“Remember, Young Prince, to never doubt the words of the Prophets. On the other hand, do not trust them even an ounce. Weigh them. Test them. Observe them. And, when the time comes, trust your own heart to act. This is the way of a true king, and the only real way to stay sane when contemplating the Prophecies.”

- Royal Tutor Severus, to a young King Galdrain.

Dawn Brightwater sat stiffly on the hard cold bench in the section of the outer ring reserved for those in the Society of Academic and Prophetics. As the newest ranking inner cabinet member of the society, she was obligated to attend meetings of the High Leaders called by the king. And, she was terrified, she had not known the King had such a temper. And, unfortunately that ire was directed at her section of seating. More specifically, her uncle, Loan Brightwater, head of the Research Studies department and Vice-chair of the head of the Society.

“What do you mean he ran off? How can a Chief councilor and the Head Prophet simply disappear?” King Galdrain spewed.

“I mean just that, your Majesty. When you summoned the Councilors, we all rushed here. On our way out of the society's hall, we went to retrieve Prophet Ludone, but instead all we found was this letter.” Her uncle held up a neatly pressed and sealed piece of parchment.

“Well, what does it say?”

“Ahem, well, Your Majesty, it is addressed to you. I assure you, none have read it. Especially given that it was sealed with a ninth-level blood sealing.”

Upon hearing that, the king’s anger froze. He spoke in a calm, measured tone, “Am I to assume that, given what you have said, the blood seal is meant for me?” Dawn hoped her uncle would live to see another day.

Her uncle, understanding perfectly the implications of his question, responded, “Yes, Your Majesty. Though I can assure you that we have no idea why Ludone did this, or how someone managed to get a sample of your blood. We have done a full scan of the document and there is nothing malicious or nefarious…. So long as you are the only one who opens it. I even brought the research team who completed the investigation and they can supply you with all the evidence you need.”

King Galdrain took in her uncle’s explanation, his hard blue eyes boring into Loan over steepled fingers. After minutes of staring and introspection, he turned to another seated at the table, “Tankor, investigate this. I want answers as to how and why this occurred. You have my permission to delve as deeply into the Society’s knowledge as you wish, though no conversations can be longer than an evening on the town.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Dawn gulped, Tankor was the Dominions spymaster, and any business he had with the Society did not bode well. He uncle thought the same, “Your Majesty, please. I assure you we have nothing to hide. We speak the truth! There is no need for this!”

“Good, then you won’t mind Tankor and his friends paying you a visit. Please make sure and follow his directions. Now, page, fetch the letter and bring it to me.”

Her uncle slumped in his seat, terrified of the man now giving him a half-lidded smile. A page ran up and swiped the letter out of his hands and rushed over to the king. Bowing, he presented it to him. Galdrain waved him away, and proceeded to open the letter. 

The letter itself was a fanciful affair. A large thick parchment folded at the corners, covered by a blood red seal of wax. The flip side had a name in artful cursive across the front, Darius Galdrain. On the left side hung a corded, silver tassel, which had a sharp needle hiding in its frayed end. Wasting no time, the King pricked his left thumb and pressed it to the blood seal. 

Dawn waited in anticipation to see the magic at work. She had heard of, and even seen a few sealed correspondences, but nothing as extravagant and potent as a ninth-level sealing. For a second, nothing happened, then a dull red glow began to emanate from the wax seal below the King’s finger. After about a minute, he removed his finger and a deep and ominous red light filled the entire Council Chamber. The wax itself became a bright beacon in the dim lighting, then liquified and transformed into a small, miniature man. The man bowed to the king, then opened the four folded corners of the note. After finishing, the wax then liquefied again and became a phoenix and flew up a few feet in the air. It gave a high, keening screech and then in a puff of light and sound it fizzled from existence. Dawn was transfixed by the display of creativity and magical control. She noticed, too, that the King sat more confused than angry, and silence filled the room.

The King reached for the letter to begin reading it. As he almost grabbed it, it shot from the table to hover a foot above and in the middle. It then folded itself into itself, becoming a sort of head. Everyone looked on in fascination and puzzlement at this newest turn of events. Then, it spoke as if someone were reading the letter:

My Dearest Galdrain,

I am sorry I was unable to attend this last council meeting. However, it would have done you and I no good. You would have become frustrated, and well let’s just say I’d be without a head. To avoid any unpleasantries, I wrote you a letter instead. Oh, and please don’t try to find me. Your little pet, Tankor, wouldn’t even know where to start and he would only leave pain and suffering in his path. No, let's just let bygones be bygones and move on with our lives. I assure you, after this letter you won’t hear from me again.

Now, I know you are aware of the difficulty that the Prophets have been having over the past centuries in predicting events. There was a time, just after the Great Injection of Mana into our world, that the Prophets enjoyed unprecedented clarity into the causal chain of events. Many leaders such yourself in fact had some sort of prophetic muscle. I believe the ancients called it Intuition, though it is unclear if they meant it in the same way that we use that borrowed word today.

