The Omen, page 2
part #5 of Eden's Gate Series
“You should execute him!” Windsor roared as he took a step forward. His jaw was tense, and his eyes were burning with fury.
“Execute me?” Solomon asked. “I’ve done nothing but bring knowledge to Highcastle! Let us study the Reborns. If we do not learn how this is possible, everyone of Eden’s Gate could be in peril. We don’t know what they’re capable of, and we might regret if—”
“The only thing I regret,” the King interrupted, “is allowing the Faithsworn to disturb the Highcastle denizens for so long.”
“The Faithsworn only preach the truth!” Solomon yelled.
“Truth or not,” the King said, “the crimes you committed today were the wrong way to prove a point, and to take an All-Seeing-Eye from the Old Ones…” The King shook his head as he stared at the orb that commander Eldrich was holding.
“Put the eye away,” the Queen ordered, holding out her hand. “We don’t know what it’s capable of.”
Commander Eldrich opened his bag and dropped the orb inside.
“What should we do about this situation, Your Highness?” Windsor asked.
The King took a slow, deep breath then exhaled. “Faithsworn will no longer be permitted in Highcastle, and any who dare step foot here again will be placed in prison. All of those who have already been detained will stay behind bars until I decide otherwise.”
Solomon snorted. “You think that will deter us? The Faithsworn who were here today are just a few of our numbers. Jail them if you may, but we’ll still continue with our cause; and with proof that Reborns exist, more will join our cause!”
“You speak down to our king!” Windsor yelled, pointing his finger at Solomon.
“I’ll have you join your flock behind bars,” the King said angrily, “but not before you instruct all Faithsworn to stand down on any sort of campaign they may have against Reborns.”
“What?” Solomon asked, his brow forming tight wrinkles. “Stand down against the Reborns? Are you siding with these immortals over your own people?”
“Do not question my orders, Solomon,” the King said pointedly. “It seems that as the Faithsworn’s leader, your ego has grown beyond your brain.” He turned towards Commander Atwood. “Take him to a cell, and let him rot until he’s prepared to command his men to end their crusade.”
“Never!” Solomon suddenly jumped to his feet and reached for Commander Eldrich’s bag, but the commander turned swiftly, not letting him get a hold. The prophet turned towards the King, thrust his free palm out, and a thin stream of lightning shot out.
Windsor jumped forward at an incredible speed, thrust out both of his hands, and a square, nearly invisible magic shield formed in front of him, safeguarding the royal family from the attack.
“How dare you!” the King growled as lightning crashed into the shield in front of him.
The sound of swords whipping out of sheathes filled the room, and as soon as Commander Eldrich’s blade was about to strike Solomon, a bright explosion of lightning erupted from every end of Solomon’s body, filling the room with a bright light and sending all who were near him flying back a few feet. I was far enough away that the lightning only grazed me, but it was still shocking enough to send me to the ground with 10% of my health depleted.
I blinked a few times as I regained my vision, and Solomon had seemingly disappeared. The two commanders stood up quickly, turning their head every direction, then homed in on the castle’s front door.
Commander Atwood started to run for the exit.
“Forget him for now,” the King said, stopping the commander in his tracks. “He won’t be able to run for long. Now that he’s attacked us, prison would be a luxury. He’ll receive no further sentencing other than death. Issue a large bounty for Solomon’s head.”
Windsor’s shield faded away, and he took his position back at the side of the King.
“I’m sorry, your highness,” Commander Atwood said. “We’ve failed you.”
The commanders and the surrounding soldiers all dropped into a kneeling position in unison and lowered their heads in humility.
“You’re fine,” the King said. “If this were any normal circumstance, I know you would have fetched nullifying shackles from the prison before bringing him here. It was my oversight to order him to be brought directly to me.”
“Shall we fetch shackles for the Reborn?” Commander Atwood asked as he stood back to his feet.
“No,” the King said. “Leave him be.” The King once again turned his eyes to me. “Stand up, Gunnar.”
