Satisfied that more innocent lives had been saved, Shi-ria took Chiyoko back with her to Mystic’s home in Aryavarta. Given Chiyoko’s volatile emotional state, Shi-ria felt it was best to bring her back to Mystic to help her deal with these feelings. Using a simple magic ring that Mystic gave her, Shi-ria teleported herself and Chiyoko back to Mystic’s home in Aryavarta. While it was already after midnight in Teikoku City, sunset was only an hour ago in Aryavarta. Thus, both Shi-ria and Chiyoko returned just as the last orange haze of the evening twilight began fading into the western skies over the mountains in the distance. Shi-ria felt a sense of serenity as she watched the colours fade from the evening sky. Unfortunately, she also felt something else: the opposite of serenity coming from Chiyoko. She was still reeling from the earlier battle. Shi-ria could sense her inner turmoil.
“Chiyoko…” she began. She was about to suggest they talk to Mystic to help her calm herself down and focus her mind and emotions, but Chiyoko was too angry to listen.
“I should have never made that promise to you!” Chiyoko abruptly cut her off. “It was a mistake for me not to use the power of the Koldar!”
Shi-ria calmly gazed into Chiyoko’s eyes, “No, it wasn’t.”
“I could have ended things right then and there!” Chiyoko snapped.
“We did put an end to their criminal operation,” Shi-ria reminded her apprentice. “We stopped those criminals. They’re now in police custody, and the girls have been rescued. Is that not sufficient?”
“Do you really think they’ve learned their lesson?” Chiyoko asked, growing angrier. “What’s to stop them from doing the same thing again once they get out of prison?”
“That won’t be for a very long time,” Shi-ria pointed out.
“But it still could happen!” Chiyoko protested. “If I had used my powers to disintegrate them, they’d never be able to hurt anyone again!”
“However, you would gain the power to hurt people,” Shi-ria countered, “and you would hurt them again and again. Don’t you see, Chiyoko? It’s not about those criminals; it’s about you. If you take the quick and easy path and continue to surrender to fear and anger, you’ll end up a Koldar Warrior. Just like in that possible future I foresaw. The future Scarlet Knightwalker is so desperate to prevent. Remember what I told you about the Koldar Warriors? If you follow their path, you’ll be no different and no better than those criminals we’ve just defeated. You won’t care about helping others. All that will matter to you is using your power for your own selfish gain. You’ll end up hurting the very people you claim to care about. Remember what you accidentally did to Shinjo? What if next time, it’s not an accident? What if next time, you do it on purpose?”
Chiyoko just stood there, silently fuming. “YOU’RE JUST JEALOUS OF ME!” Chiyoko hollered, no longer holding back all her pent-up fury. “YOU’RE HOLDING ME BACK BECAUSE YOU’RE AFRAID THAT I MIGHT SURPASS YOU ONE DAY! THAT’S YOUR PROBLEM. YOU DON’T WANT ME TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM BECAUSE I FIGURED OUT A SOLUTION YOU DIDN’T!” As Chiyoko continued her enraged verbal assault, she also began an unintentional physical, psychic assault on Shi-ria as well. Although Chiyoko wasn’t consciously aware of it, she was once again tapping into the dark energy of the Koldar, just like she had done with Dead-Eye earlier. Chiyoko, in her fury, imagined unleashing the same power on Shiria. Chiyoko imagined herself using that same power to break down every cell, every molecule, every atom in Shi-ria’s body. In her rage, Chiyoko imagined tearing Shi-ria apart cell by cell, atom by atom. The difference was that Shi-ria had the power to prevent this. This was one of the first abilities that the Taman Knight learned when they began as an apprentice: how to use their powers to block others, like a Koldar Warrior or a dark mage, from using their powers on them. Shi-ria never forgot how to use that power. However, in this instance, she chose not to use it. Thus, even as Shi-ria could feel Chiyoko’s raw, unchecked power assaulting her cellular structure, and even as the Taman set off alarms inside her, Shi-ria offered no resistance. Shi-ria gritted her teeth and groaned, doubling over in pain. Yet, despite the agony she felt inside of her, she still offered no resistance. Collapsing on the floor, Shi-ria mustered what strength she had and lifted her head. Gazing up into Chiyoko’s eyes, she saw a burning fire of rage, anger, and hatred, but she also saw something else emerging: fear and horror. It suddenly dawned on Chiyoko what she was doing.
Chiyoko, in turn, saw her teacher, the very woman who saved her life, who offered her the chance for something better than the life of a petty criminal, slowly and painfully wasting away right before her eyes. Suddenly, the burning fury she felt within her was quickly snuffed out and replaced with the icy hand of fear and shame over what she was doing. She was responsible for Shi-ria being in the vulnerable state she was in right now. It was just as Shi-ria had predicted; Chiyoko was using her new-found powers to get revenge against someone she believed had wronged her, and for that brief, terrifying moment, she didn’t care how her actions hurt the woman trying to save her life. Fortunately for Chiyoko, this shocking revelation freed her from the dark, seductive grasp of the power of the Koldar. No longer drawing on its dark power to lash out against Shi-ria, Chiyoko gasped in horror as her mentor collapsed unconscious on the floor.
“SHI-RIA!” Chiyoko shouted. Terrified by what she had done, she dropped to her knees and cradled Shi-ria in her arms. Overcome by shame and guilt of her actions, Chiyoko held Shiria close while silently weeping. “I’m sorry!” she whispered. “Please, don’t die!”
Mystic and Noonien rushed into the room, having sensed what happened. They looked at each other and communicated telepathically. Using his magic, Noonien gently lifted Shi-ria up and levitated her onto her bed. Meanwhile, Mystic kneeled next to Chiyoko. Sensing her thoughts, the turmoil of emotions swirling around inside her, she gently took hold of Chiyoko. Chiyoko, in turn, buried her face in Mystic’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry!” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it!”
Mystic gently hugged her, placing her hand on the back of Chiyoko’s head. She sent waves of calm, soothing energy into Chiyoko’s mind using her telepathy. It’s alright, Mystical mentally told her. Shi-ria will be alright.
Mystical Force Vol. 6: The Enemy Within. Coming soon…
You’ve all heard the term ‘Mystical Force’, but what exactly does it mean?
“All beings radiate a life force, but some have an additional ‘Mystical Force’. Mystical Forces are divided into three main categories: Magical Essence, Demonic Aura and Spiritual Powers. Though on the surface these powers seem identical and indistinguishable there are subtle differences between them.
Magical Essence:
Is the generic term for beings with magic powers (called mages), regardless of what type of magic it is. The characters of Mystic and Noonien are two examples of characters with Magical Essence as their Mystical Force. Magic powers may be hereditary, natural to the species/race or from other/artificial means (magic potions, objects, and so on) Depending on the exact nature of the powers it may be necessary to recite incantations to engage specific spells. However, if one is powerful enough in their magic skills, they need only to think of the desired effect to make it happen, such as Mystic or Noonien simply casting a spell with a wave of their hand, rather than performing an elaborate ritual, or even saying a specific magic phrase for different actions to be taken.
Demonic Aura:
The generic term used to describe the powers demons have. Demonic Aura, like Magical Essence, can be natural to the race/species but is also hereditary and is passed down from one or more of the parents. Thus a human with a demon for an ancestor can inherit Demonic Aura via it being passed down through the generations, though in that case their Demonic Aura is generally weaker and may even not be noticeable (the individual may not even be aware that they have it). Unlike magic, the powers of Demonic Aura are less direct. Demons generally use their powers to enhance their abilities (strength, speed, stamina, healing). In some cases it may allow the user to change their appearance and or form (gaining claws/wings and so on) Any other powers/abilities their Demonic Aura gives them are more general in nature and unlike Magical Essence they don’t require spells or incantations to work. Tokijin is an example of a character with Demonic Aura as his Mystical Force. Despite the name, individuals with Demonic Aura don’t get their powers from the Devil, as the Order of the Cross claims, it would be more accurate to describe their abilities as natural traits of their race/species. Demons are simply another species living on Earth. Despite their appearance and abilities, they’re not much different than humans. Like humans, some are kind and compassionate, some are malevolent and hostile and most simply want to live normal lives. It is simple prejudice for being different from humans that makes people fear and hate them.
