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The Fourth Night

~ rekstwelve ~ Leave a comment

Today was odd, nothing went to plan. Even though I had been expecting Mikado to come and get me, I wasn’t expecting the sight of his face hovering above my own, exuding his odorous breath directly into my nostrils. “Reks?” He queried, forcing the scent of old grog and rotted meat from countless nights of feasting, into my gasping mouth. I twitched and coughed the stink away; with no success.

 
I tried to wrestle him off me “What’re you…?” “Shh” He hissed, blocking my mouth with his hand. It was grimy and suctioned to my face “We have to move, we have to leave here now.” He said. Something in his eyes told me he had somehow managed to turn his entire village against him last night.

 
“What did you…?”

 
“SHh”

 
“But…”

 
“SHHH” He asserted.

 
There was no beating him. His face was determined to hear as it listened for external disturbances. “Grab your gear, we’re leaving” All I could do was trust him, there was no way I was going to be able to sway the minds of the town I only just met.

 
Dawn was breaking as we left through the window of my cabin. We dashed northward into the morning mist settling over the forest’s floor. We ran for a while, without looking back, my feet had grown sore and the forest fell silent. I demanded we stop and Mikado tell me everything. We stopped to sit and he turned to me. “They were plotting against me Reks, ever since you bested me, all I could hear were whispers about my shortcomings, and rumours of how they would dispose of me.”

 
“Well that makes sense, but why drag me along?” I asked him “You’re different Reks, you know that? You’re like I was before I quit striding; ambitious, cluey, willing to do what is required to get to Sovereign City and become King. I think you’re going to do it. With my help though.”

 
All I could think of was how sly this guy was, and how this could easily be another ruse. “I hope you don’t think I’m in your debt Mikado…” I began sternly “…Because out here you don’t have the intimidation of a town of cronies behind you, and I will beat you down if you try anything.”

 
“That’s not it Reks, it’s been a long time since I wanted to be king, I won’t take that from you, I don’t think I could, even if I did want to. No, all I want is a promise… Be fair Reks, being on the outside of Tor I’ve seen and done some dark stuff, and those things punish my thoughts in the day and consume them at night, but if there had been someone like you, someone like who I was before, to show us the way, I think the darkness would be scared to look at us for a change.”

 
“That’s really all you want?” I asked with mild scepticism.

 
“That’s all I ever wanted, but I keep getting caught up in my own schemes.”

 
This felt like another scheme, but at the same time I could see sincerity in his eyes. I think Mikado, at some point in his life truly wanted to make The Sphere a better place, and I think like a lot of other people; life and life’s lusts got in the way.

 
“Oh, and I should probably tell you now, while I’m being honest… My goons weren’t really plotting to overthrow me.” “They what?” I snapped “Yeah sorry, another scheme.”
I was about to thrash him, then I realised, his deviousness would come in handy. In a world designed to pit people against people, his cunning could prove better than killing.
“I guess there’s no rush for us to meet the One-Kilometre Queen, we can take it easy now. But you should probably lead the way.” I wanted him to go ahead of me, there was no telling when he could turn on me, he could just be orchestrating another scheme. His face lit up with excitement. I think I may be the only person he’s encountered that has acknowledged his potential.

 
So, then Mikado led the way through the forest; with less haste than before, to the Queen’s village. We didn’t have to travel too far to get there; being the One-Kilometre Queen doesn’t give you much ground to cover. At the perimeter of her domain, we decided to split up and survey the village to assess our odds; he went clockwise and I went anti.

 
The Queen’s village was beautiful; a well-constructed oasis within the forest. The buildings reminded me a lot of Tor. This must be where all the crafters end up after coming face to face with the Sphere Scar. Mikado had mentioned the town was the last bastion before civilisation ends and the real stride starts, but seeing it. Not imagining it. Seeing it gave me great hope.

 
The town itself was set up like a grid, with each building surrounded by a path or road, allowing for full access to all sides. The houses all appeared to be the exact same size and shape, suggesting to me an equality amongst the citizens. I can’t even discern which is the Queen’s house; any other monarch would have a towering throne or monument to their importance, casting a shadow on all who worship beneath. It looked as though there’s no marketplace in the conventional sense, but each house had a vegetable garden either in the front or the back yard. I’m under the impression they share their resources.
The main road through the centre of town is littered with guards and in the middle, sits the second Diamond Gate on my Stride. Majority of the guardsmen are surrounding the gate; which was odd to me, the rest of the town gives the idea of unity, a real community oriented settlement, yet none of them appear to be able to go anywhere near the gate. What kind of laws did they have in place? And where the hell is Mikado? I asked myself. He should have met up with me by now. I thought.

