by H.L. Nguyen
Chapter 11
The Electus Struggles
When they came back to the party, it was as lively as ever. Everyone was enjoying the party. Minstrel skipped around playing their wonderful tunes. Jester mastered the art of multitasking by walking and juggling lit torches. The wine and Ebok flowed throughout the night making sure that everyone benefited from the party. Jelly and Traveler went to the head table to find their seats, but what they found was the king missing from his throne.
“Where is King Gavel?” Jelly asked the Queen.
“Hello Jelly, do not be worried. He will be back soon. But he did ask if Traveler would join him in his chambers,” Queen Gavel said.
“Did you hear that Young Master?” Jelly said.
“Yeah, I heard it. Just show me the way,” Traveler said.
Traveler made his way to the king’s chambers. As he walked along the hallway, different portraits caught his sight. They were not pictures of past Kings or Queens. They were pictures of knights. They hung on the wall telling their stories in a nonmoving cinematic way as if they were optical illusions giving people different views. Some of them were fighting large seven-headed creatures. While others fought with demonic humans, which look as if they came from the depths of volcanic lava, with charred skin and large bloodshot eyes. One of them caught his attention. It looked like Grandpa Sands at Traveler’s age. He noticed Grandpa intricate black and silver armor, silky white cape, and sparkling silver sword. He knew he recognized the silver sword from before. Traveler was glad that he had some family resemblance. He continued down the hall thinking very highly of himself.
As he got closer to the king’s chambers, he heard loud scribbling. He turned the corner to find a woman with black hair tied up in a bun. She had on dark black glasses and wore a nice red outfit consisting of a jacket and pencil skirt. She was sitting at a large beautifully crafted wood desk.
I don’t remember seeing her when I was here the first time. Traveler thought to himself.
He stood there and watched the different events that were about to transpire.
“Sorry the king’s time is valuable. He is booked up until next month. Write back again in a month. We appreciate your letter please write again. Goodbye,” The girl said with a high-pitched attentive voice.
From faraway, she looked like she was talking to herself. As Traveler got closer, she grabbed a piece of yellowish parchment and placed it in the basket labeled OUT. Then another piece of parchment materialized from the air and landed on her desk. She looked down to read it and started to talk again. Suddenly, a white feather quill jumped out of its ink holder and started scribbling words by itself. Traveler finally figured out the quill was writing what she was saying.
“Yes, the tomatoes are ready for the public punishment...” She looked down for the response. “...No they are not big tomatoes. The best we could do is Roma. Sorry better planning on your part could have prevented this. We appreciate your letter please write again. Goodbye.”
She grabbed the letter and threw it into the basket. Then, she glanced up and noticed Traveler standing watching her. Her eyes widened as if she found her long lost friend.
“Oh hi there, you’re Traveler right?” Traveler tried to answer back. “Yeah you are, aren’t you? Oh my gosh, the whole planet is buzzing about your presence. They say you are the one,” She said in high-pitched excitement. Traveler tried to say something, but... “I hope you are the one, because I am tired of this war. It is a lot work for me. Just look at my eyes. Anyways, the king is expecting you. Please have a seat and I’ll let him know you are here.”
She picked up some pixie dust from the cup that was near her and blew them off towards the king’s door.
“Oh by the way, my name is Sandy Pepperton. I know that it doesn’t sound medieval, but I am not from around here. I get a lot of weird looks when I say my name.” She noticed the pieces of yellowish parchment next to her started to overflow a little. “Oh my gosh, a secretary work is never done. I am sorry Traveler. I can’t chit chat anymore I have to get back to work.”
Traveler shrugged his shoulders and walked over to the chairs. He noticed the pixie dust was still moving through the air in a long sparkling stream. It did a couple of loops and went through the king’s chamber doors.
This place gets weirder and cooler by the minute. Traveler thought.
“Hello General, the dwarfs are not done with the weapons. They tell me it is going to be another day...” She waited for a response. “...I am sorry, but I just relayed the information that is given to me. If you have a problem, you are more than welcome to write to them. We appreciate your letter, please write again. Goodbye,” Sandy said.
Suddenly a red piece of parchment emerged from the air and landed on her desk. “Traveler, the king is ready to see you. Please walk on in and good luck to you,” Sandy said.
The door opened without physical assistance. Traveler waved goodbye to Sandy, thinking he had made a new friend. The king quickly rose from his seat to greet Traveler. Traveler was happy to see the king, but also observed a bunch of people dressed in fancy medieval clothes leaving from the different doors.
