There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy...

Underneath the veneer of normalcy that most human beings experience is another world: one that moves on more or less the same plane, but exists in an entirely different reality. Here angels and demons mingle as they see fit, while other creatures roam the night, and sometimes the day, known only to a chosen few humans who can see beyond the surface.

It is in this world that the Ten of Swords Organization operates. It is in this world that they move. It is this world that they try to hide from the rest of humanity, thus ensuring their own safety in the process. It is in this world that they shall be challenged by a force greater than any they could have ever imagined, because the cloak of concealment that hides their existence from the rest of humanity is about to be torn wide open, and they must keep it closed.

Their existence – and the existence of so many others – depends upon it.

Betwixt Heaven and Earth

First Divide: Foresight and Foreboding

Change: it was coming.

She had heard rumor of it, of course, and she had taken no heed of it. She had lived most of her life being taught that when Change came, it should be allowed to do as it should, because it was the only way to maintain the balance between Chaos and Order. She had been instructed in the importance of allowing this process to happen, because if all were Order, everything would remain the same, and nothing would ever be fresh or new. However, neither was it wise to allow Chaos to run amok, because it would result in a constant cycle of destruction until nothing was left, and nothing was rebuilt.

She had learnt that it was important for a Balance to be maintained between the two, and ever since she had learnt of her gift and her privilege, she had spent the rest of her life learning how to do just that. She had learnt the importance of memory and of preservation of what had gone before in writing and books. She had learnt that, even though Chaos might clash with Order and bring about Change, it was always important to remember what had gone before, lest the lessons learned from those times were forgotten. Preservation, in the end, was a way of maintaining the Balance that she had been taught to value.

However, that Balance was being challenged, and not in the way that she had expected it to be. This was no ordinary shift between Chaos and Order: it was something far larger, and far more complex, than anything she had ever imagined. She could sense it in the way that those whom she held her friends and mentors were shifting around, uneasy, as they were, about what was coming.

Change: it was coming. And now, more than ever, she had to take heed.

    "The Veil trembles," she murmured softly as she gazed out the window at the sleeping world, not only to herself but also to all those whom she knew would be listening. "It trembles, and its tremors send ripples throughout the world."

    "Change is coming, Little One. It comes, and it disturbs the whole of the world."

She looked over her shoulder, and her gaze fell upon the nothingness of the library behind her. She did, however, feel the presence of something other than herself: the presence of something larger, and far more powerful than anything she had ever encountered. However, this was a familiar presence, one that she had gotten used to, and she bowed to the emptiness, according the being that she could not see the respect he deserved. "I hear you, Lord Confector. I have felt this Change, but I do not know what it is."

    "You shall learn of it soon enough," replied the Spirit Dragon who called himself Lord Confector – a name that, she knew for certain, was not his true Draconic name, but one that he had assumed for her to use when speaking to him. She knew and understood why he did not reveal to her his true name, and she respected his decision not to reveal it to her by never asking him for it. "The Veil shakes, and the few who can sense it's shaking are already preparing themselves for what is to come."

Another presence filled the room then: large, like Lord Confector, but not ghostly, for it materialized in the form of an elegant dragon with fine iridescent scales that shimmered with a delicate blue light. She bowed to this other one as well. "I am honored by your presence, Lady Kairos."

    "It is good that Lord Confector has already spoken to you of what is to come," replied the Time Dragon who called herself Lady Kairos. "I have already seen what is to come, and the role that you may play in the Time of Chaos that is approaching, ."

, Dragon Mage of the Dragons of the Good and the Neutral, bowed once more to the two Dragons, who were amongst the highest and the noblest of those who taught her their lessons and the secrets of dragon magic. "What is your desire, My Lord and Lady? What is it that you wish me to do?"

    "On that I may not speak," Lady Kairos replied, but Lord Confector spoke: "It is of great importance that you aid in the maintenance of the integrity of the Veil. Remember: it is not only your existence that is at stake here, but also the existence of everything and everyone who rely upon the Veil to protect them. Without it, the many worlds would be laid bare to the sight of those who can never understand these mysteries, and what would result would be a Time of Chaos so destructive that it would be many, many millennia before any of the worlds recovered."

    "Preserve and remember: that is our tenet," murmured, and bowed lower. "I accept the task that you have given me. I shall execute it to the best of my ability."

    "Yet you cannot accomplish this alone, Little Dragon. To do so would be folly."

looked up, and watched as a tall man entered the room. His features were handsome, if a little sharp, his ageless face framed by long raven hair that seemed to sparkle with points silver. His fathomless eyes were also black, and flecked with the same silver that seemed to run through his hair. She bowed to his man as well, addressing him by the name that he said she should use to refer to him: "Lord Abelard."

The Adamantine Dragon gestured for her to straighten up, greeting Lord Confector and Lady Kairos. "I thank you for your coming, My Lady and Lord. I shall speak to her now and address what she must do."

The two Dragons nodded in return, and left: Lady Kairos disappearing as if she had never even been there, while Lord Confector's presence merely dissipated the way a chill fades in the face of warmth. She turned to Lord Abelard, and asked: "What did you mean, when you said that I couldn't face this alone?"

    "It is just as I have said," Lord Abelard replied. "This is a challenge that is far too great for you to face alone. You will do your part, that is for certain, but you will have to help others, even as they help you. Only by standing together alongside others may you face this."

nodded. "I understand." She paused, and then gave him an inquisitive look. "Did you have anyone in mind with whom I may ally myself?"

    "I do not, as yet, for I cannot tell you with whom you must make your alliances." Lord Abelard gave her a long, even look. "Many will come to you, seeking the knowledge that you have stored and maintained, as well as your power and the backing of the Dragon Realms. It is up to you with whom you choose to lend your power and your influence."

    "I understand," replied. She paused for a moment, and then bowed to Lord Abelard. "There is something that I must see to, My Lord. May I be excused?"

When she saw Lord Abelard nod, she straightened, and turned away, heading out of the library and down the stairs towards the cellar, where she kept a great many documents and treatises – among other things.

Change: it was coming.

Change... It had already come.

Proceed to [ The Second Divide ]
 

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Kage
29.May.2006