EXPLAINER SKIP TO STORY BEGINNING TO SKIP THIS
"Contains a lot of mistakes for now write till you cant write no more than maybe edit it ......"

Give me just a moment; let me gather my thoughts,
Hmm I had it right here… ah here we are
Oh! Pardon my rudeness and let me introduce myself. My name is Bishop and I am a scholar and researcher in Sondira in the city of knights. I have dedicated my life to the mysteries of magic and all its secrets, History is an important thing you can learn from it, grow from it, the records of our past remind us of where we’ve been and can be an indicator of the future.
So we can better understand the gravity of what’s happening now and what’s to come, let us start this story and it’s history from the beginning…

SONDIRA

A steam-punk world of gears, steam and magic. A big city made of brass and stone, mixed with rich Elven culture.

Sondira; the world of the Elven giant floating structures, great forests with strange creatures, some of which being the size of buildings.
Precious stones are used to fuel and run vehicles, the source of power of things in everyday life and even used with weaponry.
The world is filled with old ruins and technology lost and forgotten, the cities in this world are different in how they appear and function to what you might be used to. Enclosed biomes occupied by snow and sand, others filled with forests and mountains whilst some hide vast oceans beneath their inconspicuous exterior.
The animals and monsters differ greatly as each environment is (so vastly different causing the animals to adjust in) these parts of the world, I would even say they can be monstrous and fighting…
To oversee all of these things are many rulers with their many jurisdictions but the king is the true leader for these lands.

THE KINGS HONOR GUARD
Ah subject I’m very well versed in as I have personally worked and dealt with the king and his guard on a regular basis so…
The king’s honor guard is broken up into several divisions these include.
A.P.S.R The Advanced Parkour Steampack Regiment
These foot soldiers are the main infantry used first in all military situations these soldiers utilize advanced packs that use a series of gears that work together to alter pressure stored in canister using temperature changes to change the presser of steam that’s stored allowing the user to shoot quick bursts of pressurized steam to swiftly move at accelerated speeds this allows the soldiers to advance very well in a terrain or even use roof tops to get ahead of an enemy.

A 10 meter tall brass geared mechanical armored spider this is war machine used in holding down positions,
One of its key features is once the movement core over heats the encased core ejects out of the top of the geared spider spraying the core with a cooling agent lowering its temperature storing pressurized steam then dispersing the hot steam in a wide 25 meter radius burning its enemy’s, along with it advance steam engine the brass monster is capable using a coil mounted on a spinning rail allowing it the fire bolts of lightning like a flame thrower.

MAGES
The Mages existed at time… You could say they do now in a sense I often wondered what they were like but now I know in a sense.

But I already know I’ve seen a many things I’ve felt them seen them or was it just my thoughts and imagination playing with my old mind, ha-ha
Are they just sitting there at the back of my subconscious? I get this feeling I can see its fragments its puzzle pieces, pieces you can find though knowledge and books does that sound crazy to you?
From what history has left us behind I know this much, the mages were a rare sight even back in the early years,
A mages trade mark features were brown hair and eyes, and of course there natural ability to take in magical energy and use this ability hurt, kill or help others, sure I believe they were like anyone else they were like us I many ways,
Sharing love, giving hate, protecting others, helping others, just like the rest of us the only difference is the power they hold, the power no person should ever hold in their hands,
But I also believe that power will save us all,
Our people do not share the features of mage, the brown hair and eyes were so foreign to us you could say they stood out, closest thing to mage now days is a member the royal Royal Family a direct bloodline to mages of the past, not that it matters, magic is absent in our world after all.

MAGIC
The magic the knowledge is there but to put it into a usable function is beyond us, some of what have learnt is,
All Magic has a set effects these include, Boosting increasing reflexes and speed above normal, side effects are apparent,
Element Change applying an effect to an object such as fire, ice, strengthening a weapon making harder or lighter, lowering and raising temperatures and altering a materials property’s seem to be key to this spell.
Inner Materialism adds Magical boosters such as rapid healing & strength increases for short periods of time at a cost, It seems burning of high amounts of energy and forcing the body to perform increased functions long term would shorten one’s life span not mention the toll on the heart or is that all part of it? Hmm,
Burst Magic using magic to allow movement at the blink of an eye which leaves magic vapor which looks like floating colored particles, color of the particles depends on the Mage,
Also a feature of Burst Magic is allow movement of air pressure meaning the caster can block large objects or even knock something back, this veil covers the body allowing fast movement which prevents harm to one’s body, I wonder if this could be applied to another such as holding hands while preforming the spell?
Accelerator is Magic that can absorb and boost an example of this is the spell can be used to take mana from magic object and refresh the users lost mana,
Another example is a user can take injuries from someone else, boost effect can increase spells that are already active or even increase the output on and object that uses energy,
Allowing one to take on injury’s from another does this apply to old injuries or even scar tissue?

DRAIGH
Now this is one of the most interesting subjects these dragon like creatures known as the Draigh they can form pacts, like a magical contract of sorts, this allows the user to obtain powerful forms and enable them to use unique spells; this is referred to as Mixing. Mixing allows two or more spells to be combined, creating strange and occasionally unpredictable effects.
But not all magic can be combined - such as Light & Void Magic. Due to the contradictory nature of the incompatible elements involved, the resulting mixture has been known to kill unsuspecting mages from the negative effects.
Each new type of magic can only be obtained by forming a pact with a Draigh or finding a Knowledge Stone. Example of new types of magic White and Black Draigh’s which are rare contain Light & Void Magic’s, there are other types of them as well such as Fire, Ice Wind, ect. (these magics can only be learned from a Draigh, consequently discuss their inherent nature to be exclusive and not necessarily rare or “new”)
The number of pacts that can be formed depends on the person’s ability and magical power, being dependent on their mental stamina and ability to recall the required incantations. the highest on record is 3, each pact allows the user to wield a Draigh’s Mantel known as the weapon above the dragon as the weapon is stored in the mana stone fused to a Draigh’s skull, this weapon is one of many physical forms of the Draigh,
In some cases the person can even summon the Draigh itself at a great penalty, the weapons color & power depends on the Draigh,
Only one of these weapons may be be used at a time, I believe this a rule put in place by the Draigh themselves as to why is uncertain, they are indeed a very interesting race.

