Black Adept

The characters and plot in this story are copyrighted by the author.

All the characters in this story are purely products of my imagination and are not based on real people. Any resemblance is purely coincidental and is not intended.

If you are looking for just sex this is not the story for you.

This is my first attempt at a story and I hope that you like it. If you have any positive feedback I would love to hear it. You can email me at BlackAdept@Hotmail.com

Sorry it took so long getting this one out I have had a ton of work to do and haven't had much of a chance to write and add on top of that writers block. I hope you enjoy this chapter I will continue the story Kai's life in the next one. The next one might take a while too since I still have a lot of work to do so the next one probably wont be out until early December.

I would like to give special thanks to Bobby who is editing my work for me.

The Black Adept

Chapter 6: Kai's Secrets

By Matt

Kai's POV

I was embarrassed as I walked back towards my room with my brother. Kinren keeps looking at me with a smirk on his face which is better then some expressions I guess since I just outted myself to him. Thinking about it I can't believe that I just kissed Truin sure he is cute and all but he is a void mage a three hundred year old one at that. He seemed so sweet and gentle but so sad that I just felt drawn to him from the first moment I didn't think he was about to kill us. When he started telling us his story and I heard some of the things he has been through, I couldn't help but feel a bond to him. In many ways, we have a lot in common and I can easily see how I could have been him. We are a lot alike in some ways. When I look back at my life, I realize how close I actually came to being just like him and how close my future may be just like his past.

My life was handed to me on a silver platter. As the son of a High Lord, I was given everything that I could ever desire but I never seemed to fit in. My only real friend was my brother, the only one whoever came close to understanding me but even he doesn't know all my secrets. Kinren was everything my parents could ever hope for; intelligent, a great warrior and strategist, and would make a great High Lord when his time came. He was always the center of attention and loved (some might even say he needed) it. He was a natural born leader and people just seemed to naturally follow him. Me, on the other hand; quiet, shy, not overly skilled in anything where my brother succeeded in everything he ever did. I probably would have nothing note worthy if the Academy mages hadn't discovered my potential. My brother was already off at the Academy when it happened. He didn't have great potential but he still found a way to succeed as a Varshar, warrior mage, where his skills as warrior and strategist might actually be used to full effect. I was always elusive so the mages of the keep never really paid attention to me . Potential in theory can be felt anytime but it is easiest to detect when a person is under stress or suffering from extreme emotion. It lowers the natural barriers and allows the potential energy to radiate out of you. If the natural barriers are lowered enough, the magic might even take form. Most times when this happens, it is relatively minor since magic needs a guiding force to work an actual shaping of the power. Sometimes, though, a person manages to unconsciously guide it into something. This is rare and usually destructive. I was one such case.

I had known I was gay since I was quite young but didn't really have words for the feelings in me. It wasn't until I was thirteen that I came to terms with it completely. It was not an easy thing to deal with, but I was extremely mature at that age. I knew that it was a hard life to be gay as a peasant but, as a noble of one of the great houses, it would be impossible. I was a resource to my family as much as a son and would be used to strengthen our ties to another family eventually in a marriage alliance. I had resigned myself to that fate with a heavy heart I had contemplated suicide but hadn't given up on life yet. I still had hope that I could find happiness somehow. I was known for disappearing for hours on end, so no one gave any notice the day I snuck out of the keep to take a walk in the forest. I dressed as a servant to slip past the guards. Since no one pays attention to them, anyone that saw me would mistake me for a servant. I was deep in thought when I heard a noise. It was the cry of a wolf, one of the great dire wolves that walk as tall as men. Most would have run in fear, but I could hear the pain in the cry and ran to see what had caused it. What I found would alter my life forever after.

