Incarnate
#1 of Destiny
"Deep within Death Valley thrives two kingdoms undiscovered by modern society. High within the Tiger Mountain located around China dwells two more kingdoms unknown to mankind. All four kingdoms house a god or goddess. There is a God of Death, a God of Night, a Goddess of Life, and a Goddess of Light. Each of these divine beings has chosen a God or Goddess Incarnate. Usually the Incarnate is a new born child with the direct royal blood line flowing heavily within its veins; a blood line that can be traced back to when the Gods of today were mere mortals. The House of Death currently under-go's a Prince who was chosen by the God of Death himself; a prince by the age of 13. The House of Life struggles to control their own Incarnate, a young woman by the age of 25; loves to throw down large expensive parties supposedly. The House of Light mourns for their Incarnate, a woman the age of 89. She is unable to rise out of her bed or even go to the bathroom by herself now days. Now, the House of Night has not had an Incarnate for 15 years. The royals are starting to panic, the Prince of Night was supposed to be chosen. However, it appears the God of Night is not in favor to this child.
I am a stable boy who lives on the very edge of the Kingdom of Night. Also, the son to the Palace dish-washer. I have straight, dark chocolate brown hair and skin that tells others I spend a lot of time in the sun. I am almost 15, a couple months younger than the Prince actually. Since I could walk I have been teaching myself how to fight. My older brother was mugged and killed in the streets one day, and my mother later had died of sickness in the head. So it was only me and my dad, yippee.... I have also seen the God of Night; I like to call him Darc. He doesn't mind. I suppose the Gods choose the Incarnates because they are lazy and don't like dealing with mortal affairs. So they have a mortal with magic tricks deal with the problems. Darc had told me that himself. When I asked why he didn't have an Incarnate he simply smiled at me while something glittered in his eyes and went on about his merry way.
I peeked open my eye lids, my mind traveling away from my thoughts to focus on the world around me. The first thing my blurry vision focused on was the burned swirls decorating the back of my hand and forearm. When I was little my parents had told me I was born with it, however they looked like burn scars to me.
I yanked myself out of the covers and slung my heavy legs over the side of my bed. The wooden floor was cold under my bare feet and I shivered in protest. The fire place lit up instantly and a very muscular black man with chestnut brown hair sat in a blanket covered chair in front of the stone pit. He titled his head back so his shaggy hair slid into his eyes.
"Hey Darc," I yawned while rubbing an eye. He grinned at me, exposing his pearl white teeth. I noted mentally the difference in color between our teeth. Gods never have flaws, I thought in a bitter jealousy. Then a thought accrued to me, well, at least not physical flaws. Personally, everything inside their greedy little heads was fucked.
"Hey Aaron!" He chuckled, as if he could hear my thoughts. Which he probably could. "You should keep these embers going during the night. It'll keep you warm," He extended his giant hand toward the fireplace. God damn this dude was huge. Standing, he was almost seven feet tall, his skin was as dark as a stormy night and his eyes were a glowing sapphire blue to resemble all the thousands of stars stretching across in the vast night sky. His skin was always solid with muscle and he loved to wear baggy pants and nothing else really. The women who got the privilege to see him never again touched a male; they kept themselves at his temple for whenever he visited our beloved kingdom.
"Firewood is expensive and I used the last of this month's coal last night," I explained.
"All you need to do is ask..." He trailed off, glancing at me with a sideways glance. I rolled my eyes and threw on a gray t-shirt.
"Thanks Darc, but really I'm fine."
"I want you to help your father at the palace tonight," He changed the subject quickly with a tiny tone of authority. I blinked.
"Sure Night, anything you want." He smiled his brilliant smile again and rolled his eyes.
"Sure, anything I want. But no, you never want anything." He stood up and towered over me, his giant hand resting gently on my shoulder. He bent down so his mouth was close to my ear. "I want you to be warm at night. I want you to be happy. I want you to live at my palace," He whispered and vanished the next second. I stared blankly at the huge pile of coal sitting all around me. Did he ever think?! Cleaning this up would be a pain in the ass! I dropped my head and closed my eyes. Live at the palace huh? Was he serious, or just being his silly self again? Something inside though told me he was serious. I opened my eyes and saw the burn upon my arm.
Cleaning up the coal was fairly simple; I just picked them up and put them in the coal buckets. Searching for the buckets however was a pain in the ass. Cleaning up the coal dust that the coal left on the wooden floor was a larger pain. However, in the long run, I got it done. Yay. I tip-toed to my father's bedroom door and leaned against it, a soft snore could be heard from inside. Well, if he was still asleep I couldn't ask him about helping him at the palace. I wondered off towards the stables to do my chores for that day. I opened the large red doors and three female horses looked up at me. One black one with a huge belly (prego) winded hungrily at me and I smiled softly at her. She nuzzled her nose beneath my arm as I moved to clean out the old hay.
"You can have your oats in a minute hun," I hushed as I stroked her nose. The other two horses, both mustangs and spotted with different colors, wined as well. "In a minute ladies,"
"Aaron!" A high pitched voice shrieked with joy. All three horses protested in annoyance and suddenly someone was attacking me from behind. "Guess what?! Guess what?!"
