Prologue and Chapter 1: No Pride in Death

In the world of Amrak, life ore is a mineral more precious than even gold. A shiny clear crystal, the ore cannot be used by just anyone. Only a select few, born with purple hair, amongst the 5 kingdoms of Amrak can unlock the ore's true power.

When it was first discovered, many wondered what to call the ones who could wield life ore's power. Some called them angels, others called them witches, but the name finally settled upon in the 5 kingdoms was the name biomage.

Although the biomages rarely used their spells for direct combat, their skills were no less valuable to the kingdoms they served in. With the chant of a spell, a biomage could alter any part of a human's, animal's, or other living being's body.

If a man had a broken leg, a biomage could simply chant "heal" while holding an ounce of life ore crystal in one hand, his other on the man's leg, and magically the leg would be as good as new while the crystal disappeared. If a biomage chants "cure" while holding an ounce of life ore crystal in one hand and touched a man suffering from a cold with the other, the man's cold would go away in seconds.

But life ore is not found naturally just anywhere within the kingdoms. In fact, there is only one place it can be found; the hidden mines of the smallest of the 5 kingdoms of Amrak, the mountainous kingdom of Wolan. And although many call life ore's existence a miracle in itself, with every miracle there is a price.

For years the 5 kingdoms fought over the supply of life ore. Kings who wanted immortality, merchants who wished to make a fortune, nobles with family members with otherwise incurable diseases, and everyone else, wanted as much life ore as possible for themselves. The more life ore, the more power.

But the true power of life ore could only be held by biomages themselves. When they say biomages could alter any part of a human's body, they meant every part. And that included the part of the body that distinguishes humans from animals.

The part of the body that holds our knowledge, the part of the body that holds our memories, the part of the body that holds our truths.

Knowledge, memories, and truths that can all be altered by a single spell.

Chapter 1: No Pride in Death

A young purple-haired woman and a green-haired man, both around 20, and whose faces looked very similar, sat across each other in a room.

"Where am I?" the man asked.

"What do you mean Basil?" the woman replied, "We're in Abalone."

The walls surrounding them were a familiar brown willow color.

"That's… that's not possible, this place burned down."

"And yet here we are all the same. It's just like your memory remembers it."

"No, no… this can't be right. This is a lie," the man replied touching the walls to feel its texture.

"All memories, and by extension all truths are lies, Basil. They are imperfect and malleable based on who is experiencing them, and who is stating them. Does it matter either way? We're safe back home now."

"I can't trust it," Basil repeated to himself, "No… no… there's no way this is possible. I can't trust it, I can't trust it, I can't trust it."

He looked up at the woman.

"You told me, Lavender, you told me not to trust anything or anyone fully, not even you. And now you're telling me to trust that we're magically in our old home again?"

Lavender stared back at him with a somber expression.

"I didn't say that Basil, I asked if it matters."

"What? Of course it does. How can I be sure of anything if everything is a lie?"

"What's so wrong in believing a lie if it's for the greater good? What's so wrong… in believing in me?"

Lavender's image suddenly dispersed into thin air as the familiar walls of Basil's old home began catching on fire.

"No… not again…" Basil said to himself suppressing his memory, "Please, NO!"

Suddenly Basil shot up from the ground of the tent he had been sleeping in.

"It … it was just a dream?" he said to himself catching his breath.

"Having nightmares again lieutenant?"

Basil turned to his right to face a middle-aged man with long black hair and a sturdy build. Next to him lay his sword and metal armor with the crest of a sun implanted on it indicating a high rank in the Farnon military.

"General Yates, you're awake."

"I don't sleep before battles lad, even ones we can't lose."

"Right, of course."

Basil lay back down onto the floor still breathing heavily.

"You have to let go lad, she's dead. There's nothing you can do for her now."

"Yeah… yeah you're right."

"Best you can do is fight on her behalf."

An expression of rage appeared on Basil's face, "I'll slaughter every one of those bastards for what they did."

"Woahhh slow down there lieutenant," General Yates replied putting a hand on Basil's shoulder, "We're here for life ore first and the good of Farnon. The fewer lives lost the better; it's what your sister would have wanted."

"Yeah… yeah she would have."

"Now then…"

Yates yawned getting up from his spot.

"The sun will be rising soon. Why don't we get up early and get preparations ready yeah?"

Basil nodded as he began to put on the armor that had been lying next to him.

"Right away sir,"

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"Soldiers! What do we fight for?"

"For Farnon!"

"Who do we die for?"

"For Farnons!"

The legions of the Farnon army stood on top of the Tymon Mountains, around 100,000 men in total. Around 30,000 of them rode horses on the front line carrying various swords, maces, and spears. Behind them stood 50,000 ground infantrymen, and behind the infantrymen stood the backline of 20,000 archers. All of them were listening attentively to the booming voice of General Yates who had gotten off his horse temporarily to deliver his speech.

