_= Prologue =_
Darkness surrounded the land, creating a devastating effect upon the community. The streets of the nearby town were deserted whilst the houses were dark and filled with an utmost gloom. The darkness seemed endless while suffering and pain could be the only residents that inhabited the area. Entering the town could only bring about sadness and devastate the soul.
In the midst of the darkness lay a young boy. He slept soundly in the middle of the town's square. His black hair was dirty and filled with a multitude of miscellaneous creatures. He wore ripped trousers with a small shirt. Slowly, a dark presence could be felt approaching the sleeping child. The child's torn clothes moved on their own accord, blowing briskly with the wind. Suddenly, in a gust of devastating smog, a man emerged. The presence that was once felt and thought to be invisible, was protruding from his own body.
The hair that was down to his shoulders blew with the wind as well. It was dark but not quite black, and he stood about six feet in height. He wore a dark cloak that covered his entire body. His sheathed his sword and looked down towards the body of the boy.
The man reached down and grabbed him by the collar. However, the small child did not stir from such a sound slumber. Inquisitively, the man pulled the boy up until they were face to face; which allowed him to see the young child's face.
The man gazed into the child's eyes and eventually he spoke saying, "Seems to be simply a child. There is no point in killing him... yet."
With these words the child's eyes slowly began to open, millimeter by millimeter. The man watched carefully as the child opened his eyes and looked into the man's own. The child gasped and the man threw him to the ground.
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The impact caused the small boy to roll over and become encased in the dust that flew up. The boy couldn't see where the strange man had gone until he heard something behind him. He turned and saw the man standing there, looking down at him.
"What have your parents told you about the Ten Jewels of Acor?" the man hissed, frightening the boy to the core.
The boy was terrified; he glanced from side to side not even daring to look the man in the eyes. He was searching for something to defend himself with; or to attack the man with.
"You do not respond?" the man asked. "Very well, then I shall find out what you know on my own."
The man opened his hand in front of the boy's face and the dark smog from before swept into the child's face. The small boy began to grow more and sleepier as the smog began to take effect.
The man scowled as he said, "Do not worry. You will not die."
With that the boy passed out.
The boy saw, but without opening his eyes. He wondered how it could be possible for him to do so. He saw that he was floating, in a dark place. Nothing was around him or even close to his vicinity. The boy looked out in front of him and he saw the man from before.
The man seemed to be studying a book; he was floating as well. The boy watched as the man turned and saw him.
"So, you do know about the Ten Jewels of Acor," the man said softly, "if only you had told me. I am Sinoto, but you will probably not remember after the extreme pain."
"Extreme... pain?" the boy asked.
Suddenly Sinoto vanished and the boy felt alone. His loneliness crept into his very soul as it began to torment him. He looked around and saw nothing; nothing but darkness. Sadness replaced the loneliness and it did the same, attacking him from the inside as if Sinoto had placed a curse upon him.
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The boy closed his eyes, attempting to regain control. However, when he closed his eyes a flash flew across the darkness. He saw the deaths of thousands of people; each and every single one of them dying by the hand of Sinoto. The mist incapacitated them and then he struck them down with his blade.
The boy began to cry, but when he started his tears began to burn his skin. They felt like acid on his face as he scratched wildly at himself attempting to get rid of the searing pain. He looked down at his hands and saw them stained with his own blood. He sobbed as he threw his hands into his face. He was injured, lonely, sad, and afraid.
Sinoto laughed and looked down at the writhing body of the child. It seemed as though the boy was asleep however he was throwing his body around wildly on the ground.
Sinoto watched and said, "None will stand in my way, even though you knew very little. I now know who does know." He then leaned down and touched the boy on the top of his head. The boy immediately stopped throwing himself around. He lay still and Sinoto stood up straight again.
Sinoto spoke, saying, "Hopefully you have learned a lesson."
With that he turned and began to walk away.
However, he paused and thought to himself, 'Maybe I should take another path.'
After pondering this a few moments, he quickly created a plan and, with a quick side step, he vanished in the same cloud of smog that he had arrived in. He thought of what he had learned as flew with the cloud of smog through the sky. He smirked and with a flash, he vanished.
"Power... what is true power? Eternal strength? No... a mere flash of superior thought that grows inside of one person? Does anyone know? Could power be but a figment of our human society's imagination? The entire society which succumbs to such an overwhelming source which is completely inadequate in comparison to other characteristics of a person's personality... this is what power does to us. Do we need power? Is power worth the destruction of a friendship, country, or kingdom? I doubt it..."
"Put it down Reden and get to work."
"Huh?" Reden asked in a confused tone.
"Put down that book and get over here," the elder man said.
Reden sighed and set the book down on the step where he was sitting. He stood up and walked over to the pile of boxes that seemed to tower over him.
