TheWolf's Ramblings (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} wolframblings) wrote,@ 2007-08-20 01:40:00 |
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The Fall of the King of Blades - Dusk
Life was good. Bradley Wanke, or the King of Blades as he was known through out the Empire, couldn't ask for much more from life. He was was the owner and current title holder of The Arena, one of the most successful entertainment spots in the Empire and also a military advisor for the Emperor. Not that there was much for a military adviser to do in these peaceful times, but this didn't bother the King of Blades. He hoped his skills in battle and war would have to be used as seldom as possible outside of his Arena.
He was a man who felt like he had everything one could possibly want. He had two loving and caring husbands and between them, he raised 6 wonderful children. His husbands, Tracy and Chris, were both successful in their own rights, claiming territories in the Empire early on and both are loved and successful rulers. He'd give advice in their dealings when asked, but mostly he preferred to stay out of politics. He could have had an entire planet claimed to be his but he turned down the opportunity to let those who he felt were more attuned to such a thing than him.
He was proud of all of his children. All, of them had so much promise. All so talented in their own right and all of them were finding their places in the world. It pained Brad to see them all grow up so fast, especially his eldest Joe who was quickly making his way up in the ranks of the arena, taking after his old man. He could remember when Joe was born, how amazed he was, not only at the fact that he somehow could give birth to a child, but how bringing life into the world could make him feel so peaceful at the same time. And now, here he was a young man, setting out and carrying on the family legacy Brad had started. Joe would be a great warrior, powerful, just like him. Someday anyway.
Life continued to be good until one day, somehow, a mysterious artifact was uncovered from under the Earth. It had been found somewhat by accident, a group of individuals investigating a source of great power that had somehow managed to make itself known only recently. When it was unearthed, a great darkness spread across the face of the earth, covering a good portion of what was once the United States, encasing it and it's people in an unholy darkness. The day this artifact, known as The Heart of Darkness, was released from its reseting place underground events were set in motion which would change the King of Blades life forever.
The Heart of Darkness was obviously an artifact of great evil, trying to free itself from it's confines, but once it reached the surface, the Emperor ordered that it be guarded. They were able to move it back underground, but the darkness that had spread across the land did not retreat. The Emperor and his most trusted advisers and friends, which included The King of Blades and his son Joseph, went to the site of the Heart to see what could be done about trying to remove the darkness from the land. Upon entering the gloom, The King of Blades could feel something calling to him. He could feel the heartbeat of the Heart itself and they were still hundreds of miles from the actual site. The closer he would get, the louder the beating heart would become. His own pulse seemed to echo it's rhythm and he found it hard to concentrate. Joseph also seemed to have troubles keeping his focus but when asked of the two would like to turn around, but claimed they would be fine.
Entering the chamber was almost maddening to the King of Blades. He could barely see straight. His body almost seemed to work on it's own, drawing him to the cave the Heart rested in. Those around him worried about his condition but he assured them that he would be fine. Joseph faired only slightly better than his father as the entire group made their way into the cave.
When he laid his eyes upon the Heart, Brad knew that somehow, he and it were connected. He didn't know how, but he felt it. It called to him. He could feel every fiber of his being being drawn to it. Then he thought he heard it. A call. A plea of sorts. A voice he knew he heard only in his mind. It said "Son... Son, help me..." With speed that surprised everyone in the cave he bolted forward. His mind was so clouded with the pulsing of the Heart and the voice in his mind that he couldn't hear the protests from the Emperor or the fearful cry from his son.
He reached the heart and held out his hand to it. His palm touched the beating black flesh of the heart. And before he knew what was happening, fingers emerged from the heart and wrapped around his hand. Their touch did something to him. Changed him. He could feel it coursing through his body. Pain, and unbelievable cold started to fill him. He yelled in pain and tried to pull away.
His son and others rushed forward to help the King of Blades as he struggled with the unknown being inside the Heart. Black tendrils of energy whipped out at those pressing forward. Most were thrown away from the heart by the attacks, but Joseph was just able to avoid the lashes of the darkness and grabbed at his father's shoulders. Joseph's shouts of pain started to echo his fathers, as flames started to lick up around his fingers where he touched his father, and slowly made their way down the rest of his body.
Their minds taken over by this pain, only instinct drove the two to pull as hard as they could to escape from the Heart. They both pulled with all their might and suddenly the heart gave way and they fell backwards, pulling a third figure back with them, this figure seeming to have been pulled out of the Heart itself. The second the three of them hit the floor the black tendrils of energy disappeared and the Emperor and the rest of his men ran froward. Horror was on all their faces as they looked down at the three unconscious individuals.
They could barely make out The King of Blades or his son. Though their features were mostly the same, they were now twisted and contorted into monstrous visages with horns reaching out from their heads. Joseph seemed little changed beyond that, but the King of Blades seemed to be missing his lower half. His leggings and armor laid near the Heart while now only a faint, grayish fog seemed to be where his legs once were. The third individual seemed similar to the King of Blades, his lower half missing and his head crowned in horns.
Brad and Joe were taken immediately to an Imperial hospital while the third individual was taken to a medical center on the moon prison which was run by Belstephen Je'dai. The three were kept under a quarantine until all three were awake about two weeks later.
The first memory Brad had after waking up wasn't of the tests that were performed on him to make sure this strange 'disease' he contracted would spread. It wasn't of the briefings he went to to try and explain what had happened and why he had done was he had done. The first, and most vivid memory he had after waking up was of the look on Chris and Tracy's face when they saw him for the first time since his accident. It was a strange mixture of relief and terror. They were scared of him. It may have been that he hadn't fully been able to come to terms with what he looked like now, but he felt the sharp pain of betrayal at this. They did their best to talk with him once allowed, but he could tell that they fought to do so, that they had to force themselves to believe that it was him, and not some hideous monster they spoke with.
His next disappointment came when he was first allowed to see Joseph. He could barely remember the hands on his back pulling at him. He wasn't told even after waking up that Joseph had also been 'infected' with whatever had happened to him and seeing his oldest looking twisted and deformed like him wrenched at his heart. Joseph tried to reassure his father that he was fine. Joe didn't look fine though. Brad just had a hard time believing him.
