The witch smiled warmly at her inquisitive student, "As always, you have proven your unmatched curiosity of the universe, MagiTek. Spells are not always required to have incantations; some wizards believe that these old words make the spell stronger or more accurate but, in reality, there is no residual effect. These rhymes are meant to help a wizard focus his or her mind during a time of chaos such as being imprisoned or during an intense battle. For a spell to truly become stronger, it is not by word, but by will."

"I have seen this happen many times, master." the student eagerly glanced around the seemingly endless array of books. "But I do not completely understand the effect of the sorcerer's will on one's power. In order to use magic correctly one should have a clear mind; to associate this with 'will' sounds like the advice that a warrior would give."

"The being with the strongest will shall prevail in any battle, whether by research or regular combat. If you truly want to create a new spell, win a battle, or conjure something with your magic you need to have the desire to do so," Razzella lifted her hand slightly while a book in the pile began to levitate towards her pupil.

"Comparing magic to sword fighting is rather ironic master, for one is easily superior to the other. The man with the sword will always pray for a wand when encountering a wizard," he grabbed the book.

"True that but if the warrior's blade is enchanted, what are you going to do then?" a slightly irritating voice broke through.

"Barom," Razzella smiled slightly at her 'staff', "let him read the book. This novel, as well the pile behind you, provide other methods of focusing your mind; which will allow you to cast stronger spells without shouting silly phrases. As we all know a staff or magical artifact helps amplify his or her power, but creating a powerful spell on his or her own is another matter entirely. Study hard MagiTek, as I know you always do."

Her pupil immediately started reading the text as soon as he opened the book and turned away from his teacher for a moment; the witch gazed upon him with a feeling of pride. Throughout all the years Razzella has been alive, never had she met someone so eager to learn. MagiTek always asked well thought out questions, found constantly reading, and as she had just mentioned he had the desire to learn. These were the traits in students a master needs in an apprentice. If a pupil merely nods or skims the material then what hope do they have of learning?

The witch took one last glance at MagiTek and then walked out of the unusual library. Razzella hadn't considered taking on an apprentice before since she seldom told people about her true origins, guarding the world of Etheria. Being alive for years incomprehensible to any species' generation, Razzella often took on a different form, lived on Etheria in a different body of her creation, and moved on to another life starting the process over again. It was rare when she'd appear in her true form to someone other than Barom: her staff (who accompanied her along these journeys).

Living out eternity in different lives, learning new type of magic (depending on the planet and it's people) consisted of very exciting adventures. There were always pieces of information to document through observation and research. This is a trait that Razzella did not have to teach her student. For quite some time the witch hadn't considered the idea of gaining an apprentice due to her immortality; until she met this being who resided in her personal library.

MagiTek was a pupil who regained his youth through learning.

Despite his advanced age, Razzella could see an almost childish twinkle in his eye upon listening to her lectures or reading magic theory texts. In addition to his unmatched interest in knowledge, MagiTek had a brilliant mind. During their talks he would bring up every detail regarding any philosophy they would discuss while also attempting to find proof of it's claim. There were even moments where the hordian would discover something even she hadn't seen.

He had an incredibly advanced mind even for his own species.

Beings on Etherius mainly focused their wits on battle rather than disproving intricate magical theories. It was shocking to find someone as curious as he coming from such a closed minded world. The witch felt a bit of sorrow about her student's home; how unfortunate that he of all people came from a a place that actually shunned his brilliance. It was nothing short of a miracle that they found each other, MagiTek was one in a million and Razzella felt a sense of pride for being his teacher.

As expected over the years, MagiTek's progress was astounding. Razzella grinned slightly as she glanced toward Barom.

"It appears as though my student is close to a win, Barom ,and it might actually happen."

The staff stuck his face up haughtily, "Well he could try to, I guess."

Razzella's left fleet of tiny rock soldiers hid behind the trees at her command. The 'battle arena' was the size of a living room but looked like a giant model made up of forests, rivers, cliffs, and dams. MagiTek looked at the field with a bit of confidence; it was his turn to chose the battle ground of this magical floor and he knew of all the possible hiding places that her 'soldiers' would take. Living on a more or less barren world, the Hordian was not used to these dense worlds of green and found it useful to learn of their secrets.

