《Light of the Moon》


 Preprologue: Origin

    Not all people are born equal. This is a truth that even the humblest of laborers or lowliest of slaves could understand. Some people are born into nobility while others are born into slavery, some are born with innate talents while others are born with innate faults, some are born with the ability to channel and cast magic while others are blind and deaf to the arcane, and then there are those who are born with a unique gift from the gods while others are born with curses.


    No, all people are not born equal. In fact the very idea of such a thing would be laughable, though all people do share a common trait. All things are born into the world weak. From the mightiest of dragons to the simplest of goblins, everything is at its weakest when it is newly born.


    In ancient times there were a group of mages that exploited this universal weakness to collect and control powerful creatures, these were the first tamers. With both magic and monsters at their beck and call these early tamers soon rose in power until they reached the apex of society. Other mages feared and envied the tamers, nobles coveted the tamers newfound power, and even the gods themselves worried over the shift in their world brought about by the advent of tamers.


    After a long period of war and death on a scale that had not been seen since the dawn of creation the three greatest gods decreed that the conflict must end. The three decided that the power of tamers must be limited and the number of tamers controlled if there were to be peace again. The god of the sun, the goddess of the moon, and the child of the stars all united their power to enact a permanent change on the world.


    Each of the three gods chose a tamer of their own, bestowed upon them their own divine name, and blessed the blood that flowed through the three tamers and their future descendants. Having made their decision and marked their chosen survivors the three great gods launched a divine assault on the mortal realm. The three gods¡¯ crusade purged the realm of all the tamers they could reach, and those tamers that had hid or grew too powerful to defeat were simply left to the mercy of times passage. It was a time of great upheaval and destruction, but in its aftermath the world was left in a new age.


    Through the actions of the three great gods the ability to tame had all but disappeared in mages with the exception of three mage families. The Sol family, the Cele family, and the Luna family grew to be three pillars of unshakable might and history for all mages. These three families which were supposedly blessed by the three great gods were only matched by three other families and a single clan. The Yan family were the best of enchanters, the Hart family were warriors whose magic and martial might was legendary, and the Cane family were researchers who searched the depths of magic. Lastly there was the secretive Winter clan, a clan who prided itself on being untouchable and absolute in matters both martial and mercantile.


    Thus the seven great powers of the mage world were formed, and these seven powers have been the summit of magic for millennia.


    ***


    Ark looked out on the first ring of the abyss and felt numb.


    He had begun his journey with hopes of finding the mythical mirror of truth, but after exploring each of the thirteen layers of the abyss that mortals could survive as thoroughly as he had those hopes had vanished. The rumors that the mythical mirror was lost in the abyss centuries ago looked to be untrue, and Ark had found no other clues as to where the mirror could be. Ark was trapped, his duty as the final guardian meant that he had to secure the mirror of truth, but his inability to even find rumors of the powerful artifact in the abyss meant he would have to start his search again from scratch.


    The duties of the final guardian were thankless, difficult, and often dangerous beyond imagining. Ark was charged with the task of ensuring the survival of the world, regardless of the threat faced. He has fought the forces of the divine and infernal on numerous occasions, and once was forced to hold back the encroachment of an eldritch being from the depths of the abyss. In Ark¡¯s thirteen hundred years of life he has faced more than even most gods could imagine, yet now because of a mirror that revealed concealed truths all of his hard work could be put into jeopardy.


    It was like a cosmic joke. The world¡¯s ultimate defender, defeated by an over glorified treasure hunt.


    Ark adjusted his longcoat before looking back at the four beings he could trust above all others, his pets.


    ¡°We¡¯re going back to Eden, I¡¯ll need you all to search for any info you can find on the mirror¡­¡±


    Ark glanced over his four pets. There was Del, the overlord slime who was always cheerful and ready to help. Hind, the stoic dread bear who would see through any order with deadly efficiency. Lara, the angelic seer whose prophecies had steered Ark clear of many dangers in the past. And lastly there was Tiamat the dragon queen of five elements whose power was only matched by her temper.


    Each of the four nodded at Ark¡¯s words, but the thoughts that went through each of their minds were unknown to their master. The failure of this expedition into the abyss was not a light setback, it meant that there was only two decades left to find the mirror before events were prophesized to spiral out of Ark¡¯s control. Twenty years was not a large amount of time to locate and secure a mythical object that could be hidden in any of the five realms.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Ark knew this, but there was nothing he could do about it. Lara could not see where the mirror of truth was hidden, and no amount of searching in the abyss had revealed anything new. Ark was a man of practical thought, he knew that the chances of his finding the mirror now were slim, but still he had to try. It was his duty to try.


    Ark would also make all the preparations he could for the eventuality of not finding the mirror, because if what Lara foresaw of the next three centuries were to come to pass the world would need its guardian to be ready.


    Ark would ensure that the world survived what was coming, one way or another.


    ***


    Alice Luna was the second child of the acting head of the Luna clan, David Luna. Alice was a straight forward girl, and even at the young age of three she was beginning to display the signs of genus. All in the family agreed that she would be a prodigy.


    Yet today was not about her, today was about the newborn that the moon elf laying on the bed before her held close. The boy was her new younger brother, and Alice was still trying to figure out why the crying lump had gathered all the attention of the grownups.


    To Alice her new brother didn¡¯t seem all that impressive. He was small and only seemed to know how to cry, Alice was honestly confused as to why everyone in her family seemed so concerned over the baby.


    If it were only excitement over the birth of a new son of the Luna family then perhaps Alice could have understood, but the nervous looks and the number of priests and elders that had been moving in and out of the room seemed ridiculous to the little girl. It was only one small baby after all, Alice didn¡¯t think it deserved all this attention.


    Her new brother seemed to agree as the growing number of people surrounding him sent the baby into another round of distressed crying.


    A hand on Alice¡¯s shoulder caused the girl to look up at her father. Her father had a strained look on his face that the girl didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Alice, come with daddy for a moment.¡±


    Alice took her father¡¯s hand as he led her out of the room and down the hall. As the two entered her father¡¯s study Alice began to sense that something might have been wrong. For a long time her father and the other elders had seemed happy and excited about her new brother, but now that he was born they all seemed upset. Alice didn¡¯t know why her family was upset, but her father¡¯s mood was beginning to upset the girl.


    Her father crouched down and looked at Alice eye to eye, as he placed a hand on her small shoulders Alice¡¯s father began to speak.


    ¡°Alice, honey, your little brother is¡­ He won¡¯t be as strong as other boys. He¡¯ll need someone to look out for him where his mother and I cannot. I want you to look out for him, can you do that? Can you take care of your little brother?¡±


    Alice was a straight forward girl, and when her father asked her to do something she did it.


    ¡°Yes Daddy, I¡¯ll take care of him good.¡±


    ***


    Ellia looked down at her newborn son and felt the warmth of love rise up in her chest. He was a precious miracle, a blessing to her entire world that was gifted to her by the gods themselves. Granted her husband had played a rather large part in things, but given her race¡¯s low birth rate and the lessened chance that coupling with a human had brought on top of that¡­


    Ellia was a moon elf, and as such having a child with a non-moon elf would lead to the child being either half light or half dark elf. Given that her son¡¯s skin tone was light and pale instead of dusky and dark it was fairly obvious he had inherited the light elf portion of her genes.


    Ellia stroked her son¡¯s head and cooed at him as she tried to soothe him, but the boy continued to cry. It was clear to her that the large number of people crowding them was upsetting the baby, but there was nothing she could do about that. Ellia was very clear on her place in the Luna family, she was merely a slave that had caught the family head¡¯s eye. While David may treat her as a second wife, the reality was that she was nothing more than his favorite mistress. Still Ellia was content with that, as even a mistress was entitled to certain rights and privileges in the family.


    What mattered more to Ellia was the treatment her son would face within the family. Initially her child should be considered a legitimate son of the Luna family and even a potential candidate for the next family head just by virtue of who his father was, but now that may not be the case. Ellia wasn¡¯t stupid, she knew that the fact her son was born cursed would mean he would be treated differently. Instead of an heir, the family would look at him as a cripple at best and a burden at worst. Her son would have to struggle twice or even three times as hard to accomplish what his siblings would be able to do with ease. Life would be difficult for her child, this was a fact that Ellia knew and accepted in her heart.


    The reality of this issue and the potential trouble it could bring did nothing to lessen the love she felt for her newborn son. In fact, she may have loved him even more in spite of the curse he¡¯d been born with. In Ellia¡¯s eyes her son was the light of the world, the brightest and loveliest thing to ever exist.


