Apocolypse: Volume 1: The Forgotten Legend

[minihagrid]

Okay then, all i've really done is Rewritten the title, but i thought that I'd just tell you how this story works.

The first part of six, is this one. It is basically the plot. The middle four parts are the action adventure ones, and the last part is the conclusion. Get that? I'll give a brief summary of  the story below:

-After a lifetime of poor living on a corrupted Earth, an ancient legacy is awakened and Aeon is thrust into a battle that will decide the fate of the Earth for both Wizards and Muggles alike. Aeon must race across the globe, searching for a legendary power and a chance to stop Lord Vanadium once and for all. Pursued by a mysterious foe and an all new terror, will he make it in time?

Sounds Dramatic doesn't it? And of course he'll make it in time, he's the Hero, but that just adds to the tension!

APOCOLYPSE NOW: 2040 A.D


Prologue


The war had been quick, and without warning. The destruction was immense. Even now, twelve years after the first bomb had struck, the nightmare still ran fresh in the minds of the survivors.

It happened while the world was in a period of unrest. Global warming had caused the polar caps to melt, and most of the world was lost underwater. London, New York, most of south -east Asia and Australia had been hit the worst, and mostly vanished. Russia was quick to point the finger of blame at the Americans.

The Russian government believed that the Americans were to blame for the vast increase in the production of Greenhouse gases, which had caused the increase in temperature. The Americans blamed Europe for wasting their energy over a minimal of population. And the Europeans blamed everyone else except themselves.

It was the Russians who struck first though. The remains of England and America were bombarded with nuclear weapons, enhanced by mysterious powers to great capabilities. The White house and Houses of Parliament were the obvious targets, aswel as highly populated areas. The Midlands of England was hit hard, and casualties were great, survivors few.

The greatest strike though, was at the heart of Scotland, in the highlands. No muggle could understand why such a deserted area could possibly be of any threat to Russia, but the wizarding world was sent into turmoil. As soon as the news spread, panic followed immediately. The disturbing news was broadcast: Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry had been destroyed. Followed soon by the destruction of Beauxbatons near Lyon, and St George’s in Florida.

At first, the Ministry of Magic believed that Lord Vanadium was behind it. He was the reaper of havoc of this time. The people who remembered Lord Voldemort’s second reign of terror claimed that this time around was worse. No one was sure of his origins, but he was there now, and that is all that mattered. It was suspected that he directed the missiles to the secret locations of the schools.

All in all, over seventeen hundred students were killed in the attack on Hogwarts. Bodies could not be counted or retrieved because of the radiation in the atmosphere.

Once the truth was exposed, that the muggles war was the cause, a small group of rebel wizards banded and revealed themselves and the whole magical community to the world. The reaction was worse than what could have been expected. Instead of fighting their own war, countries turned on themselves. Mass witch-hunts started. Burnings, drownings and even torture were commonly found.

It was at this time that Vanadium chose to strike. The wizard world was too busy with their current losses to fight back against such an onslaught. Vanadium was more powerful than even his own side knew. He swept through the remains of the country, wiping out figures of power. Potter, Granger, Simonsens, the list was endless. Not even the muggles were safe now. He established himself as the ruler of England in no time. He commanded vast armies of beasts and humans, and soon the world was his. Not even the most advanced weapons on the face of the planet could slow him down.

The face of the world soon changed. Even after the floods had removed large masses of land, whole countries disappeared. Made unplotable to maps, and repulsion charms around them. No one knew what was happening there.

After this time of destruction, the wizarding population found itself scarce. Anyone, magical or muggle were forced to either turn traitor or be killed. It was rare that a group of wizards was to be seen within miles of another. The people longed for the return of the good days. Quidditch matches, education, even companionship was hard to come by.

Yet a small group of fighters still opposed the dark lord’s rule. And one of them had reason to despise him more than most. And he was the only hope for the future of humanity…

[Magic_Oli]

Impressed, as always

You are a great writer!

And the thing I like about your writing, is it gets you interested

after

The war had been quick, and without warning. The destruction was immense. Even now, twelve years after the first bomb had struck, the nightmare still ran fresh in the minds of the survivors.

