The Solar Empire

Prologue: A Festival

The sun was rising slowly over the barely waking kingdom. The sun casting it's bright, powerful light across all the houses, farms, and cities. It was the beginning of any other spring day, where the flowers would bloom, shining watery dews resting on the petals like tiny drops of sunlight. Where the wind would flow through the trees, shaking away a few of the remaining dead leaves from the previous winter. Where the people would go about their day like any other day. For one village however, this day was like no other. Whereas the other townsfolk would wake up, go to work or school, do their business and rest away the rest of the day, this small village however, would break away from routine for a celebration. A celebration they'd been celebrating for the past 50 years now. This was the day that the village was first founded, a day that now only one aging man could say he was there for. The noise in the village erupted just as the sun rose, slow and gradual for even if this was a celebration, the people would still rather sleep until noon. 

And as this was a celebration, the cheers and laughs on grew in noise throughout the day and never seemed to stop. As on a day like this, no one needed to work the day away. Especially with such a grand year. Though it was one of many celebrations, there never seemed to be a set tradition. No statues to praise, no certain foods are served. On this day, the adult would go about, speaking of the ways to improve the village in whatever way they can. 

Perhaps finally building a school for the little ones instead of teaching them by hand at home? Maybe finally expanding the village to make room for more homes and bring about more visitors?

While the adults spoke of politics of the villages, the children did as they pleased. Casting what little magic they knew in order to bring about a sense of wonder among one another and have fun. 

Nonetheless, their merriment in the magic could only be held for such a sort time as the lot grew bored and wanted for the day to come to its end. Thought their boredom would soon be driven away by an old crow sitting on his porch, read with a story that only he could recall.

"Alright you young folk, come here an' sit. 'Bout time ya'll heard a good story. A true story. One that'll teach ya something important." The old crow stated boldly, making sure that he caught the attention of all the children as he was tired of seeing them sit around. 

And so the kids, ranging from ages 7 to 14, all sat in front of the wooden porch and the old man, all quickly hushing each other out of curiosity of what might the story be.

"This story, is about the creation of your humble home....Beetseed Village!" He said slightly too cheerful showing it was a little forced. And since none of the children had any real response to that, he simply cleared his throat and began the story.

"50 years ago today, me, my family, and many other people from the capital city left Sunblare to start our new home." He started, but he found himself quickly interrupted by his daughter, Alphie. 

"Pops! Why did you leave Sunblare? I've heard from the other adults that Sunblare is a really nice place.." She asking, her eyes wide with curiosity. Yet her father seemed to grow slightly uncomfortable with the question, thinking quickly of what to say, but he found that his son would be the one to answer his sister's question.

"He's told us before stupid! Because he, grandma, and grandpa needed a new start! They had no money so they moved away." Delta half yelled, half scolded his twin sister. This only caused them to start bickering and squawking at each other angrily. Once he finally calmed his children, he returned to telling his story.

" Anyways, we all decided we wanted to make our own way in life, and with the leadership of a fine rabbit lad named Hickory. Hickory was a wizard who used to be a bit of a personal adviser to king Helios before he died. And Hickory decided to allow friends and willing strangers to come in helping to form this village. Doctors, farmers, teachers, all of them wanted to try out building their own community and things were going fairly well." He paused quickly to observe the faces of the children.

Wonder and curiosity shone brightly in their big eyes. He smiled to himself and continued. 

"However, about 2 years after the village was started, was when things went wrong. Around this time the king had been murdered...poisoned by an unknown group and chaos was spreading across the kingdom....including here. For 2 years after the villages was made, a band of.....of BANDITS...and CRIMINALS...they came here looking to kill everyone. Thinking that since we were once Sunblare citizens, we were all wizards. Thankfully, Hickory didn't let them enter without a fight. I wasn't there to fight...I was too young...but Hickory gathered as many adults and fought against those monster! And we won!" He cheered, causing the kids to erupted with 'Woo-hoos' and 'Yays.'

But the cheering stopped when they all saw the expression on the old man's face. For his expression was one of pain.

"We won at a price.....Hickory, along with a few other adults....one of them being my mother, died to save the innocent lives of the village....If it weren't for them, then this village may not still be standing tall as it is today. And that's a lesson I want you all to keep hold of! The violence of that day came from ignorance and blind rage. Rage of a group of mortals.....but you must never see the rage of any one mortal as the rage of them all. If I saw the rage as a whole, then I might not be the same as I am today..." He said quietly, letting the story sink in for the children until one small, squeaky voice popped up.

"Was Hickory a powerful wizard?" The voice asked nicely as the group of children looked to the back, where the smaller brown furred voice came from, sitting next to his grey feline friend.

The old man simply chucked.

"I wouldn't call him the most powerful out there, but I do know that he tried to join the phantom league before starting the village." He simply stated.

The small child smiled. 

" I want to be powerful like he was.I wanted to be the greatest wizard to come from this village! I want to be the hero of a whole village and be apart of the phantom league!" He exclaimed happily, grinning from ear to ear. His friend rolled her eyes.

"You say that, but I bet you'll give up. Meanwhile I'll become the greatest wizard in the kingdom." She playfully boasted and the two began to laugh as they ran off to play, along with all the other children. 

It was no doubt to anyone in the village that those two children were inseparable and the idea of breaking the two friends connection was one that no one wanted to see. Yet it was a reality waiting to come in the next two months. A reality that might very well have changed the course of history. And when the day came that she left for a new home, he was left a gift. A gift that would be the only thing left from a life, he would never be able to live again.