IN A PLACE, IN A TIME…
Gunuk set foot on solid ground, relieved to have completed the long journey by boat. Still a little dizzy, he said goodbye to the kind fisherman.
“Thank you. Without your help, I could not have succeeded,” he said with a sincere look. “Remember! A weighty secret you now carry. Guard it, your duty is. Seek only Vendemur.”
From the boat, Bauros recalled their conversation during the crossing, his expression serious. Gunuk had said little, but his words had certainly been revealing, enough for Bauros to understand the importance of the information he now possessed.
“But where? He’s not easy to find. He rarely lets himself be seen,” Bauros asked.
“In Antraka, his arrival you must await,” Gunuk replied, looking toward the great mountain rising before him, eager to begin the climb.
“I’ll help you! You’re exhausted, wounded… If you told me where you were going, couldn’t I make the journey easier for you? My body is beginning to feel its age, but I still have the strength of my youth. I’ve always been loyal to Kettke! You have nothing to fear,” Bauros insisted, reluctant to raise the sails and depart.
“To Antraka, your path must lead. Mine… may have no return.”
“I’m sure you’ll come back.”
“That matters not now,” Gunuk replied gravely, convinced of what he had just said.
The fisherman fell silent for a moment. Gunuk was clearly not joking; his courage was worthy of the greatest of the Kinorians. At last, Bauros unfurled the sails and slowly headed out to sea.
“Good luck! It was an honor to meet you. You’re a remarkable being! Have no doubt that one day your story will be told. In a world at peace!” Bauros finally called out as Gunuk, too, left the beach behind and began climbing the rocky terrain.
The Island of Rocks was an inhospitable, barren, uninhabited place. It always had been, and that day would be no exception. In a way, Gunuk was glad he would not have to hide from prying eyes. Yet the steep path ahead would not be easy. The slight unsteadiness of his steps made him more tired with every stride, and what he now carried was a heavy burden. Not merely in the physical sense. It was far more complicated than that: he had been chosen. Tuarkket had entrusted it to him on his deathbed. His king, his friend, the one who had emerged from darkness to sow the seed of hope once more. Could he ever have imagined a greater honor? He could not fail; there was no room for error in this mission. The memory of what had happened sent a shiver through him from head to toe. Every thought was dark. Kettke, the Kingdom of Kingdoms, had been overtaken by betrayal, by evil. Who could have imagined, only days earlier, that such a thing would happen?
Overwhelming anguish seized Gunuk. Only he could change that situation, only he carried the flame of hope, only he…
After hours of walking, exhausted, he stopped beside a great boulder that cast a welcome patch of shade. He opened his robe and looked at his precious cargo. It seemed to give off a heavenly light, like that of the first rays of dawn. So small, yet so great! Gunuk smiled as he thought of his family, of his son.
“He will complete the journey you must begin today,” Vendemur, the Narako, had told him before his departure.
The thought that his life might soon come to an end did not frighten him in the least; he had always believed life was a fleeting journey. What terrified him, however, was the possibility that he might perish before reaching his goal. That was what had to give meaning to his life, perhaps to his death. What would be the point of continuing to live in a world ruled by tyranny? He shook his small head, trying to drive away the multitude of thoughts that seemed to cloud his peace of mind, and set off once more.
The sun shone fiercely, its powerful rays seeming to scorch his back. Sweat was already breaking out across his body. He knew he had to hurry; darkness would soon fall.
Glancing up at the brilliant sun, he noticed with concern how close the moon had drawn. There was no time to lose! Kudark would be eager to leave his lair, impatient to travel, even if only in spirit, to see the prize he had been awaiting. Gunuk smiled again.
“A great disappointment awaits him,” he whispered to himself, though he soon realized that Kudark’s fury would be even greater, and… that was not good at all. Gunuk quickened his pace. He was hungry, so exhausted he could barely lift his legs, and his wounds were making every movement increasingly painful. But what did any of that matter now?
As though the moon were beginning to devour the sun, daylight started to surrender to the inevitable phenomenon. An unsettling twilight spread throughout the place, and Gunuk, summoning strength that seemed to consume him from within, finally spotted the grotto. There was no time to celebrate; every second mattered.
When darkness had almost completely taken hold, Gunuk entered the small cave, his steps unsteady. What awaited him beyond that doorway into unknown worlds? What was he supposed to do once he crossed it? Vendemur had described the route that would bring him there, but… what came afterward?
Despite those agonizing questions, he drew a deep breath, comforted by the knowledge that he had finally reached the cave, though more certain than ever that he would never return.
He turned his head, hoping for one last glimpse of the world where he had been born and raised. But before he could take in his homeland for the final time, the moon and sun merged into one, and an immensely powerful light surged from the depths, engulfing him with ferocious force.
Chapter I — Coming soon.