Spiritual Powers:
Is the generic term used to describe the third main type of Mystical Force. Characters like Shi-ria, Sister Rose and the other members of the Order of the Cross are examples of characters with Spiritual Powers as their Mystical Force. Spiritual Powers are more vague than the other two and are the most difficult to achieve. Unlike Magical Essence or Demonic Aura, Spiritual Powers take years of training and discipline to master. Most people who have these powers usually have strong spiritual/religious beliefs. They also tend to be monks or nuns (though this isn’t necessarily a requirement) and they tend to live simplistic non-materialistic lives in order to strengthen their spiritual beliefs and powers. Like Demonic Aura, Spiritual Powers are used to enhance one’s abilities (strength, speed, stamina, healing) as well as providing a form of ESP (such as visions of the future, a warning or ‘feeling’ of danger and so on). Some (like Shi-ria) believe that these powers lie dormant in everyone and with proper training and practice, anyone can learn to harness these powers. Others (like the Order of the Cross) believe this power only appears in certain people chosen by God and by extension, those who aren’t ‘chosen’ by God who have similar powers must have gotten them from the devil. While Spiritual Powers are developed through training, the time it takes one to develop such powers and their skill level may vary based on the individuals. Some have to train long and hard to master Spiritual Powers while others are just naturally gifted.
It should also be noted that these three categories are not mutually exclusive. For example, if a mage and a demon were to conceive and child then that child could theoretically have both Magical Essence and Demonic Aura. So which would choose? What’s your Mystical Force?
Chiyoko felt her insides churning. She was overcome with sadness, hurt, anger, and betrayal. Even though she should have known this, remembering what Akuma told her earlier, It’s everyone for themselves. If ya git caught, it’s ya own fault for not being fast or strong enough. Deep down, she knew this would have happened but somehow hoped she’d be wrong. She couldn’t help but feel foolish for thinking otherwise. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t have the luxury of worrying about that now, for another feeling was smothering all others; the icy hand of fear and its cold grip on her heart. Just like her family, she had been abandoned by uncaring people. She was left all alone to fend for herself. At least, that’s what she thought.
“LEAVE HER ALONE!” a familiar female voice shouted. Everyone turned to face the door where the survivors had escaped just a few minutes ago. Now another person was standing at the door. It was Shi-ria.
The leader of the cult members turned to face her. He could sense Shi-ria’s powers. “You’re the one the prophecy spoke of,” he deduced. “The one who is not of this world.”
Thanks to her Taman senses, she realized this strange cult was tied into the prophecy about her seeking out the true light within the darkness. “I assume you’re familiar with the prophecy then.”
The cult leader nodded, “‘The descendant of the darkness will cause the shadows to rise, and darkness will envelop the world. Then the one who is not of this world will seek out the true light within the darkness, and the shadows will open the gates to the netherworld,’” he recited. “You intend to stop the Kage Dai Yokai from cleansing this world of the human filth that defiles it. We cannot allow that.”
“What is this Kage Dai Yokai?” Shi-ria asked. She recalled Tokijin once telling her it meant Great Shadow Spectre, but beyond that, she knew very little of it.
“The one who will destroy all humans on this planet so that it may be reborn,” the cult leader explained.
“Why does this Kage Dai Yokai wish to do that?” she asked.
“Because humans are nothing more than ignorant, violent, primitive savages. It was their inner darkness that gave birth to the Kage Dai Yokai in the first place,” he continued. “Hundreds of years ago, in the feudal era, various feudal lords fought each other for control over this land. Hundreds of people fell in battle. The souls of all the dead formed a creature from the darkness of the human heart—the Kage Dai Yokai. He seeks to destroy all humans because that is what humanity seeks—to destroy, maim, and kill. Look at the state of the world: war, poverty, discrimination, crime, disease, famine, climate change, and no one cares. Humans look upon the suffering of others and the destruction they bring upon the planet, and their only thought is, ‘how can I profit from this?’ They willingly destroy their world because the accumulation of currency is more important to them. There is only one true pandemic that is ravaging the world; a disease called the human race! Humans are a cancer infecting this land! A plague to be wiped out!”
Shi-ria was tempted to point out that not all humans were like this; many were trying to save the planet and help solve the world’s problems. However, she felt her words would fall on deaf ears. But more than that, she noticed one glaring flaw in their beliefs, one she was surprised they failed to realize themselves. “You know that since all of you are humans, that means that if your mission succeeds and the Kage Dai Yokai is resurrected, you will be eliminated as well. Are you not, as you put it, the very ‘cancerous tumours’ that are also destroying this planet?”
“Those the Kage Dai Yokai deems worthy will survive to build a new world,” the cult leader boasted.
“Somehow, I highly doubt this Kage Dai Yokai will find you worthy,” Shi-ria countered.
“SILENCE!” the cult leader barked. “You will not interfere in our mission!” The cult members drew their daggers and moved toward Shi-ria. Using her Taman alchemy, she conjured up her sword. She dismissed using this same power to disarm her opponents since there were too many of them. To use her Taman alchemy to break down each of their weapons atom by atom would take too long. Besides, having to dodge multiple attacks would make it even harder for her to concentrate. Thus, as they lunged at her, she let the Taman guide her movements instead. She effortlessly dodged their attacks while using her weapon to deflect theirs. Relying on her kudai chenmol, or “air form,” Shi-ria twisted, spun, jumped, and dodged her attackers like air currents. Unaccustomed to this, her attackers grew more desperate. They began swinging their blades wildly, desperately trying to land a blow on her. As they grew more exasperated, their movements became wild and clumsy. Taking advantage of this, Shi-ria switched from defensive to offensive. Using her sword, she swung at them, striking their blades, forearms, and hands, forcing them to drop their weapons. Then she spun and kicked them, knocking them to the ground.
Chiyoko stood there watching with shock. Shi-ria appeared to also have whatever power Chiyoko had that warned her of danger. Not only that, Chiyoko couldn’t believe that Shi-ria managed to conjure up a weapon out of thin air. Now she was effortlessly evading the assault of multiple attackers. Chiyoko recalled having visions of Shi-ria. Could this be another one of her gifts? Was she predestined to meet this strange woman? Something deep down inside Chiyoko kept insisting that Shi-ria’s coming to save her wasn’t just a coincidence. Suddenly, another feeling arose inside her—a warning of danger. Chiyoko had been so focused on Shi-ria’s battle with this strange shadow cult that she forgot that they still wanted to kill her for “polluting” her demonic lineage with “human filth.” Thus, one cult member turned back to her. She lunged her dagger directly at Chiyoko. Fortunately, Chiyoko sidestepped her attacker. Reaching out with her right hand, Chiyoko grabbed this woman’s arm and twisted it, then pushed it back, resulting in the woman stabbing herself just below her right shoulder. Raising her free left hand, Chiyoko punched her in the face. Another cult member, this one male, turned and began slashing at her. Once again, Chiyoko dodged his swings, instinctively knowing where his blade would be and where to move to avoid it. It was the same power Shi-ria had. Chiyoko wasn’t sure how or why she knew this; she just knew it to be true. Thus, with their strange gift, the two women managed to take down these cultists. In the end, some of the cultists had fled, while most were sprawled on the floor. Chiyoko wanted to leave, figuring that the police would arrive soon.
Shi-ria seemed to sense this as well. She turned to Chiyoko, “Come with me.”
“Why?” Chiyoko asked.
“So we can talk.”
“About what?”
“About your future.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then I turn you over to Shinjo, and he arrests you for your crimes.”
Chiyoko looked Shi-ria directly into her eyes, which she found difficult since Shi-ria had two pupils per eye. Having never seen such a thing before, Chiyoko found it unsettling. But what was even more unsettling was the fact that she had a feeling Shi-ria wasn’t joking. Ordinarily, Chiyoko would have run, but something compelled her to stay. Was she afraid that if she tried to run, Shi-ria would catch her? Was she afraid that if she tried to fight off Shi-ria, Shi-ria could take her down? Or was she afraid she might run into more of these cult members and wanted to stick with Shi-ria in hopes that she’d protect her? Actually, the more Chiyoko thought about it, it wasn’t fear that kept her from running, but hope. Deep down inside, she felt that what Shi-ria had to offer was something better than a lighter prison sentence. Chiyoko couldn’t explain it, but she felt that meeting Shi-ria would set her life on a new path. Where that path led, she had no idea, but she was more than curious to find out.
(Originally posted August 1st 2022) I present to you a brief excerpt from volume one of my newest series, Liberator: the People’s Guard, which should be out shortly. Enjoy!
