Burning Bright

Burn it down they said. Burn it all. They did not heed to the warning signs, they did not listen to those that tried to stop them. They came ready with oil and fire and they made sure that it would not be extinguished. They even stood guard as it burned.

They should not have done that.

And when I say that, I mean all of it. They should not set the magical library alight as it was not only full of knowledge but also full of magical scrolls. Very powerful and in many cases ancient scrolls, imbued with strong ancient magic that even the masters barely understood. They also should not have killed all the people who could contain it, or at least slow it down, so others would have a chance to run.

They needed to stand guard as well... the moment the first scroll was lit, the clock began ticking down. It was like setting fire to a storage of powder kegs.

Actually, you know what? It was nothing like that, the powder kegs would explode and that would be it. The library, however... The library burned bright, and then the fire changed colors. That's when the guards started to slowly back away, but by this point no distance would save them.

There are whispers that it went quiet for the longest second in the entire history. And then raw magic exploded and rushed to all corners of the world. And in its wake, it first obliterated the library building and then it jumped from guard to guard wiping some of them from existence and changing others.

Those who lived, well... those who were changed by the magic, and they have turned into monstrous entities, hungry for more. Some for magic, some for energy itself. Some aimed for fire, some aimed for light, some for the living beings that escaped the initial blast.

Where the magical wave spread, the legion of changelings followed. Marching through settlement to settlement and hunting those who were far enough from the initial blast. Those who remained intact. Those who remained pure.

They would not remain that way for much longer.

Nobody could hide from the legion.