Fate In The Heights

In the distant plains of penury a single building was able to attract the gaze of the lost, the infinite vertical walls of the tower city, now functioned as the only source of light of an eternal dark world, now submerged by the cruel winter that loomed relentlessly against it.

A city barely adorned with the basic necessities, the houses had enough shelters, but the coal to supply them was scarce, only kept for the occasions where survival was doubtful. While the smoke from factory engines intoxicated the sky with its endless supply of black pillars, forcing the inhabitants to wear mostly black garments to hide the city's obnoxious filth. Electricity was the new novelty of the elites, enjoying the pleasure of sight in such a nocturnal world, at this time they all enjoyed banquets in their own names to amaze their peers with all the luxuries they could show off.

Two kings ruled from on high, each gathered in his own palace, Herod the Great ruled from his castle to the north, while his rival Nero the Ancestor commanded in the south. Both immersed in their own campaign of greatness, they commanded their people to build huge buildings ever larger in honor of themselves, Increasing the size of the huge tower, with their faces adorning every major construction, the worship of their persons had come to form its own worshippers.

And all of that was good.

But away from the place, a different King had his gaze fixed on the Tower City. Watching as the poor died in the streets, with nothing to eat or warm themselves, quickly stripped of their clothes by passersby to sacrifice to the dim embers of drowning. As the city was a death trap for its own inhabitants, where cruel acts were part of the rituals of the personal places of people with greater servants. The Boss had decided that it was time to act, a change had to be made, but not before sending messages of his future plan, hoping that someone would listen to his messages and change before salvation arrived.

As the first signs of his arrival, he sent two of his messengers to speak with the two kings, but they were treated as madmen, beyond the plain of penury there was nothing, life was impossible, the day the Dragon purified had made sure of that, beyond the walls of the tower city only death awaited, just was all these people knew. Both messengers were thrown from the highest parts of the walls that could be found in the city, but neither realized that their bodies did not even touch the ground, they were greatly rewarded by the grateful king for their deeds.

Seeing his messengers being mistreated, the patient and kindly King sent more signs to show his coming, he sent 7 of his plagues, first pestilence and plague, every drink poisoned, every bread torn to shreds, but the sober leaders did not even flinch. After he sent the swarm and the horde, a dangerous plague, the rats took control of the place and took over every street and every home, but the selfishness of both kings forced them to ignore it. The next plague to arrive was Thunderbolt and fire, unseen storms of unheard-of power rained down from the heavens to torment every roof of the decaying tower, both the guilty and the innocent poor looked at the dark sky with fear, but the laziness of both kings was such that they did not want to help. The next great scourge was not long in coming, and every water source was turned to blood, wells and springs became unusable, people had to melt snow to drink, to subsist, even the houses of the high society had pots full of snow to collect the now precious white resource and joined their lowly brethren in their hardship. However, the greed of the two kings caused them to tax what was once considered a punishment. When a new plague struck, famine struck even harder as the few crops and livestock were damaged. The same rats that were once looked down upon as pests in the streets began to be hunted by rich and poor alike, for the first time there was equality in their meals, but the Gluttonous Kings never realized it, for they continued to enjoy the last of the delicacies that their dying land was capable of giving them. When there was nothing more, even the high priests of each king warned them of the serious problems the Tower City faced, predictions of doom and gloom were unleashed, a plague of paranoia came to the mind of every citizen, neighbors and relatives showed their daggers to each other, but the two kings were so deep in the Lust of their power that they arrested anyone who did not tell a story of false joy to the city. The last plague was different from the previous ones, a wave of good dreams and visions ravaged the soils of every citizen, a child in a cradle, in a sky with so much light that it was painful to see directly, a nearby clock announced with twelve chimes, a wonderful orchestra accompanied them, and even the rulers came to celebrate. The kings, filled with anger, finally decided to act.

