In life, one’s fate is neither predetermined or expected to follow a set, linear path.

Such applies to a kingdom hidden within the continent of Snardentus. It was large and ever expansive, holding a form of supernatural power unfathomable to the rest of the known world. Each of its many denizens held this power from birth, and for that reason, their existence needed to be kept secret.

And for hundreds upon thousands of years, they managed to do just that without error.

However, all of that changed during one single night; a night which would forever change the fate of the Gamma Kingdom from then on.

It started off eerily quiet. Apart from the chirps of distant fauna, not a sound could be heard. Even the soldiers guarding each watchtower paid no attention to what was going on. They simply gazed at the surrounding area, making certain the Gamma Royal Palace was protected from potential threats.

This palace was home to the Gamma Kingdom’s current ruler, Lanctern Leoto, and his family. It was a fairly massive facility built from a mix of mechanical and magical elements, all of which were either painted purple, magenta, or white. Each side contained twin towers, which both sported tuning forks on top. These forks seemed to brim with purple, otherworldly energy that permeated around them. In front of its pyramidic ceiling, the Gamma Kingdom’s symbol, an upside down loop with twin threads, resided there. It was golden yellow with a small purple diamond imbedded in the center.

Suddenly, small sparks began to reverberate from each of the palace’s towers. It was steady at first, but within mere seconds, the sparks grew larger and more erratic in nature. They imploded to the size of electric spheres, causing some visible damage to the spires containing them.

This behavior seemed to be in response to a nearby pulsation of unimaginable power; and whatever that power originated from was coming in fast.

A soldier noticed this overwhelming buildup of energy from his watchtower.

“What’s going on down there?” He nudged his partner, pointing directly toward the palace.

“I don’t know,” The other soldier shrugged. “Looks like someone from inside the castle is charging up their—”

The soldiers were too late to realize what was going on.

Almost instantaneously, the palace’s entrance glowed a faint purple before being consumed in a fiery explosion. It blasted the closest towers to smithereens, and sent out an intense shockwave that knocked both soldiers off their feet. Due to knocking their heads against one another, the two weren’t conscious enough to sound an alarm in time.

Pillars of smoke fizzled out of the open doorway as a resulting fire was set alight. From out of the flames, a man leapt forward. He wore a tattered red cloak that covered most of his upper body. His head was covered by a purple, angular helmet that wrapped around his chin and head. In place of his ears, golden, plated coverings with antennae sticking out were present. They partly acted like headphones in terms of general functionality, but were still used for a much different purpose. The man also had long, light brown hair that was spiked up on the top and flowed downward in the back.

He seemingly floated in the air while jumping from the burning entrance. His arm was encased in an iron gauntlet that emitted a similar glow to the palace doors before they exploded. It was covered by a purple aura that flickered on and off like that of a common light switch. It appeared that this sheer amount of energy, after causing such a devastating implosion, was beginning to dwindle ever-so-slightly.

Grimacing, the man rocketed forward. He slammed his palm onto the ground, producing some cracks in the palace’s tiled flooring. He then picked himself off the ground to inspect the condition of his gauntlet.

“Damn! My Eun levels are falling by the second.”

He clenched his fist in frustration. There was a yellow sphere imprinted into the center of his palm.

“Allimon help us all…”

Silently praying to the world’s supposed creator, Refugus turned around to inspect the damages of the palace doors. Plumes of black smoke billowed into the air amongst white-hot flames.

His cloak blew in the wind as he took a deep breath. He narrowed his eyes, feeling impatient towards something or someone in close proximity.

“Lancer! Lanosis!” The man shouted. “Let’s go!”

Two figures emerged from the flames relatively unscathed. One was an eleven year old boy with fiery yellow and orange hair. His eyes appeared to be the same shade of orange, and he wore a white tunic with purple highlights. Wrapped around his neck was a long scarf that hung from the neckdown.

The other boy was a bit older at around thirteen years old. He wore an armored shirt with purple shoulder pads and white sleeves that slightly extended past his wrists. More interesting was the fact that his hair, although still similar to fire, was almost bronze and red in color. His eyes, filled with some form of deep-seeded rage, were red too.

Jumping from the doors in unison, both kids landed in front of the man on their knees. Lancer almost fell over upon landing, but he quickly recovered.

