The Beginnings of a new Era

[Author comment: Very stream of conscious piece of writing. This shall be an experimental piece of writing. Comments, as usual, are welcome. Also, this will probably be my input to this forum as I take my usual winter break in China where everything is blocked. Enjoy. Also since I wrote it on impulse and is stream of conscious, a lot of characters and places will not have names to begin with. I might choose random people from this alliance. Let's see who is lucky enough to appear in my stream of conscious!]
Yes, it has come to this. There was no denial in the eyes of those who sat at the table. Sitting at the head of the table, looking grim, with her hands folded under her chin she looked at everyone who sat at the table. In the eyes of everyone, there was fear, uncertainty and nervousness. Yet, despite the gravity and grim there was courage. Its presence was weak, but it was there. She, now bathed under the soft moonlight, sitting at the throne closed her eyes for a moment. She waited for the right moment to speak. Her soft, yet commanding voice broke the silence that held the room "My fellow friends, my trusty commanders, a dark time is upon us. The prophecy has spoken. It has foretold years of death, fire and destruction. It has told of the blood that will be spilled by our men, women and children. Our nation will no longer exist, our walls that we pride on will shatter and break. The dark night looms ahead, waiting like a vulture preparing its attack on its prey. I know all of you are as painfully aware of the prophecy as I am. But, have heart. This eternal night will not have us. It can try to break the courage of many, but it will break me so long as I have a single breathe left in me. For I will not abandon this nation. No, not even if the God of Death himself stands before me. I will fight and have courage."
Yes, those were the words we were all so accustomed to hearing. Its power took to our hearts, it spoke to our soul. Yet memories of the prophecy stroke me like a bad nightmare, grabbing me into the past. Yes, it was that fateful day when the sun did not shine. I was with her, our ruler, at the temple. The priestess stood in her white gown looking into the fields beyond the temples. A cold breeze blew past us, chilling us to the bones even though it was the middle of summer. As I looked up, I realized the Sun was weakening in its strength. I could feel unrest in the flowers, the trees, the surroundings. The priestess, still standing, looking into the distance breathed in the cold air and stood still. Then as if possessed by some spirit spoke in a voice that was cold and harsh like that of the underworld, unlike her usual voice. "This is the beginning, the Sun would no longer shine upon the Earth. Flowers will wither, the world will collapse, heroes will fall. From the skies, fiery deaths will come falling down. Dark forces will rise from the grounds, slaughtering all in its way. Blood will be shed, this nation, no, this entire world will be drowned in blood. The God of Death himself will visit this world, then there will be no more life in this world. All living creature will die instantly, the world will be truly his forever. He rules in the unholy name of Dhuum, he shall come and reap everything good from this world."
Dhuum, that name which have not been uttered for centuries. The unholy one that has been sealed away since the ages of the past by the power of the Gods above. He is returning? It cannot be. How are we, mere mortals, supposed to stop his evil plans to cover the world in darkness and death? I looked to my right, there she stood, fierce with energy, our leader. She was not afraid, but angry. With fists clinched, she looked at me "We must put an end to Dhuum's ambitions. No matter how powerful he is, he will not have his way if I had a say about it!"
"Yes, your highness" I answered. I knew there was no going back now. She has spoken. Yes, we might be marching to our deaths and that might be stupid. But that's the power she has, the ability to never give up. The ability to lead us to whatever destiny that awaits us. Ah, I remember now, my vow. The vow to follow her to whatever destiny that waited for us, to protect the nation that we live in. As her warriors, we will march to the Gates of Hell and back if need be. Yes, I suppose there is no use being afraid of death. Even without being asked, I placed my sword upon the table "I will go, to the depth of Hell and defeat Dhuum before he has a chance to put a step on this world."
All the others looked at me in awe and shock. "Remember your vows, we shall follow her to whatever destiny. If she so chooses to defeat Dhuum, then it is our duty to follow and march until we can no longer march. Fight until we can no longer fight. Until the last breath of our lives are exhausted, we'll not give up. That's why we are the warriors of Light. The Army of Light. Brothers, to arms, we'll go to Hell and defeat Dhuum."

Definitely sounds interesting indeed.

