PROLOGUE
Time took its course. As did the wars, changes and even reigns that followed one another tirelessly through the ages. Things as sad as they were brilliant were born, lived according to their time before falling into oblivion. But others, very few, never knew this tragic fate. The story of this battle was one of them. A battle so great that it became legendary and was known to all. The battle between an emperor as just as he was powerful, and a great magician whose very existence defined the abomination.
It was a confrontation as terrible as it was inevitable that every people thought they had to understand and approve of. An all-time battle between good and evil, light and darkness.
But the truth was never simple or what they all claimed it should be. Not to mention the deceptive appearances and manipulations that were the real causes of their blindness.
The great battle had taken place at the top of a black mountain named by the guardian sorcerers - Stanys, which in ancient languages meant “the dwelling of the chosen ones of evil”, a remote territory unknown to common beings, hence the choice of the black sorcerer to build his immense kingdom, a city of freedom and darkness that he hoped would be inaccessible to all.
And recognizing his mistake, he foresaw the imminent arrival of his greatest enemy, preparing himself as best he could, using all his talent, great strength, will and magic, sparing no effort, in order to do the battle of his life. Even though he was perfectly aware of the inevitable end.
In the spell chamber, equipped with his thick book of invocations, proudly wearing a dark battle uniform, protected by thick armor and completed by a long sovereign’s cloak of black night, he had the wish and the desperate ambition to summon a beast, the biggest, the most powerful and the cruellest beast there was. With outstretched hands, he radiated and recited a spell in a gloomy voice. Soon, the entire wall behind him, inscribed with magical hieroglyphics, liquefied and turned into a thick mist, giving access to a colossal door that opened and let out a sordid monster, all black and immense, with thick and rough skin covered with stones. A monster like the magician had dreamed of. Its sinister yellow eyes, devoid of light, looked around him with an abject greed that enchanted his master. The magician smiled triumphantly as he admired the monster he had managed to attract.
But as he prepared to evoke a new spell, a deep and sardonic voice suddenly appeared, resonating throughout the room with a force that made even the foundation stones tremble and dissipate the heavy black clouds created by the dark spells.
“Oh, it’s an impressive beast you have there, Goem.” Then he added with a sardonic laughter: “And I know all about it. »
“Of course, since you are one yourself,” thought the sorcerer cynically. “And worst of all. »
The magic voice continued.
“Mine will be especially happy to play with it. I mean, in the short time this thing will be able to resist it.”
Powerful magical sparks invaded the place and dispelled the remnants of darkness that filled it, which didn’t stand a chance.
Seeing this extraordinary show of strength, the sorcerer, boiling with fury and yet fearful, stood up and freed his body from the waves of black mist, then shouted.
“Good. Now that you have finally decided to come, show yourself!”
And at once, a whole wall collapsed under the pressure of phenomenal power, and the arrogant and strong ruler, wearing a magnificent white, shining metal armor and a long gray velvet coat, mounted on a huge winged beast whose beautiful silvery fur shone at the slightest light, brandished a magic sword at his enemy.
“I am here, Goem. And I am happy to see that you have prepared yourself as best you could for our fight. For, as you have surely understood, the time has come for me to settle your account. »
“And what finally decided you?” he asked dryly.
The sovereign shrugged his shoulders, a small sardonic pout on his face.
“Who knows? To someone else, I could have cited various reasons, even noble ones, if it might have reassured them. Reasons such as justice, duty, freedom... but to you, who are already perfectly aware of the reality, I would simply say boredom. In short, for whatever reason, I’m just going to put an end to what all these weaklings haven’t had the power to do.”
The magician sneered fiercely.
“For someone who is voluntarily on my territory, you are very arrogant to think that you could beat me there.”
“But I am.” The visitor laughed to confirm. “And whatever you say, you would have, I know, given everything, including this disgusting city that you seem to love so much, to my great surprise, by the way, for it not to be true.”
Then, going on the offensive, the creature of darkness opened its big mouth and fired a powerful shot at the arrivals. But its brilliant and very quick opponent protected himself by creating a huge spherical shield around himself and his master and easily stopped the attack. The sovereign patted the fur of his creature, satisfied.
“Good work, my boy. Now I’m going to let you have some fun. I just hope for your sake that he’ll resist long enough to satisfy you.”
The ruler jumped off his back.
“Have a good time!”
The silvery creature rushed towards the black monster, who did the same, growling, roaring like a beast flying towards its destiny. Their terrible collision destroyed the entire room. While the black magician, drawing his sword, ready to fight, waited with a firm foot for the sovereign who was rushing towards him, his sword of light, skillfully brandished, clearly displayed the expression of someone who did not doubt his victory. And deep inside, although it hurt him too, the magician never forgot this reality.
Their fight lasted a long time, the blows followed one another in an immeasurable power that devastated everything in their path, dragging the city into flames and chaos.
