Elarion, the 'Council of Sovereigns'. Once a cluster of several kingdoms, was unified thanks to the influence of Sovereigns. Now being the most powerful state in the entire world, it was a place with humans and demi humans. Thanks to the works of Veyrun, the Crown of Light, there was little to no discrimination- at least where the eyes could see.
Being an empire, its sheer vastness made it hard to even use a single body of authority to monitor every nook and cranny. At the very middle was the Throne hall, where Sovereigns once sat, together with the main cathedral that controlled all the other churches throughout the entire world.
The second innermost ring was Luminara Academia, the academy of the enlightened. Only those deemed worthy of following the path of a Sovereign are allowed to set foot in it. Aetherions being the mortal hosts of Sovereigns, are all brought here, while the talented are handpicked.
Veyrun stood in front of the prestigious gates of Luminara, in his hand a staff made of gold and amethyst. Its deep purple hue shone as the gates opened themselves, allowing him in. He had heard a voice in his sleep, "Go to the locked realm of truths." He knew that eerie voice well- The whispers that seemed to be made of the voices of every living being, the world was talking to him.
Inside, masked guards stood there ready to welcome him. Their eyes were covered, yet they escorted him as if they could clearly see. The halls were empty. As he tapped the staff on the pristine floor, a deep purple glowed from the walls, revealing hidden symbols and writings that seemed to pulse every time he took a step.
"Stop." Veyrun said in a gentle voice. The guards saluted and turned to face the opposite way. Veyrun walked towards the wall, where writings seemed to spiral. Placing his hand on the wall, he lifted the spear, driving it into the ground with astonishing strength. Everything suddenly turned purple and blue and time seemed to stop. The words now swirled more aggressively, taking the shape of a pair of eyes- green eyes that seemed to stare at the soul.
"I greet the Sovereign of forgotten tales," Veyrun said as he bowed.
"So You have come."
The familiar whispers reverberated in the now frozen world as the wall opened up, revealing a portal. Veyrun walked into it, leaving the current world frozen, with his staff still on the ground.
On the other side, it was completely dark- for him at least. As a mortal, he was not allowed to see what existed in the higher realms, lest his consciousness would crumble into nothingness.
"I see you still have the staff of time. You're taking good care of it despite the sheer power it possesses."
"You granted me the staff of time so that I be the light, and I shall fulfil that till my very end." Veyrun replied.
"I called you here to give you a warning."
Those words shook Veyrun. A warning? One that had a Sovereign call him?
Was the world ending? Many thoughts rushed through his mind.
"It is not a world ending situation or rather, might turn out to be one depending on how you treat the Aetherion."
"An Aetherion?" Veyrun wondered. Yes they were powerful, but not to the extent where a Sovereign who could control time on a universal scale had to warn of.
"I felt the presence of an ancient. One powerful enough to block my methods of checking them throughout the entirety of time."
Cold beads of sweat formed on Veyrun's face. He knew very well that sovereigns had a tie to time, one that could be traced. The ancients had not done anything to involve themselves at all, now one has chosen an Aetherion, and cannot be traced by time? That only meant that the being in question existed outside of time.
But no how would that be possible? Time is what gives us the reference of before and after, it is what brings about a sequence- what we know as causality.
"Thinking about it is useless, a mortal mind cannot comprehend it. Simply put, an existence that existed before the start of everything. An ancient of such levels has chosen a mortal host. You must find the host. If they end up corrupted or anguished by something to the level of losing control, you shall all cease to exist."
"I-I shall immediately set out to search. Please give me your strength." Veyrun said as he knelt down.
"The other two Sovereigns of my level must have already sensed that too. We shall all be looking for the location of that Sovereign. The only hint we know now is that it happened after the fall of Belfast, just when the strange rain happened. Whenever we try checking for any survivors in Belfast... We don't see anything at all."
"I shall immediately launch investigations into the entire North Continent."
With that, Veyrun felt his consciousness shift, and the staff in his hand. He opened his eyes, looking at the wall in front of him. Without wasting any time, he immediately pulled the staff out of the ground and the world regained its former color, the hole where he'd driven the staff in repairing itself.
"Summon the head immediately! Send word to the Palace! Using my authority as the crown of light, I command you!"
Hearing the urgency in his voice and the command in his name, they immediately set out. Tapping his staff twice on the ground, the halls shifted, and he vanished back into the temple.
From afar, a white flame could be seen dancing on top of the cathedral, its presence alerting everyone.
The bustling towns and markets throughout the kingdom all fell silent, and the roads quickly became desolate, as if giving room for the emergency meeting to be held.
As that was happening, Renard was seated inside a carriage, Neil next to him. He looked back at the town, as May waved at them, slowly becoming distant. His eyes looked distant, as if thoughts were troubling him. He felt a warm hand over his shoulder. Neil smiled at him, as if telling him "I'm here, do not worry." He smiled back, revealing a gentle smile.
His journey had began.