Prologue

The room was incredibly small. Even with only two occupants, it was crowded and close. The only furnishings were two thin chairs made of a material that looked suspiciously like bone. Both occupants were tall and swathed from head to foot in cloth so black it seemed to absorb light. The first, known as Sylgythin, was the taller of the two and had several ornate gold necklaces around his neck, including a golden snake wrapping itself around a skull. He spoke with a harsh, hissing accent. “Hasss the boy been found yet?”
His apprentice, a thin, fragile youngling barely out of the shell merely reached into his wrappings and brought forth a large crystal shard. As they both stared into the crystal and fed magical energy into it, an image coalesced. It was a young man, tall and slightly stocky. The man was punching the door of a locker. “Good. Arrange for his entry into the Daecyean. And make sure he arrives here,” hissed Sylglythin.
“As you command, Sylgythin.” His apprentice bowed hastily and exited the room, presumably to see to the young man’s new fate. Sylgythin doubted that was all he was going to do. His opponents had placed spies throughout his servants, and there was small chance that even his apprentice was not reporting to another beside himself.
It did not matter however. What mattered was the boy. He was the first human with enough potential to be a full Mage in thousands of years. He could possibly be the human prophesied to reopen the Daecyeanwyd, the Worldgates. With him, the Geweneidr could open the Worldgates and conquer all who opposed them. How to bend him to the will of the Geweneidr though? Sylgythin chuckled to himself and set off to see the cook. He always thought better on a full stomach.
Elsewhere, in another realm of the Daecyean, several more sets of eyes watched the young man. These eyes held a different purpose than those of the Geweneidr. These eyes watched to help the young man.
“He must be told of his potential. If he is not trained, he could cause great harm to those around him.” The speaker was delicately built, slender and fair-skinned. He was almost six feet tall and wore a forest green cloak. Then another, much stouter figure began bellowing at the top of his lungs.
”Ye canna be telling th’ lad yet Lyasos! If he be told an’ he canna control the power he do have within him, there be no end to th’ destruction caused!”
The speaker was short and his stoutness reminded all there of a barrel. The scar running from the corner of his eye to end at his jaw line was white with suppressed rage. He fingered the axe hanging at his belt and glared at all races present.
There was Lyasos, the envoy for the Velgira and the Leidyn representative Wyaeth sitting next to the polished marble table. The Dregwasian ambassador Discaigen curled his scaled bulk around a nearby oak tree and rested his head under his wing. Discaigen raised his head and spoke to the diminuitive figure.
“Wylcryth, you are the representative of the Caregweith. Your race may work stone, but apparently they haven’t worked on your head yet. You know that the destruction he causes will be worse if he does not know. The only option we have is to bring him to us.” Wyaeth jumped to his feet, his furred bulk and shocked face giving the impression of a wolf backed into a corner.
“Are you mad?” He snarled. “He is a human! Even if he can survive the shock of being pulled from his world with out a Worldgate open, how will we teach him to control his magic? Human magic is different from every other race’s.” As he finished speaking, a tinkling laugh announced the arrival another member of the Council of Worlds. Mirain was the Ginaelian ambassador.
“You started without me?” she tittered. Fluttering her dragonfly wings, Mirain alighted upon the tabletop. Even there, all the other ambassadors needed to look down to speak to her.
“I agree with Discaigen. If we bring him here, we can at least keep a closer watch on him. And who knows, maybe he can teach himself to control his talent under our supervision.” At that last sentence she smiled and fluttered her eyelashes at Wylcryth.
“Shall we have a vote on the issue then?” Lyasos smiled. “I vote we bring him here, to learn to control his abilities.” Wylcryth huffed and muttered “Ye’ll bring destruction yet, Lyasos. I vote for gatherin’ the lad in.” Lyasos looked to Wyaeth, who nodded grimly and stalked away from the group.
“You have my vote,” said Discaigen in his deep bass growl. Lyasos nodded. “Then all is settled. We represent a majority of races, so we may make preparations to retrieve the young man.” The group stayed together for a moment, bidding good day to the others, then set off in different directions.
Lyasos went to speak to the Velgiran Mages, while Wylcryth and Mirain left to see to preparing rooms for the young man. Discaigen took to the air with a thunderous clap as he headed for the mountains the Dragwesian embassy used for a temporary home. All the ambassadors had one thought in their minds: This would be the beginning of a new age.