Welcome to the thread
I finally found the remnant of the story
I had to leave nairaland for a while, to focus on my personal life.
I even had to deactivate my first account for reasons best known to me, all attempts to reactivate it proved futile.
So i decided to use my new account to continue the story.
Below is the link to the first part:
https://www.nairaland.com/4748721/harbinger-darkness-mythology-fiction



















ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.NO PART OF THIS BOOK SHOULD BE COPIED OR SHARED WITHOUT THE AUTHOR'S PERMISSION.
I do not know how things are done here anymore
However, constructive criticisms are highly welcome
If you want to do copy and paste
Have the decency of seeking for permission first : Snowkid1421@gmail.com
We move

Chapter 4. B
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"Sea god you were shown a vast body of water being enveloped by a torrent of flame." Spoke Mercury with a flurry of wind in his voice.

"That I was, and I know what you want to say, and yes the waters of the world still flow with no resistance." Spoke Poseidon as he turned to face Mercury.

"Finally Hades" spoke Freya in a soft voice. "You were shown a figure clocked in shadows cross into your land and cut you with a white blade that severe your soul from your body?"

"Yes." Spoke Hades in a grim voice. "You have all repeated what we shared with you all those years ago, a good reminder I thank you for that, but this still does not explain why we are here now."

"We have gathered here to drop this matter altogether." Thor spoke as he twirled his hammer, Mjolnir, in his hands.

The Greeks turned towards Thor with open mouths. "Drop the matter?" they spoke in unison.

"Yes" Odin spoke "We believe that what you were shown was nothing more than a falsehood."

"A falsehood?" spoke Poseidon in shock and rage "The Ancients have never been wrong in predicting anything before, why would they show us a future that is not to be?"

"What proof do you have that there is a being in pursuit of us all and the peace we have established through intense combat and war?" replied Thor.

Zeus, Hades and Poseidon remained silent; what proof did they have?

"The items that my eternal judge holder, Ma At, holds upon her have not been swayed or drawn towards anything in over three millennia; that was before you were even shown your vision." Spoke Anubis.

"Those items are the judgement of the good and evil in mortals, why would they sway in response to anything we have seen?" asked Hades turning towards the jackal headed human.

"They have the power to detect extreme levels of darkness within the world." Replied Anubis as he faced the empty eyes of the dead king. "They would have detected something if it had occurred, but they have not been swayed even the slightest.

"The Nile's waters and the rivers of the world have not been altered even the slightest" Spoke the Nile god Sobek. "Nor has the oceans been swept away by flame as you foresaw sea god Poseidon."

"The seas and rivers of the world have not been altered, true, but that is still no reason to say that these events still may not come to pass." Poseidon replied.

"While that is all true" Zeus spoke with a glance around the table. "What difference does it make that there has been very little to no disturbance in the balance? Why should we just ignore a possible threat that could bring about our very end?"

"The being that we were shown was powerful; that much was very clear" followed Hades.

"It may not be here at this moment but who's to say it will not come at all?" Poseidon spoke following his brother's lead.

The room fell silent. Loki spun his blades on his finger, Chronos glanced at the wheel of time on his hand, Ra stroked his feathers. Finally after several minutes Athena spoke.

"There may well be a being of great power approaching; but until some sort of disturbance is detected there should be no cause for alarm."

"You are the goddess of wisdom, wiser than all of us; even me." A slightly stunned Zeus spoke. "Why do you not trust the wisdom of the Ancients when they have shown us a great evil?"

"Zeus, you have been endlessly training to combat a force that may never come for another hundred thousand years. You are pushing yourself out of fear and are not thinking logically."

"Odin you are constantly preparing yourself for the coming of Ragnarok, why does this being not frighten you? It could be the bringer of that very event" Hades asked the old man sitting across from him.

"I am constantly preparing myself for that moment, and when it comes there will be nothing to stop it; however I do not prepare out of fear. I am constantly acknowledging that possibility; but I do not believe this shadow you saw is the bringer of it." Odin spoke.

"Why do you not fear this being?" Hades said.

"Because no evidence of such a being has been presented at any point in our time since you spoke of it all those years ago." Odin exclaimed.

The room fell silent as all gods wondered what to say next.

"What if there never is proof?" Zeus spoke softly under his breath but not softly enough as Poseidon heard it clearly.

"Brother, you know that what we saw may come to be. But they are right. Without any clue as to what we saw even occurring; there is no point in worrying about what may never come to fruition for another thousand years."

Zeus pondered this idea for a moment before addressing Athena. "I cannot deny that you may be right. There may be a powerful being of our demise but until we learn more we should just be cautious and open to any changes in the worlds we currently oversee."

"Then do we have an agreement that we will not discuss this matter anymore and that this being you saw in your vision is nothing more than a falsehood?" asked Odin with a smirk obviously having heard what Zeus has just said.

"A falsehood, but." Zeus began to say before Hades cut him off.

"I believe that for the time being we should agree that it may be false as we do not have any knowledge as to what we even may face."

"So, all those in favor of calling this meeting over and that we need not worry about this being of darkness?" Odin asked glancing around the room. All hands were raised except for Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. "Well that is a majority vote. Dismissed"

With that Odin banged his staff on the ground and took Freya's hand before exited the room. Athena bowed to Zeus before being swallowed by a river of light to return to Olympus. Chronos clicked some of the wheels on his staff to store the meeting temporarily until he could return back to his headquarters to deposit it into long term storage of time. Anubis opened a hole to the Egyptian afterlife beneath him and fell through it; returning to his placement of judgement. Loki disappeared in a puff of smoke, Ra a pillar of light, Sobek a river conjured from below his feet, and Thor flying out the window by his hammer's handle.

"Odin, why did we have to come here by teleportation crystal? Surely we could have used our own methods to come to this place?" Hades questioned Odin before he could leave through the door behind them.

"I've strengthened my defenses around Asgard to prevent attacks from unwanted guests. The crystal I gave you is one of the only items that can bypass the barrier and allow people within the city. I just lowered the barrier temporarily so you may leave in your own method now." Odin spoke towards the king of the dead as he exited the hall.

"We should return to our domains now." Hades spoke; rising from his seat.

"That sounds like a very good idea" replied Poseidon. "Let's get out of this place of embarrassment and deception."

