Reagan

Darkness

My eyes shut as I lay still.

Death perhaps has come over me. But the smell of this darkness smells much too sweet to be such a dreadful thing.

I open my eyes slowly as the light penetrates them.

Blinding almost.

My sight is a blur, but I notice that I'm in a room. I feel around myself.

I'm on a bed across from me. There is a wide window.

I slowly bring myself up. My body aches, but I tolerate the pain. I watch out the window, and there a city is placed before.

I can barely understand what I'm seeing. A city of gold but with such an array of color. Something straight out of a book.

So beautiful but frightening all the same.

I turned away from the window and slid down the wall sitting with my face planted in my arms. I don't know what to feel. I could be dreaming.....again. What are the odds of that?

"Aah, you're finally awake."

A strange voice called out to me.

I look up, and it's this woman, or at least she sounds like it. Her body is green, and she has two horns on her head.

"Um, who are you?"

"How rude of me. My name is Cili, Goddess of nature and healing."

"Goddess...I am dead, aren't I."

She laughs and then gives a warm smile.

"Dead no, for this isn't the land of the dead but the eternal."

I have no clue what she's talking about.

"So what am I doing here?"

"All your questions will be answered soon enough."

I'm tired of hearing people say that to me, and then no answers arrive. Up to this moment, I'm still confused about my mission here in the first place.

"And when will that be?" My tone a little demanding some might even say rude.

"Patience, young Prince, and some respect would do you some good."

"I'm sorry, my heads just not on the right at the moment."

And I offer a simple bow as I saw Diane do once with me.

"Come, Ekron is awaiting you."

Ekron? Wonder who he could be. At this time, I'm wondering a lot. Like how the hell I got here from the woods and...

Simon

William

They're probably..dead. They have to be. I saw them being crushed by those terrible things. The thought of it moves me to tears. My best friend dead and it's all because of me.

But I wipe those tears away. It won't do me any good right now.

We enter this grand room. The walls were laced with gold, same as the room I was in but more.

There were also many statues of different people—some old, some young, some men, some women.

"This is the hall of fallen warriors. The greatest fighting machine of all time. Ones that stood on the side if good. Many who stood by your father."

"My father?"

"Yes, King D'alan"

I guess I just wasn't ready to hear that. The truth is, I don't know if I'm ready to have a dad to have a real family. I don't think I know a lot about that.

"Why am I here?"

I say this in a small voice as if not to sound rude.

"It answers you are after no. Then answers you are here to find."

Another person walks into the room. Cili turns to the man and bow to him, and well, I stand there still, barely breathing."

The man looks at me, his eyes a kind of grey. His bronze skin shines in the sun, and he laughs.

Cili leaves the room, leaving this stranger and me alone.

"Are you Ekron?"

He smiles and nods his head yes.

"But the question that lies here is, do you know who you are?"

The question baffles me because I don't. Since coming here, I have no idea who I am.

"What is this place? Cili said I wasn't dead, so where am I?"

"And that's right. You're not dead. You're not even really here; subconsciously, you are. This is Vivian's Home to the gods."

Gods, wow. Nothing is really a surprise at this point.

"And my friends?"

"Your friends are fine. You don't know what happened, do you?"

"No, I don't."

I don't remember much of anything after I saw Simon and Will being trampled by those demons.

"Well, we will start from the beginning. Come sit with me, young prince."

In the room, there are benches along the sides. We go to sit on one of them.

"Long ago, when you were just a tiny cell in the making, we crafted you in my mother's womb. You see, you are different from others. Human children aren't crafted but conceived. You are a gift to your people. See, in you runs divine blood much like a god but don't be mistaken you are not a god. You are a god-kind. That power that divinity was unlocked when you thought your friend was going to die. You now possess so much power within you." 

This is all a little much and overwhelming. 

"All this, it's starting to feel real. When this all started, I thought maybe a dream or something, but then all that's led up to this is just setting it all out, you know."

Ekron smiles at me and says,

"It's best for everyone that you begin accepting that this is your life now. You are to be a leader to broken people, but before you are that, you must become one with yourself."

It's crazy.y I thought I'd always knew who I was before all this,s but now I'm learning that I'm more than that.

"This is where you ask questions, young prince."

"Well, what is my power?"

"Everything. Don't you see you are the commander of the earth? Your land runs on 4 elements. Water, nature, earth, and Fire. When all are together, it creates great divinity. Don't think you are all-powerful, though. Some powers and forces are as strong as you."

"Like What?"

"Dark magic and blood magic are some, and it is what you will have to face from here on out."

"How will I be able to use it?"

"Harness your power, Reagan. It runs through you. Please don't push it away. Let it in. Come now, we have one more stop before you go."

We get up, and Ekron guides me down the hall and into another room. This room was packed with different weapons and shields, and different armors. As we walk into the room, Ekron calls out the man sitting at the desk.

"Arthur"

He turns around, and Ekron moves closer to him and greets him with a kiss.

"This is Arthur, God of War and Weaponry."

I figured as much with the things that surrounded me.

"Hello," I say, also offering yet another bow.

"A cute one we crafted, isn't she, clueless to who she really is or confused rather."

Well, he had a point, but he didn't have to be so rude about it.

"Why am I here?"

"Well, you're here because you needed answers. You're here in this room, so I can supply you with an exceptional toy." 

Arthur says and gives off a mischievous smile like a child who's just got a new toy and knows they're going to cause chaos. 

He walks to a white sheet-covered self and pulls it down. A huge smile still on his face.

A golden case stands glorious before us. The glass windows show us the sword that lies inside.

"Well, go ahead, Reagan, take it."

I stand in front of the case. My breath thins as I'm about to open it up. I reach into the case to grab it, and as I hold it, I can feel its power surging through me.

"Phenomenal, isn't it. I even took the time to name it."

"What is it?"

"Excalibur," he says with his smile still visible. 

As a kid growing up, I heard King Arthur's stories and the sword of Excalibur that he used to defend Camelot. It's amazing to me how I get my own Excalibur to protect my very own Camelot.

"This is beautiful, Arthur extraordinary, actually."

"It's good that you like it. Now for how you find it when you get back to your conscious state."

Ekron nods in agreement and says, 

"This sword is for you to find. When you get to the outpost, you must find Excalibur's Tale. From there, your journey begins."

"You're time here has come to an end, my child. Any last questions?"

"Yes. What are you the god of?"

"Knowledge and Wisdom"

"Peace be with you, young Prince."

Ekron snaps his fingers and says 

"Awaken"