《Shadows Pact》 Day of ascension My name is AldaIr Blix. I''ve always dreamed of becoming a famous and powerful Magus, the highest tier of magic users, but my dream was crushed on my ascension day. Even though I barely slept the night of my birthday, I was still up at first light, even though it would still be a couple of hours before the town magus or the church opened its doors to the general public. But yet, I couldn''t wait, couldn''t stop my hands from shaking, my heart from pounding; today is the day of my ascension, my eighteenth birthday, the day I will find out how my magic will manifest. I dress in my best clothes, nice tan pants and a red shirt; I comb my brown hair and trim my ginger beard. After all, I do want to look my best. I stare into the hazel eyes of my reflection. "Today is the day, Aldair, the day you finally get access to your magic and take your first steps on the journey to become a magus!" To calm my nerves, I make myself toast with butter and a steaming cup of my favorite tea. Just as I finish the last sip of my tea, the church bell tower rings, signaling the start of the work day. As I head to the front door, I see my Mother and Father waiting for me with smiles while my Mother holds my baby sister Clarisa. "look at my baby boy, all grown up and on his way to seize the world. I know the gods will smile upon you!" my Mother coos. She always hoped I would follow her path and be chosen by one of the gods. Adthos, the God of weather, picked her. I have no problems being selected by one of the gods; I hope to be chosen by Valros, the God of nature if that were my path. "Don''t be silly, Safie; obviously, he will follow in his Father''s footsteps and be attuned to the elements themselves! Maybe even more than one! wouldn''t that be AMAZING, a duel elementalist!" Father booms out a laugh " Well, either way, dear, we kept him long enough; he''s practically jumping out of his skin." Mother acknowledged handing me a pendent of Adoths Father shakes his head and smiles again, "Right as always, dear. Good luck, son, and may your spark shine brighter than the sun." Father hands me a glove passed down in our family, signaling I''m finally a man. " Thank you, Father, Mother. No matter my spark''s path, I will always do my best to make you proud!" I smile, and for the first time that day, I feel the worry seeping away Mother smiles and shakes her head. "We are already proud of you; just follow your heart and do what makes you happy; that''s all we ask." with that, they both step to the side of the door and see me off. As I step out into the sun, I feel the worry start to creep back in, but I push it aside and make my way to the town magus mansion. It takes me over twenty minutes to make it to the center of town, and as I reach the door, my heart pounding, I reach up and knock. The town Magus opens the door. Despite his title, he''s not a frail old man. He''s barely in his sixties, but with magic, it isn''t unheard of for powerful wizards and witches to reach a hundred before signs of old age start setting in; he has gorgeous blond hair and iridescent green eyes. He smiles warmly at me and beckons me inside. "So young Blix, it''s finally time to see which of the elements call to your soul; with how much time you spent in the arcanum reading the tomes of past Magus, I''m sure it''s felt like millennia you''ve waited for this day so let''s not linger any longer wouldn''t you say?" Magus Erikson turns on his heels and walks towards the chamber of elements. "Yes, magus!" I acknowledge and hurry to catch up. I stopped as we entered the chamber of elements, stunned at the sheer beauty. It was a circular room with pillars in the four ordinal directions carved to depict the four main elements from which all others are derived. I glace around some more and notice four alters in the four cardinal directions between the pillars in the north, an alter made of marble with swirling veins of citrine, the one to the east made of what looks like malachite with blocky patterns of jade, the south is made of carnelian with blazing designs made of rudy, and finally to the west made of lapis lazuli with wave-like prints made of sapphire, and in the center a podium with an orb of pure quartz. As I get my bearings back, I notice the Magus waiting for me in the center next to the quartz, so I hurry to stand before him. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. magus Erikson nods at me and intones, "On this day of your ascension, you stand before the primordial elements, place your hand on the orb, and we shall begin." I do as he says and wait for him to continue. "Air, I call you to this place to bear witness to this child''s ascension." he pauses as a gust of wind passes through the room and amasses into an orb above the north altar. "Earth, I call you to rise from your slumber and bear witness to this child''s ascension." he waits again as a stone spike rises from the eastern altar. "Fire, I call you to burn bright and bear witness to this child''s ascension." as he finishes, a spark ignites on the southern altar. "Water, I call you forth to flow in this room and bear witness to this child''s ascension." slowly, water starts to bubble out of the center of the western altar, dripping over the side, only to vanish instantly when it reaches the floor. "Elements, I thank you for your presence and ask you that you look into this child''s soul and show us which of you resides in his spark." as he finishes speaking, the wind swirls faster, the earth grows more extensive, the fire burns brighter, and the water flows stronger. Until all at once, the four elements vanish, and I''m left standing in front of the Magus, confused by what happened. "I''m sorry, child, none of the elements have claimed you as their own, but do not despair; the gods may still smile upon you this day." Magus Erickson gives me a sad smile and walks me to the door. "Even though you were not chosen as an Elementalist, you will still have access to the arcanum and the books held within." With a sad look on my face and slumped shoulders, I slowly begin my walk down the street towards the church. As I glance upon the building, I feel the resolve harden in my heart. If I can''t follow my Father, I will follow my Mother and harness the power of the gods. I step inside and approach the arch-priest. "Hello Arch Priest, I have come to be put in front of the gods and to have my soul judged. Will you administer the rite for me?" "Young Blix its superb to see you following in the steps of your mother in the devotion of the gods, come stand before the shrine of the twelve gods and see which deems you worth of their powers." the Arch Priest motions me to the center of the shrines and I glance at the shrines from left to right, Kruna the Goddess of life whose symbol is a large egg, Begmera the Goddess of death whose symbol is a decaying skull, Valros the God of nature whose symbol is a weeping willow tree, Adthos the God of weather who''s symbol is a storm cloud, Xidor the God of the sun who''s symbol is a sun with twelve shinning rays, Adona the Goddess of the moon who''s symbol is a waning crescent, Erena the Goddes of knowledge who''s symbol is an open book with the language of gods on it, Reelia the Goddess of Justice who''s symbol is that of the scales, Agulla the Goddess of healing who''s symbol is a lotus flower, Zidon the God of war who''s symbol is that of a sword, Leius the God of commerce who''s symbol is a golden coin, and Etarr the youngest of the gods the God of dreams who''s symbol is that of a star. I kneel, close my eyes, and intone in a voice filled with hope, desperation, and reverence. "Gods and Goddesses of the Delmire pantheon, I beseech thee on this the day of my ascension; I follow in my mother''s footsteps and offer my soul spark to you to serve you faithfully for the rest of my days." I stay there kneeling for a couple of minutes more till I hear the Arch Priets sigh regretfully "I am sorry, young Blix, but none of the gods have chosen you, but do not despair. I''m sure the elements will still look upon you favorably this day." I stand, eyes downcast, trying with all my willpower not to cry in front of the Arch Priest. "Thank you, sir, but I must be on my way now." I turn and slowly walk out of the church, mind racing; how am I going to explain to Mother and Father that I am a mere mortal not blessed by the elements or the gods, forsaken by the world itself. As I approach the house, I hear Mother cooking, Father setting the table, and my sister playing with her toys, but I stop a few feet away. I mean, what''s the point? I''m worth nothing now; I''m just a pathetic mortal who will never amount to anything; I''ll bring nothing but shame and embarrassment to them. I stand there for a couple of minutes more, feeling my body going cold, and I know there is only one choice left: I must leave. It is better that I wander into the woods to die than disgrace my family with a silent goodbye and a prayer that they don''t blame themselves for my death. I leave the town and head into the woods. As I walk, I can''t stop the tears anymore. I walk for hours, and the day has long since given way to night, yet I still keep going. I hope I go far enough so they won''t stumble upon my body. First Pact I glance at the sky; it must be close to midnight by now. I wonder how far I''ve gone, shortly farther than when I went on hunting trips with father, but yet I can''t tell by how much. The trees all look the same at this point, but why haven''t I seen any animals? No wolves, no bears, not even an innocent bunny. Something doesn''t feel right. The forest is way too quiet, so