Genesis (Prophecy Rock Series, Book 1)

Chapter Forty

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40

He clutched his mother’s hand tightly, asking her why she and father had to abandon him on that fretful day. His father reached down to pick him up. To tell Raden that he was sorry for leaving him alone, but that they needed to sacrifice themselves so that their children might live. Raden wanted to hug them close, somehow believing that the tighter he held on, the safer his parents would be. He could protect them now; something mysterious and powerful had manifested within him. He could do now what he failed to do before. But as he squeezed tighter, he found himself alone, arms embracing empty air. His parents had melted away. Skin turned to ash, and ash fluttered away in the wind. 

Why? The last word spoken to his parents before he suddenly awoke.

Raden was in agonizing pain, both physically and mentally. His anguish had consumed every part of him, never allowing him the opportunity to survey his surroundings. He was in a dark room. The only source of light was a candle by his bed. No, it wasn’t even a bed, more akin to a metallic mat laid upon the rocky ground. He rose to his feet, taking extraordinary effort to perform such a simple task. He reached for his left eye, and felt the patch covering it. He felt ill from a blistering fever, burning him up from inside. 

Raden picked up the candle and examined the room. The walls were solid stone, but the room itself was perfectly rectangular. His immediate thought was that someone had built this room, and perhaps that someone was still here. There was no door to the room either, just solid stone surfaces on each side, ceiling and floor, too. He put the candle up next to the closest wall and noticed the blackened stains. He smudged a bit off the wall with his index finger and sniffed it. It smelled of ash. Every wall seemed to be covered in it. Where am I? How did I get here? The questions racked his mind. The last thing he remembered was the explosion at Kih Bayar. Images abounded. Battling the Candidate. The sensation of being lifted off the ground. Brontes’ vicious attack that left his ribs and backside battered. He checked for pain and sure enough the wounds were real. He remembered Gama and Oli being knocked unconscious inside the pit. And Kara. Kara’s body lifted up and— he couldn’t bear to finish the thought. The memories began to flood back. Had she really died? Or had all of that been a dream to which he was waking up from now? 

A voice called out gently from above. “You’ve finally awakened, Raden.” 

Raden searched the ceiling above him, but could see no openings.

“Who are you? Where have you taken me?”

A giant circular stone began to open above him. Bright light poured into the room, forcing Raden to shield his eyes, having grown accustomed to the darkness. The sound of stone grinding against itself echoed loudly in the chamber. The opening in the ceiling was now whole, and above him stood a solitary figure. Raden could not make out his face as the light enveloped the mysterious figure from behind, casting him in shadows. But the voice sounded familiar. He knew this person, but who was it? 

“You are home, Raden. You are safe.”

“This prison is not my home. Just who are you? What do you want from me?”

The figure leapt down into the room before Raden could react. The stranger was astonishingly quick. Raden’s eyes began to adjust and focus in on his face. His eyes widened in recognition. It was the Warrior, one of the five members of the Ministry of Transcendence. He had heard his voice countless times back at base. But here he was now, standing right before him.

“You are home, Raden. You are high above the city, at the top of Mount Iwai.”

“Why am I here?”