The queen, accompanied by the magician¹ Yunho and a few of her most trusted guards, raced with great speed across the land. They rode for that whole day and well into the night, only stopping twice to change horses. At long last they reached the main palace where Onew, Jonghyun and Minho awaited with the twelve magi.

     Upon seeing Queen Boa and her entourage, the group of fifteen dropped to one knee and bowed their heads in respect. “My Queen,” greeted Jonghyun of the Sky People.² The shortest of the three generals, Jonghyun had wild blond hair and the palest gray wings of the three. “We have done as you asked and brought the magi.”

     “Are they aware of their purpose here?” the queen inquired.

     One of the mages³ stood up and stepped forward. He was one of the shortest among the twelve but, despite his stature and kind face, he gave off a strong feeling of power to even the humans present in the room. “Your Majesty,” he greeted with the slightest incline of his head. “If I may speak?”

     Boa nodded, causing the mage to smile. “Thank you. Your Majesty, I go by the name Suho, and am one of our cabal’s⁴ head mages. To answer your question, all we have been told is that you require magical assistance.”

     Queen Boa held up a hand, signaling for silence. “General Onew,” she began, addressing the eldest of the three generals. “Why were they not informed?” While Jonghyun was hot-headed and emotional, Onew was optimistic and cheerful. His ear-length, spiky medium-brown hair and semi-permanent eye smile gave him an almost boyish look.

     A second mage stood and came forward. “I apologize, My Queen, but that was also our doing.” This mage was of average height, but to the queen looked to be no older than a teenager.

     Boa shifted her attention to the doe-eyed mage. “And you are?” she asked.

     “I am called Luhan, Your Majesty. If I may explain…?” The queen gestured for him to continue. “You see, Your Majesty, when your generals arrived, just as they were to tell us of your purpose for summoning us, I felt that we were being observed by someone with ill intent. I tried to locate the perpetrator, but the feeling did not come from one specific location. I suspect that we were being watched through some magical means by someone elsewhere, perhaps through a crystal or some other focus.⁵”

     The queen nodded in understanding. “I see. So you decided that it would be safest to come directly to the palace for an explanation, knowing that my wards⁶ would keep any prying eyes out.”

     “Yes, Your Majesty,” responded Suho. “And now, on behalf of myself and my brothers, I wish to know why we are here.”

     The queen looked at the cabal of magi sadly. “Come. Let us retire to the sitting room where I will explain.”

≈♦≈

     “So, can you do it?” asked the queen after relaying the wizard Changmin’s visions. “If Yunho splits the Tscreyer Stone,⁷ can the twelve of you cast half of it to the other side of the universe?”

     The group of magi conversed for a few moments before coming to a decision. This time a new mage spoke. He was taller than all the rest, and that combined with his blond hair and the feeling of raw power he gave off made him stand out more than anyone else in the room. “My Queen, I am called Kris, and am one of or cabal’s two head magi. After discussing this issue, we have decided that we can do it, but it would take most of our power. We would be unable to protect ourselves for at least a few days and as such would require Your Majesty’s protection.” Kris paused for a moment before continuing. “There might also be some… unforeseen side effects.”

     “Such as?” Boa inquired.

     “We aren’t sure,” Suho responded. “We have never dealt with an magical object or done a ritual this powerful before.”

     Queen Boa sighed. “I suppose that this is our best option at the moment.” She turned to her magician. “Yunho, fetch me the stone, will you?”

     He inclined his head in consent. “Yes, My Queen,” Yunho replied before rising from his chair and exiting the room.

     The queen looked back at the twelve magi. “Will you be needing anything for the ritual?”

     “If Your Majesty could supply some griffin tears, it would be extremely helpful,” spoke Kris. “They’re the only item that we’re lacking from out ritual ingredients.”

     “Consider it done.” Just then, Yunho returned with the stone. Boa smiled gratefully before retuning her focus to the group of magi. “Kris, I believe that we have some griffin tears in the hospital wing of the palace. I’ll send someone for them immediately.” The queen looked around the room. “Are you ready for the ritual now?”

     “Yes, My Queen.”

     “Good.”

≈♦≈

     The final part of the ritual was nearly complete. The twelve magi stood in a circle around the vat of ingredients which had been placed dead in the center of a circle of carved symbols. The cabal of magi recited the last line of the incantation, causing the liquid to glow momentarily before transforming into a portal to the other side of the universe. Suho stepped forward and dropped half of the Tscreyer Stone through, beaking the spell the moment the stone vanished.

     A blinding light enveloped the area. It faded, revealing that not only had six of the magi collapsed, but the other six had disappeared.

≈♦≈

Glossary of terms: Chapter 2

1} Magician: A "gifted" human. Primarily on the side of what is right and just.

2} Sky People: a race of winged humanoids who age at about half the rate of regular humans.

3} Mage(s)/Magi: Magi are a race all to their own. Most choose to live in seclusion. Not much is known about them other than their great magical prowess. There are also rumors of  select few being born with additional powers.

4} Cabal: a group of mages bound by some common purpose

5} Focus: an object which allows a magic wielder to focus their power though

6} Wards: magical protections/barriers

7} Tscreyer Stone: One of, if not the, most powerful magical artifacts on Isis. Older than anyone can remember. It's magic is tied to the magic of the land itself, and as such, whoever wields it controls the magic of Isis.