Empyrean: The Epic of Raiden

Whether he opened his eyes for the first time after waking from a long dream or for the billionth time after a blink, he could not tell. Light flooded in exciting his senses. He squinted. After a minute or so his eyes finally adjusted. For a moment he stared into the light above his head confused. It emitted from an unfamiliar rectangular holding. He almost thought he was standing...or looking down, or hovering sideways or something. What kind of fire is that? He thought. He sat up in his bed and looked around the room. There was something different; wrong even. Something was dangling on his chest. He reached up touching the soft tube. Following it with his fingers he felt a slight tug at his face, and that's when the realization set in. The tube snaked up into his nose and a branch of it into his mouth and as the awareness continued to sharpen, he realized he felt it even down his throat. Looking around, he now noticed smaller tubes and wires connected to his body. Beginning to panic he grabbed at the tubes and wires and pulled them off, lastly, as quickly as he could muster, he pulled the tube from his nose and throat gagging as it slid out like a slug. Now he took a closer look; he was in a light blue room wearing a white gown with teal spots. Next to the bed a machine beeped a long high pitched sound.

* * *

"And then he put on the gloves and said, 'There's no time for lubricant I'm going in,' and he shoved his hand all the way in such a tight area and pulled the apple right out of his throat! It was incredible!" the nurse explained to her fellow workers.

"Oh, come now, it was incredible but I can't really take all of the...you know his life was on the line, and you know...I just couldn't...I just couldn't let him go so I said to myself 'Mitchell' I said, 'It's now or never'. Then I just looked at Martha with tears in my eyes—"

"Actually you didn't—" Martha interrupted.

"Quiet Martha I'm telling the story...So then I just looked at her, and I said 'Martha, if I don't come back—"

"Paging Doctor Mitchell there is an emergency in room 623 Doctor Mitchell there is an emergency in room 623."

* * *

In a moment four people all dressed in the same clothes ran into the room. They stopped at the door and stared at the boy in shock.

"Where am I?" the boy asked.

"Uh...Well. Ok, you're at the Florida Hospital," said the first man.

"Wh-where?"

"Well...You were found a year ago in perfect health in the woods near Avalon. We have no real information besides that."

"What? I...how...," The boy said.

"Okay. Okay. This is a lot for you. You probably don't know what to think right now. You were in a coma for a little over a year. No one ever came to visit you, so we don't know much more about you than that," said the other person behind him.

"We are just doctors; we really can't help you that much," said the first man. "We can give you the clothes we found you in. There was a picture of you in it. Maybe that will help you. Go get his clothes," she gestured to another doctor.

A moment later the doctor came back holding a faded pair of black shoes and a matching robe while the other doctor flipped through pages and images in a folder. The doctor handed him the clothes.

"You seem ok...I guess...." she said unconvincingly. "I'm going to hand you over to the police so they can help you out, ok?" she said giving a half smile amidst a look of exasperation.

"Sure," the boy said.

"We'll give you a moment," the doctor said opening the door and waiting till everyone left the room before exiting herself.

The boy looked down at the clothes and stood out of the rigid bed. He stretched; it felt like he'd just been sleeping for centuries. He turned to the beeping machine and unplugged it. He took off the clothes he was wearing and put on the robe. It was comfortable...and somehow...familiar. He rubbed his hands over the pleasantly soft material. He slipped on the robe and reached down and picked up the shoes. He sat on the bed and put them on. Standing, he took a few steps around the room. The shoes were just as soft and comfortable as the robe. He sat back down on the bed letting out a deep sigh as he ran his hands over the material on his left knee. A distinct scent entered his nostrils. He closed his eyes and slowly breathed it in. A memory almost formed. He could swear he saw the sunlight as his might tried to take him away to another moment, but almost as quickly as it had come, the scent slipped away leaving him breathing in the not so subtle smell of chemicals. He reached into his pocket. He felt a piece of paper and taking hold, he pulled out the picture the doctors spoke of. On the back of the picture was a name. "Raiden Simuriani." On the front, he stared into his own eyes. There was something distinctly different about this version of himself; this guy...knows who he is. He thought to himself. In each of his hands were a sword identical in both size and color. The boy stared curiously at the picture thinking of the possibilities. Is this really me? Why can't I remember anything? He studied the swords in his hands. They were black, but not just the color. It was like looking into the void of space from within; a darkness that he could almost feel. As he reached a finger out to place it on a sword, the door opened and a man walked in.

"Raiden? Could you come with me?" he asked gesturing to be followed.

"Raiden," the boy said to himself feeling the name form on his lips. He looked at the picture again for a second, and then returned it to his pocket. He stood and walked to the door where the man stood.

