Chapter 1: Fallen Child
::The First Bloodlines Chapter::
"MEK AI!!!"
Garlyle shouted hopelessly, as he watched his brother fall, almost in slow motion, a crimson splash shooting out from the gash in his arm. The young blue-haired child landed hard on the stone flooring.
Mek Ai looked up hopelessly at his older brother. "Garlyle. I'm. sorry." Mek Ai begged. "I'm sorry. that I couldn't be more help."
Garlyle crouched down beside his brother, lifting up his head and cuddling it against his chest, gently. "Brother." he muttered between tears. "Brother, you did fine."
"No, I failed you." Mek Ai shook his head weakly, looking sadly up at his brother. "And this is my punishment."
"No! No!" Garlyle cried out, staring into Mek Ai's eyes. "You did your best. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I forgive you, just please, don't leave me!"
Mek Ai's eyes were tearing up. "Thank you. but."
"No!"
"Perhaps life just. wasn't meant. for me."
"Don't say that! Please." Garlyle's eyes were blurring up with his tears, oblivious to the shadow that was moving closer towards him. "Mek! Mek!" he cried out despairingly.
His brother's eyes closed, and his breathing stopped.
He was gone.
"Mek! NO!" Garlyle cried out, hugging his lifeless brother next to him. He felt his body become cold.
"This. this isn't. this shouldn't have happened." Garlyle looked up, and stared at the tall man with the black cape who stood above him, the long black rose-hilted sword in his hands. "Jetsu. why?"
"I promised I'd exterminate your line. I promised my father that on his deathbed" Jetsu smiled darkly. "Now, I will complete what I set out to do!"
Jetsu's sword raised up a bit, before it sliced down into Garlyle's shoulder.
A moment later, Garlyle's lifeless body hit the ground, his arm severed off.
* * * * *
Garlyle shouted, suddenly collapsing to his knees. Taka grabbed onto him, to keep him from falling any further.
"Garlyle! Garlyle! What's wrong?"
Garlyle seemed shaken. It had felt, if only for a moment, that part of his soul had been torn from him. For a moment, his eyes went blank, and he saw, heard, and felt nothing.
Then the heat returned to his body, and Taka felt halfway reassured.
Garlyle looked up at Taka for a moment, a tear in his eye. "What. what happened?" Taka asked.
"It felt. like reality tore for a moment. I felt like I was dying." Garlyle reached up and felt at his shoulder. The pain had come from there. The arm was still working all right. So what had happened?
"Brother?" Mek Ai looked up at him. "Did you feel it too?"
"Y. Yes." Garlyle nodded, remembering how his brother had seemed blank and lifeless for a moment, only a few moments later.
Jael, the tall, dark-haired man beside them, shrugged. "I don't know what's going on, so don't ask me."
Mek Ai, the young blue-haired child, laughed nervously. "It. was probably nothing." he let out a small cough.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Garlyle asked, under his brown hair and black bandana, his chestnut eyes shimmering. "I don't want anything bad to happen."
"I'm sure it's nothing" Taka, the purple-haired child no older then Garlyle, shrugged, although his face betrayed his true feelings, he was somewhat worried.
"You should never be sure anything is nothing" Garlyle responded. "Haven't I taught you otherwise?"
Taka bowed nervously. "I'm sorry. I had. forgotten."
"Very well." Garlyle shrugged. "If you'll excuse me, I have a job to attend to" he stood up and walked towards the door of the small street-side house.
"Without me?" Taka asked, his eyebrow raising.
"Nothing that would interest you, I assure you" Garlyle responded.
Before Taka could respond, Garlyle was out the door and onto the crowded streets of Avel. People of all kinds of backgrounds and colors walked the streets, smiling only to greet a friend who they might run into. A few stalls selling random goods dotted the corners of the dirty streets. As Garlyle walked by a group of teens, a fight broke out. Daggers were drawn and punches were thrown, but Garlyle didn't care.
He didn't need more enemies.
One thing, however, did catch Garlyle's attention. A young man with flamboyant red hair was shouting over the crowd. "I tell you all! But you do not believe! Many dimensions exist! We exist in many other worlds, each of us there different! And I know how to travel between them!"
Halfway amused, Garlyle walked over to the man and looked at him, in his purple jester-style clothing. Was this guy serious?
