Amora: The Regent and the Ranger Excerpt – The First Trials of Kane Blackmar

Fiction by Noah Douglas

Kane gasped for air as he pushed himself off of the ground. His eyes darted around as he tried to take in what he could of his surroundings. There was only darkness. He focused himself as he tried to will the essence of light into being, but something seemed to inhibit his powers. He remembered now that Moraig’s being had separated from his own. The Sceptre of Moraig in its staff form, seemed heavy, like an old artifact that only weighed him down. Nonetheless, he refused to let the weapon go.

In his other hand, Kane drew his sword as he was unaware of what trials he may face. He moved the sword around and attempted to feel the walls. As he padded around blindly, he also searched for the golem he had taken with him. Kane’s foot hit something metallic. When he bent down to examine it, he realized that the golem that he had taken with him was reduced to none but scrap. The powers that bound the mausoleum together were clearly a great threat.

Kane decided that there was little that could be gained from lingering around the entrance. The Crown was hidden inside the tomb, and clearly, the mausoleum was built with the objective of protecting the artifact as one of utmost importance. Kane proceeded down the pitch-black stairway that led him deeper into the mausoleum as he used his sword and sceptre to feel the walls and every step.

Suddenly, a fire ignited all around him and light flooded the hallway in which he stood! Kane leaped backward and brought his weapons up, expecting trouble. However, it was only torchlight... flames atop old torches that had curiously decided to ignite themselves. So there was indeed a powerful presence over the mausoleum, one that rejected his power but amplified its own. It almost felt like that of a unique consciousness.

Kane proceeded down the hall; the burning light offered him some description of where he was. The hallway was made of cut stone, with a flat and almost smooth floor, and the walls were smooth as well with small inscriptions on them that he could not make sense of. The ceiling arched overhead and almost seemed to vanish into an infinite depth at the top, where light seemed not to go.

Ahead of Kane was an arch marked with ancient runes of some sort that glowed the faintest blue which implied that they held some sort of power or charge. He could not see past the arch itself as if the ground dipped into some dreary abyss.

“Hmmm, it appears that the only way forward is to pass through the arch and take a step of faith,” the king observed.

Something suddenly shimmered in the distance and Kane could see yet another arch far off, its faint blue glow giving it away. “How could such an expanse exist inside this forgotten mausoleum?”

To jump across the gap would be impossible. The only way to reach the other side was to step through the arch and have faith that one would not fall to their death. Kane couldn’t quite explain how he knew that this was the case, but rather he could feel that this was the matter.

Suddenly, Kane felt afraid, he was concerned that taking a step would send him plunging into the abyss and his death. He hadn’t come this far to die! However, he also hadn’t come this far to fail. The king took a shallow breath, put one foot out, crossed the threshold of the arch, and planted his foot... on nothing.

Kane fell forward and was sent cascading down the dark shaft! He had nothing to grab onto, there was no way to save himself. As the air rushed into his face and his body felt weightless in freefall, Kane began to see things; images appeared all around him. He proceeded not to hit the ground but rather continued falling, for there was no ground below him, only emptiness.

Kane began to pay more attention to the images in front of him, if anything, they would take his mind off of the freefall situation and perhaps provide a solution. He could see himself, he was playing in the courtyard, once young and innocent. That was a long time ago. That image shifted into him training to fight. He was still weak at the time with little to no skill or experience. Suddenly the image shifted again, to himself, somewhat older. New recruits were training as he previously was. Kane watched himself beat the recruits to the ground in humiliating duels with each of them. He had forgotten about that, he wanted to prove his strength, but instead, he just proved his rude nature. He didn’t know why, but for some reason, he felt guilt, something that he rarely felt and only last felt at the time of his father’s death.

“What is this?” he grumbled through gritted teeth. More images appeared of Kane’s most wicked actions throughout his life. He saw the boy who had given him the Book of Moraig, and watched himself murder the innocent. He watched yet another scene where he impaled his father, killing him, and watched the life drain from his eyes once again. Kane never felt more alone.

