He had already left. Angel exhaled and rolled her eyes. She held back her tears and used a napkin to wipe her eyes. With her head down and her arms folded, she wandered away to be alone. She found an empty bench and sat down.
Alex went to meet his guardians. They did not notice him coming and so he overheard part of their conversation. "But John, you have to tell him," his grandmother said.
"Mom! He wouldn"t be able to handle it if he knew everything," John protested.
Alex walked a little slower and eyed the two with interest. Uncle John suddenly turned his head and noticed him. "Alex! Come here!" he said, affecting a cheerful tone. He went to shake his nephew"s hand and hugged him. "Congratulations! You"ve made us all proud!"
His grandmother kissed him and said, "I"m so happy that you"ve accomplished this. We all are, and I know your parents would have been as well."
Uncle John took a long meditative sip of his drink and nodded.
"Yes," said Alex, turning once more to John, "I believe we have much to talk about tonight."
It was about 2:00 AM when Alex, John and Grandma Howe reached the Estate. Apart from when John spoke occasionally to the driver of the limo, the ride home was a silent one. The limo pulled up into the garage where many other vehicles were parked. When they got out of the car, the silence discomforted Alex even more. He was eager to know everything and say something but, seeing his uncle"s solemn face, he remained quiet. His grandmother looked at Alex and placated him with her kind gray eyes.
Inside the manor, John sighed and sat down on the leather chair. "Okay Alex," he said. Alex sat down on the sofa facing his uncle. Grandma wandered off into the kitchen to prepare some coffee. "What I"m going to tell you," continued John, "is just the beginning of what you really need to know."
Alex remained silent.
"Now, you do know that you were the last human to be born on the Earth. In fact you were born on the day of the last battle. Of course you were too young to remember anything."
"Okay," Alex said. "What are you getting at, Uncle John?"
John exhaled, "I"m not the one to tell you this story. Your mother is."
Alex looked confused. "My mother?" He felt foolish even thinking it. "Is she still alive?" he heard himself ask.
Alex"s grandmother came in with three hot cups of coffee on a tray which she placed on the table. "Well, where have you gotten till?" She asked, sitting down on the sofa next to Alex.
"Uncle John mentioned my mother."
"What have you told him?"
"I told him about the day of his birth and I was about to tell him its significance." John turned to Alex. "Your mother wrote you a letter and it"s this letter that reveals the truth." Uncle John stood up and walked over to the library in the hall. He began to root around the cluttered book shelves. His fingers finally rested on an old tome which he pulled out. Suddenly the library slid open, revealing a silver door. "The letter is in here," he called out to Alex, gesturing toward the silver door.
Alex got up, more baffled then ever. "What the h.e.l.l..."
Grandma Howe took Alex by the hand and led him to the library. "Come and see what your mother left for you," she said.
Alex felt queasy as his palms sweated. He eyed his uncle with apprehension. "Look, I...I..." he stammered.
"We have time. You want this or not?" John"s sharp eyes stuck to Alex"s.
Alex nodded, silent for some time. Then, with more confidence, he said, "I want this."
"Now, this is a test to see if you are what we think you are," John said.
"What test?"
"Put your hand here on this k.n.o.b," John pointed.
Alex did as he was told and heard a whirring noise from inside the entrance. He felt a tiny shock and let go.
"The first part of the test was a fingerprint scan and a small nanopin p.r.i.c.ked your hand to check your blood," John said.
"Why would it need to check my blood?" Alex asked.
"You"ll see," said his uncle, smiling. His eyes glimmered with the excitement of a little child.
The door slid open, leading to a long pa.s.sageway. As he approached it, the ground lit up with a pure bright light, illuminating the walls.
"Now you"ll have to go inside and see for yourself." John said.
"You mean you"re not going to come with me?" Alex"s voice trembled.
"No," said Grandma. "We promised your mother that you"d do this alone."
Alex stared at his guardians, waiting for one of them to say something else.
Grandma Howe smiled. "Don"t worry. Everything will be fine. When you get to the end, you"ll know just what to do."
"But how will I know where to go and what to do?"
John put his hand on Alex"s shoulder. "It"s a straight path. You can"t fail." He gave a gentle push and Alex went beyond the threshold. Instantly the door reappeared behind him, closing him inside. Now there really was no going back.
