Chapter 1: Nether Asterious D'Artagnan
"I am nobody,...."The calm voice filled the Space of the Dark hall "but it's a certainty that the majority of those around me won't come to the same conclusion. Perhaps that only exists as my own perception."
The silent stained glasses of this blessed cathedral shone with the vile crimson glow of the twin moons.
"What am I, I wonder? Am I who I perceive myself to be—a mere lonely lad, or a demigod worshiped through the lens of spawn? Nether Asterious D. Artagnan, the blessed kin of the Shadow and the Flame."
A boy in an armored tunic, raised his young silver eyes against the crucified statue of the Horned Messiah. This monument towered high, a little shorter than the arched dome of the metal roof.
Its eyes were hollow, plucked out and well-nested in its open palms, while a scarlet stain depicted the unending flow of blood from its sockets.
"Bless my path, Eid-Xhalor. May the lost son one day look upon the eyes of His Father—not in admiration of His abundant greatness,"
the boy, bearing stark white hair, collasped his feeble hands as though praying.
And for truth, he was. Along with a trqembling in his lips, he was offering reverence and servitude to the Horned Messiah.
"But... but..." He shut his eyes. "With fatherly warmth and bestowed care.
These are my petitions, Eid-Xhalor.
May they bear enough weight to topple your Scales..."
Seemingly done with his petition, the boy stood, then slightly ruffled his hair. After which, he took in a deep breath, along with which a streak of lightning tore the skies. The flash of unwanted light laid bare before his eyes the desolate rows of wooden pews.
With slight movement echoing through this dark hall, he sat in the frontmost pew, staring once again at the statue. The only difference was that his gentle palms now caressed the dark amulet around his neck.
The shocking sound of thunder reverberated across the cathedral again, like the roar of something tempestuous. Tiredly, he slumped his head against the backrest.
"They say the sound of thunder evokes the victory of the Light against the Dark, the angels against the vile," he wafted his palms upward, and from the flesh of them, sinister red embers erupted slightly, creating a fiery dome of light.
"And with each flash of lightning, a weeping devil, fallen in battle, gets hurled down into the world of man."
He could have continued, only to be halted by the abrupt sound of the gigantic metal doors swinging open. Immediately in response, he clasped the dreary flames shut.
"You very well know, Nether, you shouldn't leave your quarters alone," a worried voice cried out from the dark. But that was enough to send a jolt through Nether, who immediately forced himself up.
"But I like it here, Mother. It's peaceful." He beckoned with his hands in defiance as a woman with equally spotless white hair, pale skin, and near-iridescent golden eyes stepped out of the shadows.
This graceful beauty had a worried expression on her face, and roughly behind her, he could sight the silhouettes of two knights clad in dark armor.
"But it's not safe here. You very well know the disagreement we have with TheCovenant." She pulled herself closer to him, then framed his little face with her pale palms.
"Mother." He caressed her palms gently, though his eyes never met hers. "You said I was Kal-Xhalor, their so-called Messiah. They wouldn't hurt me." He pointed at the gigantic statue.
She walked past him before sitting down on the front pew, facing the enormous stone statue. Then she stared at him, her eyes and hands beckoning him to sit beside her.
"Sit." She tapped the wooden bench again, but he stood unmoved. Seeing this, his mother meekly heaved deeply before her lips moved again.
"SIT!"
His vision went foggy, and the very moment he recollected himself, he could feel her warmth beside him. A little surprised, he glanced around to see himself already seated.
"You used the Voice." He glared at her confusingly, then accusingly. "You said you were not going to use it on me again. You promised, Mother."
Staring at his pained eyes, she couldn't help but pull him into her bosom. At first, he resisted, but after a while, he finally succumbed.
"I'm sorry, Nether...I sincerely Apologize." Then her pristine palms made to pat his head. She could hear his faint muffling of not being a kid anymore, but with a smile, she ignored his tantrums.
"Tell me truthfully, Nether, why'd you stand transfixed earlier?" She noticed a slight tension in his muscles, making her pull him closer. "Are you having them? The visions of Kal-Ed?"
He pulled himself from her bosom, then stared his mother right in the eyes.
"Yes, Mother. Strange visions." She noticed the slight quake in his eyes, reaching out to caress his face again.
"It's the burden you must bear as the Messiah, and I wish nothing but to take such away from you. But..." Then she bit her lips. "I can't, Nether. I might shield you from the reins of the Covenant, but not from Kal-Ed itself."
Then, shakily, he nodded as he leaned his face more into his mother's palms.
"Tell me, Nether. What is it you see? What is Kal-Ed showing you?" She leaned in quieter. "Tell me, my child."
"Death." A white flash of lightning enveloped the bleakness of the cathedral, followed by a loud rumble, making the fear in his eyes more palpable.
"If Father were to go into battle tomorrow, he wouldn't return."
She gave a light smile. "You well know the might of your father, a god among men. You haven't forgotten, have you? The tales of General Asterion of the Black, who created a bastion here in the North with just thirty men."
She watched him nod slowly. "Your father possesses far more paranormal powers than you know, not to mention he's being backed by the Sun Emperor. They wouldn't lose against those jackals from the Far East."
"But..." He clutched his mother's hand.
"My visions never fail. Kal-Ed never lies. Even the mighty heed the call of the Reaper and finally succumb to the ever-patient shadows. The sixth verse of the Xhalor Chronicle." He freed her hands, then retreated farther still before standing up.
"Mother, I'm saying, what if Father becomes betrayed by the Sun Emperor? Last I heard, he'd taken sides with the gods of the South, the light-bearing deities of the Glyphs."
He could notice the realization in his mother's eyes, but unexpectedly, there existed no surprise at all.
She must have known.
"You knew?"
His mother stared blankly at the dark silhouettes of tall spires from afar. "A great man wins not all trust, holds not all loyalty."
He cut in. "Verse 156 of the Xhalor Chronicle"Nether intoned flatly
"He remains like a tall pillar, admired by the freemen yet shunned by the laborers—those who carve out of hardened rock: bricks, and stone; those who knead the mortar in blood and sweat."
"That's good, Kal." She swerved her head at him. "You've read quite much of the Chronicles. I'm proud. Your father..." Then she hesitated, same as he when he shuddered. "Would also be proud."
"Would he?" He sat back on the front pew, ignoring the fact that his mother was scooting closer.
"Never doubt the love of a father to his son. He loves you, Nether, though he remains bound by circumstances."
"Inexplicable circumstances?" He stared at her questioningly, but all he could see was a hurt expression.
"Your father knows best."
"How... how can I call myself the son of a man I have barely seen eye to eye? A father who keeps his face hidden behind veils from his own son!" That was the last word he heard before she pulled him again into an embrace.
"Don't doubt, son. Pave way not for such. You're my son. Our son. I'll always be here for you." She kissed his forehead gently.
"No... you won't." His voice broke, and reeling tears poured free from his eyes.
"Don't say that, Nether. It is not the wish of Kal-Ed." She used the fabric of her gown to wipe his eyes. After she pulled him out of the embrace, "What else, Nether? Tell me... what else did you see?"
He sniffed. "I... I saw, in this vision... I was alone, and... and..." He shook his head. "You were lying still in a bed of roses. They... they said you were neither alive nor dead."