Kingdom of fire and shadows: Useless magic and Salamanders.

A week after Aleum's murder and Xavier's exile, a message reached Humol. Fortunately, the winter this year was not very hard; it was cold, but unlike in the north, in the south there was no snow, and the peasants prepared the land for the next year. When Euraclius saw the typical carriage of the knights arriving, he abandoned the work in the fields and ran home. Although he no longer had his head in the clouds, he still dreamed of greatness and wealth. He was proud of his family and his surname, and was convinced that at some point one of his children would give him a grandson who would change everything, an elite magician. The fact that the carriage arrived at his house a few months after Xavier entered Liev's Tower was a sign of new events.

'Good morning, Renor,' greeted Euraclius confidently.

Now that he was a nobleman, his distance with the knights was shrinking. However, Renor's serious attitude soon wiped the smile from his face. Two other knights made signs for the villagers to come near.

'What's going on?' asked Euraclius.

However, Renor remained silent. When enough members of the community had gathered, Renor drew out a paper, which he read out loud.

'On behalf of the royal court, your lord Efrir of Exel informs the people of Humol that a week ago, on the fifth day of the second month of the year of the magic age, six hundred sixty-one, by order of the masters of Liev's tower, the magician Xavier de Vonder was expelled from the tower, convicted of treason, and exiled from the Dinasty. Currently, after escaping from the knights of the tower, his location is unknown. In case of contact with the offender, he should be reported to the authorities immediately. Failure to do so would be considered an act of treason and could lead to imprisonment or execution. Any information you give about the location of this criminal will be rewarded with five copper coins.' Renor finished speaking while the others looked at him in shock.

'What do you mean? My son is a criminal?' Euraclius still could not understand what was happening.

'The masters of Liev's Tower found Xavier guilty of collaborating with a magician who used arcane magic. Apparently, he fled to Morr's jungle before he was captured. Although he must already be dead, an arrest and capture order was issued' Renor explained with indifference and without much desire.

After Xavier's expulsion, the tower guards, in complicity with the masters, had altered the story. To say that Xavier had fled was more feasible than to say that he had survived a murder attempt. Although entering Morr Jungle was suicide, no one would doubt the words of such illustrious characters.

'Renor, it must be a joke; we are all from this village, and we all know that Xavier would not do something like that, don't we?' asked Euraclio, looking at the inhabitants of the village and the guards.

'Pfft!' Renor's face twisted into a disgusted grimace. 'I don't know your son; I'm a knight at the service of the nobility and the kingdom. I came here to report the mandate of his lord, and that's all. Does the "noble" house of Vonder question the integrity of the masters of Liev's tower and that of the lord of Exel?" asked Renor in a mocking tone, referring to the nobility of Vonder, while he grasped the hilt of his sword.

Euraclius was petrified. If his son was a traitor, he and his family could be regarded as traitors by association. He could be locked up, executed, or, even worse, his surname could be stripped from the family and his nobility withdrawn; after all, he was the leader of the Vonder.

'Of course not,' replied Euraclius with tears in his eyes and a forced smile. 'The noble house of Vonder will abide by the law and fulfill its duty. There are no criminals in our family.' It hurt him to have to humble himself before a knight. Now he was a nobleman, but they still treated him as if he were garbage.

After completing his work, Renor and his men climbed into the carriage and departed. Euraclius entered his house with his mind still in turmoil. Not only did his family not have a history of nobility, but now the little things they had achieved hanged from a thread. They almost lost their status as nobles, and if that were to happen, he would become a nobody again. Not to mention, they would have to pay taxes to that incompetent noble once more. After a bottle of rum, anger and frustration took over him.

'That piece of shit of your son almost ruined us,' cried Euraclius to Merila. 'Arcan magic, of course; being a shadow magician, instead of putting effort and hard work, that little sloth took the easy way. Although the noble blood of the Vonder runs through his veins, that was not enough; he had to disgrace his family once more.' The drunk man said, taking another gulp of the bottle.

Euraclius spent hours yelling about the greatness of his family. Despite knowing that there was nothing noble about them and that his father and his grandfather were liars, he lost himself in his fantasies and alcohol. while Euraclius despised his son and blamed him for everything. The rest of the family simply stopped listening to him and concentrated on their affairs until the intoxicated man fell asleep. Ever since Xavier woke up as a magician, Euraclius drank more frequently.

Xavier managed to get home months after Renor's visit, and although he was supposed to have died in the jungle of Morr and no one would suspect he was the one walking around, he decided to wait. He knocked on the door of the house just before dawn. Some of the dogs barked, but most of them knew his smell, so they did not overreact. Xavier came home discreetly. When they saw him at the door after opening, the family was stunned. Having recovered from the surprise, a furious Euraclius grabbed him by the suit neck and brought him into the house by force.

'You, how dare you come here? You have embarrassed your family!' cried Euraclius, not letting go.

