Magic: the Gathering
Chronicles, Volume 10
By Louis Kemner 2008
Heavy, ominous mist had gathered around the swamp in ShadowMoor, rolling like sinister masses intent upon swallowing everything up. At the source of this disturbance, Elena, the Defiled One as the Planeswalkers called her, sat cross-legged on the soft ground, her eyes closed and taking in the creepy sounds of the twilight world ShadowMoor. She enjoyed it here. Everything here was dark, deathly, sinister, and unforgiving. She would have to move to other Planes, as well, to further her Enslavement mission all over the Multiverse. For now, she simply sat, in a meditative state.
In a flash of reds light, Beta, in his spiky black and red armor, appeared like an apparition. His wild red-black hair flowed back over his head, and was tussled and tangled somewhat. His face was impassive as he walked deliberately toward his mistress.
"Quenjak Zamgor," Elena said in a hospitable voice, lifting her eyelids to reveal her emerald eyes of greed and evil. She rose to stand on her feet. "Welcome back. What news do you have for me? I hope to hear good things from you."
"Gamma and I crossed paths with the five children and two of the Planeswalkers, Ajani Goldmane and Jace Beleren," Beta began. "It was an exerting conflict, but with negative results. Gamma is —"
"Dead, I know," Elena interrupted with no hint of anger. "Poor thing. He took on more than he could handle. I had hoped he could dispatch two of those children, but with Jace's superior intellect helping them, that sealed his fate."
"Indeed," Beta agreed. "Also… the Key Creature we found, a sphinx named Isperia the Inscrutable, was taken from our hands. The children captured it and escaped to another plane. I have no way of knowing which."
"Ohhh, now that's a shame," Elena said. "Then there are three left to find, and four of you. You still have the numerical advantage, at least. What of the children, then?"
"Their party consisted of three boys and two girls, all near adulthood," Beta informed her. "They all got away with their lives, but I severely injured the older girl. Without a doubt, she will die soon, if she hasn't already. No healer in the Multiverse can treat her soon or effectively enough. Her life should be considered terminated."
"That's wonderful," Elena glowed, closing the distance between herself and Beta. She lightly traced her fingers along his cheek and jaw in praise, walking in a circle around him. "Do try to keep up the good work, then. You and the other three have plenty of work before you. I think the others are coming now."
Out of the mists walked the other three living Hunters: the enigmatic Alpha, the quirky Delta, and the noble Epsilon. These three stood with Beta to form a line, at their mistress' attention.
"Now, I have plans for all of you to carry out," Elena told them, as though telling a child to retrieve a treat item. "Alpha, I want you in Dominaria to begin your work on the noble and just-minded humans there. They pose a significant threat if they find out what I am doing. Delta, Epsilon, travel to Kamigawa, where I am sure at least one of the three Key Creatures is. I want it found as soon as possible. I'd also like you to find me a comfortable home while you're there. As a little favor. Beta, start seeking out the other two Key Creatures, no matter what planes you must travel to. I have to stay ahead. Do all of you understand me?"
"My Lady," the three Hunters murmured in understanding, then in flashes of their own colors: Beta, red, Epsilon, white, Delta, green, and Alpha, black, the foursome vanished. Elena smiled to herself in content and sank back to the swamp's dark recesses. Her Enslavement of ShadowMoor was nearing completion: the demented and twisted minds here were easy to harness. Already, almost all creatures and beings in this plane were loyal to her, forming Elena's own growing army. At her will, she could open portals to other planes, allowing the Enslaved to march into other planes in blazing conquest. The thought was delicious.
"So, what in Szadek's name is this thing?" Gerbie asked, sniffing Devin's Xbox 360 controller curiously, taking in its elegant and foreign design. "Some bizarre Izzet contraption thrown to the rotwurms?"
"That's a controller," Devin told the gerbil, from his place on his couch. More than two weeks had passed since their return from ShadowMoor and Kelly's hospitalization. He and the other two boys were in his room, being the perfect bachelor pad. Devin had recently gotten back into playing trumpet, and the brass instrument lay on its side near the closet, with scattered sheet music all about. Viktor sat on the floor, leaning against the couch, while Makoto and Devin were on it proper. A commercial was going on the TV, and the blinds were pulled most of the way down. Aside from Makoto's house, this was their favorite place to lounge.
