BOOK1: THE SORCERER'S TEST
Chapter 2: The Hunt for the Sorcerer
What are your thoughts on sorcery?
The world is no longer the safe place it used to be. Even the realm of magic struggles with balance. Betrayal and bloodshed consume the land people once sought to build. The weak are set as prey; kindness is mistaken for weakness. The world itself is a story—and just as every story has its characters, so does this one.
***
"Riona is gone! You let him slip through our fingers!" the village monarch roared, storming furiously toward the main hall. Dust lingered in the air as people scrambled to their feet.
Thunder rumbled without pause, the wind blew cold, and the arena was far from the calm it once was.
"My lord… he won't survive long in the woods. The forest is no place for a child," whispered James, the monarch's personal guard, as he walked beside him. But the monarch ignored his words as though he hadn't heard a thing.
"A twelve-year-old boy wielding that kind of magic… he bent nature like it was nothing. I held an axe above his head, but when I looked into his eyes, I saw a rage so deep it felt like a blink from him could erase me from history. That boy won't just survive the woods—he'll reach the outside world, beyond the shield itself," said Lij, walking alongside James.
Lij looked rough and unkempt, yet he was known as one of the greatest warriors—defeating the first mages who had ever crossed the shield. Under his command, many battles had been won; bodies lay path by path wherever he fought.
His words struck the monarch. He paused, eyes dark with anger, his bald head glistening, his mustache neatly carved. He was deadly with blades, but he held a secret none could ever know. Any who discovered it never lived to tell.
Finally, he spoke.
"We hunt him at dawn. He cannot cross the ridge. No more excuses." His gaze fixed on them coldly. "Take men with you. Bring him alive—or bring his head. Fail, and don't bother returning."
James and Lij stiffened. They dared not object. Yet both noticed what had captured the monarch's stare—Riona's mother. Chained inside a cage, dust clinging to her skin, she met the monarch's gaze without fear.
***
Riona's own voice still rang in the stranger's ears.
"You're a sorcerer! I saw what you did—you brought me here!" Riona's voice cracked, hatred flashing in his eyes. He froze for a moment, then cried out again, his tone desperate. "My mum! Where's my mum? We have to go back to the village!"
"Little do you know…" the stranger said calmly, his smile gone. "Little do you know you are a sorcerer."
Confusion struck Riona. He stepped back.
"Really? So that's it… you didn't just kidnap me, you're also a liar! I don't even know you!"
"What I don't understand," the stranger whispered, "is how you can forget so easily. Those villagers will kill you on sight—because you are a sorcerer."
But Riona shook his head, stubborn as ever. "It was a misunderstanding. No one wants me dead. I just didn't understand why my mum protected me so much. If I go back, we can sort this out. Lij would never want me harmed. Tomorrow, I'm heading back. If you'll come, fine—if not, I'll go alone!"
He turned toward the window, bathed in moonlight. The stranger's eyes softened.
"If only you knew the destiny waiting for you… I won't escort you back. You'll have to walk that path alone. One day, you'll understand what your mother was protecting you from."
***
Morning came with icy wind. Silence blanketed the village until—
"Move out!" Lij's voice shattered it.
Soldiers and horsemen marched toward the woods, armor clattering, hooves pounding the earth.
"Bring me his head, Lij," the monarch whispered as he walked with James. "Or yours will take its place."
As they returned to the village, the monarch's steps turned—not toward the hall, but toward a cage.
Jane—Riona's mother—looked up, her lips cracked, her wrists raw from chains.
"I gave you shelter," the monarch sneered, a cruel smile spreading across his face. "But don't worry… you won't be lonely much longer. Your little sorcerer will be joining you soon."
He struck the cage with his fist before walking away.
Jane trembled, finally whispering through trembling lips, "Mikael… please, save my son."
***
Riona awoke with a sharp breath. He was back on the same bed. Confused, he glanced toward the window. The stranger was still there, just as he remembered.
"I'm going back to the village," Riona muttered, walking toward the door. "Don't try to stop me."
"Head left," the stranger replied, never turning from the window.
Outside, the raven's cry split the silence. Riona walked into the woods. The forest seemed calm, but his heart beat fast. Soon, he heard hooves—armor clanging.
He peeked through the trees. "Uncle Lij!"
Lij smiled coldly. "Get him!"
The soldiers hesitated before one charged. Riona stumbled, fell, and the soldier raised his weapon high—
Memories of the axe above his head flashed. Panic froze him—until a sudden force yanked him backward, ribs aching as he hit the ground.
The stranger stood nearby, fury in his eyes, hand outstretched.
Magic pulsed in the air. Roots burst from the earth, blocking soldiers' paths. The forest obeyed.
"I swore not to interfere," the stranger thought bitterly. "But I can't let him die. Not yet."
Turning to the boy, he whispered, "Run. They won't take you. Not while I still breathe."