LEGEND OF NEVETSECNUAC - ON THE WAY TO THE CAPITAL - SECTION 1

 Fradel Rurik Korvald (Nevetsecnuac), relentlessly pursuing Mouro Kerr, ascended several flights of stairs that led upwards to the open air.  As he took the next sharp turn, however, he found himself face to face with Zonar Kuntzu, grasping in his left hand, suspended by the hair, the ghastly severed head of Mouro, dripping its blood onto the corpse at his feet.

"I abhor debauched officials, but, even more, I despise devious cowards." Zonar grunted, glowering at Mouro's head before he hurled it into the distance with disdain.

His fiery eyes next riveted on Fradel.  "Our meeting was not ordained for this night," he spoke sternly then, turning his back on Fradel, walked away.

01- ZONAR KUNTZU

 At that instant, however, Fradel leaped into the air and flipped over Zonar's head to land right before him and block his way.

 Zonar, taken aback slightly, knit his brows, "Are you courting death, sir?" He should actually had called him nephew… but not yet!  Zonar ruminated (brooded, pouted).

Fradel, bowing in respect, begged the warrior's indulgence and asked for Zonar's full name so that he may offer his proper thanks to his benefactor who had, not once but twice, rendered him a valuable service.

Zonar grimaced wryly, "You are too polite sir.  Thanks, are neither warranted nor necessary, since I am only reciprocating a kind turn rendered to me once."

He was about to walk away again when Fradel more persistently barred his way, requesting an introduction and a proper surname.

Checking his annoyance, Zonar glowed.  "And you, sir, are you in turn willing to oblige me by disclosing your true (legitimate) identity?" he asked with icy cynicism.

Taken aback slightly, Nevetsecnuac burrowed his questioning eyes on Zonar.  He hesitated, not wishing to insult (affront) this formidable warrior's intelligence by insisting that he was, indeed, the scholarly poet Fradel Rurik Korvald, yet still consumed with a desire to learn just how much Zonar knew or suspected.

02- FRADEL RURIK KORVALD (NEVETSECNUAC)

"I thought not," Zonar interrupted the suspenseful air.  "To each his own, then,” as he turned his back once more, he added in a thundering voice, "but I thank you for your courtesy; denial at this point would only have incurred my ire.”

Nevetsecnuac had, just then, detected a familiar, slight accent in Zonar's dialect, one not unlike that of the assassin Duan. Quite intrigued, Nevetsecnuac remained ever more reluctant to let Zonar go; feet firmly planted on ground, he stubbornly blocked Zonar’s path as his mind pondered.

 “It has to be more than paranoia, more than a mere fluke that our paths have crossed with such frequency; but what importance does these coincidences entail?”

Nevetsecnuac had first encountered Zonar innocently enough at Aguda and Yagu's Inn but, since then, the strong sense (intuition) of being persistently stalked had both intrigued and troubled him. Possessing incredible prowess, Zonar had appeared and disappeared without a trace at will; in Yenis Luko's room at Kuno Temple, then again at the trial, where he disappeared dramatically in the midst of a crowd after issuing his threat to Micen Do, and his sudden appearance again here. This could not all be mere coincidences; therefore, what was it Zonar really after?  And since Nevetsecnuac could not ascertain the precise timing of Zonar's (appearance) materialization at this last locale, he abstained from theorizing why Zonar had not joined in the fray (combat) earlier on, either for or against him. Zonar’s poignant reference to their impending future meeting, on the other hand, merited probing. With Heng Erling’s treachery still fresh in mind, Nevetsecnuac (forgoing all the conjecture,) glued his gaze on Zonar but this time with a look of askance, wishing to engage him in friendly dialogue, regardless of the consequences.

“Are you done, probing?” Zonar was briefly amused.

"Your persistence, however, is getting rather tiresome." Zonar stared down at Nevetsecnuac. “Unfortunately, I am pressed for time and furthermore, I have no wish to engage in dialogue or fight (test) with you at this point in time. “ Zonar was about to snap his fingers and simply disappear, but then on second thought, he stayed long enough to add: “ I would think that your mind would be beset with more pressing concerns, such as, the whereabouts of Fradel Rurik Korvald's real identity papers. For without them, how could you gain entry to the Capital to ultimately fulfill your destiny?"

