Starfire and Abandoned Hopes: Torvald's Prologue

The events of this story take place prior to those in Starfire and Abandoned Hopes. The Extemos have discovered the location of Earth and are sending a fleet to destroy it.

I trained today, as I had almost every day for the past fifty years, in a remote forest in Canada. Fifty years ago, I encountered an alien force - a single object, apparently sentient. It took the combined power of myself and a significant group of others, along with an experimental Canadian weapon technology.

I recognized the implications. Something wanted us destroyed - or was at least hostile to us. Whether intentional or not, more were bound to return.

Deep stress marks appeared on the ground's surface, and the thin grass and sparse trees moved slightly as I churned the Earth beneath it. Telekinesis. I was broadening my channel to the æther the only way I knew how: using it, like exercising to increase muscle mass.

Somebody was nearby. I ceased my practice and turned in the direction that I sensed something. It seemed... familiar.

I was finally able to place it. Nora, one of Claire's servants.

Nora appeared in the distance, driving a worn vehicle. She pulled up to me and shut it off. "Torvald! It has been some time."

"Indeed it has. I presume you're here on Claire's business?"

A vague worry flashed across her face. "Yes. She would like to see you in person."

"Is she in her residence in England?"

"She is." Nora paused. "You're difficult to track down."

"Those who need to find me can manage it. Sorry about the travel."

"We'd best hurry back. There is more to do."

We travelled to Quebec largely in silence; Nora was not informed of the nature of Claire's request. She only knew Claire was worried about something, and that alone was enough to disturb her. Claire was, after all, a powerful magician.

From there, I took a flight to London and Nora one to the United States - most likely to complete another of Claire's goals.

The flight was uneventful.
__________

Upon arriving at Claire's residence - more accurately, a mansion; it was a grand house - I was ushered into a room in which Claire was speaking with two individuals, a slight-built man and woman. Despite the room's warm appearance, the atmosphere was grave.

"Torvald. I am glad you arrived safely. I trust my request wasn't too much of an inconvenience."

"Of course not. If I may ask, what is your reason for calling me?"

"As I was explaining to Argyle and Sera just now, it's a vague threat. I'm not sure about its nature." She continued delicately, "I believe, though, it is related to the incident you dealt with that time ago. I will go into more detail when I formally address the issue once everybody has arrived."

That she would even ask multiple people was worrying. She was a forceful peacekeeper in the world, if only by her associates. I had not heard of her asking for more than two people at once, yet here were three right now, including myself. "How serious is it?"

"There was an escalation in eastern Europe that could easily have led to open use of nuclear weapons - I only called upon two people for that instance. Now, I am calling upon everybody, the thirteen greatest mages in the world." Her face darkened. "They still are not enough."

Spoiler:

We are now seated around a large table. We certainly are an odd assortment: the world's strongest wizards have come from all ends of the Earth. The variation in dress an mannerisms is surprising.

For convenience, all but two of us are outfitted with translators. Are they polyglots?

Claire is just not arriving to address us. She sits at the head of the table.

"Hello, everybody, and thank you for taking the time to come here. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Claire Adenine, a powerful seer. Most of you have had some contact with me in the past. I am not powerful in my own right, but my abilities allow me to foresee great events - more specifically, those events that affect many individuals or great individuals. You.

"Specifically, something will occur in the near future that will cause the deaths of ten of the people at this table." Curse words floated throughout the room. I was too busy thinking. Up until now, no significant wizard had been killed. Why would all of us die now?

A heavily built man who I recognized as Asparag, a powerful manipulator, spoke up. "Wait. You're trying to say all of us - except one of us - will die." He may be on the same line of thought as me. "That's preposterous. What could be so deadly? I think this may be one of those self-fulfilling prophecies. You get us all here because you see we're going to die, something shows up and kills us."

In defense, Claire began, "On the contrary, I have sensed our deaths - and keep in mind that I mean to say a probability of death - with no regard for whether or not I call you here. There is also more to consider. Shortly before we ourselves are tested, the human colony on Mars will suffer a large number of deaths.

"Even more pressing, however, is the fate of all other life on Earth." The room suddenly became quiet. "Everything alive is at risk. Had I not called you, it was almost certain that everything died. Now, there is a chance for survival."

