The New Age

Chapter 1:

Al Xander, Commander of the Alliance, sensed something charging towards him from behind and darted out of the way. He looked up and saw that his attacker was a huge, black hound. He drew the Sword of Alliance and stood ready, waiting for the next attack. The hound pounced forwards once again. This time, Al Xander was ready. He thrust the sword into the hound’s leg as it recoiled back, howling in pain.

As Al Xander moved forward to finish off the hound, it lunged forward at him unexpectedly, knocking both him and his sword to the ground. It howled again, this time in triumph as it got ready to sink its teeth into Al Xander.

Al Xander tried to push the hound away but it was too strong. He knew he had to reach for his sword, or die. The hound was barring its teeth at him, still feeling triumphant. Out of desperation, he called upon his strength and elbowed the hound aside. Rolling out of the way, he recovered his sword before the hound charged at him again. Suddenly, the sword roared with a yellow blaze, surprising even its wielder. Al Xander felt a strange emotion consuming him as he slashed at the hound, killing it instantly.

What happened? Al Xander wondered silently. The Sword of Alliance had been used by thousands of Commanders and no one mentioned anything magical about it. Despite the fact that he was just saved by magic, he did not trust it. Just as he did not trust the old man who claimed to be Lei Jen Zu the dragon. Slowly, he fell asleep as he recalled the night Lei Jen Zu came to him.

That night, Al Xander was dressing his wound after a hard day of battle in his chamber. He was quite sure that the Dwarves would not attack again that night and decided to take a nap. As he was dressing his wounds, he sensed that he was not alone in his room. Picking up his sword, he glanced around cautiously.

A shadow sped through him and disappeared. Swift as a hungry beast towards an unsuspecting prey, the shadow went pass him and into the King’s private chambers. Grabbing his sword, he went after the transcendental shadow.

Stealthily, he crept into the King Heavens’ chamber and looked around to see if the king was harmed.

“Greetings, young warrior,” a voice came from behind. Al Xander turned around and saw an elderly man standing beside him. He was about Al Xander’s height and was dressed in a grey cloak. “Just as I expected, your senses are indeed sharp,”

“Who are you?” Al Xander asked warily. He knew that it was not something human that he followed in and was expecting something more.

“I am Lei Jen Zu the Dragon, and I have come forth to take you away.”

Al Xander gasped in surprise, Lei Jen Zu the Dragon was a legend. Some said that he was always within his mystical keep and did not come out of it unless there was really trouble. Some did not even believe that he existed. Still, he did not trust the old man and held on to his sword cautiously.

The old man smiled. “I’d keep that sword if I were you, young warrior, if I’d meant you any harm, you would have been dead by now.”

Al Xander did not move. “Why did you say you were taking me away?”

“Always cautious I can see, very well, I’ll go straight to the point; the elves have returned.” Another legend, Al Xander thought, this old man has to be crazy. “I’m not crazy; I speak only the truth, young warrior. To destroy the elves, I will have to choose a representative from each of the races and let them go on a quest to recover the Fiery Globe, whose magic can only be triggered by our combined powers. If you choose not to believe me, the elves will be on your back sooner than you can imagine.”

With that, Lei Jen Zu began to fade away. “I do not even know where your keep is!” Al Xander called out.

Believe in me, and you will find me. A voice called out in his head. Al Xander was not sure whether it was a real voice or not. He was not even sure whether he believed the old man to be Lei Jen Zu the Dragon but he knew that he did not have much of a choice.

That night, Al Xander went to the library where old records were kept. He flipped through the history of the World and read:

Lei Jen Zu the Dragon has been given powers beyond any other beings in the world. He has acquired the secret to longevity and to change into the form of any being. He is said to live in his keep unless the world is in great peril and requires his aid. His keep can only be accessed by others only if he permits it, and only if they have the belief and strength within them.

