Take My Hand

Sadly, Dorothy's suspicions turned out to be true as the Hope family called off the betrothal exactly five years later, after Aaron failed to pass the entrance exams to the Orion Academy for the second time that year. 

It was the subject of many gossips in the royal court of Aldesty. They couldn't believe that the only son of the Regis ducal line was so weak at utilizing magic that he could fail the Orion exams twice in a row, even after his family pulled strings to get him the second exam.

Aaron was now officially branded as the Regis disappointment. Not even his position as a noble could save him from the scorn and jeers of the commons.

And during this period of trials for Aaron Regis, he had no one to turn to. His family members treated him with disdain, and the peers looked down on him. He was lonely and depressed, but he pretended like he didn't care. He was always staying locked up in his room with not even a stuffed animal to play and talk with. 

Slowly but surely, the heart of the child known as Aaron Regis completely died away, leaving behind an emotionless shell. The insults and jeers no longer reached his ears, and he shrugged off the complaints of his family members. He no longer trained his magic with Thomas and no one ever saw him smile anymore.

Rumours about him running mad circulated around the kingdom but with no sufficient proof it was dismissed as nothing more than commoner gossip.

The atmosphere around the Regis mansion was heavy. And apart from the ever constant secret whisperings about Aaron's failure, everyone was in an anxious mood.

It was on one of these days that Stephen Regis decided the fate of his only son...

Aaron walked into the family's dining room wearing a gold and blue doublet over a wine red extravagant shirt. He stared blankly at the four people seated around the dining table, his parents, Amelia and Evander, the family advisor.

Without asking for permission, he took a seat farthest away from all of them and stared at the ceiling. 

Evander coughed behind his hand to hide his nervousness at Aaron's disrespectful behavior and Stephen only shook his head in silent disapproval before steepling his fingers together to face the matter at hand...

What to do with the disappointment that is Aaron Regis.

"We've all deliberated on this matter, and we've all come to a decision. Aaron, you are not qualified to be a member of the great Regis house. Your poor magic ability and your total failure in the Hope family betrothal issue have reflected poorly on our family's image. I'm exiling you to our villa in the Northfields, three kingdoms away from Aldesty..." 

Aaron's gaze did not stray from the ceiling even once as his father spoke to him. 

"...While you're there, reflect on what exactly it is that makes you so weak, and when you finally are able to control magic properly then, and only then are you allowed to come back to Aldesty"

"I understand"

Aaron's flat toned response came as a shock to everyone present in the dining hall.

"Stephen, are you sure your son isn't suffering from a mental illness? He's been like this for a good few years now. I think it's wise to find a discreet asylum to keep him in" The suggestion came from Evander, who thought Aaron was running mad.

"There's no need for that Evander. I'm in perfect mental health. My lack of authority in the Regis family is not enough to drive me mad. I'll be in my room packing my things if anyone needs me"

With this, Aaron got up and walked out of the room without asking for permission to leave.

Everyone was frozen with shock, and for seconds after he left the room, all they could do was stare at the door.

"Stephen, that boy has guts... If only he was talented at using magic, he would have made a great duke... Life is not very fair sometimes" 

Stephen only nodded his head silently to Evander's comment before turning his mind to other matters.

Aaron stared blankly out of his carriage window as the carriage rocked left and right on the rocky roads of the Cartenian Pass, an old and forgotten road network connecting Aldesty and the Northfields.

He had a convoy of three coaches, fifteen lightly armed guards, and two grade 5 mages. It was  meager company for someone with a position as lavish as the only son of a duke, not as if he cared about things like that anyways. 

His gaze took in the trees and their green leaves, the wild animals scurrying out of the way of his inelegant convoy and his stupid escorts arguing on who was the prettiest woman in the kingdom. From Aaron's calculations, he figured that Isabelle Lawrence, the third strongest mage in Aldesty, was the most popular choice.