    ¡°Shhh¡­ Shush now little one, Mommy is here. Mommy won¡¯t let anything hurt you¡­¡±


    Ellia looked down into her son¡¯s bright, grey-blue eyes and whispered to him soothingly.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll call you Lux, because you are the light of my world. Yes, Lux La Luna, a fine name for my perfect little boy¡­¡±


    Ellia heard the conversations around her, she couldn¡¯t not with how franticly the elders and priests were speaking, but she didn¡¯t let what she heard bother her. So what if her son had been born with a unique curse and so what if neither magic nor prayer seemed capable of removing it, none of that could change what she felt for her child. Even if her child may not be able to do much more than cast simple spells and even if he struggled to tame, Ellie knew deep within her heart that her son would overcome whatever he faced in life.


    And if he could not¡­ Well, Ellia was keenly aware of the protective nature of her husband¡¯s pets. Surely one of them would be willing to sweep away any hardship or danger the son of their master may face¡­

 Prologue 2: The time that passes by

    Phil Luna was an ambitious man. In the past he had ambitions of being the head of the family, however after his younger brother displayed unmatched talent his ambitions changed. He didn¡¯t resent his brother David, in fact Phil felt that David made a far better family head than he could have. Yes, now in hindsight Phil could clearly see that he was much better suited for the role of elder in the family.


    His current ambitions were to see his family dominate the other six mage powers and eventually rule over all mages. It was a nearly impossible dream, and one that would certainly span multiple generations of his family, but Phil was determined to see it made real. It was for this dream that he worked so hard for his family, and it was also for this dream that he searched so desperately for a cure for his newest nephew.


    Lux¡¯s condition baffled the Luna family, and the curse of Waning Moon the boy was afflicted with terrified even veteran priests. It was a curse that literally ate away at the child¡¯s potential, restricting the boy¡¯s mana pool to an absurd degree. Lux was essentially crippled in the eyes of other mages, and the physical weakness that the curse imposed all but ensured that the boy would not develop any substantial martial prowess.


    What gave Phil and the rest of the Luna family a modicum of hope was that Lux was not alone in his circumstances, it would seem that a child was born from each of the three tamer families with the same sort of curse. Oracles and Seers decreed this as a sign of things to come, but in their usual cryptic fashion they revealed no more. Phil honestly wondered if that was because they could see nothing else, or if it was because they saw nothing at all. Then again there was always the possibility that those who foresaw the future could see everything they claimed and more, and merely enjoyed the suffering that giving cryptic non-answers caused those around them.


    Regardless, that this curse was an event that served as a sign in prophecy meant that there had to exist a way to cure or remove it, that was simply how prophecies functioned. No prophecy would reveal something sure or set in stone, only things that were in flux and subject to change.


    That of course did not mean that Phil had any idea in the slightest as to how he could cure his nephew, but there was hope. And as long as the possibility remained that Lux could remove the shackles of his curse Phil would aid the boy, after all there would be no harm in the family¡¯s power base growing¡­


    ***


    Kar was napping when her master¡¯s newest conquest came into her lair. The elf had brought a young toddler with her, and the boy¡¯s blood smelled of her master.


    Kar immediately thought of the cursed son that so troubled her master, and as she did pity for the boy welled up in Kar¡¯s still heart. She could only imagine the hardship that the boy would face, and the knowledge that he would never be equal to his peers would likely haunt the child until he died.


    Lifting herself out of her cozy coffin Kar began to make herself presentable. She might not have bothered if her Master¡¯s new playmate had only come alone, but the fact that one of her master¡¯s children was coming to meet her changed things. She had to look presentable in front of the child, it would embarrass her to no end if one of her master¡¯s children were to see her in a slovenly state.


    Kar strode through her cavern towards a rather large wardrobe and picked out one of her many ball gowns. It was a tasteful red gown that her beloved master had always said highlighted the crimson of her eyes, it would do nicely for meeting the master¡¯s newest child.


    As Kar dressed she thought back to her first meeting with the masters two other children. Luke had been the first, and Kar could admit that she may have overreacted to seeing her master¡¯s firstborn. Luckily Luke was too young at the time to remember how she had almost killed him in her enthusiasm, unfortunately Luke¡¯s mother, Claire, still teased her about her actions on that day. Things were different with the second child, Alice had been born of a whore her master had taken a liking to and the child¡¯s mother had not been the one to present the girl to Kar. Instead her master had come bearing the small girl in his arms and the entire event had an air of stiffness to it that Kar was not entirely comfortable with.


    This time Kar would ensure that the first impression she gave would be impeccable. She would not let the master¡¯s newest son overlook her as the master¡¯s other children had. This time she would be the child¡¯s favorite, not the old lizard or dumb bird. She would stake her pride as her master¡¯s second pet on the matter.


    Sensing that the elven plaything and her master¡¯s son were almost at the cavern that served as her living quarters Kar adjusted her gown and prepared her best smile. This time she would dazzle the child from beginning to end, ensuring a positive impression of her was left in his mind from an early age.


    ***


    Luke wasn¡¯t sure how he felt as he looked at his baby brother and little sister. Lux had walked into his room in his clumsy and slow manner, and like a diligent minder their sister had followed right behind him. Normally this wouldn¡¯t be a problem, normally Luke would play with his younger siblings or read them a book, then again normally Luke wasn¡¯t in bed with the pretty serving maid he had been eyeing for the last year.


    He couldn¡¯t get mad at his baby brother, after all Lux was barely three and didn¡¯t know any better, but he certainly didn¡¯t want either of his siblings around right now. He was about to lose his virginity for goddess¡¯ sake, now was the absolute worst time to play babysitter.


    Yet here he was, smiling at his baby brother and little sister as that lovely serving maid under the covers beside him decided that she was in the mood for more foreplay. A shiver went down his spine as he felt something warm, wet, and wonderful wrap around his manhood and Luke had to summon willpower he was unaware he had to keep from moaning in pleasure.


    ¡°L-LuX!¡±


    He coughed and tried again, this time willing his voice not to crack.


    ¡°Lux, Alice¡­ Why are you here?¡±


    Luke was truly proud of himself for making that sentence, especially when the feline maid did something with her tongue that made him lightheaded as what felt like all the blood in him rushed to one area of his body.


    Lux tilted his head in thought while Alice answered with a shrug.


    ¡°I followed Lux, I¡¯m looking after him.¡±


    Luke managed a nod, he was barely even able to process his sister¡¯s reply at this point.


    After contemplating what must have been a very deep motive Lux finally gave his answer with a carefree smile.


    ¡°Dunno!¡±


    At another time Luke might have laughed at that, right now Luke was biting down both a curse at the gods and a groan at what Silvia was managing to do to him beneath the sheets. The rumors had been true, beastkin from the feline tribes were great at giving head. Although Luke had nothing to really compare it to, right now he was ready to swear this as the truth before all the gods.


    Mustering what control he had left Luke looked at his siblings and tried for an understanding smile.


    ¡°So, would you mind leaving for now?¡±


    Luke¡¯s mind fumbled for some excuse or bribe he could give his siblings that would make them leave quickly without question.


    ¡°I can show you both some magic later on¡­¡±


    It was hard to express in words the feeling of having his two siblings hug him while the beastkin maid took him down to the base with a series of playful bobs, Luke would never be able to describe what he felt in that moment to anyone least of all himself. What Luke did express was a playful outrage at the antics the maid had pulled after his siblings had left his room.


    Servants heard the yowling of a cat in heat coming out of Luke¡¯s room for half the day, none had the courage to tell him that his mother had been the one who originally sent his two siblings to check on him¡­


    ***


    David sat impatiently in his VIP seat at the auction house. It tired him to no end to watch the wealthy elite of the kingdom of Avalon bidding on trinkets and toys, still he had to suffer through this for his daughter¡¯s future. Alice¡¯s potential had blown through every standard and test that had been put in front of her. The girl had the mana pool of an adept mage at age seven for Luna¡¯s sake, and her aptitude in academics actually frightened her tutors.


    His little girl was a prodigy and with her innate ability to tame she had the potential to be the greatest mage of the era. David could not put into words how proud of his daughter he was, but there were a few things that concerned him. Alice outright refused any sort of training or education to be the next family head, and the one marriage candidate that was brought forward for her left the room crying after being left alone with her for three minutes. It was clear that his daughter had a very clear idea of who she wanted to be in life already, and no one would shake her from her self-determined path. Not even he could get her to budge on some issues, and most of the Luna family had learned to just not push her when it came to the future.


    David, like many others, hoped that she would change her mind in the future, but he also had a sinking suspicion that she wouldn¡¯t. His daughter had always been a determined girl, and nothing short of Luna descending herself would change the girl¡¯s mind when it was made up.


    Still that wasn¡¯t too big of an issue, his son Luke was shaping up to be a fine heir. The boy had a good head on his shoulders and knew how to make calm rational decisions instead of being blinded by emotions. Luke was a good son, and if not for Alice being his sister he¡¯d likely be the pride of David¡¯s entire family. David would be able to hand over the position of family head without worry if it were to Luke, and with such a capable heir in his first son he didn¡¯t mind so much if his daughter was a bit more willful and unbending.


