Why the heck was Zedd so crazy about summoning a Hero to the point that he was willing to sacrifice lives for it? If he was so powerful that he could stop an Invasion himself, why did he need to summon a Hero? This is the backstory that I created for Zedd when I began writing and it covers some events up to Book Two, so you will be spoiled.

NOTE: I wrote this BEFORE I wrote Chapter 001, so there may be some inconsistencies. This was mainly for me to try to establish what kind of person Zedd was.

WARNING - Spoilers for events in Book Two included.

Spoiler :

A man stood atop a hill as he overlooked the battlefield. In the distance was the ruins of a city. One that he used to call home. He had shoulder length black hair and wore a black and white robe with a green cape. "I've failed," said the man. Before him stood the terrifying army of wild beasts.

In the sky was a red moon, hollowed out with the portal to another world with a red sky. From it, the endless legion of wild beasts poured forth. Monstrous animals of all shapes and colors were pouring out. Through the portal was the eye of a wolf that was observing them. It was trying to get through, but it could not yet. "How did this happen?" thought the man. "The Hero was summoned from another world, but he fell in battle so quickly."

"Lord Zedd, Queen Caesonia requests your prescence," said a soldier.

Zedd turned to the soldier. He was a middle aged man who wore a grey suit of armor. "Sir Klarth, it is good to see you," said Zedd.

"You must hurry," said Klarth. "We don't have much time left. Our forces will most likely not last more than a few more days."

"Alright," said Zedd. He ran over to Queen Caesonia's tent. It was heavily guarded. It only stood out because it was a little bigger and that it was guarded. Other than that, it was impossible to tell it apart from the other tents.

"Are you ready?" asked Queen Caesonia.

"Yes," said Zedd. "All the preparations are done."

"Take this," said Queen Caesonia.

"What is it?" asked Zedd.

"This contains all the information that we compiled when summoning the Hero," said Queen Caesonia. "With this, you should be able to summon the Hero much earlier, when they would have been able to make a difference in this conflict."

"What should I do?" asked Zedd as he looked through the book. It contained some information about what happened to the vessel and what happened to the spirit that was called from another world. Their spirits would be absorbed by the vessel to give the vessel power.

"Go to my husband in that time," said Queen Caesonia. "Offer him your help in bringing the people under control and take on the duties of the Royal Wizard."

"But I have no idea how to run a country," said Zedd.

"You don't have to," said Queen Caesonia. "As long as you give advice to help him accomplish his goals, he will support you. But, you must ensure that he is no longer able to rule and you must hold the position of Royal Wizard until Duke Wellington is ready to take over. Of all the nobles he has the best chance."

"Why him?" asked Zedd.

"When Duke Wellington was young, he was a womanizer who caused a lot of trouble, but when he had to take his father's job, he became a more open leader that was not concerned about keeping secrets or plotting against others," said Queen Caesonia. "Of the four Dukes, he was the most suitable. Duchess Kiko and her father were too strict with their requirements, making them difficult to grow. Duke Innes was too concerned with protecting his own lands. Duke Gray spent much his resources on frivolous things that did not matter."

"I will not fail you my Queen," said Zedd. "I will carry this through, no matter what."

"But you will have to kill the King," said Queen Caesonia.

"What?!?" Zedd was surprised by this request. "What will happen to you?"

"What happens to me is not important," said Queen Caesonia. "As long as King Caligula lives, Antium is in danger. He failed to prepare the city for this. You must not only summon the Hero, but ensure that Duke Wellington is able to unite the nobles to defeat Duke Gray during the Civil War."

"How?" asked Zedd.

"Poison the King slowly," said Queen Caesonia. "Probably the water is best. He will most likely have his food checked, but not every drink of water."

"I understand," said Zedd. In order for Antium to survive, the King must fall and a better one must take his place. Otherwise, the city will not be ready for the invasion.

"Thank you," said Queen Caesonia. "You must go before it is too late."

