In Another Lifetime

By Scott “StoryTime” Sloan

Six-year-old twins Zo and her sister, Noel are inseparableuntil the day she accidentally throws a rock at Noel's head in a fit of anger and kills her. After the half dragon, half human is quickly escorted to the borders of her childhood homeland, Zo is left all alone in the world.

When Zo is saved from the brink of death by a monk returning to his mountain top monastery from a sabbatical, she begins training under the Master of the Guardian's watchful eye to become a Warrior Monk. But when a tragedy unfolds, Zo flees the monastery in despair, hoping to find solace in a city to the south without any idea that more unfortunate events are about to occur. As she transforms into a cold and callous assassin, shocking new information arises that Noel may still be alive. Now it is up to Zo to travel through time and space to defeat the Zombie Queen and save her sister. But will she make it in time?

In Another Lifetime shares the imaginative tale of a half dragon, half human who travels through parallel universes to battle evil and rescue her twin sister from a disastrous fate.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Dec 8, 2016
• ISBN: 9781480840539

Scott “StoryTime” Sloan

Scott "StoryTime" Sloan calls himself the Pirate Poet Laureate. Scott served in the marines for nine years. He travels to exotic places and volunteers his services to families to help with maintaining self-sustainability and raising awareness to the many causes close to his heart. In Another Lifetime is his first book.

Book preview

Chapter

1

…and don’t get your dresses dirty!

Noel and Zoë didn’t pay much attention as they ran towards the edge of the forest. They didn’t even really know who said it, but it was time to play- and it was their birthday!

Hand in hand, the two little girls trotted off to play in the woods together.

They were two of the most angelically adorable sweethearts; twins.

Zoë and Noel had each breathed six full years of life, on that very day. No other pair could have shown more elation on their faces than these sweet cherubs. They played together and ate together. They shared a bedroll, holding hands while drifting off to sleep. Noel and Zoë were inseparable. The girls had deep, rich, raven black hair, sun-kissed tan skin with beautiful, bright ice blue, almond shaped eyes, and adorable button noses that dotted the center of their faces. The girls were indistinguishable from each other, in… almost, every way.

Zoë’s right eye showed her…slight mutation. Zoë’s right iris was actually purple and the pupil was formed into a fine tipped, four pointed star that extended past her iris; both vertically and horizontally.

Neither of the girls remembered their parents; both had been found swaddled together at the edge of a stream, near the mouth of a huge cavern. A local farmer returning from a nearby village had seen a soft splash of light, and then he heard the cries of babes. Puzzled and intrigued, he dismounted from his wagon to investigate further. There were no signs of anyone else in the area; no camp, no tracks, not anything disturbed, save these two precious darlings.

The farmer, Tianshi, gently raised the pair to his chest to comfort them. He had fifty years of life, thirty-three of which he had spent majestically, wonderfully, joyously married to the love of his life. It had been two years since her passing, that day. He cried quietly to himself, hugging his brand new babies, whom he knew were a gift from his wife; blessing him for his affectionate love and strength of character. There was one child for each year he had been strong; he knew they would be something special. Not having any children of his own had been hard on his wife and he, but they eventually accepted. On his way back to the wagon he decided on Zoë and Noel, as the names for the girls. Tianshi didn’t know where the names came from, but he loved them, nevertheless.

Upon arrival back at his village, Tianshi called a meeting with the village elders. He explained the circumstances behind finding the babies and his reasoning for why he would like to keep them, until they came of age or their parents claimed them. Over-joyed at the allowance of raising the girls, Tianshi took the babies back to his home. After a quick feeding from a wet nurse, Tianshi put the girls down for a nap and lay down next to them. He closed his eyes, finally feeling the bliss of fatherhood. He had never felt more complete than this moment, save the day he married his Angel.

He lay next to his daughters as he thanked the gods and his wife for this blessing. He serenely sought her out one last time; with a smile on his face he reached over his girls, to caress his wife’s face. She kissed his palm and a single, joyful tear rolled down her left cheek. She held his hand and lifted him with her as she rose. They looked back at Tianshi’s last vessel, curled around his wonderful new loves.

