High Fantasy - Rough draft.

Darkness.

It pervaded everything in my cell. Except my mind, that remained bright, and full of blazing red rage at what they’d done to me.

I lifted my arms, the heavy manacles that wrapped my entire forearm glowed in the darkness, draining away my magic through the chains on the floor and the cube made of a single piece of nullstone.

At the time they put me here, it was considered a marvel to make. Nullstone absorbed magic, it had to be crafted by hand to build the towering walls of Nevindra’s cities.

I wondered what it would be considered today, what had happened to the world after I’d been locked away?

My mind was an animal pacing in its cage.

Twisting my fingers I called upon the air, playing with it as it swirled between my fingers. Air and life where the only two spheres they couldn’t cut me off from. Air was everywhere and my own heart still beat, full of life.

Though, the last one was more of a curse than anything.

My stomach was raw with ages old hunger, my body healing the damage it did as it gnawed at my own gut.

There was a faint click, the only opening in the hollow cube of nullstone, a door fitted into the same hole they had used to carve out the chamber from.

Firelight bled in through the opening and I had to squint, light was so foreign to my eyes, but the dash of warmth from the flame even at this distance made me smile.

“Keep the fire outside, work to control the air in there.” A bold voice barked.

Quickly I could feel other sorcerers taking control of the air inside my chamber. If I weren’t shackled with my power draining every second, I could have fought them.

But this place was a prison, a prison made specially for me. They even had one of those blasted Tilmari Zealots bless the place to restrict my access to the sphere of destruction.

I waited patiently, nothing was ever accomplished by being rash.

Light positioned itself behind someone as they entered.

“Heavens.” The man who stepped through the door held his chest. “He really is immortal.”

It was faint in the firelight, but I recognized the king’s line. I would always remember them.

“You know, I almost didn’t believe my grandfather’s stories. Of the sorcerer with all eight spheres. But I ascended the throne last week and saw the records of guards here. I had to see you for myself.” The man, no, the King before me glowered down at me. He was afraid, those who horded power always feared those with more.

“Grandfather?” My voice came out hoarse, like a lute with rusty strings.

“King Damien the third.” The king said.

I only frowned, not recognizing the name. “Great grandfather?”

He paused and licked his lips as something made him nervous. “King Victor the second.”

Ah that one made sense. He was the one who put me away. I laughed. “You should thank me.” I coughed to clear my throat. “I killed your great uncle that was once the crown prince.”

He’d treated me like an exhibit, and I had let him do it, get comfortable bringing himself and others down here to throw things at me.

Oh how they had loved to mistreat me while I couldn’t fight back. But that only made the day one of them was too relaxed, brought in a pipe to smoke, so much better.

“Those were the stories. My grandfather was forbidden to visit and then you faded from history. You rebellion wiped out like the low born filth it was. My father never once cared for you, but I still remember the warnings he gave us. I brought down a small battalion of sorcerers if you try anything.”

I held up my hands, the rattling of my chains spooked the king. “There is little I can do. Even I have wasted away after all these years.”

“Figures.” The king snorted.

“And your name?” I asked trying to drag on the conversation any little tidbit about the world was a drop of water for a man in a desert.

Given that the throne had just passed on for the third time since I’ve been here that means it’s been at least fifty years, likely more like sixty. King Victor had already had mature sons when they captured me, but two generations had matured since then.

“Victor the third, named for my great grandfather.”

That would be why he was nervous earlier. Named for the man who put me here.

He was worried that I’d lash out.

I needed to calm him. “Still a strong name. Even if I don’t particularly like it. What can I do for you?”

“Your immortality. How do you do it? I too have the life sphere and I must know. You were a slave and self taught sorcerer, it can’t be too hard.” Greed glinted in the young king’s eyes.

“That? Why didn’t you just say so. Free me and I’ll happily tell you. It used to be a pretty common trick in the slave pens.” I laughed and smiled.

“No, you stay. You are a monster.” Victor sneered at me. “I am king and you’ll tell me.”

Pausing, I blinked at him waiting for him to smile or laugh at the joke, but he didn’t.

So I didn’t it for him. A full belly laugh that had my chains rattling up a storm. “You honestly believe I’ll just tell you? Your great grandfather brought down my loyal men and slit their throats, brought my wives and bled them dry just out of the reach of my magic. I didn’t speak then and I won’t speak now.”

Faster than his sorcerers could stop me I ripped the air to me, flinging the king forward.

He stumbled, using his own magic to stop short, but I got a fist full of his jacket.

My smile couldn’t be wider as I jerked him to me and caught his arm. It was like a toy in my hands as I flooded my limbs with the strength of life and snapped them like a twig.

“Help!” He squealed like a little pig.

Knights rushed in as sorcerers threw fire at me.

I drew the fire with my other hand into a whip, one that lashed back out at the men trying to control the wind. My fire exploded sending them tumbling and screaming with their clothes on fire.

The knights came fast, they all had access to the life tier and were on me before I knew it, their swords filling me like a pincushion.

I roared in anger, the metal bending back away from me and I touched a knight collapsing his armor on him as blood splashed out.

Flinging another to the side I grabbed a sword and pulled it out, elongating the metal and skewering a guard.

My hands occupied, the king scurried away, but I flicked the sword at him, catching his coat and pinning him to the ground before sinking the metal into his side like a hook and dragging him back.

“Don’t go. We weren’t done yet.” I laughed and even to my own ears it was hysterical.

