Chapter 12: The Shadow and the Revelation

The moment Jakob realised this connected between the king and the light mage his vision faded to black. 

Without warning, he found himself back in Acantha's home. Stunned, it took him a couple of seconds to speak. "Were they really that powerful?" he said, talking about the Soul mage. Acantha nodded, with a shudder she continued to speak.

"Soul mages became stronger by being among the dead and by stealing a person's soul. As you saw, during war this ability was so powerful that even kings couldn't stop them."

"Who was the King?" Interrupted Jakob, "I didn't know there were Kings who fought on the front line or were as powerful as he was."

I have no idea," replied Acantha. That memory was passed down to me so that I could learn the dangers of Soul magic."

"Oh" said Jakob, disappointed at the answer. He would have liked to learn more about that man.

"What happened to the rest of the soul mages? He asked intrigued, "That soul mage was so powerful it made an army seem useless. So, what I'm trying to ask is," He paused trying to think of a way to explain his train of thought. "Why aren't the rulers and lawmaker's soul mages?" He froze as a horrible realisation hit him, "Or are they?"

Acantha laughed, relieving Jakob's tension she replied "No, Soul mages are not around any more. Stealing souls and the ability to get stronger while being among the dead was, as you can imagine, extremely useful when there was a war and if they were on your side. However, when the war had ended, that same ability during peace, made them seem like… well… monsters."

"When the war ended, Soul mages abused their power. From the souls and lives taken in war, they were already stronger than any other mage who tried to stand against them. In a hunger for even more power, Soul mages became serial killers who got stronger and harder to catch with each kill.

"So, what happened," questioned Jakob, enthralled with the history of magic. "Why aren't there any more soul mages?"

Acantha poured a glass of water. Sipping, she continued to tell the history of magic, "To try and safeguard people from soul magic all the other elementals, including light and dark mages, got together and cast an immensely powerful curse that stripped the magic from all soul mages. This curse also had the effect of stopping any future child being born with soul magic."

Acantha gazed into the distance, her eyes reflecting the weight of centuries. "But there was an unintended cost," she began, her voice carrying the echoes of a painful truth. "The curse drained the very essence of magic from the land. People in Makanor, the region where the curse was cast, could no longer wield magic. And not just them—every magician, regardless of their elemental focus, felt the lifeblood of magic slipping away when they entered Makanor," She paused, letting the weight of her words settle. 

"That is why I could not stay in Makanor to protect you, Bjari and Asta. The longer I stayed, the more my magic drained." she said as a tear ran down her cheek. 

Despite the initial shock at this news, Jakob's curiosity and understanding grew. That was why magic was so rare in Makanor, why the hunters had to spend years learning how to track and carefully hunt a beast when elsewhere, magic made the job easier. However, why can I cast magic? Jakob thought, uncertain if he should ask Acantha. Trusting that he would be able to ask her later, he remained silent as she continued to speak. 

"Now I can finally answer the questions you asked before the memory. There are only a handful of Light and Dark elementals because of a specific spell cast around twenty years ago."

Acantha paused, "This spell was like the one that stopped soul magic was cast by the governing leaders of Aliraz. The difference with this curse was to remove the magic from all Light and Dark focuses"

Why?" interrupted Jakob, "Why are there dark mages if the curse worked? Or did it fail because I'm here? What did we do?" he said, already developing a kinship for darkness mages.

Acantha smiled, glad at Jakobs curiosity and determination to find his place in the world.

"You haven't done anything… yet," Acantha said, "It's what people think that you will do that scares everyone else so much"

"What will I do?" echoed Jakob. "You aren't making any sense. What do you mean?" he paused as realization hit him like a brick.

"People can't see the future… can they?" he cautiously said, afraid of the answer.

"Yes, some mages can." said Acantha. "Many, many mages had a prediction of the future that twins, one with darkness, and the other with light would battle. The result of this battle would mean the entire world being destroyed or saved. A new curse was cast, this time to reduce the number of Light and Dark mages, rather than eliminate them, to try and not have the side effect of what happened to Makanor"

"Wait," interrupted Jakob, as flakes of fear froze his heart. "I'm…" he gulped, trying to understand what Acantha had just said. Jakob clenched his fists to stop his hands shaking with uncertainty. When Jakob spoke, his voice was a whisper out of fear that speaking it would bring the words into reality. 

"I'm in a prophecy that says I could destroy the world?" 

His voice trembled as the revelation echoed in his mind. Heartbeat, once a steady rhythm, now thundered like a haunting drum, drowning out all other sounds. 

"It's my fault." 

Tainted with guilt, Jakob's whisper cut through the air. The blame he heaped upon himself was a heavy shroud, suffocating him with every breath. 

If it wasn't because of me, Bjari and Asta would still be alive. 

