Kai’s mind fell into a dark nothingness as his mind was sucked in by the medallion in his hand. The world shot past him then swiftly shrunk into a pinpoint of light. Kai seemed to speed up as a parched ravaged desert with a single oasis in the cent shot past him. Swiftly followed by a grand room filled with beautiful tapestries that Kai was unable to get a good look at despite his enhanced sense.

Kai felt something tug on him shifting his trajectory; the medallion that had not been in his hand a moment ago appeared along with a body to house his consciousness. The medallion vibrated harder and harder as Kai’s descent sped up until he came crashing down into a sprawling red mana scape. Kai found himself standing in a large battlefield covered in bodies and the same as the last time he was here. Seth sat atop of his throne and the pile of desperately climbing corpses. Kai felt warm arms wrap around as Arthaya greeted him.

“Hello Kai, I was wondering when we would see you again.”

“Pathetic, needing to find comfort in other beings. This is why the one to wield me was always appointed after being trained their whole lives for this role.” Seth sneered at Kai.

Ignoring Seth and looking up at Arthaya, Kai asked her. “What's going on, why am I here?”

Arthaya let out a long sigh before answering his question. “In this world there is one constant one, rule that is never broken though it can be bent and abused.” her gaze locked with Kai’s impressing upon him her words. “Nature is always followed and a part of the nature of a bond armament is to help its bonded with magic. All bond armaments have spells that they can teach to their bonded most of which are ones that they themselves would use. Though some armanets in the process of our creation made agreements for when we would teach the spells. Both me and Seth agreed to teach a spell once our bonded stated their purpose for wielding us. Saying just any reason would not work, only your true reason would activate the magic and cause you to be pulled here. Does that answer your question?”

Kai nodded his head at Arthaya’s words. “So both you and Seth have to teach me a spell.”

“That's one of the things we can teach you. You should know that spells aren't the only way to use magic. But that’s besides the point, after he has taught you whatever it is he has to teach I will take my turn.”

“Pathetic.” Seth spat out. “ He doesn't even know the most basic parts of how magic functions.” Seth sneered before continuing. “ I will teach you a spell and a powerful one at that. A spell that will help you accomplish your foolish desires though as with everything it will come at a cost.” Seth rose from where he was bound. The throne behind him shifted and flowed into the large black and red scythe. As Seth moved the chains moved with him wrapping around his body and the body of his scythe.

“I am the jagged shield both blocking and returning the blows of titans. I call upon the cold black river. I summon the harbinger of final commings. The endless cold that embraces all. The third artifact of the stygian depths. End clad.”

Mana flowed out of Seth into the air creating an apparition of a massive black river. Then the mana changed slowly solidifying into black raging waters of a cold and final death. Seth’s hand plunged into the water before pulling back. Vibrant black metal was ripped out of the waves. It instantly sent shivers down Kai’s spine. The metal radiated the cold and merciless death of all living beings. Kai could instinctively feel that if the wearer were to truly embrace this spell. No being no matter how powerful would be able to survive. The metal flowed up Seth’s right arm creating an intricately carved plate gauntlet with clawed finger tips. The metal moved from his arm to his chest covering it. The chestplate was one of solid metal that had intricate designs depicting the slaughter of armies and the fall of titans. The metal flowed onto Seth’s left arm mirroring the right one. The liquid metal then moved down to Seth’s legs forming plate greaves and boots. That had intricately carved designs that felt as if they radiated the inevitable inescapability of death. Finally the metal flowed up to Seth’s head where it solidified into the draped hood of a cloak. Inside of that hood was a seemingly impenetrable darkness. The metal hood gave Kai the feeling of an unknown death waiting for him right around the corner.

“This is the spell I will teach you. A spell that can create armor tailored to the person who casts the spell. One that will allow you to weather even the strongest of blows. While also massively increasing the power of any attack be it physical or magical in nature. This spell will allow you to do all of that and accomplish your pitiful goals.” A maliciously satisfied smile crossed Seth's face before he continued. “Though it will of course come as a cost. Using this spell will turn your body into the perfect vessel for me.” Seth let out a cold unfeeling laugh that sent chills down Kai back.

