The Stars Are Dimming

DEMPHIN

Demphin felt his magic being interrupted and held back his magic. From the darkness beyond the brightness of stars, a figure clad in the misty darkness strode out. Demphin knew who he was, the man accountable for the utter destruction of the realms

"Mesir's disciple the Unnamed, you have arrived."

"You do know me well."

"I have the memories of your master, I know you thus well. And I know how he died."

"Then you shall die, and you shall die as your master would... on my hands."

They held up their staffs and charged at each other, and their magic meets, clashing and producing a shockwave that rippled through the sky. It sliced the skies into a million pieces, painting the clouds a greenish hue.

"I feel light and darkness in you," The unnamed frowned, "Why aren't you controlled by the darkness?"

"Balance, you say. When you don't understand, you seek the light magic of the Seven Stars for your own, to achieve balance. But alas! I have now the dark magic you have revitalised my spirit and now I wield the most powerful magic ever -- balance. And that is why I shall triumph over you."

With a burst of strength, Demphin hit him hard, but he simply leapt back unscathed, and from his tunic, he produced a golden scroll.

"Mesir's scroll," The unnamed savoured the light reflecting off the shining paper, "I remember, the night before he met his ultimate fate he showed me where this is. The symbolism of utter power, and within it the essence of the soul of both light and dark magic shall be mine. Balance, you say?"

Demphin attacked, swinging his staff at him but he simply ducked swiftly, blow by blow, until Demphin flung him through the air, across the sky. The unnamed landed on his feet, and when he turned his foot a dark mist covered Demphin's vision.

"Without sight, you can't fight, can you?"

Demphin felt a ball of darkness coming his way, and he ducked, flicking lightning in his direction. He heard the sizzle, and in that instant his vision cleared, the unnamed crouching in a grotesque position.

"How did you... I have the scroll, I am unbeatable!" The unnamed roared.

"But I have the essence of the magic with me. Even when your scroll is ripped to shreds the magic shall still be with all of us." Demphin raised his staff, and the bronze tip of his staff shone with a glaring light, and the rays shot out, directed at the unnamed.

For a split second, Demphin felt nothing move, and then his body was thrown back by the force but the power of the magic brightened the sky once more.

The unnamed raised a shield but was also thrown back by the blast. When they stood again, Demphin and the unnamed hurled blasts of destructive magic, but the unnamed just did not get hurt, no matter how many times Demphin hit him. Then, both stopped, and the surroundings were silent.

"No matter how powerful you are, Demphin, you are still a mortal being," The breath beneath the mask of the unnamed was ragged and deep, "You will still die one day, even if you do not die now. I, on the other hand, I am immortal! I have forever to achieve total power. But learn this -- the light is not always good, and the dark isn't always evil. They are just names given by us, and we should not trust anyone whether they are from the light, or from the dark."

"And why are you telling me this?" Demphin took a step forward, gripping his staff tightly in hand. His power was already surging into the staff, ready to leap towards the unnamed for another battle.

"I learnt all of these painfully. All the years below your feet, in the painful realms of hell I found out one thing, that light magic is not good, and dark magic is not evil. There is no good or evil in the realms, only power." The unnamed spoke, "I shall vanquish all the dark and light masters, and hold it all in my control!"

"Balance can be brought by the stars, but you only pillage and destroy. Face your fate, unnamed," Demphin grabbed him through the air and leapt up to meet the darkness, but the unnamed thrust him away with the darkness.

"This is futile, young Demphin. There are many things that you have not yet learnt, that you might not even if you have forever to learn. Never shall you heal the stars, for the power of the stars is mine!"

"It will never be, for magic is embodied in the essence of the land, and it will not be changed. When you thought you were powerful, you were weak, for magic was never meant to be controlled."

Demphin raised his arms, and the spirit of the land raised with him, the essence of the magic that could be felt so strong.

"Furnish the stars," Demphin whispered, closing his eyes and willing the magic into the stars. From beneath his eyelids, he could seem to see flashes of bright light very vaguely, and he was bathed in the warmth of the Seven Stars. The brightness had returned, and when he opened his eyes the brightness from the stars was dazzling, but the essence of magic from both the dark and light.

"Demphin, you ruined my plans, it shall be time to return the favour -- by your death," A voice spoke, and when he turned there the face of the unnamed, cracks spreading over his cold, stony face, with the countenance of a boy but with a weary look. Then, the Unnamed cut off his right hand, and blood gushed out instantaneously.

"I hate you Demphin. I hate you forever!" The unnamed screamed until his voice was blown away by the wind, his body disintegrating into a million pieces.

It was gone, finally. It was all gone. Demphin knelt down, he could not feel his right hand -- it was simply not there anymore. However, that was not important now, the darkness had already entered his soul, and he could not turn back.

In front, the scroll lay hovering in the thin air. Demphin picked it up and unrolled it, but there was nothing, no words, and even when he tried to feel the scroll of magic, there was none.

So that was Mesir's legacy, Demphin thought. He knew that Mesir placed his legacy within this scroll, but exactly what was written was foggy in the memories he received. So his legacy was the past. Nothing, and unimportant already, but the essence of magic would continue to live on...