The First Wizard

IX - The Greatest Fear

The wizard's steps echoed in the stairway as he ascended to the surface and prepared to tell his companions of the good news, to share the power with them.

Behind him, the blue crystals that faintly illuminated the accursed temple slowly went out one by one, as their millennial watch finally came to an end.

The darkness approached and began to envelop the wizard. As it did, he brought his staff upwards and proclaimed the magic that was rightfully his.

"Parhon, light," he said as he conjured in his head the element of light and enhanced it with the power of his will.

A great, bright light shone from the orb atop his brass staff and illuminated the stairs that led to the surface.

The wizard glanced towards his staff. As he looked at the glowing orb, he could not help but let out a smile as he saw his power finally being manifested. As his soul and confidence was renewed by the shining light, the light itself shone even stronger, a perfect mirror of his determination.

As the wizard emerged from the depths of the earth, he noticed the sun had already vanished. Night had arrived, but something was off. Back on the surface, he did not see his companions. Didn't see any hint of a campfire or any light or signal in the dark of the night. Perhaps most concerning of all, he couldn't see the sky either.

There were no stars, no moon or light source anywhere around him. Only a dark and empty reality stretched out to the unknowable infinity of space. Alone, the wizard remained the only source of light. Even that light flickered as fear took hold of the wizard.

"Griff! Fi!" Thalon called out to the empty ruins as he began running towards the shapeless darkness. "Eren! Cila! Anyone?" His echo was engulfed by the void.

Thalon stopped as he stood by the edge of the ruins and where the stone ended. To his shock he saw that the world did too. There was no dirt, no mud, no accursed unending Silent Plain that stretched to the horizon. As the wizard finally became aware of his surroundings, he realized where he was.

The temple ruins floated ever so precariously in an empty dark void. Below him, darkness beckoned him to jump. The light of his staff flickered and he wondered what had happened. Who had done this? And where were his companions?

He had no time to gather his will, however. Behind him, an unknown force pushed him. As he lost his grip, the wizard tripped and fell into the dark void below.

He held tightly to his staff. As he tried to scream, he realized he had no voice. He focused his mind, tried to call to parhon and the element of air, but nothing came. He had no voice and he had no power. As he tried to focus on parhon itself, on his soul to save him, it was too late. The wizard forcefully met the sand below him. As another crater was formed by the wizard, he realized that he had survived. He had no broken bones, no ruptured muscles or body failure. But as he stood up and saw where he was, he wished he had died right there and then.

The ruins of the temple above were gone. All around him, the Null Desert welcomed him to its infinite despair. The pitch-black sky above contrasted the shifting, ocean-like white dunes below.

The sands began to shift and roll, and the wizard felt the floor taken from underneath him. He was set adrift in the vast and endless Null Desert as the dunes carried him against his will to parts unknown.

He held his staff. He tried to call out, tried to use his parhon, but his voice was still gone and as he screamed to the heavens to use his magic, nothing came out. No sound raised itself to the black, empty sky. No grain of sand, no passing wind even dared to make a noise against the true horror and emptiness of the desert.