Its hard to resist reading it

[coldmercurywitch]

plz write more. plz, plz, plz

[minihagrid]

Chapter one: The beginning

Aeon woke up immediately. The first thing that his blurry eyes pinpointed was a pair of eyes hovering above him, about five inches above his nose. They were bright green, and the pupils were dilated due to the darkness around him. Aeon bolted upright, nearly knocking the creature backwards. It squealed, and shot off into the corner of the room.

Aeon relaxed, and put down the weapon that he had picked up. It was only Stubb, his lifelong companion. He was a house elf, with long pointed ears, and skin that was pale from the cold. Aeon suddenly shivered, aware of the cold wind that was forcing its way through the holes in his walls. The roof above him swayed and creaked, looking dangerously like falling. The magical binds that held it up must have snapped.

Reaching under his thin mattress, he withdrew his battered wand. It was long and thin, and a red tip was emerging from it. A phoenix feather. Aeon remembered the day that he had first touched it, and his first spell. April 13th, 2028. Twelve years ago today, his 11th birthday. He remembered the chilling tone of the shopkeeper, Mr Ollivander, as he warned him of danger:

     ‘I see promise in you child. You have a great future ahead of you.’

Before any more details were mentioned, his father had ushered him out of the shop, and hurried him back to The Leaky Cauldron. He never explained why, just told him to return home with floopowder. Aeon had done so, turning to see his father follow immediately after him. But his father never reached the other side. As he stepped through the cool green flames, an explosion ripped through the building, forcing him away from the fireplace.

Aeon stopped there. Thinking of his father was painful. His life had been destined for high places, his father had told him. He had a great future, heading of to Hogwarts in six weeks. And Aeon couldn’t wait. He would be able to learn magic, something that his father had prohibited at home. He was afraid of the dangers it would have posed if Aeon had cast a bad spell. Like the spell cast on his mother when Aeon was a small child.

Aeon re tied the iron sheet that he used as shelter to the battered brick walls, and crawled out of the room he slept in. He pulled himself up, dragging himself across the littered floor, and took in a deep breath. He coughed, as anyone did when they inhaled the polluted atmosphere around him.

The landscape around him had changed dramatically. It was once the beautiful, lush valley of the Lake District, in the northern part of England.  But it was then full of life and vegetation, whereas now it was a scorched land, barren of activity. The only life here was a few scurrying rats, and other rodents. And the lack of vegetation other than mutated weeds and trees meant that food was scarce.

Aeon hurried over to where Stubb was crouched, overlooking the village below. Squatting down next to him, Aeon caught hold of a rat by the tail. The squeaking creature writhed and tugged to try and escape, but to no avail. Aeon swiftly broke its neck, and then proceeded to tear it in half along the midriff. Passing half over to Stubb, and munching on the other, he spoke.

     ‘We’ll be down there soon Stubb. Don’t you worry. Soon, I’ll be able to walk into a house and have people fall at my feet.’ He spoke softly, trying to reassure the disgruntled creature.

     ‘The only reason people will fall at your feet is because of your smell.’ Stubb replied, and they both fell down laughing. Stubb had a surprisingly deep voice for a house elf, probably caused by the poor water they had to live off.

Aeon lived alone with Stubb up in the valley. He had no living family, and had never been allowed to meet new people to make friends by his strict father. He had been forced to stay at home, with Stubb his only companion. The village down below was one of the few remaining safe havens for wizards. The only reason that they were not currently residing there was due to over population. Well, about 102 wizards and witches exactly.

And importance came first of course. Ministry wizards, educated wizards, Quidditch playing wizards, all of more importance than himself. Even muggles got in ahead of him. He had not received an education due to the tragic events that had destroyed Hogwarts, killed his father and ripped his life apart.

As soon as he had returned home using floopowder on that fateful day, it was Stubb who had guided him out of the city, and to safety. It was Stubb who had taught him everything that he knew about magic. And it was Stubb who had led him here seven months ago, when they were rejected. So they had lived here since, living off of vermin and any green plants that they could find.

[minihagrid]

Lost in a field of memories, Aeon drifted off to sleep, only to be abruptly woken once more by a frantic shaking, and the sound of screams.

‘Hurry Aeon, we have to leave now!’ Stubb then ran off into the shelter, and returned almost instantly with Aeon’s belongings, and his weapon. He turned away from the village, but the wizard called him back.

