The First War Mage: City in the Sky

Running, it felt like I was running. I couldn't breath, tears were running down my face while all I could do was to desperately try and breath as hard and as fast as possible, every breath felt like it was nothing compared to what I needed. Everything was a blur, lights flashed in the corners of my vision, torches held by men and women wearing brilliant gold armor.

Yet that wasn't what scared me the most, I could hear hounds barking with an unnatural metallic tinge. Those accursed hounds that haunted me day and night no matter how far I ran, no matter how far I though I managed to get at night. I was forced to just keep running, running for my life from people I didn't know, who were hunting me for a reason I didn't understand.

I ran into a clearing, my eyes moving around, the blurry, faded image suddenly became vivid. The erratic colors and blurred backgrounds all at once became a single focused image.

I was standing before a cliff, barely bringing myself to a rolling halt, heavy breaths escaping me as my eyes moved downwards to the massive pit. My head and torso hanging over the edge before I pushed myself backwards slowly, rolling back onto my feet I began to stand up slowly just to find my eyes locked with over two dozen people, and twice that in hounds.

My heart was racing, my mind reeling. Where could I go? What could I do? I couldn't think, couldn't focus, my eyes jumping from one position to the next as the massive group all began taking steps towards me. I took a step back, and I felt my foot slip, I couldn't even scream before I rocketed awake.

Sitting up i began to breath heavily, my hand reaching for my chest to soothe my racing heart as a bump thankfully rocked me out of the dream that had been terrorizing my mind. My eyes moved around slowly, eventually traveling upwards as I noticed light creeping into the cart from above.

I guessed that it was early into the next morning, perhaps around six or seven in the morning with the sun low on the horizon. I was surprised as my gaze wandered over the inside of the cart again, settling on another fresh plate of food. Though it was far less lavish than the first, it was still food. Several strips of dried meat that looked relatively fresh over top a bed of rice. Yet my stomach didn't growl at the sight, I didn't even feel hungry. Instead I was sick to my stomach.

Adrenaline was wreaking havoc on my body, nausea left me shaking almost as bad as the panic that was still sitting deep within my mind. It felt like my head was screaming, my ears ringing and my eyes not focusing on anything sitting before me. It was just another nightmare, another retelling of that same night that I never could remember. No details ever remained consistent, nothing other than the fall at the end.

Instinctively I reached to the back of my neck, yet, I felt nothing other than the rough grooves of my vertebrae. Finally my breathing slowed and I felt the world start to feel real once more. The adrenaline and panic finally calming to such a point that I could think straight. I sat still, taking deep breaths to help calm myself before I reached a shaking arm forwards, grabbing the glass that I only now noticed sat beside the plate.

It was a simple wooden cup, but it was filled to the brim - or as close as could be without spilling everywhere with water. I was thankful for the drink as I began to sip at it slowly, feeling the ice cold water smack against my lips left me to snap awake, my eyes finally fully opened as I felt my perception return to me, like reality became real again.

I heard the cart slowly begin grinding to a halt, the heavy scraping of metal along the wooden wheels. The bearings long since rusted ground against each other making a shrill screech while the cart slowed to a halt.

I lurched to the side a little as the cart came to a total stop, I heard the gentle sound of footsteps against tiled stone road walking around to the back of the cart. A soft series of knocks sounded before Darek unlocked the door, opening it slowly.

"Ah, I see someone is awake already." He offered a smile, one that I couldn't return as I just groaned a little. "Ah... One of those mornings."

Darek likely knew of my nightmares, albeit I never talked about them there was no doubt he knew I struggled to sleep. Given the fact that I constantly slept on irregular schedules that barely had any linearity other than getting out of bed at the same time. However there were often nights that I would wake up, screaming or thrashing and he would be the only guard around.

"Here, come out here and come up to the front with me. We still have a good few hours travel before Arcadia will be in sight. At that point you'll have to be locked in here again." He offered a hand out, and when I didn't put mine out to greet his he simply took a step in. Grabbing my shoulders and lifting me up to my feet.

"Ugh..." I groaned, the nausea still was hitting me but it dulled enough that I could function thanks to the glass of water. I paused for a moment as Darek placed his hand on my head, rubbing my hair before looking at his now blackened palm.

"Hmm, washed every bit of you other than your hair? I suppose white is a rather rare sight." He mused to himself, there was now presumably a patch of hair on my head that was white and visible. Something which bothered me greatly.

"One of... The few things I do remember from dad... He always told me to dye my hair black... That white hair was bad." I rambled a little, my mind never seemed to fully recollect my early life. I couldn't even see my own mother or father fully in my head, only vague outlines, shapes and ideas, but no person.

