"The cold came early in Asteria, and so did the darkness..."
Amphitrion’s chronicling
Amphitrion’s chronicling
9203, year of the Dragon Star
15th year of Chronos’ dominion
Somewhere near a lake…
The boy pulls his head out of the water. He lets his body fall back and delves into the fresh mud created by last night’s heavy rain. It’s around midday and the green and blue suns shine bright. Five feet from the lake, the brown colour of the mud changes into an endless green and his head is resting on its start. He feels the tips of the short green grass getting mixed with his long golden hair and teasing the back of his skull. The smell of the fresh earth reaches his nostrils that make a motion of approval.
The creature comes next to him and licks the boy’s nose with its long purple flat tongue.
“Tselios stop that. You are drooling all over me”. A joyful bark and heavy breathing over the boy’s head, comes as a response. “Mangaloes are really stupid creatures” the boy mutters and wipes the drool off his face. Tselios turns his face on the ground with a sad growl. The boy throws a fast glance at the creature’s sad face. “I still love you, you silly beast” and rubs Tselios nose with his muddy hand. The giant grey furry mass barks again joyfully licking his master’s ear. Short neck, pointy ears, big round red eyes, sharp ivory teeth, eight feet tall, twenty feet long; Mangaloes are indeed strange creatures but the kind that never leaves your side.
Suddenly he feels his legs being pulled down the deep purple waters of the lake. Two hands are wrapped around them and drag him down till all his body is surrounded with the purplish water of the lake. The sudden plunging in the lake forces a considerable amount of water down his throat. When he is around ten feet down the water his feet are released and he feels a foot stepping on him, first finding balance on his belly and then jumping from his head. The boy tries to catch it, futilely though since it belongs to a fast and skilful swimmer. And he knows exactly who that might be. He swims upwards hearing the barks of Tselios clearer and clearer as he closes the surface of the lake. Finally his head pops out of the water and his mouth wide open tries to get the water out and some air in.
“Ambrosius I am going to kill you” the boy screams at the edge of his voice with some water coming out of his nose as well.
“Grow some hair on your cock Helios, and then you can talk about beating your old man” answers the man with a wide grin on his face while he removes his clothes and places them tidily on the back of Tselios. “Come take your clothes out to dry you stupid brat”.
“I’ll get you for this.” Helios mutters while he reaches the sand and starts removing his clothes as well, placing them on the back of the amused creature.
“Yeah, yeah, just shut up and let’s rest, I had a long day in the woods.”
“Killing those Coprites again? What’s the point anyway, they keep resurfacing in bigger numbers.”
“You like looking at big shiny balls on the sky, I like killing things. Besides that, someone has to keep the woods clean from those mongrels.”
They both fall back and lay their eyes on the endless purple of the sky that turns to brown now as the first stars of the honourable Palladian kingdom start making their shy appearance. The three cyan moons of the north follow shortly.
“You know Helios, I never told you about a stupid myth of this land.”
Helios sits up with a face full of interest. He loves to hear stories of old. Lady Marinia told him of heroes of the void millennium sometimes. When the old hag was telling her stories, it was from the rare occasions that he would sit quiet. Tselios swings his tail joyfully ready to listen to the upcoming story as well. Is he happy because the story is coming, Helios thinks, or is he just happy to be with us?
“A crazy old man told me this, years before you were born. It makes for a good bedtime story but I was never good at them so let me tell you now.”
He scratches his forehead for a second. “Well, Asteria is in the centre of the universe is what the old fool told me. Our land is what prevents the universe from falling apart. Koio’s will he called it or something.”
“Koio’s will? What is that?” Helios asks turning to look at Ambrosius, while he supports his body with his elbows.
