cire’s feet held captive by three of Cire’s
guards, in a dizzy state from the blow to his head, watching what is
going on through a hazy gaze.
d. Cire then points his crossbow towards Skorne and demands he
make a choice.
e. Skorne having realized he’s been tricked by Cire the entire
time decides to rebel against Cire. With a moment of redemption, Skorne
tosses his throwing knives and takes out the three guards restraining
Val then takes a swing at Cire and connects sending him spiraling
across the room. While Cire is down Skorne tries to bring Val back to
his senses shouting for him to flee so that he may survive and avenge
his mistakes.
f. Before Val can protest, Skorne is suddenly struck down by
Cire’s sword, Blackfire as Val takes one look at Gen’s wrapped up body,
then dashes off into the darkness of the forest.
g. Cire then orders his men to pursue Val and hunt him down with
their swifter horses and their crossbows, neglecting Mordric’s wishes
to return with him alive.
XXIV. Cire’s
Discovery
a. Hours later the soldiers return with a Val’s bloodstained
shirt, claiming that Val was shot down by several arrows and was swept
downstream by the currents of a river. Cire pays the men to keep this
information to themselves and to consider Val declared officially dead.
b. As Cire leads the captured members of the Shadow Guild in
Mordric’s kingdom he does not have Val among his captives. Mordric is
then delighted to see Cire enter his throne room as Cire presents the
cleaned up corpse of Gen Zeridian at Mordric’s feet.
c. Cire then lies to Mordric and claims that Val perished in the
invasion on the Shadow Guild and presents his bloody clothing as proof.
Although Mordric is delighted to have Gen’s body, part of him is
angered that he was not granted the opportunity to end Val’s life
himself but he decides that a dead Versai is still a dead Versai.
Mordric believes that with the fall of the Shadow Guild and the Versai
all dead, he is now the single most powerful man on the planet of
Aiemara.
d. As the members of the Shadow Guild betrayed by Cire are
executed in a grand ceremony held in his kingdom, Mordric officially
declares himself more then a King; he demands to be known as Sovereign
Mordric.
e. Meanwhile as Mordric is flaunting “his” accomplishment,
completely disregarding Cire’s hand in the plot claiming to be his own,
Cire sifts through things in Mordric’s quarters and comes across a
journal written by Mordric before he became King.
f. In this journal, Cire learns that Mordric shared similar
circumstances of servitude to another warlord named Ras Krueger.
Krueger was a ruler of his own kingdom and Mordric was his second in
command.
g. As Cire read on he learned of how Mordric hated Ras and sought
for ways to one day overpower and claim the kingdom. Akin to Cire’s
currently feeling over unwillingly even to this day having to serve
Mordric it made sense to Cire why Mordric chose to treat him in such a
manner. This only intrigued Cire more as he read on. This then brings
about in Mordric’s own words the discovery of the Dark Library and
there was a picture drawn of the artifact we, up to this point have not
been directly privileged to view.
h. Cire realizes the secret to Mordric’s immortality lies in an
amulet that is constantly present around Mordric’s neck. Cire knows
however that you cannot fight a god without the proper time…choosing to
keep his discovery a secret, Cire rips out a crude map Mordric drew to
the secretive location of the archaic Dark Library and walks out, hell
bent on carrying out a task of greater importance.
XXV. Exile – Val’s Survival
a. Meanwhile along a calmer stream, Val’s broken body washes up
on the shore
XXVI. Liberation and the
Quest for Truth
a. When Val awakes he is laying down in a moving cot of sorts
where he notices that a band of men on horseback have retrieved him.
Questioning their loyalty Val’s first impulse is to fight but with his
extreme exhaustion and his grief over the loss of Gen, Val truly feels
like he has no reason to continue on. The life he knew and the people
he cherished were gone, as was the Shadow Guild.
b. Much to Val’s surprise it is revealed that one ally did
survive Mordric’s encounter and that man is Val’s closest friend, Lance
Jade.
c. Together with his wife Sara Jade, Lance and Sara help nurse
Val back to health where he spends his time recovering and learning how
to function again inside a secluded campsite where Mordric cannot find
him, nor can Cire.
d. After several months of recovery and learning that if Lance
was alive all might not be lost, Lance gives Val a valuable relic from
his past, recovered from the remnants of the Aslin Cottage, the Versai
Locket.
e. Val can see his face reflect in the stunning, brilliant red
gemmed surface. This locket was created by his father and was
officially dubbed “The Versai
Locket” years previous. Val begins to understand the pieces of
the puzzle as he turns over the locket and reads an inscription on the
back written by Jaiden Versai which read, “Before victory there is
humility, before duty comes family.”
f. There is an archaic crest etched into the golden surface of
the locket which reveals the insignia of the Versai family. Val closed
his eyes and tried to think back… he remembered very faintly his father
wore the same artifact.
g. Val asks Lance what became of Jaiden’s kingdom. Lance is
unable to answer and this sends Val on his search for answers from a
scrap of paper with the locket that contained a detailed map to the
Versai Kingdom…he knew where the castle should be and any more answers
he needed surely would be found there. Val says farewell to Lance and
Sarah and begins his search for answers.
XXVII. The Fate of Gen and
Cire’s Journey
a. Sovereign Mordric stands within a secluded alcove in the
bowels of his mighty castle staring into Gen Zeridian’s eyes. Gen is
revealed still very much deceased but floating in a cylindrical tube of
ice blue preservation liquid that allows her body not to decay, giving
the appearance of slumber floating as Mordric’s malicious trophy barely
clothed.
b. Every day Mordric ventures into this area to flaunt his power
to those who oppose him, continuing to boast that he has the authority
to decide who is allowed to rest and who is allowed to die. The lack of
a proper burial meant that Gen was not let allowed to rest in peace.
She even dead was a pawn for his power.
c. Meanwhile Cire T’Negun is not within the castle. Having grown
incredibly sick of Mordric’s egotism and his constant discrediting of
his potential even as far as to deny Cire any credibility in the
decline of the Shadow Guild, the trusted second in command has arrived
at the entrance to the decrepit and neglected Dark Library.
d. Cire cautiously enters the Dark Library seeking anything he
can to use against Mordric to break the hold upon him. Cire knows that
the key to Mordric’s power lies in the amulet around his neck but he is
smarter then he’s given credit for. Cire knows that deep inside,
Mordric’s relic is but a fraction of power given to the wielders of The
Dark long ago.
e. Like Mordric before him, Cire cannot translate any of the text
or understand the relics inside the dusty domain. However, Cire is able
to decipher a series of pictures on the wall for a picture was worth a
thousand words. Cire begins to wander down a corridor where he finds a
stairway leading down. Grabbing a torch off a wall he ignites it and
disappears into the mouth of the staircase.
XXVIII. The Truth Revealed
a. Val makes his way towards the Versai Kingdom, ducking
Mordric’s soldiers or anything else that might make anyone wise to his
survival. During his journey through many nights of solitude he
reflects on things Jonathan told him as a child and happy memories of
his parents and lastly his time with Gen knowing that each memory gave
him strength to go on.
XXIX. The Fallen’s Offer
a. Returning to the cave like, foreboding interior of depths of
the Dark Library, Cire begins to hear voices…although he searches
everywhere around him he can’t seem to locate their source. Through
listening to the voices he is able to maneuver through a labyrinth of
tunnels until he enters an illuminated chamber, lit by a pool of
boiling hot lava.
b. Inside this chamber there are carvings and man made columns,
various pictures along the wall and several carved statues, cracked and
crumbling from their old ages. Along the ground, Cire notices that his
boots snap the bones of others who have ventured here before him.
