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+--- Thread: Panteni Saladin (/thread-271.html)
- Panteni - 01-31-2014
Panteni was the firstborn of a wealthy family living in a small village in the south of Spain.
His first years were the perfect live every child should have. He was surrounded by a
loving family, never pampered though he had everything he needed. Most of the time he
was a caring, gentle and lovable child. He was lively and polite, and his eyes always sparkled as if he knew a secret, that nobody else knew about. But at times he would have tantrums, the worst kind of tantrums. Sometimes triggered by a bit of pain, other times when he was treated unfair, but there were times (and these where the worst) at which nothing could be pointed out as a trigger. But his parents never worried, they would point out to other people that those were just some leftovers from the terrible two's.
By the year 2020, when he was just 7 years old, he had the worst tantrum of his life. An earthquake in the nearby village killed his grandmother, and as he heard the news he raged as he had never before. His mother saw ,for the first time, the pure hatred and vile that was in his eyes during these tantrums. Innocence and love seemed to have disappeard from his eyes, there was no sign of grief, no sign of humanity. Something inside of him had broken.
His mother didn't know what to do. Out of desperation she went to the Gipsy Queen, as no one could tell her what was wrong with her child. As soon as she walked into the chapel of Santa Maria, an old woman approached her. She told the mother to come with her to the chamber in the backroom of the chapel. She was told to sit down, and without any further interaction, the Queen started shuffling her tarot deck. As she layed out the cards her face started showing more and more signs of worry. She looked at the mother and said only: "get this child out of the country, no saint or God can cure him of the devil growing inside of him. Take him away, leave your family behind or you will both die. "
Her worries weren't taken away, but it couldn't possibly be as bad as the Gipsy Queen had said. She thought that it was just the Gipsy superstition and their religious views towards mental health. The more she thought about it on her way home, the more her worries slipped away. They were grieving, as was the rest of the family. But when she got home, something felt off. She aproached the half open door with an ice-cold knot in her stomach. And as she slowly opened the door, her youngest daughter came running towards her with teardrenched eyes. "mamá, something is wrong with Pan" and they both ran upstairs. She walked into the room, and in the middle of a ravaged bedroom sat Panteni. Almost as if he was meditating. He opened his eyes and with a voice that seemed to radiate peace he said to his mother: "Mamá, you know what to do".
And she did.
they left almost immediately, crossed the straight of Gibraltar and found a home in the City of Tetuan and tried to live a normal life. They had contact with their family back home and although things weren't ideal, Panteni didn't have a tantrum for may years. His mother even thought of going back home, but Panteni kept urging they should stay. And so they did.
Years of peaceful living, family members that would sometimes visit them, and Panteni going to school they heard more and more about civil unrest in the rest of the world. And then the CCD took over in Europe. In just a few years his father had lost everything they owned. They had to move out of Europe and they wanted to join Panteni and his mother. His mother was so happy the entire family would be reunited again albeit in poverty. Panteni seemed happy too and he got more and more excited with the idea of the entire family in one house once again. But the family never arrived. A week before he would turn 18 they heard the news: and entire boat filled with refugees had been swallowed by the sea.
Panteni exploded with anger and the demon seemed to have returned. He wreaked havoc in their small house, his mother was scared for her life and wanted to leave... she ran to the door. And as Panteni shouted: "Mamá, why are you leaving me as well?!" she fell to the floor. While her eyes filled up with tears of agony and pain, her spirit left her body.
This was the first time the terrible headache came upon him. He screamed as he never did before and collapsed to the floor, fainted.
He spend his 18th birhtday in an asylum. In the first weeks he had a terrible fever and the nurses took care of him as well as they could. His story wasn't the worst they'd heard in their workfield, so they weren't worried. All they knew was he had killed his mother in an act of rage. But as he seemed to be doing better and he opened his eyes more often they weren't so sure anymore. By the time the sickness had left completely, no nurse wanted to go near him. He could easily be treated, had no tantrums and was more apathic then anything else, but they all whispered the same "Shaitan is in his eyes". And when a doctor entered the room, with a huge feeling of unease, something in the eyes of the boy changed. He looked directly into the doctor's eyes and the doc had the feeling he should flee. As he took out a needle to give him his last shot before he would be send out to a juvi-prison the docter missed Panteni's vein and scraped the bone. Panteni screemed in pain and doctor dropped dead. The feeling of the sickness returned and he fainted, only to wake up tied down to a bed in a dark room. Here he would spend his 19th birthday, and his 20th.
