The air was thick with a darkness that spread over the barren land like a plague. There is no sign of life. The sky is a menacing black with the swirl of purple. Dry lightning cracks across the sky, they're no birds or beast flying and they're none to be seen on the dry, dead grassy fields below. Trees are dead with no leaves, homes now abandoned and fields now dead. Water that once flowed through the land was now dried up or rushing dangerously. Though, there is no sign of life around a group of five people can been seen standing side by side with a cloaked figure behind. Appearing in the distance is a large body of darkness approaching. Nemesis, a god that stayed from the others to come down on the land and take over, is ready to take out those foolish to stand up to him.
Zeus, the leader of them, though it hadn't been officially said, one could tell with one look. He stands tall and bravely in the face of unknown danger. The mage behind him, hidden with a black cloak with a golden trim like the other mages, is the light mage of the group. Athena is to his left, stony faced, but reviewing the many tactics they've planned for this fight. The mage behind is a nature mage possessing a ring. Poseidon is by Athena's side. He's the oldest looking of the group with a water mage wearing a sapphire necklace near him. To Zeus' right is Hades, close friend to Zeus and a great swordsman. The mage with him is a fire mage, a red-orange stone seemingly infused in the palm in his left hand. Finally comes Artemis, who is on horseback with an ice mage riding with her. the icy gaze of her blue eyes penetrates the darkness to gaze un-fearfully to the evil god. A bow and quill of arrows sit strapped on her back and the ice mage's staff is tucked away on her back as well. Opposite to them is Nemesis, standing tall and towering over them.
"So, these are the humans who think they can defeat me." His bone chilling voice and almost distorted voice echoes. "A few mages and some humans are nothing but a snack to me!" he laughed. The mass of darkness that was his hand swirling to form his creatures of darkness below on the ground. Wolf and bear like creatures made of the corrupt darkness of his being along with nightmarish wing horses and harpies in the skies. "Let's see if you can even handle these!"
In a blurred rush the beast and warriors charge at each other, weapons drawn and magic glowing as it's activated. While Zeus and the other engage with the beasts Artemis pulls the reins of her stallion to distance herself from the fight. The flying beasts in the sky splitting up so that some race after her, leading about half away from the others. Eventually she pulls her sleek, black bow out and the ice mage had taken her arrows. The matching black arrows levitate in front of the mage as the blue glow of her magic envelops them before Artemis takes one and aims for one of the devilish harpies in the sky. As the arrow makes contact the magic surrounding the arrow explodes in a growing mass of ice around the harpy, sending it down to the ground, hitting the ground and disappearing in a cloud of dark smoke. Artemis continues with attacking the from where she is on horseback while the others are in the field of battle.
Athena and Zeus are back to back, swords and shields in had as the bear and wolf like beast attack. Both armed with a matching pair of long swords, though Athena's was a bit longer and thinner than her partners. Heavy shields are on their arms as the defends and slice through the shadow beasts, trying not to get over powered. Poseidon is tearing through his own line of enemies. He fights is a trident, a weapon common among the warrior settlement he was born from. The silver and gold adorned weapon stabbed through the beast's, the spear on his back on used for now. Hades is on his own near where Artemis rides and sends her arrows flying into the sky with a blue glow. Hades great sword was the same length as Zeus', a bit thicker and heavier and with an arched design on the handle. He takes on the rest of the flying beasts that Artemis couldn't get to, shield up and protecting him as the blade of his weapon slashed through the air and at them.
Eventually the mage with Artemis dismounts as Artemis continues to ride to Hades and help from a distance. The ice mage, Jasper, a young man with short black hair and an icy gaze to rival Artemis'. His tanned arm pokes form the black and gold cloak to make use of the staff in his possession. It began to glow as he lifted it to slam it back down, a spiked trail of ice busting forward and running through the beasts overpowering Poseidon. Poseidon also had the water mage to help, who had opened a magic circle and sent streams of rushing water towards the beasts, the sapphire on her necklace glowing as she did so. The water mage's name was Mavi. Deep blue locks fell down her back like waves and a pair of brave green eyes accompanied it. She shared the same tan complexion as her brother Jasper.
"Alina!" the male fire mages called, his wavy brown hair blowing into his eyes due to the wind around them. His amber eyes met with Alina's, who's sky blue ones reflected determination. Alina was the blonde light mage with messy curls and a fair complexion like the fire mage's, whose names was Aiden. Alina left Zeus and Athena with the help of the earth mage to join at Aiden's side. Lifting her arms in the air the diamond on the silver diadem began to glow and an array of yellow magic circle appear at an angle above her, aiming for the God himself. Next Aiden stepped up to the, the stone in his palm glowing as his hand sipped through the air and line of flames were sent to flow through the magic circles, then bursting out of the circle in an assault of beams of golden glowing flames and the light and fire magic worked together to hit Nemesis.
Finally, the earth mage, Opal, had helped finish off the rest of the beasts attacking Zeus and Athena. Her forest green hair braided down her back, but still dampening around her forehead as she built up a sweat fighting alongside them. The faint glow of her ring matching her grey eyes as her hands worked to use her magic and bring about vines to go after the remaining beasts in the sky.
