The Ancients

by Adam-Clay Webb

  “You will never find it,” Kizer said confidently.

  “Father?”

  Oga looked at him sternly. “I destroyed it.”

  “Lying to me is futile, father,” Wizard said quickly, like he had anticipated Oga’s worlds. “To be honest, I trust neither of you,” Wizard said. “Leading me to the city is the only way I will align myself with you two.”

  “You may as well forget it,” Aragan said. “Father never allowed even us, his sons, to see the city. Why do you expect he will allow you of all to get near it?”

  “If there is a power approaching this world that is enough to make you two nervous, then it is only logical that you allow the rest of us into the city so we too can surpass our current limits,” Wizard said.

  Kizer realized that his own sons were considering Wizard’s argument. “My word is final,” he said nevertheless. “You shall never see the city.” Kizer knew that if Wizard were to discover the city, he would surpass even Oga.

  “It should be clear to you all by now,” Wizard said, looking around at his sister and Kizer’s sons. “These men’s first priority is not defending the world against the Zagans, but remaining the most powerful beings. By hiding the birthplace of their power from us, they will be able to use us as pawns – kill and raise us at their will. They will try to use their power to drive fear into us.”

  “Zakashi, run your blade through Wizard,” Kizer said. Wizard made a backward glance, but it was already too late. Zakashi’s sword had pierced through Wizard’s chest. Witch gasped. Black mana flared up about her. Oga’s face remained changeless. The place began to collapse as everyone roused their power.

  “Be still,” Kizer’s voice came forth. Oga nodded and held his hand out to his daughter.

  Zakashi remained in his position, and so did Wizard, blood pooling down from his chest.

  “Oga, the real Wizard is already on the search for the city,” Kizer said. “You know what we have to do.”

  Oga nodded greyly.

  ***

  A mighty wind nearly tore through the old cloaks that the five who stood on the unmapped island wore. Vis held on to his grey hat as the wind threatened to steal it. Lukia held firmly to his staff, the black stone faithfully sitting at the tip of it.

  “Well then,” Lukia said.

  Chapter 17: Three Wise Men

  “Alright, my turn! Who was the eleventh head of the Ogal Council, and how long did their reign last?” Emma quizzed her new roommate. They had been studying from chapter 3 of the history text book for the past two hours: The Ogal Council.

  The answer was right at the edge of Clover’s mind, but she couldn’t quite reach it. “A hint,” she said.

  “He was--”

  “Marxus Magnus. He headed the council for 16 years!” Clover remembered. She grinned proudly.

  Emma laughed. “Fifteen,” she corrected.

  “Ugh!” Clover grabbed her forehead in annoyance. Still, she knew she was making great progress. But she was yet a long way from having a chance at passing these coming exams.

  “You’re up!” Emma said. Emma had gotten most of her answers correct, especially since Clover’s questions were confined to the little she had read from the history book.

  Clover’s face grew pensive. “That boy…” she said. She had been thinking about this for hours. “At the back of the class. What do you know about him?”

  “Huh?” Emma seemed to struggle to remember. “The glasses boy?”

  “Yes,” Clover said quickly.

  “Don’t tell me you like him!”

  “Huh? Don’t be silly!” Clover said, slightly reddening around the cheeks.

  Emma laughed. “Out of all the boys in the school--”

  “Just tell me about him!” Clover insisted in annoyance.

  “Alright, alright! He doesn’t talk to anyone. Has no friends as far as I know. You’d think a guy with absolutely no social life would at least get great grades. But his grades are quite average.”

  “And you’re the icon of social life, huh?!” Clover said, like in the boy’s defence. “I don’t see people lining up to be your roommate around here!” When Clover realized she had struck Emma she said, “I’m joking around, don’t be so serious!” with a change of tone.

  “Ha! Coming from the girl who came into class wearing her night dress!” Emma hit back.

  Clover laughed though it wasn’t a proud memory. Were she her younger self, such an episode would have scarred her for life, but having seen and understood matters of great magnitude, and knowing that even this entire school might soon be wiped out in the coming war, such a thing was quite a trivial matter to her when she thought about it.

