《Last of the Mage-Kings》Prologue

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Somewhere in the ocean.

Agnor wept in his cabin. What else could he do but weep? It was all over.

The Continent was gone, sunk beneath the seas. Tarminas, Kingdom of the Magi and his home, drowned with it. All his friends, his relatives, the works of his predecessors…

And now, all that was left of Tarminas was contained in one ship.

They could neither hide nor run from the doom. Not even magic could save them, for the Towers that calmed the magic of the world were destroyed, their destruction causing this disaster. Any attempt to teleport or create a safe haven by magic was met with chaotic backlash.

Magic had grown out of control.

Their last chance was the sea. Thus, five ships left their last surviving port before the destruction of the Continent claimed that too. Aboard those ships lay the treasures and heirlooms of the kingdom, and as many important figures, magi, personnel and civilians as they could save.

But even the sea gave no safety. When the last mountains sank under the waters, the sea churned and thrashed with deadly tidal waves.

Four ships sank under the merciless tides. Agnor was aboard one of them. He, a royal councillor, stood beside the king and his retinue aboard the royal ship when the waves came.

He tried. Tried to save the king. But he couldn’t, not without magic. All he could grab was the Staff of Kings before the king was pulled down by debris...

He was the only survivor of the four ships, picked up by the last one as he struggled to remain afloat. Now they were low on supplies and stuck in the storm-ridden sea with no port in sight, it was only a matter of time…

Shouts of tidal wave came from the deck, followed by the mad scramble of people as they prepared to brace. ‘What’s the use? The water is a swift mercy compared to starving…’

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It won’t be long now. The waters will claim the last memory of their magical kingdom. Tarminas will be gone for good.

Agnor looked at the staff on the table in his room. Pure white and almost two meters tall, topped with a stylised gem of onyx and diamond shaped like a crescent moon. The Staff of Kings was the royal heirloom that only the king could wield.

He, himself, almost held that staff once upon a time. But the Mage-King only chose the greatest of three apprentices to inherit, and he was found lacking. His good friend, instead, was chosen while he came to be part of his council.

In the last moments of his life and the history of Tarminas, he found some joy in these memories…

‘No.’

He stood up from the bed.

‘We won’t end like this.’

He could not save the kingdom and its people. But, perhaps... he could preserve their memory.

Resolved, he took the staff from the table and ran. Dodging panicking sailors and magi, he ascended up deck then descended down the ship’s hold where the kingdom’s treasures lay.

It didn’t take him long to find his goal amidst the strewn gold and magical treasures in the hold, for it was the largest thing inside here: a great coffin of black stone. Arriving at the coffin and calming himself, he made to open the coffin.

Magic was in chaos in the world, but magic items still held some stability. With the power in the Staff of Kings, he was able to open the coffin despite its many wards.

Within laid a figure clad in armour, surrounded by treasures..

With no time left, he placed the Staff of Kings inside the coffin and made to seal it. Just as he was about to cast the spell, the ship slowly tipped to a side, causing the hold’s contents to slide towards the walls.

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Agnor crashed on the wall. The coffin followed, crushing his legs as it fell, and was followed by a deluge of coins and gems.

Brushing the treasure away and mustering his last strength, he began casting the spell of sealing. Chaotic magic arced from his hands, burning his fingers. Before they disintegrated, he completed the spell.

‘It is done.’

His task done and his body losing consciousness, Agnor awaited his end. He cast one last glance at the coffin.

‘An uncertain future for you, King Aryon. But better that than ours; to drown in the sea with none to mourn our passing.

I can only ask Fate to give you a better future than what was dealt to us.’

‘Farewell, and please remember us.’

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