"I'm Officer Shirley, but feel free to can me Sam. That picture you have there" he said pointing "...we didn't know what to think of it, or why you were found in a forest, you know? It's a lot to process with no information...but far as we can tell, this is just a fortunate misfortune. Here's some quick answers for you. Your name is indeed Raiden Simuriani, and you have your own estate...Strange as it sounds you are a very rich boy. And I'll be honest, I'm very confused by that fact...probably most by that of all that we know. You have a ton of money, never been on the Forbes, no parents to speak of, and if you weren't here in front of me, I'd be hard pressed to deny your existence...anyways, that's all we know. I've been told to just escort you home and let you return to your life."

"Ok," Raiden said.

"Ok," Officer Shirley repeated with a slight chuckle staring at Raiden as if trying to gather more information from his silence. He turned and began walking down the hallway. Raiden followed. The two of them walked to the lobby of the hospital.

"Are you hungry, Raiden?" Sam asked.

"A little," Raiden answered.

They walked past the service desk and down the hall. Above their heads there was a sign. It read 'Radiology' and had an arrow pointing to the left. Under that word was the word 'Cafeteria' with an arrow to the right. Raiden could have followed the savory smells and they would have led them around the corner to a buffet with many breakfast selections.

"Go ahead and get what you want," Sam said pulling out his wallet and walking to the counter to pay. Raiden walked to the line and picked up a plate. He walked to the first item, which were steamy scrambled eggs under a heat lamp. He picked up the large spoon and scooped some eggs onto his plate. The next thing in line was bacon and crispy sausage links. Raiden picked a few pieces of bacon and two links and walked away from the food. He walked over to a machine that had drinks in it and opened the door. He looked at the not so wide selection. Orange juice, apple juice, milk, and blue raspberry juice. Raiden picked up a blue raspberry juice and closed the door. He turned to Sam who walked away smiling from the clerk. He was holding in his hands a bag with the words 'Dunkin' on its side. The two of them sat down in seats at a table and ate their food without a word, but Raiden could see in his peripheral vision that Sam never took his eyes off him. Rather than mention it, Raiden just ate and enjoyed his meal taking note that the sausages must have been the savory smell he first noticed as they were also the most delicious item he had on his plate. As he took his final bite, Sam spoke.

"Ready?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Raiden said.

The two of them left the cafeteria and, after walking through the nexus of hallways, finally exited the hospital into the daylight. The blue of the sky seemed surreal. A few clouds in the sky silently rolled by. Sam stopped and turned, noticing Raiden had stopped to look at the sky.

"That car right there is mine," Sam said pointing to a white truck.

"That truck?" Raiden asked looking down.

"Yeah," Sam said as they walked towards the truck.

"Do you know where I live?" Raiden asked.

"Yeah, I had to be briefed on the situation before I could even come to get you. I'll be keeping in touch," Sam explained.

They reached the truck. Raiden walked to the passenger side. Sam opened his door and sat down in the chair; he reached over and pressed a button near his window. The doors unlocked with a click and Raiden opened his door and sat down closing the door behind him. Sam pulled a pair of keys out of his pocket and turned on the truck. The truck pulled out of the parking space and went towards the street. Sam put on his turning signals and went left. They drove for a while. It was very quiet in the truck. Raiden stared out of the window at the passing trees. Sam looked over at him.

"You could turn on some music if you want."

"Music?"

"You do know what that is right?"

Raiden thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, but I don't think I know any songs,"

"You don't have to know the words; just find something to listen, to" Sam suggested

"I suppose so."

Saying this, the sunlight brightened. Raiden was standing in a forest staring straight ahead at nothing. He tried to move but couldn't. He was himself...in his body...but it didn't seem like he was in control of his own movements. In his hands were two crimson colored swords; he recognized them as the swords from the picture. He felt the hilt conform to his tight grip. The swords were so light they barely seemed to have any weight to them at all despite their size. Suddenly out of the trees charged a giant creature. It was an ogre; a snarling ten-foot-tall force of nature smashing through the trees. The ogre jumped into the air towards Raiden who in turn jumped right towards it. He felt his heart beat getting faster as he got closer to the monster. He raised his swords above his head and put his hands together. He felt something like a chill through his forearms as the swords then connected and merged into a larger and much heavier sword. He then swung the sword down and in what seemed an impossibility, he sliced the ogre in half with little resistance. As he landed, he pulled his hands apart and the sword shrunk back to its regular size in both hands. The ogre was consumed in a dark aura and its remains sizzled into nothingness.

"Was that the last one?" a soft voice asked from behind him.

"I suppose so," Raiden answered reaching up a hand and looking into the dark sword with its crimson striping. They sword burst into a black dust and disappeared as he turned to face the person who spoke.

