Categories > Original > Fantasy
Regardless of your place in history, the soft warmth of dawn often brings with it, hope.
Hope that feels unbreakable.
Hope that births happiness.
However, this story doesn't begin with dawn's hope. Rather, it begins with the silence of dusk.
Thousands of years ago there existed a world originally known as Aruma Ditallu. It was a land of vibrant diversity where many different species and races resided but, they were always at odds with each other. In this land there lived a king. He was a ruthless tyrant, obsessed with power. His wife Kishar was the previous ruler, but upon marrying him, he quickly stole the power for himself. Kishar did not love him. She was forced to marry him for the sake of her kingdom and she was far from happy about it.
It was safe to say, the King didn't care much for Kishar either. After all, he had already gotten what he wanted from her.
One night, as she lay in bed beside him, she was stirred awake by a gentle wind. It ghosted over her slim frame, sending sending shivers down her spine. Her eyes fluttered open and above her she saw deep golden orbs that stared intently into her ruby ones. The possibility that the man hovering at her bedside may be an assassin did not strike her. There was something about him that told her otherwise. For some reason she felt so serene. She knew that these eyes meant her no harm.
"Who are you?" She whispered, careful not to wake her husband from his slumber.
His otherworldly eyes flickered and for a moment he was silent. Her calm disposition seemed to catch him off guard.
"Me?" He said in a low, silky voice. "I...suppose you could say I'm an angel to some and a demon to others."
"Have you come to save me?" Kishar found it hard to mask the excitement in her voice.
"Save you...hmm...from what?" He leaned in, allowing her to see more of his features.
From his pale skin to the scar across his face. His long silver hair draped over her as he propped himself up, effectively caging her between his arm and the King.
"If you are what you say you are, then you come to offer guidance to those in need." Kishar was a bit confused as to why she had to explain this to him but she did it regardless.
The man laughed. Her words held an air of innocence but her eyes lacked the childish incorruption that should accompany it. This intrigued him. "No. I am an angel of death. I've come to take your soul."
Kishar was a fairly young woman of only twenty five years of age but ever since birth she had a weak constitution. She always believed she would die young, it was one of the reasons she rushed into her marriage. She thought for a moment, her mind imediatley wandering to her five year old son Zicu. She understood and had long since accepted her fate, but she still feared for Zicu's future and the kingdom under the rule of her husband.
"I will go with you but please....this land needs a light. These people need someone to pull them through these dark times. Please help them."
The man looked deep into her eyes. Kishar's genuine character touched him and so he agreed to her request. This was the first of many decisions that would one day change the world.
•~•~•~•~•~•~•
Things happened rather quickly. The more he spoke with Kishar, the more he found himself falling in love. Kishar was kind and intelligent but when it mattered, she was strong and fierce. His abstruse feelings towards her lead him to simply spirit her away instead of accomplish his mission in taking her soul. During the time she spent with him, she too developed feelings. Soon after discovering these affections, they conceived a child.
Kishar was able to hold her child for the first and last time that day, for she would die shortly after, but not before bestowing the name Salem onto her newborn son. Upon learning of her death, her beloved was beside himself with grief. Since he had conceived a child with the very woman who's soul he was to take, he was thrown away by his superiors after having his wings torn off.
The grief was overwhelming. He knew he could not care for the child in such a state so he brought him back to the King. Posing as a servant, he entered the King's chambers. The King had just gotten into bed and had not called for anyone so when the King spotted him, he hastily picked up his staff, which began to glow in an ominous colour. With a bright flash, a sphere of fire thundered it's way towards his assumed enemy.
However, it did not make contact. Another flash momentarily caused them to shield their eyes. A low rumble sent vibrations throughout the land. When they opened their eyes they saw little Salem surrounded by golden orbs of light, Shi, the life force of the universe. Dropping to his knees, he presented the baby to the King. He explained that Salem was the King's son born out of wedlock and that Kishar had passed away. However he did manage to leave out the fact that he was Salem's biological father and not a measly servant.
