Journey West 01: Family Secrets

   Looking down upon the world of Aesperia amongst its oddities like the flowing darkness and light that imitate and initiate this world’s cycle of night and day as though it were a spherical world orbiting a sun, something else seen from the surface but is only an illusion, there are other oddities; such as mountains that shouldn’t be, islands with no just cause to exist, and even bodies of water that defy normal rational geological explanation. One such  body of water is the Archae Sea, slicing into the continent of Ravashira by shape and presence one could easily imagine, and legends be born as a result, that some great impossibly huge being had pressed its finger into the land pressing down the earth. The eastern shores slope down to the sea and the western shore is for most its length a steep cliff.

     However it’s not the sea, the creatures that swim with-in it, or the odd rivers that end in swamps along the western cliff face even that are of interest. In the southern reaches of the sea, where map makers would try to mark a boundary between the Archae Sea and the Gulf of Archae, as though an actual boundary existed, a very small fishing vessel putters along thanks to its golem engine, with a most unusual crew on board.

     Piloting the vessel is the orange pirate costume clad blond warrior woman, Betty. At the back of the vessel sitting by the golem engine’s motor, arms crossed and face showing her to be deep in thought is the panther-woman Kuhrai hybrid in her traditional pirate attire minus boots as they would bother her paw like feet is Kathara-Harana better known on this world as Cata. The two sorceresses, one in white cape, white pants, white boots, and short white top with gold string exposing her abdomen, with long brown hair and a delicate face…and not to mention a small white dragon like creature named Lin Lin resting in her lap, the other in a black cape with a red inner lining, black pants, black boots, and a black top resembling a corset bra and exposing her abdomen, with long dark reddish black hair, and a strong face sit in the middle. The shorter one in white is none other than Hollia of Stratalia, a young woman who had until recently only thought of herself as a student and potential future dean or business woman, although she was taking courses set for a holy priestess; however before departing her brother had revealed to her that logistically and internationally speaking she is in reality a princess. The taller one in black is none-other than Rhulan, who a thousand years ago had ruled the world and been turned to stone by the hero Gyro-Lee, ancestor of the smaller woman next to her, and by sheer serendipity, or perhaps fate, Hollia was the one who freed her from her stone prison.

    Mere moments before they set sail…so to speak, the city of Osopika had been attacked by two strange small, yet insanely overpowered creatures; the death hunter known as The Adorable Death Bringer and the penguin like creature whose chest feathers imitated a skull pattern, Vol-Pinyo. The two creatures had unleashed their power, Necro-Energy, a power that is in reality the reality fabric of a bridge universe known as The Land of the Dead; which by its very nature pulls life out of anything living. The only one who could survive such energy by two such beings at once amongst their group was Rhulan, the others forced to stay back and help protect the city as its citizens fled and protectors came to their aid.

    The two creatures moved faster than even Rhulan had expected, unleashing intense volleys of Necro-energy. The sheer amount of the unfamiliar power being absorbed by Rhulan’s aura set off a chain reaction with-in the sorceress unleashing what she called “Cataclysm” causing a strange transformation and psychotic demeanor. Unbeknownst to her companions her mind entered another realm and she watched her body. Her she named this form she took, The Necro-Fairy. Hollia in desperation yelled out to her and even somehow survived the Necro-energy overflowing from Rhulan to reach her. Hollia’s words were able to breach the dimensional fold and bring Rhulan back to reality and under control sooner than even she had expected.

    The dimensional fold part no one but Rhulan is aware of, the transformation having giant green demonic looking fairy wings, Necro-bolts firing from her hands, and changing the sky to black and red on the other hand everyone is aware of. They had agreed quickly that it was in their best interest after the battle to leave immediately. However over the last few days by boat they have avoided talking about what happened; talk of the nice weather, the fishing, even Rhulan doing her student teacher thing with Hollia quizzing her over how the desalinization equipment works for their water supply. Cata taps her shoulder with her claw and picks at her fur, scrunching her eyes.

    “That’s it!” she suddenly yells drawing everyone’s attention to her.

   “So we’re just ignoring it then?” she continues, “I know it’s a cliché being part cat and all but my curiosity can’t take it any more. Seriously, Rhulan, what the hell happened back there?”

