She had tried everything that she could think of battling against the thousands of his soldiers, and still, he came as though he were brushing aside a lock of hair. The last-ditch effort was to run to the innermost chambers where Rhinne was for safekeeping and escape from their home, the Temple of Time. Running past the final line of defense, she called the Oblivion Knights to attention, telling Lykyra that they must hold the line.

The red bull nodded, turning his attention to the sound of marching down the hall. Fire blazed around his hooves and horns, billowing from his snout. Ariel could hear the sound of her final and most potent General let out a desperate billow, the thunder of his hooves fading down the hall and crashing into the oncoming soldiers.

She hoped to hold Sloe long enough to gather Rhinne and escape. When Ariel burst through the doors, she realized she was too late. Sloe was already standing next to her bed, gently brushing his finger across her cheek as she slept.

"I'm surprised she's managed to sleep through the sounds of battle," Sloe smirked.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Ariel screamed, holding her hand out as a flame roared to life. Sloe appeared before her, grabbing her wrist with slow speed and locking eyes with her, malicious whispers hanging in the air around them.

Chapter 1: Tinge

Many years ago…

Shrieking cries of a woman in labor split the evening air in Margata, minutes dragging as hours. The lights of Carl's home dimmed and flashed with this child's arrival into the world, making him momentarily ponder it. As the child began to emerge, the mother's cries came all the higher as the child pulled his way out of his mother. With another great heave from Adelia, the child was free at last, letting out a great cry, screaming his distaste of the world's cold air. His screams were soon rested, wrapped in a warm blanket, and brought to his exhausted mother and proud father.

"Have you a name for the child?" Carl asked with eager curiosity. Adelia, not yet having caught her breath, looked to her husband for a moment. Leaning down to Adelia's face to hear her exhausted whispers, Maxus, the father, repeated the name she had picked out even before she had married.

"Dane. His name shall be Dane," answered Maxus, cradling Dane in one arm while holding the hand of Adelia as she fell asleep. Carl nodded and moved aside, allowing nurses to come in to tend to the mother and child, ensuring no complications would come to either of them. After a few days, the new small family began a journey to the holy city of Orion, a custom in Usoria. There the child would be blessed by a priest in The Order of Minerna, an honor that most considered to come at a high price.

Those that didn't have the money would call for a traveling Bishop to bless their child in the name of one of three deities who ruled time, light, or life. Unfortunately, many children lived out their lives without a blessing, as Bishops were so few. Those that did exist were tasked with hundreds of thousands of families seeking such a blessing or spiritual aid. Adelia and Maxus were fortunate enough to be among the few that could afford a blessing of Minerna.

"I wonder what kind of man he will grow up to be," Adelia said as they boarded the Land Ship, which would take them from Margata to Arentia, a more substantial city in the middle of a sandy sea.

"Only time will tell my love. Fate is a funny thing here in Usoria. Many have the power to change it, while others are guided by it to a destiny we will never understand." He smiled, presenting his ticket to the usher and filing his way to their seats when the driver's voice filled the cabin.

"Thank you all for coming. This journey should take approximately 9 hours, assuming that we don't have any problems. I know there are children aboard, so we will have some entertainment for them. Also, we will have food and drink. Please remember to stay in your seats, and thank you again for choosing us to be your charter." The pilot announced, returning to the cabin to begin their journey. As Adelia was getting settled, she couldn't help but look up to see an odd man staring at her and Dane. He was pale with a dark cloak covering his head and body. Turning away from the man, she could feel a slight pressure on the front of her head but dismissed it as a headache from lack of water.

But the man still stared, his glare drawing Adelia's sight back to him. His eyes seemed to burrow into her very soul, forcing her to remember long-forgotten pain and sadness. The longer she watched, the more intense his red-eyed gaze seemed to become. Still, the memories plagued her: Her first pet dying and wondering why it had to be her pet. Her first break up, the death of her grandmother and grandfather, being rejected by prestigious schools. All of it came trickling back to her. Shaking her head, she focused her tear-stained attention to the sleeping babe in her arms.

Instead, the face of a pale man wrapped in a black cloak stared back at her. Panicked, she looked back to the man who held his uncomfortable gaze as she felt a presence come near to her ear. It was torrid and full of hate, stifling even. The presence drew even closer to her ear and whispered with hot breath.

"This is but the beginning…" A noise jolted Adelia awake, the side of her face hot from leaning against the window.

"My dear? Is everything alright? You're pale." Maxus asked, placing the back of his hand on her forehead. Adelia looked over to him, noting that he was holding Dane in his arms, fast asleep.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked, brushing the long hair out of her face while passing a glance to a seat across the aisle where a young boy sat.

