It awakened in darkness. No light, no warmth, no cold nor company. It felt oh so very lonely, and so, it wept.
The tears falling down the void became vibrant shooting stars, stripping the tenebrous abyss with colorful palettes and shimmering light. Witnessing this wonderful event, a vibrant feeling of hope and peace engulfed It.
The cosmos was far and wide, its beauty expanded 'til the very end of the universe. It was a time of tranquillity and harmony, however as magnificent as Its creation was becoming, the scrawny fingers of loneliness trapped them once more.
Deprived of companionship and weeping in solitude, It gouged its eye out and shaped the Earth. It spilled Its blood on the surface, smothering the planet with water. It removed its skin, veiling it all, and lands and mountains emerged. Finally they cut their million fingers until the very last one, and placed it all over this new creation. Animals and Humans took life, and now roamed the Earth.
The humans praised its creator, content, they gave them fire, and so they grew.
"I prithee," little mortals sang. "Bestow upon us love, and compassion!"
It obliged. The maker prised out its soul, and squeezed it above the Earth. A fine, golden snow fell down on the lands and waters as the humans ate and drank and rejoiced for their prayers were heard.
"I prithee," little mortals sang. "Grant us thy name, for we can praise thee eternally."
That night, when the humans went to sleep, they dreamt of their maker and its story. As the first light of the sun emerged from the clouds, the little mortals wept, touched by Its sacrifice.
"Thou art good," they sang between their tears. "We are all filled with love and gratitude. Oh, Great One, we shall forever praise thy craft and sanctity."
The Great One had now a name, and It watched its creation grow. It watched villages transform into towns, towns into cities. It assisted regions forming countries, to countries becoming empires. It gazed at wars fought in Its name, he watched the deaths and blessed the births. For a long time It was praised, and content It was. However slowly the worship faded, as humans slowly neglected the benevolence of their creator.
Great cities stood tall above clouds, seas had been practically conquered, and little mortals now followed not the path of faith, but of rationality and science. People ceased to be amazed by miracles, and soon enough, the Great One felt lonely once more.
The Great One thought long and hard, when suddenly an idea struck them.
It shall give humanity the tool to ascend to divinity, and assist them in their great work.
It produced then four artifacts that It scattered on the lands far and wide. The first was a somber sphere called The Egg of Discord, that upon touching it, swallowed up the bearer with a violent madness. The second was a beautiful refined bottle containing a shiny pearly liquid, and called it the Water of Radiance. One teardrop would send you in an ambrosial frenzy, a heavenly ecstasy no one can possibly imagine. For the third, the Great One grasped rays of sunlight, and stuffed it in a diamond box. The Rays of Submission would make anyone blind at its sight.
For the last artifact, the Maker decided to give an idea, and named it The Will of a Red King. All of these reunited, the ultimate work, the Great Work would be accomplished: the Philosopher's stone.
Anyone swallowing the stone would ascend to godhood, and live in the infinite cosmos alongside the Great One.
And so, on a full moon night, the artifacts descended to the earth in a glimmering golden light.
-----
A warm ray of sunlight caressed Andrei's cheek and ascended to his eyes, disturbing his sleep. He slowly opened his green eyes, moving away from the light that woke him up. The air was still, a sweet silence enveloped the room he was in and for a split second, felt peace in his heart. He gently moved his feet, shifting position under the comfy duvet. Suddenly he sat, realising he did not know the place he was in, and looked at its surroundings.
"Finally awake, princess?"
Andrei glared at the comment, looking at Rade leaning next to the door, chewing on an apple. The room was little, dusty, and barely furnished. One bed, one table against the wall and a chair.
"You slept like a log. I'm impressed," Rade continued.
"It is not like you did not sleep at all," Andrei said with a groggy voice.
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"Right, a few hours is all I needed," Rade answered jokingly.
Rade chuckled before swallowing a bite of the apple. He passed his hand through his messy black hair, staring down at Andrei, who put his feet on the chilly wooden floor, trying to stand up. He tried once and stumbled down onto the bed, feeling embarrassed. Andrei had no strength to even get up. Rade sighed in annoyance and grabbed the door handle.
"You are adding up to the sum my friend..."
