Chapter Forty-Seven: The Chamber
Walking down the dimly lit halls Rayan began to tell his story of what their father decided the night of Zain's birth.
"The night you were born a seer came to the palace," Rayan spoke recalling what he saw when he was nine years old.
~ Twenty-One Years Ago ~
Present with his sisters who were only five and two at the time of Zain's birth the children entered the room where their mother lay in a bed holding a swaddled baby in a red blanket with Percy lying on her shoulders smiling at the baby.
"Come meet your new akh my darlings," Haniya smiled watching her children join her on the bed to all peek at the sleeping baby in her arms.
"He's so cute!" Eria smiled kissing her baby brother's head who yawned.
"Baby?" Farah spoke pointing to the baby.
"That right Farah, that is a baby, your new akh," Haniya smiled looking up to see her husband Emperor Lion enter the bed chambers with Malik following behind who carried the Guild Seal in his hands, and the Aide Aoi who was excitedly typing on her tablet.
"Congratulations your majesty," Malik bowed.
"What an exciting day, I know the press are eager to meet the newest Royal Baby," Aoi smiled already preparing the announcements for the TV and internet on her tablet.
"That can wait," Emperor Lion spoke with a smile approaching the bed and taking the baby from his wife's arms bouncing the baby gently in his arms, "hello my child, with you our family is complete, two beautiful ibnas and two handsome ibns."
Approaching a bassinet Lion gently placed the baby inside allowing Malik to approach and gently place the Guild Seal on the baby.
Yawning the baby managed to get an arm out of his swaddle placing a hand on the seal that began to glow.
All was silent in the room when a bright light grew from the basinet and the oversized seal that laid on the baby began to shrink till it became circular and small.
"Astonishing!" Aoi gasped, "The baby inherited the hero bloodline! Samarkand will have a new hero!"
"Amazing," Malik spoke taking the seal to examine it in his hand, "the seal has shrunk to a more portable size, perhaps the seal sensed it needed to be small for the child?"
Looking at the seal Lion reached out holding out his large finger that his son grabbed with his tiny fingers, "I've decided on a name, let us welcome Zain to the family."
Unaware the baby could sense the happiness from his father from the touch he watched the newborn let out a small smile.
"I'll get to preparing the announcement Your Majesty!" Aoi smiled about to leave but stopped when the doors into the royal bed chambers had a light form in front of it and a hooded figure appeared.
"Who are you?!" Lion growled picking up the baby and allowing Malik to step forward ready to protect the royal family with his magic.
"Ommi I'm scared!" Eria spoke clinging to her mother who held her daughters and son close to her while Percy transformed into a wolf and stood in front of the bed growling ready to defend the royal family.
"I do not wish to harm anyone," Gabriel spoke holding up his hands while hiding his face but the gauntlets seemed familiar to Percy, "I am a seer, I've come to warn you, Emperor Lion."
Raising a brow Lion approached the bed handing Zain to his mother before approaching and standing next to Malik who was still in a stance for any attack the figure could try.
"Speak then," Lion glared crossing his arms.
"I've come to warn you, if you were to reveal Zain hero blood this early you place a death sentence on the child," Gabriel warned.
"What do you mean? The child will be safe in these palace walls," Malik countered with narrow eyes.
"You can't protect him from the darkness that once overtook Samarkand five hundred years ago, it has returned, lying dormant in Albion, spreading its darkness across the country, should you reveal the child as a hero they will come and kill him," Gabriel warned removing a fake Guild Seal and held it out before the emperor.
"You ask me to lie to my people?" Lion asked taking the fake seal.
"I ask that you wait, the time for heroes isn't now, the child will be called upon, the real seal must be left in the catacombs below the palace, there Zain can claim the seal for himself when he is ready to leave the safety of the palace," Gabriel explained.
"Show me," Lion spoke holding out his hand, "If you are a true seer, show me these visions."
"Very well," Gabriel spoke placing his hand over Emperor Lion showing the emperor a flash of violent images in the future and the possible outcomes should Zain's true nature be revealed.
One image did stick out for the emperor, his son as an adult exiting a sandstorm wearing his red kaffiyeh that blew in the wind, he saw it all before pulling his hand away.
