Free Web NovelChapter 232: Chapter 232: 5 Years Like Passing Water
Chapter Five: The Archmage of Chaos
Five years had passed since the Prismatic Sphere shattered into absolute nothingness.
Inside the central courtyard of the black spire, a nine-year-old boy floated upside down in the bitterly cold morning air. He was not using wind magic to levitate. He had simply commanded gravity to ignore him. Khaos held a blank, leather-bound book in his hands, staring intently at the empty white pages.
"You are holding the book upside down," Vespera noted. She stood at the edge of the courtyard, her white hair untouched by the passing years. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"The book is completely blank," Khaos replied calmly. He flipped a page that had no words on it. "It does not matter which way I hold it. I am reading the silence."
Vespera sighed deeply. "You are nine years old today, Khaos. The Grand Council held a vote this morning. They have officially recognized your unique status. They are forging an eighth throne for the high chamber. A throne of black glass."
Khaos slowly rotated in the air until he was floating right side up. He dropped the blank book onto the stone floor. It did not make a sound when it hit the ground. He had muted it.
"So they are finally calling me an Archmage?" Khaos asked, crossing his arms.
"They are calling you the Archmage of Chaos," Vespera confirmed. "It is an unprecedented title. You are the youngest Archmage in the entire history of the world. You have invented spells that completely defy cosmic logic. You can unravel a blizzard with a single thought. You can turn solid iron into breathable air."
"Yet I still do not have a single friend," Khaos stated bluntly. His bright violet eyes lacked their usual wicked spark.
Vespera walked closer. "You are a being of pure, unadulterated power. The other apprentices in the lower city are normal children. They study the strict rules of water and earth. When you walk past their classrooms, their spellbooks catch fire. When you try to play their games, the very air around you turns toxic."
"I only accidentally melted a playground one time," Khaos argued defensively. "I apologized to the earth scholars. I even bought them sweet buns."
"They are terrified of you," Vespera told him with brutal honesty. "Even the adult scholars avoid your shadow. You possess the power to unmake reality. People do not befriend a hurricane, Khaos. They hide from it."
Khaos slowly descended, letting his leather boots touch the stone floor. He was taller now, his jet-black hair falling messily over his eyes. He wore a deep black tunic woven from pure ether threads, a gift from the blind monk.
Silas stepped out from the arched doorway of the spire. His beard was completely grey now, and he leaned much heavier on his wooden staff. The brass rings jingled softly.
"Happy birthday, Khaos," Silas smiled warmly. "I brought you a gift from the mortal markets below."
Khaos walked over to the monk. "Is it another wooden toy sword? I have outgrown toys, Silas."
"It is not a toy," Silas handed him a small, perfectly carved wooden pig. It was painted a bright, ridiculous shade of pink.
Khaos stared at the wooden pig. A rare, genuine smile broke across his face. He remembered painting the farmer’s pig pink back in the Nameless Valley. He remembered the loud yelling, the mud, and the smell of roasting meat.
"I remember this," Khaos whispered. He gripped the wooden toy tightly.
"I thought it might remind you of your roots," Silas said gently.
Khaos looked up at the sky. The thick white soup of Arcania’s atmosphere blocked out the real clouds. He had not seen a real, grey storm cloud in five entire years.
"I have invented enough magic," Khaos announced suddenly. He slipped the pink pig into his pocket. "I am an Archmage now. I am the strongest monster in the world. It is time."
"Time for what?" Vespera asked, narrowing her glowing eyes.
"I am going home," Khaos declared. "I told my father I would come back and show him my power. I told him I would make the Atrai Kingdom pay for breaking our walls. I am going to keep my promise."
Silas lost his smile entirely. "Khaos, wait. Five years is a very long time in a mortal war. The Atrai Kingdom is ruthless. We do not know what state the valley is in."
"I do not care about the Atrai Kingdom," Khaos said coldly. "If they are still in my valley, I will turn their golden armor into rotting mud. I will erase their red mages from history."
"You cannot simply leave Arcania," Vespera warned, stepping forward. "The Grand Council will not allow the Archmage of Chaos to wander freely in the mortal realms. You are a walking cataclysm."
Khaos turned his terrifying violet eyes toward Vespera. The air in the courtyard instantly grew a hundred times heavier.
"White-hair woman," Khaos spoke softly, but his voice echoed with absolute authority. "You have been a very good teacher. You let me eat my sweet buns. But you do not command the void. If the Grand Council tries to stop me, I will unmake their floating mountain. Do not test me today."
Vespera froze. She felt the heavy black door in his soul cracking open. She knew he was not making a childish threat. He was stating an absolute, horrifying fact.
"Go," Vespera whispered, stepping back. "Take the blind monk. Do what you must. But remember your control."
Khaos did not walk toward the lift. He did not walk toward the teleportation gates. He simply raised his right hand and ripped his fingers down through the empty air.
A jagged, bleeding tear opened directly in the fabric of space. Absolute blackness swirled inside the portal.
"Step through the door, Silas," Khaos commanded.
Silas hesitated, his brass rings shaking violently. "Where does it lead?"
"It leads to the eastern woods," Khaos answered. "Right where we met. Let us go."
Khaos walked into the terrifying black tear. Silas swallowed his fear and followed the boy into the void. The tear sealed shut behind them, leaving the courtyard in total silence.
