1 Prologue

He could hear the pounding of footsteps behind him, growing closer with each passing second. The dirt along the road scattered with each heavy step, and a cascade of sweat continued to tumble down his face. Aeon knew that he couldn't keep averting them forever and that he would have to stop eventually.

With quick footsteps, he darted down a narrow alleyway of rubble and fire, his heart racing with fear and adrenaline. As he ran, he muttered a quick incantation under his breath, the words tumbling out of his mouth in a desperate chant.

For a moment, a few seconds even, everything stood still. The fires, crumbling of buildings and cries for help from young children. But Aeon kept on running amidst the darkness of the night and the light of the flames.

Come on, come on," he muttered, his eyes flickering back and forth as he searched for a way out, somewhere to hide for a mere moment.

Suddenly, he skidded to a stop, falling backward as a group of enforcers appeared at the end of the alley, blocking his path. They were dressed in long robes of black and gold, their faces mostly hidden in the darkness only to be lit up by the glow of nearby fires.

One of them stepped forward, brandishing a Runic Blade in Aeon's direction. "You're surrounded, you thief! We'll be taking back what you took from our great King Soren," he hissed.

Aeon felt a surge of panic rise in his chest. He knew he had to get out of there, and fast. With nimble fingers, he reached into his jacket's inside pockets, pulled out a flimsy piece of parchment and muttered an incantation under his breath. This one seemingly more powerful than the last.

With a thrum, a surge of powerful energy then came from above the enforcers like a wave, slamming them onto the ground in a heap, as if their clothing were as heavy as steel.

Aeon took off running again as he let go of the parchment as it dissipated in the air, his heart pounding. He could hear more enforcers shouting and cursing behind him, their footsteps echoing through the cries in the streets around him.

"By the Abyss, I hope this works…" he muttered to himself, his crimson eyes flickering around as he searched for a place to hide.

As he ran, he reached into his inner jacket pocket once again and shakily pulled out a cylindrical casing with nobbed ends. With practised ease, he twisted open one of the ends and pulled out a worn paper scroll, tattered and faded with age.

He didn't have time to study it closely, but he knew it was what he had been searching for. The one that would allow him to escape his pursuers and disappear forever, achieving the goal he had been pursuing for the last five years.

With a deep breath, he continued running and threw the scrolless casing backward, hearing it shatter into pieces as it hit the dirt road. His mind racing as he searched for the perfect spot to cast the spell in silence. He could feel the heat of his pursuers' breath on the back of his neck and he knew that time was beginning to run out.

Suddenly, he heard a bang amist the rage in the night and felt an instant sharp pain in his right leg. "Fuck!"

Continuing to run through the pain, Aeon looked down and saw red seeping though his suit trousers. He knew if he continued to run in this condition, he would not make it far in the slightest.

Aeon gritted his teeth and shoved the scroll inside his jacket. "Just one more should do it," he said, panting as he spoke, muttering a third incantation.

In mere seconds like a flash, Aeon had appeared next to a broken-down building. It looked deserted, the windows boarded up and a sign hanging crookedly from a rusty hook.

Without hesitation, Aeon stumbled inside, slamming the door shut behind him. He landed with a thud on the ground, panting for breath and his leg throbbing as he felt around in his pocket for his watch.

With trembling fingers, he pulled it out and flipped it open, watching as the hands began to spin in a dizzying blur.

"I need you to hold on, just a little longer," he muttered to himself as he looked around to make sure he hadn't been followed. With his other hand trembling, he pulled out a small blue orb and dropped it on the floor. He had managed to cover his teleportation spell's tracks rather well.

Holding the watch tightly, Aeon reopened the scroll and began to recite it. Not making any mistakes as he had prepared for. His body shook with effort as a flurry of energy surrounded him.

The watch got really hot and began to sear at Aeon's skin in his closed fist, but he didn't flinch. He had come too far to let this one opportunity slip away.

As Aeon neared the end of the chant, his mind raced with thoughts of the unknown. Memories of the tragic past, and the distant future. With a deep breath, he whispered to himself, "I give all of myself over to you, I wish you good luck." With those words, Aeon's tear-filled eyes closed tightly, and as he spoke the final words of the spell he felt a rush of energy surge through his body.

The scroll then tumbled to the ground, crumpling in on itself into a ball until it was no longer. And as the pocket watch fell from his grasp too, it remained just warm to the touch, as if still holding onto the remnants of his power. In that instant, Aeon had disappeared, leaving behind only the fading echo of his chant.