4785th Year of Awakening
There hadn’t been a gathering like this in all of history. Marcus and his friends wandered around the project site, taking in the varied collection of mages that paraded among the towering constructs that had been replicated at key sites around the world.
Switching his attention to the two men walking along with him, he asked, “Is it just me, or is the entire magical world here for the culmination? I mean, they managed to drag us all the way from the Academy on Ryode.” Thinking of his two friends, he couldn’t imagine a more academic trio among all of their colleagues.
Typhonus chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Consider that this could affect the very way that magic works, I’d be surprised if there is anyone who isn’t here.”
Vaughn, their long haired friend nodded. “I’ve seen Feron and Dierdra with their normal entourage. And over with the Slavards I saw Crighton. That’s just from our Academy. I think I recognized some I’d communicated with from the other continents and here on Central, but I’ve never met them face to face, so I can’t be sure.”
Marcus gaped at his friend. “Vaughn, how do you keep track of all that? I only saw Crighton.” While Marcus was considered a prodigy at teleportation magic, Vaughn studied a wide variety of topics that seemed to change on a monthly basis.
Vaughn grinned, his sapphire eyes sparkling. “I’m just amazing like that. Surely you’ve realized that by now.” He clapped Marcus on the shoulder before leading the group on a trip through the crowd.
Marcus let himself be led, happy to make the acquaintance of so many mages. From the scarlet robes of the various human academies around the world, to the towering Majestix, the cats who guided the world, to the diminutive Tarkats, the ever inquisitive tinkerers, and all the races inbetween. There were nobles and leaders from Central City, as well as people from Edge, the slums that surrounded the city walls and provided most of that local labor that had gone into this section of the project.
Marcus noticed some food stalls and cards, as well as a fair amount of other merchants. There was almost a festival feeling to everything, even children scampering about under feet.
One group seemed to stand out from the crowd. Decked out in brilliant white robes with a sunburst of golden thread upon their chest, they stood off to the side, gentle smiles on their faces as they watched and talked with those around.
Marcus nudged Vaughn, pointing out the white robes. “What are the SPeakers doing here? I thought they never left Terrace?”
Vaughn frowned at the ground, reaching up to tuck his long hair black hair over his shoulder. “Huh. Fancy that. Though it doesn’t seem like they're staying long.”
The trio watched as each Speaker reached into their robes, withdrawing a shimmering red stone. Moments later the entire group vanished, no doubt teleporting back home. Fortunately, Terrace was only a single hop from the node here in Central.
Shrugging away the strange sighting, Marcus turned back to wandering. Something tugged at his senses, bringing him to a halt along with his friends. The air seemed to grow heavier, a slight tingling settling along his skin. A grin blossomed on his lips as he turned towards the constructs scattered around the grounds.
Set atop the constructs were massive spheres of magicite. The magically receptive stones were engraved with silver spellwork, carefully worked in precise detail. Those spheres were starting to glow brighter with each passing moment, growing in proportion to the feeling of the charge in the air.
A hush passed through the crowd, even the children pausing to watch the display as the spheres shifted to a cool blue. Suddenly each of the constructs lit up the same blue, drawing a cheer from the gathered mages and a belated one from the rest of the onlookers.
Vaughn clapped Marcus on the shoulder again, who returned the gesture with a grin. “Looks like they did it! Pulled the power from the Leylines”, he said. “I bet you can figure out a way to do away with nodal teleportation altogether with that much power at your disposal!”
Marcus let himself flow along with his friend’s cheer, already thinking of several promising projects that would benefit from the success here. Just as he was opening his mouth to reply, he was cut off by a scream. Whirling around, he saw what appeared to be a raging lightning bolt savage its way through the crowd. Mouth agape, he followed the bolt back to its source, the sphere atop one of the constructs. Even as he watched, more and more bolts poured out, slashing through people, filling the air with screams, tears, and the scent of burnt flesh.
A bolt erupted from the ground, sinking a section of the merchants while incinerating another group. Magic seemed to fill the air as mages teleported away or tried to destroy the constructs.
Marcus watched with wide eyes as spell after spell was absorbed by the constructs, which seemed to respond with more furious lightning. More ribbons of destruction ripped free from the ground, eradicating more people. Only a desperate teleport kept him and his friends from being fried.
Looking around frantically, he reached for his supply of teleportation crystals, smaller versions than usual, and began shoving them into the hands of children, teleporting them to safety. A shield snapped into place above him, protecting them from a rogue bolt of magic. Marcus gave a grateful smile to Vaughn, who nodded without ceasing his casting of various protective spells over the crowd.
Marcus shouted for Typhonus to go for help. After a moment of apparent indecision, the other mage nodded and reached for his own teleportation stone, winking out.