Both Herod and Nero put aside their differences and sent for 3 magi from the East, who sat in their royal court and asked them to analyze the dreams and discover their true meaning. The magicians instead only emphasized what was obvious to the naked eye, a great change in government was coming soon, when 12 o'clock came a new hope would be born, one that would certainly change the destiny of the people. Frightened by a new contender to their privileged thrones, they had all the newborns of the city killed, including their mothers who were still pregnant. During that night the cruel cries of agony and despair of all the women were heard. The 3 magicians seeing what their wisdom had provoked decided to leave the city by another way before being sentenced as well, after being helped by a small family of newlyweds of their capture from the soldiers, they hid in one of the poorest and lowest districts of the Tower City, for their gesture, the magicians left gifts for their future unborn child

The good monarch's plan was in jeopardy, when he decided to send his best savior. But he, a lover of epics, wanted the moment to be ideal, which would lead to the greatest number of people being saved, where the story would serve as an example for generations to come. The Boss, seeing the fear and envy of the cruel kings, decided to intervene again, from his ranks of soldiers he sent for some of his best warriors, one of them was sent first, the Unknown Emperor, he was someone so humble that almost nobody knew of him, with a strength and experience that few would be able to oppose him. But the merciful King, fearing that he was too strong, forced him not to interact too much, for the future family was to endure one last hardship and learn, saying "Thou shalt help them, but shalt not even touch their hand". The Emperor was sent in haste to even prepare.

When the Emperor arrived, he was at the lower gates of the tower city, screaming patrols of soldiers were arriving, a black deadly miasma was building up and arriving, it was capable of killing all who came in contact with it, but this new plague was not generated by the generous foreign king, it was a machination of the kings who invoked dark magic to ensure the killing of the mere unborn child, they laughed on high where the poisonous air would never reach. The Emperor saw his good armor become rusted as one of the guards dying of the miasma touched him. It was then, realizing the threat, that he had to act quickly. Sent by grace, he managed to find the kind family hided, he warned them of the terrible plan that was coming against them, their only hope was to go up the city to try to escape the miasma, the warrior's heart trembled at the sight of the pregnant woman when she told him she was close to giving birth, as he had been told he could not intervene, so he instructed the husband to take a cart and pull her up the hill, where the only possibility of hope was to arrive.

The brick houses were indifferent to the father's pleas for help to push his wagon and the coming evil, the emperor even knocked from door to door for someone who could wake up and be saved, but each house's occupants pretended to be busy or asleep, and died victims of the miasma only minutes later, having rejected the message.

Walking little by little, the father's effort to protect his family was rewarded with a slight respite when the progress of the miasma slowed for a moment. Now the group found themselves in a square dedicated to the prayer of the two rulers of the city, where their followers prayed and sacrificed the few animals that remained on their behalf instead of eating them for the famine, for it was the unjust law, it was also the same square where a market of usurers was located, selling products, exchanging mirrors for gold. All the passers-by were too busy looking at their reflection to notice that they had been swindled, they were not prepared for the death notices that came either. At the sight of the emperor's white armor, the inhabitants of the square tried to attack the group, the warrior was forced to draw his sword to prevent the crowd from getting closer to the family. But the greedy merchants, taking advantage of the chaos, saw that they could generate more income, so they sent for the guard, the soldiers of King Herod, indicating that the knight who was the guardian of the poor family had not paid his fee to the king of the place, the soldiers, knowing the true motive of the merchants, played along with them in exchange for a reward of money and angrily threatened the group once again.

A witch from an alley came to the rescue, the green-skinned girl took them to her tent to hide them from the angry crowd, her house was full of spells and curses, strange and deformed objects. Both father and mother repaid the witch's gesture by warning her of the coming of the black miasma, but unknown to them were the true motives of the witch, who had not helped out of kindness, but out of envy, for she had also deduced the dreams, and knew that a newborn would bring change, seeing the mother pregnant she desired her fertility, which she had lost in exchange for the source of her magic's power. In what she terribly confounded as a right of revenge against the mother she pulled out a poisoned dagger, ready to stab the future life she believed was justice, but the Emperor noticed in time the misfortune and in a gentle act took her hand and twisted it, causing the witch to hurt herself with her own curse. The miserable one did not kill her immediately, so trying to defend himself she threw more of her magic against the warrior, but nothing happened to him, as he stopped the attack with his huge gifted sword.

While the emperor was fighting against the evil witch's dreadful strength, the father, concerned for his family's safety, led his beloved out of the building through the back door, but they were quickly surrounded by local bandits. Fearful of their fate they tried to call for help, but the priest and his guards passing by were indifferent to their words, it wasn't until a good soul saw the couple in trouble that help arrived, a diligent watchmaker had gotten lost on his way to work, he was running late but that didn't stop him from helping. He was not good at fighting but with his small but indefatigable courage he managed to delay them long enough for the Emperor to arrive with them and end the fight by showing the severed forehead of the reputed witch. The watchmaker led them on a good way, helped push the heavy wagon a little, when the father warned him about the approaching black miasma, he first made sure to leave the group in a place where they could rest, even paying a gold coin so they could really eat, after that he left the place to save his family from perdition, for his actions the distant king outside the city personally protected him.

