The Heirs Of Albeeran

Chapter Two: The Unfolding

Palace of Baz - Capital of Londeria

The water falling from the shower brought Canon back to some of his dearest memories. The explorations he would make to the few lakes on his native planet, the beautiful oceans he had visited in his youth, from the time he still felt alive. Memories of so long ago that now he could feel them dissipating, fading from his conscience. He turned off the shower, taking a deep breath, grabbed his robe, and then walked outside his toilet. 

He stopped at the door gazing at his room, room which himself painted the walls many times, the exact same room he lived since he first arrived on that planet, more than two thousand years ago when he was forced to flee from his birth planet. The different canvas painted on the walls images of a dust planet, with colorful vegetation, would brighten up the room, his last memories of home. He walked towards one of the paintings, which he painted not much before he went to sleep, a sad smile grew on his face.

 He took some time just walking around his room, adjusting back to that reality, savoring the details and the memories. Surprisingly he wasn't sad to be back, not much time seemed to have past for him, those three hundred years just felt like a long sleep. Although he would find no meaning or joy in still being alive after all those years, now a different feeling would weight on his chest, almost like a presage, that the reason he was awakened would be something much more familiar than he could expect. He didn't want to call that hope, it was long since that word meant something to him, but could not deny the strange awaking of his soul. He stopped at an exotic paint, it portraited a King with no face, but clouds instead of it, because of how tall he was. Half of the body of the king was dressed with armour and the other with farmer clothes, in his hands he carried a key and a flower. A shiver came down his back.

"Shamul..." He whispered to himself. 

Someone knocked on the door, bringing Canon back to reality.  He walked towards it, hesitating, he had barely exchanged any words the day he had awakened and was unsure if he still knew how to have a proper conversation with someone. The sound of the mechanic voice from outside made him smile. He opened the door and Zion, a robot he had helped to build many centuries ago, was standing in there.

"My friend" He greeted him. "Please come".

"I am overjoyed to see you again, my Lord," Zion said entering the room. 

"I am happy to see you too, old friend" Canon closed the door and hugged the robot, who was surprised by the action, not really knowing how to respond. " A familiar face at last". He concluded stepping away.

"Have you recovered well my King?" The robot asked.

"Quite, I would say," Canon answered walking towards the window. "everything is just rather strange...Being asleep for this long just felt like coming back from another world." He gazed at the city that laid before him.

"I cannot imagine what is like, even if I try. Would you allow me to ask a question for the sake of curiosity?" Zyon asked.

Canon laughed, remembering the particular personality of that robot.

"Of course... Ask whatever you may." he answered.

"How was it in there? ...Was it like having dreams?"  He finally asked, with intriguing expression.

"You know full well I can't dream. Part of the curse..." Canon answered, being drawn to the mark he had on his arm, it was placed on his pulse and it was formed by different symbols and lines, like a tattoo. "But it was...Ethereal...Sometimes I would see memories from the past and...faces I didn't know... I think..." He closed his eyes pressed on to remember. "I think I saw a woman at some moment. I never met her but her face wasn't new to me, I believe it was... maybe just a memory from the time I used to dream... However, most of the time it was just dark and void. Just like death itself...but somehow restful."