The Rising Sun: Episode 6 Read online

  “They’ll be releasing the most terrible force in existence.” said Vestra. “With the most powerful tablet in existence. Anytime now.”

  “And that’s why we need to act.” said Mantra. “Now more than ever.”

  “What are can we do now?” asked Qyro.

 

  “The only thing left.” Mantra replied. “The release of the demon army is inevitable now. And we are now left with the impending, crucial task of protecting the world from it, when it is about to be released.”

  “Indeed.” Dantox nodded, his hands folded before him. “We form a resistance. To fend off the army of Mezmeron when it is released.”

  “We already have one army with us,” Mantra looked at Nano as he said it. “The watchmen. But it will not nearly suffice. We’ll need a force that is far, far greater to stand the slightest chance of opposing the demons.”

  “Why?” asked Qyro.

  “Because they are about to perform the spell on Valicros. The spell will be a thousandfold its original power. And so will the army unleashed through the spell.”

  “And the watchmen alone will never be able to fend them off this time.” said Nano, shaking his head. “We are going to need a far greater resistance to ally ourselves with.”

  “What about the armies of the inner spectrum?” inquired Vestra. “All the armed forces of all the states and republics in the spectrum, if coupled together, can definitely hold them off … right?”

 

  “Vestra, do you honestly think we can march into the inner spectrum, and tell them to ally themselves with us?” Mantra asked wryly.

  “What then?” asked Qyro.

  Mantra had his eyes fixed on him for a silent second, before speaking with a deep breath.

  “The inner spectrum and the realm of man beings has been well sealed off our sights at this desperate hour: we’re their greatest dreaded threat. And no matter what we try or attempt to convince them with, they won’t change their stubborn stand they’ve taken against us. And the past few horrific hours have only greatly raised their hatred for us.” He shook his head. “No, the realm of the man beings is beyond what we can hope for, to find aid in now. We need to look past them. And there is only one thing that comes beyond man beings…”

  Qyro’s posture had stiffened where he was sitting. “You don’t mean … non man beings?”

  “I do.” answered Mantra

  “They’re the only allies we can scrape off at this hour.” Dantox said, looking down upon him. “And this is the most crucial time for the entire world. We either form our forces and oppose Mezmeron’s army when it is unleashed … or perish. This is the only way.”

  Qyro had bolted upright, his face now possessed with a hatred and fury unlike any seen before.

  “You guys are half crazy if you think we can ally ourselves with those brutes!” he roared. “Those things aren’t worth a bloody -”

  “Qyro,” cut across Mantra, his voice as calm as ever. “You are allowing your emotions to cloud your judgement.”

  “Maybe I am!’ snarled Qyro. “Are we really going to have to stoop so low?”

  “We are not stooping,” said Nano, shaking his head. “But rising. Rising above prejudice. And above discrimination. They are living things as well, young one. They are normal creatures the very same way we are.”

  “Normal creatures?” Qyro snorted. “I find that rather hard to believe.”

  “Do you?” Mantra lifted an eyebrow. “Just answer one question, then. If given a choice, would you have them all - all non man being species - condemned and destroyed?”

  Qyro stood there with his arms folded, his breath storming. His face was as hard as stone, a mixture of deep hatred and pain engraved upon it.

  “Would you, Qyro?” repeated Mantra, even more softly. “Would you have them all scoured from this world?”

  Qyro’s eyes narrowed to slits, and his response came in an even meaner whisper: “Yes I would.”

  Mantra exhaled slowly, shaking his head. “I did not train my students to think like this.”

  Qyro turned to Vestra, who had been silent all along. But she was looking closely at him.

  “What do you think about this?”

  Vestra continued to watch him for a second, before giving a soft sigh. “What’s the difference between us and the Xeni if we start acting like this, Qyro? They tried vanquishing the non man beings eight millennia go. And they worked out of the same hatred that you now carry.”

  “We are the Nyon,” said Nano, stepping forward. “We are the path laid from darkness to light. However, the war must first be settled from within us, youngling. For above all, the dark forces within are the most dangerous of them…”

  Mantra’s tone softened. “Son, I know the reason you harbour such hatred against them. But hatred is the one force that turns against us.” He took a few steps forward, standing before Qyro, a head or two shorter than the Redling. “Tell me … what would Tralgor have done?”

  The two of them stood in a new silence, young man and elderly master, their gazes locked. And some of the fumes in Qyro’s angered expression vanished, leaving a new clarity to show. He stood there rigidly for a long moment, before giving a deep sigh.

  Lowering his gaze to the floor between them, he softly said, “He would tell me the very same thing you are … to look past my hatred.”

