Djeli Avrahaam Nantero - Chronicles of The Nantero

[Waxman]

So I thought in commemoration of receiving my first Ultrasaber, I would post a little story I created in collaboration with a few other people from a role-playing community under JK3-JA a few years ago.  This excerpt is all part of a far larger story, copied and adapted and reworked from the role-playing community, this character in particular was used as a means to introduce a whole slew of member's characters in the incorporation of an elaborate back story involving an ancient bloodline.
I took my inspiration from Obi-Wan's quote in the OT when he told Luke that the Lightsaber was a weapon from "a more civilized age".
Understand, that more than likely Obi-Wan was merely referring to how the elegance of a Lightsaber is better suited to a more honorable universe without the use of blasters or vibro-blades, or even starfighters.  However, a few years ago, I took it literally.  I started to think, what would this civilized age be like?  Eventually, after extensive research on the Star Wars mythos along with a plethora of examples from Real World mythology, most specifically, African myths and legends, I compiled what I thought a worthy fan fiction story to help explain a great deal of this "civilized age".
Keep note there's a great deal of audio and visual features that while are not my own and are not Star Wars in nature, I did edit and compile in a way that I felt help enhance the reading experience.  I'm all about creating a cinematic experience, as per example from the Star Wars films.  Take from them how you wish, I'm a really easy going guy so any constructive critiques are always welcome.
Anyways, enjoy this little story.
(Oh yeah, try not to reply until all 8 parts are posted, thanks)

Part I: The Origins of a Bloodline

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yawqKjaaImg" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yawqKjaaImg</a>

Excerpt of The Lone Wanderer

Ecneitnes Fo sgnirednaem lairuc eht dna ssenitpme htiw dellif msahc gninway a si esrevinu eht

I stood in my derelict craft, lost in space, hidden from eyes and civilization.  The air was old and stale, the temperature dreadfully cold, my breath lingering in the coffin-like craft.  So long have I waited in this ship, wandering the nameless galaxy, searching for another like me.  I was the last of my kind, an ancient order, an ancient clan, an ancient lineage-bloodline.  I was from an age, a more civilized age, an age of prosperity, virtue, and truth. But this age, like all ages, would eventually come to an end, would eventually fall.

Reaching into my cloak, I retrieved an ancient item followers of a religion in this day and age refer to as a “holocron”.  To my age, it was a mere tool to preserve information with explicit detail and concise history.  Naturally, I had the power to re-create history with mere movements of my hands, but this item, this holocron, this was the last entry my lineage recorded before they drove themselves to destruction.

Linking the holocron within my cerebral cortex, guiding the nameless energy to the power that lay within, the object moved, opened almost, with light streaming from the object, the entire structure of the derelict ship turning into a whole another world of beauty and color.

Within this holocron was this message, the last record of my age and the last hope for my bloodline.

These are the Origins of a Bloodline:

Confession of The Lone Wanderer

Emit ni ecaps ni tsol ma I
Esimed now ym fo nosirp eht ni evil I
Dehsiugnitxe eht eb tonnac thgil eht tub
Thgil eht revo live noitcurtsed htaed ees ot evil I
Enildoolb ym dna ygrene sseleman eht tsniaga
Semirc elbirroh ym rof ssenvigrof gnikees
Yxalag sseleman eht rednaw I
Esoprup on gninnigeb on dne on sah emit
Sraey dnasuoht-ytriht rof
Slegna dna nem gnoma deklaw evah I

I am a griot.  It is I, Djeli Avrahaam Nantero, son of Ameria Nantero and Djeli Abderrahman Nantero, master in the art of eloquence.  Since time immemorial the Mago’s have been in the service of the Nantero Clan of the nameless galaxy; we are vessels of speech, we are the repositories which harbor secrets many centuries old.  The art of eloquence has no secrets for us; without us the names of kings would vanish into oblivion, we are the memory of mankind and all sentient beings; by the spoken word we bring to life the deeds and exploits of kings for younger generations.

I derive my knowledge from my father Djeli Abderrahman, who also got it from his father; history holds no mystery for us; we teach to the vulgar just as much as we teach the righteous, for it is we who keep the keys of the twelve doors of the nameless galaxy.

I know the list of all the sovereigns who succeeded to the throne of the nameless galaxy.  I know how the force users divided into Orders, for my father bequeathed to me all this learning; I know why such and such is called Bashee, another Nantero, and yet another Kardo or Oriin; every name has a meaning, a secret import.
I teach kings the history of their ancestors so that the lives of the ancients might serve them as an example, for the galaxy is old, but the future springs from the past.

My word is pure and free of all untruths; it is the word of my father; it is the word of my father’s father.  I will give you my father’s words just as I received them; royal Griots do not know what lying is.  When a quarrel breakes out between clans it is we who settle the difference, for we are the depositaries of oaths which the ancestors swore.

Please.
Listen to my word, you who want to know; by my mouth you will learn the history of the Nantero’s…

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KObjSuDe-J8" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KObjSuDe-J8</a>

In an obscure valley on a forbidden planet, lost in time, hidden from eyes, there was a small Empire-Village of two-thousand inhabitants.   It is here a sacred bloodline began.

I remember when I was younger, I remember my home, my planet, my lineage, but most of all, my family.  I can see their faces, beaming with beauty and tranquility, their order in the clan representative of the past, for we are a family of Griots, preservers of the past.  In this relatively peaceful time, there was little worry, the Nantero Lineage was prosperous and our self-appointed empire-village was beyond measure and recognition, there was little that would happen without our knowing.

Our race or lineage, however you want to refer it as, was a bloodline of individuals who carried on the legacy as keepers of knowledge.  We have been around since the beginning.  However, it is our family that has always been the most all-knowing even in this young nameless galaxy.  Before the Jedi, before the Sith, before the foundations of a Republic or Democracy, before the rise of an Empire or Monarchy, our family has watched the young galaxy grow, offering service to developing sentient communities, sharing knowledge to the most fluent minds on the planet of Tython.  It is there we discovered a peculiar power we refer to as the nameless energy, for it knows no bounds and transcends words and meanings.  To give it physical or even spiritual shape would render an individual mad and dead.  It is with this nameless energy our lineage revolves around, seeking to understand its potential and create a state of paradise antiquity for the nameless galaxy to enjoy.

My life began on an obscure planet, a now dead planet devoid of living creatures, but at the time, it was a paradise.  Short and sweet, I was brought to this world with a noble stature, the last child of four, happy and full of life.  My father, Abderrahman Nantero, was a head Griot of the clan, anything that required council came to him, anything that required remembering was done by him, he was a most respectable man, highly trained in the way of the sword, they way of the galaxy and the nameless energy that surrounded it.  I grew up alongside him, I learned from him, and it was appointed that I would carry on the legacy of the Nantero’s, that I too would hold the secrets of a bloodline, hold the history of the nameless galaxy, it was decided that I too would become a royal Griot as my father before him, and his father before him.

My name is Griot-Avrahaam Lancet.
I am of the Mago Clan, of the Nantero lineage, of the Lancet family.  I am a Griot, a historian if you will.  Through the nameless energy I acquire wisdom and past events, storing them in my mind so that I may tell them to future generations.  Alongside my clan, the Mago is the Jiith clan, guardians and combatants, using the knowledge of our lineage to uphold peace and virtue.  Together we are a model for the galaxy, peacekeepers, holding true to justice and the preservation of civilization, it is through these guidelines our religion is based upon, together with the nameless energy at our side, we are two families from a more civilized age.

