Abad landed hard on cold dry stone. Biting winds violently whipped around him as he rolled and leaped to his feet, ready for anything. Luckily, he saw that he was alone.
His scroll unfurled.
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As the Dark One''s power surges into you, [Final Law] grants you [Mana IX], [Potence X], [Essence IX], [Focus VI], [Resistance IV], and [Resilience V]
[Final Law]: This ability allows the bearer to rewrite, alter, or break any established rule, code, or edit all magical contracts, oaths, or laws. Through this power, the wielder can dissolve pacts, unravel spells, or rewrite agreements to the terms the wielder decides.
[Teleportation]: Harnessing advanced spatial magic, you transcend distance, allowing instant travel to a known or marked location.
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He felt every single fiber of his being surge with power. Using this new power, he reached out with his senses and could feel every tree, every bird, every beast, every stone, and something else, something hidden from his sight and far below. He exhaled, and the winds roared around him. His very breath was power. The cold wind cut at him, but it was nothing compared to the inferno that was his spirit. Soft snow fell from the sky, but it vaporized as it touched his aura. He pulled upon everything within him, and the mountaintop thrummed with power. Readying himself, he looked around, taking in his surroundings.
He saw mountains in every direction. Turning, he could see the Great Tower rising high in the sky in the distance, a white line cutting through the deep blue of dusk. At its top was the Orb, which had grown dim as night approached. Looking the other way, he saw a massive wall stretching in every direction, and another tower, massive but smaller than the first, cutting through the dark sky. Looking down the mountain, he saw a decrepit castle lying far below. The land felt familiar. Looking down at the castle, he realized where he was. He stepped back. A large seal was carved into the mountaintop, and in the center was his raven symbol.
He was on Draekenspire, where he had fought to Hero long ago.
"Wherever you run, I''ll find you." Kasimir''s voice echoed in his mind. A breath later, the man appeared.
Abad threw his pack off the side of the mountain and leveled [Final Law] at the man. "A fitting place to end up, isn''t it?" His voice echoed through the mountains, shaking loose snow and dirt from their peaks.
"You don''t seem to understand. All that you are belongs to me. It''s been foretold. And once I peel the weakness out of that little mind of yours, I''ll bring you back. Again and again. You''ll be useful to this world, monster." The withered husk that used to be Kasimir took a step toward him. The mage waved his hand, and a green energy surrounded the entire mountaintop. [Dimensional Anchor]. They were stuck until one of them fell.
Abad channeled energy into the scepter.
[Candlelight]
Flames exploded from the raven-headed rod. The snow hissed violently as the flame scorched the mountaintop. It looked different now. Lighter.
Kasimir laughed. "That''s all you have? After everything, all these years, that''s what you use in our final battle? Where''s the power you brought against my sister? Don''t make me laugh."
Abad''s ball of flame shot forth, but the ancient mage raised a barrier of energy, deflecting it.
[Teleportation]
Abad vanished just as the flames dissipated through the barrier, reappearing on the opposite side of the mountaintop.
[Burn the Weak]
Deep red flames cascaded up his scepter and wreathed his arms, but they were no longer only blood red. Small motes of white fire danced within them. Kasimir turned and spoke more words of power, but the man was too late. The hellfire exploded toward the withered mage and erupted as it struck him. His shrieks melded into the howling wind as his robes burned away and his leathery skin peeled back, revealing the skeletal frame beneath. As they guttered out, the lich gave a creaking laugh.
"I cannot die. Not truly. It doesn''t matter what you do. There is no defeating me."
Abad laughed at the man''s words. "I remember thinking the same, once."
"You brought ruin to everything you created!" Kasimir spat back. "I watched your empire burn!" As he spoke, the man raised his staff and sent bolts of black lighting at him. "I could never be like you, filth! Everything I do, I do for this world!"
[Rulebreaker]
With a pulse, Abad unraveled the spell itself. The bolts of lightning dissipated as if they never existed at all, scattering only a sea of dust into the air.
[Teleportation]
Abad teleported into the sky, to the edge of the barrier.
[Burn the Weak]
Again, the fire flashed and cascaded downward, consuming the lich''s body. Kasimir screamed and stumbled, trying to block the blow with his arm, a magical shield sprouting from a bracer on his bony wrist. The flames licked up and down the shield, but the white motes penetrated it, blackening the bones beneath.