"Controller, huh? I like it. Sounds like a way to really govern the guildless!" Gerbie exclaimed.
Viktor grinned at the probably unintentional card reference. It was once thing to see the card' creatures alive and breathing before his eyes in the Multiverse, yet the simple phrase seemed hilarious for some reason. Gerbie was Ashley's pet, though she had allowed the animal to be in the boys' company while her family issue remained. The gerbil was unfazed by the absence of his owner.
"So what's all this over here?" Gerbie went on, roving across the floor towards Devin's closet. He drew close to the trumpet, tramping over the sheet music.
"Hey, careful over there," Devin called. "Don't mess anything up." On the TV, a show resumed, getting Viktor and Makoto's attention.
"Oh. Whoops," Gerbie said in a silly apologetic voice; be brushed too hard against the trumpet, and the instrument fell into the closet with a thunk onto a metal box and clattered to the wooden floor of the closet.
"Hey!" Devin exclaimed, getting up and retrieving the instrument. "Careful. Things in this world don't have anti-shatter enchantments or anything, you know. And what are you doing now?"
"Weird scrolls," Gerbie commented, padding deeper into the closet. He nosed aside a shoe and bit down on a magazine's edge, then began to pull the volume out.
"It reads…" Gerbie began, studying the title. Before he could finish, or Viktor and Makoto see the cover, Devin snatched the volume away and threw it back into the closet.
"Hey! I was going to look in that!" Gerbie protested, scampering back into the closet and pushing aside a crumpled up shirt. "Come on!"
"That kind of thing isn't for animals!" Devin argued, diving after Gerbie and falling onto his stomach. Gerbie scampered and rifled about in the closet, searching for the magazine. There were a lot of items inside, including a pair of skis against the wall, a soccer ball, several shirts and jeans, a few boxes of items, and old kid toys. Not to mention magazines, including the one Gerbie was spelunking to find.
"No! This is all private stuff in here!" Devin cried, scrambling after Gerbie and trying to catch him. Viktor and Makoto ignored the TV show, finding the closet chase much more interesting. Gerbie gave a victorious squeak and burst out of the mountains of junk, with the cover page of the magazine crumpled into a small square and held in his jaws. Devin lunged for him and missed again; Gerbie tore across the floor, saying, "Hey guys, wanna see this?"
"What is it?" Viktor asked excitedly. He had rarely seen Devin reading much of anything, let alone magazines, so this apparently private issue captivated his interest. Viktor and Makoto prepared for Gerbie to reach them; however, Devin had taken one of the skis, and knocked Gerbie aside with it. The animal wasn't hurt, though he tumbled a few times and was far from Viktor and Makoto.
"Aw, don't be like that!" Gerbie said, getting back on his feet. He scampered once again to the two other boys, intending them to take the cover and see it together. However, Devin's ski attacks made it impossible, and Gerbie was scampering about crazily.
The door to the room opened and Devin's mother stood there. "Hello, boys," she said nicely. "What's the cause for all this noise — wha?!" and Gerbie rocketed past her leg and into the hall, still carrying the magazine cover. Devin gave hot pursuit, carrying the ski and knocking his mom aside. Deeply interested and involved, Viktor and Makoto ran after the other two down the hall and throughout the house, starting with down the stairs.
"Yikes!" Gerbie exclaimed, beholding the steps before him. He ran close to Devin, forcing the other to slow down. Devin's move was too quick; he lost balance and fell, losing hold of his ski, which slid close to the stairs top. Getting on top of the ski, Gerbie stair-surfed all the way down the steps on the ski, giving an excited whoop past the cover held in his mouth.
Chasing the runaway gerbil down the stairs, Devin, Makoto, and Viktor tumbled down to the bottom floor in a crazed mob, all intent on getting the message. By this time, Gerbie simply ran for the fun of it. He scampered all about the house, dashing along couch backs, across the dining room table, everywhere. Devin's cat Kyoko hissed and raised its fur in response to the scampering gerbil.
"What do ya think you're lookin' at, kitty?" Gerbie threw at the cat as he ran by it. "I can tell no Simic growth formulas went in your diet! Scrawny thing!"
