“And as the sun set on the Imperium,” the Acolyte’s words reverberate through the village square, “our ancestors promised us that one day, in the dying embers of the evening, they would return from the ashes of defeat and lead us once more to victory. The ancestor’s light will shine bright over our people, shrouding us with safety and prosperity forever.”

“Now,” Roderick says.

I place my hands on the felt fabric of his robe and imbue him with magical power. He takes a deep breath and angles his arms into the perfect position, right over the ruins.

“[Fireball]”.

A bright blast of fire shoots into the air. Shadows dance in its majestic glow. The fireball climbs and climbs until it reaches a terminal height.

Roderick clasps his fists closed, and the fireball explodes into thousands of small embers. They shower the air with bright glitter.

The assemblage of villagers whispers and speaks in hushed tones. Our display captures their full attention.

“Stand tall, and act proud,” Roderick tells me out of the side of his mouth. “An Imperial never cowers, and never shows weakness.”

Roderick and I climb the steps to the ruin. Many heads pop over the ledge and stare down at us. Their murmurs become louder and clearer as we ascend the stone staircase.

“Bandits?” One woman can be heard asking.

“Perhaps it’s the Northerners again,” a man says.

“I can’t see who it is. Just shadows.”

The Acolyte shuffles to the front of the steps. She bears a torch in one hand and a wooden staff in the other. “We are a simple people, who have nothing of any value. Please leave us be,” she says.

I hold my head high and keep walking forward, just as I was coached.

“Honored Acolyte,” Roderick’s pubescent voice squeaks, “before you come the Imperials Roderick Smith, and Derek Gray. We seek an audience with you, as is our divine right.”

“Did they say Imperials?” A villager asks.

“It must be bandits.” Another adds.

“This is sacred ground,” the Acolyte bellows, “we are protected by our ancestors. Please leave us be or suffer the consequences.”

My throat tightens at her threat. Keep your head up. Stand tall. Act Proud. I tell myself.

“Why would the ancestors cause us harm?” Roderick asks, “we are protected by our birthright.”

“Priestess,” a man yells, “evoke the spell.”

“I guess I have no choice,” she shakes her head. “I tried to warn you, but now you will face divine judgement.”

I freeze in place. The Acolyte plunges her staff into the ground, sending a shroud of green haze in our direction.

“[Protection of the Ancestors],” her voice thunders.

Roderick grabs my wavering hand and holds it firm. “A holy spell – but not a threat to us,” he whispers.

My feet want to shuffle back to safety. Without Roderick’s support, I would give in to their demands. I am somehow able to remain rooted even as the puke green cloud covers us whole.

Roderick doesn’t so much as flinch as an apparition of an old man takes shape in front of him. The ghostly silhouette takes one look at him and dissipates. Then it is my turn. Stand tall. Act proud. I remind myself.

Though my heart feels like it is going to explode, I face the apparition head on. It nods at me, smiles, and then evaporates away. The rest of the magical cloud dissipates with it.

“Did the ancestor’s get them?” I can hear the villagers talking.

“Surely they did! Not even the Northerners can survive that spell.”

Roderick puts one foot in front of the other and climbs up to where the Acolyte is standing.

Just as she is about to peer over the edge, Roderick crests the ruin. I quickly scamper after him.

“By the Imperial ancestors,” the shocked Acolyte collapses at our appearance, “how can this be?”

The crowd’s jaws drop open as I too crest the ledge.

“Imperials! The Imperials have returned!” The Acolyte breaks down in tears. She bows profusely at our feet.

“The legend is true! It is true! A miracle has occurred.”

The rest of the crowd, numbering a few hundred frail and sickly people, follow in the Acolyte’s lead. They bow before us in unison and weep tears of joy.

“Rise,” Roderick commands her.

She rises to her feet, still refusing to lift her head. In the torchlight I can make out more of her details. She is an elderly woman with bright white hair and sun damaged skin. She doesn’t look particularly strong, but she doesn’t seem weak either.

“Forgive me, my ancestors, for attacking you. My faith was weak. I shamed myself greatly.”

“Indeed you did,” Roderick nods his head in agreement, “but that is to be expected. I take it that it has been many years since you last met a member of the Imperium?”

“No, my ancestor,” she shakes her head, “I have never met any among you before.”

