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Foreword
Please read the notes I will leave at the end of this short epilogue. They will explain what I will be posting before the start of Sa'ren Part 3.
This is the day, the time, the hour.
This is when either the Earth shall rise... or it shall fall.
This is the first Great Test; The Day of the Sa'ren; The Rise of the King; The Coming of the Lord of Shadows.
What shall happen from this moment shall define all that will come after.
The choices are now made.
The pieces are now in place... and the curtain rises for the final act...
... the Betrayer and the Oath Sworn... one shall live, and one shall die.
Nation to nation, kingdom to kingdom, the fight raged on.
From all corners of the world, the cry went up to fight; to defend. And mankind, for a time, saw success. But against a superior force, wielding technology that the majority of the Earth did not have access too? Humanity knew that they would lose.
Yet there was a result that had never before been seen; a good that was already apparent in all this chaos.
In cities, police and national guardsmen found themselves shoulder to shoulder with gangs and criminals. At the boarders of unfriendly nations, both sides were united against the threat. In Russia, the 'unrest' that the world really knew was a civil war was overshadowed by the unprovoked attack. Both sides were equally under fire, and so both sides instinctively co-ordinated their forces to repel or to defend.
But it was failing.
Where the enemy was pushed back in one area, other fronts fell to them... and the people of Earth began to fear for their lives; their freedoms. Word was already spreading that most of Starfleet was racing back to Earth, but they were still far away. Whispers grew of many more enemy ships in orbit fighting what was left of the Home Fleet. Fears were made manifest when the news of the death of the President of the United States; and that was one of the bigger blows. Added to it was the almost complete collapse of the Chinese government and leadership and the stalemate and growing pressure on the hardest hit country, the United Kingdom.
The British Empire and Commonwealth Alliance reeled but fought on, not even knowing if the Queen-Empress they served still lived. Russia was in pieces, for they were spread too thin to begin with and now... No-one knew if they would see another dawn.
Into this chaos came wonder, and it was at that moment that hope rekindled.
Something unforeseen took form.
Something glorious and terrible came into the light.
Ancient memories stirred suddenly in the blood of all of mankind, for a trumpeting call sounded throughout the Earth; a roar that shook to the heavens and skies.
News stations, pulled between covering the various unravelling battles across the world, now had a new thing to take in: Snowdon, the tallest mountain and long dead volcano in Wales, errupted in fire and noise... and hope. The trumpeting roar that all the Earth could hear was focused on the flame.
The sky shimmered like water and the sun darkened for but a moment, then the light returned different, purple-hued, odd.
Smoke rose and clouds fell and mists swelled as power and fume blanketed the top of that now active volcano. The world watched in fear... yet with that strange, growing hope in the roar.
From the broken ring of Stonehenge a shadow appeared and flew like lightning through the purple hued sky. It passed over fields and valleys, rivers and hills, to the outskirts of Empire's Heart: to London. It could not breach the shield that surrounded the Empire's capital, and so it hovered...
... and spoke...
"Rise up, sons of the night. Children of shadow and darkness, your master calls! Our destiny is finally known! The reason for our thirst is made clear! Our very torment as the bastard children of Moroi will now be rewarded! Fight! Rise and fight as sons of the Earth! Rise! Your master calls! The Lord of Shadows calls! Heed the voice of Victus Moroi!"
Those in London heard this clearly, and Sean's jaw dropped open as he looked around for the source of this voice. The fear pounding through him at the appearance of Aldunu above the skies of Westminster still held him to the ground, but that voice... it had cut through that fear in that instant.
Then... then came the lightning... and the nine foot tall, golden armoured knights in the courtyard of the palace...
All of Britain heard that voice, but all of Mankind heard what came next. Another voice flowed through the hearts and minds and wills of all who breathed and lived... it boomed across the Earth, shaking the very foundations of old.
Louder. More Majestic. Eminently Powerful.
"For too long have you slept! For too long were you caged! Eldest of Ha'Threis, answer the command of Kal'Ras! It is time to fly, time to fight! Let this be the Greatest Flight of the Vol'Kier! My Children: O you Oath-Sworn... TO THE SKIES!"
It was haunting, that voice. Unreal...
From Snowdon the beating of wings could be heard. The few from the media present sank to their knees as that newly gathered cloud started to move, veiling the winged shadows that had blinked into being within, wreathed in flame and light.
For the first time in uncounted years, the Vol'Kier flew in answer to their great Oath: for the children of the Earth; to Protect their home; to stand shoulder to shoulder with ALL of Earth's children... the combined races of Man. The reborn Celoi.
As the cloud reached London it parted the shield as if it were made of paper, and Sean saw them. All of them. Red against the purplish sky.
"Dragons..." he breathed. "Oh God, dragons..." he whispered.
It stood there on all fours, massive compared the the younglings around it. They were green, he was Silver. Next to him stood an even smaller figure. A young man in a grey suit of armour, ancient as time. "Arturus... are you ready?"
"Yes, Kal'Ras."
"Then hold on to your courage, King to Be... we go..."
The great Silver Dragon caught up the man in one claw, and held fast to a burning golden-fired sword in another. With a strong beat of his wings, Kal'Ras shot into the skies and headed for London. Behind him, the younglings, children and descendents of the first Vol'Kier, flew. Behind them, yet more green dragons appeared. All the Nar'Kier, the Unsworn, came...
... for until the Shattered Oath be made whole, no more of their blood could take it.
Kal'Ras' eyes burned as he tore through the skies towards those in desperate need. As he flew, he started to Unbind the Reaver with the words of his heart...
... and Destiny and Love flew together. The Winglord had given his all, and the Golden Son had sought his all... now, the fates of both would all be decided where the hammer had fallen hardest. In the City of Kings, the Seat of the Oldest Blood...
All shall find its end... in London.
The Story shall continue in:
The Legend of Sa'ren
The Battle of Earth Trilogy
'Avalon Rises'
Notes:
There will be three up coming 'large chapters' for the Sa'ren story that will technically be within the scope of "Part 2", but due to the size of each will act as a trilogy within Part 2...
The first will be the wedding chapter that was missed out, the events from Thursday that were skipped. While not directly tied to the events of the Battle itself, it does clear up the interlinking issues required for the relationships as developed after the skip scene in the previously posted Sa'ren chapters.
The second one will be the actual Battle of Earth, and it will be rather big as it will cover multiple events from multiple places, both on Earth and in Space. Much that has been hinted at or even said in other CSU stories will be explained in it.
The third chapter is something that sprang from a wacked out idea I had that took a life of its own with me and ACFan. Details are still being worked out, and we could either make what's coming in (or who's coming in) a perminant part of the Clan, or return them home at the end of Part 3. What I do know for certain is that, once I've finished with my open projects, what happens here will allow for another CSU story to be written by myself, but not one directly linked to the Clan boys.
I might as well tell you the names of these chapters, but note - the name for the third is still work-in-progress:
The Legend of Sa'ren
The Battle of Earth Trilogy
"Do you take this Vulcan...?", "Avalon Rises" and "Force of Reality" (remember, the third is still being worked on, name wise)
And so, with that all said... may the writing continue...!