Mydia's End
Page 1
The Book Wielder Saga – Book 3
Mydia’s End
The Sequel to Gloom Rising and Reality Falling
By Sean Davies
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Book Wielder Saga
Foreword
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Epilogue
Coming Soon
The Book Wielder Saga
(In Chronological Order:)
Dreamleaf Blues
Gloom Rising
Reality Falling
Mydia’s End
Also by this Author:
The House of Twelve
Coming Soon:
Terra in Bloom
Beyond Shattered Terra
Foreword
Hi all,
Firstly, I'd like to say a big thank you to all my friends, fans, and family for your continued support, advice, reviews, and emails - without you I probably wouldn't have made it to the end of this series! Once it seemed like I'd never even finish writing Gloom Rising, but now here we are at the fourth and final instalment of the Book Wielder Saga and I hope you enjoy it!
Secondly, if you’re new to the series then I'm afraid Mydia's End won't make much sense without at least reading ‘Gloom Rising’ and its sequel ‘Reality Falling’ first. ‘Dreamleaf Blues’ would be a bonus, as it follows the characters Genevieve Jameson and Chloe O'Kelly, and gives an inside view of the Supernatural gangs years before Winston Reynolds arrived on the scene, but I've tried to recap as much as possible so it's not essential.
Lastly, I may look at writing a sci-fi/fantasy spiritual prequel to the Saga set long before Mydia - but in Earth's near future, so watch this space! However, next on my agenda is finishing ‘Terra in Bloom', a story I was working on shortly after completing ‘The House of Twelve' years ago but left idle during a manic move, new job, and the new arrival of my second son Lucas. I'll leave a sample at the end of Mydia's End if you want to check out what's coming next.
Anyway, I hope I've done the series justice in this last book (I've tried to include as many as the old favourites as possible, and also the cameos people requested), and that you have a great time reading Mydia's End! :)
Sean Davies
Prologue
“A
fter the discovery of magic, which added to their already blossoming array of psychic abilities, the Ascendants-to-be quickly expanded beyond their overpopulated world and into the stars. The path was not easy for them, as they continued their habit of clashing and warring wherever possible into the void of space and onto their new worlds, but after the rise of the Regulators the species finally abandoned their primitive infighting. Unification was embraced by all and engrained on them forever more. Just as they had outgrown their home world, the advanced species soon surpassed their flesh, and they took on new forms that were able to encompass their ever-growing power. They re-created themselves as the Ascendants, and they sailed the cosmos in all directions to drink in the wonder and glory of the limitless universe around them.
“Eventually, after countless eons of exploration, three Ascendants came across a lone star barren of a solar system. Tired of their endless journey, they psychically bounced a radical idea between their crystalline superstructures. After skimming the pathways of Fate to make sure their idea would not upset the balance of the universe and radically disrupt the dimension’s current chain of events, the Ascendants decided to create life.’
“The Ascendant of Darkness and the Ascendant of Light poured their overwhelming power into the Ascendant of Neutrality and Regulation, sacrificing their sentience and most of their lifeforce to empower their comrade. The Ascendant of Neutrality blossomed outwards as it unravelled its magics and psychic reality-manipulating abilities, and earth, molten lava, and magically-powered machinery and pathways sprouted forth until the Ascendant was encompassed by the planet of Mydia. Sacrificing more of itself but keeping enough intelligence to act as the planet’s guardian, the newly self-titled Creator made the atmosphere and oceans, the continents, and then the enchanting creatures and plant life that would dwell upon them. The planet Mydia was based loosely on the Ascendants home world from long ago, and as such, the Creator decided to recreate their ancestral species, in the exact image of their original fleshy human forms, to live in the magical world. From within its mechanical mantle, The Creator blanketed his drained crystalline companions in miles and miles of spherical rock, so that they would appear as a pair of twin moons orbiting the new planet. The Creator also rekindled their remaining power and purpose, so they could stare down at their creation in wonder and protect it from the perils of the cosmos if needed. Then, remembering its ancestors’ chaotic and war-filled beginnings, the Creator decided to intervene one last time. Summoning up the remnants of its surplus power, the Creator made one last species on the surface of Mydia to promote progress over primitiveness. At the Creator’s whim, the Archmages materialised on Mydia’s surface, magically imbued superhumans that were to live amongst the regular humans, and kick start their journey into civilisation and greatness. Shortly after, book wielding Regulators appeared within the population as a result of Fate’s intervention to preserve the balance of magic, a force that could threaten the fabric of reality if abused or used too liberally.
“The Creator tuned himself into the very pulse of the lifeblood coursing through Mydia’s mechanical circulatory system, and to the harmonious balance of the magical forces on the surface. Content with his masterpiece of a world, the Creator slumbered peacefully in his mechanical shell, allowing his subconscious systems to regulate the planet’s magic and mechanisms…”
“Time for school kids!” Brooke Sienna, the Werewolf Shaman sniper, shouted from the kitchen. “Your lunches are on the dining table!”
