by Mikkell Khan
THE ENIXAR
The Sorcerer’s Conquest
Mikkell K. Khan
Copyright © 2018 by Mikkell K. Khan
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
A word from the Author
Chapter 1
Gudrunn was pacing back and forth in his lavish study.
The shelves on the wall above the fireplace were adorned with objects from all corners of the world. Each was a gift from a local ruler and symbolized allegiance to Gudrunn in their own traditional ways native to the area.
The De Facto leader was waiting for a meeting. He paused in front of the enormous french windows behind his massive claw-footed desk and looked over the grounds of his castle.
Calling this marvel of architecture a mere castle was a tremendous understatement as it was something never before seen by the likes of the countrymen.
Gudrunn had designed the entire structure himself.
Regardless of how he conceptualized it the end result was breathtaking- a giant stone palace with interweaving arches and countless levels, with intertwined cascading gardens and incredibly detailed ornaments covering the perfectly proportional curves and shapes which made its anatomy.
The palace was also surrounded by a massive circular garden inhabited by many species of plants native and foreign to the world. It was quite a sight to behold by any onlooker.
There was a knock at the door.
“Not now,” Gudrunn ordered.
A second knock at the door.
“What is it?” he snapped.
The door opened carefully and a someone stuck his head through the gap.
“My Lord? I have just returned from the mountain valley of the Silent Monks,” said the head, which belonged to Meriaus, a young man charged with spreading Gudrunn’s regime to the furthest corners of the world.
“And? When will they be initiating the ceremonial liberation from their rule?” Gudrunn enquired.
“Not now, my Lord,” Meriaus answered. “They do not wish to give up power to a leader higher than their Abbot since that is how they have done things for the past two thousand years. And they have a strong history of precedents when it comes to the rulers making an exception- their valley has always had its unofficial sovereign status due to the nature of their faith and teachings.”
Gudrunn motioned towards the door with his hands, it suddenly opened a bit more to allow Meriaus to fully enter the room.
“Is that so? Did you explain to them that you, as the officially appointed person responsible for the proliferation of peace and prosperity of my rule, were presenting liberation to make their lives better by initiating them in our union of regions?” the Lord asked while still standing in front of the window, not facing Meriaus and looking over his shoulder slightly. He looked up to the skies as he awaited an answer from the young diplomat.
“I did, sir. They declined. The Abbot said their spirituality was providing them with all the peace and prosperity they needed.” Meriaus answered.
“Hmmm…,” Gudrunn made a pensive little sound and said nothing. A slight smirk formed on his face; he knew his strength would be tested again very soon. When he first came to the world of Gramadon, he did not know what to expect. That’s when he found several families fighting for the claim to be the overall ruler of the land, with their primitive ways and means of engagement; he knew he had the advantage.
No one knew where he came from, but Gudrunn knew all too well his origins, and he knew that it would be his power in this place. He would take them by surprise.
Being versed in the ways of magic, the name Gudrunn was synonymous with a ‘God’ in the presence of the country folk. He came to save the people from the desolation of visionless leaders.
Soon, with the strength of enough believers on his side, Gudrunn quelled the skirmishes between the rivaling factions and took his rightful place on the throne of Gramadon. For eighty long years he ruled over the land, providing bountiful crops and technologies that they couldn’t even fathom. He had become their ruler, to be loved and feared all at once, to become known as The Sorcerer King.
Now it seemed, after all these years, there was still some insolence within the land.
Was there to be more quelling?
Meriaus decided to take the opportunity to put in his two cents on the matter. His opinion was worth consideration- after all, he had dedicated his education to learning as much as possible about the kingdom and it’s government. This was the time to put it to good use.
“If you don’t mind me saying, my Lord- the Monks of the Silent valley have never caused any trouble… they are a bunch of old men who just want to do their praying and ceremonies undisturbed…”
Gudrunn interrupted, “You think it is acceptable to let a group of people oppose the regime?” His smirk turned serious and his eyebrow rose as he looked down on Meriaus. A man with his height of eight feet had almost no equal, and this made him tower over many an individual, “That will create a dangerous example which could easily grow into a bigger problem.”
“I agree, my Lord. My point is that they- as Silent Monks- do not communicate with the outside world and they do not allow any outside visitors. I was let in under special circumstances. They would not spread the gossip so to say.” Meriaus responded.
While he understood his commander’s point of view- any resistance could be interpreted as weakness by opportunists lurking in the shadows waiting for a chance to get some power. However, these monks were a special group of people- they had devoted their entire existence to the helping to others.
