Sin of Mages: An Epic Fantasy Series (Rift of Chaos Book 1)

by A. J. Martinez

  “Is not over yet,” Eckxio snarled.

  “It will be,” Jairo replied, then with both hands, he launched a purple beam at the Elf. Eckxio gasped, recognizing the energy. He lifted his Tharos shield, planning on redirecting the spell. After years of using the shield, no weapon and no spell had ever fractured it. Eckxio was devastated when the purple beam shattered it and pushed him off-balance. It was as if a part of him had been broken. After ten years, his Tharos shield was destroyed by cosmo magic.

  He stood up then looked at his right hand. A shard of the shield remained in his palm. He could not believe that it had shattered so quickly from one spell. The remaining pieces were scattered on the grass. Zeustoss shards glinting from sunlight. It took the Dwarves from Burnahdujf seven days to forge both his shield and sword. It was no easy steel to forge. Eckxio’s pride was hurt.

  “My shield…I can’t believe it,” he whispered in despair.

  “Do not be embarrassed. Nothing is more powerful than cosmo magic,” Jairo said. His wound had closed, and a long scar marred his chest.

  “You won’t win,” Ember said. “The soul of that pretty little forest girl will be ours, and we shall awaken the power of the Emerald Cosmo Jewel, at last.”

  When he heard how they were planning on using Willow, rage pulsed within him. He clutched the hilt of his sword, clenched his teeth, and dashed towards Ember. “No, you won’t!” he screamed, and his Tharos sword shined. Ember’s black sword released purple steam as she enchanted it with her cosmo magic. Eckxio roared and swung with all his might. When his white steel touched Ember’s black blade, this time…it felt as if he had broken an oath. The moment flashed like the divine magic of his sword much like the first time he laid eyes on it. It was like nothing he had ever seen. He now held in his hands a broken sword. The sword he used to illuminate. The sword he used to save Willow’s life when they first met. The sword he had used to call the fairy king. The sword that spoke to him when he was lonely. He could hear the Tharos spirit whispering, “goodbye.” The divine spirit of the sword, its source of magic. “Thank you for the adventure,” the spirit’s voice echoed in his mind like in a dream.

  Eckxio dropped to his knees and felt hopeless. He stared at the broken sword, and a warm tear left his eyes and ran down his cheek. His lips quivered, and his body trembled.

  “Don’t be disappointed. You should know by now that nothing can oppose cosmo magic,” Ember said then kicked him. Eckxio rolled on the ground; he would not let go of his broken sword.

  “A moment ago, you cared more about that forest girl than that sword.” Ember paced, staring at him. “I will give you a chance, little Elf. Run and join the other pointy-eared rats or stay here and die. What will it be?”

  Eckxio’s body shook as he tried to stand up. With his broken sword at hand, he got on one knee and managed to stand up as his legs wobbled. Panting, he stared at Ember and dared to point his broken sword at her. I refuse to give up. I will never surrender. I will fight till my last breath. I don’t care how powerful they claim to be.

  “You are the most stubborn Elf I have ever met,” Ember said. “I am sure you know that we Specters save our cosmo magic for last. Our goddess, Arkana, gave us this power. Although it is very limited, it is far more powerful than any of the six elements. I will use my last bit of cosmo on you, little Elf.” She extended her right arm with an open palm and aimed at Eckxio.

  Eckxio brought his gauntlet in front of his chest. I have to try, he thought. I did it once. Maybe, I can do it again. If I can absorb her cosmo, then perhaps, I can use it against her. But I wonder, can my gorgon eye sustain it?

  Ember unleashed a purple blast from the palm of her hand. It jetted towards him. The eye of his gauntlet opened and began to absorb the cosmo energy rapidly. As his gauntlet drained the energy, his hand began to ache; it felt as if his bones were being crushed. The gauntlet vibrated as it drained energy that it was not familiar with. Finally, Ember’s blast shrank, and the gorgon eye had absorbed all her cosmo. Eckxio’s arm hurt like the abyss. He groaned, holding the pain, but gave Ember a dirty smirk.

  “Impossible.” Ember was astonished.

  Eckxio only wished to see the expression of her face under that mask. She raised her sword as if to kill him.