"I have some CD's you can go through if you want," Sam said.

"What?" Raiden asked.

He was back in his seat. He looked around. He hadn't noticed the transition...it was like he had simply existed in another place mere moments before and then that place ceased to exist and the truck instead took the place of that existence.

"I said you could look through those CD's there," he said pointing to a case on the dashboard.

Raiden looked at it for a moment still confused.

"Ok."

He opened the case and looked through the CD's. There was one CD that caught his eye. It was white with red letters and a cross. He pulled it out of the case and put it into the slot on the dashboard. The first song began playing. Raiden sat back resting his head and listened to the melody. Song after song drifted away and by the time the last song finished they had arrived at giant house surrounded by fields and trees. The house was a luxurious white and had a very refined feel to it. There were statues, fountains, a tennis court, and other amenities all visible from the outside. Most of the grounds were clear of trees except for the outskirts which lead into forests. Sam drove around the large fountain following the pathway to the steps of the front door. Raiden got out of the car and closed the door looking up at the height of the house.

"Ok. Here's where we part, Raiden," Sam said stepping out of the truck on the other side and walking up to Raiden. He pulled out his wallet and pulled a card from it handing it to Raiden. There was a name, a phone number, and various information about Sam printed on it.

"Remember, if you need anything at all. Don't hesitate to call, ok?"

"Ok," Raiden answered stating at the card, then looking up at Sam. He still had a slight look of hesitance in his eyes, but Raiden could tell he was starting to realize that if there was anything being hidden, he wouldn't find it by pressing Raiden for information. It was Sam who told him his own name after all.

Sam smiled and got back into his truck. After a final glance at the estate and with a whistle, he drove away. Raiden walked to the door and turned watching the white truck until it was out of sight. Raiden sighed and turned. He looked down at the doorknob. He reached out and turned it opening the door. Inside, the first thing he saw was a red carpet leading to a silver elevator. On each side of the elevator was an ornate staircase that swirled up to the second floor and another set of stairs branching from the second floor to the third floor. Raiden walked to the elevator and reached his hand out to touch the cold steel.

"Wow, is this all really mine?"

Raiden walked up the stairs to on the right side and looked down a hall. The hall was much wider than those in the hospital. He walked down the hall and into the first door on the right. As the door opened, the soft smell of vanilla burst forth and steam slipped out. Inside the room it was like he stepped into a rain forest complete with the muggy atmosphere. It was almost uncomfortably warm, but to cancel that, there was a lagoon-like pool of crystal clear water. The water flowed from a waterfall that steamed from the top of one of the trees. The water then flowed from the lagoon into a larger pool. Raiden walked over to the water and put his hand in. the water was cool but not too cold.

"No way..."

Raiden stood and walked to the door taking one last look before closing the door behind him. I'll definitely be coming back here soon. He though as he continued down the hall to where he saw another door on the left. He reached down and grabbed the doorknob excitement slowly building. He didn't know what he's find waiting behind this door, but he was eager to find... it a restroom. A very normal restroom. No fancy lighting, no fanfare, just a toilet and some toilet paper, and shower and a simple sink. Moderately disappointed, Raiden shrugged and walked out closing the door.

"Spacious though."

He continued down the hall where he found another staircase. Going down the stairs, he looked. It was much like the entrance, but obviously different...or maybe not so obvious. Other than the missing front door, it looked basically the same. He went to the space where the elevator was and pressed the button. Immediately, the door opened. Raiden stepped into the elevator and the door closed. There were no buttons on the wall. The ground was red carpet like the one at the entrance and the walls were silver. The shape of the silver walls created an optical illusion with the reflection of the carpet that made it appear to climb partially up the silver face. Raiden stared confusedly for a moment trying to figure out how to control the elevator.

"Welcome, Master Raiden," spoke an elegant voice. "Where would you like to go?" Raiden, startled by the voice looked around. There was no one in the elevator with him. He realized it quickly enough, but it was still surprising.

"...I don't know," he answered.

"Would you like some suggestions?"

"Umm...sure?"

"The kitchen?"

Raiden thought about it for a second.

"I guess I could eat still despite the fact that I ate not too long ago."

"Then to the kitchen it is."

The door opened a moment later and Raiden stepped out. This area of the house looked very different from what he was used to so far. There was a marble counter and a television mounted to the wall in front of it. Raiden turned around and was surprised to see that the elevator had disappeared. A regular wall stood where he had stepped out.

"Where did the elevator go?" Raiden asked himself out loud. Just then the wall opened revealing the interior of the elevator.

"Do you request my services, Master Raiden?"

"Oh, no, I was just wondering where you went."

