《Rebirth in a New Magical Age》 Chapter 1: The Awakening The Awakening Mana, the force of change and the breaker of reality. As a master mage, Ellion Forcewright mastered mana and bent the world to match his desires. He rose to the highest ranks of the Mystic Orders and ruled the greatest magical empire the world had ever seen. Then the Wilting began. The great intercontinental transports fell from the sky, no longer able to bear their own weight. The gardens of the mystics, forests of the dryads, and even the lush poison swamps of the lizard men began to die and fade. Dragons disappeared into their lairs and even the great, fiery mountain lords blocked their calderas and left the world behind. The signs were undeniable. Mana, the force of change and breaker of realities, driver of magics, and source of great life was leaving the world. Ellion watched as his lands and people withered. Cold hit and crops failed. As a being of magic himself at this point, he knew his time in the world was ending too. Ellion Forcewright, last of the master mages, sealed his lifeforce into the last of the great mana crystals. He too decided to sleep as the dragons, to awake again when magic, and mana returned. An unfelt breeze began to blow. ¡°I, Ellion have awoken again! This feeling, my sight, why can¡¯t I open my eyes.¡± Ellion reached out but didn¡¯t move. ¡°I can see the chamber as if through mana sight. I cannot move and my mana flow is weak and strange. The ritual must have had an unintended side effect.¡± Ellion inspected himself using flows of mana. The flows were weak, almost placid. His body felt as if it was made of stone. It was made of stone! Precious mana stone! ¡°I see, the ritual succeeded but at the cost of fusing myself with the mana stone entirely. This must be how the great dungeons of old felt the world.¡± Ellion¡¯s body was now made up of a beautiful translucent stone. When gazed upon, it appeared as a perfect sphere, so perfect any other imitators bore their imperfections plainly before it. Looking into the stone, you can see a deep lush green around the edges with pulsing purple and red radiance glowing in the core. As Ellion moved his mana, the pulsing deepened in slow, methodic waves. A hum filled the air. A soothing, gentle hum. One you would swear you did not hear; but feel. Ellion floated about a meter off the floor, a sphere-shaped depression beneath him. No voice came from this sphere as Ellion spoke with himself. He reached out with his mana based sight and observed the room. Cracked floors, some patterns still carved in the smooth, white marble surface spread out 10 meters in all directions from Ellion the floating sphere creating a circular floor before meeting pitch black walls. These walls were no longer smooth and polished but chipped and cracked too. Only dust remained of the ancient stands that held the shattered remains of smaller crystals, the only survivors of the ages that must have passed. ¡°Time to take stock. I live, but don¡¯t know how my lab has weathered the time I was asleep. The mana in the air is thin. I cannot mold or change it, and even if there was enough it seems I will need to relearn how mana flows in this new body of mine.¡± Ellion reached again with his mana. As a master mage, this act would be unconscious. Mages held a pool of mana in their bodies. Not truly an organ but a mental construct, mages reached into the world with their own mana and manipulated mana in the air and used it to create change. This is in the form of spells and rituals. Mana was the very act of change in controllable form. Ellion no longer felt his pool. ¡°This flow is all wrong! I pull but there is nothing to pull from. Yet I feel the mana in the air move. How can this be!¡± Ellion reached again with the mana for a crystal shard. The air stirred and the shard rocked. ¡°That is it! The space around me is my pool. It is as if this external mana is my own pool. I can manipulate it directly! Amazing!¡± Ellion began moving the surrounding mana with his will. Crystal shards rocked. The dust stirred then fell. ¡°Only this room. I cannot feel outside of the ritual chamber walls. What is going on?¡± Ellion moved the mana again and began to push at the walls. He could feel them slowly absorb the mana in the air, but Ellion could not perceive what was beyond. Soon the movement stopped and Ellion¡¯s consciousness began to waver. ¡°Too much. It is as if I have drained myself. I¡­. ¡­ must¡­. stay¡­. awa¡­¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Ellion slowly began wake, the room visible in his mind once more. As the picture began to come into focus, Ellion noticed an addition. Lying next to his floating, spherical form was a beast! A large 4-legged body lay with 2 pitch black wings folded along the side. A serpentine neck wound around the wing further from Ellion. A feline face rested on the base of a 3-meter tail that stretched to an opening in the wall that was not there before Ellion fell asleep. The body nearly glowed in Ellions sight with feeling of power radiating out. The scales shined deep purple, the color of a beautiful amethyst. As Ellion¡¯s sight focused more upon the being, it¡¯s eyes opened. Forest green gems focused upon the floating sphere and a slight grin stretched out on the feline mouth. A rumble from the beast¡¯s throat rolled over the room. ¡°Ah, so you appear to have some form of consciousness. Interesting, normally that would not occur for another century of accumulation.