Garlic was viciously panting, clutching the bronze tunic tarnished in sweat squeezed upon him. The weather was sultry; and the boy were only half way up the hillock’s perilous trek to Castle Sapphiyr. Mopping his brow, Garlic espied the palace and groaned. There was a league of path to erase yet, and not a breath of life was near. A long sigh retreated him. Was this all a cruel jest of the Gods? To witness his knees buckle as he ascended the earth? He snatched the waterskin dangling upon the leather belt and inhaled what dregs of water was dwelling within it. His head lulled, something brushing against his shoulder. “You’re slow, boy.” A gravelly voice chided. “Have your legs become so lithe you cannot reach the crest?” Garlic glanced down, and scowled. A Mage slammed a timbre staff into the soil and seamlessly heaved upon the summit, not a break of a sweat upon him. A royal purple cowl billowed behind him with the gentle caress of the wind, his pearlescent and untamed beard dancing in suit. The Mage’s hat was perched like a dove upon their head, inlaid with golden motifs and tales of old Fyroglyn. Garlic gritted his teeth and followed. “Old, withered fool.” He cursed under a breath, maintaining a graceful distance behind the senile individual. Old bastards should remain within their dwelling, not with a Bard and their exploits. “My ears do not deceive me, boy,” The Mage tenderly patted an ear. “I may be old, I may be without the flesh I once was, but I am no fool.” Garlic bowed his head. He wished for the Magician to have lax hearing, then he may curse the other without a concern. “You still haven’t told me your name.” The Wizard smiled knowingly, “Ah. My name.” “Yes,” Retorted the boy. “We have been travelling for months now, and I do not know your name.” (Tbc)

I took an _extremely_ deep breath and sank to the ground. I had finally reached the crest of the hill. But I had only halfway made it, the castle was still hours away. I watched as people passed me on donkeys, horses, and carriages, wishing I could have a ride as well. Sighing, I began up the hill once again, trying to keep my growling stomach under control. I passed pine tree after pine tree, kicking rocks on my way. The air was fresh, and I closed my eyes, feeling the breeze on my face. The ocean was nearby, I could smell it. How could there have been an ocean in the mountains? I didn't know. Rich people disgusted me, that's why I was here. Getting lost in my thoughts, I almost walked off the side of the cliff. I steered myself back on track, that was close. Hopefully, I wouldn't make the mistake again. Too late. One wrong step. One wrong turn. And I was falling. It felt never-ending. Like I had been lost in time. And I knew there was no saving me.

It’s getting harder and harder to breathe the further I go. With every step my legs feel heavier, and the blood pulses in my eardrums and my eyes. I have to make it there; it’s not enough that I’ve gotten this far; if I don’t reach the Aerie it was all for nothing. If I can get there, I can beg Excellus to return to us. I can implore him to return and show mercy, reunite the letters and restore order to the cosmos. He’s been isolated at his mountain top retreat for months; no one has heard from him since he was rejected and cast out of the city. But with the Black Star approaching, we know it’s time to ask for forgiveness and I was the one sent. Snow flurries around me; my gear is not as warm as I hope. Far off I hear a wolf howl, and I get more nervous. If there’s one out there, there’s many, many more. Who could have anticipated how bad this world could become without men like him? We thought we would be fine without him, that his quirks and eccentricities were onerous, and that what he did could be done by anyone. The climb finished, I made my way to the gates. Security cameras whirred over the tops of them and oriented on me. “Erik!” I called out. “We need you!” A calm voice issued from the speakers. “That’s not what I remember you saying, Dennis.” “Everyone is going to die if you don’t help us! The Black Star is coming!” I shouted into the echoing darkness; I thought I heard a growl and started to sweat. “Why should I help? If I save everyone again, it will just end up with new being rejected and cast out again. There’s no reason for me to believe you.” “Samantha asked me to tell you she needs you, Erik. She says your son should meet you. She said you need to help save your family.” “Samantha said she never wanted to see me again. I didn’t know she was pregnant.” “She named him Juan.” “After my brother?” The gate slid open and I entered, with the gate shutting right before a wolf crept out of the darkness. The portal to the Aerie opened, and a withered, sad Erik Excellus stood before me. He opened his arms and I embraced him. “Dennis, I haven’t seen anyone in so long. Come in, let’s talk and we’ll figure out what to do.” The portal closed and we stepped into a warm hallway with violin playing. “How do they know it’s the Black Star?” “It’s the rocks, they’ve started to liquefy, and the black ooze is bubbling to the surface.” “Then we don’t have much time.”

