Work Text
Clouds floated through the sky, pushed by the gently dancing wind. The surrounding waves splashed against the shore, rising along the cliffs where there lay a magnificent crystal city with high spires and hanging gardens.The
magnificent city was illuminated by a mysterious blue white light that rose over the horizon. Suddenly, the ground began to shake and massive waves began to approach the city, even though it was far inland. The once grand and imposing buildings and towers of the city began to crumble, falling in to ruin with people still inside them. Those who were not trapped within any of the fallen buildings ran from the city into the surrounding countryside in a desperate attempt to reach safer ground. However, for those left within the crumbling city, there was no means of escape.Three people ran down a crumbling hall. They
manoeuvred over fallen crystal pillars and ran ahead of the falling ceiling but they were not trying to escape the building they were trapped within. The
three were headed deeper into the building, making their way through numerous halls and passageways, down multiple flights of stairs, until they finally managed to reach their destination.The three entered a small room several stories underground. As with everything in the city, the room was made from an organic, crystalline like stone. The room was completely barren
save for two massive crystal structures which stood inside a circular array. The crystal structures radiated a dim light, keeping the room from being completely dark. The dim light from the crystals would have to do, the eldest of the three silently decided, as the torch had gone out and there was no time to light another.The eldest of the three who had been running, a strong young male, turned to his two companions with a grim expression carved into his handsome features.
The two companions turned to their elder, worried about the fear they sensed rolling from his body in waves. Neither was used to seeing the male in such a frantic state, even if he retained his normal calm composure.“I fear this is as far as I shall be able to go with you. The two of you must enter the stasis crystals before the quakes start up once again. I shall remain
behind to activate the stasis crystals. How hurry before it is too late to perform the spell,” he calmly instructed.One of the companions, another young male, glared at the older male, unable to believe what he had just said."Brother,”
exclaimed the young male, “you cannot possibly be serious! In the name of my first ancestor, how can you carelessly throw away your own life?! Our people will need you once the danger has passed and the crystal stasis ends.”The elder male just smiled at his younger brother. “My time for me to join our ancestors has come, brother. Fate decrees that I must die this day. However, you must live on. We have both sworn an oath to protect the princess even at the cost of our lives. You must uphold that oath in my stead, as I shall no longer be able to fulfil it.”He removed one of his gloves, placing his bare hand upon his brother’s shoulder. The younger brother looked at his elder brother, tears welling in his eyes. Suppressing his sadness, the younger of the two brothers hugged his elder brother for the last time. The younger brother then turned to the princess he had sworn to protect. Reluctantly, the younger brother followed the princess to the crystal structures and……an alarm woke Vega from her sleep. The nineteen-year-old fell out of her bed, knocking her head against the nightstand.
Ignoring the insistent pounding in her head, Vega grabbed her phone and turned off the annoying alarm that had woken her. Once the offending alarm was turned off, Vega got ready
to start her day.Vega Anand was a typical nineteen-year-old girl, besides the fact that her parents were the founders and owners of a multi million dollar company. She had been born to a mother who emigrated from southern India to Canada in the late nineties and a father (also
of Indian ancestry)
who had been born in her home province of Alberta, Canada. The two had met and fallen in love in high school and married soon after graduating college. Not long after the two had founded their own business, Anand Industries.
A year later Vega had been born, but that had not kept either of her parents from focusing on building and expanding their business until it was one of the largest alternative energy companies in the world.Despite her family being filthy rich, Vega led a pretty normal life. She lived in a typical suburban house, dressed in generic clothes and actually worked three jobs to pay for the year long cross country trip her and her best friend, Martha Kingston, took after graduating high school. The only time
Vega really used her family’s money was to help pay for college, and even then she still paid for half the tuition.Vega approached her vanity and got a good look at herself in the mirror. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she looked at herself in the mirror. Her skin was clammy, hair frazzled and eyes bloodshot. She looked like she hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep in days, which was partially true. For the past five days, Vega had been having those strange dreams.Those dreams always involved those three people, those two men and woman. Sometimes Vega would see them walking about a majestic crystal palace. Other times they would be in what looked like a private garden in some sort of temple. But the most common dream Vega had involved those two men and the woman running down
a crumbling hall while the crystal city collapsed around them. The three always came to that small room with the crystals and the two men, apparently brothers, always argued over who should go with the woman into the crystals. The younger brother would always relent and turn to one of the crystals but the dream always cut out before the younger man and the woman approached those crystals. Vega had no idea what brought those strange dreams on in the last few days but she desperately wanted them to end. She hadn’t gotten a wink of restful sleep since they started. If this kept up, she’d be an insomniac by the end of the month!Sighing, Vega decided to do the best she could to make herself somewhat presentable for the day. She used blush and bronzer to cover up her clammy skin and the dark bags under her obsidian gray eyes, blending them in so it was indistinguishable from her natural olive complexion. She battled with her hairbrush to get all the knots and tangles out of her hair until the raven locks were smooth and sleek. Vega tied her hair back in a waist length ponytail, not having the energy to do anything more elaborate, before slipping on a simple white dress and matching sandals. With one last look of herself in the mirror, Vega grabbed her purse before leaving her bedroom.Vega was just about to head out the front door when her mother stopped her.Mrs. Farha Anand’s piercing obsidian gray eyes glared at her daughter behind thin red frames. Pushing her glasses up her nose, Mrs. Anand asked “Where are you going, Vega?”Vega froze. She hated it when her mother gave her that look. How could a five feet four, thin, petite woman possibly inspire that much fear with only one look? It didn’t make any sense. Vega was five inches taller than her mother and had an athletic build from all the sports she’d done in high school and continued to do in college. And yet, she was still somehow paralysed with fear and intimidated by the woman who gave birth to her.Mrs. Anand was growing impatient of her daughter’s prolonged silence. The woman adjusted her glasses as her gaze narrowed even further at her daughter. “I do not like to repeat myself, Vega. Now tell me, where are you going?”Vega snapped out of her daze, a sheepish smile crossing her delicate facial features. “I was planning to go to the mall, Mom. I told you there’s a sale on rock climbing equipment and I wanted to get some new gear before it's over. You know Martha and I were planning to go rock climbing this summer.
You and Dad already approved of me going as long as I pay for all the necessary equipment, just as usual.”Mrs. Anand frowned at her daughter. “I’m afraid your little shopping trip will have to be temporarily postponed, Vega. I need you to deliver something to your father for me, and the matter is nonnegotiable. I would deliver it myself but I have a meeting with some international investors
that I cannot miss. Therefore, you shall have to deliver it for me.”Vega looked at her mother, seeming to finally notice the formal pantsuit and her black hair worn in a bun for the first time. She should have known her mother had to attend a business meeting of some kind. Otherwise Vega Knew her mother, who usually despised formal wear of any kind, would not have been dressed as she currently was.“Fine,” Vega sighed, “I’ll make the delivery to Dad. If I’m fast enough then maybe I can still make it to the mall before it gets too crowded.”Mrs. Anand smiled, all intensity draining from her face. She handed her daughter a briefcase and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Vega refrained from reminding her mother she was no longer a child but knew her words would fall on deaf ears. Her mother had always kissed her on the cheek before she left the
house and nothing would get her to stop, no matter how many times Vega asked her to.“Thank you for doing this for me, Vega. I promise I’ll make it up to you some way. I already called a cab to take you to the office. Your father took the truck this morning and I’m afraid I’ll have to take the convertible or else I’m going to be late for my meeting with those investors. Have a good day and I’ll try to be home for dinner tonight.”And with that, Mrs. Anand walked out the door, got into the convertible and drove off to meet with her investors before Vega had the chance to say goodbye. Vega just shook her head. She loved her parents but at times they could be a handful. They were both such workaholics that Vega couldn’t remember the last time they even had a simple meal together. There was always some reason for them to be called off back to the office, be it a major malfunction or a
board of directors meeting, Vega’s parents were always busy. At times she wondered if they cared more about Anand Industries than her, their own daughter. Vega knew it was petty and childish to be jealous of a business for taking up so much of her parents’ time and attention, but just having a simple meal together every once in a while wasn’t that much to ask for. Was it?Ten minutes later the cab Vega’s mother had ordered arrived. Vega climbed into the back seat and gave the cabbie the directions to the main building of Anand Industries.
During the drive, Vega’s mind wandered back to the strange dreams she had been having. For whatever reason, those dreams felt like more than just dreams. It was almost like she was viewing memories. During the dreams, Vega felt as though she knew exactly what was going on and who those three strange people were. But the moment she woke up, all that information faded leaving only the vague, scrambled images and impressions left by the dream.A sudden stop jerked Vega from her musing of her dreams. The young woman looked up and saw she was at Anand Industries. She was at the building in under an hour; do to the light traffic this early in the day. Vega paid the cabbie the correct fair (including a generous tip) with all the money her mother had given her and thanked him before grabbing her purse and the briefcase her mother gave her and made her way into the building.Clutching the briefcase close to her chest, Vega approached the front desk. The front desk clerk was busily typing away on his computer and didn’t notice Vega at first. When he did look up he instantly recognised Vega as the daughter of the founders and owners of Anand Industries.“What can I do for you, Miss Anand?” asked the front desk clerk with the fakest smile Vega had ever seen. She never understood why anyone would use such a smile. It always seemed more creepy than inviting, at least in her opinion.“I have a delivery for my father, Anik Anand,” she said, holding up the briefcase for the front desk clerk to see. “My mother would have brought it in herself but she has a meeting with some international investors so she asked me to bring it to him instead.”“I’ll call security and have them escort you to Mr. Anand’s office right away ma'am. It shall only take a few moment for them to arrive, Miss Anand,” the front desk clerk assured as he dialled the security office on the company line.Within twenty minutes of the front desk clerk making
the call, two security guards made their way to the front desk. After going through the standard security check and having both of the security guards look over the VIP visitor ID her parents had issued her, Vega was escorted by the two security guards to the private elevator that would take her straight to her father’s office on the top floor of the company building.The doors to the private elevator opened and out rushed a man wielding a black scimitar. The man’s muscular form was completely derived of any clothing, only having his long brown hair to cover him. The man towered over Vega and the two stunned security guards, standing close to seven feet tall. Vega felt her eyes be drawn to the knotted scars and crimson blood than stained the strange man’s copper brown skin. The man’s dark gaze locked with Vega’s obsidian gray eyes and a look of relief flashed across his handsome face before a scowl replaced it upon seeing the two security guards.The security guards, finally overcoming their immediate shock of seeing a naked man wielding an ancient sword run out of a private elevator, quickly drew their sidearms upon realising the man was armed. The security guards ordered the man to put down his scimitar and get down on the ground.
The naked man's only response was to brandish his blade and yell at the two security guards in some strange language that none of them could understand. When the security guards repeated their warnings at the man, they prepared to take open fire, only to be knocked over by a powerful wind.Vega could not believe what she had just seen. The strange man had raised his scimitar above his head and sliced the air in front of him, causing a massive wind to knock the two security guards across the room. Stunned from what she just saw, Vega did not protest when the strange naked man grabbed her wrist and began muttering in that strange language again, his tone far softer than when he had been yelling at the security guards. The man’s voice was calm and soothing, like that of a parent comforting a scared child. Vega keep staring at the man’s face, trying to remember where she had seen him before. She could have sworn his face was familiar but she could not tell from where.As the strange man had been speaking to Vega, the two security guards had had the time to recover from the unexpected attack and get back to their feet. The moment the strange man saw the two security guards starting to recover from his attack the joy fell from his face, being replaced by a hard frown. Saying more in that unfamiliar language, the strange man began to drag Vega down the nearest hall with the security guards close at their heels. Vega screamed out for help and tried to fight back against the man holding her captive but every time she did his grip only got tighter and he pulled her along behind him even faster.The man turned the corner but it was a dead end. There was no escape and the security guards were only a few minutes behind him. Vega saw the strange man quickly scan the area and take notice of the several doors lining each side of the dead end hall. He forced Vega through the nearest open door, which happened to be the men’s bathroom, and began barricading the door with everything within arm's reach.Vega stood in the corner of the men’s room trying to find some means of escape. But it was too late. The man had finished barricading the door with everything he could grab. Now he turned towards Vega and slowly
making his way towards her.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
What had happened to him? Where was he? When had he lost consciousness? Why could he not move his body? Who had bound him? How had he come to be in such a state?Slowly, the fog began to lift from his groggy mind as sensation slowly returned to his paralysed limbs. Tempest. That was right. His name was Tempest. He was Tempest the Heart of House Amir, son of Silence and Hopeful, younger brother of All Knowing the Wise.
He was part of one of four noble Lemuria houses, second in rank only to the royal family. He had been trained by the finest warriors in Lemuria and was the veteran of several wars. He valiantly served alongside his elder brother as a bodyguard for the heir apparent to the Lemurian throne, Princess Starlight.The princess! Thoughts of the princess caused the fog to lift from Tempest’s mind as his consciousness was flooded with memories. He remembered running down the halls of the palace basement behind the princess and his elder brother. He remembered sensing all the death and destruction radiating from the populous on the surface, having to suppress the urge to scream as the familial bond with his parents was forcefully snapped, the abrupt departure of the warm presence leaving his mind with a bloody open wound. He remembered entering the crystal stasis alongside the princess, leaving his elder brother to die alongside his homeland. He remembered the paralysing feeling of dread overtake him, knowing he would never see his brother again, before he entered a state of suspended animation within the crystal.Lemuria had been destroyed. His brother and everyone he had ever known and loved now resided among the ancestors in eternal sleep. Never again would Tempest spar with his brother, who meant the world to him. Never again would he ever be embraced by his parents, who had given him the world. Never again would he watch the blazing sunset from the highest balcony in the palace with Princess Starlight, describing the rainbow of colours to the one he had sworn to protect with his very life.The princess! In his grief for his family and homeland, Tempest had nearly forgotten his duty to the princess. It did not matter if his family and everyone he ever loved was dead. It did not matter that Lemuria had been destroyed. He still had to fulfil his fate given duty to protect the princess of Lemuria. All Knowing had sacrificed himself so Tempest could fulfil that duty in his stead. He would not let his grief distract him from fulfilling his fate given duty, no matter how much it pained him.The stasis crystal surrounding the young Lemurian male shattered. The crystal shards shot outward as Tempest’s limp form landed on the cold tile floor. The artificial light radiating from the ceiling was harsh on Tempest’s eyes, causing him to shield his face with one arm. Loud whistles and alarms coming from the strange machinery scattered about made it hard for Tempest to focus. He nearly did not notice the two figures stepping out from behind on of the larger machines, having taken cover from the shower of crystal shards that destroyed half the room.Once his eyes had somewhat adjusted to the poor artificial light, Tempest noticed the two figures staring wide eyed at him. The first male was tall and slim with
a light athletic build. The bronze skin, black hair, narrow dark eyes and facial features made Tempest believe the male to be either from central Testudo or possibly the eastern Orient, though he knew none from those locations who wore such thin spectacles or only tied their hair back in a ponytail. The other male was from Libya, Tempest was for sure. The massive height, muscularity, dark skin, broad facial features, shaven head, facial hair and piercing black eyes could belong to no other racial group. Though the two males’ clothing, long white coats and strange protective gear, were not like any Tempest had seen worn by any race from any of the eight inhabitable continents.The two males were yelling at each other in a language Tempest could not understand. He had always had trouble learning other languages. He barely managed to learn the basics of the Atlantean and Muese languages, despite it being a mandatory skill for all those serving the royal family to be fluent in at least one of their languages of Lemuria’s closest allies. Most people, including the Lemurians with their limited magical capabilities, preferred to use translation spells when instant communication was necessary. (Though the drawback of that spell was the spell caster would be unable speak their native language until the spell was cancelled.)
However, judging by how both of those males were staring at him, Tempest suspected he would be unable to get close enough to them to cast a translation spell. With him being unable to understand or negotiate with the two males before him, Tempest had no choice but to use force.Placing a hand upon his bare chest, Tempest called forth his soul weapon. The familiar feeling of energy leaving his body and taking on a physical form helped ground Tempest. He could not afford to lose focus, pouring all his consciousness in to forging the pulsing, living energy in to shape within his mind’s eye. The two strange males looked in astonishment as Tempest drew a shimmering black scimitar from his chest. Raising the scimitar above his head, Tempest slashed the air in front of him. The air around the two males rippled in waves as they were sent flying into the nearest wall by the powerful wind Tempest just unleashed.Tempest ran through the open doorway before either of the two males could get to their feet and pursue him. His bare feet thundered against the tiled floor as he ran up the hall. Though Tempest had no idea where he was or where he was even going, he felt himself being guided by an invisible force. All Knowing had taught him to always listen when it felt like he was being led, for it was his ancestors trying to help guide him where he was fated to be. However, Tempest began to question his brother’s thinking when the ancestral force was led him to a dead end hall with handle-less doors.How was he supposed to get anywhere if he could not open the doors? Mind still fogged and hazed from the crystal stasis, Tempest contemplated prying the doors open by force. The Lemurian warrior’s clouded gaze looked for anything to help him pry open the handle-less door. Suddenly, one of the handle-less doors parted down the middle revealing a small unfurnished room within. An olive skinned male with a strange blue cloth wrapped around his neck stood in the small room, looking startled upon
catching sight of Tempest. The invisible force was telling Tempest he had to enter that room. Grabbing the strange cloth about the male’s neck, Tempest threw the male out of the room just as the door began to close. Tempest’s eyes were drawn to the strange double column of rune circles beside the door. Pressing his palm against the rune circles, the runes glowed and the room began to move upwards.Tempest braced himself against the wall as the small room began to move skywards. How could this be possible? Rooms did not move on their own will! Such thing were only possible in the fantasy stories he had been forced to read (and absolutely did not enjoy) to the princess when they were younger. Tempest cursed every spirit and
ancestor he could name until the room ceased its skyward climb. The handle-less doors opened again and Tempest stumbled out of the room, briefly stopping to catch his breath. His muscles were burning, begging the young Lemurian warrior to stop and rest. Already he had done too much moving since his release from the stasis crystal.
