THE CHOSEN ONE (Reunion)

AWAKENING

NIGHT

After dinner, Ramsay and Noah lay side by side in their room, staring at the ceiling.

“Brother, why do you think master doesn’t like it when we talk about Axrax, the other kingdoms… or even himself?” Noah asked.

“I don’t know. But I think there’s something we don’t know… something he doesn’t want his family to know", Ramsay replied.

“He even told his son he doesn’t have magic. Do you think that’s true? That his son might really not have magic?” Noah asked.

“No, it’s not… or maybe it is. I don’t know. All I know is wizards usually give birth to wizards, and he said his son doesn’t have magic,” Ramsay said.

“Which means either master lied to his son for a reason… or not every child born to a wizard has magic,” Noah said thoughtfully.

“You might be right. Master is strange sometimes—nice and caring one moment, harsh the next,” Ramsay replied.

“There must be something going on with him. Whatever it is, we’ll find out one day. Let’s get some sleep. We have to wake up very early for training,” Ramsay concluded.

---

NEXT DAY (MORNING)

Ramsay and Noah woke up before sunrise and went outside to begin their training.

Outside, they found Zussorender sitting on his chair, holding a knife, with a pile of sticks neatly arranged on the ground beside him.

The princes approached, bowed, and stood before him. Rising from his chair, Zussorender said, “I will teach you something new today".

He handed the knife to Ramsay and walked a few steps away, stopping with his back facing the two princes. Then Zussorender commanded, “Ramsay, throw the knife at me".

“What do you mean?” Ramsay asked, confused.

“I said—throw the knife at me!” Zussorender shouted, his back still turned.

“Master, even if you can beat Ramsay in hand-to-hand combat, turning your back and letting him throw a knife… that’s dangerous. You could get hurt… or killed,” Noah said, alarmed.

“Yes, master. I don’t want you to get hurt or die. You have a family, and I won’t be the cause of your death,” Ramsay added.

“You both are fools, especially you, Ramsay. You’re nothing but a coward,” Zussorender snapped.

Ramsay’s face flushed with anger as he glared at his master, annoyed by the insult.

Zussorender continued, “And you want to be the next King of Axrax? A coward like you doesn’t deserve to sit on the throne.”

“Stop, master!” Ramsay shouted, anger rising.

“You are useless, Ramsay. Even a slave is better than you. You can’t even throw a knife properly. I’m sure that if it were an enemy, you wouldn’t even raise your sword because of your incompetence. You don’t deserve to be a prince, let alone a king,” Zussorender continued.

Ramsay’s anger boiled over. “I am not a coward!” he yelled, and with that, he hurled the knife at Zussorender.

Noah and Ramsay froze in fear as the knife flew through the air. To their astonishment, the knife stopped a few paces from Zussorender’s back, levitating in midair.

“How… did you do that?” Noah asked, wide-eyed.

“It’s called mind control,” Zussorender replied calmly.

Turning toward the princes, Zussorender began walking toward them, the knife still suspended in front of him.

He explained, “Being a wizard means you must be sensitive to everything around you. As I have told you, never let your guard down. A wizard must be able to hear and speak to any living thing—not just humans. For example, animals.”

He stopped in front of the princes, and the knife hovered silently in place.

“So you mean a wizard can talk to animals?” Noah asked, his curiosity piqued, while Ramsay kept his eyes fixed on the levitating knife.

“Yes. Wizards can communicate with nature itself. There is more to a wizard than just having magic. Being a wizard heightens everything about you—your hearing, sight, smell—everything is doubled compared to a normal human. I was able to hear the sound of the knife, and that’s how I stopped it. No human could hear that,” Zussorender explained.

“I really want to learn everything about being a wizard,” Noah said, smiling.

Ramsay reached out and touched the knife, feeling its heat, and quickly withdrew his hand.

“It’s hot!” he exclaimed, wincing slightly.

“I made it hot,” Zussorender said with a smile.