"Ah you forget my master that I know well of this terrain and thanks to our previous 'wars' I am familiar with similar areas. My soldiers are already in place Barom, this victory shall be in my favor," MagiTek reaches his hand out.

The student was well aware that Razzella intended to surround his forces. It was almost too easy at this point to predict her stratagem based on previous encounters with her forces and even through her own personality. Razzella was a person who rarely showed her true face to others but would still provide information and help to those who needed it. To someone else it would seem that the witch would attack his fleet near the riverside; MagiTek knew better. Like the many faces Razzella has hidden behind, it was obvious that there would be more to this false war.

"I see you have deduced my strategy," Razzella spoke calmly.

"Perhaps," he held back a smirk, "you have surprised me in the past."

The witch waved her hand, "I have to keep you on your toes somehow; you're getting better with each passing day."

"Really?" MagiTek watched her with curiosity, trying to figure out which spell she was beginning to cast.

"Yes, and because of this I have decided to live up to more of my own potential as well."

Barom began to give a slight glow as many of her rock warriors began to change gaining a far more impressive appearance. The small creatures looked far more powerful than before and were proving to be formidable in battle. MagiTek tried to have his men retreat but it was futile; Razzella had planned his course of action. Immediately MagiTek found his forces on the right ambushed while many others on the left managed to gain most of his land with ease. The student's eyes widened at the use of this unusual spell and then he frowned. He hadn't expected that she would leave her right flank with so little men while the left began to conquer his land but most of all, that spell was unfamiliar to him.

"You see my pupil," Razzella released her hold of the illusion and walked towards him. "Not everything is-"

MagiTek pressed forward, "What was that spell you used? Why haven't you shared it with me? Have I not proved my worth as your student?"

Razzella was taken aback for a moment, "Of course you are very skilled MagiTek, but you are still an apprentice. Some spells take years to learn and others are far too sacred to be shared with. I do not keep this information from you because I think you are inadequate but one must proceed with caution when sharing a spell."

"How do you expect me to be your successor if you keep these older tomes so secret?" Before his teacher could give a retort the wizard stormed off.

He wasn't good enough, or at least Razzella didn't feel he was learning fast enough .It was a ridiculous excuse that many old mages used saying that 'one wasn't ready' or that 'some spells should not be used by newer generations'. The only reason these wizards claimed that spells should not be used if they couldn't be used by a spellcaster. If a world was in danger then wouldn't that mean that there was an exception to these 'forbidden' tricks? After the many years of working at her side she still had doubts of his abilities. MagiTek clenched his fists as he walked down the twisted halls; his 'inadequacy' had to change in her eyes.

The witch exhaled while staring at the oddly colored sky. Anything out of the ordinary seemed comforting to her, hence why she often chose to be surrounded by these strange landmarks and objects. It was a preferable trait for a magician since the occupation required one to delve into the weird as often as possible. Even when occupying another life (as to others it would appear to be), she would surround her temporary home with such odd things from the very world she inhabited. Most of Razzella's 'permanent' home here with MagiTek held many of these treasures.

For once, these memories did not bring joy and pride when walking down her warped hall.

"That kid finds odd ways around mortality, that's for sure" Barom's brow furrowed. "Whatever works I guess."

Razzella couldn't stand to be inside her home whenever MagiTek was replacing yet another muscle or limb with robotic enhancements. As much as the witch hated to think about it, it was undeniable that her pupil was mortal. Over the years she would notice how weak he became. The "young" wizard was getting older and more tried while trying to keep up with his master's immortality. Razzella was disappointed in her student's decision to cheat death and throw away his organic body. Many times the witch had wanted to speak with him about his immoral choice, but she found it hypocritical to do so.

Those trinkets from her past that now decorate her home were proof of her own method of cheating death.

The witch gripped her broom a bit," What authority do I have to stop him for his actions? Barom, is he not just trying to stay alive all these generations like us? Despite our purpose to learn all we can about magic, is this method of immortality we take any better than his?"

"Aw c'mon Razzy there is a huge difference," he comforted. "You are supposed to live long enough to guard this world, immortality isn't as much of a choice for ya. Besides if the kid wants ta try and live a little longer then let him. After all medicine and healing magic are progressing more and more each generation, technically these advances also prolong someone's' life longer than they would have normally; it's just progress despite how gross his methods are."

"Perhaps my friend, but it isn't healthy for a worldly being to think he or she can stay alive forever. As we have viewed on this planet many times, mortality is short and extending it can become an obsession if one doesn't find peace soon enough."

