Hykso
“If you are nothing, you are everything.”
Hykso was born as the youngest child of sand stagyar Rakheem and air Nurarin. Following the name discovery, the boy’s remained intangible. His element was nothing, a space devoid of everything. Hykso donned a glass mask and flowing robes that served as his physical form.
One day, Hykso confided his worries to Rakheem. Each of his siblings was magnificent - a radiant light, an enveloping shadow, and a shimmering crystal. Yet he was nothing, invisible to all. The father consoled his son, saying if Hykso was nothing, he was everything.
At first, Hykso was ecstatic. Endless possibilities flooded his mind. But with joy, doubt crept in. If he was nothing, how could he be everything? And if he encompassed all, how was he devoid of all?
For decades, Hykso struggled with his paradoxical nature. He tried being a pharaoh. Yet how could he be the pharaoh, if he was also a commoner, a merchant, a beggar... Death became a tempting possibility. Was there anything more “nothing” than ceasing to be? Yet again, there was an obstacle. Stagyars die if they forget their names and selves. Hykso had nothing to forget. And how could he forget himself if he was everything? The Nothingness picked at the questions for centuries, with no answer in sight.
Nothing for Nothing
As Hykso continued the onslaught, one of Rakheem’s six forms, the Snake, manifested from the surrounding sands. But no amount of persuasion could get through Hykso. And not even the Desert of Creation was safe from his influence. The Snake’s memory dwindled the longer he battled his son. In the end, the Snake forgot his name, turning into the turbulent desert he once was.
After the victory, Hykso aimed to spread his influence to other kingdoms and Ayonerra as a whole. Everything was nothing and must become a part of Hykso. But, when the Nothingness reached Nuta’s borders, enormous Whitestone chains blocked his path. Rakheem’s other pieces had locked Hykso inside the barren lands.
Centuries have passed in isolation, with the frenzied desert being Hykso’s only company. Yet, he awaits an opportunity to escape. Or for someone to end him. So the Nothingness can truly embody his element.
I'm sad. This is sad. Poor Hykso. But also, poor other stagyars who he destroyed. :( Beautifully written.
Thank you! Hykso would curse at you for having feelings.