The Gods' War

Chapter 1

        LUCAS AND ADRIAN had been best friends since they were small children. It was just about a miracle that they had still remained friends their entire childhood. Lucas was tall with curly blonde hair and blue eyes that gazed into your soul and seemed to read your past, present, and future. Adrian was short with brown hair and brown eyes that took everything in as if they were feasting.

        Today was the day of their graduation; the day that everyone would go their separate ways. In their kingdom, the Non-Kingdom, there was a standard of education and all children were required to learn. Lucas had decided that after this day he would follow his dream and become a blacksmith. Adrian decided that he would try to become one of the fiercest warriors there was, and earn a bjeu. He didn’t realize that only a mage could wield a bjeu.

        “Lucas,” said their teacher, the beautiful Dina Siblano, “I hope you will do well in your new career. And Adrian I hope that you fulfil your dream. You both remind me of some people I used to know. Well, good luck.”

        “Thank you Ms. Siblano,” Lucas said.

        “Goodbye ma’am,” Adrian walked away after Lucas.

        Just then, a young man their age who constantly picked on others and who had always tormented Adrian because he was short walked up to him.“I heard you want to be a warrior. I think you’d better be suited as a servant.”

        “Enough Obadiah,” Lucas warned, “not today.”

        “And who’s going to stop me? You’re always sticking up for your friend. How do you expect him to become a warrior if he can’t even handle his own fights?”

        “Lucas, I can handle it. Go,” Adrian complained.

        Lucas didn’t leave. Instead he walked up to Adrian and grabbed him to take him away from Obadiah. Adrian clearly wasn’t happy with Lucas handling him like that and got very angry.

        Suddenly, Lucas wasn’t pulling him anymore. He was up against a wall, blown there by a strong gust of wind which had targeted him. Now Lucas became angry. A flash of bright light erupted from his hand and targeted Adrian. As the blow struck him, he knelt down with great pain, screaming as if he were being tortured. Ms. Siblano ran up to Adrian and Lucas, placing herself between them. A crowd had gathered around them now.

        “Lucas,” Ms. Siblano was shocked, “what did you do?”

        “I don’t know!” he cried, “But whatever I’ve done, it felt .  .  .  good.”

        Five men appeared out of thin air with a flash of light. They were wearing golden masks on their faces; these masks covered their whole face, except the area around their mouths. There weren’t any slits for their eyes.

        “Come with us,” said the one closest to Lucas and Adrian as the crowd backed away, frightened. They had never seen anything like this before.

        “Who are you?” Lucas asked.

        “Come with us,” the man said again.

        “Lucas, go with them. They’re here to help,” Ms. Siblano instructed. Lucas didn’t wonder how she knew.

        One of the men went to Adrian, bent down over the shaking figure, and touched Adrian’s head. Adrian stopped shaking and stood up. The men all went to magnificent horses – these had simply appeared as well – and mounted.

         “Come with us,” Lucas and Adrian, as if in a trance, walked over to two other horses and followed as they rode away from the small town of Digrael.