Chapter 3
The air was crisp and clean carrying with him a smell, which spoke of beginnings. A soft wind was blowing over ancient forests, which stretched in all directions.
Inside the forest, a young man fifteen in age crouched beside some bushes. He had black messy hair and bright emerald green eyes. His body was slender but toned and athletic and he was clad in leather leggings and a vest he wore ankle high boots made of soft doeskin. There were two knives hidden in his boots and a quiver fool of arrows was settled on his back, in his hands he held a bow, which he carefully aimed, toward the clearing ahead of him.
Inside the clearing was a single white deer, The boy held his breath with anticipation. He had tracked that particular deer for several days and finally it was about to be over, and with that in mind he released the arrow. With a swoosh the arrow sped it's way through the trees, and buried itself in the deer's neck.
"Well done Hariven, This shall do well for the celebration tonight" said a deep voice coming from the man observing Hariven on his post on the trees.
"Then I had passed?" asked Hariven anxiously.
"Yes, yes you have passed Ven and you shall begin your training soon". Ven could not believe it, he had passed the Test, he had feared it so much, and infact he was sure he was going to fail. And be forced to spend another year with the children but he had passed. Ven sighed for a minute reflecting on his training so far: the long, long hours of training the grueling physical training in knife, bow and unarmed combat. The long hours learning wood lore and magic and hundreds of other things, all of which had seem so insignificant at the time but which had been proven essential to his survival in the test. He knew that all of this will seem like a child play considering what was now ahead of him for he was now considered a man a young one perhaps but a man nonetheless and with that he could begin training as a warrior.
"Yes, young one" his mentor chuckled as he could clearly see what Ven was thinking about, "you will become a warrior and a man, but for now that deer is waiting". Ven grinned at him, shook himself and went to the clearing and to the deer.
* * *
Four years later…
The skies were still black and riddled with stars, but the deep cold of the night and the gray at the east gave a promise that dawn was not far from coming.
All the fires have been put out, and merry making had been put on hold for now was the time of the coming of light and with it the coming of age for seven new warriors.
The crowed gathered around a half circle facing east, inside were seven man and woman sitting on their knees with their chest bare and their faces facing east. Their ages ran from 18 to 23 and among them at the left edge was Hariven.
A man and a woman passed among them painting their chest with the mark of their element. A young red haired woman sitting to the right was marked with a wingspread bird in gray and blue and white, marking the element of air this was painted directly above her heart. Next to her sat a brown hired man a fish in blue and green painted on his chest showing his element was water. The painters then moved on and painted a flame in red, orange and white on the heart of a flamed hair young man with blue eyes, showing that his element was fire. On the next woman one with brown eyes and brown bushy hair, they painted a tree in blossom with brown, green and white marking her with the element of earth. The black haired woman at her left was marked with the sign of water, and the blond man after her was marked with the sign for earth.
Then the painters came to the end of the Half circle were Hariven sat and just as the sun was about to rise they finished painting the symbol, a mark that has never been done before. For it was the mark of the sky containing with him not only all the other elements but also most importantly the element of light. On Hariven's chest above his heart was a lightning bolt painted with gold and white.
The first rays of light fell on the clearing and as they touched the bodies of the people at the circle, the crowd began their chant. Hariven took a deep breath and started reciting his oath along with the others around him:
As the light of the day touches my body,
So let it touch my soul.
As the light in the world shields my body,
So shall I shield the light with my all.
I pledge my life for the fight of the light,
I pledge my soul for the on going fight.
I shall never waiver and I shall never fail
Until the light shall prevail
Wherever I go, wherever I will lie,
My soul shall belong to the light
Whenever I will live, whenever I will die
My soul will belong to the light.
My soul belongs to the light.
And as the sun rose the chant reached its peek, and the figures inside the half circle were surrounded with light. Hariven felt the mark on his chest growing hotter and hotter, until it felt as though burning iron was strapped to his chest, and molten lava was being poured on it. It felt as though a thousand burning needles were buried in his heart and he had to bit his lips to keep from screaming, as a white haze of pure pain settled on him. And then a suddenly as it came it was over and Ven could taste blood in his mouth, he touched the painting on his chest which had been branded into his skin a part of him now, just as the oath was branded on his soul.
"Congratulation Ven "said his mentor, "may you live and die in the light"
"Thanks Lorsan" Ven replied "may you prevail and vanquish the dark" he completed the greeting.
"Ven!" a soft-excited voice called behind him, and he turned to hug the red haired woman that was his lover, "we did it Reeni, we really did it" he whispered in her ear. Her reply was cut short when his mouth settled on hers in a fierce kiss and they both lost all option for any sort of coherent thought. Eventually they surfaced for air and consciousness returned and with it the sound of hoots and jeers. "Shut up Nor" Ven said without even turning around aware that his best friend was laughing at him.
"But how can I when you insist on putting on such a good show" the red haired man replied with a laugh, just before Mareh his lover and Ven's other best friend smacked him on the end.
"You are all against me" Nor mumbled darkly which made everybody around him laugh even harder. "Ho shut up you lot", Nor said with a faked hurt look "And let's go find something to eat I'm starved".
"You are always starved," said Mareh fondly, but they all started walking in the direction of the food, the ceremony, the oath and the war pushed aside for now. The war will continue tomorrow and they will take their place in the fight but for now there was food, laughter, music and camaraderie and that was enough.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Harry opened his eyes; he was in his bed. His thoughts raced as he remembered what must have been his dream // it had seem so real // he though to himself for he had never had a dream with such vivid details. He could remember his entire life as Hariven from birth to death. He remembered battles and skirmishes, and he remembered leading men to countless battles, some of which he lost and some of which he won.
He remembered his training with swords, knives, bows and unarmed combat. He remembered learning a different kind of magic that was done without wand but with a song or intense concentration.
He remembered his friends whom he had known since childhood and with whom he had grown up with, fought with and one that he had even died with.
And then with a sigh he remembered Reeni, his lover, his soul mate, his life. And with a heart wrenching pain he realized that she was gone, that she was dead. And he sobbed. He tried to remind himself that it was not real, that she had never really existed except in his dream, and so could not really be dead, and so he had nothing to grieve about. However it didn't work he remembered every detail from the dream and he remembered it in painful details from color to the sounds and sm. It all felt real.
The sun was beginning its rise on the east, so Harry came out of bed knowing he could not sleep again. He was about to come out of his room and look for something to eat, when he caught a look on the mirror and froze.
On his chest just above his heart was what looked like a tattoo of a lightning bolt, made in gold and white. Except Harry knew it was not really a tattoo, it was an oath mark and it was a dream, it had to be.
He stood there gazing at it and a something surfaced in his mind;
My soul will belong to the light…
A/N:
Okay here is the next chapter hope you will like it.
Thank you Red dragon order for reviewing you convinced me that it was worth while continuing the story.
In case anyone had a doubt this story will turn out to be H/G (sorry all other shippers out there J ).
Anyway please please review I really need feedback.
~Namwolf