There is little to be said of my young life, although it is relevant to understand the process in which I now live.  From infancy I was trained in the way of the Temporal Griot, even the slightest infantile actions were guided and disciplined.  I learned of the legacy of the Nantero lineage as I was learning to speak and understand words and meanings.  From this, it all became clear that our clan were the keepers of knowledge in the galaxy.  Long have we walked along the path of the nameless galaxy, feeling the currents of the trade-winds blowing through the planets, acquiring knowledge and wisdom to better categorize our relatively young galaxy, in a way, we our progenitors, watchers over the others, over the light, over the darkness.

The training of a Griot involved many aspects of using the nameless energy to categorize and visually remember events with surprising accuracy and sensitivity.  I was trained in many aspects involving manipulation of the mind, its surroundings, and the creation of illusions to better record and present the past in its entirety.  There were religions known as the Ashla and Bogan which used these illusions.  They referred to it as “Mind-Trick”, a primitive term, but all the more appropriate given the circumstances.  Yes, indeed my primary abilities within the nameless energy was the manipulation of the mind to create illusions, primarily so one could view events from the past, allowing these events to help dictate their actions in the future.  Such is the role of a Griot, to provide council to righteous or vulgar beings, it matters not.

Additionally, my abilities within the nameless energy had to do with the manipulation of the elements.  I could create powerful gusts of wind just by the movement of my hand.  There could be a thunder-storm, a blinding ray of light, flames sprouting from the ground, even sub-freezing temperatures, just by applying my mind, connecting it momentarily with the nameless energy.  These applications of course are to be only used under the utmost extreme circumstances.  To misuse the nameless energy, no matter how little, would only result in the loss of life and the corruption of the individual.  I believe it was the Old Kiith Clan that responded to this, saying the misuse of such abilities can become addictive, almost pleasurable.  I do not intend to lose my way to the forbidden pleasures of the nameless energy, it would not be practical.

Alongside my training were three others.  There was Kizuya of the old Kiith clan, learner of the dark ways of the nameless energy, master at manipulation and body preservation.  There was Sael of the Jiith clan, guardian to the secrets of offensive combat and spiritual power, master at imbuing blades with the nameless energy making them extraordinarily powerful.  Lastly, there was the beautiful Jaylen of the Oriin clan, her training consisted of wisdom and connection to less sentient life-forms, and she could understand them and even control them at will.  She also carried an extraordinary sense of feeling allowing her to connect with others through their emotions.  Additionally she was a master at armed and unarmed defense, making it almost an art form.

The four of us grew up together, our friendship was unmatched and our devotion to the old Nantero way was highly praised in the community, until of course…

[Waxman]

Part II: Life of a Bloodline

Aaron Lancet

I was a man then. I had earned my title, along with Sael, Jaylen and even Kizuya.
We were respected members in the lineage now.

It was in this joyous occasion that a situation began to arise.  Other sentient communities were beginning to discover the nameless energy, fearing they would misuse this gift, our Lineage held a council on the planet known as Tython to discuss our discoveries.

We met with many philosophers, scientists, warriors, but most of all, two sects of a religion known as the Ashla and Bogan.  They each found their own paths to the nameless energy separately and likewise, they perceived its uses differently.  The Bogan saw it as a means to appropriate power, while the Ashla saw it as a way to liberate and preserve.  Both the Ashla and Bogan were primitive in their understanding, they were all closed minded, but they had the right idea, they merely needed further wisdom to take their ideas in the right direction.

We offered them guidance.  They accepted and it was with our principles of the nameless energy which helped them further advance their religion.  Our teachings would have further inspired them had it not been for our own egotistical downfall.

Kizuya, my friend, successor to the Old Kiith Clan and master of the dark arts, appropriated himself in a procedure to connect him mentally, physically, and spiritually with the nameless energy.  To combine completely would give him the title the Kiith clan referred to as “Kiith-ari”, a being who, more or less, was the nameless energy’s embodiment within the physical realm.

All things considered, the Kiith have been known for their over-zealous pursuits of knowledge in the dark arts, but this procedure, this appropriation to power was something none of us ever expected, and certainly it was something we all mistook quite differently from the truth.  Broken generations to come would blame it solely on the Kiith, and while they may have had more say in the matter, it was the Nantero Lineage as a whole that agreed upon it.  As a Griot, a preserver of the past, I know that history tends to repeat itself, a most unfortunate circumstance involving all sentient creatures and cultures.  Most regrettably, I did not foresee the problems that arose, I did not foresee our own downfall within a weeks passing.  It is a guilt that I would have to live with for the rest of my miserable life.

May the nameless energy have mercy on us all.

[Waxman]

Part III: Corruption of a Bloodline

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beTsKBRG7o8" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beTsKBRG7o8</a>

I was at the High Council regarding all the clans in the town center, the hallowed marble halls and archways showing a pristine example of our sensitivity towards antiquity and beauty.  It would have been a normal day like any other, discussing various forms of intellect within the galaxy, perhaps sharing knowledge with the newly appointed ally-followers of the Ashla and Bogan.  However, it was on this fateful day that everything changed.

An explosion was heard, and glancing out to the city-state beyond we saw the Grand Temple of the Kiith clan had been literally obliterated from the inside out, an implosion of destruction, fire and sinew sprouting to the skies above, the bright late-afternoon sky turning to a hallowed red and burnt brown.  There was ash and flame sprouts falling overhead, almost like rain of fire, it stung the skin, but was bearable.

Screams were heard, shouts and commands, cries of anguish.  The council looked to one another, and just as Sael, Jaylen, and I made eye-contact, we rushed out to the streets below, the cobble stone pathways greeting our hurried feet.

Jaylen, she took to the eastern province of the city-state, seeking her kin and her clan.  Sael did the same with his own spouse and clan.  While I headed to the explosion as the Temple of Mago sat parallel to the Temple of Kiith.  My mind was racing with anxiety, questions, concerns, order, and yet disorder.  I sought for my beloved but also for my dear friend, Kizuya, a gut feeling claimed the Kiith were involved with this destructive display.  I was fully aware the Kiith had participated in this “appropriation of power” within their clan as I was in knowing Kizuya was the “volunteer” for such a procedure.

As I pushed past the crowds, many of which had unnatural wounds not caused by the explosion, I made my way to the burning ruins of the Temple of Kiith.  The temple itself was not enormous by any means, merely ten stories high and a couple hundred meters in width, the temple itself much like the others, however, it held its facilities underground.  What remained of the temple was the mere skeleton of what was once a grand structure of stylized metal and processed granite.  However, standing in the center of flames embrace was a figure, almost relishing in the inferno, enjoying it.  I couldn’t make out the figure completely, perhaps it was a mere figment of the imagination, but I knew something, someone was there, my mind couldn’t see, but my heart knew deep inside who it was.  I stood my ground despite the turmoil, realizing full well I was unarmed, and an imbued weapon unavailable.

The figure slowly began to approach, while my friends and their spouses approached from behind, supporting one another, keeping true to their duty to the Lineage, upholding their principles they were sworn by.

Jaylen and her kin stood to my left whereas Sael and his wife stood to my right.  My own spouse approached behind them, all of them dressed in their field uniforms, almost anticipating it was an attack from an unknown enemy.  Unfortunately for us all, while the enemy may be unknown, the individual was not, it was an attack from the inside.  I barked an order to Jaylen, I ordered her to take the ones unfit to fight to run away, to find shelter, to find a safe haven, somewhere, anywhere.  She had a look of contempt in her eyes, all of them did.  The females of our lineage were just as capable as the males, even more so if anything, however, what distinguished them from the others is they carried the next generation, the future for the clans and the Nantero family-line.  They understood their place and they complied without question.