Inside the plane, the Premier and his aides were sitting down and going over their itinerary for their visit. Two armed guards stood at the front of the plane. As far as anyone knew, they were simply there for security. The truth, however, was that these two and the pilot were actually members of the Nihilist movement. Their goal was to kidnap the Premier, take him to a remote location, and hold him hostage until the government of Ruthenia agreed to their demands. One of the aides noticed both guards were carrying AK-15 assault rifles.
“Is that really necessary?” she asked. “It seems a little like overkill.”
“After what happened at the parade, one can never be too careful, ma’am,” the guard replied
nonchalantly.
As if to prove their point, they were distracted by the sound of banging coming from directly beneath the floor. The guards turned and looked at each other. Neither of them knew what exactly it was, but they had a feeling someone had discovered their plan. Reacting on instinct, they decided to spring into action.
“A stowaway!” one shouted.
“Probably another terrorist,” the other one lied. Both guards figured it was a government agent who learned of their plan and snuck on board, trying to stop them. The guards looked at each other and nodded. They decided their best course of action was simply shoot to kill. “Stay here!” the guard told the Premier and his aides. Before they could check it out, the door to the back of the plane opened and out stepped the Liberator.
The Premier and his aides stood up in shock. “How did you get on board?” the Premier asked.
“I climbed in through the landing gear, into the wheel well,” he replied. “I then forced my way
up, through the floor and into that room back there.
“Why would you do that?” the Premier demanded.
“Because I have reason to believe this plane isn’t going to Helvetica,” he answered. “I overheard some guards talking on the ground, mentioning that the plane would go off course.” He then turned his attention to the two guards. He noticed how nervous they both looked. He could almost hear their hearts racing in their chest. “The guards on the tarmac mentioned that ‘their pilot was onboard.’ You two wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
The Premier and his aides turned toward the two guards. Despite the relatively comfortable
temperature inside the cabin, everyone noticed how the two guards were both sweating profusely.
“Sir,” one of the guards spoke directly to the Premier, “I regret to inform you of this, but we have reason to believe that the Liberator is secretly working with enemy foreign agents. As a result, we’ve been forced to take a different route to deliver you to a more secure location.” This was, of course, a lie. No one had anticipated the Liberator would have caught up to the plane as it was taking off, and they certainly hadn’t figured on him making it into the plane. While there had been many reported incidents of people stowing away on planes by hiding in the wheel well, the lack of oxygen, coupled with low air pressure and temperature, meant most people who attempted such a feat didn’t survive, even assuming they weren’t simply crushed to death when the landing gear retracted.
“And why wasn’t I notified of this?” the Premier asked doubtfully.
“It was for your own safety, sir,” the other guard lied. “We couldn’t risk him finding out,” he
nervously gestured toward the Liberator.
“Then why did the soldiers on the ground say they were sending fighter jets to escort it? Just in
case the Premier or his aides managed to regain control?” he demanded.
The guards looked at each other nervously. One of them turned to the Premier. “He’s lying,
sir,” the guard stammered.
“You’re the ones who are lying!” the Liberator shouted as he slowly moved toward them. “Who
are you? Who sent you? Are you part of the group that hacked control of the tanks and made them
attack the Citadel?”
With their cover blown, the guards aimed their guns at the Liberator and opened fire. Like when Petro tested Tovarich by shooting him with the handgun back in the lab, the bullets struck the Liberator straight in the chest, torso, and head, only to bounce right off him. They stopped firing and stared at him with pure dread. Even Tovarich was slightly surprised by this. Unlike Petro’s “test,” these were full automatic AK-15 assault rifles, much more powerful than a simple revolver.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, Tovarich thought. After all, I was crushed by a tank only a few days ago, yet I’m still alive. Compared to that, being shot by AK-15s is nothing. He moved toward the Nihilists. Not knowing what to do, they simply aimed their guns at him and opened fire again. It was a futile attempt, but then again, they probably weren’t expecting this, so they didn’t exactly have many options. However, the Liberator wasn’t concerned about himself; he was worried about the Premier. If they continued firing, there was a possibility some of the bullets might ricochet off him and strike the Premiere or puncture holes in the cabin. Fortunately, the Premier and his aides took cover behind some chairs. Thus, the Nihilists continued firing until they exhausted all their ammo. Panicking and acting out of desperation, one of the Nihilists swung his rifle at the Liberator like a bat, hoping that he could bludgeon him to death. This time, Liberator willingly did nothing. He was now confident that he was in no danger. Thus, the rifle struck him in the side of his head, only to break upon impact. The Nihilist just stood there paralyzed with fear. The Liberator stood there, giving him a cold, hard stare, allowing his opponent a moment to realize that it was truly futile. The other Nihilist, either bravely or foolishly, pulled out a survival egress knife, the kind used by military personnel if they needed to escape a downed aircraft and survive in the wilderness. He charged the Liberator, trying in vain to slash and stab him with it. Like before, Liberator did nothing. He wanted to show his opponent that it was futile. Thus, he slashed at the Liberator’s throat, but the blade did nothing, not even scratch his skin. Next, he tried to stab him in the chest. However, the blade simply broke upon impact. Raising his right arm, the
Liberator delivered a backhand slap to the man’s face. The man flew backwards, slamming into the far wall of the cabin, before collapsing dead on the floor. However, the Liberator wasn’t sure if the impact of his hand or his head hitting the cabin wall delivered the killing blow. Not that it mattered to the Liberator, this man was an enemy of the people, so he got what he deserved as far as Tovarich was concerned.
The Liberator turned his attention to the other Nihilist who had tried to bludgeon him with the assault rifle. Realizing how truly screwed he was, he fell to his knees, “Please, don’t kill me!” he begged. “Have mercy!”
“Enemies of the people don’t deserve mercy,” the Liberator coldly reminded him, quoting a
phrase that had been drilled into the heads of Ruthenians all their lives. With his genetically enhanced reflexes, he grabbed the man by his neck and snapped it like a twig with little effort. Turning his attention back to the Premier, who peeked out from behind his chair, the Liberator asked, “Are you all right, sir?”
The Premier nodded uneasily.
“Stay here,” the Liberator instructed before heading to the cockpit. The Liberator entered the cockpit. Grabbing the pilot by his right arm, the Liberator yanked him out of his chair. “Turn this plane around and land right now!” he barked.
The pilot just grinned smugly, “Or what? You’ll kill me? If I land the plane, I’ll be arrested, and
then they’ll sentence me to death anyway. Besides, even if you do kill me, there would be no one left
to fly the plane, so your threat is meaningless!”
The Liberator glared at him. The man was right. If he did comply and land the plane, he’d be arrested and given a show trial where a guilty verdict would already be rendered before the trial even began. “So what you’re saying is I should just kill you right here and now?” he threatened.
“Look out the window,” the pilot motioned. The Liberator turned his head to see two fighter
jets, one on either side, flanking the plane.
“You’ve hijacked this plane; you obviously want the Premier alive,” the Liberator deduced. “Tell those pilots to stand down. If they open fire, you’ll kill your hostage.”
“What makes you think that wasn’t part of our plan?” the pilot bluffed.
“Why go to all this trouble just to kill him?” the Liberator figured. “There are many easier ways you could have finished off the Premier. Why go to all this trouble if you just wanted him dead?”
“You’re right,” the pilot admitted, “we hoped to take him alive and force him to submit to our
demands. But since that’s obviously no longer an option, we might as well just shoot the plane down.”
“If they shoot down the plane, you die too,” the Liberator argued. He had hoped that might compel the pilot to cooperate.
The pilot just shrugged, “I’m dead either way. And soon, you’ll be too!”
“Will I? A tank at the parade ran me over, and I survived without even a scratch,” the Liberator
replied. After having survived that, he was certain that he’d survive being shot down by another plane.
“Can the Premier also make that claim?” the pilot asked.
The Liberator silently cursed as he released his grip on the pilot. He had hoped that fear would cause the pilot to forget about the Premier. The more the Liberator thought it over, there was only one way to end this.
Meanwhile, the pilot turned and grabbed the cockpit radio. He contacted the fighter jets following him, “The Liberator IS HERE! OPEN FIRE!”
Today I am pleased to announce a new book series I will be working on in addition to Mystical Force. This new series also takes place in the same universe as Mystical Force, thus allowing for potential crossovers. And so I am proud to announce my new series, “Liberator: the People’s Guard”.
