Koda woke up the next day feeling refreshed from his battle against trent and his mysterious journey to Mateo. I haven’t checked in with Wildeye. Ruens’ blue wings, she must be worried.

  Wildeye, are you there? he called out to his familiar, but Wildeye did not respond.

  He called again, Wildeye, are you there?

  And again. Come on girl… say you’re there!

  Why didn’t she answer him? Could she still be upset from ignoring her yesterday?

  He tried to see through his wolf’s eyes. Darkness—nothing. Just… emptiness.

  He instinctively reached for his neck. No, there wasn't a collar. Then why wasn’t Wildeye responding to him? He tried again to reach his familiar. Please, girl, please tell me everything's alright… However, only silence greeted him. Emptiness once again. A void where there was once love.

  Tears welled up in his eyes. I’m sorry, girl. Please don’t ignore me!

  Koda rose from his bed. Surely Mateo could enlighten him about what was happening.

  Koda crept through his chamber door and peeked down the hallway. A light aroma of sizzling sausages and sweet honey drifted through his nostrils. His stomach growled. Hunger. He hadn’t eaten since the morning of his match with Trent. Koda wiped away his tears and followed the savory smell.

  Koda entered a dinning hall to find Mateo and Strife enjoying a delicious feast of porridge, spiced sausages, fresh fruit, fluffy pancakes, sweet nectar, and frothy milk.

  “Koda, it is good of you to join us,” Mateo said with a wide smile. “Come, sit.”

  Koda shuffled. Wildeye not responding still worried him, but getting in breakfast couldn’t hurt.

  “Here,” Mateo plucked a plump sausage with a fork and shoveled a stack of pancakes plopping them down on Koda’s plate. “Eat. Eat.”

  Strife passed Koda a spout of honey. “You’ll need to recover your strength.”

  Koda ignored the honey and instead turned to Mateo. “What is it you did to me? Why can’t I contact Wildeye?”

  Mateo gave Koda a pearly smile. “I cut your bond with her.”

  Koda shook his head in disbelief. “W-why?”

  “A familiar bond is a weakness, Koda. A weapon that can be used against you.”

  “How… How could you say that?”

  Mateo placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and looked into the elf’s deep blue eyes. “To share pain, why would you want such a thing?”

  Koda closed his eyes and fought back the urge to cry once more. “It should have been my choice,” he said with a hoarse voice.

  “If they find you, they will take you away from me. We can’t have that, Koda,” Mateo whispered with a kind tone.

  Koda rubbed his eyes. “Will she be okay?”

  Mateo nodded. “Of course. I would never harm you, my student. In fact, I’ve done the same to myself.”

  Koda looked up. “You have? You and Tezhok?”

  “Yes, Koda. Myself and Tezhok have had our bond cut long ago,” confirmed Mateo. “You will need your strength, so eat.”

  Koda drizzled honey over his pancakes, and some over his sausages for good measure and started in on his food. Perhaps it was his hunger, but this food tasted far more delicious than any other breakfast he ever had.

  “Is it good?” asked Strife with a knowing smile.

  Koda nodded enthusiastically.

  Mateo and Strife pushed their seats back and stood.

  The shadow mage took an elegant bow and then addressed the elven king. “Finish eating and then meet me in the main hall. I have a gift for you.”

  ***

  Koda entered the main hall with curiosity written on his face. He found Mateo and Strife standing at the edge of the staircase leading down to the center of the main hall. However, when he looked down, he saw nothing. What were they looking at?

  Koda said. “You mentioned a gift for me?”

  Strife stifled a chuckle.

  Mateo wrapped his arm around Koda’s shoulder and waved his hand. “Watch.”

  Through a shadow portal at the bottom of the stairs, Raze entered the main hall.

  Koda's eyes turned to fury. What was Raze doing here? Was this a trap? He snapped his head to Mateo. “What is the meaning of this!?”

  “This is a test for you, dear Koda.”

  “A test!?”

  “I have aligned with Raze and assisted him in order to make you strong,” explained Mateo.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Koda took a step back in horror. It was a trap! He couldn’t trust Mateo! “How? Why? This man has tried to kill me! He has been hunting me for— I don’t know how long!”

  “And here is your chance to slay him.” Mateo clenched his fist. “Once and for all!”

  Raze glared at the three mages and gripped his staff. “So you have been using me, Fen? I took your help because you promised me Koda!”

  “Here he is, Raze.” Mateo gestured to the frightened elf. “With nowhere to run. With no one to protect him. All to yourself.”

  “Please, Master,” Koda begged. “You can’t do this.”

  “I am no puppet, Fen,” Raze growled. “I was born and trained to hunt those that harmed the dragons— those that abused the Magi. The Dawnedge King is the most egregious offender since Arrelion and Mateo.”

  Mateo turned to Raze. “How will you handle this situation, Raze? Will you continue to moan that I had an ulterior motive or will you complete your mission? What would Erzathen want of you?”

  Raze took a step up the stairs. “To slay the offender.”

  “Please, Master…” Koda croaked, writhing in fear.

  Mateo clasped Koda’s cheeks and stared intensely into his eyes. “Show me you are no longer that weak willed child that Queen Tashna took advantage of. Show the world how much you have grown.”

  Koda held still. His breathing became heavy. Anger grew in his soul. Not at Mateo, not at Raze, but at himself. Mateo was right. He was acting like a child and he knew he was much more than that. He was Koda Dawnedge, the Mage King!

  Koda nodded in understanding.

  Mateo kissed Koda’s forehead. “I would never harm you, my child.”

  Koda turned to face Raze. One final time.

