After several minutes of running through the forest, they came upon a small clearing.  There were several large rocks around the outside of the clearing, and a stream running to the left.  In front of them, at the back end of the clearing, there was a small abandoned house.  The house seemed fragile.  They approached carefully.
“This has to be the place Krieg was talking about...” Zeke muttered.  Lyle nodded.  They carefully entered.  The inside was much larger than they had expected.  The ceiling was high, and the room they were in was very wide, and long as well, stretching back a long way.  The dirty windows let in barely any light, but there was enough to see to the back wall.  Near the back wall, in one corner of the room, laid a dead dwarf's body.  In the center of the room, there was a man.
The man wasn't much taller than five feet, and he didn't have a large build, in fact, he was quite thin.  The man was also wearing a large cloak, with the hood up, concealing his face.  The man was facing them, as if he were expecting them.
“Lyle,” the man emitted.  His voice was very hoarse, almost a whisper.  Lyle let out a brief gasp.  “So... you've finally come, Lyle.”
“How... do you know me?” Lyle asked, terrified.  The cloaked figure croaked a low laugh.
“It's funny... you've forgotten my existence, and my entire life was changed by yours.”  There was a long pause as Lyle processed this statement.
“Who are you?” Lyle asked.
“You can call me... Drake,” the man revealed.
“Drake...?  Where do I know that name from...” Lyle pondered.
“It was ten years ago on this day, Lyle,” Drake interrupted.  “Ten, long, painful... humiliating years ago!”
“Ten... years...” Lyle repeated.  Drake laughed.
“So, is it all coming back to you now?!”  Suddenly, Lyle looked terrified.  Zeke could no longer stay silent.
“What happened ten years ago, Lyle?” he asked with fierce curiosity.
“You... you can't be that Drake...” Lyle stated with uneasiness.
“Why don't you tell him, Lyle?” Drake encouraged.  Lyle closed his eyes, as tears trickled down his face.
“Ten years ago...” he began, “...when I was young, I had little to no control over my powers.  I was normal back then... the other kids accepted me.  Drake was my best friend...”
“Was I?  Was I really?  Because I always felt that you resented me!  I knew my parents before they died, yours went missing soon after your birth,” Drake prodded.  Lyle paused.
“We were playing together... and my magic, it... it...”
“It discharged,” Drake finished, anger in his voice.  Zeke looked back and forth between the two.
“I don't get it.  So what happened?” Zeke asked.
“My magic came out on its own, and attacked Drake.  He was rushed to the hospital by doctors, and the adults covered up the incident, pretended it didn't happen...”
“But it did.”
“But, I didn't mean for it to...” Lyle stressed.
“You want to know what happened next?  I was rushed to the hospital.  Doctors spent years trying to fix my hideous new appearance.  Eventually, they gave up.  Said I would look like this forever.  In a fit of rage, I killed all of the doctors!  I spent the next few years in hiding, training.  Unable to be accepted by society.  I needed revenge.  I hired Krieg so that he would train you, so I could have a satisfying revenge.  Then, recently, I was contacted by him.  He wanted the Wielder to perish, and he would reward me greatly if I succeeded.  Now, I can achieve both goals at once!”
“What hideous appearance?!  Who hired you?!” Zeke yelled.  Drake paused.
“I have been forbidden to tell of my employer's name, but I can reveal my appearance...”  Drake reached for his hood.  Time slowed as he began to lower his hood.  His face was revealed.
First of all, his entire head was bleach white.  He was also bald.  He had the facial structure of a fifteen-year-old, but that was about it.  His eyes were entirely black, not a single hint of white.  He had no ears.  His face had no expression.  He then reached to take off his cloak.  When he had finished this, Lyle and Zeke gasped in horror.
