The Corin Chronicles Volume I: The Light and the Dark (46 page)

5.12

F
REEDOM

R
amon used what little dry cloth they had left to bandage Topenga’s wounds. Then he left the Colonoy to rest and walked across the cave to the burnt body of Mikael. He knelt down and held the remains of his friend, which were little more than ashes and bone. He wiped a tear from his eye. “Your sacrifice was not in vain, my brother,” he said softly. “It is only because of your courage that we are victorious. I will make sure your name is remembered forever.”

After a few moments, Ramon rose to his feet. He stomped toward the dead Noboro and dislodged the Sword of Corin from its body. Topenga immediately appeared beside him, seemingly able to walk, albeit with much discomfort.

Following a nod toward the Colonoy, Ramon wiped the Noboro’s blood from the sword on his thigh and sheathed the blade. Resting the Colonoy’s left arm around his shoulder, Ramon approached the last door on the left, where a shuffling noise could be heard. The prince firmly held on to the Sword of Corin, approaching cautiously.

The entrance remained dark and dingy, covered with thick vines. The natural light within the room seemed faded, but he could make out the shadows of three very small men.

“Please come closer, Prince Ramon,” said a frail voice from within the shadows.

“Who goes there?” Ramon asked, with an air of caution. “And how do you know my name?”

A second frail voice said, “But we know everything about you, Great Prince, soon to be king of Corin.”

“What do you mean ‘soon to be king’? My father, King Oncelot, is the true ruler of Corin.”

A barrage of laughter came from the cave, and it became progressively louder, angering Ramon.

“Prince Ramon, your father has led Corin through a difficult period, but we need a warrior, someone such as you, with the bravery to fight and defeat the most feared of Auphora’s protectors. The fact that you did it with some help does not make it any less of a feat.”

“Help?” asked the bemused prince.

“You did not think the Tree of the Cosmos appeared by itself, did you? Or the Sword of Corin, or the Rocalls that guided you through the forests of the Dark World? We have observed everything, Prince Ramon. The gods have been watching over you this whole time, and you have shown a maturity beyond your years. I believe your time to rule will come sooner than you think.”

“So Master Nitiri was right,” Ramon said, under his breath.

“What words do you speak, young prince?” asked the first voice.

Ramon shifted uneasily, slowly edging toward the door. “I speak only to myself, Great Ones.” He paused for a second. “I know not, however, why the gods favor me. Why am I so special?”

“Do not be foolish, boy!” shouted one of the voices. “You are a descendent of Madoron. You are more than just a mere mortal. The gods of Corin only protect you from Auphora. Many of the obstacles you faced were placed upon you by The God of Gods himself. Even now, he meddles in the affairs of Corin. Our gods simply balanced the odds.”

Ramon edged even further. “So the explosion after the emergence of the burning tree,” he said. “The beasts we met, the serpent, the Kronos… Auphora placed them in our path intentionally?”

The laughter returned once more, along with Ramon’s anger. “Of course he did. Your quest carries with it a great risk to him. He could not see you succeed. Yet you did succeed.”

Ramon faced Topenga, who looked at him with blank, expressionless eyes. Glancing toward the door, he took a step backward. “You have watched over me and intervened on my behalf. For that I thank you. But you have seen me, and I have not seen you. Show yourselves,” Ramon demanded.

Within a few seconds, the sound of very small footsteps could be heard, as the three shadows came closer to the entrance of the door, and the Philosophers finally emerged. They were as he always imagined, short with long, white beards that trailed the floor when they walked. In fact, they bore a slight resemblance to Abaros, though they were even shorter and far less stocky. The only surprise was their eyes, which were white as day. Each one of the three wise men stepped forward and introduced themselves.

“Greetings, young prince. I am Smina,” said the first Philosopher. He wore a filthy and ragged red tunic over his tiny frame.

“And I am Corinthus,” said the second wise man. He wore a dull green tunic and had a darker complexion.

“I am Copelcius, the oldest and wisest,” said the last of the trio. He stood with a more assertive posture. His black tunic was covered in dust.

“Your…your eyes,” stuttered the prince, trying to find the words to say. “You are all—”

“Blind?” interrupted Smina. “Of course we are blind. We have been here for five thousand years in darkness. But while we cannot see the finer details of your face, we can still see you standing there. Our vision has little to do with the eyes you see. We have the power of foresight, and we know why you have come.”

Ramon again glanced at Topenga before approaching the three Philosophers.

The wise men fully emerged from the dark room that had imprisoned them and stood within the large cavern, running their hands across the lifeless bodies of the Noboros.

“What a feat you have achieved here, young prince,” said Corinthus. “Many have fallen at the hands of these fierce creatures, yet you defeated them. This will go down in history as the day a prince of Corin mocked the god Auphora himself.”

Ramon approached the wise men and sat down on the ground next to them. “I was sent here with the belief that you can help our planet, and I have sacrificed three of my best friends. I remember not the last day I slept without fear piercing through my bones, and all I have is the three of you telling me what a great feat I have achieved. I want answers—I demand answers. How do we find a human host to bring back one of the hyper lords?” He trembled as he spoke.

“In time, young prince,” said Smina. “First, we need to go back to the Light World. For too long have we been in darkness. We want to experience daylight again. We want to see flowers grow in the sunlight. We want to hear children playing in the courtyards. And we want to see a mother’s pride when her son utters his first word. When we get to experience all these things, we shall tell you and your king everything.”

“It will not be an easy trip.” Topenga said dryly. “We no longer have the fire substance to burn the flames that will keep the Kronos at bay, and the path back to the Swamp of Ismail is far too dangerous.”

