“Aioros, wake up. Open your eyes it’s all over now man, wake up.” Birds were chirping, a soft breeze was coming in through the open window, and the waterfalls soothing song was playing. I opened my eyes and found myself in a large circular room. The walls were made of gold, black marble covered the floor, and an enormous window looked over a cool river. At the foot of my bed I saw Sevlow, my eldest brother. He wore a snow white robe that shimmered like the sun at midday. “Where am I?” I asked confused. “Where else would we be?” he responded with a grin. “In the place, above all places.” I took a moment to process his words, I understood. “Where is everyone else?” I asked. “They are waiting for us; there is someone who wishes to speak with you.” Sevlow replied.
My brother led me through a celestial palace and out to a sparkling Utopia. Trees were green, the sun was high in the sky, and people roamed freely. We arrived at the base of a long spiraling stairwell made of diamonds that led higher into the sky. “Go on up” Sevlow said. “He needs to speak with you.” I looked at my brother and nodded. Though the stairwell was indeed long, I seemed to climb to the top in less time than it takes a breath to fully fill your lungs.
Two guards stood in front of a gate with the image of a wolf welded into it. I began to speak my name, but before I could even focus correctly on them the guards stepped aside and the gate opened. A golden trail appeared before me. “He has been expecting you” one of the guards said and signaled me to follow the trail.
After about a half day of walking along the trail I arrived at a sterling home with the same wolf insignia as the gate hoisted high in the air on a flag pole. “Come on in,” a voice said. Within the home there was nothing but a silver chair and table set; I raised an eyebrow in confusion. At the far end of the table sat a man with paper white hair whom, although I had never seen before, I recognized instantly. “Please Aioros, have a seat” the man said. “Do you recognize me?” he asked. “No” I answered pulling the chair in. But after a brief moment of silence I said, “Well actually yes, you do seem familiar but I don’t actually know who you are.” “I thought so” the man answered laughing. “My name is Arios; I suppose you could say that I’m your forefather.” “Arios, the founder of our clan?” “Yes the same one.” I sat frozen in amazement, “It’s an honor to be in your presence my lord, and to know that you wish to speak with me.”
“Well the reason I wish to speak to you should not honor you Aioros” replied Arios with a stern expression. “Sir?” I answered confused. The room with nothing other than the simple table abruptly transformed into the hell like battle field in which I had died. “This is the reason for which I created you” Arios began. “I once created this clan, and soon after my death I learned of the horrible challenge that would succeed in destroying it. That is why I gave you life; you are a part of me Aioros.” I remained silent listening closely to all of his words. “I could not stand the fact that my clan would be destroyed, and I had no possible way of saving them. However, I eventually learned a way through which I could help. I took a piece of my soul and declared it no longer mine; from that moment forth it was to be the soul of my people’s savior, your soul.” My heart sank instantly; how was it possible for me to be a part of the legendary Arios. “But I was I a fool” he continued. “I severely underestimated Viraus, I felt confident that his power would never become such a monstrosity. But I was over confident, and my people had to suffer thanks to my stupidity.” “Sire please don’t say that, there is no way that you could have foreseen this, is there?”Arios remained silent for a moment. I saw in his eyes the look of disappointment, not with me or the clan but with himself. I never really told anyone, but at one point I witnessed a tear sliding down his cheek.
“Aioros” he said once again. There is something else, a way for me to correct my mistake.” “What is it Sire?” I asked. “Please don’t call me that” he said raising his left hand. “If I do this, I will seize to exist. But my people will live on.” “Sir I don’t understand.” “Please let me finish, and listen closely. If I reunite the two pieces of my soul and give up my existence, then I can resurrect a dozen of my people.” “But, if they are resurrected back into Viraus’s world, then they’ll simply end up back here.”I interrupted. “Very true, this is why you must listen closely. Once I give up my existence you will become a pure spirit, in other words you will replace me in every way.” “No Sir! I couldn’t possibly replace someone of your status.” “Silence! Of course you can you fool, you are a part of me. And as such you will acquire immense power once I am gone.”The room once again transformed back into its original state. “With the power you will be granted Aioros, you will confront Viraus and cleanse the world for our people.”
After a few more moments of discussion, an agreement was finally struck. Arios would give me every piece of power he had left, and would also give up his life for as many people as he possibly could. “I am pleased to hear you are in agreement with me my son” he said standing up. “Now simply take my hand, and our souls shall unite.” I looked closely at the man I had always dreamed of resembling; he did indeed love his people above everything else. With a brief look into each other’s eyes, our hands united and everything changed.
