Note: If you would like to read ahead, the next chapter is available on discord whilst at least the next three chapters after it are available on P^A^T^R^E^O^N / Boombox117
The discord channel is d^i^s^c^o^r^d^.^g^g^/^v^r^8^8^t^6^4^Y^e^7
6th of August, 1957
Jacobius Kelsie POV
Their boots struck the floor with faultless simultaneity, a one two and a one two, again and again, the ground shaking under their rhythmic thumping, a thumping of boots united in perfect and united purpose, the scent of creamy, sugary, wintergreen smells from the willow wood forest nearby an ever present reminded of what they were marching for in perfect union, united in purpose.
The scent was always there in the morning and it was here today in force as they marched from their barracks located nearby the Lonis Forest though it felt like a cushion to them, to him, as they marched in columns of silvery grey armour towards their monarchs who stood before them, waiting and watching, with Overseer Parkinson and a few of his intelligence agents.
The first column parted from the tight formation inching further away before the second and then the third broke away until there were three formations twenty-four strong.
"HA!" they voiced out as one as they came to a stop, their armoured fist clunking onto their chest.
Their King, wearing his own fluidic silvery blue armour and a red cloak draped over him, extended his hand to his Queen, their Queen who herself was wearing armour though of a darker hue with a crown atop her head, and she took their King's hand before they walked calmly towards them as Parkinson and his people stood back.
"Illosian Guards" their King began with a slight raised voice but one that didn't fail to be heard clearly by all. "Today is a momentous day." He continued, his gaze trailing across them with an intensity that Kelsie had not seen since the days of the war and he stood straighter if that was possible.
Kelsie, like many senior Illosian Guards had been a Knight during the great war.
The first amongst those who had answered the call to arms against the evils of Grindelwald by the-then Lord Sayre, a decision that changed his life for the better in ways that he still couldn't put words to it.
It was funny like that, Kelsie mused to himself, the way that war had been the best thing that ever happened to him.
In war he forged closer bonds with people in mere months than he had ever done with his own family, bonds that lasted to this day.
In war, he had found purpose in an otherwise purposeless life destined for pointlessness as they fought against the monstrosity of Grindelwald and his ilk.
And in war…he thought as he stared at their King…
In war he found something greater than his own life, greater than anything he could ever imagined he'd ever find…he found faith.
It had come slow, this faith that he had but battle after battle, speech after speech and act after act, it had been growing, this transformative feeling that seemed to brighten his world in ways it had never done.
It wasn't really his magic – of course it helped – but it was who their King was that changed his life and that of so many others.
Kelsie had grown to trust in his ability to protect them when they couldn't protect themselves, trust in his plans for success even if they seemed hard to believe, trust in his words that they all meant something to him, and all of it, all of his deeds and words grew into absolute faith in his King, his champion that saved him.
His champion who promised him the world and had delivered.
All that he had, his wife and his daughters, his medals, the gifts that he'd gotten from their King at his wedding and his children's births, the house that overlooked the Merten stream, Illos, all of it, had come from him.
Yes…Kelsie had absolute faith in their King.
An absolute faith that he shared with many of his fellow Illosians and Guards.
And with faith, he thought as his expression tightened with hardened zeal, he would crawl to the depths of hell for their King and his beloved Queen.
"A day that I hoped would not come but has come nonetheless." Their King continued, his smooth voice slashing through the air with ease "They may have not uttered the words war…but war has all but declared upon us." The King said to absolute silence as magic began to dance in the King's eyes, the emerald flecks in his eyes twinkled like new-born stars in violet seas.
"A war that wasn't wanted or invited and it is a war that is imposed on us!" Their King said, his voice rising with palpable anger and with a glow that surrounded him like a translucent blanket of velvety magic that seemed like it was a moment away from blanketing the entire world under its weight.
And it was an anger that Kelsie felt intimately and he felt the men next to him restrain their own reactions as much as he was. The demands that the ICW had levied against Illos were infamous. The news, at work, at home, even in the streets people talked about little else and they talked with outrage.
They wanted to destroy Illos and everything that it was by forcing them to accept their corrupt officials with powers to change anything they wanted and more importantly…they wanted to harm their King and Queen.
That had almost caused riots in the streets of Illos and no one argued against the call for war against the ICW. No one wanted war, if anything everyone just wanted to be left alone in peace but what was asked was something no one would ever be willing to accept.
The King and Queen were theirs, the family they owed more to than they could ever repay and none of them were going to abandon them. Not the recently turned magicals, not the different magical peoples who made Illos their home, and never the people of British origin who chose to follow their King into the unknown without caution for he was their champion and their chosen one.
"But they are fools…" Their King's tone softened but the danger it carried was unmistakable. The King said, his eyes beginning to burn brightly, a violet glow with green stars dancing in its background.
"For we know war!" Their King's magic began to manifest in tempestuous swirls of purple of greens, the weight of his magic feeling like a blanket of snow onto his skin.
Yes…Kelsie thought, a dangerous storm seizing him at his core as he remembered. They knew war. They fought in the farmlands of France, in the narrow streets of Paris, in the halls of mountain top castles and in the marshes of the Balkans.
His fist clenched tight, the wand embedded in his armour thrumming, almost vibrating with a will of its own urging itself fall into his own hands.
Their Queen stepped forward a little, her arms raised and her eyes matching the same kind of fervour that Kelsie knew they were all feeling "We are not monsters" the Queen said to them, her voice melodious and seemed to calm the anger in their hearts. "This is a choice that is forced onto us and we will offer them a choice they are so willing to deny us. A choice to step back from the ledge they so carelessly approach. Should they refuse…" She trailed off, her eyes cooling to solidified magma and her ominous stature growing.
"Then may Magic have mercy on their souls for they will come to know what war with Illos means with this little taste of our capabilities!" Their Queen said, her voice somehow echoing all around them as if it was coming from every direction, her own magic rising as she raised her wand until she was shining like a dark blue star that seemed to chase away all light in its awesome strength.
"HA!" He chanted as he raised his wand arm into the air in unison with the rest of his comrades. "HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" rang around them, their voices unison in their smouldering passion, a passion that could burn their enemies away with its fury.
Three grey blue small spheres appeared and floated above their Queen's hand, and the glow in her eyes darkened to a black equal to the blackest of night.
She began to chant, the floating grey blue spheres pulsing with a silver white glow, a wave of confusion washing over him though he remained affixed with patience.
One of the white spheres rose above the others and her words switched to Illosian though within moments the words she spoke suddenly dissolved from his mind, the white sphere pulsing with a brilliant radiance before it fell to the ground and burrowed its way down and away from sight.
This happened twice more and when the last of the sphere disappeared into the soil of Illos, she spoke again though this time her words clicked into all of their minds.
"The Men of Symbols otherwise known as MOS are an organisation within the ICW" The memories of their enemy were unlocked and the burning passion regained its brightness.
"The International Affairs and Men of Symbols Headquarters are located on 777 Nouran street in the Kafr Abdu district" their Queen said and he remembered the detailed plans of the building and its floors, the painful and exhaustive drills they underwent so they knew by instinct what to do and what to expect.
"Atticus Markus Sayre otherwise known as Atticus Sayre is a Seer and capable of traversing Living Time known as Celestial Time!" Was the next words of their Queen's mouth and he remembered the legend of their King's powers.
Kelsie's expression shifted to one of viciousness, hidden as it may be under his helm, the knowledge of their enemies' unawareness of what was coming bringing that vicious side of him to the forefront, a side that relished the look of capitulation and defeat.
Parkinson looked at his wrist, his cold emotionless eyes staring intently at his integrated magi-comp before he looked up and nodded to the King and Queen and they all knew that it was time.
Their King and Queen raised their hands, glowing orange lines forming in the air.
One of the set of runes connected forming into a strange blue-orange tinged portal that appeared before the intelligence agents, a portal that for moments appeared to lead to a dark abyss before the event horizon changed into a sight of a huge wardstone. The Intelligence agents saluted before they walked through the portal with purpose with own mission to be carried out.
Just as the Guards had their own mission who moved and fell in their assigned groups of four in three columns with the Primary column moving to the Queen, the Secondary column to the King and the Tertiary with Parkinson.
The King and Queen shared a look, an unspoken look before the King smiled grimly and turned to face them all, his expression neutral but his eyes burning brightly with a luminescent glow, one that bore an ill omen for their enemies.
"For Illos." Escaped their King's lips, and it was like a bell, a death bell that rang when the boat ferrying the damned across the point of no return.
"For Illos!" They shouted as one, their voices filled with the righteous vigour as warrior angels at the dawn of the apocalypse.
The floating runes connected and formed into three large portals and the King and Queen turned towards their columns.
"Men" The King only said before he walked through the portal.
Kelsie and his fellow guards ran after him, rows of fours, and they passed through the horizon of the portal.
They arrived at a juncture, a dark juncture with three tall and wide hallways and within moments, three out of the four groups split and made their way through two of the junctures leaving Kelsie and his team with the King.
The King twisted his hand, his liquid silver blue armour undulating like the surface of a lake stirred unsettled with a stone's throw, and a spear formed in his hand.
The King gripped his silver blue spear, his magic crackling softly, seconds passing that felt like minutes before he began to move forward, slowly, his pace increasing before he began to half sprint.
They followed their King, and he was almost impatient to draw the wand embedded in his armour though he waited, knowing that the call would come soon.
And it did seconds later.
"Calor Scutum, sixteen seconds" the King communicated through their helm and their hands rose, the armour around their hand melting as the wand embedded in their armour released into their hands, the tip of the wand the only part of the wand exposed.
Moments later, a dozen men seemed to pour out from the hallways, their spells, varieties of gouging curses, severing curses, bone breakers, were fired with blinding speed sped across the distance and that wasn't where it ended.
The walls transformed into knifes and daggers and objects and animals, all of it along with the spells ate the distance towards them with menacing speed.
Faster than a human eye could see, the King suddenly stood between them and the spells, the sounds of stone floors cracking underneath his boots as his armoured hand shone with a dark purple glow before it tore from him, the dark purple wave of magic racing through air, the ground and the walls cracking along its path.
Sixteen seconds passed, and a twisting magical black shield formed around them one by one, a shield that reduced all light to heat and cold frequencies as the spells, the conjurations and transfigurations were forced to bend into the path of the wave of gravitic magic and with a sudden flare equal to a thousand sunrises, the gravitic magic exploded blinding all those without protection within the hallways.
The King was a blur, only through his helm tracking the King's movement did he see him move as if he were a whip of water, twisting and bending between the lines of their enemies, the sounds of their cries and bones breaking a harrowing symphony that was ended almost as soon as it arrived as the King struck at them with his spear with non-lethality in mind.
They dropped their shield and saw the devastation wrought by their King's magic, the walls and ground sporting cracks inches wide.
The King swept his spear across, globules of blue-silver descended down onto the incapacitated men and in a twisting crack, they were transported out and half a second later, the King was on the move again with them on his heels.
As they moved, the soft thuds they felt under their boots grew stronger, sounds of action elsewhere rising in strength as they made their way through the destined hallway.
