Prologue

13 1 0
                                    

In the Realm of Astrion, where the sun and 5 moons painted the sky with hues of gold and sapphire, the planet steeped in mystery and forgotten glory breathed beneath an ethereal Shadow of Veils. Whispers of a majestic past lingered in the air, elusive fragments of forgotten history that seemed to dance just beyond the reach of mortal memory.

At the heart of this enigmatic world stood five masked beings, revered as The Penta Eternal. Shrouded in an air of both reverence and secrecy, these divine entities governed Astrion with a silent hand, their faces hidden behind veils of antiquity, weaving destinies and guiding fates of the planet, all the while remaining elusive and distant.

Astrion was a tapestry woven with magic, and its inhabitants consisted of humans and arcanists, gifted with the abilities of ten diverse clans. These arcanists, however, had lessened in number but held the power to their respective domains and could shape their surroundings according to their will. For each, the vivid dream of grandeur and power awaited at The Arcanist Academia. A grand institution nestled at the great Merchant Land, Eldoria. It was their crucible of knowledge. Here, they honed their gifts under the watchful eyes of the Penta Eternal.

Among these gifted individuals was Kaela, a tribal mage whose destiny had been etched in the sacred weave of Astrion. Her awakening as an arcanist had occurred during the ancient ritual, Revelation Ceremony, where her potential had been unveiled through an intricate scroll of her destiny, Astrion Codex. But time had passed since that momentous event, and she had not yet embarked on her journey to the Arcanist Academia.

She only ever questioned her purpose and decided to finally leave her motherland when her bond with nature made her question the very reality of Astrion. She, who was gifted with the ability to be the one with nature, was sensing a song of despair being sung into her ears by the wind, as though nature itself was whispering it. She was an orphan living in her family house at the north-west shore of the Ysira Isle, the land of the primals.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the stillness before dawn on the day of her departure, Kaela's footsteps traced a path through the embrace of the Eldertree Woods, her connection to the mother nature as strong as the roots of ancient trees. She had embraced the art of Nature, commanding the very essence of the earth and conversing with trees and their hidden echoes. Her affinity for magical herbs and her communion with the wild had made her a harmonious alliance between arcanist and the nature.

On this morning, a sense of determination drew her towards her destined path. Dressed in an ensemble woven from memories and significance, she wandered through the forest, visiting the sacred caves that had birthed her powers. The pendant passed down through generations graced her palm, its weight a reminder of the lineage she carried.

Animals of the woods greeted her with familiarity, their silent respect a testament to her connection with their realm. With each step, she retraced her journey through memories, bidding farewell to the familiar and embracing the unknown that lay ahead.

Returning to her dwelling, her family's oak tree abode, Kaela packed her belongings, each item chosen with care. She packed her vials of magical herbs, a mortar, and a few other essentials that she carries with her at all times, while the Astrion Codex, her destiny's calling, was thrown into the mix, without any care. Her attire, a blend of ancestry and aspiration, told the story of her identity. She had finally felt worthy her father's scarf that stood out, along with the leaf-shaped black pendant.

Kaela, as ready as she could be, still unknown about a world outside of the wild, said her final words before heading towards the harbor from where she would travel through the infamous seas of deathly songs.

As the sun breached the horizon, Kaela stood before the Dune harbor, the embarkation point for her journey to the Arcanist Academia. Her heart surged with anticipation, a potent mix of uncertainty and excitement. Ahead lay a world of magic and revelations, a realm where shadows and light intertwined, and where Kaela's destiny would be forged in the fires of her own determination.

Shadow Of VeilsWhere stories live. Discover now