First to Touch The Last

5,610 A.S. 69th of Mando

Belltithe, Kingdom of The Keepers Of Crowns Gate

North of the Crown capital of Honedell 

The marked door instantly flew open, and a lively boy ran out with 3 other boys right behind him. Alcoram ran down the muddy streets yelling insults back and laughed at the pursuing older boy. He had done it this time.

"When I get my hands on you Alcoram, we are going to beat you into a pulp!" yelled Jeldan at Alcoram as he ran eagerly dodging neighbors and other villagers on his way by.

"If you guys can catch me, I'll clean up what ever didn't land on you guys with my tongue," he yelled to them promptly turning and sticking out his tongue doggedly as he backpedaled. They hadn't found it very funny when he had taunted them into chasing him out a door with a full pale of slop on top of it. Serves them right for picking on Temba, she dearly liked to read attentively and the boys thought it was fun to bother her and steal her books. Alcoram didn't feel the same and just wanted to let them know.

The short-haired boy ran towards the leading edge of town with the other boys almost catching up to me. As they got closer, we made it out of town into the bush heading north. As Alcoram ran by a tree, He eagerly pushed a thick branch forward and intentionally let it swing back as the boy ran by. He heard a twin grunt and two fewer sets of feet pursuing him and Alcoram continued onward.

The boy reached a clearing of trees and came to a stop. Jeldan burst from the trees redfaced and uttering obscenities vulgar enough to cause plants to wilt. When he saw him, Jeldan's face got even redder, if that was indeed possible.

"You really think your funny little boy? Come here so I can smash your pretty little face in," Jeldan said as he stalked towards me.

"Oh, so you think I'm attractive, do you? I bet Rish and Parda would find that pretty funny," Alcoram said dancing back from him.

Every time he got close, The young boy would jump or roll out of the way. He could engage in this game with him all day. Alcoram laughed at him and turned to bolt farther into the forest. As he ran, the boy noticed pure blackness straight ahead through the trees. 

The barrier loomed in front of him like the world ended here. It was like a smooth midnight black wall that stretched up above the clouds and who knew how much higher. The wall invariably produced an eerie feeling the other times he had inspected it, but lately, there seemed to be more clouds than usual. It was practically like a mist was forming around the top of it and something felt...different.

"I've captured you now, wretch," a snarl came from behind Alcoram as Jeldan grappled with him to the ground. Careless, what was he doing allowing his guard to fall like that? Why was the barrier bothering him so much right now? These were all significant questions for another time, he thought. Alcoram turned around and put his arms in front of his face as Jeldan rained down blows. The hits did hurt, but he had been working with his father in the lumber yard since Alcoram could operate a saw. The boy gathered his legs into himself, rolling back and shot his legs into the air and caught Jeldan square in the chest. As he fell back on the ground, Alcoram rolled back, trying to get back up and regain his footing. Instead, he slammed into the barrier, and everything went black.

This smell? Fire, metal, sweat, and...blood?

The boy opened his eyes to living chaos. Everywhere Alcoram looked, hundreds of thousands of people killing each other. A war raged across the blackened landscape, strange-looking men with blood-red armour and red eyes confronted soldiers of the five kingdoms. He stood atop a hill with a man in glowing plate armor that had been polished to perfection, just like the man's features. At that moment on a more thorough inspection, he started remembering that face. He had glimpsed him before the on-time he had gone to Honedell, the capital of our Holy kingdom and visited the sacred temple. This was no man. This was Mandora, The Great and Almighty God of Honor. He threw himself to the ground immediately at his feet.

"Great Mandora, it is an honor to be in your presence," Alcoram started to say more but stopped. Was he demented? This was a dream, wasn't it? There are no gods here, they left when the barrier was sealed..."They are weakening my son," a determined but subdued voice spoke to me. He inclined his head and looked up at the god as the war raged around us. "The seals are weakening and soon the world will experience a terror that has been locked away for over 5,000 years. The like that we hoped would stay locked far longer." 

Mandora turned to me. "With the barrier and seals weakening Radiance will seep back into the world once again and man shall possess the power of the gods in our Radiance. We, however, cannot leave the tranquil realm until the barrier has completely fallen. We have selected five champions to unite the five kingdoms like my kin and I did. This task will be uneasy, the kingdoms have fallen significantly from the days of glory and splendor they once were."

Just then a trumpet sounded and we both turn to see the sky go black with arrows. He was about to panic when Mandora collected his arm and his eyes lit up like a pair of diamonds holding stars inside. A massive sheet of polished steel shot out of the ground. It divided the opposing army off from the five kingdoms and the arrows clanged off the wall to fall back towards the enemy troops. 

