The Rising Sun: Episode 3 Read online

“We know our way down here, cause we’ve been along a hundred times now.” Qyro told Ion, who was walking along with the two others as they made their way down the thick green forest.

  Ion felt lost as he looked about him, at the trees and greenery drenching the place all around. It was hard to believe that anybody could find their way down this wild forest. “Do you? That’s gotta be an achievement.”

  “If you stay long enough with us, you will too.” said Vestra. “It’s actually not all trees and grass once you’re familiarised with it.”

  Both of their cruisers had landed at two different planets. And from there, after contacting each other, they had taken another round of public transport to a planet closeby in the outer spectrum. After re uniting there, they had made this final space jump here. To the forest planet Farnor, where the Nyon were hiding. This was a planet cut off from all public transport routes, making it even more secluded than most the planets in the outer spectrum. The three of them had hired a random hover car taxi driver, whom they had payed to take them through this short space jump to this planet. Having arrived here, they were now making their way to the temple, led by Vestra and Qyro.

  They were walking for almost ten minutes now, and Ion was relieved to be rid of those thick furcoats which they’d been forced to wear as mild shields to their mystical energy auras.

  “When the Nyon arrived here, they placed a load of mystical spells as shields to the planet.” Qyro explained, as they walked on. “These shields are meant to capture the aura of non mystics, in case any of them came near here. The masters’ll be alerted immediately.”

  “Is this anti Naxim security?” asked Ion.

  “Of course it is.” answered Vestra. “We can’t get enough of those, can we?”

  “Wait…” Ion said slowly. “Did you just say, ‘when the Nyon arrived here…’?”

  “The brotherhood’s had to re locate about a hundred times since the past eight thousand years.” illuminated Vestra. “Either because of being discovered, or for fear of it. But the Naxim’s still hot on the hunt for us.” She sighed. “We’re lucky to have made it this far, as a matter of fact.”

  “The temple that you’re about to see is a structure that’s endured for eight thousand years.” said Qyro with a silent awe in his tone.

  Ion gaped at him. “That’s impossible.”

  “We thought so too.” said Qyro.

  “But it isn’t.” Vestra shook her head. “The Nyon temple was made more than eight thousand years back by the founders of our brotherhood. And they rose the building and sealed it with mystical spells that gave it an untarnishable built like nothing seen before.”

  “Yup,” said Qyro, pushing away a tree bark that stuck out before him as he walked on. “The Nyon temple has stood for eight thousand years.”

  “But you said they re located a hundred times.” pointed out Ion. “so every time they moved … they took the temple with them? Like some kind of moveable trailer?”

  “The temple is a non grounded structure.” said Vestra.

  “Non grounded?” asked Ion, bending to avoid a branch twisting out from a thick, large tree by his right.

  “The building can be detached from the floor of the earth and taken elsewhere.” clarified Vestra. “The masters move the structure with spells that the original, olden members of the brotherhood knew of.”

  “But the olden members were here eight thousand years ago -”

  “We’re almost there, now.” cut across Qyro, pointing to a large clearing in the middle of the vast green field. Ion peered into the end of the canopy they were heading towards, into the clearing.

  It was empty.

  “Where is it?”

  “It’ll be there, don’t worry.” said Qyro enigmatically.

  Ion stared at him. He turned back, trying to spot something he couldn’t see clearly from here. A large, glistening lake stood somewhere at the centre of the enormous clearing. Its flawless surface shimmered in the light from the mid day sun.

  As they approached the clearing, as if forming out of an invisible haze, Ion saw it…

  The temple’s outline slowly carved itself out of thin air, exactly opposite to the way a mirage would dissolve into thin air as one approached it.

  The building had been there all along, but only after walking closer could they see it, apparently.

  “As we said,” Vestra turned to Ion with a smile. “we can’t get enough anti Naxim security.”

  “So … it reveals itself only when you walked close enough?” asked Ion, looking between the two of them.

  “Provided you’re a mystic.” replied Qyro. “It stays invisible to non mystic eyes. It’s a spell that the masters placed, like all others.”

  And a bloody good one at that. thought Ion, inwardly dazed as he looked at the giant building that had slowly appeared out of nowhere. The two of them stopped at the front of the large clearing, gazing at the giant structure for a quiet moment. It was a large, majestic structure that rose to about the height of five storeys, spreading over an elegant area. Windows large and tall could be seen spread all across its polished, concrete surface. It was separated from them by the distance of the lake that came between them.

  The lake’s surface was undisturbed, so serene that not a ripple crossed it. Ion let his stare linger on the glistening water surface for a few moments. And then, he followed the other two as they made their way around the lake.

 

  Ion couldn’t help experiencing a tingle of awe as the three of them together entered the temple and strode down its corridors. The entire place carried a sense of unblemished grandeur. The walls, floor and ceiling together came with a smoothness, a polished shine that was almost mesmerising.

