King Alvin (Chapter 1)

1. CAREER CHANGE

My past isn’t all that impressive. I lived in a small, one bedroom stone hut with my mother on the outskirts of a small town called Highland, several miles away from the giant port city: Mai. Let’s just say that I was a dreamer; I was absolutely certain that there was some great destiny for me to fulfill; perhaps as a noble knight, or even a mysterious scholar. My mother often took me to the library where I would study all sorts of maps and the history of every single kingdom to ever exist. When I was thirteen, I traveled alone to Mai and began my knight apprenticeship under Sir Rochel: a difficult man.

Apprenticeship was nothing to glorify. It was a bone-tiring, mind-exhausting experience to work under the knights. Those people were haughty and pretended as though they ran the streets, but when faced by the king, or any other person of higher status for that matter, they would return to the boot-licking scalawags they internally were. However, I wasn’t bitter. Running errands and cleaning stables were enjoyable times for me as they were spent in my lonesome. It took me out of the condescending eyes of Sir Rochel; though I now appreciate and value the time that had been spent under him. Back then I had yet to realize how it was preparing me for my future role.

I wasn’t the most popular since, well, I wasn’t “on-trend” with the city’s worship. In fact, my faith had been placed in a certain, very high place. But the people around me brought down their own reverence and placed it in molded gold statues of animals. Animals. That was a no-no. I at first didn’t understand the significance of what was happening, as my origins were from a small town where my upbringing involved already knowing of where I would be going once my fleeting time came to an end, and of who ruled over the entire universe. It wasn’t until a few years later, when being pressured by Sir Rochel and his wing of knights to partake in their ritual of skinning a rat alive and burning it on an altar while it slowly died, did I finally take notice of how awful their actions were. I turned away from those practices, but it cost me dearly.

Not even a day after refusing to commit myself to such atrocious paganism, Sir Rochel demanded that I either find a new mentor or toss aside my apprenticeship. Now, I wasn’t all that attached to my role, but it didn’t settle right with me to just sit down and take that punch. I stood toe to toe with the man and growled to his face, “I quit.” It felt better to leave on my own rather than be kicked out. But that didn’t wash away the bile taste that rested on my tongue.

When my vision eventually cleared of red, I found myself in the middle of town square after having stormed out of the watchtower, where I had previously been cornered. It was freeing to be apart from them now, but I was also feeling unsettled. From the tower in the center of the city, above town hall, chimed the massive bell of Mai exactly once, ringing throughout the city. Chills erupted on my arms; I had never been in Mai during the time of the festival, as I had always escaped to visit my mother who would preach to me about the Holy One. It was a week of festivities praising and worshiping the goddess of fertility and other things I do not wish to mention: Ashteroe. What do I do? I wondered, eager to escape the boundaries of Mai’s walls which seemed to steadily be closing in on me.

I kept wandering aimlessly around the square until a quiet voice, though still far louder than even the chiming bell and busy streets, penetrated my mind.

Prepare yourself, for you are to be a king.

These words resonated behind my eyes. It was enough to set me over the edge; never before had I heard another voice which inspired such bone-chilling fear yet a deep calmness within. However, I was knowledgeable of the possibility of such experiences occurring, as they had before been recounted to me by my mother.

I stepped forward, searching with my eyes but knowing I would not see His face, “Lord?”

I am here.

My heart jumped, “What do you mean that I am to be a king?”

I have chosen you to lead My children.

“Am I worthy?”

You are chosen. He said it clearly and without any hint of hesitation. He was One Who Could Not Lie, so there was no reason to doubt or suspect His words.

“Then, I accept my Purpose.”

And that was how this whirlwind of a journey began.

Not even five minutes after I heard the voice of the Holy One, my name was being shouted over the bustling noise of the central square and echoing off the walls of the colorful buildings. My eyes searched for its source and found themselves peering at a tall, thin man with dark hair which fell loosely over his gaze.

“Me?” I pointed to my chest, just to be sure.

The man met my stare and regarded me, his face clearly showing that he had not in the least expected a runty, scruffed-up malnourished teenager who was on the brink of manhood but appeared as though he had yet to even reach puberty.

Go with him. The Lord commanded.

The man’s eyes flicked to his right as though someone were whispering in his ear, then proceeded to demand, “You are to come with me, if you follow the Lord so.”

“Yes, I will come.” It was a nerve wracking decision as I didn’t know what was to come, but there was no room for any hesitation. Not when it came to the Way Maker.

We weaved through the city’s maze of people, avoiding the main streets, and left just as the gates were beginning to close. The man led me to the woods above the hill, and behind us the final bell chimed. With that final ring came an ominous sensation. It was as oppressing as a declaration of war.

Behind the wall of trees were six other people laying in wait. A woman with golden blonde hair and eyes greener than the purest of emeralds stood, coming forth and embracing the man and then me. It wasn’t an unwelcome hug, but was unexpected. The only person who had ever embraced me before was my mom.

“Welcome. It is an honor to have you join us.” She smiled brilliantly, showing off her perfect set of teeth.

