Chapter 15

"That was not how I expected to end today," Damien said, massaging his head. "I think I might have a headache coming on."

"It wasn't how I saw the day going for myself either," Sylph said. "In more ways than one. I didn't think I'd return to our room and find a giant hole in the wall. I still can't believe you learned enough magic to do that in a single day.

Did your companion do that, too?"

"I did it myself!" Damien protested, not needing Henry to warn him about his word choice. "Can companions actually have that much of an effect on the mortal world? I thought they couldn't do much more than pass their magic on to their summoner."

"It depends on the contract," Sylph said, eyeing Damien suspiciously before shrugging. "But you're right. I'm just shocked. It's hard to imagine having that much magical energy. You must be very gifted."

"Thanks," Damien muttered as Sylph got to her feet again.

"I'm going to take a shower," she announced abruptly.

"Since we don't have any way to block the bathroom, I'm going to have to request you keep your eyes firmly pointed at the cave entrance."

Damien quickly turned away from the shower, blushing a bright red. "I won't turn around," he promised.

Water pattered against the stone behind him as Sylph turned the shower on. Damien felt Henry stir within his mind.

"I never understood why mortals are so concerned about others seeing their bodies," Henry said. "You're hairless monkeys. There's nothing precious hidden under those clothes."

I'm not going to explain that to you. And I'm not checking a book out on it either, so you'll just have to suffer.

"I don't want an explanation," Henry replied. "Humans are great at overstating their own worth. What I do want to know his how early you plan on waking up. You wanted to draw runes tomorrow morning, but you're also meeting your professor an hour before sunrise."

His training can't take that long, right? I'll be back In a few hours, and late morning is still the morning.

"You're an idiot," Henry replied promptly. "But I doubt those fools will have much use for more light during the day, so they'll survive. I'm going to head out and try to see if I can get a better grasp of where the other Void creatures are, particularly the one closest to us."

Fine. When will you be back?

"In time to wake you up for your training. We can't miss out on the chance to learn that man's magic," Henry said.

"Enjoy yourself."

Damien's shadow stretched and rose from the ground beside him. It tore away and launched out the cave entrance, disappearing into the night sky. Just like the last time Henry had left, Damien felt a profound sense of emptiness.

He knew that part of that was due to Henry leaving—his companion did have half of his soul. Even so, Damien was aware Henry's absence didn't account for all of his feelings.

He extended his senses, forming a net of mental energy with his mind and casting it out. It wasn't quite second nature yet, but the hours of practice had gotten him enough experience to reliably form the energy into roughly the right shape without too much difficulty. It wasn't quite as nice as when Henry helped him, but it still got the job done.

The world lit up as the lines of Ether came into view.

There were more lines in the cave than there had been before. The new lines headed past him and toward the shower, and he resisted the urge to check where they came from.

Damien coated his hand in mental energy and plucked a spark from a strand of Ether and wrapped his hand around it. It zipped into his chest, sending tingles down his arm and spine.

It didn't help. Damien chewed his lower lip. He could feel the Ether within him, waiting to be used. One part of him, the part that hadn't changed since he was a child, longed desperately to use it. He already knew a spell, and he could cast it on his own.

Several years ago, he would have been jumping around the room, cheering and laughing without a care in the world. Instead, he sat there on the bed with an empty expression. He'd taken the first step toward his greatest goal, but it had been tarnished.

Five other people roamed the world, each carrying around the end of times within them. One mistake, one tiny little slip up, and the Mortal Plane would cease to exist. It didn't even have to be one of the other carriers. Damien was more than aware his contract had to have at least one flaw in it.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Damien raised his hand, channeling the spark of Ether through his arm and out his wrist. The orb of dark energy bubbled to life in his palm. He sighed, raising it into the light so he could get a better look at it.

How am I supposed to deal with this? I just wanted to learn magic. I don't want to fight. I don't want to have to be the hunter or the prey!

There was no answer. Damien's brow drooped, and the orb blinked out as he cut the flow of energy going to it. He wasn't foolish enough to believe he had a choice. If Henry hadn't lied to him, then his own feelings weren't something he could worry about. This was bigger than him, and something had to be done, if only to investigate the other Void creatures to make sure they were bound by good people.

That being said, Damien wasn't about to turn himself in.

He had no noble delusions or desires to die to save humanity. If he didn't slip up, one of the other summoners easily could. A thought rose to the front of his mind, unbidden.

Damien pressed his lips together, his decision already made. He reached into his travel bag and pulled out a quill, a vial of ink, and several sheets of paper. He tapped it on his chin, thinking, before he sketched.

