《Red Leaf》 1 King Leaf As the Chronicler entered the throne room, the pillars in rows to the right and to the left struck him with awe. Statues of dragons and legendary battles imprinted on the very stones. The ceiling more beautiful than the sky, seemed alive with the image of a hero raising a sword and inciting armies of thousands with a red cape, king Leaf. The pavement as if of glass, patterns of marbles of the highest class. The columns seemed to guide the eyes of the servant toward a point at the end of the throne room, gently and with reverence. The mighty throne was surrounded by a halo of light, an effect given by the colored window right above it which filtered light as rainbow, as if every color had to ask permission before entering the throne room. Sitting upon the mighty throne a statue, or so thought the Chronicler before focusing his eyes and seeing it move, like clock counting the passing of time, breathing. "Come." A voice so low and powerful that almost shook the very columns that seemed so powerful and now so weak, frail, as if they could break at any time. With a gasp the Chronicler took a step and then another, a step and yet another. With his eyes to the ground with utmost reverence, the Chronicler approached the throne passing through the corridor of columns which with each step seemed to distort the very time and space, the columns were like guards checking on each of the Chronicler''s step. "Raise your eyes" said the king like a distant thunder. "Sire" responded the Chronicler, slowing and respectfully raising his eyes to the figure of the mighty hero who a millennia ago crossed the rivers of space and time to get to Alem. Chronicler had only heard of the look of the king and looking at him now only confirmed what he had heard, rather the stories did not do justice to the king Leaf''s countenance. A body like a giant, powerful and majestic, covered by a red cloth that twisted around his body as if living. His skin was covered like scales of a silver dragon, moving with each of the king''s breath. Two wings of plumes sharper than swords more beautiful than white petals, sweet and mighty to the eye. Then the king''s face, long beard and draconic face, ancient and yet more handsome than any man Chronicler had ever seen: Irises like flame and ruby, pupils like black holes bending light, hairs floating gently like red river of flame. Thus, thundered king Leaf "Chronicler, you know why I called you?" "I have been told that you needed me to record your story" answered the Chronicler. "That is true, but there are three things that you will need to keep in mind: first, you shall try your best to forget that I am the king and record all that I say unbiased. Second, you will record exactly as I will tell you adding no more and without taking anything from it, for in that case you shall taste my wrath. Finally, you will manage to write my story in three days. The army of the new hero is approaching the capital and we don''thave much time" detailed the King. The Chronicler said "the new hero my king? Do you perhaps mean the rebel?" "Ah...yes. That is how they call him. You will understand better after hearing the story." The king then took a deep breath and closed his eyes and enshrouded himself in a blur. When the blur settled a young man with fiery hair and fiery eyes emerged. The Chronicler understood that the king changed shape. "In this form forgetting that I am the king might be easier" said the king. Chronicler nevertheless still felt king Leaf''s aura of majesty from the young man''s body. "Well then, take a sit" said the king while waving his hand to the side and forming a chair beside Chronicler. Chronicler sat and took from his purse a sheet of paper, ink and calamus. The paper the Chronicler took out of the purse was an elfic paper, created by weaving the hairs of elfs and magic. The special property of the paper is that it would allow the writer to use the same sheet indefinitely, with a movement of fingers the page would scroll showing more of that which was written or revealing new and fresh space to use. Hence the king spoke "of all the enemies I had to fight in the last millennia, and storms of fire and ice I had to face, and challenges I had to surpass, this is the biggest of them all. I will tell you of the life of king Leaf, of the Great Millenia, in three days. I shall tell you of the king who is known as the Feathered One, the Kingslayer, the King of Dragons, I will tell you of the one whose name was once known as Lode, a name from another space and time...a name from another world." Chronicler''s eyes were filling with tears from the emotion and his hairs standing as if in reverence of the story that they were going to witness, the story of King Leaf, the hero from another world who ruled for a millennia in the world of Alem. Thus, as the very air seemed the stop and the rainbow light from the window caressed the face of the Red King, Lode took a deep breath, closed his eyes and reopened them grinning saying "Ready?" 2 Sage As you know Chronicler, I am not of this world. I come from another dimension far different than yours, a world where the only race is that of humans. There are of course animals but apart from humans there is no other intelligent species. It is hard to explain the differences but suffice to say that in that world without magic, the intellect of humans is what made up for it. Human managed to build flying chariots, and high palaces of glass and stone, golems of our own which we called "machines", and tools that would allow you to access all available knowledge called "computers." From that point of view that world did really seem magical, but as all world evil was in it. I was a successful...merchant, in that world my type of merchant was called "corporate businessman." I had great wealth and great power but then I lost interest. Running every day to acquire more power, more wealth to then die and become dust, was that all that life was? I decided to travel for some time, leaving my underlings managing my business, and traveled around the world. I loved, hated, cried and laughed, looking at it now those were truly beautiful times. At the end of my travels I decided to travers a desert which was known as Sahara. You may not know it but as humans we paid the price for our technology. Our streets and cities were filled with light and life during the day and during the night, but to do that we had to sacrifice the light of the sky. In fact, i had never seen the starry sky with my own eyes and so I decided to end my travel in that way, I wanted to engrave the image of that sky on my soul before returning. In reality, after those years of travel I lost interest in my wealth but i still had a family to return to, so I started to traverse the Sahara with a guide. After some days of travel, we were caught by a sandstorm and the mount on which I was, which is known in that world as "camel" got scared and run into the vastness of the desert with me on it. When the storm settled, I had lost the guide and found that the camel guided me to an oasis. I decided to camp in the oasis and set up a fire to signal my presence hoping that the guide might not be too far and notice the smoke. As night started to fall and the sky rolled the stars started to come up, one then two, ten then a hundred, after a few hours I had lost count. The spectacle of thousands of stars struck me, it is perhaps in that moment that i felt that I had completely changed, I was not the man I had been, I felt born anew. I set up camp and after using the tools in my backpack to