Day 15: Tensions Boil Over
Jade spent the night restless, the Drevan mage’s venomous words echoing in his mind. The mage’s arrogance and disdain had pushed Jade to his limits, and he knew that their uneasy alliance was nearing its breaking point. He had prepared for this moment, honing his abilities and learning all he could, aware that the Drevan’s true intentions were far from honorable.
As dawn broke, Jade could sense the tension in the air—a storm was coming. The mage had been pushing him, testing his limits, and Jade knew it was only a matter of time before their conflict erupted into violence.
The Confrontation
The day began like any other, with the mage leading Jade to a remote part of the forest for training. But there was something different in the mage’s demeanor—an undercurrent of hostility that Jade couldn’t ignore. The Drevan’s piercing yellow eyes gleamed with a cruel light, and his usual sneer seemed more pronounced.
“You’ve been progressing,” the mage said, his tone as cold as ever. “But your potential is still far below what I expected. Perhaps I was wrong to waste my time on you.”
Jade clenched his fists, barely containing his anger. The mage’s condescension, the constant insults, and the veiled threats had been building to this moment. He could feel the weight of the Drevan’s true intentions pressing down on him.
But before Jade could respond, the mage’s expression twisted into a sneer. “Enough of this charade,” the mage hissed, his voice dripping with malice. “Your usefulness has run its course.”
The First Move
Without warning, the Drevan mage made his move. He thrust his hand forward, summoning a wave of dark energy that shot toward Jade with terrifying speed. The attack was sudden and vicious, designed to catch Jade off guard.
Jade barely had time to react. Instinctively, he channeled the power of his fire core, raising a barrier of flames just in time to deflect the blast. The force of the impact sent him stumbling back, but he quickly regained his footing, his eyes locked on the mage.
“So this is it,” Jade muttered, his voice low and steady. “You were never planning to teach me anything. You just wanted my core.”
The mage’s sneer deepened, his yellow eyes gleaming with malevolent satisfaction. “Of course, you fool. Did you really think I would waste my time on a worthless being like you for any other reason? Your core will be far more useful to me once it’s ripped from your chest.”
The Battle Begins
Jade felt a surge of anger and adrenaline as the mage’s words sank in. He had known all along that the Drevan was using him, but hearing it confirmed only fueled his resolve. If the mage wanted his core, he would have to fight for it.
Drawing on the energy of his fire core, Jade launched a barrage of fiery projectiles at the mage, each one blazing with intense heat. The mage deflected them with ease, his own core radiating dark energy that seemed to absorb the flames.
The forest around them became a battlefield as the two clashed, their powers colliding in bursts of energy that shook the ground and scorched the trees. The Drevan mage was skilled, his attacks precise and deadly, but Jade fought back with a tenacity born of desperation. He knew that if he lost this fight, the mage would take everything from him—his core, his life, and any chance of returning to Earth.
“Pathetic,” the mage spat as he deflected another of Jade’s attacks. “You’re nothing but a tool, a means to an end. You were always going to end up like this—broken and discarded.”
Jade gritted his teeth, pushing through the pain and exhaustion. He wasn’t just fighting for his life—he was fighting to prove that he was more than the expendable pawn the mage believed him to be.
But the mage’s power was overwhelming. With a final, devastating blow, the Drevan unleashed a torrent of dark energy that struck Jade like a hammer, sending him crashing to the ground, his body wracked with pain.
Imprisonment
Jade lay on the forest floor, struggling to breathe, his vision blurred by pain. The mage loomed over him, his expression a mask of triumph.
“It’s over,” the mage said, his voice cold and final. “Your core is mine.”
Before Jade could muster the strength to resist, the mage bound him with a dark energy that tightened around his limbs like iron chains. Jade was helpless as the mage dragged him through the forest, his mind reeling from the battle and the realization that he had been outmaneuvered.
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The mage led him to a hidden underground chamber, a place that reeked of decay and malevolence. Jade was thrown into a small, damp cell, the door slamming shut with a resounding clang. The mage’s eyes gleamed with sadistic glee as he leaned in close to the bars.
“I’ll be back for you soon,” the mage promised, his voice a low, menacing whisper. “Once I’ve prepared the ritual, I’ll take what’s mine. You should consider yourself lucky—you’ll serve a greater purpose in death than you ever did in life.”
With that, the mage turned and left, leaving Jade alone in the darkness. The walls of the cell seemed to close in around him, and the weight of his situation pressed down like a crushing force. He was trapped, powerless, and at the mercy of a creature who saw him as nothing more than a source of power to be harvested.
But even in the darkness, Jade refused to give up. He had survived too much to let the Drevan have the last word. He would find a way out of this—he had to. His mind raced with plans, strategies, and desperate hopes as he fought to stay conscious, clinging to the thought of escape.
The Unexpected Attack
Hours passed, and the underground chamber remained silent, save for the distant drip of water echoing through the halls. But then, suddenly, the ground shook with the sound of distant explosions. The walls trembled as the unmistakable sound of battle reached Jade’s ears.
Through the small barred window of his cell, Jade could hear the chaos unfolding above—the clang of weapons, the shouts of warriors, and the unmistakable roar of magical energy being unleashed. Another tribe was attacking the Drevan.
In the confusion, Jade felt a surge of hope. This was his chance.
He focused on the fire core within him, drawing on its power to burn through the dark energy that bound him. The process was agonizing, the energy searing his flesh as he fought to free himself. But Jade pushed through the pain, knowing that this was his only opportunity to escape.
The sounds of battle grew louder as the fighting drew closer to the underground chamber. The door to his cell creaked and groaned as the energy holding it together weakened. With one final burst of strength, Jade broke free, the door slamming open as he stumbled out of the cell.
Jade didn’t waste a moment. He could still hear the battle raging above, and he knew that time was running out. He sprinted through the dark corridors, his heart pounding in his chest as he sought a way out.
As he emerged into the open air, he found himself in the midst of a fierce battle. The Drevan were locked in combat with a new group—warriors clad in armor that gleamed with an otherworldly light, their weapons crackling with energy. The Drevan were caught off guard, their numbers dwindling as the attackers pushed forward.
Jade didn’t hesitate. He slipped through the chaos, using the confusion to his advantage as he made his escape. The fire core pulsed with power, giving him the strength to move swiftly and silently as he put as much distance between himself and the battle as possible.
The Aftermath
By the time the sun began to set, Jade had made it far from the battlefield, his body aching but his spirit unbroken. He had escaped the mage’s clutches, but the fight was far from over. The Drevan would be looking for him, and Jade knew he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.
As he found a place to rest for the night, Jade’s thoughts turned to the future. He had survived the mage’s betrayal, but the experience had hardened him. He was no longer the same person he had been when he first arrived in this world. The fire core pulsed within him, a reminder of the power he had gained and the challenges that still lay ahead.
Jade vowed to become stronger, to learn from his mistakes, and to never let himself be caught off guard again. The Drevan mage had underestimated him, and that mistake would be the mage’s undoing.
As the night closed in, Jade drifted into a restless sleep, his mind filled with thoughts of revenge, power, and survival. The road ahead was long and treacherous, but Jade was ready for whatever came his way. He had to be. There was no turning back now.