The Emerging Part I: Dream

The Daijoks stare at each other with twinkles in their eyes. Rhino rises from the bench and recreates the stone model of Munda Luna. Light suddenly pulsates outside the window even though it is night. They look directly to the Pyroternal to see it has diminished yet again. They each wear expressions of dread and worry.

Two young men kneel down before a dark man in a midnight cloak.

The dark man speaks, “Brashyro, Blazen, you two have made a wise choice. Leaving the Rniti and joining me. Together, under my leadership and guidance, we will eradicate the so-called pure and humble Rniti, our so-called ‘peacekeepers,’ and dominate this world and create it in our own image. If you agree to pledge yourselves solely to me, and renounce any tie to the Injhihato, the Rniti, or the Daijoks, repeat after me.”

Brashyro and Blazen glance at each other briefly. Then they prepare themselves to repeat the midnight cloaked man’s words.

The midnight cloaked man speaks, “I un a Zkefok, lukf et fo Zkefokeew. I dipp ampoug nc ledok umw kopig im fo wukrmogg I yuago. I dipp gako empc nc nugfok, fo Dibukw, umw ezoc upp ig ekwokg. I un u Zkefok et fo Zkefokeew et Yemfimaan.”

Brashyro and Blazen repeat without faltering once.

The midnight cloaked man smiles in his hood, staring at his newest disciples. “Excellent. Your training in the next few months will greatly improve your already impressive skills. Winning the annual tournament in Rizq is no easy ordeal.”

Brashyro and Blazen nod solemnly to their new master.

The midnight cloaked man rises from his chair. “Rise, servants of destruction,” his command instantly obeyed. “Hold out your right arm.”

Brashyro and Blazen obey without a word. The midnight cloaked man takes both of his disciples’ arms and heats his hands with his sigo energy. He begins to burn them, but neither man gasps nor screams out. The midnight cloaked man watches the calm faces of his disciples. He smiles.

He pulls his hands away to reveal a burn mark the width of his hands all the way round of each man’s forearm. In the middle of the burn mark is a symbol of a single candle lit with a violent flame carved into each man’s skin.

Brashyro and Blazen place their marked arms at their sides, turn on their heels, and leave the dim room, their eyes flickering towards the single candle lit in between two doors as they exit.

The midnight cloaked man rises and walks to the candle. He connects to the small flame. He makes the flame rise and fall with his breathing. He then ignites the flame ten fold its size, marking the wall with a burn mark.

He returns the flame to its original size and turns around. His eyes fall on the modest chair he has made his own. He connects to the stone in the chair and the stone beneath the chair.

He forces more stone around the chair, molding and shaping the chair into a throne, twice his height and perfect for his width. He molds the arms of the chair into dragons. He molds the base of the chair into a wide base covered with symbols of sigo and okit alike.

He throws fire onto the chair until the stone turns a cherry red. He instantly removes the fire and cools the chair, hardening the stone a midnight black. He sits in the chair and looks at the single candle dancing at the top of the wax.

He looks up, feeling a presence in his aura. His smiles inside his hood.

“Soon,” he says aloud to himself, “soon.”