I came into a clearing and saw three bandits toying with a dying dire wolf. They were slowly killing her newborn cubs in front of her eyes. She was obviously suffering from both the trauma of that plus extensive wounds. Dire wolves are intelligent like humans and even have their own language according to many who have studied them over the years. It is even rumored that some dire wolves can use magic, but few believe that. But I was to learn the truth of it. At that moment I didn't care if any of it was true or not. I just want to stop the cruelty of the slaughter. There were originally eight pups in her litter but now they were preparing to kill the last one. Without thinking I charged forward an tackled the man holding the pup, causing him to drop it but he did not fall down. The pup instantly went to his mother for protection not knowing there was nothing she could do. The man I tried to tackle backhanded me, causing me to land only a few feet away from the dying mother. I crawled towards her knowing that some of my ribs had been broken by the hit. I tried to shield the terrified pup which just earned laughs from the bandits. Two of them had swords but one had a spear and he made a stab for the pup. I made a painful leap forward and felt the spear sink into my stomach followed by a gush of blood. I knew I would not be able protect the pup and wished that I could have done something more to help the little guy. I looked into the mother's dying eyes and gave a prayer that my death be worth something and that whatever gods may be listening would make it so by doing something to save the pup. With that prayer, my potential awoke with a vengeance. I felt the power in me start to pulse and then something took a hold of it and through it at the bandits with such force that many of their bones broke as they flew across the clearing. When they landed two were already dead and the other dying quickly. I realized with a shock that it was the mother who had guided my energy and that my prayer had given her access to it. When looked at her I saw her breathe her last, ragged, bloody breath as she died and knew that I would follow her soon. I just hoped that the pup would survive.

For a short time I was dead. At least it was a short time in this world. In the plane of death time has no meaning. I stood in the line of the dead for what felt like almost a year to me but what would have been only a fraction of a second in the plane of men. When you die you stand in a line with all the other dead souls waiting for Nellin the goddess of death to judge you and send your soul to its punishment and reward until your turn in the cycle returns and you live another life. It took me almost a year in this plane before I stood in front of the most feared goddess of my religion. What I saw surprised me. She was hauntingly beautiful with midnight black hair and completely silver eyes. She sat on a great silver throne in a room that seemed to go on forever. If measured in human years I would have guessed her age around her early twenties. Her delicate seeming face pale as new fallen snow and her expression unreadable. She stared at me and I could feel her judging every experience, action, and decision that I had ever made. She seemed to stare at me, judging the entirety of my existence for an eternity and in this plane it is possible that she did. Then she spoke with a voice completely devoid of emotion that sent a shiver down my spine.

"Do you accept your death?"

Before I could even think about it I answered, "Yes". It was after I said that I realized the truth of it. I felt no real regret about dying other than leaving my parents and brother. I had nothing in life that I truly held onto, nothing that could make me fight the unavoidable fact that I was dead. I had long ago given up on the hope of finding true love so that didn't hold me back. I had never really felt any real connection to anything. I had nothing to hold me to the world. I didn't realize how rare that truly was for someone to have no solid connection when they passed on. My thoughts were interrupted by her next question.

"Do you accept the completion of your life?"

While the question sounded the same I recognized the difference. Again I answered "Yes" because I knew that she meant, `did I have any unfinished business or regrets that I would carry into the afterlife?'. I had no responsibilities left undone since I had never had a quest or goal that could have made me regret leaving unfinished. I was second son so my responsibilities to my family wouldn't hold me to the world. I had never had or felt any real purpose in life until I came across the dire wolf and her last pup. That was the only time I ever really felt like I needed to do something and I completed that as well as I could so that wasn't an issue. I had no real obligations that were important enough to make me regret leaving that world. Again I was startled from my thought by another question.

"What do you expect of your afterlife?"

This one was not a simple yes of no question and I know just like the other she could read the answer out of mind if she desired but didn't for some reason. It only took a few seconds to come up with an answer that seemed right to me I said simply, "Nothing."

For the briefest of seconds she looked surprised, but that may have just been my imagination. She just repeated what I said in a questioning way, "Nothing?"