The King raised his spear as a juncture approached, the sounds of distant explosions throbbing in their ears through the helms, quakes that was felt with each running step, and magic began exude from their King, an iridescent glow that crackled and teemed with barely restrained power.
Faster than humanely possible, the King slashed his spear diagonally and the world buckled, invisible undulating ripples sank into reality bending it at the seams as the walls, as they themselves took on an oval shape as reality ceased to function by normal rules and just as soon it happened, just as soon as this un-reality flashed into existence, it flashed out of existence though it took with it massive sections of the walls, of the flooring, blinking out of existence within moments, as if they had never been there at all.
What was left was a chasm of that descended all the way down to bedrock and he set himself, waiting for the word he knew was coming "Go" the King said and they were gone as soon as the words came through the helm and they descended down onto the floor below, the tips of their wands aglow.
As they landed on the floor below, they twisted their bodies around and ran towards the incoming enemies. One, two, three, four, four, six…now!
He swept his wand across, discombobulating spell after another streaked forward just as a group of wizards came their way, flashes of shield rising to meet the spells fired upon them.
They ran towards their enemy, their wands never ceasing to cast spell after spell, each spell intent on breaking down the opponents' shield, their defences, their bodies, and the battle began in earnest as events and spells and even the pattern of the destroyed transfiguration matched exactly as it did with the countless memories of their 'war games'.
The hallway was alight with magic, the crackles and sizzling sounds of spells sung in the magic-heavy air, and their opponents grew desperate when they were dropped one by one, their numbers decreasing all the time and soon enough sickly green curses streamed towards them, hungry for death, hungry to rip life away from them but they would not be so lucky.
He smashed his right foot onto the floor, his body contorting in preparation as his other arm rose and a shield formed out of his arm as he angled towards the incoming killing curses. The killing curse splashed harmlessly against his shield, outcries of shock was heard from the enemy and he twisted around, his shield morphing away as a barrel formed out of his arm and he pointed it towards the few remaining enemies.
His men made way, the tips of their wands flashing as they fired towards the walls nearby and the walls transformed into refractive surfaces. A ball of light fired from his barrel-arm, and his helm tinted to near darkness before moments later the room was showered with painful light before his men made short work of the remaining enemies.
This repeated again and again, their battles mirroring perfectly the training exercises they went through, each spell, each movement acted out in perfect rote. They moved through the hallways as if they knew it as well as the back of their hands, eliminating threats one after the other and soon enough they were nearly done in incapacitating their enemies.
Though not all were spared death, no, there were some that were flagged for death, those few among hundreds, and just like in their games, they were killed with ruthless simplicity for the good of Illos.
Just as the figure before him would die with that same impersonal ruthlessness as he leaned away, the whip of menacing fire looping past him before Kelsie brandished his wand, a flesh eating curse rippling out of his wand towards his enemy.
The man raised a piece of rubble that shattered as it was made to intercept the spell, the man's wand twisting in a blur as he returned a spell-chain intent to break through his armour that sported some deep dinks.
Kelsie raised his wand above his head, his wand sweeping above his head in a wide arc and tendrils of stone rose from the cracked floor, each tendril sped towards each of the spells yet for one it was too late, a gouging curse that hit him in the torso and tossed him into the air yet Kelsie was not worried even as his HUD began to flicker.
He smashed his arm against the wall he was launched into, his momentum halted and he twisted around for his feet to plant themselves onto the floor before he launched himself forward, his armoured boots digging into the stone floor as it were made out of putty and before his enemy knew it, Kelsie had already crossed half the distance. One more leap forward, a faster leap, prepped him for the finale.
Kelsie could see the shock and panic on the man's face and the man's wand was a whirlwind of movement as he began to point cast simple but effective spells, the man entirely intent in dousing Kelsie in volume of spells rather than lethality in a foolish hope that it would be enough to buy him some time to think of an alternative strategy.
Kelsie wouldn't allow him that time.
He jumped into the air, his trailing leg adding spin to his jump as his wand slashed at the ceiling. A score of javelins whistled through the air, half of them sent towards his enemies and the other half in the space between them.
The man cancelled the transfiguration that raced towards him with ease before he moved to transition into another series of curses yet it was too late as Kelsie sent the other javelins towards the man with a flick of his wand, each javelin carefully positioned to blind the man of the incoming curse as he seamlessly flowed the shield-breaker spell into a curse that sizzled at the tip of his wand.
One…two…THREE, the spell was released from his wand, the sickly yellow curse ate up the distance between itself and the man and just as the man defended against the last javelin, the shield breaker tore open a hole in his shield, a hole that his curse fit through like a rat through a hole in the wall and the man screamed as skin and flesh and bones were made gone, piece by piece, inch by inch, made gone as if they were nothing but a fleeting twinkle in one's imagination.
The man's face turned sagged as bone were made into dust and his flesh into sagging bags that were increasingly crumbling under the effects of the spell and soon enough robes and clothes were all that remain, the cloud of dust that escaped as the clothes and robes dropped to the ground a disturbing remnant of what had once been flesh and bone and skin.
Kelsie shook his head, his mind forcing away the image as he ran towards the gathering point now that he finished with his last enemy that was left to him and not long after he was with his comrades making their way towards their King and Queen.
Kelsie could see the effects of the battles on every floor as they made their way down to the lowest floor. Like rats, their enemy was trapped in the building with no way out and no salvation coming to intervene on their behalf. He wasn't sure what the forward team had done, only that there would be room for escape for anyone.
They made their way past the broken heavy set of doors that hung limply off of the hinges and he saw the ring of his comrades surrounding six individuals on their knees with another unconscious.
They looked sickly, grey spidery veins ran across their faces, their eyes bled black tears as they stared hatefully at their King and Queen.
"Any injuries?" their King questioned without turning towards them.
"No my King" Kelsie said reverently as he made his way towards the front of the ring next to the other team leaders. "Everything went almost exactly as planned." He said as he looked at the rest of his comrades and saw that other than a few nasty looking damage to their armour they looked as fit and healthy as ever from the way they stood.
"Well done." The King said as he glanced over his shoulder before he returned his gaze to the defeated enemies that kneeled before the King and Queen.
"Two hundred and seventy individuals you had at your disposal. Two hundred and seventy of the finest wizards you could rely on, all of them sorcerer level in power." One of the kneeling made was gripped by an invisible force and made to levitate before the King and Queen.
"And all two hundred and seventy wizards were as effective as a breeze of harmless air to the face." The King said with a low tone as he stared directly towards the dying man who seemed to keep his hateful glare going despite the weight of the King's gaze onto the man.
"You will be-"
"–the end of magic?" the King interjected calmly towards the man, the man's cold hateful eyes wavering for a moment "and you wouldn't be wrong." The King continued and the King's expression broke into a faint smile.
"I will be the end of magic on Earth as Louisa Miranza predicted." And this broke the man's glare and the King chuckled, his chuckles carrying hints of menace.
"Prophecy…prophecy is such a fickle thing." The King said in a musing tone as the Queen raised the other six individuals, their sounds of choking filling the deadly silence within the chambers.
"You never truly know what it means, how it ends, until it does end and does come to be. For men claiming to know divination, you were fools. Magic will end on Earth, one way or another and it is better to end at my hands than at the hands of muggles as it would have should you have won this conflict between us."
The King turned to him and the rest of the Illosian guards.
"There is a prophecy about me, my comrades. A prophecy that states that I will bring forward the end of magic on Earth. One the Men of Symbols foolishly set in motion. Where they failed to understand however is that I am its salvation, not its end as they would have made to happen." The King raised his arms, as if beckoning them forth.
"Trust in me as you have done for so many years. Trust that I will guide us to the stars. Trust what you know. The prophecy will happen, that is no longer in question. The only thing in question is…do you believe me…or do you believe them?" the King questioned as he gestured towards the floating men.
Kelsie stepped forward, his eyes fixed onto the King as his helm morphed away to reveal his face.
The man that he knew his King to be loved magic, he breathed it, he nurtured it in others. He'd never bring an end to magic if he could help it and Kelsie knew that the man would sacrifice himself if it meant he'd avoid its destruction. He was that noble of a man, that great of a King and they were Illosian guards, knights of honour and valour.
They would never be so wicked to doubt the word of a man they were sworn to, a man who was true-hearted to them, to his people, to magic.
Kelsie kneeled before the King. "My King, you have my faith as you have always done. Through life and through death, I trust you with my very soul and magic." Kelsie said deferentially and with truth ringing in every fibre of his words.
One by one, his fellow comrades did the same, kneeling and reaffirming their loyalty to the King and the King smiled fondly at them as he bowed his head towards them.
"You have brainwashed them." The man said without pause "They would believe the sky is red if you told them so."
"They have faith in me not to mislead them and it is faith that I hold with utmost reverence. They matter to me more than you could know, Sariel, and it is on their behalf that I will ensure magic will thrive."
The sounds of five necks snapping echoed in the dark chamber and the King brought the man's closer to his face. "Find solace in the afterlife that in my hands, magic will prosper across entire worlds and in time…the galaxy shall be ours to shepherd as destiny demands it. As birthright demands it. May magic have mercy on your soul"
The man's neck was bent almost parallel to the man's shoulders and the sound of the neck snapping was harsh. Yet…as harsh as the sound was, Kelsie hoped that it was the last life that would have to be taken in order to have peace.
And he trusted his King to do all he could to make that man's death the very last. And if it wasn't possible…well, he trusted his King to guide them to peace however treacherous and difficult the road may be.
Faith…Faith simply worked that way.
-Break-
Days Later….
Cihan Aslan POV, Mugwump Chambers
The ICW Chief Unspeakable stood in front of the Mugwumps at the centre of the chambers, his arms behind his back and his expression grave as he spoke to a silent and disturbed assembly of Mugwumps that teetered on the precipice of angry fear.
Fear that built upon the chaotic hub that was now Alexandria, something not seen since the Grindelwald war, fear that tore away the veil of invincibility.
"What do you mean 'you're not certain?" the Norwegian Mugwump said angrily as he stood up from his seat, his rage clear to see in his expression though it was his fear that spoke volumes about how he truly felt. "How could you not know?!"
The International Affairs building, with all the souls it bore within, had completely and utterly disappeared, a building that stood three stories tall and nearly occupied half a street, gone, as if it never existed in the first place.
It was…chilling, the kind of power it would need to do something like that.
It should have been impossible, utterly, comprehensively impossible. There was a direct relationship between magic and mass, one that could be cheated and bent but never quite broken yet the possibility of that relationship being broken was very very real.
And that wasn't the only concerning point, no, the fact that it was done entirely without their notice was equally as concerning.
It took a day for someone to notice its disappearance, so much so that the Unspeakables believed magic was at hand for it to be forgotten only to be so suddenly remembered.
A form of the Fidilius Charm, a kind of obscuring of magic that worked in similar principle as the charm that had the power to hide the location for a period of time.
All that remained was the wardstone that powered the muggle notice-me-not charms, all other wards having been stripped away and that spoke immensely of the capability of those who orchestrated the entire thing.