Mandora turned to him and put a hand on Alcoram's face. He stared into the boy's eyes and said, "I entrust you my son with the blessing of the gate. May your honor consistently be your guiding light when darkness approaches. Depart to the temple In the city of Honedell. You must seek my Radiance Shard. Mycroft will know you are the one who is to receive it," he said turning back to the battle, his steel wall falling as the five kingdoms prepared to attack again. "Go Champion of honor, there is a monstrous wickedness coming and there is no time to squander."

Then He was back.

Alcoram eyes opened, and he passively watched Jeldan hit the ground. No time had passed, something felt unfamiliar. He promptly got to his eager feet and Alcoram felt lighter, and everything else instantly felt...slower.

Alcoram watched Jeldan get up slowly, looking very red-faced and angry. Everything was happening so gradually, and it was painful waiting for Jeldan to get to his feet. At that point, he came running head down directly at him, but it was like inspecting him walk in a running stance. Alcoram sidestepped him, then rolled in front of Jeldan. Then as quick as light, he grabbed Jeldan's leather laces and carefully tied the boots in a loose double knot. Rolling back, with the world coming back to ordinary speed. He looked up to invariably see Jeldan trip on his own feet and head straight into an unusually gigantic tree. 

He hit the ground, but didn't move after that. He walked over to strike him, but he made a groan. Good enough, He thought. What was that impossible dream? Now this speed and the informative conversation with Mandora. Something was changing in the world right now, something extremely monumental.

Alcoram walked from the forest looking at the humble village. It was the place he grew up in and was raised in. The idea of having to leave his family and friends was starting impressing its self on him. His mother would be worried that he wasn't going to eat enough, and father would tell him he wasn't ready. It is possible he wasn't, but that didn't matter. His god, Mandora, had requested him to perform this task.

He walked through his village and Alcoram gazed at the vendors and small shops. He would return here one day to the dirt roads and thatched roofs of this humble village. Out of the corner of his eye, he observed a girl supporting a book and she was running towards him. It was Temba, a timid girl a similar age as Alcoram, the same one that he had got justice for. She came up to him in a rush and struck her foot on a rock in the dirt, which hurled her and the book flying.Everything slowed down again. Temba was slowly falling as the book was gradually leaving her hand. Alcoram seized the book and then got in place to catch Temba. He relaxed, and the world seemed to resume around him. Temba fell into his arms, almost knocking him over.

"Are you alright?" Alcoram asked her as he looked down into her dazed eyes. She had long flaxen hair that was a mess around her face, but she had pretty green eyes. Temba gradually comprehended what had happened and where she was and turned a violent shade of red. 

"I...Wanted to say tha...nk you, for sta...nding up for me," Temoba said to him. At that point, she bowed to him and was about to turn and flee when Alcoram gently grasped her arm.

"Temba, you're going to run away without your book," he said to her, trying not to make eye contact with her. He didn't want her running off again without her book. She was an attractive girl with a flowing blue sundress and a beaming smile when it wasn't concealed by her hair."How did you do that Al?" She inquired with a puzzled look. She was finally getting control of herself, and her face was now only slightly flushed.

"I went to the barrier, and something happened there," He said and the proceeded to explain to Temba about the dream and what followed.

"That is astonishing, I wish I could abandon this village and come discover what the rest of the world was like," She said after he had finished. 

He felt the same way, but for varied reasons. Alcoram had been in love with Temba since he began noticing girls, but the other boys always seemed fit to bother and harass her. Therefore, he was relinquished to defending her, and she had come to perceive him as a brother. Though lately, she had started acting suspiciously towards him, blushing more and not meeting my eyes.

Alcoram moved to hand Temba the book she had almost dropped, then something happened. It was like a bolt of silver light shot from his hand, through the book into Temba. She jumped back and let go of the book, but it just hung there in the air.

"What's going on?!" Temba gasped as she looked around and noticed everything had slowed down.

Alcoram frowned, how was this possible? Would this happen to everyone he touched? This could be risky, not everyone should have power like this. At that point, a thought seemed to inject itself into his mind.

It won't happen to everyone you touch, just unique people that will be of help. Be warned however, there will be some that receive the power that will not employ it in the way it was intended.

Why Temba? Alcoram wasn't mad, he was troubled. He would have to continue defending her. He returned his attention to the moment at hand. Temba was looking around frantically, not seeming to be able to absorb it all. He walked up to her and placed his hand gently on her forearm.

"It's alright Temba, gather a deep breath in and release it. You can feel that new power inside of you, but you have to let it go," Alcoram said to her as his hand closed back around the book and the world began to move at a reasonable pace. Temba was shaking and He pulled her close to him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't desire this to happen to you too," Alcoram said to her, but she shook her self and pulled away from him. 

"Sorry?" She said screwing up her face. "I was just surprised Al, This is amazing. It was all just so much to take in, is there more you can do than just..." And she began talking his ear off as they walked towards Alcoram's house.