One of the twins spoke. "So, we have to unite to save the world? That's pretty clichéd."

"It is, but it is also the truth. Now, as for the threat itself, I believe it to be an alien force. The proximity of the coming crucible and the mass death on Mars seems to be to great to be coincidental. Torvald has had previous contact with what was likely an alien force, so the existence of aliens is likely."

A tall man in dark clothes looked up. "What do you expect us to do?"

"Torvald can give you advice for fighting the aliens. However, there are still several days until the crisis occurs. As you may have noticed already, there are eleven people here, in contrast with the stated number of thirteen wizards. I have deemed two of your colleagues too dangerous for my attendants to pursue.

"The first is Valerie. No, most of you have not heard of her. She is in Africa. She acts as an ambassador for France - her power is persuasion, and she was trying to spread peace. She may be a victim of terrorism, held hostage or otherwise detained.

"The other individual is Leucin. He is a very powerful manipulator and psyker. He is located in Germany. I know he has been under persecution from a local organization, but it's not something he couldn't defend himself from. Most likely, the greatest threat my attendants would face would be Leucin himself. He should recognize you, though, as fellow mages.

"Does anybody have any questions so far?"

"Yes," replied an older, severe-looking woman. "Where is Alamir? He is certainly a capable spellweaver."

"Alamir died, regrettably, several months ago. That's actually another objective we need to complete.

Ah. That's what had been bothering me; I hadn't noticed before. "I have a question. You said ten people here would most likely be dead after the, uh, crisis. There are eleven of us. Wouldn't you know who it was that doesn't die?"

Claire seemed to give a faint smile. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you everything. That particular information would cause too much discord."

Cyteil spoke again, "I'm sorry, but there's a lot of information to take in at once. What should my goals be? I understand you're organizing everything, but I don't need all of that."

One of the twins answered, "Right now, we need to focus on getting more aid to help us fight this impending catastrophe. Right?"

Claire responded, "That's right. I've already decided on the groups.

"Now we begin what is likely our final movement. We do what we must to protect our race."

The plans are now in place.

Claire, the woman who asked about Alamir, and one of the twins were going to find what Alamir had left behind.

Argyle (the tall man from before), Sera, Cyteil, and another mage I had not heard of before were going to liberate Valerie in Africa.

I was going, along with the other twin (whose name is Glutl), Asparag, and another seer, to convince Leucin to support us.

I can't help but feel a twinge of regret knowing I'll most likely be dead in a few days. It is, though, for the betterment of humanity.

As a result of this fateful meeting, the paths of the great wizards split into three trunks, each with its own goal under the threat of the Earth's destruction.

Spoiler:

On the way to Germany to locate Leucin, I learned some cursory information about my colleagues.

The twin, Glutl, was much younger than I had realized; he was either a teenager or in his early twenties. Most other wizards were much older. He was able to perform telepathy as well as being able to sense the thoughts of others. Most notably, he and his twin shared an identity. As he put it, "It feels like we're one person. As a result, we have a lot of inside jokes with ourself, but it also allows us to communicate over long distances." His power would allow us both to communicate better with Leucin as well as communicate instantly with Claire's group.

Lyra was a seer, but she did not share Claire's power. She had intense specialization in the ability to see the æther. There were three of her kind, one in each group - a sort of staple support for each purpose. She was perhaps in her thirties, though she looked younger from the influence of æther.

Asparag specialized in the power over others' minds. As he was more offensive in his powers, he (as well as myself) were mostly to ensure nothing bad happened.

In addition to being a powerful manipulator, I had some first-hand knowledge of what we may be fighting. There was only a minimal chance of violence, though - this mission is mostly diplomatic.

After some travel through European countryside, we arrived at Luecin's manor.

"Wow," Glutl said, "Although it's not pretty, you have to admit, it's a nice place. What is it with wizards and mansions?"

The house was very poorly maintained - it actually looked deserted. In the afternoon sun, it seemed surrounded by a red aura. "Well, wizards tend to live longer, so they have more chance to accumulate wealth." I felt a bit of regret when I realized we would all be dead in a few days, and Glutl was so young. "Lyra, is Leucin here?"

