Prequel Chapter: Balance

by Judge Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:01 am

Hey everyone it's Judge. After giving it much thought, I have decided to officially discontinue the guild and alliance story. Yes, yes tragic news. I was thinking about deleting the ones I put up but I'll leave em there for keepsake. But fear not! I have undergone a rebirth! A Renaissance of my own! For something to reborn it must first die. That is why I have "put to death" the original Guild/alliance story. I now present you with the better, reborn story, a more fitting story that is more worthy to grace the readers! This ladies and gentlemen, I promise you, will be much more grand than the predecessor!

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“No! No! Please no! Cece! Cece! Please, you have to stay with me! Please don’t die! Please!”

“Unhhh…Z—Zane? I—Is that you?”

“Don’t talk! Save your energy!”

Zane could feel the warm blood cover his hands as he held Cece’s tattered corpse in his arms.

“Zane I l—l—love you.”

Her eyes began to close. With every passing second her heart beat became slower and slower.

“Cece stop please! You have to live!”

Zane began to clutch her tighter, tears streaming down his eyes.

“I love you too! That’s why—that’s why you have to live!”

Cece too began to swell with tears.

“Zane…don’t…live your…life…filled with…r—r—revenge…”

And with that final gasp, Cece fell silent. Zane was unable to control himself any longer. With a loud thundering voice, he cursed so loud the heavens shook and the demons themselves hid amongst the shadows of the temple.
At that moment, Zane was no longer a man, but a deity engulfed in flame. He proceeded to pick up his twin swords, Zangetsu and Zanetusken, and with a smile muttered, “Die.”

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He slowly carried the lifeless corpse of Cece and proceeded to the inner sanctum of the temple. The legendary Fountain of Balance, governed by Lithia, a Warden of the Five Gods resided within this inner sanctum. He had heard rumors that this Fountain had the power to bring back life. He would plead with Lithia, even would offer his own life, to bring back Cece. He climbed the stairs leading to the immaculate fountain; he shed one last tear and put the body in the water of the fountain. It gently began to sink to the bottom, staining the pale blue water crimson red with blood.

“Oh Guardian of the Fountain of Light! Lithia, Angel of Dwayna! Please I beseech you, restore the life of the girl which I placed in the fountain!”

A stream of brilliant light beamed down. When the light ceased somewhat enough for a mortal to see, there stood the Angel Lithia.

“You have summoned me?” the warden said.

“Yes I have. I heard you had the power to restore life. Please give life to that girl—the woman I love!”

The warden remained stoic.

“You do realize the price that must be paid. This is the Fountain of Balance. In order for one thing to happen—whether it be the restoration of life, wishing for good fortune, or whatever else the human heart may desire—a price must be paid; it must be an equal exchange in order to assure the balance of this world. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself to bring this girl back?”

“Anything. I don’t care about myself!”

“If I do this—will she be happy? Will she be happy living without the love of her life? Are you sure this is what she wants? Sometimes the dead must remain dead for the better.”

“I don’t care. Just do it.”

“As you wish.”

The warden began to raise her hands and recite an incantation. However, just when the ritual was about to be complete, a spear black as the night pierced the heart of the angel.

“Ahhhhhhhhhh!” she screamed in pain. “Impossible! No mortal weapon can possible hurt me!”

“Think again,” said a voice that sent shivers down Zane’s spine.

"Him!" Zane thought to himself.

A dark figure emerged from the shadows. Zane’s eyes widened. It was him—Cece’s murderer.

“AZMUTH!!!” he roared.

Azmuth turned his head to face Zane. A helmet, just as black as his demonic spear covered his face.

“Well, well, well Zane. We meet again. I should actually be thanking you. You helped me slay a servant of the Gods. So much for being ‘immortal’” he chuckled.

He grabbed the spear and viciously removed it from Lithia.; her body was bleeding profusely. Before Zane could react, he stabbed her again—and again and again until she was nothing more than another lifeless corpse.

He began to laugh uncontrollably. “Now that I’ve slayed the warden of the Fountain of Balance, I can tip the world in the favor of darkness! Thank you Zane! I knew that killing that useless girl would lure you here. I knew you would go to the fabled Fountain of Balance to try to bring her back. You’re so predictable you know that?”

“Shut up you bastard!” yelled Zane.

“Oh yelling at me won’t change a damn thing.”

He reached for the corpse of Lithia and using dark magic, removed a run from her forehead.

“This rune…the Rune of Balance. With it, one has the power to control the Fountain of Balance. Now—“

“CLIMHAZZARD!” yelled Zane.

Azmuth was then struck with the fury of Zane’s powerful sword spell. But alas, it was to no avail. Azmuth arose from the rubble unscathed.

