3Summary: He was destined for greatness. It had been predicted for eras that there would be one who would rise up and unite the three regions of Scorea under one rule. And for an unknowing young man named Shaius Zalunekus, the prophecy would be his destiny. But evil has a mission of it's own: to make Scorea his, and terminate any posing challengers. ANY.
A/N: Well hello there! This ficcie has been in the work for a while, and I've only just recently gotten around to writing it. Let's just say that creating a completely new world and all can be very VERY tedious what with writing two completely new languages. But it was worth it (even thought I'm still not finished). Just for anyone who cares, this ficcie is fantasy, but a little modern-ish. Please RR peeps, for I love all that do so. But however, NO FLAMES! I repeat, NO FLAMES. Constructive criticism is fine by me, but I honestly do hate flamers as I've gotten a few in the past. To me there really is no point to send someone a flame. If you don't like a ficcie, just hit the frickin' back button. It's that simple. You save yourself precious time, and you save the feelings of the person. I'm a very sensitive person (sorta), and so…please have a heart. Also, the main character (as with many of the characters) is based of a friend of mine, and this is the first time I've attempted such. A big thank you to Colleenie my buddy, Mai, Julia, Hanna, Shelli, Jen and Jessi for all being my betas. (well, maybe not all of them were betas persay, but they all read the beginning of the rewrite when I thought it was complete crap.)
And yes, this is the second attempt at posting it…cause I changed a bit of the story, so I took it off for a while, and now I'm putting it up again. If you're checking back from previously reading what I had started of Scorea, you'll notice the preview for the first chapter is different. And thanks to those that reviewed the last time this was up, and I hope they enjoy this version more.
I also want to extend the biggest thank you to my best friend Bizzy because she was the one who helped me patch up holes that I discovered while reading my plotline, and got me back up on my feet (shoving the pen back into my hand). Without the one-hour talk with her I probably would have abandoned this, which would have been a waste of a summer and numerous months rewriting first chapters and the plotline.
Finally, I'll let you read. (Aren't you glad I shut up? JK JK)
Pronounciations:
Scorea: Scorey-ah (like the word 'score' with an 'eeya' at the end)
Aneleon: ah-NEL-ayon
Gordred: GORE-dread
PROLOGUE
21 years earlier
4th Day of Arkil
Shifty eyes were something not to be trusted. The seer knew that much through experience. The heavy silence between the two beings was punctuated by the ceaseless rainfall on the roof, and the drumming of his visitor's fingers upon the metal surface of the table. The man was of high status; the golden seal ring on the man's middle finger, and the various jewel-encrusted rings spoke as much.
"What brings you here sir?" The old seer finally broke the ice after realizing that his visitor was not going to speak first. He knew who was under the dark hood, knew who the shifty eyes belonged to. Knew, but was not about to bring it up, as there was a time for everything.
"I have come to seek council with you. That itself is obvious."
This statement the seer Aneleon did not respond to. He merely shrugged the warning off. He was the one with the supernatural powers, not the young commander. He was also the one with the completely white eyes; eyes which lacked defined pupils or iris. Those were both white in color as well, and indistinguishable against the rest of the eye, the sign of a seer.
"I trust that anything said here will not be repeated out of this room."
Aneleon nodded slowly. The past few days had brought an ache to his neck, possibly because of the rain; more than enough to convince the seer of his great age. He had seen much over his years, and felt the coming of the end of his time on Scorea.
"Nothing will. It is part of our binding oath that we take. I promise."
"Good." He shifted noticeably, as if being in one position for much longer was too much to ask. Aneleon closed his eyes, inhaling deeply.
He had dreamt of the coming of this mysterious visitor, the Commander, and knew that this conversation was going to be a catalyst to event to come. What happened here would set the fire for the future, and he had seen much of it.
"I assume you knew I was coming, or foresaw it." The young man certainly knew what he was dealing with. He was a man of cunning and a man of power. It was a very difficult mixture to work with.
Aneleon didn't open his eyes. "That I did Commander Gordred." His hand traced the line of the table, sensitive fingertips tracing the engravings imprinted on it. "And I will answer inquiries you have about the future to the best of my abilities. I can only see so much you know, and I can't afford to speak too much about what is to come lest it alters the path of the future forever."
Gordred frowned, taking it in silently. Aneleon idly noticed that his visitor had not ceased drumming his fingers, for he felt the vibrations of the impact. What the nervous energy that the man indicated was lost upon him; he was not very keen on learning about his latest customer, and certainly was not going to pry into his past as he could for most.
"Tell me, will I be ruler of Malden." The flash of lightning overhead heightened the glimmer in the commander's eyes, and illuminated the small room that they sat in. Turning his attention away from his client to delay an answer, Aneleon watched as shadows streaked his light blue walls. The dark forms slowly crawled up to the ceiling, from which a single lamp hung over their heads. Towards the back of the room was Aneleon's kitchen, and up a flight of stair was his bedroom, directly overhead from where they now sat. His rooms were sparsely decorated with necessary items essential for living; Aneleon did not believe in possessing frivolities.
He pursed his lips in frustration. "That depends on your plans for success." The seer answered evenly. This kind of question was direct, something Aneleon never liked. He preferred vague questions that didn't require him to have to leak as much about the future than what was necessary. 'The future is a dangerous thing' his master had told him when Aneleon was still honing his sight.
