Prologue

-By JSE-

Xinghai turned the corner and started the long walk up the grand stairs in front of the council chamber. He was a sage that became a god thousands of years ago but had lost his home and his people. As far as he knew, he was the only one to survive what happened.

A legion of foreign gods overwhelmed his planet and took his peoples' future away. They were caught unprepared and woefully underpowered. Even after all the years he spent looking back, Xinghai could think of nothing that he could have done to save everyone. He and his fellow gods would have needed to evacuate the planet using portals through dimensions to have had a chance at escaping. Even then, there just wouldn't have been enough time to save more than five percent of the total population. Assuming most of the portals weren't intercepted by the enemy. He and the fellow gods of his homeworld were just too few and too late.

Still climbing up the long stairs, Xinghai grimaced as he thought to himself, [If only we had received some kind of proper warning.]

He was a luck god, but the nature of his power didn't allow him to win lotteries or avoid mishaps altogether. Instead, his strength was to be relatively lucky compared to others around him. If he walked down a modern street on Earth, a passing car might completely soak the person next to him while Xinghai would only get a little wet. Or in the case of his homeworld, he only got thrown into the chaos of etheric oblivion for untold years when he tried to escape, whereas his planet and all its inhabitants, gods, and mortals alike, were systematically split apart and used for energy.

Now his luck was giving him all the signals of impending doom once more. They were mostly little things here and there that he'd seen but hadn't understood back before his home was lost. This time he recognized them and paid attention. This time he would convince his new family of gods to listen to his warning. This time he would save as many people as he can.

Xinghai paused and looked out between the pillars at the starry sky of his new home.

"The problem is how to get them to act in time."

Once he escaped from chaos, Xinghai had traveled among the different godly kingdoms searching for news and survivors. After so many years and no good news, he had given up. Now he was focused on keeping his new home safe. He refused to lose any more loved ones or to see others lose their families in front of him.

He didn't have much time to come up with ways to persuade the council of gods that oversaw his new home, so he jumped into action as soon as he recognized the warning signs, but didn't know how much time he really had to accomplish his goals. He had to take action, only using the time it took to come before the council to come up with compelling reasons for why they must evacuate everyone and abandon their lands. It seemed an impossible task but he had to try.

It was both too soon and not soon enough before he was standing in front of the grand council. All the gods had impatient expressions and clearly weren't happy being summoned there on short notice by a relative newcomer.

The head chancellor stood up and called the session to order.

"Xinghai, we are all here because you claim to have dire warnings about our impending doom! Don't waste our time and get right to the point. You have the floor."

Xinghai took just a moment to gather and collect himself as he looked at all the counselors present before he spoke.

"As you all know, I am the last of my people. We were powerful and sure of our own sovereignty and survival. We were nearly as potent as this grand country of Azore." He swept his gaze across everyone as he spoke and looked back to the head chancellor, "But we stood no chance!"

The counselors around the room started stirring and talking among each other as they listened to Xinghai's words.

"I am getting the same warning signs today that I had gotten all those years ago before I lost my homeland. Our Azore is powerful!" He clenched his fist in front of him, "Yes! But I fear our enemies are beyond our abilities to handle. I implore you to save as many of our people as you can."

He spread his hands wide as he continued, "The country is not the land but its people! I lost my world more than a thousand years ago but it hasn't been the loss of the land that hurt me the most, it was the loss of my people!" He pushed both of his fists down to his side for emphasis.

The chamber was dead silent except for the echoes of Xinghai's words.

"We can rebuild the towers and the cities but we can't rebuild our people. Not the ones we will lose."

One of the senior counselors couldn't take Xinghai's defeatist attitude anymore and stood up to challenge him, boldly swiping his hand through the air before him as if to sunder Xinghai's arguments.

"Xinghai! You assume we will be defeated like you were, but we are strong and we have seen the enemy coming." He slammed his fist onto the counter as he yelled, "We will not lose!"

The counselor stood tall and imposing as he made eye contact with his fellows, "We should focus on strengthening our defense and preparing our counter attacks just like we always have to secure our victories." He gestured toward Xinghai but looked at the high chancellor as he continued, "We can not simply give up and leave before we've even tested the enemy. That is a decision of cowardice and I will not support it!"

More than half of the counselors stood up, filling the hall with the sound of their approval for their fellow counselor's position. But it was too soon for Xinghai to give up. He stepped forward without slouching.

"I have lived here as one of you for more than five hundred years. I love the waters and fields of Azore as much as anyone here. I would willingly give my life to keep our land and people safe if I could. But all my instincts and luck are telling me that we CAN, NOT, WIN this coming battle! That we can not win this war on our people!" He took a quick bracing breath, "Please! Let us begin preparations to..."

The head chancellor leaned forward and cut Xinghai's words off with a sharp slash of his hand and made his voice dominant.

"Xinghai, we have heard your warnings but it is clear that this council has decided to stand and fight as we have always done and have always triumphed by." The head chancellor leaned back and continued in a dismissive tone, paying more attention to the reports on his raised counter. "We thank you for your efforts to keep our lands safe. You are dismissed. The keepers shall clear the hall!"

Xinghai dashed forward and yelled with urgency, "Don't be fools! At least prepare to evacuate everyone just in case! If we win then-"

The head chancellor glared at Xinghai and cut him off, "Silence! We have already heard your vague concerns! You are dismissed!" The chancellor bellowed and gestured at the guards which then grabbed Xinghai, nearly crushing his arms as they began to drag him from the grand hall.

Xinghai struggled in their iron grip, "What harm is there in being prepared!? Just because of pride you all-"

Xinghai strained his neck to continue his attempt to persuade them but the same senior counselor that argued against him yelled over the rest of his words, "Any more of your pathetic cowardice and I'll personally make sure you are kept on the front lines so you may redeem your honor!"

Xinghai knew the counselor was serious, so for the sake of his overall plans, he bit his tongue as he reviewed his options.

[I have to be free. If they imprison me, I can't do what I must in the coming days.] Xinghai thought to himself, attempting to keep his goals in sight and cut his losses.

Azore wasn't always ruled by such fools. It was only in the last hundred and fifty years or so that the current military fanatics gained political dominance.

Xinghai ignored the triumphant boasting and gloating of the war faction as he was escorted from the hall. He had no room for distracting thoughts or emotions as the heavy grief of losing yet another home and people began to overwhelm his heart. A single tear from each eye led the way down his reddened, strained face and fell from his chin. He had failed but he had further preparations of his own to make.