Lei Jen Zu has helped in the fight with the elves five thousand years ago for a thousand years until the elves sent back by the Fiery Globe. Despite his great powers, he cannot bring destruction to the Elves who were not beings from this world. The Elves were from another world and their powers exceed that of Lei Jen Zu himself. It is said that the Elves can only be destroyed by the combined powers of Lei Jen Zu, the Fiery Globe, and the Chosen ones.

Perhaps, it is true after all. Al Xander thought silently.





Chapter 2:

When Al Xander regained consciousness, he saw that he was in a cave. He stood up and realized that he was in Lei Jen Zu’s keep. The walls seemed to be glowing and there was a stream which appeared to lead to nowhere.

In the cave, Al Xander saw a dragon with red scales about 14 feet tall, a dwarf, a troll, a druid and a wolf dog.

“Welcome, young warrior, I see you managed to find your way here.” Lei Jen Zu spoke. It was a deep voice which echoed in the keep. “This is Dire the Dwarf, Reier the Troll, Araion the Druid and Wolv, the druid’s pet.”

They nodded at one another. Al Xander did not keep his eyes off the Dwarf. He was short, as any dwarves were and shared the same sly look.

“You all come here for something in common. That is, to retrieve the Fiery Globe and summon its magic to destroy the Elves. From my sources, the Fiery Globe is in Morte Hades.”

“Are you kidding? No one has ever got out of that place alive!” Araion exclaimed.

“Then you will have to try. Failing is not an option. Should you fail, the world as you know it will be gone, the Elves will take over.”

“Why can’t you help us?” Araion asked.

“I have to be leading the war against the Elves here. I predict that they will be going for the Men and Dwarves who are fighting over the Orcy Boundaries. They wish to take advantage of this situation and dominate both sides.” Lei Jen Zu replied. “Moreover, I cannot step into Morte Hades. My magic will be covered by the darkness in there and I shall die.”

Al Xander looked around at the others. None of them were talking except for Araion who continued to question the dragon.

“Enough of questions, you will leave now and set off from the River of Hope two days from now. Bring a few people if you wish, but be warned, you will be drawing more attention to yourself should you bring a larger group.” With those words, the keep began to fade away and Al Xander felt his eyes growing heavier as he went back to his Kingdom.



Chapter 3:

“Commander! Wake up! King Heavens was almost killed!” Castor Alendil shook Al Xander awake.

Al Xander was wide awake upon hearing those words. He rushed into the King’s chambers and saw King Heavens sitting down with servants dressing his wounds. “Who did this?” Al Xander demanded.

“We have no idea; the creature was reported to move very quickly and had pointed ears and noses.” Pollux Alendil, Castor’s brother, replied.

“It is the Elves,” Rael Heavens said. “Lei Jen Zu came to my dreams and told me to prepare for the Elves’ invasion. You are the Chosen among the Man, Al Xander. You have to go. Athene shall relief you of the Commanders’ position. We will send two warriors with you.”

“I will go,” Castor said.
“Are you sure about this Castor? This is not a joking matter…” Pollux began.
“I shall account for myself, brother.”
“Very well, I shall go with you.”

Rael Heavens nodded. “It is decided then. You three will represent the Men. Take the Sword of Alliance with you, Al Xander; you are still the true commander.”

Al Xander nodded. He was still wondering how he was going to break the news to his King. He was glad that Lei Jen Zu has done that for him. With that, he ordered tighter security in the King’s chamber and went off to prepare for his journey.

Chapter 4:

The day of departure came swiftly. The Chosen and their companions gathered along the River of Hope just outside the Kingdom of Men. Dire the Dwarf brought along two other Dwarves named Feuer and Caldo.

The first day of travel went without much conversation. Araion tried to start conversations but did not get much response. After a while, he too, gave up. On the second day, the company continued through the forest.

“Let’s stop for our mid-day meal here,” Araion said.

As they were having their meal, an elderly man came from within the trees and walked towards them. Al Xander thought he had to look at least a hundred years old; still, he was not taking any chances. It could be a disguise or a trap and Al Xander always liked to keep his sword near him.

