Chapter One : The Mathemagician

As the birds were singing, Callum opened his eyes. It was a shady morning, with grey clouds to feel dizzy. He straighted before yawning, his mouth was a little dry.

He turned to his right, hoping to see Rayla sleeping. Too bad… Maybe i will see her cute elf sleeping face next time ! He decided to get out of the bed and seek her.

He knew that she was shaked by all the things she had seen in the portal… Especially the part of Viren who might be alive. That sounded crazy to him when she said that, but maybe she was so under pressure before that she might become,well… a little paranoïac. However, it was essential for him to check at her.

After dressing with his usual ouftit, he steped out his bedroom. Filling his lungs with the clean air of the Cursed Caldera, he walked toward the « meeting table », as Ezran liked to call it.

Once he reach his destination, he saw Ezran, Ellis, Ava, Lujanne and Allen who where in a sad mood, sitting at the table. A very sad one. "What happened ? Where's Rayla?" Callum say to Ezran.

"She… She left, Callum" answered Lujanne at the place of his little step-brother.

Callum eyes widened, as he felt himself taking away from this earth. It was impossible, inconceivable. But not so irrelevant… Being traumatized by at least two near-to-death experiences in the same month is very likely the thing you don't want to talk about. And plus, she might be searching Viren outwhere, or her parents... Gaah! It was so terrific.

Of course he was conscious that Rayla was more stronger than she wanted to admit. But she wasn't invincible either, and, without her friends, without… Him, she will be in danger soon. Even if Viren was dead, Callum doesn't know if everyone look at the peace between elves and humans in a good eye…

"Did she left a note? A memo?" He asked Lujanne.

"Nothing of it, I'm afraid… She didn't seek my advices, as well as yours, as it seems… Did she?"

"I'm sure of it, now… I was so glad that she accept my help to follow her into this foolish quest, but I didn't try to stop her… Ungh! Why do I always screw all of it !?" Callum said as he put his head into his hands, desperate.

"I'm sorry, Callum…" Ezran speak up, sorrowful. "Maybe I could have done something, but I didn't… I was unable to see all of this coming..."

"It wasn't your fault, Ezran" Callum hug his brother. "You don't have to put the weight of all mistakes that others have done."

Ezran noded is head in agreeing. Everyone seemed to be affected by Rayla's leaving, even Bait. Suddenly, one thing loomed in his mind. He turned toward Lujanne, who watched him with confusion.

"I want to re-use the portal" He asked to the guardian of the nexus.

"What? But, Callum, you above all should know how dangerous it is… Plus, it's no longer new moon…"

"But primal energy still in, right? So we can open the portal?"

"Yes, indeed… But you can't use something powerful as the portal to retrieve Rayla. She was almost killed by it, and she's more connected to the moon arcanum. You're not."

"But is there another way?" Callum understood Lujanne warnings, nonetheless he was determined to success. He did something humans can't do for ages, forging an Aracanum with the Sky ; nothing is impossible is you try enough to success.

"We can search for her with tracking."

"What?" Callum almost shouted. "If we keep in this way, we will not find her, even after months!"

"I… I think what Janey-Lu is trying to say is, well… It's more safe to use the usual way than the magic one, for the sake of us" Allen says carefully, like Callum was about to explode.

And he was obviously on the edge. His fists were so clenched that his finger joints whitened, as his face was twisted with frustation. After a few moments of tension, he released a deep sigh and said:

"Alright… We will track her with her footprints, or whatever."

"I can help with that…" Ezran got up from his place, Bait within his arms. "Phoe-Phoe is not big enough to carry me, but I can ask Pyrrah for help, and Corvus too."

"Thank you very much for your support, Ezran." Callum smiled at his brother, so glad that he started to become the king he was always meant to be. "I go take a walk. Can i be alone for a moment?" The others aswered with a nod. Callum took the path to the Nexus lake.

