Raising Sera- Lineage Read online

  Raising Sera

  -LINEAGE-

  Andre Ellison

  Raising Sera - Lineage

  Copyright © 2016-2019 by Andre Ellison

  All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For information contact:

  [email protected]

  http://www.facebook.com/RaisingSera

  Book and Cover design by Oliviaprodesign.com

  Book Formatting by Derek Murphy@Creativindie

  ASIN: B07BRQ9394

  First Edition: April 2019

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Dedicated to my Moon and Stars.

  Special Acknowledgement goes to

  RoseAndThornz

  Raising Sera

  Like branches on a tree,

  we all grow in different directions...

  Yet our roots remain as one.

  -anonymous

  PROLOGUE

  Homeward Bound

  It was a long time coming, Neoma thought to herself. Nothing could prepare her for this moment. All she knew was when the time came, she would be ready. She would finally be able to go back home.

  Placing a barefoot in front of the other, she gazed beyond the Balkan region of Greece. High in the mountains, a vibrant palette of green and yellow painted the landscape. She smiled at the thriving ecosystem that surrounded her. The warm glow of the morning sun bathed over her freckled face. She found reverent peace as she mentally prepared herself for the road that lied ahead.

  Under the moniker of 'New Moon', Neoma's true identity was concealed in the body of a mortal woman. With the same elements that were once used by her father to create humanity, she created herself into a mold that resembled the female gender. With no bounds in grace, Neoma was admired and adored by many of the pagan tribes for her impeccable features and service to them. Within her divinity, she was the Titan mother of all that inhabited the planet of Pangaea. Formerly a member of the Protogenoi, Neoma was cast into exile once she denounced her birthname, Gaia, to the order and all of its members. Living harmoniously with those that dwell on her planet, Neoma cared for and protected all creatures that lived on Pangaea. Against the will of the new king, that included the humans.

  She approached the peak of the palisade. Taking in a deep breath, she held on to the oxygen. She embraced her mortal side, which she so dearly loved. She released the air and closed her eyes.

  "Animus apertus," she whispered.

  As expected, nothing happened. She has spoken those words a thousand times before and not once did they produce her desired effect. She took another deep breath and knelt down upon the grass. Revealing a piece of parchment, she read an inscription that translated: 'Open your mind to the true King'.

  Arrogant as always, she thought, crumbling the scribe in her hand. She closed her eyes and proceeded again.

  "Rex vero animum tuum," she whispered as the parchment dictated.

  The sky grew dark as thunder roared across the mountainous region. Clouds stirred in rebellion as Neoma ascended to her feet. Fixated at the heavens that appeared before her, she gazed outward with anticipation. A golden castle emerged, radiating a warm light that instantly beamed across her face. Lifting her head towards the citadel, she delighted in the thought of her birthplace receiving her.

  I'm finally returning home, she celebrated. A breeze brushed against her warm body. As strains of her scarlet hair released their caress from around the small of her neck, she smiled. I'm returning to Azure... To the council... To my children.

  Resting on the peak of the highest mountain in Greece, the kingdom of Azure -- a fortress as old as time itself -- halted its descent. She let go of the parchment that occupied her hand and treaded forward. The swirling winds blew the scripture away like an ancient dance. With each new step, a soft patch of luscious grass grew beneath Neoma’s feet. She marched her way over the rockbound terrain towards the castle’s reach.

  ***

  As Neoma entered the castle, she looked up and noticed a bold portrait hung just to the left of her on the wall of the main floor. Approaching the artwork, she detested the depiction of herself as a demonic creature with blackened eyes. Drawn upon the canvas, the Titaness stared down into an empty void. A winged knight stood prominently behind her with his sword buried deep into her exposed back. The knight gazed upward towards the night sky as many stars scattered in the distance.

  What message have you come upon? she scowled in thought. Why are you displaying such madness?

  Neoma turned around and quickly glanced at the right wall. A simple portrait of Aion's Egg remained hung on the opposing side. Remarkable in both its aesthetic and story, Neoma approached the base of the frame as it reminded her of her youth.

  Why, Father? She pleaded to herself. Why did you step down as ruler? The Protogenoi was forged out of your hands. Shouldn't you be the one sitting on the throne?

  She reached up and touched Aion's Egg in the portrait. Bewildered by the simplicity of its artwork, Neoma noticed no damage has been placed upon the canvas.

  Father once scolded me for touching this, she reminded herself.

  From a whisper, You created the universe and all the deities that lived in it. From nothing there was You, and from that chaos, the Protogenoi was born.

  She quickly released her hand and returned towards the grand hallway.

  ***

  As Neoma entered the throne room, a high-pitched shriek escaped her mouth. Completely oblivious to the two Royal Seraphim standing next to her, Neoma shielded her terror by covering her mouth with both hands.

  Sitting high on the cathedra, a menacing grin traveled the face of a familiar figure. As two of Gaia's eldest sons, Atlas and Hyperion, laid beaten and leashed across the chamber floor, the figure sitting in between them reclined back as he held their restraints taut. Unaware of their mother’s return, the boys appeared lethargic as their father, Uranus, sat upon the royal throne.