    David let out a sigh as he looked over at Claire. She had been his earliest love, having been with him since childhood. The son they had made together was one they were both proud of, and he could show that pride to the whole world without shame. It would have been so much easier for him if Alice had been born from Claire¡¯s womb as well.


    The topic of his prodigy daughter¡¯s mother was one he typically avoided. To his closest friends and family Alice was the result of a drunken trip to a pleasure house, the only ones who knew the truth were his wife and his first pet. Claire wouldn¡¯t tell another living soul about what had happened, and Ike would sooner drown the world in his poison than let a secret David had spoken of in confidence slip from his scaled lips.


    Alice¡¯s mother had been one of David¡¯s oldest rivals and most bitter enemy, and his daughter¡¯s conception was an act that he had not taken part in willingly. It was simply a humiliation that Mab had concocted andsubsequently forced on him that resulted in an unexpected pregnancy on her end. To this day David didn¡¯t know why she had kept the fetus, and knew even less why she had delivered to him the child to raise. It made little sense to him, and with Alice¡¯s talent now clear he did not understand why Mab had not reached out to contact either him or their daughter. David could do nothing about Mab however, he would simply have to let his old enemy decide her next move. He only hoped it would be one he could counter.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    As the bidding for meaningless items continued in the auction house David¡¯s mind turned to his final child. Lux was a unique case, and David did not entirely know how to handle the boy. His second son was essentially crippled magically and was certain to never have any physical prowess for combat, in this world that meant he would have trouble defending himself and would need to live a sheltered life. However the Luna family blood flowing through his veins meant that Lux almost certainly had the innate ability to tame, and with a pet of his own the boy would be able to protect himself to some degree.


    The main problem with Lux was how limiting his curse would be socially. He could never be considered a potential heir as his curse was too obvious and crippling a weakness for him to lead the family as its head, and his small mana pool would limit his casting to an incredible degree. Even the boy¡¯s quick mana regeneration speed and his shockingly high aptitude for the light and water elements were hampered by his limited mana. Without the curse Lux would be a genus mage and tamer, but with it David¡¯s son would struggle to be average. Yet despite all that Lux was a cheerful boy who seemed to love life and treated everyone around him with kindness.


    It almost hurt for David to be around Lux for too long, the pity and sadness he felt for his son only grew when he saw Lux¡¯s smile. David knew that one day that smile would likely disappear, it would be crushed under the weight of the curse his son bore and the cold realities of their world.


    As David mulled over that dark thought the words of the auctioneer finally caught his attention.


    ¡°And for our final item we of the Felmor Auction house are proud to present to you, our loyal patrons, a living churum!¡±


    David¡¯s eyes flashed as he saw the auction house¡¯s slaves wheel out a cage, the creature inside was without a doubt the proto-evolutionary form of most angelic monsters. They must have found it as a new born or maybe hatched it from an egg, that was the only way to get the monsters in the proto-form stage of their growth.


    ¡°We shall open the bidding at twenty gold coins.¡±


    David reached for the bidding placard he had been given at the start of the auction, this Churum would be going home with him today. Only the best for his daughter after all¡­


    ***


    Ellia watched as her son played with the small winged crystal that his sister had taken as her first pet. Ellia didn¡¯t understand much about the diversity or evolution of monsters, but her husband had made it very clear that this crystal creature with white feathered wings could grow to be quite powerful. If it evolved on the right path it could even become one of the strongest monsters in existence.


    Being the lover of a tamer Ellia knew it was a dream for every tamer to own one of the eight strongest monsters as a pet. As such Ellia knew exactly what the eight monsters considered the strongest by tamers actually were. To tamers at the summit of the monster hierarchy there were only dragon lords, arch devils, seraphim, behemoths, djinn, apex slimes, elder krakens, and dread reapers. No other monsters could be considered greater, and to possess even one of those eight creatures would be to own unparalleled power.


    Ellia could make a guess of what her husband intended for the winged crystal to become. Shaking her head as she watched her son and his sister at play she began to wonder, if all tamers dreamed of owning such mighty monsters as pets would her son share that dream? And if he did would he even have a hope of achiving it with his in-born limitation?


    For the first time in a long while Ellia began to fret about her son¡¯s future under the weight of his curse. She wanted only the best for her son, and she longed for his happiness above all things. The thought of him being unable to even consider the dream all his peers would be pursuing hurt her hurt, yet there was nothing Ellia could do.


    As Ellia watched her son play her eyes fell on Alice, and for a moment resentment welled up in her heart. Here was a girl who had everything her son did not, yet she was merely the daughter of a common whore. How was it fair that her son born from her own womb, a womb her husband had carefully selected for its own pedigree and bloodline no less, be inferior to the daughter of a common whore? It made no sense to Ellia, and it seemed like a foul joke on the gods¡¯ part to inflict such a debilitating curse on her own son when it could have so easily fallen onto Alice instead.


    As Ellia contemplated these dark thoughts she grew to slowly hate the girl that her son was playing beside, but soon she felt that hate melt away with a simple gesture from her son.


    She watched as Lux put a wreath made of flowers on Alice¡¯s head, to the blushing girl¡¯s dismay and protest, before sitting back and laughing.


    ¡°Thanks for always playing with me Allie.¡±


    It was a simple and innocent display, and it made Ellia regret what she had thought and wished upon the girl. As she watched Alice stutter and blush while her son laughed and petted the strange winged creature Ellia realized that her son loved his sister and didn¡¯t even seem to see the shadow others saw him standing in. While the rest of the family viewed her son with pity and compared him with his prodigal sister and exemplary brother, to Lux himself his siblings were just that, his siblings.


    Ellia smiled at the innocence of her son and hoped he could hold on to that innocence for just a little longer, she dreaded the day when her dear Lux¡¯s innocent smile would disappear.


    And deep down, in a corner of her heart that Ellia would sooner admit didn¡¯t exist her resentment for the girl called Alice began to fester¡­


    ***


    Alice was not in a good mood, in fact if anyone who knew her saw her at the moment then they would see immediately that she was actually furious. To an outside observer Alice¡¯s expression might seem carefree or even bored, but to those close to her the slight crinkling of her forehead, carefully controlled smile, and cold eyes told a vastly different tale as to the young girl¡¯s current emotions.


    There were very few things that could bring Alice to this level of anger, but in this case someone had found the simplest and surest way to invoke her wrath.


    Alice had been training with her pet in the family¡¯s private forest since before dawn, and when she had returned for dinner she had saw her brother for the first time that day. Lux had been bruised and bloody, but he still greeted her with a smile. Her brother had even refused treatment, saying that he could use this as an opportunity to practice his healing magic.


    Alice wasn¡¯t an idiot and nor was she clueless. She could see the pain behind her little brother¡¯s smile, and she knew that what had been done had hurt Lux on more than just a physical level. Today someone had taught her brother a lesson in the cruelty humanity was capable of, and Alice was going to make sure they paid the price for teaching that lesson. She¡¯d see them suffer ten times, no a hundred times the pain they inflicted onto her brother.


    Then, only after she was sure they truly regretted what they had done from the bottom of their hearts would she be done with them. It would only be when Alice was sure that they were repenting that she would stop tormenting them, when they were truly repentant Alice would let them die.


    As Alice walked through the long garden that separated the main building from the branch families¡¯ housing a cold fire seemed to be lit behind her eyes. This would have to serve as a very clear example for everyone in the Luna family. Alice couldn¡¯t be by Lux¡¯s side all the time to protect him, but she could make very clear what the consequences would be if anyone harmed her brother while she wasn¡¯t around.


    That night three young boys from one of the higher branches of the Luna family suffered a young girls clumsy attempts at torture. With nothing more than a knife, magical chains, and a newly evolved cherub skilled at healing magic Alice made three of her cousins regret ever being born. After four hours of clumsy work, Alice had begun to become more proficient in causing the maximum amount of pain possible while not fatally injuring her victim. Two hours after that and Alice could be called passable even in the eyes of the imperial inquisitors who themselves were experts in the field of torture.


    Servants had heard the noises and screams that resulted from Alice¡¯s work, but they ignored it as they had been ordered to before she even began. In the end, the lives of three boys with mediocre talent and potential were inconsequential in the eyes of the Luna family when compared to the wishes of a prodigy like Alice.


    The next day many would awaken and find the remnants of Alice¡¯s work, and many more would understand the underlying message that she had sent.


    ***


    Lara arrived at the Luna family holdings with a bitter smile on her face. Her beloved master had tasked her and her peers with discovering news of the mirror of truth¡¯s whereabouts as he even now made preparations for their failure. Lara knew rationally that her master was making the right choice, yet it hurt her deeply to think that she had failed him. She didn¡¯t want to accept that they could not prevent this coming conflict and thus lighten some of the weight of the duty that her master carried. Thus Lara had devoted herself for this last decade to searching for the location of that mythical item.


