Nearly a month had passed since Alexander’s visit to the Shrine of the Guardians. His power had grown tremendously. The physical and magical strain of fighting for his life against a vampire horde for weeks had allowed him to tap into a greater reserve of magical power. Where he was once satisfied with learning basic spells and became bored with anything more complex, he now relished the challenge. He pored through dozens, hundreds of tomes filled with ancient knowledge. His abilities improved with each passing day, his magic like a storm, steadily growing in power, destined to one day make landfall.

Merlin had given him access to her personal library, a vast room full of advanced spells and techniques for the advanced magic user. She cautioned him, saying that no knowledge was forbidden, but to be careful with certain things. She left an ominous warning that not all magic was meant for mortal use.

One night, he perused through the library, eager to uncover what powerful spells lay within its ancient tomes. The magic within the pages of each was evident. As he had become more attuned to the magical energies, it felt like the books spoke to him, calling out, reaching out for him to come and take them to learn their secrets. Amidst the medley of voices, he heard one in particular. Like a siren’s song, it sang to him, calling, drawing him deeper into the library. It promised him power, the power he would need to save his world and protect his friends. He couldn’t help himself…

Lured by these promises, he found the tome in the deep recesses of the library. Its covers were a deep purple, and its pages yellowed and cracked due to age. The runes and symbols on its cover were not ones he recognized, and as he held it in his hands, the magic that resonated within felt… off. It was unnatural. A feeling that was unlike his own magic or what he had felt from Merlin.

This feeling gave him a slight pause, but also enticed him. He became eager to know what this was, to understand it. He opened the tome, and even though he couldn’t understand the writing within, it spoke to him again. A strange comprehension filled his mind. He felt like he was experiencing it through another’s eyes. Remembering memories that weren’t his own. Although he had never seen this tome before, he could immediately understand what was written…

The tome levitated away from his hands and his magical energy began to flow. He held his hands outward, performing wide sweeping motions. He lowered them to the ground and raised them up, as if he was pulling the energy from the earth itself. The sensation of magic began to reverberate within his body, but it was different than normal. It began in his hands and traveled through his arms. They went numb at first, but then a pain followed, unlike any other he had felt before. His magical energy was visible and took on a sickening purple hue. The pain and this new sight of his magical power snapped some of his senses back, but he couldn’t help himself. He wanted to stop. He knew he needed to stop, but he couldn’t. The book continued to speak to him, whispering that it had all he needed and desired. He reached for the book again, his arms stinging from the painful searing of this power.

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As he nearly had it within his grasp again, a voice called from behind him, screaming, “NO!”

A barrier of light erupted forth between him and the tome, sending him stumbling backward to the ground. The book fell harmlessly to the ground, and the purple aura that had engulfed him vanished, as did the strange pain that ran through his body.

He realized something felt strange, and turned to see Merlin approaching him, her expression a mixture of anger and concern. She demanded, “Lord Bellmont, what are you doing!?”

He tried to answer, but the words caught in his throat. He stammered, “I… I’m not sure... That was…strange... It was like I wasn’t in control....”

Merlin’s eyes narrowed, her voice stern yet worried. “Do you have any idea what that tome is?”

Alexander shook his head, still trying to process what had just happened. “No…I don’t. It called out to me, and I… I couldn’t resist. It felt like it was controlling me.”

She let out a long sigh and said, “It was my mistake for being too cryptic with my warnings.” With a flick of her wrist, the tome levitated away from them, out of sight.

“You were in the process of conjuring Shadow Magic,” she explained, a term he was unfamiliar with. Merlin continued, “Shadow Magic is a toxic, corrosive form of energy not meant to be wielded by mortal life.”

He said, “I…I didn’t know…I’m sorry…but I just couldn’t stop for some reason…”

She reiterated, “Shadow Magic is a dangerous power, an unnatural poison not to be trifled with.”

He sensed that there was more she was hiding. “Why keep that from me? What else aren’t you telling me?”

Merlin apologized, “There are things you are better off not knowing at the moment. There are terrible secrets beyond your current level of understanding, and some things you will have to learn on your own, in time.”

He questioned her methods, saying, “If I am to guard a world, shouldn’t you tell me everything?”

Without blinking, she got near his face and replied with a cold, “No.” She took a step back and let out a long sigh, “I continue to be reminded of your youth and inexperience. Try and forget this, but remember the dangers of the shadows, and do not mess with the dark powers lightly.”

He somberly departed the library, angry not just at Merlin, but also with himself…

Merlin watched him go, her heart heavy with the burden of her decisions. She knew he was frustrated, but she also knew the dangers of overwhelming him with too much information. He was finally taking his role seriously, and she couldn’t risk breaking his spirit or his mind with the full weight of everything she knew...