User blog:GalacticAttorney/The Paladin Force - Prologue

A Note From GA
So, this is my fic. This is the storyline that Muscle-Man, Zach, Techno, and all the others are from. I hope you take some time to read this, I'd feel bad if nobody did. ;~;

But uh yeah. We'll start with the prologue, happy reading.

Prologue
"I will not have this!" cried Osmos. "This kind of disobedience is not what I would expect from a proper deity!"

The subject of Osmos's anger was Otieno, his youngest son and the God of Darkness and Death, who was standing in front of Osmos's throne. He had just invaded the planet of Ravlea, the crown jewel of Osmos's proudly created universe, and instilled a great darkness upon the planet. The humans Osmos had birthed unto the planet were turning upon each other in the darkness and a great war was being waged.

"Well, O mighty father of mine," Otieno retorted mockingly, "Perhaps if you weren't so in favor of your elder sons being bearers of the Ores and not myself, then perhaps I wouldn't have to cause such mayhem!"

"Otieno," warned Dipti, Goddess of Thought and Wisdom, "Do not act so immature and disrespectful in front of your father.  You knew very clearly what the penalty would be if you were to do something like this."

"But, mother," Otieno complained, "It's not fair to me that I eternally get the short end of the stick!  My arrogant brothers spend all their days lying with women and becoming inebriated, bringing shame to your name, yet they are the ones that are favored by you and this small-minded fool!"

"SILENCE!" bellowed Osmos, steaming with anger at the whiny god before him. He stood from his throne and glared at Otieno threateningly. "The son of the God of the Universe and Existence should not be acting like a spoiled brat!  I will not have this arrogance from you any longer!  To your chambers!" The mighty God of the Ravlean universe waved off his disobedient son dismissively, indicating that the discussion was no longer up for debate.

Otieno fumed silently in place for a few moments. Tendrils of dark energy, a substance made up of the malice and darkness of others, lashed from his wrist, vying to attack Osmos. But knowing it would be a useless endeavor, he turned, shouted in rage, and stormed away. Dipti worriedly looked at her husband and asked, "My lord, you think that sending him to his quarters will quell his anger?  He needs to be taught a proper lesson, or else his behavior will never cease."

Osmos sighed and rubbed his temples while replying, "I know, my love.  But I simply don't have time to deal with him now.  It's almost time for the creation of the Ores.  Come, let's away to our other sons' chambers."

Osmos stood and took Dipti by the hand and they walked together to their older sons' rooms. The door to the left housed Avani, the God of the Earth and Life, and the door to the right held Sisu, the God of Willpower and Strength. Osmos rapped his knuckles on both doors and called, "Avani, Sisu!  Arise!  The hour of the creation of the Ores is upon us."

From inside the rooms, the sound of footsteps came, and the doors opened - first Sisu's, then Avani's. The brothers came out and respectfully bowed before their father. "I am ready, my lord," said Sisu.

"As am I, Lord Osmos," Avani followed.

"Very well, then," Osmos said, smiling at how energetic he was for this moment. "Let us proceed to the Chamber of Creation."

So the foursome walked through the marble hallways of Osmos's Temple, which sat atop the largest hill in the Land of the Sky, the home of all the Ravlean gods. Servants within the temple knelt before Osmos as he passed through the hallways, their walls adorned with carvings, sculptures, paintings, and other artwork depicting Osmos and his acts. Soon, they arrived at the door to a dark room which was patrolled by two armed guards. They stepped to the side of the doorway and knelt as Osmos and his party entered the room.

Osmos walked to the center of the dark room, which was lit only by a torch on the back wall. "Exorior!" the king of the universe commanded, and a blue light shone from the center of the room as a sort of fountain rose from the floor. When it reached its maximum height, it burst from the top with a bright blue light. Osmos turned to the other three gods. "Well, my beloved family," he said, "The time is now.  I shall take the privilege of creating my Ore first."

Osmos turned to the fountain of light and pulled a dull rock with crystals protruding from it out of the pocket on his toga. He held the rock in the light as he spoke lowly in Latin, "Intra hanc petram creaui Æs puritas."

As he spoke, the light from the fountain shone brighter, and the rock in his hand burst into light. It floated from his hands and levitated within the light, shining brightly now in a dazzling white.

Osmos sighed contentedly as he withdrew his hands from the light and spoke softly to himself, "The Ore of Purity.  May it protect what I have created."

With that, he turned to his wife and sons and asked, "Now, who will be next?"

Dipti stepped forward and repeated the process Osmos had. She held an ore in the light and spoke in Latin until the ore sprung to life, floating alongside its companion ore as it shone a bright yellow. "The Ore of Intelligence," Dipti said. "May it forever stand for what is best."

Next was Avani. He performed the ritual and his ore jumped from his hands, swinging in the air as it spun around, emanating a blue hue. "This is my Ore - the Ore of Fortitude," he declared. "I hope for it to empower the whole of heart."

Finally, Sisu stepped up. He performed the ritual and his ore leaped up, soaring higher and higher until it couldn't go any higher, its fantastic green glow lighting up the ceiling. "The Ore of Might - it is my gift to the universe," he stated. "May it grant strength to the weak and life to the lifeless."

