Chapter 1 - Awakening
…A young man who seemed to be in his seventeens opened his eyes, after what felt like an eternal slumber. His vision was sideways, as he was lying on the ground. "…where am I…? He felt his right cheek kissing the grass, and his body started to recognize the environment he was in. He was surrounded by tall constructs of wood, with gaping expanses at the top. Trees, they were. Feeling weak and fickle, he gets up, helping himself by placing his hand on the bark of one of the constructs of wood. His mind still engulfed in fog, he looks down. A black jacket, shirt, and pants. All riddled with holes. “…What happened?” He couldn’t recall a single memory up to this point in his life, other than his vocabulary, being able to form words from his mouth. Still confused, the young man walks through the collective of trees whimsically, as if he were in a dream. The more he walked through the woods, the more the world started to feel more real. He continued through the forest, helping himself forward by pulling himself using the trees. As his mind starts to get more clear, his body feels a tingling sensation. it was the feeling of warmth. The heat in the distance stimulated his neurons, as his senses started to fully wake up. He had felt overwhelmingly cold since he had awoken, and the chance of warming up his damp skin was one he couldn’t let escape. He quickened his pace through the trees. His eyes were in anticipation of awe and hope. The warm sensation parading along his skin intensified, feeling more pleasant. His eyes caught a gleaming epitome not too far away. Its brightness pushed the trees out of his sight. The young man realized it was the source of heat, and he walked faster towards it. His whole body fully stimulated, he pushed through and finally got past the cluster of trees, where a vibrant blazing rose stood on an arrangement of logs. It was a fire, but it felt…supernatural in a way. Sitting right behind the fire, was an old man. An old man who seemed surprisingly healthy for his age, despite his grey hair and beard. He was in a righteous chest plate glowing orange and white. It shined bright enough to blur the armor’s texture, but it didn’t hurt to look at. The old man wielded a glowing blue staff, with regular wood in between, like the openings in clad armor. The top of the staff had a yellow crystal, which seemed to produce a faint blue and yellow fire.
“…Who are you…?” The young man asked.
The old man shifted his face up to the young man with an unpleasant gloom. “I…am Theos, The War Phoenix.” he said, sounding defeated “And who may you be?” his tone gained a slight curiosity.
“…Who am I…?” The young man sits down on the luscious grass “I…I…I don’t know.” he says, half panicking, now realizing he can’t remember anything. “Where are we?”
“We are at Newground Island, a place where young wizards who’ve recently learned magic can grow and train.” Theos answers
“How did you get here?” The young man had many questions, but that was the one to slip out of his mouth
“…” Theos seemed hesitant to answer “…My followers and I were sailing around the Third Sea…looking for a dark wizard, when a rapidly moving giant tornado tore through our ship…and sent it flying all the way back here. I am the only one that survived…”
“…oh…I’m sorry…”
Looking at the young man, Theos noticed something. The boy’s magic energy felt like an empty island sized orb, with a dim black core in the middle. This boy…was a fountain of potential “Young lad,” Theos gets up “Do you want to make change in this world, for the better?”
“What…do you mean?”
“I sense great power emanating from you, and I feel like you can help me.”
“Help you with what…?”
“To defeat the dark and evil wizard I’ve been searching for.”
“But…how could I help?”
“Young lad, you possess magic. Shadow magic, to be specific.”
“Shadow?” Theos’s revelation made him get up “How could you know that?”
“I sensed your energy,” and apart from that, the young man’s ominously dark short and slightly ragged hair, pale skin, and tattered attire said almost everything about his magic.
“So…how do I use this…Shadow Magic?”
Theos sighs “Alright, focus. Dig into the very center of your soul. Your mind. Then, let it spill out for the world to see.”
“…” The young man firms his arms, and concentrates. He notices a black orb at the very back of his mind, then with an imaginary hand…he stretches out to it.
…
An unsettling growl sound resonates as shadow energy forms and evaporates around the young man “I…did it!”
Theos lets out a quick smile “But this is only the beginning, Young Wizard. If you continue down this journey your life will get much more difficult.”
“…” The young man looks at his hand. “I’ve just woken up without any memory of who I am…but now I have the opportunity to become something. Even if it’s something disgraceful as shadow magic, I’ll push myself to my limits, and become something great! All while learning about this world I’m in.” he says confidently
“Good,” Theos says, relieved, “Then I shall put you to a test.”
“Test?”
Theos nods “The young wizards on this island have gotten their minds altered, and have gone crazy. It could be from the dark wizard…but I’m not entirely sure. If you can defeat all of them, I’ll reward you.”
“…ok…I will!” The young man clears any doubt in his head “…where are they?”
“The direction you came from. This is a secluded area on the island.”
“Oh,” the young man turns around to the cluster of trees, the same ones from whence he came from “I won’t fail you, Theos.” he runs into the woods
“Good luck, Young Wizard. With your potential…I know you can do it.”