The man laughed. "Have I caught your eye as somebody who thinks I am speaking of reality? Or am I just another madman in your eyes."
"I do not judge until I have reason to" Garlyle responded.
"I didn't think you'd gone anywhere!" Taka grabbed onto Garlyle's shoulder. Mek Ai was with him, and Jael loomed over the three. "Who's this nutbar?"
"Those who do not believe in my power will disrupt it, I must ask you all to leave!" the man cried out.
"First you must tell us what your power is" Garlyle nodded. "If your claims are with any truth, I will know."
"Very well" the man smiled and laughed. "Please, come inside." he indicated the small house behind him.
"Do you trust this man?" Taka asked.
"No, but this is more interesting then simply wandering the streets" Garlyle shrugged. Jael sighed, and turned to walk away, with Mek Ai and Taka following him.
"We'll wait outside" Jael offered, as Garlyle stepped inside with the man.
"It is nice to see a believer in inter-dimensional travel." the man smiled. "Garlyle Wilds, am I correct?"
"How did you know?" Garlyle asked, going onto his guard.
"And how is Ceres today?"
Garlyle nearly fainted. "How. how do you know."
The strange man interrupted. "Oh, I know all about you and your demonic dragon. I'm sorry to have startled you. My name is Syiolen."
"How do you know.?"
"I can see and hear all, I can read minds and see people's innermost desires, hopes, and fears" Syiolen smiled. "And some of those fears will come to pass today. In another dimension, two fears of yours have come to pass."
"What do you mean.?" Garlyle asked.
"Did you feel the tearing at your soul only a short while ago?" Syiolen asked.
"How did you.?"
"It is still on your mind. I can see straight into the lost soul of another you."
"What?"
Syiolen sat down on a large purple cushion. "I'm sorry, perhaps you misunderstand me, and perhaps I am not understanding myself," he laughed out loud. "Allow me to explain."
"You see, there are several 'Garlyle Wilds' throughout the many many dimensions" Syiolen explained. "Earlier today, one of them died. You, despite being impossibly far away, still felt the connection. You felt the sting of an alternate you dying."
"What.?" Garlyle's eyes spun.
"The same happened with your brother. In another dimension, you and your brother were killed, one after another" Syiolen explained, then he suddenly seemed tired. "I'm sorry. I must be scaring you."
That was an understatement. Garlyle gulped. "But. my fears? Today? Here?"
"That is correct" Syiolen explained. "Death hangs over your head." he pointed one slightly twisted finger at Garlyle. "Death stalks you and those you associate with. And now it comes closer."
Garlyle gulped, turned, and ran.
"You cannot run from Death, boy!" Syiolen shouted out after him.
Jael, Taka, and Mek Ai took off after Garlyle, as he burst past them.
Then Garlyle stopped, and looked tearfully back at them, his eyes blank with fear and worry.
"Garlyle?" his younger brother Mek asked, his golden eyes curious. "Garlyle, what's wrong?"
Garlyle didn't respond. He was too scared to respond.
"Mek Ai. please." Garlyle's eyes teared up. "Please, keep yourself safe today. All of you."
"What? Why?" Taka asked.
Garlyle gulped, and looked carefully at each one of him.
Then he laughed out, trying to mask his fear. "I'm sorry. I'm thinking nonsense again."
Taka knew when Garlyle was trying to cover himself up. "Something has you spooked, Garlyle. What is it?"
"N. Nothing!" Garlyle shook his head.
"I doubt that so incredibly much," Taka responded, smirking. "What is going on?"
"Excuse me."
Everybody faced in on the man with the huge sword draped across his back.
"What do you want?" Jael asked.
The man reached up for the sword on his back. Garlyle and Taka automatically had their weapons out, but Jael wasn't fast enough.
The man's body slumped backwards, the head rolling off into the streets. Panic erupted, as people ran.
"I have been hired to eliminate your line" the man jeered. "High Priest Rue has demanded your death!"
Garlyle knew whom he was talking about. Rue. Rue was just that, a high priest. A high priest that wanted the Wilds line dead.
But that wasn't on Garlyle's mind. The only thing that was. was the startling fear of Jael's sudden death.
"No!" Mek Ai cried out.
"Run, Mek!" Garlyle shouted. Mek Ai, on command, took off running towards the crowd.
