1 Journey To Redemption

Orin, Second Son of Aragon and his consort Jade of Skysos. A BrigadierGeneral in the 11th Battalion of the Gassotrian Army, he is told to take his
brothers place in the dreaded Black corps unit after his brothers desertion
and he is expected to kill him once he is found, according to the rules of the
corps. As it is the custom of the corps for freshmen at the helm of field
operations, Orin is given a handler(usually a senior officer in the unit); in the
person of Bridonna. She is tasked by her superior officers to train him,
teaching him the basics alongside the dos and donts of their profession.
Sadly all of this is done under Gasiuss nose whereas Orin is coerced under
threat of death not to tell anyone. Note: As regards Gasiuss handler in the
Black corps, he died in the chaos that ensued during the war between
Gassotria and their neighboring kingdom Olphos; in which Gasius escaped
into exile. His name was Lycaon.
In order to keep an eye on him and keep him on a leash, she adopts an
unusually peculiar method to do so. She opts to become his lover without any
real commitment, that way she would be close to him enabling her to do her
job efficiently. Under her tutelage he becomes a force to be reckoned with,
almost catching up with his brothers 300,000 kill record. He even goes on to
become the kings favorite assassin, burning the homes, healing houses,
businesses, temples etc. of those who go against the kings orders. For his
valor he is given his own squad but still has Bridonna watching over him
this time by order of the king(the king for some reason does not trust him,
even though he is his favorite).
All goes perfectly well until Orin starts having repeated dreams, in which
Gasius(now a god) talks to him in a disembodied form, revealing to him the
horrors he saw as a member of the Black corps; using visions to achieve the
desired result. He urges him to find a way to break free of the corps. He
express regret that he is unable to intervene to help him, because is it
believed(according to him, an erroneous belief mind you! ...)that gods cannot
interfere in human affairs unless given permission by Olympus.
It all comes to a head when he and his squad go out for their regular game
hunting(in this case the game being hunted are humans). In this game
random humans are selected and hunted as game in a maze from which they
cannot escape. The aim of the game is to see who can kill the most game in
60minutes. The game that are not killed are either taken as slaves or kept in
dungeons for the next contest. Trouble begins when Orin disobeys Bridonnas
order to kill his first ever game(his later wife Samantha). For most of the
outings he had merely been an observer.
Fearing her safety coupled with the fact that sooner or later Bridonna would
make him do it eventually and he would have no way out, he decides to
escape with her. First he frees her from captivity in the dungeon, then they

2 Journey To Redemption
have to evade Sentinels. It is only when they get outside that Bridonna is
alerted of their escape and she is furious in no small measure. She vows to
find and bring them back dead or alive, shortly after this incident the Black
corps is officially disbanded; soldiers go their separate ways, some adapt to
civilian life changing their identities to prevent recognition and possible
lynching. Others continue in the army regardless of what may come.
Bridonna and her squad continue their search for Orin, taking to armed
robbery so as to survive. They rob Caravans, Coaches, Markets, Theatres,
Temples etc. it becomes so bad that they obsessed with finding Orin, to them
it is the only thing that would bring meaning to their lives. They rely on
informants to find out Orins whereabouts, in the meantime while waiting for
results on Orin they take to contract-killing to pass the time. In all cases their
contractors are never known and hits are contracted by proxy so as to
provide for secrecy. However each assignment drives Bridonna deeper and
deeper fueling her desire to seek out Orin, whom she affectionately refers
to as her prey.
After successfully freeing Samantha from captivity, Orin decides not to take
any chances regarding Samantha and so goes ahead to get married to her in
secret, a proposition to which she has no objections of any sort as she feels
safer with and around him. He justifies his action based on the fact that he
needs to protect her not on love, but she tends to think differently. She was
instantly smitten with him when she saw him, according to her Even though
he was shrouded in darkness he still had a whole lot of light inside of him. I
saw pity and love for me in his eyes instead of hatred and callousness. He
equally has similar feelings towards her and although he does not admit it to
anyone, that is the major reason behind him marrying her, asides from
protection. Consequently they are happily married and are able to stay
hidden for 6years.
During that time he changes his name from Orin to Loros, taking the job of a
stuntman in the nearby Circus, while Samantha takes the job of an
announcer. Despite their well established cover which has held up pretty well,
Samantha worries that their tight schedule and constant appearance in public
will not be conducive for a child(she does not tell him that she is pregnant).
She decides to go faraway to deliver the baby(but she does not say where,
even if it is a second home for Orin).
She disappears for over a year, under the premise of visiting a distant
relative. Note: She discovers that she is pregnant in the fifth year of their
marriage, though she is overjoyed she knows that her husbands enemies are
relentlessly searching for them and are closing in fast, hence her decision in
taking such drastic measure. It is on her return from this errand towards the
end of the sixth year, that Bridonna and team score their big break, thanks to

