“It is easier for children to learn new magic than for adults. Children are a blank canvas. Still fresh and new to the world. I think that is why it was easy for me,” Akielas continued. “So many people in El Nido believed that the return of Prodigus Kollos, somehow, also meant the return of the Garden Of Eden. They believed that El Nido was once the Garden Of Eden, the land where the dragons once lived in harmony with humans and all creatures. Prodigus Kollos also lived on these islands during his time. He knew all elements, including twilight magic and cosmo.”
“Twilight magic?” Ganicus scratched his head.
“It is said that he who masters all six elements can awaken the mystery of twilight magic, the magic of limitless creation,” Akielas educated. “I have found that to be false, even to this day. I have never learned twilight magic. I don’t know how to cast it or even where to start, mainly because I have never seen anyone do it or how it is supposed to look. It could just be another fairy tale in history books. I searched for many years and traveled throughout the world in search of answers. I spoke with mages from all corners of the world. I found nothing but vague answers and theories. Eventually, I gave up on it after so many years. I then began to learn shadomancy from a clan in Danteh Island, who had a copy of the Grimoire Of The Shadows. Shadomancy or dark magic, it was so incredible. It was like nothing I had ever experienced. Dark magic spoke to a part of me that I had not yet expressed. It had awakened something in me that I had been hiding all my life. So many mages were afraid of learning dark magic, but once I mastered it that first year, I embraced it. Darkness became my new friend. I felt as though it filled a void in my heart. Dark maju really helped me search deep within myself.”
Akielas paused and sipped tea. Everyone waited, itching to know what happened next, leaning in, gaping as they listened with squinted eyes.
“What about divine magic?” Willow asked.
“I didn’t bother to learn it at the time,” Akielas answered. “I thought it would be too time consuming, and I thought I was strong enough and did not need it. Oh by the dragon gods. I was wrong.”
Auron chuckled and added, “You were a different man, indeed. That does not sound like the Akielas I know.”
“I agree,” Akielas said. “During that time I was forty, and many great mages and scholars were asking the question ‘What is the reincarnation of Prodigus Kollos going to do for the world?’ As if I knew what I was supposed to do. It is not like I could speak to the spirit of Kollos, as if I had the same mind as the sage. Honestly, there were times I doubted that I was his reincarnation, but I was naïve and didn’t want to disappoint my mentors and teachers. They were the only family I had. So, one of my teachers, the one who taught me terramancy, told me about an island of an advanced city of great inventions. A city uncharted and well-protected and only a chosen few were allowed in the city. We flew on his Eedahlan to this advanced city, and what I saw was nothing like the towns, cities, and castles that we know today. They had incredible inventions that seemed unimaginable. They call it Ironside.”
“Ironside?” Eckxio repeated.
“The city of machines. I have been there many times,” Auron said.
“Ma…mashin? What is that?” Eckxio asked. A word he was not familiar with. He could barely pronounce it.
“Imagine tools completely made from steel, instead of wood,” Auron explained.
Eckxio looked at the ceiling as he pictured such a tool. Akielas knew that, outside of Ironside, it seemed impossible to create so many things with just steel. Swords were difficult enough to make by the labor of a blacksmith.
“In Ironside, I discovered incredible things within its library. The people of this town had done incredible amounts of research.” Akielas waved his hand over his crystal ball; it shined and an image appeared. It was the city of Ironside. All except Auron and Akielas zoomed in to the crystal ball, looking at the incredible city. Most buildings were skyscrapers. Men and women walked around wearing ruffled clothes. Some wore tall hats and round pieces of glass over their eyes. They saw wagons that could move without horses. There was a long metal object that moved its large body over a trail throughout the city. A steel bird glided over the city. Most outstanding of all was the wall of metal that protected the city from outsiders. Eckxio, Willow, and Ganicus gaped in awe at the incredible city.
“That…that…is…amazing,” Willow whispered.
“Indeed,” Eckxio agreed, unable to take his eyes off the crystal ball.
