the Eldercrest Series, First Fragment ~ the Prophecy

Prologue

A young man dressed in a long light brown magic robe wandered pass by bookshelves after bookshelves in the Imperial library's forbidden sector. He saw a mysterial blue orb of glass. The young man looked around in every direction when he carefully picked the orb down from its place. He nodded confirmed before he broke the glass. A blue smoke violently enveloped around him and sparked in magnesium colored lines. The smoke formed a vortex with him in it and he was dissolved from the time itself. The magician's young apprentice was thrown in and out and wheeled up and down. He screamed when he heard someone call his name.

"Teias!"

When the smoke subsided he fell to the ground. Teias stood up and supported himself on the coping. He breathed violently and tried to regain control of his body. His eyes were wide open and his pupils small. Teias stood on a wall and looked below the great Empress Square that was filled with people. On a high round scene, a woman was chained with neck bows, tied with ropes around her wrists.

Her beautiful purple dress with gold embroidery was torn. The people protested loudly and raised their fists. Surrounded by soldiers, the emperor rose with solemn and expensive silk clothes. The Emperor pointed to the woman and said loudly:

"This woman, my wife, has been caught sleeping with another man!" A single nod was what was needed for the executioner to know. He pushed the woman down on a boulder and placed her neck on it. The executioner rubbed his hands and took the terrible ax. Slowly he raised it over his head. He straightened himself and stood up so that the swing would give the highest possible effect. Quick and easy.

Teias saw the chest raise on the executioner as he took the plunge. Just as he was about to start swinging, a great light phenomenon arose that dazzled everyone when looking at the Empress. Down from the sky, seven black-dressed figures flew. They hit the ground so hard that the city shook its foundations. The clothes of the figures changed form and color. Six of them had landed in a perfect circle around the scene and the seventh just beside the executioner. The chief just needed to look at the executioner to him lower the ax and move out of the way. The leader put his hands around the emperor's upper arms and gently lifted her.

"This woman is innocent." Using a magic stone, the neck ring was locked up, and then her handcuffs. The chains rattled down the stage. The chief who had wings on his helmet pointed to the Emperor.

"Ankis Valar, emperor, and imperator of Eldercrest, Lord of all land from the Dragon's cliffs in the north, to the Perydian wall in the south! You have been found with lies in your heart. Therefore, I, Reyge, the mighty lord of the sky above, take away your power, and give it to someone more worthy!"

The black-dressed gentleman from the sky stretched out his hand and grabbed something invisible in the air. Without further exertion he pulled it out of the emperor's heart, a mighty light-shining bolt popping up to his right hand. Ankis fell to the floor and breathed heavily.

"I expel you from the authority of the Marble Throne!" Exclaimed Reyge, and he struck out with the bolt on the face of the former emperor. Ankis grabbed the floor.

"No! This is my country. My empire!" Ankis defied. The lightning bolt beamed concentrated on Ankis and pushed him away. Ankis lost his grip on the floor and flew away. He landed in the depths of Teal Depths.

The great scholar studied through the crowd and found someone.

"Erkin Swan, son of Erkos Valar, step forward."

A young, blond man dressed up in captain's armor stepped up. Reyge compressed the bolt into a small compact needle and pushed it into Erkin's chest. The captain's armor melted but Erkin's flesh was not sweaty or harmed.

"Long live the Emperor!" Exclaimed Reyge, and he took the Empress in his hand and put her beside the tumultuous Erkin.

When the crowd bowed down to hail the new emperor Teias heard something whispered in the wind and when Reyge and his guards returned in a shimmer of light the blue smoke enveloped him once again and he was dissolved from time itself in magnesium colored lines. The smoke formed a vortex around him. The magician's young apprentice was thrown in and out and wheeled up and down. He screamed when he heard someone call his name.

"Teias!"

A young woman in his age saw Teias fall to the floor.

"Teias! Fool! Are you all right, beloved fool?"

Teias coughed blood when she lifted him off the floor. The blue orb slipped out if his hand and rolled away. He mumbled something before he coughed up more blood.

"Kagome" Teias whispered. Kagome turned her ear closer to his mouth to hear him better.

"When the Swan swims to die,

the rabbit shall cry,

and the Bear color the land in a lie.

The bolt of reign will name the one the law shall tame."

Teias got another attack of coughing. Teiasshrugged his body hard with the difficult effort while he felt her handstroking him through the short-cut black hair. Teias relaxed when the coughingstopped and his body shrunk after his final breath. Kagome dropped a tear andpushed her forehead against his lifeless body.