Authors: Doug Backus
“
The Balance of Five, the sustenance of life, the survival of each planet, really depends on the balance of positive or good energy versus negative or bad energy. Both types of energy are created by us, by our souls. It is a balance, one that is a struggle for many of our worlds. If the negative energy becomes the primary energy of any given world, then that world will eventually cease to exist. Slowly but surely, the planet will be unable to sustain itself. Earthquakes, floods, tsunamis and tornados will make way for total annihilation. You may have already observed these things becoming more frequent on Earth.
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It was why the Order was created, the Order that Solharn was a part of. We helped maintain that balance, and helped the inhabitants down the right path creating the positive energy that would maintain the planet and feed their souls. We, the Order, created religion as a way of keeping mankind on the right path. We designed it to provide a simplistic understanding of where we came from and a simple guide on how to live one’s life. Religion worked. It served its purpose as it was meant to, but then to some degree, it took a turn for the worse. We learned far too late that Solharn had been meddling with religion for centuries. He convinced many leaders that religion could be used to manipulate people, to provide a faucet of money that would never run dry. Thus, some people began to use religion to make themselves powerful and rich. Solharn also turned different religions against each other. For many, religion became an excuse, a reason to fight wars and to kill one another. Some used its powerful message to gain great wealth and power by manipulating the people who truly believed. Solharn was instrumental in creating this religious dissension. He knew that if religion was followed worldwide, and if people followed it the way it was meant, then there would be peace and harmony amongst them. That would not work in his favor and so he pitted religions against each other. It created hatred, anger and greed which led to wars and violence, all in the name of religion. By the time the Order learned of his treachery, it was too late. We worked endlessly to instill the true meaning of religion, and were successful to some degree, but the damage was already done. Even today religion is used by many to create wars and to gain wealth and power.
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Despite Solharn’s efforts to undermine it, the balance remained intact, mainly because most still followed the right path. Positive energy still exceeded negative, but Solharn’s influence is steadily undermining this balance. You see, when a person’s vessel or body gives way to time, their souls become one. Positive energy moves on to form other life forces. Some call this reincarnation. This maintains the balance on each world, recycling the positive energy. Negative energy is cast out, sent to the Black Abyss.
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As you know, prior to Solharn being cast into the abyss, he managed to create a Blackpool on each world that would allow him to return to the planets. He did return, and by that time he had learned to manipulate the negative energy from the abyss. He was able to control it, using himself as the vessel. It created problems for all the worlds. Wars, unrest, violence and catastrophic storms occurred, but that was not enough for him. He wanted complete control, complete power and to have that he had to learn how to harness the positive energy. I didn’t think it possible, but he did it. He devised a way to steal a person’s very soul by entrapping it. Once he accomplished that he controlled that person’s energy and used it to his advantage. This enabled him to tip the balance. By entrapping the positive energy he could use the elements to destroy the worlds. As we speak, he is slowly creating an imbalance where there will not be enough positive energy to combat the negative.”
Deke
was stunned. Had all of their struggles been for nothing? “Elissa, how are we to fight Solharn if he changes positive energy to negative? If he can steal one’s soul, it’s only a matter of time before he wins. We can’t even destroy him. He is or was part of the Order, your Order.”
“This is why you have to know where Solharn’s
power comes from Deke. We could not rush into a battle with him unless you all understood this. It is true, he cannot be destroyed. He must be sent back to the abyss, and the Blackpools destroyed. The Blackpools are the very foundation behind his plan to destroy the Balance. Without them he cannot return from the Black Abyss.”
“But how
do we destroy the Blackpools?” asked Deo.
“By usin
g his own weapon against him,” answered Elissa.
“The energy?” Deke chimed in.
“Exactly! You see Solharn has merely entrapped the positive energy, the souls of the unfortunate. He does not realize that he cannot change a person’s soul or change a person’s path. He can enslave it but he cannot change who they are and what they represent. Good energy, positive energy will always be, just that. It cannot be reversed.”
“So, to defeat Solharn, we have to
free the souls he holds hostage,” Deke exclaimed.
Elissa nodded
. “Exactly Deke. Now, we are running out of time. All of you listen carefully. You must do exactly as I say!”
While the celebration of victory continued, Kaelyn made her way over to find Oisin. She assumed that he wouldn’t be far from Phanthus. She had heard that the two had just been through a harrowing experience. They were probably celebrating their victory.
Phanthus was not hard to spot and she hurriedly cut through the crowd in his direction. When she drew near the dragon her heart sank. He did not have to tell her what had become of Oisin. She could see it in his face.
“Phanthus?” Kaelyn said trying to hold back her tears.
“I am sorry, Kaelyn. He would not leave. Even when he was the last one standing, he refused to go. He stood there fighting an impossible battle knowing that he would probably not come out alive, but he would not allow me to die alone. In the end, it was me that lived and he who died,” Phanthus sadly responded.
“Where is he?” she asked, struggling to keep her composure.
Phanthus looked behind him bowing his head. “Over there, Kaelyn.”
She looked in the direction Phanthus indicated. She couldn’t see him, only Orulla who must have been standing over him, with her head bowed down. She had placed his sword in the ground above his h
ead. This was a sign of respect in Leal to a fallen soldier. The sword would remain embedded in the ground for eternity marking the spot where a warrior of Leal died protecting others from the ravages of evil.
Kaelyn ambled over to him unable to hold her tears back. She had already lost Palvoy, the person she loved and now she had lost a true friend, a friend that Palvoy had died trying to protect and one that she truly admired.