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

The thick black cloud of death continued to advance without pause through the streets of the Tower City, killing without feeling all in its path, homeless, poor, merchants, guards and wizards, all fell before the evil they decided to ignore. All of them sacrifices for the cause of those who lived at the top of the city, whose evil now began to consume everyone equally before their greed, would pamper all people and all things, leaving the city as a huge and perpetual temple to selfishness. The Emperor urged to save the family and called them to continue the journey, despite the tiredness of the poor father, he continued to move his heavy burden, his own legacy, his family, barely a couple of meters away, the woman began to complain, she had gone into labor, the child would be born that already long night.

Several seers had been brought to the thrones of the evil kings, their eyes had been cut out, sentenced to use their powers in favor of both kings, the same ones still in their paranoia thought that their rival had not yet been defeated, so they resorted every time to more violent and cruel tactics. They would leave no one alone until their thrones had no further contests. Aided by their magicians, sacrificing their own primogenials, the kings called out a legion of reapers their best secret police, against their sworn and unknown enemies, commanded to slay all who roamed the streets far from their homes death squads prowled. The reapers followed the will of the kings, but on their own terms, where they started from the top of the tower city and worked their way down, with their curses of unbridled death hundreds of followers of the kings' court died unknowingly, when the unexpected visitation took them outside the gates of their homes, the few fearful survivors locked themselves in the deepest part of their homes, paid the lights and the heating trying not to be found, never to be heard from again.

With no time to lose as the miasma approached, with cruel malevolence, half of the Tower City had fallen before it, the other half awaited ignorantly sleeping its turn, the father was forced to continue the journey despite the pain of his beloved, the wagon continued up the dark city. The Emperor was heartbroken to see the efforts of the poor family, the great effort of the father moving the wagon, the mother continued to support him in spite of her own pain that she was going through, but if they wanted to save themselves it was their duty to continue. The streets of the city became more and more illuminated as they advanced towards the most graceful districts of the place, the factories with their huge chimneys spitting fire all day long, heated up the surrounding area, it was the only place where snow was not everywhere. But even though it was more pleasant, people didn't stay much around the place, only by the smells coming out of the factories you could tell that what was being done in them was unholy, but the family had no choice but to go through there. Behind the walls of the great constructions one could hear screams of pain, Drowned pleas for clemency and repentance being punished, the crack of the whips breaking in the air, the last sighs of an employee, the drill of a machine performing someone by mistake but continuing its work, for the place could not see anything at the same time it was not necessary to know what was going on.

The chance of salvation was probably to reach the travel station, where they could take a machine to advance further up, to reach a safe place, to reach a destination that would allow the child a safe birth, but getting there would be difficult with the poor mother's situation in this cold cruel night. The station was a large brick building worn down by so much filth, it witnessed endless whispers of steam and steel, a testament to the city's great industry, A huge clock marked the time for his guests, it had been ordered to stop by orders of the kings, where they put the bodies of the watchmakers in their gears to stop the passage of time, the dim light flickered in wrought iron lanterns, casting intermittent shadows of the immoral people gliding by like ghosts, trying to avoid being seen by the others, looks of wonder and blame on their faces as they watched the poor family pass by, clearly without the money to pay for the trip. The father began to plead rather than let his family pass, the Emperor even began to beg, but everyone judged but did not helped. The people who were not unaware of the brutal situation of the city that night naively took the machine that would take them there, a group of wealthy bankers along with their dozens of bags of coins, the money they had greedily saved all their austere lives, claimed the poor family for their lack of money, They paid their own way to their deaths when they entered the elevator, as the machine began to go down their laughter and mockery could be heard, but then just silence, they had been more victims of the black miasma, if only they had given it when they were still alive because now no one would enjoy it. An old and sick man yet still wise, with the last purchases he would ever make in his life, had already paid his fare, he saw the family struggling to be seen, his heart was moved, so he gave his seat to the father and mother, both had to leave the wagon behind because of the weight, but they gladly accepted for their future son, The emperor secretly slipped into the upper part. The elderly traveler was startled to see the miasma arrive at the station, but turned to look at the grateful couple, smiled and started the machine for the last time that day, for his act that brought salvation the distant king paid him with a hundred more years of life.

