Elaine had returned that night to find a livid Cypher waiting for her. She looked at him curiously, but only a cold rage seeped from him. As soon as he saw her he rushed forward and explained everything that had happened.
Elaine quickly sent guards over to both the Cilan estate, and Alex’s farm as a precaution, and sat Cypher down to try and calm him. It was obvious that he wanted to jump right back into his training, as he had explained his need for the power of the Duality Shield. His plan was reckless and saw him charging straight into the heat of battle to save his friends.
Elaine assured him that he would certainly die if he tried something so stupid and that his friends would soon follow. Cypher only grew angrier at that truth and swung his fist into the floor, denting it. Elaine grew upset but held her tongue as she understood what he was going through.
She quickly assured him that they would do everything they could to get him ready for his encounter, as he was adamant about going alone. She saw the foolishness of this decision, but couldn’t say or do much to persuade him to take another course of action.
Given the situation, there was only one thing she could do, and that was to speak to her master. She convinced Cypher to return to his home, train as best he could in anything but the Duality Shield, and that she would return for him in one day’s time.
Cypher was hard to convince, however, her seriousness finally got through to him once she promised that he would achieve mastery of the spell before he left to save his friends. He didn’t see how that was possible, but he prepared for it all the same by quickly leaving for his house.
Once there, he conveyed the urgency of the situation to Spark and put him back inside the ball for safekeeping. He would need Spark’s help if things got too difficult and if he did die, at least his companion would be locked inside the ball forever. He wouldn’t have to deal with the death of his master Cypher or being hunted down by other Conductors.
He didn’t like that outcome either, but Spark couldn’t stay in the house or he’d starve to death, and if he left him out, the Order would no doubt kill Spark the moment Cypher was unable to protect him. Cypher regretted his decision. But it wouldn’t matter if he succeeded.
Elaine on the other hand quickly made her preparations and soon, she was on her way back to the Academy.
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The grounds were dark and quiet as Elaine stepped through the Slingate, and a light breeze was blowing peacefully through the courtyard. She continued up the steps and into the Academy. Once inside, she followed the familiar path to the eastern tower and proceeded to travel up five floors. With one final turn, she arrived at the meeting chamber. The corridor was dark, and the only light was coming from beneath a door in the distance.
She let out a cold smile, for she had arrived a bit sooner than she usually did for these meetings. She continued forward and entered the room, shutting the door behind her and locking it with a short spell.
“Ah, Elaine, excellent! Now that we’re all here we can begin,” exclaimed Headmaster Dardallus. As she looked around, she saw that several high-ranking Conductors in the kingdom of Dellorim were present. There were six in total including herself. Each person sat in a high-backed chair around a long diamond-shaped table that was stacked with documents and scrolls of varying thicknesses.
Elaine looked to her left and saw Abbot Plurbius from the city of Cordna. He was a Rank-Five Conductor and was dressed in traveling gear consisting of a faded red overcoat and studded chaps. A thick cotton tunic rested underneath his coat that was a darker red, and he wore ankle-high leather boots.
His grey hair shone brightly in the firelight, despite the fact that he was only in his early thirties. His deep-set, brown eyes conveyed a look of boredom and his short mustache and round spectacles completed the grandfather look he was sporting. She could see his bow Aquagleam laying in the corner of the room next to his quiver.
The second man was Gradius Aux, a Rank-Five Conductor from Raymor. Gradius was dressed in his constant style of leather straps and patches that seemed to cover just enough of his body to keep his bits covered, yet still showed off the rest of his dark-skinned well-toned body.
His thick black beard was almost as wild as his tangled drawn back hair, and his copper-colored eyes and facial scars told of the many battles he had been through and won. His massive arms rippled with strength from many years of wielding his trusty Warhammer, Ironblaze. It lay in the corner next to Abbot’s bow.
Luth Sephi was next, another Rank-Five Conductor from the Capital city of Georem. His long regal robes were purple and silver and matched his dark violet and white mid-length hair. His clean-shaven middle-aged face and rich green eyes gave him a look of importance and glowed with the intelligence of a well-studied man. His rapier, Everwind, was at his side as per usual, and he was not willing to part with it for any reason.