By the time the water shut off, Damien had drawn four different rune circles on separate pieces of paper. He waved them through the air to dry them off, then slipped them under his bed.

"You can turn around now," Sylph said before brushing her teeth.

Damien didn't turn immediately. He sent another glance out the entrance to their room, then wiped the frown from his face and slipped off his bed.

He removed his jacket and scarf, just leaving on his pants and shirt, and waited until Sylph had left the bathroom before he took her place to wash himself and brush his teeth. Once he'd finished, he headed back to his bed and slipped under the covers. Sylph was already in her bed, her clothes hung over its foot.

Damien removed his shirt and tossed it onto the ground at the head of his bed. The glow from the rune in the bathroom had already dimmed enough that it wasn't much of a bother and didn't interfere much with their sleep.

"Goodnight," Sylph said.

"Goodnight," Damien replied, although he had the feeling it would be anything but.

The night passed, and Damien dreamt of death. He stood in the center of a broken battlefield, surrounded by mountains of corpses that stretched high enough into the sky to scrape the clouds. His eyes were cold and his jaw was covered with stubble. A jagged scar ran across his right hand, and strange runes covered every inch of his exposed skin, fading in and out of existence.

Sickly dark magic coiled around his body like snakes awaiting his command, lashing out and obliterating anyone who dared stand in his way. Above him, the dark sky twinkled with tiny pinpricks of light that formed an enormous smiling face.

The world crackled and popped. The face crumpled, and the bodies folded inwards, twisting together in a mesmerizing spiral of color. The crackling grew louder, and Damien was ripped out of his dream.

He suppressed a groan and rolled over, reaching under his bed and pressing his finger against the slip of paper and tearing a small hole into it. The sounds stopped.

Damien grimaced and grabbed his coat and clothing, pulling it on before silently slipping out of bed. His throat was sore from the cold mountain air, and swallowing did little to help it.

He reached under his bed, grabbing the four slips of paper he'd drawn runes on. One of them smoked slightly and had turned into a crumpled ball. Damien set that one aside and folded the others, sliding them into his back pocket.

"It's not going to take you that long to get to the arena, you know," Henry said.

Damien felt a slight sense of relief his companion had returned. His strange dreams were still at the back of his mind, but normal dreams were better than Henry showing up to say one of the other eldritch creatures had broken their confinement.

You can read my mind. You know why I'm heading there early.

"I can only read what you're actively thinking about," Henry replied. "And right now, you aren't thinking much of anything at all."

I'm tired. And angry.

Damien slung his travel pack over his shoulder and silently slipped out of the room. He crept past Mark and the Grays' rooms before starting down the mountain path.

"Angry?"

I've wanted to study magic my entire life. Now, the moment I actually get to do that, I've got to worry about stopping all the other Eldritch creatures from ending the world, assuming you were telling me the truth.

"I didn't lie," Henry snapped. His tone softened imperceptibly. "And that's how things work, boy. The weak don't get to control their life. Only the strong do, and you're far from strong right now."

"That's why we're going to the field early," Damien said.

"Delph seems like the type of professor to get there early, just so he can watch us show up and scold us for being late."

Henry didn't respond to that. The campus was eerily silent in the morning, but Damien didn't mind. He wasn't in the mood to talk. As he walked, he cast out a net of mental energy, lighting up the Ether around him.

How much Ether can I hold at once?

"It depends on how strong you are. The more you cultivate, the more you can store," Henry replied. "The only way to find out is to try. Trying to take too much won't hurt you."

Damien nodded. He plucked motes of Ether from the strands as he walked, storing them within himself. With every bit he added, the tingling sensations traveling throughout him grew stronger.

By the time Damien had absorbed eight motes of Ether, he was practically bouncing on his feet. It took conscious effort to keep his teeth from chattering.

"Might be a good place to stop," Henry suggested as Damien stepped through the portal to the arena. He pursed his lips, bracing himself against one of the numerous chairs in the colosseum to weather the effects of the teleportation, before responding.

I feel like if I fall, I'll bounce.

"You won't," Henry said. "Don't try it. That's just the energy trying to escape. I'd say you've hit your limit. For now, at least."

Noted.

Damien made his way through the stands, scanning them for any sign of Professor Delph. He was nowhere to be found. Damien pressed his lips together as he reached the edge of the stands and the arena below them.

He hopped over the railing, half-expecting to plummet to his death, but the magic took hold instantly. He floated to the ground, landing in the packed sand without a sound.

"You're early," a rough voice said from behind him.

