Original forum post by Xarias on December 5th, 2007.

This is the first time I write a story in a forum and english is my second language so, be gentle

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As the sun was setting in the sky, Xarias was looking out at the ocean from the porch at Myrra's house. He had been reflecting on his life and how it'd turned out, still wondering what went wrong. Of course, Fenyang was a big part of all this mess but it surely was not all. Something has been at work to make such a deep change in his father's attitude.

As an infant Saris, Xarias had a wonderful childhood. His father, Fenyang, was a respected Druid in Kion, and Halima, his mother, was taking care of her children home. As the elder son, he enjoyed bringing his sister Akana to the beach with him and make sand castles. Often, he was looking at the sun disappear in the sky before heading home. It comforted him for some reason, as it was today. Kion was a nice city to live in. The city was burstling with activity and his mother would bring him often to the marketplace to buy food & some fabric. She was an expert tailor and loved to make clothes for her children. All was great... but then her mother gave birth to Teremun. Somehow, that event changed his family forever.

Unbeknownst to Xarias, Fenyang has been expirimenting with some dark magik, at the request of the Elders, to try to understand it and find a way to better fight it. He started to use Blight spells and spells that altered the spirit and mind of other people. At first, Fenyang was strong and learned many useful things about those dark arts but, with time, the darkness enveloped his mind slowly, corrupting him further with each spell. He felt stronger and started to obsess over gaining more power. His fur was also slowly changing, his yellow with brown spots fur turning more and more into black and his eyes were also turning red, making for a disturbing look. Xarias never thought much of it, since he was told by his parents it was part of a Saris lifecycle. Then, Halima became pregnant and gave birth to Teremun. He was so different from him & Akana, his fur being black and have a strange aura and anger & hate around him. Xarias never quite felt comfortable around him, even though he always tried to love him as his brother, but he just couldn't. Somehow, Teremun just didn't seem to belong to the family...

But, as soon as Teremun was born, his father took a liking of him and was treating him as his only child. He neglected Xarias and Akana, who were left to fend for themselves and get the love from their mother. Xarias tried to make sense of his father's rejection, but never found a logical way to explain this. Her mother kept him in the dark about his father's troubling habits, perhaps to protect him from the demon he had become.

As time passed by, Fenyang started to seclude himself and studied from dusk till dawn, sleeping during the day to recuparate from his experiments. Some rumors started to spread as to evil beings visiting the Qeos household, late at night, probably to execute dirty deeds. The Elders was showing concern over what was going on with Fenyang and decided to confront him. What they saw was terrifying. Not only was Fenyang had been corrupted by the Blight, but his son Teremun was corrupted too. Having no choices left, the Elders decided to send Fenyang and his family into exile and declare them as outcasts to the Saris people.

Fenyang was deeply angered by the Elders decision and vowed to have his revenge one day. For now, he packed up his family's belongings and left for Nuthala, a small village on the east coast of Old Aradoth. The travel was long and perilous, as they had to fight their way through hordes of vile creatures. Somehow, Fenyang was always able to defeat the creatures or scare them away. Xarias thought his father was strong and invincible and he wanted to be like him someday. Little did he know about that the source of his power would come back to torment him eventually. But a tragedy was about to strike, a tragedy that would deeply affect Xarias.

As they were nearing Nuthala, one evening, they decided to camp closer to a nearby river. Their mother had made probably one of her best meals that he remembered and she tucked him and Akana to sleep. She sat and stayed with them until they fell asleep, always telling them how much she loved them and that life would get better soon. The next morning, Xarias woke up and, looking around, could not find his mother. Alarmed, he got out of the tent and looked around. About 10 meters from the tent, he found her. Lying on the grass, she had a blank stare, looking up at the sky, her heart not beating anymore. She was holding her necklace wrapped around her hand and a glass on the other. Xarias shook her, trying to wake her up, but in vein. She was dead. Xarias & Akana spent countless nights crying for their mother's death. They just could not understand why life could be so cruel to them, while Fenyang was only caring to raise Teremun and ignoring both of them.