Zeus remained seated at the table while his brothers parted behind him in a flurry of darkness and watery portals. "Why did these fools think that this evil is not approaching? The proof may not be here at this very moment but the Ancients have never been wrong before. Why would they show us something if it wasn't meant to be?" Zeus thought this through carefully as the sun began sinking over the golden city, replacing the light with darkness.


____________________________________________________________________________To be continued_________________________________________________________________

Chapter 5
This one go long o

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"Are you eating it or playing with it? Her mother asked at breakfast the next morning looking at her over the paper.

"Sorry just thinking." Yuko replied grabbing a spoonful of her cereal.

"About what?"

"Just something two students said about my new friend who I met the other day at school."

"Is it that Max girl you told us about?" asked her father as he put his coffee down. He had returned home from his business trip the previous night. Apparently according to the records he has received from the car dealership company, the order they had placed came on time without delay. That made the bosses from Japan who resided in Canada along with Yuko's father very happy and it also meant that they wouldn't be behind on the model for the next year for presentation. It would apparently be an Acura model that they worked on next; this year was Toyota.

"Yes it is" replied Yuko looking up at her father. "They just said some things about her that I find hard to believe."

"What sort of things?"

"That she has a past that makes everyone around her frightened and afraid. I don't know why and I'm worried that Max will be angry with me if I ask her."

"Maybe it would be a good idea to ask her then and see what happens." Her mother replied with the caring voice she always used when she was trying to be comforting. "There is nothing wrong with asking."

"I know there's just something about that thought that doesn't seem to feel right. I don't know why." Yuko replied.

Both her parents looked at each other; they were both confused as to what was causing Yuko's own confusion.

"If it doesn't feel right then it probably isn't" her father told her. Yuko looked up at the calm face her father put on. "Sometimes things just aren't meant to be discovered and are best left to those who do know what the problem is. This seems like it is personal for her friend and if it feels wrong to ask about it because of that you should not worry so much about it."

Yuko though about that for a moment, was she really just being too concerned about her friend's problems.

"You're right" she said after a minute. "Maybe this is something I shouldn't be worried about. Thanks dad."

"You can always ask me for help with anything you need." He replied with a smile which Yuko mirrored.

It had rained overnight so the bus had to drive slower than usual. Yuko didn't mind and neither did Max as she sat next to her, both just enjoying the rainbow of colors that could be seen reflecting off the road as they drove. Yuko didn't bother trying to bring up Max's past. Instead she just tried to enjoy the Max she knew now rather than the one everyone else seemed to be afraid of. The Sisters weren't outside of the school that day which was nice. Max certainly seemed more as ease during their math class without those three irritating her first thing in the morning. During Industrial Arts the class moved out of the shop into the computer lab where they did some research on their assigned machines from the previous day. Both Yuko and Max both enjoyed it as that meant they were one step closer to actually being allowed to build things. The rest of the day went rather smoothly, but that all changed when Max's phone rang when they exited the school at the end of the day.

"Hello" She said into the receiver as she and Yuko stood off to the side of the other students leaving for the day. "Is everything alright?"

Yuko looked up as a strange feeling shot through her.

"I was going to go out with my friend for the day we were going to go to her place to hang out for a bit; I told you that this morning."

After a minute of silence Max's face turned to shock.

"I'll be home as fast as I can." With that she hung up and turned to Yuko "Sorry but something really important just came up and I can't hang out today."

"What happened?" Yuko replied trying to help her fast talking friend.

"Something really urgent that can't be avoided." With that she shot off towards the bus with Yuko close behind. They managed to get a seat close to the front which was what Max seemed to be aiming for given her mad dash inside. She remained quiet for the ride and didn't acknowledge Yuko asking what had happened beside her. As soon as the bus came to a stop at her house Max dashed off the bus and inside without a glance back to Yuko, which just made Yuko wonder more about what the emergency was.

Max didn't show up to school the next day. Yuko just became more concerned about her; all thoughts about not wanting to interfere with Max's life were just shot down by her general habit of wanting to be a helpful person. Back in Japan she had always helped those who appeared to need help whether that was lifting heavy objects or talking to someone, usually close to her, that had had a bad day or was just really stressed about something. Max definitely seemed to be having one of those days except this seemed more extreme than ever. Something definitely seemed wrong and Yuko generally wanted to be of assistance to her in overcoming that problem. Just as she began to get her mind together about how to try and help her friend she remembered her father's words from the previous day.

"Sometimes things just aren't meant to be discovered and are best left to those who do know what the problem is."

That was what he had said. He was right; she was being too overly concerned about this when it wasn't her place to be involved. Whatever the problem was she was certain that Max would be able to handle it. Getting up she decided to head to her science class which was on the lower level of the school in the corner of the building. The class lulled onward as the teacher, Mr. West, talked to the class about biology and the study of different species in the world and their numerous categories within the animal kingdom. Being tired from worrying about Max all night didn't help Yuko concentrate at all and the teacher's voice only made her drowsier. As the teacher moved on to the subject of some of the native animals such as the mountain goats and red fox, Yuko's eyes slowly drifted shut.

She woke up standing in a forest. Snow covered the earth and trees around her. Yuko couldn't figure out where she was or how she got there; last thing she remembered was being in a biology class and the teacher was lecturing the class about red foxes. Their fur being dense and fluffy to the touch; but that did not excuse their nature of being powerful predators to prey such as deer mice. Hearing a fast noise behind her Yuko turned around and saw a small pack of red foxes behind her; darting through the trees with their bodies whisking the snowy field around them.

"This must be a dream" she thought to herself "and if it is, then how do I get out of it?"

Yuko tried to force herself awake by closing and opening her eyes; but for some reason she didn't wake up. Turning back to the foxes she decided to follow them from afar. Maybe they knew, somehow, how to wake her up. As she followed them, the foxes suddenly turned to her, their black eyes and white pupils gazing upon her. Neither party making a move. They just stared at each other. Then suddenly their red fur straightened up on their backs. Teeth barred as they growled towards her the foxes bodies erupted into flame. Their backs illuminated by the light of the yellow and orange that shot from their hides. Beautiful and deadly all at the same time. Out of fear Yuko began to run. She heard the foxes dashing after her with superior speed, foxes main hunting method was based on movement so running was not a good idea, but what choice did she have. Yuko continued to dash through the trees as the foxes gained on her.

