Fate Bound

chapter 5 Drums Of War

Chapter 5

Volondove's training with Zangar had been going just as well as his training with Lamir so far. If not better. He was just as surprised at the young man's adaptive trait as Lamir was. seeing that the level of understanding in the realms of magic were not confined to the field of healing. Though he still had a lot to learn yet, and not a lot of time to do it.

"So one thing I have been meaning to ask." Volondove said as he sat down in an old rigidity Chair up against the wall.

"Ask away boy." Zangar replied.

"Why did the first Eam divide his power among you five in the first place" Volondove asked.

"I know he wanted to keep the Legacy of the Eam alive, but why break up his power? Why not give it all to one of you?" Zangar leaned back in his chair stroking his long green beard as he pondered the question.

"That is a good question." He said. "And a rather simple answer. Simply put, it was because power is corruptive. The more power one can possess, the easier they will fall into madness. Tell me, did Lamir ever tell you about the Valemies cult?

"Yes he did." Volondove replied. "He said that they resorted to blood magic to feed their cravings of power."

"Exactly." Zangar said. "Despite the death and destruction the cult had caused the world, The cult tought us all a valuable lesson. No matter what race or people you come from, mortals will do almost anything for power. And once they have it, it can get out of control very easily. You see, with great power comes great temptations. Just look at the cult for example. They split their life spans in half just to get a sliver, a mere taste of the Eam's power and the power of the Tistive. Who knows what they would do if they got their hands on the Eam's full power. They would tear each other apart. And anyone else that stood in their way."

"Vexellion was a smart man. He knew how powerful he was and he knew what that kind of power could do to the mind. The temptation one would experience and the possibilities if it fell into the wrong hands. So he broke it up into more manageable pieces. And for extra security, he gave them to the only people whom he considered to be the strongest in the mind. He gave his power to his most trusted allies. His oldest friends. People he knew would control their lust for power."

"But then, how could I become the real Eam then?" Volondove asked. "How can I manage to hold the Eam's full might? If his power can corrupt the mind of any mortal, then why was that power granted to me? Of all people? A human? My people are easily corruptible. Just look at the royal family or the mages guild. True I do have the blood of the Tistive in my family, but I am still a mortal. I can still be tempted by power  Won't I circum to it's seductive lure too? How do I know I won't go mad with power and cause more harm to the earth than the demons would?"

"It is too early to tell." Zangar said calmly. "But like Vexellion said, he would choose a successor after his own heart. I for one take that to mean that he would choose someone who matched his character. Someone who had his mind set, his will, his self control. If he did indeed choose you, than I have no dought that you will be able to handle the power just fine."

"Volondove wasn't sure what to think of this. It comforted him that Zangar trusted him with the full might of the Eam. But at the same time, he wasn't sure whether or not this would be true. If he could control his inherited powers, or it will all go to his head, and he becomes a monster rather than a savior.

"I can see why Vexellion chose you to be his successor." Zangar said enthusiastically.  "You share many traits with him now that I think about it. Not only in terms of character, but your skill in learning new magic in such a short amount of time is impressive. In all my years of mentoring, I have never seen someone excell in their teachings like you have."