Finally, the Rank-Five Conductor, Fugue Seletis, was sitting at the table calmly reading a scrap of parchment. He hailed from Cael, and wore a white silk tunic and black breeches made of Mythril interwoven with leather and cloth of the highest quality.
His short, dark blonde hair and bright blue eyes went perfectly with his attire and made him look like a king. At least, when compared with the others sitting around the table. His two-handed sword, Northernfire, was sheathed on his back in the usual place. He too refused to part ways with his weapon of choice.
Elaine removed a ring from her index finger, and her Rank-Five presence filled the room. As her true power returned to her and the ring grew inert, it sent shivers down her spine, her body returning to its powerful state. Her navy blue robes edged in gold flowed around her, and her hair was tied up in its usual tight bun. Gold-rimmed spectacles appeared on the bridge of her nose as she pulled her weapon from the hard leather case at the base of her spine. She placed her Collapsythe Rendel, in the corner with the other weapons as was their custom, and sat down.
Including Sequinnen Dardallus, the Headmaster of Guardian Hall Academy, the six of them were known as Paladins, and made up the Dellorim branch of the Radiant Corps. They were a powerful and secretive group of Conductors originally formed to aid in the fighting during the Arkwar. However, now they merely served to uphold the balance between themselves and the Order of Eternal Night.
As Sequinnen stepped away from the window and sat down at the table, he removed his three glittering rings. As soon as they left his fingers, the presence of a sixth-rank Conductor spread throughout the room and everyone turned to listen to his words.
“Welcome fellow Paladins. I apologize for calling you all so early when our next summit wasn’t for another month. However, certain events have unfolded and we haven’t the time to wait,” began Sequinnen, a look of great strain on his face.
“Elaine here is the one who called this meeting, and we will get to her concerns shortly. Before that, however, I must tell you of recent happenings. As I’m sure you are all aware by now, the visions we were warned of by our predecessors are beginning to come to pass. It is indeed a grim omen of the coming days, but one we must accept.
“The tundra of Losbachoir to the north is suffering a mass outbreak of blizzards that have torn the land apart with their icy rage. The storm currents are localized to Losbachoir, but I fear they may come to threaten even Dellorim at this rate. On top of that, the miasma there has become thick and heavy upon the wind of the few cities and villages there.
“Even the Zightbeasts of that area have begun to venture beyond their normal borders. It’s clear that the wards have failed. Furthermore, the ever-increasing storms brewing over the Thunder Plains have extended their reach into Farnor by almost twenty kilometers. High-intensity lightning storms have completely destroyed the city of Galmarain.
Sequinnen was stroking his beard as he read from his prepared report and everyone in the room held serious expressions. He quickly continued.
“The citizens were evacuated before too many lost their lives, but if the spread continues all of Farnor, and by extension Demilnoxis, could be in danger. The wards that usually keep the storms at bay have ceased to operate correctly. The Conductor’s Guild in Farnor is studying this phenomenon as we speak, but so far they have no answers as to why this is happening.
“Even our woodland allies have had strange happenings as of late. Galle’noray continues to burn in ever-increasing assaults of spontaneous forest fires. The elves have worked wonders repairing the damage done, but they cannot continue this struggle for much longer. The cause of these fires is believed to be of a magickal nature, but their wards should protect them from such things.
“Baghonus, Sarna, Shorda, everywhere you look unnatural disasters are wreaking havoc and there seems to be no uniform cause. The only common thread is that in each instance, the wards that prevent these disasters have failed. Normally one could associate these events with the forces of nature taking their rightful course after all this time. But the most recent sign has shattered any doubt in my mind as to what these occurrences actually mean. It troubles me to say it, but the safety of the seal is now in question.
Panic swept through the room at the mention of the seal. Abbot stood up and slammed his hand on the table. “What do you mean the seal isn’t safe anymore? How is that even possible?!?” Sequinnen raised his hand for silence.
“If you would let me finish I shall tell you,” replied Sequinnen. Abbot crossed his arms and sat back down. “Thank you. I have held this information secret because I wanted to investigate myself before raising any concerns, however, a few months ago an incident occurred in the depths of Sanctum.