As he walked on and his eyes adjusted to the bright path, Alex wondered how this place was possible. Did the Council build this secret pa.s.sage? Did they even know it existed? Maybe Uncle John was keeping secrets from the rest of them.
Fifteen minutes pa.s.sed and Alex could see another silver door at the end. He quickened his pace, eager to find whatever it was that he was looking for. He checked his watch. 2:35 AM. He wondered whether his guardians were still awake, waiting for him.
He reached the second entrance and saw that it had no handle. Alex touched it to see if anything would happen. Nothing. He tutted in irritation and searched around to find a switch or key to open the door, but there was none. Then he heard the same whirring noise he had heard at the entrance. Out of nowhere, a robotic voice echoed in the corridor. "Please state your name," it said.
"Alexander Howe III," he replied.
"Access Denied!"
He tried his mother"s name, "Miriam Howe."
The voice didn"t say anything. The whirring sound grew louder and faster. Finally, the voice said, "Access Denied! Three attempts left until total lockdown." His guardians hadn"t told him anything about this. Surely they hadn"t forgotten? He tried his uncle"s name. That didn"t work either and nor did his grandmother"s name.
This was his last chance. He thought of going back to ask his relatives, but he suspected they would not hear him through the closed door. Again, he searched around for some clue. Just then, he noticed a small inscription in Cuneiform on the door. He touched it and immediately a thousand different inscriptions appeared, all in ancient languages. There was Hebrew, four different dialects of Aramaic, Sanskrit, Egyptian, Arabic, Urdu, and many others. Alex realized they all read one thing. A name. Aidan. He read it aloud and the robotic voice said, "Access Granted!" The door slid just like the first one, revealing a room. Once he entered, the door materialized again behind him.
The room was large with hundreds of books crammed on shelves all around. In the center was a small waterfall. Alex gasped. The flowing water was red. His cheeks tingled as he came to the realization that it was in fact blood. The blood flowed down from the fountainhead into a small pool.
His stomach churned. Fear crept up his skin. He turned around, paranoid that there might be some kind of monster behind him. A chill crawled up his spine. What if there were vampires here? He tiptoed cautiously over to the pool to take a closer look. But then he stopped, afraid that if he came any closer, something would jump out and kill him. He waited and looked around once again, keeping his right ear p.r.i.c.ked for any sounds. The sound of the cascading blood echoing through the room was the only thing he could hear.
Alex wandered around the rest of the room. There were chairs and a Louis XVI style desk. There was also a coffee table, exquisitely decorated in gold and platinum, and four lounge chairs, a deep red sofa, and two recliners around the coffee table. He walked over to the bookshelf on his left. The literature ranged from science, history, political science, legends, cla.s.sical, Greco-Roman literature, Shakespeare and ancient literature. There were scrolls from Alexandria, Taxila, Nalanda, Athens, Rome, and many other ancient centers of learning. Alex returned to the desk. On it there was an old book.
It was bound in leather and the cover showed a silver cross with a bra.s.s snake wound around it. In plain English, the long t.i.tle read The History of the Dynasty and a Plain Translation of the Verse of the Ardemic Prophecies. The History of the Dynasty and a Plain Translation of the Verse of the Ardemic Prophecies. Beneath this was the subt.i.tle, Beneath this was the subt.i.tle, Included: Supplementary Material on the Secret Histories and on the Lineage of King Anaxagoras XXIX by John Benjamin Howe. Included: Supplementary Material on the Secret Histories and on the Lineage of King Anaxagoras XXIX by John Benjamin Howe. Alex opened the book to see strange writing in a language unknown to him. Next to these were the corresponding English translations. He browsed through and read the section on the Ardemic Prophecies, which had been bookmarked: Alex opened the book to see strange writing in a language unknown to him. Next to these were the corresponding English translations. He browsed through and read the section on the Ardemic Prophecies, which had been bookmarked: XXIX. There will come a time when the Earth"s moon shall darken. A large destructive force will strike down upon the armies of the King. Fear not for the Lord of All Bloods shall save them and destroy the impure ones that were cast out of the Earth. The False prophet known as the Falsifier is the Enemy of the King and yet he shall be called the Son of Men and Anisaei alike.
x.x.x. The Red Serpent, the One from whom all things came shall avenge the deaths of his servants. He shall resurrect them and make his Children immortal.
x.x.xI. And then I saw the One who is False and he said to me, "I have a power, unlike any other that no being has ever known nor ever shall. Only you, and soon the King shall know." And he told me the secret, which none but the Holy King and I know. This king shall be known as the direct heir of the Red Serpent, and he shall be called Anaxagoras.
