The Legend of Tantus - Book 2

Chapter 9 - The Marne Brothers

    Many winters before the war, one of the most respected families on the continent of Meira was at the height of fame, as one of the most successful among many around the world, they were the Marne family.

    Tiberius and Aline Marne commanded one of the largest fleets of cargo ships on their continent, and their fortunes were immense, ranging from island properties to fifty cargo ships, which negotiated the transport of goods between all continents. They had four children, Arkan, Anarky, Aria and Aldaryon. Arkan and Anarky, being the oldest, were always very attached and almost never parted, in their youth they were robust and brave boys, always ready for a good mess anywhere, which worried their parents and siblings, because sometimes they tidied up more than they could carry... They were also adventurous, exploring different places, especially in Meira, where they already knew practically all regions except the beautiful and immense Mountain of Solitude, a place they planned to visit very soon.

    The Marne never had a fixed residence, their first ship, curiously named Estelar, was their home, with a magnificent dragon scowl at the prow, it was revered as the best ship in their entire fleet, and perhaps in the world. One day Tiberius had business to do in Lieben, where Anarky would like to visit, but Arkan finally convinced him to explore the mountain, and he ended up accepting it while his parents and siblings left on a trip. The two young men left the Karan Harbor, for four peaceful days they traveled until they reached the wonderful mountain, there they discovered all kinds of adventures, from hard hunting to skeletons of dragons from the past war, in addition to climbing to the top, for fifteen days they were satisfied with their expeditions, and it was time to return to the harbor and reunite with their family. They ended up taking five days on the return trip, due to jokes and slowness on the way, they were brothers very connected by affection. When they finally arrived, they were surprised by the fact that their parents' ship was not moored at the pier, they should have been there, especially their father, who was as accurate as a clock even on sea voyages where the wind was usually what determined the speed, Tiberius had the gift of predicting the weather, which is why he was so competent in his transport services:

- Strange the father is not here. – said Arkan. – He is always accurate as the arrival of winter.

- Did something happen? – asked Anarky.

- Of course not, he is the best sailor there is.

    But the delay of their parents and siblings started to take too long, two days had passed and no sign, until one of their ships arrived at the port bringing the news:

- Our parents went to Lieben and should have already returned. – said Arkan.

- I... do not know how to say it... – said the captain of the other ship.

- What? – asked Anarky.

- Your father's ship sank...

- What?! Impossible! – Arkan.

- But what could cause something like this? – Anarky.

- An attack of hydras...

- Hydras do not rise to the surface, how is that possible?

- And where are they? Are they coming here yet?

- They... are all dead...

    “Never lower your head, never become a coward.” – said Tiberius to his children. The death of the Marne family fell like an avalanche on the heads of the boys, victims of the imbalance that was already beginning to show the first signs, Arkan, with nineteen winters, was slow to conform, but Anarky, with only sixteen, was a nightmare for him. His older brother took the reins as he should have, but he spent months missing his parents and siblings tremendously, Arkan was too busy sorting out the affairs of their ships, he missed them as much as his younger brother, but he did not show it the same way, in fact he needed to be strong, for himself and for Anarky. The coldness that Arkan displayed bothered his brother, and he began to think that the family did not matter to him. Anarky grew up as a bitter young man, while Arkan as a man with a heart of stone, he sold all the ships of the family except one, which would be their home now, and named him Solitário, retrieving Estelar's dragon scowl and placing it in the prow of this now. The sale of business earned them an even greater fortune, and Arkan now devoted himself to simple jobs, but soon he became interested in rare items, the profit was not always worth the work, but he did it more for pleasure than money. After a while Anarky got better, but his relationship with his brother was no longer the same. Thirty-one winters later, Arkan was already fifty winters old, and the great war began, all soldiers of the kingdoms were summoned to the terrible battles that were taking place all over the world, but they did not belong to the military force, although they were strong and valiant warriors, a force inherited from their father, on several occasions they crossed with fleets of ships from Meira and other continents, coming and going in the war, and also with fleets of goblins and cyclops, but before these, all times they managed to escape, until one day Anarky got up:

- We will no longer spend our days on this ship.

- What you mean? – Arkan.

- Have not you heard all the rumors in the cities? All of this is caused by Zeijadel, the lord of darkness, the imbalance.

- And?

- It's because of this imbalance that hydras rise to the surface and sink ships!

- ...

