Page 90 of A Rising Hope

The sand was warm, its tiny white crystals were soft under my bare feet. A perfect gentle breeze caressed my skin, and the flawless kiss of the warm but not overly hot weather immediately calming and relaxing me. Each worry, each question settled by the serenity of this place. A perfect paradise.

“There is so much to tell, so much to say!” Ocsanna started. “Where shall we start?”

“What is that you’d like to know?” Railin asked me.

“Everything?” I said, unsure of where to begin.

“In order to understand the future, you must understand the past,” Petra said. “We like to call ourselves a coven,” the High Lady of Seers explained. “Generations prior to your existence, a powerful Seer called for a counsel, creating a secret pact between powerful women from each magic order. Each woman swore an oath of protection to the magic line, united in maintaining balance in the True Order.”

“Think of it as a backup plan should the True Order fall,” Railin added to Petra’s explanation.

“And fall it did,” Ocsanna sadly remarked.

“United together, the coven’s magic was unparalleled. The raw strength of Destroyers’ fire, the fullness of the Creators, the unyielding Healers’ power, and full the clarity of Seers. We counseled together and worked together to help our people prosper,” Petra continued.

“At least, that’s what we tried to do.” Ocsanna gave a strenuous smile.

“Our rule wasn’t perfect, but we always looked for ways to better the world for everyone,” Railin added.

“We had our challenges keeping the balance and letting magic freely flourish through out the land. Few believed in harmony or in continuous peace.”

“Insanaria’s conviction and dedication resonated with many against the continued, and at times, questionable rule of the Destroyers.”

“But where we strove for balance, she craved ruin, luring many with the promise of power.”

They continued their story, and I quietly listened as we sauntered down the long stretch of sand.

“As she rose to power, she staked her claim on the coven, demanding we yield all the power and authority to her, claiming she’d bring the peace we so desperately craved.” Railin’s melodic words poured out with a hint of sadness.

“I was aware of her past, aware of the dark and broken soul she carried,” Petra stated. “One that demanded justice, and yet required grace. A gift we could not give.”

“She staged a coup, lost and was exiled from our midst,” Railin recounted the story. “Her practice of necromancy and dark magic only grew stronger, her dedication and attempts at power never ceased.”

“And we knew one day she would succeed,” Petra said. “You see, I had two visions.” She waved with her hand and the heavens turned dim as flashes of visions stretched across the sky, in the same fashion as all of my visions. Clear and yet only small snippets. “One of terrible things, never-ending bloodshed and of death.” Rendering screams and gore filled the peaceful paradise like an angry storm. “And one of peace and prosperity.” In a breath, the sky filled with jubilant expressions and cheering crowds. Her curious eyes met mine. “Two visions. One of vengeance and one of mercy.”

“When the Great Fall happened.” Diamara paused. There was no pain nor hurt in her voice, more so a simple memoryof the past. “And the Destroyer war swallowed Esnox, we knew we had to do something to fix it, to put an end to it. Insanaria, taking advantage of the Destroyers’ fall, rose to power, at first convincing the Magic Wielders to seek her protection, and then killing them all to steal their magic.”

“None of us were prepared for her to slaughter so many overnight. To betray her kind that way required a soul darker than the darkest of blacks.”

“But she killed them all, taking whatever magic that she could submit to her will.”

“In a span of weeks, the world as we knew it crumbled. Magic Wielders were hunted and killed; the True Order destroyed, Destroyers no longer united.” Diamara sorrowfully looked at me. “We had a choice to make. One we did not take lightly.”

We stopped in our stroll for a moment, watching the two bright suns above us shift, switching places, causing the waves to roll backwards from the shore.

“We could summon our forces. Rally the little armies we had and fight a war that would stretch over the generations to come and destroy our people even more.”

“Or”—Petra looked me in the eyes—“there was another way to end it all.”

Railin took a long breath. “Insanaria wanted to become a god. We knew that much. On the surface, that seemed to be the pinnacle of her quest. Become powerful, all-knowing, demand absolute control.”

“But her pursuit was just a creation of our broken world.” Ocsanna watched the inversed waves, her voice a timeless song. “A cruel monster formed by a cruel domain.”

“Yes, we could summon the armies. But even if we defeated Insanaria, there would always be more lost souls eager to follow in her footsteps. There would be no end, no unity. The crack in the foundation was already destroying the house we had built.”

“What Insanaria did was wicked and wrong, and she had to pay for her transgressions.” Petra’s tone was somber. “But so did we.” Her piercing gaze landed on me. “Insanaria wasn’t far off from her pursuit of the divine powers. Powers that could make everything right. Powers we needed just as much. So we all agreed that the sacrifice must be made to give our people the best chance at salvation. A godhood must be created to bring balance. So, we succumbed to hiding, secretly looking for a person that would fit such a role. Years went by and we were left fruitless. All our efforts were in vain. For the sacrifice to work, we had to find a soul in perfect balance. Full of joy and sorrow. Imperfect and yet pure. Wounded and yet all enduring.”

“At that point, Insanaria discovered our plan. Fearing that we could create a god that might defeat her, she sent her armies hunting after us.”

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