About

Chapter One:

The herd was filled by chaos. My father, once the leader, had been slain by his heir. My brother had been corrupted by Death and was now a soldier to destruction with no mind of his own. I had never been favorited for the role of leader, nor had I ever desired it, but now that both Litch and my father belonged to Death, there wasn’t much of a choice. My herd doubted me terribly – I could feel it in the air. They were never still, always uneasy, harsh and angry words were often spoken under their breath. I knew nothing, but looked to the sky for guidance, praying there was a force larger than me that could help our forsaken herd.

Chapter 2

Chapter two:

My perception of reality had seemed to betray me. A feminine voice had filled my thoughts. I knew not if I were asleep or awake. She had handed me a map of Egypt, but yet I never saw her hands, I never saw our exchange. I saw only the map. She told that the reunion of my herd lies within the charted lands, yet she did so in a way that it seemed as though it came from within my own self. I knew immediately that I must embark upon a journey and recover my herd, restoring their faith in me.

The voice returned to me time and time again as she guided me through my journey; it was cool and melodic, soothing my worries and pushing away built up self-doubts. She seemed to lead me only in the way of ideas, leaving nothing but hints of information in my thoughts.

The last light of the sphinx’s head. The words reverberated against my skull, leaving me confused, until suddenly I wasn’t. My journey would carry me to the great monolith of Giza – the limestone sphinx towering into the air – chipped and weathered. A gust of wind blew hot sands over my hooves and into my eyes – absorbing what little moisture was left within them. The sun would set in just a few hours. I was not done, my heard was not here, and rest would not find me. I must move on.

The light on Earth will end here, no deeper. I tossed the cryptic clue around in my brain until again my clouded state of confusion was again miraculously illuminated. This time, I would be taken to the entrance of a tomb upon my own hooves - they seemed now to be almost strange and unattached. The tomb went deep into the earth and hummed with a distinguishing energy. Here, in the shelter of its entrance, I would rest from my journey until the sun rose or my slumber was interrupted by another inkling of guidance.

I would have been lucky for either, but instead a crushing feeling enveloped me as I awoke. I was being swallowed by the sands, and my great, fighting struggle seemed to only infuriate it further as it engrossed me - sucking me deep into the pit of the earth.

You will earn your herd with your mind, not your brute strength, Vexlor. I nodded slowly to the guiding voice, trying desperately to understand. I forced my body to fall limp and worked diligently to slow my heart rate. Closing my eyes, I breathed deeply. My eyes opened as I was dropped into an underground pit. I smiled, for I knew immediately, and almost instinctively, that I was closer to my destination. The smell of the air had changed drastically – I was near water for the first time in my journey, but the water was not clean.

I had found myself within a tunnel, dark and damp, with only the cracks in the walls, allowing light from above, to guide my way. There was no path within the tunnel other than straight south. As I moved along, the water splashed and echoed against the ancient walls, creating a distinctive, haunting voice for itself. The tunnel lead on for what seemed like miles, and I could no longer remember what it was like outside of it. It filled my brain with its unleveled paths and vaguely visible hieroglyphs. I was beginning to become weary when finally, the tunnel came to an end. A vast chamber stood before me, encrypted with images from a time long since passed, and dimly lit by an ever-burning flame. The voice returned to me again: Death is not the enemy, for he is why you will unearth your greatness. Take from him what he holds. My eyes slowly fell over every inch of the room I had entered, trying to understand the meaning of the words yet again. I tried desperately to understand the significance of the pictorial engravings upon the walls, but it of course lead me nowhere. Soon though, I understood; within the room there was a large sarcophagus, embellished with rich colors and intricate patterns. Shuddering, I knew I had to open it to take what I had come here for from preserved hands.

Angry moths fluttered from the stone coffin as I carefully opened it. The unique smell of preserves and old linen enveloped me as I stared into the empty face of the shriveled corpse. Breaking the snare of my gaze, my eyes shifted towards the hands of the body; an old, tattered journal was grasped within them. I tried to delicately remove it from the mummy’s grip, but my sensitivity was to no avail – each finger seemed to pop and crack as I carefully moved the book, making me wince. I opened the journal and stepped quickly away from the body. The words were in a different language entirely, but yet again I could not understand the meaning. Shrouded in confusion, I remained still, waiting for the familiar voice to guide me. The longer I held the journal, the more my hands began to burn, confusing me further. Suddenly it became too hot to hold, making me drop the book, and causing a loud thud to echo against the walls. When I looked up, my eyes were met by a serpent – slender and angry, his venomous fangs displayed, and the tail of his body still resting in the coffin. Startled, I grabbed the book and began to run.

My hurried stride lead me to yet another mysterious room, but it distinctively felt as though the journal I had taken was pulling me elsewhere. My paced slowed and I tried to catch my breath – the threat of the large snake had seemed to disappear. Although I could not understand the words of the journal, there was a vague and obscure diagram within it that I felt I was following. Off from the east of the depicted room which I was in, there was a tunnel showed, and I decided to follow it, for the dark chamber left me feeling uneased and unwelcome.

As I entered the hall, sounds from the outside world began to kiss my ears. I was unaware how horribly I had missed the land above until I had had just a taste of it. I suddenly became very confused about how long I had been in the tomb – I could not remember no matter how hard I tried. It seemed as though I had not slept for many of the day’s cycles. The hallway lead to a flight of stairs, some had turned to rubble, but still they were manageable to climb. At the top, an opening in the ceiling had been crafted and allowed my mane to feel a very slight breeze running through it. Immediately I felt the urge to climb through the opening and return home, forfeiting from this confusing journey. If you give up now, all of your struggle is for nothing. You will give up upon your herd – you will give up upon yourself, Vexlor. The return of the voice was very comforting to me, and I knew deeply the truth of her words – I had to persevere. The stairs then lead me back down, deeper and deeper into the earth, so much so that my breaths became shorter and shallower – I could feel the lack of oxygen this far underneath the surface.

Through the thin dark air, all I could make out was a soft glow from a pit in front of me. The light made it clear that I was in an entirely different room now, and the aura felt almost religious. A hot, thick bubbling sound surrounded me – I quickly realized I had entered a lava chamber. Leary, I did not move. It seemed as though the force from the journal that had been pulling me in new directions had eased – I was where I was meant to be. You are right, Vexlor, your journey will end here, but first you must recreate yourself. You must enter the lava, and I will protect you. Imagine all that you wish to be, and I will guide you to your aspirations.

Filled with a heavy fear, it took every last resource of strength within me to move my hooves closer and closer to the lava. My name is Manil, I will give you courage. She was right – having the ability to place a name to the voice filled me with a new energy. I was still very scared, but soon my front hoof went into the lava. “Manil,” I shouted out, my voice echoed through the chamber, “please bestow upon me the strength I need to lead my herd and the wisdom to make my father proud.” The burning blood of the earth filled my body with pain, but I was not wounded. You already hold both strength and wisdom, Vexlor. This is why you are here. You have only scratched the surface of your great abilities. My skin ached and my bones burned as I became reborn. Soon I rose from the lava – my mane and hooves burning, my eyes a new shade of amber.

Chapter 3 Chapter 1

Chapter three:

Chapter 2 Chapter 1

Credits

Profile by: Ringo

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Story written by: User not found: hare

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About Page written by: Me
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Ankoku

Ganemi

byNayona