Kai looked up, meeting Seth’s eyes piercing through the impenetrable and unnatural blackness that resided inside his hood. A small smile spread across Kai's face and this time it was Seth who felt a chill go down his spine. “You can try but I will not concede what is mine as easily as you seem to think. Now teach me this spell already.” Kai snarled, not backing down.

Kai could hear the smirk in Seth's voice as he spoke. “Good as much as I despise you, at least you have a spine. I would not even do this much if you didn’t even have that. NOW stand there, let's see how long you’ll last.” With those words Seth stepped forward, scythe held up and swung down. A phantom blade shot out of Seth’s scythe It cut through the air radiating a feeling of inescapable death. The blade hit Kai’s shoulder and digging in before dissipating into black mist. Kai winced slightly at the pain before glaring at Seth. “ If you don’t want to get hurt, cast the spell.”

Kai nodded, sticking one hand out he began muttering the spell to himself. “I am the jagged shield b-” Kai was interrupted by another phantom blade digging into his arm. Kai glared at Seth trying to keep his mind from remembering another man that used pain as a training tool. He opened his mouth wanting to say something anything to keep his mind off of that man but he knew what Seth would say. Kai shook his head going back to trying to cast the spell. If this was how Seth wanted to teach him then so be it. Kai would take everything that was thrown at him and use it to master this spell.

“I am the jagged shield both bloc-” another blade interrupting him. “I am the jagged shield both blocking” a blade cut into but Kai forged on. “and returning the blows of titans. I cal-” Kai gritted his teeth as 2 blades hit him interrupting the spell. “I am the jagged shield both blocking and returning the blows of titans. I call upon the cold black river.” three blades hit Kai but he continued on embracing the pain and using it to forge himself. “I summon the harbinger of final commings. The endless cold that embraces all.” 9 more blades cut into Kai’s flesh and pain flared through him but it didn’t end there. Kai felt an aura of cold inevitability pressing down on him.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Give up you have no hope so quit your pitiful struggle.” Seth’s sneering voice could be heard echoing out from the impenetrable black.

But Kai forged on intent on mastering this spell no matter what it took. “The third artifact of the stygian depths. End clad.” The apparition of a massive black river radiating a cold so palpable that his breath was visible and his hands started to turn blue. The river crashed down onto him feeling somehow even more real than he was. As if he was just a frozen leaf floating on its surface. The river crashed through him spreading cold death through every part of his body leaving it feeling numb and hollow. Kai’s thoughts slowed down to a crawl as everything went hazy. Kai felt his eyes begin to close as his arm moved forward into the water and then ripping out cold vibrant black metal. His mind was becoming more blank and hazy by the moment as the metal encased his body in a familiar design. Kai felt the final parts of his consciousness slipping as his face was shrouded in a hood carved out of metal. The last thing Kai saw as everything went black was the scythe gripped in his chain covered hand.

There was nothing but endless cold. No angles or gold wrought gates. No devils or fiery brimstone. There was simply the final embrace of cold nothingness. Well there was also that single chain wrapped around him but that didn’t matter. That was an old connection trying to bring him back. Kai severed the chain that he somehow knew even a god could not cut. Yet he had done it with a simple act of will. Why would Kai ever want to go back when he had the cold embrace. Kai reveled in it for what felt like an eternity content with his new and eternal existence. Yet his mind wandered to the chain and the final retreating link. It made him think of something. Something very similar to this embrace. Something Kai’s mind caught on what it was and he felt his awareness rush back into him as Kai remembered. Kai remembered his mother hugging him when he was a child and the comfort she brought him. Kai remembered Arthaya and what she had done to protect him. Kai remembered Thane, Sarah, Bear, Nixie and Tom. Finally Kai remembered Seth and he felt his anger flare up knowing that this was that devil's fault.

Kai focused on the feelings the chain had given him trying to somehow replicate them but nothing happened. He could somewhat remember its pull but he also failed to replicate that. Kai felt his anger growing like a spark into a wildfire. As his anger rose words came from his mouth as mana rushed into his lungs and then out with the air.