Arriving at one of the highest parts of the city the family left the new station, in these houses before adorned by a little heat and electricity was now in darkness and the whitest of the cold, the woman could not walk in pain fell to the ground, the father took her to one of the now abandoned houses, which had now been taken over by ice but served as an immediate shelter, and began to gather as much as he could and set them on fire to protect her from the weather, but soon after the emperor also his voice, putting on high guard called them, dark shadows were approaching rapidly, they had found the prey that had been ordered to be finished The Unknown Emperor hurled his weapon against them trying to gain time for the others to escape, bravely fighting against the face of death itself, just as a huge white moon helped the emperor to find his enemy. But the family was now immobile, the pained woman was prostrate on a bed giving birth at that instant, the father had taken a torch and in front of the room where she was taking refuge, he began to brandish it to drive away the ugly creatures of evil.

In the hour of greatest darkness the shadows multiplied, they would not let the future arrive, attacking without rest. The emperor in desperation to keep the others safe sent the father to enter the room where his wife needed him more, then took a large iron plate and covered the entrance to the house, the sound of the action marked the first bell, starting the combat, taking his huge sworn sword and brandished it as a champion defender. His first swing made the surroundings thunder, giving the signal of the second bell, the reapers clashed their scythes against the sword, a huge regret was heard as a result, having been the third, a treacherous thrust from behind the warrior managed to escape, but in his flight, he hit a huge silver tray, its huge sound had been in honor of the fourth bell. His counterattack was not made to wait and turning his body his sword commanded to fly, penetrating his enemy, the huge and a fifth bell rang the tower collapse, the sword returned to hit another diabolical came to hit, when the emperor caught it hit the weapon with pride and great sound showing his pride with which he would protect, replicated a sixth time the sound of the bell. The reapers furious at their new attack threw a beautiful carriage from the street to make it crash, as it fell they were its break, for a seventh time a metal rang out, then came an eighth one when the emperor's steel struck another of his enemies skillfully right after. Tired from the non-stop battle the reapers carried a new weapon, a long spear was thrown with powerful speed, the emperor defended himself from the attack with his sword without breaking, but with the heavy and deafening sound of the nine bell his mind began to waver. The reapers struck with their weapons at the desperate warrior, his sword struck by surprise, but not even the tenth time the sound of a bell appeared stopped the onslaught of blows that followed. With the sound of his armor breaking the eleventh bell had been paid. As the emperor was thrown against the door iron plate a loud bang rang out from the metal, the last hour had been completed, the twelve chimes had been given.

The screams of the new living child echoed through the skies, it was the only noise heard for a single solid minute, a new life had arrived on a night of so many lost ones.

With a battle cry help came, an old man appeared from the trees, with one thrust of his weapon he cut down two of the beasts, with his hand he helped the emperor up from the ground, red cloth hid the spilled blood. His constitution was huge, his beard long and white, his face showed past adventures and battles, the hunter had finally come after chasing his prey, he had come to present his joy of seeing the child born.

The red hunter was the other champion sent by the noble king, a mad saint who was able to conquer hell, where the very profane had sworn to serve him one day a year to calm the patient's horrible fury. But the Red one was known by a certain Nicolas, who with his generosity was known in every home, but on this night people would know his other side when the recluse tired of injustice came down from his distant mountain inside the frozen wasteland with his own axe in hand. His strength knew no rival, could only be rivaled by his unjust speed when with his northern axe he split one of the reapers in two. With great satisfaction his campaign launched, his magic threw, the black creatures began to fear the unknown holy attack, but that did not matter for the beast hunter. The emperor accompanied him in his combat, and between them, they managed to drive away the immediate evil.

When the battle ended shortly thereafter and the family emerged, the fearful black miasma of the outgoing spirit quickly ran to the deep grottoes from which it had emerged. The bells began to ring, the cold began to die, hundreds of messengers of the good king and soldiers were heard on high sweetly singing on the plains, taking the whole city by surprise, the kings that had to peacefully surrender the city, soon would be the first ones to be judged too, the mountains in reply Echoing their joyous strains and the stars celebrated in the great night, a huge celebration never before seen or heard in the Tower City with its few remaining inhabitants the few who were prepared for his unannounced arrival. From a bag, the red hunter, finally saw his biggest dream fulfilled when he gave a present to also to calm the child, a purple cloak to shelter the little future king.

"In the finale, the mighty Emperor's bow, for honor and fame, he would not allow. Humbly he settled, a witness in the crowd, In history's pages, his silence spoke loud. It was another day for him, a simple quest, and with the adventure done, time to return home, In his heart, the tales would forever roam" As the Ancient legend of Medui Tamn goes.