Zedd walked out the tent and headed out behind. Before him was a three dimensional magic circle. Runestones lined the outer perimeter of it. "Call: Chronos!" Zedd summoned a spirit. Not just any spirit, but the Spirit of Time.

"I need you to give me the most amount of time," said Zedd.

"You do know that does nothing to fix this timeline right?" said Chronos. "Not only will you kill the other you in that timeline, but only be given a chance to fix that timeline."

"I know," said Zedd. "But I want to be able to live in a time where humanity stood a chance against this."

"Me too," said Chronos. "Without humanity, the Spirits will fall to the invasion as well. Without the Spirits, the world as a whole will die out and this will simply be another world that is used in an invasion against the others."

"Let's go," said Zedd as he closed his eyes and channeled his mana.

"You do realize the price of time travel right?" asked Chronos.

"I will never grow young or old," said Zedd. "I will see all my loved ones die until the end of time."

"Yes," said Chronos. "Are you sure that you want to go through with this?"

"Is that even something you have to ask?" said Zedd. "Time Slip!"

Zedd opened his eyes. "It worked!" said Zedd. Before him was a large city, still partially damaged, but it was still there with people in it and all its walls standing. He looked at himself. His hair had visibly gone white and some of it had fallen out. He aged considerably.

"I'm the Spirit of Time," said Chronos. "I won't mess up that easily."

"What happened to me?" asked Zedd.

"This is part of the price you paid," said Chronos. "You lost some of your time to activate the spell, but should you need to cast it again, it will only cost your mana for activation. But this is what you will look like until the end of time."

"I must hurry," said Zedd. "There is a maximum of five years to prepare for the next invasion." He ran as fast as he could to the entrance of the city. Two guards blocked the entrance.

"Halt!" said the guard. "What are you here for?"

"I am a mage who wishes to serve your King Caligula," said Zedd.

The two guards whispered. "Did the King say he was looking for a mage?' asked the first guard.

"No," said the second guard. "But top quality mages are in high demand and it is rare to see one offer their services."

"I'll need to see what you can do first," said the first guard.

"Very well," said Zedd. He raised his hand in the air. "Inferno!" A wave of flames spread upwards and outward, covering the entire sky for a few seconds before disappearing.

"Amazing," said the second guard. "Go to the castle at the center of the city and tell the guard at the gate that Duke Gray has recommended you."

Duke Gray, the corrupt Duke of the South. He spent most of his time managing his own lands and ignoring the city. As great as his army was, he ultimately fell because he refused to provide soldiers to help with the defense of Antium or to leave his homeland. He was surrounded by great men, but his stubbornness got him killed when he refused to support Antium and wanted to let the home of many of his soldiers die.

Zedd headed to the castle, but he was not allowed to see the King for two days. He was called to the throne room at the beginning of the third day. Before him stood King Caligula, the most stubborn and stupid King to have ever ruled Antium. If he had a brother or sister, they would have probably been chosen to take over the spot instead of Caligula, but he was the only child and other than his future wife, he was the last in his line. "I wish to offer my services to you," said Zedd as he lowered his head.

"You're the Wizard recommended by Duke Gray?" asked King Caligula.

"Yes," said Zedd.

"Show me what you can do," said King Caligula.

"Of course," said Zedd. "Call: Knights of the Round!" Before him stood an entire encirclement of soldiers. At least two dozen.

"Very good," said King Caligula. "But how can I trust you?"

"If I wanted you dead, I could have killed you with this entire city," said Zedd.

"You're hired," said King Caligula. "But if you try anything against me, I will kill you myself."

"I understand," said Zedd. King Caligula desired power, and Zedd was supposed to help him maintain it.

Over the next few years, Zedd devoted his research into the notes provided by Queen Caesonia. It contained the magic circle and requirements for summoning the hero. An indoor magic circle that lined the roof and floor of the building. It had to be in a dark room with minimal light. Those were the only things listed. The rest were just assumptions. The vessel was expected to be physically strong. It listed past known Heroes and their accomplishments. But, there was nothing that guaranteed success. It was all based on luck, but Zedd followed as much of it as he could. Between this, he gave advice to King Caligula in order to earn his trust. That was when the first invasion came.