Tianshi had been a strong, healthy man all his life. He ascended to be an Elder for his people. He had been a good farmer, a great husband, and an even more wonderful father, however briefly it may have been.

Chapter

2

On the next sunrise, no one suspected anything to differ from the ordinary. Tianshi had never missed a temple sunrise before in his whole life, but then again, he did now have two beautiful and adorable daughters to take care of.

When no one saw him at all that day, and he did not show for temple at sunset, a few Elders went to call upon him, to see if he needed any assistance. The following morning the village gathered at the graveyard to pay their last respects, and lay Tianshi next to his bride.

Through the next several years, Zoë and Noel were raised on the temple grounds by all the Elders. Most of the people in the village were unnerved at the sight of Zoë’s eye, but all were quickly reminded that if Tianshi had loved these little girls until his dying breath, then they would be right to do the same.

The twins ran into the forest playing tag-a-long, laughing, and smelling the fragrant flowers. They chased, laughed and giggled with the dryads all the way to the river, where the maenads joined in the celebration of joyous life. The maenads would run their fingers through the girls’ hair to dampen and the dryads would weave petite white flowers in plaits and braids atop the darlings’ heads’. Life was in order; Life was beautiful.

After their hair was finished, Zoë and Noel waded into the river until the crystal clear, glacial cold water ran up to their knees; giggling and splashing, followed by stone skipping. The girls had gotten remarkably good over the past few years, having been taught by the dryads and maenads.Noel was able to get five bounces and then her stone ricocheted off of a log and continued for three more skips. A magnificent sparkling pebble, like she had never seen of before caught Zoë’s eye.

‘I have to have it’, she thought.

Absent-mindedly, Noel reached for a handful of stones to throw, grabbing Zoë’s new prize in the process. She had become bored and tired of standing in the river for now, but was patiently waiting on her sister. Rather than continuing to skip the stones, Noel was just blankly throwing them away.

NO!! THAT ONE’S MINE!!! Zoë furiously screeched, reaching her hand out into empty air as she tried to grab the stone before it was launched.

Startled at the sudden outburst, Noel barely had momentum built up to throw before she dropped the pebble just a few feet away. Immediately apologetic, Noel gingerly padded through the water to where she thought the pebble had dropped. She only ever wanted to make her sister happy. Noel picked up a stone that she thought she remembered having in her hand and with a grin, tossed it back at Zoë’s feet, hoping to cheer her sister up again.

Excited, Zoë bent over to pick up her prized pebble from the river bed near her feet. She noticed it was, in fact, not the same one she desired.

‘Noel is going to keep it for herself’, Zoë thought.

This one isn’t mine! she screamed, shaking her fist with her eyes shut, and she hurled the unwanted rock back over the water, with all the anger her little heart could muster.

Over the echo of Zoë’s scream, she heard an audible thud followed by a splash in the water. Her eyes, shut tight against the tears, popped opened as she looked around to see what the noise was. Noel was lying face down in the water; blood seeped from the side of her head. The current of the gentle river seemed to be just enough to ferry her body smoothly away. When Zoë had closed her eyes and thrown the stone her conscious aim was non-existent. She didn’t care where the stone went; she just wanted it away from her. The stone had been projectiled, directly to Noel’s temple. In a fitful rage, Zoë had struck down her sister for a ridiculous rock.

She was alone; there was an emptiness that she could feel inside of her.

Zoë didn’t know what to feel. She just stood in the river crying out for Noel to come back - that she was sorry!

Noel had always been there for her. Her whole life… what was she going to do? Zoë knew that she should tell someone, but whom? She turned to see the nymphs huddled together at the water line, holding one another.

Tear streaked and numb, Zoë walked towards them for solace, but they all skittered from her presence; fleeing in terror.

‘Murder. Unnatural’ -Thought-speech rang out everywhere. Zoë could feel the horror and panic all around her, as everyone disappeared. It were as if her emotions had fled with the sprites and left her devoid and forlorn. She had no one. No friends, no family, Zoë was blank and alone.

