~Yay, my first submission to Deviantart :D Hope you like it. Hopefully first part of a series~

~Introduction~

Foretold by the Prophet Thalia, the contents of the prophecy have been revealed to all inhabitants of the regions. This prophecy is the foretelling of the second Golden Age brought about only if Shiro’s descendant doesn’t die:

A child of the prophets will save his home.

Homes all around, as the darkness roams.

The light will resist by helping its hero

He is descended from the savior named Shiro

Fearing the darkness, all 7 kings took one line of the prophecy and inscribed the first four lines of the prophecy into a stone in the center of the regions. These four lines are written above you.

Imagine a pancake. Now in the center of that pancake is the inscribed stone. Now,
Divide the pancake into seven regions, each region corresponding to its name.

Region of earth, Region of fire, Region of water, Region of air, Region of light, Region of darkness, Region of chaos; These are the regions of the world.

Each of the regions is governed by its own different ruler, with rebel groups hidden within each one to help the person foreseen by the prophets in case the king refuses. Also, the region’s name corresponds to the geography and the people living in them.

How do I know this? I am one of the last remaining children of the prophets. My name is Ari. And let me show you the world through which I am the one who bears the burden of the prophecy. My region… is the region of light.

“That asshole,” I muttered, remembering when he had thrown me out. He had exiled me when Eupheus, the guardian and servant of the virgin prophet Thalia, had come into the palace. I grimaced, remembering his armor: dark plate mail, ornately decorated, with symbols carved into it, glowing with magic and a lightning blue dagger in his left hand. The dagger was covered with inscriptions carved into the blade, all glowing in a strange red. His whole body was covered in armor, including, I realized, his black wings. The only thing not covered in armor was his head covered in a hood. My eyes moved from his dagger to his face. His face however… when I looked upon it, it was cold. There was no warmth in his eyes, no smile to his lips. A scar plagued his face, a straight line coming from his forehead to his lip. He came bearing news for my father:

“King of light, I come bearings news from Lady Thalia.”

“Lady Thalia? She is the last surviving prophet! My ancestor was a prophet and he knew her well, but the prophecy came from her lips. She, however, swore to be a virgin so for her to fulfill the prophecy with a child is absurd.” He said, muttering to himself. “What could she want from me, Eupheus?”

“Lady Thalia is dead.”

“Dead? How!” he practically shouted at Eupheus.

“Murdered. As you know she is half immortal. Only forbidden magic can kill her.” He shuddered, “I found her body reeking of forbidden magic after I returned to her room to deliver a message to the King of Chaos. The darkness was curling off her lifeless body as the stab wounds appeared to grow larger every hour. But, in her hand was a scroll of parchment, untouched. It seems her last prophecy… concerned your son and it appears she used her last energy to write it down.”

“Ari? What does he have to do with Thalia’s prophecy?” He demanded.

“Your son…,” Eupheus said, “…is the child meant to fulfill the prophecy written on the Stone.”

A shocked expression crossed his face but it disappeared just as quick. “Thank you Eupheus… I… have business to attend to. Thank you for the news.”

“You’re welcome. Now I must spread the news to the other kings.” He said. I gasped as he snapped his fingers, whispered an incantation and disappeared.

My father got up, and quickly started walking to the library. I jumped up and quickly ran to my room and up the stairs. My heart was jumping into my throat and I hoped he wouldn’t see me. Fortunately, he turned at the fork leading into the library instead of into my room. I closed the door, beads of sweat upon my face, terrified of what I had just heard. Soon thereafter, he opened the door and walked in. He asked me to sit on my bed where he placed four items. First, he handed me the sword.

“Ari… I’m sorry. Please take these items and accept my apologies.” He said, handing me two pieces of parchment, one old and one new, a fan, and a sword.

“The sword is a family heirloom; I know you practiced in the arts of white magic, of both healing and attack. Use it to channel your powers.”

I accepted the sword, looking at the sword thoroughly. It was a pure black, emanating magical aura around the blade. The hilt was shaped like the wings of an angel and it came with a matching pure white sheath to carry it around my waist. Upon closer inspection the blade carried an inscription on the angel-wing-hilt: “This sword carries the spirit of Shiro, fourth king of the region of light”.

“The fan is a weapon of both healing and defense. It carries power to channel your healing twice fold and carries the spirit of your mother.”

I took it almost reverently, “Mom’s fan” I murmured. My mother died giving birth to me and she was not of noble birth. She was a commoner gifted with healing powers and my dad had loved her passionately. She left him to help the people in her region but always came back. I examined the fan, pure white, and not a scratch in it. It was made of feathers and oak wood, laced with white magic in the wood. Dangling from the bottom was a sapphire jewel shaped in a tear.

The older piece of parchment is the first line of prophecy you shall receive. Do not look at the contents until you retrieve the line of prophecy from the region of earth. And lastly…” he said, tears in his eyes, “Is the order of exile from the region of light.”

I stood up almost instantaneously, the fan in my left hand, sword in my right.

“What?! Why am I being exiled?” I yelled at him.

“I am sorry my son, but the prophecy. You have memorized it at school, no less?”

“Yes, but I still…” I faltered, seeing the meaning of why I was being exiled, “I’m going to be chased by the forces of darkness that killed Thalia, aren’t I?”

“Yes, that is why I must exile you. I am sorry but I must save my people. If you are not exiled I will lose my people and you will lose your family. It is best if you not see the carnage. I am sorry.” He said, pleading with me, tears in his eyes, “ I will grant you one favor though. You may take any person with you on your journey and I will give him one of the family heirlooms as well. He or She must be one of your companions from school and he or she will assist you on your journey.

I shook for a moment and then stood, “I choose Shiron. He has been my best friend, and I have never asked anything of him. Please send for him.”

“Very well,” my father said, “Please pack your things and leave first thing in the morning. You have my blessing, my heart, the sword of your great-grandfather and the fan of your mother.”

~~~

I stared into the mirror looking at myself. I stretched my wings out, admiring the pure white of my wings. I looked at my clothes and picked what I was to wear for my journey. I took my comb and brushed my hair back into a ponytail and admired my body for a moment.

I was roughly 5’9, with wings, long hair pulled back into a ponytail and a slightly muscled body. I looked through my clothes and decided upon white gloves with the fingers missing, a pair of pants, and a sleeveless hoodie. I took my shoes and put them on, looking at myself in the mirror as Shiron walked in holding a wooden staff.

“Hello Ari. I will accompany you.” He smiled and gave me a hug, “ I’m sorry your exiled but I’ll always be here for you. Always.”