3.

Alaric slowly opened his eyes. The cloudy sky and his cobblestone house came into view. He could hear someone sniffling to his right side. Realisation swiftly hit him, he got up and rushed down the stone steps past the figure that sat there and viciously began to throw up onto the gravel.

“ A-Alaric...You...alive.”

Alaric recognized the voice but remained hunched over heaving. Alaric looked like a mess. His white linen shirt had been stained red. His hands and a portion of his face was bloodied. Alaric took a few moments to recompose himself and then turned to face the figure behind him. Florian’s face had been damp, most probably from the tears, thought Alaric. Florian ran up towards him and embraced him tightly.

“Thank heavens, I...thought you were gone.” Florian cried into his shoulder.

He gently rubbed the back of Florian's head.

He waited for Florian to compose himself before letting go of his embrace.

“Where is Ashe?” Alaric asked.

“I left her at the southern entrance of town,” Florian whispered.

Alaric nodded and headed off. He avoided the corpses as he walked. He dared not to look at any of the familiar faces on the ground. He had a glance at a deceased caster, his body began trembling and he struggled to breathe. Alaric steeled himself and continued forward.

He saw the figure of Ashe right where Florian said he left her. She sat on the ground with her knees tucked firmly behind her arms, she buried her face into her knees. Alaric walked up to her and crouched before her.

“This must be equally as terrifying as that spider, to have you this stunned,” Alaric said. He had tried to make a joke but he couldn’t hide the tremble in his voice. Ashe looked up towards him. Her once vibrant face was completely replaced by a distraught one.

“A-A-A” She had struggled to speak.

“It is okay, don’t speak.”

Alaric turned so his back faced Ashe. She knew what this meant, when they were kids she always enjoyed the piggyback rides he would give her. She wrapped herself onto Alaric’s back and he swiftly stood up.

“Keep your eyes closed, okay?”

Ashe nodded as she closed her eyes tightly.

They met up with Florian then entered their house.

Ashe dashed straight to her room.

Florian and Alaric stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"What happens now," Florian whispered.

"Wait here while I go find freshwater to wash up."

Florian nodded slowly.

A few moments later, Alaric returned with two wooden buckets filled with water. Florian noticed that Alaric had removed his bloodied shirt and walked bare-chested. He examined Alaric's body for wounds but found none.

"What are we going to do about them?" Florian asked.

"I will handle it, just try to get some rest," Alaric answered.

Three days passed at a snail's pace for Florian. He had been immensely exhausted due to the lack of sleep he got. No one spoke a word to each other, they barely ate. The only person to have left the house had been Alaric. A knock came from his door, followed by Alaric's muffled voice.

"Downstairs, now."

By the time Florian reached the bottom floor, Alaric and Ashe had already been seated on their respectful wooden chairs. They had both looked exhausted. Ashe sat with her bare feet on the chair making herself as small as possible. Florian sat on the chair next to hers opposite Alaric.

"What is this all about?" Florian asked.

"We cannot continue as we have, we must speak about what occurred," Alaric answered.

Florian agreed with this.

"What did you do with the bodies?" Ashe's voice came in a whisper.

"I have burnt them."

Ashe nodded at Alaric's response.

"What happened to our town?" Florian asked.

Alaric broke eye contact with him, out of the corner of his eye Florian could notice Alaric clenching his fists. This must be hard for him.

"We got attacked..." They waited for him to continue.

"Casters from the mainland. They ambushed us and used some sort of magic to propel rocks through the chest of the villagers."

"How'd the casters die?" Florian asked.

Alaric was uncomfortable; he shifted many times in his chair.

"The...villagers fought back. It was almost as if they were prepared for this very moment to occur. Alas, they died trying to protect me. Losing the majority of their men, the remaining casters fled leaving me alive." This was not the whole truth. Then Ashe brought up something that plagued Florian's mind as well.

"You knew about the attack, did you not?"

Alaric paused then nodded.

Florian rushed to his feet and grabbed Alaric by the collar of his shirt.

"Why...why did you not warn everyone, why only protect the two of us? This town has been our home for many years!" Tears streamed as he yelled.

"Your home but never my home," Alaric whispered.

As soon as the words left Alaric's mouth he felt a force hit the left side of his face. Florian had punched him square in the jaw. He was about to go for another before Ashe got in between them.

After a moment Alaric spoke up.

"Old Dunstan visited early that morning. He had told me that some of the fishermen had spotted a foreign ship that was approaching the island. He said that I should hide within the forest along with the two of you."

"You should have just told us," Ashe whispered.

"Why did you stay in the town when you got the warning," Florian asked.

Alaric was about to answer when the doors to the home swung open.

