Resurgence of Ancient Darkness

Prologue

Vydor

While I waited for Mantis to pay his regular visit to my study, I reflected back on how I had come to be where I was. It seemed many lifetimes since I was serving on the Dragon Claw and trying to impress my fellow command officers in a desperate attempt to prove worthy of my promotion. Back then I used to believe the Emperor was a god and that he came from a long line of gods. I could not have been more naïve.

However, that was long ago, and I was now a very different man. I surpassed the Emperor, and indeed the entire Empire, in power and sat dangerously on the precipice of declaring myself a god. It might have happened too, as there was none who could match me in power. I was truly godlike in my ability to command the raw energies that make up reality as we know it.

I rested my hand on the one thing that stopped me and quite likely saved the entire realm from destruction at my hands. I picked up my father’s old book and turned to the front page. On that was a note Kellyn had penned decades ago. It said, My Dearest Love, in these pages you will find real truth and meaning and finally be set free from that which threatens to destroy you.

Before I could think more on that, I felt the energy build up that I recognized as Mantis traveling to my realm. I turned and faced where I knew he would appear moments before he did.

Greetings, Grandmaster, he said.

Hello, old friend, I said. Please have a seat. I have some spiced mead warmed up and waiting for you.

Thank you, he said with a smile as he took his seat. I have seen your reports on Operation Show of Force. It seems congratulations are in order.

Perhaps, but it is somewhat bittersweet, I said.

How so? It was a success, was it not? he asked.

Oh, in some ways, I replied.

Grandmaster, it pushed the Korshalemian sorcerers out of your realm, broke the back of the pirates, and gained you a mundane navy. That sounds like a wonderful success to me, he said.

Yes, and it revealed that we have our own sorcerers to worry about, I said.

Mantis took a deep pull from his spiced mead. True, it puts us into the four-way stalemate we had hoped to avoid: two groups of sorcerers and two groups of wizards.

If that were only the case, I would be overjoyed. Sorcerers I can handle. For all their darkness, at some level they want order, which limits them. No, things are far worse, I said.

I know the Korshalemian council has been very concerned about something. I assume this is related? he asked.

No, I have not spoken with them in a long time. They have come to fear my realm greatly, I said.

Ah, yes. They see what we all see: sooner or later your technology will make its way into Korshalemia and destroy our culture, he said.

Yes, and what they fail to realize is that it is already too late to stop it, I told him.

Mantis leaned back in his chair and sipped on his mead. He had an aura about him that never seemed to be quite at rest, no matter how calm and relaxed he was. The magic that was wrapped around him constantly jumped and danced. It was as if he was just barely in control of his powers, but nothing about his voice or physical appearance ever betrayed that.

What do you mean? he asked.

The Korshalemian sorcerers. They already know our technology and have brought that knowledge back to your realm. It is only a matter of time now before they realize they can use it to build an army of mundanes that can defeat anyone in your realm. When that time comes, the Korshalemian council will blame me, and our alliance will probably end, I said.

I would not allow that to happen, he answered.

You are not exactly well-trusted either, Mantis. I had learned over the years that the council feared him more than any other magus alive. I did not know why, as I could never imagine him being anything other than a trusted ally and friend.

He laughed at that and took a drink. What is it, then, that has you so worried?

I refilled his mead from a pitcher I had been keeping on a warmer. A fresh shadow has fallen over the realm, and we are on the verge of a new era of darkness. After pouring his drink, I walked over to the counter where I had left my coffee. Since it had cooled down since I had last held it, I used my power to warm it back up to its proper temperature.

You mean a new grandmaster sorcerer for Vydoria? asked Mantis.

I suspect that one has already arisen, but no. It is something darker. There is a shadow over my entire realm, yet I cannot directly see it. It is there, just out of sight. It is as if it can only be seen when you are not looking right at it, but it is there, and it is growing, I said.

What is it? he asked.

I do not know. Only Shadow and the other spellweavers can sense it, but none of us likes to speak of it, I said.

He sat there for a while just looking at me, lost in thought. I slowly sipped my coffee in silence, as I really had no desire to say much more about the topic. I did not even like thinking about it.

Were you ever able to verify Darius’s research? asked Mantis.

Some of it, enough to know that he was right in his belief that this is magic’s second life here, I said and returned to my seat. Everything is changing now that Shadow has healed reality, and we are a long way off from seeing the end result.

I can imagine so. The weave itself is still a bit erratic, but it is definitely stabilizing. This is likely to mean some changes to what you think you know about the nature of this realm, he said.