3 Journey To Redemption
an unscrupulous colleague of his in the Circus, a lowlife; who they paid
stipends(from the remains of their contract-killing proceeds) to be a stooge
for them in spying on Orin and Samantha.
While returning from one of their many shows, they held up by masked
bandits(i.e. Bridonna and her men in disguise). For some unknown reason
which would later be revealed, Samantha urges Orin not to fight the
attackers. He is strung up on the orders of the groups leader and forced to
watch as Samantha is repeatedly beaten and tortured to the amusement of
the onlookers present. Orin is later left to bury her, he does so in an
unmarked grave. He also mourns her for 60days in line with Gassotrian
tradition.

4 Journey To Redemption
Having lost his wife, Orin separates himself from humanity, preferring to live
in seclusion for a period of eight years. Upon his reemergence he
desperately and tirelessly searches for ways to bring her back from the
underworld, something which his father strongly disapproves of; since he
knows very well Hades deposition regarding the issue. Due to ignorance of
his godly heritage at the time, he makes several unsuccessful attempts to
find the entrance to Hades. Furthermore he emerges from his extended
seclusion after obtaining information from an informant along the way to
finding Hades; in what is his fifth attempt, that the person who killed his wife
is none other than his former colleague cum old flame: Bridonna. Owing to
this shocking revelation he becomes filled with nothing but hatred in addition
to a growing obsession for revenge against Bridonna(he had watched his wife
die a slow and painful death in his arms, while pleading with him with her last
breath not to take revenge against her killers for her death, so that he does
not revert back to his darker self. A promise he will not keep as he has his
own ideas). Her death crushes him almost ripping away his conscience. He
smokes out Bridonnas stooge to settle an old score but finds him dead
hanging by his neck, Bridonna having taken care of him, wanting to leave
behind no evidence that might lead Orin to her.

Frustrated, out of options and driven by hatred, he seeks the assistance

of the oracle of Rhodus who inhabits the vanishing isle(a realm that is never
in the same place twice). This is according to tales told by adventurers,
despite this crucial information now in his possession, the journey ahead will
be difficult. This is because firstly, the only persons who know where she
would be at a particular time are the dryads; but there is a catch. Catch or
save a dryad, be kind to her and she will grant whatever you wish for. In order
for Orin to find the dryads home, he must travel north for 4 days and nights.
However Olympus has other ideas.
As a second reason, some gods(i.e. Artemis, Apollo and Nemesis)who are
disgusted by his actions while in the Black corps, try to prevent him from
finding the dryads by attempting to kill him before he can get there. Artemis
on her part unleashes hordes of Minotaurs, Manticores, Giant Mantiss,
Centaurs, Chimeras etc. Apollo for his own releases a colossus; they have
one mandate: Eliminate the cockroach.
On the other hand other gods see it as an opportunity to reveal Orins
heritage to him. The task though tough is relatively easy, Orin in tackling the
challenge gains control of the Colossus by blinding its eyes and thereafter
using it to crush his other opponents, having taken care of the Manticores,
Minotaurs and Chimeras. Impressed by the feat achieved by his son, Aragon

5 Journey To Redemption
reveals himself to Orin, stating that he is his father meaning that he is(i.e.
Orin) a demigod.
When asked by Orin why he left both he and Gasius, he explains that he
could not exceed the 10year limit given to him by Zeus in order not to invoke
his anger. He then promises him that he would be there for him henceforth.
He then directs him to Akron forest, home of the Dryads, by the time he
arrives he notices that the Kingdom is under attack by the warlord Thorrich
whose forces accost him upon entry. Afterwards the following short
conversation ensues between himself and Thorrich:
Thorrich: You are in unfamiliar territory stranger!, leave before you get
yourself killed.
Orin: The land you stand on does not belong to you, give back to its true
inhabitants.
Thorrich: You just a mere man whereas I am a conqueror, I take what I want
when I want, and crush whoever stands in my way; including you.
Orin: Perhaps you do not know who I am, and concerning you crushing me,
we will see about that. Father!!! ., give me strength that I may vanquish my
enemies!.
At that instant Aragon grants Orin his rage(happy that Orin has come to
accept his origin, in spite of the current as well as fast degenerating situation
that has led to it), which he uses to decimate Thorrich and his forces. As a
show of appreciation Hypoxia leader of the Dryads, tells him that in order to
get to the Vanishing isle, he must travel further west for five days so as to
locate it. In return he assures them of his help whenever they need it. Note:
he has never been in a temple as an ordinary man but as a member of the
Black corps he has destroyed many, so his reputation precedes him.
Furthermore he is known to have massacred 150,000people during his six
year stint with the Black corps, 150,000 shy of his brother.
As a result Maxima the oracle of Rhodus refuses to grant him an audience,
causing him to hold her along with her people hostage for 100days. Stating
that he will not release them until the gods answer him. Unable to take it
anymore on the 102nd day, Athena, Aragon and Hermes answer him with a
view to ending the prolonged standoff. However for them to help him get to
the Underworld, he must first help them put down a huge problem in the form
of Hofane; a Basilisk that is terrorizing the countryside. They warn him to
avoid two things while battling the creature 1. The look of its eyes, 2. Its
breath because both kill instantly.