“The honor is all mine,” I responded. In all honesty, I had no idea who any of these people were; I was just told to follow the broody guy. But, an undeniable awe settled over me when seeing them all standing together. It was an inexplicable sensation. Power radiated from each and every individual in their group. These people were not your normal everyday traveling caravan. They introduced themselves as Genesis, Skuggi, Vlam, Valgus, Angelique, and Neró. The one who had brought me out of Mai was called Helel. Apparently, they were named as the Guardians of the Elements. What they could do, I had absolutely no clue as not even a whisper of the title had reached my ears until that moment.

As the sun disappeared, Genesis, the lady who had first spoken to me declared, “I’ll go first and lay waste to their fortress.”

I frowned, That’s a mighty big statement. What’s going on?

“Yes, that sounds great. I shall melt down each and every idol with the heat of my breath, until they become nothing but puddles of gold.” Vlam, the buff dark-skinned man stated.

Hold up his breath? I thought.

“I’ll use the ocean to pull away their dwellings, and send the buildings to their demise at the bottom of the sea.” Neró, a man with dirty blond hair and eyes that matched that of the deepest ocean depths announced.

How is he going to use the ocean? I wondered, genuinely confused.

“My winds will ravage the city and lay waste to all that remains.” Angelique, an odd-eyed, white haired girl with thick double braids snarled.

“Skuggi and I will devour the sight of the sinners, so they are left with nothing but their remaining senses until they are taken by the Heavenly Arrow.” Valgus, one who had honey eyes and hair the color of caramel, proclaimed.

“Devour ?” I choked. What were they even talking about? The declarations were a bit too extreme to be jokes.

“I will wait here with Alvin until it’s my turn.” Helel nodded to me. I nodded back, obviously, but that didn’t mean I knew what was going on.

The way they spoke made me nervous, and I could feel my heartbeat growing louder. The pounding grew so enormous that it resounded within my ear canals. I then realized that the sound wasn’t coming from my internal muscular organ at all; it was the sound of drums. The noise came from within the city walls, shaking the very earth and sending a chilling sensation through the region. It was such a powerful, malicious feeling that it inspired sweat to pour from my body. And the festival begins. I realized with dread.

“It is time.” Neró stood. They exchanged determined glances, then left.

I remained where I sat, following their disappearing silhouettes with my gaze. It was strange; only a mere few hours had passed since meeting them, but it felt like even my life could be entrusted to them. There was no real reason other than a feeling. “So. . .” I pursed my lips, “What’re they doing?”

“Destroying the city and reaping their souls.” Helel responded.

“And. . . that’s a regular thing?”

He nodded, his dark eyes trained on the crumbling walls of Mai. It was quite the sight to witness; the towers exploded and sent bricks and soot everywhere. Water surrounded the city, pulling back to the ocean. Residue could be seen as it was spun throughout the city, flying high into the sky. Then the heavens opened and stars rained down, smiting the torn down fortress until it was left as nothing but a crater in the ground. The event transpired for barely ten minutes before the drums died and the sounds of destruction fell away. My breath escaped as a gasp when they stepped out from the wreckage; six mighty figures with their heads held high as they claimed another victory.

“Wow. . .” I gaped. “Did you see that? It was amazing! So that’s what the Guardians can do. . . why haven’t I heard of y’all before?” I asked, my eyes still glued to the cloud of dust being lapped away by the ocean’s grasping waves. I finally tore my gaze away from the scene and looked to Helel, who was staring with a mesmerized glaze over his eyes at a swirling vortex floating before him. His hand rose, and his fingers stretched towards the blackness.

Save him, Alvin, before he commits a grave mistake. The voice of absolute authority compelled me. I lurched forward and grabbed the man’s tunic, struggling against his weight as he leaned toward the whirlpool of darkness. “Hey!” I shouted. He faltered, but didn’t respond. “Hey.” My voice came out more calmly this time, but with power. It surprised even me. Helel stopped and turned to me, his jaw slack and eyes wide. “It’s your turn. Don’t run away from your obligations.” I demanded. Obligations for what? I had no idea. The words just spilled from my mouth, as though someone else was speaking through me.

“Right.” Helel pulled away from the vortex, which slowly disappeared. He stood and walked away, but unlike the proud figures of the other Guardians, his shoulders were hunched and his feet dragged. I watched as he drew near the city, but then vanished.

My eyes went round and searched the horizon, but could see nothing of him. “Where did he go?” I wondered. Is this his power? Invisibility? What in the world can that do? I frowned. Invisibility only sounded useful for going on undercover missions or something; or pickpocketing, but with that sort of destruction I highly doubted there were any pockets left to pick; so why he was using it after the city was destroyed and the residents smote was beyond me.

Several minutes passed but there was still no sign of Helel. However, the other Guardians were nearing my hiding place. I jumped up and ran to meet them on the hill. My mind was bustling with so many questions: What happened? How can they do that? Who are the Guardians?

