The Last Legend: Awakened

by Joshua B. Wichterich

  Master Odwa walked to the window, placing his old hand upon the base of the tree on the stained glass. The pieces of glass were colored brown and black, imitating the colors of tree bark.

  “But there is good news amongst all of this darkness…,” Master Odwa said, glancing at Lord Fernund. “Do you know the legend of The Great King of Light?” the old man asked. Lord Fernund stayed quiet, just watching Master Odwa.

  “Many ages ago, before the ancestors of King Julpen ruled, before King James and his ancestors—there was a great king. This king is The Great King of Light who is mentioned in the book of light. His name was, and still is, King Yehoshua...”

  Master Odwa’s eyes lit up again, sparkling with zeal. The mention of his name seemed to brighten the room somehow even though it was still dull. Lord Fernund became strangely enthralled, awestruck by the mention of the ancient king’s name.

  “Yes, such a holy and grand mystery—his name is filled with power and living water!” Master Odwa smiled as he slowly raised his hands into the air, looking upwards. “King Yehoshua was a mighty king—born from light and made flesh. It is the greatest legend of all mankind—born from truth. It is the greatest story and the most brilliant of light. This king was not a king of wealth or born into royalty—or a king of land or precious metals and jewels. This king was a king of men, sent down from The Great Kingdom of Light, to save men. This king was made flesh by the words spoken by the God of Light. This king named Yehoshua was God made flesh, and still is God. He was born into poverty by a young common maiden whose womb was blessed by the God of Light. As a young boy he was a prodigy, speaking influentially to wise men.

  “He grew up to be a mighty man. He led people by the hundreds, casting mighty words amongst them and healing them out of sickness and casted out unclean spirits. He was so influential that he became king. He was good and still is and endures our sins and burdens forever. His love for the people was so strong that one day he died for them. You see, where there is good, there is also evil. There was a band of old believers who worshiped Minslethrate’s ancient pagan goddesses—there were many who still followed the old ways of darkness. They did not want Yehoshua to be proclaimed as king, for they loathed him.

  “They rose up against the king to rid of him and the light, yearning for the darkness of the old ways. You see, the king saved the ancient people of Minslethrate from evil and deception. But the followers of the old ways came against him and forbid him from being king. There was a great war and the king was betrayed by one of his twelve nights—one of his brethren, then taken by the band of bad men. The king gave up his life for the people so that they would all be forgiven—so that everything evil would be forgiven, if asked to be.

  “We are all forgiven, every one of us—by the blood that poured from his body when the evil men had him killed. We are forgiven of the darkness that men are doomed to keep, the sin that dwells in our hearts and the destruction that we create. We are forgiven by the shed of his innocent blood—for the God of light loves us so much, that he gave up his only son, The Great King Yehoshua, to die on that lonely tree for our evil ways. Darkness thought that he had won—but light won the moment King Yehoshua had been born. You see, Yehoshua was placed upon the earth just to save us all—and that’s what the New Light of the book is about.”

  “This mighty tree on this glass is so important because it represents the tree that The Great King of Light was sacrificed on… The people who condemned him brought him to the south where people were brought to be killed as a punishment long ago—to endure the greatest of all punishment. This place was called Skull Hill—which lies before the Black Field of Ancient Blood. On top of Skull Hill is a great tree with stretched out limbs. The king was nailed to it and hung there to die…”

  Lord Fernund sat in a state of awe, listening to one of the greatest legends he had ever heard.

  “But there is life…” Master Odwa said with another small smile. “King Yehoshua rose from the grave his people had produced for him—and lives in the light-soaked hearts of his people. Legend has it—that if your heart is soaked with his light—you will become part of his kingdom in that Great Kingdom of Light in the sky…”

  Lord Fernund looked saddened, as if he was ashamed of himself. He did not know how to comment to this mighty legend.

  Master Odwa studied his face, and felt as if he should ask the Marquis a bold question. “Let me ask you something, Marquis… In your heart, deep inside your soul, deep inside the crevasses of your being—can you find peace there? Do you feel the light I have been talking about, within you? Do you know the legend of which I speak?”

  The Marquis looked back at the old man, slightly shocked and somewhat embarrassed. No one has ever been so bold to ask him of his inner thoughts or questioned his faith. But he knew this question was important to be asked. He did not have faith—in anything but himself. He only knew his wealth and the importance of it in not only in his life, but his family’s. He was taught to love wealth by his father, he was taught always that respect was given to the wealthy—and that wealth was power… The Marquis was quiet for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

  “No,” Lord Fernund said with a somber look on his face.

  “…Will you allow me to bless you?” Master Odwa asked in his kind old voice.

  Lord Fernund was quiet for another moment, then finally shook his head yes. He wasn’t sure at first, but he saw the passion in the old man’s eyes and the kindness and holiness that poured from him—and he wanted to become more like that. Anger and sadness always filled his heart more than anything else—and he only knew greed. He was the wealthiest man in all the lands of Minslethrate, but still the knowledge of this didn’t seem to fill his heart. He was not happy. He loved his family but didn’t really acknowledge them. He didn’t know his daughter anymore because he barely saw her. His wife, the beautiful Christianne, was almost non-existent in his life as well. He felt ashamed of himself as he realized that he had taught her unknowingly to only love wealth and idols—to only love herself...

