Hidden Destinies

(Yes, I'm working on this one now.)

Prologue
765BA, Abraskian Acadamy

A whistle blew and brought Tibernicus back to reality. His stiff robes felt heavy upon his shoulders, especially on a day as hot as this. The Head was marching along the line of students in the courtyard at the centre of the Acadamy, her boots kicking up dust as she went. Tibernicus, known as Tiber for ease of use, was the twelth in line on the third row back, and hung around his neck he had his student number, L3. He'd always hated the idea of being categorised. He didn't care that the Acadamy catered to the needs of all of Lunica - there were other Acadamies closer to home for them to go to.

The Head, an Immortal who often claimed to have been there when the Acadamy was built over 200 years ago, had chosen her thick grey hair, with her aging ability, for the sole purpose of intimidating the students in her care. In her mind, it suggested that she was experienced and, most importantly, senile. With this assumption in mind, she could weed out any students under the impression that they could mess with her or with the establishment vital to their society. This she ran over in her head as she stopped marching in front of column L and looked three deep into the line.

"L3," she growled, "You appear to be in the wrong place." The student shuffled forward two places, and she gave a grin that would spoil meat. "Better." She was enjoying this. Content, she began to walk again until she saw something in her peripheral vision. Something shot up into the air. There was a collective gasp from all of the students in the courtyard (except columns Y and Z, who couldn't see what was going on). The Head turned and wandered back, and looked three rows into column L.

Tibernicus was stood casually, having just thrown his numbertag high into the air. It landed on the ground, number-side up, and there were a few seconds of pure silence. Then the metallic clang of The Head's boot's filled the empty space as she separated the students and grabbed him by the collar. He was glad for the relief. A short administrator came skuttling from the main doors and continued the inspection as The Head dragged Tibernicus through the corridors of the acadamy. Immediately opposite the Courtyard Corridor sat The Head's office, which was lined by seats.

She didn't say a thing and simply scoffed at him before throwing him down onto one of the chairs, turning and wandering back to the Courtyard. SIlence once again made an appearance. Tiber looked around the room, and saw that the only other person was one female student who was a year or so older than him. (Not that it was immediately obvious, of course - it's all in the hands). He stretched out a hand, and she smiled.

"My name's Tiber," he said.

"R43," she said, "Elpis Karara."

End Chapter

Chapter One
763BA - 9th Fentuary

Despite the large number of pupils that inhabited the Academy, the class sizes were relatively small. Out of the two-thousand-six-hundred pupils of the school, the class that Tiber now sat in was only composed of thirty people. The subject was a new one, or at least new by the standards of the teacher in question. Mr. Tristmann turned to face the class as he mentally wrote the word "History" on the board.

"Despite how pointless this lesson is considering the lives we lead and the inattentiveness of some of this class, The Head has insisted upon my teaching it." He blinked and the chalk dropped to its holder. "The basic concept behind History is simple," he said with a begrudging hatred oozing from his voice, "It was Before. It is Now. It will be After. The Now was created when Atlas, Jupitus and Titania forged this world through means unknown to Immortal science. It is impossible to know the After unless someone develops precognitive powers, which as far as we know is also impossible." A hand shot up, this time not carrying a number card with it. It wasn't Tiber's. Close, maybe. It was the hand of a girl he knew called Elpis Karara.

After their painfully brief meeting in the Head's corridor, Tiber's already faulty abilities had stopped working. The medical advisor had said that it was just a phase he was going through, and that he'd be perfectly fine. But, despite Tiber’s suspicions, his abilities hadn’t worked since that faithful day in the office. At first he blamed the Head – maybe she took them away, stopped them, but the advisor said that was impossible. Regardless, this hung on his mind as the smooth but older hand shot up into the air.

“What happened in the Before, sir?” she said. Tristmann shot her a look as if to accuse her of triple murder.

“There are many legends about the Before, none of which are taught at this level of study,” he said, walking across the classroom and shutting the door. “But there is only one thing you need to know. Before Lunica there was one sun, and it was called Sol. It had eight planets, the third of which was called Earth. Earth was a planet much like ours, and it had a moon, except a moon with no life. Earth was a planet without the things we take for granted; they didn’t have abilities or magic. They used electricity as a power source.”

