Aidan Alastair - Volume 1: Hero's Journey/Sun & Darkness

Someone approached my cell. It was a different guard. He held a polearm in his hand. “How many guards are on patrol here?” I asked.

“I thought I heard something. But I came here for nothing. Sorry, I won’t give you any information.” The guard left. I realized the guard did not come to taunt me. He did not look back.

“Information..” I muttered. I looked at the gray, rectangular prison bars. There was no rusty area on the bars. They looked thick and solid.

The guard was back. “I know it already, but why are you here?” he said.

“You should tell me about it then,” I returned.

“I get the feeling that you want to talk,” the guard replied.

“You could not have asked for less crude remarks,” I said. “I offended a goddess and ended up here. That’s what happened.” Life was a prisoner’s dilemma – a line called ‘fairness’, and a self-feeding persecution complex that only stopped if you stopped feeding it. "I'm not your buddy," I told the guard.

"Sure," he replied. "I hope you will be a free man." He went away. This comment made the guard out to be a more nonchalant person than I expected.

***

The hallway was sleek. Its walls curved. The floor was a matted brown. Linda was rejoined by Demeter. Demeter wore a blue t-shirt. She had shorts on.

“What’s on your mind?” Elliot said, following her.

“Callahan had padded body protection on him. I want that. I wonder what his profession is.”

“I see.” Elliot waited. She said nothing. Benjamin walked away. “Hey! Where are you going? Linda’s about to talk about this country’s oligarchs.”

Benjamin smiled. “Yeah, sure.” He rubbed his hand over his head and down his right ear. It was a subtle move. “It’s the first time, so I’ll ask you guys how long she took later. I don’t like long stories.” Benjamin said. “I would like to take a break.”

Linda raised her eyebrows, with a pout. She looked sideways. Elliot looked at her cheeks. “Go ahead, then,” Linda relented. She directed a guard to guide Benjamin. Benjamin waited for the guard and resumed his walk.

“Before you continue, Linda, could you fill us in about Ambrosia? We have had one casualty already.” Demeter said.

Linda rubbed her forehead with her right hand. “Ambrosia is currently afflicted by a spell of ‘Caecus’. Compared to my faith, Caecus means blindness. It means faithlessness, and that which is obscure. Caecus and Fides make up the essence of this world. They allow us to give form to our magic.” Linda spread out her arms. “You may consider Fides and Caecus as Yin and Yang.”

Her light green eyes flickered. A blue swallow appeared between her hands. It took flight, followed by a blue butterfly. “Moving on, we form part of the lower world. Above us, there is another world. To be precise, there are floating continents. The radiation is too high, so I haven’t personally visited the upper world. The continents lie above the sea, to the east. There, four divine beings make decisions about the gods of the lower world. Their names are Lumen, Nox, Caecus and Fides. Fides and Caecus regulate our faith. Lumen and Nox regulate our preference of qualia. Lumen is life. Nox is death.”

Elliot carefully listened to Linda. “Lumen, huh? So the magic I can use is life?”

“That’s right,” Linda smiled.

“What decision did these gods make about Ambrosia?” Demeter ventured.

Linda shook her head. “The decision did not involve only Ambrosia. Caecus was displeased that everyone in the lower world had forgotten about him. So, he challenged the other divine beings to a fight. When he did so, some of us humans answered his call. The ones who answered Caecus one-sidedly subdued all other faiths. They confused us. They filled us with fear and dread. Our nation was so strong and glorious. It fell apart all too easily.”

“So far so good. Thank you.” Demeter scratched the back of her head. “So, from which time period is this talk?”

“We are talking about three hundred years ago. It has been three years since I came here. I feel quite at home, in the Thesis nation,” Linda said.

“That’s a lot to look forward to,” Demeter said. “So, what happened after Caecus defeated Nox, Lumen, and Fides?”

“Caecus ascended to heaven and issued a new decree. Those who sought power were awarded. The gods of old were deemed too weak. Caecus said as much. Therefore, the old gods would undergo transmigration. Their souls’ essence would leave their bodies after suffering from the corruption of Caecus, and come to inhabit a new vessel. Every old god was condemned to being replaced by new gods, brought up from the race of divinity. As the goddess of nature, Ambrosia has been able to survive the corruption for the longest period among the gods. That’s all for the explanation concerning the goddess.” Linda grabbed her right wrist with her left hand, and rotated her right hand. She drew an arc with her outstretched palms.

“I should mention that among the humans who had suppressed the old gods, some were crowned as dark kings. They are kings, but that is just a decorative name for oligarchs. The true ruler is still Caecus.” Linda lowered her hands.

“You get carefree real fast, huh?” Elliot said.

Linda looked at Elliot. She smiled. “Keep your opinion to yourself.”

Elliot was miffed. He felt his lips curl. “You’ve got a funny hair color.”

