Summary
A dark evil from the past has reawakened and threatens to sunder the fragile peace. Forced to flee his village, Tyson embarks on a journey on self-discovery to unlock the power of the sacred bitbeast. But this journey is filled with danger, and he is not the only one searching for the truth. Will Tyson arise to the challenge?
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Prologue
A group of young adult women sat around a five-pointed star, each one dressed in scarlet red robes, a golden sash around their waists. Their faces were covered by a mask with a curved beak to conceal their features. The women kneeled before their leader, a woman wearing a long black dress. Unlike the others, she did not wear a mask, but a black veil to make her features harder to identify. She stood in the centre of the star, carrying the body of a young virgin female. A golden curved dagger was laid on her stomach.
The girl screamed, tears streaming down her pallid round cheeks, but her hands and legs were bound by thick coarse rope. Every time she struggled, the rope would cut in deeper, rubbing into the flesh causing blood to seep.
"Do not fear, dear child," the woman said, her tone laced with forced sympathy. "Your sacrifice will not be in vain." The corners of her mouth curved upwards into a smile. Slowly dropping to her knees, she placed the girl on the cold ground.
The girl squirmed against her bindings, but no one moved an inch to help her. "Please! Let me go! I'll give you everything!" she wept her eyes swollen from the tears. Her cheeks had turned red – almost as red as her hair. "I beg of you! Don't do this, Ming Ming! Have mercy!"
Ming Ming brushed her hand against her cheek. "It is a blood moon, Salima. Magic is at its strongest on a night such as this. I do not wish to wait another three or so years for the next one." Like a mother comforting a child, Ming Ming brought her head close and planted a gentle kiss on the girl's forehead. "My attempts have failed before. But not this time. The Prince of Darkness will rise from his slumber, and you are the final ingredient. Consider yourself fortunate. Your sacrifice will save us all."
Salima struggled against her constraints. "You speak of the Shadow."
Ming Ming chuckled. "Oh, a spark of intelligence in that mind of yours. Yes, the Shadow. That's what your people call it anyway, but you haven't earned the right to hear his true name. He believed in God, like you. Like we all did. But God abandoned him, and thus he turned from the Light. Now he walks in the Shadow, and he will walk amongst us once more."
"God will strike you down!" Salima spat.
"I've heard that one before, but I'm still here. I've been here for a hundred years waiting for the prince to return to us."
"Impossible," Salima replied, her eyes widening.
Ming Ming smirked. "Nothing is impossible with magic." She picked up the golden dagger and held it above Salima's face, waving it back and forth. She then pressed the tip into Salima's right cheek and slowly pressed it. "But of course, you wouldn't understand. Your people fear magic."
Salima winced, her face scrunched up in pain. "…Why?" she cried out.
"The things we do for love," Ming Ming said softly. "Unfortunately, you'll never get to understand that feeling. Maybe in the next life you might." She dragged the dagger down, creating a shallow wound. Blood seeped out. Ming Ming did the same to the other cheek then brought the blade to her mouth, running her tongue across the cool steel.
"You're sick!" Salima screamed, tears streaming down her face. "The Divine will cast you down!"
"Your God isn't listening. Mine is." Ming Ming raised her hands and looked at her followers one b one. "Stand together and link hands. Your feet must stand on both sides of a point," she ordered, motioning her followers to rise. In silence, they climbed to their feet, obeying her directions.
Linking hands, the women bowed their heads and started to utter the words of the old chant. "Oh Tainted One. Come with heavenly grace and aid and grant us the power to keep the shadows at bay. We offer thee a pure one and pray for your blessing for this battle to be won." The lines were repeated as Ming Ming picked up the blade and pressed it against the girl's neck.
"Know that in your death, you will be saving the lives of many other people. You are a hero, dear girl. In death, you will find peace."
She brought her head down and kissed the girl on the forehead then sliced the girl's throat open with a swift movement. The girl gasped, and started to gag on her own blood, already being expelled from her mouth. Ming Ming stood up. The blood seeped into the lines of the five-pointed star. The priestesses continued to chant, their voices becoming louder to drown out the girl's gasps.
"…Damn you all…" Salima rasped. "…Oh Divine… Please have mercy on us all."
