Chapter 26 – The darkness within.

'Isabella!' is the last I heard as I was knocked out and taken by the guys that looked as if they had been covered by the ash of our old fireplace. Next thing I remembered is being carried by my waist. One of the ashen men was carrying me under his muscular arm as he ran at unbelievable speeds across the plains east of the capital.

Or so I thought as when I looked back I noticed that it was not the slightly familiar lands of Joren that I saw but it was the golden tower and to our right was a long line of volcanoes from which dark clouds arose raining ash on the ground below. It was difficult to breathe because of the ash but my captors seemed to have no trouble with the highly polluted air.

Despite not wanting to alert my captors I coughed. I had thought it'd be a small girlish cough as I usually did but it turned out to be a loud cough that you'd normally only hear from a 70 year old heavy smoker. It felt as if with each cough my insides would come out of my throat but all that left my mouth was the loud cough and to my horror some blood.

Alerted by the cough my captor turned to me and after calling to the other ashen men they stopped running immediately. I couldn't understand what they were saying though. It sounded like they were talking but I knew not of any other tongue than the human tongue. I had heard that some races had their own languages but it was only from hear-say since it had never been recorded. From this I knew that these ashen men weren't mere men but form an entirely different race. The pointy ears had seemed quite out of place though they did not seem to be elves due to their vastly different skin-tone. Normal elves had shining white skin which helped them survive in the desert by reflecting most of the light and heat but these ashen men had dark greyish skin with a slight hue of blue.

Then one of them turned to me and spoke to me but this time in our own language though his pronunciations were slightly off:

'Hellow, are you alreight?

'I am not alright. I was taken captive to a strange land where it is difficult to breathe away from my family after finally being reunited with them. How can I be alright and who are you!? Why... ugh'

I couldn't finish my sentence and started coughing and wheezing to which the ashen men reacted worriedly. Patting me on my back trying to get me to stabilize my breathing. Then a third ashen men appeared and scolded one of my captors. I did not know what they were saying however. The newly arrived ashen men grabbed me and I felt a tingling feeling all over my body the moment he touched me.

Suddenly it was easier for me to breathe; the coughing and wheezing stopped almost immediately and I looked up to my supposed rescuer with wide eyes for I had never seen such magic before. Even my genius brother hadn't. Curiosity quickly swept away all doubts, fears and worries I had been having ever since I woke up.

Then before my curiosity wore off we had arrived at what seemed to be their settlement. I saw a big black gate but instead of a wall with a gate it was a black metal fence with the gate also being a fence but instead of having the straight black metal bars the bars were bent into various shapes. As my carrier walked towards it he said something in their strange tongue to which the two kidnappers reacted and while holding up their hands they cast mana on certain parts of the gate after which it automatically opened up.

Behind the fence the black fog and ash was very thick. Much thicker than it had been before. I looked back up to my carrier wondering if his protection would let me live beyond the ash-cloud. Seemingly unworried my carrier walked onwards and into the blackness.

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'Why....' is all I could think of ever since the dragoon riders who had caught me flew me off to Jin.

I could not understand it. Why would the Dragoon Riders ally themselves with Jin? Why after all these centuries of war in which the other races did not mingle even when Jin attacked the lands of the Huin Seseum. Why did the Dragoon Riders join Jin now?

Or rather; to have gained such a valuable ally against Joren in such a short time after the threat of war between us had arisen seemed very strange. It was almost as if all their reasons for this war were a mere ruse while their actual goal was to take over Joren right from the start. As if they faked everything that I had known.

Also. Why had I not been more careful. My household servants. All of them..... dead....

As I finished this thought the dragoon that was carrying me made a loud shrieking cry. I was flying with the leader of the Dragoon Riders tribe that captured me and it seemed like they signaled for their descent into the capital of Jin.

Jin the capital city started out as any ordinary capital city but with the onslaught of war at its borders many had fled to its capital giving birth to its vast slums that had almost choked the capital to death. But it had not. The people after seeing their dire situation banded together in a never before seen event they improved upon the infrastructure of the whole city. They rebuilt the slums so that the people there could have decent housing and they started a welfare program for those less fortunate people who came back from war wounded and job less.