"No worries then, when you wish I will be ready," the elevator said as the walls closed again. Raiden walked to the counter and sat in one of the four chairs that where there.

"Would you care for a meal, Master Raiden?"

"Um...what would you recommend?" Raiden asked starting to get used to his appliances talking to him.

"Well since it is only a little past breakfast time I would suggest a cheeseburger and fries. Will that due?"

"Sure."

Within a few seconds a hole opened on the counter and a silver platter of food was lifted out. Raiden picked up a fry and put it in his mouth. It was hot, crunchy, and perfectly salted.

"Hey..." Raiden said picking up another fry.

"Yes." the kitchen said.

"Do you know much about me?"

"Or course, we are programmed to provide you with all necessities; therefore, we know everything about you."

Raiden took a large bite of the cheeseburger and continued talking as he chewed.

"But like...do you know about my past?"

"Your past, Sir?"

"Yes, where I came from..."

"There is some information on that topic..."

"When where you programmed?"

"Unknown."

"Why not?"

"Unknown."

Raiden pulled the picture out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

"Can you see this?"

"Of course."

A metal arm stretched out from the wall, picked up the picture, and a beam of red light shined over it.

"This is...Master Raiden?"

"Yes, but I need to know about why or when that was taken."

"Maybe that room..."

"What room?"

"You can't get to it through the elevator."

"How can I get to it?"

"That room is somewhere on the left side of the estate. It is the only room that has no electricity, so there is no connection to the precise location."

"Then...how do you know it is there?"

"I...have been programmed with only enough information to know that."

"Ok then...Thanks for the information...I guess."

"The elevator can transport you to the entrance from here, Master Raiden."

Raiden picked up the picture and put it back into his pocket. Then he picked up the platter and stood. Still eating, he walked to the wall.

"Um...open?" Raiden said as he chewed on a piece of his cheeseburger.

The wall opened and Raiden stepped into the elevator.

"Where to?"

"I want to go to the left side of the estate."

"How far?"

"...Well, just to the entrance."

"Will you be leaving for the night?"

"No, I'm just going to look for the room."

"Ok, Master Raiden."

With that the door opened and Raiden walked out. He took another bite of his cheeseburger and turned to the right. He walked up the stairs and turned left. Suddenly he stopped. If there are three floors in this place, how am I supposed to know which floor this room is on? He thought. Raiden walked down the hall and opened the first door he saw which was on the right side of the hall. Inside was a living room. It had the same luxurious feel to it as the rest of the house. Raiden closed the door and continued to walk down the hall. He picked up a few fries in his hand and shoved them into his mouth. One fell and hit the floor. He reached down to grab it, but just then a hole opened in the wall and small robot wheeled itself out onto the carpet.

"Good morning, Master Raiden, I'll get that for you," the little robot said.

The robot reached out with a claw-like arm and picked up the fry. A spot opened on its back and the robot deposited the fry into it. The robot then began to go back into its hole in the wall.

"Wait!" Raiden yelled.

The robot turned to face Raiden.

"Yes, Master Raiden?"

"Can you get into every room in this house?"

"Yes, I can, Master Raiden."

"Have you been in the room with no electricity?"

"No, I have never been in that room."

"Oh, ok then." Raiden said and started walking away.

"Would you like to know where it is, Master Raiden?"

Raiden turned back towards the robot. "I thought you said you haven't been in it."

"I did. I have never in that room, but I have been to it. That amount of dust would hard lock my systems. That's suicide. Why do you want to kill me!? WHY!?"

"Woah woah! Calm down! No, I just need to find it! I'm not trying to destroy you! I'll go there myself, can you just point me in the right direction?"

"Oh...yes...of course. That room is on the second floor. It is the seventh door on the right, in the left hallway."

Raiden repeated the directions in his head.

"Where's the nearest place to find the elevator?" Raiden asked.

"You requested my presence, Master Raiden?"

Raiden turned around to see the elevator. He turned back to thank the little robot, but it had just entered into its hole in the wall. Who would program a robot with such an erratic personality? Raiden thought. He shrugged his shoulders and walked into the elevator.

"Where to?"

"The second floor." Raiden said taking another bite of his cheeseburger.

The door opened and Raiden walked out. He looked to his right, then to his left and began walking down the hall.

"One," Raiden counted as he passed the first door.

"Two...three...four...five...six..."

Raiden stopped as he reached the seventh door. Unlike the rest of the house, this door was wooden and looked as if time wasn't very generous towards it, rather more like it had been taken from the distant past. There was no doorknob, just pieces of weathered wood nailed together in awkward lines and enough cracks to see light flickering from inside the room. Raiden pushed the door, which protested with a loud groan as he stepped into the darkness.