neophyte
noun
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King Derex of the Shadows sat on his throne, regarding the youth standing before him. The boy was no older than 15, and his inexperience showed. The boy held his sword like he had only started learning a week ago, and his magical energy was raw and unrefined.
“Are you sure you want to do this, boy?” Derex said.
“I…I am. I…it’s my duty as the hero to vanquish you.”
Derex had to give the boy credit. He was braver than most of the other heroes that came before him. Although the boy was sweating and his arms were shaking, he still held the blade up, and his trembling feet did not move. Many others who claimed the title of hero fled long before they got to Derex’s throne room.
“Really now?” Derex said. “You think you can do so as you are? Why, you can barely hold that sword of yours.”
“It…it doesn’t matter. For the peace of the world, I have to fight. I have to win.”
The boy shouted and charged. Derex signed and raised a half-hearted magical barrier. Against a properly trained hero it have about the effect of a few sheets of paper. But against this one it may as well have been an iron wall. The boy swung his sword over and over, each swing making it abundantly clear how little training he had received.
Derex raised his hand to conjure a ball of destructive magic and kill the young hero. But he did not. A stray thought entered his mind as he watched. The boy was young and unrefined, but he was still a hero. All heroes had the potential for incredible power and skill, thanks to the reincarnating soul they shared. That soul also ensured there would always be a hero, since a new one would be born soon after the previous one died.
Sure, it would give Derex a few years without having to worry about such interruptions, but it would inevitably return. But what if he did not kill this hero? What if he kept the boy alive? Oh keeping him in prison was out of the question. It would be a needless drain on resources, and heroes could be annoyingly resourceful when it came to prison breaks. But there was another option. One that would only work on a young, untrained hero.
Any hero with proper training would be able to resist mental magic. But this one? It was perfect. He began casting the spell as the boy continued to strike uselessly on the barrier. The magic quickly finished and a cloud of shadow enveloped the young hero’s head. He stopped attacking and lowered his sword as his eyes clouded over.
They snapped back into a focus a moment later and he looked around confused.
“Where, where am I?” The boy asked. “Who are you? What’s going on? I…I can’t…I don’t remember…I…I don’t know…”
Derex let his barrier fall and rose to the former hero, who was looking around himself quickly with eye quickly filling with fear.
“It’s okay, lad. My name is Derex. I’m the king of these lands. And you are Selton, my apprentice in the art of sword and magic. You will be training under me in all things and become a champion of the people.”
“I…I am? I will?” The boy asked. The name was something Derex made up then and there. But the rest of it was true. At least, it was now.
“Indeed. It is understandable that you don’t remember anything though. Magic can be quite volatile if mishandled. Don’t worry, I will teach you to cast the spell properly in time.”
“I…I see. I…I apologize for my failure.” The newly budded Selton said with a slight, and very confused, bow.
“Think nothing of it. Now, let me take you to your room. You have much to learn, and much more to relearn, my young apprentice.”
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You'd think when dealing with reincarnating heroes, more villains would want to capture them alive. But nope, it's always kill first, question later. Well, try and kill. It usually doesn't go super well for the villain.
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