“Aha! What a strange company we have here. Dwarves and men are hardly seen together. Not to mention a druid and a troll!” the old man exclaimed.

“Who are you sir? Why are you wandering about in the woods? It’s dangerous here.” Araion asked, trying to keep Wolv down at the same time.

“Don’t worry about me young druid! You have a smart wolf dog here. I am more than I appear to be. Reality is always strange, yes, no doubt. Fate has decided to bring us together!”

“Alright, stop speaking in riddles. Just who are you?” Al Xander demanded, holding his sword up. He wasn’t going to let anyone ruin their quest. If this old man posed a threat, he was to be killed.

“Yes, you are worthy of this quest I can see. Well, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know who I am, all that matters is that I know who you are, and I can aid you on your quest. This much advise I can give you: Not all of you will make it into Morte Hades together, but it is important for you to stay as one in your hearts. Great challenges lies ahead for the Chosen ones, remember, nothing that is so, is so. Do not be deceived by appearances.”

“Just what…” Al Xander was too late; the old man turned and started walking away, in a surprisingly quick speed. Castor began to give chase to the old man, but Pollux held him back, warning him to be careful.

“Just what are you doing!? That old man knows something we don’t, and we need to go after him! Commander, go after him!” Castor shouted in fury.

Al Xander just stood there. Not all of you will make it into Morte Hades together. The words echoed in his head. This meant that some of them will die; some of them would not be able to make it.

Castor swung his brother back in fury. “What the hell are you doing?! Do you know what you’ve just done?!”

“Calm down, brother. I was ensuring your safety. That old man was a dangerous man. He commands magic!” Pollux shouted back at his brother.

Shaking his head, Castor turned away. Feuer smirked. “Stop acting like a spoilt child, Castor.”

Castor glared at the dwarf.

“What’s the matter? I was merely stating facts.”

Without warning, Castor drew his sword and headed for Feuer like a mad bull. Feuer held his axe up to defend himself. Swiftly, the other two dwarves and Pollux joined in the fight. Araion tried to pull them back, but could not do it.

“That’s enough!” Al Xander shouted. “We have enough of problems, don’t create more.”

The Men and Dwarves glared at each other. Without another word, they packed up and continued on.

The next few days went without any events, the company went pass the Nebulosus Mountains and further on into the forest ahead. At long last, they reached the Village of Saryan.

“We can’t go into the village.” Al Xander muttered to the rest. “The Elves have taken the village. As much as I want to go in and help them, we have to focus more on the task at hand.”

The company nodded and agreed to make a detour to avoid the Elves. They proceeded on, and as they climbed up a cliff, they saw a large encampment of Elves at the bottom.

“To get to Morte Hades, we have to get past them.”

“How?”

“I don’t know. But we have to find a way. Time is running out.”

Al Xander looked around, waiting for his companions to say something but to no avail. At last Al Xander lost his patience.

“Look, I know we are all different, but we will have to unite, this is a test to the beings of the world. If we do not choose to help one another, we can all die together.”

Just then, Dire spoke up.

“I have a plan.”

“Speak up then.” Al Xander replied, feeling a little surprised.

“The encampment is a large one. That is a weakness we can exploit. Two of us will have to risk our lives for this one. They will shoot from afar and hit some of the elves, causing confusion. At that moment, I’ll attract their attention and they will come after me. Before that, we will have laid some traps for the Elves. They will not the time to think about strategy. They will be confused and their attacks will be in a mess. The rest of you can take advantage of the situation and sneak past them, killing any that comes in the way. While I take the Elves into the traps we have set. After I shake them off, I will catch up with the rest of you; try not to go too fast without me.”

“Good plan, the only problem is you won’t be staying, I will,” Araion said.

“No, I thought of the plan and I will be the one risking my life for this.” Dire insisted.

“Araion is much better trained in surviving alone than the rest of us are, he will stay.” Al Xander said.

Dire shot him a dirty look but did not argue. He knew the Man was right, Druids were much better in surviving alone with their wolf-dogs. It was said that some of the Druids could even communicate with animals and use them to their advantage.