Alex stopped. So many questions rushed through his mind as he flipped through the other texts. He stopped at another bookmarked section and started to read: A Brief Overview of the Nyrax Dynasty The Realm of Migra was a place where people dwelt in eternal unity and selflessness. They had knowledge which was handed down by tongue and by written doc.u.ments. This wisdom consisted of various philosophies, religions, cultures and all other aspects of societies across the Universe. At that time, 150000 BC, they were the most advanced civilization in the Universe. When they came to the Earth about 10000 BC their knowledge spread throughout the planet but was distorted by the inhabitants of the Earth. The lofty ideas, founded by the Migrites, were propagated in the Vedas, the laws of Hammurabi, and other treatises founded in Egypt, India, Arabia, Greece, and Atlantis.
Stories of this race abound in religious and philosophical texts. They are represented as beings from the sky and other worlds. They were given names like Devas and Asuras from the Vedas. G.o.ds like Osiris, Isis, and Horus were actual people who were worshiped for their supernatural abilities. They came from Migra where they developed these abilities. In fact, all Migrites have these "powers." These special methods were recorded in texts and were later absorbed into the teaching of Yoga, Pranayama, Zen Buddhism, and even the teachings of Christ. That which the great teachers taught was all handed down from the Migrites. Over thousands of years, these powers became a part of evolution, and the Migrites were born with them. The notion of spirits, demons, and other supernatural ent.i.ties were added later by so called "Avatars" and "Saviors". In truth these elements were nothing but a figment of their imaginations. There was no scientific evidence for any of it.
Before the reign of Argos, the first king of the Nyrax dynasty, there was complete chaos. The planet had been democratically ruled, but there was widespread corruption among the Senate and Consuls. One man rose to the top and declared himself Emperor. This was Markos, who ruled for a mere one thousand years; at that time, the inhabitants of Migra had an average life expectancy of two thousand years. They also had the ability to survive without food or water. They took their energy in its purest form, directly from the sun. Therefore there were no diseases or sicknesses amongst the population. Only death resulting from old age remained inevitable. In 10000 BC, however, they learned how to cheat death and taught Christ the technique much later. They were able to resurrect themselves but this technique was kept a secret by the Great Teachers. Of course, problems arose when the Kings learned to do the same and so after the reign of Anaxagoras XXV (c. 10000 BC), the kingdom deteriorated. After the reign of Alexandros II, war broke out.
In the Markian Empire, relative peace prevailed. But as an Emperor, Markos wanted more power. He conquered other realms (planets) and in doing so, created a solar empire. Using the other planets" resources and manpower, he made Migra the center of that system. He even changed the system"s name to the Migra System. After 750 years of rule, the people of the Migra System became distrustful of the Empire. They wanted a better ruler, someone who was democratic and yet strong at the same time. Eventually the "revolutionaries" found a man who fit that ideal. This was Argos, the twin brother of Markos. Argos was a diplomat and a very important member of the Board of Advisers. He never let the personal mix with the professional. He too was dissatisfied with the corrupt reign of Markos. The revolutionaries asked him to speak to Markos. One evening, while having dinner with his brother, he brought up the subject of the people"s unrest. Markos said nothing and tried to change the subject. When Argos persisted, the emperor became furious and yelled at him. He spoke about the people in a way that no leader should. Argos had enough and politely took his leave. In his heart, he had already turned against his brother. He would have to be careful from now on as suspicions were bound to arise about his true loyalties.