  The two strayed from studying into a number of trifling things, until Emma finally resigned herself to sleep. Though Clover was quite tired as well, she eased out of her bed quietly and double-checked to ensure the girl was sleeping. Light snoring made her certain. Clover moved toward the door quietly.

  ***

  The five greats sat around an old wooden table deep in the cave Viknor had found at Ghost. Lukia used a spell so that an aura of light came about him, encasing the place in a rich golden glow. Lukia’s staff rested in a corner of the room. Only in this cave did he ever leave his trusted staff lying about. He had a wild head of thick grey hair, and a tough silver beard that hung down his chin. His face was creased, but not just by age – he was nervous, and rightly so.

  20,184 years ago…

  Bits of metal, mangled bodies, pools of blood and statues of ice were scattered across thousands of miles. The world was engulfed in the bloodiest war since the Battle of Gods. The people Amorphous led into battle fought valiantly, slaying their enemies with sharp jabs and quick slices. The Ionides were strong, no doubt, but the numbers of their enemies were overwhelming. As each Ionide scanned their surroundings, they saw an unending mass of enemies, armed with ice and swords and magic. They knew. They knew there was no victory for them. But such a proud and noble people led by Amorphous himself would not surrender or beg for mercy. With the power handed down to them by Argros, they pushed to their limits, and made sure their defeat was one that would cost many lives.

  160 miles east of a mountain that would later be called Mount Lukia, the war forged a sharp centre as Lukia and Amorphous finally collided. Amorphous had killed far more than any other Ionide, and no doubt, Lukia’s devastating attacks had killed thousands of Amorphous’.

  “Lukia, you coward!” Amorphous’ voice belted up at the smirking wizard who was riding on a white Pegasus. There was a black aura around Lukia. Tens of dragonites hovered above Amorphous and the few Ionides that were left in the area. Lukia’s personal company was made up of 16 dragonite riders – his 6 counsellors along with 10 other powerful sorcerers. Scattered about Amorphous on the ground, amongst the jumbled bodies, were sorcerers and Icemakers. This great Ionide and the few companions about him were surrounded by a serious force. Lukia and his company of dragonite riders were a cloud of death that swept over the Ionides.

  “This one is their leader, the legendary Ionide,” one woman said to Lukia. She was Rhonda, a member of the Ogal Council.

  “Rhonda, you along with the rest of the company disperse immediately,” Lukia said, clutching his staff and looking down at the man who wore the glowing fists and feet. “Only my attacks can affect this one.”

  “Lukia!” Rhonda protested.

  The sage flashed a serious glance at his underling. “Move out, Rhonda. I will fight him alone,” Lukia said. “Riders, disperse! Wipe out every last Ionide!” Lukia commanded. With that, the dragonites zoomed off, even Rhonda’s. In a black cloud, Lukia vanished, appearing before Amorphous.

  Lukia needed to ensure that when the war was over, there was no doubt about who had secured the victory against the most powerful race in the world.

  “You must have so much to say and ask,” Lukia said to Amorphous, looking ahead at him with menace. Indeed, Lukia should have been right. The Ionides had lived peaceful
ly, never provoking wars with anyone. They never, with all their power, sought to capture another nation. They lived detached from the rest of the world. But this people, they were dangerous in the eyes of Lukia. He knew that forming an alliance with the Icemakers was the only way to get rid of them.

  “Do understand, Amorphous, that as leader of this world, I could not allow your race to be left unchecked. I know in my heart that you are a good man, and you would never incite a war, but after you, another will lead, and then yet another. In time, there will come a leader who will see it fit to make use of the race’s strength. If this race of yours is allowed to grow further, it could easily crush the world.”

  “Words are meaningless in such a time,” Amorphous said almost calmly. He thought of his wife, who had been slain by Lukia’s army, and his son, who he was forced to throw into a random future. He knew the chance of him living to see his son again was one in infinity. “Your men are numberless. I accept that I will lose this war,” Amorphous said, but he didn’t sound quite resigned. “But my son, he will read in the history books that his father was the one to kill Lukia.”

  High above the two commanders were two dragonites. Standing calmly on the red beasts were men whose powers were unknown.