“And? What was it like on Earth?” she asked further.

Tristmann paused for a second, before sighing. “Earth was a place where the people raged war after war with each other. Twelve thousand years into their history and they started calling them “World Wars” and then “Galactic Wars” and soon the entire Human Race was wiped out.” There was the sounding of a gong and the class stood up in unison, filing out of the room as Tristmann sat on the desk with his head in his hands.

Tiber was intrigued as he lay in his bed that night. There couldn’t have only been Earth in the Before. That didn’t make sense. No, there had to be more. But if there was more, then why was Lunica here? What happened inbetween? He reached over to his bedside table and took a piece of parchment, noting down his ideas, and then he sealed them carefully and placed them under his pillow. He would do his best, he reasoned, to think about the Before even in his dreams.

End Chapter

Chapter Two
763BA - 27th Fentuary

Tibernicus had a book. It was by far his favourite book, although he hadn't read that many. It was called, "Hidden Destinies," and had upon the cover an embossed imprint of Lunica and the signature of the anonymous author. It wasn't particularly well-written; instead scrawled in near-illegible handwriting, spelling mistakes and punctuative faux-pas abound. But the book told a mighty tale that stirred Tibernicus' young mind.

Hidden Destinies was the tale of the Ancient Wizard Aragar, who supposedly was one of the first Immortals over two hundred years prior. The wizard was one of great power and responsibility, for he was given, by Atlas, knowledge of the Before times. Unfortunately for Tiber the story didn't go into that knowledge in any great detail, but he knew that it was important. Atlas, afraid of what Aragar might do, was said to have trapped him away at the centre of the planet, keeping the knowledge sealed forever.

Tiber didn't believed in forever. As far as he was concerned, this world hadn't been around long enough for there to be one. He knew what he must do. It would be dangerous. And very stupid. But he had to do it, or he knew his curiosity would gnaw away at him forever. That night, he packed a bag.

The next morning, he planned to find Aragnar, and the truth.

End Chapter.

Chapter Three
763BA - 28th Fentuary

A crow called out in the early morning mist. Through the window of the Academy, Tiber was knelt down by his bed, working by candle-light. From under the bed he scraped forth an antique suitcase that his father had given him, and upon breaking it open he inspected the contents: A map of the grounds, a tattered hood, Hidden Destinies and a compass with a needle that pointed the wrong way. He hung the hood around his neck and then shut the suitcase silently, heading towards the door. Before he left, he took one last look at the room and then departed.

Cold breeze danced down the corridor, but Tiber didn't feel it. His first destination was clear in his mind; Room R43. That was six floors down, and every second he would be at risk of being caught by the Warden. He made his way down the corridor to the Academy's central staircase, and tiptoed down the six flights without incident. As he approached the more fragrantly scented door to room R43, he adjusted his hood into a more favourable position and then pressed his hand up against the lock. A thick frosty haze erupted around it as the lock froze. With a quick punch the now brittle metal shattered like glass. When the door swung open upon the doorway, he found the room empty, the frighteningly identical floor still warm.

Drat, he thought. There was the sound of a gong from the other end of the corridor, and without blinking Tiber slammed the door shut and sprinted back to the stairwell. Footsteps loaded with authority echoed up the passage as he climbed the floors, never tripping on the thinly placed flags. More gongs on Floor L. By Floor D there was a cascade of footsteps crashing towards the heavens, waves collapsing upon the beach of Tiber's mind. Floor A opened up into the domed ceiling of the Overground. Hints of the morning Sun began to creep across the dome's panels as Tiber made the last sprint for the doors.

Placing his hands against the entrance door's locks to shatter them, he felt the wave of cascading sound thunder out of the stairwell and against the dome. He withdrew his hands and the doors collapsed into piles of dust, the mist enveloping the entrance hall. Suitcase in hand, he strode forth into the shadow of the Academy's walls. The walls were legendary in and of themselves; they had the name, "Harbendharjh" which was something in the Old Language that Tiber had never bothered to learn. He pressed his hands once again upon the stone wall and attempted to freeze it. No good. He hadn't worked out this part of the plan.

