8.

X.

Air forcefully rushed out of my lungs just before I landed. “Gah! Who the f-“ A pair of fiery red eyes meet mine. Fuck. I’d know those eyes anywhere. I land on my knees. “By the lords, Eisty, couldn’t you wait until I reached the ground?” Eistibus, King and Arch-mage of the second sector.....and also a friend of sorts.

“That was payback for leaving without any explanation.”, he said with a sadistic smile, extending his arm. He hadn’t changed a bit over all these years. I grab his hand and get up. Tony is about to attack him, and I raise a hand. “Calm down, tiger, he’s a friend” Eistibus looks past Tony, sizing him up. Then he started looking at Tony with more...interested eyes. “Oh my. Who’s he?” his voice hinting more interest. Tony walked over. “Who’s he, X?” Tony said, radiating hostility.

Eistibus, meet Tony, my best friend, Tony meet King Eistibus of the second sector, and an old friend.” Tony reluctantly stretched out his hand. Eistibus still stood where he was, sizing up this new creature. He probably sensed the shard energy from him, and none from me. “You’re a human.”, he concluded. “A human with a shard.” He shot me a conspiratorial look. “You. Explain this later.” He walked into the throne room, leaving me and Tony behind. “What’s his problem?” Tony asked, still staring daggers at Eistibus. He didn’t like him, one bit. They’d eventually fight. And Tony would lose.....badly. But I’d rather not think about that again. “Just ignore him. He’s an old friend.”, I say dismissively, knowing Tony wouldn’t listen. He also wouldn’t stay away from M’gethir’s daughter. I heard their little discussion before, and it was obvious there was chemistry between them. It wouldn’t end well.

Tony said nothing and followed me into the throne room. There they were. The 71 Arch-mages of the universe. In all their glory. In addition to me, it made 72. The guardians of the universe, if you will. They were already seated, facing M'gethir’s throne. He was already seated speaking to another god that I recognised to be Horus. His golden armour glistening and reflecting the soft glow of the room. His dark obsidian eyes and eagle like head reminding me of his father, Ra. How’s that old bugger doing these days? I sit a ways away from the rest, scanning the room for Eistibus. As expected, he was suspiciously positioned in the centre of the few female Arch-mages that were there. He was engaged in a lively discussion with all of them. I wondered silently how many of them would sleep with him before this convention was over and they returned to their respective sectors. Perks of being a king, I guess. And an attractive one at that. High cheekbones, a muscular body, and red fiery eyes that made women tremble. If Catherine ever met him...well... wait, why am I thinking of Cathy? Focus!

Zeus cleared his throat to signal the beginning of the meeting. Every eye was on him, even the swooning ladies around Eisty. Zeus did a quick sweep of the place to confirm everyone was present and began. “Well, welcome everyone, so sorry to pull you out of your sectors so abruptly, but as you’ve been told, this is of utmost importance.” He paused, letting the words sink in. The room was filled with hypnotic silence. I looked over at Tony, his eyes were on the throne. Obviously he was looking for the girl again. We’ll have to talk about this. Zeus continued, with more force in his words. “The harbingers will attack anytime and try to invade Le'uthara. We called all of you here, because of the importance of what is to be transported. If it falls to the wrong hands, it could mean the end of our world. This is why we mus–“

“Wrong!” A voice boomed as the doors swung open, revealing a man in a hooded cloak. The guards outside were on the floor. All heads in the room swivelled towards the man in the cloak now, watching, tensed. Zeus regarded the stranger with Interest. “I’m wrong?” He smirked and fired a blast of lightning at the intruder. “If anyone is mistaken here, it’s you, imagine disturbing 72 of the most powerful mortals in the universe” The stranger deflected the lightning with a wave of his hand and it hit a guard. He was charred on the spot. “Ah, gods, always so arrogant, so deceitful” He then looked around at the Arch-mages around. “Yes, I said he lies, for this is not just your world, but all worlds”

A flurry of whispers passed through the room.

All worlds?

Zeus didn’t say anything about this

And why are we the only ones in on this?

Zeus looked perplexed, I guessed due to the fact that this intruder knew of his idea not to spread panic, but also because he also deflected the blast so easily. I felt a familiar discomfort settle in the air. I knew this feeling. I felt it years ago, when I witnessed my father brutally murder my mother. When he laughed endlessly. That strong miasma of chaos was in the air again. I stared intently at the man now. He was still looking at Zeus, his back to me. Then he swung around abruptly. I gasped. White, burning eyes stared back at me. No. No.. this can’t be... I stood and shouted at him. “Who are you!”

The man took off his hood.