Only two of us remained, Sael and I, wherever the remaining clan leaders were was a mystery, but it was hardly something to worry about given the situation at hand.  Sael wielded his sacred family weapon “Presidium Abbatius”, an imbued weapon passed down to the next in line of the Jiith Clan, his in particular was that of a short sword, thin, single-edged, yet quite effective and very powerful.  My own weapon was that of a lance, but I had not brought it with me.  There was no need within the council.  The one time I actually needed it, I did not have it, ironic and sad.  Still though, I had the nameless energy at my disposal, although I hardly wanted to use it, especially on the one man who meant so much to me.

The steps from the figure echoed all around us, almost unnaturally, defying physical limitations despite the open ground of the city street we stood.  As the steps approached, so too did the flames of the temple, almost increasing in ferocity as if it were a living sentient being, reacting to the tension in the air.   

Sael didn’t know what to expect, how could he? He didn’t know what I knew.  He had no idea that his friend Kizuya would go through such a ritual of power, that he would be a martyr for the entire Nantero Lineage, an experiment for the appropriation for power.  But I knew all of this, I knew everything, or so I thought.  No, I didn’t see this coming, and much that I should have known about has slipped past me, almost intentional so there could be no resistance or debate.  All the remained was a man, a different man, a broken and defiled man.  And it would be with this man, my friend, who would lead us to our downfall.

[Waxman]

Part IV: Ascention of a Bloodline

Kizuya's Ascention

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9jmtubdgWY" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9jmtubdgWY</a>

The figure came into view, Sael stared in disbelief, as did I, although I was expecting who it would be, even then, my heart ceased to beat for a few moments, the changes that had occurred in my friend were so distinct, he was hardly the man I recognized.

Kizuya

Kizuya stood amidst the flames, his cloak in tattered remains, his field-uniform blackened and burnt by the flames.  His face was pale like snow, his eyes, oh his eyes red as blood, swollen and black as night, his hair a messy magenta-blue.  He had a strange look to him, his gaze almost lost, forgotten, yet all the more filled with contempt, hate, despair, regret, rage, sadness.  His eyes were bluntly, unreadable, his intentions unknown.

Sael almost completely abandoned his weapon as he rushed to Kizuya’s side, hoping to support him in some way, to help him, after all he was like a brother to both Sael and I for we had shared everything together, all the bad and all the good.  I failed to stop Sael, hoping my analysis was incorrect, hoping through Sael’s kindness and care Kizuya’s state would be abandoned.  I was wrong.

As Sael laid his hands on the shoulders of Kizuya, almost immediately he pushed him off of him, knocking him asunder with use of the nameless energy, Sael crashing against the stone wall of a building, his weapon flying from his grasp, putting him in a temporary state of unconsciousness.   I spoke to Kizuya, I attempted in vain effort to knock some sense into him, but they went unread.  Instead, I too followed a similar fate as Sael as a barrage of flames quite literally sprouted from his fingertips, shooting towards me in an unnatural state, a manipulative power through the nameless energy.  I was ready, however, quickly and deliberately dodging to my side, rolling on the ground in the process, the heat of the flames warming my exposed face and arms to the brink of sweat.

I quickly composed myself but just as I did, Kizuya let out a similar barrage of flames, I countered with my own abilities, knocking him to the ground with an excessive and quick swipe of the hands, a force punching him in the side of his gut.

Kizuya never let out a gasp of pain, not even a sound, almost as if the he had felt nothing at all.  No, he had felt it alright, but was there even a feeling, a sensation left in his broken body?  I knew not.  With unnatural speed and grace, Kizuya came back to his two feet, his movements smooth like an undead wraith, yet composed and structured like an automaton.

He just stood there imposing, like a statue facing me, like nothing happened.  The hairs on my head literally stood up straight for the first time in my life, I was scared, I was afraid.  Once more I tried to snap some sense into Kizuya, but he had a look of resolve, a look like his mind was made up.  He wanted this, he wanted all of this, yet his eyes… his eyes looked… so sad.

Reaching into the air with the palms of his hands, the nameless energy began to focus like a ball in his grasp.  For the first time ever, I saw with my own mortal eyes the nameless energy given physical form, its mere presence defying reality, looking completely unnatural in its physical state, yet it was there.  To describe it was impossible, it broke the laws of the three dimensions, to my eyes the shape of the nameless energy looked like a two dimensional object, but it wasn’t.  Just the mere sight made my eyes strain to see.  There was a strong gust of wind from all around, unnatural.  The clouds began to gather all around where Kizuya had his hands raised, rain began to fall, and everything was becoming a dismal world of despair.

Letting forth a powerful blast of energy, Kizuya let loose the embodiment of the nameless energy to the sky above, a powerful and expressive booming sound emanating from his hands, like crackling thunder.  There was pure white light all around and for a moment I was blinded, but it soon faded.  The power blast rose to the heavy clouds overhead and the moment it touched the sky, there was a loud explosion in the air all around.  Thunder bolts and lightning strikes fell all around the village, striking the stone structures with high ferocity.  There shouldn’t have been damage by the lightning, but there was, almost like it was concentrated, the electricity itself of pure unstoppable energy, the places where it struck dissolving, igniting to flames, and bluntly, obliterating anything in its path.

I simply stared into Kizuya’s eyes with disbelief.  He had used a technique that I had used myself, but on a scale that was far superior to my own.  He took something in itself that was powerful and made it an unnatural state of destructive power.  As the lighting fell all around and soon rain of fire as well, Kizuya finally spoke to me after all this time.  His voice was hallow, deep, stoic, no feeling or emotion.  He spoke with an intensity I cannot explain, emanating from the throat, unrecognizable.  The Kizuya that I knew was all but completely gone.

He told me this is what I deserved, what we all deserved.  We brought this upon ourselves that in our divine corruption we have lost our way and do not deserve life.

Sael began to recover, grasping for his weapon for protection.  He scrambled to his feet, still in pain, moving to my solid state, questioning the situation.  He too listened to these words, but unlike myself who tried to piece everything together, Sael was more direct, more offensive, more careless, and responsive than I.  He scrambled towards Kizuya, almost sprinting, his intentions to end Kizuya’s mad conquest.  It was a foolish move and Kizuya let out a swipe of his hand, a barrage of energy knocking myself to the ground, but for Sael, he was ready.

Leaping into the air, Sael quite literally jumped and flipped over the release of energy landing behind the corrupt friend, taking a hold of his blade and slicing with intention to sever his spinal column.  The blade met Kizuya, it hit him right across the spine and there was blood.  Yes, for the first time I saw my dear friend bleed with a blow that should have been fatal, or at least a blow that would have rendered him inoperable, unable to move, paralyzed.  But as the tip of the blade passed through his body Kizuya was hardly affected by such an attack.  Yes, it caused him to slump to the ground, but almost in the same speed he had fell, he rose back up in recovery.

In punishment, Kizuya grasped onto the throat of Sael, raising him from the ground, his feet dangling in the open air.  Kizuya picked up the heavy body and threw him away from the scene, quite a distance too.  He threw my friend Sael with impossible strength, speed, and dexterity, Sael himself crashing to the ground almost like before. This time, however, he merely slid on the stone ground, crying out in pain from the impact.  I threw my left arm up, demanding for Kizuya to stop all of this but he wouldn’t listen.