Regardless, I am here to tell you that the phenomenon known as the Veil, the shroud that covers the future, is nearly impenetrable. No prophet worth his salt would dare speak otherwise. Now this might seem inconsequential, and if life were to go on it might just mean a bit more uncertainty in all our lives. Given the stability the Dominion provides I wouldn’t bother you with this knowledge. However, it is a far more dire omen than one might believe.

In order to fully grasp the ramifications, I require a bit of a history lesson. You see, back some few hundred thousand years ago, most archaeologists and historians agree some catastrophic event occurred. We don’t really have a clue what happened, though one thing is for certain: as a result, we gained exposure to Mana. Perhaps exposure caused the catastrophe, or the catastrophe brought with it mana. Regardless, the survivors of catastrophe, our forefathers came out of it with abilities and knowledge that we now count as mundane - the ability to interact with mana. Now, this might seem completely irrelevant, but I assure you it is not. For, there are ancient recordings and writings that list some type of vision that these first scions of ours received. Many describe its appearance differently, but all agree on one thing. Words that went something to the effect of: “System Initialization… 1%.”

Now, “What does some old historical gibberish have to do with anything relevant?” You might ask. Well, through the ages some of the descendents of those scions continued to receive this message, along with a unique ability to utilize a combination of their mana and lifeforce to follow the Causal Chain chain of events. That group of people became known as “The Prophets”. We are not a secret society, or anything so spectacular. No, we are merely a loosely affiliated group of like minds that work together for all of existence. Some are humans, others elven druids, orcish shamans, svartalfar warlocks, dwarven lore keepers, and more. Did you know that we all descend from those ancient forbearers? We in the affiliated prophets like to call them High-Humans… the progenitors of all! It was mana that evolved some of our ancestors into the races they are today. What am I saying, that isn’t important! Back on topic.

So, to recap, the prophets have lost their Foresight. They have received messages from some Heavenly being, and that message has slightly changed over time. Now, for the most important part… This past month, we received an urgent request to meet from one of our sisters, a Prophetess, and the call went to all and it was urgent. Naturally, we all convened in a mind-share, and received some new, yet dire news. This prophetess had received another message from the Heavens, but it was far different from anything we had expected: 

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

[System Initialization Complete… ]

[Planetary Ether saturation 100%...  Etheric Density Rating: B]

[System Invocation in progress… System Type: Agoran Stronghold v 1.2.3435]

[Prepare for Complete System Integration in… 30 Days]

[WARN: Lares-type Progenitors will awaken upon System Integration...]

[WARN: System Identified Etheric Condensate detected in Universe… Requesting Seeding Protocol… Received… Power-seeding Subroutine Initialized…. Etheric Density Upgraded to: Rank S]

[WARN: Due to power-seeding, all lifeforms will undergo drastic changes as etheric density rises. All system population centers with a system identified rating of: Village - Civilization will receive System aided protection for: 1 Earth Year]

[WARN: System aided protection nullified when population center is situated on a Domain of Power]

[System Request: Direct Scions of original inhabitants detected. Due to the cataclysmic rise in planetary ether levels, System registered pre-information download requested…. Received… Scions download initiated…. Complete...]

You see, Your Majesty. Something drastic has changed in our world. Whatsmore, after the prophetess read the ‘System Messages’ to us, we all received messages of our own… Copies of the first and then another:

[System Note: Start Pre-Information Download? Y/N]

After a bit of reflection, I realized the last note was a question this System wanted me to answer. Unsure of what it could mean, I waited to hear from my colleagues before answering this as a way to see if anything dangerous might take place. However, none answered my call. It was only after I decided to take a risk and answered in the affirmative that I understood. You see, I was sent a vision, and the news is even more dire than you can imagine, Your Majesty. I won’t go into the details of the vision, only what it means for our future:

* Over the next 30 days, the mana levels in our world will rise exponentially. Beasts, humans, ores, everything on the planet will undergo a forced evolution. Your strongholds and cities will be protect for 1 year by something termed: Sentinel Town Defense Array v2. I do not know that this means, only that it is meant to help prevent the extinction of our species

* This rising of the mana levels is due to the planet being seeded with ‘Etheric Condensate Cores’. These cores are also called ‘Domains of Power’ and provide the owner with unquantifiable benefits: Defensive Upgrades, Access to something called the Labyrinth, and the ability to have access to the Soul Void. Further, the core can be specialized to provide further benefits to the owner. Find one your majesty and defend it with your life.

* These Progenitors are the Domain’s guardians. They must be either killed, or made to serve to have access to the Domain. I would urge you to try and win one to your side. They seem to be powerful allies.

* With the introduction of the system, comes access to what are called Classes. This is a subsystem that allows individuals access to paths of power and growth. Nurture your citizens. Encourage them to grow. That is the only way we can survive this. Further, as a leader, you will be granted an honorary class: Sovereign. Take it and use it to rule!

* The domains of power are hidden. However, each prophet was given knowledge of one. I myself now know where to look. That is why I have disappeared, I am in search of one to help aid us in the coming strife.