    Lara did not know how the mirror would begin the sequence of events that would lead to mass death and hysteria on an almost global scale, but she did know that it was the first sign she could see. With prophecies and all other dealings of fate the first sign of things to come was the easiest to settle or remove, and by doing so it was often possible to waylay the entire future that was set to come to pass. Sometimes this could be as easy as telling someone to turn left instead of right at a certain time, other times it could be as difficult as preventing a child born of two separate opposing factions from ever being conceived for all eternity.


    In this matter Lara was finding that the locating and subsequent removal of an ancient artifact of immense power was tipping towards the ¡°impossible to prevent¡± end on the scales of fate. Typically preventing a world ending event was as simple and easy as her foreseeing a threat and her master heading out to kill or subdue it before it becomes a problem. This locating a random item thing was new to Lara, in fact it was new to all of Ark¡¯s team.


    Lara sighed as she began to walk down the road. She had her wings concealed in the astral realm and her eyes covered by a ribbon so she should not panic any of the mortals, but she could do nothing about the natural aura of holy grace her body gave out. In the end coming to the land of tamers while expecting not to be recognized for what she was would be insane, but there was nothing else Lara could do about it. The last informant she had met with had pointed her to someone in the city of Lunar Rest, at the seat of a tamer family¡¯s power base.


    She would go, because of course she would as otherwise she could miss vital information on the mirror, but she knew it would be a hassle. Lara¡¯s master had been around during the purge Sol, Luna, and Cele had decided to wage on the tamers of old, and her master had laughed at their demand that he relinquish his power or die. Then the killing had started, and it took only a day before the army of angels the three gods had sent for them had all perished. It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine that the decedents of a chosen picked by one of those so called ¡°great gods¡± would hold a grudge towards ancient tamers like her master, and it would be hard to pass herself off as the pet of any known tamer from the three gods¡¯ blessed families given her race. Ultimately though, Lara wasn¡¯t worried. No mortal could match her master, of that she was certain, and few could pose a threat to her even on her own.


    Contemplating the old times, Lara still remembered the words of her master at that ancient time of battle and death.


    ¡°We do not serve the gods, but the world itself¡­¡±


    As she whispered the words her master had once spoken Lara felt a tingle run down her back and her wings flutter in the astral realm. She had killed many of her kin on that day the army of angels came for them, and through quite a few of her actions which could be considered blasphemous had fallen as an angel. She didn¡¯t regret it in the least, and when her master had called her cuter without the halo¡­


    Lost in the memories of the past Lara walked down the road oblivious to the woman she had just passed by.


    ***


    Mab turned and watched the seraph that had just walked past and debated whether or not she should do anything to the angel. She could feel her pets and their minions yearning for her to act, but in the end she decided it was better not to.


    Mab couldn¡¯t afford to make a scene, couldn¡¯t afford to draw attention, not when her plans were so close to fruition. Besides, the seraph had obviously been tamed and gods¡¯ knew who her owner was. Any tamer who had survived the purge that those three damned gods had carried out was a monster in their own right, and no good would come of provoking them. Mab could still remember some of the legends of ancient times, those mages and tamers whose very names would send lesser beings running in fear.


    Yes, it was better to simply let the fallen angel go. A smile came the Mab¡¯s lips as she imagined the chaos that angel would bring to her current incarnation¡¯s good friend and rival, just imagining the look on David Luna¡¯s face when he discovered a seraph was walking around in his city was almost enough to make her laugh. Still it would likely do the man good, he always was one to be too stiff around the edges and this surprise was sure to loosen him up some.


    That or cause him a heart attack¡­


    ¡°Well, it would be a shame to lose such a fun person so early into this life. I suppose I could give him some sort of warning, though it would have to be indirect¡­¡±


    As Mab contemplated this her delicate fingers played a rhythm on her full cherry lips. The woman did not stop walking nor even alter her pace as she contemplated the issue before her.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Well I suppose I do owe the man for tipping the scales of fate in my favor and gifting me an apprentice... Very well, I¡¯ll send one of the pleasure demons to his city to warn him, they are always gifted at subterfuge and intrigue¡­¡±


    Mab walked with a joyous sway as she announced her decision, she was all but skipping. This would be a very good century for her, a very reliable mirror told her so¡­

 Prologue 3: The start of something...

    Hind was a simple guy, he was the blunt tool his master used to beat their enemies into submission or death. Searching high and low for rumors on a magical mirror? That was far out of Hind¡¯s skill set. Still his master had given him a mission, and like it or not Hind would see it through to the end.


    As Hind sat at the tavern and listened to the old sailors swap stories he had to repress a growl. He was in his human form, and it unnerved people when a man as physically large as Hind was in this form growled like some pissed off animal. It wouldn¡¯t help him gather intelligence if he scared all these sailors sober with one of his growls, but then again the drunken bragging those sailors were doing right now wasn¡¯t helping him gather information either.


    ¡°T¡¯was a kraken I¡¯s tell yah! It had tentacles the size ¡®f the mast, and a back like an Island! There t¡¯was swinging them tentacles round, break¡¯n up the ship ¡®n throw¡¯n good men overboard¡­¡±


    Hind simply grunted at the man¡¯s recounting of his supposed encounter with a kraken and sipped at his mead. Hind didn¡¯t have the prophetic sight of Lana, nor did he have the connections Tiamat had forged throughout three different realms, and he couldn¡¯t just split himself into an unending army of clones to search like Del could. The best Hind could do is sit in taverns like this were a rough and gruff man like he appeared to be wouldn¡¯t stand out and listen for the latest rumors and news. It wasn¡¯t a good strategy for collecting information and it hardly ever worked.


    Hind really wished that his master had just ordered him to kill something.


    ¡°Well maybe one of the others has found something¡­¡±


    The dread bear¡¯s quiet murmur either wasn¡¯t heard by his new sailor friends, or it was outright ignored as they listened to a man¡¯s recounting of how he had once fucked three mermaids at once.


    ***


    Grell was nursing his eighth mug of ale, and even after drinking so much of the swill the pub claimed was alcohol he wasn¡¯t even feeling a slight buzz. The drinks tasted like stale piss and with his constitution Grell wasn¡¯t likely to get drunk even if he drank a hundred of the mugs, but Grell kept ordering more. Not even he was entirely sure why at this point, but he figured it didn¡¯t really matter anyway.


    Drinking was just a way to pass time for Grell, something for his body to do while his mind rested. While he was drinking Grell could be alone and at peace with himself, but most of all while Grell was drinking no one was screaming or making a commotion. Bars and taverns were like quiet retreats for Grell, and he appreciated them far too much to disrupt the peace he found there.


    Of course to others Grell¡¯s views would seem ludicrous, there was hardly a night when there wasn¡¯t a drunken brawl or loud inebriated singing in the places he frequented. Yet and still to Grell the actions of drunken men were nothing more than harmless amusements that accompanied his drinking, and most times he didn¡¯t even notice what went on in his surroundings while he drank.


    Tossing back the last of the drink he had been nursing Grell began to motion to one of the barmaids for a refill, but before he could even raise an arm a new mug was placed in front of him. Looking down at the new mug of frothy ale Grell began to feel the stirrings of fear rise inside him. He hadn¡¯t sensed anyone come near him, let alone get close enough to present him with more drink. For a man like him, that was not something that happened. Ever.


    Grell looked up and watched as the young man sat across from him, and as Grell saw the man¡¯s face the stirring of fear inside him grew into a blazing inferno. As Grell saw the unnaturally handsome features coupled with the sharp eyes that seemed ancient beyond the years of their body every instinct inside Grell warned that this man was dangerous. Anyone that caused Grell to feel fear for his life was a monster that most men wouldn¡¯t even be able to imagine in their worst nightmares.


    The man wore a pleasant smile as he waved a greeting at Grell.


    ¡°Grell the Scourge, I must say my friend you are not an easy man to track down¡­¡±


    Grell tensed as he pulled on his mana, he had mastered chantless casting long ago, and willed his infamous net of force blades into being around the strange man. Even if his instincts were telling him that this was a fight he did not want to start, Grell wouldn¡¯t just roll over and die either. If he were that sort of man he would not have challenged the three tamer families in the first place, and he wouldn¡¯t have survived the hunters those three families had sent after him all this time. No, Grell was a fighter, and a damn good one at that, so if this strange man wanted his head Grell would make the man work for it harder than the man had likely ever had to work in his life.


    The man across from Grell simply laughed.


    ¡°Oh no friend, you seem to have come to the wrong conclusion about why I found you.¡±


    The man snapped his fingers and Grell felt each of the invisible force blades that made up his net shatter and dissipate into nothing. If Grell had been scared of the man before, the man¡¯s casual display of a perfect counter to Grell¡¯s signature spell had Grell feeling terrified.


