The Obsidian Saga -

Zelyadrin Chronicles

Empire of the Wasteland

Part IV: Just a Memory - Prologue

   Shadows once concealed by the brilliant light of life begin to loom large as one's time begins to wane. Life, once filled with promise and hope, is forced to struggle with the harsh realization that it, like so many other things, must come to an eventual end. This truth, as simplistic and basic as light and dark itself, is difficult to accept for one of the greatest of nature's creations, Humanity.

   Although this simple truth may be known by Humanity, it is not until the shadows have consumed most of the light that one comes to understand it. During this time, one often finds oneself reflecting on the past, people and places, long lost to the shadows, emerging one final time, ever so briefly, memories offering up comfort and regret. Before long, one comes to realize that he or she too will one day be just that, a memory.

   The realization that one will one day be nothing more than just a memory terrifies the Human soul. Despair encompasses some, trapping them in the comfort of the past until the looming shadows finally take them. Others, spurned on by the realization struggle, fighting tooth and nail in an attempt to fight off the looming shadows, to stave back the inevitable, to become more than a just a memory.

   Shadows, once small and distant on the Turgaian horizon now loom large for those people who dare stand in the way of the Zelyadrin Imperium. Aided by a new and mysterious ally, Imperium forces have begun to push back the forces of Pelis, bringing the front lines within sight of the capital city. The Imperium has also made significant gains at their Northern contiguous boarder, pushing the forces of the Holy Cyrin Church back to the city of Fala, turning it into a constant urban battle ground. Still, there are those that are railing against the shadows, fighting to beat back the twilight.

   Demous, their forces battered and on the verge of defeat a few short months earlier are once again striking deep within occupied territory thanks to the recovery of Stratagus Eris Grissom and a mysterious leader to arise since Queen Polluck took ill. This young woman claims to be the same Queen Polluck, once at Death's door, revitalized by the island of Pharadon. The forces of Zelyadrin claim this young woman to be a pretender, a puppet set up by Stratagus Grissom to boost the morale of the rebels by making their leader appear divine. Others claim that she is in fact a blood relative of the Queen, possibly a bastard great granddaughter. Still, many others continue to believe that she is Queen Polluck herself, that she railed against the growing darkness and won.

   High Priestess Alita XVI and her Revivers called a truce with Lord Protector Nassim Akbar IV's Traditionalists in order to fight what they referred to as a much larger threat. Neither side in this religious civil war specified what this larger threat was, but the announcement coincided with a large number of trials and executions on both sides. This lack of clarification has led to a tenuous peace between both sides punctuated by infighting and scrimmages between the newly reunited factions.

   Perhaps the growing shadows are nowhere more obvious than with the survivors of the Imperium slaughter on Aesir Academy. Of the three hundred and forty-six students, faculty, and town's people that had remained to fight the hopeless battle, only ninety-three survived, and of that number, thirty five of them received serious, life altering injuries. The Academy, for many of the students the only home they had left, was utterly annihilated, much of it seemingly scooped up by the hand of God in the blinding light that ended the battle.

   Even after they evacuated to the abandoned Fort Nizech with those who were forced to leave before the battle, the survivors of Aesir had little more than memories left. Some daring souls decided to band together and return to their occupied homes, to try and take them back, or to hunt down any Imperium forces they could find and exact revenge. Others vowed to stay behind, to rebuild the Academy and what was lost. And still others simply waited, cloaked in the growing shadows, waiting for the end to come, desiring nothing more than to be reunited with those they lost.

Part - 3, Chapter 60 Chapter 1

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