“Fine then, I'll use Seth’s own spell to leave this place. I am the jagged shield both blocking and returning the blows of titans. I call upon the cold black river. I summon the harbinger of final commings. The endless cold that embraces all. The third artifact of the stygian depths. End clad."

Everything around him changed as the endless black turned into a massive ocean of churning black water. Churning black water that somehow felt impossibly real. As if the last waters Kai had summoned were an apparition. But this time there was no cold death rushing into Kai’s body because in this state that’s all he was. Kai’s hand dove into the black water towards an impossibly large mass of vibrant black liquid metal that was in a constant state of flux. The moment Kai’s hand touched the black metal everything around him froze. The metal stayed that way for a second before moving. In less than a second Kai had been swallowed up by the metal Kai was gone, only liquid metal was left.

The metal was cold. A cold beyond what ice could create. Somehow even beyond the cold that would be felt in the absence of all heat. It was the cold embrace of death something Kai was very familiar with.

Pain shot through Kai’s body as the metal burrowed into his boy. It burrowed past his flesh until it got to his bones. Slowly the metal began to invade even that. The metal consumed the bones until it reached his marrow. It was here that it found itself rebuffed. Kai’s blood burned in anger as his body fought back. A second flame joined his rage causing it to burn all the brighter. Electricity sparked through his body as his flesh crackled with power. It was Kai’s blood that served as the guide channeling his rage into beating back the liquid metal.

Kai felt a mind slam into his and immediately began to try and invade. Kai simply laughed as a fortress was erected around his mind. One that would not break until Kai himself broke and Kai would not break. Kai shot out his own attack into that mind and could only smile at what he learned at what he understood.

It was something old beyond what he could comprehend. It’s mind didn’t feel like his, Arthaya’s or Seth’s. It felt like the sky and only a small part of it was responding to him but as he resisted it. It seemed to get more interested in him and a larger part of its consciousness moved towards him.

Kai grinned as he felt the war being raged in his body and the consciousness pushing down on his mind. With a simple act of will Kai’s palm split open and blood flowed out.

“Third artifact of the stygian depth accept my challenge. There is a titan to fell who has eluded your grasp” Kai’s voice was a silent whisper that immediately froze the metal. In the moment that Kai’s mind had touched the artifact's vast consciousness he had understood three things. He had understood that it was more than a shield meant to help fell titans. It also judged whether or not it was their time. The second thing he had understood was the importance of words. By both challenging it and stating the purpose behind the challenge he had made an offer that could not be refused.

An intangible aspect of Kai’s blood changed as a portion of what he now knew of as life mana was drained away. Kai smiled to himself. It seemed that the artifact had accepted his challenge. The metal surged attacking Kai with a newly born ferocity. It was destroyed as Kai burst with power.

Kai felt his mind connect with two new pools of untapped power. They were pure and unsullied and ready to be used so he did just that. The moment Kai tapped into this energy he felt his stormy mana spreading to the other two pools. Whipping them up into a rage of their own.

Metal dug into Kai’s body as a massive consciousness that grew in power by the second tried to rip him apart. Its cold finality dug into Kai’s body which was barely holding on. Despite the massive power that he had access to, Kai was struggling to hang on. His rage burned fighting off death's embrace but in the end it wasn’t enough Kai was losing.

Kai struggled but the metal was slowly creeping into his body as his mind was crushed. It seemed that it was hopeless in the end he just couldn’t match up to the powers he had been pitted against.

The metal had reached Kai’s bones as his mental fortress had been reduced to a small wall. Memories flashed through Kai’s mind but this time it wasn’t just his mother dying that he saw. Kai saw Thane, Sarah, Bear, Tom and Nixie. He remembered when he had first met them and how they had cared for him.

At that moment a small flame was born. It was not one of pain and anger. Nor was it one of overwhelming power. instead it was one of life and purpose. It was a flame that grabbed onto the power inside Kai and directed it into his hands.

There was a final surge of power as a chain wrapped lightning wreathed scythe tore through the massive mass of metal. Leaving behind only a thin layer coating Kai’s body that was slowly solidifying. Kai swung his scythe once more, tearing a hole in space.