Marcus had not lived a long life. It had only been a week since he had turned twenty, and yet he held the unfortunate feeling that his life was about to be over. The world around him had become completely torn apart by magic to the point where it was unrecognizable; at which point, it was then torn asunder again and again until one would believe that the creatures of the deep had clawed their way out in a fury reserved for only gods and wizards.
It would have been vain of Marcus to speak of his experience with gods, but as far as wizards went, Marcus was ready to suggest that none had been more furious than he. The people he had come to protect were likely dead. His friends had been lost in the desolation of the terrain around the young wizard. His body and mind were exhausted. If he had not appeared whole from the outside, Marcus would have sworn that his body was slowly being torn apart, atom by atom.
All of this filled the young wizard with more anger - and more power - than his little world had ever known. His opponent was a stones throw away, conjuring yet another fireball to unleash upon Marcus, but Marcus was far busier than a single spell. He was providing the area with a shield that would keep the destruction to a limited selection of land. There was also the matter of providing a shield for himself, in hopes that the elder wizard would not burn him like a roasted chicken leg. Between these two shields, he was conjuring a storm that would strike down his foe with lightning so swift his eyes could not even spot it. To top it all off, he was attempting to conjure a spell so powerful that it would eliminate magic from his world forever.
It had not been the plan he had entered the fight with. He had been excited for such a battle, ready to try his strength against the man - Papoi - who had been marked as the most dangerous wizard in the world. He had combed his hair over. The robes he was wearing had been a myriad of colors, painted in a mosaic that resembled the wizard tower he had once studied in. His feet had been warm and snug in the ruby and sun-kissed slippers he had worn. Now, after hours of struggling, his robe was but a ragged cloth on his back, his slippers husks of melted silk, and his hair a sweaty clump of stress. The battle had not gone according to plan.
In fact, Marcus knew he should be dead. While he struggled to maintain four spells at once, his opponent had consistently put all of his power into one blast at a time. No shields, no protection, just full out destruction. Papoi was set on destroying everything at once, not just Marcus. The elder wizard - the eldest of all wizards - had been the cause of all the world's latest pain. He had taken it upon himself to rule over those he considered weak. His goal had been to make the world stronger, but his means of execution towards those goals produced results of rather dismal means. Not much of the world was left to be considered weak.
The fireball was released, and Marcus closed his eyes in anticipation. He could feel the spell collide with his shield as if the barrier were apart of himself. His body roared in defiance, each muscles and bone feeling as if gravity were about to drag him down. When Marcus opened his eyes, he felt a bit of relief course down his spine. The outer barrier had been destroyed, but his was still in-tact. Again, his opponent had been trying to destroy both barriers, instead of attempting to disable Marcus. A sigh escaped him as he finally decided what to do. The fight would not last much longer if he continued down this path. He was not strong enough to win. Not with magic.
His barrier dissipated, as did the storm that raged above him. Marcus let his eyes wander over the freshly burning ground before picking up a rock at his feet. With a sad smile, he began to walk towards the other wizard.
"Have you given in?" Asked the elder. Papoi gave out a small chortle before clapping his thin, boney hands together. "Good, good, I didn't much want to kill you. I've yet to see a man as interesting as you."
Marcus nodded, his eyes drifting to the sky. Through the smoke and ruin he could see the stars scattered about. They reminded him of a more peaceful time, in a tower hidden away from the world's strife.
"You must say something, now, or an old man might start to wonder if you're up to something, boy." Papoi let out another laugh, but the smile dropped from his face when he noticed the rock in Marcus' hand. "Come now, are you surrendering or not?"
"I'm tired." The words felt as dry as the terrain around him. He cleared his throat, straining for saliva to articulate his words. "I can't do it any longer." The rock dropped from his hands and he drew to a halt, only a few steps away from Papoi.
"Good." A snarl crept across Papoi's face. "Have you come to join me, or to die like the rest of this pitiful world's weak men?"
Marcus pondered the thought for awhile, his eyes drifting back to the sky. He hadn't wanted to die. He was young, talented, and ready to be the greatest wizard the world had ever known. But their wasn't much of a world left, and not many people to admire him, either. He put what strength he had left into a miniscule shrug. "Both, unfortunetely."
With one last surge of furious power, Marcus released the spell that had been building up within him. As usual, Papoi rushed to let forth a blast of flames that would incinerate Marcus - but he did not prepare a shield. The magic rushed out of the young wizard like water from a gyser. It reached forward, gripping a-hold of Papoi's heart and binding him with Marcus. The older man seemed confused, his spell dissipating beyond his control.
Closing his eyes, Marcus felt a rush of tears storming against his eyelids. "I can not let you live, Papoi. Even if it means I must destroy that which I love most." He laughed silently, before condensing the spell inward, destroying the connection between wizard and magic. The energy that tied the men with the magic broke apart, and with it, Marcus felt his heart burst. His body finally gave out, dropping him to the smoldering rocks below. He tried to think of a better time, of a better life, but when he heard Papoi drop to the ground besides him, all he could imagine was a dark, desolate world without magic.
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Thank you to this guy and his thread for the prompt. Thanks for reading, and have a nice day!
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