“Traveler come in and have a seat,” The king said. “I just ended a meeting with my advisers. They tell me you have heard many rumors. You may even have questions about me.” The king sat down next to Traveler and began talking to Traveler in a soothing voice. “Do you know why you are here?”
“No I don’t, but I do believe I earned the right to have some questions answered,” Traveler said as the king nodded. “You called me an Electus from before. Is an Electus a warrior of some type?” Traveler asked.
“My young man, you have much to learn. I can tell you that Electus are the people that we use to fight against the Darthinia.”
“Are those the people you are at war against?”
“Yes Traveler, their leader is Terrorene. He was an original Elder, but got greedy with power and tried to take over the Elder Council. The other seven Elders, fed up with his ways, exiled him. He vowed revenge as he walked away from the Territory.”
“So, what does that have to do with me?”
“Terrorene got his revenge. He found a way to travel into the nearest planet that was inhabited by humans, which happens to be your Earth, and grew an army. He would enter your people’s minds and create different types of Teck inside.”
“Is a Teck a type of monster?”
“Yes. A Teck is created by Terrorene and attaches to Earth people’s minds. When that happens, they instantly appear in the realm of Codextrius and amassing in Terrorene’s army. The longer they are inside the stronger they become. Tecks can take on many forms of minor or major mental disorders such as phobias, depression, and mood disorders. When the Tecks grow stronger, they become serious mental disorders like Alzheimer, Schizophrenia, and Dissociative disorders.”
“Really? I never knew that Terrorene caused all of these mental disorders?”
“No, some of the mental disorders are very real, but the majority are not. The Elders managed to help the Electus to identify which ones to attack by making them glow.”
So that is why I saw Poppy and the rest of the people glowing. Traveler thought. “So why didn’t you attack the Darthinia before they got stronger?” Traveler said.
“The Elders didn’t know. Since Terrorene separated from the Council, they didn’t think he would be strong enough to take on the rest of the Elders. However, they were wrong and he attacked first. He came quick and strong. The attack took everyone by surprise. We didn’t even have a defense setup. This was a peaceful world. There is no need for weapons here at the time. Terrorene and his army easily captured the Center Castle. When the attack was over, they had taken over three fourths of Codextrius and the only thing that saved us that day was the cold mountain range. The Darthians don’t like the cold weather. We were able to retreat and create an army quickly.”
The king began to tear up a little.
“I was
only a kid,” The king said. “The attack killed the one I loved most in the world, my mother. My Dad lost many people because of this attack. He tried his best to protect his people, but could not. People say he died of a broken heart. So, from his death on, I vowed that when I become king, I would take back our land and restore Codextrius to its peaceful ways. I hope it is not too late.”
The king continued to stare at the ground. The story created painful memories, which caused his tears.
Too late for what? Traveler thought. “So how do Electus help?” Traveler asked.
“Electus is the only way we can fight the Tecks in earth people’s minds. If we kill them here, they dissolve into ashes and remerge in their castle. The only way to kill them is to eliminate the original Teck. However, to end the war, the ultimate goal is to slay Terrorene.”
“Can’t you slay Terrorene on Codextrius?”
“No, the Elders blocked Terrorene from entering back to Codextrius. He is trapped in Kapricia.”
“Why don’t you just enter the mind yourself?”
“We have tried that. Many of our people died traveling to your people’s minds. However, the Elders did find a way. People from your earth can travel into your own people’s mind. The Seven Elders sacrificed their body and created seven mirrors, then put their souls into them. They scattered the mirrors throughout your Earth. These mirrors are keys to traveling into the minds of your people.”
“So let me get this straight.” Traveler said. “Tecks are created by Terrorene, who is also the leader of Darthinia and used to be an Elder.” The king nodded. “The other seven Elders created these mirrors to travel into earth people’s minds.” The king nodded again. “Now, people from earth who can travel into people’s minds are called Electus and they are used to help you in your war with the Darthinia.”
“Yes, Electus have been around for a long time. Anyone that was wise before his or her time, such as child prodigies, was probably an Electus. For example, Galileo Galilei, Christopher Marlowe, Karl Benz, Lucretia Maria Davidson, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Albert Einstein they were all Electus.”
“Really?”
“Yes, and because of them, we fought back and took back half our realm, and now you are one of them. They are still stronger than us, but you may be the one to stop and end this war,” The king looked at Traveler for a moment.