The staff shook his head a bit, "Yeah, but he's a smart kid. He'll probably find a way around all that madness and stuff."

Razzella nodded while Barom began to change the subject. As the staff was going to mention which tomes needed to be added to her vault, due to the newer spells created by mages of Etheria, until the witch felt the walls of her home shake violently followed by an ear splitting explosion. The witch immediately turned around and teleported within the building. Her spell was fairly new by Etherian standards and would lead a being directly to a point of disturbance, created by light or sound. Razzella suddenly appeared in her library only to find it ransacked. How could this have happened? Who else could know about this place? Most of all she wanted to know if her pupil had survived the blast. She called out his name but did not hear a reply. If someone had the insight to find this place and the power to get through her secure spells, then MagiTek could be in serious danger.

Barom glowed slightly and made the books float in the air in a designated pattern the witch had kept for many years. Razzella noticed by this grid they formed that various texts dealing with core magic, spells used by the first ones to create worlds, as well as history were all taken.

"Who coulda done this?" the staff was baffled.

Razzella raised a hand, "Who indeed is what we shall find out."

Using various spells and searching her home to find any evidence of this caper proved futile. Who ever had done this did not want to be found and so far was succeeding at it; residual energy, fingerprints, or a struggle were not apparent in the least. Suddenly the witch noticed a low glow behind a bookcase and magically moved the large object aside. A floating envelope resided behind the structure; one, as the master magician deduced, that transmits verbally.

Upon opening the letter Razzella's jaw began to drop slightly, "I'm afraid this is the end of our partnership, my teacher. Although you've never really viewed our affiliation to be of equal standards, the fact that you've most likely just figured out that it was I who caused this chaos in your home should help change your mind about my 'inferior' abilities. Your teachings were useful for my goal. Ah yes, Razzella there was method to my madness. You see I have found a source of power that will enable me to save the universe. People are not fit to live their lives; many chose to murder, belittle, and are even harmful to themselves. Under my control no one will have to worry about these petty decisions, thus all the problems in the universe are solved in one moment. Unfortunately this may not occur for quite sometime and until then, teacher I shall look foreward to our next encounter. After all this could not have been accomplished without your teachings, farewell Razzella Redmoon."

Barom managed to keep himself upright as his master slumped to the ground in disbelief.

The witch could feel the metal floor tremble beneath her. Eight large stakes that resembled a human spine surrounded her person as it began to form in, what appeared to be a cage. It was a powerful barrier spell as to which Razzella immediately assumed and conjured a counter attack. A cylinder of light surrounded her and breached the ship's hull. MagiTek chuckled slightly at her chosen action until he noticed that her form seemed to follow the beam into space; quickly the king began to follow her.

Razzella used Barom's power to enable her to fight (and breathe) in space, using a spell that ignores the infinite vacuum's impossible terrain in exchange for more confortable conditions. A low glow around her person was proof of this spell that only advanced sorcerers knew of. The Unholy King appeared before her and for a moment she had thought he had lost his mind. There was no sign, no hint or sense that MagiTek was using a spell to function in space. It was impossible wasn't it? How could he be in perfect condition in this environment without the use of magic or a suit? Razzella gripped Barom slightly.

Suddenly the King's eyes glowed lightly as many horde soldiers in proper gear lined up behind him, "I know for a fact I cannot defeat you now. I have calculated it so. The current order of the universe says it is so."

"Then why continue this, MagiTek?" She asked in a pleading yet firm tone. "If you know you will lose, why do you fight?"

To the untrained eye it would appear as if the stars themselved were gathering near the King's body. Razzella held Barom before her since it seemed as if he were beginning to charge a blast. 'There could not be room for regret'; the witch often had to tell herself this. How could anyone have foreseen this happening? Admittedly it is always an option for someone to choose to do a bad deed such as lying or betrayal but, for someone so knowledgeable and almost wise at times it had been a shock.

"When I first met you, you asked me a similar question," he spoke calmly. "I believe it was 'How can you mortals even enjoy your lives, if you know that inevitably, you will die?' "

Razzella looked stunned and remembered MagiTek's answer long ago: 'It is because we will die that we must live each moment as much as possible, fulfilling our dreams and desires.'

