The Rising Sun: Episode 2 (10 page)

Jedius continued to look at him, a strange
new light dawning over his features. Ion felt something strengthen
within him as he gazed into his master’s eyes. He remembered those
two years, those two years of peace he had found under Jedius.

He remembered how he had found hope and
direction when his mind had lost its own.

He remembered how Jedius had filled the loss
of his family, by giving him a new one … how he erased all the
darkness of his past, and gave him a new future. Forged a brighter,
newer destiny…

He remembered it all.

“I’ll devote myself to this.” Ion said
softly. “I’ll join the Nyon and help them through this struggle.
But there’s only one reason if I do.” He drew a deep breath. “And
that reason is
you
. Those two years I lived under your
mentorship, they were the most beautiful years of my life. I
remember your pain. How you tried to bring goodness in this world
and failed, and decided to pass the task on to another person. I
was lucky enough to be that person. And so, I’m going to forget my
struggle, and instead help you find the answer to yours: the
struggle for a better world.”

Jedius stood there as still as ever, making
no response. But there was a warm glow in his eyes.

“Then may peace be with you.”

He looked out the balcony, watching as the
first rays of dawn lit the horizon.

“Never despair, Ion.” he said finally, and
Ion heard something strange in his voice. Something transcending
the normal tone it used to be. “For always remember that we are not
so apart as you think. When you move forth in this path, remember
me and my teachings will illuminate the darkest of times.”

For some reason, as he spoke, Ion’s flesh
prickled with a strange foreboding.

“But … where’re you going?” he asked. “Surely
you’re also going to be with the Nyon through this, right?”

To his surprise, Jedius shook his head.

“You’re not?” asked Ion.

“I already told you, Ion,” said Jedius. “My
purpose, as I realised, was that of a guide … meant to shape those
who will help us in this time, and I think I’ve done my job fair
enough.”

“But … where’re you going?”

As orange light bristled from over the
horizon, Jedius’s eyes seemed to shimmer in the light.

“Nowhere too far.”

Ion stepped back a few feet, feeling slightly
scared. “What do you mean?”

“My work here is done, son.” said Jedius.
“I’ve imparted everything to you … everything I was meant to leave
behind. And now, it’s your duty to carry what I leave behind
forward.” He turned and faced Ion.

“But there is one final thing I will impart,
which will aid you just as well.” He put his hand into his robe
pocket and drew an object in his clenched fist.

Ion held his hand out, and Jedius placed what
looked like a large, disfigured, fang like object on his
outstretched palm.

“What the heck is this?” he asked, looking at
the strangely shaped fang.

“Nothing more than a token.” said Jedius,
smiling. “A token to remind you of me, and everything I’ve taught
you.”

Ion was intrigued at the choice Jedius had
made for a token. But right now, there was a far heavier worry that
clutched at him.

“Master … where are you going?” he
repeated.

Jedius merely gazed at him, his green eyes as
tranquil as always. And as gold light from the awakening sun
streaked him by the side, he suddenly seemed to shimmer … his
entire form seemed to distort very slowly, turning blurry.

“Like I said,” he said, and his voice came as
a resonating hum. “my job here’s done…”

Ion knew at once what was happening. And as
he did, at that particular moment, an overwhelming stillness drew
over his mind. It was an emotion that more powerful than any he had
ever known. A terrible, crushing emotion…

“You’re … leaving.”

Jedius’s smile grew longer, while his form
continued to go blurry by the moment, and his voice reached Ion
like an echo across a giant distance.

“I’m not going too far, Ion, I assure you
that.” he said.

As the flecks of light seeped through his
faded form, he was turning ghost like, translucent.

“The reason I was here is fulfilled … and
I’ve left behind what I need to. It’s now your job to ensure that
what I leave behind doesn’t go in vain.”

“I won’t.” whispered Ion.

“I know you won’t.” answered Jedius. “And so,
I leave in peace. And may my peace remain behind to aid you always.
Farewell, Ion. And always remember … you will find my voice in the
gravest of times, for I ever remain in you as the strength of
endurance and courage.”

His last word extinguished in a dazzling
blast of light that emitted from where he’d been standing as a
faded, ghost like form. It was like the light of a thousand suns
compressed and allowed to set loose in the span of a mini second.
And then, as the light vanished the next second, Ion found himself
alone in the balcony, with the dawn’s blue sky mounted over
him…

He stood there for many seconds, clutching
Jedius’s fang token in his right hand. His entire body felt
strangely unreal, as did everything else around him, while he
continued to stare at the spot ahead of him, where his master had
been…

Before Ion knew what he was doing or why, he
had collapsed to his knees before where his master had been, and
was shaking with silent sobs.

In the darkness of the oval chamber, only the
faint outline of a black cloaked figure could be seen. Zardin kept
his posture as still as the stone wall behind him as he sat cross
legged. His silenced mind was attuned to the energy flow of the
world outside. His meditation drew him to the most peaceful state
of his inner realm … one where he could feel his being meld with
the cosmic reservoir that the world outside, the entire universe
himself, spawned from…

“Master.” came a voice from ahead of him. A
mere whisper as it was, it erased the silence of the room. Zardin
slowly led his attention to his surroundings: through his inner
vision, he saw one of his men standing before him with his head
bowed slightly.

“Master.” the man repeated.

Zardin responded with a mild nod.

The man straightened up and drew back his
hood. Eryx was frowning, his face slightly tense as he stood before
his master.

“Master, I have bad news.” His voice was
hushed, but Zardin felt it blare through him. “The boy … has
escaped. I tried to get to him before the Nyon did, but he slipped
past. And … the Nyon made contact with him.”