‘What’s going on?’ he muttered, still half asleep. He peered over the edge of the hill, the direction from which the screams were coming from. The village below was ablaze, and the people there were fleeing for the hills around them. Aeon looked up, and immediately saw the glittering shape in the sky. Sparkling green, the stars were illuminated in the shape of a skull, with a serpent coiled around it. The dark mark. The mark of Lord Vanadium. He had found the village.

Suddenly, Aeon noticed moving shapes speeding up the hill towards him. He couldn’t see them clearly, but he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He clambered to his feet, and slowly started to walk in the other direction. Then he heard the sound of engines, and recognized it with fear. The sound of a hoverbike, growing ever louder and clearer, piercing the silence of the dead Earth around him. The hoverbikes were the favoured transport of Vanadium’s followers, and they were heading towards him.

His pace picked up, and he soon broke into a full paced sprint. Stubb was still running ahead of him, maintaining a great speed. The bikes behind him now shot into view, up and over the edge of the hill, sailing through the air. One of the riders yet out a shriek of delight as he spotted Aeon, and indicated to the other to follow him. They sped of towards the fleeing figure.

Aeon could hear them getting closer and closer. Stubb had disappeared into the distance, leaving Aeon no choice but to keep running. He picked up the pace again, but now the unclean air was affecting his lungs. He had to stop. Bending over to catch his breath, he felt the whoosh of air as one of the bikes whizzed past him, and landed in front. The other stayed behind, trapping him.

Both riders dismounted, pulling out clubs from their belts. The Death eaters, followers of Vanadium, wore oxygen masks, so their breathing was not impaired, and their identity was hidden. They approached Aeon slowly, but before they could lunge at him, something gave way beneath his feet. He fell down, and slid along a mud lined path underground, he heard the yells and swearing of the men above him, and the roar of their bikes as they left.

Aeon landed on the ground with a thump, and immediately stood up, shaking the dust from his sandy coloured hair. He was facing a long tunnel, devoid of light or movement. He tried to climb up the way he had come down, but the mud made him fall back down. He had no option but to descend, further into the darkness….

[Magic_Oli]

Great

I loved this bit:

Lost in a field of memories

I see you are advertising it in your personal text

[minihagrid]

Here's chapter two. Dont worry if its too dull and predictable, i want it to be. For everyone who's read this far, read the first post again and read the summary.


Chapter 2: The resistance

Aeon continued down the tunnel, weak from hunger. It was very dark and damp down there, and the types of creatures scurrying about made even rats look cute. Only the terrifying thought of the Death Eaters behind him kept him going. He had pains in his stomach, and every now and then he would have to pause for breath. He was about to turn back and try his chances getting back up the slide, when he heard a noise.

His ears pricked up, straining to hear another sound. There it was. Footsteps, and voices, up ahead. Soon, a light came into view. And it was coming from what seemed like a wand. Wizards, Aeon thought. It has to be wizards!

The Death Eaters had long ago discarded their wands when they were given the power of Lord Vanadium himself. They were given the ability to use magic with their minds, which made them a rather formidable foe.

Without consideration of the consequences, Aeon stood up and ran towards the source of light. It was indeed a wizard, AND a muggle. As soon as he was within sight of them, the muggle raised his weapon, a formidable projectile gun. Like the kind used during the first two world wars, and more than capable of killing a wizard.

     ‘Identify yourself!’ the muggle said, but the wizard silenced him.

     ‘Tell me, how did you find us down here? We heard a noise, and were about to investigate further when you showed up.’

     ‘Well… I sorta fell down a hole when I was running from the death eaters…’ Aeon began, but he was interrupted.

     ‘Did the Death Eaters see the hole which you fell down?’ he questioned, a worried look across his face.

     ‘Err… yes, I think so…’ Aeon replied, looking bewildered by the concern of the man.

     ‘Then we must flee instantly, before they send the…’ But before he was finished, a long howling came from the other end of the tunnel, from where Aeon had entered. ‘Too late!’ the wizard shouted, and turned on his heel, indicating that Aeon should do the same.

