Surprise (2)

Support my main contracted novel and winner of Writing Prompts #26 - The Legendary Mage!

Desolate Mage: A Legend Reborn!

https://www.webnovel.com/book/12013957905760805/Desolate-Mage%3A-A-Legend-Reborn!

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Some things you never forget.

Some things change your life forever.

One of Sam's first memories was when she was 5; when she and her grandpa Lucius had just moved to Pari. It was her birthday; and instead of the usual hard bread, grandpa had prepared a few pieces of soft, fluffy wheat bread. It even had a smattering of raisins inside it!

She had chewed happily on her bread - the most delicious thing she had eaten in her life. Then she hugged her grandpa while he patted her on her head (she wasn't so strong then).

When grandpa asked her to make a birthday wish; she innocently wished for a mama and papa.

She felt really, really bad when grandpa's face fell and he started crying; looking at her with guilty, gentle eyes while standing by the kitchen table.

Dumb and silly as she was, she still knew when grandpa was sad. As she hugged grandpa's waist tightly; and he knelt down to hug her back; she wiped away his tears (roughly as a child would) and promised herself to never talk about mama and papa again to grandpa.

Then her 9th birthday. Just like the years before, they had special food together; and she sat by grandpa's side by the make-shift fireplace and listened to him tell stories of his adventuring days.

Only; this year he was quieter; and soon the two of them just sat by the crackling fireplace, enjoying the warm of the heart and each other's company.

Then, seeming to snap out of his thoughts, he smiled wistfully and stood up.

"Sam… I guess it's time to give you something." He waved for her to follow him up to the cramped wooden attic; built as a wooden mezzanine above his ramshackle study.

They climbed up the ladder to the claustrophobic space and the man began to move some of the stacked up boxes. After digging for awhile; he pulled out a dark black-brown wooden box; roughly the size of a book. He blew a puff of air at it, then wiped off the remaining dust.

Sam tip-toed, trying to see the box in the tall man's hands. On it was written the words "EPANASTASI"; with the motif of a Tree and a planet. Only; the picture was odd – the tree was not rooted on the planet – instead, the planet was like an egg floating above the tree.

"This… Was your mother's…" The grey-haired man was normally as hale as an ox; and as full of vitality as a bull. But looking at him today; he looked tired and frail.

Sam, as always, nodded silently. But this time she had a look of awe and wonder on her face.

He carefully pulled out a locket that appeared like it were made of wood; one that somehow still had a metallic sheen to it. It was strung on a slim silvery necklace which looked quite dull. It was shaped like a leaf.

"Sam…" Lucius had on his face a smile that was not a smile; both happy, yet also sad and grieving. "I've never spoken about your mother, have I…?" He took in a deep breath, and then held it awhile before letting it out.

As he strung the necklace around her neck; he spoke. "Your mother… There's never been someone so kind, so lovely and so… Energetic!" He laughed, closing his eyes and savouring the thoughts.

"Even when she was little, she would constantly find new things, new ideas, new friends… She was always full of life. And so, so smart and adorable; just like her mother…" His gaze fell to the ground; turning aside as he walked through the bittersweet memories.

Then his face contorted into a scowl; but not one of anger – one of guilt and hurt.

"But I couldn't accept her choice of life… No matter how much she tried to convince me, I…" His fists clenched, then unclenched. Clenched again; so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"To this day, I regret… I regret so much; so so so much…" Sam felt like crying too; and wrapped her arms around her grandpa – causing him to flinch and quickly draw back; shocked.

He coughed in embarrassment (at his scared reaction), the shock of her imminent bear-hug enough to snap him out of his memories. Regaining his composure slightly; the old man sighed deeply.

"Sam… I… I don't know how, or why, or what happened…" His eyes turned to the moon; solitary and lonely in the sky above – like the man himself.

"When I found her years later…"

"…I found only a grave..." He stopped; pausing for a long while, wrestling with the turbulent emotions washing over his heart.

"There… There was a-a letter…" Then he smiled through his pain; ruffled Sam's hair and kissed her forehead.

"And…" He smiled in joy through the tears as he held the girl. "…And a 4-year old you."

Once more, the kind, old, broken man's tears welled up; as he held the young girl whose turn it was to shed tears.

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That night, a 9-year old girl had cried herself to sleep; only able to think of one word as she drifted off to dreamland:

(Mama… Mama… Where; why did you go…)

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[23 August - 4:29 AM - Somewhere in the Swiss Alps]

"Ma... Mama! No...!"