Kizuya’s actions all seemed unpredictable, out of sync and order of a normal individual with crazed intentions.  At one point he wants to cause us pain and death, and then he wants to torment us.  These kinds of actions made him unreadable, which made him far more dangerous and deadly.

At long last, I too gave in, at least a little bit.  I still had no idea what the actual truth was behind Kizuya’s motives, but it was my duty as a member of the Nantero Lineage to uphold the principles that I was born with.  With my left hand raised, everything began to slow, everything began to become relaxed.  Time itself seemed to almost halt to a standstill.  The blood coursing through my veins tightened, my focus came entirely onto Kizuya and his mental state, I saw nothing but his stoic figure, everything else became a blur.  With my left hand raised, the wind died down, the rain ceased, the thunder slept.  But I was about to produce my own thunder, my own power of the Mago Clan.

In the heat of the moment that every bit of reality came to standstill, the power that I had been taught as the last breaking point in my training as a Griot came into existence.  I let loose a single yellow bolt of lightning from the palm of my hands.  The power caused considerable strain with a massive gravity-well emanating from my palms.  The dirt around my body becomes weightless as it rose from the ground momentarily.  In the few seconds the yellow bolt was released, there was a terrible loud sound of clashing of lighting, my ears rang, but the force knocked straight into the body of Kizuya, knocking him head over heels.

I let up on the electrical attack, hoping once more that would have been the end of it all.  I called to my friend, hoping he was okay, that he was not in pain.  His response was his own electrical attack of deep blue tranquility of pure destructive power.  My intent was to subdue, his intent was to destroy!

Electric Judgement

I unleashed my own in response and together, the two opposing polarities met in the air, both trying to cancel one another out.  We were not equally matched, I should have been stronger in controlling the nameless energy, but Kizuya’s state, the Kiith’ari state was overpowering my abilities and limited understanding of the nameless energy through the physical realm.  Kizuya’s understanding was beyond the physical, he was walking in the plain of the spiritual realm, his embodiment merely holding his sole in this dimension.

The two destructive powers kept their hold, a massive energy build-up protruding out like a bubble in the middle of the street, suspended in air.  As of present, both Kizuya and I were caught in an endless struggle, one that would not end well for the both of us.  If either of us let go we would be obliterated, if the bubble got any bigger and exploded, the results would be catastrophic although highly unknown given our understanding.

Just as I had feared, the bubble did indeed explode in the few seconds it existed.  The explosion of electric destruction was tremendous and it knocked both Kizuya and I far away from where we both stood.  I landed on my back right beside Sael, the impact knocking the air out of my lungs.  Kizuya flew straight back into the skeletal ruins of the charred temple, beams and structures collapsing over him, the entirety of the building falling atop of him, most definitely crushing his vulnerable body.

Minutes passed and I regained my composure, as did Sael, but we were being carried by some of the members of our Lineage.  Jaylen was at my side, as my brother and sister.  Sael was greeted by other members of his clan, all assisting to take us away from the scene.  I tried to tell them to stop, to leave me, to check on poor Kizuya, but my breath failed to leave my lips.  They told me not to worry, they told me they were taking me to shelter, to safety, but I knew the worst was yet to come…

[Waxman]

Part V: Fall of a Bloodline

Song of The Lost Ones

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68PxBQiwuzA" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68PxBQiwuzA</a>

I found myself laying on a simple cot in a cave-like structure.  There were others although in far less suitable and healthy conditions.  I eventually came to and I located my sacred lance, the “Grandus Exquisitus”, beside my cot and both Jaylen and Sael greeted me, helping me to my feet.  It was nice to see them with my own eyes.  When I asked them if they knew where my mother and father were they told me they knew not, but that I should not worry.  Asking on the situation, I found myself confronted with the other clan leaders, all of them discussing what to do, what was needed to be done, there were even members of the remnant Kiith Clan, their looks seemed to be of worry and anxiety.  I overheard their words gathered around a discussion table, round in appearance, and they were speaking of a ritual, a sacrifice, corruption, various aspects I was unfamiliar with.  I eventually found my wife, Parasa seated with Sael’s wife, mending wounds from some of the clan villagers, they both looked healthy, Parasa beamed me a smile and for a few moments we conversed, embracing one another, I was glad she was safe.

Jaylen and Sael eventually pulled me away for there was much work to be done.  The elite guard of the Nero clan was beginning to quarantine off the entire village, and they would eventually enter the village and find out the true cause of such destruction.  They knew it was the work of Kizuya but even then there was a strange vibe in the village.  Everything seemed dismal and quiet.  The storm hovering above the town ceased to dissipate and the flames from the now collapsed Temple of the Kiith Clan was still burning vibrantly.  There were many of us in this underground shelter, all of us knew how to fight in combat and defend ourselves with the nameless energy, but I knew that wouldn’t be enough, not to stop someone as such who was that of the Kiith’ari.

I secretly pulled Jaylen and Sael aside and told them my thoughts on the situation.  I told them to tell their loved ones to gather what they needed and to flee the underground shelter.  Kizuya, if he was still alive, knew of the shelter just as much as the rest of the villagers.  Why the other clan leaders had not thought of this was beyond my comprehension, but they seemed to completely believe that Kizuya is no more, that I actually succeeded in ending his life.  I knew I was wrong; it was just a feeling, like the words were filling my head telling me that I was wrong.

My two friends agreed and they told their loved ones.  Jaylen however, she appeared distraught in emotion and in her movements.  Everything about her seemed uneasy, almost nervous and anxious.  There was something on her mind, but now was not the time to discuss this.

I met with the High Council gathered around a derelict table, old and decrepit in appearance, they all had worried looks about them, beads of sweat trickling down their foreheads, be it man or woman, they each held the look like they were guilty of something.  They called me forward when they saw that I had recovered and ordered me to lead the Nero Clan into the village to route out the evil, to… save them.  They told me to take along Sael and Jaylen and the rest of the Clan Leaders.  All this seemed too strange, but when I tried to inquire further on the subject they dismissed me.  Since when did the High Council not listen to the Clan Leaders, the very essence of the Lineage?  Something was not right and for the first time ever in my position as a “leader” I followed someone else’s orders, complying like the follower I was.  Sael on the other hand had a look of confidence like he knew what was going on.  When I tried to ask him he told me it was confidential.  Never, not once had Sael not shared something with me, his was very unsettling, indeed.

We made our way back down to the empty foreboding village.  The air was thick with silence and unknown energy circling through.  There was not a living creature, even the birds ceased to play their beautiful song amidst the environment.  For this first time ever in the village, it was dead quiet a particular ring could be heard in the essence of my ears, and this I knew was the true definition of the word silence.

The Elite Guard of the Nero Clan was spread thin with Sael in the lead.  We weren’t bothering with buildings or homes, merely the source, the vibrant and pure inferno of the burning Temple of Kiith.  Sael and the Nero Guardians all had a strange look about them, almost like extreme confidence, like they could handle anything, like they were expecting all of this.  I felt out of the loop.  There was something I was forbidden to know, and this angered me.  For the first time ever, I felt disconnected with my own Lineage.

[Waxman]

Part VI: Death of a Bloodline

We eventually made our way to the burning embrace of the Temple of Kiith, the flames once more, ceasing to falter.  The sky was now a heavy shade of orange with the approaching twilight in the horizon aside from the dismal clouds of dark gray, the Elite Guards that stood with me had their respective weapons drawn.  Jaylen took up the rear, once more a look of worry and almost sadness appearing on her eyes, she held onto her weapon, a staff, close to her body, almost careless in some ways.  My own weapon was strapped to my back, I much rather use the nameless energy so I do not complicate the situation.

