Chapter 3: The Coming Darkness
Aleos stood on the foothills of Mount Aleph, watching the exuberant procession of Adepts as they returned to their towns. A few called down dragons to fly them home, wishing to leave in style and make an impact on the minds of fellow Adepts. He spotted the always-imposing figure of the Serpent of Mt. Mikage, preying on some stray cattle. It shadowed a particular animal, then swooped above the unsuspecting bull, a dragon of death to the beast. It dove and dug its talons deep into its prey, and as the animal squealed, the dragon carried it off to a nearby mountainous perch to eat. "Survival of the fittest…" The Adept thought, and sighed.
He was uneasy. The Lighthouses, so named for bringing the power of Alchemy to the fringes of the world, were glorious, but held great power and could be twisted for evil. Yet, they were only physical replicas of the power that had stood there since time immemorial, the first of which have long since been destroyed. It is the power that unites Weyard and by which the four Capitals were founded… that power is simply more accessible now, and that power now gives nearby Adepts of their element nigh limitless psynergy, but is this necessarily a good thing? Might it inspire another Great War, like the one that nearly devastated Weyard 2,000 solar circuits ago? Yes, the war between Argyros the Great and Gazimonus may have been for the right to govern Weyard, but it was also a battle for the power of Alchemy itself, the Stone of Sages. The Stone of Sages is the symbol of all of Alchemy. Indeed, it is not merely a symbol, but the physical incarnation of Elemental Power, and can be used for immortality, wealth, devastation, limitless power, or for the good of everyone.
Legends say that when Argyros defeated Gazimonus, Mount Aleph raised the Stone of Sages from its deep heart and gave it Argyros as a reward for bringing peace to Weyard. Argyros, fearing it would cause war and strife as it had done in his time, sealed it somewhere in Mount Aleph. Many have dedicated their lives to its discovery, but generations of explorations have yielded nothing. And so the mighty Stone of Sages remains hidden, and the quest for it has never ceased. Particularly the Mantiumi, from the city of Mantium, have a special interest in the Stone of Sages. The city of Mantium was the hometown of Gazimonus, and the majority carry his legacy of evil to some extent. It is rumoured to be a place of Necromancy, and they use a book named Tomegathericon to channel their Psynergy to darker uses. The representative of Mantium is currently Regnoare, an infamous Necromage with an ambitious and cold personality to match.
Aleos didn't know what to think of him. This Regnoare was an enigma. Tall, strong, black of hair and crimson of eye, pale of skin and with a voice that seemed the accursed tempter and the angel at the same time. A deceiver, and a leader of men. Charismatic yet cruel, beautiful yet terrible, Regnoare was a man of opposites. Aleos sighed, and walked into Vale.
He walked calmly down the winding path of Mount Aleph, its serpent-like trail weaving from the peak to the foothills, and continuing into Vale. Nearby, a small crowd of Adepts stood conversing, and he saw the two Magnus Olympi among them, the Anemosian Shamira and the Proxian Cinaed, with his Imilian friend. Standing amongst them was the Lilyveran he had talked to earlier. He had watched the showdown between Orior the Earth Adept and Shamira the Anemosian. Orior had fought well, darting and attacking with unexpected finesse, but he was bested by an unexpected and tricky move by Shamira. Using her swift speed and cloud psynergy, the Anemosian created several illusions of herself, each made to perform a different command, several leaping in the air, some charging, and many simply appearing to concentrate. As Orior quickly tried to decimate them all, Shamira leapt behind him and held her blade to his throat, upon which point he conceded defeat. When the Lilyveran walked, exhausted, into the Archives, Aleos allowed him to sit down and converse with him, and revealed to him many things. Deep in thought, Aleos walked on.
He spotted his beloved sister, Aquina, a spirited Mercury Adept with a kind personality, the mark of most of her kind. She waved and passed into the shadow of the towering Council Hall. Aleos smiled and returned the wave, and walked on.
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In a room of absolute blackness, a light pierced the gloom. The steady pulse of the golden light exposed its magnificent power, unrivalled in the world. A cloaked figure ran hurriedly into the room, noting the way the way the beautiful light reflected off the glorious statues, tributes to the One God of Weyard. He snorted, but intook his breath quickly as he beheld the glory of the single crystal, wondrous beyond words, hovering majestically above a pedestal of diamond wrapped in the finest royal cloth, the violet colour catching the light. The figure trembled with joy and anticipation.
He had walked through an infinitely confusing myriad of black caves, dappled with fallen rocks and blocked passages. He had come across several bodies, preserved by the arid heat and of the caves. It was this that had given these caves the nickname 'Catacombs', and they were truly a gruesome sight to behold. Yet, he felt at peace here, in the darkness without an end. It seemed to reach out to him, beckoning him onward. "Closer…" It whispered in his ear. "Just a little farther, and you'll be rewarded… I'll watch you and keep you, protect you from the creatures of the night…" For there were creatures, creatures of unspeakable horror. He only caught fleeting glimpses of them… a disfigured face, a misshapen eye, a tortured form and scarred flesh. They faded in and out of his vision, horrifying phantoms, appearing like shades, sometimes moaning with the voice of disease, scratching against the blackened rock in despair. Dwelling in darkness eternal, mourning the loss of the sun, doomed to wander for eternity in the grasping claws of the earth… Cursed, repulsed, in a labyrinth of chaos and agony.
He felt perfectly at home.
And now, he had at last reached his goal, after a forever of waiting, they would pay. His maniacal laughter resounding as he screamed in delight: "At last, Stone of Sages, YOU ARE MINE!" His triumphant laughter echoing down the endless caves that honeycombed Mount Aleph.