Kazimir woke up to terrible pain in her head. She was lying down on a bed or stone slab and there was a sharp sensation in her neck that sent stabbing pains through her skull and down her back. She tried to sit up and realized that there was something hard wrapped around her neck – like some sort of metal collar – and she couldn't move it at all.
The pain increased exponentially every second as she tried to move her head from side to side or up and down. She started to feel dizzy from all this pain and felt like she might throw up or faint at any second. And then there was a bright flash of light that filled the room with white light, blinding her for several moments until she could see again.
She heard voices all around her, but couldn't make out what they were saying because they were all speaking in tongues. They sounded like they were screaming or chanting or praying in some foreign language that she couldn't understand at all. It was hard for her to comprehend just how many voices there were in this room – they seemed to echo throughout every corner of the room at once – and how many of them were speaking at once; it was like listening to a never-ending choir or sermon or hymnal or something like that. Kazimir felt like she was going insane and started screaming just as loud as she could in an attempt to make herself heard by anyone who might be listening to this monstrous cacophony of sound coming from this cavernous place she had woken up in...
And then there was another flash of light as white as before and everything went black for a few moments until Kazimir's eyes adjusted and she saw that she was alone in this chamber with only one person standing next to her: the man who had thrown her into this lightless room and put that collar around her neck without any warning or preparation – without even telling her his name or what he wanted from her... And then he walked away into a dark corner of the room without so much as a word or explanation...
"The Order of the Unconquered Sun is very proud of you, Chosen One," said the man in the shadows. "You have awakened just as we predicted you would."
Kazimir's head felt like it was splitting in two as all these voices and visions entered her mind at once. She tried to stand up and walk toward him but immediately fell back down as she discovered that she wasn't given any freedom of movement at all; there were no chains or ropes or shackles holding her down; it was almost like the real chains were in her mind, and they were more real than anything she saw in the material plane...
"You're free to do whatever you want," said the man in the shadows. "The only question is whether or not you're capable of it. You see, Chosen One, you've taken the Mantle now, and once one takes the Mantle, doing much of anything is... fairly difficult, to say the least."
Kazimir tried to say something, but all she could muster were hoarse babbles and dry shrieks.
"I know that you probably don't understand most of what I'm saying right now," he said, "but if you'll just let me explain things slowly and clearly, I'm sure that you'll eventually understand them."
Kazimir started to feel like she was going insane again as she tried to make sense of what was happening to her now; she didn't know what kind of mark this man had placed on her – if he had even done so – but she knew that it had something to do with what he called the Mantle... But how could it be? Was he talking about Lothar's Mantle? Lothar's Mantle was a legend! It had been lost for thousands of years! How could there be such a thing as a physical Mantle? What kind of power did he have over Kazimir's mind and body? Was he going to take over her mind completely? Was he going to use some kind of magic on her? How could he even do such a thing? And then Kazimir wondered how powerful this man really was...
"I suppose I should also tell you that you have no friends here," said the man in the shadows. "No friends but the Order, of course. And
truly, your sacrifice means so much to us, Chosen One. Allow me if you will to explain to you the histories of the Mantle and how the Order came to be tasked with taking its weight, now that you have so graciously done so on our behalf. You see, Chosen One, when our people first came into existence many thousands of years ago, we lived on the surface, where we could enjoy the light of day and breathe fresh air. But one day on our home planet, Tempest, we came upon a great battle raging across the land. Our ancestors happened upon this battle between an army of great dragons and a horde of evil demon beasts that descended upon our world from oblivion...
"We watched for several days as our people fought a desperate battle against these demons – these evil creatures who had no regard for life or honor or anything but their own lust for power – and we watched as they were slaughtered by these terrible beasts. Over time, our people became so weak and depleted that they were barely able to sustain themselves against this evil force. Our society was dying and we could do nothing about it.
"After endless days watching our people die in this terrible war, our ancestors came upon an ancient map which showed them a way to escape this world forever. They saw there a tunnel leading deep into oblivion – into a place where no demons could ever reach them – and they knew that this tunnel would lead them out of this world forever, to the world we are now, a land we call the U'nder Gr'aund. The U'nder Gr'aund has been blessed by Gaia – Goddess of Life – with all her bounty, and our people have prospered here ever since.
"But then one day – many millennia ago – one of our people happened upon an ancient artifact while on a mission for the Order. This artifact was an ancient artifact called the Mantle of the Unconquered Sun...
