Dawn of a Thousand Suns, Book I: Arch De Angels

Prologue

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***

Lucius sat with an army of newly enrolled youngsters in a great stone hall, waited for Maegy to enter. Flames were dancing on top of the pillars and with the light coming in from the arcade porch, the hall glowed golden. The hall belonged to Al-Dalyon, the fortress of Cadaredia.

White and golden was Cadaredia this morning—the color of light and fire. Crimson beams of the rising sun, glinting on the temple domes, were entwined as a golden crown around the city of white stone. The place of questions and answers, of fear and beauty, of mystics and mages, looking like a relic, molded in an era of legends rather than built by mere mortals.

The scarlet smokes of the dawn enveloped the fires burning on the sacrificial altars and meandering high above the roofs like the steam off the vast cauldrons. Mirage reflected the vague contours of the streets beyond the horizon, slashing the city of white castles like the chest of an elderly warrior. The grandeur of the City of Monasteries was so magnificent, no one could make a sound. Glancing at this marvelous view, Lucius, along with the other recruits, couldn't help but be amazed at the sight.

Some strange feeling that gradually grew made Lucius aware of someone majestic and other-worldly was approaching.

"I think he is coming," whispered the girl sitting next to him.

The gate cracked open, and a man clad in a crimson cloak entered the dimly lit hall. He didn't even look at the newcomers, walked lightly contemplating, a cloak fluttering over his shoulders.

His steps, echoing mysteriously in the hall, kept the newcomers silent. He was shrouded in the smoke and the flames dazzling on the pillar tops danced together with his footsteps. The red fabric looked as if it was braided around his thin body.

"Welcome!" - he announced. The calmness blended into the firmness of his voice, made him sound strangely sharp.

"I welcome you. From villages, cities, and towns. Of suns and moons and stars. Those who know magic and those who do not yet. You who abandoned hope and peace, and you who found it."

"This Temple of Belial is the place where you perceive the world of magic, the magic of Belial".

***

Lai looked up. She had little time before the sun would set beyond the horizon. She needed to reach the peak before sunset, wanted to see the city today. Several months passed already since she had left the Summer Islands.

Lai missed the ocean, longing to see her. She would give everything to be there. Riding waves on the dolphin's back, watching the slow-motion of the wave peeling along the reef, before pitching forward to explode in a foaming mass of white happiness. She missed the sense of exhausted excitement, the feeling of pushing limits further than ever before, and experiencing something that only a few people ever will. This was what Lai loved the Summer Islands for.

"The world is the chest of magnificence, never forget this!" - Naji's words still helping her to gain strength. After so long.

Lai did not know if it was her actual name, nor could she remember her face, just knew she was graceful, like light itself, warm and bright.

There was little left before the peak. She put her hand on the reddish stone, felt its firmness with ellryne, jumped short, and started climbing. The rock was steep and difficult to climb, but she overcame more difficulties on her way here. The sun was half-set when Lai reached the top. Canyons and clouds were all around, and beneath unfolded the silhouette of a city where mages lived.