Hello everybody! Yes! Finally we have arrived at Part II of Ragnarok Solstice! Don't worry if you've never read Part I, because it's totally unrelated. The reason why this part is called "Whispers of Yesterday" is because this going to be set in ancient Egypt, meaning that this is what happened to them in the past, in their past lives. It may get confusing, because there are a lot of character name changes and each couple will have their own individual story. Of course, there will be main connecting points where they all meet together and interact as part of the storyline, but anyways, I'm sure you are all sick of my rambling, so on with the story! .
Aaron (Egyptian)
Aileen Aleena (Hebrew)
Akunadin (Egyptian)
Anzu Anna (Hebrew)
Ashmia (Egyptian)
Atem- Atemukanon (Egyptian)
Bakura (Egyptian)
Christine Kanon (Hebrew)
Dorothy (Hebrew)
Ishizu Isis (Egyptian)
Jounouchi Jono (Egyptian)
Karim (Egyptian)
Mahado (Egyptian)
Mai Maida (Syrian)
Mana (Egyptian)
Min Sung Minsis (Egyptian)
Qiu Emsis (Egyptian)
Sarah Sarai (Unknown)
Seto Seth (Egyptian)
Shadi Shadah (Egyptian)
Shizuka Kisara (Unknown)
Sogoruko (Grandpa) Simon Muran (Egyptian)
Susan Sutiris (Egyptian)
Takashi Tutsumen (Egyptian)
Vivian Unknown (Egyptian)
Wilson Ramiti (Egyptian)
Yukari Kara (Greek)
000
Ragnarok Solstice
Part II: Whispers of Yesterday
By Healing Spirit
Prolong
Oh, beloved Ra! Bathe your country in your light!
Hear the shouts of your people!
Listen to the cries of blood…
The land lay barren.
Silence enfolded over the hushed villages, as though not a soul walked in the wake of the desert winds, hot and sere.
But far across the land, a deep rumbling told a foreboding tale…
At the capital's city streets flowed millions of citizens, bustling and shoving to hold onto their fragile thread of life. Everyone knew what was coming: everyone knew their slim chance of survival. Children clutched their mothers' hands, their eyes wide with terror; fathers shouted and jeered at one another, desperate to be one of the few chosen families that make it to the place of safety…
A shout could be distinguished from the bedlam.
"WAR DRAWS NEAR!"
There is heard a shuffling of armor, the deadly clanging of swords, and the heavy rhythm of horses' hooves stamping on the sand…
The people turned to look.
The sight filled their hearts with dread.
Hundreds… no… there must have been thousands of soldiers. Each were clad in shining armor, some on horseback, some in chariots of dazzling gold. The sun glinted off of their swords, glittering its precarious sign of death, and poisonous arrows could be seen strapped to the backs of some towards the front. Pointed spears and spiked clubs were rising in the air, faces were aged with dread; lively eyes faded to ashes.
In the very front, on top of the largest and most regal chariot carved into the image of a mighty lion with its claws bared and beady eyes gleaming in an abyss of destruction, rode Pharaoh.
But his expression was the most pitiful of all.
Amethyst eyes drained of life, hands shaking on the reins of his horses, heart heavy with ache.
'Oh great Ra…
Aid us through these terrible times…
I have shamed you…
I am not worthy of my title as your son…
The Israelites have cursed us with their God, sending plagues, famines, defiling our Mother Nile and killing your beloved first-born grandson. I was powerless to stop them, and I have failed you and my duty as the Son of Ra.
My beloved friends and comrades have fallen.
The ancient spells that my ancestors have built have disintegrated.
My father's tomb has been violated.
Now, I ride after these people that had spread like a dreaded disease across your fruitful land. If my destiny is to fail, then I will gladly accept my fate.
But just one thing I ask…
No…
Beg of you…
If Khamet is destined to fall…
Just grant me this last wish… This one thing is all I want…
All I…
Need…
Please…
Bring her back to me…'
"Pharaoh!"
