A Glimpse of The Past

Vexana and Sayana were sitting quietly around Alice, who has been unconscious for the last two weeks. Vexana said, "It shouldn't take so much time. The after effects of the transformation should wear off in just a couple of hours, but she isn't even showing any signs of betterment even after two weeks." Sayana said, "Relax and have faith in Mother Manaca. Alice is still quite feeble to handle the power of the transformation and bear the weight of the power enraging inside her. She tore Gregor like he was made of paper. The man who defeated thousands of our people, died in the hands of a simple mortal. Isn't that funny?"

Vexana said, "Alice is not simple, Sayana. She may be feeble right now, but believe me when I say this one day she will be leading us like a warrior she is. But, right now she needs to wake up." Sayana said, "The healers have tried their best and said that she is not responding to any medicine at all. Maybe, she channeled a lot of power inside her this time. Looks like we have to contact Aliyah or Elgin." Vexana said, "Definitely not. Aliyah can't be contacted. She entrusted Alice to me and you don't know how much importance that has. She will never ever trust me again if she gets to know that Alice was raped by Gregor.

Elgin is a little less volatile now, but he has his own shit to sort out now. Cindy's pregnancy is going to create many hindrances in the future for us and we have to do everything in our power to keep things cool right now." Sayana said, "But, Alice's condition isn't getting better and I fear it may turn worse if left unattended for much time." Vexana said, "Unfortunately, we have to take the risk. Our friends are more dangerous now than our enemies." Sayana said, "Friends will cool down gradually, but Kystion has to be stopped very soon. Frankfurt's son died and he will definitely take revenge for that. I fear what will happen if Kavana comes here. Are we ready to face him?"

Vexana said, "Kavana isn't a hothead like his father. He will play mental games with us like kidnapping loved ones, destroying our resources and torturing us by polluting our rivers and other water sources." Sayana said, "Whatever. But, we have to be ready for the upcoming battles. I have an intuition that something very bad is going to occur very soon. Vexana looked at her and gave a worried smile.

Kystion was sitting in his room, reading and drawing new maps to conquer the wild areas where there are no inhabitants right now. Kystion perfectly knows the importance of extra ground in the times of war, as the extra land can be used to store the weapons and other items safely, without much trouble from the enemies. He has marked three areas on the map, but two of them are too much covered with vegetation and clearing them will definitely fall in the eyes of the spies of the enemies. The only place suitable for the plan is the north side of the Ishigano Mountains, where most of the time the land surface stays covered by snow and the flora and fauna is also very scarce. But, the only problem that is currently troubling Kystion is that how will he be able to send and then bring back the weapons and money from such a far place.

The Ishigano Mountains are very tall and also very dangerous to ascend and descend during the winter seasons. The chilly air and steep terrains will prove fatal for his army who have little to no experience in mountain climbing at all. Also, there is no assurance that the place will be friendly towards them as deserted places are often filled with many unknown dangers. Kystion dipped his brush in red ink and crossed the three places and mumbled, "Hmm. Things are not as easy as they looked when I started the revolt." Frankfurt opened the door and came inside and said angrily, "My son is dead and you are here drawing maps. You should be in the hall saying some words for my son's eulogy."

Kystion said without looking towards Frankfurt, "Gregor didn't die fighting in the battlefield. He died while he was trying to rape Alice. Didn't he know that even though Alice is fragile, she has the power to kill powerful warriors like us? She already killed Krymon and yet your foolish son went to die. Giving an eulogy for him will be shameful for me." Frankfurt said, "He was my son, Kystion. I cannot let that piece of shit go unpunished. I will kill her even if I have to die myself in the process."

Kystion said, "Kavana sent a letter for you this morning. Take this and read what he wants to say." Frankfurt took the letter and read it, "Dear, dad. I heard about the tragic news of my brother's passing last night from the clergymen and army generals. I was busy handling the affairs of the Tumman people who suddenly decided to revolt in your absence. Defeating them was very important and even though we were able to crush their revolt, we lost a good amount of money, ammunition and men in the battle. I myself got severely injured but I was lucky that I got the required help in the nick of time. I know the murderer of my brother deserves a painful death, but right now is not the right time for revenge. The Royal Priest advised to postpone the war for at least six months as it will be a bad omen to wage war during this time.

