Disclaimer: Don’t own ‘em just borrowing.
Category/Rating: Z/L though it won’t seem like that in the beginning. R for language, violence, sexual content.
Summary: Their past lives, what led to the death of the Four Square and Kh’var’s hand in that as well as the link to Liz. This has been written by so many but mine is kinda different, it’s not always about love, sometimes it’s just about lust, power and revenge.
The Cast
Alesan of Zanaan House Minor – Alex Whitman
Ariadne Dowager Empress House Zanaan – Hologram in Episode Destiny Season One
Avaria of Real House Raeler – Tess Harding/ Dupe Ava
Elizavetar of Rage Heir House Mornia - Liz Parker
Emperor Zander of Antar Heir House Zanaan – Max Evans/ Dupe Zan
Emperor Zanier of Antar House Zanaan - Deceased
Kalian of Mornia House Minor – Kyle Valenti
Larek of Raere Heir House Roan – Brody Davis/ Larek
Lion General Rathan – Michael Guerin/ Dupe Rath
Marianna of Mornia House Minor – Maria DeLuca
Overlord Kh’var of the Allied Rebels – Himself
Rage of House Mornia - Deceased
The Source – Grandma Claudia
Vilandra of Antar House Zanaan – Isabel Evans/ Dupe Lonnie
Zeher Lady of House Mornia - Deceased
Definitions
Allied Rebels – Those Houses Great or Minor that have aligned themselves with Kh’var whether openly or secretly. They have instigated the Wars of Ascension since the beginning. Leadership, Overlord status is decided through mortal combat, and each Overlord has succeeded in gaining at least one system against House Antar every time.
Ascension – The ceremony by which the Crown Prince becomes Emperor and the Seal of Antar is encompassed to include those bonded to him. The marriage of the Crown Prince becomes public knowledge henceforth and cannot be annulled.
House Minor – Those Houses tied to a Great House by blood oath, most attendants are descended from these Houses. The title of Great House is earned every ten thousand solar by a House Minor only when it is nominated and the Heir passes the Test of Faith.
House Morain – The secret House that is believed will rise from obscurity and be thrust into its rightful position as Heir to the Granolith.
Lion General – Title held only a few times in the history of House Antar by those who have proven their undying loyalty to the Throne, the last holder of the title being Rathan of Zanaan formerly of Mornia.
Naming – The ritual burial of those who die in the line of fire. It is performed using the fire rituals of ancient Antar preserved for billions upon billions of solar by the Priesthood. It is executed through the use of the Hail, a fire-eater that consumes the dead bodies of those souls who have gone on to the Netherworld and produces the vessel of the Life-Force. The Life-Force is poured into the Granolith and helps keep it energized.
Priesthood – Attained when one has seen the Light and when the Test of Faith has been confirmed. The Priesthood guard the Granolith from all harm, and due to the Wars of Ascension, the presence of the Granolith has been kept hidden, known only to the Royal Council.
Test of Faith – The test given by the Granolith to the descendant of each Great House in order to ensure that they are noble-born. Given to Priests to ensure that they have seen the Truth. No one has yet failed for all those who do don’t survive.
The Granolith – The Source of Ultimate Power
The Prophecy – The Truth that House Araina will retain its place as ruler of the Universe with the help of the Warrior of God.
The Oral Histories – Scrolls upon which The Truth is inscribed, kept current by the Great Scholars and their Apprentices. The Oral Histories have been challenged but never denied.
The Royal Council – The governing body that decides on joint actions by the five ruling planets of the Universe. Real, Antar, Andiron, Arct and Raere are represented on the Council by the heads of their Ruling Houses, Raeler, Zanaan, Edam, Rican and Roan. One arbiter heads the Council, elected by the leaders themselves in a ten thousand solar rotation, it is the head of House Morain that has retained this position.
Wanderlust – Freedom
Warrior-General – Second-in-command after the Lion General for the Great Army of Antar. Title bestowed after passing the Test of Faith and proving warrior status in the battle arena.
Warrior of God – That being able to harness the power of the Granolith and bring the end of the Wars of Ascension.
Part Eleven: The Burning Ice
“My mother knew the limits of her love for me and as she stood outside the room waiting for me to emerge, she knew of the sacrifice she was making. If I did not pass the Trial, I would be dead, and if I did I would never be the same again, I might never even be her son anymore. That was the price she paid for her dream, and as I tell this to you now, you might blame her for what is happening to you but if you look beyond the words you will see that the secret hands of Fate guided her. My mother believed in a faith that had remained hidden behind the Veil of Truth for longer than any other ever had. My mother and most of the Houses Great or Minor are linked to a hidden bloodline in one way or another and each Ruling House is a direct descendant of this line.
