The Kyoto Ordeal (Tales of the Other Universe Book 1) Read online

  “Ah, there he is!”

  His heart leapt up in his chest as he spun around to see Dee standing a few feet away, gesturing the Creator towards him as the party goers stepped back in reverence. The Creator emerged from the crowd, dressed in his familiar white robes, and flashed a smile to the king.

  “Iilil-ja, you’re looking well,” the Creator addressed him, once again using the informal name the Creator had given him some time ago. “I couldn’t tell much in the darkness of that dungeon, but you certainly look much less stressed than you did these last two weeks.”

  “Iilil-ja?” Dee jumped in curiously.

  “It’s an abbreviation of his real name, in the language of Aeris,” the Creator commented. “Iilil Shakal Suruvia, which roughly translates to ‘Angry Alter Ego’. It was very fitting for you several millennia ago, but I’m sure it’s not a name you’ve used in a long time.”

  “No, I haven’t,” Adam verified.

  “Yes, you’ve used a lot of assumed names over the years. The current one is Adam Evans, right?”

  “That’s right,” Adam replied. “I’m not sure if I’d like to keep that name, though. There’s a lot of blood attached to it.”

  “That’s true,” the Creator said, raising his hand to his chin in consideration. “Well, I’m sure you’ll find a new name to suit your new life.”

  “Even though we won’t be working together anymore,” Dee chimed in, “I wouldn’t mind helping you come up with a name.”

  Adam smiled and nodded his head in acceptance, causing Dee’s face to light up once more. He was very grateful to this girl, who only two weeks ago vehemently protested helping him and pled to the Creator that he assign her somewhere else. Amazing, he thought, that he could actually inspire some form of affection in another person at all, let alone in just two weeks.

  “We won’t have to go back until tomorrow,” the Creator added, “so you two can talk things over after the gala has ended. Let’s enjoy the party for now. We’ll see you shortly, Iilil-ja. Come along, Dee.”

  “Mm,” Dee replied with a touch of melancholy, hoping to stay and chat with Adam a bit longer, but after being beckoned by the Creator she disappeared into the crowd after a farewell wave. Adam almost suggested she stay, but it was not his place, nor Dee’s, to go against the will of the Creator.

  Scanning the crowd for another familiar face, Adam made his way towards the center of the ballroom. He could barely take five steps without being greeted by a stuffy diplomat who had had a few too many drinks. One had the gall to reach his arm around the king’s shoulder and slouch over on him, shouting a jumbled joke at him with breath reeking of alcohol. Adam, taking his newfound philosophy into consideration, shrugged the tipsy dignitary off of him and sent him towards a group of flirtatious women. Making his way towards the far end of the room, Adam leaned against the wall and let out a heavy sigh, not noticing the petite girl approaching him from his right, also leaning against the wall.

  “It’s a rather big event, isn’t it?” she said in a soft voice. Adam glanced down to see one of the palace attendants, Miko Lith. The pale skinned teen, who barely stood as tall as Adam’s chest, was somewhat unknown amongst the palace servants. Adam had seen her a few times before, but only recognized her because of her small stature and short hair, tinted a periwinkle color.

  This was the first time she had ever spoken to him, however. He had always imagined her to be the shy type, so her sudden approach caught him a bit off guard. Using both of her tiny hands, she raised a cup to her mouth, taking a slow sip as she stared at him, awaiting his response.

  “Yes, it is,” he finally said. “Your name is Miko, right?”

  She nodded, taking another sip. He noticed the sleeves of her violet attendant uniform were very loose, and slid down her thin arms each time she brought her hands up to take a drink.

  “Is it true what everyone’s been saying?” she asked, turning her head back up to him. “That you’ve become less angry through the Creator’s ritual?”

  “That’s right,” Adam responded. Miko turned her gaze back towards the crowd and took another sip of her drink.

  “That’s good to know,” she said in the same quiet voice. “I certainly hope it works out for you.”