Akielas waved his hand over it again, and the image vanished.
“Bring the image back,” Ganicus begged. “I want to see more.”
“I will show you more, once I am done with the story,” Akielas teased them.
“So what did you find in Ironside?” Willow asked, her eyes wide and damped like a kitten craving to be petted.
“The library of Ironside is bigger than any other in the world.” Akielas resumed. “My mentor took me there. Had it not been for him, I would have never known of Ironside. I spent months inside those libraries. I slept there, reading book after book, scroll after scroll. The people of Ironside were smart and had information about all continents, cultures, magic, creatures, and almost anything that existed. Their group of travelers and researchers had devoted their life to learning as much about Odealeous as possible. From them, I learned that the world was round and other things that will make you think I am crazy. Above all the things that I had learned from books and scrolls, there was one story that fascinated me the most. The story of Prodigus Kollos, of course. Mages all over the world know his name but don’t know his real story. I received a copy of the dragon bible and read all of his chapters within the tome. The father of magic had thirteen apprentices. Two apprentices for every element and one that was said to have mastered twilight magic, which I still find hard to believe. With these apprentices, Kollos passed down his knowledge of magic throughout the world. Together, they wrote the grimoires, where all spells known to men were written. Six grimoires. Fire, water, air, earth, light and darkness. Two thousand years ago, that is how magic began to spread throughout the world. That is why we are all mages, today. Two thousand years of magic. Prodigus Kollos believed that magic would change the world for the better. He believed that, without magic, humans were empty. Magic filled a void in our souls, and as long as it existed, humans could live in prosperity and abundance. At least, that is what Kollos thought. However, I disagreed with him. It made no sense to me. In the dragon bible, the book of exile says that the dragon gods vanished humans from the Garden of Eden, because they abused the gift of magic. Then millenniums later, Kollos returned the gift to the world and said that it would somehow bring peace and harmony. The exact opposite happened. More wars and more blood. More greed and suffering. Yes, people had more freedom and options than before; however, nothing has changed. We humans never change. We keep making the same mistakes century after century. I think that is why a destined few evolved into other species, because they disliked being human. The Elves, the Greamos, and many other species evolved from humans. So I came to the conclusion that ridding the world of magic would be redemption ultimatum.”
Akielas closed his eyes, and a tear ran down his cheek at the last few words. Frowning faces stared at him. Those words did not sound like the Akielas they knew. The kind and loving man who always valued people. The father figure whom they always came to for advice and help. Those words were cold, and they felt it in their chest. Hearts became heavy.
Then Willow broke the silence. “Why?” she asked. “Why live by the stories of the past? Akielas, you always told me that we should learn from the past, not try to change it.”
“I know,” he replied. “Like I said, I was a different person two decades ago. Everyone is here for a reason. We all have a purpose. I believed that I was meant to do great things in Odealeous. Everyone in El Nido thought that I was the reincarnation of the father of magic. I was the chosen one, or so they thought. I made it my responsibility to change the wor
ld for the better and rid it of magic so that we can go back to being the pure creatures we were in the Garden Of Eden. Innocent beings living in an everyday bliss.”
“I can see why you had chosen that path,” Eckxio said. “It was for the greater good, but I don’t think anyone has the right to make such judgments. The world belongs to all beings.”
“As the prince of the Zolan country, my father has great expectations of me, but this seems overwhelming,” Ganicus added. “My father once told me that, although many of our problems exist because of our ancestors, it is our duty to fix these problems, so our generation does not suffer the same. Ridding the world of magic is a destructive way of solving a problem, more like an escape or an easy way out. I can’t say that I agree with Kollos, but Akielas’s old ways are not the answer, either.”
“Spoken like a soon to be king,” Auron complemented.
“I am learning as I journey with my new friends.” Ganicus looked at Auron with a big smile, showing his teeth.
“Sounds like this story is coming to a conclusion,” Willow was eager. “What happened next?”