Tempest knew proper procedure for after one exited an extended crystal stasis would have him confined to a healing ward under strict supervision for several weeks. But he did not possess such a luxury. He could not stop moving. Not until he reached wherever the invisible force was leading him.The force that had been leading Tempest suddenly flared then fell silent. Looking up through his blurred vision, Tempest could not believe his eyes. There before him was the princess! She was alive and unharmed. His joy however was short lived as Tempest noticed the two armed fiends on either side of the princess.Tempest glared at the two armed males as he raised his black scimitar.“Lay down your arms and step away from the princess, you fiends. Comply or I shall be forced to harm you. This shall be the only warning I give you. If you force my hand, I swear by my first ancestor that I shall show you no mercy,” Tempest shouted, forgetting the armed fiends would most likely not understand him. Neither of the armed fiends laid down their arms. Sighing, Tempest summoned forth his winds, knocking the fiends across the room without harming the princess.Tempest stumbled as he approached the princess. Though his vision was still blurred and unfocused, the look of pure terror on the princess’ face was unmistakable to the young warrior. With all his heart Tempest wished he could reach out and comfort the princess, but they were still in danger.“Your Highness,” Tempest spoke gently, voice calm and serene, “we must hurry to safety. Those fiends shall not remain incapacitated for much longer. We must make haste if we are to escape before they call for reinforcements.”Gently grabbing the princess by her wrist, careful as to avoid touching her bare hand, Tempest tried to lead the princess to safety. However, the invisible force that had been leading him before was no longer present. Tempest was running through a strange building half blind with enemies close at his and the princess’ heels. He could not stop to try and get his bearings, not while the princess was in such distress.It pained Tempest to hear the princess crying out in such fear. No doubt she was even more confused than he had been upon first emerging from the crystal stasis. His vision was blurred but Tempest could still see well enough to navigate the unfamiliar twists and turns of his strange new surroundings. The princess did not even have that luxury. For Princess Starlight had been born blind. It was the price people such as the princess had to pay for possessing the gift of foresight. To glimpse the future, one had to completely sacrifice their ability to gaze upon the world around them.
He had never found the exchange fair but who was he to question the laws of magic.
That was how it had always been and the way it would always be.Tempest and the princess quickly turned a corner to try and evade those perusing them, but came face to face with a dead end. There was no time to turn around and look for another means of escape. Spotting the doors lining either side of the dead end hall, Tempest pushed the princess through the nearest open door and slammed it shut behind him. The young warrior then began to barricade the door with everything in reach, though there was nothing decently strong enough lying around to work as a decent barricade. It seemed the room Tempest had chosen to barricade himself and the crowned princess of Lemuria in was some sort of public bath, even there was no bathing pools or decent sized fountains to be seen in the vicinity. The only fountains present were small and wall amounted and did not appear to have any flowing water for all that Tempest could determine with his still blurred vision.Once he had barricaded the door with everything he could possibly grab, Tempest turned towards the crowned princess of Lemuria. Throughout the entire time he was securing the door, Princess Starlight had not spoken a single word which greatly confused the young warrior. For as long as he had known her, Princess Starlight had always been a very talkative individual. Even during the times the princess had been taken hostage or almost assassinated, she had managed to keep talking in some capacity. The Lemurian princess was known throughout all the civilised lands for her telling her captors or would be assassins just what fate decreed for them, having glimpsed in with her foresight. But during the entire time they were fleeing from their pursuers,
not once had the expected words and taunts of the pursuers’
inevitable fate once fallen from the Lemurian princess’ lips. She had not even said a word to him upon their reunion. Normally it was Tempest forced to constantly remind the princess not to be so familiar with those who served her, only to receive a sharp laugh and a reprimand that formality did not matter when they were alone?
That could only mean one thing. The person Tempest had been protecting was not Princess Starlight but an impostor!
Tempest stormed towards the female he mistook
to be the crowned princess of Lemuria and for the first time got a clear look at her, his vision finally having cleared enough for him to make out the female’s face. While the female’s face and energy bore a clear resemblance to that of Princess Starlight, this female’s obsidian gray eyes were bright and clear, not white and glassy as the princess’ blind gaze. The female was definitely Lemurian but her clothing was not like any Tempest had ever seen before. Even among the more rebellious and radicals among the population, most Lemurians had the common sense to not expose their legs and shoulders for the entire world to see!
If he had not been so enraged at the impostor, Tempest would have lectured her on proper dress and what shame she had brought upon her house and lineage from indecently exposing herself in such a manner.
“Who are you?” Tempest growled glaring dagger at the female as his face flushed at her indecent state of dress. “Why do you appear to share a face with Princess Starlight? Answer me, peasant, before I am forced to take more drastic measures!”The only response Tempest got from the female was a string of words (he guessed them to be curses by the tone and volume) in a language he could not understand. It seemed as though his assumptions about the female being Lemurian were wrong. Even one who had grown up in the colonies and never stepped foot on the home continent would be able to speak the basics of the Lemurian language. Unable to get any answers from the female so long as he could not understand her, Tempest was left with no other option but to use a translation spell.The female squirmed and shouted when Tempest pinned her against the nearest wall, but she grew silent once he pressed his lips to hers. Tempest cast the translation spell so that he could understand the female’s language instead of her understanding his. Though normally such spells were more difficult, Tempest knew in the situation it would be the more reliable spell to use. He would have to be able to understand these strange people until he could return to his own lands. And this way he could leave the female’s side without having to drag her around, getting her to translate everything the other people around him were saying.The moment their lips parted, Tempest felt the female smack her bare hand against his cheek. The warrior was sent stumbling back a few paces, dazed at what had just befallen him. He was not surprised at the concept of being physically struck (he was Lemurian, not Atlantean) but that the female had slapped him with her bare hand. Who in the ancestors’ name would use their hands for such a vulgar act! Touching someone with the hands, outside of mates or families, was unthinkable unless under grave circumstances. The appropriate response would have been to strike him with a glove. These other lands were truly inhabited by savage barbarians if they could not even grasp that most basic concept of civilisation.“Why did you strike me with your bare hand!
You uncivilised brute of a female, I could have you killed for such actions!” Tempest yelled, the words of the foreign language rolling off
his tongue feeling strange to his ears. Even the spoken words of this land were barbaric, nothing like the pleasant, musical tones of the Lemurian language. It sickened Tempest to need to speak such vial words but the young warrior needed to get information on the location of Princess Starlight.
The female just glared at Tempest, her obsidian gray eyes narrowed. “The name’s Vega, you bastard. And the only uncivilised person I see around here is you, you freaking son of a bitch. How else was I supposed to react when you kissed me? What would you have preferred me to do, you bastard, kick you in
the head?”Tempest glowered at the female who called herself Vega. Now that he could understand her, Tempest could definitely see there were more similarities between this Vega and Princess Starlight than just their faces. Her temper and words were definitely like that of the princess, even if they were cruder being spoken in this foul language he was forced to understand at the moment.
Despite her fragile appearance, Princess Starlight had spoken more in line with a drunken sailor than one destined to be the future queen. One of Tempest’s many duties, alongside protecting the princess, had been to try and break her of her more fowl habits before she took the throne.
Unfortunately, despite all his best efforts, he had never been able to brake the princess of that denouncing habit.“Enough of your fowl words, barbarian! Tell me what you have done with Princess Starlight before I am forced to take drastic measures,” Tempest threatened brandishing his scimitar at the female.Suddenly, the crudely formed barricade Tempest had made was broken down. Tempest and Vega turned to see a single middle aged male standing in the door way. It took Tempest a moment to recognise the male as the one he pulled out of the small moving room behind the handle-less doors. He still had that same strange blue cloth tied around his neck, the expression upon his face calm as he called forth a dozen people who had been just around the corner. Most of the other people were armed guards but two of them were the two males Tempest had seen upon his release from the stasis crystal.The male with the blue cloth tied around his neck smiled as Vega ran up to him.“Dad, what in the world’s going on? Who’s that guy who just kidnapped me and why do you look so calm about it?” Vega asked the male who apparently was her father.“That is a long story, Vega,” he said. “I promise to tell you everything but first we must attend our friend over there. Something tells me he will not be able to stand much longer.”Despite the outward façade of togetherness, Tempest was about ready to collapse. His muscles were burning, screaming for his to rest. His limbs felt like wet noodles, barely able to support him. His vision was clear but was starting to blur once more, this time with unshed tears. In his weakened state, there was nothing Tempest could do as several of the guards roughly grabbed him and forced him to follow after the strange male and the female he had abducted.Tempest tried to struggle against his captors but it was no use. He was too tired and weak. His limbs were atrophied from being in the crystal stasis for so long. He barely could keep his eyes open. The last thing the young Lemurian warrior saw before he succumb to his exhaustion was another of those handle-less doors open and everyone step in. Darkness overcame Tempest before the handles-less doors closed, dragging him back in to unconsciousness.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Anik Anand looked to be a rather average man. He was thin and fit, though by no means athletic or muscular. He stood at a rather unimpressive height of five feet nine inches with short black hair, dark eyes and a deep olive complexion. Though he was rather plain and average looking, Anik Anand’s mind was far above that of the average man’s.Anik had been born in Alberta; Canada on June 14, 1982, several months after his parents had fled the south Indian coast in the waning years of World War Three. From the connections his parents had made before fleeing India, Anik had grown up with wanting little. His family was not rich but they had also not been poor. Anik had everything he could have ever wanted in his family life. However, Anik’s school life had been an entirely different story.All throughout elementary, middle and the beginning of high school, Anik’s classmates had found one thing or another to bully him about. Anik had been bullied for his heritage, culture, grades, and just about anything else his childhood tormentors could think of. It had not been Anik’s fault to which heritage and culture he was born too. His bullies could also not blame Anik been one of the best students of every science, maths and history based class he took throughout his entire academic career. But out of jealousy and ignorance, Anik had been isolated and bullied by his peers throughout elementary, middle and the beginning of high school. That all changed however when Anik was sixteen. That was the year Anik met her, Farha Bhatt.From the moment he first saw her in the halls between classes, Anik knew there was something special about Farha Bhatt. Farha gave off an air of mystery and respect, like that of a medieval princess. She was kind, smart and beautiful but also possessed a fiery temper and sharp tongue. Anik had instantly fallen in love with Farha when she fought of several of his worst bullies at once. The two had been inseparable from that moment throughout the remainder of their high school years and well in to college. Upon graduating college and obtaining their PhDs in their respective fields (Anik had double majored in business and ancient history, Farha in technological design and engineering), Anik and Farha had married and gone on to found their own company, Anand Industries.From the initial backing of their parents and several wealthy investors, Anik and Farha worked tirelessly for seven years to ensure Anand Industries had a firm footing in the world of alternative energy resources. The front of their company had to appear profitable and legitimate in order to keep preying eyes from looking in to the couples' true on goings within their company.
Even Anik and Farha’s own daughter, Vega Anand, knew nothing about what her parents were researching behind classified doors in their company. That was until today.Anik sighed, casually straightening his tie and adjusting the coat of his suit for the seventh time in the last ten minutes. The CEO of Anand Industries kept his dark gaze turned from his daughter, who had been demanding answers from him. Why was this so difficult? Anik knew this day would eventually come. He had had nineteen years to prepare to tell his daughter the truth. But now that he
was actually faced with telling
the truth to her, Anik did not know what to do. Luckily for Anik, he had planned for his hesitation in telling his daughter and brought backup in the form of James Kingston and Roberto Johnson.The two men had been hand chosen by Anik for their degrees and backgrounds related to his and his wife’s secret interest of study. James Kingston had graduated from the University of Manchester in England with a degree in engineering. Roberto Johnson had achieved his degree in computer science from the University of Alberta, much closer to home. Anik and Roberto had actually been closely acquainted since college. It was that reason Anik had asked Roberto to work for him and eventually shared the truth with Roberto, and later James, about Anand Industries. If any two people would be able to help him break the truth to his daughter it would be those two.Vega’s obsidian gray eyes narrowed as she glared at her father. “Dad, what’s going on? Who was that guy who kidnapped me? Do you know him? And why are Mr. Kingston and Mr. Johnson here? Do they know what’s going on with that guy?”“There is a lot your mother and I have been keeping from you, Vega,” Anik told his daughter. “In a way you could say I know the man who kidnapped you. I have never spoken to him, but for the past twenty-four years your mother and I have been keeping him hidden. We inherited the duty from your grandparents once they passed. My parents would have traditionally taken over the position before your mother and I, but they had died several year prior forcing Farha and I to take over in their stead.”Vega was dumbstruck by what her father said. What did the person who kidnapped her have to do with her grandparents? And what did her father mean by inheriting the position? This was just getting more complicated. Why couldn’t her father just give her a straight answer for once in her life?Suddenly, James Kingston stepped forward. Vega looked at the father of her best friend, craning her head so her obsidian gray eyes could meet with James’ piercing black ones. James Kingston was a strong, muscular man with an impressive six feet four height. For a man approaching fifty, James dark skin showed little sign of ageing and his goatee had little gray hair (though he had shaved his head because most of the dark curls had gone gray). James raised one of his large, strong hands and placed it on Vega’s shoulder.“There is much to be discussed between you and your father, Vega. Please, give him the chance and the time to explain everything to you properly. There is much you have to hear and your father does not wish for you to stop trusting him once you have been told the truth,” James said gently, his deep British accent reminding Vega so much of Martha and how much she missed her.
Why had she not heard from Martha in five days? Did her best friend’s sudden silence have something to do with the secret Vega’s parents had been keeping from her?“Alright,” Vega said after a few moments of silence. “I’ll listen to what my dad has to say. But I don’t want any more cryptic answers. I want to be told the truth straight to my face. Understood!”A sharp laugh got everyone’s attention. All eyes turned to look at the origin of the laugh, Roberto Johnson. Roberto was leaned back against the wall, hands shoved in to the pockets of his lab coat. Without looking up, Roberto pulled the thin wire frame glasses from his face and slowly cleaned them with the hem of his lab coat. Roberto’s strong lightly bronzed facial features contorted as he focused on cleaning his glasses.“Do not expect any fully truthful answers from Mr. Anand regarding his secret line of work. He always has some secret up his sleeve he’s not willing to tell anyone, even those closest to him,” Roberto said, an underlying hint of venom in his tone.James glared at Roberto as the other man put his glasses back on. James’ piercing black gaze met with Roberto’s dark one. Neither man looked away as they stared daggers at the other, almost seeming to try and look in to the other’s soul.“What are you saying, Roberto? You were the one who convinced me to more my entire family from England to here five years ago because you said Mr. Anand was trustworthy. What has caused your opinion to change so suddenly after all these years you loyally worked for him?”Roberto scoffed, glaring at the slightly older and taller man.
James might have had four inches and a lot of muscle on Roberto, but the forty-seven year old man was still strong and athletic enough to take the other man in a fight if it came down to it. Roberto undid and redid his ponytail, adjusting the black locks so they fell evenly down his back to his waist. James recognised the habit as one Roberto only did when under stress. He had been seeing the other man do that a lot lately, and James knew why. The reason was probably the same as to why Roberto suddenly mistrusted Mr. Anand despite having known the other man since college.“I have not seen my sons in five days, James,” Roberto said, trying his best to keep his anger in check. “I have no idea where Jaden and Keith could be. I lost Ava in that car crash eleven years ago. I can’t lose my sons either. And the only reason they’re missing is because Anik allowed them to go to his cabin.”James’ only sighed at Roberto’s controlled outburst. “Do you not think I’m not worried for my own children, Roberto? Martha and Carly were at that cabin with Jaden and Keith. Don’t suggest that Skylar and I aren’t worried about our daughters any less then you are about your sons! It was no one’s fault in their disappearance, Roberto. We knew something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. With what our children are, you cannot tell me that you did not expect this to happen.”Roberto clenched his fists, fighting every urge to punch the other man in the face. He didn’t care what any old texts said about his sons’ hair colour, or that one of James’ daughters also bore the same destiny as his sons. He just wanted his sons back. Was that so much to ask?Vega had no idea what the two men were going on about. What did the disappearance of Martha, her sister and cousins have to do with the guy who kidnapped her? And what did any of that have to do with her father keeping some mysterious truth from her all these years. Everything just seemed to keep getting more and more confusing. All Vega wanted was a few straight forward answers without any of this ridiculous cloak and dagger routine.The door to the small conference room opened, drawing everyone’s attention. A man dressed in scrubs had entered the room carrying a tablet. Anik took the tablet from the man and gave it once over before turning his attention to James, Roberto and Vega.“Our friend is finally agreed to talk with us. He’s apparently still too weak to be taken to an interview room but security has been posted throughout the eastern medical wing encase he attempts another escape. The doctors don’t know how long he’ll be conscious for so we have to move fast if we want to talk with him,” Anik reported. The CEO looked down at the tablet again before turning his full attention to his daughter. “Vega, I want you to accompany us when we talk with this man. You’ll get all the answers you seek and more, I promise you. But I need you to come with us.”“Do I even have a choice,” Vega said glaring daggers at her father. Anik shuddered under his daughter’s gaze, reminding him so much of his wife. That reminded him, he’d yet to inform Farha of anything. He could only imagine what sort of torture his wife would put him through when she found out he hadn’t informed her right away of the stasis crystal shattering. But Anik would have to worry about that later. Right now he needed to get answers from that man or else his daughter would beat his wife in torturing him.The eastern medical wing was only a twenty minute walk from the conference room. Vega was unnerved by seeing all the armed guards and medical staff moving about the underground facilities she had never even known existed in her parents’ company. Her parents had a lot of explaining to do, Vega realised. There was no need for an alternative energy company to have need for this many armed guards or medical professionals on staff. Whatever her parents had been in to all these years, Vega had a feeling it was not entirely legal. What other reason could there be for all these precautions her had taken to keep this part of Anand Industries hidden from the public eye?The four stopped outside a door with four heavily armed guards. Upon seeing Anik, the guards stepped aside and let the four of them enter. The room was cramped, the majority of the
space being taken up by the number of machines lining the walls. Lying in the bed in the centre of the room was Vega’s kidnapper, his arms restrained to keep him from pulling out all the tubes and wires hooking him up to various machines. Upon seeing the four enter the room, the young man sat up, disturbing the blanket covering him. Vega was glad the medical staff had managed to get a hospital gown on the man before they had to deal with him.
