Dark Beginnings

     The noise reached the ears of a Kyrii sorcerer deep in meditation. His handsome face twitched as he roused himself from his trance. He stood, and strode over to the door of the tent. Twitching aside the tent flap, he was blasted by the desert wind and blinding sunlight.

      He shaded his face from the glare of the late afternoon sun with one hand as he searched the horizon for any sign of the noise which had disturbed his meditation. Suddenly, he jerked and gasped, either in shock, dismay, or horror, as he glimpsed a dark shape lying on the desert sands.

      He was beside the fallen figure before he even realized that he was running. He fell to his knees, and gingerly stretched his hand out. "Aaah, my friend, what has happened?" he sighed

      "You came," the Uni rasped. His beautiful slate blue coat was marred with a dozen wounds; his breathing was heavy and labored. "I ran across a patrol of templars. They surrounded me. I drove them off, but…"

      "Hush, don't blame yourself, I can help you."

      "Don't be foolish, I know I'm not going to go any further." The Uni coughed, and sighed deeply. "I've let you down, old friend."

      "No, you haven't!" the sorcerer cried out. "I know the spells, I can save you, hold your life within your body!"

      "You know as well as I do that you cannot complete the spells to prevent death. All your effort will be wasted."

      "I have to do this; I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't at least try. Hold on, I'm going to go back for my supplies." The Kyrii looked his Uni friend in the eyes, turned, and sprinted back to the tent, without seeing the blossoming hope in his friend's eyes.

      The sorcerer snatched his satchel of medicines and returned quickly to find the blue Uni struggling to get on his feet. "Hold on," he cried, "Save your strength!"

      "I have none," the Uni gasped, and sank back to the sands, flopping onto his side. Wordlessly, the Kyrii began to apply his ointments onto the Uni's many wounds, and then carefully wound bandages around his friend's body.

      The sorcerer laid aside his medicines to stare at the sun, which was nearly touching the western horizon. He could only hope that he would be strong enough to hold back the curse which had interrupted so many of his spells in the past. He took a deep breath, whispered a silent prayer under his breath, and began to chant.

      As the sun sank beneath the horizon, a strange mist rose out of the sands and surrounded the two figures. The mist condensed into darker, more solid shapes, which swirled and circled around both friends. Neither being reacted when the shadows brushed against them; the Uni because he was too exhausted to care, nor the Kyrii because he was too focused on his incantations. The sun rose and sank as the sorcerer continued his chant, and the shadows bled back into the desert sands as the sun rose in the east.

      The Kyrii continued to sing, his voice was harsh and faltering, continued his incantation all day long until the sun was setting. With the last ounce of his strength, he rose unsteadily to his feet and shouted out the last line of the spell. As the last word left his mouth, a glorious sound surrounded them and echoed across the dunes. For one brief moment the desert was completely silent. Then, without any warning, dark clouds rolled across the sky and blotted out the last trace of the setting sun, and the darkness condensed around the stricken Uni. Suddenly, the dark shapes compacted inward, and the Kyrii heard his friend shriek in pain, and then the sorcerer saw nothing but darkness.

      A moment later, the sorcerer awoke in shadow. He licked his dry, cracked lips. "Whuzzzat?" he rasped. The shadow moved, and he was struck with the last fading rays of the sun. He rose to his feet, and turned. "My friend, it worked!" he said hoarsely. The Blue Uni stood proudly, his horn gleaming, his coat untouched by scar or wound.

      "I thank you, my old friend," the Uni said gravely. "I owe my life to you."

      "It worked," the Kyrii repeated to himself. He almost couldn't believe his eyes. That last sickening moment when the shadows fell upon his friend almost led him to believe that his curse had interfered with the final part of the spell. But his friend was alive and healthy, devoid of any dark influences. He realize that he had successfully finished the incantation to return life without the spell being ruined by his dark curse. He laughed joyfully. "My friend, it is worth anything in the world to see you standing strong beside me."

      "I always knew that you would overcome your curse."

      "Your faith was often the only thing that kept me going. I always feared that the dark powers would never lose their hold over me and my magics."

      Leaning on his friend for stability, the sorcerer stood to watch the sun sink below the horizon. When the tip of the sun vanished from sight, he turned to the Uni, but hissed in shock and dismay.

      "What is wrong?" the Uni asked with concern.

      "I've failed you, my old friend," the Kyrii whispered in horror. Twilight revealed the sickly green battered and bandaged body of the Uni, whose eyes glowed with a fierce red light. "I was not strong enough. It's all my fault." He sank to his knees in the desert sands. "I thought that I could master my curse, but I could not even prevent it from ruining the spell to restore your life. I am worthless. Utterly."

      "Hush," the Uni chided, and gently touched his shoulder. "Nothing will break our friendship. You saved me from certain death but then bemoan the fact that I am scarred. I will always remain by your side, whether you are cursed or not."

      "I will never be able to control these dark powers," the sorcerer whispered to himself bitterly. "I always dreamed I would someday be the world's greatest sorcerer. But this curse, this will haunt me for the rest of eternity. How will I ever be rid of it?"

      "I have faith in you. I know someday you will triumph over these powers, and no longer will they be your master. They will be under your control, and you will work the magics of life and death and use them to become the greatest sorcerer in the world. Everyone in Neopia will know you as the greatest magician to have ever lived, and they will swear fealty to your power and wisdom."

      The Kyrii smiled sadly. "I wish that what you said is true."

      The Uni lifted his head confidently, and stepped forward. "It will be true. I have seen the greatness inside of you. I know that you will someday carve an empire from this world which will last a thousand years, held together by the force of your mind."

      "Truly?" the Kyrii asked with yearning.

      "It will take centuries to perfect your magics."

      "Centuries," the sorcerer whispered softly to himself, then smiled hopefully and stood up. "We have all the time in the world to prepare."

      Together the two eternal friends moved across the desert, the first steps on a journey that would end in history.

The End