"A rather odd ideal, though I do suppose it has some merit to those who are superstitious." Darek commented as he turned, walking out of the cart again. He glanced back towards me, offering another smile as I stood still. "You coming or do you want to go to prison without having a last chance to see the world around you?"

"Fine..." I groaned a little, my body still felt so terribly sore. For the first time in years I had eaten enough, and slept enough to actually feel the pain on my body rather than just the pain inside of it. Yet I was forced to bite back that pain as I took the slow steps I could bring out of my body to drag myself out of the cart.

I was forced to squint as I gazed around the terrain, the sun was brilliant and bright overhead, yet my breaths came out like a misty fog. The air was horribly cold, yet it didn't bother me in the slightest, it felt refreshing to be dragged out of what little grogginess of sleep was left inside of my body and to be fully awake once more.

My eyes moved around the region, I could see the far southern ocean in the distance. The brilliant blue hue of the ocean appeared almost purple in the distance. We currently sat atop one of countless small mountains filling the valleys of Berinia, there were thousands more just like this. All a part of the internals of the same grand mountain range that offered so much protection to the people within the nation.

I couldn't see Arcadia itself, and I knew why, it sat at the beaches of the ocean. The largest port city in the world, as far as I knew at least. And we could barely see the furthest extents of the ocean, mere reflections upon the far, far horizon.

Taking in a breath I could smell the fresh morning air, no longer filled with the awful stench of stone, sweat and blood. But instead with the brilliant, fresh scent floating in from the ocean. Alongside the scent of flowers and falling leaves, most of the trees were a brilliant orange or gold, some gentle purples sat upon some as well. Fall had well and fully set in, and it was one of the nicest times of the year in my eyes.

"See? you're looking better already." Darek chuckled a little, walking to the front of the cart, glancing back to make sure I followed - something I did after a few more solemn moments of viewing the brilliantly glowing world before me.

I let out a disappointed sigh as I followed after Darek, while he merely just chuckled and planted his hand on the seat beside him. There was a single horse at the front of the carriage, it wasn't something I found myself taking much note of, albeit I did appreciate the animal for what it was doing. After a moment I managed to crawl onto the seat, barely able to pull myself up with my meager strength without Darek's help.

"I didn't take you to be much of a nature person." Darek spoke softly, his gazing moving forwards to the road as he gripped the reins, flicking them softly to get the horse to move once more.

"I... Remember growing up in the woods... One of the few things I do remember honestly." I spoke in return, the woods weren't a fond memory, yet a cherished one simply just because it was one of the solemn handful the world had decided to let me keep.

"Hmm, you don't know much about your early life? I know you've stated you do not know the crime your father committed..." Darek thought aloud slowly before he sighed. "Oh what does it matter. You are here, and the past is the past. There is nothing you can do to change it now, only to keep moving as long as you can, no?"

"I guess... It bothers me that I can't even remember their faces, the only memories I do have are so scattered its like I can't even tell if they are real or not." I sighed as I thought to myself, my arms fell into my lap, crossing over each other neatly. But my gaze shifted upwards, taking in the world once more.

"How about this Kirin, ask me some questions and I'll answer them to the best of my abilities as we move towards the city." Darek offered, it left me to fall silent, thinking over what I could even ask him at first. I debated asking him what crime my father had committed, yet I knew without a doubt that he wouldn't or couldn't answer it.

Instead my mind moved towards other things, magic was at the forefront.

"What can you tell me about magic?" I eventually asked after several long moments of silent debate over what I truly wished to know. And in the end my mind settled onto the only thing I had a chance of learning of moving forwards.

"Magic, hm? It's, quite an expansive topic. So why not the basics then?" Darek thought for a few moments before sighing. Taking a breath before he began to talk.

"Magic is a rather strange form of 'art', at first many saw it as a form of martial art. The art of channeling someones own body or spirit into creating something that could physically form. Yet, as things progressed it was slowly realized that only a small subset of people could truly use or comprehend magic - Over time they began to be referred to as 'Arcadians'. I am unsure where this name truthfully comes from, but it is the name we all refer to ourselves as." Darek paused for a moment to catch his breath, thinking before he continued.

"Magic itself runs off of a compound that is found in the blood of all creatures, but most commonly among the blood of beasts, and Arcadians. This substance is called 'mana', the lifeblood of magic so to speak. I cannot tell or show you how to use magic, but I can describe the general ideas of it." Darek stated, looking towards me with a kind smile once more.

"I understand... But this is already really interesting." I was intrigued by these ideas, and these concepts. Magic to me was such an alien concept that it seemed otherworldly, like something that couldn't - or shouldn't exist. Yet it did, I had used it, albeit on accident and i had no idea how yet.

