As Nihlen began to rouse from his slumber, he was greeted with confusion. We fought those people... There was no hope... Was all that a dream? He opened his eyes, and tested his body. No injuries... I think I blacked out during the fight. Why am I still alive, and even uninjured? He sat up, and looked around the room. In three other beds to the right of his own slept Cal, Galen, and Shaila. They all looked fine as well.
Nihlen tossed off his blankets, and looked around for his clothes. He noticed a clean white robe folded on the bed side table, and slipped it on. He moved over to Cal's bed, and looked down at him. Really, no sign of injury. We were all seriously injured though... How long have we been asleep?
Sudden footsteps startled Nihlen, and he whipped around just in time to see the door opening. Inside the room strode Karishian and Pheora, though Nihlen didn't know them as anything but enemies. To him, all that said was it definitely wasn't a dream.
He looked around for a weapon, but none of their belongings were in the room. “What is it you plan to do with us?” Nihlen spat, readying himself for another fight.
Karishian stepped silently across the room. He grabbed a chair from a nearby table, and sat down, facing Nihlen. “I don't plan to harm you, Prince Nihlen. I am Karishian Delmoore. This is my wife, Pheora. I will explain everything that happened, including why we attacked you, once Pheora has awakened your comrades.”
Pheora moved across the room, passing next to Nihlen, and bent down over Cal. Nihlen tensed, readying himself to attack. Pheora calmly ignored him though, and placed her hand on Cal's forehead. He began to stir, and she moved on to Galen, then Shaila, before returning to stand behind Karishian. Within minutes the others had awakened, and looked around the room confused. When they realized their captors were also in the room, everyone tensed.
“Welcome to Elharlia. I am Karishian Delmoore. This is my wife, Pheora. I'm sure you have many-”
“Karishian Delmoore?” Cal said incredulously. “Aren't you supposed to be on our side? Why did you try to kill us?”
Karishian turned to eye Cal. “As I was saying, I will explain everything. We weren't trying to kill you. The rain storm you encountered, for example, was controlled by us. It served to hide you from potential pursuers on the final leg of your journey, as well as help set conditions for our encounter. It was all a test.”
“A test?” Galen asked.
“You've come here seeking my aid. Urian has told me of your plight, and I may be willing to help. However, I needed to know about your group. Your strength, conviction, and what you're all capable of.”
“I don't understand why that involves nearly killing us all. Why not simply speak with us? We would have fought you without these false pretenses.” Nihlen said.
“But it would not have been a true battle. I would have never been able to see your true current ability unless you all believed it was a real situation.” Karishian said. “Do you remember the end of the battle Nihlen?”
Nihlen shook his head.
“Pheora pushed you beyond your limits. Unconsciously you battled on, the Eye of Kings controlling your body. It was incredible, considering your development is still in its early stages.”
“So you were testing us to see if you believed we were strong enough to take back my nation?” Nihlen asked.
After a moment of consideration, Karishian responded. “Yes, that is important. It goes far beyond that though.” Karishian suddenly stood, and began pacing around the room. “As you all know, Shaila is more informed than the rest of you. In a brief amount of time, she attempted to train your minds so she could give you information. However, here and now, I am going to divulge the truth to all of you. The truth of what Urian and I have been working towards. It will be quite a long story, as it starts twenty five years ago, before I was known as the most wanted man in the world.”
Karishian moved over by a window, his back to the rest of them, and stared out as he spoke. “Twenty five years ago, I had just reached adulthood. I had been abandoned as a young child when my ability manifested itself. I grew up here, in Elharlia, living on the streets of a town called Rinden. One day, as I walked down the streets, I was stopped by a man. That man turned out to be Urian. He told me he knew I had an ability, and that he also had one. It was the first time I had ever met another person with an ability. Urian stayed in Rinden for some time after that. He helped me master my ability, and offered me purpose. Urian is a scholar, who researches ancient history of the world. He came to Elharlia to search for documents about the past. Though I told him I doubted any such thing existed, he was adamant he would find what he searched for somewhere in this land. In those days, Elharlia was split into countless territories owned by individual families or small groups. There was no governing force or ruler of the entire land. Since Elharlia was originally a land of thieves and prisoners, their descendents knew nothing but squabbling over the land with one another. Using our abilities, Urian and I began to offer protection to those groups. Instead of payment, we simply asked for that group or family to join our alliance. Slowly our alliance grew, and word spread of our power. Within three years we had united every single group under a single alliance. Elharlia as a true nation was born. Each time we acquired a new land, Urian would search through the estates for any information pertaining to his search. It was in one of the last ones he finally found what he was searching for.”