     The three of them set off, and soon the sound of pounding paws was right behind them. ‘Keep on running!’ the muggle shouted. ‘I’ll hold them off!’ he drew out his gun again, and turned to face the beasts behind him. Without acknowledging the mans actions or words, the two wizards carried on running, now accompanied by the echoes of shots being fired, yelps and finally, one large scream which sounded very unpleasant indeed.

     ‘They have got passed him. I must try to slow them down further. Yu, keep on running down this tunnel. When you reach the end, the password is ‘freedom’. You must tell them to run while there is still time.’ Now, the wizard paused and turned, leaving a very tired Aeon running alone, getting slower with every stride. Suddenly, his foot caught a jutting rock sticking out of the floor, and he tripped. Behind him, he could still hear the wizard muttering spells, warding off the unknown threat.

Getting back to his feet, Aeon kept running, pain now spreading through his entire body. His heart hurt, his legs ached, and his head was spinning with questions. What was behind him? Who were the wizard and the muggle? Where was Stubb?

Finally, Aeon ran straight into a solid wall. Gasping for breath, he spluttered out the password, but nothing happened. He tried again, but nothing happened. Then the sound of running caught up with him again. Slowly turning around, with an increasing feeling of dread, he backed up against the wall. What he saw was terrifying beyond belief.

The beasts looked like werewolves, four strong legs, shaggy fur, yet each one had a torso of a human rising up from its back, aswel as the snarling head of a beast. They were Death Eaters, mutated into formidable machines of war. Despite the length of the tunnel they had just sprinted down, they were not yet out of breath. Several of them were sporting wounds, but they still approached fiercely…

[minihagrid]

Aeon was now pressing his back against the wall so hard that he felt like he was about to fall through it. ‘Freedom,’ he muttered once more, hoping that his plea would be heard. And it was. Much to his astonishment, he actually did pass through the solid stone.

He landed hard on his back in a brightly lit room. His eyes were dazzling, but he still remembered to shout out a warning. ‘Close the door! Death Eaters!’

Without any questions, Aeon was dragged into the room and watched as the charms around the wall were removed, and hexes were set up. The sound of scratching and yelling could be heard from the other side. An elderly wizard approached, a wizard with slick black hair, wrinkles and a hooked nose. A scar scraped down the side of his face, giving him a nasty appearance. His narrow eyes were quickly scanning over Aeon, from his Nike trainers to his t- shirt with the words ‘Help me I’m beautiful!’ written across it.

It was the legendary Severus Snape, the person who destroyed the Dark Lord Voldemort and saved the life of millions of muggles and wizards, the last headmaster of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the administrator of the Wizards Attack and Defence Order, and also the owner of the Chudley Cannons Quidditch Club. But he was supposedly…

‘Dead? You thought that I was dead?’ Snape muttered in mock amusement, as if he had read Aeon’s mind. He somehow managed to remain calm, despite the fact that the snarling on the other side was getting louder. ‘Alas, we do not have time for this discussion now. We have been discovered, and it wont be long before…’

His words were cut off, as a large slab of stone had fallen from the ceiling of the cavern, crushing several people underneath it. The shattering of bones shot through Aeons mind, and the splattering blood reached his feet. He looked up at the source of light, and gasped. Looking down on him were several of the fearsome death eaters, made even more terrifying by the masks on their faces. With a battle cry, they leaped down, jinxing everyone and everything in the room.  With a loud crash, the wall behind Aeon collapsed, and the beasts charged through, surrounding them. The hexes used to seal the door had no effect, and they stampeded in.

Snape immediately pulled his hood over his face, and grabbed hold of Aeon, ignoring the chaos around them. The death eaters were now discarding spells, and using their swords to stab their way through. Summoning a glowing box nearby to the palm of his hand, he caught it and Aeon immediately felt a jerk pulling him somewhere. He rose off of the floor, and started spinning, faster and faster.

Barely seconds later, they landed on the wastelands above the cave. Standing up slowly, Aeon looked around him. The familiar purple skyline greeted him, as did a number of explosions on the horizon. Shapes were moving about, and flashes of light made his eyes hurt.

‘Don’t worry about the rest of them. They are good at escaping. They’ve had to do it all their lives. But you are the one that matters now. Follow me, quickly.’ He tucked the box inside his robes and turned.

