The Sorcerers

Chapter 1

The chapter begins in the darkness of the night, with the moon shining over a desolate, ruined land. Buildings lay in ruins, the ground cracked, and human bodies scattered everywhere, as if remnants of a great catastrophe. In the midst of this devastation, Soiro stood, his breath ragged, his clothes torn, and his eyes filled with shock. The world around him seemed meaningless; a city turned barren, with everything within it dead.

Soiro stopped breathing for a moment, trying to comprehend the calamity. But the air betrayed him, and he began to gasp frantically. He clutched his head, unable to control the nausea surging through him, before collapsing to his knees and breaking into tears, muttering between sobs:

“They’re all dead… All my friends… Everything is over.”

His tears fell onto the cold ground, as if trying in vain to revive something from the past. Suddenly, a shadow appeared near him, with slow steps drawing closer. Spailo descended from the sky, standing firmly in front of the broken Soiro. Looking down at him with disdain, he spoke with a voice laced with mockery:

“How weak you are.”

Soiro raised his tear-filled eyes toward Spailo, a storm of anger brewing within him. In a voice choked with sorrow and rage, he said:

“You... You killed them all!”

Spailo sneered, his voice cold and detached:

“Did I hurt your feelings? You couldn’t save them, could you?” He then let out a high, scornful laugh, adding, “They deserved it.”

Blue sparks began dancing around Soiro’s hand, mirroring his explosive fury. Slowly, he rose from the ground, his body trembling with anger, and shouted:

“I’ll make you pay!”

A red spark enveloped Spailo’s body, lighting up the area around them. He smirked arrogantly, as if unfazed by the unfolding threat. Soiro lunged forward with a furious punch toward Spailo’s face, but Spailo dodged it effortlessly, as though it were all just a game.

“Is that the best you’ve got?” Spailo teased while evading Soiro’s attacks with ease, then grabbed Soiro’s fist firmly.

In a blink, Spailo soared into the sky, dragging Soiro with him. They hovered briefly in the vast sky before Spailo plunged downward at lightning speed, slamming Soiro into the ground with a deafening crash. Soiro tumbled across the ground until he came to rest on his back, staring at the moon with eyes heavy with grief.

He muttered quietly to himself:

“How did things come to this…? Where did it all begin?”

---

One Hour Earlier…

Soiro was walking beside his mentor, Kamas, heading toward a meeting point with Shinbo, one of Kamas’s strongest students from Class B. With a smile, Kamas said:

“We’ll meet him soon.”

Suddenly, the sound of human screams pierced the air. The smile froze on Kamas’s face, and with worry, he said:

“Something’s wrong!”

They rushed toward the city, only to find people fleeing in terror and buildings collapsing like autumn leaves. Soiro asked himself in disbelief:

“What’s happening here?”

Then, a familiar, sinister laughter echoed in the distance—Spailo’s wicked laugh. Kamas froze, his face pale and dripping with sweat. In a hushed, fearful voice, he whispered:

“It’s him…”

Soiro’s eyes widened as he stared toward the source of the laughter.

“My brother!”

High above, Spailo floated, surrounded by red sparks with flames trailing behind him. Locking eyes with Soiro, he spoke with derision:

“It’s been a long time, brother.”

Soiro shouted:

“How could you do this?!”

Before Soiro could react, Shinbo appeared, surrounded by glowing blue sparks that illuminated the area. Like a bolt of lightning, he charged toward Spailo, aiming a punch at his face, but Spailo vanished at the last moment.

Shinbo stood in disbelief, his voice hesitant:

“Where did he go?”

Before he could comprehend what had happened, Spailo attacked from behind, severing Shinbo’s head in one swift strike. Shinbo’s lifeless body fell to the ground, drenched in blood, while Spailo ascended higher into the sky.

With a mere gesture of his finger, Spailo unleashed random red sparks that swept across the city, tearing through buildings and bodies alike. The chaos continued, accompanied by his sinister laughter that echoed through the air.

---

In the Present…

Soiro lay motionless, staring deeply at the moon, when Spailo approached him again. Standing over him, Spailo said calmly:

“You need to become stronger.”

Soiro looked up at him and asked in a weary voice:

“Why did you leave the sorcerers’ organization?”

Spailo didn’t respond immediately. After a pause, he said coldly:

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you focus on becoming stronger.”

Without waiting for a reply, Spailo turned to leave, leaving Soiro alone with his thoughts. Soiro looked back at the moon and whispered:

“Why does everything always end like this…? Why?”

When he turned his gaze back toward Spailo, he found nothing. Spailo had vanished into the shadows. Exhausted

, Soiro whispered softly:

“Master Spiam… What should I do now?”

End of Chapter.