Jurian Saga
Chapter 1
An Unexpected Trip
The faint sound of a ticking clock could be made out over the rustling of pencil and paper. The occasional cough and harsh sigh would break the loom of impending silence only every now and again. Auditorium style seating which rose upwards as it went further back, all facing in generally the same direction, towards the man in the suit who was watching all of the others in the room. A dry erase board stood mounted upon the wall behind him, a few notes on it about digging and aging of artifacts. With his hands folded in front of his stomach, he wiggled his nose a bit, causing that graying mustache to move over his upper lip as he just continued to observe the college class.
A buzzer sounded, marking the end of the class period for the day. The students were quick to gather up their books and put away their notes and other belongings.
"Now young diggers, please be advised that tomorrow we will be covering some of the recent major archeological finds," started up the professor of the class, speaking in his lightly English sounding voice, "and please, pay attention, it will be on the mid semester test."
The sounds of gossip could be heard as Steven started to stand from his seat. He was quickly pushed down as a few of the upper classmen just got a grin out of it and walked off. A harsh sigh escaped his lips as he brushed his parted brown hair over towards the side, and out of his hazel green eyes. Dressed in a more casual attire, he attempted to stand once more, tucking his notebook up under his arm as he walked down the steps and towards the door.
"Mister Alexanders?" That English voice caught him just as he was about to reach the door. Steven turned his head slowly to look upon the professor in acknowledgement to his call. "I would like to talk to you for a moment."
Steven parted his lips and let out a long breath and made his way over to the now sitting professor, looking to his eyes he spoke slowly. "What is it Sir? My grades are great, so I'm sure it's not about that."
"No no. It's not about your grades. In fact I wish more people in here could be more like you. No, I was just going to talk to you about this trip coming up over Christmas break. I was curious if perhaps, you might be interested in joining them for a week or so." He reached into his desk to pull out a small letter, and handed it over to Steven.
Taking the paper in his hands he looked over it, then up to the professor. "Mister Lee, I am honored to say the least, but I had plans for this Christmas back at home." Looking back down to the paper again, he let those gems of his trail over those words, before letting out a hesitant line of speech. "However, I don't see why I couldn't change them. I mean, this is a once in a life time trip."
Professor Lee just smiled hearing Steven's response. "Well, I figured it would be right up your alley. You're so into the archeology stuff that when the offered to allow a few students to visit the site, I knew you would be the first to jump aboard."
"This means that I can be there though," said Steven. "So it's a golden opportunity to get hands on experience, and get my name out to some of the people who usually work the digs. Its hard to even make myself wait." The look on his face was like that of a young child who had just gotten a toy he had been waiting on for a long time.
"Steven," the professor added in, "the knowledge you can gather there is far greater than what you can learn here. What I can teach you can nowhere near compare to the knowledge needed on the field. This trip would be a valuable one in the terms of getting your name out among the others in the world, and also in the experience that comes with it. If you can avoid doing so, do not pass up this opportunity."
Steven handed the paper back to the professor and stood up again. "Let me take a few days to think about it, call home and what not. I need to see what the plans are for those few weeks, see if my mother will understand how much this means to me. Then I will give you an answer. Sound good to you?"
Nodding slowly the professor just smiled to him and looked to the door, through which his next class was starting to filter in. "Take all the time you need. Now go, finish out your day young Steven."
Making for the door, with a huge grin upon his face, Steven stepped out of the classroom and into the hallway. The bustling hall was packed wall to wall with students of all ages. Pushing his way past a few of them, he exited into another, less crowded hall, and through a double door, stepping out into the open air and sunlight.
Thus he was outside the University of Georgia. UGA was not known for its archeology classes, but at least it had one, and that was all Steven cared about. Cutting across the grass and between some of the buildings, he soon found himself on a street side, walking along the sidewalk. A smile beamed over his face from the news he had just gotten, even though he wasn't sure whether or not he could actually go. It was wonderful to know that he was closer to achieving his dream.
