The Sorcerer of Azurai

On a far off island in the seas of Azurai lived a powerful sorcerer by the name of Nyris. Nyris was six feet tall with broad muscular built, curious lavender eyes, tan skin and an abundance of midnight colored hair. He had lived on this island for centuries, isolating himself from the world so that he could learn more.

But the other part of his isolation was to be away from other beings, whether they were non-magic or not. When he was young he admired power, lusted for it, despite being what he was it didn't come without its costs. The price always came steep, even when he couldn't bear to pay.

Two hundred years into the past and he had been known as a deity for his gifts, the healings that he performed, the lives he saved, the battles he fought to bring peace even if his hands had to be stained with blood. Magic was used in every one of his triumphs, the more power he gained, the more people tried to cling to him.

The poor wanted wealth, wanted strength to be given while the rich who were already quite wealthy wanted even more power. They were venomous creatures, leeches who would trade their souls, bodies, their minds for him. They wanted him to give them his splendor, share his magic around.

But when he did not yield they cursed him. Some pleaded, plotted, and tried to kill him. The first time that Nyris felt a blade carve inside his chest, he could remember the burning, the carmine drops of blood that ran over his chest, how painful it was.

It was also the first time that he realized that he could not die. The knife had pushed through his flesh straight into his heart which still beat. He could hear the thrumming of his heart, it had not given out and neither would he. A painful lesson to learn, but a lesson that was needed.

From then on any village, town, or city he walked through he ignored the people and admired the architecture of the buildings, tall structures in wood, complexes of marble and glass. The art and music that they gave, the culture fed to him from the books he drained of knowledge. But then there were distractions.

Nyris for some time had avoided the pleasures that tempted most men. Women. When he was taught by his mentor, he'd think about how he held a candle for her. He was fifteen, practically still a boy, and yet at the time he was a man.

Larcinia, she was five years older than he was, a widow without any children to fill her home. She was gifted in the art of mystical energy, something that wasn't called magic at the time. Nyris was basically given to be under her care after his parents passing. She had shown him how to harness the energy from nature, for selfless reasons, never for personal gain.

Larcinia believed that any magic performed for selfish reasons would darken the heart and corrupt the power within. Nyris almost felt bad for thinking it: But Larcinia was wrong. And she too was a flash into his past, a sweet nourishing one.

Nyris breathed in the salty sea air and thought back, she was five foot five, with golden cascades rolling down her back that stopped mid-waist. Her eyes were the softest shade of blue, so bright that they would make the sky turn away when she looked up to feel the rays upon her peach toned skin. Larcinia always wore a long pearl gown that tugged against her curves, a silver pendant she kept for luck, and sandals made of vine.

Her gown always made him blush, it raised her breasts up lovingly enough so that they could peek out and greet the morning light, while it gripped hips, snug was the word. They were raw against the thin strip of fabric, always grinding up and down. When they practiced in the river streams, he'd noticed how the fabric would claw against her skin, sometimes getting caught in between her thighs.

Such sweet memories of her visage passed him by. But with the sweet came the bitter. Lovely wenches, witches, vampires, and a bag of other tricks came out to greet him some time after. All wanting his heart or his power. Some wanted both, but Nyris could never wantonly give away either without risk.

He was tempted to touch, taste, view, but he knew it was all a façade. When he had worn the women down, slowly, refusing to be intimate in anyway, then when they were at their ends would they reveal their true motive. They wanted to know if they could receive his power if they had sex with him. Some wanted him to worship them, because they secretly wished for him to treat them as goddesses, he was to be their prize, a very rare specimen.

But no, he would not give in. Even though he was not a virgin, in times of drunken sorrow or indescribable confusion he would give into the temptations, no questions asked. Nyris never paid attention to their wants or needs, only his own. And when the feeling passed, he left. The women disappointed in not receiving special gifts from their conquest usually left it at that, a one night stand.

After awhile Nyris gave up on people, they always wanted something no matter what it took, the pain, the rage, the body, the soul. So he used his powers and made himself a boat, he placed an enchantment upon it, to arrive at the farthest destination from where he was leaving from. And after ten days at sea he found his island.