Aeon dragged his eyes away from the horrifying site, and followed the sweeping trail of Severus Snape over the deserted landscape.

[Nimuee Macor]

Love it, love it, love it!

"It was the legendary Severus Snape, the person who destroyed the Dark Lord Voldemort and saved the life of millions of muggles and wizards, the last headmaster of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the administrator of the Wizards Attack and Defence Order, and also the owner of the Chudley Cannons Quidditch Club. But he was supposedly…"

Awesome!!! ;D

[Magic_Oli]

I AGREE!

New title too: Apocolypse: Volume 1: The Forgotten Legend  

Nimuee said:

Love it, love it, love it!

"It was the legendary Severus Snape, the person who destroyed the Dark Lord Voldemort and saved the life of millions of muggles and wizards, the last headmaster of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the administrator of the Wizards Attack and Defence Order, and also the owner of the Chudley Cannons Quidditch Club. But he was supposedly…"

Awesome!!! ;D

[minihagrid]

And here, by Not-so-popular demand, is chapter three!


Chapter 3: A Forgotten Prophecy

After what seemed like hours of walking, Aeon and Snape finally came to rest at a shabby old brick building. The scorched shutters hung loose, and the door was off its hinges, smashed in two.

‘This will do for the night.’ Said the wizard quietly. He walked inside the dark house, his hand producing a light for him to see by. Aeon stayed outside, waiting for the all clear to enter. He stared up at the sky. For the first time in several weeks, the acid clouds had parted, and the stars were visible. They glistened in his eye, and he felt strange. His eyelids drooped, and his legs went weak. He collapsed to the floor, and sunk away into a deep sleep…

There was a golden beach stretching on ahead of him. The sound of the lapping waves soothed his ears. In the distance, the sun was setting, and night was rapidly approaching. He walked along the beach, until someone behind him called his name. He spun round, and ran back the way he came, towards a familiar figure.

It was his father. He looked younger than Aeon remembered, but it was still his father. He raced up the stone steps to him, and flung his arms around him.

‘What is it Daddy?’ Aeon asked. His father was smiling, and answered. ‘I have a gift for you Aeon. I hope you like it, as it will be with you for a long time. Stubb, come out please.’ From behind him emerged a very small, and very scared-looking house elf.

‘Yes Sir?’ he asked.

‘This is your new master. Say hello to Aeon’ said his father.

‘Pleased to meet you Aeon.’ It said.

‘And you to,’ replied Aeon. His new friend fascinated him.

‘Stubb, you must take care of Aeon. He has a very big future ahead of him. You know what I have told you, don’t you?’ Stubb slowly nodded.

Aeon woke up, lying on a bed. Little beads of sweat were trickling down his forehead. Snape was staring over him, a relieved look on his face. ‘Good. You have awoken. I was concerned.’ He handed him a glass of something, which Aeon drank gratefully.

‘I had a dream. About my father.’ He stammered.

‘Your father?’ Snape’s eyebrows rose. ‘What was he doing?’

‘He was introducing me to Stubb, our house elf. He told me that I had a big future. And also, he spoke to Stubb about something he had told him. I don’t know what it was…’

‘We must find that house-elf immediately.’ Snape stood up, and moved to the centre of the room. For the first time since he saw the exterior of the dark house earlier, he took a look at the inside. It had clearly been magically improved, as the single room was about twice as big as the building itself. And it was full of all sorts of magical inventions.

A single wall was covered with moving pictures, each depicting a different figure, most of whom were running. Aeon noticed several familiar faces, including the two wizards who had dragged him away from the hidden caves entrance. They were the members of Snapes underground group. As he watched, fascinated by this marvel, a Muggle on one of the screens was attacked by one of the creatures, and died.

With a flick of his hand, Severus transformed all of the screens into one large screen. It featured a single creature, moving through the darkness under cover of trees. Stubb. Another flick of his hand and a short incantation turned the screen into a map, with a red blip in the centre. Smaller yellow blips were surrounding it, closing in.

‘What does that mean?’ asked Aeon.

‘Your House-elf is in trouble. We must leave now.’ Snape muttered. He turned to Aeon, and asked him a question. ‘What does your house-elf have of importance? What did your father give him?’

