PROLOGUE - BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA
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On a stone balcony attached to large keep, a young, slim figure was leaning on the stone railings as the amber sun slowly descent down the tall, distant mountains. The cool breeze caressed her face and blew through her long silver hair, making it flutter around in the air. Her pale amethyst eyes showed tranquillity as she calmly look over the large darkening city below her.
Since it was starting to get dark, the magic lamps built by the streets has been poured with condensed qi, making it faintly glow azure under the golden rays of the sun. The shops and recreational areas has started to close it's doors as the city residents began to head home. It was the same thing that repeated over and over again within the city walls ever since the city, Saorun, came to be millenniums ago.
It was peaceful, yet melancholic at the same time.
The girl then sighed at the thought and then laid her head on her arms. She closed her eyes and began to slowly drift into a trance like state. However, just as she was about to fall asleep, she felt a presence slowly move towards her from behind.
The girl slowly lifted her head and turned her head towards the presence. When she got a good look at the person, her eyes flashed a hint of surprise, but it slowly dissipated back into calmness.
"Uncle, what may you be doing here?" she asked politely as she elegantly turned her entire body around to face the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man, Augustus Remirium, was once a powerful soldier of the army and has climb in the ranks up to Lieutenant General before retiring due to his injuries. After he retired, due to his efforts while serving the military, he was given land within the wealthier inner district of the city. Thereafter, since he had nothing to do, the king asked him to guard his daughter, in which he humbly pledged to protect her from there after.
Even though Augustus had lost his right eye, arm and parts of his internal organs, he was once a revered {3rd Rank Platinum Fighter}. Unless the enemy was of equal rank or higher, they would not be able to take him down unscathed. This was why the king entrusted him with that job as he can't spare any other powerful soldiers due to the neighbouring empires becoming restless nowadays.
"I could be saying the same for you, your Highness." Augustus sighed, "We have to prepare your coming of age ceremony in the coming month, and yet you're here daydreaming your fantasies."
"How rude, Uncle!" the girl huffed as she stared back at her uncle with feign malice. "I'm merely here to cool off my head as everything in my life has become extreme busy due to my fifteenth birthday coming soon, nothing else. Also, I believe that I told you to call me by my name if there's no one around. I dislike being called 'your Highness' as I have a name for that purpose."
"Yes, yes, your Highn-, Sylvia..." Augustus corrected himself, "Anyways, you should know very well that this isn't the time to dally around. We still haven't pick a dress for you to wear."
"Isn't this dress enough?" Sylvia asked as she twirled her silky white empire dress with delicate-looking silver rose motifs around the slightly bulging chest area and near the bottom of the skirt.
Augustus examined Sylvia from the top of her head to her feet, however, he just shook his head.
"I'm afraid that it may be a bit too plain to the eyes of nobles." Augustus told Sylvia with a shrug.
"I thought so..." Sylvia sighed, "I'm starting to wish that I could enter my fantasies right now."
Right when Sylvia said that, her uncle showed a face of pity.
"Sylvia, I know that you really want to be an adventurer from the time I told you about my adventurer days from the past, but that dream is naught but a foolish fantasy. The king, his Highness, will never allow it."
"I acknowledge that, but one day, once I gain scholarship and graduate from the Arcane Magicka branch of the Crimson Empyrean Academy in the capital city, Albatross, he will have no choice but to make me an adventurer." Sylvia confidently told him.
"You're not even an adult and you're ambitions are already that big." Augustus told Sylvia in wonder. "Only the genius of geniuses are accepted in that academy. Not only that, but due to the strict teachings they do there, only a handful of them graduate. Our city has sent countless amounts of geniuses to the Crimson Empyrean Academy throughout the millenniums, but sadly, only just short of a thousand graduated. Are you sure you are confident enough?"
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"Uncle, I know that you only want me to be safe, but this is my dream and I want to achieve it, no matter what cost; be it my status or my life." Sylvia told her uncle without a hint of hesitation, "My private tutor said I'm special as my qi capacity is twice as large as a normal person's and my affinity towards both fire and water spirits are extraordinary. Though fire and water contradicts themselves making them a useless mix, when used separately, I could utilise them better than a normal {Spiritualist}. With these, I'm sure I'll be able to at least past the scholarship test."
Augustus then realised how much Sylvia was passionate about this. He began to look at Sylvia through a new light. Normally when she is with a family member or anyone else other than him, she is always polite and passive. She rarely talks and speaks with facial expressions and hand gestures. However, right now, she is neither of those. Sylvia is still courteous, however she is being assertive as well. She is also being very talkative while speaking out her dreams and ambitions. It's like she is a whole new person. That's why Augustus just shrugged his shoulders and decided to gave up.
"If you're that confident with yourself, then it would not simply be me if I were to stop your dreams." Augustus sighed.
"Thank you, Uncle." Sylvia spoke softly with a smile.
After that, Sylvia turned around and leaned on the stone railings once again. She looked at the buildings below again, however, during the small chatter she had with her uncle, the sun had already set and darkness quickly engulfed the land. But with the magic lamps and flame torches below and on the stone keep illuminating most of the city, the darkness never overtook the entire city.
Augustus soon followed and leaned on the railings right beside her. It was quiet for a long time with the wind and the occasional talks from the civilians below the only source of noise that can be heard. But after a while, Augustus finally broke the silence.
"Can you feel it as well, Sylvia?" Augustus asked in a solemn voice.
Sylvia's expression didn't change, but her eyes betrayed her as a hint of dismay quickly shone across it. Truth to be told, she had felt a weird disturbance in the air lately but couldn't find a reason for it. She hasn't told anyone as of yet because it would either give them some unnecessary fear. Or, they wouldn't believe her at all. However, Sylvia decided that it should be fine to tell her uncle about it.
"Yes, Uncle." Sylvia softly replied, "This feeling that I'm getting... I believe that change is about to happen in our world, and I have a feeling it won't be a simple one."
"I concur. This feeling that you talk about has been felt by only a small portion of people in our city. Most of them are Platinum ranked or higher Combatants like me." he paused, "I'm surprised you knew of it was well, considering you're only an {4th Rank Silver Spiritualist}."
"Like my tutor said multiple times during our lessons, I'm a special person." Sylvia humphed.
"Yes, yes, you are very special..." Augustus replied as he patted her head with his large hand.
Sylvia smiled again and looked towards the dark mountain range in the distance. Her smile slowly fell down as her expression turned tense.
She glumly looked at her uncle and asked, "Do you think we'll be alright?"
Her uncle didn't reply for as he looked as if he didn't hear her. But after a while, Sylvia realised that her uncle was actually thinking hard about the question she inquired. Finally, Augustus replied in a solemn but reassuring voice.
"I don't know what fate has got in stored for us, but the only thing we can do right now is to hope for the best."
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Author's Note: Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed the start of my new story. There are many things that I'm not very experienced with in terms of story making, but learning them through experience is the reason on why I began writing in the first place.
07/04/2016 - Did some minor changes. Nothing too much right now, but it will affect how the story will turn out in the future.
07/09/2016 - Moved
07/15/2016 - Final update to this chapter/prologue. This will completely change the future of the story now. I may fix somethings here and there, but not as major as now.