I stop and listen. A minute, then two, then five, and finally, I hear something at the edge of my hearing, but it doesn''t sound like animals, no, voices, but what are people doing all the way out here? My mother always told me curiosity killed the cat, but yet my feet are moving before my brain even knows what''s going on. I walk for about fifteen minutes and chanting, slowly getting louder until I can start to make out the words, but what I hear stops me dead in my tracks. " - sacrifice we open the way, we summon you Belroth master of manipulation, prince of the realm of despair!" Then a bright light burst from the clearing ahead, and I rush behind the nearest tree, heart pounding, sweat dripping from my forehead into my eyes. "Foolsih mages! Who dares to summon the prince of dispare, king of torture, breaker of man!" The voice alone is enough to send a shiver down my spine, but again, I feel compelled to get a closer look to see what this person looks like. Ever so slowly I crouch down and sneak my way closer, closer, until finally, I stop at a bush at the edge of the clearing. My eyes widen, and my heart plummets. That thing is no man, there''s no way it''s even from this world. I''ve never seen anything so terrifying. The creature has to be six feet tall with horns extending from its forehead, another two, skin dark charcoal with an archaic line traced in a pattern over its whole body glowing a bright crimson, wings that could probably extend ten feet to either side of it when fully stretched. Around it stand five hooded figures; at least, these look human "I am Eltir, a magus of flame and the one to summon you to this world and I use the name Belroth to bind your magic. Now heed my command. There is a village near b-" the magus begins the creature lets out a hideous roar. "enough punny mage, by what authority do you have to summon and command ME A PRINCE OF DISPARE! chose your next few words carefully as they may be your last." the magus clenches his fist looks, the creature in the face, and starts again, " I am Eltir, a magus of flame. You are bonded to my will, and you will do as I say!" the magus is basically shouting at this point, and the creature slowly shakes its head "you filthy mages haven''t learned proper respect for your superiors in the nine million years since the last of my kind have been summoned to this shithole you call a planet! But alas, I seem to have no choice." The creature sighs then... smiles. Faster than I can perceive four of the hooded figures are dead or close enough that no amount of magic can heal their wounds. "But... but.... how? I''ve bound you. How can you possibly- ACK?" the magus choked as the creature grabbed him by the throat and lifted him from the ground to eye height the creature smiles again, rows of jagged teeth dripping with blood. "you foolish mages think you so much stronger than anything and anyone you come across, but I have news for you. Your world is small and isolated from the rest of the universe; your elements and gods are nothing more than shackles, tying you down so you can''t access real power. Now let me show you what true strength is!" the creature looks into the magus''s eyes until he starts to scream. He drops him. The creature stares down and watches with a twisted smile as the magus continues to scream clawing at his eyes, his ears, and his chest until finally, he summons fire to put him out of his misery, but it still takes five whole minutes til he''s finally dead and the clearing is once again silent. I feel my heart racing; I have to get out of here and move, but as I take a step back, the creature whips its head in my direction, and before I can take another breath, it''s standing in front of me. "what do we have here? A nosey child? But somethings different about you; you''re not like that pathetic weakling who dared summon me. Tell me, child, why do you seem different? Were you part of summoning me?" the creature looks down at me with mild interest, and for a minute, I can''t speak. Fear has gripped my heart and throat. "NOW, child, before you bore me and I rip out your intestines to find out for myself!" I gather all the courage I cant muster and stutter out "No...no sir, I was not a part of summoning you. i...I didn''t even know summoning was possible anymore; I mean, I read about it in ancient times, but the art has been lost for millions of years. And I don''t know why I seem different. I was born in this world, but..." my voice catches, and I lower my head "The only thing I can think of is that the magic of this world rejected me. Both the elements and the gods forsake me on my day of ascension." I start to shake with unshed tears "That''s why I''ve come to this forest, I couldn''t bear looking my father and mother in the face, to see the disappointment in their eyes, so I''ve wandered