The Calling of the Chosen Chpt. 1

I was so tired of this world. I thought I knew how it all worked. I thought we were born, lived our short lives, and then died. I thought we were no different than other animals. I didn’t believe in a higher power, or in others, I only believed in myself. I thought I could make it on my own, and I thought I didn’t need anybody. I used to think a lot of things back then. But now things are different, because now I am not all alone, and I don’t have to rely on only myself. But I must guard my tongue for it is essential for me to start at the beginning.


My name is Kianthos Aurelian. I go by Ki. It always seemed more appropriate for who I was. It always sounded so regal when I said it to myself, and I was far from royalty. I never met my parents; in fact I never had anyone but myself, so I don’t know how I came by this name. I know nothing of my past. It was like I just woke up from a deep sleep one day and was here. I awoke ready to take care of myself with all the necessary skills to function on my own. I don’t know where I was born or how I survived until I was old enough to take care of myself. I have always lived on my own, I even taught myself, and from what I know about schools I think I did so quite well. And all this time I still had no one. I lived in a small apartment room that had been prepaid for by some unknown benefactor, the same went for food and clothes; they just appeared on my doorstep. I often wondered who would do this but I honestly didn’t care that much. I had everything I needed accept an explanation so I lived without one. I had no idea where to look if I had wanted to so I just kept on living with this thought in my head.


With no need for money or additional schooling, I had plenty of time to observe the other humans that populated the earth. And because I was so detached from their world, and even their pathetic reality, I could see from an unbiased standpoint how evil men could be to one another. They killed for fun, ruined their lives and so many others in one moment of stupidity. The rest of them lived in some induced state of bliss; living without a care in the world and not opening their eyes to the harsher side of the world. They all made me sick. I forced myself to cut all ties to the planet. So I left them alone, and usually they did the same towards me. I know it seems strange because I was a human also, but I never seemed like one of them. There was always something that seemed to block the essential feelings that humans had. Love was a prime example. I loved nothing, not even myself. I hated that I hated everything, but at the same time how could of it been different. Nothing loved me so I gave no love back.


However on, October 15, 2000, I would never have to see those sly, evil men again. In fact, it would be a very long time before I ever saw earth again.


I woke that day, my seventeenth birthday, to silence. No cars rushed past my dirty window. I heard no sound but my breathing. I didn’t give it much thought because it was still pretty early. I went on with my usual routine and showered and dressed. The shower had been acting up lately and the water was freezing cold. I decided not to eat anything. Cereal just lost its appeal when you had it everyday. I pulled on a light coat and stepped outside.


The day was gray and dark, and still I heard no sound. I walked down the abandoned street and stared in a mix of wonder and horror. Even the trees, which usually were brilliant yellows and reds this time of year, seemed as gray as the sky. Everything seemed pallid, sickly, and devoid of color. I continued to search for anyone else but no one was there; I was completely alone. The cars were parked on the side of the road; nothing blocked my path. The thought didn’t bother me completely I was simply now alone without the nuisance of the others that populated the earth. There was a very small part of me, however, deep in the back of my mind that was apprehensive and nervous. I mean people don’t just disappear without some cause. I tried to block that feeling, but as I looked around all it did was grow. I continued to walk, mostly because I was still in a mild state of shock. I perceived everything and nothing at the same time. I could reach out and touch the things around me, but I could not convince myself that this was happening. My feet made a muffled scrape as I trudged along the paved road. It was the only sound that I came through the silence other than my shallow breath.


A trashcan toppled over in one of the alleys behind me. That metallic clang could not be mistaken for anything else. The noise it made nearly knocked me off my feet. I could almost see the sound waves as they came from the ally. The sound echoed off of everything. The sheer force of the sound in this silent world shook the once still leaves. They rattled eerily like this was the first time that they had ever moved from this position. I took a moment to catch my breath and gather my courage. My heart was beating wildly in my chest. I walked slowly towards the ally where the sound had spawned. I peered down into the dark side street to see what had caused the noise.


There, standing in the alley perched on two long legs, was something defiantly not from Earth. It was roughly seven feet tall, with two arms that brushed the ground, and legs that bent back at the kneecap. It was black, completely and utterly black, except for its eyes that were a bloody red. Its piercing eyes glowed in the darkness of the ally. It brought its head up and I saw a mouthful of sharp teeth. Every tooth was dirty and stained a slight red. This sent shivers up my spine. For the first time in my life I was actually scared for my life. I had never really felt fear before; at least not to this extent. I realized in those brief seconds what it felt like to be human, to be afraid. And of course, the greatest feeling of all: the consuming need to live.