A few minutes later he came back with a steaming bowl of stew consisting of potatoes, onions and carrots. The sight of the food made Andrei drool in anticipation. Rade gave him the bowl and added a wooden spoon to eat. Grateful he grabbed the meal, and started to devour it all. The heat of the potatoes did not stop the young man from enjoying a warm meal for the first time in years. No matter how bland it tasted, the only thing Andrei could think about was sharing this bowl with Lina. She only ever had known poverty and never tasted a cooked piece of meat, even less cooked potatoes, still only ever dreamed of a long table filled with food and people to enjoy it with. The thought of this brought tears in his eyes. His only wish was to see her once more.
Andrei finished his bowl quite quickly, and wiped away the tears almost falling.
"Now have you done weeping like a little girl?" he smirked.
The words made Andrei look straight through his silvery eyes, and Rade took the chair before reversing it while sitting, leaning on its top rail.
"That is the look I'm seeking," he continued, pointing at him. "Enraged eyes, yes... It seems you have found the culprit of the world's collapse. Now tell me. What is it you want to achieve, Andrei?"
Andrei thought a bit.
"What did you save me for? A man like you always expects something in return."
Rade raised an eyebrow, and laughed frankly.
"Oh I just knew you were smart! What a great day. Yes there is something I aspire to accomplish, but it is very little, nothing serious. I'm much more interested in what you have in mind. The determination you harbour, now I find that very captivating."
Andrei uncomfortably shifted in his position. He did not know where to begin.
"The artifacts... I need them. Greed has bled this Empire dry, a war might break amongst the Houses and the population is suffering because of it."
Rade's eyes gleamed in excitement.
"Oh..." he started in a low voice. "So you want to enter the game? And how exactly is a beggar going to win at all?"
Andrei looked at him, amused.
"By begging, of course."
-------
They both stayed at the inn another night. Rade had charmed the owner of the establishment, a young widow who, from his words, "quivered in excitement at my tender lies", which got him a room for Andrei for 3 copper coins. A deal.
They left the day after, by foot as Andrei's surprise. When asked, Rade explained that he got the pay from the gathered corpses that fatal evening. The partner he came with was a random lad he enrolled on his way to the lake, not wanting to dip into the cold water. He never was registered anywhere, and so his disappearance was not noticed. Rade drove the cart to the meeting point agreed upon, and got his pouch filled with silver coins.
The walking was not as hard as Andrei thought. He did regain a lot of energy thanks to the food, and he felt much better, but not exactly satisfied. When starvation has been part of your life, it is hard to get rid of the growling sensation eating you from the inside. But recovery was on its way, and in time, he shall be strong as he used to be.
It was a sunny day, slightly warm but it was still morning, anticipating an afternoon eat, the pair had decided to depart early. They were walking on the side of a dirt road, heading south-east. Rade carried a bag containing dried food for the journey, refusing to let Andrei hold anything of weight, no matter how much he pleaded. His clothes changed to ones a bit more in shape, but he could smell himself reeking, and it was far from pleasant. Andrei choose to walk behind him, to not make his odor more unbearable for his surroundings.
"Where are we heading?" he asked.
"You want some artifacts, yes?" Rade answered quickly without turning around. "The one nearest to us is one that was seized by House Hatchet. They were the first to receive one, and absolutely refused to give it to the crown."
"I did hear they have always called the Miramonds deceivers, and did not bend the knee."
Rade sighed. "Indeed... Hot heads with half the army of what the crown possesses. This by itself gives them more influence than any of the allies of the Miramond."
"Do they truly have that many men? Why wouldn't they try to take over the crown then?"
"Because they are boring. They have no interest for power or leadership. Hatchet is an old, prideful House extremely rooted in its territory and tradition. They prefer to follow rather than command."
"How are we supposed to get near Dryfort, or even get in?"
"The reason why this House has such an extensive army is because they recruit all the time and anyone can apply. The Hatchets are desperate to show their superiority and most importantly, during these times, the only way to get food without stealing is to become a soldier. You get three meals a day and a place to sleep, what is more to ask?"
Andrei was doubtful, but backing up now was out of the question. At least Rade knew what he was doing, and where to go. But still, all of this, it was like he knew exactly what was going to happen. He barely knew him, yet here he was already following his steps without questioning. No matter what Rade had in mind, he needed to make plans on his own. Discover which artifact the Hatchet house held, and most importantly, how to snatch it for himself.
Rade glanced at him.
"It is not about trust. It is about how we can use each other for our advantages," he calmly said.
"I wasn't trying-"
"It's written all over your face, I'm not an idiot. And I don't blame you for it. In time I shall tell you what I have in mind but for now, we walk. The journey is long and we can not afford to take too much time."