The next day, Argos met with a man named Fabian II who was the leader of the revolutionaries. The revolution officially began when Argos joined Fabian. Meetings were held on Jostna, an icy realm at the furthest reach of the system. Argos came to and fro constantly and word got back to the emperor. Markos sent spies to watch him. When he discovered what his brother was up to he had him arrested and taken prisoner for treason and terrorist plots. But this did not stop or even slow down the revolution. The people of Migra, appalled by the arrest of Argos, stormed the prison gates. Bloodshed ensued and the Migrites succeeded in freeing Argos. Soon after, they joined forces with the other planets and waged a full-fledged war against the Markian Empire. General Gregorious III centralized the command of the revolutionary armies and was successful in seventy-two of the one hundred and eight battles that were fought. These included the Battle of Drego Fort, the Battle of Kilas Plains and the Battle of the Foria Desert on Migra. In addition to these famous turning points were other successful campaigns on the planets Jostna, Kolwar, Urwqene and Hildkur. The s.p.a.ce force was commanded by Fabian who was then officially known as Admiral Fabian II. However, they had limited ships and s.p.a.ce-fighters, which in the latter years of the Migritic Revolution became a major liability. Fabian was finally defeated and killed in the s.p.a.ce Battle of Jostna. There was a major loss of ships and fighters. Admiral Johannes took over and miraculously managed to turn the entire fleet around. One after another, they won many battles, especially after 895 M.E. (Markian Empire) when Argos Nyrax created numerous foolproof strategies.
The final battle was at Drakim Castle, the main headquarters of the Empire on Migra. It was to be the battle which made Argos Nyrax I the hero of the Revolution. The Markian Armies were valiant and would not give up easily. However, equal bravery was to be found in the Nyrax Armies. Finally, the armies infiltrated the castle, and Argos led a small group of soldiers into the Throne Room, where the emperor awaited with his guards. A swordfight followed and Argos was able to get to the emperor. With one final slash, he cut off his twin brother"s head. He carried it to the highest tower in the Castle, and declared victory for himself and his armies. The Revolution was over and after three weeks of discussion, a Const.i.tutional Monarchy was established with Argos as the King of all Migra and its system. The Nyrax Monarchy was established, with each king serving a reign of one thousand years. The coronation of Argos I took place in 1 N.D (Nyrax Dynasty). A thousand years of Golden Peace reigned. This further continued into an Age of Knowledge, Peace, Unity and Bliss that lasted for the next 150000 years. The latter years of this period were, however, besmirched by some war and ravage.
In about 10000 BC, the Migrites came to the Earth and pa.s.sed on their knowledge to the Humans. It was at this time that signs of internal deterioration within the Kingdom were duly noted. They learned the secret of necromancy and were able to raise the dead. Politics took place inside the Courts and soon another war broke out, this one ending with Anaxagoras XXIX. It was known as the War of the Eight Kings and began in 142000 N.D, lasting about 7000 years. The war was ignited by a disagreement between father and son. It spread to future generations all the way to Anaxagoras, thus making it one of the longest wars ever fought in Migritic history. Finally, Anaxagoras XXIX won the battle in 149000 N.D, when he learned a secret way of defeating the other Seven Kings. He summoned a man named Johesham, who was a powerful pract.i.tioner of the forbidden Black Arts. Johesham told the King to go to the Earth along with the other kings to sign a secret peace treaty at Antarctica. When they arrived there, they entered a hidden cave. It was said that the magician cursed them and cast them into the Abyss where he presided over them as their gatekeeper. From then on, there was no king but Anaxagoras. His reign was more terrible than that of Markos I and not surprisingly, another Rebellion took place in 150000 but was garnered no measurable success. In 151000, Anaxagoras was to die, but the Red Serpent saved him.
This made no sense. How did Uncle John learn so much about the history of the vampire kings? He concluded that he must have had help from the Rebels.
Alexandros. That name rang through his head. Could it be that there may have been some connection between him and the vampires? Was he himself one of them? It certainly made sense but it shocked him to think so. His own name was Alexander III. So did that mean he was the continuation of that race? He wanted to know more. Was he really a vampire? If not he was sure that he had some part to play in all of this. He went through the book once more. Something fell out from behind the back cover and landed on the desk. A letter: November 11th 3328 My Dear Son Alexander, Today is your birthday, and as I am writing to you, I see your face. Your emotions are conflicting. On one hand your soul is at peace because you have been born into this universe and know your place in it. On the other hand something irks you. Today is the Last Battle, and we have lost. The reason I am writing this letter, which should have been given to you by your guardians at the right time, is to let you know the things you have always have wanted to know. I must tell you that after I finish this letter I shall die.
