Chapter 1. ‘Finally,’ he gasped under his breath as he paused under a tall tree, wiping his forehead. ‘I’m free. My life as a slave is over.’ The smoke from the fire that scorched his masters sanctuary, rose with the wind high into the atmosphere transforming the sun a chilling blood red. The rising black smoke symbolised to Enigma, the long awaited fall of an evil ruler. His heart exulted, knowing that he was free to go and do what ever he pleased. The years of senseless toils forced the few good memories of his family to the back of his mind. Enigma struggled to reminisce with blank faces. His parents, his sister, his pets, they were all dead now. Their deaths still reigned supreme in his thoughts. There was never a good side to being a slave. Being beaten and fed scraps was not Enigma’s idea of a good life. The only real thing that came close to paying off was the travelling. Enigma loved to travel. This was a good vice, as he got to see some real nice places. To the east, the falls of Gardna, the Crystal city of Histaul, to the West, the Brendalian Metal Forest, to the north, the Great Mountains, and, to the south, his favourite, the Holy Volcano’s. He checked a leather pouch by his side. Inside, a wild mouse that he found one night while he was sleeping, scrummaging for crumbs on his sheets. Her fluffy white coat was soft and comforting as he stroked it. Atrebor he named her, after a very fine young girl he fell in love with years ago. She had disappeared suddenly one day. Enigma hadn’t seen her since. He began northward bound, with an undetermined destination. There were sure to be many dangers on the road ahead. He was constantly on the run from the Enemy for several charges. Then, there was the problem of getting food. He didn’t have any money so he would have to steal, thus, giving the Enemy another reason to capture him. His tight fitting sandals clicked on his heal as he walked. The cold breeze shifted his rags around from side to side, revealing more of his body than he wanted. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, the dove to some bushes by the track. The Enemies horses came to a halt, metres away from Enigma’s hiding place. There were about two dozen of them. He listened in intently to what the enemy had to say. ‘I don’t think he would have got this far.’ a young buff soldier told his leader. ‘Your not here to think!’ the leader screamed. ‘Your here under my command! You came here because I told you to come out here!’ ‘Sir, I suggest you stop shouting. If he is around here, he might have already altered his direction of travel.’ The soldier had a lot of guts, but not many brains. ‘Do you want to spend the rest of your career in the army working as a stable hand?’ ‘No sir.’ ‘Then be quiet!’ ‘Yes sir.’ The defiant soldier replied. ‘This boy would be out looking for food. Wouldn’t it be wise to alert the army in the city of Sotohp in the Great Mountains just up North along the highway?’ ‘Isn’t that going a bit far?’ ‘Well Master Pain did say he wanted the boy back. I imagine the first ones to find him will be greatly rewarded.’ The leader considered it. ‘So you do have brains. Lets go up ahead and warn them. The rest of you,’ the leader pointed to the others, ‘go back to Sanctuary and tell Master Pain of our plans.’ The leader along with the young soldier headed north whilst the rest of them headed South. This altered things quite abruptly. Enigma would have to travel East, he reasoned. The West, was not an option - it was mainly cliffs and desert - and the south was out of the question. He crawled out from under the thicket and started his modified journey. He continued headstrong for the next half-a-day, towards the east, not looking back, not a second thought. Enigma had trek far, as the day began ending. He would have to hurry if he wanted to find shelter. The sun was sitting unstably on the horizon. The chilly breeze dragged along behind it a long band of threatening storm clouds, looming on the northerly horizon. He quickly retreated to the protection beneath the branches of a giant tree. It was massive, standing taller than the highest walls of any castle in all of Korutiania. A large thicket grew around the base of the tree, whilst vast protruding roots provided some comfort. He was hidden and secured. A strange imprint in the trunk caught his eye. Someone had carved what looked to be a ring of roses all joined together with a battle axe in the middle. It was peculiar, but he thought nothing of it. Enigma lay back against the trunk, listening to his muscular stomach, growling. His eyelids soon became heavy, his mind beginning to ramble aimlessly. He remembered the early days of his childhood. He would remember when he would help his father carry the fire wood back to the house after they had done a round out in the thick forest that surrounded their little cottage. His mothers soft, smooth hands that stroked him gently as he lay in bed, the strong smell of roses in her dark brown-red hair. And his sister, his best friend, playing joyously in the quiet stream nearby. His thoughts suddenly changed. A sudden rush of unhappy memories overwhelmed him with agonising realism. The day the Enemy wrest him from his mothers care, slaughtering his parents violently. And his hound. Enigma’s beloved pet dog, decapitating mercilessly with sickening laughter. But what of his sister? Her outcome forever remained blank to him. Assuming the worst, she had been executed as well. He soon slipped out of this stage of sleep and drifted off in to the world of dream. He could see the branches above, still and quiet. The air was motionless, he was relaxed. The sun was high in the sky, accompanied by a few wispy clouds, drifting slowly, purposelessly. Everything began drawing distant as darkness began to appear beside him. His eyes still wide open, but nothing was visible. Moments later, he was fronted with an unfamiliar face. ‘Welcome my boy.’ a scruffy voice greeted. An aged man stood over him, his appearance stern and serious. The man had a clean shaven face covered with wrinkles and long white hair that was slicked back away from his eyes. ‘Welcome to my home.’ Enigma sat up cautiously. ‘I’m not here to hurt you.’ Enigma’s eyes wandered around the room. ‘Where am I?’ The room was huge. Everything was visible, but yet the only light source available was a single fireplace - surely not enough to light a room as vast as this. The round walls of the large chamber was packed with shelves of books reaching from floor to ceiling. Two giant marble staircase lead up to a balcony, half way up, reaching all the way around. A breath taking chandelier hung still and lifeless upon the ceiling. But a singular piece of furniture, a round table, stood on it’s own, beneath it. ‘We’re underground.’ the man replied. ‘But how?’ ‘You do not need the details. Just bare with me, we’re running out of time. You are here because of your future.’ Enigma stared at the floor. ‘Don’t follow.’ ‘Just let me finish.’ the man said. ‘Everybody’s future is determined. These futures are what was to be, is to be, and will be. In your case, this is not so. What influences you, changes your future.’ ‘What’s wrong with that.’ ‘You don’t need to know this just yet. You have been chosen a long, long time ago to lead a curtain group of people to a certain place.’ Enigma frowned. ‘Can you expand on that?’ ‘This group of people you will meet not by chance. Come.’ The man gestured. Enigma got up and followed the man over to bottom half of the book case. He pulled out a book, bounded in a leathery brown. A loose strip of gold material marked the page he wanted. ‘Pay attention.’ The man cleared his throat. ‘Okay. This is what it says: “The boy chosen since the Creation shall be joined by the Six Uncommon’s plus the Instructor; they each have special talents that will not be revealed until special times. These talents may be used many times through out the journey. When the final battle begins in the endless galaxy, these talents may be used but once. Destiny will not choose these certain times. The owner is given two choices, one of which will lead to certain doom. These events shall begin after the Abscond. ‘“Your quest, for now, is to travel the three realms, gathering your energy and will, in preparation for the forth. To rescue Beloved, is your ultimate destiny. The true significant of these words, shall be unveiled with time. Just follow fate for a while, whilst the supreme plot unfolds.”’ Enigma laughed wryly. ‘I didn’t understand some of that. All of that, actually.’ ‘When it speaks of the Six Uncommon’s, it refers to - I guess - helpers of some sort. There will be other minor helpers that you probably won’t even notice. That’s about all I myself, have been able to understand.’ ‘It doesn’t really help, you know.’ ‘I can’t help that. But I’m sure it’ll all make sense with time.’ He slammed the book shut, rocketing dust into the air. ‘Soon you will be leaving this place. I am permitted to treat you to a meal, suitable clothing, gold pieces, a pouch of food and water, and a dagger. I am not allowed any further service at this stage.’ ‘Who makes the rules.’ ‘I’m not sure.’ the man replied, ‘They’re just there.’ A meal had been pre-prepared. A single plate full of mouth watering meat, bread, vegetables was welcomed eagerly. Enigma filled his gut as best he could, eating food and drinking a nice flavoured milk at the same time. Quickly he finished. ‘Unfortunately, it’s about time that you left.’ The man said, dismissing him. He handed over a pouch of food, a new set of clothing and a dagger. ‘Your very kind sir.’ Enigma said graciously, quickly changing. A mirror suddenly appeared as he turned. For the first time in many years, he saw his face. His features had changed considerable. There were signs of hardship, etched within the wrinkles upon his forehead. His light brown hair was knotted terribly, with indication of a desperately needed trim, given away by it’s long, shouldered length. The outline of his face was notably round, with his cheek bones protruding slightly, whilst his jaw came to a point. ‘It looks good on you.’ the man complimented. Enigma now wore loosely fitting trousers - a cream colour - with the ends tucked inside his mid-shin high boots. I sleeveless, light blue shirt crossed over in the front, with a brown leather belt holding it all into position. He put his dagger carefully in his belt and attached the pouch of food and money to a buckle on his oversized trousers. ‘One more thing,’ the man said, ‘I need Atrebor.’ ‘What for?’ Enigma asked. ‘She is needed at this point in time. Don’t worry. You’ll get her back. I promise. I won’t harm her. She is in good hands.’ Eyeing the elder suspiciously, Enigma reluctantly obliged, pulling Atrebor out of her pouch. Her nose twitched in the air. ‘Well Atrebor,’ Enigma sighed, ‘It was good while it lasted. Don’t worry, like the old man said, your in good hands now.’ He handed her over. ‘You’ll get her back in no time. Now, if your ever in trouble, all you have to do is look for the symbol on the tree that you saw above ground. Then you just think of my name and you’ll appear where you are now. If you follow these instructions else where around the world, it won’t be me who’ll be greeting you, it will be someone else, a trusted associate of mine. There are thousands of us around.’ Enigma scratched his head. ‘What about your name? How am I supposed to return like you said, if I don’t know your name?’ ‘By the time you’ll need to, you’ll know my name - and more - like it was the back of your hand. I said it once before, and I’ll say it again. Trust me.’ ‘This seems so real for a dream. It’s so life like.’ The aged man chuckled, ‘Your not dreaming.’ With those words ringing in his ears, Enigma felt himself rising, his eyelids becoming heavy. Beneath him, the ground shook. Then finally, the sensations stopped. ‘Got him!’ Enigma opened his eyes suddenly. The two Enemy soldiers that had travelled north were looking over him. He had been caught. ‘Like the old saying goes, you can run, but you can’t hide.’ the leader smirked. ‘Come on, lets get him back to Master Pain. He will reward us generously. We will be heroes.’ The young buff soldier tied Enigma up taking his dagger. It was nightfall. There was no way he could tell how long he had been sleeping for. His rags hung loosely over the fresh pair he had been given. He was shocked upon realisation. It hadn’t taken long at all for the soldiers to locate him. Enigma felt no fear of death. Master Pain didn’t work that way. Pain preferred anguish, and torture. But he was an unstable, insane man. There was no telling what he would do. Nonetheless, what ever happened, the next few weeks were surely going to be hell.