The chamber sprawled, easily the size of half a dozen of the rooms above at least, though still the same height. Every surface was crowded with glowing ritualistic circles, the power flowing through the room clearly felt even by those who were not normally in tune with sensing magic, and giving the room an eerie glow to accompany the iridescent glow that lit it in the same way as the passage down. The room itself was filled with all manner of foreign contraptions made of metal, glass, and many other materials that they could not recognize, and what they assumed were ropes running all over the floors from one contraption to another. There were small panels that glowed with light, strange patterns showing on them that constantly changed, and other objects that seemed to hum and pulse with purpose, filling the room with a constant background noise. The entire contents of the room seemed out of place in the world in which they lived. They walked gingerly through the chamber, trying not to touch or knock anything over, least they set off an unfortunate chain of events. It didn’t take Myne long to find what she was sure was here, but it wasn’t quite what she expected either.

On the far side of the room was some sort of coffin, resting on a slope on a stand, numerous strange looking cables and tubes from the myriad of nearby devices going into the base of it. It was made from the same materials as the rest of the equipment in the chamber, the metal reflecting the light while small panels on it glowed with the same strange patterns that surrounded them. The coffin had a glass window near the top, and through it Myne could see an old, nay ancient, lady sleeping inside, her body immersed in some liquid. Her skin was wrinkled and taunt, and her face looked very thin. Her short wispy hair was white with faint traces of red, and her ears were filled with all manner of piercings.

“The final lady from the dream,” Myne said to Izen as she came up to her side to also peer in, the rest of the party close behind.

“That is indeed the real me,” a child like voice from behind them said.

They all spun around, to find a skinny young girl perched nearby on top on one of the devices, smiling and swinging her legs happily. She had red hair, was barefoot, and was wearing simple dress. Myne recognized her instantly even though she now sported a new outfit.

“Lyrissa. That’s the form you had at the village,” she said to the girl.

“You are correct,” the girl smiled. “I knew you’d work it out eventually, though I had thought you might have clicked a little sooner than you did.”

Laphir furred his brow. “What exactly is going on here?” he growled.

Lyrissa hopped down and bowed to the party, a cheeky grin on her face. “Pardon the late introductions, but welcome to my home, the Academia de Magica, and my private chamber deep underneath it. I am Lyrissa, commonly known now as the Witch.”

“Well, that is,” she amended, pointing to the coffin like device behind them. “This form here is a projection of my magic. I haven’t actually been out of the stasis chamber for over 300 years.”

She turned, and hopped back up on the device again, perching herself on its edge. “I’m short,” she said as way of explanation.

“What is all of this,” asked Alice, motioning to all of the strange contraptions in the room, still feeling like she was some place that she shouldn’t be.

“Technology. It was what existed before magic came into the world, which coincidentally also destroyed most of it during the initial backlash.”

The explanation didn’t do much to help with their confusion.

“Exactly how old are you then?” queried Myne, giving her a quizzical look.

“One thousand and fifty five years old I believe,” Lyrissa answered. “And yes, I was also Charles, and the old lady at Evergreen. I have held many forms.”

“I gathered,” stated Laphir, sitting and making himself comfortable. “You have brought us all here now, and we have plenty of time. I believe you owe us all an explanation, especially these two,” he continued, pointing to Izen and Myne.

“True, true,” Lyrissa agreed. She pulled up her legs and crossed them under her. “I am sorry for the cost that has brought you here, but you will have to believe me when I say there was no other way. I will tell you want you want to know, and perhaps even things that you don’t. It is a lengthy tale though.”

Her face looked sad as she waited for the rest of the group to make themselves comfortable.

“Even with the magic I possess I have well and truly expired, hence the chamber,” Lyrissa started. “As you will be aware, physical stamina has an influence on your ability to use your magic, and my body is exhausted, so what I can do is limited. Even this,” Lyrissa said, pointing to herself, “is quite draining. But action needed to be taken, as the Demon King has woken again, and the wheels are now in motion.”

“But I get ahead of myself already.”