She’d rather not have to deal with facing any more nude men until she had a boyfriend.“Are you the one charged with leadership?” the kidnapper growled, glaring at Anik.Anik smiled. “I am one of the co-owners and founders of Anand Industries. My name is Anik Anand. This is James Kingston and Roberto Johnson. And you have already met my daughter, Vega.” Anik gestured to everyone as he introduced them. James gave a polite nod while Roberto twisted one arm over his chest, which seemed to catch the young man by surprise. Vega just glared daggers at her kidnapper, wanting to get away from him as soon as possible.After a few tense moments of silence, the young man introduced himself.“I am Tempest of House Amir, second son of Silence and Hopeful, bodyguard, protectorate and sword to Princess Starlight of House Swere, crowned heir to the throne of Lemuria. Who may all ye be and what have you done with the princess? Answer me now or I swear by my first ancestor I shall kill you savages where you stand.”“You are in no position to be making demands,” Anik stated, forcing the enraged warrior back onto the bed when he tried to sit up. Tempest glared at Anik. He batted the other man’s hands away from him, snarling like an enraged beast of having someone else’s bare hands placed upon him.“How dare you lay your bare hands upon me, you filthy savage! When word reaches Lemuria of my awakening I shall see to it that all of you are executed for detaining me and holding the princess captive! Your pitiful country shall not survive the wrath brought on upon it by all of Lemuria!”Anik, James and Roberto turned their gaze to each other. Vega saw the looks of concern and pity spread across the three men’s faces. The three knew something about this Lemuria place this Tempest character kept mentioning. And from the sombre expressions on the three men’s faces, Vega could only guess at what fate befell this Lemuria.“I’m sorry,” Anik said after a few awkward moments of silence, “but no one from Lemuria will be coming for you. Lemuria has fallen. The entire continent was submerged, alongside Atlantis and Mu, twenty-three hundred years ago. I am sorry to inform you of this, Tempest, but you are the last Lemurian left in existence.”A pregnant pause hovered throughout the room as Tempest’s face distorted in a look of complete and utter horror. Tempest refused to believe what Anik told him. There could be no way in the ancestor’s name that Lemuria could have possibly sunk beneath the sea. It was impossible for an entire continent to so easily be consumed by a natural disaster. The savage was even claiming that Atlantis and Mu had sunk alongside Lemuria. One of the three civilised continents succumbing to such a calamity Tempest could somewhat believe, but all three. That was impossible. Atlantis was under the protection of its gods. Mu had an entire population of spirit walkers rumoured to be immortal. And Lemuria possessed the most adaptive and advanced technology of all the civilised continents. There was no way for such three glorious empires to just disappear. Therefore, Tempest concluded, the only logical explanation was that the one called Anik was lying to him. For whatever reasons, Tempest did not know or care about. All that mattered to the warrior was getting the truth from his captors and returning to the princess.“Cease your lies, savage. There is no way in the ancestor’s name that Atlantis, Mu and especially Lemuria could fall to such a calamity at once. Lemuria is the greatest and most advanced civilisation in the world. And while Atlantis and Mu are respectively populated by spineless pacifists and non-humans, they are still more than capable of surviving a natural disaster. Besides a disaster as the one you describe could only occur if…”“If there was an imbalance between the Astral Plane and the mortal plane,” Anik said, interrupting Tempest. “I’m afraid there was such an event that occurred at that time. Most scientists believe it was an irregular shift in the Earth’s magnetic field, but in truth a disturbance within the Astral Plane caused excess energy from the Void to seep into the mortal plane. The entire planet was affected but the most damage was done over the three largest sources of magical energy. Those places were Atlantis, Mu and Lemuria.”Tempest still seemed to be in denial of his entire country being destroyed. Sighing, Anik pulled out an old yellowed letter from his breast pocket. He had hoped to convince the Lemurian he was telling the truth before showing him the letter but now it seems he had no choice. Tempest snatched the letter from Anik’s hand upon recognising the royal Lemurian seal stamped upon the paper. The warrior’s keen eyes deciphered the crude runes he was all too familiar with. He recognised the sloppy handwriting and informal formatting. The letter, though written on an unfamiliar form of paper, was indeed genuine. And everything written on it matched exactly with what the stranger had been telling him.A deep sob racked Tempest’s body, nearly causing him to rip the letter. He clutched the letter to his chest, letting the words sink in. His homeland was truly submerged bellow the sea. His entire people and culture were extinct. He was truly the last Lemuria in existence.“How did it happen? How did she die?” Tempest asked once his sobs had quieted down.Anik sighed, avoiding eye contact with the Lemurian as he spoke. “There was a malfunction with the second stasis crystal. She was able to escape and bring you both to the surface by using Atlantean portal magic. Unfortunately, such magic draws from the Void, something
I know you Lemurians are not easily capable of doing. The only way to keep from completely going rogue was to sacrifice all of her magic to the Void, rendering her completely mortal.
I believe you can understand the implications that such an act holds for a being such as yourself.”Tempest’s only reply was a loud scoff. He knew all too well the consequences of anyone, be it Atlantean, Muese or Lemurian, who was foolish enough to sacrifice all their magic to the Void. The individual become nothing more than an average mortal, with all the drawbacks and limitations associated with such a meagre existence. No sane Lemurian would perform such an act willingly, not even to save someone they loved. To do so would be considered the ultimate sin, as one was rejecting everything that it meant to be Lemurian. Tempest could not imagine Princess Starlight sacrificing her entire identity just to save him, but she had. It was the only explanation his muddled mind could come up with. He had caused the princess to lose everything about herself, stripped her of her identity. It was Tempest’s fault that the princess had committed the ultimate sin and he would have to live with the guilt for the rest of his life.The tense air hanging over everyone was broken by a loud heavy metal song blasting from someone’s cell phone. All eyes turned to the owner of the offending device, and it was Roberto. The long haired man smiled sheepishly as he went to turn of his phone, having forgotten to silence it, when he saw who was calling. Instantly, Roberto answered his phone, not caring that his boss was in front of him or that everyone else was giving him strange looks.“Jaden?! Where on earth have you been? Do you know how worried I was about you and your brother?...What…Jaden…What was that?...Slow down son. I don’t understand a thing you’re saying…What?!...Are you sure?...Don’t yell at me mister…Alright, I’ll be there in the hour. But you have a lot of explaining to do when I...”Without even giving him time to finish his sentence, the line went dead. Roberto felt his anger rising. He nearly threw his phone across the room but restrained himself. He was still at work. He would have time to freak out and yell at his son later.“That was Jaden. Apparently he and everyone else are at Anik’s cabin. He said to bring extra cars and medical supplies. I couldn’t get much out of him but from the sounds of it there were a lot more than four people there. I normally wouldn’t ask this but I need to get to my sons, Anik. I have to get to them before it’s too late.”The fear and desperation was clear in Roberto’s voice. James put a hand on Roberto’s shoulder, knowing just how the other man was feeling. This was the first sign of contact from any of their missing children in five days. Both men had been worried sick about their children, and now they received a call from them saying they needed extra cars and medical supplies! What ever the reason for those requests, neither father knew it could have been good.Without any further delay, James and Roberto were rushing towards their cars. Anik had joined his two employees, feeling there was more of a reason for the four children’s disappearance and sudden reappearance. Vega had forced her way into coming, stating that her father still owed her answers and she’d also been worried about Martha. Anik had reluctantly allowed his daughter to accompany them, but only if Vega swore to do everything he said. Vega had quickly agreed, but instantly regretted it as her father put her in charge of watching over Tempest, who Anik insisted come along with them for whatever reason.As soon as the three men reached their respective cars (Vega and Tempest riding with Anik) they sped off out of the underground parking and onto the street. The drive to the cabin normally would have taken over two hours, but at the speeds the three men were driving they made it there in under ninety minutes. And the sight that beheld them as soon as they stepped out of the cars was not one any of them had been expecting.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Three cars pulled up to a dismal, ramshackle structure that could barely be called a cabin. James, Roberto and Anik were the first out of their cars followed shortly by Vega and Tempest. The Lemurian had insisted on coming along, despite protests from the medical staff. Anik had allowed the Lemurian warrior to come with them, but only on the condition that Tempest dress in appropriate clothing. It had been a struggle to get the Lemurian to put on the jeans and black turtleneck Anik provided for him once Tempest had been cleared by the medical staff to leave. Only after Vega threatened to lay her hands on him did Tempest reluctantly agree to wear the “savage coverings” as he so called them, but only after being provided with a beanie and gloves to cover what Tempest’s Lemurian sensibilities declared to be the most private areas of his body.
For no civilised person, in Tempest’s own words, walked about with exposed hair and hands for the entire world to see.
The drive had been long but ignoring most of the speeding laws, they had managed to reach the cabin in record time. The five approached the cabin only to find more than the four people they were expecting to be there. Eight people, all with varying degrees of injuries, and four strange beasts were outside the cabin seemingly awaiting their arrival. Vega was horrified by the sight of the injured people and strange creatures protectively circling them. Anik was also horrified but more excited than his daughter to see more proof to his theories about the ancient world being true. Roberto and James did not even notice the blood or strange creatures, only focusing on their children within the group of strangers. Tempest was the only one who did not react to the sight, being used to the sight of injured warriors and astral-beasts.
One could not have risen to his position in Lemurian society or the royal court without having seen battle or taken a few lives along the way. After a while, one got use to such sights even if the guilt and fear never entirely went away.Four of the people and two of the strange beasts broke away from the rest of the group. The four people, all of them boys no more than sixteen, were clad in white kilts and golden chest armour. Their clothing was bloody and dishevelled, as though they recently came from battle. Two of the boys were armed with swords, shields, knives, daggers and spears while the other two were only carrying bows and empty quivers. The strange beasts flanking the four were just as bloodied and fierce as the four boys which they surrounded. One of the beasts was a winged golden lioness with a woman’s head, piercing yellow eyes glaring at anyone who dared to get to close to the four. The second beast was a black lion with a scorpion-like tail, bat-like wings and a human face. This beast’s sharp yellow gaze caused anyone who locked eyes with it to stop dead in their tracks, praying that they had not been spotted by the dark beast.Roberto gasped as he recognised his sons among the boys who stepped forward, or at least he thought they were his sons. It seemed as though each of Roberto’s sons had somehow gained an identical twin. It was nearly impossible to tell his sons apart from their doppelgangers but Roberto noticed the slight differences in appearance to tell him who in the pairs were his real sons.The pair that resembled Roberto’s eldest son, Jaden, was nearly identical in appearance. Both possessed the same six feet two stature and strong facial features alongside bronze skin, braided red hair and blue eyes. However, Roberto noticed one of the boys had a slightly lighter complexion and waist length hair, whilst the other’s hair ended at his hips. The golden circlet, earrings, leg bracers and gauntlets worn by the latter also helped Roberto differentiate the two. The toned physique of one of the boys filled out his broad shoulders, chest, and limbs; while the other’s physique was slim and lean muscled. Roberto knew the boy with the lighter complexion and slim physique was his son Jaden, whilst the other (armed with more weapons) was the doppelganger.The second pair of doppelgangers resembled Roberto’s younger son, Keith. Roberto had an easier time identifying his son amongst the pair. Besides the identical soft facial features, six feet stature, blond hair and blue eyes, there was little similarity in physique between the two. Keith had copper skin, was thin, scrawny and cut his hair short. Keith’s doppelganger on the other hand was lean with a slim muscular build and braided hair that trailed down his back to his hips.Roberto noticed Keith’s doppelganger had a golden pendent around his neck which he clung to desperately with one hand as he clutched a sword in the other. Keith put a hand on his doppelganger’s shoulder, whispering comforting words in a language Roberto could not understand.
The blond doppelganger yelled at Keith in that strange language, fiercely shaking Keith’s hand off. The two blonds exchanged more heated words in that strange language, the black lion-like beast flanking them getting more aggravated the louder their yelling became. Without warning, Keith was smacked across the face by his doppelganger. Realising what he had done, the young blond sank to the ground crying. Keith knelt beside his doppelganger, avoiding eye contact with the snarling black lion-like creature at the other blond boy’s side.Jaden and his doppelganger looked at Keith and his double. The red haired doppelganger spoke in that strange language, reaching a hand out to the pair. Jaden placed a hand on his double’s shoulder. Two sets of blue eyes met and a silent agreement was exchanged between the two with a slight exchange of nods. With a heavy sigh, the red haired doppelganger followed Jaden to his father, flanked the entire time by the golden winged lioness.Roberto could no longer contain himself. The moment Jaden was within arm’s reach, Roberto pulled his son to his chest in a tight embrace. Jaden awkwardly returned his father’s embrace, unable to actually remember the last time father and son had truly hugged one another. Jaden was sure he saw tears in his father’s eyes but that could not be true. Ever since his mother’s funeral, Jaden had not seen his father cry over anything. The man had buried himself in his work, sometimes going days without seeing his sons at a time. Seeing so much emotion from his father directed at him when he wasn’t being yelled at for his poor grades or starting another fight at school, made Jaden slightly unsettled. Who was this man who stood before him, freely bearing his heart to Jaden?“Where have you all been these last five days, Jaden?” Roberto asked through tears, voice cracking and hoarse. “I haven’t heard anything from either of you in five days! Do you know how worried I saw about you and Keith? Don’t ever scare me like that again. Do you understand me?”Jaden had no idea how to respond to his father so he just came out and said, “Dad, I can’t breathe. You’re squeezing me too tight.” Roberto instantly let his son go. He apologised profusely, not wanting to hurt his son after being worried sick about him for so long. The act only caused Jaden to freak out more, which in turn made Roberto panic about his son more. It was only when a deep, gentle voice spoke up in a strange language that the father and son stopped panicking over the other’s behaviour. Jaden and Roberto turned to the red haired boy who wore Jaden’s face and the winged golden lioness at his side.The red haired boy twisted his arm over his chest and spoke what Roberto thought was supposed to be a friendly greeting. It was hard to tell with how strange the language the boy spoke. It sounded like a mixture between Ancient Latin, Ancient Egyptian and Old Norse but only in the grammatical structure for the former and the tone and some words from the latter two. The only word Roberto could clearly understand was his son’s name as the identical stranger reached out a hand towards his son. Jaden took his double’s hand without any hesitation and introduced him to his father.“Dad, I know this is going to be hard to believe but I spent the last five days in Atlantis. I know you don’t believe in any of those conspiracy theories or ancient myths I’m always going on about but I’m telling you the truth this time. This is Prince Dark Shade of the Dark Light Clan. That kid near Keith is Dark Shade’s cousin, Prince White Light of the Dark Light Clan. The two of them are the crowned princes of Atlantis and Keith’s and mine mirror-selves! That’s the reason we look alike! We’re two halves of the same soul,” Jaden explained to his father.“Jaden I…” Jaden cut his father off before he could continue speaking.“Please don’t interrupt me this time, Dad! I’m not done talking yet. For once you have to listen to me finish what I have to say. If you still don’t believe a word I’m saying, look at the strange creatures that accompany us. The creature following Dark Shade is a sphinx named Sandstorm. She’s Dark Shade’s astral-partner. The creature near Keith and White Light is a manticore named Nightrunner. He’s White Light’s astral-partner.” Jaden gestured to the two impressive beasts as he introduced them to his father. “These are two mythical creatures standing right in front of you, Dad. They’re living; breathing creatures that you cannot deny exist. And if these astral-beasts are real then everything I said about Atlantis has to be real too.”“Jaden,” Roberto yelled, “I already know that Atlantis is real!”“What? Could you repeat what you just said?” Jaden asked sure he had misheard his father say that he knew Atlantis was real. There was no way his strict, no nonsense father believed in something as outlandish as Atlantis. Jaden hadn’t even believed in Atlantis until he actually saw it with his own eyes.“I said I already know that Atlantis is real. I know about astral-beasts and how they form contracts with Atlanteans, becoming their astral-partner. I know about the bond items which allows for an Atlantean to cast their magic. I know about the blood oath the Atlanteans bound themselves with to keep them from killing another person. And I know all about mirror-selves. Red mirror-selves, such as you and Martha, are destined to travel to Atlantis and make it their home. Blond mirror-selves, such as Keith, are destined to have their Atlantean counterpart seek them out and make that place their home. I know everything about Atlantis, Jaden, which is why I never wanted you to learn about it.”Jaden could not believe what his father just told him. Roberto, his father, who rejected anything he couldn’t see as not existing; actually knew about the legendary sunken continent of Atlantis.