but in that dark room something changed inside of him. He began to feel something... growing inside of him. Something pushing to come out. He started to believe the whispers about the devil inside of him. But then something happened, in a moment of clarity he understood. He was no devil, he was just special. That moment he decided not to be afraid of what was inside of him he tried to almost, catch that feeling. It didn't work. He got frustrated and kept trying. His frustration grew by the day and then came an almost magical moment. As his frustration changed into anger he was filled with power. He suddenly could see everything in his dark cell. He could see the tube going into his arm that fed him as he layed tied down in his bed. He could see another tube putting a strange transparent liquid into his arm. He could see clearly in the dark. And he felt a power surging through his body. And then, as anger made way for curiosity, the power was gone, the room was dark.
He started to get control of his anger and his power. He felt the power fighting back the medicine they gave him to cloud his mind. He started holding the power for longer times without really using it. But after a while, he would faint into a dreamless sleep. This cycle kept repeating itself. The medicine didn't have a grip on his mind anymore. His dreams returned and although he couldn't remember them, he felt they where important.
After having spend two years in complete darkness, there was one particular night something strange happened, he felt as if he wasn't dreaming, but knew he was asleep. He was lying on the bed and thought about how it was in the outside world. And suddenly, he was in the outside world. Still tight down to the bed he let his eyes explore the air. The sweet fresh and warm air filled his lungs. He hadn't sensed it in years, and his eyes filled with tears. He wanted more of the fresh air, wanted to fly through the air absorbing as much of the fresh air as he could. His bed took to the sky and he wondered... could he make the bed... and his bed was gone. For the first time in years he spread his arms, his legs and happiness overwhelmed him. He was free, and the devil that had been inside of him for all these years vanished for the first time. He soared through the air like a bird, filled with joy. He flew further and futher away. Where previously there had been a knot filled with anger, there now was a warm and soothing feeling. He flew to his old home in Tangiers, and when he came down... he noticed there were no people on the street. He flew higher again towards his village in spain. And when he got to the village, there was a large strange flag untop of city hall. He went on to his house and saw there were nothing but ruins... suddenly a hooded man appeared next to him. He only heard a whisper. "you shouldn't be here yet". He felt as if he was forced back into the chamber, locked up once again. And he woke up.
He tried going back every time he fell asleep. He couldn't. He tried to call upon his power. And he couldn't. And for the first time in his life, he felt lost. The medicine didn't have a grip on his mind anymore. Then grief struck. Never in his life had he felt sadness, and it overwhelmed him. Memories that had been pushed away by the medicine came back, he remembered his life more clearly than ever. And he just knew, that the power that had given him back his mind, had taken away his mother. The next year was filled with remorse, grief and the feeling of loss.
Another year passed and the doctors noticed the change inside of him. They were no longer filled with fright as they passed by his room. The monitors showed that he was still alive, he was still receiving medicine and that the feeding bot still gave him what he needed. But they also noticed something else, his bloodrate was low. His heart wasn't pounding anymore as it had been for years. The whispers started again. But for the first time in years they weren't about Patient S.(the name nurses had given Panteni). They where about a nurse. One nurse in particular.
Some nurses whispered the word "witch". Others the word "Saint". But most whispers where the rumors they'd heard about people with strange powers. Nurse Luna had worked in the asylum for almost a year and had only heard stories about Patient S. as they called him. Every patient in the asylum was doing better since she arrived. Every patient she nursed showed almost miraculous recovery. There was only one patient she wasn't allowed to see, Patient S.. She was aware of her influence as well, she couldn't really control it, but all she knew was it all happened after the sickness. Ever since she had known that she soothed and brought a feeling of peace to the people around her, she had worked here in the Asylum. She had the feeling she made this dark world a little bit better, and she wanted to help even the worst case this asylum had. Patient S. She awaited a good moment to go to him, and on the first nightwatch she was alone, she sneaked into solitary.
A bright light exploded in his eyes. Panteni didn't dare open his eyes again. He remembered what it was, he knew what it was. But his eyes just couldn't handle what suddenly struck them, the first ray of light that came into the room in years. And right at the moment the pain was at it's worse, he succumbed to a feeling of love.The agony had finally ended, he understood his grief, he understood his anger. He understand himself. And he understood the light. That light, was an angel.
She walked toward the room in the back. She whiped her pass and heard sound of the magnetic doors unlocking. She carefully opened the door, and as she saw the thin ray of light touching the face of patient S. he screamed in agony. She was a little bit scared but switched out the hallway lights and walked towards him. As soon as she touched him he calmed down. She was in complete darkness, but she had never felt safer in her life. And she just knew they looked each other in the eyes. She bend over and kissed him.
