Chapter 1
“T’was a dark and stormy night, deep in the bowels of the Cave of Darius the Stormbr-”
“No it wasn’t”
“I’m sorry, normally I try to make your life seem interesting.”
“Even if it isn’t that interesting, it’s still my life! Speaking of which, where did you come up with that cave name? ‘The Cave of Darius the Stormbreaker’? It’s like something out of a fantasy novel.”
“This is a fantasy novel Damion. You’re the protagonist and I’m your helpful sidekick/voice in your head, Narrator.” said Narrator.
“Just because you showed up in my head a couple of years ago does not mean we are best buddies! I’d rather not focus on that day, so maybe you should tell them what’s happening now…”
“Fine, I’m good with that, but who is ‘them’?”
“You know… uh, ‘them’. The others out… there, I think… but anyways, stop changing the subject!”
“Okay, okay. I’ll explain it again so it can finally get past your thick skull… You’re Damion Silver, a newly minted high schooler with no frie-”
“Let’s tone it down for a second! Maybe you can stick to your namesake and be helpful for once…”
“Geez, maybe we can just both back off for a second and I’ll keep explaining stuff. They probably need it more than you do…”
“Okay, fine. I’ll back off a little. How about we just call it a truce for right now?”
“Sure.”
“Okay, so as Narrator was saying before that tangent, I’m just out of middle school. I’m a pretty average guy, slim frame, brown hair, yellow eyes, about five foot seven, and I know martial arts.”
“How is having YELLOW EYES average?”
“If I were you, I would be more concerned about the martial arts thing than my eye color. But either way, right now I am in a cave, not of the epic variety, and I’m waiting out a storm so I can enter this secret society of magicians.”
“Okay, now if you’ve finished with your half-baked explanation, I’ll take it from here. It is kind of my job to explain stuff.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Damion comes from a long line of magicians; mages to be specific. Mages use magic for the good of the people. For example, Damion’s dad was a water mage. His name was Lucas Silver and he was a rockin’ model! Clocking in a six foot three inches, he towered over everybody! And he was jacked too; muscles rippling all across his body, toned skin, and strong features only helped to show off his manliness.”
“How do you know so much about my dad?”
“Oh, just reading your memories a bit… nothing much.”
“Wait, wha-”
“Anyway, he used his magic to help fight fires wherever he was at the time. If you can imagine, he was the epitome of hot firefighter. His mother was an earth mage; Melody Silver was her name. With a smaller build and delicate features, it was almost comical how the two looked side-by-side. Damion’s dad, towering over the competition, and his mom, standing there, almost invisible. She used her earth magic to help rebuild houses that were consumed by fires, helping out anyone in need. Everything was good up until that one day in Baal Bim when-”
“Okay Narrator,” Damion interrupted, “Thank you for that, but I would rather not have everyone know about that! Still too fresh to think about…”
“That was over two years ago Damion. You’re going to need to let go of that one soon.”
“I know… but not now.”
“Okay, no problem. Now back to the explanation. While mages use their magic for good, there is a second type of magician: the sage. Sages use their magic in combat, kind of like a magical special forces. Countries can employ sages to fight in wars for them. Like in Alament, there was a civil war a century ago and both sides hired sages to help them fight. That was a really bloody war… Anyway, Damion is going to try and become the first sage from his lineage. Surprisingly, nobody from his family wanted to fight with magic…”
“Yeah, that about sums it up. I’m traveling to the pinnacle of sages, the Citadel.”
“On a completely different note, how do you have such a knack for finding caves?”
“Well, it takes skill to find a good one. Also, the fact that there are too many caves in this area helps. I mean, we’ve passed like what, fifteen in a half hour before finding this one?”
“So then why did you not take the other ones?”
“Give me a second and I’ll tell you.”
“Fine…”
After getting up from where he was sitting, Damion walked over to the entrance of the cave, taking care not to get soaked from the storm occurring in the background.
“The first good thing about this cave is that it’s above ground. It keeps water out because the entrance is on a hill, and it also makes it easier to spot enemies. Secondly, the size. I’d say that this thing goes a little deeper than what we can see, so roughly a 25 foot square. How I got so lucky with this one, I dunno.”
“Maybe it’s fool’s luck and we’ll get ambushed tonight.”
“No. Just. No… As I was saying, Another great thing about this cave is that it’s relatively tall, maybe about twice my height.”
“Why is that so good, oh wise one?”
“Are you always going to be that sarcastic Narrator?”
“No…” Narrator responded in a sarcastic tone.
“Ugh, why do I have to deal with you?…”
“You love me and you know it.”
“As I was saying! It also helps that because there is a good amount of space above me, I can light a smokeless fire without too much risk. Speaking of which… I have no idea why, but the last person in here left their wood.”
“I’m telling you man, it’s totally fool’s luck.”
“The wood is perfect length and I already have kindling and rocks that I can use for the base of the fire.”
“Are you just going to ignore me?”
“Only until I finish making the fire.”
“Got it, I’ll stop…”
“So what do you think I should have for dinner?”
“All you have is some meat, bread, and water. You’ve been doing this for over the past week.”
“Fair.”
Damion then pulled out a frying pan with a lid and started to cook the meat. Soon, aromas of cooked meat filled the cave, and with a rumbling stomach, Damion eagerly tore into his meal.
“By the way, how do you keep that meat fresh? You’d think it would go rotten without a fridge by now. I know you have that bag thingy, but still.”
“Well for starters, it’s called a dimensional fridge. Think of it like opening a portal to a refrigerator, but the door is a bag, and it can’t be destroyed.”
“I’m never going to understand that though…”
“Then I’ll get somebody at the Citadel to explain it for you. Right now, I need to get ready for bed. It’s gonna be an early morning tomorrow. Sleep tight Narrator.”
“You too.”