 Noting Nevetsecnuac's slight start at the emphasis on the word 'real' he threw his head back and laughed raucously…Then, before Nevetsecnuac could respond, "Oh, here."

 In a flash Zonar produced the envelope from an inner pocket and thrust it into Nevetsecnuac's hand.

03- ZONAR KUNTZU

 "No need to thank me for them, either." he shrugged.  "They were of no use to me, anyway."

Seeing that they were, indeed, the originals and not the forgeries Mouro had spoken of, Nevetsecnuac's heart filled with gratitude, and he looked up at once to thank Zonar and to question him about it.

 He was nowhere to be seen.  Quite mysteriously once more, Zonar had disappeared without a trace into thin air, with not even the slightest sound to alert Nevetsecnuac's keen senses.  Frowning, Nevetsecnuac strained his eyes and scanned the area.

"Don't fret, we'll be meeting again soon enough." the thunderous voice shook the skies, and the subsequent roaring laughter trailed off into the distance.

Nevetsecnuac's entreaties for him to halt, his dares to manifest himself fell on deaf ears so, eventually, he gave up trying and returned to the matters at hand.  Nevetsecnuac clad in more appropriate (armor) travelling attire, first secured Hecun's sword, this along with his scholar's vestments and identity papers in a bundle, Nevetsecnuac fastened them all onto the harness of Mouro's charger (strong cavalry horse). He gave a proper burial to Doctor Sullen and the others then vaulting the mare resumed his journey to the Capital.

                                                                               ~

In the ensuing days and nights, Nevetsecnuac could not shake the feeling of being monitored (watched) by an unseen entity; for intuitively, despite the seeming absence of form, he certainly sensed unearthly presence at every turn. It was like that of Zonar’s aura, a force, and yet not quite the same… This presence was, inured, (callous, desensitized) yet same time more deadly and, it definitely was in pursuit of something or someone, other than him. Nevetsecnuac was just a conduit (channel, means); the phantom hunter (tracker) had intangibly stalked him to attain real prey (target). Nevetsecnuac did not know it, but he had instinctively detected the unseen presence of an immortal, one called Dwengzur; who had been assigned to hunt down and destroy the renegade Immortal before he reached his full potential.

04- NEVETSECNUAC BEING MONITORED BY UNSEEN DWENGZUR

A scant scent of target had led Dwengzur to that spot where the previous battle had taken place. Nevetsecnuac, a sole survivor emerging from the scene, warranted attention and therefore had been pursued; but when the mark (trace, hint), whatever was attached to this mortal had proven false, then one day Nevetsecnuac’s keen sensation of been persistently monitored, had abruptly cessed (terminated, ended).

                                                                                   ~

Several days later, however, the sensation of being observed by an unknown force had again returned, though, this one was not hostile.  Nevertheless, Nevetsecnuac was bit peeved (annoyed, ticked off), that he’d been persistently for some unknown reason was being monitored and audaciously, subtly tested; and so, once after a long, tiring ride, when he halted for respite at the edge of a thick forest, near a flowing creak, he’d shouted his dare into the air:

“If you are fair, face me true, or, try another, more (effective) potent tactic.”

Subsequently, as he waited for a response, (with his senses on high alert,) he’d perfunctorily laid down his bedding under an ancient tree and, after starting a small campfire, his eyes pensively watched the steed graze on the lush grass, then quietly sat down to, for his sustenance, roast the already cleaned and gutted small game (rabbit)  he’d snared earlier on.  

His hunger satiated, after a bout (spell) of reflection, for disappointingly nothing untoward had happening (manifesting): “Oh well,” shrugging his shoulders, Nevetsecnuac briefly looked up at the cloudless sky overhead, which was blanketed with stars that winked incessantly, then donning a knowing, broad smile, he reclined and closed his eyes in sleep.

Suddenly, as if in answer to his earlier challenge, an arrow pierced the air and, finding its mark, got buried deep into the log where Nevetsecnuac had used as his pillow, its shaft barely grazing the tip of his nose.

"You are back; but surely you can do better!" Nevetsecnuac, unperturbed, chortled and, pulling out the arrow, with ease, tossed it aside.

"Don't provoke me, for I can ground your bones to dust with but a single blow."

A terrifying voice boomed (roared) out of the darkness.

