The War of the Magi - 1. Prologue

Arcadia - City of Solarius

The War of the Magi raged on outside the walls of the city Solarius, capital city for the fire mages and the seat of the royal palace. It was the star of the Arcadian realm set on a hillside with excellent natural protection from the mountains and a rapid moving river flanking the city on two sides, and a forest and open plains on the others. The city had hundreds of brown, gold, and bronze spires and arches reaching up to the stars and many red canna lilies lining the streets and arched windows.

There was always activity at all hours of the day and night from everyday commerce to mages training to defend the vast city not far from the city’s imposing walls. The walls themselves had magic protection and rose many tens of feet high with ramparts where archers and mages could defend the city. The great architect of the city spared little expense to ensure the capital city was fitted with every need as it continued to grow and engulf surrounding towns and villages.

The tallest among all the structures, on a hill standing prominently there was the Tower of the Ancients in the center of the city. This ancient tower existed before the founding of Solarius itself and so the city was built around it to study its inscriptions. It was still a mystery who had built the Tower as it still had many secrets it was guarding very tightly. The royal palace was built right next to the tower with its six-storey building with a high arched entrance and noted for its looming bronze dome arching over its rotunda. The palace was open to the public except when the royal family was in residence, as shown by the red and gold king’s standard flying atop the palace. There, High King Rowan II ruled, who was new to the throne, but already well-liked for his charisma and fair rulings.

Legions of fire mages defended the plains around the city from the dark mages using powerful shield and aura spells all while unleashing torrents of attack spells to repel the attackers. For now, everything was holding in a stalemate where neither faction was advancing. The dark mages sought for control of the Arcadian Worldstone located somewhere, in a secret chamber beneath the Tower.

Few knew of the secret passageways leading to the Worldstone chamber, even fewer knew of the exact path to the chamber, and only an elite and extremely exclusive few were even granted access to the chamber itself. Still, the mysterious stone held most tightly to its secrets, even to the most highly educated archmage scholars. According to legend, harnessing the power of the Worldstone would allow the user to control all magic in the Arcadian realm and end the centuries-old war to a very abrupt end. So far, no one was even close, but the risk to let the soul mages get close to it was too high, knowing they may corrupt and set forth the unholy and unspeakably darker powers of the stone. The fire mages stationed at the tower were given the title of Guardians, led by Archmage Kozek. Kozek was an old wizened great wizard with long white hair. He held a heavily inscribed archmage’s staff made of gold with a single large ruby at its apex and hummed with power.

Inside his personal chambers, King Rowan paced back and forth. He stood a tall 6 feet 4 inches with a strong muscular frame and looked to be in his mid-twenties with a finely groomed beard and short brown swept back hair. He didn’t care too much for formalities of his royal title as he had inherited the throne just over a month ago after the death of his father. He had simplified his crown from an elaborate very heavy paperweight resembling the one from the British monarchy on Earth to a simple gold circlet embedded with a few rubies and onyx stones. There, it sat on a red velvet pillow glittering and reflecting the sunlight from the large open window.

“Please, come in, Ariana,” King Rowan called through to the hallway. Ariana was one of King Rowan’s closest friends since childhood and now a full royal advisor. She also served as an apprentice under King Edward, Rowan’s father.

“Yes, Majesty?,” Ariana replied, walking into the king’s personal chambers, recognizing the familiar sight of the warm and richly appointed room. This room, Ariana thought, she hadn’t been in here since King Edward’s death. Here, velvet and silk curtains lined the tall arched windows, overstuffed armchairs with the royal seal and plush carpets left no doubt this was made for royalty. Ariana knew it all seemed a bit too much for King Rowan, but he had other important things to attend to.

“Oh, Ariana, you know by now just to call me Rowan in private…,” the king replied.

“Oh, of course, it’s hard to get used to after…you know, your father,” thinking back to Rowan’s predecessor who was more than fair, but was insistent on tradition and formality. “But, yeah, like you said before, formalities belong in the throne room.”

“That’s right, I wish I had time to sit and catch up, but for now…I need you to urgently go find Archmage Aronin for me. He will be somewhere out in the battlefield.” The king sighed, “He’s one of the few magi able to tap into the powers of the astral plane.”

