Arceae: Prologue

Prologue. PLZ READ. I HAS AUTISM.

In the magical land of Arceae, Arceae’s royal family were busy like normal. The scent of ink filled the king’s room. Document after document, needed to be signed, approved or read. Sometimes the king wished he was a citizen. The burden of carrying of a nation alone is an impossible task. That's why he has his family to help him. His beautiful wife and his wonderful two children, Olivia and Max. They would carry on his legacy and lead this country to greatness that the previous kings couldn’t get to. The queen was helping the poor and needy, going house to house to give them food. Talking with the citizens kept the royal family’s reputation high.

The two children were enjoying their youth. The children are suppose to start their education at the age of six, on how to rule a nation and are shaped into the leaders that will surpass the previous. The scene from the palace was something. An amazing view showcasing the beautiful capital of Arceae, in the background you can see the mountains that surrounds the city. The weather was perfect today, not too hot nor cold or humid. These kind of days happen often in spring, though in Arceae the weather doesn’t change dramatically.

Citizens were walking around the streets, chatting happily and shopping. Some sorcerers were doing magic tricks for show. They could do this because they knew they were safe. Safe from inequality, enemy nations and anything that could prevent people from being happy. Nobles were people who had higher authority than the citizens, yet were not allowed to use their authority to control the citizens unless granted permission. Rarely would the royal family give them permission to do that. Any noble found abusing their authority would be stripped of their nobility and punished. Nobles had major influences on the economy and kept money coming in, they were just as busy as the royal family, but are not tied down to their responsibilities like the royals are. This was how a normal day would go in Arceae.

Citizens were sheltered from what was happening behind the mountains, behind the mighty walls that separate Arceae from the other nations. Tensions were growing between the mighty nation and others. Any conflict or trouble were downsized to keep citizens calm. The royal family knew that lying to the citizens could damage the trust they have worked for and relations with them. The enemy nations were threatening its border. The king and queen did not want a war to breakout. War only meant death, so they tried to avoid it. They fed the crocodile to appease it only to have the crocodile grow an even bigger appetite and eat them. Five years later the king and queen were doing just that. Appeasing the enemy nations with deals that profited them and them only.

The king and queen didn’t want their children to have to lead a nation that is warring or recovering from a war. So they invited the leaders of the bordering nations to a feast. Hoping to repair relationships, the king and queen attempted to get to know the leaders better. The day of the feast came. Citizens gathered in the streets and watched as the nation leader’s carriage rolled towards the castle. Sorcerers threw magic in the air which resulted in many images to appear.

The great men did not come without guards, which was to be expected. Many great sorcerers from the nation came with the leaders to the feast. Though they did not eat at the same table they were close enough to provide protection. The scent of roasted steak and many other dishes filled the room. The great leaders sat on the side of the table.

They talked, joked and laughed. Overall it seemed like a successful feast. Max, who had always had a good intuition sensed that repairing relationships were not what some of the men really wanted. Though being eleven years old, no one trusted his intuition and even those who did, couldn't stop something they don't know about. Max decided he wasn't hungry and went up to his room. His parents smiled as they gave him permission to leave.

He tried convincing Olivia to come with him, but she was still hungry. On his way to his room he took a detour, the palace had many secrets. One of them being the secret passages that run through the whole palace. So Max turned to the left towards a hallway which was filled with statues of the previous kings. The hallway was meant to remind us of the great men who brought Arceae to greatness. At the end of the hallway was the flag of Arceae. The last statue to the right was the first king who had his hand in a high-five position. Max put his hand on the statue’s hand and release his magic power.

Everyone who had the affinity to use magic, had magic that was slightly different. Magic was based on genetics, which resulted in magic that wasn’t the same. The statue had to be reprogrammed every time a new royal family member joined to add their magic to it. Max took his hand off the statue and turned towards the flag. He walked towards it and kept walking until he went through it.

