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    Floating in nothingness wasn’t as uncomfortable an experience as Sarien would have thought. It was quiet. He held up his hands and could see them. He still wore his clothes and, after rummaging through his pockets, he discovered that he still possessed his mother''s book and his father''s device. They would be representations of the real thing, he figured, since his body was still out there somewhere, on the floor right next to the chair with the trapped creature.


    A calm settled over him, despite worrying about Daisy and the fate of his friends. Not the traitors who’d tricked him, of course, but Goslin, Tomford, and everyone else back in Maydian. They could take care of themselves, he knew, but still.


    Finally, a chance to rest. He sat down into nothingness breathing in deep and closing his eyes, sensing the white flame inside him. Without the black flame, the divider within him had disappeared. The white flame filled him with a sense of wholeness.


    The white flame reacted to his will. He opened his eyes and tried to manifest the flame into the palm of his hand. In an instant, a cold, white light danced in front of him. The light didn''t diminish the darkness. The slayer''s void wasn''t filled with darkness but with nothing.


    Sarien strained and attempted to open a gateway.


    Nothing happened.


    Sarien wasn''t surprised. He didn''t actually exist in the void, only a representation of his heart, as his father had explained. The heart was the part of you that represented your power. In a mage, that was a simple enough image to understand, but the black flame worked the same for those without magical abilities.


    With nothing else to do, Sarien took out his mother’s book and opened it to the first page.


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    With all pieces on the board, we have finally gathered everything we need to overthrow the ones who fled to Maydian and set themselves up as gods, lording over the inhabitants in this small world. They twisted the underlying flow of power into a limited system and have used it to exploit the weak. For this, and for so many other things, The Gatekeepers finally allowed me to take action. This will book will serve as notes for the eventual report.


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    Sarien’s eyes widened at the mention of the gatekeepers. His mother’s organization was the ones who began what would eventually result in the overthrowing of Maydian’s gods. Eld, Ocea, Taera, and Anea. With increasing curiosity, he kept reading.


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    The Slayers deigned to send one of their own to help. One. The arrogance. With these four Halvgudar having escaped from their prison, a void guarded by hundreds, you would think they, at least, would see the need for a genuine show of strength. On a personal note, the slayer they sent, Ein, is already getting on my nerves with his jokes and ceaseless antics.


    Juoko is fine. Arrogant and condescending, but fine. These traits are expected from one of his kind, after all. Also, I have started appearing behind the man for an instant to pinch him, before disappearing again. When he asks, I blame mosquitos.


    Enough of that now. We prepare for departure and our search for natural inhabitants of Maydian, who call themselves "humans," to stand by our side. It is important to involve the natives of this world in these matters.


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    Sarien couldn’t help but smile. The text depicted his mother’s first interactions with his father. From the brief time he spent with Ein as his true self in Tyralien, he could understand his mother’s irritation. To think that they would fall in love and have a child, him, when their relationship began on such rocky footing. He laughed out loud when he read the trick his mother played on Heradion, who she called Juoko.


    His grin dropped, as he read over the same passage again. His mother appeared for an instant behind Juoko. She didn’t use a gateway. Did that mean she was able to travel without one? Sarien remembered sending the decaying, dog-like monster, the luison, away without a gateway. The same happened with the Xzxyth.


    That was it! He could travel without having to open a gate! The void did not allow for gateways to form, but maybe, just maybe, that restriction wouldn''t prevent him from escaping this place.


    Sarien closed the book and replaced it in his pocket. He closed his eyes and beckoned the white flame. Its strength and his power to wield it were greater now that the black flame no longer interfered. He brought the dancing white flames out into both of his palms. He closed his eyes again and willed himself out of the nothingness. It was the first time he’d ever attempted this, but it came so easy to Sarien now that he knew of the possibility.


    The void spun around him, and a great resistance pushed against his power, but it crumbled under the force of his will. He blinked his eyes open and found himself laying on the stone floor.


    Surprised streamed in waves from the creature bound to the chair, but Sarien ignored it as he hugged Daisy, who jumped up in excitement upon seeing Sarien sit up.


    The chamber was empty apart from the creature. Sarien turned to the being. "You are a prisoner."


    A wave of anger and despair washed over him.


    Sarien nodded. "I have the power to free you."


