The dark oak doors were pushed open by two large men revealing the shining sun. Blinded by this I turned my head and sealed my eyes. As I opened them the brightness faded, and I saw the crowd whispering and chattering amongst themselves. Simply waiting for the final act before my departure.
The two men escorted me out the doors. I gazed into the distance and saw the tall homes and shops surrounding the Central Cathedral. The cathedral itself was a massive structure. In many ways, it resembled a fortress. The reason being the lord is an over-cautious man. Afraid of change. He lays dormant at the top of the cathedral. Separated from the outside world, but still controlling every aspect of it.
Surrounding the cathedral were many stores,
shops, and a few homes for the richest of them all. Directly in front of the cathedral lay the stage. Plain wood gathered together in a matter of hours. Held together with nothing but loose nails.
The men walked me towards the stage. The crowd stared, and I was afraid. I have never stood in front of so many people, and yet it seemed they expected something extraordinary. Most have seen my magic first hand before, but now I doubt I could do anything remotely entertaining.
While the stage was crooked and temporary. It was still an intimidating sight. Seven feet off the ground and ten feet above two large pillars held a wooden beam stretching twenty feet across. Seven steps led to the floor of the stage. The steps were an uncomfortable height, but doable. However, the shackles binding my hands and feet added to the challenge.
The two guards stood on either side of me as they placed me in the center of the stage. Directly above the trapdoor. Without hesitation, the larger of the two wrapped a noose around my neck. He tightened it until I choked. It was as if he wanted to kill me himself.
The seconds felt like minutes. I stood gazing into the crowd who were still whispering rumors about what I’ve done.
“He summoned a demon that attacked a child,” said a woman standing near the front.
Those who fear the unknown choose to spread lies and stories rather than exploring the edges of their own world. That is the fatal flaw of the world. The rats at the top fear the world, so they built walls around the capital. The previous Lord, Lord Arjun, built a wall expanding hundreds of miles around the capital city.
The wall was built too quickly and with no warning. No one was prepared to become isolated, and anyone unfortunate to have been left on the wrong side of the wall had no way in. These few likely met terrible fates at the hands of demons, but no one knows if any survived.
Here I stood, seconds away from my own demise. ‘At least I can die comfortably,’ I thought to myself.
The city was in such a hurry to end my life that the prison where I made my brief stay never bothered to change my clothes. They were tight-fitting with no pockets, so I had nothing to hide.
I was wearing a dark brown top with matching pants, and a long light blue robe. Around my waist was my small satchel. This was the only form of storage on my body. They searched it in the prison, but only found a book written in a language they didn’t understand. They deemed it harmless and let me keep it.
I thanked any gods that may exist in my world. The book was given to me by my grandmother on her deathbed. It’s how I discovered magic. The book is filled with all kinds of spells and recipes. It’s taught me everything I know, but the book has room for expansion.
A simple spell is needed to reorganize the letters on the pages. I mumbled the words under my breath as they took it from me. Seeing the harmless scramble of words, they called me insane and shoved the book back in my bag.
I had no plans with the book. It was just my only possession left by my family, and I wanted it to be with me when I died like it was for my grandmother.
“Vincent Vargus,” yelled my executioner, “had been charged with crimes against humanity, and have been sentenced to death by Lord Gerald!”
His voice boomed as he spoke to the people. He turned to me and his voice became angered.
“What have you to say for yourself?”
I didn’t know what I was meant to say. I was going to die for saving a child. If I told them the truth I would die, if I told them what they wanted to hear I would die, if I stayed silent I died.
I closed my eyes and a single tear ran down my cheek before I opened them again. Now I was determined and focused. One spell is all I needed. Four ancient words. It was a spell I said I’d never used.
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Some spells are simple, and only require the manipulation of the energy in our own bodies. Some spells require powerful words from a long-forgotten language. While I myself don’t actually understand the language of these few powerful spells, I was lucky enough that the book I was given contained instructions for each of these spells.
This particular spell was one of these few, But before I performed it I knew what I wanted to say.
“Magic is the future of our world!” I announced to the crowd.
No one would believe it now, and I knew this fact. But I hoped in the future they would see the truth, and remember me.
My executioner pulled a lever and I began to fall. Quickly I said the four words and attempted to spread all my energy throughout my body in one burst.
There was a loud cracking sound as I fell. Whether it was the snap of the tightening rope or that of my own neck, I was unsure. Nevertheless, I should have died instantly, but the memory of my final hours flashed before my eyes. It was the memory of my first display of courage, and what later led to my death.