Damien nearly leapt out of his shoes. Delph leaned against the arch leading out of the arena, the ever-present long toothpick in his mouth.

The professor strode up to Damien, moving the toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other as he examined him.

"Why did you come early?" Delph asked. "And where is Sylph?"

"She's still asleep," Damien replied. "There should still be around two hours before sunrise. I'm certain she'll be here on time."

"That doesn't answer why you came early," Delph said.

"I want to learn how to use magic," Damien finally said.

"Combat magic."

"That's why I scheduled a lesson for an hour before sunrise," Delph said.

"I need more than that. I've never fought before, and I need to get good at it."

"Why?"

"Do I need a reason?" Damien asked, frowning.

"Yes," Delph replied. He crossed his arms and cocked an eyebrow up. "Lots of people want to learn combat magic.

It's flashy and interesting, and it makes a lot of money on quests. There's nothing wrong with that, but you still have a reason. Knowing your reason helps me teach you better."

Damien's hands clenched at his sides. Delph had magic even Henry hadn't seen. Surely, he'd have a good chance of taking care of the other eldritch creatures.

"Don't even think about it," Henry warned. "Even if he believes you, there's no way he'd let us live."

"I want to protect people," Damien finally said. His lip curled up slightly in a half-smile. "Myself included."

"A common goal," Delph drawled. "A fine one at that.

Keeping yourself alive tends to be a good thing.

However…" Delph slipped forward like a mirage, appearing inches from Damien even though it didn't seem like the man had moved. He leaned close, his cold gray eyes flat and lifeless.

"You don't strike me as a fighter," Delph said, his voice barely above a whisper. "No, what I see before me is a scholar. You wear mage armor, but it has never been used.

Your hands are fair, and your gaze is unfocused. You've never trained a day in your life."

He paused, observing Damien's expression before he continued.

"You didn't come to a mage college to become an adventurer. You don't want to fight on the front lines of the wilderness. I think you just love magic. You see it as an artform, something to be learned and loved. Am I wrong?"

"No. Is there something wrong with that?" Damien asked, his nose inches from Delph's. He refused to step back from the imposing man.

"No," Delph replied, taking Damien by surprise. "We need scholars. Researchers who find new ways to use magic. But most scholars are not fighters. You see something to be studied and loved. I see a tool to be bent to my needs. Magic is a means to an end not the ultimate goal."

"I don't see how that would affect me learning to be a fighter," Damien said. "And you said you'd teach me if you knew my motives just a few moments ago!"

"Everyone needs to learn the basics," Delph replied, finally taking a step back from Damien. However, he didn't blink or break eye contact once. "Some need more help with them than others. But…to go beyond that? Why should I waste my time on a scholar? You won't need my teachings."

"Yes I do," Damien said, narrowing his eyes. "And if you never intended to teach me, why did you invite me here?"

Delph's cloak rippled around him. The shadows cast by the pale moonlight seemed to flinch and recede around them.

"Because you are an enigma," Delph said. "One moment, I feel nothing at all from you. And then you are enveloped in a shroud of darkness even I can't see through."

Henry stiffened within Damien's mind.

"So, you invited me so you could satisfy your curiosity?"

Damien asked, forcing himself to keep the fear off his face.

"Perhaps," Delph said. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure yet. I certainly didn't expect you to show up asking for advanced combat training, especially after you claimed not to have any magic to avoid fighting me."

"I didn't lie," Damien said, his brow lowering.

"But you have magic now?" Delph pressed.

"Yes."

"Then, if you want me to even consider training you beyond the bare minimum requirements set by the school, I lay the same offer before you that everyone else faced," Delph said, taking a step back and raising his hands into the air. "Show me what you can do."

The air around Delph twisted and warped. Damien hopped backward, casting his mental net out. Lines of Ether encircled Delph like a cocoon, twisting and churning malevolently.

"Careful," Henry warned. "I can't help you. If he noticed my presence already, there's no way I can assist in an actual fight unless your life is at risk. We can't give this human more room to examine me."

Damien nodded. He channeled energy through his palm, forming the ball of destructive energy. Delph observed him with a bored expression.

"Is that all you've got?" Delph asked. "That isn't even a spell."

"I told you that I only learned magic yesterday!" Damien snapped, lunging toward the professor and thrusting the orb toward the man.

It felt like his hand had slammed into a brick wall. The ball of magic blinked out of existence a foot away from Delph, and a tremor rippled down Damien's arm. He bit back a cry of pain and staggered to get out of the professor's reach.

