AN: I mentioned another chapter today, and so I have delivered. Heres to hoping this over abundance of creativity will not cease soon.
"Wake up." A boy stirred in bed "Wake up!" Edwyn shot up, his black hair astrewn the snow white streaks in it equally messy. "What do you want, Jackson?" Grumbled the sleepy 10 year old. He looked at his brother as he rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes. The boy with silver hair bounced excitedly at the side of Edwyn's bed. He was a bit older than Edwyn and about 4 inches taller. "Come on, Edwyn!" Jackson yelled. Edwyn, upset at the sudden interruption of his oh so precious sleep, got up and followed his brother.
They both crept down the stairs and looked into the living room. "Alright, Mr. and Mrs. Ainsworth. It's settled. I shall begin training your boys as soon as they are packed and ready to come." Said a calm, deep voice, belonging to a tall grey-haired man. There was an air of dignity and power about this man. Edwyn and Jackson bounced excitedly down the stairs and ran in. Their parents, smiling at the joy of the boys, but also sad about sending them away for a few years, told them to greet their new master. They both, somewhat shyly, voiced their hellos and bowed in respect. The man smiled and said, "Hello boys, it is nice to meet you."
"Breakfast is almost done cooking, would you like to join us ?" Asked the mother of the boys. "If you wouldn't mind, I would like to stay and talk, but I have no need to eat right now." He replied politely. They all sat down for breakfast, everyone at the table joining in a lively discussion. It was mostly Mr. Tracion getting to know Edwyn and Jackson. Edwyn noted that for a mage dealing in shadows, Mr. Tracion was quite kind and lively.
After breakfast the boys scurried upstairs to pack and get ready to leave. Once finished they came downstairs, exchanging goodbyes and promises to visit with their parents. It was bittersweet for both the boys and their parents. Edwyn and Jackson were fulfilling their dreams of becoming mages, but they were leaving their parents for years to train. Soon, it was time to depart, and depart they did. Into a whole new adventure, a life of excitement.
It took days of walking, but they made it. They made it to their masters secluded home near the forest. The place where they would live and train for years. "Get your things to your rooms, boys. We'll begin training once you're settled." Declared Tracion. Edwyn followed jackson into an empty room with two beds and two stands. There was a closet off to the side that they'd have to share. The window had a view of the forest behind the house. Once they settled in they met their master outside and began their first day of training.
They went through rigorous training regiments. They would begin by adjusting themselves to the dark for a few hours in the forest. Then they would practice channeling magic and learning forms. Lastly they worked on their physical strength. There was little variation in their training, besides sparring every now and then. Even during dinner they would discuss what they learned and other things about training. In even as little time as a few weeks they showed great progress.
One day in the forest Edwyn was exploring more than usual. He had heard someone walking through the forest. Eventually he saw a girl trudging through the forest towards a ball. He was surprised to see someone else in the forest and stepped back. He accidentally snapped a stick and rustled a bush, sending the girl he saw into a panic. He saw her run terrified in his direction. "Why is she running here?" Edwyn thought right before she tripped and collided with him. He hit the ground, annoyed with her running into him and got up.
He looked down at her as she scrambled back and said in his cockiest voice, "You should watch where you're going." She looked up at him and offered no response. Edwyn smirked and added, "You knocked me over and you won't even apologize? Jeez, you're rude." He saw her cheeks flush red in embarresment as she squeezed out an apology. Edwyn offered a hand to help her up and said, "My name's Edwyn." The looked up at him, her blue eyes showing some emotion between happiness and irritation. She took his hand and got up then declared, "I'm Roxanne." She looked at him then asked curiously, "What are you doing here?"
Edwyn filled up with pride as he thought about his answer. "I should ask you the same," he replied proudly, "but if you must know. I'm out here training, getting used to the darkness y'know." Her face showing her curiosity, the raven-haired girl asked, "Training for what?" Letting out an exaggerated sigh Edwyn replied, " Well, me and my brother are training with our master to become mages." He waited for other questions when he heard his brother in the distance, "Edwyn!" he called. "I gotta go," Edwyn sighed as he turned to leave, before he left he added, "Meet me here again tomorrow." Then he burst through the forest towards his brother.
As he caught up, Jackson asked, "What where you doing?" Edwyn smiled slyly, "Nothing." Edwyn didn't know why he kept his meeting with Roxanne a secret, but it was too late. This was a secret between friends now. It somehow felt nice to have a friend to meet secretly. Edwyn went through his training anticipating the next day.
For weeks, Edwyn and Roxanne would meet in that same place. They would talk and sometimes Edwyn would show off what he learned. It didn't take long for them to become the best of friends. It was odd, but it made his training all the better. It was probably having someone to interact with besides his brother or master that made it great.
One day, Roxanne didn't show up at the normal place. Edwyn wasn't worried, they both had shown up late before, it was when he smelled smoke that bothered him. He made his way towards where she would always come from. As he exited the forest, he stumbled upon the smoldering ruins of a home. It looked like the fire started the day before and had recently burned out. He feared for the worst, in a panic he slammed his hand into his fist. "Shadow Make: Hand!" He screamed in desperation. A large hand formed and shoved the rubble aside, more and more magic drained out of him.
He finally found the charred remains of two people. Edwyn ran to them and fell to his knees looking at them. They were too big to be his friend, Roxanne. A mixture of emotions ran through him. Relief that she wasnt amidst the rubble, despair that whoever did this probably took her, sadness that he lost his friend, and anger at whoever had done this. He looked to the road and saw two sets of tracks. He followed them, he knew that he couldn't do anything to the men who did this. He didn't care though, he wanted to atleast try.