  With a mighty leap, Koda flew over Raze, and flipped behind him. In a smooth motion, Koda reached out his arms and formed giant stone hands that grabbed the Spellbreaker, lifted him up, and slammed him down in one fell swoop.

  Raze hit the ground hard. Dazed, he made it to his feet and dashed to Koda. He twirled his staff and broke Koda’s guard with a heavy swing, ramming the butt of his staff into the elf’s stomach.

  A charge of electricity shot through Koda’s body. He fell to his knees, heaving for air. The elf scrambled to his feet, just as the staff came down. Koda backed up as Raze advanced.

  I can’t fight him unarmed, and magic won’t work unless I can avoid his staff.

  Koda swept his hand, freezing Raze’s legs with a layer of frost.

  His enemy grunted and struck the ice with his staff, dispelling the magic.

  It’s no use. I need to disarm him.

  Koda looked at his surroundings, searching for a weapon. Ah ha! He rushed for the wall and drew a sword from a display. Silver magic will be useless, but maybe I have enough skill with swordplay to get his staff away.

  Koda lowered his sword into Rabbit-Sai.

  Raze shuffled his feet closer. With each step he switched his staff in a different stance.

  Koda readied his stance and tensed his arms to deflect and counter anything that came at him. Elucard and Cade's training had only taught him so much. Would it be enough? Enough to get that weapon out of Raze's hands?

  Raze sneered and charged and Koda readied his blade. The Spellbreaker’s staff swung at Koda’s head and the elf parried with ease and riposted, striking Raze in the leg.

  Raze flinched and lashed out another attack. Koda kept calm and sidestepped. With a flick of his wrist, he struck the staff up and summoned a gust of wind behind Raze, slamming him into the wall.

  The impact stunned Raze and knocked his staff from his hands. He spun around just as Koda thrusted his sword into him. Raze caught the blade with his hand, halting it before it reached his stomach.

  Koda pushed the sword forward. Blood soaked Raze’s hand, but the blade did not budge any further.

  Raze threw the sword to the side and grabbed Koda by the throat, slamming him to the floor.

  Koda winced and gagged as Raze’s rough and bloody hands tightened.

  Do something! Koda screamed in his head. Do something or you are going to die!

  Panic flooded his thoughts as he forgot every single lesson of magical combat that he had learned over the course of his journey. Instead Koda scratched and clawed at his attackers arms and face, but the grip did not loosen.

  “You’ve had your chance to change your ways, Magi abuser, but Erzathen has passed his judgment,” Raze barked. “Your sentence is DEATH!”

  Koda’s throat began to collapse, his breath came out as a wheezing whisper. His eyes cracked red as his vein-bulging face. With each fleeting second, his time drew near and his options slimmed the closer he came to his demise.

  Koda tried to call out for Mateo or Strife, but he couldn’t get the words out. He was alone. Memories flashed through his head. Good times. Times with Raine. One of his only real friends. Outside of Wildeye, he only felt joy with Raine… Raine… Raine!

  Koda placed his hands on Raze’s chest and with every ounce of his Magi and fleeting energy, he channeled lightning through his hands.

  With a flash of light and charge of electricity, Raze flew through the air, crashing through the stone wall behind him.

  Koda rolled on his side, coughing and gagging. He glanced at Raze’s corpse, searching for any danger, but it lay motionless in the rubble. Harmless and no longer hunting him. It was over. It was finally over.

  He looked down at his trembling hands. Each finger tip crackled with bits of energy. Forbidden magic; he’d killed a man with forbidden magic.

  The Spellbreakers would stop their madness now that their leader had been vanquished. Forbidden magic may have been frowned upon in his circle, but despite its heinous nature, the results rang true, Raze was dead and the Spellbreakers were no more.

  He barely won his battle with Raze—his most dangerous enemy yet. He had the power to strike down all his challenges, but that power remained unmolded, unfocused. He was still just a boy in a world of monsters and he shall stay just a boy…

  He turned his head to Mateo and Strife.

  … While he remained untrained by them.

  Mateo glided down the stairs, trailed by Strife. He knelt beside Koda. “You did well, my student.” He helped Koda to his feet. “However, your trials haven’t ended yet.”

  “W-what?” Koda coughed. “Raze is no more, I have won.”

  Mateo gestured to the school’s entrance as the large doors burst open and Elucard, Inle, Raine, and Arrelion rushed in.

  “Release Koda, Mateo!” commanded Arrelion. He unsheathed his claymore and charged it with a flurry of magic.

  “Arrelion, my dear brother. We haven’t spoken in years and you're already making demands from me?”

  Raine stepped forward. “Koda you do not belong here. Come home with us.”

  Koda lowered his head, avoiding her innocent gaze. “You don’t understand, Raine. I need this. I need Mateo, he will lead me on my true path.”

  “Path to what, Koda?” asked Raine.

  Mateo stepped behind Koda and placed his long fingers over Koda’s shoulders. “His path to power.”

  “Enough of this,” shouted Arrelion. “Release Koda or face the consequences!”

  “I think we should let him choose,” Mateo responded.

  Koda looked into the eyes of his friend. He hesitated, taking a single step forward. “No.” he moved back into Mateo’s hands. “I am finished being weak!”

  “Koda,” Raine whispered.

  “There,” Mateo said with a smile. “He has made his choice.”

  “Do not force my hand, Mateo!” Arrelion gripped his hilt with both hands, and Elucard and Cade drew their blades.

  Strife pointed his finger at Inle. “Last chance, stand with us, or stand with them!”

  Inle pulled out his familiar steel mask and slipped it on. “I stand with them,” he spat.

  Mateo’s lip quivered. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. “Strife, kill them!”