"I won't take that as an answer. Will I be ruler of Malden?" Gordred repeated tersely. He had to know if his mission to assassinate his liege lord and present ruler would be a success. Silence met his repeated inquisition. The howling wind moaned in reply to fill the suffocating silence that lay heavy on the time.
"Yes." Aneleon massaged his temples, finally giving in. The narrowing of the young commander's eyes pointed to a smirk that brought no warmth to his cold eyes.
Gordred paused a moment, his voice sounding thoughtful when he finally spoke. "Will I be feared?"
"Yes."
"Will I rule long?"
No response. The commander was really pushing the line. Fist met metal surface in a punctuation of desperation and need. Aneleon flinched involuntarily, fixing his white stare across the table.
"Long enough." He replied curtly. The Commander looked vaguely satisfied, but chuckled softly as he debated whether or not to pose the question that was burning inside of him. With a seemingly casual shrug, he asked, "Are the legends of the prophecy true? About the one ruler of Scorea that will rise to be the greatest ruler ever?" Aneleon stared at him harshly.
"Yes. All seers have knowledge on that. The greatest seer in the fifth era predicted as much. They also predicted that he would be born of Malden." Aneleon didn't like the direction the conversation was turning to. No seer in his right mind would speak about the Avoris, not even to each other. The subject was a rather frail and widely debated topic that lent itself to all sorts of conjectures and theories. It would take only a few harmless words from any well-known seer to send the whole of Scorea reeling out of control and into the clutches of chaos. No small wonder why they wanted to keep tight-lipped.
"Really now?"
"I believe so."
"Will I be that ruler?"
"I refuse to answer that." The seer shook his head. He had said too much already. Again the fist of the Commander struck Aneleon's table.
"You will tell me!"
"No I will not."
"Answer me damn you!" Gordred had risen out of his seat, casting a threatening glance to the seer opposite him.
"It will not be to your liking." Aneleon said firmly, hands flat and shaking. Gordred drew a gun from beneath his cloak, pointing it directly at Aneleon's head, the dark scowl on his face clearly expressing that he was not above using it. Inwardly Aneleon thought about the irony of the situation, for if Gordred killed him, he would never know the answer to his question. Poor delusional boy.
"To hell it will." He growled. " Now tell me."
A flash of lightning and the rumble of thunder exploded that same moment. Although the old seer jumped at the loud sound, but the younger man didn't, remaining in his adamant pose.
"No. You are not destined to be the Avoris." Aneleon whispered quietly, barely audible over the rumble of another buildup. The younger man paled noticeably.
"You're wrong." Gordred spat. " You're dead wrong. I will be the ruler of all of Scorea. I'll do it and prove you wrong." His eyes were mere narrowed slits of rage, glaring daggers at the unmoving old seer. If looks could kill, Aneleon would have been long dead.
Shoving the gun roughly back into it's original position, Gordred kicked the chair that presented itself as an obstacle in his path and stormed out, muttering dark words under his breath and slamming the door furiously. Aneleon, left in the wake of the Commander's seething wrath, slowly rose and righted the chair, calmly checking for any damage to his property. Luckily for him it was a metal chair.
He cast a furtive eye to the door. "You will never have Scorea. For Scorea will never have you." Aneleon sighed. "The gods cursed the day of the birth of your ambitions. May you never be satisfied, and never achieve what fate says is not yours by destiny, and out of your reach."
He hoped the sun would rise soon, to put an end to all the raging of the storm, and to offer some hope that evil would never triumph. On old, tired feet, Aneleon ventured to his desk, pulling out a few sheets of paper and a pen. He had promised Gordred that none of their encounter would be repeated to any other souls, but he did not say that he would not record anything.
Pausing slightly to think what he would write, Aneleon remembered what he had seen of the future, and the coming of the new sovereign. Yes, he would write about all that he knew of the prophecy, and what knowledge he had of the evil that would try to prevent the sovereign from claiming his fateright.
The ink spread across in words, spelling out the date, and the topic. Maybe some day, far down the road the Sovereign would read this, and learn much about himself and his future. But the seer had no clue how to start this document. A few minutes ticked by until he got it.
'Many would say that the prophecy of the return of a sovereign, or the Avoris, was just a story created in the fifth era to give hope during those dark times of slaughter. But that however, is incorrect. For I have seen, in the sanest of minds, that a sovereign will come, and bring a revolution with him. A colossal war will be fought for the right to rule Scorea as a whole. He who is the sovereign will rule wisely, and the people will follow him willingly. Such is the rare ability to lead men, and to hold their loyalty without question. Ludicrous as it seems, the Avoris, he who is marked with the phoenix for the rebirth of the world, will be born four years from now, on this very stormy and fated day…'
A/N: And that was just the prologue. Sorry it's rather short, but I like my prologues kinda short. So please peeps, RR. I'd like to hear what you have to say, except for flames as previously stated. Constructive criticism gets the green light. And I will get the first chapter up very quickly. I promise (cross my heart, hope to...erm...well you get the idea.)
Preview for next chapter: "Rain poured down in torrents, soaking him to the core as he ran down the narrow mountain path towards the heart of the village. With every step he took, regret pounded in his heart for the final words he had left hanging in that glade…"