Xavos took Ayden out of the walls of Eleda. The walls also were under construction with the increase in Grokian and Akashtran raids. Many said pirate raiders also were sailing in using the rivers that spilled out into the eastern sea. The guards had doubled since the last month when rumors of a rambunctious lord to the east had also resurfaced.

  The world needed mages more than ever, and Ayden planned on being that hero.

  Xavos hummed as he strolled, Ayden having to walk faster than comfortable to keep up. Eventually they reached the woods and Ayden assumed this was where they would make their camp. Xavos had a pack on his back he’d procured from his room at the The Wayward Brewer inn. Inside it rested only one roll, so Ayden assumed the second lay stuffed deeper inside.

  Xavos kept walking deeper into the forest, however. Everyone knew you should never walk inside alone unless you had protection. Xavos may have been capable on his own, but the old mage expected Ayden to fight monsters. There was no rule that stated the deeper into the forest you traveled, the more dangerous the monsters were. In fact there might not be any monsters at all. However, the closer to civilization the monsters roamed, the more easily they were spotted.

  This far into the wilderness meant even fleeing back to Eleda would no longer be an option.

  Perhaps Ayden was being paranoid. They weren’t that far from the town. He knew from the regional maps, if they strayed too far, they’d be in the midst of another settlement. Unless Xavos expected to find a perfect pocket of wilderness where monster nests also existed, Ayden shouldn’t feel so scared.

  ***

  Hours had gone by and Ayden saw the sun set behind the woody ceiling of the forest. The dense wall of trees now surrounded them, and Ayden had lost track of the direction they were headed.

  “Xavos?” asked Ayden.

  “Yes?” he asked. He’d been humming or singing the whole time, and partway through the journey Ayden started to worry he would do so even if a monster was around the corner.

  “Is this not too far?” asked Ayden.

  “The point is to FIGHT monsters, Ayden,” he said, raising an index finger. “If we don’t venture in unwise places, how will we forge you?”

  Ayden started to panic. “I know, I know,” he said. “I just imagined to have the town in sight when we did, and-”

  “In sight?” laughed Xavos. “How often have you seen monsters in sight of settlements? Unless it’s a horde or something.”

  Ayden knew how silly he sounded, but fear had burrowed straight through him since the sun had sunk. “It’s just dark, is all.”

  Xavos turned to face Ayden, and the young student almost crashed into his mentor again. “Listen, boy,” said the old mage. “Mages are to be forged. Understand? Only under extreme pressure can diamonds form. You smell of fear, yes. However, you must fester in it. Learn what it is like. That way when you are TRULY afraid, you will feel at home.”

  Ayden gulped and nodded. He wondered when he’d start learning magic. “Xavos?” he asked, as they started moving again. “How should I kill the monster? And what monster will I find?”

  “You should kill whatever monster we find with magic!” said Xavos.

  “Red Magic? I am good with Red. I was able to light candles and even cast fireworks with Red during festivals.”

  “Red Magic? Yes, why not? Or Green, or Blue. Whichever you want.”

  That gave Ayden a start. “But Red is for offense.”

  Xavos channeled Red and used telekinetic force to levitate a stick to his hand. “This is also meant for offense. So is this!” He procured a water flask and Ayden felt thirsty. “Anything is.”

  “But Green heals,” said Ayden, wondering why he didn’t bring his own provisions. “Can I have some water?”

  “No,” said Xavos.

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  Ayden felt crestfallen and his throat decided to dry up in that instant.

  “Green heals, yes,” continued Xavos. “However, it also enhances!”

  Ayden recalled reading that in some book a while back. “The Vrodians do that, right?”

  “Some, yes, but they use Runes for it. Regardless, you will draw from your Soul Source.”

  Ayden also knew like any other aspiring mage, Red drew from Body Source, Green drew from Soul Source, and Blue drew from Mind Source.

  “So how should I do that?” asked Ayden.

  “Same way you heal, but instead channel the Green to not your wounds, but whatever it is you wish to see stronger and faster. You will learn soon enough.”

  “Okay,” said Ayden. “So I should learn to enhance my body and move faster. Then I can use Red to blast the monster. Stay out of its reach.”