“Let me start from the beginning, which involves two things that we don’t really know much about. The first is the Worlds Core. It has existed for as long as mankind can remember, though we weren’t really aware of its existence until shortly before its shattering. It had kept itself well hidden, tended to and protected by a small coven of priestesses that were bound to it in return for a small amount of power and a long life. Each time one died, it would call another to itself. We suspect that a number of important women in our history were in fact priestesses, but we had no way of confirming that. What its purpose was, or why it even existed is a complete mystery. As a civilization we were doing fine without magic, and we even had technology that could rival the effects that magic could produce. The Core evolved as time went by as well, learning off its priestesses and the events that happened around it. It had sentience.” Lyrissa paused, her expression turning serious.

“The second is the Demon King. He is not as old as the core, but is still ancient, and he was the first to take magic from the core, stealing it when its awareness was low and it had not yet gathered its priestesses. He had darkness in his heart, and his lust for power caused the power to corrupt and change him into the undead creature that he is now. He rose up against mankind, but was defeated. Don’t be mistaken, he took a lot of power from the core, more than his body could handle, and while that power is still his he hasn’t always had access to all of it, especially in his early days. Of his real name, where exactly he came from and how he discovered the Core we know naught.”

“Following his defeat he tried to return to the Core to take more magic, but the Core was able to reject him, and so he disappeared from the tapestry of history for a while, biding his time and learning how to fully utilize his magic, in both its pure and tainted forms. He brought like minded people to himself, granting them access to some of his power, the parts that were outside him and that he couldn’t control himself. We believe he discovered blood magic, using peoples life force to power rituals, and used it to reinforce himself and make himself more powerful. And he also created the demons during that time, refining them each time they were wiped out.”

“The great war that led to the ‘birth of magic’ was his second war against mankind, and we were not prepared for what he unleashed. His power was immense, and his army washed across the lands, slaughtering nations, their death feeding his power. His intent was to claim all of the core as his own, and he was well on the way to doing so. By this point the Core had sealed itself away in its own realm, its only point of contact with the world via a few of its priestesses, but with the massacre the Demon King was performing he was able to pull the entirety of the Core’s realm back into the world. Knowing that it would only be a matter of time before the Demon King obtained his goal, the Core had its priestesses bring to it a number of suitable heroic individuals, gifting them a portion of its power, so that they could rally the remaining nations in defence against the Demon King. The heroes took to their mantles, and leading the armies of the nations that remained clashed with the armies of darkness, causing them to falter in their advance. But it wasn’t enough. The Demon King was resourceful and powerful, the war just feeding his magic, and one by one the heroes started to fall.”

Izen looked at Lyrissa as she paused again, seeing the words hiding in between what she said. “You three weren’t part of the selected heroes, were you?” she asked.

“No, that we were not,” replied Lyrissa. “My full name is Major Lyrissa Alisson, of the Erdissia Special Ops Corp, usually referred to as the Black Cats. I was a scientist by profession, and the technical arm of the corp. The leader of our group, Colonel Dyle Bearisford, was chosen by the priestesses to be one of the heroes, and so the entire corp went along. We were really good at what we did, and we were able to convince the priestess that we would be able to help defend the core and the priestesses if it came down to it. We proved it too, when a demon attacked us en route to the core, as we made short work of it. The rest of the priestesses tolerated our presence, as it was desperate times, and by accident I ended up in the presence of the Core. Curious by nature I studied it, and it responded in like to me, and we ended up forming a friendship, as odd as that may seem.”

Lyrissa looked lost in thought as she recalled the past, a soft smile on her face.

