The Ritual - Short Story

It's been to long time for all of this to end. Although I was in a completely different dimension of reality with my mind, I was aware of the flow of time. My mind was preoccupied with magical happenings, and everything else was transient. I entered this ritual of Ancient things only from the greatest desperation.

I was in my chambers, driven away in the basements of the Temple of All Gods, and I was alone. The only remaining representative of my brotherhood. All the others were killed in a siege that had caught us unprepared. And it continues still. The siege that came in the worst times possible, when everything around us broke up even without new enemies before our gates. Although I could not hear or see the destruction that had caught the most beautiful and the most ancient city of this continent. Walls made of marble and red stone, the kind of artistic work of our ancestors was now only dust and ash. Avenues and fountains, city buildings, all grounded with earth. I knew it, even though I did not see it with my own eyes. All these are the horrors that war brings with him. The moment of such cruel deliberation could not have been worse, because they attacked us at the moment when two families were replaced on the throne. The old King had no successors and according to the law, he had to appoint another family to inherit the throne before he turn up sixty. It was not often that happened in our history, but every time there were various turmoil and internal conflicts.

All the magicians of our temple helped in the fighting, some by taking care of the wounded, and some participating directly in the battle. Only by luck did I stay alive even though I was in combat. But the rules of our order required that if only one of us survives, it is his duty to initiate the Ritual of salvation. Although I was young, and I joined the High Mags' Order only two years ago, I was briefly acquainted with the whole ritual, but I was not sure if I was ready for such a sacrifice. Of course, I knew what I did when I accepted this robe that was on my shoulders. Now more than ever, I felt myself tackling responsibility.

I started the Ritual of Salvation more than three days ago, and he first demanded complete dedication and concentration, more than a magic art. All that follows after this ritual will bring only more destruction, but there are secrets that must never be known. Even we do not know them, we know that they exist and that these secrets must never be allowed into the hands of the enemy.

The complete destruction of everything, that's what the world expects after this ritual. Only those with pure hearts and souls will remain in life, at least so in the holy books of our order is written. And these people, with pure hearts and souls will rebuild everything that has been destroyed. Will lay the foundations of a future civilization. All the knowledge will be available to them through my magic arts and knowledge hidden in the libraries of our temple. Unfortunately, what we can not be sure of is the consequences and with these consequences we will have to face when they came. But we know what our task is and we're doing it.

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