Steven came from a long line of archeologists, so he knew the general field of work. His grandfather was the first of the family to take on the trade, but he had lived most of his life merely as an assistant. Aaron Alexanders, Steven's father, picked up where his father had left off, actually heading a few of the major digs, but he died shortly after Steven was born due to an onsite accident. Steven's dream was to be like his fore fathers, to dig and explore the ruins of old. However, due to neither of them being largely named in the field, he had to earn his stripes, and he was doing so nicely.
The path back to his dorm room was a decent distance, but nothing too major, he walked it every day, so he was use to it. A slight breeze caught up in the area as he moved, stepping up to the door to the building complex, reaching out for the handle.
"Hey Steven," a female voice called from behind him.
Turning around slowly he let those hazel eyes of his be graced by a young woman roughly his age. She wasn't an overly beautiful woman, but good looking none the less. Red hair framed her face as it was cut off just at her shoulders, blue eyes looked back from behind pale flesh, and a few freckles speckled her face as she stood there, holding her books down in front of her body, right around her thighs. Dressed in a while t-shirt, with a light pull-over vest so as to look a bit more proper, with blue jeans that ran down into her boots. She wasn't big, but not overly skinny either. Just enough that she still kept a good looking figure. Her lips were curled in a wonderful smile as she stood there.
"Hey there Amber," he said with a bit of a smile which was still left over from the news he had received earlier. Pushing the door open he stepped aside for her, he allowed her entrance into the hall that led towards his dorm.
She walked past him and then stopped in the hall. As he was shutting the door she studied over him, mostly his face. Her eyes held a curious stare as she studied. "What's up with you?" She asked, "You look like a kid on Christmas morning."
"Oh, well, I kind of got some news earlier today. I'll tell you after the study session, ok?"
"Yeah, that's perfectly fine." She just smiled, and continued down the hallway towards the small living quarters he was provided with.
Steven wasn't far behind, catching up to her and unlocking the door, he pushed it open to allow the two of them entry into his dorm room. He shut the door behind them, then set his stuff down upon the table, and walked over to the small refrigerator that was provided. He then pulled out two coke cans, and walked back over to the table. Reaching down towards the ground he unzipped the backpack he had set there, and pulled out a calculus book and opened it up.
"Where did we leave off the last time?" He spoke to her as he stopped flipping through the book long enough to look up at Amber's face.
"You were helping me with differential equations. They're on page 314."
"Alright." He turned to the page she had mentioned and then looked over it, then back up to her. "Alright, tell me what steps you would take to solve problem 7." His eyes scanned the problem over, while waiting for her to start pointing out the different ways that she might come across the answer.
"Well, I was thinking something like this." She spoke as she jotted down a few things on her paper, punched up some numbers on her calculator, and then she showed him both objects, a curious look crossing her face.
He let his eyes scan her paper over before he would look back up to her once more. "Try switching this and this. Perhaps you might get it right then."
She did as he suggested and then looked over her paper again, and then at the book. Her eyes lit up brightly as she held a smile that had slowly crept over her face. "Wow, I get it now. So the next problem is something like..." she trailed off as she did something else on her paper and with that graphing calculator, "this?"
He took the paper from her and gave her an affirmative nod, and she smiled again. Her hand flew over the next few problems, but she spoke while writing on the paper. "So, tell me, what's this news that's got you with a grin on your face?"
He stopped what he was doing, looked up from the archeology book that he had immersed himself in, and spoke. "Well, Professor Lee wants me to go on this archeology dig during Christmas break. It's a great opportunity, but I was really looking forward to going home for once. When you live 7 states from home its hard to find an excuse to make the trip back there."
