Aramellianna stares out through the window at the rising sun on the horizon. She hasn’t spoken just yet since receiving the report. She hasn’t even fully acknowledged it yet. The implications are grave, and the revelation will be even worse for Wenlianna.
She turns again to face Captain Muindis, Captain of the squad she sent west to search for and retrieve Daniel as one arm of her search. He is still kneeling with his exhausted lieutenant right behind him. And, in the Captain’s hands, held up as he awaits a response, is a simple leather jacket with the emblem of the Stalvaltan Grand Duchy on it.
She cannot form words. The Captain reported how he came across this jacket and the report of what he was told. A strange ruler of an ancient and formerly-defunct castle killed Daniel in retaliation for him killing dragons, and she fed him to goblins.
Even reporting that Daniel is simply dead is too much. Should Wenlianna, or anyone else, hear that he was fed to goblins…
Aramellianna asks a question she knows the answer to. “What of his weapon?”
The Captain shakes his head. “We weren’t in a position to ask, your Grace.”
She knew that would be the response. The Captain reported two dragons accompanying the strange queen or empress known only as Hekate, and each of those dragons was carrying an egg. That’s in addition to the three other dragons that they confirmed were leisurely making themselves at home on the castle’s structure as they approached. Assuming the rumors are true, and Daniel killed two dragons, they will be replaced in short order, it seems.
Aramellianna finally takes the jacket from the Captain, deliberating on what her next course of action will be. She could retaliate, but even she realizes that it’s likely suicide. If the entire allied force banded together, there’s only a very slim chance they could defeat all of the speculated living dragons in the world. It’s dubious at best that they would win.
However, if Wenlianna put her mind to it…
Aramellianna shakes her head. It’s an option, but not ideal. The moment she reveals this news, she loses the Wenlianna of today and spawns a different Wenlianna; one broken by heartbreak and driven by revenge -assuming she attempts to seek revenge-.
But, Daniel was as close to a son as Aramellianna could ask for. He would have been the moment the wedding was held. He was given a jacket with the Stalvaltan sigil because he’s a trusted member of the Grand Duchy.
And, his jacket is almost exactly as the day he left, with mild wear and tear…
The Grand Duchess frowns as something just dawns on her. She inspects the jacket, flipping it back and forth. She finds some sand and leaves, a notebook in the interior pocket with a few notes that are definitely Daniel’s, a couple of scuffs on the arms and back, but nothing else.
No major tears.
No major scratches.
Not a single drop of blood.
There is dirt from where he must have fallen or been in the dirt, brushed off, but ground into the leather.
And, not a single drop of blood.
She asks coldly, “Did you wash this?”
“Y-Your Grace?” Muindis looks up, confused.
“I asked if you washed this. Daniel’s jacket. Was it washed?”
“N-No. That is exactly as it was given to us.”
“This is definitely Daniel’s jacket. That I am certain of.” She holds it up, spread out wide to show the outer surface area to the two soldiers and her personal guard. “But, this jacket has seen virtually no direct combat.”
Surprised, the Captain remarks, “Y-Your Grace? I…”
She growls in a scolding tone, “There isn’t a single drop of blood on this jacket. There are no tears. There’s barely any dirt on it. Some sand and leaves in the pockets. But, no signs that a sorceress queen killed him, gave him over to dragons, and then fed him to goblins.”
“Your Grace… Lady Hekate…”
“Lied straight to your faces, and you lot believed it!”
Muindis looks down, remaining silent. Questioning her when she’s this irritated will get nowhere.
Aramellianna paces to the window again. She sighs. “I understand that you were acting cautiously not to provoke this Hekate and her companions. But…” She looks down at the jacket in her hands. She promised to get Daniel back for Wenlianna’s sake, and if the dragons and this Hekate lied about him being dead, then the most logical conclusion is that he’s a prisoner. If he’s a prisoner, he can be rescued. If he can be rescued, the happiness can return to the Stalvaltan Grand Duchy and its firstborn daughter.
She looks only partially over her shoulder, saying sternly, “Tell me the truth right now. No embellishment, no benevolent lies; your true opinion. Do you understand why I want Daniel back?”