 
Sure enough as I looked frantically around for him, he was the only one I could see walking down the main road towards the Diamond gate. Some guards confronted him, they exchanged words briefly and then he pointed up to me, and urged me to come down from my vantage point to meet them. I shrunk into a bush to hide like it was a reflex. I had no idea what he was planning, but my position was compromised so I had no choice, and I went down to meet him.

 
“So what these guards have been telling me, is that everyone here is equal, even the Queen, until you pass through the gate. Then you become an enemy of their peace, and they swarm us like” Mikado told me “But how can you be Queen if you’re equal?” I asked him “It’s like I was saying to you earlier; she’s just someone who shows them the way through the dark.” He replied.

 
I thought: perhaps without anyone even wanting to, the culture of Tor had seeped out into the sphere, I think having someone to turn to when conflict arises can give a great sense of security. As I pondered the mechanics of the town, I felt something shove me in the back ferociously. I had no chance to turn around and see who, they kept pushing me forward through the wall of caught-off-guard guards. We broke through their defences and passed the threshold of the Diamond gate. The pushing stopped. I looked to see who it was, and I shouldn’t have been surprised to see Mikado laughing and panting with his hands to his knees.

 
I was in shock at what he had done, I barely heard the whistles of the guards sound off into the distance, signalling a defiance of their laws, I just stared at him in disbelief as the rest of the guards scowled at us. I didn’t even see their spears come in from all directions to aim at our necks until it was too late.

 
Moments went by, Mikado’s giggles only slightly waned, the whole situation was hilarious to him, or there was something else in his emotion, anticipation? Or mania perhaps? And then through the crowded mass of the villagers come to see the spectacle came a petite woman with lava coloured hair and autumnal collage dress to match.
“MIKADO CENT” She roared.

 
How in all the Sphere did they know each other? I looked to Mikado, his eyes had glazed over and his face pinkened. “Czarina my love, it’s been a lifetime since we’ve seen each other”

 
“Yes it has been, but your banishment was meant to be eternal…” The situation suddenly became clear to me. Mikado had somehow betrayed the One-Kilometre Queen or sullied the sanctity of her laws, maybe this isn’t the first time he’s passed through the Diamond Gate. “…Why have you returned? And who is this you have with you, another fool you’ve roped into one of your scams?”

 
I couldn’t let Mikado speak for me, I think given too much time to speak he would dig both our graves with his mouth. “I’m Reks Twelve, and I’ve come through your town to complete the Sovereign Stride.” The villagers gasped and whispered among themselves. “Everyone, calm down” She urged “We have a system in place here Reks, one that allows every person to be the king or queen of their own, equally sized domain. I am merely a figurehead, a tie breaker, the woman with the final word. We’ve all agreed to abide by our own laws, which include never continuing our stride past this point. Since you had no idea about that, we can let your transgression slide, but for Mikado… Wait!…” She looked around “…Where did he go?!” She squawked. Her guardsmen fled into the crowd in all directions to search for him.

 
Czarina sighed “Come with me Reks, you should see this…” She said as she walked up to me and took my arm in her hands. She was gentle, yet commanding. Her small stature perfectly disguised her strength, and I felt she could easily subdue me if I gave her a reason. She walked me North, to the edge of her town and when we reached the tree line she let go and walked ahead of me. My curiosity was enough to compel me to follow, I could have easily ran but I wanted to hear her out.

 
She peeled away the foliage, the blinding sun ignited her hair to look like flames dancing in the wind. Her sun-kissed face looked back, her hand stretched out, she wanted me to join her on the precipice, and there it was in all its terrifying magnitude; the sphere scar. “This is what the last King made, the people of the One-Kilometre refuse to let those in power make any more decisions, that’s why we’re all in power, no one is lesser or greater, not even those who enforce our own laws. We can’t let you stride Reks, but we can offer you a place here, with us, to be your own King.”

 
“I really wish I could accept your offer Czarina, but the rest of the Sphere doesn’t agree with you, I need to do this for them.” I told her. Her head bowed for a moment, as though she was aware of what she needed to do next.