Priest Able walked into his home flanked by two identical muscular men. His black robe swayed steadily with the wind, his usual slick thin grey hair was ruffled by the forces of nature. He watched his beloved children as he walked leisurely towards them. Ashe rushed up and embraced him. He wrapped his arms around her.

"It seems as if the situation has turned rather dire," Able said as he glanced at his other two children. They had both been staring daggers at the men flanking him.

"Fret not my dear children. These two men are my dear associates. To my left stands Eros and to my right, Anteros. It will bode well for you to treat them with a little bit of respect."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The two men said nothing, they had been eyeing Alaric with a smile on their face.

Ashe had moved to the side of Able. "Where have you been?" She asked.

"My dear Ashe, during my time within the mainland I had heard word spread that the king intends to raid Diable Island. I rapidly called for my two associates and headed here alas it would seem I was too late," Able explained. "Was Dunstan able to send you a warning?"

Alaric nodded at him, clearly still wary of the twins.

“It is quite a shame the old fool had to die then.” “It appears that now might be the correct time for the three of you to commence your mission.”

“Mission?” Alaric gave him a questioning look.

“Yes, there had been a reason I brought you three to Diable Island. I will explain shortly, firstly I would like to gather my things.” Able motion to the twins and they followed him upstairs.

Moments later they had returned, Eros and Anteros carried a wide wooden box between them. It seemed immensely heavy as the two muscular men struggled to carry it. They placed it in front of the three confused members of the house. Able followed shortly after them, a rolled-up parchment under his right arm and three velvet boxes that he struggled to balance within his hands. The twins removed the boxes from his hands. “Thank you” Able then took the parchment and unrolled it onto the large box. It had been familiar to all of them. It showed the continent that they lived upon.

“Before I explain your mission, I would like to reiterate the history of the land we call Hominus.” “Hominus hadn’t always been separated in two. It had been one large mass filled with many different races and countries. Alongside Drakenskav to the west and Ysgafyn to the northeast, the realm as we know it had been at peace. Five thousand years ago, however, calamity struck within Hominus. The land itself broke into pieces, and vile dark creatures emerged from the cracks between the land. Creatures we call ‘The Nixum’. The shapeshifting creatures nearly destroyed half of the life on Hominus. As the Nixum emerged, Drakenskav with their incredible technology erected a forcefield around their land. Ysgafyn had closed off their borders, leaving poor Hominus to waste away.”

Ashe, Florian and Alaric listened intently as they watched the man who raised them explain history.

"The fire of this land was about to be extinguished when suddenly a young human man emerged showing incredible and mystical powers. This young man was known to everyone as Heinzidal the Saviour. He had fought the Nixum using his abilities. One day he had fought the largest and fiercest Nixum ever witnessed. The battle raged on for days, It had decimated the lands between West and East Hominus leaving only a single island. Both Heinzidal and the Nixum had been killed at the end of it. Saddened by the loss of their saviour and the threat of the Nixum still about, the people of Hominus thought it had been the end. Alas, Heinzidal had offspring that showcased the exact powers he had once wielded. As the generations continued it had seemed that anyone born from the line of Heinzidal had the ability to wield the power. This was how Hominus got introduced to Casters."

"What does this have to do with us?" Florian asked.

"It has everything to do with you, my dear son. For you, three will have to save the world once again."

The statement had stunned them. Able chuckled before continuing.

"With the Nixum threat contained, Hominus was at peace for four thousand years. However, under the rule of the then King Balthander, the peace fell. He had ordered that all non-powered individuals, whom he called Mysurs, be subjugated to only slave work. Thus the great Zidal Empire became the home of oppression. The other races that resided on West Hominus fled to Ysgafyn. The Sku'al on East Hominus was not that lucky, however. Before King Balthander passed on he had cursed the land with a powerful cast. The cast blocked any child that was born from a caster-mysur relationship from wielding the power. These half-breeds or cursed children are usually killed or exiled. But you would know all about that wouldn't you Alaric?"

Alaric could sense the stares he received but he just nodded along.

"The casters of the empire monopolised Hominus, Diable Island was our last free land until they took that away from us. Those blue-robed casters were soldiers from the imperial force sent to eliminate us."

"That is nice and all but how do we fit into the picture?" Alaric asked.

"You three will be responsible for freeing the mysurs from the clutches of King Godric and imperial forces."

"Impossible, we are just three mysurs." Alaric scoffed.

Able began laughing loudly, the twins followed after him laughing as well.

The rest looked between each other with confusion.

"We have a plan of course. It would be foolish to make an enemy out of the entire continent without a well thought out plan." As Able spoke the twins laid out the three velvet boxes over the map.

"And what if we do not want to take part in your plan?" Alaric asked.

"Then you are welcome to remain living with the ghosts of Diable Island."

Ashe's eyes lit up by this.

"Does this mean we get to go to the mainland?" She asked.