Your Majesty, take my words to heart. The reason I did not hear from the other prophets: I suspect is they are searching for the places of power already. You see, Your Majesty, the one who controls all of them, will receive one diving boon: Immortality. This can only mean one thing. War is coming to the races. Prepare, have your people explore this class system and grow as quickly as possible, and in 30 days start searching for these Domains. Find them and protect them. Use it to grow your kingdom and save our people. 

In Haste,

High Prophet Windsom Lardan

Dawn sat stunned, along with the rest of the chamber as the talking paper mouth closed for the last time, then burned up in a flash of sparks and fire. Silence reigned for about ten minutes, no one saying anything about the display. BOOM! The king slammed his fist on the table, breaking the silence. Every person jumped at the sudden noise.

“What in all the stars is this, some kind of hoax?”

“Nay, Your Majesty.” Loan responded with a deep, seated bow. The Kings gaze bored into him.

“What do you mean?” He snapped.

“Dawn, come here, and bring your things.” Her uncle turned to her and beckoned her to come to the stage with him. All hundred eyes were focused on her at that moment. She started immediately sweating. She gulped and as if in a trance, gathered her things, pushed up her large glasses on her nose and walked down the stairs. As she approached, a guard stopped her from approaching the dais.

Turning to the King Loan replied, “Your Majesty, please let her approach. You will find interesting what my niece has to say, given what we just heard.” His eyes bored into Loan.

“This had better be worth my time,” He said in a low voice. Then nodded slightly at the guard.

The guard moved aside, and Dawn approached her uncle. He rose from his chair and moved out of the way. “Dawn, please take out your notes and place them on the table in front of you. I would like for you to explain what we discussed over dinner last night.” Nodding she obediently took her items from her bag and placed them on the table. Large scrolls, books, a compass and ruler, and a pair or reading glasses. Oh, why did she have to be blind as a bat? This was so embarrassing. The chamber was deathly silent.

“Now, Dawny, I want you to explain to His Majesty what it is you have been researching over the past few months.” She nodded, but the words froze in her mouth.

“Well, spit it out girl!” One of the councilors, she thought he was the head of the Mercantile guild, said.

“Y-yes, y-yes of course! You see, I am a mana studies and mana accumulation researcher. I specialize in analyzing artifacts, plants, and animals and the effect mana has on them.”

“That is all well and good, but please get to the point… Dawn.” The King sounded annoyed.

“Yes, yes. I’m sorry your Majesty! You see. A few days ago, I was researching a piece of unknown ore. It was mana-inert, which means-”

“We can all guess what that means. To the point!” The fat merchant exclaimed.

“Of course, of course.” She took out a scroll of parchment, unrolled it on the desk and used some of her books as paper weights, “You see, we test all artifacts for mana-concentration upon their arrival into the Archives. The piece of ore in question was mana-less and went into the mundane section. However, we noticed after a few days some anomalous behaviour. So we double-checked the artifact, and found that it was no longer mana-less. Even more amazing, the mana concentration of other objects started to rise. 

“We have been recording the tested mana concentration of the artifact over the past few days and, as this graph details, it is rising. We were surprised by this, but what was even more astounding was that all artifacts over the past three days have had increased concentration levels across the board. What’s more, they all follow the same pattern - an exponential curve, though if I were to guess I would say it turns logistic at around day 15 or so since the mana-levels, if the prior… letter… is to be believed. Given we’ve noticed this behavior over the past three days. I would say we are into day 3 of mana-saturation. So we have 27 days or so remaining.”

“Pass me that paper.” The king said. She handed it to the councilor next to her until it reached the king. He examined it for a moment.

“Is it safe to assume all quantities start from the same base, or will they end at higher concentrations given their starting points?”

Dawn was surprised at Galdrain’s probe. It was far more insightful than she had expected from, “The latter, Your Majesty. And, if I might add, the higher the starting density the steeper the exponential curve if I were to guess.”

“Interesting… hmmm… That does not bode well for us.” He muttered, more to himself than the group around him. He looked up and his penetrating gaze bore into Dawn, “Good job…”

She recognized he was looking for her form of address, “Researcher Stillbright, Your Majesty.”

“... Researcher Brightwater. I would like you to keep up this work. You will send me daily progress reports, and I would like you and your uncle to attend a private audience with me in a week to discuss your findings in more detail.” He turned to her uncle, “And you, Loan, You are now the new Head of the Society. Please make sure your relations’ work proceeds with all haste.”

Loan bowed, “Of course, Your Majesty.” Dawn gasped at her uncle’s sudden promotion. Not in a thousand stars did she expect him to become one of the leading figures in the empire, let alone be responsible for something seen directly by the King.

Galdrain turned to the left, “Generals, while I am still uncertain as to the voracity of these claims, we will not be caught on the back foot--” Just then, the doors to the chamber burst open and a man in a dust covered uniform burst through the door. The guards brandished their weapons.

“Your highness, an orcish horde was seen amassing on the western border, near Baron Indaril’s lands!”

Dawn gulped, hoping that this was all just a bad dream.