Guardians Of The Arcane Chronicles

Chapter 25: Guardians (Part One)

"What...?" Gaius' mouth hung open, his mind swirling in confusion. Wasn't President Benedictus the White Locust? Who was this magi then?

He could see Felix tensing up from the corner of his eye. The White Locust did not come alone. An army of magis walked behind him; some were adorned in strikingly red hooded robes while the others were dressed in tattered dark clothes. They were brandishing wands and technomagick pistols menacingly.

"Well done, children." The White Locust walked towards the teenagers. "For stripping away the protective seal from the last tome. Now I can finally destroy the counterspell altogether."

Beams of light burst from his staff without warning, striking them before they could react.

Gaius fell to his knees as an abnormally strong sense of fear fell over him and quite literally held his body in place. He craned his neck; his companions were also frozen by some kind of terror inducing spell.

"You will forgive me for taking certain necessary precautions," The White Locust said, removing his hood.

The trio gasped in shock.

Cleric Elpis Nerva smiled warmly back at them. She snapped her fingers, dispelling the illusion that kept her true identity a secret. Her associates murmured in surprise as well, shocked by the fact that they had not only been following a woman, but the Secretary Of Defence at that.

"Cleric Nerva..." Kleopatra strained to speak. "Why?"

"Mankind has grown arrogant," Elpis sauntered towards them. "They have long forgotten about their benefactor. Without him, we would not have the powers we possess today. Without him, metas would have hunted men to extinction and destroyed themselves with their very own defiled abilities."

"O divine Muriel, rightful ruler of the world!" She threw her hands in the air. "Witness your most loyal servant's reverence!"

"Muriel... Muri- By the gods, how did I not see it back then?" Gaius breathed. "Your patron deity was Abaddon's angel form all along!"

"Very clever, Deusdedit." Elpis snapped her fingers and conjured her familiar.

"Just as the grasshopper and locust are the same creature," she said, letting the arcane grasshopper rest on her shoulder. "Muriel and Abaddon are one and the same entity. Past, present, future; it doesn't matter. All that matters is the eternal laws of existence. His purpose is unwavering, unfaltering. His purpose is the destruction of our world, even if it takes more than a millennia."

The Cleric gestured for her men to surround the trio while she forcefully summoned the tome from Felix. She flicked her wrist casually, conjuring a ring of candles. Elpis tossed the two books in the middle of the circle, and the candles immediately lit up in response. The tome glowed purple again and began orbiting each other. She turned back to Gaius.

"Your magic, how are you able to wield magic from every other class?" Gaius called out to her. "Are you a wizard?"

"Curious to the last, even at your imminent death. Typical sorcerer." Elpis frowned slightly. "No, the wizard class is long extinct. My magic is merely a boon from Abaddon. He granted mortals the ability to wield all different kinds of magic. What's a few extra tricks of mine compared to that?"

"Hey lady, you promised to tear down society for us," a man grumbled. "What's all this nonsense about demons and spellcrafts?"

"Funny you should ask that. The President is dead. The Vice President is seriously injured," Elpis chuckled. "And once I destroy this spellcraft, Abaddon will return to this world and tear down society's pathetic laws. Have I not done what I've promised?"