《Vanisgard Chronicles #1 - Inception》


 Chapter 1 - The Test of the Nightsworn

    Authors Note: the book is written in first person


    The Year is 1453 ATC (After Tenebrarum Conquest)


    I have been running for many moons, Why?, My home was annihilated and my people were vanquished by the Tenebrarum Magi or Dark Mages, I will regale you with the tale of my vengeance against the Tenebrarum who seek to enslave or destroy those who oppose them.


    We go to the beginning, when I still lived in my homeland of Tresan, in the remote village of Casulen, around five summers before we were attacked.


    "Mother, Father where are we?" I inquire "are we going to see the Xanthippi Cosmou?" ("Respected Elders")


    "No, son we are not going to see the Cosmou, we are going to see the Nightsworn mages", my Father replies turning to me.


    "Why" I ask unsure why we are going to see the Nightsworn.


    "Did you seriously forget the day?" My Mother asks in an admonishing tone that takes me by surprise.


    "No I haven''t it is the day of the Weleran festival" I reply, confidently sure thats what she wants me to say.


    "It may be the Weleran festival but thats not what I mean.. - I meant that it is your fifteenth summer."


    "So?" I reply.


    My Father turns to me and in an incense voice says "It is time for your test."


    I stumble, and my parents looking at me with concern. "Seriously!?" I say in a high pitched, unwarrior-like voice surprised that my test has come so fast.


    "Compose yourself son, we''re here".


    The huge Nightsworn gates are made of a strange glowing blue stone, inscribed in runes only initiated Nightsworn should understandwhich I am somehow able toreadand they say "to serve the people is to oppose the Tenebrarum and their foul creed". The Gates eerily swing open affording me a view of the Nightsworn Citadel that is built inside a massive granite mountain and protected by magic. The Citadel itself is a very impressive sight with its high carved walls and arches, an aqueduct runs through the citadel supplying it with water to drink and for their scrying pools.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Oredal Khellaphine!" a deep disembodied voice booms from the citadel''s immense walls "Come through the Testing Arch"


    "Go Son go, we will wait in the Chamber of Results" my Father orders and my parents stride away, silently urging my success.


    Filled with fear I walk through the arch entombed in the foremost wall of the Citadel, and hear a strange flapping sound coming from behind me, I look over my shoulder and nearly forget to breathe as the flapping sound came from the massive black wings that are now protruding from my back. "I have Wings" I sayeffervescently as no-one I know has wings. Not even the Nightsworn who are rumored to be students and children of the fallen angels from the realm of gods who were sent to Vanisgard to teach and heal mortals of their wounds, have wings. I continue to admire my wings for a few more moments before realising that I must continue along the path and complete the Test.


    "I wonder how long this path is, it must end soon or I will fail to even show up at the test." I muse to myself.


    Just as I am beginning to get used to the darkness around me, there is a blinding flash of light and I am in the Chamber of Results, I know it is the Chamber of Results as I have sighted my parents seated next to an old Nightsworn woman. The old lady is somehow familiar like I have seen her before but without the wizened eyes that twinkle mischeviously and the wrinkled but still beautiful aged face, and then I realise that I do know her also that she is named Mireya. My attention is caught by the source of the disembodied voice from before, a barrelchested Nightsworn Warrior-Mage named Azurdinn


    "Oredal Khellaphine" he booms with his scarily deep voice "you have passed the Test of the Nightsworn"


    "Yes! Yes! Yes!" I exclaim joyfully looking at my parents and seeing their prideful expressions


    Then Mireya shuffles forward and tells Azurdinn "He''s the One"


    His eyes flare wide with surprise and yells"Noctem-levavi manum meam, et fecit ab initio prophetiae" and points at me "ut sit unum"


    somehow even though he spoke in the tongue of The Nightsworn I know he said"Nightsworn, The prophecy has been realized He is the one"


    "What prophecy" I ask, Azurdinn spins around and says "You know the ancient Tongue? How?"


    "I don''t know!, I can just understand it" He kneels and says "Mireya, Tell him the prophecy"


    She looks at me sadly and says in the ancient tougue but i understand it "When the warrior with the arm of stone, has come to claim the beholden throne.He shall shatter the crown of bone.With the power of gods, he shall make Vanisgard his own."