 
I could feel the energy around us change.

 
My heart raced.

 
We were going to fight.

 
She looked up. “I understand Reks, but I can’t let yo…” Was all she got out before her face changed to utter dismay. She tried to warn me of the danger behind, but no words came out. I was tackled from behind. I crashed into Czarina, wedged between her and our attacker we toppled over the edge of the Sphere Scar, down into the chasm.

 
I could feel something wrap around all of us as we fell, looking down I saw rope circling our waists, and then it struck me in the nostril, like a pungent punch to the face. “MIKADO!” I bellowed into the oncoming wind.

 
I passed out.

 
Damn him. I hope I’m not dead and stuck in this room forever. I don’t feel dead, I think. I suppose I can’t be too mad at him, he did progress us closer to the next Diamond Gate, and we’ve gained another companion, whether either of us like it or not. Tomorrow will be very interesting.

 
If I survive the Sphere Scar.

The Third Night

~ rekstwelve ~ Leave a comment

It’s still the same, every item is exactly where it was last night. I ran an experiment to see if it would reset, but it didn’t. This place has got to be real somehow, somewhere. My actions here have consequences, and I fear, that if I lose my mind in this place, I may never return to the sphere, I may never fulfil my goals.

 
My only release has been to document my journey as I travel it. I feel as though I’m getting better, this machine is revealing more and more secrets about Earth to me. Or perhaps this illusive benefactor is allowing me to see only the information that he decrees.

 
Enough of these thoughts.

 
I woke up very cold this morning, the pale blue light of the sun warmed the vessels in my eyelids; I opened them slowly. I was in a red clay pit, the caged lid hatched shadows on to the wall I had backed onto for comfort in the middle of the night.

 
A figure broke the incoming light in half; they were holding a bucket. I could see steam coming out of the top. I sprung up and pleaded, without fully knowing what was going to happen “No no no, don’t, I don’t…” Was all I got to say before the figure lobbed what I soon knew to be water down on to me. It was so hot, I could have melted a little bit.
The cage opened and the figure pulled me out and handed me a blanket to dry myself with. “The King’s got a thing about the smell of Torians, hence the shower” He saw that I had finished drying myself and signalled to two burly, mean-looking men.

 
Actually, I think one of them was a woman.

 
Either way, they held onto my arms and pushed me through bushes til we met with a small pathway. It wasn’t long at all before we came to a village. I had to be close to Tor still; a guy who calls himself the hundred-metre king can’t really stray too far.
In the middle of the town, right next to the village well stood a 5-metre-tall throne, and atop it, was a boy not much older than myself. He sat there brooding at me for a while, with his chin resting on his thumb and his index finger pointing up into his nose. I looked around for any cultural cue by one of his men, but all they offered were blank stares. “Ack khem” I awkwardly cleared my throat.

 
He sat forward and put his hand on the arms of the throne, curiously looking down at me. “So you want to be King huh?” He asked me.
“I WILL BE KING.” I asserted. I had to make sure my voice carried well on its way up. He stood, and leaned forward, raised his hands and plummeted head first at me. He flipped at the last second and thumped down in front of me. The height of his throne must have skewed my original assessment of the so-called king. He was much taller than I was, by at least a whole head length. His tiny ears poked through his curly brown hair, but it could have been dirty because his eyebrows were red. His crooked teeth contorted a smile into his freckled face.

 
“Stand up!” he barked. I had no choice but to comply. As I was standing though, I was given an opportunity; his sword was closer to my reach than his. I couldn’t pass this chance up. I snatched it. The fool instinctively went to grab the blade but stopped himself and sprung backwards.

 
His subordinates gasped and oohed. I could tell they were eager to see a show. I pulled out my diamond dagger and held both weapons up, and on guard. The Hundred-metre King yelled “Sword!” at one of the burly men/women from before, They threw a blade at his feet. He picked it up and pointed it at me. “You got some big stones kid.”

 
We stepped closer, but too far for an attack. We circled each other and without blinking he lunged, slicing down with an overhead strike, I parried. He came again with a backhanded slash; it was faster than I had anticipated. I dropped to the ground and narrowly avoided it. He stabbed for my chest, I rolled to the left and yanked at his extended arm, he fell forward and pierced his sword into the hard ground, before landing stomach first onto the handle, knocking the wind from his lungs.

