Chapter 2.5. The Exiled Wizards

"Hmm..? I thought you already knew me?" The weird old man said as he pointed his hand at the emperor's direction.

The weird old stranger pointed at the emperor's direction as he stopped laughing. To be honest, it was sort of creepy for a stranger to just… burst your laughter in front of someone you don't know.

The young emperor's face went from "scared half to death" to confusion. He does not know this mysterious man. He could only wonder if he is someone who he had forgotten a long time ago. Still… he still had no clue of who he was, even though he thought for a good minute.

"Sorry, but I don't know you. Have we met before?" The emperor asked in an embarrassed tone while the weird old man could only look in disappointment.

"I believe that you opened the book. Have you read it?" The old man asked the young emperor while his hand pointed at the book

"The…book? Hmm…" As the emperor heard those words, he started to speculate that this man is maybe part of the book he read. He gave it a shot as he looked at the book and back to the weird old man.

"Did you just use an Imperial Arm just now?" The emperor asked the weird old man. The old man sighed as he lowered his head while covering his face in disappointment.

"So it really is forgotten at this point, huh?" The old man said in the tone of sadness and grief as he bent forward. He still could not look straight, only the floor is what he is looking right now.

"Wait… forgotten?" As the pieces of puzzles were starting to fit into the right holes, that sounded perfectly familiar. The emperor tried to guess again as he cleared his throat.

"Is it possible that you used magic right now?" The emperor asked with a curious tone. If it is true, then this is an unbelievable sight. Maybe you can only see this once in a thousand years! Oh, he wished that the arts of magic were not forgotten. What could have happened in this world if we still used magic?

"Is it possible!?... Are you using magic right now!?"

The emperor asked once more. It made the emperor jump as he asked the question. He has so many questions to ask about. The old man then finally looked at the young child's eyes. The man's eyes were about to shed a tear, but he wiped it off as the emperor still was standing in curiosity and excitement.

'He knows!' The man thought to himself. The weird old man suddenly became very happy as the boy finally got the correct answer. Magic was once discriminated across the land, but at least… at least that there is a man that finally knew and admired the arts of magic.

He still saw the emperor standing and waiting for his response. He then realized he had been far too quiet for too long. He finally decided to speak as he cleared his throat and straightened up is posture.

"Precisely! I just used teleportation magic right now!" The old man was happy to explain, but there are other things he has to tell the emperor. The emperor though was surprised! Magic really did help create the Imperial Arms!

'Hah! I was right!

As the emperor's eyes were wide open from amazement, he still had one thing in mind though.

"Hey, do you mind if I ask you a question," The emperor told the weird old man. He nodded back as he answered in response.

"Sure thing! No one asked me questions In a long time. I should at least make a difference right now." The weird old man replied.

As the emperor is about to ask some questions, he raised and pointed his closed palm in front of the weird old man. He then raised the first finger, signaling the old man that he has a number of questions that he wanted to be answered immediately.

"Firstly, out of all places, why are you here? What is your purpose inside of the Empire's castle?"

The emperor paused and raised a second finger.

"Second, are you from the Great Exiled Wizards?"

The emperor then raised the third finger as he paused.

"Finally, just who are you?"

The young emperor finally finished speaking as he grasped for some fresh air. As he looked at the weird old man, he saw that he smiled.

'Why is he smiling? Is he happy about something?' The emperor thought to himself.

"Those are some wonderful questions young emperor," The weird old man said to the emperor who is now paying his full attention.

"I must apologize if I smiled too much. It just reminded me of the old days…" The weird man continued.

'Old days?' The emperor wondered. 'I wonder what he is talking about.'

"Now then, let's get started shall we!?" The weird old man exclaimed in an excited tone as he raised both hands in a dramatic effect. It made the emperor laugh a bit because he looked a bit too funny.

"Your first question is why I am here is that correct?" The weird old man asked the emperor if he is correct. The emperor nodded in response with an unexpressive face.

"I am here because of an old prophecy," The weird old man continued.

The emperor is obviously confused. One could tell that he is confused just by looking at his face as he raised an eyebrow as he tilted his head in a couple of degrees to the right.