He must have accidentally traveled to an alternate universe when they all stepped through that portal. It was the only logical explanation Jaden could fathom to how his father actually believed in Atlantis.While Roberto was busy calming down his shocked son, James was busy reuniting with his daughter Carly. Tears welled in Carly’s big brown eyes, streaming down her dark cheeks. The loose cascade of dark, waist-length curls flew behind the thirteen-year-old girl as she ran in to her father’s waiting embrace. Carly’s slight five feet three stature and slender build nearly made her disappear in the broad, towering presence of her father’s embrace.“Carly, I’m so glad you’re safe. Your mother and I were worried sick about you and Martha.” James looked around and noticed his eldest daughter was nowhere to be seen. “Carly, where is Martha?”At the mention of her sister’s name, Carly’s face fell. The young girl began to cry; explaining in that strange language between sobs what James could only think to be the fate that befell his eldest daughter. Carly kept on telling her father about what happened to Martha but all she got from him was a blank stare. Finally remembering the translation spell the Atlanteans had cast on her, alongside her sister and cousins, Carly called out to one of the Atlanteans.James observed the young boy who approached his daughter. The boy could not have been much older than fourteen but the five feet six stature, lean muscles and athletic physique made him seem far older. The boy was devoid of any clothing, dark skin only being covered by unruly black hair that fell to his hips. There was a haunted expression in the boy’s brown eyes, a look that no one, especially a child, should harbour.Carly conversed with the boy in that strange language. The boy replied and nodded, seeming to agree with whatever Carly had said. Briefly touching the golden anklet encircling his left ankle, the boy said a few words and clapped. He then grabbed Carly by the front of the bloodied white robe she was wearing and kissed her. The kiss ended as abruptly as it began, causing James to wonder if he truly just saw his thirteen-year-old daughter kissing a naked boy.“Daddy,” Carly said, able to speak English once again, “this is Quick Thunder. He’s not dangerous. He’s been protecting me ever since we went missing.”The boy identified as Quick Thunder bowed his head, twisting an arm across his chest as he greeted James. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, James of the Kingston Clan. I am Quick Thunder of the Rising Storm Clan, second cousin to Prince Dark Shade and Prince White Light of the Dark Light Clan. Your daughter has told me much about you and I am honoured to finally be within your presence.”Quick Thunder’s face grew grim as he finished introducing himself. “Sir, there is much to inform you of. Martha and my brother are currently…”An unexpected scream cut Quick Thunder off mid-sentence. Everyone within ear shot turned to see what caused the scream. It came from one of the two remaining Atlanteans.
The two, one male and one female were in no better if not worse shape than any the others scattered about the ramshackle hut that could barely be called a cabin. In all the excitement of being reunited with his daughter, James had forgotten that these kids were injured. Turning to his brother-in-law James said “Roberto, grab the first aid kits! These kids need help.”Roberto hurried to his car to retrieve the first aid kits they had brought.James knelt beside a young Atlantean Quick Thunder identified as Rustling Wind of the Gentle Breeze Clan as he called out orders to his brother-in-law. Rustling Wind looked different from the other Atlanteans they had seen thus far. He was slender and skinny, giving him the impression of being taller than he actually was, standing at a rather short (for an Atlantean) five feet eight. His waist-length hair was the lightest brown that perfectly complimented his ivory skin. His face was earnest and soft complementing gentle brown eyes. Blood soaked the young Atlantean’s skin, hair and clothes. An arrow was sticking out of his shoulder, penetrating the golden armour about his chest.James tried to help get the arrow out of Rustling Wind’s shoulder when he saw the female Atlantean, who Quick Thunder identified as Joyful Melody of the Singing Flute Clan, quickly get between them. Joyful Melody was an intimidating figure, standing six-four with an athletic build and limbs corded with powerful muscles. Blood soaked the young girl’s clothing, crimson rivers trailing down her bronze skin.
Blood matted Joyful Melody’s hair, the brown tresses coming free from its waist length braid. Joyful Melody’s dark gaze narrowed as she extended a medium sized gold rod towards James. The glittering purple jewel mounted on the golden rod caught James’ eye as the Atlantean girl yelled at him in her strange tongue.A small female figure with bronzed skin, long silver hair that fell to her knees and transparent butterfly wings flew passed Joyful Melody and began buzzing around James’ head. The creature was a fairy, most likely Rustling Wind’s astral-partner by how protective the small creature seemed to be of the young Atlantean. Another creature ran up beside Joyful Melody, flaring massive black wings as it let out a blood curtailing scream. The astral-beast’s ugly woman-like head and bare torso, massive wings, black feathers and bird like feet could only belong to a harpy. James realised the harpy had to be Joyful Melody’s astral-partner.Joyful Melody kept yelling at James, her harpy astral-partner continuously flaring its wings as her voice grew in volume. The female Atlantean chanted something in her language, the purple jewel at the end of her rod beginning to glow. Suddenly, someone grabbed Joyful Melody’s ankle. She turned to see who grabbed her ankle only to be surprised to see it was Rustling Wind. The two Atlanteans exchanged heated words, the conversation going back and forth until finally reaching an agreement. Joyful Melody reluctantly set aside her rod, settling herself beside Rustling Wind.Roberto finally had the first aid kits. He handed one to James before kneeling to tend to Rustling Wind’s injuries. James was frozen for a moment before Joyful Melody stuck her arm in the man’s face. Locking eyes with the girl, James began to tend to her wounds.Anik had started helping load everyone into the cars. The Atlanteans were unsure of the vehicles but with reassurance from Jaden, Keith and Carly they cautiously climbed into the cars. The four astral-partners remained close to the vehicles their partners inhabited. The astral-beasts refused to return to the Astral Plane, instead planning to fly above the strange vehicles.
Vega watched as her father, James and Roberto finished helping everyone get into the cars. The young woman was lost in thought. She did not know how to react with everything she had just seen. In less than a day her entire world had been turned completely upside down. Everything she thought she knew about her parents and the world was wrong. How was she supposed to deal with this? Her parents had lied to her! They had lied and expected her to just accept it!Someone brushed against Vega’s shoulder. She turned and saw it was Tempest. The Lemurian warrior looked down at Vega from his impressive seven foot height. Vega glared at the warrior, not wanting to deal with anyone especially Tempest.“Leave me alone. I don’t want to deal with anyone, especially you. Everything that’s happened to me is your fault! The moment I met you my entire world was turned upside down! I wish I never met you!”Tempest's face remained blank, revealing no reaction to Vega's outburst. "Do not forget that you are the only one whose entire world was shattered. I awoke from the crystal stasis to learn my entire country was destroyed. Everyone I ever knew and loved are dead. I am alone in the world. However, you are not. Be grateful for what you have. You might not have it someday."
Vega watched as Tempest walked
away, leaving her to contemplate everything that happened to her.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Medical personal and security guards were waiting for them the moment they pulled up to Anand Industries. Everyone slowly opened the car doors as the security guards surrounded them, only allowing the medical personal to pass. The Atlanteans reached for their weapons, the astral-partners prepared to attack at their partner’s command. Jaden, Keith and Carly hurriedly went to the Atlanteans, calming them before the security guards pulled their guns. When everything was settled, the medical personal and security guards escorted the Atlanteans, astral-beasts, Jaden, Keith and Carly to the medical wing, James and Roberto in tow.Anik watched the coalition disappear before he turned his attention to his daughter. Vega was still watching the massive group leave, wondering what the Atlanteans could possibly be talking about in their strangely beautiful language. She had tried to ask Tempest if he knew anything about Atlantis in the car but any mention of the legendary sunken continent was only met with complete silence from the Lemurian. Even now, Tempest just stood stalk still, staying as far from her as he could get away with.“Vega,” Anik said, trying to get his daughter’s attention. Vega turned to her father, forgetting about Tempest for the moment. “I know you have some questions. I called your mother in the car and asked her to wait for us in my office. She’ll be able to explain everything better than I can. Your mother’s only condition is for Tempest to be there when she explains everything. He has to be told the truth just as you do, Vega.”Vega detested the thought of being around the Lemurian but her desire for answers outweighed her annoyance for the silent warrior. With his daughter and Tempest in tow, Anik led the way to his office. The three traveled down abandoned halls and stairwells, avoiding the main elevators in fear of Tempest summoning his black scimitar and attacking someone. Eventually, after taking far longer than he would have liked, Anik opened the door to his office where his beloved wife, Farha, was patiently awaiting their arrival.Farha rose from her seat and approached her husband, daughter and Tempest. She had changed out of the formal business attire Vega last saw her mother in before everything in her life turned completely upside down. Instead Farha dressed in a brightly coloured red garment, similar to an Indian sari, with a matching headscarf covering her hair. She had worn the clothing (which Farha inherited from her mother) hoping it would make the Lemurian warrior feel more at easy while she was talking with him. Farha turned to Tempest, bowing slightly to the Lemurian.“Greetings, Tempest of House Amir, second son of Silence and Hopeful, bodyguard, protectorate and sword to Princess Starlight of House Swere, crowned heir to the throne of Lemuria. My people have been awaiting your release from the crystal stasis for well over twenty-three centuries, my lord. It is a pleasure to see you once again walking freely amongst us.”Tempest raised a gloved hand, gesturing for Farha to rise from her bow. “Such words for me are not necessary. I am but a servant to the royal family. If the words in that letter are in fact true, then it is I who should be bowing to you, my lady. Though the few of your kin that I have personally met do not seem to act properly as would be befitting of their station suggests.”It did not take much for Vega to realise Tempest’s last comment was directed at her. She wanted to hit the Lemurian but a sharp glare from her mother kept Vega frozen in her seat. With no more distractions, Farha got down to business.“I shall begin with a history lesson. This is important, as Tempest is unaware of what happened following the great flood and most of the history you have been taught in school, Vega, is wrong. Twenty-three hundred years ago, the continents of Atlantis, Lemuria and Mu sunk beneath the sea. No one entirely knows why these three great and powerful continents were destroyed. Some say it was an act the gods for mortals overstepping their bounds and others speculate a shift in the magnetic field of the planet caused a shift in the balance between this world, the Void and the Astral Plane. However the continents sunk, they all did, taking with them most of the world’s connection to magic. A few places still managed to maintain a small connection to magic following the catastrophe which destroyed three great and powerful empires. All these places were in fact colonies of the three great ancient superpowers. Atlantis had the largest reach with colonies established in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and part of North and South America. Mu only had a few small colonies dotted throughout the globe, not having seen much use in exploration or expanding their borders. Lemuria, however, had smaller but more numerous populations throughout Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and Australia. That, in combination with the Lemurians lesser dependence on magic; allowed their colonies to continue to thrive for generations while the Atlantis and Mu colonies slowly died out over the centuries.”Vega’s eyes widened when the implications of her mother’s words sunk in.“You mean that you are from one of these Lemurian colonies, Mom?” Vega asked her mother, fear and awe evident in her voice.Farha nodded. “That is correct, my daughter. I was born in the colony of Kumari Kandam. My father, grandparents, great-grandparents and countless generations going back have lived in that colony for centuries following Lemuria’s destruction. Your father is also from the colonies, though he was not born in to them. His family originated from the Lothal colony, but the colony was abandoned after nearly a century of poor crops and disease nearly wiped out the colony’s entire population. Refugees from Lothal came to Kumari Kandam, as it was the last remaining, fully functional Lemurian colony within India. My father, the magistrate of our colony, permitted for the Lothal refugees to take refuge and to be integrated in to our population. We needed new blood, preferable others of Lemurian descendent, to keep from dying out ourselves through excessive inbreeding. However, he took particular interest in all the pregnant women and their partners. There were several pregnant women among the Lothal refugees, but only your father’s parents were expecting a boy. My father took great interest in this because his own wife, my mother was pregnant with me at the time.
They struck up a deal for your father and me to be betrothed to one another in exchange for his parents to move to Canada and continue the research he had begun there. As your father’s parents were not that highly ranked or regarded within their own colony, they accepted the offer and were smuggled into Canada with forged documents provided by my father. The plan was for mother to follow after in a few months, but as you know, World War Three finally reached India and became a threat to Kumari Kandam.”Vega knew all too well about what her mother was talking about. She had learned about all three of the world wars in school. World War One (1910-1921) had been orchestrated as a power grab between all the major world powers following the assassination of the German Kaiser. World War Two (1941-1952) had been fought over a massive insurgence from colonies rising up for independence at once, resulting in war between them and the major powers. World War Three (1981-1985) had been more a global fight for resources than anything else. But with the revelation of places such as Atlantis and Lemuria existing, Vega could not wonder if they had something to do with those and other global conflicts.
“Many times the armies of Russia, China, Korea, Pakistan and countless other nations nearly invaded our borders. The only reason we survived was because my father had contact with the colonies within those countries and the agents he had within the inner circles of the Russian Tzar, Chinese and Korean Emperors and various presidents and prime ministers. Kumari Kandam survived the war without discovery but we still had to rebuild and re-establish connections with the other colonies. When my mother passed shortly before I turned sixteen, my father sent me to Canada in order to finally meet with my betrothed and continue my work. He sent with me only two things, the crystal containing Tempest and a letter written by my mother. From there you know the story of how your father and I met and founded Anand Industries. However, what you do not know who my mother was.”Farha turned from her daughter to the Lemurian her father entrusted her to guard. “That letter my mother wrote was addressed to you, was it not? I know my husband informed me that you read the letter. You know the truth of my mother’s identity and that of mine and my daughter’s. I plan to let my daughter know who my mother was but I was hoping for your permission first. After all, the two of you were rather close from what I gathered of the stories she told me.”“You may due as you wish with the information,” Tempest said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I have no choice but to follow my lady’s words. And the last words she ever gave to me in that letter stated she wished for me to allow for her descendants to be told the truth about her.”With an understanding nod, Farha turned to her daughter once again. She had been waiting nineteen years to reveal the truth to Vega. But Farha could not help but wonder what her daughter would think of her after Vega learned the truth about her lineage. It was a chance she would have to take though if they were to ever have a chance at restoring balance to the world.“From the time my father found my mother washed up on the shores of Kumari Kandam she went by the name Vega—which you were named for, my daughter—but that was not the name she bore at birth. My mother was not just a descendent of the Lemurians like the rest of the colonists. She was a Lemurian, the crowned princess to be precise. My mother was Princess Starlight of House Swere.”“But how could nani be a Lemurian princess?” Vega asked, in shocked at the revelation of her grandmother’s true identity. “You said Lemuria sunk more than two thousand years ago. She’d have been way too young to have possibly lived when Lemurian was on the surface, let alone been the country’s princess.”Tempest scoffed at Vega’s presumptuous assumption about the Lemurian lifespan. Vega heard the scoff and turned to face the Lemurian warrior. Tempest just turned his gaze from the one who so closely resembled his beloved princess.“Do you have something to say to me?” Vega asked, glaring daggers at Tempest.Tempest answered his princess’ granddaughter; gaze still turned away from her. “I have merely realised how truly ill-informed you are on everything your family is involved in if you do not even know the average lifespan for a Lemurian. We Lemurians, alongside the Atlanteans and Muese, live much longer than average mortals. For our first millennia we age to the equivalent of one year for every century. Following the first thousand years we age even slower, at a rate congruent to one year for every two and a half centuries that pass. On average all three of the races could live between twenty to thirty thousand years.”Vega’s jaw hit the floor. “Then how old are you?”“Discounting the years I spent in the crystal stasis, I am thirty-five centuries old, approximately twenty in your terms. The princess was only two thousand when tragedy struck our lands. Within your terms the princess would have only been fourteen when she lost her entire homeland and was forced to enter the crystal stasis and awoke to learn everything and everyone she ever cared about was gone. She was far too young for such a harsh and tragic fate to befall upon her.”Tempest trailed off. His mind kept going back to the night where he had lost everything. He could still remember feeling the bond with his parents snap, signifying their death, as he rushed through the crumbling halls of the palace after his brother and the princess. Tempest remembered the pain he felt seeing his brother, All Knowing; calmly accepting his fate to die. His brother had not even shed a single tear as he approached the stasis crystal alongside the princess. All Knowing had just been as calm and controlled as he always was, accepting
the hand fate bestowed upon with grace and dignity. With all his might, Tempest prayed to the ancestors for even a fraction of the strength his brother possessed. Perhaps then he would not be so overwhelmed by the crushing knowledge that he was the last of his people and that he had broken the promise to his brother to protect the princess.“Tempest, are you alright?” Vega asked, reaching out a hand towards the Lemurian. She gently brushed a tear from the warrior’s cheek. Tempest tensed at Vega’s touch, jumping back like a frightened deer. He roughly dried his tears with the sleeve of his turtleneck. The Lemurian tried to regain his composure. He forced down the feelings of pain and anguish building in his chest, beating them into submission as Tempest forced the expressionless mask he had worn since his awakening back in to place.Once Tempest had regained enough control of himself, he turned to Farha. The warrior and businesswoman looked in to the other’s eyes, a mutual understanding established between them for the moment.“Lady Farha, as my mistress’ daughter, I request permission to ask you of the fate of Princess Starlight following her awakening from the crystal stasis?” Tempest’s voice was monotone but Farha could hear the waver in it. Farha realised it was taking all of Tempest’s strength to keep himself from falling apart, as the early tears demonstrated. The least she could do was tell him what happened to her mother, in hopes it would alleviate
some of the pain the Lemurian warrior would carry for the rest of his life.“My father, a man named Ayaan,” said Farha, “found my mother, Princess Starlight, washed up on the shore when he was patrolling the beaches surrounding Kumari Kandam. My father found Starlight unconscious on the shore, clutching a large crystal containing a person. After retrieving help and bringing Starlight and the crystal back to the city, the elders learned the girl found on the shore was a Lemurian. They realised her true identity from the various ceremonial scars covering her body, many of them embalmed with gold. None of us in the colonies still practiced those ancient rituals, though we have stories of them and the symbols are still important to our culture. Those scars, alongside the stasis crystal she was found beside, revealed my mother’s identity as a Lemurian to the elders.”Farha took a deep breath, making sure Tempest was alright before continuing the story. “Ayaan helped Starlight learn to speak their language and helped her adjust to being able to see. As you were already informed, Lord Tempest, Princess Starlight sacrificed her magic in order to save you both. When she sacrificed her magic to the Void in order to safely transport herself and Tempest’s stasis crystal to the surface, the price my mother paid for her clairvoyance was revoked, restoring her eyesight. When my mother could finally communicate, she revealed her identity as the Lemurian princess. Within the following months she married—mated—my father and established the system to protect the remaining stasis crystal until the time you awoke. Now that you have awoken, you are free to go and do as you wish. Though I do hope you will consider staying with us, Tempest. I know it’s what Starlight would have wanted.”Tempest’s only reply was to bow before swiftly exiting the room. Vega, infuriated at the Lemurian’s rudeness, stormed out after him. Anik was about to go after his daughter when Farha caught him by the arm. A single nod was all it took for Anik to understand his wife’s actions. This confrontation had nothing to do with them. From the moment those two had met, there had been a bond between Tempest and Vega. Whatever that bond led those two to become, be it friends or enemies, Anik and Farha could not take part in it. So fate declared. So fate decreed.Vega caught up to Tempest before he was even at the end of the hall. She grabbed the taller man by the arm. Tempest’s head jerked in Vega’s direction the moment her hand made contact with his arm. He let loose a growl as he pulled his arm from Vega’s grasp.“I have told you not to touch me with your bare hands!”Vega frowned. “What is your problem? My mom just offered you a place to stay and you just ran away without even answering. Do you have a problem against my family?”Tempest raised a gloved hand. “I hold nothing against your family personally. The only reason I did not accept your mother’s offer was from the fact Lemurian law forbade me to. I already accepted the offer to join a family preceding the death of those who birthed and sired me. By my people’s law I am forbidden from accepting such another offer, outside mating a member of the offering family. From what I have seen thus far of your family, there are none who would willingly become my mate, thus I cannot accept your mother’s offer to stay with your family.”Vega was shocked at the information Tempest had just revealed to her. She had never thought much about his family, outside the few brief mentions of his parents and brother. She really did not know that much about Tempest. All she had done was judge the Lemurian by their first meeting, and as how unorthodox that first meeting was, Vega knew she could hold it against him forever. Tempest had not intentionally tried to kidnap her. He had just mistook Vega for his princess and tried to protect her before realising his mistake and acting as anyone would if they mistook a complete stranger for someone they cared about. So Vega decided to bridge the gap between the two and get to know Tempest better.“What was your family like?” Vega asked, extending an olive branch to Tempest.Tempest looked at the ceiling, a smile crossing his face as he recalled pleasant memories with his parents and older brother. When Tempest smiled, Vega noticed, his face brightened and softened. He looked younger, more carefree. Vega decided she would try to get Tempest to smile more often if she was successful in starting a friendship with him.“My mothers, Silence and Hopeful, were the best parents anyone could have possibly ask for. Silence had been mute from birth but she was a talented musician. She composed entire sonnets and songs on the sitar, esraj, bansuri, venu, valiha and slek. The majority of Lemurian musicians had to be trained in several instruments and songs, but as my mother Silence was mute she took up more instruments and song writing to make up for her lack of singing capability. My other mother, Hopeful, was a strong and powerful warrior. She served as the commander of an entire faction of the Lemurian army and had dozens of battles to her name. From her I mastered the sword, though her own soul weapon took the form of a longbow.”“How did your parents meet?”Tempest’s smile widened, recalling the story of how his mothers met from heart.
