*Bang
*Crash
Lightning flashed, and thunder rang ferociously and powerfully in the dark expanse of the sky filled with dark clouds. Heavy torrential rain fell over the land, delivering hundreds of water droplets. In the midst of this natural phenomenon, multiple feet of humanoids and beasts were seen stepping in puddles of water, all heading in one direction.
A little bit away from them, the galloping feet of a horse moved at a fast pace, ignoring the unforgiving weather nature posed. Steam oozed out of the horse's nostrils as it moved through the rain. Its rider was no different, clad in tough but light armor.
She held steadily onto the reins of the horse, heading towards a large building.
The building was large and had a Victorian architectural design. It had large pillars, doors, and highly decorated windows. The walls were painted mostly in red with touches of black.
In front of the large stylized gate, there were two ginormous statues of a woman holding a lance in her hand and clad in heavy armor.
Before the statues were two guards dressed in black and red armor. This said building was the royal palace of the Gorgons.
Galloping to the gates, one of the royal guards asked:
"You are at the royal palace. State your business here."
The horse rider replied, "I'm a post guard near the border at the east. I am here to make an urgent report. It's the wizards. They are here."
Upon hearing her, the guards immediately opened the gate, and she rushed in. She passed through the fancy lawn and gardens filled with exotic plants and gazebos.
She rode to the majestic building that stood high above all. She also met guards at the door to the palace. However, she was allowed to enter without delay. As she entered, she said:
"My Queen! My Queen! The wizards—they are here. They are heading toward this place. We tried stopping them ourselves, but the Archmage himself was with them. We were crushed like little flies, decimated with little resistance. My liege, I was the only one who managed to escape to bring you this news."
The queen, seated on a throne made of obsidian and carved intricately, had two female guards by her sides, holding lances in their hands.
The queen was calm and stared at the woman who came to report with her deep blue eyes. The queen was blonde and wore a crown that featured two large, curved horns that rose from either side of the head and curved outward and slightly forward.
"So, he has finally made his move to our side after defeating eight tribes of the Magical Nation. However, I, Queen Astrid, by the blessings granted by Goddess Medusa, shall stop his advancement and protect my queendom," Queen Astrid said.
"Alert the kingdom. Prepare the armies and the mounts. We have a wizard to stop and make him know his place," the queen said.
"Yes, my Queen," the guard at the right said. She ran toward the main door of the palace.
"Iode, I'll show you. You have messed with the wrong Queen," Queen Astrid said, her eyes beginning to shimmer red...
*****
Inside a cozy room on a small bed, a wooden shuttered window burst open abruptly, letting in cold breeze and snowflakes, making the thick curtains blow inward. Sleeping on a boxed-in bed and covered in a thick blanket, the young man's brown hair ruffled as the wind blew on it. He opened his brown eyes slowly and groggily and stared at the opened window lazily.
"Yaaaaawn!" he voiced out and stretched. His eyes were locked onto the opened window. He rubbed his arms as the breeze caressed his skin.
"First a weird dream, now this? Sigh," he said. He got down from the bed and closed the window. He went to a basin to wash his face and mouth, but suddenly something flashed in his mind like light.
He froze in an instant, staring at the water that showed his reflection.
The reflection was him but different. What he saw was an image of an older version of himself looking cold and melancholy, but the image faded and reverted to his normal figure.
Water dripped from his face as he stayed frozen, processing what he had just seen.
"What was that just now? What the hell is wrong with me these last days?" he muttered.
He got out of his room into a much larger space. On coming out, he saw both of his sisters sitting at the table.
Elenore sat with her mouth full of food, and beside her was Elena, who had her face hidden behind a book.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, big bro. We thought you passed on to the next life after having your fever dreams," Elenore said, stuffing her face with food.
"That's the first thing you say to a person in the morning, food princess? Very funny," Iode rolled his eyes. He went over to the dining table where his food was placed and began eating.
"Where's Mum?" he asked.
"There was a big sale in the food market. She went to get them before it ran out of stock," Elena answered.
"When are you two going back to Elite Mage Academy?" Iode asked.
"Overmorrow," Elena answered with the book covering her face.
"Over what?!" Iode asked, confused.
"Yeah, what!" Elenore commented afterward.
"Pardon me. What I mean is next tomorrow. Overmorrow is a word used by our ancestors when our nation still bore the name Theron," Elena said, dropping her book.
Iode and Elenore stared at her blankly.
"That's a knowledge I never knew I needed to know," Iode said sarcastically.
"I couldn't agree more," Elenore said.
"Oh God, why have you pitted me with those who are unamused with knowledge?" Elena sighed.
"Yeah, your god has forsaken you. I wouldn't want to meet him," Elenore snickered while stuffing her face with food.
Iode smiled, watching his twin sisters. Elenore was a plump girl. She had brown hair that was let down. Elena, on the contrary, was slim. She also had brown hair tied into a ponytail. The two girls looked similar to Iode, albeit younger.
Iode finished his food and dressed to go out.
"I'm going to the store. Dad would have had his hands full. Tell Mum when she comes back that I've left," he said at the entrance before closing the door.
Getting out, he let out hot air from his mouth as cold wind hit him. He was dressed in thick winter clothes as cold enveloped the surroundings. He reached out to his left wrist and tugged his long sleeve to the glove to hide a mark etched on the wrist. After that, he began to walk.
The city he was in was called Illusium City. It was a city of the wizard kingdom, found in a frigid environment in the north where it winters almost all year round. However, despite this condition, the city was not small nor poor but a large place known for its merchant harbor.
Iode strode along the snow-covered land. Suddenly, he turned his head around and stared at the roof of his house. He stared at the roof intently for some minutes as if expecting to see something. However, nothing out of the ordinary happened. He shrugged his shoulders and turned around to continue walking.
At the spot where Iode had stared, a cloaked figure with purple shimmering eyes peeked out. A black feather fell from the figure but turned into ash before hitting the ground. It placed its hand on the rooftop, and the snow melted into a perfect circle. It watched Iode silently as he moved along the snowy land.
"Soon," it hummed...