A small red light appeared in the sky one day and it drew the attention of Antium. Over the next few days, it widened into a circle. Zedd had not witnessed the first Invasion himself. He was around the world during that time in the first timeline. When he returned, it was already in the midst of the second Invasion. "You must prepare your army," said Zedd.

"Why?" asked King Caligula.

"That is the Invasion," said Zedd. "Once it opens up, the otherworldly armies will pour forth. The last one should have been about five years ago."

"The last documented Invasion was not in my lifetime," said King Caligula.

"What?" said Zedd. As far as he knew, it happened about every five years. As he looked through the documents stored in the library, there was indeed no information about recent invasions. The last one was over fifty years ago. Despite this, the signs were all there. It was as if someone did not want them to know about it. "Please ready your army just in case. As your adviser, I insist."

"Since this is the first time you've asked me this much, very well," said King Caligula. "Go and summon forth the Dukes!"

In two days, the Dukes arrived. Duke James Wellington of the North, Duke Earl of the East, Duke Innes of the West, and Duke Gray of the South with their armies. In the sky, the red circle that was actually a portal grew larger. "The Invasion draws near," said Zedd. "Ready your troops."

"Yes sir!" All the Dukes responded.

Their forces lined the walls and the outside of the city. In front of them was the drafted soldiers who responded the call. In all, about 5000 soldiers. A few days later, the red circle in the sky spewed a red liquid that resembled blood with numerous bones. The bones built themselves into skeletons. "It's finally happening," said Zedd. It was a sight that he could never get used to. Each one was as frightening as the last.

"Flight!" Zedd flew into the sky and watched the battle from above. "Inferno!" he rained a blaze of fire near where the bones were landing. The main army took on the ones that got through. From a distance, Duke Earl's mixed army of mages bombarded some of the enemies that got through. As powerful as Zedd was, he could not do everything himself.

BOOM. The entire ground shook. "What was that?!?" shouted King Caligula. BOOM. The ground shook again.

"That's not an earthquake," said Zedd. He looked at the red circle in the sky as it opened wide.

ROAR. The head of a skeleton peeked through the portal. "What is that?" shouted someone. It was a terrifying sight. The true horror of the Invasion was the final enemy that appeared through it. Zedd could only watch as the soldiers below fled in terror at the sight.

"No you must hold your ranks," said Zedd. It was too late, the undead army marched forth. "Inferno!" He laid another field of flames to slow the undead down.

Zedd landed on the ground and took out a piece of paper to create a magic circle. He clapped his hands together as if he was praying. As he opened his hands, a powerful beam of light widened in his hands. He watched as the skeleton ripped a large hole in the sky. "I need more time!" shouted Zedd.

A group of guards led by Duke James and Duke Earl rallied to Zedd's side. "Thank you," said Zedd.

"All our hopes are on you," said Duke James.

Zedd understood why Queen Caesonia trusted the son of Duke James to become King. His father was a good man who had taught Charles right and wrong. As Dukes James and Earl fought against the endless horde of skeletons, Zedd finished channeling his spell. It appeared to be a sword about four feet in length that he held with both hands.

"Sword of Light!" A huge beam of blue slashed diagonally across the sky cutting the skeleton and the red portal. The portal shrunk back in size before disappearing. "I did it?" thought Zedd who was surprised by this. It's power was not enough when he tried it the other times. "Do the Invasions get stronger?" It was something that he had to consider now. The Hero was needed because he would not have the power to fight against them in the future nor did he know of a way to stop them.

Duke Earl returned, but he was carrying the body of Duke James. "Is he okay?" asked Zedd.

"He was badly hurt," said Duke Earl. As he moved is hand, there was blood on it already.

"Take good care of my son," said Duke James.

"I will," said Zedd. He had saved Antium, but they lost many soldiers and people.