“Of course, Rowan, right away,” Ariana looked with concern at the king.

“Wait, you’ll need this on the way back,” handing Ariana a heavy gold embossed royal seal stamped into a circular gold disk. It glowed with a strange, but comforting aura and shimmered with a faint blue light. “Aronin will know what to do with it. I’ll explain when you two get back.”

Ariana reached out and took the heavy seal, placed it in her satchel, took another look at the king with great concern, and took off for the battlefield.

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“Norcia Zuleoum!,” Aronin incanted, firing off a volley of arcane missiles at the dark mages in the distance, while raising his shimmering blue archmage staff in the air. “Etrix, c’mere.”

Etrix, a young mage in his early 20s with short blond hair and blue and gold master’s robes, ran towards Aronin, an archmage triple his age, but clearly far more experienced. Aronin had shoulder length white hair and a groomed white beard to match and exuded dominance in the battlefield. “Yes, Archmage?”

“You have been one of my best students and have earned your master’s robes very quickly.” Aronin stated, placing his hand on Etrix’s shoulder, “I think you’re ready. I want you to lead the seventh battalion to try to flank those mages. Make sure they do not get to the river.”

“At once, Archmage!” Etrix replied, running towards the second battalion to regroup.

Aronin smiled confidently as Etrix began gathering the second battalion together when he saw newly appointed royal advisor Ariana running towards him.

“Archmage…Aronin!,” Ariana said in between breaths, raising the gold royal seal. “The king…needs…to see you…immediately!”

Aronin eyed the golden seal and immediately knew it was urgent. “It’s good you came to me right away. Take a hold of my hand, and don’t let go,” he said to Ariana, as he grasped the seal. “Etrix!! Call Tedric over to take my spot! I need to see the king!”

Etrix began getting to work, and Ariana immediately complied. “Safe portals, Archmage,” eying the golden seal in Aronin’s hand.

“Eccana norfictum rex,” Aronin began incanting, tracing a circle in the air using the royal seal. Blue shimmering trails followed in the wake of the seal. “Llamion Attfictum.” The trails started to form a steady circle. “Imperius porto”.

Ariana suddenly understood what the seal was for, and that she had witnessed a rare bit of astral magic. She had recalled from a history class that there used to be a faction of astral mages who ruled over the realm of Arcadia, but after the Great Cataclysm, incredibly few remained. Those who survived went into hiding. Some in plain sight, others never to be seen again. That, was millennia ago. There are now mages with astral powers amidst the fire, dark, ice, and earth mages, but nobody is for sure how many exist.

Shimmering before them was a portal leading directly to the antechamber to the throne room. “The throne room,” Aronin stated plainly, “is warded even with the seal. I cannot portal directly into it. That is where His Majesty is waiting.”

Ariana nodded, as she could see the familiar sight of the antechamber through the portal. She has been to almost every room in the royal palace as she would follow Rowan around when he was still a crown prince.

“I’m glad you brought the seal. Without it, we’d have to walk back. And now, the password,” Aronin stated plainly, “acauoudynia ventola solarius rex.”

The royal seal shimmered once again briefly, and dissolved into the portal, removing the veil that looked like lines of Earthly computer code, except in arcane symbols. “Without the password and veil down, that portal could land you literally anywhere in Arcadia.”

Ariana looked at Aronin and shuddered. “I’m glad you’re here then!”

Aronin grinned, and entered the portal, pulling Ariana through with him. No sooner did Ariana get her bearings, the portal immediately fizzled and collapsed behind her, not even giving her a chance to look back through where she came. “Ah. It’s been a while since I’ve been here. The last time was when the late King Edward was still with us.”

Ariana nodded, and started motioning towards the next room, where Rowan sat regally in his king’s robes and crown on his throne. The three-storey tall room was longer than it was wide, with a long red carpet flanked by columns and chandeliers leading up to a dais. There, two thrones sat amidst a backdrop of royal banners and three-storey high arched cathedral windows. She always felt the room was imposing to say the least, but held too much history in Rowan’s mind to change anything. This was where official royal business was done.

