The Sorcerers

Chapter 4

20 Years Ago – The Past

On a stormy night by the coast, a full moon peeked from behind thick clouds, as relentless rain poured from the heavens. Inside a dilapidated house, (stood a nine-year-old boy) named Morio. His wide eyes reflected shock, and his pale face was drenched with sweat. He stared in utter disbelief at the torn bodies of his parents, blood pooling beneath their lifeless forms and spreading under his small feet.

In a barely audible whisper, he muttered:

"What...?"

His heart pounded violently in his chest, the air around him heavy with the weight of grief, suffocating him. His terrified gaze shifted between his parents as he whispered again:

"Mom...? Dad...?"

Thunder roared outside, and the rain grew heavier, as if the storm echoed his pain. Unable to contain his emotions any longer, he let out a heart-wrenching scream that tore through the silence of the night:

"Nooooooo!"

---

The Present

Beneath a dark sky, Morio soared toward the monsters, rage blazing in his eyes, and thick green sparks crackling around his body. In a flash, he lunged at one of the beasts, landing a powerful punch into its stomach. The monster crashed violently onto its back, causing a tremor to ripple across the ground. Morio landed firmly, sparks flickering in his eyes as he declared:

"I won’t forgive you! You killed my parents! I’ll never forgive you!"

With both hands brimming with green lightning, he charged toward the creature. With a swift motion, he unleashed a bolt of energy that pierced through the beast's stomach and continued on, blasting through a distant building. The monster collapsed, lifeless, as green sparks swirled around Morio. His teammates watched, stunned by the intensity of his fury.

"What’s happening?!" Kamio asked in disbelief.

Vib, who had never seen Morio this enraged, murmured anxiously:

"I’ve never seen him like this before..."

Suddenly, Baysal shouted:

"The building!"

Vib turned, horrified to see the structure that Morio’s bolt had hit beginning to collapse.

"Dammit!" he cursed.

Inside the building, people screamed, scrambling to escape the impending disaster. As Morio strode forward through the battlefield, the remaining monsters backed away, terrified. He slowly ascended into the air and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Activate: Domain Technique!"

The world around him shifted, turning a deep green, as if time itself had frozen. Baysal gasped in amazement:

"He’s activated a Time Domain!"

Morio vanished instantly, reappearing inside the collapsing building. Moving with supernatural speed, he began rescuing civilians one by one, carrying them to safety outside. The world remained frozen in place—except for Morio, who worked with relentless precision.

"The time limit... it’s running out..." Morio whispered, exhausted, as he carried out the last group.

The moment he exited, time resumed, and the building collapsed in a spectacular crash. The rescued people looked around in disbelief, realizing they were alive.

"How did we get out?" one man muttered.

A young girl added, bewildered:

"What just happened?"

Meanwhile, Morio, still consumed by rage, launched himself toward the remaining monsters. He grabbed one by the neck, flying high into the sky before slamming it down into the ground with brutal force. The creature’s body shattered on impact, sending cracks through the earth.

Vib stared in shock at the scene before him.

"Is that... really Morio?" he asked, stunned.

---

At the School Arena

Sbyam stood across from Suero with a confident smile.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Suero’s eyes were filled with fear, sweat dripping down his face. Before he could react, Sbyam dashed toward him with blinding speed.

"He’s... too fast!" Suero whispered in panic.

In an instant, Sbyam appeared in front of him, grabbed his face, and slammed him into the ground with crushing force. Suero gasped in agony, barely processing what had just happened.

"What...?" he whispered weakly.

The impact fractured a section of the arena. Suero struggled to his feet, blood trickling from his forehead, and glared at Sbyam in frustration.

"Don’t you think you’re overdoing it a bit?" he muttered angrily.

Before he could react, Sbyam vanished.

"Where did he go?!" Suero muttered, frantically looking around. Suddenly, he felt a hand grip the back of his shirt.

Sbyam’s calm voice whispered:

"Is this all you’ve got?"

He then landed a powerful punch into Suero’s back, forcing blood to burst from his mouth. Suero tried to counterattack, but Sbyam’s speed overwhelmed him as he appeared behind him once more.

A dark spark flickered around Sbyam’s hand as he smiled coldly.

"Why did you come here?" he asked.

Suero, writhing in pain, answered through gritted teeth:

"To become the strongest sorcerer!"

Sbyam chuckled mockingly.

"At this level? You couldn’t even beat a Class-E monster."

He vanished again, reappearing right in front of Suero and slamming his fist into his face, sending him crashing into a wall, which shattered on impact.

Sbyam’s tone turned serious:

"What will you do when you're powerless to stop your family from dying? Will you just stand by and watch?"

Suero staggered to his feet, his anger boiling over. Blue sparks flickered around his hand as he shouted:

"I’ll protect them... no matter what it takes!"

Satisfied, Sbyam smiled as Suero charged at him, throwing a punch with all his might. But even as the blow landed, Sbyam remained unmoved.

"Good... but not enough," Sbyam remarked calmly.

He glanced around the ruined arena and grinned.

"We wrecked the place!"

"Just noticing that now?" Suero shouted in exasperation.

Sbyam laughed, turning toward Suero with a smirk.

"I want you to become the strongest sorcerer so you ca

n face me one day."

Suero grinned with determination.

"I will defeat you... that’s a promise."

Sbyam chuckled.

"Do your best!"

The two gazed up at the moon shining peacefully above them, as their confrontation came to an end—and so did the chapter