From the distance, Alastair could hear someone weeping. It sounded like a woman and from the tone in her voice, she had been weeping for a long time. Their horses trudged along as they approached a little village by the side of the ten streams, a little stream in Elderien so named because it is believed that ten streams merged to form that single stream. But, eventually, the gods changed their minds about the streams and they could not allow something so trivial to exist on the earth.So, they shrunk the size of the stream, creating dry land in the process where a part of Elderien was erected instead. People believe that is why Elderien mages were stronger than other mages found in the world, the gods touched the earth ok which they thread themselves.From a young age, however, Alastair never really believed in the gods. He was not sure if they existed or not, and if they did, they surely did not care about mundanes. Perhaps the lowly humans were too below their standards. Or perhaps
The woman scoffed and took a step back from master Orion. She was obviously terrified of him, and when she sent glances to the man standing beside her, Alastair knew the man was the ghost. He had to be, right? Because there was no other way he could just appear out of thin air.Before then, Alastair did not believe In ghosts. That unbelief was the very thing that made him less fearful and more daring than others. He knew nothing would come from the beyond to hurt him or something, although there have been speculations about ghosts since he was born.But at that point, standing before and gazing at one changed his entire opinion. He was scared, so scared that he could barely stand. He wanted to collapse but master Orion shot him a glare and he quickly composed himself. He did not know if he could stand long though. Fear was a terrible thing to go through."Stay back! Do not come any closer." The woman said to master Orion as he approached her. She kept stepping back, shaking in fear.
Alastair could hear the waters dropping as the Ice on the roof of the caves melted at regular intervals. The cave was cold, so cold that it could send death away for a while. He was inside there, watching over the woman whose house they had visited for the exorcism.Alastair watched as the woman slept on the bed. She looked so peaceful, but yet, she looked troubled as well. How deep could human sorrow go? Does it show on the face eventually as the emotions eat us up? The woman slept as peacefully as she could, but still, she was not happy, not even in her sleep.As soon as she had collapsed, Master Orion ordered that she be brought to him. He quickly took some of her signs and sighed. Apparently, the woman's soul and energy had been sucked by the presence of the ghost and it was an irreversible process. That meant that she was going to die soon.The best Master Orion could do for her and her daughter, however, was to take them both back to the Elderien's keep. Alastair was happy he ha
Alastair gasped as he opened his eyes. He wheezed, trying so hard to breathe. As he struggled to stand up from the chair he had been sleeping on, he felt a terrible headache. He groaned, grabbing his head. The room seemed to spin for a moment and he fell back into the chair and sighed.That was why he didn't like reading minds or going into people's memories. The aftermaths of those spells were painful for those whose minds were being read. He had just done that to himself and he could finally say he understood the depth of it.But then, his mind flashed back to what he had discovered. The signs he was getting whenever he was around Cara were similar to those he got when he stepped into that haunted house years ago. Alastair did not want to admit the fact that was presenting itself before him. He simply did not think it was possible.There has to be a better explanation..."Alastair. Do you ever sleep?"Cara suddenly asked him and he Turned around. She was standing there in a nightdre
Alastair quickly dashed out of the house as soon as Cara left and took another route to get to the Werewolves' den. It was a crazy day for him already and he was not so sure he even knew what he was doing. He remembered nothing about the spell master Orion had used to reveal and trap that ghost because he did not bother about learning it. It was one of those things which you'd consider as unimportant. In fact, necromancers were considered to be extinct right after the scandal with the one who resurrected Elle's father. Besides, necromancy was so complex and difficult to understand that a lot of sorcerers did not bother to venture into it. That was part of the reason why he did not learn so much about it.Perhaps he would have done so if he had not spent the next sixteen years after his fall making weapons instead. Alastair quickly hurried along, determined to make sure he returns before Cara does. He did not remember vividly but there was once a mention of an alternative way to make
His mouth stretched and became wider than it was before. His eyes turned black, disappearing into the socket. His skin became as pale as ice and all that was left was the growls coming from him. It was all so familiar to Alastair, reminding him of the first time he witnessed such a thing. He was certain he could handle the ghost.Cara on the other hand was scared. She took a couple of steps back and gazed at what was once Fristborn in awe. "What did you do to him? Alastair, what did you do?" She yelled at Alastair who just scoffed."Ghosts reveal their true nature when they feel threatened. That is precisely what is going on here. Can't you see now? That is what you have been frolicking with." Alastair said and pointed to Fristborn who just kept staring at him with those dark eyes."I...I did not know. I just... what can we do?""We need to send him back to the land of the dead. He belongs there and not here. He has to go back otherwise we might have to compete with forces bigger tha
