A Ripple In The Void[part 5]

In a darkened alley, probably the only dark alley on this auspicious day, a plump boy with freckles was panting very heavily. He seemed to be waiting for someone, looking here and there, he kept squinting to get a better vision, and soon he saw a silhouette, he knew this silhouette, it was his most dear friend Hermes. The boy ran towards him and said " Did you get it?" while panting heavily.

"Of course i did" said Hermes while giving the boy the silver pyramid shaped contraption.

"And what is that in your other hand?" asked Orion.

"Oh this, this is the same thing, only broken, you take the good one and I keep the broken one, okay?" said Hermes while observing the broken lantern.

" No, no I cant do that, this was entirely your plan, from formulation to execution, it was all you, I will take the broken one." said Orion.

"First, I couldn't have done it alone, second is that, I am much more interested in what inside this lantern than what this thing can do, so I insist on taking this one." said Hermes.

"Thanks Hermes, even my parents couldn't give me this give me this, today I swear, as your brother that one day I will repay this great kindness." said Orion becoming a little teary eyed.

"Do not cry, please don't cry, its embarrassing, people will think that I am bullying you." said Hermes.

"By the way, what were those symbols that you drew on me, and how did you know they would scare the shopkeeper that much?" asked Orion while wiping his tears and snots.

"Well,. . . thats a secret and how did i knew that he would be scared? Thats simple a foreigner doing buisness here at Hellesport, will know a great deal of whats happend here, before we were born. It is as my father said, knowledge is a leathal weapon and like every weapon it has atleast one weakness." said Hermes while chukling.

"I would one day want to hear about secret though." said Orion while pouting.

"Okay fine, i will tell you one day, anyway we have to get going now, the auction for the amulet will start in half an hour, and i think i have a a way to get the amulet." said Hermes with a mysterious gleam in his eyes.

In a dimly lit room, sat a man with a grim visage, this man was in deep contemplation as if everything sorrounding him was frozen. This man was Zeno, son of Abelard, and father of Hermes.

He knew that this decision that he had to make was the toughest decicion that he had ever made, what should he do, choose his family or his tribe who have oppresed for a long, long time. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and stood up and went infront of his closet, he then opened the closet and bent down on his knees and skillfully started removing the tiles. He then took out a black lacquered box, from underneath the tiles, the box was about sixteen inches long and eight inches in breadth. He carefully opened the box and took out a black and silver coloured sword. If Hermes saw this sword he would be extremely surprised.

What was surprising about it, was the patterns on the scabbard it was of the same nature as the Mystic-Plague patterns. Zeno stared at the sword for some time then he unsheathed it and as soon as Zeno removed the scabbard, a mixed grainy aura of black and silver surged out of it. Zeno quickly sheathed the sword and put the sword back into the laquered box and re-aranged the tiles and got back up when he suddenly heard a voice.

"Is it happening today?" a calm and pristine voice echoed through the room.

Zeno didn't have to look back to know whose voice it was, he knew whose voice it was, even in the depths of hell, where life was an endless torture, this was the only voice which could bring peace and calm to him, for this was the voice of the mother of his child.

But today he did not want to hear this voice, for today was the only day when this voice, this vox, will make him weaker.

"Yes, at midnight." said Zeno, while being unable to look in his wife's eye.

" Why are you so ashamed, when your choice is an honourable one, it is more honourable to fight for your tribe than for your family isn't it?" said the woman clad in silver and blue patterned ceremonial gown.

"The tribe is also my family, Ophelia" said Zeno while taking a seat.

"So, what do i say to Hermes, if something happens to you, about the bloodline he inherited from you?" said Ophelia.

"Nothing will happen to me, unless one of those old monsters comes out of hiding, none of pretenders who called themselves as cultivators, will be able to touch me." said Zeno while carressing the lacquered box.

"Promise me that no matter what you have to do, you will do it in order to come back to us and dont depend too much on that sword, use your wits too." said Ophelia in a solemn manner.

"This is not a sword, this is a 'wakizashi', and about our bloodline, its better that he stays ignorant for a while." said Zeno.

"I dont want anything to do with your damned bloodline or your 'wakizashi', i just dont want my son to grow up without a father." said ophelia as tears streamed down her eyes.

After seeing his wife started crying Zeno quickly got up and walked to his wife and put his arms around her and tried to console her by saying "If i die, promise me that you will wait atleast ten years before marrying another man, and it will be heavenly, if you started liking women after my death and it will also be a source of entertainment for me, while i am in purgatory."

Ophelia lightly smiled as she held onto the sleeves of her husband as she burried her head into her husband's bosom.