Callum tried to breath. It has been hours since he was trying to calm his nerves (so much hours that it was maybe midnight), and feel the Sky inside and outside him. Still, the Sky isn't something you could grasp if you are too bonded with the ground problems. He drew an Aspiro rune, and, as always since two months, it worked perfectly. But Callum was able to sense the power difference between his last Aspiro and this one. It was slighly, yes, but it was indeed.

"Try to train?" He heard Lujanne. He turn around, and saw that she was sitting next to him, contemplating the decreasing moon.

"Yeah... I want to know more about the... Uh... The methods of casting a spell swiftly and quickly..."

"Why do you want that?" She question with her mystical/pseudo-wise tone.

"Well... I want to know more about magic!" He answered sincerely.

"This a noble purpose, but i think that you seeking is more... focused, right?"

"..." Callum stayed silence, anticipating the next line.

"I know you want to retrieve Rayla because you care about her much more than every one of us, but you must accept the fact that she's free to go anywhere and..."

"Don't worry, i knew that..." Callum barged Lujanne. "My mother teach me that you have to respect every single choice of the peoples you love!" Yet he was still forlon.

"I'm not upset because she lied to me either! I'm just feeling... Useless." Callum explained as he started to draw Rayla face in the dirt, and quickly erase it.

"You're not useless, Callum..." Lujanne showed the moon to him. "Do you think that the moon is important because she shine?"

"Uh... Yes?" Callum was confused.

"Most of people think so..." Lujanne explained, waving at Allen who was passing a bit further. "But we, Moonshadow elves, knows that the moon is essential to life, even if it don't shine."

"Ok...? But what the relation with my problems?"

"You were, and are the same, Callum." Lujanne looked at him with conforting eyes. "You thought that magic was the only way to prove your usefulness. It was, in part, important, but just for everyone. Even without the shiny magic, you were Callum, and your role was already settled and essential!"

"Wow... That... That was unexpectedly truly wise this time." Callum replied.

"I know, right? I think i'm getting better with age!" Lujanne picked up her humourous tone, again.

She stoop up, and as she left him, Callum meditate on her words ; it was in fact true, but Callum wasn't talking about magic or anything that only concern him : he was talking about Rayla. Without her, he wouldn't know how to come through life. He wasn't saying that was unable to do anything without her, but it was like a ship without wind : it can still carry passengers and protect them from drowning, but it will go nowhere... Maybe searching her via Corvus and Pyrrah was really the best idea...

Nonsense. Why would he have to wait until they found Rayla? Maybe she was in danger. Maybe Viren had survived, and already captured her. Claudia was not harmless too, and Callum was absolutely sure that she were able to hurt her love. To snatch her like a rabbit and cutting her to make spell components.

"Aaaah... Yes, indeed she would" Said the sparky elf in the mirror.

Aaravos was using a dark magic spell to see where did the winged boy go. Since he and his petty Moonshadow elf were hanging to the Moon Nexus, he settle the doubts in her dreams in order to force her to seek the truth within the portal. In there, it has been easy to manipulate the wolrd with magic, and make her see what she wanted to see. Of course it was true, Aaravos could not lie. However, the truth is always pertaining to everyone, and it has forced her to quit the group, so he used her as a wedge. Now, the boy who have his key was lurking the lake as it was a sin. It was the moment that Aaravos looked out for.

Delightful. Aaravos decide to take a step further, as he had a tremendous amount of power snatched to the little Archdragon.

"Erised Uoy Ot Dleid! Setag Eht Nepo, Cigam Eurt Fo Rewop Eht Yb!"

Suddenly, Callum felt the Key of Aaravos inside his bag pulling toward the lake. He take it and saw with wide opened eyes that all the sides were bright. Before he could observe the cube more, the pulling force strengthened as it was towed by a horse. Callum stood up and tried to pull to his own side, before notice with horror that his hands were sticking to the cube, and he was slowly dragged to the lake, his boots scrapping off the dirt. He couldn't do any magic, his hands binded. Before he could say "Help!", he fell into the lake.