Alexander gently shut the blue and white tome, swept his white curtained hair out of the way of his purple Mage eyes, and smiled at his six adopted children. “We’ll carry on reading tonight, but we could always move onto an actual children’s book for a change.”
“Nah Alex, they’re so boring!” Jackie, a blonde haired ten-year-old and the eldest of the orphans groaned. “Your books from work are so much cooler!”
The other five children nodded eagerly at their appointed representative’s statement.
“Is it true, Uncle Alex?” Benjamin, a bright eyed, blonde seven-year-old asked eagerly.
“Well, the Archmage that wrote this book believed so…” Alexander began.
“Kids, you’re going to be late for school!” Brooke called from the kitchen. “And you’re going to be late for work, mister!” she shouted disapprovingly at her procrastinating husband.
Even though their apartment only occupied a single storey, it was easily big enough to contain several normal house’s worth of living space, and Brooke often had to shout her orders from one room to the next. On occasion she would even resort to using her mobile phone to call the home landline to coordinate the six children and her academically obsessed husband.
“It’s not like Winston minds,” Alexander said defensively as he ran a hand through his smart white hair. “I don’t even have a real start time.”
“It sets a bad example for the children,” Brooke said as she entered the room and handed out lunches contained within brown paper bags.
The Werewolf Shaman, Brooke Sienna, was dressed in a thick grey vest top and black combat trousers. Her
yellow eyes were fierce, contrasting wickedly with her black skin, and reflected her well-coordinated thoughts and determination to get her family to their designated places in time. Like always, her head was shaved silky smooth, as Brooke found that the easiest way to deal with the rapid hair-growth that came with being a Werewolf was a pair of clippers and a razor.
Alexander still carried the look of a scholar well, with smart attire, a long grey overcoat, and small round spectacles over his inquisitive purple Mage eyes. His skin was pale from too many hours indoors, and he had grown his white hair slightly into a smart curtained style.
The orphans grabbed a lunch bag each and gave Brooke and Alexander a quick hug before leaving the massive first floor apartment via its adjoining exterior staircase.
Central Isle, located in the middle of Mydia’s three curved continents, had once again begun to live up to its old nickname as the ‘Orphan Isle’ by taking in children who had lost their parents during the chaotic War for Reality. Brooke and Alexander, formally of the Shadow Circle organised crime gang, had chosen to live a quieter life in the restored magically-imbued planet, if only for a century or two. Many people on Central Isle had lent a hand however they could during the reconciliation efforts following the restoration of the planet Mydia, and many continued to do so, including Alex and Brooke who had decided to take on as many orphans as they could. As such, Primary Regulator Winston Reynolds, their fellow former gang member who was now head of the Book Wielder Conclave and ruler of Central Isle, had assigned them a massive apartment to hold their bustling new family. It was something he continued to do for everyone suitable who wanted to take in the victims of the war and dimensional merger.
“Don’t you think it’s fascinating though?” Alexander asked as he cheekily reopened the book.
Brooke dangled his lunch in front of his face. “What I think is fascinating is the fact you can see anything out of those broken old spectacles…”
“I know they shouldn’t, but they really help,” Alexander said, grabbing his proper pair of glasses from the bookshelf, where he also reluctantly put the Archmage book away next to several others. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand Gloom magic.”
The Gloom spectacles had been a gift from the Mayor, Winston’s overstuffed puppet friend, and helped Alexander to interpret the strange Archmage language of runes and interlinked calligraphy. Each character of the magical script could hold several lines worth of information in relation to Mydia’s standard language. Alex had no clue as to how the cracked glass helped him to decipher the ancient text, but he assumed they transferred information directly into the wearer’s mind, much like the seemingly illegible writing in a Book Wielder’s mystical tome would ‘speak’ its secrets to its owner.
“You’re getting quite the collection now,” Brooke said, appraising Alex’s collection of enchanted books with a coy smile on her strong face. “I think Quoronastra has a crush on you.”
Alexander shrugged as casually as he could and put on a thuggish tone. “Well, what can I say? Everyone wants a bit of Alex the Artillery. Werewolves and Dragons, beware…”
Brooke punched her husband on the arm playfully. “You sound like a member of the Golden Fangs gang.”
“I have more than one brain cell, thank you very much,” Alex said, dropping the fake accent. “And besides, Genevieve wiped them all out,” he added with a chuckle.
“Not all of them,” Brooke said like a damsel in distress. “Maybe you’re one of the brutes the Trinity and Shadow Circle spared…”
Alexander smirked and resettled his normal spectacles. “Okay, that’s enough, now it’s you who’s going to be late for work.” He didn’t like the association to such a stupid organisation, even if it was in jest. “Besides, there’s so many details there that don’t add up. One; I was a member of the Shadow Circle long before the Golden Fangs existed. Two; the night Seth Goldfang died, me a Dean were at the Open Vein-”
“It was a joke, Alex,” Brooke interrupted with a sigh.