 
The hundred-metre king squirmed in agony, I scuffled to aim my dagger at his throat. He felt its sharp point poke his neck and his writhing switched suddenly to a pannicked pant. “I yield, alright! I yield” He said. I picked up his sword and handed it to him, I dropped my guard.

 
The fight wasn’t over.

 
He threw dirt at my face, luckily only blinding one of my eyes. I stumbled backwards, flailing my dagger at the blurred shapes. He waited until I was rubbing the dirt from my eyes to attack. I only had an instant of clear vision to act. He thrust his sword recklessly at my face. I flicked my neck back, I grabbed his blade with my gauntlet clad arm, his clumsy weight followed my slight pull and once again my dagger was at his throat.
The seriousness left the hundred-metre king’s face with a simple grin “You’re good, you may pass” I didn’t let him loose. At the time, I thought it could have been another ruse to get me to lower my guard. “You’ve won, you’ve beaten me, I concede, don’t worry this ain’t no ruse to get you to lower your guard”

 
Still I didn’t release him.

 
“It’s over kid, we’re letting you through. Relax” I looked around to see the hundred-metre king’s people nodding in agreeance, and finally I let go. He sheathed his weapon, I waited for the click of his hilt before I did the same. He scanned over me with curiosity wrinkling his face. He extended his hand, I flinched before realising.

 
“I’m Mikado, Mikado Cent. The hundred-metre king” I shook his hand “Reks Twelve” He pulled me closer, nearly jarring my neck, and whispering through his teeth, he said to me: “You’re going to need me Reks. If you want any chance of getting out of here, and past the One-K Queen. Now smile and wave to the crowd, they need to think you’re joining the crew”

 
At this point I was confused, Mikado was acting like he had something devious planned, but I couldn’t know for sure. I waved to the people, I told them I was honoured to join them. It felt odd to deceive the group of strangers at the request of a stranger, but I didn’t want to disrespect the masses; they looked eager to turn on someone. Perhaps that’s why Mikado seemed like he wanted to get out.

 
“We’re going to feast tonight Reks, but since you’re our guest of honour now, since you beat me. So you’ll be spending the entire day in the mad hut. ” He told me.
“What? Why is it called that?” I asked worriedly. “Oh its just a ritual we invented, we made this hut out of fermented Maru vines. It really brings out your inner mind. You know, so we can see if your strong enough to lead us.”

 
Before I could make any more enquiries, the two huge goons led me to a small cabin where I laid; too full of adrenaline to sleep, to exhausted from the battle to move. It was a brief fight, but due to the rough night before, it had taken its toll.
My rest was cut short by Mikado rushing in and hastily closing the door and single window.

 
“We don’t have much time Reks, listen to me very carefully…” I sat up, with difficulty “…This whole thing has been a scam, if you didn’t beat me in our fight you would have been forced to climb the ranks from the bottom, and I mean the bottom, you’d have been forced to clean all the thunder mugs.”

 
He shuddered at the thought, I guaged that the ‘thunder mugs’ were something not related to weather or drinking. “We’ve been planning to over throw the One-Kilometre Queen for some time now, but no one has been brave enough to lead us; not even me. But now that you’re here, the crew seems motivated, they’re ready to pounce Reks, and I can’t let them get to her.”

 
The instant he said ‘Her’ I knew Mikado’s motive “You’re in love with the One-K Queen, aren’t you?” I asked him. “Ever since I heard of her and this racket she invented, that’s why I banded these thugs together and invented the Hundred-metre title, but I’m too scared to face her, and none of these oafs know how to speak to women. But I saw it in your eyes Reks, you are a romantic, you have passion, fire, you’re striding for love, not for power. That’s why you and me are going to slip out in the middle of the night. Don’t worry I’ll come and get you at a random time. And then we’re going to leave all this hundred-metre nonsense behind. Because together, you and me are going to finish the stride.”

 
He threw a lot of information at me, but before I could even think of a reply, he said to me “I gotta go, there almost done with the fire. Be ready Reks”
Shortly after he slipped out, there was a knock on my door and the goons urged me to put on this ridiculous hat made of twigs and bird feathers. Then we had a meal; which was quite tasty. These guys knew how to season a bird. I was so full of meat and maru wine by the end I could barely make it back to my cabin. But I got there and I fell into a deep sleep, for a moment I thought I wouldn’t end up here in this room.

