Chapter 14: Assignment One Part Eight

Dax went upstairs, took a shower and prepared himself for bed. He was exhausted. The day had been filled with stress and the recurrent nightmares had caused him to exist in a state of severe sleep deprivation. He had the leatherbound orb in his hand as he approached his bed.

Since he had received it, he did not want to leave it. Something about it connected with him and drew him in. He decided to take the leather and tie it around his wrist as he slept. He passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

His dreamless sleep was short lived as he once again found himself in a nightmare. This time he was standing in the ruins of a castle. A yellow sky littered with black swirling clouds were overhead as the ruins of the castle burned. Bellowing clouds of black smoke poured from the flaming ruins. As the smoke reached the sky it joined the swirling darkness above.

Standing in front of a ruined throne was a man like monster. He looked completely human save for two pitch black horns upon his head and the eyes of a snake that burned crimson.

Then something happened that was unusual. Throughout Dax's nightmares he had heard yelling and the sounds of battle, but this time the monster before him spoke.

"You are a fool." The monstrous man said.

"No." The man who was the center of Dax's dream said. "It is not foolish to wish for a world that is not ruled by hate and fear. You are the fool for thinking you can oppose me."

"Spoken like a true fool." The beast said. "Slay me then! Another will just rise in my place! No matter how hard you fight you are only one man! You cannot stop us all, Magi King!"

"It might make me a fool, but I am going to try." The Magi King said. "I will save the humans, the orcs, the elves, the dwarves. I will save them from being your food and your slaves. They deserve peace! I will fight until my last breath to defend them!

Send all your armies at me I am not afraid! I will conquer them all with my power! I alone will reshape the world and remove your taint. Die!" The Magi King held out his hand and formed a massive fireball and launched it at the monstrous man. It fired with such speed that he had no time to dodge.

A massive explosion filled the room and as the smoke cleared the monstrous man still stood tall, only slightly bruised and burned with one of his horns broken.

"You didn't really think that would stop the lord of monsters, did you?" He replied laughing. As he laughed, he launched his own assault, and the Magi king was quickly wrapped in arcing lightning. Dax could feel the burning sensations as if it was his own flesh being scorched by the lightning arcing across.

"This isn't over!" The Magi King yelled. He expelled his power in a massive explosion of white light that knocked the monster lord back onto his back.

The monster lord stood back up and smiled. "Oh, human, you are going to be fun."

The Magi King smiled in response, his clothing in tatters and his body littered with burns from the previous lightning attack. "Glad I could be entertaining." He joked back. "I am sorry I must end this now."

The Magi King raised both hands in front of himself and summoned a massive fireball once more, but this time lightning began arcing from it. Powerful winds began to blow in all directions as if the fiery orb was the center of a category five hurricane and a blizzard began to freeze the area around them. The castle and the surrounding lands as far as the eye could see was being covered in frost.

"Impressive." The monster lord said. "Then let this be your final stand! The end of your terror!" He put both of his arms out and formed his own ball of power. His was one of dark energy in which black lightning erupted from.

Their two orbs were devastating the landscape and altering the very world at which they stood.

"Without you the monsters will lose their leadership!" The Magi King yelled. "I don't think you could be so easily replaced as you claim!"

"And without you the humans will lose their greatest mage!" The monster lord said. "They will revert back to the worthless creatures they once were. If I end you here my people will have unlimited food and slaves!"

"And if I end you my people will be free!" The Magi King yelled back. As they finished their final declarations, they both released their orbs.

As the two orbs collided with one another they caused a massive explosion that ripped the land and sky. Everything was engulfed by its massive furry, leaving nothing but a five mile deep and one-hundred-mile diameter crater. The yellow sky changed blue and the black swirling clouds shifted white and stopped their swirling.

As Dax felt himself, or rather the Magi King die in his dream he woke up with a gasp. His body was covered in a cold sweat. He quickly checked his body, which he was sure had been burnt, but found nothing.

His mother opened the door. "Are you alright Dax?!" She asked. "I heard yelling! Was it another nightmare?!"

"Yeah, the most vivid one yet." Dax said. "I was the Magi King… and I died saving the world…"

Helen walked over and embraced her son tightly. "It's okay dear, it was just a dream."

"I am starting to have my doubts." Dax said. "Mom, I need a favor."

"Anything you need." Helen said without hesitation.

"I need you to hire my home room teacher as a tutor." Dax said. "He mentioned he knew about the Magi King, and I doubt he will say anything unless we hire him."

"Alright." Helen said. "I will call the academy about it in the morning." She gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Now get yourself some sleep. It is very late."

"I will try." Dax said. "Thanks mom, I love you."

"I love you too dear." Helen said as she exited the room.