Kie is only a poor fellow who works at a stable, where he strives to make ends meet - to feed himself and his dying mother. He has no faith in the gods who had found no delight in healing his mother. He thinks to lead such life on (as a groom) till death takes his mother and he be gone from the land which had turned a blind eye on them. To live a solitary life in some cave and die with his celibacy. But little did he know fate was yet to begin its games. Soon did he discover what fate has in stock for him when he met an Alan in the woods; A prophecy which sets his life rolling was given. The implication of the prophecy were thus; ✓ He was a sworn heir of the gods to the throne of his land. But by Horus, he believes in no god, why have they chosen him? ✓ His wife, his to-be queen, was the personal maid of the obnoxious princess of the land. And unknown to the both of them, the maid has no faintest idea that she would be a great witch. ✓ And they both would conceive the greatest Warlock who had ever lived. "A warlock with the heart of the gods, mind of men." The words of the Alan. A warlock who would bring about a new era. An era where neither would the gods be greater than men nor men lesser than the gods. Yet, both unequal. But Kie has a BIG problem. He keeps misinterpreting the Alan's prophecy; His bane.
Chapter 1 When Magic Wasn't A Myth.
"Huh?"
He flinched, as a daze of light zoomed past his face. He turned immediately and caught the sight of the running creature. At first it seemed like a wild dog, but then the dog took a stray turn in the undergrowth, and suddenly he got the greatest shock of his life. A dog with the head of a lady.
"What in the world..."
His jaws dropped as his eyes widened. For a moment he thought that his eyes were playing some tricks on him. But it occured to him that standing there would make no difference. And for some reason he couldn't place, he started running after the creature. A wild chase!
As light as his soles were, their swiftness could do no justice to how keen he wanted to catch up with the giant, closely hairless and fleet-footed mysterious creature.
The creature took another turn in a cluster of shrubs to foster a maneuver and lose him, but he leapt and almost landed on the creature's back. He fell on his side. He heard a faint crack in his ribs. It felt like he lost something. No! Actually two.
"Goodness."
He cussed as he regained his balance and set the duel rolling again. This time, he summoned every sense of vigor and rage in him to complement the effort of his soles as the sides of his feet crashed against fallen and broken twigs littering the woods. Few bruises wouldn't stop his quest. The only mistake he had made was not coming with,
"Talia."
He grunted, pushing the stiffness of his broad shoulders loose. His two arms flinging loosely in the apt atmosphere as an idea popped into his mental ken.
He began to run offtrack, taking exactly the opposite directions the creature was racing through. But he never slackened his pace nor lost the tenacity.
There was an assembly of trees in between the both of them. They seemed to be running almost side by side, but the border of trees heightened the odds. But he kept his face to the front. He was getting exhausted, but he didn't lag.
He fancied the risk of taking a peek at the creature, even though he knew he could tumble and lose it for good. But the risk was fruitful. The beautiful human head seemed smeared by mud and its jaws in rage showcased the fangs hanging down the upper jaw in a fierce roar - a dark growl.
"Just more."
He urged himself and let out a loud growl, summoning every ounce of idle strength lurking in his veins.
As he drew nearer to the end of the assembly, he shot the creature a gaze again and for the first time saw the stain of blood on its belly.
"Stop running."
He called, probably convincing himself that since the creature had a human head, it probably would reply. But there didn't seem to be any need for that anymore as he got to the end of the assembly.
He double-crossed the creature at a point where the gloomy side of a grotto bordered a large hickory tree. The quick turn of the relentless creature made it crash into the large tree. He took that advantage.
"I'm not going to hurt you. Stay calm."
He put one of his hands up, as the creature, even though cornered, with fear stalking its clenched jaws, kept showing off its fangs at intervals. Growling. Its sharp red eyes creepy.
"I mean it. If you tell me what you are."
But the creature kept growling, glaring at his left hand which had a poised spear.
"Oh, this."
He got the idea and put it behind him.
"I don't have to use violence. But tell me what you really are. I hate to admit that you're a magical creature because I don't believe in those make up stories."
He kept his stance before the creature, stiffening his jaws. He seemed at the verge of losing it because the creature didn't give a slightest sign of the willingness to speak or --
"I don't have patience. I'll ask this the last time. And if you don't reply me, I'll pin you with this spear into that tree."
He poised the spear again, taking a cautious as well as purposeful step backwards.
"What are you?"
He waited after those words and since no response.
"I don't give empty threats."
He flaunted and raised the spear. And without second thoughts, he hurled it at the creature. The sharp steel blade of the spear made for its wounded stomach, traveling in such crazed velocity.
Squish. The spear had a contact. It had eaten through the hairless brown skin of the creature, pinning it to the hickory. The tree had its share of the splattered blood as well as the fallen leaves.
"Someone must see this."
He turned without taking his spear and began to walk away.
"Should I take it with me?"
He argued.
"No. The tree moves not. Neither would the carcass. And no hunter would come this far into the woods. And even if they do, no guts can withstand such a creature."
His conviction. He resumed walking.
And suddenly, he heard a crackling behind him. That was what it sounded like at first but then it seemed as though the winds were having a conference behind him, sewing notes of melodies.
"Huh?"
He turned immediately but shuddered as every sense of being within him came on fully. Ripples of multitudinous emotions crashing against one another in his reins.
"Did you see a wierd creature here?"
A side of his face tossed aside in surprise, at the more mysterious creature standing before him; A half-lady, half-eagle. From the head to the waist, a lady, while the rest were the legs of a large eagle. Complemented by eagle's wings.
He took a step forward and pointed one of his fingers, exhibiting no sense of terror,
"Or are you the same one --"
The face looked familiar. Like the face on the mysterious dog.
"I bet you thought you killed a silhouette of the gods!"
The lady's face melted into a thin smile. He argued,
"This makes no sense. And I don't really care what it's all about. I just want to know where the dead dog or whatever, went to just now."
She flapped her wings instead and took two steps forward. Its talons left gigantic prints in the damp earth housing the hickory.
"The gods have taken a delight in you. You are the rightful heir to the throne of Agranah. You're the next on their board of Mahjong! I'm only the bearer of their words."
Before he could interrupt, she'd continued,
"The woman with whom you shall cross the path of love is your worst enemy. And you shall be the father of the greatest Warlock to ever walk amongst the mortals."
She squinched her face suddenly as though something hit her. Then added,
"The one who shall bring the new era. An era where the gods are not greater than men, neither men lesser than the gods, nor both equal."
Twas more of a hesitation,
"Do not believe. You can't give what you don't have. Only be the pawn."
She suddenly flapped her wings and began to levitate as he barked at her,
"You must have taken a lot of mead to think you've made sense now. Go back to your gods and tell them to come down to me if I wouldn't break their jaws and feed their heads to the vultures. And then we would see who is the pawn."
But the mysterious lady didn't say a word. She was now suspended in the air, matching the height of the lofty hickory.
"You call them gods? I call them dogs! Why don't they impregnate you and be the mother of the Warlock? Bunch of retards."
He spat on the earth. But the lady didn't say a word as she flew off.
"Aiyg."
He grunted, looking around for the spear but it had been shattered. It must had been at the transformation process.
"Warlock indeed!"
He scoffed.
"Come one more time!!!"
He screamed on top of his voice meaning to address the lady who had been gobbled up by the vast space.
He rumpled his hair in rage and stomped his feet. He turned and began to return towards the direction he has come from.
"Aiyg!"
He cussed again and hurried up the path.
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