By now, Devin's father had come home from work; Mr. Willis wore a business suit and carried a suitcase, and a tired expression from his day of working.
"Hello, son —" he began in the doorway, then was cut off by his son, two of his friends, and a large gerbil whooshing past the doorframe and Mr. Willis into the front yard. Mr. Willis could only stare, then figure he was seeing things and went farther into the house and out of sight.
"Come on, you've got to be tired by now!" Viktor exclaimed. "Let us see the cover!"
"Don't look at it!" Devin protested, then gave a final lunge. This time, he managed to grab Gerbie under his left hand, trapping him. In response, Gerbie tossed the cover away, toward Viktor and Makoto. Devin made to get it but was too slow. Viktor and Makoto victoriously unfolded the cover to see what it was.
An old issue of a girl teen fashion magazine.
"Wh… what?" Makoto muttered in surprise and disappointment. He and Viktor had hoped to catch Devin with owning a different kind of magazine, and that they could see it too. This was boring.
"What are you doing with this?" Viktor directed at Devin.
"It's one of my sister's old ones," Devin said defensively. "She's moved out since, but I never threw it away. I don't throw much away."
"Oh well," Gerbie said. "I was just going to question Devin's, you know…"
"There's no need," Devin grumbled.
Footsteps sounded closer and closer to the four of them, and a pair of feet in dress shoes planted themselves on the sidewalk, with brown suit pants above. A shadow was cast on the grass.
"You kids never have a dull moment, do you all?" the stranger said.
Viktor and the others looked up — and found Georgi Dimitrov, complete with his suitcase of items, thick black glasses, and a humored expression.
A rickety training house devoted to schooling Nezumi in the way of the samurai crumbled in flames even as the occupants ran screaming, some on fire, others injured. Some Nezumi, or sentient rats, had taken up Bushido, and became rat samurai, as a service offer to the human ones. However, their skills were no match for the two strangers who had come on their doorstep and ransacked the place.
"I question you again: was that really necessary?" Epsilon asked, hefting his ivory sword on his hip. "You're making us stand out too much."
"I'm telling you, I want to warm up," Delta retorted, flexing his fingers. "I wanted an easy one to start with. Maybe the Kami lords would be better for you? A good challenge from them."
"Whether we get a great or puny challenge is not the issue," Epsilon fired back. "We're only here to capture Ryusei, the Falling Star, who's the Key Creature supposedly here. The whole Plane could be hounding us before long."
"Come on, don't sweat it," Delta said dismissively, now taking more interest in the wilderness around him and his companion. "There's a war raging here. Alpha told me about the Kami war being fought here between the Kami spirits and the rest of the mortals. It wouldn't hurt to take a few down in case they get between us and Ryusei. Might be fun to see what they look like."
"Nonsense," Epsilon countered. "The Kami are powerful, more than anything else here. Arousing their wrath would be stupid and damage our cause. Lady Elena would be furious if we came back to ShadowMoor with an army of Kami hot on our heels. Her own Enslaved Army is still in its early stages. So, we'll leave it to Alpha and Beta to take care of capturing the wills of the Kami and stronger mortals. That process will be made easier by capturing Ryusei."
"If you say so," Delta agreed, scratching the side of his head. The two of them were skirting the edges of Takenuma Swamp area, the black region of Kamigawa. The place was chock full of Nezumi rat samurai, plus the wicked and twisted Kami who fought them. Neither side could lay more than a finger on the two outsiders, however. Even highly skilled Nezumi veterans and deadly Kami were easily and quickly disposed of when they drew too close to Delta and Epsilon. Nothing would deter them from hunting Ryusei, the Falling Star. Epsilon figured that, since Ryusei guarded the red section of Kamigawa, the dragon would be residing in Sokenzan, among the Tendo Peaks. Epsilon was aware of the Akki goblins and bandits of all kinds. They would be no threat. Only the five children Elena fought and the Planeswalkers could stop them.
"So, those are the Tendo Peaks, then?" Delta said, pointing at the proud mountains. Snow was falling on them right now, onto their reddish-gray rocky surfaces. Rickety wood bridges spanned the mountains at their lower points, as well as villages of all sizes along the bases and along flat parts of the mountains. Epsilon and Delta were at the Takenuma-Sokenzan border, close to the area of their objective.