Kaelyn put her hand upon Orulla who was still weeping before getting down on one knee beside Oisin.
Her voice was broken while she spoke her last few words to her friend
. “I will miss you, Oisin. You were a true Lealian and you were true to others...to me...goodbye.”
Her crying
would not allow her to say anything else, so she did what any Lealian soldier would do for another. She placed her hand upon his face, closed her eyes and prayed that his soul would find the afterlife and find it well.
She had done this many times before
, but this time she would not finish the prayer for she could feel something upon the palm of her hand. Ever so slightly she felt warm air tickling it. She pulled it back in shock.
“Orulla, Oisin breathes!” she yelled.
“Kaelyn, it is impossible with the wounds he has suffered. His chest alone was penetrated by three swords,” Orulla responded.
“I know, Orulla. I know, but he is breathing! Look, look at the wounds on his chest. They are slowly closing, healing. I would not believe it if I was not here to witness it myself. Phanthus! Phan
thus! Come here! Quickly!”
“What is it, Kaelyn?” asked Phanthus.
“He lives, Phanthus!” she excitedly yelled.
Phanthus couldn’t believe it, but it was happening right before him. The wounds Oisin suffered were slowly healing. Before long hi
s eyes opened and he spoke.
“Phanthus, Kaelyn
. What happened?” asked Oisin.
Phanthus was momentarily at a loss for wor
ds. The legends told by the Ancients were true. He would explain it to them in time, but for now he simply wanted to say his thanks for his life.
“To Oisin, may he live long in the comforts that Rhol
will soon be able to offer him!” yelled Phanthus.
A great cheer could be heard across Solace but the jubilation would not last long. Through the stormy weather a Pegapire appeared in the distance carrying a Lealian warrior.
“Look!” cried Kaelyn. “It is Palto and Jayden!” More cheers rang out from the crowd that ran to embrace them as they landed but there would be no time for pleasantries. Palto immediately called for all the leaders. In minutes they gathered around him and Jayden.
“W
e have managed to hold the Phits down to the swamps. Our small army still engages them as we speak. We left the battle out of urgency to warn you of what approaches, of what we believe Solharn controls, and what will quite possibly destroy Rhol if he is not stopped. We can only hope that the boy was able to free Elissa’s bonds, but it is looking dismal.”
“Has she been found
, Palto?” asked Phanthus.
“Yes, but Solharn’s hold on her was more powerful than anyone thought. The boy of earth and his friends are doing what they can. Unfortunately, we cannot wait. If she is not freed then we will have to fight Solharn ourselves. The boy seems to possess powers which are beyond us. We can only hope they are enough to help us defeat Solharn. In the event they are not, we must preserve as much life as we can. Solharn has created great storms which
are making their way across Rhol. They destroy everything in their path. Tornados, lightning storms and torrential rains threaten to destroy us all. The storm you have been fighting in is but a mere glimpse of what is coming. Its full force will reach Solace in a short time. It has already devastated much of Rhol.”
“What are we to do Palto?” Kaelyn asked.
“We have to get as many people as we can into the tunnels that lead to the Sacred Realm. It will be their only chance of survival. Issa, the Pegapires must work quickly. We must fly them to the entrance before it is too late.”
“Over there!” shouted a Lealian warrior.
Behind them a string of tornados, huge cycling torrents of wind, moved in over the mountains gathering size and speed as they devoured everything in their path.
“Quickly, gather everyone you can. Time is running out!” Palto yelled.
The Pegapires worked at a ferocious pace to get as many as possible to safety. If not for Phanthus they would not have been able to save everybody. He was able to carry great numbers on his back each time, giving them the advantage over the storm they needed.
Despite this, Palto’s spirits were low. He looked out over the cliffs onto
Solace. So many had fought so valiantly and died for their cause. It pained him to think it might have all been in vain. It was hard not to give up in defeat as he watched the beauty of Solace being torn to shreds at the hands of Solharn. It looked glum even for the people they managed to get to safety. What life would they lead in a world in which they were at Solharn’s disposal?
“Where is your young rider
, Palto?” asked Phanthus.
“He is with Kaelyn and the others. They are eagerly waiting for me to instruct them of our next move. I needed some time alone.”
“I am sorry to interrupt,” responded Phanthus as he turned to walk away.
“It is alright Phanthus. It is good to have someone beside me that has been around for even longer than I.”
“You look as though your thoughts are troubling you, Palto.”
Palto did not respond, he merely continued staring ahead, watching as the storm grew larger gaining strength as it neared them.
“You and I have been around for centuries Palto. We have seen many things in our time. Things that one should never see, the extinction of a race, the struggle between good and evil, the struggle over power, over land that in the end was ours to nurture and protect. We have survived wars and hatred. We have fought against each other, killed for mere pieces of this world in a trivial struggle to cement our places in time. Yet, we always had one thing in common. We all lived here on Rhol. It is our world. We have come a long way Palto, for today we all fight together. We fight as one to protect what we have always cherished. I have seen things today that I never thought possible, new friendships forged. Perhaps today is our last day, but we will end our lives together, as one. It was not for nothing, Palto. It was for everything we should have been and are now.”
“Your words, they are both heartfelt and true Phanthus and you are right.
Solharn tried to tear us apart, and instead he has brought us together, and we will remain together as one, for Rhol. Let us end this.”
Palto walked over to Jayden who was involved in a deep conversation with Kaelyn and Issa. Orulla and Oisin were also present along with Solko and Duffy. Phanthus slowly walked up behind them.