The First Seal Read online

  Verdunmull

  Book 2: The First Seal

  Written by

  Jared A. Zakarian

  Copyright ©2019 by Jared A. Zakarian

  All rights reserved.

  This book is protected under copyright laws of the United States of America. No part of this book may be reproduced in part or in whole, in any form without written permission from the author. No part of this book may be transmitted in part or in whole, in any form or by any means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locations is entirely coincidental.

  Cover design by: Kerrie Robertson

  Front character illustrated by: Pei Huang Wu

  Dedicated to my wife and my parents.

  In honor of God and Jesus Christ.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Prologue

  The Ikalreev Prophecies

  In this tome lie the prophecies of the Ikalreev, which predict a future grim and terrible, a glimpse of a dying epoch. We the Ikalreev write this script in an attempt to save the mortals of our distant future.

  (1) At the precipice, angels will fall. The light of Verdunmull will be extinguished, and Heaven will weep for its fallen warrior, as Verdunmull fears her fate. Two fouled angels afflicted by evil will be catalysts of darkness’s will. Three angels descending from Heaven will be the sign of the approaching night.

  The Ikalreev Archmages created a spell to transcend space and time. This spell will carry powerful Ikalreev magic to five individuals. They are ordained to protect the three intelligent races seen in the Ikalreev visions. One individual from each race will be chosen. A fourth guardian will be created by the Ikalreev to protect Verdunmull. The fifth will be unknown; his tribulations will be his own. This is what She of Light requested, and so shall it be done.

  The Ikalreev magic will awaken only when an emotion of unrivaled purity is felt.

  Trials of four will be crafted for the four known guardians. Tested they shall be, to wield their powers and their powers to wield them. They must be one with the magic’s heart for it to beat at their moment of most need. When their minds fail and their hopes fade, the magic heart will command their forms in absolute will. The magics living within have been created to protect their host and annihilate all foes with unrivaled measure. The truest of magics shall flow through the five who are ordained to protect Verdunmull when the black sea rises.

  The five may stop the seals from opening and the black spring from flowing. The true purpose of the five is to prevent the Initiate from opening the seals, yet if they fail, they must protect all life, as it will be precious and in peril.

  (2) The threads of time are laced with Ikalreev magic, and the awakening should occur before the opening of the seals, though time is unforgiving and can be influenced by immortals. Should angels fall, then the Initiate shall rise. A dark one’s will shall be set in motion upon these two cataclysmic events.

  An unshackled guest will be invited on the lands, sowing bedlam in the fields. Fear and terror shall roam the lands searching for the key. The key will be of heavenly origin and hold power over darkness and its shackles. With this key, chains can be broken, wings be stripped, souls be contained, and the First Seal be opened. It is a jailer’s fearsome fury, a sword wielding power to bend immortal souls.

  Should the Initiate find this key, then Verdunmull shall cry for those lost on her soil. For the dark spring shall emerge out of the ground and flow across the lands. It will erode stone, stifle life below its crest, and foul the land, inhibiting growth. Touch of fire and touch of death will surround its reach. None shall be safe from its grasp.

  It is imperative the five mages blessed with the Ikalreev magic be found before the seals be opened. At the time of awakening, the five must unite to defeat the Initiate and stop the seals from opening.

  Should the First Seal open, then six events may occur. The First Seal will unleash the spring of darkness to wash away all light and life from Verdunmull. The Second Seal shall unleash the titan of life, one of renewal and replenishment. The Third Seal shall unleash the titan of stone and magma, one to alter and build the world anew. The Fourth Seal shall unleash the titan of water and wind, one to cleanse and erode. The Fifth Seal and the Sixth Seal shall unleash fallen powers, once chained by holy fire against unholy transgressions.

  Should the last two seals open, then only an immortal war will heal Verdunmull of her ailments . . .

  (17) Cometh chaos. Peace be forgotten. When the dark spring surfaces and spreads across the land, conceal yourselves in safe havens and entrench for the war that rises over the horizon; the darkness will spare no life.

  A period will come when uncertainty reigns and hope fades. A tenuous shadow will descend over the lands as the seal unleashes its terribleness across the lands. Tribes and kingdoms must band together to withstand the coming storm.

  Only together can they weather what comes. The fog of time shrouds truth from our eyes, and the end appears unwritten. Prepare your homes, your weapons, and defend your cities. Though you may not defeat them, survive until He does. What comes, yearns for death and will stop for no less.

  Should the seals open, some will fall, though others might survive. It is uncertain if the mortal races will live through the event and see the first day of the fourth age. Do what you must, hide where you are able. The darkness will seek you out, but the light will never leave you.

  Remember the lost; they are who you fight for and why you try so hard to survive. Loved ones, living and dead. You must survive for them . . .

  (23) At the time when races of all creeds join to ward off the darkness and defenses are at their strongest, brimstone will foul the air, and ash will rain from the sky. Every step taken by a dark one will burn the land, turning life to death. The faint sign of a looming destiny.