Repulsed by the remains, Cire thinks to flee from this cursed location
but the voices continue to counsel him to stay.
c. The voices finally identify themselves as Cire demands to know
what they want from him. Cire becomes intrigued to learn that the
voices belong to The Fallen.
d. No longer able to directly interfere with the lives of the
living on a physical sense, The Fallen bargain with Cire. They fill his
mind with flashbacks of Mordric’s constant mistreatment and the
rejection “slap” from Gen. Images of Val kissing Gen’s lips, every vile
thought they can find to anger Cire more and more. Finally driven with
enough hate, they tell Cire that if he submits to their wishes, they
will give him unlimited power to possess all he craved.
e. Given a most intriguing proposition, Cire is skeptical and
rejects the offer at first boasting that he knows Mordric’s weakness
and can defeat him on his own. The Fallen tell Cire of another man who
thought along similar circumstances and failed. The Fallen educate Cire
by telling him the story of “D”, the second Master of the Dark who at
one point enslaved the entire realm of Aiemara.
f. Having this revelation, The Fallen ask Cire what good is one
kingdom when he could conquer the world and have any woman he pleased.
They flashed false images of him in the future standing over the corpse
of his enemies with thousands chanting his name as he stands proud
Sovereign Cire of the land.
g. Finally with their manipulative ways, Cire accepts their
demands that he now serve them. The Fallen warn Cire that they cannot
directly impose power upon a contender and that to harness the power of
The Dark, one must prove their worth. To wield such immense evil must
be wielded by someone of dark and wicked desire…no compassion, no
remorse.
h. Cire already lusting for this great power ignores the warnings
and eagerly listens to what The Fallen demand him to do. Cire believes
its some measure of pain or some sort of oath…but he soon learns it is
much more costly.
XXX. Whispered Secrets of a
Shattered Age
a. Val arrives at the shattered gates of Castle Versai. Here he
can see that the once beautiful and stunning walls of the prestigious
Versai Kingdom have been reduced to rubble, a mere shadow of its proud
past times.
b. Val wanders through the damaged courtyard and passes the spot
where Jaiden and Kathryn’s bodies were burned. He can look up and see
the very same window where his mother fell to her death with the shards
of multicolored glass still in tact. There are no guards, no voices; no
one lives in this abandoned place.
c. Wandering through the halls of the castle where sunlight
filters in through a swirl of dusty furniture and splintered wood,
beyond faded red fabrics and blood stained banners, Val finally reaches
the throne room where his mother and father once ruled proudly.
d. Here we venture along with Val as he passes iconic places
where Jaiden and Mordric dueled, the spot where Vachon fell and step by
step to the very throne itself. Here is where Val’s memories again
spark an image.
e. Tracing his fingers around the splinted, rotted wood of a
small throne, Val recognizes this tiny device as his comfort space.
Here is where Val was seated while Jaiden ordered the festivities to
begin. At the tender age of five Val was able to retain limited
memories, he could even recall as he looked over the damaged interior,
the colors that adorned the throne room and the banners that hung from
the ceiling.
f. Here with a bloodstained banner baring the Versai Crest
clutched in his hand, Val sat on what was left of his father’s throne,
letting his memories paint the events he witnessed as a child…then
remembered the torch on the wall and how Jonathan used it to reveal a
secret passage for his escape.
g. Val touched upon a torch mount in the wall. This then slide
back a secret stairway that spiraled downward. Instead of heading
towards the left passage that led to the stables, Val ventured to the
right.
h. As Val disappeared into the curved darkness he entered a small
room. This is no ordinary room for it possessed gadgets and relics the
likes Val had vaguely seen before. There were celestial maps and
various diagrams, hourglasses and symbols he recognized from his
teachings with Jonathan and here Val notices a book sitting upon the
table.
i. The cover of the book shows a strange symbol of a circle with
a line running down the center of it, the insignia of a Sage but as he
reads the first passage of hand written script, he realizes this
journal belonged to Jonathan Aslin. As he thumbed through the pages he
read on about the history of D and Eve’s classic confrontation and how
Aiemara was saved from total annihilation. Jonathan wrote about his
discovery that he could no longer age, surmising this ability was
granted to him so that history would survive.
j. The more Val read, the more clearer he started to believe that
the stories Jonathan had told him about The Light and The Dark were no
longer fairy tales and that perhaps what Val had dismissed as folklore
at the time was actually true. Val was further intrigued when he found
a hand drawn map leading to the Light Library. Flipping the page, Val
then saw for the first time the most gorgeous looking sword ever
created, beams of light were drawn from its ancient blade which
appeared to be forged of pure light. Under the sword was the name “Destiny”.
k. Val knew now where his fate was leading him…destiny was
calling. Val gathered the book in his arms and began to pace out of the
castle, knowing that his journey was now leading him in yet another
direction to solve the questions that began to filter through his mind.
He knew Jonathan was a Sage who served his father, Val knew he was a
Versai but he also knew Mordric was far too powerful to confront just
yet but with Destiny under his control, he might stand a chance against
Mordric’s power.
l. The pieces all were beginning to fit into place but what Val
wanted to know now is what about The Light? What was in this Light
Library? Armed with a map, Val set off as he left his family’s aging
kingdom behind. Upon the deaths of his parents and Jonathan, Val swore
that one day the Versai Kingdom would rise again…the Versai bloodline
would continue.
XXXI. Cire’s Vengeance
a. As Val departs in search of the Light Library, Cire meanwhile
stares into the pool of molten metal, skeptical again of what The
Fallen ask of him. Cire screams about the sheer insanity of the task,
but The Fallen continued to urge him to take his own “leap of faith”
and learn to trust.
b. Even in the deepest evil there is a time to doubt and a time
to trust. Reluctantly, Cire listens and approaches the vat of lava. The
Fallen warn Cire that if he for one moment breaks his faith and his
desire his fate will be those of the ones he stepped on, the remains of
the unworthy piled at his feet.
c. Cire draws in a deep breath then nods. Valiantly approaching
the bubbling lava he stretches out his hand towards the heat as he sees
the opacity of the white hot ooze begin to become more translucent.
d. The Fallen taunt Cire now, sensing his excitement and his
greed. They ask Cire if he recognizes the object coming slowly into
view. Cire knew what the sword represented but he did not know its
name.
e. The Fallen continue to coax Cire to stretch his hand into the
lava and if he wanted his vengeance he would have to take it of his own
free will, what he Cire knows that if he puts his hand in the lava it
will surely burn off, but just as that thoughts plagues him, his anger
burns even hotter and with that his lust fuels his courage.
f. Cire suddenly plunges his hand into the boiling lava as the
flesh is consumed, stripped away to the very bone of his skeletal
structure, but Cire continues to press on defying the confines of
science. Wrapping his skeletal hand around the hilt of the sword, Cire
jerks upward and tears the weapon from its liquefied coffin of white
hot orange fury.
g. Cire stares in horror as he sees his hand completely reduces
to burning bones and somehow still in tact his exposed ligaments.
Everything inside Cire’s head tells him to let go of the sword and get
away as pain grips him like a vice, causing his fingers to clench even
more around the hilt of the weapon.
h. Cire remains stubborn and does not let go. Buried within the
logic of his bare bones wrapped around the hilt, his hand should have
been completely melted away and yet it was still functioning…this told
Cire that the rules of science and nature did not apply in this cursed
domain and THIS is why the other contenders died at his feet because
they SUCCUMED to the rules of logic.
i. With sword in hand, The Fallen told their chosen warrior the
name of the weapon he had just awoken. The sword’s name was Vengeance
and years ago, the unstoppable being known as “D” brandished this
weapon and with it he conquered all who opposed him.
j. Cire was delighted with this honor but all was not complete.
