The Demon Empire’s capital city, Darigon, was built in middle of a great ocean. From a lonely outcropping of ancient ruins that stood against the waves, it grew first by floats and pontoons, then it floated by the strength of the demon emperor’s magic. From there he plotted his conquest, and protected their world’s secret. Beneath the palace, down through the tunnels of the original island, was a deep dungeon built by humanity’s forefathers. In its darkest place, the lowest chamber, was a power that could surpass the emperor’s dark magic.
From the center of an arcane circle, Prince Akaron Velsado, one and only heir to the Demon Empire, cast his spell. “Light Magic: Orb of Light, Level 3,” he spoke the words that would bind the elements to his will. A globe of light appeared in his outstretched hand. It shined to all corners of the hall, banished the darkness and revealed those cloaked around the circle. There were sixty of them, faces hidden beneath black hoods. Velsado tossed the orb gently and it floated to a fixed position above him.
“It’s larger than I imagined,” a man said as he approached the prince. He kept his feet outside the circle. “This door to the underworld.”
Prince Velsado pulled back his own hood. He was a beautiful man. His tan, handsome face had just the right proportions and his short, soft golden hair was the perfect shade and length. His body, hidden beneath his dark robe, was slender and fit, made strong by his training. He was not as tall as his father at just six-feet, but he cut a courageous figure. Those that followed him into the dungeon knew there could be no better hero.
“These halls were made for giants,” Velsado said and flashed a white smile, “doors like these are fit only for the ancients, and men of our caliber. Behold the power granted to us Warriors of Light… the Stone of Unsealing!”
By the snap of his fingers a misshapen stone rustled up from the smooth floor. It levitated to a position ahead of the prince. The only thing that distinguished this stone from a chunk of granite was the golden symbol of a key etched on its flat side. The prince gestured with his hand and rotated the key-face toward the gloomy door. It was certainly tall enough for giants, bound by iron chains and innumerable locks.
With this key, I will fulfill my destiny, the prince thought. That is what the white-haired man said. I saw the truth with my eyes, the power I need is definitely here!
“Activate!”
The stone flashed gold and the chains across the door crumbled to dust. Those closest to the door moved immediately to the long bars bolted at human-level. They pushed, hard as they could, and sure enough the door creaked open.
“Thirty will stay behind,” the prince commanded. “The rest are with me, including the lords, and our best warriors. I’ll leave it to you, but make haste!”
The cloaked man who’d spoken earlier nodded. He turned sharply and barked orders with the cadence of a commander. “You two are with me, groups three and four stand guard,” he said, his voice carried to the distant black of the hall far behind them.
The prince and his party ventured into the chamber. There’s no book in the libraries of Darigon that bears mention of this place, the prince thought with a smile. No map, no record of construction, or its exploration. Only the white-haired man knew. Ghost… a strange name, but it’s fitting you’d lead me to this place.
“Prison of the Underworld, Prometheus,” Velsado whispered. He flicked his hand and sent forth the bright orb into the chamber. His eyes rounded with awe.
The circular chamber was as large as the emperor’s court, surrounded by long benches on all sides. It descended, like an amphitheater, to a low point where a broken column stood. The column was wide, at least as wide as the ancient world trees that had lived for centuries. Thirteen black chains, thick enough to bind a dragon, stretched from the walls to the base of the column.
“What power do you think we’ll find, my prince?” a cloaked woman asked.
“When I look at this place, I can only imagine that it’s the root of the world, and that broken column… could it be a spigot?” he answered with the wonder of a child. “We have long asked why so few sorcerers were born. Perhaps these chains are the restraints that keep the world’s magic in check.”
“Then, to defeat the demon emperor…?” the woman wondered.
“We need only remove these restraints and restore what was sealed.”
“Take positions around the room!” the cloaked man from before shouted orders. “This is the rebellion’s most critical moment. Let no one interrupt the prince!”
Members of the rebellion, the demon empire’s one facet of resistance, grumbled, but carried out their duty. They wanted to be near the prince, to see salvation up close. It was unthinkable that anyone could have followed them. The demon emperor was occupied with rioters in the city above, and the demon lords themselves were far from the capital, suppressing distant revolts activated for that very day.
The man removed his hood. He was old, of pale complexion, scarred many times over his face, and most heavily over his right eye. The balding man approached the prince who stood at the foot of the column. “I know that we’ve taken every precaution, but even so…” he whispered urgently.