 

It was blissful, if only for a moment.

The Second Night

~ rekstwelve ~ Leave a comment

I have returned to the room, still, no escape. I’ll continue to recount my days until I find the answer.

My father was right, today I went to school and announced my intentions. There were glistening eyes all around. I think most of them were more shocked than anything. One thing I had noticed, was that there was no Victor. To be honest the thought of him being there had given me great anxiety this morning. I was certain he would try and end me right then and there in front of everyone. I didn’t ask anyone where he was. I knew, after thinking it through, he left for his stride already.

From the moment I declared my stride I had this strange feeling, this ominous energy vibrating through me. It could have just been adrenaline or the lack of Victor and his ability to negatively charge everyone against everyone else. Either way, I felt empowered, as though I was already king and I was visiting my old neighbourhood after years of being away.

And other weird things were happening, my classmates and people I was under the impression didn’t think I existed, were coming up to me and telling me how much they believed in me, and believed I could get to Sovereign City before Victor. My ego was inflating, but I did my best not to let it show. I tried instead to hone my focus on finding Sephina.

She and I had spent a few classes together before we each decided to take different paths of trade. I thought we connected though, she’d somehow manage to know what I was talking about when I was rambling a nonsensical notion or theory.

Then through the crowd, I spotted her. Leaning against the wall to the auditorium. Her hair was black, but when the sun shone onto it, it was almost green, which made the speckles of emerald in her hazel eyes burst. She looked to me with those entrancing eyes, blinked slowly and walked away towards the streets. I could tell she was telling me something, our minds were in tune, and I made chase through the rest of the bustling school crowd.

In the winding streets of Tor, I followed her for as long as I could, but she was nimble and gracefully swift, darting around corners playfully adrift. I lost her for only a moment, it was then that she jumped out of a shadowy alleyway and scared the soul out of me. She grabbed my hand and smiled before dragging me along, letting out spurts of laughter every so often. I was too excited to ask where we were going, but I had a good Idea.

After I thought my chest was sure to burst; we arrived at what I could only assume was her house. I managed to gain a glimpse at a painted portrait of her family before she thrust me into her bedroom and closed the door, confirming my suspicion of where I was.

“Reks, this year I’m going to stride…” I looked at her awaiting the rest of her sentence. She stared into my eyes; unyieldingly “…Well, you know how it goes” She continued. I knew exactly how it went, yet I still didn’t reply. “I know you’re going to be king, I’ve known it for some time, and I know, we don’t know each other that well, but it’s perfect, you stride now, I’ll raise our child until it’s time for me to stride. Then my parents will take over those duties so I can stride to meet you, and ultimately dethrone you.”

“You’ve put a lot of thought into this Sephina” I said “You have no idea Reks, I’ve been looking for a rival ever since I started school, there was no way it was going to be Victor, the guy has no concept of morality, he just wants to be the best. But you, you want to the best for everyone.”

At this point she mounted my lap and held my head between both of her hands. “I look forward to your challen…” Was all I managed to blurt before she kissed me. I had never kissed a girl, her lips were soft, but she squished them hard against mine. In the moment, I ran my hands through her hair, it was so smooth it felt like water. My fingers caught a knot and she inhaled sharply, followed quickly by a moan.

She pushed me backwards against her bed, I looked up to her messed hair and seductive eyes. She crawled closer; slowly. I could feel an energy in my chest swell, I grew warm with trepidation, though I was not scared. I eagerly anticipated her touch, her embrace, her breath on my skin. She ripped the shirt from my body, revealing it to the cold morning air. Her hair painted my torso with the scent of berries and flowers, starting at my belly button, ending at my neck. I grew chill-bumps all over.

She kissed me again, and her hand reached down to my pants. I found my own hands searching every crease and dimple of her body, I slid her shirt over her head, her pert breasts bounced only once as her top left her body. They filled my hands as I scanned over her chest. She cooed with delight as my cool hands perked her nipples within my grasp.

We laid next to each other and she removed her skirt, I followed suit, removing my pants and underwear. We delved into her blankets. I sprang onto her, my arms extended beside her shoulders. She stroked them up and down, slowing whenever her finger tips found a pulsating vein.

“You are beautiful” I stated, and she looked at me, her face gave me the impression she had never been told that before, and if she had, she knew it wasn’t sincere.