The regal leader's eyes fluttered close in silent torture, and he slowly nodded his head in acknowledgment to the officer riding at his side. Behind him, a man adorned in silken-purple robes and the golden-lion seal of Pharaoh, sighed deeply, his breath leaving shakily. He peered out from his long, ruffled bangs; emerald eyes swimming with emotion. He is Pharaoh's most trusted overseer, Tutsumen. Gazing at the back of his sullen Pharaoh, his heart lurched painfully, for he knew of his pain.
He felt the same.
'My princess…
Please be safe, wherever you are now…
I promise…
I will not let any harm come to you.
Kara…
Just thinking of your leave bears sorrow on my heart. But with it came your safety. With these unspoken disasters, there comes hidden danger, and it will only get worse.
But I will protect you…
Even by my life…'
He looked to his right side, his eyes falling upon the slightly bowed head of Minsis, Pharaoh's grand vizier. He notices that he too, was in the same state was himself. Life had fled from his eyes; his body seemed to be laden with a pressuring weight, dragging him down. His hair veiled his eyes like a sheet of mist; obscuring his unfocused eyes. He was staring at his hands which clutched the reins loosely, but was looking beyond them, off at another world.
'Sarai…'
A sudden shout from Pharaoh jolted both out of their reveries. Pharaoh raised his heavy sword to the sky, sunlight bouncing off its surface. Slung on his brazen back was a heavy bag full of deadly arrows along with a strong bow. With another shout and a sharp whip of the reins with an expert hand, his golden chariot bolted forward. Minsis and Tutsumen unsheathed their swords as well and followed loyally by his lead. Group by group, the thousands of soldiers followed in their wake…
000
A flash of light.
Her breath left her body.
Her hand rested on top of her necklace, the eye of Horus engraved on it still glowing vigorously. She stepped back erratically; sweat beginning to form on her tanned forehead.
'Dear Isis… help us…'
"Isis, we must get to safety," Shadi moved quickly across the dimly lit room. The woman he was addressing turned to him with complex emotion churning in her serious eyes. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Shadi…"
"Isis!" The High Priest, adorn in flowing robes of sapphire, entered the room as well, accompanied by a younger girl and another priest. His azure eyes blazed with fear. "Quickly! We must go!"
The girl noticed her elder's hesitation and sprinted to place her arms around her. "Please, Isis. Pharaoh would not want you putting yourself in danger. Listen to me."
"Mana…" Her eyes were devoid of fear; emptiness nestled inside. "He is hurting."
The girl watched her softly, not understanding. "Who, Isis?"
"Enough of this! Karim! Shadi! Grab hold of the Priestess!" The priest that came in and Shadi complied with High Priest's orders, swift to grab hold of the struggling Priestess. Mana tried to stop the older men, but they overpowered her and pushed her out of the way.
"Let me go! I have to see Pharaoh!" Isis screeched desperately in their ears.
The two priests fumbled to get her out of the doorway, with Mana protesting against Isis's treatment. The High Priest watched callously, proceeding to lead them out of the chamber.
"I had a vision!"
Shadi and Karim loosened their grip. The High Priest stopped walking. Mana was breathing heavily.
"Isis… what did you see?"
"Suffering…" Isis managed to choke out, grasping her chest. "Pharaoh's terrible suffering… will be the cause for Khamet's annihilation. That Hebrew… has brought about the end of us all…"
Alarm crossed everyone's faces, while listening intently to the dire future.
"After she eludes his grasp for this last time, the ultimate evil will be born from his horrible agony. It will become so strong that it will consume his heart, his mind and his entire soul. Its devastation will be so great, that it will destroy all of Khamet. The Gods will not be able to help, because Pharaoh is no longer going to be in existence. All they would be able to do it watch. No one will be able to escape, and no one will survive. When the new moon comes, the Land of Ra will be no more."
