Black Magus

30th of Trescia, 1492.

***

It went without saying; the Legions were the thing I held most dear to my heart. They were the grand design I envisioned when this body was just five years old, after all. The founding members were as much before my ascension, which made them more than I could have dreamed. Thus, it was only natural that I gave them everything.

Everything and more.

Equipment, assets, and knowledge aside, I used the power of blessings and curses to give my beloved legionaries the most distinguished immortals of my creation. I gave them sorcerous powers, immortalizing their bloodlines in ways akin to mine. Iris made them technology powered by their abilities, and Reina gestated life forms that would thrive amidst their powers, immortalizing their empires. Soon, they would be immortalized in the Darkroom alongside their subordinates with prestige warlock classes: Conditor Noctis Legionaries, for my classmate; Prime Noctis Legionaries, for their subordinates who helped found this organization.

Many outside the ranks believed I spoiled them with riches, resources, and renown as a result. On the contrary, those were the things they've earned. Divine rewards for their divine efforts. Thus, when those rewards were given, and I had the leisure to smell the divine roses, it was only a matter of time until I grew curious about how other deities rewarded their beloved followers.

Who I found it from was enlightening, to say the least.

What I found was disappointing, as things often were.

When I found it was just five mortal days after my ascension.

Where I found it was along the northern Rharian border.

How I found it was amusing, more than anything, for I only noticed them from their burning desire to be unnoticed. That, and the hatred born from my 'sin', made me exist in a portion of their minds rent-free.

Such an occupation saw their emotions become tainted by hate. Hate saw their minds be corrupted by malice, changing their ways. Corrupting them, slowly but surely; and that was something I could see with clarity.

But of course, the sight it granted was merely another angle- another perspective to use besides Mana, Twilight, and the Moonlight they so desperately sought to evade. And so, from my lounge on the surface of Mani, I watched them, the zealots of the White Horse.

***

Ranren Torhorn.

09:42.

***

"I admit, I thought they were being paranoid when they told us to check."

My baby brother removed his eyes from the distant mountains to glance back at the not-so-distant forest we just emerged from. Then he looked at me in a way that led me to believe he had a similar line of thinking, yet his naivety kept his lips sealed. In that way, we were dissimilar. But what before was a gimmick to me was now a liability for us all.

"Honestly." I huffed. "You're an Arcane Sniper now, Zaos. You can't afford to keep being timid."

"I'm not timid! Or shy." He huffed. "I'm-"

"Not talkative. I'm aware. That's the problem. " I jabbed my finger into his chest. "You cannot do your job if you are not talkative! You did not do your job because you were not talkative! We know nothing about what's coming. That's on you! And so, it's now on me to see what we can glean about this threat forming at our door; and to teach you how to do your job while I'm at it."

I could tell my words bit at him. A baby, though he may have been, the time for coddling was long behind us, and so I turned from his distraught visage to scale our tree, entering a nest moments later to withdraw one of my arcane grasshoppers. Zaos was next to me by the time it unfurled its wings. Judging from his look, he turned his angst into a focused gaze held on the turbulent northeastern skies.

Good.

"Ranren, reporting. We emerged from the eastern edge of the Great Melbenzar Forest around nine-thirty and proceeded to Zrucran on foot. Both the denizens of the forest and the residents gave reports of the same changes we saw in the Great Forest. Simple creatures have become sentient, more bestial, or have developed magic; or any variation of the three. Neither we nor they report any traces of the dark presence. Thus, we shall continue onward to Khuld. By Caelarin's Grace."

I couldn't help but feel pride at the sight of my baby brother weaving a web of mana into a ring of acceleration before I said, "Let's go." But I could not dwell on it, for there was a 220-kilometer journey to Khuld, and each meter required focus if we were to compensate for the clearing canopy above us.

By Caelarin's grace, we were perched at the edge of Khuld less than two hours later, gazing beyond the forest for the first time since the dawn of the Eternal's Punishment.