"I see. Well, you should chase your dream Steven." She didn't even look up at him as she said those words. They trailed off her tongue like a message that was destined for him to hear. "Besides, I'm sure your mother will understand." Those eyes of hers finally came up to meet his, and they took on a brilliant shine to as she looked upon his face. Her hand set down the pencil that she was using as she sat up from her leaning position. "If nothing else, Steven..." she moved her hand over to his and let it rest there for a moment, letting her thumb brush over it. Her cheeks flushed with a slight blush before she continued, "Just follow your heart."
Those words she spoke would ring throughout his brain for the remainder of the evening. The odd sense that she liked him had finally started to sink into his brain. Perhaps it was time to try a relationship, he thought to himself. Perhaps it was time to give someone a chance in his life, besides himself. He gave a simple shrug as he brushed the ideas from his mind. For now, he needed to focus.
When things finally settled down some, he managed to pull out his journal and write down the events that had happened during the day. It was a longer entry than he usually wrote, but he did have a lot on his mind.
Afterwards, he treated himself to some TV before he went to bed. Studies tomorrow weren't going to be fun, at least, not until Archeology class. The general idea in his head for this was to get sleep, since he wasn't a morning person. That way, he could have time to get up and get ready for his time to leave for class. It was a simple logic, and one that had worked his entire time during college.
He stripped down to his boxer shorts, plain white boxers with a blue stripe down the sides, walked over to the lamp, and turning out the light. After crawling into bed he settled down for a nice long sleep. His head was filled with images of the possibilities of what the trip might hold. Images of him, living a life of luxury because of archeological finds, books he had written, and classes he had taught. Even the occasional fantasy of an Indiana Jones adventure crept into his head before he finally fell into a peaceful slumber, the darkness filling his eyes and the silence taking him to where he wished to be.
"Steven."
He sat up in his bed quickly, his hazel eyes darting around the room, looking for what it was that had called to him and woken him up. Nothing. He found nothing in the still darkness of his room. Turning around slowly, his eyes scanned the room once more before laying back down.
"Steven."
He shot up again, only this time with a panic looked. The voice had echoed when it spoke, like some kind of practical joke. Those eyes wouldn't calm down as he looked over his room once more.
"Who's there?" He called nervously, hoping to flush out the person behind this.
"I am neither here nor there, yet I am everywhere my dear child." The voice responded, but it wasn't in the room. It was more like it was in his head.
"Who...Who are you?" He managed to get past his lips, a bit fearful of what was going on. Was he dreaming, was this a hallucination of some kind? Perhaps some kind of joke?
"I am the Father of man, the Creator of all that you see. I am the bearer of life, and the bringer of death. I am the reason for living, and the reason for waiting for your last breath."
"You're trying to tell me that you're God, aren't you? Now I know I'm going crazy." He closed his eyes and laughed lightly, laying his head back against the pillow, looking up towards the ceiling. He knew now that he was truly going insane. All that studying he had done in high school and now in college had finally taken its toll upon him.
"Crazy you are not, my child. I am who you speak of. All you have to do is open your heart and listen."
Steven blinked at this. Not only was the voice still talking to him, but it was trying to convince him otherwise. He gave a hard sigh as he pondered this. If it really is God, he would know what Steven was thinking. He would also know whether or not Steven should go home, or go on that trip.
"Yes, I can read your thoughts. And yes, I understand that my contacting you has brought some confusion to you. But I assure you, my child, I have a reason for coming to you today. You will be taking a trip, but not the one that you're thinking of. Your fate does not lay on this world at the current time, but elsewhere."
Again Steven blinked as the words filled his head, and another sigh passed his lips. "Alright, you've lost me. What exactly are you talking about?" He thought he was crazy for even humoring the voice.
The voice went silent for a moment before continuing to speak. "Listen closely my child, for what I tell you is the fate and path that lies before you. Accept and you will serve as I tell you. Decline and you shall live the rest of your life as you see fit.
"You were born with a purpose Steven Alexanders. The very programming inside your body is special, for that is how I made you. You were born for a natural ability to use a weapon with a blade. You were born with a calm mind and a strong will. All of these things you have noticed throughout your life, at some point or another.