“Good evening, your Majesty…Her Majesty the Queen won’t be joining us?” Aronin asked formally.

“No, Archmage,” King Rowan smiled at one of his mentors, “thank you for coming so quickly. Queen Reyna is in the nursery taking care of Al—Crown Prince Alexander…..It’s…actually one of the things on why I called you here tonight.”

Ariana and Aronin looked at each other curiously and then at King Rowan expectantly. Ariana knew Rowan and Reyna gave birth to Alexander last year. ‘It’s just a shame he wasn’t able to really meet his grandfather,’ Ariana thought.

“But first,” Rowan continued, “Centurions,” as he looked to his elite royal guards stationed to the sides of his throne and along the red carpet running along the center of the room. They were decked out in heavy armor in the royal colors of red and gold. “Leave us. There are no enemies here in this room.”

The centurions saluted the king and swiftly left the room, closing the large grand arched and highly intricate oak wood doors behind them.

After looking around the almost empty room, Rowan continued quietly, “We need to move the stone…in secret and away from Solarius”. Still, the king’s words echoed throughout the vast throne room.

“Your Majesty, it’s very risky with something of that size, but there are a few off site hidden royal vaults around Arcadia, and I’m thinking---“

“No. Don’t tell me. Just in case.”

“You don’t think---“

“I’m not taking any chances.”

Aronin sighed. “It will be done, your Majesty.”

“Good,” the king sighed in relief, “and now the other thing. I want to send my son, Alexander, to Earth,” referring to the young terran homeworld in a parallel universe.

Ariana and Aronin just stared at the king. “I---, ““Sir---,” they say at the same time while exchanging worried glances.

“It can be done, can’t it?” the king asked, looking between Aronin and Ariana. “I want Alexander to grow up in a normal environment like a regular kid without a war on his front step!” he sighed, “And to keep him safe.”

Aronin sighed, “very well…,” as Ariana looked at him in surprise.

“What do you need for the ritual?,” the king asked.

“I need my two apprentices, and another astral archmage.” Aronin began thinking, “I need a fragment of the Worldstone, soil and an artifact from Earth.” “But,” he warned, “this ritual has taken me twenty-five years to learn and it is extremely difficult to perform. Please excuse me to meditate in the astral arts and alert me when everything is ready.” Aronin walked out to the antechamber, muttered a few words, and teleported out in a bright blue flash of light.

“Please find me Archmage Tristan,” the king said softly to Ariana. “He is the only other astral archmage within 100 astral-klicks of the city.”

Queen Reyna sat in the nursery’s plush crimson red armchair, while holding and feeding Alexander. She had striking flowing red hair that would turn heads wherever she walked, even before King, or then-Prince Rowan married her and granted her all the privileges of royal life. She stood just a few inches shorter than Rowan himself, and knew how to command a room. She was well-loved alongside King Rowan not only for her charisma, but she regularly visited and helped out in soup kitchens on the outskirts of the capital, even after she attained royal status. Even with the royal guards present, she never failed to bring a huge crowd any time she would go.

She peered out through the windows, as the royal palace overlooked much of the city and the fighting over in the distance. It was a familiar sight, but that did not help with the growing tension from the ongoing stalemate. “Who knows how long this stalemate will last,” the queen said to nobody in particular.

“That’s why we need to take Alexander away,” Rowan said suddenly, jolting Reyna out of her trance.

“Oh! Rowan! How was your meeting with Aronin?” the queen asked.

“He was surprised and had reservations…but he agreed to our plan. He’s meditating.”

“You know, I had reservations at first too. Being away from our son for so long…” Queen Reyna sighed, “But he is the heir to the throne, and has to be kept safe from all this fighting.”

“Also, I have chosen Ariana to be Alexander’s guardian,” Rowan interjected, “and to pose as his mother on Earth as to not raise suspicion.”

“I agree…I trust her completely.”

“Good. I just have one problem. Aronin mentioned needing an artifact from Earth. Something of great significance,” Rowan pondered.