A sweet smell reached his nose, almost reminded him of home. He just knew he looked the angel in the eyes. And all he felt was the urge to kiss her. He reached up as much as his restraints would allow him to, and their lips touched each other.
They both didn't understand it, they didn't even know what the other one looked like. This Patient was different. She didn't feel the same darkness that was in the minds of the other patients. She only felt sadness and suffering inside of him. On that moment they knew they belonged together.
Panteni felt the restraints around him loosen up. This was no angel... this was a woman. His woman. Arms surrounded him and warmth overwhelmed him. Her arms lifted him up and put him in a wheelchair.
Nurse Luna sneeked him out of the Asylum. She knew she coulnd't work there anymore, she knew she had to flee the city. She knew, and she didn't care.
The next two years flew by. They where filled with love and joy. But one night something went horribly wrong. It started with a knock on the door. As Luna opened it up she saw two men wearing strange cloths. One of them had a strange tattoo on his arm, it looked like a snake in the form of an 8. She felt the darkness inside of them and she turned to the only defense she had. She tried to light their darkness. One of the men relaxed and calmed down.
"I'm sorry miss, that wont work on me". And a bag was pulled over her head.
"The other one must be upstairs" Was all Panteni needed to hear. They had come for him. He tried to open the window to jump out and escape, but he just coulnd't. The stranger came into the room. He manically tried to open the window but it still wouldn't give a budge. The moment he was struck by electricity the old demon returned. His powers had returned, and he lashed out with all he could. The stranger suddenly held his head and started screaming. Somehow Panteni knew he was overflowing the man with nightmares. The worst kind of nightmares, those that feel as real as life. That was his moment. The man kept on screaming as Panteni rushed down the stair to look for Luna. but all he could see was one van driving away in the distance, and another one still parked with the back door open. They had taken his moon, and he gave them the darkest night of their life.
He stole a horse and escaped the country and started his own pilgrimage. He travelled on horseback through as much nature as possible. Obtaining food and money by using his power he managed to survive. He travelled through the north of africa, followed the trail to jerusalem. The most believed speculations say he went on to the Himalayas. Others say that he had gone to the most southern tip of Africa, and there are whispers who talk about the south pole, Antarctica. Nothing is really known, and he doesn't answer any questions asked about those years. He seemed to have disappeared, only to reappeare in the outskirts of Moscow in the year 2043. He had changed, though his physical and mental scars were still visible, he looked like a man who had found the answer of life. Now searching for a way to help mankind and to find his moon. Starting in Moscow.
- Panteni - 02-02-2014
The journey had taken such a long time. For years he had stayed with the Alma, in the Himalayas. Their generosity, hospitality and willingness to assist him with his trials where unsurpassed. No human would ever be so patient or wise. And they thought him what he needed, he learned new ways of walking stealthily but most important. He could control his rage. He still needs it to channel, the fires had to burn in his heart to take on his adversaries, to do damage he had to become pain and pain. The darkness that Luna had driven back with her light, needed to grow in order to defend himself. But he didn't need to be provoked anymore. He still could be, for some reason he couldn't control his rage when provoked, but now that he was a master of his rage, he could call upon it whenever he needed it.
When the Alma had tought him all they could about hiding and controlling his emotions, he didn't know what to do. But at least he could now travel more safely through CCD territory. What the Alma couldn't help him with though, was the longing that was in his heart. To follow his moon. They spoke of an old wretched woman that lived in CCD territory that could help him. The old witch was, even in this age of strange powers, a very illusive myth. Everyone had heard of the tales of wicked Baba Yaga, albeit in different forms. But the Alma are a friend of Baba Yaga, for as long as they remember Baba Yaga has been their ally. With a strange and ancient magic the Alma put a weave around his feet. They imprinted his feet with his destination, so he would always be able to follow his feet to reach his destination. They gave him a strange farewell gift, a blue rose. One cut off from the last blue rose bush on earth. As long as he had an empty mind and didn't change his goal he would reach it.
