• Chapter 1: Prologue

    Location: Unknown

    “I’ve found them.” A voice said, speaking in front of a mirror looking object. It was floating in midair. He was wearing a heavy cloak with its hood around his head. Around him there is fire, fire that spread in all directions all around him, growing wilder and larger every second. Aside from the fire there was darkness, darkness that spread everywhere. Suddenly a face appeared in the mirror he was speaking to, the face of a woman. She had long black hair, her eyes green and her ears were pointed. On the right side of her back there nested a wing, long and gray. She was seated in what looked like a desk. She was holding an ornate looking pen and is drawing something in a paper. “Found who?” she seemed puzzled.
    “The chosen ones, did you forget?” he said. “Ahh, do you mean the five hundred fifty-fifth and the seven hundred seventy-seventh offspring.” She said calmly. “Yes, I found them in a planet very far away from here. It is called locally as the ‘core’. Hundreds of years searching far and wide have finally paid off. he said with a relief."
    “It’s been what? About seven years since you last contacted us. The least you can do is to have a nice and normal conversation with me.” She said. “Oh Susannah,” he said with concern. “My conversation with you is growing short by the second, for this seal may be old but it still powerful enough to limit my powers.” He added. “I understand. But how will you reach them, I doubt that you can reach them with your mind.” She seemed worried. He then answered “I have a plan.” He then dug his fingers inside his cloak and pulled out a paper sealed with a patch which looked like a burning tower. “I will send this to them.” He then returned the paper inside his cloak
    “But that will require…” “Yes I know what it will require.” He said, cutting her off. “A forbidden art, it will require and I can only do this by myself.”
    Her fingers suddenly started trembling like she saw a ghost “Are you sure about this?” She asked.”Yes I am sure about this, even though using it will weaken me. There is nothing you can do, Susannah to stop me from using the art.”
    “B…But why?” Tears were starting to form in her eyes. “Why do you have to this?” “Because this is the only choice I have to free myself from this seal.” “H…How,” she dropped the pen, tears now flowing down her eyes. “How will you do it?”
    “For the hundreds of years I have been trapped in here, I have been studying the parameters of the seal and please don’t be shocked to know what I have found.”
    “What did you find?” she asked. “I found out that to break the seal casted upon me, I will have to free my enemy Friah.” “N…No, you can’t” she said, her tears now dripping down from her face towards the paper. A tear also came out of the hooded man’s face “I have to do it.” He sounded determined. “I…I understand you.” Said Susannah, “But how will you free him?”
    “I’m sorry about this Susannah, but I will have to use those two children and guide them to release Friah.” Tears erupted from beneath the hood. Susannah suddenly stood up and she brought down her fist in the desk. “I understand you Valefor, but you can’t do this, it would ruin their lives.” “I know” said Valefor. “I have found them about twelve years ago and I will guide them when they reach the right age.” “And when is that?” Susannah asked now with her one wing outstretched in the air. “About an hour later” Valefor said. “You…Yes I understand” Susannah said calmly before returning to her seat. “I understand that you have no choice and you want to be free from your prison” said Susannah. “Thank you for understanding Susannah, I’m afraid that the end of our conversation is near. The seal is slowly regaining its hold in me, I’m afraid that this will be the last time that I talked to you for the seal is coming more powerful this time”
    “V…Valefor, I understand. I have something for you, to remember me by.” She grabbed the paper that she was drawing into and rolled it, and then she held out the paper into the mirror. “Bond Link” She muttered and instead of stopping at the mirror the paper went on the other side of the mirror. Valefor grabbed the paper as it came from the window. “Your magic stays strong as ever.” He said, opening the paper. The picture was very beautiful; it was like made by an angel. A picture of a handsome man in armor and a beautiful woman was drawn there. The man has a pair of wings outstretched and the woman has one wing outstretched also, they were holding their hands together and they were standing in what looked like a balcony, and behind them was the magnificent sky. As Valefor saw his tears emerged from his eyes. “Do you remember this?” Susannah asked, her tears flowing from her eyes. “Yes, I remember” said Valefor. “This was when we became elders” he added. “Yes… you’re right” said Susannah smiling.
    “Your drawings will be as beautiful as you” said Valefor, smiling. “And you too…” said Susannah. And all at once the seal took over, first enveloping the entire ground with fire and then cancelling out Susannah’s face on the mirror. Then the mirror cracked and it became dust as the fire took over. He then took at a look at the wonderful drawing and he discovered that the color was not colored the natural way. No wonder it is so beautiful, he thought. It is made from her tears, his emotions overwhelmed him. He then rolled the paper and tucked it into his robe. “SUSANNAH…..” Valefor cried out loud.

    It is time to send the letter, Valefor thought. Two pairs of wings erupted from his back. He raised those wings and brought it down so hard that it propelled him in midair. He flapped his wings, higher and higher he went into the endless dark world he was in. Reaching inside his cloak he pulled out two letters sealed with the burning towers patch. He held it out with his left hand clasping it between his thumb and index finger. “Forbidden Arts:…” His legs went limp “…Barrier Break:…” One wing went limp “Sleight of Hand.” And he flipped the two letters out of his hand, the two letters vanished of in midair. Then all his body went limp. And he was falling and falling to the fiery ground he was standing back earlier.

    Am I going to die here? He thought to himself, lying down in the fiery ground. At least I have sent the letters, he thought. Even though the fire did not hurt him, the isolation was another thing. To be far away from his loved ones… He thought. Then he faded into unconsciousness………





    Notes:
    An art is a technique whether it is magical or physical
    A bond link is made then those who have a strong bond who have defied the physical and magical barriers
    Barrier break means breaking a barrier or seal for a short time.
    An elder is the highest form of guardian
    A Forbidden art is forbidden
    Sleight of hand is a forbidden art

    And lastly
    “Your drawings will be as beautiful as you”: this is for a new friend of mine who has inspired me to write my long term imagination down. Her drawings will always be as beautiful as her….