MAGUS

Ah, now for something that breaks the rules of magic itself: the Magus. These are rare beings – above even in the hierarchy of mages that are brought into the world once every 2000 years,
The Magus normally rules/governs over mages in the old days as they had direct connection to the Worlds Guardians who give direct instructions in times of need through the Magus, there is next to no information on the Magus’s as a lot of information was lost during the stone wars.
The Magus are said to be able to create mages through a bonding ritual it is thought of as marriage, it’s believed the receiver is gifted a magical item as proof of the bonding,
Lastly I’t is said that when a Magus is born and brought into the world an event occurs this referred to as The
Rebirth Effect, but some cases some other creatures have enter our world using this method.

WORLD GUARDIANS

The World guardians, this faction is responsible for creating the universe itself they control all magic & world travel and can even bring people though different worlds after the Mana Stones are destroyed by gathering magic over time.
Along with their long list of rumored ability's they can also create mages & are responsible for creating the Magus for world changing events,
There over all motives are unclear but they only get involved if necessary, it is said when you are in contact with them the person feels as if there floating & falling in a dream type state, there appearance is pretty much a mystery, but those who have claimed to have been in contact at some point record it as they look like a gathering a floating transparent dark colored human shaped figures.

THE MANA STONE S

These stones are tree shaped crystals that gather magic from Mana a plane which all magic exists and leaks it into the world it inhabits allowing magic to be used around the world,
The Stones are the size giant buildings and there shape and color depends on the world itself, these stones are destroyed in the new world in which this story takes place,
The Stone can reformed by using the Mana Alter and the user travels to the plane of Mana were the person has to pass the stones masters test to obtain a Mana Seed, in which all Mana Stones are made from,
Only a Magus can take these tests and that also explains how hard and twisted these tests maybe since no Magus has ever returned for them.

BOREALIX

The Borealix a rot the spreads throughout the world vile hateful race that kill, destroy and conquer,
The Borealix are evil looking creatures that have black, red and green scale types as skin, some of the more older types have been said to have small horns and spikes all over their bodies, spreading as if they were infected with some illness,
As the Borealix mature they can sometimes partly become more like the worlds inhabitants this has often lead to the name The Seed race, in this case its possible for them to breed among a world inhabitants as there bodies adapt,
The Borealix were responsible for trying to conquer the world of Sondira, and failed due to the Magus and Mages of that time destroying the Mana Stones making that world useless to them,
The Borealix travel between worlds and take over them as they go, utterly destroying the inhabitants of those worlds in the process, not all worlds have Magical Power and are often ignored,
Only Borealix stragglers remain in those worlds often leaving monster story’s through history such as the boogie man ect,
The World Guardians see them as a huge threat, mainly due to fact that they had attained a natural ability that allows them to forcefully take magic’s from a user,
This ability became a problem after a Borealix from ages past had taken magics from a World Guardian and allowing the race to advance further unnaturally then intended,
The Borealix main goal is to gain enough Magical Power from each world to open a gate way to enter the world of The World Guardians and take their place as GODS,
There are many different types of Borelix ranging from the Mindless Grunts all the way up to their dangerously intelligent Overlords.

CHARACTERS

Anderfel Winters
He is a 18 year old human from Current Day Earth, his mother supposedly to have died at child birth and his father raised him and was murdered when Anderfel was 16, he currently lives by himself in the house his family left him, he attends his final days off school in the start of his story,
Anderfel has sense of justice and often protects others even if he had not met them before. He believes if you could protect those who could not protect themselves, and then you should,
Due to the fact he could not help his dad when he got mudered, it made Anderfel angry with himself and often caused him to lash out and get into many fights,
Anderfel is 26 years old by the end of the story and is a caring person and will help people in need regardless of his personal health, he has bad habbits of pointing out things people should not mention, and randomly says odd and strange things along with using his magic to sometimes play pranks that can go overboard, he gains the ability to use magic after the starting events that set him on the path of a Magus
Anderfel thinks he suffers from hallucinations due to his family history, he suffers nightmares, and in the beinging he is closed off with his feelings giving a sense of not caring, the nightmares he sees sometimes come to pass.
Anderfel wears a brass brown trench coat that stops at his knees, it has a silver leaves pattern from the right shoulder curving round to his right leg his jacket gains 3 sword sheaths around his waist on the coat later in the story the 3 sword cases are for one sword which Anderfel uses with marshal arts , he wears his right sleeve up round his elbow and has 2 thin silver bracelets with 2 pink gems in them which he obtains after becoming a magus, he has short brown hair with styled look and brown eyes, he has a street brawl fighting style and he often ends up in fights over others, He often says when facing impossible odds (You got to fall to have it all) which you could say it’s his motto.
Iris Faylen
She is a blond elven woman with a messy top knot with a fringe coming from the left side of her face, she normally wears a hood and her ears are pointed back and longer than normal,
She has blue and brown eyes, she has many scars all down her back and top of her legs, causing her to wear more clothes than most,
Iris hates her scars to point being really self-conscious those scars are from her time in a renegade fighting slave company called 8th Mercenary Cohort,
Due to her many attempts at escaping the 8th Mercenary Cohort, the company they often beat her and sexually abuse her,
She has a cold and quite personally due to her 5 years as slave in the 8th Cohort until Anderfel frees her for saving his life during one of her escapes,
She wears a long sleeved jacket its black and brown , it stops at her mid chest and has an under shirt that’s dark red the jacket has shoulder brace with a strap going across her shoulder and down to her waist to a small bag,
She is a master swords woman, and can use any kind of daggers or swords her fighting style is defensive focusing more on blocking and openings she learnt all her skills from the 8th Mercenary Cohort she travels and lives with Anderfel after he first arrives in Sordoia, and frees her from the 8th, Rin teaches Anderfel how to fight with swords as she feels she owes a debt, which leads to Anderfel unique fighting style, she is suspected to be half mage, she is 25 years old by the end of the story.