I gritted my teeth and stood.
“So, you’re truly a Reborn?” the King asked. “This isn’t some sort of trickery?”
I swallowed and nodded. “Yes… and no it’s not.”
“Are there more of you?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“How many?”
My eyes darted to the side. “I don’t know. Probably millions.”
“Millions?” the Queen asked, her eyebrows raising high.
“I’ve only met a few,” I clarified. “I can only assume, based on information I knew before I came here.”
“And where do you come from?” the King continued.
“I come from a place called Earth.”
“Earth?” the King asked. “What should I make of that?”
“The best way I can describe it is that it’s another dimension, something like the Otherworld.”
“Another Otherworld?” the Princess asked excitedly.
“What powers do you possess?” the King asked.
I grinned a little. “None, really. Other than the fact that we can’t die—” I cleared my throat. “I mean, we can die, and it hurts terribly. None of us want to die. But other than the fact that we can’t die permanently, we have no special powers.”
“Immortality is special enough,” the Queen said. “Those who do not fear death have reason to fear nothing at all.”
“But we do fear death,” I said. “Imagine the worst pain in the world and multiply it by ten. In a strange way, the fact that we’ll experience it more than once is almost more of a curse rather than a blessing.”
“Should we take action to protect ourselves from any threat Reborns may pose, Your Highness?” Commander Atwood asked. “Shall I issue any military orders?”
The King waved a dismissive hand then lifted his other hand up in front of his face. He twisted his wrist, and squeezed. “Threat…” he said softly and snapped his lips. “If I had learned of this a week ago, I may have considered the Reborns a threat, but this particular Reborn here—Gunnar—is responsible for my health today.”
“He brought father Shashana’s venom!” Princess Isabella shouted.
Command Atwood’s eyebrows raised. “He’s responsible?”
The King smiled and turned to me. “I’m not cured of my illness yet, but after only a single dose of the antidote, I feel better than I have in years.” His eyes wandered back to Commander Atwood. “If Reborns were such a threat, why would Gunnar have helped me?” He pursed his lips, and his eyes rolled upward. “Come to think of it, he probably could’ve killed himself or fought the guards before being placed in prison if he were lying about Reborn’s fear of death.”
“Indeed,” the Queen agreed.
“But don’t forget the dragon today, your highness.” Commander Atwood said. “The prophecy draws a direct correlation to the dragons and Reborns.”
The King grinned. “Yes, the dragon.”
“Today would mark the first time a dragon has attacked humans, unprovoked, in our lifetime,” the Queen said.
“It didn’t necessarily attack,” Commander Atwood clarified. “But it was mere inches away from attacking. It was umm…” The commander shook his head slowly. “… threatening the crowd in the Arena for some reason.”
The King nodded. “It’s the first time we’ve seen a dragon move on peaceful humans—whether it killed anyone or not. The prophecy seems be to unraveling before our eyes.”
“The prophecy says that the dragons will breathe fire, not touch down at our gatherings simply to scare us,” Windsor clarified. “Why would a dragon enter the Arena without attacking?”
“Protecting the Reborn, maybe?” the Princess questioned. “Are you somehow aligned with the dragons, Gunnar?”
I shook my head. “That’s a definite no… I don’t know anything about the dragons, but I’m pretty sure they’re just as hostile towards Reborns as anyone else.”
“I suspect it’s the eye,” the King said. “Since the eye is here, it may be disturbing some balance, or the Old Ones may even be trying to manipulate the dragons to attack as retribution.” The King shook his head. “I’m only speculating, but a dragon touching down right in front of a crowd of humans is unheard of.”
“Soldiers have been sighting dragons flying overhead more frequently the last few days as well,” Commander Eldrich said.
The King sighed. “Something is changing in Eden’s Gate.”
I scratched my head as I realized that the discussion had turned towards dragons, and the concern over Reborns seemed to have faded. “Are you okay that I’m a Reborn?”