We have already seen some: the basic powers have become weaker, and many spells have had changes to their range and impact. It is just difficult to predict the extent of the changes, I said.

We talked for a while after that, never once returning to the subject of the darkness that had come upon Vydoria, and for that I was glad. I knew that one day I would have to face that darkness head-on, but for the moment I preferred to bask in the light.

Soon I would be meeting with Shadow to debrief him from Operation Show of Force; while it had been a great success, I saw war coming. Those nations which had been set up to take over on the failure of the Empire were faltering. All around the galaxy, tribes and consortiums were rising up to stake their claim.

1

Dusty

As Master Shadow and I approached the entrance to Grandmaster Vydor’s office, Master Shadow said, I am proud of you, Dusty. You did very well out there.

I did not respond, but I was glad to hear him say that. At that moment, my mind was focused on this meeting with Grandmaster Vydor. I had only seen him from afar, and I really did not know what to expect. Figures of authority had never taken to me, at least until I met Master Shadow. He was different somehow; I was not sure why, but he genuinely seemed to care about me and want to help me succeed.

I had little chance to think on that because the door to Grandmaster Vydor’s office opened as we approached, and I could see him waiting for us. In the room with him were Master Mantis, Master Mathorn and Master Kellyn. They stood as we approached, and Master Kellyn called out, Hi! Come in!

Master Shadow smiled and greeted everyone. I did my best not to say anything at all while they got the pleasantries out of the way. I found a chair to sink into and tried not to be noticed. However, Master Mantis noticed, and he winked at me.

Once everyone was settled in, Grandmaster Vydor said, Shadow and Dusty, first let me offer my congratulations on a very successful mission. You certainly proved that we can build a vocational arm of our school while having a positive impact on our region of space. Now, I have some news to share with you. The president of Aleeryon contacted us while you were fighting at the station; he said that the nation was about to go bankrupt. Apparently they bought all those stealth bombers and supplies purely on credit, and now the private investors are threatening to take control of all government assets, including their navy.

Master Shadow called out, That is ridiculous!

Rest easy, Shadow; I have no intention of letting that happen, said Grandmaster Vydor. What we are seeing happen here in our region is being played out all over the galaxy. The power structures of the mundane nations are shifting into massive consortiums. Tribal groups are countering this to some extent, but it is questionable if that is better or worse. I do not want to see our region fall in the same way, so we have agreed to pay off the Aleeryon government’s debt, and we are in the process of absorbing them into our nation.

Grandmaster, with all due respect, I thought we were not going to get involved in local politics, commented Master Shadow.

After much debate, the Council has decided that our realm and our current situation have altered to such an extent that we are justified in changing some of the original rules set up under Mantis, responded Grandmaster Vydor. "This means that we now have borders to defend and citizens to protect, which will affect our ability to stay neutral; but the time for neutrality has passed. We must build up our forces quickly, far more so than our previous path would have allowed. Absorbing the Aleeryon nation gives us a mundane navy; supplemented by even a small number of our wizards, this will be more than sufficient to keep peace in this region of space and buy us the time we need to grow our forces.

Alpha Academy will remain a training center for wizards; but you, Shadow, will lead the Battle Wizards as our military branch. The Academy will focus on research and development while your forces will focus on battle tactics and integrating our technology with our magic.

He paused there, got up, and walked over to a counter where he had some drinks set up. You must understand that we are only now starting to comprehend what it means to be wizards in our realm. We have discovered that the rules that work in Korshalemia do not work well here. We have to forge our own way now. Those rules have served their purpose, which was to help us learn to walk. The reality we face is that chaos has broken out around us, and we will continue to become more and more involved. This move gives us control of how that happens instead of merely reacting to events. In any case, we have not seen the end of the changes that are coming. Reality itself is in flux; the very laws of the universe are no longer stable. The future is as uncertain as it can get at this time.

Grandmaster, you are concerned about the shadow that we sensed, stated Master Shadow.

Yes, very much so, he said. But it is more than that. When each rupture was closed, it sent ripples through space-time. Things are changing, and even the laws of nature are in flux. I cannot see far enough ahead to know what things will look like when they stabilize, or how long it will take.

What should we do? asked Shadow.

First, I should tell you that we have recruited some elite wizards from Korshalemia with many decades of battle experience to help you build up your ranks. They will be staying with us permanently, learning our technology and ways. No doubt you will be happy to know that Mathorn is among those who have chosen to move here to help us, he said.

That is great news! said Shadow.

I will give Alpha Academy the task of working out what changes we are facing as reality slowly stabilizes itself. I want you to lead the Battle Wizards and find out what you can about the shadow.