At first it was desolate, no trees, just wreckage from ships that probably crashed against the large rocks that floated nearby and drown into the watery grave. The first thing he did was grant the land a blessing, the blessing the bare the fruit of the earth. Palm trees sprouted around building a heavily guarded forest, there were berries, coconuts, hibiscus, jasmine, amaryllis', trumpet flowers that bloomed from every pocket and fizzle fruit.

He gave the island a cool breeze that past against his cheek, structure in making a cavern as well as a moderate sized hut that was hidden inside the forest. The cave was his thinking place, the hut was his home. Inside the cave was nothing, just darkness, and when the skies swirled with dark clouds and the seas shook, he took shelter in the cave despite having the power to cease it.

Nyris had small selfish whims, not large ones. He enjoyed the storms that brushed by his island, never leaving any damage due to his blessing spells. In time he had been called a deity and desolate souls would sail out to the island, or tried to catch a glimpse of him after healing of his past triumphs. There was even a time where the people sent him their daughters for him to make his own.

But he refused. Anyone who had made it to the island was answered a simple question and if answered incorrectly then they were repelled by the magic waves and swept away back home. It was all so trivial to him, tedious, he just wanted his time to be, even if that meant being alone forever.

In the present he was sitting along the shores of his island looking up at the sky turn lilac with a gray cast. He pulled at his shorts, they were crafted using his earth magic and were entirely made of leaves, but nonetheless resembled a pair of mid length shorts that cut off at the knee. Nyris wore a shirt today, mainly because it gave him normalcy. His shirt as crafted by using the flower petals, fruit nectar, and of course magic, but unlike his shorts you couldn't tell how his shirt was made or what it was made of.

"Storm bringer." Nyris spoke to the clouds floating above his head, he held his hands up as if to reach for them "Let the waters pour so that this land flourishes." It was a small prayer he made, one to maintain the magic that he had set in motion once he had set foot on the island. It was a prayer for the rain to always refresh the plants, keep them going throughout any and ever season, every disaster.

Nyris sighed looking out at the steady calm sea, no rocking waves, just gentle silence that spoke volumes to him. No storm was coming, just a stroke of mist to tap against the greenery. He walked towards his hut and stopped, today he was to relax. It was a day he wanted to himself, every day was task for him. Check every petal, every leaf, every fine.

Wash in the waterfalls that stood proudly before the entrance of the cave. Collect the fruit and sweet nectar, store them, gain the pure water from the pool that laid below the waterfall, collect a small ray of sunlight in a jar and save it in case of a magical storm.

Backlash from spells happened, and sometimes even if far away they could affect nature in the strangest and most violent of ways.

He could read, he took several books with him from the library before he set off for the island, paper and pencils, things to write in. He wrote entries for himself every day. Living as mundane as he possibly could.

No, Nyris would take his time today. He walked along the sandy shores into the bustle of leaves that covered the entrance of the forest, the trees were stacked high, their tops shadowed over him giving him much needed shade for when the sun was too excited and wanted to the world to see it prosper.

He stepped along the tall grass and fungi that clung around the trunks of the trees, carefully walking over stones that hid under moss. He walked up a paved stone pathway up towards the rocky gray cavern where no light could be found. Nyris walked until he was near the end of the cave and sat down. He closed his eyes and prayed for peace, for health, for happiness.

Hours after he felt a small dinging in his ears. Something was coming. He pallid eyes narrowed as he ran out of the hidden sanctuary and through the trees, hitting leaves and crushing broken limbs under his feet until he came back to the shore.

It was still there, a beige collection of crystals nestled against his feet. He looked up again, but nothing had changed. Nyris walked back and forth trying to think, would it be another unwanted visitor? Maybe something else he could not foresee, but he felt the presence. It unnerved him as he crossed his arms and frowned at the sky.

