Truth Of Magic

ONE

The sunlight filtered in through the stained glass window of the Wiccan tower, bathing the great hall in coloured rays as the Council of magic sat down to discuss matters of the realm, magic-wise that is.

Kyra presided at the head of the council, an expression befitting a leader on her face as she listened to one of the High wizards, an old man with flowing white beard, state the business of the day.

                               "For three years now, the realm has been at peace," he said, gesturing passionately as he spoke, "All of us, both humans and wizards, live together in harmony, each striving to better himself and the other. However, as blissful as these years have been, the unending chaos in the Barren lands still cast a big shadow of agitation over us, causing me to worry how long it'll be before our peace is upset by their chaos."

The issue of the Barren lands had been at the forefront of the council's agenda for the past three years of peace. In fact, it was one of the main subjects that they always ask Kyra to deal with ever since she resumed her duties as Head witch.

Thing is, the Soul of magic had been right in the middle of the events that had gone on to result in the state of disarray that now plagued the other region. As it had happened, three years ago, a seer who was filled with rage over how the late king Nicolas, father to the present king of Cyrian Richard, had destroyed all that she loved in his mad campaign to rid the world of wizards had set out to raze burn the realm to the grounds, enlisting the aid of a magical weapon known as the Conqueror's flames.

At this time, Kyra was in the Barren lands, having in a moment of utter depression decided to escape away from everyone to the region where she reinvented herself as the Knight, a swordsman with a mission to stop a tyrannical warlord.

Somehow, fate put her in the path of the seer whom she was able to defeat with the help of her friends, ushering the age of peace which the realm now enjoyed.

However, before the seer's defeat, she had amassed a very large army comprising of all the soldiers of the warlords in the Barren lands, going on to kill the warlords so as to ascertain herself as the Conqueror.

The death of the warlords and hers too in the end created a power void in the Barren lands which all the mighty men in the region were now fighting each other to fill, and hence, the struggle which had now spanned three years.

                               "Lord Kane, believe me when I say that I understand your agitation," Kyra replied him, breaking herself out of her thoughts to concentrate back on the matter at hand, "However, I would like you to remember that King Richard of Cyrian, after the battle of the flames, had established a treaty between us and the Barren lands, preventing from attacking or causing trouble here. So please, put your mind at rest, the age of peace has come to stay."

The High wizards were so pleased by her statement that they rose to clap for her, reverence in their eyes for the strength she'd shown. But truth be told, it was just the treaty that had made Kyra sure of the continuation of peace in the realm.

Thing is, the Soul of magic had secretly been devising a way to put an end to the chaos in the Barren lands once for all. Of course, she couldn't just go ahead and actively take on the chaos in region by her own power as the law had prevented her as the leader of another community from interfering in a political conflict, as the power struggle was.

However, she was still allowed to care for the welfare of the wizards in the Barren lands, and that was how she planned to insert her help.

With Lucian's aid and also little from her allies in the region, she had established a group comprising humans, nulls and practising wizards, their task to protecting the innocents of the Barren lands until a victor has emerged from the conflict, but they were also secretly, with Kyra's guidance and tactics, helping one of the contenders whom she felt will be most suitable in bringing order back to the region gain ground.

Just as she was still musing over the matter, she suddenly heard her name being called. It wasn't actually a call in the normal sense of it as there was no voice involved. It was like her name had been mixed in the wind and released into the room.

                               "What the hell?" she whispered to herself, confused as she looked around to see that she was the only one who had heard it.

All of a sudden, the room went to a complete stand still, almost as if time itself had grinded to halt. Nothing moved, save for Kyra herself.

Time magic, it suddenly dawned on her,  someone somewhere had mastered an aspect of art even she as the Soul of magic thought was impossible.

                               "Kyra," she heard her being called again, this time with a voice which caused her to turn as a woman suddenly appeared in a flurry of flowers.

The woman was dressed in a white gown, the clothes embroidered with a material which seemed to glow with an otherworldly light. Her hair was silvery white, just like snow when shone upon by the sun. Her entre demeanour was that of power, completed with her eyes which were clear grey in colour and sparkled like diamonds in the light.

                                  "Who are you?" Kyra asked, her curiosity at the strange woman overshadowing whatever danger she posed in that moment.

                                   "I am a message to you, Kyra," she replied with a smile that filled her with a sense of foreboding, "A warning of what's to come."