His upper right body, instead of being human-like, consisted entirely of green vines.  They made up his right arm, and the arm ended in a green fist.  His upper left body was blue, and covered in scales.  A fin stuck out of his shoulder, and one from his elbow as well.  His left hand had webbed fingers that ended in claws.  His right leg was large, bulky, and made of gray stone.  His left leg actually looked human, but it was black, as if burnt horribly.
Lyle and Zeke were speechless.  Completely stunned by the shocking appearance of Drake.  Drake scowled.
“Now do you see?  Now do you see why I've been despised and feared all these years?!  You're no different than them...”
“But Drake...-” Zeke began.
“No different at ALL!”  The ground beneath Zeke and Lyle erupted.  They were both sent flying backwards out of the house as the ground rocketed upwards.  When they came to their senses, they noticed that the house was no more.  In its place was a steadily growing mountain, with Drake at the peak.
“Wh-what the...?! How...?!” Zeke stuttered.
“He's using elemental magic... but to use it at that level... what has he become...?” Lyle responded.  Drake slid down the mountain, and came to a rest at the foot of it, only meters away from Lyle and Zeke.
“That's right... these cursed limbs give me control over the elements.  Water, Plants, Earth, Fire... they are all mine to control.” Drake absentmindedly looked around at his surroundings. “Such a beautiful forest...” he muttered.  His black eyes made it hard to tell what exactly he was focusing on. Indeed, the forest was quite a sight; thousands of trees, ranging from old, hundred feet tall beasts, to young, short saplings.  The stream off to Drake's right was now curving around the newly formed mountain out of sight.  The wildlife was sparse, only a few squirrels here and there. The sound of birds chirping in the distance completed the scenery.
“Yes, this will be the perfect place for our battleground.” Drake stated, returning his focus to Lyle.  Lyle gripped his staff impulsively.  Drake chuckled at the motion.  “Let's see how far you've come, shall we?”  At this, Drake stomped the ground with his stone foot.  Immediately, the ground erupted around Lyle, catching him off guard.  Stone rose from beneath the ground, entombing Lyle entirely, leaving only a small slit at the bottom.
“Lyle!” Zeke screamed.  Drake glanced over at the stream, and with one quick motion of his scaly arm, the water rose out of its path into the air, and flooded into the slit in Lyle's stone cage.  “What are you...?!” Zeke choked out in surprise.
“Don't you see? If he doesn't escape in time, he'll drown,” Drake said flatly.  Zeke grabbed for his sword.
“No, Lyle!”
“Don't think I've forgotten about you,” Drake replied.  His eyes flashed a bright green color, and suddenly he spat something in Zeke's direction.
“Huh?” Zeke emitted as it landed at his feet. The green seed rapidly started to grow, quickly covering Zeke with long vines.  “Wh-what the...?!”
“Did you think my limbs were my only way to control the elements? You naïve boy,” Drake chuckled.  The vines engulfed Zeke, forcing him to the ground, leaving him unable to move.
“D-damn.... it.....” Zeke strained.  Drake returned his focus to Lyle's predicament.  The water stopped filling up the tomb.
“There, all full.  Now it won't be long until...” Drake paused.  The tomb seemed to vibrate for a moment, then it exploded violently, rock and water flying in all directions.  Lyle stood in the center of the wreckage, still clutching his staff, and completely drenched but otherwise unharmed.  “Ah, so the true mage decides to show himself.  Bravo,” Drake commented sarcastically.
Lyle looked over at the Zeke/vine mass on the ground next to him, and without saying a word, pointed his staff at Zeke.  There was a small glow on the tip of the staff, and the vines burned away.  Zeke jumped back onto his feet, clutching his sword tightly.
“Wow, Lyle, that was awesome!” Zeke gushed. Lyle blushed, and smiled.
“Oh... it was nothing... Master Krieg taught me that...” Lyle responded.
“A heartwarming story, I'm sure,” Drake interrupted.  “Don't think you've won because you can react on your feet.  On the contrary, that was a test.  I knew full well what you are capable of.  Think of that as the pre-examination.  You passed.  Now our fight begins.”