In secret places, far from prying eyes, the bloodline is referred to as Storm-sect, and my mother was one of the only who were completely aware of the ties that bound her to it. Storm-sect is the origin of all those called to the mantle of Priesthood and all those who harbour scholarly pursuits. It was this bloodline that first used all of its skills and abilities to transfer the secret strength of House Araina into a single object that serves as a focusing lens for House Araina and gives their power a vessel in the physical realm, the Granolith.
To you my daughter, Elize I now bestow the knowledge that I gained when I underwent the agony of the Trial by Fire, and to you I bequeath the ancient curse that binds our blood to the Granolith. The knowledge will be a bitter pill to swallow, and as the Granolith chose you as its master long before you ever existed, this bond will never be broken. I am truly sorry to have made you the unwitting champion of our cause, for that was never my intention and though you may live a life of lingering woes, I will hope and pray that you may find some comfort still.
It is with a heavy heart and a longing for your lost innocence that I will now show you the visions that blinded my sight and awakened me into a new world, one bound by no rules, where limitless possibilities exist and where the hereafter is a mere afterthought to the life that will be lived. It is very difficult to describe the experience but I will try to put it into words and from my inflections I hope you will gain some insight into what you yourself, are about to become.
While inside the Granolith Chamber I watched the countless colours blend into one, the emerging tint being a bluish white. This light held my interest for quite a long time, time that cannot be counted in hours but can only be felt by the mind. When inside the Granolith itself, I noticed the light envelope me completely and I watched in silent awe as it permeated into every cell of my body and vibrated with an energy that I found hard to contain. In those instants of time I saw the whole Universe enfold before me. I saw the secrets of House Araina exposed before my hungry eyes and I watched the Ancients as they explained to me in images, the birth of our Universe. I watched in wonder as I was inundated with visions of The Granolith’s birth as well as the origins of Storm-sect, the bloodline that has waited far longer than Eternity, watching time stretch before it, before my mother was born and before you were created. Long term planning is most probably best exemplified by Storm-sect, the Ancients knew of your birth even before our worlds were born and that is the most important lesson I learnt.
There is something else you must know, your mother just like my own, had her own secrets, those also quite as lethal. She told me once long ago, a few of them, but the rest I learnt on my own, after her death and from a time-released capsule inside The Granolith itself. Though only the Priests have access to The Chamber, your mother and mine were the few privileged civilians allowed inside. My mother, ofcourse used her last given access pass on me, to further her ambitions for me and to enlighten me to the reality of our world. Your mother used her only access pass to hide her secrets deep within, hoping that someday when I was ready for them, they would be revealed to me. To both of these women who I have loved above all others, I am deeply grateful, for if not for them I would have been a mere stripling thrust into deep waters not knowing even how to swim. It is because of them as well that you have turned out to be such a beautiful, passionate and wise young woman, I have no words to describe how I feel about you. You, Elizavetar, who has fulfilled a Universe of hopes and dreams for myself, and our ancestors, are the culmination of an idea fifty million years in the making.
The tale that I am about to spin for you, is based not only facts, but also on the myths that have cultivated around our lives. House Araina is the blood that flows through your veins and those of your brother’s but where his ideals lean toward undying loyalty and the belief in a Saviour, yours lie in the folds of leadership and cunning. For you my dear, are the hope of us all, it is a heavy burden to bear, but you are the descendant of the Secret House Morain, united under the twin lines of destiny that are the legacies left behind by your mother and I.
I know that there may be no respite sometimes from the expectations of those who have gone before you, but I know you and I have felt you through out my life, and I know that you will triumph where I have failed and you alone will restore glory to our name. It is not by coincidence or misfortune that House Mornia has never been of the five ruling Houses, it is not through lack of power or strength but instead it is due to the will of our people. House Morain has waited for so long for you to be born, and through the union of Mornia and Araina, you have been created to lead the Universe into a new Golden Age. Soon you will know all of your mother’s secrets and mine as well and then you may become an amateur historian perhaps, but you will know of all that has passed before you and your unique talents will inform you of all that is to come. So be patient my child, and be calm, vengeance will be the price paid by our enemies and all will fall before your path. Remember, beloved daughter:
Through dying suns and midnight grim,
And treachery and faith gone dim,
Whatever dark the worlds may send,
Still we meet at journey’s end...”
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Authoor's Note: So sorry about the late posting, exams up the wazoo and term papers due all the time, who thought college would be so hard!!
Please don't kill me, especially those of you who have been waiting so patiently!
Another chapter is in the works so hopefully the wait won't be so long. I have to update The End of The Line as well so I see more typing up ahead in my future in my lil cyrstal ball!
Have A Great Day!
Rain
P.S. The poem at the end is sadly not mine but instead I chanced upon while reading a Star Wars Extended Universe Book.
