disclaimer: I own nothing!
A/N: A little R&R would be nice. 5 reviews at least before you get the next installment. Resurrecting Chaos is to be a series...prolly a Trilogy. So plan to be in it for the long haul. As long as I have at least one reader, I suppose I won't discontinue it. ^-^
fear: noun ; 1. a. Alarm and agitation caused by an expectation or realization of danger. b. An example of this feeling. 2. Reverence: awe. 3. A state of dread or apprehension living in fear -verb ; 1. To be frightened (of). 2. To be apprehensive (about). 3. To be in awe of: revere fear God 4. To suspect I fear you are mistaken.
I think someone needs to rewrite the dictionary.
-excerpt from the journal of Max Mizuhara; dated June 16, 20##
((prologue begin))
Slightly disoriented, the young boy strode slowly down the dimly lit stone hallway. His feet seemed to know his destination even though he himself did not. The youth thought he should be frightened, but recognized his current state as being bold, confident, and oddly a bit arrogant.
The corridor ended abruptly, branching in two opposite directions. Without hesitation, the boy went left. This passage was just as dark as the first, and, also like the one before it, contained no windows. Unlike the previous hallway, however, this one was lined with many doors. Heavy wooden doors. Closed doors. The doors displayed labels that, try as he might, the boy could not read. (Either blurred or perhaps written in a different language?) He wanted to stop and examine them more closely, but his legs drug him forward at a steady pace. There was a shout from behind one of the doors. A familiar voice. A flash of blue light seeped from beneath the door, flooding the hall momentarily before disappearing, followed by another joyful shout.....So familiar.
The boy kept walking.
Thirty-three doors later, he stopped on a dime, turning to face one of those heavy wooden doors. He felt a burst of curious wonder. Why this door? It looked no different from any of the others.
The boy watched with intense interest as his hand rose to the large, rusty metal plate mounted upon the door's surface. What am I doing? There's no way I can possibly move...
At his touch the door slowly began opening inward, being pushed an invisible force. An invisible strength.
Wondering why he wasn't surprised, the boy stepped through the doorway and walked a few paces into an enormous room. The door closed heavily after him.
The room was completely dark, save the four blazing torches at the far end. They surrounded an altar raised by three steps. Behind the altar were five elevated cement slabs, painted a fiery crimson. Other than these things, the room was empty.
The youth slowly approached the altar. Upon reaching the altar and ascending to the second step, a voice called out to him.
"With purest 'life' must the threshold be crossed." The voice was dark and sinister and sent a shiver down the boy's spine, but still he felt no fear. He climbed the remaining stair.
He looked down to see a gleaming dagger. The light of the torches' flames flickered, reflecting off of the gleaming blade and sending shadows to dance in ghastly patterns across the boy's face.
He reached for the dagger and tried to jerk his hand back reflexively as the blade sliced his palm, not understanding how his aim could have been that far off. However, his hand seemed to have other plans and placed itself upon the altar as if in ritual.
In an instant, the torches' flames fell into a swoon and then a mad dance, threatening to flee from their posts. A powerful wind seemed to surround the boy, attempting to drive him down---but failing.
And then, just as suddenly as it had began---it stopped.
"Diligence, Courage, Mildness, Honor, and Innocence. Each one represented, each one raped, each one conquered. "Mars" will be resurrected. Fight fire with fire. Trust the tortoise. Beware the phoenix. All will be reversed. Chaos will reign." The voice boomed once again, louder this time. "The prophecy has been revealed. Doth thee, demon, accept?"
"Yes. Thou be bound to this demon and scrawl this demon's promise in my own life, my own blood." answered the boy, this time surprised by the coldness of his own voice.
"Then awaken, demon."
"Max!.......Max. MAX! Wake up, Max!" Max was shaken awake by a groggy Kai.
"Wha?"
"You were talking in your sleep." Max looked confused as Kai reflected something like concern.
"Was I?"
"Yeah....So stop it! I can't sleep with all that noise!" Kai rolled over and slammed his head into the pillow. Rei tossed fitfully in response.
"Two egg rolls with the mixu soup, please..." he grumbled into the sheets twisted around him. Kai sighed.
"Naturally, I get to sleep with the chatty-de-la-noche twins. Never gonna get any sleep."
A few minutes later, Kai's breathing became rhythmic. Max stared up through the darkness at the ceiling. He shivered as he recalled his nightmare, suddenly very glad of his secure and warm sleeping position between the two older boys.
But his hand hurt.
((end prologue))
