Chapter 4: The Shadow of the Past.

It was a great city. Blessed waters coming from Mercury lighthouse. The streets were filled with happiness and laughter. It was Serland, The city that grew aroud Mercury Lighthouse The ports served as communication with the only other cities in this latitude, Soliena, to the west, and Prox, to the north. The very air was filled with pure thoughts. The best doctors came from Serland, for the Order of the White Hand had studied the Water of Hermes for generations, and most citizens knew a thing or two about medicine. The schools mixed history, math and geography with medicine from an early age, and fountains filled with the finest pearls were everywhere.

But that was the past.

The city was now expecting the attack of a the werewolves. There was no escape. The werewolves had cut all ways out, and the the port was now the refuge of the few people unable to fight, for the ships had left in a hurry with only a few men onboard. Most were inmediately summoned for a great army, and armed with magical swords and silver shields. Their armors had the lighthouse engraved in zapphire over the chest, and their helmets had the symbol of the Adepts, the sun.

But the city's army had a flaw, and that was the fact that nobody had ever used a weapon. Most were simply farmers, or doctors, and few had access to the only weapon that could win the war: Powerful Psynergy. Everyone could use frost, but what good could that be? The werewolves were fast and powerful creatures. There was a good chance that they could lose, and the lighthouse would be destroyed.

The day before the attack, two travelers arrived. A young man with red eyes and red hair (surely a Mars adept), and a a tall man with black hair and brown eyes (surely a Venus adept). Both looked tired, and their clothes were poor. However there was no denying the inmense power that emanated from them. They inmediately asked for audience with the King and the High Priest.

King Tharden lead them to the royal chamber, they were joined by the Leader of the Order of the White Hand, Hens; along with the High Priest, Denoth. With them were the captains and generals of the army.

"You have traveled to this Land to help defend our city, you say, but you also say that there's little chance of winning? Then what do you propose, Oh Mighty traveler? Hens spoke with a tone of superiority, and a grin appeared in his face. But when the black-haired man looked at him, he knew he had to be silent until spoken to.

"We are not mere travelers from the central lands of Angara, m'lord. Joe is my name, and this is Max from the Suhalla Range in Gondowan. We're Djinn hunters".

"King Tharden of Serland, please listen to the words of the Governor of Bilibin, as spoken to me right before he died, after the complete destruction of his city: This is only the beginning. War is coming. The Elder tribe wants to Rule." Joe paused. Everyone was staring at him with complete disbelief. War across all of Weyard? Soon everybody started to talk in hushed voices about the message. But the High priest looked horrified, and with a gesture asked for silence.

"The Elder Tribe? But, How?" he was talking to himself. Max said:

"Hey old man, could you explain please? We're not as wise as you, y'know" Then Denoth seemed to calm down and said with a clear, loud voice.

"Please hear me, people of Serland. For this is not a war for lands or our petty conflicts. If we do not raise the alarm, the world will be banished from this realm, and sent to the Outer Spheres of existence, and the Demons will claim Lordship over Weyard"

"You all know about the existence of the four Shapeshifting Tribes: Werewolves from Osenia, Werebear cities surrounding Gaia Rock in Izumo, The Sea-Folk in the Apojii Islands, and the Dragon Tribe from Gondowan, around Magma Rock. Their powers come from the four elements just as ours, but instead of the lighthouses (the purest form of an Element), theirs come from Nature, where they are combined with others"

"But nobody (except Shinryu, the leader of the inmortal Dragon Tribe) remembers now the world before the rising of the Golden Sun, and the coming of the Adepts. It was a time of war and conflict between the four tribes, and the Human race was near extinction, for they could do nothing against such mighty foes. But the Tribes were hungry for power, and they summoned powers from beyond this realm, thus opening the way to the Outer Beings. They now posessed power beyond all measure, but with that power came also what could have been our ruin. For then a new threat came from the Underworld"

"It was the Elder Tribe. The demons from beyond this realm, disguised as men, and they tried to Rule over Weyard. They could possess beasts and men, and they had powers that nobody else could dream of. Many members of the four Tribes joined them, but nobody knows the reason. Maybe they were Mind-controlled to do so. Maybe not."

