This was the beginning of a side-story that occurred after the death of a great hero. I wanted to explore the idea that a great hero could rise again, and how that might be accomplished in a unique way. Watching the broken body being rebuilt offered some interesting parallels to the character, Vujo, that I wanted to explore later.
It’s like watching a hero’s rebirth.
The phrase “the sleep of the dead” held a completely different meaning when gazing upon a man who truly embodied it. Vujo had been looking in on him daily, checking the grotesque progress of the Wake-Up Room as the man’s shattered body was healed by the magic of its shining surfaces. While many of the other Summits couldn’t bear to look upon the process, Vujo herself was utterly fascinated, brushing back one of her wings, and combing through its scales to remove any watery hitchhikers.
Her eyes were drawn through the translucent ball, the chamber that encased the man, which allowed light in, but no light out, as the slow healing process continued. The bones and sinews, the organs and skin, the tendons and ligaments, the veins and nerves, each woven together so beautifully that the gods deserved to be proud, having shaped life into such a seamless, living shape of a man, a living being. And she herself could be proud for having resurrected this being from an early grave.
Her conscience was pricked with a twinge of guilt. She wondered if perhaps Proteus had been wrong. Perhaps they shouldn’t be meddling with the threads of death and life. Was this magic the use of White Magic? Or Black? She folded her wing back and started on the next, seated a short distance away, upon a coral bench, seated next to a glittering silver vase. The body within the sphere was suspended in the center, the bluish glow still present around it as the magics of Proteus continued their work.
As she watched the final bones of the legs and feet assemble and reconstruct themselves, her thoughts turned to Proteus himself. The Summit King had been very welcoming of the visitors that Vujo had brought into the Kingdom, despite his personal misgivings about allowing strangers into the Summit’s hidden realm. But honestly, thought Vujo, What choice did he have? I’m his daughter, for goodness sake.
There had been five who entered the water that fateful afternoon nearly two months ago, and there had been four who left. Vujo herself wondered about companions who had no qualms about leaving their friend behind, but considering that Proteus had insisted that they not wait, perhaps they simply trusted the king at his word.
A trait I’m sure he wishes extended to his children, Vujo mused silently.
Laying alongside the walls of the Wake-Up Room’s circular outer chamber was a number of coral shelves, having been carved out by the Summit building crews. Vujo stood, and walked around the chamber, looking into the shelves at their contents. They were populated with numerous items, most of them weapons, which belonged to the man in the sphere.
Two knives, a length of rope, a worn leather belt with pouches, several coins, a bow, a shield, a pair of thin sticks, as well as numerous other items that Vujo didn’t recognize stocked the shelves. She wondered about a man who could carry so many things with him at all times. What might possess a person to carry so much with him? Why burden yourself with so many unnecessary items? The one item which truly drew her attention, however, was one that didn’t fit upon a shelf, and so had been placed on a table at the far end of the room.
It was a sword, which was enclosed in a long brown leather sheath. The weapon was almost as tall as Vujo herself, with an intricately etched handle and the symbol of a snowflake at the bottom. She began to pull it from its sheath, noticing the crystal-clear blade that looked to be made of glass. She continued to remove the weapon’s cover, finding the crystal blade fascinating…
“How is he progressing?” She slid the blade quickly back into its sheath, and replaced it on its table. It was Proteus, stepping his way into the Wake-Up Room Chamber. He wore a simple, flowing robe, which reflected its purple scales across the sphere in the center. His once-sharp, Summit features had been replaced by sagging, his age betraying him in his late years. The only feature that seemed to stand out were his eyes, still burning with fire and life the same as he might have been in his youth.
“His bones are completely healed, father,” she said, turning away from the weapon and gazing back at the glowing sphere. “I would say he should be completely ready for the Infusion in two weeks’ time.”
Proteus walked slowly over to the sphere, and placed a hand upon it. The sphere glowed slightly brighter for a moment, especially around the point where the Summit King’s hand was resting, but then it dissipated. He let go, but continued to gaze at the healing body. He spoke without turning.