  “Whatever works for you, my boy!” beamed Xavos.

  Ayden tried to focus on his Soul Source. It lingered there like an untapped well. The well represented his Soul and when he drew up upon it, the well started to deplete quickly. He channeled the power through his body and instead of finding a cut or bruise like he normally did when practicing Green Healing, he focused on his legs.

  Suddenly, he propelled himself forward and crashed into Xavos.

  Xavos did not budge. He turned and grinned, clapping his hands together as Ayden sat on his rear, dazed and confused.

  “Well done!” Xavos said.

  Ayden realized he never felt so strong in his legs before. The other thing he noticed was that his Soul Source was running terrifyingly low. That small burst of strength in his legs had sapped him of all he could muster for Green.

  “Keep practicing,” said Xavos. “The efficiency with which you will draw from your Soul Source will get better. Run a mile to cast a ball of flame because it trains your Body! Run a mile faster to train your Soul as it enhances your legs and lungs.” Xavos scratched his chin. “Running really does solve everything, doesn’t it?”

  “And for Blue?” asked Ayden.

  Xavos leaned forward and flashed his teeth at Ayden. “Run faster and farther than you ever have before to train your Mind!”

  ***

  The two stopped in a clearing to see a devastated grove. Bodies lay around every corner of the families that lived here growing their own gardens. A little watchtower stood in the outskirts of the clearing where several men and women lay strewn about a mound of Grokians they’d died fighting.

  “Fates,” gasped Ayden. “Fates,” he started to take in buckets full of hair. His chest started to hurt and his gut cramped as Ayden fell to one knee. Panic flooded his system and tears pooled in his eyes. “I never… I …” He struggled to get the words out. The stench of death started to affect him and his vision spun.

  Xavos rested a hand on Ayden and the young student felt a pulse of magic race through him, clearing him of his panic.

  He gasped for air again and returned to his feet, scanning the treeline for danger. “They could be close. Grokians!”

  Xavos clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Look at the bodies. Old. This happened days ago.”

  “What could they have done?”

  “Ran,” said Xavos. “Before the Triscourge, we had mages everywhere. A mage could have been here to help them.”

  “It’s my first time seeing… This…”

  “Get used to it. This is why we forge ourselves, so none may see the evils of death. Imagine a world where powerful mages rival mortality itself.”

  Ayden stepped forward, forcing himself to analyze the battlefield. The families died well Ayden supposed was what the history books would say. Died fighting, died well, died brave, but Ayden saw only that they died bloody and messy.

  He turned away from a particularly gruesome view of a child. A child. Even she had picked up an axe in the end. It served her poorly.

  “The Grokians didn’t eat them,” said Ayden. “Why?”

  “It looks like the Grokians lost most if not all of their band,” said Xavos. “And to see the fallen humans here breaks my heart. They should be able to see how well they fought. In the end, death takes all victories.”

  Ayden nodded and sighed. “I need sleep. I… I feel hollow. I don’t like this.” He turned to Xavos, hoping he’d see a mentor with sympathy in his eyes. Instead he saw a mentor swallowed by sorrow as much as Ayden. Xavos scanned the treeline and the bodies and the ruined homes and gardens.

  “No sleep tonight for you, boy,” he said in a somber tone. “Your training starts now.”

  With that, Xavos disappeared from sight, leaving Ayden alone in the field of death.

  “Xavos!” he cried. He spun to see nobody. “Xavos! Xavos, where are you?”

  He turned to see a man standing hunched over a corpse. It was not Xavos, but looked like a wounded settler that had come back. A survivor! Ayden dashed to him, calling out in joy that at least someone had survived.

  “Hey! Over here!” he cried, but the man didn’t respond. He twitched his neck as if he bore some kind of pain there. He uncurled and curled his hands the way Talda did preparing for a fight. “It’s okay! I’m here. My mentor is here somewhere too. We can take you back to-”

  When Ayden grabbed the man’s hand, it felt cold as death. The man groaned and croaked and turned to reveal a decaying face. A corpse.

  Ayden screamed as the corpse dove for him and bit into his shoulder.