[TSO’s Note: This is the first time skip.]
The wind brushed past the buildings surrounding the mage’s tower and swept over the familiar barren training ground. The first rays of sunlight spilled across it.
It was the same place where Kaelen had once struggled to lift a single boulder but he was no longer that frail, desperate boy who doubted himself.
Kaelen stood at the center of the training ground, barefoot against the cold soil. His once-thin body had now become buffed up. He had developed muscles sculpted of years of discipline.
The obsidian horns curling from his forehead which were once a symbol of his curse were now sharper and more pronounced. His skin, once pale and filled with rashes, now held a warm bronze hue.
His long, black hair fell loosely to his shoulders and as he opened his golden eyes which were previously filled with doubt and fear now had confidence in them.
He clenched his fist and aimed at a boulder before him which was twice the size of the once he had struggled to lift with years ago.
He exhaled slowly as he felt the same warmth he felt years ago all over his body and punched the boulder.
With a resounding boom, the boulder shattered on impact, sending debris all around him.
A smirk formed on his lips as he loosened his fist and observed his newfound strength.
“Heh!”, The old mage muttered behind him with a smile on his face, “Not bad, boy!”
Kaelen turned around and saw the old mage coming toward him.
The old mage still used his staff to walk. His silver hair was ow gathered into a neat braid and he had a deep blue robe embroidered with runes.
Wiping the dust from his hands, Kaelen replied with a deep voice, “Six years, and I finally earn a ‘not bad’? I should be honoured.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, boy.”, The mage snorted, “You’d still lose in a duel against me.”
“Of course!”, Kaelen rolled his eyes but didn’t argue.
He thought, ‘Although I am stronger now. Faster. Better. And, I have learned more than I had ever thought possible yet one thing still gnaws at me which is the seal.
I have long since realized that matter how much I train and no matter how much I push myself, the invisible chains around me remain unbroken.
And of course, the strange dream… the eerie voice…
Just thinking about it makes a chill run down my spine.’
“What happened, boy?”, The old mage asked in a soft tone as he stepped closer, What are you thinking about?”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“I-It’s nothing.”, Kaelen lied and averted his eyes from the old mage.
However, the wise old mage caught onto him and asked, “Stop lying to me, boy. I can guess when you do. Is it the dreams?”
“Y-Yes..”, Kaelen sighed and nodded.
“Describe it to me again.”, The old mage asked seriously.
Kaelen exhaled slowly, shutting his eyes as he tried to recall, “It’s always the same.
A vast expanse of blackness that stretchs in every direction. The air heavy, thick, and cold—like something heavy and ancient pressing on my skin. Me standing alone in the emptiness.
And then… the voice.
It comes from everywhere and nowhere.
Smooth, rich, and laced with something that always makes my blood stir.
"You are learning."
A pause.
"I am eager to meet you."
And every time I would ask, “Who are you?” Or “What do you want?”
But, like always, I would never receive a reply, only the feeling that somebody is watching me from the darkness.”
Kaelen opened his eyes and met the mage’s gaze, saying, “It feels… like someone’s waiting for me.”
The old mage narrowed his eyes and in a low voice, replied, “It seems that someone or something is.”
Kaelen swallowed hard and asked, “Who?”
The mage shook his head and replied, “I don’t know. But whatever it is… it means you’re on the right path or… someone wants you to think that you are.”
A chill crawled down Kaelen’s spine which he forced to shrug off and asked, changing the subject, “So what now? New training?”
The mage chuckled in amusement, witnessing his enthusiasm, and replied, “No. You are ready, Kaelen.”
“Ready?”, Kaelen stopped and gulped in surprise, “I-I am ready?!”
The mage said nothing but turned toward the tower and gestured him to follow.
As they walked through the arched doorway and into the hall, he finally spoke in a low voice, “Yes, Kaelen. You are ready. Ready for the seal to be broken.”
Kaelen’s heart leaped in his chest and he shouted in excitement, “Yessss!!!!”
For six years, he had waited to hear those words. He couldn’t control the excitement he was feeling.
The old mage smiled and nodded.
“But...”
He stopped a circular chamber deep within the tower.
Kaelen stopped throwing his hands in excitement and looked around, asking, “Where are we? I haven’t seen this room before.”
Torches flared to life as they stepped inside, revealing an intricate magical circle carved into the floor.
“Well, that’s because...”, The old mage said, “You had no business seeing this room before, but now you do.”
“Woah!” Kaelen exclaimed in wonder and awe, seeing the magical circle on the floor.
The old mage let him gawk at it for a few seconds until he said, “Boy! Quit gawking and come here!”
Kaelen quickly ran toward the old mage and stood before him.
“Good.” The old mage nodded and began seriously, “I want you to listen to what I say carefully, Kaelen. Breaking your seal won’t be easy. The magic that binds it is an ancient and powerful one. Nobody can break it easily. Hell… no one can even see it unless they have Soul-Wraith Eyes like me.”
“Soul-Wraith?” Kaelen blinked in confusion.
“Yes, Soul-Wraith Eyes.”, The old mage continued, “They allow me to see a person’s soul directly.”
“So, you can see my soul?” Kaelen asked.
“Yes,” The old mage nodded, “When I first saw you entering the stage at the auction, I felt a strange itch in my eyes. After all these years, I have learned never to ignore the itch. So, I used my power to stare into your soul and saw a strange obscure chain around it.”
Kaelen clenched his fists in anger.
“I have been studying it for quite some time now, and the most important thing I have come to realize about it is that it was carefully crafted to keep you from discovering the truth of your bloodline.”
Sighing in anger, Kaelen asked, “What do we need, old man? For the seal to break?”
“Three things.” The old mage’s eyes gleamed in the torchlight.
A thrill of both excitement and fear surged through Kaelen and he asked, “So… we’re going on a journey?”
The old mage gave a rare, toothy grin and replied, “A long and dangerous one. You’ll probably want to run away screaming by the end of it.”
Kaelen laughed softly, shaking his head and replied, “And here I thought you were getting tired of me.”
The old mage’s expression softened just slightly as he asked, “You’ve come a long way, Kaelen. But this… this will be your true test. Are you ready?”
Kaelen clenched his fists, feeling the power simmering beneath the surface—the power that had been denied to him for too long.
“I’m ready,” he replied confidently and thought, ‘For the first time in my life, I am not just fighting to survive. I am fighting to become something more and I would not stop until I found the truth no matter what it costs me.’