  Mantra slowly nodded. “Then you would expect nothing less of yourself. Not all non man being species are brutal and savage as they’re projected to be. Some of them may be greatly valuable to our side at this grave hour. And they are living things as well. All living things are one. That one cause that our brotherhood serves. The cause of humanity.”

  Qyro’s resentment and anger slowly drained from his face: Mantra’s mention of his master seemed to have returned the touch of warmth to his yellow eyes.

  He gave a sigh at last and said, “Ok. We’ll do it … For Tralgor.”

  Mantra nodded at him, looking at him with the same serene depth in his eyes.

  Vestra turned to Mantra with a serious look now awakening on her face.

  “But what forces can we find in the outer spectrum?” she asked. “I mean, among the non man beings there, who’d want to come to a side in a war between men?”

  “They would,” said Mantra. “because the previous one that had occurred left its deep imprint not only on men, but on other, non human forces as well. Redgarn’s rule had caused great suffering far and wide, even among the non man beings.”

  “And some segments of the creatures who reside in the outer spectrum were most deeply affected by the empire’s reign eight millennia back.” said Dantox. “Some of them would join us not to aid us, but to resist them. The Xeni, and the demons.”

  “We can forge many ties among the vast group of creatures that exist among non man beings,” said Nano. “Of course, the existence of the watchmen would certainly come as a handy aid in our conquest.”

  “Why’s that?” asked Qyro.

  “Because as they are right to do so,” answered Mantra. “they remember the watchmen, and some of them even respect the army of watchmen as an army that had stood up to protect them from the demons’ tyranny.” He nodded at Nano. “Yes, sending the watchmen as envoys would be the right thing to do. We can spread the entire army into groups and send them to contact different segments of non man beings.”

  “We have to act fast.” said Dantox.

  “Why?” asked Vestra.

  “Because the Xeni may be exploring ways to build their armies as well.” Dantox replied. “They most certainly don’t need to. But they may do so intending to oppose our efforts to build our army. And so, we need to reach the various targeted species … or they may before we do.”

  “Quite right.” Mantra said grimly. “There are chances we’re pitted on a race against both time … and against our enemies.”

  “If we are to target non man being species as our allies,” Nano said, looking at the two mast
ers. “You understood, of course, that, there is that one segment among the non man beings that will greatly aid our side with their vast forces…”

  Mantra looked at him over a long second, before his brow fell in a dark frown. “Of course. We’ll need them. They would, no doubt, be the strongest force among all the non man creatures.”

  “Who’re you talking of?” asked Qyro. Though he had a very faint idea he already knew…

  “The Ensys.” said Mantra, after a short pause. “If we can manage to gather the Ensys to our cause,” He shook his head in an impressed gesture. “It would be gratifying, for they are a very powerful army of creatures, and we need them.”

  He walked deeper into the room, his arms folded behind him. “The Ensys were a race who had suffered greatly during Redgarn’s onslaught eight millennia back,” He explained, turning to Qyro and Vestra. “The last time Redgarn took over, he tried to wipe them out completely. And with the help of his demon army, he scoured almost their entire race. Hearing that he’s back to finish the job, they may decide to join us.”

  “The Ensys are the strongest, and most powerful among the allies we can hope to make.” Dantox impressed. “We’ll have to focus on them.”

  Mantra nodded. “We will. We’ll send a massive force as envoys to them.”

  “But we do not know where they are.” pointed out Nano. “After Redgarn’s reign, they practically disappeared from The known world … And no one has even seen them or crossed paths with them.”

  Qyro waited for the statement to bury into the silence, before heaving a deep breath.

  “Well, I have.”

  All faces in the room abruptly turned to him.

  “My master and I,” he explained. “We ran across a horde of Ensys a couple of years ago … we even came across their leader, Rigmrr.”

  “What!” gasped Dantox, eyes widened. “Well, tell us everything about it! Where did you find them?”

  Qyro drew in another deep breath, and then plunged into a detailed recount of the experience. He brought to clarity all aspects of their meeting, including the exact location where they had crossed the Ensys. And the fact that Rigmrr, the leader of the Ensys, was dying from a mysterious illness. One that had placed their entire race in an irate state, and a fearsome state as well: they did not take to outsiders even more because of it.

  As he finished explaining everything, a dark silence had swallowed the entire room. Mantra was deep in thought, no doubt analysing the pros and cons of this mission. One that could go either way. Qyro knew this through first hand experience.

  Dantox looked troubled too, and he stroked his chin as he digested everything they had heard.

  Vestra bit her lower lip the same way she did when anxious or disturbed.

  Mantra continued in his thought absorbed state for a couple of seconds, and then said, “Whoever’s sent to contact the Ensys will definitely have to be careful.”