"Ranren, reporting in." I said to the arcane grasshopper. "While the denizens' reports are the same, they made no mention of the sight beyond our borders because of their nature. The Ligin border in the distance is beset by a great lingering fog. The skies above it are turbulent with thunderclouds. The denizens claim it is natural. I cannot help but disagree, however. Regardless, we shall continue onward. By Caelarin's Grace."

Again, we got underway. Only this time, the open fields severely slowed our progress. We were forced to rely on the passing clouds, making the 900-kilometer journey to Gribredh last an exhausting nine hours. Even at midday, the silver eye above vexed us. By nightfall, it was downright oppressive, fully opened and bathing the lands in its blanched light. Yet the work continued. It had to.

"Ranren, reporting in. It is now nightfall, but we have made it to the Rauven Lands and have perched near the mountain range. There are no apparent changes to the environment aside from the aforementioned creatures. We have been able to evade them relatively easily. That aside, the denizens report residents- entire families have gone missing as of late. Their houses were empty come daylight, with no trace of a struggle or conflict but many belongings missing. They say it's as if a mass exodus occurred overnight. A full investigation is recommended. In the meantime, we shall continue. By Caelarin's grace."

It brought some solace to see Zaos so capable of traversing the open tundra, despite its unforgiving nature. The white blanket of the recent snowfall only compounded the difficulty of the environment, for it seemed keen on reflecting the silver light pouring from above. By His grace, we evaded it throughout the length of a 430-kilometer jaunt, putting us past the Oadowen Fork to Cryshandhol at just past two in the morning. There, we found something most unsettling.

"Ranren, reporting in. Here, in Cryshandhol, the reports are the same, including the missing residents. However, the denizens of Gribredh report that a large group of lesser-draconic beasts have been prowling about the mountain, starting just after the year's beginning. Their scales are said to be as black as night, and they move with complete silence. Shortly after, the denizens reported an increase of foreigners entering from Ligin's side of the mountain range via a tunnel further to the west. Without a doubt, it is of dwarven make. An investigative party is recommended.

"In the opposite direction is something far more concerning, however." I paused both for effect and to bolster my eyes on those eerie plains. "Past the source of Oadowen Fork, the land is swathed in a field of vibrant-leafed plants with dark stems and trunks. In our probes, we detected a potent source of evil. Inquisitors are recommended to exercise extreme caution. Onward, we continue. By Caelarin's grace."

By His grace, we were almost there. Just two more stops until we reached the northeastern Kasian border. We needed rest, however, and no such thing could have been found here. And so, we got underway without delay, dodging the silver light for 200 kilometers until we came upon the dwarven 'city' of Swanborngar. It was more of a village at first sight. Squat stone buildings were scattered amongst the rolling hills, with no towers or high walls like those constructed by the humans to be seen. But below, there was no telling how extensive the caverns those secretive dwarves carved were. The roots of our trees could not penetrate their compacted stone walls and metal fortifications.

The denizens, however, were a different story.

"Ranren, reporting in. Again, the denizens report residents disappearing in the night; here, more than any other place. Of the nearly hundred thousand dwarves, there now exists less than half of that. Those that remain are as non-compliant as always. Not that their lies are needed. Even a novice can see how the mountains above have been tainted. Like a mirror to our last report, the forest resembles the stream of energy that fell just days ago. It yields no sense of evil, but no goodness, either. Thus, we will investigate. By Caelarin's grace."

I led the way on foot; moving from tree to tree with the utmost grace and nary a look behind me, a dual purpose driving my actions.

To put it simply, I was disappointed. I knew Zaos had information about his classmates. He would divulge it. Even if I had to force it out of him. And so…

"Tell me about this power, brother. This silver light and the stones above, you have faced them before."

"Yes." He sighed, looking away. "He described it to us all as nature's light fused with his sorcerous darkness. That should tell you of his way with words, brother. It explained nothing, yet told us everything. I experienced my mind being infected with false images and emotions I could not quell. Now, his Vampyr of a girlfriend has that very power as his first cleric."