Karishian paused for a moment, before turning from the window. He motioned for Pheora to bring him a drink, which he drank quickly before continuing. “Urian found an old book, which he said was written a very long time ago. He told me to first finish uniting Elharlia, to strengthen it into a real nation, while he studied the book. Then he would tell me what he discovered. About twenty years ago, when I had truly become the leader of this nation, Urian returned. He then told me what he had learned from the book. What he learned from this book is what brings us to our current situation, and this is how you, and your kingdom, tie into my story, Nihlen Draven.”
Nihlen tensed, unable to believe the moment was finally here. He was going to learn everything about what was going on.
“The book contained information about the history of Askrah. Much further back than we currently have records for. As you know, current history says twenty two generations ago, Askrah split into Draven and Rinh when the royal family had twin boys as heirs. That Askrah is not the Askrah of history though. Askrah is more than the island where the once single nation existed. Askrah has ruled the entire world at many times in the past. The book said that when trouble faced this part of the world, the King of Askrah would unite the countries of the world. When the danger had passed, Askrah would eventually return each country to its original rule. There was one specific entry, a very long time in the past, which worried Urian though. It told a story of Crisclan being overrun by a before then unseen people, who hailed from unknown shores across the sea. It is also the only part of the book which speaks openly about abilities. It said these people were immortal, and never fell in combat. In addition, they killed people simply by looking at them, controlled the elements, and read their minds. The people of Crisclan were overwhelmed and occupied. In response, the King of Askrah rallied the other nations of the world as one, and then something strange occurred. The people of our lands also began to manifest abilities. It said the King of Askrah in particular sported devastating abilities housed in the eyes. War was waged with the strange new people, and many died. If not for the King of Askrah, they probably would have lost. After many years of battle, the foreign invaders were turned away. After the war, before absolving Askrah once more, the King of Askrah devised a way to hand down his abilities to future generations, so the people could always be protected from the danger posed by the invaders. From his studies, Urian concluded the following: When our world, these continents, align under the banner of Askrah, something occurs. Whatever the reason that brings them together, they will find the strength to defeat it. Abilities are not mentioned in any of the older entries, so Urian believe
s certain natural powers are unlocked when all the nations come together in response to a threat. It will allow us to respond to anything that happens. Urian investigated further into the people mentioned in the text. He traveled to Crisclan, trying to gather information. While he was there, he met Pheora. As you have probably wondered, Pheora doesn't appear to be from any nation in this part of the world. That's because she's not. Pheora is a member of the race called the Garosha. I allowed you to battle Pheora so you could experience the horror our ancestors faced when they first met. She truly did seem immortal, right?”
“I've never seen anything so fearsome.” Shaila said, and the others nodded in acknowledgment.
“Urian met with Pheora while he searched for information. She revealed herself as a member of the Garosha. Pheora is part of a faction of her people who do not wish to repeat what took place in the past. She revealed the history recorded by her people, which also described the truly fascinating event where the King of Askrah and all the people of our lands developed abilities. It is thanks to the efforts of Pheora's group within the Garosha that they have not invaded again since. However, over time, that opinion has begun to wane, and history is beginning to cycle toward confrontation once more. In an effort to stop this from happening, Pheora agreed to join forces with Urian. She told us that people of her land had remained in Irazul, even after their defeat at the hands of the King of Askrah. They had infiltrated the royal family, and taken control from behind the scenes. Information was sent back to the Garosha from this group, as those who wished to continue trying to conquer us battled with those who wished to give up. Pheora explained that this hidden group was becoming extremely dangerous, as more of her people began to support war once more. The two traveled to Elharlia, where the three of us began making a plan. Two weeks later we were sailing for Irazul. This is where the popular story of me becoming the most wanted man in the world starts. It's true I amassed a large army, which no one saw coming. I laid siege to Irazul, forcing my way into the capital. As we entered the palace, we found the members of the Garosha holding the real royal family hostage. We tried to reason with them, but in the end they killed the hostages, and we fought. That was by far the most difficult battle of my life. When it finally became clear we would be the victors, the Garosha suddenly stopped fighting, popped something in their mouths, and collapsed to the ground. Their bodies quickly liquified, and disappeared without a trace. The proof of the entire event was gone in an instant. After that, we had no choice but to flee. I was branded a murderer, and given the title of the most wanted man in the world for the deaths of the royal family of Irazul. I fled back to Elharlia, where we've been watching for the Garosha since.”
