The Journey of Discovery

Preface:
In English, eleventh grade, we had to write a short story about
supernatural powers. I enjoyed writing it and afterwards continued to
work on it. I would forget about it for several months but then find it
again and work on it a little more. What you are about to read is, I
believe, the final version.

        His name is Maximus. Bronzed and muscled, he looks like a
Greek god. However, he is no god. He is a warlord, Master of the Nine
Seas of the Dark Lands, Lord of the Sevenfold Kingdom, and Guardian of
the Three Gates. Little does he know of his future, little does he know
of his fall. Maximus, the once proud and powerful, will be nothing more
than an outcast.

        Maximus wakes early, before the rise of the sun, and walks
onto his balcony to survey his kingdom in the newly birthed light of
the rising sun. Today the sun will not rise, for the Lord of the Air is
making his move upon the Sevenfold Kingdom. Waiting for the sun to
rise, Maximus begins to shiver; it is getting colder. After what seems
like hours, the sun peeks above the horizon, promising a prosperous day
in the kingdom. Suddenly dark clouds begin to form and lightning
brightens the sky. Slowly, the sun begins to sink. Lower and lower it
falls until it has gone from sight. It has begun.

        This is an omen, Maximus is sure of it. Quickly he sends
for his advisors, his conjurers, and his sorcerers. With a flurry, they
rush into the presence of their lord, careful not to ignite his wrath.
They fall on their faces at the sight of the sky. It is darker than the
deepest night. Horrible dark clouds cover the sky, no stars can be
seen, nor can the moon. Maximus roars with anger and demands that his
sniveling advisors quite themselves and explain this "sign of evil."
With fear, they say they do not know. They huddled together mumbling to
themselves. Maximus could only catches pieces of what the said,
something about a "Lord of the Air," and a bit about a prophecy being
fulfilled. Then one of them, a small man in the back, speaks up,
        "My Lord, it can only be the Powers of this dark earth
that have done this. The Lord of the Air himself is upon us and were
are doomed to burn in his infernal pits. The prophecy has been
fulfilled. It is written in the tomes of lore, on the graves of our
ancestors before us. They warned us that this day would come. The
prophecy is this:

A child will be born from the gods,
He will hold in each of his seven hands,
A golden candlestick,
He will melt them down into one.
The three gates will be his,
The eyes, the ears, the mouth,
He will be taught how to control them,
He will be taught of their powers.
He will reign in peace until his time has come.
The child is the enemy of the Lord of the Air

The sky will darken in the morning,
The earth will spin against itself,
The sun will set before it rises.
This is the sign of his coming,
He will be a beast of unimaginable horror,
He will lead in four chariots of war,
Each a different color,
One was white as snow with a bow etched into its side,
Another was blood red with a sword imprinted into its side,
The third was black as the deepest night with
a pair of scales carved into its side,
Last came one that was pale as a full moon with
death engraved into its side,
These are the signs of the Lord of the Air.


        Maximus opens and closes his mouth; he is stunned. His life
had just been told to him from the tomes of lore. The seven
candlesticks represent the seven provinces that he conquered and
joined. He conquered by using the three "gates" by controlling what the
enemy saw, heard, and said. How can this be, how can his life be
written before it has happened?

        He cries, "But who has touched the powers of evil, who has
brought this to pass? Is it you?" He points to one of his advisors. "Or
you?" pointing to a guard. "Tell me my great conjurers and sorcerers,
use your 'unholy' power to reveal the traitor. Do it quickly and your
reward will be great for uncovering who this blame rests upon."

        His conjurers and sorcerers close their eyes and begin to
chant. Their voices shake the walls and their foundations. A light
forms in their midst and begins to spin. Faster it spins, the wind is
sucked into it, the clouds above being to swirl downwards. The clouds
of evil are pulled in. It stops spinning and begins to take on a shape.
Hazed and distorted at first, the image begins to clear. Alas it is a
man, a man whom everyone present knows, it is Maximus.

        A roar of rage shakes the earth and the image dissolves
into the air. Maximus stands there, glaring at his men, "You traitors,"
he shrieks.