- That is why our parents died, it was the beginning of this damn war that was being announced.

- We are just two men, there is nothing we can do.

- Everything can be done, even by just two men...

- Let the armies take care of this.

- What if they are defeated? Is not everything lost?

- I forbid you to leave this ship.

- You are not my father.

    Anarky abandoned Arkan to join the army, but the fact was that his brother loved him too much to see him taking risks, Arkan never showed, but he protected his little brother as if he were his son now. Anarky headed for the Kingdom of Arfank, but did not complete the trip, he was stopped halfway by a woman with brown skin, light brown eyes, almost golden, and slightly short black hair, appeared to be a mature person, but still so of a simple beauty, he wore a light greenish armor, but very dark, without a helmet and without jambs, she carried, on her back, a long pure steel gladius, in the shape of a snake, with a frightening blade, she had a charming scar on her right shoulder and her divine light easily identified her, Aja, the Lady of Status:

- Hail, Anarky, son of Tiberius.

- You... are a lady?!

- I am the lady of status, Aja.

- What do you want, my lady? – He said kneeling.

- I come to you with a task that only your heart is able to accept.

- Task?

- Only a heart like yours, determined to do whatever it takes, can become our most venerable servant.

- And how will I serve you, my lady?

- You will be our guardian. When this war is over, and we hope it will end in our favor, you will be the one to judge and command your comrades, to maintain balance, or to eliminate imbalance, if necessary...

- Servant of the lords... so that nothing else happens... as happened to our parents...

- Immortality will be yours, so that you carry your duty as long as necessary, and this is a price to be paid. Are you ready?

- Without the rest of death... I accept.

    Anarky now became the guardian prime, the one with the duty to command them and the only one among them immortal, to enforce his decisions. He never failed to have a kind and zealous heart, even when he had everything to go the other way, and so he was chosen, but he imposed a condition for his servitude, his brother would also share immortality with him, because Anarky loved Arkan after all, maybe he understood his brother's feelings without a word about it from both, and the lords accepted. He was trained by several of the lords, mainly Aja and Taria, and from this second he learned planar life, without doubt Anarky became an exceptional warrior, but he never showed his skill, because in the few battles he participated he was always in the form of guardian prime, so his true strength remained a mystery.

    Just as all the lords shared a mental bond, so did he and Arkan, which was why they both knew the same things. While Anarky was always at the side of the lords and everything was informed, Arkan also, even if only mentally, but it took time to realize this, and when he finally understood, he came to hate his brother, because he wished, in his heart, rest and go to his family.

    Arkan went on to live alone on the ship, becoming the famous sailor. The war was over and one day, on one of his trips, he came across, in the middle of the ocean, the great holy lord, Kin Lyeben:

- Hail, Arkan, the sailor.

- You... are Kin Lyeben!

- Yes, this is my name.

- I heard that you deserted the army... So that was it...

- There are things more important than my destiny, listen to me.

- Yes.

- My son, Sumith Maxlyeben, is three winters old today, one day he will be like me, and when that day comes he must follow the correct path.

- And what can I do for him?

- This should belong to him. – And handed Arkan a magnificent sword in the shape of a flame. – This sword is a gift given to me, and in the future it must be brandished by him.

- She looks incomplete...

- And it is. This is only your half, the other is in the hands of your brother, Anarky.

- My brother... Why did you choose me, Kin?

- Because the two of you are the only ones capable of guiding him, and not only him, but others too.

- I do not know if I can do this.

- If I am here, then you can.

    Arkan now kept the sword Lyeben, the second flame of the kingdom, that should be delivered to Kin's son in the future. For some time the sailor and the lord kept in contact, about Zeijadel and the war that was not yet over, ending up creating good friendship, Kin knew Arkan's heart through his brother, and trusted him. The lords, through the mental link with Zeijadel, could see much of his goals and the opposite was also true, and since Anarky was always beside his masters, he knew all of this, so Arkan was also aware of enemy plans. Three winters later, Kraven, the cheater, manipulated the other guardians and led them into conflict, ignoring the command of the guardian prime, they entered a terrible battle that took the fear to the world, ending up on the continent of Talarr, curiously that place called the Anarky's attention, and his judgment told him to destroy it, even without knowing exactly why... It was Anarky, in fact, who fired his tremendous power over the continent and destroyed it forming the Flame Archipelago, putting an end to the fight of the guardians, who separated and disappeared, since the lords themselves decided to ignore them necessarily, perhaps for future plans, or because of the imbalance.