Reden had a sleek appearance; his brown, messy hair which always hid his face and his regular black tunic. He was a good worker as well; full of confidence and ingenuity. He was intelligent and a fighter as well. His blue eyes gleamed with his happy expression.
Robert, his boss, was a gruff black-haired man. Everyone in the town called him Bob for short. He owned the axe shop and he was a great businessman. It was the only axe shop in the small town. The town was so small in fact that it was unnamed, mostly because people didn't see a point to it. Bob knew how to repair axes, unlike any other man in the world. This brought in extra business for the company. He was strict, but friendly.
"Come on Reden get with it. We have to get all these boxes unloaded and the shelves stocked today," Bob said.
Reden smiled and replied, "Okay then we better get to work."
Bob laughed and turned back to what he was doing. Reden began to think about what he was reading earlier.
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'"A figment of our society's imagination?” our society is desperate for power. Could this be a real theory? Still, if someone in our society could have possibly could be that desperate for power then there could be dire consequences for the rest of us.'
"Reden!" a voice called from outside the shop.
"Huh?"
"What the hell? I've been calling you for like ten minutes," a young man said as he burst through the doorway.
"Oh, sorry Trey," Reden replied.
"Dang it man. What's been with you for the last few days?" Trey asked.
Reden hesitated before saying, "Nothing... nothing..."
"Good. Now come on, we have to meet Tria and Selvi in the swamp. They've discovered something odd out there."
"I'm working!" Reden retorted.
Trey stared at him before saying, "You're taking a break. Come on."
"Fine," Reden replied before yelling, "Bob! I'm taking a break! I'll be back later!"
"Okay Reden!" Bob replied from the back room.
Reden followed Trey out of the shop and into the street. As he stepped out into the humid air he immediately felt something. He had worked at the shop for a year now and never had he felt such a thing. He looked around and discovered a small, round object. He picked it up and examined its quality. He knew how to do such a thing because his father had been an inspector of such things.
"Reden!" Trey called.
"Coming," Reden shouted back.
Reden took one last glance at the object and decided that it was a jewel. It was small, as said, and it had a red tint to it. He then carefully placed it into his pocket and ran off in Trey's direction.
Trey and Reden stepped into the graveyard. A presence could immediately be felt surrounding the area. This was a demeaning feeling that seemed to kill the happiness that once resided in a person's soul. The tombstones that were aligned in rows seemed to darken the area with sadness.
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Reden stopped in the center and looked ahead. A small house stood in the corner of the graveyard. It was dirty, and it was run-down. Reden immediately thought of it as being abandoned as he stepped towards it. However, he was stopped as a horrid smell seemed to collide with his nostrils; a smell of rotting flesh. He grimaced and quickly put his hand at his nose, trying to block of the terrible smell.
"Hello?"
Reden turned and saw Trey standing by the gate. Reden forced a grin and began to walk towards him.
"Finally. Now come on, Tria and Selvi are waiting," Trey insisted once more.
Reden walked passed him and muttered a few curses under his breath. Trey quickened his pace and passed Reden, who was now beginning to slow his own pace. Reden looked back at the house and felt the jewel in his pocket seem to give off energy; increasing in amounts as he proceeded towards the swamp.
As he walked he thought back to his book, which remained lying on the step where he was sitting a mere twenty minutes ago. He could still quote what he had read:
'"Power... what is true power? Eternal strength? No... a mere flash of superior thought that grows inside of one person? Does anyone know? Could power be but a figment of our human society's imagination? The entire society which succumbs to such an overwhelming source which is completely inadequate in comparison to other characteristics of a person personality... this is what power does to us. Do we need power? Is power worth the destruction of a friendship, country, or kingdom? I doubt it..."'
Reden's memory was that good. He was, as said, an intelligent young man. Only seventeen and he could already interpret what most scholars took years to figure out. He thought back to what he had read...
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'"The entire society which succumbs to such an overwhelming source which is completely inadequate in comparison to other characteristics of a person's personality... this is what power does to us." Could the entire human race, along with other races, really succumb to such an absurd thing? The author obviously thought the same for he called it completely inadequate in comparison to other characteristics of a person's personality. For power is something that we come by; and I for one cannot even compare power to our emotions and personalities...'
"For Saradomin's sake Reden - wake up!"
"Huh?"
It was Trey, standing over him.
"What happened?" Reden asked.
Trey smirked at him and said, "You fainted."
"I didn't faint! I don't faint!" Reden shouted.
"Come on Reden, don't listen to Trey,"
Reden glanced over and saw Selvi standing there. She had dark brown eyes and the same went for her hair. Her hair was down to her shoulder blades and she had a bright, happy face. She was smiling, as usual, and she laughed as Reden struggled to pick himself up.
