Dantega:Volume 1 Chapter 6
Chapter 6: The map to the Gates
(PART 2)
Damien is walking in a large candle lit hallway; the pillars that line the window patterns have the feel of an old castle or mansion in England circa late eighteenth century. After walking for quite some time, he reaches a massive double door at the end of the hallway, cryptic drawings and pentagrams lined with Latin words are engraved in the smooth stone door.
Damien reveals a smile accompanied by a blank stare as the door seems to automatically open, allowing him to enter. The room is pitch black, so much so that he can only see two or three blocks of the black and white checkered marble floor that he is standing on.
“It has been a week since you pulled that stunt of yours without my knowledge, and only now do you choose to speak to me?”
This deep voice comes from within the darkness of the other side of the room; the one speaking cannot be seen but his presence can be sensed.
Damien, still wearing the same facial expression replies, “I must apologize, I seem to have lost track of time.”
“You of all people would never do anything without a reason…” The man in the darkness says with a light chuckle, after a momentary pause he asks, “Would you mind telling me what it is you have planned?”
Damien shrugs his shoulders and says, “Well I guess I can do that… you are my father after all.”
Meanwhile back on Earth...
The Capital city of La’Juune has its streets filled to the brim with its citizens all clad in black clothing. Black flags hang ominously from the large windows of the surrounding buildings, the massive castle is the only structure in the entire city that is not hanging the flags. Instead, on a large balcony-like platform that lies on the fifth story of the castle stands a group of about a hundred people.
They are all high ranking soldiers, priests, bishops, and royals, all dressed in black as well. It is the funeral for the king of LaJuune.
The balcony looks over an amphitheater packed with thousands of people mourning over their dead leader. One can relate this scene to the Vatican when a crowd of people await the white smoke signifying the selection of a new Pope.
A young man wearing black armor walks slowly to the podium at the edge of the balcony; the young man of fifteen has orange hair, and is wearing a bitter expression on his face. He rests his hands on the podium, intertwined his fingers and addresses the crowd of people he is looking down on.
“I can see that you are all visibly distraught over the happenings of last week. Trust me when I say that none of you feel the pain that I feel.”
The crowd looks at the anger brewing in his dark black eyes as he continues.
“But the pain that you and I feel, is nothing compared to the pain of our motherland. She has lost her king, she has lost her two eldest princes, and she has lost the man that signifies the pride of her army.”
The cold black eyes of the young man stare blankly out in the distance, his speech is not being read from a sheet of paper, it is coming from the heart in his chest that is increasingly becoming filled with vengeance.
This young man's name is Noah, and he is the third prince of La’Juune. Though he is younger than both Xavier and Luke, he carries a much more stoic demeanor. He has modelled himself after Napoleon and has idolized the General ever since he was old enough to know what war is. As the youngest prince, he was not expected to become anything more than a political tool; but much to the king's surprise, he found that Noah’s obsession with Napoleon’s war and battle feats has given him prodigy-like knowledge. Noah has been creating battle plans and setting up successful live training simulations since he was eight years old, and he is considered to be the brightest war genius in La’Juune. Because of this, the king himself ordered Noah to succeed Napoleon as the leading general of the La’Juutian army.
But much to the young prince's disarray, his father the king is dead, to add to that his two brothers and his idol have gone missing, thus making Noah the temporary king of La’Juune and the leader of its army.
“My father is dead, but I have not yet given up hope that my brothers and general Napoleon are still alive. The key is to find the culprit who has committed this blasphemy.” Noah pauses for a few seconds, a frown surfaces on his face. “People of La’Juune! Who do you think the culprit is?”
The people of the crowd gesture and the murmured voices of many thousands of people are heard answering his question. Noah sees this and is beginning to sense the uproar of the mass gathering of people.
He takes a deep breath and speaks in an increasingly higher tone.
“There have been two messengers who have come to visit me since the incident, one from Troy, and one from Eiyalazo. The messages they gave me was that of their King and Queen accusing us of the disappearance of their princesses! They dare murder our king and have the audacity to say that we are the guilty ones? My people, do you agree with this accusation!?”
The crowd has gotten riled up, and collectively shout a resounding,
“NO!!!!!!”
Noah feeds off of this anger and responds to their uproar, “Neither do I!”
Noah snaps his fingers and two soldiers walk toward the podium pushing two beaten and bloodied men in front of them.
“These are the bastards that dare question not only myself, but all of you! They question our integrity as a country! They question our honor as a people! Will you stand for such an insult!?”
The crowd is shouting obscenities at the two men as the soldiers tie a rope around their necks.
Noah continues, “Allow me to send this message back to both Troy and Eiyalazo... we will find my brothers, we will find general Napoleon, and we will avenge my father, our king!”
The two soldiers throw the two messengers off the five story high balcony; they fall quickly toward the crowd and then suddenly stop. The two messenger’s necks snap and their lifeless bodies hang about fifteen feet above the cheering heads of thousands of people.
Noah spreads his arms as though he were gathering up the resentment of the people below to gather more strength into the words that will be heard around the world.
“WITH THIS, I DECLARE WAR!!!”
The entire city erupts in a patriotic fervor, cheering loudly and celebrating the start of a new conflict.
Rocks, sticks, and other sharp objects are being hurled at the dead bodies of the two messengers. Their mutilated bodies signify only a fraction of the outrage and anger felt by the La’Juutian people.
With the words of the young prince, the world is thrown into the chaos of the fourth World War.
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