As it stepped out of the ally, I saw long, curved claws at the ends of its hands and feet. I started to back slowly away. I was still trying to convince myself that I was dreaming; that this was not a real monster. I mean, men were the only real monsters; however, deep down, I think I knew that that wasn’t the case at all. I kept going, a little faster now, and it followed; bent down to all fours, somewhat like a gorilla, a black tongue licking its stained teeth. I turned and ran, going as fast as I could. It lurched into a run also. I was ahead, but it was quickly catching up. It was built to run and built to kill, both of which it seemed very ready to do.
“Damn”, I muttered under my breath. I didn’t want to die here I would rather live for eternity on Earth than face that great beyond.
It was very close now, and it continued to gain ground. At ten feet it lunged. I ducked and it sailed over me by only a few inches. Its back claw scraped my right shoulder, and blood began to seep slowly from the wound. I got up and stared into the creature’s eyes. I could see it wanted my flesh. It wanted to eat not only my body, but my soul as well. I looked around for any escape, for any way out; but all I saw was open road. My breath choked inside of me, but I forced myself to stay calm. It began to circle me, now making a strange noise. It was a low primal hiss, like it was taunting me or maybe even laughing at me. It looked ready to pounce, and when it did, I took my chance. I slid under the beast and ran. It slid to a halt, turned, and began to follow. I saw a light over the crest of the next hill. I ran towards it.


When I reached the bottom of the hill I saw what was producing the light. A door was in the middle of the road. White light radiated from it. The creature was twenty feet away. I had to make a choice. Fifteen feet away. To die here, or possibly on the other side of the door. Ten feet. I took a deep breath. Five feet. And let the blinding light envelop me. Cold wind rushed around me, it cut to the bone. I felt like I was being torn apart. Then, in the same instant it was over. My feet touched solid ground, and I opened my eyes. I was in the center of a huge dirt courtyard standing on the top of a large stone dais. A grand building lay ahead, so I stepped of the dais and set off to see what fate awaited me. I moved slowly toward what appeared to be a temple. I climbed the steps and peered through the huge door.

“Hello”, I said nervously.
My voice ricocheted off the wall, filling the room with sound.
From deep within the temple an old man’s voice cried out, “Kianthos, come in my child.”


I saw no other choice but to accept. My footsteps echoed off the temple walls, and my shallow breath seemed to rattle the ornate vases. Vast amounts of weaponry adorned the walls. I stood at just shy of six feet three inches and there were axes taller than me perched in the corner, some of their blades alone were over half my size, bows of all sizes hung on the walls, and various staves and tridents had been placed on racks. I continued forward towards the altar. There I saw the most incredible weapon in the room. It was a sword with a blade as clear as glass. It had a double edge and light played on both sides. The sword transfixed me. I was drawn into every flash of light that crossed the blade. It seemed familiar, like I had seen it, even held it before. I had to hold it; I couldn’t stop myself. I reached my hand out and grasped the hilt.


The world blinked out around me. I was surrounded by darkness, and I let it take me. I fell into it and embraced the nothingness. Sounds rolled across the darkness like thunder rolls in a stormy sky. The sound grew and the darkness faded from around me. I was high above the ground looking down upon the remnants of a castle. All of the walls had crumbled, and all that remained was the courtyard strewn with rubble. I willed myself closer to the castle. I could now see that I was amid a great battle. Five warriors that looked no older than myself were fighting against a mysterious warrior who wore pitch-black armor and carried a cruelly curved sword. The darkness of his armor seemed to go on forever. I had to shake myself from the hypnotic state that it induced. His sword was red, a deep crimson red. I stared at the other five warriors; there were three males and two females. Each one seemed different from most fighters that I would have imagined. One of the female warriors had large white wings on her back, and she used them to gracefully move around the battlefield. Light flew from her hands, and her scepter looked equally dangerous. The other female looked about my age, but she ran blindingly fast; my eyes only caught blurs of her as she moved. However when she slowed I saw she was holding a bow, with an arrow notched. My eyes then moved over the male fighters. The first that I saw had flaming red hair, and a smile on his face as he fought. He fought with a double bladed spear, which he could break apart into two separate weapons. The fourth warrior was huge and dark skinned; he fought with his only gauntlets on his hands, but the rock imploded where he struck. I saw his eyes, and they were glaring hatefully at the man armed in darkness. As my eyes passed over the fifth warrior my heart stopped in my chest. He held the clear sword, and as looked at him; I saw it was I holding the sword. He had my brown hair, my dark blue eyes with the pale blue streaks woven through them, and my face. I was the one fighting. I felt faint, my consciousness waned and I fell back into the darkness.


