The Family Line Part 135 – The Void Opens

Part 135 – The Void Opens

“You are beaten,” Azagod said to Theomin as she held the staff in her bat-like hand. She looked at the sky as the red flaming eyes of Morgoth came closer to the gate of the void and the smell of sulfur began wafting through the city. “Now begins the returning age of Morgoth and the beginning of Dagor Dagorath.” She held the staff up aloft as the wind whipped even more violently about. Lightning spewed forth from the sky as the door to the void began to lift and Morgoth’s presence was being born again.

Theomin could see the horrible sight of Morgoth coming from the great door in the sky. The void was soon to spill forth the demon Maiar of ancient days. He felt partially to blame as he took the staff himself and brought it, foolishly, to Evendim. He knew he had to stop the summoning of Morgoth. Or at the very least, die trying to stop Azagod from summonging him. With as much speed as he could muster, he quickly stood and ran toward her but an electric charge flashed forth from the staff and into his face.

 

A second later he was taken to another place. The sun in the sky was bright and its luminous shine beat down on the seas below. It was as if he had no body; no earthly mass to weigh him down to the ground. He was high in the air, far from any fighting in the city of Annuminas. The sea far below was vast, though empty save one small speck on the horizon. It was a vessel of some kind and it came sailing lonely along the sea. Manned by a cadre of elves, they drifted far from any shore. No land was in sight in any direction. Surely they were far from anything and anywhere.

“This staff has a curse upon it,” one of the elves said as he held the staff at the bow of the boat. “Any who whield it will surely parish from its power. I forged it to bring an end to Morgoth’s reign; to aid the Valar in the summoning of the great gate to the Void. Now that I have it back, I realize such a key that could lock him into the void could surely return him back to this realm.”

“What will you do with it, my lord Acarond?” another elf asked.

“I will rid us of this blight on nature,” the elf Acarond said. “It was cursed when I forged it, it’s a curse now. I will cast it into the sea and hope that will be the end of it. Along with it I will attach the strongest of the lines of rope upon which is tied a weight that will sink such a terrible crafted down into the depths of the deepest part of the ocean. Then it will not be heard of or used again.”

“Why not just destroy this staff, my lord?” the elf asked.

“So much power has been placed into this staff that any who destroy it will surely parish,” Acarond said. “Such a devastation there would be that mountains would crumble to its force and seas would flood from its power. A devastation there would be unlike any other.”

“Then hiding it in the ocean is the best choice we have,” the other elf said. “What if it is found again?”

“I have found that if the right person uses it, the staff will tell you how to use it,” Acarond said. “But if you were not the right one to hold it, it could kill you.”

“Who can whield such a craft?” the other elf asked.

“Only those who’s ancestry is of the valar,” Acarond said. “Only then will you be chosen by the staff. You see, the staff is not chosen by any man, elf, or beast. The staff chooses its owner and its owner may only be that of the descendents of the Valar.”

“What will destroy it?” the elf asked.

The elf stayed silent for a long while. He looked up and around and then back into the staff, “I poured all my essense into this staff. My body will soon pass but my spirit will be encased in this staff. I do not hope destruction placed upon it. I also know it is too terrible to be kept here. Visions from this staff will show the way to defeat it should the staff ever be used for evil. Then it will be destroyed and my spirit with it. You see, I will not tell you how to destroy this staff. And so I will turn it over to the sea in the hopes that it is never found.”

Darkness fell on the spirit of Theomin. All around not but blackness and soon the cold wet feel of a cave drifted into his being. It was the realm under Aman Sul and the caves that lead to the Warriors of Eriador to the staff. He swooped through the caves, driven by some unseen force that guided him through the air toward his destination. It was then apparent he was traveling over the same dark creatures they had encountered and faught in the cave. He flew over them but they did not see him. They stood, just as still as when he first saw them.

He continued through the caves and soon began to hear sounds from the far end of the tunnel, echoing through. First they were soft and barely audible. Soon, though, the voices grew in intensity as it was apparent he was witnessing a conversation between the creature Azagod and an emissary in a dark cloak.

“Such a message from Lord Elrond would surely persuade them to do such a deed,” the emessary said. “In a casing that looks much like a scepter, we could brand the case The Scepter of Annuminas.”

“And how would the staff be retrieved? We have tried for millennia and still have had no success,” Azagod said. “The staff to open to door to the void has been a tremendous difficulty to retrieve.”

The emissary stood with a gleeful yet evil smile on his face. He then said, “I know of one man who could retrieve such a staff. I saw him use a staff. I saw him use it to great affect. My master took him to his town and took it from him. He would be a perfect candidate to retrieve it for us. Once he has it, my research tells me that once it is taken by him, the staff will then be unlocked and its power to shock any who come to retrieve it will diminish. I will have him take it to Annuminas and there you will have your staff to summon Morgoth yourself.”