“Spies from the Order infiltrated the Elder Council of the Academy. They had planned to break the seal through unconventional means and almost succeeded. As luck, or perhaps fate, would have it the heir of Fenix managed to defeat him. Luck was on our side, but this was far too close a call. Why weren’t we warned by the wards around Sanctum? I believe you already know the answer to this my friends.
“Something very wrong is happening with the Magick of the land. I know you have all felt it, even now I can feel the flux of it as it waxes and wanes in power and intensity. Our Zight comes not from ourselves, but from the Balance Arks. But something has happened to alter the balance of power. Normally this is no reason to be concerned.
“Shifts between the Arks are common tricentennial events. Nature shifts to shadow, and shadow to luminescence. This is how it’s always been since time began. But as you all well know, this last month marked the end of the Shadow Shift.”
“Logic tells us that the Luminescence Shift should already be upon us, but that is not the case. The Shadow Shift endures. The light grows dim and life begins to fade. Already you see it within yourselves and the world around you. It is no mere trick of the mind my friends, the agents of darkness conspire against us once again.”
Everyone in the room went silent and fell into contemplation. The seal was obviously their overall goal, but what other schemes did they have in mind?
“You realize,” began Luth, “that this means more than another short-lived war between us and them. The Shadow Shift grants the agents of darkness power, the Luminescence Shift, in turn, gives us strength, but the Nature Shift brings the two back into balance as they should be. If the Shadow Shift Endures then…”
“Then their powers will continue to grow in strength while ours will fade,” finished Gradius through strained teeth. Elaine could see that, even now, he was checking the flow of Zight within him to verify Sequinnen’s words. As she looked around, she saw similar looks of focus as the others did the same.
“You are correct Gradius. Again I would say that this only warrants slight concern, we have dealt with the power difference before and come out whole. However… the Archanem of Seven has also been reformed,” said Sequinnen.
Fear washed through everyone present and a sense of hopelessness descended upon them. Elaine sat motionless as her fear chilled her to the bone. “I’m afraid it is as the seers of Neversight Island foretold. With the reformation of the Archanem of Seven a Guardian once again walks the earth. The end has come and Zeonidus will return, bringing the void with him.”
Fugue stood up and backed away from the table, “Impossible!” he began. “The seal has held for millennia. Nobody, not even a single Guardian-level existence can break a Guardian-ranked spell, not without the keys! What are we going to do?!?”
Sequinnen sighed and said, “Fear not Fugue, the seal has not broken yet. There is still time to gather ‘them’ before he returns.” Gradius nodded warily. He offered his hand towards Fugue’s chair and he sat back down, straightening his hair.
Gradius then went on to say in his deep accent, “Dardallus is right, if we can find those Seven before the Order can make their move, we may have a chance at Salvation.”
“Easier said than done!” Abbot said as he shifted in his seat. “You know as well as I that they could be anyone in all of Demilnoxis. What chance do we have of finding them in time? You would foolishly look for seven individuals of varying races among billions?”
Abbot raged on, his emotions getting the better of him despite his rank. “Do you even know how many sentient beings exist in the world right now? Any one of them could be the ones you speak of Gradius! Finding them would be akin to finding a needle in a haystack. It’s nearly impossible!”
Abbot finished his tirade with a line of sweat forming on his brow. At this, the entire table broke out in angered quarreling. Fear had momentarily gotten the better of them. But Elaine had had enough.
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” She stood up and released a shout that got everyone’s attention. She pounded her fist on the table and said, “Not just anyone can wield an item of the Seven, or in your haste to accept the end have you forgotten all about them?
“I’d much rather find a needle in a haystack than find certain doom through inaction. There are methods we can use. This organization was set up for this exact purpose you dumbass! Don’t run from your duties now that the moment has arrived. Or are you a coward?” finished Elaine.
Abbot scoffed, a scowl upon his face, and he retreated to his seat. “I’m not a coward, I’m just being realistic here.”
“Elaine is right,” said Luth, finally coming out of silence. “Those who wield the items of the Seven are the only ones who can stop the impending chaos. We must work to find them before it is too late. We all know what’s at stake here, and we cannot allow fear to rule our actions!”
Silence once again filled the room and everyone looked thoughtful. This was a lot to take in and even at their level, it was not an easy pill to swallow.
