Dark Resurgence

        Ash sat in his Applied Spell Theory class staring off into space, the professor’s words only a distant buzz. He was shaken from his wandering thoughts as the building rumbled aggressively, a crack appearing on the ceiling and dust floating down onto the students. With the disturbance stopping the professor mid lecture, everyone looked around, confusion covering their faces. Then more and more distant rumbling could be heard. Ash stood and turned, walking towards his friend Selene.  

        “What do you think that is?” Asked Selene, her eyes and head wandering to every direction the rumbling was heard.  Ash closed his eyes and listened, then shook his head.  

        “Maybe it is just drums and the kings guard are running drills again.” Even as he said it, doubt crept in his mind making his heart beat faster. Then there was muffled yelling and the sound of people running just outside of the classroom walls. Ash turned as he heard the commotion, and a scream filled the air, only to be cut short. No one moved, everyone seemingly holding their breath. Then Ash saw it, in the direction of the scream mana began to flow in waves, he could almost hear the low thrum of power building up. As the thrum sped up Ash’s eyes bulged and he turned back around, hugging Selene, and falling to the ground. As soon as they hit the floor their world exploded and Ash went flying, Selene still in his arms. He flew clear across to the other side of the class where his back met the wall, the air leaving his body forcefully. Both he and Selene crumpled to the ground, too dazed to move.  

        The Dust floated around them, making it hard to breath or see. Ash pictured the proper runes in his mind, feeling the mana flow as he did so. With a wave of his hand wind whirled around both Selene and himself. The spell didn’t last long but it was enough to catch their breath and gather themselves with their backs against the wall. Selene stared at her hands, her vision moving in and out of focus.

       “What in the world did that, Ash?” Whispered Selene, sliding her eyes to meet Ash’s. “It couldn’t have been a student.” But before Ash could respond, a deep rumbling laughter filled the dust ridden air of the destroyed classroom.  

       “Allow me to shed some light on the matter my dear,” answered a menacingly calm voice. The voice triggered a sense of familiarity in Ash, but he could not place from where. As Ash’s thoughts raced, he felt the mana flow briefly in the direction of the voice only to be released in the same spell he had used previously, only on a larger scale, ridding the entire class of the polluted air, and exposing the true devastation of the building. Desks and students alike had been crushed by large granite chunks that had been thrown during the explosion. One pillar next to Ash seemed to be the only thing left holding up the roof.  

       At the entrance to the carnage stood a man who looked to be around Ash’s age if not slightly younger. He wore black robes with gold trim. His hair was long and wild, his face was gaunt and his skin as pale as alabaster. Surrounding the man were a dozen soldiers covered in ragged, rusted armor. But what caught Ash’s attention was the floating orb next to the man, emitting a pulsating sickly green light and a black miasma around it. It radiated wrongness.  As Ash made his examinations, he noticed the man staring at him, smiling an almost friendly smile. The affect was ruined by the feral madness that his eyes portrayed. His eyes. Even with the anger that filled them Ash recognized those eyes.  

       “It’s not possible, I watched you die.” Ash barely got the words out as emotion filled his chest and seized his throat.    

      “Wrong! You left me for dead!” Snarled the man, the smile somehow never leaving his face. “After the tombs passage collapsed on us, I clung to life and the hope you would come back for me, but as hours turned into days, you never did.”  

       “If I had known I would have tried…”  

       “Tried what?” Interrupted the man.  

       “Anything! You were my friend.” Ash screamed, tears welling in his eyes.  

       “And yet you tried nothing.” The man said solemnly. “While I laid waiting for death to embrace me, I heard something calling my name.” His eyes moved to the orb hovering beside him, placing a hand on it as if to pet it. “It was this that called to me. For years this told me secrets and gave me power. It gave me a purpose.” He slid his eyes back to Ash. “I will shatter your world as you shattered mine, friend.” He spat the last word as if it tasted bad in his mouth.  

        “Everitt…” At the mention of the name the mans smile faltered and faded, but the madness in his eyes intensified.  

        “Everitt died the day you turned his back on him. I have been given a new name by the same powers that saved me, I am Aleroth.” He bowed deeply with a dramatic flourish. He raised himself and turned slightly, addressing his soldiers. “Continue burning the city. Kill all in sight.” The soldiers turned and left without a word, but as one turned the light caught its face, showing the grim yellow smile of a skull.   Ash rose to his feet fear in his eyes and disbelief plain in his voice.