“I see. Do you at least know the name of the Imperial who is in charge of Emperor’s Watch? Do you know why they have allowed it to fall into such a pitiful state?”

“Emperor’s Watch?” She raises her head slightly, “I know nothing of such a place.”

“This city, who is in charge of this city?”

“I am.”

“There is no Imperial who controls this place?”

“No, honored ancestor. Nobody has seen an Imperial in generations, it has been at least seventeen generations – no, eighteen, since an Imperial would have last ruled here.”

“I see,” Roderick looks at me, “this complicates things a little.”

I am shocked at how cool and collected my little brother is acting. Was he always this way? I used to see him only as an annoying little twerp, but his presence is actually quite strong and commanding.

“Arise all of you, stand on your feet and lift your heads,” he tells the gathering.

One-by-one the residents arise. Their faces light up with beaming smiles. They seem ecstatic to see us.

“I am Roderick, and this is my elder brother Derek,” he says, “we desire hospitality from you over these next few days. We also wish to learn from you. We have been asleep for many years, and it would appear that much has changed in the intervening time.”

“Yes, of course,” the Acolyte bows before us, “we would be honored to serve you.”

“In exchange for your hospitality, my brother and I would like to offer this city our divine protection. Would you allow us this honor?”

“Of course! Of course!” She shouts with joy.

“Did you hear that?” A village woman leans down and whispers to her young daughter, “we will be safe now. Our ancestors have returned to save us.”

“Come brother, let us cast our protection on this place.”

Roderick leads me to a circular table in the middle of the ruin. The ancient stone top is weathered and eroded but remains firmly planted in the ground.

I move in close to Roderick and listen to his plan.

“Are you sure it will work?”

He nods and tells me to trust him.

“Okay. I will try”

“My brother, the head of our house, will now secure this territory in our name.”

The eager villagers beam radiant torch-lit smiles at me as I pull my chronicle out and place it on the table. It is a simple book, bound in black leather, and held together with a silver clasp. To me it doesn’t look very impressive, but the townspeople stare at it like it is a sacred treasure.

“Wow, a real chronicle,” a thinly boy points at me.

“Drako, stop it,” his mother grabs his arm, “it is not polite to point at an ancestor.”

With my brother encouraging me, I break the clasp and open the book to the first page. Man, this feels scary. I am about to cast a spell with hundreds of eyes watching me. How did I end up in this role?

“By my ancestors and forefathers, I claim this chronicle as my own,” I whisper. I don’t want the crowd to know that I haven’t even activated my chronicle yet. They might think that I am an Imperial imposter if I am not careful.

A simple text scribbles and scrawls its way across the page. Unlike the earlier magical script that my brother and I struggled to read, this text is much more discernible.

The Chronicle of the Imperial, Derek Gray

The text continues to scribble down the page.

House Gray Branch Gray Rank House Head, Branch Head Territory Controlled None

I am awed by what I am reading. Not only am I an imperial, but I am also the head of my house. Roderick already said as much to me, but I thought he was just roleplaying. Even more information appears as I move my gaze down the page.

House Members 2 Imperials 2 Acolytes 0 Warriors 0 Thralls 0 Crafters 0 Peasants 0

The page flips over, and the scrawl continues.

Personal Level 1 Affinities Fire, Air Spells Learnt Fireball, Force Wind Constitution 100 Stamina 100 Mana 10000 Mental State Weak Level Up Conditions Achieved: No

The writing comes to an abrupt stop. This is the sign that I have been waiting for. As Roderick told me, I flip my chronicle to the middle and find a page with a frilly border featuring hand drawn bricks and flowers.

“I, Derek Gray, head of my house, place this territory under my protection henceforth and until the day I die.”

The stone tablet erupts in green energy, as does my chronicle. The awed crowd claps and cheers as light radiates from the table. It courses through channels in the ground, like blood being pumped by a hyperactive heart. The channels ran throughout the village, covering the mud houses and shacks with a radiating aura. Then, it courses back towards me, flooding my chronicle like a tsunami.

Once again, my chronicle began to fill itself out.

Territory Controlled by House Gray Imperial City Emperor’s Watch Manage Holdings? Yes or No.