I awoke on the temple floor, still clutching the sword in my left hand.
“Welcome back to the world of the present, Kianthos,” a voice said from behind me. I tried to turn but I could do no more than sit up. My head was being flooded with strange memories.
“What just happened, and how do you know my name.” I asked in the loudest voice that I could muster, which turned out to be no more than a whisper.
“You were taken back into your memories by the sword, Kianthos”
“But I was never there, that couldn’t have been me.”
“It was, in a sense you, Kianthos, for it was your spirit that you saw, and it was your body, but it is not the conscience that you have now.” The old man paused for a moment. “That battle that you just witnessed took place over two-thousand years ago.”
“Hold on just a second, two thousand years…that’s not possible. Well then, how do you know me if it was so long ago that all this happened.”
“I have known you since you stepped into this world for the first time, and I have watched over you since.”
“Then tell me what happened to the other people of earth.” I asked him
“They are all still there, what you witnessed was a cross world, or a linking world that connected Earth to this world.”
“How did I get there, and what was that thing that attacked me there?” I asked him questioningly.
“Give me a moment and I will answer all your questions. There is so much that I must explain to you. You may wonder why you were alone on earth. It was essential that you didn’t disappear from a family or go missing from somewhere else, so unfortunately, the only choice was to isolate you. I know it must have been painful, but there was no other way.”
“You talk as if I am some kind of pawn, old man.” I could feel my temper rising but I suppressed it as best I could.
The sage didn’t answer my question, but said, "Kianthos...
I said, “Call me Ki old man, I have never gone by my full name.”
“Very well Kian…Ki, but I don’t know why you would deny your heritage. Now, listen now and I will tell you how you ended up at this temple.”
“I’m listening. Spit it out old man.”


“For thousands of years our planet resided peacefully. This world is called Deraga, which in old times meant the Protected Place, but it eventually became all but that. There were always, of course, some minor differences between the people in our world, but no violence ever came from them. Then five hundred years ago that changed. An apprentice to the Grand High Sage, named Zevon, stole the cursed sword, Letheos, and used it to slaughter everyone in his path. Countless thousands of people died, and he took control of this world. He reigned for many years and many more lives were lost. For every life taken, Letheos grew more powerful, and Zevon grew more bloodthirsty. He soon became known as Letheon, meaning ‘the taker of countless souls’, because of the power the sword gave him. Eventually the human heart in him ceased to exist and only the evil remained. Letheon was the only thing left in that body. One day, you emerged out of thin air on that same stone dais. Around this world four others emerged in a similar fashion. You were, and once again are, given the mission of finding them and releasing their latent abilities. For unlike you, they knew not of their powers, or the quest that they must partake in. They were woven into the destiny of others and only when you found them did they recall their true and ultimate destiny. You five traveled and destroyed Letheon’s hold on the world and locked him with a powerful seal. Unfortunately after that, the world did not return to its once peaceful self. Hatred brewed among people, and wars broke out. Under these conditions it’s amazing that the seal held as long as it did. But now its power is beginning to wane and Letheon is regaining his former power. Only four of the five seal points remain intact. That is how that beast made its way to the cross world. Its name in Shadowtongue is morte’tellana, which is most simply translated as shadow stalker. And that brings you here to this temple.”


All this information seemed so familiar, but every time I tried to remember I only caught flashes. It was such a strange feeling to have.
The sage spoke again, “You must be tired, I will show you to your room, and you need to rest, because we have much more to talk about in the morning.”
After the old sage left me to myself, I went down to hot spring located at the back of the temple. The hot water relaxed my muscles, and I let out a sigh. I reached up to my right shoulder, and felt the gash left there by the shadow stalker. I gently washed off the dried blood while trying my best to not reopen the wound. If it were not for that wound, I would not have believed what had happened. This destroyed all of my previous thoughts of the world. I still had many questions for the old man, but I suppose they would have to wait for in the morning.


