Beyond the Void

Chapter 19, Blood has thinned

The Age of Lasting - lasted roughly eleven thousand years.

It is the golden age of the trueborn races of Tavran. The Alyar, D'yer, Draig'yar, Ereko and a few others enjoy a prosperous life. The chronicles they shared show little relevant events occurring during all that time. It is the time during which these civilisations rose from humble beginnings to become more advanced entities. The time and the events belong to their mundane lives.

An excerpt from the diary of Pia...

KELDIN

Five tens since the Mark of the Other One blossomed.

The voidstones had awakened. Five pillars of wild energies pierced the skies all over the human kingdoms and brought destruction and sorrow in places. The ancient wards had held in Ironcourt, but barely. Buildings near the spire had been severely damaged, yet thankfully no lives were lost.

In Whitefall most of the Palace of the Pureblooded had crumbled and sent one fifth of the city with it into the seas. The Ebon Spire remaining where it had been, but floating in the air and torn into a twisted visage of a giant flower.

In Ordruch a giant crater now decorated the centre of the capital. The Ebon Spire there torn into another twisted visage of a giant flower, with the complete voidstone hovering above. Casualties had been numerous.

And east of the Greater Spine of Tavran, three more pillars of darkness had shattered the skies. One above the mountain range and the others barely visible on the distant horizon. And one final pillar was seen in the north. Where the Iordurians had flourished, until their kingdom, and the birthplace of the Pureblooded Emperors, was shattered by the Makers of Light.

Two days since the voidstones had awakened, and with it winter had finally arrived in Ironcourt. Soft snow was slowly blanketing the entire city. Ice had decorated the riverbanks and leftover puddles for a while now.

For Keldin, everything was an enormous mess. The problem of who would take the throne had become an urgent matter since the Emperor Naivir the Fourth had collapsed on the evening the voidstones had awakened, in full view of many senators and warlords. The same had happened to Seldin. Keldin had had no choice in the matter. As of yesterday, his father officially named him as the first heir in an emergency meeting of the Grand Council.

The final nail in the coffin was the Pelesi Princess' interest in Keldin. They had met twice as she was still settling in. Both times, awkward and controlled gatherings with too many guests and onlookers. But she had made it clear that Keldin was the one who had caught her attention. A small part of him had felt flattered, but the overwhelming dread of looming responsibilities drowned those feelings.

The piling work and duties also kept him from mulling too long on Seldin. The spite and anger were still there. However, a feeling of loss and mourning had come, as if a piece of his familiar world had died.

"Keldin Ebonveil are you listening!" The Emperor roared. Seldin was in the room too. Along with their uncle Navvar and his wife Tulsa and daughter Teresa.

"Yes! Yes, I am listening!" Keldin roared back and turned his attention from the window to the strict and minimal office of the Emperor.

"Lies!" Naivir looked out of the window. "If you want to keep mistresses, find a more discreet way of doing it, do not stare out of the window every time one of your bed warmers appears on the horizon." Navvar's wife let out a small cough and her daughter stifled a laughter.