However, Duke James did not die and was simply over reacting to an injury because of the amount of blood he saw. He survived. But because of this invasion, Zedd convinced King Caligula to have resources to try to summon a Hero. Despite numerous attempts, there was no success.

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The next invasion occurred five years later. Again, a red portal appeared in the sky. From the sea of blood, numerous beasts appeared. They were stronger and fiercer than the undead and were much harder to kill. The soldiers did not stand a chance. The drafted men were almost all wiped out. The only ones that stood a chance were the soldiers of Duke Gray and Duke James.

The battle had seemed lost. The monsters had broken through the East Gate. At the last moment, Zedd was able to call for help as Duke James held off the enemy himself. "Call: Sun Wukong!" It was the most powerful summon Zedd knew of. Sun Wukong was a deity who took mortal form and he managed to slay the beasts. Again, Zedd was able to stop them, but this time, the losses were heavy.

Duke Innes took heavy losses and Duke Earl passed away from injuries sustained during the battle. His daughter, Duchess Kiko, took over his position. Some time after, Duke James also passed away, his son, Charles, took over and became the new Duke Wellington. In another five years, there would be another Invasion, and they were already spent.

"You must summon a Hero," said King Caligula.

"I don't know why it hasn't worked," said Zedd.

"I'll give you everything you need, tell me what you need," said King Caligula.

"I need people who can subjects for the summoning," said Zedd. "I can only keep trying until one works."

"Will slaves do?" asked King Caligula.

"Maybe," said Zedd. "I don't know the specifics."

"I will issue a royal declaration calling for the purchase of slaves," said King Caligula.

With this, Zedd obtained the test subjects he needed. But one after another, they all failed. Every subject died during the summoning process. He had no clue what was missing. Eventually, one did succeed. It was a young slave woman with blue and green eyes who called herself Garnet. He wrote this down at the back of the Hero Summoning book he received from Queen Caesonia. He explained everything to Garnet over time and let her do as she saw fit. Garnet listened to what Zedd said and was curious about the world with little concern for others. She even accepted the task to save the world. But, something happened that he did not expect.

"What do you mean I'm going to lose my memories?" shouted Garnet.

"When a Hero is summoned from another world, they take on the heroic characteristics of the summoned person, but the summoned person will lose their personality to the original vessel eventually," said Zedd.

"I refuse," said Garnet. "If I'm going to die, I want to die as myself."

Zedd watched as Garnet ran off into the night. She had abandoned him after learning the truth. He heard that she was captured by Baron Gray. Soon after, Baron Gray was found dead and Garnet was missing. The next time he saw Garnet, she stood in the middle of the battlefield between the Dukes. A single woman who drank blood and ate the bodies of her enemies wiped out the armies of all four Dukes. He could only watch as she grew more powerful and vented her anger against the people who had wronged her. Before the Invasion arrived, there was nothing that could stop her. During the Invasion, she single handedly took on the army of goblins and bathed herself in their blood. He could only watch as she was consumed by her own desire for power and revenge against the noble classes. Even Zedd was powerless against the former slave who now wielded the might of an army in addition to having her own army of undead. She even transformed into something that resembled a monster with black wings and scales all over her body. Zedd had created something more terrifying than any Invasion ever could. She had the power to fight against the combined forces of the Invasion and the Dukes. This was the true strength of a Hero, who held nothing back, one without the morals or values at all.

Thus, Zedd traveled back in time once more. This time, he chose a different vessel and avoided the woman at all costs. However, he found no other suitable vessel during his search. When the Goblin Invasion came, the city was overrun and they ended up in the same situation as before. Each time Zedd failed, he traveled back in time again, hoping to make things right. Despite his power, he was losing ground against each invasion. At some point, his power would not been enough.

Each mistake allowed him closer to his goal. On his fourth attempt, he found another person who had the potential to be a Hero. A young man by the name of Stuart was able to survive the Hero Summoning. He was extremely strong and his personality remained intact after the Summoning without the other person ever taking control due to his strong will. However, this meant that he never obtained the heroic qualities and his desire for power caused him to turn against Antium when he wanted to become King. He killed his older brother and declared war against Antium. Eventually, he was killed by his own army who turned on him. As strong as he was, he was too strong, and he failed to become a Hero to the people. Zedd ripped this page from the book, noting that it was a significant failure. Stuart was no Hero.

