The Sorcerers

Chapter 7

The chapter begins within the stone castle, where towering walls and dimly lit corridors cast an eerie glow. Sbyalo walked slowly, his eyes fixed on the ground, each step heavy with the thoughts churning in his mind. The air was oppressive, filled with silence as if the castle itself held its breath with each of his steps.

To his right, four mages were gathered. Beth sat relaxed on a wooden chair, while Combes stood next to him with his arms crossed. Suero was toying with a small knife between his fingers, and Pico leaned against the wall, looking at Sbyalo with curiosity.

"So, you did it?" Beth said with a mocking laugh.

Pico smirked, adding, "What’s your real goal, Sbyalo?"

Suero, with a cold smile, said, "I can’t wait to get rid of that fool Suero. I’ll kill him with my own hands!"

Sbyalo’s steps halted suddenly, and he raised his head to meet Suero’s sharp gaze. In a calm, steady voice, he asked, "What do you intend to do?"

Suero challenged him with a smirk, "I’ll kill him."

Sbyalo replied with a voice that was calm but sharp as a blade, "No, you won’t."

Suero glared at him angrily, "Aren’t you with us?"

Sbyalo didn’t reply right away. He just stared at Suero with a steady gaze as if carefully weighing his words before looking away.

Beth remarked quietly, "There will be a bloodbath in the Ronda region."

Sbyalo turned his head toward them and said coolly, "Our main goal in the war that will sweep through Ronda is to contain Sbyam Bryos."

Smirks spread across the four mages' faces as Sbyalo left the room, leaving them plotting quietly behind him.

---

In the middle of the city, a crowd had gathered hastily as a burning taxi was engulfed in flames. Suero, with a pale face and wide eyes, pushed his way through the crowd. His heart was pounding violently as if time had stopped at the sight of the flames that obscured his mother’s fate.

"Mother!" Suero shouted as he ran toward the car.

One of the men in the crowd stopped him, grabbing his shoulder, "Calm down! You can’t go near it... it’s burning entirely!"

Tears began streaming down Suero's face as he struggled against their grip, "Mother... Mother!"

Several men held him back, but he screamed desperately, "Let me go! I have to save her!"

Above the crowd, Sbyam floated in the air, with Moryo, Baisal, Kamyo, and Vep beside him. Baisal stared at the scene in shock, "Is... is the person in the car his mother?"

Sbyam and Moryo remained silent. But Suero, having finally given up, stopped screaming and sank to the ground, his mouth open in stunned silence as he watched the flames consume everything.

"Nooooo!" His scream reverberated through the area, as though trying to defy the flames themselves.

---

(Thirty days later), Suero stood silently before his mother's tombstone in the cemetery. He didn’t say a word, only looking at the stone bearing her name with calm eyes, though his emotions were storming within him.

Behind him, Sbyam watched quietly. Finally, Suero turned and asked quietly, "Are you ready?"

Sbyam nodded, "Yes."

Suero stepped forward with newfound confidence, leaving the grave behind as if this moment marked a turning point in his life.

---

(Forty days later), in the middle of a dense, dark forest, heavy rain poured down, and the wind howled mercilessly. Suero collided with a tree trunk violently and cursed, "Damn it!"

Before him, Moryo's squad stood silently, watching him with cold eyes. Kamyo smirked and said, "You're no match for us!"

Anger surged within Suero as his hand ignited with a blue spark. He charged at Kamyo, landing a powerful punch on his face that sent Kamyo flying into another tree trunk, causing it to fall.

Suero turned towards Vep and Baisal, but they vanished quickly before he could reach them.

Slowly, he turned to find Moryo standing calmly in front of him, showing no expression on his face.

"I will get stronger!" Suero shouted.

Sueru charged forward, his clenched fist blazing toward Moryo. But before it could reach him, Moryo grabbed Suero’s hand firmly, as if it were a child’s futile attempt.

Suero stared in shock, "How...?"

With deadly calm, Moryo grabbed Suero and threw him skyward. Suero screamed as he was lifted into the air, helpless. Suddenly, Kamyo appeared in the sky and kicked him hard, sending him flying out of the forest until he landed on an open hill.

Blood trickled down Suero's face, but he stood up with difficulty as the squad emerged from the trees, moving silently.

Moryo stood with his hands in his pockets, and Suero murmured softly, "It’s been more than a month... and I couldn’t reach their level."

Sbyam approached Suero, placing a hand on his shoulder, "You’ve trained hard, Suero."

But Suero turned away, saying sadly, "But I’m still not like them."

Sbyam smiled confidently, "They’re on a different level."

Suero sighed and asked, "Will I ever reach your level, Master Sbyam?"

Sbyam smiled and removed his hand from Suero’s shoulder, "Let’s see."

---

Suddenly, Sbyam's hand ignited with a dark, dancing spark. "Get ready... let's train."

Sbyam vanished in a flash. In an instant, he appeared in front of Moryo, aiming a punch at his face.

Moryo dodged at the last second, trying to counter, but Sbyam remained unaffected.

The squad began attacking Sbyam all at once, but he vanished skillfully, causing them to collide with one another.

"Where did he go?" Moryo muttered, glancing skyward, where he saw Sbyam hovering with a mocking smile.

Moryo charged at him, but Sbyam faced him with a calm smile. The dark spark around him intensified, while green sparks swirled menacingly around Moryo.

They charged at each other, and Sbyam’s sparks pierced Moryo's hand with force.

The air pressure rose sharply, ripping trees from their roots. Everyone tried to withstand the force, but the pressure was overwhelming.

Finally, the storm caused by the clashing sparks subsided.

"Where’s Moryo?" Baisal asked anxiously.

They saw Moryo lying below, while Sbyam floated quietly above, smiling confidently.

Suero watched in awe, "Can any mage match this strength?"

Sbyam landed on the ground as Moryo climbed the hill slowly, exhausted and frustrated.

Everyone laughed, including Sby

am, at Moryo's plight, as he climbed up the hill in defeat, and the chapter ended with their laughter echoing in the air.