The Early Days

The Early Days

It had been lonely years since Derrick stood in the fields on his family farm near Zueqinten as a boy. A place so far away among the stars and many of its galaxies from the young planet known as 

Earth, which has just reached its modern era and is still unseen by man. Unless you are a wizard who has been born with this gift or given the gift of ‘Sight’ to see beyond the shadows of time and 

behind the looking glass, its golden fields of wheat and corn that grow beneath the dark, rich soil and warm sun above, known 

as Tala and her three brother’s moons, shone brightly by night. Syrian was the color of reds and yellows. Railen was blue and green as the oceans of Tahar and Dole, the color of molten gold.

He had always enjoyed the sweet scent of Serine Pine from the hills of Gladern and the cool glacier water that still trickled down the path in front of his one-time home. His parents died when he was young during the last wizard’s war nearly three hundred years ago. The 

anger still burned deep within him the day Hess. Morgan’s master annihilated the entire village. The only things that consoled him were the memories and the voices of his family laughing around 

the dinner table. 

Even as a boy of fifteen, he was tall like his father and older brother Nathanial before he joined the ranks of the Council of Light as a member of Death, a Grim Reaper to some, but 

something more entirely. A title is worthy of any warrior whose purpose was keeping the balance of Light and Darkness. “Evil vs. Good” and helping the lost souls find the light and freeing them from 

the Darkness. Sometimes, he missed his brother like now as he bent down, placing white lilies upon the grave of his mother and his father. He wiped an escaped tear, remembering the last words his 

father said to him. ‘Never give up hope, for the Truth and the Light will always prevail over the Darkness. You must believe in the Council of Light as they watch over every man, woman, and child, even though they may not see you or know that you fight for their very lives. You must do your best to protect them from the Darkness.’

Derrick sighed heavily, remembering the words he had said. “I

will do my best, father.” It is hard to believe that it has been nearly four

hundred years, and he still grieves for them. He remembered the comfort of his mother’s arms and the sweet scent of jasmine in her long brown hair. Her deep blue eyes were the color of the ocean Leona, and hearing her voice reminded him of the voice of an angel when she sang a lullaby when he was merely a babe. Derrick stood between the graves and took one last breath, feeling strengthened as he listened to the voices of the dead all around him. 

Now, he is ready to make the hard choices for the realms and the many worlds he protects. Derrick took his ivory staff and slowly tapped the ground six times as the air around him shimmered and reformed around him.

He entered the private chamber given to him and his brother Nathanial as they worked together to save their world and the worlds beyond. No, being the man called Death was never easy like now, sifting through the lives before him as he gazed at the stars in his chamber. He was trying to find that single spark that could change the balance of time. That could win this war that is coming as the Darkness gains another foothold in the realm of “Time” behind the looking glass.

Like the man before him now… A man who has given up on all his

dreams and passion. Who has put aside finding love for fear of becoming like his parents? Wondering if he could face the world alone or give up and die quietly in the Darkness to escape the nightmares of his past and being unloved and forgotten by the world he lives in.

His light slowly dims like a candle flickering in the wind as he draws

his last breath. A man who has fought for the rights of others like himself, who have been beaten and discarded like common trash, preyed upon by others unlike themselves or simply different. This man before him was and is a boy shaking in fear of his shadow, but a man who would still help a stranger or another child in his desperate need.

A man was asking for nothing in return except to find an escape

from the pain and the memories of his past. Could this be the man, if given the choice to fight on the side of the Light? Could he be the one

to bring others to their cause if given the chance? Most of all is this the

man, that could find the hidden Five Keys of Destiny and changed the

outcome of their apparent course of destiny and his own? Like his brother Nathaniel so many centuries ago, the man called Death hesitates as he puzzles out among all beings before him.

Their stars could be brightly burning with the hope that many lives

could be held in balance and destinies altered forever as he chose the path they walked, like a God of old. Derrick is just a caretaker of their souls, a simple man with the duty sworn to protect this cluster of stars before him from the Darkness that has engulfed the land once more.

With his right hand, he slowly encircles a few thousand.

He looks deep into each person’s destiny and, with a slight movement,

alters their path according to their needs and strengthens them by allowing them to walk the path before them or a different path entirely, other than the one they were on. 

The man called Death, a.k.a. Derrick, known to some. The very

Judge of Time and among other things, Makes the hard choices to extend their life, remove it, or alter their path. And with a simple wave of his staff, he stands in the shadows, waits, and watches the man before him, knowing his time is at hand. With his ivory staff as his weapon, he enters his private chamber to search for a spark that can change the balance of time and win the war against the unseen forces of Darkness. He needed brave souls to stand with him, fight for the Light, our Hope, our salvation, and ensure the realm’s

safety. Together, they can change the course of ‘Time’ and provide a better future for all. Starting with this Man before him Known as EJ Stuart.

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Author's Note

This is only a small sample you can find the rest on Amazon.com