  “Don’t be disappointed. Maybe cosmo magic was not as mighty as you thought,” Eckxio said with a cocky tone that made Ember seethe with anger. He regretted those words when he saw the gauntlet vibrating and the gorgon eye flashing all five colors from the maju it stored. Red, blue, yellow, green, and black. Eckxio had never seen it behave that way. The pain in his hand swelled, and it began to crawl up his arm. He screamed when finally the gorgon eye exploded. An explosion of five elements. It was like a grenade tied to his wrist. His left arm and face suffered from the explosion.

  As he fainted, he saw Willow ascending towards the realm of light, kissing him goodbye, a golden ring like a halo shined on her back, and she flew away.

  Akielas

  Trapped in a pyramid prison of dark maju, he struggled, and his spells backfired. His lightning spell shocked him and stiffened his muscles. Fire spells were just as futile. Akielas punched the walls and kicked out of frustration. Even divine magic would not break through the transparent walls that made the outside look like the limbo. He tried to pierce the walls with his sword, but the pyramid was too strong. This prison was a dark version of his illumnos tega spell. If divine magic won’t break it, then what will?

  Eckxio was alone, and Akielas knew that the Elf would not survive. Eckxio’s extromancy was not enough to defend against all four Specters. Akielas saw how the Tharos sword and shield were broken. Only cosmo energy has the power to break through powerful steel such as zeustoss. By the gods, I must find a way to get out of here.

  Ember shot a beam of cosmo. Akielas thought that Eckxio was finished, but then he saw the Elf using his gauntlet to absorb the energy, and his jaw dropped in awe.

  “That gauntlet, it can absorb cosmo energy. Incredible,” Akielas said. The Elf never failed to surprise him. For an Elf without magic, he did unbelievable things. Eckxio always had a strategy. Then Akielas noticed that the gauntlet was blinking different colors. Fear swelled in Eckxio’s face, and suddenly, the eye of his gauntlet exploded.

  “No!” Akielas screamed. He thought Eckxio had a chance for a moment, but the Elf underestimated the enigma of cosmo. The eye of his gauntlet could not sustain such energy, and thus it exploded unexpectedly. Eckio’s face and left arm were covered in blood. However, Akielas was sure that the Elf was still alive.

  “I can still sense his maju. It is very dim, but his heart is still beating.”

  Ember glanced back at him, and he punched the wall in protest. He clenched his teeth and scowled at her. Hertha approached Ember. The young Specter of the group reached into the darkness of her cloak, smoke rose, and she pulled the Emerald Cosmo Jewel. Akielas’s eyes widened and clawed the walls.

  “The emerald jewel. I have never seen it before. Even in this dark prison, I can see it glowing green,” he said.

  Hertha gave Ember the jewel. Then Ember hovered towards Willow, still protected by Akielas’s spell that he had cast in the beginning of the battle. She was too weak to fight. The Specters had hurt her before Akielas and Eckxio had arrived. Now that he was trapped and out of their way, they intended to finish their ritual and extract her soul.

  Jairo shot a blast of cosmo on Willow’s barrier. When the barrier shattered, and it sounded like the breaking of glass.

  “No! Good dragon gods, don’t let them take her,” Akielas prayed desperately. “I have to find a way out of here. I tried fire, lightning, water won’t work, and earth spells won’t even scratch these walls. Its opposite element won’t break it, either.”

  There was one more element that Akielas had not tried. One that he swore never to use again. He was afraid of using dark magic. “What are the chances of it working? Can this barrier be broken by its own attribute?” He was willing to use sha
domancy one last time to set himself free from this prison. He closed his eyes and recalled his old days when he used shadomancy. He recalled those emotions and the sensation of dark maju. He felt it rising within him again, his darkest emotions and desires. That maju fused with his own; it ran through his arm and over to the steel of his sword. His weapon released black steam, enchanted with darkness.

  “Odiams ken!” he yelled and thrust his blade. The sword pierced through the wall, creating a hole, and the sweet sound of breaking glass brought hope to Akielas.

  “Yes!” he shouted. A step closer to setting himself free.