“After I came to that conclusion, I searched for a way to make it all happen,” Akielas continued. “Then, one dreadful night in Danteh Island, where I lived, a giant stone fell from the sky and caused a great explosion in my town. I used hydromancy to shut the fires in town. So many had died that day, it was unbelievable. We named it ‘meteor.’ After the fire, I took a closer look. The giant stone had cracked, and inside, I found what we now use to travel around the world. The teleport crystals. The pieces of the crystals you hold now are but fragments of the original. It was once a crystal the size of a human head. That is when I first experienced cosmo that I had read so much about. When I first touched it, it teleported me to different places that I had already visited. The crystal had another strange power, as well. By accident, it touched the forehead of one of my mentors, and with a blinding flash, they received a shock to their mind and lost all of their abilities to cast magic.”
Ganicus then searched his pocket for the crystal and tossed it in the center of the group as if the item was cursed.
“What is wrong with you?” Auron asked.
“I am not losing my magic,” Ganicus snarled.
“It no longer works that way,” Akielas stated. “I am not sure why. I can use it to teleport, but I cannot use it to strip mages of their magic. That was my original plan. The crystal that had fallen from the sky inside the meteor was going to help me rid the world of magic. However, when my teachers and mentors saw what it did, they became afraid, and the sages of El Nido tried to confiscate the crystal. Three of my mentors tried to stop me, and I took away their magic.”
Akielas paused and wiped another tear; his lips quivered, and he clenched his fist as he spoke of his past. It was painful. “After what I did to my mentors, I lost the respect of many people. No one wanted to listen to me, and I was ignored. Eventually, they no longer believed that I was the reincarnation of the father of magic and went back to their peaceful lives. I refused to give up my dream, what I once believed was my purpose. I tried to persuade my teachers, mentors, and the few friends I had, but they all ignored me. Then, when I was about to lose all hope, new believers approached me.”
“Who?” Auron asked.
“The woman who would become my wife and the man who would become my best friend,” Akielas answered. “Her name was Demitra. I had met her when I first learned shadomancy from her clan, but I barely noticed her. Then Jacob, a master of divine magic, told me that he wanted to join my cause. He was a childhood friend, but we had not seen each other in twenty years. The three of us shared the same belief. We believed that, without magic, the world would be a better place. However, the three of us alone could not do it. We needed mages that were at our level. We needed masters of every element, and we were willing to find them, then Demitra gave me the idea of apprenticing youths for my cause. She said that a youth’s mind is fresh and would follow whatever I teach. It was the same thing that Prodigus Kollos did. The father of magic had thirteen youths. It was a great idea. I thought I could find apprentices that would help me change the world, so Demitra, Jacob, and I commenced our search for those youths. Today, those youths have grown into monsters that I created. Ember, Naunet, Hertha, and Jairo. Ember was found on a shipwreck by the shores of El Nido. Naunet was found with pirates; he was being abused by them. We saved him and took him in. Hertha was found in a graveyard, and Jairo was found in a band of thieves. After we had found these four children, we trained each of them to master one of the primary elements, fire, water, earth, and air.”
“This is the part that I was waiting for,” Auron said. “You raised me well enough. The Specters complained about the way you treated them, especially Ember. What exactly did you do?”
Akielas sipped his tea nervously and cleared his throat. “I raised them with love. I fed them and took care of them when they were sick, but it wasn’t just me. Demitra helped raise them too, as well as Jacob. However, they were fonder of me. I loved them, and at that time, I was happy to finally have a family. It was a feeling that I never experienced growing up with my mentors and teachers. I gave them my love and care. They trained hard with discipline. Ember seemed to be the only one to rebel, sometimes. I will admit, there were times when I had to hit her, and sometimes, I accidentally wounded her. I regret it deeply, but I always loved her, even now that she is my enemy. Soon enough, someone found out about my plans and my apprentices, and they tried to stop me. I used the crystal and stripped them of their magic. So many were afraid to challenge me. No one dared to cause me any trouble for they feared losing their magic. During the years that I was training my four apprentices, Jacob was trying to find a way to maximize the power of the cosmic crystal. It was powerful, but we needed to find a way to use it on a massive number of people. Since he was an expert with illumancy, he said that the power of the crystal seemed to work well with light. The crystal responded well to the light of the moon. He wasn’t sure why, but it did. Jacob said that, since divine magic can manipulate light, using the moon to spread the effect of the crystal would cause an eclipse that would instantly erase everyone’s magical abilities. So this plan led me to the mountains of Verday in search of the fairy king.”
