Chapter 1: the Making of the Chosen Ones

This diary page describes the making of the Chosen Ones

Our story begins when the Chosen Ones were actually made, the day our great founder Alexander Empire died. The only written account of this event comes from the diary of Anastasia Empire, mother of Alexander. The following is the entry from her diary:

Dear Diary,

I feel that the disease that killed my husband, Artemus Emmanuel, many years ago is going to take over my body soon. Today, as I was sitting in my rocking chair, another episode of pain over took me, but it was much different than before. The pain this time was unbearable. At first, it seemed to be like any other episode, the pain comes and goes in different parts of my body and disappears for awhile. Then, all of a sudden, as if I was under a spell, the pain overtook my whole body, and it was so strong that all I could do was fall onto to the floor and scream. It felt like someone had lit my body on fire. Thank the Gods that Alexander showed up within minutes of the overtaking and healed me of my pain because I feel I would not have been able to take any more of it.  

After a few moments of rest, Alexander and I had a talk about his day. He told me that after he left this morning that he went to the office of the Emperor’s Squads and signed up to be on the expedition squad. I congratulated him, and he went on to talk about the things he did with his friends. He told me that they come up with some new tricks with the powers of Atlantis that I passed down to him a couple days ago when he turned 18. Then, when he was done, Alex went silent and he just looked at the floor. All I could see was a furrowed brow and a wrinkle forehead, but I could sense that he was afraid and confused.

For a few moments, I decided to not ask him about what was bothering him and just wait for him to tell me. I just sat there and waited for him to tell me what was on his mind. Then, as if he knew that I wanted him to tell me, he looked up at me and said “Mom, I had something strange happen to me today.”  He looked at me with so much fear on his face that I just wanted to tell him to not worry about telling me, but instead, I got up from my rocker and went to sit next to him on the couch. I put my hand on his lap, making sure he knew it was ok to continue.

After a couple more seconds of silence, he went on “As I was walking home today, I started to get a really bad headache.  It was the kind of headache that feels like someone is consistently pounding really hard on your skull. Even though it was fairly bad, I just ignored it and told myself that it would go away soon enough. I walked a little more and the headache got worse. The pounding was harder, and it seemed to have an effect on everything on my head, senses wise. My ears started ringing, and the world around me went black as if someone had extinguished the sun and all the surrounding light. Then, my vision came back to me, but it wasn’t of the surroundings around me. Instead, it was the red door to our house. The door opened, and I could see our sitting room. You were sitting in your usual rocker by the fireplace. I moved towards you, and as I neared you, I saw you fall onto the floor, and your screams of pain filled my ears. As I watched you writhe in pain, my vision became blurry and everything faded back to black. After a few seconds, my vision changed back to the scenery around me, and I found myself on all fours on the ground panting and sweating. Without even thinking about what I had just seen, I ran home as fast as I could, and the rest is history.” He stopped for a moment and looked at me with frightened eyes. Then, he said with a frightened voice “What was that, Mom?

For a moment, I did not know what to say to him. Part of me wanted to congratulate him on his new gift while another part of me just wanted to sit there and comfort him. After a few moments, I took his hands in mine and said in a very comforting voice “Honey, the thing you experienced is called a premonition.  Basically, a premonition allows one to see the future. Usually, when one gets a premonition, it means he or she is supposed to change the outcome related to the vision. In your case, I am guessing you got yours so you could save me from my pain and possibly my death. It’s a good thing you got the vision because I have been thinking that this gift would end with me. What I mean is I thought that you had not inherited my gift of premonitions. This gift runs in my family and has been passed down to every first born, or only born in your case. I was afraid that you had not inherited it because you weren’t showing any of the usual symptoms of constant headaches, ringing in the ears, and blurry vision. I guess there was some kind of delayed reaction, and when it decided to kick in, all the symptoms were stronger than usual. Anyway, this gift is a good thing, darling. It was this gift that allowed me to meet your father, and it will definitely help you on your way to fulfilling your destiny. I hope this helps clear up your fears and confusions.” I looked at him, and it looked like he understood. His furrowed brow was relaxed, the wrinkles on his forehead were gone, and his green eyes had a sparkle that reminded me of the sparkle of an emerald in the sun.

For another few minutes, we talked a little more about our shared gift, and the history of how Artemus and I met. Then, I got up from the couch, stretched, and said “It’s time for my daily nap, and I will make us dinner afterwards. Can you please make sure I’m up in an hour?” Alex nodded “yes”, and I went into my bedroom. I undid the covers of my bed, got in, and fell right to sleep. After an hour, Alexander woke me up, we had dinner, and he went out to see his friends. After he left, I went into my room to write.