"Then let us be on guard." I held out my hand and smirked when he shook it with conviction. Then we both drew our bows and got underway, merging with the closest arcane tree to be ejected some 230 kilometers north-northeast to the base of the mountain path- our borderland.

The fully opened eye of the baleful Champion stared down on the land from on high, bathing it in a silver-blue light that shone brightly off the snowy woods before us. But we were not without Caelarin's grace. We waited for the clouds to pass overhead before pressing forward. On and on we bounded, closer and closer to the borders of that silver land.

Just after passing it, we halted at a decently sized lake for more time than I liked. On the one leaf, the eye was watching and so we could not move. On the other leaf, a pair of similarly colored horns could be seen wading through the water, dipping and bobbing for several moments every few minutes. We could not wait, yet we had no choice. And so we remained there for what felt like hours. Watching, waiting for the beast to dive whenever the eye above was hidden behind the clouds.

When that moment came upon us, we moved using every means in our arsenal. However, we seemed to have underestimated the distance. The clouds cleared into a spotted mess before we were halfway across the clearing. There was nowhere to hide from the eye above. Thus we stood there, frozen, staring at the pale light creep across the ground before us to reveal something once hidden.

Or rather, someone once invisible.

The first thing to be revealed was armored feet poised perpendicular to one another. Time seemed to slow as my eyes ascended with the light moving past thickly armored legs that glistened with the same vibrancy as the surrounding plants, revealing a feminine frame leaning on her hind leg to support the weight of a towering halberd clutched in her right hand. Its blue-white standard was centered by that baleful silver eye, but stained red like the pulsating gem in the heart of her armor.

My eyes rose to a half-elven face with lustrous, long hair the same silver and red-streaked hue as her eyes. Yet, she was no vampire.

"Now, now, gentlemen." She smiled in a most unfriendly way. "No need for hostilities."

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"Prime Executor Muirenn Snyder, of the Seventh Noctis Legion."

"There are seven of you?" I shook my head in disbelief. Yet she continued smirking and blinking lazily. "What is the purpose of this... seventh legion, then?" I asked.

"Our specialty, if you're asking, is Retribution."

"Hmphf." I huffed. "Retribution for whom? You? Your God?"

"Nisi Oppresso." She laughed, shaking her head as those silver eyes danced across our kingdom. "And I see many."

"You caused those disappearances," I stated- not asked, yet she laughed. Heartily.

"I know not what you speak of, Rharian." She huffed, amusement dripping from her tongue.

"Do not play coy!"

"Am I playing coy?" She huffed again. "Is that what the residents of those places told you? People disappeared in the night; or, is that what your denizens- your arcane creatures of the forest said?"

"It matters not."

"It does when the residents wish to leave on their own accord. And so they did."

"So you were behind the-"

"Exodus." She nodded. "Yes."

"So you've intruded on our lands?"

"Not like you've intruded on this sacred grazing land, no, given how it is open to any who can make the journey. The only thing that has befallen your lands is Mani's beloved light. It showed them the path to liberation, just as it guided you here."

I bit the inside of my cheek after hearing such an absurd notion. A moment she seized predatorily. "So now that you are here, ensure you deliver a message to your king when you give your report. We of the Seventh Noctis Legion and the Order of Worlds will guide the residents of your kingdom who so desperately want to leave. The same ones you so vehemently wish to be gone, but keep trapped in your forest."

"We will not be conducting business with the likes of you!" Zaos spat. And for the first time in so long, I was proud. Yet any notion of that was shattered by this… creature's words.

"That's for King Corym and Regent Torhorn to decide. But let it be known that we choose not to affiliate ourselves with a culture such as yours. Thus, we will not enter your lands or even contact you. We will leave you be should you leave us be. So, Ranren and Zaos Torhorn, will you leave us be?"