Elemental Blitz

13

Rael moved through the shadows of the academy with a single purpose: get out and never look back. His trust in the academy, in the people who had trained him, who had watched him, was shattered. They hadn’t trained him to be a warrior, a protector—they had trained him to be a pawn. A weapon they could control.

He would not let that happen.

The dark corridors felt colder tonight, but Rael’s steps were swift and silent. His Prismatic Cognition flared, showing him the patterns of magic woven into the air, alerting him to the wards that could expose his escape. It was second nature to manipulate them, to twist them so that the alarms stayed silent as he passed. Every flicker of torchlight, every shadow, became part of his escape.

He had no plan beyond this. He knew he had to leave. He knew he had to confront his father. Jerman Phaze had hidden too much from him for too long. Rael was done with half-truths and lies.

When he reached the outer gates, the academy was asleep, the only sound the distant hum of wind through the trees. Rael kept his hand on the sword at his side, though he felt no immediate threat. Yet.

With a final glance back at the tall stone walls of the academy, Rael slipped into the night, his cloak pulling around him as he disappeared into the darkened forest beyond the town of Masonford.

The journey back to Assex was grueling. Rael stayed off the main roads, keeping his presence hidden. He avoided other travelers, knowing that spies could be anywhere—academy loyalists, government agents, or worse, people connected to the Vael’Thor. He could trust no one.

The days blurred together. Each night, Rael would sit beneath the stars, keeping a fire low as he ate what little food he had gathered or hunted. His mind was always running, replaying Rozlyn’s words. His mother, Elendris Morn, tied to the Vael’Thor. Shadow magic. The prophecy. The academy watching him.

By the time Rael approached the familiar hills surrounding his village, exhaustion tugged at him, but he forced himself to keep going. He wasn’t the boy who had left Assex behind, eager to test himself at the academy. He was something else now, something more dangerous. The realization both thrilled and terrified him.

The small village of Assex came into view just after dawn. The scent of saltwater from the southern coast filled the air, a stark contrast to the dense forests and magic-laden lands he had crossed. Assex hadn’t changed much in the time he’d been gone. The same simple houses dotted the village, the same fishermen’s boats resting by the shore.

Rael didn’t stop to greet anyone. His destination was clear.

Jerman Phaze’s house sat near the edge of the village, a modest, single-story home with a weathered roof and sturdy wooden walls. The kind of place that spoke of practicality over luxury, the same way Rael’s father had always been.

Rael pushed open the door without knocking. His father was sitting at the small kitchen table, his back turned as he cleaned one of his old swords. He didn’t even glance up as Rael entered.

“Took you long enough,” Jerman said, his voice steady.

Rael’s eyes narrowed. “You knew I was coming?”

“Of course,” Jerman replied, setting the sword down carefully. “I figured it’d only be a matter of time before you found out the truth. Or enough of it to come running back here.”

Rael stood there, seething. “You lied to me.”

Jerman finally turned, his gaze hard but not unkind. His weathered face had the same stern expression Rael had grown up with. The expression of a man who had seen too much, done too much.

“I did what I had to do,” Jerman said quietly. “To protect you.”

Rael laughed bitterly, the sound hollow. “Protect me? From what? My own mother?”

Jerman’s jaw clenched. “From her, from the Vael’Thor, from the shadow magic she wielded. You have no idea what they’re capable of, Rael. What they did to her.”

Rael’s hands balled into fists. “Then tell me. Stop with the half-truths. I deserve to know.”

There was a long silence as Jerman rose from his chair, walking over to the window that overlooked the distant coastline. For a moment, he seemed lost in thought, his broad shoulders hunched as if carrying the weight of years of secrets.

“Elendris Morn wasn’t just any elf,” Jerman began, his voice quiet but steady. “She was a high-ranking member of the Vael’Thor, chosen from a young age to be a vessel for their ancient power. The Vael’Thor… they’re not like other elves. They aren’t tied to the natural world the way the other elven houses are. They seek the darker forces, the ancient magic that existed long before the kingdoms and the rules of this world. Shadow magic, they call it, but it’s more than that. It’s a force that can corrupt, twist, destroy—unless you’re strong enough to control it.”

Rael’s breath caught in his throat. “And my mother… she couldn’t?”

Jerman’s face tightened. “She thought she could. But no one can. Not completely. The Vael’Thor believed that she could be the one to master it, the one who could unlock its full potential. But it started to consume her. By the time I met her, she was already too far gone.”

Rael felt a cold pit forming in his stomach. “And you still… loved her?”

Jerman turned, his gaze sharp. “I did. I tried to save her. I thought that maybe, if she left the Vael’Thor, if she left the shadow magic behind, we could have a life together. But she couldn’t let it go. And when you were born… they came for her. For you.”

Rael’s fists unclenched, but his heart raced. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”

“Because you were my son,” Jerman said, his voice breaking slightly for the first time. “I didn’t want you to carry that burden. I didn’t want you to grow up knowing that your own blood tied you to something so dark, so dangerous. I thought… I thought if I kept you away from it, you’d be safe.”

Rael stared at his father, the man who had raised him, trained him, taught him everything he knew about survival and combat. This man, who had been willing to sacrifice everything to keep him hidden from the Vael’Thor’s influence, had also been the one to lie to him for years.

“And now?” Rael asked, his voice hoarse. “What am I supposed to do now?”

Jerman’s eyes darkened. “That’s the thing about the Vael’Thor, Rael. You can’t run from them. Sooner or later, they’ll come for you. But you don’t have to embrace your mother’s legacy. You can fight it.”

Rael’s heart pounded in his chest. He knew Jerman was right. The Vael’Thor had been watching him, even the academy had been watching him. And now, with the shadow magic starting to awaken inside him, he knew that his path was set. But it was up to him to decide which side of that path he would walk.