The group of ten were beginning to grow tired, but showed no sign of backing down yet. Nemesis growled from his position, the attack from Aiden and Alina had god eight through his form, leaving him agitated and ready to really begin fighting. "I'll kill you all now!" He bellowed as he went straight of the group of fighters. But before the large mass of darkness could come down on them it vanished, only a little bit remained to form into a human being with deathly pale skin and messy raven hair. The form of the dark mage Nemesis had taken control of stood before them with an evil grin. His eyes were a deep velvet color and an air of red glow around them. His, cold to the touch and the veins around his eyes and arms were a faint grey/black color, resulting from the immense evil power or Nemesis coursing through his veins. The young man had once been named Blake, a mage leaning black and dark magic at the time of his possession by Nemesis, who fed on the dark energy his magic could supply him. none of them knew a way to separate the two, by now they had to think that Blake was either completely gone or just barely hanging in. despite Athena's want to find a way to save the young male, they couldn't find an answer and were out of time. Blake couldn't get in the way of this, they had to get rid of Nemesis for good.
Before anything else could be said a wave of attack was sent towards Nemesis. An array of Artemis's magical arrows flew through the sky. Poseidon, Athena, Zeus, and Hades all jumped to attack Nemesis from all sides, the mages magic either protecting of enhancing their weapons. In turn three swords and a trident swipe and jab at him, Nemesis used his power to protect himself from their hits. The icy explosion of arrows however threw him off a bit, allowing Zeus' sword to cut through his chest. Slowly though the dark that made up Nemesis flowed over the wound to close it. Next silvery magic circles formed under the four of them, a mass of dark magic bursting from them and encasing them in it. Their shouts filling the air as the remaining mages and Artemis rushed to their aid.
Opal and Aiden had teamed up to attack next. Opal uttered a spell under her breath before her eyes fell closed and her hand found the ground beneath her at the glow the green color of her magic. The ring around her finger faintly began to close as it worked to increase her magic's strength. Her spell caused a crack in the earth, traveling to and around where the possessed Blake stood. Next Aiden recited his own spell and a wall of burning flames burst from the tear in the earth Opal had created, cadging the evil in the center of it. Artemis' arrows continued to fly one by one to strike at and around Nemesis, powered by her own magic as Jasper had joined Alina and Mavi's side. Mavi had gone to Zeus and everyone else's aid before the corrupt power of Nemesis could get to them. Bubbles of water had been sent to each of the four so that Mavi could cast a healing spell on them, this would draw out the dark magic from them, causing the water to fade with black. Next was Alina's turn to got to each of the sphere of water one by one and casting her light magic upon them, causing them to expel the dark magic and glow gold. As Mavi's sent the sphere towards Nemesis Jasper stepped up to freeze them into sharp point that would penetrate the cage around Nemesis and strike him with a golden shine.
With Nemesis distracted by the magic around him Athena and Poseidon moved for attack, their shields breaking through the wall of flames and they both attacked Nemesis from behind. Poseidon's trident stabbing into his back and Athena's sword slicing many times at his body. Nemesis howled in pain, another burst of energy enveloping him and causing him to take his original, large, godly form. The energy around him darted out to Athena and Poseidon, sharpening to a paint and raining down on the two. Athena lifted her shield in time to protect herself, but Poseidon was struck with one, the dark glow of the magic piercing threw his lower chest and casing the warrior to fall. "Poseidon!" Athena screamed over the roaring of thunder and Nemesis' distorted laughter. As Athena rushed to her comrade's side Nemesis turned attention on Artemis, who continued her long-distance attacks.
"I thought defeating you all in my true form would be too easy, but looks like you've proved me wrong. Too bad now you'll never stand a chance." Nemesis' bellowing laughter almost seemed to shake the earth as his hand came down on the land before him, causing the earth to split before him. the sound of the earth splitting was loud and terrifying as it separated and shook the land. Artemis and her stallion teetered on the edge of falling into the riff, the black stallion struggled to outrun the splitting of the earth, the animals back legs eventually slipping as the edge crumbling and the he and his rider were sent spiraling down. Artemis was forced to scream out, causing the earth mage Opal to jump to her rescue. A pillar of stony earth was sent rising up from the riff to catch Artemis, who was lifted to safety.
For a countless amount of hour's, the group would stand off against the evil god. The mages will come close exhausting the magic power and the four remaining humans are hurt and brought to brink of exhaustion while fighting. Poseidon had passed not long after the attack struck him, Mavi had been unable to heal him before the corrupt power could claim his life. Zeus and Athena continue to team up and attack Nemesis, Opal and Alina using their magic to enhance their weapons and speed. Artemis, who had surely broken a few ribs during her fall pushes on to fight with Jasper combing his own ice magic with hers. Mavi uses her healing spells through the whole battle to aid the others and Aiden casts spells alongside Hades as he fights. Hours pass with the battler tuning to Nemesis' favor, then Zeus', then Nemesis again in an always changing struggle for one side to keep the upper hand. They fight through the night, but finally an end comes in sight as dawn breaks over the land.