Suddenly, with a thud, Kane slammed into cold wet stone at the end of the expanse. How he had gotten to the other side from falling downwards, he was unsure. Shaking himself off, the king rose to his feet and stumbled forward. He passed through the arch and proceeded deeper into the mausoleum. He realized that he had somehow lost hold of his sword, thankfully, the sceptre was still in his grasp.

Nothing would stop him from continuing forward. He wasn’t just trying to obtain the crown now for power, it was also a trial of pride and devotion. He had to prove to himself that he could obtain his goals, even without the aid of Moraig. Yet, he also needed to keep his mind on his true objectives and not allow Moraig to control him too far. He had a duty to uphold to himself and his people; he would save Amora at all costs. Save it from its enemies... and itself.

Kane scoffed, he knew full well that Moraig was using him just as much as he was using Moraig. Still, needless to say, the demon’s influence was growing ever stronger. Sometimes he even found himself lost and confused when attempting to separate the demon’s thoughts from his own.

He would have been lying if he said that he didn’t feel much better ever since Moraig separated from him upon entering the mausoleum. His soul felt... clean, his mind soothed, and his body far less strained. However, he also felt somewhat weaker, like having been cut off from a source of sustenance. The absence of his powers, too, made him uneasy.

Further ahead in the tunnel came flashes of brilliant light! Something or someone was causing the erratic blasts of light; they were not natural flickers, but rather something vibrant and alive. Kane cautiously padded towards the light, seeking what could possibly be the cause of such radiance.

The light flared so brilliantly that Kane failed to note himself passing through yet another archway, marked by the same ancient runes as he had previously seen. As his eyes adjusted to the brilliant white light, Kane stood shocked at what he saw. Beings were all that he could describe them as, many of which were like that of which he had never seen. No description could either do them justice nor be applied with the human tongue; they simply were.

One of the beings, however, held a sense of familiarity, yet he could not tell why. This particular entity seemed to reign above all the others, inducing a sense of fear in him and perhaps even the others. However, it was not only fear, for fear was nothing but a symptom of the authority that the being seemed to hold. Senses of comfort, order, and security also seemed to radiate from the being in a way that Kane had never quite perceived them before.

Who, or what was this... image of perfection? He could barely comprehend what he saw, so he chose to turn away. As he did so, another entity entered the space. It was what appeared to be an elf of ancient lineage. Kane could only tell by knowledge from books and drawings, but he had never met one himself. He was met with a sudden feeling of discomfort as not only did he hold a general disdain for elven kind as most all humans did, but also because of whom the elf was conferring with.

The elf met with one of the beings whom he didn’t quite notice before. This entity, unlike any of the others, gave off a chilling presence that startled him to his core. There was something so bitter and off-putting that Kane couldn’t take his eyes off of the entity that stood apart from its peers.

Surely in comparison to the beings that were within the elf’s company, the elf was nothing. However, Kane could not mistake the near-perfect features of the elven male who possessed not only outstanding physical traits, but stellar tact and charisma to even commune in the presence of such beings.

Perhaps, Kane speculated, the elven man was handcrafted by the beings, whatever they were. What were they anyways? Surely not human, but more likely of a divine nature. He considered the demonic nature of the entities, but quickly cast it aside, for he knew somehow inside of him, that these beings were anything but that; such a sentiment was held for all of them except for the elf and the entity with whom he conversed.

A sudden action caught Kane’s attention. All of the entities other than the leader (or who he had perceived to be so), the elf, and the elf’s peer, dispersed. The three individuals were left alone, with Kane as an unperceived observer. The sound within the space was largely muffled to Kane so that he could hear very little and understand even less as the two entities seemed to argue. The elf remained quiet, but it was his powerful and unsettling peer who appeared to be the aggressor. What the entity was arguing over, Kane could not tell.