"Yuko!" she heard the leader of the pack yell behind her; this dream just became a nightmare. Losing her footing Yuko's body hit the ground. Turning around she heard the fox scream her name as its open jaw struck at her neck, teeth sharper than steel.

"YUKO!"

Her eyes suddenly burst open. She was on the floor, her legs crunched up into a ball, people all around her staring at her. Mr. West was next to her with his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" He asked with a calm voice.

"Yeah, sorry just fell asleep, had a late night."

"Had a nightmare?"

"Yes. I'm fine, just had a nightmare."

"What kind of nightmare?" A male student asked looking down at her "You were curled up into a ball and twitching pretty rapidly."

"It's nothing, I'm fine. Sorry for worrying all of you."

"Maybe you should go see the nurse." Mr. West suggested placing his hand on her forehead. "Your head feels rather warm."

She did feel a bit dizzy after all that, and sweaty. "That might be a good idea, thanks."

"Mike can you take her there" Mr. West asked the male student who's explained to Yuko what she was doing on the ground.

"Sure thing, here do you need a hand?" Mike asked holding out his hand to Yuko which she took as he pulled her to her feet. Mike walked with her down the hallway towards the first aid room where a middle aged woman was working on organizing a set of first aid supplies. "Hey Mrs. Hinley; can you help us?"

"Sure what's the problem?"

"Yuko here is having a headache at the moment, we were wondering if you had some ice or something to possibly help her."

"I do have some ice packs, here Yuko take a seat here" Mrs. Hinley pulled a chair out from underneath a table and turned it around so Yuko could easily take a seat.

"Thanks Mike." Yuko said to him as she sat up.

"No problem; I never mind helping out someone who might need it."

"That's true; he's always the one who brings people here when someone needs anything." Mrs. Hinley said handing Yuko a small cold pack which she put on her head. Mike walked out of the room to let them have some privacy. "Are you feeling sick at all?" Mrs. Hinley asked Yuko taking a seat across from her.

"No I just… um this is kind of embarrassing."

"Nothing is embarrassing, what happened?"

"I fell asleep in class and had a nightmare; only it wasn't like what you'd normally think about when I say that."

"Why is that?"

"Well it seemed like it was real. I don't know it just felt real. I've had similar dreams like this before and they all have a similar feeling when I wake up. Only the dreams seem to keep building up on each other."

"Building up, what do you mean?"

"The first time I was just in a forest and something jumped at me, I didn't see what it was. The next one the forest was darker and the only thing I saw was teeth. After that I saw something dashing through the trees. This time I saw foxes and they burst into flames before calling my name and then jumping at me with their fangs. It sounds odd but it seems like something might be trying to tell me something in an odd way." Yuko remained silent after that, she felt like an idiot "I mean who would believe anything so absurd?" she thought to herself.

"So this dream has been piecing itself together in fragments and each time you've gotten a clearer vision of what it is showing you?" Mrs. Hinley asked looking directly at Yuko.

"Yes, I know it sounds like something only a kid would worry about."

"You also said it felt real, how did it feel?"

"Well it only felt real one time and that was a while ago. I just woke up with my legs stiff, like someone glued them down and put a splint onto them."

"That is odd, most likely for that you just moved a lot in reaction to what you were seeing."

"That's what I thought as well, but I still don't understand why it seems like it's as if something is putting together a puzzle in my mind for me to somehow understand."

They both remained silent for a while. The ice pack had lost its chill so Yuko put it down on the table next to her. Her headache was gone which made her feel a bit better, but it couldn't fix the confusion that was still settling into her. After a while Mrs. Hinley took a look at Yuko and said.

"I don't really know if this is an answer, but maybe this is something that you can't rid yourself of. It might be something that you can't fight, what usually gets you thinking about this forest?"

Yuko stared at her for a moment. "I guess it might be the stress and fear of having to move here from my home country."

"Where was that if I may ask?"

"Kyoto, Japan."

"You and your family moved here recently?"

"Yes we arrived a little over week ago."

"And have you thought about forests in the past?"

"Not really, this town is surrounded by forestry so I guess that is what got me thinking about it. Just when I see the nature around here I can't help but admire and think about it."

"Is it possible that this new surrounding that is constantly around us may be altering your thoughts slightly? I've never been to Japan myself but I can imagine it is different scenery that surrounds you there."

"Maybe, I've always read that the mountains and forestry was amazing over here in this country and when I actually saw it I was completely entranced by its view."

"That sounds like the reason as to why you are thinking about a forest and because this is a new country to you it's natural to be frightened about it."

"What about the foxes that are appearing in the nightmares, what do you think those are representing?"

"Probably an image that is being created by your fear. Are you afraid of foxes?"

"No, I like wolves, so I can't imagine why I would be afraid of foxes."

"Must be something that represents your fear of the forests and condenses it into something to be feared."

"So what can help me with this fear?"

"Go out and explore. See the forests, the rivers, the lakes; become familiar with the land you now call your home. If you feel scared that is because you have yet to become accustomed to this new area. If you take time and see it for how you see it through your eyes that will clear out the fear of the unknown."

Yuko thought about that for a minute. It was true that she was scarred of what she still had not seen. Then she thought of Max and how she had shown her that amazing view. The view that put amazement into her eyes and allowed her to see the nature of the valley she now lived in. "That does sound like it would work. Maybe I can ask some of the other students around here to show me around. Max already showed my some of the areas around here but maybe there is more others can show me."

"Sounds like you have a plan to get rid of this fear you have."

"Thanks, I feel better now that I've talked about it."

"My door is always open if you ever need help with anything."

Yuko smiled. With a bow she headed out of the room just in time to see Megan and Ashley heading over to a table for lunch.


To be continued soon_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 6. A
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Zeus paced the grand chambers of Olympus. Pacing and thinking about what to do. What Odin had said.

"What proof do you have?"

The Ancients had predicted the rise of several things that had all came to be and all come to pass. They had predicted that two great wars would thrust the world into total chaos. They predicted the creation of powerful weapons which would place the world on the edge of total annihilation.

