Chapter Text
Prologue
Rakais was enraged. Another world had been tampered with, the balance destroyed. She felt the pain of her children dying at the hands of the insect race created by Echias. She knew what she needed to do but she needed the cooperation of her creation. When she created them with free will, she gave them the means to ignore her. Her temples were empty, abandoned by her children. All across the universe they were falling into ruin. She was cut off from communicating with them but she had to find a way if her children were to survive.
They needed what was stirring inside of her. Echias rampage had planted a seed. A seed that was growing inside of her, with every human death it grew. It was a hatred of the insects so great it threatened to tear her apart. Although she was not a physical being, the best description for her current state was pregnant. Inside of her a new energy force was maturing, eager to take its place in the universe.
Bann was regretting the decision that had brought him here to the southern jungles. He had told his parents that he was bored with village life and wanted to see what was beyond the forests surrounding the sleepy little village of Duha’naur. Now here he was across an ocean in the jungle and he was being stalked. He could hear the animal stealthily moving through the undergrowth. He consulted the map in his hands once again. The ruins should be close he might be able to find shelter there.
The Gort was a powerful creature with no natural enemies in the jungle. There was nothing it feared. It was the apex predator. The only thing it might have feared was a rival Gort but there were no females nearby in estrus. Whatever it was that was making its way through the jungle was not prey, but the predator was compelled to stalk it anyway.
This meeting between man and beast would have consequences that would be felt throughout time in two universes. This meeting was being orchestrated by something greater than both of them. The man did not know and the beast did not care.
The Village of Duha'naur(Kai's childhood)
Bann paced the yard in front of his dwelling. The midwife had told him that this birth was shaping up to be a difficult one. Irina had been in labor for over 24 hours now and he had spent the time pacing. Bann worried over his mate and child’s safety. The child was full term which was a good sign. Irina had already miscarried once. His line was plagued with high rates of miscarriages and infant mortality. Several of the villagers had passed by stopping to offer words of encouragement. It was believed the more difficult a birth was, the stronger the child would be. Perhaps this was a sign from her, the ‘goddess’ who had spoke to him a couple of years ago in the ruined temple in the southern jungle.
He thought back to that day. The Gort had attacked him. He still bore the scars on his chest where the claws had torn into him. The Gort had crawled off into the underbrush wounded by Bann’s dagger. Bann had stumbled into the clearing and managed to drag himself into the ruined temple certain he was about to set foot on the path to the Dream Zone. Instead he had been healed.
“Bann, you have awakened me. Through you I once again can speak to my children, I offer you a boon in thanks.” The woman’s voice had filled the space. “Choose wisely. What do you wish? Wealth? Power? Ask and it will be yours.”
All Bann had wanted was one thing, he had wanted his bloodline to survive, his bloodline was barely surviving. His death here in the jungle would have ended it.
“I grant you this request. Your descendents will be my chosen ones, they will be sacred to me until time and existence come to an end. Your bloodline will shape the universe. But your firstborn is mine. The child will carry the name Kai in my honor. He will be the beginning of your legacy.”
And now Bann paced nervously as his firstborn and to be only child struggled to enter the world. He was startled to hear the cry of a babe through the open door of the shelter. His Firstborn had arrived.
The infant Kai was a hardy little fellow, he thrived. The illnesses that generally plagued babes did not touch him. All in all he was a sweet tempered and patient baby, as he grew the sweet temper went out the window. Terrible twos was an apt description. The toddler was a handful, precocious and willful. Bann had quickly learned to watch what he said in front of the young boy, when he felt the need to curse he now spelled the words. Not that it helped since Kai would just point out that Bann had spelled the very word he had wanted to say anyway.
Kai also seemed to have a marked distaste for the insects. In fact he hated them. He hated everything about them. It was with great relief when he turned six years old and his first day of school arrived. It would give him other things to focus on than the hatred he felt for insects.
Torq waited outside the school with his little gang of cronies. As usual he was thinking of what mischief he could get up to. Torq’s father was the Guardian of the Village, that made him the most powerful man in the village. As often happens with the sons of powerful men, Torq was a bully. The eight year old had already picked out his target for this year, Kai. Perhaps Kai would never had crossed Torq’s mind but Kai’s father had boasted around the village of his son since Kai had come into the world. Kai was dedicated to the goddess Rakais named for her even. Kai was bright already reading at the age of four, figuring out puzzles that would keep adults busy pondering for hours.