"Nothing, I have no right to expect anything of my afterlife since I have done nothing that should have influenced what I could expect. I have done no good great enough to warrant reward or evil to receive punishment. I have never gone out of way to help anybody or tried to do anything to harm or offend anybody. I have done no great deeds as a warrior or scholar or anything else worthy of notice. I have served no gods or goddesses in anyway to expect them to intercede on my behalf. I have no reason to expect anything out of my afterlife because I have not done anything worthy of expecting anything." This answer seemed to please her somehow. Her face didn't change, I just sensed she was happy with what I said. She seemed just about ready to speak when another voice interrupted her.

"That is not exactly true. You have done me a great service." I turned to see what had to be the most beautiful man I had ever seen. He looked young maybe late teens. He had incredible pure gold eyes, with hair that was blond but seemed to shine gold as well. His face was flawless and had a impish grin that promised mischief and only added to his beautiful appearance. He had a body that seemed perfect, which was almost entirely visible since he wore nothing but a loincloth. It didn't click at first who he was since, in the stories, he is always describe as a half beast monster, which he clearly wasn't. But I know he was Sor-Taen the trickster god and also the god of beasts. He was the youngest of all the gods, last to come into his power only to find all the aspects of men and the world controlled by his siblings so he became the god of beasts. The stories described him as childish and he dedicated much of his time to annoying the other gods and goddesses to no end. He was the least worshipped god by humans since they thought he had nothing to offer for their worship and he was content to worry only about his animals that he watched over. His voiced echoed across the halls of death like the most beautiful music. "In saving one of my children you have done something that few humans are willing to do. You gave your life in service to one of my children and for that I owe you a favor, but I have actually come to ask one of you."

I just stood shocked that this god was talking to me and wondered what type of favor a god could ask of me? A mortal dead human at that. I was about to ask what it was he wanted, when the voice of Nellin rang across the hall. Not the cold emotionless voice from before, but one full of rage that sent a chill into my very soul. No one ever wanted to hear the lady of death angry, especially when she has yet to set your fate.

"How dare you enter my realm and interfere in my business. The rules of creation state that no god can interfere in the domain of another."

Sor-Taen didn't seem phased by her anger or her words and just looked her in the face with that same impish grin and said, "Now dear sister, calm down. I am not here without reason. You know the rules state that a god can interfere when it involves their realm or their followers. He did die to protect my realm and followers so I have a say in his fate." With that his face took on a very smug expression thinking that he won the argument but also challenging his sister to try an outsmart the trickster god. What she said however caused that expression to be replaced with one of disbelief.

"I claim his soul and have plans for his fate. I will not allow you to interfere, no matter what the rules of creation state."

I don't know what scared me more at that moment that the gods were apparently fighting over me, or that the lady of death had plans for me. I watched Sor-Taen's expression change from disbelief to curiosity to a beaming smile that showed he had come to some sort of realization. I watched his trademark grin return to his face as he spoke words that I actually found more frightening than what Nellin had said.

"I think I know what you have in mind and there might yet be a way for both of us to get what we want. We won't even have to break any rules to do it. Just bend them a little. What do say, sis, can we share him? Please?" He finished with an expression that reminded me of a five year old trying to get someone to get them a toy. Nellin's expression was one of deep thought before she answered.

"How is it possible? The rules state that chaos and order cannot be made one in any form. They must remain separate." I was lost at this point, not recognizing at that time that they were referring to not only the rules of the universe but of magic as well."

The great trickster just smiled and said, "I never said we would make them one. The rules don't say they cannot both be present in one host, just that they cannot be one."

Nellin seemed to think about this for a while before a small smile appeared on her face and nodded. "It will not make the other gods happy, but in this situation it might actually be to our advantage to bend this rule a little to prepare for the coming times."

The Beast Lord instantly responded like a five year old offered candy and ran to his sister and embraced her in a crushing hug. "If you can agree to bend rules, then there may be hope for you after all, sis."

