What Once Was One (Book 2)

by Marc Johnson

  I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. This had to stop, no matter the cost.

  “Hellsfire,” Krystal said, laying a gentle hand on my shoulder.

  “Yes?”

  “Let’s go, hero.”

  I placed my bare hand upon her gloved one. “This can’t be allowed to continue.”

  She paused and stiffened. “What are you saying, Hellsfire?”

  “This war isn’t going to be brought to our homes. I didn’t bring the barrier down just for this senseless slaughter to continue. It ends now.”

  She didn't say anything for several long moments. “I know you have great power and I’ve seen you do some amazing things, but you’re only one wizard. How can you possibly stop all this?”

  I pointed at the councils. “You can’t see or feel the incredible magic being cast, but it’s there. They’re balancing each other out. Stradus once told me about how magic could be performed like this. The combined power would be immense, but all it takes is for one wizard to catch them off guard and tip the scales. That’s why they all have guards around them.”

  “I understand all that, but what can you do from here? You won’t be able to get that close.”

  “I know that, princess, but I have a plan.” I gave her a smile. “It isn’t much of one, but I need to try to stop them or at least slow them down. If I have the power I’ve been led to believe, I’ll be able to do it.”

  Krystal looked like she wanted to object, but she nodded. “All right.”

  She departed and went back to the others. I took out my book of spells, trying to see what I could do. I couldn’t perform many of these rituals because I didn’t have the ingredients or the time. What I needed was a brutal spell—one that was quick and powerful.

  I rummaged through the pages, but couldn’t find anything. The frustration got to me and I crumpled the pages, almost tearing them. I flipped through the book again, praying to the gods that they could help or give me a sign, and my fingers found two pages stuck together. I pulled them apart and discovered the dangerous ritual I needed.

  “Are you sure you can do this, lad?” Jastillian asked as the others came over to me.

  “I have to, but I’ll need your help. I’ll be vulnerable. I need you to guard me, standing more than a hundred feet from me. It’s dangerous. The armies will try to come after me.”

  Prastian nodded. “We’ll do it.”

  “You’re all insane,” Fortune said. “You can’t take on two armies, kid, no matter how powerful you are.”

  “You can always go,” Behast said, glowering at him.

  Fortune threw up his hands in frustration, then smiled. “If I go, I’ll never see the rest of my money. Although I do expect double the payment.”

  “You’ll get your money,” Krystal said.

  He bowed and drew his obsidian daggers. “That’s all I ask, Princess.”

  “Good luck,” Demay said.

  The others walked away, except for Krystal.

  She took the book from my hand and read the ritual. “Are you sure you want to do this? We could find another way.”

  “We’ll never get this opportunity again, Krystal. A large portion of their armies are here. We can catch them unawares and possibly cripple them.”

  She nodded, but her voice was quiet. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “I know.”

  She gave me a sad smile and crept forward until her body was snuggled against mine. “I could order you not to do it.”

  “I’m not a part of your kingdom, Princess. In fact, I’m banished from it, if you’ve forgotten.” I gave her a playful smile.

  She whispered into my ear, “You’ll always be a part of Alexandria, Hellsfire.” She pulled my hood down and kissed me on my cheek, using the cloth as a shield. “We’ll keep you safe. Do what you have to do and come back to me alive, hero.”

  “I promise I’ll do everything in my power to.”

  She smiled. “Good.”

  Krystal reached into my robes, and I squirmed as her fingers tickled me.

  “What are you doing?” I asked while stifling a giggle.

  “Reaching for your dagger. I read the ritual. You need help.”

  I did need help with one important part of the ritual. I was going to try to do it on my own or have one of the others help me. I didn’t want her to do it or even see it. However, part of me was glad she was here with me.

  I nodded. “If this doesn’t work or you all are in trouble, I want you to leave. Make it back to Northern Shala...and tell my mother what happened.”

  Krystal’s purple eyes became like steel, then softened. “All right.”