Dominic Lammerts

STORY BEGINNING

CHAPTER 1 - NIGHTMARES

My story starts with flashes of images these images are nightmares my nightmare, there in your face and terrifying,
They start of as quick glances, some of images are of me looking at my hands there covered in blood and behind my fingers there is dark image distorted,
The image is of a person that is injured, dying each image the goes past my eyes changes to different point of view, there so confusing and horrifying.
- “Why do I have to be tormented why can’t I un see it I want to forget”
I can make out a train cart I’m standing at the back of this train, I can’t move only observe I see group of men staring at woman on the train, these men are rough looking people, and I would avoid in them a normal situation.
The atmosphere is hard to read, in the blink of an eye I see the woman again but the scenery is different,
It’s cold, wet the air stinks of piss, the area is rough broken fences patched up windows I can still hear a train, the woman is attacked and murdered. - I feel sick
I awaken from my nightmare; I’m sitting in my bed I’m covered in sweat, I wipe my face; I get out of bed and look at my alarm clock.
- Its 3am shit…
My name is Anderfel Winters, I’m seventeen years old and live in the house left to me by my family,
My father died when I was 14 years old and my mother I’m not too sure about I was too young to remember the details,
I lived with family friends of my father felt bad for me that sort of thing this was for a few years till I was old enough to move out by myself since I preferred to be alone and I wanted to work some thing’s out with myself and now this is currently my situation,
I decide to get out of bed after my nightmare and walk over to my desk on the right side of the room and pick up a photo sitting on top,
The photo is my parents it makes me feel better looking at it.
The moonlight from Anderfel’s window covers his parent’s faces, Anderfel smiles and places his hand on the photo he puts the photo down shortly after.
I better get back to sleep I have a long next couple of days.
Morning came and as usual I ready myself for the day, not saying a word I prepare my clothes, open my fridge and make myself breakfast, you know the usual stuff,
As I’m brushing my teeth I look at myself in the mirror, I step back 3 steps and just stare.
I look messy and my hair is way too long, but what’s the point in caring?
As I leave my home I grab my bag and put on my shoes, tapping the top of my shoe on the ground to help make my foot go in a bit better, as leave the house and turn the lock I’m looking at my hand holding the key, my vision blurs and sways,
- Ah my chest hurts!
The pain I feel is nothing I can compare it too, suddenly everything slows and I hear a pitched nose as if the sound is being lowered and getting deeper is if I was moving faster than everything around me.
- Huh?
I’m standing at my door everything’s is normal as it should be, I’ve being zoning out a lot lately I really need to get some more sleep,
I twist the key in the lock hearing the latch click over, Click
- Ok time to go…
I’m walking to school it’s the day before graduation, there many students around me they are all heading to the same destination excited for the day to come,
As I look around I notice the scenery’s quite nice the street I normally walk up to get to the school is filled with old houses sitting above shoulder height,
The houses are on a cobblestone wall a lot of the houses have cherry blossoms out the front and the pink leaves are scattered all among the ground, It makes me almost want to smile, - I suppose this time of year would be my favorite huh?
The scene changes to a another person’s point of view looking at Anderfel from behind, you see the footsteps of the person following him there female,
Anderfel stops and his eyes widen, he looks back behind him panning left to right, everyone around him just keep walking past heading to there destinations,
- Hmm? It’s just not my morning,
Anderfel continues walking after a few moments of looking around and scratching his head.
I arrived at school and sitting in class half listening to what going on around me in the class room. Anderfel is sitting next to the window with his hand in fist leaning on his face,
he looks spaced out looking out the window, the teacher is going over what he thinks the students be thinking about since schools finishing up for them and what they should be focusing on later in their life’s,

Anderfel blinks and then looks over to his right and of to the corner is a female student with red hair her name was Garnet she is the transfer student that came in 7 months ago which Anderfel thought she was strange always trying to approach him and start a conversation , as Anderfel looks over at Garnet, he notices she was staring at him,
A few of the class mates notice and start whispering looking at Anderfel as he does not normally pay attention to anyone or talk to anyone as he is a complete mystery to everyone who has tried to approach him,
The teacher notices everyone chatting and corrects his breath,
At that moment Garnet noticed Anderfel was looking back at her out of curiosity, so she looked straight ahead acting like she was not looking at him in the first place,
Garnet leans on her hand looking back toward the front of the class room like nothing happened,
As the class was carrying on Anderfel starts nodding off his head was dropping the correcting itself a few of the students notice a laugh quietly,
Anderfel falls to sleep he starts seeing images the same images he sees every time he falls asleep, he suddenly wakes up covered in sweat and screams a short burst, he looks around and sees the class room and everyone looking at him, Garnet was the only one not looking across, Ah shit I muttered to myself as I look around the room.
Anderfel immediately gets up and bows apologizing to the class and tells the teacher he is currently under the weather and would like to head to the infirmary,
The teacher responds that’s fine please make sure and try not to cause any more of a fuss!
Anderfel nods the proceeds to pick up his bag and walks out of the class room, as he starts walking down the hall, the door opens and closes, Anderfel stops
He hears a voice,
- Are you ok?
I turn turns around, it’s Garnet the girl in class that was looking at me, she looked worried strange,
I looked straight at her and said nothing,
Garnet continues talking,
- Are you still having nightmares?
Anderfel face looks confused,
- My life in not your concern and I’m not sure what you’re talking about, and why are you interested in talking with me? I’m not interested in making friends. Garnet reply’s
- I have something I must do…
Anderfel stops Garnet, he starts speaking in a monotone voice
- Look thank you for your concern but I believe our conversation is now concluded I don’t have time for this, I’m leaving.
Anderfel turns and walks away,
Garnet face is shown but her eyes are of view her mouth is open and seems very surprised some tears go down her left side of her face, she leans on the wall and slides down into a sitting position and mutters,
- I’m such an idiot how can I keep my promise if I can’t get close? Am I the right person for this? You are so different to what I remember, what happened to you? It might to far back for this to begin I’m not sure you’re ready, No… I have to see this through.
The scene changes Anderfel is walking the long way back home to clear his thoughts, as he is walking home he looks up to his right and sees a train track, it’s one of those tracks that’s way off the ground with metal beams crossing each other holding up the track’s,
The sun is setting, then suddenly Anderfel gets a flash back of an image that he saw in a nightmare, he starts walking following the path everything seems familiar, the sky darkens and rain starts falling, - I remember this
There is no sound accept the heavy rain crashing on rooftops and metal fences I can hear the footsteps of myself walking through the rain.
I’m looking up at the street lights watching them flicker in the rain, but the light hurts my eyes so I put my hand up, and continue looking at the light through my fingers,
- I’m feeling uneasy
I suddenly hear a sound, and my focus snaps forward to were the sound came from, my face turns to a frown.
Showing the wrinkling of Anderfel’s nose and the smile on his face,
Anderfel then quickly sprints out of the area as if he was excited and certain, leaving only the dark alley where he was standing in a moment ago, a dark figure above where he was standing, on the train tracks under the train line looking down.
Scene changes to a group of known thugs tormenting a woman outside run down shop next a tall bridge with a train station above it,
The group of thugs started standing in wide circle walking back and forth laughing, as if they had gotten a toy, the air around smelt of wet and piss, the noise from the train and the rain hitting the metal of the buildings is loud,
The group had started surrounding a woman who just got off the train, one of the thugs steps forward, his eyes look as if he was on a drugs or insane,
They were wide and focused on the woman in front of him, he smiles licking his lips and then laughs, the thug steps forward a few steps at quickened pace toward the woman.