"This artifact had been crafted by the devs themself, over twenty thousand years before our ancestors found it – as a gift that would help us to be victorious in our struggle against the demons who ruled our world. Only, something had gone wrong. It had become corrupted at the hand of Lothar, my great great grand uncle Lothar, who had been corrupted by power and greed. Lothar had fallen under its terrible influence and he had begun using it for his own gain. He used it to conquer worlds and enslave races to do his bidding...
"The Mantle was no longer good for anything but controlling others through fear and force... But fortunately for us, my great great great grandfather Prince Talis was able to destroy Lothar before the Mantle could be used against him. But then Talis fell victim to the Mantle himself... It had taken on a sinister form since Lothar's death, contorting, twisting into an ephemeral psychological state instead of a physical artifact, becoming something that slowly but surely wrapped around Talis' mind like a large cobra snake, strangling the wits out of it till the well of one's mind runs dry and empty like an overly wrung rag ragged with moldy decay.
"Talis' body grew twisted in shape and awful in appearance... His face turned into that of a demon beast as his body sank into apathy... And then Talis became one with this Mantle... It became his only identity... He became known as Lothar reborn... But it was more like Lothar had never left, than if Lothar had been truly reborn. For Lothar had no power, and in fact Lothar was now more like an anchor that the Order had to control. He threatened us... he told us that if we did not keep him alive he would spread decay and death throughout our land of the U'nder Gr'aund for all eternities, wrapping all of the Order in endless torment and doom... And so we kept him alive as long as we could... And then finally he died...
"And when that happened, we knew what we had to do... We had to find someone who is strong enough – someone who is special enough – to fill that power void left by Lothar's death... Someone who can take up the mantle of leadership and use it to be an instrument of peace throughout our land... I think you were chosen for this task for a reason... You are special Chosen One..."
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Kazimir shrieked and shivered. She was terrified. Did this mean she was to befall a similar fate? To contort and transform until she was a demonic reincarnation of Lothar? And for what? So that she could sit on this stone and languish until she finally wasted away and died, only to be replaced by yet another 'Chosen One'? Was this really what fate had in store for her?
"Do not be afraid, Chosen One," said the man. "I know that you feel such terror at this moment... I felt the same way when I first came upon this artifact. But I found that I could not simply give up on my people. I felt that if I could just understand its purpose better, I might be able to save them... And so I began my research... And after years of study, I came upon some amazing discoveries..."
Kazimir shivered.
"You see, Chosen One, you will be the last of our Chosen. The last mantle bearer we, the Order of the Unconquered Sun, shall ever need again. You are a boon to my people, and we are forever grateful. Surely you don't understand how that can be possible now, but I will be happy to explain. All I ask of you is that you remain as calm as you possibly can. You are going to have an incredibly difficult time of it as your mind experiences those first few moments of being wrapped in Lothar's mantle. But, if you are calm and collected enough, you might be able to break free before it is too late."
Kazimir nodded weakly. How long would she have to sit in here before her mind became corrupted? And how long till she died? Would she ever die? Would she become a demonic locust with a curl of brain matter in her skull? The thought sent her into a fit of hysterical laughter that was dampened and weakened by her feeble vocal chords. She laughed so hard that strings of pain echoed through her body and tears of nerves and fear ran down her face. But somehow she managed to keep it together long enough to speak.
The man smiled down at her menacingly. "Now, you need to understand something, Chosen One. This is simply the first part of your mind becoming wrapped in Lothar's mantle... It is not uncommon at all for one's mind to feel trapped in such a manner. It is quite uncomfortable. But once your mind becomes fully wrapped in Lothar's mantle, you will be able to alter aspects of your physical form... You will grow stronger than any other human ever has been able to before... You will grow stronger than any demon ever has been able to before... Your body will become so powerful that you will truly seem like a god in human form... And you will have the power to wield the mantle for all eternity..."
The man's voice changed tone and pitch ominously. He cleared his throat. "Sorry. Heartburn. It's just nerves."
Kazimir nodded and wiped her tears away with trembling fingers. She was so scared yet so curious about this whole thing.
"Now," said the man, "you must understand that this is very important now... if you can keep yourself calm, you will be able to break free of your mental bindings long before they begin to take hold on your psyche, and only then will you be able to truly take the helm as Chosen One..."
Kazimir shivered as she tried to remain calm and focused on staying strong. Her heart beat so fast she felt dizzy with fear and anxiety. She wondered if this man could actually help her or if he was simply lying in wait for her to become corrupted like he claimed all others had done before her.
