Prologue: An Old Wives Tale

## Intro

*War never changes. Royals and nobles and their smart formations unleashing overwhelming magic upon their foes. Fire storms. Tornados and tsunamis destroying entire towns. Commanding catastrophes to their every whim.*

*But there are always anamolys. And this man was one of them. A man who belonged to the monstrous people of the outskirts. The demon's blood flowed throughout his veins. It wasnt his magic power that sent shivers down the spine of even royals. No. It was how he used it. He possessed magic capable of binding gods to mountains.*

*He appeared during the battle for the mountainous region of Gustov, between Clover and Diamond. It was a major strategic point and whoever controlled the mountains could access the endless resources within. But there existed a rumor about the people of the wilds. Still, the Magic Knights waged battle against the Diamond's generals for almost a month, fighting what would eventually become the ultimate stalemate. Until he appeared.*

*This man was an utter juggernaut. With his legendary chain magic that could weaponize the impossible, he helped the Magic Knights procure their victory and destroy the Diamond's forces. After, the man hosted a banquet in his village's home where they experienced the greatest of hospitality. One which made the knights question their preconceived notions regarding the men of the wild. The knights returned to the capital where rumors of the man who wielded the unbreakable chain caused the king to request that they fetch him and bring him forth.*

*The king looked upon the wild man and dismissed all in their presence. Not much is known about the conversation. Except that he asked the man to become a member of the mysterious group known only as the personal guard sworn to see all for him.*

Ezekiel took a breathe and sipped his tea, leaning in close to the children gathered around the chimney's fire. Tonight was a slow night at the Inn. And so his boss assigned him to story time. A program used so that the adults could enjoy their dinner downstairs without worrying about their kids being disruptive.

"People protested this man's acceptance into the king's court. And so the king, who idolized strength more than status, offered to have the wild man executed. That is, if there existed anyone capable of carrying out the task themselves. Many tried. Many fell. The man who can turn that is impossible into his weapon defeated them all, one by one. He of average magic power. A gust of wind that commanded the oceans of this kingdom! He fought his way until his story sat at the top of the king's library."

Ezekiel smirked. *Whether this story is true or not, I don't know.* He thought to himself. *But it inspires me to become a powerful mage myself. Whether or not I can become a Magic Knight.* The young aspiring mage finished telling the kids their story before heading downstairs.

"The kids are asleep." Ezekiel said to Miss Mary Anne. The older woman turned around with a beautiful smile.

"Very good. Mind helping with the orders, we've had quite a rush of business."

"But I have to go home and study." Ezekiel whined. "If I stay, I'm crashing as soon as I get home."

"Studying is for nobles and royals. We're here to make sure everyone else is happy."

Ezekiel was about to argue when he felt something tingle down his spine. A familiar sensation.

Déjà vu

This sensation drew him to a man who sat alone. A well dressed traveler who obviously didn't belong here of all places. Ezekiel followed the stranger's gaze to Robert Maxwell, the cleaner and closest thing this village had to a Magic Knight. He was a fire mage of exceptional magic quality...or as exceptional as this commoner town could spit out. But he loved to show off his flames when he wasn't sweeping floors. And tonight was no different. Ezekiel rolled his eyes as Robert tried to catch Miss Anne's daughter's affection with cheap tricks. Fire balls and what not...

"Name's Ezekiel, what can I get for you?" He'd chose to ignore Robert's foolish acts and approached the man. *What're you doing here?* Ezekiel thought to himself. As much as he hated Robert, this town needed him. And the young mage hoped to become strong enough to help defend their home. So Ezekiel had no plans of letting this creep do anything out of his sight.

"I'd like a room for tonight. And your finest drink." The sharply dressed man said. His voice filled with a mysterious energy. A vibrant life rarely seen in these parts. The brown skin inn server lowered his eyes and smiled.

"Of course sir. But our barmaid is off for the night. I can grab you a bottle if you'd like, I just can't mix it."

"Sure, I'll take whatever is on the Top Shelf."

Ezekiel stopped for a second. "Sorry." He said softly. "I'll be right back with your order and your room keys."

Midnight. Silence befell the town as they slumbered. Ezekiel stood atop a nearby roof where he could peek into the stranger's window. After his shift ended, Ezekiel continued to think about the old man from this evening. Such a well dressed visitor who reeked of royalty and nobility. Not to say they didn't stay from time to time, especially nobles that practiced the merchant trade. But only slave traders and other despicable merchants possessed eyes like his. The young man also noticed how the red eyed gentleman stared at Robert. *I'll go check him out to make sure everything is okay.*

Robert wasn't the only teenager in this village who'd discovered their magic at a young age. Ezekiel possessed an almost obsessiveness regarding his thaumaturgy. And such, rarely spoke about it to those around him. It wasn't a tool for popularity or acceptance. But rather a part of him he wished to nurture. Only limited by his commoner magic reservoir, Ezekiel chose to divulge into the foundation of his art. He spent his money buying countless books regarding the history of his affinity. Only few possessed it. And there existed even less who could make a career from it. Notoriously dark and necromantic. Bone Mages and their fascination with corpses weren't the most popular among the other magicians. Unlike Robert, Ezekiel wouldn't catch anyone's eye anytime soon. Still, his magic had a great power. One which he dreamed of maturing into his own.

