Those Three Kings - Prologue

Prologue

~

Pain. A horrible pain. Throbbing in his chest, scorching heat…like a fire was burning right on his heart. A faint heartbeat followed.

Thump.

His lips were cracked. He was in desperate need of lip balm. His body, specifically his chest, was caked in dry blood. Blood still gushed out from his open wound, creating a pool of the crimson liquid. Maggots started to crawl into his chest wound now, squirming around and feasting on his insides. Birds pecked at his torso and midsection. He actually blushed. He…blushed.

He was alive.

He felt some fragment of pointless emotion: embarrassment. He couldn’t believe that he could feel something different from the persistent pain, which was now consuming his body. The pain radiated from his chest to his arms, then to his hips and legs. He could now feel the maggots, how they made him feel hollow and nasty, though made him feel somewhat hopeful. At least he knew that he was alive, or at least vividly hallucinating.

His right arm bone stuck out three inches out of his skin. Patches of pale flesh were missing from his pitiful body. Bruises, scrapes, cuts, indentions, and incisions. He had it all.

Thump, thump.

He tried to inhale. His chest hurt a little more each breath. He moved his fingers around.

They moved.

He breathed in through his nose this time. What baffled him the most was the smell of a dead body. Not the metallic smell of blood, or even the stench of filth. His mind raced. His heartbeat got quicker.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

The constant noise of life, beating like a bass drum.

Was he decaying? He was attacked only a few days ago...or…

“You are confused, aren’t you, boy?” a deep, deep voice startled him. It took away the piercing ring of silence. He tried to open his eyes, but he couldn’t. “No, no…do not stress yourself, Darius. There is no need in that.”

The voice didn’t stop speaking. “We will do this either the easy way or the hard way. I have saved your mortal life, but it will not last for long.” Slow breaths and a heartbeat were the only noise remaining after the voice spoke.

Again, he persisted to open his eyes. He was physically not able to. He tried to gulp down the growing lump in his throat, which tightened by the second. Another emotion appeared, one that the boy had quite often in his life: fear.

“Do not fear me. I can sense your emotions, Darius.”

Silence followed. The voice seemed to clear its throat. The boy then identified the voice as an older man.

He was slowly gaining back his senses and emotions. He could feel the stone cold cobblestone beneath him, could feel the chilly breeze of February wind. A new feeling which was completely foreign to him washed his sensitive senses: he was utterly terrified. Who was the man? And what did he want?

“If you want to live again, if you feel like you did not deserve to perish like this, then you will lend me your soul and travel with me forever. You will do everything that I say without a doubt. There are good sides to this, though. You will live healthily, never have to die, etcetera… What do you say, boy?”

Without even thinking, he tried to nod. He didn’t deserve to die.

“Alright, Darius Aubrey. I declare your soul…alive and young…is now mine. I shall take it to the Soul Keeper and let him take care of it. Do not worry, Darius. I, Xzanis, will keep you safe. Your immortal name will be Fear.”

Fear, he thought.

And that was where it all started.