Damnation: Dawn of The Apotheosis

REVELATIONS

The days that followed Ashviel and Kael’s introduction were replete with magic training, and they pushed on with zeal, exploring their new powers. The master allowed them to stay indoors, and frequently, he was assaulted by a series of questions from his young students.

“I can’t feel my Rek again,” Ashviel once asked, alarmed at the prospect of losing his power.

“You don’t expect it to run endlessly, do you? When you exhaust your current Rek, it takes it some time to form again. There’s only one way to stabilize the supply.”

“What is it?” Kael asked eagerly.

“You keep spreading Rek round the circuit without passing it through the portal. As Rek moves away from the torch, a new supply is released into the circuit by the torch. By constantly circulating the Rek, you start building reserves. Replenishing it will come easier, given the reserve I made for you in the first instance.”

“While I can’t feel my Rek again, I can still feel traces of yours, though I’m unable to control it.” Kael went ahead with the questioning.

“And you can’t, and even if you somehow manage to, you will not survive the result.”

Ashviel stared at the master in disbelief. If there was something as dangerous as that, then he ought to have told them from the beginning.

“Think about the flames in your hand, why doesn’t it burn you?”

“Because it is a part of my body,” Ashviel answered.

“But you can make it burn you if you decide to,” Master Vauxall asserted.

Ashviel nodded his head, remembering that he had experienced the same phenomenon when he tried to warm himself up with the flame.

Master Vauxall continued his explanations. “The same does not work for the foreign Rek I placed in you; its fire will char you in moments.”

Ashviel understood this, the master’s Rek was far more than their bodies can maintain. This also meant that as they increase their magic skills, they also have to improve their physical strengths.

At this, Master Vauxall suggested that they go for a walk round the mountain and the two stood up slowly, reluctant to abandon their magic trainings.

Master Vauxall took them to the mountain peak and told them to sit by his side, before proceeding to address them.

“Capricorn Prime is a vast society of powerful mages,” he began with an impassive face.

Ashviel immediately sat up as he heard Master Vauxall mention his mortal enemies.

“The Capricorn Prime itself is large, divided into the Northern, Central and Southern Capricorn, each headed by a Lord Commander. The Lord Commanders are subsequently headed by the Premier, who resides at the Northern Capricorn. The one who ordered your termination was Trost Cathnarge, the Lord Commander of Southern Capricorn.”

“Trost Cathnarge.” Ashviel repeated the name, etching it to his memory immediately.

“Yes, Trost Cathnarge, that avaricious pig.”

The manner Master Vauxall pronounced the name made Kael to ask, “Has he been your enemy too?”

Master Vauxall chuckled lightly. “He’s far from a worthy adversary, though he’s a little more than a common foe. If only those cowards had listened to me from the beginning.”

“So I have to kill this Trost Cathnarge, right? That’s fine.” Ashviel declared furiously.

“Calm down, child. You are not just going to walk into his castle and slit his throat,” Master Vauxall said, his mirth slowly returning to his voice. “You are a hundred years early to battle his fingers alone.”

Ashviel was not dejected. “Then I will get stronger till I am strong enough,” he affirmed with resolution.

“You will, but first you will wait for a decade or two, and then we will take him down, once and for all. It will be the ultimate battle, the final end of Von Vlit and his forces.”

Master Vauxall spoke more to himself than to the two before him and Kael found himself asking who Von Vlit was.

“I hope you do not have the misfortune of meeting him,” replied Master Vauxall “But you two must wait till the right time.”

Ashviel was finally getting crestfallen and his voice croaked as he spoke. “I fear that my rage will fade with age.”

“Fear not, your rage will remain with you, so long as you remain with it. Mine is with me, and I’ve held on to it for centuries. Just two more decades, and it will all be over.” Again, Master Vauxall spoke more to himself.

Ashviel thought of what must be the cause of the grudge between Master Vauxall and Capricorn, but he quickly discarded the thoughts as none of his business. His business was to get stronger, until he was powerful enough to achieve his aims.

Master Vauxall got up and made to return to the dwelling, leaving the two young men deep in thoughts.

As they sat on the hard rock, quietly watching the sun seep into the carmine sky, a series of thoughts flooded their burdened minds. Ashviel flustered as the thought of having to wait that long, but if the master insisted that he must, then so be it.

In a bid to lighten the tense mood and free his saddled heart, he forced wind Rek out of his hands, blowing a little pebble with it. Their magic training has been going well, and they had both gained a considerable level of control over force, wind and fire Rek.

He turned his thoughts towards his friend. While Kael had already learnt a body-honing technique from his Zeroszen family, he was completely new to practicing magic. The Zeroszen family, as he had heard from Master Vauxall, was also a family of powerful mages with a very high level of sword skills.

“Why did you not learn magic from the Zeroszens?” Ashviel asked unexpectedly.

Kael took some moments to digest the strange question. “I wasn’t allowed,” he answered Ashviel, darkening a pebble with fire Rek as he spoke.

Ashviel pushed on with his questions. “Why? Do they prevent children from learning magic? Do they think you cannot handle it yet? Come on this is just—”

“None of those!” Kael declared in anger, startling his partner, as his voice became taut and his blue eyes grew a tint of red in them. He clenched his fist, almost crushing the pebble in his hand. He had always concealed his resentment towards the Zeroszen, but it seemed that Ashviel has forced out his true feelings.

“Those gray old foxes only allow the direct descendants of elders to practice magic, teaching them directly while they left us to our problems. Even our parents were given little time to spend with us, and they are made to teach the elder’s children. And those arrogant little bloody bastards, they feel they are better than the rest of us, calling themselves, while they tag us mediocre.”

Ashviel knew he had to stop Kael’s outrage, but his shock was far too much to make him do anything. Kael had always refrained from talking about the Zeroszen, and Ashviel had thought that he longed to return home. Apparently, he was wrong.

Kael went on, foaming at the mouth as the fairness of his face gave way to a livid red.

“They think they are rid of me, well, away with them too. They only allow us to practice magic after reaching twenty-five years, and you even have to prove your worthiness to receive their so-called grace. To maintain hierarchy, they say. What folderol! Then they framed me, only to send one of their toys to kill me. Bloody bastards, they are! They even ¬—”

“Kael! Kael!” Ashviel called in a louder voice, holding his friend by the shoulder as he shook him vigorously. Kael went silent immediately, managing to contain his anger.

“I’m sorry, I let myself go wild with rage,” he said, embarrassed by his sudden outburst.

Ashviel looked straight into his eyes. “You forget something though; you forget you are not alone, not since the day we met.”

Kael smiled, teary-eyed, he replied. “Yes, we are not alone, we have each other, and together, we shall rain down justice and terror on the bloody bastards of this world.”