Alastair watched as Cara ogled at him, his eyes fixated on her like some predator. Cara on the other hand was begging to give out low guttural grows which made Alastair very uncomfortable. He needed to pull the ghost out of her immediately before it does permanent damage to her mind. The only problem was that he did not remember the particular spell needed to do it. The spell needed to exorcise a demon was different from the spell needed to exorcise a ghost. Using one instead of the other would result in damage to the recipient of the spell as well as to the mage who cast it."Cara, if you can hear me, I need you to focus on my voice. I need you to fight it off. It is not stronger than you. It is under your control. You just need to realize it and break free from its clutch. Focus, Cara."He said to her as she continued to growl. His words were not working. He had no idea what to do at that moment, and when Cara suddenly charged and jumped at him, he knew things were about to get wor
There was darkness around him at first and the only thing Alastair could hear was the sound of his breath. It was deep, raspy, and possibly shaken. The darkness surrounded him like a large cloak, soaking and draining away all forms of light within him. He could feel his soul slowly getting corrupted. He knew the illusion was Fristborn's work, or what it was that looked like Fristborn. Crazy things were happening that day and the only way he could make it out alive was to become even crazier.Slash!"Argh!"Alastair groaned as large claws found their way across his back. The pain shook him to his core but it was still dark. Another slash and he was on the ground, grunting in pain. He could not hear footsteps so as to predict where the attack was coming from. How could he predict what he could not hear or smell?And then another slash came and Alastair's face was torn. He did not bleed through, however, his pain was so great that it would have been better if he bled. Alastair knew he h
***Final Chapter***The monster hurled at the ship with a force so great that its punch pushed the ship backward. They were lucky not to have sustained a tear because Alastair and Blaize had formed a shield to block the punch. The shield, however, shattered immediately upon impact.The ship groaned and tilted from side to side, and what came next were screams from the crew as they fell into the sea. The captain struggled to find her balance, however, that was proving difficult. The ship groaned again and tilted to another side, shaking the captain's grip off her sword with which she had stabbed the deck.She screamed as she glided towards the sea, which at that time was already being occupied by monsters that looked like snakes. There was a multitude of them, and their hisses could be heard. They had killed the members of the crew that fell into the sea.As the captain was about to fall overboard, Blaize created a shield that blocked her path and pulled her back into the ship. She exch
"Set sail!"The captain's voice rang through the entire ship as men busied themselves with their jobs. The crew members ran Helter skelter as they tried to get the ship running, and in no time, they did. The ship roared as it sailed on the sea, a sight that sent shivers down Cara's body For Alastair, he just stood beside her and watched other members of the crew as they worked tirelessly. The captain was no longer with them. She was busy shouting orders, screaming at the men, and cursing them as they worked. Considering the fact that she was much smaller than most of the men on the ship, it was a funny sight to see.She soon sent Alastair a gaze and nodded to him. Alastair returned the gesture. As soon as the captain looked away, Alastair smiled softly. The time was finally approaching, and there was nothing to stop destiny from unfolding. He was still lost in thoughts when he suddenly began to feel like there was a pair of eyes looking at him.It was the same feeling he had gotten b
"Stand firm. Widen your stance and fix yourself to the ground. Strike with intent."Alastair instructed Cara as she sparred against him. Her moves had gotten better already but they still needed some more work. She groaned and struck Alastair, putting in so much of her energy that she tripped and fell down when Alastair made a false move."Predict where I will be. It will be what you need most of the time. You need to see the bigger picture when you are dealing with an opponent. Stand up and come at me again."Alastair instructed and Cara obeyed. She was past the stage of grumbling. She knew she needed to become stronger for what was coming.She charged and did her best to predict Alastair's moves. But they were too advanced for her. However, Alastair did not hold back. If she was to fulfill her destiny, she needed to become better than he was. Alastair decided to do a move to throw her off balance but Cara suddenly blocked it.Alastair was surprised. He pushed a bit further and intro
