Ayla began her days in the forest, working herself physically to the max as she had promised her father. Her endurance increased exponentially by running long distances and swimming laps in Mystic Lake. As far as physical strength, she lifted heavy branches and rocks, and carried a heavier load when completing her work around the village. Ayla also taxed her mind by solving complex puzzle created by her mother, and helping cure sick patients forced her to think creatively. By the time the Winter Solstice came, Ayla had become one of the strongest hunters in the village, man or woman. She was a force to be reckoned with, and Ayla defeated all who challenged her through strength and wits with the exception of her own father. However, because of her parents, Ayla never held an air of arrogance or negativity around her, and the village adored her. Well, all but one.
Yaro, the scapegoat, despised the leader's daughter. Her kindness and thoughtfulness shined bright through her smile, and he wished to snuff it out like he would a flame. One night, while the village prepared for sleep, Yaro crept around to the leader's hut and eavesdropped on the family's topic of the night as he often did.
"Ayla," started Beryl. "Do you have any questions about what you learned today?"
"Well…actually…" mumbled Ayla. She avoided eye contact and fidgeted in her seat while debating whether or not she should ask.
"It's okay, you can ask us anything," Sako said softly. Ayla nodded, and continued.
"I was just wondering if…if there's such a thing as Dark Magic…"
Sako and Beryl made eye contact, and Sako sighed while passing his fingers through his dark hair. Beryl bit her lip while frowning slightly in thought. Ayla bowed her head, and tried to think of something to diffuse the uncomfortable air. Eventually, Beryl ended the silence.
"Ayla, I think it's time I told you about Dark Magic, and the Forbidden Spell."
Outside the hut Yaro jerked and froze, his eyes widening for a moment before a sly smirk appears on his face.
Beryl breathed deeply, and began her teachings.
"You already know that it's the person, not magic itself, that is good or evil. However, in order to command your Gift, you need to gather enough energy to supply the spell, and each spell requires different amounts. Simple spells, such as creating a small flame or lifting a pebble requires very little energy from the user. But others, like forming and maintaining a wall of flames, will cause fatigue and the user may need extra energy from the environment depending on what they are trying to accomplish. But very rarely do spells need more than what the user can provide. Certain spells, ones we call the Forbidden Spells, require…more." Beryl shifted uncomfortably, and swallowed, as if steeling herself for this explanation.
"The Forbidden Spells use the power of the Soul."
At this, Ayla tilts her head and arches her brow. "The soul? But that's what makes us…us. It's our spirit, what makes us alive. Why would somebody want to risk that?"
Beryl gives her daughter a hard look and simply states "For power."
"What?"
"Ayla, most users of the Gift are shamans and tend to want to help their village and others. But occasionally, the power of magic consumes someone and they go mad, looking for ways to gain more power than what they can physically handle. To reach their goals, they use Forbidden Spells. Some of the spells wreak havoc and cause deadly natural disasters, such as earthquakes or floods. Others spread sickness quickly, destroying villages within a week. But the most dangerous one…is the Binding Spell."
At mere mention of the spell, Sako shivers and looks at his daughter. Ayla's eyes reflect fear and worry, but also curiosity.
"The Binding Spell can only be used on the Solstice, where one may try to combine their soul with a Dark One, such as a demon or monster from the Other Side. However, in doing this, the soul of the person rips in half, causing one part to be ingested by the Dark One and the other holding onto the body. Because of this, those who have attempted this spell and failed become mere shells of themselves and tend to resent others with whole souls. They are spiteful and always search for revenge, but most of the time are too weak to do anything because they've lost the Gift. Only those with whole souls can manage magic. But only once has the Binding Spell worked, and the Dark One they bonded with ended up taking total control of the body. The conjurer was trapped within their mind for the rest of their life."
After she finished, Beryl closed her eyes and wiped a hand over her face. She then looked at Ayla, who frowned and confusion furrowed her eyebrows.
"I don't understand why anybody would want to destroy their own soul just for a slim chance at power. There are so many other ways to gather and build up strength for spells…." Ayla then looked at her mother. "What ever happened to the possessed user?"
Sako cleared his throat, and stated simply "He died."
Beryl rolled her eyes and continued. "Basically, several shaman from neighboring villages came together and defeated the Dark One, banishing it back to the Other Side. The conjurer didn't make it through the ordeal."
Ayla nodded her head once, and Sako immediately switched topics.
Outside the hut, Yaro wrung his hands together and smirked. I know the perfect way to exact my revenge.
A/N:
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