With that, the Dwarves began setting their traps. Reier provided the Dwarves with the magic they needed

After all was done, Dire explained to Araion about how the traps worked and how to avoid them. The Druid absorbed the information and nodded. With that, everyone got into position and carried on with the plan.

Chapter 5:

Checking that Araion and Wolv were in position, Al Xander signaled to Castor and Pollux to shoot the arrows. Six arrows were shot in total and the two of the arrows hit the sentries while the other four hit the other soldiers. The Elves were alerted immediately. They caught sight of Araion with a bow on his hand and charged at him like wild beasts on the loose.

Araion reacted with instincts. He signaled for Wolv to follow him and with that, they ran. Some of the Elves reached Araion and he had difficulty shaking them off. His fighting skills together with Wolv kept him alive but the Elves were far more powerful. Although Araion was better trained in melee combat, there were too many Elves and this put Araion at a great disadvantage. Many of the Elves were caught and destroyed in the traps but there was still more keeping up with Araion. At long last, all the traps had served their purposes and Araion was on his own.

Araion killed the Elves that kept coming to him quickly, but he was wearing out too quickly. He ran away and in the end, being forced to climb up a tree to regain his energy. Some of the Elves found him came up after him but he killed them. After a while, no Elves came for him but he knew they were still in the wild, hunting him. He did not know what to do. With Wolv beside him, he leaned behind and fell asleep. He knew he was safe; but he also knew that he was stuck.

Chapter 6:

In the meantime, the rest of Araion’s companions shot pass the encampment, taking advantage of the confusion and killing any of the Elves that got in their way.

After getting pass the encampment, they stopped to rest and wondered how the Druid was doing.

“We’ll wait here for a while, and then continue on...Araion will have to catch up,” Al Xander told the others.

They all agreed. Despite hating to leave one of their companions behind, they knew they did not have much of a choice. The instruction given to them was to go on ahead, no matter what happens.

The next day, they continued on without Araion and Wolv. Without the druid, the company grew even quieter. A loud silence, Al Xander thought to himself.

On the third day, they were beginning to doubt that Araion survived the ordeal, nonetheless, they went on.

Trekking through the thick forest, Al Xander sensed something in front. Something that was not human. Cautiously, he drew his sword and signaled for the others to stay alert. Suddenly, a black, formless creature jumped out onto Al Xander. Castor, Reier and the Dwarves rushed forward to help Al Xander. Only Pollux was at a lost what to do. The creature was almost unstoppable. Al Xander was strong, but the shade was stronger. In a few minutes, it killed Al Xander.

“NO!” Castor bellowed. Without thinking, he charged straight at the shade. The creature released a black substance at Castor’s direction.

“Watch out!” Pollux cried and rushed forward to knock his brother aside. The black substance hit the man in the chest, and he too, fell down dead.

Castor could only stare in shock. Reier called upon his magic to knock the shade aside. The shade made a low moan and flew off as quickly as it came.

Castor looked at the two bodies on the ground. He could not believe that his Commander and brother were dead. He was shocked. Even Feuer did not attempt to make sarcastic comments. He patted the man on the shoulder and signaled him to move.

They did not bury the bodies, but went off immediately; for fear that the shade might come again.

“It was an Ajatar, a forest spirit.” Reier told Castor. He spoke in a deep voice. Castor looked at him. “No one would stand a chance. It could have killed us all if it wanted to. Even the blow I landed on him could only do some damage. Don’t dwell on it.”

Castor nodded. He was surprised at himself. He shed no tear. He knew he had to move on bravely. Two of the Chosen ones were dead. They had to move on quickly, to get the Fiery Globe and destroy the Elves; it would be what Al Xander would want him to do.

They moved on for several days, passing mountains and forests, stopping only for rests. The same silence was maintained, and they spoke only when necessary. Castor, though, was appreciative that even Feuer attempted to comfort him for his lost.

Finally, the forest they were passing started to clear. As they moved on further, they saw a huge cave under a mountain.