I personally think that it will be a good chance to heal both mentally and strategically. Recruitment of new soldiers has already started and by the end of two or three months we will be able to make an army even stronger than the previous one. I humbly request you that you don't do anything in the rage of anger. Also, listen to Uncle Kystion as he is a better thinker than you." Kystion said, "Read the last line carefully, Frankfurt. It is a very harsh truth." Frankfurt crushed the letter and said, "Fuck you." He stormed out of the room.

Kayuba and Bayu entered the elf kingdom and looked around. Kayuba said, "I have to say the elves are really very marvelous to make the kingdom prosperous and powerful again after suffering from such a devastating destruction." Bayu said, "If you guys had won so grandly, then why didn't you guys make your Monastery here and not thousands of kilometres away in a deserted and chilly place?" Kayuba said, "Some things are self-explanatory, Bayu. If we had made our Monastery here, how could we have progressed so much? The Manacans are weak but not the ones to accept defeat. They would have troubled us with their silly tactics and would have hindered our research on humans." Bayu laughed, "Yes. Like those years of research has given any real fruit to you guys."

Kayuba said, "Stop referring to us as "you guys". You are also one of us. Believe it or not." Bayu said, "I defeated you guys long ago and separated myself from hypocrites like you guys. So, don't try to unite relations with me, Kayuba." Kayuba said, "You are so naive. Betraying the Monastery is going to cost you a lot." Bayu said, "But, you have betrayed the Monastery yourself too." Kayuba said, "I didn't betray anyone. I just did what was wise. The Monastery is controlled by Kenchi now and he will try his best to accumulate as many allies as he could do that in the future when Xao Chang returns, he can oppose him with his army. I will never be his ally, that guy is very greedy and changes colours like a chameleon." Bayu said, "That's utter bullshit. No one will aid Kenchi. Even I know that Kenchi is the weakest demon and why would anyone risk their lives for him?" Kayuba said, "You still have a lot to learn about politics and power shifting."

Bayu said, "Whatever. But shouldn't we concentrate on the matters that are more important right now?" Kayuba said, "Alliance with the elves will not be a matter of a few hours or days. We will need at least a week to convince them. Also, we cannot go there like this. We need to change appearances." Bayu said, "Okay." Kayuba and Bayu clapped their hands and they transformed into different people. Kayuba changed into a fat, middle aged man who has orange mutton chops connected with a thick bushy walrus moustache. Bayu changed into a lad of twenty five with a clean shaven face and pompadour hairstyle. Bayu asked, "Why did you change into such an ugly person?" Kayuba said, "You shouldn't call someone ugly like that. I changed into an old man because if I had stayed young, these female ogres would have surrounded me and I don't want any uncalled attention." Bayu said, "You have met Elgin. So, it won't be hard to recognise him, will it?"

Kayuba said, "Yeah, we have met. But, it was a long time ago and also my eyesight is a little weak nowadays. Can't recognise much." Bayu said, "Weak eyesight? Stop lying, Kayuba. Tell me the truth." Kayuba said, "Elgin is a little bit more powerful than Aliyah and also I killed his father and brother. So, yeah he won't be friendly with me. It's best to avoid him."

Bayu said, "I am starting to regret this new alliance already." Kayuba patted his shoulder and said, "Relax, kid. You are with a seasoned spy who has spent almost ninety percent of his life in disguise. But, first let's eat something. I'm starving. The rats and cockroaches of your hideout were not very nutritious." Bayu said, "Of course. But, do you have money with you?" Kayuba said, "We demons don't need money to fill our stomachs. Let's go." Bayu and Kayuba went towards a small kiosk selling grilled meat of hunted sloths and toads.

Kayuba and Bayu stopped near the kiosk and looked at a young ogre boy who was sitting there and was swaying away flies from the meat. Kayuba said, "We have come from a very distant land, son. Can you give us some food and beverages?" The boy looked at them and said, "If you have money, you can have your food and beverages." Kayuba said, "Actually, we are new to this part of the kingdom. We came from Maestasas. The place is almost three hundred miles away from the kingdom and we have a different currency than yours. So, can you take this emerald coin and give us food and beverages?"