"No running, child!" the mercenary, for he obviously was one, laughed. His hands flew to his side, where a long whip was strung up in a loop on his belt. With one crack of the whip in his empty hand, it wrapped around Mek Ai's neck.
Mek Ai struggled for a moment, gasping for air. But it wouldn't have mattered if he did. The rope was tight and had struck his windpipe with such force that it had been sliced open.
Mek Ai's body slumped to the ground. As if on command, the tip uncoiled from Mek Ai's throat, wavering back to its correct place.
Taka and Garlyle took up fighting stances, though they knew it would be hopeless to try and fight this man. This was it.
Taka looked over at Garlyle. His body glowed a faint purple.
"You've saved me more times then I've saved you now" Taka whispered. "Allow me to save you one last time. We'll be even. So run, the moment I have him."
"Taka, no!" Garlyle cried, but Taka had already decided.
"Devil Deal!" Taka stamped his foot into the ground in front of him. The sword came down towards Taka.
"BLAST!"
Taka flipped backwards, tearing himself up, and using up every bit of his energy. A huge blast of magical energy swarmed t Taka flipped backwards, tearing himself up, and using up every bit of his energy. A huge blast of magical energy swarmed towards the mercenary.
It barely stunned him. But in that moment, full of remorse and sadness, Garlyle took off running, to the only possibly safe place he knew.
As Garlyle ran into Syiolen's small hut, he was surprised at the whirring blue gate in front of Syiolen.
"What?" Garlyle looked at the older man.
"Come, Garlyle!" Syiolen shouted. "Let us leave this dimension!"
"What!?" Garlyle cried out again. "I. I can't! I can't leave my brother behind!"
"They're gone!" Syiolen cried out. "You believed in me, now I'm helping you in return! Come!"
Before Garlyle could protest, a whip struck out and grabbed Syiolen's neck.
"Go!" Syiolen growled. "Jump through, before I'm gone. and it. is too."
Knowing it was the only way, Garlyle jumped into the portal. A moment later, as Syiolen collapsed, dead, the portal collapsed with him.
"He got away." the man growled, as the whip returned to him. "I'll hunt him down."
::The First Bloodlines Chapter::
"MEK AI!!!"
Garlyle shouted hopelessly, as he watched his brother fall, almost in slow motion, a crimson splash shooting out from the gash in his arm. The young blue-haired child landed hard on the stone flooring.
Mek Ai looked up hopelessly at his older brother. "Garlyle. I'm. sorry." Mek Ai begged. "I'm sorry. that I couldn't be more help."
Garlyle crouched down beside his brother, lifting up his head and cuddling it against his chest, gently. "Brother." he muttered between tears. "Brother, you did fine."
"No, I failed you." Mek Ai shook his head weakly, looking sadly up at his brother. "And this is my punishment."
"No! No!" Garlyle cried out, staring into Mek Ai's eyes. "You did your best. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I forgive you, just please, don't leave me!"
Mek Ai's eyes were tearing up. "Thank you. but."
"No!"
"Perhaps life just. wasn't meant. for me."
"Don't say that! Please." Garlyle's eyes were blurring up with his tears, oblivious to the shadow that was moving closer towards him. "Mek! Mek!" he cried out despairingly.
His brother's eyes closed, and his breathing stopped.
He was gone.
"Mek! NO!" Garlyle cried out, hugging his lifeless brother next to him. He felt his body become cold.
"This. this isn't. this shouldn't have happened." Garlyle looked up, and stared at the tall man with the black cape who stood above him, the long black rose-hilted sword in his hands. "Jetsu. why?"
"I promised I'd exterminate your line. I promised my father that on his deathbed" Jetsu smiled darkly. "Now, I will complete what I set out to do!"
Jetsu's sword raised up a bit, before it sliced down into Garlyle's shoulder.
A moment later, Garlyle's lifeless body hit the ground, his arm severed off.
* * * * *
Garlyle shouted, suddenly collapsing to his knees. Taka grabbed onto him, to keep him from falling any further.
"Garlyle! Garlyle! What's wrong?"
Garlyle seemed shaken. It had felt, if only for a moment, that part of his soul had been torn from him. For a moment, his eyes went blank, and he saw, heard, and felt nothing.
