The Dark Mage

Prologue

I don't own Lord of the Rings but I thought Sauron's theme was very fitting for this prologue.

     Once upon a time, things were different for planet Celestia, thousands of years between the last human on Celestia and the human explorers of the late 21st century. It was a time when magical energy flourished and life was abundant, and mankind was acquainted to the natural world. But as men began to multiply on Celestia, so did their technology and the expanse of civilization. But rather than cultivate the ways of life, mankind sought to control the very essence of life and death itself. Man began to create abominations and grew only more violent and detached from those around him.

     Mankind became so detached that he became little more than an extension of his own hubris. And life itself was nothing more than a simple statistic, just another number in the machine of man's own pride. Mankind had become so disfigured that the creatures that once had human ancestry could no longer be considered human.

     And even after humanity had become extinct on Celestia and their civilization destroyed by violence and the ever-growing divide between man and nature, traces of humanity lived within their created descendants and abominations. And those were the Selenese, Szolsurans, Kitsunes, Tanukis, Inus, Nekos, Valkyries, Nymphs, Fae, Elves, and even the Dragonborn. All were the creation of man's hubris to control and believe that he could create life itself only to be destroyed by his own creation. And after many centuries had gone by, the Selenese, Szolsurans, Kitsunes, Tanukis, Inus, Nekos, Valkyries, Nymphs, Fae, Elves, and Dragonborn had all forgotten their human ancestry and became as wild beasts but with the magic to destroy each other. And in their image, they erected idols of stone and wood and of every spoil of war.

     And in their golden age, they created powerful relics that would wreak havoc on the entire world at the hands of whoever wielded them. The Szolsurans created the Primordial Protogens that could incorporate all technology into themselves. The Selenese and Nymphs and great Fairy queen Sylvanus created the 14 stones of power that could create the most powerful magical energy at the expense of others. The Kitsunes created the Keys of Prosperity that would bring economic prosperity wherever they desired. The Tanukis created the Orb of Ingenuity that could overcome all setbacks. The Nekos created the Staff of Darkness wielding all the negative energy in the world at one's will. The Inus created the Heart of the Pack wielding the animals of the natural world to their will. And many other powerful relics were created, but they were all powered by Dark magic and corrupted whoever wielded them. First the great Fairy queen Sylvanus, then the first Selenese queen Luna who became the chief of the Ver Tauc pantheon, then ancient Szolsuran Solara the first Primordial Protogen, and the first Image of Inari of the Kitsune clan who wielded the Keys of Prosperity to enrich herself and became the embodiment of greed itself.

     But great heroes of all magical races rose up and destroyed these relics, even if it cost their people everything, including themselves. But not all was well, because some relics remain. Not all Primordial Protogens were destroyed, for Solara still remains in stasis. Luna and her 13 sisters had absorbed the 14 stones of power into their bodies. The Keys of Prosperity remain locked away in Inari's palace ever tempting the Images of Inari to use them of every age. But worst of all, there came a dark mage with the ambition to use them all, the dark mage Isis.

     For when Isis had wielded the Staff of Darkness, she said, "I will not truly die but be like God, defining good and evil for myself and ruling over all. I will raise my throne above the heavens, and you are all playthings in my scheme for my new world."

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Tell me what you think? How does the beginning of the third installment of AWFT sound so far?