These events were predicted before Zeus and his brothers were shown the vision of shadows darkening their realms; and yet they all came true beforehand and no such shadowy being had yet shown itself.

Zeus and his brothers didn't have proof that the wars would ravage the earth. But what they did have were clues that revealed themselves in time.

"That's it" Zeus said out loud to himself. "We just need to watch for any clues that may arise no matter how small those may be." Zeus sat down on his throne as he smirked before a second thought struck him. "But what would those be?"

This was a prophecy that would be very difficult to foresee. The First World War had been drawn by political dispute by several powers of the mortal's realm.

The tension that Ares had felt between them he was positive a war would rage between them. Rage they did just as it was foretold. The Second World War proceeded shortly after the first when single man took the German loss and made it personal. As a result this one man rose up and became the leader of one of the most evil organizations to ever rise in the current millennia. Both the rise and destruction were felt by all the Olympians before it even began. Athena foresaw that someone on earth would cause all of what was called Europe to the mortals, great chaos.

The missiles of great devastation were made as foretold by the Ancients as well; what was not foretold was the devastation it placed on both the mortal and godly realms. Even Hades was fearful of what would occur if they did not do something to stop it. Hundreds of man-made weapons detonating at once would drive the race of man to the end of life in an instant.

At first the god of the dead was excited for this event; but soon realized that no matter how much he longed for mortal's death he still needed their belief and their fear of him so he could even exist.

All these events were preceded by great tension in the mortal world. But clues would there be to detect darkness approaching. Eclipses, Sudden weather changes? It could be anything. But there has to be something, something, anything at all.

"I will not be seen as a fool in front of that old man!" Roared Zeus in anger and frustration.

"You won't have to." A voice said calmly.

Zeus turned his head to see Athena walking into the hall. "Wow, what happened here?"

Zeus looked around him; the entire hall was scorched with burn marks. "I um…." He began.

"Lost control of your own lightning in your frustrated state?"

"Yeah I did."

Athena burst out in a fit of laughter for a moment, the scene of her own father losing control like that after all these years was too great to pass over.

"What's so funny?"

"You" Athena said as she gained her breath back. "It's been a while since you last let your frustration control your own lightning."

Zeus thought about it for a second; then chuckled slightly. "I just can't understand why Odin refuses to listen to what the Ancients have told us."

"It may not have turned out the way you wished. But he does have a point. Without evidence there is nothing to go along with in this instance."

"Our very realm of life could be at risk of destruction at any moment and that old man refuses to listen to reason."

"Our realms are not threatened at this time. There is no reason to raise concern when there is no proven threat. He was just being concerned that you may not be thinking straight as you've been haunted by your own fear of this shadow for too long."

Athena walked over and took Zeus's hand; he looked up at her. "There may be hints that rise up with time, but for now we shouldn't worry about what the future holds. It can be rewritten an infinite number of times before it happens. No one knows with one hundred percent certainty what the future will hold. We may have already stopped this darkness before it's even surfaced."

Zeus took a breath as he calmed down his nerves. His arms were tense. "It may still come to be though."

"It may and yet it may not. We do not have control over the future. We only have here and now, what we do now controls the future. It's the will of nature and the universe. Even we as gods cannot alter that."

Athena took Zeus and led him out of the hall towards the sky where the sun was gleaming down with pure white light. Zeus took another breath and relaxed in the glow of innocence as he let his worry beam out of his mind.

While Athena and Zeus were basking in the glory of the light above ground things were much darker in the world below. Within the Underworld of the Egyptian lands the god of the deceased, Anubis, performed his daily duties of weighing the hearts of the dead upon the grand scale of Ma 'At, the goddess of justice and truth. Times of distance between the realms of earth had changed over time and now the gods of earth worked in unison to maintain balance. Anubis was paired with Hades as the judgement before the dead.

The two were the bringers of death and the final judgement for all those who passed away. Anubis was the justice while Hades was the punishment. Within his realm Anubis stood before Ma 'At with two rivers by his side. These rivers, one for those hearts of purity which shine with light when deposited and one of shadow where the wicked and sinister are sent, are the final place that souls are placed before they enter their eternal resting place. The souls are contained within the hearts of the dead for that is the vehicle of life. Those whose hearts are pure are placed within the flow of life where the soul is released and sent to Olympus to join Zeus and his family in light, the Egyptian souls joined Ra.

Those whose hearts are evil and sinister are placed in the river of shadow; from there they go to the Underworld to await eternal suffering and pain from Hades, truly evil hearts were eaten by Anubis as fuel for his own strength. Only Anubis could touch the hearts of the deceased and he entrusted the judgement of the souls within to the goddess of Ma 'At who held the seven items of truth.

These items, forged by the Egyptians long before their civilization even began, were the key to the true nature of the race of man. The eye of truth upon Ma 'At's forehead can view into the hearts of man and see the true nature of the soul. The key in her left hand unlocked the mind and allowed to user to enter into the labyrinth of the human personality. Within her right hand she held the scales of truth and balance. These are what Anubis uses to gauge the judgement of the dead. If the weight of the heart exceeds that of Ma 'At then the soul within is judged as evil and is sent to Hades down the river of death.

Those which do not alter the scales against Ma 'At's movements are judged as pure and join the river of light. While the scales judge, the eye seeks truth which is unlocked through the key. These items together create justice for the dead; as they see the mortal for how they truly lived.


To be continued......

Chapter 6. B
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Having already weighed several dozen hearts earlier that day, Anubis decided to take a break and sit down beside the river of souls. Ma 'At decided to rest as well for she needed a rest from the evil within most of the hearts she had already judged; and more were still pouring in, hearts of dread and villainy.

Taking a seat beside Anubis she asked, "how did the meeting with the Greek gods ensue?"

"It was shorter than I anticipated it would be; Odin seems quite certain his way is always correct," Anubis answered back in a sour tone.

"What was the outcome and reason behind that meeting?"

"I never told you?"

"You said you were forbidden to speak of it before it occurred."

"Right" Anubis said biting his own tongue. "The brothers Zeus, Poseidon and Hades were shown a vision long ago by ones they call The Ancients."

"The Ancients?!" Ma 'At exclaimed.

"You know of them?" Anubis quickly turned to face his jackal head towards his companion in disbelief.

