The moonlight was crisp, and the shimmering breeze coated the ears and pulled the hair. A leaf fell on the sleep of a young man suited to the toe. Hoyes, the name in which he claimed, was laying by the bottom of the ferns, basking in that sweet light. He had simple lashes, fair but not as clear as his skin was, a tie flowingly draped over his shoulder, with his blazer opened wide. A silent shift of the root of the tree quietly whispered in the ear of our viewed companion. Hoyes laid in quiet comfort, the moon's eye held a bellow at the lake's reflection with his wake; and so he thought in converse to his mother, in a dear labyrinth of thought would caress the solemn wood.
"Oh, dear Apostle of the night, what pleasures do I gain from your presence? A moon on the man," said Hoyes. He then yawned whilst in the stretch of a cat he did.
"I speak no ills young one."
"Didn't think you would."
"Your 'friends' arrival is on. Best be prepared, for time flows not just forward."
"Do you always need to sound out things in a riddle, third pillar?"
"Eh 'Son of the Underwood' I shall."
"Do you think you'll die," cackled a chirpy voice?
"Sorry, what did you say," responded Hoyes with a curved lid of the eye as he turned over his left shoulder.
"I apologize, my other face speaks with smallish intent."
"Eh, what you talkin' bout, disgusting, talk about the failure of the man claimed as third of the Apostles."
"Hush! Unless you wish I split your soul."
"..."
The night became silent.
"I see, well, if that is all, then you can leave."
"Pleasure be it mine."
Moon Mœöñ then vanished into the darkness of the night.
"Mother what shall I do," Hoyes spoke holding a leaf to his face.
"Kill him."
A voice similar to Hoyes rang in his ear.
"No, he's not ready."
"He will be. Time of the night, in year passing, three, or four, shall it be five."
"No. Five may be too long. Satan is planning something. I don't 'want' their plans going ahead of mine. The revival should be small. I want the third 'occurrence' to be the finale."
"I see."
"So before I rip this world asunder, Judar'ł will need to get stronger. Half your soul rests with him. Sickening human. How long has it lived."
"Long, sickening, human, his soul rests with mine."
"It does. His body is ready for rebirth. I've conserved his state at the mature age of eleven. A thousand, two thousand, it's begun to blank me, how many years has my brother been sealed?"
"My 'child' I sense."
"Has do I, the 'horn' of the Djnn, shaped to its wielders desire. I smell it, the Djnn who wields it. Female is she not?"
"..."
"She already knows of it, but not all of it."
"I see."
Their voices began to slowly come together, the divergence of tone and cadence breaking the balance.
Hoyes stood to, walked against the waters, towards the side of the mountains, up the river that flowed inward of itself. In there was a stone, a glimmering stone that was pushed by Hoyes unlocking a chest. A ragged shroud hooked the edges of a withered book, and pages seemed blank, but in the eyes of Hoyes, it appeared to give him an uncanny grin, a grin so wide that gums rolled up the cheeks.
"O' Holy mother, sing my praises. 'God' will return from the corpses of the falsities!"
Yelling down a deep cavern, the multiple interwoven voices echoed, seeming to wail in sorrow.
***
Hoyes sat somewhere again, up high where he watched the little ants squiggle and truck around on their merry ways. His eyes dawdled close to nothing as the clouds shifted overhead where he placed his legs. The scent of one who is great weld in the air, a grimacing wrinkle foiled on the grafts of who he was, and the trickling drops of recycled water clashed with his face.
"Ah, it seems the sky's cheery has stalled, as it weeps for the coming years."
"Brother!"
A voice cried.
"Brother where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere, didn't think you would be here, but glad I checked anyway."
A youthful child, his right eye covered by his chalky hair, whilst the left side was fully shaven. He was petite in stature, wearing a simple polo with buckled shorts and high-knee socks.
"Judar'ł it's been a while."
"Stop being so lacks, the first day of school is about to start."
"Hush, worry not. He will buy us time."
"He? Who are you talking about?"
"Look little 'brother' he is stalling for the late arrivals."
Hoyes pointed off into the distance where the largest all-level school was.
"I can never understand how you can see so far."
'Well, you'll know one day, for you have what is mine.'
"Even if he's stalling, which I doubt he is, it will take us a stretch to get over there."
Hoyes then took in a deep sigh, "childish."
"Are you calling me childish?"
"If you dream of sitting on wood for seven hours, then so be it. We will take the local cabby."
"What?! But I hate those."
"Too bad."
"Drats," Judar'ł mumbled.