Captain Muindis hesitates a moment, but he replies softly, “I assume for his magical technology…”
“That is a political reason that is but an afterthought. We’re already so far ahead of everyone else, my great grandchildren will live like kings and queens.” She faces him, saying sincerely and softly, “I want him back for Wenlianna. He is the closest I have ever gotten to ‘marrying her off’, but more importantly,... He makes her happy. Would you serve me to achieve that goal? To see Wenlianna married to someone she loves, even if she does not become the Grand Duchess? Or, better yet, would you even want her to be Grand Duchess?”
The two soldiers are put on the spot, and they glance at each other. She growls, “Do not lie to me. Answer truthfully.”
Muindis hesitates once more. “I have no strong opinions of the Duchess Wenlianna, your Grace. If I may speak candidly, she does not seem to possess the disposition to be Grand Duchess, and I do not know the perception of a Duchess marrying… someone like Daniel.”
Aramellianna cocks her head. “Someone like Daniel? Is King Rikuto not someone like Daniel?”
Muindis looks down. “I’m not savvy enough to define the difference, but there is a difference in how they carry themselves, your Grace. Daniel lacks… the noble air.”
Aramellianna sighs. “That I can agree with.” She then turns serious again. “So, you don’t feel Daniel and Wenlianna would make good leaders of the house of Stalvaltan in the legacy of myself and my husband?”
Muindis ponders the question. “Your Grace, I believe my doubt comes merely from the fact that I can not envision them as Grand Duke and Grand Duchess. If seeing Wenlianna inherit the Grand Duchy is your goal, I believe there are more suitable matches who could adequately lead should she choose not to.”
Aramellianna nods as she deliberates on his answer. “I see. Thank you for your candid answers.”
Muindis bows, “My loyalties are unchanged, your Grace. I and my family shall always be pledged to the great house of Stalvaltan.”
She nods a little dismissively, “Yes, yes. Thank you. Thank you for making haste to make your report. I have much to think about.”
“Your Grace; my men and I can be ready to lead a return mission to retrieve Mister Daniel. Allow us to redeem the Wyrm Gaze’s honor.”
She thinks silently for a moment as she stares out the window. She remarks, “You will be returning to the Citadel, risking facing the dragons and this mysterious Hekate person once again; likely in a potential battle. The mission is among the most dangerous that could ever be undertaken, and you, yourselves, witnessed the power of the adversary, yes?” She looks at Muindis. The Captain bows his head low again in a deep nod. “Yes, your Grace. But, it would be better to be slain in honor than to remain in failure.”
Aramellianna sighs. “I will consider-...” A sudden wave of weakness washes over her, and she stumbles. Both the Captain and the lieutenant seem to also suddenly fall from their crisp kneels to their hands and knees, glancing up at Aramellianna quickly. She sinks to a kneel, clutching for her heart as the weakness causes her heart rate to spike. The two guards scramble to her, “Your Grace!”
She growls out, “I’m fine… I just…”
“Feel weak…” murmurs the lieutenant, and she looks directly at him. He glances at the Captain, who remarks, “I… felt it, too.”
Worry begins to fill the Grand Duchess’s mind. She murmurs, “What… What could have caused…?” She trails off. She has never heard of such a phenomenon, particularly one afflicting more than one person.
She quickly grips the Captain’s shirt. “Find Wenlianna. Now!”
He nods obediently, scrambling to his feet and running out of the room as the rest of her guard enters and the lieutenant stays with her to ensure the Grand Duchess is alright. Her strength is already returning, indicating it was a strange, one-time thing.
The question is; what was it?
***********
Ahok, the half-goblin Court Magic Artisan that succeeded Wenlianna after her retirement, jogs to the royal court where the summons is taking place. She’s not alone. Even now, she overhears guards and servants asking if any of them ‘felt that strange feeling’, to which all of them seem to agree.
As she’s approaching the door, where those summoned are filing in past the royal guards, a sudden feeling hits Ahok; the same feeling, if only slightly less, and she slows to lean on the wall, noticing that others also reacted at the same time. Whatever the phenomenon is, it seems to be synchronized with the whole castle.
People begin to talk nervously, crying out for answers and urging for the castle to evacuate.
However, the scene in the royal court doesn’t inspire much confidence. Nobles from all over the castle city seem to have gathered, including ones who don’t live in the castle. Just from the tidbits Ahok gathers from listening, she seems to be hearing a consensus; it wasn’t just the castle that was affected.