I meant it, with all my being. I found her to be the most beautiful person I ever laid eyes upon, and would ever lay eyes on. The feeling in my chest, in my heart, my head and my loins could never be replicated.

We embraced each other, our souls stitched together from the waist up, we were one, her body accepted mine and mine refused to let hers go. We struggled to produce words greater than one syllable, and in our climactic moments she spouted the words I had thought only in fantasy existed “I love you” She said. My brain ignited with euphoria “I love you, I love you” I proclaimed.

Together we rested on her bed; exhausted, enchanted by the aura of each other, paralysed within ecstasy. Rain clouds darkened the already dim room, our bodies emanated a luminous purple hue. I had done it, I produced an heir. I chuckled a rapid exhale; the teachers at school told us of this phenomenon but I always scoffed in disbelief. It really is beautiful, and I couldn’t do much more than bask in her warmth. We laid on the bed for a short-lived eternity.

And then she stood up, she broke my trance, and her next words broke my heart “You should go Reks, your glow won’t last more than an hour, and you’ll need to prove you made an heir to the gatemen”

She smiled, putting on a blue dress, her glow was intoxicating, and she’d be that way until my child is born.

I awkwardly gathered my clothes, rarely taking my eyes off her. I was putting my last shoe on when Sephina stepped in front of me “I’m going to kiss you once more Reks, for luck, and then I’m going back to school to train for my stride” She kissed me, and in that moment, I told myself: “Just stay Reks, convince her to stay too, you can have a wonderful life together; raising your child, teaching them everything you know, and living” I didn’t want this to end; but the kiss ended. I knew that if I wanted that life I had to stride, I had to beat Victor, I had to persevere through all hardships. For that life.

Once we left Sephina’s place, we parted ways. She went to school and I headed straight for the first diamond gate; the only gate out of Tor. It was all a blur; the walk was long and full of turns but it was over in a few blinks. My mind was fixated on Sephina’s image, I couldn’t scrub her from the inside of my eyelids, and I didn’t want to.

Suddenly, I was at the entrance to the diamond gate, with a gateman in my face telling me to walk into a dark corridor for examination. I just walked to where he pointed without really processing what was happening, it was embedded in me from my schooling to just listen to the guardsman and he’ll set you on your stride, and then I was standing in front of the diamond gate.

It loomed over me, nothing prepared me for the magnitude. I felt tiny. I felt sick. I looked around, I was in a fenced off area, a large sign was plastered onto the wall; it read: ‘Guardsmen wanted, failed striders encouraged!’ And below it was a long, attempted-to-be-cleaned stain. The smell struck me with an image, it was the vomit stains of everyone who was too scared to move on. I felt the bile in my stomach rise to my throat. “No!” I told myself I swallowed the sick and turned to the guards above me on the fence. I could see that their faces were eager for another ‘puker’. They probably had bets on when I would run home. “It’s not too late to turn back kid” One of them called out.

“Open the gate!” I roared. The guards looked shocked. One nodded to another and the gate opened. I wanted the blur from before to come back, but no the gate opened so slow, and I was frozen. “Hey kid…” The guard called “…Congratulations on becoming a father, I hope you make it out there.”

I turned forward and stepped out into the Second City. It was chaos, or maybe I was just too used to the pace of Tor’s lifestyle. People were rushing everywhere with a mission carved into their face. Nobody seemed to care that I had just exited Tor. The odd person would look me up and down, some of them may not have seen the purple glow before, but I think they were seeing if I had anything worth stealing.

My parents always told me that Second City was a cutthroat place, full of thieves, criminals and con artists, but it was only when I left Tor, that I came to meet them and judge for myself. I grabbed a meal from one of the local street bars and headed for the second gate. I reached the tree line and I heard a very familiar horn bellow out above the forest.

Just as I was about to take another step.

“DON’T YOU TAKE ANOTHER STEP!” Someone warned. Within seconds I was surrounded by 20 men with pikes aimed at my eyeballs. “Nobody leaves without the King’s permission” I was shocked “There hasn’t been a King in 70 years. What King?” I demanded to know. One of the pikemen flipped his pike around and smacked me in the guts. “The hundred metre King, genius. Take him through.”

