ASHES OF BETRAYAL THE SORCERER'S VENGEANCE

CHAPTER 15

Indeed, the air was peaceful as he sat back at home now, his legs crossed and his face glowing with elegance. His mind raced with thoughts as he sat and he stood up sharply, pacing around the room endlessly, his fingers snapping at intervals.

Just then, the door opens and his heart skipped a beat. He was about to unmask his scythe when his mother's face shone in his face.

“Mom?” He smiled. “Quite a surprise?” 

She walked over to him, ignoring the tease and sat calmly on the bed.

“Come here.” Her face was stern and now, he wondered what might have happened.

He stared at her for a bit, her eyes scanning him thoroughly and he raised an eyebrow.

She finally smiled, patting his shoulder softly.

“You said you saw a lady, tell me about her?” 

He forced a huge lump down his throat as the question hit him almost too suddenly.

However, he turned to her, smiling sheepishly and explained to her. Thankfully, he was able to cook up a very interesting lie and rambled about her beauty.

But Lady Morrigan’s face was stern. Not like she wasn't buying the story, but she didn't seem happy, more like he was in danger.

She finally patted his shoulder softly and looked him in the eye.

“Listen to me son, I want to tell you a little story about the shadow clan.” 

He straightened up and fixed his eyes on her, as if he had been dying to hear this story.

“It all began with your dad. He was just a young ordinary boy, trying to find his way in a world where war ruled.” She paused for a second, allowing the words to sink into his head before she continued. She went on and explained how rough his childhood was and everything about him, but then came the interesting part.

“Well, we met when magic was just starting out. And you know, two young adults, wanting to try the extreme. We made a pact with the whore goddess to grant us the gift of sorcery. At the time, we didn't know what we were doing. But it worked…”

The whore goddess? The same goddess who found him. This story was even more interesting. So maybe, his being sent to them wasn't a coincidence. He remembered her words again, your fate has been written and it dawned on him now that this was only going to get a lot messier.

However, she didn't stop there; she narrated how magic spread, but the shadow sorcery never stopped, and no one knew about it.

The door creaked open and a servant walked in.

“Forgive me, Lady Morrigan, Lord Kael, but Duke Severin needs your attention immediately.”

She patted his head softly and left him hanging in suspense, the one thing he hated his whole life.

But when she left, he pondered on her words and not just the words, why did she tell him what she said? Why now? Must she have seen something?

But that wasn't all, the legend of the shadow sorcery is a feared myth and even the high lords don't know that the shadows walk amongst them.

Immediately, an idea struck him. He quickly realised that a better weapon was fear, before immediate danger. He remembered how she panicked and how the high lords dread the mention of the shadows, even without seeing them and a smile tugged across the corners of his lips.

He quickly grabbed a pen and some paper.

The only way to increase the anticipation, instead of a head-to-head combat, was to tighten the suspense. They don't know who is after them now. Maybe Lynna has a little idea, but they're not sure, and fear is the only tool to worsen the situation for them now.

He muttered a few chants and blood appeared on the ink plate—the highest order of shadow magic.

He picked up the pen and scribbled the words, his eyes glowing with raw fury and no mercy.

Just one sentence but to every member of his former squad.

Marcus, Thane, Lyanna, Cassidy, Joran.

“I REMEMBER EVERYTHING.”

With a soft chuckle, he folded the letters, all of them, slowly, one by one and sealed them with blood.

Thereafter, he arranged the letters and lit candles around each of them, muttering the chants of the shadows.

“Shadows of the old, shadows long dead, shadows seeking for vengeance, shadows seeking for peace, shadows hovering over the surface of the earth, I beseech you dear friends, find these names, they shall know no peace.”

With that, the candles all turned off with a soft whoosh and the letters vanished. He looked into the emptiness and guided their paths, making sure the letters got to each of them, that very night, silently in private locations, where they'll all find and leave horror behind their trail.

He smiled warmly and headed back to bed, but just then, his door opened and his mom walked back in.

“Aha, so I wasn't done yet…”

But back at Lyanna and Marcus' house, a knock rang sharply at the door.

Marcus rushed over quickly, grabbed his sword, and headed out to check who was there. With a soft creak, he opened the door and swung his blade into thin air, disturbing the peace of the night, but no one was there.

He scanned the area and found just a letter, lying on the ground.

Lyanna, on the other hand, heard a soft knock on her window and turned around, but couldn't find Marcus. Immediately, she pulled her pillow aside, hoping to grab her magical scythe, but didn't find it. Instead, she found just a letter. She took it out slowly and Marcus returned, his face pale.

They looked at each other, both letters were sealed with blood and their names were written at the bottom of the seal. They stared at themselves awkwardly and scared, but couldn't even move. Slowly, they opened the letters together and it was written boldly in blood.

“I REMEMBER EVERYTHING…”