Then the heat returned to his body, and Taka felt halfway reassured.
Garlyle looked up at Taka for a moment, a tear in his eye. "What. what happened?" Taka asked.
"It felt. like reality tore for a moment. I felt like I was dying." Garlyle reached up and felt at his shoulder. The pain had come from there. The arm was still working all right. So what had happened?
"Brother?" Mek Ai looked up at him. "Did you feel it too?"
"Y. Yes." Garlyle nodded, remembering how his brother had seemed blank and lifeless for a moment, only a few moments later.
Jael, the tall, dark-haired man beside them, shrugged. "I don't know what's going on, so don't ask me."
Mek Ai, the young blue-haired child, laughed nervously. "It. was probably nothing." he let out a small cough.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Garlyle asked, under his brown hair and black bandana, his chestnut eyes shimmering. "I don't want anything bad to happen."
"I'm sure it's nothing" Taka, the purple-haired child no older then Garlyle, shrugged, although his face betrayed his true feelings, he was somewhat worried.
"You should never be sure anything is nothing" Garlyle responded. "Haven't I taught you otherwise?"
Taka bowed nervously. "I'm sorry. I had. forgotten."
"Very well." Garlyle shrugged. "If you'll excuse me, I have a job to attend to" he stood up and walked towards the door of the small street-side house.
"Without me?" Taka asked, his eyebrow raising.
"Nothing that would interest you, I assure you" Garlyle responded.
Before Taka could respond, Garlyle was out the door and onto the crowded streets of Avel. People of all kinds of backgrounds and colors walked the streets, smiling only to greet a friend who they might run into. A few stalls selling random goods dotted the corners of the dirty streets. As Garlyle walked by a group of teens, a fight broke out. Daggers were drawn and punches were thrown, but Garlyle didn't care.
He didn't need more enemies.
One thing, however, did catch Garlyle's attention. A young man with flamboyant red hair was shouting over the crowd. "I tell you all! But you do not believe! Many dimensions exist! We exist in many other worlds, each of us there different! And I know how to travel between them!"
Halfway amused, Garlyle walked over to the man and looked at him, in his purple jester-style clothing. Was this guy serious?
The man laughed. "Have I caught your eye as somebody who thinks I am speaking of reality? Or am I just another madman in your eyes."
"I do not judge until I have reason to" Garlyle responded.
"I didn't think you'd gone anywhere!" Taka grabbed onto Garlyle's shoulder. Mek Ai was with him, and Jael loomed over the three. "Who's this nutbar?"
"Those who do not believe in my power will disrupt it, I must ask you all to leave!" the man cried out.
"First you must tell us what your power is" Garlyle nodded. "If your claims are with any truth, I will know."
"Very well" the man smiled and laughed. "Please, come inside." he indicated the small house behind him.
"Do you trust this man?" Taka asked.
"No, but this is more interesting then simply wandering the streets" Garlyle shrugged. Jael sighed, and turned to walk away, with Mek Ai and Taka following him.
"We'll wait outside" Jael offered, as Garlyle stepped inside with the man.
"It is nice to see a believer in inter-dimensional travel." the man smiled. "Garlyle Wilds, am I correct?"
"How did you know?" Garlyle asked, going onto his guard.
"And how is Ceres today?"
Garlyle nearly fainted. "How. how do you know."
The strange man interrupted. "Oh, I know all about you and your demonic dragon. I'm sorry to have startled you. My name is Syiolen."
"How do you know.?"
"I can see and hear all, I can read minds and see people's innermost desires, hopes, and fears" Syiolen smiled. "And some of those fears will come to pass today. In another dimension, two fears of yours have come to pass."
"What do you mean.?" Garlyle asked.
"Did you feel the tearing at your soul only a short while ago?" Syiolen asked.
"How did you.?"
"It is still on your mind. I can see straight into the lost soul of another you."
"What?"
Syiolen sat down on a large purple cushion. "I'm sorry, perhaps you misunderstand me, and perhaps I am not understanding myself," he laughed out loud. "Allow me to explain."
"You see, there are several 'Garlyle Wilds' throughout the many many dimensions" Syiolen explained. "Earlier today, one of them died. You, despite being impossibly far away, still felt the connection. You felt the sting of an alternate you dying."
"What.?" Garlyle's eyes spun.