The moment that the King of Blades was informed that there was a third, the one pulled from the Heart, he demanded to see him. The Emperor didn't think it wise at first for Brad to confront him, but then the prisoner himself started requesting the King of Blade's presence. The Emperor then allowed a meeting under maximum security so that maybe he and the others in the Empire could find out what had happened to drive his adviser to do what he had done.
The meeting was setup and Brad's heart raced. Such a mixture of emotions were flooding through him. He didn't know what all he was feeling. He knew he wanted to be angry, mad at this individual for doing what it had done to him, but for some reason, he felt an excitement as well. And then he felt something else. The pulsing. The heartbeat. The closer he got to the prisoner's chambers, the louder the pulsing became.
Brad was escorted into a room with a glass window. On the other side was complete darkness. Then, the lights turned on, and in front of him was someone he had never seen before, yet he knew he knew this person. This being looked a lot like he did now. As it's eyes met his, a smile slowly rose on it's lips. "Son... I knew you'd save me..."
He wanted to be startled that this creature called him his son. Brad knew who his parents were. Yet, when it spoke the words, there was a truth in them that he could not deny. There was a feeling inside of him that allowed him to know that this creature in front of him was, in fact, his father.
Brad stood staring for a bit. He didn't know what to say. Finally he found words. "How... How can this be? How can you be my father?"
The other being nodded. "I know it's confusing. Your spirit was young when I forged the deal. But I had little choice. I had to find a way to protect you and your brother before the final conflict because I knew weather I wanted it or not, I would be involved."
"What? Final conflict? Brother? What are you talking about father?"
The being across from him went into great detail about how thousands of years ago, there was a great conflict that happened between a being known as the Creator and a group of beings known as Prime Evils. That, these prime evils saw an opportunity to strike against the Creator while he was weak and started a great war. The prime evils were confidant in their ability to overthrow the Creator but didn't expect him to have allies of great power and the 8 artifacts of creation gathered. He used them against the Prime Evils locking them all away into what we all called the Heart of Darkness. Having heard rumors of the 8 artifacts having been gathered and not desiring to be a part of this conflict against the Creator, he tried to find a way to remove himself from the fight. But the other Prime Evils would not allow it, his power being too great to let set at the sidelines. Having been young, he knew his sons would not fair well in this fight nor did he want them to suffer the results if they were all to fail, so he forged an alliance with a neutral party. The souls of his sons were to be kept dormant until the eye of the Creator rested and would no longer hunt for the Prime Evils should this war not go well for them. Once the Creator's eye was no longer looking for them, their souls would be released and allowed to be 'born' into the world of man once again.
Brad listened to this story, not able to make heads or tails of it. He was being asked to believe that he was the son of something called a Prime Evil, which he assumed meant he was one himself. That somewhere out there, he had a brother out there somewhere, and that he was only born because something called the Creator was no longer looking for him? He shook his head and raised his hands. "Stop.. Please. None of this makes any sense to me. Who are you? And why did you do this to me?"
"I am your father young Fvey. My name is Azriel. I am a djinn of the Ebon realms and I didn't do this to you. I am sorry that you don't remember your life before, but it's probably for the best. We djinn do not have the best reputation among the mortal and immortal beings. Most of our kind are power hungry megalomaniacs. Even I at one time was like the rest. Slowly, I began to realize that the paths I sought were only ones of self destruction and that such goals were not obtainable by our kind. I tried to change my ways, but the blood that flows through me did not make it easy. Djinn are power hungry by nature. It's like a humans desire for love. With out it, most feel empty or meaningless and they are constantly striving to experience it."
"Fvey? Why did you call... Is.. Was that my name?" Azriel nodded. "It was. A long time ago."
The King of Blades shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't wrap his mind around this. "But... but you turned us into this? Why?"
"Us?" The djinn in the other room looked confused. "Your brother was not there."
"Brother? No... I still don't know what you mean by brother... My son. My son was there, and when he tried to save me from the Heart he... He... Changed too."
The older Djinn's eyes seemed to light up. "S...son? You have a son?"
"I have 6 children. 5 sons and 1 daughter, but only Joseph was there when we... freed you."
The elder djinn's face contorted. It looked like he was supposed to be overjoyed, but that the feeling itself was alien to him and his face didn't know how to express it properly. "Normally... It's very difficult for a djinn to create children... And you or your brother never seemed interested in offspring before... I didn't think I would ever be a... grandfather." His face slowly melted back to the one of calm resolve that he had been through most of the conversation. "May I see, Joseph, was it? If he's changed, he must be confused. Maybe I can help him."
"It will be up to Joseph. And the Emperor. If they say it is ok, it is fine with me. I'll also see what I can do about getting you out of here. F...father."
Azriel smiled again and and nodded. "Thank you. I understand their concern and am not uncomfortable here. I've been in much tighter spots before. But that's another story. Thank you for seeing me my son."
Brad nodded and left. The Emperor did allow Joseph to see his grandfather sometime later and eventually the King of Blades was able to have Azriel released from the moon prison. Djinns were only things of the story books before this. But now Brad found himself and his son one, and he also now had one as a father. A father he never knew he had. As a show of good faith and as an apology to the Empire for the scare, Azreil gave them a rather detailed background on Djinns and their powers, abilities, and even weaknesses. He said that he hoped a day would never come where knowing how to imprison a djinn would be necessary but that if the Heart ever opened, all manner of djinns, as well as other Prime Evils would be let loose upon the universe. From that day forth, the Emperor made the Heart of Darkness off limits to all citizens of the Empire, and efforts to try and suppress the darkness went underway.
Brad cared little for these efforts though. He mostly spent time with his family, especially Joeseph, trying to assure them that everything was alright. It became easier on everyone the day that he and Joseph figured out how to mask their forms and appear as they used to. When Brad did this though, he felt wrong. He felt like he was hiding something he shouldn't have to. The feeling confused him, but as time went on, he found that feeling getting stronger.