  Neoma's green eyes pierced into the armor of Uranus's golden chest plate. A tear dwindled down her face as she steadfast her gaze. She wiped her crying eye with a finger. Her composure was important to her. She knew a thunderstorm would brew in the world of the mortals.

  "It's good to see the boys are in great hands," she uttered with a human tongue.

  Uranus remained silent as he looked down at his fallen bride. From the elevated helm of his chair, he gripped the chains linked around his son’s neck tighter. In unison, they both winced. Neoma extended an arm to the titan boys. Involuntarily, she found herself pulling it back reluctantly.

  "Is all this necessary?" she continued.

  Uranus stood up from his throne. An achromatic light emulated from off his body and a set of his wings emerged behind him. Enveloping the corners of the throne room with his glow, the brightness of the blue light intensified as his wings reached their peak in length spanning the width of twice his size in height.

  Uranus gathered the energy from the blast of light and stood in silence. He summoned a stream of electricity that surged throughout his body and armor.

  "Nothing shall become necessary..." he proclaimed in an ancient tongue, "...until I make it so."

  Hyperion reached for his mother, but Neoma refused to look at him.

  The Titan king stared at Hyperion. "You have no power here morta
l woman. How do you intend to save him?"

  "Please..." Neoma pleaded. "Tell me what you want?"

  "RESPECT!"

  Neoma eyes widened. She fell to her knees and bowed her head. Loosening his grip on Hyperion, the king contained his grasp on Atlas. Rocks and other precious metals crumbled to the floor in a sizeable heap as Atlas struggled to release himself from his father’s grasp.

  "Don't insult my throne with pagan drivel. Address your king in your native voice... or find yourself looking at your tongue on the floor."

  "Paenitemus meum," Neoma agreed as she bowed her head.

  "You have summoned me, my Lord...”

  Neoma took a deep pause. It’s been awhile since she spoke her primordial language.

  “Why after all this time?" she continued.

  Uranus sat back down on the throne, loosely gripping the chains.

  "Silence!"

  He nodded his head to a Royal Seraphim, signaling the guard to escort a little boy to the throne room. Neoma turned her head and noticed the metal veil that covered the boy’s face. With his hands bound and clothes tattered, the boy did not speak.

  "I called for your audience Gaia, to address the multitude of perversions you have committed against the Protogenoi. The first of which is engaging in a relationship with a human. Do you deny?"

  Neoma remained silent. It's been a hundred years since she's last been addressed by her primordial name and even longer hearing it spoken from another titan. She kept her head down, refusing to look Uranus in the eye.

  "Your second offense involves conceiving a child without the permission of your king in an adulterous act. Your carelessness has created a paradox that transcends far beyond this realm."

  Neoma glanced at the young boy who was dragged by his metal shackles across the floor. She flinched at the thought of which one of her kids could be masked behind the veil.

  "Do you deny these allegations?"

  "My Lord," she replied hesitantly. "Of course not."

  "Go on..." the king spoke, watching Neoma tremble beneath him. "Look at the child that stands before you. Look at him closely and observe... It may very well be your last."

  Neoma’s attention was drawn to the masked boy beside her. She barely heard what Uranus spoke.

  "GAIA!" Uranus proclaimed.

  Neoma tilted her face towards the king.

  "I assume the child is Brontus?" she uttered.

  “Conceived between you and Tartarus," Uranus growled. "He’s an abomination!”

  Neoma lowered her head and bit her lip. She did this whenever she was collecting her thoughts.

  "My Lord...” she began. “Everything before you is from your own accord. You now sit on the throne of Azure... the throne that which once was my father's."

  Neoma rose to her feet with her head still lowered.

  "Release my sons from their bounds," she continued.

  The blue energy surging throughout Uranus's armor traveled down his right arm. It instantly turned crimson in color. As the dark red energy accumulated in his palm, he interrupted Neoma.

  "You have no say in the fate of my children. Their life and yours are now mines to pass judgment upon."

  Uranus descended the throne and pulled on the metal chains attached to his sons. He released the blast of red energy from his hands and it traveled to their collars. He continued the assault as the two boys fell to their knees. Hyperion and Atlas struggled as they both clenched at their throats. Hyperion screamed as the heat intensified in his chest, bursting him into flames.

  Neoma covered her face from the fire.

  Hyperion summoned his life force, urging the fire to extinguished itself. A heap of ash laid before him on the ground as half of his face melted from his skull. Atlas summoned the might to pull back on the restaint. Chunks of stone crumbled from off his fingers.

  "Mother," Atlas gurgled.

  Neoma didn’t react. She kept her face covered as her son crumble before her.

  Uranus flapped his wings. Unleashing a gust of wind, the remains of the two boys scattered throughout the throne room.

  Neoma let out a scream.

  "I control the heavens and the sky..." Uranus roared. "That pagan family you have, consulting in the trees... bowing their heads to you... how long did you think that would last?"