Lyra's reply seemed confused. "I've been trying to make sense of what I'm seeing. He doesn't appear to be in the house, but... there's a strong presence. It's over the entire house, and it stops abruptly at the walls and door. I've never seen something like it before."

Asparag responded, "If you kill somebody, their power dissipates. Could he have died?"

"No, if he died, it would be more diffuse. I don't understand..."

Glutl chimed in, "Claire says he's not dead."

"So, Lyra, by what you see, would he at least be here?"

"Well... it's certainly powerful enough. I think he's here; I just can't pinpoint where he is."

I looked at the long mansion. It could take a few hours to search the entire place. "Let's start, then."

The entrance hall was dark, and the entire room seemed to be covered in dust. The sun caught the dust at an angle; it almost seemed to be on fire.

Lyra almost jumped: "There's something here! Not... not a single living thing. It's amorphous, like a cloud. It's like the æther is just moving itself. There's a dense spot..." her finger traced out a path in the air. "It's... like a ghost... this entire house is like this. We need to find Leucin."

"Do you think it's hostile?"

"I don't, but it's very unnerving nonetheless."

Glutl said, his voice quavering, "It is unnerving. It feels like the air is staring at me."

I couldn't share his sentiment. "Just try to endure it. We should start in the bedrooms."

Glutl seemed to have calmed down somewhat. "Hey, look. It's an actual suit of armor. How cool is that?" The suit itself was grey and dusty.

The first three bedrooms were empty: bare beds, bare furniture, all coated in dust. It seemed apparent that Leucin was not here.

The fourth was locked. "Don't worry," I said, "I have a key." A small force at the latch was enough to break it open.

"No," Lyra gasped. "The æther is boiling. It reacted to that just now."

intruders

Glutl cried out and clutched his head. "Argh, it's... invading me..."

defilers

Lyra said, "The æther's massing around Glutl - and around the entire house!"

invaders

The windows, the only source of light, became dark as the shutters covered them. Except for the faint fingers of light through the shutters, the hallway and rooms were dark. The only sound was Glutl on the ground, moaning.

your punishment

Who's speaking to me? "Leucin, is that you? We need your help! Stop this!"

i will never leave

Glutl grew quiet.

nor will you

Glutl stood, and seemed to have a different manner about him. He raised an arm in the direction of Asparag; Glutl's head fell back like a puppet's. Asparag grunted and looked fiercely, almost angrily at Glutl. I couldn't tell what was going on; were they fighting?

the teachings of alamir have made me strong

Lyra's response seemed to indicate that they were, but I could do nothing. Something interrupted the shadows behind them - something running towards us. I stepped around them (Glutl took a step back as if in pain) and saw the suit of armor, its sword lowered in a charge.

strong enough to defend this home and kill you

I attempted to knock the sword from its hands, but it seemed to magnetically hang on. It reached to stab me; I deflected it to the side, and the blade slid along my clothes. How can I kill a suit of armor?! I crushed its legs, but it drew an arm back and punched me in the stomach with its armored gauntlet.

this is your punishment for invading my home

For invading his home? Lyra said the presence was throughout the house.

I looked at the curved, dark red light on the armor. Outside...?

It drew the sword back, but I pulled it off balance towards the window. With a crash, its torso fell through, and its legs pulled vainly at the stone floors before I lifted them up. It shifted and fell outside of the house.

I looked back to see Glutl lying on the ground, motionless. "What happened?"

Asparag looked up. "He just attacked me. Even when I pushed him past normal limits, he just kept pushing me. I didn't think he was so strong... I had to kill him. It doesn't..." He looked at the ground. "What's going on?"

"Well, Lyra said the presence stops at the walls of the house. That suit of armor hasn't moved at all since I threw it out." Indeed, it was just laying in a carpet of leaves. "I think Leucin is doing something remotely... or the house is just haunted."

Lyra said, "Well, what should we do now? If... if Leucin is aware of what he's doing, he obviously won't listen to us. If not, we can't find him or fight whatever it is because it just fights us with objects or... ourselves. We can't fight it directly. Then there's the chance he's not even here..."