"I know they are wise and powerful, wiser than anyone alive, if they showed the brothers a vision it must have been one of great concern."

"How wise are they, who are they?"

"They came before all of us. Born from the universe itself. Only stories and legends are heard of them, but it is said that they were greater than even the titans themselves."

"Those beasts were mighty indeed. But that does not answer my question. Who are The Ancients?"

"No one knows for sure, all we know is that they left behind great treasures of wisdom, it is said they live within the many worlds all at once and can see all things past, present, and future."

"Why have I never heard of these beings or their remains?" Anubis growled beginning to lose his temper.

"Their remains are well guarded secrets that only the wisest of beings are allowed to know about. But that is not important; what is important is what the brothers were shown. Did they speak of it?"

"They did long ago it has become a faint memory in my mind but it still remains. They were each shown what they assumed was their fate, their worlds being destroyed by a shadow of great power."

"That is something unheard of." Ma 'At said as her face turned to slight concern.

"How do you know about The Ancients?" Anubis asked eager to hear her reply.

"They crafted these for the one who came before me." Ma 'At replied; shaking several of the items that were in her hands and around her neck.

"They crafted those items!?"

"Yes, now if you'll be quiet for a moment I wish to gain some enlightenment on this matter that the brothers faced." Ma 'At said as she closed her eyes and activated the power of her neckless.

Anubis remained silent; whenever Ma 'At wanted to gaze into the past it was very unwise to disturb her. The last poor soul who tried that was banished to a realm of darkness and horror said to be the deepest darkest place within the Underworld itself. And the Underworld was very deep indeed.

"The Ancient crafted those items?" Anubis thought to himself. "They were powerful beings indeed."

Several minutes passed as Anubis gazed over the hearts they still had to weigh. One heart he remembered was from a human said to be so terrible he plunged the entire world into utter chaos. When he had placed the heart on the scale not only did the scale fall instantly from the immense weight but Ma 'At went down with it. The heart was so evil Anubis had to devour part of it himself before Ma 'At could even move enough to activate the power of all seven of her items to regain her strength. That heart was sent to The Underworld without a second thought. Whoever was within; both beings hoped they were getting sheer punishment from Hades in ways far beyond death.

Ma 'At returned and stood, Anubis gazed up at her. He saw a face of question gazing off into the cavern.

"What did you see?" Anubis asked; his voice low.

"I saw the Greek gods descend into the lower levels of Olympus where they were shrouded by barriers they had created, I was forbidden to pass though so I waited within the vision."

"What happened when they returned?"

"Their faces were full of fear and their breaths were deep and heavy. Something had disturbed them beyond reckoning."

"It must have been that vision they were shown, did they say anything?"

"No, they remained silent as they continued up to the surface."

"If it was The Ancients who showed them that vision, it must have been something dire to be able to scare them like that."

"What did Odin think of what the gods said at your meeting?'

"Odin is skeptical, he says that without proof there is no cause for alarm"

"Then he is a fool."

"What do you mean?"

"As legends say The Ancients have never been wrong when revealing the fates of others. While the future can change with even the slightest alteration of the past; if The Ancients predicted it then it will happen."

"So what can we do?"

"We have to.. AAAHHCCCKK!" she began before screaming.

"Ma 'At what is it? What's wrong?" Anubis cried as he rose to his feet, then he felt it, something passing overhead. Looking up he saw nothing but stone. Turning back to Ma 'At he saw something. The scales of balance were unable to find balance. They kept tilting and never stood still. Anubis called upon his dark magic to calm their motion but it was no good. The power contained within them was stronger than anything he could conjure up. Ma 'At kept screaming for several minutes until finally she stopped. Looking at the scales, which stopped shortly after that, she turned to Anubis with great concern in her eyes.

"How long have the scales been unbalanced?!" Ma 'At asked quickly.

"What just..."

"HOW LONG!?"

"About ten minutes." Anubis cried taking a step back.

Ma 'At took a deep breath before turning towards the jackal. "Only something of great evil could cause the scales to be unable to find balance for that long. A darkness that knows no bounds"

"Could it be connected to the figure we just discussed?"

"That is the only thing that makes sense in this situation. Did anything happen while the scales' power was unleashed?"

"I felt something above us, but I saw nothing."

"There was something close, something powerful. What it was we may never know until time shows it."

"There must be something we can do?"

"Wait for time to tell us more is the only thing we can do." Ma 'At said as she stood up and walked back to her place between the soul rivers. Anubis agreed with her for now; not once did he question her judgement. But something dark had passed over his gaze and he was positive the Greek gods would want to hear of that soon.

"Only time will tell" he said to himself as he picked up a heart from the now twice as large pile they had begun earlier that day. "Are you sure you want to continue with this work? You can barely stand as it is?"

"I'm fine, let's just finish this day's load." Ma'At replied.

"If you say so then I believe you" Anubis said. As he placed the heart on the scales, they instantly dropped and Ma'At quickly fell with them. "Ma'At!" Anubis cried out.

Her pale skin had gone even paler and she had stopped breathing. Anubis quickly released a large level of energy into her body which was enough to wake her temporarily.

"My strength is gone!" she cried before falling silent. She was still breathing. Anubis decided to carry her to her chambers for rest; he kept releasing small amounts of his own strength to keep her alive. He knew the Olympian gods would want to hear about this, and he also knew that something had just passed overhead, something powerful.

To be continued.....

Chapter 7
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Yuko walked along the sidewalk towards the school shivering as she tried to stay warm. There was a mountain of snow that had fallen the previous night so it was very difficult to move through. Behind her there were some snow plows going down the road trying to move what they could off to the side of the road so cars could still get past. Luckily they had already run through the school areas so it was easy for the bus to move once it got out of the deep white powder. Yuko was thankful that her family had come prepared with thick winter clothing but, even layered down; Yuko could still feel the wind claw at her body. Winter in Canada was definitely nothing to laugh at when you experienced it for yourself. The air was chilly and the wind only made it worse. It was funny. How when the wind died down the weather actually became really nice and not the frozen state it was known for. Once the wind came in however that was an instant call to bundle up and try to stay out of the wind as much as possible. The wind wasn't the only problem; the fresh amount of snow that had fallen was being blown around wildly which only made vision that much harder to focus on. Yuko felt like she was just released from prison when she finally made it within the school and the warm air rushed the cold chill out of her. Walking into the core she saw that many students were stuck to the chairs as they tried to stay warm.

