Elementals: A New Dawn

Chapter 3: Black Void Protocol

In a dark room, with 12 empty thrones arranged around a circular table, a voice echoed from the one occupying the largest of the seats.

“Triton and his partners have laid the groundwork. We will only have to guide Zander and his partners towards their destinies.” Profound silence followed his words, as an underlying tension spread throughout the room.

“Remember,”

A female voice echoed throughout the room, from one of the 12 seats.

“No interference, only guidance. This generation is the generation of our successors. We must guide and protect them. No matter what, they must not fail. We need them for what is to come. It is our responsibility as gods to make the most powerful and overall suitable leaders for this world in preparation for Chaos’s return.”

“Agreed” The voice from the largest chair echoed.

“This assembly is thus adjourned.” He said and the occupants of the large room began to disappear one by one, until only the female voice which had spoken before was left with the occupant of the highest seat.

“Are you sure this is how we should proceed? They still have so much to learn” she said beckoning.

The female voice sounded so peaceful and gentle, so calming and soothing. And if one were to look at her visage, you would be even further startled. Divine is all you could say when looking at her. That is, if you ignored the fact that she was a giant and radiating a palpable aura. This was common to all the participants. Faces sculpted to perfection, bodies which would fit perfectly in the phrase ‘heavenly body. There was no mistaking it. These were gods!

“Indeed I am. While they do have much to learn, it would be better for them to learn knowing the paths they are about to thread on. They are stronger than we could have ever imagined.” He answered.

“I hope you’re right. In any case, we leave things to you”

The female voice answered as its bearer disappeared in a rain of divine sparks.

The one on the largest chair sighed.

“The black void protocol is hereby invoked.”

His voice was like the wrath of a storm, cackling in sheer power and the unmistakable fury of thunder.

One by one, the seats began to vanish until only the one he sat on was left and he changed into a smaller form, so small that on the chair he once sat with an air of divinity, he was like now a dot on a wide canvas. He removed a crystal ball from apparently nowhere and spoke into it.

“The black void protocols are a go. Our gods have said that in 12 years’ time, the elementals will be chosen from the children in the orphanage who have been trained by our elementals. The Oracle will also choose an apprentice and the gates will have their watchmen. Those in charge of the children get them ready. The children who aren’t meant for those roles will become apprentices of the war councilmen. Let the preparation for the return and eventual defeat of the Demon Eczosiri begin!"

If the elementals saw the meeting and later the announcement, they would be puzzled, the ones who had just met and decided on the fate of their successors were the same as the council of the elder 12, their underlings, however, every single one of them radiated bona fide divinity. They were none other than the 12 Olympians. The 12 Olympians being the council of the elder 12? What was going on here? Well, that’s a story for another time.

From the moment the elementals vanished, life on Asteria took a slow return to normal. This normalcy was short-lived, however, as the black void protocols basically took all of Asteria by storm and made the return to normal to be even slower.

Not only Zoriah was concerned with the successors, as they would be the next rulers of the planet. This caused the already high tensions to soar to even higher levels among the other races. After all, if they could gain more prominence in 12 years before the elementals were chosen, they would be free to sit back and relax, knowing their new territories would be safe under the non-aggression pact the elementals would be sure to implement.

The Orphanage was under the dedicated tutelage of Nyx. She was one of the 12 elders and she oversaw the happenings and activities of the children. However, of the children, they had a capable leader, Zander, who coordinated their activities and reported to Nyx.

When the announcement of black void protocols was passed, everyone on the planet, including the members of the orphanage, heard it. As such, the tension was palpable. They had been training all their lives to live up to their mentors’ expectations, and now they were expected to fill their shoes. Few hours after the announcement, Nyxia brought together all the children, and they assembled in the main conference room. A few minutes after, Oracle materialized in the room and his arrival was announced by the orphanage AI. As soon as his identity was known all the children bent the knee and offered their greetings.

Garbed in an ashen robe which covered his entire visage and left only his head and hands exposed, his entire aura screamed mystery. With a white long beard not unlike Gandalf the gray from lord of the rings, and a staff with an ethereal glow, the Oracle made himself visible to the occupants of the orphanage.

On his appearance, they all lined up and bowed in respect.

“At ease, children,” the oracle started.

“I trust you have been fine lately. I hope the training is going on, okay?” he asked, to which they nodded before he continued.

“You have been training all your lives since you took your oath as guardians. You have mastered every lesson we have ever tried teaching you. That said, you have always been cautiously reminded that great power lies inside every one of you and that power was bestowed upon you to serve the purpose for which you were chosen and not for selfish motives.”

“This is a burden as much as it is a blessing. If anyone of you wants to live a normal life as a guardian, free to live as you wish, only having to lend your strength on the day of the great battle, please step forward. I will relieve you of your burden. From now on, you are needed to fulfill a duty far greater than any you have had before. You cannot do that halfheartedly and forcefully”

After a few seconds of utter silence, Zander, as one of the eldest and the de facto leader of the children, put out a hand seeking permission to speak. When the Oracle waved a hand of approval, Zander spoke in a respectful yet authoritative voice, beaming with charisma and respect.

