It all began in Orion. No one saw it coming, and no one had reason to. Indeed, terrorism was at an all time high, and conflicts between different nations were increasing; but nothing like this had happened before. Orion was a massive city, full of celebrities and powerful men, it seemed like a city that could never fall...and yet it fell in less than one .
The incident spread everywhere, through the internet, the news, there wasn't a single nation that didn't hear about it. One of the largest cities in existence, turned into nothing but rubble and ash. Miraculously, no one was killed, but there were many injuries, and not a single building was left standing. But that's not what scared them the most...
What scared them the most was how it happened. Even those who witnessed the event happening knew nothing of what or whom had caused. Rumors began spreading of beings wearing strange clothes. Some said they saw lightning come out of their hands. Some said they saw fire rain down from the heavens. It didn't matter, there wasn't a single clue left...beyond a single flag, implanted the rubble of the tallest building in Orion. Red, with eight black swords arranged in a circle, and all pointing towards the middle. And so it began...
Chapter 1: Beginning of an End
It was a nice sunny day in June, or at least as sunny as it could get around there. The sky was always filled with clouds, but today the clouds had spread apart a little bit. Perhaps a sign of good things coming, perhaps a sign of the last light before an ominous darkness, one couldn't tell. But whether or not a storm was coming, I decided it was best to enjoy the day for what it was.
I stood up, having spent the last five hours just laying on the grass and thinking about life. So much had happened in such little time. A year ago, I had been a simple mercenary, living out my days as soldier for hire would. Now, I was a warrior, powerful enough to take on leagues of soldiers. Who would've though someone like me could have become super human? I certainly didn't. But here I was, one of eight powerful warriors, seeking to bring peace to our world.
The magic flowed through me like the blood in ones veins, and I felt it. As a child, I had felt a strange, warm essence, but now I was able to embrace it. Once I was weak, but now I was strong, and had the power to change the world....
"Hey, Brennan, you spacing out again?" asked Silver, 5th Chair of the council, who I had forgotten was beside me.
"Yeah, I guess so," I said, chuckling. "A lot has happened recently, there's a lot to think about."
She gave a curious look. "Why?"
I sat down. "Because a lot has happened over these last couple weeks."
"True," she said, smirking slightly.
Silver was one of my closest companions in the Council, and perhaps the one who admired me the most. Some who knew her better called her "Wolkie", but everyone else just calls her Silver. She's a master thief, a powerful user of wind magic, and my partner in weapon development. She found the materials, usually involving magical stones and other ancient artifacts, and I forged them. She had silver hair and wore mostly black and grey. Her cloak was a dark greenish color, and it was a bit shorter to keep it from getting in her way.
As for me, I was Brennan, 3rd Chair in the Council and forger of weapons. I had black hair and wore bandages on my arms and legs, battered but loose pants, and a head band for when I worked on weapons. In the warmer days of the year, like in June, I usually didn't wear a shirt, as it kept me from overheating while working, and toughened up my skin quite a bit. I was also skilled in light magic, but unlike the others, I didn't really wield a weapon. I used to be a swordsman, but I gave that up long ago for personal reasons, and instead became a fighter. I had knowledge of many different martial arts, and with powerful light magic at my disposal, I was a pretty powerful combination.
I decided I should ask what she thought of the recent events. "Hey Je-"
She glared at me. "I told you not to call me that!"
"But-"
"Don't. Call. Me. That."
I sighed. Why was I the only one in the group who went by my real name? My name was weirder than most, and yet everyone else became shocked when you even mentioned their name.
I decided to change the topic. "So, how's your training been coming along?"
She perked up immediately. "It's been great! Hey, wanna have a duel? I bet I can steal that chair from ya!"
I laughed "Aww....really? I liked my seat..."
She stood up and then dragged me up too. "C'mon, we've got nothing better to do and this is a large clearing, so we don't damage anything.
"Alright, alright," I said chuckling, and then my expression became serious. I went into a combative stance just as I had learned for defensive measures.
She dashed towards me with incredible speed, just as I had expected. She made a quick jab with her dagger, which I managed to dodge. I attempted to disarm her, but she quickly drew back. Going on the offensive, I ran forward and made a few swift kicks in her direction, which she also managed to dodge. We went at each other like that for a little while, but after about fifteen minutes, it became serious.
I could feel wind magic starting to release, so I blocked in preparation. Instead of sending a whirlwind at me though, she actually flew upwards to about the height of some of the trees. I couldn't help but smile.
"You learned how to fly? Impressive! Wish I could do that!"
"You'll be wishing more than that soon," she said, throwing daggers at me, using wind magic to propel them faster.
It suddenly occurred to me how strategic she was in flying. She knew I was mainly close combat, so she distanced herself in a way where I couldn't get closer and yet still hurt me. Impressive.
I dodged a few daggers, trying to think of what to do. Going up to that height would be impossible, I'd have to bring her down closer to the ground. But how was I going to accomplish that? After dodging a few more daggers, a thought occurred to me.
Using my magic, I shot lighting towards her. She dodged it with ease, but I didn't stop. After awhile, she started laughing.
"You know you'll never hit me with that, right? I'm too fast for you to hit me!" Suddenly, she realized who she was talking to, and her expression changed immediately. I was a strategist, and doing something continually like that wouldn't just be aiming wildly. She looked down and immediately noticed her mistake, which was a little too late.
I had aimed continually above her, expecting her to dodge. On instinct, she dodged straight down, as that was the easiest direction to go. However, she had concentrated so much on dodging that she failed to notice she was getting closer and closer to the ground. She was now only a couple feet from the ground, and the match was over.
She was fast, but she was an assassin, not a fighter. I completely ranked her in terms of physical capabilities beyond speed, and she was close enough to hit. Using light magic to power my arms and legs, a quick barrage of many different attacks followed, and though she tried to dodge, I was too close and too strong. A minute later, she fell to the ground, beaten.
I extended my hand. "Nice moves," I said, smiling slightly. "I certainly didn't expect you to have been able to control your magic well enough to fly yet."
She shrugged and I pulled her up. "Yeah, thanks, though I feel stupid I didn't see through your ruse. It was so obvious."
I patted her on the back. "I've been at this thing for much longer than you, and was taught by a master strategist. There's a reason I'm in the third chair."
She shrugged again. "That reminds me, you should probably head back soon."
"Really? Why?"
"Part of the reason I came to hang out with you because I was supposed to give you a message. Victis needs to speak with you about something."
I nodded. "Alright, thanks for telling me." I then turned around and quickly dashed towards the castle. The demon wasn't fond of his comrades being late.
