The Ascension
Trilogy
By David S Croxford
Copyright © 2016 David S Croxford
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
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DEDICATION
To all of my friends and family that have helped and supported this incredible journey and to those that will help with the next.
CONTENTS
UNITY
GUARDIANS
THE LAST ASCENSION
Unity
Book One of Ascension
prologue
The battle of the guardians had raged for a century, great volcanos spewed forth their molten liquid. Winds blew the trees from their strong purchase within the ground and waves washed even the rocks into sand.
The humans that lived on the lands of the world hid from the weather, surviving within the mountains that shook and in deep valley's that protected them from the elements.
The land became saturated with essence; the life force and power the guardians controlled.
When the guardians had finally settled their differences and chose to slumber the world was different, lands had shifted, humans separated by oceans and even the humans themselves had changed.
Slowly the humans left their mountains and valleys, spreading across the lands and building colonies. Each took with them the books of learning and built vast cities, monasteries and communities. But it wasn't long before the human nature of dominance began building, leaders squabbled over land as populations boomed and aggression became the main tool to settle the disputes.
The fighting spread quickly and the human numbers started plummeting as communities were destroyed and cities were wiped. The guardians were awoken by the disturbance in the essence of the world and the triplets were angry and fought each other.
They raged into the world, causing destruction and death, releasing the essence that had saturated the world and all that was living upon it, until the day that the mother awoke from her own slumber deep within then earth. She managed to stop them and send them back to sleep, but their essence had changed the humans it had been awoken within.
Some began to change, their bodies underwent a transformation, with fingers extending, bodies stretching and their skin grew tiny scales the colour of flesh.
Most humans were unaware of what was happening, as the populations began to grow once more the transformations became more apparent and then when the word spread that these transformed humans could wield essence, magic that could control the world, to their own will they became feared.
Chapter one
The dark cloak shrouded her from the daylight as she walked through the city of philosophers. Towering buildings blocked the sun with enough light managing to get through that would give her away should anyone be looking. Every person that passed went about their daily business, but she could feel their stares. The strange figure hiding behind a hood brought curiosity out of a people that craved knowledge and understanding, but nobody questioned her and she hurried on. The various scents of the chemicals being used tickled her nose and she sneezed, quickly grabbing at the hood to stop it from falling down.
With a fast-beating heart, she reached the safe house and knocked twice upon the door. The scuffing of chairs on the wooden floors sounded within the house and a few moments later the door opened to reveal an elderly man, whose white hair had been stained various colours from the use of the powders and liquids common to the practice of alchemy.
"Who is it?" said the man, his voice cracked and he looked closely with eyes that had begun to fail.
The girl looked into the street, checking that it was clear and then pulled the hood off, revealing thick blond hair and sharp features.
"It is me" she spoke softly.
A questioning look appeared on his face.
"It is Rinne," said Rinne with some urgency.
"Ah, come in child. It is far too cold to be out in the street"
Rinne entered the small house and removed the cloak. The air felt warm and stuffy with the familiar scents of cinnamon and aniseed.
"The weather is clear and warm out there father" said Rinne as she removed the cloak and hood that had hidden her.
The old man was not her real father, but he had taken her in when she lived upon the streets.
"You have it so hot in here that you wouldn't know a warm day"
Father shuffled back through the circular room, skillfully avoiding the cauldrons and flasks containing a myriad of colourful liquids, each stood on a stove bubbling away and evaporating their sweet smells. He reached a wall and knocked on it twice, a shuffling sound could be heard and then a hidden door opened, out came three people of various ages.
Rinne shuddered as the flickering light from the fires revealed the features of each person. Expressed cheek bones caused them to look gaunt and their fair coloured hair shimmered in the firelight. Even their skin seemed to sparkle and her eyes were drawn to the elongated fingers on each of their hands. There were other physical differences that separated the ascended from humans, Rinne knew all too well for the cloak only shielded her from the humans, not herself. She remembered the change.
Well on her way to becoming a great scientist, her work was gaining the notice of the right people and some even called her a genius, till the fateful day in her laboratory.
It had felt warm all morning, sleepless nights working had fatigued her and she could feel all concentration waning. Suddenly her skin seemed to set ablaze and a white light engulfed her vision, the pain was unbearable and Rinne screamed for relief.
It is unknown how long she had been trapped in the light but found herself on the floor of the laboratory, surrounded by the other scientists that worked for her. It was their faces that stuck burned within her memory.