"You're welcome to try." Nevetsecnuac masking his inner elation (excitement), with a wry grin goaded presumed Zonar further, eyes still (closed) shut tight.

In a bolder move yet, Nevetsecnuac simply shifted his body to get more comfortable and then yawning, plaintively mumbled.  "I’ve had a long day’s ride but pray do your worst for; as yet, you have shown me nothing of your vaunted might?"

The dare had barely left his lips when, with a deafening, crackling sound, the ancient tree sheltering Nevetsecnuac split right down the middle into two perfect halves. If not for a nimble jump to safety, Nevetsecnuac would have been pulverized under the enormous trunk as it came crashing (in big chunks) to the ground. His mare, as luck would have it, was tethered to another tree opposite and so had escaped the danger.

"How unreasonable, this tree had existed for thousands of years yet perished in a flash." Nevetsecnuac shook his head disapprovingly as he viewed the damage.  "Such is the vanity of man."

05- NEVETSECNUAC DISSAPPOINTED

"You dare mock me?"  Zonar's thundering voice, though he remained invisible still, quaked the ground under Nevetsecnuac's feet, suddenly splitting it wide open, with dislodged soil and rock subsequently plunging (plummeting) into a deep chasm (gorge).

Nevetsecnuac had escaped this catastrophe by nimbly, in the nick of time, jumping to one side of the precipice.  After which, still clinging onto the exposed roots at the edge, he’d hauled himself up to safety. He nonchalantly dusted off his clothes while inwardly marveling at the other's incredible powers.

Unperturbed, he shouted out defiantly, “You had best resign (quit) tonight, for I refuse to oblige your whims any longer.  Sleep is what awaits me now."  This said, he picked out another suitable ground under another ancient tree and reclined his head. Nothing much happened that evening and he slept soundly till dawn.

 

(END OF SECTION 1)                                                                                           ~

LEGEND OF NEVETSECNUAC - THE PROLOGUE

 LEGEND OF NEVETSECNUAC - THE PROLOGUE

 

 The northernmost border of Korion had been marked by a range of lofty, serrated peaks, seven in number, appropriately named “The Pillars of Heaven”.  Their astral summits (stellar zeniths) were completely obscured by crowning clouds, relegating all perception of their true elevation to the realm of fantasy.  Snow and ice permanently capped the stratospheric part of this mystic range and from the north (the north-pole) the driving, howling winds thrashed the slopes mercilessly, scouring the glacier clean of any life form. Ergo, the popular folklore of Korion had always maintained that the breath of the world was being drawn in through these august peaks. This inhospitable region of sub-freezing temperatures meanwhile had effectively deterred any human from traversing it; yet remarkably, the national lore persisted of an ancient race, old beyond the Earth itself, possessing powers most strange and subtle, dwelling and thriving in this desolation.

 

                                                                                          ~

 

In that never ending cycle of nature, as anew (afresh) the darkness enshrouded (veiled) the Earth in obscurity, on the majestic slopes the falling flakes yet again sought refuge from the relentless scourge of the wind by hiding in crevices and under ledges in swirling eddies. 

ELDERS OF KARN

ELDERS OF KARN

 On this typically forbidding (austere) night, “The Elders of Karn”, an ancient race of people each ranking over six feet tall in height, with long white or fiery red hairs, pale gray eyes and pale skin, some identically clad in dreary, nondescript garments with hoods, but all without exception, sporting a different shades of crystal amulet that hung from their neckline- had been standing or, seated around the lashing tongues of fire, for an indefinite period, listening with rapt attention to the one named Dwengzur recounting the success of his mission. 

DWENGZUR

Silence fell at the conclusion of Dwengzur’s report. The primary, the most ancient one known as “Aegeus”, thoughtfully stroking his long, snow white beard, now slightly leaned forward and without moving his lips, in measured intonation suggested to Dwengzur that the report may need a touch more elaboration.  Before Dwengzur had a chance to show his surprise at this most unusual request, the other Elders displaying an uncharacteristic curiosity added their collective nods and silent murmurs, as if in droning chorus.  “Yes, brother,” their voices burst in his head, tells us more news of the outside world.  “Tell us of the recent changes!”