When her voice faltered and broke off, her eyes were flooded with tears. Shadi and Karim were frozen, their mouths gaping and their eyes blank. Mana was trembling fiercely and the High Priest fell to his knees, his arms shaking violently.
Their destiny is clear.
There is nothing that can be done.
Now all they can do…
…is wait for their doom…
000
The sun climbed up the sky from the distant horizon, casting an incandescent gleam over the still sea. The Israelites were spread out across the surface of the land, their animals wandering, families sleeping where they dropped, their fires left to smolder or die. Just when they were starting to rise from their sleep, a faint roaring emerged from behind them.
The heavy thrusts of horses' hooves, the clash of speeding chariots, and horses being whipped and driven so that their screams pierced the calm air.
Everyone knew exactly what was happening.
Pharaoh was after them.
Everyone knew his might:
Six hundred chariots.
Horses, hot-blooded steeds from which bowmen shot their arrows and hurled sharp, lethal spears. And Pharaoh himself sure to be in the lead, eyes burning with rage, hands seizing his set of arrows and a double-edged sword.
Trapped against the massive sea, in heart-pounding terror, the Israelites heard the steadily advancing army and started to panic.
"Anna!" What do we do?" Kara was wide awake now; midnight eyes flickering with worry as she stumbled onto her feet. "Sister…" Kanon was on the ground, holding Dorothy tightly, looking up to her older sister with dread etched in her usually sparking lilac eyes, now dulled close to gray. Sarai was looking behind them at the approaching army, eyes set and defined in something unknown. She answered instead of Anna, with a hint of fear laced in her usually confident voice, "There's nothing we can do."
"Hold on," Anna brushed her shawl back from her face, balancing a small bundle in her arms and rose among the chaotic crowd of people screaming and taking their possession in their hands. Kara, Kanon, Dorothy and Sarai followed, struggling to lift their sandals from the mud-turned dirt. Anna made her way through the mass of clambering bodies while the baby in her arms cried out in fear; the clear figure of Moses with his majestic cloak of red and white lifted his arms calmly while women were scrambling around him, screaming for his blood for bringing them all to their death.
"Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?"
"What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?"
"Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians?'"
"It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"
But Moses answered the people calmly, with a sense of peace resting upon his face.
"Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."
With those words echoing due to resonance of his strong voice, he turned away from them. For a split moment, he seemed to be in thought. Anna held her breath, somehow knowing that he was conversing with God. People still called out against him, their faces turned savage with the thought of death at their heels. Sarai and Kara waited wordlessly, too bewildered by Moses' calm façade to question Anna. Kanon also stayed quiet, feeling Dorothy hug her harder and emitting small whimpers.
Seconds ticked by…
Moses raised his arms.
Silence raced through the crowd.
Everyone waited, stifled by curiosity.
The wind fluttered gently and soon disappeared. The sound of the army grew dim in the background.
A deafening sound rose, and an east wind so powerful that Anna could hardly brace herself against it might.
"The Red Sea!" Someone screeched and all eyes were turned to the mass expanse in front of them.
The sea faded dark as it churned and rolled. Little by little, the waves were being pulled upwards into a mounting colossal, defying gravity and air.
Anna, Sarai, Kara, Dorothy and Kanon watched with wide, unbelieving eyes as the rampant green-and-gray waters were pulled back and back as if by giant invisible hands.
The seafloor was revealed.
Small pebbles and shells were brushed aside by the raging wind. Bewildered crabs and turtles ran amuck.
Wind and icy water whipped at their hair and cheeks.
The saline smell of the deep overpowered their nostrils.
As the water continued to recede ahead of them, their far destination ahead was seen.
In the blinding fury of the waves and the wind, Moses moved forward.
Everyone else followed, children holding onto parents' hands, some pulling along animals harnessed onto carts, others pushing to get to the middle of the crowd, as far away from the erect water-walls as possible. Sharks and other massive fish were swimming on either side, casting their beady gaze on the intruders to their underwater domain but unable to break through, as if unseen walls had been placed between them.