“The Black Cats consisted of six members. The remaining four were Major Barrett Uienas, Lieutenant Colonel Whisp Paetson, Captain Ashen Engelwood, and Captain Mandy Lightwind. They were all excellent soldiers, perhaps even the best of our time. Whisp was the tactical specialist, and he rigged so many areas outside of the Core that the first wave that assaulted us was practically just running to their deaths. Barrett was an armaments specialist, and he spent his time at the core patrolling and wiping out scouts that got to close. We wouldn’t have known about the insurgent group if he hadn’t spotted them, and that the demon army was a lot closer than we had thought, but it almost cost him his life. The core realized at that point that the heroes that had been summoned weren’t enough, so it summoned me, along with Ashen and Mandy, to give us a portion of its power so that we could also do battle against the Demon King and his army. Unfortunately while likely the only course of action that was available at that point it also had unforeseen consequences. It turned out that we were compatible with the magic. Not just a bit compatible either but really really compatible, and the core ended up giving us a lot more magic than it had intended, power greater than what the Demon King had, and in doing so it caused an instability within itself. The Demon King knew straight away what had happened, the power shining like a beacon to him, and we knew that he knew. Of course we had no experience with the power, but we learned fast. Dawn, Dusk, and Hellfire. Primal magic. The power was overwhelming, and it changed us. Ashen became female, an angel of the Dawn with the first of the dragons, while the Darkness of the Hellfire consumed Mandy’s form, changing her into something else entirely, something not unlike the Demon King himself, but not evil in the way that he was. In our mythology we would have called her a vampire. They revelled in their power, and quickly adapted to it’s use, though I dare say that we only ever used a small fraction of its potential in the end.”

“The final battle however began without us. The gaining of that much power took it’s toll on our bodies and minds, and the battle had been raging on for a day by the time we were ready. By that time Dyle and the two other remaining heroes had been pushed back to the Core, but we had also managed to summon the remaining of the nations forces there to give us a fighting chance. The battle was brutal, and the losses high. Our arrival turned the tide though, and we cut our way through the enemies ranks, taking out as much as we could, until we got to the Demon King himself. He was on a very different level than his army, and while we had power greater than his, we didn’t have his experience or knowledge on how to use it. The final showdown was hard, and while we won, we were all seriously wounded. The kicker though was that although we had defeated him, we hadn’t managed to destroy him, and in order to remove him as a threat we needed to seal him away, something that our magic was suitable for. The sealing magic was powerful, gifted to us by the Core, but carried the cost of our lives. We needed to seal him for the survival of mankind, so we went ahead with the ritual.”

“However even that didn’t go to plan. The instability in the Core caused it to shatter, just when we were about to finish the ritual, strewing magic right across the world and tearing up the land as well, reshaping it. The backlash threw me far from the seal, and Ashen and Mandy were forced to complete the ritual by themselves. It worked, and the Demon King was sealed, but the seal was weaker than it should have been, containing only a portion of my power along with Dawn and Hellfire. Had I been there to the end I doubt anyone would have been able to break it, but unfortunately it was not to be.” Lyrissa sighed, stretching as she did so, before she continued. It was indeed a lengthy and involved tale.

“That was the birth of the world as you know it, and we were left to pick up the pieces. Dyle ended up settling in the northern kingdom, gathering a new group of warriors underneath him as they travelled to wipe out the remnants of the Demon King’s army. One of the other heroes founded the kingdom to the south, becoming their first king, while the final remaining one settled here, founding the Sisters of the Radiant Dawn. You would know her as Lady Knight Cousair van Elmir. I travelled the lands as I recovered, teaching those who awoke about their magic and how to use it, developing the art of rituals and encouraging the formation of the Guilds and Clans for the benefit of those who remained. Some awakenings were messier than others, especially for the Riders, as they needed to have their magic channelled properly in order for it to fully awaken, which is how the summoning rituals came about. Without them the dragons may eventually be able to be materialized, but in some of the early cases it could take up to twenty years for it to happen after the magic started to show, and many of them ended up being a wreck in the interim. Being the more powerful of those who remained, the growing Dragon Rider Clan here was tasked with guarding the location of the seal and building a temple to house it, which Cousair was happy to do. During my travels I also founded the Academia de Magica, a place for the knowledge of the world lost to be recorded, and for the learning of magic to be developed and shared. While those of the old world still lived it thrived, and at it’s height it had over 200 people in residence, but as they died out so to do the interest of people to join, the new generations preferring the Guilds and Clans instead. When I returned here 100 years later, surprised that I had not yet died, I found it abandoned. So I hid it away, and made it my home. During the early years of this world I was known as the Seer, or should I say my ‘family line’ was, and my advice was respected.”