Theomin came in closer to the man to see who it was that was speaking. Under the man’s cloak, to his terrible horror, was Teryndir. Such a shock pushed

him back to life in his body. He was back in Annuminas and was staring straight up at the sky as a beam of light emenated from the staff Azagod was holding. The beam of light stretched straight toward the swirling clouds above as the gateway from the Void was beginning to open.

 

 

 

The shock from the bolt of lightning must have made him loose consciousness for a brief time. He looked around and saw Kronog just above him. Kronog had a smile on his face as he held his axe in his hand. On his face, the look of an evil pleasure spilled forth. He held up his axe, swung it back and began to swing it forth to meet Theomin. But a brief blur came from behind and knocked his axe to the side.

“What?” Kronog looked at what pushed his axe out of the way. Theomin looked over too. It was Aches. Aches’ back end was up and his front end was crouched as if he was ready to pounce. His tail swung back and forth slowly as he looked intently at Kronog. “You cursed animal,” Kronog said with anger. “I will end you.” Kronog took steps toward the small lynx but Aches stood his ground. It was then that a large group of animals came running, scampering and flying toward Kronog. All manner of animals charged onward toward Kronog, swooping and pouncing onto Kronog.

Such a number of animals distraced Azagod as she pulled back the staff. She raised the staff back up in the air again as flashes of electricity came from it. She was about to send a lightning flash at the animals. As she began to send the staff down to the ground, a blade came slicing outword through her chest. She screamed a horrible scream as all around her stopped and covered their ears.

It was Ariel who had stabbed the morroval throught he back. She held her ears in pain as the morroval’s screams blasted out like a concusion through the whole cliff. So close to the edge of the cliff, Ariel almost stumbled off it when Lily came forward and grabbed her hand. Lily pulled her to safety just as she began to fall off the cliff.

Kronog, so devastated about what was happening, pushed the animals away from him with a strong jerk and took his horn and blew into it. Loud it was. Just as loud as Azagod’s scream of pain. But it was for one terrible reason he blew his horn. Into the forey swooped in the drake. It landed on the plain of the cliff, just short of the drop-off. It quickly blew a stream of fire at all around them, catching the animals around Kronog ablaze. But Millie Cartwirght, directly in the path of the fire, received most of the burns. She ran from the fire in pain, not aware of where she was running in terror. She plunged off the cliff of Tyl Annun and fell into the lake far below the cliff which finally became her watery grave. Theomin ran out of the way of the hot stream of fire. It then occurred to him that the destruction of the staff had come to his mind. He then knew what he had to do.

Next to the dying body of Azagod laid the staff. He took it up and ran toward the drake. But the drake was ready to spew forth another blanket of fire and it was aimed at Theomin. But lightning then spewed forth from nearby Ost Elendil. It was Lily who sent a beam of electricity toward the drake. Instead of Theomin, the drake blew its fire directly at Lily. As it send its burning flames toward the elf, Theomin took the staff in his hand and held it as he would a javiline. He then flung it right at the gaping mouth of the drake. Inside the mouth of the drake it flew, past the sharp teeth and the sick, great worm-like tongue. The drake stopped its terrible flame and closed its gaping mouth. It stumbled back as if it was shocked as to what was happening. It stumbled back again and almost fell down the cliff of Tyl Annun but used its front claws to hang on to the cliff. It then spread its wings and let go of the cliff. The drake flew up into the air away from Tyl Annun.

Its flight was awkward as it tried to maintain its altitude. It flew up again, flapping its wings as hard as it could. It began to drop again but flapped its wings hard again. It drew close to the swirling clouds in the sky and up into the circling vortex. Then, a sudden burst came forth from the drake, a light that encompassed all darkness around the entire land of Evendim. A sudden and terrible blast drew forth from the sky as sound caught up with the light. The blast of a thousand strikes of lightning shattered the ears of all in Annuminas and the blast blew down many who where not prepared.

As the lights and sounds of the blast began to dissipate and all turned to normal, everyone looked up at the sky, friend and foe alike. The vortex of the gateway to the void began to fade and the once dark opening at the center was still there but its darkness became transluscent. Light beamed from behind it and from the darkness of the void came light. Such a light it was that it was brighter than any they had ever before seen. It was the light of the sun shining through the dark void that was once the opening gate of Morgoth’s escape.

Theomin looked up at the sky with a such emotion that tears pooled in his eyes and slowly began to run down his face. It was over. They had stopped the darkness from coming. Morgoth’s evil reign would not come to Middle Earth. He collapsed it and any chance of a second coming of the dark lord. Evil, which had long plagued the lands of Middle Earth, had at last been staved back.

With wiriness Theomin collapsed but was soon met by Kronog. “You have ended all of our long time of planning,” Kronog said with hatred. He was badly bruised and bitten by the animals who had met him only moments before. “And now I will end you.”