And then, to his most particular surprise, the ground seemed to fall away from him as two firm hands lifted him into the air and over the wall. As they set down upon the cold desert sands, Tiber turned and saw that his helper was Elpis.

"I thought you were all about the school rules," he said.

"Well, you were discussing the Before in class a few days ago and I saw that you had a book about the topic and I thought you might be trying to do some research. I had to help."

"Even if this 'research' took us outside the Academy?"

"Well, I had hoped that wouldn't be necessary..." she added quickly. They both took a moment to look out upon the desert plains. Tiber took out his compass and looked at the sun.

Pointing across the desert, Tiber nodded and they began walking towards their quest.

End Chapter

Chapter Four
763BA - 29th Fentuary

Waves crashed over the parched ground and then set solid in the air. Mountains formed and were collapsed by the wind. This is how Tibernicus saw the mighty Abraskian Desert as it stretched out before him, looking at the curvature of the planet and the dunes that rose above it. He took a sip from a waterskin and then offered it across to Elpis.

"I don't think you thought this through, did you?" she asked and then took a sip.

"I didn't think I'd need to," he said.

The Abraskian Desert was the moon's only desert, and it was much smaller than the Kharidian Desert that the Lord Guthix was currently shaping on Gielinor below. As if to compensate, the desert was incredibly treacherous and incredibly hot even by Immortal standards. This Tiber thought over again as they climbed to the top of a Dune. There it was, in the distance. Salvation. Grass as green as his eyes. A river; deep and blue.

"Finally," he gasped, "we can escape!" Tiber ran, crashing down the dune. He turned to see that Elpis was moving more slowly. "What's the matter? The desert ends over there!"

"I think it's a mirage," she said.

"What's a mirage?"

"A mirage is an illusion caused by hot weather. We want to find water, and so we're imagining it."

Tiber paused for a second to think this over. He looked back at the grassy lands, and squinted.

"Well I say we move on regardless," he resolved, continuing his steady trek.

"I want to rest," she said. He stopped, and sighed. Turning, he pressed his hands to the ground and made the sands cool, then invited her to sit down.

"What is this actually all about, Tibernicus? I heard you talking about the Before, but what does that have to do with trekking across the desert?"

Tiber turned, his eyes lighting up like those of an excited child. "I have this book," he said, "a book called, Hidden Destinies." He removed the book from his bag. "It's about this ancient wizard called Aragnar who knows about the Before!"

"You brought me out here based on a book?!?" she asked angrily, jumping to her feet. "If I'd known that I'd have never helped you out!"

"Please Elpis, just listen. We're only around 20 years old, right? Suppose that there were Immortals around even longer. Like the Head. Like Aragnar. I think that Aragnar's still alive."

"Really? How do you expect me to believe that a character in a storybook is real?"

"I just... feel it. And would it really hurt to find out?" There was a pause between them.

"I'll accompany you out of the desert. No further. I don't want any part in this," she said, and began to walk towards the end of the desert. Tibernicus smiled to himself and began to follow, confident that she would go back on her word.

End Chapter

Chapter Five
763BA - 1st Mantuber

Louis had been patient. He'd been collecting all of the accelerants he could find, leaking oil from the lamps, stealing gunpowder from the ammunitions chest. He'd stored it with great care inside a small barrel in his room, each with multiple ignition systems, set to tear the Acadamy apart in a blaze of fire whenever Louis felt like it.

He wanted her. The girl with the luscious blonde curls, hung up like sausages. The girl with the waist so thin it appeared to slither around like the snake, at the charmer's command. The girl whose smile irradiated the room with its brightness. But she had been taken by another. William Eldon was Louis' nemesis, sure and true, and there was no one else he hated more in the world than him.

And so, reasoned Louis, it would be perfectly acceptable to kill them all.

The Head and Mr. Tristmann walked slowly down the main corridor of the acadamy, the students currently in their dormitories on their break. Their slow, precise footsteps echoed throughout the empty space, invoking an air of unease that made Tristmann wring his collar discretely every minute or so. Parallel with the great doors that led from the hall to the outside world, their locks and seals shattered, the Head stopped so abruptly that Tristmann nearly walked into her. She turned to face him, and began to speak very carefully, as if holding back some supreme rage.

