They Were Born Upon Ashes (4 page)

“Can you explain what this plant is?” asked Nick. “And also what I might experience after I eat it?”

“Nick, you are looking at the most experienced supreme Reza on the planet,” said Andrew. “It’s not because I am the eldest but because I have given this plant to ten other Rezas in the past. Seven of them survived the experience and three of them have not.”

“That’s not exactly reassuring,” said Nick.

“I know it’s not, Nick,” said Andrew. “But those are the facts. I will be completely upfront and honest about it. This plant is only grown on Mount Kisa near the border of Hentrio and Terrel and is very hard to find. The effects are unknown to everyone except for the king’s council, of course. If you’d like I can tell you what I experienced when I ate the plant fifty years ago.”

“Yes, of course, what did you experience?” asked Nick.

“Very well. I experienced three tests,” said Andrew. “Everyone does. Each test represents a power a Reza has within them that only the psychedelic effects of the shango plant can unlock. Your life will be in danger three times and you must find the powers within you to pass each test. Some supreme Rezas who have passed the test over the centuries believe in the rumor that those who do not pass a test are those that never wake up. They die in their subconscious, although no one has any proof of that rumor because unfortunately dead men do not talk. Every supreme Reza I have come across has passed all three tests.”

“Seems interesting. I hope the risk is worth the reward,” said Nick.

“Yes, the risk is worth the reward,” said Jeffrey. “You will be able to help protect the realm with your newfound powers should you accept.”

“Yes. I accept. I’m ready as I’ll ever be. Give me the plant.”

Andrew walked over towards the front of the fire and grabbed a bowl that was next to it. It had a handful of the leaves from the shango plant. He grabbed a few and handed them to Nick.

“Now, Nick, another thing is that you will not remember anything which we have just spoken about when you are in the world within your mind,” said Andrew. “You won’t remember how you got there and you won’t question anything that is unusual. It will be as if you are in a dream state although everything will look and feel real. You won’t remember me or anyone else for that matter.”

Nick nodded in acknowledgement and ate the leaves. He put his head back on the ground and slowly closed his eyes.

“See you on the other side,” said Andrew.

Nick slowly drifted into a state of nothingness; everything went black.

***

Nick stood in a hallway. It extended down and connected to a large room at the end. Nick took steps towards the room. The room was spacious and grand. There was a golden throne sitting on top of a few stairs with a glass wall behind it that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. The room was gigantic and had a beautiful white drapery sprung along the walls. It was empty and felt cold.

This must be the king’s room my father taught me about. It’s truly beautiful. It almost feels like I have seen it before.

Nick walked up to the golden throne. He walked around it and examined all of its finely crafted edges. A throne made wholly of gold with etchings of previous kings upon the armrest. Nick looked more closely and saw what looked like to be a knob on the top right of the throne. He pulled gently on it and it opened up like a door. A gust of wind rushed in as the throne opened up and Nick saw a dirt road through the throne.

Can I fit in? It looks too small. I have to try.

Nick put one leg in the throne. Next he put his head through. He took another step in with his other foot and stood up to behold a dirt road with thousands of trees on either side of him. He looked back only to find no door from which he came. Only the dirt road, which stretched for miles.

Clouds were overhead and it was freezing. There were no sounds, no wildlife, only the slight echo of the wind as it brushed by Nick.

He began to walk forward on the dirt road. He walked for miles and miles with no end in sight.

He looked down at himself and noticed that he was wearing a black coat and black pants. He was equipped with a steel long sword.

He heard a rustling of branches behind him.

He looked back but no one was there.

There were trees on both sides of the road with only slight movements from the wind.

Probably was nothing. Keep walking.

A few more steps and he heard another movement of branches, this time from the opposite side of the road.

Nick stood still and placed his right hand on the handle of his sword.

For a moment there was nothing. No wind and complete silence.

The he heard a large boom and quickly turned his head to find a branch hurling towards his head. He ducked and the branch flew over him. The branch was still connected to the tree; it extended then retracted back to its rightful place.

He looked around and discovered that the trees were alive, not how normal trees were alive, but actually intelligent beings that moved. Every branch of every tree was moving up, down, and side to side.

Nick pulled out his sword.

A tree to his right fully extended. Every branch on it came hurling towards Nick like some sort of freakish octopus like animal. Nick swung his sword at as many branches as he possibly could, but it was no use. There were hundreds of branches and he felt the sting of them as they broke through his defense.

Branch after branch left cuts and lacerations all over Nick’s body.

The branches retracted and went back to the trees the way a child runs back to its parents.

Nick took a moment to look down the road and at his surroundings. An endless road and countless trees thirsting for his blood.

Nick started to run down the road. The trees reacted to his movement. With each consecutive step he took the trees in front of him began to shake and move their branches. One by one, the trees became alive as Nick approached them.

Thousands of branches came hurling at Nick. The road disappeared; all Nick could see was a wall of branches all furiously coming towards him.

He dropped his sword.

He sent fire and ice in every direction as fast as he possibly could. It worked better than his sword but it was still no use. The branches he hit immediately retracted but there was not enough power in his attack to stop them all. Many branches got through his defense once again and he ended up on the ground battered and bruised.

All the branches retracted back as Nick lay on the ground.

He got up with a determined look on his face.

He looked down the road and started to run once again.

The trees rustled and moved with every step he took. Once one was about to attack Nick let out a yell and summoned an attack that felt as if it came directly from his heart. It was as if a burning sensation ripped open his rib cage and flowed through his veins that lead to his hands, although it was not painful.