        In chorus they reply, "The gods and Powers of truth have
spoken. Be you banished from this kingdom. Guards, you have a new Lord
now."
        One of the sorcerers steps forward and says, "I am He."
Pointing to Maximus he continues, "Take this abomination to the
dungeon."

        "You will do no such thing!" roars Maximus, and with that,
he pulls out his sword and charges through the guards, swinging with
unchained fury. He cuts them down like rag dolls. Out of his chamber he
runs, down the long halls. A trumpet sounds, the guards have been
alerted. He comes upon one rushing towards his chambers in reply to the
alarm. Before the guard can draw his sword Maximus brings his own blade
down in a sweeping arc splitting the guard in two. A trio of Maximus'
own honor guards charge their former lord. Strengthened with rage
Maximus hefts his broad sword behind his head for a devastating blow.
He swings at the first guard severing his arm from his body, the
soldier's sword clangs to the ground no longer held by its owner.
Without stopping Maximus twirls, bringing the blade up in a nasty arc
catching one guard at the hip, slicing towards the shoulder, the other
guard is caught by the tip of Maximus' blade as it continues its arc
disembodying his head. Running from the castle in a rage, his echo is
heard saying, "I will feast on the sweet taste of revenge before my
body joins the realm of the dead."

        The castle is now out of sight; he has run non-stop since
he fled; tired he now rests. Saying to himself, "How is this possible?
What Powers can do this to me? I have held the Three Gates and looked
into the depths of time and space and never have I seen a Power this
great." Exhausted from his run he closes his eyes to sleep under the
starless sky. His sleep will be far from fitful and resting.

        His dreams are dark and frightening. They show an eye, no,
a wheel of eyes, all seeing and all knowing, a Power greater than any
other. Below the eye the seas part and from them comes a beast, sent by
the Lord of the Air. With ten horns and seven heads, from its mouth
spews forth a dark cloud. It gathers around the wheel. Slowly the wheel
spins and a light shines out from its midst and the clouds break. They
disappear, conquered by the eyes.
        Maximus wakes, covered in cold sweat; he sees what must
be done. There is but one Power capable of regaining his kingdom and
parting the dark clouds. It must be found. Rising he begins to walk,
whispering, "Power of the Eyes, guide me to you, be a light unto my
feet and show me your path." As he walks his eyes are opened, around
him he sees another world, the world of Powers. Frightened he falls to
his knees, and cries out "What horrors are mine eyes seeing? I do not
wish to see this, I do not wish to be part of this."

        A voice of authority speaks, "But my child you are part of
this. Your desires have nothing to do with my will. I have seen fit to
show you the world beyond your world, a place that not even the Three
Gates could help you obtain. A world beyond your imagination, created
for Powers by the POWER. You will gain an understanding for the arcane,
and an eye for the unseeable. You will experience the life and power of
Powers; you will dwell with knowledge of their constant presence, when
you sleep, when you eat, when you hide. Naught is hidden from our eyes;
naught is hidden from our ears. Go you now and seek after the Power of
the Eyes', see you if you can reach its domain. Try you to understand
its power over the Lord of the Air. Then and only then will your
kingdom be returned and justice served."
        Maximus climbs to his feet, looking around he sees the
ethereal world on top of his own mortal one. A path is before him,
burning in a white flame. Where does it lead? With great fear, he
approaches it. Steeling himself, ready to be burned, he steps onto the
path of fire. It touches his skin but does not burn him. With great
determination, Maximus places his feet one foot in front of the other.
Slowly moving he follows the path, never moving his eyes from it.
        Many days have passed; in fact, months have gone by.
Maximus no longer resembles a lord, his clothes are tattered and his
beard is ragged. He has come a great distance. Crossing lands he has
never seen before. Constantly fighting a battle inside himself, one
that begs him to stop his journey, and to give up, to settle down
somewhere, to live a normal life. A life untouched by the Powers and
their world. To ignore all and end his life as an old man, dieing with
his family, a poor farmer whom none will miss. Yet, he struggles on,
pushing aside his fears. Focusing on the Wheel of Eyes, onward he
presses.

