Hero Rising- The R Button Section
Sillac- Class: Mercenary - 16 years old at the beginning. Was thin and wiry until he took up swordsmanship, now very well built. Sandy brown hair, hazel eyes. About six foot tall. Has a very dedicated attitude.
Aemun- Class: Mage - 17. Very thin body, very pale person. Has a big ego. About five nine. Dark blue eyes, jet black hair. Likes to be sarcastic. He is also very magically talented, so much that sometimes he has the power of foresight. He is one of the few mages who has the ability to cast spells without tomes.
Kara- Class: Thief - Also 16 at the beginning. She is pretty tough, but she has a thin runner's build. She is a natural athlete, very good with her hands. Bright red hair, soft brown eyes. About five eight. She is funny and a little mischievous, but she is sensitive to the desires and needs of others.
Hero Rising
Chapter 1
Across the great continent of Elibe, a glorious peace has followed the defeat of the dragons in the Scouring nearly a thousand years ago. Now, in the midst of this peace, a darkness has begun to rise over the continent. Our story begins in the barren fields of Ilia, nine hundred seventy eight years after the horrible war. An aspiring young swordsman named Sillac, along with his friends Kara and Aemun, find an ancient tome in a cave near their village. They could not have possibly known the journey on which this tome would lead them. Their adventure began one afternoon near the village of Pacallis…
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The barren, arid regions of Ilia have a strange beauty all their own. It is a desolate beauty, but captivating all the same. Rolling hills of dirt, devoid of green and capped with clusters of ice and snow, scatter the panorama around the quiet, peaceful village called Pacallis. Far off in all directions, many gray, imposing mountains stand tall and firm, reminding men of their inability to combat nature. Or rather, most men. Some men possess wills great enough to move mountains, or so the old saying goes.
Ironically, there is no such man in sight. However, a young boy, along with his two friends, jogs steadily up one of these hills, heading south from his village. This boy might one day become such a man, but for now, he is still young and must grow into his potential.
"Sillac, where in the name of Barigan are we?" said Kara, exasperation evident in her voice.
"Don't worry, we're not lost," he replied. "I know where we are. I found a place yesterday when I went on my run. I've never seen it before, so I thought that you guys would like to see it, too. Come on!"
Kara and Aemun ran quickly to catch up to him. After several minutes, Aemun finally said,
"Slow down! Stop!"
Sillac slowed and turned toward Aemun, who was doubled over and gasping for air.
"Why don't you use some of that fabulous magic of yours to give yourself some muscles?" he joked.
Aemun merely rolled his eyes in response and continued to rest.
Finally he said, "Sillac, how much further until we arrive? My legs ache."
Sillac replied, "Not too much longer. It's just through the next pass."
"Very well," sighed Aemun heavily. "I shall continue."
Sillac and Kara ignored his tone as usual and continued their purposeful, adventurous march through the jagged, rocky terrain that was their homeland. As they approached the end of the pass, the sky began to darken.
"It's getting late," said Kara. "We need to hurry; otherwise it will be too dark to get back to the village before nightfall. And personally, I don't exactly relish the idea of trying to trek these mountains at night, and we aren't exactly prepared to make a camp."
Sillac paused for a moment and said, "Well it's no use turning around now. The cave I found is right there. Can you see it? The hills almost completely mask it. I would've missed it, but I decided to fall into the entrance instead."
"Impressive," Aemun replied, without the smile Kara now wore. "Despite all of your shortcomings, you do posses some remarkable tracking skills."
Once again, Sillac ignored Aemun's sarcasm, and slid his way down to the entrance of the cave. Kara and Aemun followed, although Kara made her way much faster. Eventually, Aemun arrived at the entrance. They made their way down into the cave until it became too dark to see.
"It's too dark to go any further," said Sillac. "Let's go back."
"Wait," interrupted Aemun. "Let me try something." Aemun whispered several ancient words, and after a brief moment, a strong light appeared, glowing from his hand.
"Wow!" said Kara. "Who taught you that?"
"No one," Aemun replied. "I devised it myself. Come. This spell expends my energy quickly. It won't last us all the way back to Pacallis."
And so they followed, until they came to a dead end in the cave.
"Well," said Kara, "that sure was interesting. A cave that leads nowhere, twice. I need a rest."
As she leaned back against the wall, a loud shuddering echoed throughout the cave.
"What did you do?" asked Sillac with a sense of urgency in his voice.
"I don't know!" she responded, in an equally confused and urgent tone.
Suddenly, the noise stopped, and where a bare cave wall had been a moment before was a bright marble shrine had appeared, encrusted with precious stones of all kinds and a series of runes across the altar. Eight intricately carved statues guarded the front of the altar. The statues took the form of eight humans.
The eyes of the three companions were instantly drawn to a different part of the sanctuary. Sillac immediately noticed the statue of a fierce looking swordsman with intense and passionate eyes. It seemed to him that the statue was alive. Kara noticed the runes along the edge of the altar. They seemed powerful to her, not only in their elegance and mystique, but also in their strange and crude aura. Aemun, however, was drawn to the small book that appeared on the altar.
"Come," it seemed to say to him. He felt the immense magic emanating from the book, and he was overcome. He began to move, though not by his own will. He felt the edge of the book, and it was bound in a soft fabric. He opened the cover, and ink began to appear on the pages. Most of it was in a language foreign to him, but finally he saw words in a language familiar to him. He felt the magic stronger than ever now. He saw his friends next to him, and Sillac appeared to be shouting, but Aemun heard nothing but an unintelligible whisper.
As he spoke the words, the room seemed to grow dim. A deathly presence almost became tangible. An unexplained wind began to blow, softly at first, and then increasing to a deafening roar. A blinding flash came from the book, and Aemun cried aloud, though no one heard, as a powerful stream of magical energy burst through the room. It felt as though his body and mind were being ripped apart. After several seconds, the winds stopped. The air of death left as suddenly as it had come. The pain in Aemun's body receded. Everything was quiet. At last Sillac spoke.
"What in the world was that? And why did you touch that book! Are you insane?"
He took several angry, shaky breaths.
"Sillac!" responded Kara angrily. "Don't talk like that! Look at him. He's completely shaken."
Kara's face softened.
"What happened, Aemun?" she asked quietly. Aemun sat still and breathed for a few moments before he finally began, speaking in a voice that seemed made of glass.
"When the altar appeared, I saw the book immediately. It is an object of such immense power, that those who have never experienced the depth of magic can hardly fathom. It possessed all of the strongest powers of nature, as well as those of light and darkness. It was impossible to not fall under the sway of its power. It called to me, and I answered with haste."
He stopped, forced himself into a calmer state, and continued.
"When the magic was unleashed, it spoke to me. It showed me the past and the future. I saw the dragons, and the carnage of the past war. I saw twisted bodies and wasted cities. I saw humans and dragons destroy the other in unspeakable ways, both in body and soul. Then, as all hope seemed to be lost, the great heroes of mankind saved our race from extinction. The dragons left this world forever.
Then, I was given a vision of the future. The great war of the past was only a shadow of that which is to come. The world will become a barren wasteland, and the war will have no victor. The entire balance of this world will be upset.
The message was not definite, however. A pure voice spoke that said, "Lycia brings hope." We have a calling. This vision was sent to us. Our future is deeply intertwined with a boy our own age. His name is Eliwood."