Now, it is time to come to the importance of this journal entry, my premonition. It was the most unusual one to date because it felt like that it was sent to me to give me comfort instead of urgency to change the future. My comfort came because it showed the future of Alex.

My vision started in the very room I am in right now, my bedroom, and I was kneeling by the right side of the bed. As I knelt, I prayed to the Gods that they look over and bless Alex with many blessings as he pursues his future. I also asked that they receive my soul in grace and allow me to be with Alex until he died.

My vision began with me in my bedroom. I was kneeling at the side of my bed praying to the Gods of Atlantis to receive my soul in grace and to watch over Alex as he completes his destiny. A few moments later, I saw myself collapse on the floor. My eyes were tightly closed, my hands were gripping my chest, my body shook, and my legs flailed around as I screamed in pain. All of a sudden, everything went silent, and I saw myself limp on the floor. My vision started to move towards my dead body. As my vision neared my body, everything went black.

After a few seconds, I saw Alexander walking home from the Exploration Department of Greeceland’s government. In his hand was a slip of paper that said his assignment was to head a crew of twenty men to explore and map the island to the north. Alex looked over the paper a few times with a grin on his face. Then, he looked up to the sky, and as if something in the sky had made him ill, Alex’s face went from a pure grin to pure pain. His eyes were tightly closed, forming wrinkles on his forehead, and he was clutching his forehead as if he had a headache. To my delight and his surprise he was having another vision, and to my surprise, I was able to see it.

In his vision, Alex was standing in a circular room. The walls of the room were made of stone, and there were various maps and pictures on the wall. In the center of the room, there was a round table with seven chairs, and in one of those chairs was a man. The man looked like he was in his mid thirties. He was wearing royal purple robes that were opened to reveal a white buttoned down shirt. His hands were intertwined together on the table, and he had a smile on his face. Overall, his demeanor was very friendly.

After a few moments, the man began to speak “Alexander Empire, Do you know where you are?” Alex stood in silence for a moment, surprised by the fact the man knew who he was.

Seeing that he had shaken Alex a little, the man said calmly “You’re probably wondering how I know your name, and the simple answer is that I am your father, Artemus Empire.  Right now, you are standing in the castle that had once housed the ancient sages of Atlantis, and you have been brought here because the gods have decided that I should be here to break the news to you. There is no way for me to break this to you gently, but your mom has died. She died of the same disease that killed me, but she is in peace now. It is time for you to fulfill your destiny, my son. I wish you luck and blessed be.”

My vision returned to Alex collapsed on the side of the road. My vision hovered over him for a minute, and I saw tears rolling down his cheeks. Then, my vision changed suddenly to the docks of the north shore. In the docks, there were a couple of big wooden ships docked with no sails and floating. At the end of the dock, there was a slightly smaller wood ship. On the dock near the front of the ship, there was a group of men all dressed in government issued uniforms. As my vision came closer to the men, I saw the name on the boat, Atlantis. Below the name was one of the men. As I got closer, I saw that it was Alex. I could see his emerald green eyes shine in the sun as the man in front of the group was talking. Of what I could hear, the man said “Gentlemen, today, the governor of Greeceland has given me the privilege to tell you all that as part of the Exploration Team, you all will be going to the island to the north. Your objective there is to map the island and see if it is inhabitable. You will send all of this data back here so the Governor can assess whether or not we can colonize the island. You trip will last…” The leader’s voice trailed off, and my vision went black.

After a few seconds of my blackness, my vision focused on a circle of men around a fire. At the head of the circle and in front of what looked like a big body of water, there was Alex holding several pieces of paper. He examined the pieces for a moment and said with gratitude in his voice “Good job, men. These journals and maps are of excellent quality and precision. The Governor of Greeceland would have liked these.” Alex fell silent while his men looked at him with confusion on their faces.

After a few moments, the man to the right of Alex asked with hesitation “Commander Empire, excuse for asking, but what do you mean by would have liked?”

Alex looked at all the men with a face of sadness and announced to them solemnly “I received news earlier this morning over the radio that last night the government of Greeceland was overthrown by some regime. In the heat of the overthrow, the leader of the regime snuck into the governor’s private quarters and shot him while he slept. This morning, while all of you were out doing your duties, I listened to the new governor’s speech, and I have concluded that it is not safe to go back. This government abhors the roots of our great land and has decided that all who are connected to the founding people should be exterminated. I cannot go back because my mom was a part of the founding, and I know many of your family members and friends were too. I urge you to stay here with me, but I understand that many of you feel the urge to go back and check on your family. If that is the case, I have already made arrangements with the captain to take people back. If you are going, the boat leaves at dawn. If you decide to stay, please be aware that it will be a rough for awhile, but eventually, we will make this island as great as or even greater than Greeceland.”

