CHAPTER 1

Present time

The rain outside his window embraced the world in a blurred mist. Thousands of lost souls pouring their tears onto the land, crying for a way back. Just like him.

Grabbing the worn grey cloak from the bed, Nio headed for the door and descended the narrow wooden stairs.

It was early morning and yet the central room of the inn was still full of people. Old, half-rotten beams creaked and squeaked menacingly but no one seemed to mind. Smoke clouds drifted through the room like ripped and torn patches of fog.

Nio headed for the nearest empty table, but before he could reach it a small woman slammed into him and a pair of pleading eyes looked up just as an empty jug flew through the air, aiming for her head.

The small creature was a goblin, no taller than his waist, thin and slender, with a long-curved nose and small eyes the same olive color as her skin. It was impossible to guess her age. She had a few patches of black hair on her head and the woolen dress she wore was at least two sizes too big, held in place with an intricate design of ropes that stretched from her shoulder to her waist. The dress was once probably white, but now it was just a sad grey thing full of holes. Her feet were bare, the skin on her soles thick as leather. The scars and whip marks on her body spoke of cruelness and abuse.

The jug hit him on the arm and the little creature yelped and hid behind a chair. Nio stared at her, unsure of how to react. Finally deciding to ignore the whole situation he continued toward the empty table.

The she-goblin was still hiding behind the chair when the innkeeper grabbed her by the hair and pulled on it so hard that her tiny neck seemed seconds from snapping. The other human guests began to laugh and even bet on how long the goblin would survive the innkeeper's heavy hand.

A tide of darkness and bitterness began to rise within Nio. For a short moment he thought about stopping himself, but the expanding tide inside him was already eating away at those few threads of self-control he still had. He got up from the chair and rapidly approached the innkeeper.

"Stop.": he said in a low and threatening voice.

The innkeeper looked at him in disbelief. He let go of the small woman and said: "This is none of your business elf. The freak is my property and I can do whatever I want with it."

"Her. Not it.": Nio replied.

"I think you better pay for your lodgings and leave. We don't need your elven kind to tell us what to do. As for the goblin, I think I'll give her to my pigs. At least that way it will be of some use, the worthless, clumsy beast.": said the innkeeper, anger and disgust clearly showing on his face.

If Nio despised anything, it was cruelty. Death he understood. Death happens. Everything that is born dies eventually. He was looking forward to a few imminent deaths at his own hand. Starting with Teria'n. But never cruelty.

When he was little, he tried to prevent his cat from playing with mice. But the cat did not understand what her master demanded of her. His mother explained to him that animals, unlike people, do not understand cruelty. People have a choice and they decide for themselves. Animals have no such choice. In Nio's opinion that made people less than animals.

Anger exploded in his chest. He clenched his fists, focusing the spark inside him. His magic reached the air elements around him, shaped them into a bolt and released it at the innkeeper, leaving only a gruesome puddle of bones and meat in his place. The whole inn froze in terrifying silence. Only the beams still creaked angrily, dripping with fresh blood. Nio pulled his hood even lower and headed for the door. But it was not to be.

The little goblin he just rescued shouted: "Watch out!"

Something heavy smashed against his back and threw him to his knees. A pair of hands grabbed his arms from behind and held them tight. Nio felt a sharp pain in the neck when a knife cut into his flesh.

One of the attackers laughed and said mockingly: "And this is how you kill a sorcerer. If he can't move his hands, he can't use his magic."

Unfortunately for him, Nio did manage to move his hands, all thanks to the little goblin woman. Her warning gave him just enough time, a few precious seconds, to focus his magic and shape a spell. As he fell to the floor, he clenched his fists and his spark reached down. The boards at his feet flew off the floor hitting the two men standing above him. The force of the impact was so tremendous that it slammed them against the ceiling, crushing their bodies like they were nothing more than tiresome flies. With blood pouring down his neck, he got up and turned. The frightened patrons hurriedly backed away from him. He refocused his magic inwards and the wound on his neck began to close. In a matter of seconds, it seemed like it never existed.

The she-goblin, terrified and in pain, was still cowering in a corner. Nio approached her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Let's get out of here, little one.": he said.

The goblin nodded and they left the tavern. No one tried to stop them, they knew better than to mess with sorcerers. Outside, the sky was crystal clear and sharp, as always after the morning rain.

"They'll follow us.": the little creature said, still trembling.

"I don't think so. I just killed three of them. They are too scared to come after us.": Nio answered.

"You don't know much about this part of Malfer, do you? The humans here, they do not take kindly to their property running away. It's not about the people you killed, it's about me. They'll chase us until they catch me. And then they'll make a public example of me so that no other slave thinks of running away.": the goblin continued.

"Then let them, what's a dozen more...": Nio said, slightly amused.