Silent for a moment he looked over to his wife and then to the baby she held in her arms, "Very well, what was told in this room does not leave this room, that is an order, we must protect the prince till the time comes where he can protect us."
"Very well Your Majesty I'll prepare the announcements and the press for the prince's debut," Aoi bowed before leaving.
"Rayan," Lion spoke approaching his son knowing he was old enough to remember what happened today, "you must not ever tell anyone what you heard here today, we must protect your akh, do you understand ibn?"
"I understand baba," Rayan nodded.
"Malik," Lion spoke turning to his old friend, "place the real seal in the catacombs."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Malik bowed before leaving in a beam of light with the seal in his hand.
"The time will come," Gabriel spoke leaving in a beam of light leaving Lion who looked to the fake seal in hand.
"Percy, I am counting on you to protect my ibn, you too must keep this secret," Lion spoke looking to the wolf who nodded.
"I will your majesty," Percy spoke.
~Present~
"After that day any time there was a chance your powers or hero blood could get out, our abii used his power to erase that evidence, that duty fell to me, you made it much harder to hide your empathic abilities the past year," Rayan explained chuckling at the last part.
"So that's why nothing ever showed up when I searched my name on the internet," Zain muttered recalling being curious as a teen to see if there were gossip articles about him like there were about his brother and sisters.
"We couldn't allow the evil in Albion to know that a hero existed that could threaten their plans, not till the time was right, Malik and I both agree that time is now," Rayan explained leading his brother to the palace gardens where they approached a tomb entrance where Zain came to a halt to the steps below.
"That's the catacombs, I haven't been in there since...since abii died," Zain spoke unable to bring himself to enter the tomb where his ancestors were buried.
"Come akh, it's time to pay our respects to our ancestors," Rayan spoke watching his brother take a breath before walking down the stairs and approaching the sealed door to the tomb.
Opening the doors Zain and Rayan entered the massive crypt where all around them were many white Family Graves.
Each stone pillar had the names of the Emperor or Empress with their family, and each leader's ashes were placed with their spouse and children.
Thousand years of Emperor's and Empress's names were written on each stone towards the end of the room stood an altar decorated with pictures of the recently departed with prayer slabs lying at the side of each picture.
Approaching the brothers opened the cupboard below the altar and pulled out candles and incense placing each candle at its proper place on the altar and placing the incense in a golden burner that hung above the pictures and prayer slabs.
Once everything was in place Rayan and Zain took a step back both placing their hands in prayer and bowing before the picture of their father.
"Hello abii," the brothers spoke with their eyes closed silently praying for their father's soul to remain at peace.
After a few minutes of silence, Rayan and Zain opened their eyes to look at the picture of their smiling father.
"What now?" Zain asked turning to his brother who approached a large rug on the floor before the alter pulling it away to reveal a massive circular carving of the Guild Seal.
"This is the entrance to our Chamber of Fate," Rayan explained watching his brother crouch down and touch his hand on the seal.
"Chamber of Fate?" Zain repeated looking up at his brother.
"For many generations, only the Emperor or Empress on the throne was allowed to know of the existence of this chamber, we are tasked to be the guardians of the hero, to set them on their path should one be born," Rayan explained approaching the alter and reached behind it pushing a hidden brick that opened the seal on the ground that slid open to reveal a spiral staircase.
"So down there is where the real seal is hidden?" Zain asked looking to his brother who approached.
"Down below these steps will be your trials, they are said to be very dangerous, you will be tested on the three attributes of Strength, Skill, and Will, however, you will have to do it alone, Percy cannot help you," Rayan explained.
"I'll be on my own?" Zain asked looking down the steps leading into the darkness.
"From what I was told, yes, you do have a choice in this Zain, you do not have to do this, you have a say in your fate, I will not force you down there if you do not want this, say the word and we shall never speak of this again," Rayan spoke giving his brother the option to choose his path.
Looking down the steps Zain looked over to the picture of his father then back down the steps, "if our home is in danger and I can do something to protect it I shall," Zain spoke taking one nervous gulp before walking down the steps.
Halfway down Zain looked up to Rayan with Percy lying on his shoulder both were watching Zain till the hatch to the stairs closed leaving Zain in the darkness for a moment before blue carved Will markings along the walls of the stair illuminated the path below.
