Aether: The Heir of Pyros

Prologue

The bright stars lit the man's body revealing a long, angular face with bright red eyes. The man was bald and wore long eccentric robes. He hurried down a long open corridor, while shadows created figures in the night. The lanterns, once lit, had been snuffed out by a strong breeze, leaving the hall cold and unwelcoming. The man turned to a set of huge doors and entered the room. The room had tan colored walls like sand and tall window which showed the dark sky with each and every star brightly shining like a million candles in the black void.

A fire was burning at the back of the room with a man staring into it, deep in thought. He looked to be a well aged man with short, dark brown hair and startling red, brown eyes. The man in robes closed the door behind him and stood at the doors waiting for acknowledgement.

"Edon," the man with red-brown eyes spoke first, "good, you came. I was beginning to wonder when you would show up."

"My apologies Lord Ashbel, the boy took longer to arrive than I had anticipated." The bald man replied.

Ashbel turned towards Edon. "It is no matter." Lord Ashbel said, "What news did he bring you from Aquaria?"

"Malignence has invaded the water palace, his followers dispatched the guards quickly. Their diversity in elements gave them the upper hand. Queen Anahita escaped, but the palace has been taken... my lord, he will come for Pyros next. We must leave at once." Edon said.

Ashbel looked back into the fire wearily. "It is no use. He will find me and all the leaders, and soon... all of Aether will be ruled by Malignence."

"Do not fret my lord, for I have a plan." Edon replied. His long face filled with anticipation.

"His ability to control the universal bodies, one of the lost elements, makes him a powerful enemy indeed," Edon began, "However, he needs the power of the ancients, your power, to rule Aether and Earth."

Ashbel shook his head. "Why are you telling me such things? I know what he is capable of and what he wants. If he accomplished such a task... there is no telling what would become of us.. It's almost better if no one had our power."

"Exactly." Edon said plainly. "In order to keep him from it, we must not make it easy for him to find. We must rid ourselves of our power and take refuge on Earth."

"Edon are you insane?!" Ashbel exclaimed. "Living without our power?! Trying to blend in as a mortal?! How could we even begin to try to accomplish such feats?"

"If you wish to save Aether, it is the only way." Edon looked at Ashbel with his intense red eyes.

The king sighed heavily. The plan was very dangerous, but did he have much of a choice? He couldn't just let Malignence seize power so easily, his people and all of Aether would expect more from him. He turned and walked towards the window. He looked out across his kingdom and saw a small glimmer of light in the distance.

Terreria, the earthen kingdom, he thought, if we go through with this plan, they will be our only hope. They know more of the Below than any other Aethian. If anyone could help us navigate the New World, it would them. He pondered this and realized this plan may actually work.

"My lord?"

Edon's voice startled him from his thoughts.

"Have you made your decision?" Edon asked. He looked back at Terreria once more.

"Yes, find Queen Anahita and tell her to come to Pyros, as well as the other leaders," he replied and turned towards Edon, "I have made my decision."

<<<<<>>>>>

A round table sat in the middle of the room with seven seats around it, and each seat was filled. One of the chairs held Ashbel, King of Pyros. Next sat Anahita of Aquaria, Kaia of Terreria, and Zephyr of Windsor. On Ashbel's left side sat Elenora of Failand, Sterlyn of Metallica, and Beneberak of Electron.

In front of each of the leaders sat a necklace. Each one made with eccentric design and a dazzling stone, each one a different color.

"If we go through with this plan we will be nothing, even with Kaia's knowledge, how can we be expected to survive such a transition?" Zephyr argued.

"We will just have to have faith." Ashbel replied.

"Yes, but is faith enough? Even if we hide them, how do we know he wouldn't just recover them again?" Anahita asked.

"We hide them on earth."

"How are you so sure that will stop him?"

"Because in order to do such things he will need to strip himself of his powers as well. If he does have the elements of Earth, the elements we use to control it, he will not be able to survive on Earth, our people would be safe."

Silence filled the room in awe of such a realization. He would be rendered powerless in the mortal world, but so would they. Yet, the plan offered hope and escape and now they all knew it.

"Very well," spoke Sterlyn, "I make a motion for the plan to be carried out. Are there any objections?"

Silence hovered over the room like a solemn cloud.

"Well, since we agree we must carry out the plan as soon as possible."

They all look down at the necklaces in front of them. They meant new hardships, leaving everything they knew behind, and above all, hope. Together they prepared themselves to change their lives, and their descendants lives forever.

<<<<<>>>>>

A room filled with darkness appeared. A lone man stood in the middle. I felt a small tug of fear pull at my heart, and yet, something drew me to the figure. My foot took a step towards him. I wasn't even sure what I was stepping on. I looked down to find that the floor was pitch black and spotted. No, stars. The floor was like the night sky without a moon. My other foot moved towards the man. My mind and gut screamed at me to stop but my feet wouldn't listen. They continued forward. My disobedient feet had closed the distance in a matter of seconds, until the man stood before me. He turned towards me, and my heart turned to ice.

The man was tall and dark. Even in his torn baggy cloak his body looked bony and scrawny, he reminded me of a diseased old crow, His face was cold and hard, but had a mischievous grin, like a psychopath getting ready to gouge your eyes out. But his eyes, his eyes were what were really terrifying. They were black, completely black. They had no end to them. They were like a void, and I felt like I was going to be sucked up and never be heard from again.

He slowly started to speak, but his grin remained and it sent shivers down my spine. I could hear his voice from all around at all distances, like he was everywhere at once. his eyes looked at me as if they had a mind of their own, like they were peering into my very soul.
"At last," his breath on my face smelled cold and damp, "I have found you.