The little goblin chuckled nervously and replied: "A dozen? Try hundreds. And they will come after us. From every village in the area. And they have sorcerers too. We don't have much time. We need to go, now!"

Nio glanced at the tavern. He could see silhouettes at the windows, but no one was coming out.

"So, what's your name goblin?": he asked.

"Shieena. Please, let's move.": the goblin answered, even more nervous than before.

"Don't worry Shieena, I won't let anyone hurt you. I am Nio. Thanks for the warning. You probably saved my life back there. How did you come to be here?": Nio asked calmly.

Still staring at the inn, as if expecting a fight every second, the woman answered: "A couple of weeks back my slave caravan came to the village. The slavers gave me to the innkeeper as payment for lodgings. I had many masters so far, but this human was the biggest monster of all. I don't think I would have survived today without you."

As Nio pondered his options, the tavern door opened and several men stepped outside. More men were coming out of other homes, all of them armed to the teeth.

"Oh spirits, they alerted everyone in the village.": the goblin said in a panic.

She reached under her dress and pulled out a small slingshot, holding it firmly in her trembling hands. Nio smiled. Despite the fear, the little creature seemed determined to go down fighting.

The heavily armed men made a semi-circle around them, cautious but confident in their overwhelming numbers and the superiority of the two sorcerers that joined them.

Nio sighed. Even the beasts in the forest knew when to retreat. But you add a little bit of consciousness in the mix and all instincts fly out the window. Just like with his cousin Teria'n. Beating and humiliating Nio was not enough. Teria'n had to take it one step further. One step too far. Darkness began to pulsate inside his soul again, feeding on his rising rage.

Shieena was terrified. But when she looked at the elf, for the first time in her life she realized what real fear was. Every part of her body went numb and death became something to cherish, long for, a respite from what she was witnessing.

The elf's eyes were two dark pits of horrors, reflecting nothingness and darkness over and over again, like mirrors inside of mirrors. His body was absorbing a dark swirling energy. And that thing, that energy was alive, moving toward him, wrapping itself around him and disappearing in him. Shieena knew that magic could not be seen. You could see a fireball created by magic, but not the actual magic in it. Magic was invisible. And yet what she saw was pure magic, power greater than life, greater than death. Standing still Nio was like a lightning rod sucking all that dark magic into himself. Her mind began to scream. Scream that soon there would be no Shieena, no village, no anything.

Struggling with her own body, she managed to open her mouth and say: "Please...stop..."

Nio's spark reached the elements around him. As he tightened his fists, raw magic began to overwhelm his body and fill it with power. Freed, it spilled over the villagers like a tidal wave, killing them all in one fell swoop. He did not stop. Wave after wave of raw magic poured over the tavern destroying everything in its path. Soon the tavern was no more, a children's picture vanishing with a few strokes of an eraser. And then he lost control. This time there was no Dem to stop him.

Holding on to the last bit of his sanity, he heard a distant whisper: "Please...stop..."

The pleading voice of the she-goblin brought him back from the edge and the siren call in his head started to quiet down. He exhaled and loosened his fists. The little creature was laying on the ground behind him, her eyes blurry and unfocused.

For one brief moment he was convinced he had killed her, but the goblin was just in shock. He felt a tiny amber of remorse growing in his heart. The goblin helped in her own way. Still, there was nothing to do but wait.

No one else came out of their homes. Those who were lucky enough and far enough away to avoid Nio's destruction fled the scene, terrified and beside themselves with fear.

Nio sat on the ground next to the goblin and waited. After a while, Shieena managed to recover and sit up straight.

She turned her head toward the elf and said in a hoarse voice: "What are you?"

Nio's eyes met hers and he whispered: "That is a long story."

Shieena was silent for a long time. The elf's eyes were filled with sadness. Those same eyes that minutes ago were two black holes filled with nothing but death. That same man that rained destruction upon them like he was a god. They stood on bare ground, nothing but dirt surrounding them. Not even the grass survived. A monster. And yet, he saved them both. It was too much for her.

Nio knew what was going through her head. He often felt like a monster himself. All he could do was wait patiently for the woman to regain her senses.

After a while, when Shieena seemed a little calmer, he said: "I'm leaving. You better come with me. A goblin, alone in Malfer, would only end up in slavery again. Or worse. I may not be the best company, but I owe you. You could have stayed silent, hoping your master would be lenient, but instead you warned me. Not to mention I just scared you to death. Sorry about that, my magic is... complicated. In any case, I am heading west towards south Velas and then to Canestor. I could escort you to north Velas. I owe you that much. From there you can make it to Zanestor without fear of capture. You decide."

Shieena shuddered at the thought of traveling with someone like him. But he was right. She was a runaway slave and he was her best chance of returning home. She nodded, accepting the uncertain future ahead.