"Good, then lets continue." Darek continued his smile as his gaze turned back towards the road before us.

"Magic was eventually broken down into a series of categories, with Arcadians who train in the art of magic - and who train in the ability to use it in combat specifically - being referred to as 'mages'. These 'mages' have many classes, but there are seven 'accepted' classes. They don't have a definitive way that they are scaled to each other, there are general outlines that I will go over but they are not truthfully requirements. The lines are indeed so blurred that even the strongest of mages could be incorrectly measured as one of the weakest."

"The first is what you would be considered should you join Silver Sky, an Apprentice, where every mage starts. After an Apprentice would be a freshly graduated, or fully trained student regarded as a 'Magus', in usual terms a Magus can match five or more apprentices. Assuming they are not themselves bordering a 'Magus' rank."

"Next come ranks regarded in the military, the first being that of a 'Sage'. Sages are considered to be captains within the world of magic, often commanding several Magus, and themselves being equal to roughly eight Magus on average. After them is the 'Mage', a rather confusing term but this is usually the point where most reach the limits of what their bodies can handle as far as mana." Darek paused for a moment, sighing as he thought further.

"Right, that is something that scales the power of mages, mana. Specifically, there is a limit every person is born with to how much mana they can possibly push their bodies to achieve. It's rare for an Arcadian to live long enough to reach that point, but it is quite possible. At the point of being considered a 'Mage' you have reached the pinnacle that anyone born outside of the higher noble families could normally hope to achieve. There are rare occasions that this does not happen, such as one of the Archmages, Levi."

"Mages are like the Majors, the next step after a Sage. While they are not always that much stronger, only on average being equal to two Sages, however the difference stands in skill. As once one hits this point they often have had to train for many, many years and have far more experience."

I continued to archive the information away, trying my best to keep in mind every little detail that Darek was sparing for me. Yet, I couldn't help but find myself interrupting him to ask another quick question.

"What class are you in this system?" I looked towards him, curiosity shining in my eyes.

"Under most terms, a high Magus or early Sage. My time using magic came to an abrupt end after sustaining injuries." He replied without hesitating before taking another breath to continue.

"The last three are rather simply named, the 'High Mage' is where most near ninety percent of noble born Arcadians end, as moving past that point not only takes winning a genetic lottery, but also immense skill and determination. Something most lack. The average High Mage is equal to almost ten Mages. And beyond them is the Arch Mage."

"There are at current fifteen Arch mages in the nation, eight of which are teachers at Silver Sky. Arch Mages are the highest form of mage usually possible. And, all of them are related to the four high noble families or the royal family themselves. Bar the previously mentioned Levi." He fell silent, sighing softly as he regained his breath slowly.

"I thought you said there were seven? That was only six..." I asked as Darek fell silent, curiosity shimmering through my voice.

"The seventh exists only under respect for history, and the first true Arcadian. Regarded by multiple names, 'Supreme Mage', 'Royal Mage', or in our terms, the 'War Mage'. You will learn about him if you attend Silver Sky should things go well. But the War Mage was a one of a kind, no one has ever come close to the power he held. Not in almost two hundred years since the founding of Berinia. Even his bloodline is thought to have completely died out." Darek stated calmly, his voice growing distant.

"Is there anything else? We still have at least another hour to talk." Darek offered, and I couldn't help but utter every possible question that came to my mind.

"Who are the Archmages?" I blurted out quickly, I was so curious about the upper echelon of the world of magic that I wanted to know immediately about them.

"The Archmages... I won't go into much detail with most of them, as they cannot be easily described. But two who are of key note are the previously mentioned Levi, we once even served together in the battle where I was injured. Though I can't say I did anything other than get in his way, he is built, and performs, like a mountain. An immovable object that kneels to no one. As such, he has ended up taking the seat of the head of the Royal Court, as the only neutral party of an acceptable title."

"The other, is a woman to keep in mind. Carmine Ferini, the current heir of the Ferini estate, the strongest High Noble family in Berinia. She is mysterious, and often likes to find things to 'play' with. If at all possible, I would avoid her. She is, quite a threat." Darek stopped, his gaze shifted towards me, asking for the next question.

"Do you have a family?" I asked quickly.

"Once, I did. A wife and daughter, though neither are with me anymore. A disaster lead to their deaths, something I still deeply regret." Darek answered calmly, though I could see with the way his eyes grew distant that it was a sensitive topic to broach. I felt an immediate increase of respect for him just by knowing that.

The questions continue, with many of them just being simple things, like what people in Arcadia were like, and what I could expect to see. While most questions couldn't be answered, I was happy to have been given any.