  At that moment Master Odwa placed his warm hand on the Marquis’ head as he closed his eyes. He spoke mighty words over him and prayed a prayer that would change his life—forever.

  CHAPTER 18

  Silver Stones And Dead Bones

  The three young travelers had been riding all day and assumed it was about noon, but still didn’t truly know the time of the day because of the relentless dark-gray clouds. They rode over many hills and rivulets, through small forests which would have been beautiful in the sunlight, and amongst thick, tall grasses that erupted with small birds and insects as their horses galloped through it. The things to see were lovely and never been seen before by Natalia or Phillip.

  The ride had become strenuous and uncomfortable and they were ready for a break. They soon stopped in another small forest that consisted of small ponds and tall, thin pines. The forest was dark and gloomy like everything else because of the ebony clouds above them. They found a perfect resting spot near an inviting pond which was among many full minsleberry bushes and flowering trees. They filled their water-pouches to the brim and let the horses become refreshed by the pond’s clear, cold water. They snacked on the foods they brought with them. Their small supply of food was becoming slim, so they mainly ate from the luscious minsleberries and from the nuts and herbs they found amongst the earth.

  “Look through there,” Tairren said as he drank from his water-pouch, pointing.

  Both Natalia and Phillip glanced through the trees to where Tairren had pointed. They barely noticed the structure. Far off in the distance, through the forest, between some trees and over a vast field, they could see the Great Wall of Division. The wall seemed small from where they looked, but they could tell that it was mighty.

  “We are almost to the half-way point!” Natalia squealed as she stood up.

  She squeezed the berries she was holding as excitement got the best of her.

  Phillip stood up as well, pee
ring through the forest and at the great wall.

  “You might want to sit and rest yourself—we still have much of a ride,” Tairren said, then popped a dark-purple berry into his mouth. “We are resting in the ends of the Forest of Old—but it is the Black Forest which comes next…”

  They sat for a moment quietly, thinking of the stress that would soon come to them again.

  “So that is the great wall,” Phillip said, breaking the silence. “Very impressive; I can tell from here that it is a mighty structure.

  Phillip sat down against a rock, stretching his legs upon a bed of dead leaves.

  “I am very happy to see it,” Natalia said as she sat down as well, noticing the squished berries on the palm of her hand. Her face turned sour as she wiped the dark-blue juices of the berries from her hand with some dried leaves.

  “Yes, we are near the half-way point towards the south. That great wall is the line that splits the north from the south in Minslethrate—dividing the Golden Lands from the Forbidden Lands. The legendary great king of our ancestors built that wall to keep evil away. The wall is ancient, but like an old mountain—strong and majestic, just like its creator.” Tairren became quiet for a moment. His emotions slightly changed when he mentioned the legendary great king. “But danger lies ahead of us. Right past that wall is the Black Forest and the beginnings of the Forbidden Lands, which is full of dark spirits and evil creatures that should not even exist. The Forbidden Lands are forbidden because it consists of everything that defies the God of Light’s laws.”

  “…Like the creatures we were attacked by last night,” Phillip added.

  “Yes—and those creatures should not have been on this side of the wall. Darkness seems to be spreading towards the North, slowly but surely allowing evil to infiltrate these parts. Those creatures we have seen are but a taste of what we will witness.”

  Natalia sat quietly, wondering how they were going to get through the uncertain quest that lay before them. They were running out of food and they were becoming weary and anxious. They were becoming tired and their bodies ached and their stomachs squirmed with hunger. Their spirits seemed as if they were stretched thin, ready to brake. There weaponry was not only inadequate but very light and not fit for any kind of mighty fight. Their weapons were fine for the rescuing of Marrisa from Lilith, if that was the only thing their quest consisted of, but with all of the dark surprises that they were running into, they were beginning to doubt them.

  “What are we to do if we are attacked again by many of those black creatures?” Natalia asked, worried.

  “Fight like you’ve never fought before,” Phillip said, looking deep into her eyes.

  “Natalia—we will fight, with all of our might, we will fight—with the thought of our purpose in the back of our minds,” Tairren said with an uplifting smile. “Never forget our purpose—never forget about Marrisa and these lands—the ones we love… That is our purpose… We have something powerful on our side… Do not forget Malakh’s words.”

  Natalia slowly nodded her head as she pressed her lips together. She did not get upset but she felt like crying—especially when Marrisa’s name was mentioned.

  “…I will,” she said with a soft smile, “—and from here the wall looks manageable, but I know it will probably be somewhat of a stressful task,” Natalia said, continuing to look at the wall far off in the distance, wishing that they were already on the other side.

  “If we take the path my father and I took many years ago, we should be unseen by the guards.”

  “Let’s hope so, Master Tairren,” Phillip said, looking back towards the wall.