She reached the edge of the forest at sunset, dirty, sweaty, cold, and hungry. Zoë trudged up to the temple without a thought, tracking mud and filth everywhere. One of the village elders, whom she didn’t like very well, turned the corner, as she reached for the inner doors- mouth falling agape.

YOU DARE TO DEFILE THE TEMPLE!! He bellowed, his visage hardening into a mask of hatred and disgust at the ragged child.

The loud commotion brought others to check on the situation. The village leader, Weida Lingxiu, approached her.

What is the meaning of this child? he demanded Where is your sister?

Zoë slumped down on the stairs, emotionless and in shock, and explained what happened without focusing on anything. A search party was promptly formed to find Noel and bring her body back. After sunset the following day, the group returned; empty handed. The Elders gathered inside the temple behind closed doors of the Inner Sanctum. Zoë sat alone on the steps for hours, just staring into space, as the adults conversed. The dark deepened, and then the light dawned to sunrise- the midday came and went. The doors opened and the Elders filed out one by one, solemn and forlorn. No one even looked at Zoë. It were as if she weren’t even there.

Weida Lingxiu strode out last of the line slowly, coming to a halt next to Zoë. After many minutes, Weida sat down by her and they watched the sunset.

Do you know what ‘death’ is Zoë? he asked, without looking at her

No she answered meekly

Death is like this sunset. He paused A person lives their life, shining their light for all to see and at the end of the day, the gods extinguish the Sun, so that it may rest, change, and start anew. So, at the end of someone’s life, the gods extinguish their life force, so that they may rest and change into their new light.

Noel isn’t going to get better and come back, is she? Zoë asked, looking up to Weida.

No, she is not. he said solemnly, bowing his head and praying for her soul to reach the Wheel. Zoë, there is a natural order to things. As it is, Noel’s life was ended unnaturally; by your hand. Weida clasped his hands between his open legs, head heavily bowed.

Our ways are clear and after much discussion, with a heavy heart I must take you to the edge of our lands. At that point, you must turn and leave and never return. It will be up to the gods at that point.

Weida Lingxiu loaded a wagon with a few supplies and strapped the horses in, while Zoë silently sat on the bench seat in the front, barely breathing or registering what was going on around her. He climbed into the front once he was finished, and popped the reins lightly to set the horses walking. Two moons rose and fell; two suns blazed to life and were lain to rest, before the pair reached the edge of the tribal lands. Weida built a fire and roasted a few vegetables over the flame as dusk crept closer. Zoë didn’t feel hungry, though she hadn’t eaten in days, and left the meal untouched.

She was numb. She was cold; demoralized.

Weida sat a few paces away, keeping distance between them as he meditated. After a short while, he came to stand behind Zoë.

It is time child. I must leave you now. His voice grated against her ears.

I know Zoë mechanically responded not looking up; leering into the fire.

Without another word, Weida Lingxiu plopped onto the seat of the wagon and left back the way he came. Zoë sat with her feet together, chin resting on her bent knees, and glared in the fire. The flame in her heart was represented by the fire in ring in front of her. Slowly the flame waned and the darkness crept in closer. Tears stung her eyes and slashed through the grime on her cheeks as they coursed their way down. Zoë thought of the last time she had cried- it had ended her sister’s beautiful life. She wiped her eyes viciously.

I will not feel anymore she whispered aloud to herself. The flame waned to a flicker and the flicker ebbed to embers and smoke wisps.

The ember cooled.

Darkness sank its teeth in…

Darkness engulfed her into its frigid unforgiving embrace.

Chapter

3

Her whole body felt refreshed; for once in her whole life she felt well rested

A gentle breeze caressed her cheek.

The touch of his hands as they gripped her close and massaged her body with his embrace.

He held her close and steady just like how he held her Heart.

Stillness; complete isolation.

Surrounded by a palace of polished ice and frozen crystal fractals.

ALARM!

ALERT!

SURGE! SURGE! SURGE!

