《The Flamelight Chronicles》 Prologue--Death of a King The wind roared through the trees in the endless dark of the night.Two men stood waiting, dressed in robes as black as the sky above. The first, a strong-looking man with white hair making him look far past his years, stood rigid in the powerful storm. The other, a tall man with long black hair, seemed to flow with it. Lightning struck a mile away, lighting a fire quickly put out by the heavy rain. ¡°It seems the Seer didn¡¯t lie.¡± Spoke the taller man in a voice as deep as the rumbling thunder. ¡°And this weather may explain her words about the world itself shaking at the deed...though I doubt she¡¯d ever say anything so literal.¡± He continued, shaking his head. ¡°Please see that it¡¯s done, Joseph. My presence is needed elsewhere, and even I don¡¯t feel the need to watch my brother die.¡± ¡°Of course, sir.¡± Replied the second man. With a whoosh of air, he was left standing alone.But can I kill my former friend and his son? The child wouldn¡¯t even have seenninesummers yet.He would just have to do the deed and deal with the guilt another time. He tookastep forward before shaking his head and suddenlyshootingforward faster than a horse, yet he didn¡¯t move a limb. Before long he was standing in front of the door where he had hidden with Naberus and Lily as a child.Of all places, they had to come back here. He opened the door with a wave of his hand and entered the dark house. He saw Naberus and Lily lying on a small mat on the floor. They looked peaceful for the first time in years. Naberus the Raven, king of Althesia and as good a man asanyone had met. Lilith, The King¡¯s wife and the love of Joseph¡¯s life. ¡°I am sorry my old friends, but it must be done.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª You can stop here.After this is pretty much a battlewith some weird character development He reached into his pocket and spoke into a crystal. ¡°I am dispelling the enchantments now. I want Gareth, Malgana, End, and Micah here immediately.Desino.¡± He stilled his mind for a moment in preparation, the defensive enchantments placed by the two warlocks were unlikely to be anything short of perfect. He was lucky they had allowed himto pass freelyin themistaken faith they still put in him. ¡°Resolvo clypeus¡±He said, eyes closed and moving his arms as if plucking at strings no one else could see. After what seemed like hours he opened his eyes andlooked at the sleeping pair.Good, I was able to dispel the enchantment without awakening them. He stepped back outside of the house and saw the four wizards he had called standing apart from each other, each getting ready for the upcoming battle in their own way. Malgana and Gareth sat meditating. The first was an advanced water caster, a far cry from the mastery reached in thegracefulelement by Lilethand Joseph himself,but a fearsome enemy in her own right. Gareth, a master nature warlock just like the Raven. The other two warlocks were much younger.They were full of energy but lacking in patience, something Joseph was trying to alleviate as their mentor. Micah withhisflowing blond hair and thin build was an advanced wind warlock and was always at the top of his generation. He was one of the fastest progressing wizards Joseph had ever seen. He was beloved by adults and adored by those younger than him, but hisarcaneexcellence had always brought great envy from those his own age. He was bouncing up and down on his feet and was dressed all in white flowing robes and had a smirk on his handsome face. The last warlock was End.Similar toMicah in his incredible wizarding abilitybutdifferent in almost every way. An athletic redhead with piercing green eyes, his lookwasa combo almost as rare as his near mastery of the fire element. According to technicality he was still just an advanced caster, though that was sure tobe remediedsoonenough. He was the single fastest learner Joseph had ever met, and if End¡¯s arcane stamina was anything near whatthe academysuspected, he might just end upasthe strongest warlock in Althesia. However, he was very different from Micah. He was not well liked, which was fine by himseeingas he preferred to be alone. He was dressed in all black and stood perfectly still, warming up both physically and magically by holding a constant glow of electricity around his body. Of the four, Joseph was the most worried about End. He rarely did what he was told, though his mentor was used tothat factbythispoint. But in these circumstances, oneslipup or miscommunication could be deadly. The king and his wife were two of the strongest warlocks alive. Everything is set up to work. I know I can beat thequeenand Gareth and Micah together should easily matchthe old king.The math worked, everything was in place to give them an advantage. Joseph¡¯s childhood friends were asleep with no one to come to their aid stuck fighting against 5of the world¡¯stop warlocks. It was over and there was nowhere left to run. In his mind he passed the message to the four wizards.We go in silently. I got rid of the enchantments protecting the housethat would havewarnedthe king and queen of anyone¡¯s presence. I will take on Lileth,Endyou are to help me try and defeat her. Malgana andMicah, you are to defeat the Raven. It is disadvantageous that neither of you are masters, but his naturearcanerywill beputat a disadvantageby your water and wind. Gareth, you heal us and support from the back, but focusyour effortsprimarily on Micah and Malgana. Above all, be careful. These two are the highest-level warlocks you will ever go up againstif you are lucky. Let¡¯s go. Joseph took the lead with Malgana by his side. Micah and End fell in behind them and Gareth followed at the back, calm as ever. As a precaution, just in case the two had somehow woke up, Joseph had them cast a full armor to protect themselves. The months of training to cast spells without using the spark-word showedandnot a sound was made. When they re-entered the room where the king and queen lay sleeping they spread out around this.Are we doing this?That was End. It was unlike him to have any hesitation or second thoughts about anything which worried Joseph, but he responded withWe must. He sent the plan to the entire group.We will all start out with our most powerful strikes. Micah, hit with a simultaneous Extreme Fear and Ghosts of the Past spell. End, you strike with a max power Piercing Lightning strike and then wait until we all finish our spells. After that, you teleport us all out into the open, don¡¯t bring the child in the other room with us. Malgana, I expect a high-level Ice strike along with a powerful blood attack that will hold them in place. We have time on our side with sleeping enemies, make sure you all get this right. Gareth, I leave you to do what you see fit. I will be setting up for an Extreme Stormfall that I will unleash once we have teleported outside. I expect you all to be able to dodge this as it won¡¯t be directed at you directly. Time to go. Desino. Immediately the four warlocks began casting their spells. The first one to be finished was End¡¯s lightning attack, taking less than half a second for the near master to complete. However, the powerful blast was stopped by the instinctual reactions of the two royal masters. They were both wide awake and casting defensive spells in a heartbeat, a skill learned from many months being on the run. End¡¯s powerful spell did its job. It got the pair focused on physical defense and weakened their mental walls. Now it was Micah¡¯s turn.