“Here we are people, Morte Hades.” Dire declared grimly.

Chapter 7:

Araion looked at the large bird’s eyes. The bird looked back. Beside him, Wolv was growling and ready to attack. Araion did not know what to do. He could not risk getting onto the ground and get caught by the Elves who were still hunting him. However, it seemed that staying here was not an option either.

A thought struck Araion. Perhaps, he could use that. However, this magic was lost to the Druids thousands of years ago. This is the only way, Araion thought. If it doesn’t work, I’m as good as dead.

With that, he began to attempt to talk to the large bird. It did not seem to work as the bird flapped its wings threateningly, thinking that Araion was attacking him. However, Araion did not panic. The instincts that kept him alive for so many years told him that he would succeed. Slowly but surely, the bird did not seem to feel threatened anymore.

In a few moments, Araion and Wolv was riding the bird in the sky, heading off to find his companions.

“I wonder where they are,” Araion muttered to himself. Were they still alive? He thought silently. If they were not, he knew he had to reach the Fiery Globe, no matter what.

Chapter 8:

Al Xander opened his eyes. Where am I? He looked around, and saw Pollux beside him. He shook Pollux around and they stood up. They looked around. The place was dark, with a large river flowing.

A boat rowed towards them at the river. “Come, you two are going over.”

Al Xander realized where they were. The man was Charon, a dark knight of the Underworld. The river was Acherone. They were at the entrance of the Underworld. Once passed the river, they were dead. He drew the Sword of Alliance.

“We’re not going over. Not unless you kill us.”

Charon smirked. “You are already dead.”
Al Xander did not reply. He went straight at Charon. Charon drew his own sword and fought back. They fought fiercely.

“Stop it! We’ll go over with you!” Pollux shouted.

Al Xander looked at him. He was furious with the man. “Do you have any idea what is happening? You can’t even fight for your own survival?!” He demanded while dodging blows from Charon.

Pollux breathed in. As much as he wanted to live, he did not want trouble. Even if they died, they died a valiant death; they died trying to save the world. But Al Xander was right. He did not want to die trying. He wanted to succeed.

With that, he drew his sword, and joined in the fight. Al Xander felt as if he were fighting death itself. The dark knight was so powerful, almost unstoppable. He was beginning to wonder if they could even defeat him.

Without warning, Pollux lunged himself at Charon, catching him completely off-guard. He knocked off Charon’s sword and the two struggled on the ground, each trying to gain the upper hand. For the first time in his life, Al Xander was unsure what to do in a fight. He did not want to risk hitting Pollux and could only stand there helplessly.

Charon kicked Pollux in the gut and pushed him away. Al Xander took the opportunity to slash at Charon but the dark knight was faster. He dodged the blow and pushed him away. He then swiftly move towards Pollux and delivered another kick to the gut, causing Pollux to fall into the Acherone.

“POLLUX!” Al Xander shouted. He did not have much time to mourn for his friend. Charon came from behind and knocked him to the ground. Al Xander rolled away, stood up, and defended himself. Once again, the sword flared up with a yellow blaze, and Al Xander felt that strangely familiar feeling overwhelm him again. He let his instinct control him, slashing at Charon without stopping.

At last, he thrust his sword into the dark knight’s body. Charon screamed in fury, and fell to the ground.

Al Xander could not believe it. The magic had saved him once again. Pollux was dead. He defeated death. Shaking his head, he turned and walked away, towards the world of life.



Chapter 9:

As the remaining of the company stepped into Morte Hades, they felt a strong sense of death.

They continued walking, weapons drawn. Suddenly, Castor turned to attack Dire and the Dwarves and Reier was attacked by an Ajatar. Castor skillfully knocked Dire out, while the others suddenly felt a knock against their heads, and they fainted.

When Reier opened his eyes, he saw the rest of his companions chained to the walls.

“What happened?” Reier asked.