"Even the people who have lived here all their lives still don't adapt very well to the cold" Yuko thought to herself as she shivered from the sudden rush down her spine. "Well no time to be too concerned about the cold. If I want to try and help Max with whatever her past is I have to start getting information." She walked over to a table close to the entrance and saw three guys who were all drinking a hot beverage of some kind. She recognized one of them as Michael the one who helped her in science class when she fell asleep.

"Hey Michael" She said trying not to let her shivering take over her words.

"Oh, hey Yuko, how are you doing?" He asked his words also slightly obscured by the cold clicking in his teeth.

"I'm doing alright, thanks for your help the other day."

"No worries. So how's the winter for you?"

"Cold very cold."

"Yeah it's a bit different here than in Japan I bet, that is where you're from right?"

"Yes that is where I'm from."

"Oh, good" Michael said with a sigh "I was worried that it you weren't from there it would be really embarrassing."

"That's alright" Yuko said with a small laugh to which the other two guys at the table laughed in unison.

"Oh these are my friends David and John." Michael quickly said turning away in slight embarrassment as the other two waved over at Yuko.

"Nice to meet you two, I'm Yuko."

"David" said the one in the red coat.

"John" followed the one wearing a blue coat that looked like it was for skiing. "Mike here was just telling us about how you passed out in science class the other day."

"I was not!" Blurted out Mike very fast.

David and John laughed at Mike's quick outburst. Yuko turned slightly red from embarrassment.

"Yeah" she said quietly. "Of course he was."

"No I was not!" Mike quickly replied.

All four of them looked at each other in unison before all bursting out laughing.

"Why are we laughing at this?" Mike asked as he tried to catch his breath.

"Your overreaction to what we just said" replied David quickly.

"So hey Michael" Yuko said once they calmed down.

"Call me Mike, it's just easier and that's what everyone calls me anyway."

"Okay Mike, I wanted to ask you something."

"If it's about me talking about you falling asleep in class, that was not me, John here happens to be in the same class as us."

"No, I wanted to ask you about Max. Do you know her?"

When she said that all three guys suddenly looked at each other. For a moment no one talked.

"I don't really know much about her. She keeps to herself most of the time." Mike quietly replied turning back to Yuko. "Why do you want to ask about her?"

"She seems to be someone different to everyone here and it's not the same person that I've come to know over these past few weeks. So I was just wondering if you knew anything about why that is."

"All I can tell you is that she wasn't always like how she is today."

"Why is that?"

"It's just a bunch of rumors that no one really knows if they are true or not, but they seem to have stuck around and now everyone thinks the same of her." John said in a low voice.

"Why do you all sound scared?" Yuko asked quietly.

"It's just that no one really likes talking about what happened to her. Because we don't know the entire truth about what happened, we don't really want to get involved." Mike said "we try to stand out as people who try and help others, but there are some here who would take the stories about Max and turn them against her."

"Like the Sisters?" Yuko questioned.

"Yeah, those three would definitely be the type of people who would use rumors against people." Mike replied.

"But like John said," David followed, "We don't know the truth so we try and avoid it all together. I've actually talked to Max on several occasions and she does seem like a nice person."

"Does she ever seem to want to talk about her past?" Yuko asked.

"No, it's never been brought up whenever we talk about it." David said.

"Well how do you guys see her, like what kind of person is she?"

"She's nice and really smart." John said.

"And she's really good in Industrial Arts class, I'm making the same bookshelf as her and she is way ahead of everyone else who are building that." David followed.

"Those are how we see her; if I were you Yuko I wouldn't try and be bothered too much about what happened to her. Just try and see her for who she is now and not try and focus on who she once was." Mike replied.

"That seems like a good idea. But at the same time I want to know what other side of her is seen by the other students here. Sorry I'm just the kind of person who wants to try and help others as well and I need to understand them in order to be able to help them." Yuko replied calmly.

"Well why not try asking her yourself about what she faced when she was younger?" David suggested. "If you want to know her past then try asking her directly."

"I don't know really how I would go about asking her." Yuko replied "It seems like she gets worried whenever it's brought up in some way."

"Well that might be the only way you can get the answer you're looking for." John said as he got up. "Class is about to start however so we should probably get going."

"That is a good idea, I cannot afford to be marked late again" David said as he bolted up. "It was nice to meet you Yuko and good luck with trying to help Max." He bolted down the hall after he said that.

"Don't worry too much about it Yuko" Mike said as he grabbed his bag. "If you want to know then just try asking, nothing can go wrong with simply asking a question." With that he walked off and up the stairs just as the bell rang. John ran off after him leaving Yuko by the table. She decided that she would try asking Max about her past the next time she saw her.

The bell had rung so Yuko grabbed her bag and headed off to her math class. When she got into the classroom she saw Max sitting at her desk looking at her notebook. Yuko walked over and saw that she was trying to figure out a long division question.

"You alright Max?" she asked as she sat down in her desk behind Max. She didn't answer. Yuko gently tapped her shoulder and she jumped. Rather suddenly.

"Sorry" Yuko said as Max quickly spun around.

"Oh, it's you." Max said with rapid breathing.

"You alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine" Max said taking a breather. "I'm just really stuck on this last question from last night's assignment and I can't figure it out."

"Long division?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"I saw them over your shoulder when I sat down. I'm stuck on them also." That was true; Yuko had been up all night trying to solve the problem"

"Want me to help you?" Max asked.

"Sure, it's the fifth one that is difficult for me; I just can't get the right answer." Yuko turned her notebook around so Max could scan over the question.

"Here's the problem" she said a minute later. "You've gotten the correct common denominator but you haven't reduced it to its lowest possible form."

Yuko took a look and sure enough Max was right. Just a simple reduction issue that she had completely overlooked. "Wow how did I mess that up?" she said as she reduced it two more times. Checking the back of the book where the answers were, she saw that her answer matched that which was on the last few pages.

"Small things like that are usually easily to overlook" Max explained. Her face suddenly changed to a form of realization "hang on." She turned back to her notes before bursting out "Idiot!"

"Who?" Yuko asked.

