Prologue

"That emerald flame landed around here somewhere," snarled Aillic. The mighty dragon had been wandering the woods for hours, but he couldn't seem to find what he was seeking. He had lived for thousands of years, but he had never seen such a sight nor felt such power. However, once he saw the emerald flames falling from the sky, he knew he had to possess it.

Suddenly, only a few kilometers away, a bright green light began to flash. It stopped only a few seconds later, but it was long enough for Aillic to spot. Aillic began to flap his wings. The two giant wings knocked down all the nearby trees as they lifted Aillic into the air. It took him less than a minute to arrive. Even from the air, he could see the massive crater that had scarred the land. He landed to take a closer look. The crater seemed to have no bottom.

Aillic sniffed the air. Along with the smell of the burnt terrain, he could smell something else. "I smell a dead dragon. Somebody is going to pay."

From deep within the crater, he could see a small white dot. Something was down there. The object began to move. It flew straight up and out of the crater. About 25 feet above the ground, it stopped and began to hover. Earlier, it had moved too fast for Aillic to recognize. However, now that it stopped, he could see it clearly. He gasped and moved back. "The Mystic Armour of Rykar. It – it is not possible."

In front of Aillic hovered a man shaped figure wearing an all white armour. The figure raised his right hand in front of himself. In the figures hand was held a giant white sword with a red stone in the middle of the pommel. Then with no warning, a beam of red light shot from the stone and pierced Aillic's skull. He fell to the ground and died.

The Psychic Knights

On the edge of the Asmore Forest, a man and woman fight. Their weapons of choice are psi-blades. Each attack is avoided with cat-like agility and then followed with a counter-attack. The two have been fighting for over an hour. Neither one seems willing to accept defeat. However, fatigue is beginning to wear on both of them. Their psi-blades clash as both attack at the same moment. Neither one moves an inch. The two just stare into each others eyes trying to see a moment of weakness.

As the two wait patiently for the other to make a mistake, an emerald flame streaks across the sky. The man senses it and looks up. He begins to wonder at what it could be when he realizes he just made a mistake. Quickly, he swings his psi-blade to parry the attack coming from his left. However, he is a little too late. Before he could fully deflect the attack, her psi-blade begins to cut into his arm. He screams and falls back. Blood begins to poor down his arm.

The woman gasps in shock. "I'm so sorry, Virsat. I didn't think that I'd --"

Virsat interrupts, "Don't worry about it. It was my own fault. I shouldn't have let my guard down."

"You're bleeding. Are you okay?"

"The wound's deep, but it's nothing serious. A little meditation and it'll heal up just fine. However, let's call it a day. We'll continue your training tomorrow. Head back to Eldrara and I'll catch up with you in a little bit."

"Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself?"

"I'll be fine. Now go."

She puts her head down and begins to leave.

Virsat calls, "Azmira."

She turns and looks.

"Good job today."

She begins to smile. Before going, she bows.

As she leaves, he smiles. He thinks to himself about what a great warrior she is becoming. Then, he looks back to the sky. The smile leaves his face as he begins to think about the emerald flame that he sensed earlier. Although he doesn't know what it was, he knows it had a dark presence to it. However, he isn't able sense it anymore. Despite his best efforts to hone his abilities, he still can't sense it. He decides to let it go for now and heads back to Eldrara.

When Virsat arrives, he is greeted by his old mentor, Gardan. "Welcome back Virsat. I see you had a little trouble during training."

Virsat looks down at his arm and lets out a slight chuckle. "Your little sister is quite the student."

"That's why I made you her mentor. Now, come quickly. The Psychic Knights have been called to an audience at Taswin."

"That's the castle of Lord Kentig. What would he want with us?"

"Wait and see me friend. Wait and see."

The two make their way to Taswin. The guards at the gate allow them passage into the enormous castle. As they enter, Gardan looks at Virsat and asks, "Would you like to lead the way?"

Virsat responds, "Still testing me old friend?"

"Simply curious how your abilities have progressed during this time of peace."

Virsat smiles and says "Very well." He points to the right and continues, "This way."

In a matter of minutes, the two find their way to the assembly chamber deep in the halls of Taswin. The assembly chamber is a huge room with several seats surrounding a long table. It is well lit with Harkuu globes. When they arrive, the other four members of the Psychic Knights are already waiting.

Gardan looks at everyone. "It's been a while friends. It's good to see everyone again. We're just waiting for one more person. Then, Lord Kentig will explain why he has called us all here."

Virsat turns to Gardan and asks, "One more person? At the end of the war, there were only six of us. So who are we waiting for?"

As Virsat finishes the question, Azmira walks into the room. "Sorry I'm a little late, Gardan. I had trouble trying to figure out which psychic energies to follow. However, once you and Virsat came in, I found this place no problem."

"It's okay," responds Gardan. "It's my fault entirely. This is a big place with many powerful psychics. When I asked you to run ahead, I didn't take into consideration that you haven't met the other members of the Psychic Knights. You did well all the same."

Virsat stares at Gardan. Gardan simply smiles. Virsat opens his mouth to speak. But before he could say anything, Lord Kentig enters the room. Everyone kneels and bows their heads in his presence. Lord Kentig says, "Sixth ESPer Unit, thank you for coming on such short notice." He pauses as everyone stands. He continues, "I have called you all together because I have an important mission that requires your skills. As many of you may have seen, an emerald flame lit the night's sky. It crashed somewhere deep in the Asmore Forest. It is crucial that you find exactly where it crashed and try to retrieve what you can. Is this understood?"

The Psychic Knights respond in unison, "Yes, Lord Kentig."

"Very well, you are dismissed. You will leave tomorrow morning. You are all free to stay in my castle the night. Good luck Sixth ESPer Unit." With that said, Lord Kentig exits the room.

Most of the Psychic Knights begin to talk amongst themselves. However, Virsat leaves the assembly chamber without saying a word. Gardan glances slightly at him, but continues to talk. Virsat walks to the room provided for him by Lord Kentig. He enters it and looks around. The room was beautiful, the type fit for royalty. He finds the bed and lies down. The thought of staying with the others and reminiscing about old times had crossed his mind, but his heart just wouldn't be in it.

Virsat tosses in the bed for the next few hours as he tries to sleep. However, he just can't seem to get comfortable. He gets up and walks to the windows. The windows open up onto a balcony. He walks out and stares into the endless night sky. The stars twinkle brilliantly, but that's not where he is looking. He is looking towards the area where he saw that emerald flame. Something about this mission bothers him and it all started with that flame. He wonders what was that presence he felt earlier and why did Lord Kentig want them to return with it. Then, to top it off, there is the room.  This isn't the type of room awarded to warriors. It is the type that is granted to royalty or to a man on his last night alive, something comforting before the impending doom.