Two Worlds: Prologue
Two Worlds: Prologue
The Beginning?
What if there really was an Eden? A lush beautiful paradise with no death, no suffering, and eternal bliss. Where the "babe could lay down with the lion" and feel no danger. Sounds good doesn't it? But for everything there is a balance. Some legends state that this Eden was created when the world was shattered. Whoever managed to do it may be the legendary "God" figure so many seek but if he was mortal, even a magical one, he has long since faded from existence. But, when he created his paradise he spawned something far worse. For when he "let there be light," he separated the light and dark planes of existence. His Eden was composed of the light but the dark was left to fester. The Bible may be misguided in some areas but it got some things right. Adam and Eve truly did manage to screw it up for the rest of us.
What their actual names were can only be guessed at. What they were however, were two arrogant creations of their master whom, after learning about the division, desired to see what it truly contained. Curiosity has been the downfall of many things, namely the proverbial cat. But, they unleashed more than they had bargained for when they tried to cross over to that other existence. They managed to unleash hell. There cannot be light without darkness and vice versa, the halves will always try to merge back together if there is an opportunity. There was such polarization back then, that all it took for darkness to enter was one small rift. That rift came courtesy of the intrepid duo as they sought to understand that which was forbidden. Some things should be left alone. The Void was and is one of them.
When, the "worlds" collided there was chaos. The denizens of the Void managed to cross over into the paradise of Eden and brought death and destruction in their wake. The Master and his creations eventually managed to seal the rift but the damage had already been done. Eden would forever be tainted with darkness and the walls between the two planes had been severely weakened. Angered by their defiance the Master stripped his creations of their power and flung them into the world they had tainted. Where he went from there is unknown yet some magical scholars hypothesize that the Christian "heaven" may just be a fractured piece of Eden. This is debatable and cannot be confirmed or denied. What the Creator failed to take into account was that although he had stripped their powers, it still flowed through their veins, ensuring at least some of their offspring would get the dangerous gift of magic.
The End of an Empire
Atlantis
Atlantis wasn't a myth either. Possessed of unusually strong magical powers, the Atlanteans were a force to be reckoned with. Most magic users draw power from themselves and/or their surroundings with limited success, but the Atlanteans claimed it was their "pure blood" which enabled them to effortlessly summon vast amounts of power for their own personal use. Like all races which claim to possess "pure blood" the Atlanteans suffered from the defects commonly associated with inbreeding. Their rulers especially were thought to be utterly mad and frequently suffered from power trips and delusions. Their last king, Acheron, wished to extend his rule beyond that of the island and its surrounding areas and conquer all of the known landmass at that time. Believing his soldiers and magicians were not strong enough to secure a crushing victory, he wanted more power. He sought the Void.
In an incredibly foolish maneuver he summoned all of those with power, back to the island and started a ritual designed to summon the forces of the Void to do his bidding. What he received however, was far different. It is unknown what forces he actually did manage to awaken but the effect was spectacular, the island of Atlantis was completely destroyed along with all of those who lived on it. The surrounding coastal areas reported seeing a blast of fire and a rumbling, that many ancient historians attributed to volcanic or earthquake activities. What puzzles them to this day however is how the coastal residents were reported to have been slaughtered in ways that had nothing to do with natural occurrences. A Greek scout wrote at the time that, "The bodies are everywhere. Men, women, and children, all shredded as if playthings for beasts. My stomach heaves to relay more. My men have set a double watch in case they return for us."
After the event, it was open season on the Atlanteans who were in different provinces at the time. The magic users of those areas descended on the hapless Atlanteans and proceeded to butcher them in the hope of getting the magic out of their blood. They were partially correct; Atlanteans were the only known people to have some magical power inherent in their blood. Blood does have power in magical rituals but beyond that it is just a necessary bodily fluid. With the Atlanteans, their blood itself had magical properties and the weaker Greek magic users jumped at the chance to enhance their own meager talents. Within a fortnight, the Atlantean empire had gone from being poised to take over the know world, to being butchered for their "pure blood."
What exactly were the consequences of this major upheaval between the Void and Eden? Not much is known about the events at the time as record keeping was not widespread, but it is suspected that the weakened walls allowed the emergence of warlocks. This new breed of magic user possessed the ability to summon demons for a short period of time in addition to being able to cross over into the Void itself for a brief period. These trips were not without peril as even with potent magical wards it is impossible to see in the Void or to completely protect oneself from danger there. They rarely used this however, as it usually costs the warlock his life, if not worse.
Awakening
Present Day
Although there are a significant amount of those with Power today, you will most likely never know about them. After much persecution the magical community established "safe areas" as well as schools to teach the magical craft. Magic never comes to a mundane, only those within the bloodlines of magic users have any chance at getting the gift themselves. At least, that is what they want you to believe. What they fail to admit is that some Atlanteans got away and that their offspring might have unique gifts as well. Gifts they may not understand in time to save themselves.
Nothing is known about the Void beyond the rule "Do Not Disturb." No one has seen inside of it, even the warlocks are blind when they enter. There are creatures within the Void that the remnants of Eden should hope to never encounter. Warlocks summon the weakest of these denizens and even they are feared beyond measure. If Eden was corrupted to this point by the barest touch of the Void, what happened to the Void when it touched paradise? Eventually the walls will break completely and the two halves will be reunited. The questions are only when, who will cause it, and will we survive it?
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All right, second prologue finished. If people want to I will try to continue the story and any others people find appealing. Just a note, if you vote at all, please comment on what you liked or hated about it. I am curious as to whether it is the concept of the story or my writing that makes people love/loathe it.
P.S. The stories are written in first-person. This is just a little backstory.
P.P.S. This story, regardless of the grim beginning, will be quite a bit lighter hearted than the other ones.