Ambrosius grabs a short grass with his dirty fingernails and puts it in his curving mouth. Helios decides not to tell him about the giant turd Tselios left last week in the exact same spot. “Well” Ambrosius continues passing the short grass through his teeth gaps, “according to the story each time a chap dies in Asteria, a star dies as well somewhere in the universe. The magic that exists in this shitty land depends on every Asterian. Now don’t ask me who this Koios fellow is because I was too bored to ask him. The crazy old fool was always boring me with his stupid stories.”
Helios looks up in the sky longingly for a few seconds. “What star do you think I am?”
“Oh well, do you see that bright star on your left, next to that triangle of red stars?”
“Yeah, that’s a shiny one!”
“Well that’s not you, you would be the most miserable star in the whole universe, you little faggot”
“**** off Ambrosius. Your stories suck”
“Respect your old man, you little shit” Ambrosius said while picking his clothes from the back of the sleeping Mangaloe. “I‘ll go back at the cabin make some Cholio soup. If you ‘re late you eat the scrappy bones from the morning”.
The green and red moons of the south cowardly start making their appearance. Helios stands up and wears his somewhat dry clothes. With a backward jump he sits on the back of Tselios. “Go on Tselios; take us through the south path.” The lazy beast reluctantly raises his legs and starts moving. Helios lies on his back and puts his legs around the neck of his hairy friend. This way he can gaze on the clean Asterian night sky till they reach home.
As he lies on Tselios’ back a small breeze passes from his head. Helios sits up immediately and looks around startled.
“Tselios did you hear that? It can’t be. It is as if the wind whispered to me.” The Mangaloe turns his head and looks at him puzzled. After a long pause Helios closes on his pet’s ear. “Tselios take us through Gaia’s woods”. Tselios turns and looks his master once more, this time though reluctantly with begging eyes. “Come on you silly beast, there is nothing to be afraid of, let’s go”. Tselios starts moving once again, this time following the dark footpaths of the west pass.
Eventually the first trees of the mystical forest make their appearance. Helios wonders at the incredible height of the trees of Gaia, thought to be more ancient than all the creatures inhabiting this land. “Go on Tselios don’t stop now silly, there is nothing dangerous here. All the creatures are afraid of this supposed mystical power of Gaia somehow and do not enter these woods. But we are not afraid of this nonsense, right my brave friend?” Tselios stands up and courageously makes a few big steps towards the big trees. “That’s the courageous Tselios I know! Now let’s go get some mushrooms and some ripe berries for tonight’s dinner. I for one will not eat that shitty Cholio soup that Ambrosiu’s made.”
Helios doesn’t even know if mushrooms and berries grow in these woods. Somehow Ambrosiu’s story, even though the shitty old man would never learn to keep an audience even if his life depended on it, reminded him of something he saw in these woods once some years ago. Tselios leaves a courageous bark to scare probably the little creatures of the woods and starts moving slowly into the mystical forest.
“I haven’t been here many times, maybe one or two when I was younger, together with Ambrosius always, but these trees look hundreds of feet taller” he mutters still looking amazed of the pure untouched beauty of Gaia’s woods. The perfect silence, the white leaves dancing through the air never falling in the ground and this divine smell, which he has not yet determine what it is, make an unworldly feeling flow throughout his chest.
Suddenly he jumps off Tselios back and moves towards a giant tree, immensely bigger than any other tree in the entire woods. In fact the way the stem of this tree is structured, one would think it is ten giant trolls bound together. Helios saw a troll once long ago. It was lying dead near Lake Kirani. He wondered at that time what could possibly be able to kill such a fearsome creature. He heard tales of the destructive power that trolls possess. Whatever killed that creature, had power beyond the confines of human knowledge, that Helios he knew.
He clears some low vegetation with his hands and closes on the roots of the tree. He finally spots what he was looking for. It’s a dagger plunged into the roots of the tree. There are some words carved on its haft. He brushes some dirt off and reads them. “Yes that’s exactly what I remember Tselios. Koios! I remembered correctly. This is the name Ambrosius told me in his tale as well.” He tries to take the dagger off. He pulls with all his power but with no avail. After a short pause he closes on Tselios and gets a rope off the saddle of the big creature. He wraps it around the neck of Tselios and then around the haft of the dagger.
