THE ASC3NDANTS Awakening. (III) ✔[#Wattys2019]

Chapter (1)

Chapter (I)
You and I are two spec of life within a vast wonder of creation. Nature, Love, hope and of course, life and death all together are major phenomena that have defined the fullness of our nature. And you above all, shall embark on this journey before us. Through you, our kind shall drifts upon stranger tides into the heart of the unknown because within lies mortal man's greatest mystery, fear, but also the ultimate answers.
Far from home, have we enslaved ourselves within a system of our own creation? The system drags us by chain off the cliff of time into an unfamiliar darkness we will not awaken from. By faith, we have grown to believe and understand that they system is for us and we are for it. Yes, it has been a veil that's shielded us from the consequences of our very own corrupted nature as well as the unknown realities and powers of nature. 
The system has engineered ignorance and ignorance has become mortal man's greatest weakness. That's why, if anyone has been here long enough, they must have come to learn that peace and freedom have been a mere illusion. And we, who Hunger and thirsts for greater truth, possess the last key and compass to our freedom. Because are borne of the system and are bound to live and die by it! It could be our only chance and so is why we succumb to it
The Unknown is real and we must face it to define who we are, where we are and what our fate as an outcast people is! And today, fear above all hope is what has brought this voyage this far! The clouds will descend upon the veil but take heart the greyness will not last long. Because what lies beyond, hopefully is the answer our ancestors never found. With them, the Mortal system began; with us its survive.
They knew best and most certainly, they go with you to the ends of time
'...my king, brother, may they voyage with you upon these legendary waters. Do not be afraid because you know you are there when the silence is loudest and the tides taken control of the voyage.'
Yours faithfully
Mrs. Annabel.

***
The letter was written and directed King Edward of England in Winchester. It came from his very own dear sister Mrs. Annabel, a member of MOTH. By coincidence, Prince Henry, the king's son always happened to be present whenever a letter arrived from different members of MOTH to his father. And his curiosity is annoying.
However, his father has grown aware but also fond of his son's sneaky manners ever since he found him in his personal study reading one of the letters he had received from Stoyler Kleed, former head of the MOTHs council. He was able to read that at the age of nine and since them becoming less interested in fairy tales him Nanny always told him to bed.
A week later, his Nanny reported that the prince was encountering certain dreams and a syndrome of asking too many questions about strange things. Ever since then, he grew so critical about the arrival of Auntie Annabel at the palace to see the king. With all the questions he had that his father never responded too direct, he hopped to find his own answers. Some of them, the King's best friend and Eunuch Charlmain responded to but he too had a limit.
The Prince had no limits. Therefore, he discerned that every Mrs. Annabel's visitation to the palace to meet with the king, involved an exchange of MOTH information. Due to his curiosity, he would always follow her through the shadows of the palace. Down the corridors until she met with her brother king Edward in secret. Much of the time, they spoke less because she was dumb and communicated through sign language much of the time. Besides that, she delivered her letters and those of the other MOTH members herself.
For that case, he always had to be present to know where the king kept his letters and the combinations to these drawers; he always managed to crack with time after by passing the guards. Today he was not in the palace. He woke up at sea on board the 'Royal Ark' as it had been named. How he got on board he couldn't recall but here he was sneaking up on his father to see what he was reading. Surely again. The letter had the MOTH's seal at the top. Father never ever answered him right. And there was no guarantee he was going to pour it all out in case he rushed in on him this time too. He saw fit to wait.
Ten minutes ago, he woke up alone in his cabin with a dark grey sea blanketed with low hanging cloud spreading out for miles before him. The cabin was well set to resemble his room at the palace. What he saw horrified him and so brought him running to meet his father because this was his ship it couldn't have set sail without him on board. He was certainly on board the ship. He had a letter in his hands. The Prince halted and drew a side to avoid being seen. His reason was clear. The king was startled and craned so fast to face the entrance but saw no one there. The letter was so confidential but it wasn't knew to him that his son's curiosity had no bound.
Well, prince Henry knew (MOTH as the Movement of the hunt, which defended the realms of men against the infiltration of mythical beings like the Yakunko and so much more his father alone could reveal but dared not. Why? Another letter? He saw his father rush to tack it away as he always did whenever he received anything from the MOTH council. He wasn't a member because he was king but his sister had joined an was the only female MOTH had ever taken into its council in all its history, he was taught this!
MOTH had its last council meeting from Winchester a week ago and the king had been invited. This was to celebrate the first victory over the Yakunko infiltration. They had been cleared finally. He had contributed a lot compared to so many other Monarchs and they were grateful. They had a gift for him and this gift was a royal Voyage designed by the MOTHs themselves. All that was discussed by the MOTH generals with the King, his father remained behind thick walls!
Maybe, the king would let him know one day. (-but he did not live to hear him utter the secret he harbored. Now that he was grown and a king his father never thought he would ever be able to make.) Then, the prince was still young but he was present to witness this splendid and magnificent royal ship of all ship being donned to the crown with gratitude for its paramount support for MOTH's cause.