From where he was all he had to do was walk twenty feet before he got above the feast. He stared through a one way mirror. Allowing him to see them, but they couldn't see him. He kept watch for any suspicious activity, but everything seemed normal. Nothing happened for a while. One of the men made a comment about how hot it was. The king ordered one of the servants to open up the windows. As soon as he opened it, a gust of wind blew into the room.

There was something weird about the air. It wasn't the usual fresh air of spring. Max’s intuition was sensing danger. Since the air was the only thing he saw as different he covered his nose and left the area. He went straight to his room and to grab his sword. As he was about to open the door, he noticed something.

The door handle was tilted slightly downwards. His door handle was unique because every time he opened the door it would set downward at a weird angle. Normally he would put it back to 90 degrees, but this time it was downwards. Someone was in his room. He grabbed his pocket knife in hand and readied himself for battle. He quickly opened the door and swung just in case someone was waiting on the other side.

No one was in his room. A tiny creak in the wooden floor was heard behind him. As he was about to turn around and stab whoever was behind him, he was knocked out.

He awoke next to many people. Whom he recognized were Arceae’s allies. He heard two familiar voices. He looked around to see his parents tied up, crying. There was blood on the ground, but his parents were unharmed. Whose blood was it? As he took a better look at his surroundings he realized something. He was on a cliff, with these men, lining up to be executed. Suddenly he realized he hasn’t seen Olivia.

Max was horrified, he didn't want to think of such a cursed thought, but his intuition hasn't been wrong so far. One of the men saw that Max had awoken and pulled him next to his parents. As he got closer to the blood and his parent, he felt like he was going to hurl. As he was put down next to his parents he could see what the source of the blood was. Anger filled him, he was turning into a violent storm.

His parents were still crying, they couldn't bare to look at their dead daughter. They were next and they couldn't protect their only children or the people of this nation. The king was not ready to give up the fight. Through the sadness and tears he thought of a plan. He was willing to risk his life ,wife and the nation’s future on it. He already lost his daughter, he wasn't going to lose his son. Nor was he going to let them have their way.

Using all of his strength, he broke through the rope. With a war cry he jumped on one of the henchmen using what little magic he had left. He used the wind to keep them away. He told Max and his wife to run. One of the henchmen broke through the wind and made a grab for Max, but the queen stopped him and distracted them.

His parents were sacrificing their life to give him a chance to live. No matter what his mind told him, he knew that he couldn't get revenge if he was dead. Following his survival instincts he ran towards the cliff and before he jumped he looked at his parents one last time. He was falling through the air at an incredible rate. There was a stream under him. At the rate he was falling he would reach the bottom and smash his head onto a rock.

He tried using magic to slow his fall, but he wasn’t as talented as Olivia with magic. As he was about to give in, a voice in his head said ‘You can’t give up’ I can’t do anything though he thought. The voice responded ‘A battle isn’t over when one side loses. It's when they give up. I'll show you.’

Something or someone took control of his body. The next thing he knew he splashed into the water and was knocked unconscious. In his dream the voice was just an orb. The voice told him; ‘Your parents and family have given you another chance, your ancestors didn’t build this nation for it to fall from something like this. It's your time, your generation will take back the glory of this nation. We are watching over you.’

As the voice said that dark figures with white eyes were staring at Max, the figures reminded Max of something. The statues of the king, they resembled the previous kings. Suddenly a tsunami came and plowed through the figures and as it was about to reach Max the voice said ‘good luck young one.’ Then Max woke up. He was laying on a rock on the side of a stream, his whole body hurt and he was exhausted.

He stood up and groaned, he wanted to leave the area in case the men were going to search for his body. As he climbed up to the other side of a hill, he thought about his life and everything that has happened. At the same time he reached the top he reached a conclusion, he was going to take revenge for his family and take back his nation. With fire in his heart he walked further and further away from the capital. This marked the day that he would begin writing his chapter in history. Few days later Etra invaded Arceae and took over.

Author's Note

I AM AUTISTIC.