"For most of the trip, we're only a few miles outside of Arentia. Are you sure that you're alright?" Maxus asked, looking in the direction she had been staring.

"I… I haven't…" But the words she wanted to say just weren't coming to her. And the man that she thought she saw was nowhere to be seen.

"You were tossing and turning in your sleep. Did you have a nightmare?" Maxus asked, resituating Dane in one arm and putting the other around Adelia.

"I wouldn't really call it a nightmare so much as it was a very intense dream or vision." She whispered. Maxus smiled and rubbed her arm from around her back.

"Don't worry; nothing can hurt you here so long as I am here." He said, kissing the side of her head. All the same, Adelia couldn't help but wonder if what she had seen was a dream or a vision. She felt a genuine presence standing next to her in the dream that was familiar somehow. Perhaps her family lineage coming from prominent Shaman of Azwan was playing a small part. Within minutes her mind calmed, forgetting about the dream as they pulled into the bustling city of Arentia.

Adelia couldn't help but notice the periodic beggars and homeless that skirted the market place and station as they made their way to the main ticket booth. Maxus' work as a scientist in Margata often left them with a surplus of money. Most, if not all, would be donated to the traveling Bishops visiting Margata to help people such as these. As he rifled through his pockets for his coin purse, Maxus caught her stare and sighed.

"We've done what we can, my love. The Bishops know how to best handle the distributions." He said, trying to quicken his actions to find his coin purse holding their tickets for the next Galleon.

"But is it doing any good? Are we the only ones helping?" She asked, noting that the air of this station felt unusually heavy. A strange thing to notice to be sure, but all the same was odd.

"We can't make people help; we can only help with what we can and hope they will follow suit. Where is that blasted purse!" he said with emphasis. Adelia chuckled and reached in his pocket, pulling it out and finding the tickets.

"I have it," she said as they quickly made their way to the Galleon. Once there, they settled into their first-class seats, making sure that Dane was fed and settled as the ship gently pulled out of the dock for Orion. Adelia had no more visions, and her feelings from the previous ride already died away, leaving her hopeful and at peace. As the Galleon glided into the dock, two attendants came aboard and sought out the couple, presenting a decorative pendant sporting a large blue gem.

"We were sent by Bredson of Minerna's Order to escort you to the Great Hall." They explained. Maxus and Adelia both nodded in agreement, following them over the cobblestone roads to a building decorated with grand wings on the roof. Inside, intricate gold designs woven into walls and fabrics depicted events and people from all times. At the rear of the building loomed a giant marble statue of a woman. It's arms outstretched to the floor, and her wise eyes smiled down on any below.

Once near the main sanctuary, the attendants directed them where to meet with the Fatri and bid them farewell. As they neared, they could overhear the sounds of grumbling coming from one of the side rooms.

"I am a Fatri of Minerna, not some lowly bishop to be summoned for a child's blessing. You would think the Order would acknowledge that." Maxus and Adelia looked to one another as they waited. The Fatri pushed aside the curtain and exited the room, still adjusting the sash around his shoulder. When he caught sight of them, he squared his shoulders and folded his hands.

"Welcome to the temple of Minerna. I trust the child is healthy?" The priest sighed while stepping closer to them.

"Yes, Fatri; A healthy boy by the name of Dane," Adelia answered. Holding out his hand and turning his head away, the Fatri waited for one of them to take it and kiss his ring. The two of them looked to one another in confusion, unsure of what needed to be done. When a long while went by without any action being taken, he opened one of his eyes and looked down, wiggling his hand twice and waiting for them to kiss his ring.

"I'm sorry to ask, but has something changed within the customs of Minerna's Order that I am unaware of?" Maxus asked. The Fatri's shoulders slumped and turned his eyes up into his brow, dropping his hand to his side.

"I am a Fatri of Minerna and should be shown the respect as such as I am the voice of the Great Mother herself," he answered with a huff, holding his hand out once more, this time making it much clearer his ring should be kissed. Maxus bowed low and apologized, taking his hand and bowing enough that his forehead touched the ring. The Fatri rolled his eyes and pulled his hand away, holding his hands out to receive the child.

"Dust bitten rats should be taught better." He thought, looking over Dane's facial features and serious blue-grey eyes as he was placed in his arms. As the Fatri looked him over, the air around the three of them almost seemed to dim as something felt like it washed over him. A presence of duality and despair filled with deep-rooted pain as thoughts of his late son came to mind.

