“My King, you must be cautious. All that power will get you noticed by unsavory characters.” The royal advisor paced back and forth before the crowned head.
“I have no intention of using this power for the wrong reasons,” the man said. “I never even wanted to be king. All I want is knowledge, I wish to continue learning about the world and all he has to offer for the rest of my days.”
“Be that as it may, there are many who do not take too kindly to there being a mage on the Rah’znyan throne.”
“I know this. I was born in this land just like every other member of this great society. All those who feel I should not be king are just envious that I was born into a royal family and they weren’t. That’s all that is, really.” The monarch sat down to contemplate his actions. “But, what shall I do about my quest for more magickal capabilities? The oracles of this realm all say the same thing. That the knowledge I seek is too volatile to tame.”
“Perhaps you will find guidance in Jeildrai. Have you heard of the Great Stag?”
“You mean the Legend of the Great Stag?” The king asked. “Of course, I have. It was a childhood story to ward younglings away from tampering with things they don’t understand. But, I am no longer a child. In all my forty-three years, nothing makes me believe that the stag is real.”
“Of all the things you have seen, of all you have learned over the course of your life... the Oracle of Jeildrai is what you choose not to believe?”
“Well... all right,” the king acquiesced. “But, if this is a ruse I will have your head.”
“On the western tip of the Vale, deep in the Forest of Kish, you will find the Kaidrisian Oasis. There, the Great Stag will be waiting for you. You must bring a sacrifice, of that which you most hold dear. The blood of something absolutely precious to you, perhaps. Present this to the oracle and only then will you find the answers you seek.”
“Very well.” The king left his advisor in the throne room and made haste for his quarters. He had a voyage to prepare for.
Vulcan the Great, the king of Rah’znya traveled for five months from his homeland in Telyssia to the northwestern tip of Oflaria. The western province of the Huilium Vale in the Jeildraiyan realm. Once he reached his destination, he trekked to the oasis where he would hopefully get the answers he desired.
Before he could even enter the precious haven and make his case to the oracle, the being began to speak.
“Vulcan Andrei of House Kiritescu, why have you come?” The two-faced creature asked in many voices.
“I have journeyed from the southern realm for your guidance,” the Rah’znyan king said as he lifted a bloody bag high into the air. “For you, oh ancient one, the heart of that which I most hold dear.”
The oracle recoiled in disgust.
“How dare you come here and defile this pure place with your rancid offering. We reject you and the heart of your first son!”
The king stepped back stunned.
“Is this not the proper offering you require?” He asked. “Wait... my first son? What do you mean by that? Is the queen with-child?”
“Never once have we asked for the heart of a child, you imbecile!” The Oracle grew in size as did its rage. “For your insolence and your disregard for life, your line shall forever be cursed. Your spawn will be condemned to Saju’Rah and doomed to take the form of sanguine-hounds, never to walk the terra of this world again.”
Its powerful antlers burst into flames first and the rest of its body followed. Soon the entire oasis was ablaze. The soot from the fire made it extremely difficult for Vulcan to breathe.
“Please, I beseech thee.” The king fell prostrate on the ground with his palms facing the burning sky. “I did not know what was required of me. My advisor told me what to offer up to you, it is my own fault for not interpreting your will properly. I beg of you, please give me another chance.”
“No.”
The king saw his life flash before his eyes, then his vision went black.
The oracle had impaled him on its burning antlers and merely watched the flesh blacken in death.
As the smoke began to clear, the burning stag caused its flames to be put out before changing its form.
In its stead, stood a man and a woman.
They dressed in godly robes and caused a mighty quake to shake the terra before they vanished, leaving the ashes of the mage king in their wake.
As they traveled through the sky, they could see their destination. Rah’znya.
“Is it done?” The Rah’znyan advisor asked.
“Yes,” Rheagi, the god of darkness and strife, said.
“I just don’t understand, sister,” the wrathful goddess of chaos stated as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Why did you use us the implement this king’s death? You are the only one who would send lambs to the slaughter in this manner. And why are you posing as a mortal?”
“All these questions.” The goddess of love and energy chuckled as she transformed into her true self. “All in due time, sister. All in due time.”
“No, Jeloisa.” Rheagi stood to his full height thinking he could intimidate her as he used to with the goddess of fertility. “You need to explain now.”
Jeloisa cocked her head to the side.
“I am not Atlantya, you sorry excuse for a god. The goddess of love I may be, you will never be forgiven for what you did.”
Suddenly, lightning struck the ceiling of the room they were in before three more figures appeared.
“Why have you summoned us here?” Rahaelon, the lupine god of creation and the dawn asked.
“The deed is done Rhaeus, my love.” Jeloisa greeted her husband, the god of war, with a smile first, then the others. “Atlantya, Rahaelon.”
“Hello, sisters,” Atlantya said before turning to Rheagi and stabbing him in his nether regions.
“How many times do you have to cause me bodily harm before your revenge is sated?” He growled out in pain.
“As many times as I want until the end of time,” she growled back. “You shouldn’t even be here and the only reason you are is because of your power. Don’t you ever forget that either.”
“Now that your personal affairs have been settled, onto business.” Jeloisa walked to the center of the room. “It has come to my attention that a new power has been born into Sobos, a power not of my own making. If precautions are not taken, we will cease to exist.”
“So, what does this have to do with Vulcan the Mage King and his bloodline?” Atlantya asked. “They are no longer human, I felt your curse Ranja.”
“Vulcan had been accumulating too much power,” Jeloisa said pacing back and forth. “Our Lord blessed me with a vision and I foresaw the mage at the end of an epic battle, one where none of us survive.”
“What shall we do?” Ranja asked.
“I- I am at a loss.” Jeloisa sighed in defeat.
“This is what we must do,” the god of war said. “We manipulate history.”
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