The cold winter weather blasted through the city jungle in New York City. A middle-aged man standing five feet eight inches with black hair and brown eyes, his brown leather jacket did little to protect him from the cold gusty winds. His nose was running with snot and was bright red. He sat up against a building on Fifth Avenue. He held a sign up that read, Homeless need food; anything helps. There was a red blanket underneath him, and a hat lay in front of him with three pennies, a nickel, and three quarters. People kept walking by, only to look down with disdain.
A man dressed in all black with a red button-down shirt and a pocket square in his left pocket of his black suit jacket. He walked with a sense of dominance; the air and people around him just seemed to leave a chill. He pulled a black leather-bound book from what looked like thin air. He walked up to the homeless man and kneeled in front of him. With a full look at the man, he smiled and dropped the book into his lap. He got up and dusted himself off, but before he left, he looked at the man to say.
“Do what you want with the book, sell it, donate it, or if I wear you, read it, study it, and if you learn to use the book to its fullest, maybe I will take you as my apprentice.”
The man looked back at the people, and with a smile that brought a wicked sense from the bottom of his stomach, he walked into the crowd and seemed to disappear.
The homeless man looked at the book that had been dropped into his lap. He felt the leather with the tips of his fingers. The leather felt dry and rough. He saw stitching on the covers and letters that were written in old Enochian. The letters began to rearrange and translate into English. The words glowed bright red and read INHERITED CODEX. The words then faded and disappeared. He flipped the cover, which was almost just a leather cover, really flexible, and the pages looked to be old and yellowed. The front page itself was blank, but once he laid his eyes on the center section, words began to appear. There were black-and-white words:
Those who wish to learn must first learn to give.
The words disappeared, and a small thorn poked from the spine of the book and pierced the man's left hand. Blood began to flow from the wound, staining the spine. New words began to appear and read:
Those who gave have now been granted permission to read the texts themselves, but beware; the use of magic always comes with a price. The book started to flip through the pages and landed on the most basic of spells. On the left side of the page, words started to appear.
Spells are the most common and easiest to learn and use; they require little sacrifice and can be managed by anyone.
He closed the book and just laughed. He placed the book next to himself and began to look around and beg for money. He held his hand with the sign and waited. A few people left some more money. A person with graying hair and just bundled up from the winter had left the homeless man with a fifty-dollar bill. The homeless man quickly snatched up the bills and took everything he had stuffed into his backpack. He looked down at the book and picked it up. He walked down Fifth Ave. until he reached Sixth Ave. He crossed the street to the other side and began walking to Seventh Avenue. Once he got there, he turned left and began to walk down Fortieth Street and to the ninety-nine-cent pizza shop. He loved their pizza, and it offered him a good slice for a good price.
The pizzeria was busy today; the winter breeze always brought people to the shop. He waited in a line that went straight outside. He stood there for about five minutes. When he got to the front, he ordered a slice of cheese and a can of soda. He took the slice, went to the fridge close to the door, and got his drink. He went outside and backed up seventh. He paced Time Square and past the annoying people who dressed like silly heroes, forcing them to buy a picture with them. He got to the Capital Theater and finished his pizza and soda. He threw them into a trash bin that was close to McDonald’s on the corner. He walked all the way to Central Park and sat close to the entrance. He watched and sat as the tourists came and snaked and enjoyed the park. He took the book from his backpack and started to read the pages once more, but every single page had the same spell.
He read the page again and practiced the spell. He sat on the ground and closed his eyes. He focused his will on the center of his chest, and then a small, warm spot began to flow around the area. He then began to feel the warmth emerging from his body. A small blue ball was emerging. He opened his eyes and gently moved his right hand toward the ball. He concentrated hard, and the ball moved slowly with his hand. Then I looked at the book and took the next step. He looked at the ball and concentrated to form the ball into a flat circle. He placed the circle on the ground, and the circle continued to glow and emit a low, humming sound.