"W-what is it that you would like the child blessed with?" he stammered while memories of his son rushed to him. He had performed this very same blessing on his own newborn son nearly 10 years ago.

"We only wish that he would grow to be a happy and prosperous man someday," Maxus said, putting his arm around Adelia and pulling her close. The priest nodded, turning to the main altar, trying to compose himself for the actual blessing. His vision blurred as he recited the words under the intense gaze of the child, making his heart ache. He and his wife had been trying for years, and when his son was finally born, they were overjoyed. But a week after the blessing, the small child became ill and passed away. The child in his hands seemed to be reaching into his soul a grasping on to that sadness. When at last, the blessing was complete, the priest's voice hitched and wavered as he spoke to the parents.

"May Minerna smile upon you and the days of your child; there is something strong at work with this family. Go in peace." The priest smiled, folding his hands and watching them as they left, cuddling their child and speaking to him. When at last they were out of sight, the priest collapsed to his knees and broke down bawling. After he had buried his child, the grief was too much for his wife to take, and she threw herself from the topmost tower of Minerna's temple. The priests said she had been begging Minerna for answers, but when it seemed no answer came, she jumped. The Fatri buried his pain as deeply as possible, the memory fading as he furiously worked in the service of The Order.

"What fate will befall this child that he would have such power?" he asked to the winds, asking another priest to take over for him while he dealt with his pain.

Adelia walked to the far side of her father's study, looking over the railing into Azwan below, a large city carved into the rock below the sand. Its entrance was marked only by a massive black obelisk and palace-like building among the endless waves of sand. Maxus and Dane sat near her father Vusron's desk opposite the railing where scrolls and tomes lay scattered.

"And you're sure that nothing like this had happened before?" Vusron asked, holding his chin as he searched through a scroll before tossing it aside and picking up a nearby tome.

"Yes, I am quite sure," Adelia responded, watching as one of the many Shamans and their apprentices walked through the city below. Sighing heavily, Vusron closed the tome and set it aside on his desk.

"I don't know what to tell you, Adelia. From what you've told me, you merely had a dream on your way to Orion. If anything, it could be you inherited the gift of sight from..." Vusron stopped himself and looked up to Adelia as she now stared longingly at a painting of her mother hanging on the wall. A proud but beautiful woman with cascades of light brown hair. Maxus looked up and noticed the hurt in Adelia's eyes and the distance in Vusron's.

"I'm sorry, I didn't…"

"I know, Father," Adelia replied, folding her arms and hugging herself.

"Your mother was a very powerful Shamaness, even more so than I and loved by all. Perhaps some of that power has rubbed off on you." Vusron said, walking over to Adelia and placing a hand on her shoulder while speaking low to her.

"Whatever happens, you and Maxus are always welcome here in Azwan. Always remember that you don't have to be bound by your heritage." Vusron comforted, both of them hugging each other before the small family left through the main gate, escorted by two large guards until they were on their way in a Sand Sailor. As they were going, Maxus heard one of the guards scoff loudly.

"Finally, I was beginning to wonder when that traitor's daughter would leave." Maxus looked back to Adelia, wondering if she had heard only to see that she bowed her head, trying to keep a single tear from falling.

"Why would you let them talk to you like that?" Maxus pressed once they had been seated and were well on their way

"It has to do with my mother, but it's not something I like to talk about," Adelia replied sharply, pulling Dane into her lap.

"I saw the look both you and your father had when you looked at that painting, and I know what it means. What happened?"

"Just leave it alone."

"Adelia, the most that I know about your mother is that she died. What I saw in there means something more happened. Please, tell me. What happened to your mother?" Maxus pressed. Adelia curled her lips inward, trying to keep her tears from falling as she looked up to the ceiling, battling with herself on whether or not she should tell him. She reached through the collar of her shirt and pulled from it the necklace she always wore.

"My mother was a powerful Grand Shameness, nearly a Master. One year, the Master Shaman found that a surge of mana would be welling up from Usoria. If something wasn't done, it would destabilize the power of the Great Obelisk."

"When the surge came, despite the preparations that were made, it was more powerful than predicted, and the obelisk was about to release all its power. If it did, everything within 50 miles would be destroyed. My mother decided to try and absorb some of the power to stabilize it, and in doing so, helped the other Shaman to regain control. But so much power flooded into my mother that she lost herself, dying in my father's arms a short time later. Once the surge had passed, despite protests from the other shaman who helped, the people of Azwan brought charges of treason against my mother and father. They argued that she tried to absorb the power to overthrow the king and Master Shamen.

