Read Shadow & Magic: Sorcerer's Revenge

In the dim underground dungeon, the enchanted metal circle pulsed with a dazzling swirl of magic, and a portal crackled to life at its center. Streaks of purple lightning danced between two towering obelisks that stood like sentinels to each side of the struture, fueling the portal's mystical activation. It's radiance spread like waves in the etheric field, visible only to those born with the gift of sorcery.

A pale woman, her long black hair bound by tight ropes, stood before it. A cloth gagged her mouth, muffling her curses. She struggled fiercely against her restraints, but the ropes held fast. By her side stood a hooded sorcerer, his face obscured by shadows.

"Save your breath, Raya," he said, his voice laced with an ominous tone. "The poison has severed your connection to the ether."

"Throw the witch in!" jeered a man from behind the sorcerer. He was slender with slick blond hair, adorned in regal attire.

"Don't do it, Reken!" pleaded a burly, bearded man, his voice quivering with anger and despair. He was chained and on his knees, signs of torture clearly visible on his bruised body and battered face.

The hooded sorcerer struck the chained man's gut with a staff crafted from the same mystical alloy as the portal's ring. Etheric shockwaves coursed through the man's weakened form.

"You should have known it would end like this, big brother," Reken sneered. "Behold the mighty warrior prince Khon, reduced to such a pitiable wreck."

Reken's words dripped with disdain as he glared at Khon gasping for air on the dungeon floor.

With a swift motion, the hooded sorcerer pushed Raya into the swirling portal before swiftly closing it by tapping his staff on one of its intricate runes. Preventing a Shadow Lord from breaching into the kingdom was crucial, especially after the treacherous and murderous ploting that it took to secure Reken's ascension to the throne of Asuria.

"No... Raya... You... Reken... I will end you," Khon muttered through the pain, his eyes ablaze with fury as he glowered at Reken.

"You'll be nothing more than a slave in the mines or in the coliseum, big brother," Reken retorted coldly. "And if you dare raise your voice again, I'll ensure your so-called allies meet the same fate."

"Curse you, you foul excuse of a man."

"What was that?" Reken cupped his ear mockingly, leaning closer. Khon clenched his jaw, blood trickling from his lips as he looked away in silence. "That's what I thought. Guards, take him away."

Two heavily armored guards seized Khon's arms and dragged his limp body out of the chamber. Reken erupted into manic laughter. "Finally, no one remains to challenge my rule."

Raya's body thudded against the black sands of the Shadowlands after she was cast through the portal. The poison still severed her connection to the ether, a blessing in this corrupted realm dominated by malevolent Corruption. If she were to connect to it as a sorcerer, the corruption would devour her in one gulp or gnaw at her like a ravenous wolf on a bone.

She lay in wait, her mind haunted by the prospect of encountering a shadow beast at any moment. The portal had not opened at its usual time for Asuria's sacrifices to the Shadow Lords or for purging the unwanted. The ones to be purged or deemed unwanted, of course, hinged on who held the throne.

As the poison's effects waned, she tentatively reached for the ether. It felt distant, like grasping at a griffin's shape soaring high in the sky, a mere illusion of contact. She struggled to keep the Corruption at bay, a sinister river of prickling needles seeking to infiltrate her etheric and physical bodies.

Amidst her invisible magical struggle, she contorted her body to ignite a feeble blue flame, just enough to burn through her restraints. "At least some of my magic still works," she whispered to herself. She was a level 7 magician, one of the highest attainable levels among humans.

Raya stood up, removed her gag, and spat out the foul taste left by the rancid cloth. "They could have at least used a clean cloth, those bastards," she muttered, chuckling. She had always believed in embracing and laughing at life's absurdities. "Which new absurdities must I find humor in now?" she wondered, gazing at the seemingly endless black desert.

"Which indeed?" a chilling voice echoed from all around her.

Have I been discovered already? Raya's heart raced at the thought.

"In the Shadowlands, there is no hiding," the voice intoned. "Unless, of course, I choose to help you."

"Who are you?" she asked, her suspicion growing. Could it be one of the Shadow Lords?

"I am not," it replied.

"Stop reading my thoughts!" she protested.

"Can you stop thinking so loudly?" the voice taunted her.

"Fine, have it your way. At least tell me who you are."

"I am Festus," the voice revealed. "And you are Raya."

"How do you know my name?"

"I know much more than your name. I also know something you don't."

"What is that?"