This feeling is different. The chambers chronologically close as his mind races. The images become clearer, however, the more he relaxes. What is it that has him reflecting on the events that happened in the ruins of Grandeur? Those demeaning things that changed his heart and the feelings of those around him.
"Panalin? Are you there?" His mind reflects on a lost memory.
"Im here, my friend. Come. Meet me by the Balour Gates."
The two shuffle off through the town of Grandeur. A massive community with large statues of fallen heroes and structures that stretch out as far as the eye can see.
Late for training, the two race on.
Laughing ensues as they near their destination.
"Better run faster than that! " They run and jump over and around people and obstacles they encounter.
Emboldened by the ruckus, a darkness appears before them.
It seems to purposefully block their path. As if it knows who they are.
"Panalin?! What on Io's crust?!" The sudden movement lifts him off of his feet and onto his back.
His friend stops and gazes at the spectacle before them.
"Panalin?" He calls out to his friend that seems to be shellshocked and now catatonic. Motion all around them seems to be slowing…and…stretching.
The music playing seems to have been dragging on. Its tone ever so slowly as the pitch lowers to obscurity. The air grows cooler as the darkness surrounds them. The creatures in the area attempt to flee but are caught in some strange flow of time.
Panalin, though unable to move his extremities, looks in horror at his friend.
His friend begins to remember. A time when they were free to roam the cosmos, an alien to foreign worlds, this…they remember. The sounds of chaos fade away as his friend stares into this dense void of darkness. He can see something. This chaos feels familiar as the populace scrambles for cover. Some fall to their knees as others trample the once peaceful grounds. This energy is different. The darkness juts out beams of dark light that bypass the cries and screams it encounters. It embraces the horror and compounds the confusion with a menacing demeanor.
"Panalin!" The others in the background echo his name. He was one of their champions after all. A heralded figure of strength and courage. A shining example of a superior species. A fortunate inhabitant that blessed their world with his bravery and chivalry.
The children run to him and grab hold. Crying uncontrollably, they feel he's their only hope.
"Panalin! Please help us!" The little cry on as Panalin looks on. Still unable to move. His eyes glance over the beckoning children but he can show them no solace.
A siren can heard in the distance bringing warnings to the foreground where the crowd abruptly disperse.
Down the pathways are darkened light that stretches beyond the courtyard and makes its way inland. The light comes in like a fog that targets their homes and businesses. Hi friend can't help but think how this all has come to pass.
"You two! By the children…are you ok? Please move away from that thing! It looks to do us harm!" The old townsman named Idup crassly calls out. "What kind of idiot sits there?! Move your butts, mates!"
The dark energy surrounding Panalin weakens a bit as a figures eyes turns towards the old man. There's someone in this darkness. The figure moves towards the old man as Idup's right eye glows a brilliant hue of blue light. Idup can see into the emptiness. "Move! Quickly!" He cackles as the figure focuses on him. Panalin, sensing the opportunity, breaks free of his conditions and aims for the old man.
"It's right there, Panalin!" The old man points.
Panalin touches the ground and feels for sudden movements since the area has cleared out.
A small smooth scraping sound can be heard as the ground barely moves. A small flash of light slashes the air as the old man runs as quickly as he can to the wizards quarters.
The slash barely misses him as Panalin is able to push the blade as quickly as he see it flash.
"Keep running, Idup! Headed to the lower chamber! Kidus will help you from there!"
Without a word, Idup continues his jaunt to the old towers.
The figure tries to create more darkness so it can travel freely but Panalin is starting to understand the need for the darkness.
Instead of running in it, he flies over it and glides towards the old tower to block the path of this alien invasion.
"Everyone! Stop running! Grab as much light as you can! Get the wind masters ready and have them surround the courtyard!"
The dark being hastens towards the old towers but is met with a small group of civilians. It slashes threw the gathering and keeps pace with Idup.
Why is it after him. What would be the need? Why did his eye respond to the darkness in such a way?
Panalin, standing between the entrance of the old towers and the oncoming darkness, spaces out those ready to fight.
"Something tells me this isn't the fight." Panalin remembers talking to his friend about battle strategies years ago. How ironic it is to see this day unfold. He turns towards the entrance and gathers the dispersed energy in the area.
"Are you the one with the Enchanted Sword of Judgement?" A eerie voice crackles.
"What of it?" Panalin rebuts.
"It belongs to the celestial beings that resides in the nebulae clouds of creation as the legend goes. How exactly did you obtain it?" The voice expands as it echoes around the hero.
"Now why would I tell you that?" Panalin snubbed. "Instead of meaningless chatter, come find out!"
The hero grinned as he stretched his hand towards the heavens. A swirl of magic and clouds trailed down upon his arm and births a sword. This sword is the Sword of Enchantment Cancellation. Such a sword can inhibit one's power for one cycle. With each successive strike, the time increases and begins to atrophy its victims' magical abilities. The dark being steps from the shadows and looks upon the magical item.
"Ahhh, so you are who I'm looking for. I've known several with your ability but only two to wield this power. Perhaps there's more to this entertainment than I'd anticipated. Be sure to bleed for me…slooooowly!"
Its silhouette grows and projects the image of a beautiful woman fully naked and tempting to the average male.
