Remnants of a civilization

Chapter 1: Only the Beginning

By Quinton Halliday

"Dust, that's all that is left. Just dust." The shadowy figure said, moving through the rubble that was once a big village. The Figure moved over to the area where the biggest of the building used to stand. "It shouldn't have come to this," The figure brought his hand up causing two pillars of flame to rise, before joining to make a portal. He ushered his unknown companions through the portal. One they were through he followed, once he passed through the portal collapsed leaving nothing but scorched ground.

(Two hours before)

"Run!" the soldiers ran from the beast, a beast that they made. As it was chasing them it came into the light, a horrible monster that would be able to ruin the entire infrastructure of the city. It was a dragon, a genetic cross between many different reptilian species, which eventually lead to a creature that could fly, and breathe fire. "We just lost our left flank! It's burning us up out here! Call in an air strike."

The figure looked on as the soldiers tried in vain to stop the dragon; it moved to take out the airfield. Moving forward into the airfield the dragon chose its first target, the plane about to take off. It moved to crush the first plane, enclosing its maw around the plane, he bit down crushing the people who were attempting to escape. The figure watched the dragon as it turned to look at him; bearing is razor sharp teeth at him. This mysterious figure was named Miguel Foredragon, he is a mage of the order, a hidden organization that strives for the return on the medieval era, and they have crafted spells for many things. The mage lifted his hand and began, "vicissitudinis Penulam." The shadow condensed around him and caused him to disappear. As he moved through the shadow realm, the dragon was shocked; his next target just vanished, quickly forgetting about him the dragon turns back to continue destroying the town.

Miguel reappeared in the same place he started in, watching the dragon spew flames onto the town leaving nothing but ash in its wake. 'He must be stopped; I must stop the beast before it heads to the other towns.' Miguel thought while raising his hands and calling on his power, "subesse vincula, recedunt veteres hanc bestiam in terram," the mage finished as the shadows twisted around the ground, forming a pitch black portal, the dragon was shocked at the sight of the portal. Chains surged fourth out of the portal and attempted to entrap the dragon. Wrapping around the dragons leg the chain began to crawl up its body. The dragon began to thrash right as the chain made contact, it tried to fly away, but as it took off the chain yanked back pulling the startled dragon back to the portal. As the dragon came close to the portal the mage appeared in front of it, chanting, "Antiquispermitte mihi hoc bestiae sit."

Placing his hands on the restrained dragon's head they began to glow, the dragon began to shrink until it was the size of a large horse, its muscles greatly reduced in size, allowing the chains to pull it into the portal. Just before the dragon was sucked into the portal, it made one last attempt to attack Miguel, it let loose a small steam of fire that got smaller as the dragon lost power. Finally only a wisp of flame was let out before the dragon was pulled into the portal.

Miguel shook his head, disappointed in the great beast of legend, made so mindlessly. Channeling the beast's energy into one of his vials, he teleports to the center of what used to be a town. He reaches his hand down, and picks up the remains of what used to be a soldier, "Your death was pointless, you can serve me and live a partial life once again. Quondam iterum, servisse, sicut tu ipse." The ashes of the fallen soldier rise, forming into the shape of a soldier that is wearing a set of chainmail and carrying a broadsword. As the ashes finished forming his body, Miguel releases a bit of the dragon's power into the soldier's body, allowing him to live. The soldier began to breathe, opening his eyes; he looked to the mage, who handed him a canteen full of water, taking a drink he said, "where are we? Last thing I knew I was being attacked by a beast the broke out of the military la…bra…tory… is this is left of my hometown? That beast destroyed my home… where is my house, it was near the edge of town?" the soldier runs off, being closely by Miguel. As the warrior moved through the remains of his town he began to catch flashes of burnt corpses. As he passed the edge of town, he turned slightly to the right and ran off into the charred remains of the forest seeing smoke in the distance, the warrior sped up. Miguel who was calmly following his new servant channeled his magic into his cloak allowing him to float; he hastily hovers after his new subordinate.

As the warrior reached the remains of his house ha fell to his knees and wept, Miguel moved to comfort him when he felt the crying of a soul in pain, moving into his house he began to chant, "Ostendam autem vobis, spiritus," as he finished the spell the world was colored blue, showing the spirit world, which revealed the crying spirit to be a young woman who seems to have been in the house when it was hit by the fireball. Looking at her Miguel could see that she was attempting to grasp the warrior in a hug, but failing because she was intangible, feeling sorry for her he begins the same incantation from before, "quondam iterum, servisse, sicut tu ipse" the wind began to pick up, dragging the ashes from the ground, pulling them into the form of the grieving woman, enshrouded in a pitch black robe with red flames licking around the bottom, as he sent some of the dragons power into her, she regained consciousness. The warrior, who saw his wife once again, drew in a baited breath, "Laylana, in that you?" The woman nods and says, "yes Alistair, I don't know what happened though, last thing I remember was the house being hit by a giant ball of fire, and then I woke up here, did this man save me?"

The warrior, now named Alistair, shook his head, "He's revived us both, and for what purpose I have no idea." Miguel watched the couple talk and pulled out a scroll on the history of magic, "what are you reading," Alistair questioned, pulling himself out of his wife's embrace. "Are you some sort of historian, who studies the art of witchcraft? I mean how else would you be able to bring us back from the dead?"

