The First Trial

Before Ojero could finish the words of the damaged plaque, he felt his vision go dark once again.

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE? WHY AM I HERE?" Back in the dark space, Ojero couldn't help but scream out in anger at it.

"What did I do? Why am I being sent to this place? I know something is out there! Speak to me!"

A loud booming voice answered Ojero, echoing around the entire space.

"The Tomes of the Lost Mage: The First Trial."

The inky blackness slowly faded around Ojero, and he found himself in a moderately sized room with minimal furnishings. He was currently sitting on a small bed, leaning against the backrest. There were five empty beds, three to his right and two to his left.

None of the other ones were occupied and sat empty, but neatly kept.

He could hear himself softly muttering, and he had to pay close attention to make any of the words out.

"Weak… Weak, that's what I am. That's what I've always been. That's what I can not allow myself to be."

"They work so hard and reach so far, maybe I can be like them?" The voice of Thyrus said with mild hope.

"No, I am not like them…" Thyrus finished, suddenly monotone again.

"I am not gifted like Nikolo or Boutinom, nor was I born into riches like Pola and Endour, and certainly no prince like Retnor. I am simply… Thyrus."

"I suppose the secrets lay within here." Thyrus stated, and suddenly a dark black Tome appeared floating in front of him. It had two large stones embedded into it, one dark black and the other dark purple.

Raising his hand, the Tome suddenly opened and began flipping pages rapidly. Although Ojero could see the Tome, he couldn't see the words written on it.

'Maybe it is just empty? Or can only the owner see the contents of a Tome?' Ojero wondered from inside Thyrus.

Stopping on a certain page, Thyrus placed his hand on the page of the Tome, and it suddenly began glowing a dark black.

"If I can not be born with strength, I shall take it…" Thyrus muttered quietly, as the black glow started to spread from the Tome to Thyrus' arms, crawling up him until it reached his face, where it seeped into his eyes, turning them pitch black

Snapping his head upwards, Ojero could sense an immense spike of pain radiate throughout Thyrus' body. He grit his teeth hard, producing a slight grinding sound.

It only lasted a second before the color returned to his eyes, and Thyrus slumped down into the soft mattress, the Tome falling down in front of him.

He sat there for a few minutes, his chest rising and falling slowly, the only noise being heavy panting.

The door to the room then opened loudly, and in walked Retnor in his usual fancy garb.

"Heya Thyrus, how are you do- Gods almighty, are you alright?" The prince half-shouted, running up to his bedside.

"What happened? Were you attacked? Did you- Wait, did you choose your archetype?"

Thyrus only gave a single nod in response, still sapped of all his strength from absorbing the Shadow Mana.

The look of shock and worry vanished from Retnors face as a large smile took its place.

"Wow! You've done it! Now, which one did you choose?" Retnor asked, practically jumping with excitement.

Finally catching his breath for a moment, Thyrus spoke in a soft voice.

"Light a flame in your hand and I'll show you."

Without even a moment of hesitation Retnor raised his right hand with his palm face up, and a large flame burst forth, radiating heat.

After a second of rest, Thyrus mimicked his action, raising his own hand into the air. Suddenly, a large black flame burst forth, radiating a strange feeling of coldness and loneliness.

Retnor shivered uncontrollably, as his eyes were attracted to the very center of the flame. It felt like he couldn't look away even if he tried, as the feeling of coldness began to sink deeper into him.

His own flame flickered out and died as Retnor lost focus, entirely enraptured by the dark flame in front of him.

Thyrus quickly noticed this, and canceled the spell, leaving only a black smoke floating into the air.

Reaching forward, Thyrus jostled Retnor, shaking him violently.

"Come on! Are you okay? What happened?"

Retnor stayed silent for a moment, still lost in the coldness, before softly speaking.

"It felt so cold… so broken… so lost. Thyrus, what was that?"

Thyrus recoiled at those words.

"It was my spell! That's all! It's the spell I received upon choosing the archetype! It allows me to mimic the properties of another low level spell I can see, and changes the element to shadow. Did I do something wrong?" Thyrus spoke, worried he had done something wrong.

'Why does he act so childish?' Ojero wondered.

Retnor seemed to notice the hurt tone of Thyrus' voice, and let out a heavy sigh.

"No, it's fine, Thyrus. I should've expected it. Shadow is a very dark element with a long list of downsides, most of which we still don't understand. I can't blame you for it, you didn't choose your element after all. It just surprised me. I've never felt so alone in my life, even when… That doesn't matter right now, what does matter is how you're a fully fledged mage!" Retnor said, getting more and more excited as he went along.

"Wasn't I a fully fledged mage before?" Thyrus said, the suspicion clear in his voice.

"You were! But now it's official! Casting your first spell is cause for celebration! I'll gather the others, tonight we are going down to the Food Hall and partying! You better get ready to do that spell again, all the others will want to see it! Now come on, let's go!" Thyrus said excitedly, already moving towards the door.

Shaking his head, Thyrus slowly got up and followed, muttering to himself.

"It's nice to know I can always rely on you to be on my side, Retnor."