CHAPTER 2 – ALTERING A PARADOX

A woman is sitting on the train next to the window, the views from outside looking in at her, you see her looking down at her phone typing, you hear a faint noise coming from her earphones it a song, she puts her head back on the seat and listens,
Further down to the back of the train you see only a few of the thugs from before only 2 or 3 of them, there watching her smiling chatting amongst themselves,
As the train cross’s over to a new line the lights flicker and for brief second you see Anderfel standing there watching as if he was a ghost disappearing as quick as he appeared.
Looking up at the bridge as the train pass’s you see Anderfel running beside the train laughing.
The trains announcement starts up, stopping at next station,
The woman gets up and notices the thugs staring at her from the refection in the glass, she freezes then turns her head and looks at them, she makes eye contact they smile at her,
The woman proceeds to get off the train only to be cut off by more thugs at the station, she turns and starts running for the stairs, no one is helping her or even looking her direction,
As she runs down the stairs the final thug of the group cuts her off, she is then left with no choice and jumps the railing,
As she lands she hits someone on the ground knocking them over,
The woman hurt her leg during the fall and starts crawling toward a building in front of her, only to be surrounded by the group, the thug from earlier steps forward as the woman panics and hits the building wall, - Help! Please stop!
The woman is crying tears of fear the thug is at continues he mid-range run when suddenly one of the other members of his group is thrown forward against the building fence to his left, the thug starts slowly coming to a stop and turns his head as his member laying arched on the fence.
- Hmmm? Who’s there? Come out…
Anderfel walks out of the darkness of the train railing is standing there with his hands in his pockets he is covered in dirt with a grin on his face, he laughs,
- I’ve always wanted to do that and I thought he smelt piss, Anderfell then looks at the woman,
- Next time if you want to be saved try not to land on the savior haha, you should properly leave, since I think I’m going to lose this fight I just started, I can’t take this many,” but I’m glad that one of my hallucinations were real to a point.”

