Prologue

If there is one thing consistent about this world, it is that change usually comes through blood. War is something unavoidable to humanity. As long as there is more than one person in existence, there will be a difference of opinion. Conflict will arise no matter how hard one tries to pretend otherwise. That is the nature of humanity.

Two nations, Winterguard and Ushio, have recently concluded a war of their own. The reason stated on both sides was that too much blood was being spilt with no gain to speak of for either side. This wasn't a false statement, but it was far from the true reason why fighting had stopped. Winterguard was on top in this war, it was clear for all to see. The nation had continued to push deeper and deeper into Ushio's territory and in a year or two, likely would have won. Despite this, Winterguard was the nation to come forward with the idea for peace. The aggressor was the one to make peace. It confused the strategists of Winterguard when King Farlan ordered that Winterguard drop from the war.

What could have coerced him?

This world is one of magic. Magic energy flows through the air, and through some humans as well. At conception it is randomly determined by fate if a human is to gain magic or not. Around thirty percent of the population is born with one of three known types of magic. It is rumored that there once used to be a much larger variety, but most everyone dismisses that as a pure myth. Currently the three types of magic are Creation, Destruction, and Healing. It isn't a secret who wields different types of magic. What magic someone possesses can be indicated by the color of their eyes. The base colors of blue, brown, green, and so on are held by those without magic. The users of Creation magic are indicated by a deep, dark blue set of eyes. Destruction is shown through vibrant red eyes, and Healing a shining gold. Destruction magic is extremely difficult to learn, especially on one's own. It takes immense attention holding capabilities to be able to properly use it without accidental harm to those around the user as well. The only known teachers of Destruction are usually hired by the military or are too expensive for the common person to learn from. Creation and Healing magic are easier to use by comparison. The drawback to Creation magic is the immense amount of magic energy used when doing so. Magic energy is in the air and will naturally flow into a magic user at a set pace. No one knows the source of it, but most people think magic energy to be something of divine nature. Creation magic is also rather non-specific in terms of what can be done with it. Raw materials are the only thing that can be made from it, so finished products still have to be hand made. Healing magic is the balance between the three. It can be learned easily and takes a medium amount of energy to use. It's one drawback is that it takes years of practice and experience to be able to use it effectively, and the magic has obvious limits. If a wound is too deep, or too much blood has been lost, Healing magic will likely be unable to save someone in time. These three types of magic are simple and well known, but can one really dismiss legends of different magic as fake?

Winterguard General: "My Lord, why did you call for a retreat!?"

The guard yelled in anger. Winterguard had the upper hand, so why was this order so suddenly given?

King Farlan's face showed an immense feeling of terror. No one in the room had the guts to call it out though. Everyone in the war room waited for him to address it.

The king was a warrior to be feared. He had overcome numerous challenges as a citizen-proclaimed hero of the nation. This is why he was given the position of king to begin with. Even having been born without magic, his swordplay was unrivaled, making him one of the strongest people known to the world. His meteoric rise from the bottom was a sight to behold. Why did someone of this status run from war?

King Farlan: "There was..."

He took a deep breath and clenched his fists before he continued.

King Farlan: "There was a magic user controlling water. He was no normal magic user. He had a red and blue eye and was clearly not using any tricks. Half of the soldiers I had brought were washed away. No Creation magic could possibly do what I saw..."

The look of shock on all of those in the room stalled the conversation. For close to five minutes, no one said a single word. The eerie silence filled the room and added to the tension. The king would be the one to break the silence. Unfortunately, this next action was followed by its own deathly silence. King Farlan walked up to one of the high-ranking generals of the Winterguard Army who wielded Destruction magic, sword unsheathed, and sliced his throat. No one dared to make a sound.

The king turned to face the room.

King Farlan: "...From here on out, there will be no magic in this nation. The potential for destruction I've seen today was all the convincing I needed. One day I'm sure an insurgent in our great land will attempt to destroy the balance we have worked to create. If that insurgent has this power, then we stand to lose everything we love. I will not let that happen. I order the execution, without exception, of all users of magic in this kingdom."

The possibility of more people in the world, especially his own country, who were able to defy his understanding of reality, it was too much of a threat. This plan would be easier to order than one would expect. Between the hatred of magic users from those jealous of their abilities and the large amount of faith and respect the people have when it comes to the king would allow this decree to go off without a hitch. Those who opposed it would be too stricken by fear to verbally fight against this blatant act of tyranny. The announcement wasn't formally made until a week after the killings started. There was no easy way for information to get around, so a large amount of people with magic were killed without any clue as to what was happening.

Eventually word spread of what was happening. Many magic users were scared, but one who had figured it out near the beginning used his talent to create eye covers. They could easily go over the eye and give the illusion of a different color. He mass produced these with the help of fellow Creation magic users and spread them to as many magic users as possible. If someone's life wasn't centered around their magic, it was a life saving fix. Otherwise, many magic users would attempt to flee the country for surrounding nations. Some were successful, but many failed and were caught at the borders. By some miracle, the eye covers were a well kept secret from the military for now, but how long that would last is unknown. The border checkpoints of the country are shut down and people can only leave under official business for Winterguard. Trapped in Winterguard, what could anyone do but pray? Soldiers made visits to cities and towns to make sure no children were born with magic. A once prosperous and unified nation was now facing immense uncertainty as time moved forward. People with magic hoped in the shadows that one day, someone would be able to gather the courage to take this world head on and defy the odds. They hoped one day, that which the king feared most would face him down, and that Winterguard would once again become a place where people could live and love.