An army of soldiers were gathered around in a grassy village. The landscape was a deep clear blue and they were obviously underwater.
The soldiers' faces were blurry and disfigured in the dark clouds that surrounded them. They were wearing black armor and on their shields was a strange symbol.
Black fire with crossbones underneath it.
What did it mean? For certain one thing I knew — it was a symbol of death. A drumming sound reverberated around the army.
A dark fire suddenly rose all around the village and flickered around, snaking around the innocent people in the water. Screams echoed around as the fire scorched them.
People were just vanishing left and right in thin air.
All that was left of them were ashes. I felt someone's cold eyes looking at me. "You're next, chosen one," one of them snarled.
He reached out to me, launching a bolt of dark fire. The fire was nearing closer to me, only a few inches away.
Centimeters. Millimeters.
Just when it was about to scorch me then, the dream flickered and shifted, as if I was watching a TV show and a hacker had cut into the connection...
Shadows danced around a woman trapped in a cage. Her golden-brown cape, tinged with an eerie glow, draped over her shoulders.
Her blond hair seemed to be dirty from years of imprisonment. A deep gash marred her pale neck, from which faint whispers of a plea for freedom escaped, carried on breaths tinged with fear.
The chains binding her to the cage rattled, the sound a chilling contrast to the low hum that filled the air. Her eyes fixed on the unseen horror in front of her, a silent scream frozen on her lips.
Then her eyes rolled towards the back of her head as she collapsed to the ground.
A few seconds later, her eyes opened — but they were glowing a vibrant purple.
Purple plumes of smoke were emitted out of her mouth as she rose a few feet from the grown. An eerie smile flickered on her face.
An Archimage shall rise above all
Quietly waiting the kingdom's call
Under her reign, Avolaria will be
Eternal peace and certainty
She continued her chant, her voice garbled but powerful and true.
Ethereal, glorious, and full of grace
New to all the kingdom's space
She is to be age seventeen
Rise to defeat the evil king
A dark creature suddenly unlatched her cage, its scaly tongue flickering. The monster devoured her slowly, taking his time to snap every single bone.
Wise and kind, open and keen
A mere human she used to be
But now have powers and immortality
Called into the kingdom by royalty
She pressed on even though her voice was now ragged with pain.
Unknown, invisible, but one she can see
Will be the form of her enemy
Defending against any evil within
A peace in the midst of war — she'll win
She seemed triumphant now, towards the end.
Kingdoms rise, enemies fall
The secret voice in the Shadowland lulls
Shadow or light will conquer all
The decision lies in the final flaw
The atmosphere was thick with tension, the sense of dread evident as if the very essence of fear had taken physical form within the confines of the cage.
The woman's silent cries reverberated, a haunting sound that spoke of untold horrors and unspoken truths.
Then, as if she was looking straight into the depths of my soul, her eyes fixed upon me. In the midst of her pain, she held a fiercely joyful glint in her eyes.
"The end of the world is near!" she gasped finally. "Unless the Archimage intervenes, unless the Archimge intervenes!"
And her body was consumed by flickering orange-red flames.
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Warlocks of Avolaria #1 | Call of the Archimage
Fantasy"Zoé, listen. Avolaria needs you. You're the only one who can stop the war." - Zoé is a ordinary student in an ordinary school, living an ordinary life - or so she thought. Her life turned upside down when a dark creature attacks her, threatening to...
