Lighting came from the clear sky obliterating the Necropolitian city Gate with a blinding flash, its light turned the city into a white sea of fire and ashes, the ground cracked open under its intense heat and a loud rumble echoed in the city as the city fell apart and the water surrounding the ruins rose up into the air and formed itself in strange shapes.

One Bolt struck the bronze plaque under which the rebel leader stood desperately shouting at his men to obey his futile orders to defend the city while he himself was drowned in the rising river of fire. His body burned slowly and his voice turned to cries as his skin withered away, the sound that escaped him as a last plea to anyone who could hear it was no longer human, it was more animalistic and filled with pain.

Several healers of Ostia and priests from the temple of light run around like headless chickens trying to save anyone who was still breathing, even though most of them died instantly in the blast, a few survived because of the magic protecting them.

After the explosion, several Nerzhi soldiers poured into the now dead city hoping against hope to kill some rebels in order to gain some merit for their promotions, but instead, they found thousands of corpses piled up on top of each other along with dozens of fallen warriors.

Their bodies lay in a twisted mess on top of each other looking like a morbid collection of arms and legs and heads.

Above the now ruined city, a figure dressed in blue and black robes bearing the royal symbol of Athos, A giant dancing bear wielding two shields floated in mid watching the city down below with a vicious and twisted smile on his face.

the man floating in the sky was a young man at least by his looks he looked no older than twenty, his name was Nicklaus Raston, The Highmaster of Athos.

he wore a simple red shirt under the robes that ended a good foot above his ankles, his feet were bare. He wore black gloves underneath his sleeves and the tips of his fingers. He was carrying an enormous black staff that was twisted and turned in all the wrong places.

Nicklaus watched in silent admiration as he watched the people fighting bravely to keep the city alive,

a small part of him envied the courage of the people even though it didn't matter anymore if they lived or died.

It wouldn't hurt any less knowing that those whom he was responsible for killing had gone into eternal torment.

He didn't feel remorse nor hatred for the death of the leader but instead satisfaction and pride for what was to come,

the blood spilled on this day would soon join the thousands of others that stained the land.

But this wasn't the reason he was so proud of his accomplishment, no, the reason was the feeling of joy and peace that radiated from his soul.

His torture was about to end, and soon he would be free of war, bloodshed, and death.

This was what life should be like, not endless wars between people who cared nothing for the people. No, this was not life, death, or war; this was the ultimate pleasure of living and dying.

When the thought of going back to another task came to his mind his mood turned sour.

Nicklaus had been born in the lowest class of society. His father was a common laborer that worked for a common baron.

His mother died when he was young and his mother's family was nothing but poor farmers who lived on the outskirts of town.

From a very early age, He was forced to fight for his livelihood,

He was beaten and abused by his father and his brother whenever their anger reached its peak.

They hated him so much because he was different from them,

they despised him because he dared to speak his own truth, but the worst of all, he was a man with no place in their world.

They used to say that he was destined to suffer, and they were right.

He had hoped that his life would change for the better when he turned Fifteen when he was fifteen years old when discovered his talent for the magical arts and crafts.

That year strangers had come to his village and they told him that he would make a huge difference, that he could create miracles.

He believed them.

He became convinced that he had something special inside him and he wanted to prove that belief right.

It was only later did he realize how wrong he had been,

When he arrived under the prestigious gates of the entrance of Solnar a school of magic and sorcery, he realized that his talents would never amount to anything.

And the moment he got accepted into the Sorcerer's tower he regretted ever coming to that place.

He had hoped in Solnar he would find knowledge, respect, friends, and acceptance.

Instead, he found disappointment, mockery, pride, and deep prejudice.

The place was his worst nightmare come true,

the Nobel lineage students hated him for being born a commoner and low-born,

The children from the magical bloodline envied him for his talent, and his teachers treated him like dirt and mocked him constantly.

They never let him forget for a second that he was useless.

Although he possessed a great gift and a powerful spirit like most noble wizards, he still wasn't given the best education possible.

He learned little to nothing in his time at Solnar,

Even so, he continued to train every day even though the Sorcerer's tower discouraged him from doing so for it was feared that his abilities would lead him astray,

and although his talents and potential were immense,

they were far too fragile to handle the harsh environment he grew accustomed to during his time there.

Nicklaus felt trapped, unable to escape from the confines of his past, unable to take control over his destiny.

He knew that his future lay elsewhere, he would need to leave Solnar and search for the answers he wanted but the problem was that he couldn't leave because Solnar's gates were closed forever.

And so, he trained every day to stay strong, and eventually, it paid off. After three years of training, he finally contracted with Anemoi a storm spirt that was called gifting him the powers to fight.