“But as time passed people began to forget, and corruption and greed began to set in. The horrors of the war became stories then myths and legends, and so I withdrew, keeping to myself and watching what was going on, taking on different personas as needed to prod and coax, but letting history take its course. This world was not mine any more after all. But I could not go to sleep and join those of my time, not while there was the chance that someone might try and repeat the horrors of the Demon King. Even when my body had long passed its end I still kept watch, with the aid of a combination of magic that I developed and technology from my time.” Lyrissa pointed again to the contraptions in the room. “It took a while to get it functioning, but as I aged I knew that I needed to do something, and by the time I had passed 500 years I had it ready.”

“My worst fears were realized 21 years ago, and to make it worse I screwed up. I had heard of the dissatisfaction of a splinter group within the riders, and I gave the Clan a warning. But I was not well received, and my repeated attempts earned me the title of Witch. I underestimated the influence that the splinter group had. So I went to the seal instead, and was ambushed, the splinter group pinning all of the blame on me for the deaths of the riders that they killed so that they could break the seal. Not that capturing me did them any good as it wasn’t my real body, but the damage was done, the seal broken and the Demon King released, though they hid this knowledge from the Clan, claiming that the riders who had died have given their lives valiantly protecting the seal. He was much weaker than he had been when we had sealed him away, but still dangerous, and unfortunately I wasn’t a match for him any more. Manifesting a body takes a great deal of my power, especially given the state that my real body is in, leaving little magic for anything else, and the sudden return of the remainder of my power with the breaking of the seal actually made it worse as I wasn’t able to receive it properly. As I said, I am way past my time. So since his unsealing I have been doing what I can in the background to thwart the actions of his followers, to slow down his recovery as much as possible, but with each year it has become harder and harder. These last few months are the most active I’ve been in a long time.”

“But there was a silver lining to all of this as well. The breaking of the seal meant that the magic of Dawn and Hellfire were also released, soaring out into the world to find their rightful hosts. Souls reincarnate after all. Powers of that level the Demon King can sense though, so I had to move quickly. Turned out Hellfire wasn’t going to be an issue, as it couldn’t awaken without the right condition on the body, so it just naturally slept within Myne, out of his sight, manifesting as something else. It also took me nearly a year to find her. Dawn on the other hand was a problem, the magic glowing out of baby Izen like a beacon to the Demon King. His minions in the Clan actually got to him first, killing his birth family and taking him away, but I was just behind and was able to rescue him before they got far. The magic was having a hard time settling in, threatening to awaken straight away, so I did the only thing I could, and sealed the magic away inside him using a portion of my own. It worked, but that was also the last time that I was able to perform any significant magic with my avatar. Hence why the awakening for Izen was so messy. I needed to use rituals that I had setup long in advance, a little bit at a time. They were too cocky, and didn’t notice what I was doing.”

‘And that’s why we’ve been awake with you this entire time,’ commented Light as Lyrissa took another short pause.

“And that brings us to the now,” Lyrissa finished.

“That’s a lot to absorb,” Alice commented, the party as a whole looking somewhat overwhelmed with the information.

“It sort of makes sense though,” Izen mused. “It also lines up with the murals above, though I assumed you directed their creation.”

“That I did,” Lyrissa answered, nodding.

“So, if Zorthac hadn’t captured me then the Black Hellfire wouldn’t have awakened within me?” Myne queried of Lyrissa.

“Yours is one of the strangest magics of them all,” Lyrissa answered. “For Mandy it directly changed her, but she was an adult already at that time, and as you will know for most cases you have to have been through puberty before your magic awakens. So it just slept, naturally hiding itself. I had wondered if it would change you when it awakened, but instead it decided to manifest itself only in part in the form of Dragon Rider magic, which actually surprised me. There is a lot about the magic that is still unknown, and the primal magics seem to even break those rules, though some, as was the case for Izen, appeared to still hold true.”

Myne nodded, crossing her arms.

“Only appear?” Izen asked.

“I don’t know if you changed because the magic dictated it, or if because that is what you really were inside. It would certainly make for an interesting study.” Lyrissa grinned.

“Oh.” ‘There could be some truth to that,’ Izen thought to herself.

‘Probably more than anyone realizes,’ Light added, with an amused smile on her little dragon face.

“So… you want us to take down the Demon King then?” Alice finally asked. They had all been thinking it, but not ready to have to face that reality yet.