“Alright Tselios, pull!” The big creature pulls while Helios stands aside and watches. Even the raw power of the big Mangaloe is not enough to pull out the dagger though. “What in the seven hells is going on? We can’t pull off one little dagger?” Helios closes again on the tree and puts both his hands around the haft of the dagger while falling down on his knees, in one last desperate attempt before he leaves. Suddenly a strong wind starts to blow and his blond long hairs are standing up from the ferocity of the wind. His head is pulled back while the rest of his body is not moving and his hands are still wrapped around the haft of the dagger. His eyes are changing colour. They are becoming shiny crimson red. He pulls out the dagger slowly and with ease but he doesn’t seem to be in his senses. What at first glance seemed to be a dagger though, it seems to be something much bigger. A golden spear, fifteen feet of length, comes of the ground. Helios comes back to his senses. He looks puzzled at the big golden spear not having an idea of what just happened.
“Who is there?” a voice echoes from inside the tree.
Helios looks up at the tree trying to see who spoke. Tselios starts growling, looking intensely at the large wooden mass.
“Who are you boy?”
Helios falls back on his back, the fear evident on his face, since he just realized it was not a person that spoke. It was the tree itself, if someone could still call it like that. He crouches backwards always holding the big spear firm in his grip and he finally finds the strength to stand up and try to run. He makes a few short steps before two big branches wrap around his waist and raise him up in the air bringing him in front of the stem of the tree that morphs into the shape of a man’s face. Tselios jumps and bites two branches of the giant tree. The branches extend with great speed and give a strong slash to poor Tselios that flies and crashes, head first on a nearby rock, losing his consciousness.
“Who are you boy? Talk before I smash your bones.”
“Leave me down, what magic is this, what have you done to Tselios?”
“Magic? Magic? You think this is magic you stupid boy? How did you get hold of the spear? Answer! My patience has started to grow thin."
“I don’t know I just pulled it off. Let me down you stupid tree, before I cut you down.”
“We have a little imbecile here! What is your name boy?”
“I am Helios, son of Ambrosius. Now let me down you stupid plant!”
“Ambrosius? Never heard of the man. And what exactly are you doing in my woods Helios son of Ambrosius?”
“Your woods? And what makes these your woods? I go wherever I please!”
“Buohohoho, you have a bad attitude young one. You are lucky I am not in a bad mood today, I had a good sleep. Now, let’s see” says the big tree lowering its branches and putting Helios down “I am Koios the father of this land, and haven’t heard news from the outside world for a long time. Since you disturbed my sleep you are going to tell me everything wonderful going out there.”
“You are Koios?” asks Helios still trying to stand straight after the massive shock in the air. “I have a question then. Why is your name written on this spear?”
“But, because it is mine boy, what a stupid question.”
“But how can you hold it, never mind use it? You are a giant tree.”
“I did not always have this vessel as my body boy. But enough with this, I am asking the questions here. Sit down!” says Koios while giving a small push to Helios forcing him to sit down on a big rock.
“What news from the Northern Kingdom?”
“How long have you been asleep old fart? The Northern Kingdom is no more. It was destroyed fifteen years ago.”
“I see… many events have taken place since the last time I walked this world.”
He continues to say the weirdest things, Helios thinks, how in the hell can he walk?
“Tell me boy, do the three Cyan moons of the North still shine in the night?”
“Yes, as they always have been.”
“Good, good, at least this is something to be thankful for.”
Helios looks up at Koios and wonders if it is safe or sane on that regard, to be conversing with a giant tree. On the other hand though what a story this is! A giant tree that talks and claims to be able to hold a spear, never mind how ancient it probably is.
“How long have you been sleeping?”
