The Sorcerer Prince

Chapter #6

     Prince Seto wakes up to someone dragging him across the sandy beach. Hands are underneath his elbows, and the stranger is breathing hard while trying to pull him further away from the water.

"I'm up!", Seto shouts, twisting out of the stranger's arms. It makes him nervous to know someone was dragging him around while he was unconscious.

     "It's about time! Why is it that everyone falls unconscious after jumping off that cliff?". Phantom's familiar face leans over to get a better look at the prince. The guard pulls him up into a sitting position before letting go.

"The attack..... we jumped", Seto quickly remembers what had been going on, "Where have you been? You disappeared when we were still in the castle!".

       "That's a bit of a long story, Seto. We need to start heading to the Zemrlt village before I can explain. The other sorcerers will be looking for you", Phantom brushes off the questions. Before Seto can demand more answers, Abigail runs up from where she had been sitting up further on the beach.

"That was so scary, Seto! Why are the mean people chasing us?", Abigail wines. She's cold and scared, being just chased out of her home.

      "It's ok now. We're safe", Seto tries to calm her down, but he doesn't know how to answer her questions. She's tired from the chase, so the sorcerer prince picks her up and carried her on his back.

     Phantom starts leading the way into the woods without another word. Seto has to hurry to keep up. It's just after noon by now. He's annoyed with how Phantom keeps dodging his questions. The guard never outright refuses to answer, but always comes up with a different reply. Seto doesn't even know where he's going! He's about ready to ditch Phantom and run back to the capital to try and find help. The only thing stopping him is the thought of putting Abigail back into danger. She's fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder.

     "Do you know how purple magic became so revered? It's not one of the three main colors, and off colors were hated early on", Phantom finally starts to talk, but Seto doesn't understand why he' getting another history lesson.

     "Of course I do", the prince replies, "There's lots of old records that talk about different purple sorcerers appearing in all kinds of major events. Wars, droughts, and other disasters usually had a purple sorcerer somewhere in the picture. It even happed on other continents. Purple magic showed up in my family a few generations ago".

     "And would you believe me if I told you most of the stories are all about one person?".

     "No. I wouldn't. People don't live that long".

     "Tell that to the immortal king your dad killed", Phantom mumbles before speaking louder, "Alright, I'll be blunt now. I know the real facts because I was that sorcerer's familiar. You are my sorcerer. I was content to let you live your life without knowing any of this, but then your magic never came back, and now you need my help to find it and save your crown".

Seto stumbles, completely baffled with the answer. "W-What? You're lying. I'm not even a sorcerer, and I'm definitely not centuries old!".

     "No, you died in the last loop, so you wouldn't remember. All you really need to know is that I will protect you with my life", Phantom gets quieter, "Immortality is not a gift. You wouldn't want to remember. You just need to get your magic and save your throne".

     "Sure. And how are you planning to do that?". Seto isn't really buying this, but something keeps him from ditching phantom. It's more then just curiosity.

     "You opened a gate with dark magic, so something in your gate could help us. We're going to visit one of your old friends who can help us open it back up".

     "How could I use dark magic if I had purple magic!?".

     "Anyone can learn anything if given enough time".

     A little unhappy, Seto still follows Phantom through the forest  with Abigail sleeping on his back. All the prince's thoughts are swirling around in his head. The thought of living twice is a lot to take in. Could he really he the sorcerer in all the legends? What 'old friend' are they visiting?