One night, he woke up in a start. His was his 'natural' form. Somehow his disguise had fallen and he also realized he was alone. He put a hand to his head, and then he felt it. The pulse. He felt it in his fingertips. Then, it started to ring in his ears. The beating of the Heart of Darkness. He knew it all too well. It haunted him in his dreams and now it was still there even in his waking moments. He stood up and went to the window to look up into the sky. His gaze was drawn to a star shining off in the distance. That would be the Sol system. Where the planet Earth was and where the Heart was.
He didn't remember coming up with the plan, but he knew he had to go to the Heart. Something was whispering to him to go there. It wanted him to help them. It told him of power that he didn't have and couldn't posses until the Heart was opened. He found himself intrigued. Interested in what this could be. Power? He was strong, but he could always be stronger. There was nothing wrong with wanting to be more powerful, was there? He convinced himself that he indeed needed to go there, if for nothing else, to find out what it is that was whispering to him.
He dressed and summoned forth his sword, The Edge of Insanity, a blade created for him by his husband King Chris Cjarvi. Just in case he needed to... persuade the guards into letting him into the Heart's chamber.
A chill started to spread through out Brad, but he didn't pay attention to it. A coldness that he felt only once before, when he last touched the heart and became the Djinn he was always supposed to be. As the coldness spread his mind began to swell with information. Powers. Abilities he could control as a djinn. One that could help him get to the Heart with little to no problem. That would take care of the guard issue, that's for sure. He raised his hand and a hole if inky blackness started to form in front of him. It expanded until it was large enough for him to walk through, thin black tendrils snaking out of the portal as if being blown in a soft breeze. He looked into the blackness and stepped forward.
Very briefly, he felt himself surrounded in the darkness, and he felt like he was where he was supposed to be. This place he had stepped into somehow felt more like home than anywhere else he had ever been. He didn't have too long to contemplate this before another portal opened in front of him and he stepped out and the sound of the beating Heart of Darkness was almost deafening.
As the portal closed behind him, he could feel the power that lay inside of the Heart. It had been telling him the truth. There was power inside of it. But not all of his was his power. Other beings were there. He could feel them. He could hear them calling out to him, knowing he was close. Knowing he could free them. But he didn't want to free them. These beings were strong and maybe stronger than him, even if he opened the Heart. If he opened it, he wanted ALL of the power. He started to grin a wicked grin as selfish thought, unlike those that have ever crossed his mind began to flood his brain.
Maybe it was touching the heart itself that changed him, or maybe just entering the darkness, but somehow the King of Blades had changed. From a man of compassion and love to one of hate and corruption, to some it seemed as if he almost changed overnight. For now he stood in front of the Heart of Darkness, his sword gripped firmly in his hand trying to figure out this great puzzle presented before him. How to claim all the power of darkness for his own so he didn't have to share it with anyone else. Desires he'd never before dreamed of filled his heart as images of power beyond his imagination clouded his eyes. He were almost in a trance staring at the great Heart. It was only his training and combat reflexes that alerted him to the attack that came swiftly and silently from behind him.
He flew into the air as the large sword cut through the space he once occupied. He turned, his own sword ready as he looked down at the figure that attacked him. A man dressed all in black and long blond hair. He in his post swing pose, not moving, not even looking up to where the King of Blades had moved to. He knew this man to be a vampire named Justin, one of the Empire's friends and charge of one of the Houses of the Empire. The King of Blades looked back further in the tunnel to see that Justin wasn't along and in fact had the Emperor and a few other guards and a dark hooded figure with him.
"It looks like I was right my Emperor. He was driven mad by the change. Here he is, ready to open the Heart and doom us all, just as I had predicted." The voice sounded familiar to Brad. Just hearing the figure speak he knew that somehow, he was tied to this person.
"Brad, what is the meaning of this? I didn't want to believe that you'd actually come here and try to open the Heart, but here you are. Explain yourself and make it quick."
The King of Blades frowned. They must have had the chamber warded to warn someone if anyone entered the chamber. "I'm not here to open the Heart my Emperor. I am here to try and find out what it wants of me. I can feel it calling to me. Wanting me to be here with it, but I don't know why. Believe me when I say I do not desire to let out the creatures that reside within it."
The cloaked figure steps forward. "What do you desire of it then, King of Blades?" The voice... He knew the voice. It sounded so familiar yet so different from any voice he's ever heard before. Shaking the thought from his mind he just grinned.
"I want it's power. I can feel it... It shouldn't belong to those... THINGS in there. It should belong to me." And then a strange feeling crossed him as he looked at the robed figure and it became clear to him who it was. "To... my brother and I."
From under the hood, only the King of Blades could see the toothy grin and a flash of gold from the eye of the figure as the robed figure stepped back and leaned to the Emperor. "Clear my Emperor, he has gone mad. Whatever was done to him by this Azreil as corrupted his mind and driven him power hungry. The old one gave us the knowledge of how to take care of this issue and the ritual has already been prepared. We need to take action now Emperor before this situation gets out of hand."
The Emperor nods and frowns. "You've given me no choice Brad. We need to take action now before this situation gets out of hand." Brad raised an eyebrow. The Emperor repeated his 'advisor's words to the syllable. He didn't have another moment to contemplate this though as his senses alerted him to an attack from below. He looked down to see the vampire leaping into the air after him, ready to thrust his sword, a sword known as the King of Swords, Excalibur, through the djinn's chest.
Brad's body changed to shadow as it twirled around the sword to avoid it's strike, the blade catching some of the shadow as it moved. The shadow landed and again became solid as the King of Blades clutched at his arm, having been cut even in shadow form by the mighty sword Excalibur. The vampire turned around and grinned down to Brad, sniffing at the blade. "Now at smooth as you think you are, huh 'King' of Blades? Aaaah, I've soaked this sword in the blood of sooooo many enemies. I think the self proclaimed master of combat will be my next victim."
Brad glowered up to the Vampire as suddenly bright yellow light surrounded him. On the ground there were runes, flaring bright. "What is this?!"
The dark robed figure started walking around the circle to stand opposite of the Emperor. "It's a rune spell, King of Blades. It traps victims inside of it so they can not cross it physically, or use powers to try and leave it. It's the first part of the spell Azreil taught us to capture Djinns if we ever needed to use it."
