Chapter four

“Home? Return? What are you talking about? And who are you people?” he yelled, frustrated with all this commotion. Why did they all look so familiar?

 

“You were born here, as was your father. We gave you many talents when you were born. Magic has a very useful purpose.”

 

“I’m sorry, but what?”

 

“Follow me my son, and we shall return home. There is much to discuss.”

 

“Alright…”

 

The elder rose to face him directly, then turned on his heel and strode back into the darkness. All the warriors that were observing the conversation also disappeared. Mirabell grabbed his arm, and led him along. They walked straight towards where the old man had disappeared, and stepped directly into the shadows. Blackness surrounded the two, acting as a blanket, keeping them from anything outside. Nausea struck them like a tidal wave, causing them to stumble to the ground. Luke couldn’t tell whether they were facing up or down. All he knew was that there was absolutely no gravity whatsoever.

 

As soon as they regained normality, the darkness softened into a spectacular scene. Grass loomed at the two visitors as they were panting on the ground. Lucas slowly stood up, and observed his surroundings.

 

They had landed in some sort of a city. Gigantic buildings with millions of symbols towered over them, each with a blinding light protruding from their roofs. Rivers streamed everywhere, with children and workers scurrying around the bank. Boats that resembled large canoes hoisted alien fish from the crystal waters.

 

 

Mirabell and the strange elder were already walking towards the largest of the visible buildings. It resembled the fort, except made of a peculiar deep crimson colored stone, with more of the symbols blanketing its surface.

 

 

“Those symbols are the symbols of the people before us. Nobody in this city knows what they mean, or why they are there. We only know that the ancestors put them there for a reason. The blue light coming from those buildings are our power source. They keep our streets illuminated and our people alive. Without them, we would all die” Mirabell whispered to Luke. He eyed the lights, wondering how they were powered and by what.

 

 

They passed under a magnificent archway that towered over them. Two guards with symbols matching the ones on the buildings tattooed all over them, holding spears made of the same substance as the building, guarded the pass. Sparks erupted around the small entourage as the elder and Mirabell came to a sudden halt. They stood under the massive arch, gazing straight ahead as if in a trance. The brilliant blue sparks danced all around them, flashing electricity through their bodies.

 

 

Just as sudden as they had started, the sparks stopped. Confused and nervous, Luke turned to Mirabell for support, but noticed something different. She was now no longer wearing the peasant robes that she was when they had started their walk. She was now dressed in a brilliant blue dress, with coverings of gold mathematical symbols all over the robes. A dazzling gold and silver necklace had appeared around her neck, sparkling in the sun. He noticed that he too had suddenly changed clothes. His was a man’s version of the dress that Mirabell was wearing. Only he had a crown instead of a necklace.

 

 

Puzzled by this sudden change, he spun around, looking to see if anyone else was as shocked as he was. The guards were perfectly at ease, Mirabell watched him with a comical smile on her luscious lips, and the elder was waiting impatiently for Luke to come to his sense and continue on their way.

 

 

Finally realizing that he was being forced to follow the old man, he walked up beside him, and awaited instructions. Rolling his eyes, the ancient pressed forward, striding as fast as a young man at war.

 

 

The group came to a halt at a massive wall, with pictures telling stories of historical battles, ancient gatherings, and wars between the ages. A miniscule hole in the wall stood directly at eye level, right in front of the old man. The ancient reached towards his neck, and pulled a glowing crystal out of his beard. It was attached to a gold chain that looked solid enough to hold up a bridge. He placed the crystal into the slot, turned it clockwise, then withdrew it. The wall slid aside to behold a magnificent room to them.

 

Pillows were sprawled all across the floor. Light burst in from the gigantic windows that covered each wall completely. The ceiling seemed to go on forever, as it was painted like the sky, only except the fact that it moved and looked three dimensional. It portrayed a perfect sunny day, almost like the one that they had just emerged from.

 

The tall elder plopped himself casually into a large pile of multicolored pillows. Luke sat on an assortment directly across from him. He felt extremely uncomfortable in this large room. There were too many shadowed spaces where enemy soldiers could be hiding, waiting for their chance for an ambush.

 

The old man was sitting so incredibly still that Luke had almost completely forgotten he was present. It was when he shouted in glee that caused Lucas to fly feet into the air and land awkwardly on his pillows.

 

“My boy, I have waited years for this moment, and now that it is here, I have no idea whatsoever of what to do with it! The prophecy was told thousands of years ago, an for generations, the royal family has awaited the moment it would happen. And I am the one to witness it! You must meet my son, Prince Kaltib Al tek! He, like you, is a very skilled and talented warrior. He is our prized military general, and my dear son. KALTIB!” he shouted, as a handsome young man emerged from the shadows.

 

He was a well built man, with extremely muscular arms. His deep blue eyes blasted out on his tanned face. The midnight black hair that rolled down in curls around his face made his face seem even more masculine. Robes of spectacular colors weaved themselves around his body, clearly camouflaging many weapons and armor.

 

:”Kaltib, this is Lucas, the one from the prophecy” the old man explained. He took no effort o mention that Mirabell was still in the room, standing right behind Luke.

 

                        

“Is it now? Well I must say that I never thought that I would see the day!” he exclaimed.

 

“Excuse me, but could anyone possibly explain his ‘prophecy’ to me?” enquired Luke.

 

“Of course! How rude of us! Over a thousand years ago, an old witch had a vision of the far future. She stated that a hero will be born a hybrid. Half pure race, and half human. This hero would live with the humans until the time of conflict arises in the pure race. He would be brought back by someone who was saved by the hero. Classic robes of the pure race would be suited for him, and he would fight alongside his brothers to protect his true home. We realized that you were the hero when you rescued Mirabell here.” As the elder explained, Lucas sat in disbelief. How could he be the hero in this expectant prophecy? Sure he was a hero back home, but he barely knew these people! There were thousands of people in this mysterious city that believe that he would lead them to victory! How could he live up to those expectations?!

 

As he pondered these problems, Mirabell summoned a servant, whispered something into his ear, then shooed him away. He scurried to a large door, then disappeared inside. Minutes later, he returned with a small bundle of black fur in his arms. The fur shifted to reveal the animal that Luke had left back at the kingdom.

 

“This little beastie is part of an ancient species that has protected our knights for centuries. He can change to his battle form which is much larger than a full grown panther. Those claws on his feet are deadly weapons that can decapitate a man in seconds. Those eyes can literally see in the dark, and his sense of direction will make sure that you never get lost. He is quite the magnificent animal” the elder explained.

 

“Didn’t I leave him with a worker back at my kingdom?” Luke enquired.

 

 

“As a matter of fact, you did, with one of our own civilians. He was undercover to make sure that you were the one, and he made sure that you gave him the cat.”

 

 

“What’s its name?”

 

 

“Whatever you want it to be! He will remember every name that is given to him, and he can hear it from across great distances.”

 

“Wow…” He said as the beast was let out of the servants arms, and bounded for Luke’s lap. It laid its great head on his knee, staring up into his eyes with those great blue marble eyes.