As the sun was setting in the west red clouds started to appear, as if to denouce the carnificine that happened below them.
The witness of this massacre mourned for the lives lost as its drops fell to clean the corpses and appease the fire.
A drop of water fell on Mack nose as he loked to the west.
His gaze, was fixed at something of collosal proportions that raised itself from the ground.
The shaking of the earth was the prelude for the prize for his hard work.
Mack could see the shape of a giant door raising from the ground.
Mack hair, longer than it used to be, moved with the air flow produced by the door, while his beard almost touching his chest shaked right and left.
And behind him, a scorched land still burning in fire could be seen, and the fuel to the fire was the broken pieces of bodies.
Mage bodies.
Thousands and thousands of them.
Raz, admist the unmoving warlock army kept looking at this scene and could not believe that a single warlock did all this.
The entire warlock army could not believe either, and a mix of pride, joy, surprise and fear was stamped on their faces. Because, that single man, was stronger than all of them, together.
Mack turned his head back and looked to the warlock army, more specifically to where Raz was. It had been three years since Raz started training Mack. The only problem was that Raz would forget everything when the gate reseted itself after a hundred days.
The memories seemed to flash at Mack head as he looked at Raz.
So many memories.
The first time they meet, the first time that Mack lost to the Archmage, his time learning runes, practicing the warlock way of fight and the Essence Arts.
Mack learned a lot in these three years, and he needed, his base knowledge when entering the tower was the worst among all of those that already entered the tower.
If was not his determination....
Mack didn't even want to think about it. A lone life was hard to keep. Painfully hard.
Mack shook the depressive thoughts and looked at the face of his only friend in this inhuman tower. Raz.
This reset, Mack didnt approched Raz. He had already said too many goodbyes and also reached a bottleneck in what he could learn and improve in this gate. This reset, Mack only killed mages.
And he became extremely good at it.
"See you in the next life my friend".
Was the only thing that came from his mouth when touching the giant door.
It was time to move foward.
But he would remember Raz for life. Even if was only a memory fragment of what the true Raz once was, Mack would not forget him. Neither the promise he made to Raz.
~swish~
The giant door disappeared taking Mack along to a new trial of the Hel's floor.
"Arcane, quick scan."
[No abnormal behaviors, Essence density of enviroment in normal levels too]
Mack looked around, and found the familiar plaque inscribed with runes. This gate objective.
Walking the dried land to approach the plaque he saw something unexpected.
A small bird.
But this bird was made of a blueish tint like a painting of a bird that came to life.
The bird itself was not close to Mack, it was a few meters above him in the sky, but still, Mack was able to spot the differences with a glance.
Mack moved his gaze from the bird and approched the plaque.
Reading the plaque runes Mack face contorted and became heavy.
Not because he thought this was gonna be a hard test. But because it was another annoying charade.
"They say to respect your ancestors. But this god damed fucker!!! Its his luck he is dead. Otherwise i would kick his ass until he became a corpse."
Three years in the tower didn't change Mack personality, as he was always a lone wolf. But the absence of human contact and touch and even a small talk made him go crazy not one but several times during this three years.
Humans are social beings after all.
You can train your body and mind to extremes but one year without contact with other humans and a man could go crazy.
Mack loneless seemed to not let him have peace of mind as several thoughts crossed his mind at same time.
He shook his head and focused on the trial ahead.
He needed to follow that blue bird in the sky.
That was all the plaque said.
"Damed ancestor!"
Yelled Mack, looking at the bird, hundred of meters above him.
His right hand raised, and Mack touched the base of his forearm, where a new rune was carved.
His hand emited a pale red light and the blue bird started to burn in red flames.
A blue ball envolted in dark red flames fell from the sky but was not able to touch the ground. In only three seconds the entire bird was consumed by the red fire.
"I'm tired of games"
Said Mack, removing his gaze from where the bird once stood, and walking foward.
He could not care about his ancestor plans.
He had his own agenda now.
Mack walked foward on the dried land seeming to think of something else while walking when a small city appeared on the horizon.
Mack took a hard step, and moved as fast as a bullet.
One minute later, he stood in front of the city gates.
"Hey you! Are you a outsider?"
Said a man pointing his sword to Mack.
But one second later a strong gust of wind came knocking on the man. The man was caught unprepared and rolled on the ground back to where he came.
It was the wind produced by Mack while running.
Mack walked forward, and gave his hand to the man. Like someone trying to help other to raise.
The man scoffed but still took Mack hand.
Not even a blink of time later the man started to burn in red flames, just like the bird a few minutes ago.
The screams echoed hard on the city but Mack didnt move.
Several people came to see what happened but none approched the burning man.
Some of them took their weapons and started to feel inpatient like waiting for some signal to go and kill that strange man.
The burning man dropped to the ground, and as if that was what they were waiting for, some started to chant while others started to run in Mack direction with their wepons in hand.