The Dark King of Kotalis

Prologue

Callum is... not in a good place after his talk with his step father. The way he simply... accepted the end. Even if Callum was only his step son, he still had Ezran to look after. Walking past a doorway, he hears a whooshing sound and doubles back. "Ez? You there?" He pauses for a moment before continuing on with a shrug, completely unaware of his brush with death. And he would lose everything because of it.

The trip to the banther lodge was postponed while the castle guards tried to find Ezran. They did find him eventually. They just found him too late. Sitting alone in his room on the first day of mourning, Callum breaks the seal on the letter Harrow gave him.

Harris writes about how he wished he had been closer to Callum, and despite their lack of blood relations, considered him his son, was even proud of him. Then he said that Ezran would be king. That alone nearly broke him. How wrong he was. He spoke about history, and the difference between strength and power. How true strength comes from forgiveness and how he hoped that his sons could reject history as a narrative of strength and read it as a narrative of love.

That idea didn't sit right with Callum. The idea that he should forgive Xadia after everything they did just... annoyed him. Thunder killed his mom and the elves killed Harrow. And they killed Ezran, a child who wasn't even ten years old and never did anything to hurt anyone, even by accident. He couldn't forgive them. He didn't have it in him. Moving on, he keeps reading.

The letter talked about his mother, and what happened when they faced Thunder the first time. How Harrow would watch over them from wherever the other side lies. But there was no "them". Just Callum.

Harrow said he tried to be selfless as a king, but as a father, had one selfish wish. For Callum and Ezran to be free. Tears soaked the paper. Ezran is free, in an incredibly grim sense of the word. The final words of the letter spoke of a secret. Something hidden in the banther lodge.

Before Callum can get around to reading about the secret, he hears something and jumps from his chair and prepares to run. But it's just Bait passing through the pet door. "Oh... hey Bait." The glowtoad croaks sadly. Putting down the letter for a moment, Callum walks over and gives the grumpy creature a pat. "Yeah, I miss him too... I don't think I have the heart to take care of you Bait. You wanna live with Barius? You could eat all the jelly tarts you want?" Bait simply croaks and moves to sulk in the corner, leaving Callum to grumble to himself. "Oh, whatever. Grumpy old frog."

Going back to the letter, Harrow writes that there is a strange cube with runes on each side in the game room of the banther lodge. The cube is apparently some ancient relic that belonged to an elf mage that mastered all six sources of magic. It is hidden in a box of Keyes because it is apparently called the Key of Aaravos and it unlocks something powerful in Xadia. The final words of the letter were that Bait loves belly rubs, which, after the many heavy topics already discussed, feels pretty weak.

He had someone else go to the banther lodge to grab the key of Aaravos, although he didn't tell them what it was called, only that Harrow wanted them to have it. Then he gave Bait to Barrius in the kitchens. And finally, he returned to his regularly scheduled mourning. And he wasn't the only one.

Everyone Callum saw was mourning. And not in the traditionally obligated sense. There was a feeling of genuine sorrow everywhere he went. Even Soren lightened up on the sword lesson and he didn't see Claudia walk into a single tree. Apparently Harrow was a man beloved by many. Unfortunately, Callum made up for Claudia's lack of accidents by zoning out one day and walking directly into her father.

"L-lord Viren! I am SO sorry, I didn't mean to-"
Viren waves away Callum's concern. "No, no. It's ok, Your Highness. After everything that has happened, and everything that is soon to happen, it is more than reasonable that you will be out of sorts." Viren's face becomes sullen and contemplative. "Harrow was... a good man and Ezran was the most innocent of any of us. I offer my sincerest condolences."
Callum looks out a window. "You were closer to Harrow than I was. And it's fine. There was nothing anyone could do."

Viren shuffles on his feet, seemingly uncomfortable before he speaks. "That's not... entirely accurate."
Callum turns to him, brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
Viren is silent for a moment before he sighs. "I suppose you of all people deserve to know. There WAS a way to save the king. What I call a... creative solution. Ezran however, we didn't know was a target. After all, who takes vengeance on a CHILD?"

Callum shakes his head. "Yeah, but back to the other thing. There was a way to save him? How? Why didn't you do it?"
Viren sighs, seeming tired. "Simple. He refused. Called dark magic a shortcut." He places a hand on Callum's shoulder. "I am deeply sorry Your Highness."
He walks past Callum, but stops when he calls out to the High Mage. "Teach me."

Viren turns back to him. "What?"
"Teach me dark magic. Harrow could have lived, he could have saved himself, and who knows, maybe Ez might have lived too, but he didn't, he didn't care enough. Sure dark magic is a shortcut, but so is using a shovel instead of digging with your hands, or riding a horse instead of walking. I don't want to be like him and fail everyone I'm supposed to care about because I'm scared of a creative solution. So Viren, as your future king, I order you to teach me dark magic."
Viren inspects Callum up and down, seeing his determination as an idea taking root and he smiles kindly. "Well with that kind of spirit, how can I refuse?"