[Author Comment: I am now back in China. It's been a mess. A lot more mess coming up. But I am going to put that all behind for now and provide you all with another chapter. Huzzah. XD]

I really didn't expect everything to turn so quickly. No sooner than that fateful night in the court had passed signs of the end already started. No one could imagine that such a horrible prophecy could be about something that was so close. Here I stand, on the watchtowers looking out to an endless world of white with disbelief. It had snowed the entire night so much so that it was already at least up to one's knees. Our leader had already sent envoys throughout the nation warning people of this prophecy. But we do not have the time to gather our forces for this. It was already upon us. We had to prepare for war now. The cold air was restless it changed directions often and changed temperature often as well. Standing here I was able to observe its changes and there was not a moment of stillness. It was then that someone appeared behind me, it was Mythical Rynel, in full armor holding my sword. I looked at her, even without saying, I knew it would soon be our turn to fight. "Our lady took your words last night. Now it's time to put some actions into those words."
The next three days things started to look worse. However it looked like our envoys made it in time. We had gathered enough forces to hold the city for a while against anything while we relocated the civilians into the mountains and ready to run at any time. We had prepared several back up ports for them to run to if anything should go wrong. It was on that day that the sun no longer shone. As the sun's last rays streamed across the land, I gripped onto my sword and took a deep breath. It was beginning for sure this time. That was when it all began, without warning a darkness appeared in the grounds before the city. It was a large gaping hold that seemed to suck all the lights into it. The grounds began to tremble and the city walls shook all over. One could hear dark voices echoed in the wind coming from the gaping hole. The horses were now frightened, I could see the fear spreading into everyone in the city. The lady now stands beside us "Prepare for battle!"
With that, the city moved into action. Everyone was rushing to their stations. The first wave had began, frozen rocks came falling from the skies as the dark forces set foot onto this Earth. I could not see their faces, their horses, their features. All I could see was the darkness that surrounded them and surrounds us now.
[Sorry for the cliffhanger, I am going to leave the first battle for next time in order to reduce possible lag. Also, my computer is being a little wacky. So until next time! As usual, all comments welcome!.]

Good story line - and point of view. Might want to try making smaller paragraphs - new one when you do quotes or move to new thoughts -- new one when you refer to new character, etc. Makes it easier to read.

Other than that, nice work!

Of course. LOL

[Author's notes: Sorry I've been busy with stuff. So today, i shall bring you a couple of updates. Yay!!! These updates brought to you by the awesomenss that is called coffee.]

Then it begin, as the skies called upon fiery rains. The darkness that crept across the lands have descended upon us. I could not see what was coming. Despite all the training, I had not expected this. No, this was far beyond imagination. Like shadows from darkness they came, they would appear and only to leave without motion only a scream and a dismembered body. I have never seen anything like this before. What were these shadows? "Stand firm!" I heard. I looked back to see a light coming from the staff which she held. Our eternal leader, she held it high like the first rays of the Sun. I thought I had heard angels at that moment.
Fearless, she stood, upon that tower carrying the flag and with her staff raised. Mythical looked back too. She smiled "I knew it. All hope is not lost. Come, we have much work to do. The night is long ahead of us."
Indeed, it was a long night. But Mythical was right, all was not lost. The Shadows feared the light which our eternal leader held in her hands. She was the glimmer of hope that would lead us onward towards our victory. I looked upon the on-coming enemy without fear now. I charged in, without a care in the world. I started to recall scenes from the past, scenes of my youth, my first meeting with the leader. I felt courage and warmth. I was not afraid of the death that was on my tail, quickly catching up to me. Nor was I afraid of the enemies ahead of me that have breached the walls. Perhaps that is her power, beyond the power to drive back the enemies. She gave us hope. She gave us power. She gave us courage. And most importantly, she would never falter.

[Author's notes: Continued from this hype from coffee. Mizune brings you another one. Coffee is delicious! Also, apologies for the use of the word Hell, if it offends anyone. >.< You can't be perfect in this world.]