Velsado saw fear in the red of his left eye. Knight Captain Aglifer, leader of the knights that protected Darigon, knew the power of the demon emperor just as well as the prince.
“I understand,” the prince said and patted Aglifer’s shoulder. It clinked with the sound of the plate armor hidden beneath the cloak. “Against my father, there’s no such thing as being too careful.”
The time was at hand. Ghost had revealed to Velsado the chamber, the key, and the magic that it sealed. He also said that Velsado was the only one that could ‘interface’ with the column. The prince didn’t understand the word, but that could only mean his unique trait, the Eyes of the Sorcerer, would come into play. He smirked; it was funny to think that his cursed eyes, which had brought so much pain to his homeland, would be the tool necessary for saving the world.
With some trepidation the prince raised a quivering hand and touched the stone altar at the column’s base. It scintillated with blue light, excited by his touch. Arcane symbols appeared in blue glyphs on the surface. Although Velsado couldn’t read the symbols, he could understand the intentions behind them: Eyes of the Sorcerer revealed the true forms of nature and men. With it, he could see magic, but he could also understand the intentions of humans, animals, and as he saw, the will of the ancients that came long before him.
“Status: Ark World Configuration Spire destroyed,” he read aloud. “All player accounts suspended. Initiate recovery procedure?”
There were two blue boxes highlighted beneath the question, marked with the arcane symbol Y and N. Y was the symbol for acceptance and confirmation, associated with lost commercial magic found only in books. The prince’s hand hovered over the Y.
“Aaaaaaayyyyck!”
The scream of a comrade pierced the dark hall behind them. The prince turned sharply and heard not another, but two dozen more. They were the screams of his precious allies, men and women of the resistance. For warriors of their strength and skill to fall so quickly, it could only mean one thing.
“No!” the prince shouted, wide-eyed. “It’s too soon!”
“Rangers!” Knight Captain Aglifer took charge. “Ready your skills!”
Bow-wielding warriors took stances with their longbows, drew back their strings with barbed arrows.
“Hawk Eye, Rank 4! Hunter’s Mark, Rank 4! Windshot, on my command!”
The warriors whispered those words quietly. Velsado saw them around the room, their bodies seethed with the green aura of agility-based skills.
“Trueshot Aura!” Aglifer shouted and a bright blue circle flashed, expanded across the room, and disappeared in the blink of an eye. The prince could see its subtle blue hue attached to the aura of the rangers.
“Windshot, Rank 4…” Aglifer said, plated hand held high. “Fire!”
The rangers uttered those final words and their arrows shined emerald green. With perfect aim, enhanced by their skills, they fired arrows into the dark hall. Guided by gusts of wind, they found their mark.
“Aaaaaayyyyykk!”
A long, tearful scream erupted from the hall. There were murmurs of hope around the prince, but Velsado’ heart only sank. His father would never make such a pained cry. A body, hurled from the dark, confirmed the prince’s fears. Arrows snapped from a cloaked warrior’s corpse as it tumbled down into the chamber. Each arrow had found an unfortunate victim.
Black mist rolled out from the hall. Metallic steps that could be concealed by magic were audible to the prince. They were heard, loudly, by everyone. He wants us to know, the prince thought in a cold sweat, he’s coming.
“Rangers, reload!” Aglifer shouted.
Velsado heard bows knocked back, readied.
“Windshot, Rank 5… fire!”
There were many spells and many physical acts, called skills or arts, in Velsado’s world. Levels of strength were delineated between spells by levels, while skills and arts had ranks. Skills as low as rank one were difficult for a child, but could be executed. They became exponentially more difficult to use from there. Rank 5 was the highest a natural-born, exceptionally-trained human could execute. The rangers serving Velsado were the best among the demon army’s traitors.
Brilliant green lights streaked through the air, the force of the wind guiding them was strong enough to blow the prince’s cloak. He shielded his eyes from the dust and prayed to the spirits of magic that they would strike true.
The clatter of metal cracking on metal resounded in the hall. This time, they’d struck the demon emperor’s armor. Velsado fearfully looked up from his wrist. It was a hope, a hope against all hopes, that a mere Rank 5 skill could damage the emperor.
A mere Rank 5, Velsado thought with a hardening face, if the demon emperor could be killed with mortal means, then—! If it was a just a matter of effort, then—!