“Wow! When will you teach us that?” Noah asked eagerly.

“I’ve told you many times—it’s not a trick. It’s magic. And if you two want to learn mind control, you must first learn how to control your own mind,” Zussorender replied.

“How do we do that?” Noah asked.

“I will tell you later. And you, Ramsay,” Zussorender added, turning to him, “don’t take what I said to heart. I only said those things to make you angry so you would throw the knife. You are not a coward.”

“What do you mean?” Ramsay asked, frowning.

“Your training today will be stopping objects, just like I did—but it won’t be a knife,” Zussorender replied, taking the knife and returning to his chair with the knife.

He sat down, placing the knife beside him, and faced the two princes. Then he said to them, “Now, get ready".

“For what?” Noah asked, puzzled.

“Don’t you see the sticks next to him? He wants us to stop them,” Ramsay whispered to Noah.

“Are we… not turning our backs?” Noah asked.

“You can’t even stop a stick coming at you. I guarantee it. So no turning your back. Now get ready,” Zussorender said firmly.

The two princes braced themselves as Zussorender used his magic to lift two sticks and hurled them toward them. They failed to stop the sticks, which struck their faces.

---

Hours passed, and still the two princes could not stop a single stick. The objects kept striking them in the face and body, leaving them exhausted and hungry.

Finally, Zussorender threw two more sticks, but this time the princes didn’t try to stop them—they simply held the sticks.

“We’re tired, master. We can’t stop the sticks. Let’s end for today,” Ramsay said, panting.

“I’m hungry too,” Noah added, dropping his stick onto the ground.

“You both are lazy. No food until you stop a stick”, Zussorender scolded.

“I can’t take this anymore, master. I have to eat, or I’ll die of hunger,” Noah said, turning toward the door.

As Noah walked away, Zussorender picked up the knife and threw it toward him.

Ramsay’s eyes widened in shock and fear as the knife flew straight at Noah.

But Noah suddenly heard the knife’s faint hum, and instinctively faced it. The knife froze in midair, levitating before him. His eyes glowed yellow, and with a sudden burst of energy, the knife shattered into pieces.

Zussorender and Ramsay exchange shocked glances. Noah kneels to the ground, head bowed, his body trembling.

Ramsay rushes to him, kneeling beside his brother.

“Noah! What’s happening?” Ramsay asks, panic in his voice. He doesn’t notice the eerie glow still lingering in Noah’s eyes.

Noah doesn’t respond—his strength is gone.

Zussorender steps forward and kneels in front of Noah. Gently, he lifts Noah’s chin. His eyes widen in fear at the sight—the golden hue of Noah’s eyes radiates an unnatural energy.

Before Zussorender can react, Noah’s eyes return to normal, and he collapses into unconsciousness.

Ramsay recoils, terrified. He cries, “What’s wrong with him?!”

Zussorender remains calm, though tense. He said, “Nothing is wrong. He’s simply exhausted. Let’s get him inside.”

---

Noah lies on the bed, pale but breathing steadily. Zussorender sits beside him, placing a hand gently on Noah’s head. He begins chanting an ancient spell, words vibrating softly in the quiet room. Ramsay stands nearby, worry etched on his face.

When the chant ends, Ramsay asks, “Is he going to be okay? What really happened to him?”.

Zussorender looks at him solemnly. He said, “Yes, he’ll be fine. He poured too much of his magic into stopping the knife. It drained him—he hasn’t yet mastered his powers.”

Ramsay exhales, trying to steady himself, “Okay…”

Zussorender rises and said, “Let him rest. We’ll eat now.”

---

After dinner, Zussorender retrieves an old, weathered box. Inside rests a very ancient book, its cover worn with age.

He opens it carefully to a page illustrated with a dragon, a human, and a glowing sphere. Strange, archaic symbols surround the drawings.

Zussorender reads the words aloud under his breath, his expression darkening. He said, “Oh no…”