Maybe the darkness had gotten to me.

But I pushed that aside, the king was before me. A little slice of revenge I could enjoy. In the darkness, the loneliness this was enough to feel alive once again.

“Get the king to safety, your own lives don’t matter.” One knight lifted his visor to show an aged and dedicated man before he charged back into me.

I used my manacles to block his attack, the sparks that flickered to life grew to the size of a child’s fist before punching him in the face forcing him back as he tried to smother the flames catching in his hair.

While I’d been occupied another broke my hook in the king and half a dozen were dragging him out as another two dozen sorcerers entered flinging the elements at me.

The king stared back at me as they closed the hatch to my cell. His gaze was completely consumed by his fear.

And the sorcerers in here with me blanched as the door thudded shut.

Half of them turned and banged the door. The other half tried to kill me.

It was a slaughter. We fought over the sphere of air, they wounded me plenty, but each cut closed shortly there after.

Eventually I got my hands on them, and then one by one I tore them apart until only one remained.

He was younger, nice robes and a pretty face that marked him as minor nobility. “Please don’t kill me.” She tried to push himself into the corner and make himself small.

“I won’t.” I said sitting down.

“Really?”

“As long as you continue to tell me about the kingdom and the world outside, you live. But once you stop, well you’ll die.” I crossed my legs feeling quite happy with today’s visit.

I got to crush a number of kingdom trained sorcerers, instill fear in the current king and now I would get the news.

While he talked I focused on nurturing the little bit of life that clung to each of the dead bodies. Fungus was everywhere and though I wouldn’t stoop so low as to eat human flesh, I would eat mushrooms that grew on them.

Mmm mushrooms. I hadn’t had those in a long time.

***

The hatch to my cell groaned as it opened.

It hadn’t been long, I’d only harvested mushrooms once from the bodies. Though my little news birdie had died. He got a little too hungry for my mushrooms.

“Oh my. The smell.” A female voice said with a muffle that told me she was trying to cover her face.

Intriguing.

She walked right in with a torch held high.

Did she not know?

When the light fell on my face she gasped.

I got a good look at her in what looked like a kingdom military uniform, if a little different than I remembered. Thigh high leather boots certainly hadn’t been part of the uniform before.

And they certainly didn’t let women do much more than grunt work, yet she had a decorative series of chevrons that reminded me of commanders I’d fought during the rebellion.

“Sorry, I’ve gotten used to the smell, can’t even tell.” I said trying to be my friendliest though I was sure I looked like shit.

It had been a while since I had seen a woman and I couldn’t say I wasn’t at least tempted to impress her.

She’d come alone, completely without the precautions that the king had.

“You’re real. The court has been swirling with rumors. Something spooked the king and he lost…” Her eyes trailed off as she revealed the rest of my cell with the firelight.

Like a rabbit suddenly seeing a predator, she bolted.

I whipped the air up and sucked it towards me, drying to draw her in.

But she had a hand on the hatch frame and braced herself against my magic. If only it wasn’t being drained, I’d have her.

“Stop. Stop. I wanted to talk. I have an offer.” She screamed over the wind.

Like that, the wind died down. I held onto the fire in her torch. If she tried anything again, I’d have to risk injuring her.

“I’m listening.”

She swallowed a lump in her throat, clearly debating if what she’d come to do was a smart idea. But she set her resolve. “He lost two dozen sorcerers and several knights. Was that all you?”

“Yes.” I gestured around the room. “He came to see the myths that his grandfather talked about. They’ve held me down here for… a long time.”

“You don’t look injured, but you have dried blood covering you.” She pressed for more answers.

“I heal quickly. What are you offering?” I pushed her.

Again her jaw tensed like what she was doing went against her nature. “I’m a Tilmari spy. Nevindra has been biting off chunks of our country for years. They are preparing another offensive and I want to release you in return for your help fighting them off.” The female commander held herself tall.

My chained rattled on the floor as I stood and held my hands out before me with a smile that I knew must have looked terrifying in the firelight.

“Free me and I will do so much more than push back their army.” I grinned from ear to ear. “By the way, what’s your name?”

“Kendra. Yours?” Rather than focus on my cuffs she went to the floor mounting of my chains.

“Merlin. There’s no release down there, trust me, I’ve checked.”

She still ignored me and pulled out a small pry bar from her jacket. “Your cuffs and the chains are enchanted ademantite. I can’t break those, but maybe we can get your chains out.”

Rather than try and use the pry bar to wedge my chains, she started chipping away at the nullstone.

It was an incredibly tough stone.

I’d punched my hands against this floor hard enough to shatter the bones in my wrist enough time to know. It was futile “You are going—“

A chip of the nullstone cracked off and hit my foot.

“What were you going to say?” She glanced up with a victorious smirk, just daring me to finish those words.

Not willing to surrender so easily I changed my words. “You are going to want to give me that. I can do it much faster.” I held out my hand to feel the ademantite pry bar. “Who the hell makes a pry bar out of ademantite?”

“Apparently a desperate spy hoping to sneak a monster out of his cell.”

I scoffed and brushed her aside before slamming the bar into the nullstone and sending chips flying.

A grin plastered itself on my face and refused to budged as I started smashing my way to freedom.

I totally had this idea looking at Sylas from League. Some sort of imprisoned super mage. Now, I don't actually know Sylas' backstory in league, but it seemed fun.

This rough of a draft takes me like an hour and it's fun to play with new ideas.