"Do I not please your eyes, brave warrior?" The voice changes its pitch and sounds more feminine but crackles with each word.
The hero looks for a moment and laughs.
"Detestable creature. Do you think I've not laid eyes on a beautiful woman before? Such trickery shall not work on me!" The odd being is confused but determined. As the hero begins his assault, the being changes its "assets" to become more voluptuous. It moves away from the blow and lies on the ground. Fully exposed. "Surely you'd show mercy, then?" The creature strikes a seductive pose as its voice clears a bit to sound more humanistic.
"Foul beast!" The hero charges on swinging and striking a blow to limit the enemy's magical abilities.
"Ha! That's one!"
The creature retreats into the shadows and calls out to Panalin.
"Come. More. Come. Attack me. I'm over here." The voice bounces from one side of the courtyard to the other. The townspeople stayed hidden in the magical towers…all but one.
"Are you a fool, old man?! Get inside before you're killed!"
"I can't."
"Why not?!"
"Because he cannot see without me!"
The townspeople notice an odd blue aura surrounding Idup and Panalin. The wise man knows Panalin's weakness is lowlight. So, to help him keep pace with dark foes, Idup syncs with Panalin's soul. It's an age-old ability passed on for several generations. One of the original magical blessings bestowed upon humanistic beings.
The creature, sensing something odd, begins to throw random attacks towards the tower. Faint flashes interrupt the impact and causes the enemy to halt its assault. The being strokes its chin and gazes about. It starts to listen for footsteps. The small force that came with it are instructed to hold its position. Idup, growing tired from holding still, tosses an exploding gemite into the air. On explosion, he repositions himself and stays cloaked. The creature taps its head and hisses. The hisses are used like echo location and bounces off of everything within the surrounding structures. Aware of what's happening, Idup tosses multiple explosives towards the being. It quickly moves towards the tower and urges its comrades to accompany it. During the pursuit, small flashes disrupts the fierce raid. They dance about the battlefield, flicker and disappear. Intrigued, the dark being cast shadow magic, ElSpecter Cataclysm. A dark spell that freezes time for a few seconds and causes everything it touches to debuff its defenses by 15%. Idup recognizes the spell and cloaks to conceal his movement. The strange flashes follow his trail and strikes the cloak. Upon impact, a dark silhouette can be seen; revealing Idup's previous location. The flash enhances the density of the camouflage but does show a trail of "suspended movement". The motion is seen ever so briefly but just enough to make out a small, bearded figure. The others spread out and keep parallel to the small army. Some offer support by using holy magic known as Runea spells. These spells are exclusively used in this region due to the original arcane mage's mastery of it. It is what powers the tower and it is the strongest known magic here.
"Primitive lechers! The foulest of beasts to unfurl my rampage shall fall victim to their own ploy!!!" The ground seizes as the magic dispersed ends its effect range. The others fire randomly each time the army advances.
"Keep them distracted! The tower mustn't be breached!" Just then, a strange black and purple portal slowly forms in front of the frenzied assailants. "Quickly! Get behind them and use your shields to push them ahead!"
"What manner of sorcery is this?! " The shadowy demon bellowed.
"Now, Idup!"
"So, this is why you ran ahead!"
The portal swallows the charging horde and displaces them into another dimension.
A strange flash pulsates as the portal closes and the town celebrates.
The hero feels an odd sensation coursing through his body.
"What happens next, Meiga?!" The voice of excited children can be heard throughout the lands. The sound of something disconnecting within the townspeople echoes as Meiga ends his imagery projecting the events of his adventures.
"Meiga, we better get back." Kerelia interrupts.
Meiga nods and stands as he pats the children before him. The scrollsmen sits idly by as the group continue their journey.
"Tell me, Meiga. How did you acquire your power?"
Meiga stops for a moment to reflect on his tenure as a magical being. "Perhaps, my friend, that's a story for another day." Meiga leans down and taps the ground. A familiar sound can be heard in the distance. Sort of like a pinging sound as if a location had been discovered. "For right now, we have a sword to find that will help determine the fate of this world." He looks up as a light shines towards the path of the hidden sword. He opens his cloak to reveal the cosmic energy within as they teleport to the fabled grounds.
As they take up arms, Meiga asks.
"Have you ever heard of Theolonius Ageis,of the Grandeur tribe, Rea's son?" The group look at one another and are clueless to this name. Meiga smiles and points to a fork in the road leading to the hidden sword. An old stone remains…as old as time. It seemed to be a tombstone of sorts but the structure is cracked a bit. The stone reads: Here lies The…Age…Of…Rea…son. A brave nobleman bestowed upon this world to hold true the honor of leadership, devotion of spirit and courage of the gods before him.
May his adventures never end…
The others pause and wonder for a moment.
Perhaps this is just the beginning, they thought. So much more needs to be learned. The scrollsman points to the heavens and slowly dissipates into stardust. Meiga raises his hand and ascends towards the nebula clouds. As he does, he slowly dissipates as well. Just as he does, a brilliant array of stars form around him as he expels his energy and becomes the Crab Nebulae. Now, one with the cosmos again, his adventure ends. The others can only look on as the fight continues.