While the King was now fuming with contemptible anger, he recognized that a great power lay within this child, a power that could no doubt be of use to him. For one reason or another, it was clear the Shi had chosen Salem and deeply adored him. He agreed to take the child. However, Salem was not to grow up in an illustrious palace, wearing the finest clothes and eating the most delicious foods.
•~•~•~•~•~•~•
The King loathed Salem. As he grew, it only got worse. Due to the King's immense hatred for him, Salem spent eighteen years of his life, locked away in a tower. The tower was surrounded by lush greenery that Salem often spent time roaming in. It was far but not too far from the King's palace. After all he wanted to keep a close eye on the boy. It was far enough that even though people knew of the bastard child, they would never be able to see him.
The King was very careful when handling Salem. Even when he was a child, it was clear that the he possessed immeasurable intelligence. The King saw this as a threat. In Salem's eighteen years of life, the King only visited him once. It was when it was revealed that his half brother Zicu had an affair, from which a child was born. He was imediatley exiled and his lover was executed. Their son was to be executed as well but with the help of Zicu's eldest son, Solace, they were able to escape.
During this time the King was slowly slipping to a deep rabbit hole of paranoia. As his mind deteriorated, his paranoia caused him to believe Salem was secretly plotting against him for some kind of revenge for his years of torment. The King had come to inform Salem of his brother's betrayal and remind him that even though he did not have another heir, he would never allow Salem to be king.
Salem simply smiled. "I do not long for the throne father. Being king is not something I wish for. I am happy here in this tower where I can read my books peacefully."
This only served to infuriated the King more. Salem had one attendant. Her name was Atanah-ili. She was a beautiful young woman, several years older than him. She was very skilled in combat and was regarded as one of the best in the land. Salem had affectionately given her the nickname Li after he was able to get her to teach him swordsmanship. Because the King never visited him, they were able to get away with it.
Whilst the King detested him, he did allow Salem to have one thing and one thing only. When Salem was young he was presented with this choice. He chose books. Of all kinds. This would later turn out to be one of the King's biggest mistakes. Salem would spend his days reading from his endless supply of books. At some point he began to learn the art of magic from them. His intellectual acuity enabled him to pick up on the material extremely quickly.It had gotten to the point where he was able to summon countless entities. Several of which he had made formal contracts with. It was only a matter of time before he would break free of his chains and flee the tower.
When he did break out Li was able to guide them to safe hideout, which soon became their main base of operation. With the help of one of his most trusted phantom Enu, he was able to create a strong resistance which would oppose the king and fight for the people.
•~•~•~•~•~•~•
Salem was now twenty two. He had grown quite strong in the past few years. His swordsmanship had long surpassed Li's and his magical prowess was beyond comparison. He had only been able to grow so much because of his deep connection with the magical forces of the cosmos. The Shi, the breath of life that makes up the very universe itself, manifested in the same orbs that once protected him as an infant. The resistance had grown quite a bit as well. In order to defeat his father, Salem had set out to destroy the four temples that the King had built in honour of himself. They housed a variety of corrupted artifacts or individuals that were small sources of his power.
It was a start. The last temple was the most dangerous. The King was never one to spare those who wandered into his "holy ground" so there was sure to be a fair share of barbarous repercussions for stepping inside. However, this was the only temple that was a complete mystery so as to avoid unexpected traps their only choice was to break through the top and go directly down. It was heavily guarded but they managed to push through.
"ENU, LI BREAK THROUGH THE CORE! SIBI, DAKURI! REINFORCE THE RIGHT WING!"
"YES SIR!"
They fought their ways through the priests and soldiers that stood before them. Enu managed to hold off the opponents as Li delivered a fierce blow to the weakest point in the temple's roof. As the ceiling shattered, a tremor of magical energy shook the land. Deep inside the temple a figure moved wearily. Lifting it's head they basked in the ray of light that shone down upon them. The warmth spread over their pale skin and they spoke softly as if they hadn't used their voice in years.
