New Purpose

Sorcerer Velacroh sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Do you know who, exactly, that old man is? The one called Leon?"

Adell looked sideways. "I heard he saved the world but… I don't know. I have my doubts, I guess."

"Right, well, the same thing that he saved the world from 2,000 years ago is going to happen again, exactly one month from now. We cast a spell to summon Leon's soul from your time, because regardless of whether he actually did anything to save the world, we need his help. His expertise may be the only thing that could help us stop the catastrophe again. It seems that when Leon's soul was dragged into our spell, you were dragged in as well, still holding onto Leon, even when you both died and became souls. I commend you for your actions though, boy, trying to save a stubborn old man like him."

Adell stayed quiet for a minute, processing what the sorcerer said. He hadn't thought about that memory all that much since he came here, having been busy dealing with all of the changes going on, and all of the people around him, but now that he thought about it again, what happened made sense. Especially so with Sorcerer Velacroh's explanation. So, the two of them had really died, being trampled on by horses on the road, and then after they became souls, Leon was dragged into the future and Adell, with him. Leon's soul likely entered that kid he'd seen before, and Adell's soul entered Terralt's. He was struck with a sudden grief, knowing now that no matter how much he may have missed his old life and his original time, he could never go back. He had died back then, so there was no body waiting for him, not even if a spell existed to send him back in time. He was stuck here, living as Terralt.

"So… what now? No one but you knows that I'm not Terralt. Do I have to keep living as him?"

Sorcerer Velacroh looked at Adell, his gaze softening. "No, not forever at least. But this is an unprecedented, completely unpredictable outcome. I will need to speak to other authorities about this matter. Once I let them know, we will discuss what the best course of action is. Unfortunately, you will need to continue acting like Terralt until then. If we decide that it is too big of a risk to let you act as yourself, then we can't have anyone becoming suspicious of the truth."

Adell looked down, exhaustion and sadness weighing on him. "Will I never be able to live as myself, then? Do I have any choice in this, even?"

"Oh child, while I want to tell you that you do, this is bigger than us. It is not a decision that can be made lightly. However, I will try my best to persuade everyone to let you live as yourself, rather than as Terralt. It would be strange for someone that isn't my grandson to act as him for the rest of his life, after all. I want Terralt to rest in peace, and continuing the life of a dead man does not accomplish that." Tears fell down his face once more.

Adell was glad he had someone on his side, at least. "Thank you, Sorcerer Velacroh."

The old man smiled before saying, "It's nothing at all. Now, until I can give you the okay, you're going to have to continue living as Terralt. I haven't heard anything about you acting strange on my way here, so I assume you're great at adapting to change and new environments." Adell nodded, and he continued. "However, I still need to fill you in on important information about Terralt. Well, whatever it is you haven't already found out. How you managed to find the ring and enter it in the day you've been here I don't even know, but that's beside the point. Tell me what you already know, so I can fill you in on whatever it is that you're missing."

Adell nodded, and began telling him what he had found out in his time as Terralt.

Sorcerer Velacroh listened carefully. When Adell was finished, they fell into a brief silence. Then Sorcerer Velacroh said, "I think the first thing I should tell you is about Terralt's past. It will answer a lot of your questions, especially those about his attitude towards magic."

Adell perked up, glad to finally be listening to Terralt's story from the person that possibly knew him best.

"Terralt is the survivor of magic terrorism." Sorcerer Velacroh paused for a few seconds, letting his words sink into Adell, into the room around them, to take proper hold before he continued. "When he was young, about eight years old, he and his parents went to a local outdoor market for some shopping. However, all of the people that had visited the market in that town square soon found themselves subject to a rogue sorcerer's mad attacks. The sorcerer killed himself at the end of his attack on the market, so we can never truly know his intentions behind such an atrocity, but many lives were lost that day, including Adell's parents. Terralt wasn't terribly injured from the incident, but he did bear a heavy trauma from that day forth. It was what sparked his hatred for magic."

The old man hadn't said much, but Adell could already start to see the the puzzle of Terralt's life coming together. He had many questions left, but kept quiet, wanting the sorcerer to finish his story first. Sorcerer Velacroh went on, but not before he heaved a heavy sigh and dropped his head.

"Despite how much he despises magic and sorcerers, he had a true, one-of-a-kind talent for it. His talent for it is nothing like I've ever seen before. I always felt it was a waste to let someone with such incredible talent for this field never properly explore it, so I always tried to get him to join the tower as a sorcerer. He always refused, of course. Never failed to mention how much he despised everything to do with it. It wasn't until I found out about… his nights out at the ring that I was able to get him to join."

Adell was stunned. He couldn't hold himself back from speaking. "So… you blackmailed him into joining?"

Sorcerer Velacroh winced, but didn't deny it. "I wouldn't use those words, but… I did. Now that I know of Terralt's death, from casting a spell no less, I can't help but wish I never did that. If I never forced Terralt to become a sorcerer and join the tower, he would still be alive."

The old man fell into a silence, deep in thought. After a minute, he continued. "In any case, it's too late for any regrets. It wasn't as if Terralt finally joining the tower actually bore much fruit, unfortunately. Terralt hated the idea so much that he purposefully acted lazy, untalented, and rude whenever he was rude. An act of rebellion against me, I'm sure. Not that I can blame him, really. I should have expected it if anything. That attitude of his, though it was aimed toward me, ended up creating a rather… distasteful reputation for him throughout the tower, something you've already witnessed first-hand."

Adell nodded, thinking about that time he walked through that hallway full of sorcerers. Now he understood the reason they reacted as they did. Though he knew the old man was wrong for forcing Terralt to do something against his wishes, he also couldn't help but agree with the old man on one aspect, at least. If Terralt truly had that much talent in magic and sorcery, it was a shame he never properly learned it. Adell didn't know much about the magic field, but if someone with that much talent worked hard as well… he couldn't imagine the heights to which Terralt could have risen.He could have lived his life in luxury if he chose to seriously study the field, but he rebelled despite knowing this.

Adell didn't know what he would have done in Terralt's shoes, though. He didn't live his life, didn't see his parents die before his eyes of the very thing he supposedly had immense talent for. And yet, Adell also couldn't help the seed of hope and desire that blossomed within him. He wasn't Terralt, but he had his body, his talent. If he could use it properly, he could sore to heights the likes of which he could never have imagined before. Until now, becoming known as the best guide of the Laria Jungle was the best possible achievement someone with no family, background, or education could think to achieve. Things were different now, though. Now, he knew he would be able achieve unimaginable success, should he just put in the work for it.

With this thought, Adell gained a new determination, something that grounded him and dispelled the feeling of being lost, of hopelessness and loneliness. He wasn't supposed to be here, after all. His appearance here, in this body, was a mistake that no one saw coming, not Adell or the greatest sorcerer in the land. He had no purpose until now, not like that Leon fellow. But now he had one, something he could work toward, and it filled him with a brilliant, light feeling. He smiled to himself, happy for the first time since he ate at the Menelo-Renast.