A sharp crack shattered the air, followed by a rumbling crash and what sounded like a waterfall. Marcus tried to keep his feet as the world seemed to heave around him, finally losing the battle and getting thrown to the ground.
More screams pierced the air only to cut off with sickening suddenness. Tears cascaded down Marcus’s cheeks as he watched a group of people get sucked into the ground.
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Pushing back to his feet, Marcus tried to find more people to save, teleporting around to avoid attacks and the crumbling ground that seemed to be getting eaten by the ocean. Everywhere he looked revealed more signs of a cataclysm, suffering, and loss. Only scattered groups of huddled people remained of the once bustling crowd.
In the distance he could see Vaughn running towards the city, leading a group of children, two younger ones under his arms. Mentally saluting his friend, Marcus tried to find some way to do more. He was out of teleportation crystals. There didn’t appear to be anywhere safe left to run.
A loud hum cut through the chaos, pulling his gaze back to the city, where a blue shield was starting to spread from the spire atop the Temple of Awakening, located in the center of Central City. It wouldn’t take long for the siege shield to completely envelop the city, protecting those within, while trapping any left outside with the storm of magical energy.
There wouldn’t be much time. Concentrating, he reached out with his mind, searching for those people left alive. The High Mages had once told him that his ability to sense other people and force teleport them was the most advanced they’d ever seen. Marcus prayed to the One that they were right.
First singly, then in growing groups, Marcus latched onto people and force teleported them within the city walls. Sweat beaded on his brow as he worked faster than he’d ever thought possible. He had to bite back a scream as one group was incinerated just as he’d latched onto then, the magical backlash searing through his mind.
Collapsing to the shuddering ground, panting, he stared up at a sky filled with magical chaos. A brief smile cut through the pain. He’d given his all. Saved lives. The pain was worth it.
Gathering his final fragments of energy, Marcus prepared for one last teleport. It was time to go home.
Triggering the familiar spell, he felt time slow. What was usually instantaneous seemed to stretch out for seconds… minutes… hours. A sense of tearing pain spread from his middle, an eternity of torment that threatened to obliterate his mind in that eternal moment.
Awareness of the moment crashed upon him as he became aware of the spear of lightning piercing his chest, having caught him at the moment of spell ignition.
Just as he felt himself on the verge of insanity, the world disappeared as he slid into the matrix, consciousness fleeing into the blackness between moments.
He never reemerged.
***
Typhonus ran into the main courtyard of the Ryode Academy at the head of a group of mages and healers. He skidded to a halt as he took in the sight of mages standing around the main teleportation pillar.
“What’s going on? Why is everyone still standing here? We need to get to Central!”
One of the mages, who Typhonus thought was one of the first to flee from Central, made his way over. “It’s not working. We can’t connect to the Central Node.” The mage shook his head. “We can’t connect to any other node either, not even those here on Ryode.”
Reaching into his robes, the mage pulled out his own teleportation crystal. “We can’t even get these to work to take us home. It’s as if the entire matrix has been disconnected.”
Typhonus shook his head, trying to deny the news. It wasn’t possible. The matrix had been stable for thousands of years! Looking around the courtyard, Typhonus finally noticed all the children. Marcus must have handed out his stones like candy.
Marcus! Looking around again, his time in a panic, he tried to locate either of his friends. “Has anyone seen Marcus of Vaughn?”
Many of the nearby mages shook their heads, one saying that only the children had come through. Typhonus felt a tear streak down his cheek before gathering himself together. His friends had surely made it into Central and were safe beneath its shield. Once things settled, they would make their way home. In the meantime…
Turning to the group of mages and healers, he directed them to the children. There was work to be done.
***
Things finally settled, but the world had been changed forever.
The Leyline Project, which should have drawn the rivers of magic that crisscrossed the world closer to the surface, instead caused them to erupt, smashing through the earth and sundering the continents. Water rushed into those new miles wide canyons, separating the land masses.
Ryode, the great western continent, was split into three pieces. Toria, the southeast continent, broke in half. Dantala, in the northeast, formerly the largest of the continents, was shattered into a dozen new lands.
While the rampaging Leylines had eventually calmed, they spawned new storms that raged along the new divisions, masses of lightning constantly stabbing into the churning seas. Coastal cities were washed away, islands disappearing.
Central, once the land link between the three other continents, home to the oldest civilization in the world, vanished beneath the waves.
Time passed. Those who survived, mostly those who lived far away from the cataclysmic events, slowly picked up the pieces, moving on with their lives.After a couple of years a new reckoning of time emerged. People began numbering the years since The Sundering.
A new era had begun.