The return of the awaited!
After the intrusion of the Mogs and Zach Sanander took over the reins of the fallen kingdom, the TUTUS tree was placed under a twenty-four hours guard by soldiers going on patrol shifts. As the wise leader with immense knowledge about the catastrophic aspects of the TUTUS, when it enters into the wrong hands, King Zach built the tallest tower at the entrance of the forest and created one of the strongest impenetrable boundaries around it which no creature could ever cross. He placed it under the guard of his trusted soldiers patrolling the area in badges.
Meanwhile, after Tristian was absorbed into the Time-Realm, he appeared within the boundary of the TUTUS and saw the tree in its giant majestic structure before him. Tristian stared in amazement at the most wonderful creation he had ever seen and felt a unique connection with the tree. As if he had been there before.
As he stared in bewilderment, flashes of memories from his past within that tree kept flashing images before his eyes, and he had no idea why and how he kept seeing these images which frightened him a bit, about whether the TUTUS had the power to create illusions into a person.
Gregor had already explained a lot about the dangers surrounding the TUTUS before they embarked on the expedition for its search. He had repeatedly warned on how they should be extremely careful with regard to how they approach it.
Even though the place Tristian appeared into seemed like the strangest he had ever been as a first-timer, he didn't know why he felt some familiarity within him about the place... Tristian was deeply overwhelmed with the strangeness within him, he barely realized he had intruded into the tightest security territory.
Until his sudden intrusion called the attention of a guard standing watch from above, inside the tall tower, and he sound the warning alarm immediately upon spotting Tristian, which brought every soldier to alert...
"An intruder within the boundary...towards the east of the tower hurry!" The guard called out in an emergency.
All this time, after the great war with the Mogs and the beginning of the Angelic kingdom, never had anyone intruded into the boundary since it was built until today. Therefore, the soldiers were surprised about the sudden strange sound of the warning alarm which had never been rung before, and some were even wondering whether it was a false alarm. Until a second alarm rang to call every soldier's attention, so they came running helter-skelter in search of that intruder. They were now eager to apprehend that intruder before his movements toward the TUTUS endanger their kingdom in any unforeseen consequences.
The TUTUS's existence became the most sacred and fearful reminder to every living member of the kingdom, since the great war which wiped out most of their clan. They feared its dangers due to the horrendous aftermath of the war that struck many surviving soldiers and nearly turned them into bloodthirsty beasts. If not for the quick reaction of their wise King who revived and cured them into health and prevented another round of a bloodbath.
On the other hand, Tristian was surprised by the turn of events. He had never imagined there was a kingdom within these forests in all the years he had been a soldier in the Cyras Kingdom, except that he didn't realize he was no longer in the Cyras Kingdom. He still hasn't figured out the strange familiar images he had been seeing since he arrived, and the sudden sound of the warning alarm had him on guard.
Suddenly, Tristian found himself surrounded by an army of primitive warriors who protected themselves with plainly leather hides and helmets, a thick leather garment covering their bodies from neck to waist, consisting of a breastplate and a backpiece fastened together with straps and buckles and a gorget, a collar protecting their throat. They were holding spears directed towards Tristian in defense, as they stare at him, shocked at his strange appearance out of nowhere, as well as the enhanced code of his attire embellished on his body looked weird to them. It is none they have ever seen or encountered before.
Whereas, Tristian was simply in his chain mail armor hauberks and its coif with mittens and a surcoat around him due to the harsh winter of the FROZEN forest. As well as a brown leather belt to hold a sword belt around his waist and over the chain-mail.
The dangers loitering in the forest had Tristian and his soldiers dressed in the knight code armor to go on this dangerous mission. They left Cyras in their cuirasses, a body armor that protects the torso of the wearer above the waist or hips. But the journey through the harsh weather in the forest left them drained of all energy, as well as the dangers they had to fight to secure a safe passage through.
However, Tristian wondered if he could take down these soldiers as easily as he had conquered all his enemies in war so far. They appeared before him like bees on honey and Tristian could barely think of where to begin, as he took his stance in defense, in case the people weren't friendly to strangers type.
The generation of the Angelic Race was during the times when silver and metal armor or chain mail and cuirasses were not yet invented so the armor clamped on Tristian's seemed like a strange code of attire. To make matters worse, he appeared out of nowhere, at a place where they have been guarding for decades against the intrusion from even the subjects of their kingdom, not to talk of an intruder intruding into their kingdom and their forbidden territory.
Even though Tristian was shocked at the sudden appearance of the soldiers out of nowhere, especially in their ancient choice of dressing which was long eradicated from existence in the current system back in the Cyras Kingdom. So Tristian wondered if he had interfered in an ongoing ancient movie shooting.
"That will be the best explanation for their appearance right now." Tristian thought to himself as he stood upright, placing his sword back into its belt, with a friendly smile on his face and hands up in surrender.
"I am extremely sorry for this intrusion but I bear no harm whatsoever... could you take me to the director in charge of this shooting? I would like a word with him..." Tristian uttered as he unstrap his weapon around his waist in surrender to the soldiers.
However, the soldiers holding him hostage were threatened by his sudden show of courtesy and wouldn't lower their guard. They firmly held onto their pointed sharp long spears and stared at each other in confusion. They were wondering what this stranger before them was talking about since they barely understood what he just uttered.
In any case, It was simply impossible to reach the TUTUS, due to the stages of soldiers placed farther beyond, to block all intruders' entrance. But it seemed this stranger was courageous enough to pass through their strongest barriers which they had put forth all these years, and even escaped the watchful eyes of the frontline soldiers, to stand in the presence of the great thorn of TUTUS tree before their very eyes.
