Prologue
I remember being in my bed
when it happened. I remember hearing the loud scream from my mom as those sick
men in black slit her throat. I remember the sound of my dad chocking on his
own blood. I remember walking out of my room just as the men in black left and
looking at my mom and dad’s bodies lying on the floor, cold and dead. I was
only 5 years of age when this transpired. After I called 911 I packed my
backpack with two chocolate bars, a pair of pajamas, and some clothes. I left
that night before the cops came, walking for hours in the cold with only a
jacket and a wool hat to keep me warm. I survived for two years selling
chocolate bars and water when Derek came along. He said he could save me, he
could show me how to channel my anger and sooner or later get revenge on
"the men in black".
I followed him about four
miles down the road and into a cave in the woods. Outside it read "Terra
of Silenti". He escorted me into the cave and there I was met by a massive
man wearing a red mask.
"They call me Aswad, Lord of the sword. I will be your
mentor. You will learn how to channel your anger in an aggressive, but controlled,
manor."
Aswad was very muscular
and massive. I remember looking up to him thinking he was as tall as the Empire
State Building, but as strong as a bull. He wore this long red cloak followed
by his read mask and his katana. He had a tattoo of a dragon that went up both
arms and, very faintly, you can see a tattoo of some sort on his face.
"Let's begin." He says in a deep serious tone. Aswad
hands me a yellow mask, a yellow cloak, and a yellow belt.”
"Go put this on then meet me back here in 15 minutes."
Derek brings me down a
dark hallway into a room. The room was very mystifying. It had a bed, a
dresser, a book case, and a nightstand with a bible on it. The weird thing was
everything in the room was yellow.
"Asfar, Lord of the light." said Derek in a humble tone.
"What?" I said all confused
"Asfar, that's your new name." Derek said seriously.
Me being seven at the time
I just ignored him and went about putting on my gear and headed out to meet up
with Aswad.
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I walked back to the main entrance where Aswad was waiting.
"Are you ready Asfar?" asked Aswad.
I nodded enthusiastically. Aswad started
walking and I followed scoping out the place. We made a left down a hallway
where there were other rooms just like mine, but different colors. We continued
all the way down the hallway until we reached the training room. The training
room was probably the biggest room in Terra of Silenti.
The training room
contained a set of training dummies, swords, bows and arrows, spears, staffs,
and throwing knives.
“Pick your weapon young
Asfar. Chose wisely, for the weapon you chose today will be the weapon the
weapon you will have for the rest of your life. You will learn to make your
weapon a part of you.”
I decided to take the
sword. It was long and sharp. When I picked it up off the rack I nearly cut my
foot off because of the weight. The sword had a black tint that faded as it
made its way up to the tip of the blade. The length of it was almost the size
of my leg.
“You have chosen the sword of light. With this sword you will
begin to realize the black tint become yellow. Your final blade will be a
shaded fully yellow. This symbolizes the connection between the sword and its
wielder. Now that you have chosen your weapon let’s begin.”
Aswad led me to a room
with a bunch of hanging ropes and ledges. It was like a big obstacle course.
The wallpaper in this room had buildings and at every ledge there was a dummy.
Each dummy got taller and thicker. Around the dummies were wooden dummies.
“Bodyguards” as Aswad called them.
“Here in the Terra of Silenti
we take out people who threaten our legacy. For example your parents, they were
honorary members of the Terra and never gave us up due to their loyalty to the
Terra. The men in black killed them for, what Derek believes, was a sign that
war has been declared, the Terra of Silenti being the hunted. You, young Asfar,
were supposed to initiate into the Terra at the age of 10, but because of the
killing of your mother and father, Derek had to hunt you down before the men in
black got to you.”
“Now for your first days
training, here at the Terra we like to move swiftly, quietly, and effectively.
This will train you how to get from rooftop to rooftop quietly and undetected.
What you will do is, you will start at the yellow rope, you will swing from
rope to rope until you reach ledge number one, then you will take out the
security guards without setting off the alarm. To do this you must use the
length of your blade to your advantage and take them all out in one sweep.
After you take out the guards you will take out the target then move to the
green rope and repeat until you’ve taken out every target. If you are to set
off the alarm, fall off the ropes, or drop your blade you will restart from the
beginning. Once you have completed your task report back to me.”
Aswad left the room as I
began walking towards the first rope. I was young, weak, and uncoordinated,
yet, I was determined to complete the task. I put the sword in a space between
my belt and my cloak then started climbing the first rope. I got through the
first stage no problem. Just like Aswad said all I had to do was use the length
of my blade to my advantage. After taking out the first target in less than
five minutes, I proceeded to the second rope and began climbing. I made it to
the second ledge and began to take out the imaginary bodyguards. As I began my
swift slash and thrust of my blade, I was soon surprised to see the dummy move.
Instinctively I jumped from the outside rope to the ledge taking out the
bodyguard and target all with one big swing of my sword. After taking out the
second target in roughly seven minutes I noticed my blade starting to change
color.
I made it through the rest
of the stages with only making one error, (dropping my blade at stage four),
and finishing around dinner time. I was greeted by Aswad and Derek outside the
training room.
“Congratulations young Asfar. Your impressive skill and agility
has earned you your rightful spot here at the Terra. Now that you have you
completed your training I may now formally introduce myself. I am Derek
Addington, better known as the Eden of Terra. This is Aswad, my right hand man
and your mentor here at the Terra.”
“Salutations” Aswad said in a deep and polite tone.
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