Alex got up from where he was sitting and started to walk toward the sleeping area when one of the men asked him “Commander, why would the new governor want to exterminate those who have roots with founders?”

Alex stopped in his tracks, turned back towards his men, and just stared at them for a moment. Then, he asked sternly “Does anybody know the history of the founding of Greeceland?” Silence fell over the men, and they stared at him with blank faces.

For a moment, Alex stood where he was with his hand over his eyes in shame for his men. Then, he took his hand away, looked at his men, and said in slight annoyance “I guess I can spare a couple of minutes of my time and tell you the history of Greeceland.”

Alex went back to his place at the head of the circle and sat down. He looked at his men and said in a relaxed voice “The founding and history of Greeceland goes back many, many years, around the time that my parents met. My father, Artemus Empire, had just arrived on the west coast of the United States of America, a country far east from here, with a group of people. These people were very special because they possessed magical powers.

Anyway, the group had traveled to the west because my dad felt that it was not safe in the east while supposed witch trials were going on. Once they arrived to the west, the group settled near the ocean and established their own village. The village accepted both magical and non-magical people who were exiled from their villages. It also had made good connections with the natives in the area. After a few months, the village became a town, the magic inside grew more diverse, and my father met my mother.

After about a year, my mother became pregnant with me, and my father contracted an incurable disease. On his deathbed, my father gave the leadership of the town to my mother and told her to get out of the United States as soon as possible. He told her a few more things before he died, but never said why they needed to go.

After my dad died, my mother took over leadership of the village and declared a few days of mourning for the death of my dad. The day after the mourning period, one of my father’s closest friends came running into the town yelling that the government of the United States was coming for them. The news created panic, but my mother soon got them under control. She told them to gather all the necessary belongings and meet her at the courthouse because she knew how to escape.

After gathering their belongings, the townsfolk met my mother at the courthouse. She told them to get into a tight circle around her. Once they were in the circle, she chanted some words, and in a flash of light, they arrived onto present day Greeceland. They settled on the north shore, where the ports are now, and established the island as Greeceland. Ever since then, the government has always been acceptant of the existence of magic until now. The new government is exterminating all those connected to magic because they are cowards. They don’t understand the...” Alex went silent. He got up from his place in the circle and walked silently to the sleeping area. My vision followed him back to his tent, and when he got inside, my vision went black.

A few seconds later, my vision returned to the island, but this time I was watching from the heavens. I watched as the returning boat sailed down the center river. I followed the boat down the river and into the ocean that lay between the island and Greeceland. As the boat sailed into the horizon, I turned around and sped up the river, seeing blurs of green, brown, and blue pass right by.

After a couple of seconds, I was again at the camp site from the night before. Like the night before, there was a circle of men, but instead of a fire, Alex was in the middle. From the circle, there could be cheers of congratulations coming from the men. Then, one man stood up and the others went quiet. He motioned Alex to join him by his side. Alex did as he was motioned. Then, the man said “I, Abe Essery, have the greatest honor to name this great island after our great commander. Alexander Empire, you have inspired all your men to do well on their work. You have also shown great strength in this time of tragedy for our late home of Greeceland. Because of all of this, we name our new home Empire Island, and we would like you to be our leader. Do you accept?

Alex stood where he was in complete silence. Through his eyes, I could see he was trying to figure out what to say. After a couple of silent seconds, he said gratefully “I accept your nomination.” Everyone cheered, and I was lifted back up in the air.

For a few moments, I hovered over the island and could see the little spec of light that was the campsite. Then, all of sudden, time sped up. I saw the moon and sun rise and set for each day in a matter of minutes. I also saw the little spec of light from the campsite grow into bunches of little specs of light. After a couple of minutes, everything stopped, and I was rushed down back to the island.

When the rushing finally stopped, I was in a bedroom. The walls were made of a medium dark wood panel. On the left side of the room, there was a cherry wood dresser with a mirror above it, and opposite it, there was a cherry wood wardrobe. At the front of the room, there was one single window that looked out over a body of water toward a small island. Opposite the window, there was a canopy bed with a dark green comforter on it, and in the bed was Alex surrounded by his closest companions.

Of what I could see, Alex did not look well, He had bags under his eyes and his face was very gaunt. His hair had turned a grayish color, and his eyes had lost that emerald shimmer. Overall, he looked like my dear Artemus right before he died.