“I was the first one to be captured; the creature took on my form and attacked Dire. You breathed in the illusion dust and began to wear yourself out fighting an Ajatar that did not exist. The creatures took advantage of your confusions and brought you back here to join me,” Castor answered.

“They are intending to sacrifice us to their gods the next morning,” Dire added grimly.

“I don’t like this one bit,” Feuer muttered.

“Who are our captors?” Reier asked.

“An ancient tribe. They possess a certain amount of magic, such as the illusion dust, but other than numbers, I don’t think they are very powerful.”

“Any brilliant plans to escape?” Castor asked.

“Not at the moment,” Dire answered.

Castor sighed. This time, escaping was not the question, surviving was.

Chapter 10:

Araion saw Al Xander from the sky. He was moving swiftly alone.

“Al Xander!” Araion called out to him.

He ordered Raptor to land in front of Al Xander. He saw that the youthful man looked so much older suddenly.

“Where are the others?” Araion asked.

“I don’t know. We were attacked by a shade. When I came to, I was at the underworld with Pollux. We fought a dark knight, Pollux died. The rest must have thought that we were dead, and continued on without us. We thought you were dead too.”

“I’m alright, come on, let’s go. We have to catch up with the others. Raptor is big enough to carry the two of us with Wolv.”

Without another word, they went on.

It was nightfall when they reached Morte Hades. As they walked in, Al Xander smelled the familiar smell of death from the underworld.

Raptor did not want to go into the cave. Araion decided to let it go, while Wolv followed in, growling.

“Al Xander! Araion!” a voice cried from behind. They turned around and saw Dire, Reier, Castor, Carlo and Feuer heading towards them.

Chapter 11:

The creatures came to bring them to the sacrificial pit at night. As they removed their chains, Reier suddenly knocked them away.

Castor, too, was not going to give up without a fight. As they were fighting, an army of about three thousand creatures came in and surrounded them. The companions were forced to fight without their weapons.

It was a fierce fight. They were greatly out-numbered. Castor and the dwarves were able to grab weapons for themselves from the creatures. Reier used his magic effortlessly to kill the creatures. Still, they were wearing out fast.

All the companions knew it was a hopeless battle, but they fought on as they knew that their world’s survival was in their hands. Whether or not they reached the Fiery Globe would depend very much on this battle.


Araion and Al Xander were not so quick to assume that those were their companions, especially when Wolv started growling at them.

Nothing that is so is so. The words of the old men echoed in Al Xander’s heart. Without warning, the two companions attacked. The creatures were fast, but the two companions were faster. They killed the creatures effortlessly and Araion ordered Wolv to locate their missing companions.

The wolf-dog smelled the air and went on. Al Xander and Araion followed swiftly. The wolf-dog led them into a fierce battle. They joined in the fight, despite knowing that it was an impossible fight.

Perhaps this is it, Reier thought; this is the day I’ve been waiting for. It has to be done to save the world. With that, he unleashed a powerful wave of magic, knocking himself aside.

Al Xander felt himself thrown aside from the powerful wave. When everything was back to normal, all the creatures were dead and in the middle of them all was Reier’s body sprawled on the floor. He sacrificed himself to save us, Al Xander realized. The other companions realized the same thing and together as they walked towards Reier’s body.

They moved on. There was nothing else to say. They were so close, they couldn’t stop. Without another word, they moved on, with Al Xander in the lead.

“How did you survive? We thought you were dead.” Castor asked.

“Your brother and I went to the underworld, but we fought back. I’m sorry, I couldn’t save your brother.”

Castor did not reply. The company continued on into another tunnel.

“Impressive beings, I can see why Lei Jen Zu sent you.” A voice said from the dark shadow ahead. “Welcome to Tarus of Morte Hades, the final stage of your journey. I am Lei Jen Zu’s brother, Knucker.”

Chapter 12:

Unlike his brother, Knucker was a black dragon. The company drew their weapons cautiously.

Al Xander tried to summon the sword’s magic in vain. He realized that he could not control it. It did not respond to his need.