"What Amy?!" I shouted, trying to juggle the rake in one hand while prying her off with the other. A girl with dish water blonde hair twirled around me so her honey brown eyes could stare into my own chocolate irises.
"The Prince of Death will be joining the House of Night tonight for dinner!" She spilled out in one breath.
"Uh-huh. How many people have you told?" I questioned sarcastically all-the-while something inside clicked in understanding.
"Everyone!" She shrieked.
"Enough with the shrieking!" I growled and the horses around us agreed. Her hands clasped around her mouth.
"Sorry!"
"So you are telling me the Prince and Incarnate of Death-,"
"-and family," She added.
"...and family, are going to be at the House of Night the evening I will be helping my father cook for the palace?" Her jaw dropped.
"What?!" She shrieked. I glared, but she seemed to ignore it. "You have to take me with you!" Amy had begun to bounce on the balls of her feet in bliss, her curls bouncing around her face in protest.
"No," My father snapped later on that day as we set up the table for lunch.
"But-," Amy began, I glared at her.
"I am not taking my son let alone you. End of discussion,"
"Go home, Amy." I ordered softly in her ear. She pouted her lip for a minute before sulking out the front door. I turned slowly to my dad.
"Darc told me to help you tonight," My father hesitated as he gazed into my eyes. His curly, short hair, thin with age, swayed gently in the breeze which filtered in through the open window.
"Is that where all the coal came from?" His asked with his deep manly voice. How I couldn't wait till my voice got that deep, this whole too young and full of hormones shit was annoying. Any time I tried to yell I'd find myself squeaking and then being made fun of. I nodded. "You asked the God of Night for coal?" There was my father again.
"No dad, he just kind of gave it to me." He held my gaze, questioning my motives. He sighed and sat down in one of the wooden chairs at the kitchen table. His hand, thin and weak looking compared to Darc's, pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes.
"Why does the God want you working at the palace with me the night the House of Death comes into town?" I shrugged my slender shoulders. Okay yeah I know shut up. I have slender shoulders so I've been told. I'm tiny and weak and not very strong, but I am most defiantly a boy. I'm not a girl. "Aaron!" My father snapped, I blinked.
"Sorry. I-I don't know dad. You can't really question Darc,"
"You can," Anger started to boil in me. Again my father brought up my ability to speak casually with Darc. As if he knew something that I didn't.
"Why? Why does he show up in my room? Why does he show up in my life? At school, at work, in the bathroom! I am a stable boy father; I dig up shit for money to buy food for the house! And at the end of the day I'm the most ordinary person in the kingdom. I'm not even ordinary; I don't even have a girlfriend! So why does the God show up at my door?" My father's gray eyes looked at me with concern; I could tell he was struggling with himself. The wrinkles under his eyes reminded me of his illness and I found myself feeling guilty. I could tell he was tired and stressed. I sighed and turned to walk out the door.
"I'll be leaving in a couple hours, eat something before you go." His voice followed me. I hesitated at the door before shutting it behind me. I glared at the man lying under the weeping willow in my front yard. Well, he wasn't so much as a man. I casually walked over to the sleeping God before kicking some leaves onto him.
Darc laughed as he sat up quickly. "What was that for?"
"The coal," I stated, plopping down next to him.
"Well too bad, gods don't take back their gifts." I looked at him sideways for a moment. His gaze met mine and we held each other.
"Why are you here?" I finally asked. He smiled slightly before lying back down next to me. I watched him closely.
"My Prince is the ideal choice for an Incarnate. Works hard, respectful, calm. He can calculate any situation and come out victorious. He is quiet, he listens to everything around him, and he is always learning."
"But...?" I asked softly, still watching the god. He grinned at me.
"But he's not my Incarnate,"
"Then who is? You have to have one don't you?" His eyes gleamed at me gently as a small smile tugged on his lips. His hand took mine and his fingers traced over the faded pink scars.
"These are pink because you don't know who you are. You've never touched the power I burned into you when you were born. You've never once thought of yourself anything but under ordinary. You are the perfect choice, my little Incarnate." My eyes widened in shock and suddenly pain beyond comprehension exploded within me. Darc's pearling white grin was all that I saw before his darkness consumed me entirely. I was his Incarnate. I, an average day stable boy was the Incarnate of Night. He wanted me at the palace tonight so that I could be discovered.
Darc appeared within his temple and strutted toward the sleeping Priestess. As if she could feel his presence she awoke and stood up gracefully. Her long, silk black hair gleamed in the dim torch light and her eyes twinkled an ice blue.
"My lord," She said softly, bowing. The temple all around them was gothic architecture with stone wolves resting at every corner. Stone owls rested near every torch light and the ceiling was missing completely, always showing the sky above as a vast and endless night.
"It is time you all learn of my Incarnate," He declared, his voice booming richly throughout the temple. Women, all wearing white silk robes, began appearing around them; walking slowly and gracefully out of every corner and room.
