Chapter 45

Alex stood looking off into the clouds.

'It won't arrive for a long while, but what is it?' He thought as he kept himself from reaching out to the distance.

'At least it was worth a shot.'

Alex put the book in his bag and continued on to the hunting club.

He didn't even try to stop his mind from wondering anymore.

Her face was constantly popping up in his mind. Her last words repeating in his head.

Alex saw his friend's faces as well. He imagined them fighting for him, only to get hurt in the process.

Alex felt terrible he had pushed them away for the past week. Not telling them what was going to happen, all for their safety.

'Maybe they will all resent me if I just disappeared with no say. Maybe she already does.'

"Hey guys, you ready to take out some beasts." Alex said as he approached his friends.

"You bet we are." Taylor said while stretching.

"We have a good one for you two today."

——————

Alex stood in front of a massive turtle.

He hopped onto its back with Taylor.

"You did good." Alex told Taylor.

"Me? You are getting to the point that you are doing all the work. Give yourself some praise."

Alex just smiled in response.

Daniel and Michael walked out from the woods.

"Hey Alex, you about ready to head back." Daniel asked.

Alex nodded as he grabbed his bag.

"Taylor will stay here today sorry Alex. I'm helping him with a project with him." Tom spoke up.

Taylor headed over to the two captains while Alex jumped down to the two instructors.

"Are you sure he will like it?" Taylor asked Tom in a low voice.

"Of course he will. After the week he has had, I'm sure that he will appreciate our gift. Now James, call the pickup team I don't think I can carry this all the way back to the school." Tom answered.

Alex gave a soft smile as he had heard what they said clearly.

He looked at the compass and began walking home with the two instructors.

"Alex. You will make it through this, we haven't even begun your training, so don't give up. Besides me and Daniel have a few tricks up our sleeves." Michael said to the young man walking ahead of him.

Alex nodded without looking back.

Alex stopped walking as the moment he had expected came. In front of him, three men appeared as a soft glow filled their bodies.

Their faces no longer holding a fake smile as they walked.

"You two should walk away, the temple doesn't like taking innocent lives."

The instructor's faces fell as they knew that they could not be civil about this. They were there to take Alex's life, so they would be there to protect it.

"Now why would we leave our disciple alone with three douches?" Michael said as his body glowed.

"I would have to ask you three to reconsider your actions. We don't want you three to be injured and return just to be punished by your forgiving god." Daniel said as lightning and fire circled his body, darkness hidden behind the bright elements.

'The strongest element is the element of surprise.' Alex thought as he looked at the two instructors that had stepped in between himself and the three men.

Water and chunks of sharp rock rotated around Michael as well as a gale of wind.

The three smiled as they unveiled that they all had six elements.

Alex adjusted his spacial perception as it was immediately shattered by the dense energy. He sent it out again and made it go through mana rather than block it.

"Rodriguez, watch the boy we will take care of these sinners."

With a flash, the four started a brawl. His instructors pulled the fight away from Alex.

A tear fell from his eye as he turned away from them.

Alex looked at Rodriguez who looked back at him with a creepy smile.

'Wake up.'

"Wake up." Alex said as he disappeared from where he was.

He appeared behind the man.

"It isn't over." He said before appearing elsewhere.

"Fight."

'Fight.' Alex didn't know who he was trying to convince more, himself or Rodriguez.

"How many people do you have waiting for you to return?"

'So many.' He thought while dodging an attack.

"That won't work, I don't listen to evil anymore." Rodriguez said while chasing down the boy.

"Oh, really. I could have sworn that you were listening, cause I know you are watching. Are you that broken, that you would join these people? You have been fighting this haven't you?" Alex said as he felt something stirring within Rodriguez.

"I have." Rodriguez said his face changing for a moment.

"But that was the past. You can't stop us. We are everywhere, anywhere. From the smallest of towns to the largest of cities, and even beyond." He said an evil smile filling his face once again.

"Then do me a favor and watch. Don't step in and I will prove you wrong. Watch how many people are still fighting." Alex said as he appeared in front of the man.

"We fight from the shadows because the light is not safe, it never has been."

"And it never will be." Rodriguez said while tying Alex's hands and legs together with rope.

'You are the turning point in this small war.' Alex thought while looking at the man behind him.

"Thank you."

"For what? You are still going to die." Rodriguez said now showing his true emotions. An empty and cold face rather than the mask he was wearing.

"Hahahaha." Alex laughed while moving a Boulder so that he could sit on it.

Alex sat down and watched his instructors fighting the two men.

It sounded like loud artillery flying back and forth, but Alex couldn't hear it. His heart was beating so loudly that all he could hear was a repetitive thump.

Even if he acted like he trusted the man next to him, he didn't, and he still doesn't as he is ready for him to end his life within a moment.

Daniel and Michael were covered in wounds, but they weren't the only ones. Daniel had launched a surprise attack and his darkness was corroding through the two men's arms like acid.

Could feel several domes fighting for dominance. The ones from the two men were winning, weakening Alex's instructors.

"Another dark mage. This is good, we get to rid the world of even more scum."

"Enough with the playing around." Tim said before he and Devin charged at the two instructors.

Alex's mind went mute as he watched them move faster than he could fathom. He couldn't create the portals in time.

He was about to lean forward but he felt an object moving to intercept the two men.

It was a sphere covered in runes. The ball approached the two men and exploded just before coming into contact with them. Shards of ice, molten rock, and wind blades burst out of the runes and stopped the two men in their place.

That wasn't all, a vial flew through the air and was shattered by a well-timed shard of ice.

The contents of the vial filled the air making the two men gag as they inhaled it.

They jumped back and looked at the newcomers.

