The Hidden Mages

History

During the dark ages, nine people were chosen by Hecate, the Greek goddess of magic and witchcraft to stop the war between men and gods. The nine of them were each entrusted with a different power. The goddess had given each of them a title and a part to play in stopping the battle between humans and gods. They tried their best to reason with both sides but they were never taken seriously, not even once. So, they had no other choice. With their powers combined, the nine mages managed to put an end to it all. The earth shook. Mountains crumbled. The sky looked like it was about to fall. The battle stopped in an instant and from that day onwards, everyone would cower in fear when they heard the names of the nine mages. Even the gods didn't dare to disrespect them. When things quiet down, the mages were nowhere to be seen. It's like they vanished. Centuries passed and the story about the nine mages became a myth. Their powers, on the other hand, were passed down to the younger generation.

"And now the powers have been passed down to us," said Vincent, finishing off the story. It was silent for a few minutes. Everyone in the room was in a daze, even Opal.

"Damn," was the only thing I could say at that moment.

"I know," said Lucas who has been staring at the table for the past 10 minutes.

"So, if our ancestors had stopped battles and all that, does that mean we will too?" Leona asked.

Vincent nodded his head but I was really hoping he would say no instead. It is proven that good can't live without evil and vice versa. That means the nine of us will have to face some sort of evil very soon and I'm not sure if I'm ready yet. It scared me a lot just thinking about it.

"That is why we'll start training today," stated Vincent.

"Now on to the next topic. Xavier," he continued and this caught my attention.

"Xavier has the power of a fire and lightning demon. From what I know, the power of a demon is hard to control and since he didn't learn much about his powers, he's now struggling," he explained calmly.

"Struggling? How?" Dylan asked curiously.

"A few hours ago, I was able to locate Xavier's whereabouts. He's in Stormy Reef. The home of the demon Xalrath," he continued.

"What are you saying, Vincent?" Nico asked, wanting his brother to get straight to the point.

"Xavier's soul has been taken over by the demon,".

"WHAT?!" I screamed.

"You couldn't have said this earlier?!" I exclaimed even louder.

It wasn't just me though. Everyone else had the same expression as me.

"Vincent, why did you keep this from us?" Angelo asked, trying hard not to yell.

"Even if I did tell you earlier, it's not like you would've been able to save him," he said, defending himself.

I was so frustrated and sad at the same time.

"What's the plan?" I asked sternly.

"I managed to find the one thing that will be able to help Xavier. The Alina Crystal. This magic crystal will help Xavier control his powers," Vincent explained.

"So, we get the crystal and save Xavier?" Angelo asked.

"It's easier said than done. The crystal is located in a city. The Dreadful Haven," he stated.

"Are you serious? That's the name?" Nico asked in disbelief and Vincent just nodded.

I took a deep breath and sighed. It sounds like we'll be going into literal hell but we don't exactly have a choice.