Liam's world had grown cold and dark as he was led to a dank, shadowed cell deep within the bowels of the city's dungeons. The heavy iron door creaked open, revealing a small, dimly lit chamber, devoid of warmth or comfort. The guard who had escorted him there wore a look of grim satisfaction on his face as he shoved Liam inside, the door slamming shut behind him with a resounding clang.

Left alone in the cell, Liam had only a single torch on the wall in the hallway to dispel the darkness that surrounded him. The flickering light cast eerie shadows on the damp stone walls, a small beacon of hope in an otherwise desolate world.

As the hours passed, Liam's thoughts turned inward. He felt a strange connection to the light of the torch, a warmth that seemed to reach out to him, comforting him in his time of need. Desperate to understand this feeling, Liam decided to meditate, focusing his mind on the flickering flame.

Closing his eyes, he imagines the heat from the torch, it’s too far away to feel but he tries anyway. He imagines the torch as the sun, warming his skin on a cold spring morning, flowers blooming from its life-giving light. He feels a spark inside of him and homes in on that feeling. Picturing himself as a young sunflower, trying to drink in the sun’s light, his roots burrow deeper and his limbs start to lengthen.

Liam felt something deep within himself click. The torches have all gone out, even the ones around the corner at the end of the corridor. But he’s not thinking about that, because there is a blue screen in front of him. Its soft blue light keeps his cell well lit.

Liam stared at it with wonder, he had never in his life heard of somebody being able to do this. As he shook his head in wonder, the screen moved with him, it seemed to project wherever he was looking. It showed details about his life, his history, skills, absolutely everything about him that you could think of. Liam focused on the first few lines.

Name

Liam Terlock

Body

3

Energy

7/7

Spirit

Light

Condition

Malnourished (minor)

He had never heard of somebody with a light spirit before, sure people who could produce tremendous amounts of light, enough to turn night into day if they tried hard enough, but it was always a secondary effect from something else.

Trying to banish the darkness, Liam opens his hand and imagines a small ball of light. Nothing happens, thinking back to what made things click, he tries again. This time he feels the light moving through his body, starting at this heart and moving up his chest and down his arm, once again opening his hand he is greeted with a beautiful ball of yellowish light.

He sat down on the cold stone floor, crossing his legs and closing his eyes. As he inhaled deeply, he visualized the torch's light, the comforting warmth that it radiated, and the connection he felt to it. He reached out with his senses, focusing on the light, and felt a deep, long-dormant power stir within him.

With each passing moment of meditation, Liam's connection to the light grew stronger. As he concentrated on the flame, he could feel its energy coursing through him, the warmth spreading throughout his body. The torch's flame began to dim as Liam drew upon its energy, the darkness of the cell slowly encroaching once more.

In this moment of unity with the light, Liam's spirit finally resonated with a magical power that had lain dormant within him all this time - the power to control light. As the torch was drained of its energy, Liam felt a sudden surge of power within him, the ability to manipulate and shape light now at his command.

Excited by this newfound ability, Liam opened his eyes, the darkness of the cell no longer able to contain him. He reached out with his power, and a soft, radiant glow emanated from his hands, illuminating the space around him.

Though the threat of execution still loomed, Liam could not help but feel a renewed sense of hope, fueled by the power he now wielded. He knew that with this newfound ability to control light, he might stand a chance at fighting for his life and proving his innocence.

In the darkest hour of his life, Liam's spirit had been ignited, a beacon of hope that burned brighter than any torch. The boy who had been cast aside and scorned for his lack of magic had discovered a power within him that would forever change his fate.

As Liam basked in the glow of his newfound power, he knew that his time was running short. The heavy iron door creaked open once more, and the guard returned, a malicious smile plastered across his face.

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"You'd best make your peace, boy," the guard sneered through the barred window in the door. “The magistrate held an expediated trial since we have important guests coming here for the festival of spirits”.

"You'll be executed soon enough. Our good city can finally be rid of you, just in time too. Freaks like you just bring bad luck".

With that, the guard replaced the nearly spent torch with a fresh one, he leans forward, and a spark jumps from his mouth, igniting the fresh torch. The light flaring to life once again. Liam's heart pounded in his chest, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow as the reality of his impending doom settled in.

"Enjoy your last meal, boy," the guard sneered, thrusting a crude wooden tray laden with a meagre helping of stale bread and thin gruel through the bars of the cell.

Liam forced himself to choke down the tasteless food, knowing that he would need his strength if he was to attempt an escape. As the door slammed shut, the guard's footsteps faded into the distance, and Liam was left alone with his thoughts.

For several hours, he racked his brain for a plan, any semblance of a strategy that might allow him to evade the cruel fate that awaited him. All the while, he practiced wielding his newfound control over light, willing the soft glow that surrounded him to grow brighter and then dimmer as he honed his skill.