Once again, all three of the wise men laughed uncontrollably, leaving Ramon and Topenga with confused looks on their faces.

“You did not think we would rely on you to take us all the way across the Dark World, did you?” asked Copelcius.

“I do not understand,” Ramon said, rising to his feet.

“Do you know what this is?” asked Corinthus. He pulled out a large, glass ball with clear beads inside it.

“No, what is that?” Ramon spoke with a look of bewilderment.

“This, my young prince, is what we call the ‘Ball of Life.’ Believed to have been destroyed before our confinement, its existence has been hidden for thousands of years, even from Auphora. He who possesses this can go anywhere in the galaxy, or bring anybody hither.”

“But surely with that, you could have escaped your confines long ago,” said the prince, concentrating on the ball.

“Indeed, my young prince,” said Copelcius, clearing his throat. “But while the Ball of Life is all powerful, it has no effect within these caves, other than to see what others cannot. The curse placed on Sena by Auphora’s witches continues to absorb the ball’s power.”

Ramon frowned. “So once we leave this place,” he said, “do you mean to imply that it is possible for that ball to take us to the Light World?”

“It could take us right into your father’s chambers, if you wished,” replied Smina, with a small smile.

Ramon sighed. “So the stories of you are indeed true. You can move across the galaxy seamlessly. I think it is time I took all three of you home, back to the light.”

“Lead the way, young prince.” Copelcius said. Then all three Philosophers followed Ramon and Topenga, who assisted the wise men, as they made their exit from the cursed Cave of Sena.

Reaching the entrance, Topenga shrugged and looked at the Philosophers. “So what now?” he asked.

“Give me your hand, young prince,” said Corinthus. He stretched out his left hand, while holding the Ball of Life with the other.

Ramon walked forward and calmly put his hand on top of the outstretched hand of the wise man. The other two Philosophers followed suit and held on tightly, before motioning Topenga to join them.

“I feel nothing,” Ramon said.

“Patience, my young prince,” replied Smina. He focused on Corinthus, who appeared to have entered a trance, with his eyes shut.

Copelcius and Smina joined their companion by also closing their eyes, and then Prince Ramon and Topenga did the same. For a time, Ramon felt nothing whatsoever. But in a flash, his knees seemed to tremble, the foundation upon which he stood felt nonexistent, and a fantastic bright light crept into his senses.

5.13

T
HE
P
ROPHECY

I
n the city of Tustodes, many months had gone by without a sign of Prince Ramon and his companions. As each week passed without word, everyone in the royal household became increasingly anxious. They did not know what the lack of any kind of sign meant. Some whispers across the land suggested that the mere act of trying to rescue prisoners of Auphora had so angered the God of Gods that the soldiers were struck down as soon as they entered the Dark World. Other murmurings concluded that, like so many before them, the warriors did not make it past the great desert.

Thoughts such as these consumed Queen Mariam. She felt helpless and frightened for her only son. Although she preferred his quest to the Dark World over the sacrifice of his soul to a hyper lord, she cursed the day her husband let the bloodlust of Abaros push him into entertaining the very notion of resurrecting their fallen gods.

With the long absence of Ramon, King Oncelot planned to resume the sacrifices, and Tustodes simmered in tension. People from nearby cities of Frinos, Cracus, and Dospel, and even some from the more distant villages and towns, made the long journey to witness the historic day, bearing offerings for the gods.

On the royal platform of the palace courtyard sat the king, his wife, and their daughter, Princess Alexis, who had never ceased worrying about the welfare of her brother. The entire council, with the exception of Abaros, was interspersed between the crowds. The ever-elusive Abaros wandered close to the royal family, with his seat just a few yards behind theirs. Directly before King Oncelot, covered from head to toe in thick silver armor, stood the five trembling young men being offered for sacrifice.

With the start of the ceremony imminent, the royal horns abruptly sounded, shaking the palace. The king did not immediately realize the significance of the interruption, but the horns continuously blew louder. A great number of people began looking across the balcony toward the path leading to the castle, for a trail of dust suddenly cleared, revealing five Ikrenums approaching the castle.

“The prince returns! The prince returns!” shouted a number of people in the castle.

Suddenly, mass hysteria gripped the entire place. King Oncelot’s emotions soared at the thought of his only son returning from such a perilous mission unharmed. His wife, in tears of joy, clung tightly to her daughter. The members of the council scampered around, desperate to get a closer look at the unfolding events. Yet Abaros, as ever, maintained his composure, watching the proceedings carefully.

As the Ikrenums came closer, the gates swung open, and the crowd rapidly moved to the edges of the royal path, making way for the returning party. The loud roar of the Ikrenums grew louder, and everyone waited with bated breath to see what would come through the royal gates.

As the first Ikrenum entered the gates, the crowd saw the familiar face of Prince Ramon, who led the riders. The crowd erupted into a frenzy of cheers, and the king embraced his queen. But Abaros remained emotionless. He waited to see the rest of the party.

The entrance of Topenga on the second Ikrenum brought forth more cheers, but the last three Ikrenums evoked a different reaction. The crowd looked on, going silent, as before their eyes stood the only living servants to their eternal god, Baran. The cheers of the crowd changed to murmurs of shock and amazement. A number of onlookers dropped to their knees and prostrated before the three wise men. Others prayed nervously. But most, realizing they were in the presence of the Philosophers, could only stand in complete silence.

Finally, Abaros stood and came alongside the king.

The Ikrenums continued progressing at a slow pace, and the spectators used the opportunity to get a closer look at the legendary disciples of their great god. Prince Ramon halted his transporter a few yards in front of the royal steps and dismounted. He walked up the stairs, stopping halfway up to address the crowd.