    ¡°I assure you... if I had wanted you dead, my friend, then you¡¯d be dead¡­¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes seemed to glow with a fierce and dark light from within their depths, it was a phenomenon that Grell had only heard of in rumors before. It was said that only archmages who had reached the zenith of magic had eyes that would glow with an inner light as they used their mana, Grell had always thought that rumor was just a myth. Now he was beginning to think it was the gods¡¯ honest truth.


    The strange man who might very well be an archmage like those from legend simply adjusted his simple brown shirt and the glow in his eyes died out.


    ¡°Now, I came to you because we share a mutual hatred for those dreadful tamers. You hate them for what they did to your village, and I hate them because they are a disgrace to magic and mages everywhere. The reasons aren¡¯t of any importance however, all that matters is that we both would very much like to see those with the ability to tame dead.¡±


    Grell found himself nodding along to the man¡¯s words. He was still cautious of the stranger, but Grell had a feeling that if the man across from him had wished him harm there was nothing he could actually do about it. Instead the stranger had approached him as a friend and seemed want to form a simple alliance against the tamer families.


    ¡°What I propose, my friend, is that I empower your assaults with a bit of extra magical oomph. In return there is a very specific tamer I¡¯d like you to hunt down and slaughter for me when your power has grown¡­¡±


    Grell took the new mug of ale into his grip and took a long drink of the piss like swill. As he put down the drink and wiped the foam from his lips with his arm he considered his options. He could take up the stranger on his deal and possibly gain a much needed ally in his one man crusade against the tamers, or he could refuse and possibly be tortured and killed for angering an archmage. Ultimately it was an easy decision to make.


    Grell put on a smile of his own and asked the obvious question.


    ¡°Who are you stranger, and who do you want dead?¡±


    The strange man across from Grell interlocked his fingers and rested his hands on top of the table as he leaned back with an easy grin.


    ¡°I¡¯m no one of any real importance, you can just call me Max... However, to answer your second question I¡¯d very much like it if you eventually killed an old associate of mine, the man¡¯s name is Ark¡­¡±


    ***


    Alice sat on the bed in her room and held her pet in her arms, her cherub looked just like a slightly chubby human baby with platinum hair and small white wings growing out of its back. Alice had been taught carefully on the many aspects of raising an angelic pet, and what her father and the elders hadn¡¯t directly covered she had researched on her own. As such she knew plenty about taking care of her pet, and had even already determined the evolutionary path she would see her pet down.


    Angels had high growth potential and held vast amounts of power which is why they were so coveted as pets, but they were also the hardest pets to obtain since most angels and angelic beasts inhabited the divine realm. When the rare few happened to come down to the mortal realm it was usually because they had fallen and lost a part of their holy grace, thus making it much more difficult to tame them or have them grow if one did manage to tame them. The only real way to acquire an angelic pet was to get one of the eggs or hatchlings born of a fallen angel or beast.


    That was how the churum that had been given to Alice had been attained, and it was also something that gave Alice a unique opportunity now. Angels and Angelic beasts had to live their entire lives upholding certain ideals called virtues, and if they ever refuted these virtues they would fall. Usually it was a god or the angel¡¯s parent that instilled the virtues that an angel had to follow, but in the case where an angelic monster was tamed at birth or as a newborn the tamer would have a chance to be the one to instill a virtue of their own design into the angelic monster. This was what Alice was attempting to do now, instill a single virtue into her pet that would define how her pet would live and act.


    Holding her pet in her arms Alice told it the virtue she wanted it to adopt.


    ¡°Aria, there is only one thing that cannot be changed in this world, one fundamental truth that must always be held dear. I, your mistress Alice Luna, am justice. I am rightousness. All I believe is correct and right, and any beliefs or opinions to the contrary are simply wrong...¡±


    Of course the virtue that Alice was implanting in her pet couldn¡¯t be called holy or righteous in any way that would be widely accepted, but that didn¡¯t matter for angelic monsters. Biologically they only needed to uphold their belief in their ideal and devote themselves to their virtue to avoid falling, what the virtue or the context of that ideal actually was didn¡¯t matter in the least.


    Alice repeated herself over and over as she spoke to her pet, and as she worked to implant a virtue that would make her pet unswervingly loyal to her and her alone Alice''s mind wondered. Things had been, well, not difficult but certainly different for Alice in these last two years. Ever since she had tortured and killed her cousins the looks she got from the servants and members of the branch family had been full of fear and revulsion. Even some of the elders began to avoid her.


    Her older brother had explained to her that torturing and then taking the life of members of her family, even if they were only branch members, was something that was typically viewed as an evil act. At the very least it would be a taboo, and most would hesitate to commit such an act. Alice thought that such thinking was ridiculous, of course she didn¡¯t say this to her older brother. To Alice only three people outside of herself actually mattered in the world, and when others took actions that harmed one those people then they deserved death. It was just that simple.


    Of course the looks of her family had still bothered her and she had been especially upset by her father and older brother¡¯s reactions, she still didn¡¯t see why what she¡¯d done that night had deserved punishment of any sort let alone a month without dessert. Luckily her little brother had been there for her in that dark time, his smile always made her feel better and all month long he had shared his cakes with her without Alice ever even asking. Because of this her brother Lux¡¯s position in her heart had grown even larger, perhaps even slightly displacing the places of her older brother and father.


    Alice had of course altered her behavior since then regardless of her thoughts on the matter, her father had asked her to do so after all. Her older brother Luke had even given her helpful hints and tips to as he had said then ¡°Seem more normal¡±, and sometimes when she followed those tips the newer servants would even smile back at her.


    There was a time when Alice had wondered if everyone was like her, if everyone had trouble understanding why all these random people around them actually mattered. She had asked every one she knew and cared about, the only clear answer she had gotten was from her little brother. Lux had laughed at her question told her ¡°Nope, you¡¯re special, sis!¡± and then asked her if she wanted to play with him in the garden. Alice liked the way her brother had phrased his answer then, he had used the word ¡°special¡± instead of the word ¡°different¡± her father had used or ¡°strange¡± like Luke had called her.


    It was little things like that which let Alice know that her choice of Lux as her favorite person was the right decision, it was like her little brother just naturally understood her on a deeper level than anyone else.


    Alice felt a smile, a real smile completely unlike the one she practiced in the mirror every morning, bloom across her face as she thought about her little brother. She decided that she would go find him in two hours to see if he wanted to play with her, she would even bring Aria along too as the pet was growing its own place in her heart lately.


    ¡°Aria, listen closely and remember my words. Aria, there is only one thing that cannot be changed in this world, one fundamental truth that must always be held dear. I, your mistress Alice Luna, am justice. I am rightousness. All I believe is correct and right, and any beliefs or opinions to the contrary are simply wrong...¡±


    ***


    Ross Luna was a man whose mind thrived on the battlefield. All Ross needed to be happy was to be put in charge of fighting men and given an enemy to face. Strategic and tactical assaults were what Ross lived for, and for him there was no greater pleasure than to see the enemies of his family driven underfoot by the iron boot of the Luna family¡¯s forces. The number of dissidents he had removed and rebellions he had crushed was a thing of pride for Ross, and the invasions and border skirmishes he had participated in were some of the highlights of his life.


    Nominally he was a general serving under the king of Avalon, but in truth his only loyalties lied with the Luna family. Still the Luna family had to make a point of showing they we willing to submit to the mundane powers of the world like all the other mage powers, even if that display was insincere and clearly only for show. As such they sent Ross, one of the families greatest military minds, to serve the kingdom and demonstrate the family¡¯s willingness to cooperate with the nation.


    Ross didn¡¯t care about all the political and social posturing that had resulted in his post however, all he cared about was that he was leading soldiers and working for his family. It was a simple viewpoint, but it was one that Ross felt made things easier to understand and made his role clear. If the family said serve the king then he would serve, and if one day the family asked him to lead an uprising against that same king then he¡¯d march his forces right into the palace and take the man¡¯s head.


    This was the mentality that Ross held, and it was not a unique one. Most of the men and women that were sent to serve a nation from one of the magical families held a similar view to Ross. Ironically enough, the nobility of the various nations actually secretly endorsed this standpoint as it served to check the power of their sovereign rulers.


    Of course none of this mattered to Ross at the moment, instead the man was focused on how he was going to handle the information he had just obtained.


    ¡°By Luna, what could have possessed them to do this?¡±


    Ross tiredly rubbed his temples and tried not to think of the inevitable strife that was sure to sweep through the mage world once this news became common knowledge. It was sure to upset and many of the relations between mage communities, and it would likely cause a stir in the players hiding away in secret and waiting for an opportunity to strike at one of the seven major powers of the magical world.