"Did she run in fear when she saw me, the world killer. Is this why I was abandoned at birth? Chaotic thoughts trickled through Jakob's brain, tainting his life with despair.

"Jakob," Acantha said softly, her voice carrying the warmth of both concern and understanding. But before she could continue, Jakob's tearful inquiry sliced through the air.

"Why…" said Jakob, voice shaking with emotion as tears trickled down his cheek. "Why have you watched over me? Everyone I care about has run from me or died! Why haven't you killed me? Why don't you fear me like that mage did? Why did you save me?" he said, screaming in pain.

Acantha's expression shifted, eyes glinting with a motherly fury. In a swift and unexpected motion, she raised her hand and delivered a resounding slap across Jakob's face. Stunned, caught off balance he fell off his seat and landed on the ground. What? thought Jakob was unsure at what had just happened.

"Shut up," said Acantha, "Did you listen to anything I just said? You could destroy the world," she said bluntly, her gaze unyielding. "However, you could also save the world. As well..." Acantha's voice softened, as she helped Jakob to his feet, "the prophecy could just as easily not be about you."

Acantha's eyes held an unwavering gaze, filled with an emotion that transcended the weight of the prophecy. Despite their unrelatedness, it was the look of a mother who had watched her child grow, weathering every storm.

"I've watched you grow. I've seen you smile with delight at a snowfall. I've seen you cry when you've fallen. I've watched you get older and older, and I have never, never feared you." 

As Acantha shared these words, it became clear that the slap, the wake-up call, was not an act of anger but an act of love—a desperate attempt to shake Jakob from the clutches of despair, to remind him of the intricate web of possibilities that defined his destiny.

"And you know what else I've seen?" Acantha smiled, her voice pushing back the waves of doubt. "I've seen you stubbornly refusing to give up, even when faced with the toughest challenges. You are more than a prophecy, Jakob. You are a force of nature, and I believe in you."

Looking into Jakob's eyes, she continued to say, "I even told Ingolf and Bjari that you should be trained as a Makanor Hunter." Jakob froze in surprise. He didn't know that.

"You… you wanted me to be a Hunter even though you knew what I could become?" he said uncertain of what he was hearing. It doesn't make sense. Knowing the possibility of my future, why did she want me to be trained as a hunter? It just doesn't make sense.

Acantha nodded, "Yes, I asked you to be trained as a Hunter. I asked so that you would learn how to fight and how to think in stressful situations without learning magic."

"So, people wouldn't track me," Jakob said as he understood. Acantha asked me to be trained as a Hunter so I would learn how to fight without the chance that I could be tracked by magic. But why? I could still be the one who destroys the world.

"Yes," Acantha nodded. "I asked you to be trained because there is a chance that you are the child from the prophecy. If you are, this means that you could also save the world. While you could destroy the world, you could also be the one who saves it. I believe in you Jakob. I know who you are. Everything I have done has been to encourage you to grow into the best version of the man you could be,"

As Acantha's words lingered in the air like the subtle ringing of struck metal, Jakob felt a storm of emotions brew within him. Acantha, had guided him, thrust him into the forge, molding him with fires of experience. 

"I could have done none of that, but what if the prophecy was about you and my help was exactly what you needed to save the world. What if you lost and the world was destroyed because you failed to learn something that Ingolf, Bjari, I or anyone else could have taught you?"

"I… I never saw that you were going to be the one to destroy the world. If you were, then it wouldn't have been your fault. It would have been my fault, Bjari's fault, Ingolf's fault, anyone's fault who refused to teach you love, compassion and hope." 

For a moment, Jakob caught a glimpse of the intricate mosaic that composed Acantha—the mentor, the guardian, and the woman who bore the weight of centuries.

Jakob opened his mouth to interrupt but Acantha kept talking. "No-one chooses to destroy the world. No-one wakes up and suddenly thinks that they will burn the world. It takes time to raise someone of hate. I have tried to teach you hope, love and compassion to make sure that you know exactly what you will be fighting for. I believe in you Jakob."

Jakob was stunned at Acantha's display of emotion. Sitting in silence he made a pact to himself. I will be the one to save the world, he thought with a furious determination. I won't let Bjari or Asta deaths be in vain. I must learn magic and keep fighting because of them, and everyone else who has taught me. For Acantha, Bjari, Ingolf and Asta I will save this world.

"Oh," Jakob said as a thought from earlier resurfaced in his mind. "How can I summon magic then?" he said confused, "It looks like the curse didn't work. I… I still summoned shadows to fight the man who killed my family. How is that possible?"

"That is a story that even I don't completely understand. All I know is that your mother somehow avoided the curse. Her magic wasn't affected and…"

"Wait!" yelled Jakob, interrupting Acantha. His heart leapt into his throat as he realised what Acantha had just said. She… she knew my mother. She knew my mother, why am I finding this out now?