Yeah right thought Torq, Rakais was nothing more than a long dead ancient myth and Kai was just another snot nosed little village brat. Kai was the perfect target to show his own power in the village.
Jurai heard the commotion outside of the school. She had been teaching for a few years so she knew the drill. The younger children just starting school were always targets for the older kids. It was a sort of right of passage. However there had never been this much of a disturbance before. She got up from her desk to investigate.
Torq was expecting Kai to react like all of his previous victims, to cower and burst into tears. Kai was doing neither. Torq realized that Kai threatened his position as the ‘big man on campus’. Since the little brat wasn’t smart enough to play the victim, what should have been a simple case of teasing turned into a beating.
Jurai ran over and separated the boys. The smaller Kai was now laying on the ground blood running from his nose, lip split. But he still was not crying. In fact he was giving Torq a defiant glare that promised retribution. Kai picked himself up off the ground, and spat a mouthful of blood on the ground at Torq’s feet before turning away and walking into the school.
“Go home Torq. I will come to see your father later after I have seen to Kai.” She turned to follow Kai. Jurai entered the school to find Kai sitting quietly at a desk as if nothing had happened. Several of the older students were whispering and gesturing toward the small boy. Although they were impressed with the fact that Kai had stood up to Torq, they also knew that Kai had just made a lifelong enemy. Although Kai was physically beaten and bloodied, he had embarrassed the older boy with nothing more than his strength of will.
Irina was distraught when her only child came home from school. She sat him down and cataloged his injuries. Kai’s right eye was swollen shut and he had numerous scrapes and bruises to go along with the split lip. Although she repeatedly asked him what had happened the boy remained quiet except to tell her that it was nothing. And so the pattern established itself. Every year on the first day of school Kai would come home beaten and bloodied after crossing paths with Torq. Irina and Bann both watched the animosity grow in their son.
Kai had taken everything Torq had dished out over the past seven years. He was smart enough to know that retaliating against the son of the Guardian would accomplish nothing except to bring grief on his family. Fate had intervened over the summer. Torq’s father was in the Dream Zone having fallen victim to a hunting accident. The thirteen year old Kai was now free to fight back, this year was different. This year Kai was there at the school waiting for Torq. It’s my turn now he thought to himself, let’s see how well you take being on the receiving end.
Jurai prepared herself to once again separate Torq and Kai. Maybe this year Torq would behave. He could no longer hide behind his father’s position to excuse his bullying. Once again she heard the commotion heralding what had become the new school tradition, Kai’s annual beating. She headed out of the door.
The scene that she faced was not what she expected. Torq was picking himself up off the ground only to receive a punch to the jaw knocking him back down. Torq was much the worse for wear. Kai who had never once raised his hand in self defense, was now beating the older boy senseless. Even more unusual was the whispers among the students indicating that Kai had started the fight. Although she knew that she should separate them, she eased her way back into the school. Another 5 minutes would be soon enough to put an end to it.
Jurai did not have to put an end to it. In less than five minutes Kai was entering the school room to take his seat. Lynna turned toward him and gave him a smile as she whispered “Good for you. He had it coming.”
Moira looked at her son, enraged. How dare that upstart nobody lay hands on her son. Their family had prestige, status and power. Bann’s family had nothing. The insult would not go unanswered. Moira now indulged in the age old pastime of housewives, gossip. The malicious gossip spread through the village. Bann was crazy and so was his son. Just look at the beating Kai had given to Torq. Kai was violent and dangerous. Of course all the beatings that Torq had given Kai over the years were conveniently forgotten by Moira and the villagers, after all Moira was the widow of a prominent village citizen. And then there was this whole ‘goddess’ thing. A man would have to be deranged to name his son after a woman. Life for Bann’s little family did not get any easier. In fact it got worse as the villagers now whispered about them behind their backs and shunned them. A handful of villagers discounted the stories, Jurai and Lynna among them.