Before I begin, let me just state, that Mystical Force has not be cancelled, abandoned, postponed indefinitely or anything like that. I am currently writing volume 5 of Mystical Force right now. Going forward I’ll be working on both series simultaneously. Thus my series will be alternating between “Liberator” and “Mystical Force”. I’ll release the next volume of one series, followed by the next volume of the other series. In other words, Liberator volume 1, followed by Mystical Force volume 5, Liberator volume 2, Mystical Force volume 6 and so on.
Now with that out of the way, what exactly is this series you ask? The Liberator is the official state-sponsored hero of the Democratic People’s Republic of Ruthenia. Now what is an ‘official state-sponsored hero’ you ask? When most people think of superheroes we think of the masked/costumed vigilantes seen in comic books. Either people with super powers, or rich people with all sorts of high tech equipment that go around in costumes, arresting bad guys and stopping crime. Most of these heroes are vigilantes who operate outside the law. My character of Shi-ria in Mystical Force is an example of this as she acts on her own without any authorization from the law. The ‘state-sponsored hero’ is the government’s response to prevent such vigilantes from taking the law into their own hands. Think of the state-sponsored hero as the superhero equivalent of a police officer. Their costume, secret identity and other gadgets are all supplied by the state, they receive their funding from the government via our tax dollars, the same as any other government department or ministry would.
The state-sponsored hero is, in a way, not to different from the Order of the Cross in Mystical Force. The only difference is that the Order of the Cross is run and funded by the Catholic Church while a state-sponsored hero is run and funded by the government of their respective country. The only real difference is that a state-sponsored hero only has jurisdiction within their own country and has no authority outside of it. For example: imagine Washington state police pursuing a criminal. Said criminal crosses the border into British Columbia, Canada. The Washington state troopers have no jurisdiction in another state or province, let alone another country. Similarly, if a criminal were to flee Ruthenia and make their way to Oyashima, for example, a hero like The Liberator wouldn’t legally be able to follow said criminal into Oyashima, arrest them and bring them back to Ruthenia. In this respect, a state-sponsored hero isn’t much different from the exorcists in the Order of the Cross. Since the Order of the Cross is a branch of the Catholic Church, and doesn’t answer to any specific nation, they technically have no official authorization to operate in countries such as Oyashima or the Democratic People’s Republic of Ruthenia.
Now as for the series itself: Ever since he was a small child growing up in the Democratic People’s Republic of Ruthenia, Tovarich Revanov was always taught about the “enemies of the people” and that “enemies” don’t deserve compassion or mercy. Now as an adult he’s going to put that to the test. Chosen to be “the Liberator” he’s the state’s newest “official state-sponsored hero”. Here to protect the workers of Ruthenia from the “enemies of the people”. Unfortunately in a totalitarian dictatorship “enemies of the people” can be anyone from terrorists plotting to blow up buildings, to peaceful demonstrators protesting their government’s poor human rights record. Is the Liberator a hero or is he the villain? Join Tovarich in this exciting new series, as he discovers for himself what it truly means to be a hero. The only real questions are: Will his definition of “hero” be compatible with that of the state? Will he be able to “liberate” himself from the dogmatic, state propaganda that’s been drilled into his head since he was a child? Or will he need to “guard” the people from their own government?
All these questions and more will be answered in my new series, Liberator: the People’s Guard, which should be out by fall. As always, you can check back here for more details. In addition to my website, you can also follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. Don’t forget, if you’ve already bought copies of my books; do me a favour and give it a good review on Amazon, Google and/or wherever you bought it. And if you haven’t bought your copies yet, what are you waiting for? Do it now! I need the money!!!
Shi-ria is a Taman Knight who was born and raised on the planet Thalia. As a young child she was orphaned and found living on the streets of the city of Kalshiya, in the Dekanta province with her adopted brother and sister Rirk and Kurai. As children, the three of them made their living stealing whatever they needed to survive. Thinking only of themselves, they believed the rest of the world didn’t care about them so they saw no need to be concerned with how their actions harmed others. One day they had been caught stealing by a group of merchants who were prepared to take revenge upon them. Fortunately they were saved by a Taman Knight named Kalai-Udon, who sensed within the three of them a strong ability to tune into the Taman. He gave them a choice: remain on the street as thieves where they’d either wind up in jail or dead, or become his apprentices and train to become Taman Knights, an ancient religious order of Thalia. Given the choice, the three picked the later, moved in to the temple of the Taman Knights and began their training.
As an apprentice Shi-ria displayed great skill and strength. However, such skills made her arrogant and caused friction due to her reckless ‘leap before you look’ attitude, which contrasted with Kuria’s more serious, no nonsense approach. Many of the other apprentices gave Shi-ria the nickname “the fearless fool”. As a result of Shi-ria’s irresponsible and immature behaviour Kurai often grew irritated with her, causing the two of them to argue frequently. This often caused Kurai to give in to her anger. It was during one of these arguments that Shi-ria managed to drive her sister into a fit of rage, drawing on the power of the Koldar (her inner darkness), Kurai overpowered Shi-ria and almost killed her, had it not been for the intervention of their master. Following this event, Kurai was abducted by a group of Koldar Warriors (dark counterparts of the Taman Knights) who believed themselves to be ‘real’ Taman Knights, while at the same time believing the legitimate branches of the Taman Knights were a twisted perversion the original teachings of Princess Alderoth, the founder of this religion and the first officially recognized Taman Knight. The Koldar Warriors, thought that negative emotions like anger and hatred made them powerful, while love and compassion weakened them. The Koldar Warriors believed that their twisted views were correct and had tried to turn Kurai into one of them as part of their larger plan to destroy the Taman Knights and create a galaxy spanning theocratic empire where all non believers would either be forcibly converted or destroyed. Fearing that her actions led Kurai to give in to her inner darkness, Shi-ria, like a Koldar Warrior, had given into emotion rather than logic. Rushing off to confront this cult and rescue her sister without a proper plan, Shi-ria found herself alone against scores of armed enemies.
Meanwhile, the Koldar Warriors had been searching for an ancient magic scroll that would have allowed them to instantly teleport anywhere across the galaxy, allowing them to spread their dark religion and destroy all those they deemed unworthy. Originally, they used Shi-ria as a test subject and sent her off to a remote, backwards planet called Earth. There this reckless, foolish Taman apprentice found a teenage girl named Chiyoko and began training her as an apprentice. Thus the sins of the teacher were passed on to the student. Originally Shi-ria would later die only for Chiyoko to later give in to her own inner darkness and become a Koldar Warrior. However a woman named Scarlet Knightwalker would later travel back in time and alter history, ensuring those events would never happen. Thanks to Knightwalker’s intervention, history had been altered and Master Kalai-Udon along with the other Taman Knights discovered what the Koldar Warriors were doing and rescued both Shi-ria and Kurai, while Knightwalker secretly took the magic scroll, thus preventing the Koldar Warriors from creating their dark, theocratic, galaxy spanning empire.
Thanks to Knightwalker’s altering the past, Shi-ria wasn’t sent to Earth and remained on Thalia to complete her training and become a full fledged Taman Knight. This incident is what helped shape Shi-ria into the Taman Knight she is today. It caused her to grow into a more responsible, more rational, more compassionate and selfless person. She quickly excelled becoming the second youngest person to obtain the rank of Taman Knight (Kurai being the youngest by only a few months). It was also thanks to the above mentioned incident that Shi-ria learned not to be so rash and give in to emotion, learning to calm her mind so she could think her way out of any situation. As a result, she has a relaxed, easy going attitude which makes her very friendly and personal. This combined with her spiritual growth allows her to act both as diplomat as well as warrior. Being able to resolve conflict by talking while still being able to defend herself and others when necessary.
Despite Knightwalker altering the past, another sorceress named Zolida is determined to prevent history from being altered any further. Thus she later sent Shi-ria to Earth. Like in the original timeline, Shi-ria would again find this teenage girl named Chiyoko whom she would train as an apprentice. The difference this time was that Shi-ria was older and more mature. Having used her Taman powers to look into the future, she saw the original future Scarlet Knightwalker came from but also saw another possible future; one where she didn’t die and Chiyoko wouldn’t become a Koldar Warrior. Now Shi-ria, along with Scarlet Knightwalker, Mystic and Noonien work to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself, despite Zolida’s attempts to ensure that it does.