As the Nero Clan began to spread around the burning flames, a deep and slow progressive breathing could be heard in the wind.  The volume defied the physics of sound, it could be heard anywhere and everywhere, even by clogging our ears we could hear it.  No, it was in our head, all of ours, peering into our soul, reading our minds.  Kizuya was still alive, this I knew.

The flames suddenly died down, so quick, so fast, and without warning.  The skeleton of the temple merely remained, black and charred brown in color.  There was a loud crash and the beams and frames of the temple exploded from the remnants, shooting in all directions, some of them even impaling some of the Elite Guards.  Sael and I were prepared for the onslaught.  I deflected some with use of the nameless energy, Sael used his single-edged blade, knocking them asunder, and others he sliced down the middle.  He was truly skilled with that blade as was I with my own weapon.  Perhaps that could be enough to end this quarrel?

As the rain of metal died down, some wounded and a few dead.  A seemingly ghastly figure emerged from the wreckage, its appearance vastly different from before.  It was Kizuya, but his entire figure was altered.  His field uniform became blood-red, still in tatters and his clothing looked to be a burnt brown, but his eyes…  His eyes were now swollen with anger and hatred.  His face had color to it now, but it was altered in a way beyond comprehension and description.

Kizuya... Corrupt

He approached us, his back bent and hunched over, veins sprouting from his skin with some unnatural grace.  He was weaponless, but all of us could feel the energy flowing through him especially since the wind had picked up once more and even a light rain began to fall atop our heads.

Sael And The Nero Clan Confront Kizuya

The End of Corruption Begins With Destruction

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h-xTC7jY1g" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h-xTC7jY1g</a>

There was a sudden flash of movement.  A member of the Nero Clan advanced towards Kizuya with intent to behead him in one fatal blow.  He screamed out as he ran towards him, raising the blade high overhead.  Just as the blade began to descend, Kizuya backed away abruptly, leaving the blade to cut merely thin air.  Using this opportunity Kizuya provided a swift fatal blow to the guard’s neck, breaking the spinal column with mere force of the hands.

As the limp body began to descend to the ground, Kizuya caught the weapon, a simple long katana-shaped blade.  It was single edged but was incredibly sharp, polished to a mirror sheen.

Nero Elite Guard

Another advanced to Kizuya, two more even.  With weapon now in hand, Kizuya brought a swift and quick slice across the gut of one of the Nero guards, his entrails falling to the ground and pooling to his feet.  The two others approached and he deflected their attacks, using their momentum to catch them off guard as he beheaded one and stabbed another.  The one who had his gut cut with the entrails now splattered at his feet, he was hunched over in a mental panic, trying desperately to pick up his mangled insides and put them back into is body.  It was a horrific scene.  He was crying, sweating, not breathing…  He tried to put his intestines into his body only to have them fall out again.  Kizuya was fortunate enough to end his misery with a simple beheading.

The once mirror-like blade was now eternally stained with the blood of another.  Noticing this, Kizuya brought it high over head and swung it around in a semi-circle, the blood splattering to the ground below due to the momentum.  Kizuya seemed ill-faded by what had happened, almost like it was nothing, like it was his job and he had been doing it for years.

There were only a few of us left, Sael, Jaylen and myself included.  Kizuya seemed not at all interested in any of us anymore, but rather focused completely on the village itself.  With blade still in hand, he raised it to the cloudy sky above, almost like he was participating in some evil sacrificial rite.  He stood there for only a few seconds before he relaxed, his gaze dropped low to the ground.  He spoke to us for the first time since we found him again.  He told us a great many things about our lineage, our corruption, and our end.  His voice was hallow, deep like abyss, grungy yet firm.

You Would Betray Your Village?!

Is This What You Wanted?

Sael took a few steps forward, weapon drawn with intent to finish this once and for all.  I kept my gaze transfixed on Kizuya, trying to understand the meaning behind his words.  Sael was ready to advance and silence the “corrupt” man when suddenly the ground began to shake.  All around cracks began to form and pretty soon those cracks began to burst open with hot air shooting out towards the sky.  I lost my footing and tripped, holding on to the ground as some buildings began to collapse and structures began to loosen and fall apart.  Kizuya was not the least bit affected, merely he aimed his head to the sky above, waiting for what was to come.

I struggled my way to Jaylen who was in a crouched position as I was in, whereas Sael holding his ground, a stern look of hatred on his eyes.  I told Sael that we had to get out of here, it was with this command that he snapped.  Sael crept towards me and brought me to my feet, literally screaming and shouting at me.  He told me that this was it, it was time to stop running, stop trying to get the original Kizuya back.  Kizuya was dead that it was up to us to stop him now.  He told me to help him otherwise we would all die.

At long last I gave up my hope for Kizuya and accepted the fact that he was gone, although it was hard to believe.  He had been well just last night, but now, he has changed?  I didn’t know what to believe in right this moment, but I did know that I had a duty to perform and a mission to uphold.  I had to put my personal beliefs behind me and accept the survival of others first.  Sael was right, it was time to stop waiting around and finish this, for if anyone could stop Kizuya, if anyone was as powerful as him, it was I.  Yes, I was the breaking point, his opposite polarity.

I unstrapped the lance from across my back and with the nameless energy in constant usage I maintained my footing and rose to a standing offensive position.  The blade of my lance pointed towards Kizuya, a completely different frame of mind entering my self-awareness.

With weapon in hand, I positioned it for a throwing function, aiming straight towards Kizuya’s heart.  As Kizuya was busy looking up to the sky, lost in a meditative trance, I built up momentum in my arms and threw the lance straight into the gut of Kizuya, impaling him.  The caught his attention, but did not lighten or help the situation.  Instead it deteriorated.  Now fragments of rock and granite were beginning to rise into the air as if caught into a gravity-well.  Very soon, large portions of the ground in the form of floating boulders and even islands began to take form and rise into the air, all the while the wind increased, blowing in all directions, lighting began to strike and flames began to erupt in pure delicious destruction.

Slowly, Kizuya grasped onto the lance impaled into his body and began to pull it out of his gut, blood spilling to the ground, a light groan escaping his lungs.  It was the first time I had seen him in pain, coming from him, I felt as if the lance was impaled in my own gut, the pain in him I feel in myself as punishment for such an act.

Kizuya threw the lance away from him when he finally had got it out of him.  A disgusted look appeared on his face as he glanced at me, his eyes a pure red of hate.  The destruction intensified only to have an island form from his feet, rising to the air with Kizuya being the only inhabitant.  In the crater from where the island rose from was an incredible bright reddish yellow light of molten rock.  Kizuya was doing this.  He was destroying the village with his pure will alone.  He wanted to bury the entire location of such a place.  No, he wanted to destroy the entire memory of his home, cease it from the realms of existence forever.

"Dammed For All Eternity"

He spoke to us:

For awhile he had considered sparing such a wretched person such as the Nantero’s, but now I would be forced to witness, my own dismemberment.
This was all our doing.
It was the Nantero’s that were responsible for all of this.
We are pure evil and we used our grand stature and noble births as a means to appropriate our power in the galaxy.
We were supposed to be guardians, but instead we became greedy of our own power and jealous of those such as the Ashlan and Bogan who discovered the nameless energy without our help.
We wanted a bargaining chip, a means to control the other factions and ensure our supremacy over the nameless energy.
We wanted a sacrifice, no a martyr for our own gains, someone, something that we could control completely with our will alone.
It was more than just the preservation of civilization, it was more than just virtue, or peace, it was the lust for power.
We were the corruption of the galaxy.
Yes, we were the corruption, the very corruption we sought to destroy, we became.
We took the life of an innocent, someone who fought endlessly for his lineage, someone who gave up everything for his order.
But no longer, from this day forward a new family line would be born.
No longer was he named Kizuya of the Kiith Clan.
From this final breaking point, this unbirth.
He would create his own family line, his own clan, and his own lineage.
It would be referred to as Kardo,
“damned for all eternity”!

