The Chronicles of the Nine Gates

The Chronicles of the Nine Gates

Entry 1: The Truth Within A Fable

My name is Ryouji Nakashima and I am fifteen years of age. I was born to the Nakashima family of West City; a seemingly normal family with average income, in an average neighborhood. Over the past years I have came to possess the power of magic and have learned to control it, but that is not why I am writing this journal. Over the course of several years I will be attempting to discover the truth behind an ancient fable; a tale of a world called the Realm of Magic.

It is said that this mysterious realm is the source of all magical energies throughout reality. The Magic Realm is said to house powerful beings and dangerous secrets. It was a world of imagination where the rules of our world had no effect; a wondrous realm where anything was possible as long as one had the imagination and willpower to make it happen. That is the world I want. A world I want to bring into this reality.

I should probably tell you what made me start this log and why I know seek the truth behind the Realm of Magic. It was only a few weeks ago when, during my exploits, I met a strange old man who told me of a power he had seen long ago, of a “magical beast” that he saw summoned to the world. He spoke of summoning circles and flashes of bright light, which reminded me of my own abilities; so much in fact that I had decided to probe the man for further details.

Other than describing the layout of the circles and their design, he wasn’t of much use. He did however mention a conversation that he had with the summoner that day. The man told me that the summoner spoke of a contract signed with the beast in his own realm. I have done much research on that subject and it would appear that there have been several accounts of such a thing happening all over the world, all describing the same man and beast. Most of the entries were marked as drunken ramblings and unofficial reports.

It would appear as though the person existed and whoever it was that was able to summon the beast had to create a contract with it first. I can’t argue the validity of that statement, but I took it as true and now I am attempting to breach the wall between our world and that of the magical one in order to form my own contract with one of these so called “Magic Beasts”. This journey will surely prove to be a difficult one.

(WC: 461)

The Chronicles of the Nine Gates

Entry 2: The Impermeable Barrier

After much research and many attempts I have finally discovered the rip in space where the Realm of Magic resides. Unfortunately the rip is protected with some sort of impermeable barrier and despite all my attempts, I have been unsuccessful.

The rip in our world is not in the physical dimension like I had originally anticipate, but within the spiritual one. The spiritual dimension is, as my studies have led me to believe, another plain of existence where we as beings also exist as pure energy. This dimension is our exact duplicate, with us making the same decisions and consequences in that dimension as we do in ours. For most people, the connection to this second reality is so minute, no one takes notice, but for others the connections are quite strong.

Those who can control their ki or chi or any kind of energy freely have the strongest bonds to this alternate dimension. The person is able to draw from the power of their own self from that dimension. As a person grows and learns the art of energy manipulation, their link with that realm grows stronger. It’s not so much the fact that the energy of an individual increases in our world, but it’s simply their ability to bring forth the energy from that second dimension into our own that grows stronger.

If I could open the barrier within the spiritual dimension then I would be able to travel freely between our realm and that of the Realm of Magic. The location of the rip in the spiritual world is fairly close to my own home, I may actually have my comrade Broly assist me with moving my mansion to its location as I may be traveling between the two realms frequently. Of course, this is only if I manage to find a way past the barricade.

So far I have attempted to break through using brute force by calling upon as much magical energies as I possibly could, but to no avail. I also tried lowering my sensitivity to magic, but that simply caused me to lose connection to the spirit world for a time. Physical means are pointless as it exists only in the state of pure energy.

I had my questions at first, how the man in the tales was able to travel freely between the two realms, but I soon came to realize that, like that of being tied the ones spirit, a being’s energy is ties to the Realm of Magic. This means that the portal will only open to an individual, not to all. Only once you have established a link to the Realm of Magic will the way be open for you. Yet still, the question remains.

How do I proceed?

(WC: 467+461=928)

The Chronicles of the Nine Gates

Entry 3: The Realm of Magic

I have finally found a way through the barrier. It wasn’t until I discovered that meditating increases the connection between the Physical Realm and the Spiritual Realm. This increased connection and allowed me to better grasp the rip of space within the Spirit World. With such a defined rip I was able to slowly inch my way through the barrier and into the Magic Realm. It was a tedious task, but well worth it.