  “Finally, the true battle is about to begin,” Vis said, holding on to his grey hat. Vis and his companion, and their dragonites, were shrouded in a cloud of invisibility. Thus far, they had done nothing but observe in this grand war. Vis glanced over at Shade, whose arms were folded, and face as tense as usual.

  “Whatever the outcome of this fight, make sure Ohm is ready,” Shade’s voice slithered as he peered down at the two powerful men who were about to clash in a decisive battle.

  The earth tremored as Amorphous readied himself. His feet and fists glowed brighter as he shot off toward his enemy.

  Vis and Shade watched from the heavens as Lukia brandished attacks that changed the landscape and marred the earth. Still, while facing spells that were beyond the ability of any other sorcerer alive, Amorphous was not just well alive, but totally unharmed. Amorphous, after almost an hour of constant battle, faced Lukia in a rugged, burning crater. The bodies of the Ionides who stood by Amorphous were totally demolished by Lukia’s Ogal attacks.

  Amorphous reached up to Lukia in a jiffy, sending a serious blow at him, but a quick shift left the Ionide punching through a black cloud.

  “Lukia is a crude hammer banging against an iron box,” Shade said, shielding his face from a terrible brightness that followed another of Lukia’s powerful, useless attacks. “With perfect shifting, he will never be hit by the Ionide, and the Ionide’s defence is impervious to all magical attacks. I have grown tired of watching this nonsense.”

  Vis sighed. He wasn’t a fan of Shade’s impatience.

  “Summoning!” Lukia shouted, “Great Arcane Thundercloud!” Lukia held up his staff, and a massive and sudden wind was created. Vis stooped quickly, grabbing on to his hat. His dragonite, on his mental command, quickly made some distance from the dangerous wind, which Vis realized was thickening into low clouds. Shade’s dragonite caught up quickly. The clouds thickened and grew dark. Suddenly, vile steaks of black lightning raged down toward Amorphous. With quick steps, Amorphous dodged the first few bolts, making his way toward Lukia, but with shifts even quicker than the lightning, the Ionide could not get near him.

  There was a deafening sound as one of the bolts curled itself and slammed into the Ionide’s back. Amorphous skated forward. Vis and Shade watched as countless black streaks struck the Ionide, but after all the excitement, as expected, no harm was done to him.

  “So not even my spells can break your armour,” Lukia said. The thundercloud dispersed quickly. Lukia’s Pegasus appeared above the two. In a shift, Lukia was on it.

  Amorphous looked up. “Get back here!” he blasted, his eyes fiery.

  “Shade, don’t let him escape,” Vis said. “They must both die here.”

  “I know,” Shade said.

  Amorphous made a final run toward his enemy, his fists and feet glowing with immense speed and might. As he reached just the right distance, he jumped, pulling his fist back. “Ion Blast!” he raged, reaching within a meter of Lukia with a jump even he never knew to be possible. Black mana swarmed Lukia quickly as he was about to shift.

  But in that same moment, Shade got to work. He held his hand out toward Lukia, and slammed his fist shut. In that moment, Lukia’s mana disappeared. The black cloud vanished from about him. Lukia’s eyes widened as he felt his mana suddenly go missing. He had felt his mana drained before by certain arcane spells, but this was different. His mana was not drained or absorbed. It just vanished.

  Amorphous’ fist landed in Lukia’s chest. Vis quickly erected a black shield about himself and Shade and their dragonites as a pulse of sheer force spread from the point of impact. Lukia’s body was sent at high speed into a mountain many miles off. The earth shook as Lukia’s body struck the mount’s base and was forced many miles inside by the power of the Ionide’s attack. Cracks ran through the entire mountain and it began to tear apart.

  Amorphous landed, and the glow on his fists and feet disappeared. He uttered a heavy sigh. Lukia’s beast had already disappeared. Without its master’s mana linked to it, its existence could not be maintained. The Ionide’s right fist was vibrating rigorously. His heartrate, in the moment of his attack, had quadrupled. Almost all his energy was poured into that punch.

  Vis looked over at Shade.