    Rhulan and Hollia exchange looks, Hollia looks down in shame, she too has been curious, although back then right after it happened Rhulan told her she had simply overloaded.

   “Well,” says Rhulan, “I told you all before I have the ability to absorb and adapt to any power, remember…”

    She looks at Hollia, “the…fight with Jinron, the mirror. Thanks to the detoxification spell Hollia used on me that brought me back to flesh and blood that mirror couldn’t work on me again. You weren’t there Cata and we hadn’t met up with Betty yet either, but that little squeaky voiced reaper had attacked Hollia and I before…”

    Rhulan shakes her head back and forth a little in thought, “and Scrags too, my spirit barrier absorbed that little freak’s Necro-Arc scaring her away. Well back in Osopika those things were faster and able to fire off more of it at a time than I expected so I simply absorbed too much and overloaded.”


    Hollia nods, “I understand Miss Rhulan, someone’s magic potential can only store so much mystical energy before it tops off. Trying to absorb too much more than that causes the body and mind to break down.”

    Rhulan smiles, “That….that’s the jist of it yes.”

    Cata looks out to the sea thinking, “I’ve seen wizards try to take in too much power at once, I’ve seen their eyes glow, energy bolts shoot out of their eyes and finger tips only for them to fall over twitching with smoke coming out of their eyes, mouths, and finger tips.”

    She narrows her eyes, “But I’ve never seen anyone…”

    She thinks back to the weather, the sky, the wings, “Then again.”

    She looks back to see Rhulan and Hollia once more discussing something about the ocean, “Then again, I seem to keep forgetting this is Rhulan…she just seems so normal. Its hard to believe except when she does those crazy high end spells or shows us some new power she has hidden away that she’s the same person my instruments recorded as a Super-Aesperian.”

    ******

    The Trial of Jinron-Lia…did not happen. As it happens with powerful kingdoms that need to save face especially when the only witnesses were family and a small group in transit, they skipped a trial and the king as it were Tyros-Lia banished his father to house imprisonment at one of his villas in the country near Stratalia. His only visitors were to be his own family, deliveries made by golems, his home kept clean and he watched over by golems as well. A wall was quickly raised around the villa with a barrier to prevent anything from teleporting, or even astral-projecting into the villa. While on the outside it would still look like a peaceful country home it would be in reality a prison.

    Inside one of the luxurious upper rooms resembling his office back in Stratalia, only wider with more sunlight coming through the large window Jinron sits in a comfortable chair looking out at the garden as humming birds feed on the flowers. He thinks back to what happened, back to his office when Sally appeared how he had once again as he has done so many times remembered that night when he snuck home and stood outside the stained glass windows of the private library to overhear his mother, whom he already disliked for the Kuhrai blood pumping through his veins thanks to her, a dislike spurned on by Sally who would appear to him regularly during his own adventurers as the Mushroom Magician, revealed that she was also his grand-mother. His own father despite this admission of incest still loved her.

    He shakes his head, “no,” he thinks while resting his forehead on his index finger and his thumb beneath his eye, “The last time I dwelled on that I…”

   He thinks back to Sally spurning him to action, he took the legendary family treasure, the Mirror of Syris, the weapon his ancestor Gyro-Lee had used to defeat Rhulan. He was going to be a hero again, save his grand-daughter not only from Rhulan but also…

    His eyes open wide, “But also from Sally…” he says aloud falling to his chair remembering her threats, revealing that she was the one that attacked Stratalia and tried to kill his grand-daughter.

    “Rhulan,” says Jinron looking out the window, “My grand-daughter follows you around like a lost puppy, Sally attacked for her sake Holly, not yours, it couldn’t have been about you my precious little grand-daughter…*sniff*…Rhulan is a monster, my mother…is a monster…but you…”

    “What about Sally?” comes a stern voice behind him. He turns to see his son Tyros standing there, a tall proud man his stern eyes peering out from just below his clean brown bangs. He is a man that no normal man in his right mind would want to face on the battle field.

    Jinron rests his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees as though giving into the age his own son before him had used as an excuse to explain Jinron leaving the position of dean back in Stratalia.