    It moved its leg and arm-like limbs as much as it could, fighting against the restraints. Hope surged through the room.


    "Can you return my black flame?"


    Complex emotions emanated from the amphibian, but Sarien felt its doubt.


    "Not here, because of these?" he asked, lightly touching the metal bands. Sarien read that he was right from the next wave of emotions, and continued, "If I free you and send you home, wherever that is, will you stop blocking the magic in Malac and return my power to me?"


    The creature nodded awkwardly.


    In truth, Sarien wasn’t sure he wanted the power of the black flame returned to him. Having the power of wayfaring coursing through his entire body made him feel whole and somehow right, but he knew he’d need the slaying before this was all over. Stopping the rhinn would mean using the power inherited from his father again and again, despite how much he disliked how it trapped the souls of its victims in the void.


    "What is your name?" he asked the creature, but the way it communicated with emotions was far too complex for Sarien to understand the reply, so he just nodded. "I’m Sarien. Remember who set you free."Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    He placed a hand on the creature''s smooth but leathery skin, stoked the white flame, and asserted his will. While the metal bands restricted the creature''s movement and the elaborate script allowed Yelena to possess power over it, neither were able to stop Sarien.


    The creature disappeared from the chair and materialized standing next to Sarien. It fell into a flapping heap, exuding happiness and relief.


    "Your turn," Sarien said. The divider inside him returned, pushing the power of the white flame to the left side of his body. Then the black flame poured into him like water.


    He crouched down next to the creature and placed his hand onto it. "Thank you. Have you stopped blocking the magic of those living in this world?"


    It exuded agreement.


    "Good. Think of your home and try to explain it to me, and I’ll send you there."


    A short wave of gratitude transformed into an array of emotions that Sarien used to direct his wayfarer’s power, much like he used his father’s when he sent him after his mother, he realized. And just like that, the creature was gone, sent back to its home.


    A gasp came from the door. "What did you do?" It was Myn.


    "What are you doing here?"


    She entered the room and closed the door behind her. "Did you kill it?"


    "I sent it home." Myn looked at him with suspicion. "Can you feel the power inside you? It’s free now."


    "It is?" she asked, eyes widening. An instant later, glittering lights in all colors surrounded her entire body. "It is!" she shouted, her voice full of amazement and glee.


    Sarien gritted his teeth. His black flame swirled around his right arm. "Good. Prepare yourself."


    The lights surrounding Myn winked away, and she held up her hands in surrender. "Wait, please. I’m sorry."


    "You’re sorry?" he barked. "You lied to me!"


    Anger surged through him.


    "It was the only way for us to survive! She only let us stay out of her prison to locate any wayfarers arriving in Malac. Taking you to her would let us use our powers! Don’t you see?"


    "She kept you imprisoned?"


    "We attempted to overthrow her a few years ago. It didn’t work, of course. Instead of killing us, she enjoyed playing with us and torturing us all in her dungeon."


    Sarien’s mind flashed to himself on a table, an old woman with a kindly smile and crazed eyes standing over him with a scalpel. His anger withered away. "Then how did you find me?"


    "We lied to you. Not all of us can sense magic, only Freyn. Yelena never blocked her power as it was useful to her," Myn said, fidgeting.


    "And she let you out to find me? She couldn’t have known I’d come here."


    "Look, I’ll explain later, but for now, we have to run. Things are about to turn very chaotic here when people realize their powers are no longer blocked."


    She turned to open the door, but Sarien didn’t follow. "I’m not going anywhere with you unless you explain everything. Right here, right now."


    "Fine," she said, closing the door again. "She released us all when Renheld disappeared. He wasn''t a wayfarer and the one he’d trapped long ago was dead. Yelena figured a different wayfarer would return him to Malac, or there was one she didn’t know about who helped him escape. It would be her chance, so she let Freyn go and that surly woman demanded the rest of those who still lived be allowed to join her. Yelena brought her to the brink of death for that but relented."


    Myn shrugged, "And here we are," then stepped up close to Sarien. Too close. "I’m sorry, Sarien, I really am. None of us wanted this to happen to you."


    Sarien didn’t trust her, but he could understand. "Fine. I forgive you, but you’ll have to earn back my trust. What will you do now? Fight Yelena?"


