Dio Magica - the Story Lyrics:
It has been a thousand years since the once
powerful planet of Blessing lost its life-giving
two suns, and countless millennia since the days
of the great magicians. An expedition of alien
voyagers came upon the now ice-covered sphere,
drawn there by an unexplained lone beacon far
below the miles of frozen moisture, they unlocked
a written history of Blessing from its almost
undiscovered tomb. So begins the story of Magica.
It was a time of celebration. The Book of Magica
and the wizards who had used its spells so wisely
for the good of the people were being honored in
all the great cities of the world. There was
however an exception. Where good thrives, evil
survives and evil has plans for survival. The
celebration of thanks and prosperity would signal
the forces of Evilsyde to begin the attack and
ultimate capture and destruction of Magica. The
spells from the Book would be used to turn all of
those unwilling to join Evilsyde into statues of
stone and send their spirits to Otherworld, where
they would eventually be assimilated into the
energy needed to drive Evilsyde, and maintain its
power without the necessity of the Book and its
incantations forever. Defenses were naturally
relaxed during the festive preparations and
although the battle was well-fought by both
factions, the minions of the dark prevailed. Their
assault was well-planned and executed to a fault.
After overwhelming their initial opposition, they
pushed on to the sacred ground upon which the Book
of Magica rested. They possessed a much weaker
form of magic themselves, and although it would be
normally quite useless against the strength of
Magica, the inability of the Wizards to gather
themselves together in time, coupled with the
perfect timing and determination of the attackers,
spelled doom for the Book and its followers. The
leader of the insurrection was the high priest and
executioner known as Shadowcast. His presence
could make the naughtiest of children become
obedient and inspire great fear among the adult
population. This man, most vile, would now be
ruler of all and answerable to none. His reign
would plunge Blessing into eternal darkness and
prepare the way for the coming of his master,
Astoroth, the Grand Duke of Hell. The capture of
Magica did not, however, mean that Shadowcast had
finally reached his goal. He must now find and
conquer Blessing's Grand Wizard and legendary
hero, Eriel. Eriel, who defeated Evilsyde time and
again with his understanding and use of Magica's
spells. He would be the last stumbling block of
total domination. Eriel had removed himself from
the general population in anticipation of
everlasting peace and now he devoted all of his
energy to meditation and praise of his God. Lately
though, he had been visited by many temptations in
his dreams. Promises of pleasure, riches and power
raced through his sleeping mind. All these lures
had been placed there by Shadowcast, hoping to
avoid confrontation between this dominant man and
his own villainous forces. Eriel however had
resisted these solicitations and was now warned of
some impending danger. He managed to make his way
to the sacred ground by cloaking his identity with
simple spells, only to be discovered just before
his attempt to rescue the Book of Magica, but not
before he was able to memorize the most important
of Magica's charms, The spell of Restoration.
The ceremony of thanksgiving was now directed
toward the transmission of spirits to Otherworld.
One by one the good souls of Blessing were turned
to stone and sent on to their grisly fate, until
only the noble Eriel remained. The spectacle that
followed was meant to degrade Eriel and raise the
courage of the cowardly supplicants of Evilsyde,
but true to his indominantable bearing, he
promised to return and banish Evilsyde forever.
Then he was gone. The horrors of Otherworld are
now revealed to the masses huddled together for
some small measure of comfort. First the adults
were separated from their children amid cries and
pleas for help. Next the old ones were taken away
and assigned to a place very near the assimilation
site. They were guarded by monstrous, misshapen
denizens of this shrouded netherland, who
constantly harangued the inmates with promises of
pain and extermination. Intermittent bursts of
flame shot up from jagged cracks in the ground,
threatening to consume anyone in its path. Shrieks
of torment could be heard piercing the murky
atmosphere, further unnerving the petrified
captives. Only one seemed unaffected by all the
inflicted fear and turmoil. Eriel's strength and
determination soon pacified the men and women with
whom he was confined. When they all became more
calm and subdued, he began to speak to them softly
as an adult to his children. "Long ago you
entrusted me to protect the Book of Magica and to
be faithful to its special purpose. It must seem
that I have failed you and condemned us all to
oblivion, but fear not! This hell is only a test
of your faith and resolve. The power of Magica did
not vanish in fire. On the third day I will evoke
the spell of Restoration. United we shall return
to Blessing and, armed with the strength of
Magica, we will be triumphant. Many will perish,
but Magica and our souls cannot be restored until
three days have passed. Take heart my friends.
Victory awaits you." Even magic has its
limitations and as Eriel explained to his flock,
the spell could not be activated until a waiting
period of at least three days. One third of the
souls of Blessing would be melded into the
Evilsyde collective before Eriel could be
effective with the words of Restoration. The old
ones were the first to go. Cries of encouragement
and hope were shouted to the condemned as they
trudged slowly to their fate. One by one they were
thrown into the assimilation chamber where a
blinding blue spark gave evidence of their demise.
With each burst Eriel's heavy heart ached with
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guilt for his part in this slaughter of his
charges. If only he had not become so complacent.
He above all should never have let this tragedy
transpire. In the compound holding the young
adults, an insurrection of sorts was occurring. A
boy of seventeen years called Challis was urging
an uprising among his captured companions. Futile
though it was, it earned Challis a place in the
cell adjoining Eriel's. His rantings and ravings
were soon quelled by Eriel's quiet urging and
the two settled into serious conversation. Eriel
knew his time of assimilation was near and only
hoped it would not be scheduled before the three
day waiting period for Restoration was ended.