At last, they ended that dreaded journey and arrived in Nuthala. Nuthala was far smaller than Kion and was not as exciting. Nothing to help the soul of a broken child. Their new house was far from the town center and Fenyang resumed his studies, this time with Teremun as his apprentice. Xarias & Akana were left to fend for themselves, only having each other for comfort and for companionship. Everytime they went in town, people were looking at them with strange looks and getting out of their way, ignoring them. Xarias just could not take this anymore. He had to find a way for his life to change. He only thought of one thing: Divine intervention.

One day, he decided to go to the town's temple to implore Istaria to cure his father and end their suffering. When he entered the temple, he met an old human named Bragiral Terask. He welcome Xarias with open arms and asked him what he seeked. Xarias told him what he wanted to do and Bragiral stared at him for a long time, before asking Xarias to follow him. He showed him a large library, with so many books the room was almost overflowing. Bragiral told Xarias that the answer to his question was here to find. Puzzled, Xarias turned around to ask Bragiral a question, but he was already walking down the hall. With no clue where to look, Xarias decided he betterstart now and grabbed the first book he could find. That book was: "The Art of Healing and its magical applications". As soon as he started reading, he was in awe with the way of the cleric as described in the book. Maybe, if he became a cleric, he could help his father to be his old self again and save his family's name...

Bragiral accepted to teach the cleric's way to Xarias, He saw in him a good apprentice and someone willing to help others, no matter what it took. Impressed by such selfless abandon, he decided perhaps he needed to get away from his father and go back to Kion so he could go back , once again, as a member of the Saris family. Of course, Xarias wholehartedly agreed and decided to bring his siter Akana along. Upon hearing his plans to become a cleric and go back to Kion, Fenyang got mad and denied Xarias the permission to go to Kion. Akana was pleading for her father to accept his choice, since it was his right to choose to do what would please him the most. Perceiving his daghter words as betrayal and infuriated, Fenyang drew a dagger and killed Akana, right in front of Xarias. After her death, an evil laugh got out of his mouth and he looked like a madman. Xarias could not believed what his father had done.

Turning his attention back to Xarias, Fenyang declared that his son was weak, since he wanted want to heal instead of viewing how powerful he could become and told him it would be his turn to die. Xarias, even though still new to the cleric ways, defied his father. However, out of a room appeared Teremun, with anger in his eyes, and started attacking Xarias. Both Fenyang and Teremun relentlessly casted spells on Xarias, who could not defend against such a powerful strike and, in a last ditch effort, tried to strike his father with his mace. Right then and there, Teremun took the chance and syphoned Xarias's life away, killing him in the process. Looking at both dead siblings, Father and son laughed at their demise and dragged their bodies, burying them away from Nuthala.

(end of part 1, more to come)

A few days later, Xarias opened his eyes and found himself trapped in a hole, covered in dirt and mud. Confused, he started to dig himself out of the hole and started to feel the heat of the sun as the hole grew bigger. Finally sticking his head out, he looked around, trying to find his bearings. He was in a place he was not familiar with but felt that he was still in Old Aradoth. Finally setting his self free of the hole, he stood up and started to look around to find a path he could follow.

Closeby, he saw a small tent, near a cluster of palm trees. As he approched the tent, he heard a voice that was quite familiar to him from behind. Before he could turn around, he felt arms wrapped around his neck and hold him tight. The fur on the arms was similar to his. No, could it be...

“At last! I am so glad to see you alive again Xarias!” said Akana, as she held her brother so tight she almost choked him. “I was fearing you would never get out of this grave. I never lost hope, but it sure took you a long time! When I got back to Nuthara and learned of your murder, I was so heartbroken. Bless Istaria!”

“Akana...!?” managed to say Xarias. “How...what... But our father killed us both??? How can I be here... How can YOU be here?? I must be dreaming...”

“You are not” said another voice close to him. He turned to face the stranger. He was a tall Saris wearing some dark kenaf clothes and a Bow. “It seems you and your sister were blessed with the gift. It is rare that members of a same family share the gift. I guess you can thank Istaria for such a lucky thing”.

Xarias did not quite agree with those words. “Lucky? Being killed by your father and being brought back to this painful world of memories...you call that lucky?” Xarias was angry that someone would make such a suggestion. His life was just in shambles and he could not understand what his luck was.

