INTERLUDE 1 - JULIA'S PAST

BOOK 1 - INTERLUDE 1 – JULIA'S HISTORY

 After one night of training Johhny asked how Julia had gotten involved with the Radiant Alliance. After she had mentioned to him about her world being overrun by rift eaters, he asked her about it. At first, she was hesitant to talk about it. As if she were reliving a never-ending nightmare. Johnny realized how sensitive the topic must have been, so he tried to apologize. This got her to get herself back together. When she was composed, she told her story.

 "Life was so carefree for me then. I was a princess of a major elven kingdom. Things were peaceful. My parents should have seen the warning signs that something wasn't right with my brother. I tried to warn them he was getting into shady business. They were blindsided to how everything in the world was going. Everything was peaceful, too peaceful." She started her story.

 "Sometimes when a world is way too peaceful the loathing one has the best chance to strike. Order is so high that little chaos exists. This is how the loathing one was easily able to influence people with power. Even if everything in the world is war free and has no problems, The loathing one will find a way. World like these were the first to fall. Mine happened to be one of those." She continued.

 "From what the Alliance has told me and reports I have read. I was able to piece it together the day my brother did a dungeon run. That is when things started to go bad before the full outbreak. He was running in a dungeon with some friends. His party just happened to clear the boss's room and were getting their loot. One of the chests was black and dark in nature. The party decided he would get the claim for the chest for the loot rules they had set. Everyone rotated with a big drop." Julia paused to think back.

"So, my brother approached the ominous looking chest hoping to get some demonic reward. What he found when he opened the chest was anything but an item. He found a dark glowing purple ring. Inside the chest there was also a small fissure."

"This report was given to us by one of his surviving party members. Before the world was consumed. They eventually would succumb to helping me escape from the rift eater hoard."

 "Anyways after he acquired the ring my brother behavior began to change slowly. The next few months he was getting himself involved with cults and shady business. My parents didn't believe any of this until that fateful night. "

 "My mother was planning to step down as queen that day. Her mobility was slowing down. The healers couldn't figure out why. We now think the loathing one had to do somerhing with it now. My mother had me step up to take her place. My inauguration ceremony is when the world ended.

My brother, who was the crowned prince, decided before the ceremony to bring in a cult of followers of the loathing one. They brought the chest he had gotten the ring fron with him. He planned to use the chest to hide a present for me, but that wasnt tte chests true purpose. He had the cultists members hide outside of the castle walls.

He brought the chest inside with him claiming there waa gift for me in their. I was hesitant to open it. My parents and eveyone pursuaded me to open it. The pressure to open it was too much. So i did. As soon as opened the chest that is when my brother touched the ring on his finger. The chest exploded at the same time as my brother made a statement. 

"Julia how could use dark magic on me and everyone." That was all he said before turning into a mystic rift eater.

Everyone began to panic and run. The cultists themselves turned into rift eaters as they attacked the castle. No weapons could stop the beasts as they slaughtered everyone and anything. I stood there helplessly as I was dragged away by guards to flee to safety. I ended up separated from my motger and father. Tge king and queen in the panic." 

"People we passed were panicking and some even blamed me for the cause." She pasued to think of the haunting voices from her past. People she ran by as she fled with the guards.

I bet you were the one to force your mother to step down. 

How…, how could have this have happened. 

Using g dark magic on people how could you Julia…

Julia took a deep breath to continue her story.

"The guards were slain one by one, as they held the beasts back for everyone to escape. I was able to esacpe thanks to there heroic sacrifice." Julia began to let out tears as Johnny was patting her on the back.

"I was still in the castle when one of my brother's party members found me. The one who I mentioned earlier. Apparently at the time we didn't know it. The weapon he was using he had gotten from a dungeon run. It turned out to be a radiant weapon. He was able kill the beasts as we fled. 

We tried to find my mom and dad, the king and queen. In the end, there wasn't much we could do as soon as the castle and everything around it was turning into a void. We barely made it out alive. My dress was torn and covered in rift eater essence as we fled the consumed castle." She took a deep breath to continue.

"Soon my brother, who turned into a mystic rift eater, broke from the castle as he opened more void portals. Me and his party member both watched in horror as all sorts of rift eaters poured out of the void. He stood in front of me wanting to protect me. Soon the entire area was engulfed in emptiness of void. The only thing that kept us alive was the radiant weapon as it kept a glowing circle of protection around us. That is when Orion found us and was able to take us to safety. 

That is how we came to the alliaince. Sadly, my brother's solo party member died on a mission years ago trying to do an infiltration mission. I do not know what has happened to my brother or family either. I just hope they are in a better place now…" Julia finished her tale sobbing as she rocked back and forth.

The story took more out of her than Johnny thought as he tried to comfort Julia. I'll never experienced anything like she has, but I've seen my fair share of death and destruction.

