Beginning of the End

Chapter Two: Beginning of the End

After Elorn and Hisu left the alley, they reflected on what had just happened, as if they were still trying to comprehend the surprise that had turned their day upside down.

Hisu turned to Elorn and looked at him with clear bewilderment, then asked him:

"So how'd you take his power just now?"

Elorn looked at his hand, then answered him with the same bewilderment:

"I dunno myself! The second I touched him, the flame just vanished from his body and jumped to me!"

Hisu kept looking at him for a few moments, trying to understand what he had heard, then said:

"Eh, whatever, doesn't matter now."

And suddenly, Elorn waved his hand in the air, and a small flame shot from it.

The two stopped in their tracks and stared at the flame in amazement. It was the first time Elorn had tested his new ability in this way, and he could not hide his joy at what had happened.

As for Hisu, he soon shared his excitement, and the two began to contemplate what Elorn had become capable of doing.

After a little while, they resumed walking through the streets and markets of the Kingdom of Astria, talking about what had happened and testing Elorn's new ability from time to time.

But it seemed their day did not intend to pass peacefully!

Amid the crowd of people in the markets, Elorn and Hisu spotted three people whose appearance seemed unfamiliar.

And suddenly, one of them pointed toward them and shouted:

"There they are!"

Elorn turned to Hisu and looked at him in bewilderment.

"Is he pointin' at us?"

Hisu gave him a frustrated look, then answered him:

"Not our lucky day! All this 'cause you didn't pay the guy for the food!"

The two did not wait to find out what those people wanted, and they took off running as fast as they could.

The three ran after them, and it soon became clear that their speed far exceeded that of Elorn and Hisu. The distance between them was narrowing, and it was not easy for the two friends to escape them by simply running.

But Elorn and Hisu did not give up.

They began hurling whatever objects came to hand into the path of their pursuers, catching them off guard and distracting them, in an attempt to slow them down and gain some time.

And they used those moments until they reached a quiet and empty place, where they hid away from sight.

The three people arrived at the place and began searching for them, looking around in every direction, but the two were not visible to them.

And while they continued searching, they suddenly turned to find a huge flame before them!

They screamed in surprise, and before they could comprehend what was happening, Hisu pounced on them with his staff, directing an explosive blow at them that knocked them to the ground.

Elorn came out of his hiding place and joined Hisu, and they beat them until they managed to subdue them.

Elorn stood before them, a sharp look drawn on his face, while flame coiled around his hand.

Then he said in a threatening tone:

"If y'all don't tell me who sent y'all, I'm gonna burn y'all!"

One of the people trembled with fear, could not bear the situation, and lost consciousness.

As for the other two, they screamed in terror:

"Lord Zervius!"

Elorn furrowed his brows and asked them:

"Zervius?! And who's that?!"

The reply came quickly:

"The Demon King!"

Elorn's expression changed as soon as he heard the answer, then he turned to Hisu and found him looking at him with a miserable face, as if he no longer found anything that happened to them that day surprising.

Elorn sighed and said:

"Told ya, not our lucky day!"

After Elorn and Hisu learned the identity of who had sent the three people, Elorn noticed something else; he had discovered that these people also possessed the Flame Ability.

He looked at them, then began to think about trying his mysterious power again.

And after subduing them, he stepped up to one of them and touched him.

The flame vanished from the man's body and transferred to Elorn!

He repeated the act with the second person, then the third, and the Flame Abilities transferred from all of them to him.

Hisu watched what happened in amazement, then turned to Elorn and asked him:

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

At the same moment, the two said:

"Is this Ability Theft or what?!"

They exchanged glances, as if trying to make sure that what they had concluded was indeed what was happening. It was no longer just a matter of one person's ability transferring to Elorn; the same thing had happened with three other people.

Elorn decided to try his ability again.

He released flame from his hand, but this time it was much stronger than before. The flame surged in a way that nearly burned Hisu, who jumped away shouting:

"You tryna cook me for dinner here?!"

Elorn looked at him laughing, then said:

"Wanna see me try it out?"

Hisu stared at him for a moment, then turned and ran away, while Elorn set off after him laughing.

Soon the situation turned into a playful chase between the two friends, as if they were still two children playing together, heedless of what had just happened.

Elsewhere, inside the Demon King's castle, Zervius was sitting on his throne.

Silence reigned over the place, while Zervius seemed lost in his thoughts. After a few moments, a faint smile appeared on his face, and he said:

"Hmm... interesting."

Then he added in a tone that carried clear interest in the person he had heard about:

"You have made me even more eager to meet you... and I will finish you with my own hands!"

Zervius remained seated on his throne, his meeting with Elorn having become something he looked forward to.

We returned once again to Elorn and Hisu.

As the two were wandering through the Kingdom of Astria, their eyes fell on an advertisement for the magic academy, on which was written:

"Great Thalozia Academy"

They stopped before the advertisement and examined it with interest. After thinking it over, they decided to apply for admission to the Academy, then began to wait for a reply.

While they were waiting, Elorn and Hisu sat together, and Hisu was still thinking about the name of the Academy.