"This Acadamy is working with its first generation of students, Mr. Tristmann. These are the immortals who will form the future of our race; who will carve out its Golden Age and establish ourselves among the lesser species as a force for good. These are students who do not know of their greatness. They have hidden destinies. And some of them get strange ideas."

Tristmann wrung his neck again. She began to walk once more, and he followed.

"Can you tell me what happened in the lesson immediately before Hellenius and the girl escaped, Mr. Tristmann?"

He tried to remember. "Very little, really. It was a very short lesson; five minutes, after I'd finished the admin. The girl, Karara, she asked about something or other, and then the gong sounded."

"You spoke about the Before, didn't you?" she said, in a tone that increased the temperature of the corridor. Tristmann went to wring his neck, but she shot him a look and his hand swiftly descended.

"Like I said, it wasn't for very long..."

"I'm fed up with your crackpot theories about Earth and humanity. We spoke about this at the start of the year; they have no place in a classroom. History is about the period before the immediate present and after our Creation; there is nothing else!"

"You teach them in Science class to always ask questions. And yet now you stifle the truth."

"Some truthes need to be stifled, Mr. Tristmann, at least until they're old enough to not go gallivanting off based on a fairytale!"

Tristmann's face grew stark. "He has a copy of the book?"

"Yes, Mr. Tristmann, he does have a copy. And now he is no doubt half-way across Lunica looking for a mad wizard!" The gong sounded, and students started emerging from their dormitories. "This isn't the last you'll hear from me. Your classes are suspended until further notice."

She walked away, and disappeared into the sea of students now swamping the corridor. Tristmann stood still, horrified by what could be happening to the two escapees.

End Chapter

Chapter Six
763BA - 1st Mantuber

Even from their isolation in the Academy, the two young escapees had heard of the Grand Market at Agrabak. Sat on the edge of the Abraskian Desert as it kissed the coast, it was the busiest trade centre on this side of the planet. But nothing could have really prepared them for the spectacle they saw before them as they wandered through the crowded marketplace. The noise surrounding them was deafening - shopowners calling and bargaining, mothers calling to their children, the echoing sounds of livestock in distress at being carried and, on some stalls, freshly slaughtered. By this point in their journey their clothes were thick and matted with dust; Elpis had lost her shoes, but they were hardly out of place here. To them it was totally alien, but they could not help but feel at home here.

On the outskirts of the town, the stalls selling spices and game gave way to row upon row of fish stalls, as the glistening Jampungui Bay came into view. And there, bobbing up and down upon those waters. were lines of ships, some tall, some small, each coated in colours of various states and factions of the world. Tiber scanned the ships - some orange, headed for Malakentri, others brown, marking them out as commercial sailing ships. Eventually, hidden amongst the others, was what they were looked for - a ship with blue sails, marking it out as a Hoolsharan ship, headed for the mountainous Northern region believed to be the final resting place of Aragnar.

"Hey there!", Tiber cried as the two of them strolled up to the ship.

For a moment there was no reply, before a cough, a splutter and harsh footsteps. A man emerged from a below decks; tall, with a thick red beard. He was what we may call a stereotypical sailor, although for obvious reasons he had no physical deformities, and his apparent age was of his own choice.

"What do you want?" he said, impatiently. "My wares are on sail to stallowners, no-one else."

"Oh no, we don't want to buy anything," Elpis said, "We'd like passage, if possible, to Hoolshara"

The sailor laughed a hearty laugh, and then slowly stopped as he realised they were serious. "What do you have to offer to my ship? I am more than capable of running this ship by myself; I am not capable of providing lodgings and food for two extra mouths."

With that, he turned his back on them and descended back into the ship, grumbling at the imposition of their request.

"I guess that's that then", sighed Elpis, looking to Tiber. Instead of sharing her look, he had an understated smile.

"Don't be so sure," he said, the smile widening, "There's more than one way to get on board a ship. Especially if you can fly."

-

If the two had looked behind them at that moment, in the direction of the Abraskian Desert and the Acadamy from which they had escaped, they would have seen an ominous plume of black smoke. Louis' plan had been set in motion.