As soon as I reached them my thoughts exploded from my mouth. They all smiled with something similar to amusement and guided me back to our original meeting place, promising to explain anything and everything they could.

“So, who are y’all? You told me that you’re Guardians, but what are those? How can you do such incredible things? And why is Helel invisible?”

Vlam chuckled, which sounded more like the rumble of a shaking volcano, and said, “Us Guardians are the molds of the elements. We are not Man, nor are we Angel. We were created to extinguish the Evil that is blanketing the Creator’s good creation. That is why we bury the cities under the rubble of their own buildings. It is our Purpose.”

“I see. How inspiring, especially since you’re all so young.” It was true; I’d always believed that I would play some big role in the turning of the times, but they were already making such huge moves, and none of them could’ve been a day over twenty-five.

“Well, we were born last week.” Angelique shrugged.

I scowled, “What?”

“It is true. We were given life only a few days ago, and have laid waste to any corrupted territories in our path.” Vlam grunted.

“But you’re older than I am!”

“Mentally, yes. Physically, only by appearance.” Valgus leaned against a tree trunk, his arms crossed.

“So, you really aren’t human? You don’t have any parents?”

Skuggi laughed, “We don’t need any. We have our Heavenly Father.”

“I suppose. . .”

“You’ll come to understand us eventually. You’re a part of our crew now.” Neró ruffled my hair.

I wanted to ask more questions, like how their powers worked or what it felt like, but Genesis cut in, “Don’t you think it’s taking Helel a while?”

The chatter immediately died. The group then realized that the Guardian had yet to return. Worried whispers were exchanged across the circle, with words of concern and anxious glances riling up a nervous, sick feeling within me. We decided to wait until he returned, as there was literally nothing else we could do. Apparently, he wasn’t simply invisible, but in another dimension entirely, reaping the dark souls of the sinners of Mai.

That’s an even more incredible job. . . I thought. He had to capture every single soul and imprison them. The task sounded not only arduous, but stressful. What is the other realm like? Is it any different from this one? I wondered. When thinking of another dimension, I imagined something like walking among the stars, or breathing in a world of water. Something that was impossible for any normal human here.

Time trickled like water from a crack in a reservoir. Slowly and painfully. The Guardians were growing agitated, and the world was responding to their restlessness. The grass shuddered and the winds switched directions. Sparks flew from Vlam’s crossed arms, water clouded the woods. Valgus began to glow and tentacles of shadow creeped from Skuggi’s back. “Hey, guys. . . why don’t we uh,” I paused, “play a game?”

“A game?” Angelique scoffed, “We don’t have that sort of luxury as things stand.”

“Sure we do. It’s not like we can go anywhere, so let’s make use of this time instead of wasting it away by worrying. You guys trust him, right?”

“I suppose so. . .” She sighed. “What kind of game?”

“Well there’s this one that my mom taught me; it’s called Sticks.” I brought up my hands with both index fingers raised, “It’s basically a game of calculation. Both players will start with one finger on each hand, and you can either attack or split. Attacking would mean adding on fingers to the other player’s hand, and splitting would be transferring a number of raised fingers to your other hand. It’s really simple.”

“Very well. I’ll duel you.” Angelique smirked, moving to sit directly across from me, fingers raised.

I, being the gentleman I was raised to be, of course let her go first. She immediately attacked my left hand, where another finger was added. I attacked her right afterwards, so she had three fingers raised. She returned my attack and added three to my left hand, which struck it out. I bit my tongue, Ugh, I should’ve split. She completely dominated the game, and won within seconds. “Beginner’s luck.” I huffed.

She smirked, “There’s no such thing as luck. Everything is determined by your choices.”

“Is it not determined by the Way Maker?”

“Oh it most definitely is. But He works around the free will that was given to Man. Think about it, if I slapped you right now, do you think that was something that He had planned for you?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

“The answer is no. He doesn’t want you to feel pain, but He keeps His promises and doesn’t interfere, because slapping you would’ve been my decision. However, it can be used as a lesson as well. He utilizes what happens and turns it into something that can mature you.”

“But then what about ” I started, but was cut off by a man appearing out of nowhere. “What the ?”

As soon as Helel’s feet touched the soil, he collapsed. It looked like he was having a seizure, but was still conscious.

Vlam jumped up but stood as though he’d been glued in place. None of the Guardians looked sure of what to do and stared helplessly at him. I was on my feet as well, just as clueless as the rest.

Genesis was the first to move; she fell to her knees and gathered up the trembling Guardian, “Helel, are you all right?” I couldn’t see her face, as her back was to me, but I could probably guess what it looked like based on the concern in her voice.

“I’m,” he swallowed as though he’d been deprived of water for a week, “fine.”

“I don’t think you are.” Vlam frowned, crossing his arms.

“No, I am.” Helel promised, his head falling back. We all stayed still for several moments, and then it looked like the man’s entire body sighed with relief as he said, “Yeah, I’m okay now. . . I’m okay.”

Read the rest of “King Alvin” at www.alannamcniel.com