💎A Collision of Fates💎 (Straight to Gay) (MxM) (18+)

28 - Landel

But casting, dear reader, is not the same as manipulating matter as an elel. Indeed, this will seem controversial, and perhaps it is, but I posit that casting consumes the body. We have seen this time and time again with those who cast too much, be it light or shadow. The casting takes from the caster, not simply from the surroundings. It feeds on the caster. Casting sickness is a manifestation of this. I would humbly request more research be put forth into understanding this illness, and encouraging casters to limit the use of their abilities as much as possible.

Landel shut the book. Notes on Casting, it was a relatively new release by Jeehan, a renown Paxtan scholar. Weird stuff to read. His dad and Timot were light casters, and neither had ever come down with the casting sickness. But, if what Jeehan was writing was true, then it would change the way that casting was treated.

That's if it was true. Jeehan was renowned but also seemed to have a habit of coming to unsubstantiated conclusions.

But what did it mean for the shadow caster who was draining the Goddess? The Shadow Knight? Could they be someone suffering from severe casting sickness? Could they have been eaten alive by their own casting? When they had spoken to Landel outside of the mine, the voice had been so hollow, so empty.

Landel sighed and slid the book to the edge of the table. Adam was reading on the opposite side, a cute little look of concentration on his face. The sun framed his figure, streaming in from the ginormous window that dominated the northern wall of the palace's library.

Adam looked up at Landel, a conflicted look on his face. "Anything?"

"Not much." Landel pointed to Notes on Casting. "Just some stuff about shadow casters. I still have no idea how that man would've gotten out of the mine. Maybe there's another entrance? Some of those mines run for miles."

"If there was another entrance your dad would know about it, right?" Adam said. "They would be guarding that one too."

Landel nodded. "I think so. They treat crystal access, Goddess access, very strictly. At least, the ones they know about, the ones that are official. If there was another way to get to the vein, they would be regulating it."

"Good," Adam said. "That's good."

"I just can't get the Shadow Knight out of my head. Who is he? He must be Sesstrian, right? He must live in this city? It's driving me crazy thinking about it."

Adam pursed his lips, a look of conflict coming to his face, as if he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to phrase it.

"Something wrong?" Landel said. "You look preoccupied."

Adam turned around to check behind him and did a little sweep of the area. He closed his book and put his hands on it. "Not really. Chris and I... we just heard something weird last night. Might want to ask you about it."

"What is it?" Landel said. "You never have to be reluctant to ask me anything, Ads."

Adam nodded. "I know. I know. It's just that..." He breathed out, long and hard. "Chris and I were at The Razor's Tail last night and... well... Jalson sat down."

"Jalson?" Landel chuckled. "What? To insult your shoes or something?"

Adam smirked. "I thought so... but no, surprisingly not. He told us that he heard... he heard Vinton say something to his friends that night at the commons, after the rest of us went to bed." Adam went silent again, as if unsure what he was saying, as if nervous to even be speaking aloud.

"Ok. What?"

"That's the thing," Adam said. "It's ridiculous. But." He cleared his throat and shook his head. "He said that you and Vinton have a bet."