Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ The Wailing Death ❯ Prologue ( Chapter 1 )

Prologue

 

“This child, what is his name?” asked a male to his female companion looking down at the child she bore in her arms.

“Rei…Rei Kon” she responded

“And the girl?”

“Mariam”

The man nodded. He looked down at the one month old babies, a grim look crossing his features.

“He will live a rough life” he whispered sadly “the city of Luskan will always be on his trail”

“Is there anything we can do?” she asked panic beginning to arise in her voice. The man placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

“Sadly there isn't. He is the Chosen One after all. The one that will bring us the peace we once had”

“But why? Why Rei?”

“It's the prophecy. It states that the first born child in the line of royalty will be the saviour”

“What if the prophecy is wrong?” she looked to him, eyes glistening with tears

“Then we are doomed” he stated bluntly “doomed to a life of servitude to the Queen of the Old Ones”

The woman choked back a cry that began to develop inside her. Her mind was overcome with grief and despair. Luskan troops had raided her home and slain all including her husband and her two children. Rei and Mariam were the closest possessions in the world to her now, and now, she was forced to give them up.

“But…but where will they go? They cannot stay here in Waterdeep”

“The children will go to Black Lake for sixteen years. Then they will be brought to Neverwinter under the care of Lord Nasher. Rei will then begin advanced training to prepare him for the final battle of Faerun” he stated quietly. Silence greeted their ears, the sounds of the surrounding creatures, fading.

“Do not fear Alinda, Rei and his sister will be treated with utmost care”

“I know…but it's just…so hard…this war…and the prophecy…” she sobbed, crying into her hands. The sound of galloping hooves in the distance brought her crying to a halt.

“The guards are here” the man stated. Alinda nodded sadly kissing both the babies on their forehead. She then carefully picked Rei up while the man carefully cradled Mariam. Together, the two slowly walked over to the guards carrying the babies. The guards stepped forward to receive the child off Alinda and her male companion. Alinda sobbed quietly before collapsing in a heap. Her companion bent down, cupped her face and looked her in the eyes.

“We will see Rei and Mariam again” he said firmly while gently comforting her. Despite herself, she nodded tears streaming down her cheeks.

 

Ten years later…

 

Screams of joy and tears of laughter echoed throughout the streets of Port Llast. A festival, celebrated yearly was just about to begin. The festival, called Herontae was the word for `memories'. On this day, the citizens of Port Llast would gather in the city core to remember the brave soldiers who had sacrificed their lives for the city. Following the memorial service, would be a grand celebration of achievements. However, this year's festival was to be different. Lord Nasher Alagondar had invited himself to the festival to announce the fate of the `Chosen One'. Tonight, hundreds had gathered around the city core to listen to his speech.

“Did you hear? Lady Aribeth de Tylmarande is said to be present tonight!” whispered an excited female

“The Champion of Neverwinter? Are you sure?” asked her friend

“It's true. Every word I said is true. Lady Aribeth de Tylmarande is going to be present!” the first speaker squealed excitedly. Lady Aribeth de Tylmarande, Champion of Neverwinter was well-known throughout the lands of Faerun. She was a half-elven paladin adored by many. Aribeth was the symbol of courage and hope.

“I can't believe she's actually coming here!” the second girl happily exclaimed. Both girls squealed in delight and ran towards the city core. As they reached the core, they noticed a rather tall, broad shouldered man.

“It's Lord Nasher!”

“And there's Aribeth!”

She looked towards Lord Nasher and then noticed a female figure of stunning beauty. Her golden blonde hair shone in the moonlight, and her pale skin glittered like silver.

“Oh my God…I can't believe I'm actually seeing her!” whispered the first girl excitedly. Her friend slapped her gently then scolded.

“Be quiet. The speech is starting”

“I'm sorry Belinda”

“It's starting”

Belinda was indeed correct. The massive crowd of the eager audience had quieted down their chatter.

“As you all know, I am Lord Nasher Alagondar and I speak to you now about our future. As you know, the Luskan forces are gathering in strength for an attack. This activity has been repeated many times before only to meet failure as an end result”

Cheers rang out through the night sky as the citizens celebrated their countless victories over Luskan. Lord Nasher raised his hand indicating the audience to settle down.

“However, after the loss of Gulnan, the Luskanites looked for a new leader. You all know that Morag rose to power and began her search for the spellstone that holds the power of awakening a race called the Old Ones. We do not know what race this is, or what powers they possess but we do know that Morag mustn't reach the spellstone. For safety reasons, the spellstone is located in a secret location in Neverwinter. The Luskan forces, at the order of Morag, have continuously waged war on us with no success. We have thwarted their every attempt in the past but I fear that is about to change”

Murmurs broke out as the citizens hurriedly tried to grasp this information. Lord Nasher raised his hand again to regain their attention.

“The Luskanites have appointed a female named Salima as their spy. From what we know, she was the only survivor from the invasion of Illusk. We do know that she happens to be a rogue. However, our information on her is limited. A new defense captain has also been appointed after Maugrim Korothir failed at the job. Not much is known about the new defense captain besides the fact that the captain is a male who bears amazing abilities”

“A spellcaster?” whispered Belinda to her friend Jade. Jade's name was actually Rowena but the colour of her eyes were the colour of jade, hence the name she had been called.

“I don't think-” she started but was interrupted

“Ssshh, Aribeth's talking”

“We are certain of the fact that Morag wants the spellstone in Neverwinter. And if she manages to grab hold of the stone, the Old Ones will awaken. We can't allow this to happen but we can't fight this battle alone” she said.

