Prologue
"Can we hold master?" the question was spoken calmly, with little or no hint of the concern felt by the youngster, he was not a child by any means, standing about 6' feet in height with a powerful but flexible upper torso, his shoulders where broad and his face mature with sharp features, His hair was cut close to the head and no facial hair could be seen, compared to the power radiating man that stood close to hand his 26 years where but a blink in time, his atire also credited this fact as he wore the garments of an apprentice Guardian, a half robe of simple weave dyed black which covered only half the chest and folded around the back with a cord of twisted leather about the waist, cut short above the knees the robe sported no sleeves and his arms where bound with simple leather wrist guards, his feet where bare as was the custom of all the monks within the Monastery of Mia.
The monastery was set high atop the tallest ridge in Mia, except for the meager dirt path that weaved its way through the deadly rocks to the forested valley below, the monastery was other wise surrounded by jagged peaks and shear drops on all sides and was by far the most defendable location any one could wish for when siting a fortress or any other military construct, despite this the monastery had been stormed hours before dawn and with little or no warning the Masters had been unable to hold the evil at bay that now raged beyond the doors for more than a single hour!
"There is no longer any thing left to hold" replied the older man, his head was lowered and his eyes where closed as he spoke the words,
He looked up and stared at the huge arcanium braced wooden doors that led from the inner sanctum of the Grand Master of the sprit cast to the outer cloister, which then led to the other areas of the monastery which were now totally overrun, he had felt every death of every apprentice and novice within the walls, not one had been spared, even the other Masters had fallen, their sprits being torn from their bodies by the terrible and sinister magic that had accompanied the invading force,
The enemy had breached all the wards around the outer walls in seconds, using power unheard of in Mia for centuries, emerging from a rift of purple and red hues, the invaders had quickly taken control of the main court yard, killing, maiming and consuming any who stood in their way. All that remained now was a small group of Earth and Guardian cast apprentices, surrounded and with out hope of support within the main library, knowing they would soon fall and that the enemies full attention would come to bear on the wards set about the sanctum, and the doors he now stared at, the last remaining master turned to the last remaining student, speaking in low tones he said "Mia has fallen, and only one option know remains for us" his voice lowered further as if to hide his words from unseen ears, "come" he said as he strode to the brilliant white marble pedestal that stood in the center of the room,
The marble was warm to the touch, warded and infused with the power and energy of the seven casts of the Mia Monks, each cast guided by a Master of the related power to protect and shield the small object atop the pedestal,
Master Van of the Earth cast, Master Tilos of the Fire cast, Master Tyrus of the Shadow cast, Master Xon of the Light cast, Master Kree of the Life cast and Master Cyrus of the Guardian cast,
Now only the Master of the Sprit and a lone Guardian apprentice remained to guard the very item of power that the monastery was built to protect.
"The Wards are about to fail" said the lone master, he had felt the wards fail one by one as the other Masters had been slain through out the monastery, his voice but a whisper as he said "In all our time and history, the eye has never been so close to falling into evil hands!"
Turning to the young Guardian who now stood watching the Master with concern now clearly etched on his face,
"We have no other choice, stand before me" commanded the Master,
Reaching up with both hands the Master pressed his thumbs firmly on the young Guardians temples, Instantly he could feel the Sprit masters power and lore flow through his very being!, his own mind reeled with open amazement, time seemed to come to a halt, memories and knowledge, secrets and power! all where his for what seemed like an eternity, he saw beyond his minds eye, every thing was laid bare for him to see, to understand, Suddenly the world around him spun and he fell into darkness.
"Awake!" commanded the master..."Awake!"
The younger mans eyes opened with a start, and he could feel something cold and hard against his cheek, then realization struck him! he was lying flat out upon the floor, the Master of Sprit hovering above him, staring with a cold expression,
"I understand Master" said the young man as he sat up and looked around, eyes coming to rest on the pedestal, he could feel the energy in the room like never before, As a Guardian his training had always focused on the martial, sacrificing the mental training needed to control and sense the energy beyond the bodies own, but now he could feel and sense more than he should be able to, he could also feel the lack of protection around the pedestal.
The master eyes suddenly widened "They are here" he stated, as if in response, he buckled and wavered on his feet,
"They are destroying the wards about the door, they will soon be through!" turning to the student he said "we are out of time we must hurry"
As the Master regained his feet, he waved his hand over the pedestal and the last of the wards fell, leaving it totally with out protection, with out a word the Guardian scooped up the small object and placed it within a small leather pouch that hung by his waist.
As he stepped back, the Master began to chant and wave his hands in wide circles, energy started to gather, intense, powerful energy, as the apprentice watched he witnessed the Master grow pale, his features started to age and his body seemed to weaken, the apprentice stood ready knowing that the Master was using his very Sprit to empower the incantation and that there would be no second chance,
A faint humming sound started emanating from the direction of the doors followed by the sound of cracking wood, turning his attention away from the master he approached the doors and started to rotate his shoulders loosening the muscles, he focused his mind, and waited,
He didn't wait long...with a thunderous crash the door sundered, and the last remaining Guardian surged forward.
P.Hall