The Magical Boy Casimir

A Beginning with Every Ending

Days passed. The magical preparations for the powerful Warden’s funeral were being made, but Casimir was despondent, and now his birthmark, the devil's kiss was in his palm, and dark energy so easily flowed from him. He wondered to himself if he were not broken beyond fixing. Avery laid a hand on his shoulder and looked deeply into Casimir’s eyes.

“I know you have lost so much, but you have to be strong. Abigail would not want this to derail you, and more than that we have to figure out how to get your powers under control.”

Casimir looked up.

“I know, it's just so hard losing people. Especially when she was wearing my mom's body like a suit.”

They looked down into the two coffins, one for his mother's body and one for Abigail. Tears welled up in Casimir’s eyes once more and Avery put his arms around the man/boy. At moments he was so adult and at others such a child. He had been done a great disservice by not being allowed to learn to control his powers, and that was what Avery wanted to talk to him about.

“There is something I wanted to talk about, and it might upset you.”

“Why would it upset me?”

“Because If you accept what I am proposing you will be leaving here by dragon back immediately to join a hermit on a mountain to learn about your dark powers and how to control them. You will miss the funeral for your mother and for Abigail, and you won’t see me for half a year or more.”

Casimir’s eyes glistened once more. He was now torn. Torn between the new love in his life, his sense of duty to his mother and to Abigail, but also a sense of honour and wanting closure for the things done. He also thought to himself that closure could come from learning to hone his powers like Abigail would have wanted him to. So, he looked down for a moment and then back into Avery’s brilliant blue eyes.

“I will go. I have to do this so I can control my powers, and so I can make my mom and Abigail proud.”

Avery stepped in front of Casimir.

“Never do what you do to please someone else. It must come from inside your own heart, or you will not bring forth all you have. Cas if you do not want to do this, you can learn here, but many are afraid of your powers. They are afraid because they do not understand them. We can help them understand together much easier if you have control of your powers, but I will understand if you do not wish to go.”

“No, I want to do this. I want to stop Zenduraka from harming any other people. I want to stop this demon war before it spills over into the Earth realm. I want my power back.”

Avery nodded and kissed Casimir on the forehead wrapping him in his arms. They held each other for a good moment when a woman in a long white robe with raggedy edges and stains walked in. Her nails were long and crooked, her hair greasy and lanky and long. She smelled of herbs and incense, and she looked to be older than Methuselah. Casimir looked her up and down. Then she spoke into their minds, not once moving her mouth.

So, this is the boy. MMMMM, yes, much potential, but much heartache. He must learn to secrets of Divine Heart Alchemy if he ever hopes to overcome the darkness which came with his birthmark. I would venture to guess there was a full-on Warlock in his family line. We leave now. Bring nothing, not your daggers, only the clothes on your back. Your training begins tonight.

“Do you ever speak?”

My tongue was cut out so I could not utter the secrets I know. Only an enormously powerful being could pry them from my mind, all who have tried had been driven insane by the sheer power of my will.

Casimir looked at Avery who had heard nothing but the first part. The old woman giggled revealing her missing tongue. Casimir winced and Avery joined in on the laughter.

“It is good to see you Grandmother. Take good care of him.”

“Grandmother!?”

“Yes, this is my mom’s mom. She is a powerful sorceress; she is the Abbess at the Monastery of the Titanium Rose. Their prodigies such as yourself have been taught to use their powers for eons.”

Casimir swallowed his shock, and in a moment, he was being led to the woman’s dragon. She leaped onto its back more nimbly than even Casimir could. For her age, she was not to be underestimated. He placed his hands around her waist. She spoke into his mind.

Do not look down kiddo.

Moments later they were off. Soaring into the sunlight with a breeze in the air, and a sense of freedom that Casimir had not felt since all of this began. He looked down at the world below. It was more beautiful than anything he had ever seen before, and he had seen a lot of things traveling with youth groups, outreach missions, and so on. If they could see him now, they would all be appalled, but that seemed so far away now. No, this was his new life now, and he needed to embrace it with his whole heart.

Meanwhile…

Cygnus drug herself into the Dark Lord’s main chambers. Servants rushed to her side to hold her up, and the Dark Lord raised his eyebrows. Clearly, things had not gone the way he had imagined they would. There was a gaping hole in Cygnus’s chest around her heart, and she had clearly lost a lot of blood. He moved to her side and looked down at her now dying body.

“Cygnus my dear, I was afraid she might do this. That is why there are two soul stones, but you must retrieve the second one with me.”

“I… won’t… be…. Retrieving… anything.”

The Dark Lord’s eyes widened. She was opening defying him. What had she witnessed or felt or otherwise to make her so bold? He turned from her and began to pace. He was going to imbue his generals with more power using some of the souls he still had on hand, but now he wondered if perhaps it was not a good idea to use those souls himself. He sat on his throne as the healers attended to Cygnus. They moved her out on a stretcher and Dark Lord rose to his feet.

“Ophiuchus, front and centre.”

A man wearing black skin-tight plate Armor appeared. He had a sword on his hip and a shield on his back. His helm was under his arm as he slowly knelt before the Dark Lord. His white hair flowing in an ever-present wind in the caves below Dayton. Rock Hill to be exact. The outskirts of town had held many secrets, including a Templar Reliquary which is what he raided to gain access to many magical items and weapons. Now he used it as his base, and no one was the wiser, except the Templars, but they were not saying anything if they minded. They were another issue altogether.

“Milord, you have summoned me.”

“Yes. Cygnus has fallen, and until she is healed you must assume operations. Our mission is to locate the second Soul Stone and use it to destroy as many humans as possible, making us strong enough to defeat Zenduraka. I underestimated her once, and I will not do it again.”

Ophiuchus nodded and disappeared through a portal. Larry stepped into his private chambers. He had expected there to be trouble, but he had not expected Zenduraka to be so powerful. He had overfed her, or perhaps he had made the mistake of freeing her anyways, but that was too late now. No now he had to deal with the consequences of his actions and try to make them work to his advantage. Zenduraka had destroyed the local grove and gone into the torn open portal between the Fae Realm and Earth. She was waging a war against the fae, and that would not likely end well no matter who won. He opened his book of spells and chanted a few words. A portal opened to the Fae realm. He walked to the front gates of Atlantis Castle. Alarms sounded everywhere at his presence.

“Halt! You are wanted for high crimes and malicious acts!”

“Oh yes, I am sure I am, but I am here for another matter. It has come to my attention that an enemy of my enemy might be my ally. Is this the case?”

The gates to the castle opened and Larry was seized by guards accompanied by War Wizards. They brought him before the throne where Avery rose at his presence.

“Has he turned himself in?”

“No, your majesty I have not!”

Avery drew his sword.

“I should kill you on the spot Dark Lord, but I sense you have motives that could benefit us all. Let him stand but keep your weapons and spells as the ready.”