Chapter 1: Graduation

The morning sun rose high up into the sky as Daimon continued the laborious task of collecting firewood. His axe sung as it cut through the air and down onto a piece of wood with the skill of one who had been forced to practice for many years. Daimon was 17 years of age, with very distinct blue eyes and tanned skin. His hair was short and brown and only the first hints of stubble had grown. He wore a black leather gloves and a simple homespun top that covered the length of his arms and trousers that went down to his ankles, the ends were tattered but otherwise Daimon kept them in good condition. He had grown lean and strong from doing work for his master, Yenso, a sorcerer who did not take kindly to laziness. When he had collected enough, he left his axe on the floor and stretched as he surveyed his surroundings. Strange coloured moss covered the stump Daimon used to cut the wood the rocks by the edge of the stream. The clearing was large enough that in some afternoons Daimon could practice his swordsmanship unhindered. Trees stood at the edge of the clearing, cutting into the sky like ancient sentinels with lines of bushes interspersing the gaps. A river flowed from the west and crossed the clearing at its bottom, further along it would double back westward to the ocean, but Daimon had never been that far. Daimon sat for a while at the waters edge and peered into it fresh clear current. He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of birds waking up, lizards coming out to sunbathe and the first of the fyreflies song in the warmth of the breeze. He rarely traveled into the forest of Isanthea. Many times his master would impress upon him the dangers that lay within the depths of this immortal forest, how men had got lost and would come out, years later, insane and always shouting about the Hobbes, skeletons and strange beasts with glowing eyes and a thousand teeth. Daimon didnt fear the forest but learned never to test its patience lest the rumors were true. He hurried along the worn trail that had been carved through the bushes by woodland animals and charcoal men of decades past. He kept alert, beasts with a thousand teeth were myths but Daimon knew all too well of the existence of Hobbes grey-skinned goblins that preyed on the lonely travelers of all roads less taken. It took him a few hours to clear the woods by which time it was midday. He looked up at the tower as the sun shone from behind it. It had been his home for the past 3 years, and he could barely remember life before he had lived there - not that he wanted to. The tower itself looked decrepit and abandoned, with cracked windows and broken walls. But as Daimon got within fifty feet of the

tower, the enchantments guarding it disappeared, the aging roof tiles and crumbling mortar melted into ancient masonry of the highest caliber and a beautiful stain glassed window above where the door was. This magical illusion was necessary to dissuade the curious from entering and protect the towers occupants from the prying eyes of the Archon. Are you going to stand there all day or bring in that firewood? a voice called from its base. Daimon looked at the man who taught him everything he knew and picked up his pace. Yenso was an old man, but you couldnt see that from his appearance. To those who couldnt see the subtler signs of his age, he was simply a fit middle aged man with the first wisps of white hair beading across his chin and short, black cropped hair. He wore a runed robe, not for ceremony or grandeur, but as a necessity. The robes channeled his energy into illusions and enchantments that kept them hidden from those that would hunt and persecute them. Daimon paced in as Yenso kneeled down at the fireplace and started to light the few branches and pieces of charred wood that remained from the last fire. When the embers refused to light, he grunted angrily and snapped his fingers, immediately sparks flew from his fingertips and set the kindling ablaze. The fire had started and he was seated, Daimon looked at the book that was left above the mantelpiece. He had read it many times. The manuscript held all the history of the tower they now lived in, how it comprised of four levels: The Library, The Entrance, the living quarters and the Study, with an extra room in the ground between the entrance and the Library. It also detailed the lives of its previous occupants, all great sorcerers in their own right. Towards the end of the book Daimon found references to the mythical Sword of Aeons one of the Swords of Element; blades which were bloodforged in the pact that started the first civilization in Anthera and which carried the strength like no other, for each of them was forged for each element: Fire, Water, Light, Darkness, Wind and Earth. They each had legendary strength, supposedly able to shift mountains and control tide, even bring night to the sky. The Sword of Aeons was the sword of darkness. Daimon had been excited by this at first but when he had shown it to Yenso he had simply laughed and walked away, saying in a sarcastic tone My sword is probably the closest thing you will find to the Sword of Aeons. He sat down next to the only desk in the sparsely furnished room and got out his pen, writing book and notes History was his first topic that day. He would study the mundane topics during the day and at night learn the arcane arts. Archon is the name given to the head of state, underneath him are the 5 Arkheine, they together decide the laws and taxes of Anthera. They preside over the affairs of each of the elemental states. The military maintain order and are comprised of 4 factions, the Paladin Order, the

