The Legend of the Sorcerer

A long, long time ago, in the place that is now Rome, there was a secular empire. This empire feared nothing, and they believed that the world was theirs and no one else's. If the gods had wanted the world, the inhabitants said, then they would have sought retribution against the empire. In fact, they would've done so when the empire first began to conquer others. But the gods hadn't, so either they didn't exist or they approved of the empire's reign - which was why the countries that had been subjugated were afraid of the emperor. If the gods were on the emperor's side, then surely they would be struck down the instant the countries tried to revolt. If the gods were non-existent, then that meant they had been sacrificing and praying to a figure that didn't exist, and the countries didn't want to believe that they had been wasting their time and resources. So, the countries decided to pray. If the gods exist, the countries pleaded, send us a sign! And the gods did...

The "sign" came in the form of the emperor's son. According to a couple of testimonies, a pillar of light appeared on the day that Blixc was born, which made the countries believe that Blixc was the gods' sign. Furthermore, Blixc could use telekinesis, which also added to the citizens' belief that he was blessed by the gods. But whereas the emperor rejoiced, the inhabitants of the empire wept - the gods were on the emperor's side, and fighting back against the ruler's reign would only bring death to the fighters. Then, an individual had an idea; why not gather all the secular people and have them fight back against the empire? Since they didn't believe in the gods, they wouldn't fear the deities' wrath. They wouldn't falter when it came to executing the royal family. Moreover, there would be no religious people to stop them because the group would only be composed of profane heretics...wait.

Sadly for the countries, there weren't any "profane heretics" left. Several years before the empire's takeover, the countries had eliminated all who had dared to stand and say that their creators were counterfeit. Because of this eradication, there was no one left who would be willing to fight against their heavenly superiors. And so, the nations decided to start a new plan. They would turn seven infants into strong, indomitable warriors and slowly undermine the emperor's rule. These infants would grow up without knowledge of the countries' faith, much less the meaning of religion itself. Their education would be quintessential, and all would be trained in combat strategies. It was a flawless plan - at least, that's what the rebels thought.

A few years passed. The emperor had instructed Blixc to practice his telekinesis, and it was strong enough that Blixc could lift and crush an entire house with just a single command. The infants had grown into ten-year-old children, and they were strong enough to balance several boulders on top of each other by themselves and hold the tower with their pinkies. Some winded up excelling more at battle tactics and guerrilla warfare rather than combat itself. However, it still wasn't enough - Blixc could slay the seven soldiers without any concern for his safety. And so, the governments searched for something new; they explored the unknown and endeavored to find something that would even the odds, maybe tip the scales in the countries' favor. And they did.

After a fair amount of excavation, they eventually found a certain substance. The tomb the substance was found in described the substance as a "venom to magicians" and was not to be taken lightly. The countries rejoiced: with this poison, they could take the emperor and his family down. Meanwhile, Blixc grew somewhat jaded; his power had made him somewhat of a god. He started to desire more out of life, to have an experience that would be entertaining enough to bring back his devotion to life. Searching through his memory, he recalled that there was once a gladiator he had seen fighting in the arena. Despite the gladiator's cadaverous injuries, he had been smiling when Blixc came to see him.

"Battle," he had rasped, "is the pinnacle of pleasures. There is nothing better than to perish in battle. Soon, you too will understand..."

At the time, Blixc had believed the man to be spouting nonsense, but now he finally understood the meaning of the gladiator's words. Fighting would give him what he had been looking for. And so, Blixc started to train harder - both physically and psychically this time. His telekinesis made his training more effective than normal training would, and he was able to gain a steady flow of strength every day. If given enough time, he would eventually surpass the seven soldiers the countries were training. After Blixc had gained a seemingly sufficient amount of strength, he decided to disguise himself and enter the combat ring as a gladiator.

It was in the combat ring where Blixc had his first encounter with the soldiers from the countries. They were also entered as gladiators so that they could fight and earn more experience in the art of combat. Blixc had been undefeated in all of his matches so far, and neither had the seven warriors. Upon clashing, Blixc and the soldiers realized that they were evenly matched - that is, if they only took physical strength into account. After the action, the soldiers and Blixc located each other, and they conversed with each other. At one point, the seven decided to try and recruit Blixc into their ragtag team of heroes. Intrigued, Blixc was on the verge of accepting; it was only when one of the soldiers revealed their group's objective that Blixc learned that they were planning to kill him.

Furious, Blixc didn't let his feelings show. Instead, he hid his feelings behind his helmet and accepted the party's invitation. Slowly, Blixc decided, he would accumulate the trust of his fellow warriors, and when the moment of truth came he would kill all of them. His first manner of business was finding out what they would use to kill him, for they must've heard of his ability to cast telekinesis. However, that was the one thing the seven would never tell him - the countries had made them swear to never disclose information about the poison no matter how trustworthy a person seemed. When Blixc asked as to the means that the party would use to kill him, they told him that they would target him while he was sleeping to avoid dying at the hands of Blixc's telekinesis.

A few months passed and now the group was stronger than they were before. Blixc was able to hide his true identity well, but some of the members had started to believe that their newest member was, in fact, Blixc. What didn't help cure this suspicion was that Blixc had started staying inside his room a few days after their rookie had entered. However, the members didn't voice their suspicions; they denied the fact that he was Blixc. Meanwhile, Blixc had started to get attached to the seven. Even if they were aiming to kill him, he didn't really mind anymore...or did he? All that mattered was the thrill of battle.

The plot to kill him was to start in several hours, and they were camping outside of the palace. They were close enough to get to the palace in a minute, but far enough that they wouldn't be seen by the sentries. The seven sent Blixc ahead, and then entered the palace grounds when they saw Blixc give the "all clear" sign. Meanwhile, Blixc undisguised and cleaned himself up. From there, he made his way to the banquet hall. The seven had entered the banquet as well, but they weren't disturbed by their novice's disappearance - Blixc had been ordered to stay out of sight until the time arrived. In truth, the seven just didn't want Blixc to find out how the seven were really going to kill him.

Noticing the seven, Blixc dismissed everyone aside from them. Then, he put on the disguise he had worn when he was with the seven. Shocked, the seven prepared to fight a losing battle, but then Blixc told them to stand down. Having been with them for all these months, Blixc said, he had grown somewhat fond of them, and so he would not mind dying at their hands. To be sure, the seven gave him the wine with the draught, and he willingly accepted. The concoction stripped him of his powers, and he was just a normal man now. Having completed part of their mission, the seven started to hesitate. If Blixc was shown to the countries as the powerless person he was now, surely they would spare him?

However, before they could relay this plan to the countries, several men dropped down from behind Blixc and knocked him out. Despite the seven's protests, Blixc and the rest of his family were tied to crosses and placed on a burning pyre. And so, the life of the Sorceror came to an end. The countries rejoiced while the seven regretted becoming the nations' heroes. One by one, they all offed themselves far away from each other and away from the former empire. The countries, having been split apart, battered each other until there was no one and nothing left to conquer the war-torn remnants.