The Knights Of Edinboh

Prologue

As the fire burned through the city, the screams and growls were so loud that they could be heard for miles around. In the very middle of all this destruction stood a castle on a hill with a courtyard big enough to fit a temple in the center. Inside the temple sat an old, wrinkled man on the floor with his hands on his knees. Flanking him were two monks, trying and failing to stay calm. All three knew they were going to die, but only the Elder had accepted it.

The room was cast in red light from the fires outside, but nothing could be heard, not even the sound of the Shadow beasts tearing people apart. This was because of a light and ancient magic that only the Elders of Time could practice. The Elders of Time were prophets that could sometimes see into the past, present, and future to foretell it. Although, they only tell about the future in the form of a prophecy.

This particular Elder had stayed in the city, when all others were gone days before, to tell what he knew would be the most important prophecy to ever be told for a long time. A prophecy that would be the world's salvation. The two monks who stood on either side of the Elder were there waiting for the prophecy, to record and hide it in the room below the Temple that would be safe during this rampage. They were there even as their families, friends, and homes were being destroyed.

"Are you sure, Master?" Asked the smaller, wider of the two.

"This prophecy needs to be told." His eyes were still closed.

"But, Master, can we not just leave and do this where it is safer?" Now the taller one had joined in.

"This one can only be heard at this point in time and place. Only here."

"But-"

"No. No more of this nonsense. It's already too late to leave alive, now."

All three fell into silence as the Elder waited for the chance to tell what needs to be told. Finally, he opened his eyes. But instead of the almost black color they usually were, both eyes were a milky white. He opened his mouth and uttered the words that were always meant to be spoken. The words that would inevitably come to pass.

"All the land shall fall prey to Shadow,

All except for Edinboh

Five teenagers will be our heroes

The first with eyes a deepest rose

Another with eyes a forest green 

The next with eyes a violet sheen

The fourth's eyes are a cerulean blue

The last will have a distinctive clue

He will be the most important

Without him the rest will surely fail

Without him the rest will go and hunt

But to no avail

His eyes will be more than one color

Sometimes one, sometimes another

The world will soon deteriorate

Unless these five face their fate"

The old man closed his eyes again and continued to sit there serenely while the monks hurriedly wrote the last of what he said down on parchment, put it in the vault, and sealed the prophecy in along with all the others, so they would be protected against the Shadow beasts. When the two returned to their master, he was ready to go. But as they were leaving, a shadow creature crawled in through the window, setting Magik fire to the Temple, and devoured all three men, before leaving the Temple to burn to smoldering ruins.

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The people of the city eventually fought back and won, pushing the beasts into the countryside and borders. The creatures had already done their damage. Most people were dead, the castle in pieces, the Temple trapped in the middle.  After a grieving period, the city of Cautay, capital of Edinboh, rebuilt bigger, better, and stronger then before. The Knights of Edinboh pushed the creatures to the borders, and fought them when the beasts crossed back over.

For hundreds of years, the people of Edinboh never encountered another attack such as that first one, but as time continued, the vault under the Temple was forgotten. The prophecy never read. Kings and queens ruled, oblivious to the threat of their world. Eventually, after a thousand years, Magik had been all but forgotten, and the five children were born on the same day, but on different sides of the country, blind to their own destinies.