A Shrouded Ring of Hope
By Huepow00
CHAPTER 1
He awoke with a calmness and uneasiness that a trapped animal might have. His dream was gone before he had a chance to perceive it, and he felt a slow sick feeling in his heart. It had been thirty days now and he brushed the thought away as if to pretend it hadn't happened.
I never asked for any of this…
And yet it had happened, for whatever reason. He wished he knew the reason. His teacher, Shaw, had once told him during a combat lesson.
"Nothing happens because fate says it will happen. Every action is based off of a choice, an instinct, or a decision. When you know what the other party is basing their actions off of, then you will be able to make your counter-attack."
It was an old Fu'men saying, and it brought him comfort.
He rubbed a glo-globe for some light and made his way to dress himself. His uniform lay on his desk where he had placed it the night before. He took careful consideration not to dress in the same manner each day.
Routine leaves men open to surprises.
He noticed the ornate rug on the floor, which never received much attention, and he was glad he had decided to move it into his room. He carefully placed his family pendent across his left breastplate, the letter "H" with a golden crescent moon adorned on it. He was still stiff from the previous night, which he had spent with Shaw and three advisors discussing matters on dealing with the Dark Spirit.
"Sir, Your presence is needed in Artemis Hall immediately!"
The vox-tubes in his room filled with a powerful voice and a man's face appeared in front of him in an intricate array of lights.
He cleared his throat and wiped the sleep from his eyes.
Artemis Hall? Why on Phantomile would I be needed there?
An inquisitive feeling filled him like water in a bucket.
"Summon my First-com please, I wish to speak with him."
The man shifted his weight and showed a look of puzzlement for a split second. Had it not been for his training with Shaw, he might not have noticed.
"Retrieve my First-True-Combatant General." He spoke it slowly and without anger, but used a deeper tone to emphasize the importance. The general evidently understood and his face disappeared.
He was stopped in a few places along the way but he stayed only long enough to let the men know he had no time to listen to them at that moment. His footsteps echoed through the marble hallways and raced upwards through the towers and spires of his kingdom. A large hallway opened up in front of him with an enormous crystal orb covered in jewels and a latticework of gold suspended in mid-air above a large table.
"Sir Huepow, please come quickly, we have an urgent matter to discuss!"