Fiction:Holy Shadow War/Shadows of Alcanti

"Do you know how it feels for one of the greatest places of safety you've ever known to become a breeding ground of nightmares? I do. There is little you can do to prepare for such a horrifying experience when safety turns into outright danger. Many claim "yes I am ready", but very few understand the full magnitude of such an event."

Genesis Day
October 20th, 2778

Genesis Day.

On the Imperial calender it is a day of joyful celebration among the Draconis of the, When the old are reborn as the new and the dead come back as newborns. The place great value on this time as a day to celebrate the coming of spring and as rememberance for those who had been lost to the trials of life in the previous year.

For many, Genesis Day is celebrated with feasts galore as people gather in the twilight hours for street festivals of epic magnitude. Such banquests were often immortalised either by families recording the day with holorecorders orreporters using hovercams to stream the live event across the void of space. You did nto have to be Draconis to join in the feasting, indeed there were several cultures that celebrated such a time. But the fifth day of the third month of the Imperial calender was a day the Draconis themselves set aside to celebrate the coming of spring.

Over the course of a day, hundreds of thousands of colonies had organised street festivals within many millions of town cities Imperium-wide. Closing streets, reserving meeting halls, buying harvests, all to celebrate this monumental day. On ALcanti, within the mighty city of Minos'Drakon, the Imperium's cultural elite congregated towards the Imperial Palace. The wealthiest and most priveliged of all the Imperium's citizens gathered in the ancient fortress for a night of revelry everyone anticipated they would not forget. greeted some one thousand guests as they filed in through the front doors. Walking briskly and chatting freely. A man of his age he could recognise half of the faces in the crowd. SOme were friends, some were friends of friends, others were aqquaintences or political contacts. A mecca of the who's-who of the elite.

Everyone was wearing their finest. A veritable sea of silk, gold, velvet, platinum and silver of all manner of vibrant colours. Any tailor would weep for joy at the sight as everyone who is anyone would wear the best designs of praetoral fashion. Uriel himself was wearing a lavish navy-blue overcoat decorated with gold double-stripe piping, looping patterns and a coral-pattern sky blue tunic underneath a lavishly decorated silver-plated breastplate. he greeted everyoen who walked though the great doors with a warm smile and, for those he knew, a firm shake of the hand.

As the last guests filed in, Uriel joined them as they all made their way to the great hall. Just like everywhere else i nthe Imperium, House Ultanos had been preparing the palace for the Genesis Day banquet. Food had been imported from Ultanos estates in the countryside. numerous entertainers had been employed and various decorations hung about the walls, providing a very festive feel to the palace's baroque halls. As everyoen filed into the throne room, Uriel took his position at his seat, taking Alessa by the hand he welcomed everyone.

Uriel - ''Freinds, patriots, and citizens. Today marks a fresh start for us all, on this day untold millennia ago they Say Drakon fashioned us from the rock deep within the earth of his sacred garden. Today we honour his craftsmanship. The past few years have taken their toll but today is a chance once again for all of us to start anew. We take the time this day to remember the work of our forefathers and to remember them, as we remember the Lifefather for what he has done for us. To honour his memory, let the festivities begin!''

On his annoucement, an orchestra began playing slow soothing music, the myriad guests found partners to dance in step to the music. With a mere smile, Uriel and Alensia trotted towards the centre of the room. Other guests kept their distance, allowing the pair room to dance.

Draconis dancing was not elaborate. Bodies were held close and the dance came more from the rhythmic footwork than any flamboyant displays of bodily movement. Step step, left. Step, step, left, the only real complication was that both of them had to cross their legs past the other to move and were not allowed to look down. Uriel and Alensia danced i na circle, spinning his wife, Alessa's dress fanned upward gracefully, a whirlpool of the finest silk and gold surrounded her as a broad smile spread across her face. It was as they danced came the next step, Alensia rested her chin on Uriel's shoulder, drifting lazily into bliss as they danced to the sweet music provided by the orchestra. They were not the only ones, many others soon began to drift into trance, the music and the pancing magically lifting their cares from their shoulders.

Alensia - ''I remember this tune. You used to play it on a music box whenever I felt tired.'' Uriel - Don't drift off now my dear, you'd embarras yourself. Alensia - You know this is my song you devious man.

Alensia cheekily nuzzled Uriel's snout, perking his eyebrows in delight. He could see in her eyes she was in bliss, both from the song and being in the arms of her husband. Almsot iwithout truly knowing waht he was doing, uUriel opened his wings to shield her. He was not protecting her from anything howeve,r the gesture could be more associated with the descending feeling that it was just the two of them and masking the outside would have made the entire feeling complete.

The orchestra played other peices during the dince. The room filled with low murmours as others spoke to their partners in as much a dream-like state as Alensia was. A projection of the setting sun from the window lowered across the sky. As the orcehstra reached the end of a fourth song, a house servant entered the throne room and rang a bell, summoing everyone's attention.

Servant - Lords and ladies, the banquet is served.