The thug in charge looks over at me and shouts out,
- Oh look what we got here…… don’t just stand there you idoits kill him!
I look back at him and think to myself “crap” all of the group charge me at the same time, the look of the faces are just brainless I think I might be ok,
As they get close to me everything seems slow down!?
I grab the first thug to reach me by the right arm at the wrist I pull down on his arm bringing his head forward,
I follow through with my left arm and slam my fist into his head twice, I feel my fist connect with the side of his head Thump, Thump!
- “Good this will be over quickly”,
I quickly slide my left leg under his feet while his arm and wrist are still in my grasp and roll him forward slamming him into the ground,
As I stopped the first thug a seconded was in my face, I had no choice no time to think so I followed through with a straight kick to his chest, as my kick landed I felt my ankle twist slightly, I felt pain as I corrected my footing,
Suddenly all the thugs stop and there leader smiles down at me, and speaks,
- What kind of world do you think we live in boy? There is no rules,
The thug pulls out a mobile phone and places it on his ear and speaks briefly,
- Yeah it’s me, I don’t give a shit get them off there ass’s It looks like we have a little interference,
The leader closes his phone keeping it in his hand as his arm hangs back down to his side, in a matter of seconds a few cars show up sliding into position in the rain and a group of six total get out of there cars they must have been waiting around the corner,
- Crap did that woman get away? I don’t see her that’s good
The group walk towards me, I speak out for them to hear me,
- Funny how you need this many people to beat one guy,
Taunting them will hopefully make them make a mistake, then suddenly without saying a word the leader puts his right hand on his forehead closes his eyes, his left arm raises and comes down quickly in a horizontal line, the group charges me again swinging and punching I gets a few good hits in,
But there just too many to take on at once, after a few hits and jabs to my face, chest and sides,
I notice in my peripherals a knife, I try to dodge but my ankle from before gives way and I get stabbed in the leg,
- Ahhhhh
I see black dots and I can hear my heartbeat boom, boom, boom, boom, my vision is out of focus, I hear this ringing sound, I collapsed on the ground and roll on my back and look up at those around me,
It’s strange there just standing there looking frightened looking skyward towards the train tracks, the group I was fighting are started to running away?
As I pass out I see for but a moment what looked like a creature come down from above,
- I can’t keep my eyes open……
I wake up lying on the ground in the rain on my back I sit up feeling pretty beat up,
I’m is covered in cut and bruises, my ribs hurt and I’m having a hard time breathing from the rain being so heavy,
- What happened here?
As I got up I noticed my leg is not responding too well, I won’t be walking far It hurts quite a bit, as I look around my surroundings I hear cries of fear off to the distance streets there’s quite a bit blood around me,
- This can’t be my blood can it? There’s way too much,
As I push myself up I notice the blood on my hands,
- It’s… not my blood I have to leave,
I started walking toward a bridge the train station goes over a lake, the bridge is close for cover out of the rain, my clothes are all torn up & they covered in blood,
- I’ll rest here a bit… “My eyes shut” I’m having trouble staying awake…
As if it was a moment ago a blink of an eye passes,
I wake to a cry a sound of a struggle off into the distance; It sounds close a hundred meters or so, does someone need help?
- I can’t be of any help like this, what can I do?
I debate over the thought of helping the person or stay put, my injuries are bad I need to go to a hospital, - Ah god damn it
I stand, I have decided to get up and head toward the cry further down,
As I walk and limp I’m looking around at my surrounding’s the storm has damaged a few building, bins and trash lay on the ground, and the blood from earlier has been spread throughout the area,
The noise is coming from a fenced off area an ally way with chain fencing, it looks like the fencing has be torn and ripped from the outside, the noises are defiantly coming from here now I’m sure,
I wipe my forehead getting the sweat and rain out my eyes,
I suddenly hear a series of strange noises the best way to describe them is a set of growls and a metallic noise like tuning fork, the nosie sounds horizontal followed by vertical, and vertical again,
I proceed forward further into the ally, suddenly everything is quite, I look up a lamp mounted on the wall in the ally is flickering on and off randomly, even with the partial light from the lamp nothing seems to around or above me, the ally has a few doors and bordered up windows piceces of brick are missing from the walls but nothing out of the ordinary,
- “Am I mistaken?” I thought I heard something from this direction?
Everything is too quiet, I started breathing heavy something does not seem right, I look left nothing, I look right nothing, I hear a series of tapping sounds they some to be getting louder thump, thump then suddenly before I could even blink an eye the wall in front of me disintegrated as a looming figure passed through the brickwork,
As the sot and fog around what just appeared before me cleared I knew what I was about to see was going to change everything I knew as sane,
Everything cleared and before my eyes I saw a female woman wedged between the wall and a monstrous creature choking the life out of her, the creature speaks to the woman,
- Your smell, Where is it? What is it?! Where is the Borealix human? You stick of it, you know, YOU KNOW! My brethren must not become tainted it must not succumb to the Calling, There mission is pure!
The creature appearance was something else, red glowing particles coming off of its body the look was as if it was spores, the glowed brighter as if they were affected by its mood, its anger, it had a humanoid shape, but its size was abnormal, towering at about 8 meters high,
Its skin in the light looked almost silver, my first thought of what I could compare it too is a werewolf but more human without fur it’s terrifying,
The woman in its grasp was wearing a hood and she had a few small bags on her waist,
She’s pushing the creatures arm while reaching out for something out of sight with her other hand,
I can’t believe what I’m seeing in front of me,
The her hood falls back showing her face her red hair swings back she makes eye contact with me,
- Garnet!! “It’s Garnet”
The life leaving her eyes as this thing strangles her, seeing this is more than I can handle, I have to do something I have to help her,
Ok Anderfel think, I look to my right and lying on the ground amongst the collapsed wall theres some metal sticking out of some brick, I think it was the steel foundation holding the wall together,
I reach for the steel with my hands and grasp it tightly, I’m standing behind the creature and Garnet,
I swallow my spit and slam down with the steel as much strength I had left in me, - ahhhhhhhh
I hit the creature over and over, crack, crack moving it head forward as if it was taking the blows the brick break off the end of the steel,
The creature seemed not to bothered with me, I can’t let her die here,
I try one last time, I grab hand full of it hair on the back of its head forcing its face towards me,
- Your gonna notice me
I plunged the steel into the creatures eye repeatedly stabbing it, till the steel bar cannot longer be pulled back out,
The creature drops Garnet and turns toward me, it looks down pulling the bar from its eye,
It’s looking at me as if it is amused,
- Huh? “Everything is dark, my head is pounding in pain, I hear a laugh it sounds like growling?” its had is on my face!
The creature speaks to me,
- I can smell you brother, the taint the calling has infected your body with its poison, The First will not will not accept this, The Estice must not be allowed to create another,
What the fuck? This thing is crying,
I hear a sound almost identical to the snap a fire makes when burning, I smell ozone, suddenly I feel this tearing pain in my chest, my veins are on fire,
My vision clears the creature release my from its grip, I strange I can move I look down at my chest,
- So much blood its strange I can’t even feel it
The creature lets out a huge wail then stops, its head back and its eyes vibrating looking up, a sword bursts from it above its chest, the creature steps back,
The sword pulls from its chest and as quickly as it was forced in,
It’s Garnet she moves round and stands firm in front of me as if Garnet was in a protective stance,
The creature screams and wails and starts thrashing about, the woman lifts her blade while holding upside down and points the handle at the creature, the creature stops and stairs, suddenly Garnet shouts - The Boralix have taken enough from me!,
Garnet pauses, she reachs for her bag and pulls out some sort of stone its blue and looks like its has water inside filled with bubbles, Garnet looks at me me, - I hope theres enough? Please be enough!
She brings the stone close and crushes it,
In at moment I felt a gush of wind strong enough to stop the rain for a brief second,
Her eyes close and snap open her eyes glow a beautiful brown,
- “Her eyes have changed color?”
Lights of orange particles start rising all around me I can barely keep conscious at this point,
- Everything will be ok Winters just stay awake for a few more seconds, - Leminous it time! Last Resort
The air filled with silence, the rain slowed and came to a stop, and it’s getting harder to breathe, I fell this weight, I look across to Garnet, you puts her hand out in front of her she clenches her hand into a fist and pulls it into ward her, glowing light bursts from the gaps in her fingers,
The creature skin, muscles bones start disintegrating then burst into a red mist, Garnet leans in and starts to talk to me she looks distressed, and worried,
- Winters you need to stay awake for this ok everything will be ok
Garnet pulls out another one of those strange stones this time its yellow, the stone shatters into fragments and and the sky rips open circler hole among the clouds, everything around us starts lifting raising, it’s weightless,
Garnet holds me with her arm going across my back and down to my waist,
- Anderfel you were always there for, and that’s all I ever needed, I did not feel saddened when you left, but I slowly realized something that what we had was real, every time I looked at you I felt my chest beat quickly… I just wanted you to know that, I’m sorry if it seems confusing it’s just something I had to get off my chest, I’ve been thinking about it for a while,
How strange she talks like we have met before, everything starting to hurt I can’t keep stay awake, Garnet smiles and at me as the clouds engulf us,
- Winters I’ll see you soon ok?
As we ascend into giant hole in the clouds a vail of light shrouds us, the events leading after slip my mind…

