EMBERS OF FORICIA
ACT I


The Tower of Au-Zeirima had stood since the beginning of the Empiric Years, a beacon of the might that the country of Vorisseine wielded over its neighbours. True, Vorisseine was one of the smallest countries in the world of Foricia, but if one was to add the fact that over the course of thousands of years it had conquered almost the entire globe, its size was barely a problem. The tower in itself was what many would call beauty incarnate, a pale, slender hand and arm reaching toward the heavens out of the grey city that was Seiruïn.

This tower, this marvel of architecture from the great country's past, had housed the kings of Vorisseine since it was erected, beginning with Viciune Allegrei I, all the way down to the current king, the b*****d child of his predecessor's brother, Auderis Corine.

Corine had not been well-received at first, following a sudden coup in which the young knight - only twenty-eight at the time - had declared himself the monarch over the bleeding corpse of his uncle. Countless assassination attempts - including those by the palace guards themselves - had racked the first year of Corine's reign. The people had been furious at the king, declared him to be guilty of high treason for taking away the monarch they had loved.

Suddenly, a revelation had come about, a proclamation to the land. Auderis emerged from the shadows he had been hiding in for fear of being killed (With some coaxing, though few people outside of the palace has any idea of that.) to spread a message that would soon echo across the whole of Foricia.

The Gods of Foricia are not real; we've all been lied to for thousands of years. Believe me, as your king, that I am completely certain of this fact. Our ancestors created them as a way to explain natural occurrences, and in recent years this belief been merely a way to sponge off the people of the world. Our healers and smiters are merely drawing upon the power of Belief, another natural occurrence and ability that every human has. Call it latent magical talent if you will, or the power of the Will. If someone believes in something ardently enough, desperately enough, they have the magical ability to make something happen, such as healing or destroying. That is part of what the belief in the deities is for; so that people can "call upon the gods" for help, in order to access the power of Belief, of the Will locked inside of them. If anyone truly believes in anything, their powers can be unlocked. It's as simple as that, but the religious leaders of this world have taken it and twisted it so they can profit off of you all! This is why I, King Auderis Corine, hereby give every servant of the false Gods one month to disband, and if you do not do so, I shall use the force of our armies to enforce a new ban on false religions.

One month had passed, a month that convinced many of the people of Vorisseine that what Corine said was true. Following his announcement, many of the clerics and priests started having doubts about the Gods, and began losing their powers and abilities. Nationwide, temples and cathedrals closed down, though some of the faithful argued that the loss of some priests' powers stemmed from the pantheon's disappointment in the sceptics. Those that stood by their Gods were soon to learn that Corine was not bluffing in his threat. He soon dispatched contingencies of knights, branded with the title of "Godhunters," to eradicate the remaining vestiges of the "false religion."

That had been two years ago, two years that had proved that Auderis Corine was beyond a capable ruler, but possibly the greatest king that Vorisseine had ever seen. (If one disregarded the democide.) In two years, Corine had settled disputes with other countries that could have lead to war, calmed a revolt in one of Vorisseine's off-continent provinces, greatly lowered the threat of pirates on the coast, and many more acts that had made even those who resented him agree that he was a fine king.

That's Auderis for you, Adrien thought with a twitch of a smirk as the heavy oaken door to the throne room was pressed open. Always impressive, until you actually meet him.

As if the room itself were reading the blood mage's mind, the doors opened to a chamber exquisitely lavish. The throne room was located on the third floor of the tower, allowing for incredible floor-to-ceiling windows that caught the light of the blazing red sun, Rilagane, over the rooftops of the city around it. This natural light caught the crimson curtains, the colour of royalty in Vorisseine, seeming to set them ablaze, while that not caught bathed the room in light, reflected off of strategically-positioned crystal fixtures and chandeliers. Gold inlaid in the walls and ceiling in gorgeous patterns, matched with crimson silks, truly reflected the wealth and extravagance of Vorisseine. As it was situated within a rounded tower, the room was circular and only accessible from the outside wraparound balcony, or from the two majestic, curved staircases on the far side of the throne room, where the throne itself was located, which led to the next floor.

Adrien blinked as the doors swung open, as he always did when entering that room. Sure, he would think himself used to the brightness of the room by then, but it still came as quite a shock to his eyes. However, he had little time to linger by the door; he was never one to keep his friend waiting. Besides, his messenger had already started inside. With a silent sigh, he moved quickly down the carpet of crushed velvet, until he was caught up with the man in charge of reading his missives. However...