For those of you who enjoyed my brief excerpts from volumes 1 through 3 of Mystical Force, I now present myself, doing the exact same thing with volume 4, Many are 1, 1 is 0. And for those of you who didn’t enjoy them… well then why are you here right now? But I digress, presenting a sneak peek at Mystical Force volume 4:
Location: Headquarters of the Order of the Cross, Vatican City, Holy Roman Empire
Panic filled Sister Rose’s heart. Just a short while ago, she had been mysteriously turned into a demon. Her fellow exorcists had been hunting her down, trying to kill her. She managed to flee to Tokijin’s house, where the two tried to contact Mystic. Instead of Mystic responding to their thoughts, they got what seemed to be an automated voicemail speaking directly into their minds. Before they could fully understand what was going on, Sister Rose suddenly found herself back at the Order of the Cross. She had no idea how or why. In fact, she couldn’t make any sense of what was going on. She had no idea 0 was responsible for all of this. All she knew was that she was back in Mother Superior’s office. Right back into the fire.
“SISTER ROSE!” a familiar voice hollered. Rose jumped at the sound. She recognized Mother Superior’s angry bellow. She nervously turned to face her, wondering how she would explain what happened. What Rose saw upon turning around was something she hadn’t anticipated. Instead of finding herself a devil surrounded by nuns and exorcists, she found that all of them were now the same. “You’re late again!” Mother Superior shouted. Rose didn’t respond; she was too stunned for words. While Mother Superior was still wearing her nun’s outfit, her skin was now as red as the devil’s. Her headpiece was gone, exposing her hair. But instead of hair, Mother’s Superior’s scalp was on fire. Yet she acted as if this were perfectly normal, as though the flames themselves were her hair.
Sister Rose looked at her fellow nuns and exorcists—Sisters Simpson, Valentine, and Rodriguez, as well as Brother Michael. Sister Simpson’s skin was also as red as the devil himself. She had two red horns protruding from her forehead, a long red tail with a pointed tip sticking out of her lower back, and her brown leather boots were gone, exposing her bare feet, which now looked more like goat hooves. Turning to Sister Valentine, her skin was now light brown and scaly like a lizard. Even her face bore subtle reptilian features, right down to having a narrow snake-like tongue. The whites of her eyes were now solid black, her eye colour was a bright purple, and her eyebrows appeared to be a small band of matching purple flames. Turning to Sister Rodriguez, her skin was now solid white and looked as if it were made of stone. Her once black hair was now bright blue and looked like crystals growing out of her rocky skin. Rose looked at Brother Michael. Physically, he still looked human with his short black hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. He still wore his uniform typical of the male members of the Order—a black shirt with a white collar, not unlike a priest underneath a blue jacket with matching blue trousers and polished black boots. Around his neck were two necklaces—one was a small silver cross, the other composed of brown rosary beads. The only difference was he appeared to be wearing a grey wizard hat on his head. Rose looked down at his hands; they were glowing green while a stack of papers, no doubt some official report encased in a similar glowing green energy field, hovered in front of him while he was reading them. It was as though he were using some magic spell to hold them in place. He looked up from his papers to see Sister Rose staring at him with shock. “Is something wrong, Sister Rose?” he asked.
Rose just stood there, staring at him. She didn’t sense any spiritual powers coming from him. Instead, Brother Michael radiated magical essence. “You’re a warlock!” she gasped.
Brother Michael scowled at her, “Well, duh!”
She then turned back to Mother Superior and the three nuns. Just as with Brother Michael, she didn’t sense any spiritual powers coming from them either. They all radiated demonic auras. “You’re … demons! You … you’re all … devils!” Rose gasped.
They just stared at her as if she were stating the blatantly obvious. “Of course, we’re devils,” Sister Simpson snorted. “What did you expect us to be? Humans?”
Rose was dumbstruck. Just a short while ago, she had mysteriously turned into a demon and was being hunted by her fellow Order members, but now they were demons and mages. Yet, none of them acted like this was anything unusual. Rose’s startling revelation was met with the same scorn and confusion as though she had just stated that the sun rises in the east. “What exactly is our mission here?” Sister Rose asked cautiously.
“The same it’s always been,” Mother Superior responded with annoyance. “To hunt down and destroy humans for tempting us to sin and leading us down the path to ruin!”
Now, Rose was even more confused. Not only had she, along with the other members of the Order, been turned into devils, now humans were the ones that had to be purified. “Are all the people of the world devils? All demons or mages? Do we still serve God? Is Satan still our enemy?”
“Have you gone completely mad, Sister Rose?” Sister Valentine asked.
Mother Superior stood up; she clearly had enough of this nonsense, “I don’t know what kind of silly games you’re playing, Sister Rose, but we don’t have time for this foolishness! We’ve gotten reports of human activity near Teikoku City.” She turned to Brother Michael, “Continue your report.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Brother Michael waved his hand. Rose could feel him using his magic powers to activate the monitor on the wall directly behind Mother Superior’s desk. “Thanks to my human locator spell, we’ve detected some humans in a residential area just outside of Teikoku City.” Using his newfound magic powers, Brother Michael activated the monitor. On the screen came the image of Aanjay, Jimomaru, Zolida, and 0 at their rural hideout. Rose recognized Aanjay, Jimomaru, and Zolida right away. Aanjay and Zolida’s outward appearance didn’t look any different, but Jimomaru now looked human. All his demonic features—his wings, claws, and facial markings—were all gone. His feet, once bird-like talons, were now ordinary human feet, encased in ordinary human shoes. She looked at the fourth person. She didn’t recognize him. He was Caucasian with blue eyes and short brown hair parted to the left and was wearing charcoal grey trousers and a suit jacket over a light grey dress shirt. Aanjay, Jimomaru, and Zolida all appeared to be yelling at this man.
“YOU’VE TURNED US INTO HUMANS!!!” Aanjay, Jimomaru, and Zolida all shouted at 0.
“Boy, there’s just no pleasing any of you, is there?” 0 lamented. First, he turned Tokijin from a demon into a human; then he turned Sister Rose into a demon, and now he did the same for all the people of Earth. All humans across the planet were now either a demon or a mage. While everyone with a mystical force—magical essence, spiritual powers, or demonic aura—was now an ordinary human. Though neither Aanjay nor Zolida’s outward appearance changed, both could feel it deep inside. The magical essence that once burned brightly in their very core was now gone, as though 0 reached inside their very souls and snuffed it out. Zolida tried desperately to cast a spell, any spell, just to prove that she still had some lingering trace of magic within her. Instead, nothing happened. That was when a horrible realization washed over her; 0 had been playing her all along. She thought for sure that she could control 0 with the magic scroll. Now she realized that 0 had been playing her for a fool. He had been lying to her, manipulating her all along. While her overinflated ego couldn’t bring itself to accept this fact, she couldn’t deny the fact that her magic was now gone, and she was completely powerless. She gazed at 0 with a look of pure dread. 0 simply grinned smugly back at her. “Did you really think a puny little insect like you could control a being like me?”
Soon, another dreadful thought entered Zolida’s head; 0 must have been lying when he insisted he was “imprisoned” in the other dimension, just like he was lying when he said he couldn’t initially do what they asked because his time there weakened him. So, what else has he been lying about? The more Zolida thought about it, the more she realized that she actually knew very little about 0. She knew that his species were called “the 1” and lived in another dimension. She knew they existed beyond a physical form; they were more like pure consciousness, limitless in their abilities. Could it be that 0 had been manipulating her from the very beginning? If he were truly god-like, then there was theoretically nothing he couldn’t do. Perhaps it was even possible that the scroll she had stolen, the spell on it, the belief that she could use it to send him back if he caused too much trouble, was all a game 0 was playing. Did he create the scroll himself? Could he have planted all that information into her mind? Was all of this just some game for 0’s amusement? Was she, like everyone else, just a pawn in whatever game he was playing?
“You wanted to show humans how demons and mages were superior; now they can find out for themselves,” 0 explained. “In fact, the Order of the Cross is doing so right now.” With the snap of his fingers, 0 used his powers to switch the image in Zolida’s portal to show Mother Superior’s office. Aanjay, Jimomaru, and Zolida saw Mother Superior, Brother Michael, and the nuns from earlier. Just as they had been turned into humans, the Order members were now all mages and demons. The Order members stood there staring directly at them, as though the portal was a two-way mirror, which, thanks to 0, it now was.
Back in Mother Superior’s office, the image from the other side of the portal was displayed on the monitor located directly behind her desk. They watched in surprise as the “humans” stood there, staring directly at them.