Suddenly from the handle of Vengeance barbs of thorns ensnared his
skeletal hand and wrapped around his arm spreading over him like an
organic trap. The thorns lashed and tore at Cire’s flesh until his
clothing was reduced to rags leaving him nude and bloody. Fire arose
around Cire with flames of red vehemence as his flesh was burned to a
crisp.
k. A cocoon of solid burned flesh and charred molten rock
consumed Cire within its fiery shell as his body was torn apart on a
molecular level then reconstructed, just as D’s body was reformed
hundreds of years before.
XXXII. Destiny Awaits
a. Meanwhile as Cire is consumed and reconstructed by the powers
of Vengeance, Val has already reached the entrance to the Light
Library. Trapped outside of the protected threshold, Val notices that a
marking on the door matches a birthmark on his left wrist, the symbol
of The Ancients. Was this destiny or was this coincidence? Rubbing the
mark, the door slowly as if it can recognize his birthmark slides
forward and grants him access.
b. Inside the dimly lit interior, similar to the Dark Library but
presented in a more kept up and cheerful array of whites, tans, and
golden highlights Val sees piles of books on various shelves, murals
upon the walls, and chests overflowing with strange objects and various
relics preserved from the passage of time.
c. Although this area is dim and light is scarce, streaming in
from large cracks in the walls and some holes within the ceiling, Val
continues to roam inside the inventory of items.
d. A glimmer of light, rather a sparkle of radiance catches his
eye in the very back of the room where the light begins to grow dimmer
and objects become lost in shadow. Cobwebs litter the landscape of more
volumes of books and strange suits of armor and shields.
e. As Val closes in on the source of the twinkle he can just
barely manage to make out the metallic sheen of some sort of archaic
weapon.
f. Val sweeps his hand across a patch of cobwebs and suddenly
feels a flash of extreme pain sweep over his inner palm. Snapping his
hand back he can see a large laceration there as blood begins to pool
downward.
g. At that moment, Val realizes that in the corner of the room
with the cobwebs the source of the injury was due to Val slicing his
hand across a dulled out, dirty blade of a sword.
h. As Val recognizes the significance of the weapon, knowing it
is Destiny
but rather neglected suddenly the slice in his palm begins to glow as
beams of white light suddenly shoot outward, then they are joined by
more and more points of Val’s body from his arms to his legs, up
through his chest until his entire body becomes transformed into a
spectrum of solid white light. The brilliance is blinding and the last
thing Val can consciously remember is seeing this light, seeing
Destiny, and hitting the floor as his vision floods to black.
XXXIII. Resurgence of The Dark
a. While Val is unconscious we return to the darker, ominous
realm of lava lit caverns where the crusted over mesh of molten rock
and seared flesh begins to vibrate. Little by little it moves until a
hand suddenly burst through the shell, then pries apart the obsidian
cocoon. Stepping from the depths of the shell, Cire emerges more
muscular and refined then when he arrived. He looks entirely the same
in terms of his facial features but he can physically feel a change has
occurred within his body.
b. Looking to his hands, Cire can see he no longer has any
injuries what so ever and upon a thought he channels forth a red
swirling flame in the center of his palm. Perplexed for a moment of why
this occurs…Cire remembers as he looks to Vengeance, prominently
embedded in the floor, blade first where he dropped it. Shortly
thereafter, The Fallen speak to Cire and inform him that he now has
been granted with the gift to wield the powers of The Dark. Vengeance
had approved of Cire’s desire but as Cire moved his hand towards the
hilt of Vengeance he suddenly saw thorns surround the handle.
c. The Fallen inform Cire that he possesses the powers of The
Dark but he does not yet understand how to wield it. As such, Vengeance
can only be handled by a Master of the Dark. Cire would have to
sacrifice blood, sweat, and the lives of the innocent and remain within
the Dark Library until such a time he would be able to appease the
requirements to wield Vengeance.
d. Cire mentions how The Fallen aided “D” and that D did not have
to prove his worth to wield Vengeance, but The Fallen quickly counter
Cire and tell him that D had trained for 500 years and waited another
200 before Vengeance allowed D to wield it. Cire was no exception and
that The Fallen no longer had the power to interfere in the lives of
the living on a physical level. This was the price they paid for trying
to destroy Aiemara to solve the question of which side was the stronger
half.
e. Reluctantly, Cire remembered the anger he felt towards Mordric
and that to him, however long it took would be worth it to see
Mordric’s kingdom topple and Cire would finally earn the respect and
power he rightfully deserved.
f. Thus Cire’s training began as he walked back up to the first
level of the Dark Library and found now, he could understand the text
and translate the artifact’s place in history…the hunger for knowledge
grew and Cire let nothing enter his thoughts to disturb his
concentration as the secrets of The Dark were slowly, revealed to him.
Cire also discovered that once his body was reconstructed with the
powers of The Dark, he could no longer age beyond that which he desired.
XXXIV. The Ancients Emerge
a. Akin to Cire, Val also awakens and discovers his miraculous
transformation. Val realizes that something about him is different,
that he can feel this sensation of control…where the rules of logic can
be broken.
b. Val recognized Destiny and held the great weapon in his hand,
practicing his swordsmanship but when he went to strike into a column,
Destiny suddenly vibrated with rejection as if its blade was dull and
useless. Each strike into the stone only caused Destiny to clang
lifelessly into the surface of the target. What kind of great and
majestic sword was this? This wasn’t any better then slamming into
stone with a lead pipe!
c. Val surmised that Destiny must have been entirely overrated
and maybe the words he found in Jonathan’s book were just over
glorified tales of distorted truths. Maybe there was no real “Destiny”
that the book claimed was sharper then the strongest steel and could
slice through the strongest stone…perhaps all of this was for nothing
at all.
d. Val gathers Destiny and ventures back up to the first floor of
the Light Library. Here he also discovers he can now read and translate
the books inside this wealth of preserved history. Settling Destiny on
the table. He had to make a choice now…he could just dismiss everything
that had occurred as a lie and return back to his quest to hunt down
Mordric, even though Val had no idea what Mordric even looked like…or
wait for some sort of sign. If this was destiny and Val was destined to
find this location, then he knew there had to be something that would
prevent him from leaving.
e. As Val walked towards the exit, that sign arrived in the
celestial form of a glittering blue and white apparition. From the
style of clothing and the hair flowing along his shoulders, relief and
panic spread through Val’s body both at once. Standing before him,
having been killed over at least 25 years ago was none other then the
spiritual form of Jonathan Aslin.
XXXV. Mordric’s Concerns
a. Several months begin to pass and Mordric becomes concerned
over the disappearance of Cire. Mordric having crushed the Shadow Guild
continues to squash other forms of resistance until his kingdom is
further expanded in Cire’s absence.
b. Mordric then sends several detachments of soldiers and pays
his spies to track down Cire but for years there is no trace of him.
After 100 years, Mordric knows that all of those around him are doomed
to die of old age. He suspects that Cire has broken his oath and fled.
With this notion of Cire betraying him, Mordric grows angered and
bitter, dismissing Cire as nothing more then a traitor to the crown.
Mordric accepts Cire is dead.
c. Without Cire, Mordric continues to conquer the realm of
Aiemara, crushing kingdoms and stealing lives, maliciously massacring
families and slaughtering hundreds until he has conquered 75% of the
planet.