"How did you manage to delude the guards and make it here unharmed?" A soldier amongst them whom Tristian thought must be the leader spoke.
"Ranan!... report to the commander at once, we caught the intruder." The soldier shouted to a man standing high inside the tall tower.
Ranan suddenly took a trumpet and whistled a coded sound across, and minutes later, an older man along with three soldiers appeared, and the soldiers surrounding Tristian scattered to make way for their passage before him. Tristian assumed he was the one in charge here due to the attentiveness he noticed from the soldiers in his presence.
Although it seemed to intrigue Tristian about their dressing too, theirs seemed upgraded compared to the other soldiers who held him captive.
"Who are you and what is your mission here?." The commander asked fiercely to invoke fear into Tristian.
Tristian realized he first needed to make sense of his current situation so he could assess his advantages from his disadvantages before he could react.
"I am General Tristian...my soldiers and I traveled miles through this forest and we were stranded here for weeks. Unfortunately, the root I took led me here...I bear no harm...I would like to meet your utmost authority here." Tristian uttered firmly even though he still thought they might be interrupting a shooting of a movie. But he barely saw any cameramen around. Were they hidden for some reason?
At the silence of the commander as he glared at Tristian, inspecting him with his eyes as if to confirm what he just said, Tristian's thoughts were running wild about the seriousness of the soldiers before him.
"Wasn't this supposed to be a movie shooting...why are they still acting? or they don't suppose I am part of their crew members, do they?" Tristian concluded inside his thoughts as a smile formed on his dried frozen lips, despite the seriously tense atmosphere before him.
"How dare you demand the audience of our King?" one of the soldiers who came with the commander pulled his sword at Tristian's impudence. But the commander intervened and withdrew the sword away from Tristian's neck.
"And where are your soldiers? Why are you here alone...and which Kingdom are you from?" The commander continued to interrogate him.
"I am the only survivor and I have no idea where I am, but I would be happy if you would allow me to seek shelter here...I am worn out and starved for weeks." Tristian replied avoiding the question about his kingdom.
However, it seemed they do not believe anything he was saying and Tristian suspected as much. He simply wanted to figure out who exactly these strange people were and why they made their dwelling within this power of TUTUS as if they were protecting it with their lives.
Tristian also had to find out every little information which might help him going forth, so he decided to not disclose anything about his search for the TUTUS since that might end up as a risky move.
"You have no idea how many forbidden rules you have just broken with your presence here in the first place...for now, lock him up! I will report to the king immediately." The commander ordered and Tristian was soon dragged into the tall tower which had its dungeon underneath.
"Careful Raiza, he doesn't appear to be an easy prey." The commander calms the fuming soldier who raised her sword to Tristian a while ago. "It seemed the King will be the only one who can get the truth out of him. It's his order to report any intruder directly to him."
Even though Tristian didn't put up much of a fight while he was been dragged into his dungeon, he needed to figure out a way to acquire a piece of the TUTUS for his journey back to Cyras and report to his King about its existence and location.
The dungeon where Tristan was been taken seemed quite ancient too. As they approached the tower, the atmosphere he noticed around him didn't seem like he was anywhere near a familiar place, like he had transmitted into the past which was quite impossible!.
How could all these appear out of nowhere? None of the reports he heard so far, ever mentioned these strange people and the presence of this tall tower.
The walls of the dungeon were made impenetrable and very dark like a puzzle of a mouse hole. The only sources of light were ancient flaming torches... As well as rocky walls with water dripping into the cell, sticky and smelly, unlike the modern cell their kingdom built. This dungeon was enough as a punishment for an offender, not to talk of his sentence not yet carried out. It now appeared he had indeed committed one of the worse crimes, judging from where he was being brought.
After Tristian was locked up and the guards left him, sudden strong waves blew it strongest wind towards his direction which rumbled the dungeon for a few seconds and little bits of rocks broke free from its solid state and fell into pieces within his cell...so Tristian held his head in protection against any injuries. But the silence that followed after, had his head risen, only to see an old lady with white long silver hair with a long stick supporting her.
Tristian lowered his hand from his head to approach the bars of his cell wondering where the lady suddenly appeared from.
However, she held onto his hand strongly to speak, which startled him. Something that seemed like a riddle about the strength in the lady's hand shook him.
"...Finally! the time has come Satharus!
We have waited long enough. The dawn of time is upon us. And the TUTUS will soon wither and lose its remedy, living us with a tormented great wage of a long-standing destruction of our time! Time is near and the waves of misfortune loiter around our Prince Regan! As the guardian of the Time-Realm, you alone have knowledge of the spell to seal it...so seal it, seal the Time-Realm and save us all...Satharus! save us all from this impending doom!." The lady's voice still echoed within every corner of his dungeon despite her presence which disappeared into thin air after her speech, which left him dumbfounded and shocked about whether he was still hallucinating.
And this couldn't get any worse! But why did she call him Satharus...who was this Satharus she was talking about and what impending doom other than his current chaotic situation, that she prophesied to occur. Tristian was deeply immersed in thoughts when suddenly the guard open the smaller gate from his huge iron rod bars to place his meal.
"Eat!... Perhaps, It might be your last meal." The guard added with a sly smirk on his face.
"Or maybe yours...the moment I get out of this shit hole!" Tristian replied in his threatening voice which sent shivers of fear into the guard who exited the area as fast as his legs could take him.