Raised to kill my brother.
What kind of existence is that?
He is my twin.
He is a part of me,
Just as much as I am a part of him.
This is wrong!
But necessary.
It is the only way for me to become
That one true, perfect being.
The master of the magics,
The ruler of all.

I've been awarded a title by those who rule me.
"Master Magician" they call me now.
I am a master of nothing.
All I have mastered
Are the mindless teachings they offer here.
I have learned nothing of value.
I must learn what I need to know from the world
And everything it has to offer.
All of its experiences,
Its peoples,
Its abstract cultures.
But when it all comes down to it,
It doesn't make a difference.

Someday we will meet
And a choice will be made.
We cannot avoid it,
Fate will not allow us that freedom.
So all we can do is prepare
And brace ourselves for the inevitable.
I know he is out there
Becoming more powerful by the second.
If I do not win, all that remains is oblivion.
My soul will be forever lost,
Or so I'm told.
But who really knows?


I cannot do this alone,
Though I am loathe to admit it.
I hate to rely on others,
The only true strength one's own.
Machine, Mystic, Monster, Human...
All are useful in the trials that lay ahead.
Many of them willing
To help a complete stranger,
Whose intents and purposes
Are unknown to all
Save precious few.
While we may face the trials
Of the Gift together,
It is still my fight.
Alone.

My path lies open before me.
Which power to pursue is my choice alone.
Whether it be the protective Rune,
Or the Arcane powers of the Tarot...
The healing Light, or deceptive Shadow...
It is all a choice
In which one loses, and one gains.
To whichever I lay claim
He gains the reciprocal
To use against me
In our destined battle.
In which the victor is not only the winner,
But the one who discovers himself.

But that is only my first goal.
I have much more to attain.
For the power to control the very fabric of Space,
Or hold sway over the flow of Time...
Those are the ultimate powers.
The powers that decide the true Master.
It is those powers I seek
For without them, I am lost.
To be thrown into eternal exile
By the power that should be mine.
Will be mine.


Only one may possess these powers,
Or the world would be ripped asunder.
The Lords have no wish
To surrender their ultimate power.
So we must fight.
A duel between Master and Pupil.
Who will be the victor?
There is no choice.
It is my destiny
To win or lose by him.
Fate would not allow me
To be taken from it's delicate pattern.
I must survive.
And so must he.

Finally, the day has come.
Everything I have learned.
My travels, my battles, my companions...
They have all taken hand
In shaping who I am.
Now I am ready
To face my destiny,
That which nobody can escape.
Fate is a cruel mistress,
But if there is one thing
Which Fate cannot predict
It is the outcome of this conflict,
For there is no true victor.

I take the initiative; I cast my first spell.
He dodges then attacks me in kind.
Back and forth across
The craggy rocks we duel
Fighting, contained within
The mysterious Magisphere.
All other existence is meaningless,
I live only to fight him.
Spell after spell, chant after chant,
The battle threatens
The very fabric of existence.
Darkness resides, and Light prevails.
Space is warped, Time distorted.
Then it stops.


It is over.
I have defeated him...or have I?
Is there really a difference?
I see it all now...
He has won, yet so have I.
I am him, he is I.
His soul still exists
As a part of mine.
For the first time in my life
I am whole.
Our combined souls forever
In eternal harmony.
Now I know for true
What I must do.

I cast a spell,
And using my power
I return to my place,
Where it all began.
I now know
Who and what I am
Now I must learn...
Why?
But upon my return
A different place awaits.
A place that is not of this world.
It fringes upon the realms of existence.
The touch of Death has seeped into this place
And stained all that existed
Beyond recognition.

I descend a path leading deep underground.
Friends and comrades litter the pathways.
Like dandelions in spring's full bloom.
Down, down, down,
The path spirals on endlessly
Until finally a gleam of light
Can be seen to penetrate the dark.
I solve the puzzle of the light
To receive the legacy of an ancient being.
Using its power I discover my true origins
And also my true mission.
I am the Last Magician,
The last ray of hope
To combat the forces of Hell.


Farther down the path leads
Finally, the bottom in view.
There is nothing down here except
The dead, the dying, and the tortured.
A man guard's Hell's Gate
Barring mortals from passing.
I reveal my identity
The man moves,
Making way for his savior.
This was my true destiny.
I accept this as my mission
To carry out at all costs.
Existence hangs in the balance.

It is not as I suspected.
Angels tread the path
Possessing wings of deception,
Truly the spawn of the Underworld.
The Lord of Dragons opposes me
But none shall stand in my way.
Fate will not allow me to fail now,
I am yet to fulfill my role.
And as sudden as a thunderbolt,
My goal is before me.
The Lord of Hell.

A merciless tyrant,
Half man, half lizard.
Truly an abomination
And the foe I must face.
A long hard battle,
And one I must win.
But what happens in the end
Is left up to the imagination
Of the individual's mind.
For now my tale comes to an end,
Just as all things do
As my existence fades to grey...