Authors note: This is the revised version of Chapter 1; I have improved since I first wrote the story, and I feel that the first chapter may have been turning some people away. As such, I"ve done my best to maintain the story, yet reflect as much as possible the style of writing that I"ll be using throughout the rest of this story (particularly chapter 16 onwards). North Grenden Plains
40 miles from Fort Sool
Sonaran Federation
Continent of Eanif, Planet Gaerra
2 P.M. Local Time
Month 5, Day 17, Year 237
The peaceful silence of the plains was interrupted by the sound of marching, before coming to a halt. An army flying a black flag, with a silver crescent in the middle, stared eastward, toward the sight of multiple plumes of smoke originating from campfires. As the troops of this army began to establish a camp for the night, a man grabbed the attention of this army. A gaunt man nearly 50 years old in appearance stood before his comrades, preparing to give a speech.
"Tomorrow, we begin the first incursion into the Sonaran heartland! After almost a year of grueling battle with their tributaries, we shall finally bask in the glory we have long sought! Before dawn, we shall march unto their positions and annihilate the enemy, and open the floodgates for our torrential wrath! For n.o.bia!" the general said.
"For n.o.bia!" his soldiers echoed.
—
By an interesting looking flag that depicted a mult.i.tude of stars upon a blue background, two men conversed with each other.
"The forces of the n.o.bian Empire will be converging on these grounds by daybreak tomorrow, Master Kelmithus. Are you certain your strategy will work?" a man asked, his clothing defining him as someone of importance.
"Indeed, General. How are the beacons?" the old wizard replied.
"Ready to activate on your command. The mages are on standby to a.s.sist you."
"Excellent. This plan should be able to delay long enough for reinforcements to reach the fort."
"I pray your sacrifice will not be in vain. May Sola"s light guide you."
"And you as well."
The two men concluded their conversation and directed their troops to rest, as tomorrow will be a fateful day. Many of the superpowers, and even the hyperpower, were interested in the powerful sorcery that Kelmithus planned for tomorrow. Consequently, observers watched from a camp nearly a mile away from the battlefield.
—
"Master Kelmithus, are you sure this will work? The enemy has a force of twenty thousand, including 200 wyvern riders!"
To rea.s.sure the general, Kelmithus explained the logic behind this magic. "Truly, it matters not how many people I face. It only matters the volume of which is transported. As long as the enemy formation is not spread out by a ridiculous margin, my spell can transport all of them."
"Well, your plan better work at least somewhat successfully. As you can see, our forces here only number in the few thousands, with at most 50 wyvern riders on our side. Reinforcements are three days worth of travel away, and I fear we may not hold on for long, should we face more than 5,000 enemy units."
"Worry not, dear friend; I shall see to it that we Sonarans shine light upon these wretches."
The dire situation reflected by this match up resulted in desperation, and thus Kelmithus would cast a spell that the world has not seen for millennia. He would, with the help of channeled energy from the other mages, create a s.p.a.ce- time anomaly that can transfer the opposing army to another plane of existence, thereby removing the threat against Fort Sool. However, the spell Kelmithus was about to cast has not been attempted in over 5,000 years, ever since the great wizards of old banished the dreaded evil empire.
As the n.o.bians marched toward the outnumbered defenders, Kelmithus began his incantations. The magical beacons he placed began to pulse with light, as his mages channeled their mana through to the master wizard. With an abundant supply of mana at his disposal, he was able to cast his spell, surrounding himself and all of the enemy forces in a transparent purple bubble.
The n.o.bian mages, sensing the powerful magics in the atmosphere, began to tremble. They realized what Kelmithus was attempting, causing gooseb.u.mps to form as they yelled at the enemy wizard.
"You wouldn"t dare use such forbidden magics on us!"
"You threaten to undo everything in this world, and for what? Just for a battle?!"
"Quickly, brothers of n.o.bia, we must stop this fool before he causes irreversible damage!"
The n.o.bian soldiers closed the distance between them and Kelmithus as fast as they could, with the dragon knights taking the lead. Despite their fearsome capabilities and average top speed of 200 mph , the distance proved to be too vast, and Kelmithus was able to complete his incantation.
"San noranimis cronissus travurium!"
And with his command, the bubble and everything enclosed within vanished. In the place of a bubble, a s.p.a.ce-time anomaly that resembled a portal remained.
"May Sola"s light guide you, Master Kelmithus. It was an honor to serve alongside you," the Sonaran general whispered.
—
Sir Mirand Du Barenia stood from his seat, watching from the observer tent. He scanned the battlefield, from the Sonaran side to the n.o.bian side, or rather, what used to be the n.o.bian side. His eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped, incapable of fathoming the incredulous scene that had just occurred before him. Observers from other nations reacted similarly, although he was too focused to notice them at all.
The spell was successful, and exceeded expectations so tremendously that the battlefield fell silent for nearly a minute, men standing and looking around as if they had just woken up. Suddenly, the silence was broken by shouting and horns coming from n.o.bian command tents. The n.o.bian commanders, seeing their forces vanish, ordered a retreat for the remaining command staff. As they fled the scene, observers sent from various nations began to converse amongst each other.
"Those mages… they mentioned something about the forbidden magics and irreversible damage. What were they talking about?" Sir Du Barenia asked.
A haughty man named Senior Mage Joseck Alyn, hailing from the Divinian Empire, replied, his eyes displaying a wisdom far surpa.s.sing that of most people. "Ah, you Mekkanese, your people are so ignorant in the history of magic." The man then paused, seeming to display fear before returning to his previous demeanor. "The mages were wary of the possible consequences of s.p.a.ce-time interference. The ancient evil empire may return because of what has just occurred."
"Thank you for your insight, but why would anyone from a hyperpower nation be concerned? I"m certain your mana weapons could do the trick."
"As you may know, we are running out of mana gems. Not just in my Divinian Empire, but throughout the surrounding lands. We have discovered large underwater caches of this vital supply but we are unable to extract them as of this moment. Our top wizards theorize that it may take decades before we develop any spell or magical tool that can help us drill beneath the deepest portions of the ocean. Without these gems, we would be unable to fight the ancient empire. Although your machines aren"t limited in the same way, they do not have the capabilities required to face the Axons." As he ended the sentence, he emphasized the name "Axon" heavily, nearly hissing whilst p.r.o.nouncing it. "We theorize that these beings still maintain a biological advantage over us; their innate magical capabilities can indubitably compensate for any disadvantage they have. In all honesty, given the rate we progressed as a society, if they had progressed similarly, then they would still be a hundred years ahead of us in terms of magical and scientific research." Senior Mage Alyn shook his head slightly, his pride damaged by this admittance of inferiority.
The Divinians shared the same philosophy as Americans from Earth, having pride in their country and maintaining their status as the strongest nation in the world. Their magical and technological capabilities are beyond the other powers on this side of the planet, although their science is slightly behind that of the magically inept Mekkanese, who have opted for scientific technology.
"How long would it be before the ancient empire returns? We can start preparing now!"
"I cannot tell you, old friend. I can only give but a slight estimate. If we are lucky, we have a century. If not, then we will not even have the luxury of beginning preparations."