“I have heard the story of how my mothers first met so many times I can recount the entire tale by heart. My mothers first met by chance when they were attending the Summer Solstice Festival that was always held in the captial. Hopeful had been dragged there by several of her fellow apprentice warriors while Silence’s family always performed music during all of Lemuria’s festivals. From how they described the first time they set eyes upon each other, it was love at first sight when the two of them first met. Within the decade of their first meeting the two had been mated and adopted my brother, All Knowing.”“What was your brother like?”
Vega asked, getting intrigued by how excited Tempest was to talk about his family.Tempest’s smile widened as he recalled his beloved older brother. “All Knowing truly lived up to his name. He was almost completely knowledgeable about everything he did. Be it history, combat, negotiation, painting, singing, music, sculpting, trade, designing treaties, or anything else, my brother easily became a master. He was even one of the few people I knew who could form multiple soul weapons. His main were a scimitar and longbow, but he also formed a venu, just as our mother Silence, in more peaceful times to help calm those with anger in their hearts. Despite all his talents, my brother chose the life of a bodyguard for the royal family. And I followed in pursuit of him. The two of us became the bodyguards to Princess Starlight and everything in my life was perfect. I had more than anyone in my position could hope for, given my ancestry.”The smile fell from Tempest’s face as he recalled every harsh word and slur thrown at him throughout his childhood. “I am not a full blooded Lemurian. Only the one who birthed me was of Lemurian blood. My sire was an Atlantean. Though such unions were not uncommon, I was considered vial in that female who birthed me died when I was brought in to the world. I was also considered tainted because my sire killed himself before my fifth century. In Lemuria, those who took their own life were considered vial and all those who shared their blood were also considered tainted. Atlantis did not hold such beliefs, viewing the taking of one’s life honourable depending on the circumstance. Taking your life to join your mate in the afterlife would be considered such a circumstance among the Atlanteans, as he had raised me to an age where I was not entire dependent upon him anymore. But in his actions he nearly doomed me to death. If not for the kindness of Silence and Hopeful, who were friends of my birther, taking me in I would have been dead long ago.”The pain and anguish which crossed Tempest’s face was heartbreaking for Vega to see. She tried to steer the conversation away from Tempest’s darker memories, hoping to brighten the Lemurian’s sombre mood.“Tempest, do you mind telling me why you are so sensitive with someone touching you with their bare hands?”The warrior’s reaction to whenever someone tried to touch him had confused Vega since the moment they met. She wanted to know reason behind Tempest’s reaction to touch, if it was a cultural aspect all Lemurians shared or just something unique to him.“We Lemurians believe you transfer part of your essence, your life force, whenever one makes physical contact with another living thing. One’s life essence is most concentrated in the head and hands, the main sources of consciousness and physical interaction. That is why Lemurians wear turbans and heads scars and cover their hands with gloves. For one to touch another with their bare hands without permission is considered a grave sin as it is viewed as an attempt to steal another’s life force. Such actions are only condoned amongst one’s family and mate. When one did allow another to willingly touch then with bare hands, it was considered an immense sign of trust.”“Then that’s why you reacted the way I did when I slapped you,” Vega spoke, finally realising the implications of what her actions meant to Tempest.“Truth be told, I would have preferred if you kicked me. At least then the action would have been far more civilised.”“Watch it or I might just take you up on your offer,” Vega replied, shaking her fist at the Lemurian in warning.The two laughed, finally having found some common ground. Vega asked Tempest to tell her everything about Lemuria. Tempest was more than happy to oblige Vega’s request, glad for the distraction from his past and looking for any reason to gloat about his homeland’s greatness. As the two spoke, they slowly grew closer together until they were touching shoulders. Neither noticed or acknowledged the contact, only focusing on their conversation and the beginnings of a new friendship.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The Atlanteans were perplexed by the behaviour of the surface world healers. Upon arriving in this strange version of a Halls of Healing, the Atlanteans had stripped themselves of their bloodied coverings, armour and jewelry. For some strange reason the surface healers offered strange coverings for them to wear but the Atlanteans refused, knowing from their own healers that the body could not be covered else the necessary skin to skin contact for proper treatment and diagnosis be broken. How could the surface healers expect to properly treat their wounds if they could not sense and redirect the flow in their bodily energy? That was a basic knowledge all healers were taught before they were even permitted to begin seeing or treating actual patients.The five young Atlanteans also found it peculiar in how Jaden, Keith, Carly and their respective fathers, Roberto and James, glimpsed away when the Atlanteans had started removing their coverings. Dark Shade and White Light had noticed similar reactions from Jaden and Keith when they loaned their mirror-selves some of their coverings for the evening meal. Were surface dwellers always so shy about their bodies? From the books and scrolls pertaining to surface dwellers (which were more than twenty-three centuries out of date) not much was mentioned on bodily taboos. The young Atlanteans knew from their elders that their people never held such taboos, nor did their closest allies in Lemuria or Mu. Muese never wore coverings. And while Lemurians were more prone to completely covering their bodies than either Atlanteans or Muese, it had more to do with partially covered states than if one was deprived of any coverings that caused Lemurians to become so course on the subject.Perhaps the peculiar behaviour from the surface dweller healers lied in how so far only Dark Shade and Quick Thunder were capable of fluently speaking their tongue from use of the translation spell. Dark Shade overlaid the theory to his companions by his telepathy, which remained strictly in the Atlantean tongue, allowing him to effortlessly communicate with his companions. Upon receiving the telepathic suggestion from the first crowned prince, the Atlanteans approached Jaden and Keith. Jaden and Keith had little time to react as Joyful Melody and Rustling Wind grabbed each brother by the front of that strange covering the surface healers gave them. The Atlanteans pressed their lips to the brothers, telepathically casting the translation spell. Once the spell was complete, Joyful Melody and Rustling Wind released Jaden and Keith and calmly walked back to their companions, unsure of the strange glimpses everyone was giving them. Only White Light remained in not casting the spell, which the young prince seemed to have no interest in performing the necessary translation spell.Rustling Wind knelt beside his oldest and dearest friend, placing a comforting hand on his bare thigh. He reached out to White Light telepathically, no longer being able to communicate with his dearest friend vocally after casting the translation spell to speak the strange surface tongue. Ever since they faced the exiles in that battle, White Light had been withdrawing into himself. Rustling Wind was worried for for the second crowned prince of Atlantis. The apprentice healer wished there was something he could do to help his oldest and dearest friend, but as long as White Light kept pulling away from everyone there was nothing anyone could do to help the young prince.
Speak with me, dearest White Light. What troubles you so, my friend.
It took several dozen heartbeats for White Light to respond to his friend’s telepathic message that for a moment Rustling Wind worried White Light had gone into shock. He was about to call to the surface healers when White Light finally reached out to him and touched his mind.
Rustling Wind, please allow me to remain alone. I do not wish to harm anyone else, especially you. Please, as my dearest friend honour my request and leave me here to die.
Rustling Wind gasped and he replied, Why in Lux’s good name would you wish to die, White Light? You have finally reached the surface, just as you have longed for your entire life. Once we rescue Lightning Flash and Martha from Rain River’s clutches we shall be able to explore the surface world together, just as you always wanted, White Light.White Light glared daggers at his oldest friend. Rustling Wind tensed upon glimpsing the horrid expression on his usually soft spoken friend’s face. I want nothing to do with the surface anymore. Lightning Flash was correct in his preaching that the surface brings nothing but suffering to those upon it. The moment our paths crossed with those four surface dwellers, everything within our lives changed. Have you forgotten I took lives, Rustling Wind! I did not just strike an individual, I killed them! I killed countless exiles in a blind rage without any realisation to what I was doing. What disturbs me the most is that I enjoyed that killing. The effects of the blood oath were mitigated the moment I came into contact with the surface dwellers and I do not wish to infect anyone else. That is why I beg of you, Rustling Wind, just to let me die before I bring harm to anyone else I care for.Rustling Wind extended a hand to Keith, the new words of the surface language feeling strange on his tongue as he addressed the mirror-self of his best friend. “Keith, I require your help for a moment. White Light is refusing treatment after what he did while we faced the exiles in battle. He feels as though crossing paths with you and your kin have rendered him infected with nullifying effects to the blood oath. I require your presence in order for him to realise that he is wrong about himself and the surface dwellers. Please, help me before White Light loses all faith in himself.”Keith instantly went to White Light’s side, despite his father’s protests.
The youngest Johnson knew he had to help his mirror-self. Though their first meeting had been less than pleasant (White Light’s astral-partner, Nightrunner, had attacked Keith unprovoked) and he was still not entirely sure he could completely trust the Atlanteans, Keith knew no one should lose complete faith in themselves. And after what White Light had been through during the battle with the exiles, who was he to judge the second crowned prince of Atlantis when blood also stained his hands.“What do you need me to do?” Keith asked Rustling Wind as he knelt down beside White Light.“Just remain here and prepare for when White Light will cast the translation spell, just as I did upon you.” Without another word Rustling Wind turned his attention back to White Light. The young prince and apprentice healer locked eyes, glimpsing deeply into the being of the one they held closest to their heart. Glimpse at Keith, White Light. Glimpse at him, your mirror-self. Do you regret having met your soul’s other half? Do you regret receiving the visions from the gods which sent us on the quest to meet Keith and his kin? Do you regret taking those lives when mine and Keith’s were endangered? Would you have preferred us to be killed instead of them?Rustling Wind felt White Light’s emotions flare along the weak Empathetic-bond binding the two males together. Do not even jest on such matters, Rustling Wind? I would give my life for yours. You know of that. You are the most important person in my life. I cannot live without you, Rustling Wind. You know that is how I feel about you. And as my mirror-self, I would defend Keith as I would any of those I cared about.
He is my soul’s other half. No matter my changing impressions on the surface and those who inhabit these foreign lands, I cannot doubt the bond we two share. Despite how we first met, I want no harm to befall Keith or anyone else I love, especially you,
dearest Rustling Wind.Then you must learn to forgive yourself, dearest White Light, Rustling Wind said telepathically. For if you continue to dwell in such self darkness you might never find your inner light again. I could not bear to lose you, White Light. I beg of you, as someone who cares for you, please allow yourself to be examined by the surface healers and have your wounds treated.
Please, dearest one to my heart, let yourself be healed before you answer Mortem’s call and join the ancestors in death.
Very well, my dearest Rustling Wind. I shall allow the surface healers to treat me but only because you asked me, my dearest friend.
Rustling Wind smiled as White Light slowly got to his feet. Keith, though having been forewarned of what was about to happen, was still caught off guard when White Light pressed their lips together so he could cast the translation spell. From his mind clouded with doubt, White Light had to start the translation spell over several times before he managed to cast the spell right. Once White Light completed the translation spell he released Keith from his grasp and walked towards the surface healers, fingers intertwined with Rustling Wind.Dark Shade and Joyful Melody, whom already had their wounds treated to by the surface healers, rushed to the side of their friends. White Light and Rustling Wind partook in the typical exchange of embraces and soft touches of Atlantean greetings amongst close friends and family with Dark Shade and Joyful Melody. Dark Shade glimpsed at his slightly younger cousin, concern and worry evident in his kind blue eyes. The blue gazes of the two princes met as they tightly grasped the other’s shoulder.“How are you feeling, White Light? Is there anything I can do to help?” Dark Shade asked his cousin, concern evident in his strong voice.White Light was off put slightly upon hearing his cousin speak in the surface tongue but was quick to respond, “I am truly not sure of how I am doing, dear cousin. I do not know if I shall ever be able to escape the dark shroud which encircles me following those events with the exiles. I have broken the blood oath and do not know if I shall not do so again. However, this is neither the time nor place to be dealing with such problems. We must defeat Rain River and rescue Lightning Flash and Martha before both are lost to us for eternity.”“Make sure your wounds are treated before returning to battle, cousin,” Dark Shade said, still slightly concerned by his cousin’s words. White Light’s speech had always been light hearted and carefree but now it was unusually controlled and serious. What transpired on the battlefield with the exiles had forever changed his cousin; Dark Shade realised, but in what way had yet to be fully determined.
