Prologue - A Bed Time Story

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            A young boy looked out the window of his small cottage. Stars filled the sky, filling the boy with wonder. An old man appeared in the door way behind him.

            “You finished your studies?” The old man asked.

            “Yes, sir.” The boy grinned with pride, then walked over to his bed.

            “Tell me then, what do they call these lands?”

            “Transcend.”

            “Yes, a land of beauty untamable by man - sprouting color and wonder, like the canvas of a younglings dreams,” He nudged the boy’s forehead with two fingers. “A glory we could never ignore. Do you know how many kingdoms there are?”

            “Six… I think.” The boy replied.

            “That is correct. Seven if you count Dusk and Dawn separately. Proud kingdoms arose and bloomed, like flowers in the spring.  For every color of Transcend, there birthed new life. But are these kingdoms allies?”

            “No. They are at war.”

            “Yes. It took little time before our endless desires pitted us against one another. Flags of war lifted high as we painted the land with blood. Then one day, everything we knew changed.”

            “The Blessing” The boy smiled with enthusiasm as he settled into bed.

            “Right again. The sky lit up like wildfire. The lands shook. Then everything went black,” The old man doused the flame of his lantern. “When our people had awoken, a new power rested within us,” He sat down on the bed beside the boy. “This new energy felt as natural as learning to walk. It allowed us to connect with our surroundings like never before. With time we harnessed our powers in unique ways. This separated us into different bloodlines of gifts. What are these bloodlines?”

            The boy had heard this story many times, and he knew exactly how the old man said it every time, “Kinoses conduct symphonies with fire. Ar’i dance with the winds. Shakers send shivers into the very rock they stand on. Sylvani speak with the trees and tame the wild. Nautaya paint with strokes of water. Healers give and protect life. Shades are few but move like mist in the shadow. And Charmers toy with the minds of any who stand in their way.”

            “Our very lives were redefined. But even with our new powers, we fell into our old ways of war and chaos. This truth turned to legend, legend turned to myth, myth was near forgotten. Yet, the wonder of Transcend was all but ended, only part of something greater.” The old man began to walk from the room.

            “What am I?” The boy startled him with a question he could not answer.

            “Areli, you are something greater.”

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