I never thought such a day will come.

I sometimes, briefly, imagined what it will be like when the end of times will come, how I will react, what I would do. But now that I am facing it, I cannot help but let a small deprecating laugh leave my lips.

Well… The end of the world is very underwhelming.

I always taught it would be something horrifyingly grandiose, something chilling and inescapable—Like a devastating earthquake, for example, or a flood, or the planet imploding from the inside out—Not… This.

“It is so quiet.” I murmur.

From the balcony of my house, I can spot the town plaza, it was once bustling with activities but now it is eerily quiet. The streets are devoid of any passerby, the shops, and living complexes are closed with no living soul inside.

This sinister atmosphere would have paired well with a dark weather… But no. The weather is great with a deep blue sky and the sun shining as brightly as ever. Birds are also soaring peacefully above the building.

Someone oblivious to the situation would think that, maybe all the citizens of the city were still asleep, or all this was a dream.

It is funny how a two months ago my only worry was if I would be able to perfect the flora bonding ritual before the graduation ceremony of the last years. Yet here I am, wondering if I will even live through this day.

The ‘Corrosion’, or whatever it is, has spread all over the continent since a few weeks now and the emperor decreed the immediate evacuation of all the cities. Now we are all being evacuated underground.

Who would have thought?

The great Nchāre Empire, prosperous and peaceful for centuries, is being attacked before my eyes and it is losing. Though the attack took everyone by surprise, and many don’t even know what is attacking us, the empire should not have been so defenceless. I mean, countless technological breakthroughs have been made since the unification of the continent, without forgetting that millions of sorcerers have been trained in the mystical arts, from combat and defence magic to the many other esoteric ones. How could we have been taken off-guard?

Is it really how it is going to end?

This is so unfair; I am not even a hundred years old, and I am going to die like this?

I flinch as I feel a firm hand gripping my shoulder but immediately relax as I turn to see my mentor looking at me in the eyes. His tidy robes are dishevelled, and the locs of his hair are all over his face, giving him a wild look, and his usually taciturn expression is now replaced with distress, or is it fear?

Now that I think about it, never saw teacher so afraid before… Well, maybe he did have such an expression when that one experiment with a spirit crystal I conducted went south.

“This isn’t the time to space out Vyswe’eyaga,” he says as he nudges me to follow him, “we must leave, now.”

“Has everyone been evacuated yet?”

He looks me from the corner of his amber eye, the golden light in his pupil dims a little. “I don’t know.”

“What even is going on, Teacher?” I ask as I follow him. “What are we running away from? Why don’t we fight back?”

“The less you know, the safer you will be…and there is no fighting what is happening, trust me child.” He turns to look at me once again, maybe to make sure that I don’t stray too far from him.

We make our way to a flight of stairs leading underground, which is surprising since most of the more dangerous magical constructs and other top-secret projects are operated down there. It naturally makes it a place prohibited by the public but is utterly flooded with citizens right now.

I stare awe-structed at the gigantic tunnels; they seem to have been carved out from the very earth—they probably are. The air here is stale and dry, and as we are being navigated by the city guards through the long and complex network of tunnels, I cannot help but be impressed by how well maintained they are kept given that they look thousands of years old. Back in history lessons we were told that the web of chambers and tunnels run over the entirety of the four continents, which is phenomenal given that we are talking of hundreds of million square kilometres of land each.

A tremor suddenly goes through the whole tunnel, making a cloud of dust fall on our heads. This causes a small surge of panic among the people who let out frightened shrieks.

My unease grows. What could possibly be happening above ground to cause such a quake.

They soon lead us to an engine, several meters long made up of carriages connected to one another, which seems to float a few meters from the ground, the ‘Spirit Crystal-powered locomotive engine’, as they call it.

There are three main modes of transportation in the Nchāre Empire, the SCPLE is the most used given that it is cheap and quite fast. The many dimensional waypoints around the empire are used only for emergency interventions like evacuations and sometimes the quick dispatch of the imperial army. Lastly there is flight, but it is only accessible to practitioners of the mystical Arts.

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I softly nudge my teacher by the elbow as we take our sits.

“Where are we being taken to…or is it something that I don’t need to know too?” He tiredly looks my way but does not point out the accusation in my voice.

“Somewhere safe… hopefully.” The last word wasn’t meant for me to hear but I heard loud and clear… Very reassuring. This is the first time I feel such uncertainty in Teacher’s voice, him who is always so confident in whatever he does and seemed to be the most knowledgeable person in the world, for me anyway.

Our ride, to wherever we are going, lasted exactly ten minutes before the engine completely stopped, meaning that we travelled for thousands of kilometres, meaning that Zinrièm was abandoned to whatever fate it is now facing.