    “Well?” comes a woman’s voice.

    Jinron turns to see Jasma, the elf-bride of his son and mother of his grand-daughter walking in beside her husband.

    “So this is to be my trial then?” asks Jinron.

    “Father,” says Tyros with a stern voice, “you consider your own mother a monster because she happens to be a cat like alien, and while to a certain degree I can understand your disgust at the whole situation between her, your father, and his father, she has done nothing to deserve such hatred from her own son.”

   Jinron looks away out the window.

   “Further more,” says Tyros, “she was a hero both along side grand-father and along side great grand-father, she even helped save the world from the Shining Black Dragon.”

     Tyros nods at Jasma who does a silent enchantment.

    *whoosh*

   Jinron’s chair lifts up and turns to face them before setting back down again.


    “Father,” says Tyros, “it is important you hear us out. This isn’t just a trial, it’s an intervention. Now to continue you consider Rhulan a monster…why because she’s a sorceress who once ruled the world? Because she’s immortal?”

    “How about,” says Jinron, “because she’s an evil goddess who took over the world, and her defeat is one of the most popular stories in the world which was done at the hands of one of our greatest ancestors.”

    “A thousand years ago,” says Tyros, “She has been imprisoned in stone for a length of time longer than her empire even lasted.”

    “So,” says Jinron looking up at his son with a smile, “What about the chaos she left behind? She booby trapped the whole world so civilization would collapse.”

     “Something for which some cultures blamed us for if you’ll recall,” says Tyros, “It was well known back then that her power was what was holding the technology together.”

    “Small price to pay,” says Jinron, “to save the world.”

   “Hypocrite.” says Jasma with a sneer.

   “Excuse me?” says Jinron glaring at her.

   “My wife has a point,” says Tyros, “You just said she was to be held accountable for the chaos her defeat left behind and then you say it’s no big deal because it was a small
price to pay. So which is it?”

    Jinron just glares at him.

   “As I thought,” says Tyros, “everything you say sounds like a conditioned response. Tell me something…father…have you ever even checked out the secret archive?”

    Jinron growls under his breath before saying, “Of course.”

   “Then,” continues Tyros, “You should be well aware of the good Rhulan did in the distant past, saving the world from enslavement by the Stingers, and before that thanks to her, and the very man our school was named after Strata-Lee our people escaped genocide to come to this world.”

    “Two thousand year old myth.” says Jinron, “that’s all that is, barely anyone even knows that story anymore. Strata-Lee, Rhulan, Rhoan, the trinity of demi-gods who flew our people through an airless void across realities to bring us to this so called paradise of a world. Hah!”


     “People say the same thing about her defeat a thousand years ago.” says Jasma with a smile, “one thousand or two thousand years, it all comes down to a person trying to do what is right. Even if she has been alive so long, she’s only human after all.”

     Jinron shakes his head and mutters, “monster.”

    “Me or her,” growls Jasma.

    Tyros steps between his wife and father, “Father, speaking of monsters what do you think Sally is?”

    Jinron looks at the floor, this is something he has pondered himself, but ever since coming to the villa a few days ago had never really put so much thought into like a fog has cleared from his mind.

    “She’s also immortal,” says Tyros, “stories of her date back centuries, millennia even. A woman with her description appeared to great grand-father, the hero Gino-Lee. Do you know what she did? She told him and his party to leave the Shining Black Dragon alone, to continue giving tribute to it. Tell me something father why would she ask one man to fight a monster and another to bow down to one?”

    Tyros pauses, but Jinron has no answers as he stares at his own feet.

    “Father in law,” says Jasma with a softer tone, “We have reason to believe this Sally is in reality the monster called Satasar.”

    Jinron looks up with a curious expression, “What…” he mumbles, “is a Satasar?”

    Tyros and Jasma exchange glances before Tyros says, “Father…our contacts in the Croix Merchant Guild tell us there is a growing group in Croix who are worshiping some mysterious being called Satasar who grants them power, knowledge of strange technology, and monsters not unlike those that attacked the school. As you know after the incident at the school your office was bugged as a woman fitting the description we had already been investigating had been appearing there as well as the merchant who was found dead and held responsible as the one who summoned the monsters.”

