25 Years Ago

  In the Yerren District of Estemont Kingdom, the sky had turned grey. It was a sudden change in the midst of the cruel winter afternoon. The Townsfolk were going about their day in hopes for something warmer. And why won’t they? It was nearly the end for the six months long winter. This season it had been worse than all the other seasons.

  The end of the cruel winters was marked by the Summer Festival. In the Xion Realm, it was not only important for the townsfolk but also carried religious significance. The Sun God, Helios would pull up his chariot through the skies and the spell of Winter would come to an end.

  Merchants from faraway lands would come and settle in their markets. The fruits of winter would have their last harvest, before the Fall takes over. And then, soon enough the skies would be warmer. There would be no dreading cold to fear from.

  The thought of it had Diana's heart racing, as she held onto the basket of freshly done linen. Her long silver hair was radiant under the sun, as she rubbed her belly. Her clear blue eyes watched the horizon as she called onto her husband.

  “Ruberos! Come! I can see the God’s Lanterns in the sky,” She beamed. Her long hands clasped in front of her dainty gown. Diana was nine months along. Any day now, she would give birth to her baby. That thought alone kept her occupied. Soon, she would be a mother of a healthy and happy child.

  “Diana, how many times have I told you to not look at the sky! Are you barefoot again?”

  Her husband, Ruberos came rushing in. He was a man in his early thirties. He had auburn hair and intense dark eyes. Unlike his lithe and weak wife, he was an astute man. His tall stature casted a long shadow. He wore long robes, and a collar around his neck. It was something that only Priests of Goddess Lamia’s temple were allowed to wear.

  “Don’t be a kill joy, husband. Look! It’s almost summer now. I cannot wait to sink my fingers in River Ferrera again,” she said with glee.

  Her lips curved into a smile as she watched the dazzling colours against the grey sky. Wisps of pink, green and violet light shot through the sky. Its glow created interesting patterns. That's when her husband wrapped his arms around her, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

  "Why darling, I love to see you at ease with yourself," he mumbled softly.

  "And what's there to worry about?" Her soft voice chuckled.

  "Nothing... The day before..."

  And even before her husband could say more, she knew what this was about. Ruberos didn’t have what it took to be subtle. He couldn’t lie. Or so, Diana thought.

  Yesterday, about two hundred men had entered the city. They were clad in red armours. They had the heaviest of swords. Each of them seemed so ginormous. But Diana didn't see no reason to pay them any heed. She was just there to buy some bread.

  People in the Town Square exchanged glances and whispered in secrecy. Indeed, there was some foreshadowing. The only time Diana had seen those men in red armour was when she was but a little girl. The troops were reinstated to retain the Order of God. However, after the first Great War, they had disappeared.

  "Do you suppose the Town Hall plans on increasing temples?"

  “What business would those soldiers have except for those of the Temples!”

  She asked her husband.

  Her husband, Ruberos Delmonte was a High Priest in the Temple of Goddess Lamia. Goddess Lamia, was one of the Twenty-Nine important Gods and Goddesses of Estemont Kingdom. She was also the Goddess of Xion realm.

  “Whatever it is, I don’t think it means any good,” Ruberos said sceptically.

  It was a part of his call to look after any activities that would come to threaten the townsfolk. For twenty good years, he had worked closely with the clergy to ensure peace and order were maintained.

  “The Clergy is not sure how to respond to it either. They have been brooding over the townsfolk for a while now,” Ruberos sighed.

  Being born in a family of Priests had given him access to information that the townsfolk scarcely knew about. If it was some other day, Ruberos could have asked his brothers about it. But his marriage with Diana had severed his ties with his family.

  “You seem worried. Shouldn’t they leave as soon as their work is done?” Diana asked naively. Her fair hands caressed her husband’s rough skin.

  "I am not sure, his love. I think, that something is amiss," Ruberos tells her.

  Ruberos Delmonte came from a family of Blue Bloods. The Blue Bloods were said to be the direct descendants of Gods. All Blue Bloods shared some similarities. They all had blue eyes, golden hair and the characteristic silver tongue. But not Ruberos.

