Stabby glances at Grisha to confirm his slumber, then returns to the book.

The Beginning of a Monster

We gathered around Kyoki, who stares into the distance, attempting to comprehend his situation. Most joined our plan, no matter their opinion, for respecting the wishes of the majority is highly encouraged. But the dark mistress refused, saying, "to attack that child is a dangerous action lacking forethought. I will not involve myself," and took her leave.

Holy commander Iskander went to combat her, but Mantieo held him back. The philosopher whispered into his ear, quelling the commander's anger with hushed words. Now at peace, they returned to the circular jail of the shaman.

"I'll accept our task, though reluctantly," Shiprah said. "But how can we kill the child while keeping our causalities at a minimum?"

Mantieo responded, "I have plans for him. If all goes well, there will be nothing to fear."

"Where am I?" The cloth-wrapped shaman asked again.

"Lost in the abyss," Mantieo answered.

"The abyss?" Kyoki said. "That sounds like an unpleasant place. Is that why I can't remember who I am?"

"It is, I'm afraid. But do not fret, dear child, for we are here to rescue you from your torment." Mantieo said, his voice filled with compassion. He reaches out his hand to Kyoki, appearing as a righteous man helping a fallen brother.

Kyoki hesitates, cautious of the scheme, but Mantieo didn't falter. He pointed to the soldiers. "Would it comfort you to have them distance themselves?"

Kyoki nodded his head.

"Very well." Mantieo turned to the armies, asking them to move back.

"It's dangerous to leave you alone with such a demonic force," Iskander argued. "I don't think..."

"I have a plan, my lord," Mantieo interrupts. "A plan I've spent decades preparing," Mantieo whispered his intentions into Iskander's ears. The words relieved the fears that plagued his mind.

The armies moved back a distance, far enough for the child to feel safe.

Kyoki walked towards him, slow in pace, still cautious of the hordes of warriors waiting from afar. Mantieo keeps a pleasant smile, his arms reaching out to the boy.

Kyoki reaches him, and Mantieo lays his palms on the boy's shoulder saying, "I will release you from your suffering." His hands clapped against the sides of Kyoki's head, locking his fingers around the child's temple. The philosopher surged with light, transferring it into the mummified child. Their bodies emitted a bright glow that blinded even soldiers who stood far in the distance.

Mantieo chanted scriptures of Hikari, and a beam of radiance shone upon him. He continued to transmit light into Kyoki, the constant flow of energy unraveling the cloth that covered the shaman's face.

The cloth fell... and the light stopped. The sight of Kyoki's eyes sent a shiver through Mantieo's spine as the flow of energy reversed.

Cracks opened from Mantieo's skin as the tremendous bursts of light escaped from his body. He tried to jerk his hands back from the dangerous child, but he found himself stuck to Kyoki's head. Mantieo screamed in agony, the cracks created by the uncontrollable power of the gods, inching closer to his neck.

The armies rushed to save the endangered scholar, his screams drowning out the stomps of many men. Despite their efforts, the distance was too great. The everlasting scars reached Mantieo face, the light reaching a climax at his forehead.

With an explosion of light, the body of Mantieo flung at them, knocking three men back.

Iskander ran to his injured comrade, checking on his pitiful condition. Though his soul was still with us, the blast covered his fragile body with violent gashes and bruises. The Scholar's fair appearance was ruined by the heathen shaman.

Mantieo, using the last of his energy, stabbed his finger at Kyoki, who retreats into a forest, and screams, "Kill that boy. If he escapes now, he will bring an end to us all."

The words worry the soldiers and they vigorously chase after the child, with no further regard for tactics. Iskander is about to join in the charge, but Mantieo tugs on his tunic. "My friend, I have a request for you."

Iskander turns to the wounded man. "What is your request?"