Kara and Sari, the Egyptian and Greek, were looking about blindly as they witness the inconceivable miracle. Kanon cried out when a tall man pushed past her roughly, and then felt Anna's hand wrap around hers. "Hold onto me, tightly," Anna whispered warningly. "We don't want to get lost in the crowd." Kanon slowly nodded and then reached out her other hand to hold onto Dorothy's and the three, along with Kara and Sarai close by, stayed huddled as they paced along with everyone else.
The cries, from both their companions and nature set free, overwhelmed Anna's senses.
They moved on, following the crowd. Their legs were mired in mud. The baby she was holding silenced as he too stared at the upraised sea in wonder.
Small objects whirled in wide circles above her head; bits of wood and stone, sand and leaf, blown from far away places.
Since Anna was near the front, she witnessed how the water ebbed swiftly away from Moses's feet like clouds in an approaching storm.
As Anna moved on, she lost awareness of her own earthly body and her fear vanished.
So this was the miracle of God…
But shouts rang out piercingly behind her, and against her will, she knew what was coming. Kara and Sarai were not propelled to walk any further when reality hit them with full force. Anna's two sisters also halted in petrified fright.
Pharaoh's army was advancing swiftly.
The Hebrews sprung up on their feet, scampering with terrified cries, rushing toward the far side of the sea.
But just before Anna proceeded to follow the rest, her heart told her to stop. She did not know what it was, or what possessed her to do such a thing…
…she looked back…
Time slowed to a standstill…
The wind's howling dropped abruptly,
The water's churning froze,
Thrown spears hovered in mid-air,
All sound was snuffed out of the waves by an invisible, mighty hand…
Her gasp lodged in her throat.
Her gaze was resting on the one…
…who had stolen her heart with a glance…
…who played her into his hands so coyly as if it was all a game…
…whom her thoughts were consumed by day and night…
…who had claimed to love her and then shattered her on that faithful night…
It was he who stood behind his regal chariot at such a distance; a distance that, though they were standing only a few miles away, would feel as if destiny itself stood between them.
No matter how she tried, she could not turn her eyes away.
His eyes… those beautiful amethyst eyes that shone like radiant midnight stars…
In them, there was his usual smug demeanor; arrogant, cunning, confident.
But there was also something else that only she could see…
Something that flashed for a split second…
What could it have been?
Hatred?
Malice?
Rage?
No…
No…
In his eyes alone,
Heartbreak tormented the very depths of his soul…
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!"
Sarai whirled about as her eyes caught Kara falling to the seafloor.
Anna had blinked and ripped away her clandestine gaze, gasping at how her heart tore and detested. "Sister?" Kanon squeezed her hand, hesitantly. "Are you all right?" She did not know what had happened to her, since all she saw was Anna glance back for split second.
"Yes," she shook out of her trance.
Ignored her racing pulse, she ran up beside her friends, balancing the baby as she registered what had happened. Kara had tripped over the mud smeared all over her sandals and by the looks of it, she had twisted her ankle.
"Kara! Are you all right?"
Kara was trembling. Her whole body shook in terror, her sense swirled ferociously; she could feel her stomach tighten in fear. She would not hear Anna and Sarai's cries, or feel their hands on her shoulders, trying to shake her out of her dace. But it was no use.
"Kara! Kara!"
Kanon and Dorothy watched on hopelessly, unable to help. The screams of horses and the clash of speeding chariots racked fear into their movements. Sarai and Anna were pulling Kara up with great difficulty since her legs refused to support her. Kanon took the baby from her sister, and immediately the baby started to wail. Dorothy was crying out in horror. The rest of the group was far ahead of them, and they could not afford to be captured by Pharaoh. Lifting Kara up with all their might, the three staggered desperately while the impending army was drawing ever nearer. However, they were making no progress.
"Kara! Please! Answer me!"
Closer…
"Kara!"
Closer…
'God… help us…'
Closer…
"KARA!"
They caught up.
.
.
.
.
"SARAI!!"