Seventy-Four
That was the amount of Tower Masters killed that day in Lino. It was the greatest loss the Tower Association faced since its conception.
There were no civilian causalities, however, they were seemingly placed under a sleep spell, awaking following Ren's departure.
Many things changed following that fateful summer day. Ode and Rubes were effectively the only Tower Master level magicians in the association remaining, Frio wasn't confirmed at the assembly, but he was awol.
They succeeded the council, leading to the Tower Association's withdrawal from most places. "Rogue Magicians" ceased to exist.
Not in the sense that they vanished, but, without the Tower Association, the floodgates of magic were effectively opened.
Strangely, Ode, before deciding to make the association back out, released knowledge of utilizing spells without deities. It was strange and old, but this caused a resurgence in magic. Mortals, without the help of deities, began to achieve unfathomable feats.
Those who clung to deities, like the Church of Tenis, became rare, but remained powerful. Some even combined their magic with the new path. Ode Yule and Thames Osmil were some of these people.
With the absence of the Tower Association, magicians ran rampant. Some used their magic righteously, defending those who couldn't adapt to the times, and some used their magic to conquer.
Deities never left, but the people stepped back from them.
Renny Syn had accomplished an impossible feat.
He ushered in a New Era.
***
Six months post Lino Crisis, somewhere off the coast of the Werone Kingdom.
Thames Osmil sat in front of a canvas, slumped back, his long black hair covering his sleep deprived brown eyes.
He flicked his hair back, looking towards his newly finished painting.
It depicted a grim scene, similar to the one in Lino. Using oranges and reds, he painted a pile of scorching magicians, atop them stood a crowned angel shrouded in darkness. The background of the painting was dancing shadows, avoiding the light of the sun fixed at the top.
Standing up, he pulled his loose linen long sleeve onto his torso, fixing his hair as best he could. To his right, he looked at a mirror.
He was thin but still appeared healthy. A small light shined through a closed window, reflecting off his pale body. Standing at five feet eleven inches, his appearance was a mess.
He wore thick black pants, tightened around his waist with a simple belt. His shoes were dried up and dirty dress shoes, and his hands were scar ridden.
They were a testament to the learning he had done in the past six months. Following Lino, he and Ode had adventured across the Werone Kingdom, spreading knowledge of magic as well as subduing Emergents.
A new type of creature, Emergents existed anywhere shadows were. They were diverse group of monsters, something Ode claimed was foreign to this world.
Emergents quickly restored the primordial fear of the dark back to mortals.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
Thames' smooth voice said quietly, followed by Ode entering.
He was mostly the same following the Lino Crisis, if not better looking. His brown curly hair had grown longer but maintained its luster. His golden eyes remained a beacon of light in their world. He had grown taller too but wasn't able to keep up with Thames. He stood at five feet nine inches.
He was wearing a loose-fitting black trench coat over an off-white collared shirt. Gold necklaces hung from his neck, jangling with every movement. His pants were similar to Thames', but closer to dress pants than his.
He looked just past Thames and at the painting, then focused back on him before saying, "Boat's waitin'."
Thames nodded then walked towards Ode.
"Let me just get my stuff."
"I'll be waitin' at the dock."
With that, they both left the room, but headed in opposite directions.
Ode descending down a spiral staircase which wrapped around the tower while Thames walked up towards his room. They had been staying at the Oril Tower for about four months by now. Named after the God of the Ocean, Oril, it was one of the last Magic Towers in use.
Thames looked out towards the ocean, wild from a storm, and grimaced knowing that today's traveling would be bumpy.
Finally, he turned into his room just as lightning illuminated the hall.
His room was tidy and reasonably large. It contained a full-size bed with black silk sheets, the pillows identical to the sheets. He had a large oak dresser with a picture of Ode, Lin, Rubes, and him framed with gold on top of it.
Next to the picture was a half melted white candle and his feather, to the right of the dresser was a large silver mirror.
Moving to his bed, he took a large suitcase he had packed in preparation for the journey. It contained a month's worth of clothes, painting supplies, a journal, and matches.
He took the feather from his dresser, tucking it behind his right ear, and left his room, unsure of when he'd be back.
This journey wasn't a common one, but Ode had grown tired of staying at the tower and finally demanded that they would leave.
Thames was easy to convince as he had grown tired of painting the same horrific scene that was engrained into his mind.
Turning back into the hallway, he went in the direction that Ode had gone, occasionally glancing out towards the raging sea.
Growing wheezy, he finally reached the bottom of the tower.
Thames could see Lin, Rubes, and Ode standing near the massive wooden ship, all wearing ponchos.
Rubes' skin was periodically lit up by the lightning, the deep brown still glowing. Her tight curly hair was tied back into a bun. She looked towards Thames then walked up the ramp onto the ship. Ode followed shortly after, but Lin lingered on the dock, turning towards Thames.
Lin hadn't changed much; she was still just taller than him and Ode. But she did get more beautiful. Just below her right eye was a scar, the one thing Rubes couldn't heal fully. Under her poncho she was wearing loose fitting all black clothes. They were made of a heavy wool but looked wonderful on her.
She grinned as the lightning illuminated her grey skin then spoke, "Ya comin', Thames?"
He nodded, murmuring a faint "Yes" as he walked up to her as they both walked up the ramp.
As the ship departed, the towering remnant of a lost organization fading from their sight. Entering the storm, they all went under the deck of the ship, sitting down at a table faintly lit by an oil lamp.
Ode shuffled a deck of cards then looked around, smirking before saying, "War?"