THE ETERNAL

CHAPTER I: FROM ALL THE ROADS HOME

"Magic is part of every living being, it is part of our soul as we are part of it. Nonetheless, studies have yet to conclude a way for humanity to tap this hidden potential..." – Master Yomir, Studies on the Unknown

I was a young boy, in my humble village on the outskirts of the Empire. Our home was located on a lush field, next to an icon of old... a Titan. Frozen in rock by the gods during their battle long before time ever existed, they now stand buried beneath the ground, covered by the centuries, only parts of them sticking out like mountains over the horizon. I used to tremble in fear of the mighty presence these creatures represented, but I was also fascinated by their mystery. I remember playing for hours around the rocks and pillars that remained from the giant's body, while my friends looked on from afar, afraid to get near the ancient being.

When I came of age I went away to study at the school in the city. My father did not agree with me leaving the farm, which was our home and bread-giver for generations, in search of such useless things as books and knowledge, but after a few soft-spoken words from my mother, he reluctantly agreed and sent me off with what little he could spare for the long journey ahead. I was captivated by tales and legends of the battle between gods and titans, magic, and its mysterious grasp on people. Some tomes spoke of humans that are born with the spark of magic, a remnant of the days before time, possibly the product of the blood of titans and gods being spilled across the land. But, alas, no such people were found to exist, so the tomes were treated as mere story books, destined to gather dust on some high shelf in the school library. But I did not care, I studied every dusty page and researched every word of them, hoping they would lead me to finding what I wanted the most, power! Power to feed the hungry, power to heal the weak, power to punish the wicked and to reward the brave... But then it all changed.

One day, while I was searching the shelf in the library for a tome on the power of alchemy, a tremor shook the ground causing books to fall and pile on top of me. I was injured and had to spend most of the next month in bed, I did not mind the bed rest, I had my books to keep me company, but I was worried by what followed... The tremor was treated as an earthquake, bigger than most, but nothing special. But then the ground started shaking more frequently, and stronger and stronger each time it shook. From months to weeks to days, the space between shakes was smaller and smaller, till it was happening several times each day. Over the years, most buildings were shaken to dust, walls collapsed, castles were ground to hovels, and only the sturdiest of buildings survived. The once rich and flourishing Empire looked like an enormous battleground, dusty and littered with ruins of what was... my school but a few rocks inside the ruins of a once great city.

I was forced to return home, gathering the few books I could from the rubble, I packed my satchel with food and water for the road and started my journey home. On my way meeting noblemen and peasants alike salvaging what they could from what remained of their livelihood. The road home was fourteen nights long, and I was planning on getting there faster, that is why I got a horse from the stable. It was not cheap but at least I would not have to walk all the way home. The first few nights were uneventful, I met a strange merchant, stubby and fat, barely able to hold his own weight, who peddled strange artifacts said to have come from the Titan ruins themselves, by my eye, they looked genuine, but I wondered who would dare trespass inside such a place, and how would one do it? After promising to buy a few of the trinkets the man's mouth loosened and he described the inner workings of the Titans.

"It's a marvelous thing, it is! Big... huge... the size of cities. Tunnels and chasms litter the place, but if you know where to look, you'd stumble across rooms filled with treasure. The problem is that the really good merchandise is hidden behind massive doors, traps, and puzzles. There are strange devices inside, devices that stop you from advancing using invisible walls, wind, fire... I bet there is treasure there beyond our wildest dreams!"