"The skills that you were born with have a reason. From the day I sent you forth into this world, I made you with the intent of making you my champion. The task of my champion is not an easy one by any means, but you will be aided by those I send to your side and by myself as well. Your role will be as a peace keeper, a changer of hearts and a bearer of the souls of those who do not wish to confront the good in their hearts. You will be trained in the art of the sword, and you will be universally known for your skill, and your use of it not as a fighting style, but as an art form.
"If you wish to accept what I am telling you, your training will begin tonight. If you decline, then your life will continue as it has, and always will. The path I lay before you is full of hardships either way, but my offer to you is one of great responsibility, and will commend upon you a great deal of respect.
"Now it is upon your shoulders. Choose my child..." The voice then trailed off again, leaving Steven once more in a quiet, dark room.
Closing his eyes he took a deep breath, letting what he was just told sink into his head for a moment. Was this real, was this even possible? His mind began to race. He couldn't make sense out of any of this, the logical part of him was telling him he was nuts, while another part of him told him to trust the voice. In a moment of confusion, he opened his eyes once more, and spoke aloud within the confines of his room.
"Alright. If you really are God, as you say you are, then turning this down would not be a very smart choice. Its not every day that the "Big man upstairs" asks you to do something. Simply put, I accept." He smiled to himself as he finished his statement, feeling like he had accomplished something. If he was insane, the voice would try to back out of it.
"My child, you have chosen to accept the role of my champion. You are now one of 3 who are blessed in this role. You will be the soldier. There are also the sentimental and the scout. The paths of you three will cross as some point in time, but for now, we will begin your training."
Steven's eyes shot wide as he looked around the room. He hadn't really expected this. A hard swallow was given as he closed his eyes once more, only to hear the voice once again.
"Your training begins on the distant planet of Jurai; the Emperor will believe your story, while the others there will not. You are to learn their form of the sword, though you will not have access to their energy manipulation abilities. Keep your eyes open while you're there, something or someone there might be important to you later on."
"Hey wait!" Steven called out, but the voice was gone, and he was still there in his bed. He put his hand upon his forehead and closed his eyes again, letting warm air escape his mouth. Turning to his side, he got up on his hands and knees, just to make sure he was still where he was suppose to be. Yep, still his old bed. A few bounces on it just to make sure. He gave a faint laugh, just before a slight tingle shot though his form.
Suddenly, he didn't feel the covers on his back anymore. His eyes opened slowly as he looked down. He was still on a bed, but it was much softer than his, and there was something underneath him. The faint moon like light that crept through the room showed that he was on his hands and knees over a figure which was lying under him. It was hard to make it out, but as those eyes scanned up towards the head, the being under him moved, though that wasn't the most shocking part. It gave a slight groan, a groan that came out in a feminine voice. His jaw dropped, and the woman under him brushed his leg with her knee.
She snapped to consciousness, sitting up in her bed slowly as red eyes shot open and turned to look upon what was on her bed. Dark purple hair fell down beside her cheeks, and her lips parted a bit for a second. She didn't quite know how to react to this, but on her bed was a man. A man who had eyes of a sterling emerald color, eyes that she had never seen before. A look of fear was in both of their eyes, and her grip upon the covers tightened as she pulled them closer to her, covering up her nightly wear to hide it from his view. Suddenly those red eyes went from frightened, to enraged.
"Um...Miss...this...this isn't what you think...I...I don't even know how I got here." He knew it was a lame excuse, but he honestly didn't know how he had gotten on this woman's bed. Wait, he knew how, but it would make much less sense to tell her that one.
Gritting her teeth she drew her legs back, and then push them forward. One good solid kick to the chest and Steven was sent flying off of her bed, and back against a wall that was a few feet away.
As his body hit the floor, the back of his head smashed hard against the wall. Just before he slipped out of consciousness, he could hear her screaming, although he couldn't make it out. A light filled the room, and a few figures entered. Then his world went black again.