"Why don't you put down the crossbow and we can talk this through like adults?" Alastair said to the captain who scoffed at his guts. Her eyes were blaring with anger, and the only thing in her eyes other than anger was turmoil, pain, and regret.She steadied the crossbow in her hand and fixed her gaze upon Cara. Her eyes never left her. It seemed like she could remember what happened that day, the fire that suddenly blasted them all apart. She could remember the smell of burnt flesh which filled the air, saturating every part of the house. She could remember the smell of her own flesh and the moment that hit her, her face twitched a little. She took a deep breath and pointed the crossbow at Cara. Alastair did not want to use his magic against her for he knew they would be needing her help if they were to get to the isle of mists. But how the captain survived was still a mystery. He was certain she had died."You! You did this to me!", The captain said and pointed to the scarred part
"You didn't even ask for her name." Cara said to Alastair as they walked down the busy road. Their short time at the pub had not turned out the way Alastair hoped. He just kept walking in silence, and the silence was what made Cara uncomfortable."I did not need to," Alastair replied and she scoffed."Why not? She was clearly into you and you liked her as well. What is stopping you?" Cara asked, but then she realized how insensitive her statement was. She should not say such things about Alastair's relationship."Is it because of Miranda?" She asked but he was silent."How do you know she is still waiting for you?" Cara asked again but Alastair still said nothing. She was right. He did not know. But the thing bothering him was that he might not live to find out. "I... I do not want to forget her. I want to cherish our memories together until there is nothing left of me. That is why I cannot look at another woman. But what do you know? You are just a child.".Alastair said and scoff
The night still ravaged on as Alastair and Cara kept walking down the streets. Alastair got the chance to see more of the town, like he had secretly desired. The town was a beautiful place, quite exotic as well.He did not know if it were the decorations, or the thrill in the air but he was certain that that town had seen alot of bad days in the past and they were trying to make out the future as best as they can. He could see a young woman and two kids which looked like they were hers.The woman glanced at him and smiled, a smile which melted Alastair's heart. He saw that she had twin boys, and the imagination of the kind of life he would have been living if he grew up with his mother and brother was vivid.One of the twin boys ran towards him and gave him a popsicle. Alastair smiled as he took the popsicle from the boy, and giving their mother a nod, she quickly led her eager boys toward a candy shop. Alastair sighed as he watched them. He did not even hear Cara stepping up before h
The journey was quiet, and although the moonlight shone upon them like the ever glowing beam of light that it is, Cara was not feeling it. She just kept walking, a step behind Alastair. Her head was bowed, her fists were clenched. Her nails were digging into her palms, although not enough to give her an injury, it still hurt.Maybe she wanted it to hurt. Maybe she just wanted to feel something at the end of the day. She had been so hollow ever since the fight. She could feel Asmodeus crawling around in her mind. She could feel the Phoenix slowly regressing. She could feel the terror that was coming, very one that she was destined to bring upon the world."Are you alright?" Alastair asked her, snapping her out of it. She nodded quickly and looked at him for a moment. "You look disturbed. Is there anything you would like to talk about?" Alastair asked her again but she shook her head. He decided not to press her. If she was ready to talk, she would."Do you miss it? Everything else bef
An energy blast escaped from cara's body and hit all those that were in close proximity to her, James and Denise included. The force of the blast was so powerful that it took them off their feet and crashed them onto the ground. Cara let out a guttural growl as energy began to radiate from her body. The red, hot, energy began to gush out even more as her powers levitated her slowly. The growls continued, and so did the fear on lord Karl's face. He has never seen anything like that. He and his followers were not sure of what to do at that point. They slowly stood to their feet and watched as she stretched out her hand toward them. Her yellow eyes fell on them and with a sudden spark, her energy surged again. This time, it did not hit James and Denise. Both were surprised that the energy phased right through them to hit a sorcerer standing behind them and when they turned around, their eyes beheld a horror unlike what they knew before.The sorcerer's body froze. His eyes stretched out
"Cara... Cara, are you alright?"Cara could hear Fristborn's voice call out to her. She opened her eyes slowly and what she saw was someone she never knew she could see any more. Was she dead, or was she dreaming? She gazed at Fristborn's face and in that split second, she reached out to touch him.But someone else quickly grabbed her hand and she turned and saw Denise standing there. Her eyes roamed back to 'fristborn' but was actually James that was kneeling beside her. She blushed in embarrassment as she quickly say up. They were no longer in the house. From what Cara could see, they were some distance away from the house and it was not too quiet. She could still hear the sounds of guards running around, trying to look for them. The three of them remained silent for a while."What happened?" Cara asked as she rubbed her eyes. It felt like she slept for a long time."You fainted," Denise replied to her. Cara tried to recall what had happened after she felt the surge in her magic b