Long ago, when legends were being created, there was a phenomenal story of the shattered mirror. It was an anomaly to the world anyone had known. At the time, I didn't know anything about the relic. At the time, I didn't know it would make me the most powerful man in history . . .

Every morning started the same. Before dawn, I would wake and read under the candlelight, waiting for the sun to rise over the ruins of the Old Kingdom. I was reading an account about a crystal that would always point to the sun, no matter how hidden the sun may have been. Many in the past used this to navigate during their sea voyages when the clouds consumed the sun. I took out my journal and detailed the relic.

My journal was my dream. With every book I read, there was an exciting treasure detailed from the past, waiting for me to find it. And one day, when I would finally be ready to go on voyages with my master, I would search the world for them all. Although I knew they were legends, my heart yearned to seek them out, to embark on adventures, to learn about the mysteries that brought us to be. And to be free. Perhaps one day, even write my own account. Or perhaps, in a greater dream, have someone write an account about my journeys.

Here, my master and I were the only members of the Historical Guild of our town. There used to be more of us, though none were as deeply persuaded by the allure of the fantastical enough for them to stay. It was only a gimmick to those who joined. To me, however, history was more than treasures and gimmicks. The past held the answers to many of the questions we asked ourselves today. I wanted to be the one who found those answers.

A golden ray of light peaked through the window beside me as the sun began to peer off the highest point of the Old Kingdom. As I watched from my window, the golden glow caught me in a trance. Past our town towards the centre of the Mainland, The Old Kingdom stood tall on top of our world's highest mountain. Grand, yet abandoned and falling apart, the stone structure still kept its shape after centuries had passed. It represented unity and peace, as it was built at the point where all quadrants of the world met.

Sometimes, my master would voyage over there to assist with conservations while I stayed and handled the needs of our patrons. He would tell me all about what he saw and what he discovered, later promising I would someday go with him to see for myself.

Thousands of years ago, it was the Kingdom that had complete reign over all the lands. Now, we were run by democracy and policed by Paladins who cared for nothing but their egos. As the sun reflected in my eyes, I hoped for better days ahead. Each passing day felt more like survival than living.

A knock at the door snapped me out of my daydream. I put my journal into my satchel and opened the door to collect our rations for the week. It may have been a blessing to me that my master was on a voyage away from the Guild. It meant I got to eat his portion. "Is this all?" I asked.

The Apprentice Paladin twitched his cracked lips into a sad smile, "The season is getting worse. I'm sure soon enough there won't be any left." I blew air out of my nose and nodded my head in thanks before exchanging a silver coin with him. If there wasn't much left, how long did we have? The Apprentice waved goodbye and took his cart to the next Guild.

Just as I was about to shut the door, I remembered, "Hey! When's the council meeting?"

Halfway across the dirt road already, the Apprentice shouted back, "It should be starting now! You'd better run if you want in!"

"Thank you!" I placed the box of rations on the dining table inside, grabbed my hat off the rack and ran out the door. My shoes stomped against the dusty path towards the main square.

Only merchants and artisans were out in the town trying to sell to each other. Many families moved away to neighbouring towns after our food supply began to thin. But it was said even there wasn't much different. It was becoming impossible to grow healthy crops for ourselves. Our town's soil became less fertile with each passing moon cycle, leaving many to wonder why but more to fear for their lives.

It was then agreed the Paladins would travel to the next quadrant to provide us with rations for the week, only each week brought less food and more fear. To me, it was heartbreaking to know we were all born into a world where we could never be happy because we were too busy trying to survive in it.

As I reached the main square, I stopped in front of the tallest building in our town. Home of the Paladin Guild and resident to the council meetings. Trying to catch my breath, I fixed my clothes and readjusted my satchel around my shoulders. Here goes . . .

At the tall wooden double doors, I was met with two Apprentice Paladins. "Morning," I said and attempted to slip between the two of them. They took out their swords and clashed them together, blocking the entrance to the Guild.

"Guild?" The one on the left asked.

"Historical." The one on the right chuckled. I glared at his eyes.

"Where is your master?" The one on the left sized me up and down. I bit my lip.

"He's on a voyage and asked if I could represent him today in the council meeting." Apprentices and Journeymen weren't allowed to present themselves at the council meetings. The only exception to that rule was if they were accompanied by their Guild Master.

"If your master isn't here, you aren't allowed inside," the one on the left said.

I stepped forward to make another attempt to enter when the Apprentice on the right punched me in the face, hurling me to the ground. I held my cheek as it burned. "You heard him," he said, "know your place," and spat towards me. With that, the doors of the Guild slammed shut, taunting me.