I had done a lot of crazy things as an assassin. Rescuing someone from as palace prison wasn’t the on that list. Alas, I had fallen for a clumsy soldier and we had gone in the run. We had managed to escape the king for 7 months before Jacob had been kidnapped. And now, here I was, the one place I never thought I would be, doing something I never thought I would do. Nevertheless, I started the ascent to the Sky Palace, hoping all would end well.

I stand on the rocky cliff face, my black boots brushing the ground. My shoes are all I have left; everything else was taken from me. Ever since the Virus came. The knives at my waist are tied to my belt. They thump my hips as I walk, and the feel and sound of the weapons hitting me is sickening. Before the Virus, no one had any reason to own a weapon- and now I own five. My two silver daggers, a crowbar, a gun, and a long, spear-like stick for beating prey to death. The Virus changed our world forever. The moment it broke out, the whole earth went into quarrantine. No one was allowed to leave for years. Isolated. My people got the sickness and it killed them, slowly and painfully. Watching my family die was the worst thing that has ever happened to me. But I have a new family now- Isla. She’s a little girl, ten years old. She’s like a sister to me, ever since I found her, a crying two year old huddled in this tiny hut to hide from the rain. She doesn’t remember her family- I expect the virus got them. We’re going to seek a vaccine, to protect her. Isla’s sick with the Virus. Every time I think about it my eyes burn and my stomach churns. The thought of losing her is just too much. She got it about eight months ago, and it’s getting worse. Way worse. The sickness works slowly, and I don’t know how much time we have left. The meds cost a lot, as there is only a limited amount in the world. Doctors are working hard to make more, but it takes forever, and that’s where we are at right now. It can’t get any faster. People are just so desperate. Anyway, we’ve been saving ever since she got it. One small pill costs two thousand crowns. But it’s worth it. For Isla, I’d do anything. We’re heading to the Hidden Location, where you buy the medication you need. But we have a secret, and if it’s discovered we won’t be getting any meds at all, even if we offered a million crowns. Isla’s a Berd. It means she’s not normal. She’s powerful- has abilities that aren’t common. And her blood is silver. Isla can make plants grow as high as she wants- and she can throw fire balls, and waves of light and cause a sunami if she wants. She can manipulate someone to do whatever she wants. Basically, in short, she has every power you can think of, and makes them up as she goes. Once she makes one up, she’s able to actually use it. But ever since Berds came into excistence they’ve been hated by everyone. They came around the time of the virus breakout, and no one knows what was first- the Berds or the Virus. People think _they _caused it, and now they get hunted. Killed. The punishment for harbouring a Berd is death. If anyone found out….well. None of us would be here. Isla’s riding on my shoulders, babbling constantly about goodness knows what. “Once we get the medicine I’ll be cured, and we can make the dream house,” Isla says in a singing tone. Isla has this fantasy that after she’s ok, she’s going to build us a dream house- her idea of the perfect home, with waterslides and toys and other fun kid stuff. It’s what’s kept her going for all this time- the thought of our future. She drew a diagram of it when she was eight, and she carries it everywhere, even know that it’s ripped and dirty and smeared. She holds onto it forever. “Yep,” I say, smiling. “It’s gonna be amazing. You’ll be cured and we’ll both be safe and happy.” “And we’ll have the dream house.” “Of course.” “I wonder if the medicine will make me vomit rainbows!” Isla giggles, imagining the effects of the antidote. “I dunno. I hope not. It’s not supposed to make anyone vomit. It’s supposed to make you better.” “I know,” she says, “but it’s still fun to imagine.” “Yeah,” I reply. “Still fun.” Isla yawns, and then whimpers in pain. “My head hurts,” she screeches. “It hurts! ‘I know,” I whisper. “Oh, Isla, I know.” “It’s not fair,” she sniffs as we reach the Hidden location. It’s a small cave, covered with rocks and wood to keep people out. I rap on the wood and yell, “Hey! Let us in! We’re buying some meds.” The door swings open and a young girl, about my age, 17, eyes me suspiciously. Her eyes are blue, and her hair is brown, sun-dipped in a lighter colour at the ends. It’s short and choppy. “Hello,” I say. She nods in an answer, and leads us inside. There are lots of people, sorting medicine and cracking tablets and making sure everything is in order. They look like doctors, in big, heavy white coats and surgical scrubs and masks. We pass a little kid sitting on a chair, a green syringe being injected into his arm. He is screaming, the look of utter horror on his face. Isla sees and gives a little whimper. “I don’t want that to happen to me,” she whispers, clutching my neck hard. I swallow hard. I can’t promise her anything, so I say nothing. We go into a little extra room, with blue doctor curtains surrounding a single small bed. “The money first,” the girl snarls. I hand her a paper bag, and she eyes it, as if she thinks we’re cheating her. I can’t resist snapping when I say, “it’s all there. For goodness’ sake, we’re _not_ short.” “Alright, alright,” she says, glaring at me. “Get on the bed,” she tells Isla. She gets on, looking scared. She watches the girl bring out a huge golden syringe and screams. MORE SOON! I HAVE NOT FINISHED YET SOOOO SEE YOU FOR THE NEXT PART OF THEIR ADVENTURE!!