Miguel looked up from the scroll, "I am a mage, not a historian. I used a spell from the ancient language to bring you back to life as my servants, I shan't do anything improper, I just request protection, as I continue my research into the inner workings of the medieval times, and how to recreate the settings of it, I wish to heal the land and return it to its primeval state." Alistair nodding at that says, "is that why were dressed in outfits from the medieval era?" Miguel looked at them for a moment before replying; "I need people that help me in the proper attire to compete with my enemies. My helpers have to wear the clothing type from the medieval era; they chose the color and type. Your wife over there is dressed as a mage, meaning either she had one in her family line, or secretly strived to be one at one point in her life. You are dressed like a knight like all me would be, because most men, as boys, strive to be like a knights." The couple looked at him for what felt like ages before Alistair said, "Okay we will help you, but you must tell me. Where you the one who made that dragon back in the town? You knew just how to kill it."

"I didn't kill it; I just sent it back through time to where it belongs." Miguel said while channeling a small piece of the dragon's energy into the earth, causing two pillars of flame to burst from the ground. The pillars rose ten feet in the air before they were joined together and a pale purple vale fell in between them. Miguel signaled Alistair and Laylana to walk through the veil first, as they passed through the shroud, they vanished. Miguel took one last look at the remains of what used to be a town, and said, "Dust, that's all that is left. Just dust." vanishing through the veil before the pillars collapsed back into nothingness.

(End flash back)

Miguel, Alistair, and Laylana appeared in what appeared to be a college. Alistair was going to speak up, but was quieted as Miguel waved his hand and one of the bookcases shimmered out of existence, leaving a spiral staircase down into the depths of the castle like structure.

As the group enters the passageway, the entrance closes, closing them in. "Miguel, what are we doing here?" Laylana questioned. "Well milady, we are here to get the research I left here along with a few tomes that I will use in your training. We might even stay here for a while to begin your training." Alistair looked at him confusedly, "what am I supposed to do while you two are training." Miguel turned toward Alistair, "You shall guard the area, unless you wish to participate in training also. Maybe you can make a pact with one of the beings inside the college and gain a few extra abilities."

Seeing their confused looks Miguel conjured a ball of fire and threw it at the floor, as it impacted it spread out into a circle with an intricate design inside of it. "You may have wondered why most of my spells revolve around deception and destruction. Well this is why, vestigium ignis, te ut sistas suadeo. His duobus, qui foris sunt, ut ostendunt ipsi placet," as he finished his sentence a bloodcurdling scream tore through the room as inside the circle an explosion went off making a pillar for fire and smoke. "Marchosias, do you have any idea how difficult it is to keep to your ideals? I can't even fight like I used to, your rules make me have to use the shadows." The figure just looked at him, "You are the one who chose to make a pact with me, Miguel. I just chose you because you were readily available, now why have you called me here?"

Miguel looked at him with his reddish-orange eyes, "I have called you here in order to show these two the power of creating pacts', and to request if you knew the symbols they could draw in order to create a pact with one of the other vestules." Marchosias pondered his request for a moment before saying, "You sniveling wretch, you dare ask me that! You have separated me from my brethren, and used me as a battery for some of your powers, I haven't even gotten so much as a thank you." Realization flashed over Miguel's face, "My apologies, my mind has been elsewhere, I have been so busy. I am sorry."

Marchosias pondered this for a moment before waving his arm, "Your apology is accepted, for your lady mage you might try Carriastra, she is a sprit that was based around water magic in life. She was once a friend of mine that befell a similar fate to mine, she was betrayed by her friends and her family, they attacked her in cold blood. Tearing her soul from her body with the help of several demons, once they completed their end of the deal, the demons turned on her family shredding them. In order to draw her pact circle you need to draw it facing a lake with a full moon shining on it,, her circle looks like a pentagram, with the circle around it, with the symbols of the elements at each point, with water pointing towards the lake. The full moon is a symbol to her avatar, the wolf. The wolf is her symbol because she had a pat wolf, and that she herself was a werewolf. Be aware that once you summon her she might appear in her werewolf form in order to intimidate you." Laylana nodded at this and said, "I will have to work on this, the next full moon is in three days."

Alistair looked up to the spirit, "Do you know of one that would help me? I wish to improve on my speed and my swordsmanship."

Marchosias Nodded, "Yes, Soliadris, she is was a lady of great abilities ranging from stealth to swordsmanship, to using them both in conjunction. Her avatar is the bobcat, both stealthy and deadly. Her conjuring circle is that of a cats head inside of the circle with a set of concentric circles circling into it. She is very forgiving and welcoming to those who summon her. She forgives things like if it is a shawty drawn cats head inside the circle."

Alistair nodded and left the room to prepare his pact ritual.

Miguel looked at Marchosias and stated, "That was nice of you." The spirit just looked at him uninterested before disappearing into the shadows.

AN: i k now that i havnt updated my other stories lately but that is because i have just finished highschool, and i was working on this, this isnt ever half of the fird=st chapter but i wanted to show you guys what i've been doing.

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