These were his words…

[Waxman]

(Make sure to continue the music from the previous part for the best cinematic experience)

Part VI: Death of A Bloodline - Part 2

Sael, Jaylen and I could only look up at the rising Kizuya atop his island.  The ground beneath us became increasingly unstable and we were forced to take action.  Sael commanded for us to take flight and pursue Kizuya, and without a second thought, we did.  The remnants of the Nero Elite Guard and Jaylen, Sael, and me leaped to other rising islands and boulders, determined to overwhelm Kizuya.

Aaron, Sael, Jaylen - Disbelief

Jaylen was slow, I told her to get out of here if she was going to act this way but she demanded to stay, that it was her responsibility.  I was greatly troubled by her unusual behavior, but she proved herself by leaping onto a boulder that was beginning its ascent.  Wherever these boulders and islands were going was beyond my comprehension, but I could tell it was not going to be good.

The Nero Elite Guards all pursued Kizuya, leaping onto his island in a vain attempt to direct a final fatal blow.  They were cut short however and they were no match for Kizuya.  I summoned the nameless energy deep into myself, directing my focus into my legs I boosted off my solitary island to land onto another high above me, the village down below becoming a blur from the chaos in the air.  I soon stood on equal grounds with Kizuya, a determination in my eyes to stop this.  Kizuya did not wait for an introduction.  He launched many attacks at me, some of lightning, some of rocks, some of flames.  I dodged them all relatively unscathed but I could by no means get close to him.

I was weaponless, plain and simple.  I knew not where my lance was, I could only guess it was gone and lost.  I tried to attain a footing and opening to launch my own attacks but the energy being provoked was too intense.  Kizuya used this as an opportunity to dispatch my vulnerability.  Leaping towards my island, blade in hand, Kizuya had intention to dismember my head from under my right arm-pit and upwards to my left shoulder.  He was going to use plain brute force to smash the blade straight through my shoulders, my breasts, along my spine and collar bone.  I panicked and for a second thought I was a goner, until I heard my name.

Jaylen was shouting my name from afar.  She had my lance in hand, and threw it towards me.  Using the nameless energy, I directed myself in an evasive roll to catch up with my twirling weapon, its pristine beauty shining even despite the chaos in the air.  Catching it with one of my free hands, I brought it to a defensive position just as Kizuya made his strike.

I deflected the attack, but the forces were so intense I nearly slid from the impact.  This block momentarily stunned Kizuya allowing Sael to get an upper hand as he charged through with intent to stab straight into Kizuya’s side.  He noticed this and retreated, applying his own defensive parry just as Sael came into contact.

The two leaders exchanged blows and attacks, equally matched in style and maneuvers.  Others soon joined in, the remaining remnants of the Nero Clan, even some Kiith Clan members, with their divine sorcery and manipulations, they all tried to overwhelm the “corrupted”.  It was no use, however.  Kizuya made short work of them.  He launched his blade from his hands, impaling an Elite Guard straight in the head.  Using the force of the confusion, Kizuya soon retrieved the blade with the nameless energy and began to butcher the others.  He cut off limbs, sliced open guts, and cut out hearts.  He was decisive and concise, a master at his work.

I regained my footing at wanted to join in, but I knew, as did Sael, that the ones who were dieing were lost in a brush of rage, whereas the more experienced ones kept a distance, waiting for a time to strike.  I felt pitiful and disgusted with myself at such a thought.  Using others as a means to safeguard myself and those close to me, it was one aspect of command I greatly disliked.

Both Sael and I, even Jaylen who accompanied us walked side by side on one of the larger islands, remnants of buildings and structures all around us.  The village below was a complete desecrated ruin.  All this was transpiring before our eyes and I wasn’t entirely sure how to respond.  It was actually happening, our downfall of the Nantero’s…

I regained my composure, a ferocity filling my soul, a need to stop Kizuya once and for all as clan members perished at his blade.  They were literally being butchered, yet they did not question their authority.  I grasped my lance in hand, ready for the combat ahead.  Sael grasped his own weapon, his single-edged sword and it began to glow with intensity, a powerful presence igniting itself into the blade.  Jaylen kept close to her staff, but began using the nameless energy to create a barrier of some kind, almost like a protective shield that surrounded her body.  While she may not have been on par with us on offensive combat, she could hold her own defensively.

Sael took to the lead and leaped to a nearby island that was rising faster than the others.  Jaylen stayed behind while I dashed forward to Kizuya.  I leaped forward to where Kizuya stood, lance in hand, positioned in a stabbing position high over head with both hands held onto it.  Sael came charging down, performing a cut over head as well but flipping in the process, gathering momentum and speed with the fall and the twirl.  Jaylen let loose a barrage of projectile blasts of granite towards Kizuya.

We all came down onto Kizuya, all at once, but as we neared time itself seemed to slow.  With inhuman like speed and grace, Kizuya retrieved another sword out of the chest of one of the fallen Nero Guards.  He held it horizontally to my stab, catching it.  His own eternally-stained sword he deflected with Sael attack.  The slabs of granite that were being shot at him suddenly deflected in all directions, almost as if he had taken Jaylen’s protective barrier and absorbed it to himself.

All this happened all at once, and everything seemed to slow.  What felt like only one second came onto us like an eternity, but the end result came far too differently.  Kizuya easily brushed me aside, knocking the back of my head with the butt-end of his sword.  He then gracefully kicked Sael square into the gut, knocking him far down below.  For Jaylen, the deflected blocks of granite came shooting towards her.  These she mostly blocked with her staff until one hit her on her shoulder, the force of impact causing her to tumble head over heels.

We all fell back down to the streets below.  I managed to grasp onto a solitary island, but the other two had to retreat.  They all used the nameless energy to land safely on the ground below, or what was left of it.  Liquid hot magma began to take shape where the village once stood.  I could only hope Sael and Jaylen landed in a safe position.

I pulled myself up onto the island and finally it all hit me.  My village, the place I had grown up, was now completely destroyed.  Why hadn’t I seen it before?  Was I really that blind?  That would explain Sael and the others deceive actions.  They were crazed with blinded rage at the loss of their traditions and culture, but as a Royal Griot such as myself, I had always felt distant from my own culture for I knew that all things came to an end eventually.  History repeats itself, no matter what.  We are forced to repeat our past after a time.  Perhaps at one time the Nantero’s were part of some larger family Lineage, and they died out as well.  My village was gone.  That’s all that remained now.  From this instant in time, I abandoned my previous self, like shedding my skin of immaturity.  In that instant I ascended to greater lights.  I was completely focused now and I knew I had a job to do.  I had to stop Kizuya.  No.  I had to kill Kizuya.

I found my lance stabbed into the ground beside me.  Pulling it free from the ground, I summoned the strength deep into my feet and launched myself back onto level with Kizuya.  I charged at him with such ferocity that even he was caught off guard.  I swung my lance like a sword with a mad craze, determined to get an opening.  He was good though, his defense was flawless.  I was still better, for I had experience.  At long last I finally got the upper hand onto Kizuya.  Knocking his stained sword from his grasp, I had a completely opened shot, a stab of vengeance.  I took the opportunity and impaled Kizuya, straight into his mid-section, just under the rib-cage but above the belly.  The weapon sunk into his body with great speed, the sharp end of the lance protruding out of his back.  I screamed aloud, completely unaffected by what I had just done.