The Unspeakables had invaded the location like locusts and had until now resisted calls and demands to answer what has actually occurred and only now were they coming to answer their questions yet the fact that even they weren't sure…
It would cause an even greater sense of dread to run along the spine of everyone within the ICW, a dread palpable and practically coated all those who walked these halls. After all, no one was under the illusion on who would have the motive and the capabilities to pull something such as this off.
Cihan wanted to scoff.
Illusion…
To say that this had finally shattered the majority's perception of what they were faced against would be an understatement. Two days they were here in this emergency assembly and for two days, this message, this disappearance had spawned greater number of fearful and almost appeasing arguments than he'd ever witnessed before.
Yet…he understood.
For a message, it was an incredibly powerful one.
The IA were infamous, almost an authority onto their own, and the IA were amongst the best of the ICW forces, Auror trained wizards that doubled as half Unspeakables who were all Sorcerer level in strength. Yet they were vanished like nothing more than dirt and rubbish with no one the wiser until at least a day had passed.
He glanced around the chambers, his eyes searching out those who had been for the implementation of D10567AF, the statute that all but declared war against Illos and the Sayres. He could see a number of pale expressions, a few hidden but tense expressions and more than a few blank expressions hidden behind their Occlumency.
For years, the ICW had been building its forces, exceeding its pre-war numbers of Aurors, Hit-wizards and warmages with ample recruitment of former Grindelwald followers and for years, the slow but building confidence that its forces could contend with the likes of Grindelwald and its followers had been…noticeable.
Confidence that was now all but shattered under the weight of reality.
Yes…the Sayres' message, the cold harsh reality of what the ICW would face if they continued on this path looked like it was well and truly received.
The Unspeakable looked irritated for a moment but he answered anyway "The magical residue left behind does not bear the marks of any arithmantic traces we know. Spells are created using arithmancy, wand movements made to bind magical energies to cause the effect that is calculated out and thus these magical energies have properties, definitions that have built upon and reused in other spells as wand movements were adapted and adopted and altered in the creation of a new spell but each new spell still carries the inheritances of other spells, so much so that nearly all the spells we use can be linked to a hundred other and different spells.
Even the most obscure or darkest of magicks have definitions that can be observed to be linked to many well known neutral or light magic." The Unspeakable paused for a second "This is the basis of our modern magic" he said, his expression graver as he continued once more.
"The reason why we're not certain what was used is because what we have found is far older than modern magic." The Unspeakable said and Cihan could sense that whatever they found disturbed the man greatly.
"Well?" Holtz, the German Mugwump demanded impatiently "You must have a theory at least!"
The Chief Unspeakable stared down at the German Mugwump with a contemptuous look before his expression settled into a neutral look. "The traces…they bear similarities to the magic employed at Mannheim in 1943." The Unspeakable stared directly at the German Mugwump who paled and sat back down, his form slumping.
Cihan leaned back in his chair, the volume within the chamber rising with fear seeping in their collective voices, his own thoughts immensely troubled at what the Unspeakable was suggesting.
"What magic?" he heard one of the Mugwumps say, possibly the Singaporean Mugwump, and the Unspeakable uttered the words that would shake an already shaken group.
"Atlantean Magicks"
The rise in volume was avalanche like, a racing wash of noise that he forcefully drowned out. Everything for the ICW was shifting towards into an even bleaker trajectory. Reminded coldly of who it was they had set themselves against.
The very man who defeated the other man infamously known for his knowledge of Atlantean magicks. It was bad enough that Grindelwald had gotten his hands to a few remnants of Atlantean magic let alone actually being capable of using it but now…
Cihan's expression turned dim, a shadow almost draping his face as he looked around the chambers, his gaze catching the Bulgarian Mugwump staring at the Unspeakable with an intense unblinking look before Cihan looked away as arguments poured around him.
It was not hard to understand. Why it had come to this stage.
A man, an Archmage, they alienated almost from the moment he rid the world of Grindelwald. A man they had forced into exile from his homeland with their conspirers in Britain and a man whose home they threatened to destroy.
Because of fear. Because of hubris. Because they felt threatened.
Made to feel threatened.
Atticus Sayre, from a certain viewpoint, was just as radical as Grindelwald…and just as charming. Even as a child, the man was known for his strange opinions that were riveting and considered by those willing to listen to the child prodigy, viewpoints that were in opposition to those of many powerful nations and individuals, and soon the belief that a man such as that could not be enticed to fall in line with the established order had been made into fact that nearly all believed.
A belief that Cihan did not think wrong but he thought it was twisted.
Still, in truth, had such beliefs not made popular, he imagined the possibility of Sayre's 'subversion' of the ICW itself a chance far greater than anyone would like to admit.
Sayre had that pull, that ability to inspire loyalty in all kinds of wizards and witches.
Illos was a prime of example of this, mudbloods and purebloods from all kinds of backgrounds that had no right to live in such harmony, as neighbours without problems if the stories were to be believed.
Cihan's eyes hardened and he looked upon the Persian Mugwump who seemed to be in an intense conversation with the Kurdish Mugwump, and it wasn't long before their eyes clicked.
Despite the best attempts of the ICW to uphold the status quo and the established order, Illos with its leaders made change across the magical world inevitable and…
Moments passed before the Persian nodded almost invisibly but enough for Cihan to understand that yes…this was the final straw for him…and others in their alliance.
Cihan's broke away his gaze and looked upon the rest of the chambers. Change would have to be welcomed lest they all be swept away by the winds of change wrought by an impossible storm.
The Supreme Mugwump had gotten things under control and it wasn't long until the unpleasant voice of the Norwegian Mugwump coursed through the chambers.
"It is an act of war" The Norwegian Mugwump fumed and the sounds of disapproval rang around the chambers and the Norwegian Mugwump swivelled around staring at the discontents "We must ready ourselves for a war now. It is clear that this will not end until they are defeated and broken!"
Cihan looked at the man contemptuously.
Norway since the war ended had grown into a purist haven, extreme in its beliefs.
Beliefs that were spat at by the Sayres and their discoveries on the origin of magic just as they did so now with the creation of Illos that had anyone with magic as equals, regardless of heritage. To say an enmity existed with the Norwegians and the Sayre family was an understatement and it was a vicious enmity that was always going to result in the Norwegians demanding heavy actions against the Sayres, especially after Norway was one of the worst affected by the economic crisis of '48.
Of course, Cihan believed that they were also keen for the ICW to weaken itself with a war that undoubtedly would cost massive amounts of ICW resources, enough to loosen its grip across Europe that Norway – or more likely the Ravenites wanted.
With Norway's 'protection' by the Raven – a man disturbingly rumoured to be an Archmage in his own right – and Norway's drive towards the extreme end of purist beliefs, a weakened ICW is absolutely the last thing he or his government wanted.
Not when it would mean the Ravenites would have much greater free reign to spread their influence across Europe.
"We do not know if they are responsible!" the Spanish Mugwump said and the Norwegian Mugwump laughed bitterly as he stared contemptuously at the woman who continued despite the look "And even if they are…" she said, her voice low "If this is what they are capable of without us noticing…what else would they be able to spring on us?" she asked, voicing out the concerns that many in the chambers held
"So we would let them get away with murdering hundreds of our people?!" the Norwegian Mugwump posed angrily at the Spanish Mugwump.
'As if you care a single iota' Cihan mused as he watched silently.
"Of course not!" the Spanish Mugwump said defensively before she glared angrily at the man "Such acts cannot go unanswered however we cannot afford to react brazenly as we have done in the past few months!" and that inspired further arguments amongst the two Mugwumps.
The Supreme Mugwump silenced both of them and moved things forward for the Brazilian Mugwump to speak. "If the Sayres are responsible…and it is likely that they have…war is inevitable" The Brazilian Mugwump raised his hand, silencing the approvals and the disapprovals.
"Whether or not their attack carries a hint of justification, whether or not it is wrong, the fact remains…We. Were. Attacked." The Brazilian Mugwump said with an outstretched finger.
"Such a thing can never go unanswered lest we destroy the credibility of this organisation." The Brazilian Mugwump said, his expression heavy "Even if we are to combat with the most powerful wizard alive."
This generated a wave of arguments, arguments mostly driven by fear and anger and irrationality and Cihan drowned the pointless conversation that would lead to nowhere. He knew that there would not be an overwhelming consensus for one way or the other, not without the certainty that war was all but unavoidable.
His gaze fell on Boutros, who, for once, was as silent as a mute, his expression
almost lost and it was one that washed away substantial amount of the irritation.
It was no secret that Boutros had close affiliation with the IA and rumours were rife of his involvement in the sudden shifts in stances of many Mugwumps.
With the IA, Boutros had become a powerful voice against the Sayres and Illos, one that edged the ICW towards war with Illos especially after that warrant was signed.
Without them…his blood in the water could be tasted miles away by all.
Enemies…and allies alike.
The lull of silence drew him out of his thoughts and he realised the Vietnamese Mugwump stopped speaking, his gaze, just like all of the other gazes, falling towards the flying paper bird that headed towards the Supreme Mugwump.
It was highly unusual for an emergency assembly, let alone any session, to be interrupted and silence reigned as all waited with bated breaths. The old Supreme Mugwump plucked the paper from the air and read the parchment, his caterpillar like brows furrowing before deepening and deepening in a clear look of heavy concern.
He finally looked up and the Supreme Mugwump looked uneasy, something that increased the tension in the room "the King and Queen of Illos are waiting outside the steps with an army of a thousand mages." The Supreme Mugwump said and Cihan's eyes widened dramatically just as chaos erupted in the chambers.
Waiting? He wondered, his mind a whirl.
How did they even bypass the war-wards without anyone knowing?!
The areas around the ICW headquarters were some of the most powerful wards in existence that could contend even with the most powerful wards centred on converging leylines he wondered as demanding questions were howled out.
"Why are they here?!"
"They must be defeated!"
"We must leave!"
"Where are the Aurors?! They must defend us!"
"Arrest them, kill them all!"
"SILENCE" the Supreme Mugwump boomed out, his hammer slamming down, a wave of magic deadened the noise within the chambers.
The Supreme Mugwump rounded towards those who had left their seats, his gaze pinning them still "If you leave, you will be held in contempt of this emergency session with severe penalties attached."
The Supreme Mugwump narrowed his eyes as he gestured to the Aurors within the chambers "I implore that you return to your seats. Now." The Supreme Mugwump said in a commanded tone, one that almost was growled out and after a few tense moments with angry looks at the Aurors and the Supreme Mugwump himself, they returned to their seats.
The Supreme Mugwump looked angrily across the chambers "I will not have you incite panic and chaos when cooler heads must prevail."
The Supreme Mugwump breathed out heavily before he continued, the parchment held high in the air as he looked around the chambers "According to our Aurors, they appeared suddenly just outside market district, all of them all at once. By the time the bulk of our Aurors assembled, they were already in sight of headquarters."
"It should be impossible" the Swiss Mugwump said gravely amidst a steady volume of disbelieving murmurs and looks "They should not be able to bypass the wards. Especially not after the war-wards were raised after the disappearance of the IA."