"My Father and I would have been banished from Azwan had he and my uncle not fought the accusations as hard as they could. Eventually, the king and the council were convinced that my mother only reacted to a dire situation and allowed us to remain in Azwan. Later, it was discovered that someone had spread rumors of my mother's hunger for power, but this person was never found. Legally, we have been pardoned. But the people and Shaman still shame her any chance they get." Adelia looked down at Dane, noticing that his gaze was almost comforting, reaching out of his blanket for her. Maxus put his arms around her tightly while kissing her head, saying nothing as they rode the coach back into Margata.

Once home, Adelia settled into her life as a mother while Maxus returned to his work as one of the lead researchers within Margata alongside their brightest mind, Dr. Mathias Long. Known as a significant alchemical hub within Usoria, Margata was home to some rather dangerous experiments between two cooperating factions. The Acaldos were a group specializing in mechanical and bio-mechanical alchemy led by a man named Madae Sung. The Zumiste Society, as they called themselves, dedicated themselves to 'True Alchemy' led by a wise man named Carl Jameson. This wing used nothing more than raw materials to create what they needed. Both factions had been researching the possibility of transferring a human mind into a mechanical body, spearheaded by Dr. Long.

"Now tell me again doctor, why are we proceeding with this kind of unethical experiment?" Maxus asked as Dr. Long looked over a report about their last experiment of memory transfusion.

"I fear my wife and daughter will outlive me. As you know, my wife Felicia is of the last remaining Sylph Fairies, and my daughter Keni shares her bloodline very strongly. Because of that bloodline, I fear that I will be gone many years before they even begin to age." Dr. Long reached under his shirt and produced a locket, opening the cover and revealing a picture of two beautiful dark-haired women standing back to back.

"Keni is healthy despite the odds of half fairies often being weak. This experiment is really for me to create a body that lives as long as they do. Keni is already into her mid-teens, and there is so much that I want to experience with them. I don't want to give that up just yet." Maxus smiled as he understood what Dr. Long meant. He wouldn't want to give up his family, not for all the meso in Usoria.

Months turned into years, experiments for various parts of the body were performed and then added. Maxus would sometimes bring Dane to the lab where he watched in awe as chemicals would mix, elements merged, or a piece of machinery would come to life.

The alchemic masters within Margata instructed Dane thoroughly. His mind absorbed everything he touched or read, excelling in every subject. His ability to learn complicated matters quickly would isolate him from people as he became despised and idolized for his intelligence and snow-white hair, a point of swarm attraction among young women, especially.

Retreating to his room once the day had ended, Dane would pour over tomes on any number of subjects, safe and alone. He also developed a habit of addressing his parents by their first names. At first, Adelia and Maxus thought it odd that he would treat them as such. But as time passed, it became apparent that it was not out of disrespect or a feeling of superiority, but rather a quirk of his personality.

Once he had finished with the schools of Margata at the tender age of 13, he set his sights to the schools of Usoria, focusing his study into the art of magic. Again, his learning and understanding of magic were unparalleled. So much so that he even outpaced his masters within a short time. It was through this study he felt the first tinge of darkness or rather understood what he had felt all his life. Something was wrong with the world. It was faint, but it was there; the world was warped. After studying abroad for nearly three years, he spent days locked in his room, reading through history books and magic tomes to find the answer to this burning question.

"I'm worried about him, Maxus," Adelia said one day, watching as Dane poured over one of his books. Maxus looked passed her to Dane, furrowing his brow.

"I've tried getting him to come down to the labs and help with the experiments, but he always just comes right back here. I don't know what will get him out of the house." Maxus replied, sighing long. Adelia was about to respond to him when a knock came at the door. Carl and Madae both had come with a small folder and hopeful expressions on their faces.

"Are both of you free? There is something that we would like to discuss." Carl asked, motioning for the two of them to come outside. Maxus grabbed a cloak for both of them as they headed out into the cooling night.

"Yes? What's the matter?" Adelia asked. Being Master of Liquid Melding, she, along with Maxus, had been granted a seat on the Alchemic Council of Margata.

"Madae and I are pleased with the progress your son has made in his studies under us and within his own undertakings. With careful consideration, we would like to nominate him for the position of Master Alchemist." Madae snorted, turning to Carl with disdain in his eyes.

"Carl here is the one that thinks that the boy could be considered. While he does show much promise, I still think that it is too early for such a responsibility to be laid before him." Maxus held up his hands between them.