“Yes, I would like to manage my holding,” I say as I read the message that appears before me. My chronicle flips ahead about a dozen pages, to a page already half-filled out. It lists information about the buildings in town, the villagers, their assets, and their skills. According to my chronicle, there are two Acolytes in this village, two Warriors and one hundred and fifty-five Peasants.

Roderick comes up beside me and peers into my chronicle. “We can deal with the villagers and their buildings later. For now, you need to activate your protective ward. This stone tablet will absorb 1000 of your magic points and use them to shroud this city in a barrier that only residents and other high-level magic users can cross. It will keep us safe from most of the surrounding beasts, which are likely heading this way as we speak.”

I look down at the bottom of the page and find what my brother is talking about.

Cast Protection? Yes or No.

“Yes, cast protection,” I say.

Another round of bright green light courses out of the tablet and flows into the city and the surrounding area. This time, however, it does not dissipate. It remains strong and persistent, helping to put my mind at ease. We are safe. At least for now.

I turn and watch the villagers hoot and holler in celebration. “It’s just like the legend says,” the elder acolyte bows at my feet once more, “you have returned to provide us with prosperity and security. We will never forget this kindness; you have my word.”

I step away from the tablet and rejoin my brother who nods at me with approval. We have done it. We have secured our accommodations and earned the respect of the people.

“Come, honored ancestors, we have a spare residence where you can rest and recuperate.” The Acolyte motions us down from the stone platform and towards the city. Like ducklings following their mother, the rest of the villagers march after us.

“This city has changed much since I was last here,” Roderick tells her as we walk. “What happened to the Imperium? How did things get like this?”

“You do not know?”

“No,” he says.

“That’s right,” she shakes her head, “you had said that you were asleep for many years. Forgive me.” She bows her head to the side as we walk, “though none of us were alive to see it, our oral tradition tells us that the Imperium died out many hundreds of years ago, on an evening not much different than this.”

“What happened?” I ask.

“The Affliction of Briars and Thorns,” she scowls, “it destroyed the entire country, choking it full of thorns, briars, and reeds. The magical plants sapped all the life energy from within the empire, not even the strongest among the Imperials were able to escape it.”

“Then how did your people survive?” Roderick asks her.

“We were lucky. The spell did not extend into this frontier area. Here, a few minor Imperial families continued to protect us until they too were defeated by the Northerners. After their death, all that remained of us were scattered groups of loyalists and refugees. Though some of our people changed their allegiance and joined the Northerners, many of us have continued to live in these wastes, waiting in hope for the day that our ancestors might return to save us.”

“Hmmm,” Roderick looks at our surroundings, “I suppose that makes sense. This part of the Empire was an oddity during my time. Outside of Emperor’s Watch and the fertile valley beneath it, the majority of residents who lived in the Northern Border Region were quite impoverished and autonomous even during Imperial rule. The affliction must have ignored their presence, or perhaps it couldn’t reach this far.”

“There are more of our kind who live in the mountains between here and the border with the Northerners. My apprentice is away at one such settlement as we speak, helping them to bolster their defenses.”

“Thank you, Acolyte.” Roderick smiles at her, “tell me, what is your name?”

“Margot,” she smiles back. For once, she does not bow.

“Thank you, Margot,” I too acknowledge her hospitality.

“No, thank you! With your protective ward, our people will finally be safe.”

We walk to the end of the village and stop at a lone mud hut next to the swamp. “This dwelling is empty, it isn’t much, but it is the best that I can offer.”

Roderick pulls open a cobbled together door made of reeds and twine, revealing a small but cozy space. In the hue of my green protective ward, I can just barely make out the outline of a hearth. It is surrounded at the side by warm pelts and simple clay urns.

Margot carefully dips her torch into the hearth, instantly illuminating the room with light.

“We made wilderbeast stew for supper,” she says, “would you like me to have some sent to you?”

“That would be excellent,” Roderick shakes his head, “please do.”

“Of course,” she bows again. Her reverence is starting to creep me out, but I guess it is flattering. “I will leave you to your privacy,” she says, “but please feel free to speak with me if you need anything. I inhabit the clay hovel at the base of the stone monument. You are welcome to visit me any time of the day or night.”

“We will keep that in mind,” Roderick nods, “sleep well.”

“You too, my honored ancestors.”

“After you, house head,” Roderick chuckles and holds the door open for me. “It’s time for our glorious adventure to begin.”