He turned to Elorn and asked him:

"Don't you think it's kinda weird they named the Academy after Thalozia?"

Elorn looked at him in astonishment, then said:

"You really have no idea?"

Hisu answered simply:

"Nah."

Elorn smiled, then said:

"Alright, lemme tell ya."

And Elorn began to tell him the story of Thalozia Ackerman, the Great Mage King, the man who had founded the Kingdom and protected it for many centuries.

Thalozia was a man who had lived an unbelievably long life, as his age had extended to nearly fifteen thousand years. He had lived from the Jomon period, which had extended roughly from 14000 BCE to 300 BCE, until the Heian period, which had extended from 794 to 1185 CE.

And despite those long centuries, Thalozia had remained youthful in appearance, so his true age did not show on him.

He had also lived a simple and ascetic life, and had devoted the long years of his life to protecting the Kingdom he had founded, and he had continued to protect it through those eras.

But Thalozia's history was not limited to founding and protecting the Kingdom; he had been bound by a friendship with a great sorcerer who had lived in the Heian era, called Urathin Valeron.

Urathin appeared in a formidable demonic form, with four arms and two faces, and he had been one of the most powerful sorcerers of his time.

And his relationship with Thalozia had not been a mere passing acquaintance; he had been a friend to him, and he had also had commercial dealings with the Kingdom.

Hisu listened to the story Elorn told, learning about a part of the Kingdom's history and the man whose name the Academy bore.

Elorn and His Parents

After that, Elorn was sitting with his parents, and he told them, saying:

"Hisu and I have applied to join Thalozia Academy."

He looked at his parents awaiting their reply, but he was surprised by the joy that appeared on their faces.

His father smiled and said proudly:

"I am proud of you, my son, whatever your ability may be."

And his mother added with a smile:

"That's a good step, my son."

But his father returned to a matter that had continued to occupy him, and asked him:

"Have you not known what your ability is all these years?"

Elorn was silent for a moment, then answered:

"I found it's just regular flame."

His father contemplated his answer, and doubt remained apparent on his face, as if he had not been entirely convinced by what he had heard.

Nevertheless, he did not pursue his questioning, and contented himself with saying:

"Alright, my son."

On the other side, Hisu was sitting eating his food alone, waiting for his father's return.

Time passed, but his father did not return.

After a little while, the servant entered the place and told him:

"Lord Oda will not be coming today."

Hisu's hand stopped for a moment, and his expression changed. His father's absence due to his constant preoccupation with work recurred often, and yet, it was not easy for him.

He tried to hide his sadness, then said:

"I'll definitely see him... tomorrow's another day."

His father's absence continued to occupy his thoughts, but he had nothing to do but wait.

And as the days passed, Elorn and Hisu continued their usual meetings, wandering and playing together, and spending time training and exploring Elorn's abilities.

One day, Hisu decided to train Elorn to use his ability better, and to help him explore its limits.

He chose an empty place for him in the forest, and arranged a number of targets he could train on.

Hisu stood before Elorn, then said to him confidently:

"Show us what you got!"

Elorn raised his finger confidently, and began to concentrate flame at its tip, trying to direct it accurately toward one of the targets.

And after he had concentrated his power, he released the flame.

The flame shot toward the target and destroyed it completely, and it did not stop there, but the impact of the strike extended to the tree that stood behind it and destroyed it as well!

Hisu froze in place, his eyes widened, and his mouth remained open from sheer shock.

Then he shouted:

"What is that? Falcon Eye!"

Elorn looked at him with a confident smile and said:

"Aw, come on, man!"

Hisu was not satisfied with what he had seen, but an idea occurred to him to test Elorn's accuracy in a different way.

He began to hurl stones upward with explosive force, so they shot high into the air, and Elorn had to hit them with his flame and shatter them before they fell.

The two began training, and Elorn went on firing his flame at the flying stones, shattering them one after another.

They kept to this routine until the end of the day; Elorn practiced directing his flame, and Hisu helped him test his ability and improve its accuracy.

At the end of the day, Elorn returned home, and his parents welcomed him joyfully.

Then they told him the news he had been waiting for:

"The entrance exams are next week!"

Elorn rejoiced and embraced his parents, as the date of the exams drew nearer and a new stage of his life began to approach.

On the other side, Hisu returned home and found the servant Do waiting for him.

Do said to him:

"There is new mail, my lord."

Hisu turned to him and asked:

"What does it contain, Do?"

Do answered him:

"The exams are next week, my lord."

Hisu took the letter, then entered his room.

Anger filled his chest; his father had not returned home again because of his constant preoccupation with work.

Hisu clenched his hand and said with annoyance:

"I think he's comin' tomorrow."

Then he remained in his room, while his father's absence continued to occupy his thoughts.

And so, the exams of the Great Thalozia Academy were at hand, and the time for Elorn and Hisu to enter a new stage of their lives drew near.

Everything seemed to be moving toward the entrance exams, but what awaited them was not merely ordinary exams...

For there was something greater awaiting them.