Suddenly, with a cyclonic blast of ethereal energy, the malignant entity attacked the leader! The attack, which Kane perceived to be the strongest blow he had ever seen, didn't even seem to register to the leader who remained shining in all of its glory. The aggressor halted, perhaps becoming aware of or even stunned by its weakness in comparison.

The leader still didn’t attack even in defense of itself, but rather, radiated a feeling of disappointment that Kane himself seemed to feel, although he didn’t understand why. However, it was the elf who struck first against the entity, who Kane assumed was the elf’s master. Kane didn’t understand the attack, he understood very little of what he saw at all, but the elf seemed to leech the lifeforce, the energy, straight out of the entity and into himself.

The elf laughed maniacally at his fallen master that now had been completely consumed. Crimson sparks ignited around the elf and tremendous power surged through his body. The leader no this was the Divine, Kane realized that now seemed far less impressed by the elf’s ploy. Kane couldn’t see an expression on the Divine’s blinding features, but he could feel the displeasure.

“You know that an Ældar obtaining such power is forbidden,” stated the Divine. Kane, upon hearing and understanding what was being said, focused his attention. The Divine continued, “Please, allow me to remove it from you.”

“Hah!” The elf lept away from the Divine, and more crimson energy crackled to life around him as if he could barely contain it. “All you seek is to hold my kind and I back from our true potential! My master knew it, but he was too foolish to do anything, so I stripped him of his power and became his better. I will not hand this power over to you who hoards the mysteries of existence for yourself,” spat the elf defiantly, his power surging. “But I’m sure you already knew that!”

“Indeed. We both know you cannot harm me, why even create such a display?” asked the Divine. “You have the choice, child, to end this here and now.”

A lighting bolt pierced the sky and struck the elf, who shrugged it off. Under any other circumstance, it would have been a killing blow. The assailant was not the Divine, however, but one of the other beings that had returned. Perhaps this one was a guardian of some kind?

The elf threw his hands up. “Now, we don’t need to get aggressive! I know I can’t harm you physically, so I won’t try. I’m here to bargain, a game of sorts. A contest of faith.”

The Divine seemed amused. “Do tell...”

“I was created to lead a people, gifted with great charisma, influence, and skill. Among other things,” the elf began. “Allow me to use the skills that I possess and have perfected by my own hand, and engage me in the greatest of games. A game of influence, pieces, and pawns. The WORLD is under your dominion, but I think that is because of myself and those like me who execute your bidding. I shall create my own influences, apart from yours, and you shall engage me across the world to see who is truly greater. I will erase your memory from the world below! If I am to win this game of strategy, then I shall be declared Divine, and you shall serve me.”

“And if I am the victor?” asked the Divine.

“Then I shall return to your service and the world will return to what it once was,” the elf stated with a sly smile.

“I already have dominion over this world. Why would I allow you to disrupt what I have made further than you already have?”

“Because, you shall have no better test of the faithfulness and will of your creations. I can prove that with a single nudge, their weak faith can be broken and remolded. Even you will lose faith in them!”

“Very well,” stated the Divine. The elf seemed surprised, perhaps even shocked, that his offer was taken so quickly.

“However,” started the Divine. “You have broken my laws and then dared incite rebellion within my creation. This cannot go unpunished. Therefore, you shall be condemned to the same fate to which you banished your master. You may play your games within the world, but your body shall be cast down to Terrus forever and your soul shall never rise to Avlonar.”

The elf seemed shocked that such action was taken against him. He rebounded in surprise, not sure what to say. It was as if he believed his clever tact would save him from punishment. Kane could feel the hatred radiating off of the elf.

“I’m sorry Moraig,” stated the Divine. “But you knew what the price would be when you took this route. I’m disappointed that you chose such a vain and destructive course of action.”

A great fire consumed the world around Kane as divine wrath was taken out upon Moraig. With that, everything vanished, and Kane was swept away once more.