AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanx4reading, you rock! Thanks for the inspiration (though I'm sorry it took forever; it took work incorporating themes and rhymes and events and characters for the verses.) The excerpt from Destiny's Diaries is a lot like the ones form the comics, but, alas, it's not genuine. I made it up. And, I'm sorry, but, I'm in LOVE with the whole idea of the 12, so I reinvented it. The real 12 from the comics is really, really lame and random. It is: Xavier, Cyclops, Phoenix, Cable, Magneto, Polaris, Storm, Iceman, Sunfire, Mikhail, Bishop, and Colossus. Lastly, if you haven't read Origin, James Howlett is Logan/Wolverine's real name.
241 timeline
02-11-4130
(uncharted area of modern-day) Slovenia
A harsh, cold wind bit into the earth. Each time another gust hit a sloping hillside, a white sheet of snow rose into the air like dust. The deserted land had an aura as cruel as its environment. But even crueler were the living conditions of 10,784 nomads that had settled in the hills to rest out a deadly blizzard. This mobile town, which consisted solely of mutants, began 2 centuries ago as a sisterhood of 400, and steadily grew into a cutl-like army, known by few as the Clan Asakani.
The Clan was nestled into a valley, sheltered and hidden by an elaborate telekinetic dome. Thanks to the handiwork of several Asakani gifted with the ability to manipulate weather, the camp looked like a peaceful meadow. However, there were no animals thriving in this ecosystem, and the people were beginning to starve. And this was the message that Mother Asakani had heard several times, in the early morning of another long day.
Godfather Julius, the spry lead of Unit 51, was making the same complaint as many before him. "Our Herders have tried, numerous times, to beckon game from outside the dome," he was saying, as he ran a hand through his slick, blonde hair. "But, alas, we've only met a few birds, lost on the migration south." Julius, equipped with a thin, racer's body, and wisdom beyond his 40 years, had long ago earned Mother Asakani's respect. Yet, today, of all days, she did not want to tend to his trivial problems.
"Fine," she sighed after a few moments' wandering thought. "Your provisions will be replenished by nightfall." Julius gave a gracious nod and left quickly, sensing one of her irksome moods. Mother Asakani turned to the Council of Elders squatted around the table before her. "Get out," were her only words. Though they'd prefer to hear the rest of the Godfathers, the old women didn't argue, but left with grumbles quietly escaping their lips.
Mother Asakani, who had been called Rachel Summers, the Hound, Phoenix, and countless other names in lifetimes before, was a completely different person in the 25th century. Her body remained lean and tough, her eyes bright green and alert, her hair scarlet and thick. Nonetheless, her soul had changed. The heavy burden of over 10,000 lives had deadened her sense of humor. An infinite sea of warfare had drowned her passion for life. She may have appeared to be a 20-something athlete, but she was, in actuality, a 1,000-year old warrior queen, losing the biggest battle of her life.
But one thing kept her going—the quest for the Diaries that would bring joy to her world once more. Mother Asakani had brought her Clan to a winter wasteland in search of 1 of its pages. And, rather than praise her intuitive tactics, the very people she tried to save kept complaining that their lives were too hard.
Suddenly, as if to nullify her annoyances, the protective dome over her head was breached by 2 familiar psychic presences. Mother Asakani's mind relaxes in relief. Jaffe and Kahira, her best Hunters, had returned with good news.
The Clan Asakani now had more than 200 pages of the Destiny Diaries in their possession. Nonetheless, its verses were extremely ambiguous, and no one was really certain of all the answers it contained. The major reoccurring theme, however, was that of a band of vigilantes called, quite simply, The 12. Destiny foretold that these 12 mutants, when combined into a single fighting force, would be Apocalypse's undoing. Unfortunately, Apocalypse had discovered this truth himself, and was now searching for the 12, in order to manipulate their unique power into a fuel source for immortality. The result was constant competition for the Diaries, in order to find the identity of The 12, and a desperate battle to recruit them, once their identities were known. Now, as all of the Asakani Godfathers and Elders convened under a single cramped tent, a rumor began to travel that the search was over. They had found the page revealing the secrets of mysterious Number 12, The Chosen One.
Sanctity, the eldest of the Elders, and second in command to Mother Asakani, got off her knees and went to the center of the tent, signaling that the reading would begin. The crowd fell quiet. None of them had ever witnessed a prophesy before, as the last page was found more than 80 years ago.