CHAPTER 3 – A NEW WORLD

Fleeing footsteps through a think forest, branch’s snap, staggering,
An elven woman escaping another’s grasp, a short distance away she is being followed by party of soldiers with no banner, and a single name The 8th Mercenary Cohort medium armored A.P.S.S, Advanced Parkour Steam Pack Soldiers with a few heavy armored Tesla Knights manning the rear, all wearing black and red shaders.
The soldiers chase with wyvern like canines the beast’s running on four legs, with tuffs of thick hair around there leg joints, standing at one meter tall and 3 meters wide, tracking her movement, the head scout of the group approaches the party leader,
- Gadwin sir movements of the escapee have been tracked one click north west of this location, the tracks appear to head toward the city forests,
- Hmm, do you know the supreme art of war is subdue the enemy without fighting - Sir?
- Ah yes Iris I will break you and you will obey, thank you proceed
The 8th Mercenary Cohort gathers the soldiers and heads toward the forest boundaries.
I need to catch my breath I’ve been running for hours, have gone far enough? I lean on the tree with my arm up against it, facing toward the ground to catch my breath,
- “Not much further Iris I can do this, I only have to get over the city boundary’s and they can’t follow me”
I look up to sky, the clouds are darkening and rain starts falling onto my face, I open my mouth letting at the rain drops hit my lips,
Lighting bends inwards as if it was leaving and returning to the clouds, I have never seen anything like before,
All of a sudden wind came gushing from the center point of the lighting storm blowing my hair loose,
The clouds began to form a spiral that descend toward the ground forming a tip, It’s size is surreal,
I move through the think forestry and come to a small lake it has a rock face with plants and vines grown down it, I look up toward the sky once more I notice at the base had a shape to it,
- Wait that’s a person!
I take in a deep breath and quickly gather thoughts, - Wait is this the Rebirth Effect?
I look up once last time something’s not right the stroms going out of control and the spiral is twist and thrashing about, all of a sudden an immense wave fires down out of the Rebirths core and pushes all the trees back, it knock me over also,
I feel winded, there is a slight ringing in my ears as I compose myself I notice the clouds close and the person at the base begins to fall at a rapid pace as if something was holding them and let go,
I run to the right side of the rock face next to the lake and proceed up with all my might pushing branch’s and bush away from me, as the person is about to hit the waters service I dive out of the top of the rock face and place my arms around them, we both hit the water and hit the bottom,
As I pull them to the surface of the water I look down at their face,
- It’s a Man? “He has hit his head this looks bad”
I pull him towards lakes edge, I hear suddenly of distance groups of people walking the forest, the rain starts to settle to a slight down pore,
I look back to the man in a hood,
- They have caught up with me already this is not good
I drag myself and him into some cover just below the rock face next to the water’s edge I see gap big enough to conceal us,
I push some vine over the front hiding us from outside view, I have his head on my lap a look down and remove his hood, - Brown hair!? Brown eyes?!
I think I have a member of the royal family in my arms?
I run my fingers round the side of his head to check for wounds,
- His ears there human! What’s a Magus doing here?
I hear the 8th Mercenary Cohort getting closer to our location,
- What joke there nothing but murderous slavers,
I look back down at the human male on my lap, the 8th cannot find him and I’m sure the kings Honor Guard will come to this location to investigate The Rebirth Effect they must find him at all costs.
Anderfel wakes for a moment,
As my vision clears I feel my head is pounding, I look up to see a woman with long ears and blond hair, she’s gazing out of some vines covering us out to lake bed, I see strange soldiers with some sort of creatures looking around the area,
- “is she in trouble? I can’t seem to use my words just yet”
I don’t think she has noticed I have woken,the soldiers are getting closer coving every inch of the area leaving no rock unturned,
- No I’m feeling sleepy again ill just close my eyes for a moment…
Gadwin arrives moments later from the forest behind his men of The 8th Cohort,
- Iris time for your continued games to end
Gadwin grins looking over to rock face were concealed in,
- Iris you honestly believe you can hide? you forget who trained you, you have to count of six and I burn down this forest with you in it!
I hide from a moment longer with this human male in my arms,
- “I can’t let him be discovered if the 8th get a hold of a living Magus I hate to think what they might do with him”
I lift him off me and place him gently on the ground, I swallow and show myself from behind the vine,
- Gadwin!
I stand firm and clench my fist, I stare at the soldiers, I’m not letting them take me without least trying to fight back,
- Iris hahaha, that look you have there? You don’t intend on fighting still, I will break you and one day you will be mine!
I frown in disgust, Intend to one kill this man when I get the chance,
- Fine If you don’t wish to use words Iris violence will suffice
- You don’t know how to use words Gadwin your nothing but a monster!
Gadwin lifts his arm with his hand pointed and pauses, followed by closing his fist and push it forward
Raaaaahha, The soldiers attack me, I stand firm toward the back of the river bank knowing the mud will slow there movments giving me the advantage,
The first three soldiers attack, I lean forward and twist my waist to the left to avoid his sword thrust, the steam pack soldier uses his pack to maneuver quickly bursting steam to get in close,
I avoid the second attack easily I see in the corner of my eye the other two soldiers, I finish him, kick water into his face, I go for his throat with a single strick,
- Crack!?!
The soldier holds his throat, struggling to breath, I go for his duel sword on his belt,
Unsheathing it from its holster, making a beautiful folded metallic metal sound, I twist my wrist with sword in hand and swing upward like an uppercut slicing his throat and jaw horizontal,
I follow with spin around twisting my feet into position splashing water upward, and my hair spinning with my movements, lifting my sword barely countering the seconds soldiers attack,
Our swords clash dragging down each other sparks flying from grinding metal, I bump the heel of the sword upward parrying at the last second,
I thrust my sword into his chest while the soldiers arms were lifted,
- Rahhhhhhaha
I shouted as I pull the sword from his armored chest plate, the final soldier makes his advance,
I crouch after my last attack spinning in a upward motion clash my sword with the other,
- Ahhh
- “Catching my enemy after a parry is the only way I can win this fight” Please keep your attention on me please! They can’t find the magus,
I slash downwards slicing what little armor the soldier had, as I gain my footing,
- Thud!
I feel pain in my left shoulder I look down I’m feeling unbalanced, there is an arrow sticking out of me, I look forward, I second arrow comes my direction I slash my sword vertical slicing in half midflight,
- Iris enough foolish girl, you’ve wasted enough of my time with your games, you will be punished for your insubordination,
- Insubordination? I’m a slave nothing more than a pet project
- Hahahah a Pet yes that you are but enough It’s time to return
I look toward the water’s edge, - Tesla soldiers!
The soldiers shock the water paralyzing me I drop into the mud unable to move, Gadwin walks over, picking me up by my hair lifting me out of the muds
- I like it when my trainees play hard to get hahaha
Gadwin leans and kiss’s me, I bite his lip spiting his own blood into his face, he yells out, - You bitch!
Slapping me across the face and kicking my ribs in the muddy water,
- Get her back to camp were done here!
- Yes sir
Soldiers move around me and lift me over to the caged carriages made of elven steel brass colored sharped edges to cut any that try reach through,
I lose consciousness…
Anderfel lays silent and unmoving as the 8th carry Iris off back the way they had come,
An hour pass’s and the sound of foot soldiers tracking the forest echo’s in the area, voices and communication, is being relayed back and forth, a knight riding toward the front come forward and is the first to ride in to the river bank, near were Anderfel lays unconscious,
The knight dismounts his horse and removes the helmet,
- Knight Commander Dominic it appears someone has beaten us to this location
- Hmm? Spread out and search the area, and check those bodies, Bishops instructions must be followed
I place my helmet on my mount looking back out from the path down to the lake bed,
Three soldiers banner colors black and red, gauging from the positions of death, they were fight against, a single person,
- “Why one person? This location is strange place to take cover from, were they witness to the Rebirth Event? It seems strange that someone would…