Zardin made no response. His calmed mind
flowed on in its unblemished course. Without meeting a ripple of
disturbance.

Eryx gathered a deep, steadying breath and
spoke in a more confident voice:

“I tried to prevent him from being reached by
the brotherhood … and I would have succeeded,” A note of anger
roughened his tone. “but the Nyon somehow got there faster than
expected.”

He paced up and down the darkness of the
cave, while Zardin sat there before him as still as ever,
listening. “The plan was brilliant, and it would have definitely
worked, if not spoiled by the Nyon’s unpredictable speed. Carcasar,
the Zelgron warlord, has been an acquaintance of ours. He had come
to ally himself and his Zelgron forces with us recently. And
through him, we learnt this: that two years back, Carcasar and Ion
had chanced past each other. And in that incident, the boy had
almost been brutally killed by Carcasar and his men, if not for an
untimely saviour. Carcasar was confident that Ion had learnt to
fear him ever since, and he told us this. So I decided to use this,
the boy’s weakness in the form of fear, as a means to exploit him
to get our means. I knew the Nyon would be dressed in cloaks,
hooded, just like the Zelgron always are. So I told him that there
were Zelgron sent by Carcasar sent to kill him in revenge for
tearing out their master’s eye two years back.”

He turned to face Zardin, and a contented
gleam of triumph flashed on his features. “The boy was terrified,
and I could see it. He believed me, though reluctantly. I took
advantage of his terror in this situation, which was clouding his
judgement, and I told him that the Zelgron would be practically
unevadable. And that I was the only means to saving him. And I told
him, therefore, to meet me nearby if he wanted me to help him
escape. He agreed, master … and then, chance and luck intervene to
thwart the greatest of plans: before he could reach me, the Nyon
already reached him.”

He gave a roar of anger and sent a kick to a
nearby rock, the force of the impact laying cracks on the rock and
no effect on his foot.

Zardin allowed himself to mull over the
situation for a few silent moments, before slowly opening his mouth
to respond in his usual clear, striking voice:

“That is very bad news indeed, Eryx.” He
slowly drew himself up, took a step forward, and looked Eryx dead
in the face. “For you.”

Eryx blanched, his eyes widening. “Master,
I-”

“You failed, Eryx,” said Zardin, his fingers
twitching in preparation for what came next. “And now, we watch as
you pay the price.”

“No, lord, I -”

But the rest of Eryx’s sentence was drowned
in a high pitched squeal as he dangled in mid air, held by his
throat.

“As long as I live,” said Zardin, clutching
Eryx’s throat hard and holding him raised feet from the ground.
“Failure to bring results will be punished
worse
than
death.”

Eryx thrashed wildly as he hung in mid air,
emitting gurgling sounds. Choked alive, his face slowly turned
purple. “Master … I- tried -”

“
Tried
?” Zardin hissed. “You
tried
? Oh, you disgust me.”

Zardin threw the body with the hand that held
his throat, and it landed ten feet away, rolling across the rough
cave floor. Eryx made no attempt to sit back up and lay in a
shivering heap on the ground. Zardin slowly walked down to where he
lay and sent a kick to a soft spot on his curled up body. Eryx
yelped in pain.

“Get up, vermin.” Zardin commanded.

Eryx slowly straightened up, trembling with
fear.

“You have forty eight hours, to change my
mind.” said Zardin.

Eryx froze, and the terror clouding his face
slowly drained. “Yes, master …y - yes, thank you.”

“Find the boy wherever he is.” continued
Zardin. “Find him before he reaches the Nyon temple. And kill him.
We don’t need the Nyon to gain another ally. The boy must not reach
the temple … not in one piece that is.”

Eryx made a low bow, his fingers still
trembling. “Yes, master.”

“I don’t know where he is,” Zardin said,
frowning. “Or what he’s doing. But if he reaches the Nyon temple
within the coming forty eight hours, to join the Brotherhood … that
will put
you
in a rather unfortunate situation. More
unfortunate than you would have been in now.”

“Of course not, master!” squealed Eryx, his
face still red from the near choking. “I promise, wherever he is,
I’ll find him, and snuff the life out of him. He won’t reach the
Nyon temple alive.”

“He better not.”

Eryx sank into another deep bow, giving a
stream of thanks for not having been killed. “Thank you, master.
Thank you … thank you.”

He turned and huddled over down the dark
cave, towards the exit at the far end.

“Don’t thank me, you fool.” muttered Zardin,
as Eryx vanished from sight. “I’m going to kill you anyway.”

__________

Gathering his things in the rucksack he’d
been keeping for months now, Ion heaved the large bag and slung it
over his shoulder.

Before making his way to the door, he stalled
for a heavy second, turning his head to look out the balcony again.
The spot on the balcony outside where Jedius had last been caught
his gaze for a few lengthy seconds. He stood staring, unable to
bring himself to move. He could feel the tear tracks on his face
glisten in the light streaming from between the clouds, fresh and
shining.

Time to leave…

He slowly crossed the room, pulled open the
door and shut it behind him. Walking the distance of the corridor,
he made his way down the staircase, his mind now working with a new
fury. There was a fresh urgency in his every step, as he climbed
down the stairs.
Radioc … I need to now get to Radioc fast.
Really fast. But how?…

With the power drive he had found now
depleted, he needed to get to the nearest ship hangar of this moon,
and find public transport to get him there. He felt a moment of
wild panic, as he considered whether this route would be fast
enough. First off, where was the nearest ship hangar in this
planet? And even if it was closeby for him to reach, how fast would
he be able to reach Radioc through its transport? He controlled the
panic and fear, knowing that he had only one resource at hand, and
that was his mind. He needed to keep himself clear and gathered, if
there was a chance for him to reach the planet fast enough.