With a lurch, the rickety wagon jerked violently to the side. One of its horses brayed and whinnied as one of the wheels caught against a large stone in the road, then slowly rolled over it. The entire left side of the wagon lifted into the air, then slammed back down to the ground, rattling the half-dozen crates within and extracting from the fey''ra another pained groan. Abad watched as Zethari''s face turned from sick to green, and Abad transferred a little essence into her as he rubbed her back.


    "Why..." she groaned, "is the road... so rough..." She gagged as the last word left her lips.


    "Just a little ways longer," he promised. He knew it was a lie, but any hope was good in times like these.


    "You... lying... bastard..." she huffed.


    Behind them, he heard Kjormur stir. The dwarf''s heavy footsteps plodded up to them. "May I help?"


    "I don''t—" Zethari''s words were cut off but another jolt of the wagon, and her cheeks flared as she held back with everything she had. She tried to speak again, but all that came out was a gurgle as she dry heaved, then nodded to Abad.


    Kjormur reached down toward the wolf woman and placed his hand on her back. He closed his eyes and whispered some soft words, and a warm light began to emit from his hands. "Goddess of Light," he chanted, "see to this woman and ease the pains of this world. Take away the burdens that afflict her so that she may walk freely under the stars and hunt under the moon''s light once more." Abad felt his spell take hold, and Zethari''s face softened. She slumped against the back wall of the wagon, her arm dangling out the opening, and breathed deeply.


    As he removed his hand, Kjormur shot Abad a glance. The warlock nodded in thanks, and the priest returned to his crate.


    "The te''ra..." She moaned, "...helped... a little." Her eyes closed.


    Abad took her hand and channeled more of his essence into her, trying to reinforce the dwarf''s magic. He could feel their energies mingling within her, and her face softened further. After a few minutes, her eyelids floated open, her yellow eyes meeting his. "You have as well... Thank you."


    En-In''s strummed some notes on his lute. The half-elf had kept up with his music the entire two days they''d spent on the road, thus far, and he gave no indication that he planned to stop. Not that Abad was complaining. The man was an excellent musician, and his tunes kept the weariness of the road at bay, if barely. While the others snapped at him from time to time, Abad welcomed the music.


    The rains had started that morning and had only grown heavier as the day wore on. Abad also noticed that the light from the tower had dwindled significantly as the end of Soulclaim approached. It was only a little over a month until this Darkfall event everyone seemed anxious about, and Abad was excited to finally see it. However, the caravan leader had suggested that they needed to make good time before then. He said the mist began to accumulate as Darkfall approached, and with the mist came monsters.


    However, between the rain, the poor condition of the northern branch of the Old King''s Road, and a large tree that they had found blown over onto it that morning, they hadn''t made great time, and the journey to Syrenthal took three weeks in good conditions. And, with the constant rumbling and shaking of the carriage on uneven ground, even his fortified body was growing tired. His whole body felt sore from the rattling and rocking, and the others seemed equally beat up. The only ones who seemed no worse for wear were Firtz and Kjormur.


    Abad looked forward to tying to new portals across the land. While guard work was relatively lucrative, he''d never been a fan of traveling this way. Perhaps in a fine carriage, one with supports to make the ride smooth, he could enjoy himself, but a wagon like this was no way to travel. If for no other reason, he looked forward to the day he obtained a higher level of wealth and privilege than he currently had.


    He felt Zethari''s hand go limp. The woman had finally fallen into a fitful sleep. Letting go of it, he turned and withdrew from his pack the book Ta-Li had written for him. Opening it up, he found dozens of arcane inscriptions, and each them was annotated in elven. Some of the spells were in magical traditions he no longer had access to in his current state, but many of them were ones he''d used before and could learn now. Her hand was steady, and she was incredibly detailed. He appreciated the woman''s scholarly tendencies.


    Thinking back to Bahra''s choice of writing notes in the rear of the book, he flipped it over and opened to the back page, where he found a note:


    <hr>


    "Abad-Shai, Scion of the Black Flame and Dark Scholar,


    At first, when I heard your name, I assumed it could only be a coincidence. While our people rarely share names, it was possible someone simply adopted a historical name as a sort of honorific or as showmanship. Yet, when the rumors reached my ears that you indeed were the Abad-Shai, I was elated. As a young apprentice, you were among my greatest heroes, a mage who defied all odds and learned arts beyond the ken of our elders, breaking the chains of societal bounds and elven customs alike. I admired and feared you in equal measure. The things you have done are truly terrifying, yet equally inspiring.


    My mother and father told me stories of you and the horrors you wrought on your enemies. I, being born to parents who''d lived many centuries, received countless second-hand accounts of your many exploits, both great and terrible. Your skill as a mage, a warlock, and more has rarely been rivaled in the centuries you''ve said to have been gone, and while I abhor many of the choices you made that led to your downfall, your achievements, while horrible to many, are admirable to me.