“You know that won’t work on me. I’ve become far more powerful than any of you could possible imagine. I can’t believe I ever served a woman so treacherous as her. Akroma. That name makes me want to destroy every living thing on this planet! And with this rune I shall do just that! You can’t stop me Zane!”

He began to laugh hysterically.

“I don’t know why you sold the Order of the Judges out! You were my best friend. Akroma loved you! How could you! Why kill so many! Why—“

“That is enough!” he yelled. “I will not be patronized by you of all people. You’re nothing but a hypocrite. Nothing more than a weakling hiding behind his family name. You have no right to compare yourself to me!”

“Azmuth this ends now! I’ll kill you for all the people you’ve slain. Especially…especially Cecilia!”

“So be it! Words never solve anything, only ACTIONS!” screamed Azmuth

Zane charged forward swords at hand. Azmuth drew his sword and grabbed a hold of his spear to counter Zane.
Azmuth made the first move—a quick lunge with the long reach of his spear would put Zane on the defensive. Zane deftly flipped backward to dodge the tip of the spear. As soon as he landed, he catapulted his crouched body as to pierce Azmuth.

Azmuth swiped with his spear—a miss. Just as Zane was about to make a blow he brought up his sword, the Catastrophe, to block the twin blade strike.
Energy enveloped the two of them as their swords remained entangled. Azmuth threw away his spear, the Abyss, and landed a punch square on the cheek of Zane. Zane was thrown back. He looked up and saw Azmuth diving upon him to bestow a finishing blow.

Zane rolled just in time as Azmuth crushed the floor causing the temple to quake.

“What power!” Zane thought to himself. “C—can I really do this?!”

No time to think as Azmuth quickly made another lunge; he pierced the right arm of Zane.

“He’s too fast!” Zane thought.

Zane tried to make a counter attack. He used the Zangetsu which was grasped in his left arm to make a slash at Azmuth’s neck.

“Got him!”

But Zane slashed nothing but air, as Azmuth so easily without effort t dodged the swift strike. Azmuth jumped back and began to laugh.

“Is that all you got? Poor, poor Zane. Looks like you are just a weakling.”

“Shut up you maniac!”
Zane again rushed toward Azmuth. A flurry of swords clanging echoed throughout the temple. Azmuth was easily blocking every strike. He was clearly the stronger. Then with one quick move he brought his sword and made a spinning slash.

“Unlike you who slashes nothing but air, I will make air slash you! AIR RAZOR SLASH!” he yelled.

With one quick spin, he turned the air itself into deadly half crescent blades and sent them right toward Zane. Although he tried to dodge it but it was useless. Zane was being shred to pieces by Azmuth’s attack. He screamed in pain and collapsed once the attack was finished.

He couldn’t move—his legs were crippled. With what little energy he had left he looked up he saw Azmuth approach him. Soon, he was standing right over him.

"It’s over,” said Azmuth.

“Ce—Cecilia. I’m sorry that I couldn’t avenge you.”

“Those are your last words? Pathetic loving someone till the bitter end. It’s useless. Time to say goodbye, old friend.”
Zane’s eyes began to close; he could see death itself coming. He began to fade faster. Then he heard Cecilia’s voice.

“No! Don’t Zane! It’s not your time! You must live! You MUST live!”

Zane suddenly came to. As Azmuth’s blade was about to come down upon him, he grabbed Zanetusken, quickly blocked Catastrophe, and stabbed Azmuth right in the heart with the Zangetsu. He grabbed Azmuth’s forehead and forcibly extracted the Rune of Balance.

“No! No it can’t be!” Azmuth said while spitting blood. “How was I defeated by the likes of you! How—“

Azmuth went pale. Zane was not Zane. He was ephemeral, god like. His eyes had no soul to them. Something had come over Zane. He instinctively placed the Rune of Balance upon himself so skillfully, as if he knew what to do. Then the true nature of the rune activated. A huge swirl of energy surrounded Zane.

“But how!” Azmuth yelled. “How could you activate it’s true power!”

“Azmuth,” Zane said. “Balance must be kept. You have thrown this world into chaos and despair. It is time for your judgement. As a Judge of the land of Faoris I judge thee, GUILTY! Now experience the true power of the Rune of Balance!”

A light engulfed the temple, the skies, and the land itself. Then darkness ensued. The world, for a brief moment, stood still.

by Force of the divine Wed Apr 08, 2009 6:38 am

w00t kewl story

by Mighty Wed Apr 08, 2009 12:19 pm

after seeing so many other stories going over well judge finally
stops being lazy }=P

btw my sisters name is CeCe
so is this a completely different story?

by Haru Thu Apr 09, 2009 12:50 pm

I like it, Judge. The other one just seemed to degrade into another one of those "stories of guild wars with allies names replaced into the character names." But if the beginning of it was any different, I'll never know.