We stood there for what felt like an eternity.  Blood spewed out of Kizuya’s body, black in color, unnatural.  I looked into Kizuya’s eyes and he equally looked into mine.  Kizuya had the look of pity and disgust, probably because he never expected someone such as me to resort to such a level such as now.  It was here Kizuya did something completely unexpected.  He grasped onto the lance impaled into his body, and began to pull himself closer to me.  Slowly, he pulled himself closer using both hands.  I kept my standing in complete disbelief he could do such a thing.  He came so close until were no more than a few inches from each other.  It was here he put his arms around me, and embraced me in a hug.  I lost my breath, for my dear friend to do this after all that had happened… I didn’t know how to act, so I just stood there, embracing the moment, a solitary tear running down my face.

Kizuya.  My Dear Friend

[Waxman]

Part VII: End of a Bloodline

It was in this final moment that Kizuya began to distance himself from me, stepping backwards slowly with my lance still impaled into his gut.  I was unsure if this was his entire plan or if I had actually landed a fatal blow, I could not tell.  He backed away so slow, extending his arms in a spread eagle position, all this before he lost his footing and fell to the rubble far below.  If my lance didn’t kill him the fall should have for he didn’t even use the nameless energy to soften the impact.

I lost sight of his body as he fell down far below, occasionally crashing into a floating boulder or island.  No one could have survived that fall, no one.  But the islands ceased their presence, they continued to float.  Perhaps Kizuya had altered the geography of this region, creating an eternal gravity well?  I knew not.  All I knew was that my village was in ruins and that my work was finished.

Making my way down, I was greeted by a surviving pair of Sael and Jaylen, they both had worried looks on their faces, Jaylen especially.  I inquired with them and told them we should return to the haven, to tell the others.

As we made our way back, a harsh wind blew all along my back.  It was a strange feeling, and the remnants of the village with the unnatural floating islands did not help my emotions, only increased them.  I had a feeling like something was terribly wrong, but I couldn’t tell what it was.

As we approached the gates to the underground haven, I became acutely aware of the dead silence filling the region.  There was no one on post or guarding, and the grand foyer was completely desolate.  As we made our way further into the haven, I soon found out why.

Our Home... Destroyed

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWGLPuY1t4M" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWGLPuY1t4M</a>

Amassed in the grand hall there were heaps of bodies.  Thousands of them scattered all over.  Blood stained the floor like that of a lake.  It was a gruesome sight.  There were some survivors here and there, clutching loved ones, grasping onto the lifeless bodies of sons and daughters.  I couldn’t believe my own eyes, surely I was mistaken.  How could all this happen so quickly, so fast?  I was breathless, but Sael and Jaylen had a far different response.  Jaylen was literally screaming in horror whereas Sael was gasping for breath, tears running down his face.  I froze in place, tears welling up.  My entire lineage, my entire clan, all my friends and family were scattered all about.  Some of the ones that were still alive grasped onto their weapons, ending their lives right there.  Legends spoke of a place, an eternal place known as chaos or… hell.  I had never experienced such a place or seen it.  But if I could define a hell… this was it.  I was in hell.

Haven... Desacrated

Thousands of thoughts and questions ran through my head as I ran down the hall, determined to find my family safe and intact, but the bodies did not let up.  I came around a corner only to find what I most feared.  It was my entire family, my mother and father, dead.  I crashed to my knees, my shadow covering their lifeless bodies.  I didn’t know what to do… I hesitated, I panicked, I cried…

Blood On My Hands

Their blood was now stained on my hands and pretty soon my clothing as well.  Minutes turned to hours until I couldn’t take it anymore.  I scrambled to my feet and charged down the halls, tears running down my cheeks as I found a solitary weapon lying beside a corpse.  I made my way back to the grand hall where Jaylen was cradling her own family and Sael was trying to put himself together, clutching his abdomen from the tremendous scene before him.  I remembered what I told my wife and Sael’s mate.  There was still a chance, still a hope.  They may still be alive!

I shouted in the grand hall for my friends and the survivors to hear.

Come on, it’s not over yet.
We still have a job to do.
I don’t know how Kizuya survived, but we have to find him.
We have to kill him!
I don’t care.
I don’t care anymore.
He’s not going to get away with this!

With that I sprinted to the world beyond, Jaylen and Sael following closely behind.  The survivors staying put, far to weak to follow.

The world that I saw was vastly different.

The world was an inferno.  The distant hills and valleys were on fire.  Everything, everywhere there was either flame or death.  The sky was heavy with an eternal red glow, burnt brown smoke in the form of clouds.  All this had transpired in merely two hours, my entire home a complete desolation of a wasteland.  We three were the only living things in the area although I knew our loved ones were still alive, the mere sight of this place was too much to bear.  The ruins of the village were no more, now a mere burnt valley with charred black and brown in its place.  The livestock were all but completely mutilated and the fields were burning with flames embrace.

I ran along the road to the where are loved ones were directed to go and came to the successful reassurance they were still alive as they too were out and about, tears strewn across their face, running towards us.  We all embraced one another in love, even despite the death all about us.  As I hugged my beloved Parasa, I took one long look at the valley that remained of my home, eternally engraving the scene into my memory, never forgetting it, never ceasing the image.

[Waxman]

Part VIII: Hope of a Bloodline

The End of A Bloodline ~ Hope?

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M__rAm5jDGc" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M__rAm5jDGc</a>

Days turned to weeks, but we eventually gathered the remnants of our lineage in secret, away from the prying eyes of Kizuya.  Those who were left numbered to twenty-six.  Most the clans and original leaders were dead, only a few separate families remaining.  I for one, along with my wife, was the last of the Mago Clan.  Sael was the last of the Jiith Clan.  And Jaylen was the last of the Oriin Clan.

We all made a pact, together on that fateful night in secret.  We vowed to go our own separate ways after all of this, abandoning our names and titles and creating new ones.  I became Aaron Lancet.  Sael became that of Bashee.  Whereas Jaylen removed her previous last name of Haara and adopted Oriin in place.

Eventually, we found our spacecrafts.  They were well hidden and we were initially surprised they were still intact.  We all ended up racing away from one another, each of us blasting to the unknown reaches far beyond in the galaxy.  I stayed with Sael and Jaylen as long as possible, feeling like they were the last of my family in this forsaken galaxy...

There are still many unexplained occurrences and histories of my bloodline that are needed to be explained, but for now, this is all that remains of my bloodline, of my lineage, of my family.

This is not my story, nor the story of the Mago clan.  This is the story of humanity and a Lineage that died off long before anyone knew it existed.  Legends would speak of us; they would refer to us as “a more civilized age”.  Perhaps they are right.  But if they only knew what I knew, if they only knew the guilt I carried deep in my heart, my soul, my eternal being.

Kizuya, our paths would cross many times in the future.  He would perform atrocities before my very eyes.  I would be forced to watch them and in a way, learn from them.  It was my punishment for not helping him, for not saving him when I had the chance.

A Lone Wanderer

I am now over 30,000 years old, a curse I was forced to live with.  My family is dead.  My friends, Sael and Jaylen, they are all dead.  My loved ones, my wife, my son, my grandson and grand-daughter, my great grandson… they are all dead.  I am the last of my kind.  I am lost in space.  I am lost in time.