Lanosis, upon standing up straight, pointed at the man in annoyance. “Alright, Refugus. Could you please tell us what the hell is going on?”

“Yeah, first you rush us out of our rooms in the middle of night and then blow up the front entrance with a Gamma Blast. What’s up with that?” Lancer asked.

Refugus stood still, looking down at the ground with a sorrowful expression on his face.

“Your father, the king…” He grit his teeth. “…is dead.”

The brothers’ eyes widened in shock. This was the last piece of information they expected to hear.

Lancer collapsed onto the floor. Fresh tears began to fall. “Dad… is dead? No… It can’t be…”

His older brother reacted more extremely. He tightly balled his fists and shook with anger.

“Who’s the bastard that did this?! Tell me!”

Refugus sighed. “I’m just as in the dark about this situation as you two. All I know is that Queen Lanalee requested that you be put under my protection in the event of another assassination attempt.”

“Wait! You talked with mom!? Where is she? Is she safe—” Lancer stammered.

Refugus held a hand in front of him.

“I’m sorry, Lancer, but there’s no time to think about that right now. My job is to keep you and Lanosis safe, and, as your uncle, I intend to fulfill that request no matter the costs.”

“But—”

Refugus placed a finger over his lips. He looked from side to side, making certain that their actions weren’t being monitored by any guards or whoever managed to usurp the Gamma Kingdom’s throne.

Hearing only the faint crackle of the palace’s flames, Refugus nodded his head. “Follow my lead and don’t fall behind.”

“R-Right.” The princes agreed.

Maintaining focus, Refugus surrounded his body in a purple aura and ran forward at superhuman speeds.

Lancer took one last look at the remains of what used to be his home. He had lived in that palace for his entire life and now, almost in an instant, those days were over.

Lanosis gently rested a hand on his brother’s shoulder. He was experiencing similar emotions.

“Come on. We need to hurry.”

“Okay.”

They both used what little Eun they had to keep up with Refugus’s pace. Hidden in the shadows of the moonlit sky, the trio dashed past various buildings and castles that were constructed hundreds of years prior.

“Where to next, Uncle Refugus?” Lanosis yelled. His voice was slightly muffled by the wind.

“We’re going to cross the Gamma Kingdom’s northmost border!” Refugus replied. “There, lies the edge of an energy barrier separating our home continent from the rest of the world.”

“You mean, we’re actually going… out there?” Lancer gasped. His mother told him stories about there being other lands similar to Snardentus, but he had no idea where they were or what they could be like.

“I know it seems scary, but we’re all out of options at the moment. I’ve been out there on a few scouting missions and it’s not as dangerous as you assume.”

“Will we be able to come back?” Lanosis asked.

Refugus shook his head. “To be honest, kid, after today, I don’t even think there will be a kingdom worth coming back to in the first place.”

Lanosis clicked his tongue in disgust; mainly towards himself. Damnit. I feel completely helpless.

He clenched one of his fists and glared down at it.

Everything I know and love is being destroyed before my very eyes and… and…

Bitter tears trickled down his cheeks. Just seeing Lancer’s sad frown made him all the more frustrated with his lack of strength and reliability.

I’m too weak to do anything about it! He quickly wiped away the tears with his sleeve. What kind of sorry excuse for a prince and older brother does that make me?

No matter what dark thoughts were going on in their heads, they kept running without any hesitation. Refugus, however, was starting to feel more on-edge the further they went.

We’re close now. But I have a feeling it’s not going to be that easy.

The antennae attached to his earpieces moved ever-so-slightly back and forth. Refugus transferred his Eun to their respective tips, causing them to spark to life with purple energy. They whirred about with sparks of electricity as he closed his eyes and slowed down his breathing.

Feeling the rhythm of his heartbeat, Refugus suddenly opened both eyes. They were now enhanced by the effects of his Eun and appeared to be golden yellow in color, rather than his usual green.

He connected his mind and senses to the world surrounding him. In the distance, what used to be untraceable sources of energy, were now available for him to identify and analyze.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

It’s just as I thought. Two sinister Eun signatures are approaching us from opposite directions. Must be some soldiers that allied themselves with Lanctern’s killer…”

Refugus stopped running and placed his arm in front of the princes.

“Don’t move any further, you two.”

“What’s the problem now?” Lanosis asked.