The fifth attempt, Zedd used Duke James' son, Charles. Charles survived the summoning, but even as Zedd pressured him to train, he chased after women and used his abilities to flirt with women instead. When time came for the Invasion, he was ill prepared and died before he could accomplish much. Zedd again ripped this page from the book. Another failure. He had potential to be a great leader who was supported by others, but he was no Hero.

There was only one possible choice that came to mind, Garnet. She was the closest and for a moment, exhibited heroic qualities, but he needed to sustain them. But most importantly, Zedd had to understand why she was the correct choice. On the next loop, he gathered a group to help him research heroes. He found that the vessel was special, one that contained special compatibility with mana and a strong mental fortitude. Although there were several people who fit this bill, they lacked something important. In addition to having the right mind set, they needed someone to guide them. Garnet had the potential, but she was also the only one with the mind set and it strayed when she discovered the truth. As someone who was a commoner and not soiled by the perverse desires of the nobility, she would have something to fight for and was less concerned about protecting what she had because she had almost nothing to begin with. However, if her hatred against the people of were to be Antium, she would condemn all of Antium to death. Zedd used her as a vessel once more, intending to get it right. He would hide as much information about the Hero Summoning as possible from her.

But, everything that Zedd did weighed in on his mind. He could not lie to the Hero again no matter how hard he wanted to. After all, she was the Hero who he had to believe in and lying the first time was what caused the problem in the first place. He had to believe that she would do the right thing. Zedd did everything he could to help Garnet achieve her goals this time, believing that he was doing the right thing by helping Garnet and offering suggestions instead of letting her try to do things on her own. Zedd set her up with Klarth and Kirk to watch over her. He set her up to meet with Duke Wellington when she asked.

When the question finally came up again, he told the truth again. "At some point, the original personality will emerge because the host will recover their mental strength and return to take over the body," said Zedd. "And with it, they will absorb all your memories and your personality will be completely overtaken by theirs, they will inherit the power of the hero and the Hero System."

But this time, Garnet reacted differently. She did not run immediately, she questioned Zedd. "Why did you not tell me this?" asked Garnet.

"Because I was afraid you would abandon us if you learned the truth," said Zedd. "I had hoped you would fight for us until the real Garnet returned."

"You're wrong," said Garnet. "Now that I know, I will abandon you, but I will not abandon Antium. I will continue to do what is necessary to save this city."

With that Garnet ran into the night, but this time, she was not on her own. She left with someone important to her. This meant that there was still a chance. Zedd decided to continue with this timeline and see how it would play out. He poisoned the King slowly as Queen Caesonia had requested and worked with Duke Wellington who helped him keep tabs on Garnet with Rito, another person who had studied heroes. He too occasionally went to the Duke's manor to see if Duke Wellington and Garnet were doing well, but avoided contact with her after she told him to stay away unless she asked for him. "It was best not to anger her," Zedd thought to himself.

Zedd learned that Garnet was living with Duke Wellington and helping him secure his position, so he took advantage of this. Zedd called forth the team that he was preparing. There were six men, each in green cloaks. "What is it sir?" asked the man in charge.

"It is time to fulfill your duty," said Zedd. "You must attempt to kill Duke Wellington, Duke Innes, and Duchess Kiko, but fail and not be caught."

The men all looked at each other, confused by the request. "Why fail?" asked the man.

"Your job is to unite the Dukes against Duke Gray, not to kill the Dukes," said Zedd. "Afterwards, you are relieved of duty, go hide somewhere in the wilderness or in another town and never reveal what you did."

The men all looked at each other. "Are you serious?" asked one of the other men. "This sounds like a joke."