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Bruta timore¡± he said out loud casting the advanced spell of Extreme Fear, at the same time he was spellcasting in his head to cast the moderate spell Ghosts of the Past. This combo of spells would put even an incredibly strong caster in a dangerous spot. Unless able to defend perfectly, you will be hit by a complete, overwhelming sense of terror. At the same time, you are visited by those you have lost and, if you haveended a life, those slain by your hand. Due to the distraction caused by End, the king and queen were weakened in their mental defenses. They were able to mostly shake off the effects, but both seemed to be seeing shadows where there weren¡¯t any. All of this happened in just a few seconds, it was lookingundeniablygood for the five warlocks. However, before Malgana was able to get off either of her powerful attacks, Lilith got off a quick spell of her own. It was a low power ice spell, but that meant it could be cast almost instantly and without words. Milliseconds before Malgana finished her deadly blood spell, a knife of ice shot at her neck, forcing her to bring up her arm and cast a defensive shield, however this forced her toendherown magical attack. Joseph had planned for this, however. He knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy,and thatwas why he had End already casting a group teleport. ¡°Ubi non est statim.¡± End said quietly. Joseph paused in his casting for a second.End¡¯s gotten stronger. He used to have to scream that spell out to make it work. Soon he may be able to cast it without speaking. In an instant the entire group was outside, five-hundredfeet from the cabin. End had nailed the spell. Immediately, Malgana cast a powerful blood spell that immobilized the king and queen. Had they not been on the run for months, they might have been able to fight it, but as it was, they were trapped. It was time for the final moment. ¡°Ne ipso caelocecideritsuperhostibusmeis¡± Joseph yelled out into the night. He knew the king and queen would recognize the spell, but there was nothing they could do about it without using up the rest of their arcane energy. End prepared for another group teleport, he didn¡¯t have long until Joseph¡¯s magic took its toll on the area, as well as the man who cast it. Just before End yelled the words to get out of there, the Raven king cast one final spell. He knew it was over, but he had one last job to do. Putting all his remaining power into it, the king casted a spell using raw magical energy. It was a feat that would have been talked about by future generations had he survived. Raw energy doesn¡¯t need ancient words to cast, but as he shoved his arms at Joseph he spat one final word. ¡°Remember.¡± The next second, they all disappeared, and the King and Queen were left staring up at the coming Stormfall. ¡°I hope it worked. Eli doesn¡¯t even have arcanery to work with. How did we lose Joseph and Zuriel this much?¡± The Raven said, standing proud despite his warn garb and the looming sky. ¡°Goodbye Lily, I¡¯ll see you in the next life.¡± ¡°Goodbye,Nabu-- and you betternot be late.¡± She replied, smirking in rebellion toher situation. A huge explosion racked the Earth. Fromhalf a mileaway, four warlocks watched as the sky itself seemed to fall. But the fifth, who had cast the spell in the first place was on his knees, looking far away as if in a different world.After his spell, his magical defenses were brought to the ground and the King¡¯s powerful spell hit him at full force. Memories of his life kept playing in his mind. Lily, Zuriel, Naberus, and himself running and hiding from their parents in the small wooden cabin in the woods. Naberus becoming king. His subsequent marriage to Lily. Eligor being born. All the times Joseph had stood in as father for him when Naberus was busy with the kingdom.Zuriel¡¯sseparation from the king and queen. They were all repeating in his head. Most prominent were the memories of Eligor, the King and Queen¡¯s only son. Soon those were all he could see. Going fishing in Lake Stone. Running through the fields. Testing to see if he hadmagicevery year, each year growing more hopeful of his power until each year becoming more worried he would have none. After an agonizing hour spent replaying memories of his past, the spell began to fade. He became aware of the four wizards meditating around him. He saw the destruction his spell had done. For almost a mile in every direction from the location of the spell, the trees of the forest were destroyed and the ground barren. ¡°Is it done?¡± Joseph said, finally breaking himself out of the trance. ¡°Yes mentor, are you okay?¡± Micah said. Before Joseph could reply End said ¡°Of course he¡¯s okay. He¡¯s a master water caster.¡± ¡°No matter how powerful you are, any Raw casting is an extreme danger. Luckily for me, the King still didn¡¯t want to kill me, though his spell was extremely powerful.¡±¡± ¡°So that was what a Raw casting looks like. I havegreatrespect for the Raven and carry a heavy heart with our deed.¡± Gareth, who had yet to say a word the entire mission, spoke in a deep, quiet voice. ¡°Speaking like that is treasonous Gareth.¡± Micah spat. ¡°You would do well to respect your elder, Micah.¡± Joseph said, stepping in. Who knows about the full mission?End suddenly said in Joseph¡¯s mind. Just Gareth and myself. And apparently you.Joseph replied telepathically, though he wasn¡¯t surprised End figured out the rest. Are you going to do it? ¡°Micah and Malgana, the primary missionisover. You bothperformedadmirably. Micah, I recommendthat youcontinue practicing andtake the test formasterysoonwithin the next two years. Malgana, you have caught both the new king¡¯s eye and my own. I will not forget your skill. You are both dismissed. The three of us must stay to clean up and tie up loose ends.¡± With that, the two saluted and flew away. ¡°Now we can speaksomewhatfreely. Gareth, you know about the full mission. End, what have you figured out?¡± Joseph said quietly, secretly expecting someone to show up and eavesdrop. ¡°I know you were ordered to kill the only son of the old king and queen, Eligor. I also know he was like a nephew to you and that he is onlyeightyears old.¡± End replied, not skipping a beat. ¡°That is pretty much it, yes. Gareth how do you feel about this mission.¡± ¡°I refuse to go through with it.