Zoë’s eyes snapped open and she bolted upright. Something was wrong- she didn’t know what, but she could feel it. She observed her surroundings, from where she lay in the dirt, all she could survey were forest trees, shrubs and rocks. A branch snapped in the near distance and birds were sent flying away. Zoë stood up slowly; she did not know what to do or where to go. Her vision was blurry and her body felt weak with exhaustion and hunger. Her stomach growled and she looked down at it.

‘How long had it been since she ate?’ she thought, as she felt the rumble under her hand from her torso. She stood there for a few more seconds, before there was another growl. Zoë, lost in thought, momentarily pondering about her hunger and rumbling stomach… wait… her stomach had not rumbled that time.

Zoë slowly turned her head over her left shoulder, and came to realize the wolf, snarling right behind her. Zoë had never faced such a beast and was terrified. She started to back away from the predator when a second came in from the left, while a third flanked her right. Startled, she broke eye contact from the first wolf, to look at the two new ones. The center wolf threw its head back and let out an eerie and desolately haunting howl; the others followed. Zoë instinctively knew she was in trouble and sprinted off in the opposite direction as fast as her tired little legs would carry her.

She dashed up and over rocks; slid and ducked down under branches.

TREE!

LEFT!

Zoë dodged and dipped back and forth, around any obstacle that came in her way. She heard the panting and collective snarling behind her. It were as if she could feel the razor sharp claws gouging against the earth like it were her skin; their jagged spear like teeth gnashing the air like they tasted her blood.

Her knees trembled as she sprinted up the side of a muddy hill slope- she jammed her hands and fingers into the slippery mess desperately grasping for any hold she could. Zoë was exhausted. She wanted to stop to rest, but she knew that this ravenous pack of wolves wouldn’t stop until they had hunted her down and eaten her.

Zoë clawed her way to the hilltop, only to find she had come up to the edge of a small waterfall, violently crashing down in front of her. She peeked back over her shoulder and saw the wolves were edging closer every second.

‘Jump and maybe survive, or stay and surely die.’ she thought to herself.

She turned back to the waterfall and backed up a few steps. The wolves approached and crept towards her, slowly stalking her; slinking forward from all directions behind her.

Bracing her feet, Zoë inhaled a deep breath and took off in a full sprint and leapt as hard as she could, hurling herself from the cliff. She felt as if she were being wrenched forward by her stomach, from the inside to the out. Her head swam and her vision blurred again. Zoë struck the ground on the other side-Hard! She tumbled end over end and rolled with the landing.

Once she stopped rolling, Zoë snapped her head up to look for the wolves on the other side of the waterfall, but they weren’t there anymore.

‘How did she get over here and not drop down into the water?’ she mused dumbfounded. ‘Where had they gone? Would they still come after her?’

Zoë saw a small fuzzy sliver in the air in front of her, for just a moment before it zippered down shut and disappeared.

Zoë stood and limped away from the waterfall, wanting to get as far away from the wolves as possible. The palms of her hands and her knees, as well as the whole outside of her left arm and the lower portion of her right leg were torn up with rocky gravel and dirt. She felt as if she had jumped out of a tree and landed too hard. Her stomach now wretched from hunger, terror, and landing too hard on that jump and mushing her insides together. Her leg and arm throbbed from the lacerations and scrapes, and she just wanted to rest for a bit. Slightly dazed and rattled, Zoë plopped on to a log near the path she had just stumbled to. She heard a crinkle behind her as she sat down, rolling the log back a bit- it was a brown paper wrapped package.

‘Who would leave a package out in the middle of the forest?’ she thought.

Zoë opened the parcel and out fell a small wooden box with a floating ball in it, a picture of rivers and mountains with words on it, dried meat and bread and a note. As Zoë gnawed on the hard bread and meat, she looked at the note. All that was written on the front was

StarDragon

‘What was that?’ she wondered to herself. She opened the letter and in neat, curvy handwriting, it read-

Child,

If you are reading this, you have just surged for your first time. I cannot tell you beyond these words how proud of you I am, yet it still won’t outweigh the sorrow and despair I feel inside while I write this. I do not know who you are or who you will grow to be. I do not know how old you are as you read this, or if you even cared to wonder of me. For I am gone. I am, or at least was, your mother, Kyra. I am unsure as to where you are in your life at this moment, but I will tell you what I can and maybe you will be able to piece together your own puzzle.

