Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 

The next day as sunlight shines in Matius’s room half asleep he rubs his eyes lazily. With a stretch he pushes himself of his bed before making his way down the stairs. He reaches the last step seeing his mother and father by the front door, deep in conversation. Osaris turns his head to Matius’s footsteps, a worry some expression on his face. “Dad where are you going?” Matius asks walking towards him holding his hand, wanting him to stay. Osaris closes his eyes before kneeling down in front of him. “I’m needed at the royal palace. There is something I need to investigate”. Matius’s face fades away, hsi arm holding tightly. His mother turns back to look at Osaris, “how long will you be?” she asks concerned. He looks at her struggling for words, “I don’t know”, saddened by his response, “but I’ll always be thinking about both of you. I love you”. He kisses her cheek before facing Matius. “Where are you going dad?”, Matius questions nervously. “I’m going out Matius, but don’t worry. I will be back soon, just you wait”. She looks at Osaris, “You will come back won’t you?” Osaris lowers his head unsure, not willing to answer. “I hope so, I do hope so” He looks at Matius one last time giving a smile before walking through the door. They both wave goodbye as she holds Matius’s waist in comfort. 



 

Back in the halls of hell Dervish rolls in his bed uncomfortably, shivering as he starts having a dream, the rain falling behind him. He suddenly screams out waking from his dream, noticing his hand has somehow turned into ash. He screams out in panic looking at the hand, shuffling on the bed. This cant be happening?! Dervish questions in panic. His bedroom door suddenly bursts open as one of Sousan’s servants bursts into the room. “Dervish, are you alright? We can hear you down the corridor” Dervish quickly hides his hand over the bed covers, looking at the servant. “I…I was just having a bad dream”, Dervish replies clutching his head.  “Alright Dervish, sweet dreams”, the servant replies before closing his bedroom door.
   With the servant gone Dervish quickly gets his hand from under the covers investigating it. He looks at the ash hand in confusion, turning it around. Curious he then presses his finger into the ash hand feeling it’s cold surface. The ash hand soon starts to lighten, the cracks in the hand fusing together his hand normal once more. He looks in bemusement  turning towards the mirror, “what is happening to me?”.

 

The next following days both stay in the house, just waiting for a knock on the door, a shout from outside. They are given no such response. Each morning Matius jumps out of bed excitedly, only to go down stairs each time to find the door remaining fully shut with no sign of his father.  One day Matius walks down the stairs with hope seeming to fade. He approaches his mother who’s sat in the living room, looking outside into the pouring rain.  She turns towards him giving a smile, “do you think he will come back?” Matius questions turning to the rain. “He’ll come back, he’s just a busy man”. The waiting eventually stretches as Matius’s mother starts to tire.
  One day she’s washing up as Matius bored approaches her, not sure what to do. “When will he be back?” Matius asks upset. “Look I don’t know okay?”, she replies, “It’s hard enough for me as it is”. Matius looks up at her in anger. Seeing this reaction she slams her cloth into the bowl in anger, spinning around. “I’ve had enough of you! Go to your room!”, she blasts. Matius starts trembling in anger. “You don’t care about me!”, shouts Matius, “You don’t care about me at all!”, sobbing the words. “Get to your bedroom now!”, she blasts pointing up the stairs. He protects himself from her words. Deeply hurt he runs back towards the stairs, “I hate you! I hate you!”. She hears him run up the stairs before she continues the washing feeling guilty about what she’s just said.

 

  In anger Matius runs upstairs, slamming his bedroom door, jumping onto his bed. In anger he rests his head towards the window, watching the rain fall with tearful eyes. Later in the night Matius’s mother is in the living room tidying up the room. While cleaning she comes across a photo of all the family together giving a sigh. She suddenly hears loud knocks on the door. Responsively she turns towards the door, shufling her feet. With one hand she pulls open the door slowly, creaking. There standing outside is a cloaked man in black. Curiously she eyes him up and down, “Who are you?”. The stranger removes his hood revealing a face. It’s skin torn and ripped with skin under layers. “I’m a friend of Matius’s father. May I speak to him?” She thinks about it looking towards the stairs then back to the stranger, “You can try but he’s hardly spoken since the incident”. The stranger bows his head in understanding. She moves out of his way, watching him go up the stairs.
  Meanwhile Matius is lying on the side of his bed quietly sobbing away. As he’s doing this the door creaks open, immediatly falling silent. “I knew your father”, the stranger mentions, “he was a good man who had compassion”. Matius now calmed turns to listen. “I can even see him in you”. Matius gives a little smile. Intrested he shuffles on his bed, ready to give questions. “How did you know my dad?” Matius asks. The stranger remains still, lowering his head, “we were very close. He was an inspiration to me, I always wanted to be like him”. The stranger falls silent once more, he turns back at Matius’s beaming smile, “I think one day you will be just as great as he is”. Matius rises from his bed in excitement, “really..Really?” shouting in excitement. The stranger gives a little dry laugh, “yes you will be. You just need to believe in yourself”. The stranger reaches his hand out towards Matius, placing his hand on his head, moving through his hair. “You will make your father proud”. The stranger gives a smile, almost sad before about both of you. I love you”. He kisses her cheek before facing Matius. “Where are you going dad?”, Matius questions nervously. “I’m going out Matius, but don’t worry. I will be back soon, just you wait”. She looks at Osaris, “You will come back won’t you?” Osaris lowers his head unsure, not willing to answer. “I hope so, I do hope so” He looks at Matius one last time giving a smile before walking through the door. They both wave goodbye as she holds Matius’s waist in comfort. 



