the black magician teleport to the another word book 1

Title 4: Echoes of Darkness

Elias reveled in the hushed whispers and curious glances that followed him through the Guild. "Gulgoth Slayer" – the title felt heavy on his tongue, a constant reminder of his ordeal and the power that pulsed within him. Yet, a nagging unease gnawed at him. The Black magic, the raw, untamed energy that had saved him, felt foreign, almost… evil.

He sought solace in his room, the silence broken only by the rhythmic thud of his own heartbeat. Sleep, however, remained elusive. Visions of the cavern, the stench of burnt flesh, and the chilling blue glow of his magic haunted his dreams.

The next morning, Elias emerged from his room, the weight of the 80,000 gold for the White Tiger mission a dull ache in his non-existent pocket (thanks to his fancy new card). He bypassed the usual mission board, drawn instead to the shadowy corner where Kai Angelo, the Guild's resident purveyor of the peculiar, held court.

Kai, a wiry man with eyes that seemed to hold the secrets of a thousand forgotten spells, regarded Elias with amusement. "Ah, the famed Gulgoth Slayer graces my humble corner. What brings you, young slayer?"

Elias explained his predicament. Teleportation was convenient, but limited. He needed an upgrade.

Kai's lips curled into a sly grin. "Ah, an itch only a specific scratch can soothe. I might have just the thing – an Amulet of Distant Shores. Lets you hop across continents with a mere thought." The price, however, was exorbitant – a vial of Nightshade essence, a rare ingredient rumored to hold potent dark magic.

Elias hesitated. The Black magic still unsettled him, but the allure of unrestricted teleportation was undeniable. He gritted his teeth. "Deal."

The amulet, a smooth obsidian pendant, pulsed with a faint, unsettling warmth. As he strapped it on, a tendril of the Black magic brushed against his mind, whispering promises of power and control. He pushed it down, a shiver running down his spine.

The White Tiger hunt loomed. With a deep breath, Elias activated the amulet, picturing the snowy peaks of the north. The world swirled around him, the familiar Guild hall dissolving into a kaleidoscope of colors.

He reappeared on a frigid mountainside, the wind whipping at his face. Snow stretched as far as the eye could see, broken only by the jagged outline of distant peaks. But something was wrong. An unnatural stillness hung in the air, broken only by the unsettling silence.

Suddenly, a guttural growl echoed through the valley, sending a jolt of adrenaline through him. A monstrous White Tiger, its fur the color of freshly fallen snow, emerged from behind a snowdrift. Its eyes, however, were not the expected blue, but burned with an unnatural crimson glow, mirroring the unsettling warmth of the amulet around his neck.

Panic threatened to consume him. This wasn't the majestic creature he'd envisioned. This was a predator twisted by some dark power, its very presence radiating an unsettling aura.

As the beast charged, a cold resolve settled over Elias. He wouldn't let this corrupted creature claim another victim. He raised his AWM Sniper, the weight of the mission, and the unsettling feeling within him, pressing down on him. He had to end this.

The next chapter could explore:

The Hunt: Will Elias use his newfound Black magic to gain an edge, or will he rely on his skills and resourcefulness?

The Corruption: Will Elias learn more about the source of the White Tiger's corruption and the connection to his own Black magic?

The Choice: Will Elias embrace the dark power for the sake of victory, or will he find a way to defeat the corrupted tiger without succumbing to the darkness himself?

The crimson eyes of the White Tiger locked onto Elias, its feral breath misting in the frigid air. Its monstrous roar echoed through the desolate valley, a challenge that vibrated in Elias' bones. He gripped his AWM Sniper, the familiar weight a grounding force against the rising tide of unease. This wasn't the hunt he'd signed up for.

Fear warred with the cold logic of a trained slayer. The creature before him was a twisted reflection of its kind, a predator warped by an unseen darkness. The unnatural crimson glow in its eyes mirrored the unsettling warmth emanating from the Amulet of Distant Shores. Was there a connection?

A primal growl ripped from Elias' throat, a response that surprised even him. He wasn't sure if it was defiance or a desperate attempt to appear unafraid. The beast mirrored the sound, a guttural rumble that sent tremors through the snow-laden ground.

The White Tiger launched itself forward, a blur of white fur against the snowy backdrop. Elias' muscles tensed, years of training kicking in. He adjusted his scope, the reticle locking onto the rapidly approaching beast. His finger hovered over the trigger.

This was supposed to be a clean mission, a test of his skills. Now, it was a desperate fight for survival against a creature fueled by a darkness he barely understood. A dark power pulsed within him, a tempting echo of the creature's corruption. It whispered promises of strength, of ending this fight swiftly.