“Demeter, we were about to talk about this country’s oligarchs, right? You have got any question left before I get to that?”

Demeter placed her thumb under her jaw. “No, you have given me enough to think about. Let’s get to the talk about Thesis’s oligarchs. That’s the objective for this conversation.”

“I shall do as much,” Linda breathed. “First, we have his highness, the royal oligarch, 33rd of the line, Hector Phoebus. He started his reign twelve years ago. He is 35 years old. The Phoebus family was initially the monarchy family of Thesis. It has since become an oligarchic lineage. You can be inducted into the Phoebus family, but they take loyalty seriously. Their faith is ‘Ortus Cordis’. (Fortitude) Honor is their currency.” Linda pumped her chest. “Hector Phoebus’s consort is Paige Phoebus. Paige Phoebus was the Lady of the Paragon house. The Paragon house is the driving force of our resistance efforts. Its oligarchs serve the Thesis nation.”

Elliot looked ahead, serious. “I should have followed Benjamin while I had the chance.”

Linda frowned. As she walked, she became illuminated by light. She looked at Elliot’s hard-set face. “You are dumb-looking. Why did you even become a hero?”

Elliot stopped. He walked off on his own.

“Ad hominem, Elliot! Linda’s just offering an explanation.” Elliot did not look back.

“You are not on my side, huh?” Linda said.

Demeter crossed her arms.. “You do have a nice-looking azure haircut. I like you.”

Linda chuckled. Her face had a blush. “You were a great help in calming our goddess, Ambrosia.”

“Thank you. However, we barely managed to survive in that hall. Making it out alive was thanks to you.”

“Well, that’s true.” Linda said, embarrassed. “I’ll get back on topic. Hector, as the prime oligarch, is currently protecting the Eastern Wilderness. His main station is to be the protector of the Thesis nation. To be specific, Hector is at the city of Eldawn, in Grand Hero Walter Wilbur Stanford’s company. On the other hand, the Parnassus family is responsible for fishing in the sea of Ursa, to the west. The oligarch’s name is Erehwon Parnassus.” Linda observed Demeter’s expressions. “Do you want to continue the conversation?”

“No, it’s fine.” Demeter smiled. “I would be happy to listen to your explanation later. You are really into it, huh?”

Linda scowled. “Did you find a new side to me?”

“That’s a weird question. You are too self-conscious.” Linda was not satisfied with Demeter’s answer. “Where will Ambrosia be, in the evening?”

“In solitary confinement. While you were waiting, the head guard arrived at the castle. Together, the head guard and the squads in place will be able to contain her in case she goes berserk again.”

Demeter nodded. “Oh yeah, Linda. I have one last question.” She motioned forward with her hand, not missing a beat. “Who is responsible for the medical affairs of Thesis?”

“It’s Lady Liana, a former member of the Paragon family. She takes care of our sanitation. Liana is married to Grand Hero Norman Fox. Right, I have one question too. What do you think of oligarchs, Demeter?”

“Sounds like corporate figures and aristocrats to me. They sound like benign government people.”

“They are not government. They are independent forces.”

“Are there bad people who indoctrinate minority groups in your nation compared to the dark kings?”

“There are. They are the exceptions. To everything good, it is certain that there will be something bad. It is crucial for us to remain united, isn’t it?”

“Whatever helps the Thesis nation survive.” Linda gave Demeter a cold look. After a while, Demeter said, “ Linda, I want to have a look at the dead man. Will you take me along?”

“I’ll do that, first thing tomorrow morning. The authority rests on the medical team for today. I’ll guide you to your chambers. I can guarantee that it’s a safe place. You will be able to talk to hero Benjamin easily if you want to.”

“You have my gratitude,” Demeter said, bowing slightly. “Come to think of it, I didn’t get apprehended since the resolution of the fight against goddess Ambrosia. That’s not a concern now, right?”

“Yeah,” Linda said.

Demeter crossed her arms and looked down, to her front. “That’s great,” She said, and looked sideways. “By the way, where can I meet the other heroes?”

“You can’t.” Linda looked ahead. “The heroes have just undergone mortal danger. They are to rest at the adequate facilities until they feel better.”

“That’s a bummer,” Demeter said. “I was looking forward to getting a headstart by getting well-acquainted with them.”

Linda stopped. “Talk to the people of the right faith and you will safely rise up our echelons, Hero Demeter Ford.” Linda motioned to the left. “We will go this way.”

Demeter turned left. She parted her hair to reveal her right ear and let the hair fall back in place. “I believe there were some troublemakers among the other heroes. I would like to identify them to the right authorities, in good time.”

“I trust you are patient then, Demeter. Our soldiers will take care of any conflict that should arise in the meantime.”

“Perfect. Lead on then, Linda,” Demeter said, her left hand on her chest.

“Sure,” Linda said. “ I believe today was pretty hard for both of us.”

“Certainly,” Demeter replied.