The infernal flames spell

Suddenly, in front of the prince, a magical circle appeared. Unlike the common symbols within magic circles, this one contained greenish runes that shimmered within it. And these runes had a very clear meaning: a spell was active.

After uttering some words in the language of the Lost Era, the prince began to incant rapidly:

"Those who cannot be tamed or contained. Those whom all must fear and bow to, grant me your powers!"

"Do not do this, prince!" General Thelus shouted, but it was a futile plea.

"Appear! Sovereign Flames of Hell," the prince concluded.

After completing the spell, the runes that circled the prince's body spread onto the blade of his sword and penetrated the metal. There, they quickly formed a layer of green flames that exuded a terrifying aura. In a matter of seconds, a common sword had transformed into an enchanted item, the power of which could be felt with dread by all who witnessed it. The general was no exception. It was unbelievable, Thelus thought. After all, what Prince Laugs was doing was a violation of the law, a serious crime for which there was a severe penalty. Furthermore, it was a grave breach of trust between them.

But the prince did not seem to care about any of that, as if he were a different person in that moment.

It was common knowledge that traditional mages drew upon the various elements of nature, blessed by the god Unm, the bearer of Eternal Light. On the other hand, the practice of sorcery was considered the malevolent side of magic, a wicked sister, so to speak, associated with the worship of the goddess Anmi, the mother of All Darkness.

Beliefs aside, in the past, many people sought an easy and quick way to gain power through sorcery, but those corrupted by its nefarious power became demons, while others indeed became powerful. In the end, most sorcerers had used their powers for evil, tarnishing the reputation of sorcery.

The most notorious of sorcerers was Calem, the first calamity. Although his reign of terror had ended long ago, his name still caused nightmares for some. Since then, the practice of sorcery had been prohibited throughout the continent, with its use becoming a taboo and restricted to those who feared no punishment or consequences.

So, to display something so despicable in public, Prince Laugs could not be in his right mind, Thelus thought. Fortunately, this was still a situation that could be remedied.

"I understand what you want to do, prince, but this is not the best course of action. Undo this spell, and let's talk more calmly," Thelus requested.

However, Laugs stared at the green flames before his eyes and smiled, showing pride in his accomplishment. Then he said, "I have a better idea, master. Let's continue our training... but now, we'll have a more serious fight."

Thelus had been a soldier practically his entire life. Not because he liked wars, but to protect what he would sacrifice his life for: family and friends, as well as the peace of every citizen in the realm that had welcomed him so warmly. As a general, he had spent a lot of time in the midst of bloody battles, witnessing almost every horror caused by sorcery. Therefore, he would by no means allow something like that to happen to the prince, especially within the Palace of the Sun, a place dedicated to light.

"What's wrong with you, master? Is my magic impressing you so much?" the prince continued, taunting.

"Prince, have you gone mad?" Thelus inquired, still maintaining a gentle voice, but his face could no longer conceal what he truly felt. "Do you know the gravity of what you just did?"

Prince Laugs smiled arrogantly as he looked at the enchanted sword. "Mad? Why would I be? I'm not doing anything extraordinary," he said, not attaching much importance to his own words or his master's. "I simply used my knowledge of magic. What's wrong with that?" He had acquired this power recently, so he had not yet fully mastered the flames, although he considered himself capable of using them at that moment. Then Laugs locked eyes with the general before continuing, "So, master, are you going to face me now?"

The flames on the prince's blade were of an almost translucent green and did not seem to emit heat like normal fire. On the contrary, they appeared cold and instilled fear in anyone who gazed upon them.

Thelus knew how much Laugs trusted his magic, perhaps more than anything else. However, now it seemed like a different case, as he might already be on the path to corruption. Thinking this, his voice came out loud and authoritative: "Stop this, prince. And this time, I mean it!"

Laugs reacted by showing a displeased expression and lowering his sword. With this, Thelus believed that Laugs had come to his senses and abandoned the absurd idea of sorcery. However, the prince's next action contradicted this, as he advanced toward him.

"Will you tarnish the name of your family and our kingdom just for this, prince?" Thelus asked. Laugs displayed another smug smile as he calmly expressed, "Tarnish? On the contrary, I will open the eyes of all of you, old-fashioned elders. I will show everyone how much they underestimate true magic. The power bestowed upon us by the gods... I will show them what it truly is!" Laugs shouted.

Thelus did not want to fight. In fact, he felt a deep bitterness as he saw the prince move toward him, manipulating spells and wearing a wicked smile. However, he had no other choice, their swords clashed again with great force.

Thelus easily defended the first attack, but besides the chilling cold, he noticed that a piece of his blade corroded when it came into contact with those diabolical flames. He then stepped back, unable to hide the astonishment on his face.

"See how powerful they are, master? This is the power of true magic."

Since a very young age, the prince had shown himself to be a prodigy with magic, but those flames were not his magic. Definitely not. So, Thelus pondered, whose were they?

"Where did you learn this, Prince?" he demanded to know.

"This is just a part of the power from that scroll..." Laugs replied. "Thanks to it, soon I will be the most powerful mage in this world."

"Scroll? What are you talking about, Prince Laugs?"

Without saying another word, Laugs continued his onslaught. And every time their swords clashed, a piece of the general's blade was corroded.