When I first entered the realm I was overcome with a whole new array of sights, sounds and smells. My senses were overwhelmed with such bright colors, defined sounds and wonderful aromas. The sky was filled with various crystals and prisms ranging from all sorts of shapes and sizes. They floated at different heights, bending the light emanating from the three large white burning cubes in the sky. The prisms split the light into a plethora of colors, filling the sky with an assortment of wondrous hues and tints.

When I had first looked down toward the ground, I was surprised to see myself floating over a crimson red abyss. The ground was solid and I had even bent down to feel the hard surface of the floor, it was just transparent. It was certainly a strange feeling, the hard ground beneath my feet, but nothing but an eternal abyss could be seen below them. I was frightened to move at first, but by tossing a few rocks that had found their way into my shoes along the ground; I had quickly realized that the floor was unending.

With every step I took, the sounds of my footsteps were unfamiliar. Instead of the normal tapping sound that normally rang in my ears, a soft almost music like tone took its place. There was no wind, but my movements through the realm seemed to cause a trail of violet light to follow me wherever I go. It faded quickly, but when moving fast enough, the tail of light would sometimes reach up to three or four meters.

The longer I stayed in the Realm of Magic, the stronger I felt my magic become. I found out quickly that I need not use any magic circles to refine my energy as my magic simply seemed to form when I wished it so. Though the length of my stay in the realm increased my power, it did however start to make me sick as I started to gain a high fever and large migraine after only a few hours in it.

I am looking forward to seeing all of the other wonders the Realm of Magic holds.

(WC: 444+928=1372)

The Chronicles of the Nine Gates

Entry 4: The Nine Gates

It has been a week since I have last made an entry here and most of that time I have spent within the Realm of Magic. It has not been an easy week as my very existence in this world puts a tremendous amount of stress on both my body and my mind. I would not expect less from a reality in which I do not belong.

As the legends and stories tell, there are beasts here, but much unlike what we homo-sapiens call a beast. When i first think of the word, a large carnivorous animal with large fangs and sharp claws pops into my head; that or an image of Broly on one of his more pleasant days. Though, in this realm, these 'beasts' are anything but.

It would appear as though beasts were a name given to them by Human sorcerer's who summon them through ritualistic means. It is but a name to strike fear in the hearts of man. I have met one such 'beast' and he looked human enough. Well, he was at least humanoid with a large dorsal fin protruding from his back and hair that looked soft to the touch which flowed flawlessly to the ground. He spoke to me, not by normal means of audio perception as he was without a mouth or ears or even a nose for that matter. He spoke to me in my mind. His voice was my own as there was no need for him to have one. Thus was the way with telepathy, much unlike what the television shows and movie portray it as. How would someone's voice be heard in the mind when nothing is spoken?

The creature told me of their true name, but I do not wish to sully their existence with futile attempts at trying to spell the name of their species. I have simply called them Dyrani, a crude and informal shorthand of their true name. This Dyr (the singular form of their name) told me as much as I could have hoped for about Mystara, which is the name they give their realm.

Within Mystara there are several planes of existence, each one guarded by a gate. There are said to be nine of these gates and ten separate, but coexisting, planes including the outer most level where I had first entered the realm. The Dyr had told me that a test of will and power is need to open each gate and with each level, the power of the Myst, the magic power that the creatures are made from, grows ever stronger. By the time one reaches the Ninth Gate, the power of the Myst is a thousand fold that of the outer most plane.

When asking about what lies beyond the Gates, the Dyr told me he knew not as he had never been. It would seem as the Dyrani increase in power, they may attempt to open the gate and, if successful, pass through. However once a Dyr passes through a Gate, they may never return as to not upset the balance of power.

If my blood flows this wildly in the outer most portion of Mystara I can only imagine what it must be like after passing through the Ninth Gate. What wonders wait through the Gates? Just how powerful are the Dyrani that lie past that?

(WC: 566+1372=1938)