The Awakening: Artifact of Creation (2 page)

In the next instant the guard came running
into the room. His eyes widened when he saw the gruesome sight of
the dying Seer, her head cradled in the lap of the Archon.

“
What has happened...?” He
asked.

The Archon shook her head and pointed to the
other side of the room, to where the piles of stone lay upon the
remains of Lyle. “Check him.” She said and then returned to caring
for the dying Seer.

“
Ethi’el, please don’t
leave me,” The Archon sobbed, burying her face into the dying
woman’s shoulder.

“
Ingen...” The Seer
whispered. “Please. don’t fear. for me...I am not afraid...” The
Seer spoke in a barely audible whisper.

The guard hurried across the room to the
dead man. He turned the body over. Lifeless eyes stared back toward
him. Blood spilled from the corners of the man’s lips. “Archon he
is dead. Crushed to death from the looks of it. Geoff examined the
body more closely, he noticed a glowing sphere attached to a silver
neckless on the man’s chest. He yanked the necklace free.

“
He was wearing this.”
Geoff said as he returned to the Archon and handed her the
necklace.

She took the chain and gazed upon the
sphere. There was a dark purple substance that swirled about with
sparks of electricity, it appeared as it were a violent storm
raging inside the sphere.

“
What is it?”

The Archon shook her head and indicated she
was not sure. Then the Seer stretched forth a shaking hand and took
hold of the necklace. Immediately her body convulsed and her eyes
lit up with a neon white light. She began to speak but her voice
was laced with another’s, as if a man and woman were speaking in
unison.

“
I have returned from the
Forbidding. My message has been delivered. I am Elixir, Lord of The
Fallen, The Fallen will rise once more.”

The white in the Seers eyes vanished and she
collapsed lifelessly into the lap of the Archon. “No! Please…please
don’t die…don’t leave me.” Ingel sobbed once more, her lower lip
quivered from the growing sadness in her heart. “You were
everything to me sweet sister.”

After minutes of wailing and clenching the
lifeless body of the Seer, Ingel finally came to her senses. The
realization of a more devastating tragedy sunk into her mind.

“
The Fallen have
returned.” She whispered. Gently, she closed the eyelids of her
beloved Seer and laid her gently on the ground. “And without her,”
she sniffled. “We are lost.”

“
It seems that this attack
was perfectly orchestrated.” The guard observed.

“
Hmm. It would seem as
such. I do not understand how the Seer could not see Elixir’s
return.” She looked at the guard. Hopelessness and confusion
crossed her face. “I should have been able to sense his return as
well. Have we really fallen this far away from the life blood of
the Awakening?”

“
All is not lost Archon?”
The guard observed, offering a cheery response to lighten the mood.
“So long as we have the Artifacts of Creation we can wish for the
imprisonment of the Dark Lord once more.”

She shook her head. “No, the Artifacts were
lost long ago. Four of the seven artifacts were hidden by the
servants of Elixir. If Elixir finds the remaining artifacts, he
will use them to resurrect the Fallen Lords. If that happens this
world will fall.” She nodded toward the Seer. “Without her it will
be impossible to discern whom in the four lands has the ancient
bloodlines of the Awakened within them. Without the ancient
bloodlines we will be powerless against Elixir...” She trailed off
and began to weep as she brought the Seer close to her bosom once
more.

“
Are there no others who
have the power of the Awakening?”

The Archon shook her head slowly. “I am the
last of the Awakened. We are lost.”

Outside the Temple walls the storm continued
to thrive, it seemed to crash more violently. Rain and wind
descended furiously, lightening flashed proceeded by the loud
clasps of thunder, it seemed as if the whole earth were shaken by
the loss of the Seer.

Chapter
1

Asher shoved his tool into the dry ground,
splitting the hard soil in preparation for the spring planting
season. Beads of sweat dripped off of his face and onto his dirtied
shirt. He and his grandfather had labored through the course of the
day, clearing new land to expand the area to plant more food. Their
village had grown considerably over the last few months, most of
which were refugees from the Federation Wars near the southern
border. There were many more mouths to feed and barely enough
cleared land to sustain them.

“
I believe we did a good day’s
work laddy,” His grandfather said. “Let’s call it a
day.”

Asher shoved the tool into the
dirt, more than ready to be done. His stomach rumbled for want of
food, his body ached and his skin was burned from the heat of the
day.

He brushed by his grandfather and
sat on a nearby stomp of wood. His grandfather followed after
Asher, concerned by his grandson’s sudden change of
behavior.

“
What’s wrong laddy?” His
grandfather asked. His joints cracked and creaked as he sat beside
Asher. Asher shrugged in response, he was lost in
thought.

Below the field that they tended
to, Asher could hear the sound of blacksmiths clinking metal amid
the buzz of conversations that took place from the people in his
town. He watched farmers tend to their livestock, taking special
care for them in order to sustain the village. Asher loved the town
he grew up in but he no longer wanted the simple life that his
small town offered. Often times he would spend his wishing he could
find a more meaningful purpose for his life. He could not tell
where the need to leave the comforts and security of home
originated. Perhaps it was the stories his mother would tell about
the distant lands she and his father had seen while they served
together in the Federation Wars. Or perhaps it was the tale his
grandfather recounted about searching out an ancient artifact that
was a fabled myth, told as stories meant for amusement by travelers
that would pass through his small town. Asher loved the stories
when he was younger, but as the years of his childhood left and he
matured into a young adult, he doubted the validity of his
grandfather’s stories. Asher was drawn to the realism surrounding
the stories his mother told.