    ¡°And because of the alliance our family will be forced to step in if the Yan family calls for our aid¡­¡±


    With the Hart family openly declaring war on the Yan family it was all but certain that the neighboring Silf Empire would be destroyed, and regardless of who came out the winner in the end the magical world would be filled with unrest for a long time to come. At worst one of the seven great mage powers would fall from their place at the zenith, or even die out.


    Ross leaned back in the armchair he had been relaxing in just a few minutes ago and tried to push down his rising excitement. Rationally he knew that this was horrible news, and he really should be worried about all the negative consequences this could bring down on the kingdom of Avalon and his family. Yes, Ross knew that he should feel that way, but instead he was far more excited about what would be coming soon.


    Ross was a military man through and through, and the only place he felt alive was on the battlefield. His family would survive whatever after effects came from this mage war, of that he was certain. As such what Ross saw in his future was years of glorious battle and warfare, it was hard for him not to be happy at the thought of such a thing.


    ¡°Idiots, the lot of them¡­¡±


    Grumbling with only the smile growing on his face belying his true feelings on the report he had just read Ross began to move back to his desk. He would need to get a report back to Lunar Rest, the Luna family would have to start preparing for the upheaval to come as soon as possible to mitigate the damage they would take.


    ***


    Today was the best day of Meg¡¯s life. For her ninth birthday her Mommy had gifted her a baby phoenix, the phoenix was the son of her Mommy¡¯s own pet. Rah had been pretty reluctant to have a child just so that she could have a phoenix as her first pet, but Meg¡¯s Mommy had convinced him. Meg still wasn¡¯t entirely sure how Rah was able to have a baby all by himself without a girl phoenix to help him, but she didn¡¯t mind that at all since it meant she could have a phoenix of her own.


    Holding the chick close Meg stared at it with a wonder and joy that almost unnerved the young monster. As Meg caressed the chicks super soft feathers she tried really hard to pull on the mana in her mana pool like her Mommy had taught her. After ten minutes of trying to get her mana out to tame the little phoenix chick she was holding Meg began to tear up. She couldn¡¯t do it, she just couldn¡¯t do it.


    In that moment Meg¡¯s day went from the best day ever to not so great, it still wasn¡¯t the worst day though. The worst day was when Mommy cried because she wasn¡¯t as good as dumb old Racheal at finding her mana pool. Her Mommy had said it was the setting sun¡¯s fault, but Meg didn¡¯t see how the sun going down made a difference in things. Still Meg¡¯s Mommy had said it, so it must be true.


    As Meg started to cry she felt her Mommy¡¯s arm wrap around her. Looking up Meg saw her Mommy smiling down at her, and suddenly she felt better. Her Mommy told her it was all ok and that she¡¯d be able to tame her pet soon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry honey, it¡¯ll happen! It¡¯s just taking you a bit longer because of that Setting Sun curse, but that mean old curse won¡¯t keep my baby from taming! Just you watch, by tomorrow this little guy will be your pet and you¡¯ll be a genuine tamer just like Mommy!¡±


    Meg wiped away her tears and smiled at her Mommy. Turning back to the confused phoenix chick in her hands Meg focused on reaching out for her mana once more.


    ***


    Leon Hart was channeling his mana through his longsword as he meditated. In his mind¡¯s eye he envisioned the blade of his sword being coated in a covering of scorching white flame, flame that would consume all it came into contact with except for the sword itself. As Leon felt a tugging on his mana pool a blazing heat was being emitted in front of him.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Opening his eyes he saw that his blade was cloaked in white flame, Leon smiled at his success and stood. Holding out his blade the thirteen year old boy felt a familiar excitement build in his heart.


    All his life Leon had idolized those righteous and noble heroes in the stories, the boy had always dreamed that he could one day be just like those heroes. He wanted to defeat evil alongside faithful companions he¡¯d make along the way of his adventurous journey, he wanted to marry a princess, and most of all Leon wanted to inspire others just as he was inspired by heroes from fairy tales and legends. Leon¡¯s dream was a pure and honest thing, and it was a goal that his parents as well as the elders of the Hart family encouraged.


    The sort of heroes that Leon idolized and hoped to one day become were masters of swordsmanship and various schools of magic, given that the Hart family pursued excellence in both martial and magical might Leon¡¯s dream was one that was viewed favorably by the family. No one discouraged Leon as he grew up, no one refuted his dream or told him it was unrealistic, for all of Leon¡¯s life he was told to follow his dream and work towards being the hero he wished to be. This of course led to Leon developing a rather warped perception of how to act in certain situations, but the family at large had not thought that would be a problem. Most in the family felt that when Leon came of age a time would present itself to explain to him that some things couldn¡¯t be done, and that not everything he felt was right and just actually was in reality.


    Leon was a boy whose naivety bordered on delusion, and he had grown up without anyone ever taking time to correct his delusions. In fact many members of his family had actively encouraged Leon¡¯s delusions, even feed into them with further tales of heroism in the hopes that it would push the boy to grow stronger as quickly as he could. Leon was a rising star in the family, and the unique circumstances of his childhood development led to him having the drive to push himself far harder than his peers. Leon was a prodigy in many ways, yet he had never had someone explain to him how the world really worked.


    And now Leon would be going to war.


    There was no doubt in Leon¡¯s mind that the cause his family was fighting for was just, whatever that cause might be. There was simply no way that those Leon would be sent to fight could be anything other than evil, after all Leon was a hero and heroes only fought the forces of evil.


    Swinging his sword that was coated in white flame, white for no other reason than Leon thinking it was a more heroic color than that of normal flame, Leon smiled to himself. He wouldn¡¯t show any mercy to the enemies he would face, after all a hero couldn¡¯t be soft on the forces of evil¡­


    ***


    Ben was damn good at what he did. He was the pride of his mother and father, and the rising star of the Winter clan. Everyone acknowledged that he¡¯d be the future pillar of the clan, and some even whispered about him becoming the next clan leader once clan head William passed away. Ben knew what people said, and he let it all go straight to his ego.


    There was no doubt that Ben was proud, in fact his pride bordered on unchecked arrogance. Many within his clan would like to see Ben humbled, if for no other reason than to teach the boy a valuable lesson and correct his development. The older members of the Winter clan knew all too well how poisonous a young talent¡¯s unchecked pride could be to the development and survival of said talent. Even Ben¡¯s own parents were concerned and wanted Ben to be humbled and reign in his pride, unfortunately the boy seemed undaunted by even the harshest failure.


    Ben had developed a rather unique self-image, and even at the young age of eleven it didn¡¯t seem like that self-image or the world views that had formed because of it would be easy to erase. Ben knew he was not the best. He was very clear on the fact that there were many in the world that were better than himat a variety of things, yet the boy had somehow decided that these people who were better than him would simply be stepping stones on his path to greatness. Ben would acknowledge the superiority of his betters and he would strive to overcome them, and all the while he would maintain his pride in himself. So what if he lost, in Ben¡¯s mind as long as he survived through his loss he could always come back and challenge his obstacles when he had grown stronger. It was this very mentality that both frustrated and encouraged his teachers and family.


    Ben approached every training session with a fervor that few of his peers could match, and because of this he exceeded even the broadest estimations of his growth potential at every turn. Ben was already a novice mage at his young age, and his mastery of the clan arts grew daily. The elven year old boy had exceeded the combat potential of most mundane adults and was already beginning to step into the realm of martial experts and recognized mages. It was a rate of growth that was almost unprecedented.


    Maybe that was why Ben now found himself surrounded by those who wished to see him dead.


    Clutching his throwing needles between the fingers of his left hand and maintaining a loose grip on his short blade in the right Ben stared down his seven opponents. He had been called out to this clearing in the forest with a note, and Ben, assuming it was yet another challenge from one of his clan siblings, had come without hesitation. He hadn¡¯t expected an assassination attempt like this.


    As Ben eyed his opponents for an opening his mind raced. This could easily be a test set up by one of his instructors, but it could also simply be a trap laid by one of his peers who wanted Ben dead. Regardless these seven assassins were outsiders, and as such the winter clan would not care if they all died here in this place. Sadly the clan¡¯s apathy would also hold true for Ben himself as he had not yet earned the right to use the Winter name and would not be an official member of the clan until his coming of age ceremony in a few years.


    Ben¡¯s eyes flashed as he saw the opening he had been waiting for, the forward most assassin had misstepped while adjusting their stance. With a whispered word Ben rushed forward.


    ¡°Wind.¡±


    As the spell took form the very air began to make cushions under his feet. Ben stepped off his newly made magical foot holds and began to leap through the air using the footholds of condensed wind. Flicking out his left hand he threw the three needles he had been clutching at the assassin waiting in the trees at the forest line. Without checking to see if his throw had ended the life of the one in the trees Ben¡¯s airborne charge had put him in front of the assassin who had misstepped.