“I know, I’m just saying,” Alexander began, switching into academic mode.
Brooke grabbed him by the shoulders of his grey overcoat and planted a long passionate kiss on his lips. Alexander immediately relaxed and held his wife close, running a hand across the side of her black shaved scalp as the moment increased in intensity.
Brooke bit his lip playfully. “Work, mister.”
Alexander groaned and calmed himself down.
“Don’t pretend like you don’t like it,” Brooke chuckled. “Discerning and documenting Archmage artefacts, and aiding Winston in-between? It’s like your dream job.”
“No, my dream job would involve you, a bed, and most of the day,” Alexander smirked slyly.
“So you want to be my personal prostitute?” Brooke giggled. “So you weren’t a Golden Fang, but you did work in their brothel…”
“Actually, they didn’t allow men to work in there initially, it was only after we’d-” Alex began.
Brooke cut him off with a short kiss. “Have a good day, honey.”
“You too, sweetie,” Alexander said, finally leaving for the Conclave Amphitheatre complex. “Good luck at the range with the Conclave and Justiciar recruits.”
“Thanks, hubby. See you at lunch,” Brooke said smiling.
As Alexander left, Brooke was sure that she felt the floor tremor beneath her feet. She waited for a brief moment and then continued to get ready for work, putting the tiny quake down to her imagination.
Chapter 1
The New Recruit
Constance Lee finished arranging her long black hair that sported salon-quality chestnut highlights, styled so that the top half was straightened while the bottom half was arranged in loose wavy curls that reached just past her shoulder blades. It was a style that she always felt suited her gorgeous round face the best, and she was definitely aiming to impress. She applied a thick band of eyeliner around her new strangely coloured eyes, which had turned from deep brown to a pearly mix of white and pink, further enhancing their alluring shape. Constance dabbed a small amount of concealer on her light olive skin, put on some pink lipstick, and gave herself one last look in the mirror.
She had chosen to wear a smart yet flattering black dress for her first day. Constance didn’t have long legs (she was rather short, actually) or much of a bust, but she was extremely proud of her shapely rear, and her dress showed it well without coming across as gaudy. Suddenly she paused in reflection and wondered why she was focusing so much on her looks. It felt as though she was getting ready for someone in particular, someone she wanted to wow with her good looks, but she couldn’t figure out who. Constance looked down at her book resting beside the bathroom’s marble sink, and attributed it to the strange intuition she had gained after discovering that she was a Book Wielder.
Constance, or Connie as she was often referred to, had found—or rather, been pointed towards—her book during the merger of Tropica City and its dismal reflection within the Gloom. Since then, she had abandoned her college history studies (most of the history she’d learnt had either been wrong or a clever cover up to conceal the existence of Vampires, Werewolves and Mages), and developed a sixth sense of sorts which gave her nudges in what she hoped was the right direction. It was a subtle sensation, but one she found hard to ignore.
Connie had been seventeen when she’d become a Book Wielder, and as such her parents had requested that she wait until reaching adulthood before departing for Central Isle to begin her proper training under the tutelage of her peers within the Book Wielder Conclave. In that time, she had spent many nights combing through her mystical tome, unlocking its magical and alchemical knowledge, and many more nights practising her blossoming array of arcane powers. Seven months after the planetary merger, Constance had become proficient in negation skills, allowing her to dampen or temporarily remove magic from an individual or area, and her irises had turned white—something that she knew only happened to only the most powerful Book Wielders. H
owever, Connie was not expecting her eyes to have the faint pink tint that had appeared, and hoped that Winston Reynolds, the leader of the Conclave and regarded by many to be the unofficial Emperor of Mydia, would shed some light on their unique appearance. She was also looking forward to showcasing her advanced skills in front of the most powerful Book Wielder on the planet.
As it had drawn closer to her eighteenth birthday the arrangements were made and the ferry tickets were booked, courtesy of the Conclave. Her family had thrown her a massive party celebrating both her birthday and her new position on Central Isle, and it had been a good opportunity for Connie to say her goodbyes. Her intuition had prickled wildly that night, and every fond farewell seemed extremely significant—not ominously, as though she was saying goodbye for the very last time, but like things would be wildly different the next time she saw them.
Her parents had already left for work in the morning and said their fond farewells before Connie had started getting ready. She’d hugged each of them fiercely and promised to visit as soon as she could.
Her father, Zheng, was a fisherman, although since magic was restored to the world he spent a lot of time cataloguing new species of fish, and her mother, Angitia, was one of the top researchers at the Aldacium medical facility where they had recently cured the former Imperian Governor’s Gloom exposure. Free of his toxic ‘alterations’, the Governor had retreated to the confines of his private island a much happier, albeit skinnier, man.
Constance had a sharp mind but her forward planning left a lot to be desired. As such, she had left most of her packing until the last minute, and rushed out of the bathroom to get her bags together for the ferry trip. Once she had completed her last chore on the home front, Connie grabbed a smart black handbag and returned to the bathroom to collect her book.