Sins of an Immortal - Chapter 1

Capture One - Awakening.

The forest in summer was a beautiful place. The sun was just a few hours away from midday, shining light through the greens of the leaves. Spring had passed, but the trees weren’t yet ready for autumn. This made the greens of the leaves stand out gloriously against the brown of the many trees of the forest.
Deep in this forest, amidst some of the oldest and most grown trees, was an old palisade gate. The hinges slowly groaned and creaked as the massive gates were parted. They rumbled to a stop to allow a man to pass through. When he went on his way, the gates slowly rumbled to a close, leaving no trace that they were ever open.
The man walked with purpose, carefully observing his surroundings. This man looked in his early twenties, had boyish-short blonde hair and apart from the normal build of a male his age, the only other distinguishing features was his deep, grey eyes. Eyes that reflected something hidden deeper inside. He was also dressed in dull leather jerkin and pants. He continued walking for several minutes before he saw what he desired, an entrance to a cave. He ducked into the opening and through several passage ways before the room opened out in to a small cavern, which was so tiny that he had trouble moving around at full height. Several stalagmites blocked his view, but when he stumbled over them, he found what he was searching for.
"Are you the man the head priest said I should meet?" he asked.
He had just stumbled over the last rock when the cavern opened up more, and the figure in black he was addressing in front of him smiled.
"I am indeed. Tell me, why did you come to me?" the Stranger responded.
The man knelt before the figure.
"He said you could tell me my future. You could give my life direction."
"First and foremost, my name is Den. Second what you do with your future is your choice, I could care less. Thirdly, I know the reason you have grey eyes, Jason."
Jason felt surprised; even he did not know the origin behind his eyes.
"How did you know my name?" he asked.
"What was your first memory?" Den retorted.
"Huh?"
"A question for a question."
"Fine, if you’re going to be stubborn. I was about two when I saw my reflection and compared it to the other initiates at the monastery. I thought, “Why did I have eyes like a cloudy day, and others had eyes like expanse of the sea, or an endless plain of grass?"
"As you may know, most of the children that end up at the monastery are orphans. You Jason are no exception. It was a stormy night when I walked up to those old wooden gates and delivered you into the capable hands of the head priest."
Jason was struck dumb. He was an orphan and this man in front of him claimed to have delivered him to the priest personally close to twenty years ago.
"You? Where did I come from? Who are my parents? Why didn't you look after me?" He shouted, yelling at Den.
"You came from a small village called Mosanic, further south on this continent. You parents were killed in a raid orchestrated by the Empress at the time. I hid you here, in hopes that you would be ready for what you are about to face".
Jason was silent again. All this news still shocked him to the core, but he had a few more questions to ask.
"What did the Empire hope to gain from this?" he asked, barely containing the sobs he was crying for his fallen parents.
"Why you of course, Jason; and your cousin."
"I have a cousin?"
"Indeed. She is in head of the Empire. The forty-forth leader to take the thrown."
"Last question. Why did the Empire want me?"
Den smiled.
"Go outside. I will meet you there."

A visibly shaken Jason turned his back on Den, but turned to ask another question. Den was already gone. Jason, barely holding his emotions together, staggered his way through the cave back to the exit.
They had spent most of the day in the cave, because by the time Jason exited the cave, it was sundown. The pale sunlight still remaining lightened up a large clearing that stretched out before Jason. On the other side of the clearing was Den, but tied to the tree next to him was someone Jason knew very well.
He rushed across the clearing as fast as his legs would carry him. He stopped about thirty paces away from Den. His mind raced to take in the scene. Den standing to one side, while an old man, dressed in ceremonial vestments from the monastery from where Jason had grown up. He was the head monk that had raised Jason. The anxiety to be in a different place was etched on the face of the monk.
"Let him go! Why are you doing this?" Jason yelled. Den smiled before he responded.

"Because you are the Chosen one, Jason. The Empire wanted you because of what I am about to cause."
Den flicked the blade hidden up his sleeve out and lined it against the neck of the monk.
"Don't blame me, Jason. The only way to trigger the transformation, or 'Shift', is by extreme emotional response or if you have control of your power. Seeing you are barely aware of your powers, it has to be the emotional response."
"What are you talking about?! Let him go!"
"Come and attack me if you think it will change anything."
Den threw a rusted long sword to Jason, who picked it up eagerly and charged at Den. He brought it down in a slashing move, but the sword seemed to just miss Den, who didn't even flinch. Jason repeatedly tried to stab the sword at Den, but each strike glanced off to the side before it could touch him.
"What's happening?! Why… won't...you... DIE!" yelled Jason.
Den did something with his free hand which knocked Jason back several paces back.
"What I did just then will take you several lifetimes to master, but for now, know I have a Bio-psychotic field. This means I have a barrier that I control with my mind that can affect the things around me, like your sword not touching me; or knocking you off your feet." Den inched the blade closer to the monk's neck, so close that it was now drawing a tiny amount of blood. Jason broke down, on his hands and knees, he begged for the monk's release.
"Sorry, Jason."
Den then positioned the blade to strike.
"No... Nooo... NOOOOOOOOOO!" yelled Jason.
The response was instantaneous. Den got what he wanted, an extreme emotional response, but it was not what he was expecting.