“Heaven’s Falling”

“Heaven’s Falling”

Written by: Netavius Davis & Shyina Crayton

Chapter I

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. To be forward, their existence was not known until that night, we named “Heaven’s Falling.” During the darkest of hours, the sky burned fire red and could be seen the world over. The sheer destruction from the mountainous boulders being hurled down by the Gods was nothing compared to the devastation these creatures caused, once released into our world. Where’d they come from remains a mystery.

All of our best educators and scientists, wizards, and mages alike, had the slightest idea of how they came to be, but amongst the commoners and high powers over the kingdoms, we all knew one thing. They all had to be destroyed! Even more strange, during the chaos, a war broke out between the oversized beasts. It seemed that not all of them were out for blood and destruction. There were some that were fighting against one another, a civil war of sorts. Not knowing where to run or what to do, I idly stood and watched the world around me, crumble and burn to an ash.

As the smoke began to clear over the next few weeks, a prophecy came forth from one of the dragons. His name was Tuk. He was the dragon of fire. Other smaller dragons breathed fire as well, but there were those among them that bought lightning and thunderstorms, moved earth, and even controlled the winds and waters. They were slight compared to Tuk. Powerful enough to cause extinction to any living thing, but somewhat smaller in stature against the Lord of Fire. Rumor has it, Tuk could communicate with humans, but there was an exception to the link. Only a human with the power to handle the link could understand and hold the link. It was bound by magic. Tuk sought out the Grand Wizard of the Americas, being the oldest and wisest of the seven mages and wizards. The summoning, unknowingly to the Grand Wizard, was also an ancient magic in itself, which he had to obey.

They met on a deserted mountain ledge, far away from civilization and prying eyes. The reasons to come of why Tuk had chosen to reveal this ancient power, would surely change the course of history for human-kind, sorcerers, and dragons alike.

“Why have you bought me here? What is your purpose here?”, said the Grand Wizard. “Fear not human!”, the beast thundered. The vibration from his voice caused a small tremor in the earth beneath the wizard. “Such power!,” the Grand Wizard mumbled to himself. “Who are you? What are you? How did you come to be?” “Fear not human!”, the beast groveled again. This time, the tremor beneath the earth of the Grand Wizard caused him to take a few steps back, away from the mountain’s edge. “I am from an ancient magic, called Dragon. Conqueror of element fire, I am Lord of Fire, Tuk.” The Grand Wizard remarked, “Dragon? I have not heard of any such magic and I am almost 1,000 years of age.” “And I ten millennium!”, Tuk bellowed.

“A prophecy has been foretold to kind, before humans existed.” The bewildered expression on the Grand Wizard’s face told stories in itself, not known to man. “Human, do you not understand the power which you possess? Do you know of its creation?” Tuk asked. The Grand Wizard seemed confused by the line of questioning. “I know that the magic I possess comes from a source, but that source’s location has never been discovered. It is said, in scribe, that the source is an eternal flame.” “You are wise beyond your years, Human. The source is indeed an eternal flame; a flame which lives in thee.” The Grand Wizard’s mouth began to gape open. He could not fathom what Tuk had just said.

“The source of all Dragon Lords & Empresses, in that which they possess, is within them. The knowledge in which you do not understand, lies in death.” Tuk continued. The Grand Wizard’s eyebrow began to twitch. “By what or whom do you speak of in such ill capacity?”, he questioned. “It is I, the source of the power in which you hold. In death, magic amongst the humans will diminish. So as it is written, humans are a cancer and with time, can rid this world of its beauty. My species exists, as her protectors.

There are those among us that solely wish to rid the earth of human-kind, and there are those of us, such as I, that seek to coexist and teach the ways of the Dragon. The prophecy speaks of our existence being threatened by human-kind, and should that prophecy be fulfilled, humans will be left to destroy themselves, and earth.

As it is written, you, Human, are the key. There will be seven Lords & Empresses of Dragons, seven humans with a greater power from our kind, and there shall be seven vessels. As it is written, in a time far from now, there will walk seven warriors that will possess the strength to harness our power.” Before the Grand Wizard had a chance to respond, Tuk, with one single flap of his enormous wings, disappeared into the night skies.

With the actual existence of dragons being threatened, the Grand Wizard devised a plan to abort what Tuk had told him. He summoned the Great Mages & Wizards of the Seven Kingdoms to a secret location. Once there, they all came to understand that they needed the dragons, not the other way around. For if the kingdoms did find a way to kill off the dragons, magic in the world would be vanquished. They also knew, and agreed, that a revolt was necessary, should the kings and queens of their land refuse hunting down the dragons.