into these woods looking to die." I can''t help it anymore; the tears start flowing. The creature takes on a thoughtful expression: "Tell me, mortal, do you want to die? If so, I can make it happen. I''ll even make it quick if you want. Or would you rather REVENGE? I can give you power that not even the gods can wield, but know that what I give does not come without a price. Can you put your morals aside? Will you take the power I''m offering even if it means destroying the world as you know it?" the creature stops and stares at me. It takes a bit longer until the tears stop, and I catch my breath "you... can you give me magic? But ican''t''t destroy this world, my family, and everyone I care about lives here; even if I was willing t,o, there''s is no way I could ever harm those I care about." I squeeze my eyes shut, ready for it to kill me and be over with this. But nothing comes. In a second of surprise,e I glance u,p, looking at its face in bewilderment. It''s smiling; why is it smiling like that? If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "oh, child, what good is power if you can''t keep what''s yours? If you are strong enough, then of course you can keep your family and loved ones safe, but would you have the heart or guts to destroy anyone or anything that tries to take them? Would you kill your neighbor? Fight armies of wolves and bears? Would you kill a newborn if it meant that your father or mother could live another hundred years? Would you fight a god? Crush an elemental itself? All so that you and those you love could live without pain? Without fear? Would you burn the rest of the world to ash to create a small haven for those you love?" the creature smiles at the idea. "I don''t know if I would ever be strong enough to fight a god, but if it''s for my family, if it''s for those I love, then... then I would even risk my life fighting you!" as the last words leave my mouth I finally process what I said. Suddenly I know I''m dead this creature just killed a magu,s, and I, a mere mortal barely an adult just said I would kill it? What the fuck am I thinking? The creature laughs and then grips my shoulder "you know what, kid? You''ve got some real balls on you, so I''ll make you a deal. " a book flies across the clearing, away from the magus''s body, straight into the creature''s hand. "This book contains knowledge of how to summon, bind, and make deals with my kind and others like me, I was gonna burn it so my kind could never be slaves again, but I like your spirit so ill give it to you and a piece of my magic, but we have to make a deal first." the creature points one finger at the ground and a circle of fire appraise the same archaic patterns as on the creature appear around it "this is a contracting circle a basic one, but it will suffice for our needs today. Now, child, I shall grant you my ability to manipulate fire and the human mind to a small degree. In return, on every new moon, you must make a sacrifice; a willing one would be best, but as long as they suffer, any would suffice. This circle will also allow us to communicate. However, once you have mastered your powers and have grown to a degree I deem acceptable, you have one critical mission. Kill all the gods and primordial elements of this world, destroy this false magic, and become ruler of the new world." the creature slices its finger with a talon, and a drop of blood blacker than the night sky falls into the circle which starts to shine brighter. Me? Kill the gods and elementals themselves? Rule the world? How could I possibly ever do that? I''m barely an adult. It would take more years than even the strongest magus have ever lived. But what is the alternative? Die as I planned? Allow this world that denied me my dream to deny others their? Or could I make a world where any who want it have the chance to harness magic, not what this creature calls false magic, but real magic that even the god''s can''t touch? I feel it, a spark in my heart, a fire that begs me to burn this world and create a better one. I look the creature in the eyes, gather all my resolve, and, with a nod of my head, ask. "what do I need to do?" the creature walks over to one of the hooded figures on the ground, picks it up, and walks back to me. As it draws closer I realize that this person is still alive. Somehow they''re still breathing even if very shallow. the creature drops them to the ground, and as they grunt I realize its a female; she stares up at me with fear exuding from her eyes, but I look away as the creature starts talking again. "it''s very simple as I''ve done the hard part already. Cut yourself and place a drop of blood into the circle as I did, then.." its smile turns vicious and looks down at the woman, I follow its gaze. ".. cut out her heart as she still draws breath." I feel my