"Me, you're not the only one who overlooks small mistakes." Max said as she turned back to her own notes and scribbled frantically.

"What do you mean?"

"Half of these questions involve inverting the division into multiplication. But this last question has several symbols already in multiplication, so they don't need to be inverted." Max turned around and showed Yuko. There were three multiplication symbols mixed into the division symbols between the fractions they had to divide.

Max turned her textbook to the 'answers' section. "Got the right answer" she said.

"Good job." Yuko replied.

"Very good indeed" a third voice followed.

Yuko and Max turned to see the math teacher, Mrs. Lillis, standing beside them with a smile. "I'm glad you were able to figure out the answer."

"Thanks, but I did have some help." Max said nodding in Yuko's direction.

"All I did was make you realize you had overlooked a small mistake after you already pointed out that I had done the same." Yuko said.

"Well it worked" Max said.

"Alright class time to get started today" Mrs. Lillis said as she moved to the front of the room. "Before we start I want to point out an important point which Max and Yuko just realized themselves. Make sure you read over the question and your work slowly and several times. It is very easy to miss small details that make the difference in the final answer."

Both girls turned away as most of the students glanced in their direction.

"I thought all Max did was cause problems, not solve them" Yuko faintly heard one of the girls to her left say to the girl before her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yuko said louder than she wanted too. Several students near them heard and glanced back towards them.

"It's nothing" the girl said turning towards her.

"That didn't sound like nothing" Yuko replied quietly.

"Don't worry about it" the second girl said turning back to face the front.

"Why should I?"

"You don't know what she did before you came here, you're new so you don't understand. Now listen this is nothing you need to be concerned about so just stay out of it."

"Maybe you'd like to fill me in on the details?" Yuko said beginning to get tired of all the avoidance to her question.

"Pay attention back there" the teacher called out towards them. They all fell silent. The girl slightly smirking, Yuko was slightly enraged.

Max upset. She had heard what Yuko and Alexis were bickering about and she knew what Alexis had hid in all her words. She cringed as the memory rushed into her and her hands curled up, gripping the nervously filled air.

The class ended fifty minutes later. Max quickly rushed out of the room. Yuko heard her rush off and that reminded her that she wanted to ask Max about her past. But would she want to talk now? She decided to follow her and try asking at the least, but she quickly lost her in the sea of students. Finally making it into the construction room Yuko saw Max sitting in one of the work desks. She had already retrieved her bookshelf that she had been working on for the last week and was now examining the wood that she needed to glue together for any imperfections. She didn't look up as Yuko approached.

"Hey Max, are you alright?" Yuko asked. Max didn't answer; she just kept examining the wood as if she was a sculpture searching the slightest scratch in a statue. Yuko walked off into the storage room, deciding it wasn't the best time to ask her question, and retrieved her work. Laying her work on the workplace she retrieved the layout from her binder and examined what she needed to do next in making her table. She had to construct the legs next, which needed to be 24 inches long by 4 inches wide.

"I know what you want to ask me." Max said now looking over her layout. "Trust me, if I did tell you, you'd probably run away and avoid me like everyone else already does."

Yuko looked up at her and she glanced in her direction. "Why would I do that?"

"Because everyone else does, I've grown accustomed to it anyway."

"I don't think I would."

"Yuko please, just forget it. I don't want to talk about it right now alright?" Yuko remained silent.

They didn't talk to each other for the rest of the class. Max cut out pieces for her shelves, trying to cut her past away with the wood. Yuko worked on marking the proper measurements for her legs.

The remaining hours of the day were quiet around the school. There was almost a gloomy feel in the air. Yuko and Max wandered through the halls and just as Max said everyone seemed to move out of the way for some strange reason. Yuko simply followed Max through the halls as if there was a thick mist no one could get through. The only one who knew the correct path was Max.

Things around the school stayed that way for a while. The variation throughout the day only occurred within the classes; everywhere else followed a routine. One that centered on Max and those around her. Mainly Yuko, with the odd exception of Megan and Alex on small occasions. Max moved through it as if she'd walked that path her whole life. Yuko slowly became distant from the other students. Everyone she approached turned away in rejection. Almost as if she contained a plague.

Yuko and Max seemed to slowly become the two students everyone else feared. The ones whom no one wanted to talk about. The students who everyone else saw as different. The only one who knew the truth was Max, and Yuko sensed that getting the answer was not going to be easy.

Chapter 8 comes up soon. Kindly live a comment

Chapter 8
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Yuko walked along the streets of town, alone, wondering what she was doing. She wanted to know the truth but she did not know about how she would go about learning it. She could just ask Max directly; no, she would never get the answer openly from her because she doesn't want to talk about it.

"Maybe I could ask around the school. No that won't work because Mike said no one knows the truth, it's just a bunch of circulated rumors." She cried in frustration. She began running through thoughts that ranged from asking the locals if they knew anything to the insane idea to asking The Sisters for the answers. She walked along letting her thoughts guide her movements. Eventually losing herself and unknowingly walking up to Max's front door. Staring at the door only taunted her desire to know the truth about her friend. She was about to knock when the door flew open and Max walked out, almost knocking Yuko over.

"Oh, hey Yuko what are you doing here?" Max asked.

"I'm not sure about that myself"

Max laughed, "That's funny."

"I guess"

"I'm actually going out to run some errands, want to come? Might help your mind figure out what's going on."

"Sure if you don't mind"

"Come on then" Max said as she started down the street with Yuko rushing to catch up to her. They walked in silence for a while before Max asked "how have you been recently?"

"I've been alright I guess"

"You guess?"

"I've just been thinking a lot recently"

"What about?"

"Are you going to keep asking that until I tell you?"

"Pretty much, so come on out with it"

Yuko took in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, before asking "Okay, here it is; what happened when you were younger? I'm only asking because everyone around us seems to see us as different. I… I can't hold back who I am and who that is someone who wants to try and help you because you are a different person whenever your past comes up and it's not the same person I see and know."

The trees around them swayed in the wind as she said that. Almost as if the town was trying to tell her that now was the time to get the answer she was so concerned about. Max stopped walking and Yuko turned around to face her. She saw a face of mixed expressions looking back at her.

"Who is the person you see now?" Max asked slowly.

