"I'll give you it!" An impractical claim resounded in my ears.
My head felt heavy despite leaning against a tree trunk. Sweat rolled down my face as my surroundings seemed more humid; my clothes retched in thick blood.
In my fatigue, I squinted towards the owner of the voice.
"Give... what?" In a croaky voice, I managed to speak out.
A man appeared before me—seemingly out of thin air.
He wore a long two-piece black cloak that fluttered in the windy altitude; although his face was shrouded in a mist of black fog, I could see two sparkling yellow eyes—like two miniature suns shackled and bound.
Raising a hand, the fluttering of his cloak augmented. As words came out of his mouth like the rumbling of a boulder, sparkling amber-like teeth were revealed:
"I will give you three options, Lucius..." The voice thundered in my ears and all around me.
I squinted to see the identity of the man yet to no avail. The mist shrouding his appearance was too heavy; it was as if he was a shadow.
"Do you wish for revenge?"
My throat became tight and my mouth was dry. I tried to let out words but only a weak croak sounded.
"Do you wish for dominance?"
I clenched my fist in anger. I felt helpless; I couldn't talk or scream, move or breathe...
"Or do you wish for glory?"
I suddenly looked up upon hearing that word.
A soft yet heavy laughter resounded. The entity before me raised his hands and shaped them into a bowl-like shape.
Suddenly, a bright red and purple light manifested. Flashes of lightning and fire swirled around in their confinement.
This was magic.
In a world where aura and magic coexisted, magic tended to overpower the former. However, with how difficult it is to control mana, utilize it, and be efficient with it, the number of aura users greatly exceeds that of mages.
So for there to be such an incredible mana-user—a mage—before me...
I sudden realization sprouted in my head. Although I couldn't let out the words, my expression showed plenty of what I wanted to say.
"I won't kill you. Instead, I want to help you." A wide smile blossomed on the entity's shrouded face.
I wanted to believe the entity, I wanted to trust it... yet something deep in my soul refused to comply.
"I will give you the power of an archmage... or if you desire, an aura master. Or! If you deny to choose from these two, I will lend you my strength."
'Must I choose?' I thought.
But then, I heard a shout in the distance. I tried to turn my head yet my view didn't change; I was paralyzed. Judging from the unfamiliar voice... the people did not seem friendly.
I didn't want to die.
I didn't want to surrender.
Nor did I want to waste my puny life here... yet what could I do?
A glint of despair sparkled in my eyes. My body shivered as I imagined what death would be. Those people in the distance would either plunge a dagger into me and bleed me out or... they would do many merciless things. At that moment, I imagined what death would be like... a sleep? Or maybe an eternity of thought?
However, as I looked before me, I realized death was closer than I had imagined.
The tall figure's shadow loomed over me.
In a sudden realization, I thought of something. If death was close, what worse could happen if I made a deal with death? In a whisper, I made out four words, "G-g-give me your p-power..."
"And which do you desire?" The figure asked slowly, "To become the greatest mage? To become the most powerful aura-using man? Or to borrow my strength?"
"I wish for..."
Suddenly, my head felt twice its weight. My vision began to spin like a roulette, my throat felt full, and my eyelids felt heavy.
And before my eyes completely shut and before my head fell to the ground...
As a whisper left my lips, several words flowed into my head like a gentle breeze:
"As flames lift your soul from ashes, know that all flames that are fed... extinguishes."
***
"How fortunate..." A masculine voice cackled. "Young soldiers aren't found so commonly around here!"
"With his youthfulness and his appearance, I'm sure he'll fetch a high price!"
Two men who strolled in the forest had spotted a sleeping young man. The young man had medium-length black hair that was unruly. He wore a dark blue uniform with gold embroidering and carried an empty sword sheath on his waist.
Seeing the empty sheath, one of the men laughed louder, "It seems like he couldn't even keep his sword... let alone his freedom!"
"—Pfft, bwahahahaha!"
"But hell, he's drenched in blood that isn't even his..."
One of the men quickly bound the sleeping young man as the other removed the young man's clothing.
Making their way back to their base, they whistled a happy folk song.
The young man carried upon the shoulder of the bulkier man, was jostled up and down. His hair fluttered in the wind, and his eyes surveyed his surroundings.
"..."
Surveyed his surroundings...?
A colossal pressure suddenly pressed upon the two men.
—SLAM!
"Heuk—!"
The two men fell flat onto the ground—blood splattered as their ribs were crushed by the immense force. The men coughed out blood as they struggled to breathe. Their hands stretched out for help... but only darkness met their gaze.
"Heeeeuuu—" The men couldn't say anything under the force; their hearts pounded like war drums that were desperate for victory... a victory they would not achieve.
—SPLAT!
In the dark forest, a young man stood. His hands and legs were free of any bondage; his hair fluttered freely in the soft breeze, yet his body was petrified.
Then, he stepped forward.