The boy took the emerald coin and asked, "How would I know that this coin is more valuable than the food and beverages you are asking for?" Kayuba said, "Then, take four more. I hope that is more than enough for the food and beverages for the two of us." The boy said, "Wait here for a moment, gentlemen. I have to inquire about it with an older person." Kayuba said, "Do whatever you want, son. We are waiting here." The boy ran briskly towards the jewelry shop and entered inside. Kayuba said, "Hurry up and take all the food and beverages, Bayu. Something is going to happen soon." Bayu was a little puzzled, but he quickly took all the food and beverages and then both of them disappeared.

After teleporting to a distant place, they sat down under a tree and started eating the stolen food and beverages. Bayu asked, "Why did we run? Were those emerald coins counterfeit?" Kayuba smiled, "Of course. No one will ever make coins of emerald. Emerald is a very rare gemstone. But, there's more to it. Emerald is considered ominous by the ogres because the elves use emerald as their sigil and also their statue of Mother Manaca is made of an entire emerald." Bayu asked, "Then, which God does the ogres worship, then?" Kayuba said, "They worship Mother Manaca too. But, their way of worship and traditions are different from elves, just as the elves's ways are different from the Manacans. Elves worship the natural form of Mother Manaca which is her original form.

The Mother of all life forms on Earth. Manacans worship the warrior form. The Destroyer of all Evil on Earth. The ogres worship the demonic form of Mother Manaca. The Scavenger." Bayu asked, "Mother Manaca had a demonic form too?" Kayuba said, "Yes. But, it's only an oral tale and no solid evidence ever surfaced on this. Mother Manaca took the form of an eight handed demoness with three heads. All were faceless. It is said that she took the form of a demoness to slaughter the demon Zorak, who took the form of a sage and soon abolished all the gods and goddesses and created a new species of humans that were anarchists and sinners. She took the form so that she can break the enchantment that Zorak is more powerful than other gods and goddesses.

After the death of Zorak, everyone realised that Zorak was a fraud and then Mother Manaca came to her real form and said that bad can come in the disguise of good and good can come in the disguise of bad. It doesn't matter what the appearance of the person is, we have to look for the qualities in that person. So, that's what ogres believe in, that they may be hideous in appearance, but their inner "beauty" is what makes them superior to the other species of organisms around. You may call it their delusion, but for them it's their reality." Bayu said, "Wow. How did I never learn about these things? I remember reading twenty books in an hour daily." Kayuba smiled, "Because you were too busy reading books written by brute war generals and crafty politicians.

You should have read some books on history too. I personally like J.J. Thamsel's "A Brief Glimpse On The Diverse Culture And History Of The Manacans." Bayu said, "There is nothing brief in that book. The book contains more than thirty thousand pages with eleven hundred chapters that are written in the most miniscule handwriting ever." Kayuba said, "That guy gave his entire youth and old age in that book. He earned quite respect and appreciation from the genius minds of the Monastery, excluding Kenchi. He is just a big bragger. Bacca was so impressed that he gave J.J. Thamsel the most elaborate and distinctive tomb on the greenest part of the mountain." Bayu said, "I thought you guys were immortal."

Kayuba smiled, "Yeah. We are. But, he was a human." Bayu asked, "A human wrote a book for demons?" Kayuba said, "Not just for us, you idiot. He wrote the book for everyone. But, only demons have so much skill to finish the entire book. Only fifty books were published and then he went bankrupt and died of starvation and probably, alcoholism." Bayu said, "Such a tragic end." Kayuba said, "Alice is definitely with Vexana or any other person. I just hope she is not with Elgin and then, we are good." Bayu asked, "How are we going to do that?" Kayuba said, "Simple. We will fight against them." Bayu asked, "What?" Kayuba sighed, "Clearly you didn't understand much from all those books on war and politics." Kayuba disappeared in red mist. Bayu mumbled, "Is this man nagging me?" He disappeared in thin periwinkle dust as the moon started to rise.....