“The fairy king?” Eckxio interrupted. “You met the fairy king?”
“After reading so much about him in Ironside, I had to see if the legend was true,” Akielas replied.
“Good Terramus.” Eckxio leaned forward, his head over the crystal ball. “Years ago, before I met Willow, I went to the fairy king, believing that he could help me awaken my magical abilities. What did the fairy king tell you?”
“I went through a dungeon in the Quariras Mountains of Verday,” Akielas answered. “The fairy king was well-hidden in the mountains. The sight of the being of light was like none other. He was surrounded by Megaliths, and he floated over shards of zeustoss. I thought that only a being of light, such as the fairy king, would know how to utilize the light of the moon. As expected, he knew exactly how to do it, and most frightening of all, he knew what my intentions were. It was like he had read my mind. He knew of my plans to rid the world of magic, yet he still showed me how to use the moon for my cosmic crystal. I thought the fairy king was trying to trick me, but what he showed me next was unbelievable. He placed his hand on my forehead, and with his magic, I was able to see into the past. I was able to see two thousand years ago into the time of Prodigus Kollos. Humans were being dominated by fiends and beings of another realm. Monarchs were not as kind as they are today. There was food shortage, people starving, diseases, poverty, slavery, and only the few who had unlocked the enigma of magic lived well enough. Freedom was a fantasy, and during that time, there were no countries, only four continents. Prodigus Kollos was a kind-hearted man. Everything he did was for the people. He believed in making the lives of humans much better and living in harmony with all species. That is what the world was without magic. That is why
Kollos wanted us to have this gift, so that we can pursue happiness and freedom. After the fairy king showed me how life was without magic, I decided to cease my plan. I thought Jacob and Demitra would be disappointed, but I took them to the fairy king, and they saw into the past, as well. By ridding the world of magic, I would have been unbalancing what Kollos spent so many years doing. After that, I was never the same person.”
Willow shed a tear. She stood up and fell on Akielas with an embrace. He thought that his friends would leave him after hearing his story, but they empathized.
“None of you seem to be mad at me,” Akielas said, expecting a mal reaction.
“We are here because of the man you are today, not because of your past,” Auron stated, clutching Akielas’s shoulder.
“It’s not over yet. What happened next?” Ganicus asked.
Willow sat next to Eckxio again, and they waited to hear the end of the story.
“After we met the fairy king, we changed our ways. I also came to the conclusion that I was not the reincarnation of Prodigus Kollos, but rather, someone who made the same discoveries as he did about magic. I changed the way I taught my apprentices and my philosophy of life so that they can follow in my footsteps in a more positive way. Once they reached the age of eighteen, Demitra and I had our first child.”
Akielas waved his hand over the crystal ball. The image of a boy appeared. A boy of black hair, clad in red, throwing rocks into a pond and lonely. They all zoomed into the crystal ball to see the child.
“That is your son,” Auron whispered. “You never told me that you had a son of your own blood. What else have you been hiding?”
“That boy wearing red is my son. His name is Ajira,” Akielas said. “I have been hiding him from Ember for ten years. I left him in the hands of my brother-in-law. Demitra’s family took custody of him after Ember burned my house and killed my wife and my best friend, Jacob. If Ember finds out where he is, she will kill him.”
Sin of Mages_An Epic Fantasy Series Page 23
