Phil

Phil and I had been friends since childhood. We grew up together, studied together, and dreamed of the future together. But when the time came to choose our paths, our roads diverged. I set out to study magic, while he prepared to one day take the throne.

After the king's death, Phil ascended to the throne at only seventeen. His first decree was the ban of magic. He called it dangerous and unpredictable, claiming that the world had enough of holy power. Our arguments became more frequent and fiercer, until one day we stopped speaking altogether.

Five years passed. I became an archmage and left the kingdom to practice magic freely abroad. And then one day, a letter with the royal seal was delivered to me.

"My brother is gravely ill. Neither holy power nor the best healers have been able to help him. I am willing to pay any price if you return and attempt to save him."

I reread the letter several times. Pride told me to burn it and forget it. But Phil's brother was almost like family to me. We grew up together, and the thought that he might die was unbearable.

A week later, the ship was already approaching the shores of the kingdom that was once my home. Ahead of me awaited a meeting with the man who was once my best friend, and had now become my most irreconcilable adversary.