Nasir

His footsteps sent ripples of energy pulsing out each time he contacted the ground, the sound muffled by the magic imbued into his shoes from his spell. Lyra and his brother Ryo may have performed better than him during their time together training, according to her father, but not anymore. Soon he would surpass them all. He thought back to the time he stumbled into Kiressin for the first time after getting separated.

Nasir had been out on patrol with a group of fellow Rangers hunting monsters for a nearby village. Shrouded in black robes, face hidden in darkness, Kiressin asked one simple question.

“What do you seek most?”

His face scrunched up in confusion, only to be compounded by the bizarre nature of the figure standing before him. He countered with his own, and asked, “What are you doing out here alone? Monsters are hunting in this forest.”

He could feel the glee oozing from the darkness under the hood when Kiressin said, “I know. Aren’t they lovely? My babies show promise. Thanks to you and your Rangers, I only grow closer to reaching true perfection.”

Shaken to his core, Nasir reacted on instinct, reaching out to cast a spell when Kiressin surged forward, slamming him into the ground. Darkness clung to his wrists and ankles, holding him in place. Black smoke flowed from the dark mage's robe to the ranger pinned to the ground beneath him. “You’re one of them, aren't you?” Kiressin had to be in the same cult that infiltrated and attacked Lyra’s father.

“Let me ask you again, young Ranger. What do you seek the most?”

The feeling of despair he loathed to his core bubbled up to the surface, staring at this affront to nature. Nasir gritted his teeth and hissed, “Power! I seek the strength to prove once and for all that I am better than my brother.”

Kiressin grabbed Nasir by the throat and lifted him till his feet dangled in the air. “If you want more power, boy. All you must do is offer me a suitable sacrifice. Your brother would do nicely. What do you say? How far would you go for your desires?”

“But he’s my bro-”

Nasir wheezed in pain from the grip around his throat, cutting his reply off.

“I don’t believe you are in a position to make excuses. You seek power. I need a suitable sacrifice. Now choose. You or your brother?”

The dark power radiating from this abomination drank in his fear. They both knew what the outcome would be. Nasir nodded and pointed toward where Ryo, Lyra, and their child Airdan lived.

Nasir collapsed to the ground, no longer a concern for the dark mage. Struggling, he said, “Leave the woman for me. You can take the child. I don’t care but leave her. She’s mine.”

Kiressin laughed. “The child will make a suitable host for my next experiment. The woman is all yours.”

His steps brought him in front of the dark mage once more. Ever imposing clouded in shadow so black that light could never reach. Kiressin directed the Ranger’s attention to his left at the enormous magical beast sitting on its haunches, holding his nephew in its jaws. There could be no going back now. He betrayed his family for power and unrequited love.

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Lingering doubts warred with his desire for more. Nasir glanced at Airdan, helpless and undeserving of such fate. How could he betray his people for power?

Darkness slammed into Nasir, engulfing him in pure nothingness. It clung to his skin, and seeped into his eyes, mouth, and nose. Any passage available for it to travel was utilized leaving him writhing in pain.

“This is true power, boy! Take it in and unleash your true desires on the world. It is yours for the taking. That woman is yours to devour. You are mine now, Nasir. I task you with leading your Rangers against my experiments and present me with a full report so that I may improve until I create my masterpiece.”

whispered in his mind, Kiressin said, “If you betray me, I will rip out your insides and feed them to that woman you care so much about.”

He could only nod, muscles still spasming from the pain as the darkness consumed him from the inside.

“Good. I shall be in touch soon.”

Kiressin lifted a finger and flung Nasir into a tree before vanishing into the darkness with his pet holding Airdan’s limp form.

Nasir struggled to his feet and made his way to the edge of the forest that led to Lyra’s home.

Towering flames billowing from the structure greeted him. Smoke rose to meet the storm that would cleanse the ground of his betrayal. He lifted his leg to move closer and search for any sign of Lyra when a magical presence, an anathema to his dark powers, brushed up against his senses. He reversed course and fled back deeper into the woods.

“Not yet. I need more time before I can show them who the truly powerful are. Wait for me a little longer, my true love.”

Tinesi

Flashes of red leather came in and out of view between the trees. After she killed the dying magical beast felled by that lone woman, Tinesi continued searching for her true prey. The magical talisman around her neck could track dark magical residue if it were strong enough and hadn’t dissipated yet. Perfect for tracking high-value targets.

This beast could teleport short distances and blend in with the shadows. By the tracks it left, its claws must be long enough to kill most adventurers in a single blow. There’s no way it hadn’t noticed her trailing behind, yet it didn’t attack.

“Who controls such a wild beast? Rather, what evil has your dark master tasked you with this time?”

Her curiosity got the better of her, and within moments, her prey vanished along with its magical signature. “Shit! Not again.”

It took her twice as long to locate its physical tracks between teleport shifts, but by the time she saw the smoke rising from the burning building where that woman and her family had lived, Tinesi knew it was too late to save them. The tracks led toward the home then back into the forest away from her.

Using the mental connection spell with Kindroth, her unit leader within the organization, she reported the status of her target.

“Sir, the target escaped again. I tracked it to a home near the edge of the forest. It must have attacked and fled back into the woods.”

“Understood. Hold your position.”

She saw Kindroth up high in the tree canopies gliding across the branches. He landed softly on a cushion of air next to Tinesi, his amulet beginning to lose its glow. Tinesi didn’t fail to notice. She knew he could detect weaker signals than hers.

Tinesi met his gaze, eyebrow raised in question. He chuckled, pointing out back toward the forest, and said, “I felt a weak presence. It must be from a mage receiving his powers from the dark mage we have been tracking.” He looked out at the flames and sighed. “It’s not uncommon for new dark mages to betray the ones closest to them for their powers.”

Kindroth gripped her shoulders and said, “I will keep searching for the dark mage and his pet. I charge you with hunting down this new fledgling. If they knew the family that lived here like I believe they did, then you will find them somewhere nearby.”

Resolute in her trust and duty to the organization and her leader, she nodded. “What about Kailu?”

“Don’t concern yourself with him. He has his orders, and so do you. It’s going to rain soon. We should find shelter.”

She stood there alone, watching the flames as the rain descended, snuffing them out. How many more lives would the darkness take away? Would she be enough to save them?

Water splashed from the force of the slap across her cheek. Tinesi stared at her hand, then squeezed it, reaffirming her resolve, and turned to find shelter from the storm.

“I will not fail.”