Rikuto tries to gather order in the audience chamber, and it takes some time. Just guessing, it took about ten minutes for Ahok to feel it the second time. She does her best to keep that in mind as she waits for either to be called on or for someone else to speak.
Rikuto asks the obvious question, especially considering that he’s not from this world originally; “Can anyone tell me if this has happened before?”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
The Court mages discuss briefly. Ahok hasn’t researched history as extensively as others have, so she has little to add to the conversation.
At least, until she estimates that another ten minutes have passed.
And then eleven. She feels something that almost could be described as that same feeling, but it doesn’t double her over, and everyone else seems to not have noticed it.
But, she did notice something; the magic lights dimmed a little. As she ponders it, the magic lanterns in her lab flickered and darkened when she first felt the strange drop in her energy. She calls out as a heated discussion is rising, “Excuse me! I have a hypothesis.” Her small stature doesn’t prove to be an issue, as the crowd clears around her enough to give her line of sight of the young king and queen. Heralesse quickly says, “What is it? Do you know what this is?”
“I don’t know yet, but can anyone else confirm whether or not magic devices malfunctioned when it happened?”
The people around glance at each other and then begin pondering. Quickly, answers of ‘Yes.’ ‘My lights went out briefly.’ ‘I noticed the water pump was stopped…’
Ahok’s answer comes in the form of confirmation; whatever the strange phenomenon is, it seems to be affecting magic. She quickly casts a simple spell to generate a small flame, confirming that her own magic is still working. She states, “While it seems the effects were only temporary, the phenomenon seems to have negated magic for a brief period of time. The question is; where would the source be?”
Heralesse asks a reasonable -if hasty- question; “Could this be an infiltration attack by the demons?”
Rikuto, thinking, remarks, “It seems like it affected a rather large area. If this is unprecedented, it’s likely not a spell.”
The doors burst open, and the young Dawnseer stumbles in, panting. Her nose has been bleeding recently, and her eyes are red. She also has fingernail marks on the sides of her temples, like she was trying to stop searing pain in her head. She pants as she stumbles into the room, dead set on reaching the King. “L-Lady Dawnseer…?”
“It ha-ha-happened! T-The… The black spell! The… The harbingers of death!”
Everyone falls silent at the grim words. The Dawnseer falls to her knees in the middle of the room when she can go no further. She whimpers, “I-I-I… I saw it… A terrible light, and then everything went dark… Th-... The pain…” She looks at Rikuto, stating desperately, “It can’t be stopped! It can’t!”
“What is it, Lady Dawnseer? What can we do?”
“NOTHING! Don’t you hear me! There’s nothing we can do! It has already been cast! We’re cursed! We’re all going to die!”
Rikuto looks around at the room, where a growing din of nervousness threatens to explode into full panic at any moment.
He tries to run through possibilities. He’s not ready to give up. Not when the effects are only temporary. However…
“The end of the world is upon us! We’re all doomed!”
“Guards, take her to a secure room to rest. The Lady Dawnseer needs to collect her senses.”
The guards hesitantly approach the mad woman, who screams, “NO! It can’t be stopped! There’s nothing that can be done!”
Rikuto calls out, “I won’t accept that until it is proven true. Until then, we need to brainstorm ideas. Be gentle with her.”
The guards nod, carrying the struggling woman as she tries to proclaim her prophecy of doom. Unfortunately, if she has no solutions, it’s not useful to be told the world is ending.
Heralesse asks softly, “Rikuto?”
Rikuto sits forward, thinking. “We need to start with determining how widespread the effects are. And, if possible, we need to find the source. It hit us twice, but caused no immediate harm. If we take into account the Dawnseer’s vision, it must be a large area of effect spell cast on us. The question is who.”
“If it does indeed negate magic, could it be…?” She’s asking a leading question.
Rikuto shakes his head. “No. No matter what became of Daniel, he wouldn’t go the route of removing a fundamental function of a world. The potential repercussions are far beyond illogical, and Daniel isn’t that irrational.”
“Can you be so certain?”
Rikuto sighs. “One hundred percent? No. But very near. And, I don’t know what he would gain. His skills allowed him to benefit from magic, even if he himself had none. No, it’s safer to assume this is a weapon of either the Demon Tyrant or traitors in our midst.” He looks at Ahok, stating, “Lady Artisan; if possible, I’d like you to determine if there are any long term effects on equipment, as well as if there are any answers in the artifact.”
