Chapter 1
The white stars glittered in the purple and black sky of the late evening. Leaves were softly thrown about by the calm wind. The small creatures of the field had began to undertake a slumber nearby a village. A ten year old child stood in the main road in the incoming darkness. The wind had softly rustled his blonde hair. His green eyes blinked and fell half closed, but he forced them open. His youthful persistance had led him this far, and he will not stop now. He was determined to stand there amidst the walkway into the village. He then heard a voice from behind him.
"Codais! Codais!"
It was definitely familiar.
"Huh? Mom?"
"There you are!" She made her way toward her son. A warm floral dress she wore over the modest curves of her motherly figure The slippers she wore were flat and tan brown. Her hair was a beautiful shade of night itself, deep black. Her eyes were an emerald green. Her delicate face had an expression of genuine concern.
"There you are!", she exclaimed.
Her appearance made Codais confused. He turned to his mother.
"Mom? Did you come looking for dad, too?"
"Is this where you've been the whole time? Thank the Great One..." She sighed. "Codais Akkinen, you had me so worried!"
"I'm ok, see mom?"
"That isn't the point! What if a hungry drunfang came and ate you up? What if the Outlanders took you? Oh, and look! You're gonna catch a cold in those shorts, ma asika!" (Ma asikais "My Baby" in the Seth Language.) Codais cringed at that phrase.
"Mom", sighed Codais. "I'm ok, really. I'm just going to stay out here for a bit longer and wait for father. Please, just a little longer?
"This isn't up for discussion, Codais. You are going back home and warming up. You'll have to wait for your father there."
"But mom!"
"Ah, ah, ah! This isn't a democracy. Start walking."
All hope was lost. There's no way to get around her when she's like this. However, he would come to be saved by the bell.
"Has my wonderful wife and son come to greet me?", a man called from a short distance.
Codais turned, his defeated expression transformed instantly to that of joy!
"Dad!" Codais ran to met his father. He was wearing a hunting outfit of green, brown, and black. The man with a powerful yet docile body and short blonde hair knelt down to embrace his son. Codias' mother shook her head and made a small smile at the resemblence Codais shared with the person he took the most after.
Codais' father chuckled. "Why are you still up, son? You could've gone home. You know I would've caught up."
"My friend's dads came home first. I was worried," Codais looked up at his father. "so I stayed here and waited for you!"
"Ha ha ha, is that so?"
"Uh-huh!"
"I thank you then, most noble scout." He pat his son's head. Codais smiled and let out a small laugh. Codais' mother stepped forward to greet her husband, whom took her delicate and soft body to his with a hug and kiss.
"You're getting back awfully late, Natoru.", she grinned warmly. "And you know how your son loves to hear about your daring adventures."
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Alia. I was doing some last minute scouting around. I thought I saw something out there. It must've been a farofin in the grass. I did find out something that shocked me. It seems the kibu will migrating through earlier than usual."
Alia's face shone of suprise. "Oh my, really?"
"I'm sure of it. I'm going to tell the Elder tonight."
Codais jumped in on the conversation. "You mean I'm gonna learn how to zap kibu sooner?!"
"Oh, no you don't!", barked Alia.
"But mom..." Codais frowned. "Everybody else I know is gonna learn how to do it."
"I'm not gonna have ma asikaout there getting trampled! You'll do it the next season. Ten years from now next season."
"Dad..." Codais looked at Natoru for support. He chuckled, his usual laidback response.
"There's a bit more to kibu hunting than 'zapping' them, son." He held out his hand in front of Codais. His hand made a small sphere of crackling lightning.
"See this, son?"
Codais' eyes were locked on the sphere in fascination. "Uh-huh."
"What does it look like to you?"
"Like lightning, dad."
"You're half right. It IS lightning, but that's a given. What's else is it?"
Codais looked up at his dad. He then looked down, trying to think.
"They talked about it in the schoolhouse...", Codais mumbled. "It's something with a 'C' in it, I think."
Natoru chuckled and stopped the electric charge. "Tell you what."
Codais looked up once again.