“We’ve got company…”

It became eerily quiet. Refugus furrowed his eyebrows in irritation. He wouldn’t allow these two co-conspirators to get the jump on them, especially with the lives of his older sister’s children being on the line.

“I know you’re there. Show yourselves!”

From both the front and back pathways, their would-be pursuers revealed themselves.

One was a man wearing a suit of armor that completely covered his entire body and face. Curved antennae were attached to horns that stuck out of his helmet on each side. The symbol of the Gamma Kingdom itself resided in the center of his forehead, an accessory which Refugus found to be quite ironic given the circumstances of this encounter.

His partner was a voluptuous woman with armor that showed off a tad bit more skin. She wore a golden mask lined with curved horns and thinner than average antennae. Her stark, spiky black hair flowed from atop this helm and seemed to extend just below her neckline.

Both of them had a look of murderous intent etched into their faces. The woman, in particular, glared daggers at the area where Refugus stood.

“Ah, Malak and Ligalta. Should’ve known you two cowards would have been involved with this little farce you call an uprising.”

Malak scowled. “Shut your mouth, General! Hand over the princes or die a traitor in the eyes of King Gammael!”

Lancer grew curious. That name was recognizable to him in any way. Gammael? Is he the one behind all of this?

Refugus didn’t take the armored soldier’s threat all too seriously. He could only laugh at the complete absurdity of what he just said.

Taking a few more moments to laugh, he then stopped with a contrasting look of pure contempt. “Fools.”

“You’ve already committed the ultimate act of betrayal by submitting to the whims of a greedy murderer over the man you vowed to fight for til’ the very end.”

Ligalta bent the clawed fingers of her gauntlets. They were painted a deep black as visibly dark as her hair.

“The only fool here is you, Refugus, for not being able to let go of the past and embrace a brighter, stronger future!”

She held out her hands and transferred massive portions of Eun into them. The purple flames of her aura extended outward, creating a long, fearsome battle-axe that solidified within her grasp.

She expertly spun it around and pointed the Gamma-generated axe in their direction.

“Now, by the order of our lord and master, Gammael, fork over Lanctern’s brats… or we’ll have to take them by force!”

Malak followed her example and generated eight small bullets of energy that flew into the air. They all gradually transformed into purple knives that magnetically attached themselves to their user’s aura.

With a small snap of his fingers, these knives simultaneously spun around and took aim at the trio. Refugus, in that moment, knew there was no way avoid them without a fight.

“Boys?”

Both brothers glanced over at him.

“When I say, “now”, you two jump in front of me and start running as fast you can. Keep going no matter what happens. Understand?” Refugus whispered.

Lancer didn’t like the implications this plan brought up.

“But we can’t! What about you—”

Refugus raised his voice. “Understand?!”

He faltered. Saying anything else wouldn’t do much to change his uncle’s mind. He shakily balled his fists and nodded.

“Good. Wait for my signal.”

Refugus removed the cloak from his body. He unveiled his intricately designed armor and, consequently, more of the powerful Eun he was struggling to keep at bay.

An unbelievably massive purple aura enveloped his frame. It crackled to life with bolts of electricity that scarred the smooth surface beneath his feet.

The former general cracked his neck into place. To him, this situation felt like nothing more than a nighttime training exercise.

He beckoned them with his hand. “Come at me.”

They pounced at them without any hesitation.

“Haaaaa!” Ligalta screamed.

Malak launched four of the knives like ballistic missiles. “Take this!”

Refugus stood motionless. As his two opponents drew closer, he silently transferred portions of his aura over to Lancer and Lanosis.

The effects of this transmogrification were noticed almost instantly.

Huh?! Why do I feel a bit… stronger all of a sudden? Lancer thought.

Lanosis felt the energy flow through every pore in his body. Incredible. It seems like I’m ten times lighter all of a sudden.

As all of this happened, Refugus counted down from five in his head. He raised up his left gauntlet at the count of one and screamed, “NOW!”

He smashed his fist into the tiled floor, producing a gigantic dome of Gamma Eun that stopped Malak and Ligalta dead in their tracks. It served as a protective barrier for all three of them, albeit a temporary one.

“Gamma Field!”

Malak’s four knives slammed into the Gamma Field and exploded upon impact. All that remained were individual puffs of smoke before they fully disappeared.

Blast! His Gamma Field spell was completely immune to my knives.