Black waves with electrifying sparks came from Nick’s hands and hit the tree that was about to attack. The tree was gone within a second. All that was left of it was a pile of dust with smoke rising from it.

Nick looked down at his hands, then continued to run.

With each tree that rustled and jumped as he ran past them, Nick sent out his newfound attack and decimated the threat.

He sent out the attack in every direction every second as he ran further down the road.

The road curved and as Nick ran around it the trees stood in silence and a large boulder was now in front of him. The road stopped and the boulder extended to the right into the forest as well as into the left side of the forest.

There was no more road to run down.

I can climb over this or go into the dark forest looking for a way around this rocky wall. This looks to only be about thirty or so feet high. Climbing over it is the best way to stay on the right path.

He put one hand on a fit edge and then found another for his other hand. He hoisted himself up as he put his foot on a ledge.

He executed each move meticulously and knew where to put each hand and foot so that he could move up the boulder.

One move after the other, he successfully made his way up the boulder. He felt as though he was making good progress. But after a while he breathed heavier and started to sweat horribly; he looked up and he felt as if he was going nowhere. The height of the boulder looked the same as when he first started the climb.

He looked down beneath him and he realized he was hanging hundreds of feet up in the air.

This boulder is growing with every move I make up it. How can this be?

There was no stopping at this point; he knew there was only one-way to continue the road. He had to continue to work his way up the mysterious growing mountain. Move by move he made steady progress.

Nick heard a loud crack above him.

Rocks started to plummet towards Nick. As they grew closer the rocks that fell changed shapes into balls with sharp blades.

Nick released his right hand from the rocky edge he was holding himself up with to unleash the fury of his newfound attack. As the rocks grew closer and closer Nick sent out the dark waves and destroyed as many rocks as he could.

The rocks stopped falling and he put his right hand back on the rocky edge. As soon as he was ready to make more progress he heard an even louder crack from up above.

Nick quickly scurried to the left in order to try and dodge the incoming hail of deadly rocks. The rocks fell from every direction overhead like a rainstorm; there was no escape.

He tried once again to use the black wave attack to protect himself but this time there were too many rocks. It was not as easy as destroying a tree; there were thousands upon thousands of sharp edged rocks plummeting down towards him with no end in sight.

It got to the point where he knew he had to protect his head more than anything else. His left hand held on for dear life while it got stabbed by countless rocks. At the same time his right hand sent a fury of attacks aimed directly from the top point of his head.

As more rocks hit his hand he knew he could not hold on for much longer. He looked up and focused.

He closed his hand and turned it slightly to the right, then opened his palm up. Numerous rocks that were falling towards him flew to the right.

Again he did the same motion with his hand but kept his fist closed and the rocks stood still in the air for a second. As he opened up his palm in the left direction the rocks flew to the left.

There was another wave of rocks plummeting towards him. They morphed into their deadly pointed edged balls. Nick put up his closed hand again. He stopped hundreds of them just five feet above his head. He opened his palm up and flung his hand back behind him. All of the rocks flew directly off the face of the mountain he climbed and fell to the floor behind him.

Nick still had one hand securely on the rock and the other perched above his head.

He waited and nothing happened.

He continued to climb up the ever-growing mountain. Precise movement after precise movement, he made good progress up the mountain. Before he knew it he had reached the top. As he had his hands on the top of the ledge he looked back down. There was a valley of fire that was split by a river of ice. It looked to be a couple thousand feet below him.

He hoisted himself up off the side of the mountain and stood up on what looked like a plateau. It stretched miles in every direction. It reminded him of what a desert would look like. Completely flat with a barren and dry landscape.

He walked forward and saw some things in the near distance. As he got closer he saw that they were statues. There was a ceramic path in the middle and a dozen statues all together. There were six on one side and six on the other. The stone statues were of warriors. Some were on horseback wielding swords, the others with battle faces carrying weapons of their choosing, and others were spewing magic from their hands.

At the end of the path there was a fountain. He felt thirsty all of a sudden so he cupped his hands and drank from it. After he quenched his thirst he looked back up and saw dark clouds in the distance. They moved to where he was sitting in a matter of seconds. The blue sky turned into darkness and a rain shower started to fall.

He got up and walked back down the path he had come from. He looked at the statues again and some of them were turning from grey stone into color as the rain fell on them. He looked around and noticed they were all becoming colorful. The rain was coloring the massive statues about twenty feet tall. He was fascinated and got even closer to the one in front of him.

The statue’s hair turned brown. The armor it wore became a bright and vibrant red. The eyes became green and they seemed to be looking right at him.

The eyes of the statue blinked. Nick gasped out of fright.

The giant sword the massive statue held came hurling at Nick.

He ducked and rolled to get out of the way. When he turned back every statue took a step and turned to face Nick with their weapons. They were no longer statues; the rain had made them into giants.

Nick turned around and started to run in the opposite direction. He passed the fountain and he felt a spine-chilling breeze as a Reza giant sent an ice attack that nearly hit him. As he ran he looked back; the giants were big but they were slow. He was outrunning them with ease. The problem came when the four Reza giants started to send a hail of fire and ice hurling towards him.

There was almost no escape from such of a long distance attack that was ten times the diameter of a regular Reza attack. He turned around and tried to use his newly discovered dark wave attack. He aimed it at the Reza’s face that was closest to him.

The red headed blue giant was startled for a moment but the attack only left a gash on his face. The giant wiped the bloody wound on his face and sent out a giant ball of fire straight towards Nick.

He jumped out of the way at the last second. He rolled on the ground and saw that his arm had caught fire. The fire quickly went out with the help of the rain and a few pats of his hand on the flames. He got up and continued to run forward.