¡± He replied, not bothering to keep up appearances. End quickly seconded the sentiment. ¡°There you have it. We will have to find some other way. Let¡¯s go back to the cabin.¡± In less than half a minute they were there, yet again standing outside that door. The destruction of the Stormfall reached just to the door but went no farther,making the cabin seem even more lonely, looking out ata completely desolate area.The trio walked in to the sound of crying. ¡°Uncle Joseph? Where are they? Where did my mommy go?¡± A small voice said. The aging master water warlock couldn¡¯t bring his heart to say it. ¡°Child, your mother and father have moved on to another world. They are together there, and one day we will all join them.¡± Gareth had a way with words. ¡°Why did they leave me? Can I go with them? Please, I don¡¯t want to be alone.¡± Gareth bent down and said ¡°It is not your time yet. And you are not alone, you will always have them with you. It is the way of our world.¡± Joseph was readying for the only spell he could think of that could save Eligor without them all being punished for treason. It was a powerful spell outside of theusual limitations of his water element. In theory, it was a blood spell, but in action it affected the mind in a way more common to wind wielders. ¡°Oblivisciquod scis,vivetvita sine scientia tua praeterita, amen dico vobis non credunt vera¡± Joseph spoke,arms and hands whirling in a series of complex movements.Gareth and End stood watching. When he finished, Eligor stopped crying and stared blankly in the distance. It was a memory-erasing spell. ¡°Child, your name is Eli, short for Eligor. Your parents passedto the next lifein a fight with a deadly disease. You will be taken in by a family in a small town of Althesia, and you will do what they say and act like a son. Do not draw attention to yourself.¡± Quickly, End added ¡°Eli, your parents loved you very much.¡± And then the spell ended. Eli fell asleep immediately and landed on the ground, not waking up. Joseph gave a quick nod to End. ¡°He will awaken in several hours. He will remember some things, he will still know how to speak, what land he is in, and many of the ideas and morals taught by his parents. We need to make sure he goes somewhere isolated, as memories tend to have a way of slipping into minds at inopportune moments.¡± Gareth responded saying ¡°I might know a place. It¡¯s in the south, and the people know little about arcanery. Most people there have quite little power and almost no one progresses past the basic level. He could fit in well without any power whatsoever.¡± ¡°Bring him there if you know it is safe. We won¡¯t be able to check on him easily, not without arousing suspicion.¡± Joseph responded. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Gareth quietly walked over and picked up the sleeping child before shooting off into the sky. Joseph turned to the fire mage beside him. ¡°You did well today, End. However, I need your word that you will never speak of this to anyone.¡± End immediately placed his hand on his heart, infusing it with fire energy. ¡°I make here an arcane promise that I will never speak of the events of tonight after Micah and Malgana¡¯s departure without you, your descendants, or Eligor¡¯s permission.¡± ¡°Thank you, End. If all goes well, the child will live on and no one will know what happened here.¡± Chapter 1: Stathen ¡°Hey guys, look, Elinor is trying to do magic again.¡± A large boy said to his miniature gang of kids. ¡°My name is Eligor.¡± Said a quiet voice. It came from a small boy sitting on the ground staring at a log. ¡°He can¡¯t even do the most basic magic. He has no power.¡± The large boy went on. He was a few years older than the boy sitting on the ground and also happened to be Eligor¡¯s neighbor. Neither of these facts had never stopped the bullying before. ¡°I¡¯ve had my magic since I was two years old, you are just a weakling.¡± The bully spat on the sitting boy. ¡°Jona, you do know that the older you are when you get your power, the more powerful it is, right? Getting it when you have barely seen your first summer is nothing to brag about.¡± That rare support for the smaller boy came from Casiel, a girl just a few months older than Eli. She was well liked, and the only one in the town that ever stood up to the older Jona. Her father was head of the watch, but even that wasn¡¯t enough as Jona¡¯s own father was the leader of Stathen, the small village they all lived in. ¡°Yeah, whatever, Cass. C¡¯mon, he¡¯s¡­ what, fifteen years old now? And still doesn¡¯t have any magic? There¡¯s no way he¡¯s ever getting it.¡± Jona replied in an angry voice, evidently not used to being corrected in anything. ¡°I told you not to call me Cass. And who knows? If he does get his power now, he¡¯d be by far the strongest of us. As it is, I hold the record in this town, having gotten it just after my seventh birthday. You might do well to remember that fact, Jona.¡± She replied, never getting rid of the smirk on her face. ¡°I¡¯m sixteen now.¡± Said a small voice. ¡°What?¡± Casiel and Jona said, echoing each other before giving the other a dirty look. ¡°I said I¡¯m sixteen now. My birthday was ten days ago.¡± It was Eli speaking. ¡°Psh. Still think he¡¯s gonna get his magic, Casiel?¡± He said smirking, though it didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the younger girl that he used her real name this time. ¡°Who knows, but if he does, he could be stronger than the king himself.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t insult the king. He¡¯s nothing like this failure, Zuriel is a good man and a better king.¡± Jona said, the anger breaking his voice. ¡°Tell that to the thousands of people dying of hunger in the country, even in the capital.¡± Casiel quickly responded. ¡°Is that treason, Casiel? My dad says the kingdom is much better off with Zuriel then it was with the old Raving fool.¡± ¡°Whatever, Jona.¡± She turned to Eli. ¡°Eli, c¡¯mon let¡¯s go. I see you¡¯ve still got the bruises from last time Jona spoke to you.¡± She said, sending a hard look at Jona. ¡°Come eat with my family for dinner.¡± ¡°I have to stay here and get my magic.¡± He replied. ¡°Eli, you know that¡¯s just not how it works. If you get your magic, you will know, and you won¡¯t have to test it.¡± ¡°Yeah like he¡¯ll ever get his magic. No one¡¯s ever gotten it after turning fiftee-¡± Jona suddenly had his mouth covered by pocket of water.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± Casiel said, holding her hand up directly at Jona. People immediately began whispering. ¡°Did she just cast with her element without using words?¡± ¡°How old is she?¡± ¡°Has she had any official training yet? No, she¡¯s only sixteen and no academy lets in students under eighteen.¡± ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to have dinner with us, Eli? You know my parents are always happy to have you.¡± Casiel said, turning once again to the boy sitting on the ground, making sure to keep holding the water up to Jona¡¯s mouth even as he furiously tried to push it off with his weak wind magic. His arms were flailing around almost comically ¡°Thank you, Casiel.