People around him either didn’t notice or just didn’t care to notice. They just walked past him and continued on with their day. He just read more of the spell. He focused an image in his mind, and a small, tiny man who was pure blue energy appeared. He stood about half a foot from the ground. No facial features were prominent. The small-sized creation only lasted about two minutes. The small blue man stopped moving and vanished into small particles of blue light. The people around him began to clap and laugh, and they gave him money. He thanked them and took the money.
The people began to clear away, and the man in black stood at the corner of the sidewalk close to the street. He clapped with a smile and walked toward him. The man was now standing about five feet away from the homeless man.
“I see you have decided to use the book; it was wise that you did.” Said the man, “Come with me, and I can teach you more about magic than you can ever fathom. The book is just a stepping stone to a world much bigger than that of which you live now.”
“If I do go, what sort of stuff will you teach me, and you’re not the devil, are you?” asked the homeless man.
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"Of course not; I’ve fought against the devil once. He was unbelievable powerful.” The fine gentleman replied, “My name is John Dee.”
“John Dee? What kind of name is that?” I asked the homeless man, “Ryan Magister is my name; if you want me to come train with you, what’s in it for me?”
“My dear Ryan That’s for you to find out for yourself; I cannot just tell you what you will get from training in magic; only you can.” As John continued, “The more one learns to develop their magical abilities, the more adaptable you are going to be in the future."
“Do I get to sleep in a bed?” Ryan asked.
“Of course, and three square meals if you can prove yourself able to handle my rigorous training.” Dee answered back.
Ryan stood up and picked up his book and backpack. John stopped him from putting the money in his backpack. He held his hand and let go.
“The money, give it back to the people who gave it back to you.” Said John, “This will be your first trial, and this dollar will lead you to my place.”
Ryan took the bill, and it started to fold itself and slide into the book. The book absorbed the currency and took the bills he had gotten from begging. The book opened up, and another flipped to the center of the book. A red silk book marker appeared and tucked itself in the crack. Words once again appeared in black. A new spell had appeared; he read the spell in his head, took the bills out, and placed them on the rune on the right side of the page. He spoke the words, and the bills glowed a bright red and then slowly turned back to their normal paper color. He took one of the bills, and the bill glowed red when he pointed it in the direction of the park, like it was indicating him where to go. He walked the gray and bubble gum-stained concrete to the interior of Central Park. He walked the path until he got to Heckscher's playground. Three of the bills glowed red-hot. At the same time, the person whose bills belong to them also glowed with an aura of red.
"Excuse me, sir, I was at the entrance of the park and you gave me this money; I’m here to return it.” Said Ryan.
"Oh, it’s ok, sir; it’s meant for you.” The man said, "Just keep it."
"I'm sorry, but I cannot.” Ryan replied, “I was not performing for anyone’s entertainment."
Ryan placed the money in his hand and left. The man just shook his head and placed the money back in his pocket.
"Ok, honey, I’m watching go one more time, and it’s time to go home.” Said the man.
Ryan took another loan and continued to repay the people who had given him the money. He was almost done when the second-to-last bill stopped glowing. He looked at the bill and retried the spell again. Nothing happened; he tried it again and again, but nothing happened. He thought for a moment and looked at the bill John Dee handed him. It began to glow, and the bill started to have a life of its own. Floating in mid-air, the bill started to fly in the direction of Hell’s Kitchen. He followed the green bill with the face of George Washington. The bill took him all the way to west forty-eighth to a tall red brick building that was five stories tall. Only a few windows were visible on the face of the building. It was attached to the other buildings on either side.
Ryan walked to the front door, which was black, and had a door knock in the shape of a demon. He took the knocker and banged it on the door. The door opened, and Ryan stepped in. The interior of the building was warm and felt cozy. The wooden walls looked like they were from a log cabin. The fire place was huge and had a fire going already. No couches could be found, but there were writings and decorations of various types. They all glowed with magic, and John Dee stepped off the stairs.