She bows her head. “I shall monitor it while I research answers, your Majesty.” She bows, awaiting permission to leave. He adds to the other mages, “The rest of the Court mages, I’d like you to research if there is any precedent at all for anything similar. Anyone with ties to the various guilds of the kingdom, please reach out to your contacts and find out if there are any rumors. Generals, please have your spy networks begin searching for mention of a weapon or spell that negates magic. A thread will do. And, most importantly, please, everyone stay calm. We’ll get through this. I won’t go down without a fight.”
Those gathered mostly agree. Ahok wants to believe that they can still stop whatever it was, assuming it was an omen of doom. Because the Dawnseer’s ability is so deeply ingrained in magic, it may be the right assumption to view her panic as a direct result of the impact of the spell while she was apparently using her ability. She’s probably right that the phenomenon is related to what she saw originally, but she’s panicking because her visions are almost literally ending -if only briefly- thanks to the phenomenon.
Ahok jogs out of the audience chamber to begin researching. Everyone has a role in this time of chaos, and it’s important not to give up.
**********
Commander Leiwelles drinks a cup of water fresh from the well pump as she observes the various day to day operations of Fort Peony. Repairs have been almost entirely completed, with a few non-urgent repairs pending on the outer area leading up to the west wall. It’s a quiet morning, which are the kind she likes. Though she once believed in earning glory through battle, and thus sought battle, she now appreciates the quiet which keeps her fellow soldiers alive.
She wonders where Lieutenant Gwenesphia and Sergeant Treia ended up in the world. It has been a while since they departed, and anything could happen in the Demon Wildlands. But, they couldn’t be stopped, and they left to find another missing member under Leiwelles’s command.
The first bell rings, indicating the official work day has begun, and squads begin emerging from the barracks to do their morning routines, exercises, drills, and watch turnovers where applicable. Leiwelles watches with a quaint smile, admiring her flower garden for a moment.
Then, suddenly, a flash from the west catches her eye. It was much brighter than any lightning bolt she has ever seen, and it seemed to fill the whole sky. It’s also something that she was but one of many who saw it. The underside of the clouds was illuminated as far as the eye can see for the briefest of moments, and it almost seems like the sky is a little brighter for a moment even after the flash.
Then, all at once, the most sickening feeling washes over Leiwelles, and she stumbles, leaning against the well structure as her body feels suddenly weak. She manages to see her comrades, who were doing various things, also stumble or double over. Some sink to a kneel, others drop what they were carrying. Virtually none of them seem to have been unaffected.
Seconds after the strange loss of strength, a terrifying and startling clap of thunder rattles Leiwelles to her bones, in spite of how far away it sounds. She notices leaves swaying on the mountain walls around them, seemingly being pushed away from the west, and the clap of thunder rumbles and roars for a long time after the initial clap, much more comfortable volume, but filling the air with a spooky and eerie rumble for an unsettlingly long time.
Several voices call out, “What was that!?”
Leiwelles calls out in reply, “I don’t know! Beat to quarters for the time being!”
“Beat to quarters!” “Beat to quarters!” The bells start gonging continuously around the base, indicating for the whole base to go into battle readiness. They’ll deal with it after the fact if they establish that they aren’t in danger, but until then, it’s better to be safe.
As everyone is scrambling to their respective stations or ranks, a second wave of the strange energy hits the entire base once more, crippling them briefly with a sudden loss of energy. There was no flash this time. There was only the strange weakness that seemed to wash over them all at once. It makes Leiwelles nervous that there could be a power capable of affecting so many people at once, but she needs to focus. Their jobs, no matter what, are to fight the enemy if the enemy attacks.
Leiwelles orders, “Send two riders to Castle Northwall. Inform them of the strange phenomenon.”
“Yes ma’am! Two riders to the garrison! Let’s go!”
The Commander then remembers the recon unit, looking towards the west. None of them have fired off flares. She prays that the recon teams are alright. “Fire flare for recon recall.”
“Yes, ma’am! Flare away!”
The mage tasked with casting the flare spell launches a small, magic star into the sky. It rises up high quickly, hanging in the air where it should be easy to see for the recon teams. A few moments later, three flares rise from the west, indicating that the recon teams confirm and will return.