¡± He said, face turning slightly red, ¡°But I think I should go back to the farm. I¡¯m going to be in trouble enough as is.¡± ¡°Okay. And you know you can call me Cass, right? Only this big oaf is barred from that.¡± She said, smiling and pointing briefly at the still muted Jona who had given up fighting the water and was just staring angrily at the girl. And with that, she walked away, dropping the water from Jona¡¯s mouth as she left. ¡°Oh, you are so dead, Elinor. You are so incredibly dead.¡± The crowd that had a second ago been siding with Casiel had quickly switched back to Jona. Eli knew what was coming next, and he thought about just taking it. But he was tired of that. Instead, he yelled ¡°My name is Eligor!¡± and sprinted away at his fastest, right at the forest. Eli was small and agile, a body accustomed to running away. However, Jona, who was about to reach manhood at eighteen summers, had several years to aid him. Within a minute, Jona was catching up to Eli. They were so incredibly close to the forest. If Eli could just get there he could lose the older boy in the rough foliage. But there was no way, Jona was gaining ground too fast. Suddenly, just as Eli was about to have his shirt caught by Jona¡¯s outstretched hand, he got a burst of speed. Maybe it was adrenaline, maybe he was just faster than he thought. But he suddenly began to regain ground and more space opened between himself and Jona. Still, he was running increasingly quickly. In the cold autumn day, it almost looked like he was steaming as he sprinted, faster than he ever had before, straight into the forest. He quickly took a turn and jumped into some branches. He felt incredibly strong and agile, silently thinking he should run more often instead of taking so many beatings. He was fast. He was jumping from branch to branch, seeming to instinctively know which ones could hold his weight. Maybe he was part monkey, just like Jona had said years ago trying to taunt him to get down from a tree he was hiding in. After a few minutes of running and jumping he found a tall tree, one he had been to many times before, and quickly started climbing. He knew the handholds by heart, climbing up the tree at a nearly inhuman rate, reaching the top in just a minute and a half. Looking around, Eli was able to see the entire world from here, or at least his entire world. Stathen looked eerie in the darkening dusk. He saw Jona exit the forest, seeming to have given up the search. It was time to head back to the farm, not that he was much better off there than he was in the hands of Jona. His ¡®parents¡¯ took every chance possible to remind him that he was adopted and not blood family. His other brother, Zion, was the only thing good about that house, and he was drafted into the military when he turned 16. Before that point, Eli was always treated worse by his parents than his brother was. But Eli never hated his brother. Zion would often bring some of his food to Eli whenever their parents decided he had done something that deserved his missing of dinner as punishment. Yet everything got even worse when Zion left a year earlier. It¡¯s like they blamed Eli for the draft and his brother¡¯s leaving. Since that point they would often just ¡®forget¡¯ to feed him. In fact, at this point, he had taught himself how to hunt in this forest with a bow he made over the course of a month. And it was back to that stupid farm that he was about to head back to now. Hopefully they will give me some food. I¡¯m starving from that run and I¡¯m not sure if I can hunt. I¡¯m too tired, he thought. But he suddenly questioned why he was so overwhelmingly exhausted. He had done that track many times in the past. Was it that extreme pace he had set? It didn¡¯t seem that hard at the time. But even as he was thinking about it he felt something else. He felt like he was getting more awake, as if his exhaustion was fading by the second. He felt like it was being replaced by something else. A warmth that penetrated him down to his bones. He had time to wonder what in Althesia was going on before he suddenly fell out of the tree, asleep before he even hit the ground. Chapter 2: Awake Eli woke up lying on the ground. What just happened? Did I pass out and fall out of the tree? How am I not hurt? Then he looked around and saw how dark it was. How long did I sleep for? I¡¯m so dead when I get home! He went to get up but suddenly shot into the air by about five feet before instinctively landing gracefully. WHAT JUST HAPPENED? He didn¡¯t know if he was going crazy. He needed to get home and figure out what was going on. Maybe he parents knew what was happening. He took off at a run towards his farm. As he was running, he felt a peculiar sensation. It felt like a force was boosting him along, giving him energy. He couldn¡¯t figure out what it was, but he would have to deal with it later. Maybe I¡¯m just dreaming right now. That would explain a lot. Suddenly he saw smoke. Was it a forest fire? No, it looked like it was coming from the village. Why is there smoke coming from the village? He picked up his pace, something he wouldn¡¯t have though possible. He was now running at a speed he had never even seen before. Something bad is happening, I feel it in my bones. At the pace he was running, it wasn¡¯t long until Eli had made it out of the forest and saw the smoke. It was coming from a bunch of houses in town. One of those houses is Casiel¡¯s. He thought and picked up the pace even further, but when he saw what was happening he came to a stop and froze. A group of men dressed in black armor were circled around three people. Oh my God. That¡¯s Casiel and her parents. What¡¯s happening? Eli snuck slowly closer, until he could hear the words they were saying. A tall man was speaking, and he was holding Cass¡¯s father in the air and choking him. He had a deep voice and he seemed familiar. Almost like Eli had seen a picture of him at some point. The rest all had their hoods on except for one. A redhead with bright green eyes was scanning over the surroundings, as if looking for something. Eli wasn¡¯t worried, he had long ago learned to conceal himself in the shadows from hunting. Yet despite this, when those piercing eyes reached where he was crouching, Eli saw them widen in surprise and¡­ recognition? Eli shrunk back further into the shadows, and then the redhaired man moved on and kept scanning. The tall man was dressed much more extravagantly than those surrounding him. His clothes were almost kingly. Eli wondered who he was and why he recognized him. He was yelling at Casiel¡¯s father.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I know the traitor is hiding here or at least has at some point. His father is an enemy of our nation. He would be pretending to be an orphan, but his secretly powerful magic should have shown when you tested him. Now, tell me where he is!