start a fire and eating while rationing my food and water I decided to explore the little oasis as I was not seeing any trace of the guide. The oasis was attached to a mountain so I hoped that if I could climb at the top with a torch, I could hope to either see the guide or let him see me from the top of the small mountain. As I climbed and reached the top and started overlooking the desert seeing no one, a wind started to blow calm at first and then stronger and stronger. I decided to get down for I feared that another sandstorm was approaching and as I descended, I noticed that the camel was getting more and more agitated. I started to rush toward the little camp when I saw the camel free itself from the knot that tied it to the tree and run. I rushed down from the little mountain trying to call the camel to stop and a great anxiety was overtaking me. Without a mount I had no chance of returning to the nearest city for I roughly knew the area where I was when I lost the guide and it was far from any city or human settlement. By the time I got down from the mountain the camel had disappeared and rushing into the desert at night would have been meaningless, so I decided to sleep at the camp and think of a plan. While I was lying down angry and scared, the wind kept getting more and more unforgiving and the sand started to cover the beautiful starry sky. I closed the tent hoping that it would protect me and waited for hours. My mind was filled with the sound of the howling of the wind which like a hungry pack of wolves was lying in wait ready to pounce at me if I tried to get out of the tent. As I was waiting, I got more and more drowsy until a sound woke me up, the sound of the sudden silence. The wind that tirelessly howled for hours suddenly stopped and nothing could be heard except a deafening silence, so loud that I could hear my own heartbeat like the beating of a dream, like a thunder. I decided to get out of the tent and when I did, I found a man standing by the lake at the center of the oasis. The temptation of jumping from the joy was rapidly exchanged with fear and anxiety for I knew that the man must have seen the camp. He was just there facing the lake with his back toward me. "Excuse me" I said trying to gather all the little knowledge I had of the local language "I am lost, could you help me?"The man then turned toward me, he had the look of a sage, with ragged clothes, a turban, brownish skin and intensely green eyes. "Lost indeed" said the man smiling. His smile was not at all reassuring and it only made me more anxious. "Can you help me" I asked. "That will depend on you" said the man. "I have been looking at your travel. Tell me, what have you learnt?" I answered "my travel? In the desert?" "Your travel during these years" said the sage. "How do you know..."I answered. " The man replied, "I know many things of you Lode." At that point I got scared, how did he know my name? I decided to run and as I took a step back facing the man I tripped on my own backpack and glanced at it for just a second. When I turned my eyes toward the man he was gone. As I turned behind me to take the backpack and run, I saw the man behind me. I screamed, took the backpack and ran as the man was looking at me smiling. I started to run as fast as I ever did, not looking back, I just wanted to be away, away, away. 3 Messenger When I finished running, I found myself in the middle of the desert, the sky darkened by the clouds and the night and no point of reference. The moonless night made it worse and all that I was seeing around me was darkness and I could only slight make up the shapes of the dunes like masses of darkness. I found myself on the ground, looking at the dark sky, my tent left in the oasis, the cold rising, I had fear. In the distance I could hear the howling of the sandstorm getting closer, like packs of hyenas hunting for their wounded prey. "God, help me" I said first. "God, why?" I said later, and then silence. The strangest thing of that moment when I was lying on the ground seeing nothing but darkness, crying in fear, angry at my situation was that to distract myself I started thinking about other things. What did I learn during these years? The words that the strange man told me resurfaced "what did I learn?" I said to myself. I remembered the happy moments but also the sad ones, the hungry and suffering people I saw, the children starving, the sick. Many of them I tried to help, nothing more than an egotistical feeling of me wanting to get rid of that scenery for I knew that somewhere else many more were suffering. I understood that in all these years I had learned nothing. I was the same egoistical monster, the same filthy mass of ego that wanted to surround himself with pleasures and nothing more. I just changed pleasure, like a child who first fancies a candy and then another, I had become intoxicated with the illusion of learning new things and knowing more than the rest, and for that I had used as a sacrificial lamb the suffering of others. I. Had. Learned. Nothing. By the time I got to that line of thinking the darkness around me started to play tricks on me, slumber started to overtake me and I could not understand what was real and what was not anymore. The absence of stimuli to my eyes caused me to experience hallucinations. I saw flickers of colors first, lines of various shapes, and then faces, voices, then a voice. It was the old man. "So, you understand now" said the man. I could not see him of course nor did I know if I was dreaming or not at that time, but I could sense his smiling even through that darkness, a darkness of night and mind. "Yes" I answered. I did not fear him in that moment, perhaps due to my altered state of mind. I had convinced myself that I was dreaming. I could still sense my body, I knew that the sandstorm had reached me, I knew that my body was being buried slowly by the sand, the wind being my gravedigger. I knew that those could have been my last moments. Was I hallucinating? Was my subconscious mind trying to grasp some logic out of my life in those last moments? Maybe, so I spoke with the man. "What''s it all for? Struggling to gain more and then die?" "So, you think that''s what all about¡­?" -"Can you know light without darkness? Can you know love without hate? Can you know happiness without sadness? Can you know life...without death?" said the man - I felt like I started to understand something, like the feeling of a forgotten memory still in the oblivion of the mind and yet present, pocking at me trying to get my attention "Even if that was the case, who chooses who suffers and who lives a happy life? People who live in despair all their lives know very little of happiness and vice versa. Worse, most people live in heedlessness, I did...!" "And yet here you are, understanding it slowly, like a baby learning to walk. You were free all along, you just needed to choose, to understand that you were more than a machine built to consume and replicate itself" said severely the man as I was looking the sense of touch, was I dead already? "How would you have done it?" said the man surprising me " how would you have taught people?" -"I..." then a shameful silence "stories of sages, mystics and prophets came to my mind almost answering me in my stead" "yes¡­" said the man delicately and gently, as if trying to extract a thread of light from the dark sea of my heart. "I am a Messenger of the Maker and I have come to you with an offer" said the man "The Maker? You mean God?" I never really believed in a God. I used to say that no God would