“This is most peculiar! Much has changed during my long absence; why this sudden interest in the forsaken mortal realms?” Dwengzur locking his mind up and retreating to that private segment that could not be penetrated, a privileged right, he for a spell, pondered. Centuries had passed since the last great struggle that’d in the interim seriously depleted their numbers and erased in its entirety the female gender of their race. From thence unable to propagate, their longevity being the only other boon to their special powers- yes, the final war had been won but at a heavy cost.

CESSARS

CESSARS

Cassars, rock spirit entities, that had eventually been enslaved by Karns and so kept in check- had been the catalyst of this catastrophic dissention (discord) among existing ancient races. Set against one another the other elite powers had all one by one been eliminated, purged, extinguished. As sole remaining custodians of this world, by consensus of the elders of Karn, they had spared Cassars from total annihilation only to imprison them and allowed the species of men to have the sole dominion over Earth.

 Since that time, spanning several centuries now, race of Karn had secretly co-existed with men, in the remotes corner of these icy-peaks; meanwhile, affording mankind that certain measure of safety- as Cassars’ contained or bested by the utilization of ice or water were then indefinitely imprisoned in the protective water crystal amulet that each Karn wore. It was a bane (burden) to be endured till the end of time.

                                                                                ~

The ancient race of Karn had always lived by very stringent tribal laws.  On most rare instance, any would be offender, without mercy and without the benefit of any trial, would be condemned to be a non-entity and then swiftly terminated.

The other unwritten law was that no one got to leave the tribe, willingly or unwillingly, alive.  But then one resourceful renegade Immortal known as Chandor, (also known as Zandar Kuntzu, the name he’d adapted at outside), had succeeded in doing the impossible. 

The day before Dwengzur was to depart on the most difficult and dire assignment, he’d been secretly informed (briefed) By Elder Aegeus (who had the power to only visit the sight and invoking an incantation, pick up all that had transpired there) on the pertinent details relating to this case.

 It so happened that Chandor (Zandar Kuntzu) was the only surviving direct descendent of the primary, the most ancient Aegeus. Chandor hence, carried the Royal bloodline and the rare gene that would enable him, when he reached the Earth years of 40, to be transformed at will, into the most fearsome creature, Dragon.

 Dwengzu’s assignment had been to find and destroy him as well as the children (twin boy and girl)  that he’d secretly sired, well before that time. Extrapolating on this, Elder Aegeus had then revealed to Dwngzur that, in an undisclosed sector of the main Cave, a prisoner had been held for some time now who happened to be the daughter of His Eminence Olavingemar.  Her name was Tekubzan, the most enchanting creature born to the race of Karn. In fact, she’d been the sole surviving female species of their race who had escaped total inhalation   because of her secret (captivity) incarceration.  At the earth age of 10, at the Divination Ceremony where the new generation’s fortunes were read, her ominous prediction had revealed that she unfortunately was the carrier of a seed that would be the harbinger of, utter obliteration (eradication) of their (Karn’s) race.  She was therefore condemned to die by the Chief Elders in a unanimous vote in order to circumvent (avoid, prevent) this inevitability.

OLAVIGEMAR

His Eminence Olavigemar entrusted this task to his most trusted and able assistant Meju, but he at the last moment had found out that he could not carry out this sentence. Instead, he privately consulted the Stars and chose another option, a preferred alternative to her execution. Of course, he’d paid the ultimate price in order to preserve this great secret forever, the very secret that had been discovered only recently due to a strange set of circumstances.  Anyhow, her life had been spared but she’d been condemned nevertheless to a far crueler fate: an imprisonment for life behind an impenetrable, a one piece of solid rock at the furthest point and the deepest recesses of the Cave which the Elders of Karn once a year held counsel. The thickness of it muted all sound from escaping. The council meetings were later transferred at a more favorable location.  For nearly a decade, this fair maiden had languished in the dark, well forgotten, save for her father who secretly still longed for his only offspring.  Tekubzan being an immortal never needed sustenance or liquids; she’d been therefore only provided by Meju (before his demise), some textiles and garments to appropriately (cover her body) cloth herself as she grew up.  She lived in solitary confinement and in pitch darkness behind that solid rock wall that looked to be a natural part of the cave. In time she was totally forgotten, especially by the new generation which Chandor (Zandar Kuntzu) happened to be. 

