Falco Columbarius

       The Zauberers were respected and honored by the common citizens of the Stadhimmel. They were feared and hated by the Teuflisch. This made being a Zauberer increasingly difficult, for the Teuflisch were quickly gaining control of the Stadhimmel. Although the Stadhimmel was originally created and designed by the Zauberers to save humankind from the rising seas, the Teuflisch eventually infiltrated their shining heavenly cities and began to usurp the Zauberers’ power.  In time, the citizens of Stadhimmel inadvertently elected an undercover Teuflisch agent as their Premier. As soon as Premier Teyrin was elected, he decreed that Zauberers were fanatics and the practice of Zaubery was forbidden. From that day forward, the Zauberers had to keep their ancient gifts concealed or risk being exiled.

       In response, the Zauberers secretly created games, songs, stories and movies to teach their children the ways of Zaubery. Occasionally the Teuflisch would ban one of the books or games that were blatantly Zauberish. Fortunately for the Zauberers, the majority of their media slipped right past the Teuflisch censors. It was through these clandestine books, games, and movies that Falco Columbarius learned the art of Zaubery.  By age 7, Falco had mastered the schools of Restoration, Divination, and Alteration. By age 14 he was almost a master of every school, including Illusion and Mysticism. His father Oberon was impressed with the progress he saw in his son’s understanding as he watched him grow. His formal training in the old Zaubery schools was good, but this new secret form of training he was forced to resort to was actually working better than he anticipated. Oberon wished his wife Sophia was there to see her son. He still had not given up hope that she would return someday.

       Oberon Columbarius despised Premier Teyrin and the Teuflisch that had taken control of Stadhimmel. His family had been proud Zauberers for centuries. The Premier’s decree did not stop Oberon from using his gifts to help spread light and love on the planet. Before Sophia had left him with Falco, he regularly left the Stadhimmel and visit the remaining cities on the surface of the earth where Zaubery was still allowed. There he would heal the sick, feed the hungry, give sight to the blind, and battle with the Teuflisch who had remained below to pray upon the surface dwelling humans. Falco had always admired his father for his bravery and loved to hear the tales of his father’s quests to the surface.  Every time he heard about his father using Zaubery he yearned to try the skills he had learned in his years of practice.  One day his dream came true.

        “Son, its time you come along and show me what you’ve learned from your training.” Oberon said to Falco.

       “Really?! It’s finally time? I’ve been waiting so long for this moment father, I am ready,” Falco replied.

       “That remains to be seen my son, the world below is a very different place than Stadhimmel. The Teuflisch have been in charge down there for decades, they are far more powerful down on the surface, closer to their master. That is why they have failed to gain total control of Stadhimmel, up here in the sky they are far from their master, their powers are weakened. Things here are still much safer and more stable than they are down there.” Oberon said with a stern look.

       “Father I have read all the legends of our people, I have listened to the songs, played the games, watched the movies, I have learned everything there is to know about being a Zauberer. If I am not ready now I am willing to accept death.” 

       “That’s the spirit, there’s nothing to fear but fear itself Falco. You’re beginning to sound like you’re ready. You know, when I turned 15, my father took me on my first trip to the surface. Before we go, I have a surprise for you.”  

       “Really? What is it?!”

       “Go look in the garage.”

       Falco dashed to the garage grinning ear to ear, his footsteps shook the floor as he went. He knew what he would find in the garage before he opened the door. As he had envisioned, when he opened the door, there beside his father’s Viamana was one of his very own. Even though it was used, a slightly older model, Falco didn’t care. He knew how hard they were to come by since Zaubery had been outlawed. He was lucky his father was able to find one. 

       “I love it dad!” Falco said with delight.

       “You know I would have gotten you the best if money wasn’t so tight. Work is hard because of the ban, it’s not easy doing business in secret, and there’s no guarantee people will even pay anymore. It’s not like I can report my customers to the police for not paying, or we would all end up in jail. What’s more, less than half the people even believe in Zaubery anymore.” 

       “Its perfect dad,” Falco replied, “I completely understand.”

       Falco had watched his father use his Viamana every time he descended to the surface on one of his missions. It was exhilarating to think that he was about to try it in real life. He had played the Viamana game dozens of times,and he felt very confident that he could easily manage the sleek craft. 

       “It’s now or never son, the guards are about to switch shifts, we only have a five minute window of opportunity to make it or we will have to wait until tomorrow. 

       Oberon opened the garage, entered his Viamana and started the illustrious contraption. The engine whirred and began to generate a gravity well around the vehicle. It began to hover in the garage, and then its prismatic crystalline skin folded and morphed into the shape of a sleek jet.  Falco mimicked his father’s actions, to his surprise it was exactly the same as it had been in his game. He entered the cockpit of the vehicle. There was just enough room inside for one large body. He cleared his mind and visualized the engine starting. To his delight it beganto hum and whir. 