  He looked at the Specters. Naunet and Hertha held Willow; the girl could barely stand on her own two feet. Her eyes were zombified as she stared into the light of a lantern. Jairo began to extract her soul from her body. Akielas saw her soul and the light of the lantern tugged it. Akielas had never seen a soul before. It was a beautiful sight, but the urgency of the moment did not allow him to enjoy it.

  “Odiack suz!” Akielas shouted. A beam of darkness shot from his hand and shattered the prison. Without hesitation, he leaped out and dashed towards the Specters.

  After her soul was fully extracted into the lantern, Naunet and Hertha released Willow. Willow’s body dropped like a puppet with no strings attached. Finally, Ember used the Emerald Cosmo Jewel and absorbed the soul from the lantern.

  “No!” Akielas yelled, running past Eckxio. His worst nightmare had come true, and Ember held in her hands the remnant of Terramus, the earth dragon god, a fraction of his power. She raised the jewel over her head as it vibrated, awakening its infinite maju in triumph. The earth beneath shook like the coming of an earthquake and stopped Akielas on his tracks. A crack on the ground raced across the glade and into the forest, separating the land. One side of the land rose, becoming a plateau before Akielas’s eyes, as if Ember was redesigning the forest at will. Never had he seen such powerful earth magic. Although Ember never used terramancy, the emerald jewel gave her the power to control the earth element.

  The forest shook as the land continued to rise, and when it finally stopped, a mountain cast an incredible shadow upon the forest. This was beyond any mage capabilities. No being in Odealeous has this sort of power, Akielas thought, gazing up, gaped, and his eyes as big as an owl. This is not normal. This…this…isn’t real. This is the power of the gods.

  It had risen hundreds of feet high, higher than the walls of Ironside, Akielas compared. How can anyone stop her now that she has this power? We are just humans while she holds the powers of a god. He was not sure of what to do next, but he had to get Eckxio and Willow out of the forest.

  A mandarak on the back of his hand glowed. He kneeled and pressed his hand on the ground. The mandarak expanded, shining its illustration on the forest ground. A roar echoed from the dimension of the magic circle. His Eedahlan, a silver dragon, emerged, breaking through the magic circle. The dragon flew over the glade and roared. It descended to its master, tearing the ground with its claws. It’s eyes white and glossy. The Eedahlan lowered its head for its master.

  Akielas walked over to Eckxio and hauled the Elf over his shoulder. He was heavier than most Elves. Akielas lifted the broken sword then threw the Elf on the back of the dragon. “You fought well,” he said and mounted his Eedahlan.

  “Let’s save Willow and get out of here.” Akielas spurred the dragon; it roared and rose, beating its wings. It flew up to the mountain that Ember had formed with the emerald jewel. I will admit, I am now more afraid of her than ever, but I must live long enough to find a way to kill her. They activated one of the jewels. Oh dragon gods, I pray that they don’t gather all four jewels or we are all doomed.

  Cleyross flew until it reached the top of the mountain. The Specters were still in the glade. Akielas saw Willow laying on the floor like an empty shell. His dragon dived down to the glade and sneezed a ball of white energy. The Specters scattered, and the attack exploded on the ground. Ember used the power of the jewel, and wood grew from the ground as thick as tree trunks. The dragon avoided it, but more wood rose, preventing Akielas from reaching Willow. It was as if a new forest was growing on the plateau.

  “Cleyross, we have to save Willow,” Akielas commanded. The dragon roared and dived down again, releasing another blast of white energy, destroying all animated plants that chased it. It swooped down, and with its claws, it grabbed Willow. The dragon shot another blast at the Specters and ascended again. It flew as fast as it could. Akielas glanced back at the Specters, and they made no attempt to stop him.

  “It’s not over yet, Ember…before I die, I will make sure to eliminate your existence from Odealeous,” he whispered and flew back to the pentacle portal that would take him to the sanctum.

  ********

  “I failed again,” he said to himself as he looked outside the window of his sanctum. He punched the walls and pulled his hair, frustrated and hating every inch of his being. He felt weak and pathetic. He hated himself more than he hated his apprentices. He regretted it again and wished he had killed them when he had the chance. That night, when he had paralyzed them with his lightning spell, he could have killed them, but he was too soft.