It was what I loved about the people of this land. It was a strong community that was dependable and depended upon one another. There was no place for selfishness. Whenever the community found selfish people amongst them who would not adhere to the laws of their community and not give money to the poor they would be kicked out of the city and added to the blacklist.

The dragoon riders went in circles flying descending upon the palace of Jin. Jins main palace was encircled by a large stone wall only within these walls was there a remnant of what the capital used to look like. There used to be many houses and villas like it but they had been taken down for their resources to build houses for many. The architecture had thus become one of a kind. Only the central house had white walls with red wooden beams holding up the black metal rooftops.

All around it were walk-ways and dining halls and various other rooms. But to call them rooms wouldn't be completely accurate since they only had the red beams separating them from the outside and no wall to speak of.

Jin had a warm climate which is why having the shade of a roof over your head without losing out on the cool breeze from the northern white tip mountains was preferable to having a closed off house. I had been here before. I knew these people but I wonder if I ever truly knew them.

After the dragoon riders landed outside of the palace along the insides of the wall the leader of their tribe jumped off and pulled me off with him. My hands and feet had been chained and thus my landing turned into a tumble.

The tribe-chief quickly lifted me up back on my feet and with a quick swing of his axe he broke the chain on my feet and hands. It seems like they aren't afraid of me running anymore. Can't say that they're wrong since I am now at the heart of the enemy kingdom.

'Welcome my friends' said a familiar Jin official as he approached us.

'We have brought him. He arrived at the exact time that you had predicted.' answered the tribal chief.

'I am glad to hear that. Did anything unexpected happen at all?'

'One of the guards of the rear-guard escaped and reported the situation to Altara. Attacking them will be more challenging now. They are currently on high alert and have sent for reinforcements from Joren.'

'We had expected as much. But no worries we will finish this before those reinforcements enter your lands. Won't we Yoran.' said the official as he turned to me with a big smile.

'Please come with me. Agun; we will provide your men with food and have prepared for a place to stay before the next trip.'

'I will not be staying; I must return to my people in case a team is sent to pursue this one.' said the tribal chief as he hinted at me.

'That is not what we had planned Agun.' said the official; his smile had disappeared and in its place was a very stern look.

'I can keep however many dragoon riders you need here but I and the majority of my men must return.' Agun replied. I could see a hint of fear in his eyes. I wondered where that came from.

'We will need only 2 dragoon riders as carriers and however many you can send with them to ensure their protection for our further plans.'

'Then I will send 20 dragoon riders for protection and two mammoth dragoon riders as their commanders. Would that be sufficient?'

'I hope it will; if it isn't enough then the resulting catastrophe will first and foremost befall your own people. You know that.'

'Then I will give my orders and leave.'

The official then turned to me and gestured for me to follow him. I hadn't been too fond of Agun; he hadn't spoken much yet I felt less comfortable following this familiar official who spoke so much then I ever was with following Agun. But I did so because it was the only thing I could do to find out what was happening here.

The official led me to an empty hall which was not closed off but was still very secluded from the other halls. There were bamboo bushes all around to give privacy to whoever came and talked here.

'I will be quick about it since you probably want to rest from your long and arduous journey.'

This was familiar territory to me; I straightened my back and looked him in the eye. His eyes were red. This was not the familiar official that I had thought him to have been.

'Who are you?'

To this the official reacted with a blueish mana-like glow that obscured him from my vision. After it faded away it was as if I was looking in the mirror. His facial features, his clothes. Everything was the exact same of how I looked.

'I will be impersonating you to take over Joren. If you have any love or care for you country you will accommodate a smooth take-over. We do not wish for it to turn into a war.'

'You ask of me to betray my country.'

'I do not ask of you. I am merely stating the facts because despite your loyalty you will betray your country.'

'I will not do such a thing.' I replied.

'But I will and what I do; that you have done also.'