“Your Highness,” Traveler said with ambition in his voice. “I just want to save my grandfather. I don’t want to be a part of this war. How do you know I am the one?”
“We don’t really know if you are the one to stop this war. However, that fire at the motel was no accident. Terrorene tried to kill you. If that is the case, you are in grave danger.”
The spoken words did more than leave Traveler with a surprised look and speechless; he realized the fire was an assassination attempt.
“We don’t know how he was able to control your people’s actions, but yes, Terrorene tried to kill you. We fear that his magic is advancing and he is getting desperate. He knows about the prophecy of the second Sun. If he tried to kill you, then you must be the one to stop the war. I believe once your Grandfather was able to connect with you, Terrorene tracked you down.”
“Wait, my grandfather connected with me and what is this Second Sun prophecy?” Traveler quickly blurted out the questions.
“Traveler, you need to calm down. I’ll answer your many questions.” The king raised his hand trying to ease Traveler’s mind. “Yes, your grandfather connected with you. While trapped in the dragon’s prison, he managed to use the rest of his magic to contact you. He knows now that it cannot wait any longer.”
So that’s why I had those visions. He said to himself.
“Wait, what did you say?” The king said.
“I said that is why I had those visions,” Traveler said.
“You need to come with me quickly,” The king said as he grabbed Traveler’s arm and dragged him out the door.
“Wait, where are we going?”
“We are going to see Sedders. We need to get those visions out of your head before Terrorene takes them away.”
“What do we need the visions for?”
“Traveler, those visions can help us find your grandfather.”
The king lugged Traveler down the hall where they reached a metal door. The king gave the metal door a series of specific knocks as if he was putting in a combination. Afterwards, the metal door opened slowly by itself.
“Is this room a safe of some kind?” Traveler asked.
“Well, I wouldn’t say so. This room belongs to Sedders. He is like a handyman where you come from,” The king said.
BOOM!
The walls shook just as they walked through the door. They witnessed a small explosion with a large cloud of gray smoke.
“Sedders, are you okay? I need to see you.”
Cough. Cough. “Yes, great successes!” Sedders said.
“Sedders!” The king said.
“Yes, my king, I will be with you once I am able to see you.”
Traveler watched the smoke dissipate and saw a brown tree-like person. He had large green spiky hair as if his hair was imitating an explosion. His brown skin looked rough like tree bark, but as he got closer, it looked smoother. He was about the same size as the king. When he got even closer, Traveler noticed his gimpy walk.
“Traveler, this is Sedders. He is from the territory of Terrala, a Terarium,” The king said.
“Do people from your land look like you do?” Traveler said with a weird look.
Sedders took a second to adjust his glasses. They were big and round. They barely fit on the bridge of his nose.
“What do you mean? I think I look like everyone else. Who’s to say I don’t look normal? What if I think you look different? I don’t even know you, but you are truly offending me right now. I was just thinking to myself - How rude can this person be? Wait, stop.”
Sedders raised his arm and held his palm in front of Traveler’s face. Then, he turned around and wrote something down on the table. “Note to self – give wits facial emotions,” Sedders mumbled to himself.
Traveler noticed Sedders’ speech pattern was extremely fast as if he needed to get his thoughts out before he forgot them. Sedders then turned back and around. He examined Traveler’s face closely. “Why are you here? I need to know why you are here. He must be a spy trying to get to my inventions.”
“Sedders! Look at me and focus,” The king said.
“I am sorry your highness. I get so worked up when I meet someone for the first time. I think everyone is out to get-”
“Sedders!”
“Sorry sire. How can I help you?”
“I need the Chaser.”
“Yes Sire, I’ll set it up,” Sedders said to the king. However, as he walked away he began to mumble again. “I can’t wait to fire this up again. It has been so long. I hope it works. I hope he doesn’t have the same result as that elf...”
“Traveler, let’s go into the next room,” The king said.
“Wait, is this going to hurt?” Traveler asked.
“I am not going to lie to you. Yes, it is going to hurt. But it is going to be over quick,” The king said.
They both walked into the next room and found a chair sitting in the middle of the room. Above, a metal bowl was attached to freestanding contraption.
“That looks like an electric chair,” Traveler said.
“What is electric?” Sedders said. “How do you know words that I don’t know about. You must be smarter than I must be. I thought I was the smartest in this territory. I can’t believe I don’t know that word.”
“Sedders quiet,” The king said.
Sedders humbly went back to setting up the machine.
“Traveler, I know I said this would hurt, but there is no need to be scared. In fact the more scared you are the more it is going to hurt. Now have a seat,” The king said.