The man chuckled mirthlessly and shook his head ruefully. "You know... There are times when I wonder if my people have lost their minds when they choose me as their leader." He shook his head again and sighed in exasperation. "But I guess it shouldn't come as much of a surprise when you consider all the things that have happened in the past couple of centuries..."
Kazimir nodded and looked up at him, trying to read his face for some kind of clue. He seemed so genuine, so sincere... Surely it was just a trick or a lie intended to trick her into giving up all control over her own body and mind. Assuming she hadn't already done that, of course. Though, had Kazimir ever really had a choice? The thought sent a shiver up her spine even while it terrified her.
The man sighed loudly and looked down at Kazimir with an expression of pity. "Now then, you must remain calm and focused," he said as he stood up from his seat on the stone throne and walked back over to Kazimir's cage. He stopped right in front of her cage and looked down at her, his eyes full of pity but also full of something else... Something she couldn't quite identify. "If anything goes wrong with your mind when you are wrapped in Lothar's mantle," he told her, "there is no way we can undo what has been done... So be sure that you don't try anything stupid like trying to rip out your own brain or anything else foolish like that..."
Kazimir shuddered.
"Only a joke!" the man said with a glint of joy in his piercing blue eyes. "A joke, I swear! All of the battling you'll be doing will be in your own mind, because outwardly you'll be paralyzed, so you won't be able to rip your own mind out if you tried! No, the real concern is just whether or not your body becomes a vessel through which you can accomplish anything... or an eternal prison on the far end of hell. So please..." he said with genuine concern, "be sure you remain calm." He smiled nervously and looked down at Kazimir. "Be sure that you don't do anything foolish..."
Kazimir nodded and took a deep breath so she wouldn't feel like she was going to pass out. She tried not to show it, but she was terrified... terrified of what she was about to do, terrified that she would die horrible on the inside while she lived wonderful on the outside... terrified that she would never see her mother or father again... terrified that, no matter what, her life no longer belonged to her. It belonged to the Order of the Unconquered Sun, and regardless of how she fared, she would never be herself again. Kazimir was forever and always their Chosen One.
But she had to do it... she knew that now more than ever before.
"Some higher members of the Order are going to come in and offer you an elixir that will help you through the process," said the man. "Please, do not fight it. This is not a punishment, this is nourishment
both physical and spiritual that will give you the powers necessary to make it through the whims of the Mantle's grasp. Without this elixir, you will surely be consumed. This is your only possible escape from certain doom. I don't mean to say that in a bad way, I mean, it could be bad, but really just drink the elixir, all will be well. I promise."
Kazimir nodded and watched the man walk out of the room. Five women in white robes walked in. Their faces were covered in veils, though the sheer fabric of their robes was incredibly revealing. Each of them held a mortar and a pestle. The women were skilled at what they did, for they ground herbs and spices into powders with ease, each one carefully measuring each ingredient as they combined them into a complex mixture that smelled like something from an exotic foreign land... but it wasn't quite foreign... not quite...
Kazimir took a deep breath as the women began chanting under their breath, chanting the words 'grind, grind, grind,' as they ground together their herbs and spices into a dark green blend from which they squeezed out a thick green liquid onto their mortar, then poured it into their pestle one drop at a time until they had mixed it into an even green paste. They then removed their veils as they chanted: 'mortal sacrifice, mortal sacrifice, mortal sacrifice.' The women were all beautiful despite their age; each of them about Kazimir's age or older. They held themselves with such grace and dignity as they poured the green paste into a tall glass bottle. After they had finished chanting over it again, they turned their attention back towards Kazimir.
"It is time to drink," the women said in unison. "Open up, Chosen One."
To Kazimir's shock, her mouth shot open involuntarily.
"The sacred funnel," said a woman. She produced a large, silver funnel and walked up to Kazimir. She placed the funnel in Kazimir's open jaws. Its taste was cold and metallic.
"The chosen elixir!" said another woman. She brandished the glass bottle of green goo and walked over to Kazimir. She poured it all down the sacred funnel while chanting softly under her breath, 'drink, drink, drink.'
Kazimir felt it slide down her throat without even having to swallow it. She felt no nausea or sickness at all; instead she felt a strange euphoria wash over her body as she felt her body lighten like a feather and float away from her mind...
...as she became one with the Mantle...
In a flash, Kazimir was no longer in the dreaded room. She stood in a wide-open field, with flowers blooming and a sunny side overhead. A loud voice boomed and shook the ground at her feet.
"Welcome to your mind, Chosen One."