Cease your slumber. End your delay. You are to move, to grow. To evolve, to expand. You are no mere inanimate object, destined to remain where you are, eternally. You are alive. You breathe. You suffer. You triumph. You bleed. You heal. You forget. You learn. Continue your journey. Continue to ascend. Continue, to arise.

As Renalore arrived at the edge of the cliff, he scanned the sight that lay before him. A massive hill that led to a structure whose size was unknown to man. It was the building where the archmage made the talismans that gave people like himself powers. It was a white tower that was intricately crafted with many designs that man only dreamt of doing. Renalore had received his talisman at this exact building when he was a child and brought to a family of humans. The talisman was burnt right onto the skin of his chest and was not removable. He had learned how to use it and had become what he was supposed to be when he had been in his late teens. Without this talisman he would not have been able to come this far and finally found the tower. He found no reason to be suspicious of the plain hill so he jumped down a dozen feet and landed roughly on the hard ground. He then started the great ascension towards the tower. The hill was nothing but plain steep land that led to his birth place. He ventured up thinking there would be nothing to endanger him. After a hours of of endless climbing, he encountered an animal. It was cat like with dark blue fur. It did not have paws but instead it had claws of an eagle, and its tail had a dagger at the end. It looked at him with predatorial eyes who wanted to murder him. Renalore prepared himself for the worst and took his sword out. He carefully walked forward circling around the beast. When he had fully circled around it and had his back to the tower, he backed up. Instantly the creature sprung onto him trying to slash his face into pieces but Renalore flew up and came back down, plunging his sword into the back of its head. An hour later… Renalore reached the tower and came to a massive white and black gate. He pushed the gates and went inside to become archmage of the tower.

“Ughhhhh why is it so far upppp,” Katherine whines. ”Do you want to get Zane out of this mess of not,” Aaron asks, looking up at the high heirs judgment temple. ”I mean.. Do we have to?” ”Eh, wanna leave him there,” Aaron says smiling. ”LAST ONE DOWNS A ROTTEN EGG,” Katherine says before jumping off the cliff. “NOT FAIR,” Aaron yells as he runs down the path. —— —— —— ”Will there be anyone to support you today,” asks a high priest with a white hood covering his face. Zane who sensed his siblings presence fleeing said, “Unfortunately Mr. White Guy, I have shity siblings.”

A ramp stood in front of me reaching high up towards the white tower which was sat tall on the mountain. It seemed so threatening but I had made it this far so I can’t give now. I take a step, and another until I’m right in front of the tower. It was polished so white it shone in the early morning sun. It was so tall it reached high above the clouds. I take a deep breath and pull the heavy knocker up and slam it against the wood of the door - I do this again. The door opens suddenly and I step in.

I can’t go on. The sight of hope Not far ahead But I can’t make it. I can’t go on.