The Rise of The Powers vol. 1

Chapter 1: A New World

15 years later

Chapter 1: A new World

"And then they took their souls, all their souls, including my son's." I was reading from a diary that a guy named Anilian Portial wrote. At least that's what I thought was his name I couldn't read his hand writing very well. I found the diary while I was digging around The House of Edinite, the place where the Power's lived. It was my job to dig around the House to see if there were any hidden jewels there. There never was. Occasionally I found old remainders of past rulers and ignored them, but the diary was different. When I found the diary something told me to leave it and forget I ever found it, but for once I didn't listen to that voice and I carried it with me home and ignored The Voice who was screaming at me not to read it and to put it back.

Everything from the diary sounded normal, I figured it was written by one of the rulers before the Power's, but the last line of the diary confused me. I didn't know what a soul was or how you would take one, but this guy seemed to think they were important. It was the last sentence of the book, all the other pages were blank. The same something told me not to worry about it and forget about the whole book in the first place, but again I ignored it. It felt good to ignore The Voice, it had controlled me my whole life, telling me what to do and where to go and I was sick of it. I was my own person I wouldn't be controlled by The Voice anymore, even if everyone else was.

"Duke!" That was my foster mother, Mrs.Whitings. I always knew I had been adopted, after all my mother and father had been killed in the Ahiliation. That was what the Power's called the day they had come to power. No one knew why they called it that, the Power's told us very little if it all any information about anything. "The Voice told me it's time to go worship the Power's now!"

I almost considered not going. The Voice had told me the same thing, but since now I was ignoring The Voice I thought I wouldn't go. Of course I couldn't do that, if you didn't go to worship the Power's when you were supposed to they would come and kill you. I should know. Once my foster dad, Mr.Whitings had decided instead of going to worship the Power's like he was supposed to, he would stay at home and continue building the shelf he was making. When Mrs.Whitings and I came home from worship all that was left of him was the remains of his bloody corpse on the ground.

"Coming!"I called and quickly shoved the diary under my bed. If The Voice didn't want me doing something, it was most likely against the rules and I didn't want anyone to catch me doing it.

"I shall always obey thee, I shall always worship thee, I shall give up my life if asked upon." I half mumbled half spoke these words for like the millionth time in my life. We had worship everyday for four hours, the rest of that was spent working, for the Power's.

It was useless really I had no idea why we needed to do this, for four hours, everyday.

"Duke!" My foster mother whisper screamed. "Pay attention!" I gave a half nod not really listening to her either. I looked up at the Power family who was sitting on the steps of The House of Edinite, looking even more bored than me. There was Essence and Ethel. Essence wore a small smug on her face, she most likely enjoyed watching her people suffer. Ethel wore a stone face, no expression. Not even a slight hint that he was even there and then there was Lilith and Soren, who were madly whispering obviously oblivious of there mother's cold death stare that she was giving them. I looked at Lilith she was beautiful long sleek brown hair, so unlike her parents blonde curly waves. The only thing I knew about Soren was that he had failed to kill the Prince before him the Anilian guy from the diary. I almost felt sorry for him. He had failed to do his job. Legally he wasn't even Prince. He was not immortal, he had no special magical power's, he was a complete and utter failure. It was a surprise Essence didn't kill him.

"You know we will kill you," The Voice said inside my head. "I would pay attention if I were you." Something inside me snapped. Why did I have to obey a mysterious voice inside my head? Why should I be bossed around by something that was possibly not even living or worse, the Power's?

Shut up! I shouted at The Voice inside my head. I'm sick and tired of you bossing me around and telling me what to do every minute of the day! Can't you just leave me alone, like forever! I looked up and saw a black shadow of some sort falling down from a big black could above The Empire and enter it's way into my body. That's strange. I thought. There are never black clouds in The Empire. It's always sunny. I woke up from my thoughts. When I looked up Mrs.Whitings was looking at me horrified, all the Power's were glaring at me, and everyone in the town was staring at me opened mouth. I had a feeling that what I said to The Voice I did not say inside my head.

"Uh, sorry," I managed to spit out. "I don't know what came over me." Although the worship continued the Power's glare did not lessen. I had no idea what I did or said that got the Power's so aggravated, but I was sure whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"Duke!" Mrs.Whitings screamed at me after worship was over. "What were you thinking screaming at the Power's like that? I'm genuinely surprised that they didn't kill you!"

I opened my mouth to say something, but then stopped. Did Mrs.Whitings think that I screamed at the Power's? Of course, it would make sense, after all, I never did use The Voice's name.

"I wasn't screaming at the Power's. I was-" Mrs. Whitings interrupted me with a glare that chilled me to the bones.

"Lies," She snarled. "Just get to your room. I can't stand to look at you write now.

"I'm sorry." I said before I rushed off to my room.

When I was lying in my bed that night something dawned on me. I hand't been bothered by The Voice all day since my outburst at worship. I'm going to look at Anilian Portial's diary now. I thought trying to get The Voice to tell me not to, but there was nothing. No argument, not even a slight protest. It was like what I said at worship really took The Voice away forever, but no that couldn't be it. It simply wasn't possible. The Voice was probably just playing tricks one me. As I lie awake turning both of those possibilities around in my mind a third one dawned one me, one that chilled me to the bone. What if that black shadow I saw enter my body from the dark cloud, was a soul, my soul? What if because I called on my soul, The Voice was permanently gone? What if this was why the Power's suddenly hated me?