As we are escorted out of the carriage, we walk in four straight lines inside through a large tunnel leading to an even gigantic underground facility. There are numerous glyphs and runes inscribed on its walls, so much that I can barely identify any of them.

A group of soldiers take over from the one who escorted us. The one in the lead, a colonel judging from the bracer on his arm, turns to us. “All those under 100 years old, please follow the Sergeant here”, he says implying to the man next to him. “Magister Nænè please follow me.” He adds while walking directing in Teacher’s direction.

I anxiously look over at him, but he simply nods.

“Teacher…”

“It’s all right.” His attempt to calm me have the opposite effect. He gently holds my face in the palm of his hands, “I had to make sure you were safe... That you would have a chance at survival.”

“What do you—”

“—You must listen Vyswe’eyaga. Few of us will survive this, in fact more the one third of us will die today or worse, so you must be strong. I know this is a lot to take, but you must promise me you will do your best to survive.” He brings my face closer as tears threaten to spill from my eyes and places a soft kiss on my forehead. “I love you, child. I blessed God every day for having you in my life, and I bless him still that I get to say goodbye.” He gives me a sad smile then hugs me.

What?

I try to shake my head, but he holds it tightly.

“One day, maybe, you will understand what had to be done… But no matter what happens… Promise me you will try to move on and to live a long, long, happy life. Do not dwell on the past… Knowledge is a powerful weapon, and some things are better left unknown—never to be discovered.”

I don’t know what to do or say, I am too confused and overwhelmed by this sudden farewell. All I manage to do is hold him as if my life depended on it. “Don’t go…”, is all I manage to say. Tears quietly glide down my cheeks, I feel ashamed to behave so childishly in such a situation. “Surely, there is something I can do. I am an accomplished sorceress…there must be something I can help with. Please.”

“There is nothing left to be done, I am afraid.”

We are interrupted by the Colonel who urges Teacher to follow him as another tremor goes through the bunker. He has no choice but to comply as he gives another fierce hug, I take in the sweet scent of acacia as he holds me, and the moment is gone as quickly as it came.

Our time has run out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am the last to join my group.

“Hey! Are you okay?”

I turn to the owner of the familiar voice. Zaylany, he walks to me with a worried expression—Did he see me cry? I will be mortified if he did—I touch my face to make sure it is not wet with tears as he comes closer.

“Hi.”

He is a tall, muscular fellow, with rich tan skin, a charming smile and a jubilant personality. He has this ability to make you feel like the most interesting person in the world, always so friendly and kind and smiling, even now.

His vibrant green eyes skim up and down my body, the golden light in his pupil is not as bright as it usually is.

Sabar, Zaylany’s little sister, come next to me, hold my hand and gives me an encouraging smile. She is the female version of her brother, a quieter version too.

“I… really don’t feel like talking right now.” I sigh. He nods in understanding, giving me the space.

“At least you have this handsome, charismatic big brother as company, if I were in your place I would be relieved.” He says with all the seriousness in world. His sister snorts at his words, but still, his attempt to lighten the mood makes me smile a little. He must be no less confused and scared as I am, having also been inexplicably separated from parents and family, but he still tries to be strong for me and Sabar. This gives me a bit of courage for what will come next, whatever it is.

The atmosphere is even darker than it was in the train as we follow the Sergeant. Some try to ask questions or make sense of what is happening, but their queries are answered with silence.

The soldier places his hand on the wall, it opens to a smaller cave, some sort of… warehouse? Rows and rows of stone boxes adorns every side…

Wait, not boxes…These are coffins!

Gasps echoes in the cave. A woman makes her way inside after us, not a soldier, and I know her.

“Magister Namna?” She gives me a tight smile and only acknowledges me with a small nod.

“I know that many of you children are confused and I which there was more time to explain… but we are on a tight schedule. So please, make your way next to a capsule and make yourselves comfortable inside.” To that, becomes pale and even more agitated but the soldiers who followed Magister Namna do not leave us the time to say protest and shepherd us each to a ‘capsule’.

As I approach my sarcophagus, I am stunned by the plethora of runes it bears, enchantments for strength, stealth, vitality, protection and so much more. The sarcophagus itself is made of Vrost, the strongest metal to be ever discovered.

What are these things?

“The capsule will keep you guys in a comatose state while sustaining your body” says the professor from somewhere in the space.

“Comatose? For how long?” asks a girl behind me.

“For however long will be necessary.” she replies softly.

I find myself inside a capsule directly in front of Zaylany’s, Sabar to his right. He turns to me, winks, and whispers ‘Sweet dreams’. I roll my eyes at him.

The lid of the sarcophagus closes, with me inside. I feel the cave trembling, a seism more powerful than the earlier ones and much, much closer too.

Harrowing dread grips my heart like a vice.

And the last thing I remember is the hand of Teacher,

Patting my head gently,

Telling me that everything will be better…

As I fall asleep.