Sanctity took from her heavy cloak a single torn and yellowed page. She uncurled it to reveal a blank piece of paper, and addressed the large fire before her. "This communal has gathered to decode the prophesies of the Destiny's Diaries. We now know of The Oracle, also known as Charles Xaiver, who saved the innocent. We know of The Titan, also known as Scott Summers, who saved those who ran. We know of The Child of Light and Darkness, also known as Jean Grey, who saved the celestial beings. We know of The Goddess, also known as Ororo Munroe, who saved those forgotten. We know of The Samauri, also known as James Howlett, who saved the dead. We know of The Renaissance Man, also known as Henry McCoy, who saved those who sought the answer. We know of The Sacred Messenger, also known as Warren Worthington III, who saved those who strayed from the path. We know of The Exorcist, also known as Bishop M., who saved the lost. We know of The Widow Slave, also known as Lilandra Neramani, who saved those who prayed from afar. We know of The Vengeful Prisoner, also known as Eric Leshner, who saved the captives. We know of The Child of Light and Darkness, also known as Rachel Summers, who saved those who took a stand. We wish to know of the Chosen One, who saved humanity."
She held the page out from her body with both hands, facing the ground, and the fire below. She paused, allowing the crowd's excitement to grow. Then, winking one of her yellowing eyes across the room at Mother Asakani, she dropped the paper directly into the fire.
The tent exploded with surprise, and a few Godfathers rushed forward to save the heirloom. But, just as they did, the fire became a black mist, and light burst forth from it to shine upon the canvas wall. The words were bright, almost irredescent, words, exactly like those that had come from the M'Kraan Crystal in Jean Grey's bedroom. The cry of alarm that had resounded amongst them fell into an awed hush. Mother Asakani, who had seen this many times, was not trying to read the brilliant light, but bracing herself for what she knew to come next. A rushing, booming noise burst out into the circle. It was composed of several voices, all reading the verses written above.
"Spawn of the Titan and the Child,
He was Born the First Day of Spring
Heir to his Hallowed Fate
To Save the Innocent, to Slay the King
"His Womb lay Hidden from all
In the Center of the Universe
Yet, in faith, Destiny led Him
To the Medieval Land so Cursed
"There he Shall be Reared
By a Mother he has Twice Known
Until his Time has come
To Defend what will become His Home
"Then, when all Hope is Lost,
He shall find himself The Center once more,
As a Dozen Celestial Warriors
Charge into the Battle to End All War
"And the Children of the Dark Ages
Will Sing Praises into the Night
But the Chosen One must Return
To his Birthplace, to his Birthright"
As the roar of Destiny's prophesy died down, the tent was trapped into a thick, stagnant silence. A hundred dark heads snapped toward Mother Asakani, wide eyes waiting expectantly. She glanced at Sanctity, but her faithful friend simply watched her carefully, before hesitantly asking, "Is it you?"
She didn't understand. "Is what me?"
"The Chosen One."
Mother Asakani almost laughed, but was surprised to see that the others were taking this question very seriously. She sobered. "No, my children, I am not the Chosen One. I am the second Child of Light and Darkness. I am the one destined to gather the pages and prepare soldiers for the War."
A small Godfather in the front row spoke up. "But the page said that The Chosen One would 'charge into the Battle to End All War.' It said that he'd be the center of the charge. That would be like a general, wouldn't it?" Several around him nodded.
"And what about 'returning to his birthplace'?" asked a stocky Godfather from his left. "You came from a land far away, in the center of the universe. What was that called...the Nucleus or something?"
"The M'Krann Crystal," one of the Elders offered.
"The M'Kraan Crystal is the portal to all realities," Mother Asakani explained, "but it certainly isn't the center of the universe. It's more like a window looking onto everything. Think of it as being on the outside."
Another Godfather, with a potbelly and balding hair, stood respectfully. When he was acknowledged by an Elder, he said, "Listen again to a few of the key words. 'Born', 'child', 'spawn', 'birth', 'heir', 'womb'...This is talking about a child. I might even say it is a newborn baby."
Mother Asakani was taken aback. She hadn't even paid attention to the words of the verses. She glanced back at the lights shining against the canvas. "And look," she pointed out, "Born the first day of spring."
Sanctity murmured, "Mother Asakani was born in summer."
Godfather Julius stood from the back. "But the Titan and the Child were your parents. You are the daughter of Scott Summers and Jean Grey!"
A picture flew into Mother Asakani's mind, almost as if thrown from the man's mouth. She saw the birth of her brother, a helpless, screaming, beautiful newborn. She felt so stupid to not have thought of it before. With a smile, she looked to her children and said, "Yes, but my parents had another child. A baby boy, born on March 21, in Mainstream Earth."