  Ruberos looked nothing like the other Blue Bloods. He had auburn hair, and his eyes were a radiant obsidian. His skin was tanned, and his stature by far surpassed that of any Priest they had come across.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The Delmonte family couldn't fathom the birth of an anomaly. But Ruberos excelled equally alongside his brothers and cousins. He read the holy scriptures and even mastered the spells of the Lamian Clergy.

  "I don't think we should worry about what goes around in the city. We should soon move to somewhere else."

  Ruberos proposed.

  How strange! Diana thought. Her eyes narrowed. The baby was due any day now. Travelling was a trouble regardless. Then, there was the matter of finding another home in such a short time.

  "We cannot leave like this. Not to say you said it yourself that the baby shall be arriving any day now," she poured.

  "I will make sure that you're comfortable. I worry for our child too," Ruberos said, whimsically.

  "But you cannot give up your position at the Temple!" Diana was livid.

  "Love, I won't want you to put through such duress without reason. But we must move out as soon as we can," Ruberos was determined.

  Diana didn't know her husband was salvaging such secret plans. Could it be that something had happened?

  "But... You still shouldn't leave the church!" Diana insisted.

  "Why not? The church was ready to forsake me when I married you.

  And now that our baby's going to come in this world, it's natural for us to seek a homely abode, away from here.

  Who's to say that they won't do anything devious in the future?"

  Ruberos said.

  Around nine years ago, Ruberos had broken many laws, going against his own bloodline. The Descendants of Lamia were to be sworn into a matrimonial union with a Blue Blood from another Temple.

  Ruberos had married a woman from the Ramboulient Shelter. Diana, was what the Blue Bloods called - 'Scum' Blood. They were mortals with nothing comely about them.

  About a century ago, the world didn’t know anything about the Scums. There was but only one race. The Superior Blue Bloods, with their radiant physical features. Then, a prophecy was revealed. Most of which was either lost or forgotten.

  About twenty statues of Gods and Goddesses were crushed to dust from the Pantheon Temple. Their names were forgotten, never to be seen again. And then, the Scum Bloods emerged. They were known to have been born from the Earth.

  Their skin was rough and awry. Their eyes were obsidian and intent. Their hair was darker than the night. And most of all, they were cursed by the Gods.

  Some argued that the Scum Bloods would commit heinous crimes because of their origins. The others thought them worthless. Hence, the Scum Bloods didn’t intervene with the affairs of the Blue Blood.

  Life went on, undisturbed for years. Gods prophesized and blessed the lands. Little to nothing was said about those that were fallen or forgotten. However, the societal standards were set. No Blue Blood was to engage in a union with a Scum Blood.

  Ruberos, however hadn't seen anyone more beautiful than Diana, in his own life.

  Her eyes were bluer than the clear seas, and her hair was Golden. It was indeed a twist in fate that the two had met. There was a fatal attraction unlike any other.

  There was no way Diana couldn't be a blue blood. But then, no Blue Blood would ever live in a Ramboulient Shelter. Diana had no family of her own. It made Ruberos all the more convincing when he approached the Clergy. But it was all in vain.

  There was nothing that could save Ruberos and Diana from the Church's wrath. And then...the prophecy revealed itself. The Hearth at Lamia's Temple had turned Blue.

  Nobody knew how and what had brought the change.

  All priests had rushed to be its witness.

  The Hearth glowed, and from it the iridescent, Goddess Lamia, appeared before them. With long, flowing blonde hair and eyes blue like the ocean, Lamia delivered the fateful prophecy herself.

  "That which was abandoned,

  Will find its place,

  The newborn scion of his bloodline

  Shall turn the wheels of Fate,

  And when all is lost

  Under the expanse of bleeding sky,

  The Blue Blossom would turn the time again"

  Nobody had a clue what was so important for the Goddess to descend to the affairs of the mortals. But the Prophecy saved the baby and Diana. The church has accepted the union, though secretly they all stayed away from the affairs of the Delmonte couple.

  Diana caressed the back of Ruberos' hand.

  "I don't think we need to run away, anymore," she said.

  Ruberos shook his head. His eyes grim as he lifted Diana's chin.

  "Please, love. We must leave. For the sake of our baby. Who's to say that if the prophecy changes itself, what harm shall befall us!" Ruberos gulped.

