The Legendary Mage (Alavin)

The Immortal Edge sang out sharply, flipping through the air and wrapping around Alavin's finger, forming the ring of the Kings, merging with his flesh and blood.

"Kings..." Alavin started to plead. The journey to Stormcast was over two thousand kilometers. How long would it take to drag them there? Time was of the essence. He could not afford delays. But the Kings gave him no time to ponder. "The final judgment begins!"

The eighteen colossal statues roared. Their voices were filled with supreme authority, and their mighty bodies struggled fiercely, shattering the stone walls of the Royal Mausoleum with powerful energy, intent on destruction. Beams of light burst forth, forming a vast aura of war, piercing hundreds of meters underground toward the surface.

The Kings, silent for millennia, were about to re-emerge into the world!

Atop the cliffs of Watchful Shore, Godfred waited anxiously for Alavin. What clever plan did the Lord Alavin have to fend off the chieftains of the Northlands? Time was ticking. Grima was due to return to Stormcast with Celesse and the others today, and news should be spreading. Soon, the vast Northlands would buzz with excitement. The Eight Orders and Five Lords would all descend upon Stormcast, along with many other powerful beings. This would be a spectacle unparalleled in the Northlands. Any mishap could reduce Stormcast to rubble. How could the Lord Alavin possibly turn the tide? It seemed an impossible task.

It wasn't that Godfred doubted Alavin, but the situation was hard to conceive.

In the nearby woods, countless Magi-Monsters and mercenaries scoured the area for treasures, hoping for some great find.

As dusk approached, the sea remained turbulent. Waves crashed against the coast, creating a spray that filled the sky.

Godfred's irritation was palpable as he kicked a stone at his feet into the air. But as his boot connected, a muffled rumble erupted from the dense forest behind him, as if emerging from deep within the earth. It's a sound of something breaking, chilling to the core.

"What was that noise?" Godfred frowned and turned. His senses were on high alert.

The sound of the earth tearing apart came in rapid succession, startling a multitude of roosting birds into flight, silencing the nearby woods. Many mercenaries and Magi-Monsters instinctively sought the source of the sound.

The booming grew deeper, and after a moment, the land within a mile's radius trembled violently, as if seized by an earthquake.

"This is bad." Godfred spread his wings and soared into the sky, looking down in astonishment at the forest below.

Crack! A massive fissure suddenly split open the woodland, spewing thick dust and sending stones skyward. The crevasse was dark and menacing. More and more fissures appeared, tearing through the fores floor and shredding a distant mountain range. The thunderous noise was growing louder and more terrifying, as if some monstrous beast was roaring beneath the earth.

Magi-Monsters fled, birds took to the sky, and many mercenaries retreated in astonishment from the sudden chaos that felt apocalyptic.

"Aaargh!"

A piercing roar echoed from beneath the ground, shattering the earth, collapsing mountains, and completely devastating miles of forest. Dust clouds billowed, rocks tumbled, and the giant fissures shattered the ground, swallowing ancient trees and causing several high peaks to crumble into a chaotic cascade of rubble.

"What is that?"

"Is something about to emerge from beneath the earth?"

Godfred was astounded, as were the mighty beings of the distant mountains. Even the powerful ones scouring the nearby seas turned back to gaze at the coast, their faces etched with shock.

Boom, boom, boom! Beams of intense light burst from the earth, shooting into the sky, dispelling the gloom and shattering the thick clouds. The light illuminated the mountains and fields, so bright that many could not open their eyes. It pulsed with an energy that made hearts race. People watched in terror, retreating in panic, feeling an overwhelming presence within the depths of the light, and a hoarse roar, as if indeed a being of unparalleled power was being born into the world.