"Yes, my dear. You may not all want to participate in this plan but I know all of you have a reason to journey to the mainland." Able then began to point at Ashe.

"Freedom." He then pointed at Florian.

"Revenge for destroying your beloved community." He then pointed at Alaric and smiled.

"Answers."

One of the twins opened the velvet boxes. It revealed three golden amulets each had ten small black jewels positioned in concentric circles.

"What are these supposed to be," Florian asked.

"Power. It is called a Rixa amulet. A rare artefact that gives the wearer power that rivals that of the casters. Try it on."

After a brief moment of scepticism, Alaric made the first movement. He had grabbed the amulet closest to him. The amulet had been connected to a thin gold chain. Alaric slowly placed the amulet around his neck.

The world went dark for Alaric, his home replaced by a dark abyss. He attempted to move his body but he felt sluggish. It was a familiar feeling, it felt as if he had been underwater. Alaric tried to move his body upwards but paused as he heard a sound. He had not been alone. He slowly turned to face the opposite direction. This had been when he had noticed it. Three larger than life eyes stared back at him. Alaric had been a speck of dust compared to one of the eyeballs. The iris of the eyes had been a dark shade of red. Its pupils had been sharp. Alaric had tried to move away from the mysterious creature but was pulled towards it via some sort of black tendrils until darkness had completely enveloped him.

He woke up to the concerned faces of Florian and Ashe. He had been drenched in sweat lying on the stone floor.

"What happened?" Florian asked.

"Do not be alarmed, it is simply the Rixa amulet binding with one's soul," Able explained.

Alaric did not feel anything different, he took a glance at the amulet around his neck. Half of the black jewels now shone a bright yellow.

Alaric then got back onto his feet and sat back down on his chair.

"Do you feel anything...special?" Ashe asked.

Alaric shook his head.

Florian put on one of the amulets. Alaric watched as his body went into shock. His eyes rolled back until only white remained. He then fell to the floor shaking vigorously. Alaric watched him with concern. After a minute he had completely stopped and returned to consciousness. Alaric helped him to his feet. His amulet shone with a green light.

Ashe seemed cautious about taking the final amulet.

"What is amiss, my dear?" Able asked.

Ashe shook her head.

"I am just a little afraid."

Florian then placed his hand on her shoulder and nodded. This had seemed to give her more courage and eventually she took the amulet. She had experienced the same event as the rest of them. Her amulet shone green as well.

"Before we commence, I will have to warn you that once the Rixa separates from your body it will take your soul with it. You should never remove it."

Rage washed over Alaric's face as he dashed to his feet staring into Able's eyes.

"Before you, outrage, answer me this. Would you have put it on the amulet if you had known the consequences?" Able asked.

Florian pulled Alaric back into his seat.

"If you ever pull something like that again, I will never forgive you," Alaric said.

Able scoffed.

"Be careful with how you speak to me, boy. Do not forget that I was the one to raise you."

"What do we need to do now?" Ashe asked.

"Simple, we train you how to use the amulet effectively." Able motioned to the twins.

The twins then removed everything that lay on top of the box and then opened the box. Revealing many different weapons from shortswords, spears and sickles to polearms and even a pitchfork.

Godric sat comfortably on his throne admiring the structure of the room. He had designed the entirety of the room himself and he could never be prouder. For in this room he was invincible, there was nothing this world could offer that would faze him as long as he was in this room. Godric had spiky, grey hair. His eyes had shone a cold blue. His face had been wrinkled however the most standout feature had been the large scar across his nose. He was dressed in full body armour, it had been mostly silver with a few blue accents. His admiration stopped when the large metal doors swung open. An old man, dressed in a velvet tunic. The old man bowed before Godric.

"My lord, I have a few soldiers that returned from our attack on the Scaev on Diable island." The old man spoke with confidence.

"Good, I have been waiting to hear of our triumphant victory. Send them in, Dalton," Godric instructed. His voice had been very deep and commanding.

"Very well, my lord." Dalton left the room and returned shortly after with two soldiers. They looked incredibly terrified. Strange, I sent twenty soldiers to the island. Godric thought.

The two men still dressed in their blue robes bowed before Godric. One of the soldiers then spoke.

"My King, the Scaev on the island, had been successfully eliminated."

"What happened to the rest of your party?" Godric asked.

Both soldiers swallowed heavily.

"They were brutally massacred, my lord. We only escaped because he let us."

"Who massacred my men?" Godric asked angrily.

"He called himself, Jerial. He was an incredibly powerful caster."

Godric had been stunned. He began rubbing at the scar across his face.

"Dalton."

"Yes, my lord?" Dalton had been equally stunned.

"Call for a meeting, I do not care what they are doing. Gather the Great Lords. " Godric ordered. He looked completely enraged.