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A note from the author: This is my version of the way things happened before
Neopia, all the way up to the point where Skarl steals the orb for Meridell. I
hope you like it, and I may need to add that this (Particularly the epilogue)
makes more sense if you read the original Deep Six first. Happy Reading!
A Note of important interest, also must be attended before continuing.
It has come to my attention that the Shoyru Sword seems to no longer exist,
and has been replaced by a 'Shoyru Battle Sabre'. The Sword in the following
text is in no way a Battle Sabre and is indeed the old style Shoyru sword, and
will continue to be until the end of the series or something of the sort. Thank
you.
Part 1
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was
a castle. This castle protected a village in which a story so strange, so unbelievable,
so... sad, nobody ever fully believed it. The land? It's name was Gilden. Gilden
was long since destroyed, in a battle lost by the heroes it was so famous for.
A battle resting on a knife-edge of a young babe born on the fifteenth of August
and her ability to live up to the destiny...
The baby was quiet, observing her surroundings
with bright blue eyes. She was small, nothing more than a foot high or five
pounds heavy. Her skin was bright, shiny Red. Her mother pulled out the brush
and covered the babe with Shadow paint. She finished and turned her around and
stared into the infinite depths of the baby's eyes. Already the was a spark
of- something. The mother, Maya, closed her red eyelids and pondered a name.
"Her name shall be Shadowflame," rang
her voice, sounding much like a bell.
Maya's husband, a blue Shoyru named Hondu
looked up from his chair in the corner with tired eyes.
"We can't keep her you know."
"I know..." blinked Maya, tears quickly
welling, "But she has a mark!"
"A mark?"
Hondu knew what Maya was talking about.
Of course he knew. All Heroes were born with a strange aura that one could sense
just from being near a Hero. Unfortunately, the Aura was not permanent in any
way, for it could fade or disappear or change in any manner of ways. Typically
the Heroes painted themselves a special colour like Stone or Shadow or something
like that to hide the Aura. For some reason these were the only paints strong
enough to hide the aura unless the Hero was a 'Chameleon'. Those that could
use the ability, which they either learned or were born with, could cover the
with regular paint like blue or red and hide it.
Hondu knew that the baby could easily be
a Chameleon, but Maya wasn't going to take the chance that it wasn't so and
risk being caught.
"She's born with the AURA!" Maya answered,
"She's a hero!"
"True... another reason we can't keep her.
Children aren't always allowed to those without favour with the king, the same
with heroes! And to be honest, we just are NOT one of those people."
Maya looked up, her form going steely and
hard as her eyes blurred.
"Why?"
Hondu looked up. "You know why. Because
Lord Galahan will imprison her. Hero Shoyrus are destined to meet that fate
at his hands! You and I both know that."
"Yes... I do..." whispered Maya with a
tear rolling down her red cheek.
"After our Lord took him in during the
flood..."
An unspoken tale spun between them.
Just a year or so ago, Lord Galahan the
blue Jetsam monarch of Gilden had taken in a small Starry Shoyru hero named
Kewnos during a flood. Kewnos was granted room and board. About midnight, it
began to snow instead of rain. Lightning flashed across the sky still, creating
much panic at the anomaly.
Kewnos was summoned to the great Throne
Hall about then. He walked in. There was a small hunched Korbat traveller in
front of Galahan.
"He claims to be a seer," Galahan told
Kewnos. "He wished to see you."
The seer looked up. "My name is- Darigan."
Kewnos shuddered.
"Speak, then."
"In eleven years is to be created a land
called Neopia. There will be a deity there, an Eyrie, who will threaten peace.
And before him a Jetsam. Your destiny rests not there, however, but your daughter's.
On her rests the survival of this land and Neopia. You will suffer at the hands
of Hath Saintess."
"Hath -- Who?"
"You will learn."
And that was it. Soon afterwards demons
attacked. Kewnos was rumored to have been destroyed in the attack. This generated
much speculation in the village, for there was no Hath Saintess and the fate
of Gilden and this so-called Neopia seemed to be in jeopardy with no daughter
to save them. But things were not as they seemed. Hondu was lost in a memory
again and Maya returned to entertaining her giggling Shadowflame.
Later that night, the snowdemons attacked.
They were all Usuls painted pure white. Their eyes were pupiless and empty.
Kewnos battled them by the dozens, protecting Galahan and the seer, Darigan.
Then came the monster. It was seven feet in height and looked amazingly twisted.
It had a Shoyru head, a Grarrl body and legs, a Peophin tail, and long Nimmo
arms.
Kewnos let out a yell and whipped out an
ancient Gildean Shoyru Sword, the pride of his family and its past generations.
"I am Feral Mace," it growled.
"Goodbye Feral Mace," Kewnos quipped.
Feral Mace knew a challenge when he heard
one and charged. The battle raged between the two, snowdemons flying everywhere.
Kewnos had to remain in the air to keep himself level with Feral Mace. He paused
for a quick second to stare at the creature's eyes, one second more than he
should have. BOOM! Kewnos was sent flying backwards into a wall.
"Give up?" Feral Mace grunted, grinning.
"NO!"
Kewnos launched himself at Feral and the
fight continued until all the snowdemons lay defeated by random energy bolts
that had missed their mark. The Throne Hall was destroyed and dawn was nearing
when, finally, Feral Mace lay alongside the demons, defeated.
Hondu grimaced suddenly. Darigan, curse
that Korbat, had possessed Galahan and found a way to blame it all on Shoyrus,
the heroes, to be more accurate. Rumors flew rampant, many still in circulation
today. He stared out the window into the storm. His wife had nearly guessed
what had really happened, guessed near to what his memory had told him. But
there was something nobody knew...
Shadowflame was bound by divine destiny.
And she would never know her true parents. But... Hondu knew the villagers were
right. The fate of both would be put in jeopardy because of the loss of a hero.
But it wouldn't be him. It was to be his daughter. Afterwards Darigan had prophesied
that Shadowflame would disappear during the battle deciding Gilden's fate, never
to be seen again. This painted nothing but a bleak future... unless Hath Saintess
didn't capture him... if...
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The door shook.
"Open up!" rumbled a familiar voice.
"Take Shadowflame and get out the back
window! Hurry!" Hondu told Maya hurriedly.
Maya took Shadowflame and hid her under
a floorboard in the kitchen. Then she flew back and peeked through the keyhole,
determined not to abandon her husband so easily.
"Where's your crony Darigan?" Hondu asked
mockingly.
It was Galahan! Galahan winked at Hondu
and brandished a bucket of liquid.
"Pour that over yerself lad afore's I makes
ya do it!"
Maya had long suspected Hondu was actually
Kewnos, whom she had guessed was not defeated that fateful night. It seemed
Galahan had figured it out as well and had heard that Shadowflame had been born,
figuring to kill two birds with one stone by ridding himself of two Shoyru Heroes
at once.
"Is... is that... Anti-Paint Solution?"
stammered Hondu fearfully.
Anti-Paint Solution returned a pet to their
original form.
"DON'T KEWNOS!" Maya screamed, bursting
through the door.
"Kewnos? Your husband?" asked Galahan,
grinning evilly. "He's in the dungeon enjoying the pleasures of Hath Saintess
right now having been switched with our friend here-"
He gestured at Hondu, throwing the solution
on him, splashing a bit on Maya.
"-two weeks ago. This, my lady, is Darigan."
To be continued...
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