The atmosphere across the Realm had changed now the war was over. The truce had been finalised months ago with the official inauguration of Balthazar as Elder, uniting the Death-Hunters and the Realm Guard at last. Peace was slow to restore as there was still tensions in the different districts, but almost all of the neutral factions had returned to the fold as promised. The mood was improving as each week passed, former death-hunters helping rebuild the countryside they had

Thunder rumbled in the distance, drawing Hanson’s eyes up to the overcast sky. Birds flocked overhead like an omen, fleeing their presence as they entered the small village. The General had to peel his eyes to the ground to remind him he was still in the Realm before his eyes started playing tricks on him.

It was a long and difficult labour, going on for over an hour. The midwives and nurses did what they could, but Aanya had to push through a lot of pain. Zander was late, but it was a relief when he finally arrived to support her. When she was finally dilated and ready, she had her husband by her side.

The sands stretched out towards the horizon as far as the eye could see, blanketing the landscape in a sea of grey and brown. There had been little to mark the distance as the man trudged through the desert, his feet sinking a few inches into the sand while his tattered cloak dragged behind him. He lifted his eyes up to the grey sky above him, the clouds obscuring the sun and any stars I might’ve used to navigate this wasteland.

The cheers echoed across the capitol all the way to the furthest outskirts where the Oracle’s tower resided. She listened to the voices of the crowd drifting through her open window, standing in the shadow beside the rays of sunlight bathing her chambers. She assembled her chess board diligently, placing the marble pieces with care while observing the threads of the present unfolding around her.

The crowds gathered outside the Citadel, filling the courtyards as the High-King stood on the balcony with his elders, his Guard, and his family, friends and close allies addressing the assembled crowd. His voice boomed over the sun kissed sky, amplified by a one of Nasir’s spells so he could be heard to all corners of the capitol. “After many years of bloodshed and bigotry, of distrust and treachery, I am privileged to announce the Realm is once again at peace” he roared. “T

The storm cloud gathered over their heads, thunder echoing across the sky. The superstitious among them might consider it an omen, a sign that bad things are to come. For those like James Clark, they knew dark times were already here.

The weeks that followed were a hectic affair. There was much to do once all the relevant parties had been debriefed and everyone was brought up to speed. Karen and Ramous stayed for the transition of power, helping Ferndale and Valerius as they made the peace between the Death-Hunters and the Realm Guard formal. Balthazar happily signed the treaty declaring a cease of hostilities, working with the High-King to move forward in a unified front.

The results were never in doubt. They all knew it would be.

Emma recalled the first time she asked why Sorcerers were so scary, so dangerous. She was sitting in Matrious’s office when she was very young, watching him perform one of his experiments with a potion over an open flame. The Spell-Caster was very careful to keep her away from the apparatus for her safety. Her curious mind had wandered to the topic as if by random, so she asked him “why do people say Sorcerers are dangerous?”

The man had positioned himself behind the young man, his wand in his left hand so he could hold his right hand out for the artefact. Shade stood frozen as the wand pressed against the back of his neck. From this close, any bolt could cause his head to explode like a grape. “Don’t try anything stupid” Valerius warned.

The two mage factions had had been at war for years finally called their truce in order to access the temple in a unified front. The only faction not a hundred percent on board with this was the mortals, who huddled behind the Realm Guard and the Death-Hunters shivering from the cold. As long as Scarlett remained in the hands of the Death-Hunter, nobody, not even Shade, was going to trust them.

The flight took them further than they had ever travelled before in a couple of hours. Midnight approached steadily like a foreboding cloud.

The spells dissolved the moment the Death-Hunter vanished. The barriers came down and everyone stumbled forward. The magic freezing Shade in place evaporated and the boy rushed forward, sprinting to the spot Balthazar teleported from. He lifted his eyes up and bellowed into the sky in fury, his voice igniting a thunderstorm over their heads.

A few minutes ago…

The visit from the Death-Hunters had been unexpected. But now that they were gone, and now that everyone in their groups were safe, everyone was able to take a moment to breathe and relax. It had been a hectic few days and they all needed a moment.

A hushed silence fell over the mages when Balthazar introduced himself. Of course they knew who he was. Emma learnt about him in school. She looked over at David, who used to talk about him a lot. The man was an inspiration, a legend, among his race. She also heard the stories about what happened to him, how he was locked up. “Is it really him?” she whispered to her dad, who had fallen silent as he stared at the tall man.

There was a fraction of a second before the metal shard pierced Emma’s eye as she watched it approach. She was trying to protect her father, and thus putting herself in danger. The shard cut through the air towards her, the jagged metal sharp and deadly.