The witch looked at him, "But even still, why would you do the same to so many others, destroying their dreams, taking away their chance to live if you knew that? ! Are you truly that selfish?"

MagiTek stared directly at his master.

The days after the King had left Razzella and returned to Etherius (now Horde world of course) turned out differently than imagined. He had met the foolish young Hordian that stole the power of DarkDespair in order to conquer the entire planet, slaughtering and enslaving its populace. During this time though, the Prime had become insane. Immediately after slaughtering most of his clan Horde Prime did return to where MagiTek chose to reside and arrested him with the few that he spared. Normally the wizard would have fought off the men until he sensed that he had enhanced their being from the raw chaos of DarkDespair.

Upon capture MagiTek was forced to divulge his secrets of space travel in order for the new Horde to conquer other worlds. Afterwards he was merely tossed aside in a secure prison cell made from materials that resisted magic. Looking back on it he could have altered the situation better; perhaps allowing him more freedom in the end. Although there was no way to predict that Hordon would take such a spontaneous route to power. It was not until, after the taking over many more worlds, that Horde Prime once again approached him; this time for a personal request. He had finally realized that exposure to this power had slowly been rotting away at his soul. If left unchecked, there would literally be nothing of his will, not even a spirit.

Much to the mage's disgust, he had built the Horde Prime a special containment suit, which blunted DarkDespair's influence. In theory this 'coffin', as the King preferred to name it due to its design and hatred of the Prime, it should eventually separate his soul from DarkDespair (although this has yet to occur). During this time the Horde's influence was vast. Using MagiTek's information of space travel the Horde Prime had conquered many worlds though not enough to gain fear throughout the galaxy.

MagiTek, in exchange for his duties, was given the title of Unholy King, in charge of the Horde's day to day activities, while Horde Prime oversaw the direction of the organization. In this position, MagiTek had to conquer planets to appease his new 'master', but at least he could absorb the knowledge of these worlds each time; not forgetting his true goals.

Many officers in this Horde were given the position of conquering and ruling other worlds although MagiTek had managed to take over far more planets in a few years than any other general in his or her lifetime.

What MagiTek himself may not have realized is that his moral compass was already affected by his exposure to dark despair, and himself carrying a small fraction within him. His experiments became crueler and crueler, and over time he no longer cared about the planets he had to conquer. All he cared about was his end goal.

"I do not have to explain myself, master."

As the King spoke his staff began to glow and eventually absorbs the robots he brought with him into a huge vortex until only bits of shrapnel remained. Razzella kept her guard up, unsatisfied at her student's response and surprised at how easily he gave up his advantage in numbers. Suddenly the witch gazed upon the remnants of the troopers that floated in the air. They had not moved nor froze after being destroyed; logically the spell should have broken around them once eliminated. The bits then began to coalesce into vague shapes, which charged at her after their transformation.

"Shield or teleport Razz? Its your choice," Barom suggested.

As the pieces advanced the witch decided to choose neither option and began to dodge the shrapnel. Unfortunately the bits followed her person shortly after their initial attack. Razzella used some small spells to deflect the pieces, though there were many that continued to follow.

"Horde Soldiers, class Omega," MagiTek points out. "They are designed to self replicate using any nearby material, and are Legion in number. Too small to destroy, they follow their target no matter the speed or distance."

The witch silently cursed her former pupil's cunning; he was a worthy adversary indeed. Similar to the King's previous spell, Razzella used Barom to gather the shrapnel into a vortex. The witch began to relax her body and used a sight spell through her eyes to locate all the pieces. Through incredible precision she made them all collide on a microscopic level, obliterating them in a huge burst of energy. A considerably amount of concentration was required for this spell, one that could only be achieved through several lifetimes. Razzella once again focused on the energy created by the tiny explosions and directed it all at MagiTek.

The King managed to teleport out of the way, "I hope you didn't mind that I would test that feature out on you."

"This is foolish MagiTek," she had strength in her voice despite the previous attack. "This must end immediately!"

"I agree."

Unknown to the witch, various Horde installations across the galaxy suddenly power down. Electricity, laboratories, and many weapons in various worlds stop working as the King drew all the magic he needed. It was a small price to pay in order for MagiTek to have all of his energy at hand. The Unholy King had conquered over half of the planets that the Horde; many of these worlds which were not developed had not known of the existence of technology or electricity. Due to this complication MagiTek had decided to power many of these inferior worlds with his own magic.