‘I don’t know. He never told me. And Stubb never owned anything special.’ Aeon was puzzled by Snape’s interest in him, but even more so about his interest in Stubb. ‘What was on that map thing?’

‘Those were Death Eaters. We must get there quickly. Just let me put the spell on this box again, and we’ll leave.’ He muttered one more spell, and the big screen whirred, and started folding in midair. It folded one way, then another, until eventually it stopped, and formed a box, the same box that had teleported them away from the battle scene earlier. It dropped to the floor with a clink, and as soon as it did, the enchantments on the room stopped, and it shrunk around them.

As soon as he picked it up, the box began to glow again, and he placed a firm grip on Aeon’s shoulder. He felt the familiar jerk, and soon he was standing in a clearing in a forest. A dead forest. All the remains of animals nearby made this place feel like a graveyard. The stars were still overhead, but they were joined by a strange orange glow. A forest fire was raging nearby, burning the already dead trees.

[minihagrid]

‘They are trying to capture the elf. They must know of his importance.’

‘What importance? And why am I here?’

‘All will be explained in good time. But not know.’

They rapidly moved towards the forest, and stumbled through, scanning the surroundings for signs of movement. Soon, they saw it. Up ahead, the sound of twigs breaking and a soft sobbing noise drew them closer.

They quickened the pace, Aeon trying as hard as he could to conceal himself behind Snape. As he was so small for his age, it was fairly easy. Snape pushed branches aside, snapping them with ease. Suddenly, Aeon caught his foot on a shrivelled root, and fell hard, smacking his chin of the floor.

Snape turned, and offered his hand, but soon withdrew it. He stepped back, his mouth curling up into a snarl. Aeon was shocked by this change in attitude. Snape was slowly stepping backwards, and muttering under his breath.

‘Wha- what are you doing?’ Aeon tried to clamber up, but Snape stopped him.

‘Stay where you are.’ He growled. He was now working up a spell, his eyes closed tight, focusing on something with his mind. Then Aeon heard it. A snarl, coming from behind him. He could feel hot breath on his back making his hairs stand on end. He slowly turned his neck, and met a terrifying site.

Standing behind him was one of the Death Eater beasts, similar to the ones that he had he had encountered in the tunnels earlier. Its eyes were burning straight into Aeons head, and sent waves of fear through his entire body. The human on its back raised its sword into the air, and the beast reared up onto its hind legs. With a terrific roar, it came crashing down, and Aeon braced himself for the impact. But it never came.

He remained crouched down with his eyelids squeezed shut. His lip was trembling. And little beads of sweat were seeping from his forehead. Still on his knees, he slowly turned around until he was once again face to face with the beast. Only this time, the breathing had stopped. There was no snarling, and the eyes, which had been so fiery and aggressive before, were now lying dormant. It was frozen in time, held in place by a spell.

Snapes’ hand reached out, and pulled him away from the creature. ‘That, was close.’ And Aeon agreed with him. Looking from a short distance away, and now on his feet, he could clearly see that the blade of the death eater was only inches away from where his head was.

‘What are those things anyway? I mean, I know that they’re death eaters, but what are they called?’ Aeon asked, wincing at the thought of his head being split in two.

‘They are not human anymore. They used to be Muggles, betrayed by their hatred for wizards. Their souls were destroyed long ago. They fell into the trap set by Lord Vanadium, and he created them to lead his armies into victory. There are no spells that can defeat them. They are part of Lord Vanadium himself, and will continue to live as long as he does.’

‘But, that one there, he’s not exactly…alive, is he?’

‘I have merely paused him in time, just slowing him down. As soon as Lord Vanadium locates him, he will be returned to our time stream. We must quickly move on.’ Snape turned to leave, followed by Aeon. But suddenly, he turned, and ran back to the icicle statue behind him. He gently prised the glistening sword from the soulless Muggle’s cold hands, and chased after Snape, leaving the Dead forest behind him.

[Magic_Oli]

I noyl had a chance to read the first new one posted, as I have to go to bed...Something about sleep???

Anyway WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU MEAN BY THIS

by Not-so-popular demand

??

[Magic_Oli]

WOW! Its great I've finished it now

*Waits patiently for more*

[Nimuee Macor]

More Minih, More I say!
I looove Snape's part! ;D