    One swift swing of his short blade as he passed by was all it took, the assassins head fell and Ben had one less opponent to worry about. He didn¡¯t stop his charge, there wasn¡¯t even a pause in his movements as he focused in on the next assassin.


    This one was ready for him and as he swung his blade it was meet by the assassin¡¯s longsword. Ben knew that while his sword was of better make and design than the crude longsword of his opponent it was not a weapon meant for open clashes, his main sword, a specially forged katana, would have been better suited for that purpose. Turning his blade slightly he let the force of his opponent¡¯s swing carry him away from the potential clash and the assassin themself without marring his short blade.


    As Ben felt the solid wind beneath his feet begin to dissipate he tucked his body into a roll that landed him on the ground whilst simultaneously avoiding the knife of the assassin who had been sneaking up on him from the side. The assassin who had missed their chance for sneak attack momentarily lost sight of Ben who had gone low into a crouch, it wasn¡¯t even a second later when Ben¡¯s blade had stabbed deep into the assassins gut and cut down in one swift motion to their loin.


    Ben pulled his blade free of the now dying assassin and sprinted to the left to get some distance from the crowd of assassins he had charged his way into. Taking a breath as he moved suddenly to the right to avoid any potentially thrown blades Ben took a mental count of his opponents. He had killed one, potentially killed another, and fatally injured one more. That left him potentially five opponents, maybe four if his needles had disabled that assassin in the trees like he had intended. Trusting in his skills Ben came to the conclusion that he had four opponents left, four opponents were manageable¡­


    Turning and stopping Ben held his short blade close to his chest and began to still his mind. Reaching his left hand into the pouch at his waist he pulled out a few more throwing needles and held them at the ready as he watched the four assassins rushing him quickly close in. With one word his preparations were complete.


    ¡°Swift.¡±


    With the spell cast Ben perceived the world slowing down and as the first of the assassins¡¯ blades reached him the boy had a smile on his face. Not all opponents had to be defeated, after all escaping and coming back another day was the very essence of a strategic retreat.


    Ducking the blade that to him seemed to be moving at half the speed it should be Ben dodged through the four bodies that had rushed him, swinging his blade at vital spots that presented themselves as he moved. When the magic faded Ben had managed to move past the four assassins with only a few cuts to show for it.


    Finally allowing himself a grin Ben turned and sprinted for the forest, throwing the needles in his left hand back to dissuade any pursuit¡­


    ***


    David was not having a good year. First there were the rumors of a tamed seraphim running around his city which upon investigation had actually turned up a fallen seraph with an unknown master, then there were the reports of demons preying on men at night, add on to that Mab popping back up and spreading chaos around the outskirts of the territory for no apparent reason, and if all that weren¡¯t enough his cousin had just sent a report about the Yan family and the Hart family going to war. It was enough to make a man lose hair¡­


    ¡°I just don¡¯t know what I¡¯m supposed to do here, Ike¡­¡±


    David let out a tired sigh as he dumped his worries at his first pet¡¯s feet. Ike was sitting at his master''s desk in his human form and trying to keep David from pouring another glass of dragonslayer for himself, a task that was beginning to seem impossible to the poor dracolisk.


    ¡°I mean, one of those problems? Sure, fine, I can handle that in my sleep. Two? Yeah, It¡¯d be hard, but maybe I could manage it. But no man could handle all that! Then there¡¯s this fucking mage war that came out of absolutely nowhere, and between two of the seven powers no less!¡±


    David grabbed the bottle of dragonslayer and refilled his glass, he idly heard Ike sigh across fromhim as he poured and his frown deepened.


    ¡°Fuck you Ike, I¡¯m allowed to get drunk if I damn well want to get drunk!¡±


    The green haired man with sharp features, the human form of David¡¯s first pet, just shrugged.


    ¡°Sure master, drink away. Of course you¡¯re not going to find the answer to any of these problems at the bottom of that bottle, but drink away.¡±


    David¡¯s frown deepened even further.


    ¡°Fuck you, Ike.¡±


    The dracolisk merely snorted at his master¡¯s vitriol.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested master, but why not propose the idea to Kar. The vampire has been waiting for you to grace her nest again for months now¡­¡±


    The mention of his second pet and their last tryst brought an image of the vampire to David¡¯s mind. She was such a beautiful creature, and so giving in so many ways. David sighed as he felt his mood shift from angry to depressed.


    ¡°Kar, Kar, Kar¡­ Why couldn¡¯t Kar birth me children? If she could just give me children I¡¯d have married her by now¡­¡±


    Ike rolled his eyes at his master¡¯s words. David was undeniably drunk, and it was lucky that Ike was the only one here to see the head of the Luna clan in such a state.


    ¡°Master, Kar is undead. She can¡¯t give birth no matter how much she may wish to, and you know this.¡±


    David hiccupped into his glass as he took another swig of the powerful mana infused liquor.


    ¡°Kar. She¡¯d be a good wife. If I had another wife I could get Phil and Fray off my back too¡­ Hey. Hey, Ike!¡±


    Ike closed his eyes and summoned his patience.


    ¡°Yes master?¡±


    David grinned as if he had just come up with the best idea ever to be had.


    ¡°Ike, do you think I should marry Kar? I bet if I married Kar she¡¯d give me a child¡­¡±


    Ike was glad that his master rarely drank.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Kar would try very hard to give you a child regardless of you marrying her or not, but it still doesn¡¯t change the fact that undead can¡¯t give birth.¡±


    David poured himself another glass as he sullenly muttered his reply.


    ¡°She can try though¡­ We can do anything if we try¡­¡±


    Ike sat and watched as David finished off the entire bottle of magically enhanced liquor, the whole time listening as David ranted about problems that faced the Luna family and his views on why Kar would be a great mother despite being undead. It was a duty that the loyal Dracolisk had carried out many times in the past, and would carry out whenever necessary in the future.


    Finally it seemed as if David was beginning to tire himself out.


    ¡°¡­And I¡¯m a Dad now, you know. Never thought¡¯d I¡¯d be a dad, but here I am¡­ One from Claire, one from Mab, and one from Ellia. Why is it only one of my kids turned out normal? Do you know, Ike?¡±


    Ike felt his spine straighten and every nerve spark as David spoke of his children, this was something that the dracolisk really didn¡¯t want to hear.


    ¡°You love your hatchlings, do you not master?¡±


    David giggled to himself, utterly disregarding his pet¡¯s anxious tone.


    ¡°Yep. I love ¡®em. Love ¡®em all¡­ Hehehe, even if two came out broken.¡±


    Ike felt his eyes widen at David¡¯s words, but his master continued before the dracolisk could speak.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t even be surprised Alice is a sociopath, just look at her mother. Then there¡¯s Lux, he was supposed to be a magical powerhouse with his elven heritage, but instead he¡¯s a cripple. Least Alice has unparalleled talent, but I wish it had gone to either of the boys instead¡­¡±


    Ike didn¡¯t know how to respond to that.


    ¡°You¡­ You don¡¯t really mean that master, you¡¯re just drunk that¡¯s all¡­¡±


    David tried to sit up, and failed, before shaking his head at his pet.


    ¡°No! I¡¯m David, you¡¯re Drunk!¡±


    Giggling and wiping at his mouth with a sleeve that had gotten stained from David¡¯s final attempt at pouring dragonslayer into his glass the head of the Luna family reveled his plans to his pet. For some reason David¡¯s drunken mind felt it was important that his dracolisk hear about his plans before anyone else.


    ¡°But I gotta protect ¡®em. I¡¯m their dad, after all! Luke¡¯ll be alright, he¡¯s almost ready to go to round ¡®venturing. The young ones, them I gotta protect. I¡¯mma send ¡®em to a school, it¡¯ll be safer at a school then here! Smart right? I¡¯m so smart¡­¡±


    Ike had no words as his master began to fall asleep at the desk, wordlessly Ike picked up his master and began carrying the head of the Luna family off to bed.


    ***


    The youngest granddaughter of the Yan matriarch sat at her desk and worked on her latest project, it was a mana rifle that should be able to fire at longer range and at greater power. That is of course if she could get the runic engravings right this time. Lily had always had a fascination with mana guns of all shapes and sizes, she thought it was interesting how they gathered and stored ambient mana for release in small bolts. It was such a simple concept for a weapon, but one with unexpected versatility and depth when a person explored it. Of course Lily was the only one in her family that felt that way, mana guns smaller than a standard siege mana cannon were practically worthless in the eyes of mages.


    Mana guns smaller than a cannon typically only had a range of a hundred or so yards, and the bolts or bullets they fired were too weak to do much of anything to a mage or monster. Really mana guns were only effective weapons for mundanes who were unable to use magic themselves, but the guns were also out of reach of those same mundanes. Ultimately even regular muskets, as inferior as the weapons were, were still better than the average mana gun.