Ming Ming threw her head back and laughed. "God isn't listening to your prayers. He can't save you. Turn yourself to a new god. A better one. He will make a new world for us all. A better world." Again, she kneeled before the girl, and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Blood continued to seep out of the wound, and soon, the girl was drenched in it. Ming Ming closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. The lines of the five-pointed star turned black. Dark shadows started to rise.
"…He is coming," said a priestess.
The shadows continued to rise from the cracks in the star. Slowly, the shadows wrapped themselves around the bodies of the priestesses like a snake suffocating its prey. "Take this offering. Their souls are yours to take."
One by one, the shadows entered through the nostrils of the servants. The women tried to scream as their insides were torn apart, but the shadows muffled their sounds. Each one fell to the ground. The five-pointed star parted open, and Salima's body fell through the hole, absorbed by the shadow. Moments later, a crypt emerged from the shadows, its stone covered in magical letters. Ancient wards used to contain the prince of darkness, but the spell had now been broken at last.
Ming Ming dropped to her knees her head bowed in prayer. "Return to me, my love. Together, we shall rule this world once again." Her heart hammered in anticipation, her body tense.
The lid of the coffin blew open. Although made of iron, the lid was flung aside as if it weighed nothing. The lid landed with a heavy thud on the far side of the room, creating a massive dent in the ground. Slowly, a figure emerged from the coffin. He was dressed in blinding white robes with a golden sash around his waist. Piercing ice-cold blue eyes stared back at her.
"My king," Ming Ming said, slowly rising her head. "You have returned to me."
He raised an arm and extended his hand towards her. "Come to me."
She rose to her feet and came to him as commanded. "I have waited a century for this moment." He grabbed her hand, then pulled her in close, wrapping his other hand around her waist. She uttered a low moan as he kissed her neck. "A century later, and you still know how to please me. Brooklyn, I-" Her words were silenced by a passionate kiss.
He drew back, still looking at her with that piercing gaze. Raising a hand, he tenderly stroked her right cheek. "Even in the Otherworld, I dreamed of you always. I knew you would succeed. That is why I married you, my dear." He turned around and looked at the corpses on the ground. "An unfortunate but necessary sacrifice."
"They can be replaced. This world is on the brink of war. They are beginning to stray from the teachings of the Divine. Many people feel they have been abandoned," she explained, placing a hand on his chest. "You still have many followers who believe in you. Even after all these years, people love you. We know the truth. The crown was supposed to be yours. We know you are the rightful king."
Brooklyn scowled. "Who holds the crown now?"
"Voltaire Hiwatari, king of Khakpour. He is an old man. He has a grandson called Kai."
"The Hiwataris are still in power, even after a century?"
Ming Ming nodded. "Yes. But Voltaire is losing control. The Zagarts have become a prominent power over the course of the last few decades. They are trying to pass through the mountains, but the only way through is to tear down the fortress of Aduri. That place is well fortified, but Zagart's forces are growing stronger in power."
Brooklyn rubbed his chin. "So, there is another player in the game of thrones. Interesting."
"What do you propose to do?"
"I need to enter Khakpour. They will not recognize my face. My staff, Zeus, is still in that city."
Ming Ming's eyes widened in alarm. "I didn't bring you back just to have you die again."
"I want my staff back. Do you love me?"
"Of course, I do."
"Then know I will succeed. In the meantime, assemble whatever followers you can find."
He walked away before she could respond. Even after a hundred years, he still had not changed. The man had a short attention span before, and he still had one now. Regardless, he was right. She had work to do.
.
This is an old Beyblade idea (reworked that I came up with about ten years ago), but I never managed to see it through for multiple reasons. However, I'm at a point in life now where I can finish stories, and I'm determined to bring a dark high fantasy to this fandom.
I should point out this story is going to be dark. It's going to be brutal and disturbing in many ways and highly influenced by pre-modern history and contemporary fantasy novels/shows (like Game of Thrones). I will warn you in advance if there is an unsettling scene so don't worry.
Anyways. This was just the prologue and intended to set up the rest of the story. More about this form of magic and its origins will be revealed throughout the story. I wanted to give you enough details, but not too much because that would ruin all the fun!
I am currently working on another project now (Season 4 Beyblade fic, A Hero's Last Cry), but that should be done by early August. I'll start working on this story again in September (I need to plan out every single scene and chapter for the remainder of August), but I wanted to give you a teaser early! As always, reviews are much appreciated!