This all seems so sudden and so fast, said Shadow.

"I know it does, but most of it has been in the making for decades. The reason I chose this solar system for our base of operations was that I foresaw that Aleeryon would be the most compatible nation for us. I did not expect to buy them out, but I knew we would end up working closely with whatever neighbors we had.

Reality has been very slowly healing for ten thousand years now, but our actions over the last century or so have tremendously accelerated the process. I do not yet know what that means for our future, but at the very least I expect to see unaffiliated magi wandering randomly throughout the realm. It is likely to be centuries before we have a substantial number of them working as part of our nation. The new consortiums and tribal governments do not recognize my authority, and they will probably hunt down these magi to add to their own forces. This means our enemies will expand to encompass vastly more than merely sorcerers. It will no longer be a case of wizards versus sorcerers, as there will be many different groups which can call on magi. We will attempt to incorporate them all over time, but our realm is many magnitudes larger than Korshalemia, and I do not at this time foresee a single council of wizards uniting all wizards although I will try to achieve it.

You say that you believe more powers are involved in this battle than merely ourselves and the sorcerers. Do you think this shadow is one of them? asked Master Shadow.

If we ignore the smaller groups, we know there is a united force of sorcerers in Korshalemia and a matching group here. All that is clear is that the shadow is not related to either of these. That means there is at least one more group in play, and it is that group which must concern us most.

That last comment hung in the air for a moment with no one speaking. After a brief pause, Master Mathorn spoke up. Dusty, during your time in my realm you interacted with the unknown sorcerer who appears to be behind the information leaked to us about the station. Can you tell me more about that, specifically the time you, Shea, and her brother met him on the hill?

Master, I really don’t know all that much. My head was so foggy at the time. I just couldn’t think straight, I said.

I see. Yet Shea seemed fine. Why do you think that is? he asked.

I tried to think back to that battle, but my memory was still as fuzzy as the day it happened. I’m not sure. All I remember is her standing between us holding me back. She kept telling me to run, but I couldn’t move or think.

But you eventually did. How? he asked.

Master, he moved to attack, so I cast Shadow Form and ran, I said.

He thought about it for a moment, and said, Dusty, you lost that battle and almost lost the two people with you. Have you thought at all about how to handle it next time?

Master, when I got to the wizard’s tower in Syncillia I read everything I could find in the Defense against Charms section, but none of it made any sense.

Do you remember any of the titles of the books you were reading?

Yes, I said, and proceeded to rattle off every one that I had read.

I am impressed at your masterful recall, but tell me, Dusty, what do all those books have in common? he asked.

Master, they were all books on defense against charms, I said.

Yes, they were, but defense for whom? he asked.

Master, for magi? I asked.

No, actually for very specific types of magi. He thought about something for a while, then said, Dusty, I have reviewed all your records here at the school. Your academic performance is less than stellar, which does not reflect how well you did on this mission. Even your own log about your adventures in my former realm shows you to be far more advanced than your schooling would indicate. Why do you think that is?

I sat in silence and did not answer. All I could think about was that my worst fear had come true: he was going to bounce me out of the school.

"It is all right. You can trust him," sent Master Shadow.

I looked over at Master Shadow and back to Master Mathorn, who sat there waiting. Master, I just don’t know. I tried really hard to learn all their formulas and such, but I guess I’m just too stupid to figure it out.

Stupid, Dusty, is one thing you are not, said Master Mathorn. Misguided is more like it, and your training has been poorly fitted for your peculiar bent.

My bent, Master? I asked.

Yes; for example, none of the books you read in Syncillia would have helped you at all. None of them were for someone with your spell line. Simply put, you could not understand them. They were the wrong fit.

I sat there in astonishment. I had not considered that possibility.

He continued, I will get you some material from my personal library that will help you so that you can be better prepared next time. Dusty, I think your problem has been that you’re trying too hard to fit stereotypical models of what you think you should be, instead of discovering your own nature. I think this mission has shown that when you focus on being yourself you do rather well.

I could not fully grasp what that meant, but it certainly helped to bolster my confidence.

The rest of the conversation centered on making sure that the Council had all the current information about our mission, and they questioned me extensively on the old man. They did not know much about him, and that seemed to bother them more than anything else we reported.

They closed with a discussion about the structure of the new forces. Shadow proposed that we have two divisions in the military: one that would train wizards to work in groups of two and three among the mundane navy, and another as an elite force to work on ships like the Dust Dragon. Grandmaster Vydor liked this idea, and he gave Shadow permission to start building the force.

2

Shadow

As Dusty and I left the debriefing, he said to me, Thank you, Master Shadow.