  The gleam of elegance reflected all through the place had withstood for eight thousand years. Ion remembered the mystical spells that the other two had told him of which were meant to keep the structure’s build untarnished. He realised that these spells probably extended to keep up the building’s lavish outer display as well. But despite its poshness and grandeur, the atmosphere was strangely vacuum … An air of empty soullessness could be felt haunting the gigantic, palace like structure.

  As they walked down the long, majestically laid corridors, they walked past only a handful of cloaked figures who were seen lingering about the place. Some of them were strolling down in packs of two or three. They would smile or nod at Vestra and Qyro as they walked past, evidently being familiar with the brotherhood’s only two students. Most of them were elderly or middle aged, with only a very scarce few looking to be younger than thirty. But Ion couldn’t help feeling intrigued at the strangely empty feeling that the structure carried … The number of people he saw as he walked down it seemed shrunken for such an enormous and majestic place. The life here was too less for such a large place.

  “Where is everyone?” he asked, looking round at the two of them. “I don’t see a lot of people around.”

  “That’s because these are all the Nyon there are here, Ion.” said Vestra, with a sad smile.

  “The temple, when built eight millennia back, was probably hosting a far larger and stronger number of Nyon.” said Qyro. “But not anymore. Now we’re just a fragment of what we’d been when it had actually been built.”

  “Since the brotherhood went into hiding, and the Naxim begun its onslaught against mystics, we’ve been brought down to a very pathetic state.” Vestra said. “Our numbers have plummeted, and there aren’t a lot of mystics in the first place, let alone mystics to join us.”

  “Right now, the Nyon has a grand total of 83 members.” said Qyro. “Excluding the three of us, who haven’t been given full fledged status yet. But this itself is quite something to ask for … some of us are surprised we haven’t faded from lack of initiates.”

  “And we’re right to be.” said Vestra. “Soon, there will be no one left for the Nyon to find and get to join us.”

  “And having another new member’s almost an
achievement.” Qyro turned to Ion with a grin. “The elder council’s sure to be delighted to see you.”

  Ion looked down the corridor they were now in, spotting only one lonesome Nyon approaching from the other side. “Where are they, the elder council?”

  “They’ll be in their room, waiting for us.” replied Vestra. “That’s where we’re heading now.”

  For a minute or so, they strode down the long corridor. Daylight flowed in through large windows hanging by the right wall. Vestra and Qyro drew to a stop before a wooden door by the wall on their left.

  Before they could do anything, the door swerved open by its own self, with no one visibly opening it. The three of them entered a mediocre room with a large rectangular window across the wall. A semi circular spread of seats lay by the other end. Twelve seats, with a cloaked figure sitting on each. Except for the one at the centre.

  Standing ahead of the ring of seats stood a short elderly man with clear white eyes. Mantra’s gaze slowly moved across the three of them, and he nodded.

 

  “Well done, indeed.” His gaze focussed on Ion, and a faint smile flitted across his lips. “And we can see someone’s come around.”

  “He saved our lives.” Vestra told Mantra.

  “Yes, I thought he would have.” responded Mantra.

  Ion recognised two other masters whom he had met earlier on, Dantox and Galinor. Galinor was beaming widely at him. Dantox shook his head and said, “We owe you much, young one. And your change of mind is one our entire world is grateful for.”

  Qyro removed the small crystal piece from his pocket, holding it out before him. All eyes in the room instantly focussed upon it. As the crystal robbed all attention, Ion could feel something shift in the atmosphere.

  “Here’s the dear item that almost cost our necks.” Qyro said, tossing it across the room to Mantra, who caught it with one hand. The elderly master held the crystal before him, giving a moment’s intense stare at it.

  “Good, now put it somewhere safe.” advised Galinor, frowning at the crystal held in Mantra’s hand. “Real safe.”

  Mantra continued to look at the crystal deeply, before tucking it away into his robe pocket. “That’s just as safe as it’ll get.”

  “Did you encounter any hindrance along the way?” asked one of the masters, sitting by the right of Mantra’s empty seat. He was a species Ion didn’t know of, with a horn emerging from the bottom of his chin, and glistening, silver coloured hair.

  “We were lucky enough not to.” answered Qyro.

  The masters looked both surprised and relieved.

  “That really must have cost a great deal of luck.” said one of them, a thin Iveling at the corner of the ring of seats.

  “What do you mean?” asked Qyro.

  “We followed the plan exactly as Mantra told us,” said Vestra, frowning. “And things went smooth enough … why shouldn’t they have?”

  “Because the Naxim’s tightened its security protocols all over the spectrum,” said another of the masters who sat cross legged, frowning. “At the present climate your journey from the inner spectrum to here could have had a hundred things that went wrong.”

  “And seeing as they didn’t,” said Mantra. “We truly are lucky. We didn’t inform you the true graveness of the situation. And exactly how disastrous this adventure could have turned out if not for the inexplicable stroke of luck that delivered us victory.”