This particular storm spirt had been happy to help and guide Nicklaus in his path to the next phase of his training,

allowing him to graduate with honors as a thunder sorcerer angering his peers and teachers alike,

and when he refused the alumni amulet of Solnar it had become abundantly apparent that he had no love or respect for the school,

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which caused him to lose the opportunity to gain respectful employment amongst his nation's magical society not to mention it garnered him a couple of visits from Rosataki assassins,

Leading him to accept the first offer that allowed him to leave his homeland, not to mention the terms presented by the kingdom of Athos were too good to pass, the title of a marquis with the fief to match, the job of a highmaster, freedom to do anything,

Power, prestige, wealth, and respect they had given him everything he ever wanted.

The riches and prestige offered to him already prepared for this but even so, the offer was overwhelming and he was overwhelmed by it. Only later did he learn of the reality when arrived in the Union.

The Union was nothing like his homeland due to some past events the nobles had lost all their military power and now the true power was held by whoever had a fleet and those with power were the merchants and

The nobles of the Union who held the most influence over all the countries of the Macrian isles in past were now nothing but administrators and caretakers with fancy titles. All nobles were considered workers to were but these people also played many important roles, and the power and position they gained from their positions made them wealthy enough to allow the nobles to live a comfortable life,

without working hard and risking their lives

but the real power was now held by the Union council mainly consisting of merchant guilds and magical associations.

When he arrived here, he came to realize that his tile was empty his job was just another muscle for the union and his fief was a small island at the edge of the outer rim,

from which he couldn't even collect taxes according to union law,

leaving him completely at the mercy of his superiors for funds.

The Union had made it abundantly clear that it viewed him as a salve and had worked him to the bone

sending him on missions whose rewards they gave to the Duke who had employed him hoping to bring glory to himself and earn more coin for himself

For ten years Nicklaus had worked like a dog for the union and the duke just in the hope that his contract would soon end now the goal was in sight

in just 2 months his contract term would end and he would leave this cursed place and never return, he had thanked his lucky starts when he had chosen to choose ten years instead of a lifetime of labor,

if his luck hadn't been with him, then maybe he'd could never make such a correct decision.

After spending several days traveling on the ship through the ocean and following the river until he came to the mainland, Nicklaus set foot on dry land after having spent several years in the water.

"Your Grace" a gruff voice called to him pulling him out of his thought and causing him to return to the city of Necropolita and face the carnage and destruction they had forced him to create.

Nickalus grimaced at the sight of the broken bodies on the streets, people were running away as fast as they could in fear while the enemy soldiers marched closer to them with a determined look on their faces. A sudden explosion echoed through the air and suddenly everyone was thrown onto the ground by an invisible force.

The sight filled Nickalus with deep guilt and shame but quickly suppressed his emotion turning to the man who just called to him.

"What is it, master Kass?" Nickalus asked his third in command with the same gruff voice and tone that he had just used.

Senior magic master Kass macros was a Tall man about six feet five inches in height with long hair, brown eyes that had a golden tint surrounded by a dark circle of black lashes, and pale skin, but what struck one the most was his expression.

He seemed sad.

Sadness didn't suit Kass well, he always gave Nicklaus a cold and distant vibe.

Even though Kass was a well-known figure among the magic masters of the Union and was the one person who no wizard wanted to cross, he was not even trying to intimidate anyone, and for good reasons too, he was one of the two mages in the entire Union that could rival the power of the sorcerer of sky Nickalus himself.

"Begging your grace's forgiveness we have received the word that there were no spell slingers among the dead,"

Nicklaus scowled deeply as his mood turned for the worst, the spell slingers were the main culprit for this rebellion against the union and the fact that no one was killed proved just how dangerous they truly were and why dangerous they needed to be captured.

There used to be no spell slingers in the Macrian sea but ten years ago they had popped up like pests all over the Macrian sea, and two years ago they had instigated rebellions of the lords against the union, and now, it seems as if they would not stop soon.

If things continue like this and the war between the union and the lord was going to be inevitable.

"Did you send an Awakened to investigate this news?" Nicklaus inquired with disgust in his voice.

Awakened was the official term used for people who had enough magic to gain themself a title such as a wizard, witches sorcerers.........

Kass shook his head

"There is no need as no witches or wizards were found among the dead either"

Nicklaus felt a headache begin to form

"were there sort of awakened among the dead then?"

once again Kass just shook his head.

"maybe there were none, to begin with,"

that stupid remark angered Nickalous to no end

"yes, of course, then normal people and high magicos set up and tier 2 array that took a tier 4 spell to break" Nicklaus spoke in a makeup baby voice dripping with sarcasm

Kass turned a deep shade of red from embarrassment or anger

Nicklaus began massaging his temples, as the headache came with full force, he was angry irritated, and grumpy now,

"So, you mean to tell me they all escaped and somehow bypassed the army blockade I had asked you to set up?"