I am holding on to my last breath so that I may tell you this. You are my beloved son, and your father told me many things about you before you were born. His name was Aidan Nyrax, the son of Anaxagoras Nyrax XXIX. That"s right, you are a descendant of the Nyrax dynasty, but it isn"t mentioned in any of the books. Even your father"s name isn"t mentioned in any of the books. That"s because your grandfather believed he disgraced the dynasty. Because of this, he was cast out. Alongside his cousin Nikolas, your father started the Rebellion. And now, Anaxagoras has killed him.
Your father was no ordinary vampire. He was born after the conversion of your grandfather. Now, vampires cannot procreate, but they can turn other races, especially the human race, into their kind. Anaxagoras wanted a direct heir to the lineage of the Nyrax family, but this was not possible. Therefore, he created your father out of pure energy. He used the energy of the stars and quanta and molded it into your father"s form. So he was born as a grown man, having had no childhood. At first his only thoughts were an extension of Anaxagoras"s. It was after some time that your father became independent and started to think on his own. He learned all the great secrets from Anaxagoras. After the Rebellion, he taught them to Nikolas and John and later used them against his father.
But you, my son, are quite different. Your father prophesied earlier for Anaxagoras, and later he spoke of the Prophecies of Ardemis. He had visions about you and foresaw your coming. You are the one who will be known as the Falsifier or the Equivocator. You are both human and vampire. You may wonder how that"s possible. Your father did as your grandfather and created you out of energy. You were made the same way Christ was made. Your father never touched me. So he put pure energy into my womb, with a single cell of his blood and you were conceived. You were born to avenge us. Your grandfather is afraid of you, I know that. And your father still has many things to tell you. He left some discs for you, which I gave to your uncle. There is a code for all of them. Ask him and you will know everything else you need to know.
I know you will not fail in anything you have to do. You are destined for victory. Your father could not foresee what will happen after you go to battle with Anaxagoras, but he knew that you are the salvation for all races.
I shall forever be with you in spirit and I will watch over you. I remain your loving mother eternally, and I address you by your true name: Alexandros yus-Aidan Nyrax III.
So he was the Falsifier and a vampire. A half vampire at any rate. He whispered the word to himself. Suddenly, he felt it in his blood and his heart. Somehow, he had always known. Was that why he had achieved so much? Because he had such powers and came from such a n.o.ble lineage? I am a vampire prince I am a vampire prince, he thought.
He returned to the shelf to look at the other books in the library. Next to the shelf was a full-body mirror. He walked over to it and glared at himself. Even his reflection seemed different now. It disturbed him. The more he scrutinized himself the more his reflection distorted until he saw himself as a monster. He jumped with fright.
"I can"t be a vampire!" he cried out, suddenly horrified by the notion. He felt now that he could trust no one. It hurt him that Uncle John and Grandma had not told him before. He went to sit on the sofa and looked into the pool of blood and the waterfall. His senses electrified seeing it once again. He got up and touched the pool, swirling his fingers in it and lightly skimming the blood. He tasted his finger. It tasted...good! It was so different, unlike anything he had ever tasted before. It was sweet, but not like sugar. This must be the taste of Ambrosia, the food of the G.o.ds, This must be the taste of Ambrosia, the food of the G.o.ds, he thought. he thought.
As Alex drank more of the blood, he felt more at peace. There was a soothing humming sound in his head. It was the sound of the universe and it pleased him. His face was a picture of serenity like one who had attained nirvana. "This is the missing piece in my life," he whispered.
Suddenly he felt something pop in his left ear. He took out his hearing aid and whistled. It was incredible! Sound had entered his left ear! It was just like before the football accident; in fact it was even better.
He was immediately addicted to the red liquid. With a splash, he thrust his whole head into the pool. Suddenly, he could feel his gums expand as his canine teeth grew. He felt them with his tongue and laughed. He felt more powerful than he had ever felt before. He found himself speaking in a very strange language. Fire seemed to glaze over his pupils and two red energy beams shot out of his hands.
He yelled at the top of his lungs and collapsed.