A man in black plate armor, colored red by the cloak hung over its shoulder, entered the chamber. He stood in the doorway, orange eyes glaring at the creatures assembled there. He said nothing, but his eyes communicated things Velsado understood.
“Is this the pitiful power that fate has mustered?”
Tears welled in Velsado’s eyes. The demon emperor raised his hand. “Channel Negative Energy,” the emperor said in cruel monotone.
Dark light glimmered from his armor and the would-be resistance fighters buckled over the floor. Aglifer vomited bile and blood. Negative energy was one of the two basic forces in their world. It could make an uninitiated feel vertigo, make them sick in the stomach, or feel faint. It was so simple to channel that Velsado had learned it as a child, but the power he could channel then and that of the emperor now was incomparable. If the emperor had cast a single real spell, even at level 1, it would have killed everyone in the room.
The prince, though terrified, was ostensibly trained to be the demon emperor’s successor. He was even trained by the demon emperor himself. He was strong enough to resist, strong enough even to struggle.
“Channel Positive Energy!” the prince shouted. His dark robes shined, black fabric brightened by magic until they turned white. The domain created by his positive energy wasn’t as strong as the emperor’s, but it pushed far enough to reclaim a portion of the room.
Aglifer struggled to stand upright. “Wh-What are you doing?” he stuttered at the prince. “Do what you came here to do!”
That’s right, I shouldn’t be fighting now! The prince turned to the altar. If I just press this glyph, I’ll release the magic of the world! I’ll have the power to face him!
“That’s right,” the demon emperor’s voice emanated within Velsado’ head. “Press the glyph. Fulfill my destiny.”
The prince hesitated.
His destiny?
“Warriors upfront!” Aglifer ordered. “Protect those that can still move! Lady Mayor—!”
“I’m here,” she said and pulled back her hood. Lady Mayor of Darigon, Sil Arthia, was Aglifer’s noble counterpart and the most prominent woman in the rebellion.
“While the prince is occupied, I’ll be relying on you for counter spells,” Aglifer said.
Aritha brandished her wooden staff. “As a wizard, I will do my best.”
The demon emperor raised his right hand. “Dark Summon, Level 7.”
Those words were daggers to the prince’s heart. He couldn’t help but turn his head and witness magic he’d only read of. Level 7, it was something beyond mortals. He could only cast up to 4, and the lady mayor herself Level 2 at most. Magical humans were already rare enough. So, the demon emperor’s power wasn’t the power of men, but of a monster: The glutton of a billion souls.
Five circles of dark light appeared on the floor ahead of the demon emperor and from them materialized five people. They appeared to wear the same black armor as the emperor, highlighted in red by the various fetishes they favored. One had a cape, another a tasseled helm, and so on.
Velsado’s throat felt dry. Impossible… they’re on the other side of the world. How could they be here?!
“Demon Lords,” the emperor ordered. “Kill the traitors, but leave the prince unharmed.”
“By your command,” the demon lords said together.
They looked like men and women, but you couldn’t count them on the same hand. In the prince’s heart, he felt they were of a different species, or a product of a dark pact with the devils of another world. The best of the empire’s soldiers wielded skills of Rank 5, while the demon emperor’s chosen lords….
“Arrow Barrage,” the tall, black-clad lord said solemnly. The arrow knocked in her massive bow shined green. “Rank 8.”
When she let loose her arrow, three dozen more rained from the shadows of the ceiling and pierced those not in the prince’s positive domain. Already doubled over in pain, the prince’s comrades were immediately slain. A thin man and thick-looking woman leapt forward and clashed with the prince’s front-line warriors. Their tower shields were strong and their bodies were reinforced by skills that enhanced their toughness, but one punch from the woman sent them flying, and the swift strikes from the man’s dagger cut their armor to ribbons.
“Defend the prince!” Aglifer shouted and the battle was joined.
“Fireball, Level 2!” the lord mayor yelled and flames gathered in the palm of her left hand. “Destroy the emperor!”
The fireball was a powerful, advanced spell known for its explosive potential. At Level 2 it was at least twice as strong as the basic version and even the prince, capable of Level 4 spells, found it impressive to see. In the end, it was a futile gesture, as he knew. Velsado quivered, because as the smoke cleared, it was obvious that an explosion powerful enough to shake the room wasn’t enough to harm the demon emperor. The tall shield of the fourth demon lord had blocked the attack in its entirety.