What came from that meeting, were seven weapons; seven vessels, forged by magic that would serve to hold ‘Dragon Essence’, sealed away in magical boxes, preserving their existence. Conversing about “Heaven’s Falling”, they all recalled the monstrosities that plagued the night skies and the magic they had seen created. Based upon the content they shared, they created these seven weapons:

1. The Blunderbuss – Twins at conception, Keeper of Fire & Roar of Thunder.

2. The Jäger – Wielder of Lightning.

3. The Culverin – Essence of Earth.

4. The Falconet – Catcher of Wind.

5. The Serpentine – The 2nd set of twins, Phases of Moon & Tides of Water.

Each of the Grand Mages & Wizards took one of the weapons, responsible for its safekeep within their land. The Keeper of Fire went to the Grand Wizard of The Americas (NA). The Roar of Thunder went with the Grand Wizard of The Southern Americas (SA). The Wielder of Lightning went to the Mage of Asia. The Essence of Earth, rightfully, went with the Grand Wizard of The Africas. The Catcher of Wind went with the Mage of Europe and the last set of twins, Phases of Moon went with the Mage of the Frozen Tundra (Ant), while The Tides of Water went to Australia.

Seemingly, as quick as they had appeared, the dragons were gone. The kingdoms, banned together, moved more quickly than the sorcerers were able to produce the vessels. They were able to find strong holds of the fledglings and wipe them out one by one. An even trade off of human life was met with brutal ends with each dragon they encountered. When all was said and done, only the seven lords remained, and the wizards and mages, saw prophecy being fulfilled.

During, what seemed like an ordinary night another millennium later, an event similar to “Heaven’s Falling” happened, only this time, it was more about the cosmos rather than earthly destruction. Every thousand years or so, the great stars of the cosmos align, causing unnatural events to take place in our world. Due to the great prophecy, people over time stopped paying attention to the stars. They stopped looking for guidance from the gods. Human-Kind began to lean towards its own knowledge and gained advantages where they could, building up great nations, fighting in wars, and causing Earth great harm in the process.

On this particular night, seven of the aligned stars extinguished. Never before in the history known to mankind had such an event been heard of, or recorded. Under this anomalous event, there were seven children born of the same complexity, but all born on a different continent. To those up close and personal, it was just another child born; nothing out of the ordinary about that, but under the watchful eyes of the mages and wizards, they knew these children were special.

Phases of Moon

Born during the cosmic event 12 years ago, Sasha led a life quite different from other earth dwellers. To be specific, she was born in what we now call Antarctica, categorically the coldest place on earth. Her personality built and bred, just like the land in which she was hailed. Her skin, hard and cold, showed a frigid strength that could be rivaled to the strongest men in her colony. She had incredible strength for an adolescent, particularly during new and full moons. It’s almost as if the moon and its phases, gave her powers. Able to withstand the coldest of temperatures, she has free range of exploration on her land. While ¾ of the year is spent under darkness, her senses where the first to manifest.

Tides of Water

The ocean is one of mother nature’s magnificent wonders. Bodies of water so massive, capable of amazing the eyes that behold and striking sheer fear and terror if not respected. Born in the heat of Australia, Eshe lived in the water. Raised by her mother, a 2 time surfing champion, Eshe was taught the value of living from the lands, and waters. She learned that the mystic of the waters was what captivated scientist the world over to uncover and discover new life. Caring and giving, she followed in her mother’s footsteps, earning herself a Jr. title during competition. She is what we say, “A fish out of water,” when she is not in or near a body of water. She also holds Australia’s record for holding her breath while submerged, beating out Navy Seals and some Olympians.

Catcher of Winds

Elegance, swiftness, and almost weightless when she moves, Nathifa is quickly becoming Europe’s next protégé in dance. Effortlessly gliding across stages, she’s been able to tackle numbers that most professionals dare attempt. Her father, an investment banker, and her mother, a well know artist in hand made pottery, Nathifa has had a life tailormade from birth. Both of her parents have struggled significantly with trying to start a family, going through great links using modern medicine to assist, but to no avail. During her birth, perched on the top floor window seal of her mother’s delivery room was a falcon, watching the miracle happen, intently.