I, like you, am able to travel in-between parallel worlds. We are able to ‘surge’, as I call it, at will. I am sad to say that I do not yet understand the full potential of my power; therefore, I cannot help you in that aspect. There are so many things that I wish to tell you, but I do not know what you are able to do exactly. So here is what I can tell you.

There was a period of time in my life, when I was in my second decade of life by a few years (before you) that I was full of despair and harmful thoughts. I had thought of ending my life several times and would have succeeded one night had a lost traveler not stumbled upon my camp. Many weeks before, I had packed all that I could carry, of what I would use on my own and sold the rest. I decided to leave town and just survive in the wild. He startled me when I was about to end it all and saved me.

He was a fascinating and incredibly handsome ranger that spoke to me of a Great Sky Wyrm that lived in the mountains many miles away. He said that the Sky Wyrm would grant any wish for a penance- payment for his services was different for each person. I decided at that moment to quest for this dragon and have him grant me my wish. The next morning, the ranger and I headed West, towards the mountains, which was where he was going as well. We talked for days on end about everything that came to our minds. We lay together many times over the course of those trying weeks and cared for one another deeply, but at the midpoint of the mountain is when things took a turn.

At the middle of the mountain path was a fork in the road. Once we reached the crossing, I made to turn towards the left and continue up the path to the peak, knowing that he was going right and I’d probably never see him again. He pulled me close and begged me not to continue on to the Wyrm, but to stay with him. I had made this quest, because I was unsure if my life even mattered. I had questioned for years as to whether or not this world would be better off without me and now I had a way to have that answered. I was going to ask the Wyrm to show me what it would be like if I had never been born. I had had nothing to live for.

Of course, things had changed when I met him, but I felt that I still had to know if I was meant for this life or not. Realizing that I was not going to be swayed, he confided in me that he was, in fact, the Great Sky Wyrm that I sought. I, obviously, didn’t believe him, because what kind of mad man says he’s a dragon? After bracing me, he revealed his true majestic and glorious form. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever imagined. Back to his human form, he explained to me that he had not meant to deceive me, he just had no idea why I wanted to see him, or else he never would have allowed himself to fall in love with me. He sat me down and explained that there were things in this world beyond most people’s understanding and imagination. Despite the miraculous nature of said things, like magick, all could be explained scientifically also.

The magick that would be required for the spell I desired was extremely difficult to perform and intensely demanding on the mind, body, and life force. In humans, certain types of magick leave a residue that fades over time. More powerful levels of magick can permanently alter the body or mind, all the way down to their DNA. He didn’t want to lose us. It was then that he told me that I was pregnant with you.

After musing and much introspection, I surmised that I still needed to know if this was the life that I was meant to live. If I got the answers from Source, I would decide what to do from there. Maybe, I could even stay with him and raise you. I explained to him that I wanted to stay, but if I never did this then I’d wonder every day what could have been.

With a heavy heart, he reluctantly agreed to still help me, because he loved me. What came next astonished me! An orb of white light edged in purple started to pulse in his chest as he cast the spell. The light swelling from his torso extended up and out; taking the shape of his true Great Wyrm form but just in light. He knew that the spell he was casting had a large chance that I would be lost to him forever, yet to make me happy he would sacrifice his time with me. I had later researched that magick based on acts of True Love from a dragon result in a massive awakening of power. They will attach a bit of their soul to something to power it and in turn they were able to Ascend and leave this mortal plane, most dragons didn’t know about.

I had thought that I was just going to view into a void or something and see what life would have been like without me. I didn’t know what to expect.

From that, his spell worked TOO well. I realized that I had developed the ability to consciously surge between worlds. Your father was able to visit me in my dreams and help with answers that I needed, but I was never able to touch him again.

