Prologue

There was a story often told, from the days before the Kingdom of Eldan rose and the throne of the king Areldil was made, that had been passed down through the lands of Telos. Lands that were vast and wild, with only a handful of large settlements upon it's surface. Many things of magic and mystery still roamed this world and would continue to do so for many more years to come. It was only to be expected that the always fearful men would be cautious of any queer strangers. And so, the story of the wandering warlock was passed along, often to children as a cautionary tale, but also amongst travelers, so that they may be wary for any questionable people they crossed paths with.

In the small village of Dathildun, there was an old man, sitting on a worn wooden bench with a group of children around him. A walking stick was clutched in his withered hands and his wispy white hair shone in the bright light of the sun. He spoke with great emotion, as he told the story of the old warlock.

"It was a long time ago, when the fair Goddess Lydiel looked down upon our land and saw how we struggled," he began.

"In her kindness, she took pity upon us, and so she created seven servants to do her bidding and aid us in settling on this world she gifted us. They were wielders of magic, kind as the Summer breeze and noble as the best of kings. All of them, were fair and loved humans as much as their Lady Lydiel, for they were made in her image. From the heavens, they came, and each gave us great gifts of knowledge. All seven wandered the land, imparting knowledge upon all, showing us the way to live in peace with the world and the heavens and the Lady Lydiel was glad.

But there was one wizard who was not happy, Keleth, he was called, and he ruled over the cold frozen winds. He withered crops and hardened lakes wherever he went and the people did not love him. Great was his sadness at seeing his brothers being revered and jealousy grew in him, but he was not the only one who felt this way. The mage Lyne'eth held a secret envy of his brother, Irandil, the one who gifted us with fire to warm our homes and craft our tools. Beloved was he, above all others, and Lyne'eth resented this.

Seeing the jealousy of Keleth, he approached him. Kind faced and sharp of mind, he had no trouble convincing Keleth to be rid of Irandil. They tricked the kind wizard and trapped him with icy winds, and with a touch of Keleth, he was frozen. Lyne'eth took this chance and sealed him in a mountain before Keleth could stop him, for he regretted what he had done. And so, Keleth wept for his brother, filled with remorse, and guarded the holy mountain, waiting for Irandil to awaken."

The children sat there wide eyed, watching the old man in awe and all was quiet for a moment.

"But what happened to the other bad wizard?" a little girl asked hesitantly.

"The wicked warlock Lyne'eth escaped before his brothers could know what had happened. He hid deep in a dark forest and waited, until the time of the wizards was deemed over and Lady Lydiel led them back to the heavens and to her side. Only he was left, along with Irandil, who sleeps still in the mountain, and his guard, Keleth. The time of men began and Lyne'eth stepped out from hiding. They say he lives still, and wanders the land doing evil deeds. He travels hidden beneath a black cloak and carries a flute with which he plays the music of the demons. Those who aren't careful will be entranced by the haunting sound, and will never be seen again."

If the children weren't scared before, they would definitely be frightened after hearing the fate of the warlock. Some of them were holding onto each other, shooting nervous looks to the forest around their village.

"What are you doing scaring the children?" an old woman called with a frown.

She hurried over with a look of exasperation and the old man scowled.

"I wasn't scaring them," he snapped.

"I just thought they should know about the Wandering Warlock. You never know where he'll show up," he muttered darkly.

The woman, who was really his wife, let out a frustrated sigh and turned to the children.

"Off you go then, go on and play somewhere else. Don't stay around and let yourselves be frightened by the ramblings of an old fool."

As the children walked off, each going their own way, they could faintly hear the indignant voice of the old man as he bickered with his wife. Too preoccupied were they of what lay in the forest around them.

Before anyone kills me for starting another story, please hear me out! I had to post this, I just love it too much. I was just struck with inspiration one day and this whole story came out and then I thought, 'well, what if there was more to the story?' so I wrote this, and I'm still writing it. I have a few chapters ready, but I won't post them too soon, just to allow myself a short reprieve. If, however, I get a very good response from readers, I might post another chapter this week. Now, on to the backstory of the story.

This is just the story behind the story, kind of, I know, confusing, but bare with me for a moment. It takes place in the same world as my other story The Mirror of Reveries(so you finally get to know what the world is called), but many years earlier, so you won't be seeing very many characters from that story. That's not to say some characters won't make a cameo *cough*Larus*cough*. Yeah, he'll probably make a small appearance, and he will be younger, of course. Other characters related to MoR characters will appear, but you don't have to read that story to read this one.

The names of places and people in this story are half made up and half real. I like using old unusual names in various fitting languages, so some do have real meanings that I found fitting. Others, like the names of the wizards, are a mix of several suffixes and prefixes from different languages, but they still have a meaning, I might post those later if you guys are curious. Also, the title is tentative, I might or might not change it, if you have any suggestions, please tell me.

Anyways, on the next chapter, the real plot starts and we meet some of the more important characters. I hope you enjoyed the prologue and stick around for the rest. Please review and tell me what you think. If I get a decent amount of reviews, I might post earlier than I should(bad author!). Until next time!