"The child has power, I've seen before. He was created by one I don't know of, but if their acts include reviving the evils of the shamans, I know for sure they mean to harm us. But that is a matter for a later time. We must deal with that shaman, first. I didn't think it would ever come to this, but... you must bring me the staff gifted to me by the elves. The might of nature itself. A piece of the god of earth. The holy weapon placed in the cracked tree known as Tadame's finger."

"To run into a situation dangerous enough to need Tadame's finger... I find it hard to believe, but I trust your words. You haven't led me astray before. I will collect the artifact for you, my friend."

Iskander turned to leave, but Mantieo stopped him with a tug a second time. "Wait, dear friend, take this with you." Mantieo grabbed from his pockets a handful of seeds, handing it to the holy commander. "To ask of something of Tadame without offering would be a repulsive offense. Give her these seeds and your safety will be confirmed."

Iskander nodded his thanks, then took his leave.

The soldier scavenged every inch of the forest, looking for any clue of where Kyoki hid. Foots steps were scarce, the shaman kept on harder surfaces to avoid being tracked. After some time, the immense amount of flora and fauna separated the armies, the groups becoming smaller and smaller as they search further into the forest.

A group of ten light army soldiers kept themselves together, avoiding unnecessary paths that would split them. They clutch their weapons, shifting their vision at the slightest change of wind.

In their search they find straps of cloth left on the floor, a sign of their hunt nearing completion. They find footprints near the wrappings. Apparently, they had reached an area without tough surfaces, or possibly Kyoki believed to have lost them.

As they follow the trail, they heard someone scraping wood nearby. They raised their awareness, moving in silence. As they neared the source of the sound, unfinished masks littered the ground. The eldest of the men kneeled to look at the failed projects as the rest continued their approach.

Entering a distance of five feet from the source, the scrapping stopped, and a mask dropped to the ground. The sudden fall caused the men to jump back. They aimed their weapons at the mask, spreading out to block the path of the tree it fell from. After the moment of caution ended they moved in, encircling the strange mask.

"Is it a weapon?" One asked.

"It doesn't seem to be. It makes no movements," another responded. "Could it be a blessing from the gods?"

A third, a brave type, walked recklessly towards the unknown object, "Only one way to find out." He grabbed the mask, entranced by the design. A crowned crocodile adorned with gems, with a marking of an ax above his brow. "It appears harmless, but I must say, its appearance catches my eye. I may keep it for myself." He sent a smirk to his colleagues.

"Don't let vanity catch hold of you, friend," One chuckles.

The eldest pays no heed to the actions of his younger coworkers, fully focusing on the dozen masks. He stared, unblinking, at the masks, something bringing an expression of uneasiness on his face.

One soldier noticed and addressed him, "Is something the matter?"

The eldest's eyes widen in revelation. He rushed towards the brave soldier, looking to see the other side of the mask, shouting, "Wait! Put that down!"

The soldier heard the call too late and already turned the mask to find it glowed an alluring green. He couldn't tear his gaze from the hypnotizing ray of light, his eyes glued to the aura. The mask moved with a will of its own, flinging onto the face of the unsuspecting soldier and sealing to his flesh.

The eldest grabbed his sword and moves to decapitate the man, but is held back by the others. "What are you doing?" They ask.

"We must kill him now before he becomes a beast." He responded.

The others attempt to restrain the brave soldier as he writhes uncontrollably. His skin turns green and scaly. His arms bulge with muscle as he tears free from the men's grasp, his height increasing by three feet. His lance sprouts new blades, becoming the ax carved into the mask.

The soldiers who held back the eldest loosen their grip, allowing the experienced man to break free and challenge the monster that was once man. His blade clashed with the beast, his thick sword resisting the heavy blow with a clang. He stood strong, but his skills could not outmatch the abilities of the crocodile man for long. He called to his fellow men, who watched, unmoving, "Don't just stand there! Help me fight or go get reinforcements!"

The call broke them from their trance and spurred them back to action. Two ran for help, while six rushed to his side.