Johnny decided to leave Julia for the evening as she was now totally worn out from her story. She did thank him before he left on hearing her tale as he walked back to his tent.

CHAPTER 13 – INTO THE VOID

 Johnny woke up in the morning with a ton of anxiety thinking about sword training. He couldn't get much sleep that night thinking about it. He tried to shrug off his exhaustion as got up to get dressed and head for breakfast. As he was getting dressed the quietness of the camp soon erupted into noise outside of his tent. Out of concern Johnny mentally asked Albert what was going on. Albert informed him the void portal was beginning to be active. As of cue, Julia appeared in front of his tent. "Johnny, it is Julia. We are having an emergency meeting you need to attend. You can skip your training for today. As this meeting is priority. Meet me by the cabin near the lake." Commanded Julia. As she ran off from his tent. He responded and headed for their designated meeting spot.

 Johnny was one of the last to meet as he made his way into a building that was enchanted with wards. Julia was with the other elite guards sitting around with other figures who were all arguing or bickering about what to do. Julia saw Johnny enter before letting out a frustrated tone. "You're a few minutes late." Sighed Julia. "Sorry, I got lost looking for the place." He replied.

 "We have been getting readings the void portal is trying to activate. I haven't had much time to train Johnny with fighting rift eaters, so we are just going to have to play this by ear. We are going to have to ascend into the void portal and destroy the core. Before a wave of rift eaters breaches the portal." Julia continued about what needed to be done. She then handed out orders to everyone at the table. After ten more minutes of talking and giving assignments Julia dismissed everyone.

 Julia pulled Johnny and her four elites aside as she spoke to Johnny directly. "We don't have much time to go over everything. The portal we are going into is going to be a swamp infested void realm. It is black as night, I can explain the rest when we are in that contraption thing of yours. The Radiant One told me it can turn into other things besides that weird looking oval with wheels?"

 "It can." Replied Johnny. "Then do it." She replied giving Johnny a playful shove. He just stared back with a shrug as walked towards the prototype. Albert. Johnny mentally called him. 

You called? Replied Albert through the mental connection. 

I need your opinion on vehicle options that would be best for multiple passengers. From what little information Julia has given me it sounds like we are going into some black as night swamp realm. Albert paused for a few moments as he came up with ideas. 

I suggest turning the prototype frame into a Humvee. Albert then continued to inform Johnny of other things such as weapons, parts, and other materials to accommodate the prototype. 

He mentally thanked Albert as he got into the prototype and manually started inputting commands to change the prototype.

 While Johnny was fast at work on the prototype. Julia was giving her elite guard a crash course of what she knew of the prototype. She would have to ask Johnny more about when they got into the prototype. She then remembered the necklaces Johnny had given her. "We need to where these." She informed them. "Those aren't going to corupt, are they?" Margaret asked Julia with concern looking at the dark glowing purple necklaces.

 "No, they were created by the mystic rift eater in the core of that thing. Johnny had told me more details about what the necklaces were for. They will help us be able to survive inside the void portal." It took Julia plenty of persuading to get them to wear them.

 Johnny now had finished preparing the prototype. He hit the command prompt on the terminal and watched the prototype shake as it turned into his final design. The prototype had turned into a Humvee that was midnight black. He looked out the window to see the others' reaction of shock. He just smiled at himself. "Well time to go pick them up." Johnny let out a laugh.

 Johnny pulled up to the others and helped them all into the Humvee. The vehicle was a midnight black in color that reflected the landscape of a void portal "What a fascinating contraption." Remarked Margaret as she sat in the very back with Qin. Their wings were too big, so they had to sit there. Cloe and Lisa sat in the seat behind Julia and Johnny. Johnny decided to introduce Albert to the group. 

He explained if they had any questions or functions of the prototype to ask Albert. Johnny needed to focus on entering the void, so any less distractions would be helpful. Julia gave him all the details of their mission before they left. All he needed to do was worried about driving and locating the core while they took care of things in the portal. Johnny nodded in agreement. Julia then directed Johnny to where the void portal had been hidden underground underneath the city. Johnny gunned it as he shot off surprising the others. "Better buckle up." Said Johnny. The others did as he asked as he drove on.

 Johnny made it the portal in no time flat. "Where did you learn to drive like that? Asked Margaret. "I did this for a living racing against other people. Except every race could be your last" He replied with a grim smile. 

They had made their way to where the portal was being kept under strict guard. A few guards began to approach the prototype as Johnny slowed it to a crawl. He had to roll down the window for Julia as they approached. They stared for a moment in shock then let them pass. Johnny floored it though the portal. Everyone yelped in surprise. Johnny just laughed as Julia snickered as the others cursed. When they reached the other side of the portal, Julia and her guard were in for another surprise…