allow the suffering that the world was filled with, a rotten world down to the core, I thought, and I was one of its most rotten parts. "He has many names, but you can call Him like that. He has chosen you, the reason and the wisdom once again, like this life, will be up to you to discover and thy elude even me. You shall live for some time in Alem, a world of His creation in another dimension. It''s similar to this world and yet very different. In that world there is also a lot of corruption but there will be a difference, you will be there. You shall be given a gift...a miracle if you like. You will be able to see in the hearts of the living creatures but that will come at a cost. That is all I can tell you." "What!? What''s the cost and what''s with this story anyway? I must really be dying, and these are surely the delusions of a dying man hoping to see new life, hoping to keep leaving. Yes! This must be a trick of mind played on me to make me tranquil and happy at the delusion of another life" "Delusion? Yes...many think the same as you in this world but no in Alem, the rules are different there. And yet to me that is no excuse. Wouldn''t the One who made you from dead space dust the first time, moved the gravity and forces of nature and shaped through controlled events the evolution of your kind be able to create you once again?" he chuckled almost...mockingly as if I was the stupidest man in the world. "Well, your journey begins Lode. You shall be born as the son of the dean of the Academia of Abkar, the capital of Alem. A word of advice, do not think that in your new world you shall find joy, that is not your paradise, and that lesson will be hard to learn. Also, you will lose your memory until the proper time comes. That has been deemed as the most efficient way to give you enough attachment to that world and its people" said the man as only silence filled my mind, a man in his final moment, that is how I thought of myself. A man that for the first time in his life knew about faith. Yes, I had faith that those words would be true, that I would have the chance to live again, to understand more, to ponder on the few and yet profound things I had acquired. As my consciousness drifted away and perhaps ironically, the sound of a camel and my guide were heard from the distance. I left my old world with an ironic chuckle. 4 A Leaf is Born Remember Chronicler, after that moment I had to wait for years before obtaining my memories again. Moreover, some of the details that I will tell you about concerning people I met, families and places I visited were obscure to me for quite some time so to make the story clearer it is expedient that I tell you of some of these thing the moment we meet them so as to have a clearer picture. It will be hard to not see those memories in an unbiased way ignoring what I know now after a millennia but I will try my best to convey the feelings of those days and of that child born in the House of Akmar. I was born in the capital, Abkar. My father was the dean of the academy of magic and my mother a noblewoman whose lineage went back to the imperial family of back then. I was the fourth child of Elegon Akmar and Rima Rothdra. My brothers in order of seniority were Alar, Shimun and Elemir Akmar. I don''t remember -like most children - my earliest days of life so I will tell you of my earliest memories. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Hey Leaf! Come play catch with us" said Elemir. -"But...I''m scared...you''re all so fast and I don''t want to run to catch you in the academia''s underground again" said the flame haired Leaf. "Told you he''s only a crybaby" laughed out Shimun "he only knows how to cling to our mother...oh mum where are you?" "Enough you two, let him be" said Alar. The role of dean of the school of magic was a role chosen by the very emperor and it was custom that the role of dean was passed down in the dean''s family. In that sense, our family was very tied to the emperor''s. As the firstborn, Alar was going to be the next dean while the rest of us sons of Elegon would have to either become a knight, a magician or a government official. The most useless of the family were usually married off to some noble family who in exchange of relations to the dean''s family would offer the Akmar child a duchy and basically something to do. "Go to mother Leaf, it''s ok" said Alar while caressing the fiery head of the little Leaf. Leaf''s green eyes sparked with joy at the gentless of his brother. "Yes! Oh and I''m going to tell mother about you two!" said Leaf sticking his tongue out. "Yeah, whatever..." said Shimun and Elemir mockingly. The two brothers were not really evil, they simply liked to tease their little brother but deep down they cared for him and Leaf knew it. As for Alar, Leaf only knew care from him and he was a role model to him, he wanted to be like him in all ways. So, I started going through the beautiful inner courtyards of the academia. The academia acted both as a school for new students and as an academia for bureaucratic and military senior students. Access to the school was extremely hard and apart from the high tuition you needed lineage and great talent. A for the lineage of Akmar, if the son was not completely useless, they would automatically have access to the lessons, the library and all the material, under the supervision of their father, the dean. Moreover, outer students could only access either the bureaucratic or military carreer, while us sons of Akmar could access both freely. For the Akmar''s firstborn there was no choice, he or she had to excel in both classes. As I was running through the beautiful marble corridors and taking shortcuts through the inner courtyards to go to my mother''s quarters I passed through the core of the school, the dean''s office. The school had the structure of a pentagon with each point of the structure home to a specialized course. Each point then was divided in two, one for the bureaucratic studies and the other for the military studies. The five specializations were: fighting and self-defense; history and archeology; alchemy; magic. For each of these areas there was a more civil focus, which was related to the bureaucratic classes and a military focus for the military classes. So, a student who would graduate as a bureaucrat had to specialize in military strategies and intelligence; the history and politics of the Rothdra empire; alchemy and related fields such as medicine; and theory of magic. A knight would focus on the same areas but from a more practical side. You should also know that at the time, people who knew how to use magic would be almost automatically sent to the military classes, if the candidate was eligible according to all criteria. At the center of the pentagon lied the tower of the dean, a large structure containing libraries, laboratories, living quarters mainly for my family and guests of honor, kitchens and the servants'' quarters. The tower was surrounded by a large inner garden and the top of the tower allowed you to overlook a large part of the imperial city. After reaching the tower with my ears filled with the chatter of students, the voice of professors giving lessons I entered the great stone door, with monument of dragons to the left and to the right. "welcome back little lord" said the two servants at the entrance. They were two Dar''els with their typical white hairs, dark blue skin, pointed ears and dark blue eyes. "greetings Baruk! greetings Faruk"! said the cheerful Leaf "where is my mother?" "she has left recently for a meeting at the