All Dark Shade could do was hope and pray to the gods that nothing his cousin faced would leave White Light permanently damaged and broken beyond the grasp of those who loved him.Sensing the tension growing between her beloved and his cousin, Joyful Melody decided to jump into the conversation. “Perhaps you should have Rustling Wind glimpse you over preceding treatment from the surface healers. When Dark Shade and I were getting our wounds healed, I did not glimpse the healers using any form of herb or potion. And when we required stitches, they used some sort of thread instead of spider silk.”“What!” Rustling Wind exclaimed. “How could these people possible call themselves healers if they did not use herbs or potions to treat your injuries? And performing stitches with thread instead of spider silk! Are these demented-rogues trying to ensure your wounds become infected? I shall be going over every injury these surface healers supposedly treated to ensure nothing they have done caused further harm to any of you.”Joyful Melody tried to calm down the young apprentice healer before he caused himself any further injury. “Please try to calm yourself, Rustling Wind. You know the most on healing out of all of us gathered here but at the moment you must remain calm, my dear friend. You shall be able to see to our wounds once the surface healers have glimpsed over your own and White Light’s injuries. Though I must warn you Rustling Wind, the surface healers seemed to be rather perplexed by Dark Shade and mine refusal to wear coverings. They also seemed to give me certain glimpses but for some reason I could not tell why they glimpsed at me in such a peculiar manner. I asked Jaden for clarification on why the surface healers kept glimpsing at me strangely and all he managed to tell me was that it had to do with me being duel-spirited. By the gods I have no idea what he meant by that so I have decided to ignore it in light of more pressing matters.”What Jaden had neglected to told Joyful Melody about the strange glimpses the surface healers kept giving her was that the surface healers were not expecting someone who called themselves female to possess a clearly distinctive aspect of the male anatomy. From what little Jaden had learned about how Atlanteans of duel-spirits physically transitioned to their preferred gender with the transformation ceremony, the individual was only sterilised as the final step to prevent creation of the body’s natural hormones but never had their genitalia removed or altered. That was why the surface healers kept glimpsing strangely at Joyful Melody. The surface dweller healers had not been expecting such an usual sight and a some of the surface healers found the sight of the female Atlantean’s genitalia unsettling, not knowing nor understanding the entire aspect of what Atlanteans took to mean being duel-spirited.While Jaden and Keith had taken it upon themselves to be the Atlanteans guides and protectors as long as they remained on the surface, the two knew there was little they could do alone. They neither had the resources nor the contacts necessary for concealing the truth of the Atlanteans from the surface. Even if the Atlanteans did not reveal themselves, the astral-beasts which followed their every move surely would catch the eye the blind. The healers had been challenged in even getting close to the Atlanteans with their astral-partners about. Only the firm command of their Atlantean partner kept the four astral-beasts from attacking anyone who got too close to the Atlanteans.Dark Shade’s astral-partner, the sphinx Sandstorm, lied beside the manticore Nightrunner, White Light’s astral-partner. The two lion-like astral-beasts groomed each other, making soft chuffing sounds as they did. The harpy Screech, Joyful Melody’s astral-partner, sat upon one of the strange moving beds preening her sickly black feathers, yellow eyes locked onto her Atlantean partner. Not even the tiny fairy Faith, Rustling Wind’s
own astral-partner, was permitted to be close to her partner because of the fairy’s overprotective nature. But so long as their partners were within the astral-beasts’ line of sight, the astral-partners were fine to let the Atlanteans wander from their side.Once everyone had been treated for their injuries and Rustling Wind glimpsed over the surface healers’ work several times, Roberto and James called everyone together. Dark Shade, White Light, Joyful Melody and Rustling Wind followed Jaden and Keith towards the brotehrs’ father and uncle. Quick Thunder and Carly were already there, neither having sustained major injuries during the battle with the exiles or wanted to leave the other’s side so they remained close to James, who refused to allow his youngest daughter to leave his sight.
“We’ll need to know everything that happened from the time you left on that camping trip to the moment you returned from Atlantis. We have to know everything that you went through in order to judge how dangerous this Rain River you keep mentioning is,” Roberto explained to his sons and the gathered Atlanteans.Jaden and Keith explained everything they could remember about how they first ended up in Atlantis. The two brothers, alongside Carly and her older sister Martha, had been out for a hike when they all fell in to what they later learned was a portal. The brothers had only later learned Rain River had been the one to form the portal which brought them and their cousins below the surface, the exiled male having spent centuries preparing for their arrival. They did not emerge from the portal in Atlantis, instead awakening in a strange stone cavern with the Atlanteans already there. Dark Shade and White Light interjected they had only ended up in that stone cavern after trying to escape the exiles. The group would later learn that the Atlanteans’ confrontation with the exiles had also been part of Rain River’s plan. The crowned princes and their friends had been on a vision quest sent to them by Atlantis five main gods, Mortem the Cursed One, Fraud the Trickster, Sapientiae the Wise, Ignis the Brave, and Lux the Protector. The five main gods had bestowed upon the Five Blessings to Atlantis; the Spell of Life, the red and blond mirror-selves, portals and astral-partners, the duel-spirited and bond items, mating bond and the monarchy respectively. So when all the Atlanteans received a vision from not one but all five of the main gods, they had no choice but to embrace on the vision quest. All had been going well until the exiles ambushed the Atlanteans. Rustling Wind had managed to throw up a barrier while Dark Shade and Joyful Melody had formed a portal sharing their magic, though as the two had only recently become each other’s beloved and the Mystic-bond connecting them was still weak, resulting in a misdirection of the portal. It had supposed to take them back to Atlantis but instead brought the Atlanteans right to Jaden, Keith, Carly and Martha.“Who are these exiles?” Roberto asked. “You mentioned them but have not exactly explained who they are.”The Atlanteans were more than joyous to explain who the exiles were to Roberto. As their name suggested, the exiles were Atlanteans who had been exiled from Atlantis for committing a crime. An exile was always marked with shorn hair and having no bond item. It was the personal bond item (Dark Shade’s circlet, White Light’s pendant, Joyful Melody’s rod, Rustling Wind’s choker
and Quick Thunder’s anklet) which allowed them to perform magic and bound all Atlanteans to the blood oath. An exile had their bond item destroyed so they could not perform magic; however, there was always an exception. If the one being exiled was a shape-shifter, such as Rain River, then they could still perform a limited range of magic.“But what’s a shape-shifter? I’ve come across them being mentioned but there was never much specification in what they were,” James stated.Quick Thunder lived up to his name in being quick to answer that question. Shape-shifters were as their name suggested. They were one who could shift their form, mainly between that of an Atlantean and one form of higher astral-beast. The type depended on whatever higher astral-beast the shape-shifter’s Atlantean parent had taken for a mate. Quick Thunder himself, as well as his elder brother Lightning Flash, who had also been on the vision quest with the other Atlanteans, was half night dragon from their mother, their father being the Atlantean of the mated pair. Rain River had also been half dragon, only his father had been a light dragon, allowing him to maintain the ability to form portals, as all light dragons were descended from the Atlantean god Sapientiae the Wise, the first of all light dragons.Jaden and Keith quickly took over the explanation once again. They decided to skip the long journey to Atlantis or the fact that Keith had been attacked by Nightrunner upon their first meeting, not wanting to worry their father anymore than he already was. The brothers explained their meeting with the Atlantean Council and how they learned Dark Shade and White Light were the crowned princes of Atlantis. They explained how the exiles attacked everyone during the evening meal and Rain River, the exiles’ leader, took both Martha and Lightning Flash captive.“Why would this Rain River single out my daughter and this Lightning Flash from the rest of you? What made them so special that he had to kidnap my daughter?” James asked.All grew silent for a moment. No one knew how to properly answer James’ question. Eventually, Quick Thunder decided to answer James as Lightning Flash was his brother. Rain River had only been interested in Lightning Flash and Martha due to them being one of his mates and the mirror-self to his other mate, Harmony. Rain River had been exiled for killing Harmony four centuries ago. Lightning Flash had been the one to first learn of the staggering betrayal by his beloved mate and it was he who cut Rain River’s hair before the murderer was exiled. Despite his status as a demented-rogue, Rain River did actually have a few valid points in the argument he made when he attacked the royal family, Council and their guests during the evening meal.Rain River had been ranting about the Five Curses, which were the repercussions to the Five Blessings which nearly destroyed Atlantis long before the continent sunk twenty-three centuries ago. The exile’s ramblings of the Five Curses turned out to be true, as Dark Shade and White Light learned from High Priest Blue Lightning (cousin to their mothers and father of Lightning Flash and Quick Thunder) and the others learned listening in on an emergency Council meeting. With that information, the eight youths had planned to sneak into the exiles’ camp to rescue Lightning Flash and Martha. They had raided the armoury and supply rooms as they knew they would not be returning to Atlantis for a while. They all went through a portal expecting to end up in the exiles’ camp but instead emerged in a large cavern where the exiles ambushed them. They were all forced to fight and even kill to protect themselves. But even as the last exile fell, the battle had been far from over.They had seen Lightning Flash and Martha in the cavern alongside Rain River but neither were acting like themselves. Quick Thunder had been forced to face his brother and Rain River in his dragon form while the others gave whatever support they could. Carly had rushed to Martha, trying to convince her to come with her, but there had been no recognition on her face. Whatever Rain River had done to them, Martha now believed she was Harmony and Lightning Flash thought he and Rain River were still mates. The three had managed to slip away when the portal they summoned opened, taking them to the surface. Everyone else had run after them, where they ended up at the cabin with no Rain River, Lightning Flash or Martha in sight.“…and that is all we have to tell,” Jaden concluded. “You know the rest of it from there. We still have no idea where Rain River has taken Lightning Flash or Martha or why we ended up near the cabin while they didn’t. We still have to find them before it’s too late.”Suddenly, the four astral-partners were on alert. Sandstorm and Nightrunner got to their paws, rushing to the side of their respective prince. Screech hollered as she flared her wings, sending everyone within ear shot ducking for cover as she jumped from bed to bed trying to get airborne. Faith flew over the heads of the scattering people, shouting commands to her fellow astral-partners in her high pitched chattering.Alarms sounded throughout Anand Industries. Voices sounded warning everyone to evacuate as armed guards rushed down the halls passed the strange surface Halls of Healing. None knew what was going on or what had caused the panic.Quick Thunder groaned, holing his head as he usually did when receiving a long range telepathic message. The young Atlantean gasped as he turned to everyone else in the room.“I just received contact from Lightning Flash. He is here.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Alarms sounded throughout the endless halls of Anand Industries. Outside the massive company building, the surrounding streets were engulfed in chaos. People ran in terror from the surrounding buildings outside as armed guards ran down the halls of Anand Industries towards the eastern wing, the source of the alarm. People were being evacuated from Anand Industries but outside was not much safer than inside the massive company building. For two titanic beasts were outside Anand Industries attacking the eastern wing with burning hot flames. These were not just any beasts, but ones from ancient myth and legend. Anand Industries was being attacked by the likes of two behemoth dragons. People could not believe the two mythological beasts which they saw before their eyes were real. But the flames which poured from their mouths and the claws which lashed at anything which got in their way were all too real. People fled for their lives, not caring that they were running from a mythological beast, only concerned with staying alive.Chaos roamed through the city streets as people ran for their lives. People fled at the sight of the dragons, abandoning their strange horseless carriages and retreating down the strange black roadway which was littered with those strange vehicles. The actions of the surface dwellers were peculiar for one of the dragons. They acted as though they had never before seen an astral-beast or a shape-shifter. But that did not matter. The dragons had a mission to fulfil and they could not complete it without retrieving the Lemurian stasis crystal within the building. If any of the surface dwellers got within their way, they were just unfortunate casualties; at least that was how one dragon viewed their attack. The other could not care what happened to the surface dwellers, only caring about obtaining the Lemurian stasis crystal which he sought after.The first dragon was the larger of the two mythological beasts. The dragon had scales so dark it would have completely disappeared in a moonless night, bright amethyst-eyes emotionlessly glaring at all those who got too close to the massive astral-beast. The mythological creature was at least thirty feet long and had a wingspan no doubt double that size. A massive body, broad shoulders, spikes running the length of the beast’s neck and tail, shiny black scales and leathery bat-like wings provided the image of an ancient dragon which medieval knights might have faced in battle.The second dragon lashed out at the fortress like building; bright blue flames erupting from the beast’s mouth. The second dragon, unlike the first, was long and sleek with a slender, wingless body. The mythological creature was covered in pure white scales and possessed an intense brown gaze. A long silver mane flowed down the white dragon’s back, nearly hiding the beast’s sharp horns from view. The beast balanced on three legs, the front left leg burned beyond use.Alongside the two astral-beasts stood a young female who would, to a surface dweller, be no more than nineteen in appearance. The female was six feet three, thin and athletic with rich dark skin, knee-length red hair and blue eyes. She was entirely naked, exposing the vine like scar pattern across her back and the flower like scar pattern she had on her left thigh. Her long red tresses were worn loose, hiding the fact her right breast had been severed from her chest. Slender hands touched the female’s swollen stomach, feeling the life that had begun to steadily grow within her. She smiled at the thought of the child she carried as she watched the two dragons, her beloved mates; destroy the building which held within the Lemurian stasis crystal they sought after.The black night dragon suddenly stopped attacking the building, purple flames dying in a gasp as he shuffled back from the building. His mates, the light dragon and young female, noticed that the night dragon had halted his attack on the fortress like building. The light dragon reached out his mind to touch that of the night dragon’s, telepathically conversing in the Atlantean tongue.
What is troubling you, beloved Lightning Flash? Why have you halted your attack on the building without identifying any valid reason? You know, my beloved mate that we need to retrieve that Lemurian stasis crystal within the building’s confines if we are to complete our plan of saving Atlantis and returning our homeland to its former glory. Without that Lemurian stasis crystal or the Muese totems our struggles shall have been for not and all the sacrifices we made would have been for nothing.
The night dragon, Lightning Flash’s amethyst eyes glimpsed at the face as his mate’s brown ones. I sensed a presence within that surface building, beloved Rain River. The presences which I sensed were that of an Atlantean. There were eight Atlantean presences in total gathered within the confines of the building. I sensed my brother and cousins amongst them. That was my reason for halting my attack, my beloved. I could not risk harming my brother or cousins.Harmony, the red haired female, overheard the telepathic conversation between her two beloved mates. Quick Thunder and the princes are within that surface building! What would they even be doing on the surface? I thought we left them behind in that cavern beneath the surface. Rain River, we cannot continue our attack if our kin are within such a building. You and Lightning Flash have told me your plan was to restore glory to Atlantis and usher in a new golden age of peace and prosperity for all the world. That cannot be done if the crowned princes are injured or worse killed by our own actions when trying to achieve our objectives! You said we would serve on the Council for Prince Dark Shade and Prince White Light once we restored Atlantis and they were crowned Atlantis’ kings. That destiny cannot be fulfilled if Dark Shade and White Light are not there to lead us.Rain River growled at his female mate, small puffs of blue flame escaping passed his pearly dagger-like teeth. He was growing impatient with the female’s constant complaining and judgement of his actions. Rain River knew what he was doing. He planned to restore Atlantis to the country’s former glory and the former exile leader did not care who got in the way of achieving that plan. As long as his mates obeyed his every whim and they were able to restore Atlantis that mattered in the end.Lightning Flash saw the tension and aggression growing within Rain River, sensing the other half dragon’s anger through the Empathic-bond which bound the three mates together. Fearing for the life of his female mate and worrying for his unborn child’s safety, Lightning Flash pushed Harmony under him, glimpsing at Rain River with deadly eyes. The half light dragon and half night dragon snarled, baring fangs and claws at the other. The two male dragons sized the other up, posture tense and ready to strike at the first provocation.
What in Lux’s name do you believe are you doing, Rain River? We have waited for the last four centuries to complete our plan to restore Atlantis to its former glory and return Harmony to us. You cannot threaten Harmony within her current condition. You are a trained healer, Rain River. The stress of traveling to the surface and our current battle has already put the life of our child at risk. We must retreat from our current position before Harmony or our child face anymore threat to their lives. We can return for the Lemurian stasis crystal at a later time, Rain River, when Harmony and our child are no longer at risk.
Rain River growled, baring glittering white fangs at the other half dragon. We cannot retreat when I am so close to obtaining my goals! My plan is too close to completion for us to retreat now! We continue our attack until we have the Lemurian stasis crystal! Do you understand!Doubt and fear radiated from Lightning Flash and Harmony’s side of the Empathetic-bond binding the three mates’ consciousness together. Rain River mentally assaulted his mates, tearing back every mental shield and defence the two possessed, subjecting them to waves of pain as the half light dragon dove deeper and deeper into the conscious mind of the two. The two hollered out as Rain River’s mental assault broke down every last one of their defences, leaving them easily susceptible to Rain River’s manipulations. The half light dragon buried his way through his mates’ current memories, fixing their current disobedience towards him. Within three dozen heartbeats the disobedient thoughts were gone from Lightning Flash’s and Harmony’s minds, replaced with thoughts of continuing the assault for the Lemurian stasis crystal in order to restore Atlantis to its former glory.Armed guards came charging out of the building and began shooting strange projectiles at the two dragons. The projectiles were bullets and the weapons the guards were shooting were guns, Harmony remembered. But how did she know what bullets and guns were? She had never seen such weaponry before, not Atlantean had. Nothing on Lemuria or Mu even resembled those guns or bullets. There was no way she should have such knowledge but she did. However, Harmony’s confusion at recognising the strange weapons being aimed at them when those very weapons began to fire upon them. Harmony extended her hands, forming a protective barrier around herself and her mates. The projectiles ricocheted off the barrier, forming ripples like water upon impact with the protective magical barrier. All of Harmony’s concentration was placed on forming a barrier large enough to encircle the two massive dragons, quickly draining her of her limited magical reserves. Forming such a large magical barrier was dangerous enough to the spell’s caster, but Harmony’s magic had been off ever since she awoke in that cavern and Rain River cast an enchanted fueled by her own magic to help grow her child to full term in a matter of weeks. In such a condition Harmony was in danger of exerting herself and causing harm to both herself and her child which Lightning Flash refused to allow, despite Rain River’s protests.The moment the magical barrier fell, Lightning Flash lashed out at the armed guards with everything he had. He tripped them with his tail, batting several others away with a flick of his massive paw. The night dragon was prepared to defend his mate and unborn child to the death but refused to end the lives of those attacking them. After all, they were the ones who began the unprovoked attack on the building. That was already in violation of one of Atlantis’ most sacred laws, which sickened Lightning Flash with every fiber of his being. Lightning Flash might not have been bound by the blood oath but that did not mean he would go against its ways. Lightning Flash would still hold fast to the codes and laws of Atlantis. He was still an Atlantean, not matter the stasis of his current struggles with his homeland.Suddenly, a young male charged passed the armed guards, black scimitar in hand. The male was followed by a young female who did not appear much older than him. Lightning Flash, Rain River and Harmony could sense the magical energy encompassing the two new arrivals and it was different than that of the other surface dwellers they had seen thus far. The magical energy belonged to that of two Lemurians; two Harmony was quite familiar with.“Cousin Tempest, is that you? How could you have possibly survived the destruction of Lemuria? Answer me, dear cousin? Do you not recognise the daughter of your mother Silence’s elder brother, Patience? Can you not recognise one of your own kin when they stand before you?” Harmony called out to her cousin.Tempest glared at the female who claimed to be his cousin, Harmony. True she had been able to age during the twenty-three centuries he was in stasis but even that did not explain the extreme change in energy he sensed surrounding the female claiming to be Harmony. Harmony’s own energy was encircling an entirely different magical energy, not unlike that of the bond linking the Atlantean mirror-selves to their outside counterpart. Somehow, these two energies had been converted into one body which was not natural.“You are not my cousin Harmony. You bare her face and energy but you are not her,” Tempest spoke, briefly switching to the Atlantean tongue.Harmony frowned. “Why do you speak of such nonsense, dearest cousin Tempest? You know who I am and you know the energies which surround me. Who else could I be if I am not your cousin?”“Martha!” called out a voice in a strange language Harmony somehow recognised. Harmony turned and looked at the one who had yelled out that strange name. It was the female who ran after Tempest, the one who looked so much like the Lemurian princess, Starlight. But that did not explain how Harmony was able to understand that strange language spoken by the other female despite never haring it before in her life.The pounding headache suddenly became more violent. Harmony gripped her head, yelling out in pain. Once again the feeling of two armies battling in her subconscious raged in the young female’s mind. Her pain was felt along the bonds with her mates, who reacted differently to her sudden flair of pain. Lightning Flash did as he always had done, protectively stand over Harmony as he ushered her onto his back. Rain River was prepared to engulf Tempest and the strange female in a shower of blue flames when he recognised the energy surrounding the two. It was that of the stasis crystals!
