Once atop his new steed, the Princess’s carriage finally began to move, with Sir Knight Alwine on one side, Ieros on the other. There were cheers for both but more for Alwine, Ieros’s feets had only been seen by those close to the palace so as he rode beside the Princess’s carriage, he was more a subject of curiosity than praise. But that didn’t matter too much to Ieros, of course, it did give him a rather pleasant feeling to be cheered for but it was also slightly awkward for him. He preferred the silence of the forest to the wild cheers of the people and so while he did sort of enjoy it, it wasn’t something that he could endure for too long.

Fortunately, they soon left the limits of the city, Ieros somewhat glad to leave behind the cheering crowds. As he continued to ride, he got curious and studied the Princess’s entourage, too busy with all the chaos of the city to actually pay attention. It seems that in addition to him and Alwine, there were ten soldiers as well as two wagons which carried food and water. Overall, it wasn’t a large group but with a Court Mage and a skilled Knight, Ieros supposed that it should be able to overcome most dangers. When Ieros thought about that, he felt a bit of fear, this was going to be his first time encountering such dangers as bandits and the like. He had never encountered them in the deep forest, a place where not even the strongest magic beasts dare to tread lightly.

The ancient shadows did not take kindly to being disturbed and unlike most shadows, they were able to express their displeasure in more ways than threatening whispers. These were shadows that had collected the ambient dark energy of Darkness for centuries, for some even millennia. All that energy gives a shadow power to exert over the physical realm, and if necessary, to kill living things. That is why the most ancient of forests remained standing to this day because the combined might of the ancient shadows was enough to drive off fire-breathing dragons, tree-destroying giants, and other such destructive creatures.

The only creatures that the shadows mostly ignored were the elves, beings who respected nature and the trees, doing their utmost to make sure that their lifestyles did not interrupt that of their surroundings. Because of this, the ancient shadows left them alone, remaining in their dormant state which just remembered the experiences of its host as well as collect more dark energy. Of course, this didn’t mean that regular shadows were helpless, they could be quite dangerous if they wanted to. It has been known on the occasion that a dark mage would go mad from the whispers of shadows, for the whispers of shadows go beyond just communicating to one’s mind. It fills their very consciousness, with a never-ending symphony of whispers, words which held secrets that one could almost discern but not quite.

Those that listen too closely lose themselves within the whispers and even when the shadows stop, they still attempt to uncover the secrets they believe are hidden, their minds forever plagued by it until their life comes to an end. Some even commit suicide, to escape the haunting memories of the whispers which forever remain in their heads.

And for the very few that are able to discern a few secrets of the shadows, they are considered to be elite mages of the dark arts, such as Meralia and a few infamous dark mages who were feared for their relative mastery over darkness. But all of these mages, even Meralia, could not be called true Dark Mages. They were but mere dabblers, mages who take a single droplet of water and call it an ocean. The full extent of their abilities only goes to listening to shadows and using what they learn for their own, most dark mages who align themselves with Night use their knowledge to further Night’s agenda which explains the ill reputation of dark mages.

These dark mages, who don’t even deserve the name, merely abuse the knowledge they’re given in order to exploit the weaknesses of other mages and of spells. They listen to the shadows of their victims and enemies, coming to know of their most personal fears and desires. With this knowledge, they use it against their victims, capable of causing wars by manipulating the minds of Kings with their ill-begotten information. They can entice corruption in even the purest of minds, break the strongest of wills, and bring dread to the bravest of hearts. That is the existence many incorrectly know as a dark mage.

However, a true Dark Mage such as Ieros is not limited to such things; they can eventually bring shadows into physicality, travel through them, and even use them as a sort of artificial soul. A Dark Mage is so much more, the possibilities one can reach with it are almost limitless. For to be a Dark Mage is to be one who has mastery over what can be called the First Element, dark matter, the matter which the Universe was born from.

Unfortunately, Ieros would be the first true Dark Mage, there would be none to teach him of his path and so he would be forced to discover it all on his own. All he had to depend on was the information left to him by the Sentinel, more of a slight nudge in the right direction than a true lesson. It just opened Ieros’s eyes to the existence of so many things, although how to get there was up for Ieros to find. He was simply given a goal, he must now achieve it on his own.

And it was this young mage who walks an undiscovered path that sat upon a horse of his own creation, absentmindedly staring out at the forest. He had already asked the shadows around him to keep watch for danger so for the moment, he was relaxed. So relaxed in fact that he didn’t bother to hold his staff in hand, it was held at a holster on the horse’s side—of course of his own creation. As for what his hands were currently doing, they were absentmindedly playing around with a small ball of stone which was constantly transmuted from the stone into the wood, then into various metals such as silver and gold as his eyes stared off deep into the forest.