Even though he was a noble, his interactions with other nobles were limited, as he rarely ever attended any social function due to his fallen status. He probably couldn't even remember the correct rankings of the five dukes of Aldesty but he couldn't blame himself, after all he was sure he'll never see Aldesty again.

'I wonder what I'll do when I get to the villa... I read somewhere that the Northfields are particularly cold, maybe I'll take up fishing just to pass time--'

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"Aaaaargh!!!"

His thoughts were interrupted by the booming of a thunderclap and an ear piercing scream. 

He peeked behind his carriage and was surprised to see that the carriage behind him was nothing more than a few charred lumps of blackened wood and the horses were steaming like freshly roasted meat.

BOOM!

Bright blue lightning stuck the rear of his carriage and he was thrown out of it from the resulting shockwave. He struck the ground hard and his sight immediately began to blur.

"Keok!"

Aaron coughed and spewed forth a good amount of blood all over himself. He looked towards the black clad figure that was causing all the damage. His fingers were surrounded by a crackling field of blue electricity... Lightning Magic!

"Aaargh! A mage! We're under attack by a mage! Run for your lives!" The escort commander screamed in terror while galloping away on his horse. The rest of the guards quickly followed their commander forgetting they were supposed to be protecting him.

Aaron felt like grinning as he stared at their retreating backs but alas, his face couldn't form the expression.

"What a cruel world. It still won't grant me a good laugh even on the day of my death. I guess this is the end of my pathetic story. They'll go back to Aldesty and announce that they were attacked by an army of bandits and I was killed in the ensuing skirmish, after they were attacked by a single mage. It's really funny isn't it, Mr. Mage?" 

He asked from the ground as the black clad figure walked towards him. He couldn't see his face as it was obscured by the mask he wore over his face. 

"Umm... I'm not really that much valuable to my family, so if you kill me here they will probably thank you for it... at least make it quick and painless"

Aaron said before closing his eyes to wait for the final strike that would end his miserable life, but the strike never came. The sound of thunder boomed and he could hear the far away screams of his escaping caravan guards. He opened his eyes with a bewildered expression plastered on his face. 

The mage took of the blue mask covering his face and stared blankly at the charred lumps of flesh that was all that remained of the guards. He was a tall, middle aged man with blonde close cropped hair and a light stubble. His eyes were dull grey in colour and his hands were still crackling with the lightning. Aaron did not try to scramble away from the man as his eyes were fixed on the the lightning. 

"How beautiful..." He muttered to himself as his hand moved on it's own accord to touch the lightning, but they never reached it. The mage grabbed his hand just before he touched the lightning.

"What are you doing boy? Are you not afraid?" He asked in a deep baritone. His lips held the slightest hint of a smirk. Aaron frowned as he shook his hands out of the man's grip.

"Afraid? I'm not sure I know how to feel that anymore? But that doesn't matter right now... Are you a first grade mage? What you did with the lightning was amazing" Aaron asked flatly, emboldened by the mage's docile disposition. 

The mage chuckled softly before spreading his arms out in a dramatic manner.

"First grade mage? It's been a long time since I was graded, but I'm pretty sure that I'm way past that stage"

"Way past first grade... That means, you're a special grade mage. Just who exactly are you?" Aaron asked curiously while barely lifting an eyebrow. He was surprised, but his unnatural poker face kept all his emotions and expressions hidden.

The mage smiled at him before holding out his hand to Aaron.

"My name is Robert Remmington. You and I are members of a very rare and powerful mage class. We are known as the Warlocks. A mage class said to be twice as strong as mages of the same grade with them and possess secret magic techniques known only to members of the Warlock sect. You see, I like you boy. Your family was very stupid to throw you away. They couldn't recognize the great power in you but I do. I'll create an orderly world by all means possible. A world where everything follows an organized plot. A world with a set hierarchy and you and I can be at the top. Join me, Aaron Regis. Join me and I'll make you into a mage that no one can look down on. All you have to do...

...is take my hand"