"Brothers, brothers, there is no need to bicker. I agree with Madae in that such a responsibility is normally a tremendous responsibility to set on anyone, let alone such a young person. But Dane is no ordinary boy, as I'm sure that you have seen."

"Then you agree that his nomination would be a great thing?" Carl asked eagerly. Maxus looked to Adelia for an answer, feeling that she would be able to best answer the question.

"Dane has been spending a lot of time pouring over books; much more than I think is healthy. Do not misunderstand me; I am proud of him for soaking up so much knowledge from our libraries and beyond. However, I believe that his obsession with researching whatever has his attention at this moment is bordering on the outrageous. Something like this, I believe, would break his endless cycle allowing him to interact with others, furthering the advancement of alchemy here in Margata." With her agreement for Dane's nomination, Carl and Madae left to prepare the paperwork and the eventual vote for all of Margata.

When the day came, the votes appointed Dane as Master Alchemist. But his work to find what made the world as unbalanced as it had become gripped his attention more. When the results of the town were shown to him, he blatantly refused.

"Dane, why don't you take this opportunity? It would suit you well." Adelia urged as Dane brushed back his hair, which had become quite long.

"Adelia, there are things in this world that you or anyone here in Margata wouldn't understand, and I mean that with no offense in the strongest way possible. This world is warped, and being the leader of Margata would only hinder me in finding why." Maxus narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly. New and challenging things to understand always interested him, even if he didn't understand them in the first place.

"What do you mean 'warped'?" Dane rested his head on three fingers and looked up at Maxus from under his silver locks.

"It's not something that can be solved by simply applying science to it, Maxus. This goes beyond simple transmutations, mathematic equations, and algorithms. Darkness has saturated this world and is only becoming worse. I am going to find a way to stop it." Dane stated. Maxus' interest deepened; he had to know what it was that his son had stumbled upon.

"This is something that I don't think you would be able to help me with Maxus. This is a path that leads to some very dark places." Dane stated, pulling a book from his sleeve and setting it on the table.

"This is a journal of an ancient mage I found in the Knowledge Depository. In it, he chronicles his travels to the study of all magic, alchemy, and history, among other things. During one of his outings, he came upon what some may call the truest of all evils. It has no form yet it fills the world; it has no substance yet it taints even the purest of hearts; it has no will, yet all who see it succumb to it." Dane opened the book to a page that was wholly colored with black ink.

"This mage sought a way to balance this darkness and found that it must be tempered with what he called 'the ultimate light.'" Maxus came over to the book and looked over the previous pages, trying to understand what it was that he saw in the scrawled notes.

"If this is indeed so terrible, then why are you seriously pursuing this? And what would it be doing in the Knowledge Depository?" Maxus asked. There was always a way for science to explain something, but this, as Dane said, was something beyond mere science. Dane chuckled under his breath and closed the book, covering his eyes with his hand.

"I asked the same thing of the lead Librarian, but they could find no record of someone turning in the journal. When I inquired about even taking the journal, all that she requested was that it be copied and brought back as another addition to the Depository." Adelia read the contents of the journal, flipping through pages and reading excerpts randomly.

"How did you find it? If something like this was in the Depository, then perhaps someone is trying to hide it."

"If that were the case, then I believe such a journal would have been much better hidden. It fell from a shelf near where I was gathering tomes." Adelia kept flipping through pages, trying to understand what it was she read before closing it and handing it back to Dane.

"Just from the little I did read, this 'Darkness' sounds as if it could be dangerous. Please, be careful."

"I am taking caution and reading through the journal thoroughly as I proceed, Adelia. I do not plan to fail where this mage did." Maxus became even more intrigued: perhaps these concepts could be applied to alchemy to make them more powerful.

"What is this darkness the mage speaks of?" Maxus asked. Dane lowered his brow, looking away and pondering the question sincerely.

"I don't know, but it is something that I intend to discover. With the permission of the leaders, I would like to start my research here in Margata, specifically with Dr. Long's experiment of human thought transfer." Maxus looked to Adelia, sighing heavily; where his son's research would take him, only time would tell. But as the leaders of this great city had made it clear, questions left unanswered became possibilities undiscovered.

"I will talk to them. In the meantime, I would like you to come and tell the people of the city yourself of your refusal." Maxus urged. Dane chuckled under his breath, looking to Adelia as he stood and came out of his room.

"Where ever this road you are deciding to take goes, just know that you have a home here," Adelia said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I will keep that in mind, Adelia." Dane smiled, walking through the front door, standing before the throng that had gathered to hear his reply.

"Good people of Margata, I must decline your vote..."