XXXVI. Time, Trials, and
Tribulations
a. After 100 years of training, reading, practice, and studying
Aiemara’s past and the histories of The Light and The Dark both Val and
Cire are sent out by their “mentors” upon a mission to prove their
growth. Val also learned that once his body was reformed with The Light
he would no longer age beyond his wishes.
b. For Val he has learned from Jonathan that he was in fact the
last Sage to survive the hunt by D and Mordric’s forces. Jonathan
witnessed the Spectral War
first hand, watching Eve sacrifice herself so that Aiemara would live.
Jonathan after roaming the planet for hundreds of years befriended
Jaiden Versai and soon after becoming his advisor was taught how to
fight to preserve his life.
c. This explained the connections between the Versai and the
Aslin family. Val also learned from Jonathan how to begin to understand
and conjure the powers of The Light. Chosen by The Ancients,
unlike The Fallen Jonathan was granted the ability to counsel but not
interfere in the training of Val because Jonathan represented a persona
Val could best relate to. For this reason as well Jonathan was not
several voices like The Fallen were but a single guidance.
d. Through Jonathan, Val also learned that in order to insure
Destiny was not re-activated; a round gem was removed from the hilt of
the mighty weapon. Once removed, Destiny was rendered for the most part
dormant and began to age over time. This explained Destiny’s less then
impressive display. Once this type of gem was replaced into the hilt of
Destiny, it would prove Val deserved to become a true Master of The
Light and wield its full potential.
e. Jonathan warned Val sternly that if he were to fail this task
to retrieve the gem, he would forever be lost in the void. Val inquired
of the nature of the task and this is finally where the anomalies of
Aiemara created after the fall out of the Spectral War would come into
play.
f. Val was told of the lake that possessed hundreds of these
colored gems called Lost Venture
Pass.
Once he crossed the threshold of safety he had to maneuver through the
treacherous and yet inviting forest landscape completely on faith and
instinct. If Val for even a moment opened his eyes beyond the threshold
and caught glance of any of the hundreds of gems scattering the
landscape…he would become trapped there for all eternity and his
training would be all in vain.
g. Jonathan knew Val needed more time before he could actually
attempt this daring task. For this reason, Jonathan and Val rehearsed
this scenario within the lower regions of the Light Library among
glittering gems and troves of golden treasures. Jonathan posed as the
“judge” and scolded Val any time he broke concentration which would in
the real scenario bring about his eternal imprisonment.
h. Another 50 years would pass before Val had grown
intellectually strong and faithful enough to attempt the real quest.
With everything on the line, including the question of which side was
the stronger half perhaps finally getting answered if Val failed,
unknown to him…Cire and The Dark would triumph.
XXXVII. Theft of the Innocent
a. Likewise, Cire also had to face a task of great importance to
gain the favor of Vengeance and The Fallen. His quest was not as noble
or character building however for it was a trail to purge him of every
last ounce of compassion he had left inside his subconscious mind. Cire
had killed for Mordric upon his orders but he had never willingly taken
a life, especially an innocent life.
b. In order for Cire to attain the wicked potential of his
predecessor D, Cire had to steal the lives of the innocent on a grand
scale. Kill without mercy, without compassion…like a venomous snake
there would be only one motivation in his assigned onslaught…power.
c. The Fallen ordered Cire to leave the Dark Library for one
week. During this time, Cire was forbidden from returning to the Dark
Library and forced to use everything in his arsenal to take the lives
of as many people as he could find. It didn’t matter if it was women,
men, or children.
d. The Fallen had called this the “Dark
Christening”. Baptized in the blood of the innocent and
surrounded in the screams of the terrified, it was Cire’s rite of
passage into the world of true villainy by willingly taking the lives
of the innocent which was the point one became pure evil enough to
unleash the devastating mastery of The Dark, a corruption of The Light
and the eclipse of the good in the wielder’s soul forever surrounded in
darkness.
e. Cire was dressed up to resemble a Wraith of black, tattered
robes. With a criss bladed sword of obsidian metal found in the depths
of the Dark Library and an amulet that would literally capture the
souls of those he killed…Cire roamed for this week killing everything
and everyone in his path.
f. The goal was not just death however…it was to test Cire’s Dark
abilities. To kill hundreds by a sword was barbaric and military like.
Cire also used the menacing hatred of The Dark to ensnare the innocents
into tangled webs of flesh piercing thorns or incinerated them in
crimson fire. Some were hurled across great distances, slamming into
rocks with such impact their bodies were shattered like glass. Others
were manipulated into turning on their families by Cire’s suggestive
and sometimes seductive abilities. Wives turned on their husbands,
children turned on their parents…all in the name of Cire’s whims.
g. This dreadful day brought about a slaughter that exceeded that
of Mordric’s invasion of the Versai Kingdom. By weeks end, covered in
blood and torn rags from those who resisted his might, Cire had taken
666 innocent lives.
h. With their souls trapped inside a mystical amulet around his
neck, Cire returned to the Dark Library and presented the mystical
energies to Vengeance. This fiery blue lit aura swirled around the
obsidian blade and in that moment…Vengeance finally awoke and
surrendered its control over to its newfound master. Bathed in the
blood of hundreds, Cire was now worthy to wield its evil potential but
he was still not the Master of
The Dark.
XXXVIII. The Trials of Light
a. While Cire at last captured the acceptance of Vengeance, Val
and Jonathan were ready to attempt the only chance they had of
contending with the evil that would very soon become unleashed upon the
world.
b. Here in this beautiful and glittering lakeside, Val knew the
splendor was just an illusion. Secluded and glorious, Lost Venture Pass
sparkled with hundreds of jewels as well as other spheres of dazzling
brilliance embedded in rock or even trees. Each gem represented the
soul of one who failed to pass the test of faith.
c. Upon the first attempt, Val crossed the threshold and
immediately crossed back over…doubt tried to enter his thoughts but
Jonathan assured him to remember his training inside the Light Library.
With his body infused on a molecular level with The Light itself, Val
discovered the ability to see without seeing. It was incredibly taxing
to do so but once he gazed into a location it painted a mental map that
he could hang on to and by the sensations transmitted through his body
and the reverberation of his movements he could continue to see this
purely mental map inside his mind.
d. If his concentration was broken however, the mental image
became distorted and eventually vanished. In order for Val to complete
this task he had to prove he had the faith and concentration to remain
focused under the most extreme pressure, to trust in instinct and not
fear.
e. Val drew in a deep breath and glanced towards the details of
the lake scenery. He looked for the ruby red gems dotted amongst every
color in the spectrum. No other color would work except red…the purest
and rarest of the gems presented.
f. Carefully Val closed his eyes, and then to add further
protection he wrapped a blindfold around them. His mind was clear and
before the darkness purged his vision he memorized the scene. His Light
abilities then became to fill his subconscious mind, painting a map of
streamlined purple lines and beams of radiance. As he stepped forward
across the threshold, the map reverberated with every vibration.
