Vaelion’s Last Teaching

The cave was eerily dark, lit only by a purplish light that danced across the walls like ghostly flames. In the center, Kael was breathing heavily, sweat dripping from his forehead as his body shook under the weight of the magic he had just learned.

Ahead, Vaelion the Corruptor stared down at him with his deep, unfathomable gaze. The dark wizard had once been a nightmare to entire civilizations, a legend feared through the ages. But now, having denied his past, he had become Kael's mentor, the guide who had taught him how to harness his strength.

"You have learned the technique." Vaelion's voice rang out in the silence of the cave, deep and heavy with an invisible weight. "But now comes the hardest part: controlling it. This power is unlike any other, Kael. It burns the soul. If you use it too long… it will consume you."

Kael clenched his fists. He could still feel the echoes of magic boiling inside him, a power that seemed to cry out to be released.

"I will have no choice," he replied. "If I am to defeat my enemies, I must be stronger."

Vaelion shook his head. "Strength is not just destruction. It is also control."

But something changed in the air. The ground beneath them shook, and a dark shadow stretched behind the mage. Kael stiffened.

"Vaelion…?"

The mage hunched over, his breathing ragged. Black flames began to leap from his hands, crackling with chaotic energy. The mark of his curse spread across his body, branches of shadow wrapping around him like chains.

Vaelion slowly rose, but his eyes were no longer the same. They had become lightless chasms.

"No… no… not now…" he stammered, clutching his chest. His voice twisted into an inhuman snarl.

Kael took a step back. His mentor was changing before his eyes.

Then Vaelion raised his face and stared at him. There was no humanity left in him.

He attacked.

A blast of dark magic devastated the cave. Kael leapt to the side, feeling the wave of energy touch him and shatter the rock behind him.

"Vaelion! Stop!" he shouted.

But there was no answer. His mentor was gone, devoured by the curse.

Kael had to fight.

The Final Battle

Vaelion moved with inhuman speed, hurling bolts of dark energy that sliced ​​through the air like razor-sharp blades. Kael barely avoided every attack, but it was clear that he could not continue like this forever.

He did not want to kill him. He could not kill him.

But Vaelion did not stop.

In an instant, the mage grabbed Kael by the throat and lifted him off the ground.

"If you do not stop me… I will become a monster." Vaelion's voice was broken, an echo of his old consciousness still struggling to emerge. "You must do this."

Kael leaped forward. He used the technique Vaelion himself had taught him. Soul flames exploded from his hands, and with a sharp blow, he pierced his mentor's chest.

Silence.

Vaelion froze. The fire devoured his soul.

Then, in a final whisper, he found clarity.

"I was damned… but you can still choose your fate."

His lips quirked a smile… and then his body dissolved into ash.

Kael stood still, his breath ragged, his fist still clenched. Then he fell to his knees.

His mentor was dead. By his hand.

And the weight of his guilt would haunt him forever.