In front of him, two large puddles of blood, bones, and brains, lay before him. A horrid scent of blood and innards wafted in the breeze; a soft 'squelch' sound resounded with every step—blood had been drained into the soil; as all life grew from the ground, all life would return to the ground...
A sense of remorse and repugnance tightened against the young man's soul, urging him to ask himself a simple question of 'why...' yet instead of doing so, another question left his mouth.
"Why... am I thrilled? What is this exhilaration?"
Supremacy rushed through his veins, and a gentle scent of alluring delight wafted in the air; a dancing flame of destruction seemed to ignite in his soul—a devilish grin crept onto his face like a shadow.
The bursting of bodies, the suppressed screams, and the expression of unexplainable terror and agony imprinted themselves on the young man's brain. Yet, instead of remorse or pity, there was a devilish grin.
There was joy.
Yet, in the bit of humanity left in his soul... there was a remnant of remorse.
Collapsing onto his knees, Lucius's eyes were wide in horror yet his vision was blurred. His entire body trembled as his head spun yet his head replayed the fateful moments in pristine memory.
Then, a shout in the distance echoed—reinforcements had come.
A distant red-orange light flickered—supposedly from dozens of torches—and quickly squeezed through the trees of the forest. Dozens of men, covered head to toe in plated armour were illuminated; their swords and shields glinted in the torchlight; their armour 'clunked' and 'clanged' as they ran.
One knight shouted unintelligible words as he pointed towards the young man.
Another knight noticed the puddles of blood nearby.
Then, all of the knights had come to a conclusion—
"Enemy!"
And as soon as the first knight raised his sword and began to run—
[Any step closer and you will all die.]
The words of a haunting chilly voice embedded into the minds of all the knights. The knights halted and worriedly looked around. Not including the trees and bushes, only the young man and the puddles of blood were visible.
Then, the knights turned to each other. Confirming that each of them had heard the same voice, they contemplated what to do.
At the same time, the young man, Lucius, had finally remembered everything before the present.
"If there is one question I can ask..." The young soldier's voice trembled, "W-what do you want from me?"
A fierce wind suddenly blew, and the wish-giving entity stood before Lucius.
"You are powerful enough to give me this power... so why did you help me?" Lucius had every right to ask this simple question. As a soldier of the Thasium Kingdom, Lucius had recently managed to barely survive a fierce battle.
He was weak, wearied, and young.
What could the entity possibly gain from him?
"...You doubt my reasons." The entity tilted his head, "And you ask what you will give me! Do you think you can do much to help me?"
With nothing to say or add on, Lucius shook his head.
"I want you to be my vessel and I will grant you the glory you desire. Power will be yours and wealth and wisdom follow. Trust me, I am the one who will guide you out of your poverty."
Lucius raised his head in confusion, "But why me?"
The entity instantly responded, "Because I chose you."
A silence came over the forest. The knights who were listening to the conversation quickly flinched as the entity's gaze rested on them.
The entity's arm was raised. His cloak fluttered in the wind as his finger was firm.
"To be my vessel, I will give you a mission."
The knights began to tremble under tremendously heavy pressure. One knight tried to draw his bow, but upon touching it, the bow disintegrated; another knight tried to run but his boots were petrified.
Literally petrified.
"Kill these knights and I will accept you as mine."
As Lucius turned his head, a new light in his eyes gleamed. With no weapon to use, he had concluded as to what the entity wanted.
A small flame manifested slightly above Lucius's palm. In a rapid motion, he cupped the fire with his free hand and blew it into his hands.
—FWOOSH!
Suddenly, a bright horizontal column of flames blazed towards the knights.
...
"It is a pleasure to be your liege, Lucius."
"I-It is a pleasure... my liege." He politely bowed a few meters away from the entity.
"Hmm, now that I think of it, I haven't given you my name!" The entity laughed boisterously. "All this time you had nothing to call me!"
"...Yeah..."
"Call me your Liege, Aamon." He quickly waved his hands, "Keep in mind that the power I've given you is not temporary."
"So... if you die—"
"Which won't happen," A nasty smirk revealed yellow teeth. "What I think you meant to say is: if our relationship ever fails."
"If it does, I won't lose my power?"
"You won't." Then, attempting to explain the entire process of how he had arranged some mana core into a specific formula, Aamon quickly spoke nearly a hundred words in a few seconds; Lucius was bombarded with various words befuddling and overwhelming words.
"That, that doesn't quite explain—"
"Pfft, you won't understand anyway!" The entity quickly changed the subject. His tone changed into a deep and somber one: "I'll give you your very first mission as my vessel."
Lucius leaned closer towards Aamon.
"Go into the Arcostra Kingdom and... come closer real quick." Aamon motioned his hands to bring him in.
Lucius leaned in closer, putting his ear near the entity's indescribable face.
"Slay any one of the Grand Dukes."