"You're right. We should just leave. We can't achieve much by staying here. We can just - "

I was going to say "go out the window," but the window was replaced with black wall. The darkness was too deep.

you will die in this house

There was a faint light at the end of the hallway. "Stay here. I'm going to see what's down there. You can look somewhere else in the house." I stepped over Glutl and walked down the hallway. I saw nothing - the light had gone.

There were no more windows in the hall, nor were there doors. It seemed to stretch on forever.

this box will be your tomb

There was a brick wall in front of me. Behind me... another one?!

Paranoia and fear washed over me. What was going on? The box grew smaller by the moment. Would I be crushed?

"Torvald!" Asparag's voice. The walls lifted away, revealing the hallway, the light dim but still there. "Something was affecting you - I managed to clear it. We need to leave, I think Leucin's trying to kill us."

I was still shaken from earlier, but could see his logic. Glutl was only a few feet away. I had walked a few steps before collapsing in fear. "We should just leave. We'll make no progress here. Where's Lyra?"

Turning around, Asparag said, "Ah, she's - gone?"
__________

Lyra had found the greenhouse - somebody was singing. The siren was floating among the flowers, touching a few bulbs here and there. The room was filled with brilliant light from the midday sun, but it wasn't harsh at all. As the siren turned at the end of the row, she looked up and saw Lyra. Its intense beauty made her feel weak; most of the bulbs she touched also seemed to be withering. The walls became still, and the light grew harsher, thinner. The siren grew long claws. Her stance grew more aggressive, and she stalked towards Lyra. Lyra heard the door shut behind her and felt paralyzed with fear. The siren laid a hand on her cheek. Lyra gasped - a more beautiful pain could not exist. Her very soul was being drawn into it, into its beautiful body - and then it ended.

Lyra was lying on the cold floor, in a metal box, feeling worse than dead. A shadow - no, two of them - walked around her, and picked up a tray of flowers. The flowers were on fire; she hadn't noticed with the siren there. They picked it up, threw it at the wall...

...and the illusion vanished. The glass fell to the floor. "Lyra, come on. Do you need help?" She did. Somebody picked her up. "We're leaving."

i will not allow you to further defile my home

Torvald broke more of the glass away before clearing the window.

now even my abode is unlivable

Asparag, carrying Lyra, pulled himself over the ledge as well.

you have dirtied it beyond toleration

The house caught on fire, instantly, and completely. The heat of the flames caused Torvald and Asparag to cover their faces and scurry away.

They recovered, while the house burned, behind their car. Lyra came to her senses soon enough after discovering she was the victim of an illusion.

"Lyra. Is there any presence left?"

She was shaken but lucid. "No. It's just a ... a burning house."

"We should go, then. I'm going to call Nora and tell her we're returning."

Spoiler:

Claire, Histine, and Asparl arrived at Alamir's residence, in a mild forest. Nora accompanied them, acting as a driver and aid.

This group was not chosen for combat: Histine, who had discerning sight through the æther, immediately confirmed nothing alive was nearby - nothing powerful, at least. "It is curious, though... it feels like he's still here. Vaguely, like he just walked out." Of course, Claire thought, she was the most acquainted with him.

Claire, of course, was the only one who knew what it was that they sought here, if only vaguely - and she herself had little use in combat.

Asparl remarked, "Wizards seem to have a thing for big or remote places." Claire responded, "Our increased lifespans generally give us a larger emphasis on solitude, as well as more opportunities and capabilities for wealth."

Asparl was Glutl's twin, and shared a telepathic bond. Histine was surprised to learn about this: "Is that your only power?"

He smiled a bit in response. "Well, we also sort are the same person. We have a single split consciousness from the constant contact. As a result, we have a lot of inside jokes with ourself. We're also more receptive to thought, which is why we don't need translators. We only miss out on puns."

At Alamir's small home, Claire said, "The reason we came here is that, shortly before his death, Alamir grew greatly in power. If we find the source of it, we can replicate that for all of us."

Asparl asked, out of the blue, "Claire, is Leucin dead?"

After a moment's pause: "No, he's alive. Why?"

"Asparag wanted to know. Leucin's place is really uncomfortable."

"How so?"

"Nevermind, it's just strange. What are we doing here?"

"Well, if we can find Alamir's study, we may find some of his writings. He was a more prolific magician."