¡± Ellion¡¯s crystal sphere shimmered as his purple, central hues vibrated. His hovering wavered and he fell to only half his previous height from the floor. ¡°Don¡¯t panic young one¡± the beast spoke. ¡°You interest me, and your dwelling is refreshing after so long without the caress of mana. Do not fear, for I am only visiting and shall depart soon.¡± Ellion then spoke out, and found he could not speak. The deep purple waves covered by a thin fog of forest green within his sphere form sped up. The red core pulsed in a rapid shift. ¡°Oh, you try to speak. Already intelligent. And your form is unusual too.¡± The creature lifted it head and inched towards Ellions crystal surface. ¡°A soul is contained within. In that case let me be known. I am Thun¡¯gar, youngest of the Storm Dragon Brood. First to awake and seeker of a new range. Fear not, these lands hold no interest for my kind. We prefer to be near wide fields and deep streams. Send your thoughts my way, I feel as if you were once in a different form.¡± Ellion stopped. Focusing his will, he channeled his will. In his time as magus, he could speak over leagues with his mind when channeled through great spells. Now, without the aid of the great rituals of his past, he spoke with his mind again. ¡°Hello and well met. I was known as Ellion Forcewright. First of the Mystic Orders and ruler of the great empire of Suadus. It is an honor to be graced by a great one such as yourself.¡± ¡°Ellion, I have heard of you. To think you managed to survive the great withering.¡± The rumbles from Thun¡¯gar¡¯s throat became light and free. No longer a shadow, the smile on his feline face was wide. ¡°What of your form? You appear now as one of the ancient dungeons your brethren harvested in an attempt to live, though they appear not to have been as fortunate as you.¡± The purple waves slowed, and the red core dimmed slightly. ¡°Yes, I felt the loss of mana deeply and knew my time would not be long. Your kind were an inspiration to me. I wished to bind my soul in place as the litch but maintain my life through slumber. It would seem I was only half successful in my attempt. I live but my previous corporal form is no more.¡± Rubles bubbled from Thun¡¯gar¡¯s throat. ¡°Hahaha. What a spectacularly successful failure. To have lost one self but become more. Your home is flush in that which you lost. I would say you are truly more now. Even we, the dragons ancient in our lineage and powerful in our might cannot claim to be a true mana source as you have become until are ages reach millennium in number. As one of the ancient line let me be the first to welcome you, a new creation, to the fold. Give yourself a new name and become one with our kinds!¡± Saying this, Thun¡¯gar stood. His height reached only 2 meters and his head lifted above that, but his power began to radiate out giving the room a shimmering glow. The mana in the air stilled even more as if waiting in anticipation. Ellion¡¯s form shook, truly shook in place as one looked upon it. The forest mist withing was practically covered in the purple waves as they violently pressed upon the sides of his form. The red glow, tho small, rattled around and shook too. A mana source! It was inconceivable. All things except the greatest of dragons, the ancient labyrinth dungeons, and most powerful creatures could only tap into the mana already in the world. It was the mana around you that filled your pool, activated spells, and created all the wonders of the magical age. This is why the withering was so devastating. With the loss of mana, how could magic exist. To be declared a mana source. The power, undeniable, the risk¡­. Doom! Glowing, forest gems shined in the dark. Tightness wound about the sphere. The air was still. The mana called. The earth itself began to sweat. Glistening streams of pale golden hue oozed from the wall and flowed towards the shivering sphere. ¡°Eon. I take upon the name Eon. It shall bear the memory of my previous self and show my resolve to last. I have survived the withering, endured an age, and will not fall to the challenges that shall come my way!¡± All around, a great blast rose. Nothing was moved but deep within a cavern, in a great mountain on the coast, mana began to move. Chapter 2: A Novice Again ¡°Eon, grow and thrive¡± Thun¡¯gar spoke in a deep rumble. ¡°The world awakes as the mana tide rises again. As witness to your name, I have a boon to ask.¡± Eon¡¯s sphere stopped shacking, the forest green mist within filled out on the purple wave receded. The red core couldn¡¯t help but shake. ¡°A boon, for a dragon. What could you possibly ask for that I could give?¡± ¡°This is the first ebb and rise of the mana tide I have seen, but my kind knows the dark secret. Mana flows as if a great water. Sometimes at high tide and others at low.¡± The great green orbs pierced into the core of Eon. Still and focused, they narrowed to slits, as if a shaving from a great stone. ¡°The withering was long, even for our elders. They will sleep long to recover from their long. Too long. Dungeons have been our roost, but your empire destroyed most. The greatest have been long lost and now new ones will take their place. I expect this age to be one of plenty, but it will end. Roost us. Grow, thrive, and when the ebb comes; we shall sleep in your depths.¡± The mana in the air began to flow. Sticky threads, as if walking through a fresh spider web stuck to Eon. Even his crystalline form felt their touch. Gazing deeper still, Thun¡¯gar rumbled, ¡°I wish this to be a willing treaty, that it may bind you more. I have witnessed your name and will spread it to our kind. You know of the honor I offer.