"Unfortunately, it seems that our visitors continue to pull off the impossible." The Supreme Mugwump said heavily as he looked upon the Assembly.
"And?" the Polynesian Mugwump questioned gravely amidst disquieted murmurs, the tension in the room on the brink of spilling. The Auror division stationed in Alexandria was in the thousands, some two thousand last he knew.
Was this the start of another wizarding war? He wondered grimly.
The Supreme Mugwump looked at the man "Briefly there was combat. When they arrived. Combat that the Illosians ended when they subdued the few dozen Aurors on duty." A great few shifted uncomfortably before the Supreme Mugwump continued "Thankfully Director Konstanz prevented escalation and the return of the Aurors in exchange for delivering the message as to why they were here."
The room was as silent as a grave and the Supreme Mugwump did not delay any further. "The message they have relayed is that they are here to negotiate a peaceful solution to the frayed relationship between Illos and the wider magical world."
Cihan's eyebrows raised but before he could think on it, the Supreme Mugwump continued "Director Konstanz has also confirmed to me that he has witnessed them swear the oath of parlay" the Supreme Mugwump said to the surprise of many and Cihan could see that some wore contemplative looks.
The oath of parlay was an ancient oath, one that predates nearly all forms of magical governance when tribes of mages came together under such an oath of parlay to settle blood feuds, slights or enter negotiations for alliances.
It was a practice that stems from the ancient times, during the height of power of the ancient kingdoms of Egypt and Sumer when rivalry between the Sorcerer-Priests was at its heights and it was adopted by many magical clans from East to West over the next two to three thousand years.
Cihan couldn't honestly recall any time that it might have been used in the past half century…perhaps not even in the last hundred years.
"One that the Director has reciprocated and has honour bound the rest of the ICW to parlay as well." This hadn't gone down as well but no one raised their voice against it.
Despite everything, no one wanted to be known as breaking something rooted in their cultures and sacred as an oath of parlay.
The Supreme Mugwump looked a little disbelieving when he spoke again "Including the negotiation of the return of hundreds of IA agents captured in their assault of what they call a 'rogue' organisation."
This surprised many and many had equally disbelieving looks on their face, Cihan included. It was hard to believe anyone could have survived whatever happened there. But then, they barely had any real idea of what might have actually happened.
Curious though, he thought as he narrowed his eyes. Rogue organisation? Cihan mused the term in his mind and considered the phrasing.
Was that the angle they were going for? He looked around and saw that more than a few were equally considering that perhaps this was an option that they needed to take.
Noise rose again and a fixed look from the Supreme Mugwump silenced them.
The Chinese Mugwump floated forward in his box "They claim to want to negotiate" The Chinese Mugwump stated blankly "With an army outside our gates?" The Chinese Mugwump said with a shake of the head, the implications clear and obvious to anyone.
"They destroyed an ICW building, captured hundreds of our people in an act of war."
"And this Assembly imposed sanctions on their country and passed a bill that placed an international warrant on the heads of their sovereigns." The Indian Mugwump said harshly "That in itself can be considered an act of war."
"Whose side are you on?!" one of the Mugwumps shouted from across the room, murmurs of agreement ringing through the Assembly.
"On the side of rationality." The Indian Mugwump said with a sternness that seemed iron resolute "A side that we all should be on" The Indian Mugwump gestured towards the Assembly "Instead of the side of rhetoric that this body has allowed to invade these sacred halls of international cooperation." The Indian Mugwump said meaningfully, clearly referring to the warmongering and flip-flopping that had pervaded the ICW ever since Illos made itself known.
The Indian Mugwump looked around the room "Honoured Mugwumps, we are on a dangerous precipice at this moment in time. We have seen that they have access to the kinds of magic that could wipe out entire nations and we have seen their willingness to use it if pushed!" The Indian Mugwump said with a raised voice.
"We cannot afford this to escalate any further than it already has!"
The Mugwump looked at the German Mugwump with disdain in his eyes.
"Lest we find ourselves truly at war with an enemy that may make the war with Grindelwald seem like a playground squabble" the Indian Mugwump said as his box seat returned to its place.
The arguments went on for some time, those who wanted the Aurors to act and those who wanted to enter these negotiations and only after assurances were given by the Chief Unspeakable that the protections within the enchanted chambers were absolute, was there consensus to hear out the Illosians.
The Indian Mugwump placed a motion forward to suspend the warrant on the Sayres as a gesture of goodwill, one that he claimed would signal their intent of genuine negotiations to end this crisis and it passed easily though far from unanimous.
Unsurprisingly the Bulgarian Mugwump had abstained from the voting and Cihan knew that it wasn't because of a lack of interest – Cullaica had been paying attention to everything and he hadn't failed to notice his visible interest in Atlantean magicks – but once more he was disturbed at the lack of action by the man…or his leader.
It wasn't long before the heavy twin doors opened, two dozen of ICW aurors entering first and Cihan was struck by the visage of their guests.
Two guards clad in silver grey armour from head to toe stood on either side of the Sayres, who were dressed in equally militant armour though of different hues. They looked daunting in truth, not only by what they wore but in their presence and in the way they looked at the assembly.
Atticus Sayre looked like nothing like he remembered, the curious boy that grew to a passionate young man replaced by a man of cold authority, his dimly aglow eyes sweeping across the chambers with a naked danger that was tangible.
The look of the Slytherin Lady wasn't much better, her beauty a dangerous allure though nothing could hide the calculating glint in her eyes as she watched with a predatory gaze.
There was absolute silence as they arrived at the centre of the chambers, the sounds of their boots stopping and the closing thunk of the heavy twin doors the last semblance of noise in an otherwise silent chambers.
They looked like conquerors in truth and it was a feeling that permeated throughout the chambers like a harsh and chilling breeze.
One of the guard's helm slid away as smoothly as a falling curtain "Presenting His and Her Majesties, King and Queen of Illos and the Illosian peoples, His Grace the King Atticus Sayre and Her Majesty the Queen Emily Sayre" the guard enthused, his zeal easily sensed as he spoke.
"King and Queen Sayre" The Supreme Mugwump said diplomatically, his voice calm as he spoke "I would say welcome to these hallowed chambers however we both know such words would sound hollow." The Supreme Mugwump said with a keen stare.
The Queen smiled though her eyes were as cold as frozen coal "I agree." She said and the tension grew and the feeling of unease stronger. "Perhaps in time when we're not considered such dangers to the magical world by this esteemed body, such welcomes would not ring hollow." she said, her smile turning razor sharp, her eyes darker, and somehow the tension felt like it was suffused with an edge of darkness to it.
Cihan watched the assembled Mugwumps shift uneasily in their seats, the wary looks on their faces making it clear they would be anywhere else if they could manage it. "Isn't that why you're here today?" Cihan decided to ask, drawing attentions to himself as he stared at them with keen eyes.
"To not only resume some form of normalisation of relations before this escalates into a war that benefits no one but to also make clear you have no designs on the magical world like Grindelwald may have had?" Cihan questioned.
The Slytherin Lady smiled at Cihan and he almost thought he could see a hint of amusement in her eyes before it was smothered away. "Just so." She said with the incline of the head.
"Your claim about our people's survival." Boutros interjected, his eyes fixated on the Sayres as he paused for a moment "Are you willing to provide proof?" Boutros asked, his tone far more reserved than it had been for months.
"Unfortunately…there were a few casualties." This caused displeased murmurs and uneasy shifting within the chambers "Of course, we are willing to compensate the ICW with a million galleons for each of the twenty six casualties to dispense as they wish." Cihan's eyebrows raised. Twenty six million galleons was no little amount and the rest of the Assembly understood the message of Illos' wealth quite clearly.
"Of course, that is if the negotiations as successful" Sayre said with unblinking before he seamlessly continued "We will release several junior agents after this meeting regardless of outcomes with a vow that they have not been tampered with before, during or after their capture." Atticus Sayre said, his voice reaching the very ends of the halls with seeming ease, his eyes intently on Boutros.
"That should suffice in confirming the survival of the rest of the two hundred fify men." Atticus Sayre paused, his eyes hardening as he stared unblinkingly at Boutros. "Of course, we couldn't resist scraping off the seven tipped moss off of the organisation."
Atticus Sayre said, his face barely moving as he spoke "It was a good thing too…it seemed like it was growing out of control" Boutros' expression turned bleak as Sayre spoke and after what seemed like an age, Boutros nodded grimly as he leaned back.
Cihan narrowed his eyes, the hidden conversation between the two men not escaping his notice. Seven tipped moss? He wondered. He'd have to inquire what that meant.
Atticus Sayre looked around the Assembly, his cool eyes traipsing across the chambers with the touch of an arctic breeze "Despite the tense nature of our arrival, we are here for diplomacy. This should prove our willingness to partake in it."
"Yet you have an army" the Italian Mugwump said with narrowed eyes "Outside this building. If you wanted to negotiate, you could have come through the proper channels." Even the Italian Mugwump didn't believe his own words, let alone those within the chambers.
"Could we have?" Atticus Sayre mused, his voice strangely philosophical as he placed his arms behind his back, his eyes sweeping across the chambers with a measured calm.
"From the moment my people returned to the magical world, the hostility of those within these chambers has been profound. You have isolated us, you have sanctioned us, threatened any that might wish to establish friendly relations with us and you have placed warrants on my wife and I, a warrant most typically reserved for criminals with a murder list as long as a forearm or most recently actual Dark Lords." Sayre paused momentarily as he fixed his gaze onto the Italian Mugwump.
"We might be idealistic but we are no fools. When peace is denied to us…" Sayre's face looked as if it was etched in stone as he trailed off, the weight of the air growing heavier, a tangible feeling of ominousness rising.
"No one denies you peace" the Ugandan Mugwump began, cutting through the suffocating tension with his smooth deep voice.
'Not after they so ably demonstrated the consequences of what it would mean to oppose them' Cihan mused as the Ugandan Mugwump, Dembe, continued "At least that was not the intent of this body." Dembe paused for a moment as he eyed the Sayres carefully "You must understand. The…circumstances of your disappearance has left significant impact on the magical world.
Even now, the loss of entire creature reserves, especially dragon reserves, have created scarcity that is impacting at societal level. That along with the pull of your wealth from banks all across Europe have made this body more…zealous" the Ugandan Mugwump said delicately as he paused for half a second before he continued "…than they should have been."
Cihan wanted to smile in amusement despite the tense situation. It was an artful misrepresentation of the main reasons why the ICW was so keen to 'punish' Illos.
Of course the economic impact of the Sayres' financial terrorism was not to be understated but it was hardly the main reason for the stance the ICW as an organisation was taking.
"Of course." Atticus Sayre said with a magnanimous smile "I can understand the…zealotry that could be inspired from such unfortunate happenstance. Of course, it was the best option available at the time." Atticus said, his smile widening though it lost its magnanimity and the smile looked like it was forged out of braided steel
"After all, the only other option was to stay and…protect my family's legacy and safety." Sayre's eyes were two pieces of solidified pieces of refractive volcanic glass "I doubt that would have been an option preferred to have been made into reality." Sayre said with a cold smile.