Delighted with his ability, the youth still felt immense frustration. While it is a wonderful ability which could be used in many jobs but completely useless in his current situation. Casting his thoughts back Liam thinks of his father.

“Why can’t I be like everybody else? Even the Felton brat finally unlocked his power.” Liam complained.

“I know this is difficult, I cast a long shadow and our family expects a lot from you. My son, life is rarely easy, and it is never fair”. His father paused, comforting blue eyes looking down at his son.

“My father once told me, it is n-“ his father continued

“I don’t care about grandfather’s stupid lessons” Liam interrupted. With anger rising and flushed cheeks he continues “You have all the power in the world, and I am just your useless son. Mother is gone and all I have is you.” Liam finished by kicking the wooden table.

The boy moves to storm out of the room. His father looks at his retreating son from across the room with sadness. A spark flashes in the older man’s eyes and suddenly he is standing in front of Liam, blocking the door.

“Son, anger is never the answer, I know you are upset, but please sit with me for a moment” He gestures back to the living room.

“As you know, I awoke on my twelfth birthday with the power of storms. I am sure you heard of how happy everybody was. I never told you about how I killed my brother.”

“Many powers feed from charged emotion, but storm is one of the most dangerous. After awakening I was spoilt rotten. I could win duels against boys five years older than me”. His father pauses, giving Liam a moment to think on his words.

“They would be defeated in seconds, a gust of wind or bolt of lightning. My attacks grew strong, but I never practiced control, I never looked inward”.

“Your uncle Jorik was a year older than me, we were always close, both of us the pride of our family. His ability with water gave him an incredible affinity to heal. Jorik was no slouch when it came to fighting either”.

“When I was a little older than you are now, we fought over a girl. She choose him and I was furious. What little control over my storm powers was gone. We fought and he could not stand before my attacks. It took your grandfather an hour to dissipate the storm I had created in my anger”.

With misty eyes, the older man continued “One day you will awaken your power, when you do you must practice control. Meditate and master your emotions. Anger is addictive but it can only destroy, never create” he finished sadly.

Liam sinks into a basic meditative pose and closes his eyes. Searching for serenity he focuses on the feeling of energy flow through his body.

Approaching footsteps interrupt his experimentation. Liam started to panic a bit. Powers or not he was still sentenced to death. He needed to get out of here. Praying that the light would be gone, Liam opened his eyes and was happy to be greeted with darkness.

He could hear a guard complain to himself about cheap torches and unawakened people bringing bad luck. The guard stops to replace each burned out torch along the way, giving Liam a few moments to come up with a plan. Faster than he has ever done in his life, Liam disrobes and stuffs his stained clothing under the straw mattress, leaving a little bit of his pants sticking out.

As light returns to his cell, and despair truly infesting his heart. Liam imagines some of the light within him leaving his body and creating a mirror shell around it, something that would reflect or dissipate incoming light. He stares at his arms with amazement, as if a veil is being pulled over them, as they disappear from sight.

The guard finishes replacing torches and approaches Liam’s cell. “Alright you little bastard, time to get moving” he chuckles to himself. Not seeing or hearing anything he takes a closer look into the cell. “Oi! can see you hiding under the straw, don’t make me come in there or you’re going to regret it” he threatens menacingly. Liam sits coiled up in the opposite corner, ready to move out when the time was right, he can feel his heart pounding in his chest, desperation forcing his naked and shivering form to stay quiet. A moment later, the guard sighs to himself. “Don’t say I didn’t warn ya” he mutters as he bends back the thick metal bars as if they were weeds. His bulky form enters the cell.

Silently as he can, Liam edges closer to the bars, moving out of the cell while the guard stomps inside. Turning left towards the dead end instead of right towards freedom, he stays silent and hidden. Several moments later a thoroughly confused guard leaves the cell, he pulls the solid steel bars back to their original shape leaving no indication it was moved. The guard turns back the way he came with Liam shadowing his footsteps.

Clenching his fist and raising it, a heavy metal gate disappears out of sight into the ceiling, Liam quickly moves forward before he gets locked behind.

As he neared the exit, Liam's confidence in his power grew, and he pushed himself to move faster. He raced through the darkened passageways, narrowly avoiding capture as he made his daring escape.

Finally, Liam emerged from the dungeon into the cool night air, his heart racing with exhilaration. He had cheated death and escaped from the clutches of his captors, using the power that had so recently been awakened within him.

With the knowledge of his magical ability over light and his newfound freedom, Liam knew that his life would never be the same. His spirit burned bright, fueled by the hope that he might one day clear his name and find a place in the world where he would be respected and valued for who he was, not scorned for what he had been falsely accused of. The boy who had once been an outcast and a prisoner now held the power to shape his own destiny.

But before all of that, he needed to find some pants.