Lightning Flash, take those two as prisoners. They have the energy of the stasis crystal surrounding them. We shall be able to use them for our purposes.
But what of Harmony, Rain River? She is in pain? Lightning Flash asked, concerned for his beloved mate and unborn child.Rain River growled as he summoned the portal for them to escape. We can treat her as soon as we have those two. You heard her address one of those two as her cousin, did you not? He will be able to help us and that female can help her deliver the child when the time comes.Without any further argument, Lightning Flash did as Rain River said. He sent out a burst of purple flames above everyone’s heads, making them duck for cover. When the flames dispersed, Lightning Flash trapped Tempest and the female under his massive paws. The two struggled under him, Tempest even lashing out with his scimitar, managing to cut his paw, but he did not wince or release his grip on the two. Instead, the half night dragon cast a basic sleep spell over the two. In a moment their bodies went limp and Lightning Flash was able to push them through the portal which Rain River had summoned, Harmony clinging to his back.By the time more help arrived the portal had already closed. Anik and Farha fell to their knees, mourning the loss of their daughter. They should have been more vigilant when the alarms sounded. They should have not let Vega and Tempest go off on their own without some form of protection. Now they had lost their only daughter and the only chance the world had at preventing the end of days.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Vega awoke with a start, knocking her forehead against the person sitting over her. Tempest riled back from the unexpected blow, the warrior rubbing his sore forehead where it had collided with Vega’s. Vega quickly got to her feet and rushed to Tempest’s side, hoping she hadn’t hurt him. She reached out to touch him with her hand but she quickly withdrew it upon remembering how Tempest previously reacted when she tried to touch him. Slowly, Tempest regained his usual composure. Rubbing his sore forehead, the Lemurian warrior glanced at his princess’ granddaughter, silently grateful that she had remembered not to touch him with her bare hands. The last thing he wanted was to start an argument with her in their current situation.“Where are we, Tempest?” Vega was proud that she had managed to keep the fear out of her voice. After how Vega had witnessed how calmly and gracefully Tempest accepted the loss of his family and entire homeland (even if he had shed multiple tears) the Lemurian had been able to keep moving forward. The last thing Vega wanted was to look weak in front of Tempest, not after they had come to a shaky understanding where he was starting to respect her, even if it was just for being his princess’ granddaughter.“I have no idea of our geographical location but I can tell that we are in some sort of cave system. The entryway to this chamber has been secured with various magical seals. I recognise some of the runes as being Lemurian but others I cannot begin to decipher. They could be Atlantean or Muese but I was not specifically trained in the meaning of the magical runes of other countries so I am unable to determine what they mean. From the Lemurian runes, we best stay where we are unless you wish to have the ceiling collapse on our heads or have lightning coursing through your entire body.”Vega sighed, long black hair covering her face. “Then what are we supposed to do? We can’t just sit here and do nothing! We have to find a way to escape and get back to the others.”Tempest rested a gloved hand above Vega’s head but did not initiate contact with her. The warrior closed his eyes and whispered a few words Vega could not fully understand. Slowly, Tempest withdrew his hand and knelt down to be eye level with the sitting Vega.“Are you feeling better?” Tempest asked voice filled with the most emotion Vega had heard since first meeting him.“I guess a bit?” Vega replied. “What was that you just did anyway? I’ve never seen someone do that before. Was it a Lemurian thing?”Heat rose in Tempest’s cheeks as he looked away from Vega. He nervously rubbed his hands together, praying to the ancestors Vega would not see the dark shade of crimson colouring his face.“My brother used to do that for me whenever I felt overwhelmed by my emotions. All Knowing said it was a magic spell to help keep me calm.” Tempest’s head slowly turned back towards Vega, face still red like the sun. “I eventually learned the truth of my brother’s ‘magic spell’ as I grew older, that it was nothing more than a trick to ease a scared child and calm them. Even though I learned the truth of my brother’s ‘magic spell,’ I always felt comforted after he performed it upon me. I thought it might work for you, as it did for me during my youth.”Vega smiled gently as she looked at Tempest. “Thank you, Tempest. I’m actually feeling a bit better now.” The smile slowly fell from her face as Vega’s gaze drifted to the chamber entrance. “Now all we have to do is find a way to get out of here. Did they perhaps teach you how to escape from caves when you were being trained as a bodyguard?”“Escape attempts were not part of a Lemurian bodyguard’s training. The idea was for us to prevent the need for our charge’s rescue.” Tempest crossed his arms, impatiently drumming fingers as he tried to think of a plan.
Suddenly, the answer came to him. “I know how we can escape.”“Then tell me the plan, Tempest. Don’t keep me in suspense. I want to get out of here yesterday!”“Our plan of escape is to not try and escape.”Vega blinked; sure she had misheard the Lemurian warrior. “Could you repeat that, Tempest? I was sure you just heard you say the plan of escape was not to escape.”Tempest nodded. “That is correct. We cannot escape without risking injury to ourselves trying to pass that sealed entrance. Even if we could manage to pass the entrance without triggering the seals and manage to defeat our captors, we still do not know where we are. We could not even be on the surface anymore for all we could know. Therefore, the only course of action we can take is to get our captors to release us.”“And how in the world are we supposed to get them to release us?” Vega exclaimed, crossing her arms in annoyance.“That female we saw before we were captured. Do you remember her? The one who you claimed to be your friend—Martha, I believe you called her?” Vega nodded, remembering quite well the strange encounter she had with her best friend. Tempest lowered his gaze, crossing his arms in concentration. “Whatever has overcome your friend Martha, she believes herself to be my cousin, Harmony. During the fight she was reluctant to attack me. If she believes she is my kin then we could use that to our advantage.”“And exactly who am I supposed to be in this plan of yours? If Martha is convinced she’s your cousin then how am I supposed to get through to her?” Vega asked, recalling the blank stare she had gotten from Martha during the battle.“She will believe you
to be Princess Starlight,” Tempest said. “I spoke to my cousin often about the princess whenever her family visited Lemuria. However, she has never met Princess Starlight in person. She does not know anything of what Princess Starlight looked like, not even know how old the princess was. All Harmony knew was that Princess Starlight had dark hair and was blind. As you are the princess’ granddaughter, you shall be able to pass for her. Merely keep from moving about too much on your own and allow me to lead you while are being watched.”“You forgot one crucial thing, Tempest. I can’t speak Lemurian.”“That can easily be resolved.”Without any warning, Tempest grabbed Vega’s face and pressed his lips against hers. He quickly cast the translation spell upon Vega, having already ended the one allowing him to speak her language. As with how they first met, Vega pushed Tempest away from her with enough force to make the warrior stumble backwards several paces. The Lemurian warrior braced himself for the expected slap to his cheek but it never came. Tempest stared at Vega, the young woman seething with fury but composed enough to refrain from striking the warrior.“Stop doing that!” Vega’s hands instantly flew to her mouth. She had just spoken in a language that was not English. She must have been speaking Lemurian, recognising some of the language from when she first met Tempest.
“You shall only be able to speak the Lemurian tongue until I end the spell,” Tempest explained. “I apologise for my crude manner in how I cast the spell. It was imperative I cast it as soon as possible before our captors could realise I had used magic.”As if on cue, two forms appeared at the entrance of Vega and Tempest’s stone cell. One of the figures, a male, dispersed the seals lining the entrance to the stone chamber and allowed himself and his female companion to enter. Tempest pushed Vega behind him, taking her hand in one of his. He had already fallen into his role as acting like Vega’s protector. She just hoped she could play the part of a blind princess well enough to not blow their cover. Otherwise there would be no need for them to escape, likely to be killed the moment their plan was found out.
Vega really hoped it did not come to that option. She rather enjoyed living.“Who are you? Why have you taken Princess Starlight and I captive?” Tempest yelled, genuine rage and anger in his voice.It was the male who stepped forward with Harmony—Martha?—at his side. The male who approached Tempest and Vega looked to be about nineteen and was intimidating, standing six feet seven with a strong physique and lithe build. His knee-length black hair covered the male’s naked form, but Vega could still see the same vine like and flower like scar pattern covering the male’s dark skin as she had see on Martha—Harmony?—back outside Anand Industries. The male’s amethyst eyes remained blank as a smile stretched across his handsome face, sending shutters down Vega’s spine.
It should have been impossible for someone with such a gentle smile to bear such lifeless eyes.“I did not expect you to recognise me right away, Tempest. Though I am now in my thirty-fourth century, surely you can remember the young Atlantean male who followed your cousin Harmony
about whenever your mothers paid a visit to Atlantis I am Lightning Flash of the Rising Storm Clan, son of Blue Lightning and Draca.”Tempest managed to suppress the shock he felt, keeping the emotion from showing upon his face. There was no way this male who stood before him could possibly be Lightning Flash. In the good name of all his ancestors, the Lightning Flash he had known, even though he had been but an eleven-century-old child was a strict follower and devoted believer in Atlantean law. The Lightning Flash he had known would have never worn his hair in such a loose, unkempt state as it was strictly against Atlantean religious law for someone past the age of two thousand years (equivalent to around fourteen years old for surface dwellers) to wear one’s hair loose. And judging from the other Atlanteans Tempest had seem from the time of his awakening from the crystal stasis, it did not seem the practice was abandoned since the time Atlantis sunk. Therefore, Tempest could only conclude that Rain River had somehow taken control of Lightning Flash just as he had done with the female now convinced to be his cousin, Harmony.“You have still not answered me, what purpose did you have for bringing the princess and myself here?” Tempest asked once more, glaring daggers at two of their captives.Neither Lightning Flash nor Harmony spoke, merely putting down two sets of bundled clothing. Taking Harmony by the hand, Lightning Flash turned to leave the stone chamber. He only stood by the entrance for a moment, looking back at the two captives over his broad shoulder.“I hope you shall find those coverings presentable. We had little time to craft them, as we possessed more pressing matters. However, they should be more comfortable than those surface coverings you and your princess have been forced to wear. Dress quickly, for Rain River shall come to meet with you soon in time. And my mate does not care to be kept waiting,” Lightning Flash informed before reactivating the seals about the chamber.Tempest waited until Lightning Flash and Harmony had turned the corner before grabbing the coverings than had been left for them.
Vega could not believe what she was seeing the Lemurian warrior do. Was Tempest truly going to put on those coverings Lightning Flash and Harmony had left for them? They could be a trap or poisoned for all they knew. Vega was starting to doubt the sanity of the Lemurian warrior and the legitimacy of his plan coming to fruition.
“Are you really going to wear those coverings two of our captors gave us?” she asked, still unused to how the Lemurian words fell easily from her tongue.“We have no choice but to dress in these coverings! Have you not listened to anything I have been saying within the time we have met each other? Lemurians are by nature suspicious of outsiders. Therefore our captors would be expecting one of Lemurian descent, especially a royal bodyguard and the crowned princess, to prefer their own type of coverings to that of what would be regarded as a barbaric culture. That is why we must dress quickly, Vega, so as to avoid suspicion drawn upon us from whomever this Rain River person is. Now do as I say or else we both shall have only chance at escape lost!”Tempest
tossed one set of the coverings and a head scarf to Vega. Tempest quickly began undressing, ignoring the shrilled cries which Vega directed towards him as he dressed in the Lemurian coverings. He put on the simple wrap which went about his waist and crude turban about his head, slipping makeshift sandals upon his feet. Fully dressed in something close to his people’s own garb made Tempest feel the safest he had been since he awoke from the crystal stasis.
He just wished he was not imprisoned within some undisclosed location when the unexpected feeling of safety overcame him.
“Do you require help dressing?” Tempest asked innocently.He knew some had difficulty trying to dress in traditional Lemurian garb. He had helped the princess dress on multiple occasions, as she was blind and unable to get the more complicated formal wear on by herself.
Though the act had not been part of his official duties as the princess’ bodyguard (she had handmaidens and servants for a reason) it had allowed him to become more knowledgeable about female coverings and the correct way to place them about the body. So offering his services to help Vega dress did not seem out of place for the Lemurian warrior.Vega, blushing beat red, threw a small stone at Tempest, missing his head by mere inches.