Chandor (Zandar) at 20 earth years, possessing a curious and explorative nature, more than once had secretly ventured into the forbidden depths of the Cavern. Due to rare, once in a millennium seismic event, a fissure, a crack had occurred on the solid wall, which Chandor (Zandar), on one of his expeditions, came upon. He drew near to examine it.  With his unusual and super-human hearing, he at that point happened to detect the slight sound of stirring behind, telling of a life, a creature that must have dwelled there. He enlarged the gap as best as he could, and holing up a light to it, peered in to investigate the source. He was shocked to discover an enchanting being, clearly a female creature staring back at him. He worked diligently and secretly for almost a year, till eventually he could get the opening large enough to get his physical body through it. The beautiful creature clad in tattered clothing on the other side was frightened at first and besides which, forgotten the vernacular. But no words were necessary for communication. He pitied and same time was terribly drawn to her. From then on, whenever he could he stole away and visited her. In time having gained her confidence, the two grew quite close. They spent many happy moments together and eventually fell deeply in love with each other. Being sort of a rebel in character, he would not shy away from most taboos; but he was nevertheless reluctant to be too intimate with her, knowing the consequence, knowing that if he did, she might be impregnated. When the desire became too great for them to resist, thinking he’d taken apt precautions, the two one night shared a most blissful, intimate time together. That time he’d left after promising to visit her the next day. But unforeseen circumstances had prevented him for many months from calling on her. When he finally could get away, he rushed to the forbidden pace to present her the most precious gift an ask her to be his mate forever. He’d decided well before this to rescue her from her prison and after the two had made good their escape from the mountain, he would make sure she would never be impregnated, to live a long and happy life with him in some secret location, in some remote corner of the world.

Fate unfortunately had intervened to destroy all his hopes and dreams. What greeted him instead, was a heart-wrenching tragedy. He found her long dead with a precious naked twin infant boy and a girl, wrapped in a cloth, beside her. A brief note etched on a wall had recounted her most dire ordeal which she’d courageously faced. Worse, however, been the days of waiting and longing for him; though trusting him, her generous heart had forever absolved him from any blame. Finally, when his eyes beheld the words of her written declaration of lasting love for him, his heart ripped open, and he broke down and sobbed uncontrollably for quite some time.

Eventually a slight whimper from the twin infants, whom she had transferred her life force to after severing the umbilical cord, the poor entities which had waited in darkness and solitude for so many months, had just at that point in time drew his attention. He at once dried his tears, tenderly picked up his son and daughter and pressed them to his bosom. After a long spell, eventually reason took hold. As the ground was hard, he fetched many rocks and reverently covered the body of his beloved in order to provide her at least some solace in afterlife; he said his prayers and then made a solemn wow to take good care of their beloved offsprings.  He’d made good his escape and   disappeared for many a year, living in secret and under disguise, as a woodsman, close to some remote village in Korion.

ELDER AEGEUS

Elder Aegeus abilities being vast and mysterious, he had seen the truth in a vision. For reasons known only to him however, he’d kept some facts that Dwengzu had discovered only later, to himself. Dwengzur at the time had only been instructed to find Zandar and eliminate him and his mortal wife and the chilren they had.

 In truth, for the sake of his twin children, Zandar’d befriended a widowed mortal female (a local farmer’s third daughter,) living alone with a son equal in age to Zonar (boy twin) and Arnora (girl twin). Through mutual arrangement he took her as his mate and settled down to work the fields like an ordinary farmer.  His new wife had been a good-natured, kind soul and, from the start, she’d treated the toddlers Zonar and Arnora as if they were her own. Zonar and Arnora had both been happy children then, though briefly, as they then had an elder brother.

Again, these details Dwengzur had discovered, later and quite by accident:

 Zandar’s twin children Zonar and Arnora were never told of their true heritage; in those early years they had grown up believing the mortal human was their mother. Zandar Kuntzu during his years living among the mortal humans had undergone such a metamorphosis, in order to perfect his disguise, that he had remained successfully well concealed for over a Decade, until the day of reckoning when he had finally been hunted down by Dwengzur and along with his mortal wife and mortal boy and a girl child were properly disposed of.