Further and further Val ventured into the depths of danger. Jonathan
could not follow nor interfere in Val’s task.
g. Weaving past purely mental pictured obstacles and stepping
over trees and shrubbery, in Val’s mental purple monochromatic map the
gems were represented by spheres with the red one the only secondary
color allowed which shone like a beacon to him, keeping his focus.
h. Upon one point Val trips then spirals completely out of
control. The temptation to open his eyes is great as he spins down a
grassy knoll and topples to a thunderous halt, hopelessly off target
from his objective.
i. His human instincts tell him to take off the blindfold and
re-assess his location, but his logics tell him if he takes off the
blindfold he will open his eyes and all his efforts will come to an
eternal conclusion of incarceration.
j. Val calls out to Jonathan for guidance, but Jonathan’s voice
does not reach Val’s ears. Slowly Val starts to recall various sections
of the lakeside he could see from the safety zone. Through these
scattered images he wandered up the grassy hill and felt around him for
trees and clues…to his relief the red beacon of his objective then came
back into view. Relief spread through Val’s body as he returned his
focus again, maintaining the map inside his mind.
k. After considerable effort and feeling a very taxing drain on
his body, Val retrieves the red spherical gem and barely manages to
collapse across the threshold of safety.
l. The maintained concentration of channeling the powers of The
Light to guide his vision taxes Val’s strength heavily and for a few
minutes he slips into a deep sleep.
m. Symbolically as Val lay passed out on the forest ground, the
red gem rolls away from him and slides gently into a tree root, then
settles.
XXXIX. Reunion – The First
Battle
a. While Cire practices his Dark mastery, swirling the awakened
Vengeance, the blade now black with swirling blue fire in his hand
suddenly he can hear The Fallen screaming in anger.
b. Alarmed by the disruption, Cire calls out to the voices
demanding to know the cause of their frustration. The Fallen warn Cire
that another has awakened the powers of The Light and that Cire must
kill this new champion before his power grows greater. Cire is not yet
aware that this person they speak of is Val.
c. The Fallen immediately demand Cire to use his powers of speed
and kill this individual before he can complete his task to awaken
Destiny. They tell Cire that if he is fast enough he will be able to
remain the strongest man on the planet but as long as this person
attempting to reawaken Destiny is allowed to do so…Cire will no longer
be the only one with powers beyond those of mortal men.
d. In a flash, with Vengeance in hand Cire runs in a blur across
a tattered, twisted forest landscape into a clearing with blinding
precision, past everything in his path leaving a rising trail of
crimson fire behind him.
e. Meanwhile Val slowly regains consciousness as his eyes focus
into his reflection upon the red sphere. Fearing he has just failed his
test, noticing that at some point his blindfold was missing Val thought
everyone was over but to his surprise he was still alive…he had
accomplished the impossible!
f. Looking over his shoulder Val noticed he was now safely across
the threshold where he could stare into the surface of the gems that
littered the lakeside. Val also felt something else wash over him as he
picked up the gem and listened to the sound of the trees, tucking his
treasure away in safety.
g. Jonathan still a specter also detected this growing swell of
danger. Suddenly Jonathan realizes the presence fast approaching.
Warning Val to move quickly, he urges him to flee the scene as swiftly
as possible.
h. No sooner does Val regain his full consciousness then does
Cire arrive with blinding speed in the same location. For the first
time since his banishment, Cire and Val gaze to each other face to face.
i. Cire is surprised to learn that the champion of The Ancients
happened to be the same Valaryc Versai that had remained a thorn inside
his side for far too long. Cire brags to Val that he should have been
dead by now and continues to remind Val of his failures and the loss of
Gen. This is a tactic to weaken Val’s control to handle The Light and
invoke emotions to drive Val into impulsively attacking him, which
would allow Cire a swift kill. Val however is not as easily provoked
after his training with Jonathan as he was in the past.
j. Jonathan notices that Cire is now wielding Vengeance and just
as quickly he shouts to Val to run away and complete his mission to
revive Destiny. Jonathan knows Cire has become far too powerful for Val
to battle at this time.
k. Cire does not share Jonathan’s wishes, swinging Vengeance
towards Val whom is completely unarmed. Raising a powerful barrier of
light, Vengeance crackles off the mystical shield as Val dashes away.
Leaping and dodging balls of fire thrown at him by Cire and columns of
rock that shoot up from the ground, Val manages to gain some distance
but soon Cire conjures up thorns that ensnare and dig into Val’s leg
dragging him towards him again.
l. Val knows he cannot contend with these phenomenal powers with
his exhaustion level from before and desperately tries to think of a
way to escape. Like the powers of Eve, Val looks into the sky as the
clouds roll the skyline to dark ominous shades of gray. Channeling rain
to fall, Val waits for Cire to strike with his very metallic Vengeance.
m. Cire banters on about how Val’s time has finally come to die
and swings his sword down in descending stab. However, Val summons the
most supreme powers of radiance in the guise of a massive bolt of
purple lightning that slams dead on into Vengeance which in turn
electrocutes Cire.
n. While Cire is unable to maintain his consciousness from the
volts passing through his body, Val conjures his last ounces of
strength and concentration to take off like a bullet into the sky and
vanish, flying away like Superman at alarming speeds. (He can’t run
because of his injured leg)
o. The Fallen scream for Cire to get up and follow Val but its no
use…Cire is still restrained by some rules of mortality. He may possess
great power but his body was still confined to the cause and effects of
science outside of the Dark Library.
p. As the rain falls, Vengeance’s blue flames flicker out. This
signifies the first defeat of The Dark’s champion.
XXXX. Destiny Awakens
a. As Cire remains flat out unconscious. Val eventually is forced
to drop his blinding flight, hitting the ground with a thud feeling
entirely drained from his overexertion of Light power. Unlike “The
Force”, to use The Light takes its toll on the wielder and if one is
not careful could become fatal. Val was trained for 150 years in
wielding The Light but he was not yet a true master of it.
b. Val takes deep breaths and relaxes his body until he feels he
can once again carry out his task. Jonathan makes sure Val gets food to
eat and proper rest as another three days pass.
c. Upon the third day, Val awakens during the morning and finally
feels ready to embrace his destiny…literally. Withdrawing the dazzling
ruby gem from his coat, Val prepares himself for whatever is about to
happen under the watchful eye of Jonathan.
d. Sealing up the entrance to the Light Library, Val picks up the
archaic Destiny and settles the sword upon a cleared off table of
stone. Here he gingerly settles the ruby gem into a groove in the
handle then presses down with all of his might until the gem embeds
itself into the hilt as tiny metallic clasps suddenly lock the jewel in
place.
e. As Val waits for something magical to occur…nothing happens.
Val double checks that the jewel is in the right place and locked into
position as he steps away again.
f. As before still nothing happens.
g. As Val begins to grow frustrated, deciding to step outside for
a breath of fresh air finally it begins with a crackling tendril of
purple electricity. Tiny bolts of electricity snake around the hilt and
guard of Destiny, slowly crawling around the dusty, dull blade as the
dust and caked on layers of corrosion begin to splinter and fracture
revealing rays of white blinding radiance.
h. Val steps back towards the table as the sword suddenly flings
up into the air and spins on its axis. More rays of light burst from
every region of the blade as the weapon begins to become surrounded in
pure radiance. Appearing to be forced of solid light, the weapon then
begins to slow as every glorious detail and shimmering splendor of its
design glistens with renewed life.
i. Destiny is no longer as it was. Destiny is revealed to match
the picture exactly as Val had seen in Jonathan’s journal before. There
was but one element missing from the entire myth to be proven true.
Destiny’s blade remained metallic and silver. The sword hovered through
the air and presented itself before Val, flowing horizontally with a
slow spin.
j. Intimidated at first, much like the arrival of a new pet…Val
surmised that Destiny was now awoken and submitting to his embrace.
k. Wrapping his fingers around the elegant handle, Val smiled with
pride and approval as he held the blade towards the heavens. With
Master and weapon as one this moment is the only moment that Destiny’s
blade suddenly emitted beams of rainbow spectrum light. Shimmering with
a white heavenly glow illuminating the entire Library with its radiance
so intense that the beams shot through the cracks in the temple and
like a mighty lighthouse shot into the sky as people around Aiemara
noticed these strange emissions from miles away.
l. Inside the temple, Val’s eyes crackled with purple electricity
as he held Destiny in his grasp. He could feel the change sweep over
him again…the confidence and the power energizing every pore of his
body. Destiny had finally chosen its newest master…but Val’s training
was still not complete.
