Year 206, Autovonian era.

…Huffen…

The World whispered.

Kings and leaders leapt from their beds.

In mage-cities, hovertrains fell from the sky, wrapped in wards. Confused and terrified masses followed emergency wisps to safehouses.

In rural villages, commoners crowded around their mages, wide eyes reflecting the flashing lights from long-rusted emergency sigils.

Worn obelisks and ancient ruins flared with light. Long dead languages shouting warning that needed no translation.

Some of the odd people of the world and some you wouldn’t expect, looked to the sky, took out their artefacts, chanted their arcane spells, or ripped the very air apart in front of them. They stepped, faded or popped into thin air. Never to be seen again.

People across the world huddled. Intelligence agents filtered through the masses of information pouring in through countless message spells. Scryers stared into their bowls of water. Oracles imbued countless mind-altering drugs, looking for answers.

The new day dawned. In bowls of water, in massive projections across the sky, from crystal radios and the glowing stones, the announcements were made.

On the mountain of Jeros in the continent of Naen. Mad King Zion is attempting to raise his dead wife from the void. The mountain has been sealed away and is unreachable. Analysts and Oracles have placed huffen at between fifteen to twenty years away. There is no need for panic. Resume your lives. This is a matter for the Heros and Legends. All conflicts and wars are indefinitely postponed. Report any and all Prophesies to the appropriate channels. You will be updated once The Prophet has been found. Stay calm, and be at peace. May the gods watch over us once more.

Later…

Deep in the prison on Zealot Island, A mad woman cries.

“A party five, burning far too bright.

Tied in knots, an oversight.

cracking apart, a parasite.

overflowing, on bizmuths night

The mourning king and children fight.”

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She repeats this while the guards approach. Covered in her own shit and rocking back and forth she moans the verses with glazed, teary eyes. The guards, covered in dark armour, stomp over to the woman’s cell.

One of the guards opens his mouth to yell at her. Presumably under the pretence of getting her to shut up. The other guard stops him. He taps the recording crystal on the door, waits for the woman to recite it a few times, then takes the blue crystal from the door and hands it to the first guard.

“Here, take this over to the array. Protocol first, then you can have your fun”

The guard scoffs and rolls his eyes. Not that anyone could tell under the helmet. He follows orders anyway.

The older guard continued to listen to the mad woman thoughtfully.

Year 9 ZM (Zions Madness)

Pavlo.

“Boy! Get to class!”

The shout startled me and I spun around.

A member of the city guard was strolling towards me. Green sunlight reflected off his armour onto the empty alleyways brick walls.

Shit, this is bad! I need to get out of here! I can’t let him drag me that snoozefest! All that shiny armour should slow him down… Maybe I can run for it!

I turned and sprinted away.

Three steps later I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head, and everything went black.

Anton.

“The kingdoms official interpretation of the prophesy, as announced last year by King Auto, is as such: The party five, obvious, it seems, to be representative of five advent…” The teacher droned on.

Why do we have to learn this shit, everyone knows it already, I bet everyone’s bored as I am. Lets do something about it… Wait, is the back door I left in the podium still there?

I pushed a small pittance of mana into my eyes. The room appeared to fill with a multitude of circles and threads, all various spells and enchantments. I looked to the podium and I saw that my little addition remained unnoticed.

I pushed a small amount of mana into the tip of my finger and drew a small circle on my desk, focusing on Zilphers form.

The nodes quickly formed in my vision.

I ignored the inner nodes, no one had taught me what they did yet. Likewise, I ignored the Autumn, Yin and Yang gates.

Allright, mana from me to enact the change, drop into winter to power the circle, then loop to spring for picking up force. Now let’s see if I can get this string to the spring node at the podium…

One of the students in the front row asked a question, and the teacher turned to them.

I pushed the string mentally, and it left my finger and zipped over to the podium. It attached seamlessly to the hidden circle.

Now, before she sees!

I licked my finger and drew it across the middle of the circle on my desk.

BRRRRRRP

Teacher immediately went crimson. A moment of silence, and the class erupted into laughter.

Perfect! Bwahahahaha! I better cut the string before she …

The teachers’ eyes flared blue and immediately followed the string to my desk.

She slashed her hand and the construct fizzled out.

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiit

As the teacher started stomping her way towards me, I sunk my head down and tried to look pitiful.

A knock at the door halted her steps.

“I’ll be seeing you after class, Anton” She stated, deadpan.

I am so dead

She gestured and the door opened. In came a shiny, carrying an unconscious boy.

“This one of yours?” He sounded somehow upbeat as he laid the kid on the floor.

“Can you be a little gentler with them?” She smiled, before doing something quick with her hands.

The boy sat up, blue mana sinking into him.

“Urgg, my head…” It was Pavlo.

So that’s where he was today. He’s just as foolish as always.

“To your seat Pavlo! I’ll be seeing you after class as well!”

He sat down miserably next to me.

“I’m guessing you’re the ‘as well’ today?”

“Me? Never!”

We got a good laugh at that before the teacher began again.