My sleep that night was disturbed by nightmares of that black knight. Even when I was awake I saw him behind my eyelashes; he was watching me, and waiting for me. Eventually I drifted into a light and, thankfully, dreamless sleep.


The morning finally came, and I woke to the sun coming through the open window. I felt surprisingly well rested despite my lack of sleep. It was the first time that I noticed that I had never given the sword back to the old man the night before. I made my way back to the main room of the temple, where I found him praying.
“Good morning Ki, are you rested?” He asked without getting up.
“Strangely enough, I am, even though I never slept for more than at least an hour at a time.”
“That is one of the effects of being a Chosen. You only need a few hours of sleep at night if even that to regain your strength.”
“The…Chosen? What do you mean?”
“Let me give you my full name, I am Sesien, the Cardinal High Sage of the Chosen.”
“Well that just clears everything up doesn’t it? What exactly does it mean to be the Chosen? I may be this mythical hero but I don’t remember any of it.”
“Just as Letheon chose Zevos to wield it, this sword, Avangaurd, the ‘restorer of souls’ has chosen you yet again to be its wielder.”
“But what’s the point, if I don’t even know where the other Chosen are?”


“Avangaurd will let you know. It was forged for that sole purpose,” he stated. “Like I told you last night the other Chosen were woven into the destiny of this world. But perhaps I should try to be clearer in my explanation. When you defeated Letheon you could not completely destroy him. His evil was far too great for even your group. You gave up your powers to seal him for what you thought was eternity, but his influence on the land never really faded away. After the seal was complete you disappeared from the world. Your bodies had vanished. Legend states that you were waiting for the time that you would be needed again. I don’t even know the exact reason that you were reawakened on Earth, because I know very little about that planet. But I can tell you that you woke in the cross world because you were called on by your destiny. It was necessary for whatever reason for that to happen. You should know that every Chosen has different domains of power. You, Ki, are the Chosen of Ice. You are aligned with your element, but you are also able to use it to your benefit in battle. It also matches your personality quite well, wouldn’t you say? Ice is always the power of the first Chosen, for he is always alone at the beginning of the journey. The other chosen are of wind, fire, earth, and light. You must find them, to save not only this world, but all others as well.”
“So what am I, some kind of magician or something?”
“No, magicians entertain with slight of hand. You could kill every magician you came across with a simple flick of yours.”
“How do I use these powers?”
“An ancient language is used to conjure these abilities, so I cannot teach them to you, they will come to your aid when they are needed. They will come to you when they are needed.”
“Doesn’t seem like I have much choice in the matter.”
“No, you don’t…this is your destiny, and you must accept it.”
“So when do I leave on this glorious and grand journey?”
“Immediately. I have seen to it that you have enough supplies and food to make to Taikan, a small village a few days south of here. If you follow the roads you should have no problem making it there. I would have wished to tell you more, but it is out of my hands. Good luck on your journey Ki and let whatever god you believe in watch over you.”
“I believe in nothing but myself. I call on no deity for my protection Sage Sesien.”
“Then perhaps you will make it on your journey after all.”


After Ki had set off on his perilous journey, the Cardinal High Sage returned to the temple and spoke to himself, “Yes, Ki, perhaps you will succeed, that is until you bring all the Chosen back here and I kill you all for what you did to my master two thousand years ago.” He went to the altar of the temple and removed a large box from the pulpit. He opened the box and lifted a cloth-covered object from it. He took the cloth off to reveal a large black sphere. Darkness swirled around inside of it. He tapped on it once and watched as some of the darkness seeped out. It writhed and molded into a creature. A morte’tellana stood before the sage. It let out a growl. The sage went over and ran his hand over the stalkers head. It rubbed against his hand like a kitten. Its tongue licked around the sage’s wrist, but it was in no way a violent act. An almost purr-like sound came from its chest.
“Go my child of the night. Go and find your brothers and keep watch on him,” the Sage said, “Follow him for now, but if you get the opportunity to dispose of him…”
The beast let out a guttural grunt and nodded its head slowly. It took off in a hobbled run and disappeared into the forest. The sage covered the sphere and put it back into the box. He replaced the box under the pulpit and walked back to the temple door. He let out a shrill, evil laugh, loud enough to cause the birds to fly from their roosts, and then sauntered back into to its chambers still laughing softly to itself.