The lightbringer

One lively reunion

Adam hastily walks the well-maintained Spruntei roads as he knows he's currently being followed. He knows he is being hunted down by the mages' higher council. Traveling back in time from the year 2931 to find the lost treasure of the four clans is a major breach of the code of conduct. Time travel is already prohibited but tampering with the timeline is basically like a death sentence. Adam's magic can, unfortunately for him, be traced and he's aware of that. 

Adam nears the gates of the castle, it is big and very impressive to look at. The craftsmanship of the Spruntei population was without a doubt surpassing what any other kingdom was capable of. The unwithered white stones were perfectly aligned and solid arcs of stone emerged from the moat to solidify the castle's walls. It was obvious that a lot of thought and resources were put in the construction of this castle. 

A guard situated at the top asks him " What is the purpose of your visit? ", " I have come to request a meeting with a prisoner, it's of the highest importance! ", " Who are you? ", Adam lowers the tone of his voice and exclaims " Is it not apparent you fool !? I'll have you beheaded for not showing respect to a nobleman. ". This was pure bluff, Adam looked at the guard in the most intimidating and fiery way he could. The guard looked terrified of making a mistake and said " My sincerest apologies, I will open the gates right away. ". Adam sighed in relief, he entered the gates, looked angrily at the guard and said " Unbelievable, I hope this never happens again. Understood? ", " Yes, my lord. ". Adam proudly enters the castle after royally bluffing his way in but directly comes face to face with the 1st lady of Spruntei, Queen Metz. Adam was quite familiar with Spruntei's history, he knew about Queen Metz's feats and sins, she was most of all famous for having poisoned her unfaithful husband, Kind Beverley. 

She looked at Adam with a peak of curiosity, interested in this young new face wearing a tunic made from a type of cloth she had never seen before. Adam bowed down before her and walked past her, she may be a killer but she was still one of the most beautiful queens to exist in the Spruntei clan's family history. Adam proceeds to descend into the dungeons, he signals a guard and orders him to bring a torch and come with. " Bring me to the bard Houben. ", " Pardon me but only individuals with a clearing from his majesty can pass through, I'm afraid I will have to redirect you upstairs.". Hearing the tone of his voice and seeing the wrinkles on his face, this man had experience, Adam would not be able to bluff his way past this man. " Fine, would you be able to secure me a room for the night so that I can wait for a session with the king? ", " But of course, the west side of the castle is for visitors and there are noble suits as well. ", " The latter will do. ", " Very well, I will make sure that is sorted out. ", " Thank you. ". 

Adam heads towards the castle's gardens, he needs a small walk outside to refocus and recenter his energy. The garden's vegetation is dense and abundantly flowery. He engages into a small path and inhales nature, the small breeze, the soft sun rays, the birds' melodies... He walks calmly until until he arrives in the main centerpiece of the green maze... he feels a presence hiding in the shadows. All of a sudden, a shadow ball shoots from the darkness in Adam's direction, he lights up his hands and deflects the spell away from him towards a bunch of bushes, these immediatly dry out and fall flat on the ground. Adam's breathing picks up in pace and he positioned himself in a defensive stance. 

Adam says " So, you have finally come to track me, Gerard... ". Out of the shadows materializes a man. He has medium long black hair and a small beard, one part of his face is completely consumed by darkness, it's just energy that constantly moves. He also wears a long black coat.

He talks in a very low voice " Indeed, I'm sorry it had to come to this. The council is fucking pissed mate, shoot to kill order so no sparing you I'm afraid. ", " That's fine, I don't need pity from you or the council. Your so called Order messed up the Arcane energies and the balance of the magical realms. ", " It's fine, don't whine so much. The council saved us all and you need to acknowledge that! Come with me now and I won't have to force you. ", " We both know you'll have to. ", " Then I'm sorry about this Adam. ".

Adam and Gerard have known each other for a while, they used to work together for the council and successfully stopped many crime organisations and corrupted individuals. One day everything changed, the council experimented on the magical realm, they were apparently trying to uncover a more powerful and pure source of magic. Instead of this, the magical realm has been altered and where before the Arcane, the elemental, the life sylvestre and the foundational energies ( Light and dark ) shared an even place, it is now totally out of balance. The elemental realm has shifted to take over a much larger place rendering the seas, fires and air to be out of control while the arcane realm is now basically non existent, many mages lost their connection to the Arcane realm and died on the spot. A mages' connection to it's magical realm is what grants him/her magical powers but also what keeps him/her alive. Only the Arcane mages with the tightest connection to their realm managed to survive. Adam always had the power of light but Gerard used to bend the life sylvestre energy. That day when the council proceeded with it's experiment, Gerard was subject to a huge blast of energy which severed his connection to his realm but was instantly replaced with the dark energy of the foundational energies, the mages having a connection with the foundational energies are the rarest. Having a connection broken with a magical realm is indeed supposed to be deadly for a mage but Gerard was lucky to have this immediate new connection which saved his life, however there are times where he wished he had died that day. Since then, Adam turned his back on the council because of their recklessness but Gerard kept working for them, believing in the order it could still give to the mages and the magical realms. Gerard has continuously been consumed by darkness and it's his constant battle not to give in and keep control over it. 

Gerard looks intensely at Adam and conjures two streams of powerful dark energy, Adam steps forward and raises his hands so that his forearms face the streams and he materializes a light shield. Gerard maintains the streams and while they continuously crash into Adam's shield, he says " Surrender, don't make this harder than it needs to be ". Adam does his best to keep the shield up but Gerard is a talented and powerful mage, " How could you possibly keep working for the council after what they did to you? To all the mages who lost and their connections and died? ", " They implemented order and one mistake does not undo all their previous achievements, you're all about second chances, aren't you Adam? ", " Not this time! ". Adam redirects both streams to his right and left, he lights up his entire body in a split second and with such an intense light that it blinds Gerard and interrupts his attack. Gerard stumbled into the bushes behind him, Adam quickly leaped towards him, took him by the neck and threatened him by brightly lighting up his hand and holding it as if he was going to bash his face in. Gerard still manages to look Adam in the eyes and say " You cannot win you know, the council is out to get you and they will come after you themselves if necessary. Don't wait for the night, you know I'll have the upper hand then. ", " Until then, I win." and before Adam can deliver the final blow, before his lit up knuckles can make contact with Gerard's face, he disappears in a black smoke that dissipates through the labyrinth's walls bushes. Before fading away, Gerard had a nefarious grin on his face, he really changed since he acquired the power of darkness.