"Finally, someone has come from the heavens to see me! But...my eyes...everything is so blurry...who's there?"
Hope that feels unbreakable.
Hope that births happiness.
However, this story doesn't begin with dawn's hope. Rather, it begins with the silence of dusk.
Thousands of years ago there existed a world originally known as Aruma Ditallu. It was a land of vibrant diversity where many different species and races resided but, they were always at odds with each other. In this land there lived a king. He was a ruthless tyrant, obsessed with power. His wife Kishar was the previous ruler, but upon marrying him, he quickly stole the power for himself. Kishar did not love him. She was forced to marry him for the sake of her kingdom and she was far from happy about it.
It was safe to say, the King didn't care much for Kishar either. After all, he had already gotten what he wanted from her.
One night, as she lay in bed beside him, she was stirred awake by a gentle wind. It ghosted over her slim frame, sending sending shivers down her spine. Her eyes fluttered open and above her she saw deep golden orbs that stared intently into her ruby ones. The possibility that the man hovering at her bedside may be an assassin did not strike her. There was something about him that told her otherwise. For some reason she felt so serene. She knew that these eyes meant her no harm.
"Who are you?" She whispered, careful not to wake her husband from his slumber.
His otherworldly eyes flickered and for a moment he was silent. Her calm disposition seemed to catch him off guard.
"Me?" He said in a low, silky voice. "I...suppose you could say I'm an angel to some and a demon to others."
"Have you come to save me?" Kishar found it hard to mask the excitement in her voice.
"Save you...hmm...from what?" He leaned in, allowing her to see more of his features.
From his pale skin to the scar across his face. His long silver hair draped over her as he propped himself up, effectively caging her between his arm and the King.
"If you are what you say you are, then you come to offer guidance to those in need." Kishar was a bit confused as to why she had to explain this to him but she did it regardless.
The man laughed. Her words held an air of innocence but her eyes lacked the childish incorruption that should accompany it. This intrigued him. "No. I am an angel of death. I've come to take your soul."
Kishar was a fairly young woman of only twenty five years of age but ever since birth she had a weak constitution. She always believed she would die young, it was one of the reasons she rushed into her marriage. She thought for a moment, her mind imediatley wandering to her five year old son Zicu. She understood and had long since accepted her fate, but she still feared for Zicu's future and the kingdom under the rule of her husband.
"I will go with you but please....this land needs a light. These people need someone to pull them through these dark times. Please help them."
The man looked deep into her eyes. Kishar's genuine character touched him and so he agreed to her request. This was the first of many decisions that would one day change the world.
•~•~•~•~•~•~•
Things happened rather quickly. The more he spoke with Kishar, the more he found himself falling in love. Kishar was kind and intelligent but when it mattered, she was strong and fierce. His abstruse feelings towards her lead him to simply spirit her away instead of accomplish his mission in taking her soul. During the time she spent with him, she too developed feelings. Soon after discovering these affections, they conceived a child.
Kishar was able to hold her child for the first and last time that day, for she would die shortly after, but not before bestowing the name Salem onto her newborn son. Upon learning of her death, her beloved was beside himself with grief. Since he had conceived a child with the very woman who's soul he was to take, he was thrown away by his superiors after having his wings torn off.
The grief was overwhelming. He knew he could not care for the child in such a state so he brought him back to the King. Posing as a servant, he entered the King's chambers. The King had just gotten into bed and had not called for anyone so when the King spotted him, he hastily picked up his staff, which began to glow in an ominous colour. With a bright flash, a sphere of fire thundered it's way towards his assumed enemy.
However, it did not make contact. Another flash momentarily caused them to shield their eyes. A low rumble sent vibrations throughout the land. When they opened their eyes they saw little Salem surrounded by golden orbs of light, Shi, the life force of the universe. Dropping to his knees, he presented the baby to the King. He explained that Salem was the King's son born out of wedlock and that Kishar had passed away. However he did manage to leave out the fact that he was Salem's biological father and not a measly servant.