Delph didn't even move. He just watched Damien, his head tilted to the side. Damien drew on another one of the sparks of Ether within him, forming another ball in his hand.

"Really?" Delph asked as Damien dashed for him again.

The professor knocked Damien's hand to the side and kicked him in the chest.

Damien tumbled, the magic vanishing as he slammed into the sand. Delph looked down at him, his lip curled in anger.

"You don't even use your mage armor. Where did you get this?" Delph demanded.

Damien kicked out weakly at Delph's leg. The professor didn't bother dodging it, and the strike thudded harmlessly against him. He shook his head and grabbed Damien by the collar. He lifted him into the air.

"You have no natural instincts as a fighter. You're clumsy and weak," Delph said. "If you truly did just learn magic yesterday, then you're a gifted scholar. Don't take my words as insults. You have potential to be a great mage, but you're no warrior. Stick to the sidelines."

Damien struggled fruitlessly in the man's grasp. He grasped Delph's arm with one hand, gasping and glaring at the man as he choked.

"Have something to say?" Delph asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Damien managed to nod. His hand caught the slip of paper sticking out of a pocket and he ripped it free, slapping it against the professor's face.

He squeezed his eyes shut as a brilliant white flash lit up the early morning sky. Delph swore and staggered backward, releasing Damien and ripping the paper away from his face.

Damien rolled to his feet, grabbing the second sheet of paper and thrusting it against Delph's armor. The professor, still blinded from the flash, stomped his foot into the ground.

A shockwave of energy rippled through the arena, sending a small wave of sand up. The attack had clearly been controlled enough to keep from seriously injuring him, but it still tossed Damien back like a tumbleweed.

Damien rolled back to his feet with a groan. By the time he was standing again, Delph had blinked his temporary blindness away with a scowl.

"He's pissed," Henry observed. "Pretty fast recovery time for a human. He's definitely looking at you."

Thanks. I couldn't tell that myself.

Delph glanced down at the slip of paper stuck to his armor. His lips thinned, and he tugged at it, but all he succeeded in doing was tearing a small corner of the paper away.

"Runes?" Delph asked, sounding surprisingly calm.

"Interesting. You're either very dedicated to your lie about learning a cultivation method in a single day, or you're telling the truth. Regardless, slips of paper aren't going to be effective in a real fight."

Damien didn't respond. He held the last piece of paper he'd prepared in his fist, watching Delph carefully as the man approached him. His brain screamed at him to run, but there was no way he'd be able to outpace a man who could teleport.

As Delph walked, his armor grew several shades lighter.

He stopped before Damien. Then he frowned. He touched his armor, then jerked his hand back with a hiss.

The professor raised his hand over the paper stuck to his armor. The air contorted and crumpled in on itself.

When he lowered his hand, the paper was gone.

"Clever," Delph said. "Flame runes?"

"Heating," Damien corrected, rolling over and scrambling to his feet. His chest was sore, but the interested look on Delph's face gave him hope. "Plus some binding ones, activated on impact."

"And the last rune you've got clutched in your hand behind your back?" Delph asked.

"Another heating rune," Damien said. "In case the first one needed help."

"Then you've lost. You will not beat me with a heating rune circle, no matter how clever the idea is. It is not meant for combat. Just like you."

Damien thrust the slip of paper into the sand. He yanked his hand back and threw himself to the side as the earth lit up a cherry red. A pillar of fire erupted from the ground, and Delph blurred out vision moments before a wave of intense heat scorched across the arena sand.

"That was not a normal heating rune," Delph said, his tone still calm.

"I might have tweaked it a bit," Damien admitted. "But imagine if that was the one I stuck on your armor."

"It could have been proven to be momentarily problematic," Delph said, a scowl crossing his features.

"But this is nothing more than mere trickery. Do you think that and rune circles will let you win fights?"

"Yes."

"Well, you're probably right," Delph said, pursing his lips. "Well done. You aren't strong enough for me to use the force I used against your roommate, so I don't even get the satisfaction of knocking you unconscious."

"Thanks, I think," Damien said suspiciously. "Does this mean you'll train me?"

"For now. If you fail to show the required talent, then all deals are off, and you will receive nothing that the rest of your class does not get."

Damien didn't feel like cheering. He barely even felt relieved, but there was still a spark of pride that lit up within him. Delph noticed his expression and clicked his tongue.

"Don't get a big head, boy. Your test was much, much easier than the ones your fellow classmates went through. I had to hold back on account of your claims of not knowing magic. You will be expected to progress at a very rapid pace if you want to continue with me."