“Brother Michael, did your spell turn my monitor into a two-way mirror?” Mother Superior asked.
“No, Mother Superior,” Brother Michael protested. “They shouldn’t even know we’re watching them.”
On the other side of the portal, Zolida turned to 0, “Wait a minute, they can see us?”
“Indeed they can.” 0 grinned before turning to address the members of the Order, “Hello bozos!” he beamed as he waved.
Mother Superior and the others stared in confusion at the monitor.
“Are you sure you got the spell right, Brother Michael?” Sister Simpson asked.
“I’ve been practising magic for years,” Brother Michael huffed indignantly. Thanks to 0’s power, Brother Michael now believed that he had been a warlock his entire life. As far as he knew, he always had magic powers. “I know my spells!”
“Then how come they can see us too?” Sister Simpson demanded.
“And hear you too, Sister Simpleton,” 0 laughed.
Mother Superior’s jaw dropped, “How is this possible?”
“Oh, that’s easy,” 0 explained. Suddenly, a flash of bright light filled both the screen and the office. When it faded, the image on the monitor was just an empty room, while 0, Aanjay, Jimomaru, and Zolida were now in Mother Superior’s office.
“You … what … how did … you … ” Mother Superior stammered. She was too shocked to think what to say.
“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is 0; I’m an omnipotent being from another dimension. I have complete mastery over space, time, matter, and energy. In other words, I’m God.”
“You’re not God!” Sister Rose barked.
“Blasphemy,” 0 replied, faking being insulted. “You’re lucky I don’t smite you right now. Is it the suit? Would you expect a god to appear more ‘divine?’” 0 turned back into his form of pink goo before reshaping himself into the typical Christian image of God. He now wore long white robes with leather sandals over bare feet and had long white hair with a matching beard. “Is this more to your liking? Or maybe … ” 0 then morphed again, going back to his previous look of short brown hair, but this time, his outfit resembled that of the Pope. “Presenting his royal pope-ness, Pope 0 the first.”
Mother Superior and the others gasped in horror.
“Too confusing? Perhaps something more … uniform,” he looked over at Brother Michael, “I do like your tailor.” Once again, 0 morphed his appearance. Now, his outfit matched Brother Michael and all the male members of the Order of the Cross. “Ta-da!” he gestured toward Brother Michael. “Made in God’s own image, right?”
Watching 0’s antics, Rose put two and two together and figured that he must be responsible for Tokijin turning into a human, then her and everyone else being turned into devils. “Are you the one who turned us all into demons?”
“Yes, but I had a very good reason for doing so.”
“And that is … ?”
“I was bored.”
Rose felt immense fury building up inside her. “You turned me into a monster, had my fellow exorcists try and kill me, then turned them into devils while turning demons into humans because YOU WERE BORED?”
“And you’ve put on quite the entertaining show!” 0 laughed.
I hope you enjoyed this brief preview of Mystical Force volume 4. Coming soon. Don’t forget to like, share and more importantly by a copy of the book. Please buy a copy, maybe several. I need the money!
Aanjay is an antagonist from Mystical Force. Her first appearance was in volume 2: Angels and Demons. Aanjay is a sorceress who was once engaged to Noonien before he met and later married Mystic.
Like Mystic and Noonien, Aanjay was born in the country of Aryavarta with magical essence as her mystical force. When she and Noonien were small children their parents arranged for them to be married. However, shortly afterwards the people of her village discovered her family had magic powers. Due to prejudice against their sorcery, the people of Aanjay’s village killed her parents and burned her house down. Aanjay managed to escape and was taken in by Noonien’s family and raised along side of him. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done. Aanjay decided that since ordinary humans feared and hated those with a mystical force, she’d give them a reason to fear and hate her. From that moment on, she vowed to make humanity pay for what they did.
As she grew up into a young woman, she along with Noonien and Mystic, enrolled at the Academy of magic and alchemy, a prestigious school for mages located in the city of Andropolis on the planet Orathos. There Aanjay learned about magic and how to control her powers. Unfortunately, she only thing she was really interested in learning was how to use her powers to get revenge on the humans who killed her parents. As the years went on, that need for vengeance warped her mind to the point that she became no different than those who killed her parents. Like those humans who killed her family because they were different, she feels humans are an inferior, savage subspecies and must be destroyed.
During their time at the Academy, Noonien tried to help Aanjay to get over her hatred. He tried to show her that by plotting to destroy all humans without a mystical force, all she was really doing was giving people more reasons to fear and hate mages. It was during this time that Noonien first met Mystic. She too tried to help Aanjay see that anger and revenge were ultimately self destructive but Aanjay was already too far gone. Due to Aanjay’s growing darkness, Noonien found himself less attracted to her while simultaneously beginning to fall in love with Mystic. Noonien tried to find a way to tell Aanjay that he was going to break off their arranged marriage so he and Mystic could marry instead. Unfortunately, whenever he tried to talk to Aanjay about this, the conversation always ended up turning back to Aanjay’s plans to make humanity pay for what they did to her.
A short while later, Aanjay returned to the village where she grew up and confronted the people who killed her parents. Upon revealing herself to be a sorceress to the village, an angry mobbed formed, preparing to do the same thing to her that happened to her parents years earlier. Unlike her parents, who has no desire the harm their fellow villagers, Aanjay felt no such compassion for them. Thus she murdered the entire population of the village in cold blood.
Upon returning to the Academy, Aanjay was confronted by Mystic and Noonien. They finally decided to tell her about their relationship, unaware that Aanjay had already figured it out. Unable to find the right words, Mystic instead tried to explain telepathically. That was when Mystic and Noonien read Aanjay’s mind and learned about her massacre at the village. Horrified by her actions, they reported this to the Headmaster whom had Aanjay expelled for her crimes. Now a fugitive, Aanjay teams up with a demon named Jimomaru, who like her also holds a grudge against humanity. Together their plans are to ultimately show humans why beings with a mystical force are superior and to hunt down humans the way humans have hunted and persecuted them.
The Koldar Warriors are the evil counterparts of the Taman Knights. Unlike the Taman Knights who use the Kolri (inner light) to control their Koldar (inner darkness), the Koldar Warriors see the Kolri as unnecessary and even a hindrance that prevents them from reaching their full potential. The Koldar Warriors follow the same basic beliefs as the Taman Knights. They believe that the universe is energy which is composed of positive and negative energies (the Kolri and the Koldar). Unlike the Taman Knights, the Koldar Warriors don’t believe that they need the Kolri to control the Koldar. The Taman belief that good and evil exist in all people and in order to maintain balance in life one must use the Kolri (inner light) to control the Koldar (inner darkness) to maintain balance, peace and harmony in themselves and thus the universe is not shared by the Koldar Warriors. They believe that the Kolri weakens them and that using the unrestrained power of the Koldar makes them stronger. For them, power should be used to control and dominate. Those who do not share this view are seen as weak.
Since the Koldar Warriors are dark counterparts of the Taman Knights they have all the same powers as the Taman Knights. Like Taman Knights, their powers and abilities vary depending on the individual. Since they rely on their inner darkness, Koldar Warriors rely on their emotions (such as anger, aggression, hate) for their strength. The angrier or stronger their emotions are the stronger they are, but conversely it’s harder for them to control their powers. They are capable of using all the same powers as Taman Knights but they don’t necessarily use them, especially if they feel they have nothing to gain from it. Likewise Taman Knights are capable of using all the same powers as Koldar Warriors but chose not to because they cause more harm than good.
HISTORY:
The officially recognized origin of the Koldar Warriors began during a period known as “The Dark Times”. Even before the start of “the dark times” divisions were already forming in the Taman Knights. Some felt that using the Kolri to control the Koldar had been keeping the Taman Knights from exploring the full potential of their powers. Like many new religions, the Taman Knights were persecuted in their early days for having different beliefs than the established religions. Due to this persecution and constant attacks the Taman Knights were forced to endure in their early years, many Taman Knights began using the Koldar to strengthen themselves under the belief that it was necessary to protect themselves. A Taman knight called Turai-thol believed the only way to stop these constant attacks was by launching counter attacks at the various hostile groups. He felt the only way for the order to survive was to attack and destroy their enemies first. His growing aggressive behaviour began to cause concern among the Taman Knights. He began to teach others that the Taman Knights were above right and wrong and that they were justified in doing whatever it took to accomplish their goals. Proof of this came after he and a group of students were ambushed by pirates while visiting a small coastal town. After witnessing several of his students killed Turai-thol murdered the pirates in a fit of rage. This was a main factor in the decision of the knights to expel him from the order. When he left he took many other Taman Knights with him. These dark Taman Knights began forming their own code, a twisted perversion of the Taman code, one that stated that the Koldar was the source of true power and that the Kolri was not only unnecessary to control it but also held the Taman Knights back. They used their powers to subdue those who had persecuted them and rule over them. Since they relied solely on the inner darkness of the Koldar they began to call themselves Koldar Warriors. Eventually this term came to refer to any dark Taman Knight.