Histine said, "The study is most likely this room." She walked down a short hallway and revealed a room with stacks of books, from the floor to the ceiling. They were identical thick books, all with the same red and gold binding.

Histine grabbed a book from the top. "That's extremely strange... it's blank. There's nothing even particularly magical about it."

"Is there anything in here you sense that stands out?"

She looked around the room for a few moments. "There may be something in this drawer," she said, opening a drawer. Another red-and-gold-backed book. "This has a distinct signature."

Asparl started groaning and curled onto the floor. "Asparl? Are you OK? Is something happening to Leucin?"

Claire urgently said, "Let's leave for now. It's the best course. Take the book."

Histine resisted; "What, we're going to leave him here?"

"Something violent is about to happen, so move!"

Histine still moved slowly in confusion, and dread began to fill Claire as the possibilities narrowed from Histine's reluctance to leave: the chances of survival thinned.

With a blur and a crash, Asparl tackled Histine, breaking the sturdy wall behind her. He turned to Claire as Nora, outside, rushed to investigate the sound. Claire noticed his arms seemed to be deformed, almost clawlike. He lunged at Claire.

Asparl's attacks were quick and heavy, but Claire had precognition. She ducked, apparently skilfully, under or around each blow, and several sharp cracks rang out and Nora opened fire with her pistol.

Asparl began running towards Nora when he collapsed and slid along the floor.

There was a moment of silence before Claire realized he had died. Then: "Nora, get the first aid kit out of the car."

Claire tried to sort out what had happened. Both Asparl and Glutl had died, very unfortunately. That severely limited the potential of the wizards as a whole. She still had no idea why they died, though...

...and, even worse, Leucin died shortly after! At least everybody in Africa was still alive. There was no longer a chance to avert massive deaths. The death toll would be great - but not everyone would die.

It would be so much easier if we knew what was happening!

"Just rest, Histine. We're on our way to the airport now. This is exactly the book we're looking for."
__________

In Africa, a savannah area, the mages had located the compound where Valerie was being held. "No doubt about it," Sera said. "She's in there. She's actually on the right side, halfway in, so we don't have to fight through too much."

Claire had deemed Valerie's rescue beyond diplomacy. The four of them were to go in, take Valerie, and get out.

Argyle looked at the layout. The compound was mostly an open layout - a number of concrete buildings with paths between them covered by shade. Trees. Perfect. A fence attempted to add security. "So, tell me how this sounds. I'll clear a way for you until they notice something, then you two can just hit them," he said, motioning towards Cyteil and Alan. Cyteil started laughing. "That sounds find to me."

Argyle walked over to a nearby tree, mumbled, "and without further ado," and vanished.

He reappeared inside the building, next to one of the windows, the nearest place he could see from outside. His knife was drawn, and he surprised the four guards or so in the room. Before any of them could lift a weapon, he had shadow-stepped throughout the room, swiftly eliminating each of them.

No alarm raised. The other three would likely be on their way.

Looking through a small window in the door, he saw soldiers patrolling the outside balconies and walkways. According to Sera, Valerie was located either in the next building or the one after that. Rather than deal with the guards, he shadow stepped to the inside of the other building. There were a handful of soldiers here as well: one behind him and two in front.

He eliminated them all (his dancing blade its own form of art) and began to look for Valerie when he heard a slamming noise.

The door had opened. More specifically, one of the guards dead bodies fell over and knocked it open. One of the soldiers outside noticed and waved some others over as he himself began to run to the door.

Well, thought Argyle, they don't know where I am, so I still have the element of-

Electricity blasted past the window, paralyzing and likely killing everybody nearby. Cyteil. How brutally inefficient. The noise would most likely draw others, so...

Argyle drew his pistol and, in the space of ten seconds, shadow-stepped throughout the building, killing the soldiers he saw, who were in varying stages of alertness. Valerie was not in the building.

Cyteil entered the door jovially. "Good show! Anybody left in here?"

Argyle said, almost angrily, "Stay here and just defend yourselves. I'm going to get Valerie; she's in the next building. Right, Sera?"

Sera nodded. Alan was looking almost bored. The entire mission was really too trivial.