“You’re wondering if I’m doing the right thing?” he said aloud, more as a statement, than a question.
Vujo’s response was cautious as she approached her father’s side. “I’m not meaning to disagree with your decision, father, it’s just that…”
“Yes?”
“Well, it seemed almost as if you may have been acting out of character when you promised those other humans that you would rebirth their companion.”
“Is it now out of character to help a friend in need?”
She scoffed slightly. “You know what I’m talking about,” she contended. “This man is not like us, and though I may have made a mistake in bringing them down here, I do not intend for that decision to cause us more trouble than it already has.”
The King turned, and looked at his daughter. “You’re worried that Serpon may return.”
“Well…” She paused. “Yes.”
Proteus walked over to the coral benches that Vujo had been sitting on earlier, and motioned for her to sit with him. “Serpon is gone,” said the King. “She was repelled by the Summit Kingdom with the most powerful magical abilities in the western oceans. She’s not coming back.”
“But if we’re so powerful,” said Vujo. “Then why did she attack in the first place?”
“Element of surprise, my daughter. Element of surprise.” He indicated the sphere. “She was looking to take the soul of this man, a task which proved much more difficult than she had anticipated. She was expecting only a small struggle, but what she found was a massive, epic united front. We were too much for her, and now that she’s attacked, we know where the weaknesses in our defenses lie. I have Rourke and the rest of the mystic guard working diligently as we speak. They’ve already made significant progress in addressing the holes in our current defenses, and we can expect little threat from even Demigods as long as those defenses remain in place.”
Vujo still disagreed. “But father, then why are we spending such effort in reviving this man? Why not allow Dribrow to judge his soul and allow him passage to the afterlife?”
“Because his end was unjust, my princess,” said Proteus. “His death was the result of the use of dark arts. Were we to let him die while we have the means to save him, his blood would be upon ourhands.”
Vujo sighed, and looked over at the body which still floated, glowing in the center of the shining sphere.
“Besides,” said Proteus, taking the young summits hand in his. “This man may yet prove to be more crucial to our survival than we know.”
“You’re getting senile in your old age, father. I think you’re looking for a miracle where there only lies a parlor trick.”
Proteus stood, and walked over to the sword which Vujo had been playing with earlier. He removed it from its sheath, and held it in his hand. The crystal blade was clear as ice, yet sharper than any weapon that Vujo had ever seen. The King turned the weapon over, and indicated the symbol at he base of the handle.
“This symbol,” he said. “Is the symbol of the goddess of winter, Wyntei. The gods are very jealous about their emblems, and do not allow themselves to be associated with items that they are not a part of. The fact that this symbol remains means that the power of Wyntei resides within this weapon.”
He stepped over to one of the coral shelves, and picked up a pendant on a chain – a silver necklace. The same symbol on the sword was emblazoned upon the pendant. Proteus held both the sword and pendant out to Vujo.
“I do not know who this man is,” he said. “And beyond his name, I have no idea of his identity, but the fact that a goddess is with him is enough reason for me to help his journey along. Very few humans are able to utilize the Wake-Up Room, and yet the magic seems to flow through him just like the water. This man is unique, and I wish to know why.”
Vujo stepped over to the sphere, and gazed at the human man inside. His body was still broken, but even as he lay motionless, with half of his body gone, the bluish glow seemed to radiate power from him. It was as if the magic were coursing out of him, and not into him. She reached a hand up, and touched the sphere.
Instantly a powerful shock rushed into her body, energy unleashing into her frame. It was like being struck by a bolt of lightning in a summer storm. She jerked her hand back, and looked at it, but the feeling of power was subsiding. Had it only been in her imagination? Was that real?
“There is something to this person, my daughter,” said Proteus, placing the sword and the pendant back onto the table. “I do not know what it is, but it is the reason that I am working to save his soul.”
“You said you knew his name,” said Vujo. Her eyes were now transfixed upon the sphere. “What is it?”
He responded slowly, but simply. Though the title meant little to Vujo now, she had no idea what it would one day mean to her people.
“His name is Redemption.”
