I froze. Half of me wanted to believe this was all just some dream or game of some kind; the other half knew that this was real.
Eve was concerned that handling this spear would change me forever. The crackling in the air as I approach it told me she could be right. Will I forget my love for her and become The First Hunter? Or will the inverse happen and become who she says I am and die a young man for protecting her. Neither was a great option but the second was definitely preferable.
Strangely, the queens words ring the most true right now. ’Fate will only follow you.’ Words spoken that way have a root in something terrible from their past. Somewhere along the way her past has caught up to her, much like the future crossing paths with me now.
“If there is to be no escaping you then there is no point in delaying it either.” I say to the spear. I close my eyes and grasp it from the coffee table.
Moments pass and nothing happens. I open my eyes to see what could possibly be wrong with the thing when the first rumblings of the spear begin.
I feel my hand electrify and grasp the spear tightly. My arm tingles and my head begins to spin. The tingling traverses my body quickly but I barely notice as images flood my mind.
Formless at first the stream of angry and violent pictures seem a jumbled mess. Then as if by command they begin to tell a story. Seven women gathered around a young girl. I watch as they talk confused with each other. She is different somehow, but I feel connected to her in a way I don’t understand yet.
Time passes and the girl and I grow together, destined to fall in love. Soon he gives his life to save her and the cycle begins for him like it did for me.
Then the difference comes to light. His love becomes queen of a people and him the leader of her army. An uprising occurs and he is sent to handle it. A horrible massacre occurs and the army slaughters the rebels; but, Instead of stopping there they burn the town and massacre the people.
The queen becomes outraged at his atrocities and has him tried and found guilty of treason. With his dying breath he swears his revenge.
In the time before his next life he is offered a deal. The God of the underworld wants his services. He would be granted eternal rebirth and skills for battle in exchange for hunting and killing all the subspecies of humans on the earth. There was no hesitation when he took the deal, not even for a moment. It was then he returned as The First Hunter and began his hunt for revenge.
Suddenly the images swirl away and the ground beneath me gives way. I fall in darkness for what seems like an eternity. When I finally hit the ground again the world around me is still dark with a dim light surrounding me. Strangely, I hear my voice above and around me. “Here is where you will stay, now that you are mine, there is one less obstacle to them.”
But where was here? There was no landmarks or features, just an endless abyss.
- - - - - -
The spiral of light was proof that he had done it. A tear streams down her cheek knowing she had said her final goodbye.
“He has followed the path you set him on. Be proud for he is our only hope remaining.”
“I still can’t believe their plan. To steal our powers? Is that even possible?”
“The proof is in the thrice cursed.”
“Yes, but why him? The kindest soul I have ever known. We just fed him to that monster in the hope’s he can stop the man no sub ever has.”
“We killed him once, we can do it again.” Mel pipes in pumped up with false arrogance.
Eve ponders to herself on the idea of being confident about this. Sending her love into this war she had spent millennia keeping him out of felt very wrong. This man had always loved her regardless of how she looked, talked, or otherwise was different; he had embraced her differences and loved her not despite them, but because of them.
Would he see the whole truth as a betrayal, or a desperate act of trust. The thought of him feeling betrayed by her sent shivers down her spine.
“The messengers should have the warnings out to the communities now, soon the world will know what has been a secret for centuries.”
“Did we do the right thing mother?” Eve asks, her eyes still watching in the direction of where her love is.“
”We did what had to be done.“
”So not even you think it was right.“
”We should go.“ the remorseful queen answers, avoidance would be better than conflict right now.
- - - - - -
”I thought the end of days prophecies were all myths.“ the youngster says to the solemn soldier overlooking the map.
”Their all bogus Malarky designed to scare children into behaving.“
”But the message-“
”Is a call to arms, that’s all. The hundred have finally declared war and it is our job to be the force that stands against them.“
”You expect us to drop our glamour and march in the streets?“
The seasoned veteran shakes his head in disgust at the remarkable naievity of the young ogre. ”That would be an open invitation to get ourselves massacred, not to mention reveal our location and destroy any chance for lasting peace with the humans.“
”I am confused now.“
Some things never fail to surprise those of longevity. Obviously an ogre is going to be confused by subtlety, they have a purpose amongst the subs, leadership is not one of them. This war will require a subtle hand and careful planning.
The first hunter has proven a brilliant tactician time and time again. Him and his hundred, each with their own hundred have infiltrated every sector of most places in the world. The hunters skillfully manipulate in the shadows whatever helps them achieve their goals. Now they have some of the greatest minds in science poisoned against us. They will be researching ways to seize the powers of the subs for their own uses.
These crimes cannot be ignored.
- - - - - -
”Sir! Your return is of the greatest fortune! Welcome back.“
”They know what we are about to do.“ he retorts angrily.
”That’s not possible sir, I swear!“
”Yet here I am abridged of that harlots daughters memories and she knows what we plan to do!“ he shouts, angrily throwing the spear st the wall inches from the hunter.
”What should we do now?“ he asks trembling.
”We proceed! Three ignorant tarts and a ragtag group of mutants are not enough to stop me, let alone the rest of you.“
”Sir!“ the hunter sounds off with confidence.
”Detail the men, find but do not kill every sub we know about. We must get to the root of their powers, some of them even know how they work so torture is suitable research as well.“
”For The Hunt!“
