The Sorcerer's Game

9. Last Entry

Azriel wiped the blood off his fingers, licking his lips slowly as he watched the dead man before him. There was no remorse in him, nor did he regret killing Hellion, who was nothing but a scoundrel in his eyes. There was an odd sense of satisfaction in him, and it surprised him, for this was the first time he was feeling this way. He was not repulsed to see the man dead. In fact, he prided upon it as though that was had he meant to do and had to do.

There was someone else who was shocked more than Azriel. Walter had observed the way the young man with whom he was familiar had dealt with a high-level sorcerer, whose sorcery and swordsmanship was equally commendable when Azriel was neither skilled in both areas. He was not even a novice to test out if his skills were of use to him.

Walter stared blankly at the young man, whose eyes were shining with an emotion he could not decipher. There was a profound eagerness in them as though Azriel had woken up from his long slumber and was now ready to fight the battle he was thrown into.

"Azriel," He mumbled, his voice faint and weak. But the young man had heard him, and he snapped out of his thirst, which he had no idea he had. His expression changed completely, and his eyes widened in horror when he saw the dead man and then the knife in his hands.

'Did I do it?' He wondered, and immediately, everything flashed before him. He remembered how he had fought Hellion and had killed him with his own hands. 'I did it. I killed him. I killed Hellion.' He stared at his hands in disbelief. His eyes questioningly fell on his Chief, who seemed to be too weak to even lift his hands. Temporarily forgetting about himself, Azriel rushed to him and helped him to sit up.

"Chief, are you alright? Can you hear me? Are you here? Chief, please respond if you are awake." He shook the man gently, making the man groan in pain. Walter started coughing after Azriel shook him, and he opened his eyes slowly, trying to focus on the man who had astonished him with his skills.

"How did you do it, Azriel?" He spoke the question with great difficulty. Hellion had rendered him weak and exhausted after draining him of his energy, and now all he wanted to do was lie down and sleep. He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them when he realized that now was not the time to fall weak. Azriel and Keith needed him until Michael and Dhara reached them. He had to stay with him.

However, to his horror, he noticed a significant movement behind Azriel, and his eyes widened in alarm. He had completely forgotten how Azriel and Hellion's fight had gained their enemies' attention, and they were heading in their direction. Fortunately, Michael arrived right on time, and Azriel was startled to see the man, who had not been here a moment.

"How did you do that?" He queried, staring at the man, who seemed a lot younger and stronger than he had last seen him.

"Do what, Azriel?"

"Appear out of nowhere?"

"I will explain everything to you. But we need to get out of here. The enemies are rushing towards us, and fortunately, they are less stronger ones. If the stronger ones like Hellion had noticed us they would be here in the blink of an eye."

Walter nodded in understanding while Azriel stared back and forth at them in confusion, wondering what the hell was even happening. "Azriel, we need to get Walter back to Tethoris."

'Tethoris, what kind of name is that?' Azriel frowned. But he chose to keep the comment to himself. He had other pressing matters to attend to rather than think and waste his time on insignificant things.

"Azriel, I'll help Walter. Grab your friend. We need to leave." Michael ordered, taking a glance at the army of monsters who were heading towards them. They were inching towards them quickly, and they had to leave before they got to them. Although Azriel wanted to protest, he saw the seriousness of the situation when he turned back. So, he hurriedly supported Keith, who had fallen unconscious in the midst of this chaos.

'What the f**k!!' Azriel cursed when he felt the man's weight. Though he looked lean, Keith weighed a boulder, and Azriel had a tough time pulling the man towards Michael. 'How are we going to make it to whatever that Teth place is?' He wondered, gritting his teeth.

"Azriel, hold my hand." That was all Michael said, and without his permission, the old man held his hand himself. Even before Azriel could comprehend what was happening, he felt a gush of wind passing through him, slapping him in the face. Azriel could barely keep his open. But everything vanished the next moment. Calmness returned around him, and Azriel was dumbfounded to find himself in a closed room that looked nothing like he had seen before. 

The architecture was strikingly medieval, and they reminded him of the historical places he had only seen in movies. But other than a king-sized bed, a small table beside it, there was nothing else in the magnificent, yet small room. Michael's movement brought him out of his stupor, and he saw the man lay Walter on the only bed in the room. 'When did he release my hand?' Azriel pondered. But he shook his thoughts when he felt Keith's overbearing weight on him. He made him lie beside Walter.

"We need to get medical assistance to the two men. Azriel, you stay right here. I'll be back in a moment." Michael vanished just like that again, and Azriel stood gaping at the spot where Michael had been standing a moment ago.

Azriel was too confused to even comprehend what was happening to him. Everything was a mess, and his mind refused to cooperate with him, giving up on him in such a crucial situation. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration and clenched his jaw. He walked back and forth, taking a look at the two men who were sleeping deeply. 

Azriel stopped when he noticed a huge ledger lying on the table, and he frowned, trying to recall if it was even there when they had arrived a few moments ago. However, he was in no mood to think about it. 

'Residents of Tethoris' His frown deepened when he read what the ledger was about. He opened the ledger and turned the pages. But he could not make out anything other than the names of people he had no idea about. Unknowingly, he turned to the last page, and what he saw, made his jaw drop.

Azriel found himself staring at his own name, and that was the last entry in the book.