“Khaldun, you have to remember Xarias witnessed me being murdered” softly said Akana. “I am sure it has upset him greatly”

“You know it did” said Xarias, lowering his head. “And Teremun’s betrayal shouldn’t have come as a surprise either. He is so much like our father now...”

“Teremun? Betrayal? What do you mean” asked Akana, obviously puzzled since she was dead when that happened.

“We will talk about this later, sister” said Xarias, while taking her hand in his. “For now, I am so hungry I would eat sand beetles if I had to!”

Akana smiled back at him. “We do have some rat stew brewing over the fire. Want some? I made it myself...”

“Errrr... Well, Guess I can try! You never were the best cook, you know..” as Xarias looked at his sister with a wide smile on his face.

They all sat down, enjoying a good meal and talking about some things and others. For once, Xarias thought Akana’s cooking had greatly improved. Perhaps she had plenty of time to practice, he thought. While looking at Khaldun, he started to wonder why his sister was here, as if she was waiting for him...

“... and we are not very far from Kion. I’d say about a two or three day trek by foot. It should be easy...”

“I do wonder though” said Xarias, interrupting Khaldun “Why are you and Akana here? It seems as you were waiting for me...”

“We were indeed” said his sister. “I was hoping so much that you would come back and we could be together again... I thank Istaria that you had the gift too”, smiling back at him while breaking a loath of bread.

“But what is this... Gift... you are referring too?” said Xarias, curious about what brought him back here. Silence followed the end of the explanation.

Khaldun explained to him what was the gift and how scholars thought the living races got to gain such ability. This is was all intriging to Xarias, as he has heard that powerful clerics could bring back the dead from beyond, but raising oneself, without the aid of magic? That was fascinating...

“So, I have decided to camp here, close to you” finally said Akana. “While I was waiting, I met Khaldun, who was on his way to Kion. He has been a companion and a protector for me while I waited. I did learn about the Gift from him as well.”

Xarias fell slient and was staring at the fire. All of this was a lot to assimilate in one day. Coming back from the dead, finding his sister alive, learning about the gift... The only thing he could do now was getting away from this forsaken place and go back to Kion, where he could be useful to his kyn.

“I feel we should leave this place as soon as possible” said Xarias. “I do not wish to stay here any longer”

“So do we” said Akana, nodding her head. “We shall leave tomorrow at once. Do you mind heading for Kion?”

“Remember why I was killed?” abruptly said Xarias. “So, no, I do not mind”

“Very well” told Khaldun to both siblings. “Tomorrow, we shall leave first thing in the morning. Xarias...” as he put his hand on his shoulder, “you need to rest. All of this has been a very long day. You will need all your strenght for the trek.”
Xarias laid down on a mattress set up for him and stared at the sky. The stars were bright tonight, with no clouds. He could not stop thinking about what happened before his death and could not comprehend why his father would do such a thing. Perhaps he has made the right decision. Perhaps, one day, he could free his father from his chains. On that thought, he fell asleep.


During that night, Akana decided to watch over her brother instead of sleeping. Having him back was the greatest thing that could happen to her so she did not want to miss any minute of it. She feared that his whole ordeal would affect him greatly. Not being able to save her from death was probably the worst feeling he ever felt. She knew how important she was for Xarias and was hoping that, with time, He would recover from it all.

While she was stroking his hair with her fingers, Xarias started mumbling and to get agitated. She knew he was dreaming and surely not something sweet. Sweat started rolling down his face and Akana knew she had to wake him up. “Brother...” whispered Akana, while shaking him, “I am right here...”

“You can’t... Father, NO!” yelled Xarias as he woke up and sat on his mattress. He shook his head and looked around, still drowsy. He saw his sister sitting right by him, looking worried.

“What are you doing here, sister? I thought you would be sleeping by now. It is late” said Xarias.

“I know brother, but I couldn't help but wonder how you were really doing. You have been through so much lately: My unexpected passing and yours, your return to life, coming to terms with our father's madness... It is a lot of things to ponder." said anxiously Akana.