Well, they were sailing away on through the great fog he had always studied about. They were on board this splendid royal Voyage. Its engines turned and it shifted in ways so unfamiliar to him. It looked to be powered by a strange form of fuel if not an alchemist sort. Nevertheless, its power was beyond any other he has ever been on... Besides that, when? Where? And how exactly did he get on board the ship? First, he does not even recall his father or anyone else mentioning anything about this Voyage! And well, for what destination?
But he woke up already on onboard and they were sailing away so drifty upon stranger tide within a vast and unending grey fog. Why and what for? The prince does not recall how long they have been wondering about in search for something, whatever it could be. And his father was in his study, this he knew for sure. And he had the answers but hadn't said noting.
The Prince had walked around on the ship from one end to the other but everything surprised him from the design of the ship, to the crewmembers who were nothing more than imagery shaped by the mist they were sailing through! They were locomotive and industrious but he so questionably walking right through him like they were not real.
This had frightened him and he had called out to the captain who had earlier rushed past him confused like something was gone wrong. He looked terrified about where they were headed and the compass was no longer working. He turned and sounded an alarm to the crew who paused immediately. His instructions came with terror across his face.
"Captain, Captain Saliburn!" the Prince yelled towards him. When he realized that, no one could hear him. He had run right up to the captain who was fighting the wheel in a storm that was gradually picking up.
He wanted to inquire but the man could neither hear him nor see him! The Prince yelled the captain's name once more trying to take his long coat! His presence seemed to be unnoticeable!
Nevertheless, he seemed to know every way around the ship as if he has been on board several times. He found this too terrifying and immediately rushed back towards his cabin. But, hardly had he opened the door to his cabin when it hit his mind that this was his father's ship. And if it was sailing, he most assuredly had to be present on board!
He automatically by passed his chambers and headed for his father's study. That's where he found him reading his latest letter from MOTH no different from all the others he always recieved at his palace in Winchester.
However, whatever it was! His father and the members of MOTH alone knew why and what exactly was going on here! Nevertheless, father has never been straight to him about his association with MOTH. Was he going to reveal anything this time? Prince Henry doubted this!
Above deck, he was conscious about the quick footsteps of an industrious crew dragging this and that here and there, back and forth. The creaking never ceased even for a moment. And from the captain's actions. It was obvious that they were lost in the middle of nowhere, which automatically caused the uneasiness among the crew on deck. Most probably, they were several thousands of miles away from home.
Immediately, his father tacked the letter away. And when the confusion started above deck, is when he turned and left to see what was going on. The Prince got in and removed the letter. Sat down on his father's seat. Brough the candle close and read. The Letter was from her Auntie, Mrs Annabel to her father. and it was stamped with the seal of the MOTHs top secret office.
By mere fact that his father accepted to embark on this voyage meant the king was committed to this mission and was willing to die whatsoever, because the mission was for the sake of all mortal men. Just as the letter from his sister had put it.
All of a sudden, his father was back as if he had forgotten something behind! And when he sees his son reading the letter, the king rushes over and snatches it out of his hands furiously. He rushed forward worry consuming his face.
"I must have destroyed this immediately after..." his father said taking it from him!
Prince Henry could only look on. He had so many questions. Curiosity had eaten the best of him and at this moment, he had questions more than his father could ever accept to answer!
"-how much have you read exactly...?"
"Father, what does MOTH need from us?" He spoke glancing out through the ship's high windows on their left. Everything he saw beyond here was fog, the likes of hanging clouds. He surely felt this was a creepy idea.
"As long as you are my heir to the throne of England you do not question my decisions. And may this be the last time you will ever mention MOTH because they must have nothing to do with the affairs of the monarch!"
"But father... you and Auntie Annabel have..."
"You heard me Henry!"
"But..."
"Listen here..." The king spoke drawing nearer over him.
"Whatever you have read in this letter, I don't know how much, is top secret and it's my role to protect and nature England's future king while I can and have the chance to! That is why we must agree you have read nothing! Okay?"
"But father... I read about... -the Unknown and. And Auntie Annabel is..."
The king quickly glanced around and placing a heavy hand onto his shoulder spoke deeply and meaningfully. "You heard me well. And thats that!"
There was a moment of silence and tension.
"Father?"
The prince looked puzzled but nodded all the same just when his father reached for a burning candle.
"Are we lost?" His father quickly glances aside back at him like he were sure it was exactly as he was assuming! But how does the Prince get to know! He thought for a moment and the best answer he could give after all is...
"You will find your way home but you must beware of them...because they aren't alone." Bitterness superseded by self-blame consumed his face. He shut his eyes so hard for a few seconds with the lamp's golden glow showing the fade of his golden beard. It's like they have been on the sea for some long while for his kingly stature to wear off.
