by Aeon Solo
Young men, boys, stood beside their fathers. Their hands trembling, the adrenaline. One reached for a canteen, it slipped from his grasp. His father grabbed it, “It’s ok son, I’ll protect you,” he said. Some of them vomited from their terror.
Anu-Krai stood silently observing the Ragmana troops. He ended the silence. “Prepare your weapons!” A moment passed whilst his forces responded to his command.
“Let’s finish this!” he added. He sprinted forward and led the charge. The ground trembled with the pressure of thousands of men. They roared in anticipation; the Ragmana king responded in kind. His forces prepared to meet them head on. The two armies clashed into one-another. A stream of arrows flew between them. Men fell in the barrage, and by the thrusts of spears as they collided. Anu-Krai met the king in battle, his sole target.
“Surrender now! And I will personally ensure your people’s safety and merge into ours,” the Knight proposed to the king.
“I will never submit to a monster like you!” he snarled in response.
“Very well,” Anu-Krai replied calmly. He grabbed his sword and activated the temperature modifier, the blade glistened white, it soared to thousands of degrees centigrade. The kings face contorted in amazement and fear.
“Witch!” he snarled. A smirk crept across the Knights face beneath the mask. He drove toward the king in offense. Their blades clashed; the temperature forced the king to wince because it glistened in his face.
“Now your highness, you will die.” Anu-Krai pushed the king back, his attacks fatigued the king, but he saw an opening. He ducked below the king’s heavy attack and span 360 degrees in an instant. His flaming sword jabbed through the heart of the king who fell to the ground, defeated. Three men nearby witnessed their king slain in battle and sprinted toward the Knight who fired upon them with the Bow of Margan in a flash. They perished before they reached him.
The battle waged on around him. Thousands of men lay dead in the plateau of land, the 5,000 reduced to 1,000. Anu-Krai dragged the king’s body toward the front line.
“Your king, your mighty king, has fallen before me, surrender and your lives, along with your families, will be saved.” His voice caused pure fear in the men before him, they looked to one-another. One had lost his arm in an attack, he wandered aimlessly until he was speared in the back. The prince came forth to the Knight.
“Ok! Please, we give in, please spare my people, they have no part in this conflict.” His voice was riddled with despair. He bowed submissively before the Knight. He succumbed to emotion and cried out at the death of his father, cradling him in his grasp.
“Very well, lay down your arms and do as my men command,” the Knight responded calmly. The Ragmana forces laid down their weapons and submitted to the will of their enemies.
He watched the prince cradle his father’s deceased body, tears flowed down the man’s cheek, he cried a torturous scream. He could feel the prince’s pain, so he withdrew from the area quickly.
The war was finally over, the kingdom taken. Monstah led the round-up of the prisoners of war and civilians. Anu-Krai took the kings weapon and battle helmet as a trophy and gift for his master.
He was alone, standing by a tree, so he removed his helmet momentarily. He broke down crying, he scanned the area nervously to ensure no one could see him. Hand over his face, he quickly wiped away the tears. A final glance and he composed himself.
He found Monstah on the edge of the battlefield. The beast stood observing the round up.
“We have won the battle, you organise the merging of the kingdoms, I will return to the Archon,” he said to Monstah.
“Are you commanding me to do your bidding human?” Monstah stated firmly.
“No, but don’t you want to organise what you want to do with our prisoners, or must I do everything around here? Maybe the Archon should consider me as the sole commander of his forces.” The tension increased between the two whilst the conversion became intensely heated. A look of disgust from Monstah, he turned away from Anu-Krai.
“These maggots must know their place, execute the prince in front of them,” Monstah demanded coldly.
“What! I gave them my word that all their lives would be spared in the surrender,” a furious Anu-Krai screamed to his superior.
“And because of that I will ensure a hundred of them die beside their prince.”