"No, I imagine not." Dembe said with an inclined head, his eyes never leaving Atticus Sayre's gaze "Then perhaps such sensible thinking of acting in the interest of a greater good may prove to be fortuitous for both of the ICW and Illos."
Sayre's smile lost some of its coldness as the man inclined his head slightly "That would be my hope as well. Shedding magical blood has never aligned with my beliefs. It is a tragedy when it becomes unavoidable." Sayre looked around the Assembly, his eyes roving throughout the room.
"It is my hope that we can come to an amicable solution to our quandary, honourable Mugwumps. We once fought together against the forces of a Dark Lord for the sake of the magical world." Sayre extended his arms slightly
"Let us come to together once more to solve a difficult problem that need not exist." Sayre said, his tone diplomatic, his expression gentler.
The tension in the room lessened until an unpleasant voice filled the chambers "…And why should we agree?" Cihan almost drew in a breath as his head swivelled towards the source of the grating voice. Cullaica was leaning forward, his disturbing eyes fixated onto the Sayres.
"Your nation…" Cullaica's smile was a twisted one "Is impressive, to be sure, just as perhaps your unique knowledge in ancient magicks is but… all of that is a drop" Cullaica's limp hand swept lazily towards the assembly of Mugwumps "compared to the number of wizards this body can call up."
Cullaica's mauve eyes shone unnaturally as his grin seemed to split his face, practically relishing at the drastic increase in tension. "No matter what kind of magic you can call up, no matter if no one can match you in power…" Cullaica's smile turned dark "Even giants can topple under the wounds of a thousand cuts."
A hush descending upon the Assembly and Cihan almost feel the bated breaths that were held, waiting on the response
"You're not wrong." The Slytherin Lady said nonchalantly, her tone giving off the signs that she was unaffected by the aggressive meanings of Cullaica's words.
She eyed Cullaica with bored half-lidded eyes "Do you fancy yourself as David, Mugwump Cullaica? The plucky little man with his mysterious God by your side?" her words were mocking but her tone carried a dangerous edge to it and Cullaica's expression tightened.
She continued "A war with the ICW would be difficult to win, true and perhaps you may even get lucky with harming one or both of us" her smile was venomous, her eyes slightly aglow with a darkness that seemed to suck out all life, all brightness around her, a haze of blackness surrounding her with the tenderness of shadow touches "Doubtful as it may be." She said uncaringly as she tilted slightly to Cullaica, Atticus Sayre looking on with a hint of amusement in his expression, unaffected as he stood with his arms behind his back, perfectly content to let his wife do the talking.
"Of course" her smile widened into a grin, a challenging grin that raised the hairs on the back of his neck. "Should this escalate into war, we will simply hunt down all those who voted for war first."
Silence filled the chambers, disbelieving looks set upon the Slytherin Lady.
Her eyes hardened into coal black crystals as she set them onto Cullaica, who lost his boredom, who lost his manic look and seemed almost mad with seriousness.
She broke away her gaze and set her black eyes on the rest of the Assembly.
"The nations whose representatives voted for war shall be the first who feel the wrath of our people, of our magic" her eyes shone with a violent gleam "of my magic" she said, a waft of dark magic rippling out of her, magic that seemed to contort and pull at the fabric of reality with violent delight.
"No mercy shall be given, no appeasement will be accepted." She circled back to Cullaica "Each and every flock and their leader shall be ripped from life with a vengeance that shall serve a warning to future generations."
Cihan could see Cullaica's eyes widen for a fraction of a second before he regained control over his expression and the disturbed man leaned back into his chair, with a hint of a smirk before his expression turned blank and gave nothing away.
She returned her gaze to the Assembly "That is Illos' promise. Disbelieve it at your peril."
Silence reigned as the meaning of her threat settled on all of them.
"Of course, that is if we fail to reach an agreement and war becomes inevitable." Atticus Sayre broke the heavy silence with an unsettling calm, as if the threat issued by his wife was equivalent to a lazy observation about mild weather.
"So…honoured Mugwumps…shall we begin negotiations?" Sayre said with a hard look and hours went by and as hours turned to days as terms of peace and treaties were discussed and considered and dismissed before finally a series of treaties were signed, treaties that bound both Illos and the ICW to a kind of cold relationship, no one was under the illusion that the treaties would only hold until the equation had changed for it to tilt in the others' favour.
War…war was averted yet he grimly wondered if the price had been worth paying from the way he'd seen Cullaica conversing with some of the more concerned Mugwumps after the negotiations ended. He did not like a future where Cullaica and his ilk bore prominence in the halls of power.
He only hoped that it was a baseless fear. He hoped that with every inch of his soul.
-Break-
Queen Elizabeth II POV
"Phillip?" she called out a little drowsily as she stretched herself out with her eyes closed. Her hand went towards his side of the bed and she realised he was still there.
Odd she thought as she blinked her eyes open. She thought she heard someone move in their bedroom. She turned towards him and saw him still asleep though his breathing was shallow. "Phillip?" she tried again as she touched his cheek.
"He won't wake." She heard her say and a chill ran down her spine, a chill that dashed away any drowsiness and she felt like she was dipped in ice, so much so that her breathing ceased.
She felt almost mechanical as she turned around and saw her sitting in a chair across from her bed, her legs crossed with what looked to be a sword draped by a piece of cloth. She looked nonchalant, almost bored as she fixed Elizabeth with a bored look.
"Elizabeth" the witch said with a nonchalant manner, her bored expression cracking as into mocking smile "It's been a while." She said conversationally and Elizabeth snapped out of her haze and she grabbed the silken sheets and covered herself, sparing a glance at her husband who still remained asleep.
"Not even a gunshot next to his ear would wake him." She said with a nonchalant manner, almost reading her mind of what she was thinking despite its pointlessness.
She turned back to the woman.
She also knew it was pointless to try and scream. She knew that the witch would have made it impossible for anything, even a dog, to hear her screams beyond these four walls.
"Why are you here?" she asked with a forced calm, her chin raised in a show of defiance. The witch's smile only grew wider and it felt she was being eyed by a predator, a predator playing with its food.
The thought that it was actually close to the truth rankled and terrified her in equal measure…and she was resigned to it.
The first time the witch had come had been years ago, not long after her father died, an experience that was stuck in her memory like a cancer, a dreaded helplessness that appeared in her nightmares more often than she would ever admit.
She'd turned all of her staff, all of her family, her children into marionettes, unable to move or comprehend anything that was happening. The witch even allowed her to try and wake them, much to the creature's amusement, but it was to no avail.
What was worse was after the experience of being interrogated by the woman, she could tell no one, she could not even open her mouth to try and force the words out, the abominable magic that much power over her.
Her private thoughts, her experiences, her choices, all of it was taken away by this woman's magic and she hated her for it. Only the knowledge that her children were unharmed each time the witch visited kept her from acting without control.
She would find no succour from anyone. She was likely the only normal person in all of Britain that knew of her kind. The woman told her that no one in muggle Britain knew of their society, not after they purged the knowledge away from their world.
All of her father's work was undone and now they were at the mercy of these creatures who saw them less as humans and little more than animals to be done as they pleased. Even she and her family were not spared from their cruelty.
"You're always trying to get rid me of as soon as you can." The witch said in a musing tone, one that didn't hide the cruel glint in her eyes.
Elizabeth only stared defiantly at the witch and it seemed to amuse her even further.
The witch sighed dramatically, her hand trailing across the cloth. "I suppose I might as well set you at ease. This is the last time I – or any of my kind – shall visit you or your family." She said as she picked up her gaze from the cloth and towards Elizabeth. Elizabeth looked doubtful at the witch's words.
For three years since that awful first time, the witch would come and put her under a spell that she with all of her might and will couldn't fight. A spell that made her answer anything and everything the woman asked about.
It was only last year that she was spared of the indignity of that violation and Elizabeth knew that it was only because the witch had gotten everything she wanted from her and that all of her visits since then were only made to torment her.
"Your doubt truly upsets me, dear Lilibet" the witch said with that damnable mocking smile and she wanted to hurl a vase at the creature's face.
"When have I ever lied to you?" the witch questioned with audacity and Elizabeth sent her a derisive look which made the witch's abnormally red lips twitch in amusement before she grew serious and it was a look that made Elizabeth still.
She hated that intense look, a look that made her feel small, as if she was inferior. "This time…this time, it is the truth. Our conversations are at an end, Elizabeth. That is a reason why I am here." 'a reason'.
Elizabeth resisted the urge to narrow her eyes and comported herself carefully as she stared at the witch. Moments passed when neither said anything, both of them staring at one another.
Was it truly over? Was she going to leave her be? The torment she made her go through was beyond undignified, beyond cruelty. It was abhorrent, the violation of her life, of her family's history and heritage as she knew it.
Even when she stopped prying into her private live, she never stopped to question her choices and her thoughts on the happenings in Britain and on the future of the Empire. Even now, she would have expected the woman to question on the independence of Ghana, on the recent independence of Malaysia and the other movements for independence across the Empire.
She couldn't help herself "Why?" she asked as she stared intently at the witch that could kill her with a snap of the fingers.
"You have, without fault" she said unable to mask the bitterness from sinking into her tone "visited every year since my father passed. Ignored any and all right afforded to a human being and violated me and those around me with utter cruelty and without mercy." Elizabeth couldn't help the hints of hate she felt for the woman pouring out as she held tightly onto the silken sheets.
"You enjoy it too." Elizabeth said with an angry look "You enjoy my helplessness. Why? Why would you give that up?" she asked finally, her voice somehow remaining calm.
The witch tilted her head and it was almost cat-like the way she was staring down at Elizabeth, a cold reminder that this unearthly beautiful witch was far from human despite her appearances. "I did enjoy your helplessness." The witch admitted and Elizabeth's was taken aback at the admission.
"It was…riveting, in a certain way." The witch continued, her hands folding together on top of the sword draped in cloth.
The witch didn't have to expand. They both knew the reason why she enjoyed it. Elizabeth knew the witch was a cruel thing but even then, she never harmed her physically when she had ever opportunity to do so.
No, her enjoyment with Elizabeth had come from who Elizabeth was and the rare helplessness that she was forced to accept.
"I simply have gotten all that I need from you, Elizabeth." She said matter-of-factly before she smiled in a strange way, her eyes darkening in some strange magical way she'd seen so often.
"I never thought I would say this to a living muggle" she said as her cold near black blue eyes pierced into Elizabeth, a gaze that seemed to penetrate deep enough down to her soul "But I am…grateful." The witch said with a grudging tone.
This time Elizabeth's eyes widened, her composure breaking under the admission she never thought she'd hear from the creature. The witch smiled and it was again a strange smile.
"I know. I'm just as surprised when I came to that realisation." The witch said with a musical laugh as she leaned back in her chair, her gaze sinking deep into Elizabeth's own.
"Power…" the witch began again, her tone softer and yet Elizabeth couldn't fail to notice the dangerous undertones in her voice "Power can be exerted through force or violence. Power wins wars and fear and it helps ensure survival." The witch said as her piercing gaze never wavered away from Elizabeth.
