Chapter 7

"Generations after They come

One will come

One who is old yet young

To return the old race

The old ways a new path

A New Way of Life.

One will beget many

Many will save us

Because of the One

They will be defeated

They will be cast out

They will not prevail

Many generations will pass

One who is young will still be young

One will show the way and leave

Only to return when needed

To show the way forward and keep the Way

The New Way of Life."

"So it was foretold" recited Leonore.

"But what does it mean?" I asked.

Shrugging, the Tinker from the village, who had not yet offered his name, said "We aren't sure. There's a lot more about testing you and what will happen, but that is the prophesy part."

Thinking about it I realised that it did indeed fore-tell my coming and what I was going to do. With 9 kids on the way, all who would be genetically dominant as Elendril/ L'Dangyi "elves" that apparently were here before, a new race certainly would return. I am young yet old, born years downtime and I did hope to protect this planet from the Coalition when they returned in the future. I wasn't sure how long I had but several thousand years wouldn't be unusual. I didn't understand the bit about staying young, yes I age slowly, but I'll be an apparent age of 30 standard years before I stop aging. The leaving and returning to keep them on track seemed strange.

I was in a room with the council. The Tinker from the village, Leonore as head of the Healers, a Justicar, a Smith and the Captain of the Justicar Guards made up the core of the council. Apparently there was meant to be one other, but they weren't "available" at the moment. That seat held a lingering feel of high level empowerment, much more than the basic components that were in the others. At least one level of combination, maybe all three.

I looked at the group around me. "Time for my take on your situation." I started. "You were attacked several generations ago, probably 5 to 10, about 200 years, by a gatherer from the Coalition of Species that administered the Test".

Seeing nods around the table I continued. "The attack was not brought on by the technology you used, or the level of esoteric use you applied. It was brought on by the Coalition. They attack a world and strip mine it. If you defeat them then you fail the test and become a legitimate target when the swarms come many years later. If you don't you pass, of course your planet is dead and so likely are you.

"Your ancestors had no choice but to fight.

"Now your old civilisation has failed and continues to decline. Your old technology no longer works and between the Gatherer and you old advanced level you have no accessible raw materials to build from. I figure your Smiths use their abilities to smelt old metals into ingots that a normal smith can work, and the Tinkers use their abilities to mend small breaks in the old worked goods.

"There are some old artefacts like Leonore's mirror and gem, the Guards blades and your formal Manacles Your birth rate is low, even with draconian measures placed on the women to try and keep a minimal level of genetic diversity going must be tough.

"From here you seem to be slowly spiralling to destruction, and complete loss of your civilisation."

"Well said young man."

I turned and there was a full Arch Warlock, a master of all three esoterics, fully empowered in the integrated use of the bases.