Chapter 1
The night was dark, perhaps darker than usual. The wind blew coldly, forcing villagers to close their windows and put a few extra layers on. The brilliant shining moon was high in the moon, its face full, but its expression empty and cold. The whole place felt as if all love and hope had been sucked out, allowing the darkness and fear to creep in.
A figure stood on the roof of the bell tower, the highest man made figure in the town. It stretched far up towards the sky, nearly the height of a mountain. They were surrounded by mountains, which is why anything could happen here. It was the perfect place. Putting their fingers to their temples, the shadow used Mind Magic to contact its comrades who were stationed around town.
"It's time." It was a woman's voice, deep and cold. So cold it would send a chill down an Ice Mages spine. Those two simple words meant the world, meant the fate of their guild. What guild, you're wondering? The Assassins Guild, probably one of the darkest guilds in Fairoire. There were wannabes out there, but they always got caught; made a mistake.
The cloaked woman looked at the moon, its shine casting a shadow over her eyes, before she grabbed the rope and slid down. The bell rang out around the town, and all the villagers came out, wrapped in layers of clothing, wondering what was happening. The bell signalled trouble, or a town meeting. The second the figure hit the ground of the tower, she disappeared in a wave of black smoke. About 100 people flocked to the centre of town, where the courtyard and Stand was. The Stand was just a big cement and cobblestone stage for the mayor to announce from.
Three men stood up on the Stage, each one facing a direction, waiting for their leader. They were all mages, mages with different abilities. The tallest, Darius Ohara, had brute strength and speed. His hair was brown, and he wore tribal robes. The average 2 sized ones, Farah Nahiet, had white hair like snow, and possessed the power of Wind. Finally, Gatiao Delauis, hair as black as the depths of the ocean, had the power of nature.
The people started chatting amongst each other nervously, wondering where their Mayor was, and who these strange men were. The voices grew louder, but slowly died as swirls and surges of black smoke circled in amidst them, careful not to touch them. The shadows gathered in the centre of the Stage, finally setting to the figure of a woman. Horrified and fearful screams were heard, all saying "It's the Phantom Goddess!" A boy, just reaching his adult years stepped forward.
"Where is the mayor, Phantom?" He demanded, and the woman smirked. It was the only visible part of her face that lay outside the reach of the shadows. Her voice didn't even grace their ears before the white haired man handed her a sack with liquid dripping from its seams. The young man got the feeling that her eyes never left his, and her smirk never left her lips as she tossed forward the sack. It landed, splattering the strange liquid everywhere, and the object rolled out. The villagers screamed, cried, as they all looked at the head of their beloved mayor.
"This is our town now."