Asher sighed and looked to the sky
as he often did, and watched scuffs of clouds float by. The white
of the clouds were intermixed with hues of oranges and purples, the
colors were reflections from the setting sun in the late afternoon.
On the horizon, Asher could see the glistening waters of the ocean.
It reminded him of how vast the world was, it only furthered his
desire to search out a new life for himself.

“
I suppose I don’t feel like I
belong here.” Asher finally said after a few moments of silence had
passed. “I want my life to have more meaning then just...” He
trailed off feeling ashamed for what he was about to
say.

“
Then what laddy?” His grandfather
asked. “You can tell me it’s alright.” He rested his callused hand
on Asher’s shoulder with a smile of reassurance. Asher let his gaze
fall.

“
I want something more meaningful
in my life then just clearing trees and planting seeds.” He turned
to his grandfather. “Perhaps I should enlist in the Federation
Wars. I could be a pilot on a Federation Airship like my father
was.”

His grandfather sighed. “Asher we
each have our place in the world. Those soldiers would not be able
to fight in battle without the food we provide for them. Your place
is here in Shady Vale working beside me and helping your
mother.”

“
But that’s not
fair. Father, mother and even you had a life beyond the Vale. How
can you expect anything different from me?” Asher saw that his
words had an effect on his grandfather. His grandfather now seemed
lost in thought as he considered the weight of Asher’s words.
“Grandfather you left the Vale to seek out the artifact. You
followed ‘
him’
... the one you called Gaphii’el .... because he asked you
too. You know I could not do anything less than what you or my
father have done. Or were the tales you told, simply bed time
stories for my sister and I?”

Asher’s words were heated, and to
his grandfather, they felt full of accusation. His grandfather left
the stump of wood he sat at and paced in front of Asher, trying to
decide what words of wisdom he could offer his grandson. “Asher,
those stories I told you and your sister are true. Asher you must
understand, I did not seek out the artifact because I felt some
desire to explore a new life, I left because I was convinced of the
growing evil that Gaphii’el had spoke to me about. Your father and
mother had no desire to be soldiers either, they were asked to.
Your father and mother, even myself, did not go looking for danger,
we went because we did not have a choice.” Asher looked at his
grandfather, and then let his head drop to his arms that were
folded about his knees. He saw little point in arguing with his
grandfather, his words did not change who he was or what he
felt.

Just then, a terrible roaring
sound echoed above them in the sky. Asher and his grandfather
looked to the source of the sound. A great airship flew overhead.
Its outline was a massive silhouette of dark metal, it was large
enough to block out the light of the sun, it cast a shadow upon all
of Shady Vale. Wind funneled from its thrusters as it made a
gradual descent and rested upon the outskirts of the Vale. Men and
women from the town, abandoned their chores to investigate the
airship after it landed.

The cargo door of the airship
opened and armed men, dressed in grey armor, marched out of the
ship. The soldiers quickly circled about the ship and held their
weapons pointed at the town’s people. Orders were shouted for the
people to keep their distance. Among the soldiers was a masked man
with a long trailing cape. The masked man descended from the
airship, cape billowing in the wind.

Asher felt his grandfather’s hand
pull him down. The two ducked behind the tree stump they had been
sitting on. “Who are they?” Asher whispered to his grandfather. His
grandfather held a finger to his lips, an indication for Asher to
remain silent. They peered over the stump and watched the soldiers
form a perimeter around the airship.

The masked man studied the crowd
of people. “There is a man who lives among you, who has an ancient
artifact in his possession, where is he?” The masked man demanded.
“Bring him forward and you will not be harmed.”

Asher watched the people cower and
tremble before the soldiers. They were simple farmers and most had
never been in life threatening situations before. The masked man
gave a hand signal to one of his soldiers and the soldier grabbed
the nearest woman by the hair and drug her screaming from the
crowd. The soldier threw her at the feet of the masked man. The
masked man lifted her up by the neck. The woman struggled to break
free and gasped for air. “The artifact now! Or she will struggle
for her every last breath until she dies.” The masked man
demanded.

There were fits of screams and
sobbing from the women in the village. Three more people were drug
from the crowd. A woman, a small girl and an elderly
man.

“
They have my mother and sister.
We can’t just sit here and watch!” Asher said and almost sprung up
from his hiding place before his grandfather pulled him down once
more.

“
There is nothing we can do.” His
grandfather lectured. Asher returned to watching the caped man
interrogate the other three. He watched with anger growing in his
chest, as his mother and sister were struck multiple times by one
of the soldiers as they were interrogated. The beating was so
brutal, that both his mother and sister collapsed to the ground,
sobbing for mercy. The soldiers then started beating on the elderly
man. He struggled to stand straight but the soldiers brutal blows
were too much for him to bare. Finally, the elderly man caved in
and admitted that he knew something of value.

He pointed a finger in the
direction of Asher and his grandfather. “There over the hill at the
edge of the forest. There is a man who has what you seek.
Please...leave us be...”

The masked man turned quickly
toward the direction of Asher and his grandfather. He shouted
orders to his soldiers. “Over there! Find them!”

“
Asher, they found us. Here take
this quickly.” He handed Asher the silver necklace. Asher took the
necklace in his hand and stared at the ornament that hung from the
chain. It was a sphere laced in a delicate design of metal
workings. Inside the sphere, clouds of deep red auras whirred about
as if it were a living creature. Asher was mesmerized by the
artifact.

“
Asher! This is the artifact from
my stories. Do not let anyone have it. Take it to the Temple
Anin’Nar. Hurry!” He pushed Asher away, urging him to leave
quickly.

Asher hesitated. “But I can’t just
leave you here.” He watched his grandfather step out from his
hiding place. The guards were close. “You will die.”