"You have finally chosen a prince?" Whispered the Head Priestess. His eyes rested again upon her beautiful form.
"No, my dear woman. I chose my Incarnate the night he was born, several months after my Prince was born. He knew not of his powers, he only knew of me. He did not know why I showed up in his life randomly. Only now does he know of his place in the world," All the women now gazed at him with wide, curious eyes.
"He is not of royal blood?" One asked. The god grinned and shook his head.
"He is indeed a peasant," He chuckled; the quiet laugh rolling within his chest before spilling out into the air around them. Some of the women smiled, but others looked slightly worried.
"This will be an interesting turn of events, my lord." The Head Priestess said as she bowed her head slightly. "Will you not tell us who this lucky boy is?" His hand stroked against her round, pale cheek.
"It is a secret," He hushed before vanishing. All the women then began to whisper quietly to each other, all wondering off to where they had come. The Head Priestess, her hair flowing gently all the way down her back wondered off to a pair of large stone doors. Her bare feet made no noise against the cold marble and her white gown whispered lightly around her ankles. Two more women, wearing black leather armor which curved to every curve of their bodies rang two gongs as the Priestess approached. The doors groaned in protest as they opened slowly. The Priestess walked out into the throne room where the King and Queen talked with some palace decorators for this evening's dinner. Both rose in shock as the Priestess bowed slightly before them. They each bowed to her as well.
"Priestess of Night, speaker for Night. What gives us this honor?" The King asked softly. His thin black beard stretched down to his adam's apple and his thin black hair flowed down to his broad shoulders. His eyes were a honey gold color and his skin was almost as dark as the God of Night's. The Priestess reached forward, her long pale fingers resting against his lips.
"The God of Night has played one of his tricks once more. All this time we were waiting for your son to be chosen, but he will never be chosen." The Priestess declared, her voice reaching the guards on the far end of the room. The Queen gasped quietly. "We have been blessed with an Incarnate this entire time, but the God felt it necessary to keep it a secret from us."
"What trickery is this?!" The King boomed in anger. "My son is to be the Incarnate!" The Priestess's eyes hardened.
"You do not speak for Night; the Incarnate will find us soon. And when he does, he will be bestowed with all the great treasures we foolishly gave your son." She turned sharply then, her long black hair nearly smacking the King in the face before she returned to the Temple of Night.
I sat upright in the burning sand. The weeping willow was gone, the grass was gone. We lived in a desert; I only had the honor of walking on grass whenever Darc was around. A scorpion sat on my leg, but I didn't notice it. I stared down at the newly colored in scars upon both my arms. They glowed a rich, royal blue in the burning light. Also, the scars now extended all the way up my arm toward my shoulder, now no longer swirling in the center of my palms. I was the Incarnate of Night. I leapt to my feet and darted inside, making the scorpion fall off into the sand.
"Dad!" I shouted. He looked up from his meal and his eyes widened in shock. Of course, dad being the super intuitive dude he was, he would see the colored in scars first. "How long have you know I was the Incarnate of Night?!"
"Since Darc slept with your mother," He said softly. I froze. I expected him to be honest with me, but that may have been a little too honest.
"What?" My dad grinned sarcastically at me, though it barely touched his eyes. A couple of his teeth were missing, I instantly noted. Why did I have to be cursed with my mother's ability to notice the random not important stuff? I would rather have my dad's ability to notice all the important stuff.
"He possessed me, with my permission, so that our son could be his Incarnate. Your mother and I decided it'd be best to keep it a secret until you were ready. We've seen what happens to Incarnates spoiled by the palace ways. They become greedy and destructive,"
"When were you planning on telling me?" I choked out. Darc possessed my dad so he could bone my mom? That was just freaked in all sorts of levels.
"I honestly don't know. Just keeping you alive and well became my top priority. With your mother's sickness hiding in your veins, and my own sickness also within you; I honestly don't know why you haven't died yet."
I swallowed. "Darc took those flaws from me father; it was when he first showed himself to me. After mom died, that night I was really sick. Things weren't looking up for me; the doctor told you there wasn't much time left for me. You were about to kill yourself. You had lost your eldest son, your wife, and now you were losing me. Darc didn't want you to suffer like that, and frankly he didn't want me dead." I saw my dad smile softly as a tear rolled down his cheek.
"I always knew he'd save you,"
"Darc wants me to be discovered tonight. He wants me to live at the palace from now on. When I get discovered tonight, will you move in with me?" My father stared at me for a long time, his jaw muscles flexing under his restraint as a series of emotions battled within him.
"No, my beloved son. I don't have much time left, I'm going blind. Old age is approaching. The last thing I need to do is to die from boredom in a rich comfy bed," I almost grinned; almost.
"Okay dad, but, you'd better at least let me pay for your food every month. And you'd better expect me to visit you every week," He smiled softly as I bent down to hug him.
"Of course, my miracle child." He whispered. I almost began to cry as I held his tiny frame in my hands. I also noted that I seemed bigger than before, as if suddenly I had a little bit more muscle. But that was impossible.