Granas3
2008-10-15, 05:51 PM
Voiceless Aura is a Fantasy novel I am writing, with a style unfluenced heavily by JRPGs and anime. It'll be posted here in several parts, which I'll call chapters for lack of a better word.
Chapter One: Aural Shift
See it there, a fragmented world held in fragments of dissapating magic. A crude disc is what defines this collection of tiny Worldlets. At one end, below a cancerous mountain range lies the Great Pit; the ten descending circles dubbed Hell, home of the Demons. At the other lies a tiny Island, with a single mountain protruding over the edge: Heaven's Berth. Beyond, the casual observer will note a series of rocks, spreading out into the vast gulf of Space. These are the Worldlets that make up Avalon, home to the so called Higher Beings.
As for the large Disc, neither the Demons nor the Elves of Avalon ever cared much about it. Here, something had been birthed half way between Heaven and Hell, neither demon nor elve. They called themselves Humans, and their world was the field of great battles long past; the Valkiri Plains.
If one were to bother with North and South, you would notice two towers, placed at these points as you look down upon the world. Creatures created by the godless hand of Mokai Armstead pour from the Temple of Nought to the South, towards the Tower of Isaac. Isaac Alrecht stands atop his tower, directing his troops, occasionally letting lose a weak spell to aid them. A girls with pointed ears, no more than ten years old, observed the battle at his side. She was trying hard to ignore a ragged old cloak that was tangled in the branches of a nearby tree. The spectral image stirred her childish fears, and she could not help but feel that it was staring at her hungrily.
Suddenly, the Creatures disolve to nothing, only to reform as more magical beings. Each took the form of an elven woman with long flowing hair, crackling with magical energy. More and more appeared, and Alrecht's men were soon outnumbered, their swords having no effect on these agile nymphs.The girl, named Domino, looked on in horror.
"Izzy!" she cried, tugging at her guardian's sleeve. "Their swords aren't working! Do something!"
Isaac stared intently at the battle, his face lit by sporadic bursts of magic. He was dressed in a plain black coat which covered his ankles. His hair was a deep red, and spiked out in all directions, looking as though blood were splattering from the back of his head. After some contemplation, he simply stated, "There is nothing more to be done. I have given them a strategy."
"But..."
"But nothing. Mokai has played his hand well. There is too much magic in the air, and his creatures grow more powerful with each spell."
The soldiers fought on. They were human, like Isaac, and had known nothing but war their whole lives. Few were dead, but none of Mokai's spirits had fallen. The battle had become a grim recurrence realation. The base of the Tower was well guarded, but stray spells and bodies being blasted back had weakened the foundations. The Tower shook.
"The Battle is not yet lost," said Isaac, turning to his ward. "If you trust me, take my hand."
She did so, as Isaac cried words of magic in the Ancient tongue of Avalon, "Okuru!" "Transmit!"
Domino closed her eyes as rainbow colours washed over her, and the harsh whine of reality bending drowned out all other noise.
Then, there was Silence.
Chapter 1.5: On Magic
There are three schools of magic in the world of Continua. The first two are easily explained, as so little is understood. There's Old Magic, where the mage performs Rituals to bind a God to a sacred Circle, or Item, by chanting its name thrice. Then, a test of wills begins. The Mage must keep the Spirit in check, otherwise he will lose his mind to it. But it all boils down to the Mage offering a sacrifice in return for a favor. Before it came to be Old Magic, this was known as "Religion".
Then there is the New Magic, where the power of the stars is harnessed with special symbols. We would call this Science, or Mathematics. Few practice this, as it is incredibly difficult to perform a simple task like conjuring water.