stomach in my throat, while she''s alive? can I really do that? I mean she''s already dying and won''t last much longer whether I do this or not. but this might be my only chance at magic real, true magic at that. so with a heavy heart, I swallow the lump in my throat and look back at the creature. "but I have no weapon. no knife or sword. and surely she would die long before I got anywhere with my bear hands." the creature rolls its eyes and produces a wicked dagger out of nowhere; this isn''t like any dagger I''ve seen before. Its blade is like that of a snake as it slithers on the ground. I reach and grab it out of the creature''s hand and before I can think, before fear takes hold and I can no longer stomach what I''m about to do, I slice my finger which brings out a hiss and wince of pain. I watch as a drop of blood slowly falls through the air and into the circle which burns even brighter then suddenly, like it was never there at all it is gone. I turn to the woman and kneel down I softly whisper to her "I am sorry for this." then I cut open her robe to have easier access to her chest and heart. As I move the cloth I stop for a second and admire her chest small perky tits just enough to fit in the palm of my hand. this is the first time I''ve seen a woman''s bear chest, I reach out a hand and gently squeeze one. It''s softer than I would have thought. The creature sighs and motions for me to get on with it. I nod my head and push the dagger into her skin. There''s resistance at first but with a little more pressure it breaks through. she starts wailing and begging for me to stop and spare her but the creature places a hand on my shoulder and I continue. She dies a few minutes later from shock and blood loss. my shoulders slump, I didn''t even get halfway through before she died. Now this creature will just kill me and be done with it. I failed its test so what good am I? Then I hear a snort from behind me "Hmmm, she must have been closer to death than I realized but don''t fret, that''s a fault of ,mine not yours. You went through with the action even if not like I intended so I will uphold my end of the bargain." I fall over backward screaming. My chest is on fire. It feels as if someone is branding me with a cattle rod they just pulled out of a volcano. I claw at my shirt trying to get it off, to stop whatever is happening to me. but as suddenly as it started, it''s gone. I look down and see directly over my heart is a symbol in the same archaic script as the circle. branded onto my chest is what looks like a giant circle around my heart with a tail at the bottom and a crescent moon pointed upwards. I turn to ask the creature what it is or what it means but when I glance up it''s gone. as I sit there in silence the reality of what just happened slowly starts to sink in. I look towards the body of the mage but quickly turn away as I start to dry heave. as I slowly get myself back under control I stand up and walk away not deeper into the forest but back home, I''ve finally got magic even if I don''t know how to use it yet but as I take a few steps the adrenaline runs out and I collapse to the ground and let the darkness nestle me into a deep slumber. Always and Forever I slowly regain consciousness and sit up, and look around. It''s still dark, and there are bodies all around. As I glance at the woman closest to me with her chest partially cut open, everything comes flooding back. The creature killed them and made me kill her, but I did get magic in return, but I can''t remember what; it''s all still a bit hazy. A deep and powerful voice resounds in my head. (you mortals and your feeble minds, I gave you power over fire and the ability to influence the human mind. Now, what you do with it is up to you; grow this power, experiment, and develop your skills with it, but remember, I am always here, always watching. Keep feeding me the souls of this planet, and I might help you out occasionally. And stop thinking of me as the creature. I have a name, and you better start using it.) I look around in fright, the crea- my chest flares with pain. Right, right, sorry. Belroth is in my head, and I feel it''s not going away anytime soon. "power over fire, huh?" I whisper to myself and think back to the tomes I used to read from the magus of the past and how they first used their powers. I raise my hand and try to use magic for the first time. "fire, I call to you, spri-" I start, but before I can finish the incantation, a ball of flame appears in my hand. " that was a lot easier then I''ve ever seen!" (That''s because the mages of your world use an inferior magic to mine. Do away with those flowery words; don''t ask the fire to do something. Picture it in your mind, then make the world bend to your will. you are the source of this magic, not some false god or pathetic