Lyrissa looked solemn.

“With great power comes great responsibility. But, even in his weakened form you are currently no match for him and his circle of followers.” Lyrissa sighed. “You’re just too inexperienced, and your magic is being much more cautious this time. Last time, even though we were also new to the magic we had had a life of combat experience, and the support of those that remained. Both of those you lack. It can’t be the same as last time either, as the world cannot afford another war like that. He needs to be stopped, and you all will have to be the ones to do so. Not necessarily by yourselves, but yes, that task has been placed on your shoulders. I am sorry, but it is what it is.”

“There is no one else who can take him on?” asked Kyla, fear showing in her eyes.

“There will be others who will try, and others that can help you, but there is no one else that has the potential that this group has. The Core only ended up giving out the three primal magics, and there were none further when it shattered.” Lyrissa looked sad again. “In the end it will have to be you lot.”

“I don’t know if we have a choice, but that is a heavy burden to bear,” Alice said, looking straight at Lyrissa.

“It is.”

“What will you do now?” asked Izen.

“I have almost no time left unfortunately,” Lyrissa answered, leaving it at that.

Izen thought back to everything that she had seen so far, of the decimated villages, and the demons that were now wandering the land. Of what had been done to Myne. Of how Kyla had been treated, and the attitude of the guild leader at Bluemoon. Of how life had been and what it was now, and what she now had. Deep within her she knew what her response had to be.

“I can’t speak for any of the others,” she said, rising and speaking with certainty, “but I will do what I can to stop the Demon King. I don’t know how, but I will try.” She also knew that she’d probably be regretting those words tomorrow, but she had to make that commitment.

Myne stood as well, taking Izen’s hand as she faced the Witch, her eyes fierce and determined. “Izen will not be alone. Besides, I owe Zorthac a world of pain for what he did to me.”

“Heh.” Laphir grinned, an amused look on his face. “And we will give them our aid and support. That is, after all, why you brought us together and here, and we will see it through to it completion.” Shino and Alice nodded in agreement.

Kyla pulled her legs up to her, reigning in the fear that was indeed screaming through her. Izen’s words were coming truer and truer every day, and she even now had an additional question for her, but she still wanted to be with them all. She would not let herself waver.

“I do not know what I will be able to offer, but I will also help how I can.” Kyla stated.

Lyrissa smiled softly at them.

“I thank you for commitment,” she said. “Please make the Academia de Magica your home. While it is run down, it will serve you well. But for now, I must again sleep.”

With that, the little girl vanished, the room quiet again save for the background hum of what she had called technology.

Alice sat amongst the rubble on the western wing of the highest floor, gazing at the stars in the sky. What they would be facing now was unlike anything they had ever done before, and likely just as everyone else felt, she was terrified. Yes, they had told the Witch that they would do it, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t human and didn’t feel fear. The stakes had been high, and now they were even higher, and nothing would ever be the same for them again.

After Lyrissa had gone back to sleep they had waited for a bit before returning to the ruins proper, talking amongst themselves about what they had learned from her and exactly what they had said actually meant. Izen and Myne had both had dealings with the Demon King, be it directly or indirectly, so they had had at least a taste of what they were stepping into, and they were certain in their commitment. As for the rest of them, thier interaction was limited to Myne’s rescue at the village, but they did know that, like it or not, they were now intertwined in it all, so better to accept Fate’s deal rather than fight against it.

Even though they had thoughts on what their next steps could be, they were unsure of what their overall plan would end up being, so they had spent the rest of the day coming to terms with where they were currently at. Seeing that the ruins would likely be their home for a while Laphir and Alice had walked the ruins again with that in mind, seeing what utility rooms they should look at repairing and what other rooms they would repurpose. They were now seeing the ruins in a different light, and there was indeed a lot of potential here, and in the near future they would look at bringing the contents of their wagon here as well, as there was a lot of useful stuff in it that would make life a little easier here. Shino and Kyla went back to training, though it was only on combat basics, as Kyla had no confidence in her magic at all. Alice sensed that Kyla’s power wasn’t as weak as she believed it was, but that mindset had been born due to the abuse she had suffered. Once she was able to accept herself again, she would be able to draw out her true potential. Izen and Myne had gone out to gather food and other supplies from the surrounding area, before then going up onto the collapsed section to work on their magic when they had returned late in the afternoon. They really were a cute couple, a perfect match for each other. She had been a bit surprised when she had first learnt about it when Izen had come to them for help, which wasn’t that long ago, but even then she had thought it cute. Myne did seem to be the slightly more dominant one, not surprising given her confidence as a Rider. Not that she was a rider any more though.