Townspeople walked by, staring as I remained on the ground, but continued on their way. After a few moments, I sat up and sighed, dusting the dirt off my hat beside me. He should be back today, I thought before getting back up.

"Dux!" Luna called out. She stood behind the counter at the shopfront of the Alchemist Guild, waving for me to come over.

"Morning, Luna," I tried to smile but winced at the throbbing pain in my cheek. Luna gasped and fussed over the bruise forming on my face.

"I can fix you something up for that, you know," she said. No matter how dark this town was, Luna was always there to make it better. I shrugged off her kindness in an attempt to seem unbothered, but I knew she didn't buy it. "Then I'll show you something instead."

Luna reached under the counter and slammed a think old book on top. My hands twitched at the sight of it. "See, I knew this would make you feel better," Luna smiled.

"What is it?"

"I found it in the back with my master's things," Luna opened the dusty book to a marked page in the centre. "Then this caught my eye. I'd heard of it before, but I wasn't sure if it could really exist. So I wanted you to take a look at it." She turned the book around and pushed it towards me. Inside, a sketch of a wooden chest. My thoughts were quick to wonder how I would break the news to Luna that I wasn't impressed when perhaps she saw the expression on my face and decided to explain it further, "It's not about the chest itself, but what's inside it. It is said, inside contains a bunch of mirror fragments, and these fragments, when placed together, would as if by magic open a portal to the depths of the darkest abyss imaginable and release the demons the very gods feared themselves." Her eyes were wide with wonder, gleaming as she searched for that same excitement in mine.

I half-smiled, "And you really believe that?"

"Come on!" She climbed on top of the counter with her knee and pointed to my satchel, "Just look it up in your little book and tell me what you think!"

I knew such an entry wouldn't be in my journal, but I couldn't bear to be the one to take that look off her face. So, I rolled my eyes and flipped through my book of dreams. On the left page, a drawing of the relic itself, and on the right page, a detailed description of what it does and where it supposedly was last seen in history. A clue as to where I would be able to find it.

As I continued to flip through, Luna peered over the counter, getting closer and closer until her nose was buried inside. "Find it?" I said. She looked up and gave me a toothy grin. "How about this. I'll add it in for you," I added.

Luna jumped back and searched behind the counter for something before emerging out again with some lead, nodding ferociously. I laughed and winced at the pain as I readied the next blank page. "All right, show me again what it looks like."

The moment I touched the lead to the parchment, my mind flashed. I was in a room I'd never been before. Men and women in armour surrounded me, gripped onto every word I spoke. Though I couldn't hear a word of it, it was as if I was submerged in water and people were talking outside of it. As I spoke, I raised the sword I held in my hand, causing everyone to cheer like we were starting a revolution. My eyes darted around the room and stopped at a chest on the desk in front of me. The very chest depicted in Luna's book. What is this?

All within a second, I was staring at the blank parchment with my lead barely touching it. What was that?

"Dux, are you there?" Luna was snapping her fingers in front of my face as I was frozen in position.

I cleared my throat, "Yeah, fine," did a rough sketch and description of the chest, then wrapped my journal back up into my satchel.

"I should get back to work. I'm trying to create this formula for our towns soil to make it fertile again," Luna said.

"You really are incredible, you know that?" I could only imagine myself to be half as great as Luna was. This town didn't deserve her.

"Yes, I know," she smiled her teeth-baring smile that I couldn't help but replicate, despite the pain.

Just as I was about to leave, a commotion a few shops up caught our attention. A conflict between an Apprentice Paladin and a merchant. "You're cheating me of my silver for stale bread!"

"This is all I have!" The merchant was pushed into the square. Everyone was now out of their shop fronts to watch what was going on. I saw as they watched on with anything but sympathy in their eyes. I wanted to tell them all to stop watching. I wanted to scream at them to help, but I didn't. I was the same as them. It wasn't right, but there wasn't anything I could do.

"You know, one of these days we are all going to be pushed too far, and someone is going to fight back at those monsters," Luna said.

Our gazes remained focused on the scene of events. The Apprentice Paladin kicked the merchant in the stomach and threw the remainder of bread at the sobbing man. "I wish it could be me," I said and hated myself for not even trying.

Once the Apprentice left the scene, the merchants went back to their businesses and left the man writhing in pain on the ground. I was about to approach him when Luna said, "Look who's back." She nodded towards my Master's cart as it rolled through the gates.

My eyes tore between the cart and the merchant. "I'll get him," Luna said.

"Are you sure?" I asked. She nodded with a smile. "Thank you, I'll see you tomorrow!" I said as I waved her goodbye. Luna waved back and left to make sure the merchant was all right. Already a better person than I was.