Arcus, the engineers guild and the dmonologist guild. The caste system in the palad Daimons mind drifted; history bored him. It did not matter to him whether he knew that Praetor was the second highest rank a paladin could achieve, or that death knight squires were initiated by forcing them into single combat with the undead. Instead, his mind wandered into the vastness of his memories, of magic lesson spent trying to remember a line of script, hours spent in the early morning training to be proficient with a blade. He thought about his past, of memories he had long tried to suppress. The face of a young girl appeared in his mind, she was laughing. Daimons eyelids snapped open. Daimon are you listening? This is important. Yenso said. He grabbed Daimon by the shoulders and continued, We learn in secret because if any of the Archons agents find us we will be put to death, they do not tolerate those that learn anything but light magic, he looked straight at Daimon as he spoke. I know master, Daimon replied staring resolutely back at him, annoyed that he had been caught. Daimon knew the danger he put himself in by learning magic outside of the Empires academies, but he needed it, if only to lay his memories to rest. Over the past three years, Daimon had gone through the basic training to become a sorcerer. For the first 2 years he had to master knowledge of the symbols of Oron, the transcript of magic. This allowed him to write enchantments and understand basic magical spells but the more complex script always drifted from his mind. If you cant read any of this then you arent ready to understand it, Yenso had explained. What? he had replied, baffled by Yensos explanation Foolish boy dont you listen to anything I say, I said you arent ready to understand it. He said in an annoyed tone. This is advanced magic, you have not yet learned the foundations upon which this is based on so you cannot possibly comprehend the meaning of the word itself. It is like trying to write your name before you have memorized the alphabet,. Daimon remembered it had taken the rest of the month to truly comprehend the word, a month he realized he had wasted when the meaning turned out to be door. For the last year he learnt spells that were taught to novices and progressed quickly, this meant however that Yenso forced him to learn other subjects such as geography or literature. The hours went past and finally it came to Daemons last lesson of the day, magic, and for that, they went into the deepest part of the Great library under the tower. Today you will be learning the final steps you will need to take to be a fully fledged sorcerer. Now, tell me about magic, asked Yenso Magic requires the user to open one of the six elemental gates. Different people have different levels of success. Their success depend on how attuned they are with ambient magic, that which naturally exists

in nature and inner magic energy, mana. The greater your attunement the easier it is for you to use magic, and the more powerful your magic becomes. Daimon explained. That is acceptable. But what is that separates us from the average magician? What is it that makes us sorcerers? Master? A true sorcerer knows that it is possible to use magic, with a will or consciousness, this is known as ethereal magic, this magic emanates from the void; a place of nothingness. It is much the same as using normal magic but this magic is very dangerous as it much more powerful than normal magic and if not controlled will fill the mind of the user and make them into a creature of that element. For example, if ethereal light got out of hand the user would become a? Sabre, Sabres were the Archons personal elite, the only elder race that swore complete loyalty to him, they had white or blonde hair, hazy blue eyes and clawed hands. They were faster, more intelligent, stronger than a normal human and could manipulate light with varying degrees of power, creating illusions that had their opponents constantly on the alert. Correct answered Yenso Now, to use ethereal magic you must have a focusing point, in this case it will be this iron rod but in battle I recommend your sword. To cast this you must channel your magic onto your weapon or other focusing point, imagine that it as an extra edge over the blade. Then focus on what element you intend the magic to use and make a slashing motion with your sword, it doesnt matter if the slash is in air, solid or liquid, although it is easier on solid material. This will create a gateway from your chosen element, a rip in the fabric of reality from which the ethereal magic can be summoned, as a general rule the larger your slash the more powerful the ethereal magic. For this exercise just make a small slash and use darkness as the element. Daimon did as he was told but when he tried, nothing happened. Try Again, He attempted it once again, and once again failed. Daimon, you must concentrate towa- Daimon stopped paying attention and focused inwards until his mind was clear of thought. He heard a beat in his ears. Thump thump. Thump thump. He brought his hands together, with his sword held in front of him and slowly separated them outwards, thump thump. Sword in his right hand, he sliced through the air. Thump. Where there should have been air there was a line of darkness, not an absence of light but rather, a shimmering, dark glow with tendrils reaching outwards. It receded into a sphere and started expanding outwards. Control it with your mind, quickly! barked Yenso. Daimon obeyed and found a resistance but it was about as large as cat