There was a moment of silence before the King replied. “To say that I’m ‘okay’ would be an overstatement, Gunnar. The prophecy states that the Reborns will arrive, and so they have…” He cleared his throat. “You have. We can look at you as a threat to our kingdom, or we can accept you as part of our future.”
“So then—”
“Did you know that Gunnar was a Reborn, Commander Eldrich?” the King asked.
The commander shook his head.
The King turned his head from side to side. “Did anyone know that Gunnar was a Reborn prior to the events in the Arena today?”
Everyone shook their heads no.
“Unless we go down a twisted path such as Solomon,” the King continued, “we have no way to tell who is Reborn and who isn’t. We shouldn’t start a crusade against them so long as they aren’t harming us. We were fine yesterday, and we’ll be fine tomorrow, Reborns or not. Highcastle is strong.”
“But what if the dragons breathe fire, Owen?” the Queen asked worriedly. “What if the other part of the prophecy is true?”
The King bobbed his head up and down. “Dragons breathing fire is a fact that Gunnar happened to mention to us a few times prior to today, actually. He claims a dragon in the Sands may be under someone’s control.”
My eyelids snapped wide open. “So, then you believe me now? That Dryden has a dragon?”
The King pursed his lips. “I’m less skeptical, and for that reason, I’m honoring my pledge to send spies across the Serpent Sea.”
“Yes!” I said strongly and shook my fist, feeling pumped that the King was going to take action. When I dropped my fist back down, I lightly rattled my head. “You’re going to send spies even though I lost the fight to Meijir?”
“But did you actually lose?” the King asked. “Commander Atwood’s retelling of the story was that you didn’t even attempt to battle.”
“Right,” I said with a nod. “I didn’t get the Last Breath spell, so I was just trying to stop the fight. I didn’t want to die, nor did I want Meijir to die if he didn’t have the spell. I even told the announcer that I wasn’t ready.”
The King smiled. “Well, you may not have completed your quest to defeat Meijir, but your fight fulfilled the goal I sought from you.”
I raised my eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Meijir hasn’t ventured far from Highcastle lately for fear that he’d gain XP before his championship fight. But due to the fact that he killed you during your match with him, he inadvertently earned a notable amount of experience. It caused him to level to twenty-one.”
“He’s been bumped to tier 2 and is no longer qualified to fight in tier 1,” the Queen added with a grin.
“Which means we don’t have to worry about a Krazir representing Highcastle during the championship meet.” The King smiled and rubbed his hands together. “So, for that I thank you, Gunnar.”
I grabbed my earlobe and scrunched my brow. I was glad that the King was happy with the results, but I wasn’t excited that my death had gotten me there. “Well… You’re welcome, I guess. So, you don’t need me to fight in the Arena anymore?”
The King turned towards the commanders. “Do either of you know who our top rank in tier 1 fighter is now that Meijir has leveled?”
“I believe it would be Rudy O’Conner, your highness,” Commander Atwood said.
“Rudy will be a fine representative for Highcastle.” The King turned to me. “If you wish to fight of your own accord, you may do so, but I have no further cause for you there. In fact, it would be reckless to return to the Arena so quickly after today’s events.”
“You’ll let a known Reborn fight in the Arena?” the Queen asked.
The King took a deep breath. “I think I’ve covered that already.” He homed in on me. “Should we have reason to fear you or the other Reborns, Gunnar?”
I almost said ‘no’, but paused before the syllable exited my lips. There was no reason to fear me or any member of Unity, but I would’ve been lying if I told the King that there were no reasons to fear Reborns. After all, I knew that Ronald McFrugal and similar characters were somewhere in the game doing who-knows-what. There was a good possibility that naughty Reborns could become a problem.
“Yes,” I said.
The King and Queen reared their heads back. The Princess scrunched her brow.