Friends that she had worked with for years now encircled her, looks of disgust and pity consumed her and a few had even back away. It was only when she brought a hand to her face that hands unfamiliar neared eyes still heavy with tears from the pain.
Long fingers with nails that formed a slight point flexed as she told hers too and in a frantic bid to remove the sight she had shaken those gruesome hands, but they wouldn't go. Looking up again Rinne noticed that some of the people that had surrounded her had now disappeared.
"Help me" she sobbed with a voice that was not hers.
The few left whispered to one another. She had held out a hand but none there would take it and she fell into a sobbing ball on the floor.
It had not taken long before her ears registered the lab doors opening and a new set of voices began talking. Quickly Rinne recognised the dull voice of grand librarian Garan, the current leader of the Path of Philosophy.
"Explain again what happened?" his voice carried across the room and made Rinne shudder.
"We were just working in the lab and suddenly she began to scream. At first we thought that she had injured herself and then..." the voice trailed off.
"Then what?" said Garan. The voice was closer now, tears fell down her face as she sat up. The grand librarian was close now and his face was stern as his eyes travelled up and down.
"I see," he said and then turned around to leave.
"Sir" her weak voice called out.
"You know what to do with her" his words st
ung her. Two guards then entered the laboratory, keepers of the knowledge they were called and dealt with all matters of justice for the Path of Philosophy including the removal of the ascended.
Sitting in the room watching the ascended leave the safety of the secret room she felt a pang of sorrow for them. The ascended were all once humans but for an unknown reason a change occurred in a seemingly random way.
Once ascended the new beings found themselves scorned and rejected by the rest of humankind and quite often in a violent way, for their use of what was being referred to as 'Magic' frightened most people, even the enlightened minds of the philosophers refused to acknowledge their existence and chose to remove the problem rather than explore what was happening to the human race.
The first recorded ascension happened close to the end of the great war when the world had almost been destroyed by quakes and wind that blew entire villages away. So much had been lost back then, thousands of people had lost their lives and even some of the great paths of learning had faded away, knowledge and practices were forgotten.
Rinne remembered her history studies at school when growing up, not much had survived from then, the remaining paths consolidated what they still held and treaties were signed to end the violence. It took decades for the weather and land to settle once more and the human population began to grow once more.
The first ascension had caused much fear and panic and it had been a philosopher. Even when more continued to ascend the general feeling was one of fear.
Three hundred years had passed since those times, public knowledge of ascension's were now unheard of, the only signs that it still happened were the random disappearances of friends and co-workers. No one questioned the disappearances anymore. Unless you counted the occasional body found, beaten beyond recognition. Vigilantes that took matters into their own hands to remove a threat that Rinne now knew was not present.
Now Rinne sat in the safe house, with a man that had enough heart to shelter the ascended that had managed to survive or escape from those that would do them harm.
Her mind thought back to the day she ascended again, the guards had picked her up and began guiding her out of the laboratory, placing a cloak and hood over her to hide the shame. Through the streets they walked, but Rinne did not know where they headed.
'Where did they take them' Rinne had wondered. 'Take us'
Fresh tears had fallen in streams and a warmth had grown inside her body. Intense power pushed from within and down her arms. The guards were suddenly thrown away from her, crashing into the sides of buildings. Rinne had been stunned by what happened and cries from onlookers flooded her ears.
The hood then fell, revealing her new features and the street fell silent. Without a second thought, Rinne had then fled, running through the quickly clearing street. She ran and ran, pulling the hood up and soon joined the throngs of people unaware of her.
Weeks had passed, living day to day from the scraps of refuse left near the homes of once friends. When the man had approached her, his words were kind and his eyes soft. Despairing the situation Rinne had followed him and now stayed in a spare room, only leaving the house to run errands in the quiet times of day when others worked upon the path.
The other ascended sat near one of the stove pots, taking turns to stir and taste the bubbling liquid within.
'Stew again' Rinne thought with distaste. Since the change, she had to get used to new sensations including taste that had changed dramatically.
The ascended spoke in hush whispers and Rinne approached them, sending the group quickly into silence.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
They looked at each other and then the oldest turned to her.
"The path of Unity," he said.
"The path of what?" Rinne was curious.
"Unity. There are stories of a community that has denounced the following of paths. It is also rumoured that they take in the ascended"
Rinne snorted.
"Denouncing the paths. That sounds ridiculous, where did you hear that?" she asked.
