The sun had just begun to set over the horizon, casting looming shadows across the landscape. The ground lay bare except for a few trees and patches of dry brown grass.

The largest shadow was cast by the temple of Arituki, which stood proud over the countryside, taller than any of the trees or hills. It was an old building, which was evident by the state of it: pieces from the higher peaks of the temple were shattered, missing or lay on the ground far below, many slates were absent from the roof, and most of the windows were broken.

Once the sun had set, it was near impossible to see the tower due to how dark the stone was that it was constructed from. The air surrounding the tower was still as if it dared not enter or pass near the eerie temple.

The interior was just as gloomy. The walls were covered in moss and slime, and the only noise was the dripping of the water running down the walls or falling from the level above, leaving numerous puddles scattered across the floor.

There were thirteen monks inside, arrayed around a candlelit room, twelve dressed in black and one in red. The monk in red was completely covered from head to toe in his robes. Only his long grey beard jotted out from under his hood as he stood before the altar holding a golden sphere in his hands.

The sphere was perfectly round and heavy too. Golden images were engraved on its surface but were not legible as the object had been gathering dust in the temple for hundreds of years.

The other monks had their hoods down and stared at the object as if they had found their purpose in life, hope gleaming in their eyes.

The monk dressed in red, Barien, raised the sphere above his head and spoke to the others in a rich but gentle voice. "After years of research and searching, we have finally found what we were looking for: the Glukon Sphere. Everyone said we were searching in vain and that what we were looking for was just a myth, but today we show them that we prevailed, today we can bring peace to our land."

The monks let out a cheer which rang through the otherwise abandoned temple. "We can take this back to our queen," continued Barien, "in the hope that she will use it to restore peace and order to this world."

Just as he uttered his last word, there was loud banging on the barred temple doors, echoing up to where they stood. Barien and the other monks jumped up in terror, pulling out concealed daggers from the folds in their robes. Their eyes fixed on the door of the temple at the end of the long corridor, separating them from whatever lay outside.

Again, someone thudded their fist against the door, this time accompanied by a loud, deep voice. "Open up in the name of the king."

"Which King be that?"

"In the name of the one true King...King Theradres".

At the mention of the King’s name, the other monks turned to their leader for directions, fear glistening in their eyes.

As the seconds began to pass and no word came from Barien, one of the monks spoke up, "Sir! What are your orders? ...Sir!" At that, as if Barien had awoken from a deep sleep, he began issuing commands for his men to look for any hidden tunnels or escape routes.

The soldiers outside were battering at the door trying to break it down, the thick wooden frame howling down the corridors but otherwise standing firm. The monks had found no escape route and were beginning to panic as dents and cracks began to form on the ancient wood, sending splinters flying to the floor.

At Barien’s order, the twelve monks made a complete circle around him, holding their arms outstretched, gripping each other's hands and began swaying side to side chanting in some strange language.

The outsiders had just broken the door down and began to flood the temple. They ran along the short corridor to stop the monks; there were already around fifty soldiers inside with more standing outside, ready to charge.

Arrows raced towards the monks from a few archers that were stationed where the door once stood only to be redirected to the side or shattered into tiny pieces by a yellow barrier. The barrier only became visible when it had been hit, fading shortly after the arrows had struck it.

The soldiers had stopped dead in their tracks, shocked at what they saw. A couple muttered curses under their breath before continuing their charge towards the monks, weapons raised above their heads.

As they neared the monks, a bright blue light flashed from where Barien stood and with the force of a hurricane, threw the soldiers backwards with a clang of armour and weapons. The men hit the cold hard floor, killing them all instantly.

The monks stood unharmed in the room but began to wail as they saw what lay at their leader’s feet. The Sphere had not survived the impact of the wind; it lay in chunks with a few shards still clutched in his hands.

Amongst the pieces of the sphere, there was a small red gem. It shone brightly, casting red rays of light along the floor. A monk spotted the gem and instinctively picked it up, feeling drawn to the purity and flawlessness of what lay before him.