" No need to worry, I am fine. You probably heard me speak while I was sleeping. It was a terrible dream sister: Our father had found us and was there to reclaim our souls to do his biddings... i felt helpless and trapped, just like when he murdered you..." Xarias started crying as he said those words and hugged Akana.

"Do not be sad. I know you could not predict what happened to me. I know you would've stopped him if you did. You are the best brother anyone could wish for" said Akana, as she hugged him tight.

"If you say so... I do wonder what we need to do now. Should we try to find Fenyang and oppose him? Or should we hide for now, until we find our way in life?" It was hard for him to know for sure. He desperatly wanted to cure his father, so he could be his old self again, but was it too soon?

"No need to hide. Just go on with your life" said Khaldun, who woke up while the two siblings were talking. "You will be safe in Kion. Evil will not reach out for you there."

They both nodded their head and agreed with Khaldun's assessement. "Kion was a lot safer than Nuthala, from what I remember" said Xarias. "and I am sure I could find much needed advice at the temple."

The morning sun was rising on the horizon, its rays lighting the sky and warming the Saris souls. "I see it is morning already" said Khladun. "Let's pack up our tent and continue on. The sooner we get to Kion, the better."

While packing his back, Xarias was staring at the sun. He still could not realize he was back to life again. A needed second chance, to take off his burden from his shoulders, to feel the warmth of life. He really needed to get to the temple as soon as they arrived. He had some research to do at the Library. Perhaps he could find some answers on what happened to his father.

So, they set out for Kion again. The journey was uneventful, as they stuck to the road and saw no wild animals around. Uneventful and quiet... A good omen. They crossed a caravan that was on its way to Nuthala but the people in it were not very talkative. They did their best to avoid looking at Xarias and Akana, only talking to Khaldun. "I the mark of our family's curse still on us?" wondered Xarias. He was hoping that was not the case but the reaction of his kyn told him otherwise.

A day later, they finally arrived in Kion. The city was much larger than the time they lived there. Many more houses had been built and the city has expanded along the shore. The first thing Xarias did when he arrived was to go to the beach, where he spent his childhood days. Looking around, He was glad to see it was still there but saddened that so little of it was left as many buildings was built on it. Only memories seemed to remain from that joyful time. He then looked at Akana. She really was too young to remember such a time. She was a small infant when they left Kion and it was such a long time ago and that further deepened his sorrow. It was a real shame to let the past fly away and be lost in time...

"Brother, are you okay?" said Akana, getting Xarias out of his daydream. "Yes, dear sister. I am fine. I was just lost in the moment, that is all" he finally said, looking sad. "I believe I need to find some answers now. You and Khladun should look around for accomodation. I will be back with you shortly" as he turned around and headed for the town center. Akana watched him walk away, wondering about what could make him so sad.

As he approched the town center, Xarias was examining the buildings around it. The city has grown indeed, as he did not recognize half of the buildings there. He could only make out the Temple and a few stores. It was different and yet so familiar to him, as if he never left the city in the first place. He resumed walking and got at the steps of the Temple. For some reason, Xarias thought the Temple did not age very well: the steps were cracked, the door were worn-out, some windows broken and patched up. What could cause such an important building to be abandoned like this? Xarias did not know, but he intended to find out. As he was about to enter the Temple, an old Saris was getting out the door. When he saw Xarias, he stopped dead on his tracks and stared at him, narrowing his eyes as if looking for something.

He then smiled and said: "Xarias Zerniak! I can not believe you are here! It took you so long to arrive. How are you?" said the Saris.

"Should I know you?" said Xarias, quite puzzled by the Saris reaction.

"Indeed. I have been a friend of your family a long time ago and was contacted by Bragirol to take you as my apprentice. I was thrilled to know you were coming back."

" Ahhh... so, you are Baniti, I assume?" said Xarias. He remembered the name of the person Bragirol told him before he left. A friend of the family? He might know something...

"Yes, my friend. I am Baniti, scholar and teacher of the Temple. But, let's not waste more time out here. I believe you do have some questions to be answered" Baniti said, as he turned around and got back into the Temple and invited Xarias to follow him. Perhaps he did get some answers about his father's past...