The faint sound of a ticking clock could be made out over the rustling of pencil and paper. The occasional cough and harsh sigh would break the loom of impending silence only every now and again. Auditorium style seating which rose upwards as it went further back, all facing in generally the same direction, towards the man in the suit who was watching all of the others in the room. A dry erase board stood mounted upon the wall behind him, a few notes on it about digging and aging of artifacts. With his hands folded in front of his stomach, he wiggled his nose a bit, causing that graying mustache to move over his upper lip as he just continued to observe the college class.
A buzzer sounded, marking the end of the class period for the day. The students were quick to gather up their books and put away their notes and other belongings.
"Now young diggers, please be advised that tomorrow we will be covering some of the recent major archeological finds," started up the professor of the class, speaking in his lightly English sounding voice, "and please, pay attention, it will be on the mid semester test."
The sounds of gossip could be heard as Steven started to stand from his seat. He was quickly pushed down as a few of the upper classmen just got a grin out of it and walked off. A harsh sigh escaped his lips as he brushed his parted brown hair over towards the side, and out of his hazel green eyes. Dressed in a more casual attire, he attempted to stand once more, tucking his notebook up under his arm as he walked down the steps and towards the door.
"Mister Alexanders?" That English voice caught him just as he was about to reach the door. Steven turned his head slowly to look upon the professor in acknowledgement to his call. "I would like to talk to you for a moment."
Steven parted his lips and let out a long breath and made his way over to the now sitting professor, looking to his eyes he spoke slowly. "What is it Sir? My grades are great, so I'm sure it's not about that."
"No no. It's not about your grades. In fact I wish more people in here could be more like you. No, I was just going to talk to you about this trip coming up over Christmas break. I was curious if perhaps, you might be interested in joining them for a week or so." He reached into his desk to pull out a small letter, and handed it over to Steven.
Taking the paper in his hands he looked over it, then up to the professor. "Mister Lee, I am honored to say the least, but I had plans for this Christmas back at home." Looking back down to the paper again, he let those gems of his trail over those words, before letting out a hesitant line of speech. "However, I don't see why I couldn't change them. I mean, this is a once in a life time trip."
Professor Lee just smiled hearing Steven's response. "Well, I figured it would be right up your alley. You're so into the archeology stuff that when the offered to allow a few students to visit the site, I knew you would be the first to jump aboard."
"This means that I can be there though," said Steven. "So it's a golden opportunity to get hands on experience, and get my name out to some of the people who usually work the digs. Its hard to even make myself wait." The look on his face was like that of a young child who had just gotten a toy he had been waiting on for a long time.
"Steven," the professor added in, "the knowledge you can gather there is far greater than what you can learn here. What I can teach you can nowhere near compare to the knowledge needed on the field. This trip would be a valuable one in the terms of getting your name out among the others in the world, and also in the experience that comes with it. If you can avoid doing so, do not pass up this opportunity."
Steven handed the paper back to the professor and stood up again. "Let me take a few days to think about it, call home and what not. I need to see what the plans are for those few weeks, see if my mother will understand how much this means to me. Then I will give you an answer. Sound good to you?"
Nodding slowly the professor just smiled to him and looked to the door, through which his next class was starting to filter in. "Take all the time you need. Now go, finish out your day young Steven."
Making for the door, with a huge grin upon his face, Steven stepped out of the classroom and into the hallway. The bustling hall was packed wall to wall with students of all ages. Pushing his way past a few of them, he exited into another, less crowded hall, and through a double door, stepping out into the open air and sunlight.
Thus he was outside the University of Georgia. UGA was not known for its archeology classes, but at least it had one, and that was all Steven cared about. Cutting across the grass and between some of the buildings, he soon found himself on a street side, walking along the sidewalk. A smile beamed over his face from the news he had just gotten, even though he wasn't sure whether or not he could actually go. It was wonderful to know that he was closer to achieving his dream.