He leapt off the roof and landed on the edge near where he remembered the stranger was assigned. Ezekiel shimmied his way closer towards the man's room. Purple mana flowed from his body and towards his left foot. Pooling into an ominous aura. Ezekiel kept his breath calmed and steady, using the shadows of the roof above to mask his presence. He also restrained his mana so that its presence would be overlooked by those not actively expecting him.

"That kid isn't anything special. Just another commoner or peasant with decent magic power." The man spoke. "He would make a useful pawn but...he seems too preoccupied with other things...."

Ezekiel couldn't make it out. But the man was speaking to another. *I know he came alone...* Ezekiel thought. He tried to crawl closer to the opening.

"No...I mean we could use him...I'm not training him."

Ezekiel tried to get closer to the window in hopes of catching a peek. But the stone collapsed, sending a piece spiraling down. And it was the fear of falling that caused him to spike his mana instinctively.

"Who goes there?!" The man ordered.

"Fuck!"

"I'll give you a call back, Oberon."

Ezekiel panicked and jumped off the ledge, landing on a pile of trash outside. He dug himself out and started down the dark alleyway. He could feel the man following him. His longer legs and adult body allowing him to lessen the distance between the two. Still, Ezekiel had a trick up his sleeve. The purple mana within his foot vanished as he turned into an even larger alleyway. Seconds later, he heard the scream of a man who fell into his trap.

"Gotcha!" Ezekiel said proudly. It was one of his first successful magic circles and a rudimentary trap with quite a high success rate. But it required quite sometime to prepare and cost almost half of his reserves to place. And so he wouldn't be able to do that again in such a short notice. He darted throughout the maze of a town towards somewhere he knew he'd be safe, the library. "One more corner." What was once pitch dark shone bright as the day. And as the light disappeared, Ezekiel found himself entwined in chains.

The white haired man appeared. His sharp violet eyes piercing the darkness and entering Ezekiel's soul. "Let me go!" Ezekiel ordered. "If you don't I'll scream."

"Go ahead."

Ezekiel huffed but found his throat squeezed tightly by a chain. Each time he tried to yell, the chain tightened. Only silence loosened it. He needed to figure something else out. However, he could feel what little magic he had slowly leaving his body. "What do you want? Killing me won't help. I already told everyone that there's a weird slave trader after Robert."

The white haired man stopped. His eyes resting peacefully on Ezekiel. "Did you set that dark based trap spell?" He asked, ignoring Ezekiel's previous question.

"Yeah, what of it? Mad because you fell for it?!"

"No. Just shocked. While crude and filled with contradictions, it is still impressive for someone your age. And I'm sure it took you time to craft, meaning you were already planning for the chance that I might catch you. Proactive and clever. Traits required by a Dark Mage."

Ezekiel was confused. Besides the fact that this mysterious creep was praising him. No one ever praised him before. People would laugh as Ezekiel showed them his formulas. His sigils and magic circles regarded as a waste of time. Why spend your time drawing circles when one can create waves of fire, right?

"Rare to find someone who knows the language of magic. Your mentor should be proud."

"I'm self taught." Ezekiel answered. The man's eyebrow raised slightly. "What do you want?! Who are you?!"

"My name's Bastian Babineaux."

"*The* Bastian Babineaux!?"

"The one and only."

"Never heard of you."

"Why'd you say it like that then!?"

"Like what?"

"Like that!"

"I don't recall."

"And also annoying. I forgot. Trap Mage's *have* to be annoying."

"What're you talking about, old man?!"

"I came here in search of something and was actually let down. I figured it'd be the same run of the mill town with the same old story. A kid with some destructive magic hailed as the next Yuno."

"Robert? The next Yuno. Yeah right." Ezekiel said beneath his breath.

"Exactly. But I would have still took him. We could never have too many pawns. However, I think I found something even better." Bastian snapped his fingers and the chains vanished. Ezekiel fell to the ground, rubbing his wrist.

"Tomorrow morning, I depart back to the capital. I'm going to offer you, my first choice, to come with me and become one of my students. My carriage departs at noon. If by then you're not there, I'll give Robert the option."

"Why should I trust you!? Why would anyone choose me over Robert, a user of one of the four magics!""

"Because you're still alive. As for your second question, that's simple really. He loves magic for what it can do for him. For the fame and money. For the love and popularity. I cannot offer him those things. But you. You love magic for what it is. And I can help you mature that love into something greater." Bastian held up his fingers and a magic circle was created just as fast as it vanished.

"Anyway, get some rest. Your new life begins tomorrow."

Ezekiel looked up with a shocked expression. Should he leave this town? Could he leave everyone? Not like anyone cared for him. His father had left to find his own path and his mother had passed away recently. His sister lived with his mother's sisters leaving him to fend for himself. Maybe...Maybe he needed to leave...

Ezekiel smirked. He stood up and brushed himself off before dashing to his room. He needed to begin packing immediately.

Ezekiel left without saying goodbye. As he sat in the covered carriage, dressed in his usual outfit of a shirt and stretching pants, he peaked through the curtains with sad eyes.

"I don't mind stopping it for you to say goodbye." Bastian offered. He sat across from him, sipping his wine and reading from an ancient book.

"No. Its better this way. Plus, no one'll miss me. I wasn't even born here." Ezekiel said with a smile. "I'm glad I'm here."

"I'm glad you are too." Bastian took another sip and continued reading. "Had you refused, I'd have to send someone to kill you. And I hate killing such potential."

"Wait, what?" Ezekiel tilted his head. "Anyway, where are we going?"

"To your new workshop."