It had been two days since his army had arrived at the border of The Badlands and the disputed land. They had encamped just as the angel had commanded. for two days he sat upon the hilltop, watching over the disputed land and the Northwest corner of the Badlands. The sun was low in the sky behind him, and he could see the soldiers as they moved about. The boarder guards and vehicles changed, he knew why they guarded it so fiercely. It wasn't a resource that they protected but a secret, a massive stone door that could not be opened or dug around. His mind wandered to the past when his father led the campaign to erase the past and end every heretic. If it was pawer behind that door, it had to be destroyed. If it was artifacts of the old world it would be burned and buried beneath the sand. His faith had waivered, until the angel. His mind descended further into the past when he found one such door he found while leading his team near the Badlands, that turned out to be a tomb. It was a small one, no larger than a tool shed, yet his team knew it had to be destroyed. It was arrayed with gold, silver and gems of all sorts. Some was in the form of jewelry, rings necklaces, brooches, and a sword and shield made of the finest steel he had ever laid eyes on. Books and scrolls with strange writing and paintings of creatures they had come to call elves, surrounded the coffin. His team plundered the valuables for the State treasury then set fire to all that would burn. Explosives where planted, then detonated when they were a safe distance away.
It was nearly dark now, when his mind returned to the present. The soldiers had stopped scurrying about now. They had turned on flood lights, powered by nearly silent generators, and methodically walked along the boarder. The angel appeared the same as he had every other time, three sets of wings surrounding a ball of light. "Descend the hill facing the setting sun Isaiah" the booming voice emanating from the ball of light said. "Cross the boarder on the morrow and do not stop until the army has passed fully onto the soil of The Republic". With that the light, wings and voice were gone. He stood and descend the hill as the sun gave its' last rays of light for the day and sank below the horizon. That was when the cries and explosions started, he dared not look back. Just closed his eyes and said a prayer of Mercy for those that where dying.
He was awakened at sunrise the next morning by one of his generals. After a quick breakfast the army was ready to resume their march. All of their gear had been loaded into vehicles that moved behind the army along with all artillery pieces and tanks, just as the angel had instructed. He marched at the head of the army, carrying the red guidon. A his grey beard and salt and pepper hair danced across his weathered dark face to the beat of the wind. He was not sure his mind was ready to ascend the hill. After all, the angels wanton destruction waited on the other side. Yet he trusted the angels judgement, and it did not disappoint. Body parts still in their bits of uniform, vehicle parts mixed with generator pieces and everything splattered with blood. He almost looked away but, kept his face forward and continued to march with his army. Continually moving forward, hoping it would be over and they could reach the next encampment, to await the angels next command.
Mya had been reading and training for nearly a week. Every waking minute was dedicated to her training. Her teacher was sitting across the small table from her scribbling and mumbling. While she was reading new techniques for her sword play. Though they were not new, mere improvements to what she already knew. As she read her body remembered Teacher's stick finding gaps in her guard and her attack stances, lessons she was grateful for. Her body was less so, as even days later the welts still hurt. Though even they didn't sting as bad as the dream that kept creeping into her mind, so she continued to read hoping it would go away. When it finally became too much to take, she raised her head "Teacher? how much longer will training take? Although I am grateful for you lessons, Alex and Mykel are still in danger." The old man stops his scribbling and mumbling to look up at her. His eyebrows raise slightly as if he wanted to ask a question. "Which one is Alex?" "The one that is staying with MaMa." "Oh! that makes sense, he is the youngest after all." "His name isn't Alex is it?" "No! It is Ezra and his twin is Ezekai." "I had a dream about them the past few nights, it starts with a bright light then they are either dead or someone else approaches me saying he is Alex." Teacher leans back in his chair and begins to stroke his grey beard. "Their bodies will die, yet they will be reborn until she lets them come home." "They will be reborn?" "Yes, although they will never remember the past life that they had, part of their punishment, that is why they can not remember their names." "How long were they in eternity before their exile?" "It's hard to put an exact number on it, they were still boys. Forgetting is actually a kindness, it was their crime that saw to their exile. A very painful memory if they ever had to remember." "Would you tell me?" He leans closer to her from across the table, dragging his beard across his book with fresh scribbles. "Only if you truly wish to know" he says nearly in a whisper. Mya only nods as she stares into his weathered green eyes. "Very well" he says leaning back and stroking his beard once more.