    Darkness creeps in across my vision and I say ''''It cannot be" and pass into the sweet embrace of sleep.

 Chapter 2 - A Myriad Dream

    All I can see is darkness, I am contemplating whether this darkness is real or imagined when a pinprick of light appears about a hundred meters away, I begin to walk towards it not knowing if it is good or bad. The light has grown to a ball about the size of my fist when I arrive and stop in front of it.


    ¡°I should not touch it, but it seems so mesmerizing.¡± I think to myself as I reach out grasp the glowing orb, I am holding it in my hand when this tingling feeling starts coursing around my body until it feels as if there is fire in veins.


    ¡°I have never felt such power¡± I say ¡°what is this light to awaken such fire?¡±


    A scream pierces my consciousness, it is a voice I recognize and it is my mother¡¯s.


    ¡°Mother! Where are you? I cannot find you¡± I yell


    ¡°Run, Oredal, RUN! The Tenebrarum are here!¡±


    A raging battle appears in my vision, the battle is between my people, the Nightsworn and the Tenebrarum dark mages.


    ¡°Tenebrarum¡± yells their leader ¡°forward to victory and slaughter or you are not fit to follow me, Draven the Mage-king of the Tenebrarum sect!¡±


    ¡°Draven¡± yells Azurdinn, my Mentor and my friend ¡°face me like a true warrior¡±


    Draven twirls around and faces Azurdinn and says in the ancient Tongue ¡°come Darkspear¡± a spear made of pure darkness and inscribed with runes shoots into his hand, he draws back his arm and casts the spear at Azurdinn who has no way to avoid the spear and seems resigned to his fate, but just before the spear hits him, a man shoves him aside and as the spear hits the man in the chest, I realize that it is my father. I hear someone screaming before I realize that I am the one is screaming.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°NO! NO! NO!¡± I cry rushing towards my father¡¯s prone figure and cradle his head as he lays dying.


    ¡°Son, you cannot save me it is too late¡± he gasps ¡°Oredal, my Son remember that I love and I am proud of you no matter what.¡±


    ¡°I know, Father, I know¡± I sob pulling him close ¡°I love you too, always¡±


    With a contented sigh Damostri Khellaphine, father of Oredal, exhales his last breath and dies.


    ¡°You are next¡± Draven yells pointing with his spear ¡°YOU ARE NEXT!¡±


    The world fades to black and I wake in the Chamber of Results


    My father, mother and the Nightsworn, Azurdinn and Myrea chief among them stand around me with faces of concern.


    "what happened?" they ask in unison.


    "I had a vision of the future" I shakily reply "Draven, the Mage-king" I stop to take a breath "He comes, in five summers from now, He comes"


    There is an instant uproar when they hear the warning from my vision.


    "what happened, Oredal, in your vision?" my mother asks.


    "the vision started in darkness, this orb of light appeared and I walked up to it " I say then drink some offered awater, I take a breath and then continue "I grasped the orb in my hand and I felt this power like fire running in my veins, I suddenly heard this scream" I take a deep breath.


    "Who was screaming?, son" my mother asks.


    "It was you mother, you were screaming"


    she steps back with a sharp intake of breath.


    I continue speaking "That is not even the worst part, I saw Draven and the Tenebrarum razing our village and slaughtering our people" I breathe and continue "Azurdinn, Draven cast a Darkspear at you after you told him to fight like a true warrior. The spear did not hit you though, it hit father because he pushed you out of the way. I held him as he lay dying, rocking him to sleep while whispering I love you, until he breathed his last."


    My father is looking at me with his eyes teared up and filled with love.


    "You truly are my son" he tells me with pride "not even death will change that, Oredal"


    Azurdinn begins to speak "Oredal, this is truly enlightening, no-one I know can summon a mana ball that large"


    "so what can you tell me about these?" I ask spreading my wings.


    "Holy Helen," my mother breathes "you have wings"


    "Yeah, I got them as I walked through the testing arch and I guess that is the reason I can understand all the languages known to the gods"


    The Xinthippi Cosmou and the Nightsworn councilmen and women were summoned, they had a rapid fire conversation too fast for me to catch, all of of a sudden they were silent.