'I didn't do anything!' replied Xavier, trying not to scream to avoid warning the neighbors. 'The masters of the tower, the nobles, they hate the shadow magicians and the miserable poor peasants like us. They accused me of something I had no idea about; they almost killed me. It was all a conspiracy by that Clinton bastard; he played me from the first day.'

Xavier did his best to explain to his family the situation and everything that had happened: the torture, the supposed "trial," Aleum's execution, the attempted murder of the tower guards, and his suspicions about Clinton. Now that he was an exile, sooner or later he would have to flee the dynasty. The recent events had made him a little more insightful. He decided to keep the skeleton and the goods he found in Morr's Jungle a secret. Especially after his father hurried to ask for the silver coins and noble clothes.

'Everything was left in the tower. I was thrown out with only the clothes I was wearing,' Xavier explained, opening his arms and showing the state of his current gargments.

'I understand. Go wash yourself; you must be tired. Don't let the neighbors see you; it could be dangerous,' warned Euraclius.

The fact that his family accepted him and he had a place to stay and relax a little removed a burden from his chest. It wasn't easy living on high alert every day. The images of Aleum burning and the tower guard walking towards him, sword in hand, were still fresh in his memory. But the family was family, and they say that blood weighs more than water. He even felt bad about hiding some parts of his story, especially after his father was concerned about his well-being, but he decided to keep the secret anyway.

'Orli, Ferol, let's go to the fields,' ordered Euraclius.

'But dad!' replied the young men.

'But nothing; it would be weird if we stayed here; people would suspect that something happened; let's go.'

The angry brothers left the house with their father with the first rays of the sun. Their brother was now a criminal, expelled from the kingdom, and could still get rid of the work. Even a wanted criminal had a better life than a peasant. Their lives were a condemnation.

'Orli, go to the mansion of Exel and bring the guards and knights,' ordered Euraclius to Orli once they had left the house.

The brothers stood petrified for a few seconds, looking at their father.

'Don't look at me like that. Think about it: wrongly accused by the great nobles and magicians of Liev's Tower? On top of that, they failed to kill him, and he survived alone in the Morr Jungle?. Yeah, right. Nobody is that lucky. Your brother must have let his ego go to his head and done things he shouldn't have done. He's been missing for months; who knows what he's done with the family's money. Those clothes and silver coins were a fortune. We cannot allow him to spoil the honor of our surname; it is our duty to hand him over to the knights'.

Orli nodded. What his father said made sense; his little brother had changed after becoming a magician and never invited his brothers to his parties and banquets with the nobles. He left them behind, sweating and suffering on the fields. Orli ran towards the town.

'Ferol, watch him; don't let him escape,' ordered Euraclius.

Ferol had always been discreet and silent; he had talent for it. At first, he was surprised by his father's attitude, but what he said later made sense. Like his older brother, Ferol felt resentment towards Xavier for the same reasons Orly did. Although the idea of handing him over to the guards seemed to him somewhat excessive, he was not entirely in disagreement. Meanwhile, Euraclius approached Trina's house.

'Trina, come here for a moment,'

She approached Euraclius without much thought.

'Listen, Xavier's back. Take him to the barn; you have to keep him entertained until the guards come.' Euraclius saw the doubt in the girl's eyes.

'Think of the good will that we will gain with the Lord of Humol. He could even forgive some taxes or give us some extra reward in addition to the copper coins' After considering the idea of receiving a reward, the girl's eyes lit up, and her face formed a smile of greed. As he saw the girl go away, Euraclius congratulated himself for his cunning. A magician could be very dangerous; although Xavier was a shadow magician, he was also a fire magician, and even if he was weak, it was better not to underestimate him. Furthermore, Euraclius had no idea what he was capable of with that arcane magic stuff. Keeping him entertained with that little whore was a master plan. Euraclius already dreamed of the benefits he would obtain after winning the favor of the Lord of the Town and, above all, proving to everyone that he was not a traitor. He already saw himself as the right hand of Exel, feared and respected by the people around him. In the end, a child cannot be sent to do the work of a man; he himself would be in charge of guiding the Vonder to fortune and glory.

Trina saw Xavier bathing behind the house. His mother had left with the noble suit to wash it and repair the torns; maybe she could make it recover some of its value. Trina waited for him to bathe and put on his old peasant clothes. Xavier had managed to hide the coins and the rest of his treasures in a small bag of improvised cloth that he placed among the rocks behind the house, very close to where he was bathing. Xavier reacted with surprise to see Trina; after all, he was a criminal. Having been in the company of the girls of the high strata of the noble families, Trina's appearance was not a miracle. The poor diet, hard work, the sun, and worn clothes eroded much of the girl's beauty. Nevertheless, Xavier felt his old, unfinished romance resurface. He didn't know when he would have to run away; he might not see her ever again.

'Hi, Xavi,' greeted the girl, approaching him.

