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Rite of Passage

Several days after Riku's evaluation, his mother was called for a meeting. She stood before the pharaoh, a brown, black spotted jackal, accompanied by Riku's teacher.

"Welcome Madame Valeria. I've summoned you here today regarding your son. Riku is it?" Valeria gave a look a worry.

"Is he in trouble?"

"No, nothing like that. Actually, I've been hearing nothing but good things about the boy, especially from Kendrick," he gestured towards the white jackal. "He tells me Riku is at the top of the class." Valeria gave a sigh of relief. "I understand his nineteenth is coming up. About time for his rite of passage, is it not?"

"Yes it is," she plainly answered.

"Just thought you'd like to hear of his progress." Kendrick added.

"Let him know that I'm looking forward to having him in my knighthood."

~~~~~~

Two months later...

Riku's next birthday was only days away, and he was feeling nervous about his passage into adulthood. His nerves were soothed by the company of the vixen servant, Juli.

"Are you okay, Riku?"

"I'll be fine," he answered.

"There's nothing to worry about, you know," she assured him, "your mother tells me its a very simple."

"I know. I just don't know what to expect." He took his gaze towards the window, looking at the night sky, the view he had admired since he was still a child.

~~~~~~~

Days passed, and Riku was as nervous as ever. He felt a few beats skip his heart when he heard a knock on his door. A guard, a grayish, black spotted jackal, entered.

"It's time, Riku. Come with me." He was a bit hesitant at first, but finally complied. They entered a building that housed the elders, and also served as the passage chamber. It was the first time he had ever been inside. The interior consisted of several statues holding up a lit torch, and a pedestal in the center. A few figures in red hoods stood before them, as if awaiting him.

"Welcome, Riku. Are you ready for your rite of passage?" He nodded nervously. "Do you understand the procedure?" He replied with a shake. "Your body will be put at a temporary rest as your spirit and mind is sent to the land of the gods. From there, you'll be presented with several totems, each bearing an element, and the god that represents it. You will be chosen at random by one of them, and represent not just the element, but the god who wields it." He nodded to show his understanding.

