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General

There's lot to say about my past but I wouldn't bore you with details. Just know I wasn't the brightest, boldest, smartest but definitely the sickest. I wasn't fatally gifted with the pen, I sucked at soccer and basically every sport known to man. The dyslexia I had as a kid was blamed for my poor grades but my grades didn't get better when it stopped. With all this many called me a loser but not my mom, never my mom. She took me as someone I couldn't think of myself; a king beloved by all. She always tried to cheer me up with stories of me liberating worlds and though it often worked, I didn't see myself as she did.

I get why she took me as her pride and joy. I was after all the only thing she had left of the love of her life; my father. He died when I was a baby and mom made sure I think of him till this day as a hero. She tried to make me think of myself as the hero he was as well. They had me when they lost all hope of having children so I guess I was their Isaac, no wonder they named me Isaac. I was born to my mother when she was 57, a miracle indeed. Sadly, she lost my dad not long after she had me. I can't even imagine what she must have gone through. I guess the memories of my father makes and the circumstances surrounding my birth make her think of me as not a loser.

Like I said I was the sickest. I've hardly gone for days without drugs ever since I was a kid. The drugs, treatments and everything that went with it made my childhood not the best. Often when I dreamt as I lay sick on my bed, I'll see myself as strong, fast and in all sense a superhuman. Whenever I did I never wanted it to end. I remember my mom telling me often that what I saw in my dreams was real. Of course I didn't believe her but then something happened that made me believe.

I was close to my end and I found myself counting the days till I took my last breath. I had stopped responding to the treatments for I had a rare form of heart cancer. The doctors said there's nothing that could be done and I accepted my fate. I've lived 21 long years and I was ready for whatever was next. However my mom had a slightly different idea, this I would soon come to know.

Where I lay, I went unconscious as my soul slowly drifted away. I was about to take my last breath, I'm almost certain I did but then with that last breath I woke up in the middle of a desert with some sort of ancient ruins. I had no idea where I was, no idea how I got there, I simply had no idea what was happening. The only thing I knew for certain was that I felt absolutely no pain. It was as if I had been totally healed. I woke up with my hospital robes which don't quite close up well in the back, so I was basically naked in this desert.

As I stood I had a look around but saw nothing I recognized. It was all strange, I felt strange, even the air felt different, it felt better. The air was far better such that breathing itself was a wonderful experience. The other thing I noticed that was different was that I was wearing a ring, a rather clunky ring. It didn't quite fit my right index finger on which it was worn. I took it off to properly examine when it fell to the ground. As I bent to pick it up a piece of paper fell to the ground from within my robe. I picked both up and for the paper I noticed something was written on it. I had not my glasses and my eyes were basically useless without them. I was about to reach for my glasses when I noticed they weren't on me and also I didn't need them. I was so excited that I almost forgot about the note. I felt I was in heaven but my rejoicing was cut short by something that hit me. Quite frankly I don't know what it was. All I knew was I fell down almost instantly and where I woke up next was hell.

At first it didn't seem like hell because I was looking at the girl of my dreams. No quite literally she has been in countless of my dreams so to my shock she was real. Sadly, for me, she wasn't thrilled to meet me as I was to see her. When she approached me, she took off her warrior's helmet of metal and as she did I could almost swore that her hair flowed in the air. The helmet was similar to that of the Medieval Greek warrior's, similar to the ones I've seen on TV. The attire that went with it also seemed old but she wore pants which made guess it wasn't really that old. Of course I didn't know who they were or why they dressed that way because I didn't care much about that. I was simply focused on the beauty before and as I did, it was for a moment as if time stopped or was going super slow. I gave her a smile without really much thought but the punch she replied me with brought me back to reality.

I was bound when I woke more, more like restrained by chains as if I was some sort of animal or a criminal. The chains held me up with both hands such that my feet were barely touching the ground. There was a handful of people around when I woke up, most of which had their helmet on. Those that didn't I couldn't recognize. After her punch the chains were drawn and I was pulled up from the ground. Needless to say that wasn't a pleasant experience. I tried to plead but it seems all I said fell on deaf ears. They had my ring and my note which was actually my mother's. They were asking me about it but I couldn't answer because I spoke not their language, at least not when I came. They kept speaking words I didn't understand but now I know they were asking me about my ring and where I got it. The girl of my dreams, Annabel, was the one leading the questioning and she was rather fierce. I was beaten and basically tortured to speak and I did but they couldn't understand me. That changed when one of them brought in some kind of translation device days after I was captured.

