Book One : Aleph, The First Human

Chapter Three - Flesh Desires

The enemy of a being is inside
True friends and betrayer
is our own heart

The greatest battle always fought alone
And fights none

The worst defeat always felt lonely
And heal by itself

The biggest victory is not at the battlefield
Instead at the reflection of oneself

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"Who are you? And don't speak as you know me! You know nothing about me!" Intimidated by the presence of the being, Aleph tries to disagree with every idea of the being.

"I came to fulfill your wishes, the deepest desire of your heart. You aren't worthy to be treated less than a king!" The being explain something out of the ordinary. Aleph has no slightest idea of what the being trying to communicate.

"You are the son of Eloh! The Hero of Baringgar!" A voice so loud like thunder. The being is in front of him, but it speaks like it's everywhere.

"And here I bestow upon you the chance, to be the ruler of Terra. You are more than qualified to be the king." The sword that flew on its side slowly comes to Aleph. Aleph then in a flash remembered how he was treated. He, the disabled surely gets the most unpleasant treatment from the other elf. He grew friendless and the queen always tries to hide him from the elves. He was locked, unloved, and sometimes tortured for the slightest mistake he made. And the being is not wrong. It is as the being is granting the desire of his very heart. To be free, to be respected, and to be loved by others.

The sword appears in front of him in no time. Something engraved on its side. The engraved word means I am in the elvish word. Aleph's mind is contradicting. He slowly catches his breath and closes his eyes. He tried to reminisce while trying to decide his present.

He then grabs the sword with his hands and opens his eyes.

"Aleph, spare us" A trembling sound can be heard. It is the voice of Queen Agafha. The helpless eyes of his mother try to beg for mercy. But in her eyes also anger, discontent, and hatred can be seen clearly. It felt that way for a long time for Aleph. He was never cherished.

Aleph collects the strength he had left. "Aaaaaaaaah!" He shouts with all of his residual might. He holds his sword tightly and runs toward his mother. As he gets close, he can see tears fall down his mother's eyes. Then he arrives at her range. He can easily swing the sword or stab it towards her womb. But he chose differently. He jumps highly across his mother. Run even faster and then he swings the sword with all his bravery. . . towards the black-dressed-being.

The black dress is split into two and a form seems familiar to him materialize. It looks like him, all the same. It frights Aleph. He loses all of his strength. He unholds the sword and the sword disappears into dust.

Then the doppelganger speaks vaguely "I am you" and it disappears into dust.

Aleph turns his head to go after his mother. When he stunned that the queen and the arch aren't there anymore. The whole thing suddenly absorbed into a light sphere and there is a voice just like his mother said "the mighty one is lonely at hearts".

The light sphere absorbs everything into darkness and explodes into a flash so bright. Too bright it blinds Aleph momentarily. Aleph can't see anything but whiteness all around him. The bright light gradually fades. He can see another on the edge of a mountain rock.

A dessert so vast, yet Aleph and one other is at the top of a steep rock. As now Aleph opens his eyes, he sees across the steep mountain an elf try to regain its power. The elf he finds familiar, to begin with.

" Furakh!" Aleph startled at the sight of his rival and his best friend. Furakh may also have passed the first test. But Aleph doesn't see any other elf.

"Furakh, are you okay?" Aleph runs hastily to help him stand at his feet.

"Yes, I'm good. Aleph where are the other royals?" Furakh with lots of blood and bruises tries to grasp what happened around him.

"I also wonder where they are" Aleph replies. Both just arrived from the unknown and to the unknown.

At the moment, a sudden loud voice pierces from the sky " Only one worthy of Yggdrasil."

Aleph and Furakh were shocked at the announcement from higher-ups. They look at each other with panicked eyes. Yet they know that means one of them must become sacrifices.