For what, Dusty? I asked.

For believing in me, he said.

Dusty, you earned every bit of it. You are a fine wizard and a great friend, I said.

We talked for a little bit more, and then I took my leave of him. I had two problems I wanted to solve. The first was my marriage to Flame. I had spoken with Grandmaster Vydor about it privately over a telepathic channel during the debriefing, and he said that he would be proud to perform the ceremony, but now that Aleeryon was becoming part of our nation our marriage was already legally binding and official. This meant I really needed to find a way to break the news to my mother that I was already married. That should be fun.

The other problem was how to select and train an entire army of wizards while trying to hunt down this new evil in our realm. I had a plan, and Grandmaster Vydor thought it was worth trying, but it would mean convincing my father to do something he had probably never before considered. He hated surprises, and I would be contacting him with two simultaneously.

Once I had returned to my personal office on the Dust Dragon, I made sure the room was sealed and called my father.

Hello, son, he said.

Sir, it is good to see you. I am sorry I have not called for some time, but I was on a full combat mission with a stealth wing, I said.

He smiled wistfully at that. I understand. Did it go well?

Better than expected, sir. We neutralized the pirate threat and destroyed a major sorcerer stronghold, I said.

Excellent! he said, his face beaming with pride.

We talked a little about the mission for a while. He was very interested to hear about it. Once I felt I had told him all I could about that, I decided it was time to move on to my first surprise. Sir, I need to ask you something.

Of course, son; what is it? he asked.

Sir, I have been promoted to head of the Battle Wizards, the newly-formed military arm of the school. At present we have only seven wizards with any battle experience or training at all. Due to the political situation developing in our region, we believe we need to scale up our military as quickly as possible, I said.

I see. That is quite a problem. How many wizards will you have to work with? he asked.

Sir, I do not know yet, but I believe it will be a small number, I said.

I would imagine so, based on my understanding of how few graduate from your school. I assume you are looking for advice? he asked.

Now it was time to spring my surprise. More than that, sir. I want to bring you out of retirement.

What? His tone and face betrayed a mixture of surprise and annoyance.

Sir, I would like you to help me to build this new military wing as well as possible, I said.

He sat back in his chair and said nothing for a while. I assume that would mean moving out there, and I am not sure your mother would like that.

Well, sir, I think she will be more willing to move out here than you believe, I said.

Why is that? he asked.

Sir, because Grandmaster Vydor will soon be performing a wedding ceremony for myself and Flame. I decided there and then that I would not mention it was indeed only a ceremony and that we were already married. I was fairly sure my parents would put no stock in Aleeryon marriage customs, so I should be able to avoid telling them; at least I hoped so.

To my relief, that brought a big smile to his face. That is wonderful, son! Your mother is sure to be delighted. He sat in silence again for some time. So you want me to turn a group of green wizards into a fighting force?

Yes, sir. I am planning two divisions to start: one elite and one regular division. I would place you in charge of the regulars, I said.

Why me? he asked.

Sir, being here among these wizards has shown me that, while we all have great powers, most of us lack knowledge of warfare techniques. We are in the process of planning the defense of our region against many enemies, and less than a handful of us have any real training. We need the knowledge of men like you if we are to succeed. Besides that, I need someone I can trust completely with this level of authority and power. You are perfectly suited to it, I said.

Son, I am sincerely honored, but what do I know of magic? he asked.

I assume nothing, sir, but that is not a problem. I will have an elite wizard appointed to you so that magic is not an issue. You dealt with all kinds of specializations in the past of which you knew nothing. This is no different, I said.

I see. When would you have me start? he asked.

As soon as you are ready. I can have a gate opened for you at very short notice. I assume you will want to come out for the wedding anyway, I said.

True, he said. Let me talk all this over with your mother. I will contact you sometime tomorrow.

After that we ended the call. I did not need to wait for him to contact me; I knew his answer. I had seen it in his eyes: there was excitement in them when he thought about returning to duty. I was sure he would still be serving in the Imperial Navy had he not passed the maximum age of service.

He was well past his physical prime, but his mind was still sharp, and it was that mind I wanted. His knowledge of military operations and his centuries of experience would be invaluable to me as I tried to build a fighting force out of these schoolchildren.

3

Dusty

After I left Shadow, I headed back to my old quarters. I had not seen them since I left Alpha Academy on our mission. It seemed like it had been years, but in reality Operation Show of Force had lasted only a little more than a month. As I was walking, lost in thought, Master Mathorn stopped me.