Alice had woken in the middle of the night to find the child Lyrissa standing over her, requesting that she come down and see her again, and alone, before vanishing again. Being careful not to wake her companions, she had done so, finding that the seal on the underground level had opened again, as it had shut behind them when they had previously left. The walk down the stairs alone was eerie under the iridescent light. There was no avatar to meet her in the room when she arrived, just the constant hum of the contraptions there, so she walked over to what Lyrissa had called the stasis chamber. Lyrissa had opened her actual eyes as Alice had approached, dull and tired, and she had lifted her hands to the surface of the chamber, Alice replying in like.

‘Thank you for coming child.’ Lyrissa had said directly into her mind. ‘My time is at and end.’

‘You didn’t tell them everything did you?’ asked Alice, though she already knew the answer.

‘No, I couldn’t. Some things they did not need to know, and perhaps this time it will be different. No, this time it will be different. Everything has changed.’ There was both certainty and sadness in her voice.

‘But that is not why I called you here. They will need all the help they can get, and we cannot afford my power being reborn from the start – we do not have 20 years spare to wait for the host to mature. So, I would like to try something. I want to gift my magic to you.’ Lyrissa’s voice was almost pleading, but with the conviction that she knew what had to be done.

‘Is such a thing even possible?’ queried Alice.

‘We’ll find out soon enough. I have been toying with this possibility for a while, and have already prepared the necessary rituals. All I need from you is your willingness,’ answered Lyrissa.

It hadn’t taken Alice long to reach her decision. ‘I will do so, but why me? Surely Laphir would have been a better choice.’

‘He is indeed a capable warrior and I had considered him, but your skill and knowledge with magic itself and it ritualistic application is far superior to all of your peers. You’ll be able to adapt to it much sooner and be able to draw out more of its potential, and you are also more compatible to it than he is. And you’ll be able to help Myne and Izen learn more about theirs as well. But, please do not tell them about you having the power until the time is right.’ Even in death Lyrissa still wanted to operate in secrecy.

‘As you wish,’ said Alice.

‘Thank you.’ Lyrissa had then said, as she then activated the rituals for the transfer, the power hitting Alice like a hammer as it flowed into her from the body in the chamber, consuming her diamond as it fused with her being. When the transfer had completed Alice had collapsed to the floor of the room, the glow of the ritual fading away as the lights from all of the contraptions in the room also faded, leaving the room silent. It had taken all of her effort just to make it back into the ruins themselves, but then unable to go back to sleep she had managed to drag herself up to the collapsed western wing to look at the night sky and think over what had just happened. She had never in her wildest dreams expected something like this to happen. It shouldn’t have even been possible, but yet it had. Obviously a thousand years of living does indeed teach you some things. Alice could feel the power flowing through her now, one with her, but she knew it would take a while for her to adapt and learn how to use it. She hoped that she would still be able to do everything that she had previously been able to do, as that would make life a little easier. At the least now the party had all three primal magics, even if they were missing all of the knowledge that had belonged to the previous host of the Dusk power.

Myne woke up with a start, Izen still sleeping soundly, snuggled up beside her. She could sense Lyrissa had just died, her long life at an end. However, she also knew that her power was still nearby, the resonance between all three now stronger than it had ever been, the magics calling to each other as Dusk settled into its new host. She smiled to herself, realizing what had just happened, before then snuggling back down with Izen, and falling back to sleep.

mogust

And that concludes chapter 6. It wasn't quite what they were expecting, especially for the legendary Witch. But all is never what it seems. Now they really are intertwined in it all, but it is one thing to say that you'll take out the Demon King, and another thing to actually do so.

What will their next step be?

All will be revealed in Chapter 7 - Darkness Rising. :)

Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment.