Akriod fell from the sky, his body exhausted by the air, and hit the ground with a thunderous impact.
Despite the force of the impact, his bones were not affected. He was lying on the ground in the middle of the debris between the huge rocks, and the dark robe he was wearing flew away, revealing his face with the dimple under his left eye, his blond hair reaching his ears, and his white clothes were dirty.
His breathing was heavy, a result of the impact that had triggered the pain that was already in his chest and had led him to this state. The followers who had descended from the sky like arrows surrounded him from all sides; the crowd of 10 people were like dark ghosts with their dark robes.
"Don't come near him," someone shouted in a commanding tone, causing everyone to stifle the attack they were about to make.
Another took a step forward, his tone tinged with anger: "You traitor."
"Did you expect to get away so easily, you scum?"
"Look at your miserable state, you fool."
The words of mockery and contempt were repeated, sharp as knives. Akriod, on the other hand, did not utter a word; he remained silent and calm.
His eyes were fixed on the cloudy sky, although the fall from a mile high did not affect him, but the ecstasy of feeling calm among the crowd standing on the huge stones gave him the opportunity to take advantage of these seconds to rest his mind before the fall of a huge body whose shadow appeared in the sky with the lightning that shook the place.
- -
Ackriod was the man who bore secrets known to no one else, the sole surviving knight of the hundred holy knights who perished in the mysterious destruction of the great capital of Arkan.
His decision to follow his road to eternal damnation was not solely based on the 30 years he had lived. It was also rooted in the knowledge he had gained from the spiritual book, a legacy of his exiled clan executed 25 years earlier. This knowledge had enabled him to reach this stage.
In a life where pleasures stand at the top of the pyramid of goals, Akriod, from his earliest awareness, saw his goal clearly and made plans to reach the starting point where he would begin his journey toward his highest desire.
Optimistic about the coming of that day when his existence will perish and he will return to the original state of lifelessness.
But his fate is determined here, either life that leads him to the beginning of his road or destruction that ends it.
- -
His thoughts were dispelled by the sound of the wind carrying them away as a large ship appeared in the sky between the clouds. Its two massive propellers slowed down beneath it as it slowly descended to the vast, empty land.
"The deputy sect leader has arrived, " One of them said, alerting his companions to prepare for their leader's descent.
The flying ship landed with its great size, and the followers who descended from it lined up at a huge speed, while those who surrounded Akriod had their eyes fixed on the ship that opened its huge door from which came out a wooden staircase extending towards the ground.
With heavy steps, he slowly descended the stairs. A man of great build, covered by a white robe that wrapped his body majestically, a thick beard reaching his chest, but the upper half of his face was hidden under the cover of the white robe.
When he reached the ground, one of the followers whispered to his companion: "The Great Vice Leader himself…"
He paid no attention to their whispers. He raised his head, his eyes fixed on the fallen Akriod right in front of him.
"For fifty years, no one has dared to betray the leader." His voice was deep, due to his advanced age. He removed the hood from his head with his right hand with metal fingers, revealing a pale, wrinkled face, with a tattoo engraved with the number "10" below his left eye.
"You know why?... Because the Star Sect Leader is a man whose betrayal is untested, anyone who thought of it met their fate before they could achieve their goal."
Akriod slowly raised his head, his eyes staring at the man blankly. Then he spoke in a hoarse tone, "So?"
One of the followers stepped forward in obvious anger, "You insolent!" but the man stopped him with a quick wave of his left hand.
He took a step towards Akriod and said with a calm mixture of sternness and sorrow, "Why did you steal the Jewel of Order, Ryudas?"
"You don't need to know," Akriod said with a sarcastic smile, which only made the man angrier.
He turned with firm steps and said, "Hand over the jewel of the order and die to atone for your sin," and left without caring, not waiting for answers from the traitorous follower.
The followers turned towards him, their gazes filled with mockery and contempt.
"The last one I thought would betray us was you; how ironic."
"Ryudas, you bastard, did you expect to escape from the sect! "
"Hurry up! Get out what you stole; you won't get an easier death than this."
Their wicked smiles reflected their gloating pleasure in crushing those weaker than themselves, but Akriod slowly pulled his hand out of the pocket of his fallen robe. A golden stone appeared, but a sudden light emanated from Akriod's heart, so strong that everyone covered their eyes for a moment.
The radiant halo of light quickly receded and disappeared. "What happened?" They saw the golden stone in his palm, bright, with nothing else strange happening.
"What a poor trick," One of them stepped forward, quickly snatching the stone, but the next moment he froze in place, his eyes wide in surprise.
The astonished crowd noticed as well; when the follower touched Ruedas' face, his body gradually began to evaporate like coal, and the golden stone broke as his hand evaporated.
One of them shouted, "The scoundrel killed himself!"
* *
He woke up with his eyes slowly opening, a cool breeze blowing through his grey hair that had flown, to see himself facing his reflection in the straight mirror. A different face! A different body! A mature young man with grey hair and a stern gaze staring at himself.
In a low voice, his hair flying, he said to himself, "I think… I'm in the future now."