    For years, I felt guilt over my fascination with you and your kind, but today, as I sit alone in my room in the Mage''s Guild, I feel as though I might burst with anticipation at seeing you again. You, who broke the boundaries of magic and peered further into the abyss than any other, have so much to offer. You could teach us new ways and assist us in breaking the chains of tradition that keep us shackled to the past. I know I should feel that way, but I do.


    If you ever return to Farnfoss, I''d like to discuss some theories with you concerning magic and artifice, for I believe there is much I feel you could illuminate for me. I have been limited by the knowledge of this time and would take any opportunity to explore the boundaries of magic under one so esteemed. I understand that you have lost much of your power, but there is no doubt in my mind that you will reclaim it. You are among the privileged few with the potential to shake the foundations of this world. I cannot wait to see what wonders you will unleash.


    To help you on your path, I have compiled many spells that I believe will assist you in your travels. Please, do not hesitate to call upon me if ever you return. Until then, I will trust that our paths will cross again someday.


    Sincerely,


    Ta-Li


    <hr>


    He hadn''t thought much of her when they met. She seemed mousy and inconsequential, little more than a background character in the stage play that was his bitter existence. But if this letter was true, maybe there was more there to examine. It seemed clear that she was looking for mentorship despite her status as a mage. He hadn''t sensed much power from either of the resident mages in Farnfoss, so if she was anything like his apprentices in the past, she likely lacked both the power and aptitude to grow her powers independently past her current state. He was certain he could shape her in time, but did he want to?Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    He hadn''t considered spreading his knowledge again. In truth, after seeing the fate most of his apprentices faced in the past age, he''d been reluctant to consider taking on new apprentices. Aside from Helia, who was his best and brightest pupil, most had died horrible deaths or had been consumed by the dark powers he taught them. As he gazed upon the words written by this mage, he felt that fear deep within his chest. As much as his vanity was tickled by Ta-Li''s words, he didn''t see himself spreading his art ever again. He anticipated it would die with him one day.


    Still, he owed the woman a visit if and when he returned to Farnfoss. She''d done him a service by writing him this spellbook and deserved that much.


    He turned the book back over and began flipping through the pages, searching for the first spell he wanted to relearn. As he did, he heard a voice behind him.


    "How''s she doing?" Shani crawled over a crate and sat next to him against it. She was wet and cold, so he handed her one of the blankets he''d purchased. She quickly wrapped it around herself.


    "She''s finally asleep. She told me she''s only been on a wagon one other time, and that was when..." he looked over to the fey''ra, who was sleeping, and lowered his voice, "when she was captured."


    Shani scowled. "It''s disgusting how their kind are treated. If it were up to me, I''d hang every slaver."


    He thought of Keila. "I understand how you feel, but sometimes things aren''t always so simple. It''s easy to take life but difficult to give it."


    Her blue eyes scanned his face. "I would have thought it impossible for anyone but the Goddess to grant it, but I''ve heard that you... that you brought Keila back." Her gaze lingered on him. "Is that true?"


    "Yes. And no." He shrugged. "It''s complicated."


    "What do you mean?"


    He tried to think of the words to explain how [Dominion] worked. "Let''s say that the Goddess''s land, Elysium, is governed entirely by her laws. The souls that dwell here are under her purview, the land is guided by her word, and the very nature of reality follows her will. At least the will that she instilled in it when she guided my kind to create it in the first place." He checked her eyes for understanding. She seemed to be following. "Magic, or at least most forms of it, simply channels her words into tangible effects inspired by the memories of mortals as they return to her tower to be reborn. Every class, like your warrior class or Firtz'' paladin class, has talents formed from mortal memories as they return to the source, and just about every spell comes from her words when she formed this land.


    "So we learn to do what our ancestors did."


    "That''s right. And the more something is done, the easier it is to learn but the more muddled and imprecise the archetype."


    "Why do they exist at all?"


    "Because we beings only have so many paths we can follow, and every mortal returns to the light before being spun out again in a new form. Their memories, however, stay with the Goddess and are given as gifts to mortals. From my understanding, the archetypes, or classes as we know them now, were systematized when the humans arrived on Reial, shaped by myths from their world, but the actual classes and talents come from the memories of the countless mortals who have lived and died in this land since the beginning of the first age, when the Goddess descended on the land."


    She seemed to understand him. "That makes sense. This is her land."


    "Yes, but her will isn''t the only will in this world, and it didn''t come first. Before her, there were countless other gods, like Yslene, and before them, the world was wild and untamed. And it was shaped by the individual wills of the people and beings who inhabited it. No one thing bound everything together, and the magic and abilities from those eras were similarly unbound. One''s will shaped this world, and the stronger the will, the more the world could be shaped. That''s the origin of my powers, the primordial chaos beyond the Goddess."


