Rufus rose to his feet on the ridge, looking out into the dark twisted landscape stretching forward. Power surged through him like a steady current, and yet even as the wind screamed around him unease crept into his thoughts. He had gone a very long way since his banishment from the Verdant Dominion, but there was much still unknown to him. And the grove had stirred his powers, but now the path he walked was fraught with dangers that went well beyond the boundaries of Elysara.
He could sense the negative pull energy ahead. An influence echoing through rings of magic around him, oscillating with dark power. It was a signature he had encountered before-he reckoned-and it was associated with the Whispering Shadow Grove. A being, waiting and watching. The dark mage who had tried to exploit the Convergence of Celestials to his advantage-Rufus knew it. He's here and not to be so easily bested this time.
Beside him stood Lyra, his new friend, eyes narrowed as she scanned the horizon. Her presence was a comfort, though Rufus had yet to fully trust her. She had appeared at the right time, seemingly from nowhere, with powers that rivaled his own. Her mastery of the fourth circle had been enough to earn his respect, but her past was shrouded in mystery. Who was she, really? And what did she truly want?
"We're close," Lyra said, her voice cutting through the wind. "The dark mage's energy surrounds us. He is drawn towards you, Rufus. He knows what you are."
Magic was brimming inside his veins, and Rufus curled his fists. "I knew he was around for a long time now. But how does he know of me? He was after the Convergence power, but there is more to it."
Lyra's lips curved into a small smile. "That's what we're going to find out. He's not working alone. Someone - or something - wants you dead, Rufus."
Those words suspended in the air weighed heavily, but Rufus didn't flinch. He'd faced down horrors in the grove, tried out his new powers, and taken strength from their use. Now he had questions.
As they journeyed on, the earth seemed warped in places, as if rotten with dark magic. Black trees reached up towards the sky like skeletal fingers and stench clung heavy in the air with rot and filth. Hardly afterwards they came to the edge of some mammoth ruin: ancient stone walls cracked and twisted, coated in tangles of thorny vines marking the end of some forgotten kingdom. This was the lair of the dark mage.
"We go in together," Rufus said, looking at Lyra. "Stay close. His power is strong, but we are stronger."
Lyra nodded, hand on the hilt of her blade, ready to call on the power of her circle. Together they moved down into the ruins.
The air inside the fortress was heavy with old spells and curses that reminded of decay. Rufus could sense dark energy seething through walls in the castle; he felt a shiver run down his arms. They walked in silence; their steps echoed down stone-lined corridors.
Then without any introduction, a voice curled through the darkness like a snake.
"Rufus… Chosen of the Celestial Convergence. I have waited for you."
The voice ran through him like a killer blade, chilling his blood. The dark mage spoke, his voice full of malice. Shadows clustered around them and from the darkness emerged a figure hooded in black, his face a secret, shrouded in the shadows of his hood. The dark mage stood tall; the air around him seemed an assertion of authority and of incredible age.
Rufus took a step forward, his eyes narrowing. "I knew you'd show up here sooner or later. You tried to steal the power of Convergence once before. You failed. And now? Why are you here?"
Low, dripping with contempt, the dark mage laughed. "What I want? Ah, Rufus, it's not about what I want. It is about what you will be. You have only just begun to realize the scope of the power you possess, haven't you? The Celestial Convergence is far more than what you have seen."
His heart pounded against his chest, but he spoke steadily. "I have learned enough to stop you. Whatever it is you are planning ends here."
The mage raised his head to look down at Rufus. His gaze shone dimly through the hood that covered him. "You have grown in power, yes. Yet you are so innocent. You think you're the only one who can reach out to the Convergence? You're just a puppet, Rufus, a pawn in a game that stretches across worlds. And I… I am but a part of that puzzle."
Lyra moves forward, sword crackling with magic. "You speak too much. If you believe you can stop us, show it,"
The black mage laughs and looks at her. "Ah, yes. The rogue knight who has been wedded to the Convergence's heir. You too play into the game, whether you are willing to admit it or not."
With a sweep of his arm, the shadows around him surged forward, twisting into hellish shapes that lunged toward Rufus and Lyra. Rufus called the power of the circles into life without a word; energy snapped through the air as he uncoiled a blast of raw magic that sent the shadow creatures shattering into wisps of smoke.
She was cutting at lightning speed, her sword slicing through what was left of the monsters with precision almost dead.
Fighting side by side, their powers went into perfect harmony.
Dark mage watched them with interesting eyes. "Impressive. But this is only the beginning."
Just as Rufus was barely able to utter a word, the ground started shaking below him, and dark, earthy tendril shooting up from beneath, wrapped around his legs and arms. He could not shake it off as they dug their hold deep and sucked out all strength from him.
Lyra flung herself towards Rufus. The dark mage raised his hand, as if he wanted to push her back, and a sizzling black energy surged, sending her back and cutting her off from Rufus.
"Rufus!" she shrieked, thumping her fists onto the barrier.
The dark mage walked forward toward Rufus, speaking in a hushed whisper. "You see the Celestial Convergence isn't a gift. It's a curse. Now that power you will realize just what price undeniably is."
Rufus ground his teeth, focused his energy, calling out from within. He felt the pull of the Convergence and the sense of connection to the universe itself, but something blocked him, deeper and more sinister.
The dark mage leaned closer. "You are nothing without the Convergence. But I… I was called before you were even born. You are only a substitute. A mishap, an attempt to tap that which cannot be mastered."
With the force of storm, Rufus flung out with energy, snapping free from the tendrils that chained him. He stumbled forward, the charge in his eyes blazed power.
"You lie," he said, gritting his teeth. "I am not a plaything to be used. I am my own master."
The dark mage grinned again, cold calculation in his voice. "We'll see."
He vanished into the shadows, leaving Rufus and Lyra standing there alone in the ruin of the fortress, the dark energy in the air clearing slowly but the weight of the encounter staying with them.
Lyra stepped forward, her eyes full of concern. "Are you fine?"
Rufus nodded but his head was spinning. Dark mage's words still echoed in his ears. He wasn't there for the power of the Convergence alone. He knew something - something Rufus didn't. And this knowledge made him dangerous.
"We have to know for whom he's working," Rufus said steadily, voice with a thread of urgency. "This is bigger than I expected."
Lyra sheathed her blade and nodded. "Agreed. But first, we need to prepare. Whoever he's working for, they're not going to stop until they get what they want."
He looked around at all the broken-down ruins, resolve growing stronger in his heart. Though he saw no clear path ahead of him, it was certain that there was more to his face than the dark mage. And if he was to fully control the power of the Celestial Convergence, then he must find out what lay before the world of Elysara.
He turned away from the remains and started moving toward something that lay ahead, holding Lyra tightly at his shoulder.