  Diana sighed, giving in at last.

  "Fine then, if you insist. Are you going to get a word in with the church?" She asked, almost on the verge of tears.

  Pregnancy had made her too sensitive.

  "We are going to leave as soon as possible. I will go and get some herbs, for our journey. And some food to take with ourselves," Ruberos kissed her one last time, before leaving for the town square.

  The afternoon gave up to the hour of dusk. Diana propped out of their little house to see if Ruberos had arrived. To her surprise, the sky had changed its hue.

  The curdling grey on the horizon loomed like an umbrella while the halo of light emerged through it. Diana stepped out, to see if it wasn't just her. The God’s Lantern had disappeared. Almost as if it didn’t exist.

  A few people had stepped out onto their doorstep, watching the ghastly panorama. Just then, a flash of light cut through the sky. It hit her bump.

  "Good gracious," she yelled, falling back.

  How strange! She thought.

  An excruciating pain birthed from it. Her bump ached, as she cried out loud.

  Her eyes searched the way to Towns Square. She moved her head to see if Ruberos was around. To her surprise, the crowd had grown thicker, as she barely kept to her toes.

  "The Gods have found us,"

  An old woman panicked. She stooped over her stick, nearly knocking Diana. From the looks of it, the woman appeared to be another Scum Blood.

  “The Gods hate us,” the old woman wailed.

  “Why would you say that?” Diane asked. But she didn't say more to Diana.

  Almost immediately, Diane had started walking towards the Town Hall. Ruberos had to be there.

  "Why was she so worried?"

  Diana wondered. Not long before all her questions were answered. The sky had stilled into its greyness.

  When Diana reached the temple, her feet had already given up. She was tired, and panting. That's when a familiar face approached her.

  "Father Jilliam?"

  "What are you doing here, Lady Delmonte? Haven't you heard? You are to leave the town as soon as possible!"

  "What? What do you mean?" Diana narrowed her eyes. That's when she saw the sword in his hand, and the blood on his robes.

  "It's the word of the God. If you don't leave now, I'd have no choice but to harm you," Father Jilliam's voice iced over.

  "I am waiting for Ruberos' return!" She cried, but he paid him no heed. He moved closer.

  That's when the baby started kicking. Her water broke. Aching in pain, Diana called out for her husband.

  And then...

  The sky opened once more. This time a sinister red boiled in its shade, descending down to the Earth.

  Listen carefully, and show us no disrespects,

  We, are the Gods-

  The voice thundered, from the raging sky. It wasn't a single voice. It seemed like there were six or eight of them. All speaking in unison.

  The time has come

  When you must return

  The favours that we have

  So, bestowed upon

  Your bounty-

  Give up,

  All that you own-

  All that you deem precious,

  Let the Blue Bloods take over,

  Those of the scum blood

  Shall return to the slums

  The world shall have

  Only a king

  Whose blood is blue,

  Kill those who do not

  Bend to our will,

  Show no mercy.

  Men in shining red armour appeared just as the skies turned silent. They were assembled in troops, led by one of them. Diana shuddered, falling on the ground. The contractions had started, as she wailed helplessly.

  Help!

  She wailed. Her cries rolled out to the world. But no one stopped by. She watched the troops approach.

  Help! Please-

  A glinting sword was raised. Those men circled her. And the sky called out once more.

  Kill that woman who

  Bears in her womb

  The destroyer of worlds,

  The lord of darkness,

  The deathbringer.

  Diana cowered back. This had to be a mistake. Even when the skies had spoken. This couldn't be true.

  “No. Please. Don't- There's been a mistake-

  His husband is a Priest at the Temple Of Goddess Lamia!”

  She pleaded.

  And then, she watched as the men narrowed to reveal the sight of her dead husband. His head hung loosely from his neck, and blood flowed from his severed head.

  “Oh fates, what cruel game is this-“

  "Do not resist us. We are the men of God. The Skies have spoken. And their wish, is our command..." The

  Leader within them spoke.

  "Your unborn child is accursed by The Gods. Its existence brings disgrace to our lands. We are here to serve justice." they growled.

  Diana's face paled. Her eyes grew wide...and then…

  TO BE CONTINUED…