His mind slowly began to drone out the sound of the carriage’s wheels, the footfalls of the marching soldiers and trotting horses, listening more to the wind rustling the leaves of the forest which were accompanied by the whispers of shadows. His eyes, not particularly looking at anything, just continued to watch inattentively, remembering nothing as his mind began to focus on heightening his understanding of the memories he inherited from the Sentinel. He was so absorbed into the task that he hardly noticed the passage of time, only returning to reality when he heard someone shouting. He stopped playing around with the now glass ball, looking for the source of the shout.

It didn’t take long for him to spot a soldier that was right at his side, the man sighing with relief when Ieros turned his head towards him.

“Sir mage, we’re stopping for the night.”

Ieros nodded his head.

“Thank you for stopping me.”

The somewhat nervous soldier bowed.

“Oh, no problem Sir.”

The soldier then returned to his fellow comrades, helping them set up camp for the night which was soon approaching, the light of the sun already blocked by the trees they were surrounded by. As for the Princess, she remained in her carriage as her men set up her own tent for her, Sir Knight Alwine staying guard by her carriage. Within thirty minutes, the Princess’s tent was made and the men began to focus on making their own as well as transporting some comfort items into the tent. Alwine reported to the Princess that her tent was done, the Princess finally stepping out of the carriage to head to the tent.

Upon exiting, she saw Ieros who wasn’t doing anything and irritated, she commanded, “Make yourself useful mage.”

Ieros bowed his head and dismounted his horse, grabbing his staff from its holster. He then returned his attention to the camp, casting a few simple spells to guarantee comfort, such as one to drive off insects and another to drive off the damp from the ground. His actions garnered the curiosity of a few soldiers who saw his staff shine brightly for a few moments as Ieros cast his spells, this was the first time that they had witnessed magic up close.

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Seeing the looks of curiosity on their faces, Ieros said, “It’s only some simple spells, like one to keep the insects away and to make our surroundings dry.”

Encouraged by his friendly manner, a soldier asked, “If you’re helping us, could you help us start a fire?”

Ieros nodded.

“Where will the fire be?”

The soldier then led Ieros to a spot that was roughly at the center of the unfinished camp, pointing to a place where already a few bits of wood were placed. Ieros nodded and made his way over, rearranging the pieces of wood into one that could hold a fire. Once this was done, he created a small fireball and nestled it within the wood, releasing the fireball once the wood had taken the fire. He stood up, nodding to the soldiers who were clapping.

However, Alwine barked, “Get back to work, this camp won’t set up itself!”

The soldiers quickly went to obey and as Ieros went to look for more things to do, Alwine walked up to him, saying, “Don’t distract the soldiers, they need to protect the Princess, not watch your silly tricks.”

Ieros just nodded, saying, “I apologize.”

She just snorted and returned to the Princess’s side, Ieros deciding to remove himself as a distraction by heading into the forest. He didn’t go off too far, just off a little way so there was some quiet, leaning his staff against a tree before he sat down, closing his eyes and just appreciating the calm. Soon, the whispers of the shadows greeted his ear and with a smile, Ieros just relaxed, listening to the countless stories they had to tell. Tales of daring squirrels who climb high into trees, of the foxes that slink on the forest floor, and the ancient trees which have remained standing for hundreds of years.

So many tales to hear, so many stories to know, Ieros felt that he was truly blessed to have been given this gift. He was content to be among those that he knew were friends. He didn’t need to be a hero or a King, he didn’t need to be famous or overly good, he didn’t need any of that. He was satisfied with what life had given him and he wouldn’t go looking for more. His life was his, and that was enough. Although granted, his abilities were things that didn’t leave much to be desired. Through creationism, he could make whatever he wished, and through the shadows, he would have as much company as he desired.

What else does a person need to be content? Love? Perhaps, although Ieros never gave it too much thought. Because of his status as the most talented mage of all, he was alienated from his peers and the girls that he did know were all just people who were sent by their fathers to get close to him. As far as Ieros knew, love was a thing for other people, normal people. Ones of his status, perhaps they were never meant to know love.

He opened his eyes, letting the sight of the dark forest wash away the thoughts that plagued his head. He then sighed and stood up, how strange emotions were. One moment, you could be the happiest man in the world, and the next, you could be depressed over a memory you’ve long since forgotten. He turned his thoughts away from that of love and decided to make his way back to camp, taking his mithril staff in hand.

He returned to see the camp all set up and the soldiers preparing for dinner. As for the Princess, she was holed up in her tent with her maids, Knight Alwine standing at the entrance. She saw Ieros and with a brief glare, she returned to guard duty, Ieros wondering just why she disliked him so much. Even so, just because he was disliked by someone, didn’t mean he couldn’t work with them. If they would not allow him to do so openly, he would merely need to do it in secret. So, whispering to the shadows, he asked them to keep watch over the camp for the night.