[Teleportation]
Abad teleported behind the lich and spoke, infusing his words with his power of [Dominion]. "[May the dead rest]"
Purple tendrils coalesced from Abad''s scepter, then snaked into the ground around him. An instant later, they shot from the ground around the lich and swirled along his frame, revealing black runes along his bones. As the purple energy ate at them, the creature''s frame to wavered. The mage screamed as the magic began to pull at him, seeking to rip his spirit out of the false body it was housed in. In a flash, the man vanished.
Abad''s eyes darted back and forth. He reached out and felt the man nearby but didn''t see him. He looked up and was struck in the chest with cold black energy. Black ice crackled over him, freezing him to the spot. Kasimir teleported again, reappearing directly before him. The man''s hand flashed out, sending shards of obsidian black ice through the air.
[Teleportation]
Before Abad teleported, the shards embedded themselves into him, piercing into his stomach and chest. He teleported several feet away but fell to the ground, clutching his chest. Another wave of black ice washed over him, piercing his legs. A shadow loomed over him. He felt the power of his scepter drain out of him as the ice shards drew on his essence.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
[Sanguine Bond]
He pulled on his life force to reinforce his body. He coughed up blood as he jumped backward, tearing free from the ice just as the lich struck downward with a scintillating black blade, which gouged into the mountain as it were made of paper.
[Candlelight]
The ice melted off his skin as flames wreathed the scepter, but blood poured from his wounds where the ice had been.
[Corruption]
The black runes flashed as the weakening spell resonated with them, enhancing his [Dominion]''s effects. That might buy him some time. The lich was faster than him.
[Devour Essence]
He reached out with his soul and absorbed every ounce of energy within range. Motes of energy flowed out of the lich, torn free from his bones. It crawled out of the rocks, the snow, and the air itself and tore every ounce of essence from the land, leaving the mountaintop cracked and barren. He felt his wounds close, but he was still badly wounded.
"[May the dead rest]!"
The glowing runes etched into the lich''s bones glowed in response to Abad''s words, but before the spell could do much, the mage teleported away again
"[No injury shall fell the child of—"
He felt a spell wash over him. His words died on his lips.
"Did you truly think you could overcome me, demon spawn?" Kasimir reappeared in front of Abad, and a wave of force threw him back onto the ground. The lich leaped forward and stomped on his hand. The warlock screamed as his fingers broke. Another stomp, and another, and another. Abad rolled over and tried to summon flames, but a wave of purple energy struck him, throwing him through the air. [Final Law] slipped from his ruined hand and skittered away. As it did, Abad could feel all the pain the scepter had masked wash over him. Along with the pain, his spirit diminished to a fraction of what it had been, leaving him drained and exhausted. The winds bit at him, burning his skin. The sky was growing black, but even with the empowerment of his [Embrace of the Abyss], he knew he was sorely outmatched.
Another spell. Roots sprouted from the ground, entwining him, pulling tight against his flesh until he thought he''d pass out from pain.
[Devour Essence]
Abad pulled power from the spell, but it wasn''t enough to break it. He screamed as his fingers cracked back into place.
Kasimir approached and grabbed his throat. The lich intoned a spell, and the same black seal as before appeared on the ground. Within seconds, shadows crept up the vines to his body, enveloping him.
"When you woke, I rejoiced. You have no idea how long I''ve waited. Ever since you disappeared from this world, I''ve been disappointed time and again. All those useless descendants, every one of them falling short. I tried several of them, you know? Most didn''t even do enough to be written about. I knew I needed you. But everywhere I looked, I couldn''t find you. I had nearly given up hope... until I received a vision. The Goddess granted me her grace, despite what I''d become. She provided me with a path back to salvation." Kasimir pulled Abad''s face down, forcing the warlock to look him in his empty eye sockets.
"I knew you''d awaken eventually. I knew you couldn''t have died. You''re too tenacious for that. And when I received my vision, I ensured you''d be pulled to Farnfoss, where I had long tried and failed to retrieve that little rod of yours. I knew you''d be pulled to it, so I let events play out how they would. And everything was as I saw it. Fate provided me with you. How does it feel to realize you never had a choice, little shadowspawn?"
Abad shivered from the cold as the shadows bit into him. He tried to move and struggle, but he was held fast. He descended into his spirit and pulled on everything he could, channeling it into another spell.
[Burn the Weak]
Flames exploded around him, the dark red and white cascading like an inferno. His skin burned, blistered, and boiled, but so too did Kasimir''s bones. The lich''s arm smoked, and his bones blackened. The lich jumped back as the vines holding Abad incinerated. He fell to the ground. He could barely move.
