The Zelut's Awakening

The guards seized me roughly, pulling my arms behind my back and clamping heavy iron cuffs around my wrists. I struggled, raising my voice in protest, but the guards were unmoved.

"Please, Khalid!" I begged, "You have to believe me, I didn't mean to do this!"

But Khalid turned away.

"Enough," he snapped. "Take her to the dungeons. I'll deal with her in the morning."

The guards hauled me away, dragging me through the palace halls towards the dank, subterranean dungeons.

The stone walls were filled with voices of my protests as the guards finally tossed me into a small, dank cell, slamming the door shut with a deafening clang. The darkness embraced me, while musty smell of mold and rotting flesh assaulted my senses.

Trembling with fear and exhaustion, I stumbled towards the corner of the cell, my eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light of a single candle. It was then that I saw her. A frail, battered woman huddled against the wall.

I drew closer, the candlelight illuminated the woman's face. It was Aunt Fatima, her once radiant smile was replaced by a mask of pain and sorrow.

"Aunt Fatima!" I cried, hurrying to her side. "What have they done to you?"

Aunt Fatima smiled weakly, "Oh, my dear child," she whispered, "They have done more than you can imagine. But don't worry about me, you must be strong. My power has been taken from me.."

"Do not be afraid, Sarina." She continued, her voice was weak. "The gods have blessed you with a gift that cannot be taken away, even if the sultan tries. Your power comes from within, not from magic. And that is why you must find the Orraptis. You alone can wield its power and save us from the sultan's madness."

As she finished speaking, the cell door swung open with a thunderous crash, revealing two armed guards.

"It's time," one of them growled, his eyes were fixated on her.

She rose unsteadily to her feet, "Sarina," she said, "Remember what I have told you. Find the Orraptis and save the world."

Before I could respond, the guards seized her by the arms, dragging her from the cell. I scrambled to my feet, reaching out to grab her, but the guards pushed me back.

"No!" I cried, lunging forward. But it was too late. The guards pulled her from the cell, slamming the door shut behind them.

For what felt like an eternity, I stood there, frozen in the darkness of the cell, the last words of aunt Fatima kept ringing in my ears. I knew what I had to do.

I began to search the cell, desperate for any clue, any sign that might lead me to the Orraptis.

It was then that I noticed something glinting in the candlelight. A small, metallic object hidden in the cracks of the cell floor. I dropped to my knees, retrieving the object and holding it up to the candlelight. It was a key.

With trembling fingers, I grasped the key and studied it, turning it over in my hands. It was ancient, its metal was tarnished with age, but still strong. It seemed to radiate a faint warmth, as if it were alive.

I stood, was this the key to the Orraptis? Had she known it was hidden in the cell all along?

I didn't have time to think any further. A distant sound flowed through the dungeons, growing louder with each passing moment. It was the sound of footsteps, many footsteps, drawing closer to my cell.

I quickly shoved the key into a fold in my clothing, hoping to conceal it. The footsteps drew nearer, the clink of armor and jingle of weapons soured through.

The cell door swung open once more, I held my breath, not sure what to expect. To my horror, a squad of heavily armored guards appeared, escorting two disheveled and battered figures.

My heart dropped when I recognized them as my parents.

"Sarina," my mother called, "Forgive us. We were tortured. We betrayed you."

But before I could react, the leader of the squad stepped forward, a grim smile spreaded across his scarred face.

"Sarina," he announced, "You will join your family in the afterlife, but first..." His voice trailed off as he reached into the folds of his cloak, producing a severed head by the hair. "You shall see the fate of your treacherous aunt."

I cried out in horror as I recognized the face of aunt Fatima, her eyes were still open in death and her neck was dripping with blood.

Malicious laughters accompanied his so-called speech, right there, I declared to bring pain to whoever hurts my family.

I awoke, feeling overpowered by something, cold iron gauntlets crushing my arms while I was being dragged through the corridors. My vision was blurry, and I was feeling faint.

"Bring her to the sultan," the guard hissed, his fingers digged into my skin like talons.

I was tossed into a throne room, where sultan Ibrahim sat, his eyes were filled with terror.

While lying on the cold, dark floor, I gazed up at him with a fierce determination burning within me.

His eyes gleamed with malicious intent as he speaks in a low, hypnotic tone. "Sarina, you have a choice to make. You can either comply with my wishes, or suffer the consequences. I'm willing to offer you a... comfortable existence, if you swear fealty to me."

"I'll never comply with you, sultan! You're a monster! A zelut who's betrayed his own kind. I know what you are, and I'll never bow to you." I yelled, my response was immediate and venomous.

His expression twists into a snarl, and he takes a step closer, "Foolish girl," he hisses. "You don't know what you're talking about. I am the one who will bring order to this world, no matter the cost. And you... you will help me."

My eyes flashed with defiance, how could he evade being a zelut? I spat at his feet. "I'll never be your pawn,"

"I'll fight you with every breath in my body, and I'll make sure you pay for what you've done." I added.

His face immediately darkened, and he raised his hand to strike me. But just as he was about to deliver the blow, a voice rang out from nowhere.

"My lord, stop!" He declared, he was just one of the soldiers.

He approached the sultan and whispered in his ears. "I bring you important matter of state to attend to, you mustn't make the mistake of hitting a random girl in front of your subjects."

"How very wise of you Hakeem, keep her under your watch." The sultan replied.

"My lord," Hakeem continued. "This man stole from the palace..."

"I was hungry," The man interrupted. "I didn't have any other choice, despite working so hard for the sultan, I have only little to feed my family."

"Silence!" Hakeem commanded, "Only the sultan can pass judgement."

"See to it that his hands are cut off.." The sultan commanded.

"No, please!" The man screamed, "I can't provide for my family without my hands.."

With a cruel sneer, the sultan ordered the guards to grab him. He was thrashed and fought, but it was no use, they overpowered him.

"Now bring the girl to me." He demanded.

I was dragged and muscled to his feet.

"We're back where we started, my dear."

"All of you worthless maggots!" I sneered, "You're not working for the sultan, you're working for a god. A zelut, a ferocious coward!"

"He is on a mission to wipe out the entire creations of his peers, he doesn't age, you're being misguided." I added.

"We know!" Hakeem replied, "We're Zerunjok's army. Do you really think we're all humans?"

"Sarina, you must know that I'm on your side," Zerunjok smiled. "Everything my brother did, I have expanded it. He left his creations to perish and ran away, I was the one who corrected his mistakes. All I want, is for you to marry my son, Khalid."

"That fleeting dream of yours will come to an end when you die by my hands." I exclaimed, my lungs were heavy with revenge.

"You're not a violent person, Sarina. You and my boy have the most distinct magical abilities according to the prophecy. You must mate, and bear a child, a child who would do great things."

"Prophecy?" I snapped, "A prophecy you created on your own. And if we bear this child, what would you do with it?"

"That's none of your concern, give me a grandson and you can go back to your normal life."

Every fiber of my being screamed to resist, but my mind kept racing with questions. If the sultan, or Zerunjok, the powerful god as he called himself, was indeed on a mission to expand his brother's creations, then what could a child between me and Khalid accomplish? And what would happen to the child once it was born?

"Can't you see I'm on your side?" He added, "Look, Sarina. It's your duty to bear this child, he alone can wield the Orraptis and destroy the source pillar completely, that way, I will be the only distinct zelut in the entire world. And with that power, I could grant your wish of making you human. Then you go back, to being a regular person."

As I pondered these questions, a chilling thought struck me, Zerunjok's desperation for an heir could only mean one thing. He knew that his time was running out.