The First Koldar War:
The Koldar Warriors originally were devoted to destroying their enemies but soon realized that their powers made them superior and thus felt they should rule. They soon began building their own empire by attacking many of the other nations of Thalia. Seeing the threat they now possessed the many of the nations of Thalia (which had originally persecuted the Taman Knights) formed a truce with the Taman Knights to defend them from this growing threat. This was referred to as the First Koldar War. The Koldar Warriors were now their own religion, albeit not officially recognized. Their ultimate goal was the complete destruction of the Taman Knights and the complete conquest of Thalia. Ultimately what proved to be the undoing of the Koldar Warriors was not outside forces, but their own philosophies. Due to their anger, greed and lust for power many of them turned to infighting and constant rivalries broke out as various Koldar Warriors constantly tried to overthrow each other and seize power all for themselves. This allowed the Taman Knights to defeat them, since the Taman Knights were able to unite against their common enemy, while the Koldar Warriors were too busy fighting among themselves.
While the Taman Knights were able to defeat the Koldar Warriors, they realized that as long as the temptation of the Koldar existed, the Koldar Warriors would never truly be destroyed. Thus the Taman Knights set up a strict code (the code of the Alderoth sect) which hid all knowledge of the Koldar for fear that any Taman Knight who learned of this would be tempted by its power.
While official records of the era stated that the Koldar Warriors were destroyed, the truth was that some of them survived and went into hiding, waiting and plotting their return and the destruction of the Taman Knights. They spent the next several hundred years living in secret, plotting their revenge. Since there was no united front or even common plan of action the term Koldar Warrior went from a person belonging to the original organization to any Taman Knight who fell to their inner darkness. As a result little progress was made as the various survivors like, their original order were just as busy trying to undermine each other efforts as much as the Taman Knights.
The Taman Civil War & Rebirth of the Koldar cult:
Hundreds of years later, the great reform movement began when a Taman Master named Kamatra began to publicly question the teachings of the Taman Order. He felt that forbidding knowledge of the Koldar didn’t stop Taman Knights from being corrupted by it but actually made it more appealing. He felt it was better to teach Taman Knights about the Koldar to help them see the destructive power of it and thus help them be able to resist its lure. Despite this the Taman council was still set in their ways. Kamatra felt the Taman Knights were stuck in the past and that their destruction was inevitable if they didn’t learn to change and adapt with the times. His teachings were considered heresy and he was expelled from the order. As a result he relocated to another region of Thalia and started his own branch of Taman Knights, later known as the Kamatra sect (the one Shi-ria belongs to). One that didn’t forbid emotional attachment, nor did they follow the one master/one apprentice model. Another key difference is that they believed all beings had the ability to learn and use the Taman, thus anyone could join as there was no age restriction compared to the Alderoth sect.
When word of this spread, Master Daisho (grand master of the Alderoth sect) claimed these “false” Taman Knights had been corrupted by the Koldar. He claimed they were really Koldar Warriors who just deluded themselves by following a “false prophet”. Using his position as grand master and his influence on the government he started the Taman Civil War in his mission to destroy the Kamatra sect. Eventually followers of the Alderoth sect and the government began to see that in his zeal to destroy these “Koldar Warriors in disguise” he was slowly becoming the very thing he was trying to destroy. He was eventually stripped of his title and expelled from the order. Under direct orders from the government, the two branches of the Taman Knights were officially recognized and made peace through the Treaty of Jungsai. Despite both sects being officially recognized as legitimate branches of the Taman religion and officially being allies there still remained some minor hostility due to their differing ideologies.
When master Daisho was expelled from the Alderoth sect he took many loyal followers. Despite the treaty of Jungsai, he still refused to accept the Kamatra sect. He felt that the Taman Knights were traitors for this treaty and vowed to destroy all those he now viewed as his enemies. Although they originally believed they were true Taman Knights the reality was they had strayed further from the teachings of the Taman Knights and became a cult. Meanwhile the Alderoth sect covered this up to avoid a public scandal. When Shi-ria (then still an apprentice to master Kalai-Udon) along with fellow apprentices Rirk, Kurai and their master were attacked by members of this cult, they spoke to the Alderoth council who dismissed their concerns and accused them of trying to slander the Alderoth sect.
Meanwhile this Koldar cult (currently under the leadership of master Shodo), having learned about Zolida and Scarlet Knightwalker, and their ability to transport anyone anywhere in the galaxy wish to obtain this power for themselves. With such power in their hands it would allow them to instantly transport anywhere in the galaxy, so they could conquer other worlds and destroy any who would stand in their way. All of this and more will be explained in the next exciting tale of Mystical Force: Vol. 3 the Kolri and the Koldar. Coming soon to book stores and online retailers.
For those of you who can’t wait for Volume 3 of Mystical Force (The Kolri and the Koldar), well you don’t need to wait anymore since the book is now available. However, if you haven’t read it yet, here’s an exclusive sneak peek at the book:
Location: Base of the Koldar Warriors, Planet Thalia
The base of the Koldar Warriors was old and run-down. It once belonged to an ancient cult that worshipped nature. Similar to the ancient tribe that taught princess Alderoth. What became of this tribe however, was lost to history. The Koldar Warriors didn’t know and didn’t care. As far as they were concerned, if this tribe no longer existed, it simply meant they were too weak to defend themselves and their home. This was the philosophy of the Koldar Warriors: the strong survive, the weak perish. This particular group of Koldar Warriors had originally been Taman Knights who willingly followed Master Daisho after he had been expelled from the Alderoth branch. Like him, they foolishly believed themselves to be “true” Taman Knights. While Daisho’s original mission had been to destroy the “false” Taman Knights, the Kamatra sect, they had allowed their self-righteous prejudice to expand until they saw all other religions as false and all other people as “infidels” to either be converted to their religion or to be destroyed. This was their new mission: to spread their teachings across the galaxy and to force everyone to convert to their religion, whether they wanted to or not. They wanted to build a galaxy-spanning theocratic empire.
This was how they ended up inadvertently playing a part in both Zolida and Knightwalker’s game. They had learned about the same magic spell Zolida used to send Shi-ria to Earth, and they were planning to use it to spread their teachings across the galaxy. As far as the governments of Thalia and the other worlds of the Galactic Alliance were concerned, the Koldar Warriors were criminals and terrorists. If any of them were discovered on any alien worlds, the authorities would have them arrested on sight. While the Koldar Warriors’ powers gave them an advantage over ordinary species, beings with a mystical force, such as mages, could hold their own against them. If they could gain access to the same magic Zolida used, they would be able to travel instantaneously to any world in the galaxy covertly. And once they were entrenched in said world, it would be very difficult for the authorities to have them removed.
In the original timeline that Scarlet Knightwalker came from, the cult found this spell five years ago. It was around the same time that Kurai had been taken. Having another Taman apprentice from the “false” Taman branch convert to their “true” religion was a pleasant bonus for them. When Shi-ria went to rescue her sister, the Koldar Warriors used Shi-ria as a test subject. They used the spell to send her off to a remote corner of the galaxy, not knowing where she’d end up and not really caring. They never knew she ended up on Earth, trained an apprentice of her own, only to die with Tokijin and Noonien. They never knew about the future that Knightwalker had come from. They never knew because Knightwalker had travelled back in time to prevent this incident from happening. Using the same concealment Zolida used at the police station, coupled with the potion Knightwalker used at the station, she convinced the Taman Knights to follow Shi-ria and rescue Kurai; thus, preventing this cult from sending Shi-ria to Earth. Knightwalker then used her magic to take the spell and destroy it so that it would never fall into their hands. No one knew that Scarlet Knightwalker had been there the whole time, making sure that history didn’t repeat itself. The only one who knew the truth was Zolida. Thanks to Knightwalker, the future had been altered, so Zolida was determined to make Knightwalker’s job as difficult as possible.