“Yes your highness.”
Trav
eler sat in the chair while Sedders attached the metal bowl to his head.
“Okay, I am ready Sire,” Sedders said.
“Fire it up,” The king said.
There was a sudden clatter of metal and then the sounds of gears turning. Traveler felt this coldness inside his head. It had the same feeling as getting brain freeze. He grabbed the arms on the chair and began to squeeze. He tried to think about something else, but his head got colder and colder. The pain was too much. He tried to lift his arms to take off the metal bowl but he realized his arms were now tied to the chair. He started to shake as hard as he could, trying to free himself.
“Traveler, relax. It is almost done,” The king said.
“Your-r-r Highne-ne-ness. I ca-ca-n’t sssstand it. It wh-really hurtsss.”
“Just a few more seconds.”
Suddenly the whites in Traveler’s eyes turned icy blue and his body shook.
“You will never win,” Traveler said in a deep dark voice, then collapsed in the chair.
“Sedders, did you get anything! We need to hurry!” The king said.
“No. Sire. Sedders said.
“Quickly turn it off!”
Sedders pressed the red button that was near him and the machine began to wind down.
“Traveler, pull yourself together,” The king said as the chair restraints untied themselves.
Traveler eyes were still icy blue. He began to shake violently. The king grabbed him and placed him on ground.
“This has never happened before. What do we do?” The king said.
“I don’t know sire,” Sedders said.
Suddenly Traveler’s body began to arch up with his head and feet only touching the ground. He stood in midair for just a second until he crashed down. Once he hit the ground, the color returned in his eyes.
“What happen?” Traveler said.
“You passed out. But now you are okay,” The king said.
“Did you get what you need?”
The king looked at Sedders to find him shaking his head.
“I am sorry Traveler we didn’t get it. Terrorene must have removed it before we could get it. He must have set a trap of some kind.”
“Am I okay?”
“Yes, you are fine now. How about we go back and I’ll answer some more of your questions.”
“Okay.”
They both got up and left Sedders’ room. As they walked down the hallway, Traveler asked. “Your Highness, you forgot to tell me about the Prophecy.”
“I see, hmmmm, the second sun prophecy...the day you turned twelve, a second sun emerged in the sky. Before the Elders sacrifice themselves, they said when the second sun appears, a new day will come and the war will be over soon.”
“Hey, can’t you come to earth and use our weapons? We have atomic bombs, machine guns, and large tanks.”
“Traveler...let’s have a sit and I’ll explain some more.” The king had gently laughed then shook his head. They reached his chambers and took their seats. “Spoken like a warrior. Your weapons don’t work here. As the king, I know everything and I have been to your world. I have to say that it is quite loud there and I would not go back. However, I know of your guns, tanks, and bombs. Our magic can easily repel them. The Elders taught us how to take the power of light and turn it into magic we can use. We used this magic to grow food, transport items, and defend our kingdom. Since the wood and rocks are natural gifts, magic can’t affect it in any way.” The king grabbed his head and sat on his throne. “Traveler that is enough information for one day, I understand this is new to you. I promise once you start your training your questions will be answered. I just wanted to let you know why you are here. Also, I want you to accept your duties and help this kingdom. It is the only way to save your grandfather and your family. I’ll give you the night to decide.”
“Thank you, your high...” Traveler said, but was interrupted by the king’s raised hand.
“Jacob always called me Archer. I hope you can do the same.”
“Archer...I don’t know if I am ready for this.” Traveler got up from his seat and walked towards the door. Then he stopped and turned around. “But what if I die?”
“I am sorry Traveler, I can’t answer that question. Please take the night to decide.”
Traveler should have had a great night’s sleep without worrying about Jake. However, there was too much going on in his mind. He flung the sheets and hopped out of bed. He grabbed one of the candles he had on his nightstand and the candle lit up without the use of matches. However, it was not a fire light it was more of a star light; Traveler walked down the corridor. He did not know where he wanted to go, but anything was better than lying in his bed. He made his way down to the second floor by way of the spiral staircase. At the bottom of the steps, he glanced at the large double doors. He glanced at the sign ARCUS and opened the door carefully. He saw the massive amount of books filling the room. There were two floors of books. Something caught his eye in the back of the Arcus. It was a glowing parchment in a glass display near the wall. He went over to look at it and stared at the plaque. It was in Latin, so he could not read it.
