Elemental Blitz

22

Rael sat by the campfire, the worn pages of his mother’s diary resting in his hands. The flames crackled quietly, their light flickering across his face. The Shadow stirred within him as he opened the diary, reading the first few lines. Each word was like a whisper from the past, a voice that had long been silent. The forest around him seemed to hold its breath as he delved deeper into the story of Elendris, his mother.

Her words were not what he expected. She had written them as if writing him a letter.

“I didn’t choose this path. The Vael’Thor promised me power, a chance to change the world. But I was not the one they sought—the Shadow was never meant for me. It was too much, even for my magic. And it began to corrupt me.”

Rael’s jaw clenched as he continued reading. His mother had been a powerful witch, respected among the Vael’Thor, but she had not been the Shadow’s chosen vessel. The Vael’Thor had used her in a forbidden ritual, binding a fragment of the Shadow to her in an attempt to wield its power. It had cost her dearly.

“The corruption grew, and with it, the darkness inside me. I could no longer control it. I tried to keep it away from your father, from you, but in the end, I had to leave. I couldn’t risk hurting you both. The day I had you and the first time I looked into your beautiful eyes before giving you over to your father, was the last day I felt anything.”

Rael felt a bitter anger rising in his chest. His mother hadn’t abandoned him because she didn’t care. She had left to protect him and his father from the darkness that had consumed her. The Shadow had devoured her, piece by piece, until she was forced to sever all ties with the life she loved.

“Jerman was the only light I had left. He was good, kind. He didn’t deserve to be pulled into this war, but he loved me—enough to risk everything. I couldn't let him. I regret leaving him, but it was the only way to save you both. I hope, one day, you will forgive me. My Rael, you are the light in my the blackness that is all that is left of my soul.

Rael’s grip tightened on the book, the edges of the pages crumpling slightly. He wasn’t angry at the Shadow—it was what it was, a force of nature—but the Vael’Thor? They had manipulated his mother, cast her into a darkness she couldn’t escape. They had taken her life, her love, and turned it into a tool for their own agenda. His hatred for them burned hotter now, deeper than ever.

He continued reading, learning more about the ritual that had tied his mother to the Shadow and how it had failed. The Vael’Thor had underestimated the power they were dealing with, and Elendris had paid the price. But she had fought back, leaving them before they could fully control her. Disappearing into the long night without a trace leaving only this diary. That was the reason they hadn’t come after Rael—because they had failed with his mother and didn’t want to repeat the mistake.

Rael closed the diary, his heart heavy. He wasn’t sure what he had expected to find in those pages, but it wasn’t this. His hatred for the Vael’Thor was now personal. It wasn’t just about his father’s death; it was about his mother’s sacrifice, her suffering at the hands of those who had claimed to be her allies.

The Shadow whispered quietly in his mind, a comforting presence in the wake of the turmoil inside him. He knew he could take the Vael’Thor down, one by one if he had to. The information they promised him was a small price to pay for what he was planning.

Rael carefully placed the diary into his pack, cherishing it. It was all he had left of his mother. Her words, her voice, etched into the worn pages.

“They’ll pay,” Rael whispered, staring into the fire. “All of them.”