“It doesn’t matter boy. My sleep is something that is needed in this world. Now tell me how did you get the spear out of my roots?”
“I just put my hands around it and then I don’t know what happened. I don’t recall anything after that, I am telling the truth.”
“Come here boy. Let me have a look at your face.”
Helios stands up and closes sceptically on the face of Koios.
“You have a bright heart young one. I can see how you were able to take the spear out. You will meet many misfortunes in your life because of this brightness. I am going to give you something to ease the pain of your long journey.”
“Are you going to give me your spear?”
“You took the spear out so now it belongs to you. What I am going to give you now is something far more valuable. Put both your hands anywhere on my bark.”
Helios hesitates for a moment not knowing whether to trust a giant tree that talks, moves, has a name and left unconscious Tselios just a few minutes ago. There is something inside him though that starts to burn, as if something is pushing him to do what this creature told him to. He walks steadily towards Koios and put his hands on his bark. The next thing he sees is a bright blue light surrounding him and that was it.
He wakes up and sees Tselios licking his head trying to wake him up.
“Tselios we have to do something about this drool, you are going to drown me some day.” He sits up and looks around. Koios is nowhere to be seen. I guess that was it then. I wonder where he went. Probably find somewhere else to sleep. Too bad, I had so many questions I wanted to ask him. I guess I will have to spicy up the story when I meet Lady Marinia. He tries to jump back on Tselios and make way when he notices the golden spear lying on the ground nearby.
“He probably doesn’t need this anymore. I have to hide it from Ambrosius though. He barely teaches me any sword fighting, he will probably think of some ridiculous excuse to take this away from me too as he did with the swords Lord Gennaios gave me on my last visit in town.”
He takes the spear and jumps on Tselios back holding it with his right hand.
“All right Tselios back to the cabin boy.”
It is late night and they finally reach the cabin. Helios jumps off the back of Tselios and runs in the barn. He hides the spear inside a pile of straw. I guess this will do for now until I find a good hide place he thinks. It’s better to get inside because I will never hear the end of it if I am more late. He starts moving towards the cabin thinking of excuses to tell Ambrosius.
“Where have you been you brat? I even slough a carnica to cook you, knowng that you don’t like cholio soup. It almost tastes like chicken.”
“Again with that chicken. It must be something extraordinary to be referencing every time you cook.”
“Oh boy, you can’t imagine how chicken tastes. I wish you could find some somewhere in this shitty land. But don’t change the subject. Where in the hell have you been?”
“I went through Lady Marinias house to take her some berries I gathered on my way back.”
“The old hag could gather berries on her own. I told you a thousand times not to walk out so late in the night. Well, never mind eat your food before it’s too cold.”
Helios dives in his plate enjoying every bite. Ambrosius doesn’t cook very often but boy oh boy, the old man can sure cook when he decides.
“You know Ambrosius, I was thinking of something.” Helios says with a full mouth spitting some carnica out trying to do so.
“You went into the trouble of doing that? Well, that’s something.”
“I was thinking of travelling a bit with Tselios. You know, something like, go on a journey or whatever big time heroes are doing.”
“Go? Go where you shitty brat? How am I going to roll then, with my rifle my pony and me? Someone needs to cut the wood for the coming winter you know.”
“Your rifle, your pony? What’s this?”
“Wait, you wanna tell me that I never told ya about the two greatest warriors of my world?”
“Nope, you failed to mention them.”
“Haha, my boy sit down, this is bound to be a ten times greater story than that old fool’s shit. So there were these two guys named John Wayne and Dean Martin and they had to deal with a shit load of stuff in a shitty city full of shitty criminals...”
Two stories in one day, Helios thinks. That’s a first for Ambrosius. I guess this is the way the old stubborn fool says “Happy Birthday my boy”.
It’s now around midnight. In the corner of the fireplace a dark shadow flickers and vanishes in the ashes unbeknownst to the noisy father and dreamy son.
