Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai

Chapter II

The rains ceased and the young boy woke. He rubbed his eyes, curled his toes in soaked, dirty socks, and stretched out his arms. But, as his eyes focused, he saw a black crow standing near his feet picking at the spilled organs of the dead dove.

The crow paused and looked at the boy with a long strand of coiled intestine hanging from his mouth. He crooned and continued pecking.

"Get away from her!" the boy shouted; the crow feasted more. He tried to push the crow away with light kicks but the crow contested by biting at his rubber sole. Frustrated, the boy shot up to his feet to deliver a final kick, but the crow had already taken flight.

The crow, fully satisfied by his meal, ascended to meet the winds that blew foul air between the abandoned buildings of the Ideo sector. Soon he was soaring high above Atlas. Night had come and city lights both static and in motion were seen in all directions.

Although he despised the urban details of Atlas by day–its creeping decay–he loved how pleasant it could appear from high in the dark sky; the city sparkled hundreds of thousands of lights as streams of lights of all colors and shades outlined a vast shining web that stretched out to the mountainous horizon. The view was astounding, but as he looked in awe he began to despise the night for he knew that there was no real beauty in the lands below him during the light of day. The ocean was now near for instead of city stink the salty scent of the sea was filling his lungs. In the distance, he could see the glorious columns of light beaming bold and strong into the night sky from the hollow of Mount Eve. There, within the heavily carved mountain that stood near high sea cliffs, was the Tower of Light encircled by the seven Atlantean Royal Towers.

The Tower of Light rose above the surrounding rock walls of Mount Eve and the seven towers. It was a white tower, an ivory tower, made of white marble stone. Hidden behind the Tower of Light, to the west, was the black Tower of Drakul. To the southeast of the dark tower was the Tower of Libra, and to the northeast stood the Tower of Taurus. Southeast of the white tower stood the Tower of Leo, and to the northeast the Tower of Cancer. The Tower of Virgo stood southwest of the Tower of Leo, and the Tower of Gemini stood northwest of the Tower of Cancer.

The towers served as the political residences of the seven Atlantean Royal Families; they each, except for the Clan Order of Drakul, held dominion over the various regions and colonies of the Empire. The Oracle King Artemis built the six zodiac towers–the white and dark towers had already been built in the ages before his time–as a monumental astrological calendar marking the coming ages. He had lived in the Age of Libra, the Golden Age: a time of balanced scales, elegance, beauty, and high art–the zenith of Atlantean peace and prosperity. It was said by him that a dark time would come in the last days of the Age of Virgo and that "a child born to none" would arise and give life to the Age of Leo; the Ages of Cancer, Gemini, and Taurus would then follow to cloak the Mother in shadow.

The crow did not rest until he reached the center of a massive, circular marble surface at the peak of the Tower of Light where stood a tall marble column with a wide base and a pointed crest he could not see. Landing in the shadow of the tall column he looked out and saw the white light of Mount Eve shooting up like a translucent wall all around the circular plane's curved edge; the winds sang a low reverberating tone that caused his bones to quiver. He heard something faint and listened; a whisper within the winds tempted him to see what was below the edge. He walked toward the edge finding shadow mixing white light into grey. Long cool moments passed. The wall of light was then before him, and just when he was about to touch it with his beak a strong draft of wind ruffled his feathers and nearly lifted his body. The wind was soon gone and he felt the full weight of his body again. He bent forward, stretched his neck over the edge, and looked down into the blinding abyss. He lost his balance but quickly managed to step back and catch his breath. It was all too much: the light, and the song of death that now howled deep within the winds. No, it is more than I can bear; to the shadow will I return, and the crow hobbled back to the familiar comforts of the dark.