Fifty knights, twenty members of the Royal Guard, the Royal Family, and the Great Sage himself were to attend the summoning ritual that would once again bring a group of heroes to the great kingdom and bring it to salvation.
Or that's at least what was taught to the denizens of the kingdom. They and the Royal Family were not immune to such tales, yet in such desperate times the decision was made to play their trump card.
Princess Leccamaradel Emma Araish sat quietly in the darkened chamber of the Grand Cathedral. This holy place once brought the kingdom to greatness, yet at the same time, such a place brought upon the destruction of the old ways.
She basked in the limited light provided by the scattered torches letting out a soft hum of an old song she had once been taught many years in her past. Those around her, though few listened to her hum as each one patiently awaited the arrival of the king and queen.
Captain Orwell stood at the entrance to the chamber. He guarded the only entrance and exit as he gazed upon the stained glass that decorated the roof above. The colors were faded, and dust covered the once grand images displayed, yet he found it interesting to figure out what story was being told through each distorted image.
Not less than five hours earlier, the Royal Court had been stormed by members of the king's guard and each feudal lord had been arrested on the account of treason. This immediately put the king into complete power, thus the governmental status of the kingdom had been flipped on its head in less than a single day.
Members of each feudal lord's army celebrated this new proclamation and leaders from each faction had gathered at the capital to form a new military under the same flag.
Captain Orwell was unsure how he felt upon hearing the news, but he kept his mouth shut due to knowing better than to step against the King during his mad dash for power over the kingdom. What stood out to him the most was how a good portion of the citizens within the confines of the capital supported this "revolution", and how the rest of the kingdom paid seemingly no mind to the change in hands.
Lecca's hum slowly came to an end just in time for silence to fill the room as a man in fashionable clothing entered the small chamber.
With a condensing tone the man adjusted his bow tie as he called out to Lecca, "Princess Araish, it is time. The king requires your presence."
Raising from the seat she sat in, the Princess quietly nodded in confirmation. With the guards and knights following behind her, Lecca followed the man who was now identified as a Noble from house Orpheus. The man gleefully spoke about the cathedral they walked in as the destination they wished to reach neared.
"Lies. That was all that was spread from this godforsaken place. Just look around, without the proper funding from the people, this once holy place would've been in shambles long ago." Lecca remained silent as the noble continued his speech, "To put it bluntly your father is making the right choice to summon heroes for the sake of this kingdom. Not even that old bastard held the will necessary to do the right thing in the face of an ever-looming threat on our doorstep."
"And do you believe starting a campaign against one of our former allies is worth the sudden rearmament for the military?" Lecca chose her words carefully as she questioned the Noble who snapped in place and swiftly turned around to her words.
"Princess, do you even realize why we are doing this?" The man asked with venom. "Though the church has been reduced to nothingness, it is obvious that these Holy Knights will bring us salvation. You needn't have a building to receive a blessing!"
"It seems we have arrived." Lecca said angering the noble.
Placing her hands on the large wooden doors, a loud groan came from the doors as they opened and revealed the room inside that was once hidden away. Before her was a large circular room. Candles laid within the circle where a magic circle was being made by fourteen attendants of the Great Sage.
The king, queen, and crown prince waited to the side as the Great Sage explained the necessary steps needed to successfully perform a summoning ritual. Lecca and her guards approached the center of the room to inspect the grafting of the blue powder that was being placed.
Kneeling and brushing her fingers over the powder, Lecca calmly rubbed the powder in her hand making it give off a faint glow that illuminated her hand. It was neither bright nor dull, just right; it truly was the perfect powder to preform such a risky summoning.
There had always been myths among the common folk that summoning in general was something that could be performed with little to no effort, yet such a thought could be further from the truth.
If the powder was of the wrong type, if the mages or sages weren't trained properly in the arts, and more so if the place of summoning effected the casters abilities, there were many variables that could make the art fail. Then there was the silent warning of the being itself. Would it cooperate? Would it rebel against the summoners or royalty?
Too many questions with so little answers.
"It seems the time has arrived." Captain Orwell said.
Letting the fading powder fall to the ground, Lecca looked to her right as the Great Sage began to gather his assistant mages. Each one spread out around the circle, and behind them the knights and guards organized themselves in a defensive posture, each waiting to draw their swords.
Lecca herself rose from the ground and walked next to the Great Sage to oversee the ancient ritual. As the mages rose their arms, all she could do was hold her breath and wait.