Argyle pointed at Cyteil again. "You'll probably blow up the whole damn building if I let you help." Cyteil just smiled, looking out the window. "There's more on their way."

Argyle turned and stepped into the next building. He was in his element here. There were prisoners in locked doors, and this building reasonable had the most guards. To them, the next thirty seconds were the most painful and confusing they had probably experienced. Some even managed to get shots off, but in the time they took to pull the trigger, he had already shifted so that his knife was at their throat.

Too easy. Now, where's Valerie? Going down the rows, he saw a number of dishevelled hostages. Not here for you, not for you... There was somebody in a straitjacket and a motorcycle helmet. He shadow-stepped into the room. "You Valerie?" The hostage shook its head. Argyle took its helmet off: it was. "Let's go then."

"Wait! Help the others."

It wasn't a request Argyle would normally consider at all, let alone agree to. "Alright."

Cyteil broke chunks of the wall away and flung them at the oncoming stream of soldiers. Alan deflected the bullets they fired harmlessly into the ground; Sera, the seer, took cover behind one of the few remaining concrete walls.

When Valerie stepped out of the prison, the entire atmosphere seemed to cool; the soldiers lowered their weapons and Cyteil dropped the concrete. Merely by her presence, she was able to give them basic commands.

She called out to a nearby soldier, his weapons held calmy at his side. "Where are your vehicles?" He pointed nonchalantly in the direction of the depot.

Valerie looked at Argyle and the five hostages behind him. "This is going to be the calmest escape you've ever performed."
__________

We have now all arrived at Claire's residence. We each gave a brief summary of what had transpired.

Asparag narrated our ordeal. "According to our experience, Leucin's mansion seemed to be haunted, in a sense, by his ghost, or at least by an incorporeal version of himself. He seemed to be immediately hostile to anything damaging the house and tried to kill us, mostly by perception tricks. I was able to keep him at bay from attacking Torvald or Lyra long enough for us to escape, after which the house was set on fire.

"Regrettably, we were unable to save Glutl or Leucin."

"Yes," Claire said. "Asparl also died as a result of their bond. However," and she pulled out the book, "We now have the key to saving Earth from destruction." Sera seemed to straighten and look at the book in curiosity.

"How," Alan asked, "Will this book help us? We don't even know what we're defending against - not exactly."

"With my abilities, I see the result of choices, but not the reasons. This book was the only one in Alamir's possession that increased our chances of success - which would allow the world to survive its coming ordeal. That is how I make my decisions.

"But look. This is no ordinary book." She opened the book to a random page. "It is a truly magical tome."

It was indeed. The physical content of the page itself was unremarkable, but its contents seemed to impress themselves against one's mind. It was a near-perfect communication of ideas.

The others seemed equally impressed.

Claire continued, "But now time is running short. A catastrophe has occurred at Mars, as I have predicted - my contacts in the Legion heavily endorse my ideas of aliens, despite their earlier attitudes. So - there is an alien fleet between here and Mars. We have only a few hours to prepare. I will need to speak to each of you in turn. Unfortunately, this technique which will save the Earth is fatal to those who practice it - it causes the individual to become filled with one purpose. However, I think we will agree it is a necessary sacrifice."

First Claire spoke to Histine (who was injured) in the other room, the Argyle, then Sera, Cyteil, Alan, then Asparag. Each left appearing profoundly changed. I was next.

Claire had the book open. "This seems to be the correct page. Please read."

I learned more about the æther in those few seconds than I had in the past decades. Most disturbing was the implication of becoming one with the æther rather than simply drawing it out.

Then it clicked.

Leucin said he followed the teachings of Alamir. The teaching of Alamir cause one to waste away...

Leucin was an abomination. Can I follow in his footsteps?

"Torvald. You are the one of us who does not die. For one reason or another - though the fact that I am telling you this is a large reason - you will survive, stunted, long into the future. I cannot see that far.

"What you should know is that, when we undergo this plan, all those particularly sensitive to the æther will die. That it how powerful our combined strength will be. If you wish to survive, as I know you do, you must cut yourself off from the æther."

I was shocked. I sat in silence. Claire continued, "However, you can train again. You know what it feels like; it will not take nearly as long."

