The Remembrance of Eternity - Prologue

Prologue

Everything was barren and empty. There wasn't a sign of life for miles across, dirt and sand littered the entire ground. The sun was high in the sky, yet it did nothing to bring life to the land. Far in the distance, a hooded man could just barely be seen.

The man was a lone figure in the landscape. His hood cast a shadow over his face, hiding any distinct features. A simple cloak, the colour of the ground all around him, covered his entire body and a pair of worn out shoes could be seen whenever the man moved. He was wearing thin, dark brown gloves, and attached onto the back of his cloak was a sheath. The sheath covered most of the man's back and was easily half as tall as the man himself. It looked worn and damaged and the tip of a handle could be seen protruding from the top of the sheath. The man was walking slowly, almost as if he had no destination in mind, which in part, was true. The man was not walking towards a goal, he was simply wandering.

The man suddenly stopped moving, his body stiffened, and his hand reached towards the handle of his sword. With one fluid movement, the blade was resting in front of him, ready for combat. Unlike the rest of his possessions, the sword gleamed and sparkled in the sun. The man slowly looked all around him, scanning the barren landscape for any movement. Satisfied with his observation, the man relaxed and the sword was brought down to rest on the ground. His gaze then shifted towards the blade itself and a small sigh escaped from his lips.

How many have I killed…? The man had stopped moving and was focusing solely on his sword, his thoughts were flowing freely. This weapon, this sword, how much blood has it shed?

With a yell the man thrust the blade into the ground, half of it now submerged in the sands.

"Is this what you wanted!?" The man's voice was hoarse and cracked as he had not spoken for a long time. He stared at the blade, as if expecting an answer.

To the man, this blade was everything, yet at the same time it was nothing. The blade itself wasn't anything special, other than the fact that it was well kept; the materials used to make the sword were mediocre and common. The blade was a symbol to the man, it symbolized everything the man was and ever had been.

Stop screwing around. This sword is a part of me, its pretty much as important as an arm or any other limb. I won't and can't live without it. His thoughts echoed in his mind.

With a grunt, the man pulled the sword out of the ground, brought it to eye-level and once again focused his gaze on the metal. Everything I've done… Everything I've killed, it's all in front of me right now. This sword serves as a reminder, as atonement and as a curse... I have no choice but to keep it with me at all times.

But do you? A different voice had crept into the man's head. This voice was quiet and sinister. Do you really have to live with this the rest of your life?

What do you expect me to do! The man's stare had turned into a glare and he was holding onto the sword so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

What do you think…? If possible, it seemed as if the voice was wrapping itself around the man, engulfing him. You already know the answer; you've known it for a long time… The voice sounded so pleasing, already the man was lowering his sword.

After everything you've gone through, you deserve the break. Sometimes it's best to just… give up. The sword had now settled next to the man's chest, with the blade facing directly in front of his heart. It's just one fluid motion… Why the hesitation?

The man gave one final grunt and stabbed his blade inwards. The tip of the blade was instantly stained crimson and the sound of his sword entering flesh echoed throughout the land. This sound was quickly followed by a desperate squeal as a figure fell to the ground, twitching. The man pulled his sword out in front of him, and turned his gaze towards the three other animals surrounding him.

They were wild dogs, each half the size of the man, saliva dripping from their fangs. They growled, a threatening noise deep from within their throats, and paced cautiously around him. They had seen what had happened to their comrade who had tried a surprise attack. This was no ordinary man; they had to make sure they took no more chances.

The man was calm, he had registered the threat around him and was acting accordingly. The beasts were large, one false move and everything could end in a second. He brought the sword in front of him, ready to swing. The beasts took no more time and instantly one charged forward while the other two tried flanking him from the sides. The one in front of him jumped upwards, its jaws were open and aimed directly at the man's head. At the same time the two next to him charged towards his feet, they were taking no chances. The man waited until the very last moment, he could see the individual teeth of the beast in front of him, until he crouched down and jumped upwards.

The beasts had covered the air and the ground, they had left no room for error. The moment they saw the man jump, they growled in victory. What they didn't expect, however, was for the man to jump even higher than the beast in the sky. In one fluid motion the man was directly above the beast, swinging his sword downwards. The blade pierced the beast directly through its heart, and both the man and the body toppled to the ground. The other two wild dogs were stunned, and for a second they stood still. The man took this hesitation to his advantage and rapidly slashed his blade through one of them. The wound was fatal, and the animal fell to the ground, dying.

The final beast quickly jumped back and growled at the man in fury. The beast should have left, after seeing what the man was capable of, there was no chance of victory. However, anger and hate blinded the beast to reason. The first beast slain had been its mate and she refused to let this murderer walk away.

The man looked towards the beast, he could feel the anger radiating from her and he lowered his sword slightly. This is it… If I just drop my sword here, It'll all finally be over…The sword lowered ever so slightly more.

The beast, confused, did not understand what the man was doing. Had he accepted defeat, or was this a trick? Regardless, she would not run, she would kill this man. With one last howl she charged with full speed and lashed out one lethal claw towards the man's head.

Just let go of the sword and all of it will be over. The claw was inches from the man's face, when suddenly he stepped back and screamed with all his might, "NO!" Without the slightest hesitation the man swung his blade and cleanly beheaded the animal. With a cry the man threw his sword to the ground, where it clattered away and laid still, bloodstained.

"I won't let it end like this, not this easily. I must have missed something, I must have!" The man looked towards the crimson blade. "I Will Remember..."

Author's Note

Just the prologue, it gives nice hints as to what I want the final version of this story to be, tbh an extremely huge goal, but one step (or rather, chapter) at a time.

I won't be rewriting this anytime soon, I just re-read it and it fits the mood I am trying to reach with the prologue and the overall feel of how I want this man portrayed. Even the greyness and how it feels somewhat bland is partially intentional.

Reviews

[Shep]

Colour....color
Is this what you wanted!?.... is this what you wanted? Delete (!) Never use both.

What do you expect me to do !.... what do you expect me to do?

Loved how the man restled within himself to the point of madness. I wondered if every person struggles with this in their own way. Excelent chapter, look forwaord to reading more.

[AarsalM]

Ah sweet, thanks for the corrections, I still need to review/edit everything, though I personally really dont like it when there are gramatical mistakes in the text. As for colour, er I'm canadian, I'm pretty sure thats how we spell it here. (I think, lol)

[Talismanic]

yeah Aussies spell colour too:)

[Steve Gallagher]

I love the mystery behind it. Great work! there is some repetition in some parts though. such as in the second paragraph: "The sheath covered most of the man's back and was easily half as tall as the man himself. It looked worn and damaged and the tip of a handle could be seen protruding from the top of the sheath. The man was walking slowly, almost as if he had no destination in mind, which in part, was true. The man was not walking towards a goal, he was simply wandering."

I would emphasize more rather than using "the man, the man, the man." But other than that I found it interesting and very action oriented which will never steer you wrong! Great job once again