imperial palace, she will be back in a few days" answered Baruk. "oh...and my father?" I asked disappointed. "he should be in his office" said Faruk. I did not ask them about my father because I thought of him as a worthy substitute for my mother. I wanted to know where he was to avoid him. That''s because he was very harsh and stern, as for me he seemed to ignore me most of the time while being extremely harsh with my brother Alar. As for Shimun and Elemir, they were extremely talented in their fields, Elemir focusing on fighting being a blockhead and Shimun wanting to be a scholar at the university. Father showed a great -and yet strern - appreciation for the two of them while his harshness for alar came mainly from the fact that him being almost 25 years old would have succeeded my 60 years old father in a few years. The old dean would have continued to support the new one managing many important role while helping the new dean acquiring experience. Alar knew that the harshness of my father was because of the high expectation he had of him and accepted it with utmost dignity and reverence. As I went toward the floor where my quarters were located using the elevator, I saw my brother coming in from the stone entrance of the tower. I heard him saying something to Faruk and Baruk about wanting to meet father, so I decided to precede him to the last floor where the dean quarters were located. I''ve been using the word magic up until now, but you should know that apart from common folk nobody called magic like that back then. Of course, today that is how it''s called by everyone but a millennia ago it was known as Ba''sar and it''s what today gives the name to the elite kingly troops of the Ba'' Hasars. The instruments that made the empire great were such manily because of Ba''sar engines and they allowed the empire to achieve much greater feats than my old world managed to achieve through technology, which in this world is what the Qusayrs managed to achieve, they are short indeed but their intellect makes up for it! Reflecting upon it in these terms is really striking, that two intelligent species, separated by enormous space and time distances would come up with similar solutions. These ideas perhaps are not really ours; we borrow them in a sense from the Maker. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After reaching the last floor I hid myself behind one of the enormous columns which were found right at the great door leading to my father''s office. I held my breath as much as I could when I heard he steps of my brother who asked my father permission to enter "Father, it is your son Alar who is requesting to meet you!" said my brother as the stone doors opened without making any sound thanks to Ba''sar circuits powering them. As my brother entered the great office, I slipped right behind him hiding myself behind one of the enormous library sections trying to eavesdrop the conversation. That was the curiosity of my young self, a curiosity that gave me much during my life but that at that time would lead me to great suffering. 5 Meeting As Rima traversed the cobblestone bridge leading to the throne room, she looked at the scenery. From there she could see the academy and the tower in the distance and while looking at it she let out a sigh whispering to herself "for you..." As if trying to give herself strength before her meeting with Asad Rothdra, emperor of Alem, ruler of Abkar. "milady we should make haste; his majesty is waiting" said the commander of the entourage of knights escorting her. She nodded and followed. "I''m Commander Heylen! I come with lady Rima for the meeting with his majesty." aid the commander. The two elite knights looked at the commander and nodded. The enormous marble door opened soundlessly, as would any Ba''sar powered door, and the entourage entered the great hall, the very hall where you and I are standing, Chronicler. The structure of the throne room was in some ways similar to the current one, albeit much more extravagant for my tastes. The space between the columns to the right and to the left leading to the throne area where adorned with green curtains with golden brocade. The room was filled with functionaries and servant that were whispering after being interrupted by the entourage''s entrance. Commanded Heylen, the most important military figure entrusted with the internal security the academia and managing the logistics that come with maintaining diplomatic relations between the palace and the academia. "Ah Rima, you''re finally here!" said a voice coming from the throne area. "Sir!" said the knight entourage in perfect unison while bowing and casting their eyes down, their green long capes reaching the marble pavement. "Yes, yes...enough with the formalities," said emperor Asad "I have important things to discuss with lady Rima so leave the room" "Sir?" said the baffled emperor''s guards "Yes, make everyone leave the room, and you all follow suit. You can wait behind the doors." "Yes, my lord" nodded the imperial guards. "Dear functionaries, the meeting is adjourned to tomorrow. I will think thoroughly about the important matters we have discussed, now leave." Commanded the emperor. The whisper of the guests increased after the emperor''s command, but it was followed by their swift marching toward the entrance, the knights following behind them. "milady..." Said the worried Heylen "It''s fine, leave" said Rima with a gentle and yet worried smile After everyone left the throne room and the Ba''sar powered doors were closed a deafening silence fell on the room, interrupted only by the steps of the emperor walking toward Rima, which seemed to cut the silence like a clock. Rima''s face darkened as she briefly glared at the emperor. By the time the emperor got to a distance of a few feet she mustered all her strength to fake a smile and bow to the emperor "majesty." Said Rima "Oh Rima, there is no need for such pleasantries," said the bothered Asad "how are your children and your husband?" "they are fine, thank you for your concern your majesty." Said Rima, marking her formal tone almost as an act of defiance to the emperor''s request of using a more informal tone. Rima''s head shook strongly at the emperor''s violently slap to her face. The emperor glared at her as she lied on the ground holding her right bleeding cheek "I thought I was clear when I told you to stop with the pleasantries, is it clearer now?" Rima lied there silently as Asad flared "is it Rima?!" To which she replied "yes...Asad" "that is much better, said the emperor while fixing his clothes and passing his silken handkerchief to clean his blood-stained hand "much better" he concluded smiling Rima got to her feet not without difficulties and looked at the emperor, her face not showing any emotion. "c''mon Rima, do not give me that face. Not anyone can say to have been touched by the hand of the emperor, right?" Then continued the emperor "nor anyone can say to have killed the wife of the emperor and get away with only a few slaps once in a while right?" Said Asad while glaring at Rima who had her face humbly looking down, like a beaten dog. "Your son, Alar, will soon be of age to take over the position of Elegon, and I''m looking forward to that. But I''ve heard that your son is not so happy at the prospect..." "that is not true your majesty, he''s very dedicated and his father is following him with care." Said Rima "Oh, I''m sure about that, I was just wondering. It would be a mess if the next dean chosen by the emperor himself would turn out to be a traitor, right? If that was