"The remaining members of the Four Tribes united against this mighty foe, but they failed. It was then that the celestial forces gave Alchemy and The Golden Sun to Men, and they placed the foundations of the Lighthouses in the corners of the world. With Adepts now at their side, the Four Tribes launched an attack on the Elder Tribe, and won the battle. The Elder Tribe was destroyed forever, and it's civilization vanished from this world".

"But the Tribes knew that they would return someday, if their power was summoned again. So they helped us rebuild this world and made an oath to never call such forces again, and most of their powers were lost. The world soon was ruled by Adepts, and the Tribes retreated to their own dominions".

"Many people over the ages have asked the same question: Why are the tribes losing their powers? Now I have the answer: From the moment when they made a pact with those forces, their powers were mixed with that of the demons and its source came no longer from Nature, now it came from the Elder Tribe itself. When they were banished from the world, the Tribes lost their source of power and they have grown weak since then. I suppose the same could happen to us if the Golden Sun was lost, and Alchemy sealed".

"Now, The Elder Tribe has returned by means unknown, and they will stop at nothing to claim Weyard for themselves, and rule over it forever. We have to join the remaining Tribes to stop them, or our efforts will be doomed to fail".

Everbody was silent, and soon the fear turned into panic. King Tharden ordered silence and spoke with fear still visible on his face.

"The Elder Tribe. How could they return?. Have the Tribes forgotten about their oath so soon?" and then Joe remembered the strangely hooded man mounting the Roc.

"We saw one of them. He wears black armor and a black hood and travels on a Roc. He is leading the werewolf army. I believe it is them that have summoned the powers from beyond". He wasn't worried or scared. And he raised his voice so everyone could hear him.

"I've never heard of the Elder Tribe before, but it seems that the Four Tribes have already fallen again to their powers. The Roc only nest in the Apojii Islands where the Sea-folk dwell so neither they or the werewolves can be trusted. For now we can trust the Dragon Tribe and the Werebears, but the inmediate concern is the Mercury Lighthouse. If I'm not mistaken they will destroy it and the other three to seal Alchemy and destroy the Golden Sun. That will make us weak and we will no longer be able to protect Weyard. But now your powers have grown. Can you not feel it? Mercury lighthouse fills you with it's powers and you will have the advantage". But as he said this, Joe could feel the Mercury Lighthouse weakening him. He was aligned with Mars, and there was a good chance that his powers could not be enough to fight.Max felt it too, but he was neutral to it. And the people of Serland felt it too, they were filled with power now, and they were no longer scared.

"We will join the battle now", As he said this, King Tharden looked rejuvenated and a blue Aura seemed to emanate from him, "Go, Brave people of Serland! We'll keep the lighthouse lighted as long as we breathe! For Mercury!"

"FOR MERCURY!" They were filled with confidence now, and the battle cry was heard all over the city.

…………………….

As they left for the battlefield, The king called Joe and said "Don't think I haven't noticed. Your power grows weaker, and you won't make it out there. But you can still help us, Joe. Stay here, and draw a plan to defeat them.. My people need me out there to keep them motivated, and I need someone skilled in warfare to guide our forces. Don't dissapoint me, Djinn hunter"

"I won't, Your Majesty" Joe knew that the King would be in danger out there, but there was nothing he could do. Max headed for the Battlefield too, and he said to him "I'll protect the King. I hope you know what you're doing, Joe". And then he left, axe in hand.

But then the messengers came. One of them seemed horrified, and was almost unable to talk and barely managed to scream "T-the w-we-werewolves are c-cc-coming!" before he fell unconscious. But his companion had not lost it yet. He kneeled before the King and said:

"My King, the werewolves have reached the plains of Serland, and there are no obstacles between them and the city. And there's this huge amount of birds and beasts that come with them. And the Commander; My God, The Commander!" and as he said this a memory filled with horror reached his mind, and he took his hands to his temples. Finally, closing his eyes, he spoke.