As the forces where driven back, we had reformed our lines. It was then that several captains, including myself were called back into the keep for an urgent meeting. I knew what was going to happen. There was going to be a divergence plan. A selected group of captains were going to bring a small team into the dark portal that has been throwing non-stop enemies at us. While the rest stays and defends the world. The plan was simple, the divergence team, following the main team would break through enemies ranks and sneak into the portal while the rest defend the city. It was a dangerous plan, however it seemed to be the most intelligent thing to do. It seemed that it has been pre-determined that the captains that were chosen to go onto the divergence team were Mythical, Lala, Cruel and I. Nola, Eva, and Hennu were going to lead the break through main party. And Taku, our leader, Seamon, Aura and the rest were going to hold the city. After the meeting had finished, we all gathered at the gates. Once it opens, we don't know whether or not we'd be returning. The smell of dew was in the air, morning was approaching yet the Sun was not going to rise. I will always remember the flag wavering in the dark against the cold wind. And I will always remember the faces of the relentless enemies, though they didn't have much of a face to begin with. These shadows, I was told by Captain Lala that they were called Azure Shadows and Smoke Phantoms. She would know all about these since she was more accustomed to fighting these things. She was also a scholar in alchemy. Hopefully, this will bring us good fortunes in the lands unknown ahead of us. I was pretty sure the portal lead to Hell itself. I could feel the evil of Hell spreading from within.
The heavy gates of the city opened to complete darkness, the main team rode out towards the enemy in an attacking formation. Spreading out as they left the gates. It startled the enemy as they started trying to hide into the shadows. but it was too quick for them, the main team had already broken much of their ranks. Using this chaos and chance, our team slowly made our way towards the enemy's portal. The portal was in the woods and we used the darkness to our advantage. Crossing the fields, using the trees and grass as our cover. As we arrived at an overlook position to the portal, we waited till they emptied themselves of army in order to retaliate the offensive. We prayed for the city and the main team as we jumped into it. Leaving the world behind us.

James Nice Job I see you have joined our little gang of writers. Looking forward to your next chapter.

Very nice. And a good place to end the chapter as well, leaving us wondering what was at the bottom of that leap into the portal, and what was going to happen in the City. Looking forward to seeing where you take this.

[I will attempt to finish this as soon as possible. Sorry for the amount of delays. Enjoy. Also there's a special surprise for someone in the upcoming chapters. you know who you are]

The blackness surrounded us, engulfing our souls. I could not see the end of this portal that we jumped in. But I could hear them, the beasts were still coming through. They were everywhere around me, yet when I reached out I could feel nothing but emptiness. When I tried to see figures and shapes, all I could ever make out was pitch black darkness. I do not know how long I have been falling, but it didn't feel like I was falling or floating. It felt like I was just there, standing in one spot, not moving horizontally nor vertically. It felt like I was stuck in this blackness, this endless night which is sucking away every part of me. Turning me into one of them.
Finally, it was too much for me, this darkness eventually was too much for my eyes. As soon as I closed my eyes, I fainted. I could not differentiate it, but I knew I had fainted. It felt far more tranquil than when I was stuck in that darkness.
When I came to, I saw in front of me a vast lake under a sky of darkness. I could not see the edge of the lake and some sort of mist is obstructing my visions. It wasn't a normal mist. It was as if my vision was being altered from time to time so that I could see glimpse of a mist forming and other times, it would be as clear as it could be. I looked around and saw everyone that had came with me was there around me scattered at the edge of this vast lake. I do not know where we are. I can only assume it's where those accursed creatures came from, I could hear in the wind the sound of moaning ghosts. Their sadness was infinite and endless. It was coming from the other side of the lake. I looked back, those who came with me were all standing in awe listening to the moaning of the ghosts like I am, unable to speak.
It was Captain Mythical who broke the silence "How are we going to cross this lake? This vast lake spans what seems to be indefinitely and I don't trust this place to put my foot in that water."
I nodded in agreement, there was no telling what was waiting for us in that water. There could be poison or even worse death waiting for us in those waters. I couldn't see past the surface of the water, reflecting the ever black skies that loomed above us. I couldn't see the portal that we came through, the illusion that was casted upon us prevented me from seeing anything beyond what seemed to be the sky.
It was then when I heard a soft rowing sound. I signalled everyone to be on their guard with their weapons drawn as I went to draw my own weapon. The sound of the oar hitting the water was getting closer and closer, yet we could see nothing on the surface of the water. Not even the water itself was moving. It was as if we were all imagining at the same time. But somehow I was sure that we were not. I don't know how I knew but I did. Then all of a sudden, the sound of the boat stopped as if it had reached the shore. It was then that we saw, a cloaked figure, not too far from us rowing in the middle of the Lake. It seemed that the boat was floating above the water and the oar was not touching the lake surface either. Yet it moved with a quickness. It came closer and closer to the edge of the water, until it reached the shores. I wanted to signal the archers to fire their arrows, but somehow I didn't. I just stared at this cloaked figure in awe, it was as if I was turned into stone. The cloaked figure came closer and closer to me and it was then an arrow was shot past me and into this figure. However, the figure did not move nor flinch. It just stayed there, in front of me, staring at me. I could not see its face behind the hood, but I knew it was staring right at me. I instinctively tried to step back, but my foot were asleep. There was no choice for me but to speak to this cloaked figure. "What do you want and who are you cloaked figure?"
It did not answer. Instead it lifted its hands to point towards his boat as if telling us to get on to cross this lake. I did not trust the boat, nor did the other captains. There was no way we were going to trust a cloaked figure, especially here in this realm. But do we really have a choice? There was nothing here but this lake. The cloaked figured look at us again and started walking back towards his boat silently and slowly. It was then that the spell that was on me seemed to have broke. I ran ahead of the figure and placed a foot onto his boat "You are not going to go anywhere until you have answered my questions, cloaked figure. Show yourself or prepare to be defeated."