"However, power through violence and force is an inadequate substitute for when it comes to ruling." The witch paused for a moment as she eyed Elizabeth with a piercing look "I have always held power by strength and fear and awe yet I found myself truly knowing that it was not enough." She said as she stared at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth felt her heart racing as horrifying thoughts invaded her mind.
"Do not be so concerned." The witch looked amused, her startlingly red lips that looks uncomfortably to the colour of blood rising in a lopsided smile.
"I have no interest in your country." The smile fell off and a look of distaste made its way instead. Elizabeth felt a wave of relief wash over her.
The witch straightened up and sent a cruel look at Elizabeth, one that reminded Elizabeth of the monster that wore the skin of a beautiful woman.
"You should be so lucky I have no such interest, Elizabeth" the witch said in a low tone, one that seemed to raise the hairs on the back of her neck and Elizabeth struggled to stop herself from swallowing harshly.
Just as soon as the cruel look appeared, it disappeared and she continued in her unwanted tale "Through you, I learnt the value of authority granted by something greater. I learnt the importance of creating the circumstances of an authority accepted by my subordinates not because of my power but because it was bestowed upon me." The witch's smile was now terrifying, and Elizabeth felt terror creeping into her heart.
"In most instances, there should have been no reason why your monarchy survived all this time. Through Cromwell, through the revolutions, through the scandals of your uncle and through nature of your family's heritage" the witch said with a piercing look.
"Even though the British Empire is disintegrating as the years pass and the decades roll on, your monarchy seems to retain its importance as an institution. Where nearly all other monarchies have been abolished, yours has not. Where all other monarchies were seen as a relic of the past, yours is one that is cherished and considered to be an institution vital to national identity" the witch paused and the metallic chimes of her finger tapping on the sword filled the eerie silence.
"Of course, your dynasty had to make sacrifices to survive" the witch said musingly "and that in itself was useful too…the circumstances that it arose and the patterns in which it occurred."
The witch looked down at the cloth that hid the sword. "Thanks to you and that of your forefathers, you've helped me hone in what it takes to create an empire born out of authority and how to avoid that authority to be diminished"
"Why would you care?" she asked, a sinking feeling growing in her stomach as her gaze also followed towards the hidden sword. "Why would you care about authority and ruling?"
The witch looked up and met her gaze and Elizabeth was taking aback by the look. It was almost…kind. "Because I am a Queen, Elizabeth."
What?
"I am a Queen of a nation of magicals some nearly thirty thousand strong in a distant land." The witch's smile grew sharper, the glint in her eyes brighter "and soon a Queen of three nations and in time, many many more."
Elizabeth stayed silent as she stared at the woman, her mind in a frenzy as she thought of the ramifications on this woman being a Queen and honestly…it frightened her. She knew in her bones that this woman, this witch, despite never physically harming her, was evil down to her core.
The witch-Queen seemed to be amused and Elizabeth looked away from those amused eyes. "Yes…I am cruel, Elizabeth" the witch laughed and the sound felt like nails across a blackboard. "I am not a good person. I do not see good and evil in the way most people – muggle or magical do. But…" the witch trailed off musingly.
"I do see the necessity of appearing as one, at least in public and at least by those who would instead be turned away from someone like me." The witch leaned back, a contemplative look on her face "My husband does it so effortlessly, this appearance as a good man. Perhaps it's because he is, in a way, a good man even if he does not believe it." The witch looked amused for a moment as her eyes snapped to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth didn't know how to consider that this woman was married. What man could marry such a monster? No good man could marry such an evil woman, let alone love her. The witch's eyes turned cold for a brief moment and Elizabeth looked away once more from the witch's gaze, her throat feeling tight.
"You have taken what you needed. I do not need to know anything further. Leave." Elizabeth managed to say after she took a deep breath and stared down at the witch.
It seemed to only dim the coldness in the witch's gaze and her lips curled upwards. "Even when you know that you hold no power, even when you're nothing but an insect before something you could not possibly understand, you're defiant to the core."
The witch tilted her head, her eyes piercing into Elizabeth like a lioness would zero in onto a gazelle. "I wonder how long that would last if I tried."
Elizabeth's expression faltered for a moment but she kept up her hollow defiance. She knew that the witch could do terrible things. Her father had told her of the atrocities these beings were capable of. The tales of the battle between the warlord and the Sayre boy haunted her for weeks. The reports of the kinds of torture these creatures were capable of visited her dreams for months. The kinds of power these creatures had…
Truly demons of a kind.
"In any case" the witch continued after a moment's silence, mercifully changing the subject and hopefully she would leave once she was done bragging like the commoner she was. The witch removed the cloth and Elizabeth's eyes widened.
The sword – a longsword if she remembered rightly – was impressive though the pommel looked aged, almost ancient yet it looked well cared for.
"This sword…is going to be my authority." Elizabeth's eyes snapped towards the witch. The witch tilted her head in mild curiosity "Think Lilibet…what sword is known to nearly of British heritage?" the witch asked, her lips curling upward into an awful smile. No…Elizabeth thought. No, no no! "Even to those beyond these Isles?" the witch asked further, her smile now a vicious grin, a viciousness echoed by the victory that was apparent in the witch's eyes.
"No…" Elizabeth shook her head, unwilling to believe it "It's a fake!" she swivelled back towards the witch, terror gripping her heart "It cannot be real!"
The witch seemed to enjoy her despair and she looked like she was feeding off of it. "Oh but it is…it truly, wonderfully is." The witch said with a laugh, her eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction as her hand curled around the pommel.
Her heart sank as the witch raised the sword upward and she could faint inscriptions on the blade itself "It is the real sword, the true sword of King Arthur of House Pendragon, the King of Britons. The one that my kind swore fealty and obedience to. The true King of all Magical Britons." Her eyes gleamed as she spoke out and Elizabeth understood why the evil creature was here and her heart sank at the realisation, the dreadful helplessness chained to her heart dragging it down into the abyss.
Her father had told her of the truth behind the myth, that it wasn't a myth at all. That the stories of the legendary King of Britain was true, a king cherished by the magicals in Britain and seen as someone almost equal to a saint despite his normality. Her father also told her that King Arthur was how they'd gotten the fealty of the magical world – in no small thanks to Merlin himself – in the first place as William's line was seen as the spiritual successors of the Pendragon line.
"You cannot be the heir to Pendragon's legacy." Elizabeth shook her head "That line died without issue." She said with a firmness she did not believe.
The thought of the magicals seeing this cruel creature as their Queen gripped at her heart. She would have tens of thousands of magicals at her beck and call and she feared that more than anything. Her country, her people would never be safe again.
"Oh…" The witch intoned, her sibilant tone causing shivers to run down her spine. "But I am, dear Elizabeth" the witch said with a gnawing laugh as she brought the sword down to her lap. "I am his successor's successor. My ties extend to Princess Morgana herself, a witch in her own right." She said with a victorious smile.
"I do not believe you." Elizabeth said with denial. She could not believe this woman.
"I know." The witch said easily "And it doesn't matter. Not when I have Excalibur. Not when it is bound to me." The witch leaned forward, her eyes gleaming when she spoke once more "Not when all of Magical Britain will see that sword and believe I am the rightful Queen of Avalon."
Elizabeth closed her eyes.
From what her father told her, the magicals despised that their status as their sovereigns and the oaths that bound them. Oaths that seemed to not matter anymore given that nothing she could say or do allowed her to affect this woman.
Was it because the witch was seen as the true heir to the British Isles instead of her?
She reopened her eyes and saw the witch standing, Excalibur floating the air. "What will you do to my country?" Elizabeth asked, her voice sounding far more frightened than she wanted. Logically she knew that a sword would not be enough to wretch the Crown from her family, from her.
But…this was magic. With an army of magicals who believe her to be the rightful heir to the British Crown, what violations could they not do? They could alter people's minds, she could alter entire records to falsify her lineage, some cousin found after her and her family's 'tragic death' in some accident.
She never prayed harder and more desperately than she had in this exact moment.
The witch stared her down. "Nothing." The witch said and Elizabeth couldn't help but meet the witch's gaze, immense relief filling her bones even if she knew not to trust a single word of the creature's mouth. It felt better to do so than to disbelieve it. "I have no interest in your country. Or your kind."
The witch stared Elizabeth down "Our worlds were never compatible. You would view us as demons, as creatures and my kind see you as little more than talkative and harmless chattel who look like us." The witch shook her head.
"I know better." The witch said as she looked coldly at Elizabeth. "Your kind would happily kill my kind off without a second thought if you believed you could get away with it." The witch waved the hand and Excalibur disappeared before she refocused on her.
"This is the end of our meetings Elizabeth." The witch said as she walked with graceful steps, her arms behind her back and Elizabeth stiffened as the witch leaned forward, her face closer to her, her hand hovering over Elizabeth's face.
"My gratuity to you extends this far. I will keep my world away from yours. But…" the witch's eyes darkened into a midnight black and Elizabeth felt her breath seize. "Should your kind find itself knowing of mine own world and plan to destroy it…Pray." The witch said before…
A near silent crack made her jump in fright, confusion on her face as she felt herself tremble for seemingly no reason excepting that terrible grip on her heart.
"Elizabeth?" she heard her husband call out confused.
He turned towards her and looked at her for a moment before he sat up immediately and place his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, hey, hey. You're shaking." Philip said in a concerned voice. "What's the matter?"
Elizabeth didn't know what was wrong and it took a few more minutes until she calmed down and she felt safe in his arms. "It was just a bad dream" she finally said, willing to attribute the terrible feeling to a nightmare mercifully forgotten and she closed her, her hands falling together in a prayer. "Just a bad dream…" she whispered, her hands firmly held tight together.
-Break-
21st of August, 1957 – Illos, The Saccas Public Library
Gaius Volusenus Hardy POV
He wore a heavy frown as he read the passages again and again, the difficult and rather archaic English language used to describe the effects of magical suppression finally getting through his mind.
He turned towards the other book on radiation, reading the relevant paragraphs before turning towards his notebook and wrote down his notes and thoughts.
He had a lot of them all the time.
In lessons, at home, even in the field playing Threepeller or Quidditch, his mind would wander and make strange connections from the barest of threads sometimes figuratively miles apart and he would be almost compelled to chase those connections until he could solve them or could find answer to them.
And in such a chasing, he was here in the library, alone and with books sprawled all around him, seeking to find a solution to a thought that popped into his mind a few days ago.
Magical suppression was a misnomer.
All books on the phenomenon that suppressed people's magic highlighted it as 'constricting the flow of magical energies within the body' but Gaius didn't think that was right…no, it was more like magic being absorbed away.
Magic was a form of energy, a strange and somewhat alive form of energy that existed throughout the world and the universe. But an energy nonetheless.
A constant form of energy that magicals and other magical beings and animals were able to use in some way or another, in some degree or another.
And that meant that it was not unlike other forms of energy, like electromagnetic radiation. Like other forms of energy that existed in all kinds of different wavelengths of energy.
He had read a few months ago in the Astronomy Journals about the findings of their stargazing in 'star-forming regions' where they determined that stellar gases were very good absorbers of energy, of radiation.
