Heaven and Hell ch.1

Heaven and Hell ch.1

Chapter 1
Without A Word

In the midst of a blizzard a young man walked into a small snow covered village wearing an old tattered pair of pants and a tattered shirt, his golden blonde hair was blanketed by the snow that just didn’t let up. It was spring, how could it be snowing? The young man wondered as his vision dimmed from snow blowing into his eyes, he squinted. Faint candle light could be seen dimly shining from the windows. The houses were a blank shade of white from the blizzard. No source of heat outside, all traces of the sun were blocked out. A young woman saw the wanderer trudging through the blizzard, looking as if he was about to collapse. He dropped to his knees and pushed on a few more steps on his knees before falling into the snow face first. The woman rushed out of the sanctity of her home to help this stranger, “Here you need to get inside.” said the woman dragging the now unconscious traveler into her home.

Under a warm blanket wearing only, a pair shorts that were still dry from under his clothes “NO!” The young man yelled as he awoke, drenched in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. He was sitting up with his legs folded. He couldn’t see much in the dim light of the fire other than a couch, on which the woman sat.

“Good to see you’re finally awake, I was getting worried,” The young woman said.

“W-who are you?” The young man asked with a half dead look on his face.

“I’m Maya… you?”

“Keldorix,” He said, wiping sweat from his forehead with his forearm.

“Nice to meet you Keldorix,” The woman said happily,

“If you’ll excuse me, I must be going.” The young man said as he stood up and began picking up his still drying possessions.

“No! You can’t, you just can’t! At least wait until the storm eases.” The worried woman shouted urging the traveler to stay,

“You just met me and you already care about me, humph.” Grunted the young man with a shrug,

“Yeah, of course I do, all life is precious, Even if you don’t know the person.” The woman lectured then paused as if waiting for the man to speak.

“So… What are you doing here?” Maya interrupted just as the man opened his mouth.

And so Keldorix began to tell Maya what had happened to him. “When I was eight my parents died and for two years I was raised by my aunt and uncle. On the day I turned ten a strange sword appeared in front of me through a portal in the ground, an evil voice rang out inside my head… it said… ‘Listen to the sword if you wish to find your parents.’ That’s the story of how I wound up in this situation.” He said after putting on his clothes and returning to his spot on the floor.

Creaking foot steps came closer from upstairs the traveler was ready to fight he was on his right knee resting his left hand on his raised left knee and right hand on the ground.
From the shadows an old man walked toward the woman, “Daddy, what are you doing up?” lectured the big mouthed Maya.

“I wanted to meet the young man you were talking about earlier, nice to meet you.” The man said directing all attention to the eased traveler.

“Nice to meet you too” Replied the young traveler.

“So, your journey started when you were ten, correct? How old are you now?”

“Fifteen, I think, I stopped counting.” He said apathetically.

“Can I see the sword that appeared in front of you on your tenth birthday?”

“You ask a lot of questions. But Sure.” The young man stood. He had his right arm stretched out in front of him and had his left hand resting on his right forearms. In a demonic red flash of light an eight foot, single edged sword appeared in the traveler’s right hand,

“Whoa, It’s huge, How do you wield a sword of that size?” questioned Maya looking on in awe.

“…” Maya’s father remained silent, eyes nearly popping out of his head.

“I guess I just can wield it… I never thought about it.”

The snow slowed down a bit; he left without saying a word to neither Maya nor her father, who for some reason seemed familiar to the traveler. He walked out of the village sword balanced on his right shoulder as he held the hilt. Not too far down the snow covered road a giant beast appeared and said, “It is you, my clan shall have the privilege of ending you life,”

He stayed silent and in an instant he disappeared and reappeared, behind the monster that was miraculously split in half at the waist, a crimson colored liquid shot out from the body the blood decorated the snow. Keldorix walked down the road calmly, swinging the sword whenever a monster dared come near him. Finally, the head of the monster clan stood before Keldorix, “You should know better than to send children to do your fighting for you,” Keldorix said wearing a wicked grin. The beast grew a claw out of its wrist and slashed at the young man who easily blocked it.