"This is NOT a joke," said Zedd. "It is far easier to kill someone than to pretend to kill them and have them believe it was a serious attempt on their life." He visibly showed anger and released an intense wave of mana that struck fear into each of them. "This is the task that you are entrusted with and each of you will be paid well enough to retire and live well for the next fifty years. Is this not enough?"

The men had never seen Zedd like this. He was usually calm and collected. "Are you okay?" asked one of the men.

Zedd calmed down and his ferocious aura disappeared. "Yes," said Zedd. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, but you absolutely cannot fail this mission. If anything goes wrong, everything I have done since I have arrived here will be pointless," said Zedd.

The man in charge looked at the others and whispered to the other men. After a few minutes, he finally turned around, "Okay," said the man in charge.

"I'm counting on you," said Zedd. "Make sure that you leave no evidence as to who is responsible and dispose of everything you used in the attempt, but follow the directions I gave you exactly."

"We will not fail you," said the man in charge. "We must attempt to assassinate Dukes Wellington, Kiko, and Innes, but fail and pass the blame to Duke Gray. We understand."

"Good," said Zedd. "Remember, failure is not an option."

Soon after, Duke Wellington came to visit Zedd. He had visited several times in order to communicate about Garnet. After all, Duke Wellington was the only one who believed that she was a Hero outside of the people from the inner circle.

"How is she?" Zedd asked.

"She's pregnant," said Duke Wellington.

"What?!?" shouted Zedd. "How is that possible?"

"I'm the father," said Duke Wellington.

This was something that Zedd was not expecting. Garnet now had something that bound her to the world. She would no longer be fighting for just herself. Instead, she would be fighting for her new life and family.

"I can't believe it," said Zedd.

"She's still mad at you last I checked," said Duke Wellington. "But, she hasn't talked about you."

"I expected so," said Zedd. "But that's just the way things are this time around."

"I still don't have enough influence over the other Dukes though," said Duke Wellington. "Duke Gray blocks all my proposals."

"Is there anything I can do?" asked Zedd.

"Just wait until Garnet comes to you," said Duke Wellington. "Until then, do what you can to weaken the other Dukes."

Soon after, the death of King Caligula was announced. Only Zedd knew why the King was sick for so long and why the King died. Duke Gray suspected foul play and wanted the corpse of the King to be tested, intending to take advantage of this chance to turn the public against the other Dukes. However, they would not know that the King was poisoned to death unless they were familiar with Zedd's magic. Zedd went to the castle to speak with Klarth who was now Captain of the Guards.

"What brings you here?" asked Klarth.

"I need you to do me a favor," said Zedd.

"What is it?" asked Klarth.

"Soon, Garnet will return," said Zedd.

"Really?" said Klarth. "What happened to her?"

"I cannot say," said Zedd. "But when she returns, you must inform her of the secret weapon that Duke Gray has built in the basement."

"Why?' asked Klarth.

"Because it is the key to the upcoming war," said Zedd. "Duke Wellington must win this war."

Klarth was surprised. There was a war between the Dukes coming. "Can you tell me what happened?" asked Klarth.

"In the future that I saw, Duke Gray wins the war for the crown and we are unprepared for the upcoming invasions," said Zedd. "When Queen Caesonia takes the throne, King Caligula dies, the armies of the Dukes are wiped out, and the city is overrun by a limitless horde of wolves."

"Who is Queen Caesonia?" asked Klarth.

"She's the woman who eventually marries King Caligula," said Zedd.

"What? How is that possible?" asked Klarth.

"I've already said too much,"said Zedd. " You must not reveal any information you just heard. Only that Duke Gray built a weapon in the basement do you understand?"

"Yes," said Klarth.

"I'm counting on you," said Zedd.

"Is this enough my Queen?" Zedd asked himself. Everything was falling into place. This was by far the best result. "I finally have a chance," Zedd said to himself. "Instance Dungeon Creation!" This was his opportunity to get stronger. There was only a brief period of time, but that time was enough. In a burst of light, Zedd disappeared challenging the monsters he had created by himself.