David approached with several small spheres of stone floating around him.

Alex could see that they were covered in runes.

"You three should leave, this boy is under the protection of the potions guild." Lockhorn said with a belt filled with vials.

"He is also now under the protection of the runes guild."

The smiles left the faces of two men as they heard what was said.

They looked at each other and laughed.

"What a joke. The runes guild backing this boy."

"Let me tell you something, we run the runes guild." Tim said as he laughed.

"And you, do not think for a moment that just because the temple is hidden that a feeble potions guild can stand against us. Our god will make our enemies a footstool for our feet."

'How did he break free from my control?' A voice thought from above as he looked at what was happening below.

'Oh my, what a pure soul. It has been so long since I've seen someone like this. How does one just ignore all of the laws I put into place?'

'It will be fun corrupting it. I can't let one like this escape my grasp again.'

From another dimension, a figure tried to open a rift but it failed.

'What!' It looked around as it felt a presence watching it.

"You again!" 'If you think that just protecting him is enough, you are dead wrong. I have my ways to get his soul.' The figure thought while returning to his temple.

'Such a scary being. Luckily it confused me for someone else.' Drak thought while turning his attention back to the ground. He had felt a rift opening and used his spacial energy to seal it shut.

"Merilda, you can step in now they won't be able to stop the two. You can go ahead and kill them, if the temple declares war with my school then so be it."

A small figure below nodded before jumping between the barrage of magic.

Davin was about to throw shoot another ball of but held back when he saw someone with a vast amount of energy appear in front of him.

'A true overlord mage.'

Tim and Devin fell to the ground clutching their chest. Each had had their hearts pieces and were doomed to die.

"Who dares go against the church?" Tim said in between coughs of blood.

"The college of the primordial. Do you dare go against it?"

Alex looked and for the first time saw clearly the figure that had been following him. A young woman, she was probably the most beautiful person he had seen.

Alex felt odd, he should have felt something when he saw her but he couldn't. His heart didn't even flutter.

'She kind of looks like Tori. I wonder what she looks like now. Has she changed a lot?'

"We do. Even if we die here, we will be avenged by the temple, So says our god." Tim said with a calm smile filling his blood-covered lips.

The two died at peace, fully expecting to be avenged.

Merilda looked over to the boy she was sent to protect. His body glowed and he broke the ropes that tied him, he reached up to the man next to him and a strand of darkness made its way to him.

"No!" 'He is still dangerous.' She thought while running over to the boy.

A minute ago

'Alex can you hear me?'

'Sam?'

'Yes it's me, listen to me I can help this man. While most of my power is being contained, he wants help. Now, do you remember that dream you had?'

Alex thought for a moment. 'Yes.'

'Good send your energy into him while focusing on how you felt in it, whenever your done focus on healing that brokenness.'

Alex nodded and his body glowed as he snapped the ropes binding him.

"Do you trust me?" Alex asked.

Rodriguez thought for a moment. "It's a little hard for me to trust anyone right now."

"Fair enough, you have been through a lot." Alex said. "I guess words aren't enough, here."

He sent off a strand of dark energy while remembering the dream.

Alex looked at the candle that slowly burned. He imagined the older Taylor, sitting across from him and watching him. He imagined him accepting his help. The joy filling his friend's face as he healed him back to health. Alex imagined getting a minimum wage job and Taylor helping him build a small humble house. Alex created his own happy ending.

Alex imagined that one day he would see a world that was happy for all people rather than gloomy for most.

Rodriguez closed his eyes as he felt a warm blanket enveloping him from within. His hope was reignited.

'These people might be a small amount compared to the rest of the kingdom, but what if there are even more hidden throughout the kingdom? How many hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands.' He smiled and his eyes grew wet.

'And here I was ready to kill them all.'

Alex opened his eyes as he watched the darkness gathering around both of them.

'He is awakening a dark affinity.'

'Yup, the light might heal and strengthen one's body, but darkness heals and strengthens one's mind.' Sam said in a tired voice.

'It prevents one from be blinded by the light, the perfect balance.' Alex finished his thought.

'Exactly, if only we had our full power, the universe wouldn't be in such a mess.'

Alex was about to ask him a question but he felt the lady closing in on him fast.

Alex was about to jump away but Rodriguez jumped in front of him, shielding him with his body.

Merilda stopped as she saw the man protecting Alex.

"How? How did you break free from the temples hold so easily?" She asked as she looked at the man whose eyes were closed and was waiting for his death.

He slowly opened his eyes before speaking. "I have him to thank for that." He said while turning around to look at the woman.

'She was going to separate me from him. For a second there I thought I was dead.' Alex chuckled. 'Wouldn't be the first second.'

Alex was about to thank her when he felt the space behind him shudder and tear at the seams.

'A portal? It doesn't feel like one.'

Above Drak was fighting to keep it closed. What was on the other side was even scarier than the last rift he had held closed. Drak gave up and began teleporting everyone far away from the rift.

People began disappearing until only Alex was left. He tried to open a portal next to Alex but every time it was destroyed and the amount of energy he had lessened.

He gritted his teeth as he watched the rift open and a huge buck taller than the trees stepped out.

"Are you Alex?" The deer said as it looked down at the human boy below it.

Alex nodded in confirmation as he looked up.

"Good, hop on. I have been told to escort you." The deer said while lowering its head.

Alex looked around noticing everyone else was gone. He flew up and sat on the deer's back.

Drak watched as the two went into the rift disappearing as they presumably left earth. He sighed as he knew he was no match for that creature. 'It was able to speak, and not only that it spoke the human language.'

He looked up as he followed where the rift led and exited his area of influence. 'Come back safely Alex, or whoever you are.'