Last Son: Book One

Chapter 8 The River Of Aza

"Adventurous!!! Adventurous—wake up!" Samael slowly regains consciousness near the bank of the Aza River. Samael asks, "Where am I?" Abbie responds, "Adventurous, you're at the great river of Aza!" Samael inquires, "What's so great about this river... Abbie?" Abbie explains, "Do you not know, adventurous? This is the river where great prophecies flow from the out-lands of Aza and directly to the great Aza Empire!" Samael ponders, "Where are the out-lands?" Abbie informs him, "They are in the opposite direction of where you're going." Samael considers, "It might be worth checking out after a quick visit with the emperor." Abbie agrees, "Yeah... I guess so, adventurous." Samael then requests, "So, give me the direction to the Aza Empire." Abbie shows Samael the holographic map, indicating his current location and his destination in the Aza Empire. Abbie says, "So, adventurous, you're not too far away from arriving at the Aza Empire. Just fifteen miles and you will be entering the Aza Empire gates!" Samael responds, "Good... let's go. Night has fallen upon us." Samael follows the Aza River up north. The night sky is clear, and a gentle wind blows, sending chills down Samael's spine as it rustles the hair on his arms. As Samael continues along the river, he encounters Aza triceratops and draws his sword for battle. Samael stealthily approaches the triceratops, swinging his unusual long steel sword. He utilizes the power of the Azureus orb to teleport, narrowly dodging the triceratops' horns. Samael exclaims, "Take this, you damn creatures!" Samael defeats all the triceratops, their blood staining his unusual long steel sword, which then drips into the river. The sky reverberates with a sense of horror, and Samael has a vision of a dark hooded man standing by the river bank. "Aye... aye... I see you've come to the great river of Aza," the hooded man remarks. Samael's vision is blurry as he asks, "What do you know about the prophecies that flow in this river?" The man wearing the dark hooded robe grins and replies, "Aye, you want to know more about the prophecies?" Samael eagerly responds, "Yes, tell me everything you know." The dark-hooded man then replied, "The prophecies date back to the beginning of the Pterodac civilization. This civilization gave birth to a great prophet who predicted the downfall of the Pterodac kingdom, leading to the rise of Aza. However, this prophecy also foretells the fall of the Aza kingdom and the land being covered in darkness." Samael presses, "What year does this darkness take place?" The dark-hooded man cryptically replies, "Follow the river, and then you shall see the empire. From there, you will find your answers." Samael's vision ends, and he continues to follow the Aza River. Along the river bank, he encounters more triceratops, engaging in fierce battles. Samael continues to move forward, observing the corpses of triceratops scattered along the river bank. He wonders, "What could have ripped these creatures to shreds?" As he passes by the triceratops' corpses, Samael comes across a designated area called "Azura Rituals." There, he notices an old man standing a few feet away, holding an unusual staff in his right hand. The old man greets Samael, saying, "Hello, can I help you, young man?" Samael responds, "Just passing through." The old man inquires, "Passing through, eh? Where are you heading, young man?" Samael replies, "I'm on my way to see the emperor." The old man exclaims, "Oh, the emperor! Yes, of course, the emperor is a very important person." Curious, Samael asks, "What do you know about the emperor?" The old man chuckles and invites Samael to follow him. As they continue heading north along the river bank, the old man begins to speak about the prophecies that are at hand. "I feel that the Azura River flows with many prophecies, but no one knows the hour in which they will come," the old man begins. "I have remained faithful to the Azura River, believing in the words that the water speaks, revealing what will come to pass. Sometimes, I don't fully understand her messages, but I sense that her ways are simple. However, I struggle to fully comprehend the signs of her prophecies. Her water flows, but there is a darkness causing her flow to break into multiple waves, making it difficult to decipher Azura's words." Intrigued, Samael asks, "So, you're telling me that this river speaks to you and only you?" The old man shakes his head and replies, "No one truly understands her, not as I do." Samael's curiosity is piqued, and he quickly asks the old man, "Why? Why are you the only one who understands the river?" The old man chuckles and responds, "As I mentioned before, I am the only faithful being on this land." Samael continues probing, "Do you know anything about the emperor's betrayal?" The old man nods and says, "Oh, yes! She has already warned me about the emperor, but her timing may be a little too late." Samael smirks and confidently replies, "I suppose I don't need an old man and his river to inform me." The old man's expression changes, and he questions Samael, "What do you mean by that, young man?" Samael asserts, "The emperor's betrayal will occur at midnight." The old man's tone becomes grave as he responds, "I'm afraid you still need me and my dear river." Intrigued and somewhat skeptical, Samael asks, "Why do you say that?" The old man beckons Samael to follow him. They walk to a specific spot where the old man raises his peculiar staff above the Azura River and begins chanting in a foreign language. To Samael's surprise, the river's waters part, leaving the land dry. The area where the water used to flow transforms into a brilliant circle of light. Samael hesitantly steps into the illuminated ground, feeling a powerful presence enveloping him. Moments later, Samael is engulfed by the river's waters, being pulled along by its current. Although he is drowning, the great presence he felt earlier keeps him alive. As the chapter concludes, the question remains: Where will Samael find himself in the next chapter?