    Jasma says, “Father in law, the symbol they showed us as being connected to this threat was the same symbol on the temple that had kidnapped my mother.”

    Jinron remembers, Tyros had been sent to help settle a peaceful agreement between the large kingdoms of Postorina and Crimdalina who border a giant lake also connected to the Stratalian Neutral Zone. They discovered that the violence between the nations, the phantom raids and border violence not to mention the shooting down of the Elven ship whose cargo had been turned into weapons on both side, of which each had mysteriously gotten one cargo container landing well with in their own side and the third part of the ship further north. He remembers that this is how his son met Jasma who was on a mission with her brother Gold Wolf to recover their mother who was the pilot and how her capsule was inside a temple dedicated to something called the Great S; whose worshippers believed in causing chaos to advance civilization.

    “I remember,” says Jinron, “and let me guess you believe this Great S thing is actually Sally, who you believe is actually this Satasar.”

    “What better way to cause chaos than to dethrone someone whose fall from power would plunge the whole world into a state of barbarism giving every would be war-lord the chance to go to war with each other and seize as much power as possible? To allow dragons to take over, and not to mention cause dissention in the one family known to birth heroes who could stop her, even making a play for one of them. Know this father in law, you and she admitted in recording that she tried to kill my daughter. Don’t think I’ll ever forgive that for any excuse.”

    Jasma holding back tears with a look that could kill, the glowing yellow eyes adding to the dagger stare’s effect, marched from the room.

    Tyros shakes his head, “father, you have one more visitor, but right now I better go before Jasma breaks something valuable.”

    Just as Jinron is about to turn his chair another person enters the room, her white fur and priestess robes reflecting the light of the sun setting through the window giving her a glow like some divine presence. Despite the length of time he has not seen her he recognizes her, there is not a son alive with an undamaged mind who would not recognize his own mother.

    “Greetings son,” she says in a calm soft voice, her hands cupper together in front of her dress at her waist.

    He only looks at her for a moment before his cold eyes look to the floor.

   “There is a story long over due,” she says, “that I must tell you, so please just listen to what I have to say son…when my people first came across this world to investigate this rather unusual dimension we were met by another race, these metamorphic shadows call themselves the Suihrai. We had encounters with them before then, but their presence here was most unusual. We agreed with them not to interfere with the development of this world, instead we wished only to explore it and learn about its people. I was chosen thanks to my powers resembling the energy signature our drones detected from those on the surface as well as my ability to change my shape. I took on the appearance of an Aesperian and referred to myself as Harley; I would later come to be called Harley the White Priestess. Despite my orders I was enthralled by your grand-father, he was a brave and righteous man, his quest true and just. I fell in love with him and joined him on his battle against that abomination that resembled a dragon.”


    She pauses, “there is something I have never told anyone, I scanned the corpse of that creature which poisoned your grand-father, I was hoping to create an antidote. I learned it was un-natural in nature, a product of some ancient science blended with magic. I believe it evolved from some bio-weapon left behind by those we call the precursor civilization, however a dark energy merged with it and changed it into the dragon. My scans have found other sources for this exact same power, one of those is the woman you had meetings with, as well as the temple my grand-son showed me that was dedicated to this Great S entity.”

    Jinron shakes his head slightly.

    “Make no mistake son,” she says, “It’s not my intention to convince you of anything, if you knew more about my nature you’d know I am incapable of lying.”

    He shoots her an angry stare.

    “Of course,” she says, “I can also choose to simply not speak the truth with out saying a lie; a lot easier to do when no one asks.”

    *she sighs*

    “The poison affecting your grand-father was too dire for even the power granted to me by the goddess to completely cure. We had many great years together, and I of course bore him a son, your father whom we named Staltos. He was…only five years old when my people recalled me; I revealed my true nature then to your grand-father but not to our son for fear his young mind would not be able to understand and swore to return. If I had revealed to my superiors that I aided in a quest that changed the reigns of power on this world or for that matter bore a child to one of its kings I would never have been allowed to come back here. I put in a request as often as I could to return; but it would be nearly thirty years till I could come back. They decided then to make official contact.”

