The Four Realms - Intro Kyris

The hall was huge . . . no, the word would be cavernous. It seemed to span for miles and miles, even the ceiling disappeared into the darkness above. The place was dimly lit; candles strategically placed every dozen paces or so. The flames were not the usual merry yellow. Instead, they burned with an eerie greenish light, casting strange flickering shadows upon the dark brown earth of the walls.

A figure stood right in the middle, head bowed, finger raised. It appeared to be muttering to itself. At the end of every syllable, a rune flashed in the air only to disappear moments later. A breeze started to stir within the space as strange crackling was barely audible. However, as the figure continued its chanting the crackling became whisperings, which gradually increased in volume to a roar. The gentle breeze was suddenly whipped into a gale, adding its mournful howl amidst the crescendo.

Without warning, the candlelights were extinguished, plunging the hall into pitch black. At the same time, the clamor stopped abruptly, the gale disappearing as though it never was.

The figure's murmurs faltered. At that moment, two words were spoken, "Sipa'ni? Keana?". The figure was silent. It could hear the voice's ravenous hunger, could hear the malevolent intent within its tone. "Sipa'ni? Keana?", the voice repeated. This time, there was no mistaking the malicious delight in it.

After yet another pause, the figure finally answered, "Kyris Jal Hyl, I . . .", but Kyris never got to finish the sentence as the voice interrupted, smoothly slipping out of the old tongue,

"It doesn't matter, for I will kill you now".

"No!". Kyris' hand shot up, blood red energy gathering there. There was a hissing as a claw came out of nowhere and slashed at the hasty shied, causing the figure to tumble backwards.

"Weakling . . . you think you can harness my powers? Arrogant fool". Shadows seemed to gather, solidifying. Features started to appear, and the most visible was the ugly grin stretching wide. The figure prepared itself, eyes narrowed, hands ready signal a rune to cast.

Suddenly, another voice rang throughout the hall, filled with authority and contempt, "Enough. Begone". In the next instant, the whole place vanished.

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Kyris opened her eyes to see she was back in her chamber. "D'en!", she hissed, spinning around to face the person standing in the doorway, "Why'd you interrupt?!".

D'en, as she called him, ignored her and strode into the room. He stood a few feet away from her, scrutinizing the surroundings.
Tables and chairs were hastily pushed aside to create some space in the middle. A huge triangle was drawn there with a circle inside, touching all three sides at a point. There, and the points of the triangle itself, were runes and other symbols sketched in red chalk. Some had been scuffed out where Kyris had fallen.

There was disdain in D'en's expression, "This was very poorly made. I would not be surprised if the demon had been a mere level twenty". Before Kyris could argue with that, he continued, his voice cool as always, "What were you thinking? You've only studied summoning them for two weeks. You are not ready".

"Chea . . .", she spat at him, "I could've handled that! If you didn't . . .".

He appeared to not have heard her as he said, "It is time for your lesson. Come".

She tried to glare him down, but was met by his back as he headed towards the door once again. Swearing under her breath, she snatched her cape draped over a nearby chair, glancing into the mirror to fasten it.

Her grim lips softened into a small smile.

Almond-shaped grey eyes stared back at her beneath long lashes. There was her sharp, but small, nose, above her thin lips. Habit made her nibble on them, causing them to appear blood-red at times, contrasting sharply against her pale skin. She examined her angular features, studying them. Unlike the other young women in this realm, her black hair was cut just above her neck instead of leaving it reaching down to the waist. The silver streak of hair, the usual mark of magic, was not right down her scalp as per usual; instead, it was the two long strands of hair framing her face which were colored so.

"Are you done admiring yourself, deika?", D'en asked dryly, his tall figure suddenly appearing behind her.

"Hmpf". She turned her back on him and walked out into the hallways.

She felt, rather than heard, him match strides beside her. 'We must make a strange pair', she thought, and instantly tried to stifle a chuckle. D'en shot her a slightly irritated look.

Despite her anger, she couldn't stay mad at him forever. D'en was her stepbrother, and the closest one to her in her family. The Jal Hyls were a highly respected line of necromancers, and as Kyris was proud to point out, most powerful of the five dynasties of Valhalla. She refused to allow the fact that she was adopted to sway her of her loyalty. In fact, it had strengthened it.

She could not remember her life before living here; all she remembered was that D'en had been there from the very beginning. Her stepparents rarely took any interest in her, as they were constantly monitoring their borders and scheming raids and wars against the neighboring dynasties to gain more land. Her stepsisters and brothers were too busy with other work, such as managing the import of medicine and machinery, as well as perfecting their skill. D'en however, though he was the eldest, was the one to take it to his head to teach her to harness the magic known as necromancy.

He was a full necromancer, and looked the part too. As all necromancers, he was tall, reaching six feet easily. His build was lean, more wiry than muscular. Unlike her, he had golden eyes which seemed to be able to read anyone's mind. It seemed to be a trademark within the Jal Hyl. His facial features were less angular than hers, usually set in an indifferent expression. However, there had been many a time when she had found a hardened gaze on her when he disapproved of something she had done, or more often than not, at something she hadn't done.

"What are you thinking about now?", D'en interrupted her thoughts, long fingers brushing away his fringe of hair irately.

"Nothing, nian", she said innocently.

She saw him frown suspiciously at her, but as she knew he would, he didn't comment on it. Instead, he stepped forward and strode off. Kyris was forced into a light jog to keep up with him; her diminutive four feet ten frame could not match his long steps.

"Today you will be learning in here", he announced as the door of a room swung open.