What they brought was rather crude and unexciting. I hadn't seen anything like it and quite frankly I wish to never see it again. It was in the form of a helmet, a rather heavy helmet which was connected to some kind of electrical source. Its overall source were electric eels, something I found out much later. This clunky helmet was placed on my head and it almost took my head clean off. As I tried to stand they let the power through and that was my first time of experiencing shock therapy and truly it was the worst. During my various treatments for cancer I've had quite a lot of therapy; chemo, radio but shock wasn't really one I've heard used. I only thought that was the fate of those sent to the chair but I guess I was of similar fate.

After the shock treatment I went out cold but soon I awoken. I can't really say soon because I don't know how long I was out but eventually I did wake up. When I did they tried to speak to me once more and surprisingly I understood them. Their language which was formally gibberish to me was like English and mine was likewise to them. So for the first time we could speak. They asked how I got the royal ring and my response wasn't really nice. I was however hungry, tired and angry so I didn't know to watch my tongue.

"That old junk, you bozos kidnapped me for that old junk, I couldn't care less what it was also I don't know how I got it, I just woke up and saw it on me. Happy now, can I go or do I have to should louder for you nitwits to understand?"

That was as far as I went when she resumed the beatings with a series of punches. I had no idea why my tongue decided to betray me so and I paid the price as it kept silent. I'm not quite sure they understood the meaning of what I said but I guess the way it was said read enough meaning of its own.

Soon the beatings stopped when she was pulled off from me and she stormed out almost immediately. She was angry, almost as much as I was terrified. When she left they released me and gave me some water which I drank faster than ten thirty camels. When I was done they gave me my mother's note which they couldn't decipher for it was in a language they knew not. They hoped it contains some answers because they had some questions which they would ask when I'm done.

The note which my mother wrote me was rather long but the summary I'll give. She told me that my dad was from another world and that he came to earth to save himself and his people. The ring I saw was what he used to come here and what she used to send me back. He used it to travel through both worlds and the day he came she almost ran him over. That's how they actually met. Also, the reason I have lots of health complications was because the earth was hostile to me. It was what eventually killed my father. It was one of the reasons they never wanted to have any kids but then I came. She told me she always knew I'd have to go back someday. My dad told her this because he knew I had a better chance here than on earth. The fact is I was dying on earth and here I could live but then I had enemies, luckily they weren't the ones who captured me.

After telling them the contents of the note their questions was answered but then they had a few blanks to fill out for me. The fact is my father was in line to be king and supreme ruler of this world but his time as it was with most kings came with war. He had seen the effects of war first hand and didn't want to put his people through that. For that he was taken as weak by his brother who sought his throne. His brother went to his foes who were warriors from another world. He promised to submit this world to them if they took out his brother. He'd still be king but they'd be supreme lord. So his brother, my uncle, made a pact with our enemies and alas my father was destined to the sword. He could have fought but a war between his brother and the forces from outside our world would be catastrophic to our planet. So he did what they both expected; he gave up his kingdom to his brother and fled to earth. Gladly he had no wife or child yet so it was easy for him to flee.

He did what he did because he felt it was best but that turned out the exact opposite. After being made king my uncle wouldn't bow to our enemies and they never wanted to remain in existence either. They just didn't want to battle my father because in our world kings are born as gods, a feat I inherited as his firstborn son. They wanted him out of the way and since his brother gave them an easier way to do so they accepted. So the double cross was mutual and that brought about the war which my father didn't want. A war raged on between my uncle and a warring race from way beyond and I was to stop both. I was to reclaim my throne I didn't know existed, fight a foe I didn't want to restore to balance a world I didn't know. That's basically a nutshell of my task, what they told me of it anyway. I wasn't the least bit thrilled about this but I didn't have much of a choice. I couldn't go back to die nor could I sit back and do nothing while waiting to be killed.

Along with the ring there were a few items that only the king could use. These all worked together to make the king more or less superhuman. There was no limit to the power of the king, that's what they said. Now while I did feel perfectly healthy and stronger I didn't really feel like a superhuman. That however didn't last for long.