Using her magic, Zolida teleported directly into the central chamber of the temple of the Koldar Warriors. Unlike Scarlet Knightwalker five years earlier, Zolida didn’t bother to conceal herself; she wanted them to know of her arrival. Thus, the Koldar Warriors were genuinely surprised when this strange woman magically appeared before them. “An intruder!” one of the warriors shouted.
“Trespassing in our sacred halls is an act of sacrilege!” another called out.
The various other members all murmured in agreement. Using the same Taman alchemy that the Taman Knights possessed, they created various melee weapons. They moved toward Zolida, preparing to attack. Zolida simply waved her hand and lifted each of them up in the air and hurled them backwards with her magic. Some slammed into the walls, others into each other. Master Shodo, the current leader of this cult, was the only one not affected by this. He was a middle-aged man, though years of relying on the power of the Koldar began taking its toll on his body. His hair, what little of it he had left, was grey. His face was pale and pock-marked. His skin was saggy and wrinkled, and his purple eyes were bloodshot with dark circles surrounding them; he looked as though he hadn’t slept for days. Despite this, he was still quite muscular, though it wasn’t noticeable as he wore a bulky suit of metallic armour over a black silk dress shirt and baggy black trousers tucked into heavy black leather boots. He simply stood watching. Using the power of the Taman, he tried to read her, just as Shi-ria had when she first encountered her. All he sensed from her was her presence, nothing more.
Zolida turned to face him, “If your followers are finished making fools of themselves, perhaps we could talk.”
Various Koldar Warriors slowly got to their feet, weapons at the ready, but Shodo, without taking his eyes off Zolida, simply raised his left hand. The Koldar Warriors stopped in their tracks. Obviously, Zolida’s power had piqued his curiosity. So he was willing to hear what she had to say. “Who are you?” he demanded.
“My name is Zolida,” she responded. “I’m a sorceress. Beyond that, who I am and where I’m from is of no importance to you.”
“And what is it that you want?”
“The question isn’t what I want,” she corrected, “but what is it that you want? I know about your history, Master Shodo. How over a hundred years ago, Master Kamatra left the Alderoth branch of the Taman Knights and formed the Kamatra branch. How Master Daisho saw these heretics as traitors who distorted the teachings of the Taman Knights and how the rest of the fools on the Taman Council kowtowed to the Taman government; too afraid to stand up to them.”
“They were fools!” Shodo barked. “Cowards! Too spineless to see that Kamatra was a traitor and that his followers were perverting the teachings of the Taman Knights! Master Daisho knew this, but the rest of them couldn’t see beyond their own selfish needs! The need to appease the government to remain in their good graces! ‘Cause they were afraid of losing their favour with the government. A true Taman Knight wouldn’t submit to the whims of the ignorant masses! He’d use his superior skills and intellect to make them see they’re the ones who are wrong! That they are the ones who must be forced to submit to the enlightened!”
Zolida smiled subtly. It was just as she hoped. Like Knightwalker had done earlier at the police station, she used the same magic potion to make the Koldar Warriors more susceptible to her suggestion. Of course, there was the risk that, like Shi-ria, the Koldar Warriors might realize what was going on. Their Koldar senses might warn them something was off, but this was less likely to happen. Unlike the Taman Knights, these Koldar Warriors were ruled by their emotions, their passion, their aggression. This made them easier to manipulate. As long as Zolida told them what they wanted to hear, they’d be more inclined to do as she said. Strong emotions often tended to cloud one’s better judgment. By appealing to their arrogant assumption that they were “true” Taman Knights, a lie that they had successfully fooled themselves into believing, by telling them what they wanted to hear, she could make them do whatever she wanted. All she had to do was make them believe it was their idea.
“Just as you do,” Zolida soothed, appealing to his ego. “Unfortunately, when the enlightened are greatly outnumbered by the ignorant masses, it’s hard to make them see the light. Which brings me to why I’m here. Do you remember how five years ago you were searching for an ancient spell—one that would allow you to instantly teleport anywhere in the galaxy without using the gateways and going through official channels at Orathos?”
Shodo nodded; he remembered the incident perfectly. Normally, beings were forced to use their planet’s gateway to travel to the central hub on the planet Orathos. Without such gateways, the only way to travel from one planet to another was via a spaceship equipped with a means to travel faster than light. Since Shodo and his band of Koldar Warriors were labelled as terrorists, they were banned from leaving Thalia. Even if they had managed to gain access to Thalia’s gateways, make it to Orathos, then travel to another world, the authorities would be alerted. Thus, they’d be forced to fight off hordes of Taman Knights or other mages who would try and stop them. However, if they had the means to bypass the planetary gateways, they could sneak onto various alien worlds, spread their doctrine, recruit new followers, all the while conquering and subjugating other infidels. And by the time the Taman Knights—or other planetary governments—realized what was going on, they would already be too deeply entrenched to be removed. This was their plan. Shodo heard rumours about such an ancient spell—one thought to have been lost centuries ago. He had his minions searching Thalia for any relics that supposedly held clues as to how to find or perform this spell. It was five years ago that he had been close to finding it when one of his followers had tried to recruit a Taman apprentice named Kurai. However, it turned out to be an ambush by the Taman Knights; at least, he believed it to be one. Kurai’s fellow apprentices, Shi-ria and Rirk, along with their master Kalai-Udon and the rest of the Kamatra sect, followed her and ambushed his followers. With their plans discovered, Shodo and his followers were forced to go into further hiding.
“You remember how the Kamatra sect found out about your group and stopped you? What you didn’t realize was that a sorceress named Scarlet Knightwalker was behind it all,” Zolida lied. The truth was that originally, Shodo and his cult found the spell when Shi-ria showed up to try and rescue Kurai. In the process, Shi-ria was sent to Earth. This was how events unfolded in the timeline Knightwalker originally came from. When Knightwalker later travelled back in time to alter history, she made sure to prevent the Koldar Warriors from finding the spell. She covertly made sure the rest of the Taman Knights followed Shi-ria to stop this cult and prevent Shi-ria from coming to Earth. Unaware of this, Shodo and his followers were forced to go back into hiding and continue their futile search. So, they continued searching caves and other ancient archaeological sites for any relics that could help them. One such site was a cave. The very cave Shi-ria had been assigned to guard three months ago. Shodo had hired Dead-Eye to search and steal any relics in said cave in the hopes that there might be something there he could use to bring him one step closer to this power. Unfortunately, none of the relics there were of any use to him. “Scarlet Knightwalker used this spell to send Dead-Eye and a Taman Knight named Shi-ria to a planet called Earth,” Zolida continued lying. “With them out of the way, she took the ancient scrolls the spell was written on and hid them away to ensure no one would ever find them. Surely with your powers, you know this to be true.”
Shodo reached out with the power of the Koldar to see if she was lying. Unfortunately, Zolida’s magic, combined with the potion, allowed her to manipulate him easily. Using her magic, she allowed his retro-cognitive abilities to see the events unfold the way she wanted him to see, not what really happened. “So, this Scarlet Knightwalker is to blame for our failures at procuring this spell,” Shodo incorrectly deduced.
“Indeed she is,” Zolida said and continued spinning her elaborate web of lies. “What’s more, she’s from the future. Originally, you succeeded in obtaining this spell and spread your empire across the galaxy. She’s travelled back in time to prevent this from happening.”
“WHAT?” Shodo shouted, his anger building up inside him.
“You succeeded in your mission,” Zolida continued, “until she came back in time, altered history, and undid all your successes. That’s why I’m here. I’ve also come back in time; to try and stop her and try and set history right once again.”
Shodo stood up and roared, “This Scarlet Knightwalker will pay for her actions!”
A faint but sinister smile crept up in the corners of Zolida’s lips. “In the future, I am but one of your many followers,” she continued weaving her misleading tales. “My magic, combined with your powers, can overpower her. Together we can set things right again!”
Shodo smiled at her. Despite his arrogant belief in his superiority, Zolida had successfully played him like a fool. “Bring me this Knightwalker and the spell, Ms. Zolida, and I shall not forget your loyalty when we conquer the galaxy.”
“Yes, master,” she said, bowing. “And I know exactly how to bring her to you . . .”
To find out what happens next… well buy a copy of the book. Don’t forget to give it a good review. Please, please PLEASE…. give it a good review! I need all the good reviews I can get! Also, keep an eye out for Mystical Force Vol. 4: Many are 1, 1 is 0, coming soon…