  “Most definitely.” Qyro emphasised, as he remembered the nasty incident that had almost had his master and him killed. “If you ask me, we should skip the Ensys … just that one species.”

  But Mantra gave a firm shake of his head. “They’re the largest force that we can hope to make at this hour.We don’t have a choice here, and this danger is one we will have to face. If we gain their alliance, it would be the most beneficiary one possible.”

  He turned to face Dantox. “We need to send a large troop of watchmen to them, to gain their confidences, in the fact that we stand against the empire of Redgarn.” He gave a moment’s thought. “And a Nyon master in the lead would help, too.”

  “I’ll go, then.” said Dantox boldly.

  Mantra nodded at him. “Good, I was hoping you would. Because I think I’ll be needed elsewhere in the meantime… forging a different alliance. And this is one that needs my involvement to work out.”

  “What’s that?” asked Vestra. “Another non man being species?”

  Mantra shook his head. “No, better. I’ll get to it.” He turned to Nano. “Very well, then. So this is the plan: the entire army of watchmen spreads out in small groups, and head to make contacts with different non man being species, attempting to gain their alliance in the forthcoming war.”

  “Indeed.” said Nano, nodding. “I shall take the largest batch and, along with master Dantox, head to where the Ensys are.”

  “Yes,” Mantra returned his nod. “That would be good. And tell the rest of your army to spread out across the outer spectrum, to contact other non man being species that may be willing to serve our cause.”

  “Understood.”

  Mantra turned slowly, imprinting his gaze upon all of the people in the hall as he spoke.

  “It’ll take all of us now to make this final stand, people. This is all we have left, and we’re gonna have to put our hearts into it … do we abide?”

  All of them nodded as one.

  Mantra nodded back. “Good … what about you, Ion?” He made to turn to the base of the doorway, where Ion had been lying. “Ion?”

  But as all of them together stared at the side of the double door, they saw that the crumpled black heap which had been lying there was now gone.

  3

  It was all hard to remember.

  But far harder not to.

  Ion’s body swayed mildly as he trotted down the forest that had grown around the ruined city. The feeling he was bearing now was the one which had haunted him for years now. And after what the demon had just done to him, the horror of his soul had awoken fresh to haunt him.

  He remembered everything, everything he wished he couldn’t remember.

  The day Eol and him had been arrested … the day he had joined Vonayz … the day he had accidentally killed Eol…

  All the people he had killed … the guilt and regret…

 

  It all throbbed in his mind with a fresh fury. The side of him, the darkness of his own being which he had been wresting with for two years now.

  He trotted by and leaned casually against the back of a tree, staring at the canopy of trees engulfing the place ahead.

  Now, after two years, after battling with himself, Ion realised that he had lost…

  Jedius had shown him his path, and placed all his faith upon him. But Ion now saw that his master’s faith had been misplaced. He couldn’t do this…

  “This is one of the only forest planets around here.” came a voice from behind him.

  Jumping around, he saw Mantra walking up down the lane of trees slowly, a faint smile on his elderly features.

  “And it’s also one of the most exquisite, and beautiful.” he finished.

  He trotted up to beside where Ion stood, gazed at him for a second, and then let his eyes travel over the canopy of trees before them. The mushrooms of greenery hanging overhead split the golden sunlight into a million fine rays.

  “I almost wished I was dead now.” Ion said, his back pressing firmly against the tree trunk behind.

  “Hang along with us, and maybe you’ll have your wish.” said Mantra.

  Ion swapped a sideways glance at him, and then shook his head.

  “If only you knew,” he whispered, turning to face Mantra full in the face. “If you knew what I’ve done … I killed my own brother, master. How am I supposed to live with myself?”

 

  Mantra’s calm white eyes were unmoven from his. The serenity of his gaze reached Ion.

  “I can see that you aren’t living at all.” Mantra said. “Living requires facing. Facing life … facing your demons. And this is not something I can help you with, son. I can’t give you what you need to fight that. But what I can give you,” He laid a gentle hand on Ion’s shoulder. “is a promise…”

  “A promise?”

  “One that may give you the strength to move on regardless of the pain.” he said quietly. “Because I assure you of this: if you plough on, whatever be the pain … one day, you will look back and thank life for the pain it gave you. Beca
use you would see that you braved what no one else ever could: your own self.”

  He relinquished his hold over Ion’s shoulder, and heaved a breath. “But beyond everything, the choice is upto you. The choice of whether you let anguish and despair drown you … or of whether you would brave it, and continue on the path life sets for you.”

  Ion continued to stare past the canopy of trees ahead. All that was left of the sinking sun was a mere rim pressed against the horizon, seen through the canopy of trees.