Eclipse

  Legends are eternal, yet everything has an origin. Some legends persist only in name, while others lie deeply rooted in myth. Some legends have birthed heroes, while others rise from fear and calamity. While legends have the capacity to sculpt images of specters and shadows, there is always a whisper of truth to be found even in the most epic of legends.

  This is the legend of a twelve year old boy and how he came to be known as the Calamity King:

  Chapter 1: Code Name: Shadow

  Today’s schedule is full, from volunteering at the orphanage to finishing his next manuscript about Arkana’s war crimes of the past. Despite being the world’s goddess, few things about Arkana are divine. Ray is an Arkane Shadow Government defector and is living in hiding, yet he must tell the world of Arkana’s atrocities. Truthfully, she is pure evil.

  The Arkane Shadow Government, also known as ASG, is a clandestine organization with global influence, run by Arkana’s most dedicated followers.

  From genocide to assassination, ASG has done it all, yet this man has done everything to erase his past. Redemption is a long path, but one that he knows he must travel in order to save his soul: Otherwise he knows he will be cast into the Underworld and be forever forsaken by the gods.

  Ray stays within a small village that houses war orphans from the Elranian civil war to the north. After the king’s death, the rival clans have ignored the queen’s proposals to end the conflict between clans.

  The Atreaus clan is the largest, covering the southern regions of Elren, and they battle with the Senko clan to the far west for rights to mine crystal and metal ore that boosts Senko’s strength dramatically. Senko has obtained the assistance of the Tarzone and Frey clans, yet Artreus manages all trade from the neighboring countries, giving them endless supply and manpower; dominating the illegal slave industry.

  The battles have been at a stalemate in the central regions of the country, yet what the other clans don’t know is that ASG has partnered illegally with the Atreus clan, hiring assassins and employing mercenaries. All the Atreus clan needs is to destroy the command structure of the Senko clan, and push their ground forces into their land to secure the mines. Ray wonders what Arkana thinks about all of it.

  On his way to his home, upon leaving the orphanage, Ray notices a young boy wrapped in dirty clothes, his feet bare and battered, begging for money. Ray has never seen this boy before. He must be starving.

  While the child’s face is hidden away, the smell staggers Ray, causing him to instinctively cover his nose and mouth. But, strangest of all, Ray realizes that he doesn’t feel the boy’s presence. Being in the fourth dimension, all possess a sixth sense guided by emotion. To Ray’s abilities, it’s like he isn’t there at all. Who could this be? Where did he come from?

  Ray walks up to the boy, and asks, "Where did you come from, young one? Are you hungry? Do you need help?”

  The boy remains motionless aside from the simple gesture of holding up a cup and shaking it, the few coins from previous compassionate passersby jingling inside. Ray obeys and hands the boy an amethyst coin, hoping that will prompt him to speak, yet still - silence.

  “Here,” says Ray as he offers the boy a hand to lift him up. “Let me take you to the orphanage around the corner.”

  As their hands meet, Ray feels a sharp sting across his palm and immediately snatches his hand away, as he spits out an accusation; “You cut me! Why would you-“

  His vision becomes blurry as his head swirls in a million directions and his body begins to ache. Ray looks to the boy, who is now wearing a smile.

  Too late, he realizes he can’t feel his legs, as suddenly he falls back, slamming hard into the ground. “W-what did… you do to me?” He sputters.

  The boy gets to his feet, looking down upon him as the color slowly begins to drain from Ray’s face, and says slyly, "Poison...”

  Bleeding now from the nose, mouth and eyes, Ray lets out a gurgling sound… something akin to a chuckle, before whispering raggedly, "How poetic for me to have helped so many children only to be ended by one.”

  “Helped!? Ha!” The boy laughs mirthlessly. “You traffic children.”

  The child jumps on top of Ray and, straddling his prostrate body, produces a pliers. He forces Ray’s mouth open, jams the pliers in and tears out a tooth. With his already dirty clothes now full of blood, he shoves the tooth into a pouch around his neck as proof of death and hastily retrieves some documents from his victim’s breast pocket.

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  As the edges of his vision begin to cloud, Ray sees some elves rush to his aid. With his last breath, he turns towards his assassin, but the boy is gone.

  ***

  Kiro stands at the base of a steep cliff, underneath a raging waterfall. Inside his mind, thoughts are memory and he feels as if he is floating at the bottom of a motionless sea of water. His each breath is guided by the natural flow of energy that rhythmically pulses from every living thing in nature. It is a gift few possess at this level: the ability to commune with the natural world. As the waterfall crashes down on his bare skin, his aura absorbs the potent energy and transforms it into an internal warmth, manifesting feelings of peace and serenity. Kiro’s mind is put at ease as all its jumbled pieces begin to fall into place.