6 Journey To Redemption
Once facing the beast, Orin chooses a good vantage point that does not lead
to a direct confrontation with the creature but gives a good view of its head
allowing for a perfect shot. Remembering the warning given to him by his
father and Athena, he opts to use his fathers rage again this time firing three
targeted shots, as a result what remains of the Basilisk is nothing but ashes.
Seeing his handiwork they no choice other than to keep their word, all this
while someone has seen the events unfold.
Unknown to Orin, the beast he just killed belongs to Hades and to make
matters worse it is one of Hades favorite pets. Ordinarily you would expect
Hades to be extremely mad or even fuming at the occurrence, instead he
cannot wait to receive his soon to be servant, as he already knows his
mission and so intends to fully capitalize on it. On the death of the Basilisk,
he cynically states that, That creature was getting rather old around here,
clearly it outlived its usefulness. I must say Orin did a very nice job putting it
out of its misery. Now its time for a new prospect, a servant who will obey
my every order. hmmmI Must plan a welcoming party for my guest.
Hades is pacing up and down his throne room thinking of the task to set out
before him, then it hits him; I will make him a soul gatherer and he will bring
souls down to my realm. But for that to happen he would need a good
reason to cause death, in order to provide for an endless supply of souls.
What would be the best way to create an endless sea of souls?(he ponders),
war, for there to be a reaction there must be an action
He opens a portal to the realm of Ares and steps into it appearing directly in
his throne room. Seeing him Ares asks, What brings you to my realm dark
one?, you rarely visit the upper world unless of course there is something
sinister on your mind. Please have a seat. At that moment a purple and
black throne appears upon which Hades sits comfortably.
He clears his throat to get Ares attention, he begins, Hades: I have a
proposition for you which would be of mutual benefit to both of us. Ares eyes
widen, Ares: I am listening., Hades: I want you to cause a war that will
make mortals destroy themselves brutally., Ares: For how long do you
intend this to last?, Hades: When I say it ends, it ends. Ares: I do not
know what you intend to achieve with this plan of yours, but I love it. Hades:
Whatever I intend to achieve matters to me, you just do as I have said. Ares:
It shall be done as you wish uncle. With that Hades vanishes.
Back in the Underworld, Hades while smiling at his wife Persephone,
satisfactorily states that; That was a good arrangement, Now all we have
to do is wait for him to arrive. Oh, you would be the one to welcome our
guest, showcasing the full extent of our hospitality. All of this is of course not
known by Orin, but Athena and the other gods harbor a sour feeling that