The elder gestured towards the pedestal, which looked like a stand of sorts large enough to support a body. He took a deep breath, and laid down on his back. The elder stood over him and gently placed a hand on either side of his head, and began a chant. His hands started to glow with an aura of many colors. The young pup felt a tingling sensation in his head. He began to feel relaxed, and then sleepy, slowly falling into a deep slumber.

~~~~~~

He woke up almost immediately, but the scenery had completely changed. There was a large, open sky, the brightest he had ever seen in the daytime. Plant life surrounded him, mainly flowers and trees, orchids as a matter of fact. A lake sat nearby, with the cleanest, crystal clear water, and bursting with marine life. He dipped his hand in the water, taking in the wet, cool feeling. He could feel some smaller fish nipping at his fingers. He was simply in awe of this place. Never before had he seen so much life at once. He suddenly remembered the task at hand, and immediately noticed a large, stone circle nearby. In the very center was a sun, which was a symbol of all gods as a whole.

His ears perked when he heard a 'click' sound in five areas surrounding the circle. Immediately after, five totems rose, standing no more than maybe four feet, and each had an insignia engraved into it, as well as a special energy atop representing an element and a god. A particular one caught his attention.

He approached a totem with a very odd symbol, featuring a curve going right slightly and then breaking left. It came to a point and did the same downward, but cut itself short with a sharp break left and slightly downward. The normal eye could view this as a really messed up letter 'n'. Under was the name of the god. It read 'Fire Lord Atemis'. At the top was, as you'd expect, a reddish flame. This was immediately a primary choice for him, as he had heard of his father bearing the same mark. He slowly reached for the flame. When he touched it, the fire suddenly went out, and left nothing but smoke. He felt a bit of disappointment. Fire was not his chosen power.

He looked to the next most promising totem. The symbol was a diamond that seemed to overlap itself at the corners, and had a few pricks on each side. It looked like a snowflake in a way. The inscription read 'Shivato, the Frost Monarch'. He looked at the frozen substance at the top, bearing several ice shards pointed straight up. He touched the shards, and to his disappointment, they quickly melted into a puddle. His destined power was not ice.

He looked at the totem directly across. Twin thunderbolts overlapping one another stood as the symbol, similar to the one he saw on Kendrick. It read 'Zurrato, Embodiment of Lightning'. Atop was what looked like a storm cloud that flashed every few moments. Fire, ice, and thunder were his most desired powers, as these were mainly used for knighthood. Surely this would be his chosen power? Apparently not, as he was shocked upon touching the cloud. It dissipated soon after. He was starting to become irritated.

He approached another totem bearing the mark with three leaves grouped together, just like the one his mother had. The inscription read 'Valtina, Goddess of Nature'. He wasn't too fond of this power, as bearers of the mark of nature were usually made into clerics. He was, however, quite fond of its goddess, who was believed to be the creator of all life, and the other gods as well. A rose sat atop the totem, radiating with life. The second he touched it, the beautiful plant quickly withered and died. He was saddened, not because of the rejection, but because he felt as though he killed the flower.

He reached his next and final option. This totem's mark was nothing more than an encircled cross. The bearing god was 'Syncros, the All-Seeing', who's power was aura, which involves the mind, body, and soul. Bearers of this power, like the elders, inherit knowledge and wisdom. Above was a peculiar ball of energy, glowing many colors. He reached for it. It was the only one left, so he knew this had to be the one. Nothing happened when he touched it. He gave a sigh of relief, until the energy's behavior changed. It began twisting and changing its shape, and finally exploded and knocked him off his feet.

He sat up and shook it off, and felt a great deal of sorrow and disappointment. 'None of them?' he thought to himself. What was he suppose to do now? He can't go back until he's been chosen.

To his surprise, there was a sixth click, and a sixth totem rose from the ground in the center of the circle. This was the most peculiar one, as his studies only mentioned five elements, and five gods. Was there one not yet known to Akula? The symbol was a crescent moon, a diamond, perhaps representing a star, hovered just above the inner lobe. Hovering at the top was a ball of energy, dark in color, showing a mixture of black, violet, and blue. It looked eerie, but Riku could feel a strange surge running through his body, as though he was being stimulated by its mere presence. He couldn't help but approach it. He read the inscription. 'Darkness'. There was no god stated though, which only added to his curiosity. He reached for the strange ball of energy.

He had a strange feeling upon touching it, nothing bad though. The ball made an immediate reaction, suddenly wrapping itself around his hand, and slowly spread to his arm, eventually reaching his shoulder and spreading to his other arm. It took the form of a black flame. The feeling he had was unlike anything he had ever felt before, a warm, comforting sensation. The flame faded, and suddenly, he was on his knees cringing in pain.

His body felt like it was on fire, inside and out. His fists clenched, his muscles tensed up, and his teeth bared as the pain got worse. His eyes began to glow violet, and steam began to shoot off his body as he felt his skin literally burning, around his eyes, arms, and back. Marks and patterns began to form, starting as a bloody red color, like he was being branded. The crescent moon, like on the totem, made itself known on his cheek.

Suddenly, the pain faded, and the marks began to settle, turning into a dark shade of violet, as did his once brown eyes. He breathed heavily, and began to wonder about his power. His attention was suddenly caught by a static sound. He looked at the dark totem. The ball of energy started to spark rapidly and grow in size. It began to look like a portal.

His theory was prove when streams of black mist began to shoot out in different directions. He was quickly surrounded by hundreds, if not more. Then just as suddenly, they all vanished. Before he had any time to think about it, there was a bright flash, and a ear piercing shriek. Everything went white.

~~~~~~

He woke up back in the elder chambers, and realized something was wrong. There was some kind of commotion going on outside, and he noticed some of the elders lying dead on the ground, areas surrounding them stained in blood. An eerie growl was heard at the other side of the room. He noticed a humanoid figure covered in black armor, not showing one hint of flesh. The helmet had horns, and short spikes ran along the shoulders, wrists, and feet. Its weapon of choice was a black hilted sword with a red gem in the center. Instead of a blade, it was some sort of energy shaping itself as such. It gave a reddish glow, like a flame. He saw this creature holding something in the air.

