Fire: Book One of The Elements Incarnate

Prologue: The Son of Light

Time seemed to slow down as seemingly inevitable death rained from the sky. A once great city stood on a flat topped hill over looking the surrounding valley, until the valley rose into more hills, and then even more hills and valleys for are as far as the eye could see. Where there once was a huge wall on the edges of the city was now a pile of rubble, and within the destroyed walls the fires of the thatch-roofed houses still smouldered, and the few stone building lay smashed and broken. The farther one looked into the invaded city, the more fights were seen. There were two distinguishable factions to be seen, and there were also, much less noticeable, subfactions. Of the invaders, several species could be seen in an array of mix-matched pieces of armor, if they were wearing any, many pieces picked up off the fallen scattered through the ruin. Big, bulky brutes, with dusty green skin, made up about half of the invading force, and varied in size, the smallest five feet tall, skinny little sneaks who fell on the dying and wounded like carrion crows. The larger of the green brutes were well over eight feet tall, the largest of them standing at ten feet. He could be seen wading through both armies, wielding two monstrously large battleaxes, the double-bladed weapon dripping red, as he cut down anything in his path whether it was ally or foe. These axes had an aura so black it seemed to absorb the light around them, and was so intense it hurt the eyes to look at.

Two men watched them from afar, one clad in full plate armor with a beautiful helm detailing an angelic form, a beautiful work of steel and mithril, interlaced in such a way as to seem a decoration then to actually see use in combat. But to a close observer, it could be seen that there were scratches and small dents all over the armor from combat over the years. The other man was fixing the straps on his own armor, a beautiful, and much less weathered set of half-plate armor. On the ledge next to him rested a silver and gold helm, formed in such a way as to resemble a crown with thirteen points, each point showing a figure.

"The battle goes poorly, my king," said the man in the full-plate.

The king stopped his pointless adjustments and looked out at his city for what seemed the thousandth time, looking for some source of hope, but found none. He gave a sigh of great sadness and said,"I fear you are right. There seems to be no hope left. If Annas didn't get past the siege then we have no hope for outside aid."

The other man looked straight up and with full confidence said,"He made it. If anyone can do it, my brother can. The Great Hunters will aid him in his flight. May the Thirteen bless him."

"And hold him dear," replied the king in the customary blessing. "He's my son too, as you are. I had hoped you two would be older, and more ready for this when it came. I should have been stronger, I should have ended this!" He shouted this last remark, and hit the wall with his gloved hand.

"This is not your fault Father." Said the man, taking off his helm to reveal a surprisingly young face, only 25 by the looks of it. "None of us could have seen this coming, at least not this soon. If anything its-"

The young man was interrupted as a messenger rushed in, bowing and addressing each of them.

"King Anduril, General Paladius. I have urgent news from the battle. It seems that you were correct, they are heading for the Seventh Gate."

"Yes, it is as I thought, they are going for the crystal. But I still don't understand how they got anybody through the barrier," the king speculated.

"That's the other reason I came here. They seem to have a dark artifact that protects them."

"He's right," interjected Paladius,"I can sense its unholy power, a creation of the UnderDark."

"There's something else," continued the messenger, growing pale, looking more and more like the boy he was. " We found out who's leading the attack. It's- It's- Zalgor." By this point he was completely white, and looked ready to collapse. It was at this point that Paladius noticed the messengers limp, and the blood coming from his ankle.

He stepped forward and grabbed hold of the boy before he could fall, and set him down in a chair. "Hold still," he said. "Let me see that."

"It's nothing, sir, really," the boy protested, being held still as Paladius checked his ankle. It was cut down to the bone, and caked in blood, still oozing it. He was surprised he even made it here, but battle dud that to a person.

The king interrupted this with,"Well we're going to have to start evacuating the city through the tunnels. I'll get another messenger to give the orders."

"Really my king, I can do it," protested the messenger attempting to stand up, but was reframed by Paladius.

"You're not going anywhere. Now hold still." And with this said Paladius laid his hands on the wound, and his hands flowed with a war white light. The boys features obviously relaxed and some color returned to his face as the wound closed, leaving hardly a mark except for the blood covering the skin.

"Tha-Thank you sir," the boy said.

"Now about that messenger," the king started saying, but was cut off by his son.

"I'll go," he said. "I'll inform the guard to open the tunnels and start escorting people in."

With this he stood up, grabbed a sheathed sword which he attached to his belt.

"Don't do this," his father said, knowing exactly what his son had in mind. "It's suicide."

Paladius looked at his father, and with a look and tone of a wisdom far beyond his years. "I took a vow, as a Paladin, and as a protector of the realm,you know I must do this. I would rather do this with your blessing, but I will do this either way."

The king looked at his son and saw that he wasn't the little boy he used to be, but a man grown and proven. "Of course you will have my blessing." He pressed three fingers to his lips, then placed them on his sons forehead and said," Protect my son, and return him stronger and more grown than when he left." He embraced him with tears in his eyes. "Go," he said. And as he walked out the door he said to himself,"and return stronger and more grown than when you left."