I was dragged through the forest; my stomach was on fire. They didn’t take me far when we came to a clearing. In my pain haze, I could see a slapped together village, made from what I could only assume was the thrown-out garbage of Tor, and old building remains from Second City. I was taken to a pit with a caged lid on it. The guards threw me in, and I must have hit my head because after that, I was here, in this inescapable room.

I know I’m closer to my goal of becoming King, but I feel as though I’ve taken a massive side step instead of a stride forward. I’m still yet to learn more of this benefactor of mine and I have no idea why there is a Hundred-Metre-King or why I have to confront him. I will leave it here tonight, I have much to think of and even more to prepare myself for.

The First Night

~ rekstwelve ~ Leave a comment

Tonight, I write to you from a room without escape.

 
My name is Reks Twelve and I don’t know how I got here. All I remember is going to sleep the night of my 18th birthday, and now I’m in this strange place. As though it is a dream, but, I can touch things. I can interact with this machine to speak to you, I feel breath escape my lips, I feel the air on my skin, I know I am alive in here. I can feel the sun on my face.

 
THE SUN! It’s coming through the window on my right. Damn, it’s not big enough for me to climb through, and there’s nothing in this room I can use to break it.
There is a desk fixed to the wall and ground, perpendicular to the tiny window; upon it is this device, this window to an internal reality of communication. I’ve managed to decipher the control mechanism well enough to record my plight. I am only lucky it is in my own language, or perhaps we share this language somehow. This is weird though, I can only access a limited amount of controls, and all my information has been documented by someone calling themselves “My Benefactor” I don’t know what to think. I can’t even change any of this, and the photo… It’s me, but the clothes are odd, and I’d never pose like that. How is someone able to do this?

 
“Path of inevitable danger” What does that mean? My benefactor must be talking about the Sovereign Stride, but it seems grander than that. They mention a place called Earth. Maybe that’s where this room is, maybe that’s where I am now.

 
I ponder as I look around.

 
To the right of the desk is a book case; it’s empty. Behind the stationary stool I sit on, is a blank wall. I’ve scoured this place for clues, but I have nothing to give me any Idea of how I arrived here. The walls are hard and my bones ache from fruitless attempts to break through, or at the very least call for help. So, I’ve set myself on another task.
I’m here now, I may as well tell my story.

 
I live on what we call The Sphere; in one of only two cities in existence, Tor. The other is Sovereign City. In between the two cities at each pole, is a grand and dangerous wilderness, a mash of jungle and forest, desert and darkness. The current law of the land dictates that everyone born on the sphere has the right to take what we call; the Sovereign Stride. That’s where a person leaves Tor through the diamond gate and must travel through each of the other 8 gates in order to make a legitimate challenge to the current sovereignty.

 
As it stands there is no sovereign leader, and so, these laws take the leader’s place, until a new leader is crowned:

 
No killing unless striding.

 
No striding over the age of 19, nor before 18.

 
If you stride you must produce an heir.

 
If you stride you cannot return to Tor.

 
The last sovereignty was 70 years ago, and well, things were good for a while, but after a few people came close to challenging him, the king got scared and in his paranoia, he ordered his personal guards; the 50 metre men, to dig a trench into The Sphere. What we call the Sphere Scar is 1000 metres across, spanning the entire circumference of The Sphere.

 
My great grandmother, on her final day of eligibility to take the Sovereign Stride, just 5 days after giving birth to my grandmother, ripped a path through the jungle in record time to challenge the paranoid king. She beat him, but died in the process, leaving The Sphere without a king or queen.

 
People still stride to this day, but most either give up when they reach the gargantuan chasm of The Sphere Scar, or they die in the process of climbing down. Those who return to Tor; unable to return to the safe confines, have built a second city within the surrounding 2 kilometres. We often hear them in the night, celebrating the moons ambient green glow.

 
Tonight, I am 18 and the reason I’m in this room has to be linked to my decision to take the sovereign stride. Initially I wasn’t going to go, I was going to continue my schooling, become a clockmaker’s apprentice, do some minor guard duties, and then apply to be a watchman like my father. He said the watchmen have the most important task on the sphere. They keep their eyes on the stars, because one day the Sovereign Star will ignite in the sky and we’ll know someone has completed the stride and claimed the throne.
But something happened today that changed my mind. A boy I go to school with; Victor. He’s the school’s self-proclaimed alpha male, and he’s always besting the other students, myself included. Any record that gets set, he goes out of his way to break it, just so he can gloat about how much better he is than that person.

