Nervously they stood waiting for the old hermit to appear. They have been taken from their homes without reason brought to this place without explanation. Aargon and Viha were new to this dark and gloomy Citadel; they knew nothing about this place or its existence before landing.

At seventeen years old, all three possessed superior intellect and strength not matched by most adults; therefore, being chosen to this life, they would be challenged and improved by the training that awaited them. Izzar was selected from birth; he was brought up in the Citadel and conditioned for this lifestyle. His father had been murdered months before his birth. His mother was second-in-command of the order, however, only to be seen passing through. His grandfather and master, Thanatos, was the only family he ever knew personally. Unfortunately, Thanatos was not the compassionate and kind grandfather that an average child would come to know.

On this morning, he was lined up with Viha and Aargon; he had never seen them before, his eyes kept wandering to the young lady who was not returning the gaze. He had never seen a female his own age, she was beautiful to behold, and her mysterious dark eyes kept him wondering. They were not allowed to speak to one another; they were told to stand and wait for Thanatos to address them and assign them their routine for the day. Thanatos was not known to train his own students; he used the monks in his employ, gave them instructions, and in turn, the monks would instruct them. This was not meant as training, only an introduction or even an initiation for the newcomers.

They stood around a circular raised platform in the middle of the chamber with a star symbol engraved onto it, representing the Order’s signature logo. The symbol resonated with a bright white light giving some light to the dark chamber; there was no other light source. The Morningstar symbol was a four-point star with north and south stretched out further than east and west. Izzar was placed at the southern tip, Aargon on the east end and Viha on the west. They were evenly spaced around the circle facing one another. Behind them, the monks of the Citadel guarded them shoulder to shoulder, only leaving an open space where Thanatos would emerge; beyond the monks, tall statues of dark figures acted as pillars holding up the large dome covering the center of the room. On the dome’s ceiling, a holographic view of the galaxy covered it from one end to another, showing every constellation and star empire known to the Order.

One of the monks made a sound resembling a grunt, and all the other monks bowed their heads. They were not allowed to look upon Thanatos directly; none of the monks knew what he looked like; those who did were no longer amongst the living. The large steel doors swung open, revealing a dark hooded man entering the room holding a cane; Izzar was used to seeing his master limp as his body digressed of old age. The limping could also have been caused by the injury he sustained years ago during the attempt on his life; no one dared to deny or confirm it. The other two maintained a bowed head as the rest of the monks did. Thanatos entered the circle, and the entire room lit up, revealing the sheer scale for the first time to the two newcomers. Izzar bowed onto one knee and lowered his head; the other two followed. They did not know what else to do.

“Izzar, the Chosen. I acknowledge you. Please rise.” He said in a low voice, the monks repeated after Thanatos. Izzar felt his heart race within his chest; Thanatos was not addressing him the same way as he usually did. “Izzar, the chosen. We acknowledge you.”

“Aargon, the Wise. I acknowledge you. Please rise.” Thanatos’s voice grew more profound. “Aargon, the Wise. We acknowledge you.” Repeated the monks.

“Viha, the Warrior. I acknowledge you. Please rise.” Thanatos’s voice gave a hint of affection only noticed by Izzar. “Viha, the Warrior. We acknowledge you.” Repeated the monks.

With all three young students risen and facing Thanatos, he looked around at them, carefully studying the newcomer’s expressions. There were much that they did not know and understand.

“You have been given a great honor to be the trusted advisors to Izzar.”

Thanatos walked closer to Aargon and pulled his face up by his chin, and looked him in the eyes. Aargon was trembling as he could not see anything else but black in the old man’s eyes.

“You have been chosen because you possess great wisdom and knowledge, the key to allowing Izzar to rule the galaxy.”

He let go of the boys’ chin and moved toward Viha. His feet did not touch the floor as he moved, or so it seemed to the newcomers. She had a strong will and was not scared. However, she knew there were things way worse out in the galaxy than a scary old hermit. Thanatos lifted her chin, so she looked straight into his blackened eyes; with all the willpower and courage she possessed, she finally found something she was afraid of. There was something in his eyes that instilled fear within her.

“Is that fear I sense from the strongest warrior in the galaxy? You have brought down some of your father’s strongest warriors without even trying. That is why you have been chosen. You are a strong warrior; you possess willpower unmatched by anyone and a mind of a general; you will serve the Lord of the Galaxy well.”

Thanatos returned to the center of the circle and removed the hood of his robes. He looked at the two children, still trembling at the sight of his eyes. His face was old and scarred. Viha thought to herself if Satan from legends ever existed, she was standing in his presence at that moment.

“Here at the Citadel, you will be trained as I see fit. If you disagree with my training, it will be confirmation that you do not desire to serve Izzar in his duties when he takes over from me, and that means only one thing….” Thanatos glared at the newcomers, with his eyes growing even darker than before.