Brad was about to protest but before he could say anything his senses alerted him to another attack from the Vampire. He swung his own sword knocking the blow away from him as he moved to the side. "Irons! Stop this right now, or I swear that I will stop at nothing to see your Empire in ruins! If you make me your enemy, you will regret it!"
Again Justin leaped at the King of Blades and Brad rose his sword to deflect the blow. Excalibur collided with the King of Blades large crystal sword and a large chunk of the Edge of Insanity flew off. "Nothing can withstand Excalibur you pompous darkling. I've been waiting a long time to teach you what it is to TRULY master the sword, and I'm sooooo glad that our Emperor has given me say so to prove that _I_ am the best! Ha ha!" He swings the sword again, aiming for the Edge and half of the 5 foot blade is separated from the rest and the King of Blades is knocked back.
"You bastard!! You will all pay! I will show you, you tiny worm, that I am greater than you! That I am greater than ALL! You are pathetic! A pathetic shadow of a once pathetic human!" When he spoke the word human, he felt such a knot of disgust in his gut it almost surprised him. It was at that moment that he realized, he honestly and truly did actually hate humans. It wasn't so much this betrayed by the Emperor, or the attack by this vampire, it was just saying the word with such hatred and anger in his heart that made him realize his contempt for everything that is humanity.
He hurled the remainder of his crystal sword towards Justin. As he did so, orange runes flared around him almost blinding him. "Hopefully my sword will drink your blood before they catch you King!" Justin taunted as he deflected the crystal sword easily and leaped forward. He swung the sword in a wide arch that Brad barely dodged. The vampire was quick and deadly accurate with this blade. Any lesser man would have fallen at the first strike. Brad had to franticly keep moving while trying to figure a way out of this magical circle that was designed to somehow capture him.
"Irons! Hear me! I will kill you! I will stare into your dead eyes for this! You will see!" Red runes flared around the others and Emperor Irons held up a red ruby.
"I'm sorry Brad, but I think not." He reached back, ready to throw the jewel into the circle. "Wait until they get closer my Emperor," The hooded figure said. "Wait for my word and then throw the jewel and speak the last word!" The Emperor nodded and held the red gem ready.
The vampire's blade danced past the djinn multiple times, barely missing as the djinn kept trying to get out of the way, waiting for a moment of error, but it never came. Justin's form was flawless and his speed mad it impossible to act with out taking a blow. He just had to keep moving and hope for an opening. He didn't even realize the vampire was herding him towards the Emperor and the gem that would lock him away.
Once the djinn and vampire were almost to the edge of the circle, next to where the Emperor stood, Emperor Irons drew his arm back and started to throw the gem. If anyone had been paying attention across the way, they would have seen the wicked gleam of teeth as a smile spread across the lips of the hooded figure. The hooded one's foot swept out in front of him crossing the runes that were chalked into the ground, smearing the pattern. In the same instant he did that, the glaring bright light of all the runes with out.
Two things happened then that gave the King of Blades the opening he was looking for. The Emperor threw the gem, but surprised by the sudden absence of light, his throw was off and he threw the gem directly at Justin. The vampire raised his sword to deflect the ruby and that was all that the King of Blades needed to act. He grabbed the vampire by an upraised arm and the hilt of his own sword and twisted around. The action caused the sword to dislodge from Justin's hands and now only the King of Blades held the mighty blade. In a flash he spun around and the sword bit into it's former owner's neck.
Before the vampire's head could hit the ground, the Emperor felt a sharp pain pierce through him. He looked down and saw Excalibur stuck hilt deep into his chest, the King of Blades glaring up at him, his eyes so full of hatred they seemed to be nothing but pools of inky blackness. Slowly, darkness fell over the Emperor's sight and he slipped from the mortal coil, all the while Brad stared into his eyes as he died. A dark portal opened behind the Emperor as the King of Blades kicked him off the sword and the Emperor flew into the darkness. The portal closed and then there was only one left.
The King of Blades turned to face the robed figure, a grin and golden glow coming from under the hood. "I only know one person who's 'Jedi mind tricks' could be powerful enough to work on the Emperor... Bel?"
"Aww. I was hoping you wouldn't guess." The figure pulled back his hood to expose himself as the Master Jedi, Belstephen Je'dai. "I'm also going to assume you realized who I was when I spoke up. I didn't know merely talking to you would clue you in."
"You're my brother." Brad stated mater of factly. Bel nodded.
"They actually brought my own father to the prison I am in care of. That just seems a weird little twist of fate. The moment I saw him I had a sudden realization about myself. Then, there were a few more painful moments of actually changing. Luckily, I was able to... disguise myself quickly."
"Lucky you. Are you here for the same reason I am then?"
Bel nodded. "And like you, I know why neither of us can open the Heart yet. We can't allow it's power to be divided up between all of those Prime Evils in there. We need to figure out a way of claiming the power for ourselves."
Brad looked his brother over. He felt connected to him. And he could tell that Bel had the same desire he did. He nodded. "Where do we start? What do we need to open the Heart so we can get what we need out of it?"
"I've been working on that and I have a couple theories. They'll be dangerous, but you've never been one to shy away from danger. Don't worry brother... We have what is ours. And more."
The King of Blades grinned. "What do we do about what happened here? Won't people wonder where the Emperor went?"
"Yes, they will. But no one knew he came here. This little operation to take care of you was a very secretive event. Only 3 people even knew of the plan, and you took care of two of them quite handily. And if anyone figures something out, I can... handle them." He grins as his eye flares gold.
The King of Blades nods. "I desire to leave as soon as possible. This all has made me suddenly aware of how much this world sickens me... I believe I know where I can go. If people wonder where I've gone, you'll be able to take care of it for me I hope?"
"Of course, just don't be gone too long. I have important things to do, so the less I have to run around making people not realize you're missing, the better."
"Fine. I won't be long then. I just... Have to go somewhere. Somewhere I think I belong..."
"Aaah, the denizen? Yes, I figured you'd have some sort of draw to it considering what you are. Go brother. I think you will find a liking to the Denizen. And hopefully, it will like you in return."
The King of Blades nodded and a dark portal opened behind him. "Take care brother. And may the Force be with you," he said grinning.
Bel chuckled and nodded. "Force be with you brother."
With that, the King of Blades stepped through the portal and was gone.