Osmos smiled widely in pride as he watched the four stones intermingle in the air, their light shining through the darkness of the room. Out of nowhere, a sphere of floating light emerged from the stones. Osmos watched, intrigued. The sphere took shape, and it became the shape of a human. It spoke in a deep, echoing voice.

"Greetings.  My name is Exemplar.  You," he said, pointing at Osmos, "Are Osmos.  I exist to do your will.  I serve the Ores of the Universe.  Summon me from here if I am needed." After it finished, Exemplar faded away.

Osmos hadn't been expecting anything like this. He decided he would consult with this 'Exemplar' at a later date. He frowned, however, when he noticed something framed by the light in the dark corner. Or rather... someone.

"LOOK OUT!" Osmos cried as a huge blast of dark energy came from the figure in the corner. It expanded into a web and ensnared all four deities, pinning them against the wall. The four struggled against their bonds to no avail as the figure in the corner laughed maliciously.

"I must say," the dark man said as he rose, chuckling evilly, "You four made quite a show out of this whole thing.  Very formal.  I expected nothing less of you..."

The attacker paused as he stepped out of the darkness, letting his face be seen in the light of the ores. "...Father," the man finished.

Osmos fumed, unable to free himself as he saw who his assailant was. "Otieno!  What in my name do you think you're doing!?"

"I'm claiming my place among the gods of Ravlea, of course!" the God of Darkness and Evil replied. "You’ve denied me my place among you - my BIRTHRIGHT, I might add - countless times over, so I'm taking it myself!"

Otieno reached into his black toga and produced an ore similar to the ones floating in the fountain of light. He smiled and slowly strode over to the fountain that contained the four glowing stones.

"OTIENO, NO!" cried Osmos, frantic, struggling against the black strands that held him in place. "I FORBID YOU FROM DOING THIS!"

"YOU HAVE NO POWER OVER ME!" Otieno shouted back, blasting his father with a huge bolt of dark energy. He relished in his parent's screams of pain as he turned to the pillar of light. He held the ore within the light and spoke the Latin incantation. The ore in his hand sputtered to life as it outshone the other ores in a malicious red.

"Do you see it!?" Otieno asked the other four. "This is the Ore of Eradication!  I have brought it into existence solely to amplify the pain, suffering, misery, and death in your miserable world!  So that your pitiful humans can feel, even if just for a fleeting moment, what I have felt my entire life!   Soon, your entire universe will fall to my darkness!  With this ore... I SEAL RAVLEA'S FATE!"

Osmos was berserk with anger. He loved Ravlea and the humans with all his being, and would give his life to protect them. With a mighty bellow, he released a burst of energy, ripping apart the web of dark energy. He raced forward and grabbed Otieno by the throat and shouted, "THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU DISOBEY ME!" He then grabbed the opposite sides of Otieno's head and, with a yell of satisfaction, broke Otieno's neck.

Otieno's dead body fell to the floor with a dull, dead thud. It dissipated in dark particles like ash in the wind, and Osmos turned to his wife and sons who lay on the floor. He rushed over to their sides and helped them up. "Father," Avani asked, "What has Otieno just done?"

Osmos spat at the small pile of dust, the last of Otieno's physical remains."The vile demon created another ore.  Now that his own power is within the ore, we can't destroy it.  At least he'll never be able to use it."

"But, my father," Sisu piped up, "What of his half-blood son, Shohr?  He may be able to harness its power."

Osmos grimaced in realization as he acknowledgement that Sisu was right. Shohr was the son of Otieno and a mortal woman that had seduced him one day. Since he would have some of Otieno's powers, it was understandable that he could harness the Ore of Eradication.

"You're all too right, my son," Osmos said. "We need to take measures to ensure he'll never get to it.  Sisu, head to the archives and retrieve a book of seals.  We must seal Shohr deep within the inner shells of Ravlea.  Avani, I need you to take the ores and scatter them across Ravlea in the deepest corners of the land.  And Dipti, come with me.  We must go see Hymona."

Avani and Sisu nodded and rushed off to do as they were told, and Dipti went with Osmos. The two elder gods rushed through the corridors and stopped in front of another chamber door. They opened the door and saw Hymona at her marble desk, innocently writing on a scroll.

"Hymona, my dear!  I need your help!" Osmos said. Hymona turned to look at her father, her eyes looking at him curiously. She stood up from her chair and knelt.

"Of course, my father.  What is your bidding?" Hymona asked formally. Osmos smiled. His daughter's respectful and loyal attitude was always a breath of fresh air from his sons' rambunctious natures.

“Your brother, Otieno, has just cursed Ravlea with a fate of destruction and evil,” Osmos explained rapidly. “You must appoint the Herosoul to a worthy human so as to counteract this foretelling of doom.”

Hymona, the Goddess of Light and Goodness, had the power to bestow the Herosoul, a powerful soul that granted the bearer near-godly power, unto others. As she was the goddess of all things pure, Osmos had decided she was the ideal person to be able to do that. "Yes, my father," Hymona replied faithfully. "I will find the perfect vessel.  A soul pure of heart and spirit, and ready to undertake the burden of saving the world.”

"That will do," Osmos said thoughtfully. "I can only hope that they will be ready for such a vital role."