​Chaos and Order Prologue/chapter one

Chaos and Order Prologue/chapter One

Novella

The following is the first two chapters from my first fantasy novel. It’s an almost Lovecraftian, dark fantasy inspired by the likes of Berserk, Attack on Titan and One Piece. I had originally thought to try and do a graphic novel. After realising the amount of effort that might take, I’ll try it in prose form first.

Hope you enjoy

At the beginning there was only the Source.

The source energy of all things made from pure consciousness, an omnipresent higher being. Fated to be everything and nothing forever in an eternity of self reflection and loneliness, Source felt an eternity of despair. From that despair it gave birth to two new separate beings. Source’s soul now divided into two entities.

Order and Chaos were born.

Source divided itself up equally between Order and Chaos and became all the life that that now wandered the world of Eve.

For a time, Order and chaos existed in balance. But Order, in it’s increasing desire to control life, soon sought to banish chaos…

Our story begins long after Chaos and his followers have been mascaraed in an ancient war. A small village near the edge of the world is all that remains of them. In their desperation they cry out to their lord and begged Chaos for it’s aid. Chaos also fearing it’s extinction reached out to them. It would embed a portion its power upon one child born in precisely 9 months time. Created in to defeat Order, it is the last hope for Chaos and all of it’s followers. It would defeat Order and the one who ruled in it’s name. The leaders of the village David and Fae would give birth to the child of Chaos, it’s power blessed upon the newborn. David and Faye named him Guy. Born to defeat Order and kill it’s leader, the sorceress of Order. Chaos tells the villagers the child will be the one to rid the world of Order, and restore Chaos into the world. Soon Guy was born and the village held it’s breath.

Guy always knew he was different. From his earliest memories, he sensed wasn’t like the other children. Whilst they played together he trained alone. Harnessing his skills in combat.

Why do I do this? The thought was always stalking him.

“It is too much to burden you with” Guy remembers his mother telling him. “One day we will tell you everything and you will understand. You’re everything our people have waited for. You’re special Guy”.

I don’t want to be special. I just want a friend. I want to be normal…

Ten days before his 8th birthday, in the height of a winter storm, he heard his parents arguing. Every now and again the storm would drown our their voices. The next day they told him he was finally old enough to learn the truth about his birth and his destiny. All the ordeals and training would finally make sense.

Two days before his 8th birthday Guy watched the other kids celebrating one of theirs. Whilst his parents were away for a village meeting, he snuck out to join them. Guy asked if he could play too. The other children went silent. They quickly made excuses to leave. When Guy returned to his house he saw the other kids come back out again.

The next day he was once again practicing his combat skills with his wooden dagger. His father watched on.

Guy’s form slipped for just a moment.

“Again Guy?.” His father slapped the back of Guy’s head . “How many times have I told you to concentrate!?”

Guy dropped his dagger.

“I don’t want this anymore. I just want to be normal!!

Guy runs into the woods until, eventually, his father’s scream disappeared into the gathering wind. Guy lies still, sobbing beside an old oak tree. A few minutes pass and exhaustion begins to creep in as his eyes turn bloodshot.

“I swear I won’t come back this time” Guy muttered to himself.

The sound of thunder can be heard. Guy bolts up right and hears a scream coming from the village. He rushes to his feet and runs in it’s direction. The screaming grows louder and louder as thick smoke begins to gather.

I knew shouldn’t of ran away, its my fault this has happened! The words hung heavy in his mind.

He arrives back at the village. Hostile unfamiliar voices can be heard in the.

A cold voice fills the air.

“The child where is he?” Guy’s father hovers in the air, his feet several feet above the ground, before a hooded figure. The hooded figure was tall and wore dark black and purple robes, his face shrouded in shadow. He carried a long body-length staff stretched towards Guy’s father, a blue light shining towards his father’s face at the very tip. Guy stops and watches as he sees the life slowly being choked out of him, his fathers eyes just visible through the thickening smoke.

“Tell me where he is!” the figure bellows

“I told you I have no child” David gasped

Guys eyes tremble and he holds back tears. His father’s eyes meets his own for a second and then fades . Guy turns and runs. He doesn’t stop. He runs for miles till the screams can no longer be heard. The only voices be could now hear was his fathers and his own as they swirled inside his head.

I have no son – He heard his father’s voice

Why didn’t I save them – He thought

I told you

Its all my fault. Its my fault Its all my fault Its my fault

I should of never have fled

I told you. I HAVE NO SON

Guy, aged 18, wakes up in the present day from the same nightmare. He is sleeping in a makeshift leather tent in the woods, his sweaty hand gripping his steel dagger. The full moon is high and bright but will soon be covered by thick cloud. Guy gets up and takes out his dagger and begins moving towards the nearby tree. He lunges in with it pointed just about touching the tree with the tip, just as he was taught to as a child. As the sun rises we can see that even in the gloom almost all of his strikes to tree were on target. There hundreds of incisions and pieces of tree missing, all laser focused on one spot just a few mm thick and wide.

The sunlight illuminates his lifeless eyes. He stares at the tree and wonders again, what is his purpose. His hand grips his blade as he lunges once more at the tree.

Chapter 1

Luna

Capital city

The grand temple of Order

Luna’s heart danced with excitement as she walked hand in hand with her mother, her bright green-blue eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“Did you tell them I wanted white daffodils when I return to this plane? That’s how I always imagined it!”

“Yes Luna, now we must hurry” her mother replied with a forced smile. Luna (7 years old) loved flowers but especially daffodils.

As they approached the grand hall, Luna’s breath caught in her throat at the sight before her. The doors swung open to reveal a spectacle more magnificent than anything she had ever imagined.