Finally, but certainly not least, there is Aural Magic. Everyone on continua, except the Gutter Demons, has an Aura, and this will be one of nine colors. These colors corespond to an "Aural Shade", which in turn controls one of the Elements. These are often depicted in a cycle. The four main elements are shown at the North, east, south and west points on the Cycle, and are respectively Wind, Water, Earth and Fire. At the other four points are the intermediary elements; elements derived by mixing two of the four main elements. For example, Wind and Water make Ice. A denizen of Continua has most control over the element matching their Aura, but can still cast spells using the Elements to either side of theirs on the cycle. The Shades and Elements are Flaming Crimson(Fire), Shocking Yellow(Lightning), Howling Green(Wind), Chilling Blue(Ice), Quenching Blue(Water), Earthbound Orange,(Earth) and Destroying Purple(Destruction). The other two shades are Immaculate White, which gives mastery over all elements and the Sacred Artes. Those with a White Aura have true Immortality, far greater in power than that of the Elves. The White Aura must cast spells carefully, as each spell of an element corrupts their Aura's purity, forever staining their Aura with that element's color. Some do this deliberately, to give them True mastery over their chosen element. This is commonly called "tinging". Normally, no one can ever be born with an Aura of Creation, the element between Water and Earth, but if one were to tinge a White Aura, well, they would be like a God.
The final shade is Voiceless Black.
Black is an...interesting color...
Chapter 2: Of Moppets and Men
A stale wind blows throught the Temple of Nought. A ragged cloak rides this to the feet of Mokai Armstead, enclosed in a Sacred Circle. The Room is lit by a smothered gray glow, emited from five spheres of energy above Mokai.
"What news do you bring from the Tower of Isaac?"said the old man to the rag. The thing rose up, and slowly filled out, as though some unseen figure was wearing it.
"The Tower fell some time ago," it said in a silky voice."He managed to escape, as is his wont. He...did take the girl with him again."
"Intriguing, but of little signifigance. Did you see anyone else there, Fing? Any...old Friends?"
Fing looked perplexed, insofar as cloth could emote.
"There...was a young human. One of the Guilds...must've been Warrior's. He...did not seem entirely in control of his own mind."
"Definitely a male then? Hm. 'Twould seem we have an...interesting time ahead. We can kill two birds with one stone."
"Hm?"
"When the Puppet master has lost his Puppets, he must go to the Puppet Shop.
* * *
Please post comments and critcism below, though I would appreciate it if spelling and grammar errors were accompanied by plot critcism. I am from the UK, so there may be inconsitencies with whether or not i use US spellings.
Chapter One: Aural Shift
See it there, a fragmented world held in fragments of dissapating magic. A crude disc is what defines this collection of tiny Worldlets. At one end, below a cancerous mountain range lies the Great Pit; the ten descending circles dubbed Hell, home of the Demons. At the other lies a tiny Island, with a single mountain protruding over the edge: Heaven's Berth. Beyond, the casual observer will note a series of rocks, spreading out into the vast gulf of Space. These are the Worldlets that make up Avalon, home to the so called Higher Beings.
As for the large Disc, neither the Demons nor the Elves of Avalon ever cared much about it. Here, something had been birthed half way between Heaven and Hell, neither demon nor elve. They called themselves Humans, and their world was the field of great battles long past; the Valkiri Plains.
If one were to bother with North and South, you would notice two towers, placed at these points as you look down upon the world. Creatures created by the godless hand of Mokai Armstead pour from the Temple of Nought to the South, towards the Tower of Isaac. Isaac Alrecht stands atop his tower, directing his troops, occasionally letting lose a weak spell to aid them. A girls with pointed ears, no more than ten years old, observed the battle at his side. She was trying hard to ignore a ragged old cloak that was tangled in the branches of a nearby tree. The spectral image stirred her childish fears, and she could not help but feel that it was staring at her hungrily.
Suddenly, the Creatures disolve to nothing, only to reform as more magical beings. Each took the form of an elven woman with long flowing hair, crackling with magical energy. More and more appeared, and Alrecht's men were soon outnumbered, their swords having no effect on these agile nymphs.The girl, named Domino, looked on in horror.
"Izzy!" she cried, tugging at her guardian's sleeve. "Their swords aren't working! Do something!"
Isaac stared intently at the battle, his face lit by sporadic bursts of magic. He was dressed in a plain black coat which covered his ankles. His hair was a deep red, and spiked out in all directions, looking as though blood were splattering from the back of his head. After some contemplation, he simply stated, "There is nothing more to be done. I have given them a strategy."