elemental.) belroth informs me with a hint of amusement in his voice. I think about what I want to happen; I raise my other hand and visualize the ball of flame jumping from one to the other. Nothing happens; I feel anger well up inside me. He said I just had to imagine it, so why in the blazing hell won''t it jump! Suddenly, it flies from my right hand into my left. My eyes widen in surprise. I did it, I can finally use magic, maybe not as I''ve always pictured, but it''s mine! I jump and spin in joy; as I spin I notice I''m still in the woods, but I''ve got magic. Now I''m no longer a disgrace I can go back home, but which way is home? Belroth sighs, and my head jerks to the west. " thank you, Belroth." with that said, I start heading out. I don''t think I was out that long, but I feel full of energy. As I walked, the sun started to rise. I continued walking, and as it started to set, I caught my first glimpse of the village. My stomach growls, and I pick up the pace; it''s probably just my imagination, but I swear I can smell my Mother''s cooking, and I start salivating. A gruff voice shouts at me as I get close to the walls. "Hold it right there, what brings you to this village? After dark, no less." A smile touches my face as I reply, "Darrow is that you, you old fart? I thought you retired a month ago?" Darrow used to be the guard captain and a long-time family friend. I heard an audible gasp. "Aldair, is that really you?" Darrow asks in what I can only describe as hope-filled bewilderment. " Of course it''s me, who else looks this good after being in the woods all night!" I smile and feel the anxiety I''ve been holding since I left finally melt away. I hear him talking to somebody up on the wall before he yells back down to me. "Kid, it''s been over a week since you disappeared; the whole village has been out looking for you!" before I can say anymore, my mother runs out of the village, tears streaming down her face, and I fear she is gonna bowl me into the ground, but she stops a couple of feet away. "My boy, is that really you? What happened? Why didn''t you come home? Where have you been? What-" I interrupt her before she can pass out from lack of oxygen. "I''m okay, really. I''ll explain everything, but I could really use something to eat right now." I smile, trying to ease her worry. I glance over her shoulder to see my father standing calmly at the gate. "Yes, of course, I''ll make something right away!" Mother runs off almost as fast as she got here, and I slowly started following after her, father watching my every step. (don''t tell them about me, not yet. Not until you''re stronger. There are people of this world who will kill you just for knowing that there is other magic out there let alone being able to use it.) I stop suddenly; that... makes sense. I glance at my father; he''s one of the strongest in the village. Can he tell just by looking at me? he raises an eyebrow and tilts his head towards the house, then starts waking in front of me. I hesitate a second longer, then continue to follow him and mother home. As I walked through the village, my neighbors, friends, and teachers, all came out of their houses to look at me, and most of them welcomed me home. As I turn down my street, I pause when I see her, Mia Blonk, my first true love. My mind flashes to that night in the cemetery when we snuck out and gazed at the stars, talked about life, and fell more in love. Then, one day, her family found out she was sneaking out with me, and she cut all ties. I tried talking to her to figure out how I could fix things. I would''ve done anything to keep talking to her, to see her smile, to hear her laugh. Deep down, I know that given the chance, I would drop everything, anyone, to be with her again, and I most likely always will, but I know she would rather I die in the woods than ever talk to me again. I feel my heart break again like it has a hundred thousand times since she walked away. All I want to do is run to her and try to get her to understand and talk to me again, but I sigh and continue towards my house. Maybe one day, she will reach out, and we can at least start as friends again. No matter how long it takes, I will always hope for that day, wait for it, and gladly take the smallest relationship she will give. As I walk inside, I push the past out of my mind. I sit at the table and Mother brings me a sandwich. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. " I know it''s not much, dear, but it''s the best I can do on short notice." as I finish eating, Father clears his throat. "It''s good to see you again son, now that you''ve eaten why don''t you tell us what happened? You''ve been gone over a week and your mother and I have been worried sick, most of the village has been out looking for you." I swallow the lump in my throat and begin. I tell them about being rejected, about walking home in defeat, about seeing them happy and thinking that they would be disappointed in me for not being able to follow in one of their footsteps, about running into the woods to die, but instead of telling them about Belroth I make up a story about how I ran into a bear and when actually faced with the possibility of my death something snapped in me, how I had a burning desire to live to see them again to see Clarisa grow up. Deep down, I know a small part of me wanted to live for the small chance to talk to Mia again, but I decided not to tell them that. Instead, I told them how all those feelings built in me until the bear was looming over me, and I thrust out my hands, and a stream of fire burst forth and consumed the bear. My Mother''s eyes are the size of saucers by the time I''m done, and Father has a look of pride on his face. Mother rushes around the table and wraps me in her arms. " You stupid, stupid boy, we would never be ashamed of you. we would have loved you no matter what path you took in life, how could you possibly think otherwise!" Mother is practically shouting at the end but Father puts a hand on her shoulder and looks at me. "there is no need to belittle him. I''m sure he knows how ridiculous it was to think that way now, but no matter, our boy is home safe and sound, and on top of that, he awakened his own potential, so there is no way he can think we''ll be ashamed now isn''t that right son?" father smiles at me, and I feel my heart swell with happiness. I sigh. "You''re both right. Mother, I''m sorry. I should have known that you would love and support me no matter what, but I was just overcome with sadness that I would never be a great magus like Father or a high-ranking priest like you; it felt like everything I ever wanted, everything you ever taught me, was wasted. But it''s fine now it''s in the past. I can use fire now so I can follow Father''s steps and become a great magus myself." I smile up at them, and Father smiles right back, but I can see they''re both exhausted, like they haven''t slept a second since I left. "Why don''t we head to bed? I want to practice my magic, but I think we could all use some sleep after this past week, don''t you?" I see Mother flinch, and Father nods sagely like I just shared a secret of the world; if only he knew the truth. "Your right, son; we''ve been so worried about you and spent as much time as possible looking for you that I''ve barely slept, your Mother even less so since she had to stay home and take care of Clarisa instead of helping us look for you." Mother starts openly crying, " I''m sorry, son, I should have been out there too; I should have helped more, I should have-" I cut her off. "It''s fine, Mother. You didn''t know what happened, didn''t even know if I was still alive. You did the right thing, and even if I were dead, I would have felt terrible if you neglected Clarisa because you were worried about me. I don''t blame you, not one bit. But I''m home now lets get some sleep we''ll have plenty of time together tomorrow." as I finish talking, Mother slowly stops crying, and Father helps her to their room. Before he closes the door to finally get some sleep he smiles at me. "Welcome home, son." With the door shut, I get up and wash my dishes before heading to bed myself. As I get to my room, I strip off my clothes and climb into bed. My mind wanders to thoughts of Mia, about what it would be like if we were still together, how happy we could have been. My last thought is of her smiling face every time I told her I would love her, Alway and Forever. And so training begins I awoke the following day, and everything was still quiet in the house; Mother and Father must still be sleeping, but I could hear the village waking up outside my window. Since I''m the only one awake, I sit in bed and glance around; I notice the book from the woods on the table next to my bed. "How did this get here?" I wonder aloud. "I noticed you forgot it, so I brought it with us; you should be more careful. If this got out to your world, it could start the beginning of the end of everything you know and love. like that magus who summoned me here in the first place." Belroth informed me. I just nodded to myself and started reading the book. It was... well, I don''t know how to describe it besides absolutely amazing; it told of places I could never dream of. A world ruled by two queens and a king that never aged, where strength and cunning meant everything, where a deal was only held to the letter and not the meaning behind it. It told of other worlds like where Belroth came from, but instead of despair, it was ruled by lust or greed. Of worlds where their gods walked among men, even giving birth to crossbreeds called Nephilim. Of worlds beyond the farthest stars