Dusty, here’s one of the books I promised you. He handed me an old book. The leather cover and binding was cracked with age and the pages had yellowed. You can keep it. I have another copy for myself. When you finish that, see me and I will evaluate your progress; that will tell me which resources would help you most.

Master, thank you, I said. The title of the book was The Art of Deception: A Wizard’s Guide to Trickery, Shadows, and Other Tools of the Trade. I wondered at that title. Master, are you sure this is the right book?

Yes, Dusty. Your specialty is concealment, which means your defense against charms will have to come from that art. This book is the best on your line and should be very helpful in your studies. I suggest you defer all other studies for the moment and catch up on what this book teaches. It will help you to understand yourself better.

I looked again at the title and knew that, had I seen it in a library, I would have passed it by as unsuitable for me. As I traced the intricate artwork embedded in the cover, I tried to come up with a reason not to read it. I had to admit that it did sound interesting, but surely it was not the kind of book a wizard should be reading.

Dusty, when you came here, what did you want to be? he asked.

I just wanted to help people, Master, and was hopeful that I could be like Master Kellyn.

I see, but you’re not the same person. Once you had learned which powers you were gifted with, what did you hope to get out of staying here?

I had no place to go, Master. I had failed everything else already, so I stayed and made the best of it.

Do you still want to help people?

Yes, but I’m a failure there too, as always.

Why do you say that?

Master, because all I did for the last month was kill people.

Dusty, you helped free an entire nation from certain destruction, and you were pivotal in sealing a breach to the realm of the spirits while almost giving your life to prevent them from overrunning this entire realm. I’d say you are a success on a grand scale!

I just looked at him. I did not know how to take what he said. He had just recast my failures into successes, but I was not sure I understood how. I found it hard to believe that killing people could be the right way to help other people; it didn’t make much sense.

Dusty, you are trying too hard to be someone you are not. You’re not Master Kellyn, or Shadow. You are Dusty. Work through that spellbook and learn who you are. Embrace your powers and you will find that, by being you, you can help more people than you ever could before.

I looked back down at the book and contemplated its title again. Master, this title sounds so dark. How could that be me?

Dusty, there are two definitions for the word dark at play here. There is the dark which is a synonym for evil: that meaning of dark certainly does not apply to you. You are a grand wizard, but you do work in darkness; the kind of darkness that means lack of a light source. The concealment line of power in and of itself is just as amoral as are the rest of the powers. It’s what magi do with them that make them good or bad. That book could serve either purpose, as it is merely a guide on how to use your power, not a guide on why or why not to do things from a moral standpoint. Those you’ll have to work out for yourself based on your own moral compass.

I opened the book and flipped through the introductory and background material to the first spell. It was one to change your appearance so that you could pass unnoticed.

Before I could get far, Master Mathorn reached out and flipped the pages back to the very first one. No, start at the beginning. Starting in the right place is far more important than reading through it quickly, especially if you are saving time by going in the wrong direction.

Master, I will do as you ask, I said.

Good, he replied and then took his leave of me.

I continued my walk back towards my quarters, thinking about what he said. It sounded good, but was it right? I decided the only way to find out would be to start studying this book as he suggested.

I spent most of the rest of the night reading the section of the spellbook which I always skipped over in other books. I normally didn’t bother with it, as I couldn’t see how it would help me, and all I really cared about was learning the spells. Master Mathorn’s speech had convinced me to study it, at least this one time.

4

Disty

It had been a year since Master Shadow asked me to take over as head of Black Ops for the Wizard Navy following our return from Operation Show of Force. He told me time and time again that I was more than ready for this leadership role, but I found it hard to believe him.

I looked over at Spectra who reached out and gave my shoulder a squeeze. I was more nervous than I could ever remember being before. Master Shadow had asked me to lead this rescue operation as part of the training for my new position. "Is everyone in place?" I sent.

"Master Dusty, we are ready," came the reply from Darkstone.

"How about you, Spectra?" I sent privately.

"Just get me in, and I can get us out. We can do this, Dusty," she sent.

With the changes that had come to magic, Spectra could no longer gate to a place unless she had physically been there. That meant we had to get her in through more mundane means, but once inside she could gate us all out.

We were deep inside a space station in foreign territory. It had taken us over a week to sneak in and study the prison, but we were finally ready to make our move. Before us stood a multi-locked door that had a layered energy field covering it and four heavily-armed guards. "Darkstone, you have the two on the left. I’ll take the right, and remember that our goal is to disable, not eliminate. Everyone, we need to keep our cool, but move fast. Once we start our raid, time will be against us."

Black Ops was all about timing. I knew that in a few minutes there would be a shift