- Men! Break formation and follow these tracks, looks the 8th is present in the area, by order of the king we must investigate, use the rain to conceal our movement, break into small units of six, and report back by night fall, I need four men to stay behind with myself and continue search in the area!

- SIR!

I move down to lakes edge I look across to the rock face,
- If I were to seek cover in hurry, I would look for something that would conceal myself and allow some site outwards
I look to the sky placing my hand over my fore head, the clouds are still very black and along the center section of the sky there is remnants of what appears to be a hole, - Hmm I guess the old man was right to send us out
I look toward the rock face again I notice all along front and sides the holes and cracks, a little further down toward the bottom the vines are thicker, properly from being so close to waters surface,
I decide to walk through the muddy water following the water’s edge a bit closer to the rock face, until a strange bag floating in the water hits me in the foot,
Its square in nature and its contents are strange containing some strange light reflecting hard paper with some language and numbers I have never seen before, alongside some pictures and books and some device with some thin rope of some kind connected to it,
I place the contents back into the bag, I pass it to one of my soldiers,
- Take this and make sure Bishop receives it - Sir!
I look over to the right and notice a trail being pulled toward the rock face
- “wait a moment?”
I reach for the vines and pull and yank, tearing down the foliage, I draw my sword and look in sword first, I see nothing back darkness, but I can tell the gap is not to big, my eyes finally adjust, I look in further, - Huh! Medic to me at once!
As the medic rushed over with the supply’s I look back in pulling and tugging the remaining vines and over growth, as the hole is now big enough I reach in and pull, dragging a person out of the rock face and falling backwards with them in my arms,

I look at the persons face, brown hair, a bad laceration across back right of the head, male, Human, The medic comes to my side looking down ready to apply the first, he pauses,
- Sir is this?
- Yes I believe we have just discovered a Magus, please take over and apply first aid - Sir!
I stand up handing over the injured man to the medic, I face my soldiers lift my hand and clutch my fist tightly, making the leather my glove was made of rub against itself giving of this tightening sound,
- Ok we have retrieved what we came for, I need five men to stay behind and wait for information regarding the 8th, report back by sun rise at the latest,
- You men there with me to escort myself and the Magus back to the city, he needs to be quarantined and preparations need to made, he is to be treated as dangerous and bound till further instrution is made.
- Sir!
My soldiers place the magus carefully in the back of an armored transport, bound in rope lifting him inside from the back,
I look to my mount and retrieve my helmet, as I place my helmet on I hear a sound to my right I look, a soldier collapses is a A.P.S I sent out earlier, - What happened here!?
I rush over to the soldier,I notice up the center of her back were bolt arrows, arrows designed to take down armored targets, I lean in to the soldier she is still alive, she lifts her head and looks at me, grasping my cloak, I lean in to assist her, she hands me a piece a blood covered paper with some accordance written down on them, she speaks gasping for air,
- The 8th location… attacked and killed I’m the last… sixty men… retrieving…
She coughs blood and loses all strength and dies in my arms, I close my eyes and take a deep breath, and whisper to myself,
- “Why is this so hard”
Composer is important I know what must be done I rest the soldier on the ground, my men come over to retrieve the body to take back,
I hear a cry of pain in front of me, arrows rain from the tree tops, and gun fire from Gear Rifles shoot through the trees smashing and destroying branches and rock alike,
There rifles that use steam to build pressure to fire rounds at a high speeds enough to go through some steels,
I look back at my soldiers I call the leaders of all the squads,
- Get the Magus and the injured back to the city right now!
The men assemble and proceed with my orders; I draw my second sword from my back,
A great sword made to conceal size, I pull its trigger at the handle, and the gears at stock spin pushing forward extended blades on a rail forward latching into place, bursting steam from the sides as it depletes its pressured push,
I let out a war cry as my blade takes it true form,
- Raaahahaha
The transport leaves with haste ripping up dirt as it leaves for its destination; I look forward and charge in the forest with my soldiers to engage the enemy, as hit cover I look back at the fleeing transport and smile,
- The time for change has come…