I stepped out the doors of Abraham’s Market with a basket filled with food in my hands. Tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and a few herbs I used for spells and experiments. I always prefer to buy these from many different shops to avoid raising any suspicion. A few have asked why I always bought so many herbs, and I always just told them I liked my spices.
The Central Cathedral stood tall and mighty outside the shop. The setting sun sat perfectly between two bell towers. This gave the sight a more majestic feeling. Still, the cathedral disgusted me, and I moved on.
I began the long walk home. I hated traveling to the main city, and I knew it would be nightfall by the time I got home, but I didn’t care. It was a necessary sacrifice for my own survival after all. I made this trip once every few weeks. The path never changed, and it was always a dull day.
However, today was different. Everyone froze as there was a terrible rumble in the ground. I tried to find the source of the rumble to no avail. It seemed everyone was doing the same. Turning their heads in confusion, and maybe fear.
Then suddenly all our questions were answered. The earth in the very center of the main area began to protrude outward. It expanded until a terrifying monster clawed its way out of the ground. The demon struggled for a moment to get its hind legs free from its hole.
By then people were screaming and rushing to get away from the beast. Few were calling “Demon!” Or “Monster!” As they did so.
All I could manage was to drop my basket and watch the demon search for its first victim. The demon was a jet black color. Looking at it felt like I was looking into a void. Its back legs looked like they came directly from a predator. Its front limbs were nothing but large single claws or more like spikes. For now, it was using them to stand on four limbs like a dog, but they were clearly deadly weapons.
The only color on its body was its own bones erupting from its body and its glowing white eyes. Nearly every joint had a sharp bone that looked as if it tore its own skin to grow. No one had seen a demon in over a hundred years, and it was clear its only purpose was to kill.
After a moment of searching the demon’s head stopped entirely. I thought it had found its prey. I was relieved that its empty eyes weren’t locked into me. Then its head snapped to the side. In an instant, it charged in my direction.
To my surprise, the demon wasn’t after me. I turned to my left and saw a blonde-haired boy who was no older than twelve. He clutched a ball in his arms and pressed it against his chest. Like me, he was too afraid to move.
As the demon ran towards the boy, its massive front claws pierced the ground with each step and left a trail of destruction behind it. The sight of the helpless boy and the demon charging stuck in my head, and time seemed to slow as I thought out my options.
Nearly every part of my body and soul told me to run while I knew I had a chance, but something inside me said otherwise. Maybe it was my desire to be a hero or the look on the boy’s face as he cried. Whatever the case, I did something I didn’t know I could.
The moment I decided to run for my own safety, I dashed towards the boy to intercept the demon. Me, a mere hundred feet from the boy, and the demon, double the distance and double the speed, raced. I had something to protect, and it had something to destroy.
The demon ignored my existence and continued to charge. A hundred feet turned to fifty, then twenty. Just before our paths intersected I extended my arm and charged my own attack against the demon. This banishing spell was weak but effective, and it created a light green glowing mist around the palm of my hand.
Now the demon was ahead of me, and I knew with the original plan I would never make it in time. I continued to charge the spell as I ran. With only inches to spare, I tackled the mindless beast to the ground. In my physical condition, I was in no position to overpower this demon. If I waited even a second it would gain the advantage and devour me in an instant.
The demon and I tumbled to the ground. I hastily mounted myself on top of it as it lay on its side. Pressing my knee against its front claws, hoping to prevent myself from being impaled.
With my fully extended arm aimed at the demon, I noticed I was trembling. With my free hand, I braced my arm. The demon regained its bearings of the situation, and opened its wide jaw, ready to shatter my fragile bones. At that moment I saw a dark red mouth, with no tongue and fangs larger than a Dire Wolf.
Giving the demon no time to continue I released all my energy I built up in the palm.
“begone!” I commanded as the demon shrieked in pain and dissipated into another realm of existence.
I have never used this spell on a living being before this moment. Only household objects and plants. The reason is that anything I used it on had a fizzling effect as it faded, and there is no spell to return it. I questioned whether a living creature could not survive its effects or not, so I never tested. With my new experience with the demon, I thought I had my answer.
At the snap of a whip, I was gone, but not dead like I should have been. The spell I cast seemed to have failed, but rather, it seemed it didn’t work as I intended. This was something I could not explain happened.