  Flashes of bodies and blades pierce through his zen and his meditation is abruptly interrupted as an ASG officer manifests by the pond and awaits Kiro’s notice. Kiro makes him wait. How dare anyone ruin such a moment as this? Yet, the hushed voice in the recesses of his mind remind him - how dare he enjoy it… Thus is the constantly conflicted duality of his nature.

  “What is it?” Asks Kiro.

  The messenger clears his throat before responding, "Damien is expecting you in his office. He has a new Contract for you.”

  Kiro releases a long sigh as he gets to his feet. The sound of Damien’s name decimates the small amount of peace he had been able to accrue from the essence of the tumbling water.

  Naked, Kiro emerges from underneath the torrent and wades through the pool to stand before the messenger. Despite his youth, Kiro’s height stretches drastically beyond that of the messenger, who inadvertently flinches as Kiro reaches down to pick up a towel and dry off.

  As always, his bright silver eyes beguile all who meet his gaze; a gaze that exudes a cool sense of superiority of power.

  This is likely the reason Kiro is not well liked among the ranks and is avoided out of fear. That and the understanding that Kiro will not hesitate to end all who oppose him. But because Kiro suffers from enormous cruelty by Damien’s hand - inescapable, as Kiro is beholden to Damien over his threat to murder Kiro’s mother, the hateful and petty bickering of minor assassins is of no note.

  A tattoo paints every inch of his back - it depicts a red dragon descending down his spine and entwined with an ascending black dragon, both encircling a line of crude symbols.

  As Kiro casually dons the clothing awaiting him on the banks of the pool, the messenger waits with tangible impatience, finally exclaiming, "Hurry up, outcast.”

  “Leave,” snarls Kiro, and so he does, as Kiro sets his own pace to the Reconditioning Camp at which he is stationed. A medallion around his wrist pulses, just as he approaches the camp’s barrier, which acquiesces, granting the Recon assassin entry. Kiro passes by recruits training and sparring - some practicing archery, others dueling with swords, and even others engaging in hand to hand combat, all under the watchful eyes of their skilled instructors.

  Countless rows of teepees and tents are erected in circles with an elaborate tent made of fine spider silk and leather proximate in the center.

  With a nod from the warriors guarding the entrance, Kiro lets himself in and sees Damien sitting at a desk, reading Ray’s file, in which are all the details of his assassination.

  “There you are,” says Damien, his eyes still fixed on the pages in front of him. “I’ve been worried sick, dear nephew.”

  “Very funny,” replies Kiro as he rolls his eyes and slumps down in a chair. “What did you want?”

  Damien’s scar slicing through his face is only partially concealed by his greasy, long black hair, which he wears parted down the middle, hiding at least a dozen additional scars on his neck from failed assassination attempts. Kiro represses a smirk as his eyes land on the most prominent, left when Kiro once attacked him while he slept.

  Damien’s blood-colored eyes continue to examine the document before him, until finally, he looks up and says, "These documents you acquired point to a base of operations in Ria Lima. This one is big. Directly from Arkana herself, in fact. Care for a vacation?”

  “What the fuck are you talking about, a vacation?”

  “Ria Lima is essentially the world’s greatest tourist destination, far to the south from her and lately, it has been plagued by significant problems. Our people have been abducted, tortured and killed there; but that just scratches the surface.”

  “I don’t care,” Kiro interjects. “Just tell me who to kill.”

  Damien’s smile is akin to that of a wolf about to pounce upon its prey. He releases some of his demonic aura density which assails Kiro’s presence with pure wrath, simultaneously heightening Kiro’s senses and triggering his fight or flight response. But Damien’s dense, black aura is so concentrated, Kiro can only sit helplessly, feeling the panic welling up in his chest as he slowly begins to feel suffocated by it. “Mind your tongue, boy.” barks Damien. “Do not forget who you are talking to… You owe me for raising you.” He releases Kiro from his aura’s grasp and in an attempt to appear fearless despite still choking down the palpable panic from moments before, Kiro manages to level his voice as he calmly repeats, "Who is the contract for?”

  “An ASG defector that was a big part of the spirit grafting project. He is a human who possesses skills in science, alchemy and leadership. He has created a cult of religious zealots and fellow ASG defectors. His name is Simon Luther. He and his cohorts target the young, making you perfect for the job. But it is more than simple murder this time, Kiro… You must retrieve research documents up to the most recent date you can find and bring them to me. We must find out what they are planning and stop them: They are acting without regard for our goddess’ desires.”

  Kiro gets to his feet. ”I’ll leave at once.”

  “Good. And bring an adult, as an unaccompanied child is likely to draw unneeded attention. Pick whomever you like. Your code name for this mission is Shadow.”

  The mission was simple. The consequences would not be.