Kass just nodded his head

"The same blockade you and wan assured was airtight?"

Another nod of the head pushed Nicklaus, once again, over the top rage consumed him

"How many were killed?"

Kass didn't answer

"Kass!" Nicklaus shouted as the clear sky darkened as black clouds began filling the sky

"Answer the question."

Kass just kept quiet and stared down at his boots.

"Kass! Answer!" Nicklaus barked

"Fourteen"

"Fourteen what?"

"Fourteen thousand" Kass replied as he trembled under the mana pressure generated by Nicklaus, the sheer rage radiating off of Nicklaus as his own personal hurricane began to form.

"Are you serious? Fourteen thousand dead innocent people? And you let them escape?!" Nicklaus yelled at Kass.

"Of course not your grace!"

Nicklaus raised his hand signaling to silence his subordinate, Kass lowered his head once more not bothering to protest his superior's actions.

"find them or the union will lose not one but three high masters in a short time"

Nicklaus said calmly

Kass only nodded in reply.

"I'll inform my men right away, sir"

"Good, go find out where they escaped to."

Kass nodded and turned around disappearing into the shadows, leaving behind a trail of dirt.

Nicklaus walked back towards the city with a heavy heart.

"Now calm down my love" A sweet soft voice whispered in his ears.

He looked up to see his companion floating next him next to him with arms behind her back looking lovingly at him.

her voice was enough to calm him down but her smile melted his heart as the black storm disappeared in a flash and the sky was once again clear and blue, with white fluffy clouds drifting above them giving the most beautiful picture imaginable.

But in Nickalus eyes, only one thing mattered his partner his companion, and his love Venti.

Venti was a rare sight, and she possessed a beauty that few women could hope to match the complete gray eyes that matched her dark gray hair that was cut close to her face wearing a simple black gown tied neatly at the waist with a red sash around her hips that left her bare midriff to the breeze

a thin layer of light tan lace decorated with small jewels below her breasts that barely covered her nipples and her curves were more than exquisite her legs were perfectly sculpted and her ass a round ass perfectly molded by gravity

the curves of her waist curling inward to form her butt cheeks and thighs her knees slightly bent showing off her smooth slender calves her delicate feet and her strong hands adorned with long elegant fingers that were painted a pale blue and white with long black fingernails that were painted a glossy black that accentuated the delicate lines of her hands her feet clad in dark blue pumps with black straps that reached to the bottom of her knee and she wore a silver belt with a pendant shaped like a flower.

"Oh come on, I know something is troubling you but you need to relax" she continued as she came close to him and hugged

"Tell me, what's on your mind?"

Nicklaus turned to meet her gaze, a frown on his lips,

"I... I don't understand how they were able to escape, our defenses are impenetrable" he said in frustration

"we've already put everything we had at stake to keep the news locked up and I'm sure the Union has a spy amongst the city so how did they manage to get through all of it?"

"Ah, my sweety pie is not able to think straight, maybe if you relax a little you may find your answers love"

she floated up and pressed Nicklaus's head in her soft cloud-like breasts as she began to rub his scalp with her fingers, making Nicklaus close his eyes as a sense of relief washed over him.

"Maybe"

"Exactly" she replied as she leaned closer kissing his forehead, Nicklaus smiled as he closed his eyes enjoying the feeling of her warm hands rubbing his head and neck.

"But not now Venti I have work to do," Nicklaus said as he tried to get out of her embrace before he was too far gone

But before he do so, abruptly Venti's hand shot out and grabbed his hard-on through his coveralls

"And what is happening here?' she teased

Nickelous instinctually leaned back a little bit giving her better access he turned to look at the spirit grinning mischievously at him

he traced the back of his knuckle over her soft hair, a small sigh escaped Venti's lips as she ran her fingertips along the curve of his cheek.

"My dear Nicky, you are getting very hot" she giggled as she kissed his chin.

"Yes, but we need to focus on work my love"

"Really?" Venti suddenly asked in a sad tone with tears brimming with tears

Nicklaus cursed inwardly before shaking his head

"no, not really"

Venti immediately brightened as launched herself at Nickelous

"Aww, you're so sweet. Guess I get to play suck-suck After all" then she began kissing him on the cheeks noisily.

Nickalous snorted a laugh at his goofy lover

"after all" he inquired at her choice of words, but instead of answering him Venti giggled and ducked to see to her man's needs.

Nickelous leaned back as a moan escaped his lips as wet heat enveloped his cock

"I am a very weak man," he thought