“Why, why would you do that? They have surrendered, the kingdom was ours you have nothing gain,” the Knights anger faded to despair as he begged Monstah to not harm the captives. Monstah turned back to face him.
“My gain is your pain,” he laughed intensely with satisfaction.
“You’re a monster!” Anu-Krai snarled. He left the conversation to travel to his command ship. Monstah laughed as he stormed away. He walked alone to the ship, contemplating the day’s events, he hoped Monstah was just trying to spike a reaction out of him, but this was unlikely. It took many hours to reach the shore from the mainland. He returned to Naprador to meet the Archon.
Chapter 6
Anu-Krai pushed the obsidian door with great effort and entered the Archons throne room. He galloped confidently, the king’s weapon and battle helmet in hand, he approached the Archon and placed the relics before him.
“My lord,” the Knight knelt before his master, “The king’s weapon, and his battle helmet,” he gestured to the artefacts placed before the Archon. The Archon was pleased.
“I am proud of you Krai, you carry Anu’s name with grace.”
Anu-Krai raised his head.
“I am honoured that you chose me to be the king of the Knights of Anu. I will ensure that I continue to perform to your expectations,” he said eagerly.
“I know you will, but I have been told that you had an altercation with Monstah again,” the Knights delight deflated.
“Yes, I gave the captives my word that their lives would be spared. That monster was going to kill them,” his heart rate increased.
“He won’t. I will ensure that, our conquest is not to kill. It is to create a global empire, a world order,” the Archon explained. Anu-Krai became more relaxed knowing that Monstah would not defy the Archon. “I want you to bask in this victory, relax because you have earned this,” a somewhat empathetic tone was coming from the Archon in his words.
“Thank you, my lord, but I don’t think I can.” His demeanour changed as he placed his hand over his mask, covering his face sadly.
“Zvest?” the Archon asked.
“Yes, I should have been there with him, I would have saved him!” he blurted out, riddled with grief.
“I know, my warriors were surprised with both your skills in training, he was a great asset,” the Archon sympathised with his human counterpart, understanding the importance of offering support in this moment. Manipulating him further. Anu-Krai returned to his feet, nodded his head with appreciation and began to exit the throne room. After a few steps, his mind remembered the comments from the woman in the market, he pivoted back and asked.
“There was a woman in the market, she said we took her boy, why would she say this?” The Archon considered a response for a moment.
“I don’t know, maybe she lost her boy and just blames us for his disappearance.” Anu-Krai, although not fully convinced by his master’s response, nodded his head with acceptance. He continued to exit the throne room.
Flashback: “Fight,” a demanding voice exclaimed. A young boy attacked an Anuai warrior with a mock blade, wooden but thick. He was swatted to the ground with ease, a cut materialised on his face, he wiped away the blood and returned to his feet.
“Continue,” the same demanding voice emitted nearby. The boy began another assault, again he was disarmed and about to be swatted to the ground, however, another boy of a similar age rushed to his aid and blocked the strike. The two boys joined forces and attacked together. Multiple strikes were traded between the two parties. The other boy struck a meaningful blow on the Anuai warrior who smacked them both away with fu
ry. The Archon watched the arena from afar and grinned at the sight. This boy rose to his feet defiantly and reached out a hand to the boy on the ground, they braced, and he stood to his feet as well.
“Enough!” the voice bellowed. The two boys smile to one-another and stand side by side.
“That one,” the Archon said to Monstah beside him. “I want him to be the Anu-Krai.”
The Archon left his throne, and after ensuring that Anu-Krai had departed the throne room, he conversed with Charia via the communication link in his wrist.
“Charia, rumours have been circulating through the village, we have a talkative woman amongst our mitts, deal with it.” The Archon was a little worried about the possibility of people finding out about what happened to those who go missing in the village, it was critical that any rumours were squashed before they spread.
“Yes, my lord,” Charia responded. He allocated a task force to identify and capture this woman.
