The Rhythm Cycles - Chapter 1

         The night of his twentieth birthday, after a fine celebration and rescent admittance into the Protectors of Dawn, Durnaith had gone to sleep only to find himself in a dream that appeared far more vivid than one of his normal chore oriented ones. As he was beginning to realize this dream was feeling all to real, a vast open prarry with familiar looking trees dotted the rolling green landscape in front of him. All directions appeared to be the same, but each time he changed the direction he had been looking, there was always a dark, beckoning archway just off the horizon faintly pulsing with drawn anticipation. Durnaith set out for this archway confused and still hazy headed. Feeling every step as if it were actually being taken, the newly appointed Protector felt nothing close as to be described as fear, only curiosity and worry battled on the features of his face. His steps hastened to a run and soon he had found himself standing not five paces away from the archway. It was larger than he had previously thought, the tallest point had to be at least as tall as two houses stacked right atop each other. The architecture itself was of a thick dark stone, engraved with strange runes that pulsed orange-red on one side, and meeting it up the other side in the middle the other runes had a dark blue pulse, both sides matched one another pulse for pulse, each not giving the other any room to advance on the other. The runes on each side were also completely different. The red runes on the right looked to have been carved with a jagged claw, whereas the blue runes to the left looked more apart of the forming of the stone itself.



         Instinctively and showing no reluctance, Durnaith reached to touch the dark blue side, and all of a sudden was aware of two figures standing on either side of the archway, he pulled his hand back hastily with a gasp. One clad in almost black robes, about as tall as he, and with the same colored hood covering his face, stood nearly in the center of where his hand used to be. Only the cloaked figures eyes shown any description of what he could only assume was a man. The mans eyes glown orange-red, just as the runes on the side of the archway he stood by. The other, obviously a woman, was clad in a flowing light blue - almost white gown, much like the ones you would see the Lady's of palaces wear. The tail ends of the garment seemingly flowing in a breeze that did not exist. She looked quite strange to Durnaith, but beautiful. Her eyes also shown for the side of the archway she stood upon, glowing dark blue.



         What in the Divine is going on? he thought. As if in response, the two figures spoke alike, their voices twisting between song and the sound of grating metal. "You are Durnaith Mon'urzan. We are the watchers of the Being. All that is, that was, and is yet to be. You are not of the world in which you reside. You are not of our world either. You come from an ancient land that has lost its potential to exist any longer, and so you are here. Before you lies the Archway of Being, you have only two options. Step through and realize your potential to exist. Or die.



         Durnaith's breath froze in his chest at the last. Die? I can't die, this is a dream! Instantly the two figures were in front of him, talking as one. "Oh, but you can young Ryun'tai. You most certainly can, and will if you do not choose to walk through the Archway of Being and embrace what must be. Your...world, and ours will cease to exist unless you do what you must and save us all." The last sentence came out as much like a sneer as it did a cry for help. The Protector of Dawn noticed he was hanging limp to their words and straightened his back promptly. Holding his chain straight, "Why me?" He paused, choosing words. "I mean, I've only just completed my Dawn Trials! I could not be ready for...this!" The two figures went back to their positions, gliding as if not supported by anything. "Your ancient soul has been chosen before you were born to serve the will of Being. Many long since souls from your ancestors have been through these trials, however they already knew what they could become." With that the two figures both raised one arm, the elegant raising her right, and wicked raising his left, angling toward each other into the sky. A glow of equal, what can only be described as Power, formed in each of their palms represented by their defining colors, and as soon as it happened, it ended. "Look, up Ryun'tai."



         Durnaith reluctantly turned his gaze upward, and fell with his legs giving out from under him. Above the young man, floating in mid air, a sphere of two colors sustained half and half, like a dono board piece, battling for dominance. In a few short breaths they formed into one solid sphere of dark violet, pulsing. The two spoke as one again, "This is what you represent. What you can achieve. It is the Al'minda. The source of life, power, and death to the Being. Worlds are created within and from it, and obliterated just as soon. Your people, our...'almighty' as you may put it, are to be present on and watch over the world that they create, existing until its end. However...many worlds have fallen, and just as much of our people have decided that one can not hold such power, setting forces against them in a rebellion unlike anything any of ancient creators children have done before. We, the Ula Al'minda children of the Ryun'tai, last vigil Ambassadors of the Being, ask you for your help young Ryun'tai. Although we ourselves are of fueding factions of opposite, but co-existing realms, we see the folly of our brothers and sisters. We see what they do not. To wage war on all of the creators is to end our existance in itself and upset the Rhythm. We are created in the Ryun'tai's image, one of the first to breathe life from the Al'minda architects. We share in the Al'minda as you possess it. If known how you could summon and control it as easily as you draw air. Strong in large numbers we are, but no match for a Ryun'tai in single combat. Not even a hundred children of Ryun'tai stand a chance against a fully armed ancient."



         Durnaith didn't understand what was going on. Could not possibly begin to relate to any of this information. He knew nothing of what they were telling him. Hadn't seen anything like the Power they had shown him. Not within the walls of the sorcerers guild, nor from the Tick'chet healers in the bordering villages. This is impossible! I..I'm not what they say they am, I couldn't be! I'm not Ryun'tai!. Durnaith woke up in a cold sweat, the dream still very largely in his memory. His eyes drifted to the oil lamp beside his bed, it flared dark violet flame and then pulsed out of being.