¡± Who was the man talking about? Casiel¡¯s father replied, saying ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about. There is only one orphan in this village and he has no magic whatsoever. We have tested him upwards of eight times now and he has never shown anything. There is no way he could have hidden it this well.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s not him, is it?¡± The tall man said sarcastically, in a deep voice so powerful it seemed to rattle your heart. ¡°So, was there ever an orphan that passed through here? Or anyone who refused to tell you where he was from? His age would be in the teens now.¡± ¡°Actually, yes. Several years ago, a boy, he was around six I would say, passed through here with an older man. The boy didn¡¯t speak much, but the older man said they were heading to a village south of us. He was a powerful warlock, and he made it clear that the child wasn¡¯t his son.¡± ¡°Good. That¡¯s better. Now, where exactly did he go?¡± The tall man said, snapping his fingers in front of Casiel¡¯s father¡¯s eyes before letting him fall to the ground, barely staying on his feet. ¡°A town named Othen. It¡¯s about two days walk south.¡± The man seemed to be in a trance now. Eli wondered what happened, was he under some kind of spell? The tall man turned to his armed companions and said, ¡°It looks like we are off to Othen.¡± Turning back to the entranced man, he began moving his arms in weird patterns. Then he touched the mans head with his finger. Eli watched helplessly as an impossible scene unfolded. He was rooted to the ground, unable to move. There, in the darkening dusk of a small village surrounded by trees, Eli watched Casiel¡¯s father take the sword out of his belt and stab his own wife through the chest, instantly killing her. Casiel¡¯s screams were the only thing that stopped the assassins from hearing Eli¡¯s gasp. A second later, the father turned on his own daughter and took a step forward, sword raised. Casiel only whimpered. Just before Eli was about to move out of cover and do something, anything, to stop him, the tall man spoke again. ¡°No, not her. Not yet. She may come in useful another time. You¡¯ve done your part, now finish it off¡± The poor man, still in a trance, turned the sword around in his hand and stuck it into his own stomach. He didn¡¯t die immediately like his wife, but instead fell to the ground, gurgling blood for what seemed like eternity. As if unfazed by the violence, the redhaired man said ¡°Sir, will you allow me to stay here a short time to inspect the area and talk to this orphan and see if anyone knows anything?¡± That¡¯s not good. Eli thought to himself. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not, End. Just don¡¯t die. Oh, and when you are done, burn it to the ground.¡± The tall man said with a smirk. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He said to the group of hooded men. Then, instantly, they all took off into the sky. The tall man moving to the front, seeming to ride on a wall of wind. The others were propelled by various different elements. Is that advanced magic? What are people without magic supposed to do against that?Eli thought. Then, in an instant, the red-haired man appeared beside Eli, who immediately recoiled as if stung. He stared with his mouth open for a moment. How did he move that fast? He was over across the field a second ago. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Eligor.¡± Chapter 3: Fire Eli jumped back. ¡°How do you know my name?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything when we have time. Right now, we need to make sure everyone here gets out before Zuriel returns. Follow me.¡± The redhaired man said, standing up quickly. ¡°Zuriel, as in King of the Wind?¡± ¡°Is that what they call him in these outer villages? And yes, Zuriel, the king of Althesia.¡± Eli¡¯s eyes were getting wider and wider with every word. Then he looked over and saw Casiel. Oh no. No, no, no, no, no! He broke out at a full sprint, momentarily forgetting the man behind him. Casiel was holding her father¡¯s sword to her own throat. Just before he yelled out to her, the black-robed new comer appeared in front of him and covered his mouth, pulling him quickly behind a tree. ¡°Not yet,¡± he said. ¡°She has to deal with this on her own for now.¡± All Eli could do was shake his head. Even with the weird adrenaline like power racing through his veins, the man was far too strong. ¡°I¡¯m going to take my hand away from your mouth, but if you yell anything out I¡¯ll cast a spell to shut you up, okay?¡± He said, staring directly into Eli¡¯s worried eyes. He slowly moved his hand away. ¡°Who are you?¡± Eli instantly said, in as quiet a whisper as he could manage in the situation. ¡°Shh. Do you always talk this loudly? And as for who I am, I know you were eavesdropping, what did the King call me?¡± Was this strange man testing Eli? He played the conversation back in his head, purposefully not recalling the way it ended. The tall man said something. He told him not to die. His name is End! Eli¡¯s memory felt really clear at the moment, more than normal. He decided to deal with that later and right now to figure out what was going on. ¡°I know your name is End. You appear to work for the king. But why are you here, in this small town. And who are you, really? Names aren¡¯t everything?¡± ¡°You get right to the point. Good, that¡¯s useful. Now, I¡¯m here to save your sorry self. But I¡¯ll explain that all later, we really need to evacuate the people of this town. And as to your final comment, names are far more important than you realize.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere until I help Cass. How could you just watch and do nothing as her parents died.¡± After saying this he noticed the mischievous half-smile that End had worn up until that point faded.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that had to happen. And I¡¯m sorry for what will happen soon as well. I wish there was anything I could do, but if I had tried, the entire village and everyone in it would have been destroyed without question. I am a strong warlock, but it seems like Zuriel has just been expanding his power exponentially after taking power.¡± He looked down before continuing. ¡°I have done many terrible things for that man. I want to make amends, but that will take time.¡± Finally, he looked back up, smirk back on his face. ¡°I see you finally got your arcane power. When did that happen? It explains the king¡¯s increased interest, but last I checked I still couldn¡¯t sense it.¡± Arcane power? Was that what was happening? No way. ¡°Do you mean magic? No, I never got it. I turned sixteen ten days ago and they tested me again, not finding anything.¡± ¡°Magic. Haven¡¯t heard it called that in years. I recommend you call it arcanery or if you find yourself in an academic setting, thaumatology. But there¡¯s no reason to hide it from me, I can see the fire and even a tiny bit of electricity flowing through your veins. To be at this level you¡¯ve probably been practicing for a few months.