  The king, shocked by her almost sarcastic tone, shot her a look of discontent, but she turned her gaze away.

  “What do you mean by that?” he pursued.

  “Nothing really,” she answered, swirling the ice in her cup. “I just can’t imagine how such a thing could work out. Trying to change who you are, I mean.”

  Adam turned to Miko, who shifted her eyes back to him. “If you understood what I really was, you would know why I made this decision,” he said. “I want to be a good king for these people, like the Creator. I can’t do that if I blow up over small things and act without concern for other people. If it can better help these people, I’m willing to change.”

  “I see.” Miko tipped her cup back and emptied the ice cubes into her mouth, seemingly unfazed by Adam’s story. “I didn’t mean to offend, sir,” she said after crunching up the cubes. “I do sincerely wish you find the outcome you want.”

  She placed her now empty cup on a tray stand to her right and stepped back into the crowd. Adam followed her light blue head through the crowd until it disappeared from view, just as the whine of a microphone emanated from the stage. Adam looked over to see a well dressed man he recognized as the head of the staff, Arday Farnsworth, adjusting the microphone at the podium. As he fiddled with it, Adam heard Dee’s voice call out to him.

  “Mr. Evans, we’re about to begin!” she said, emerging from the crowd a few feet away from him. Adam followed Dee through the crowd as they made their way to the podium. He found the Creator sitting to the right of the podium, flashing a smile towards him as the pair stepped up to their seats next to him. By this point, Farnsworth had finished setting up the microphone and tapped on it to get the attention of the partygoers.

  “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” the well dressed maitre d’ announced. The microphone whined with feedback, causing Farnsworth to pull away. Correcting the microphone, he resumed. “Welcome to the annual Winter Solstice Gala held here in Magid Palace. We are very honored tonight to have a special guest with us tonight, and I will be turning the podium over to him. Please welcome his Holiness, the Eternal Father of All, our Creator, Most High.”

  All those who had gathered bowed their heads as the Creator rose from his chair and stepped up to the podium. Even those who were already intoxicated managed to show their respect, although some of them spilled their drinks in the process.

  “Good evening, everyone,” the Creator said warmly. The partygoers raised their heads up again and applauded, causing the Creator to smile. “I hope you are all enjoying yourselves this evening. As you know, tonight is the Winter Solstice here in Magid. Now I know there are some people who dread winter, I imagine you might think I do as well. Winter brings the end of the year, when life seems to disappear as nature is covered by snow, left in bleak obscurity.

  “However, that is not the case at all. For you see, winter holds a beauty in and of itself. It does not bring an end of life. Rather, it reminds us that our world, like our lives, is a continuous cycle. The trees may be stripped bare, and the animals may vanish beneath the ground, but we know that in a short time spring will arrive and life will flourish again. We, like the seasons, follow this cycle. People are born, they live their lives, and ultimately they die. Yet we do not mourn death, because beyond death there is a rebirth of the soul. So as we gather here tonight, let us not fear or hate the winter. Let us welcome it, and know that beyond the seeming end of life on Magid, there will come a new hope for all who dwell here.”

  The Creator turned to the wall of windows behind him and with a flick of his hand beckoned the swollen clouds above to let loose the first snow of winter. The audience broke into thunderous applause, while Adam glanced out the window with mixed interest. Despite the Crea
tor’s somewhat rambling speech, he did not see winter as a sign that life would be renewed, at least not until this day.

  “Now, tonight we’re celebrating more than just the change in season. Tonight marks another extraordinary transition for someone very important to all of us, and especially to me.” The Creator gestured toward Adam, whose gaze was still lost outside the window.

  “He has led most of his life lost and confused, a victim of circumstances beyond his control,” the Creator continued. “But now he has found the strength to reject the path he was supposedly fated to follow, perhaps the greatest proof I can present to you that no life is bound by destiny. Here now, a man who forges his own destiny, I present your king, new and improved, Adam Evans.”