7 Journey To Redemption
something is fishy, they have no idea what it is or what awaits them in the
deep void.
He is accompanied by Athena and Hermes, once there he is welcomed by
Persephone. He is first tested, the worth of his soul is measured by
Rhadamanthus(Son of Zeus, whose job it is to measure the worth of mortal
souls at death),it is determined that he has a good soul(thanks to his
departed wife). Persephone informs him that Hades is unavailable but knows
of his arrival(he has departed to finalize arrangements with Ares). As regards
his terms of service, he is to gather souls of slain soldiers from the battlefield,
much like the Valkyries of Scandinavian mythology seemingly encroaching
into Hermes second job, the reason why he begrudgingly accepts. Orin
carries out this assignment without hesitation for a period of three years, in
exchange for his wife( whom he intends to resurrect). When his period of
service is over he is given back his wife but is warned not to look back until
they reach the upper world, however he faults the warning and looks back, at
that instant his wife is taken back.
Grieved by this second loss of his wife, he flees to the forests of Ziph, while
there he is almost killed by a band of monsters wild apelike looking men, with
glistering red eyes, long sharp and claws, ferocious teeth, skin covered in
thick hair, each upright with an axe in hand and blade behind, he barely
survives these mysterious looking creatures(these creatures were sent by
Persephone, who could not bear to see him in grief). Badly injured he
proceeds to Anthroas, a city nearby and lays down in the open fields to die
and subsequently make his way to Hades, ably escorted by Hermes.
Witnessing this are the Fates(Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos) whom Aragon
begs to extend his life. The following conversation goes on between Lachesis,
Clotho and Atropos, while speaking directly to Aragon
Lachesis: It seems to him his life has come to an end, but I say it is not to be.
Clotho: His sins are too many, he is right to end it, there is no hope for him.
Atropos: Normally I would end him, but his journey to redemption has begun;
there is still time.
Clotho: His sins are too many, too many ,he cannot be redeemed.
Atropos: I say so because, he has some people he must help, only then will
his redemption be complete.
Lachesis: If his brother could be redeemed, so can he.
Lachesis: More time I give him.

8 Journey To Redemption
Fates(in unison to Aragon): Go and save him, else we may reverse our
decision.
As regards saving Orin Aragon does not have to intervene himself, because
he(i.e. Orin) is saved in the nick of time by a group of soldiers from the 15 th
battalion of the Anthroasian army and is taken to the capital Accarrd, treated
of his wounds and warmly received as a guest by the inhabitants and their
queen. Queen Aegina. As time passes he becomes an emissary to queen
Aegina, then one day she does something which angers her overlords; installs
him as king thus provoking a war. Even though he is now king with everything
he would ever want and a duty to perform towards his new home, the desire
for revenge still lingers within his heart.
Meanwhile there is trouble looming in Olympus, the cities of Adriwann and
Freyton, who are overlords to Anthroas have become defiant to the gods. As
a result they(the gods) have decided to wipe out these two cities along with
their allies and grant independence to Anthroas. There and then under the
direction of Zeus himself, a chain of wars and plagues of monsters as well as
turbulence is set loose.
But there division amongst the gods on the next course of action resulting in
a friction between them. The division is based on the choice of a vessel to be
used in unleashing their wrath. The problem extends to Orins homeland,
furthermore there is a someone in the shadows stirring up the defiance in
Adriwann and Freyton. A situation which if not checked quickly will lead to the
take over of Rhodus, as the mysterious figure is amassing a huge army to do
just that, having taken over other territories around it, thereby threatening
Aragons authority as well as that of Olympus.

With time running out and having told the gravity of the situation by his
father, Orin knows he must fight to save his homeland and grant
independence to his kingdom. Though Orin has not been commissioned to
undertake the task, he nevertheless goes ahead, after seeking the guidance
of Athena(after swearing his allegiance to her) and his father coupled with
the assistance of the other gods. Whether or not he will succeed is an entirely
different question, the reason for this is not far fetched: Spiridon.
Aragon knowing that revenge still lingers in his sons mind, he knows
something must be done urgently, so he does something drastic. He mentally
bonds both Orin and Aegina, so she gets to relive his life, witnessing all the
horrors he has passed through, his dark past and getting to know his first
arch nemesis and the reality that he seeks revenge for the death of his wife
at her hands. The same goes for her too. Upon beholding all of it she is
alarmed, so determines to stop him from falling back. She soon realizes that