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hiding anything! Practicing what? What are you talking about¡± The arcanist was really pushing this. How could he not know if he had magic for over a year? ¡°I¡¯ve been made fun of all my life for not having magic. Ask Cas- Oh my god Cass. I need to make sure she¡¯s okay.¡± He looked around the tree. She was putting the sword down, bending over and sobbing. No way is this guy gonna stop me this time. He ran out from behind the tree and ran straight to the girl. Right before he reached her she looked up and saw him. She could only say ¡°Eli¡± when he tackled her in a bear hug. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I should have done something, anything. I¡¯m sorry.¡± He said as she cried into his shoulder. ¡°What could you have done?¡± She said with a crying laugh. ¡°My parents were both powerful warlocks. That horrible man didn¡¯t even give them a chance.¡± She said before stopping, unable to continue. ¡°Shh. It¡¯s okay. Listen, we need to go before the men come back. Do you think you can do that?¡± She just nodded in response. End chose this moment to come out from behind the tree. ¡°We need to get out of here. Will you let me teleport your parents to a safe location, so we can give them a proper burial once this is all over?¡± ¡°You! You were one of them!¡± She ran up and started beating on his chest seeming to entirely forget that she could use magic. ¡°Who are you? Wh-Why did you kill my parents?¡± ¡°I cannot express how sorry I am. I can explain why I did what I did later. However, no excuses on my part will bring them back. Please let me make some sort of amends by helping to give them the peace they deserve.¡± Casiel looked to Eli who nodded solemnly, his eyes looking far too old for his years, and said ¡°Let him do this. We can talk after.¡± She looked back and nodded to End, tears still welling in her eyes. Wow, that was faster forgiveness than expected. End walked over to the bloodied couple. He bent down to his knee and closed their eyes. He mouthed a silent prayer and felt tears welling up in his own eyes. It¡¯s time for this terror to end. I¡¯m sorry that I couldn¡¯t save you. Then he was gone, as were the bodies. Chapter 4: Run Will everyone please come to the town center. No, this is not one of your idiotic gods, nor are you going insane. I am a warlock and I am talking to you from inside your own mind. Now, if you fail to come to the town center, I dare say it is likely that this day will be your last. ¡°Aah-What the hell was that?¡± Eli spun around to look for the voice that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Finding no one around him, his panic fell slightly and he began to process the words he heard. No, not the words he heard¡­ the words he thought. Could that have been End? He wondered, it sounded like his voice was coming through my head. I guess I¡¯m going to head to the town center. With that thought, he set off at a quick jog. As tired as he was, he couldn¡¯t help but smile slightly at the ease at which he sped across the ground. I wonder if this is magi- I mean¡­ arcanery. I don¡¯t remember ever moving this quickly, but I also don¡¯t remember the stories mentioning people who¡¯s only power is to move quickly. That doesn¡¯t seem heroic at all, seems more like a skill to run away from your enemies. ¡°How are you doing that.¡± Casiel asked from behind him. Eli jumped up at least a foot into the air. Aah! Why do you people insist on surprising me?¡± He turned to see Casiel running quickly and catching up to him. He noticed now she had quite a bit of power in each step. Her eyes were red and Eli realized she must have been crying after she went home. ¡°I asked how you were doing that.¡± She insisted. Now Eli was truly lost. He was just running. Sure, it was fast, but it was running all the same. ¡°Doing what?¡± ¡°Ugh. It is obvious you are magically enhancing your running. Have you somehow been hiding your magic? Wait¡­ you have, haven¡¯t you? You were the one that the tall man was looking for.¡± She said, her eyes beginning to once again tear up. ¡°No! I mean¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± He said quickly, trying not to make her cry. ¡°I¡¯ve never been able to do anything magic. Just earlier today I started running really quickly when I tried to escape Jona and it sort of feels like that now.¡± ¡°Yeah, right. I don¡¯t even think it¡¯s possible to not know you are doing magic. Plus, you are almost able to keep up with me at this jog. Sure, water isn¡¯t the best at translating power into physical ability, but I have been practicing this for a while. So¡­ what are you? Wind? Fire? Some weirdly physical-based Nature or Water wizard?¡± ¡°I DON¡¯T KNOW, okay? I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t even know what magic looked like beyond your little water thingy and Jona¡¯s stupid wind tricks.¡± He couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around it. He was a wizard? It just didn¡¯t seem possible. And more than anything else, he was angry. He had wished for this power for years and years. And finally, it is granted to him, far too late to save Casiel¡¯s parents. Too late even to save him from years of bullying. And now, the power he wished to have so strongly finally arrives in the midst of his world being turned upside down.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Things were supposed to make more sense once he got his power. He was supposed to finally be normal. After all, it was incredibly rare not to have any magic whatsoever; most people just had minimal control and power. Only a very rare few had nothing to speak of, and Eli had never even met one. But, finally, he has magic, yet he is even more lost than before. Eli started to speed up. He began to run faster and faster. He could feel heat being transferred from somewhere deep in his body to his limbs from some hole in his chest. What does that even mean? He wondered. He was still speeding up, his entire being focused on one goal. Run. Run away from his problems, his only friend¡¯s parents¡¯ death, his newfound power. He wanted to reach the town center and get some answers. He ran faster. Looking to his left, he saw Casiel picking up her pace to keep up with him. She looked like she wanted to keep asking him questions but saw the look on his face and focused on running. Not that End thought there was any chance of being able to speak while running at this speed. As he was running, he began to wonder at the heat that was filling up his body. What was it? Could that heat be magic? Putting some effort into feeling his body, he noticed a couple things. First, his mind seemed even clearer than before. Almost like a mist had slowly been clearing up that he had never known was there. Secondly, he felt like he was pulling the warmth from some source deep inside him. He couldn¡¯t tell, but it seemed like it was coming up and