  After a short rest, they were off again. They rode until they hit the edge of the forest, which ended abruptly right before a vast and clear field. The field had nothing but grass and stone upon it. There were no trees, hills, or large bushes—nowhere to hide even if they wanted to go straight across to the wall. The wall was becoming more and more massive the closer they got to it. They could now see that the wall had towers upon it that were spread out across the top of the wall, which must have been watch towers; and straight below the towers on the base of the wall were doors, which must have been entrances to them. And between every tower stood a tall statue that resembled a guard, stretching his right arm towards the north as if they were signaling any oncoming person to stop. The wall was actually beautifully built and magnificent and intimidating, it stretched far from east to west. The bottom of the wall became lost in the forests beyond the field, but the top of the wall loomed over the trees.

  “We will follow along the outskirt of the field on the edge of the forest but behind the shrubbery and trees,” Tairren reminded them as he continued to stare towards the wall, looking for any kind of movement. “Do not go into the field for anything, the field is too clear and will reveal us, even from afar… If one of the many guards spots us, our journey will grind to an abrupt halt.”

  “How strange though, I don’t see any one,” Natalia said. “Not even anyone patrolling the field or the edge of the forest.”

  “Are you sure the wall is guarded?” Phillip asked, in a low tone.

  “Yes—it is one of the many laws of Minslethrate—no one is to pass without a marked letter from the king himself. Whoever passes unlawfully or attempts to pass will be ceased and arrested for treason.”

  “Look,” Natalia interrupted, pointing to a seemingly small pillar of smoke that came from the top of one of the towers.

  “Curious,” Tairren said in a low tone.

  “…And the smoke is hard to see because it mingles with the dark clouds,” Phillip said. “There is another tower smoking as well.”

  The prince was right. They spotted at least three smoking towers. The smoke would be hard to see at first glance among the morbid clouds; but after looking for a while, they could tell that the pillars of smoke were rather large.

  “I don’t like the look of this—where there are strange fires, there is always a fire starter…” Tairren said as he got lilly going in the direction towards the great wall.

  Phillip and Natalia followed Tairren on Orchid and Sable, nervously watching the wall for even the slightest of movement.

  As they got closer to the wall, creeping along the edges of the forest, they noticed that there were fires in the windows of the smoking towers. And as they came closer, the wall got taller. Soon they were yards away from the massive wall. They could now see how nothing would be able to get across the wall—it seemed even taller than the castle in The Golden Lands. They sat for a moment on their horses, just listening and watching and taking in the magnificence of the wall. They still didn’t hear or see anyone though. As great as the wall was, it seemed that it should have had hundreds of soldiers standing guard. It seemed that there should be guards rushing to get the fires out or guards patrolling the grounds of the wall. They saw nothing but the stillness of the uncertain structure. Everything was too quiet and dead. They noticed that not only were there the tall statues that stood on top of the wall, but there were winged gargoyles that sat still and hauntingly on random spots of the wall between the massive stone guards. The winged statues were frightening and would make any traveler uncomfortable.

  “What is that?” Natalia asked, startled.

  She pointed to something a ways off in the field that looked like a heap of shiny large stones. The stones looked smooth and gleamed a little. They soon spotted other piles of the same shiny substance that lay before the great wall in the field.

  “I don’t know,” Tairren said. “You stay here, Natalia, on the edge of the wood, Phillip and I will go see. There doesn’t seem to be anyone around this area of the wall.”

  They quickly rode off towards the mounds that lay in the grass. Natalia shook her head a little, annoyed that she was left alone in the safe haven of the trees like a child. She got Orchid going a couple of yards into the field so that she could get a better look at what they were going to do. Tairren and Phillip slowly and vigilantly made their way t
owards the silver mounds, searching on top of the wall and around them with their eyes for anything suspicious.

  “I feel like we are being watched—something does not feel right in the air,” Tairren said in a low tone as they got closer. “It is far too quiet…”

  The clouds in the sky seemed to become darker, and the winds picked up. It looked as if it were about to storm.

  “It seems as if those statues are watching us,” Phillip said, looking up towards the top of the massive wall.

  Chills went up Tairrens spine and across his skin as his heart began to race. He hopped off Lilly’s back as soon as he noticed that the mounds were not shiny silver rocks at all—but armored bodies! Both Tairren and Phillip ran towards the nearest body, realizing why it was so quiet and why there were no signs of guards anywhere—they were all dead. There were many dead guards lying sporadically around the field, along with their horses. It looked as if there was some kind of battle—and the guards of the wall were defeated horribly. It seemed as if some of the guard’s armor was torn off—with their bloody chests revealed—and looked as if their hearts were torn out!

  They both huddled over the dead guard. Tairren pulled off the guard’s helmet as a plethora of flies came flying out. The man seemed to be dead for a while but not that long, maybe a day at the most. His face was pale with small signs of decay and his eyes were a haunting, pale-blue—wide and staring. Tairren wondered what the last thing that helpless soul had witnessed was…

  “We have to get away from here,” Tairren said looking all around them and up towards the top of the wall.

  He noticed that the gargoyle statues were—gone!