It was the guard who brought him to this place, covered in numerous cuts and gashes. He was held by the neck, grasping the fiend's hand and kicking, struggling to get free. It was in vain, for with a quick twist of the wrist, his neck was snapped. His life signs quickly faded as the demon like creature tossed him to the side. Riku stood in terror as he watched one of his own hit the ground. His fear grew more when the demonoid turned its gaze towards him, revealing a pair of glowing red eyes, raising its sword and slamming it to the ground, creating a straight line of flames directed towards Riku. He jumped out of the way at the last moment.

The demon jumped high in the air with the ablaze sword pointed down towards him. It landed just inches in front of him, kicking up dust and knocking him back a few feet. As he recovered, the dark knight was already on him with its blade coming overhead. There was no time to dodge, so Riku's only reaction was a throwing his arms crossed over his head and awaiting his demise. Nothing happened. A loud ping sound was heard. He looked over his arms and noticed a black and violet, vortex like energy formed in front of him, acting as a shield between him and the monster's sword. When he lowered his arms, the shield exploded and knocked his attacker back. He looked at his hands, which were suddenly glowing in black energy. He started wondering if this was his new power.

He began looking around for something he could fight back with, immediately noticing the spear by the dead knight. He tried to make a dash for it, the demon close behind. He managed to grab his weapon and make a quick turnaround in order to block an attempted overhead strike. He blocked several more attempts before his guard was finally broken and was struck in the face by an uppercut slice. He was knocked back a few feet, grasping his right eye. He felt nothing but pain. Looking at his hand, Riku noticed it stained in his blood, and his vision reduced.

He blocked another strike with his dark shield. The impact staggered the demon long enough for him to counter with a few smacks of his own, and finally made an upward thrust through the head. The knight stopped in it's tracks. The glowing red eyes faded as it collapsed. As the life signs faded, the body began to evaporate. A light, or in this case, a dark portal like vortex opened and began to absorb the essence like a vacuum. The body eventually turned into a small black puddle, which was also absorbed until there was nothing left.

~~~~~~

Riku took a moment to catch his breath, though the pain in his damaged eye did anything but let him relax. There was a sudden change in the atmosphere. Everything turned gray, and cold. A chill filled his spine, and a voice caught his ear.

"The dark one is finally among us," he heard. The voice sounded weak and distorted, almost like several speaking at once. He looked around for the speaker, finally catching a glimpse of a hooded figure. It wore a silver robe with a golden lining in the pattern of a tree branch with small leaves. The face was hidden, but the eyes were just barely visible, giving a blackish glow, and a third on the forehead glowing yellow. Its hands looked like tree branches with very long and sharp edges at the fingertips. It had a pair of wings made of the same material that were glowing in a radiant energy, sparkling in many colors. It didn't walk on two legs, but instead hovered slightly above the ground. Riku was a bit spooked, but was in awe at the same time. "Greetings child. I am Syncros. I have been waiting for you." A deep breath was taken whenever he started a new sentence, but sounded almost like a gasp. Riku felt a little confused, but his question was answered before he could ask. "I have been watching you since the day of your birth. The darkness has chosen you for a dangerous task." The god, Syncros glimpsed at the black stain on the ground, which was the demon's blood. "You have succeeded in defeating a shadow, but in vain. For when they die, their essence, their souls, are drawn back into their world where they are reanimated and return smarter and stronger than before."

In a split second, he was from the other side of room to directly in front of Riku. The pup was startled and fell back, and shuddered as the entity's hand stretched out to him and slowly traced a single long, branch like finger along his face. "Your power is strong, but violent. Aggressive. Always lusting for blood, and will not relent. The dark will consume you, just as it does everything else. Unless you learn to contain it." Syncros retracted his hand from Riku and continued. "Child, learn from the darkness, and become one with it. For only by truly understanding it will you be able to destroy it."

The entity began to part away from him, and slowly disappeared. Once again, his question was answered before he could ask, as though the god read his mind. "Your power alone will not defeat the shadows. If you wish to destroy them, you must destroy the soul while it still inhabits a body. Such a task can not be accomplished by a mere mortal alone. You require a weapon, forged in dark blood, like your own." As he began his final sentence, Syncros completely faded from sight. "Speak to the one called Kendrick. He has what you seek."

"Wait! What about my task? What am I suppose to do?"

"The time to shed light will come, but it is not now. We will meet again soon enough, dark one. But only after you have become stronger."

Light and color seemed to return to the world. Riku didn't move for a moment, feeling baffled by the information, and for meeting what his people consider to be the most terrifying of the gods.

