IRIS - INTRODUCTION by soufiane L

Chapter One - Rebirth

years ago!!!

"Shadow" began to regain consciousness. He held his head as he felt everything strange. His massive body lay on the ground like a rock fallen from the mountain. He opened his eyes, the sun's rays blinded him, and instinctively, he shielded his eyes with hands placed on his forehead. He raised his hand to shield himself from the glaring rays and began to take notice of his surroundings. This unfamiliar land felt like it didn't belong to him, and questions started finding their way into his consciousness. He couldn't remember anything, didn't know who he was, what lay before him, but this imprisoned feeling in his subconscious, driven by some hidden forces within his soul, wasn't enough to reveal what was hidden from him.

He tried to gather all his strength to rise in vain. It was as if the mountains had placed all their weights on his strong body. He struggled and strained every fiber of his being until he overcame the prevailing weakness in his robust veins. After a great effort, he stood there contemplating the emptiness that surrounded him. The only defining feature of this place was the sky towering above him and the vast emptiness as far as the eye could see. He tried to piece together fragments of his memory in vain. Who he was and who he was now, and what he had been doing. He began to examine himself, searching for anything that might give him a clue about himself. There were red triangle tattoos on his wrist and a red abstract lines on his chest. Those symbols didn't trigger anything in his weak memory. He tried to remember repeatedly, and began to absentmindedly stroke his beard while looking for any old memory or picture, but he did not find anything; he failed. After a few minutes, he decided to walk in the hope of finding someone who could guide him.

He started dragging his body, groaning from the intense pain coursing through his veins as if his muscles had been torn apart. The severe pain was evident on his face, that face, with its serious expression shown in the wrinkles around his eyes that hide many mysteries, his body at the age of forty, but his look makes many brave people feel scared. That strange mix of unusualness and hidden strength in his gaze can give anyone who looks at him an unsettling feeling deep inside, and his bulging veins, like roots of pain from which weakness and fatigue sprouted. He continued walking, staring at the path ahead, trying to recall anything that would lead him to himself. He spent one hour, and it seemed like a mirage of greenery appeared before him, glowing like a beacon in the midst of pitch darkness. The road was long, and the sun scorched every fiber of his being, making it feel like a blazing fire. He struggled to accelerate his pace to reach there. The closer he got, the clearer the place's features became.

From an unexpected place, the enigmatic being materialized — a creature with the body of a human and the head of a bull, affording no respite to "shadow". The beast lunged at him with all its might, striking it forcefully with its venomous claws which embedded into the chest of shadow. The body of this being, known as 'Seth' the guardian of the void, equaled or perhaps slightly surpassed that of the shadow, with its emerald eyes that radiated like lanterns. Those claws were embedded in the shadow's chest.

In the Small Village

A tremendous scream pierced the air like a fierce gust of wind or a sandstorm. The villagers heard it, and strange voices surrounded them. They recognized those voices; they were the guardians of the void, encircling the village, seeking a worthy victim. But the initial cry was different, stronger than what they were accustomed to. It was akin to the mournful cry of a wounded bird, the final wail of a wild animal's hunt."Mulan" stood, watching the approaching shadow. From a distance, this giant of a man looked like a looming threat, and "Mulan" shouted as loudly as he could:

- It's a monster, a monster is coming!

His random screams caught the attention of the village residents. Since they were accustomed to wolf attacks and other dangerous creatures, each of them rushed to their homes, locked the doors, and hid. Mulan quickly passed the gathering crowd and the fleeing villagers to reach the home of "Solon," the village sage, to inform him of what he had seen.

At that moment, the scream was heard, and he froze in place momentarily out of fear. But with all his might, he pushed forward to clear the path and ensure everyone's safety from the strange onslaught that he couldn't comprehend. He knew that if he sacrificed himself, it was the least he could do to preserve his village and leave behind a lasting legacy.

Back to the Shadow

Two hours passed as he walked in the sweltering heat, his body swaying with each step. Two steps behind him, a lifeless body sprawled on the ground. Shadow's wounds had vanished from his chest, not a single scar remained from the powerful blow delivered by Seth. Shadow didn't know or even comprehend how his body remained unaffected by the brutal strike of this terrifying monster. But it took less than a second, those were the moments Shadow needed to end Seth's life with a single movement of his hand. One blow was enough to separate Seth's head from his body, leaving the body lying on the ground, and the head a few steps away. Those green eyes had dimmed, and the guardian of the void was no more here.

Yet, the screams of the remaining guardians grew louder, perhaps calling for Seth, or perhaps awaiting his final signal to attack the village. Their shouts filled the air, and the pounding of their footsteps on the ground echoed in response.Shadow gazed between the bushes, which from a distance seemed like a vast forest, or perhaps even more, but up close, they were only a few scattered shrubs hiding some houses. His eyes caught sight of a small mud-and-reed dwelling, with a thatched roof and some shrubs. This simple roof provided shelter from the sun's rays. He approached it, and the voices and screaming grew louder. He reached out to open the door, and in that moment, what occurred was as expected.