Whilst that was fascinating, it wasn't struck at him, no, what struck at him was the idea of black bodies – a phenomenon that described the absorption of all wavelengths of energy and radiates at all wavelengths – and he begun to think that there was a good chance that magical suppression behaved a bit like black bodies, that magical energies were being emitted out of the bound individual instead of their magic being suppressed.
Most handcuffs or similar kinds of artefacts were highly restricted so he couldn't really study the runes that were etched but he did know that one key rune was 'Nauthiz' which symbolises restriction but runes were not black and white despite their meanings being fixed.
It mattered how you used them, the sequence in which you used them. It could mean necessity, conflict or endurance in the right sequence.
Plus…restriction in a certain context could also mean limit. A limit of their usable magic where the excess beyond what they might need is radiated away into the ambient environment much like how energy from a solar body is radiated away into space.
And if his instinct was right, then that also meant that there may be observable differences between the individual's magic and the magic that is being emitted away from the individual. Different wavelengths of magic.
And if that is the case…
Then it might even be possible to harness the different wavelengths of magic in interesting waves. Human magic and other magical beings and creatures were fundamentally different. They all had different frequencies and wavelengths of magical energies and it allowed them to do things that were unique to their kind.
But…
If magical suppression runes did indeed radiate away magical energies instead of suppressing it like some kind of electromagnetic field…
Then it could potentially change so much of what they could with magic, he thought excitedly as he wrote down arithmantic expressions of magical energy field theories and time seemed to fly past as he read and wrote unaware of the world around him.
"Gaius, time to go home" Mrs Kovac said gently and he looked up from his book.
"Already?" he asked a little surprised before he flicked his fingers and the time showed to be almost eight thirty in the evening.
"Circe, I wish I had your retention of attention." She said a little laughingly.
He turned towards the librarian, a little embarrassed as he scratched his head with one hand and the other closing the book "It's nothing special, it's just my home has always been busy so you kind of had to learn how to tune out the world" he said.
Really, learning how to create silence bubbles wandlessly was one of the first tricks he learnt. Of course Livia and the others would learn to work around it annoyingly.
Her expression turned disapproving "If your brother is as much a rascal at home as he is in here, I'm not surprised." She shook her head "Honestly."
Gaius awkwardly laughed as he stood up. He thought it a little unfair, calling his brother a rascal. Yes, Fortie tended to be louder and more liberal with the way he interpreted spell restrictions in the practice chambers but he didn't break the rules.
Well, not that she knew anyway. If she knew of Fortie's attempts at the more dangerous and restricted cursed fires she'd finally have the justification to ban him.
"Anyway" she said with a smile "I have sent your mother a note just so she's aware you stayed until closing."
He opened his hands, the soothing feeling of his magic at his command, willing to act as he commanded and it so when his fingers curled and closed.
Books and items he owned flew into his bag with practiced accuracy and ease and he looked at the librarian with a slightly forced smile as he thought long-sufferingly on the…unwanted favours she did for his mother. His mother and Mrs Kovac knew each other – well everyone knew everyone really – and had always sent his mother message notes if he stayed late in the library.
She did the same about Fortie when he 'misbehaved' but the only thing it did was make Fortie even more difficult. Mrs Kovac learnt not to speak to their mother about Fortie about the fourth time he messed about with the indexing of books.
To be fair to Fortie, he'd matured a lot more recently too – it kind of looked like the good behaviour might actually stick too especially given what Fortie wanted to do – and it had ages since he last been a 'problem' but Gaius guessed that she would always hold a slight grudge.
"Thank you Mrs Kovac" he said politely as he slung his bag over his shoulder "I'll see you tomorrow" he said quickly as he hastily walked past her.
"Oh! Alright dear. May Magic guide you your way home!" she said to him with a stretching voice and soon enough he was out of the door.
He took the closest Subgate to the northern side of Celestis city and it wasn't long before he was walking up the snaking road that nestled in between the rolling hills of his neighbourhood though he walking with a mind that was adrift, afloat on a barge of sea made of ideas and questions.
He was in his third year at the Pandrosion and soon he'd need to make a decision about what he wanted to pursue. Well, he could always make a change later of course but he knew that once he made his choice he'd stick with it. It was just…making that choice that was so hard. He sighed as he kicked a loose stone.
Some of his siblings and his other classmates had long ago decided, even confirmed their choices with Tasseography, the divination skill of identifying symbols and interpreting messages found in shapes and configurations of tea leaves, with a little help from Marisa who was very talented in Divination.
He had made his sister promise not to look into his future, going as far as making her promise with their childhood way of promising each other – which was worth despite the mild embarrassment – and she promised not to tell anyone but he hadn't missed her refraining from committing to not look in the first place. At least he could live with only Marisa knowing, he thought to himself.
It seemed like the Office of Magical Innovation and Technology and the Office of Biology and Chemistry were making ground breaking discoveries every day.
In magic. In science. In everything!
Even in clothes discoveries and innovation was being made. He looked down at his Losi shirt before he raised his hand and his sleeves turned hardened and harder than steel itself.
It was made out of crystalline silk and able to resist most medium kinds of spells without even having to charm them or en-rune them. It could even protect you from the harshness of space for ages and the more expensive ones could even siphon magic to fuel the duplication and growth of tiny molecules of some kind of algae that would keep you sustained in the worst of circumstances!
They were pretty much everywhere now.
Gaius shook his head as he remembered the Look Fabulous adverts of clothes that pretty much protect someone across space all the way to the Moon.
His most favoured discovery that he was amazed by was just figured out last month and it was brilliant in its simplicity. Mist!
They figured out a way of plant cultivation using mist!
Mist!
They figured out a way to grow plants without the use of soil through the study of how plants absorb nutrients and from that, they were able to create a nutrient rich environment that was incredibly humid and the vegetables like turnips and carrots and even fruits like strawberries were able to be grown in this kind of environment.
Gaius thought it was so brilliant, the way they did it.
And it wasn't even new magic or technology really either. Just a new idea!
Just as the environment was regulated with the climate and weather control magical array, the air was circulated through an enchantment that cycled and recycled water rich air.
And he wanted to be part of it, all of it, but he didn't know how he could do that. Everyone could go into anything as long as they were smart enough for it but Gaius hadn't known anyone who could be part of any kind of innovation or research.
He breathed out moodily as he put his hands in his pockets, the lights of his home drawing ever closer. Maybe he should just do what his siblings were doing and just choose one field. Or maybe just become an independent researcher.
He didn't have to work in the Offices. There were plenty of independent people who were making their own research but they were either doing it for their businesses or they were doing to sell their ideas to the Offices.
He didn't really want a business but the second way of doing things probably was a good option. But he wasn't really sure if he wanted to do it that way.
His shoulders slumped a little.
Maybe he should just join the Illosian Guards like Fortie was going to do. He wasn't the best at combat magic but he was pretty powerful, more so than even Fortie.
No…he sighed. It would be a bad choice. He would hate it the moment he joined.
Fortie was a natural born leader – the amount of times he'd gotten the entire class to participate in mischief… – and someone who was born to be a hero like Hercules from the game Hercules' Twelve Impossible Tasks.
Gaius…was not that.
He shook his head clear as he arrived on the porch and made his way into the home.
He half hearted greeted his siblings, congregated as they were in the living room watching some drama on the Screen, equally half heartedly in greeting him, and he made his way up to the stairs.
"Gaius! Is that you?!" he heard his mother shout from the kitchen and he sighed as he turned around and descended back down towards the kitchen.
His eyes widened before he ducked just in time, funnily enough, beneath a stuffed duck that was flying around in the air. It wasn't the only thing flying about. Eggs, flour, vegetables, fruits and sauces were like an angry bunch of hornets buzzing around in the kitchen, the sounds of his mother softly humming an upbeat tune ringing quite nicely as she stood by the stove.
"Mama" he called, a little frazzled and she stopped her humming as she turned around.
"Ah, Gaius!" she said with a beaming smile and he looked at her a little oddly. She was always usually a little snippy when he came late. And just in general by the time it was evening. He eyed the small pot of cream cheese that was whizzing around passed him with wariness before he looked at his mother again.
His mother flicked her wand and the food set back on the counter and he breathed a silent breath of relief. She brought her hands together and she twirled her wand a little, a brief flicker of magic drying and cleaning her hands away. "There was a letter for you" his mother said, tucking her wand away before she walked towards her cloak draped over a chair.
"Oh." Gaius said, a little confused. "From school?"
It wasn't time for reports yet, was it?
"No, silly. You know it's not time for those reports yet" his mother said with a laugh in her voice. She stood straight back up, a letter in her hand and a…proud smile?
"I haven't read it" his mother said as she walked over to him, her hand outstretched with the letter in hand "I was very very tempted though."
Gaius took the letter and his eyes boggled when he realised the seal on the letter and his head snapped towards his mother "I-is it really…"
"Yes darling" his mother said with a wide smile "It's really from him. His secretary confirmed it on the Holo."
Gaius carefully opened the letter and read it, his eyes sweeping across the paper with ever growing surprise…and excitement. "Well, what is it?" his mother asked with urgency behind her voice.
"It's an invitation." Gaius said a little numb as he handed over the letter to his mother. An invitation to hear the King speak of an opportunity.
"Oh Gaius!" his mother said as she barrelled into him and somehow managing to lift him off of his feet despite the fact she was about thirty pounds lighter and a head smaller. "You have to take it!" his mother said as she stopped hugging him though she didn't let him go as she seized onto his shoulders, an intense look in her eyes.
"Mama, we don't even know what it is yet." Gaius said a little exasperated. There were no specifics after all.
"Bah!" his mother exclaimed as she let go and waved it off "If the King offers something, you have to take it! And you know the King never offers anything terrible, why, it would solve your terrible indecisiveness in one swell swoop!"
That…that was true. If the opportunity was something he liked. He looked over his shoulder a little sneakily and realised that they were still alone and he felt a hint of relief. He looked back at his mother, a serious expression on his face "Mama…don't tell anyone yet. I…I don't want anyone to know yet." He said a little uneasily.
His mother stopped and looked at him keenly before she nodded slowly. "Very well. But you must tell your siblings when you take the opportunity." His mother said firmly. He didn't fail to miss the when instead of the if.
"I will not have something so wonderful create division in the family." His mother said and Gaius sobered up and nodded. Both of them knew that this would no doubt spark some jealously, especially Fortie who worshipped the King more than anyone he knew.
Days Later…
Gaius stood a little uneasily in the room, his gaze traipsing across the busy hall. He knew quite a few of the other teenagers, most of them were in the years above, his year or below him though there were a few he thought might have graduated recently.
He greeted those he knew when he arrived at the building on the outskirts of the city though he hadn't really taken part of the conversations. He was a little too nervous for that. The door opened and the King walked in and all conversation ended.
The King smiled kindly at them as he gestured them to sit down.
They all did as he bid them to do and he began to speak, a kind and proud expression on his face "It wasn't too long ago when many of you were all little children chasing around my little conjurations." The King's smile widened a little as he looked at Mariana who seemed to collapse into herself.