Alex had fallen into a dreamless sleep. When he woke up, he felt as though he had been hibernating for a thousand years. He stretched his arms and yawned. A huge smile spread across his face. He opened his eyes and blinked. He was on the living room sofa. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw the figure of Uncle John.
John smiled at him as he sipped some black coffee. "Good morning," he said. He came closer to Alex and placed his hand on his nephew"s forehead. "Well, the fever"s left you and you seem better now. You gave us quite a scare last night." He spoke matter-of-factly, as if nothing had happened last night. Alex tried to remember last night, but his head ached as if he just swallowed an ice cold drink.
Suddenly he saw a vision of an emerald cross, and a serpent, red as blood, crawling towards it. He saw a rift between him and the cross and in that rift was a white light. The previous night came back to him. "Anaxagoras!" he shouted. He paused, catching his breath, and said much softer, "I didn"t have a fever last night."
"You did. Right after you fell unconscious."
His grandmother hurried out from the kitchen, sat down in a chair next to him and said, "Alex, you"re okay. We were so worried about you last night." She gently wrapped her fingers around his hair.
"If you hadn"t drunk the blood, everything would have been fine," his uncle added.
"So am I one of them?" he said weakly.
John took his time before saying anything. "Well you"re half vampire, half human."
"Okay," Alex said, trying to make sense of it slowly. "So I wasn"t dreaming after all. So, what does all of it mean? Am I some sort of messiah?"
"You are the Falsifier. According to the prophecies, you are a vampire in every way but you do not share their curse. Ultimately you are the enemy of the Anisaei."
"Anisaei?" Alex asked.
"Vampires, in the ancient tongue of the Red Serpent," John said.
"Please tell me this is all a joke, you guys." He looked at John, then at Grandma, searching for the slightest hint that they were pulling his leg.
"Think about it, Alex," said John, raising his right eyebrow. "All this time you had a feeling."
"What? That I was a vampire?" Alex thought about it and realized that in his heart of hearts, it was true. "So what"s my true name? Alexandros yus-Aidan Nyrax?"
"That"s right; you are a royal prince. Your name means Alexander son of Aidan Nyrax. Like in the Hebraic traditions."
Then it hit him. "Wait a minute! So then Anaxagoras is my grandfather! He killed my father, didn"t he?"
John looked at him solemnly, but said nothing.
"So now I"m supposed to kill my grandfather?" he said, as he got up wide eyed, from the sofa.
"Alex," said John. "I think we should go back to the Inner Chamber, where you were last night."
"Are they ready?" Lord Julius asked the President of the Vampire Confederation.
"My lord, they will be shortly." Daniel bowed slightly. He had never liked the Twelve. They were a Council of Elders that Anaxagoras had established before he left. They outranked Daniel and came between him and his chance for ultimate power over the Earth.
"That is all?" asked Lord Julius. He was part of the Twelve. Although the majority of vampires on the earth wanted a democracy, Anaxagoras had always preferred a dictatorship. Nevertheless, he listened to the people, and a Confederation was established. They were responsible for making important decisions to do with the rule of the king, the keeping of the Ancient Covenant, and of course top-secret war plans. The Covenant, made to the Red Serpent by Anaxagoras on behalf of the vampires, was something that was hidden under the ancient inscriptions in Anaxagoras"s diary. The only thing the vampires knew was that they were supposed to keep the humans alive, though they were the enemies. Many speculations arose from this controversy including that they were to be made vampires later when the Red Serpent came, that they were to be placed under the rule of the Red Serpent and made slaves for the vampires, or that they were food for the Red Serpent. However, no one understood why the Treaty of New York was approved by Anaxagoras, and why the humans were to live so freely with only the necessary restrictions. These, including Anaxagoras"s sudden departure, were only the beginning of the numerous speculations the vampires conceived.
n.o.body knew what the Twelve looked like as they always wore dark cloaks and hoods over their heads. Rumors had it that they symbolized the Twelve Elders of Migritic Mythology. No one knew their real names for they were lost when Anaxagoras hypnotized the entire race and bestowed upon them new names. These names came from the great emperors of Rome. Anaxagoras had a pa.s.sion for this history, and so he named them after the Twelve Caesars.
"No, my lord," said Daniel with a reluctant tremor, "I wanted to ask you about the project."