When someone becomes as well renouned and strong as i am they tend to garner all sorts of attention both good and bad. Some want to recruit you and some will try to kill you. Its a dog eat dog world. However i suppose that some attention is just plain unwanted, fatal and dissrespectfull.
I sat in my study, books and reasearch papers scattered around in a sort of organised chaos. Each book and reasearch paper contained my knowledg and my perspective. Each word i'd painstakingly written by hand, each letter and curve. It was beautifull in a way, yet it only remineded me of how old i was. 78 this year, another useless and degrading number to brand me with.
I leant back in my chair, lazily. There was a knock on the door. I stood, my scrawny frame creaking hazardously as i straightened my back.
I reached for the old brass doornob, it wasnt anything ornate or flashy, just a simple ball that twists.
I twisted it easily, not caring who was on the other side, after all only an archmage could do me any fatal damage even at my age.
Standing in the doorway was a young man with blonde hair and sea green eyes. "May i have a moment of your time?" the boy said, his voice silky and hypnotic. I tilted my head, "what is it? im rather busy boy," i replied coldly. The boy smiled, "im here to deliver a message from archmage Maribelle," the boy said.
Maribelle was the third ranked mage in the world, of course id be interested in whatever she had to say, and no one was foolish enough to throw such an important name out there especially considering the rumours that surround Maribelle in particular.
"Make it quick, i'm a busy man with limited time," i told him, hiding my interest.
The boy smiled, his smile was unsettling. His teeth were too perfect, no spaces, straight and pearly white. "She said its time," the boy said ominously. Those words sent more shivers down my spine than that time i saw my mother getting ready to punish me (she was a rather violent woman when she wanted to be). "Time for wha-" before i could finish my sentence, a searing pain tore through my side.
I touched my side, it came away crimson and warm, i looked down. A red stain was spreading from a tear in my robe.
Wait was i seeing in colour, how long had my perspective been negated?! I looked up, the boy was still smiling a bloody knife raised for another strike. "Its time to purge those likely to ascend," the boy said in his silky, hypnotic voice. Those who were likely to ascend... that must mean im close to becoming an archmage. Did my hard work really garner that much attention where a purge was nessesary? No how could it?
More searing pain, this time in my gut."argh," i spluttered, thick blood erupting from my throat. The boy was still smiling with his too perfect teeth, blood splatered on his hands and face. The knife was raised again, but this time it was more horizontal- his body preparing to twist. A slash, a cut. "Wait sto-arghrk," my plea was cut short as the blade was dragged through the flesh of my exposed neck.
Blood rushed out, my deep red ichor spurting from my throat like a geyser. I gurgled struggling to breath, choking on my own blood as my vision blurred.
"Maribelle sends her regards and deepest condolonces, she will see u once her time on this plane is over," the boy said eerily calm. Not that i caref at that point, no matter which spell i used i wasnt going to live. "Argh gak," i spluttered as my life slowly extinguished. Well fuck. There were dark spots in my blurred vision, i could no longer see the boys face, no doubt he was still smiling with those too perfect teeth of his.
My conciousness started to fade, "goodnight grey mage," the boy said. It had been a long time since anyone had called me that.