The sizzling smell of molten iron filled the air as Rolf wrestled off his armored vest and threw it into a nearby lake. He caught the briefest glimpse of something green whistling through the air before it landed with a “thunk” beside him. Even to the untrained eye, it would appear to be an emerald of unparalleled quality. But Rolf could see the tempest of winds swirling inside the gem; he could hear the hum of electricity as the surface crackled with sparks, and he could feel the sheer force of untainted magical strength emanating from the stone. “A Level 5 Soul Gem,” he whispered. His hand unwittingly reached out for it, but Rolf abruptly pulled it back. He dared not touch it without explicit permission from… “That was well done,” a thundering voice emanated from the sky. Rolf plopped down beside the stone, simply staring up at the clouds. A tell-tale figure materialized and descended down in front of him. “To be frank, I’m rather impressed with the progress that you’ve made.” “Your praise is undeserved sir; I can’t imagine how I’d block that last attack.” “You underestimate your own strength. In your current state, few attacks will be able to overpower you via brute force. The better wrought spells will attempt to overwhelm you through a sleight of the eye. Once you realize that, it’s simply a matter of reflecting the true attack. Of the hundreds of lightning bolts that were aimed your way, only the one that hit you was real. Take up the Soul Gem next to you Rolf Schrodinger. It is not an object that should be left rolling around on a common field.” Rolf’s eyes widened as the Arch Mage’s words sunk in. It had been almost ten years since he’d entered the mage’s tutelage, ten years since he’d become a member of the Order’s war against the Wunderweiss legion. His early signs of competence with the arcane arts had catapulted him into the ranks of the Arch Mage’s personal apprentices. The Soul Gem was both a marker of one’s progress and an amplifier for one’s powers. To Rolf’s understanding there were only three Soul Gems of a Level 5 class. Two belonged to Wunderweiss and the other to the Arch Mage. “Sir, have your experiments in forging succeeded?” The Arch Mage piercing eyes looked directly into Rolfs’ as he said, “The art of crafting Soul Gems is something that was lost to us with the disappearance of the Last Elders. That stone is mine, or it used to be. I have nothing more to teach you. Ten years under my tutelage will have given you an understanding of the immense power and the suffocating burden that accompanies that stone.” The elderly mage paused and lowered his eyes. Rolf had been on the receiving end of the Arch Mage’s all-knowing gaze countless times before, but the mage had never broken eye-contact before him. The man regarded it as a sign of weakness. “All those responsibilities now fall to you,” he ended with a slight smile. “Now go back to your villa and rest. There are tasks that you must fulfill immediately.” Rolf opened a compartment in his glove that concealed five grooves, and fingered the empty fifth one. Never had he imagined that he’d be able to fill all five. As he inserted the emerald Soul Gem throes of magical shocks wracked his body. The edges of his vision gave way to an all-encompassing darkness. When he woke up to find himself in his villa, the sun had already set. Rolf murmured a spell to light his abode and was momentarily blinded as the place lit up like a brilliant summer’s day. His delighted smile at his newfound strength soon gave away as he recalled the Arch Mage’s expression from before. It reminded Rolf of the rueful smile and empty assurances he had given a small boy who had been pleading for his parents; the same parents who were nothing more than smoldering ashes after a brutal raid by Wunderweiss’ underlings. There was a note on Rolf’s night stand, engraved with the unique runic penmanship of the Arch Mage. “Henry is in leagues with Wunderweiss. As the Order’s new arch mage, it is your responsibility to hand down judgment to those who have betrayed us. Beware, though. Henry in is possession of a Level 5 Soul Gem.”

Rolf’s villa erupted in a roar of hellfire that consumed the entire structure. His spell shield became increasingly transparent as it strained to protect him from the immense pyroclastic explosion. From the light of the glistening flames, on the opposite of the field, he could make out a man donned with the signature engravings of Henry’s armor. 
Hellfire could only be summoned with the strongest of Soul Gems. 
‘Henry…’ 
The Arch Mage traditionally chose three pupils to take under his wing. One was fated to succeed him, and the other two became high-ranking wizards. Rolf could remember the dismay he felt during one of their first lessons, when Henry summoned a toad to Rolf’s tadpole.
Another orb of hellfire struck the ruins of the villa. Rolf summoned a second barrier.  
He could still feel the thrills of sparring against Henry, with the third female apprentice telling them to calm down from the side lines. 
A meteor streaked down from the sky. Rolf wasn’t sure if his shield would hold. 

He still remembered the camaraderie they shared as they went to rescue their kidnapped third member. The shield had held, but a shower of shooting stars enveloped the sky as they raged toward the earth. His eyes still sometimes glistened with the tears they spilt over her maimed corpse. Henry had always left himself too open to counter-attacks. Rolf didn’t require the help of his newly attained Soul Gem as he redirected the stream of meteors towards the other end of the field. They collapsed upon his former friend, no shield to protect him against each crater-creating impact. With an ear-splitting shatter, the shards of Henry’s Soul Gem sped upwards and away.

Droplets of tears fell onto the tarnished breast plate as Rolf stood over Henry. “Why?” “You betrayed us… you betrayed Angela…” Henry whispered. “What?” “The Arch Mage said…” and the light left Henry’s eyes.

“I always believed that you were the most talented out of the three. Once again, I am impressed. If I observed that battle correctly, you didn’t even resort to using your gem.” The same thundering voice from the sky, the same tell-tale figure descending from the air, Rolf wrenched himself away from Henry’s corpse. “I imparted upon Henry the same instructions I had given you. The initiative he took was admirable, but his magical finesse always left something to be desired.” “Why would you do such a thing?” “I needed to give you a reason to kill me.” The Arch Mage shook his head as he took in Rolf’s blank gaze. “Rolf Schrodinger, do you know how tiring it’s been to live eons? I’ve always told you, that I’ve lived longer than you could ever imagine. Centuries were spent protecting the innocent masses. But that soon lost its fun. I’ve given a hand at being the “bad guy” as well, but that lost its glamour even more quickly.” The Arch Mage took in Rolf’s narrowed eyes and trembling body. “I see you’ve understood now. I am the Arch Mage, leader of the Order, the final hope of humanity. I am also Wunderweiss, of the Wunderweiss legions, bane of mankind. Many pupils have been in your current position. All of them have failed to kill me. Will you be any different?” The sky filled with a thousand radiant spears of lightning. All pointed towards a single target. As Rolf met the Arch Mage’s gaze a final time he smiled, a rueful smile.
“A sleight of the eyes…”