~~~~~~

Riku left the temple, and was in horror of the city. His home was up in smoke. Battles could be heard in the distance. A voice caught his attention.

"Riku!" the voice called, "Over here! Quickly!" He saw the white jackal, Kendrick, waiting for him in a dark alley. He didn't hesitate, and quickly ran to his teacher's side. He was led to an old shack. Despite its age, it was very sturdy, and would make an excellent shelter. He was guided inside, and immediately greeted by his vixen nanny, Juliana, with a surprise hug.

"I was so worried about you, Riku. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Juli," he answered as he tried to push her off, as she was hugging him tight enough to cut off his circulation. As she parted away, she noticed his facial injury.

"What happened to your eye?"

"One of those monsters." He looked around and noticed someone was missing. "Where's mom?"

"She's treated the wounded," Kendrick stated. "What happened in there?"

~~~~~~

Riku tried to explain his situation to Kendrick as well as he could, what happened during his initiation, and his encounter with Syncros. Juli was tending to his wounds, mainly his eye. Unfortunately, she couldn't do much for it. He was permanently damaged, and was left with a scar over his eye. She had discarded a blood stained cloth as he was finishing his story. Kendrick stared in wonder as Riku brought up the special tool that was mentioned, retreating to a backroom and returning with a sword in hand, presenting it to the pup.

The sword's scabbard was black with golden hooks that held the strap. The handle was an interesting design. The handle took the form of a golden ankh cross, with a grip made from a cloth that was normally used for mummification, and left a long strand hanging. In the center of the loop was a glowing ruby. At first glance, this sword looked like it was just for looks.

Kendrick pulled the sword out of it's holder, revealing the long, solid black blade. While it wasn't visible to the others, Riku could see an energy radiating from it. The energy felt like hunger, anger, and despair.

"This blade was created by the first dark one, from the blood and soul of the first shadow he ever slayed. This is the only thing that can truly destroy them. My family has guarded this for generations, waiting patiently for the next dark one. The sword itself is alive, and the spirit is always angry. But regardless, it should provide you with a peerless weapon."

He handed it to Riku. From the moment he touched it, he could feel a strange sensation travel through his body. His own energy seemed to be bonding with the spirit, and suddenly it seemed calm, as though accepting its new master. Kendrick glanced out a window, a sudden sadness filling his eyes.

"You cannot stay here for much longer, for when the people learn of what has happened in the chambers, they will surely blame you, and will stop at nothing to hunt you down."

"But I didn't.." Riku was cut off by a raised hand.

"I know it's not your doing. Are paths are, after all, predetermined. It's not as if you chose for this to happen."

"Then why is it?"

"I wish I could tell you. But it's beyond my knowledge." Despite the kind words and reassurance from his teacher, Riku felt nothing but guilt and anger. "But none of it matters now. The most important thing for you is to run. Run as far as you can, and above all else, survive. Look to the gods for guidance, until you finally shed light on your destiny."

~~~~~~

It hurts him beyond words, but Riku knew Kendrick was right. He had to get away. He said his goodbyes to his former trainer, and Juli. He only regrets not being able to see his mother for what may be the last time. With nothing but his sword and the clothes on his back, he left home, and began the newest chapter of his life.