Chapter 18

Mark sat down on his bed and gingerly opened the book.

The cover was old and tattered, with frayed edges that spoke of years of use. The pages inside were yellowed with age, and the ink had faded in places, but the words were still legible.

He started reading, his initial skepticism quickly giving way to a morbid fascination. The book wasn’t a dry historical account; it was a collection of personal narratives, fragmented observations, and whispered rumors.

The early pages chronicled the formation of a rogue group of magic users – mages, witches, warlocks, and others who rebelled against the traditional covens and clans. They were hungry for knowledge, driven by a desire to break the rules, to see how far magic could go when freed from the shackles of society.

They tried many things, from spreading plague-ridden fleas across cities to locking humans in closed spaces with no light for days to injecting harmful viruses into human bodies and watching as they tore themselves apart. Their methods were as brutal as they were effective.

Yet amidst the carnage, they achieved breakthroughs. New schools of magic emerged, their discoveries branching far beyond the basic elements. Ether manipulation, for example, had evolved into intricate forms no one had dared imagine.

As their power grew, so did their arrogance. The text described their subtle infiltration into the world’s power structures. Empires rose and fell at their whim, wars waged in the shadows of their influence.

The Black Death, the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre, even the eruption of Mount Vesuvius – all were rumored to bear their shadowy fingerprints. He even read about whispered rumors of their involvement in the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the catalyst for World War I, and the manipulation of many other economic shifts.

Holy shit.

But it wasn’t just destruction. Some of their breakthroughs had positive consequences—advancements in medicine, scientific discoveries that humanity had claimed as its own.

It was a paradox: their genius uplifted the world even as their recklessness tore it apart.

But these successes were overshadowed by the widespread destruction and suffering caused by their more reckless pursuits. The world, both human and supernatural, was their playground, and they played with a careless abandon that bordered on madness.

Despite the chaos and destruction they left in their wake, the cabal’s power and influence continued to grow. They attracted others like themselves – ambitious mages, power-hungry witches, and anyone who craved knowledge and power.

Kind of like a magical Fight Club.

And then, came the discovery, or perhaps the uncovering, of the Void.

The book dedicated an entire chapter to it, but even then, its true nature remained shrouded in mystery. What the hell is the Void? Mark frowned, turning the brittle pages. No one seemed to know for sure, not even those who had wielded its power.

There were theories, of course.

Some believed the Void was simply another element, like fire or water, but one that existed on a different plane, its properties fundamentally opposed to the energies that governed the natural world.

But why would one element be able to nullify others? Doesn’t make sense.

Others argued that the Void was a separate dimension altogether, a realm of pure nothingness, a cosmic vacuum that could absorb and obliterate any form of energy that came into contact with it. A black hole for ether?

But the theory that unsettled Mark the most was that the Void wasn’t just destructive—it was foundational. A primal chaos, the source of all ether, from which every spell drew its power.

That’s even crazier.

The text went on to describe more outlandish theories – the Void as a gateway to the afterlife, a prison for ancient gods, a cosmic consciousness. Seriously, who writes this stuff?

Regardless of its true nature, the cabal recognized the Void’s immense potential. They poured resources into researching it, experimenting with it, trying to understand and control its destructive potential.

And through their efforts, the Void Mages were born. Individuals capable of wielding this nothingness became the cabal’s most powerful assets.

With the ability to nullify magic, to create voids where even the most potent spells fizzled and died, they were practically unstoppable. The cabal’s power grew exponentially, their influence spreading like a shadow across the world. They were unstoppable.

Until they weren’t.

The text described how their hubris led to their downfall. It was a familiar tale — ambition gone wild, corruption creeping in, power getting out of hand, and the inevitable spiral into darkness that sealed their doom.

Classic power corrupts - story.

But what struck Mark most wasn’t the rise and fall of the cabal. It was how Void Mages were portrayed. They weren’t the origin of their destruction—they were just another tool.

Yet they became the scapegoats, the shunned ones.