[Woot woot. Another surprise update. Deploying Surprise in 3...2...1... Surprise!]

The cloaked figure stopped in front of me, yet I could still not see the features of this mysterious being. All I could feel was emptiness, like it wasn't even there to begin with. The mist that have been giving us illusions must be affecting our other senses as well. What was this trickery, I wondered to myself as the cloaked figure finally spoke "Aboard if you wish to cross this river."
The voice was so brief that it seemed to dissipate with the air, each word slowly dissolving into the air. By the time it had stopped speaking, all of its words seemed to have already disappeared. I had to make a choice, to trust this boatman or to just try to cross the river ourselves. Silently, I ordered the captains to board the boat. One by one we all fit onto what seemed to be a tiny one person boat, yet once we boarded, there seemed to be unlimited space for everyone of us.
What was a small boat became a much bigger boat once we had all boarded. Then, at last, the cloaked figure boarded as well, taking the oar as we set off to the other end.
Once the boat seemed to have left the shore, the shoreline was immediately gone as well. The seemingly endless lake became a seemingly endless ocean. There was no edge and the water was much more muddier. The current were a bit more noticeable too, as small waves hit our boat. But as we sailed, I realized that I could see something in the distance. It seemed to be the tip of a tower, soaring into the clouds. Despite the vast waters, it was still visible, the tower itself, however was still not. What a huge tower it has to be, for the tip of it to be visible from such a distance I thought to myself.
As the boat closed in to the tower, I could see that it was now covered in clouds. The top was now hidden from view, all I could see was the giant entrance and the first few floors. I turned to the other captains who were all stunned and shocked at what they have seen. There was no question no one could believe their own eyes. But, we all knew that answers awaited us within that tower.
When we finally arrived at the foot of the tower, it was then that I realized as the cloaked figure waited for all of us to disembark, before sailing off into the mist. It was a tortured soul, chained to forever ferry people across this accursed water. There was no hope for it, its job was to ceaselessly ferry people who come to this place. I could now hear clearly, the endless wailing of the darkness which attacked us. I could hear them scream as if the banshees and super natural existences told only in myths, legends and scrolls of the past. This was not somewhere that we wanted to be. But we had to continue. The entrance was now clearly in sight, above us. It was like a gate to an entire city, complete solid metal. The sides were decorated with stone statues, a giant fleet of stairs lead to it as the slopes lead back towards the shores. The stone steps were cold and without life, it seemed like an abandoned creation more than anything. It was as if it was the mouth of a beast, waiting to engulf us and throw us into its gluttonous bowls, digesting us and turning us into one of those suffering souls.
When we reached to it, the gate opened to us slowly. As if welcoming us into demise, not fearing our challenge. The mastermind knows we are here, it is calling to us. It is beckoning to us to go to its hiding place, it is beckoning us to turn into one of those shadow beasts. But we will not turn into the shadows, we'll prevail. The light whom we believed in is with us. Our hearts are strong, though fear runs through our veins. The thought of our leader leads us forth, it shined to us even in this forsaken place She is going to guide us to victory and back to her again; to that castle above hills of green and fields of golden wheat slowly waving under a warm sun and a soft breeze.