Horde Prime found it far easier to have the King use his magic to sustain his army rather than setting up towers and other devices to help bring power to an under developed planet. Doing so without MagiTek's power would have given any rebellion a chance to attack since it took so long to set up and required various towers (that act as power lines but if a rebellion wished to they could destroy it due to the sheer numbers it would take to power a Horde building). Fright Zones were brought to planets, seemingly powered by electricity or some other experimental energy; in reality it was merely magic.

The King alone powered various Horde buildings across the universe, but now he had devoted his full attention to Razzella.

MagiTek's body was mostly technology and energy while keeping some bones from his organic form. He had designed the metallic parts to resemble the lost cartilage, perhaps for a nostalgic purpose. Suddenly these 'bones' began to glow ethereal white, and the King disappears. Razzella could not sense his presence in any way she knew how and was slightly terrified for the first time in millennia. It was as if his soul had vanished from the universe. Immediately after this thought a fist hit Razzella square in the face, sending her reeling into space. The force had been so great she felt as thought she was thrown hundreds of miles into space. Thankfully, the witch had deployed an extra shield at the last second, but that was far too close to call it luck. It was more of a miracle that she did so, the sheer strength behind the blow could have killed the ethereal being if she hadn't been so careful. Barom's mind was filled with panic, as he, like his master, had no idea what was really going on. Before the witch could fully recover a barrage of blows that came in all directions focused entirely on Razzella's body.

The witch tried but failed in conjuring any shield or attack necessary to stop this invisible force. Pain was not prejudice to her body as everywhere on her person began to hurt tremendously and many areas started to bleed. For a moment she panicked at the sight of her blood; she had not seen it for many centuries and the thought that she could become so damaged, so vulnerable truly scared her. Barom attempted to help Razzella by staying still in front of his master's vital organs (at least ones that he tried to protect). The witch tried to pull her comrade out of the way as they were getting beaten, but it was futile. Barom took blow after blow; he could not handle it any longer. Her longtime friend broke in two due to the constant pressure of MagiTek's attack. Razzella held the broken pieces of her companion and stared off into nothing.

"MagiTek!" she cried out. "What…..What is this…?"

"VoidWeaver Magic of course," his voice echoes from all around.

The witch stood, "VoidWeaver? That wasn't in any of my books."

"No," he spoke as if talking to a youngling, "it is an entirely new field of magic I developed on my own."

Razzella is then hit several more times, hearing the gruesome sound of her bones being bent and cracked in two. The witch shivered a bit and cried out in pain; never before had she experienced the sensation of breaking bone and it terrified her to no end.

The wizard continued as if nothing happened, "I have made my mind and body one with the fabric of the universe itself. The blows you are feeling are fluctuations in reality itself, adversely affecting your physical body. A talented sorcerer can sense many things, but he cannot possible sense changes in the tide of the universe as aberrant, synthetic creations."

MagiTek had truly done something she had never dreamed possible; he was truly a genius, and a worthy student. The thought of his success only pained her more; on one hand she hated what he had done with his life but she could not deny a master's pride in having a student surpass one's expectations.

Razzella would have smiled if she weren't terrified.

"Code: Red Moon."

At that moment, a bright red sphere erupted from nothingness, drawing in bits and pieces of seemingly random objects that coalesced within it, these objects themselves popping up from nothing. Eventually the bits came together in the form of MagiTek, who was now trapped inside the red sphere.

"Code Red Moon," she began, "is a core magic spell taught and known only by the first ones, and never recorded. If there was ever a problem with reality itself, such that it was adversely affecting existence, this spell would remove all impurities and seal them inside its own universe, forever."

The witch had trouble moving and stared at MagiTek upon her new reveal. There was no way for him to know about this spell and as a First One herself she kept the secret well. Yes, being in existence since the beginning of everything the witch had not faced such an adversary as he. Truly this King was worthy of such a forbidden tome; though there was always a chance...

"Of course, I know who you are, MagiTek. I know that you will be able to figure a way out on your own, but just remember, your old teacher will always have a few lessons that she'll keep to herself."

Yeah, this took sooooo long to write…ugh..I was kinda getting sick of this chapter. Anyway I next chapter will definitely have one of these fights RESOLVED. Yes, something will actually be finished so stay tuned. Hopefully the next chapter will be up next week!