"Father?"
"We have drifted from course and right now you must return to your quarters immediately and wait for my next instructions." He turned from the prince and silently held the letter over the fire. As it turned to ashes, silence deepened all around them. The winds had not changed course but had faded away. And the sails hung down low! This became the strangest moment the crew could have ever expected!
And as the letter continued to burn, there was a heavy rocking in the ship! They glanced up just to hear that there was not a single sound or even footsteps across the deck. What was going on? The shaking came again but this time heavily.
The king lost his footing, almost falling over.
Unfortunately, the letter fell out of his grip and onto the table where there were several piles of other papers and maps scrolls. The lamp hanging above the table went loose and toppled down onto the table. They king tried to grab it but he was too late. It rolled a side and onto the floor where most of the papers had fallen!
The lamp's fuel flowed out over the papers setting the piles of documents ablaze. And before they knew it, the bookshelf too went up in flames.
The king drew back with fright across his face! The king did not know what to do at that point. He could not see what to pick up and use against the fire. He took up a jar of water and thrust it at the fire. The jar burst but the water that had remained could not even feel one cup.
"Call the crew quickly!" the King muttered to the prince with a frown. Then turned and rushed up the deck! Prince Henry looked confused and scared all at the same time!
The ship pushed entered a spread of spiky rocks, which protruded, from underwater like under water mountain peaks! There seemed to be a force drawing it into the depths of the hanging cloudy fog! And the captain was sure to let them know that he was no longer having control over the ship!
First, the ship's sails had lost their purpose even though they were not tattered nor tone from any wreckage. The ship was pressing uncontrollably deeper into these rocks loosening the ship's ribs and capsizing pieces of the sides. By force and the spiky rocks were ripping away pieces of wood in the sides the deeper it went through! And the captain was horrified at having lost control because he no longer had anything he could do about whatever force was sucking them away!
The king rushed out onto open deck automatically turning intangible like the rest. He was blowing in the breeze. Just when the ship's floor started reaping away from the pressure of two rocks in the sides of the ship!
"What the hell is wrong captain...?" He yelled out to the captain who hardly heard anything while he fought with the control and then abruptly letting go of it and stepping back. His eyes in horror. Men were running back and forth trying to find out how to stop the ship "Your majesty...," came the Captain almost to himself! Then whatever he said next faded away into the noise of the capsizing.
The fog was fading so fast. And they were breaking out of its thickness at such a fast pace... And before them rose an unimaginable wall.
All eyes rose towards the wall! No one could believe what they were staring at. It was a legend they had all heard about in childhood fairy tale. And if this wasn't one of their childhood dream, they were yet to be called discoverers of the world's greatest secret. Why? Of cause the most obvious question here was. What was this wall? And what exactly was it here for? In simple words! what lay beyond this wall. And at this point, no other knew better than the king himself.
The wall rose so high for about three-five hundred feet or so. However, its top was not clear because the fog concealed its top. But from its base, it was clear and seemingly natural as if it had grown by itself. It was made of a twist of strange big stump trees of strange bark. The back looked to be white and clogged with algae and seashells like the sea had just fallen all of a sudden. Long branches twinned and twisted through but leafless and spiky with thorns.
No one could utter a word at this point!
All of a sudden, the ship broke from the spiky rocks into an arced space just before the wall itself! And here the water was as clear as glass. Below was like a glass window to the wonders of the deep. Glowing fish and strange sea animals swam by in such a calm mater!
Everyone seemed to be caught unaware by this wondrous beauty glowing up from below at them. The ship was stuck between two rocks. But leaning over slowly to start sinking from the very front! No one seemed to realize this until boxes started to slide up front past them. And this is when everyone came back to their senses to realize that fire was burning all around them and that the ship was starting to take in water through its sides and base!
The fire had spread out from below deck and had already consumed much of the ships back end. No one could run back that side! Confusion and horror-struck everyone. Now there was a struggle for survival! Some chose to dive off into the water just in time to avoid being crushed and burnt but that was a quicker way to one's death!
The king raised his face to see the flames rise! And there was nothing he could think about right now other than his son! He turned called his name. Prince Henry was struggling out from the flooding lower deck and sure enough, he had had his father's yell just when water splashed up onto him washing him into the side of the ship and into his mouth before he could even respond to the call!
The king saw his son crush against the side of the ship and almost being washed out into the sea. He rushed forward to help. The prince was holding onto a naked rib of the ship by now! And he was screaming! The king reached where he was just when the ship's masts started to lean down tearing the rest of the ship into a wild mess! He had to get through this wild reaping apart of the open deck's floor to reach his son!
He did manage to get through the tearing. He reached out to his son just when a little rescue boat went loose slightly above where they were and before the king knew it, it was upon him. He was hit and in a second he was swept off the side of the ship into the water. The prince screamed out for him
"Father!!!" but to look down the he was fading, gone like the departing of a cloudy night.