While the King was now fuming with contemptible anger, he recognized that a great power lay within this child, a power that could no doubt be of use to him. For one reason or another, it was clear the Shi had chosen Salem and deeply adored him. He agreed to take the child. However, Salem was not to grow up in an illustrious palace, wearing the finest clothes and eating the most delicious foods.
•~•~•~•~•~•~•
The King loathed Salem. As he grew, it only got worse. Due to the King's immense hatred for him, Salem spent eighteen years of his life, locked away in a tower. The tower was surrounded by lush greenery that Salem often spent time roaming in. It was far but not too far from the King's palace. After all he wanted to keep a close eye on the boy. It was far enough that even though people knew of the bastard child, they would never be able to see him.
The King was very careful when handling Salem. Even when he was a child, it was clear that the he possessed immeasurable intelligence. The King saw this as a threat. In Salem's eighteen years of life, the King only visited him once. It was when it was revealed that his half brother Zicu had an affair, from which a child was born. He was imediatley exiled and his lover was executed. Their son was to be executed as well but with the help of Zicu's eldest son, Solace, they were able to escape.
During this time the King was slowly slipping to a deep rabbit hole of paranoia. As his mind deteriorated, his paranoia caused him to believe Salem was secretly plotting against him for some kind of revenge for his years of torment. The King had come to inform Salem of his brother's betrayal and remind him that even though he did not have another heir, he would never allow Salem to be king.
Salem simply smiled. "I do not long for the throne father. Being king is not something I wish for. I am happy here in this tower where I can read my books peacefully."
This only served to infuriated the King more. Salem had one attendant. Her name was Atanah-ili. She was a beautiful young woman, several years older than him. She was very skilled in combat and was regarded as one of the best in the land. Salem had affectionately given her the nickname Li after he was able to get her to teach him swordsmanship. Because the King never visited him, they were able to get away with it.
Whilst the King detested him, he did allow Salem to have one thing and one thing only. When Salem was young he was presented with this choice. He chose books. Of all kinds. This would later turn out to be one of the King's biggest mistakes. Salem would spend his days reading from his endless supply of books. At some point he began to learn the art of magic from them. His intellectual acuity enabled him to pick up on the material extremely quickly.It had gotten to the point where he was able to summon countless entities. Several of which he had made formal contracts with. It was only a matter of time before he would break free of his chains and flee the tower.
When he did break out Li was able to guide them to safe hideout, which soon became their main base of operation. With the help of one of his most trusted phantom Enu, he was able to create a strong resistance which would oppose the king and fight for the people.
•~•~•~•~•~•~•
Salem was now twenty two. He had grown quite strong in the past few years. His swordsmanship had long surpassed Li's and his magical prowess was beyond comparison. He had only been able to grow so much because of his deep connection with the magical forces of the cosmos. The Shi, the breath of life that makes up the very universe itself, manifested in the same orbs that once protected him as an infant. The resistance had grown quite a bit as well. In order to defeat his father, Salem had set out to destroy the four temples that the King had built in honour of himself. They housed a variety of corrupted artifacts or individuals that were small sources of his power.
It was a start. The last temple was the most dangerous. The King was never one to spare those who wandered into his "holy ground" so there was sure to be a fair share of barbarous repercussions for stepping inside. However, this was the only temple that was a complete mystery so as to avoid unexpected traps their only choice was to break through the top and go directly down. It was heavily guarded but they managed to push through.
"ENU, LI BREAK THROUGH THE CORE! SIBI, DAKURI! REINFORCE THE RIGHT WING!"
"YES SIR!"
They fought their ways through the priests and soldiers that stood before them. Enu managed to hold off the opponents as Li delivered a fierce blow to the weakest point in the temple's roof. As the ceiling shattered, a tremor of magical energy shook the land. Deep inside the temple a figure moved wearily. Lifting it's head they basked in the ray of light that shone down upon them. The warmth spread over their pale skin and they spoke softly as if they hadn't used their voice in years.
"Finally, someone has come from the heavens to see me! But...my eyes...everything is so blurry...who's there?"
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