by Milo Woods
“I’m … Ugh … I’m surprised you willingly helped me,” she said in her usual sarcastic tone.
Keith shrugged and turned away. “Maybe you’re not so bad.”
“You either,” she replied.
Seeko joined them and they looked at one another.
Bianca broke the silence after a moment. “Now what?”
“We still need to stop Yoshino,” Keith answered.
“We don’t even know where he went,” Mori said.
“Earth,” Seeko said.
“Technically, that’s not the first place he went to,” said an unfamiliar voice from behind them. “But you will find him there.”
The group turned to find an old man, heavily robed, standing before a portal.
“Moses?” Seeko asked. He looked closely at the man, who appeared to be a much older version of the one from his memory.
Moses stroked his gray beard and smiled. “You do remember me.”
Seeko readied himself for another fight. “I remember you helping Yoshino. You made those necklaces.”
“True, I did, but that’s not why I’m here. I’m here because I want to know if you want to save Earth.”
“Of course I want to save Earth,” Seeko growled. “And I’m not going to let you stop me.”
Moses let out a small chuckle. “I didn’t come here to stop you; I’m here to help you.”
“Am I supposed to believe that? You stole me from my home!” Seeko said. “Not to mention you created a way for demons to get here!”
Moses nodded. “My intentions were not to let demons roam Endetia freely. Seeko, a lot has happened since my involvement with Yoshino. I’m simply giving you a chance to end it.”
Seeko thought for a moment and spoke in a calmer tone: “What do you want me to do?”
The old man motioned behind him to the portal that stood there. “Come with me back to Earth.”
Mori grabbed onto his hand, forcing him to look to her. He looked back at the portal and at Moses.
“I’ve always wanted to see where you lived,” Mori said.
He nodded at the statement and took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll go. But if this is a trick …”
“I understand that you do not trust me. But what more can you do here? Does it not feel like your journey has ended here in Endetia?”
Seeko wondered how much Moses knew. Was he a seer? His eyes were violet … Moses was right, though. There was nothing left for him here. His mission now was to stop Yoshino. If Moses could help him with that, then he would use him to the best of his ability.
Keith cleared his throat from behind him. “What about us?” he asked.
Seeko looked to his allies and gazed upon their exhausted faces. “Why don’t you come with me?”
Keith picked up his sword and stared at his reflection in it. “After today, I’m not sure if I want to.”
Bianca shrugged and Seeko knew that meant she would follow Keith.
“Keith,” Seeko said. “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here. I’m going to need you on Earth.”
“Make your decisions quickly.” Moses looked to the ring in the sky. “It wouldn’t be in your best interests for Irenic soldiers to run into the next Halcyon emperor, Seeko.”
Mori looked to him. “What is he talking about?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Seeko said. He watched Keith, waiting for his answer. His scarf blew in the wind as he looked down off the rooftop. The Irenic continued their attack on the town below, destroying everything in their path.
“I’ve lost everything I ever had,” Keith said, watching the destruction. He sheathed his blade on his back and faced Seeko again. “I’ll go. There’s no reason everyone everywhere should have to suffer.”
He held out his hand to Seeko, who smiled and grabbed it. Bianca walked up beside him, nodding.
“We’ve already destroyed an empire. What more is there to do?” Bianca stated.
They all faced Moses, and Seeko grabbed onto Mori’s hand.
“Let’s go,” Seeko said.
Moses nodded. He waved Seeko toward the portal, and Seeko moved in that direction. Moses walked calmly to the black, spinning orb.
“Are you sure you can trust him?” Mori whispered to Seeko.
He didn’t answer, instead standing before the large oval of black and purple emptiness. Another portal to another world. How he wished he had known that the first time he touched one.
After what seemed like hours, he stepped into the black abyss. The darkness consumed him, but he could still feel Mori holding his hand.
After falling into the darkness, he suddenly stood on firm ground. Seconds later, the darkness dissipated and Seeko squinted in the coming light. When his eyes readjusted, he recognized instantly where he was.
New York.
But it was not the city as he remembered it. Everything was crumbling or in ruin. The road, littered with rusted cars, was cracked, invasive plants growing up through it. The buildings, once clean and majestic, were broken and desolate. He looked to the skyline of downtown New York. The skyscrapers that once stood proud were missing, with only a few exceptions. How long had he been gone?
Mori, Keith, and Bianca stood in shock, taking in everything, while Seeko turned his back to the city. Instead, he looked to where he was. The school? Indeed, the school stood in front of him, weathered and battered like the other buildings. Then this is … He looked to the ground. This is where I stood when I left Earth, so long ago.
Moses slammed his staff on the ground to gain everyone’s attention. “There is someone I want you four to meet, the leader of the resistance in New York.” He moved toward the school.
They went into the dark building and marched up the stairs, once so familiar, now so alien. They stopped in front of the door, which Seeko recognized as his second-hour classroom. A lifetime of difference. Moses opened the door slowly.
A single woman stood in the room. The woman was facing the window—the same one through which Seeko had watched his world end and another begin. The woman turned, slowly, noiselessly. Seeko could see that the woman had goggles on top of her head. The mystery figure approached the hero.