 
He approached me today on my way home. He’d never spoken to me without an audience before, and I was worried. Prodding my chest each time he said ‘I’m’, he began “I’m going to end the Sovereign Stride, I’m going to end our family’s feud, and if you stride, I’m going to end you too.” He told me.

 
This was the most serious I’d ever seen him, even when beating my latest achievement there was a comedic demeanour, as if it was all fun for him. I was scared, and when I went home that night, I told my mother all about it. She reassured me that Victor was all talk “He’s just bitter that his great grandfather was dethroned by a woman, his family has always been about power, and it has always gotten the better of them. I bet he won’t even make it to the Sphere Scar” She smiled, and I returned her one. “Thanks mum” I said, and before I could even get to my bedroom to stack my books, my father called out to me from upstairs. I left my books by the stoop and ran up to meet him. There was something odd about the way he called for me that made me worried.

 
He was sitting on his bed when I entered the room. “Reks, you know how when you decide to take the Sovereign Stride, you must leave an heir?” He gulped as I nodded “Well…” My father broke down, crying into his cupped hands. I’ve never seen him like this.

 
He coughed through his choked throat, and yelled away his tears just long enough to blurt: “I’m not your real father.” His tears returned with the force of contrition squeezing them from his ducts.

 
I wasn’t sure what to think, let alone what to say. So, we sat there for a few minutes, just absorbing the information, neither of us brave enough to speak, but just courageous enough to stay next to each other.

 
My mother walked into the room, she hugged me tightly. At the time I didn’t realise, but she must have been waiting for my father to say his piece before coming in, as though they had talked about it extensively prior, and he made a point to have the knowledge pass directly from him to me.

 
At first my mind was numb, blank, but I forced thoughts through the hollow space between my ears, and eventually I said: “I’m striding this year” And thinking of it now, my words were probably not the best for that moment. They didn’t reply, instead they squeezed me tighter and as they did I had more to say “I’m glad you stuck around, both of you, together. There are too many broken homes in Tor and even though ours is somewhat fractured, it has held together, because you two willed it to.”

 
My mother let go “Wait here, I have something for you” She said. My father released me but kept his hand to my shoulder “Be brave…” He hesitated, only briefly, but with a hopeful smile he continued “…My son” I smiled too “I will dad, don’t worry.”
We both knew he was my true father, the only one willing to stay, willing to teach me how to be who I am, for me. In no selfish way did he want me to become like him or deliberately unlike him, he just helped me chase all my dreams, regardless of how unrealistic they were, and that’s what made me want to be the most like him; his unyielding acceptance and nurturing, his unwavering patience and perseverance in the face of adversity.

 
My mother returned with a large item wrapped in leather, she placed it on the bed and unravelled it. My father wiped his sorrowful tears from his face, but they were quickly replaced with tears of joy when the item was revealed to me “A gauntlet?” I queried “I made this in my last year of school…” My father began “…I was going to stride with it, but I fell in love with your mother, your biological father had left the year before and your mother decided to stay with you, so I promised her I’d stay with her, she found it admirable that there was someone who would stay to raise her son, she told me I was braver than any strider, and any king…”

 
They smiled at each other and held hands. I could feel their energies ripple around the room; theirs is love of solidarity, of honesty and promise. Something I wish to have one day, to hold and ripple around my own room.

 
“And what’s this?” I asked pulling at a leather strap coiled around a long thin object. The item plonked onto the bed, its looked as if it were some sort of crystal, it had a handle and the point of it sat out of the bottom of a belted sheath. It was covered in rust or dirt; my mother picked it up and rubbed off a small area of it with her thumbs “This, Reks, is a diamond dagger. When my father was a guardsman, managed to chip off a loose chunk of the diamond gate” “Now you be careful with that Reks, if anyone catches you with that you could get into a lot of trouble.” My father warned. “Thank you mum, dad, I love you guys.”

 
“We love you so much Reks.” They said. “When do you plan to Stride, my son?” Father asked “I don’t know yet, I mean, well I haven’t even produced an heir yet”
“Well when the girls find out you’re striding, you’ll need that dagger just to keep them at bay.” My mother said and they both laughed.

 
Wait! Something feels weird, I, I think I’m waking up from this place.

 
The room is blurring.

 
I’ll continue if I return.

 
Wait for me.