He sighed and walked into his hut, there was a cabinet that held his food and water supply, a couch made from soft burry plants, in the corner was a wooden desk that he fashioned himself, books on a shelf above that, aligning across the walls. And in the next room was a simple bed that he made from the island flowers on a frame fashioned from sturdy tree limbs.

Nyris was tired and decided to close his eyes a bit after laying on his couch. Whatever was coming, could it be that bad? He had the powers of the four elements surging throughout his very being, the powers of light and darkness, he himself was seen as a god, he could take on any opponent with a flick of his wrist.

When the rain began to tap against the roof top Nyris rolled against his comforter still unsure if whatever came was something to worry over. When the winds began to howl, pulling the tree tops towards the swirling vortex of the sky, he felt himself sank into a peaceful sleep.

The storm was finally here, torrents that slit sections of the sea emerged, tossing the waves into a frenzy as the lightning flashed across the sky in warning of it's wrath. The thunder boomed sending a thousand vibrations through the air, the entire island quaked underneath the angered skies.

Through the winding sounds that past the trees, the swishing of sea water flying in the air, Nyris slept soundly, dreaming of a perfect day, but never a perfect world.

In the morning Nyris had found himself staring up at the ceiling, his purple eyes squinted as they found the nearest source of light. Nyris stood up and tensed, he felt the light touch of mist flow from a nearby window against his arm. His face soured at the acrid smell, three red drops against his dry skin. The blood of someone, someone that was there on the island.

Nyris' body became enflamed, the burning was in his veins, in his eye, an orange glare as his entire body caught fire. But when he felt the mist flash through the window again he calmed himself, stepping out of his door he looked around. The sky was blue again with white clouds slowly streaming through. He took a second to look at the beach. Large fractured bits of wood was all scattered along the sands, digging their own graves.

Among the debris was a body, that of a girl. She was very pale, her mint green hair was in a long braid that went past her shoulders. Her appearance was that of a noble, wearing a fine silk dress in ivory and celeste, her shoes were gone, probably drowned in the oceans. Around her neck was a golden crest, her arms held many shiny bangles that gleamed in the sunlight. A leather sack laid beside her small frame.

Great, Nyris thought. Another ship wreck. He didn't like her being there, but being as she was unconscious he sighed knowing that he couldn't leave her faced down in the sand. So He carefully picked her up, in his arms catching a look at her face. She was very fortunate in the department of apparel, even with her eyes closed, even with a small head wound.

Nyris blinked his eyes twice and the leather bag floated in midair, following him inside his hut. He placed her down on the couch. He had practiced medicine before so it easy for him to treat her forehead, placing a small pad made of leaves on her forehead before looking for another wound. He was careful not to expose her to himself and found a moderate wound on her side.

She had been impaled by a piece of the boat when it crashed on the shore. Of course it wasn't simple to just pull out the wood, being as she could had bled to death. So Nyris used his magic to help as he dressed her wounds.

Nyris sat there for hours, eating when he could, wanting desperately for this unexpected visitor to wake up and be on her way. He felt for her sure, but he could easily do without her company.

It took near nightfall before the visitor batted her eyelashes and awoke. Her eyes reminded Nyris of fresh saffron threads.

"What.." She murmured about to get up, and then she gripped her side in shock. When she readjusted her eyes she stared back at the man who was staring back at her. His hair blended in with the open sky, this was her first thought.

"Who are you?" She asked quietly.

"I ask the questions here." Nyris narrowed his eyes "I can send you on your way, back home. I can absolve you of all your pain. All you have to do is answer a simple question."

The young woman frowned, the thought of home confused her. If she had went back would it be for good? But she just focused in on the purple eyes of her savior as they never left hers.

"What is your question?"

In all the times and in all of the years every person who answered the questioned incorrectly was automatically sent back from where they came. In a way it was like a magical curse. They were dragged away by ravenous winds, taking them far from the island to never return.

"Across the seven seas, in the city of Novar. There are seven sacred treasures representing the seven kingdoms. They're called the holy shards of peace. But what were they were originally known as? Are?"

