The Immortal's Warrior The Coming Storm

Chapter 1

Seth awoke with a start as she gasped for air and slammed her hands into the darkness above her. It was hard and solid with a coarse texture; it was stone. Her ears twitched, nose flared, and her eyes darted around, her senses taking stock of where she was before she even had time to think. She seemed to be entombed in stone. Finally, her thoughts caught up to her and panic began to seep into her. Why was she trapped like this? Where was she? Who was she? Seth's heart began to accelerate as her breaths came faster, her panic rising. She needed to get out, but how? She couldn't even see.

Suddenly, a dim light flashed in her prison, a small, arc of light zipping down her arm to illuminate her space. It only lasted a moment but soon more arcs of light were dancing across her skin, lighting everything up. In awe of the light, Seth brought her hands up to her face, the arcs of light responding by hopping to one another, causing even brighter flashes of light she somehow wasn't blinded by. The beauty of it caused her face to light up itself with a delighted smile at the sight. Somehow, despite the lack of memories, it felt like it had been an eternity since she had seen such a sight.

Her sight was then cast downward from her arms to her body, her cheeks and pointed ears stinging with warmth. Whatever she had been wearing when she had been put in the prison was nothing but dust and scraps that hardly covered a shred of her slender, pale-white body, and as more power arced down her body what little remained was brushed off. How did this happen? She silently asked herself. She couldn't remember a damned thing but she was certain she did not enter this tomb like this.

Whatever the reasons, Seth decided that she didn't like being in what seemed to be a tomb, but how was she going to get out? Taking another critical look around but this time with the light emitting from her hands, Seth noticed that the stone had a clear separation at the top all around the edges. A lid, then? Tracing her fingers along the edge, she could feel the gap and at some points, a slight draft. Air circulation, which would explain how she hadn't suffocated, assuming she had been in here for a while. But still, Seth took a deep, controlled breath to lower her heart rate, it didn't sit well with her that it seemed she was in a stone sarcophagus. She needed to get out.

Placing both hands flat against the stone slab above her, Seth pushed against the stone, trying to force it up. It barely moved. Gritting her teeth, she pushed harder, the arcs of light intensifying with her effort as her arms strained against the weight of the stone while it slowly lifted higher, stone scraping against stone as she struggled to lift the lip of the lid over the edge. With a last effort, Seth finally managed to clear the lip and tilt the slab over to the side, sending the stone slid smash down onto the floor outside with a tremendous ruckus. She really hoped she didn't disturb anyone.

Seth took a series of deep breaths as she lay in the sarcophagus for a few moments more, catching her breath and collecting herself before she began to stand. However, once she cleared the edge of the stone sarcophagus, she froze. Before her was a small crowd of people, human unlike herself, all staring at her in shocked awe while trying to shield their eyes, the small bolts of light still arcing up and down her and seemingly blinding them. The makeshift cover didn't last long for soon embarrassment roared through her and cut off whatever was generating the light, which slowly died out just like her newfound dignity that her fresh consciousness had granted her. The only thing to spare her was that once the light she had been emanating died out the entire crowd dropped to the ground and bowed their heads to the ground as if their very lives depended on it but not before several utterances of 'she has awakened' was whispered about.

Silence roared in her ears as every part of her felt electrified. "What?" Was as Seth was able to manage in her shock.

An elderly woman donning a long, grey robe, the closest person to her, turned her head to the side and hissed to someone. "Her robe, now," she said while keeping her head down with an averted gaze, but then faced her head back to Seth. The woman took labored breaths before clearing her voice to speak, swiveling her head forward again yet still keeping her eyes averted. "My Lady Seth, you must be terribly confused. Pary, forgive us, we did not foresee your awakening for another millennium, but we have kept things prepared nonetheless. If you allow us but a moment to retrieve your robe, we can explain all at your leisure."