  As the gathering applauded, Dee nudged Adam with her elbow to bring him back to reality. He still appeared clueless, so she tilted her head towards the podium where the Creator stood waiting. Adam cautiously rose from his seat, completely caught off guard. No one had said anything about him speaking before the crowd, the aspect of being king he already had the most difficulty with. He looked to Dee, who flashed a smile and gave him the thumbs up to go ahead, not exactly the encouragement he was looking for. Finally he relented and moved up to the microphone as the Creator took his seat.

  The microphone whined again as Adam cleared his throat and gripped the edge of the podium. He looked out over the gathering: rich aristocrats in flashy clothing, palace attendants taking a break from serving the guests to hear their king speak, Miko Lith sipping on another drink, the Creator to his right and Dee next to him, anxious to hear some kind of heartfelt speech, one that Adam had not prepared. He closed his eyes, exhaled, and stared out into the audience.

  “Hello, everyone,” he started. “I don’t really know what to say, I wasn’t expecting to say anything. I guess I’d just like to thank all of you for dealing with me up until now, I promise I will grow to become a stronger and kinder king for all of you.” He paused as the audience applauded. “I’d also like to thank the Creator for helping me through this process, and his assistant Ms. Dee Gatti, without whom I would not have succeeded.”

  The Creator waved politely to the crowd with the same smile he refused to abandon, while Dee blushed slightly, unaware that she would be so honored.

  “So please enjoy yourselves tonight. Starting tomorrow, expect to see big changes around here.” Adam stepped down from the podium as the audience applauded again. Rather than taking his seat, he proceeded down the steps of the platform.

  “Iilil-ja, where are you going?” the Creator called to him.

  He turned around and answered, “You know I don’t feel very comfortable in big settings like this. I think I’m going to go back to my chambers to rest for a while.”

  “Are you going to come back later?” Dee asked, disappointed by his early departure. “I hope this isn’t the last I see of you before I leave.”

  Adam turned back to her with a smile. “Of course not, Dee. I’ll see you later.”

  She was relieved to hear this, and waved farewell as he disappeared into the crowd and out the door of the ballroom.

  As the large double doors shut behind him, Adam let out a huge sigh of relief. Despite being a leader, the fear of public speaking had always plagued him, so much so that he would almost rather return to the ritual he had undergone in the “Abyss” than give another speech.

  Deciding rest really was a good idea and not just an off the cuff excuse, Adam began walking back to his bedchamber. As he moved by portraits of ancient kings, he wondered to himself how well he would really be able to lead the world.

  “Will this actually make a difference?” he thought. “Or will I continue to make the same mistakes I’ve always made? I don’t know if I’m still up to it.” The image of his faithful young supporter appeared in his head with a smile, recalling the words she had told him earlier in the evening: “Just be happy, okay?” With that thought, Adam smiled again, forcing all the bad thoughts out of his mind. At that moment he knew there was nothing to worry about, no concern, no fear. The time of change and new beginning was here at last.

  The king reached his chamber, content at the realization he had come to, and opened the door to his spacious room. Immediately, however, he noticed something was wrong. There was a heavy presence in the room; the air was thick, as if he had walked into a humid summer day but without the heat. The lights had all been extinguished, except for the dim glow of the embers in the fireplace illuminating a figure reclining in the plush chair facing it. Adam stepped into the room, unable to see who was sitting in the chair.

  “Who are you, and what are you doing in my chamber?” he called.

  The stranger shifted in the chair, and with a tired groan lifted himself up.

  “Your second question answers the first, so let me address that one right away,” he said, moving towards Adam. He was still shrouded in darkness with only his outline visible from the fire, but the startled king immediately recognized the figure.

  “This chamber is mine,” the man said. “Because I’m you, or rather, I used to be.”

  Chapter Three

  The Angry Alter Ego

  Adam was completely stunned as he watched his mirror image step closer to him. Even in the dark, he recognized his own features on this stranger claiming to be him. The man stepped arrogantly up to Adam, confirming that he was truly identical him. Still bewildered, Adam tried to comprehend what he was seeing. Was this the Creator? No, he was still in the main hall. Then how could this be?