Now these people that captured me were considered rebels or freedom fighters. They bowed neither to my uncle nor the invading forces but the true king. They didn't immediately bow to me because I was yet to prove I was worthy of it. There were countless scattered all around, waiting for my return. Some of them had such weapons only the king could use. This sect that captured me also had one. They had a fire-staff which didn't seem too cool at first. To make it less cool I couldn't make it bring out fire so it was useless to me and that made some take me as an impostor.

As this went on, unknown to us, a spy within our ranks told my uncle's forces of my return and my uncle found out about me. At first he thought I was an impostor so he decided to deal with me and my sect with one fell swoop. To exterminate us they sent a rather hideous beast to devour us all. This was to either destroy us completely or find out if I was in fact the king. If I was then he had other plans, if I wasn't then good riddance.

Now to our camp within a cave was sent this beast which was called the royal hound. To me it was simply Cerberus but with white skin as opposed to what I was accustomed to. As it approached us, Annabel ran back in and they closed the large metal doors to keep it out. It however wouldn't hold for long so they prepared for battle. Annabel didn't wait for it to break in. She took some weapons; two swords, a couple of arrows kept in small pouches which were on her thighs, a bow and a spear. She also had her helmet on and with that she went out through a hole in the wall that functioned as a window. She was called to return but she wouldn't listen. She went out on her own to face the beast and that just gave me courage to do the same. That and a whole bunch of angry people who were willing to feed me to this monster for they knew it was sent here because of me.

So eventually I came out with nothing but the clothes they wore me after I was freed from my chains. I also came out with the staff and I followed Anna's path which was through the window. When I arrived Anna's spear was broken, her string was cut and also her arrows were all gone. She was on its back trying to cut through with her sword but its hide was impenetrable. At this point she was bleeding and her helmet was gone. She was on top of this great beast looking all magnificent as I watched. She was eventually thrown off and I leaped to help her when I discovered that I could leap higher than humanly possible. It almost felt like I was flying and truly I was amazed by this.

As I laid her down gently I looked into her blue beautiful eyes. It was just like my mother's and as I watched the monster closer but I didn't realize this. I only did when he hit me with its tail so hard such that I broke down the already weak metal doors upon impact. I could have sworn I died after that hit but then it came towards me and sniffed me. He did so as dogs normally do which I didn't know much of because I was allergic. As it sniffed I guess it recognized me because before my very eyes its three heads turned into one and it greatly reduced in size. It became a regular dog, more like an albino Rottweiler. It stood upon my chest after it reduced in size and he licked me till I stood.

"Only the true king can command this beast," said the man in charge as he came forward to meet me.

"Any now my father knows of it, he knows of your existence," said Annabel who came back into the cave with a broken arm.

"Sorry, did you say your father, as in my uncle?" I asked just to be sure.

"Yes but I don't stand with him," she said and as she went on to say why I could trust her just as the others did, all I thought to myself was why did you have to be my cousin?

June 30, 2020 13:30

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7 comments

22:44 Jul 13, 2020

Like seriously, why did she have to be his cousin... Twisted love story... I want to know more...

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Eve Naden
22:14 Jul 08, 2020

I LOVE this. This is an origin story I'd love to see on the big screen. Your writing is nuanced and yet follows a fast-placed, flowing structure so the reader is never once lost and always intrigued.

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14:42 Jul 06, 2020

Nice 'origin story'! I must say I like the ride through the story...I kept reading to know what happened next. I like your use of imagery too.

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Mary A
10:04 Jul 05, 2020

"Why did she have to be his cousin?" This was an amazing read. I can't wait to read the full story.

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Mary A
10:04 Jul 05, 2020

"Why did she have to be his cousin?" This was an amazing read. I can't wait to read the full story.

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Joseph Emmanuel
07:17 Jul 05, 2020

Wow this is very interesting, and keeps the reader bend on reading.

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Brittany Gillen
04:04 Jul 05, 2020

A very interesting origin story idea. I like the idea of a sick person becoming invincible. There is a lot of potential depth and growth in it. I would have loved to see more dialogue to tell the story or more detail on just one particular scene. There was a lot of information communicated, and there are some really great ideas such as all the items he needs to acquire that only the king can use. A great start.

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