Elias gritted his teeth. He wouldn't succumb. He was a slayer, not a monster. He'd find another way. With a surge of adrenaline, he sidestepped just as the White Tiger's massive paw slammed into the spot where he had stood a moment before. The impact sent a shockwave through the air, tinged with a faint, sickeningly sweet smell.

The beast whipped its head around, enraged. This was his chance. Elias lined up the shot, focusing on the creature's glowing eyes. But a tendril of doubt snaked through him. What if this essence, this darkness, was the key to the White Tiger's power? Would a normal bullet even pierce its defenses?

Hesitation could be fatal. He forced the thought down. He wouldn't gamble with innocent lives. With a deep breath, he squeezed the trigger. The world slowed to a crawl as the bullet left the chamber. Would it be enough?

The bullet struck true, exploding in a crimson bloom against the White Tiger's eye. The beast roared in pain, a sound that echoed with a strange, metallic clang. It stumbled back, shaking its head violently, the snow beneath its massive paws turning crimson.

Elias didn't wait to see if it was a clean kill. He sprinted, his lungs burning in the thin mountain air. The unnatural stillness had shattered, replaced by the enraged bellows of the wounded beast. He could hear the pounding of its paws behind him, a relentless drumbeat urging him forward.

He didn't know where he was going, only that he needed to get away from those crimson eyes, those eyes that burned with the same unsettling warmth as the amulet. Was there a connection? Was the darkness within the amulet somehow fueling the corruption of the tiger?

Darting through a grove of snow-laden pines, a desperate plan began to form. He needed to weaken the beast, to somehow purge the darkness from it, and the amulet seemed to be the key. But how? He didn't understand its power, let alone how to control it.

Reaching a clearing, he skidded to a halt, chest heaving. The White Tiger emerged from the trees behind him, its injured eye a pulsating red orb. It circled him slowly, its every movement radiating a predatory menace.

Taking a deep breath, Elias focused on the amulet. He closed his eyes, picturing the tendrils of dark energy that pulsed within it. This time, he didn't push them down. He reached out with his mind, tentatively at first, then with a growing sense of urgency.

A jolt of power surged through him, raw and untamed. He opened his eyes, the world seeming sharper, brighter. The White Tiger froze, its crimson gaze locking onto him. But this time, something was different. The glow in its eyes flickered, a flicker of confusion replacing the rage.

"There has to be another way," Elias called out, his voice surprisingly steady. "We don't have to be consumed by this darkness."

The beast tilted its head, the confusion deepening. Elias wasn't sure if he was understood, but he pressed on. Focusing all his will, he channeled the dark energy from the amulet, not towards the tiger, but outwards, into the surrounding air.

The clearing shimmered, a wave of distortion rippling outwards. The air crackled with unseen energy. Then, with a deafening pop, a tear ripped open in the fabric of reality, revealing a swirling vortex of inky blackness.

The White Tiger recoiled, a low growl rumbling in its throat. The unnatural crimson glow in its eye flickered once more, then vanished, replaced by a startled blue.

For a long moment, they stared at each other across the threshold to the unknown. Then, with a mighty roar, the White Tiger turned and leaped through the rift, the darkness swallowing it whole. The tear sealed shut with a snap, leaving behind an unsettling silence.

Elias sank to his knees, drained. He didn't know what he had done, but he knew one thing for sure: the fight was far from over. The source of the corruption remained a mystery, and the darkness within him thrummed with a seductive power. He had a choice to make – embrace the shadows for the sake of power, or find a way to control them before they consumed him.

Elias clutched the amulet, the cold metal a grounding presence against the chaotic churn of emotions within him. The clearing felt different now, a strange hush hanging in the air, broken only by the distant cry of a mountain bird. The weight of his decision pressed down on him. He'd banished the White Tiger, but at what cost? Had he simply delayed the inevitable, or had he stumbled upon a way to fight back?

Rising to his feet, a newfound resolve steeled his spine. He wouldn't succumb to the darkness, not yet. He had to understand the amulet, its connection to the corruption, and the strange dimensional rift he'd opened.

Following the faint trail of disturbed snow, Elias found a small, half-buried object near where the White Tiger had vanished. It was a smooth, obsidian shard, pulsing with a faint, malevolent energy that sent shivers down his spine. A shard, he realized with a jolt, that fit perfectly into a slot on the amulet's surface.