“Seeko. Hell of an end of the world, right?” She reached out for Seeko’s hand.
Seeko took it and smiled.
END
OF
BOOK
ONE
Epilogue: Regicide
Day 1, Year 1 of Yoshino’s Era
Yoshino strode calmly toward the Bone Fortress, eyeballing the humongous animal skull that served as the gateway. He stopped and breathed in the dusty, arid air that engulfed his entire planet.
“Good to be home,” he said, watching a giant shadow float across the ground. Yoshino moved forward, smiling as he walked between the skull’s grinning jaws.
Yoshino was still in his human form and still disheveled from his recent fight with Seeko. Yoshino did not go to Earth upon his victory. Instead, he returned to his home world, the second phase of his Perfect Anarchy already in motion.
He walked into the entrance hall where another demon waited for him. The expectant demon was also in human form, appearance strikingly similar to Yoshino’s. He waved, but Yoshino kept walking, forcing Shima to walk beside him.
“Brother,” Shima said. “Kotei Ruyaso is not in the best of moods, especially with us. We left without him knowing, and he just recently found out about the portals to Kismetia! He knows who is behind it too … I barely had enough magic left over to heal myself!”
Yoshino paused for a moment, placing a palm on his brother’s shoulder. “Shima, stop worrying for a minute.” He pointed to the doors to the throne room. “Ruyaso will soon no longer be a concern for us.”
“What do you mean? Did you find something on Kismetia or something? Something that will make him happy?”
Yoshino reached into a pocket, feeling the five necklaces there, feeling their sparks and their strength. A smile crossed his face. “Heh. I found some
thing alright.” Yoshino squinted at his brother. “What about the Syran? Do they still rebel against him? Do they still fight for us?”
“They grow discontent. But who cares about them; it’s you I’m worried about.”
Yoshino chuckled. “How human of you, Shima. Please, do not worry about me. I have it all under control.” He fingered the necklaces within his pocket.
“How can you say that? You look horrible and you’re likely marching to your death!”
“Shima, stop. Trust me for once.”
Shima turned away. “The last time I did that, with the Syran, I lost my horns. The next time, I ended up in another world! Your schemes, your plans, they have to stop!” He slumped forward, deflated. “I can’t do it again. You’re on your own, brother. I just wanted to warn you about Kotei Ruyaso.” And Shima left his brother in peace.
Yoshino watched him leave. “Sorry, but my plans will not stop. No, they have only begun.”
He quickly made his way to the throne room, where Kotei Ruyaso sat, rather uncomfortably in a throne of bone. He was in his native Akeni form, wearing the black six-pronged Titan Crown upon his horned head. His long, black claws scratched the bone throne and his gray skin contrasted with the dirty white of the room.
“Yoshino!” he barked. “Why are you here in that horrible form?”
“My lord,” Yoshino said, bowing. “I have something to show you.”
“You will do nothing of the sort! I will have you executed for this treason! For raising an army of rebellious Syran under my nose, for fleeing from the authority of your Kotei, for leading a secret invasion of another world with troops that are not yours!”
“About that … There was a plan behind all that.”
“And was it something stupid and crazy? Are you trying to become the next kotei?”
“So paranoid …” Yoshino smiled. “But you are correct. I will be kotei. My rule will be different. I’m less about order, and more about chaos, anarchy, turmoil. Your dominating rule just isn’t cutting it for me any longer.”
Ruyaso laughed, clacking his long teeth. He leaned forward in his chair. “And what are you going to do about it, puny Yoshino?”
A half smile crossed Yoshino’s face. “I never thought you’d ask.” Yoshino shifted back a step, one palm pointed at the demon king, the other clutched around the necklaces.
Then he fired a beam of brilliant white light into Ruyaso, courtesy of the Mother, who had accidently given Yoshino power over light magic when he stole the secrets of the Voice from her. The demon king bellowed as his skin incinerated off him. The beam subsided, leaving only a charred corpse.
Yoshino released the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He moved to the dais, removing the crown from the corpse. Then he kicked the carcass out of the way and sat upon the throne of bone.
He placed the crown slowly, gently, upon his own head.
The Kikoeru silenced for a moment, recognizing its new king. Then it began again, chaotic and loathsome.
Worlds away, a part-demon hero observed the Kikoeru and paled once he discovered why it had silenced.
Yoshino chuckled. “Kotei Yoshino. I could get used to that.” His laughter rebounded into the Kikoeru, and even the mighty titan demons balked in fear.
His laughter carried on, echoing through the halls of the castle, through the minds of demon-kind, and into the heart of a hero.
“It is good to be home!”
Appendix: Kismetian Calendar System
From Travels Abroad, by Chronomancer Moses
The Kismetian dating system is remarkably similar to Earth’s; the rotation of the planet is the same and so is the length of its year. The Kismetian calendar has twelve months in it, each lasting thirty days, and five days at the end that belong to no month. These final five days are for the celebration of the various Kismetian gods. Every four years, a sixth day is added to the five, dedicated to the time-travelling inventor named Moses.