He glanced behind the glass display. He noticed a large map hanging on the wall. He reached up to feel the material. It had a paper-like texture but felt more like cotton as if it was made from large sheets of money. He took a couple of steps back and revealed that it was the realm of Codextrius. However, it was not a normal map like the maps in his geography class. This one displayed many colorful lights in many different locations. He stood intently staring at the map as if an art critic would study an inspirational painting. Unexpectedly, one of the lights disappeared, as a candle’s light would by a strong gust of wind. He continued to gaze and the lights continued to disappear slowly one by one.
Suddenly, there was a soft voice behind him.
“The answers you are looking for are not in this room, Traveler.”
He turned around and saw a woman with long dirty blonde hair. She had a long green grown with gold trimmings.
“Do I know you?” Traveler asked.
“Do not be alarmed, my name is Elwyn Gavel.”
“You don’t look like the Queen, so you must be Archer’s Sister.”
“Yes, I knew I would find you here. I have to say that great minds do think alike. Your grandfather wandered to this same place on his first night.”
“Really, what was my grandfather like?”
“He was a good and kind man. He did a wonderful job, but I am sorry Traveler. I am not here to talk about your grandfather.”
Traveler stared back at the map and then back at Elwyn.
“What do the lights represent?” Traveler asked as he pointed at the map.
“Traveler, this is the map of Codextrius. The lights you see there are the souls of the individual who live on this land,” Elwyn explained.
“So what does it mean when they disappear?”
Elwyn walked over to the map and gave it a light touch.
“This map is special. When the light disappears...” Elwyn lingered in her thoughts before continuing. “It means that someone has died.”
“But how can this happen? Are we fighting right now?”
“Terrorene has found a way to steal small amounts of energy from this land and its people. He uses that energy to power his dark magic. Given enough time, he can steal your life away.”
“But I thought he was stuck in Kapricia?”
“Yes, there is a powerful crystal ball that lies in the heart of his castle center. From there, it continues to drain energy. However, we have found a way to slow down its effects and so it only concerns our aged inhabitants.”
“So people are dying as we speak.”
“Yes. But I am here for another purpose. I am here to give you this,” Elwyn said as Traveler looked down and saw a journal.
“Traveler, I gave this same book to your grandfather.” “I see the same qualities in your grandfather as I do with you. This will help yo
u with your adventures.” Traveler grabbed the journal and tried to open it. “This is not just any book. This book is made with paper made from the illuminati trees.”
“How do you open it?” Traveler asked.
“You have to open it with a key.”
“What key?”
“Once you have figured that out you can begin your journey.”
Traveler looked at Elwyn hoping to find the answers in her eyes. He loved puzzles, but this was too much.
“Traveler, get a good night rest. You have a big day tomorrow. Just remember you are never alone,” Elwyn said.
With that said, she disappeared into the air. Traveler had to blink a couple of times before he realized that she was gone. He ran towards the door and looked out to see if she was out in the hallway. She was nowhere in sight.
He looked at the book, trying one more time to pry it open. After his failed attempts, he went back to his room. He took one more look at the diminishing lights on the map and closed the door.
As Traveler turned the corner, he accidentally bumped into the king.
“Well, hello Traveler. What you are doing up so late?” Archer said.
“Umm, I couldn’t sleep. I was thinking about your offer?” Traveler said.
“Have you decided yet?”
“Well...” Traveler paused grabbed his neck and looked down at the ground hoping that would buy him some more time.
“Go on and speak,” Archer said.
“Well Your Highne-” Traveler said, as he was cutoff.
“Traveler, I have asked you to call me Archer.”
“Right. Well Archer, I want to help your kingdom. But I am worried that I would fail.”
“Well, that is a valid concern. I understand you are scared, nevertheless Traveler, we need your help. It is not proper for a king to beg, however, I can make an exception.”
Traveler smiled a little thinking about a man with his power groveling at the knees.
“Well, you don’t have to do that. I saw the map and I don’t want to see so many lives die if I can do something about it. Therefore, if you say I am the one to end to war, then I will accept your offer. In the same process, I can free my grandfather.”
“Very well,” Archer said with a soft smile. Little by little, you can feel his stress just melt away. “Just understand that you will be tested to the fullest of your abilities. The road will be a difficult one, but trust yourself and you will succeed. Jelly will escort you to get your uniform and weapons. You will be back in a week and start your training with the rest of the trainees. Once you finish with your first year, you can start entering people’s minds. Now go get some rest.”
Traveler walked away. In the back of his mind, he thought, I hope I know what I am doing.