The spell worked, and he followed his feet for thousands of miles, through all kind of terrain. When he was in a deep and dark forest in Ryazan, he walked through some kind of invisible barrier. He didn't notice it untill it was too late, but somehow he knew Baba Yaga now knew of his arrival. He walked for a few more meters, and then Calamorro, his horse and only friend on his journey, refused to go on. Panteni felt his anxiety and left Calamorro there. After passing a very dense bush he saw the strangest cabin he had ever seen. He opened the gate door that seemed to have been made out of human bones, and looked at the cabin filled with amazement. The seemingly normal cabin was standing on chicken feet, and danced and walked within the perimeter. When he got closer he could read an inscription on the door "turn your back to the forest, and your face towards me".
He knew the answer wasn't the obvious one. He sat down and decided to be patient. He turned his attention inwards and thought about the riddle. When the riddle was all that was on his mind, he felt a hand on his shoulder "Not many have passed the first test, please, i feel your need of an answer". Panteni woke from his meditation, that voice. It sounded like the voice of a million spirits, both haunted and serene. When he opened his eyes he saw the strangest woman he had ever seen. With a broomstick in her hand and a mischievous smile on her face she continued "I see the Alma have send you, you must be either wise or foolish, please tell me of all about yourstory".
Panteni couldn't resist, he started telling his complete life story. With every emotion he put into his story he saw her face. Almost as if she was savouring a good meal. After talking for hours he was almost sure some of her wrinkles had disappeared. She seemed younger. When he reached the part of Calomorro's refusal to go on she smiled. "That was the best meal i've had in centuries, I will answer one of your questions with a true answer as a reward.".
This was something Panteni hadn't expected, or wasn't prepared for. The Alma had told him she had the answers to all the questions in the world, he wasn't prepared for the fact he only was given one question to ask. "I want to think about my question" said Panteni, very careful not to ask any questions. Baba Yaga looked almost disappointed as she spoke "You may think until the end of times, though you might not have that time, call me again when you want your answer, but stay within the perimeter for each and every living person may only find me once."
For days he meditated on the answer he wanted. When he knew it, he meditated for another few days on how to formulate the question. He opened his eyes and called her name. When she stood in front of him he saw the crescent moon behind her. And everything he thought of was gone, suddenly he knew what he had to ask. She wouldn't need answer where to start his journey or how to go on, he would just need a tool or a weapon, a way to stay hidden.
"You know what I need to finish my endeavor, to stay hidden from my enemies, so my question is: What do you want to trade with me, for the tool i need?". She looked surprised, this she didn't expect. But she was impressed by his cleverness and bold attitude. "In all the centuries i've lived, nobody had the guts to ask me for a tool. They always thought that an answer told in truth would be a true answer. I like your way of thinking. Therefore I will grant you another question, but watch out, the answer to your question might not be the answer you need". Panteni was a little bit bit shaken by the answer. He remained quiet and looking at her for the remainder of the night. The longer he remained quiet the darker her expression became. "Fine" She said with a grim undertone in her voice. "Since i've lived for so long, i believe i cannot die, but i do age. I saw you noticed my face as you told your story, emotions keep me young, give me vitality. But as you can see... I haven't really succeeded recently. Therefor all I want is a tear of the world, a blue rose." . Finally understanding why the Alma had given him a blue rose, he reached to his knapsack and gave her the rose. As she held it in her hand, she let a thorn sting her. And as the rose withered, she regained her youth. Her expression grew less and less sour, and the grace of the blue rose spread through her body.
Now i will give you something that might help you. It has served me for ages, and it will protect you. She went inside the strange cabin and came back with a broom in her hand. She took a stick from it that looked like white stone. "This is a powerful amulet, whenever you need to hide, use it, but only in the correct way, or the consequences will be dire. And now, your next question. The fact that i have all the time in the world doesn't mean my patience is equally stretched" She hoped he would ask how to use the amulet, but surprisingly he didn't.
"Fine, you know the answer i need and you've already got your reward so here's my question: What is the clear answer I need?". This time Baba Yaga just smiled. By now she didn't expect anything less from Panteni. "In Losiny Ostrov national park you will take your first steps towards your goal. I can't tell you how, but you are linked to it and you will know it's whereabouts. From there, you will meet many people like you, and even more troubles. But how your journey ends... well the wheel weaves as the wheel wills. Good luck with your Journey, and thank you for the fun. Please... tell people to come and see me... i will grow hungry again soon."
He woke up... he had fallen asleep next to Calomorro... not a single night seemed to have passed. . That was the strangest dream he had ever had. But as he searched for some food in his knapsack, he felt something he didn't expect. The amulet. He looked Calomorro in the eyes and he seemed to be smiling, he knew his next destination. Losiny Ostrov... just outside of Moscow.
Edited by Panteni, Feb 2 2014, 11:31 AM.