the case...the only solution would be to execute him." said Asad with a shar tone, as if trying to get the attention of Rima and get her to raise her head and look at him, and she did. "Asad, there is no need to worry. He will succeed his father." "Yes...yes..I''m sure of that, but you know how rumors spread. Make sure that such rumors do not reach my ears again. Your son is a valuable resource to the empire. His Ba''sar...nobody managed to call a dragon in thousands of years." After saying that, Asad bursted laughing "I still remember the look on Elegon''s face looking at the scene. The guards almost cutting your beautiful head off, the dead body of my beloved Mira shred to pieces by your beautiful hands, and the little Alar losing his mind at the thought of her dead mother and then..." Asad then continued after a brief pause, as if to make sure that every word of his would slowly pierce through Rima''s ears "and then we know the story, like a hero from a storybook for children the little Alar speaks the language of the dragons and calls the mighty Dahaka, the Plumed One!" Rima raised her head and glared at Asad "did you call me to remind me of the story?" The emperor shrugged "I tend to dwell in the past but you know, killing all the witnesses wasn''t easy to cover up and justify. We''re talking of a thousand imperial elite dead guards after all. But indeed, I called you for a reason, you''ve been delaying your son''s visit to the palace, the little..." "Leaf" said Rima "Yes, indeed" The little red Leaf. We wouldn''t want another dragon caller to pop up in Akmar''s family, do we?" said Asad "He did not show any sign of...." Said Rima before being interrupted violently "As if...! As if, you would tell me Rima. I want the boy here by the end of the month or I will burn all of the academy to the ground not giving a damn about the ancient treaty between our families, at least of that I''m very much capable" said Asad as the air around him distorted and his blue eyes becoming deeper, darker. Rima was shaking and the air in the room became thicker before returning calm. "That is an order." Said Asad smiling 6 A Caring Brother The desk at which my father was sitting was at the end of the great room. It was filled with rows of libraries of brown marble and the number of books was astounding to my eyes. I didn''t dare to look out of my hiding place as I feared that my father''s senses would immediately notice me despite the distance separating us. As he was scribbling and focusing on the columns of paper in front of him, the only sounds that could be heard in the rooms were three, each almost being a symbol of the scene that was about to unfold: the steps of my brother toward my father''s desk, the sound of paper being flipped and the heartbeat of my heart which were so loud to my ears in that moment of otherwise deafening silence. " Father." Said Alar slightly bowing his head as a form of respect. "Alar," answered my father "what bring you here." Then continued without raising his eyes frm the paper. " I have come to discuss of the coming Ba''sar test. I do not think Leaf should undergo the ceremony" My father murmured, then continued to look at his paper not raising his eyes, almost as if ignoring my brother, who on his part stood there for quite a few minutes without flinching. If I didn''t know he was there I wouldn''t have guessed his presence in the room from just the sounds. my father then raised his eyes, took a slight breath and placed the round glasses his was wearing on the desk. If you ask how I could guess so much details then the answer is simple, I did not. Remembering those times and those sounds now with in my current states helps me guess what happened more in detail, and for that perhaps I should thank you Chronicler. "Haven''t we already discussed this?" asked my father "we cannot refuse the order of the emperor, nor is there any reason to do so. Leaf has not yet shown any sign of activating his Ba''sar, as you would expect from a ten-year-old child." "I would like to avoid taking chances. You know that mother must have went there today to try to dissuade the emperor." Said Alar slightly frowning. "If she did, then she has done something foolish," the continued my father standing from his chair "and if she did, she must have been dissuaded by your foolishness. I have influence Alar, but I cannot stop any rumor and trust me when I tell you that I''ve been hearing some very bizarre ones recently. I''ve even heard that the next dean is thinking of rejecting his role, can you believe such nonsense?" Said my father ironically, sharply and coldly, like a spear of ice piercing cotton. "I..."Alar was soon interrupted. "If it''s for Leaf then don''t worry, I already checked him with my Ba''sar. He doesn''t have a single drop of Ba''sar in him," said my father, and at that I admit it almost hurt. Well, compared to Alar - who showed his first Ba''sar signs when he was five - I was really late. "I will monitor him until the date of the ceremony, and don''t you think I have any intention of letting the emperor harm my family. But," said Elegon after a brief pause to make sure that every word would be clearly understood by Alar "you need to think it through. Why is it that you seem to always lose your logic when it comes to him?" At that I admit I felt elated and my lips almost involuntarily went upward "you know better than anyone that we can''t afford to make any mistake." "Father, I would not like to take any chance. Mother trusts me, I can sense something. Since he was born, I felt something. This will be his first ceremony and I really fear that something might go wrong." Said Alar taking a step forward, the long black air he inherited from my father slightly covering his face because of the movement. "No." commanded the dean, his voice deep and powerful like his Ba''sar. My brother answered to my father''s Ba''sar pressure with his own, it was like two dragons fighting a battle my little self could not understand. The only thing I felt back then was the pressure increasing and dizziness. The two were staring at each other while the pressure kept increasing, this kept on for five minutes while my dizziness increased. I felt the blood that started to run from my nose before hearing my brother making the sound he usually makes when he worries about me when I fall and injure my knees chasing Elemir and Shimun. "Fine." Said Alar "but give me permission to train him. He will start his lessons in a few weeks, but I think I can be more helpful than the academy''s evaluators in guiding him." "Fine." Said my father with a more relaxed tone "but he will have to attend the classes like his brothers." My brother slightly bowed his head and turned his back to my father going toward the door. His steps were approaching, and I thought of moving a bit more toward the inner libraries, but the dizziness prevented me from doing so. I knew he was going to see me but then the unexpected happened. When he reached my row of libraries, he stealthily turned his face toward me and with his index on his lips signaled me to not make a sound. He knew I was there, then he said to my father "you should have this placed cleaned once in a while, father" said Alar with a voice loud enough to distract my father, who by that moment had already engrossed himself with his papers and murmured as if trying to answer. As he said this, Alar motioned with his hand signaling that I should take that moment of distraction to leave the room. I did, stealthily and silent like a breeze. As I went out, I saw his gentle smiling face trying to reassure me that everything was ok. I believed him at that moment. I was a fool. 7 Interlude - A Not-So-Kingly Invitation King Leaf stood silent for some time until Chronicler dared to look away from the elfic paper. He raised his eyes and looked at the young fiery haired King and found that he was looking at him smiling, with an impenetrable look of fire. "Shall we stop for a bit? I want to show you something. Also, I would guess by this point in time you will have many questions. To some, you''ll eventually find your answer, to others...ask if you want." The young man stood from his throne, which in his human form looked out of proportion. He passed Chronicler, tapped his shoulder with his hand in a friendly way and started walking toward the great entrance door, his elegant cloak fluttering as if alive. Chronicler knew what he was witnessing, it was the Na''ar, the legendary cloak said to be made out of the core of a star. "Y-yes my king" said Chronicler while clumsily fixing his round glasses, moving his black long hair to the side and taking with him his tools. The two then left the throne room. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- King Leaf stared at the scenery from the bridge leading to the throne room, the same bridge where his mother stood a millennia ago. The sun was rising on a completely different Abkar than the one he described to Chronicler, it was vaster, mightier, and even gentler. Where the dean tower stood there was nothing, and Leaf was staring at it, his eyes thoughtful. "Who would have thought that after a thousand years I would have stood in the place where she stood, thinking the same things she thought. When my mother eventually told me that she killed Queen Mira, who was her friend. She told me how every time should would pass through this bridge, she would remember looking at the scenery with her when they were young. She would always think of the moment she killed her and then only the thought of doing it to save me would save her sanity. "- For you -she would say before returning to reality. But don''t write this down, not yet. There other things that must be told first, and I promised you I''d show you something right? Come closer Chronicler." Chronicler got closer to King Leaf, who was just a few centimeters taller than him, making him seem almost approachable, and not like the legends that depicted him in such a distant way, like the most distant star in the most distant galaxy. Leaf waved his hand and the scenery around Chronicler suddenly changed; they were by a beautiful like. Chronicler understood that the King must have used teleportation Ba''sar, one of the most high-level techniques that only the elite fighter of Alem can utilize. But for Leaf, it was as easy as gently waving a hand. "Is this...," said Chronicler while looking around and noticing in the distance the royal palace. "My relaxing spot, I often come here to fish." said the young man smiling and walking toward a small wooden building by the lake. When entering the little house Chronicler frowned. "some tea?" Said Leaf, who to Chronicler eyes looked so human. As for the tea, it was his weak spot, and when will he ever get the chance of having a tea with the King himself. He nodded and took the liberty to move the chair and sit, not willingly but rather, naturally as he forgot for a moment who was in his company. Leaf chuckled at that and Chronicler noticed what he did and immediately looked at the King in fear. "how rude would it be on my part to have you stand after you made yourself comfortable!" Sai the King before laughing loudly delightfully. Chronicler was shocked. Was this the King who is said to have slain Shahaka and saved Alem? Was this the Kingslayer? The King of Dragon? A human who enjoyed fishing and making tea? "I love mint tea, it''s the best in my opinion. Can I suggest you try this one? It''s Dar''el mint tea, it is said to help the memory." Said the young red-haired man. "Indeed, I would love to try it" answered Chronicler. An awkward silence was covering the scene of the King boiling tea and the subject being served. People would have more easily believed that the slim Chronicler had slayed a dragon, than him being served Dar''el tea by King Leaf. "This is my true form, you know. The form you saw me in when you entered the throne room is more of a formal dress I use when performing my duties." Said the King describing as a ''dress'' the majestic form that was said to have been obtained by Leaf after absorbing Shahaka''s powers. "Can you imagine how uncomfortable it would be to relieve oneself in that form? All those plumes and scales." Said the King laughing. As for Chronicler, he was still evaluating whether he had lost it or whether the scene he was experiencing was real. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Do you have a family?" Asked Leaf while sipping his tea. "If you''re asking whether I''m married then yes, and I have a daughter" answered Chronicler. "Ah, beautiful. Any brother or sister? Your parents are still alive?" "No, and only my mother is alive." "I''m sorry to hear that. Would you mind if I ask you something?" Chronicler stood silent for a few seconds and then after understanding that keeping up excessive formalities would only have been detrimental he answered, "Of course King." "How did your father die? Was it natural death?" "He fell sick when working and died when I was young." "Younger you mean. Aren''t you in your thirties?" Asked the King with the tone of one who feels old. "Yes, Indeed. I usually stick around older people, so I''m used to that language" Said Chronicler. "Oh well, that''s the first time I received such a compliment!" laughed out Leaf. Chronicler was extremely embarrassed but understood that the King was just teasing him, so he did not reply nor ask forgiveness, he just respectfully lowered his gaze a bit before raising it again. "Did you get angry when he died?" Asked the King. "I was distressed for some time, but eventually the wound healed. It took some time though, as he was a good father." Said Chronicler looking at the tea in his cup, as if looking at a crystal ball showing the good times he spent with his father. "After hearing about the Messenger and how I came to this world, does your pain ease a bit?"asked the young man. "Recording the stories of others, their joys and sorrows...I kind of understood that there was something more to it. I think that what the Messenger told you about needing the opposite of something to really know it and appreciate it sums it. I also admit that in my heart I never saw the oppressor as the oppressed, nor did I believe that we were just cattle with bigger brains. The hope of a greater justice, a greater purpose. That was my faith." said the Chronicler, letting out a gentle smile. "Well, at least it took you only around thirty years of one life! I had to go through two lives and more than a millennia." Said Leaf shaking his head in a comical and ironic way. Leaf stood up and walked toward a little door in the house. He opened it and took from it a covered painting. After placing it in front of Chronicler, he removed the cover and the painting of a family was there. "I thought that showing you a family picture might help you give more life to your story. It is not the same as looking at their eyes, at their expressions in flesh and bones, but it might help you understand them a bit more...my family." The Leaf continued after a brief pause "Well, my second family. As for my family of the previous world I never really recalled them. I just remember that