Theomin was at last ready to welcome death as he closed his eyes. He needed not fear any dark lord coming to Middle Earth anymore and felt he was no longer needed to defend himself. He shut his eyes held out his arms and was ready for the axe that he knew was coming to him. The sudden sound of a puncture was heard but he felt not a stab or a jab. Instead, he looked up and saw it was a sword that made its way into Kronog’s arm. It was Sylderan’s sword. Kronog flung his axe toward Sylderan but met it with the shield of his. With the sword still embedded in Kronog’s shoulder, he could not move his arm. A sudden onslaught of Angmarim came from the battling near the bridge. Theomin yanked the sword from Kronog’s arm as he was distracted and flung it toward Sylderan. Sylderan fought back the Angmarim as he, Lily and Ariel became distracted by the many Angmarim.

“So, it’s only you and me,” Kronog said to Theomin. “Where are your pets now? Where are your friends? You may have won today, but against me, you will lose.”

“Theomin!” a voice came from the battling. It was Saeredan who held the staff his father gave to him in Rohan. “Take it!”

The staff of Theomin’s sailed toward him as he caught it and prepared himself to fight Kronog.

 

“It is over, Teryndir,” Sergee said to his brother. “Your hopes to recapture Annuminas and to destroy Middle Earth has ended. “Give a look up to the sky. Your hopes for Morgoth to return has ended, brother. Give up and let us both leave this city together.”

“It is too late for that, brother,” Teyrndir mournfully said. “I no longer have anything to live for. If I must die, I will bring you down with me.” He swung his sword to meet Sergee. They continued to battle through the city and ended up in Clorhir.

They battled through the courtyard, kicking, punching and swinging their swords to and fro. Their swords clashed as Sergee did not want to hurt his brother, but Teryndir did not feel the same. He swung hard and he swung violently. With each swing of his sword, he tried to end Sergee’s life. But Sergee only attempted to stave off the attacks of Teryndir’s, desperately parrying each stroke and thrust his brother delivered. At last, Sergee with a tired arm, needed to change to an offensive stance. He swung hard, harder than his brother, and his brother could tell the difference. Sergee, with each stroke, tried to end the clashing of swords and did so with such violence that finally he swung so hard that he hit the sword out of Teryndir’s hands. The sword flew far away from him. “End this, brother,” Sergee said. “I don’t want to kill you.”

“But I will kill you,” Teryndir angrily said. He ran toward Sergee and grabbed onto Sergee’s sword. He grabbed Sergee’s shoulder and tried with all his might to turn the sword and pull the sword toward Sergee. With all his strength, he was successfully moving Sergee’s hand and sword as it began to point toward Sergee. Sergee kicked his brother which pushed him away but Teryndir came right back to Sergee and tried to kill him with his own sword. Again, the sword had pointing toward Sergee as the head of the sword drew closer to Sergee’s chest. Sergee tried to push away as hard as he could but Teryndir had a strength Sergee never knew his brother had. The sword began to push through Sergee’s ranger outfit and into Sergee’s chest. Sergee hit his brother with is head but Teryndir pushed Sergee over.

Teryndir straddled Sergee and forced the sword down with all his might. It as beginning to plunge into his brother’s chest as he pushed harder and harder down on the sword. The sword was puncturing Sergee’s chest and being driven closer to his heart. Sergee yelled loudly as the pain of the sword hurt terribly. Finally, he kicked his brother off. The sword fell to the ground and Sergee staggered away from it and collapsed as blood began pouring out. He began to feel faint as his arms fell to the ground with exhaustion.

“You win, Teryndir,” Sergee said as his strength left him. “You win,” he said again but fainter. “Go ahead and do it. Go ahead and kill me. Let me see father again. Let me look upon his face and see how he feels about his own son killing his brother.” He looked up at Teryndir. “Because no matter what, I’m not killing you.”

Teryndir grabbed Sergee’s sword. He pointed it toward Sergee. He stood above him with a victorious glee in his eye. He held the tip toward Sergee’s neck. He thrusted the sword to end Sergee’s life but with quick reflexes, Sergee swung the sword around, which met Teryndir in the chest, driving through all the way until the hilt met with the chest of Teryndir.

Shocked, Teryndir looked down at the sword implanted in his chest. His mouth dropped in a permanent surprise and then looked at his brother. “You said,” Teryndir tried to say, “you said you woudn’t.” He fell back and then onto his knees. Sergee sat up and allowed Teryndir to fall into his arms and looked deep into Sergee’s eyes.

Tears began to stream from his eyes as sadness engulfed his being. “I didn’t want to, Teryndir. I didn’t want to. You forced me to do it. You forced me to end it. I was ready to give up. I was ready to let you win. But I could not do it. I could not let you kill me.”

Teryndir held his hand up to Sergee’s face. He gave a last look at Sergee and with a tinge of a smile said, “I will now see father. Now I will look upon his face to see how he feels about his son killing his brother.”

“I didn’t want to,” Sergee said in tears.

“But you did it,” Teryndir whispered. “And now you live with it.” Those were his last words as his hand slid off Sergee’s face and fell to the ground. Teryndir had finally died and Sergee sat on the ground cradeling his dead brother’s body.