The Last Mage (Under Revision)

Chapter Four (Revised)

Cedric woke up to nothing, unable to see anything in the pure darkness that enveloped him. Standing up, he groaned and rubbed the back of his head. The last thing he could remember was Max being carried off, and he himself passing out from... what was that? He looked down at his hands, opening and closing them in hopes of sparking some sort of memory of what he had done. He recalled speaking a word, a command of sorts he figured, and that the shadows had surrounded him for a brief moment before exploding outwards.

'Well, hopefully I can do something like that again to try and find my way out of here." The boy thought as he searched blindingly for the exit.

As if responding to him, the voice from before whispered in his mind, "Oygeta hi ri."

Cedric spoke the words, and he instinctively opened his hand to which an orb of light appeared, hovering above his palm. He threw it up in the air, letting it hover by his head as he looked around and saw that he was still in the tavern. It seemed like nobody had come back for him. Yet.

Grabbing his sword off the ground, and feeling that same rush of power enter his body as he strapped it to his waist, he exited the building into the night, and was relieved to see that Hion was alive and well, nipping at the grass on the ground. He hugged horse quickly, then hopped on it's back. Hopefully when he headed back into town, Max would be at the forge, waiting for him like always.

****

"Max!" The boy called as he entered the shop. Like always, the forge was a mess, but unlike all of the other times he was there, it was silent. He searched the small building for any signs of him, but it was empty. Slamming his hand down on the desk, Cedric cursed and tried not to get worked up, knowing it would do no good.

'Xavier must have taken him.' He thought, his mind settling on the idea which frightened him most. He didn't know what was happening to his friend, but he didn't like the things that he conjured up in his head. 'Where could he have taken him? There aren't many places to hide in Sor'real, and I have certainly never seen buildings that could be used to hide a large amount of people like the ones that attacked us back at the tavern. Perhaps the villagers could help me.'

An hour had passed, and Cedric had no luck in his search for Xavier or Max. None of the townsfolk knew anything about the mysterious assailant that attacked them, or where he could possibly be, or knew about Max's possible whereabouts. Cedric sighed as he leaned against Hion, stroking the horse's man as the sun began to rise over the horizon, thinking furiously about his friend.

'What do I know so far? Back at the tavern, Xavier said something about a guild, and how I would be welcomed back in it, meaning that I was once apart of the guild. Perhaps if I could get my memory back, I'll be able to remember where it is located.' That sparked an idea in the boy's head. 'I remember back at the carriage, Xavier had said something to do with a wizard and some sort of forgetting spell. I wonder if it would be possible... yes, perhaps that might work."

With that, Cedric raced through the town, his idea fueling his muscles so that he didn't stop until he came to the building that he was looking for. A large, dome shaped wooden building towered in front of him, casting a shadow stretching over the boy. Banners depicting a fireball shooting out of a staff swung gently in the wind, and as Cedric walked up the brick path to the door, magical balls of light shot up from black pegs that he passed by.

With a soft knock, the door opened to reveal an elderly, but still young looking, man in white robes which draped on the ground. He had a long beard and hazel colored eyes, which seemed hold an immense amount of wisdom. In his hands he clutched a wooden staff with a white gem nestled neatly in the top. He gave off an aura of kindness, and Cedric couldn't help but feel as though he could trust the man with his life.