“Do not even think of watching me get dressed, you sleazy eyed pervert! Now turn around and leave me alone! And if I even think that you even so much as glanced at me, I shall knock every last one of your teeth out! Do you understand?”Tempest did as Vega asked of him, not feeling like having another argument with the granddaughter of his princess. He turned to let her put on the wrap and head scarf by herself, merely glancing from the corner of his eye to see if she was doing so correctly. He silently sat vigil upon the entrance of the stone chamber where they sat imprisoned, waiting for the arrival of whomever this Rain River character was and their only chance at escape.Within the hour, another figure appeared before the entrance to the stone chamber Tempest and Vega were being help prisoner in. The figure was of an approximately nineteen year old strong, fit young male with a close to seven foot stature. Knee length brown hair covered the male’s naked form, cold dark eyes glaring at everything around him. His bronze skin was littered with dozens of scars, including the same vine and floral pattern Tempest and Vega had seen on Harmony—Martha?—and Lightning Flash. Vega noticed the scar running from his left temple all the way down to his right earlobe, just as that light dragon had outside Anand Industries. No doubt this person was Rain River, the one who ordered their capture and finally came to interrogate them.Tempest easily fell into his role as bodyguard, pushing Vega behind him as he would have if she was truly the princess he was sworn to serve. Vega hoped she was convincing enough as a princess not to draw suspicion from the demented-rouge which stood before her. All she could do was stay behind Tempest and play dumb, praying that neither of tem would be found out before they had the chance to escape.“Are you the one who has been keeping the princess and I prisoner here within this cave system? I swear upon my first ancestor that I shall kill you if you so much as lay a hand upon Princess Starlight! I will die before I allow any harm to befall her!”Rain River scowled at the Lemurian. He knew he would have to endure such crude behaviour from the warrior if he wanted answers. Rain River would have preferred to simply get them from the princess, but he knew such efforts would be in vain. The Lemurians were famous for training their warriors, nobles and royals to resist torture interrogation techniques. Rain River had heard of three accounts of Princess Starlight escaping kidnappers after days of torture and returning to the Lemurian royal palace once her loyal bodyguard, Tempest, had found and saved her. Though he knew many of those stories had been embellished and the violence over exaggerated by the pacifist Atlanteans, Rain River knew he still had to tread carefully about the two. That was why he had allowed them to be held together. It would make threatening the bodyguard so much easier if he could actually see his charge.“Hold your tongue else I rip it out and shove it back down your throat,” Rain River snarled in perfect Lemurian. “The only reason you and that princess of yours are alive are because I need your latent energy from the Lemurian stasis crystals to fulfil my plans. The procedure works far better with a live patient but I can work with a recently dead if necessary. Do not tempt my patience, filthy half breed, else I make well due on my threat!”Tempest frowned. “I shall speak nothing of the stasis crystals. Such knowledge was only held by the royal family and their closest confidants. I would sooner slash my own throat then betray such closely guarded secrets to a demented-rogue such as you. I am Tempest of House Amir, second son of Silence and Hopeful, younger brother of All Knowing, bodyguard, protectorate and sword to Princess Starlight of House Swere, crowned heir to the throne of Lemuria. What in your ancestor’s forsaken mind would make you believe I would divulge such sacred information to one inbred beast such as yourself?”Rain River growled at the Lemurian warrior, nearly stepping on one of the seals in his rage. Luckily, the half light dragon spotted the seal and stepped back before he could asset it off and have lightning shot throughout his body. Trying his best to keep his flaring temper in check, Rain River decided to target the Lemurian in his clearly evident weak spot.“I can easily have your precious princess killed if I so chose, you Lemurian filth! The extraction process does not require the patient to remain alive after it is complete. I merely expected one claiming to be an honourable and noble warrior would not falter when it came to the defense of their charge? But if defending the secrets of a dead empire mean far more too you, I can merely take the princess and go through with the procedure as I see fit, unless you can think of another option?”Tempest’s eyes widened in complete shock and horror. Vega felt every muscle in Tempest’s back tense as she clung to his back. The Lemurian warrior was trembling. He was terrified. Vega could feel it. He was terrified of this male, the half light dragon which had captured them. Whatever procedure they had been talking about must have been dangerous if the expressionless warrior was reacting in such a way.“Have you lost all common sense of mind?” he exclaimed. “The first monarchs to unite Lemuria outlawed that procedure at the beginning of the Great Age of Peace and Harmony. All records of it were supposed to have been destroyed millennia ago. Only those of the royal family and close confidants knew of such a practice ever even having before existed. How can you, an Atlantean, possibly know something not even the majority of Lemurians knew?”Rain River flashed a lopsided grin that sent shivers down Tempest and Rain River’s spines.“You can thank True Heart and Indro of the Gentle Breeze Clan for obtaining that knowledge. My parents were always looking for hidden and forbidden secrets wherever thy traveled. Most were pertaining to Atlantis but they obtained a few from their travels to Lemuria and Mu over the centuries. I have retained all that which they discovered and passed down to me. Unfortunately not all of the evidence and documentation that my parents discovered was fully complete. Which is why I require your information or else I shall merely extract what stasis energy remains in the princess and be done with you in one bite.”Vega had finally had enough. She could not longer stand down and just let this demented-rogue continue to speak.“Leave Tempest alone, you overgrown reptile!” Vega shouted from behind Tempest, glaring daggers at the half light dragon. “You have no right to speak to anyone that way, you lifeless salamander. With someone as cold as you no wonder you are a reptile. Whomever hatched you must have killed themselves when they realised they had raised a monster.”At the mention of his parents, Rain River lashed out at the barrier. “Do not insult my parents! They were honourable scholars who were executed by the Atlanteans for no reason! Speak one more word of them and I shall rip out your throat where you stand!”Vega shrunk back at the crazed expression crossing Rain River’s face. His eyes bulged and his lips pulled back, snarling like a rabid beast. Vega prayed that the others would find them soon before this demented-rogue finally lost his patience and did away with them both.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The entire city was in an uproar. Media outlets and online forms were going wild with the appearance of two dragons attacking Anand Industries. People kept hanging around the scene, trying to see for themselves if there was any truth to the stories floating around online and on every news station. The police and fire fighters did what they could about the ever growing crowds, but all the city’s forces were stretched thin at the moment. Panic had engulfed the city in its wake left utter chaos. Emergency numbers were flooded with calls of people seeing other strange creatures, and with a pronounced company being attacked by a pair of dragons in broad daylight, the police could not risk ignoring any of these calls, as ludicrous as some of them were, and were sending officers wherever they could. Other cops, fire fighters and emergency responders had to be called in from outside the city just to keep up with the influx of emergency calls and accidents and lack of manpower. The only good thing about the fear and panic engulfing the city was that the Anands were able to keep the focus on themselves while their colleagues and the Atlanteans were able to slip away without anyone noticing.
Roberto and James led their children and the five Atlanteans through the back entrance of Anand Industries and down the crowded city streets. The two men had managed to grab spare clothing for the Atlanteans before they left Anand Industries, preventing the Atlanteans from sticking out. Three of the astral-beasts—Sandstorm, Nightrunner and Screech—flew high above them, doing the best they could to stick to the rooftops while not losing sight of Dark Shade, White Light and Joyful Melody respectively. Rustling Wind had managed o get his own astral-partner, Faith, to cooperate and remain silent in his bag as he kept pace with the rest of the group. The Atlanteans swiftly followed after their surface world guides, clinging to each other so as not to be separated. Jaden, Keith and Carly did all they could to keep the Atlanteans calm, asking their fathers where they were going and how long it would take them to get there. The brothers could already sense the rising anxiety from their mirror-selves, crowned princes of Atlantis, and as the agitation in Joyful Melody and Rustling Wind, the apprentice mage and apprentice healer desperately clinging to Dark Shade and White Light respectively. Quick Thunder, the young half dragon, had a grip so hard on Carly’s arm she nearly screamed out in pain but endured it silently for the sake of the one slowly carving a special place in her heart.The group soon found themselves at the door to a luxurious hotel building. Roberto and James quickly explained to the group the hotel was owned in part by the Anands and used as a front for those descended of the Lemurian colonists to reside in while they were visiting the city for various reasons. Anik and Farha had told the two men about the hotel when they had gained enough favour with the owners of Anand Industries to be let in on the more secretive parts of their company. James thought the hotel would be a safe place to hide for the time being. Roberto had agreed to lead everyone to the hotel only because he knew that all the guests and employees there would be of Lemurian descent (or at least informed on the existence of Atlantis, Lemuria and Mu) and would be entrusted not to freak out at the presence of the Atlanteans and their astral-partners, or at least that was what Roberto believed before they entered the hotel.The moment they stepped through the automatic doors, the Atlanteans and their surface allies found themselves face to face with what seemed to be every guest and employee at the hotel. The guests and employees stared wide-eyed at the Atlanteans. Some of them noticed Jaden and Keith looked identical to Dark Shade and White Light, whispering about mirror-selves upon noticing the red and blond hair of the princes and their counterparts. Others gasped in amazement at the four astral-beasts accompanying the group. Sandstorm growled and flared her wings while Nightrunner rose his scorpion-like tail, the sphinx and manticore ready to attack anyone whom got to close to their respective partner, Dark Shade and White Light. Screech had sat herself upon Joyful Melody’s shoulders, the harpy’s hideous appearance and blood curtailing cry keeping any from daring to get too close to the dual-spirited mage apprentice. Faith, being nothing more than a fairy, only getting an amused laughter from anyone she tried to intimidate who got too close to Rustling Wind. The hotel guests and employees might have been keeping their distance because of the astral-partners but they were still talking over each other, all of them excited upon seeing living proof of the ancient legends.“Silence!” cried out a young voice. “Silence yourselves this very instant!”Everyone turned to the one who commanded their silence. It was Quick Thunder. The young half dragon stood tall and held his head high. Carly marveled at the sight of the young half dragon, appearing far older than his years as he addressed the crowd of hotel guests and employees.“Why do you stand about and glimpse at us in such a manner? You are within the presence of Prince Dark Shade and Prince White Light of the Dark Light Clan, Mage Apprentice Joyful Melody of the Singing Flute Clan, Healer Apprentice Rustling Wind of the Gentle Breeze Clan and myself, Quick Thunder of the Rising Storm Clan, second cousin to the crowned princes of Atlantis! We were informed by James of the Kingston Clan and Roberto of the Johnson Clan that we might find refuge here by word of Anik and Farha of the Anand Clan. We are faced with the threat of my people’s worst criminal wrecking havoc upon the surface. We require your help to face the greatest threat known to both our worlds and all you can do is glimpse at us as some frivolous novelty!”The young half dragon’s exclamation seemed to snap everyone out of their daze from seeing the Atlanteans and astral-beasts in person. Immediately the employees went back to work and the guests stepped forward offering their assistance. Their royal training kicking in, Dark Shade and White Light began to mediate with the various leaders of Lemuria colonies that were in the hotel as their fellow Atlanteans and surface allies began organising the remaining guests into teams to arrange search parties to try and locate Rain River’s hideout.
XXXVega glared at the food which the possessed form of her best friend had brought her. She was in no mood to eat. Her mind was too busy thinking about everything that had happened to her. This morning she had just been a normal college student. Now she was the prisoner of a crazed half dragon who had also taken control of her best friend’s mind and her only ally in all of this was some warrior from a lost land whom had spent the last twenty-three centuries in suspended animation and once served as her grandmother’s bodyguard, whom had been the princess of that aforementioned lost land. Vega groaned. Why was this happening to her? She should be worrying about writing a her history paper of the Second American Civil War and preparing for the rock climbing trip she and Martha had planned for the summer. But here she was trapped in a cave who knows how many kilometres from and with no way to escape but slowly biding time until their captors dropped their guard.“I suggest you each something. You shall be in need of you strength,” Tempest gently spoke in the Lemurian language.“I am not that hungry.” Vega could still not get used to the fact she was speaking Lemurian. It just served as another reminder to how much her life had changed in such a short amount of time.Tempest sighed as he sat himself in front of Vega. The warrior picked up the two cooked rabbit legs and pigeon breast that had been prepared for his princess’ granddaughter. He held out the cooked meat towards Vega, gesturing for her to take it. With a heavy sigh, Vega finally relented and began to nibble at one of the cooked rabbit legs. The action brought a small smile to Tempest’s face, grateful to see the young female finally start eating.“I know this must be very stressful for you,” he began gently. “You told me yourself that your entire world was turned upside down the moment I met you. But you are not alone in such regards. When I awoke from the crystal stasis I had no idea what befell my people and homeland. Neither of us were prepared for the reality we find ourselves a part of at this moment. But the only way we can survive is if we stay strong and work together.”“That is easy for you to say. I am not a warrior like you. I am just a normal female, or at least I was this morning,” Vega said, having finished off the first rabbit leg and starting on the other.The smile fell from Tempest’s face. He crossed strong arm over his chest, looking at the granddaughter of the princess he served expression upon his face. Vega, nearly finishing off the pigeon breast, was a bit startled by the hard expression Tempest was giving her. She had not seen that expression on the warrior’s face since she thought they had come to an understanding before the dragon attack at Anand Industries.“Why are you staring me in such a way, Tempest? I thought we had come to an agreement not so long ago and you would stop glaring at me so harshly because of the trust we agreed to bestow upon the other?”“The trust I have placed upon you had not been faltered thus far, but I can tell you have been concealing something from me. What truly is the problem troubling you, Vega? Take my word when I say it is not good to dwell on things and worries you cannot control when imprisoned by an enemy. I have dealt with enemy capture several times in the past and nearly lost myself from the constant fear and worry over things I could not control. Whenever I was rescued my mothers and brother always made me talk about my troubles so I would not completely lose myself to them. That is why I want you to speak to me, Vega, because I shall not be able to escape here alone if you become consumed with your own fears and worries.”Vega looked at the entrance to the stone cell she and Tempest were imprisoned in.“I am worried for Martha,” she finally confessed.“Your friend whom Rain River convinced was my cousin, Harmony?” Tempest asked.Vega nodded. “Something just does not seem right with Martha, and I mean more than just being convinced that she is your cousin. I saw her stomach and it seems larger than it was the last time I saw her before she disappeared. I know it is a strange thing to be worried about but I cannot help but get this tight feeling in my chest every time I look at Martha’s stomach.”“There is reason for you to be worried for your friend, Vega. Someone, no doubt that demented-rogue Rain River, cast a spell upon your friend so the child she is carrying is growing at an accelerated rate.”It took a moment for what Tempest said to sink in.“What! Are you saying one of those Atlanteans got my friend pregnant?” Vega exclaimed.“Your friend was most likely impregnated by Rain River some time after she had Harmony’s consciousness implanted within her. That is unless your friend was pregnant before she traveled to Atlantis.”“Listen here Tempest,” Vega exclaimed, “Martha has never mated with anyone. Do you understand me! And how can you be so sure that other dragon did not sire the child she is carrying?”“Despite how it might first appear, Lightning Flash is as much a victim of Rain River as your friend Martha. The Lightning Flash I have met, even if he had only been a child before I entered the crystal stasis, would never go along with what this Rain River has been planning. There is also the fact that Lightning Flash is incapable of siring children.”“You mean he is impotent?” Vega asked, face flushing deep scarlet.“That is one way to describe it but the truth of Lightning Flash’s inability to sire children lies with him being duel-spirited. Duel-spirited is a term used by Atlantis, Lemuria and Mu to describe a person who had duel energies. This usually entails being able to control both light and dark aligned magic, such as a sorcerer, or one who possesses both male and female energies. Lightning Flash is the latter type of duel-spirited individual, having been born with a female body but a male mind and spirit. And that is how I am sure that demented-rogue Rain River was the one to impregnate your friend, Martha, and not Lightning Flash.”Vega pushed away any thoughts about the implications of Lightning Flash’s gender and instead focused on why this Rain River would even need a child in the first place. What purpose would a child have to one who was trying to accomplish whatever crazy plan Rain River had concocted. From what she had learned from the Atlanteans she knew Lightning Flash and Harmony, Martha’s mirror-self, had once been Rain River’s mates and had altered their minds to think they were always loyal to him. She understood Rain River wanted his mates back but why would he want a child in such a precarious situation when he had no means to properly care for it?“Tempest, why do you think Rain River would even allow Martha to become pregnant? Could he not simply terminate the pregnancy if he was as well trained a healer as I was told by the Atlanteans before he was exiled?”“I fear Rain River has the same fate planned for the child as he did my cousin’s original body.”Vega’s jaw dropped. “That monster plans to kill his own child! Why? How could anyone do something so horrible?”“You are speaking of a male who killed one of his own mates without hesitation,” Tempest reminded. “Even if Rain River extracted Harmony’s consciousness before killing her body, he still killed her. A mind cannot survive for long without its body and even placed into the body of her mirror-self, in a matter of time Harmony’s consciousness will fade and she shall be gone just as her body. I fear Rain River is looking for more than just revenge against Atlantis and the surface world for what he said happened to his parents. Though he might not appear to be as such, that male is in the midst of turning into a rogue.”“What does that mean, Tempest?”“What I mean, Vega, is that Rain River has been drawing too much magical energy from the Void, the place between this plane and the Astral Plane. That means he shall become more wild and unpredictable, constantly craving more and more power. The magical energy of a newborn child is the most powerful sort of magic in terms of raw energy, especially after given a way to release that magic early one. All those from the three great empires have means to awaken the dormant magical energy in newborns. The Muese performed a ritual that allowed the infant to cast the spirit from the body while we Lemurians focused our limited magic into physical manifestation of a weapon. Atlanteans bound their newborns to a bond item at the same time they cast the blood oath upon the. I could think of no better target for a near rogue like Rain River to covet, especially a child bearing each part of the Five Blessings bestowed upon the Atlanteans by their main gods.”That child would have everything it needed to be a receiver of all the Five Blessings of Atlantis. A tainted version of the Spell of Life had been used to plan Harmony’s consciousness in Martha’s body, whom was Harmony’s own mirror self. That was already two of the Blessings used for the one carrying the child. The child’s sire was half light dragon, the species of astral-beast whose founder had blessed Atlantis with the portal system. Lightning Flash was not only duel-spirited but also possessed royal blood, even if the half night dragon priest was not a prince himself. Tempest knew once the child was bound to a bond item it would have access to more magical potential than most adults and would be too great a temptation for the nearly rogue Rain River to not try and take for himself.Vega feared the thought of the demented-rogue sacrificing his own child just to become stronger. But once he had that power, what would Rain River do? Would he kill her and Tempest or leave them here to rot in this cave? Whatever Rain River did upon that child’s birth, Vega knew it would not only spell doom for her and Tempest but also the rest of the world.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A middle aged woman with copper skin and long braided black hair was hiking through the forest when she suddenly froze. The woman turned to look at the direction of the setting sun, her eyes narrowed to try and make out what she had seen from the corner of her eye in the fading rays of sunlight. A smile crossed the woman’s weather worn face as she recognised the figure that approached her.Out of the thick shadow of the trees stepped a figure that was not too much unlike an ape but also not too much unlike a human. The ape-like creature walked upright but its arms were long, allowing for quadrupedal locomotion if necessary. Long shaggy silver fur covered the ape-like beast’s entire body, only leaving its face, hands and feet completely devoid of the course silvery fur. Lines and wrinkles covering the beast’s exposed deep silver blue skin showed an advanced age while the lack of any form of clothing revealing it to be male. Despite the lack of clothing, several golden bangles adorned each of the ape-like creature’s thick wrists and ankles alongside a jade amulet hanging about the creature’s thick neck.The woman slowly approached the ancient ape-like beast, keeping her head lowered in respect. The closer she got the more details she could make out of the beast’s strong form. As she stopped but a meter from the ape-like creature, the ape-like creature looked down on hr from his impressive stature with gleaming yellow eyes.“It has been so long since I last saw you, King D’ron. What brings you so far from your home?” The woman spoke in a tongue only known to a few humans within the last twenty-three hundred years.
I wish my visit was under better circumstances, Dame Skylar. I have come to seek the aid of you and your honourable brother Roberto once more.
“Are your people in danger again, Your Majesty? Roberto stayed in the city while I came here for a research trip but I can contact him and tell him you need our help again.”
There is danger brewing for all the world, not just the last of the Muese. I fear the beginning of the end has come, young dame.
“You mean the Starlight prophecy has come to pass!” Her only reply was a simple nod.
This is the time my people have been awaiting for twenty-three centuries. We must act quickly if we are to prevent the total destruction of the world. Hang onto me. I shall take get us as close to your brother as I can.
Without any hesitation, Skylar grabbed about King D’ron’s waist as she had so many times before as a child. The ape-like beast king slowly walked into a fog that appeared through the trees, tightening his hold upon the human woman at his side so they did not become separated until they reached their destination.