and he quickly captured its will. It immediately stopped growing. He peered into its mind and found it to be hollow. Daimon was somewhat unnerved by this revelation. As his mind passed through the creatures, he felt as though he was floating over the surface of a great abyss and if he looked to close it drag him in. He recoiled and left the ethers mind but maintained the link with the creature. Why does its consciousness have nothing in it? Its hollow. Daimon said disgustedly, trying to banish the memory of its consciousness. This magical creature can be referred to as an ether and you put minimal energy into its creation. To create a true sentience you need to use more energy; the only way this one will think is if you tell it to do something and it comes across a problem or if you give it more energy Happy with this explanation, he thought of a simple task for the darkness ether. Open the door. thought Daimon. The ether went over to entrance to a separate part of the library and hesitated, suddenly it expanded into a wall of black and moved through the door shattering the wood like glass. Damn fool! Even the simplest tasks require processes too complex for such a simple ether to comprehend. Yenso said. He gestured with hand at the ether and Daimon felt Yenso wrench control of the ether from him. It helps if you hold the meaning of Oronic script in your mind, ethers comprehend it just as well as humans and the rest of creation He then looked at the door, uttering the script for door, the ether immediately formed itself into a makeshift door where the old door stood.* I could have don-Daimon started to say, annoyed at being told what to do Wait. Yenso said resolutely. As Daimon watched, tendrils extended from the ether and attached to the shattered pieces of wood, they brought each of the fragments back to place, then finally it let out one final flash, which seemed to draw light in rather than let it out, and returned to sphere form next to the perfectly formed door. How? I cant even do that with gate magic, Daimon said intrigued by the possibilities of this new magic. Boy, when you reach my age, these are just parlour tricks compared to powerful magical ability, Suddenly Yenso fell to his knees, and his face contorted in pain. The ether started rippling and expanding. Yenso made a motion, as if grabbing it and made a pushing movement. The ether reacted as if actually touched and moved backwards, the air around it shimmered and ripped, enveloping the ether and then vanishing. What the hell just happened, Daimon said as he helped Yenso up, trying to make sense of the sudden turn of events. I gave it too much energy and it developed consciousness, it just tried to break free of my control He got up and explained. Daimon tried to

support Yenso but he just motioned him to let go and leaned against a bookcase. That much power must surely be worth the pain Daimon found himself questioning. Pain does not adequately describe what happens when you become the pawn of ethers whims. Boy. Yenso chastised. Do not use this power lightly Daimon. Even for revenge. Daimon looked up suddenly, and maintained eye contact with his master. Yenso could see a variety of feelings leap up into the boy: anger, grief even some loneliness. But as Daimon walked off brusquely, Yenso could tell that most of all, he felt a great sadness. After an hour of walking through the halls of the library, Daimon finally calmed down and left to find his master and apologize. Daimon went to the study on the top floor and found Yenso sitting on chair, reading his personal tome with detailed inscriptions of Oronic script with his old, battered sword strapped to his side. Yensos sword, as far as Daimon could tell, was over one hundred years old and although it was scratched and had cracks in some places it never got any older. Once, when Daimon had gone a hunting expedition, he had left it out in the rain for a week and when Yenso ordered him to retrieve it, the sword had not changed the slightest although for the smallest fraction of a second; Daimon thought that he saw a magical rune, but on closer examination it was a beetle. When Yenso noticed that he was in the room he shut the tome and looked at him in the eyes for a second before saying, Your lessons are finished; tomorrow you will graduate from your apprenticeship under the light of the full moon. He was about to continue reading quietly when Daimon kneeled and said, I apologise for this afternoon master I- Yenso put up his palm and interrupted him, Boy, children cry about the past. Men make peace with it. Think about this as you sleep. He told Daimon to go to his room He dutifully obeyed and went down to his room to go to sleep. That night, Daimon dreamed of buried memories That night, Daimon dreamed of his past. That night, Daimon dreamed of the burning of his village.