    Her mouth curled into a smile at first, but then froze when he mentioned the ruler. "No, no. We must run and get away from here. You don’t understand just how strong she is. At this point, all we can do is get the others and escape. If it’s not too late already." She hurried out the door, waving for him to follow.


    Daisy barreled after her and Sarien exited the chamber. "There have to be hundreds of mages in Malac, thousands. You’re saying all of you can’t stand up to her together?"


    Myn grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "Of course, she won''t be able to fight against all the mages, but not all will strike at her as one. There will be alliances and a struggle for control, just like before. Yelena won’t last, but it will be weeks, or even months, before someone attempts to overthrow her."


    "What about your group? There are five of you."


    She looked back at him with a teasing smile but didn’t slow down. "Don’t forget, only Viv and Freyn have ever used their powers before. The rest of us are like infants. No, we run. Can you still take us away from here?"


    Sarien didn’t like leaving such a threat behind him, but it couldn’t be helped. At least she didn’t have that creature on a leash anymore. "I’ll take you with me, but you’ll owe me."


    "We already owe you," she said, opening a door.


    They hurried down a long, spiraling stairwell that never seemed to end. Loud bangs rang throughout the keep and the stone structure shuddered. Myn’s eyes widened. "We have to hurry."


    "What power does Yelena possess?" Sarien asked. To make a whole stone keep tremble was incredible.


    "Not sure," she said, hurrying down a new set of stairs. "Something to do with force. Lots of force." She waved for him to follow. "They’re down here."


    Once again, Sarien was reminded of his time in the dark cell beneath the tower. A single set of stairs led down into a darkened room with cell upon cell in free standing rows, like cages, that disappeared into the gloom in one huge chamber. One torch burned at the bottom of the stairs. Myn grabbed it and hurried out into the sea of metal bars.


    The glow of the fire reflected in the eyes of those locked inside the different cells. So many of them. "Who are all these people?" he asked.


    Myn glanced around. "I don’t know. Me and the others were kept in a different part of the keep before our release."


    The keep shook again. A few imprisoned men and women screamed, others sat staring with vacant expressions.


    "We can’t leave them," Sarien said.


    "Can you transport them all?" Myn asked.


    They were all separated into different cells. Some held a small cluster of prisoners, others only one. It would take hours, perhaps more, to free each and every one of them. Sarien shook his head.


    A screeching sound was coming down the stairs they just emerged from, and Myn started running. "Then let''s go!"


    "What is that?" Sarien asked, running after her. Daisy wagged his tail, probably thinking they were playing some sort of game.


    "I don’t know!" she shouted. "Here they are! Viv, Haen, the block is gone!"


    They made it to a cell that held Viv, Haen, Freyn, and Emiril. All around the expansive dark chamber, people’s powers began to manifest. Sarien caught glances of bright red light burning through metal, yellow flashes, and dancing, glittering rainbows. There was even something that looked like leaves falling. "You still want to come with me?"


    "You’re offering, are you?" Viv asked, her voice full of wonder as a bright image of light in front of her hands depicted a young girl dancing in a meadow.


    "After what we did to you?" Haen added. He stepped up to metal bars, grabbed the lock and tore the metal apart. "That’s quite something," he muttered in astonishment.


    Sarien grinned and nodded, then turned to the noise that was descending down the stairs. All around them, cages were being torn apart. "Myn explained. You all owe me, but yes I will take you out of here."


    "Yelena is coming," Freyn stammered, grabbing onto Haen’s arm tight. Pure terror shone in her expression.


    For a brief moment, Sarien thought about staying to fight, but the older woman’s fear made him decide against it. It was too great a risk.


    He opened a gateway, finding a strange resistance when he widened it, and shouted to be heard over the roar of powers all around them. "This gate will take you outside the city. Enter it and escape, if you wish! You better hurry! It will soon close!"


    People immediately ran and threw themselves through the opening that shone bright from the morning sun on the other side.


    The loud sound hurtling down the stairs came to a crescendo, and a figure emerged, moving quickly. Sarien threw open another gate. "Go!" he shouted. The others fled, with Daisy following. Sarien stepped through and collapsed the gateway behind him.


    It blinked shut, cutting off everything and everyone on the other side. When Sarien left Malac, the first gate would have closed too. He hoped most of those captives had escaped. Those who hadn’t would stand alone to face Yelena.