"Where's the king?" the messenger blinked, staring at the empty throne. Adrien blinked as well; the guards were there, stationed as usual, none of them making a sound, though one of them seemed to be finding the entire situation hilarious, by his expression.

What---

"You're dead, Graicen," an ominous voice sounded behind him.

Almost instantly, Adrien spun around, leaning heavily to the right in an attempt to dodge the pseudo-attack, only managing to lose his balance completely and topple to the floor. Nevertheless, he managed to avoid... nothing at all. He simply lay there, blinking at the brilliantly lit ceiling as the smirking king looked down on him.

"That's one way to dodge a nonexistent blow, I suppose," laughed Auderis Corine, offering the mage assistance from the floor. With a smirk, Adrien stood, searching for a slip of paper. Finding one, he quickly produced a quill infused with magic that made ink unnecessary.

If I'm not mistaken, that's how you narrowly avoided your own death a few years ago, Corine. he wrote quickly, offering the slip to his counterpart, who skimmed it quickly.

"Why yes, my dear friend," Auderis said loftily, tearing up the slip. "I am rather great. I am rather wonderful, and you do owe me six thousand varnik..." He walked about three steps away, then turned to Adrien. "What, not even a laugh? I am deeply offended."

Adrien smirked; he'd truly missed his best friend over the past three months. Though his mannerisms in private were not befitting a king, the man still knew how to be a ruler, how to win over the majority of the public's favour. Anyone who met him while he was playing king would be impressed, hell, even those that happened upon him when he dropped the pretense would be just as impressed. Though he still acted like a mildly obnoxious knight, there was something about him that demanded either friendship or respect.

"So, I guess we have to get to the boring part, sighed the king, seating himself at the throne. "What's going on with the task you set off to do?"

The messenger promptly stood straight, unravelling a parchment Adrien had written and given to him a few hours earlier. "The Honourable, Powerful, and... er..." the messenger glanced over at Adrien, who nodded with a grin. "...Incredibly Beautiful in Comparison to Certain Kings Adrien Graicen..."

"Oh you wish," laughed the king, his steel grey eyes meeting with Adrien's dull brown ones. Adrien suppressed a sudden chill, forcing himself to stare at the reader.

"Yes, well..." the reader coughed, and went on, "...reports that the central counties have been purged of all public places of worship, while the private centres are still being investigated. I have dispatched Grey, Violet and Green squads to conduct random searches of various buildings, while the rest are moving onward to complete this season's cycle of purging on the eastern coast. Also, I trust that the High Priest's letter reached you?"

"Aye, it did. It was good for a laugh; I really don't know why he didn't send it, himself," Auderis nodded.

"In conclusion, this season's cleansing is going quite well, and should be finished by the fourteenth month." the reader finished, rolling up the parchment.

"Boring as usual," sighed Auderis. "What, didn't you meet any women while you were out? I'd think that someone of your status wouldn't have any trouble..."

With a secret smile, Adrien shook his head. I could never, he thought soberly.

"You must have bad luck, then," laughed Auderis. "That's one of those things that comes with being a blood mage, right?"

Adrien nodded. One of them.

"Well, I have to meet with some diplomat from Aidelona now," sighed Auderis, rolling his eyes with a grin. "Really, I don't know if I'll be able to stand those damn accents for long... In any case, welcome back, Adrien. The tower hasn't been the same without you... we were starting to feel cheerful for a moment."

Adrien nodded again as Auderis left the room via the balcony, a number of guards following him. Soon enough, the messenger left the room, leaving himself alone in the room, save for the ghosts and spirits that were doomed to follow him until his death, though he didn't count them as company. They were merely another curse of being a blood mage, paired with abysmal luck, infertility, certain death at the age of forty and the loss of his ability to speak. All sacrifices he had made for power that Auderis had needed to gain the throne.

It was hard for someone not in Auderis Corine's presence to understand, but the man had an incredible aura, one that made you want to almost worship him. It was quite strange, but it was the truth. Adrien had felt it, had always known it was there. Perhaps it was part of why he had agreed to sacrifice so much for Auderis, perhaps it was why he had always been unwaveringly loyal and steadfast to him.

Or perhaps it's because I love him, he thought with a silent sigh, as he disappeared up the stairs to his chamber.