  “You seem shocked,” his doppelganger remarked, gaining his attention back. “I’m not surprised really, we always were dense. I suppose that quality stayed with you.”

  “What are you talking about?” Adam asked, still trying to grasp the situation at hand. Suddenly the answer dawned on him: the sphere containing his anger had been left unattended. His double knew from his expression that he understood what had happened and smiled coyly.

  “So you understand then, what I am?” The twin moved his hand to the wall and switched on the lights, illuminating his full form. Just as he said, the stranger was identical to Adam, right down to the clothing he was wearing at the time of the ritual. The only thing missing was his pair of round sunglasses.

  “It’s time you and I had a little chat,” he said, motioning Adam over to the fireplace. The original watched his double cautiously as he moved back to the chair, following slowly behind.

  “How did you escape?” Adam inquired.

  His double sat back in the chair and cracked his neck with a loud pop. “Someone set me free,” he answered.

  “Who?” demanded Adam.

  The doppelganger turned back to him with a sour look. “I don’t see any reason to tell you. Anyway, I doubt he would want you to know. He must hate what you’ve become just as much as I do.”

  Perturbed by his twin’s statement, Adam continued to stand and draw information out of his other half. “And what reason do you have to hate me?” he asked.

  “Is that a joke?” His double’s tone, which up until now seemed just mildly annoyed, turned spiteful. “You want to know why I hate you? Do you?”

  The clone stood up from the chair, and grabbing its arm with both hands threw it across the room. Adam watched it slam into the wall with a thunderous crash as his other half rushed toward him and grabbed him by the collar. His eyes, unlike Adam’s calm blue eyes, were blood red; his pupils shrunken in rage.

  “I hate you, because you are a hypocrite and a turncoat!” Adam tried to pull away, but his double grabbed him with both hands and slammed him into the wall. “How long have you depended on me, huh? I’ve been with you from the beginning, helping you win every battle and get through every ordeal. And how do you repay me? You throw me away like TRASH!”

  As he screamed the last word, the double hurled Adam to the floor. Trying to pull all of his thoughts together, Adam finally came to an understanding of what was happening. Just as what had happened with the Creator, hi
s anger had taken a physical form and now sought revenge against him. Catching his breath, Adam remarked on his twin’s statement.

  “So you’re angry because I got rid of you, and you’ve come to kill me in retribution?” he asked. The doppelganger seemed to calm himself down a bit, but still showed great contempt before his other half.

  “I am angry, but I always am. I am the Angry Alter Ego after all,” the double stated. “But I’m not going to kill you.”

  Adam was surprised to hear this statement, to which his double took note of and elaborated.

  “I’m not going to try to reason that I’m not a monster. I am, and you are too. You’re just unwilling to admit it, because for whatever reason you’ve decided to wave this banner of the hero and get all goody-goody with the Creator. That’s why you’re a hypocrite. You’re a turncoat because you’ve thrown away the ideals you once held: ‘alone you are strong,’ ‘take what you want, destroy those who stand in your way,’ ‘the strong live, and the weak die.’ These were the ideals that made you an object of terror and an unstoppable killing machine. You’re not even worthy of carrying the name ‘The Angry Alter Ego’ any more. That’s why from now on, I am the Angry Alter Ego, and you are the lowest form of life that doesn’t deserve to exist.”

  Adam took each word like a bullet, unable to argue against his own angry alter ego.

  “That being said,” his double continued, “I’m going to show that I am infinitely superior to you and leave you to suffer in the pathetic existence you’ve left yourself in.”

  “What are you going to do?” Adam asked.

  “If I were any less of a man, I would stay here and bring all of Magid down in a sea of flames,” the dark half chuckled. “But instead, by my own grace, I’m not even going to waste my time with you. I’m fed up, through, completely done with you. I’m moving on to greener pastures, somewhere where my unique views can go to good use.”