“As the laws of the order dictate, you are employed to serve under the master until death. Thus, if you deem my training to be unnecessary, harsh, or in any means unsuited to your taste, you will be executed by Izzar himself, and a replacement will be found.”

Izzar moved his head slightly to look upon the old man in confusion; Thanatos sensed it behind his back and turned to Izzar.

“You are to rule the galaxy; it is not for the weak. This you all must come to understand. The lives of many outweigh the lives of few. Even you, my boy, are replaceable.”

Izzar lowered his head in understanding. This was one lesson he had heard multiple times, but never has it been presented to him in a real-life situation. Though he possessed a superior intellect, he was still only seventeen years old, and there were many things he could not yet comprehend. One is to take a life from another.

“As soon as the time comes, you will swear full allegiance to Izzar. You are not here to serve me even though I am here to teach and guide you.”

Thanatos’s words were mysterious; they lacked clarity causing the two newcomers to peer at each other in confusion; they knew Thanatos was in charge; however, he charged them to only obey Izzar, comprehending the idea slipped right past both of them. To bow before someone of the same age seemed like a game rather than a solemn oath. However, in time this concept would shape them into formidable beings.

“I lack patients….” Thanatos continued.

“Rules have been set by the founders of the order for a reason. That reason is not for it to be broken. I have zero tolerance for breaking the rules. Punishment will be administered without any warnings given; you shall learn to adhere unconditionally. If I am to test you on a given task and you fail, the same shall apply. I expect you to become the very best, strongest, wisest, and most uncompromisable beings to roam this galaxy. This Order has existed for nine millennia without falling or faltering, and it will continue to grow in strength and size with you and your descendants. If I deem you unworthy after failing too many tests, I will not hesitate in executing you in the sights of your peers. Now you know what is expected of you. Do not fail me, do not fail Izzar, and most importantly never fail the Order.”

Thanatos turned towards Izzar, but his gaze stretched beyond him; a massive door slid open with a gushing wind filling the room, revealing the cold and densely vegetated forest beyond the Citadel grounds swallowed by the thick fog of the morning. It was still early morning, with the sky purple and long shadows stretching over the lands. Thanatos walked past Izzar, who was facing away from the open door. He had seen the forest many times before, and he knew what was coming. It was a task impossible even for the three of them combined to complete.

“Before the day is done….”

A hologram appeared in the center of the circle where Thanatos had been standing. It showed the tablet where the legend of the mysterious power Thanatos sought was written on. The landscape beyond the door is believed to be that which is described on the tablet.

“I want each one of you to find a piece of the stone within these lands.”

Thanatos turned and passed through the children towards the entrance door.

“I will be watching you.” These were his final words before exiting the room.

The Order of the Ipsimus Monks were the original founders of the Ipsimussian Order; they were the ones who trained and ordained the leaders of the Order. Only the most superior beings in the galaxy reserved the honor to be incorporated into this ancient and holy organization.

Founded on Earth shortly before the dawn of interstellar travel, they have made it their goal to establish a safe and secure galactic society unmatched by any society that had ever existed. However, they lived by a sworn oath to never get directly involved with obtaining this goal. Instead, they were to train strong individuals to obtain this goal. For more than nine millenniums, they have succeeded in this goal through the Ipsimussian order.

As was the custom, each new student would be assigned a monk to mentor and guide them. For Izzar, it was a man called Tarium. He has been brought up by Tarium since his birth in the Citadel seventeen years before. It was thanks to this monk that Izzar achieved his goals. Tarium was still young; he had entered the Citadel only five years before Izzar’s birth and was only thirty-six Earth years old. He was well trained in martial arts, diplomacy and wisdom, and the art of rulership, as it would be his duty to train Izzar in these arts more in-depth as he grows older. The art of deception and manipulation was his strongest trait, thus being burdened with the boy who would one day rule the galaxy.

As for Aargon and Viha, they’ve been assigned older monks as they needed sterner mentorship that only the more senior monks possessed. So the three monks appeared from amongst the others standing behind their student to mentor; Tarium signaled the children to approach one another in the circle. Now Izzar could see the girl clearly in the light; he had never seen anyone like her before. There was an instinct within him drawing him towards her; he did not understand these feelings. He had not noticed that his gaze did not wander away from her for a long awkward moment.

“You have been given a task by the Grand Master. You are to exit the Citadel through these doors, and you shall return at sunset to these doors. The rules are simple. Find a stone with writing upon it and return it here. Do not return before sunset and do not return after sunset. The doors will be closed for you.”

The three gazed at one another for a while, then preceded outside. They found themselves outside the main compound walls; there was nothing to protect them. Izzar walked ahead and stopped to turn and face the two newcomers.