 Then again Zandar Kuntzu had foreseen this outcome well in advance and had entrusted his toddler twins Zonar and Arnora, separating them as precautionary measure, to the care of two different ordinary mortal families, along with a complete set of instructions that would be visible when they reached teen years. Each Immortal born lived as a mortal being until the age of adulthood, hence they were unremarkable (indiscernible) in that period. After maturity, it was of course, a different story; the Immortal’s congenital (inherited), varied (wide-ranging) powers were fully restored to them and from then on, every time they used their innate powers, it left a subtle subatomic trace that could easily be picked up by those who knew how.

At the time Zandar had further ensured Zonar and Arnora’s safety by purposefully remaining ignorant of the identities of the foster families and by choosing an ancient, infirm go-between (to carry on the transaction) who had died soon afterwards. Any hope of tracing Zonar and Arnora hence, had become practically impossible.  Before leaving Zandar Kuntzu had also implanted a magical command in the toddlers’ unconscious which prevented them, from teen years to adulthood, from knowing of or using their powers while still hidden in Korion.  Unfortunately, it was through this faint trace which had eventually enabled Dwengzur to (detect, locate) find Zandar and his mortal family.

At the time Dwengzur had been assigned to this task of tracking and disposing of this renegade Immortal Chando (Zandar Kuntzu), his immortal twins, as well all his intimate human associations (like his mortal wife and his offsprings), forced as he’d been to the re-entry into the outside world, Dwengzur had been privately instructed, by the most ancient elder, Aegeus, on this taboo (most prohibited) skill, the means with which to track and kill another Immortal.

                          ~                                 

 Back at the Immortal’s hidden abode (habitat), each time Dwengzur had utilized his powers, through a beacon of sorts, Aegeus and the governing body of the elders of Karn, had tracked his steady progress (feat, achievement) and as they did this, in the interim, (as the unwanted side-effect) they had gradually got ensnared by the intriguing affairs of man.  Dwengzur’s latest exploits, the acutely unusual set of events however had been rather ambiguous and warily obscure, meriting (necessitating) at present, an explanation.

“This is unwarranted curiosity,” Dwengzur reticently grumbled. “They should have had, after all these centuries of abstinence, been immune to it and all!  The Elder Aegeus’s present request countered their most sacred of unspoken laws.  Perhaps after centuries of detachment, they’d craved variance; a dangerous precedence, to say the least.”

Dwengzur, as he surreptitiously searched the faces of governing body of Elders seated about, inwardly asked: “What degree of contamination would be acceptable, the inescapable resulting consequence, and in the end, what would be forfeit?”

Casting a wary glance into the recesses of the cavern, where the hibernating groups of the younger (middle-aged) clan members lay dormant, as if in hibernation but regenerating, Dwengzur nodded to signal his eventual acquiescence to their request and opened his mind once more for the siphoning of information.

 His eyes closed, his face perfectly composed, his thoughts perfectly lucid, moment later all seated about heard in their heads Dwengzur’s somber voice resounding with respect and care.

“It so happens I have a singularly intriguing mortal tale to impart, one with a particular charm all its own, as well as an incipient promise of good.  It is a chronicle of good versus evil, a narrative in which courage, loyalty, friendship, honor, sacrifice, romance, is pitted against, treachery greed, lust for power and abominations of every imaginable kind; but firstly, it is a tale of moral vengeance.  You, my brothers, who have long since purged yourself of these and other such frailties, you may assume the task of an impartial judge. And at the end of it, decide whether the prince Nevetsecnuac of this tale had acted in a righteous cause, or was he merely a pawn in the game of fate, a straw dog, blown about by Heaven's breath.”

He rose to his feet and summoned a tendril of flame to his fingertip.  Walking over to the cavern wall, he incised a circle of fire as he invoked the familiar incantation:

               "Zukonaren..koture..lozuk..

               "Yeme..rike..tokure..kizerune..dom..

               "Do-kume..ke..ki..

               "Kazuuuemmm.”

 

The circle of flame instantly collapsed upon itself at its center then exploded outwards, creating the window to the world.

With an expansive gesture of his hand, Dwengzur invited,

 "Behold!"

 

Just then eddies of burning mist had cleared away to reveal a barren coastline.

                                                                                  ~

 

Note:                                                             

 

(Stay tuned for the next post. Chapter 1- Fisherman's prize. As each chapter being so very long, it shall be divided into segments, culminating in many, sequential posts, over time.)