       “That’s it son, you’ve done this dozens of times before, only this time it’s not virtual reality so don’t crash.” Oberon said with a smirk. He willed his Viamana forward and began to exit the garage. “Try to keep up son,we only get one shot at this.” 

       The Viamana began to morph and fold around Falco’s large frame. He felt himself reorient to a face first position, he was laying on his stomach, hovering over the floor of the garage. He could see out through the skin of his Viamana, it was so surreal to actually be flying for real. 

       “Let’s go!” Falco shouted. They were off. His father flew forward slowly at first, but quickly gained speed. Falco followed behind his father,they flew over the streets of Stadhimmel with astounding speed. From below their Viamanas resembled nothing more than an ethereal streak of rainbow light momentarily flashing across the night sky. In minutes they had made it to the edge of the city in the sky. Falco’s vision was greatly enhanced by the heads up display on the skin of the Viamana and from a mile away he could see the guards along the perimeter of Stadhimmel’s opalescent walls. It appeared that they were about to switch shifts, just as his father had said. He felt a surge of confidence when he realized that his father had done this many times before, he clearly knew just the right moment to leave. 

       “Get ready son, we’re almost there. We have to go now!” Oberon said before rocketing straight ahead at full speed. 

       Falco willed his Viamana to follow his father, but he was lagging behind by a few hundred feet. They were nearly at the wall when Falco noticed one of the guards turn around. The fool had forgotten his helmet at his post! Falco pushed his Viamana as hard as he could, hoping that if he was quick he would still slip by undetected. He was just a second too late. The guard saw him as he reached for his helmet. Without hesitation the fearless guard dove over the edge of the wall. His dark armor shimmered in the moonlight like a black streak. Falco felt his heart sink as he watched the guard’s armor transform into a sleek aerodynamic form. He remembered his father saying that the most advanced Viamanas had been confiscated by Premier Teyrin and his loyal guards. 

       “Son, transform into battle mode, we’re going to have to lose this tail before we land on the surface or there will be dozens of Teuflisch waiting for us when we land.” 

       Falco saw his father’s craft folding and reshaping itself from a jet into a fearsome looking dragon. The crystalline skin shimmered like a rainbow as Oberon arced around to defend his son from the pursuing guard. Falco thought for a second and decided he would take the form of a griffin, the Viamana instantly responded to his request to enter battle mode. The jet wings became enormous eagle wings and the body of the jet reformed into the form of a lion. He swooped around in a graceful maneuver and propelled himself upward fearlessly towards the guard and his father. 

       “Be careful Falco, this guard has a very powerful Viamana.” Oberon warned as he saw his son approaching. The guard had transformed his Viamana into a massive black flying kraken which quickly ensnared Oberon and Falco. The three dueling warriors began to plummet from the sky as they tore and ripped at each other’s Viamanas, falling like comets from the sky. Colorful sparks and glowing smoke spewed from their wounded vessels as they attempted to kill one another.

       On the surface, people began to notice the anomaly in the sky. They emerged from their homes to observe the colorful and dazzling display. All perhaps,except for Cornelius. He remained stationed in his observatory. He was the only human on the surface that could even see what was actually happening in the sky that night. Cornelius watched in amazement as the scene unfolded before his eyes. His telescope was the last remaining connection the people on the surface had to the skies above. It was thanks to Cornelius’s observations of the sky that the people on the surface knew Stadthimmel was real. He was Oberon’s friend and confidant, with whom Oberon had trusted the safety of the people.When Oberon had first come to the surface, many people had been suspicious of him, claiming he was a demon or a sorcerer. Cornelius had confirmed that he was indeed from the city in the sky and that there was in fact a race of noble beings known as Zauberers who occasionally appeared in history to help humanity. They had of course been known by many names throughout time, wizards,angels, aliens, elves, the name people chose to call them were not as important as the role they filled in the circle of life. For they had always been vigilant and righteous, acting to maintain order and balance in the cosmos.  It was rare for them to descend to the surface,so Cornelius rightly suspected there was a coming storm. He quickly rushed out to his balcony to announce his vision to the eager crowd below.

       “Attention everyone, I know you all saw the streak of light in the sky tonight. It appeared to come from one of the Stadthimmel. I know you must all be terribly concerned. Let us begin by thanking the heavens we were spared from any mishap tonight. It appears as if we are safe for now,” Cornelius spoke through his microphone so everyone in the city could hear.

       A voice rang out from the crowd, “What was that thing that fell from the sky?!” 