Mug show of The King of Blades in Djinn form after going 'evil'.
Life was good. Bradley Wanke, or the King of Blades as he was known through out the Empire, couldn't ask for much more from life. He was was the owner and current title holder of The Arena, one of the most successful entertainment spots in the Empire and also a military advisor for the Emperor. Not that there was much for a military adviser to do in these peaceful times, but this didn't bother the King of Blades. He hoped his skills in battle and war would have to be used as seldom as possible outside of his Arena.
He was a man who felt like he had everything one could possibly want. He had two loving and caring husbands and between them, he raised 6 wonderful children. His husbands, Tracy and Chris, were both successful in their own rights, claiming territories in the Empire early on and both are loved and successful rulers. He'd give advice in their dealings when asked, but mostly he preferred to stay out of politics. He could have had an entire planet claimed to be his but he turned down the opportunity to let those who he felt were more attuned to such a thing than him.
He was proud of all of his children. All, of them had so much promise. All so talented in their own right and all of them were finding their places in the world. It pained Brad to see them all grow up so fast, especially his eldest Joe who was quickly making his way up in the ranks of the arena, taking after his old man. He could remember when Joe was born, how amazed he was, not only at the fact that he somehow could give birth to a child, but how bringing life into the world could make him feel so peaceful at the same time. And now, here he was a young man, setting out and carrying on the family legacy Brad had started. Joe would be a great warrior, powerful, just like him. Someday anyway.
Life continued to be good until one day, somehow, a mysterious artifact was uncovered from under the Earth. It had been found somewhat by accident, a group of individuals investigating a source of great power that had somehow managed to make itself known only recently. When it was unearthed, a great darkness spread across the face of the earth, covering a good portion of what was once the United States, encasing it and it's people in an unholy darkness. The day this artifact, known as The Heart of Darkness, was released from its reseting place underground events were set in motion which would change the King of Blades life forever.
The Heart of Darkness was obviously an artifact of great evil, trying to free itself from it's confines, but once it reached the surface, the Emperor ordered that it be guarded. They were able to move it back underground, but the darkness that had spread across the land did not retreat. The Emperor and his most trusted advisers and friends, which included The King of Blades and his son Joseph, went to the site of the Heart to see what could be done about trying to remove the darkness from the land. Upon entering the gloom, The King of Blades could feel something calling to him. He could feel the heartbeat of the Heart itself and they were still hundreds of miles from the actual site. The closer he would get, the louder the beating heart would become. His own pulse seemed to echo it's rhythm and he found it hard to concentrate. Joseph also seemed to have troubles keeping his focus but when asked of the two would like to turn around, but claimed they would be fine.
Entering the chamber was almost maddening to the King of Blades. He could barely see straight. His body almost seemed to work on it's own, drawing him to the cave the Heart rested in. Those around him worried about his condition but he assured them that he would be fine. Joseph faired only slightly better than his father as the entire group made their way into the cave.
When he laid his eyes upon the Heart, Brad knew that somehow, he and it were connected. He didn't know how, but he felt it. It called to him. He could feel every fiber of his being being drawn to it. Then he thought he heard it. A call. A plea of sorts. A voice he knew he heard only in his mind. It said "Son... Son, help me..." With speed that surprised everyone in the cave he bolted forward. His mind was so clouded with the pulsing of the Heart and the voice in his mind that he couldn't hear the protests from the Emperor or the fearful cry from his son.
He reached the heart and held out his hand to it. His palm touched the beating black flesh of the heart. And before he knew what was happening, fingers emerged from the heart and wrapped around his hand. Their touch did something to him. Changed him. He could feel it coursing through his body. Pain, and unbelievable cold started to fill him. He yelled in pain and tried to pull away.
His son and others rushed forward to help the King of Blades as he struggled with the unknown being inside the Heart. Black tendrils of energy whipped out at those pressing forward. Most were thrown away from the heart by the attacks, but Joseph was just able to avoid the lashes of the darkness and grabbed at his father's shoulders. Joseph's shouts of pain started to echo his fathers, as flames started to lick up around his fingers where he touched his father, and slowly made their way down the rest of his body.
Their minds taken over by this pain, only instinct drove the two to pull as hard as they could to escape from the Heart. They both pulled with all their might and suddenly the heart gave way and they fell backwards, pulling a third figure back with them, this figure seeming to have been pulled out of the Heart itself. The second the three of them hit the floor the black tendrils of energy disappeared and the Emperor and the rest of his men ran froward. Horror was on all their faces as they looked down at the three unconscious individuals.
They could barely make out The King of Blades or his son. Though their features were mostly the same, they were now twisted and contorted into monstrous visages with horns reaching out from their heads. Joseph seemed little changed beyond that, but the King of Blades seemed to be missing his lower half. His leggings and armor laid near the Heart while now only a faint, grayish fog seemed to be where his legs once were. The third individual seemed similar to the King of Blades, his lower half missing and his head crowned in horns.
Brad and Joe were taken immediately to an Imperial hospital while the third individual was taken to a medical center on the moon prison which was run by Belstephen Je'dai. The three were kept under a quarantine until all three were awake about two weeks later.
The first memory Brad had after waking up wasn't of the tests that were performed on him to make sure this strange 'disease' he contracted would spread. It wasn't of the briefings he went to to try and explain what had happened and why he had done was he had done. The first, and most vivid memory he had after waking up was of the look on Chris and Tracy's face when they saw him for the first time since his accident. It was a strange mixture of relief and terror. They were scared of him. It may have been that he hadn't fully been able to come to terms with what he looked like now, but he felt the sharp pain of betrayal at this. They did their best to talk with him once allowed, but he could tell that they fought to do so, that they had to force themselves to believe that it was him, and not some hideous monster they spoke with.
His next disappointment came when he was first allowed to see Joseph. He could barely remember the hands on his back pulling at him. He wasn't told even after waking up that Joseph had also been 'infected' with whatever had happened to him and seeing his oldest looking twisted and deformed like him wrenched at his heart. Joseph tried to reassure his father that he was fine. Joe didn't look fine though. Brad just had a hard time believing him.