XXXXI. The Light and The Dark
Grow
a. Meanwhile Cire has returned back to the interior of the Dark
Library. Here The Fallen berates him of his failure to slay the new
found Light Master. At one point Cire ponders rejecting his oath all
together but he is instantly reminded that The Fallen have made Cire
what he is today and they could just as easily strip him of that power.
The remaining humanity of Cire knows that he doesn’t need the power to
return to his goal of killing Mordric but then the deeper lustful,
twisted side of him knows he hungers to make more then Mordric respect
him. The Fallen use this sense of pride to their advantage.
b. They tell Cire that he may of yet be able to redeem his
failure and that Vengeance still held faith in him. In order for Cire
to redeem his failure against Val, he must remain in the Dark Library
another 150 years to further expand his training so that the next time
they clashed, Cire would become the victor.
c. Cire did not whole heartedly agree to remaining trapped inside
the temple for ANOTHER 150 years but that part of him that craved more
then anything else in the world to defeat Mordric and become a king by
his own hand and dominate Aiemara kept Cire’s ambitions in focus.
d. Val on the other hand traveled a similar path but his offer
was by choice. Val knew Cire had grown incredibly strong and he never
forgave him for the death of Gen, which still haunted Val’s thoughts.
Val knew if he ever wanted to make Cire pay for murdering his lover he
would need the tools and skills to do it. Likewise Val also desired to
make Mordric answer for his crimes against his family. Still Val did
not know what Mordric specifically looked like. With these two goals
still heavy on his mind plus the oath to his slain mother and father
that the Versai Kingdom would rise again, Val remained dedicated to his
training for another 150 years.
XXXXII. Invasion
a. Having spent collectively 300 years in training, the day
finally arrived where both Masters were ready to seek out their goals
and accomplish them. Val began on his trek to face Sovereign Mordric,
knowing where to go when he went to save Gen years before.
b. During the passing time, Val found a new ally in Racine Wol,
a skilled blacksmith who was renowned for his mastery of metal. After
saving his life from a battalion of Mordric’s soldiers and entrusting
him with his secrets, Val sought out Racine’s help to fashion him a
specialized set of armor within the caverns of The Shadow Guild, and
adorned the armor with ancient Aiemarian symbols specifically designed
to focus and enhance the powers of The Light.
c. Val felt that at long last he had enough mastery over his
power to destroy Mordric and avenge the people he has killed once and
for all.
d. With a smile to Racine, Val made his departure in a flash of
purple radiance, streaking across the skyline in a glowing ball of
purple energy.
e. Cire on the other hand set his goal upon finding Val’s last
known locations and after turning up empty handed, also made his
venture to Mordric’s castle. Little did either know that they were
about to cross paths once more.
f. Inside his castle, Sovereign Mordric reveled in his luxurious
wealth and sat inside a dining hall eating his meal. Suddenly his
newest Captain of the Guard rushed in and informed him of a man who
single handedly dispatched an entire battalion of troops (Val rescuing
Racine). Mordric scoffs at the information but the solider continues
and soon informs him the castle was under siege by the SAME MAN.
g. Mordric ordered other guards to engage the enemy’s army in
attack formations but much to his surprise the captain told Mordric
where were no other forces to engage in standard battle practices, that
ONE MAN was making his way through the castle and through hundreds of
heavily armed guards.
h. Mordric demanded to know what this man looked like as the
captain told him that this invader wore a long sleeveless trench coat,
black boots and was dressed in various lightweight armor plates. He
also told Mordric that the man used a sword that emitted light and
demanded to know where Mordric was located.
i. Mordric argued how one man could defy an entire army of troops
but he soon flashed his eyes in terror as the captain reported the
strange purple light that this invader was using, conjuring lightning,
fire, walls of radiance, and even tearing up the ground itself to block
off the opposition.
j. Mordric recognized the power as The Light from what he had
found after raiding the Versai Kingdom. Who was this assassin that was
coming for him? Explosions rocked the castle as the advance continued.
Mordric ran to a window and looked into the courtyard as balls of
purple flame and bursts of energy came from the solitary figure
illuminated by a sword’s white light.
k. Drawing in a deep, cleansing breath Mordric remembered that he
was immortal…no he was A GOD. This intruder, whom ever it may be, would
have a nice fancy light show but in the end he was still mortal and
could thus be killed. As Jaiden before him and Jonathan, Mordric knew
with enough time he could kill this enemy just as he had before.
XXXXIII. A Reckoning
a. Mordric made his way towards his private quarters in the
highest tower of the castle, grabbing his signature criss bladed sword,
seated in a chair eyes locked on the double doors before him. He heard
the screams of guards and the toppling of armor get closer and
closer…until the moment arrived.
b. Thrusting his arms forward, Valaryc Versai, the Master of
The Light tossed the heavy doors open with such force they
ripped from their hinges and slammed to the ground. There face to face,
Val’s brown eyes studied the man seated in the chair…the sheer persona
of all that he had fought his way to confront.
c. With Destiny held tightly, shining brightly in his palm Val
walked into the chamber until he could clearly see Mordric’s cold blue
eyes leer back at him through a sea of gray hair.
d. For the first time both men stood eye to eye and recognized
each other. Mordric gazed into the eyes of the last Versai, while Val
stared into the eyes of his Mother and Father and Jonathan’s killer…he
recognized Mordric from flashbacks and nightmares and here hundreds of
years later he was now ready to avenge the Versai Massacre.
e. Mordric smiled with sadistic joy. This boy who had become a
man was the last of his bloodline and now this punk kid who fled in
terror to let Jonathan die had the nerve to enter his castle and
challenge a God to a duel. What nerve but it made Mordric’s assumptions
of Cire’s treachery all the more confirmed…Val was alive and this
delighted Mordric for now he would have the chance to make good on his
promise to Jaiden and destroy his son at last.
f. Mordric was so self absorbed that he had no fathomable idea of
just how incredibly powerful Val had become and that he too had
unspeakable powers that could rival a god if he so chose to unleash
them. Mordric expected a duel between a mortal and an immortal but he
greatly underestimated Val’s potential.
g. With a swing of his sword Mordric sliced his criss blade to
Val’s head but Val ducked out of the way and caught Mordric across the
chest with Destiny, slicing him but not enough to kill.
h. Mordric growled in rage as the duel began. Kicking Val down
the stairs, Val as Modric rushed towards him, leading down the tower.