"It was after their brother Erikk had conquered the thirteen jeweled cities and named his father as king of all Eternity. At his coronation Erikk presented his father with the finest weapons and armor from the conquered, as well as the armies to protect their new king and queen. To his mother he presented the largest of the gems taken from each city except the city of dust. For them, dust was fashioned into bricks and a statue was built in her honor. Yet that was not the greatest gift given that day, to the people the new king and queen presented two twin boys. With their now only being one ruling family, I was allowed to focus my efforts, and was able to teach them quite quickly, though their failing is mine as well. Seeing no way to gain the respect and glory that their brother had won, they snuck out of the palace one evening and traveled to the scourged lands to confront their brother. They where unprepared, so he forgave them and sent them back home, yet they earned the ire of The Great Widow that day. It was the second slight from his family that she had to endure, the first being the excluding of her children from ever taking the throne that they had fought so hard to obtain for them. Yet she loved Erikk, and he was content to be with her and their children, so she was content to wait. Sometime later Nero came demanding vengeance for the death of Thul, he was met only with a unified army. The gods are much more powerful than any single army, yet this one was all of eternity. They won, for a time, once they began to lose ground, Erikk was called upon to save the kingdom he had helped build. He felt the best way was to try and face down a god on his own, after all, if you have something to defend it makes you stronger. Nero was wounded, yet Erikk was more so, his body was carried to the steps of the palace, the whole of the army giving way for the prize he carried. Erikk was thrown on the steps and Nero raided the castle, killing everyone inside except the two wolf cubs. The Great Widow was very worthful with the army when she heard of how they parted for Nero and let their prince fight alone. When the wolf cubs told the people of what Nero had done, Erikk was named the new king of Eternity, though he lay on his deathbed. As the new queen, she banished the cubs and stayed beside her husband until he succumb to his wounds. That is the shortened version of it, but that is the story." "So that is how they are here?" "No, they are here because he is here, that is a slightly longer story, I have a feeling he will tell you himself soon." Mya began to ask another question when the ground began to shake and the walls of the cave began to crack. Teacher said nothing as he jumped up, grabbed her arm and drug her out of the cave.
Mya gripped her sword handle as she nearly doubled over from coughing. It was bright outside, too bright she felt. She looked toward MaMa's hut to see a light descending upon it. She looked over at Teacher who was looking at it, without saying a thing he began sprinting toward the hut. She struggled to keep up but, the closer they got the slower he was running, when she finally caught up to him she found out why. He was balling his hands together whispering something, nearly mumbling. When they got close to the hut, he stopped suddenly and threw his hands out making open palms and unleashing a ball of fire, hitting the light and knocking it away. Grabbing Mya's arm he nearly yelled " Take Alex and go, as fast as you can" "What about you?" "Oh she can't kill me" "She?" Mya asked before Teacher flung her forward toward the hut. Nearly stumbling Mya reached the door and was greeted with Alex staring her in the face. She nearly began to cry before he jumped at her and threw his arms around her. She put him down and brushed the hair from his face and smiled at him. MaMa interrupted as she barreled toward the door nearly throwing Mya's bag and Barret at her. "No time child, you have to go now!" MaMa said with an urgency that made Mya grab Alex's hand and pulled him toward the beach. It had taken her nearly two hours to walk, yet only twenty of sprinting. They reached the beach in time to see Teacher unleash another fireball at the bright light, to which this time it dodged. An arrow the size of a sword flew next, from behind them. This the light did not doge, then they turned around to see MaMa wielding an enormous bow an knocking another arrow preparing to fire. "Through here, quickly" the voice of Teacher said as they looked over and saw him standing beside a portal. "This will get you to where you need to go, however where that is, I do not know." "Come with us, I will always need a teacher." He smiled at her very warmly "We will hold her off, she came for him, protect him." she nods and gives him a hug that he returns. Then she whispers into his ear "thank you, for everything," then she reaches for Alex's hand again. They nearly walk through the portal when Alex turns around and yells "Thank you MaMa", the old troll takes her eyes off her target to look at him and replies "Take care of yourself, and her" they nod and smile at each other and she lines her shot up again and fires. The arrow is blocked and it falls into the ocean. Mya grips Alex's hand and they both step through the portal.