III Wars Trilogy

Third’s eyes widened as a voice boomed in his head, “Your quest begins.”  He felt it burning deep within his bones, filling all of his senses at once.  Suddenly, his world exploded around him.

Third’s mind swam through a sea of fleeting images, strange events, and unfamiliar faces.  He seemed to be effortlessly floating through time when a cloudy vision came into focus. 

    A strange insect-like creature was standing beside him.  Together they were walking over a sand dune in a vast desert with the sun just beginning to rise behind them.

The vision faded as more images floated through his mind, only a few of them making sense.  Colorful images drifted in and out of his consciousness.  A dreamlike sequence of scenes began to take shape in his mind.

A throne of pure gold gleamed at the end of a long hallway.  On one side of the throne he could see huge chests filled with precious gems and jewels.  On the other side rested several incredibly beautiful women in silken garbs.  Third’s chest surged with pride and lust.

In his mind, he began to slowly drift down the hallway.  As he did, more faces and images began to appear before him.  Most of them were vague and hard to view clearly but, several in particular stood out.

A large fortress came into view, deep in the middle of a vast forest of towering trees.  Armored warriors lined the battlements and a wide clearing surrounded the fortress.  The distant tree line of the forest seemed to be shaking.  It took Third a moment to notice the countless dark shadowy warriors moving about beneath the tall trees.

The fortress scene faded as the image of a stunningly beautiful woman with shoulder length silky black hair and creamy pale skin came into view.  She wore a long clinging gown, grey in color, and thick, as if made for a colder climate.  Still, it complimented her form, accentuating her shapely curves.  A delicate silver chain around her neck held a small rose-colored crystal, which rested between her supple breasts.  Her gaze however, troubled Third for her eyes were filled with smoldering hate.  She began to weave mystical incantations with her hands and horrible creatures rose up out of the surrounding haze to grasp at Third with their powerful outstretched claws.  Third twisted and ducked away from them until he somehow realized the terrors were only illusions, and could not harm his dream-self. 

The breathtaking woman faded as another image took shape.  It was a dark shadow-laden man bereft of any features.  He seemed to fill the scene before him with his hulking presence, yet no sound accompanied him.  The silence was terrifying to the young boy.  The dark human stood in a narrow alley, seeming to drift in and out of view within the shadows of the surrounding buildings while a succession of sinister looking eyes appeared deep in the murky darkness.  Blackness filled Third’s mind until another vision formed.

Huge billowy white clouds took shape in a bright blue sky.  Sea gulls drifted through the clouds and a fleet of ships appeared on the horizon.  As the ships faded away, a lush green tropical forest came into view.  Exotically colored animals and birds moved about.  Looking closer, Third spotted large strange looking metal spheres partially hidden within thick foliage.  Sunlight glittered briefly off them and crouched nearby were more of the strange insect-like creatures.  These images were soon replaced with another scene.

Third saw a warrior standing triumphantly over a wrecked, smoldering village with slain bodies lying all around him.  It took him a moment to recognize that the figure was standing in his own village.  Looking more closely, Third realized that the triumphant warrior was himself, though much older.  He was very imposing and grasped a wicked looking scimitar in his strong, blood-drenched hands.  Thick black hair framed a handsome well tanned face and unfamiliar symbols were drawn across his shoulders and back.  He looked down at his feet to see his older brothers lying dead in a crumpled heap.  The blood draining from their bodies pooled into puddles that quickly turned into a dull brown patch of rust as the always thirsty sand soaked it in.

It was the last image however, taking shape just before the entrance to his treasure room, that shook Third’s very soul and filled him with more terror and dread he had ever felt before.  An imposing human warrior stood barring Third’s entrance into his destiny of power and fame.  The man stood resolute in his battle ready stance, and Third felt as though he was seeing death incarnate.  The warrior held a metallic rod in one gauntleted hand and a shield at the defensive ready in the other.  A single stonework battle tower was emblazoned upon the circular shield.  Somehow, Third knew that he would forever remember this warrior’s determined face. 

Third tried to focus his mind to remove the vision, but it remained.  He tried to slow his drifting approach toward the warrior, but he couldn’t