"The same happened with your brother. In another dimension, you and your brother were killed, one after another" Syiolen explained, then he suddenly seemed tired. "I'm sorry. I must be scaring you."
That was an understatement. Garlyle gulped. "But. my fears? Today? Here?"
"That is correct" Syiolen explained. "Death hangs over your head." he pointed one slightly twisted finger at Garlyle. "Death stalks you and those you associate with. And now it comes closer."
Garlyle gulped, turned, and ran.
"You cannot run from Death, boy!" Syiolen shouted out after him.
Jael, Taka, and Mek Ai took off after Garlyle, as he burst past them.
Then Garlyle stopped, and looked tearfully back at them, his eyes blank with fear and worry.
"Garlyle?" his younger brother Mek asked, his golden eyes curious. "Garlyle, what's wrong?"
Garlyle didn't respond. He was too scared to respond.
"Mek Ai. please." Garlyle's eyes teared up. "Please, keep yourself safe today. All of you."
"What? Why?" Taka asked.
Garlyle gulped, and looked carefully at each one of him.
Then he laughed out, trying to mask his fear. "I'm sorry. I'm thinking nonsense again."
Taka knew when Garlyle was trying to cover himself up. "Something has you spooked, Garlyle. What is it?"
"N. Nothing!" Garlyle shook his head.
"I doubt that so incredibly much," Taka responded, smirking. "What is going on?"
"Excuse me."
Everybody faced in on the man with the huge sword draped across his back.
"What do you want?" Jael asked.
The man reached up for the sword on his back. Garlyle and Taka automatically had their weapons out, but Jael wasn't fast enough.
The man's body slumped backwards, the head rolling off into the streets. Panic erupted, as people ran.
"I have been hired to eliminate your line" the man jeered. "High Priest Rue has demanded your death!"
Garlyle knew whom he was talking about. Rue. Rue was just that, a high priest. A high priest that wanted the Wilds line dead.
But that wasn't on Garlyle's mind. The only thing that was. was the startling fear of Jael's sudden death.
"No!" Mek Ai cried out.
"Run, Mek!" Garlyle shouted. Mek Ai, on command, took off running towards the crowd.
"No running, child!" the mercenary, for he obviously was one, laughed. His hands flew to his side, where a long whip was strung up in a loop on his belt. With one crack of the whip in his empty hand, it wrapped around Mek Ai's neck.
Mek Ai struggled for a moment, gasping for air. But it wouldn't have mattered if he did. The rope was tight and had struck his windpipe with such force that it had been sliced open.
Mek Ai's body slumped to the ground. As if on command, the tip uncoiled from Mek Ai's throat, wavering back to its correct place.
Taka and Garlyle took up fighting stances, though they knew it would be hopeless to try and fight this man. This was it.
Taka looked over at Garlyle. His body glowed a faint purple.
"You've saved me more times then I've saved you now" Taka whispered. "Allow me to save you one last time. We'll be even. So run, the moment I have him."
"Taka, no!" Garlyle cried, but Taka had already decided.
"Devil Deal!" Taka stamped his foot into the ground in front of him. The sword came down towards Taka.
"BLAST!"
Taka flipped backwards, tearing himself up, and using up every bit of his energy. A huge blast of magical energy swarmed t Taka flipped backwards, tearing himself up, and using up every bit of his energy. A huge blast of magical energy swarmed towards the mercenary.
It barely stunned him. But in that moment, full of remorse and sadness, Garlyle took off running, to the only possibly safe place he knew.
As Garlyle ran into Syiolen's small hut, he was surprised at the whirring blue gate in front of Syiolen.
"What?" Garlyle looked at the older man.
"Come, Garlyle!" Syiolen shouted. "Let us leave this dimension!"
"What!?" Garlyle cried out again. "I. I can't! I can't leave my brother behind!"
"They're gone!" Syiolen cried out. "You believed in me, now I'm helping you in return! Come!"
Before Garlyle could protest, a whip struck out and grabbed Syiolen's neck.
"Go!" Syiolen growled. "Jump through, before I'm gone. and it. is too."
Knowing it was the only way, Garlyle jumped into the portal. A moment later, as Syiolen collapsed, dead, the portal collapsed with him.
"He got away." the man growled, as the whip returned to him. "I'll hunt him down."