    She blinks her eyes to keep from tearing up, “When I came back I had no choice but to keep my cover and not show myself as Harley, as this was now official I could only go around as Hyatha-Aria a priestess of the Kuhrai. I tried to make enquiries about my husband and son as often as I could under the guise of learning about this world and its history. Unfortunately Gino had died and our son had gone off on some adventure far away. No one I met along my travels in this country seemed to even know who Staltos was, instead I found a man who reminded me of Gino, a man they called Stratos the Sky Warrior. I was apprehensive at first but as my mission limitations were now much more lenient I was able to join him on his adventure to banish a dark lord who had been trying to take hold and enter this world in Northern Ravashira.”

    “Let me guess,” whispers Jinron, “this dark lord was Sally?”

    “No,” says Hyatha-Aria, “this dark lord was unrelated to Satasar, an unrelated event; not everything we have investigated ties back to her, this dark lord and the incident in Croix with the demon like being Lahk Fhar stand out as two high profile events that surprisingly do not. However as I was saying my son I fell in love with this man and after a few years I became pregnant with you. It was then that he insisted upon marriage, both sides agreed despite the politics viewing it as a sign that our two cultures were destined to trade and be at peace with one another. It was during the wedding ceremony that I learned his true name. I did question him after words, apparently however he had gone by Stratos so long that even he apparently forgot his birth name was different. The priest for the wedding had official records to go by after all, something I had no access too.”

    She pauses a moment to take a breath, “I contemplated the situation for fear that if he were to learn the truth he would turn me away and hate me, and my heart simply could not allow to lose him again. In my culture such unions are not uncommon; however our genetics prevent it from being a problem as even twins are as genetically different from each other as cousins. We have shall you say a rather unusual genetic system. However such unions are taboo on this planet, something I need not tell you of course.”

   She narrows her eyes, “Thankfully my husband and first son as one was and still is far more forgiving than even I could have prayed for. I planned a time I knew you’d be sneaking off again, unfortunately I didn’t know when you’d come back or about your path back into your room. I figured you used your claws to simply climb the wall under your window. I took on the form of Harley once again and looked through the books of the family library, remembering Gino and our adventures together. As I planned Staltos found me…and well you know the rest, I also just said the rest before as well.”

    To Jinron’s surprise she walks over to him and looks down at him with her piercing eyes, “I still love you my son, I could always sense that your words, actions, and emotions have never synched up…I mean that literally I could sense this.”

    She turns her back to him and seems to float over to the door and turns back to him, “My son I always hoped that one day you would get over your convictions regarding your dislike of the situation and let your love for your parents take root once more in your heart.”

    She raises her hands to her chest cupping where her heart would be, “For a human, especially one from an evolved race who has lived so long and stayed young despite his illusions to have not eventually listened to his heart is truly surprising.”

    She puts her arms back down and smiles, “Such stubbornness is truly a Kuhrai trait my son. However we are also emotional beings, your stubbornness has clearly been reinforced all these years by that monster whispering in your ears. I can sense your heart is lighter here now than it was when I was last in Stratalia. Despite your attitude I do like to check up on you from time to time my son, like I said I do not lie, but I need not speak either.”


    She turns to leave saying as she goes, “I do believe that stubbornness connected to this silly long over due for expiration conviction of yours will subside once Hollia and her good friend Rhulan have killed the monster that has poisoned your mind.”

    Hyatha-Aria closes the door, and leaves along with Tyros and Jasma. Jinron could hear them walk out the front door, his window however is at the back. Despite himself he finds himself getting up and walking to a forward room to peer out a window as stealth fully as possible to watch his family walk out the front gate, waiting for them is Byron with a petite juggernaut and a woman with a small boy. In this moment it dawns on Jinron that his grand-son has a son of his own and even a human wife or at least lover. The gates close and he can see them no more, but he imagines his mother playing with the child, the same child he remembers Hollia playing with.

    “Wait a minute,” he thinks to himself, “I knew he had a kid, I even said I knew before he had a kid out of wedlock. Why am I surprised?”

    He pinches the space between his eyes feeling a strong headache, “What…what is…how can I remember something and forget it at the same time?”

    He looks out the window a tear rolling down his eye and whispers, “mommy, what have I been doing?”