Essence of Earth

Having a “Green Thumb” would be an undersell when speaking about Timon. Herbs, traditional gardening, and flowering plants are a thing of specialty for him. Learning the trade from his grandmother, she noticed his curiosity for plants early on in his childhood. Born in the Africas (Africa), he has to compete with the elements of nature and its animal kingdom. Creating a way to use plants to cultivate fresh drinking water, Timon is responsible for and creating the organization Fresh Water, using the vast amount of knowledge his grandmother taught him. One of his pet peeves is being told to sleep in his bed. He’d rather sleep on the ground itself, and listen to the world beneath him.

Wielder of Lightning

If speed is the name of the game during a race, then Niko is a cut above the rest. Taller in stature, she takes her build from her father. Standing over 5 ft tall, doctors have projected her to be at least 6’1 once she is fully grown. Her personality is bright and sparky, with a quick wit type of response to any situation she comes across. Usually the center of attention, she thrives in Asia’s populated cities, showcasing her talent and relishing in every moment.

God of Thunder

Loud and boisterous with a build to boot, Kamau was easily the bigger of all the children born. He has exemplemented a fearless attitude and somewhat reckless abandon in almost every relationship he has tried to establish throughout his childhood. Kamau has been sent home from school on numerous occasions, for what most would call bullying and said that his braggish attitude would need to be curved if he were to continue attending. Raised by his father in the jungles of South America, Kamau has taken an interest in sparing, using the tree trucks of the native rainforests. With each impact, he could rattle the trees just enough that it would scare off the wildlife within the area.

Conqueror of Fire

Having an affixation with all things hot and fiery, Chioke is what we call in the 21st century an adrenaline junky and a hot head. Always daring to push the boundary, he has a knack for finding himself in trouble, especially with his uncle. His mother and father were both killed during what was allegedly a routine traffic stop by the arresting officer, leaving he and his siblings to next of kin, being his mother’s brother. With civil unrest on the rise nationwide, the Windy City has seen its fair share of unarmed African Americans being slain without probable cause. Protests were a thing his uncle was a part of during the days of riots. That same passion burned deep within Chioke, and burned literally.

Each of the mages and wizards, very aware of the cosmic event, knew that the extinguishing of the stars was no coincidence. Over the years, they have all kept in communication, guarding, and keeping watch over the vessels they had created a millennium ago. All have had to adjust and adapt with the changes throughout history and have currently agreed that implementing themselves into each of the children’s lives was vital to the restoration and balances of power on earth.

With them posing as ordinary working people, the sorcerer’s plans began to come to fruition. Appealing to the children in a myriad of ways during year 12, the prophecy also spoke of latent abilities that would begin to manifest once the children turned 13 years of age. On the eve of their birthdays, all of the children started to notice a specific hue of color. The mages and wizards had been grooming them for the past year, letting them know of the pending dangers they were to face, but could not give specific knowledge on how or what would manifest. With the children looking to each sorcerer as a mentor, they all informed them of their experiences and what they were seeing. It would appear that each color trail was leading somewhere. The children were all encouraged to follow their trails as far as they could and see where it led them.

Stocked with this new information, the mages and wizards had no choice but to speak with the children’s parents and guardians, stating that the children would be part of a special program that could take them abroad. With the parents’ permission, the children were on their way, headed to an unknown location where their color trails would end. With excitement and suspense in the air, they embarked on their respected adventures.

The trails of colors eventually lead the children and the sorcerers to taverns, deep beneath the earth’s surface in total isolation. There, outside the openings, the mages and wizards gave instruction to each of them that they’d proceed alone and to find that which is them. After overcoming a few trials and boobytraps within the caves, each child came to an area that was open and infused with magic. Passing through the barriers, they all walked up to a solid wooden box. The boxes did not have key holes are any instructions on how to open them, confusing their young minds. It stumped them, as they could not figure out how to open them, but the braver of the seven stepped forward and touched his box.

It was Chioke/Jamal. Once he touched his box, a magical link was created from the contents within, allowing him to open the wooden keepsake. Lifting the lid and revealing its contents, he grabbed the ancient weapon forged with magic, and the color of his trail suddenly rushed through the vessel and into Chioke/Jamal. Simultaneously, the other six children did the same thing in their locations, ending with the same result, awakening their latent powers, and inheriting each of the seven ancient beasts. The surge of power and information was so massive, it knocked all of the children backwards, throwing them savagely against the tavern walls, causing them to black out. A circular ring of each color dispelled from each location into the air, expanding wider and wider until they were no longer visible.

Eshe sat up in bed, drenched with night sweats and slightly panicked. “Was I dreaming?” she asked herself in the cold darkness.