Perhaps as some justification for my decision, I said, "and, if it is necessary, I can defend Earth in the future." Claire nodded in response.

"Now, leave. Tell Lyra to come in next."

She then spoke with Lyra and Valerie. Then, together once more, she said, "The attack will occur within half an hour. I think we should begin."

What could I do in this situation? I turned and walked out.

I died that day, and became a mere man again. However... in my cowardice there was a glimmer of hope that, with enough luck, my retreat could be put to use in the future.

Spoiler:

Everybody was gathered again, save Torvald. I looked around the room, and took stock of the individuals before me.

Histine, an ancient woman, with many ties with Alamir and Leucin in the past. She was the most scholarly of those here.

Argyle, an efficient killer - a doer. We had accomplished much in the previous decades. It was a shame he would be ending.

Sera, a younger woman with whom I've had little experience. The little interaction I have had shows her to be loyal and good-spirited.

Cyteil, a violent brute of a man, but one who could be manipulated to be useful. As his participation now demonstrates, though, he does have a sense of morals.

Asparag, another old wizard with whom I have a long history. He is incredibly ambitious, and it shows.

Alan - I actually know little about him. He is an apprentice of Asparag, however, and must be skilled to keep up with him.

Lyra is naive and young, but her spirit is good and she is willing and able.

Valerie is the most subtle of them - but even she is too forward. She tried too hard to force peace on a war-torn country, and the citizens' suspicions caused them to capture her. She best serves as an assistant.

Then those we have lost - Leucin, Glutl, and Asparl. Perhaps the most tragic aspect of the twins' deaths is that they accomplished nothing.

Then there was Torvald.

I stand, and what little chatter there was among the eight others ceased. "I would like to thank all of you here for your dedication and aid. It has been a pleasure working with all of you.

"Whatever the catastrophe is, it is occurring in the space of 10 minutes. We should start now."

The others wordlessly stood and arranged themselves around the table, beginning their specific meditations.

All of our threads - our fates - ended soon. To one of hundreds of years, it was a space shorter than a breath.

I should begin as well.
__________

As the nine archmages' aptitudes grew, the borders between their consciousness and the æther blurred, and eventually between their consciousness. Their consciousness merged in an explosive event that sent shock waves throughout the æther.

Most of the population was unaffected by the cataclysmic joining of forces. Those with a weak connection to the æther were cut from it, and those with a strong connection suffered insanity or death.

Torvald, miles away from the house, suffered little - he had prepared beforehand.

This new consciousness turned its eyes to the fleet of alien ships heading towards the Earth.
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There's something above the Pacific - it's approaching Earth.

Is that it? We can destroy them - burn it all, wink their ships out of existence.

If we don't wait for them to act, we may lose an opportunity.

Even now, they're not approaching the planet. They turned away.

No - they dropped something. Fired it. It is difficult to see.

It is probably an explosive.

One that can destroy entire planets? Unlikely.

Like hell I'll let that happen! I'll destroy it!

It's heavily shielded. We can't affect it. Its power is immense!

If that's the case, we need to limit its effects.

How? I can't even tell what it is exactly that it's doing!

Large fissures are appearing over the entire world! The planet is being forced apart!

We need to contain it! The time is too short.

Look for yourself. The shields we construct fail, without exception and within seconds. We need to settle for partial shielding.

The only option we can consider with the time given, considering that the bomb is still destructive, is to reverse its most harmful effects. We need to literally keep the Earth together.
Seconded.
Thirded.
I see no other option.
The energy spent will be immense. I like it.
It certainly is a tremendous way to end.
It is fitting. I support it.
How will this work in the long term?
If Leucin's fate is any indication, the effects will last long after our minds. Then ... we leave the world to the new generation.

Let us begin.
__________

Working as a single unit, the entity, a combination of the greatest spellweavers so powerful that its formation caused the death of those close to the æther, crafted the shadow of a net that bound the fragments of Earth together. As their exertions grew, their individuality was drained by the æther and fused into one mammoth force.
__________

Is this death?
__________

Long after the newly created continents crashed together again, the being existed only as a will to maintain the Earth's balance as a physically united world. Their spell consumed them but lasted just long enough for the next generation of Earth's saviors to grasp the torch and protect humanity.

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