'Prophesy? What is he talking about?' The emperor thought to himself as he continued to wonder what it might mean.

The emperor still did not know after thinking for a good amount of time, so he finally decided to ask the weird yet wise old man.

"What do you mean? What is this prophesy you are talking about?" He asked.

The weird old man raised both his hands up to the air as he answered the emperor.

"Patience, my child, for I am about to tell you the great prophesy of the wizards"

It was dead silent for a moment until his fingertips started to glow. After a couple of seconds, his hands were glowing with light. It is a magnificent view as the lights were dancing like the angels.

'So he really is from the Great Exiled Wizards' The emperor concluded as his eyes widened in surprise once more. 'Amazing!'

The weird old man huffed and grunted for five seconds until he started to calm down.

"Here we go…"

As the weird old man's hands were glowing in magic he grunted once more as he quickly dropped both of his hands. It was not halfway down until a bright light consumed the entire throne room. The emperor quickly closed his eyes and was quickly thrown back because he wanted to close his eyes as soon as possible. However, as he opened his eyes, it is not in the throne room anymore. His throne is gone, his subjects are gone, his staff is gone… except for his clothing of course.

"Where on Earth am I? What is this bright place?" The emperor asked himself. However, he himself does not have a clue. The room had the color of the brightest white as the light shone brightly but not too bright. The room is so bright and white that it is impossible to determine how big the room is.

The emperor looked around to see if there is a difference. There is nothing that he found. He started to feel very anxious as he might be trapped in an unknown biome forever. His head felt very dizzy as well as his eyesight became very blurry because of the fact that he is hyperventilating too much once more.

He is about to cry endlessly until a hand patted his shoulder. He immediately turned around while wiping his eyes as he saw none other than the weird old man.

The weird old man smiled as he held the panicked boy with both hands and knelt at his level.

"There is nothing to worry about in this place, young child. Why are you in a panicked state?" The weird old man asked. The emperor though tried to deny anything that happened.

"N…nothing happened here while you were gone, old man!" The emperor replied with an embarrassed tone, which made the weird old man laugh a little bit. This made the emperor's face turn into a tomato for a short while. The old man, seeing the emperor's condition, finally decided it is finally time to stop teasing and start answering his questions.

"Alright alright. It is time to answer your questions, it seems," The old man raised an arm and the earth beneath them started to rumble.

The room started to mold itself into a world that is similar to the outside world. It is like a hologram. In this room though, there was the Empire. However, it had even fewer details than before. The designs of the castles were old. He also saw people wearing a black cloak using magic to help themselves in agriculture, which sped up the growth rate. Labor, which disintegrated any litters, making the streets clean from the mess. Business, as they increased the quality metals, jewels, and crystals and more. And healthcare, which helped them make medicines, antidotes, and healing much easier. It is like, they have traveled back in time. The Empire's castle, walls, as well as the Grand Canal and their roads still being under construction or under modification is surely an awesome sight to the emperor. His face was once again covered in amazement as his jaw dropped whilst looking around. The room then focused into a man in a district who wore the same black cloak from the people that used magic. It is also similar to what the weird old man beside him is wearing. The man was sitting outdoors silently and peacefully. Maybe he is meditating.

The emperor once again looked in confusion until the ground shook once more. What is more surprising is that the man they are observing is now floating mid-air as he hummed.

"This is the second to the last Great Wizard. He used to be my leader when I was not yet a Great Wizard. He truly is a great man." The weird old man said as the emperor's attention is suddenly shifted to the subject.

"The Great Wizard, huh?" The young emperor wondered.

"Certainly, young emperor. Now let's get back to the subject, shall we?. *ahem*." The weird old man covered his mouth as he cleared his throat. He knew this is going to be a long story.

"One day, the Great Wizard had a vision like none other. He saw destruction, pain, suffering, you know it…" The weird man continued.

The room then showed them both every detail of what he saw in his vision.

As the weird old man paused, the room's appearance changed once more. It showed them villages burning, Danger Beasts causing havoc and destruction, people suffering from famine and people's sanity disappearing.

The emperor looked at each and every detail. Then he saw the people. It was horrible. Their faces showed fear, anger, jealousy, and the carving of revenge.