 

Back in the halls of hell Dervish rolls in his bed uncomfortably, shivering as he starts having a dream, the rain falling behind him. He suddenly screams out waking from his dream, noticing his hand has somehow turned into ash. He screams out in panic looking at the hand, shuffling on the bed. This cant be happening?! Dervish questions in panic. His bedroom door suddenly bursts open as one of Sousan’s servants bursts into the room. “Dervish, are you alright? We can hear you down the corridor” Dervish quickly hides his hand over the bed covers, looking at the servant. “I…I was just having a bad dream”, Dervish replies clutching his head.  “Alright Dervish, sweet dreams”, the servant replies before closing his bedroom door.
   With the servant gone Dervish quickly gets his hand from under the covers investigating it. He looks at the ash hand in confusion, turning it around. Curious he then presses his finger into the ash hand feeling it’s cold surface. The ash hand soon starts to lighten, the cracks in the hand fusing together his hand normal once more. He looks in bemusement turning towards the mirror, “what is happening to me?”.

 

The next following days both stay in the house, just waiting for a knock on the door, a shout from outside. They are given no such response. Each morning Matius jumps out of bed excitedly, only to go down stairs each time to find the door remaining fully shut with no sign of his father.  One day Matius walks down the stairs with hope seeming to fade. He approaches his mother who’s sat in the living room, looking outside into the pouring rain.  She turns towards him giving a smile, “do you think he will come back?” Matius questions turning to the rain. “He’ll come back, he’s just a busy man”. The waiting eventually stretches as Matius’s mother starts to tire.
  One day she’s washing up as Matius bored approaches her, not sure what to do. “When will he be back?” Matius asks upset. “Look I don’t know okay?”, she replies, “It’s hard enough for me as it is”. Matius looks up at her in anger. Seeing this reaction she slams her cloth into the bowl in anger, spinning around. “I’ve had enough of you! Go to your room!”, she blasts. Matius starts trembling in anger. “You don’t care about me!”, shouts Matius, “You don’t care about me at all!”, sobbing the words. “Get to your bedroom now!”, she blasts pointing up the stairs. He protects himself from her words. Deeply hurt he runs back towards the stairs, “I hate you! I hate you!”. She hears him run up the stairs before she continues the washing feeling guilty about what she’s just said.

 

  In anger Matius runs upstairs, slamming his bedroom door, jumping onto his bed. In anger he rests his head towards the window, watching the rain fall with tearful eyes. Later in the night Matius’s mother is in the living room tidying up the room. While cleaning she comes across a photo of all the family together giving a sigh. She suddenly hears loud knocks on the door. Responsively she turns towards the door, shufling her feet. With one hand she pulls open the door slowly, creaking. There standing outside is a cloaked man in black. Curiously she eyes him up and down, “Who are you?”. The stranger removes his hood revealing a face. It’s skin torn and ripped with skin under layers. “I’m a friend of Matius’s father. May I speak to him?” She thinks about it looking towards the stairs then back to the stranger, “You can try but he’s hardly spoken since the incident”. The stranger bows his head in understanding. She moves out of his way, watching him go up the stairs.
  Meanwhile Matius is lying on the side of his bed quietly sobbing away. As he’s doing this the door creaks open, immediately falling silent. “I knew your father”, the stranger mentions, “he was a good man who had compassion”. Matius now calmed turns to listen. “I can even see him in you”. Matius gives a little smile. Intrested he shuffles on his bed, ready to give questions. “How did you know my dad?” Matius asks. The stranger remains still, lowering his head, “we were very close. He was an inspiration to me, I always wanted to be like him”. The stranger falls silent once more, he turns back at Matius’s beaming smile, “I think one day you will be just as great as he is”. Matius rises from his bed in excitement, “really..Really?” shouting in excitement. The stranger gives a little dry laugh, “yes you will be. You just need to believe in yourself”. The stranger reaches his hand out towards Matius, placing his hand on his head, moving through his hair. “You will make your father proud”. The stranger gives a smile, almost sad before heading for the door. 
  As soon as the door slammed Matius leaps of his bed immediately heading for the door. He runs hurrily down the stairs, running down the landing he runs towards the front door, bursting it open. He looks outside into the cold night. Behind him his mother appears behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders in comfort. Their attention is soon diverted to the right window from the rustling of the vegetation. Matius leans his head out, peering into the dark empty street. “Who was he?”, Matius speaks softly looking up to his mother’s eyes. She kneels down giving a smile. “I don’t know, I really don’t know. Maybe we will find out someday”. Matius looks towards a photo of the whole family, the rain falling outside.