I wasn''t there, always distracted by my work, by my role as a sort of ''ruler''. Funny how from the craving of success in that world I found myself in this position, like two big boots put on the feet of a small boy, saturated. But even that is justice, me not remembering my old family and me having to live for a millennia as a King. But all things must come to an end and my benefactor is making his way to put me out of my misery. Three days...I only have to hold on for three days." Chronicler did not know what to say. He felt as if the idea of the world he had constructed in those years had crumbled and a hundred bulls had passed over it a hundred times, leaving behind their excrement for a hundred years. Chronicler understood that the King had only in part wanted to say those last things, and the in part he thought out loudly. Leaf took note of Chronicler''s understanding and while looking at the painting showing his mother covered with a beautiful veil and other five red-haired and green-eyed man he motioned to the Chronicler to take his recording tools. "Let''s continue, we have three days and a millennia to talk about, and a little red Leaf to be trained and shaped into the ''Kingslayer'' " said the King with an irony gentle like a breeze pushing dead leaves right and left. 8 Leafs Training I "Brother, I''m so sorry" Said Leaf after leaving the dean''s tower with Alar. "It''s ok, you would have known about most of what I talked about with father sooner or later." Answered Alar smiling gently. The two kept walking until they reached one of the olive trees in the main inner courtyard where the dean''s tower was. "Brother," asked Leaf "what is this ceremony that you and father talked about?" "Emperor Asad had decreed around ten years ago that the children of the Akmar''s family should have their Ba''sar tested." Said Alar. "And does it hurt?" asked innocently the green-eyed boy. Alar chuckled "no, of course not." "Then why were you so worried?" "You don''t have to worry about that. Your big bro will take care of everything." Said Alar while caressing his little brother''s fiery head, a hint of sadness and resoluteness in his eyes. "What you should be worried about instead," Said Alar "is you having to start training, with me". Leaf saw the scary and yet funny smile of his brother. Being trained by Alar was like a dream coming true to him. What he didn''t know is that Alar- who had started teaching in the academy for some time - was known as Alar the Heartless for his severity both in military and bureaucratic courses. In a few months Leaf would have started the lessons at the academy and even before that he would have to go through the ceremony. As for Alar, he had no intention of wasting a single moment. "Six months. You will have to awaken your Ba''sar and control it in six months." Said Alar to an anxious Leaf "Tomorrow morning I''ll see you at the private training ground a dawn." Said Alar the Heartless. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The two brothers were standing in the training ground. It was an area similar to one of the inner courtyards but equipped to training the academy''s military disciples. It had straw targets and in the center a little arena highlighted by a white circle at the level of the ground. The training thus commenced. "Leaf, attack me." Said Alar "If you manage to land a hit on me, no matter how weak, you win. So, give it your best." Leaf understood from the tone and the look that that was no moment to back down. He was not facing his gentle brother, rather he was facing alar the Heartless. It was not uncommon for military students to break a bone or two, as for Alar''s disciples they would often break more than that when facing Alar. Thus, Leaf charged. The little Leaf had never received any particular formal training, but the games he used to play with his brothers were far from being kinds'' games. In short, thanks to those running and catching games Leaf was agile, fast, and had quick reflexes and wit. Leaf charged while slightly grinning, his brother was grinning as well. Leaf then changed directions rapidly to try to distract his brother, he was zigzagging like a red thunder, trying to be as unpredictable as a leaf blown by the wind. While zigzagging and approaching his brother he suddenly leaped forward trying to use his short stature to hit his brother''s legs from the front. Leaf then changed direction at the last instant and transformed his low frontal kick into a kick to the back of his brother''s leg, rotating like a red windmill, with the aim of putting Alar off balance. As Leaf was grinning and Alar was still turning his back on him time seemed to stop. His brother did not even have to turn, he only had to kick Leaf with a movement similar to that of a donkey kick. Leaf''s body flew throughout the training courtyard like a red ball, his hands and legs in front of him because of the air pressure and the gravity. He smashed violently against one of the straws, which slightly deviated his trajectory, thus making the violent crash against the wall non-lethal. Alar''s look was impassible "Stand." He commanded. his medium length red hair not even ruffed up, contrary to Leaf, who as in a pitiful state. Leaf had to put all his strength to keep himself conscious. A brutal but also shocked look on his, teeth grinning, fiery eyes. He understood what the kick was for. "I won''t underestimate you next." Said Leaf, who understood that the kick was to teach him that he had to be serious. Alar chuckled a bit thinking that if Shimun and Elemir were to see the look on Leaf''s face they would not recognize him. They knew that he was persistent but not that the cute green-eyed boy could make a resolute and fierce look that one Alar was seeing. But he knew his brother the most and trusted that Leaf had great potential. Leaf kept trying to hit his brother for hours, failing miserably at every try. He did not use the same strategy twice, he did not use the same attack pattern twice, he did not underestimate his brother twice, and yet all attempts failed. Leaf already knew he had no chance, but what he wanted to understand in all his painful attempts was why. "Why!" asked a panting and exhausted Leaf "why can''t I hit you Alar." To which a smiling Alar replied "let''s rest for a bit" recovering a bit of the gentle look Leaf knew. Leaf just crashed on the ground catching some breath and sweating, in order to recover a bit of his stamina. As for Alar, he seemed to look even fresher than when he began. "What do you know about Ba''ar, Leaf?" asked Alar, who had thrown a towel for his brother ans sat beside him. "I just know what I managed to grasp from Shimun, Elemir and you. Oh, and from mother and father, but that doesn''t amount to much. I just know that in some way it''s part of how the world works and that we can access it depending on our level of understanding." Explained Leaf. "And you know how Ba''sar affects reality?" Asked Alar. "Well I remember it was something like...having two things become the same and then separating them. When those beings are three, one of them being the Ba''sar user, then affecting one of the beings means affecting the other. They become connected." Said Leaf while moving his lower lip with his index absorbed in thought. "That is a nice way of summarizing it in a simple way." Said Alar, a bit proud of his student. Alar then introduced his brief explanation saying "remember one of the most fundamental and important rules of Ba''sar. The more you''ll understand its theory, the more you''ll be able to harness it." 9 