At his touch, the gem changed colour from red to blue to yellow and back to red only to repeat the process again and again but gaining speed each time. Within a few seconds, the gem glowed white, making the fair-skinned monk appear even paler as it cast its light upon him.

The man screamed as it instantly grew hot in his hand. Feeling like he had stuck his hands directly into a nearby furnace, he dropped it hoping to relieve the immense pain coursing through his body.

"No!" shouted Barien as he dived, trying to grab the gem before it smashed to the floor like it was the most precious thing in the world. To him, it was, but he was too late.

The crystal cracked on the floor with a resonating bang accompanied by a bright flash of light. A few seconds later, the temple began to tremble violently. The candles fell off their stands, and part of the ceiling started to cave in high above them. The monks dashed to the exit, jumping over the dead soldiers in their path.

The noise was almost unbearable, the rocks and stones on the floor were bouncing around making a terrible racket, and once outside, they could see pieces of the temple fall and shatter on the ground below. One of the monks was crushed under the sheer weight of a fallen pillar.

The rest of them made it outside and had retreated to a safe distance from the temple. They turned to see it crumble and fall in on itself, dust soaring into the air. Outside, the sky was pitch black, and there wasn't a cloud in sight. Still, the wind wouldn't near the temple. Even it seemed afraid of what happened.

There was no noise, not even the birds were tweeting in the sky. The world seemed to stay in perpetual silence, mourning the loss of the ancient structure.

They bowed their head to grieve the loss of the temple and just as they had turned to leave a low rumbling noise pierced the night. Turning back, they saw from within the temple ruins a solid, black and green glowing sphere had formed. It stood well over fifty feet high and a hundred feet wide. As they stared at it, one of the monks began to stutter, "are my eyes-s-s deceiving me, or can I see a-a-a city through there?"

Barien gasped as he saw the dark wavy lines in the sphere start to form the shape of a city. It was then he realized it was not an illusion. It was a portal.

Dark figures moved to what seemed like the edge of the portal and began to pour through the remnants of where the temple once stood. That wasn't the only thing that came through. The grass near it started to wither and die. The very dirt turned darker. A cloud of black smoke began to smother the air spreading out like a giant net stretching across the endless plains. And a smell, a smell that was so pungent it made it hard for anyone to breathe.

The monks turned to flee from whatever was exiting, but Barien stood firm shouting orders at them. A last-ditch effort. “We have to close it, else we are all doomed, there will be no escaping from this...To me, we can stop this here and now.”

They gathered again linking arms, this time in a line facing it and started to chant at the portal to attempt to close it. However, arrows were flying towards them at incredible speed. Two of the monks let out a scream as both stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. Dead.

The others held their position, closing the gap that had formed from the fallen and began to chant faster before the unknown enemies could fire again, but to no avail. They had already drawn their arrows and fired back at an inhumane speed.

Three more monks succumbed to their piercing bolts. Just as they neared the end of their chant that would seal the portal for good a towering shadowy figure exited the portal. It summoned a torrent of force from his hands that hit the remaining monks and launched them backwards through the air. They landed with a loud thud of cracked skulls and broken bones.

Barien jumped back onto his feet, seemingly unaffected by the power from the wind. He looked around to see none of his apprentices rise and quickly realized he would follow them into the void soon. Their mission had failed.

Letting out a volley of curses and summoning his remaining strength, he took a blank scroll out of his robes and muttered a few inaudible words. The parchment shimmered and on it appeared a letter, a letter intended for Queen Elspeth of the North. His Queen. To let her know what happened here.

With another sharp few words, he sent the scroll racing towards its target in the hope that it made its destination. At that, his vision began to blur. From his chest protruded numerous dark arrows, twice the length of any arrows he had ever seen. He had to hold on for a few more seconds if the scroll was to make it to his queen. His vision darkened as he fell.

Howls pierced the night before all fell silent and still.