         “You’re a lich. That’s how you survived, that orb corrupted you.” Almost without thought Ash summoned an iron lance into his hand and threw it at the orb. Just as it was about to hit, the lance shattered.  

         “Tsk. Tsk. That wasn’t very sporting of you, my back was turned.” Teased Aleroth from behind the blurry form of a protective wall. Aleroth raised his hand, mana collecting and turning into green flame. As the flames built, Ash continued his assault, launching lance after lance into the barrier. Even still it was not enough and after enough mana filled the flames, Aleroth released them with a wave of his arm and a swish of his fingers. The green flames spread throughout the detritus of the collapsed classroom, filling every nook and cranny. The flames disappeared as if nothing had happened but after a time the rubble started to move.  

        “Ash!” it was Selene and when he looked, she was pointing behind him. He spun quickly and saw one of his classmates, Mark, quickly coming at him.  The back of Marks skull had been crushed and where his eyes should be, green flames took their place. The power of the lich driving him. Mark got within reach and swung for Ash’s face, missing by a hair as Ash sidestepped and fell to the ground. Mark turned back towards Ash as he started to regain his footing, but as he drew closer the sound of rushing wind followed as an elemental disk sliced through the air and through Marks neck. As the head came away and fell, the green flames erupted and consumed the body.  

         Ash turned and saw Selene standing there, her arm outstretched from the spell and horror on her face. Started to walk towards her as a large piece of granite fell over and more and more of his former classmates began to rise. Even through her shock Selene was the first to react. She threw one elemental disk after another, not always hitting perfectly but slowing them down, nonetheless. Ash joined her in the chaos, summoning more lances.  

        Several minutes went by as undead classmates were knocked down or eventually devoured by green flame as he or Selene got a lucky shot. In the middle of aiming for their former professor Ash was struck on his side and pushed back into the wall. Aleroth began the cackle like a mad man as Ash regained his footing and shaking the dizziness from his head. He had thrown his protective wall into Ash when he wasn’t looking. Through blurry eyes, Ash could see that from the starting twenty, only three undead remained. Selene seemed to be able to handle those, so he turned his attention to Aleroth.  

        Bringing more mana into himself, Ash began to throw lance after lance at Aleroth and his orb. Each time they got close they always shattered; Ash had thought it was the protective barrier, but Aleroth no longer had one up. Ash took a moment to think and examine the orb, raising his own protective wall as Aleroth threw black flames that exploded against the barrier. Ash threw one more lance toward Aleroth who did not even react. Ash watched as it soared through the air and as it got close the orbs black miasma seemed to stretch to where the lance would have struck, shattering it on contact.  

       Trying not to show any reaction to what he discovered. Thinking of what to do, Ash continued his assault.  

       “I tire of these games.” Aleroth declared, building more mana into an attack. Ash raised another protective barrier in front of him, but the attack was not aimed for him. Aleroth’s release a lance made of black flame that raced towards Ash’s side, striking the single pillar and the reaction was almost instant. The pillar exploded outward and without the support, the roof collapsed. Ash summoned a protective dome just as the rubble came down, struggling at maintaining the dome from the weight of all the stone.  

       Ash waited until the crashing stone to settle. Breathing slowly, he gathered more mana within him and once he was at his limit he pushed it into the dome, sending it blasting out. Stone went everywhere. One large piece hit one of the remaining two undead crushing it, dulling the green flames explosion, the other jumped out of the way just in time. Ash collected himself after his abrupt mana expulsion, and Aleroth was counting on it. A whip of black flame wrapped around Ash’s left arm, burning his flesh, and then he was pulled. Ash was pulled with such force his feet left the ground and he went forward by five feet, crashing into the remaining stump of another pillar with his shoulder.          Ash yelped in pain as his shoulder was knocked out of place. The flaming whip dissolved into nothing, but the burning seemed to linger and when Ash looked down it looked as if the black flames were under his skin, spreading up his arm.

      “First things first.” Stated Ash through gritted teeth. He leaned his dislocated shoulder against the rubble and after counting to three internally he moved forward and then back as fast as he could. He should hit the rubble and with a loud, pop, his shoulder went back into place. Through weary eyes and sweat, Ash looked around his new surroundings and noticing Selene was a good distance away now, still face off against the last undead. He could tell she was slowing down.

       After a few more shots of her elemental disks, she faltered and went to her knee. The undead took the opportunity and charged. In a panic Ash raised a protective dome over Selene, the distance needing more mana to upkeep. As the dome took place a black flame lance shot across the space and through the undead, exploding it on contact, and then hitting the dome, covering it in black flame.