    Except Lily thought that she could make the mana gun¡¯s better, and she had. Mana guns made with the designs that the young girl devised were deadly weapons with a greater range than most bows and a stronger magical punch than most adapt mages were able to achieve with their best magic casts. The Yan family hadn¡¯t released any of Lily¡¯s designs though, so to the rest of the world mana guns were still considered largely useless.


    As Lily used her engraving pen to carve runes into the body of the rifle she was working on the girl began to hum, the tune was whimsical and meaningless yet if another being were there with the girl they would have been utterly captivated. In truth even if the sound of the young girl¡¯s melody had not captivated them, Lily herself likely would have. Her pure high elf heritage ensured that Lily had an ethereal and fae beauty about her that few of the other mortal races could match.


    Finishing her work for the moment Lily wiped the sweet from her brows and let herself relax at her work desk. She knew that war would soon be coming to her home, and as the youngest one in her family they wanted to protect her from the coming conflict. She would be sent to the academy run by the Cane family for a number of years under the pretense of expanding her knowledge of magic and showing the world the greatness of her family, but in reality Lily knew she was just being put somewhere her grandmother thought was safe.


    Lily didn¡¯t mind her family¡¯s overprotectiveness, it was just a sign that they cared, but she was reluctant to leave her work and tools. Lily had invested much of her ninety eight years of life in this very work room on some project or another, leaving that behind almost hurt the girl physically.


    With a sigh Lily got up from the work desk and made her way to the bed that was jammed in one of the far corners of the room. Lily couldn¡¯t deny that she felt a bit of excitement about leaving her home for the first time, but she just wished that the price of meeting new people and having new experiences wasn¡¯t leaving her work room and precious projects behind¡­


    ***


    John Cane was a teacher. He was nothing special, not some gifted genius of the family or important elder who could influence the decisions at the top. Instead he was simply a man who was a skilled educator, which in the Cane family meant he was destined to work at the academy until he was old enough to retire.


    It wasn¡¯t a bad duty, there was plenty of satisfaction in guiding the next generation of mages on their journey into magic and all it had to offer. It wasn¡¯t like there¡¯d be a shortage of students either, almost every mage who was not born into one of the seven powers wished to enroll in Cane Academy and from time to time they would even receive a few students from the other six mage powers as well. Of course this meant that his job put plenty of pressure on him, but John had discovered hobbies to help him destress long ago.


    No, what truly troubled him were the stirrings that were occurring in the world beyond the island of Arcana. Rumors of unique new curses, mage wars, incursions from the abyss, monster rampages, dungeon births, and even the movement of many archmages thought long dead. All of it was incredible and terrifying at the same time, and as a man learned in history John could recognize the warning signs of the end of an age. If all the rumors were true and things continued to progress in such a chaotic manner the gods themselves would have to get involved, and no sane person wanted that.


    Yes, the entire Cane family was preparing for a potential apocalypse in secret, but John wondered privately if that would even matter in the grand scheme of things. If the gods decided to send down a full divine crusade or, worse yet, descended personally to sort out the world, there was nothing any mortal would be able to do about it. All the preparation in the world wouldn¡¯t save the Cane family if one of the gods set themselves to ending the family.


    Not the most pleasant of thoughts to consider, but thoughts that were still present in the back of the minds of John and many other members of the Cane family. John himself had studied the ancient purge of the tamers for his journeyman thesis, so he better than most understood how fucked the world would be if the gods decided to get involved with the mortal realm.


    Yet ultimately all this was far outside of John¡¯s power and ability to control. John Cane was merely one mage, one who had barely managed to attain a master ranking at that. He would at best be an observer of the changing times and at worst he¡¯d be an unwilling participant, but John knew he would never be a major player with any sort of control or influence. John had come to terms with this, he¡¯d accepted his fate and now he merely hopped that his students would survive through the difficult times ahead.


    If John were a more religious man he¡¯d be saying a silent prayer as he looked out at his class, but instead he merely cast aside his morose thoughts and continued the lesson he had planned.


    ¡°Now we all know the six main elements that govern magic. The base elements of fire, water, earth and wind as well as the advanced elements of light and darkness, but often times young mages forget to consider the outlier element of null. You will not forget, want to know why? Because if at any time this year one of my students can¡¯t tell me what the seven elements are when I ask, regardless of the time or situation, I¡¯ll be assigning the entire class a new research paper¡­¡±


    As John waited for the quiet groaning and hushed complaints of his students to pass he thought about when things in the wider world would come to a head. It felt like the entire world was holding its breath, waiting for only a single spark to ignite the entire mortal realm into a chaotic conflict of the sort that had not been seen in millennia.


    ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯d advise you to prepare yourselves for a very long and arduous year of study with many potential punishment assignments for failing to meet my very exacting standards. Welcome to the closest thing to hell in the mortal realm students¡­ My name is Johnathan Cane, but you will only address me as Professor John. For the next year I shall be both your teacher and your tormentor.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Why Miss Belle, I believe we shall have a most beneficial relationship¡­¡±


    As he smiled pleasantly at the clearly deranged mage across from him, the man named Maximus Forte could practically taste his future divinity. It was all coming together now, events were proceeding just as he had foreseen those manycenturiesago. Each player was finding their place at the board he had prepared for them, and it looked to be only a matter of time now until the gods themselves decided to step in. Yes, everything was proceeding smoothly, all with the exception of one very irritating pest. An immortal time hopping pest, he''d need to remove from this mortal coil.


    The mage that appeared to be nothing more than a prepubescent girl gave him a wide smile that might have seemed innocent if her cute young face were not spattered with fresh blood.


    ¡°And you promise that tamers will rise in power again if I help you?¡±


    Maximus merely smiled and told the little freak what she wanted to hear. That was something he¡¯d always been good at, telling people what they wanted to hear and drawing them in. perhaps it was a matter of natural charisma, perhaps it was a silver tongue honed over centuries of deceit, or maybe it was both of those things. Regardless Maximus had no problem recruiting tools to follow and obey him.


    ¡°Oh yes, the key shall be the three tamer families that already exist. I plan to have those three bloodlines spread throughout the realm and bring about the ancient age of tamers once more. You, young lady, are a vital part of that plan, in fact it would be very difficult to pull my plan off without someone of your skills¡­¡±


    As the deranged mage squealed and giggled to herself Maximus bit back a retort. He knew for a fact that the woman before him had lived for over two centuries, yet she had altered her appearance and even her mind to remain in this regressed and younger state for some reason. Clearly she was insane, a fact only confirmed by her desire to become a monster herself and be tamed and dominated by some random other mage. Disgust couldn¡¯t even begin to describe what he thought of the mage before him, but she was a rare unaffiliated grand master magus so he hid his thoughts and continued his pitch.


    ¡°And of course, while you are helping me I would not mind in the least helping you with one of your own goals. If I remember correctly there should be a number of ways for a mage of your skill to transmorph themselves into a being that is tamable¡­¡±


    And like a dumb beast the deranged mage simply leaped at the bait Maximus had laid out for her.


    ¡°REALLY! Yay! I¡¯ll help you mister, and then everyone can be tamers, and then I¡¯ll be able to find a master, and then we can be all lovey-dovey, and then I can kill things and my master will be the one to get in trouble, and then my master will have to punish me for being a bad girl, and then we¡¯d cuddle all night, and then I¡¯d go kill some people again¡­¡±


    Maximus had to suppress the urge to lash out and end the deranged mage¡¯s babbling, instead he simply maintained his smile and pleasant demeanor while he contemplated the many ways he¡¯d be able to smite this annoyance as a god. When finally the insane woman stopped her rambling Maximus extended his hand and offered her the scroll he had prepared.


    ¡°Yes, yes. But before all that can happen the man by the name of Ark must die. Here, take this. The scroll shall allow you to contact me for a meeting, do NOT use it lightly, understood?¡±


    The deranged mage bobbed her head up and down as she bit her lips and looked pensive. Taking the scroll from Maximus the mage suddenly looked like she remembered something and asked the question that Maximus had known was coming.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry mister, Mary will help out! But first I¡¯ve never heard of an archmage like you, who are you?¡±


    Maximus put on the smile that his last lover had told him could charm a nun out of her habit.


    ¡°Me? Why you can just call me Max, dear girl¡­¡±

 Going on Hiatus

    Just letting you readers know that i''m going to stop working on this fiction as I devote all of my writing time to my newest project. Now this isn''t me dropping the story, just me pushing it to the back burner. I have every intention to continue this fiction, just not right now as i want to focus on what is quickly becoming my main project. i apologize to anyone who was looking forward to the next chapter for Light of the Moon, and i forewarn those readers that it may be over a year before i devote myself back to working on this fiction.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I might put out a chapter every once and a while, but you shouldn''t really expect them for a good long while...


    I thank you all for your understanding, and hope you discover something else to read as you pass the time for this story''s Hiatus...


    Any questions?