“This is where the prophecy begins. The prophecy states that the first born child in the line of royalty will be the saviour. We have found the savior which brings us to our next topic: The Chosen One”

“The Chosen One? Ooh, I hope he's hot!” giggled Jade but fell silent by the look Belinda gave her.

“The Chosen One will be known as Rei Kon. He has been kept hidden in Black Lake for the past ten years, deeply involved in the arts of swordplay. On his sixteenth birthday, he will be brought to Neverwinter”

“Man, imagine being cooped up in Black Lake for sixteen years” Jade shuddered at the thought

“That would be terrible…but why would he be released when he's sixteen?”

“I don't know…maybe there's more to the prophecy than what we have been told”

“What do you mean Jade? Not another one of your odd beliefs is it?”

“No, but what if the prophecy states that the first born child had to be kept hidden away for sixteen years?”

“That sounds plausible”

“I know there's something they're hiding…they're trying to hide the full details of the prophecy…I bet you the high officials of Neverwinter and allies know all the details of the prophecy” explained Jade. Belinda shrugged not knowing how to reply and instead, focused on another topic Aribeth was explaining.

“From now on, weekly tournaments will take place every Sunday in Neverwinter. Those who would like to participate must first register with your town official. Registry details must include the following: your name, race, class, hometown and your reasons on why you are participating”

“A tournament? That's so cool! I am so in!” whispered Jade

“Are you crazy?!” snapped Belinda “you'll be killed!”

“I highly doubt it. It's a tournament, not death match”

“And what if it is a tournament death match?” Belinda retorted

“We're in a war do you honestly believe Neverwinter would willingly kill off their own people? Only Luskan would do such a thing!”

“You have a point there”

“Of course I do! Are you going to register?”

“Probably not…I'd rather watch”

“Come on Belinda! Let loose for once and while! You're always so responsible and mature”

“And that's a bad thing?” Belinda quirked an eyebrow

“No, it's just…what if tomorrow was your last day? What if you only had one more day to live?”

“I…” Belinda started but fell silent. She didn't have an answer. She was not like Jade, but rather the opposite. Jade was constantly socializing with guys and girls, getting involved in mischief and…well, living life as it was just some sort of a grand adventure. Herself on the other hand, was constantly on the lookout for her friend everyday. Jade had a very active imagination that would frequently get her into terrible mischief. Belinda could only picture logic and reasoning. Jade closely resembled a magnet. People couldn't resist her charms. Jade was a very attractive teen girl with sparkling green eyes and silky dark hair. Her stunning feature was her inside beauty, not her outer beauty which really heightened her appeal. Belinda considered herself plain. Actually, everyone considered her plain. Her light-brown hair and blue eyes didn't gain her the attention she wanted. `I'm ugly' she thought to herself `that's what I'll always be' she added grimly.

“Something wrong Belinda?” Jade asked concerned

“No…it's nothing…” she muttered pushing the rim of her glasses up her freckled nose.

“Let the festival, begin!!!” yelled a sudden voice in the distance. Belinda caught Jade's glance and knew instantly, trouble was on her mind. Fireworks exploded in the air showering the night sky in brilliant colours. Sounds of music and rings of laughter drowned the air. All in all, it was a memorable night…

 

Fifteen years later…

 

Rei awoke bright and early. Inside, he felt excited. Today was his sixteenth birthday. Today, he'd finally be able to leave this god-forsaken city of despair. The caregiver of Rei, Judy, had told him that he would be transported to his new home in Neverwinter. The thought of visiting Neverwinter sparked interest deep inside him. He had been told that Lord Nasher Alagondar wanted to give him his blessings. Rei grinned at the thought. Finally, he'd be able to see his idol. And he'd be able to see Lady Aribeth de Tylmarande in person. How he wanted to see the half-elven champion up close. Rei's heart hammered with hope at the thought if his new life. `Maybe' he thought `Lord Nasher wants to promote me as a teacher' Rei grinned happily at the idea of actually achieving his life-long goal. He really wanted to teach younger kids how to fight.

“Rei? Is that you?' asked a voice. Rei whirled around to face the source and was startled to see a figure of breathtaking beauty. She was shorter than him and had long blue hair neatly tied back in a ponytail. Rei took a closer look and realized how green her eyes were. He examined her closely again and this time, spotted a symbol of a ying-yang tattooed on her right wrist.

“Mariam!” he yelled happily, running towards her

“Rei!” she responded by throwing her arms around his neck. They embraced then slowly parted.

“It's been years since I've last seen you” Rei spoke

“Same here brother”

“Well…I'm moving today by the way”

“To Neverwinter?”

“Yea- hey, how'd you know?”

“You're not the only one who is moving”

“You're coming with me? Alright!”

“I'm with you wherever you go Rei. I'll never leave you again” she said her eyes brimming with tears.

“It wasn't your fault…the guards took you away from me”

“But now we'll never have to be a part again”

“True…come, let's find our escort shall we? The longer I stay in this desecrated place, the crazier I feel” Rei said. Mariam grinned.

“True”

Together, they both headed toward the front gate which was open. Mariam walked out the gate while Rei came to a halt. Noticing that Rei wasn't behind her anymore, she turned around to face him, looking around in wonderment.

“What is it Rei?”

“It's…strange…I've never been outside before…not that I can remember anyway”

“You better get used to Rei, Neverwinter is said to be a truly majestic city”

“How'd you know that?”

“Just because you haven't left Black Lake doesn't mean I haven't”

“Well then…this is certainly a time for new adventures”

Rei flashed Mariam a grin before walking over to meet their escort. He spotted the escort standing underneath a large oak tree. Grinning, he quickly jogged toward her, Mariam close behind.