So what if they did not want to forgo their millennia old traditions? The people would surely appreciate Gudrunn's leniency on the matter.
“You will go back and you will demand that they comply. Explain to them that this is an ultimatum. If they refuse- I will give you further orders,” Gudrunn ordered the young general and turned towards the window. “That is it for now,” he finished their improvised meeting with a stern tone.
“Yes, my Lord,” Meriaus left the room.
After a second of silence, a strange sound emanated from Gudrunn’s desk. It sounded like a wind chime and it seemed to be coming from underneath a few pieces of paper scattered over the desk. Gudrunn hastily turned to look for the source of the sound and after a moment found it and picked it up. He held it up in front of his face like a mirror. The object was a rectangle the size of his palm, a jade green color and had a black protruding circle in the middle. He laid the green object on his palm, pressed the black dot and said,
“Paldek?”
The black dot flashed a beam of light and a faint outline of a face appeared a few inches above it and hovered in mid-air.
“Gudrunn...,” greeted the floating face. It belonged to an older man with a big thick beard and bushy eyebrows. He had a very serious expression which made it very hard to imagine him ever laughing.
“Yes, Paldek. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
“I have been noticing your preoccupation and focus on spreading your reign over keeping the gateway to Alpha Sinteres safe. How are you going to explain your actions?”
“I don’t believe my actions need to be defended...I have not been neglecting my duties. I am setting up a permanent gateway. Proli
ferating distant areas with my reign will only aid this process.”
“Not if you become obsessed with power. Don’t neglect the strength of the Enixar’s influence on the mind. It gives immense power- yes. However, it also works with whatever resources are present. If you have sick ambitions, greed, cruelty, then that is exactly what you will get more of. Don’t fall victim to lust for power- you have enough- you have been appointed to guard the gateway world to Alpha Sinteres. Is that honor the Architects have bestowed upon you not enough?” asked Paldek.
“It is more than enough. I am humbled and I am working on achieving the mission you have given me. I assure you my intentions are pure. I am endlessly grateful to you for allowing me to use this incredible power.”
“The Enixar is a source of endless potential. You have been successful in using it correctly since arriving on this world and obtaining power. But we have become increasingly worried about your obsession with growing your kingdom recently. We will be keeping a closer eye on you from now on. Don't forget how the Enixar came to be. Its ability has corrupted beings stronger than we can ever imagine."
"Yes, so it is said,” Gudrunn scoffed under his breath. As real as the stories of old, about Alpha Sinteres - the first system, could be, he did not believe that the power of the Enixar could be that strong. Strong enough to cause a war of Gods that placed all of existence in the impediments that they all know today? He gave ear to the story with slight scepticism.
There was only one truth he knew. The ability to gain power was attainable by any being, but only so much.
As if limited by some omnipresence they could not detect, every spellcasters’ power ability was different yet limited due to hitting an invisible ceiling. The story of Alpha Sinteres claimed that existing in the space helped overcome this limit, to feel your full and ultimate abilities. It became a yearning for many a conqueror, but none succeeded. Gudrunn felt that his would be different… it would be victorious… he could feel it in his blood.
"What is your obsession with the monks of the Silent monastery?" Paldek asked.
Gudrunn was caught off guard for a second. How could he know that? They really were paying extra close attention.
"They have a Dragonettes egg, Paldek, the only one we have found. In a room tucked away in the heart of their monastery. The monks found it by accident millennia ago and they kept it a secret from the world. But I found out. They keep it in stasis by a special combination of crystals arranged in a specific way..."
"This is irrelevant to our cause, Gudrunn!" the floating face interrupted. “Do you understand that?”
“You would think so, Paldek,” Gudrunn answered with a pensive expression.
“You are there as a guardian. Not to collect power as souvenirs and not as a tyrant. Don’t forget- we are watching.”
With that serious reminder, the face flickered and disappeared leaving Gudrunn in a state of anger. He had gotten accustomed to being treated like a King. Paldek as the representative of the Architects was the only person in his life from the past 80 years who he was beneath. Ever since he had arrived in this world and obtained power he was the ultimate ruler. Talking to Paldek felt excruciating to someone who was in charge of an empire the rest of the time.
However, Gudrunn’s luck would change with the Dragonette’s egg. The beasts were said to originate from the Prime Galaxy, cousins of a much larger breed of flying creatures with the ability to cross space and matter itself. It would be most fortunate for him if this one could achieve the same abilities when it came of age. He wouldn’t need to listen to Paldek or anyone on that council. Alpha Sinteres would be his for the taking.
