Ends and Means

Gorgus twirled the last Shadow Crystal in his hand, feeling its power grow simply because of his proximity to it. The mage who hired him, Eladwen she said her name was, had given him a new Shadow Crystal every few hours for a week now. The only thing she asked of him was to hold them during that time, to charge them.

A knock on the door startled Gorgus, and looking up he could now see that familiar glow.

"How are we doing?" Eladwen asked, her voice that silky smooth purr. Gorgus had to admit that it was seductive, and wondered once again, as he did every time they spoke, if she looked as good as she sounded.

"Fine, this one should be ready now." Gorgus replied, holding out the crystal, which Eladwen took without delay.

"Excellent Gorgus." Eladwen stated, grasping the crystal in her hand. "Now come, we have a ritual to enact." Gorgus nodded and followed her.

The ritual room was enormous, and the energy pulsating through it threatened to overwhelm his Shadow sight. A giant portal structure much like the ill-fated nexus at Ardentus dominated the room, runes of power etched into its surface. They glowed with energy and emblazoned themselves into Gorgus' mind. Lining the walls were the Shadow Crystals he helped augment, and as he stood and absorbed the magnitude of this operation Eladwen placed the last Crystal into its slot. Gorgus could feel the heat of many other people in the room; however the latent magic in the room clouded his vision to the point he couldn't make out individuals. One thing he did know was that the room smelt horrid, like wild animals.

Eladwen touched him on the shoulder. "Please, for the final part of the ritual I need you to stand on the platform beside the portal. There's nothing else you need to do, just stand there and let your gift do the rest."

Walking up to the platform Gorgus felt more than a bit apprehensive. He had trusted Eladwen so far, but was he right to do so? She had said she could restore his vision, but had yet to even elaborate as to how. Even this ritual had been barely explained, beyond the fact that it was creating a portal large enough to move more than a few people at a time. As he arrived on the platform he sighed and realised that he was operating on hope alone. He prayed that it was enough.

He closed his eyes as Eladwen began the ritual, the light from the latent magic in the room becoming too much to bear. It was like the nexus all over again, threatening to swallow him whole, as though he was falling into the sun. The whole room began to shake and even with his eyes shut, the light was visible underneath his eyelids. A great roar filled the chamber as the portal opened, the wind from the destination blasting through. Then the sea of people in the room began to move forward through the portal, slowly at first, then charging forward as they realised the experiment had worked. There was a great cheer as they did so, but it wasn't right, it was too guttural, almost animalistic. When he heard the sounds of battle, Gorgus suddenly became very afraid of what was down there.

It wasn't long before Eladwen had joined him on the platform. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Come, let's restore your sight and let you see just what you have helped me achieve."

As they walked through the portal together Gorgus couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't going to like what was coming.

"Close your eyes." Eladwen purred as she stroked his face. "Let my power flow through you."

Gorgus did as he was told. Eladwen's hand was cold to the touch as it moved over his face, tracing a runic pattern over his eyes and forehead. Then she kissed him gently. But it wasn't a kiss of passion or intimacy; she was transferring some of her latent energy into him. He felt it moving through his body, and it gave him a warmth he hadn't felt in a long time. When he opened his eyes he did not see Eladwen's magical glow, he instead saw her dark skin, silver hair, and pointed ears. And then he knew he had been betrayed.

Gorgus pushed away from her. "You're not human."

'Eladwen' smiled a fiendish grin. "No."

"Who are you?!" Gorgus shouted. "Tell me!"

"Majiya."

It was a simple name, but one that rocked Gorgus to the core. In front of him stood the most feared and hated mage in the entire land, the infamous Scourge of Ravendark. And looking past her for a brief moment into the city beyond, he realised the extent of his betrayal. All around him the city burned; the remains of a short and decisive Shadow assault. Dead and dying littered the streets, and in the distance Gorgus could just make out the remnants of the city guard attempting to flee. Staring at the carnage he realised one thing:

He was responsible for this.

The world spun as he collapsed to the ground, the guilt weighing him down as though he carried the corpses of his actions on his back. He couldn't move; the shock of his actions too much to bear. He couldn't even push Majiya's hand off him as she knelt down and gently caressed his back.

"Shhh, it's ok." She whispered in his ear. "Remember the hurt that was bestowed upon you. You only wanted to help people, and in return your sight was stolen from you. None of the humans wanted to fix you. None of them cared. I've given you back what you so desperately wanted." She kissed him gently again. "I'm the one that cares. Join with me."

Gorgus started to sob uncontrollably, and Majiya just sat there with him, rubbing his back and whispering gently in his ear.

Eventually Gorgus returned to his room with the help of Majiya, and she gently lay him down in his bed before leaving. Gorgus was still in shock, and questions moved around in his head like a swarm of bees.

"I must admit, she's very good." A voice stated simply. "She's betrayed you, yet she's still got you wrapped around her little finger."

"Who's there?" Gorgus called out. "Show yourself."

A slight man moved out of the shadows. He wore a simple cloak that seemed to adapt to the surroundings, always keeping him slightly out of focus.

"Who are you?" Gorgus asked.

"My name is Jek, and I come with an offer." The man began. "You may think Majiya is your friend, you may even think she genuinely feels something for you, but rest assured she will betray you again when you outlive your usefulness."

"She's done more for me than any human out there." Gorgus retorted with as much venom as he could.

"The only reason she gave you your sight back was so you could see her betrayal." Jek replied. "She's laughing at you right now, laughing at how easily she's manipulated you."

"You're lying."

"Really? You've heard the stories. And if she was so kind and benevolent, why give you a false identity all this time? Even using the name Eladwen was a sick joke of hers, it is the name of one of the human mages that thwarted her at Ravendark." He knelt down and looked Gorgus right in the eyes. "Don't let her beat you. Take revenge for what happened today."

Gorgus looked away from Jek's stare, he couldn't bear it. But when he closed his eyes he kept flashing back to that burning city, the victims scattered in the streets. The children. There was only one thing left.

"What would you have me do?"