The two who ran for assistance, the fastest of the group, made rapid progress without the worry of searching for the shaman. They neared the exit, small lines of light coming from the opening of the trees.

Suddenly, an unidentifiable object crashes into the faster one's face, knocking him to the ground.

The slower one skids past, turning to see what had happened. As he turned, he could see something from the corner of his eye, but he ignored it out of worry for his companion.

What he found was terrifying.

The faster man rose from the ground, feathers emerging from his skin and wings piercing out from his back. His head raised to reveal a mask of a hawk.

The horrified man looked back to see what hid in the corner of his sight.

The mummified shaman looked down upon him from the trees with an empty stare.

The soldier looked back to his ex-comrade, finding the hawk joined by the crocodile, covered in red. Another came from behind them, with the mask of a black jackal. Though his skin now hid in dark fur, he knew the man's identity.

He was too late... Kyoki had taken the eldest under his control.

All hope was lost. The last soldier didn't have the energy to retreat. He made no move to run, prepared for his former comrades to take his life.

A loud blaring of a horn revived his spirit and distracted Kyoki and the guardians. It was the horn of regrouping. And from the sound of it, the armies were close. He jumped back to life, using every bit of strength he had to run as fast as he could. The guardians snapped back to attention, rushing after the man.

Every time his legs grew tired he ran faster, creating a distance between him and the much heavier forms of the guardians. He regained hope as he exited the forest, finding the alliance armies standing prepared with Mantieo and Iskander at the front. Iskander supported the weakened Mantieo to his feet, helping him hold a majestic staff of curling branches.

He ran to them, not resting till he reached the front ranks. Gasping for breath, he said to the commander, "Monsters... killed my party. We... have to... save the rest."

The words disturbed Mantieo, who said, "He's already made monsters! I must stop him quickly. Do I have permission to use the staff, commander?"

Iskander looked to his men to see who had returned, then nodded.

Mantieo winced as he grasped the staff, his wounded hands leaking blood. He pushed past his pain and raised it into the air.

The hawk man came into view, almost reaching the plains.

Mantieo slammed the staff into the ground, quaking the foundation of the earth.

Cracks broke through the ground, a line of uplifting earth traveling towards the monstrosities that approached. The force met the charge of the hawk as he reached the last line of trees, an explosion of natural greens erupting from the collision. The ground softened into sludge as murky water rose. Mold covered the trees and higher ground. The powerful blast of nature ended with a barrier of vines that sprouted from the cracks and spread far across the vast forest, enclosing the domain with an impassable barrier.

With his work done, Mantieo falls to his knees, resting his worn body.

Seeing the blast stopped the monsters relieved the surviving soldier, but he knew other groups went further than his. "Sir, I stand in awe of your tremendous deed, but I fear for the men who are locked in with those things. How can we help them, now?"

Iskander stopped him there, and with a charming smile said to him, "Quiet. I fear if you speak more, your words will mock the tremendous sacrifice those men have accomplished today." He placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "Because of their heroic deeds, we will remember their names for eternity. We will send their families gifts of wealth and food to keep them well-treated and healthy. Think not of the death of men, but the lives of heroes."

The uplifting words relieved the stress on the soldier's mind, and he left with a new outlook. From that time forward, he did many impressive feats and rose in rank swiftly. He even reached the position his role-model held when Iskander met his untimely demise. That man, who once was a simple soldier, became the just ruler, Holy Commander Ambrosio.

But that was not the end of Kyoki's path of havoc. The vines of the Mad Shaman's swamp held him back, but he still lived.

During the coldest times of the coldest nights, a small part of the vines will weaken. Whenever the shaman finds that spot, he breaks free from his prison.

Under the protection of one of his three loyal guards, he reenters our land to once again sew chaos back into the world, until Tadame's power can pull him back in.

Stabby contemplates in silence.

It was good to hear of Kyoki's safety, but...

How can they get to him?