Three magical orbs floated gracefully in an orbit around the hall, casting a soft, ethereal light that bathed everything in a blue mystical glow.

The religious, military, civil leaders and royal family members watched on in hushed silence as Luna and her mother entered the hall, the blue light only just bright enough to illuminate their eager faces as they watched on. It was so dim Luna could not see very far beyond the limited light the orbs cast. The distant edges of the hall still lay in shadow.

She had dreamed of final seeing the grand Hall and finally becoming a sorceress . Surrounded by white daffodils and the admiration of her family, she would emerge as the greatest sorceress ever. Luna inhaled deeply. She wondered if she’d be like the wise sorceress of the rebellion era who saved Eden from the dark one. Or perhaps the current sorceress , her great aunty Adel, whos powers would soon pass to Luna. As she approached the alter at the center of the oval hall, she looked around to see hooded figure at all side. Most held staffs with glowing blue orbs at the tip, all raised up towards the spheres that hovered in the air. A soft chant could be heard. A choir of hooded girls sang an almost forgotten ancient tongue towards the alter. Known only to a few, Luna couldn’t remember what they called the language. Her mother had told her aside from a chosen few, no one remembered the name.

All as was designed by Order in his great plan. She thought

The song rose slightly as she reached the center. Luna walked up a stone step and kneeled before the alter just as she was told to do so. The grand priest, a tall balding man dressed in brilliant white robes cleared his throat and bellowed

“We begin this ceremony to welcome a new vessel to our saviour and light in the dark years. Great Lord of Order who banished Chaos to the night long ago. May we rid the heavens and Eden of all of his kin, so his name too will be lost to time” He cleared his throat again before continuing

“We the disciples of Order eagerly follow his path. Soon we will join him in the promised land”

Luna’s mother whispers in her ear

“Be brave, Mother loves you” Luna didn’t understand why there was a little sadness in her voice. Her mother squeezed her hand one last time then leaves her side to join her father who’s eyes glared fiercely back at her.

Luna looked at her feet. I have to make him proud. Be a good daughter. Be a good sorceress

The grand priest began to speak

“So as the new eve approaches so we cast aside the old and begin anew. The final vassal and saviour.” The room echoes these words with him. She could feel her heart beating in her ears

A hooded figure approaches her and removes her brilliant dark purple hood. The sorceress Adel, her great aunt and current ruler of Eden.

White haired and ancient, her passionless eyes stares down at Luna. She nods gently at Luna to begin. Now Luna needed to assume her rightful place before her and kneel. The center sphere turned blue and the air seemed to change. The great priest raises his arms and the chanting grows louder before coming to a sudden stop. Luna could sense a new presence among them. . She took a deep breath. The great priest passed a goblet of shining blue liquid to Luna. She drank a sip of the water and passed it to Adel. Adel was trembling too, even more than Luna. Adel took a sip before passing the goblet back to the grand priest.

A moment passed. From the corners of the hall a shadow moved quickly. The blue light of the spheres began to shiver and twist as the shadow passed though it. The shadow reached out and sank into Adel. She screamed as light bellowed from her mouth.

An unearthly voice rang

Do you accept me, child

There was silence

Luna couldn’t find her voice. She opened her mouth gasping for the words. Looking over Adel’s shoulder. She saw her father’s eyes glaring from the shadows. Luna’s heart skipped a beat.

“Yes I I accept”

The light blasted out of Adel and hit her head on. Luna screamed as the Adel fell to the floor.

She felt the light tear into the very fabric of her soul and bury itself there. For a moment Luna no longer knew who she was, where she was, or have memories of ever being alive. Her soul was ripped out her body and flung far, far away. There she felt the pure terror of eternity gaze at her. She knew Order was with her now. Waiting, watching. For a moment she thought she could see what was almost an eye, or window of perception. Flashes of light began to appear from it. Each flash was a moment in time. The future. It began to unravel itself in her mind. Her soul screamed out as the future became a part of her. Now every moment of her life, her was as burnt into her memory and it began to unfold one second at a time.

She opened her eyes and saw clapping.

“Arise sorceress Luna.”

Tears streamed down her face she took a step forward.

It was just the same as she had foreseen. It was just the same as she had foreseen. It was just as she had foreseen..! The words tormented her.

Everything is the same. No this can’t be real. This can’t be… Her eyes met Adel’s Adel looked back at her with a sad smile.

“I love you Luna. Be strong”

“It hurts. please, please help me, please” Luna begged

“Promise me you won’t give up. I believe in you” Adel replied. Luna looked at her feet.

I can’t let them see me cry.

She looks up and sees her aunt collapse and lay motionless. The blue light fades and colour returns to the hall.

Luna reaches to cover her eyes as more tears began to form. She already knew what would happen next, but she couldn’t prevent it. The tears kept appearing.

Stop stop, please Stop

Her father grabs her her arms away from her face and thrusts them to her side. He kneels and whispers.

“If you don’t stop crying and bringing shame to out family.. to our LORD. I will no longer have a daughter. Am I understood?”

“Yes father”

“As you were, child”. He glares and pushes her towards the head priest before returning to his seat.

“Continue” he bellows. Everyone who was for a moment frozen in place by his fury jolt back to their positions. All was all just as she had seen. Burnt into her mind . It was like walking through a familiar tunnel. A tunnel of her life. And then came the next moment, and the next. Like she foreseen. Like she had foreseen like she had foreseen…

Her heart slowed.

Who am I now. Please help me Aunty

She saw the daffodils she had requested dancing in the air as she walked through an applauding crowd. She grabbed one and stared at it. Onlookers sobbed and hugged each other in joy. The choir resumed, right at the precise moment she expected it would. She opened her hand and looked at the white daffodil. It was just a dead flower, nothing special.