The moment he inserted the shard, the amulet blazed with an unholy light, blinding him momentarily. When his vision cleared, the world seemed altered, sharper, imbued with an otherworldly glow. He saw wisps of dark energy clinging to the trees, tendrils reaching out towards him like malevolent fingers.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind, not spoken words but a cold, slithering sensation. "You wield a fragment of my power, mortal. Serve me, and I can grant you dominion over this world and beyond."

Elias gritted his teeth, pushing back against the voice. He wouldn't be a pawn. He focused on the shard, picturing the White Tiger, the confusion in its eyes before it vanished. "There's another way," he thought, channeling his will.

The amulet pulsed, the voice screeching in protest. But then, a vision flooded his mind. A desolate landscape, devoid of life, shrouded in perpetual twilight. A lone figure stood at the center, radiating an aura of pure darkness. It was the source, the entity corrupting the land and the creatures within it.

The vision shattered, leaving him gasping for breath. Now he understood. The amulet wasn't just a source of power, it was a tether, a way for the entity to exert its influence. He had to sever the connection, not just for himself, but to save the mountain, perhaps even the world, from this encroaching darkness.

With newfound purpose, Elias set off, the shard a burning coal in his palm. He didn't know where he was headed, but he knew he had to find a way to break the amulet, to sever the tether and banish the entity back to its desolate realm. The journey would be fraught with peril, a constant battle against the darkness within him and the growing influence of the shard. But for the first time since wielding the amulet, Elias felt a flicker of hope. He wasn't alone. He had the memory of the White Tiger's confusion, a testament that even corrupted creatures could be reached. Perhaps, somewhere in this world, there existed a way to fight back the darkness, not with brute force, but with understanding and compassion.

Elias trudged through the snow, the shard a constant weight in his hand. The once pristine mountain air now felt heavy, tinged with the faintest whisper of decay. The voice in his mind, though subdued, remained, a persistent itch he couldn't scratch. It weaved insidious thoughts into his worries, painting the coming journey as an impossible feat.

Days bled into weeks, the landscape becoming harsher, the trees gnarled and twisted under the influence of the corruption. Hunger gnawed at him, but even foraging felt perilous, the forest teeming with mutated creatures, their once bright eyes glowing with an eerie purple light.

One particularly desperate night, Elias huddled beneath a snow-laden overhang, clutching his stomach. Despair threatened to engulf him. He was losing the battle against the shard's influence. Its power seeped into his dreams, whispering promises of strength and dominion if he only yielded.

Just as he was about to succumb, a faint melody drifted on the wind. It was a haunting song, a mournful tune played on an instrument he couldn't recognize. Curiosity sparked a flicker of defiance within him. With renewed purpose, he followed the sound, the shard's whispers momentarily forgotten.

The melody led him to a hidden valley untouched by the corruption. Lush greenery carpeted the ground, and a crystal-clear stream snaked through the center. In the heart of this oasis, a lone figure sat beside the stream, playing the strange instrument.

An old woman, her face etched with wisdom, looked up at Elias' approach. Her eyes, however, held not fear, but a deep sadness.

"Lost, are we?" she asked, her voice a gentle rasp.

Elias, surprised by her calmness, poured out his story, the corruption, the amulet, the shard, and the encroaching darkness. As he spoke, the amulet on his chest burned with a dull anger.

The woman listened patiently, her gaze never leaving his. When he finished, she spoke, her voice low but powerful. "The shard amplifies the darkness within you, but it doesn't create it. You, young one, have the light to resist."

She gestured to the space beside her. "Sit. Let me show you."

With trepidation, Elias sat. The woman played a new melody, the notes weaving around him, washing over him like a cleansing wave. He felt the darkness within him recede, a heavy blanket lifted from his soul. Memories flickered to life - times of laughter, of love, of the simple joys in life.

"The darkness feeds on despair," the woman explained, "but the light thrives on hope, on connection, on love. Remember who you are, Elias. Remember the good within you, and it will give you the strength to fight."

Elias spent the next few days learning from the woman. She taught him about the delicate balance between light and dark, the importance of understanding the darkness rather than simply opposing it. She revealed ancient forgotten rituals, chants that resonated within the very fabric of the mountain itself.

Finally, the time came for Elias to leave. The woman gifted him a small, smooth stone, radiating a pure, warm light. "This will help you focus your will," she said. "Remember, the answer lies not in destroying the darkness, but in allowing the light within you to shine brighter."

With a heavy heart, Elias departed, the shard still in his hand, but its power diminished. He held onto the woman's words, a flickering flame of hope refusing to be extinguished. He knew the journey ahead would be difficult, but now he was armed with knowledge, a renewed sense of purpose, and a sliver of the woman's light to guide him.