“Wait,” I said, holding up my hand. “I mean, you don’t have a reason to fear me, but I can’t guarantee that all Reborns are good. Most of us are, but just like any other humans—just like Solomon—I’m sure there are Reborns who will go out of their way to stir chaos. Don’t fear Reborns because we’re Reborns. Fear us because we’re human.”
The King smiled widely and nodded. “And this is why I’m not on board with the Faithsworn’s fearmongering. Your honesty is refreshing, Gunnar.” The King turned to Commander Atwood. “The people of Highcastle will be rattled after today. Issue a decree by me—the king—that Reborns shall be treated no differently than other humans. Let everyone know that there’s no reason to panic over today’s events.” He snarled his lips and took another deep breath. “It may take some time, and I’m sure there will be many who protest, but this is how we’ll move forward for now.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Commander Atwood said, bowing his head.
“I suggest you avoid Highcastle for a while, Gunnar,” the King explained. “Give the people who were in the Arena time to forget your face and get over today’s chaos. Is your home in Highcastle or the Freelands?”
“I actually stay in Edgewood.”
“Edgewood?” the King asked, tilting his head to the side slightly. “The dark elves’ forest?”
I nodded.
The King huffed, raised his eyebrows, and rattled his head a little. “I guess I can’t say that I’m surprised, since you’re a Reborn. I suggest you stay near your home and avoid the towns for a short time. The people will eventually get over today if nothing else happens.”
I nodded again.
“The Old Ones’ All-Seeing Eye,” the Queen said. “What do we do with it?”
“We need to return it,” the King answered.
“I’ll rally a squad of men and we’ll head for the Eternal Ravine,” Commander Atwood said.
“Should we risk our soldiers on such a dangerous mission?” Commander Eldrich asked. He turned to me. “Gunnar has done well for us. Perhaps this is a job for a Reborn?”
“It’s too dangerous for someone of his level,” the Queen said. “And how can we trust him with the eye? We don’t even know what that thing is capable of.”
“How can we trust anyone with an All-Seeing Eye?” the King asked. “Gunnar was able to defeat the great serpent, Shashana, and if the Old Ones were to kill him, they’d retrieve their eye, but Gunnar would still have his life. I see no better option than that.”
I felt like I was behind a screen watching other people making choices for me. “Who are the Old Ones?”
“Seers, soothsayers, oracles,” the Queen said. “They are old beyond our time but are said to watch over all of Eden’s Gate.”
“Um… okay?” I said. “And from the way you speak, I can assume they’re dangerous?”
“They can destroy you with their minds,” the King said. “At least that’s what they say. Only those seeking truth venture to the Eternal Ravine.”
I swallowed.
“The areas surrounding the Eternal Ravine are too challenging.” Windsor said. “At his level, it’s suicide. He would need to be at least level 30 to stand a chance at making it through there.”
“I agree,” Commander Atwood said. “I have been near the area, and it will be a difficult task for me, even with a few of our best soldiers with me.”
The King huffed. “Very well. If that’s the case, I will leave it to you, Commander.”
Commander Eldrich stepped to Commander Atwood and handed him the eye. “Be careful with this. I feel strange when I touch it.”
“It’s not meant for human hands,” the Queen warned.
I was feeling a little bummed that I wouldn’t have a chance to fight in the Arena again right away, even if it wasn’t against Meijir. I no longer needed to earn a meeting with a King or complete an Arena quest, but I still wanted to get my name on the rankings list to increase my chances of Rachel finding me.
But… I had no reason to complain. The King was going to send spies across the Serpent Sea, the results of my sabotaged fight had been cancelled, and the King seemed to be warming up to me more. He was looking more alive that day than ever, and his health would keep Dryden from trying to stake his claim to the throne.
Yeah, I thought. I could wait a while before fighting in the Arena again. That just meant that I’d likely have to fight through tier 2 before getting another championship shot and maybe even facing off against Meijir again. But that would also give me more time to get myself up to a level where I could better compete with him. I wanted payback after his cheap attack with my back turned.