  Those in the mountains will stay in their holes and fight out the night. Those in the plains and forests will build shelter on vulnerable ground. Food stores will dwindle, and cultural differences will strain a tenuous cohesion. Be kind to one another, for life means more than pride.

  They will descend from the sky. They will rise from the dirt. Stand firm and hold your ground. A haze of war will descend on the battlefields between mortals and immortals. Chaos will reign as life and death struggle for supremacy . . .

  Chapter 1

  Divine Protection

  The war will begin with flame and fear, though the light is near. Unrivaled warriors will descend from Heaven; blades of fire, shields of light.

  The Ikalreev Prophecies 28:4–5

  A divine horn sounded in Heaven, beckoning one of its warriors to the throne. A cataclysm had begun in the lands of Verdunmull. The Divine One was displeased once again by the two fallen angels who let darkness corrupt their hearts and souls. Their quest was far from over, but the Divine One knew one would die withou
t his gracious mercy, an undeserved gift for a betraying creation.

  “Archangel Azrael,” the Divine One’s voice thundered.

  A fifteen-foot-tall archangel knelt before the Divine One’s gold-and-white throne. The angel was cloaked in white robes and golden armor; his skin was flowing sheets of lightning. The archangel held a massive scythe with a golden pole and a white-flamed blade. A hood covered his face, but it was never hidden from the Divine One’s sight. The angel’s eyes and each strand of hair were bathed in holy fire. A bright halo hovered above the archangel’s head.

  “Yes, My Lord,” the archangel said with bowed head.

  “My light and authority flow through you. Go. Undeserved grace you will provide at the seal for one rise and one fall of the sun,” the thunderous voice rolled.

  “Yes, My Lord.” The archangel rose for war with fierce scythe in hand.

  Chapter 2

  The Dark Spring

  Cometh chaos. Peace be forgotten. When the dark spring surfaces and spreads across the land, conceal yourselves in safe havens and entrench for the war that rises over the horizon; the darkness will spare no life.

  The Ikalreev Prophecies 17:1–3

  The Niyere Mountains were frigid and inhospitable, covered in dense snowpack and frequently shaded by a blanket of gray clouds. The range of tall peaks spanned a vast distance across the northern regions of Verdunmull. Their northeastern expanse was one of the most perilous and devoid of life.

  A single, lonesome road wound its way north through the winter landscape. The region was only accessible by bravely navigating the dangerous Drey’kan homelands and surviving the dark race’s unkind gaze.

  A small group of travelers had journeyed far from home and traversed the northbound road. They were searching for a location of great importance and grave omens: The First Seal.

  Caedmon had provided the group with an understanding during the night they had stopped before Mor and seen the destruction that the Initiate had wrought on the human town. There are six seals . . . the five mages are supposed to stop the Initiate from opening the first . . .

  However, his knowledge failed to grasp how deeply tied the seals were to the immortals and their realms. Beyond the mortal realm and behind the ethereal veil, the immortals’ eternal war waged as they vied for supremacy. The realm of the Divine One fought in glory against the forces of Hell as they struggled for absolute power over the mortal realm between, on a continent known as Verdunmull.

  The travelers had found the First Seal during the night as they ascended into the Niyere Mountains and bravely fought in defense against the Initiate to stave off the opening of the doorway to darkness and its five evils. Their hard-fought efforts injured the powerful Initiate, known as Maleuuenant, yet their strength and ability were not enough.

  The First Seal was pierced by an angelic jailer’s golden sword and unlocked by the sword’s divine power, although no angel held the righteous blade for its strike. The sword’s angelic master had been lost and parted from his blade of holy might. Maleuuenant had found the lost angel’s blade as the Initiate scoured the land for the seals and moved to activate the ancient structures’ innate power.

  Maleuuenant lay before the open seal, the demon’s body slowly repairing the damage inflicted by the Ikalreev mages and their overwhelming onslaught. Its skin appeared like lava flows as molten flesh rose from within and rebuilt the demon’s missing and torn parts.

  A slow, malevolent laugh rolled from the ailing demon’s prone form as it lay before the seal in victory. It reveled in triumph and found disturbing joy by fulfilling the prophecy and unleashing darkness upon the world.

  The purplish-green mist emanating from the demon’s eyeless sockets billowed around its molten skull as it attempted to stand under its still-recovering strength. The demon peered at the opaque darkness of the gateway’s threshold; the realm of evil lay beyond its distorting vertical surface.

  Ehreion Hammerforge, the dwarven warrior from the Scar blessed with Ikalreev fire magic, created a massive fireball that generated a devastating blast. The explosion had not only blown parts off the demon, but also sent the dwarf’s allies and himself rolling backward.