"I see the same person I've known for these past few weeks. The same person who has become one of my best friends I've ever had. Only there's another side of you I can't see, and it's scary."

Max let out a small sigh; as if she knew that would be Yuko's answer. "Alright follow me" she said and started off towards the nearby forest. Yuko followed close behind.

Max followed a trail through the woods that carried them up into the mountains. The trail was different from their previous treks through the trees. Yuko became slightly nervous. Max turned off the trail and climbed up a steeper hill. The snow on the ground made the climb difficult but both girls kept going. After about five minutes they emerged from the trees and Yuko saw where they were. Max' secret Mountain View of the town. The wind whisked the snow and cold air around them on a different level than down below where rivers of snow could be slightly seen gliding over the town. The wind was still cold but held a slight calmness and carried a subtle feeling of freedom with it. Max cleared some snow off a log and sat down, beckoning Yuko to do the same. Once they were both seated; Max looked down over the cliff. Silence descended on them for a minute, and then Max spoke.

"It was about two years ago, when I was about 14 years old. It was a cool fall day, leaves were changing color and the wind became brisk. I was at home just having a good time with my father. We were relaxing, watching our favorite show, just enjoying the day. Then the doorbell rang. My father went upstairs to see who it was while I waited on the couch. Then I heard yelling and something hit the floor above me. I quietly went upstairs and looked around the corner only to see my father on the ground. A tall man was standing over him constantly kicking him. My father got up and fought back unaware that I was watching behind him. Then the intruder kicked my father's legs out from under him and slammed him into the ground. Then he pulled out a gun and aimed it at my father's back. He shot him right in his spine. Blood covered the floor as my father screamed in pain. I couldn't hold back my own scream. The man heard it and then saw me. As he walked towards me my father grabbed him by the ankle and pulled him down. The gun flew out of the man's hand and landed right in front of me. Out of fear I grabbed it and pointed it at the intruder. That didn't stop him from trying to get to me. I couldn't control my fear. Before I could stop myself I shut my eyes and pulled the trigger. The gun kicked back and threw me against the wall. When I opened my eyes all I saw was a face filled with rage. With a small hole in his forehead. The man fell to the ground as I took a breath, the adrenaline shot through me so fast I didn't feel anything."

"After a moment when I finally looked down all I saw was blood on my hands, the gun in my hand, the fear on the still pulled back trigger. I screamed at what I had done. I ran to my father who was still on the ground. He told me to call the police and the hospital, to tell them there was an intruder and nothing more. I did what he told me while crying the entire time. When the police and paramedics arrived, they took my father and I out of the house and took us to the hospital. My father survived however he lost the use of his legs for good. He told them what happened. He left out the part about me killing that man. The police ruled it as self-defense during an armed robbery so no charges were placed on my father."

"The news said it as an armed robbery gone wrong and that my father was the one who pulled the trigger. I still don't know how but the truth got out. Everyone at school knows it was me who pulled the trigger and that I was always stunned by what I had done. That's why they are afraid of me and why they constantly taunt me about it."

Max took a breath before finishing "So now you know about me and why everyone who sees me runs away."

After she finished Max held her head on her shoulders, she couldn't bring herself to look up.

Yuko sat there beside her. She never imagined Max's past would have been that extreme. Now that she knew about it, she could feel some part of her wishing she didn't.

"How is your father?" Yuko said after a few minutes.

"He's fine, paralyzed from the waist down, but otherwise alright."

"What about you?"

Max looked up to face Yuko in the eyes. "I'm struggling to forget it ever happened."

"Maybe this is something you can't forget."

"What do you mean?"

"It sounds like this is something that shouldn't be forgotten. It seems like the more you try and forget about it, the stronger the memory becomes."

"But I want to forget it; I want the pain to go away."

"How long have you been trying to forget?"

"Ever since it happened I've been trying to forget. Only problem is those jerks at school who know about it keep bringing it up; which makes it impossible for me to stop thinking about it."

"You mean The Sisters?"

"Them and a few others. Most people are too afraid of me to say anything directly towards me, but I know they talk about it when they think I can't hear them."

"I don't talk about you behind your back."

"But you do talk about me; I overheard you and Alexis in math the other day."

"That was just a situation that presented itself that one time. I don't talk about you in negative ways though." Max hung her head in disagreement. "Neither do Megan or Alex."

"Megan and Alex?" Max said with a glance at Yuko.

"They both have been trying to be friends with you for a while now, why do you think they join our conversations during the lunch break and after school?"

"I thought they were just pretending. Come on you saw how they reacted when you first met them and they saw me."

"Recently they've been trying to get better acquainted with you; you just don't see it yet."

"Because they know what I did so they want to try and cheer me up?"

"Because you've shut yourself within your past and you don't see when people are being friendly and compassionate towards you. So, you killed someone when you were young, you're a different person because of that and all I've seen is a good friend and the best friend I've had since coming here. Knowing the truth doesn't change that."

Max looked up and for a moment felt the same way.

"Best friend?" She asked.

"Of course, you're the first person I met since I moved here; you've shown me around this town and also this amazing secret view of yours."

"I was just being friendly."

"Well it was enough for me. The person I know isn't a murderer. She's a person who is kind and just wants to have a life where she doesn't have to worry about her past anymore."

Max stared. She didn't know what to say. All her life she had shut herself within the horrible events of the past. Especially the face of that man she shot. Everyone around her afterwards avoided her like the plague and she drifted off into a corridor of loneliness. All that and yet here was someone who, even after learning the truth, didn't run, taunt, or shun her. There was something unique to Yuko that made her one of the best friends she had ever had. Yuko was right that she never noticed it until now.

"Thanks Yuko, you're a great friend as well" Max said with a smile.

"There's the smile you've hid from everyone. What do you say we go run those errands we've put off for the last hour and then we can put this bad memory behind us once and for all?" Yuko said.

"Great idea" Max said. With that the two friends walked back down the hill as the rays from the sun illuminated the snow below them.

"Hey I was wondering how you can see the path through all this snow." Yuko asked as they walked through the trees.

"That's easy, I can't. I've walked all the paths around here so many times that I know which paths connect together and where."

"I should have known."

Both friends laughed at the answer as they slid down the trails and walked out of the forest towards the shopping district part of town.

To be continued