“Squeak” The silence of the forest was broken as a squirrel lifted its head up. It checked left, right, left. Satisfied, it focused back on its lunch. Silence returned for another moment before the squirrel took off in a mad dash.
“Hehehehehehe”, the little girl giggled as she chased the squirrel. She couldn’t have been more than 4 years old by her height and the pitch of her glee. The smile on her pale blue face was that of pure childish enjoyment. As she continued chase her legs moved unnaturally, almost magically. They moved so fluidly in her little red and gold dress, despite the uneven forest terrain littered with branches, logs and bushes. She weaved between obstacles and over hurdles like water in a stream. Her hair only added to the image. Longer than she was tall, her purple hair trailed behind her following her slalom, it flowed perfectly.

Thunk. She slammed face first into a set of legs she clearly hadn’t seen a moment ago. The legs towered above her abnormally high. She looked up at the shadowy figure. It was the shape of a man, tall and thin, his figure was difficult to make out in the shadows, he must have been wearing dark clothing, though judging by his shape, it didn’t appear to be baggy clothing at all.

“I’m s-sorry sir” she looked ashamed, “I was j-just having some fun…”

The figure continued to stand there, still as a tree trunk.

“Yes sir, I know I have a job to do… Yes, I’ll get back to looking right away.”

She turned and started walking in the other direction, defeated and depressed. She gave one glance back, but the figure was gone. She sulked on through the woods.
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The marketplace was bustling. Vendors were peddling their wares, fruits as juicy as they come, potions for millions of purposes, jewelry for capturing the love of your life, even weapons as finely, and poorly, crafted as they come. People moved through the market as best they could despite the clutter. It was a constant stream of people moving from one end of the market to the other, flowing around the ones who stopped suddenly to get a closer look at one item or another.

“That right there be a fine sword!” A rather large man said, clearly a blacksmith by his apron and build. He spoke to an average sized man standing in front of the weapons cart inspecting a rather intricate short sword.

“It was a rather good find! I’m told it is known as ‘Vladmir’s Fang’. Named after the man it was crafted for. It’s perfectly balanced and the Ruby on the hilt was hand carved and fitted.”

The ruby he was referring to was carved into the shape of a cross and inlaid right into the sword’s handle.

“Too bad it’s fake.” The person who spoke was a random passerby. He wore a large red trench coat on top of his black dress clothes, and stood tall, though not abnormally. His glasses reflected the sunlight, masking his eyes from the blacksmith until he tipped his head to look over them. His orange irises stood out well against his black hair that was just long enough to fall below his eyes. He grinned.

“But you knew that didn’t you? You thought this knockoff you made would sell well if some sucker thought it was the real thing. Tsk tsk.”

The blacksmith’s face was pure surprise, betrayed by the guilt that said this stranger was right about the sword’s authenticity.

“A shame. I guess I’ll have to keep looking.” The man turned and disappeared into the crowd without another word, as the blacksmith tried with futility to regain his composure.
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The woman rushed through the castle hallway, her grey dress only hindering her slightly. Her white hair seemed to glow, even in the dim light of the castle corridors. She turned a corner only to be stopped by two guards.

“Woah, Hold on ma’am. What can we help you wi-” The guard on the left started.

“Let me through immediately! I need to speak with one of the Vay family NOW!” She interrupted. Despite her eyes being covered by a white cloth, the anger in her face was clear.

“I’m sorry ma’am but you will excuse us if your demands aren’t enough for us to grant you passage.”

“You idiots! The veil has been breached! The Charms are loose! Our universe is in danger!“ she cried. Her patience was clearly used up. In the moment that the guards took to consider her warning she pushed past them and sprinted further into the castle. The guards took off after her.
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With Calibar finally banished, Centra K III was ready to finally get the peace it has been fighting to obtain for so long. Unfortunately, while war is no longer a direct issue, existence itself is in danger. The charms, spirits of powerful ancient beings, have passed through the veil into the realm of the living. They each inhabit an artifact held near and dear to them when they were still alive.

Each charm contains immense power, and thus value to anyone who might obtain one. However, their magic is not of this world, and not meant to exist in the realm of the living. While they may offer an individual power beyond their wildest dreams, all magic has its price, and misuse could mean the end of our existence. So, will you seek unending power? Or will you join those who seek to return the charm’s spirits to where they belong?