For a few moments, the people in the room just sat by the bed, not moving or saying a word. Then, one by one people left, and after a couple of minutes, only Alex and three other men were left. The man knelt by the bedside as they waited for Alex to do something. One man was his right side, one was at the left side, and one was at the end of the bed. As they waited, each man gave worried glances to each other while kneeling in silence.

After a moment or two of more silence, Alex cleared his throat with a very weak cough. He looked at the three men and just smiled at them. Then, he said weakly “You three have been by my side since we were little kids. I have trusted you guys with the magic that my mother gave me when I became a teenager, and I have also trusted you guys in helping me lead Empire Island to where it is today. It seems my stay on this island is coming to end. Luckily, you three will be here much longer, and because of this, I feel that I can finally give you what I think you guys deserve.”

Alex reached beneath the pillow that was next to the one his head was lying on and pulled out three medallions. The medallions each had the insignia of the Atlantian Triangle and were yellow, red, and blue respectively. He handed one medallion to each of his friends and closed his eyes for a moment.

Then, he opened his eyes again, cleared his throat, and said softly “These medallions hold the magic that mother passed down to me, the magic of Atlantis. When I received this magic, my mother told me that it was my duty to pass on the magic to either the next generation or to people I trusted with all my heart. As you know, I never got married, and when I became gravely ill, I began to think about who I would pass my magic to. I went through everyone I knew and figured out who I could trust whole-heartedly. Eventually, I withered my list down to you three. With you three in mind, my mind began to think about how to pass the magic down. For days, I could not think of a single idea, but then, my mother’s voice popped into my head. She reminded me of the story of how she met my father. In that story, she mentioned how my father kept the magic of in magical medallions, and I decided to do the same. So, I split the magic up into three medallions and gave each medallion a main power. The yellow medallion contains the main power of time, the red one contains the power of fire, and the blue one contains the power of water. Along with each main power, there is also plain old Atlantian magic that will allow the wearer to do any spell. With the medallions done, I felt like the passing of the magic would be fine, but my mind suddenly told me that there was something missing.”

Alex paused for a moment and reached under the same pillow again. This time he pulled out a medium sized black leather book with golden letters that said “Magic of the Ages: The History of Atlantis and Its Magic. Alex gave the book to the friend at the foot of the bed. He laid his head back on the pillow and continued “The missing thing was the book that my father’s friend Lucius made to make sure that the history of Atlantis was passed down. The special thing about this book is that it updates automatically whenever some kind of history happens. Once I had everything, I felt that the passing down would be successful. Now, you three hold the future of the world’s magic in your hands. I trust you three with the task of passing down this book and medallions to those who you think deserve them. I have just one other request. The three powers that are the main powers were chosen specifically because they are the chosen powers of the Atlantian Triangle. Because of this, I request that you call yourselves the Chosen Ones. I also give you three the duty to protect this island from whatever evil threatens it. That is all I ask. You guys have been the best of friends and may the Gods bless you and your families. Now, please leave me so I can rest.” His friends left, and Alexander was alone.

For a few moments, my vision stayed in the room. Then, all of a sudden, everything went black. After a few seconds, a newspaper headline came up, and it said “Alexander Empire, Beloved Leader of Empire Island, has Died.” Under the article, there was a smaller headline that read “Island in the Lake Established as Worship Area and Named Trine Island.” Under that headline there was a quote from one of Alex’s friends that said “We are naming the island Trine Island because of the Atlantian Triangle. The Atlantian Triangle is the symbol of the Gods, the Chosen Ones, and Empire Island. It contains the magic of the Chosen Ones, the commoners who practice magic, and the Gods. It is also the link to Empire Island’s history, Greeceland’s history, and the history of Atlantis. In the end, the triangle has three purposes, and because of those three purposes, the island is aptly named Trine Island since trine means three.” The paper disappeared, and all that was left was blackness.

The blackness stayed for a few moments. Then, I heard a voice in the distant call my name. Every second, the voice came closer. After a minute, I could distinguish it as Alex’s voice. He was calling my name and telling me it was time to wake up. After a few moments, my eyes opened, and there was Alex standing over me with that emerald sparkle in his eyes. Upon seeing his eyes, I felt at peace. That peace made me realize that this vision was a very special one. I knew the Gods gave it to me to show me that my heritage, Artemus’ heritage, and the heritage of Atlantis were in safe hands.

That peace I felt then still resonates within me. As I lay here in my bed, I am content with the world and the future that is out there for my son. I pray that the Gods will help Alex along the way, and I hope everything I saw does come true. May the Gods bless my last days with happiness and joy. Blessed be.

Sincerely yours,

Anastasia Empire