There are many, MANY worlds out there child. There are some that are almost imperceptibly similar and others that vary so much that I literally cannot describe them, because our communication is too simplistic.

I do not know how strong you are, but if you have gotten to this part, I pray that you are strong enough to forgive me for having to leave you. As I was peering through the cosmos at the different realities, this one was the only one I found your energy signature the strongest, but none of them allowed me to live into your lifetime. I end this letter with a hope that you will have a wonderful and fulfilled life.

It does not matter what you do, just have pride in what you do.

Do your best and know that I loved you more than you will ever know.

Kyra

Zoë knew then that the only person who she could ever really rely on was herself. Everyone had abandoned her. Everyone was dead. Even her own mother had to leave her and she didn’t even know who Kyra was! She could only depend on herself.

Coldness… Stillness. Like that of the dead flame from afore, Zoë grew more distant; there was a part of her that she sealed closed.

For several more days, Zoë went in search for food. Zoë had no idea where to even begin looking- she was utterly useless. She had never hunted or forged for sustenance, what was she even supposed to do? Unable to find food or proper shelter, her tiny body finally gave out on her.

She had no sense of time. She didn’t know when she had least eaten or when she had last slept properly. Zoë curled up next to a large sandstone boulder, in the bottom of a ditch, on the side of the path. Her instincts screamed at her to get up and keep going, but she knew that she would be lying down to die. What would it be like? She wondered. She hated herself for failing… even she had failed herself.

Darkness came to claim her.

Coldness set in to seek her.

Silence fell, and she felt her light slip away.

Chapter

4

Zoë gurgled and spat. ‘What was going on!!??’ she screamed in her head space. Her throat seized and she coughed and choke and gasp and coughed more again. ‘What is happening!? I don’t want this!’ she screeched with her mind and Soul against the torment she was being condemned to.

Drink and live, or lie there and die. The choice is yours. A frantic and scared, yet, deep soft bass voice of a man said to her.

LIVE! she lamented from her Soul.

Drink, damn you! she heard.

Zoë sprawled in his arms while she regained consciousness; he had her sip water and nibble on bread. Over the course of the next few days, Zoë was nourished back to health by this traveler. She ate several meals and drank freely of the bone chilling water he had. Even though this man had saved her life, all he had said to her were the few words when she was about to die. The man just meditated, unless he made food- never speaking. If he made food, you ate, if he rebuffed the fire, you knew to go to sleep. A fortnight passed as she rested and recuperated in silence while the older man meditated. Her thoughts were sporadic as she faded in and out of consciousness.

‘What was he thinking about so much? Why am I still alive? Did I really choose to live? Even after I had failed even myself’, she thought gravely. She tossed and turned in her tormented torpor. One eerie, starless night when the moon was raised to her zenith, Zoë awoke to the traveler siting on a large stone across from her, on the other side of the steady flame, ringed within a circle of fist sized rocks.

The key to this life, in which we choose to live, is to see past the surreal and focus on our True Selves. You, Zoë, have chosen to survive at the most primordial level there is. If you wish to learn how to never be this helpless again, then come with me, child the man said, slowly opening his eyes.

Zoë just glared at him with cold, distant eyes.

He swiftly elevated himself to his feet, rising to his full height and stature. I am Zhang Zhou. Master of the Guardians, Warrior Monk Grandmaster. You will address me as Sabonim he commanded in his full bass filled baritone voice. It rolled over her like boulders down a mountain.

Sabonim Zhang Zhou towered at just less than seven feet in height. He swelled his enormous chest and back, nearly doubling in girth. His massive arms protruded from his large shoulders and seemed to be as big as Zoë’s head- if not larger. The gargantuan legs of his would have been more akin to tree trunk like appendages, which extended down from his broad, stocky waist. Every limb was stacked with iron bangles running up the extremity, starting from the ankles and wrists. Each bangle looked like it had gold snaking through it like streams of lava, and small gems scattered throughout reminiscent of islands being surrounded by fire pooling into eddies.

He wore a fitted black cassock that split down