Ember has traveled for days and he was now many miles away from home, he also traveled at night by using his old torce to light up his way. He was fortunate to have not meet any danger on the way and he hoped that the rest of his journey would continue to be smooth.
He was now very close to his destination which is the Emerald city so he decided to stop and rest.
He saw a large tree by the side of the road and stopped under it to rest. But just when he closed his eyes to sleep, he heard some noises and thus opened his eyes abruptly.
"We meet again," the strange looking man with a mask on his face said to him.
'Who is he? I have never met him before' Ember thought to himself with a frown on her face.
"You know, there is so much difference between now and the time you left the awakening hall. I can see you've been practicing real hard but what is the effort all for when you don't even have an ounce of magic in you," the masked man said to Ember.
His tone was filled with ridicule and Ember noticed it, a frown settled on his face as he stood to his feet.
"Who are you?" He asked him.
"Oh? Just a friend," the masked man replied.
"A friend?" Ember asked and scoffed. "You're more likely to be a foe."
The masked man laughed for a while and then cleared his throat. "If you are going to the magic school for the exams, you should stop because it's useless. You don't have any magic in you so going there is to put shame on your face."
"You have no right to tell me what to do and what not. It was my decision in the first place so whether or not I put shame on my face, it's none of your business," Ember replied to the masked man.
"You are one arrogant kid," the masked man said. From his tone, Ember realized that he had gotten the man upset but he didn't regret it— it served him right.
"I am going to show you what it feels when you get me angry. Dark magic, second grade, darkfold!" As he spoke, he waved his hand in a folding, enveloping style.
Suddenly, the sky around Ember turned dark.
"What's happening?" He mumbled. A swirling inky cloud formed above him and instantly enveloped him even before he could escape. The darkness seemed to fold in upon itself, erasing Ember from sight completely.
"That's my best magic spell," the masked man said proudly. "It's an ancient shadow spell used by spies and assassins, I am lucky to have mastered it because it is a powerful spell that can't be undone by just anyone, although, I won't be able to cast it a second time because it drains a lot of my energy. But that's not necessary a problem for me because you don't have any magic in you, so that means you are going to stay in there for as long as I want and I won't need to cast it again, hahahaha. You want to become the magic king? You can as well become the King of Emerald city, hahahahah!"
Meanwhile, as the man spoke, he was not aware that Ember wasn't the type to give up easily. Inside the heart of the spell which looked like a closed barrier, Ember was seated because it had enough space to do just whatever he wanted to. He looked around, scared but he didn't let his fears disrupt his thoughts.
"I can't remain here forever or I'll not only put shame on my face but on the face of grandma who is expecting so much from me. No one can stop me from chasing after my dreams, I am unstoppable!" He said to himself and then stood up. 'This thing is made of dark magic so my guess is that the only way to counter it is by the use of holy spells but since I don't even have any magic to begin with, I might as well use something else but what?.'
Ember was right. The darkfold originated from an ancient shadow spell, a spell belonging to the dark magic. Naturally, it is vulnerable to anything reflective or bright, or any light-related spell. But Ember's situation was tricky as he had no magic at all. Now, the question is 'How will he be able to escape?'
'Yes, I think I remember something,' he thought and opened his bag. The old torch his grandma gave to him, he pulled it out and turned it on.
His heart began to pound as he held the torch, its flame steady despite his trembling hand. The Darkfold's oppressive darkness seemed to suffocate him, but he focused on the spot he'd chosen. He was determined to escape the darkness swallowing him gradually.
"Grandma's torch... it has to work," he whispered, recalling the words she told him before: "In times of darkness, light will guide you."
The flame of the torch danced across the Darkfold's surface, casting eerie shadows. Ember adjusted the torch, concentrating the heat on a single point.
Sweat dripped down his face as the Darkfold began to churn, its energy pulsating like a living entity. The air thickened, making each breath a struggle.
Suddenly, the torch's flame flickered wildly, and Ember's heart sank. But then, a tiny hole appeared, smoldering like ashes.
"Yes!" Ember exclaimed, hope surging.
He carefully enlarged the hole, the torch's heat straining against the Darkfold's resistance.
The Darkfold retaliated, unleashing energy bursts that buffeted Ember. He stumbled, torch wavering, but he quickly managed to regain his footing.
As the hole grew, Ember squeezed through, his chest scraping against the Darkfold's edges, he tried to carry his bag along but the hole was only fit for him to pass through alone so reluctantly, he dropped his bag and left.
Freedom at last!
He emerged, gasping for air. He looked around and the sky had already darkened. He looked back, watching the Darkfold reconstitute, its surface smooth once more.
"That was too close," he whispered, heart still racing.
The masked man had long gone and he was the only one there, his stomach suddenly growled, telling him how hungry it was and a frown appeared on his face. His bag was gone, gone for good, so was his pancakes and milk.
He was already close to the city but he would still need to walk for a mile or two before getting there, since there was no food to eat, he decided to continue the journey, hoping that he would get to the City and find something to take or steal.