"Mariana I believe?" The King asked and Mariana bobbed her head that was beet red in affirmation "I'll spare the recollection of the story of your accidental magic" the King said almost with a chuckle and Mariana seemed to want to hide away.
"Not that it was embarrassing of course." The King added before he spied a last glance at the teenage girl "Mariana had quite the talent at age four even if it was accidental." The King smiled kindly at her. "Not surprising then that you have flourished over the years." Marianna looked embarrassed and proud all at once and it was a pretty funny look.
"After all, impressive accidental magic tends to point out one's potential with magic." The King mentioned offhandedly to the assembled teens before he gently clapped his hands and a wave of magic ruptured from between his hands startling them.
Behind the King, orange runes formed in the air and a pinpoint orange glow grew and grew until it formed into a portal. Gaius watched with a keen eye, knowing that it was Illosian runes, runes that he had asked – interrogated more like – his Runes Professor about.
Soft murmurs rang around him and he wasn't surprised, no one really knew all that much about the runes, only that their King and Queen invented it – he hadn't even thought it was possible to do so – and only a few had learnt it so far. Apparently the runes were going to be available to be taught within the next few years.
He was so going to sign up for that!
The portal was huge and a Gate was floated behind the King who hadn't even once turned around. The portal closed and the Gate was set down gently with nary a sound.
It was a little strange too, this gate.
Very different from the Subgates and the international Gates.
It was…smaller but bulkier and the runes seemed to be blacker than the ring itself which was almost black itself. A loud clearing of a throat broke him out of his thoughts and saw the look the King gave him and it was almost like a collective wave of slight embarrassment washed over them as they forgot about the King in their admiration of the gate.
The King smiled gently at all of them, a hint of amusement apparent in his smile "I will explain shortly about why I brought the gate…after I explain why you're here."
"Now" the King began and his tone made everyone sit a little straighter.
"You are here today because you are the brightest minds of your generation." The King said surprising them all. He did see nearly everyone here was amongst the best at Pandrosion but not everyone was here. His sister Livia wasn't here and she was very smart. Fortie was pretty smart too when he wanted to be.
"If you're wondering why some others are not here who are as bright as you are, then that is because life has other paths for them." The King explained.
"They will become magical specialists, economists, businessmen or women, scientists, teachers and magineers. The bedrock of Illos. You however" The King paused for a moment "Those are the path that you may take if that is your wish" The King nodded to them before he smiled a little "And you would all excel if you chose any of those paths. Or…" The King looked at them intently
"Or you may wish to take the path that I offer to you." The King said and Gaius was surprised and interested. Gaius looked around and saw many being as intrigued as they were surprised just as he was.
The King continued, an almost secretive smile on his face "A path that you will make your own and a path for others to follow" the King said as light seemed like it fled from the room and darkness had flooded in.
"You know of my interest in space and our incredible and ground-breaking achievements that no other has achieved." The King said in total darkness.
And just as sudden darkness flooded in, light sparked into sudden existence.
Gaius flinched a little at the sudden change of lighting, his fellow teenagers similarly distressed however that quickly made way for a huge outburst and gasps and Gaius...
Well, Gaius had let off his own outburst.
Small dots of light flickered into existence. "We have been to the Moon. We have been to Mars. And we are going to go Jupiter and Saturn. But that is not the extent of our ambitions nor is it our final destiny." Moments afterwards luminescent arrays of colours sparked into existence, circling and merging into a very family spiral.
"No, our destiny sets us on a more distant path. A greater path" The King continued as he walked through the spiral before it reformed around him and the King was now in the middle of the light show, his hands raised with the palms facing the ceiling.
"Earth" the King continued, the conjuration flickered towards a region of space within the galaxy "Has been our cradle. Our mother and our father." The conjuration zoomed in and in until a very familiar solar system came in to existence. The conjuration honed in on Earth, the brilliant blue gem that hung in a sea of darkness.
"Yet it is only a cradle. One meant to be outgrown and to leave behind." The focus of Earth stopped and the conjuration began to zoom out and out until only the Sun could been but it didn't stop there, no, it continued to zoom out until…
Until it refocused on another region and zoomed forward until it focused on a red star. The red star grew larger and larger until they moved past several gas giants and towards a dusty red looking planet with more moons than it had seas.
The conjuration grew smaller and the red planet that looked like it was a brother to Mars hovered in the King's hands. 'Gliese Alpha, 15ly' hovered above the conjuration. The gate behind the King turned on and a dusty red landscape came into view. "And you, the brightest our people have to offer, may lead our people towards that path out of the cradle." The King said as the conjuration flashed out of existence and the King turned on his heel and made his way through the Gate.
Gaius looked around and he saw that others were unsure and even somewhat confused. Gaius looked back at the Gate, his eyes surveying the red dusty landscape. Surely not…Gaius wondered but then he remembered who the King was and that impossible was not in his vocabulary. A giddy sense of excitement bubbled in his stomach and he saw that the King was standing some way from the gate facing them, waiting for them and Gaius let off a deep breath before he walked forward as calmly as he could, the excitement in his core barely restrained.
He passed the Gate's horizon and he nearly stumbled when he felt the different gravity and drank in the thinner air. Thankfully he didn-
His mind came to a stop when his gaze fell on the sky and his brain interpreted what it was. Gaius' breath was hitching and he felt almost like he going to faint.
"Breath…" he heard, the word carried through the thin air like a leaf sailing through the wind and he felt himself calmer though no less mesmerised by what he was seeing.
Moons…
So so many moons…
Moons of all kinds of shapes and sizes dotted the night sky, no, day sky, moons that were as oddly shaped that bore resemblance to potatoes, moons that were larger than their own moon filled the night sky, even an acid green moon!
He realised he really was on another world and he laughed and almost jumped up in excitement. By now more than a few of the others had walked through the gate, chattering in excitement and wonder.
He was on an alien world! They were on an alien world!
Gaius swivelled round and winced before he placed a hand above his head, one eye closed as he peered at the sun. The alien sun. A sun larger than their own and as red as the sands of Mars! He turned towards the King and saw him waiting patiently for him, for them!
"Guys!" Gaius shouted and he drew their attention and pointed towards the King and they made their way towards him. As they neared they saw that he bore an indulging smile, one that hinted that he was pleased about their excitements.
The King gestured them to stand around him and they did as he bid them to do. "As you have no doubt surmised, we are on an alien world." The King said with an amused smile and a score of giggles rang amongst the group. "This world is Gliese Alpha. A world some fifteen light years away"
"How is this possible?" one of the others asked with awe in his voice. "This…I never thought magic could do something like this."
"With magic, nothing is impossible" The King said with a gentle tone though his eyes conveyed his absolute belief in his words. The King's arm swept across towards the skies. "With magic, the doors to the entire universe is open. You stand on one world whose doors we have opened." The King looked back at them, his intense gaze sweeping across them.
The King looked at each one of them "With magic, we can unfold stories, legends, myths that hide in the crevices of the universe." Slowly, the king raised his arms, a look of evanescent concentration settled on the King's face, his eyes dimly aglow. "With science, we can understand the structures, the forces, the rules that bind our universe together." The King said, his voice ringing with an authority that spoke to their souls.
Gaius' eyes shot wide open – and he wasn't the only one as gasps and slightly impropriate but appropriate words were exhaled – at the mountainous weight of magic that rolled off of the King, volumes of magic that seemed to careen away from the King like tonnes of snow off the slopes of mounts as tall as Olympus.
Arcane tendrils of emerald and violet spun out of the King, tendrils that ebbed and flowed in beautiful swirls of interlaced magic, magic that seemed to climb and climb higher and higher into the stratosphere as the world seemed to bend at the seams.
The ground shook, as if that mountainous weight had suddenly been dropped onto it, and had it not been for the fact that the King was gently keeping them on their feet, they would have been all sprawled on the ground. Even now, they were still balancing themselves to keep themselves steady yet the King…
The King stood like a timeless pillar, unfazed and unmoving, his eyes still only dimly aglow though the maelstrom of magic that blanketed the King, that blanketed all of them was felt skin deep, bone deep and Gaius…Gaius was in awe.
Gaius had always known the King was powerful. The stories. The news of when he did something that no one would be able to do even if they were two hundred years old. But…
But it was another thing to feel it.
The ground shifted, red sand parting like curtains pulled aside in a great circle around them, tens of thousands of tonnes, no hundreds of thousands of tonnes were moved aside with an ease akin of a finger tracing a line in soft sand and Gaius' eyes widened as great structures ripped out from the ground.
Glass.
Massive, intricate, magnificent structures of glass ripped out from the ground in the dozens, in the hundreds, colliding and fusing, the sounds of the act a beautiful chime.
Gaius' face felt pained, his smile threatened to tear his face off at its seams yet he felt like he didn't care, he couldn't care…no…this was why he loved magic so much, he thought with wonder as the ground shook some more and the sands fell away to reveal a floor made out of glass.
The glass megastructures began to orbit around them, two, three concentric rings of glass that were as tall the tallest towers in Celestis.
Gaius looked around to the rest of his peers.
They were struck dumb, the awe they felt was so clearly etched on their faces and he thought it was beautiful. He managed to catch the eye of one of the girls, Clarissa he believed, who's eyes seemed to sparkle with wonder and he smiled at her, his eyes looking upon with a knowing glint, one that she seemed to understand and appreciate and he was reward with a beautiful smile from her.
Gaius broke off the gaze and stared back up towards the glass and saw that two of the rings of glass were orbiting diagonally, making it seem like it was a circle with a 'x'. The glass floor that they stood upon began to shake a little and Gaius' eyes widened when he realised that they were lifting off.
A translucent bubble emanated from the King as they climbed and soon they were up on high, higher than he's even been, climbing and climbing into the fringes of atmosphere until…until they were out in the void, in space.
Gaius marvelled at the sight. The way the faint green hue emanated from the red planet made possible by the red light from the sun impacting the atmosphere.
The way the moons, both big and small, round and odd, orbited around the world with a strange peaceful metronome that Gaius knew was a wonder in itself. It shouldn't be possible for so many moons to be in such stable orbit. Gaius smiled widely as the funny thought and he almost burst into a fit of giggles.
It should also not be possible to be in space some fifteen light years ago from home! A distance of hundreds of trillions of miles crossed in a matter of less than a second!
The King brought his arms down and breathed out loud enough for them all to hear and soon all eyes were set upon this man who could do the impossible.
The King looked at them kindly, a spark of emerald brightening his eyes. "There is a great deal of mystery you do not know…or the true nature of our destiny. Yet for now, I can tell you our destiny…" the King said as he gently swept his arm across towards the void and towards the alien world.
"Will set us on a path that will lead us far into the galaxy. World upon world we will see and visit and tread. And you…the brightest and best of Illos shall lead our people towards our destiny." The King said, his eyes aglow with barely restraint magic that seemed like if released could incinerate them all in only a moment's slip of control.
The King's expression shifted and it was entreating as he looked to one person then the other until he met Gaius' gaze and when the King spoke, Gaius knew that this was his choice…would always be his choice.
"The question is…are you willing to take it?"
…
Yes.