The emperor's eyes suddenly widened as he saw his own Empire burning to the ground, forgotten and destroyed. He then glanced again to the people of the visions.

People are mourning for their loss, people are carving for power and wealth, people are carving to end the Empire, and people are carving for revenge because they lost something.

'I saw many people's faces like that when I am sentencing them to their perspective punishments'

The emperor thought to himself.

'But this is different. These are innocent people, not like those I have punished or sentenced to death, at least that's what Minister Honest told me. He is always right. Each and everyone in this prophesy seemed that they are carving for revenge, as well as power. This could mean the End of the Empire's reign!'

The emperor thought to himself as he started panicking again. He started sweating and trembling in fear uncontrollable. His teeth were clattering just by imagining what might happen if that prophesy came true.

'If it will benefit the Empire, then-'

The emperor's thinking was interrupted by the weird old man in which he started speaking

"That is why I, the last Great Wizard, shall take responsibility. I shall save those who need my help, protect those who are defenseless, and help those who are in need of my help! And I will not stop until I fulfill my destiny!" The weird old man, or should I say, The Last Great Wizard, exclaimed in an over-reactive manner. This time, the emperor did not laugh.

His face was full of shock, his eyes were wide as his jaws dropped below and beyond the ground as he heard those words from the old man.

'W-w-w-w-Wait WHAT!? THIS WEIRD OLD MAN RIGHT BESIDE ME IS THE LAST GREAT WIZARD!?' The emperor could not believe that the weird old man is actually the last Great Wizard. That means he must be the most powerful magic user!

The images or holograms the white room showed dissipated. Nothing was left except the emptiness of the room.

"Now that I answered all of your questions, I should tell you more about the Prophesy" The Great Wizard said to the emperor in which only nodded. His jaw is still dropped at the floor.

"S-sure…" The emperor replied.

"The prophecy said that once the book that is titled: The Lost Age of Magic, heroes are needed to be summoned immediately in this world to save it from its destruction. Today, you have awakened me in my hibernation just by opening and believing the book you had."

"S-sure" the young emperor is still speechless from the man and could only nod a bit.

"Let's get back in the topic, shall we? It is said that the strongest, purest, and the most effective heroes will be summoned. There are many heroes we still do not know. But if I would tell you an example, it would be like: The Sword Hero, The Spear Hero, and the Bow Hero."

"Interesting…" The emperor said to himself.

"So… can we do anything to help? You proved that magic and the Great Exiled Wizards are real. There is no more reason for you to prove more. You have shown me enough…" The emperor paused. He suddenly realized that he does not know what to call the old man.

"I am sorry but, what should I address you?" The emperor asked the old man in a normal tone as the old man smiled back in response. It is weird how he often smiles back

"Just call me Merlin"

The emperor nodded back at Merlin in response.

"So Merlin, what can we do to help you in this "hero summoning" you were talking about?" While the emperor was asking Merlin, he scratched his head back in response.

He shrugged off his shoulders as he began to speak.

"Normally, I can do this alone… but…"

"But?" The emperor asked.

Suddenly a lightbulb shined above Merlin's head. He had an idea that might help him.

"You must meet me at north-east part of Fake Mount. Just follow the path and you will find a cave. Meet me there. Make sure to bring 5 strong men. I need to lend their energy because I believe it might help me summon. I'm a bit rusty you know?" Merlin commanded the emperor which made a thumbs up in front of Merlin. His face barely had an expressive face. I guess he is used to the surprises now.

"We will try" The emperor replied back.

Merlin then turned his back and walked away from the emperor. He wondered what Merlin is up to now.

"I believe it is time for me to go now, child. I should not waste any more mana. Farewell!"

Merlin walked away as he waved his goodbyes to the emperor.

"Hey wait! You are just gonna leave me here!?" The emperor was scared again. Merlin looked back at the emperor and yet again made another smile.

"Oh right. I forgot to do this." Merlin said to himself.

Merlin then snapped his fingers and the whole white room and his vision started to vanish. The emperor could only wonder in fear as he wondered what will happen to him.

"Do not worry too much about it my child. You should be waking up soo-"

"...esty! My Majesty!"