The moment that the King of Blades was informed that there was a third, the one pulled from the Heart, he demanded to see him. The Emperor didn't think it wise at first for Brad to confront him, but then the prisoner himself started requesting the King of Blade's presence. The Emperor then allowed a meeting under maximum security so that maybe he and the others in the Empire could find out what had happened to drive his adviser to do what he had done.
The meeting was setup and Brad's heart raced. Such a mixture of emotions were flooding through him. He didn't know what all he was feeling. He knew he wanted to be angry, mad at this individual for doing what it had done to him, but for some reason, he felt an excitement as well. And then he felt something else. The pulsing. The heartbeat. The closer he got to the prisoner's chambers, the louder the pulsing became.
Brad was escorted into a room with a glass window. On the other side was complete darkness. Then, the lights turned on, and in front of him was someone he had never seen before, yet he knew he knew this person. This being looked a lot like he did now. As it's eyes met his, a smile slowly rose on it's lips. "Son... I knew you'd save me..."
He wanted to be startled that this creature called him his son. Brad knew who his parents were. Yet, when it spoke the words, there was a truth in them that he could not deny. There was a feeling inside of him that allowed him to know that this creature in front of him was, in fact, his father.
Brad stood staring for a bit. He didn't know what to say. Finally he found words. "How... How can this be? How can you be my father?"
The other being nodded. "I know it's confusing. Your spirit was young when I forged the deal. But I had little choice. I had to find a way to protect you and your brother before the final conflict because I knew weather I wanted it or not, I would be involved."
"What? Final conflict? Brother? What are you talking about father?"
The being across from him went into great detail about how thousands of years ago, there was a great conflict that happened between a being known as the Creator and a group of beings known as Prime Evils. That, these prime evils saw an opportunity to strike against the Creator while he was weak and started a great war. The prime evils were confidant in their ability to overthrow the Creator but didn't expect him to have allies of great power and the 8 artifacts of creation gathered. He used them against the Prime Evils locking them all away into what we all called the Heart of Darkness. Having heard rumors of the 8 artifacts having been gathered and not desiring to be a part of this conflict against the Creator, he tried to find a way to remove himself from the fight. But the other Prime Evils would not allow it, his power being too great to let set at the sidelines. Having been young, he knew his sons would not fair well in this fight nor did he want them to suffer the results if they were all to fail, so he forged an alliance with a neutral party. The souls of his sons were to be kept dormant until the eye of the Creator rested and would no longer hunt for the Prime Evils should this war not go well for them. Once the Creator's eye was no longer looking for them, their souls would be released and allowed to be 'born' into the world of man once again.
Brad listened to this story, not able to make heads or tails of it. He was being asked to believe that he was the son of something called a Prime Evil, which he assumed meant he was one himself. That somewhere out there, he had a brother out there somewhere, and that he was only born because something called the Creator was no longer looking for him? He shook his head and raised his hands. "Stop.. Please. None of this makes any sense to me. Who are you? And why did you do this to me?"
"I am your father young Fvey. My name is Azriel. I am a djinn of the Ebon realms and I didn't do this to you. I am sorry that you don't remember your life before, but it's probably for the best. We djinn do not have the best reputation among the mortal and immortal beings. Most of our kind are power hungry megalomaniacs. Even I at one time was like the rest. Slowly, I began to realize that the paths I sought were only ones of self destruction and that such goals were not obtainable by our kind. I tried to change my ways, but the blood that flows through me did not make it easy. Djinn are power hungry by nature. It's like a humans desire for love. With out it, most feel empty or meaningless and they are constantly striving to experience it."
"Fvey? Why did you call... Is.. Was that my name?" Azriel nodded. "It was. A long time ago."
The King of Blades shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't wrap his mind around this. "But... but you turned us into this? Why?"
"Us?" The djinn in the other room looked confused. "Your brother was not there."
"Brother? No... I still don't know what you mean by brother... My son. My son was there, and when he tried to save me from the Heart he... He... Changed too."
The older Djinn's eyes seemed to light up. "S...son? You have a son?"
"I have 6 children. 5 sons and 1 daughter, but only Joseph was there when we... freed you."
The elder djinn's face contorted. It looked like he was supposed to be overjoyed, but that the feeling itself was alien to him and his face didn't know how to express it properly. "Normally... It's very difficult for a djinn to create children... And you or your brother never seemed interested in offspring before... I didn't think I would ever be a... grandfather." His face slowly melted back to the one of calm resolve that he had been through most of the conversation. "May I see, Joseph, was it? If he's changed, he must be confused. Maybe I can help him."
"It will be up to Joseph. And the Emperor. If they say it is ok, it is fine with me. I'll also see what I can do about getting you out of here. F...father."
Azriel smiled again and and nodded. "Thank you. I understand their concern and am not uncomfortable here. I've been in much tighter spots before. But that's another story. Thank you for seeing me my son."
Brad nodded and left. The Emperor did allow Joseph to see his grandfather sometime later and eventually the King of Blades was able to have Azriel released from the moon prison. Djinns were only things of the story books before this. But now Brad found himself and his son one, and he also now had one as a father. A father he never knew he had. As a show of good faith and as an apology to the Empire for the scare, Azreil gave them a rather detailed background on Djinns and their powers, abilities, and even weaknesses. He said that he hoped a day would never come where knowing how to imprison a djinn would be necessary but that if the Heart ever opened, all manner of djinns, as well as other Prime Evils would be let loose upon the universe. From that day forth, the Emperor made the Heart of Darkness off limits to all citizens of the Empire, and efforts to try and suppress the darkness went underway.
Brad cared little for these efforts though. He mostly spent time with his family, especially Joeseph, trying to assure them that everything was alright. It became easier on everyone the day that he and Joseph figured out how to mask their forms and appear as they used to. When Brad did this though, he felt wrong. He felt like he was hiding something he shouldn't have to. The feeling confused him, but as time went on, he found that feeling getting stronger.
One night, he woke up in a start. His was his 'natural' form. Somehow his disguise had fallen and he also realized he was alone. He put a hand to his head, and then he felt it. The pulse. He felt it in his fingertips. Then, it started to ring in his ears. The beating of the Heart of Darkness. He knew it all too well. It haunted him in his dreams and now it was still there even in his waking moments. He stood up and went to the window to look up into the sky. His gaze was drawn to a star shining off in the distance. That would be the Sol system. Where the planet Earth was and where the Heart was.