"The Commander is probably the Devil himself. He wears a black hood with black armor. His face cannot be seen, only his eyes, and he has Huge wings under his cape. His words were colder than ice, chilling us to the bone: "Tell your so-called 'King' that we are coming" Those were his words". Then he fainted, and was taken to the ports, that had now become the medical station for the wounded in the battle.

King Tharden spoke now, his words filling the troops with hope.

"Go, People of Serland. We must not despair yet. The enemy still has not arrived, and We; the guardians of Mercury Lighthouse must not fail".

…………………..

Night fell on the city of Serland, and the werewolf army could be clearly seen from afar. The Beacon had not failed them. In fact, many of them noticed that it had never been so bright, and their powers had never been so great. Many of them practiced casting high level spells, and they noticed that their spiritual power was replenished far quickly than it used to.

Joe was busy in the royal castle, from where the whole battlefield could be seen. News came in and orders were given as quickly as He could. The Enemy army attacked from the South, and there was a good chance that more would come from the mountains near the Serland river. But when he noticed this, Joe smiled; and formulated a plan. Then he ordered them in three groups.

Group Number One, Led by the King, they would attack from the city walls. They would be the last, of course, as He hoped they could trap the Enemy army between the city and the Sea.

Group Number Two, led by Hens and his son (The most gifted warrior and adept in the city), would hold the Enemy between the mountains and the Western Entrance to the city. Joe sent a message to Hens, giving him precise instructions to pretend a retreat, and fall back behind the river. There the Adepts would use their Psynergy and flood the River, hopefully destroying the enemy forces without much effort. The most skilled in Psynergy were assigned to group Number Two, because flooding the river would be a tremendous task, even if their powers were growing. Then they would go as quickly as they could to the Eastern side and join forces with Group Number three.

Group Number Three, led by none other than Max (who was pretty happy with that) would be the first to engage the Enemy (of course, Max was happy with that too). They would be hiding in the forest near the river, and launch a surprise attack when the Enemy army passed. Of course, Max would have to cast growth a couple of times to hide his large amount of soldiers. The best warriors were assigned to him, because they would have the worst time fighting. If the forces led by Hens didn't arrived quickly, they would be cut off from the rest of the city, and that, as they knew too well, was suicide.

……………………….

The enemy sent a messenger, to set the conditions (or give the city one last chance). Their lives could be forgiven if they left pacifically and swore loyalty to the Elder tribe from now on. An arrow was launched and fell at his feet. Then using Psynergy, The King froze it. The messenger knew what that meant and retreated.

But the enemy army was moving quickly now. And nobody could tell where the mighty Commander would be.

Soon after the three groups sent their messages indicating that they were ready for action, the werewolf army attacked from the River. There were no signs of the Commander, and they marched without order or formation. Hens and his men fought for a while, holding their ground, but believing himself superior, Hens did not retreat. His people followed him, because most were members of the White Hand. But they quickly realized that their powers were not enough and asked him for orders.

"Fight! Hold your Ground! We'll not take orders from a mere traveler! Everybody, Attack!"

But as he said this, The commander appeared. He was indeed a Demon from the Outer Spheres, and as he advanced nobody could resist him. He used a Dark Mace, wich expelled an evil aura. The Wicked Mace was it called, and it was filled with hatred for everything that lived; and, when struck with it, an extremely powerul poison would rot earth, flesh and soul.

"I'll take you on, you fallen beast!" But as Hens said this, his son leapt in front of him.

"No! Father! He's too powerful for us! We must flood the river and leave!"

"I will not run away now, Imil! We must fight!" And he ran, attacking the Demon head on.

But it was useless. Hens fought valiantly, casting every Mercury Psynergy he could, but they were repelled by the Demon's armor. And then he spoke. Few of the survivors could describe that voice. Some said that he was not actually speaking, but sending his thoughts to their minds. And most felt the battle was already lost, for his words were mixed with the horror and chaos of the pits:

"You foolish old man! Nothing can stop us now! We will destroy the Adepts, and your world will be ours!"