Mugarde, a realm rife with natural wonder, diverse life, and unnatural power around every corner. Having been blessed by the gods millenia ago, the realm grew with each century as discoveries and disasters struck the land.

However, as the gods’ races spread throughout the world, an inhuman power began to grow in the world. Beasts began to grow rampant, lashing out against any sentient that passed their path. The lands began to warp, forming beings from wood, stone and magic itself that fought against explorers.

With the world seeming to fight back against all known civilization, all pretense of order fell apart with the rise of the first Darklord. A callous being altered by magic, he commanded thirteen Fell Generals to conquer the world under his rule. His forces tore through the world like a wildfire, his very conquest splitting his home continent into three.

Fearful of what he might do to the world at large, the races of the gods banded together and fought against them. For over two centuries, Mugarde was rife with conflict, each massive battle altering the landscape permanently.

As the gods neared their limits, the tide of the war was turned around with the arrival of the First Hero. Having arrived from distant lands, he traveled with a party of mighty companions and unraveled the schemes the Darklord had made across the land. After becoming as powerful as kings through his travels, the First Hero carved a path through the Darklord’s forces, going after each of his leaders. Once the Generals were defeated, he finally managed to slay the foul king in the tyrant’s own castle. However, with his final attack, the First Hero vanished from the world, turning the conflict into a pyrrhic victory.

While the dark king had been slain, the world was still embroiled with conflict and disorder. The kingdoms worked their best to fix it, but each resolution seemed to cause three new problems to appear elsewhere. With the nations stretched thin, the gods gathered together and planned. After much discussion, they finally agreed to look to the stars and created a pact. With the divine pantheons working together, they began to imbue the world with more Heroes.

From the mighty capitals to the farthest villages, these blessed beings have become a balancing force throughout the world. Their looks, personalities and skills are as diverse as the colors of the light spectrum. With there being no reason to how and when a new one appears, how can mortal eyes tell what the next one will be like?

Only the gods know for certain…

----------------------------------------

Cerulean flames dimly lit the room as a figure knelt down, leaning over a pool of silver liquid. As they reached for a brazier, their body was illuminated in the ceremonial flames, revealing a feminine figure wrapped in robes. Her silver locks were painted in the light as she cradled the flames before she slowly began to wave it over the pool by the chains built into it.

“Ist’ro vumal ist. Gho’vu dem rohs vetil,” she slowly chanted, ripples of immaterial light spiraling through the air. As the light touched the pool, a metallic-white pattern began to form over the surface, turning it from a tranquil liquid to a rippling pattern of water and magic. Once the woven path of magic was complete, the woman crouched down and placed a hand on the surface.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

“By my domain, let me see the path the new Hero travels,” she intoned, and closed her eyes to focus. As she gathered herself, she saw the world begin to form around her. Through the silver haze, she slowly noticed the overhanging signs… The glimmer of lantern light and the faint odor of spilled ale…

A hand suddenly fell on her shoulder, earning a girlish scream as she snapped out of her trance. She momentarily flailed about at the unexpected content, throwing the ceremonial burner into the pool.

Seeing her hard work broken, the silver-haired woman snapped her head towards them and sharply glared at the intruder. “Must you always come in uninvited, Siconnuc?” She shot out, emerald-green eyes narrowed at them.

The man chuckled and set his goblet of wine down on a marble shelf. “That depends, Delphi - When will you ever get a door?” he shot back, literal golden eyes glimmering with amusement. He glanced at the now disturbed pool, he clicked his tongue before sitting down on the other side. “Granted, with how things have been developing recently, I suspect that you’ll be getting a good number of visitors soon,” he chimed, earning a drawn-out groan.

“Oh, great…” she hissed, leaning backwards while her hands came up to cover her eyes. She laid on the ground for several seconds before she finally sat back up. “So, what is it this time? Another seal is about to break? A new general is about to rise up? Some star-crossed lovers about to cause a civil war from a forbidden relationship?” She asked in rapid succession.

Rather than confirming anything, Siconnuc simply shrugged her questions off. “Wish I could say, but the gods on the High Council are being rather quiet right now,” he commented, lax in actions despite the information he dumped on her.

As he pulled out a golden apple, he added, “Granted, it won’t be for a few years, but given how I saw them bring in Aossi and the Wordsmith, it won’t be pretty.” Siconnuc took a hearty bite out of his fruit, then gave Delphi a speculative look. “I don’t suppose you have gained any insight of what’s coming?”

Delphi snorted at his question and grabbed a juicy pomegranate from a plate. “I’m a goddess of worldly knowledge, not magic and foresight,” she shot back, peeling the fruit open, “If I knew what was coming up, I’d be on the Council centuries ago!”

Siconnuc chuckled at her answer before he leaned over the silver pool. “Tell me, Delphi - How is our current prodigy coming along?” he asked, looking down into the water.

Delphi paused, her mouth full of red seeds. After quickly swallowing, she sat down before rubbing her cheek in thought. “Well, I couldn’t get a solid look. Especially since someone decided to interrupt me halfway through my magic,” she commented, giving Siconnuc a glare before she added, “However, from what I saw, it seems that he’s left the kingdom proper. He was in a guild hall, but it looks like he’ll be hunting a marsh boar.”

She glanced back at the pool, and a small smile graced her lips. “At this rate, he’ll likely be able to hunt northern wyverns in a year without breaking a sweat,” she mused, glancing into thin air as she fantasized about his path, “It’s surprising at how fast he’s grown recently.”

Siconnuc nodded along to her words, then stood up. “I’ll believe it when I see it. So long as we don’t have to keep relying on outside help anymore, I won’t be complaining,” he commented, and began to leave. As he stopped in the doorway though, he turned back with a grin and added, “However, before you go meet with the others, you may want to clean up first.”

Delphi tilted her head in confusion at his comment. When she checked her face in the pool, she let out a fearful shriek at the sight of red fruit stains streaked across her cheeks and chin. She jumped to her feet, and ran from the room in a hurry, leaving the flames to burn out by themselves.