I was wondering what they wanted from me since at that time I didn't have a clue all I knew is that they were trying to bend a rule and it involved me. They had seemed like they had forgotten me and were busily discussing something that I couldn't hear. I was about to say something (before I went crazy) when they both stood up and turned to me. Being caught in her silver eyed stare and his golden one was intimidating, but not as much as when they started speaking in perfect unison. "Kai Aubrey together we offer the opportunity to be the avatar of death and beasts on Earth and all the power that comes with it. In return you must dedicate your life to our service and goals. Do you accept?"

I just stood in shock thinking about the choice that was being presented to me. I knew that saying `yes' would mean that I would virtually be surrendering my life to their wills. I would be in the service of the most shunned god and goddess in the pantheon. I should not have been even considering it because it seemed like I got nothing out of it. There was one great appeal to it though. The one thing that my life always seemed to be missing was a purpose and, in a way, that is what they were offering to me. Also, it just felt right to me to actually have a purpose and be someone who can make a difference in the world. It just seemed like something that I never knew I wanted but couldn't live without. With that thought, I said the words that changed the course of my life. Well, actually brought me back to life.

"I accept."

When I said those words I still had my doubts, but if I knew what I know now back then, I wouldn't have even had those. I could see from the moment I first met the beast god that I liked him and not just physically. He had this aura of happiness and playfulness, not to mention mischief, that just made him seem endearing. I still wonder why he doesn't have more followers among men. What I never expected to happen was that I would come to be fond of Nellin. She has a simple determination that is admirable. It is truthful and to the point, since there is no need of trickery or deceit in death. With Sor-Taen, you have to watch what he says since it can have a hidden meaning or two. That might explain why few men choose to worship him since he has no problem tricking his own followers as if their lives are just part of his great practical joke on the world. Serving the gods wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, and their objectives were not that difficult to follow. The lady of death does not require that you kill or encourage death. She actually is quite patient and encourages life since it means that more shall enter her realm in the future. The lord of beasts simply desires that beasts, especially the intelligent ones like dire wolves, drakes, and dragons, live as uninterrupted as possible. He also likes to be as much of a nuisance to mankind as possible.

Clerical magic is much like other magic but with a twist. Wizards and sorcerers use their personal energies to shape or guide the natural energies around them. Clerics use their personal energy to focus and guide the power of their god which gives them more power then many mages, but limits what they can do with it to the domain of their god. Many clerics study wizardry or sorcery to increase their power, but it is more difficult since they need to stay on the good side of their god. Necromancers are the most well known type of duel practitioners who use wizardry to further the powers granted to them by their goddess.

When it comes to both magic and the gods there is only one great division. It is not between good and evil which many like to think, but between order and chaos. Order magic is called wizardry and is the process of learning how to use your internal potential to force the energies of the natural world to behave as you want it. This means the range of what a wizard can do is virtually limitless since they don't have to follow the natural laws. A wizard is always in complete control of the energies they are working with and can shape them into almost anything with their wills. Chaos magic is sorcery and it is the guiding of the natural energies in a path you want. Sorcerers learn to guide existing energies, which are most commonly the elements, and steer them how they will. Where a wizard could create fire out of nothing, a sorcerer can only affect what already exists. A sorcerer could expand and control a existing fire but cannot create fire. A sorcerer never has complete control over the magic they are working with since they are only trying to channel the energy, not control it. The gods and goddesses are divided along these lines too. Some, such as the goddess of death, are in the realm of order. Others, such as the beast god, are in the realm of chaos. It is a long standing belief that these energies cannot be mixed in any form even though there are two exceptions. The first is void magic which is simply explained. Since the Void is not bound to any of the natural rules of the world, or even to the universe itself, it can circumvent this rule. The second is demon magic, since a demon is a creature of chaos but only a wizard can learn to bring order to their energies when bonded so they can use it. No other exception has ever been known to the world of magic. I wonder what they would think of me. I formally study wizardry and don't admit to serving either of my two gods publicly. I have also studied sorcery in secret and can use both.