He didn't remember coming up with the plan, but he knew he had to go to the Heart. Something was whispering to him to go there. It wanted him to help them. It told him of power that he didn't have and couldn't posses until the Heart was opened. He found himself intrigued. Interested in what this could be. Power? He was strong, but he could always be stronger. There was nothing wrong with wanting to be more powerful, was there? He convinced himself that he indeed needed to go there, if for nothing else, to find out what it is that was whispering to him.
He dressed and summoned forth his sword, The Edge of Insanity, a blade created for him by his husband King Chris Cjarvi. Just in case he needed to... persuade the guards into letting him into the Heart's chamber.
A chill started to spread through out Brad, but he didn't pay attention to it. A coldness that he felt only once before, when he last touched the heart and became the Djinn he was always supposed to be. As the coldness spread his mind began to swell with information. Powers. Abilities he could control as a djinn. One that could help him get to the Heart with little to no problem. That would take care of the guard issue, that's for sure. He raised his hand and a hole if inky blackness started to form in front of him. It expanded until it was large enough for him to walk through, thin black tendrils snaking out of the portal as if being blown in a soft breeze. He looked into the blackness and stepped forward.
Very briefly, he felt himself surrounded in the darkness, and he felt like he was where he was supposed to be. This place he had stepped into somehow felt more like home than anywhere else he had ever been. He didn't have too long to contemplate this before another portal opened in front of him and he stepped out and the sound of the beating Heart of Darkness was almost deafening.
As the portal closed behind him, he could feel the power that lay inside of the Heart. It had been telling him the truth. There was power inside of it. But not all of his was his power. Other beings were there. He could feel them. He could hear them calling out to him, knowing he was close. Knowing he could free them. But he didn't want to free them. These beings were strong and maybe stronger than him, even if he opened the Heart. If he opened it, he wanted ALL of the power. He started to grin a wicked grin as selfish thought, unlike those that have ever crossed his mind began to flood his brain.
Maybe it was touching the heart itself that changed him, or maybe just entering the darkness, but somehow the King of Blades had changed. From a man of compassion and love to one of hate and corruption, to some it seemed as if he almost changed overnight. For now he stood in front of the Heart of Darkness, his sword gripped firmly in his hand trying to figure out this great puzzle presented before him. How to claim all the power of darkness for his own so he didn't have to share it with anyone else. Desires he'd never before dreamed of filled his heart as images of power beyond his imagination clouded his eyes. He were almost in a trance staring at the great Heart. It was only his training and combat reflexes that alerted him to the attack that came swiftly and silently from behind him.
He flew into the air as the large sword cut through the space he once occupied. He turned, his own sword ready as he looked down at the figure that attacked him. A man dressed all in black and long blond hair. He in his post swing pose, not moving, not even looking up to where the King of Blades had moved to. He knew this man to be a vampire named Justin, one of the Empire's friends and charge of one of the Houses of the Empire. The King of Blades looked back further in the tunnel to see that Justin wasn't along and in fact had the Emperor and a few other guards and a dark hooded figure with him.
"It looks like I was right my Emperor. He was driven mad by the change. Here he is, ready to open the Heart and doom us all, just as I had predicted." The voice sounded familiar to Brad. Just hearing the figure speak he knew that somehow, he was tied to this person.
"Brad, what is the meaning of this? I didn't want to believe that you'd actually come here and try to open the Heart, but here you are. Explain yourself and make it quick."
The King of Blades frowned. They must have had the chamber warded to warn someone if anyone entered the chamber. "I'm not here to open the Heart my Emperor. I am here to try and find out what it wants of me. I can feel it calling to me. Wanting me to be here with it, but I don't know why. Believe me when I say I do not desire to let out the creatures that reside within it."
The cloaked figure steps forward. "What do you desire of it then, King of Blades?" The voice... He knew the voice. It sounded so familiar yet so different from any voice he's ever heard before. Shaking the thought from his mind he just grinned.
"I want it's power. I can feel it... It shouldn't belong to those... THINGS in there. It should belong to me." And then a strange feeling crossed him as he looked at the robed figure and it became clear to him who it was. "To... my brother and I."
From under the hood, only the King of Blades could see the toothy grin and a flash of gold from the eye of the figure as the robed figure stepped back and leaned to the Emperor. "Clear my Emperor, he has gone mad. Whatever was done to him by this Azreil as corrupted his mind and driven him power hungry. The old one gave us the knowledge of how to take care of this issue and the ritual has already been prepared. We need to take action now Emperor before this situation gets out of hand."
The Emperor nods and frowns. "You've given me no choice Brad. We need to take action now before this situation gets out of hand." Brad raised an eyebrow. The Emperor repeated his 'advisor's words to the syllable. He didn't have another moment to contemplate this though as his senses alerted him to an attack from below. He looked down to see the vampire leaping into the air after him, ready to thrust his sword, a sword known as the King of Swords, Excalibur, through the djinn's chest.
Brad's body changed to shadow as it twirled around the sword to avoid it's strike, the blade catching some of the shadow as it moved. The shadow landed and again became solid as the King of Blades clutched at his arm, having been cut even in shadow form by the mighty sword Excalibur. The vampire turned around and grinned down to Brad, sniffing at the blade. "Now at smooth as you think you are, huh 'King' of Blades? Aaaah, I've soaked this sword in the blood of sooooo many enemies. I think the self proclaimed master of combat will be my next victim."
Brad glowered up to the Vampire as suddenly bright yellow light surrounded him. On the ground there were runes, flaring bright. "What is this?!"
The dark robed figure started walking around the circle to stand opposite of the Emperor. "It's a rune spell, King of Blades. It traps victims inside of it so they can not cross it physically, or use powers to try and leave it. It's the first part of the spell Azreil taught us to capture Djinns if we ever needed to use it."
Brad was about to protest but before he could say anything his senses alerted him to another attack from the Vampire. He swung his own sword knocking the blow away from him as he moved to the side. "Irons! Stop this right now, or I swear that I will stop at nothing to see your Empire in ruins! If you make me your enemy, you will regret it!"
