New Mini story I was working on. Comments and Criticisms if you have the attention to get through the entire thing xD Enjoy Note: There might be a few grammatical errors within my writing so I advise you to just continue and skip the bad grammar at parts. Also there's a pronunciation guide of some of the names at the end of the story just so you're aware >! “From Divinity she appeared From herself she formed the land From the land she raised the mountains From the mountains she made water From the water she created the plants From the plants there appeared animals From the animals arose man.†_- Journal of Asiel_ >! The beginning started not with a bang, nor did we suddenly appear. She crafted us. The goddess of our world and the next, of all things; mortal and divine. Arael. Long is the memory of our civilization, and longer yet that of the race of elves, but even they cannot fathom where she came from. All that our civilizations do know is that Arael forged the land that we now stand on. Where water now rests, is because of her great sight; where mountains now stand proud, is due to her strength. It was with her power and her wisdom that she created the land that would be known forevermore as Atalaia. All that exists has been touched and guided by her hand, nudging our race along since the very beginning; we owe our entire existence to her, for without her guidance we would still be smashing rocks against cave walls. Although elves may doubt the fact it remains a truth among all of human culture that Arael cared for our race the deepest. We are not her oldest creations nay, the elves may hold that title however we are the pinnacle of her ingenuity. We thrive, we grow, we adapt. Wherever you place humankind within years there will be a sprawling metropolis, hundreds of our kind will flock to these cities, selling wares of pottery or recounting tales of heroism. However in our ability to change there lies a flaw for no one thing may be perfect; we have freewill, and as such we can be corrupt, ruthless, heartless, destroyers of culture. For every man that saves a town from predators exist ten others that would destroy it for profit. Evil lurks in the hearts of men far more than the good that lies in some, and this is where the conflicts began. Long had it been since Arael had shown herself to the world of Atalaia, and many believed her to be a myth; nothing more than a bed time story taught to us by parents. It was with this false sense of the world that man grew more bold. Greed is a powerful thing and has driven many a man mad; almost insane with the thought, the idea, that they can have more power, more wealth, than their neighbour. This greed and hate poisoned the minds of men and women alike, turning father against son and mother against daughter. Wars between families were not uncommon and many souls were lost for their families pointless feuds. It was later known as the of “The Blackeningâ€Â, finally giving name to the evil within the hearts of humans. This era lasted for nigh over four decades when Arael intervened. It was on this day that Arael rose from Lake Pandor, drawing herself to her full height and immense beauty; those who could see her were captivated, even mesmerized. From where she rose a streak of light shone, setting the sky on fire with hues of purple and orange and around her time itself seemed to bend and become fluid. Animals all over the continent simultaneously turned to her direction, and no man or woman missed her words that day. She spoke of a time gone by, long ago when the race of Humans was but a babe upon the land; of the potential she saw from this race. From our race she gained joy as she watched us progress, discover and invent. But the times of great thought were over, now war was the predominant theme in our realm and it had poisoned not only our minds, but also hers. This bloodshed had not been meant for this world and Arael had laboured to change our direction, to protect us from a fate worse than death. No longer could she hold out, her powers were derived from creativity and the light of intelligence; this would be the last the world would see of her. >! _“I created you in the image of myself, I gave you free will so that you could create; but you have destroyed, pillaged and murdered. Soon I will be gone, faded from the fabric of this universe and you will be on your own. I wished for you to be my greatest creation but it seems my creation has finally killed its master. I am diminished.â€Â_ >! With the end of her speech the sky dimmed, no longer purple or orange but now with flares of angry reds. She fell from the sky and as we watched, she began to fade. She hit the ground with the ferocity of a thunder crack and from her body emanated thousands of streaks of black; tiny rivulets of her essence sprayed forth creating a large circle, miles across, around her body. As the last of her essence spilled onto the ground, it began to sink into the ground and with an almighty thud the ground gave way. Entire villages fell into this black sinkhole of death as it twirled and swished it was obvious that this black hole lead somewhere; nothing that it touched was spared. As lightning leapt through the sky and rain began to pound the earth the first creatures began to come forth from the boiling, twisting sinkhole. Its form was constantly shifting from one form to another, each more gruesome and grim than the last. Behind the grotesque figure more creatures began to bubble forth from the black portal in whichever form they wished. It was upon this day that man knew the true meaning of fear and horror for there were no other words that could begin to grasp the enormity of the horror people felt. The creatures spread from the portal and wherever they went they left their mark upon the earth; burnt houses, entire villages razed in their wake. It was this event that brought the humans to their senses, no longer were they divided by petty squabbles among families but united against a common enemy. It was announced that each of the powerful families of the land would have to send their greatest magick user to the province that bordered on the what was now called “The Voidâ€Â. All the families immediately sent forth their greatest mages, some out of the hope for mankind and others in an attempt to save their own skins but it did not matter which reason they were sent; all the mages arrived in the province of Shadows Fief controlled by the Darkav family and spent the next four days preparing an incantation to seal the portal. The incantation was vast and worry pressed greatly upon the mages mind; to finish the incantation it required a host. A spell such as this required constant energy to be fed, to keep the Void sealed; one person would become the Guardian of the Seal. No longer would they have the ability to do anything they desired, for upon their shoulders rested the fate of the world. A daughter of the family Erine named Maeline volunteered for the duty, knowing that the rest of her life would no longer be her own. On the fifth day since the death of Arael and the opening of the void the great mages circled Maeline and began to chant in an ancient language; weaving the hopes and energy of all mankind into the spell. Finally as they finished the energy in the room pulsed and Maeline rose; hovering in the air two feet above ground and announced. >! _“I hold the seal, I am the Guardian. None may leave the Void.â€Â_ >! A large blue ring of energy suddenly swept through the room, flying past the walls of the castle and with that she fell to the ground and had to be moved to another part of the castle. Joy was felt that evening as it was obvious that the enchantment had been successful. No longer was there a large swirling mass, only a small amount of land, devoid of life, remained. The province where the portal had opened was renamed to the more appropriate title of “The Scar†and now only those who reject civilization live in or near it. It has been fifty years since the events of that day. The events that occurred brought all of humankind together, bringing them closer than they had even been before. There is now an entire religious group devoted to the protection of Maeline, and rightfully so as should a Guardian of the Seal not pass from this world into the afterlife of natural causes the seal shall break and the Void reopen. Unbeknownst to many there grows a swirling evil, staying within the confines of the shadows who wishes to sacrifice Maeline and reopen the Void; they believe that by sacrificing the Guardian they shall gain the powers of Arael and have the chance to remake Atalaia. A war is being fought young one, will you fall for the temptation of power or will you protect the fragile peace that some hold dear. Only time will tell, may the stars guide you youngling the fate of the world may rest upon you as dearly as it does Maeline. >! Atalaia - (at - a - Lay - a) Arael - (arr - E - L) Erine - (air - in - E) Maeline - (may - lih - n)