"Fear not, my ssssweetheart... Mistresssssss will... Care for you sssssssumptiously..."

Hearing those words; the crouching ogre-like girl felt something in her snap.

(Mama…)

No, she not only felt it – she *heard* something within her snap; and felt a surge of heat exploding in her head; rushing through her neck and flooding her veins; fortifying her mind, soul, spirit and heart.

As well as a bestial cold, cold blood-thirsty rage – something she'd never felt before.

She heard a whisper in her mind: "Dreamscape Emperor: Soul Conqueror…"

The enraged girl laid aside the sensations - then swiftly doffed her backpack to Albert who was lying down by her side, propped up on his elbows. Snowie was warmly and snugly tucked inside the bag.

Then she spoke tersely.

"Albert."

"Hmm?" He was shaken out of his thoughts; so focused was he on the battle in the distance.

"They're much stronger than us, right...?"

"Yes, completely and definitely so; so you should--"

For once, she acted and thought swiftly; cutting him off.

"Then... Please take care of Snowie."

If he could see her face, he would be horrified - her eyes had turned nearly red with fury; yet her face was ice-cold; jaw set in a woman's wrath - completely unlike her usual cheerful self.

Then she disappeared.

"Saaaaammmm!!!!!!! Nooo!!"

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Sam landed; pivoted and charged up in a striking pose; Baguazhang's single palm change.

She mentally flinched as she met eyes with the despicable monster – Celica. She saw a mental image of thousands of phantom, red threads flow like blood from the vampire's eyes; latching on to her mind like bloody tentacles. The tentacles squirmed around; boring into her mind and seeking to take control.

Then the phantom, invisible tentacles convulsed as one – cringing and recoiling like they had touched fire.

Every tentacle that entered her mind had melted; eaten and absorbed into the girls' soul – and the corrosion continued upwards; devouring more and more of the tentacles.

All this takes a long time to describe; but happened in a blink of the eye.

Full-Burst.

Disruption.

Baguazhang style – Lion Stance - straight palm-strike. One of the products of her long, grueling hours of training with Sebastian to master her combat techniques.

"Goodbye."

Her palm flowed forward; appearing to move in slow-motion but in truth faster than the speed of sound.

The deceptively gentle-looking palm floated through the air; dissipating the purple strands of light that tried to obstruct. When her hand touched the level 15 princess' opaque layer of mana reinforcement; it cleaved through with the slightest tremors of vibrations rippling through the thick layer of defence.

Sam's palm landed on the vampire princess' chest; square on her sternum with a *thud* sound.

And the vampire princess' chest caved in; before erupting in a mist of blood and flesh.

Inch by inch she was torn apart by the mountain-like blow and monstrously violent back-and-forth vibrations "blending" her tender flesh and bones to a pulp[2]; the remnants of her corpse scattering to the winds.

"NO!!!!" A cacophony of 3 female voices cried out in unison; joined by 1 male voice, slightly further away.

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Having vented her anger on the target of her bloodlust, Sam's eyes and mental state began to recover – but not before her adversaries took advantage of her berserk and defenceless state.

A flash of sword light – a 6-inch nail slicing across a neck – a line of blood drawn; shock in the valiant girl's eyes.

A green blur crossing the 15m distance in a bound; soaring through the air and crashing into the girl - aiming to knock her up into the sky; defenceless.

A great ball of fire so grey it seemed black; launched directly at the trajectory of the girl; to swallow her up and leave her as but ashes. A deathly grey-red ball of death; one sufficient to slay even a mighty winter dragons.

A sob from Misharga; a cry of fear and panic from Albert - the man still more than 2km away; preparing to trigger one of his 3 divine-level talismans.

And the sundered flesh, bone and blood fragments gathered; swirling in the air in a bloody vortex... Reforming…

Regenerating into a heart; wrapped in layers of pulsating red and purple light - flashing like lightning and thunder, reflecting off the clouds.

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[1] Concepts such as power levels, ranks and adventurer ranks have been posted! Please see auxiliary chapter: Strength, Ranks & Levels System!

[2] Imagine an egg shaken violently inside a blender. Now imagine a human body shaken 1,000x more violently inside a metal grinding blender. *Pukes*

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BONUS CHAPTERS

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*Desolate Mage: A Legend Reborn*

Follow Mikael Tumijo's journey as the Legendary Mage of the Endless Worlds!

From 22 to 28 Oct; vote for my WRITING PROMPT entry - votes THERE will be counted for bonus chapters for BOTH "No System?" and the new novel!