As she’s letting out a sigh, though, the flares suddenly snuff out. Leiwelles can feel her hairs rise on her neck. Something feels off again, but she didn’t lose strength. She looks at the mage, who is equally concerned. The recon teams confirmed, so that shouldn’t be an issue. Of course, the mere fact that the spells were snuffed out means that the strange attack has a weaker version; one of targeting spells, it would seem. Though, it could be related to how weak the flare spell is, since it uses very little magical energy.
Leiwelles orders, “Barricade the west gate!”
“Barricade the west gate!” The soldiers of Fort Peony all scramble into action, bringing everything they can to reinforce the gate. If it’s a dragon, there’s virtually nothing that can withstand its fire. If it’s the Demon Tyrant, they would likely not be able to hold her for any meaningful time. If it’s a new attacker, then…
Prayer is looking extraordinarily important right now.
**************
Ryukana is seated under a large tree, watching over the Citadel. She’s not sure what she’s watching for. But, as the one person who is rumored to have killed dragons in this world, Daniel should cause a stir if he appears and begins battling with the dragons. They seem to be preparing for something, as most of them seem to be taking seats on the castle’s outer balconies and turrets. Then, a group of four leaves from the upper-most level of the castle carrying a metal canister; a white dragon, a blue dragon in humanoid form, though with her wings at the ready, a humanoid in magical armor with a powerful magic sword, and a young girl belonging to a nearly extinct magic race; the feldroks. It’s an impressive gathering of people, but not the specific person she’s looking for.
What does surprise her, though, is that they don’t head east to start a war, as she feared when she sent an observer to speak to Rikuto. Instead, the group of four flies further west.
Ryukana sighs. She’s losing hope, and the three women she was monitoring have done nothing of note since they met with each other. She moves instantly to the hostel, approaching and knocking on the door.
The succubus woman answers the door, briefly surprised by Ryukana’s hooded appearance. But, Ryukana remains gentle and soft spoken. “Pardon me for intruding. I’m looking for a man named ‘Daniel’.”
Dishes clatter, and the succubus glances over her shoulder. She asks with surprise in her voice, “Y-You too?”
Ryukana nods with a smile. “Yes, but for a different reason, I suspect.”
A gatonine woman with a sharp gaze and harsh tongue appears at the door, asking, “How do you know Daniel?”
Ryukana smiles a little more softly, observing the second gatonine woman approach from a little further back. “I’m the goddess who sent him to this world.”
The three are stunned by the revelation. They can’t even form words, and Ryukana sighs softly. “It didn’t go as planned…”
Just as she’s about to explain better, a sudden flash draws their attention to the horizon, and a glow fills the sky for a long time. They all move away from the hostel to see better, and a horror fills the goddess to her very core.
This world has magic that is not present on Earth. That’s why it’s important for the summoning to provide the divine summon with the magic that they need. Likewise, if a person from a world of magic were to be summoned to a world without magic, they would be provided with more knowledge or practical strengths to balance their disadvantage in the new world, since little would be able to interact with the magic that that person would possess.
Because of that, the two types of worlds often develop in very different ways. There are parallels as the common needs of people are often shared across various worlds, but warfare is often where the differences in worlds are most apparent.
Earth is a world far enough ahead that they have narrowed down their understanding of the universe to some of the smallest components of the fabric of the universe itself. Given the proper resources, scientists of Earth could likely discover the very cause of magic itself, given enough time.
However, in this case, it is the sleeping titan found within the fabric of the universe in both worlds that she is gazing upon; a sleeping titan that has just awakened.
Rising into the sky hundreds of miles away is a cloud born of fire, smoke, and ash, channeling its form high into the sky and above the clouds. She can see it racing across the ground as it reaches them; a surge of energy that negates magic for a brief moment, and then a shockwave of thunderous sound that rattles them to their bones and topples especially weak buildings and shakes branches and leaves out of trees even from this far away.
It is the most powerful weapon of Earth’s modern times, maximized to the peak of effectiveness and utilizing a pinnacle of atomic science to convert matter into destructive energy.
The horror isn’t of witnessing one of the most devastating weapons in the living universe over which the divine realm observes; the horror is that she looked directly at him and assumed he wasn’t who he is.
The strange armored person riding the white dragon had to have been none other than the very human she has been searching for; one of only two who could have brought such technology to this world well before they have the means to make use of the knowledge without understanding the science.
And, she watched him fly away without even considering it a possibility that the magic she was detecting was coming from his sword or armor.
**********