  He reached for his sceptar and banged the staff upon the cobbled stone floor. Neoma floated from off the ground against her will. She struggled as she flew towards Uranus.

  He pulled the back of her hair taut. He released his sceptar and it stayed erect, suspended by his side. Uranus waved his hand in a cupping motion, summoning the remains of Atlas and Hyperion. Rubble and ash swirled in an atomic mass. Charging the coagulation with a blue energy, the Titan king gave resurrection to his two sons. They looked at one another with amazement as they touched each other’s face. Rising to their feet, they ran out the throne room.

  Uranus nodded his head, signaling the guard to bring the masked boy closer to him and Neoma.

  "The covenant you made with Tartarus... your affair with the human... all of it has sealed the fate of this universe. This boy is a monstrosity. He doesn't belong in this world or any other."

  The guard grabbed the boy by the arm and shoved him towards the king.

  "This boy will die, Gaia! How soon it will happens depends on you."

  He commanded the guard to remove the boy's veil. Uranus delighted himself as the Seraphim obeyed and pried away the mask. Bruised and beaten, a young cyclop stood in silence with his eye sewn shut.

  "Brontus!" Neoma cried out.

  She kicked her feet violently as she floated in the air suspended. Twisting and turning, she struggled against the Titan king’s will.

  Uranus reached for his sceptar. As it flew into his hand, Neoma's eyes widened and her muscles tensed up. The more she swung her feet, the heavier they felt.

  "Savage!" she spoke in pagan, mumbling the word. "The only monster I see here is you!"

  Uranus nodded to the guard to secure the boy's veil again.

  "You are a coward, not a king!” she continued. “Your ambitions have betrayed you-"

  Uranus lifted Neoma higher in the air. Using his scepter, he stretched out her arms.

  "And so has your father's!" He replied. "Even now, Kaos hides in the oblivion of space, while the existence of the Protogenoi is at risk."

  Uranus smirked.

  "He thinks he is non-essential...” he uttered. “Your father is absolutely right. I alone will restore balance to the council."

  Neoma breathed in deep. Delighted in the ability to wiggle a toe, she exhaled. Uranus eased his grasp from around her body and gently placed her on the ground. He stood beside her son, the cyclops. Neoma reached out to him.

  "I have spoken with the others on the High Council...” Uranus continued.

  He pulled the boy back away from Neoma.

  “They have concluded...” he continued. “...that the boy should be terminated."

  "No!" Neoma cried out.

  She rubbed her strained wrists.

  Uranus raised an arm in the air and the masked boy fell to the ground. He summoned his scepter to his side. He mumbled an ancient chant and the aura of the boy lifted from his body and floated above him. It glanced at Uranus then turned towards Neoma.

  "Sero," Uranus whispered.

  With incredible force, the aura was pushed into Neoma’s chest. She cried out and her petite frame buckled.

  "Not surprising...” Uranus said with a feverish smile. “As always I suggested a better idea."

  Neoma’s stomach radiated with an emerald glow. She held on to her belly then collapsed to the floor.

  "Release me..." she pleaded. "Why are you doing this?"

  Uranus stepped over Neoma and headed towards the grand entryway. He stopped midway then looked back.

  "Kaos has disappeared...” he uttered. “...but even he would agree the child is too dangerous not to be contained.”

  A small titan boy entered
the throne room and rushed past Uranus.

  “What better place to put him in than the womb of his mother," he continued.

  A much younger titan girl enter the room following the boy. She paused as a Royal Seraphim halted her advance. Uranus stared at the girl then turned to his youngest son. The small boy clung to his mother.

  "You are free to stay within the castle. There is still much left to handle and I don’t need you interfering in my way,” the king taunted. “I will leave you to your condition."

  "Mother!" the titan boy cried out.

  Sweat dripped down Neoma’s forehead. The young titan pulled a strain of hair away from her face.

  Uranus walked towards his daughter. He looked down at her then shook his head. He walked past her and commanded the royal guards to follow him. They walked down the hallway and disappeared into the corridor.

  The titan boy trembled as he watched the green light emulate from within his mother’s stomach.

  "What just happen?” he uttered. “Why did he do this?”

  Neoma struggled to sit up. Still contracting with pain, she held on to the titan boy.

  "We've missed you, mama!" he continued, “Ain’t that right, Rhea?”

  He pointed towards his sister and gestured for her to come join them. The titan girl remained at the entryway.

  Neoma took a deep breath.

  "Don't worry,” the boy uttered to Neoma. “The people of your world will never be enslaved to a mad king.”

  The titan girl dashed out the throne room. The titan boy called out her name.

  Neoma clutched her son as a river of tears fell from her eyes.

  "I know, Chronos...” she whispered. “...and for that I am thankful."

  Neoma held her son as the both of them sat on the cobble stone floor. A single tear fell from her son’s eye. As it rolled down his cheek, Neoma wiped it away.

  I believe in the humans... she thought to herself. I have given them the spirit to survive. When no one is left... who will be left for you to rule over, false king? In the coming days, lives will be lost. All those who are awoken will sustain the sacrifice.