  “Thank you.”

  I pulled off my wizard’s robes and placed them on the ground. I rolled up my sleeves, exposing my bare arms.

  “Are you ready?” the princess asked, grasping my arm.

  “Yes, but please don’t overdo it.” I grinned, and she returned it.

  I winced as Krystal cut a small incision in my arm until the blood flowed. Afterwards, I drew a large triangle on the grass with my own blood. I began to feel light-headed, but I had to make sure the imperfect triangle was big enough for me to sit in. I used my torn sleeve to patch up the gash in my arm. I tightened it hard with my teeth until the blood stopped.

  She performed another precise and sharp cut on my other forearm. I painted the grass with another triangle until a hexagram formed. My vision began to swirl from the loss of blood.

  “Be careful,” the princess said, catching me before I fell.

  “Thank you.” I smiled, my head leaning on her shoulder. “But I think you cut a little too deep.”

  Krystal returned the smile before tying up the gash in my arm.

  “Be careful, hero, and good luck.”

  She turned and went back to Ardimus. We shared one last look, and I watched them leave until they were well away.

  I sat cross-legged in the bloody hexagram and took a deep breath. This ritual was going to be dangerous, yet I chose it because it should also be powerful enough to cripple the two opposing armies. If I had as much power as Stradus always believed, it would rush out, reaching even the council. If I didn’t, my plan would fail.

  I closed my eyes and reminded myself that I was a wizard—an individual who brought magic together. I had a responsibility to the princess, to the people of Northern Shala, to the land, and to the gods themselves to use that magic wisely. The council and the others might have forgotten that over their centuries of warfare and bloodshed, but I never would.

  I slid into a trance, blocking out all outside noise. The shouting, the fighting, the screams vanished until it was only me and my magic. My strongest magic roared deeply, taking over my very being.

  The fire flickers into a spark. The sparks ignites into a flame. The flame shifts and burns into a shimmering fire. That great bonfire reaches into the sky, filling the entire area.

  It sinks back down, moving with liquid grace, transforming into lava. The lava smothers and burns everything, darkening the sky with ash. It finally settles into a hole, becoming a lake of pure fire.

  Out of the ground rises the most powerful of all flame. A massive volcano reaches to the heavens and explodes with violence. Lava belches great balls of fiery death everywhere. They crash into the ground, using it as fuel for the fire.

  My mind was on fire as the blood around me boiled and melted the grass. Steam left my body, and I burned. My skin became the color of a cherry, my chest heaved, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could contain everything. My magic ached to be released, but I had to do it safely because of my friends around me.

  A wizard always had the option of releasing all of their magic in an uncontrollable fury. But that was a final spell—a death spell, as the magic was tied into their soul. I was going to do the same thing, but the ritual allowed me to do so with some kind of control. However, there was still a chance I might not survive.

  The hexagram burned brighter and higher until it encomp
assed me. The magic on the grass wormed its way inside and I screamed from the pain. Veins nearly popped out of my body, and blood poured from my ears and eyes. With every bit of strength and emotion I had mustered, I let the fire go. Without it, my body collapsed.

  The fire blazed out of my body, incinerating my clothes and the surrounding area. A trail of fire lit the ground. It dragged along, burning everything that got in its way, evaporating grass and incinerating insects. It pummeled into the two armies.

  The people gave high-pitched shrieks as they burned alive. Their armor offered them no protection, and their weapons were useless. An unnatural pork-like aroma filled the air as their flesh cooked. A few near the front lines were able to scramble away from the fire. Wizards nearby tried to douse the fire, but my fire consumed their water magic and the fire was too great for the earth to smother it.

  The line of fire completed its journey, touching the Ennis Mountains. It rose and blossomed, shooting straight up to the skies. A gigantic wall of fire halved the two armies, so bright and high it could be seen for miles.

  I thought about crashing down my fire on both sides of the battlefield like a tidal wave. I could end it now, kill thousands, and cripple their armies, but I would be as guilty as they. They deserved a chance to live.