My eyes widened as I started understanding what he meant. I had thought that my words could somehow get this matter fixed but tears started welling up in my eyes as I realized the futility of that thought. This all was beyond my powers, out of my hands. The decision had never been mine to make. I was merely a bump in the road that could either shake things up a bit but in the end I am just a tool...

I did not say a word after this realization and merely looked down at the ground.

The man facing me then continued:

'First we will gather forces from the Tamarin after we meet up with our contact in Altara. Hopefully he'll be able to bring your kids with him as to rid you of some of your worries. While in Tamarin I will go in and bring any Tamarin willingly with me on their big birds. When the dragoon riders see that they will leave you to us and take off. We will then head to Joren where I will usurp the throne and plant you in it. Soon after you will have to sign a declaration stating that Joren surrenders to Jin and will join forces with them. Any officials that speak up against you will have to be persuaded.

I leave that to you. If you fail they will die.'

I was still quietly staring at the ground. I now knew their plans and I knew that there was no choice in the matter. If I escaped any time along the way the Tamarin and Dragoon Riders joining forces with Jin would unquestionably take over Joren at the cost of many lives. This was not an option. Signing the surrender and joint forces treaties would then be my only option after which persuading the officials of Joren was again the only option because the other option would result in their deaths.

I simply nodded.

The man facing me then continued.

'Well here we go then, there isn't much time and there is a lot to do. I am sure that my master will be pleased when we finish this task.

After the talk we again flew with the dragoon riders to the north. Agun had left during our talk seemingly. Maybe the fear in his eyes were similar to what can be seen in my eyes now. He too after all was a mere speed-bump who could either speed up the process or face the destruction of his people. A war between our two nations would no doubt bring collateral damage to his tribe. He had no choice in the matter also. Nor will the Tamarin.

We then flew off north. I fell asleep as it had been a long and arduous day and I only woke up when we started our descent over Altara landing to the west of the city. Shortly after landing a man came running as I heard alarm bells go off in the distance.

'I see that you failed your mission Kaito. Where are the children?'

'I am sorry sir but Frank had already left and Isabella was heavily protected by my masters servants.'

'Why would they protect her?'

'It seems that Isabella became friends with my masters daughter. I tried to get her unnoticed but after her father and brother disappeared all eyes were on her.'

'I see. Well it was not the most vital part of our plan. We will deal with Yoran without them. Isabella will probably soon be whisked off to the capital.'

'Thank you sir.' Kaito then got enveloped by a blueish mist of mana shedding his skin and turning back into a Huin Seseum. He then mounted the spare dragoon as I was riding with the other Huin Seseum who had changed into me. 'Kaito; you carry him.' He said as he pulled me up by my collar and threw me as a bag of nuts to Kaito who without much trouble caught me.

After this we flew off to the west into the Tamarin jungle where I was left alone with the dragoon riders as the two Huin Seseum walked into the Tamarin capital. After half a day I saw a flock of gigantic birds flying off. One of them landed next to me. My doppelganger then signaled me to come on. And so I did.

After leaving behind the Dragoon Riders we flew off north to Joren.

Much happened in Joren but in the end I had done just as they had planned for me to do. Frank and Isabella has both appeared in the capital but soon after both of them were taken away leaving me alone again. A puppet on its strings with no free will.

I miss the carefree days I thought as I fell asleep in a bed too large for me as tears flowed freely from my eyes for the loss of spouse, children and the betrayal towards the rest of my family and country.

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Authors Note:

Here is the end of the first half of the first planned book. I started near the end of October with writing this after 12 years of planning out the story. Despite that the story ended up going in a slightly different direction than I had planned revealing many plot lines that I had previously never thought possible.

I find it just as enjoyable to write this and think of the story as you do with reading it. (I hope.)

I hope that you have liked what you have read so far and am hoping to hear about your reading experience in the comments below.

I would also like to request one thing from you:

There are currently many chapters without actual titles. I would ask of you to come up with titles for the chapters and post them in their respective chapter. Only the first one posted will be chosen; looking forward to seeing your creativity.

Also note the following rule when submitting chapter titles: (Will not be chosen when it does not aptly describe the contents of said chapter or if it is offensive in any form or manner).