being filtered through something which somehow managed to make the energy more powerful. He could only get a vague sense of it. Then he noticed something that he knew was important somewhere in his brain. The source of the magical heat, or arcane power as End had called it, seemed to be shrinking. He sped up more, wondering if the heat would increase. As more power entered his legs he noticed the ¡®source¡¯ of his energy shrinking even faster. Is there a limit to how much I can use this power? He started to stretch a little, putting even more power into his limbs. He seemed to be almost flying and he saw Casiel¡¯s eyes widen slightly. Every bit of his being was put into this run. Then, suddenly, he thought something out of nowhere. I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you. In shock, he went flying through the air. Due to his speed, his roll only slowed to a stop after over six yards. Ow! That hurt like a¡­ wait, no it didn¡¯t. That should have felt far worse; a fall at that speed could have broken my wrist. As it was he only saw some scrapes. He knew, however, that the bruises would come later and would kill. He was lucky to be conscious, though. What was that voice? He looked over to where he fell and instead of seeing a rock or stick like he had been imagining himself tripping over, he saw a man standing over him with his hand out. Casiel, who had slowed her run many yards away to avoid the same fate as her friend started asking ¡°Eli, are you okay? What happened, you started going so fast and then-¡° She was cut off as Eli let out a high-pitched squeal, his third one of the day. Chapter 5: Beginnings ¡°I swear to the Maker; do you people always come up behind me? Are you trying to scare me on purpose?¡± It was End standing above him. Eli realized he probably should be scared of this man who could likely kill him with barely a thought, not be calming down as the initial shock wore off, but he was beginning to grow used to the mysterious warlock. He also noticed he was becoming quite tired very quickly. How late is it? I shouldn¡¯t be this tired yet. ¡°You were using your power up ridiculously quickly there. Did no one teach you what happens if your Pool runs out?¡± ¡°Using it up? My Pool What are you talking about? My parents decided to keep me in the dark about magic until I had my power. Evidently, I never learned anything.¡± ¡°Well, damn. That will have to change, maybe we can find a teacher who is still loyal to the old bloodline. And those weren¡¯t your parents, boy. They owed old Gareth a debt, that¡¯s the only reason you ever even met them. I guess I have a lot to explain to you and not nearly enough time. I¡¯ll just say this. As you were running, you likely felt some sort of energy source. What it felt like would depend on your Mana type-¡± ¡°My what type?¡± Eli cut in. ¡°Wow, you really know nothing. Mana is the proper word for what you probably call ¡®magical power.¡¯ Anyway, because you have primarily fire mana, you-¡° he began. ¡°He¡¯s a fire magician? Aren¡¯t they like, sort of rare and crazy?¡± Cass cut him off. ¡°Yes, they are somewhat rare, though not too much. The problem with fire is that very few people make it to the next stage. In other words, while it is no rarer than say, wind, it is very hard to become more powerful. Also, no they aren¡¯t crazy. And can the two of you please stop cutting me off?¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Casiel and Eli said at the same time. ¡°As I was saying¡­ because you have primarily fire mana, you would likely have felt some sort of heat source deep within you, like a flame. We call this source your ''Pool.¡¯ It is incredibly important that you don¡¯t run this power down to empty. It¡¯s tied directly to your physical body. This means that the more you use, the less energy your body has to work with. It also means that training either your mana or your body will also help the other, though not as much as it gains from direct training of each.¡± This seemed like a lot of explanation for magic, though it was more information than he has ever heard before. ¡°I didn¡¯t know any of that either,¡± muttered Casiel, ¡°no one in this stupid town knows anything about magic, and the only academy anywhere nearby is in a faraway city and doesn¡¯t accept anyone older than 18. What if I had died?¡± ¡°The 18-year rule exists to weed out people who act before they think. It¡¯s not the way it used to be done and I hate it, people who always measure twice and cut once are boring and take three times the amount of time to do anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still wondering, why did it take me so long to get my magic? I don¡¯t understand. I thought no one had ever gotten it after they turned 15.¡± Eli asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know the most fundamental rule of magic, correct? The law of birth? It¡¯s a general rule that ties the age that a person acquires their mana to their power. It isn¡¯t perfect, but if it¡¯s true that you really didn¡¯t get your power until earlier today, which I don¡¯t believe for a second, you are correct. It is quite rare. How old are you? 15, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sixteen, turned it just ten days ago. ¡° Eli responded. ¡°Woah. We¡¯ll just have to see if you are telling the truth. As for if anyone has ever gotten it that late, I¡¯m not sure. Legend has it that Lady Gris obtained her magic when she was around your age, though that is just speculation.¡± ¡°Who is Lady Gris?¡± Eli asked. End blanched. ¡°Who is Lady Gris? My lord, do the towns this far out really know so little? You probably know her as ¡®the Maker.¡¯ It¡¯s a stupid name, she was mostly just a spoiled brat. Rarely trained. But she was naturally quite powerful. Very powerful indeed. When she rose to power there was no kingdom to speak of, just warring tribes. She brought several together under her and slowly expanded farther and farther, taking control of most of the kingdom we have today.¡± Eli had just one more question. ¡°Uh. How close was I to running out of mana earlier, when I was running really fast?¡± ¡°Oh, I have no clue.¡± Replied End. ¡°I imagine rather low, you were moving very quickly and without any training whatsoever, but there¡¯s no way to sense other people¡¯s remaining mana. If there was, it would be incredible useful in duels.¡± ¡°Duels?¡± ¡°Oh, come on, I can¡¯t explain everything about the world right now. Let¡¯s go to the town center.¡± As soon as he finished talking, End started moving his arms in weird whirly motions.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°What are you-¡° Eli started. Before he could finish he was right in the town center. Then, he threw up. ¡°Can someone explain what just happened.¡± He was able to say between fits of coughing. Casiel was laying on the floor next to him, body shaking with coughs as well. ¡°Oops. Sorry, forgot to warn you. That was a teleportation, it¡¯s normally an advanced fire spell, but the much rarer group teleport, what I just did, is master level.