  I lowered the flame’s power. The finger-like flames from my spell stopped reaching for fuel. They swayed back and forth, waiting for my next command. I had killed a great many, but I didn’t want to kill any more. Not if I didn’t have to.

  My soul had completely transferred into the fire, and for all intents and purposes, I was dead. I wasn’t sure if I could transfer my magic and soul back into my body, but that didn’t matter. I knew that risk when I performed the ritual. The princess seemed to understand that too, and I was glad she hadn’t pressed me on the issue.

  With the flame as my eyes, everything was a wondrous mixture of wavy orange and red with a hint of blue. Past that, there was something more, and I was able to peer into people’s manas.

  Magic users had their strongest mana swirling inside them, filling every part of their body. The elves were dipped in green, and the dwarves and gnomes brown. The humans and the centaurs had bits and pieces of all manas mixed inside of them. What surprised me was what I found in the Wasteland creatures.

  I expected them to have nothing but black mana lurking inside, and while that was their strongest mana, there was more. They had bits of colorful mana inside of them just like everyone else. Inside everyone there was tiny piece of flame. It blazed brightly in anger at what I had done.

  As amazing as that was, they all paled before the princess.

  Krystal was a blinding transparent light. It was hard to tear my gaze off her. In the bright rainbow, she outshone all. There was no color in her, only pure light. I had seen this before, back when I had fought Premier. I didn’t have any idea of what it meant then, and I didn’t know now.

  Both armies halted, unsure of what to do. I was as tall as the highest peak. Everything around me was small and insignificant. I could crush them with a thought. My flames grew brighter and more intense, aching to destroy them. I had to fight my feelings and remind myself that they deserved a chance to live.

  “YOU WILL STOP FIGHTING OR DIE.” My voice boomed and crackled like wood being thrown into a campfire.

  I leaned in closer. Pieces of my flames pulled from the wall and flew towards the council members. My fire peeled away their guards’ protection, as their enchantments were not meant to counter a spell of such magnitude. The guards burned because they wouldn’t move and the council didn’t reinforce their spells. The council strengthened their own protective spells, yet they struggled against my fire. I tried to rein in my power, but it was too much even for me.

  “END THIS WAR OR I WILL KILL YOU ALL.”

  “Why should we listen to you?” Bellona asked, her black mana growing. “You know nothing!” Her magic tried to combat my own, but my flame absorbed it.

  That dark flame within me begged to be released. Her magic began to change my flames and they burned brighter and darker. I pulled the fire back from Bellona. She smiled in satisfaction, as if her defenses were working.

  The earth rumbled. “We will not bend to a tyrant!” Nairi said. The Elemental Council was finally united, even if it was to ignore me.

  But I needed to do more. I had to convince them to stop this war. Even if I could kill everyone here, there were bound to be more forces they could muster. Other leaders and armies in other cities that I would have to deal with. In the councils’ pupil-less eyes there was no fear. Only strength and arrogance.

  “YOU DARE TO CHALLENGE ME?”

  “We will not challenge you,” Helios said. His magic was the only one that didn’t fight mine. He warped the fire around him so it didn’t harm him. “We will kill your body, if you do not cease this, Hellsfire. Without an anchor, you will go up in smoke.”

  “YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING!”

  I couldn’t believe they still defied me. Did they not realize how much power I possessed? They weren’t bringing their war into Northern Shala even if all of them had to die!

  But the council didn’t yield. They executed their magic, casting spells and reciting incantations to lessen my flames. They even performed together, despite being far apart with my wall of fire blocking them. It was like they were whole again.

  My fire burned slower and weaker. The cold feel of nothingness seeped into my skin. They assaulted me from all sides, each using their own specialties.