    Days later, knowing everything, Arkan sailed near the place, impressed by what his brother's power was capable of, he approached and saw a child wandering the beach, went to her, and helped her:

- Boy, are you okay?

- John Viktor. – said the boy.

- It was a miracle that you survived.

- John Viktor.

- Who is John Viktor? – And Arkan saw the chain around the boy’s neck with that same name.

- John Viktor.

- I see... I will help you.

    The sailor took the child with him, and raised him as his own son, just as his father had raised him. John grew up strong and was very skilled in combat, but Arkan felt some different power, dark and frightening, something that should remain sealed forever. Not to mention his inability to develop magic, which further reinforced his suspicions, but John was also a kind hearted boy, although slightly rebellious, he was also in a very good mood, and the affection was born strong among them, even though Arkan almost never show... Ten winters later, on a trip to Tantus, they met the young sorcerer, Enghon Reizeu, who possessed the mystical mark and could become a summoner, which was exactly what the lords' plans sought, and Kin delegated this mission to him:

- Were you born in the eclipse of the Sun? – asked Arkan.

- No, from the Moon. – replied Enghon.

- I think we will need someone like you.

- Me, for what?

- As many know, but few want to believe, the war is not over yet, it has just ceased for a while. Zeijadel will return one day, of that there is no doubt, and we will go against him.

- Zeijadel... Kraven Licaon... is his servant, is not he?

- Yes.

- So count on me.

    Enghon's goals were clear, and even Arkan understood that vengeance was already taking over the young man, especially after hearing his story, as he showed strange and cold satisfaction in annihilating enemies and everything connected with Kraven. On the other hand, the young man proved to be a great companion, creating great friendship with him and John, his natural talent for the elements, added to the skill with the bat, made him, in a short time, an efficient combatant, and the hope for his heart was also born. For a long time they traveled the world learning and collecting information, and the young sorcerer also met the great master Tantaluz, with whom he learned much more, even for a short time, but they still needed someone who knew the ancient language of the lords, the key to the location of the summons, and when Enghon was seventeen winters old, and John eighteen, Arkan, through Anarky, discovered someone who knew the language, but they finally found Kin Lyeben's dear son, Sumith Maxlyeben, who joined the group and still showed knowledge of the same language, certainly the fate was in their favor. Sumith quickly proved to be an exceptional warrior, as well as a great friend for all hours, but the group was not yet complete. Shortly afterwards, fate put another outstanding warrior on their way, it was Thorgele Tharon, the ice shinobi, who confronted Sumith in “The Battle Under Rain”, a fight that generated the famous poem “The Fearless Warrior & The Warrior of Shadows”, much recited and sung in the future, including by Arkan himself. But Thorgele was not just another ally, he was actually Lieben's lost king, Seth Alberich, discovered later. Many secrets were revealed during their journeys, until the meeting with the young Iris, who would become the legendary summoner, in addition to the royal protectors of Lieben, Shayera and Solphie Sea, daughters of Kilik and Cindy Sea. Under the command of the sailor, the group made historic achievements throughout their journey, but it was in “The Four Battles of Mérit” that Arkan showed his true strength, courage and determination, revealing himself to be an incredible warrior and doing exactly what his brother expected of him: fight for the right side. After all this he also participated, without hesitation, in “That Great Battle”, which ended with the definitive defeat of the lord of darkness and ended an era of chaos, but it was in his reunion with Anarky that he showed his true side:

- It's been... a long time... – said Arkan.

- Yes. – said Anarky.

- I had already forgotten what it was like to have a brother...

- I saw you fighting, I almost did not recognize you.

- ...

- This strength that runs in our family could not be omitted.

- ...

- Our parents would be proud of you.

- I lowered my head... I became a coward.

- But now you are not.

- You were right, you always were... I just...

- I know. I always knew.

- I think... that we finally understand each other, my brother.

- Yes, finally.

    The brothers embraced as they had not done for many winters, and in fact understood each other. Their ties, which were very distant, now became closer, became the traveling brothers again, and this time in the company of lobime Rakasha, Galzon's summoner, who became their new family. They returned to their travel and business lives, Anarky continued to serve the lords as leader of the guardians, but with the new balance he could devote himself entirely to his normal life. For a long time the Marne brothers had a discreet history, but no less important than any of the brave heroes of the great war.