After all, the thing that all living things instinctively feared was darkness, for it contained the unknown. The whispering shadows were certainly the unknown, and the oppressive cold that was brought with their presence, it was one which could kill a man if they dwelled too long within the shadow’s presence. A darkness that snuffed out the light of life, that was what shadows could do, what shadows could be. With that taken care of, Ieros—seeing as he didn’t have a tent—decided that he’d just sleep out in the forest again as he had done for years. As for food, he’d take care of that too.

So, with that done, he bid goodnight to the soldiers and politely refused their food. When they insisted, he reminded them that he had spent his recent years in the forest, surviving all alone. It was better he provide for himself than to be one extra mouth to feed. The soldiers just chalked it up to him being a mage, mages were mysterious, not to be understood. So they enjoyed themselves a dinner of gruel, cooked on a worn metal pot. It was the best food for travel, easy to make and easy to consume.

Simple stuff really, just ground flour, a few bits of dried vegetables and sometimes, if they were lucky, some meat. However, it was just the standard mushy flour with a loaf of bread to accompany it. It wasn’t the best, but it could be a whole lot worse as well. The soldiers were glad for it, it was better than the army rations they were forced to eat when on the march. As they ate, they began to gossip, a little bit about the Princess and her marriage as well as Knight Alwine but most of it was focused on the enigma that was Ieros, such as who he was before he became a mage, how he was able to earn the King’s favor, and about the magical feats he was able to garner.

And while their voices were quiet, it wasn’t enough to prevent the Princess from overhearing. While she had heard of the name Ieros before, he had long since disappeared from the public eye so she no longer remembered what feats he once did. But these soldiers who did remember, they reminded her of the existence that was Ieros. Of a boy—no older than ten—defeat mages almost twice his age, stand toe to toe with the principal of his school—an archmage no less and possessed mageblood which had the highest concentration of mana ever recorded.

He was truly a special existence, which surprised the Princess. Why hadn’t she heard of him in more detail, such a powerful figure rarely goes unnoticed. And it was then that she heard the gossip change about Ieros’s deeds to why he disappeared from the public eye.

One soldier said, “I heard that it was because of the nobles pressuring him to join their households.”

Another shook his head.

“No, I heard that it was because the Headmaster of the Academy sent him to defeat a dragon.”

One snorted in disbelief.

“You’re an idiot, why would they send a boy to defeat a dragon.”

The soldier said defensively, “Well it could’ve still happened.”

Then another spoke up, “Oh shut up, stop pulling shit out of your ass. He disappeared because he’s practicing the dark arts.”

The others fell silent, looking to him.

The soldier continued, “Yeah, this was all supposed to be very hush-hush but my sister who works as a maid at the academy told me about the rumors of Ieros.”

At this, the soldier’s voice dropped to a low whisper.

“They say when he was first accepted into the academy, he was tested to see what magical traits he had. One of them was a legendary affinity for Creation and the other was a legendary affinity for Darkness. He kept on the face of being a Creationist for the people but when it came time for him to learn his other skills, he went to the forest to get some privacy.”

And still, another said, “Nah, I don’t believe you. I think he just wanted some peace and quiet, remember, he was just some farmer’s boy before he became a mage, he was probably driven off by all the attention and shit.”

One of them asked incredulously, “Really? He’s a farm boy?”

The soldier nodded, gulping down a spoonful of gruel.

“Yeah, he’s not noble-born like the other mages, he’s a new source of mageblood which is why the nobles all want him.”

One of them whistled.

“No wonder all those highborn girls were after him. Hey, you reckon the Princess’s after him too?”

One of them swatted the soldier on the head.

“Shut the fuck up, the Princess is marrying the Prince of Seris.”

Rubbing his head, the soldier said, “Well she could still want him though. Or the King at the very least. I mean think about it, the King’s Ruling Magic and Ieros’s insane magical talent, that’d be one of the most powerful Kings to ever rule wouldn’t ya think?”

The soldier that had slapped him only said, “Yeah but be careful, Sir Knight Alwine doesn’t tolerate offenses to her Highness and although we know you’re joking, she won’t.”

The other soldier sighed.

“Yeah yeah, I get it.”

The soldiers began to gossip about other things and the Princess stopped listening, mulling over what she had just heard. There was much more to the boy than just his name, she had personally seen the magic he was capable of, it wasn’t so hard to believe the other tales about him. However, she was curious, why had he disappeared from the public eye. Was it really to practice the dark arts, or did he just want to escape the attention? Either way, he was an interesting fellow and someone she intended to keep an eye on. Good pawns are hard to come by, and when the opportunity shows itself, one must take it before it’s too late.