where ancient abominations from before time itself resided. "forget about all that for now, while yes, making contracts with other beings will give you more power if you don''t take the time to learn and integrate the powers you get before getting more your body will explode. Take a couple of years to learn my powers fully, and then we can add more. Remember, my powers are only limited by your imagination; get everything you can from me, and we can talk more once we both agree you''re ready for another companion." "you''re right. I need to learn to walk before I can run, but I plan to gain the power of everything in this book and others you may know but aren''t here. I will be strong enough to protect everyone I love and destroy anyone who tries to take them from me." I vow, feeling the brand on my chest start to heat up a fraction. "I would expect no less from one I''ve bound my power to, but just remember our pact: one sacrifice every new moon." Belroth says with a hint of pride and approval in his voice. I got up from bed, hid the book underneath, and headed outside to the backyard to practice with my new powers. "I''ve already learned how to make fire appear and how to move it, what should i try next?" i wondered out loud and take a few minuets thinking about what I''ve read in the archives and what i wanted personally. i summoned fire to my right hand and start to play with it, i keep it in my hand but make it shoot out a couple feet in front of me, as i do this i imagine the flames compressing in on itself until they transform into a whip and swing it around to test it out. Every time I flick it, I can shoot a ball of flame out from the end. I dismissed the whip and summoned a new ball of flame and stretched it again, but this time into the shape of a sword and focused on sharpening the edges, which made them turn from red to blue, then to white, all while the handle and center of the sword stayed the same. While keeping the sword in my right hand I summon an other ball in my left hand but instead of shaping it into a weapon I focus on making t a shield, just a standred small round one. Once I get it into the shape I want, I hear a cough from behind me and turn to see Father leaning against the house, watching me practice. "Father, I thought you were still asleep; how long have you been watching me?" I ask with a hint of worry in my voice. Had he seen me use my magic without an incantation? The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "I heard you get up and leave the house, so I thought I would come see what you''re up to. i see that you have a decent handle on your magic and are even able to do silent casting most cant do that until they''re at the adept rank at earliest but here you are a newly awakened novice able to do it without a second thought, most impressive! What do you say we have a little spar?" Father replies with a smile as a spear rises from the earth. Without a second warning, he rushes at me and thrusts the spear towards my right shoulder; years of training with him as a child kick in, and I deflect the spear with my sword, melting the tip a bit from the intense flames but reforming almost instantly as he pulls away. Still, I don''t give him a chance to breathe. i swip my sword towards his left leg trying to limit his mobility while brining my shield to smash into his face, I hesitate in shock as the flames of my shield wash over his face but do nothing else. "I see I interrupted you too early with your shield. Try condensing it more, make the flames solid, and try again." Father teases me and steps back, giving me a minute to do that while summoning wind armor around himself. I charge at him again, and we continue to exchange blows. Various cuts appear on my arms and chest. We keep sparing until half an hour after sunrise when Mother comes out and tells us breakfast is ready. " very good son we will continue tonight, keep practicing and work on some new moves I expect you to land at least on blow and deal some damage. Reflect on your strengths and areas where you are lacking. While fire is commonly known for its offensive potential, it can also be used for movement, and while it will hurt, it can also be used for healing." Father smiles and heads inside. As I start to follow him, Mother stops me, heals my wounds, and leads me inside with a hand on my shoulder. "I figured since you''re finally home, I should make one of your favorites, crepes with chocolate chips and maple syrup, a glass of orange juice, and some apple slices." With a massive grin on my face, I head inside to have breakfast, then it''s to the archives to figure out more skills and maybe to the walls to spar with the guard or the hunters to get some practical experience, but that''s for later, for now, I''m just going to enjoy breakfast and spend time with my family.