Nyris left the question there, no one in the present time knew much about the seven sacred treasures. And those who did had never known about their true origins. It only took a book or two. There was subtle hints all around Novar that revealed what the seven were created from, and from that they were known as the seven mystic...

"Stars."

Nyris blinked once and stared down at the small girl in front of him. "Is that your answer?"

"The seven sacred treasures of Novar were all created from chipped fragments of a fallen star. I know, because my mother took me on trips to Novar when I as a child. I enjoyed the history, how the city was built from-

"Is that your answer?" He repeated.

"The seven mystic stars." The girl nodded, sure that her answer was right "Will you send me home now?"

Nyris grumbled something under his breathe and turned his back on her. "If you had answered incorrectly then you would have been out of my hair. Home in whatever grand mansion you came from."

The girl looked confused and slowly sat up staring at his back "So you can't send me back?" A part of her was happy to hear this.

"Yes." Nyris turned back to her "But I can find a way around it, I could-

"No."

"No? Are you telling me that you wish to stay here?"

"I...I can't go back home." She looked down at her knees "I no longer have a home."

"I saw the crest, you are a noble, yes? You're born into heavy riches, you could buy a home far from here-

"I cannot." The girl sighed.

"If you address me, then look at me. Do not cower from me." Nyris growled. The girl slowly looked up to see his purple eyes deepen with anger.

"I'm sorry-

"Why do you wish to stay here? This is not a life suited for someone of your stature."

The girl gripped her hands at the sides of her dress "I was promised to a respectable lord from Tirira."

Tirira was a faraway kingdom where elven people were the majority of the population. Lords were the closest thing to royalty that they had in the land, it was the highest status that could be given. They only had a handful of lords, who were all connected through blood. They rarely took wives, and on the occasion a mistress.

"I see, poor little rich girl." Nyris scoffed "Trapped to be a lady of Tiriria, to have unimaginable fortune and rule. Sounds very heartbreaking."

"I didn't want this union." She hissed at him "I never wanted this union. Someone I don't know. To give him myself without a second thought..bare him children." She shuddered at the thought.

Nyris gave a wry smile "Ah, I see. You are unspoiled. Is that what you fear? Men?"

The girl shifted back against the couch nervously "It is not a fear. My father has urged me to consider this match since I was five. I cannot marry a man I do not know, a man I do not love."

Nyris busted laughed which seemed strange to the girl who stared at him wanting to know what was so amusing.

"Love. You expect love."

"I don't expect anything. I wish one day to fall in love and only then will I marry."

"I feel that your wish will fall on deaf ears. You dream of love, but know nothing of it's complexities. The angst and heartache it can bring down from a single phrase. You are too young and only see love as a fascination."

"I am not that young." The girl muttered.

"What is your age?"

"Twenty."

"Ha!" Nyris pointed a finger at her as if catching her in a lie "You are still a mere child."

"Even so, this mere child was to be forced into an engagement all for the glamour, the names, land, claims that it would entitle her pig-headed father with."

Nyris almost felt bad after hearing that, it was true in his time as well. Women were pushed by greedy parents who wished to climb the social ladders by offering their daughters up as cattle, to be sold, traded, and rode.

Nyris grimaced thinking on the subject "He offered you to this man without speaking a word to you?"

The girl nodded silently "I've never even met him, I've only heard of his name a handful of times, but it is not the same."

"It's a real shame." Nyris said looking out an open window, the skies were still calm and silent, the wind was stiff, and the sun beaming as it always did. "You were to be whored."

"What?" The young woman whipped her head around quickly.

"It's not an insult on your sex, it's just the way things are. The ways things have been since a long while. Women being used as chess pieces, being violated and conquered to acquire social needs, vast wealth, lands, power."

"I-

"I am not calling you a whore. But you know that there is a bit of truth in it."

The young woman clasped her hand against the crest around her neck, water forming in her eyes. Was it really so? Was her father just moving her across this unforeseen board for power, even if it cost her body, her peace of mind, her innocence?

Nyris stood up and wiped away her tears using his thumb, she only stared up at him wondering why he was being so kind to her.