Their blades locked together as Destiny little by little began to
weaken Mordric’s sword.
i. Back and forth Mordric and Val battled with blades clashing in
a shower of sparks. With a sharp arc Mordric slammed his blade down
with all his might against Destiny and his sword snapped in two.
j. Without his weapon, Mordric was forced to flip away as Val
lunged towards him with Destiny. Mordric grabbed everything he could
inside the lower tower but none of them, even the most tempered steel
could stand the unstoppable edge of Destiny’s unbreakable illuminated
metal.
k. Finally Mordric desperately picked up a table with inhuman
strength and hurled it at Val sending him crashing through a window
leading to a tress connected to the tower, out into the harsh
environment of a raging storm as rain slicked the treacherous walkway.
l. Val was a master duelist but even the best fighter isn’t
entirely prepared to battle in hand to hand, although Val was fairly
able to go toe to toe with Mordric it was a see-saw battle back and
forth.
m. Mordric’s invincibility granted him incredible strength and
healed his wounds with flickering orange radiance as he fought Val with
a new sword, dueling on the rising catwalk while the wind threatened to
knock both fighters off the ledge.
n. Mordric knocked Destiny from Val’s hand and began to kick and
beat him relentlessly on terrace, slamming him into the unforgiving
stone exterior of the tower with eyes flashed of pure hatred as the
rain poured.
o. The healing powers of The Light that sustained Val’s body were
starting to take their toll. Mordric brought his sword down time and
time again, hammering into Val’s specialized armor, starting to weaken
its construction as a few plates loosened.
p. At one point in the duel, Mordric taunts Val with the grisly
details of his Mother and Father’s demise. He tells Val how he single
handedly killed both Val’s parents and that in his current situation,
Val would repeat his father’s failure.
q. Mordric unleashes the awful truth of the duel that sparked the
Versai Massacre. Mordric tells Val in detail that it was not just a
love triangle between Jaiden and himself for possession of Kathryn but
in fact it was a rivalry between BROTHERS.
r. Val then realizes the irony of Mordric’s quest to hunt him
down. Mordric has in fact been a Versai all along and that that would
mean Mordric is actually Val’s Uncle. It all made perfect sense now.
Mordric was indeed much more twisted then he could have imagined.
Mordric didn’t just want Jaiden and Kathryn to suffer he wanted to make
the Versai family pay for his REJECTION.
s. Val sees Destiny sliding closer and closer off the edge of the
walkway. Channeling every ounce of strength knowing he could survive
the fall, Val slams Destiny’s illuminated edge into the surface of the
terrace with such power it shatters its foundation and the entire
structure crumbles from the tower, plummeting both fighters towards the
buildings below.
t. Val and Mordric come crashing through the roof of the Throne
Room as the sheer weight of the terrace they were fighting on slams
through the ceiling, sending Val and Mordric flying across the floor.
u. Heavily taxed by the duel, Val spots the location of Destiny
in the rubble and picks it up, forced to remove a few pieces of his
armor which had become mangled in the fall. Val does not know that
Mordric is immortal; he only knows he has the ability to heal slight
injuries. With a thrust down, Val plunges Destiny through Mordric’s
body, believing that his quest for justice is finished.
v. As Val begins to walk towards the exit, Mordric’s body
stirs.
XXXXIV. The Wrath of Cire
a. Val looks over his shoulder in shock preparing to go another
round with Mordric but he is suddenly blindsided by an excruciatingly
painful blast of crimson fire. Before Val can recover, Destiny is
ripped from his hands and hurled across the room.
b. Standing before him is Cire with Vengeance in hand. Smiling
wickedly, Cire grabs Val by the throat and throws him through a stone
wall as tons of rubble collapse and seemingly buries him alive.
c. Cire’s attention then forces towards Mordric.
d. Mordric is absolutely stunned that Cire is still alive.
Mordric recognizes Vengeance in Cire’s grasp and surmises that Cire
must have unlocked the powers of The Dark that Mordric could not.
Mordric remembers that neither Cire nor Val, even with their fancy
powers can kill him. Mordric again allows his ego to overtake him.
e. Meanwhile Val channels The Light and fires it into a ball of
energy breaking free of the rubble as pieces go flying. Cire stares
towards Val and rushes at him with Vengeance. Val ducks out of the way
and unleashes bolts of lightning towards Cire. Cire remember what
happened last time he was caught by electricity with Vengeance in his
hand as he instantly drops the sword and counters Val’s bursts with
balls of red fire, sending portions of the throne room ablaze.
f. Val knows that between the duel with Mordric and battling his
way through soldiers, he cannot last much longer as exhaustion sweeps
over his body and his armor was starting to dwindle. Val is hell bent
on another task besides killing Mordric, he has not forgotten his
mission to retrieve his lover’s body and give her a proper burial. Val
knows that somewhere inside this labyrinth of stone, Gen’s body awaits.
g. Not to have his plans disrupted even by the likes of Val, Cire
knows that he could at any time finish off Val but his motives were not
to destroy the Master of The Light this day. His business was with
Mordric and him alone.
h. Val returned to his feet and took hold of Destiny but Cire
grabbed Val by the throat and ripped off the last remaining plates of
his armor Racine forged for him, causing his extended protection from
The Light to leave him, gripping Val in the fatigue used when one
over-exerts their powers.
i. Val grabbed on to the region around the hole to prevent
himself from falling entirely as Cire leaned in close and told Val that
Mordric was no longer his concern and to enjoy the time Val has been
given. Val growled in defiance as Cire slammed his boot across his
fingers and caused him to lose his grip, hurling him hard into the
floor below the throne room level.
j. Cire’s eyes flared with crimson brilliance and a massive
discharge of energy caught Val in the chest. The blast of radiance was
like a sledgehammer and it slammed Val time and time again through ten
stories of rock until he was hopelessly out of range of the throne
room, leaving Mordric and Cire completely alone. Without his armor to
supercharge his healing abilities, Val was utterly spent.
XXXXV. Revenge at Last
a. While Val is lost below the depths of the throne room, Mordric
cackles in approval. He smiles to Cire and admires the abilities of his
second in command. Mordric proceeds to sway Cire into accepting his
hospitality but Cire refuses to cater to Mordric’s advances.
b. Mordric then reverts back to his true colors, reminding Cire
of his life debt and that the power Cire has attained should be shared
with him. Cire in turn snaps his eyes towards Mordric and then glares
down to Vengeance.
c. Mordric demands that Cire hand over Vengeance to him for the
good of the kingdom. Cire responds by maliciously, stabbing Vengeance
through the more stable regions of the floor, daring Mordric to come
claim “what is his”.
d. As Mordric grabs Vengeance, seconds later as he tries to pull
it free from the floor the same barbs of thorns shoot out from around
Vengeance and dig into Mordric’s flesh. Mordric screams in agony as
he’s trapped in Vengeance’s web of razor sharp barbs.
e. Cire begins to pace around the throne room and tell Mordric of
how tired he is of dealing with Mordric’s whining. Of how Mordric took
all the credit for the fall of the Shadow Guild. Cire then begins to
shift his words to something of more interest. Cire explains that for
300 years he has learned of the secrets of The Dark and the details of
D and Eve’s battle and the First War.
Mordric is then shocked when Cire inches closer and closer to deeper
secrets as Cire reveals what he found in Mordric’s journal and this
leads to the last piece of the puzzle of the discussion…the source of
Mordric’s power.
XXXXVI. Reunited
a. Cire continues to mentally terrify Mordric as Val awakens from
his devastating trip through the floors of the castle. Wandering down a
series of hallways aimlessly seeking to find an exit, Val stumbles with
very little strength into a sealed off corridor deep inside the bowels
of the castle.
b. Here as he collapses on the floor then slowly looks up he sees
a swirling mass of blue liquid illuminated by electrical power sources.