He squinted his eyes in dismay. He should have known Refugus would have a defensive spell like that at his disposal.

Only four left… I gotta make them count…

Before he could think of a way to properly counterattack, Malak suddenly felt two gusts of wind zoom past him.

It was, to his shock, the young sons of Lanctern Leoto. They did as Refugus instructed and used his own energy to flee at unbelievably fast speeds.

Malak prepared to snap his fingers and send some knives after them. “Oh no, you don’t! You little punks still won’t be fast enough to escape—”

Refugus jumped outside the dome and held an open palm in front of Malak’s face. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, realizing what was about to happen next.

“Too slow.”

A spherical wheel resembling the colors of a rainbow spun around in Refugus’ hand. In mere seconds, the sphere unleashed a massive purple blast directly at Malak’s head. It soared onward until dispersing at its zenith in the night sky.

As a result, nothing remained of what was once protected by a helmet. Malak Albright’s headless body was now, unquestionably, a corpse thanks to the Gamma Blast.

Refugus crossed his arms and frowned at the fallen Gamma Caster. It hurt to see such potential battle prowess go to waste, but it couldn’t be helped.

“One down,” He muttered. “One to go.”

He turned around to face the still-functioning Gamma Field. Ligalta cleaved through it with her axe, causing a massive explosion that was all flash with little substance.

She glided in the air and prepared to slice Refugus’s body into two separate pieces. Unfortunately for her, Refugus evaded this attack by dashing to the side.

Her axe sailed down into the ground. Small pieces of metal debris were sent flying into the air as she picked it back up.

“Hold still!”

Ligalta used both of her hands to slash at Refugus horizontally. The general, maintaining a calm, composed demeanor, ducked underneath the axe.

With quick thinking, he transferred Eun directly into his foot and snapped the axe’s mast in half with a kick. He then somersaulted backward to create some distance between them.

Ligalta held up the two parts in shock. She then smirked cockily.

“Nice try, but a broken weapon won’t make your fates any less inevitable!”

Refugus wasn’t convinced. He outstretched his arm and crafted a solid, diamond-like blade of Gamma Eun. Oddly enough, this particular spell seemed to stiffen his arm into place in order to further maintain its functionality as a sword.

“Show me then, Swinton.” He said.

Ligalta curled her black lips. She eagerly readied the two parts of her axe for a potential clash.

“Hmph. With pleasure, General.”

They armed themselves with their respective weapons and ran toward each other. Both soldiers picked up more and more speed in their approach until…

Shing!

In a burst of blinding light, the outcome of this duel was decided. Refugus managed to penetrate his blade straight through Ligalta’s chest plate and strike her heart. Ligalta herself, on the other hand, cleaved the sharpest end of her axe into the side of Refugus’s stomach.

The pain was indescribable for both parties involved, but in the end, only one attack proved to be fatal.

Refugus clenched his teeth, trying, with all his might, to endure the pain. He removed his blade from Ligalta’s chest and caused fresh blood to shoot out of her wound.

“Forgive me… Lord Gammael…” She whispered in sorrow.

She then collapsed onto the floor and died in a flowing pool of her own blood. As if getting the laugh, however, Ligalta pulled her axe out of Refugus’s stomach as she fell back.

Refugus screamed in agony. He struggled to remain conscious as he raggedly breathed in and out.

“D-Damn. She really got me there.” He glanced down at the blood pouring out from his side. “Allimon knows how much energy I have left now…”

He leaned against a nearby building and slammed a fist against it. Giving up was not an option for him.

“No, I need to focus on saving Lancer and Lanosis! Pain is secondary to the task at hand.” He coughed.

Refugus used the building for additional support and slowly, but surely kept moving. Traces of his blood stained its walls as he walked.

“I-I just need to keep moving.”

Lancer and Lanosis stood in a grassy field facing the Gamma Kingdom’s barrier. Before the edge, there was a long river that allegedly snaked around all of Snardentus’s northern border. It was sometimes called The River of Kings due to its past significance to the history of this land’s royal family. Its true, original name, however, has far been lost to time.

Lancer was starting to worry for their uncle’s safety.