  The small band of defenders recovered from the overpowering shock wave. As they came to their senses, they stopped and gasped, their hearts aching in fear as they realized they had failed to stop the Initiate and to prevent the Corrupted Temperean Event. The Ikalreev magic had woken too late, and the magic of three had not been strong enough to defeat the Initiate.

  The end of an epoch had begun.

  ◆◆◆

  Faolan rolled upon the ground as he caught his breath and recovered from the devastating shock wave. He was the closest to the seal because he had chased the Initiate till the very end, as Ehreion’s fire had rained down upon the monster.

  His parents were a bit farther behind him and farther still lay the rest of the defenders, though they were harder to see through the darkness of night.

  Faolan rose to his feet and picked up his unique blades. He glanced down in a lingering daze and remembered his code, the Shadow Guardian mantra. He would stand alone, so no other must; he would not falter; he would not fail.

  The determined guardian’s eyes rose to look on the mending beast standing before the open seal. His unwavering resolve built to a crescendo as he released a courageous roar. His mind cleared; he would not allow anything to emerge from the dark portal. The leader charged toward the seal, toward Maleuuenant, with hope to remove the golden blade from the seal’s surface.

  “Faolan, stop! Stop!” Auvelia shouted at him in desperation.

  Faolan quickly closed the distance as the demon rose to its hooves. The evil creature turned around to face its approaching adversary, and the young soldier swung his right sword at the demon’s neck.

  Maleuuenant dodged the attack with ease and laughed. “Foolish mortal, it is too late.”

  “I can still stop this,” Faolan roared as he swung his blades wildly.

  “No, mortal, you cannot.” The Initiate easily dodged every attack as it eyed the blades. “You are not the true master of those blades, and they will not awaken to your heart.”

  “What are you talking about?” Faolan screamed at the demon, his swords barely missing with each attempt. Tears began to roll down his cheeks as his mind struggled between two opposing thoughts. He refused to believe he was too weak to stop what was coming, but he also doubted his ability.

  “It matters not. You are mortal and unworthy; why do you fight me?” Maleuuenant said.

  Faolan did not answer the beast, but the answer did echo in his mind. I must save her. I love her. He swung his swords erratically at the demon, rage clouding his mind, his aim and measure absent.

  Maleuuenant grew tired of the weakling, dodging a final swing from Faolan’s blades as it raked its claws across the mortal’s chest.

  Faolan staggered backward from the burning attack, and a second heavy blow rammed his abdomen. He fell on his back and rolled in pain, clutching his chest in agony. He waited for the killing blow, believing this was the end. He could hear the others shouting his name. Their voices were growing louder. He glanced up toward them and saw his friends charging the demon in his defense, but they were still too far away.

  He looked down at the ash-covered ground as he waited and wished he could be strong.

  Suddenly, the ground vibrated, and everyone stopped, even Maleuuenant.

  Faolan looked toward the doorway of darkness, not far from his feet. A small demon, like a spider but with ten legs, emerged from the void. He watched the evil arachnid and wondered what actions it would take.

  He thought about severing its legs or beheading it in swift movements to dispatch it quickly, but his attention then gravitated toward something else, something far worse. Dread crept into his heart as he watched a charred black object emerge from the void. It was a hoof, two feet in diameter. The heavy hoof fell next to the small spider. A long leg covered in thick gray woo
l followed the hoof out of the void. A second leg emerged and so, too, did the rest of the thirteen-foot-tall demon. The thick wool ended at the towering demon’s waist. The demon’s torso and arms were hairless and charred black like the Initiate’s skin. The demon had three recurved horns, each originating from its forehead and ascending high overhead. The beast’s humanoid form neared three times Faolan’s height and made the Initiate look tiny in comparison.

  Faolan’s eyes widened in panic as he scrambled to locate his swords.

  “Faolan!” his parents shouted.

  “No! Stop, it is too late!” Caedmon shouted at them as Faolan’s parents ran toward him. “We cannot save him!”

  The couple were afraid, but they would not leave their adoptive son to die. He was not from their blood, but they cared for him and loved him as their own.

  The newly emerged demon straightened its spine and stood at its full height. With a deep breath it roared, “I am Telfaldetrous! Mortals of Verdunmull, you will fear me!”

  Auvelia slipped an arrow from her quiver and nocked it. She pulled back and released. The arrow flew and pierced Telfaldetrous’s throat.

  “Mother, Father! No, run away! Leave me!” Faolan shouted at the top of his lungs. “Run away!”

  Telfaldetrous felt the hole in its throat and waited for its molten form to heal, then laughed at the futile effort. “You will need much more than that to harm me.”

  Another arrow pierced the demon’s right shoulder.

  The demon barely recoiled, plucking the arrow from its shoulder. It dropped the stick and advanced toward the two elves. Two dozen strides was all it took Telfaldetrous to close the remaining distance between them. The massive palms thrust into their chests, lifting Auvelia and Kellen off the ground, powerless. They flew back twenty feet, sliding on the loose dirt and ash until they rolled to a stop.