“Sire, the human city has finally been crushed. What are our new orders?” asked a beast with a black haze surrounding his body. Viraus glared down at the beast from his floating throne of black fire. “Build me a new city of twice the magnitude. I don’t want a single piece of those ruins left in this world; all evidence of those wretched wolves existence must be destroyed. “Yes my lord.” As the dark ruler once again adjusted himself on his throne, a flash of light zoomed across the darkened sky towards him. Viraus moved quickly and successfully evaded the bolt of light by a hair.
Infuriated Viraus signaled a dozen of his demonic servants to follow him towards the light’s point of impact. As the crater created by the bolt came into view, Viraus, with his super human eyesight, could begin to distinguish a figure standing within the crater. He instantly unleashed a stampede of lightning upon the figure and signaled two of his subjects to move in and investigate.
As the two beasts moved closer to the crater the dust once again began to rise. Not even Viraus was capable of seeing within. Suddenly a glorious howl resonated across the land and the two corpses of the demons sprang out of the dust. The dark lords’ brow tensed and he roared at the rest of the abominations to move in.
In no more than a few seconds one of the beasts ran out of the dust with half of his body showered with blood. “What are you doing you coward!” shouted Viraus. “Get back here maggot!” Before the demon could even clear the crater by more than five yards the dust all around it began to swirl. It swirled with such force that everything within a hundred mile radius was thrust into the air. “What is happening!” hissed Viraus. Without hesitation wave after wave of lightning was thrust towards the crater, but it was no use. The moment the lightning impacted with the dust it was simply redirected and began to swirl with the dust. Once again the holy howl sounded within the storm. “No, it can’t be” whispered Viraus.
In the center of the crater stood Aioros the wolf. His silver hide fluttered gloriously against the wind. A sword was strapped across his back, and his eyes shined so intensely the very sun would be incapable of comparing. He was the TRUE Alpha, the original lycan. One moment he raised his eyes and locked gaze with the dark lord, and the next he was standing directly behind him in his human form.
“No, this-this can’t be” exclaimed Viraus as he slowly spun around to face his superior. “Viraus destroyer of the Earth” said Aioros with the combined voices of Aioros and Arios. “You have committed crimes against the clan that can never be forgiven.” Viraus sat frozen upon his dark throne. He attempted to raise his hand and unleash fire upon his foe, but the swirling dust was rapidly draining his power. “Now you must pay the ultimate price for your misdoings.” Alpha’s eyes turned blue and shined like a million stars imploding all at once. Viraus’ eyes melted as they made contact with Alpha’s. The dust all around them began to consume the dark lord, and his powers returned all together to the gods. As his body turned to dust Viraus shouted one last time in desperation, “It should’ve been me Aioros! You know that! IT SHOULD’VE BEEN ME!”His neck quickly dissolved into dust instantly destroying his vocal cords. “It would’ve been you” Aioros responded as his eyes slowly returned to normal. “But you betrayed your own clan, and did this to yourself. Even without eyes Viraus seemed to be shedding tears. With one last turn of the clock Viraus’s head turned to dust. Aioros looked closely at what remained of his former brother and raised his hand straight up into the sky. Viraus’s dust swirled faster than before and began dissolving all of the evil things it had brought onto the world.
Demons wailed in pain as their limbs were torn apart by the dust, the dark cloud cast upon the earth quickly thinned and disappeared, and all the structures built by the abominations collapsed against the dust. The world was cleansed by dust.
Aioros looked around at the new world his clan would now live in. Grass was green just across a distant lake, the sun was once again delivering its energy and beauty to the Earth, and off in the distance Aioros could see two dozen people reviving into this new world. Arios’s plan had indeed worked, and even better than he had hoped. Now Dormant Hill and her surroundings would stand from then until the end of time as monuments to honor all those who died in the apocalypse.
Being eternally indebted to Aioros the gods decided to grant him a gift. They returned Arios to existence and granted him and Aioros pure spirits no longer connected by soul, but by destiny and blood. They would be the same person, but a different one at the same time. Their names would be eternally engraved upon the stars, and they acquired positions as gods. From that day on the Earth would be securely protected by the Alphas, and, it is said, that if ever the time came to once again face an adversary, Arios and Aioros would give life to Aioria, the last of the great Alphas. But until then, their clan of lycans would live peacefully in a new world of hope.
THE END
To be continued…..