The seasons are also similar to Earth seasons. Winter takes place between Shin and Agen, spring between Mir and Rynr, summer between Sheri and Mos, and autumn between Seek and Viol.
The Kismetian calendar begins its dating from the birth of the Violetta, a legendary explorer who returned to Endetia with the gift of magic. Rupture takes place in the year 112 AV, where AV stands for “After Violetta.”
Note: The dates on each chapter are the dates at the beginning of each chapter.
About the Author
When Milo isn't playing D&D or the newest Elder Scrolls, he is writing, trying to give back to the world that made him who he is today. The twenty-three year old Texan also keeps his nose in dusty old tomes that people once called “books”, even though many say they can read anything on this new-fangled “internet” nowadays. You can find Milo's internet presence at http://www.milowoods.flavors.me/ and can catch up with the Order of Chaos series at http://www.orderofchaosseries.com/.
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Order of Chaos: Book 2, Divided, Sneak Peek:
1: Sacrifice
1 Mevora 3052 3E: Day 1
Note that this may not be the final form of the chapter appearing in Divided.
Aenia was destined for something more. She knew it as she walked behind her superior yellow-skinned Terin, head bowed in deference. She following her captors willingly, not bound. The golden-skinned Terin surrounding her contrasted her gray, inferior skin. Her white robe hid the majority of her, but her hands and face were still easily visible. The sight of her drew Terin attention from all directions. She was a symbol, one used to keep peace with the gods.
For Aenia was to be executed.
It was the annual sacrificing of a substandard Vesan slave. The gods demanded it. But why only Vesan? Aenia couldn’t help but question the intent of the ritual. So long had they been thoughtlessly used to appease the gods that she forgot why.
They walked through the halls within the trunk of the tree to their destination. The vines of the walls merged into the living ground beneath her. This moving, gargantuan tree, Vorphelios, had become her home, but soon that would change. Soon everything would change.
A figure clad in black met with her earlier. He knew the Vesan were just being abused. He had told her about the lies in their tradition, how she was equal to the Terin. He told her to run. And that’s was exactly what she was going to do.
She had known the young female guard before her all her life, ever since her birth into slavery. This woman, Iessa, was the closest thing Aenia had known to a friend. Iessa was one of the few Terin who actually talked to her, even if it was with a sense of supremacy. Still, since Aenia was separated from all other Vesan slaves, she had to make do with what she had.
She hadn’t always been so questioning. The black clad figure spoke to her, warned her of mindless obedience to her superiors. He had told her that she could be so much more than what she was. And he was right.
Still, it felt wrong to disobey Iessa, to run from her. Even to save her life.
Her stomach fluttered as she continued to think about escaping. She followed the Terin guards closer and closer to her doom, shaking. She had watched countless Vesan women march to their doom in years before… why were they not shaking? Were they not scared? Did they not know they could have been something better?
Where were they taking her? Of course she couldn’t ask them. The ceremony would not occur until the moons were straight overhead, until the brighter moon Teritia eclipsed the dark moon Vesitia. Already she could see the bright moon begin to cross into Vesitia. Her time was running out.
But when Aenia willed her feet to turn, to go in any other direction, they ignored her. She could do nothing to stop herself from moving forward. The fluttering in her stomach stren
gthened, and soon she felt like she was going to throw up.
Her guards stopped before a doorway made of vines and roots. She didn’t notice them and bumped into Iessa. Iessa returned a cold stare and pointed to the door.
Aenia stood frozen. She wanted to scream that the ceremony wasn’t for another few hours, but instead she looked to her sweating hands. Then she walked into the room, head held high, but teeth clattering.
A male Terin lay before her on an elevated dais. He was young and short, but Aenia would call him attractive, if she found Terin males attractive at all. His blonde hair was parted, keeping it from his piercing blue eyes. He beckoned and the guards left him and her alone.
The Terin rose and walked to her. He looked first at Aenia’s slim face. Her violet eyes stared uncomfortably at him and her normally puckered lips thinned. Her face was framed by her black hair, which ended at her neck and curled away. The Terin circled her, examining her as if she were an animal on display. He came back around after a moment and looked her straight in the eye. “You are scared?” he said in a soft baritone.
Aenia shook her head.
“You are very… pleasant to look at,” he said, his gaze dropping. Aenia’s eyes narrowed, but she showed no other emotion to her superior. He cleared his throat. “I am Ner-Dyzely of Mergathirio Nysusi. What is your name, Vesan?” Aenia tried to find her voice, but couldn’t. “I asked you a question, slave.”
“…Aenia,” she said after a moment.
“Aenia? That doesn’t fit a slave.” He took a step closer and Aenia stepped back in retaliation. “You have some problem with obedience, slave?”
No, just with you, she thought to herself.
Dyzely took another step. This time Aenia did not step back. “Are you afraid to die?”
Aenia gulped and nodded.
Dyzely stepped back. “You were born to die here. You knew this day would come, always. Why are you afraid?”
“I do not wish to answer that question, master.”