"There was a visitor today; an ascended. He told us that he is travelling there to seek shelter, says that he comes from the path of Strength"
"The Path of Strength are known for killing the ascended on sight. How did he escape?"
"Claims that they let him go," said the youngest of the group. At just twelve years of age the boy known only as Jon was the youngest Rinne knew of to have ascended. A prodigy in the field of science, he could have well surpassed Rinne, but he too had ascended and found himself alone, thrown out by his father and left to die on the streets until Father had found him.
Rinne was dubious about the story that he had been let go. The Path of Strength focused upon power and violence, to allow an ascended to leave would be seen as a weakness to them. She shrugged it off and took a bowl of the steamy stew with thanks, then retreated to the room she stayed within.
The steps were uneven and she cursed as some of the stew spilled over the lip of the bowl. Reaching the top and entering the room she sighed in relief of the peace and solitude. Had it not been for the need of safety and a roof over her head, Rinne would prefer to be alone. Father's hospitality was welcomed and she liked the old man, but it was not a permanent solution and she was well aware of it.
'A community that welcomed ascended' Rinne repeated it in her mind as she sat upon the soft bed, it would have been perfect for a human, but the growth associated with the ascension caused her feet to dangle over the edge.
A candle had been lit, it sat on a table near the bed staring at the flame with an absent-minded, that threatened to consider the truth in the story.
The stew was left unfinished on the table after a few spoonfuls as she lay on the bed, blankets unneeded due to the heat of the house. Her eyes felt heavy and she allowed sleep to take over, falling into dreams that pushed the tears from her eyes.
Chapter two
Mavok brushed the dirt off of his cloak and looked to the rest of his group. All covered in dust and grime they looked weary and still the journey was not over. Once more they headed into danger.
The city of the philosophers was built with little thought to an expanding population. Buildings rose into the sky, packed together and choking the air with the smell of burning chemicals.
Mavok turned to his companions.
"Now remember, stay close and stay quiet. Under no circumstances use your powers and at the first sign of trouble just run as quick as you can back to the forest,” he said to the group.
They each nodded to him and pulled hoods over their heads to cover the ascended features that would bring them harm. They entered the city closely packed.
Mavok was nervous, so far since his journey began he had not met much support from the paths and his hope for the sanctuary was growing slim. Only more ascended joining his party pushed him ever onwards.
Their eventual goal was a community rumoured to take in ascended, but it was a long journey there and they were forced to stop to gather supplies. The more ascended that he could take with him the better, at least he hoped that it would make up for the wrongs he had committed before ascension.
The path of strength had always favoured the strong and fearless. Those that did not prove themselves were quickly removed, not only from the path but life entirely. So when the ascensions began, it was quickly decided that the abominations that defied normal life could not be allowed to live.
Mavok had risen high within the paths hierarchy, becoming a commander at a young age and quickly gained himself the title of Hero among the other warriors. Endless successful raids that secured not only supplies that kept them alive but also the women from which they bore new warriors to keep the path of strength strong.
Everything that could be wanted in a warrior could be found in Mavok, from his height to strength and strategy he was the perfect soldier. So it had been a shock to all when he had ascended during a raid.
His troop had been skirmishing
through a forest that was home to those that followed the path of nature, it was supposed to be an easy raid to secure new women for the breeding halls.
Mavok was sickened to remember the lust he held for the raid, to secure himself a new and fresh woman, but this time they were met with some resistance. The path of nature was fighting back from the safety of their trees.
The first arrows flew by the troop without warning and before they could react Mavok felt the sharp stab of an arrow pierce his leg.
He had roared with pain and fury, then shouting at his men to form up and attack. Already a few were on the floor, some writhing in agony with others not moving at all. They had been ambushed and this just helped to fuel Mavok's anger, those who remained upon their feet quickly began to scale the trees in pursuit of the attackers.
Mavok had pulled the arrow out before making his own way up the nearest tree. Spikes in their boots provided the needed grip and soon the trees were no longer safe for the naturists.
Mavok's path up the tree ended in one of the huts built by the naturists, inside he found three people each holding small daggers raised towards him. The two men fell quickly to his blade, the third was a girl that could have been no more than thirteen.
He would never forget her face, hair as blonde as the noon sun and eyes as blue as the oceans that surrounded the island. Her small dagger swiped at him, but his years of training quickly dodged the attack and disarm the girl. Thoughts of lust had flooded his mind as she fell to the floor and began cowering begging for her life. The lust grew as he straddled her, ripping the thin clothing to reveal the pale skin underneath.
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