  “What’s going on exactly?” asked Vestra, her tone now impatient.

  “There have been two terrorist attacks.” explained the silver haired master. “Large scale ones.”

  “And they both happened in the span of a few horrific hours.” added Mantra. “And the culprits were the very same.”

  “Large scale terrorist attacks?” she squealed, her eyes frozen over Mantra. “Well, do they have any idea who’s behind it?”

  A dark smile eclipsed Mantra’s face. “No. they’ve no idea about the culprits … except for the one fact that they were mystics.”

  “Mystics?” hissed Vestra, the alarm on her face rising.

  “And no ordinary ones at that.” said Dantox.

  “We believe,” Galinor paused to heave a deep breath, before re arranging his face into a composed look. “that this is the return of our long dreaded enemy order.”

  “Our ancient enemy order.” said Mantra. “The Xeni are the ones responsible for the series of mayhem loosened events occurring of late.”

  Qyro, with whom Ion had shared this, exchanged a knowing glance with Ion, while Vestra, who had no clue of this, looked positively agog at what she had just heard.

 

  “ Xeni?” she breathed, her eyes as wide as apples. “But … they’re gone!”

  A sad smile rose to Mantra’s lips. “We were lucky enough not to fool ourselves with such fanciful delusions. The Xeni hadn’t completely gone,” He shook his head. “They had merely vanished from the known face of the world. They were waiting to build themselves for the right time to re surface and seize the victory that they had fought for eight millennia back.”

  “And they will,” said Galinor darkly. “If we don’t stop them. Because we’re all that stands in their way. Their oldest and most hated foes.”

  “That’s all fabulous,” snapped Qyro, stepping forward. “but none of it makes sense to us. Can we know what that thing is?” He pointed to Mantra’s pocket, where the crystal lay. “What was the point of this entire lifethreatening adventure that we undertook to get hold of it? What’s it got to do with stopping the Xeni for heavens’s sake?”

  The silence in the air around them lingered for a few seconds, and then Mantra heaved a slow, deep breath.

  “Follow me.”

 

  Together, Mantra, Ion, Qyro and Vestra slowly walked down the corridors. Mantra strode in front of the three of them, leading them through the giant structure. The other Nyon whom they rarely passed down the corridors would bow as they saw Mantra approaching, and Mantra would smile or nod back. He led them up a flight of stairs, large and polished like the rest of the structure. They followed him in silence, the three of them sharing the slightly wondrous atmosphere. And before they knew it, they had reached the topmost floor, and were now mounting the last floor, to the temple’s terrace.

  It was a giant expanse, as large as any building’s terrace, with vehicles and ships parked at random spots around it.

  Mantra stood before the three of them, and a gentle breeze left his robes fluttering slightly. The forests spreading beyond the temple were wild and unkempt. Like waves of ruffled green frozen on the land. The sun hung far overhead, in the middle of the cloudy blue sky.

  “Err, master,” began Qyro, sounding hesitant. “Exactly what are we here for?”

  Mantra turned slowly, bringing his white eyes over the three of them. “To take a small journey.”

  They swapped a confused glance.

  “Journey?” asked Ion.

  “To where?” asked Vestra.

  Mantra smiled, something seeming to sparkle within his calm white eyes. “To a place far, far away…”

  He slowly walked forward, passing the three of them so that they turned, watching him as he trotted a few feet before them.

  “A place far away … but closer than we think.” A strange trace of longing could be felt through Mantra’s voice, which now emerged with a deeper, more powerful emotion. “A journey through time…”

  The three of them stood before him, fixed in the mesmerizing intensity of his gaze.

  “The three of you are our youngest, and also our most important as of now.” he said softly. “The time has come for me to tell you … everything. The entire story that has now placed us in the position we’re now in. the story of how, why and what … the story this current world of chaos and division.” The only faint sound heard other than his voice was the gentle rustling of the wind.

  “I’m going to tell you the story,” Mantra’s elderly face was kindled
with a trace of light as he smiled. “of the great empire of Sirengard. The story of how everything came to be … and not to be.”

  “We’ve heard this, master.” said Qyro. “The story of Sirengard … and the Nyon, and the Xeni who came after them.”

  Mantra held Qyro’s gaze for a silent moment, before shaking his head.

  “No, Qyro. What you heard is not even a small portion of everything, what you heard is nothing.” Mantra’s eyes moved across the three of them, and he then gave a painful smile. “You see, the Xeni did not come after the Nyon. The Xeni came because of the Nyon.”

  Ion needed a moment or two to struggle with what he had heard, before the blast of shock came.

  “What?” Qyro and Vestra gasped together.

  Mantra took the space of three seconds to fill his lungs in a deep, chest heaving breath.

  “My dear disciples, listen closely. For I am now going to retell a tale that has haunted our world for eight millennia now.”

  __________