Shadowcast wanted to personally oversee Eriel's
termination but couldn't abandon his duties on
Blessing until all was secure. Would there be
enough time ? Eriel realized some of his own
strong qualities in Challis and decided that this
was an opportunity not to be lost. He instructed
Challis to remove all anger from his mind and hate
from his heart. Only the pure could receive and
transmit this most important of spells. Convinced
that this young man was ready, he joined with his
spirit and gave him these words. "Sanasha Gorath
Sollis Arcanna," Words that would resurrect the
masses if delivered correctly and in time. Over
two days had passed before Shadowcast was ready
for travel to Otherworld to deliver Eriel to his
fate. His journey through Otherworld was marked by
what could pass for cheers, if they weren't
shouted from the mouths of utterly inhuman shapes
and forms. Upon his arrival he instructed the
guards to take him straight to Eriel. Once there
he announced with great satisfaction that he would
personally supervise Eriel's execution in a
matter of hours. Nearby, Challis loudly voiced his
objection to this treatment of his newly met hero
and was rewarded by kicks and punches until he
could no longer speak. Eriel's heart sank. Had
he misjudged Challis and entrusted his people's
future to a reckless youth? Eriel's mind
wandered to his own younger days. He too had been
restless and foolhardy, but in time had outgrown
these traits and become the adored leader of
Blessing. He wondered if Challis had yet
experienced love. Eriel himself had turned his
back on the beautiful and innocent Annica. She was
his intended from birth, but he couldn't let
love for this saintly child cloud his duties to
Blessing and the Book. One hour remained in the
wait for Restoration. Eriel's hopes were
soaring. Surely Shadowcast would fail once again.
But as that thought surfaced, so did Evilsyde's
dark leader. Eriel was led away with head held
high, but as he passed Challis he gave just the
slightest nod. A gesture that wasn't lost on the
youth. Eriel was then taken to the assimilation
chamber and strapped to the cross-like structure
in the middle of the room. Seconds were all that
stood in the way of resurrection or destruction.
Shadowcast walked to Eriel, presumably to gloat
one last time to his old nemesis. Eriel welcomed
the time that would be wasted, but at the last
moment Shadowcast seemed to reconsider and raised
his arm in signal for the end to begin. The arm
dropped and, with crackle and hiss, Eriel was no
more. Shadowcast and his minions erupted with joy.
Never again to be slaves. Now to be masters.
Challis heard the cheering and knew that Eriel had
passed without time to summon the spell. Now only
he could influence the future. He heard the
rattling of armor and realized they were coming
for him. Soon the guards appeared and dragged the
struggling Challis from his confinement. One of
his jailers struck him a mighty blow across the
face and suddenly all his anger left him. He was
sure of what he must do. Thunder starts from
silence and he would be thunder. Challis was taken
to the chamber and secured to the cross.
Shadowcast approached him and asked if he had any
last thing to say before assimilation. Challis
smiled and said he did. Then with an evil laugh,
Shadowcast raised his arm and announced that his
question was only a final killing joke. It was now
or never. As the arm fell in signal, Challis
shouted out the spell: "Sanasha Gorath Sollis
Arcanna" and all hell actually broke loose.
Challis and the good folk of Blessing were bathed
in an incredible rush of light. Shadowcast and all
his wicked throng writhed in agony in the darkness
they were spawned from, as the fierce illumination
sought them out and consumed each troll, ogre and
gargoyle in a horrible melting frenzy. Shadowcast,
hiding in the last black space to be found,
watched the light creep irresistibly toward him.
At the last moment he cloaked his body with his
unpriestly robe and muttered what sounded like an
oath as the light touched the cloth. The robe
erupted into flame and then there was nothing.
Surely Shadowcast was also consumed by fire! But
that tale would not yet be told. Now as each
remaining citizen of Blessing was transported
instantly back to their home, they found
themselves standing among thousands of
recognizable stone statues. These monuments
represented their fallen comrades and would ever
be a lasting testament to the dangers of evil and
the power of Magica. Now came the time of
mourning. Funeral pyres brightened the night sky
for weeks and songs of sorrow could be heard
across the land long after the flames had
sputtered and died. When the prolonged periods of
grieving had ended, the citizens and their council
directed attention to the task of anointing a new
leader and protector of the restored Book of
Magica. The choice seemed a simple one. Challis
had resurrected the populace and the Book, but
many questioned his youth and inexperience. The
debate raged on as the time of choosing
approached. The candidates were summoned to the
sacred place. Eloquent speeches were made on
behalf of them all. Only Challis lacked a champion
and it seemed certain that he would be passed
over. "Will anyone speak for the boy?" asked
the council. The question was greeted by silence
as the judges turned away to cast their votes.
Then the quiet was broken. A handsome woman with
golden hair, now flecked with traces of gray,
spoke: "Challis must be chosen. This is the
secret I have carried with me for all these years.
Although I was once rebuffed by my only true love,
Eriel, our brief union produced the young man
standing before you. Eriel was never to know that
he had sired this free spirit, but he will live on
through his son's achievements if you now find
him worthy." So spoke Annica, mother of Challis.
The decision was now reached quickly. Annica's
revelation left little doubt in the minds of the
councillors that Challis should indeed succeed his
father. Evilsyde had been defeated, Shadowcast was
hopefully destroyed, Challis had been chosen to
lead his people and, despite the huge number of
casualties, the old way of life began again. But,
evil does not easily die. Shadowcast did indeed
survive and persist in his attempts to challenge
and conquer Blessing. Great battles would be
fought. Brave heroes would rise to the occasion
and legends were created. There was, of course,
the unforgettable War of the Darkpeace when
Challis .... Ah! But that's another story!
Lyrics: Magica - the Story, Dio [end]