Kaoru Miki moved his way along the rows of scrolls and
books, searching through the titles intently. Once he had been a
simple soldier, fighting battles with the speed of his sword, but in
time he grew tired of that life. Study and effort found him in the
role of courtier, something that he was far more suited for.
Now, Miki used the tenacity and determination he learned on
the streets for other tasks, like this research. Finding out the
information about Mikage was difficult, because legend and fact had
nearly merged in his case. Some of the tales said he was the evil
mage who's castle had once been where Shi'ohtori was now, others
said he was a general of the ancient High Kings. But he was tracing
him back, slowly but surely.
In another one of the books Miki had found a reference to a
certain chronicle of the Founding Wars, one that he searched for
now. He reached the section of records he wanted, and carefully
began shifting the scrolls aside, eventually finding the symbols he
wanted.
Miki carried the set of scrolls over to the large table,
setting it down there. He unsnapped the catches, easing the heavy
paper open. Carefully he brought the lamp closer, intently studying
the ancient script. His eyes widened, and he began to read...
Mikage pushed his long pink hair out of his face, blood
running into his face. He quickly surveyed the battlefield, his
soldiers' armor splattered with mud, filth and blood, and came to a
simple conclusion. They were losing this battle.
The barbarians had come down from their villages to the
north, a wave of soldiers spilling over the kingdom of Ohtori. In
all honestly they were unprepared, years of peace having dulled
their edge, and the enemy seized that opportunity.
The border towns fell first, and tales of the massacres had
swiftly reached the south. The High King rallied their forces, but
only a skeleton force could be sent out to delay the foe while they
marshaled a larger army. Mikage had volunteered to take the delaying
force out, foolishly promising to hold the enemy back.
'I was too arrogant,' Mikage thought bleakly.
There were over a thousand soldiers that he had lead forth
into the crux of arms, but the barbarian army out-numbered them by
nearly five thousand men. Magic could even those odds, but only the
great spells of war could possibly turn the tide, ones that no man
could dare use while their forces were combined in battle.
'We can't win this by force of arms,' he thought to
himself, 'it's time to change tactics.' Mikage ordered his second to
send the retreat signal. The boy nodded, his short purple hair
falling into his eyes as he concentrated intently.
Mamiya had entered his service a few years back, and Mikage
had fallen in love with the beautiful boy on very first sight.
Gentle eyes, a kind smile, but still quite capable, he was almost
Mikage's ideal man. Quite cautiously he had approached him, and was
filled with joy when he returned Mikage's affections.
A mystical flare shot upwards from the boy's hands, lighting
up the entire battle field, and he saw his commanders trying to pull
back. The barbarian force pressed forward, continuing the
engagement, refusing to let them retreat. Again and again Mikage saw
the soldiers fall, and knew he had no remaining choice.
"Mamiya," Mikage looked out at the battle as he asked his
second softly, "can you make sure that none of the enemy disturb me?"
"None will reach you," Mamiya drew his sword, "you have my
oath on it."
"Thank you," Mikage stopped him for a moment, gently
pressing his lips to the boy's own in a gesture of farewell.
Mikage moved off, even as barbarians began to spill forth
from the battle line. He felt almost sick as he considered what he
was about to do, but there was no choice left. He centered himself,
finding his calm place, then reached out to the power that swirled
beyond this world...
"I call you, Demons of shadow,
by crimson blood and lives shed
Your strength to mine allow
Fires of Chaos mine to wield!"
The power surged up from within him, the ground burning all
around, trees and plants dying from the touch of those energies.
Crimson fire, a fatal blackness surging up, and the soldiers
faltered, feeling what was coming. The power was a wave that he
released across the battlefield, a scythe that cut men down
indiscriminately.
Fully half his own force of soldiers were gone in that
moment, but the enemy fared much worse. The barbarians broke and
ran, fleeing his powers, even as the battlefield burned.
Swaying with exhaustion, his strength all but gone, Mikage
dropped to his knees. "Mamiya," he murmured softly, but heard no
reply. He looked up wearily, his vision blurred. Some barbarians had
attempted to reach the hill, but they had been stopped. A figure lay
crumpled nearby, and Mikage's blood ran cold.
"Mamiya!"
The guards found Mikage there hours later, cradling the
boy's body to him, murmuring to it softly. He seemed numb when they
took him away, numb to the charges laid by the soldiers that he had
commanded.
The King's tent was opulent, the finery of a traveling war
leader decked about it, but Mikage seemed oblivious to it all. The
king's purple hair fell into deeply sorrowful eyes, eyes highlighted
by the darkness of his skin. The royal line of Ohtori had borne
those colors for generations, and none questioned it anymore.
"Mikage, I'm sorry," the King said softly to his old
friend, "both for your loss, and what I find I must do now."
Mikage looked up, the sky blue eyes meeting his King's
eyes. "I saved your kingdom for you," he said bitterly, "and only
lost the thing I held most dear."
"And slew soldiers loyal to me," the King's voice was
sorrowful, "who left wives and families behind, families that are
now widowed."
"There was no choice," Mikage's eyes seemed to regain some
fire then.
"You should have pulled your forces back," the King
continued, "tried to preserve your forces until we could reach you.."
"You weren't there," Mikage bit out, "there was no other
way!"
"That may be so," the King agreed, "but their families will
call out to me for justice." There was pain in his eyes as he
continued, "Justice I must provide them."
"Damn you," Mikage stood, meeting his King's eyes
defiantly, "no!"
Mikage moved to leave, but the King grabbed his arm. "If you
leave now," he said softly, "you will be branded a traitor! Stay,
justice may be lenient.."
"I have already paid most dearly," Mikage shrugged off his
King's hand. His voice dropped, "I have given my all, and been
repaid by treachery. So be it." The mage summoned up a surge of
power, and the King was flung away.
A few moments later the King recovered, venturing outside.
But Mikage was gone, disappeared, and later they would discover that
the body of Mamiya was gone as well...
Miki sighed to himself in frustration. The scrolls ended
with Mikage's disappearance, nothing more. But still, it shed a
light on their enigmatic foe. 'Obviously he felt betrayed by his
King,' he thought, 'but why does he seek vengeance on Anthy now?'
The doors to the library slammed open, a page running in out
of breath, "M'lord, you must come quickly! Wakaba has attacked the
Princess!"
"What?!" Miki blurted in surprise. Recovering himself he
grabbed the scrolls and ran after the boy, determined to find out
what was going on.
To be continued...
Author's Note: I was originally going to have Mikage use the Dragon
Slave spell from Slayers, but decided to make up something similar
instead.
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