Castor charged at the dragon. The dragon summoned a wave of fire and killed him instantly. The others could only stare in fury.

“Charge!” Al Xander shouted. The company attacked as one. The dragon summoned another ball of fire, killing Feuer and Caldo. The others continued to charge, not allowing themselves to be distracted. A second wave of fire killed Araion and Wolv.

Al Xander dodged the dragon’s attack skillfully. After defeating death, he felt that nothing could stop him. He swung his sword around the dragon and tried in vain to kill it.

Where is the Fiery Globe? Al Xander wondered silently.

As if in response to his question, the side of the wall glowed. Al Xander saw the Fiery Globe. He headed straight for the globe. Despite the fire around the globe, it was surprisingly cool.

Al Xander called upon its magic and destroyed the dragon. The last thing he remembered before he felt everything went black was a scream of terror.

Chapter 13:

When Al Xander regained consciousness, he was in the keep of Lei Jen Zu.

“Well done, young warrior. You did not disappoint me.” Lei Jen Zu smiled.

“What happened? Am I the only survivor?”

“Unfortunately, yes. You have to be the one to call upon the powers of the Fiery Globe to destroy the Elves.”

“No, it can’t be. The Fiery Globe is so powerful; surely we can use it to bring them back?”

“I’m sorry. No magic in this world can alter the powers of death. Even the strongest magic can only prolong life, not reverse it.”

“But…”

“No more buts call upon the magic and destroy the Elves. Your fighters are still raging a war. Each second you delay will cause more deaths,”

“Can’t they fight the underworld creature and escape?”

Lei Jen Zu shook his head. “It’s too late,”

Still unable to believe that he was the only survivor, Al Xander took the Fiery Globe once again and called upon its magic. Lei Jen Zu too, summoned upon his own magic to back up the Globe’s powers.

Darkness clouded the sky. Somehow, Al Xander felt that the Elves existence was gone from this world once again.

“You have done well,” Lei Jen Zu said.

“Why didn’t you tell us that your brother had the Fiery Globe?”

Lei Jen Zu smiled. “The magic of the Fiery Globe works on belief. The stronger the belief of the user, the more powerful it is. The magic of this keep, too, is maintained by belief. As long as you believe you can do it, the Fiery Globe can accomplish it. Five thousand years ago, my brother wanted the Fiery Globe for himself. The Fiery Globe is an object of immense power. Although it is not evil, it can achieve evil if it falls into the wrong hands. Hence, I put a spell over the Fiery Globe to protect it. When my brother tried to use it, he was sent into Morte Hades and because of this, he lost his belief in the Fiery Globe.

“When you thought about the Fiery Globe when you were in danger, you were showing your belief towards it. Hence, the magic answered to this belief and this allowed you to use it against my brother.”

“The Sword of Alliance…Do you know what magic it possesses? How does the magic work?”

“I’m not too sure about it myself. But I do know that you are the only one who is able to call upon this magic. It is instilled with the fighting skills of past commanders. Your birth was predicted by a prophet four thousand years ago. You are the one who can survive Morte Hades, even your battle with the dark knight was part of your destiny. You have passed the test Fate has put up for you. Now, you are the new Ultimate Being of the World.”

“What? Me? What are you talking about?”

“You remember the old man? He is a prophet, the last of his kind. He wanders about with no place to go in particular but he chose to go to you, to help you. In fact, he was the prophet who predicted your birth four thousand years ago. Why do you think he did that? He told you that not all of you will make it to Morte Hades together, so that you will stay alert. You must have thought that he meant that one of you will die. What he meant was that the company would be split up. He was also trying to tell the others not to leave you; that you were not really dead, but none of you thought of it.”

Al Xander was getting dizzy from the riddles.

“The magic I possess is vast, you will learn the skills required after I die, remember, the new age has arrived, the old age has come to past and it’s time for me to die with it. Goodbye, young warrior, I’ll leave the world to you.”

With those words, the dragon took off.

Al Xander did not have any questions. Somehow, he knew that it was his age.