CHAPTER 4 – BROKEN MEMORIES

I swam in and out of consciousness, unable to track the passing of time, muffled voices and footsteps that sound like thumping on the ground, as my senses begin to focus and sharpen, some of my sight returns to me,
I look in front of me and I see what appears to be medical staff, a nurse I think, I feel my legs and arms bound to the bed I rest in,
- “what’s this for?”
I lift my arm tugging on the traps a few times, the nurse notices my movements, and the look on her face was of shock,
She rush’s over to the door to leave the room, she knocks on the door a few times, it opens and the door closes behind her,
- “How strange”
I look around the room, the smell is familiar, disinfectant its smells clean, my head starts to spin as I try to remember what happened, I can barely recall my name,
I remember small things but nothing that tells me what’s going on, I know for a fact that I’m not from here, I sense I don’t belong,
- “I can’t remember anything!”
I feel a bandage around my head, looks like I have hit my head hard, I can feel the stitches under the bandage all the way back,
I look around the room and mumble what I see to myself, as an attempt to try and remember things,
All the metal in the room, the chairs the bed frame and doors anything I would normally see as steel, is the color of brass, the metal including the door frame has detailing such as leaves, trees and animals etched into it, the patterns and style are constant through everything it see, its amazing,
The door slides open and a bunch of soldiers march in, they position themselves to the back of the room, a man comes into the room after the soldiers, he has a long white coat on with gold trim along the edges,
My first thought was he was some kind of doctor, he has long black hair its tied back, and he’s wearing some glass’s with a squared pattern in the lenses,
He moves closer to my bed and pulls a chair from the side and sits, he has a glass clip board in his hands, I think he might want to ask me some questions,
- Shit!
- Um excuse me? Did you say something - “Crap I must of said that aloud” ah Hi
The doctor laughs,
- You’re a bit of an odd one, oh! Excuse me let me introduce myself, I am Doctor Kymil I run this private hospital, you properly have a number of questions for me as expected, as do I for you.
- Not really just one question.
- Oh? How curious, what is your question? I’ll answer the best I can.
- When could I get something to eat?
Doctor Kymil leans back into his chair and laughs out loud breifly; he runs his finger under his eyes wiping away the tears,
- I’m so sorry the question caught me off guard your demeanor seems serious, I came in here expecting something a little different, I can organize something shortly after our meeting here, on a more serious note If possible I would like you to answer some questions medically, before you meet Knight Leilatha, everyone here is very excited to meet with you.
The doctor smiles at me I can tell he is nervous, I look around the room again gauging my situation, armed soldiers escorting a civilian doctor into a hospital room, I’m clearly seen as a threat,
- “How am I threat I wonder and a Knight what is going on?” - How is your hearing, any ringing sounds or loss of hearing?
- No my hearings fine but my heads pounding.
- Ok I see now your head injury, you took quite a nasty fall going off the xrays, we had to repair some of the bone around your skull, and the amazing thing is in less than 2 days you have recovered almost completely!
- I don’t have an answer for you Doctor Kymil I’m not sure myself.
- I see, how about your memory? With an injury such as yours it would be understandable that you could suffer from some memory loss.
I frown in frustration looking around the room trying to gather my thoughts, I look back at Kymil taking notes and rely,
- I can’t recall anything, were I’m from, how I got here nothing comes to mind it just blank.
- Nothing comes to mind at all? Nothing you could put into words?
- Just my name and some bit and pieces I remember seeing the rain.
- The rain?
Kymil push’s his glass’s up looking interested in my response,
- hmm that’s all need from you now, I’ll just finish up here and check in again soon, Knight Leilatha will speak with you and depending out the outcome, well let’s just see shall we.
Doctor Kymil smiles at me he seems hopeful the look on his face make me want to punch myself,
- “Hope what a wasted feeling?”
As Doctor Kymil leaves the room the door latches shut behind him securing the door, I notice my hearing is getting better no more potent I can make out sounds through the seal door, the sounds of a brief conversation become apparent, as I listen more closely focusing on the door my hearing develops into a painful ringing sound, the room spins, I shake my head stopping myself from focusing on the door the spinning and pain in my ears stop, I think to myself,
- “what is happening to me?”
One of the guards in the back of the room corrects his breath,
- Is everything ok Magus? is the doctor required?
- “what the hell is a Magus??”
I close my eyes and breath briefly, my eyes open again and look back over to the soldier, I get this sudden urge to stir the situation, I repy to the guard
- Oh nothing in particular just losing a conversation with myself
I smile back at the guard waiting for some sort of reaction,
- I see as you were Magus
The reaction I got was unexpected but I see that he is very novice, either that or they did not understand what I was trying to say, still the one thing I’m having trouble understanding is why do I feel so calm about this whole situation I’m in, a different world clearly not my own, a people a culture I don’t understand, is this because of my memory loss or am normally like this?
- Are you seeing what I’m seeing? the guard whispers silently to the his fellow guardsmen, the other guard lifts his head looking down at Anderfel, he is shaking his head, smiling then frowning again, is this normal thing for Magus to be doing? It’s bizarre.
- I’m not sure just report what you see to Knight Leilatha after shift change.
- Ok understood.