"To get here, we all had to make sacrifices. Lives have been lost, men have been injured, and we're all starving and cold being away from our homes."

The soldiers all looked down remembering the journey of their campaign.

"But just remember what you are fighting for today! Beyond this mountain is the city of Numen, the heart of the Wolan Kingdom, the same Wolan Kingdom that broke our alliance when they murdered the greatest healer that Farnon has ever known."

He looked over at Basil who was riding on top of his own horse next to him.

"Now Lieutenant Basil here has not only been a great bodyguard during this campaign, but he has been a strong soldier as well. It's not easy to go into the front lines of battle after losing someone close to you like a sister. You all know her well, you've all had loved ones, or perhaps even yourselves that were healed by Lavender's magic."

The soldiers nodded in agreement.

"What the Wolans have done is unforgivable. Today men, you fight for more than just yourselves. No, pride has its own place but today you fight for more, you fight for the betterment of your kingdom. We need that life ore to heal the diseased and the injured, for that is something worth fighting for."

"WOOOOOOOOOOO,"

The energy of the crowd engulfed the entire atmosphere of the mountain. So much so that Basil couldn't help but join in on the shouting as well. The shouting only stopped when General Yates gave the signal holding out his hand.

"Now then…" He turned to the young man on horseback next to him, "Lieutenant Basil, do you have any words to the soldiers you have fought alongside before we storm down the mountain?"

The legion of men all turned to face Basil.

"No sir!" Basil shouted saluting his general, "It's simple! We're here for the life ore. And I will slaughter any Wolan monster that stands in my way! For Farnon!"

"For Farnon!" The crowd of soldiers shouted back.

"Hmmm… very well, all business until the job is done, I like that," the general nodded approvingly, "Well then, I believe now all the things that need to be said have been said. Only one thing left to do. Soldiers!"

He got onto his horse and turned towards the view below the valleys where a town could be seen.

"Let's march!"

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"Father, I am not sure the 30,000 you sent are enough. Our scouts say the enemy has come with 100,000 strong," a young woman with long light blue hair, the same color as the castle walls, said running into the throne room of the imperial castle of Numen. She was wearing a fur coat and red shirt symbolic of the empire of Wolan.

"So the day has come…"

On top of the ivory throne of the castle sat King Scon. In reality, he had only been around 50 in age, but years of politics and military missions had aged his hair and beard gray. He too was wearing a fur coat but with purple robes and a large gold crown indicating royalty. Besides him were 6 men in full iron armor, Scon's personal guards.

"What do we do? The walls of Numen have already been fortified and the rest of the forces are getting slaughtered by the second in the mountains. Should we send the rest of our soldiers in the castle to guard the city walls?"

"We have no choice," the king replied breathing a sigh, "We simply give them the mines."

"You can't!" the princess pleaded, "That's the last leverage Wolan has! If we give those up, what's stopping our entire kingdom from falling?"

"Our kingdom has already fallen Lapis, what good is losing more lives going to do?"

"No… it's not right, we can still fight," Lapis shouted, "I can fight!"

"We've fought enough Lapis; the Farnons already have troops occupying all of our major cities. The only thing left is to give up our mines."

"Those are ours and ours alone! Every kingdom has sick and injured citizens. What gives any kingdom the right to take what's on our land?"

"It doesn't matter Lapis, life ore can heal many things, but it cannot heal death."

As he said those words, another man came running into the palace, with a concerned look on his face.

"Sir, most of our forces have been sent retreating back into the city. The enemy has suffered very few casualties; around 90,000 of their army still remain."

"I'm going!" Lapis said beginning to march back out the door.

"You're not Lapis, guards seize her."

As the king said those words, the royal guards that had been standing beside him immediately walked up to the princess grabbing a hold of her arms.

"Hey let go, NO, I trained with those soldiers, I deserve to die with them."

"No one else is dying today Lapis," King Scon sighed. He turned to the man that had run into the room.

"Clive, march the diplomacy unit towards General Yate's army. Make sure to bring the white flag. Tell them I will surrender the city and our mines."

"Father NOOOOOO, have you no pride?"

"There's no pride in death, Lapis. Guards, take Lapis and have her escape with Sir Cohen on horseback to Turok."

"Yes sir."

"You're a coward, father! King Trent would have fought until the end to protect the mines."

"That may be so, but King Trent died 10 years younger than I have lived with such an attitude. Now go."

The 3 guards took the disgruntled princess out of the throne room. Sighing, King Scon got up from his throne and began walking out of the room himself.

"Get ready the negotiation table," he said to the guards still in the room, "And the best wine this kingdom has to offer."