NOTE: This is the first chapter re-written. It is, in my opinion, much better than my first attempt. Thank you so much for reading it. I would ask that you would also review. . Thank you so much, again! A little setting information. This is an alternate universe where the various "sets" are different universes. The current conflict involves the breach of Mirrodin into Wirewood. Have fun.

The Rebel

The sun was just beginning to set just below the tree tops of the large town of Coronat. The huge tree that made up the Senate house. The hallways echoed with the sounds of soft-booted feet hitting the marbled floor. The old sorcerer, Vanadoros Eratool paced outside the Great Commune. He sighed and bowed his heads praying to the gods of magic. The page walked through the doors and cleared his throat.

"Servant Vanadoros'Et Eratool. You are being summoned into the Great Commune. You are charged on the grounds of treason and conspiracy to overthrow the established governing body." The page turned around and with an air of supremacy said over his shoulder. "Follow me."

Vanadoros trekked slowly behind the page. The elder elf mostly just stared at the ground, but he would occasionally look up to make sure he was not going to ram into anything and stare at the portraits on the tangled walls. Everyone was rather boring. The solemn faces stared back at him with a look of disdain. It took a few seconds to realize that the face he was staring at was his own. He never realized how terribly tyrannical he seemed. Vanadoros let his eyes fall again just in time to stumble into in the page leading him to the Great Commune.

"Thank you, Servant Porcio," Vanadoros muttered as he moved across the threshold. The young page turned around sharply and turned up his nose. The younger elf turned around and closed the door behind Vanadoros. Vanadoros could then hear Porcio and the other guard snickering lightly.

"The old fool does not even know what's going to happen." Vanadoros could hear one of them say as the sound of their soft-soled boots soon echoed about the hallways. The elder turned around and with a frown calmly walked into the Great Commune. It was his boots this time that were source of a cacophony of echoes. As he entered into the hemisphere that was the Audience, he could see a single beam of light shining upon the Alter of the Sun. The shaded figures in the background, the company of Senators, were still. A single figure stepped into the light. The Praetor of Coronat was the most respected member of the Senate. He raised his hands to quiet down the imaginary voices of the Senators and began to speak.

"Servant Vanadoros'Et Eratool. You have been summoned before the members of the Council to face charges of insanity and treason. How do you plead, brother?" The Praetor suited with his soliloquy, backed off into the darkness again. The Senators, before Vanadoros had ever announced his plea, began discussing amongst themselves. Vanadoros stepped into the circle of lights and looked around at the Senators, most of which he had been present at the birth of themselves, their children, and their grandchildren. The Praetor turned around and walked calmly to his seat amongst the other Council members. He frowned and bowed his head for a second.

"I plead guilty, members of the Council." He began, but the rest of his sentence was temporarily cut short by the uproar of voices. He raised one hand. "Quiet! I plead guilty, but it was necessary!" The crowd silenced and Vanadoros was able to continue.

"I could not allow the hunting party to be taken by the myr. Their fate would have been even worse than what I offered them." He looked pale. The ashen-faced elder was leaning against the lectern as he spoke. He raised his head to the Council. "I know all of you well. I have taught some of you, but I want to say that I would do the same thing if any of you were in the same position."

The Council once more began talking loudly amongst themselves. The Praetor, after a few minutes of letting every member in the Council converse fully, stepped back to his position in the center of the room. He cleared his throat and waited calmly for the rest of the Council to quiet down. He held up a hand and began to speak in his raspy tones, once more once his hand dropped.

"Members of the Council, who among you can say that you would not sacrifice your own life to save that of your countrymen. That is not the question here. The idea that the myr were once more sited upon the hallowed lands of Wirewood is preposterous. Our ancestors many millennia ago destroyed all the metal fiends and their creators. If indeed the myr were once again roaming the forests and destroying everything dear to us, then this brother's efforts were well planned. It is up to you, Council, to decide if the myr once again crawl through the forests. All in favor of convicting the brother, Vanadoros Et'Eratool, on the charge of traitorous acts of violence against the state of Coronat?" The Praetor let his last few words ring out. It took a few minutes before the replies began to sound one-by-one.

"Uif," was the reply by each and every Senator. Vanadoros looked down at his feet and frowned. The Praetor gave a bit of a smirk and looked around at the Senators. He held up his hand once more to silence the crowd and began the customary guilty speech.

"The first act of the Council is to strip Eratool of all titles and positions he currently holds. The next act is to decide his punishment. I suggest death... by draining. A little dip in the necrogen swamps should cure him of all delusions."

"No! I tried to reason with the Council. I tried to reason with all of you, but you have now brought it all upon yourselves. The myr are here and they will destroy everything we know and love. And I fear you are all already under the spell of the tyrant that leads them. I'll be damned if you're going to bring me to the necrogen swamps." The elder elf slammed his hands down on the lectern and then reached deep into the folds of his robe. He pulled out an orb of glowing green light. It began to hum at a very low pitch but as he hopped onto the floor and moved closer to the Altar of the Sun, the hum was higher pitched and the lights began to swirl faster. By the time he was practically on top of the altar the orb flashed and all of the Senators were momentarily blinded. When they could all see again, Vanadoros Eratool had disappeared and the Altar of the Sun was in ruins.

"Find him! The necrogen swamps would have been a blessing compared to the pain he will receive from me!" The Praetor screamed. The guards within the Great Commune rushed out and into a grand fog that had suddenly covered the entire city. The guards fought through the fog for a few a feet but their efforts were futile. They soon returned to the Commune to report.

"The Rebel as escaped in the fog, Praetor." The guards then returned to their posts. The Praetor practically growled as he moved towards the Altar of the Sun.

"That fool simply thinks he has the better of us. Memnarch will not like this. He has found the legendary Hum. But we have some insurance." The corrupted one reached into his robes and pulled out a small jar. He opened the lid and a mess of sizzling snapping wires poured our like snakes and began repairing the Altar. Once it was finished he touched the Altar and smiled. He turned to the guards once more. "When the fog clears, find the Rebel. Bring him to me alive. Memnarch will want to speak to him."