The Sorcerer's Game

12. Trust bond

"We are sorcerers," Micheal revealed, his face grim and serious, and Azriel frowned at him, staring at him for a few seconds. All of a sudden, he started laughing, his sudden shift in behavior stunning the old man.

"Mr. Glenn, are you joking with me? How can there be sorcerers in a world of humans? That was a good joke by the way." Azriel commented as he gave him a strange look.

"Azriel, do you really think it to be a joke? Try to recall what happened the moment you landed here. You must have witnessed the fight, and if I am not wrong, you must have noticed the strangeness in it." This shut Azriel, and he bit his lip. 

It was true that bizarre events were happening since the time he had entered this unknown world. He had landed right when war had broken out, and to his horror, he had seen people attack each other using just their powers. They did not even have to touch people or fight them. They were fighting an invisible battle that he had not understood at first. But now, everything fell into place slowly.

Micheal smiled when he noticed Azriel going silent all of a sudden. "I presume you understood it now. You are in a land dominated by sorcerers."

Azriel caught onto the hint in his words. "Then, are there people who are not sorcerers?" 

"Yes, there are. Only a small percentage of people add to that part. Though they are not sorcerers, they are extremely skilled at fighting, and they can fight off the sorcerers." Micheal said, smiling mysteriously at him.

"Isn't that weird? The sorcerers can finish them in a blink if they have no powers of their own. What is the use of their fighting skills then?" Azriel questioned with a frown.

"That is where all the catch is. Sorcerers' powers do not work on the people with no powers. They are immune to them." Micheal stated, and Azriel's jaw dropped in shock.

"How is that possible?" He mumbled as she stared at the man in front of him.

"This is what it is. The only way to defeat these people is by using strength. The sorcerers can only fight with them physically to win over them. They are called swordsmen." Micheal stated calmly, and Azriel was shocked by this new revelation.

"Ohh," That was all he could muster to say, and Azriel tried to comprehend all that he had found out for the day.

"Yes, and if you observed when you were at the battleground, Hellion tried to use his sorcery on you and Keith. While Keith was affected by it, you remained standing." Micheal continued.

"How do you know this, Mr. Glenn? You were not even present at the spot when it happened. Only Chief was with me." Azriel gave him an incredulous look.

"I saw everything that happened with you, Azriel. I will explain that part later. There more important matters that you need to know." Micheal let out a helpless smile, and Azriel leaned back in his seat. 

All of a sudden the young Inspector looked exhausted, and Micheal pitied the guy for what laid ahead of him. He allowed him to take his time to grasp everything he had learned until now, for the important part was yet to be revealed. And from the young man's face and Micheal's experience, he was sure it would be anything but a pleasant time for Azriel.

"I don't know what to make out of this," Azriel spoke after some time. "Everything is messed up and confusing."

"I understand what you are feeling. But this is the truth, and we cannot change it, even if you want to." Micheal sighed lightly. "Azriel, you might have already guessed what I want to tell you and why you are even here."

"Is it because I am a sorcerer?" Though Azriel was unwilling to accept the truth, he had no choice. Otherwise, how could he explain the strange events that were transpiring around him?

"Yes. You are, and I presume that you are a pure-blooded sorcerer or in your case, a swordsman." Micheal continued.

"You lost me there again. What's that?"

"A pure-blooded sorcerer has both sorcerer parents while a mixed-blood sorcerer has a human parent among the two," Micheal explained it slowly until Azriel understood what the man was conveying.

"I see, and I am skilled in sword fighting if we were to categorize me among formidable or powerful. Am I right?" 

"Yes, you are skilled at fighting. Otherwise, you would have been affected by Hellion's sorcery. Now, we need to train in fighting so that you can help us win the war." 

"I have this one question before we go ahead with this." Micheal nodded at him to continue. "How did you locate me? Did you know about me long ago?"

"Your Chief, Walter Brooks, is a tracker. His duty is to track all the sorcerers and swordsmen on Earth." 

"Why would you need a tracker to track them? I mean, is it necessary to send them away from this world?" Azriel asked, his face marred with confusion.

"Sometimes it is necessary to protect our own kin, Azriel. A lot of parents do not want their children to be targeted by our enemy, and they send their children away until they reach a suitable age. We then bring them back to Tethoris, the world where they truly belong." Micheal understood that Azriel still had a lot of questions to ask. "I will answer all your questions. But before that let me ask you a question."

Azriel wondered what the man had to ask of him, and he folded his hands in anticipation. 

"Do you trust us?" Micheal asked as he leaned on the table, his gaze fixed on the young man in front of him.

"What?" Azriel gave him a stupefied look. He had not expected this question from the man. 'Trust? Do I trust them?' He thought over it.

"Yes, I need your absolute trust before I divulge all the information you want to find. I know asking you to trust me in such a situation is preposterous and wrong. But I have no choice. There are chances that you might be tempted to join hands with our enemy in the future. Although I cannot stop you from leaving, I can hold onto your trust to stop you from betraying us."

Azriel did understand one word the old man had said. "How can you stop me from betraying you if I were to switch sides in the future?"

Micheal was expecting this question from him, and he smiled with a nod. "Tethoris has a rule when it comes to trusting people, Azriel. I can only trust you if I deem you to be trustworthy, and in return, I need your absolute trust. Only then, I will reveal everything you want to know about. Once we start to trust each other, we are bound by blood. If anyone among us breaks the trust, the person who does so will become weak and lose all his powers. He is as good as dead."

Azriel's eyes widened on hearing the man's words. 'Wow, is trust that important here. This rule must be implemented back on Earth. People don't even value the word called 'trust', let alone keep it.'

Micheal could guess what was running in the young man's mind. But he chose to stay silent about it. "So, Azriel, will you give me your absolute trust?" Micheal held his hand in front of the man, waiting for his response.

"I am not sure about it, Mr. Glenn. But I do trust my Chief to not bring any harm to me, and I will take this risk for him." Azriel placed his palm in the man's hand.

"Thank you, Azriel. We promise you will not regret this, and most importantly, we are good people fighting the bad ones." Azriel did not doubt him this time. He was well versed with Chief and his principles, and the man never cooperated in illegal or bad activities. So, there was no way he was a bad man.

"Confido Vinculum." Micheal closed his eyes and muttered while Azriel observed him. A faint light surrounded them, and for a moment, Azriel felt a sudden rush of energy in him. But it vanished the next instant, leaving him dumbfounded.

Micheal opened his eyes and smiled at him. "We are now in a trust bond, and you are now officially a member of Tethoris."