 

In the royal throne room Dervish walks into the throne room looking towards Sousan. “Ahh Dervish, I heard you wanted an audience with me. What’s bothering you?” Sousan questions turning towards him. “I’ve been having these dreams, these nightmares at night, “Dervish replies, “I just can’t get them out of my head and lately this has been happening”. Dervish pulls up his sleeve showing his arm blackened with cracks running down his arms. Sousan immediately shuffles back on the throne in shock, his eyes turning fearful. “How did you get this? When did this happen?!”, he demands.  “I don’t know”, Dervish utters moving his finger along the crack, “Do you think I will be okay?” Sousan shifts uncomfortably in the throne lowering his head, “Please leave me...” Sousan utters silently. “But I need your help”, Dervish protests, “I need to know what’s happening to me!”.  “What did I just say?”, Sousan states, “please…I need time to think about this”. Dervish walks towards the throne doors looking back towardsSousan. Then he closes the door behind him, leaving Sousan alone once more.

 

Over the next couple of days Matius thinks about Osaris’s disappearance and starts to help his mum over the days. Every day Matius enters Osaris’s bedroom, looking at all his possessions. He turns his head towards several of his trophies hanging on the wall. Then looks at a sword hanging from one of the walls. Curious he moves towards it, gripping it in his hand. He then starts to think about Osaris, making him upset. Quickly he releases his hold on the sword, unaware that his mum is behind him. “I know you miss him”, she comforts, I do too”, they both look at the trophy room before having tea.
  The next day Matius’s mother is in the kitchen washing up when she hears Matius by the kitchen door. She raises her head stopping what she’s doing. “Mum?” ,Matius asks. She turns around, “what is it Matius?”. “I’ve been thinking about what I want to be in the future”. “That’s good”, she compliments, “And what do you want to be?”. Matius raises his head unsurely, “I want to do what my father did. I want to join the forces”. His mother closes her eyes in sorrow, “I feared this might happen”. Saddened she kneels down, “Is there no way to change your decision?”. Matius pauses in thought before shaking his head. She sighs in disappointment, “being in the forces is a hard job. Your father had to experience many harsh lessons in life. He lost many friends in the heat of battle. You must ask yourself... Do you really want to do this?”. Matius looks unsurely before nodding confidently, “it’s been my dream ever since I was taught in the ways of combat. I would feel like I’d be dishonoring his name”. His mother smiles, “okay”, she answers understandingly. She gives him a kiss before heading towards the living room. “Tomorrow we will both go to the markets, there we will find the recruitment place”.

 

Back in the throne room the double doors open as Ivan walks inside, kneeling before him. “Father you wanted to see me?” Ivan questions. “Yes son I need you to do a favour for me”, Sousan asks moving his arms in comfort. “Anything father, whatever you ask”, Ivan replies as Sousan walks towards him. “I need you to look out for Dervish for me”, he states. “Why is he okay?”, Ivan questions looking concerned. “He is fine, he has discovered his power and is afraid of it. I need you to stay by him, look after him. Keep an eye on him”, Sousan replies, moving his hands.  “But why me? Why can’t you help him?” Ivan demands looking at him, “I’m his brother but you, you are his father you should help him!” Sousan sits back into the throne closing his eyes. “He needs you, his brother to give him reassurance. He’s scared of his power and needs someone to help him see it through” Ivan pauses in thought, “what do you mean problems?” “Dervish’s power is something he has yet to understand, what he’s awakened could very well destroy him. When I awoke my powers I felt afraid of what I had inherited. That is why he needs your support, assure him is gift is a blessing not a curse” , Sousan replies sitting back into the throne. “Yes father I understand”, Ivan replies heading back out of the throne room. Sousan watches before closing his eyes in worry.