The emperor suddenly woke up. He is back to the throne room. And a guard is shaking him over and over again.

"Stop it already! I am already awake!"

The soldier then stopped shaking as he went backward and knelt.

"My majesty, what just happened?" The soldier asked.

As the emperor observed the room more, he noticed that everyone is awake now. They are confused about what had happened though.

'The dream felt way too real' The emperor thought to himself. Not long after, he decided to take action.

"We will go to the north-east part of Mount Font. Bring me 5 strong men, as well as an escort that will guard me well so I can be protected"

His loyal subjects and his loyal soldiers bowed as the emperor stated his command.


"There it is!" A soldier yelled.

"The cave!" Another yelled.

It is 7:18 PM in the Empire as they found the cave at the north-east part of Fake Mont. Although it is full of Danger Beasts, the emperor is guarded well because of his soldiers. They wasted all of their strength and energy for this day so they hoped it is worth it.

"Wake up my Majesty. We have arrived."

The emperor was sleeping peacefully until his servant woke him up. He then rubbed his eyes and stretched his body.

"Okay,"

The Emperor stepped out of his golden carriage, as he saw in front of his eyes, is the cave of the Great Wizards.

"Let's get going," As the emperor commanded, all of the soldiers straightened up his posture as they all did a salute.

"Hai" The soldiers responded.

"Prepare some torches for the Emperor! It might be dark inside the cave!"

They all went inside the cave. They saw huge crystals emerging from the ceiling and the ground like stalactites and stalagmites.

After they passed the crystals, they saw doors in which had different designs. It was very weird.

After some walking and empty rooms, the soldiers found a note.

"Your Majesty," One soldier called.

"Yes?" The emperor replied.

"You must come here" The soldier replied back.

The emperor went into the room called for his name. Inside that room is a white room, but smaller. It has a weird circle which had weird handwritings and some weird quadrilaterals. In the room, there are also some dumbfounded and speechless soldiers.

"What do you think is this place?" One soldier asked another.

"Why are you asking me? How am I supposed to know?" The soldier replied.

"I believe that you found the correct room this time right?"

A voice then resonated inside the room, then suddenly, A man appeared out of nowhere. This surprised the soldiers. It might be obvious because they drew their swords as they shouted.

"Who goes there!?" The soldiers shouted.

"No wait, it is him. Sheathe back your swords," As the emperor commanded, the soldiers sheathed back their swords as they calmed down.

"I guess you really came here young emperor and I must thank you for that," Merlin said to the emperor who only nodded in response.

Merlin then cleared his throat as he decided to continue speaking.

"But before I thank you, I must have the 5 strong men surround this circle," Merlin pointed to the weird circle as he pointed to its direction.

"I need 5 volunteers please!" The emperor commanded.

5 tall and strong soldiers then approached and surrounded the circle as Merlin requested. They of unsure of what to do next until Merlin spoke to them.

"Now sit,"

The soldiers looked at each other, but if this man knows what to do, then they just have to go with the flow. And so, they sat, surrounding the circle as the emperor looked at them.

"Now, shall we begin?" Merlin asked the emperor.

"Are you sure that no one will be hurt?" The young emperor asked Merlin, who smiled back in response.

"Oh do not worry young child. I just need to lend some energy to these strong men. They might feel a little tired but they will not be hurt or harmed in any way."

The emperor sighed in relief of what he heard, but still could not avoid being a little anxious.

They are about to do something they haven't done before.

As the emperor is overthinking, he then saw Merlin walking towards the weird circle.

"Everyone, when the magic circle glows, close your eyes. It might blind you if you stare at it too much" Merlin commanded everyone. The emperor though only became more anxious because of what happened earlier.

He noticed that Merlin is now sitting at the middle of the said "Magic Circle" yet he is sweating too in nervousness. Why though?

Then he heard Merlin hum in a low tone. The magic circle started glowing as they saw the yellow light emerging from it. It is dim at the start but they noticed the drastic changes. It became bright like the torches they brought inside the cave.

"Oouwhmmmmmm….

As the last Great Wizard, source of thy power,

I order thee decipher the laws of nature and summon my target.