"Ow. Must have dozed off for a second there,"
"More like passed out," Trey said, smirking.
Reden scowled at him and finally stood up. He noticed Tria standing over in the shade of a tree. Her eyes were closed, concealing the blue that hid behind. Her hair was blond and it ran down to her shoulders. She walked over beside Trey and watched Reden brush himself off.
He was not the tallest out of the four. Trey was taller than him and Tria was as well. Selvi was shorter however, and she seemed to accept this.
"Now what was it you had to show us?" Trey asked.
Tria smirked and said, "It's on the outskirts of the swamp. It’s an old hut that seems to have magical properties."
Reden listened and replied saying, "We all know of the hut. It leads to Zanaris; however, only the bravest of adventurers know how to enter."
"Well, it isn't the hut that's interesting," Selvi added quickly.
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"What do you mean?" Trey asked.
Tria laughed again and said, "Follow us."
Reden and Trey glanced at each other inquisitively before nodding and beginning to follow the two girls. Tria was seventeen, the same age as Reden. While Trey and Selvi were eighteen; the oldest of the group being Trey.
Reden watched as the light from the sun shrunk as it began to be covered by the trees. He and Trey continued to follow Selvi and Tria through the swamp's outskirts. When they were about five hundred yards away, they could see smog rising from a distance...
END OF CHAPTER 1
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Reden and his friends approached the small hut on the swamp's edge. The tar that lay in bunches upon the ground made a strong and unappealing smell flow through the air. The dying trees surrounded them whilst they could hear the sounds of miscellaneous creatures that lived deep within the swamp.
Trey saw a man lying on the ground beside the hut, along with a small mist that hung around his body. He ran up to the man's side and saw that blood was seeping from a deep wound in his side.
Trey yelled to the others, "This man is injured! Help me sit him up and treat his wound!"
Selvi and Tria ran forward and leaned down beside Trey. Selvi gasped and flinched when she saw the blood coming from the man and the horrid stench.
"Hey, Selvi, you okay?" Reden asked her.
She blushed due to her embarrassment and she replied with a simple, "Yes."
Reden turned back towards the injured man and asked him, "What happened to you?"
The man looked up at him and coughed. Blood mixed with saliva ran down his shirt. He struggled for a deep breath and then reached into his pocket for something.
Reden took the time to study the man. He had gray hair and he was balding badly. He also had a receding hairline which signified his age. He wore a black robe and a holy symbol of his religion around his neck. He coughed once more and then his hand returned from his pockets, revealing a small book.
The man spoke in a soft, yet gruff voice. He stuttered saying, "This... this book. It has a rec... a record of... the Jewels of Acor."
"The Jewels of Acor?" Selvi asked.
"Continue," Reden commanded, ignoring Selvi.
The man continued, "The... the Jewels of Acor, they... they are objects of intense power and... there are ten of them."
Reden quickly reached into his pocket and showed the man the object he had found earlier.
"Is this one?" Reden asked, rotating it slowly in his fingers.
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The man's eyes grew very wide as he said, "Yes... that is one of the Ten, read... read the book for answers."
Trey pushed Reden aside and yelled, "Get away from him! Tria and I are trying to save his life!"
"Sorry," Reden muttered.
Tria glanced at the two for a moment before pulling Trey back to work on the wounds. Reden however, walked away and sat down against a tree. He opened the book but something was blocking his light. He looked up and saw Selvi standing there.
"May I join you?" she asked.
Reden seemed confused before replying, "Sure, I'll read it aloud."
Selvi smiled and sat down beside Reden. She leaned against him and looked down at the open book.
Reden blushed and looked away. He felt his face becoming red and hot but he tried to regain his composure. When he had finally settled he turned back to the book and began to read:
"The Jewels of Acor - The Secrets Within. In the years that proceeded our generation, ten jewels were made; each having special qualities assigned to them. The qualities were: Life - White, Death - Black, Sadness - Blue, Anger - Red, Jealousy - Green, Happiness - Orange, Vulnerability - Gray, Despair - Brown, Pain - Purple, and Love - Pink. The Jewels retained certain powers, which scholars have said awaken when the emotions above are shown. One of them gives you immense power; all of them gives you total power. Anyone who has been given one of these Jewels has become corrupted by it. Corruption brought about what each of the Jewels signify. How can Happiness, for example, bring about death? All of the Jewels work against your enemy in similar ways. They take your happiness in this example and turn it against you. They envelope you in a path that can only bring about death. The Jewel that signifies death is the worst. It works by killing you off mentally; in other words - it destroys your sanity."
"Wow," Selvi said in awe, "such small items, but they cause so much trouble."
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