Chapter 13

It was an old man named Mr Banners who discoverd Elder Brinhad's body. He had been out for his usual evening stroll when he accidentally stumbled on the Elder's head. At first he had thought it was a large stone that had nearly tripped him over, but the rising swarm of flies that arose afterwards discarded that thought.

For an old man, Banners had been quick to spread the word and soon, the scene of the death was swarming with locals, who could not believe that Elder Brinhad was dead.

The news shook the Snows a great deal, as it was clear that he had been murdered soon after he had come from their home. The local Sunfolk mage police was all over the murder scene casting spells to try and get a lead on the perpetrators. They only managed to find that whoever the killer was, he was god level strong. The mana signature left behind told the story.

Paul Brinhad and his mother took it the hardest. Paul had been largely absent, having gone to the big city where he was working for a magic artifacts firm in the heart of the city. He had kept in touch with his old man, regularly asking after Damien whom he was very fond of. Unfortunately the year the Snow boy was accepted at the magic school was also the year he had left for the city.

Now that his old man had been killed, Paul had asked for a lengthy leave whilst he returned to Sunfolk village to attend to his late father's affairs. He had been very close to his father and his passing affected him greatly, especially how he had died.

The news reached Damien through his father, who had decided the message better delivered through him, just in case he may need to solace the boy. In truth, Richard feared an outburst of dangerous intent that could split the world in half.

Surprisingly, Damien took it well, even though he was very much aggrieved. Or so it appeared. In reality, Damien was boiling with barely suppressed anger. But he understood that if he lost control of his emotion he would cause a lot of damage to a world he has come to love. So after his father had taken his leave, Damien set out to the gorge where he last trained in. A part of him believed that the attack on the Elder was in some way connected to his ultimate destiny. He was beginning to understand that the power which had been given to him had been for a purpose far above his understanding. A part of him believed that whoever the perpetrator had been, that they would find him in the gorge, where he, Damien, would end it.

Arriving at the gorge, Damien felt some relief in being alone. He listened to his surroundings and was sure he was alone. Satisfied that he was amply far away from any human or fauna that could be harmed, he let go of the pent up anger he had been holding in and let out a loud scream. As he let out his anger, he focused on the unknown enemy who had taken the life of his beloved elder. He willed to identify the murderer and willed that his intent may reach him wherever he may be hiding.

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Zarnaroth felt the pressure in his lair and was shocked that such power could be felt across realms. More so, the pressure was specific, something he had never come across before as if the owner of the power wanted only him to feel it. This proved to be the case when he saw his underling looking at him curiously, obviously unaffected by the intent that was clearly targeted for him only.

He was struggling to get to his feet when a portal suddenly opened in front of him and he was sucked into it, leaving shocked expressions across the underlings who were witnessed this.

Damien had created a summoning spell from a great desire to see justice being served. His desire to see the elder's killer had caused a magical rupture in the atmosphere that had caused the creation of an unknown spell, capable of pulling out any desire into reality. In this case, his was to have the murderer of the elder to appear before him.

However, Damien was surprised to see the huge behemoth of Zarnaroth's bulk materializing before him when he finally stopped screaming. The beast slowly got to his feet and looked curiously at the boy, realizing that this had been the person who had casted the spell that had brought him here. He was suddenly curious as he put two and two together. One of the two being put together was that this boy was strong. And he knew with his instincts that he would not be returning to his home....

About five kilometers from the Gorge, Saline was rapidly making her way to it, purely by coincidence. She liked to hike the Beast forge and occasionally hunt for leranaks in the dense outgrowths. Also, she had felt Zarnaroth's mana signature as he appeared from the portal at the gorge. She had bristled at the intense presence and was now rushing to naturally investigate.

Damien had never had to face off against a really powerful foe before as this one, so naturally he felt nerves creeping up him as he felt the barely suppressed intent leaking from the behemoth. Zarnaroth noticed this and felt more confident. After all, this was just a scrawny kid who probably lacked the battle experience needed to survive in a life or death fight.

"You are the one who killed Elder Brenhad," said the boy. It was not a question, just a statement revealing that he knew exactly who it was he was dealing with.

"If you are referring to the old man I disconnected his head from, then yes, it was I", smirked the beast. "Thank you for confirming that. I brought you here so that you can forfeit your life. I will be merciful to you and give you a quick death, the same you gave to my Elder," said Damien.

Zarnaroth was infuriated. He let a portion of killing intent out and said "you will pay for that insolence with your life, boy!"

"Let us see who will pay today, demon!" said Damien, cautious to let out his full intent, regardless of the strong foe he was facing....