“That's quite a tale.” Galen said.
“It is indeed.” Nihlen said. “What does any of that have to do with testing me, or my kingdom being taken over?”
“Don't you see?” Karishian asked. “The threat posed by the Garosha is serious. If they were to attack in force tomorrow, do you think we would survive? The short answer is no. Right now, we are completely vulnerable. We are in an even further weakened state because of the situation in Draven. There is only one thing that will give us a chance against the Garosha, and that is the power of Askrah.”
“The power of Askrah? You can't mean...” Nihlen said.
“I mean just that. I have a vested interest in helping you to regain your kingdom because you are the only one who can save us all. I tested you, and I am very pleased with what I saw. Right now, King Erian Rinh plots to make himself the King of Askrah. This absolutely cannot be allowed. Only the right person will be able to unite us all, and fight back the Garosha. Urian, and myself as well, believe that person is you, Prince of Draven.”
Nihlen took a deep breath, turning over everything he had heard in his mind. “Why are you so powerful Pheora?” Nihlen asked. “Are you immortal?”
“I am not immortal.” Pheora said. “I am a healer. Among your people, it is an extremely rare ability. Amongst my people though, it is the most common. Your attacks wounded me, but it would take much more than that to stop me from healing. After the battle, I healed you all as well. The ability is not limited to myself. This is why your ancestors thought us immortal, though I'm sure many knew the truth by the end, even if it wasn't written into history.”
“So you want to help me reclaim my kingdom, so I can in turn unite Draven and Rinh, bring the other nations of the world under the banner of Askrah, which will unlock some kind of natural power, enabling us to fight back against the Garosha?” Nihlen asked.
“This ending with a battle between us and the Garosha is something we hope to avoid actually.” Karishian said. “Our current goal is to unite Draven and Rinh as Askrah once more, and approach the Garosha to deter any fighting. Still, we must prepare for the worst case scenario.”
“This is a lot to take in... I need to think about this some.” Nihlen said, moving back toward his own bed. “I have another question though. Has Urian been here recently? One of my friends is with him, and I really want to know where she is.”
“Ah, the girl, Marina. She is quite pleasant. They were here yesterday, but Urian said he had some business and they left. He said they would return tomorrow. She is quite eager to see you, and the others as well.” Karishian said. “Everything has already been explained to her as well.”
“Tomorrow huh.” Nihlen said, lying back. “Can you leave us to talk for a little bit?”
“Certainly.” Karishian said, and he and Pheora shuffled out of the room.
“What do you guys think?” Nihlen asked, staring up at the ceiling.
“The story is quite amazing. The parts I hadn't heard brought the whole thing together. Urian has been working on this for a long time, probably long before Karishian began working with him. Karishian himself is an interesting person, but as outlandish as his story sounds, it rings true.” Shaila said.
“His methods were quite harsh, but he has some big problems to deal with. I'm sure he needs to know he can count on anyone he places his hopes on. Considering they never intended to kill us, and Pheora was on hand to heal us, it was a quite effective way to test us. Being a soldier, I would say the greatest training tool you could ever ask for is being able to fight without restraint. They are probably fearsome on the battlefield. I can see why he's worried after fighting her people.”
“All I have to say is Marina better be here tomorrow.” Cal said, rolling over onto his side.
“What about you Nihlen?” Shaila asked. “That conversation must have put a lot of weight on you.”
“It's too distant for me to worry about right now.” Nihlen said, stretching. “To be honest I already have enough I'm worried about. There's just no room to spare. I have to save my family and reclaim my kingdom before anything.”
“A wise decision, I think. Taking Draven back is already a large enough task to worry about.” Cal said.
“Let's rest for now. We may be healed, but I'm still exhausted. We'll be busy again starting tomorrow I'm sure.” Nihlen said, and they all settled down to sleep.