    "So..." I prompt "What is your verdict?"


    "Our verdict" the council says "is that you will begin your mage training if you are to stand a chance at defeating Draven"


    "I am to become a mage then?" I ask


    "Yes and a winged one at that" they reply "go home and get some sleep, you begin in the morning"


    As I leave, I realize what that fiery feeling was, it was determination.


    "Draven will never win, this I swear" I proclaim

 Chapter 3 - Dawn

    The fiery dawn that burns across the sky, lighting the snow-capped peaks of the Arystanne mountains, does not assuage the trepidation I feel as I trek with Azurdinn to the Monastery of the Morning Mages, where I have been sent to begin my training to become a warrior-mage of the Nightsworn.


    "How much farther do we have to trek, Azurdinn?" I ask, rubbing warmth into my numb fingers.


    "We have at least another two kilometers to go, Oredal," says Azurdinn "you should feel honoured to train with the Morning Monks, not many people have that chance."


    "I know it is just that....." I say trailing off into thought.


    "Just what?" prompts Azurdinn, urging me to finish.


    "It is just that it seems futile, Father will still die even if I train harder than you, Azurdinn"


    "Ah, you are scared that you will fail and Draven will win, aren''t you?" he asks before continuing "Oredal, remember that while we may not be able to change the whole picture, we can still change the details."


    "So you are saying that even though it seems futile because father dies by that accursed spear, I may be able to save the greater part of Vanisgard?"


    "Exactly, " he exclaims, "you are wise beyond your years."


    We walk in silence for about twenty minutes, until Azurdinn raises his hand and calls "Halt."


    I stop and peer curiously at the squalid mud brick hut in front of us.


    "This is the Monastery?" I ask, incredulous that this inconspicuous hut is where the Morning Monks live.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "If you look closely at the door of the hut, there is an inscription. What does it say?" Asks my mentor, Azurdinn.


    "Speak ''true'' and the way shall appear." I recite in the common tongue.


    "Hmm, what does it means by''True''?" Icontemplate while trying to glean the meaning of the inscription.


    "In answer to your earlier question. No, that is the monastery"


    I would reply, but I am too busy staring as the illusion of an ugly, brown hut drifts away, revealing a beautiful monastery carved from shining white marble.


    "Can you hear that glorious music?" I ask Azurdinn who has a smug expression on his face.


    "Yes, I can and that ''music'' is the Dawnlight Hymn." He replies as my jaw hits the ground, surprised he knows the name of the angelic music drifting from the five shining bell towers.


    "Oh, " I mutter "well, we better get going into the Monastery."


    "Just one thing Oredal, before we go in I have heard your teacher is one of the stricter ones..."


    "Who?" I ask fearfully, scared my teacher is a tyrant.


    "Me!" he yells, laughing at my expression.


    "Ha, Ha," I say, trying to remove the colour that has spread to my cheeks.


    We continue to walk through the shining marble, marveling at the immense beauty of the monastery when I see her.


    She is a vision of perfect beauty, with lightly tanned skin and chocolate brown eyes, midnight-blackhair that cascaded over her shoulders, she has a lithe body muscled yet supple enough not to be muscled. The unknown girl turns and when she finds me staring, she looks at me and says'' "Hi, my name is Talia Wyarratine, what is your name?"


    I stride forward to answer, I stop and spread my wings "I am Oredal Khellaphine, the winged warrior, and you are beautiful." I stop and ask "Talia, did I say that out loud?"


    She smiles and blushes before answering "Yes, you did."


    "Oh, damn it," I exclaim, "usually I wait a while before complimenting someone like that, but I could not help myself, It is the truth."


    "Okay, charmer, I have to get to class, bye." she walks off with a smile on her face.


    "Heh, heh, heh," Azurdinn laughs in the hallway with a bemused expression on his face. "already flirting are we?"


    "Hold your tongue," I say embarassed by his presence "my private life is none of your concern!"


    He chuckles quietly before turning serious and saying "Here is your dorm room and you have one hour before class begins" he walks off turning a corner before disappearing.


    As I walk to my first magic class with a smile plastered on my face, I wonder what Talia is studying, I think "school is going to be easy"


    I do not yet know how wrong I am.