9 Journey To Redemption
she has fallen in love with him irrespective of his past, thus deepening the
bond they share. He too has fallen in love with but he is afraid to declare it,
fearing that he may loose her like he lost Samantha if he does.
All the while the combined forces of Adriwann and Freyton are marching
towards Anthroas from the Northeastern axis, as worrying as this is, it gives
Anthroas enough time to prepare for war. Soldiers led by Orin and Aegina
march southwards to meet the approaching army. The war begins in earnest
with neither side gaining the upper hand at first, but when Anthroas begins to
gain the upper hand; Orin is called aside from the battle as he has to pursue
the mysterious figure behind the chaos. Who is Spiridon?
Spiridon, Aragons second designate after Gasius. Chosen before Orin was too
young at the time to receive his fathers power, thus being the reason why it
had to be held in trust for him. Due to the fact that his parentage(i.e.
Spiridons) was unknown and he was abandoned, Aragon took him under his
wing, adopting him as his son who would serve as a playmate for Orin since
all his other brothers were grown up. Initially a private in the 11 th battalion of
the Gassotrian army, he swore allegiance to Aragon alone as his father and
patron; deciding not to swear allegiance to Athena to the displeasure of
Aragon. Still he was equally Aragons vessel and along with Gasius led
Aragons forces into battle, acquiring numerous territories for him as was
permitted by the gods.
However as he steadily rose through the ranks, his views became
increasingly militaristic. He became greedy, hungry for glory, lustful after
power and more territory, eventually leaving the path of his father; leaving
Aragon angry(so angry that he disowns him) and enraging Athena as well.
Despite several warnings from Gasius he still refuses. Presently he observes
that Aragon does not allot anymore territory to him, that is when he decides
to take it by force, at first to the delight of Ares; but when he threatens
Olympus everything changes. Note: he started the uprising in Adriwann and
Freyton in order to distract the gods, so that they learn of his true intent.
Though it is easy for Orin to slip up on Spiridon unnoticed at the beginning,
since Spiridon does not know that he has come into his power. When he gets
wind that Orin is after him he decides to personally eliminate what he calls,
The bug that stands my way to full immortality. Gasius initially offers to
deal with Spiridon for his father, but after seeing Orins reaction, Aragon tells
him that; It is time for your brother to prove himself and finally come home.
As to Orins decision to fight, the Fates proclaim that He will return things to
the way they should be because he made the right decision.
In the meantime, Spiridon using the powers held within him, releases a
plague filled with hordes and hordes of monsters intended to destroy Orin,

10 Journey To Redemption
while taunting him to come and catch him. He leaves the battlefront
discreetly then heads back towards Rhodus to confront his new arch
nemesis, this leads to a lengthy game of catch me if can or that of Cat and
Mouse, with one trying to evade the other. Their dance leads to the Plain of
Battle, they first engage in a quick time game of hit and run in which neither
side prevails after which they switch to another game of human chess, each
side having an army to control, upon losing to Orin, Spiridon resorts to
trickery. He shows him his wife being killed taunting him to save her, while
stating that he failed before and he would fail again if he tried again as he is
nothing but a coward.
Normally you would expect to see the image of his deceased wife invade his
mind, telling him that he is trapped in an illusion and urging him to snap out
of it and fight. Instead thanks to the strong they now share, it is Aegina who
does that, even though she fights in faraway Anthroas. Note: For every win
Orin has against Spiridon, it is also a win for the Anthroasian army. Coming
out of the illusion Orin decides to end it once and for all, by turning Spiridon
to stone deciding not to kill him, saying that; he will be a handsome trophy
for my father
The Fates then appear to him telling him that, You now control your fate
and going further to ask, What would you do with it?. Without answering
them he proceeds to stab himself fatally, seeing this they make their
conclusion, He will wipe himself off this timeline seeking to go back in time
and live in peace with his wife; forgetting that his enemies could come back
stronger. Who will help him now?, and wait he has some unfinished
business but does not seem to remember that. As luck would have it, he
does need to return to the battlefront as the war is already over owing to the
action that had taken place earlier.
Two happen simultaneously as a result of these actions, 1. The war between
Adriwann, Freyton and Anthroas stops abruptly due to Spiridons
transformation, with combatants resuming their former positions on the
battlefront but still facing each other and their weapons sheathed. 2. Aegina
senses the bond between herself and Orin weakening, which could mean one
of two things, he is in serious trouble or is dying. She trembles with fear
thinking of the latter.
Knowing what his son has done(as he shares a similar bond with him and also
with his brothers), Aragon wastes no time in travelling to Rhodus
accompanied by a nervous Aegina, who in turn is escorted by a contingent of
soldiers, seeing Orin laid out on the ground confirms Aeginas worst fears.
Aragon intends to reprimand Orin for he calls his, Childish behavior.
However he has a vision hinting the existence of a child, but the vision

11 Journey To Redemption
obscured so cannot be confirmed, the Fates on their part smile to
themselves, aware that he still has a human attachment consequently
meaning that he cannot wipe himself off.
Aragon requests Zeus to have Asclepius heal Orin of his wounds, thereafter
he him to Olympus to take up his new position as a god. Coming back to
earth, he helps negotiate a peace treaty between Adriwann, Freyton and
Anthroas. In the end all three agree to be merged. Orin goes on to stay in
Anthroas as its first independent monarch, having been swayed successfully
by queen and citizenry. The Fates: His redemption is complete.
Be as it may he still has a long journey ahead of him, based on the fact that
his vengeance is not yet complete and equally some facts of his past will
come to light. One will be good, the other will haunt him. Will he weather the
forthcoming storm?, only time will tell.