That day, death lay in wait.

Leylin wandered aimlessly through the capital’s streets as the sun sunk behind faraway mountains. They were full of young men, women and children, yet there was no joy or laughter to them. Most sat against stone walls, sobbing, while others walked quietly or found solace in their friends. Leylin took in every individual face, every creased brow and every tear and burned it into his memory. Made it part of his vow.

Today marked the hundredth year since the primordial Oath was sworn, and billions of people across the realm readied themselves for death. They bid farewell to the world and everything they held dear as they prepared to face the unknown. Ravenlock’s last degree as king was simple. Erase this day from history and never speak of it. Children were told to stay away from their parents. To not watch them die.

Leylin’s sorrow overshadowed his fury. He gazed up, at the dark oath magic swirling in the sky between the crimson clouds of dusk. No one knew what would truly happen once it descended. Only one thing was certain. It would spell demise for the majority of living beings. And it was only the beginning.

Leylin bumped into a woman running through the streets, and she fell down on all fours, sobbing. A few moments passed and she didn’t get up, so he helped her.

“I’m scared,” she said, her hand squeezing his. “Please, I don’t know what to do.”

Leyin withdrew his hand and turned around, offering no response. There was little he could say. But he knew what he had to do. He changed his course, following the old roads to the palace until he saw its towering walls between the buildings.

The guards that shifted back and forth, though many, were less than a century old. That made them mere children in front of him. A gust of wind lifted him off his feet, and he landed on an open windowsill. He cast a last glance to the world outside before stepping into the palace. The silence inside was almost eerie.

Leylin let his hair back and straightened his clothes. He walked through the palace as if he belonged there. As if he’d never left it. Maids, servants and guards stepped aside to let him through. Anybody old enough to know who he was would be in his deathbed, so he wandered the long halls and adorned corridors undisturbed.

It had been years since he last was in the palace, but he soon found his way to Ravenlock’s bedchambers. There were no guards here. No need to protect a dying man. He slipped inside and Ravenlock’s hoarse breathing greeted him.

“Ethan?” The man’s voice was slow and ragged. “I told you to leave me. You have to prepare.”

The name of the successor, Leylin imagined. He rounded the large bed to where Ravelock lay, a shadow of his former shelf.

Ravenlock pushed himself up with trembling arms. The thin bed sheets slid away, revealing his bony chest and stomach. His mouth was open, withered lips shaking in shock. “Illusion…”

“No.” Leylin sat beside him. “I am most real.”

“But your body!” Ravelock pointed at him with a scrawny finger. “Impossible.”

Leylin’s hand flashed, gripping Ravenlock’s finger. “You don’t get to fool me any more, brother.” He pushed his thumb back and the King’s finger snapped like a twig. “I decide what is possible now.”

Ravelock let out a low growl and clenched his teeth. “How?” His breathing grew labored and swift. Whether from surprise or pain, Leylin could not tell.

“What do you think happened after you betrayed us?” Leylin tried to control the anger in his voice. “You think I just sat idly waiting to die like the rest of you?”

“It was not betrayal. Why won’t you underst–”

Leylin gripped Ravenlock’s mouth. “I fought, you bastard.” His fingers clenched almost by themselves and the man howled in agony. He fought hard to not crush the man’s skull right there. “I faced what you presented as the quintessential truth of the word and I challenged it. You told me that Oaths, once sworn, cannot be broken.”

“They– Can’t.” Ravelock’s voice came out muffled.

“I know.” Leylin’s face wrapped with disdain. He let go and Ravenlock coughed out blood. “But at least I tried damn it. Mages called me mad for even attempting something so profane, and even the few that humoured my ignorance told me the same thing.” Leylin looked out the window, at the dark misty clouds slowly descending to the ground.

“Tell. Me,” Ravenlock demanded between fits of coughing and shaking. “What did you… do?”

“I fought to deny you. I devoted myself to the task. Thankfully, my efforts hadn’t gone to waste. Through countless experiments, I saw things no one had before. I discovered details and intricacies of the primordial spell that you wouldn’t be able to wrap your head around, yet every discovery threw me deeper into despair. It all hinted at the same principle. Oaths cannot be broken.”

“Then how?” Ravenlock drew closer. “How did you survive?”

“Using what you always lacked. Resolve.” Leylin shot the man a hateful glare. How he wished he could snap that neck just to feel the sickening crunch under his fingers. “When my research reached a dead end, I changed my plans. I began to hunt down the aspect that still lived after the war ended.” Leylin leaned back, chuckling. “The bastards are persistent, you know? In thirty years, I managed to kill only five.”

“Five?” Ravenlock’s eyes went wide. Leylin knew his war record better than anyone. The King and his princes, his archmages and their tamed warbeasts. The mightiest force that fought in favour of humanity, had only managed to kill two aspects during the first war.

“Impressive, I know. Still, it wasn’t enough. Even a thousand years would not suffice for me to wipe out all aspects. I was starting to lose hope, when I had an inspiration. A dark thought that led me to a completely new direction. That gave me new purpose.” Leylin reached into his pocket. “You see, the Primordial Oath, no matter how unforgiving, is simple.” He toyed with a glittering gem, twisting it between his fingers. “The Aspects live. Everything else dies.”

Ravenlock’s gaze alternated between him and the gem, his blue eyes lost. “I don’t understand.”

“That is the true anguish of the Primordial Oath.” Leylin sighed. “The mind cannot function properly when the body ages to this extent.” He held the gem up in his palm. “I became what I once sought to destroy. I am the aspect of souls.”

“Your origin magic…” Ravenlock grasped his head. Rage flared in his eyes for the first time. “Do you realise what you have done? They’ll break the peace… They’ll come for you! You’ve brought the world to ruin!”

A scream sounded from somewhere in the palace. Brief yet piercing. Outside, a tendril of darkness reached for the ground and the sounds of death filled the air. A wisp of magic appeared over Ravenlock’s head, forming eyeballs that gazed at him.

“You beat me to it!” Leylin sprung up, pinning Ravenlock under his knee. “And I will punish you for it.”

“You threaten a dying man.” Ravenlock didn’t resist. Darkness gathered on his lip and black colored his veins. “There’s nothing you can do.”

“Oh, trust me brother.” Leylin tore the flesh from Ravenlock’s chest and pushed the gemheart inside. The man’s eyes lost all color and his body fell still. When Leylin retrieved the gem, it glowed a deep blue between his fingers. “You have no idea what I can do.”