I woke in the carriage.
My body ached. My head was fog.
Jax sat beside me. The moment my eyes opened, she called out.
"He's awake! Come quick!"
Dixon and Flake came running.
Dixon exhaled in relief. "Thank god. I thought we lost you."
Flake smiled faintly. "I knew he'd make it. He doesn't go down easy—I learned that training with him."
I sat up slowly, every muscle protesting.
"Why did I do that?" I asked. "In the dungeon... what happened to me?"
Flake frowned. "I thought that was you."
"It was. And it wasn't." I rubbed my temples. "I heard a voice. It reminded me of Mazza. Like he was controlling me."
"How do you know for sure?" Flake asked.
"Because of what he said." I looked at them. "'You want to kill him. Let me do it. I'll end it quickly—and the weapon will be yours.'"
Silence.
Jax muttered, "That's bad."
Dixon crossed his arms. "We need to stop chasing. At least until we get answers."
No one disagreed.
We packed up camp and headed back to Tasarrow—back to the spell-chaser who might know more.
One Month and a Half Later
When we arrived, Flake had to leave.
She didn't say why. Just that there was something she needed to handle.
It felt suspicious. But I didn't push.
We entered Tasarrow without her.
And immediately, something was wrong.
The spell-chaser woman—the one who'd helped us before—was being shoved around in the street.
Men surrounded her. White cloaks. Fur-lined hoods.
White hair.
My blood went cold.
The organization Ridgway warned us about.
We drew our weapons and charged.
I swung the Sun Blade—but the moment it came down, they vanished.
Reappeared behind her.
One of them spoke without turning.
"Don't interfere. This doesn't concern you."
I locked eyes with my friends. Gave a silent signal.
We vanished too—reappeared on a nearby rooftop.
"Formation V," I whispered. "It's the only way to catch them off guard."
Dixon nodded. "Let's do it."
"Let's get 'em."
We dropped back down and rushed them.
Formation V—three-point assault, synchronized strike.
But they vanished again.
And hit us from behind.
All three of us slammed into the dirt.
We pushed ourselves up.
"Alright," I growled. "Time to get violent."
I activated my black fire armor.
The flames roared to life—dark, furious, unstable.
The Casters stepped back.
One of them spoke sharply. "Where did you get that?"
"Answer us," another demanded.
I said nothing.
"War."
Dixon and Jax moved into position. I grabbed them both, locked our weapons together, and spun—building momentum until we became a blur of fire and steel.
High Velocity Mode.
We launched.
One of them grabbed the spell-chaser by the throat and lifted her into our path.
I tried to stop.
Every muscle screamed as I forced myself to halt mid-air. The impact would've killed her.
I landed hard. Backed off.
We stood facing each other. Weapons raised. No one moved.
A full minute passed.
Then I spoke.
"Let's take them one-on-one."
The leader tilted his head.
"You couldn't take us on your best day, Mazza."
I didn't flinch.
"I'm not Mazza. My name is Zero."
I gestured to my friends. "This is Dixon. And Jax."
"What you call Mazza—it's magic. Attached to me. I don't know for how long, but it gives me power. Strength. And every day, it weakens my mind a little more."
I let that sink in.
"So if you push me too far... I black out. And everyone here dies."
The leader studied me.
Then he lowered his weapon—just slightly.
"My name is Varioso," he said. "We are the Casters."
The word hit like a punch.
Casters.
The ones who killed Mazza. The ones who slaughtered the spell-chasers. The ones who burned the bodies and tried to erase magic from the world.
"We seek to destroy dark magic," Varioso continued. "All of it. There are three other sources walking this land. You are one of them."
I gripped my blade tighter.
"Then you're out of luck. I'm not dying on purpose. If you want me gone—you'll have to kill me."
Silence.
Then I moved.
I drove the Sun Blade into the ground. Fire erupted beneath them, targeting each one individually.
They scattered.
One chased the spell-chaser. Jax intercepted.
Another squared off with Dixon.
Varioso came for me.
He was better.
Faster. Sharper. Every strike I threw, he dodged. Every opening I found, he closed. He knocked me around like I was still a trainee.