'Hi, Trini.'

The girl approached him quickly and gave him a hug.

'I missed you so much,' whispered the girl in his ear.

Xavier lost his ability to think as the blood from his brain descended to his groin. Before he realized what was going on, Trina was pulling him toward the barn. As the two kissed and caressed each other in the straw, Ferol observed them through the cracks in the wood. Xavier noticed his presence, and although he had done the same thing several times in the past, knowing that his own brother was spying on him was annoying.

'Go home, you peeping creep,' yelled Xavier.

Ferol had been found spying a couple of times in the last few years. He had gained the nickname "peeping creep," and this had become very upseting to him. Being insulted in that way and by a wanted criminal, none the less, was too much.

'Fuck off; I may be a creep, but you're a traitor and a criminal. Once the guards get you...' he spoke thoughtlessly, guided by his emotions.

'Idiot,' Trina said in a whisper.

Xavier turned and looked at the girl. The mistakes made, the lessons learned a few weeks ago, and living in hiding taught him to think fast and act cautiously. Trina was entertaining him. Xavier immediately got up from the straw, looking at Trina.

'Who sent you?' asked Xavier.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' replied Trina, pretending to be surprised.

Xavier raised his hand towards Trina; his face was serious, and his eyes were threatening. He decided to play the powerful magician; his fire magic was useless, but neither Trina nor anyone in the village knew much about magic. The girl was frightened to see that hand spread towards her. She knew the magicians were powerful, but she had never seen one use magic. Supposedly, Xavier's fire magic was useless, but if he really was a warlock... it was better not to risk it.

'It was Euraclius,' confessed the young woman, frightened. 'He'll hand you over to the guards to win the favor of the Lord of Humol and a reward.'

Xavier was petrified for a moment. His own father had betrayed him in order to gain the favor of a nobleman who despised him. He got out of his trance when he got goosebumps on his neck and arms. His experience in the jungle of Morr had somewhat refined his instinct. He moved to the right, bending, and a piece of wood passed at great speed over the place where his head was. Before Ferol used the wooden plank again, Xavier threw himself against him. Now he was much stronger and heavier than Ferol; the food from the tower had made him gain weight and grow much faster than his malnourished brothers, even if it was just for a few months, and, after the trips of the last few weeks, he had lost a lot of fat, leaving mostly pure muscle. The difference in weight and strength caused Ferol to lose balance, moving backwards by almost a meter. When he fell, a piece of wood stabbed his thigh.

The scream of his wounded brother made him react and think about the gravity of his situation. Things would get very ugly if the guards caught him. It was time to escape. Without paying any more attention to Trina, he ran back to the house. His mother had hung up his noble suit to dry after washing it as well as she could. It was still wet. He took the suit, wrapped it around itself, and gathered the higüera and his little treasure from among the stones, turned around, and met his mother's gaze. He didn't need explanations; he could see in her eyes that she knew what was happening. His own mother had betrayed him. Xavier ran away with tears in his eyes. The magic, the Liev's tower, the nobles, the justice, his family, Trina, and, probably, the whole town, life itself, had turned their backs on him. At this point, running was the only thing he could do. With no further remedy and overcoming his fear, he entered the forest. This wasn't Morr's jungle, and he knew it pretty well. He had come to hunt birds and rabbits with his brothers thousands of times; however, there was a limit. They did not go too deep into the forrest, as there was a risk of passing to the territory of the Kingdom of Veldat and initiating a conflict. Knowing his surroundings was something good, the problem was that the locals and the guards also knew the forest and would soon hunt him down.

He stopped running. He remembered what had happened years before and the devastation that had been created by a wildfire, the subsequent famine. Thousands of animals died, and a lot of food was lost for the locals who depended on the forest.

'I don't know them; I have no family, no friends, no town,' said Xavier to himself as anger and disappointment filled every corner of his mind. It was his excuse for what he had to do.

His magic of fire was weak, but enough to kindle a little flame on a pile of dry grass. It was a risk of creating a fire in the forest in which he was, but he had no better option. As soon as the flame began to grow, he ran in the opposite direction, going deeper into the trees. After recovering enough magical energy, he created another fire.

By the time the guards arrived, panic had seized the village. The flames spread quickly through the forest in all directions. Euraclius fell on his knees, watching the fury of the flames devour the forest. He knew what it meant, hunger. He had already heard of his son's escape. With Ferol wounded and the forest on fire just at the end of spring, they would have no wild vegetables or hunting prey. Life in Humol will become very difficult in the coming years. Euraclius was holding his fists as he cursed the day he had begotten that idiot. Meanwhile, Xavier continued to run through the woods while the flames spread behind him. Tears filled his eyes, and instead of a heart, a void seemed to occupy his chest. Only anger pushed him forward. Rather than flee from the guards, he wanted to flee from his family, his past, and everything he once called his home.