'This is new', Kyris thought to herself, hoping it was another laboratory lesson. She enjoyed mixing various concoctions together though she produced, more often than not, disastrous results. However, her eager anticipation vanished as she saw it was merely an empty room, devoid of even the basics of furniture.

D'en stepped in after her. Judging from the expression on his face, she knew he was still angry about her conducting her own 'experiments'. And as he spoke next, she knew she was right. "Kyris, how can you be so irresponsible as to attempt summoning demons?".

"I could handle it", she said defensively, her hands clutching at the folds of her cloak.

"You? Handle it?", he snorted derisively, "You, who still require chants and wild gestures to make your spells work? We do not need those. We can cast magic without mutterings or movements". The door slammed shut as though to prove his point while the room was flooded with an eerie green illumination.

Kyris could feel the blush of embarrassment creep over her cheeks. She knew the 'we' he had mentioned referred to the necromancers of Valhalla, and knew she was not one of them.

Unexpectedly, he smiled then. Not his usual dry one, but sincere. "Deika, it would still have failed because", the air suddenly blurred to show the diagram on her floor, "Your circle was not complete. You must remember it must touch all three sides of the triangle. Shi, Tsen, your sigils are too defined. The spirit in your Tsen is not contained within the vessel. The heart of Gaia is missing. And those are only a few of the problems within the Ni'Khez. I can't even begin to start on your incantations".

She scowled at him, but they both knew it was good-natured. "So what're you teaching me today?".

"Just a revision of the realms". An image sprang up between them then. Kyris couldn't help but be amazed at the amount of detail shown. She made a mental note to herself to persuade him, by use of threats if need be, to teach her that one day. A slight clearing of throat caused her to tear her gaze away from the hologram. D'en's lips curved slowly, sensuously; a habit of his when challenging someone. "Let us see if you've really done your research. Tell me everything about the realms, and all that exists within".

Kyris gave him a smirk, telling him by that gesture alone what he could do with his challenge and where exactly he could shove it. "That is The Core. Tze'chean", she pointed to the round, flaming sphere right in the middle, "The source of all magic. It is said that magic comes from the recycling of souls. In death, souls return to Tze'chean. The collection causes a surge of energy which is then channeled through the gates connecting all the realms together".

She looked at D'en who merely gave her a curt nod, "Continue".

"The realm up here", she touched the hovering 'island' above The Core, "Is Eden. Residence of Summoners and spirits".

"Anything else you'd like to add to that?", he asked coolly.

"Summoners are practitioners of white magic. Healing spells are their specialty. They're even rumored to be capable of restoring the soul back to its vessel, provided the deceased hasn't been dead for too long. They're also known for their ability to summon magical creatures. Spirits live to serve the Summoners, just as the demons serve us".

She gave the world another poke, "The Summoners rarely leave their realm. Hell if I know why".

A frown displayed D'en's displeasure at those words, so she hurried on to the next one, the island to the bottom of The Core, "That's our place. Valhalla. Necromancers and demons. Black magic, yadda yadda. I don't have to talk about it, right?".

Before he could answer then, she plunged on, "This one is Gaia, one of the two islands revolving around The Core. Realm of the four elementals; fire, water, earth and air. And thus, their respective practitioners; Pyromancers, Aquamancers, Geomancers and Aeromancers. Other magical races live there as well, like the athros, the pixies, the shape-shifters and the . . . the elves. Or Slyvians".

D'en noticed the pause but said nothing of it. Kyris was glad he didn't. "Last one, the second revolving island, is Terra. That's where humans and the dwarves live. All other magical races died out when the gates collapsed and left them stranded there, without any magic to sustain them. Apparently, that's also the place of the other two elementals; wood and metal", she frowned, trying to recall the facts, "They're the only two elements which have no balance, though there is a legend about a third which does . . . but hardly anyone knows about it. Anyway, there's no more magic channeled there so the elements seem to have died out. Well, magic excepting those through our gate".

D'en's smile appeared briefly, "And remember, Kyris. That information should not be leaked out outside the Necromancers. It is imperative that the other realms do not know about that one remaining gate. Besides", he laughed, but it was filled with scorn, "Terra has no worth to anyone. Best if they are left in their little magic-less world to live on their delusions".

She shrugged; not agreeing with him, not disagreeing either. But she knew one thing. This little fact was only told to those of high-level Necromancy who then would have to swear an oath of silence. If broken, extremely . . . unpleasant and very much painful punishment would be extracted. "D'en", she sighed, changing the topic, "What else are you going to teach me today?".

"Histories of the realms". Several thick books landed on top of the table before her, all of them materializing out of nowhere. With a soft pop, parchment appeared, stacked up neatly in a pile while an inkbottle and quill completed the set.

Kyris let out a soft groan. History was definitely not one of her strong points. She treated the items to a sullen look, as though they were the cause of all her suffering. In a way, they were.

"I expect five essays by evening, one of each realm, and also one on The Core. All essays are to be at least four pages long". At that moment, there was a polite knock on the door. D'en turned to answer it, missing the grin playing on Kyris' lips as she traced a single rune in the air.

After a short conversation, D'en turned around, "I have to leave now, but . . .", he trailed off. There was an empty space where Kyris had been. "Bloody . . .", he swore, running to the single window, poking his head out to try spot her. The fierce algid wind blew his hair back, stinging his eyes. Still, he managed to spot a figure swinging to the opposite turret, laughing jubilantly. Close behind her was another figure, her ever silent, ever-stealthy partner.

He stood there for a moment, golden eyes flashing with anger, when he suddenly threw his head back and laughed. 'Damned elven blood', he thought sardonically, as he left the room.