Immediatly, he hold his breath yet so important to him. He felt the increasing pressure of water as he sink into the depths of the lake. "And this is how Callum, the first and last human mage, will die... I was hoping to see Rayla before..." He said to himself. How pathetic. A mage killed by magic was the only thing that happenend to all human who used dark magic before. Maybe the price that Callum paid to cast his only dark magic spell wasn't big enough. Well, it was only fitting, no?

Despite the darkness, Callum started to see a shining light. Maybe it was the tunnel you see before you die off, like his father explained to him after his mother's death. He tried to reach this light with his arm, but it was too far away... And his arm seemed to weigh a hundred pounds. He abandon his attempt.

But he didn't to die. He wanted to see Rayla once more, to kiss her once more... Bubbles emerged from his mouths, his lunges almost breaking apart.

Then he heard it.

"Do thou want to be saved?"

It was like the voice was resonating into his head, absolute sound of power. He didn't know how to answer, but his intent was understood immediatly.

"Very well. Your life... your very heart rests now within thou... Aye, reclaim that which you have lost... Take back your life... The surge of blood that tethers you to this world... But, heed my lesson as well : all shall come with a price to pay when they deal with me."

Callum didn't care. He wanted to see Rayla, and nothing else was important now. Slowly, his eyes closed as the lack of oxygen weaken him.

"Now, young mage, breathe."

Callum took a deep breath, as it were the first time he did it. He cough water, and was all drenched. But he was alive. The pleasure to feel the air in his lunges was out of this world. But how did he reach the surface, and the rim?

Someone grumble next to him. Callum turn his head toward the source of the noise. It was a boy, maybe with the same age as Soren, with brown hair like his (but much wild), a nose a little more bigger, a mole on his left cheek, deep chocolate's colored eyes and a small grin on his face. The boy looked him as Callum was something like an old leather boot he had found in a river.

"Who..." Callum cough some water. "Who are you?"

The boy stay silent for a while, still watching Callum with a curious sight.

Suddenly, something erupt from the water and drop next to them. Callum immediately look at it and saw a hairless monstrusity, with no eyes and a jaw with needle-like teeths, swimming with saliva. The monster was likely similar to humans, but it was truly not friendly.

Before Callum could move an inch, the monster jump at him and the boy, howling like a nightmare. Callum screams, but the boy stood up, calm and focused. He claped his palms loudly, and a rumble quickly taked advantage against the howl. It was like the time itself was slowing down, as the monster movement was slowed in mid-air. After a few grasps of eternity, the boy progressively spread his palms. Between them, Callum saw a tiny vortex, swirling and spinning like a stormcould. In a flash, the boy extend his arms, forming a cross, palms opens toward the monster. Following his gesture, the vortex promptly explode into a rift inside the space itself. Callum was astonished.

The monster felt into the unfathomable dephts of the rift, his howl slowly fading has the boy closed his palms on the vortex. Then, all that remains was silent.

"Par les Couilles grelotantes du Grand Serpent" Exclaimed the boy in a unknown language. "The energy cost here is completly abused! Bollocks! I should paid more attention when i travel into new universes."

Callum couldn't believe his eyes : before him was a being with enormous magic power, and he didn't know what kind of Arcanum he was using. For sure, the boy wasn't human.

After swearing and cursing something Callum could not understand, the boy turned to him, a mocking grin on his face. He bowed elegantly before saying:

"Mr. Drowner, it's a pleasure to meet you. Let me present myself : I am Yannis, more commonly called Le Mage. May i ask your name?"

"Callum... Thanks for saving me from drowning."

"No, I am grateful to you. It is you who have saved me from the dephts of this lake. How can I return this favor?" Yannis asked him as he reached his hand toward Callum.

Callum didn't undestood how he achieve a feet like that, but the occasion was too good to miss.

"Actually... There might be something you can do to help me..." Callum answered.

And he took Yannis hand.