Authors Comment and Audience Engagemen @@ Dear all, thank you for the support that you have shown up to now by simply viewing the chapter. With only 8 chapter I have almost 3k views, which means that around 300 people are actively following the releases that will be hopefully regular. Today I am working on proofreading as some phrases were sloppy in the earlier chapters. You might want to check the past chapters and you''ll notice it as some scenes have been vastly improved, like the meeting with the Messenger (I have now reached chapter 4 to review) As of the story, I know that it may seem slow but I am building a world, peoples, hearts and it takes time. I don''t want to doashallow story and, being influenced by P. Rothfuss and R. R. Martin, I wanna write more than a consumistic mumbo jambo isekai, I want to write a novel and create a world where faith, doubts, joy despair and basically...humanity are found. An ambitious projectI know but with your support I think I can do it. I have clear ideas, I know what''s going to happen, the journey is about getting there and I''d love you to join me in this journey. Hopefully I won''t have to do much proofreading as I''ll try to keep the quality high before posting each chapter, hopefully once a day. But..! I also want to polish the work, until it shines like glass :D Let me know what you think in the comments ;) Peace out T.B.L.@@ 10 Leafs Training II Author''s note: the name of Dahaka the Plumed One has been changed into Shahaka for storyline purposes. I''m sorry for the inconvenience but better now than later as names are important in Leaf''s story ;). ---------------- The sunrays were gently caressing Leaf''s face, touching the drops of perspiration on his forehead and making it glitter, adorning the little boy''s face with star-like shimmering. Alar then spoke "A part from having to understand Ba''sar to harness its power there are principles and other rules you need to keep in mind. As you said, Ba''sar connects two or more entities and allows the user to pass some of the physical attributes of one entity to another. The more you understand Ba''sar, the more you understand the entities that you want to connect the more of their attributes you''ll be able to transfer. Nevertheless, there are some fundamental rules in this world the prevent you from totally connecting the two entities, thus transofrming one into the other. You can also never connect two living entities. According to the most advanced research, living entities are too hard to even begin to truly understand so you can never connect to them with Ba''sar, not even in the slightest percentage. It''s not only about biology, we do have some scan Ba''sar techiques that allow you to grasp the composition of an entity physically, it''s about their hearts, their hopes and desires, their innermost fears. No Ba''sar can peek into the heart of another living creature, simple or complex. Leaf''s eyes were shining, marveling at the intricacies of Ba''sar. When hearing how Ba''sar''s fundamental principle is related to connecting two entities, something seemed to click in his mind. Like a distant memory that he only grasped for an instant and then it was gone. He sat up and asked his brother "Did you use Ba''sar against me just now?" Hopeful that he could recover a bit of his shame in seeing the dfference between him and his brother using Ba''sar as an excuse. "Yes," He said while Leaf began to grin mockingly "To make the wall where you crashed softer. I connected it to the straw target you crashed into." Leaf face turned blue from the shame. "Don''t worry," Said Alar "You need to focus on strengthening your fighting capabilities first. As for Ba''sar...it would be idea if you could activate it after the ceremony..." Alar''s eyes became grim while saying this, perhaps thinking loudly without noticing. "Let''s resume our training." Said Alar as Leaf''s expression fired up "Yes!" Said Leaf. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Heylen, inform my husband that I have returned and that I request a meeting with him immediately." Said Rima while dismounting her horse. "Yes, milady!" Responded readily Heylen while grinding his teeth looking at Lady Rima''s injured face. Not an uncommon sight to him, but he could never get used to it. Heylen affection for the Akmar family ran deep, it was his father who saved him long ago and to Leaf he was a fatherly figure, giving him the affection that his stern father had not given him. Heylen crossed the hallways and courtyards until he reached the entrance to the dean''s tower. When entering he met Faruk and Baruk. "Sir!" said the two. "Faruk, Baruk. It''s nice to see you. Is the Lord Elegon here? Lady Rima has returned." Said Heylen withwith a worried face. "Yes," Said Baruk "he''s been in the office the whole day. How did the meeting with the emperor..." Heylen then interrupted him. "As usual. Please, act as normal as you can...even when you see her face." Heylen was biting hit fingers because of his anger. "Did the emperor..." Faruk was interrupted by Baruk''s glance "Yes sir." Said Faruk. Baruk nodded. Heylen then took the elevator and entered the Elegon''s office. Elegon was sitting on his usual spot with the papers in front of him but this time he did not ignore his visitor. "Heylen," Elegon said raising his head and looking attentively to Heylen''s expression to try and guess how the meeting went. "Not good news I guess." "Sir!" Said Heylen while bowing "I am not aware of what the meeting was about as Asad asked all those who were present to leave them room. But, Lady Rima''s face..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Faruk, do you think the emperor hit Lady Rima again?" "After all these times, don''t you recognize Commander Heylen''s expression?" Said Baruk. "Is there nothing Lord Elegon can do?" Asked Faruk. "This has started since little Leaf was born. But these latter months it has gotten worse. The coming ceremony emboldened the emperor for some reason..." Baruk''s and Faruk''s expression suddenly changed, like deers sensing a nearby predator. Suddenly the whole academy shook violently, the epicenter being the dean''s tower. What seemed like a violent earthquake reached the imperial palace. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "W-What is going on!" "H-Help...!" "Guards, what''s going on? Protect the emperor!" Asad, who was sitting on his throne with his head held by his arm, opened his eyes. "Calm down." He ordered with a calm and yet a roaring voice. "It will stop soon." After a few minutes the earthquake stopped, and the throne room was hectic. The coward among the functionaries and bureaucrats who were there left with an excuse or another, while the imperial guards'' captains ordered their underlings to get information of what had happened. "Derik," Said Asad while looking at the imperial guards'' chief "there''s no need for that, it was Elegon and you know it." Derik already knew that the earthquake was caused by an enormous release of Ba''sar and he recognized whose Ba''sar was that. Derik was out on a mission and when he got back, he was informed that Asad wanted to meet Lady Rima alone in the throne room. He was aware of Asad''s violent impulses and knew that recently they had become more vicious and more frequent, but he dared not question his emperor''s judgement in the least. Not to the emperor for whom he whom he would die. As for Asad, his face looked like that of a lion when noticing another of his species getting in his territory. It was the look of a predator; a predator who sensed danger.