The Virtues' Magecraft

Page 1: Hero's Beginning

One dozen. Twelve of the strongest magicians of their time, all sitting in the same room. They each sat in separate chairs, surrounded by a heavy silence. No movement, no talking, just like still image. These were the Paladins.

Over a crimson rugged floor, the twelve chairs were aligned in a circle.

The silence held the room with intensity. A man dressed in blue robes broke the silence by clearing his throat. He opened his mouth but quickly retracted his thoughts.

Another one pushed up his glasses. He appeared to be in his sixties, with grey blond hair. "Well, then. It's time. They've begun."

Everyone immediately turned to him, his words sending chills through their spines.

The man in blue swallowed his dry saliva, beginning to anxiously bounce his legs. "Are you sure? Please tell me you're not completely sure."

A woman sitting beside him burst into laughter. "What are you getting nervous for? We'll be fine. We're the Paladins!" she said, nudging his arm. "Nothing we can't handle, right, Archibald?"

Archibald smiled, pushing up his glasses again. "Of course. We'll handle it. But keep in mind, Azulite, fear is perfectly normal."

"I'm not scared!" Azulite interjected. "It's just... This is pretty much a war now. And now with the demons... None of us have fought anything of this caliber. We're talking possibly more than a dozen High-Grades, plus millennia-old demons that are basically gods, and-"

Archibald let out a light chuckle. "You don't need to worry about the demons. If anything, none of us will have to fight them."

The room once again fell into silence.

A man in a dark scarlet jacket spat out a sigh. He was sitting across from Archibald. "Really, Archibald? Really?" he said, annoyed.

"What?"

"Please, please, please don't tell me you're talking about that?"

"I am."

He scoffed. "Dammit, Archibald, we've talked about this. You can't just use this to solve all your problems."

"Not all problems. Just this one."

"When did we even decide on them?"

"I chose them myself. Your son, my nephew, all of them have talent and potential. Just trust me on this one, Eldar. It'll be fine."

Eldar scoffed again.

"Are you sure we're authorized for this?" asked a baritone voice, hidden behind a mask.

Archibald nodded.

Again, silence enveloped the room.

Azulite broke it once again as he steadied his glasses. "So... The Seven Heavenly Virtues, is it? The virtues versus the sins." He sighed. "Can't really say it's a good thing that we're not fighting."

"Well, then," the masked man said, standing up. "Guess this meeting is over now." He walked out of the room, the others beginning to follow suit.

Eldar and Archibald remained behind. "Archibald..." he began. "You're really putting that guy's kid as one of the seven?"

Archibald smirked. He got up, turning to the window behind him. "Of course, I am," he muttered. "His lineage doesn't matter. What matters is power and potential, right?"

"You better know what you're doing," Eldar said, standing from his seat.

Archibald nodded. "Yeah."