Steven came from a long line of archeologists, so he knew the general field of work. His grandfather was the first of the family to take on the trade, but he had lived most of his life merely as an assistant. Aaron Alexanders, Steven's father, picked up where his father had left off, actually heading a few of the major digs, but he died shortly after Steven was born due to an onsite accident. Steven's dream was to be like his fore fathers, to dig and explore the ruins of old. However, due to neither of them being largely named in the field, he had to earn his stripes, and he was doing so nicely.
The path back to his dorm room was a decent distance, but nothing too major, he walked it every day, so he was use to it. A slight breeze caught up in the area as he moved, stepping up to the door to the building complex, reaching out for the handle.
"Hey Steven," a female voice called from behind him.
Turning around slowly he let those hazel eyes of his be graced by a young woman roughly his age. She wasn't an overly beautiful woman, but good looking none the less. Red hair framed her face as it was cut off just at her shoulders, blue eyes looked back from behind pale flesh, and a few freckles speckled her face as she stood there, holding her books down in front of her body, right around her thighs. Dressed in a while t-shirt, with a light pull-over vest so as to look a bit more proper, with blue jeans that ran down into her boots. She wasn't big, but not overly skinny either. Just enough that she still kept a good looking figure. Her lips were curled in a wonderful smile as she stood there.
"Hey there Amber," he said with a bit of a smile which was still left over from the news he had received earlier. Pushing the door open he stepped aside for her, he allowed her entrance into the hall that led towards his dorm.
She walked past him and then stopped in the hall. As he was shutting the door she studied over him, mostly his face. Her eyes held a curious stare as she studied. "What's up with you?" She asked, "You look like a kid on Christmas morning."
"Oh, well, I kind of got some news earlier today. I'll tell you after the study session, ok?"
"Yeah, that's perfectly fine." She just smiled, and continued down the hallway towards the small living quarters he was provided with.
Steven wasn't far behind, catching up to her and unlocking the door, he pushed it open to allow the two of them entry into his dorm room. He shut the door behind them, then set his stuff down upon the table, and walked over to the small refrigerator that was provided. He then pulled out two coke cans, and walked back over to the table. Reaching down towards the ground he unzipped the backpack he had set there, and pulled out a calculus book and opened it up.
"Where did we leave off the last time?" He spoke to her as he stopped flipping through the book long enough to look up at Amber's face.
"You were helping me with differential equations. They're on page 314."
"Alright." He turned to the page she had mentioned and then looked over it, then back up to her. "Alright, tell me what steps you would take to solve problem 7." His eyes scanned the problem over, while waiting for her to start pointing out the different ways that she might come across the answer.
"Well, I was thinking something like this." She spoke as she jotted down a few things on her paper, punched up some numbers on her calculator, and then she showed him both objects, a curious look crossing her face.
He let his eyes scan her paper over before he would look back up to her once more. "Try switching this and this. Perhaps you might get it right then."
She did as he suggested and then looked over her paper again, and then at the book. Her eyes lit up brightly as she held a smile that had slowly crept over her face. "Wow, I get it now. So the next problem is something like..." she trailed off as she did something else on her paper and with that graphing calculator, "this?"
He took the paper from her and gave her an affirmative nod, and she smiled again. Her hand flew over the next few problems, but she spoke while writing on the paper. "So, tell me, what's this news that's got you with a grin on your face?"
He stopped what he was doing, looked up from the archeology book that he had immersed himself in, and spoke. "Well, Professor Lee wants me to go on this archeology dig during Christmas break. It's a great opportunity, but I was really looking forward to going home for once. When you live 7 states from home its hard to find an excuse to make the trip back there."
"I see. Well, you should chase your dream Steven." She didn't even look up at him as she said those words. They trailed off her tongue like a message that was destined for him to hear. "Besides, I'm sure your mother will understand." Those eyes of hers finally came up to meet his, and they took on a brilliant shine to as she looked upon his face. Her hand set down the pencil that she was using as she sat up from her leaning position. "If nothing else, Steven..." she moved her hand over to his and let it rest there for a moment, letting her thumb brush over it. Her cheeks flushed with a slight blush before she continued, "Just follow your heart."