"But..."
"But nothing. Mokai has played his hand well. There is too much magic in the air, and his creatures grow more powerful with each spell."
The soldiers fought on. They were human, like Isaac, and had known nothing but war their whole lives. Few were dead, but none of Mokai's spirits had fallen. The battle had become a grim recurrence realation. The base of the Tower was well guarded, but stray spells and bodies being blasted back had weakened the foundations. The Tower shook.
"The Battle is not yet lost," said Isaac, turning to his ward. "If you trust me, take my hand."
She did so, as Isaac cried words of magic in the Ancient tongue of Avalon, "Okuru!" "Transmit!"
Domino closed her eyes as rainbow colours washed over her, and the harsh whine of reality bending drowned out all other noise.
Then, there was Silence.
Chapter 1.5: On Magic
There are three schools of magic in the world of Continua. The first two are easily explained, as so little is understood. There's Old Magic, where the mage performs Rituals to bind a God to a sacred Circle, or Item, by chanting its name thrice. Then, a test of wills begins. The Mage must keep the Spirit in check, otherwise he will lose his mind to it. But it all boils down to the Mage offering a sacrifice in return for a favor. Before it came to be Old Magic, this was known as "Religion".
Then there is the New Magic, where the power of the stars is harnessed with special symbols. We would call this Science, or Mathematics. Few practice this, as it is incredibly difficult to perform a simple task like conjuring water.
Finally, but certainly not least, there is Aural Magic. Everyone on continua, except the Gutter Demons, has an Aura, and this will be one of nine colors. These colors corespond to an "Aural Shade", which in turn controls one of the Elements. These are often depicted in a cycle. The four main elements are shown at the North, east, south and west points on the Cycle, and are respectively Wind, Water, Earth and Fire. At the other four points are the intermediary elements; elements derived by mixing two of the four main elements. For example, Wind and Water make Ice. A denizen of Continua has most control over the element matching their Aura, but can still cast spells using the Elements to either side of theirs on the cycle. The Shades and Elements are Flaming Crimson(Fire), Shocking Yellow(Lightning), Howling Green(Wind), Chilling Blue(Ice), Quenching Blue(Water), Earthbound Orange,(Earth) and Destroying Purple(Destruction). The other two shades are Immaculate White, which gives mastery over all elements and the Sacred Artes. Those with a White Aura have true Immortality, far greater in power than that of the Elves. The White Aura must cast spells carefully, as each spell of an element corrupts their Aura's purity, forever staining their Aura with that element's color. Some do this deliberately, to give them True mastery over their chosen element. This is commonly called "tinging". Normally, no one can ever be born with an Aura of Creation, the element between Water and Earth, but if one were to tinge a White Aura, well, they would be like a God.
The final shade is Voiceless Black.
Black is an...interesting color...
Chapter 2: Of Moppets and Men
A stale wind blows throught the Temple of Nought. A ragged cloak rides this to the feet of Mokai Armstead, enclosed in a Sacred Circle. The Room is lit by a smothered gray glow, emited from five spheres of energy above Mokai.
"What news do you bring from the Tower of Isaac?"said the old man to the rag. The thing rose up, and slowly filled out, as though some unseen figure was wearing it.
"The Tower fell some time ago," it said in a silky voice."He managed to escape, as is his wont. He...did take the girl with him again."
"Intriguing, but of little signifigance. Did you see anyone else there, Fing? Any...old Friends?"
Fing looked perplexed, insofar as cloth could emote.
"There...was a young human. One of the Guilds...must've been Warrior's. He...did not seem entirely in control of his own mind."
"Definitely a male then? Hm. 'Twould seem we have an...interesting time ahead. We can kill two birds with one stone."
"Hm?"
"When the Puppet master has lost his Puppets, he must go to the Puppet Shop.
* * *
Please post comments and critcism below, though I would appreciate it if spelling and grammar errors were accompanied by plot critcism. I am from the UK, so there may be inconsitencies with whether or not i use US spellings.