“I wonder why Refugus is taking so long…” A dark thought came to his head mid-sentence. “Lanosis, you don’t think h-he… h-he…”

“Don’t be stupid, Lancer. Refugus is probably one of, if not, the most-skilled combatant in the Gamma Kingdom. You would need to be an extremely tough opponent just to even wound guy the or—”

“Boys…”

They spun around in recognition of Refugus’s voice. They were not pleased to see him in such an unfortunate state. If anything, they wished that he never had to get that wounded in the first place.

“By Allimon…” Lancer held a hand over his mouth.

Refugus, still holding onto any trace of Eun he could harness, managed to successfully utter one last spell.

“Teleport!”

A ribbon of energy was projected from Refugus’s palm. It spun around like water going down a drain, and wrapped itself around Lancer and Lanosis. They were now encased in a circular bubble of Eun that floated just a few feet off the ground.

“Refugus, what type of spell is this?”

“It’s a teleportation chamber that will directly transport you and Lanosis to the continent, country, or whatever place is closest to this one. You should both be safe there.” He explained.

Lanosis couldn’t keep his eyes off Refugus’s injuries. He didn’t think those lackies could damage him, a military general with years upon years of experience, this much.

“What about you?”

“That’s not important. You and your brother’s safety is, so…”

A sudden shock went through Refugus’s system. For a single moment, it felt as if death itself took precedence over his very soul.

What on Earth was that?

His mind projected the image of a large, demonic entity preparing to bite down and consume him whole. It was eclipsed by some magenta energy that he couldn’t even begin to comprehend. The level of power he possessed was essentially nothing by comparison.

This Eun… I can’t even describe it. It’s pure evil incarnate. Just sensing it is enough to tear me apart piece by piece. Is this the type of magical power this Gammael guy possesses?

He broke out into a cold sweat and turned his head to the side.

Whatever it is, it’s coming up fast. I’m gonna need to make this quick.

Refugus, suppressing his current fears, smiled warmly at the princes.

“Well, I’m afraid this is where we’ll have to part ways, kids.”

Lancer refused to believe this could be true. “But we can’t just leave you like this! You could die, uncle!”

“Ah, come now. There’s no need to get so sentimental, Lancer. I’ve always told you to overcome that, but of course, you were never really one to listen.” The general chuckled. He proved to be a lot like his mother in that way. “Don’t worry about me. Knowing that you two have the chance to thrive and grow stronger as Spell Casters is more than enough for me to be content with.”

Refugus closed his eyes and smiled wider.

“If I do end up succumbing to my wounds, I can die peacefully.”

He rested a hand on his forehead and gave them a proud, yet comforting salute.

“Farewell. May we meet again someday.”

With a powerful wave of his hand, Refugus sent the teleportation chamber flying to its next destination. It propelled toward the Gamma Kingdom’s barrier against his concerned nephew’s wishes.

Lancer held out his hand. “No!”

“Refugus, you idiot! Let us out!” Lanosis yelled as he beat his fists against the chamber.

Sadly, their protests fell on deaf ears. The chamber shot directly through the barrier and, as its name suggested, teleported away.

Refugus felt a significant weight and pressure leave his shoulders. His mission proved to be successful, after all.

Good luck, Lancer and Lanosis. Keep your dad… and mom’s legacy alive.

Then, to his detriment, the source of the extraordinarily powerful Eun revealed themselves. His appearance was concealed in shadows apart from a flowing cape, long black hair, and a mechanical gauntlet similar to Refugus’s.

Refugus narrowed his eyes. He was well aware that this was the point of no return for him. It was the main reason he didn’t think of going with Lancer and Lanosis to parts unknown.

They’d continue to be threatened by this monster if he were to sense his Eun anywhere else in the world.

“Ah. Are you this new king I’ve been hearing so much about?” He asked.

“I suppose you could say that.” Gammael replied.

Refugus hesitated. His voice was familiar in some way, but there seemed to be a form of modulation altering its tone and pitch.

Then again, that wasn’t important in an encounter like this. Lanctern’s reign as king was already over. All Refugus could do was continue to remain loyal to his fallen friend and his now fallen kingdom as well.

“Then, can I lead by your example…” Refugus released every ounce of Eun he had left to spare. “…and try my hand at taking the throne as well?”

The usurper said nothing in reply. He only responded with the casting of a spell against Refugus’s as the cold night lingered on.

Fate always works in mysterious ways that no one can properly anticipate. Now, with their uncle no longer being by their side, it was Lancer and Lanosis’s job to decide what outcome their futures may lead to.