The Complexity of Magic | Ryden

The Resurgence of Magic | Chapter One

In the kingdom's history, many tragedies occured. This is to be expected of any civilization, but the problem began when the King and his trusted council realized that most of these incidents occured due to magic. At that time, it had just been noted that it may be a future problem.

But then, the kingdom faced something that settled it. This was the last straw.

It all started due to a witch by the name of Verie. The King and Queen trusted Verie because she had done numerous things for them in the past. But on a stormy night, Verie used some enchantment to cause the Queen's sleeping chamber to catch fire. She was in such a deep sleep, which later had been thought to be caused by an earlier enchantment Verie placed, that she didn't smell the smoke.

Due to it's unexpectedness, they couldn't save the Queen. The entire kingdom was plunged into a deep mourning for their Queen, and the King had been furious. After the immediate execution of Verie, he banned magic from his kingdom. Any people caught performing magic of any kind were to be executed just like Verie was.

Twenty years passed by. In the beginning, there had been many executions as witches and wizards rebelled against the King. The King was unforgiving; even the slightest irregularity could get you executed. He was a cruel, cruel man.

Knowing that their safety was endangered, witches and wizards began to flee from the Kingdom of Litraxia in massive numbers. It was unlike anything Litraxia had ever seen.

For the past ten years, magic activity has been rare. The King obviously was pleased by this, and the people were too.

---

Sir Ryan Ross' attention was dwindling. The previous night had been exhausting, and standing by listening to people chattering wasn't exactly the ideal way to spend his morning.

"And how accurate is this intel?" The King suddenly inquired, gathering Ryan's attention.

"Very," The noble replied. "The increasing numbers by our borders presents an issue. Some, we think, may even be in the kingdom secretly."

And that was all the King needed to hear. He straightened up in his chair, cleared his throat, and leaned forward. "What are your suggestions?"

"What is this about, again?" Ryan suddenly spoke up. He was one of the youngest knights, so it wasn't a surprise to anyone that he wasn't paying a lot of attention.

"Magic seems to be making a resurgence," Another knight next to him quickly explained. "Although there hasn't been any activity inside the kingdom yet, the numbers outside the borders are only getting larger and larger."

"Precisely," The King nodded, his dark head of hair bouncing. "We must not allow it to reach Litraxia, so we need to make a containment plan and also possibly have some of the knights go undercover to see what's going on."

"But Sire, knights aren't very expendable," A noble reminded him. "Especially with the business with Rindria."

"True," The King agreed, a hint of quietness to his voice, almost like he was lost in thought. He gazed at the occupants of the room: nobles, knights, and a few servants. He passed by each knight carefully, as if considering them.

Finally, his eyes landed on Ryan. "You," The King said. "You're less experienced, and wouldn't be that much of a help to the kingdom if we face a battle with Litraxia."

Meaning, he believed Ryan to be expendable. Well, ouch. Thanks a lot, Sire.

It seemed like the others agreed with his decision, which felt a little bit less rewarding than it should've. If he had to go undercover and hang around magical scum, there were many things that could happen to him. Hell, Ryan could just get killed by those monsters, and even knowing that, they still didn't care. It just showed to Ryan what kind of people they were.

He still understood it, nonetheless. After the meeting was over, Ryan went back to the training field, where he continued his practice.

Going undercover would be very dangerous, and he needed all the practice he could get.

---

The King called Ryan to set off on his mission the following morn. This alerted Ryan to how serious the matter was. It was almost like the King was panicking over this, which in Ryan's opinion was totally justified.

Before he had left the kingdom, he had said goodbye to his father. His father was a blacksmith in their town, and he had always been proud of Ryan for achieving such a high status despite their lack of nobility. It showed that Ryan got in based on his own talent, not his heritage. The same can't be said for every knight.

"Be careful out there," His father warned him, as he watched his son check to make sure he had everything he needed. "Those magic folks aren't the most trustworthy of people."

"Father, I know," Ryan sighed. "I hear about them time and time again. I understand."

"I know," His father replied, and leaned forward to hug him. It startled Ryan, because neither of them were particularly touchy-feely people. "I'm just a little bit worried."

He didn't know the half of it. Ryan was feeling lightheaded just from the thought of encountering one single witch or wizard, but coming across a group of them? Ryan would need as much help as he could get when it came to that.

"I'll be fine," Ryan weakly replied, not knowing if that would be the truth. Would this quest lead to his death? What will happen once he leaves the borders?

Ryan pulled away from the hug and smiled at his father. His father smiled back after a moment of hesitation. Ryan let out a sigh and left the house after collecting his items.

He left the kingdom in a daze, fearful of what was to come. But he could handle traveling, he could handle walking. That was a familiar concept to him even when his limbs felt limp and when there was hesitation in every part of his body.

Only time can tell what will happen, so Ryan turned his mind off for a while.