The City of Mages Arc: Dawn

"The same memory haunts me." She says.

"What memory?" he responds. Maria, looks up at the murky morning sky, as her head lays on Alex's chest.

"I was walking alone in a blinding green light. I heard their screams but I ignored them I…" her voice trails off and after a brief silence she sits up and gazes into the forest with a blank expression. "Emerald night", thinks the lad. Maria abruptly stands and wears her bottoms. "I'm sorry Alex, but this was a mistake, I can't have this type of relationship with you."

"I understand." He says casually and rises to his feet.

"You do?"

"Yeah," Alex says as he picks up his sword.

"I'm really sorry Alex…" she apologies confused by Alex's casual response.

"Ok." he retorted with his usual distant demeanour "How was it though?" Alex asked, plainly.

"Like your magic, it was okay but could use a little work." Maria answers coldly. Alex playfully grips his chest, but his face shows no emotion as if her words cut deep. She gives him her mischievous signature smile, "Now all that sexual tension has been exercised let's continue with your training."

"Mistress Maria" a voice calls from the forest. Three figures emerge from the darkness which Alex recognizes as Maria's servants that greeted Gavin and him on Maria's estate, they give a courteous bow in union before one of the servants walks up and whispers into Maria's ear.

"Let's move ahead with the final step tonight." Maria tells her servant as she walks towards the lad "Alex there's been an emergency, so I'm leaving you with Rosary, she'll watch over your training." A white haired servant steps forward and bows her head slightly. "And under no circumstances do you leave this orchard, I will come and get you."

"Sure." Alex retorted. Maria steps forward and kisses his forehead before turning and leaving with two of the identical triplets.

"Please continue Broinson." Rosary said. Alex nods as his blade becomes engulfed in a green flame. He turns to face the tree and takes a deep breath as he raises the sword over his head.

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Gavin reaches down, grabs the man's neck and lifts the man above his head, "S ranked knights are really this powerful, he defeated Atlas in mere minutes with no powers" marvels Graham to himself.

"Under the authority of Letholdus, I Gavin the Blackthorn sentence you to death on the charges of mass murder and dark magic. Any last words, priest?" A brief silence ensues; Atlas drops his gaze from the knight and stars emptily at the carnage from their battle, trees outrooted and scarred earth.

"Whatever the new world brings, I did my part." the priest retorts.

"There will be no new world, your delusional dreams will die once I kill your master."

"My only request is you apologize to my grandson on your way to hell." Spat Graham as he places a spike against his son's chest," before either man could kill the mage, chains created from magic form around Atlas and yanks him into the forest.

"Forgive my rudeness but I can't have you killing my subordinate, even though I specifically told him I would deal with you personally." Said Maria as she, her maids and a crowd of hooded followers emerge from the forest.

"Finally showing your true hand Maria?" says Gavin," What would Mace say?"

"Don't speak with such impudence." Hisses a servant as her eyes changed from black to yellow.

"Stand down, we won't win a direct confrontation against him." Orders Maria.

"If you're not here to fight you're here to surrender." Gavin says.

"Neither, I'm just here for Atlas."

"That's funny and you expect, I would just let you all go, after all the crimes you have committed."

"That's exactly what I expect Blackthorn. You may be powerful but Alex isn't. I left him in a secure place under the supervision of my follower. If I don't make it back by tomorrow morning, she will kill him."

"Sir Blackthorn, she's far too dangerous to let go for the sake of one kid, kill her now! I beg of you!" barked Graham.

"You really are lower than dirt Maria." Gavin retorts as his cold blue eyes reflect murderous intent.

"You lost the moment you took your eye off your apprentice." Scoffed Maria.

"When this is all over, I'll give your head as a gift to the High Knight," Retorts Gavin.

"In the world I'll build there will be no need for knights or a dictatorship like the Highest Order." Maria turns her back on the knight and the old mage. "Good day Gavin, don't bother going to my mansion you won't find Alex there and quite frankly you're not welcome." with that Maria and her cult disappear into the forest.

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The sun sets as the tree stands precariously before the lad with a gaping hole in its side. Alex wipes the sweat off his forehead and places his sword over his shoulder.

"You are indeed a prodigy Broinson." Rosary says.

"What do you mean? It took a whole day of whacking my sword against this wood." Answers Alex.

"It only took you a day."

"How long does it usually take?"

"For novices, this exercise takes weeks maybe even months. Are you sure this is your first time using magic?"

"Hmm, I have used it a couple of times by accident. This is the first time I have really been in control." Alex grips his sword tighter and took a deep breath in then exhales, "Whatever weapon you hold, try to make it an extension of your body and soul." Alex's sword immediately lights up with a bright green flame, it's radiance illuminates their surrounding with an emerald light. "I have swung this sword so many times today; I barely feel its weight. It's a part of my body now." The lad suddenly swings the blade into the tree's side easily curving through the remaining wood. The mighty tree crashes to the ground in a thunderous explosion. "Alright now I can…" Something catches Alex's eye from the dark shadows of the forest depths.

"What's wrong, Broinson?"

"There are strange people in the hoods watching us."

"Pay no mind to them. Mistress Maria we'll explain everything when she arrives."

"How long have they been watching us?"

"Pay no mind to them. Mistress Maria we'll explain everything when she arrives." Rosary repeats.

"No, I want answers now."

"I am afraid it's not my place."

"I'm going to check with Grace maybe she knows." The lad turns to leave but the white-haired maiden grabs his wrist as he walks past her.