Those words she spoke would ring throughout his brain for the remainder of the evening. The odd sense that she liked him had finally started to sink into his brain. Perhaps it was time to try a relationship, he thought to himself. Perhaps it was time to give someone a chance in his life, besides himself. He gave a simple shrug as he brushed the ideas from his mind. For now, he needed to focus.
When things finally settled down some, he managed to pull out his journal and write down the events that had happened during the day. It was a longer entry than he usually wrote, but he did have a lot on his mind.
Afterwards, he treated himself to some TV before he went to bed. Studies tomorrow weren't going to be fun, at least, not until Archeology class. The general idea in his head for this was to get sleep, since he wasn't a morning person. That way, he could have time to get up and get ready for his time to leave for class. It was a simple logic, and one that had worked his entire time during college.
He stripped down to his boxer shorts, plain white boxers with a blue stripe down the sides, walked over to the lamp, and turning out the light. After crawling into bed he settled down for a nice long sleep. His head was filled with images of the possibilities of what the trip might hold. Images of him, living a life of luxury because of archeological finds, books he had written, and classes he had taught. Even the occasional fantasy of an Indiana Jones adventure crept into his head before he finally fell into a peaceful slumber, the darkness filling his eyes and the silence taking him to where he wished to be.
"Steven."
He sat up in his bed quickly, his hazel eyes darting around the room, looking for what it was that had called to him and woken him up. Nothing. He found nothing in the still darkness of his room. Turning around slowly, his eyes scanned the room once more before laying back down.
"Steven."
He shot up again, only this time with a panic looked. The voice had echoed when it spoke, like some kind of practical joke. Those eyes wouldn't calm down as he looked over his room once more.
"Who's there?" He called nervously, hoping to flush out the person behind this.
"I am neither here nor there, yet I am everywhere my dear child." The voice responded, but it wasn't in the room. It was more like it was in his head.
"Who...Who are you?" He managed to get past his lips, a bit fearful of what was going on. Was he dreaming, was this a hallucination of some kind? Perhaps some kind of joke?
"I am the Father of man, the Creator of all that you see. I am the bearer of life, and the bringer of death. I am the reason for living, and the reason for waiting for your last breath."
"You're trying to tell me that you're God, aren't you? Now I know I'm going crazy." He closed his eyes and laughed lightly, laying his head back against the pillow, looking up towards the ceiling. He knew now that he was truly going insane. All that studying he had done in high school and now in college had finally taken its toll upon him.
"Crazy you are not, my child. I am who you speak of. All you have to do is open your heart and listen."
Steven blinked at this. Not only was the voice still talking to him, but it was trying to convince him otherwise. He gave a hard sigh as he pondered this. If it really is God, he would know what Steven was thinking. He would also know whether or not Steven should go home, or go on that trip.
"Yes, I can read your thoughts. And yes, I understand that my contacting you has brought some confusion to you. But I assure you, my child, I have a reason for coming to you today. You will be taking a trip, but not the one that you're thinking of. Your fate does not lay on this world at the current time, but elsewhere."
Again Steven blinked as the words filled his head, and another sigh passed his lips. "Alright, you've lost me. What exactly are you talking about?" He thought he was crazy for even humoring the voice.
The voice went silent for a moment before continuing to speak. "Listen closely my child, for what I tell you is the fate and path that lies before you. Accept and you will serve as I tell you. Decline and you shall live the rest of your life as you see fit.
"You were born with a purpose Steven Alexanders. The very programming inside your body is special, for that is how I made you. You were born for a natural ability to use a weapon with a blade. You were born with a calm mind and a strong will. All of these things you have noticed throughout your life, at some point or another.