My thoughts now turn to the one known as Zael Skyles for his name means more to me than anything.  He may very well be a descendent of my kind.  He may be the last.

I made a promise to Sael to watch over his family should anything go wrong.  I failed that initial promise, but now I seek to make amendments for my horrible crimes to watch over his descendent.

These are my words as they were bequeathed to me.  I do not lie, I do not alter, and they are as eternal as the flames in my eye, forever viewing my burning home.

My hope turns to this man… no, barely a man.  This kid, he is quite possibly the last hope of my bloodline.

However, as I beckon to the whispers of the nameless galaxy, I feel others of my kind, nearby, searching, waiting, listening…

Listening To The Whispers of the Nameless Energy

Listen then, sons of the nameless galaxy, listen to my word, for I am going to tell you of the Bashee, the son of the Bright Country, of the Forbidden Land, the descendant of those who draw the sword, the master of a hundred vanquished kings.

I am going to tell you of Zael Bashee, he whose exploits will astonish men for a long time yet.  He was great among kings, he was peerless among men; he was beloved of the Force because he was the last of the great bloodline.

   By my mouth you will get to know the story of the descendent of the Nantero, the story of him who, by his exploits, surpassed even Aaron Nantero, he who, from the Core Worlds, shed his rays upon all the inhabitants of the Outer Rim Territories.

   Listen to the story of the son of the Hawk, the son of the lion, the wielder of the Trail-Drifter.  I am going to tell you of Zael Skyles, son of Senso Bashee of Celeste Skyles, the man of many names against whom sorcery could avail nothing.

Please.
Listen to my word, you who want to know; by my mouth you will learn the history of the Nantero’s…

[Waxman]

(This section is completely non-applicable to the story above.  It was mainly used for role-playing purposes and it really helped explain a lot, among other things, like the listing of a basic character biography, etc.  I thought it was worthy to post it, just in case anything is unclear)

Primary Character Context:
Name: Aaron Lancet
(Air-Run Laan-Set)
Age: Unknown - Appears in late 40's
Height: 6' 2''
Weight: Unknown
Blood: Unknown
Race: Unknown - Appears Humanoid
Homeworld/Birthplace: Unknown/Unknown
Current Rank/Experience: Royal Griot
Faction: N/A
Living Relatives:
•Zael Skyles
•Hayden Oriin
•Judith Oriin
•Jakall Kardo
•Noctus Kardo
•Extra
Credits: N/A
Ship:
Obsolete Transport Freighter - Carries a primitive form of stealth technology
Ship Name: [Antiquus Exsequiae]

Physical Appearance:

Solid and complex.  Stoic and dignified and stern in his beliefs.  Aaron is indeed a man from "a more civilized age".  He isn't exactly what you would call humanoid or alien, however.  He appears slightly pale with white hair, his voice deep and melancholic, pure and structured.
Aaron moves with the structure of an automaton but with the grace of a wraith.  He is well-mannered and highly composed in posture and presence, yet rather impatient, ignorant, and selfish.
While sporting a single eye-patch across his right eye and a light beard around his face, Aaron looks to have great experience behind him.  However, with the lone good eye he does have he appears tired, almost sad in a way, lost, yet hopeful for the future.
He usually wears an enhanced armored exoskeleton-suit, mainly to help support his tired body.  While it helps deflect rubble and flames or explosive fragments due to its refined materials, it is not by any means weapon proof.  He wears it to represent his lost age and his lost bloodline.

Personal Attributes:
Due to the nature of a curse set on him after a final confrontation with Kizuya, Aaron Lancet is more or less, immortal.  He can still be killed, but his physiology was tampered with by use of the "force" or nameless energy.  He should have died long ago, yet he still manages to beat his heart and walk the realms of physical existence.  One would think to just commit suicide, but due to various implications, that option is not applicable.  Because of this, Aaron appears and speaks with a rather twisted mind, having lived for so long has given him a rather unusual view on life and humanity, feeling deprived of his lineage and the ones he loved.

Personal Quotes:
•      “The universe is a yawning chasm filled with emptiness and the curial meanderings of sentience.”
•   “Soon I will be here no more.  You hear my tale through my blood.  Through my people and eagles cry.  The pair with it will never lay to rest.”
•   “I’m sorry, I’m sorry for everything…”
•   “Seize the time.  Live now… Make now always the most precious time.  Now will never come again.”
•   “If it’s something you can stop, then just try and stop it!”
•   “There are some things you see with your eyes… others you see with your heart.”
•   “The hope of the Bashee.  All that we see is noble and good and pure. All that we aspire to is held in this object.   It is held in you.  It is a heavy weight you carry.  Epochs of history, the tides of war, the blood of nations.  All this is laid at your feet.  It is not easy… being a Bashee.”
•   “Blade with whom I have lived… Blade with whom I now die… Serve right a justice one last time… Seek one last heart of evil… Still one last life of pain… Cut well old friend… And then, farewell…”

Weapons:
• Two unrefined phrik-Cortosis alloyed High-Frequency single-edged blades.

(Weapons are saber proof and extremely light-weight, but do not deactivate sabers due to primitive structure and design.)

• Proto-Saber

(Attained during his time shadowing the various cultures and religions (Ashlan & Bogan) and their continuous lust for war and more powerful weapons.  Given as a gift by one of his descendants)[/center][/spoiler]

Weapon Names:
Key: {Weapon Name} “True Name” [Nantero Name]

• {Ferocious Derelict} “Gaius” [Terrestris Veritas] ~ Phrik-Cortosis Blade
• {Great Basilisk} “Sinthorius” [Permagnus Crimen] ~ Phrik-Cortosis Blade
• {Lone Wanderer} "Destassi-Solus" [Ruina Arcis] ~ Proto-saber

Known Styles:
Early-Variant forms translated to present use:
• Makashi
• Soresu
• Shien/Djem So
• Niman
• Juyo

Force Powers ~Text-Based:

• Alter Environment - Can only be used on a planet
• Animal Friendship
• Hibernation Trance
• Force Body/Force Valor
• Force Enhance Attribute
• Force Flow-Walking ~ Only for text (To review past events)
• Force Illusion
• Force Stealth
• Force Storm - Can only be used on a planet
• Force Whirlwind - Can only be used on a planet
• Force Wave
• Force Heal
• Force Protection - Used to protect others
• Force Wraith - Only in Meditative Hibernation Trance (Cannot kill living beings, gather information, or alter environment in any way)

[Kham-Ryn Kurios]

GOOD LORD!

POint!


IDK even know....omg.


You just blasted my fan fic out of the water. I'm still trying to rewrite the third chapter.

[Waxman]

GOOD LORD!

POint!


IDK even know....omg.


You just blasted my fan fic out of the water. I'm still trying to rewrite the third chapter.

I hope I don't discourage you. I actually like your story a great deal, even though I've only been here a short time, especially with the emphasis on an inner struggle.  I wasn't able to write this story without looking at other members' works as inspiration in the past, so hopefully you can do the same, use it as inspiration or something.

[Kham-Ryn Kurios]

No no.

I was just blow away by the length it's a great read.

I'm trying to do an illustration type video with songs dictating the action.

So this was just so warming to the soul.

I LOVE SW and I LOVE to see other fan's conviction and love for it.

Thank you for reading my story! That is something I really appreciate.

Over our honeymoon I'll have my wife read this because I liked it a lot.

Thank yous again.

I'ma add you to my buddy list.

[Qui-Tom Helms]

Over our honeymoon I'll have my wife read this because I liked it a lot

Quick, someone take Khams temperature