       “Very quick timing, when you didn’t get back up, I thought your fall had broken your neck.” Chuckled Aleroth. “Both of you are at your limits, just give up and join me.” Ash ignored the lich, staring at Selene as she toppled onto her side from exhaustion in his dome. He was only brought back to his present situation as the burning continued up his arm. Ripping off his sleeve he saw it had already almost reached his shoulder.  

       Ash closed his eyes, trying to remember the proper runes. All the while Aleroth continued to whip the pillar above Ash’s head. After what seemed like forever the runes came into place in his mind and he cast a healing spell. Golden yellow light radiated out of his right hand as he held it over his left arm moving it up and down. Surprisingly, the effect was practically instant. The black flames up his arm snaked back down to the entry point on his forearm where they exited in a black mist.  

        “The healing spell is light magic. Light magic cancels out necrotic magic” he thought to himself wide eyed. Ash began to build a spell in his mind. It kept falling apart, trying to get all the pieces together, but only after seven tries the spell linked together. He smiled to himself and as soon as he heard Aleroths whip crack one more time, he jumped out of his cover and cast his spell. A lance of pure light formed in his hand and then fired at Aleroth. It flew towards him, and Ash noticed the orbs black miasma go to block it.  

        The lance went through the miasma and struck Aleroth in the hip. A smile flooded onto Ash’s face when he saw the surprise and fear on Aleroths. The look almost instantly morphed into rage as Aleroth screamed in anger. Ash began to run. One after another Aleroth unleashed black fire lances just barely missing Ash’s legs. For every four lances that Aleroth made, Ash made one and they were poorly aimed in his mad dash away. But one got lucky.  

         A light lance Ash had blindly thrown, clipped the side of the orb, cracking it. Aleroth’s attacks ceased for a second as he tried to register what just happened. Ash didn’t waste any time. He created a tower shield made from light and charged towards Aleroth. Once Aleroth composed himself and the barrage of attacks continued but more frantic and not as well aimed. Ash pushed forward, ignoring the black flames that rolled over the top and sides of his shield, burning his skin.

        When he got close enough, Ash pushed as much mana into his arms and legs and rammed into Aleroth at top speed, knocking the lich to the ground. Not wasting his opportunity, Ash turned his shield into a falchion and swung at the orb. When the blade connected with the orb, the crack opened up and green light screamed out of it, the sound assaulting Ash’s ears, blood trickling out, but he did not relent. With each swing the orb cracked more, and the lich screamed.  

        The orb continued to scream but the sound was but a whisper now. With the crack almost reaching the other side of the orb, Ash took a moment to catch his breath.   A confused voice reached his ear.

        “Ash?” He turned and looked down at the lich. His face was no longer gaunt and the madness in his eyes was replaced by fear and tears. “I’m sorry Ash. It took my mind and I watched as it made me do all these horrible things.” Everitt began to sob. “Please just do it, I can still hear its voice in my head.” Ash was stunned at hearing his friend’s voice. He closed his eyes as tears threatened to flood them and turned away.  

         Ash raised his sword of light, putting more mana into his arms, he swung.  

         “I am sorry Everitt.” The sword connected and the orb shattered in green flame with a force that blasted Ash back a few feet before he could put up a protective wall. After the flame died down Ash raced to Everitt’s body, which seemed to crumble in the wind. Everitt’s eyes locked onto Ash, and he smiled, a single tear rolling down his cheek.  

         “Thank you.” The words fading as the rest of Everitt crumbled into dust. Emotion and exhaustion caught up with Ash and he fell to the ground. When he awoke Ash was in another building, rubble was still everywhere but it was more intact than his classroom was. He heard a rustling to his side and when he turned, he saw Selene staring at him. She grabbed his hand and squeezed.

         “You did it Ash.” The look on his face remained blank. “After you shattered the orb all the other undead in the city just collapsed into dust.”  

         “How did we get here?”

         “It was night by the time everything was over, and I tried to heal you as best as I could. Some rescue squad saw the light and came to help.”

        “What will happen now?” Ash tried to sit up but he was still to exhausted and Selene put a hand on his chest.           

        “When you recover enough the king wants to speak with you to get a report together.”

        “When I recover more?” Selene nodded her head. That was all the permission he needed and so Ash fell back into a deep, dreamless sleep.