  “Get me out of here,” Shade said weakly, his eyes growing dim. “I’ll need to rest. Cutting off Lukia’s mana was more strenuous than I’d imagined. You deal with the Ionide.” Vis nodded and grabbed Shade’s shoulder. In a black cloud, Shade and his dragonite disappeared.

  “Well then, Amorphous, time to – huh?” A black cloud interrupted Vis’ thoughts. “This woman…”

  A witch in blue cloaks appeared. She looked around, realizing that only Amorphous stood. “I’m too late. Lukia is already dead,” she said in realization. She had heard that Lukia and Amorphous were fighting in this area from Rhonda. Rhonda and the rest of Lukia’s company had met this witch on a hot battlefield where there was a heavy concentration of Ionides. Only this witch had survived that battle, which claimed even Rhonda’s life.

  “I will be the one to kill you,” she said to the Ionide bravely.

  “Lukia couldn’t, yet you can?” he asked, almost laughing. “You damn sorcerers are only good at shifting about!” With that, Amorphous bolted at the woman with speed that cracked the crater. The woman kept her calm, staring down into, or rather, through the Ionide’s eyes.

  “Spirit Shift!” she commanded. “Huh?” She shifted as Amorphous’ fist nearly struck her. She knew that such a strike could easily be deadly. It didn’t work?! She appeared to be frightened now. Amorphous and the woman looked about as there was the sudden appearance of numerous clouds of purple and red.

  “Here stands the Ionides’ leader! Don’t hold back!” one of the men who just appeared commanded the others.

  “This might be good,” the woman said to herself. “Once he is distracted by them – huh?” The cloaked woman was now quite puzzled. The sorcerers that had just appeared were suddenly motionless. They all stood limply with their eyes open, like they were daydreaming. Even Amorphous was in this strange daze. What the…

  “You are In,” the woman heard a voice slink from behind her. She spun around quickly. There was something frighteningly sinister about this voice. “Known by many as the Soul Walker,” Vis continued. He fixed his hat with a slight tug.

  “Who are you?” the woman asked.

  “In time,” the man answered. “Your power is quite forbidding. You have mastered the Spirit Shift technique, and have augmented it somehow, holding the power to destroy one’s very soul upon entering it.”

  This man doesn’t seem the least bit fazed by my power. Usually, knowledge of In’s ability was accompanied by fear, even worship.

  “S
till, no magic, not even yours, seems to affect this enemy, who defeated even Lukia,” Vis said. “Nevertheless, if we combine our techniques, we will topple the enemy easily,” Vis said. “Your Spirit Shift will not work, as his very soul is made impenetrable due to the Legend State.”

  “Is that even possible?” In mused. “How then can we defeat him if he completely imperious to magic?”

  “The key is to get him out of the Legend State.”

  “How?”

  “By breaking into his mind.”

  Vis smirked slightly on seeing the incredulous look on the woman’s face.

  “My technique is breaching the soul, while yours is breaching the mind,” In gathered.

  “A quick study, aren’t you?”

  In looked about, seeing that the sorcerers and Amorphous were still in this strange trance. She had no doubt that this was the doing of this enigmatic character.

  “I have trapped the sorcerers in dreams that are as vivid as reality. I can’t have them interfering.”

  “I see.”

  “My technique is also upon the Ionide. I am currently reconstructing his mind.”

  “What?” In’s face wrinkled.

  “I am erasing his memory of the war so as to reverse the Legend State.”

  “Without knowledge of the war, he won’t have the emotions that triggered the Legend State,” In said.

  “It is done. Move quickly. Enter his soul,” Vis said with a sense of urgency.

  In ran up to Amorphous. “Spirit Shift!” she commanded, breaking into the Ionide’s soul. Before the dimension of his soul could materialize into a physical space about her, In’s very presence ripped to threads the fabric of that world.

  In looked around, but Vis was already gone. What was more concerning to her was that the Ionide’s body was nowhere to be found. The other sorcerers looked about in confusion.

  ***

  “I encountered the Soul Walker,” Vis said, appearing out of a vanishing black cloud of mana. Shade was at a table lined with scrolls, trying to decipher something or another. “I thought you needed to rest,” Vis said, seeing he was still at it.