¡± End stated like it was nothing more than ordering dinner at the inn. ¡°You- you are a master? And a fire wizard. Oh Maker, I called fire wizards crazy.¡± Casiel said. ¡°Yes, you did, but that¡¯s quite alright. We are prone to some¡­ eccentricities.¡± End replied and flashed a sort of twisted smile. Casiel visibly shivered. ¡°I¡¯m kidding, of course, but fire warlocks do tend to have quite a quick temper.¡± ¡°No, we don¡¯t!¡± Eli responded quickly. End just raised an eyebrow in his direction. Eli shrunk back and said, ¡°Whatever.¡± ¡°Anyway, I do believe it is time for me to explain why I called all these good men and women out here.¡± For the first time since ¡®teleporting,¡¯ as End had called it, Eli looked around. Almost everyone living in Stathen had gathered in the town square. Did all these people show up from that voice in my head? I forgot to ask End how he did it. Eli heard a voice shout out that he recognized. ¡°Elinor? How did you just appear with this man?¡± The second he recognized the speaker, Eli groaned. ¡°Of course. Why did I even hope that somehow Jona would decide not to show up?¡± At that moment, End finally spoke out to everyone gathered in the area. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are all wondering why I called you here.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t do nothin¡¯. We all got brought here by a threat to our homes shouted in our minds. Seems more like a demon than a person.¡± The man¡¯s sentiment was echoed by several others in the crowd. ¡°Are you¡± sure about that? ¡°It should seem pretty" clear that I''m the one doing this, right? ¡°Everyone believe me now?¡± End alternated between using his weird telepathy and his normal speech before reverting permanently back to the latter. ¡°Good. Now, I have some explaining to do. My name is End, I¡¯m a warlock who used to work for the King, until earlier today actually. The King plans to burn this village down in their search for a specific person.¡± He glanced briefly at Eli as gasps emanated from the crowd before continuing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but there is nothing I can do. He will likely come back to this place within approximately two weeks. If he finds that I have not burned it down, I imagine he will go on quite a rampage. For this reason, I recommend you all gather your belongings and leave this place as soon as possible. I have set a magical explosive that will go off in ten days and light this town on fire. I apologize for the inconvenience. That is all.¡± The crowd stood in stunned silence for just a second before it erupted in a wall of sound. Eli just stared at the man who had turned his world on its head yet again. Joan asked the question bouncing around everyone¡¯s minds. ¡°We all saw you just appear earlier. Can¡¯t you just make us all disappear or something far away?¡± End started to laugh. ¡°Wow, I must look really badass if you think I¡¯m nearly powerful enough to send all of you and your belongings with a teleport. Or maybe you all just know that little about the arcane. Whatever the case, it is outside of my power to help you. Thank you, goodbye.¡± He began to walk away to the shouts of the entire village but suddenly turned on his heel and said ¡°And by the way, I¡¯m taking Eligor with me.¡± Then he grabbed Eli¡¯s arm and the three were standing in a clearing somewhere in the woods. Eli and Cass fell to the floor. This time, they both threw up as Eli felt the worst case of nausea he had ever dealt with. Even End seemed to be wavering a bit on his feet. But he quickly perked up and said ¡°Phew. That was quite a teleport. They get harder with distance, you know? In this one we traveled almost a mile. I probably should have spoken that one out loud, would have lessened the¡­¡± End¡¯s voice faded away as he began mumbling to himself. Was he doing some type of math? ¡°Where the hell are we?¡± Casiel spit out in between groans. ¡°Now that, dear Casiel, is a great question. The truth is, I have no clue where we are. I just teleported as far as I could without too much effort. We are somewhere West of Stathen, as I said, about a mile away, though to give you anything more specific we would need to explore a bit.¡± End was just as snarky as ever. ¡°But if we are trying to run from the king, wouldn¡¯t we want to head North? Didn¡¯t he go off to the South after he murder murdered my parents?¡± She said that last sentence with venom enough to come from a snake. ¡°Well, going North would be the expected move as it would be anyone¡¯s first instinct. But we have to be unpredictable, thus we head West. Additionally, I have some friends in the Raetian Province that might just be able to help us out. Also, once again, I apologize for what happened to your parents. If I had anywhere near the power necessary to try and stop the King in that moment, I would have. And I know that¡¯s just an excuse, but I truly am sorry.¡± He seems to switch between a serious personality and his normal snarky one a bit too often, but at least he sounds somewhat sincere. Eli thought to himself. ¡°In any case, we should get moving. Even if the town will be ashes by the time the King returns, I¡¯m not sure what he will do when he cannot find me. Do either of you happen to know how to fly?¡± End asked with one eyebrow sitting halfway up his forehead as if he already knew the answer and just wanted to humiliate the two young "arcanists.¡± ¡°No admission into an Academy until we hit eighteen, remember?¡± Casiel pointed out. ¡°Yes, yes, I remember. Oh, and if you come with me to Raetia, the academies there don¡¯t care how old you are if you are magically-inclined. Casiel, you can finally learn real Arcanery, isn¡¯t that what you want?¡± ¡°Yeah, that would be awesome. You ready to join an academy, Eli?¡± ¡°Yeah that would be a-¡± End cut him off immediately, saying ¡°Nope. Sorry, Eli, but you won¡¯t be joining the Academy. The King will definitely have spies looking for you in that place, it¡¯s ninety percent nobles after all.¡± Eli laughed. ¡°Why would the King have spies looking for me of all people. I¡¯m just an orphan who just got his mana.¡± He trailed off as he recalled the Wind King¡¯s words. ¡°Wait, are you saying the King of Althesia was looking for me?!¡± ¡°Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.¡± End replied dryly. ¡°B-but why would he care about me of all people?¡± ¡°That was the next topic I was going to talk about. For once, I am going to give up any form of sarcasm and joking. Eli, you might actually want to sit down for this one. Do you know anything about the old king, Naberus, also known as the Raven?¡± ¡°Yes...¡± Eli replayed shakily. There¡¯s no way for him to spin my world on its head yet another time, right? He thought. ¡°Well, he was your father. Which makes Lily, the Queen of Water, your mother. So, uh, you would have been the prince if Zuriel hadn''t taken over.¡± He said with an exaggerated smile.