"That's them, all right," Epsilon confirmed, looking at them. There was a shuffling in bushes behind him; a Nezumi was poised to strike from behind. Epsilon was still regarding the mountains when the rat pounced, a beast almost man-sized and brandishing a wicked katana. It wore wooden armor splotched with swamp stains and scratches from fighting lesser Kami.
Without ever moving his gaze, Epsilon unsheathed his sharp sword of ivory, swept it twice in the air behind him, and sheathed it again in the span of one and a half seconds. The Nezumi ambusher fell to the ground in four pieces.
"We need a real break from all this," Delta complained, settling onto a firm and dry section of ground. He lay down and stretched out. "I will take a break now."
"Don't be so lazy all the time," Epsilon scolded. "We have an important mission to carry out right now. It isn't the time for this."
"Just ten minutes," Delta requested, turning his back to his companion.
"Don't be so impulsive. You're a disgrace to —" Epsilon started, then stopped when he heard Delta's snoring.
The Plane of Dominaria was a place of many continents and oceans, and in the Eastern Domain, there was an island with a society in the middle named Oneah. The people of Oneah were intellectual, honorable, proud, and enlightened. Their society was also based on martial arts skills, with a taboo against weapons. It was here, in nighttime, where Alpha appeared with a flash of blinding blue.
Alpha found nothing interesting whatsoever in his surroundings, though that was a conclusion most would make. The terrain was mostly hilly grassland, with bushes, scattered trees, and a large creek a few dozen yards away. Small animals shuffled through the terrain and owls hooted from the trees. A swath of stars shone in the night sky, near a bright white moon. Near Alpha was a dirt road with wagon ruts; this led to Telomano, one of the major cities of Oneah. It was a place of scholars, enlightenment, honor, and prosperity. It embodied the virtuous nature of the Oneans. Elena knew that Planeswalkers often visited this place, and would no doubt begin to rally the people here in the war against her. Therefore, Alpha's mission here was critical.
Alpha was the only being out in the wilderness, with only animals for company. He wore a cloak with a hood that fell to a little past his knees, and could be parted down the middle for removal. The buttons holding it together stopped a foot and a half below the hem, making walking easier. The cloak's main color was enigmatic blue, with black trim and cuffs. There were other black lines along the cloak, including the split in the front where it was buttoned together. Alpha had glowing blue eyes similar to Jace Beleren's, except that these eyes were cold, uncaring, and efficient, as opposed to Jace's more virtuous intellect. Alpha also wore blue and black armor under his cloak for protection.
Following the road brought Alpha to a roadside town that often traded resources such as hay, livestock, and farming tools. Alpha had fearsome power, being the most powerful of the Five Hunters; however, he was untried. Therefore, a small test was required of him before beginning his mission in earnest.
Boisterous laughing, talking, and music assaulted Alpha's ears as he entered a hearty tavern in the roadside town. Dozens of farmers, peasants, and skilled craftsmen filled the place, drinking ales, talking, or listening to or dancing to lively banjo and lute music. The positive atmosphere did nothing to incite feelings of excitement of merriment in the sinister newcomer; part of Alpha's being was that he was incapable of feeling emotions of any kind. There was only reason and action.
"You're an odd one," a stout farmer told Alpha as the other drew close to the bar. "You do them magic works? Sorcery and stuff? Ha ha." Like many others, ale had addled him. He had a number of friends with him, all similar. Alpha could already tell the farmer was a capable fighter but good of heart. One good push could change things, however.
"So, watcha want?" the lean barkeep with a black mustache asked. On the wall behind the bar was a gleaming shield with two crossed swords behind it. Below it was a plaque that read BEHOLD THE WEAPONS AND SHIELD OF ANTO GOLDSUN THE HERO, WHO WAS AN OUTSIDER BUT PROTECTED OUR LANDS FROM THE EVILS BEYOND. MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE.
"I don't want anything tonight," Alpha told the barkeep, who shrugged and picked up a tankard to scrub. Alpha instead backhanded the farmer who commented on him.
"Argh! What the devil are you doing?" the farmer cried indignantly. "Do the ogre spirits infest your heart?" he spun to face Alpha and stood up.