  “No mercy,” he rasped. “I have been too soft to the very villains that caused havoc. I will show them no mercy. I won’t hold back anymore. I swear I will kill them. I will…”

  A tear left his eyes. Then he ran over to the shelves and knocked over all his books and scrolls in frustration. He flipped the table over with cups spilling tea over the floor. He punched a hole in the wall and kicked his crystal ball. Finally, when he released all his frustration, he fell to his knees, and his arms hung with no strength.

  “What now?” he whispered in despair. He felt as if the Specters had already won. He looked over at Eckxio and Willow who lay on sleeping bags. Eckxio’s left arm was wrapped in bandages. The Elf reached over to Willow and held her hand. He cried and looked at her beauty.

  “Don’t give up,” Eckxio said as he cried. “Don’t lose faith. We have yet to speak to the fairy king. One way or another, we will stop them. I don’t care how powerful the Specters think they are with the emerald jewel. We will find power and defeat them or die trying.”

  Eckxio’s spirit was still burning. Half his face was marred with burns. Akielas was not sure if Eckxio would be able to use his arm again and wield a sword. Willow was unconscious, and without her soul, her body would soon wither like flowers without water.

  “We must see the fairy king,” Akielas said. “He will know how to defeat the Specters. We will get her soul back.”

  Akielas was not sure if he believed his own words, but he had an idea of what to do. He had sent a signal to Auron’s teleport crystal, but the red-head had not responded yet. If Auron and Ganicus had not left, we could have prevented this from happening.

  “Eckxio, how did the Specters know that Willow was the key to awaken the power of the emerald jewel?” Akielas asked.

  Eckxio propped himself up, groaning. Akielas helped him to sit up straight. The Elf was topless, only wearing pants under a blanket.

  “Willow told me that at birth, her mother, Moyeed, brought her quietly to the chamber of the Emerald Cosmo Jewel, and Willow became enchanted with its maju. She became a special type of human. That is why she had a deep connection with nature and could learn spells quickly and reached a greater level of magical stamina than that of an Elf. That is why she had received so much respect from both Elves and Greamos. Somehow, the Specters discovered who she really was and decided to extract her soul. A pure soul of the forest with the maju of the emerald jewel itself. That is why Willow had the rare ability to perform the wood element. Not many mages can do that.” Eckxio leaned over Willow and kissed her. He cried, dripping tears on her face.

  Akielas understood his pain. It was the same pain he felt when Ember murdered his wife, Demitra. It was like a wound that could not be healed. As if a part of him was yanked off.

  At that moment, Akielas had an epiphany
. Something switched in his mind.

  “We need more,” he said.

  “More? More what?” Eckxio asked, wiping his tears.

  “We need more mages strong enough to face the Specters. No. We need a mage with the same powers that they have. A mage with the ability to use cosmo magic.” Akielas spoke with his eyes closed as if in deep thought. “Eckxio, I will be back. If Auron and Ganicus show up, tell them to stay here.”

  Akielas went and stood on a pentacle at the corner of the sanctum. He used his teleport crystal and triggered its magic. The pentacle rose and covered him from head to toe, shining blue. Akielas’s body moved through the unknown, falling in a world of blue. When the pentacle stopped, the world flashed before his very eyes, and he found himself elsewhere.

  Wind gusted and whistled, mountains rose in the horizon, and the sun blazed above. Pine trees lush on the mountain summit. Mist covered the land below. Birds flew in herds and shrieks echoed in the vast sky. Akielas gazed at the beauty of the Yama country. He was now south of Verday and Zolan, a country where the air element was dominant. A country he admired and where the Aero Cosmo Jewel was hidden.

  “No, time to waste,” he said and used his summoning magic.

  A mandarak expanded beneath his feet. Cleyross ascended, Akielas mounted the dragon and flew up high above the clouds. The wind became cold, and he squinted at the sun.

  He knew that the city was near, but he would not see it until he flew through its barrier. The light of the sun revealed the outline of the barrier, a bubble in the sky, so massive that it could cover a castle.

  Cleyross beat its wings, flying faster. The barrier was near, and Akielas stood up on the saddle of the dragon and chanted the words of his spell. “Illums dehsef.”

  Sunlight revealed the outline of a hole in the barrier that the spell had made. The dragon flew through it, and the sight of the city above was unspeakable.