Some time passed, and the soldiers returned home victorious, but with the heavy loss of their friends and family. Songs were sung and the people of Naprador prepared a feast and festival for their heroes. Anu-Krai was sitting atop the staircase of the pyramid, he did not sing, he did not join the festival. The body of his fallen brother was brought to the pyramid and placed in a chamber, he travelled to this chamber to see him and say his final goodbyes. He was alone and sitting on a chair beside the body which lay atop a table.
“Forgive me,” his voice cracked in despair beneath the mask. “I should have been beside you in that battle.” He grabbed the lifeless hand and put it to his head. “I feel so lost. I can barely remember a time before the Archon, I wouldn’t be here without you, you’re my only friend, my brother…” he placed the hand back onto the body and the Knight stood. Tears streamed beneath the mask.
“I promise, I won’t fail again.” His voice distorted by his emotion. He exited the room and returned to his quarters.
The people celebrated all night, he could hear them screaming joyfully outside the pyramid, the market now filled with the festival of victory. It irritated him. He entered his isolation tank to remove their cheers from his ears. On the water which he floated his consciousness could drift away. He could feel at one with the universe, if only for a moment. For that brief moment there was no pain, no anguish, no anger, just nothingness.
“Viden,” a female voice trickled through his mind. It pushed him from the empty bliss.
The rest of the Knights relished in their victory, taking advantage of the pedestal on which, they stood. The other soldiers idolised them. They did not care to visit their leader, knowing he would not entertain such celebrations anyway. The celebrations lasted for a week. Anu-Krai stayed in his quarters, sadness gripped his every waking moment, he was truly alone now. Alone, except for something else which brewed beyond his comprehension. This woman’s voice.
Chapter 7
Anu-Krai was seated atop the staircase to the pyramidal base, observing the market below. People pottered about doing their daily tasks. He wondered what his life would have been if he hadn’t become a Knight, would he have different ambitions, would he even be alive? He analysed the people’s interactions. He homed in on one conversation between a vegetable seller and a customer. They discussed the weather, their families, their work, he felt alienated from his own species. They see him as one of the Anuai, they fear him more than anything, he desired to be equal to the Anuai, but he doesn’t want his own people to fear him and see him as a monster. The people have different opinions of their rulers, some despised them, some worshiped them, but all fear them. He scanned the horizon further and noticed the young woman he bumped into before the conquest of Ragmana. He watched her tentatively preparing her produce and conversing with customers. She smiled constantly, full beaming smiles from her mouth to her eyes, her smile was so pretty, he thought. She locked eyes with him in the distance, her smile diminished, he turned away immediately to hide the fact he was watching her.
He looked toward the stall where the woman who accused him and the Anuai of taking her son was previously, it was empty. Intrigued, he investigated. He walked toward the stalls beside hers.
“Hello, where’s the woman who owns this stall?” he asked a neighbouring stall owner awkwardly.
“I’m unsure my lord, she has not been seen for a few days now,” a fearful, rugged, middle-aged man responded.
Seeing the fear in the people around him he stated aloud. “Please do not fear me, please do not call me lord. I am neither a monster nor royalty,” hoping his words alleviated their anxiety. They nodded in response, somewhat surprised, but relieved by his statement. He walked toward another stall.
“Excuse me miss, have you seen the woman who owns this stall?” he gestured again to her stall.
“No, I have not, but I heard a horrific scream coming from near her house a few nights ago. I have not seen her since,” a lady responded.
“Thanks for the help,” he began to walk away. “Wait, the woman over there, at that stall, do you know who she is?” he asked the lady.
“Yes, that is Mara, she’s an interesting woman, never seems to age,” she said intrigued.
“Really?” he questioned, looking at her whilst she prepared her produce.
“Why?” the lady asked suddenly in the silence.
Anu-Krai flustered for a moment, he struggled to find words to respond. “I mean, well, I was just curious about the citizens that’s all,” he said firmly. The lady saw through the ruse, she smiled.