¡± Eon¡¯s form steadied. As mana left, it was as if water was taken from a forest. Eon saw first-hand as magical creatures withered. All life needed the change mana brings. What good is breath if it was not turned to life. What good is food if not turned to energy. Life with no mana, impossible. For the greatest of creatures even more so. Dragons, mountain lords, behemoths of the sea, their very presence was an embodiment of change. Their elders very presence felt as the great mountains. To be near a fully grown dragon was as if in the middle of the sea, surrounded by power, adrift. The light of the noon sun would bow before a dragon¡¯s roar. As mana was change, these beings were changes avatars. To host such a being. To become their source. Eon¡¯s core steadied. ¡°To the Storm Dragon Brood I will give this shelter. I will be a source for you as your roost. May your power and greatness be known.¡± The sticky filaments of mana hardened and snapped in place, almost seen linking Eon and Thun¡¯gar. They then faded, and a soft velvet caress crossed Eon¡¯s mind and lay against him as a throw lay on a bed. ¡°Good¡± Thun¡¯gar rumbled. ¡°Many have survived the great withering. Humans themselves seem to have continued to thrive. I can say, a great society is nearby, though I don¡¯t expect it to meet you soon. Grow and strengthen so you may meet them and the lords as they awaken.¡± Thun¡¯gar lifted his wings and stretched them long. ¡°It is time for me to continue my flight. Eon, dragon friend. I offer this by your reputation. Your colleagues and peers did not impress us. They harvested and destroyed many mana sources during your time. Only a few did the elders speak as possible dragon friends. You were among them. I am glad I could be the one to pronounce it. Your new form is weak. Strengthen quickly that you might be worthy of the title. Farwell. May we meet again.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. With this Thun¡¯gar turned and strode out the opening in the black wall. His tail fading and soon gone. ¡°Tides rising and falling of mana? Is this not the first time the world was hit by a withering? Civilization? How would such a thing survive!? Not having magic would reduce man to only a shadow. Barley able to create shelter let alone grow food. No matter, first I must master my mana again!¡± The waves of purple within Eon¡¯s form began to pulse again. Reaching, the mana felt as if a bare mist. Floating across the room it spread. Some points seemed to condense into drops upon the surface of the now solid, pale, golden flows. Drops not seen; but felt. ¡°Even right before I slept the mana was never this thin.¡± Eon willed and the misty mana air not seen was moved by a breeze. Any that approached the drops upon the golden flows added to their weight. One flow, about a meter and a half a way, growing from the floor suddenly brightened. A crystalline growth appeared slanted towards Eons form and the drop of mana upon its surface disappeared. Eon¡¯s sight grew fuzzy. A veil placed over his non-existent eyes. The deep forest green cloud within his surface faded slightly revealing plainly the purple waves within. ¡°What is this? Mana manifestation. I can still feel my mana within the crystal, perhaps this could be useful.¡± The hum coming from within deepened every so slightly. The red core drifted towards the sphere¡¯s edge looking upon the new crystal. Breezes of mana moving the mist grew near the shining point. Soon the crystal stretched, a nail, a fingertip. The purple waves seemed to fade but moved even quicker. A full finger length, then dark. The veil on Eon¡¯s sight lifted. The mana mist no longer moved but had filled. Now it was as if an ocean spray on a beach. Eon searched but found no creatures visiting his room. The deep green fog seems to have returned within Eon¡¯s sphere and the purple waves moved brightly again. ¡°I need to watch that. It seems if I thin the mana too much, I lose consciousness. Or perhaps it is something else. This new form. How does mana flow!?¡± The red core shook, then steadied. The crystal, now the length of a hand glowed a soft golden light. In Eon¡¯s sight it shined bright. Points along the cracks in the wall shined out and beckoned. The mana mist that floated seemed pushed by a breeze. ¡°No, this is wrong! What am I, the most pathetic of novices! If my students acted as I have, they would have been on kitchen duty for a month. How did those mana pool exercises go?¡± The red glow in Eon¡¯s core lightly fades as memories wash over him. Novice mages practice their craft by filling the pool inside them, then drain it again. The pool is visualized by the heart. A novice¡¯s breathing must be steady, a flow. The mana from the air is pulled in by the nose, the hands, and the feet. Icy streams flow along the veins and throat. Cold grips the chest and fills. Held in place, the chill warms. A caress, then heat. Bubbles rise and steam bellows out along the once chilled paths. This is the first step in manipulating mana. Red light flashes in the dark. The mana mist stills and purple waves glow. The green fog fades and a light wind blows out with the floating sphere as the center. A slight dim of a purple wave is seen, and the wind stops. Dew, on the surface of Eon¡¯s spherical form appears, still unseen but felt. Where the mana dew formed, a green fog begins to emerge once again. Soon the wind has reversed flowing towards Eon. The dew fades and fog within Eon is full once more, perhaps even deeper now. The red glow steadies, the purple waves still. Then the wind picks up again.