A ranger, an assassin, a warrior, and a brawler, Velsado thought, counted the demon lords out. Those were the specializations of the demon emperor’s four lords, but five were summoned. Had he been hiding the fifth lord?
The lord protecting the emperor moved his shield aside. The orange light of the emperor’s eyes fluctuated, as if he were chuckling at his son’s bewilderment.
“Did you think you were the only one?” Velsado heard the emperor’s voice within himself. “Born with the Eyes of the Sorcerer.”
It felt as if the air had been sucked out of his lungs As if, at that moment, the prince stood on another planet, hurtled through the cold of the void on a lump of rock. “You’re lying,” Velsado muttered.
He checked and checked again, searched within himself, but he knew that his eyes revealed the truth of things. The emperor wasn’t lying. Aglifer fell to the ground, a deep cut inflicted on his side. The lord mayor’s staff was broken, her ribs shattered, and her body cast to the floor like a doll. The one who destroyed them both was a woman unlike the other four demon lords. Velsado could see her face.
What lovely eyes, the prince thought. Her blue eyes, like sapphires, glittered with the same magic of his own. She was undoubtedly a sorcerer that rivaled the prince’s power and beauty. Her long, soft golden hair was so similar to his. The features of her face so perfect, like his. She was his equal in all things.
Their eyes met briefly. In the split second before the prince turned and slammed down his hand, activated the glyphs on the altar. The words they conveyed were cold, like the emperor’s own, and rung strangely in his mind.
“He sacrificed everything for our sakes, and you repaid that kindness with betrayal,” she shared in the telepathy only they could understand. A scowl of a rage-filled knight contorted on her face. “I should destroy you.”
“Don’t preach to me about sacrifice,” Velsado thought as the skittering glyphs disappeared. “This chamber is painted in the blood of my comrades!”
The thirteen chains that clung to the broken pillar crumbled. The stone stump flickered with mana, first a glimmer, then a torrent. Light magic surged toward the ceiling, illuminated everything in a golden glow, and revealed the ceiling was no dome, but a tunnel to the surface.
Velsado chuckled to himself, enamored with the overwhelming mana. Its power appeared endless and unfathomable to his truth-telling eyes. It was power enough—more than enough—to destroy the emperor.
“Many died to get me this far, but it was not in vain!” he shouted. “Victory will be mine! The empire will be free!”
“So, you’ve activated the recovery procedure,” the demon emperor said. “It’s just as Ghost predicted.”
Ghost? Velsado turned to face his father.
“I thank him for all he’s done for us,” the emperor continued. “Without his guidance, I would never have known of the configuration spire or the location of our wretched creators.”
Destiny, that was what he said. Velsado remembered. He knew I would do this. No, Ghost pushed me to do it. They were working together!
“I am sorry, Akaron,” the emperor said in a somber, sympathetic tone. Velsado wouldn’t believe it was his father speaking were it not for the flicker of truth in his orange eyes. “I will make them answer for their cruelty.”
“Cruelty?!” the prince cried. “Don’t make me laugh! My country, my family—you killed millions! You’re a monster! This world is cruel because of you!”
“None of us had a choice,” he said and drew his black-steel longsword from the scabbard at his hip. “Call it destiny, or fate, or the chains of our scripts, we were slaves to the parts we played. You, the hero, and I, the villain.”
The prince turned and tried to reach for magic surge with his hand, but found he couldn’t move his arm. He looked down and saw golden cracks breached the surface of his robes. Wind rushed out through the cracks, as if there was nothing within but a void.
“The power of the configuration spire was never ours to wield.”
Velsado’ stared at the emperor. He tried to open his mouth, but it wouldn’t budge. The energy that whistled out from his spreading cracks must have been caused by opening the seal. Can you save me? He wondered and with last of his breath searched for truth in the emperor’s eyes.
“I cannot save you,” the demon emperor said, “but I can avenge you.”
Velsado saw a flash of light and the image of the demon emperor standing in the grand doorway, surrounded by his demon lords, was burned into his eyes. Slowly, the still image faded to blackness, as all the sounds and feelings of the world disappeared. He felt pitiful as he found comfort in the emperor’s parting words.
“I will avenge this world.”