"You're a wretch of a man not worth his weight in dung," Alpha told him coldly. "You have an orc for a mother and a mutilated boar for a father. And your friends aren't worth ballista fodder in war." Alpha kicked one of the farmer's friends on the shin with his dark gray armor boot, causing the man to yelp and seize the spot with his hands, baring his teeth in rage and pain.
"Why, you worthless lout —!" the farmer roared, his face reddening in rage. He and his friend moved to mob Alpha brawl-style — only to close in on empty air. In a blue-black blur, Alpha had moved all the way back to the other end of the bar in a split-second, fast as a whip's tip. Snarling, the farmer and his friends charged Alpha like a stampede of bulls prepared to tear him apart — then, feet away from Alpha, they slowed down and lost their fury.
Alpha merely stood in place, not moving an inch. The farmer mob had slowed to a few baby steps, huffing and slacking as though their energy had suddenly been leeched away. And it had. Alpha had activated the full extent of his mana aura; this part of it was invisible to the naked eye. Any creature that ventured within eight to ten feet of Alpha had their bodily strength leeched and their willpower drained. These farmers had their entire battle lust torn away and stood like they were exhausted.
"Very good," Alpha murmured, then in another blur, went back to the bar. Each of the farmer's throats suddenly spouted crimson blood from knife stabs in their necks. Gurgling blood, every one of them fell dead to the floor in a pile. Under his cloak, Alpha sheathed a dagger with a straight and elegant blade, stained in blood. Understandably, everyone in the tavern cried out in fear and confusion, raising the volume. They were dumbfounded by Alpha's speed and instant kills. Plus, he had obviously used a weapon, which was taboo in this land.
"Calm down, everyone," Alpha said quietly, waving his hand. The tavern's occupants fell silent and still as they all fell asleep, their memories of the incident erased. Alpha easily and quickly disposed of the corpses behind the tavern and resumed his trip down the dirt road to the Telomano, the city. He was ready for his mission, all right.
"You seem to come at the most unexpected times, Grandfather," Viktor told Georgi as he, Georgi, Devin, Makoto, and Kelly assembled in the Dimitrov living room.
Georgi's unexpected arrival had stirred the boys' curiosity, and Kelly had come to greet him, too. Ashley, however, was still distraught with her sister's trauma, and didn't wish to take part in anything concerning the Multiverse right now, including visiting Viktor's grandfather. Ashley had blamed herself and Georgi for Kelly's near death at Beta's hands; Georgi for sending them back to the Multiverse with a purpose, and herself for not being able to protect Kelly better with her protective magic.
It saddened Viktor to see his friend so wracked with worry and guilt, so he respected her wishes and had let Gerbie be present in her place. Viktor reflected on the happy, carefree Ashley he knew, and hoped she would return soon. Until then, he had to move on. Kelly had recovered in the few weeks that had passed since being in Lorwyn/ShadowMoor, and she was ready for more. It was difficult to shake or unsettle her; she had a strong mind. Viktor had felt his admiration for her soar in light of this, and gained a newfound respect for her, as well as that other feeling. He had known Kelly for at least a year or two, but she had been his friend up to now, sharing a good hobby with him and the others. Now, however, he felt closer to her, like he was bound to help her through this difficult mission, and hoped she would support him too.
"Well, I'm a little like that," Georgi shrugged, taking a sip of black coffee. Viktor's parents, Sergei and Petya, had welcomed the elder back, though they were clueless as usual as to what he was here for.
"So, what's new?" Devin asked him.
"That's a question better suited for me to ask," Georgi smiled. "I understand that you've gone back to the Multiverse for your mission, as Ajani Goldmane told me. But I want to hear of it from you."
"Wait, you talked to Ajani?" Kelly asked. "How?"
Georgi waved a hand, indicating that that information had to wait for now. "I would like know how your second excursion went." It seemed to Viktor that Georgi wasn't asking to know what happened; he was asking to know how the kids handled themselves and what they thought on the war.
"We went to Lorwyn, for one," Devin started. "But as soon as we got there, Elena was already setting her traps, and we fell for all of them. She cursed the Key Creatures while in disguise and set them free, so she can hunt them down one by one and capture them."
Devin and Viktor helped explain the Kithkin events, the transformation into ShadowMoor, meeting Ajani Goldmane and Jace Beleren, and most of all, the two men who were after the Key Creatures, Beta and Gamma, plus Kelly's near death at Beta's hands.
Georgi was quiet for a minute as he digested all of this. A lot had progressed since the kids had returned from Ravnica; they had new allies, the Planeswalkers, but the stakes were higher and their foes more dangerous and numerous than before.
"Your account sounds just right for what is happening," Georgi said after another sip of coffee. "Yes, Elena is an expert at manipulating those around her for getting what she wants, no matter whether anyone is killed or distraught in the process. Setting the Key Creatures loose is bad for us, especially. Though you have two of them, Thorn Elemental and Isperia the Inscrutable, the other three are vulnerable to capture and absorption by Elena in her new body. I know that she has created a quintet of followers known as the Five Hunters: Alpha, Beta, Delta, Epsilon, and Gamma, in order of strongest to weakest. Though I am happy to hear one of them, Gamma, is dead, the other four will be difficult foes to vanquish, even with all of the Planeswalkers on your side."
"Yeah," Makoto agreed. "They even had these colored auras around them according to their colors. It was nothing like we'd ever seen, and they got stronger once the auras were up. That made them hard to fight."
Georgi looked taken aback at this. "What is this?" he exclaimed gently. "You don't know what that was? You didn't have ones for yourselves?"
"Uh, no," Viktor answered lamely, getting the feeling he and the others made things difficult on themselves with ignorance of something.
"And the Planeswalkers taught you nothing of Mana Auras?" Georgi went on.
"No," Kelly said. "I just know that Gamma and Beta got stronger when those Auras went up, but Jace and Ajani said nothing about them."
"Either the Planeswalkers presumed you already knew about Mana Auras, or were simply lazy and negligent," Georgi told the kids. "Don't feel ashamed of you didn't use them, but you all have your own Mana Auras, due to the powers the Planeswalkers gave you with your Key Creatures."
"How does all this work?" Viktor asked. "I felt a surge of energy when I saw Kelly about to die, and time seemed to slow down. It was weird."
"Oh, and you had green stuff all around you, too," Makoto noticed. "Like a Mana Aura. Or was it one?"
"I can say with almost certainty that was a Mana Aura," Georgi said. "I suppose my grandson's Aura was triggered in a moment of his companion's extreme distress. Each of you can manifest your Auras, though the safest way to learn to do so is training in a Plane I have set aside for that. You all have one color for your Auras. Grandson, yours is green; Makoto, white; Devin, red; Kelly, black; and Ashley, blue."
"So, we can learn to use our colored Auras," Kelly confirmed. "And that will make us stronger in combat and a better match for Elena and her Hunters."
"Right," Georgi said. "Having your Key Creature lets you access your fully, though without it you can still harness at least half of its power. Therefore, Viktor and Ashley's will be the strongest right now, until the other Key Creatures are recaptured."
"That's a problem," Kelly said. "She's really distressed and upset by what happened to me. My sister is rather delicate and is refusing to do anything concerning the Multiverse right now, even you."
"That's a shame, for all of us," Georgi said somberly. "I know this commitment can take a toll on all of you, and you have my sympathy, Kelly, and Ashley too. I'm here to support all of you, to until the end of this conflict. But until we win or lose, I'm going to help you in your efforts. For one, we are going to Planeswalk to Bant, the white shard of Alara, for a short training period. We can't afford to spend too much time there, however. Elena's rampage and her Hunters will not wait for us to be ready for them. Her Enslavement is only accelerating, too."
"Hold on," Makoto said. "Enslavement? What's that?"
"I forgot to mention," Georgi said, remembering something. "Part of Elena's conquest of the Multiverse involves warping millions of people and creatures to her will and dominating their minds. It's called Enslavement, and both Elena and her Hunters are capable of it. Some minds are easier to Enslave than others, yet its influence is spreading fast. Already, nearly all of ShadowMoor is hers due to Enslaving its population, and she has started work on other planes, too. Those who are Enslaved are bound to Elena's will and will never turn against her, and will be her willing foot soldiers against her enemies, chiefly us. The Enslaved are still themselves, but act for Elena's good. Enslaving whole governments will have dramatic effects. Part of your training will be to resist her mental attacks and fighting the Enslaved. The Enslaved can have portals opened, allowing battalions of them to Planeswalk wherever Elena needs them."
There was ten seconds of silence as the kids took in this grim information, then Kelly said, "All right, we understand the magnitude of this. But how are you going to help us train? We don't know anyone in Bant or the other Alara shards. We haven't even been there yet."
Georgi smiled again and reached into his suit pocket and, to Viktor's surprise, produced a card: Palladia-Mors, one of the Elder Dragons. It was an updated version of the older card, with a green-white-blue dragon with metallic red scales and ram-like horns. It was a fierce, elegant, and noble beast. "You're not the only ones now," he said.
"You've got a Key Creature, too?" Devin exclaimed. "Did the Planeswalkers give it to you?"
"Right," Georgi confirmed. "I can now go with you all wherever you go. I can't cast any spells beyond this, though, so my help will be limited. But as soon as you all are ready, we will go to Bant."
Later that day, Georgi had arranged an explanation as to where he and Viktor were going for a while; he was good at that. Viktor's parents had been hesitant to part with Viktor due to his poor college performance but didn't pursue the point. As soon as the five of them were in a secure place, they touched their Key Creatures together and went though the familiar portal.
Bright sunshine was the first thing that Viktor noticed once he and the others landed. The air was warm, clear, and scented with flowers, grass, and a faint smell of rain. Looking around, he took in a majestic sight: he was in the middle of a vast plain of massive hills, dotted here and there with tall, vibrant-green trees and winding creeks. White, fluffy clouds floated in the rich blue sky and colorful, chirping birds navigated the air overhead in invisible highways. The sight was breathtaking and inspiring, yet it was highlighted by a tall, huge, and white castle a hundred yards away.
The castle was bigger than any Viktor had seen in pictures of them, or any he had seen in Scotland when his family had vacationed there. The main section was shaped rather like a church, with a sharply pointed roof with tall, dark windows and pillars with gold caps. There were four main turrets in a square around the central building, with the typical tops and windows, all made of pure white stone. The walls made a square, and there was an arch-shaped wooden door for entry, which was currently closed. There were other, smaller turrets and other buildings inside the four walls. Even as Viktor watched, a single Aven swooped over the castle.
"Whoa. I can tell why this is the white shard," Devin said in awe, taking in his peaceful and beautiful surroundings.
"This is it. Bant," Georgi confirmed, looking about. "We will be here for a few days, residing in that castle over there. It belongs to a small but important kingdom by the name of the Reitha Kingdom. I'm well aquatinted with the King there, Sir Teramont. And here is his patrol. Good timing."
Viktor turned to face the castle, and saw two knights riding upon hearty lions with gold-bronze fur and wearing gold forehead armor. He recognized them as Sigiled Paladins. The knights riding the lions had detailed and ornate gold armor with a tall, rectangular shield and stout swords with silver blades. Upon coming close to the group, one called out, "Hail, strangers! Who be you?"
Viktor started to respond that they were Planeswalkers visiting for training, but was cut off by an unfamiliar voice to his right, saying, "It's been a long time, knights of the Reitha Kingdom. It's I, Bardon, back after all these years. I hope your new king Teramont is well?"
Wondering who was talking, Viktor turned and received a shock: his grandfather, Georgi, had changed. He was now middle-aged, with rich brown hair to match his suit, with no trace of age. He had taken off his black plastic glasses, too, further alienating his appearance.
"Our new king is ten times what old Sir Oldalon was," the second Sigiled Paladin declared, saluting Georgi with an armored hand. His lion huffed. "Who are the children you have with you?"
"It relates to the war against the Defiled One," Georgi said grimly. "I presume Elspeth has filled you in on that?"
"She did," the first knight confirmed. "Are these kids, then, the ones the Planeswalkers called from a different world to aid us?"
"They are," Georgi said. "You're sharp today. May we come to the castle for this? I'd like to see how it's progressed since I last walked down its esteemed halls."
"Right," the knight said, turning his lion around to face the castle; the other knight did the same. Thoroughly confused, Viktor followed his transformed grandfather and three friends to the castle.