       “Tell us what you saw through that great eye of yours,” another voice cried from the crowd.

       “Through my telescope I observed three mighty beasts locked in mortal combat. Their skin glowed and shimmered in the moonlight as they fellfrom the night sky. One looked like a large winged serpent made of golden crystals, it spewed green flames from its maw.”

Whispers ran through the crowd, Oberon they said, Oberon had returned. 

       “The second beast appeared to be a massive winged kraken, blacker than the night sky, I was only able to see it with a special filtered lens. And the third was something I’ve never seen before. It looked like a mix between an eagle and a lion. It was the most radiant of them all, its mane shimmered like the stars and it spewed violet flames from its maw. The two shining ones were ferociously defending themselves against the flying black kraken. After a minute, they fell into the eternal ocean and I lost sight of them. I fear they may all be lost in the abyss.” Cornelius said, clearly shaken by what he had just witnessed.

       A young man in the crowd stood up and shouted, “We must organize a reconnaissance mission to see what became of them, it sounds like Oberon may be in trouble!” 

       The epic battle between the Zauberers and the Teuflisch guard raged on long after they crashed into the surface of the ocean and sank into the murky depths of the abyss.  The people watched with anticipation from the shore of the endless ocean, hoping to see Oberon emerge victorious. Shouts of joy rang across the beach when a weary Oberon emerged from the depths with a mysterious ally in tow. 

       “Welcome back mighty Oberon, we saw you descend from the heavens lord. How may we be of service?” Cornelius said as Oberon approached. His mighty frame towered over the mortals he came to help. 

       “Fetch some fresh water please, my son Falco has been injured,”Oberon said with a calm air of authority.  A few of the people dashed off to fulfill his request. Cornelius moved to Falco’s side and gently placed his hand on the boy’s side.

       “We’ll have that water for you momentarily.” Cornelius said kindly.

       “Thank you sir, my name is Falco Columbarius,” Falco replied.

       “Pleased to meet you Falco, I’ve heard all about you from your father, it’s so nice to finally meet you in the flesh.” Cornelius replied.

       “There will be time for formalities later Cornelius, we must cover our tracks and clear the area. The Teuflisch will be looking for their fallen comrade. I wouldn't want to be here when they show up.” Oberon said.

       “You heard him everyone, let’s head back to the city. We must all keep this to ourselves. Nobody speak a word of it to the police or anyone else suspicious who comes around asking about it.” Cornelius announced. The recon squad assembled around Oberon, Falco, and Cornelius and escorted them back to the city with haste. They slept in the basement of Cornelius’s observatory. Falco was fascinated by the walls of the basement, which were clear and exposed to the ocean so it was like being inside of a big dry aquarium. A variety of creatures swam past the walls of the basement that night, ranging from majestic to bizarre, mundane to menacing. The diversity the depths astounded Falco, and he wondered if the rising seas had removed ancient barriers to dispersal that had prevented the creatures from mingling. 

       The next morning the people in the city who were loyal to the Zauberers gathered in the Observatory to welcome Oberon and his son. Word had spread that Falco had accompanied his father and the people were eager to meet him.

       Falco arose early and ascended into the atrium of the observatory where he heard a commotion. He was eager to meet people from the surface; he had never seen them before last night and pleasantly surprised to see that they looked very similar to him. One thing he found strange was the way their skin seemed to catch the light. It was much different than his chocolate brown skin. It looked almost white, it was very strange. Everyone in Stadhimmel had brown skin like him, but these people on the surface had strange white skin. He pondered this as he climbed the stairs and it continued to float around in his mind as he introduced himself to the people from the surface. Their greetings were humble, kind, and sincere. He felt very honored by their warm welcome. Before long his father joined them in the Atrium and began to speak.

       “Last night we were pursued by one of the wall guardians. He would not have fought if he knew the truth, but he had been deceived by the Teuflisch. We must never celebrate violence or killing, may his soul find peace in the abyss.” Oberon said, wasting no time explaining the events of the previous night. He didn’t want any rumors being spread, and he didn’t want anyone celebrating it like it was a victory. “As you know, this year marks the 15th anniversary of my son Falco’s life. We come with dire news, the Stadhimmel has been taken over by the Teuflisch.” 

Gasps and startled cries echoed throughout the atrium.  

       “Please, all is not lost; we have seen promise in our new operations. My son Falco was trained entirely in secret, yet his power rivals mine. Others like me have children who show similar promise. We will not allow the Teuflisch to triumph. We have the Divine on our side.” Oberon said.

       Falco swallowed hard. He felt the tremendous weight descend on his broad shoulders. He knew the fate of the world rested upon him, and he was ready to give his life for the planet he so dearly loved.