Touching his hands against the markings on the wall Zain walked down the steps till he reached a room where he saw three pedestals waiting for him that stood before a large sealed door with a strange lock.
Floating above the middle pedestal was the real Guild Seal to the right floated the white Hero's Cutlass while on the left floated a white Hero's Pistol.
"Wow," Zain spoke already able to sense the great power the three objects held.
Approaching the floating cutlass Zain admired its stunning design, it was a beautiful weapon, and the blade itself looked sharp too.
Zain knew all too well these weapons once belonged to Prince Logan, even after five hundred years down below the palace they still looked as powerful as they were so long ago.
Looking at the Guild Seal Zain was surprised by how small it had gotten, he knew that the seal would transform for its new owner but why so small? Was it meant to be smaller for the convince?
Reaching out Zain took the seal from out of the air above the pedestal examining it in the palm of his hand. Tracing his finger across the cold metal Zain watched the aura around the seal glow enveloping him in a beam of light.
Shielding his eyes Zain slowly lowered his arms from his face when he found himself standing on an island before a gate that led to Bowerstone castle and behind him was another gate that led to Zahadar castle.
Looking around there was a strange fog that surrounded the area and below his feet was a stone Guild Seal, "what is this place?"
Approaching the gate to Zahadar palace Zain touched the gold seal lock for a moment then looked back to the one on the other gate.
On the stone seal that brought him to this place from a beam of light, Gabriel appeared removing his hood from his head.
"Hello Zain," Gabriel greeted with a smile watching Zain approach.
"Who are you?" Zain asked.
"My name is Gabriel, five hundred years ago I brought your ancestors Logan and Tali to this place and set them on their journey to save our kingdoms now it is your turn to follow the path you were born to walk," Gabriel spoke as a transparent image of Connor appeared by the gate of Albion.
"That man," Zain spoke seeing he was just an average man like him, "he the one from the news."
"He is your other half," Gabriel explained seeing Zain raise an eyebrow, "at the beginning there have always been two, siblings, it started with your ancestor Zane the Hero of Oakvale, and sister Theresa."
Before Zain's eyes, the image of the two siblings appeared followed by the area becoming the battle in the Chamber of Fate with Jack of Blades with Zane running and colliding swords with Jack with the image changing to two orphan children huddled in a makeshift hut.
Peeking into the hut Zane watched the oldest sister reading her younger brother to sleep, "then two others were chosen, Rose and her little Sparrow."
The image then turned to Lucien's study where Zain watched Lucien point a gun towards Rose with his eyes widening in horror.
"NO DON'T!" Zain yelled stepping in front of Lucien but the bullet fired phased through his body and hit Rose.
Clenching his heart Zain felt the overwhelming fear, anger, and sadness Sparrow felt before he was shot out the window and the image changed to an adult Sparrow at the docks of the spire walking up the steps with the music box in hand.
"You come from a family of great heroes," Gabriel's voice echoed with the image now turning to Logan and Sparrow in the Samarkand throne room facing the Evil Empress and the roof gone and the monstrous Vexator looming above.
"I know these two," Zain spoke recognizing Logan from Tali's family portrait in the royal gallery.
The fight then turned to Logan and Adam parting and in their places were now two floating seals one that flew to the transparent Connor who at this moment appeared to be taking the seal from the catacombs in Bowerstone while the other floated to Zain.
"You are Logan's chosen," Gabriel spoke with all around them turning back to the road to rule but now the transparent figure of Connor was gone.
Hearing the gates open Zain looked back to see the gates to Zahadar open leaning into a vortex of light, "Are you ready to become the hero the world needs Zain?"
Looking at the seal in his hand Zain looked back up to the vortex before stepping through where he was returned to the sealed door to the chamber fate below the palace.
Walking over Zain approached the pedestal with the floating sword where he reached out and took it in his hand feeling the weapon's magic flowing into his body.
With a few test swings, Zain attached the cutlass to his back before taking the pistol from the other pedestal spinning it in his hand before tucking it into his waistband.
Approaching the sealed door Zain studied the lock before looking at the seal in his hand and placing it into the lock.
Hearing a loud click Zain removed the seal watching all the locking mechanisms of the door spin and rotate before the door slowly began to lower into the floor.