Again Justin leaped at the King of Blades and Brad rose his sword to deflect the blow. Excalibur collided with the King of Blades large crystal sword and a large chunk of the Edge of Insanity flew off. "Nothing can withstand Excalibur you pompous darkling. I've been waiting a long time to teach you what it is to TRULY master the sword, and I'm sooooo glad that our Emperor has given me say so to prove that _I_ am the best! Ha ha!" He swings the sword again, aiming for the Edge and half of the 5 foot blade is separated from the rest and the King of Blades is knocked back.
"You bastard!! You will all pay! I will show you, you tiny worm, that I am greater than you! That I am greater than ALL! You are pathetic! A pathetic shadow of a once pathetic human!" When he spoke the word human, he felt such a knot of disgust in his gut it almost surprised him. It was at that moment that he realized, he honestly and truly did actually hate humans. It wasn't so much this betrayed by the Emperor, or the attack by this vampire, it was just saying the word with such hatred and anger in his heart that made him realize his contempt for everything that is humanity.
He hurled the remainder of his crystal sword towards Justin. As he did so, orange runes flared around him almost blinding him. "Hopefully my sword will drink your blood before they catch you King!" Justin taunted as he deflected the crystal sword easily and leaped forward. He swung the sword in a wide arch that Brad barely dodged. The vampire was quick and deadly accurate with this blade. Any lesser man would have fallen at the first strike. Brad had to franticly keep moving while trying to figure a way out of this magical circle that was designed to somehow capture him.
"Irons! Hear me! I will kill you! I will stare into your dead eyes for this! You will see!" Red runes flared around the others and Emperor Irons held up a red ruby.
"I'm sorry Brad, but I think not." He reached back, ready to throw the jewel into the circle. "Wait until they get closer my Emperor," The hooded figure said. "Wait for my word and then throw the jewel and speak the last word!" The Emperor nodded and held the red gem ready.
The vampire's blade danced past the djinn multiple times, barely missing as the djinn kept trying to get out of the way, waiting for a moment of error, but it never came. Justin's form was flawless and his speed mad it impossible to act with out taking a blow. He just had to keep moving and hope for an opening. He didn't even realize the vampire was herding him towards the Emperor and the gem that would lock him away.
Once the djinn and vampire were almost to the edge of the circle, next to where the Emperor stood, Emperor Irons drew his arm back and started to throw the gem. If anyone had been paying attention across the way, they would have seen the wicked gleam of teeth as a smile spread across the lips of the hooded figure. The hooded one's foot swept out in front of him crossing the runes that were chalked into the ground, smearing the pattern. In the same instant he did that, the glaring bright light of all the runes with out.
Two things happened then that gave the King of Blades the opening he was looking for. The Emperor threw the gem, but surprised by the sudden absence of light, his throw was off and he threw the gem directly at Justin. The vampire raised his sword to deflect the ruby and that was all that the King of Blades needed to act. He grabbed the vampire by an upraised arm and the hilt of his own sword and twisted around. The action caused the sword to dislodge from Justin's hands and now only the King of Blades held the mighty blade. In a flash he spun around and the sword bit into it's former owner's neck.
Before the vampire's head could hit the ground, the Emperor felt a sharp pain pierce through him. He looked down and saw Excalibur stuck hilt deep into his chest, the King of Blades glaring up at him, his eyes so full of hatred they seemed to be nothing but pools of inky blackness. Slowly, darkness fell over the Emperor's sight and he slipped from the mortal coil, all the while Brad stared into his eyes as he died. A dark portal opened behind the Emperor as the King of Blades kicked him off the sword and the Emperor flew into the darkness. The portal closed and then there was only one left.
The King of Blades turned to face the robed figure, a grin and golden glow coming from under the hood. "I only know one person who's 'Jedi mind tricks' could be powerful enough to work on the Emperor... Bel?"
"Aww. I was hoping you wouldn't guess." The figure pulled back his hood to expose himself as the Master Jedi, Belstephen Je'dai. "I'm also going to assume you realized who I was when I spoke up. I didn't know merely talking to you would clue you in."
"You're my brother." Brad stated mater of factly. Bel nodded.
"They actually brought my own father to the prison I am in care of. That just seems a weird little twist of fate. The moment I saw him I had a sudden realization about myself. Then, there were a few more painful moments of actually changing. Luckily, I was able to... disguise myself quickly."
"Lucky you. Are you here for the same reason I am then?"
Bel nodded. "And like you, I know why neither of us can open the Heart yet. We can't allow it's power to be divided up between all of those Prime Evils in there. We need to figure out a way of claiming the power for ourselves."
Brad looked his brother over. He felt connected to him. And he could tell that Bel had the same desire he did. He nodded. "Where do we start? What do we need to open the Heart so we can get what we need out of it?"
"I've been working on that and I have a couple theories. They'll be dangerous, but you've never been one to shy away from danger. Don't worry brother... We have what is ours. And more."
The King of Blades grinned. "What do we do about what happened here? Won't people wonder where the Emperor went?"
"Yes, they will. But no one knew he came here. This little operation to take care of you was a very secretive event. Only 3 people even knew of the plan, and you took care of two of them quite handily. And if anyone figures something out, I can... handle them." He grins as his eye flares gold.
The King of Blades nods. "I desire to leave as soon as possible. This all has made me suddenly aware of how much this world sickens me... I believe I know where I can go. If people wonder where I've gone, you'll be able to take care of it for me I hope?"
"Of course, just don't be gone too long. I have important things to do, so the less I have to run around making people not realize you're missing, the better."
"Fine. I won't be long then. I just... Have to go somewhere. Somewhere I think I belong..."
"Aaah, the denizen? Yes, I figured you'd have some sort of draw to it considering what you are. Go brother. I think you will find a liking to the Denizen. And hopefully, it will like you in return."
The King of Blades nodded and a dark portal opened behind him. "Take care brother. And may the Force be with you," he said grinning.
Bel chuckled and nodded. "Force be with you brother."
With that, the King of Blades stepped through the portal and was gone.
Mug show of The King of Blades in Djinn form after going 'evil'.
