Lightning split the sky above the Grand Arcane Citadel, cracking against its spires like the roar of a thousand dragons. Inside the highest chamber, Aurelius Centore, the Golden Sage, stood alone. His silver-black hair, streaked with molten gold, shimmered under the flicker of shattered torches.
Everything was broken.
Books lay scattered, charred and torn. The once-perfect magical circles etched into the marble floor were cracked, flickering weakly. Aurelius's hands tingled, not from injury, but from the raw surge of mana that refused to dissipate.
"I should have sensed it."
He swallowed hard. Not from fear, but disbelief. Betrayal tasted like ash in his mouth. And yet he had trusted him. Trusted Kazo Astor, his friend, his brother-in-arms for decades.
"How could he? After everything?"
Kazo stepped forward, robes trailing sparks of dark mana. He was calm. Too calm. That infuriated Aurelius more than any attack could.
"You've always been too noble, Aurelius." Kazo said, voice smooth.
"Too focused on right and wrong. Power doesn't wait for ideals."
Aurelius's stomach knotted. Anger, yes. But there was something deeper, a hurt he had not felt in centuries.
"I thought I knew you. I shared everything and this is what it comes to?"
He clenched his fists. Circles of golden mana blossomed beneath him, intricate, layered, lethal. He could still fight, still command power that few could dream of controlling.
Kazo's smile didn't waver. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed shadows that devoured Aurelius's attacks and sent him skidding back. Pain lanced through him, sharp, physical, but beneath it, a deeper burn, the sting of trust destroyed.
"I... will not..." Aurelius muttered, voice strained. "I won't be broken by someone like you."
"Broken? No. They can break the body. But the mind... the mind remembers."
Kazo's eyes glittered.
"And yet, here you are, on the floor, gasping. History is written by the ruthless."
Aurelius's mind raced. Circles, layers, forbidden spells...
"If I use everything now, I could end him, but that's not enough. Not justice. Not revenge. Not the way it should be."
He launched another series of attacks, faster, sharper. Mana carved the air in blinding arcs. Kazo deflected, countered, and laughed softly.
"Of course he'd laugh. Always confident. Arrogant. Foolish. He thinks he's won. I'll give him centuries to regret it..."
The final strike came. Kazo's spell tore into him, more than a physical blow. His body seemed to unravel, energy ripped from his very soul.
Aurelius felt every cell tear apart, every layer of existence shred.
And yet, even as the void approached, he thought:
"I will return. I will make them pay. Kazo's name... will rot in history while mine burns brighter than the sun."
The chamber exploded in blinding light, energy scattering in all directions. Aurelius's golden eyes dimmed, but his mind remained, burning, aware, unbroken.
The void welcomed him, not cold, not empty, but endless, stretching in all directions.
"Where… am I?"