“Thanks again for your assistance,” the Knight said. He returned the pyramid. The lady surveyed him, he stopped in his tracks pondering on the thought of whether he should approach Mara. A few seconds passed, an argument ensued in his mind, he chose to visit her stall. He arrived awkwardly.
“Hello,” he said, to a surprised Mara.
“Hello,” she replied bluntly.
Remembering the conversation, he analysed earlier he enquired.
“So, the weathers nice?”
“Yeah,” a confused Mara retorted. Anu-Krai looked to the ground in thought and out of the sheer awkwardness of the conversation.
“What’s your name, how old are you?” he asked.
“Mara, I’m older than you, why?” she questioned, puzzled by the Knights inquisitive questioning. He struggled for a response.
“I…I was just trying to make conversation, goodbye,” he stated sharply as he left the conversation, annoyed at himself. The voice modifier made his voice deeper and more intimidating, but it couldn’t hide the sheer awkwardness in his voice that time. She shook her head bewildered, she continued with her tasks. He was greatly displeased with himself, his terrible social skills defeating him yet again. He walked up the staircase and Monstah awaited at the top.
“I should tell the Lord Archon you broke the code, but that was hilarious,” he mocked, patronizing the Knight.
“Oh, shut up,” an angered Anu-Krai responded hastily. Monstah laughed, the Knight barged past him forcefully.
“Pathetic human,” he said, disgusted. Monstah stood valiantly atop the staircase, the people bowed before him, he folded his arms proudly before his subservient people.
A few days later, Anu-Krai went to a special spot in the local woodland to escape everything and to relax in the beautiful scenery. The trees broke apart revealing a small section of grassland with multiple large logs that offered seating. He seated himself on one and studied the environment and sky around him. He smiled and felt at ease, a very rare thing for him given the circumstances he was given. He heard noises coming from the pathway which he entered, he jumped up, slightly startled. Sword in his hand. Mara emerged from the treeline and path. Startled, she stopped in her tracks. Anu-Krai unequipped his weapon.
“Sorry,” he said, eyes gripped to the ground uneasy. “It’s ok, can I sit?” she gestured with a slight smile in her eyes to a nearby log.
“Yes, of course please, sit wherever you want,” the Knight flailed his a
rms toward the multiple logs in the area. She chose the log beside his, there was silence for a few moments.
“Do you come here often?” she asked.
“Yes, occasionally to get away from everything,” he gestured in the direction of the market and pyramid.
“It’s very beautiful here, it’s peaceful,” she responded kindly.
“It sure is,” he smiled back, the mask obscuring his true emotions. She pondered for a moment.
“Who are you?” she enquired.
“‘I’m the Anu-Krai, king of the Knights of Anu,” he replied.
“No, I know that, but some people say you are one of the gods, some say you are a ghost warrior, a monster. Who are you?” Mara said, puzzled but curious as to his true identity.
“I’m not a monster!” he responded in a fierce, raised voice. He stood to walk away.
“I know you aren’t, if you were you wouldn’t be here, you wouldn’t be talking to me now!” she shouted to him, he stopped and turned back. He removed the mask and revealed a somewhat handsome, innocent face. He was in his twenties, but could pass for a teenager. His eyes were soft and blue, his hair was long-flowing, a deep brown. She was shocked by his gesture, his face was scared with three deep scratches, from the top left of his face reaching down, just like the mask.
“Your face!?” she asked in an elevated tone.
“I’m sorry,” he responded, he proceeded to re-equip it.
“No! wait!” she blurted quickly. He moved it away from his face revealing his sadness, eyes glued to the floor. He placed the mask on a log beside him.
“What happened?” she enquired.
“Years ago, I failed the Archon and was judged, this was one of my many punishments, he slashed me across the face with his hand.” He placed his hand and ran his fingers over the scars, recollecting the events of that day in his mind. “They are evil gods,” she said with disgust.