Summon the strongest, worthy and caring."

As Merlin chanted those words, the air blew clockwise as yellow warm rays of light emerged from the circle.

The emperor and the remaining soldiers were speechless as they saw the following events. Merlin started to hover and some weird lights are now surrounding his body. The lights looked they are molten hot yet the temperature of the room did not increase.

It is a fantastic show for the emperor. This is the first time he saw the wonders of magic! It is beautiful!

The emperor didn't know how to react until suddenly the ground shook.

Everyone started floating, but not higher than 2 inches.

Everyone is struck by surprise and confusion. The emperor, who wasn't used to this kind of stuff, decided that it is the best time to panic again… until.

"The Hero we summon will be the judgment of good and evil

The Hero we summon will be the strongest of the strong

The Hero we summon will have the greatest of heroes' will

The hero we will summon will end impurity and wrong"

A loud voice echoed at the entire room as the voice that replied to Merlin is from the glowing magic circle. The voice is beautiful, much like of a female angel's.

Everyone, still dumbstruck, admired the voice as it replied again.

"Why do you summon the great gate, oh Great Wizard?" The magic circle asked.

Wait… it is conscious?

"I wish to summon a hero that will save my people's lives, to save my people's hearts, and to save my people's sanity. Shall you grant my selfish request? Goddess of Athena?"

There, the voice came to a pause. They wondered what is up with that circle and what exactly is it. They could only stare at it with curiosity. Seconds passed and finally, it spoke.

"Very well then"

"You may chant the sacred words"

Merlin, whilst sitting, took a deep breath and replied to the mysterious circle.

"There shall be no accidents, there will only be fate.

Lend me thy power, for I am the great mage

Decipher the laws of nature, to summon the hero at thy gate

Give me thy worthy, strongest, without impurity and rage"

The ground shook once more. This time, it is violent. Seconds felt minutes while minutes felt hours until the magic circle produced the brightest of light.

One might think it is day just by looking at it. The light is so bright that one might be temporarily blinded, but luckily, everyone listened to Merlin's instructions. For a good thirty seconds, the light finally disappeared and the violent shaking ceased.

Speaking of disappearances, the old man, Merlin suddenly disappeared.

"Merlin? Where are you?" The emperor shouted and looked everywhere, but it is no use.

"Where did that guy go this time?" The emperor asked himself.

He thought of the possible locations he probably went until his thinking was disrupted yet again by another person.

"Your Majesty, someone is at the weird circle!" A soldier pointed at its direction as told the emperor to check.

The emperor rushed to the circle and upon looking at it, he is surprised.

He saw a man lying down inside the circle. He had sharp features, including his black sharp hair and his face. He looked very young but everyone could tell that he is very dangerous.

He wore a green cloak and thick armor that made him look like a bandit leader. He is sleeping unconscious as his green cloak covered most of his body, including his arms.

One soldier noticed something strange at the unconscious man's arm. He went closer to inspect the man and he saw something shiny and metallic attached to the man's right arm. He raised an eyebrow as he raised his right hand and saw the strange metal attached. It had a green ruby in the middle while the metal's shape is odd, but it reminded him of something though.

"Is this a shield?" The soldier asked himself.


Guest: Ok dude go to DocX and finish the chapter first then put the chapter first, because if you do it like this (Making a Chapter that has a Part 1 and Part 2) you're just go get unwanted hates/trolls

My reply: I promise that I'll try that one. Sorry, I just thought it might be a good idea to do that. I just did not have time so I decided to post a part 1 and a part 2. Anyways, I will try not to do that again unless necessary. Thanks for the tip.

No msging: I love the actual idea but dont just have chapters that say wip, update with actual chapters finished, we don't necessarily need to know how much progress

My reply: Yeah, I will try not to post a part 1 and part 2 of the chapter next time. I just ran out of time so I decided: "Hmmm, why not?"

So yeah... anyways I am sorry, I'll try not to do that again.

VolcanicFlare: I'm okay with the crossover not happening right away. Context as to why the crossover happened is key information in my opinion (key information is a lot of stories lack).

Anyway, I have lots of patience so I can wait.

My reply: Thanks bud!