  Nairi smothered my flames with the earth. The land rose and was torn asunder as earthquakes rumbled through the area. The jagged land was heaped onto my being. Where my flames were brightest, Helios soothed and dwindled them. He caressed them as if he was their lover. Dorissa and Zephyrus summoned the clouds. Together they drenched the area and me with raging rainstorms. Each drop was like a pinprick, and there were millions of them. Bellona, with her mastery of black mana, tried to extinguish my magic by crushing my soul. I shivered at her icy touch and did my best to shy away from her. I didn’t fight against her, but against myself, against releasing that dark magic within. She unknowingly drew it out of me. Ardonis bolstered and strengthened the life of all the others.

  The council’s magic was far more powerful as one than by themselves. Even as the other wizards, witches, and sorcerers fought against me, their power was nothing compared to the council’s.

  I was a giant being attacked by an anthill. My fire died down until it was only as tall as a person. All the fuel I had consumed earlier ran out. The armies saw their chance. They ran to attack my body.

  I ignored the magical assault and focused on them. My trail of fire shifted, blocking their paths and smiting them, but it also served to lessen my power as I spread myself out. The centaurs and cavalry leapt over the flames. A few brave soldiers put their heads down, shields up, and charged.

  Too much was happening for me to concentrate. The council gave me the most trouble, but I couldn’t disregard the other wizards. The army pressed on toward my body and my friends would be overwhelmed with their numbers. With each passing moment, my power waned. I couldn’t keep this up forever.

  I ignored the danger to myself and focused on my friends. There was no reasoning with the council. I had to buy time for my friends to get away, since this plan wasn’t working.

  I released more of the fire I was into fireballs, shooting them at the armies. They splashed and burned the oncoming soldiers. A stream of fire funneled into a mob of goblins rushing for Krystal, Ardimus, and Rebekah. A wall of flame smashed into a group of centaurs before they reached the elves.

  I started to lose focus. I was so tired. I couldn’t even bring my small wall of fire down and destroy both armies anymore. I wanted to rest, but knew if I gave in, the only thing to comfort me would be the afterlife.

  “Hellsfire!” Krystal yelled as she ran her sword through one of Romenia’s soldiers and slashed the one behind her.

  I renewed m
y attack against the armies and council. My fire blossomed and exploded with rage. I couldn’t let her or anyone else down. This was going to end, one way or another.

  My roaring red and orange fire mutated to a black-laced one. I let it all go, holding nothing back. I drew power from Bellona, her mana fueling my dark flame. Hundreds died, screaming as they burned alive.

  The council and other wizards stopped their assault. Their armies no longer attacked my friends; their crisp husks littered the ground. The armies scattered while the council and other wizards used magic to try to protect themselves and everyone else. They couldn’t. My fire battered and breached their defenses, consuming any magic they raised.

  The black flames blistered and boiled, and I kept growing. The flames bucked out and incinerated everything they touched. In the councils’ eyes, fear finally came, and part of me cherished it.

  I gave into that unknown power, losing myself in it as if it were a river carrying me downstream. The power I released was the only thing that could stop this war. Since they wouldn’t bow down to me, I made my decision to kill them all.

  “We yield!” Bellona said. Her hands were up, straining to maintain her shield from my fire. She had long ago cut off her magic, but my black flames gobbled it like a starving man with an endless hunger.

  “We’ll call a truce!” Ardonis said. His staff and body glowed white, shielding him from the fire. “Call off your flames and we’ll talk about ending this war.”

  They didn’t promise to end the war, only to temporarily halt it. They might decide to enter Northern Shala with a combined force. I could kill the council and most of the armies here. My power urged me to end it and make sure they couldn’t threaten Northern Shala.

  But no. This wasn’t the way I was raised. They deserved a chance. If they talked, they might see reason. I needed to get through to the council lest I make enemies of them and their people.

  “VERY WELL.”

  I knew full well I might die if my soul and magic couldn't be transferred back into my body. My gaze lingered on the princess. She glowed as bright as the sun. Even if I died, I knew she could negotiate a peace and succeed where I couldn’t.