(Emberheart’s perspective)

  I was never fond of politics.

  Not that I was bad at it. It just felt meaningless somehow. I was born strong into a strong family. My life was set even before I showed any aptitude for magic. Whether I became a great mage or just a regular one, my future would be secure. My legacy would remain.

  How can one get interested in politics when they wish for nothing?

  At least, that's how I initially thought.

  When I discovered the extent of my power, things got troublesome. Now I was expected to do well, to change the world, to be far more than just a man.

  But my story is not one of burden.

  I always managed to perform. I was a great mage, blessed not only with overwhelming magic but with the talent to use it. Every expectation placed upon me never made me anxious because it was simply too easy to surpass them.

  Then came the time to choose what I would do, which path I would follow, the time to supposedly change the world.

  And I felt nothing.

  No path in front of me felt challenging. Whether I helped the emperor or one of the other candidates for power, I would succeed in the end. And then what? What would be left?

  I have no illusions of grandeur or of some great purpose. I'm just a man blessed with talent.

  Stormweaver was the one who gave me purpose.

  He was my mentor when I was doubting every path I could take. He taught me about the great mages of the past and what I could become. He offered me an alternative path.

  Not a path of conflict, but of stability. Of creating a better world.

  I wasn't excited by the idea initially. It wasn't my dream. But Stormweaver was excited enough for both of us. He talked about no more wars, the burden of the strong lifted, a new generation of mages unburdened by the cycles of the past. And I believed in him. Every word he said came from his heart, a pure desire to change the world for the better.

  So choosing my path wasn't difficult anymore. Politics weren't boring anymore. Because I believed in an ideal given to me. I wished for that ideal to become truth.

  Of course, all that was before I knew about his lie.

  I stood in the corridor now, positioned along the easiest path from the infirmary. My hands traced empty spell circles in the air, trying to find comfort in the familiar gestures, but anxiety proved to be a much tougher enemy than I'd expected.

  I'm not good at controlling my emotions and my mana.

  She was.

  And because of that thing, she isn't even able to wake up anymore.

  I tried to lower the temperature around me. If I let it get too hot, they might notice me too early. The air shimmered slightly as I wrestled it back under control.

  It didn't take long.

  As soon as the corridors emptied, I felt the presence. My mana opened the way to something that didn't feel like anything. The complete absence of any feeling or energy.

  A void walking in the shape of a child.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  They didn't notice me at first. Not until they were turning the corner.

  During the day, I'd thought about what I should say, what words would be appropriate. But was there any meaning to it? Were they even capable of understanding? Or did they just mimic speech, the way they mimicked being human?

  They looked at me. The corruption in the body of a small boy, still trying to pretend it wasn't there, trying to pretend to be just a lost child wandering the halls.

  "I know what you are," I said. I wanted to be done with games and pretending.

  They looked at me, puzzled. But something shifted in their expression. Recognition. "You... You were there." They smiled, though their eyes stayed fixed on me without any real emotion behind them. "Are you Emberheart?"

  "Yes."

  They hesitated, clearly thinking about how to proceed. Considering if running was an option. "That's too bad..."

  I felt the corruption spreading, taking place around them and shoving my mana away. They were trying to hide it still, using just enough power to establish safe ground but not enough to be visible.

  It was useless.

  The corruption dissipated as fast as it formed, giving place to my mana again.

  They looked at me, confused now. "How are you doing that?"

  "So you are interested in talking?" Of course they were. They were addicted to learning. One of the few things we'd noticed during the expedition.

  When the corruption there had looked for Kai, when it had tried to make us use magic, it was always trying to learn more and more. A living being created by corruption, trying to understand us.

  "Let's talk. Tell me how you did that." They insisted, almost eager.

  "First, tell me what you did to the boy. The one whose body you're using." I needed to get this out of the way. Needed to remove any possibility that it would later try to appeal to my emotions by pretending he was somehow still alive in there.

  "Dead. Dead for months. I feed on him, on his memory, on what is left." They said it casually as if it was nothing. "Now tell me!"

  "I see." I paused, studying them. "But he is just a kid. Not a lot of useful information. And I imagine some of that information is lost due to deterioration."

  They were getting mad now, trying to force corruption out again. It just kept dissipating.

  I continued. "Then let me tell you. Mana and corruption share a lot of similarities, but some things are different. One of those differences is the temperature at which it becomes unstable. Mana can handle much higher temperatures, while corruption loses its form and dissipates when exposed to intense heat."

  "Of course..." Their expression shifted to something almost like excitement. "Emberheart. They talked about you. The fire mage family. Fire to burn the corruption."

  "Why are you here? Why attack people inside the academy?" I tried another question.

  "To grow. To learn. To assimilate."

  I noticed several things from that answer. This creature wasn't smart, not like the one in the forest. It was a weaker, more impulsive version. It wasn't cunning or clever or even particularly good at deception.

  What worried me about this was simple: why bother sending it here then? The leader of the corruption mages was not a man that would do something without a good enough reason.

  "Are you going to kill me?" they asked.

  "Unfortunately, no."

  I had to promise not to.

  When Kai told me his plan, I was surprised.

  There were aspects of it that seemed questionable upon closer inspection. Risky. Borderline reckless. But he was so sure of it. There was no doubt at all in his eyes.

  It wasn't a bad plan. But how did he get Aurora to agree to all the risky parts? How did he convince her to go directly against these two massive forces, the empire and the academy? And not only her but all the others?

  I knew I had the answer.

  It wasn't something grand like rule-making powers or high ranking. It wasn't about influence or political leverage.

  Kai believed in it. He believed he was making the right choice, that this had to be done.

  Just like Stormweaver once had, every word Kai said came from his heart.

  When did Aldric change? Was it sudden? When did he start compromising on what was right to achieve his goals?

  Or was he always like that, and it was just me who couldn't see it? Too blinded by what he and his ideals meant to me?

  Whatever it was, once again I was being convinced to act. To stand for an ideal. To believe.

  Kai probably didn't realize the effect he had on people. He probably wouldn't notice for a long time. He was inexperienced, barely knew about politics or the world at large. But he had the potential to change this world for the better, even without his power.

  What a foolish man I was, once again falling for a passionate discourse about a better world.

  Just one more time, I would let myself believe. I would give Kai a chance to prove himself, to prove his path.