“So you have returned with one bill; did I not express myself that you were to give back all the money?” Dee said
"Yes, you were, but you see, the bill stopped glowing." Ryan said, “I tried to recast the spell, but it didn’t have any effect.”
"Really, let me see. I might know what's happening." John asked.
He took the bill and examined it. He closed his eyes and chanted a small incantation. The bill went up in flames and burned to ash.
“I see the owner of the note has died.” John explained, “You see, magic is only effective if the person is alive.”
“I don’t get it.” Said Ryan, “So if someone is dead, then spells have no effect, but what about in the movies where a sorcerer casts a spell on the dead and they come to life?”
“That my wise pupil is what is known as necromancy; you must never learn to use those magical arts.” John explained, “Once a student has gone down that path, they are forever lost in the darkness.”
“What do you mean lost?” Asked Ryan.
“I’ll explain it when you have learned to full strength and comprehend what magic is first, but for now, my dollar." John held his hand out for the bill.
Ryan handed him the bill, and John took it and took his wallet from the side of his suit. He placed the bill in it and closed it. He put the wallet back and walked up the stairs. Ryan filled him, and the two walked up the wooden steps that creaked and moaned under their weight. They walked up to the second floor and counted to walk up to the third floor. Here, John stopped and hurried to face Rayn.
“The first two floors are for you to practice; the first floor is for meditation, and the second floor is designed to help you fortify your physical body.” John explained.
They started to walk up the stairs again and came to the third floor, where there was a huge library that stood much taller than seemed possible. The walls had been covered with books of every century, manuscripts, scrolls, and books. Some had burned marks, and some looked like they had come off the press.
“This is the library; here we will study the history of magic as well as learn spells and magical enchantments.” John said, “Now come along; we have one more floor.”
They hurried up to the fourth floor. The floor had a hallway with artwork from what appeared to be old paintings. He examined one of them and noticed that the painting was very similar to that of Leonardo Di Vinci’s Mona Lisa. The only thing missing was that the painting was almost incomplete. The left upper side was painted, but what was missing was the bright side to the bottom and some to the left. That portion was all a sketch.
"Umm, is that supposed to be a replica of the Mona Lisa?” Asked Ryan, “It’s not bad; you can definitely draw.”
"Oh, I didn’t sketch this; Leonardo Di Vinci did.” Said John, “He drew a second painting for me but never finished it.”
Ryan stood there looking at the painting. He saw a small inscription on the bottom right corner that read:
To John Dee,
I could not finish my masterpiece, but I hope this much can suffice. My health has taken a turn for the worse. Please, my old friend, keep me in your thoughts.
Di Vinci.
Ryan then looked back at John Dee and, with big eyes, just stared at his for what seemed like an hour. He composed himself and finally spoke.
“So how old are you exactly?” Ryan asked.
"Well, let’s just say I was around when Emperor Constantine was baptized.” He replied.
"Oh," said Ryan.
“But to get back the fourth floor of their building is your responsibility. To your left, there are three rooms: one to the left, which is your bedroom, and two to the right, which are a bathroom and another bedroom.” John said, “To the right side of the hallway, there are four more rooms. Two on each side. Do what you want with them; they are empty and not in use.”
“What about the fifth floor? What on that floor?” Asked Ryan.
“That is off limits; if I catch you on that floor, you will find yourself on a one-way trip to the streets.” John said it with a stony voice.
Ryan felt like his world had been shattered. He recomposed himself and walked down the left side of the hallway. He walked the wooden floors, which creaked and sounded like they had not been touched in over a year. He owned his room to a bed with no sheets and a dresser with five drawers that were empty. He walked in and closed the door. He walked to the bed, dropped his backpack on the floor, and fell backwards to the bed. The mattress squeaked and felt comfortable. He felt like his world was about to change for the better.