Chapter 1:
Ashkar's POV
"I'm going to kill you when I catch up to you Ashkar Nakamura!"
" That's if you can catch up to me Rino!" My name is Ashkar Nakamura. I'm 17 years old and I live in a world full of magic. The only problem is that I'm the strongest wizard in the entire magic world. When I was younger there was this one group of wizards that tortured me trying to take my powers. I have bad memories from that and I sometimes wake up having nightmares. But later on I found a really great group of friends who took me into their group almost immediately. I can never thank them enough for that. They don't know anything about my past. My mom is also a really nice woman. Ever since I joined my guild a few years ago I always visit her every other weekend. But when I went to go visit her this weekend she wasn't there. That is what worries me the most. My friends told me not to worry but I can't help but do the opposite. But anyway I'm sure it's nothing.
Did I mention that I'm a really big trouble maker and I sometimes steal my friends things for fun? Rino the guy who is chasing me is mad that I bested him in a magic showdown and then made him do something very embarrassing. I'm not going to say what it was so that way I can spare his feelings.
When he finally caught up to me he was out of breath and he didn't look like he had the strength to "kill me".
" Man you run fast when you want to Ash." I just shrugged.
" It's who I am Rino. I was meant to be free and run wild."
" I guess so."
" Hey, I'm sorry for making you do that back there. I might have gone a little too far and it was very immature of me. I shouldn't have done that."
" Nah. Don't worry about it. Everyone has their humiliating moments. I guess that was just one of mine." At that moment the rest of of our friends came running up to us.
" Hey are you guys alright?" Abby asked. I nodded my head signaling that we were fine. I guess I should tell you a bit more about my friends.
There are five people in our group. Rino Suyya, Abby Retsu, Levar Yuna, Riley Abar, and me. Rino is a combat magician. He can use any weapon he wants whenever and wherever he wants to. Levar uses Summoning Magic. He can summon anything he wants or anything that might be useful in battle. Abby uses Creating Magic. She can make anything from anything. Riley is a healer. She can heal people with her magic. The only time she can't heal people is when they are on the brink of death. She really is an amazing person. I use combat magic as well and another type of magic that is called Dark God Magic. I barely use Dark God Magic because it is very dangerous and harmful to other people. Nobody but my mom knows I have it. Not even my friends know. If anyone were to find out I would be in big trouble. I would be kicked out of my guild and I would be in trouble with the Magic Council. That is why I go to such lengths to hide that power. Rino was the first one to accept me into their group. He actually found me wandering around looking for a guild to join. He told me I can come with him to his guild Meiro Sonata. Everyone in out group loves to have fun but we always get serious when it comes down to working and completing jobs and missions. As wizards in our world and kingdom it is our job to protect people and to complete jobs for them.
"You guys okay?" Abby asked. I waved my hand dismissively.
" We are fine. Just chatting."
" Well that's good, " Riley said.
" Anyway," Levar said knocking me out of my thoughts. " We got a job request. It's a really exciting one."
" What is it Levar?" " We are going on a treasure hunt!"
" That's it?" I asked disappointed.
" I was hoping for something more exciting like rescuing a person from the clutches of evil! A treasure hunt is so boring!"
" It's not just any treasure hunt Rino. The treasure is cursed and they say that anyone who claims it as their own will die almost immediately!" At this point in the conversation I was getting dizzy and I wasn't really listening to what they were saying. This feeling was familiar but I didn't remember what it was from.
" But then why does the client want us to retrieve the treasure? Levar, wouldn't the client know that the object was cursed and that it would kill them if they try to claim?"
" That's a good question Riley. I guess we can ask why when we meet with the client later on." All these words were just running through my head. I really wasn't paying attention. I nodded my head just like everyone else.
" I have one question though," Abby stated. We all turned our heads to look at her.
" Fire away," Rino said.
" Why were you chasing Ashkar? We were just coming back from getting the job request and we hear and see Rino chasing after you, Ashkar." That question shook me from my stupor. Rino and I exchanged glances. He nodded his head which told me that I had his permission to tell them what happened. I stood up and brushed off my jeans.
" Well it's like this." That is as far as I got. Suddenly my brain exploded and I felt heat rushing everywhere. That's when I remembered why this sensation happens and what it does to my body. Now it's too late to do anything. I lost all train of thought and fell to my knees.
" Ash, hey Ash can you hear me?!" I tried to nod my head but before anything could happen I started seeing black and I slowly felt myself sinking into the darkness.