It was sunset before the hopelessness set in. He had to give up the search and return home. Feeling defeated, exhausted, and upset he trudged his way through the doorway. Jackson stopped him before he went into their room. "Where the hell were you!" Jackson grabbed onto Edwyn and exlpoded, "Do you know how worried we were? Do you know how hard we searched?"
Edwyn shoved his hand off and tried to step into the beedroom, but was stopped again. "Say something!" Jackson yelled once more. "What do you want me to say? What can I say? If you looked for me as hard as you said you must've seen the rubble of that house! My friend lived there! Her parents were dead in that rubble, she was taken off by the people who did it! What do you want me to say?" When Edwyn was done yelling Jackson backed up, not saying a word. He looked worried and sorry for yelling.
Edwyn looked behind him as he heard his master walking up to witness the scene the two boys made. Mr. Tracion gave him a sorrowful, understanding look and told him to get some rest. The young mage had a restless night, full of nightmares and worry. He went through his training the next morning mindlessly.
His sorrow eventually turned into hatred of those who had taken Roxanne, his dream to become a powerful mage replaced with a dream of revenge. He went through his training with a new vigor, advancing at a faster rate than ever before. His brother and master were worried by his anger, he was lost in it. Edwyn changed through the next few months from a careless, cocky boy. Into an angry, spiteful shell of himself.
After a few years of training Edwyn and Jackson were on the last leg of what they could learn. Before beginning the last part of training, Jackson had been consulted by their master. He was made to promise to watch Edwyn closely and make sure he does not act irrationally or become completely consumed in hatred. Edwyn, now 19, seemed to return to his normal cocky self, but Mr. Tracion could still tell he had a lot of hatred built within.
They were in the middle of a training session when two men had shown up and Mr. Tracion had sent Edwyn and Jackson away. The boys watched from within the house as their master talked to the two men. One was a large bald man, the other a man with bright orange hair. "Asalt, Freichen, I told you to never come here again." Asalt, the man with orange hair, replied with a cackle, "Oh Josiah, how cold."
Jackson grabbed Edwyn by the shoulder as he tried to leave the house. "What are you doing?" He asked. Edwyn didn't answer, he only tried to get past. Jackson looked him in the eyes and spoke seriously, "I have the same feeling you do. These people are dangerous though. If master needs help we'll help him, but if he tells us to run we have to, just wait for now."
"Once I left the guild, you and everyone at the guild promised to leave me be. I have no desire to be involved with you any more." Said, Josiah. Freichen rumbled out, "We have no need of you, nor any desire to trouble you. We have come for that pupil of yours, Edwyn. We've been watching him since he found the rubble of that girl's home. His power has grown exponentially and we must put him down before he grows powerful enough to enact his vengeance." Josiah's face grew grim, "I will not let you lay a hand on any of my students!"
Immense magic energy was released as Edwyn's anger grew. Jackson knew he wouldn't be able to stop him, so he went with him to back him up. Josiah yelled with anger, "Get back inside you fool! I will handle them!" Edwyn ignored him, his magic energy was given a visual form as an aura of shadow surrounded him. Asalt cackled once more, "You think you can beat us? We're S-class mages from the dark guild Moon of Madness!"
Edwyn was no longer in control of his motions, his anger controlling him, he burst foward at an insane speed and jabbed him in the gut. Asalt's face contorted in pain as he coughed. Before he could attack, Edwyn had twisted around and kicked him in the side knocking him over. Freichen was about to grab Edwyn when his hand was stopped by a shadow wall. Josiah grimaced as he tried to hold the wall against Freichen's inhuman strength.
Asalt stood up and stared at Edwyn cackling, "Whooo boy! You're not the pushover I thought you were, this'll be fun." Before Edwyn could attack again he shot four fireballs. Edwyn twitched out of the way of all but one. The last one burned off his jacket, but he was unharmed. He without even saying a word, formed black spheres in the air and sent them foward. Asalt dodged with ease and just laughed. "Remember Edwyn, without using your hands or words your attack is weaker and lacks stability!"
As he was distracted Freichen broke the wall and charged into Edwyn knocking him back. Edwyn, still unable to control himself, recovered with inhuman agility and stopped himself from sliding. He then burst foward again only to be swatted back by Freichen like a fly. The fight was back and forth, Josiah Tracion, Edwyn and Jackson Ainsworth, fighting S-class mages from a dark guild. Eventually, Josiah and Jackson ran out of magic and had to retreat into the forest and watch from a distance, As hard as they tried to get Edwyn, he wouldn't come.
Just as Edwyn was almost done a voice from within called to him. "Do you want to defeat them?" It hissed out. "Yes." Edwyn replied desperately. "Do you want the power to do it?" Edwyn croaked out another yes. "Just give into me completely. I will take care of them for you." And just like that, his control was taken. He was lost inside an empty black void.
Edwyn struggled for what felt like an eternity. He tried as hard as he could to regain control. After a long struggle he finally regained control, at the cost of his memories. He did not lose them, but was moreso locked out of them. Any time he tried to remember his past he was thrown out of his thoughts. All he could remember clearly was the basics of his training, an urge to find a silver-haired man, and a raven haired girl. He traveled, searching for these people, and his search brought him to a certain famous city, Magnolia.
AN: More notes at the bottom again? Oh boy. So here is where the story will kick in now that we have backstories. Also I think I'll start bringing in some of your favorite familiar characters. (Or atleast try)