After I agreed to serve the gods, I seemed to have woken up and, for a minute, thought that I had had a really weird dream until I realized I was outside. I opened my eyes to realize that I was in the clearing with the dead dire wolf and her cub which was desperately and futilely trying to wake its mother. I knew that it was probably too young to take care of itself yet and that it would probably die if left alone, so I decided to try and take care of it even though I didn't have a clue how I would manage it. It was when I started to stand that I realized that the wound in my stomach was gone and there was no blood on me. There wasn't even a scar. I just shook my head and tried to decide if I had gotten myself into something over my head. Not knowing what else to do, I picked the pup gently and started to pet him he quickly cuddled into me for protection. There was two things I didn't realize at that moment which I wished I knew then. The first was that the pup was still young enough that it would come to think of me as almost as its mother and later more of a brother. Second, it might have been the size of a new born baby then but I wished I would have known that it would grow to be able to look a grown man in the eyes in just a few years. I put him in my backpack so it would be easier to carry him and he could still poke his head out and look around.

I started to make my way back to my family's keep thinking that nothing had changed for me there. That was until I heard horses coming my way quickly from the direction of the keep. Knowing that most people feared dire wolves, I knew that whoever it was would most likely not take kindly to the cub on my back. Not knowing what else to do, I turned my head and told the cub to be quiet and hide in my back pack, hoping it understood and amazingly it did just as I told it. I realized later that as a servant of the beast lord I could make myself understood by all animals to an extent and the intelligent beast as well I could with another human. As the approaching horses got closer and stepped to the side of the road to let them pass like any servant or poorer person would do. I was shocked when I realized it was my father, High Lord Sander Aubrey, with an escort of a dozen guards and the chief Academy representative in Aubrey, Adept Morrin. I kept my head down hoping that no one would recognize me and they would pass quickly. I was well in the shadows of the trees so it was hard to see me unless they were close. Right when I thought they might go right by me, a guard cried out for everyone to halt and pointed right at me.

"Someone at the side of the road." he yelled, causing everyone to stop and look at me.

They couldn't see my face well but my drab clothing I was wearing was quite noticeable even in the shadows. I didn't want to be seen. I didn't how I would explain sneaking out of the keep but I knew I would have to deal with it.

I was just getting ready to explain to my father that it was me and then try to figure out what brought him out here with bodyguards and a mage when the mage pointed at me and yelled, "Its him!"

With that everybody looked nervous and backed away from me. I was confused and didn't know what was going on and didn't understand why they were acting the way they were. I decided that I might as well just get this over with and turned to my father and said, "Dad I am sorry for sneaking out but I don't know what is going on here." With that I just watched everybody's jaw drop as they realized I was the High Lord's son. I learned later that my burst of energy earlier in dealing with the bandits could be felt by every mage in the area and that many were thinking that it was a rogue mage or something that might be a threat.

The next thing that happened was Adept Morrin grabbed my arm for a second and then jumped back as if he had been hit. He had a stunned expression on his face as he turned to my father and said, "You must send this boy to the Academy now he has more active potential than any mage alive at the Academy. Actually more than any two I think and now that it has been activated he must learn to use it or it could become dangerous."

I first I thought he must be kidding and then I thought that the power was given to me by the two gods I now served. The truth I would learn later it was my power that made the gods interested in me in the first place. There is an old legend that says every millennium a mage rises superior to all the rest in both power and skill and he is destined to stand on guard against the rise of evil who also has their champion and whoever wins determines the next thousand years. I was soon to learn that that was me but this time the other side had changed the rules in their favor.

To be continued...

Sorry it took so long getting this one out I have had a ton of work to do and haven't had much of a chance to write and add on top of that writers block. I hope you enjoyed this chapter I will continue the story Kai's life in the next one. The next one might take a while too since I still have a lot of work to do so the next one probably wont be out until early December.

You can email me at BlackAdept@Hotmail.com