CHAPTER 1

 Location: Unknown. Time: Unknown. Date: Unknown

BOOM!

{What…the…}

The boy wondered what the noise was. But just as soon as the thought popped up, his head felt ready to burst in pain.

Automatically his hands moved to cradle his head. A low moan escaped his dry cracked lips as his vision blurred and shook with every 'BOOM!' that resounded around him.

{Where…am I?}

The boy couldn't see, he could barely breath, and even the thoughts threatened to tear his head apart. To say he was disoriented would be nothing but a minuscule assessment. To be frank the boy felt like he was near death's door.

BOOM!

Another boom resounded and this one sounded rather close. The boy closed his eyes as the shaking of the ground only caused his brain to hurt even more.

{Someone… help…}

Everything felt wrong, so wrong. He didn't know how to put it into audible words since his mind hurt with every thought but he felt in conflict with something.

{I-I-}

Every comprehensive thought came to halt immediately as if coming across an impassable brick wall. The feeling was nothing short of unpleasant.

Suddenly the boy heard an external voice. The ringing in his hears slowly abated as the booming relented and he heard the voice clearer.

"WE NEED TO GET THE MAGUS OUT OF THE SHELL ZONE!! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!"

The voice sounded male, authoritative and anxious. The boy's vision slowly cleared as he felt pairs of firm strong hands grab hold of his arms and slowly lift him up. He looked to his left and right and saw two heavily-armed men dressed in camo combat uniforms lift him up steadily and carry him away.

His mind slowly came to and the impassable brick wall it had formed slowly crumbled away to let comprehensive thoughts pass.

Enough for the boy to ask a question.

"What…happened?"

The soldiers lifting the boy remained quiet and carried the boy towards a waiting military truck. They passed a road barrier heavily fortified by soldiers armed to the teeth. Without a word nobody opposed their passage and the boy felt himself placed on a bench within the truck.

Was he… being saved?

The boy tried to look around and felt his mind refuse to cooperate and the brick wall rebuild itself. Suddenly his body collapsed in fatigue. A voice shouted from nearby, probably outside the truck.

"SEND THE MAGUS BACK TO CENTRAL COMMAND! AND HAVE HIM SEE A MEDIC. I WANT A STATUS REPORT AS SOON AS HE ARRIVES."

"SIR, YES, SIR!"

And with that The boy's vision and mind collapsed into the darkness.

******************************************

"How's the magus doing?"

The voice was low yet stern and authoritative. The man it came from wore a neatly pressed uniform decorated with over a dozen medals upon his breast, a cap was pressed between his arm and side. To everybody else in the hospital room, he held the highest undoubtable status. His face was covered in countless wrinkles that gave him an air of wisdom and age, countless battles fought and won.

The person he was talking to was the doctor on duty assigned to the magus who had been withdrawn from the front-lines after a sudden frontal assault from the enemy forces. The doctor gave his report in a formal respectful voice.

"His body has come around well. A broken arm, leg and cheekbone healed within hours after admission. Surgery should no longer be a necessity, sir."

The man in uniform nodded and turned to look at the very boy they were talking about.

He was lying in the hospital bed, eyes closed shut and breathing normally. The state he had been when he had been returned to central command, would be to say truthfully, absolutely horrendous.

But as the general looked at the boy he couldn't help but admire how every wound had healed, every bone had reformed itself and every drop of blood in his body had been replaced.

The doctors hadn't even begun emergency operation on him when his body began healing itself.

"Magi… what terrifying people…"

"General?"

The doctor looked at the general in confusion, but the general simply ignored him. Matters had to be moved forward and they couldn't afford to dillydally on account of the one boy.

He turned towards one of the heavily armed soldiers accompanying him and standing at attention.

"Send word to that fellow that one of the magi he sent us is out of commission. Ask him to send us a replacement as soon as possible."

"Sir, yes, Sir!"

The soldier responded cordially and formally as duty commanded, and the doctor looked on.

"Then… what should we do with the boy, general?"

"Hmmm?"

Clearly, the general had already forgotten the boy. It appeared the effects of the war were wearing away at him.

"When you discharge him, just send him to the capital. His own people can take care of him from there…"

The general ceased to care and without room for response from the doctor, he dismissed himself from the hospital room. His soldiers following after him, stomping loudly down the corridor.

At their leave, the doctor simply sighed and jotted down notes onto his clipboard.

Looked like his job was going to keep him from home a while longer…

*********************************************

The ritual was prepared.

The girl admired her handiwork on the moss-covered stone floor of the basement she was occupying. A large intricately patterned circle was etched into the stone and filled with red blood.

Chicken blood thankfully but the girl wouldn't have minded using human blood just as well.

She looked at her left arm and traced her fingers over the deep black tattoo etched into her delicate white porcelain skin. Three close consecutive patterns formed the tattoo and wrapped around the arm.

On another note, the girl wondered if wearing a coat could hide it from view well. No doubt it could.

She then returned her attention to what lay before her.

She took a large heavy tome from a shelf beside her and quietly leafed through the pages.

The room she stood in was bare and dreary. Any form of furniture here had been brought upon her request and were only the bare essentials she needed for what she was about to do. And that included the numerous wax candles bearing their eerie orange glow around the circle and room.

"Catalyst ready… circle prepared… magical energy at maximum favorability… and chant mastered."

The girl's voice was low and serene, to hear it would be a blessing to all of sound mind. As for the girl herself? Her haughty and arrogant nature spoke leagues of her status as a magus.

She then raised out a hand to the circle and closed her beautiful light green eyes.

"Let silver and steel be the essence…"

The words came out as barely a whisper. Beautiful and soft but at once the room was filled with a sudden cold. As if the world itself waited with bated breath.

"Let stone and the archduke of contracts… be the foundation…"

For a moment the girl hesitated. This was because as she spoke her chant she felt a weird sensation. The warmth of her body felt like it was leaving her, disappearing into nothingness. She connected this to her magical energy connecting with the magic circle.

"Let my great Master Rootare Lohmus be the ancestor…"

The circle of blood began to glow an eerie red as it accepted her magical energy. The ritual was in full underway and could not be stopped now but the girl continued her chant.

"Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall. Let the four cardinal gates close. Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the kingdom rotate."

With each sentence the girl's voice became louder. With each sentence her resolve reformed itself anew. To her, failure was not an option and so she put her heart and soul into the chant. Anything less than perfection was unacceptable.

"I HEREBY DECLARE. YOUR BODY SHALL SERVE UNDER ME. MY FATE SHALL BE YOUR SWORD. SUBMIT TO THE BECKONING OF THE HOLY GRAIL."

Powerful wind pressure emanated from the circle. It glowed a bright red that shadowed the orange glow of the dozen candles. It was a beautiful sight but the pressure alone threatened to rip the basement apart. To kill the girl in front of it.

But she feared not and finished her chant with gusto.

"IF YOU SUBMIT TO THIS WILL AND THIS REASON! THEN ANSWER! GUARDIAN OF THE SCALES!"

All of a sudden the brightness of the circle grew even brighter and the girl closed her eyes as the wind rampaged with fresh energy.