"The skills that you were born with have a reason. From the day I sent you forth into this world, I made you with the intent of making you my champion. The task of my champion is not an easy one by any means, but you will be aided by those I send to your side and by myself as well. Your role will be as a peace keeper, a changer of hearts and a bearer of the souls of those who do not wish to confront the good in their hearts. You will be trained in the art of the sword, and you will be universally known for your skill, and your use of it not as a fighting style, but as an art form.
"If you wish to accept what I am telling you, your training will begin tonight. If you decline, then your life will continue as it has, and always will. The path I lay before you is full of hardships either way, but my offer to you is one of great responsibility, and will commend upon you a great deal of respect.
"Now it is upon your shoulders. Choose my child..." The voice then trailed off again, leaving Steven once more in a quiet, dark room.
Closing his eyes he took a deep breath, letting what he was just told sink into his head for a moment. Was this real, was this even possible? His mind began to race. He couldn't make sense out of any of this, the logical part of him was telling him he was nuts, while another part of him told him to trust the voice. In a moment of confusion, he opened his eyes once more, and spoke aloud within the confines of his room.
"Alright. If you really are God, as you say you are, then turning this down would not be a very smart choice. Its not every day that the "Big man upstairs" asks you to do something. Simply put, I accept." He smiled to himself as he finished his statement, feeling like he had accomplished something. If he was insane, the voice would try to back out of it.
"My child, you have chosen to accept the role of my champion. You are now one of 3 who are blessed in this role. You will be the soldier. There are also the sentimental and the scout. The paths of you three will cross as some point in time, but for now, we will begin your training."
Steven's eyes shot wide as he looked around the room. He hadn't really expected this. A hard swallow was given as he closed his eyes once more, only to hear the voice once again.
"Your training begins on the distant planet of Jurai; the Emperor will believe your story, while the others there will not. You are to learn their form of the sword, though you will not have access to their energy manipulation abilities. Keep your eyes open while you're there, something or someone there might be important to you later on."
"Hey wait!" Steven called out, but the voice was gone, and he was still there in his bed. He put his hand upon his forehead and closed his eyes again, letting warm air escape his mouth. Turning to his side, he got up on his hands and knees, just to make sure he was still where he was suppose to be. Yep, still his old bed. A few bounces on it just to make sure. He gave a faint laugh, just before a slight tingle shot though his form.
Suddenly, he didn't feel the covers on his back anymore. His eyes opened slowly as he looked down. He was still on a bed, but it was much softer than his, and there was something underneath him. The faint moon like light that crept through the room showed that he was on his hands and knees over a figure which was lying under him. It was hard to make it out, but as those eyes scanned up towards the head, the being under him moved, though that wasn't the most shocking part. It gave a slight groan, a groan that came out in a feminine voice. His jaw dropped, and the woman under him brushed his leg with her knee.
She snapped to consciousness, sitting up in her bed slowly as red eyes shot open and turned to look upon what was on her bed. Dark purple hair fell down beside her cheeks, and her lips parted a bit for a second. She didn't quite know how to react to this, but on her bed was a man. A man who had eyes of a sterling emerald color, eyes that she had never seen before. A look of fear was in both of their eyes, and her grip upon the covers tightened as she pulled them closer to her, covering up her nightly wear to hide it from his view. Suddenly those red eyes went from frightened, to enraged.
"Um...Miss...this...this isn't what you think...I...I don't even know how I got here." He knew it was a lame excuse, but he honestly didn't know how he had gotten on this woman's bed. Wait, he knew how, but it would make much less sense to tell her that one.
Gritting her teeth she drew her legs back, and then push them forward. One good solid kick to the chest and Steven was sent flying off of her bed, and back against a wall that was a few feet away.
As his body hit the floor, the back of his head smashed hard against the wall. Just before he slipped out of consciousness, he could hear her screaming, although he couldn't make it out. A light filled the room, and a few figures entered. Then his world went black again.