“Ah, graded steal never sounded so good.” The beast snarled with blood-lust,

They continued their clash, “I’m tired of playing with you… good bye.” Keldorix said coldly swiping the sword through one of the beast’s shoulders, then the other then his legs, finally Keldorix stood over the limbless husk that lay in the snow, “I grow bored of you. Now… sleep for eternity.” He said still with a cold voice and severed its head, and Keldorix continued walking like nothing had happened. He was leaving behind the trail of blood, gore and corpses.

He finally reached the next port town; there were no traces of snow here. Except for some faint traces of blood from the beasts, no harm came to him. Sword now strapped to his back he calmly walked into a tavern and saw a huge, muscular patron harassing a waitress, “Leave her alone.” The now agitated traveler stated.

“What, you want her?” questioned the large, hideous man,

“I couldn’t care less about her. I just don’t like people that treat women with such disrespect,” He said, walking over to the giant, gripping his wrist firmly and nearly breaking it with little or no effort,

“Let’s settle this.” began the large patron

“Outside,” Keldorix suggested walking toward the door,

“Why?”

“I’d hate to pay for any damages caused once you die”

The two got out side and the giant drew his sword, the large patron wielded a sword far larger than Keldorix’s.

“C’mon” he said confidently

“I won’t need my sword for the likes of you.”

“Allow me to prove you wrong!” shouted the enormous man slamming his sword at where Keldorix was standing silently only to find he had vanished and was now in the air speeding toward the giant’s head with a mighty kick. The axe kick was strong enough to have crushed a mountain but the giant still stood. Laughing insanely the giant forced out, “You are too weak!” Keldorix pushed himself off the man’s head and skidded along the ground.

“Just you wait.” Keldorix said calmly but slightly worried,

With in an instant the traveler, some how held lightning in the palm of his right hand and a swirling ball of air in the other. “Now… just go away.” He dashed at the giant force the spheres into his stomach.

The giant was down in the ground, scarcely bleeding where the man had struck him with both attacks, barley managing to break the skin.

“Come on in.” began the tavern owner, as he stepped outside.

“You earned yourself a free meal for getting that brute out of here.” The waitress finished with a look of relief on her face.

“He won’t die I made sure to avoid any vital points in his body and I made sure the attacks weren’t strong enough to kill someone of that size.”

“You nearly killed our boss!” shouted the rest of the patrons.

“This should be easy.” The traveler said confidently through a grin.

The man didn’t need to use his hands for the nearly endless swarm of pirates, He stood at the center of foes and kicked the closest one in the stomach sending him into the one behind him, and then the man kicked another one in the bottom of his chin, he leapt into the air to get a good view of how many there were, when he landed he was crouched executed a perfect sweep kick knocking down any pirate close enough, then he stood on his hands spinning around like a dancer, hitting the pirates with a barrage of kicks, he leapt back to his feet and proceeded to use a triple whirlwind kick to get out of the center of the swarm, “That’s it, you guys are annoying,” Keldorix said, toe of the shoe on the ground gathering wind and lighting into the sole of his right foot and kicked toward the pirates.

The last one standing knew exactly how Keldorix fought, matching him move for move. It was clear that they were both very skilled they both stopped attacking and backed away from each other. “Have trained in the art of the ninja?” Asked the pirate under estimating Keldorix,

“I’ve dabbled, why do you ask?”

“Then this move should end it,” Said the man making strange hand signs,

“Too easy,” He said as he ran up to the ninja kneeing him in the stomach, knocking him unconscious,

“How’s about that free meal now,” He said with a smile,

That night Keldorix was rewarded for taking care of some of the strongest pirates around and was given one free night at a one room inn owned by a young woman named Kylie and her husband. While Keldorix slept he had the same dream he had had at Maya’s home. He awoke drenched in a cold sweat and shouting “NO!” for a fraction of a second, “What does that dream mean? Who was the woman standing over me before I fell? Why am I even having this dream in the first place? Is it trying to tell me something? If so what? So many questions, all about one dream, why…WHY!?” pondered the man as he lay in the bed frustrated and unable to sleep, “Oh well, It’s almost morning, I should head out” He said under his breath, looking like a dead man from lack of sleep. He left the inn without another word to anyone.