"Go to the schoolhouse tomorrow morning, tell me all that you learned, and I'll think about taking ya with me to hunt kibu. How does that sound?" Alia was shocked at that last part of that sentence. However, Codais spoke his opinion before she could make hers.
"Deal!", Codais shouted happily.
"Race you home, son! If you win, I'll tell you the story of how your old man once chopped a falling five ton boulder in half with one bolt of lightning!"
"No way!" Codais smiled in determination. "I'll beat you this time, dad!"
"I'd get a head start, if I were you!"
Codais took off toward home, leaving Natoru and Alia there.
"You're not serious about taking ma asikaout there in those fields, are you?", she said sternly.
"Alia," Natoru looked into his wife's eyes. "You don't need to worry. He's only going to be watching from the side. Besides, if everything goes according to plan, we shouldn't be there for long. The Great One will go before us and bring us back, you know this."
"I know... but he's still ma asika. I can't help but worry. I only have one. This world...so many crazy things that have happened. I just don't want him getting swept away with them."
"I know, Alia, I know. Still, he is growing up. Right before our very eyes. I promise he'll be safe. I'll keep him safe and lead him home. I made a vow as a husband and father to protect my family from all those evil things out there."
Alia nodded. "As a wife and mother, I made that same vow. To protect my family right beside you and to teach my son as well." She looked at Natoru and smirked. "I also reserve the right to give you hell whenever you're wrong."
"That you do." He chuckled sheepishly. "That you do."
"Keep him, safe, Natoru. I know he's safe in your hands."
What Natoru and Alia didn't notice was that Codais had turned around and was watching them for some time.
"Dad, are you racing me still?", called Codais. Natoru rememered that he still had a race he needed to win. He looked at Alia. She giggled and nodded.
"All right, now, I'm in the zone! Here I come!" The race was on.
"No fair!" shouted Codais. "What about my head start!"
"That was start enough! Ha ha, can you catch me?"
Alias shook her head. "What am I going to do about these two?" She smiled and followed behind them back home. The night had come. Crickets chirped to the moon above as the moon took her place in the sky. However, other creatures had been awakened by the moon's arrival. There was a dark castle in the far reaches of an unknown land. Doors creaked as a creature that stood on two legs and covered in red scales folded the wings on his back like a cape and made it's way from the foyer with the softly hanging chandelier to the fairly lit hallways. The interior was shadowy, and dreary, but had a poise of grim elegance. A large circular window sent light into the large study where a man sat in a chair, reading a book. The man had snow white hair and crystal blue eyes. He looked to be around his late twenties. He wore a long black cloak with purple inner coloring, black pants, black gloves, and black boots. His figure was powerful, but poised and elegant, suave, demanding, yet gently offset by a collected demeanor. The creature opened the door to the study.
"Rok returned from the ssssearch. He bringssss hissss report. A Sssssol Shard hassss been disssscovered, my lord.". The creature hissed.
The man made replied with a deep, calm voice. "The Northern Lightning Village. How quaint. A nearby location for our arrival."
"Then shall I go out and pave the way for you? Surely, thesssse mindlessss foolssss won't noticccce an artifact of ssssuch caliber missssing."
"No.", said the man. "An opportunity like this must be handled appropriately."
"What doessss the mighty one sssscheme?"
"We have hid ourselves away for far too long. Don't you agree? We have left the world in confusion before, and we now have the means to return, and implant chaos and fear. This chaos and fear shall weed the weak out among them."
"Would that be humanssss, my lord? What doessss that have to do with the Shard?"
"Make no mistake, any Seth or Human that opposses my rule will not be spared. The time has come to return true order to the world. Out of the fires of this planet's dying embers shall I remake a new order. Gather the generals, Draeko, and unleash the Midnights once again into the world. The Northern Lightning Village shall be an example of what is to come. For what shall come to free the world of its twisted melancholy. For all humans. For all Seths. There is no extinguishing the Dark Reign. Nor I. Its leader. The one true leader of the world's powers. The powers above and below. I, Durale Von Zoart. The true King of Darkness. Let the liberation begin."
"As you wish...my lord."