With the sun rising in the sky it still remains an eerie purplish color with a green hue now breaking through the dark clouds. Everyone is struggling to remain standing and the mages have only a small amount of magic power left. Though there is no hope of truly destroying Nemesis another option is being utilized. Nemesis has been backing into a corner of some sort, with him not used to continuously using his full power for so long he too is beginning to look worn. Zeus and his partners have surrounded the god from all four sides, weapons drawn with their battered, bloodied, and bruised figures wavering slightly as they remain standing despite wanting to collapse right then. They couldn't stop now, the feature of the land depended on them. The five mages moved into position, the bodies glowing their respective magic's color as they muster up whatever magic they have left inside themselves. Their respective item glows as together a spell is spoke, Zeus and Artemis gave whatever magic they had left to them as well, soon forming a large, golden magical seal under Nemesis, who calls out and tries to use his magic to attack them, but he is stop as the last few words of the spell are chanted.
The seal glows a bright golden yellow, wrapping around Nemesis and forcefully pulling him down to sink and disappear into the seal. With his final breaths Nemesis quickly shouts out the words of a curse in an unfamiliar language, with intent for it to kill the remaining humans. The mages, whose lights have already begun to fade, use whatever was left in them to counteract the curse, stopping it and causing a magic circle to open under the feet of Zeus and everyone else. The circle is white and looks like a ticking clock, but hand hands stop as the counter spell is finished and the four are wrapped in a glowing white light.
As the remains of Nemesis are sucked into the seal the body of Blake is left behind, faintly transparent as the other's mages. Opal is the first to go, her being fading and eventually disappearing with the clang of her rind hitting the stone. Next was Alina, her diadem left behind like opals ring. Next Mavi disappears, the sapphire necklace left behind, Jasper's staff is still present, and Aiden's stone is left in his place. Lastly the form of Blake disappears and a necklace is left behind. It's made up of several golden pieces with one deep red gem in the center. The white glow around the four disappear as well, and they soon collapse onto the ground.
With nemesis now sealed away life begins to slowly return to the land. Animals returning and wildlife dying only to regrow even more vast and beautiful. Though they searched for an answer the five mages were never seen again, they'd given up their own being's just to seal away Nemesis, they in reality deserved the title of heroes in Zeus' opinion. The six items left behind were split between the new rulers after they stepped up to take the leader roles that the broken land desperately needed. Zeus claimed the stone. Zeus the diadem, Athena the ring. Artemis took the staff and the water mages sapphire necklace was given to a young man from Mavi's distant relatives, the Bychkov's. This young man would then pass it down to each generation of child born into the family. As for the necklace left behind from Blake, it had disappeared when the four warriors lay unconscious on the ground, said to picked up by a traveler and kept in the family, similar to the Bychkov's.
These items were kept safe and protected throughout time, preventing anyone from knowing of the great power they held. It was later discovered that the counter spell cast on the rulers had stunted their aging, though they were not immortal, a special mineral found years later would be discovered to bypass the spell and truly harm them. As Poseidon had passed during battle a man from his linage was chosen to rule in his place, Neptune, who was filled in on the secrets the new Royals were now forced to keep. Because of this a story was created to cover up the existence of these secrets, the people now unaware of the mages that aided the rulers in battle. Even the existence of Poseidon was soon forgotten and in time Neptune became known as the fifth warrior to the people.
With the rulers now left the build up their own lands and Kingdoms the world for them was slowly set on track as economies and trade flourished and laws were set in place. Peace would reign through the land for years. Artemis was the only one to have a child hundreds and hundreds of years later, Prince Oliver of Nix, who would later be taken in the Invasion by Mortem. The reason for the change of heart in Hades is unknown even to this day. Hades two eventually had two boys to succeed him, Prince Rago and Pluto. Athena and Neptune would remain unmarried and childless, and Zeus was said to have an illegitimate child or two, but this was neither confirmed or denied by the King. With the five lands now flourishing the five Kingdoms soon became closed off from the many other Kingdoms in the land, such a Caelum, Ruina, and many others. As for Ruina, the ancient Kingdom was slowly forgotten and soon disappeared from the minds of many. When Ruina, which had been where the first mages were born, disappeared the number of mages decreased as well.
The five new Rulers would live on to a thousand years' worth of history and peace, that is until a change in Hades begun and the threat of Nemesis returned to the land. With the threat of Nemesis returning the gathering of these six items could very well give the god power to return and take the land, and soon the world for himself. With three items missing and Hade's want to collect them all no one has been in more Danger than those who know of hold these items. And with a war to only complicate things more, the land and its rulers are left with a difficult choice.
Wow, two chapter done in one night, this will probably never happen again. Well, with more of Hades plan told and true history of the land is revealed our characters are left to face a long road of challenges and dangers. It took a while to tie everything together, but now almost everything has been revealed and the real reason for Hades want of Ninel's families necklace is revealed as well. I hope the connection of a certain character and Blake's pendant is clear, but if not, it will be soon. Anyways, the next chapter will almost exclusively focus of Nix and it's past. Hopefully you guys enjoyed the chapter, and again I am very excited to continue with this story as I have many ideas and plans for it.