Anathema Chapter 1 - Tears in the Lake

Sobs... whispers... laughter. A disconcerting mix, before the platform where the beautiful crystal coffin rested. The woman who rested in that container of mortality exuded a stunning beauty. Everyone, friends and enemies alike, agreed that it was regrettable that death had taken such a dazzling being so early.

Chaos... pain... joy... For some she was a friend, for others a patron, for the majority an enemy. But for a minority she was loved. And even among the minority, the feeling and reaction was disconcerting.

But no one felt more, suffered more, hated more and loved more than Khaled. His tears silently stained his dark gray cloak. His hands trembled, but no words were spoken. No moans were uttered, no vows or goodbyes were pronounced.

He still remembered the last words of the woman who gave color to his existence. Ayla's last sentence echoed in his memory like a sentence. "Long live Khaled... Long live for me...". Irony... a bad joke... the one known as the master of life, the magician who killed or healed entire armies with a simple gesture, killed by a poisoned enemy blade. Yes... It was a joke in very bad taste. But he would make everyone pay. Those directly guilty... those indirectly... everyone would pay.

With a firm but gentle hand, Khaled in a final act of farewell closes his beloved's eyes. His left hand conjures a portal with a gesture of his index finger. The light of the stars dotted the dark sky on the other side of the spatial rift.

The rift moves, slowly swallowing the coffin. The portal ripples with the contact and little by little the crystal coffin disappears amidst the darkness of the starry void.

Khaled has no idea how much time he spent watching the coffin move away. When he could no longer see anything but the celestial void, the portal imploded and disappeared. Then looking at the crowd of people around him, he takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, an unshakable resolution was there, staring everyone in the face. What would happen next, no one had the slightest idea. But one thing was certain... The master of space would make a river of blood flow in the war, perhaps finally putting an end to the exhausting fight.

With a slow step, he opened a new portal, and disappeared through it. In his heart, beyond the flames of hatred and revenge, his wife's words echoed... "Long live Khaled... Long live for me..."