"I am afraid; Maria's orders are absolute Broinson." Rosary says menacingly, Alex looks into her eyes and notes her pupils had shifted from black to yellow, he tugs his hand away but to his horror he was unable to break her hold.

"Let go of me please. I just want to speak with Grace. That's all."

"Maria's orders are absolute."

"Rosary, I don't want to hurt a lady." Alex warns. The maid gives off a polite smile, then smashes her head into his face. The lad is knocked onto his knees, he feels a warm liquid trickle down his throbbing face, he reaches for his face as the blood oozes into the palm of his hand.

"Thank you Broinson, I appreciate your chivalry." The moment she finishes saying this, Alex retaliates by yanking her and delivering his own head-butt, reinforced with foundation. Rosary stumbles back then falls over but her hand firmly holds onto Alex's despite being unconscious, forcing the lad to yank his own hand free. The last rays of the sun disappear behind the mansion in the distance as Alex finds the path to Grace's mansion, but as he begins to walk, a single sentence sends chills down his spine.

"I am afraid Maria's orders are final." He turns and sees Rosary upright, her pale skin has been replaced with white reptilian scales as steaming black saliva dripped from her mouth onto the forest floor. Without a second thought he takes off running, as his watcher dashes towards him. "I can't lead her back to Grace's home," the lad thinks to himself as he abruptly dashes off the path into the depths of the estate away from the mansion in the distance. "Maybe this will slow her down?" thinks the lad as he uses foundation on his blade to cut down as many trees in his path as he could, to throw her off but unfortunately he couldn't have been any more wrong as Rosary effortlessly jumped over and slid under the obstacles keeping her on his trail.

The lad makes a swift turn to hide behind a tree, "Why can't I lose her I'm running down wind?". Almost immediately his face lights up as he came to realization.

"My body heat," he figures it out as he quickly grabs a nearby stone. After a short while his pursuer slow and begins to walk, the amber footprints she has been following lead behind a concentrated source of warmth behind a tree a short distance ahead,

"Broinson please come out there is no need for these hostilities, after all you are the mistresses honoured guest." Her plea is answered by silence. "Very well I have no choice but to be a little rough, I pray Maria forgives me." As she walks towards the source of warmth, another heat signature appears to the left in her scope of vision. "Mistress Maria?" she utters but suddenly another appears, then another. Before she knew it they have surrounded her, in a panic she dashes towards the source behind the tree and to her horror she finds a smouldering fire, "huh?" she grunts but before she could think of her next action, a figure rushes past her. She slowly turns her head back and standing behind her is Alex covered head to toe in mud. "Oh." She croaks as the top half of her body slides off her waist.

The lad sighs in relief and turns his sights to the mansion, he feels uneasy, he didn't know what in the hell just happened or why but he knows he has to get to Grace. However before could take a step he hears an eerie slithery sound from the direction of the decapitated body. He turns to see a thick mucus ooze out of Rosary's bottom and top halves. A mash of blood and veins erupts from both halves, within seconds the moulds morph into scaly body parts. Rosary's rose from the dead with an exact replica by her side.

"Hydra essence," whispered Alex as he grips his sword tighter and takes up a fighting posture. One Rosary lunges forward closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye forcing Alex to instinctively thrust his blade and stab his attacker, but this couldn't stop her for she sinks her hollow fangs into his neck. Alex feels a searing hot substance gush into his neck with each throb from her jaw. Instantly the lad feels woozy and disoriented, he succumbs to the pain and dizziness as the Rosary relinquishes her bite and walks to her other half.

"My apologies Broinson, I didn't mean for things to escalate this far," One Rosary said politely.

"Why didn't you listen to me when I told you to wait Alex!" exclaims the other as she licks the blood on her lips.

"The venom is slow; the only cure is with Maria. If you exercise patience you will be saved when she comes for you in the morning." The other says.

"Fuck you," groans Alex as he crawls through the earth towards the mansion looming in the distance. One of the Rosary rolls her eyes in annoyance as she walks towards the teenager who shamelessly crawls in the dirt covered in mud. She grabs his leg and shouts,

"Look where your stubbornness got you! I don't care if you're a prodigy if it was up to me…" suddenly a stick lit with green flames and impales her chest; she looks down at the lad who has a dirty smirk plastered on his face. She lets out an ear-splitting scream as her body becomes engulfed in flames. Her other half races towards him but Alex jolts forward throwing a burning rock reinforced with foundation which blows her head into bloody chunks. The lad pulls out the stick and plants it into the corpse setting it on fire. The wound on Alex's neck aches with pain as he walks down the path that leads to the mansion, black veins have spread throughout his body, he wobbles from side to side struggling to maintain his balance, before long he hears chanting of an unknown dialect, even with his failing eyesight he sees hooded men and women in the forest watching him. He reaches the courtyard surrounding the mansion and makes his way up the stone steps. The stairway that leads to Grace's bedroom has two lines of hooded men facing each other chanting a strange spell.

"Grace!....Grace we need to go" slurs Alex. As he climbs up the stairs he hears feint cries, walking down the desolate passage the cries grow louder and louder, "It's coming from the master bedroom" whispers Alex weakly as he steps through the door. His vision is blurred and he isn't sure if he is awake or in a nightmare, but from what the lad could make out in his intoxicated state, is his magic teacher a holding a new born baby as she stands over Grace's mutilated corpse.