Arc 1, Chapter 6: Shadows in the Dark

  The impact threw him against the oak. Bark bit into his back before he slumped into the churned mud. His ribs throbbed with every breath. The world tilted, the trees becoming a blur of gray and green.

  He reached for the Seed of Life. It was hollow. No warmth pulsed in his chest, and no energy flowed to his limbs. He felt like a dry well.

  The orc advanced. Heavy boots crushed the undergrowth. The earth shook with every step. The monster gripped its axe, the iron blade swinging in a slow, rhythmic arc. A long shadow stretched across the mud, reaching for Ash's fingers.

  He scraped at the dregs of his strength. He dug past the exhaustion into power that felt like broken glass.

  "Dark Gate: Void Cage."

  The sigils flickered in the air. The geometry looked lopsided and weak. Faint gray vapor emerged from the dirt around the orc's feet. It lacked the substance to bind. The lines of magic looked like smoke caught in a gale.

  The monster halted. It pulled against the gray threads. Gray-green muscles bunched. Black sweat poured from its skin, sizzling against the dirt. A low rumble started in its chest. The sound grew louder.

  The gray vapor snapped.

  The spell shattered into sparks. Ash collapsed forward onto his hands and knees. His vision grayed at the edges. Accessing that power felt like it was draining his life.

  The unconscious knight lay three paces away. The warrior's chest rose and fell beneath dented armor. They were still alive.

  A shadow fell across them both. The orc raised its axe. The iron blade was covered in writhing symbols.

  Ash's mind fractured.

  The forest was gone.

  High windows let in shafts of yellow light, illuminating drifting dust. The scent of old parchment and dried ink filled his nose. He felt the cold surface of a wooden table against his cheek. He sat in a library that stretched into the dark.

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  A sharp tap hit the back of his head. He sat up, rubbing his scalp. A woman stood over him, holding a thick volume. A smile creased her face.

  "Sleeping again? That makes three times this week."

  Ash wiped his chin. Embarrassment burned in his chest.

  "This is impossible," Ash said.

  Her voice turned serious. "It is difficult. It is not impossible. There is a difference." She placed a callused hand on Ash's shoulder. "People try to teach you rules. But magic existed before rules. It flows through the stones and the water and the space between stars. It responds to will, not fear. When the world says you are broken, remember that it answers to you."

  She raised the heavy book again and swung it toward Ash's head.

  In the forest, the orc's axe began its descent.

  The book struck his mind at the exact second the axe should have hit his neck.

  Metal rang against metal. The orc's axe stopped. A wall of black steel stood between Ash and the blade. A knight in matte-black armor held a greatsword high, bracing against the iron axe.

  The orc snarled. It pressed down with its weight. The knight's boots slid backward through the mud, carving deep furrows in the earth.

  Six more armored warriors emerged from the trees. They moved in silence. Four of them raised their hands.

  "Dark Gate: Maiden Prison."

  Thick pillars of black crystal erupted from the mud, boxing the orc in. Jagged spikes of hardened mana drove through the creature's chest and arms. Black ichor sprayed the crystal. The orc's roar turned into a high, desperate shriek.

  A fifth knight leaped over the top of the cage. The greatsword swung in a wide arc. The orc's head spun into the brush.

  The cage vanished into black mist.

  A knight knelt and offered a glass vial. "Drink, my Lord."

  Ash took the vial with shaking hands. The liquid was pale blue and cold. Warmth hit his stomach and spread to his chest. The Seed of Life began to hum. Nearby, another warrior lifted the unconscious comrade Ash had saved.

  The knight who gave him the vial stood up. "My Lord. Forgive this interruption of your Proving."

  Ash pushed himself upright. "Why are you here?"

  "A mana surge pulled the corruption here," a woman's voice said from behind a black helmet. She pointed at the dead orc. "This wasn't part of your trial. It was an anomaly."

  "Then why are you leaving?" Ash asked. He gripped his wounded leg.

  "The breach is still active at the forest edge," the leader answered. "If we do not stop it now, more will break through. We have neutralized the threat to your life. The rest of the Proving is still yours."

  The leader signaled to the others. "Go. To the breach."

  They moved into the trees with coordinated silence. The knight carrying the wounded soldier paused at the tree line. The featureless helmet turned back toward Ash.

  "Caution, my Lord. Something old moves in these woods. It remembers."

  Then they were gone.

  Ash stood alone in the clearing. The forest pressed inward, but he didn't hide. He found his knife in the mud. He wiped the black grease onto a patch of grass and sheathed the blade. He started walking toward the cave. Every step sent a spike of heat through his wounded leg. The black veins on his skin were still there, waiting. He didn't look back.