“Remember the last visit we made with your father, King Edward?” the queen remembered, putting Alexander down and walking to the royal study, “President Kennedy of the United States of America gave me…this.” Queen Reyna pulled out an old favorite book of Kennedy’s.

Rowan looked it over, shaking some dust off of its pages. “I suspect the core strength of this book is not strong enough to withstand the magic of the ritual.”

Reyna looked deep in thought, remembering the visit to Buckingham Palace as well. “How about when we visited Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom?”

“That royal necklace. She gave it to you as a wedding present.”

Reyna smiled, “I remember…how could I forget? That thing was just so...well, the way it reflected the light in the room? Just absolutely dazzling,” as she and Rowan began making their way to the queen’s dressing room.

She took out a small red velvet and felt lined chest from the safe and opened it, revealing a gold, diamond and ruby encrusted necklace seated on a satin white silk pillow inside the box.

“Wow…I remember that from our wedding! It almost stole the show!” Rowan remembered, “this might work,” just as a stray dark bolt slammed past our forces and into the outer magic shield of the city, catching Rowan off guard. “Quickly. Get Alexander and meet me at the rotunda.”

[One hour later]

The rotunda of the royal palace was not only a sight to behold, but also one of the few areas in Arcadia where astral magic could be easily focused and channeled. The dome above the rotunda rose an incredible five hundred feet from the floor, rivaling even St. Peter’s Basilica on Earth, which was perfect for the ritual about to occur.

The apprentices of Aronin and Tristan had already drawn the ritual circles using diamond dust, an expensive and incredibly hard substance to create in large quantities. There were four ritual circles spaced out evenly in the circular room. Aronin and Tristan were discussing the specifics of the ritual with King Rowan while Ariana helped the apprentices place the artifacts in the respective ritual circles. The Worldstone shard floated above the first ritual circle, which hummed with power. The second circle contained the gold, diamond and ruby necklace, the gift from the British Queen, suspended by what appeared to be some unknown force as it too, floated above the second ritual circle.

Queen Reyna carefully and tearfully placed Alexander, wrapped in a blanket in the third ritual circle. He just appeared to giggle at something as he too, began floating off of the ground.

“Ariana…” the king started.

“It was my idea at the beginning, remember?” Ariana interrupted.

“Please look after Alexander like he was your own son” the queen added.

“Of course. I swear it.”

King Rowan called over to his closest centurion, “my sword, please.” The centurion marched over and handed a ceremonial bejeweled sword to his king. The hilt of the sword was gold and studded with rubies and diamonds, with a long blade with inscriptions in some ancient arcane language. “Kneel, Ariana.”

The others in the room, sensing what was about to happen, gathered around them while the centurions raised their swords in a salute.

“By royal decree, I hereby proclaim thee the Lady Ariana of Arcridge, Commander of the Order of Arcadia, and Order of Merlin first class” as Rowan tapped the sword on each of Ariana’s shoulders, causing a seven-pointed star medal with a red and gold ribbon and a second circular medal with a blue and gold ribbon to materialize on her shirt. “Now, rise.”

Applause broke out in the room, as Rowan gave his longtime friend a tight hug.

“I’m deeply honored. And will protect Alexander with my life,” Lady Ariana added, as she walked towards the fourth and final ritual circle. After a brief pause, Ariana too began levitating in the air as all four ritual circles began to glow blue, signaling to the archmages that the ritual was ready.

“Proita quocaumi etcreca levioso,” Aronin and Tristan began incanting simultaneously. The shard, necklace, Alexander, and Ariana began rising further off of the ground until they were fifty feet in the air. “Orbita avawius nuvehia etquaninis.” The contents of all the ritual circles began being enveloped in a magical protection orb to traverse the void between multiverses. The room hummed with power and grew progressively brighter. Everyone in the room stared at the rare piece of magic being performed as Aronin and Tristan walked right up to the glowing orbs containing the artifacts, Alexander, and Ariana and raised their staves.

“Exa orbita omni terra firma” they said simultaneously, causing the rotunda itself and the ground to shake, the orbs to grow impossibly bright, and as if all the air and sound was sucked out of the room, the orbs disappeared. Alexander and Ariana were no longer in the Arcadian realm.

The ritual was complete.