But in the end, as it was written, the magician was totally defeated. Lying on the cold and dilapidated ground, on top of the only place that ever wanted him, Goem, the black magician, watched the emperor slowly and inexorably move towards him, his wounded body already regenerating and shining with vigor and health under the blinding shine of the silver armor. Finally, when he arrived above Goem and looked at him with intolerable mockery and sneers, the ruler placed a scornful foot on the bruised body and pointed his scepter at it.
“My plan was to get rid of you. But in the end it seems to me that it would be too great a loss, especially for the future I have in mind. Isn’t that also your opinion, my beautiful one?” asked the teasing sovereign, turning to his creature, who lay victoriously on the corpse of the black beast, the beautiful shiny fur reddened by the blood of his downed opponent, and replied with a neutral growl.
“And what have you finally decided to do to me, your majesty?”
“Something I particularly love and for which you probably would have preferred death in the end.”
Taking advantage of the emperor’s brief moment of inattention, the magician concentrated and deployed his last forces to activate a powerful and unique spell.
“What did you just do, Goem?”
“Something I’m particularly fond of and that I’ve always promised myself to do for my posterity.”
“I see,” remarked the sovereign.
Then, a slight tremor as the symbol of a last breath occurred, and then from the ruined ground, came out four statues of giants engraved with deep arabesques. They rose up and then stood up with pride and a rather disconcerting intensity before moving each one to a cardinal point. By taking their respective places, they turned towards the city, and the marks engraved on their rocky bodies illuminated darkly, then they opened wide their mouth and a thick fog came out of it, magic fog which quickly covered all the city. The great winner followed the unfolding of this rather theatrical scene with interest and reflection to see what would result. But disappointed, he shrugged his shoulders and threw a remark with mocking disdain.
“I was expecting a little originality, Goem, but it was rather lamentable. And while I agree that it’s a pretty powerful spell, I could dissipate it without any problem. But I won’t,” he decided with an indecipherable smile. “Besides, you know it won’t keep me here at all. Nor any of my blood.”
“Yes, I know that. But the others, those who are not fortunate enough to share even a drop of your so damn blood, will remain prisoners.”
“And that gives me a wonderful idea for my next battles.”
The sorcerer gave his opponent a piercing, hateful look, then a weak, ironic smile.
“I can’t believe all these idiots think you’re good. If only they could see what you really are in all your darkness, a darkness so obvious that even I can’t conceive, then they will probably lose everything that makes them happy.”
The emperor simply laughed at this statement.
“Even their simple smile. But, don’t worry, Goem,” he continued, gravely mockingly, “I think they are all more or less aware of reality already. They’re just too afraid to realize it.”
“I feel sorry for you.”
“And I thank you for it.”
The sovereign offered him a smile of false compassion, the same one he wore before the imposing sarcophagus in which he had just locked up his defeated opponent.
Then, after a last mischievous greeting to the sealed prison, he gracefully and nonchalantly left the immense room where the magician was to rest, and closed the double door with a careless gesture of the hand without even turning around.
He walked away from the immense prison built in the middle of a cursed forest, forbidden to the light, and climbed on his silver beast, which flew in the gray sky in majestic radiance and power.
When the emperor returned to his empire, a Nation whose unparalleled beauty and prosperity was famous and envied in all magical worlds, he was acclaimed by all, and his triumph was transcribed in golden letter and magical lights in the history books. But when the festivities and cries of joy finally subsided, the victorious and beloved sovereign went to his usual place of solitude and freedom, like a secret garden, ignored by all and protected by invincible spells. It was an immense disturbing chamber, whose walls covered with sacred moving paintings were perfectly divided into two parts.
One of them represented a kingdom of infinite light with a joyful people, living in harmony in a peaceful and prosperous kingdom ruled by a generous and upright ruler.
The other represented a dark kingdom, eternally devastated by the scourges of the world, where the people fought mercilessly and cruelly for everything, under the satisfied and sardonic gaze of a tormented ruler.
***
That was the story of the fabulous tale. Then life had to go on and decades passed. Good or bad, inexorable developments took place, and the legend became myth. And as Goemantis wished, the eternal fog preserved his kingdom and the works of his life.
But without his knowledge, the magi, possessing the same dark soul and a mistaken vision of things, won the right to enter this closed place of the world. Thus, although the simple people were perpetually frightened by Stanys and his great city of mist, black magicians inspired by their defeated pioneer began to visit the legendary kingdom. Thus, year after year, they continued to invade it for whatever reason, some for refuge, others to exercise their magic and their atrocious authority, and a minority simply to do research in order to strengthen the power of darkness.
But later, as the city gradually gained power, part of the place was transformed into an orphanage which was given the name of Athok, a monumental and atrocious fortress directed by a black mage whose greatest and main passion was to destroy children. A mage named Sirkol, banished from the world of magic for his unforgivable acts.