***
Arriving near the front gate of the campus, deep behind the walkway up the steps to the building's door stood him.
Hoyes grimaced as he had to look at the sight of it. In the light of all that could be seen, the rain began to strike down harder. The pellets clouded Hoyes's ears.
A young man, age could be said to be the same as Hoyes by visual number, but by the mind, well the man was much younger. He has bright golden-red hair, a blush face, and diamond-speckled freckles. He was tall, but not too tall, strong, but not too strong, and one who would stare possibly too long in many eyes.
Yes, it was he. His nickname of the upper echelon next to people like Hoyes, Toto, Joe, Fachtna, and Maah. These were the people who were looked upon in Hate, Envy, Admoration, Fear, and the bothering feeling of the unknown. He, on the other hand, squandered all others, even the mysterious Maah, it was him the "Chosen One."
It was a title or nickname as one could call it that Hoyes found repugnant and completely opposite of what the individual was. Most took it as him not liking his, but to Hoyes he felt it was stupid. Mainly because these two knew each other far ago before either of them entered the island. He knew where the "Chosen One" came from, and because of it found it insulting to whomever truly was chosen.
These were all things he would say in his mind, as specifically speaking, he didn't care. It was to help keep his mind in the psyche of his image. A stubborn root as some would call him most though would call him the "Demented Forest." Which Hoyes found even more ridiculous than the "Chosen One," at least that title made sense in context, but "Demented Forest." He wasn't a forest and neither was he all that demented. He found the name odder than anything else.
'Mukhtar' was what he identified as, Hoyes knew that wasn't his real name. He cared not to reveal or reveal it, for it would do nothing. And so he too addressed him similarly.
"Well if it isn't my good friend Hoyes Underwood," said Mukhtar bombastically.
Whilst the two brothers walked up the steps to the door, both completely soaked.
"It looks like ya guys got a little wet, I believe there are some towels in the janitor's cabinet down the haul. Let me run and get um for you guys." He then sprinted off cheerfully.
"Ugh, that guy makes me wanna vomit. He never changes."
"I think he's cool, and he isn't all negative like you."
"Fine, whatever you. I know what that 'monster' really is, and it ain't cool."
"Monster, he's no monster!"
Before Hoyes could respond, trudging stomps approached as someone carrying many towels arrived.
"Here you guys go, dry yourselves off quick. Lucky today's the first day."
"Thanks!" Judar'ł said gleefully.
As the two continued, Hoyes grew a tinge of irritants, stepping between the two and giving a pessimistic glare towards Mukhtar.
"Oh my! Controlling as always it seems, ay Hoyes."
The two stared for a moment and then Hoyes began to speak.
"Can it, you sick monster, get that despicable grin away from me." Hoyes stepped forward and forward and forward till he was so far down the steps that he was walking out the school entrance.
"Haah, man, he's truly the same as always. To make him feel better, I might as well go to class. Judar'ł try your best, and get Hoyes in class before both of ya get into trouble."
The "Chosen One" then walked cutting out of Judar'ł vision.
'Just great,' he thought.
Judar'ł then ran off trying to catch up to his brother.
A while after, Mukhtar walked down the hall, his face cold like a somber winter. Pulling from his pocket a red phone, on the back was the word 'GUEST'. He then pressed the single button it had. Seconds later, ringing, ringing, then a clack. Someone picked up.
[Hello]
"V. It's me."
[Oh! Mi... ah shoot it's, aah, what is it again]
"Don't worry about it, the alias won't be needed for long. Though I think I'll need the Apostles' help."
[Really, well Toto has already mentioned the 'Colours' approaching soon. Is that what you're talking about]
"No. I've met Hoyes today, seems his brother is 'awake'."
[Shit! Really. Crap this calls for a definite emergency...]
"Relax. Right now it seems he has no plans, and we don't want things to get out of hand. Right."
[Ya I suppose. Do you need me to get your chariot]
"Yes, as soon as you can, I don't know what he's planning, but it's best to be prepared. We don't need a reenactment of last time."
[...Understood. I'll let Locks know, though she may not feel up to it]
"That's fine. Try convincing Bear to ask, she'll say yes in a heartbeat if he asks."
[I'll try, but you know how she is, even he, well ya. Not even 'Boss' can do much about her]
"Seriously your guys' ranking system is incredibly flawed, I get why your twelve. How Locks though ever be ranked seventh, it boggles my mind."
[I would 'truly' love to explain it to you, but life is life, so gotta go]
"A-alri..." 'Damn, he hung up.'