The shadows from the seal sunk into him further, tearing at his spirit, but something felt different this time. They were repulsed by something inside of him. They were unable to claim him fully. With what remained of his will, Abad reached for that thing that so repulsed the darkness. For the first time in his life, he sensed something else inside his soul. A small mote of light shined inside his black spirit, feeding on the flames and shadow. And that light illuminated something deep within him. The shattered embers of [Hellfire] began to glow in the light''s presence.
"I wonder," Kasimir remarked as the flames engulfing him guttered out. "Why do you even care? It''s not like this world will ever embrace you."
[Devour Essence]
Abad pulled energy from the lich, restoring some of his power, but the mage was so far beyond him now that it felt like drawing water from a glacier. Either way, he drew on the lich''s energy and his own remaining strength. He channeled all his pain, loss, grief, and hatred into his final spell. He wouldn''t survive. He knew it. But he''d go out his way. He was done being a pawn.
[Devour Essence]
He tore everything he could from the lich, who cackled as he did. "What a pitiful end this has come to! Such wasted potential, you are. At least you''re going out with some dignity, I suppose."
Abad was shaking terribly from the cold as the snow buffeted him. Blood coated the white stone, painting it crimson. He glared at the lich and wobbled to his feet. As he did, he pulled on that smoldering rune inside of him one last time and grinned. Flames licked at his skin, then roared out of him. He didn''t try to resist. He simply gave himself to the spell, just like he had against the trolls. The magic raged uncontrollably, so he let go. He didn''t care. He''d burn it all away, one final time, and be free.
"Ah, one last diabolical stand against a hero? Fine. Do your best, monster." The lich waved his hand, and the silence spell fell free. The mage knew he couldn''t use [Dominion] without the scepter''s enhancements and seemed bored talking to himself. The black runes were still etched on his bones, but they were fading. If Abad didn''t end him here, he''d regenerate in time. This was the moment. He''d either end them both or die trying.
Flames wreathed Abad''s entire body. As they consumed him, he spoke. "I''ve always been one to make grand speeches and pour on the theatrics. You know that better than most, Kasimir." The flames burned away at the shadows snaking out of the seal. Abad drew on them, willing them into him, feeding them to his spell. The black seal burned away into the night, consumed. Kasimir''s demeanor shifted, his teeth gritting as he began to smolder from the heat. Abad felt something move behind him, but he ignored it, focusing everything on this one moment. He couldn''t falter. This spell would be the greatest in his life. He felt his inner light merge with the rune within his spirit, and his scroll unfurled for the final time.
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Your [Hellfire] spell has been restored.
[Hellfire] transforms into [Eclipse]
[Eclipse] (5th Circle, Active, Cost ?????◇◇◇◇◇): When cast, a massive explosion erupts around the caster, engulfing the area in a swirling inferno light-infused flame.
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He laughed at the words on his page. He''d done it. He''d become more than he was. He opened his arms wide and tilted his head back. "Kasimir!"
The red points of light in the lich''s skull narrowed.
"This time, I''ll keep it brief. I''m done. I''m sorry the centuries have worn away at you like they have. I wish it could''ve ended better, for both of us." Magma poured from his lips as he spoke, sputtering on the ground. He grinned as his spirit ignited, burning away one last time. "See you on the other side, old friend." And with those words, he let go.
[Eclipse]
Scintillating flames burst from his chest, roaring into the air, until a vortex of light, shadow, and flame burned everything away. And for a brief, wondrous moment, all of creation shone brilliantly as he was engulfed in flames of purest white. The mountaintop exploded. Stone and flame roared as the clouds above burned away. Everything was consumed.
He felt himself burning away, a smile still on his cracked lips as death approached. The darkness came to claim him. But just as he felt himself slipping away, a field of red energy appeared around him, blocking out the heat, and he felt a small amount of life force enter him. The flames roared around the red shield, which crackled against their ferocity, as he fell to his knees, panting, but alive. For several long moments, as the flames illuminated the world, he wondered how. A few minutes later, the flames died out.
Glancing up, Abad saw the lich was smoking and charred, looking ragged and broken. His bones were black as night, and the light in his eyes wavered, barely visible even in the dark of night. Reaching out with what was left of his spirit, his head swimming as he did, Abad sensed that the lich had nearly been consumed, but it hadn''t been enough.
"That was a very good try." The creature walked to the edge of the platform and reached down. He stood up with [Final Law] in his skeletal hand. "But as I said, This is fate."