    She was silent a while. He could see her mind working behind her eyes. "Then why do you use the system at all? If you can simply make things happen, why do you need her magic?"


    "Because enough beings who practice what I practice and who are what I am have died and returned their knowledge to the system. Even though my kind isn''t mortal, we aren''t monsters. We are infused with the energies from beyond this land, but we are still of this land. The part of us that is of this place returns to the light when we die, and enough have done so that even my magics are bound to her laws now. All but one."


    "Which is?"


    "[Dominion]."


    She shook her head. "How does it work?"


    He thought a moment. "Words have power, right?"


    "Sure. The quill is mightier than the sword and all that."


    "Kind of. With [Dominion], I can speak my will into existence. I just say what I want, add my essence, and the Goddess''s world bends around my will. With enough willpower and essence, I can even break her laws, but inevitably her laws overcome mine again in time. The amount of power needed to overcome her completely in Elysium would be far beyond anything anyone could possess. However, I can still break and bend her rules, and anything I do in that time has a chance of remaining. That''s how Keila was brought back."


    Shani gave a disbelieving laugh. "Really? So you can just create life, raise the dead, stuff like that?"


    "Yes."


    Her smile faded.


    "With enough power, I can do anything I can imagine. Before I destroyed [Final Law], I had enough power to do most anything I could imagine, though probably not quite at the level of creating life. My dark father could do far more, but he was a being that rivaled the Goddess, and I''m not so arrogant as to believe I could be like him. However, for a brief moment in the manor, I could see the mountain I''d need to climb to reach him. But that vision is lost now."


    "Can anyone learn this?" She looked afraid.


    "No. It''s limited to my kind and those with enough darkness within to take on our essence. The dark one''s children, the Thirteen, have variants of this ability, but their individual natures color it. Only two of my old companions and one of my servants had this power, and I wasn''t the best at wielding it."


    "What about her? Could you do something like that?"


    He looked to Zethari. "Making new life is much harder than twisting existing life. Only our dark father could create something from nothing. However, I have an idea of how the fey''ra were formed, and it doubtless was through [Dominion]. Kasimir even told me which of my dark siblings shaped them. If I grow stronger, I might one day be able to do the same, though I don''t know if I would, or could. I''m less... creative, I suppose, than some of my fellows. I have an easier time imagining things being in their proper places than I do imagining new things. Call it a personal limitation. Plus, I wouldn''t want to bring another race into this world to suffer, and one''s will is important when shaping the world. I lack the will."


    She fell silent. He could tell he''d unsettled her, and she took time to process his words. "So that''s how you brought Keila back? You brought her back to her proper place?"


    "I suppose you could say that. I didn''t feel as though she should die then, so I ensured she didn''t. However, had her soul been claimed by the Goddess''s winds, I wouldn''t have been able to do what I did. She had only just died, and her spirit was still tethered to her body. Had it been any longer, or had her body been more damaged, I wouldn''t have been able to help."


    "So ever your power has limits." She said more than asked.


    "Right now, I can barely do anything. Every word I speak is like casting a spell. I could pull off a couple of single-word commands before needing rest, and even then the Goddess''s law would overpower me soon enough." He shrugged. "It''s not something I''m eager to do anyway. [Dominion] is tantalizing for many, but I''ve seen its limitations and its downfalls. Plus, the backlash can be painful. If I falter, the rebound can be... bad." He shuddered. He remembered a time he''d had hoofs for a month. "Also, if others learn about what I can do, people tend to have certain ideas about what I should do. I''ve seen first-hand the tragedy that such thoughts bring." His hand subconsciously sought out Angra''s soul stone. His fingers brushed against her warmth. "Unlimited power corrupts."


    She considered his words, then nodded. "I''m happy you feel that way. I feel safer knowing you''re wary of abusing your powers."


    He couldn''t suppress the chuckle. "I''ve abused them enough in my long life."


    She didn''t match his laughter. Instead, she frowned and was silent. "I don''t envy you."


    He laughed. "You shouldn''t. My existence is one of struggle and strife. Even when I grew into an adult and became powerful, I still found myself in constant struggle. I expect that will remain the same for me now." He looked backward, toward the town they''d left. "It''s part of why I left Farnfoss. Trouble finds me, and far too many there knew who I was. It''s better to stay moving." He turned back toward the road ahead. "But this time, I seem to be blessed with a few friends along the way. I think that will make it easier."


    She gave him a soft smile. "I hope so." With that, she stood up, placed a hand on his shoulder, then crawled back to the front just as A-Nis glared at her. The elder sister was drenched and shivering.


    As she took her seat on the driver''s bench, he realized he hoped so too.