Why? Mark wondered, closing the book. Why the special hatred?

The cabal’s atrocities were a collective effort, not the fault of a single group. Maybe it’s just propaganda, he mused. A way to control the narrative and justify the persecution.

He knew how stories could mutate over time, how facts could be twisted, how fear could be weaponized. But even then, the systematic hunting down of Void Mages, the relentless pursuit of anyone with even a hint of that power ... it didn’t make sense.

He just had more questions than answers.

“Hey, babe.”

He looked up to see Ria standing in the doorway, her face tired.

“Hey ... When did you get back?”

“Just now,” she said, kicking off her shoes with a weary sigh. “Those classes today were brutal. I’m pretty sure the professors get a kick out of watching us suffer.”

“Tell me about it.”

With a playful grin, Ria crossed the small distance, settling onto his lap, her warm thighs pressing against his.

“Did you miss me?” she asked, her voice a playful purr.

“We saw each other this morning, remember?”

She answered with a gentle jab to his stomach.

“Ow! Okay, okay, I missed you. Happy now?”

“Much better,” she grinned, resting her head against his shoulder.

Sitting there, her body warm against his, he almost convinced himself to forget the secret gnawing at his insides.

“Whatcha reading?” Ria asked, her voice muffled against his shirt.

“Just some ... research,” Mark said, holding up the book. “Remember Julian? The guy Lida told me about?”

She nodded.

“He gave me this to read. Said it would help me understand ... things.”

“What’s it about?”

“Old stories. History stuff.”

Should I tell her? He’d been debating it for days, the words hovering on the tip of his tongue, but he always chickened out at the last minute.

“Everything okay?” She asked, pulling back slightly. “You seem ... off.”

“Just tired,” he hedged, pressing his face into the crook of her neck. “It’s been ... a long day.”

She gently ran her fingers through his hair, her touch a soothing balm to his frayed nerves. For a moment, he just held her, breathing in her scent, the familiar vanilla and spice that always calmed him.

I could stay like this forever, but...

Mark’s heart thudded in his chest as he held her close, the words burning on the tip of his tongue. What if she panicked? What if she saw him the way the world perceived—dangerous, unpredictable, better off gone?

She deserves to know. He tried to convince himself, but the fear lingered. This was Ria. She wasn’t just anyone. Losing her would hurt more than he cared to admit.

“Actually, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”

“Uh oh. This sounds serious.”

“Kind of.”

“What is it?”

He took a deep breath, gathering his courage. Just say it, Mark. Rip off the band-aid. “Do you ... know anything about Void Mages?”

Ria blinked, clearly caught off guard.

“A little ... My dad used to tell me stories about them. He used to say they were disasters waiting to happen. Unstable, destructive, impossible to control. He called them ... the worst.”

“He hated them, huh?”

“He had his reasons,” she explained. “They were dangerous, unpredictable. Often made a mess of things, and they were a huge pain to deal with. He’s not a fan, to say the least.”

“What about you? You think they’re ... bad news too?”

“I’ve never met one,” she said with a shrug. “So it’s hard to say. But the stories aren’t great. They messed things up. A lot. Nobody wanted them around.”

“Well, that’s just great,” he muttered, his stomach clenching.

“What happened?”

Mark hesitated. Here goes nothing. “What if I told you ... I’m one of them?”

“What?”

“Y-yeahhh.”

“Are you serious?”

Mark sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Yes, Ria. I’m serious.”

He quickly explained his unusual heritage, the conflicting duality that flowed through his veins.

Ria froze, then slid off his lap as if burned. He watched her pace the room, her eyes narrowed with disbelief.

“Wow. That’s ... insane.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“But ... how is that even possible? A mage and ... Vo- It doesn’t make any sense.”

“I have no idea.” He was just as confused as she was. “Genetics is a weird, mysterious thing I guess.”

“But it’s not possible,” Ria insisted. “It’s like ... like mixing oil and water. They don’t mix.”

“I’m full of surprises, apparently.”