If the only thing standing in his way were a few stubborn old men, he had no problem dealing with that issue.
He was deep in thought on his plans and visions for the future when he heard a creak from outside of the double doors of his study.
“Amadalia,” It wasn’t a question but rather a statement. There was a bang from outside the door. His sudden call had apparently startled whoever was listening in on the private conversation.
“Come in here, Amadalia,” he ordered.
The door opened slowly and cautiously as if the person was dreading the consequences of the eavesdropping. A young girl around 16 years old entered the room looking at her feet.
“Come here, girl,” he repeated.
Amadalia walked over to his desk without looking up at him.
“Were you listening?”
“Yes.”
Gudrunn sighed heavily and asked, “What did you hear?”
“You were talking to a man,” she answered and dared to take a quick look around the room to see if there was anyone else before directing her stare at her shoes again.
“Well, now you know something strange is going on. It seems I’ll have to do something and make sure you don’t tell anyone else what you heard,” he told her.
Amadalia was one of the only people he trusted in his family. After years of conquest and having many female partners, Gudrunn’s family tree spread far and wide across the land. However, even with his bloodline running through them, not many possessed the skill or the intent of wielding his powers of otherworldly origin.
He had a soft spot for Amadalia though. She was one of his grandchildren who showed an extra inkling of curiosity and care; it always had him thinking she would be more than just a simple person of royalty.
“Grandfather, I won't tell. I just wanted to know about the Dragonettes. I have only seen them in drawings,” said the young girl. “I didn’t know they actually existed. I really want to see one,”
Gudrunn gave her a long look, sizing her up and deciding whether or not she could be trusted.
Finally, he said, “Interesting aren’t they? Dragonettes I mean. But you know what? That is only a small fraction of the incredible things which are possible in the world, in the universe in general.”
“Like you talking with someone who is not really in the room?’ she asked.
“Exactly like that. You would be surprised if I showed you everything possible,” Gudrunn replied mysteriously.
“I heard you talking to...that man..”
“You know his name by now- Paldek. What precisely did you hear us talking about?”
“About magic.”
“Your point being? Your grandfather is a busy man, Amadalia.”
“I want to learn it. Do you know how to do it?”
As she asked, the evening sky fell and darkness met the room.
Gudrunn flicked his fingers and the fireplace began to crackle and paint the room in its intermittent glow.
Amadalia got her answer. She continued with her follow up question,
“Will you teach me to do it?”
Gudrunn was pleasantly surprised at the girl’s eagerness to learn as he had been considering passing down his knowledge to a successor for a while now. His own children were not contenders for the position. His choice in wives proved to be utterly disappointing in every aspect and his offspring had inherited nothing of his ability to manipulate the Enixar’s power. Perhaps this was his curse for seeking glory. The power of true blood from Alpha Sinteres would perish with him.
His granddaughter, however, was quite different. The girl was showing all of the traits Gudrunn was looking for in a successor- ambitious, power hungry and most of all she had the genes for it- she was undoubtedly one of the descendants of the Architects. He could tell she was part of this special group of people- each descendant of the original Architects was capable of channeling powerful magic through themselves without even being aware of it.
It was, of course, no coincidence there were so many descendants in this particular kingdom- the planet was a gateway to Alpha Sinteres- the Prime Galaxy, the place in space where all life began. The original Architects were the first and last beings to inhabit Alpha Sinteres. They were the ones who created the Enixar- a mysterious artifact which gave magical power beyond measure to whoever possessed it and knew how
to wield it.
He was tasked by other descendants of the Architects to use the Enixar to open up the passageway to Alpha Sinteres once again to be used for the prosperity of everyone alive.
Of course, sometimes he wondered, if the Architects lead us away from that galaxy, and wiped most being’s consciousness and memories of its existence, then why would taking everyone back there be a good idea? In his mind, it made sense that the galaxy only deserved the most faithful and the most committed.
He fell in that category very well in his opinion.
“If I choose to teach you, you will have to swear to secrecy. Anything I can tell you is far too important and dangerous to be shared with anyone else. I doubt you will understand at first, but you could eventually if you last during my lessons long enough to realize it.”
“I would do anything to know magic,” the young girl’s eye glistened with desire and ambition, she was almost in a trance, a daydream like a state while listening to her grandfather describe the dangerous allure of magic.
“I will test you before I decide whether or not you are worthy,” Gudrunn told her. The overly dramatic tone was going to prepare Amadalia for the gravity of the situation plus he really did have to do a test. The Enixar had to accept her in order for their magic to be possible.