        Nearer draws he to the domain of the Wheel of Eyes. He can
see it off in the distance. He is tired, and worn out, his feet are
bloodied from the path, but onwards he plods towards his goal. He has
passed through many trials; the Powers of darkness have haunted him
throughout his journey. Yet, he has persevered. He has defeated his
fear of the world of Powers; he has become accustomed to the battles
they wage over the mortal world, to gain control over it. He has seen
kingdoms fall to the Powers of darkness only to be saved by Powers of
light. He has seen the interactions of the Powers with the mortal world
and the influence they have in it. He has witnessed the way the golden
haired Powers guard the mortals, fending of the attacks of the dark
Powers. He has seen the weapons of the Powers that the mortals wield
unknowingly. The shields and armor of Powers that they were strapped to
themselves by invisible bonds, and he has seen the way these shields
reflect the fiery attacks of the Powers of darkness, all of this going
on beyond the control of the mortals and without their knowledge.

        Finally, he has arrived. The home of the Wheel stands
before him. Maximus walks towards the gate, reaching to open it, a
thunderous voice shouts, "Who has come to the domain of the Wheel? Who
seeks to see the all Powerful?" Maximus turns around looking all about
him for the voice; up in the sky he sees something. It is a being, but
not a man or beast or power. It has a head of a lion, of an ox, of a
man, and of an eagle, all at once, it has six wings, each covered in
eyes. It is the guardian of the Gate, the one and only gate that marks
the entrance to the realm of the All Powerful.

        Maximus shouts out, "It is I, Maximus, humble servant and
child of the Power. I have come seeking the Power of the Eyes, for it
is the only Power great enough to defeat the seven headed, ten horned
beast who has taken my kingdom from me."

        In a blinding flash, the guarding disappears and the gates
open. Maximus steps inside and follows the path. After walking for a
few minutes he sees the Wheel of Eyes, falling before it he cries,
"Great Power, I have come seeking you, the only one great enough to
save my kingdom. I am your humble servant, ask of me what you wish."

        A voice like thunder rings out saying, "Look you into my eyes. See what you have not yet seen, the only Truth."

        Raising his head, Maximus looks into the Eyes of the Wheel.
Terrified, a vision overcomes him. Before him lays a hill. On it stands
three Trees, the middle one stands glowing with power. The earth breaks
open and spits forth a beast with two horns, yet it looks like a lamb
but it has the voice of a dragon. It opens its mouth and spews forth
fire, burning the middle tree. As the flames die down nothing remains
but a pile of ashes. With a laugh that chills the blood, the beast
takes rule over the earth. The sun sets and rises three times, after
the third time the ashes of the Tree begin to float, swirling they form
the shape of the Tree. With a sound of a thousand voices shouting, the
Tree is reformed. Living and whole, full of life it stands on the hill
shining brighter than ever before. It grows brighter and brighter, the
beast stands still, filled with fear. Brighter the light from the Tree
grows, engulfing the beast.

        The vision ends, Maximus is left shaking and weeping. He
is overwhelmed with what he has seen. With tears streaming down his
face his weeps, "I believe, truly I believe in the Power of the Tree
and of the Wheel. I am theirs if they will have me."

        Gently, like the rustle of leaves, the Wheel speaks, "My
child, my dearest child, your faith has made you whole and you will be
restored to your throne."

        Before he is returned to his throne, the All Powerful
shows him again the world of powers intertwined with that of mortals.
Again, Maximus sees the mortals wielding swords of the Powers but he
looks more closely and sees that while to the eyes of powers the mortal
wields a sword but to the eyes of mortals, he holds a book. On the
mortals, armor is writing written in flames. On the shield burns
"faith," on the breastplate "righteousness," on the helmet "salvation,"
on the belt "truth," on the boots "peace."

        Maximus awakes on his chambers' balcony at his castle. The
sun is just about to rise; looking up into the sky, he sees stars and a
full moon, what a wonderful sight. He stands and wraps his cloak around
him. The sun rises over the Sevenfold Kingdom; a new day has come. With
a heart full of joy, he turns and heads into his castle. He must tell
his kingdom, every soul in it, what has passed. He must tell them of
the gift of the Living Tree and love of the Wheel of Eyes. "Yes," he
thinks, "this is going to be good day."