Then the voice came again.
"They want to kill you. And your friends. I can stop that. Take my magic. Use it."
I didn't fight it this time.
Power flooded through me.
I blurred—faster than I'd ever moved—landing hit after hit. Varioso stumbled. Retreated. Called for his men.
They regrouped at his side.
I closed the distance in a heartbeat—and cut his sword in half.
They vanished.
"Is everyone okay?" I called.
"Yes," Dixon and Jax replied.
"Where's the spell-chaser?"
Jax limped toward me, clutching her side.
"They took her."
I exhaled slowly.
One option left.
"There's still one spell-chaser alive," I said. "In Mere."
We rode hard toward the Kingdom of Mere.
On the road, we passed groups of people—families, merchants, soldiers—all walking in the opposite direction.
We stopped one group.
"What's happening?"
"The Kingdom's going to war," a man said. "The new king angered the smaller territories. They've turned against him. Everyone's fleeing."
We didn't wait for more.
We pushed the horses harder. Cut a two-day journey down to one.
When we arrived, the kingdom was still standing.
But the gates had no guards.
The halls had no knights.
And in the throne room—
The new king sat on his throne.
His body in pieces. Head severed. Limbs scattered.
Standing in the center of the carnage, laughing, was the wizard.
The same one who had betrayed us before.
He turned as we entered.
"What do you want?"
"I need your help," I said. "Mazza's getting stronger. More active every day. I need you to pull him out of me."
The wizard sneered. "Why would I help you? After last time, you could kill me."
"Because we have gold," I replied. "And information."
His eyes narrowed.
"There's a group called the Casters nearby. I can tell you what they look like."
Dixon stepped forward. "That's a fair trade."
Jax added coldly, "But if you refuse... we could always tell them we know a wizard."
The color drained from his face.
"Fine. Fine! I'll do it." He raised his hands. "But this attempt—it's more dangerous than before. His grip on you is stronger. The chance of death is... high."
I didn't hesitate.
"Do it."
He led us to the throne room floor.
I lay down among the blood and broken stone.
The wizard stood over me.
"If Mazza is truly inside you... this ritual will open a door. And when I do, he could try to take control."
"Understood. Just get it done."
He raised his staff and began to chant.
"Approve the remove and stay away. If magic stays here, it will be consumed."
The glass in the throne room shattered.
Pain ripped through me.
The ground shook.
Inside my head, I heard something screaming—demonic, furious, old beyond measure.
The sky outside turned blood red.
Light poured through the broken windows, bathing the room in crimson.
I looked down.
Dark magic pooled on my stomach—black, writhing, alive.
It shifted.
Turned white.
Shaped itself into a head.
Then it dove back inside me.
The ground cracked.
The light turned black.
And everything—
Went silent.
MAZZA
I wake for the first time in a millennium.
Fresh air hits my skin. Light floods my vision. The world is loud and bright and alive.
A man stands before me. The wizard. He stares, frozen.
"Did it work?" he asks.
I smile.
And I cast the Spell of the Dead.
His flesh rots instantly. His body twists, collapses into bone. A living skeleton for half a second—then nothing.
I follow with the Spell of One Thousand Suns.
He turns to ash.
Behind me, I hear voices.
Young. Concerned.
"Zero? Are you okay?"
I realize then—I am in the boy's body.
And they don't see me.
They see him.
Rage fills me.
No one cares that I've returned. No one mourns what I lost. They only care about the vessel I inhabit.
I float to my feet.
Turn slowly.
"No," I say. "I'm not okay."
Their faces shift. Confusion. Fear.
"Don't you see? I'm not that boy."
I summon my wand.
"I am far greater than him."
I aim at them.
Try to cast.
Nothing happens.
The boy—Zero—is fighting me from the inside. Protecting them. Blocking my magic.
He can see everything I do.
Interesting.
I try to strike them by force—but the girl with the axes won't attack. She can't. Not when it's her friend's body standing before her.
Pathetic.
I lower my wand.
"Very well."
I activate my transportation spell.
The world bends around me.
And I vanish—
—to the only place that ever truly belonged to me.
Murder Town.