“Your excellency the Oracle, voice of the gods. We have already spoken amongst ourselves and we have decided that the passing of our mentors does not change anything about our decision.”

“We had already decided, since the moment we swore the guardian’s oath, to serve, in whatever capacity given to us. We were rescued from near death, given a home, given a family, and given a purpose. A lifetime of serving our purpose is but a small price to pay for all the Elementals have done for us.”

Oracle gave a smile of approval turned to Nyx.

“Leave us” he said.

Bowing down, Nyxia turned around and left the room.

“This startled the children for a split second, but they were disciplined fighters and they knew not to break composure.

A few minutes after Nyxia’s departure, Oracle stood up and, looking at the children, hit his staff on the floor beneath and a blue light wrapped around all of them.

“From now on, you are elementals in training, and things will only get harder from now on. But fret not. You are not alone!”

“As you know, the gods ruled over humanity and interfered in their daily lives in every way. But when the sky-father Zeus brought forth human development being stagnated, he and the other gods decided to let humanity grow. Then the demon invasion rocked the world. The gods brought forth the elementals to save humanity and ensure their continued growth and their development without external influence. The elementals recruited guardians to help them with their mission and soon they came to Asteria where even now we still dwell.”

“The dimensional gap better known as the void is the root cause of all disasters with a 5/12 and above reading on the DS scale. This is because of the demon Eczosiri. A being who is the very personification of chaos.”

“An entity so evil that together with his 7 generals caused so much pain and death that the elementals and the 12 elders had to intervene and put him out of the picture. But even with all our power, completely destroying the personification of evil was not possible. Thus, we had no choice but to seal him in the dimensional gap.”

“His demons and demon generals were bound with him as well. Some managed to slip out of the void because of the presence of dimensional fissures, including those you have fought before on your trimming missions. He remains there to this day.”

“Because of the recent ascension of our elementals, the barriers have become thinner than ever, and Eczosiri has already deployed all of his generals alongside a fraction of his soul. It will be up to you young warriors to seal him back up and it’s going to be up to you to lead Asteria into the future.”

“You have all felt a kind of power wash over you in recent times. That’s your inheritance from the old generation plus the power with was innate in every one of you even before you were brought to Asteria. I have personally sealed it up and I’ve only let you feel the power so you can better learn how to control as part of your body.”

“As is common knowledge on Zoriah, the power you awaken when you become a guardian is sealed until you are mature enough to master them. You all have this power, and it is more than you could ever imagine.”

“This power you must learn to control. Train your body and mind, do not give yourself over to the power. As guardians, you are already above average, but by the end of these 12 years, we want all of you to be as strong as any of the young heirs of the empires. We will keep your control over the elements sealed for you to improve on your base.”

“Your weapons will be upgraded to mythic grade weapons. The technopaths, techno-sorcerers and all the other special ability bearers will have access to my personal library.”

“Build yourselves up, build each other up. You have forged bonds which even death cannot break. That’s a perfect start. I don’t want you to make friendships because it’s your duty. I want you to make yourselves trustworthy.”

“Forge bonds on your own terms. If you naturally dislike a fellow guardian, try to understand that we are all brothers and sisters and in battle, we will have to trust each other with our backs.”

He took a long pause, as if to let all that sink in. continued conversing with them and admonishing them about several things, they had to pay attention to. As soon as that was finished. He smiled like an old grandpa who was content with his grandkids.

“That said, I have gifts for each of you.”

He brought out and opened a treasure chest containing several bracelets.

“They’re battle suits which double as weights for training, making you more than 10 times as heavy. They are adjustable and are also mythic grade”

They all bowed in gratitude. And did not move to take the bracelets. Oracle, upon seeing this, was satisfied, disciplined to the end, such great soldiers.

“Without further ado, I’ll get back to my tower to attend to several issues which may need my attention. You are free to take the bracelets. Choose a leader for yourselves and let me know about your decision. They will be your liaison to me when I can’t come here myself.”

“But remember, so much power lies inside you. So much potential for greatness and a potential for darkness. Do not yield to the temptation of power. Lean on your friends and family and on the strength we guardians take from our oath.”

“I bid you farewell and Godspeed!”

He disappeared from the room, and a silence covered the room. Not an ounce of fear or uncertainty on their faces, only confidence and defiance.

When he left however, some faces turned solemn as if processing what he had just said. The massive responsibility now weighing heavily on their minds and with it the realization of how big their responsibility actually was. The tension in the air was palpable and the silence was deafening.

After a few moments of not a single sound, a familiar tune broke the profound silence as a strange song permeated the serene calmness of the meeting hall.