There within the tube he sees what he has longed to gaze upon…the face
of Gen
Zeridian.
c. Val knows that Gen is beyond his reach, her soul long departed
from her body but all is not as it appears. As Val remembers the
passion he felt for Gen, tears trickle down the blade of Destiny as its
edge begins to irradiate like a heartbeat.
d. Before Val can blink, Destiny tears itself from his grasp and
slams deep into the heart of the glass case, miraculously keeping the
chamber in tact and the rush of water back as the chamber glows
brighter and brighter.
e. Val stares in shock as Destiny impales itself through Gen's
floating corpse as a purple light begins to spread from the wound in
her chest, consuming her in a blanket of solid radiance as tendrils of
magenta-white lightning spiral outward and spin around her floating
form.
f. Seconds later the glass gives way to a tremendous burst of
light and electricity in which the light surrounded figure of Gen
awakens and looks down to see the sword stuck inside her chest, pulling
the weapon free as she topples forward, no details of her are revealed
just yet. The burst of light that spills from her wound is so blinding,
Val is forced to cover his eyes as the entire room sends a shafts of
white and purple radiance rippling through the lower chambers of
Mordric;s castle, shooting rays of light out of windows in dramatic
fashion.
g. When the purple radiance and flashes of lightning begin to
fade, Val looks though his blurred vision to see Gen's figure kneeling
down and slowly looking forward with her eyes purple and radiant,
glowing. His cherished lover grasps Destiny's hilt as she stands,
shaken and confused and her injuries, including her scarred hand were
completely healed.
h. Moments later Gen's shimmering eyes focus on Val as her lips
purse into a sensual smile. No longer concerned for the circumstances
of her revival, much less the tragedy of her demise, the only thought
running through Gen's newly crafted mind is one thing...reunion.
i. Gen is now resurrected by the wondrous powers of Destiny as
her and a fatigued Val embrace and kiss passionately amidst a swirl of
Light based winds and glowing auras of purple and blue splendor. Just
in reach, Destiny's jeweled red eyes shine bright and slowly dim.
j. Although Val lost his battle with Mordric, it was clear he had
claimed his prize.
k. Quickly while Cire and Mordric are preoccupied high above, Val
and Gen make their way through the bowels of the castle, leaving the
specifics of all that has happened secondary to their need to escape.
XXXXVII.
Immortal No More
a. Inside the throne room, Cire finally reaches the point of his
story where Mordric’s weakness is revealed. As Vengeance, under Cire’s
command relinquishes its thorns, Mordric knows the end is near.
b. Desperately Mordric looks for a way to reason with Cire. All
those years of control and believing he was a god was now about to come
to a crashing end.
c. Cire walks over to Mordric and in one swift jerk of his hand
rips off the source of Mordric’s immortality…an amulet around his neck.
d. Cire paces towards the throne then looks back towards Mordric.
As Cire tosses Mordric’s locket to the floor and lifts Vengeance ready
to destroy it, Mordric shouts that Cire needs to know the real truth
why he spared him from death and forced Cire into a life debt.
e. Intrigued for the moment, Cire relents in smashing the amulet
just long enough to hear what Mordric has to say but his patience does
not come without its price. To make sure Mordric isn’t just trying to
buy time to run away, Cire channels thorns to rip from the ground and
completely encase Mordric in their grasp.
f. Mordric reveals to Cire about Ras Kruger and how he found the
amulet inside the Dark Library but couldn’t read the books. He goes on
to tell Cire that he learned the amulet had the power to give him
immortality and that he used this to gain his fortune by overthrowing
Ras and taking over as king.
g. Cire suddenly lunges Vengeance just short of cracking the
surface of the amulet, screaming for Mordric to get to the point and to
quit stalling.
h. Finally Mordric reveals that the reason he knew where to find
Cire was because he knew Cire and Crymson’s mother, Vachon T’Negun.
i. Cire yells at Mordric and accuses him of being a liar,
countering that Cire NEVER had a father and that his mother abandoned
him.
j. Mordric tells Cire that the reason his mother never returned
that night was because Jaiden Versai killed her. It was then starting
to become clear to Cire where Mordric was heading.
k. Mordric told Cire that he can’t smash the amulet because if he
did, Cire would lose the only bit of family he had left…Mordric was
Cire’s Father.
l. Startled by this revelation, the thorns holding Mordric
suddenly disappeared as Cire collapsed towards the throne in disbelief.
Now he was forced to make a decision and Mordric believed he had
finally found the chink in Cire’s power over him.
m. As Mordric attempted to comfort his son, Cire suddenly hurled
his father backward and glared into his eyes.
n. Pacing towards Mordric, he again became bound in thorns as
Cire dangled the mystical amulet in front of Mordric’s eyes. Cire
leaned in close to Mordric and whispered into his ear that this was no
longer about family business and whatever anger Mordric felt towards
Jaiden, Cire would finish the war with Val.
o. Withdrawing the dagger used to kill Gen, the blade suddenly
shifts to obsidian black as flames of blue swirl around the metal. This
reveals that Fate must have been forged of the same metal as Destiny
and Vengeance. Cire whispers to Mordric “Even God possesses a heart. I
am not a god, I am something more.”
p. Cire drives Fate deep into the small of Mordric's back where
he can't reach it.
q. Mordric is horrified by the splitting pain from the
dagger and spins around to see Cire slam Vengeance into the heart of
the ember stone amulet, shattering the glowing jewel to splinters as
orange swirls of light spin around Mordric and spiritual screams emit
in the air as the throne room is surrounded in marange radiance.
r. The shattering of the amulet represents the release of
Mordric’s soul as it returns back into his body which in turn causes
the barrier of aging to be lifted. As the thorns continue to dig into
Mordric’s skin his body ages rapidly and one spontaneous moment akin to
D, Mordric’s body reverts to the ashes from which it was spawned as a
gust of wind blows them out the window.
s. With Mordric dead, Cire beams with wicked delight grabbing the
crown where Mordric’s dusty remains laid, placing it atop his head as
he walks up to the steps to the dais and sits upon the throne.
t. Val and Gen find a horse and quickly gallop through the city
gates as the moon swirls above with red, billowing clouds and an echo
of distanced thunder.
u. Cire glances to the damage around him as red flames of fire
erupt from the floor and instantly seem to restructure the entire
throne room, then spreads throughout the entire castle itself
rebuilding it in a more twisted semi-organic pattern of architecture
that reflects the same design as D’s Dark Province.
v. Atop his throne Cire whispers to himself as his kingdom takes
new shape, “Long live the King.”
w. The couple glances back to the semi-organic looking stronghold
as the powers of The Dark reshape it into its own image creating Dark Province II.
Knowing that this battle is far from over they fade into silhouette as
they pass through a canopy of trees, plunging deep into the heart of a
distant forest.
XXXXVIII. Full Circle
a. Cire’s laugh echoes across the land as the scene shifts to Val
at the break of dawn looking over the disheveled ruins of the Versai
Kingdom. As Gen stands by his side, the view pulls back to reveal there
are three tombstones.
b. Jaiden Versai, Kathryn Versai, and Jonathan Aslin.
c. Val turns his gaze to Gen as her hand rests on his shoulder in
support as the two exchange words to go after the next goal in their
quest for justice, to address the cornerstone of Mordric's
influence...Cire T'Negun himself.
d. Val grasps Destiny in his hand and wipes the tears from his
eyes as the wind catches his coat in a strong, dramatic breeze. One
hand upon the stone of Jaiden's grave with fingers splayed, the other
around the handle of Destiny, Val lowers his eyes before rising back to
his feet.
e. Overlooking a glorious Cliffside, Val glances towards the
horizon and the various kingdoms in the distance knowing that his
journey is far from complete. With Destiny in hand and Gen's arm
wrapped around his waist, where their destiny leads now would be up for
fate to decide. This all would lead to the eventual inevitability of
the Master
of The Light and the Master of The
Dark clashing once more to decide which side was truly the
stronger half.
The battle with Cire...would continue.
-END-
**END OF
EPISODE
II**
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