Chapter 2 Learning the Black Magic
1621 Words
Time flew by and the surroundings went dark. Alexander was just waiting for the store to close before he could go home. As usual, he bagged the food packs that Magno handed over to him. He's thankful that this man is always gentle and generous as ever. On his way home, he can feel something strange. He feels heavy and chilled.
"Seems like I'm going to have a fever," he says as he touches his forehead.
His temperature is normal yet he feels like he's going to be sick.
"This can't be!" he said softly and jogged his way home.
He disregards the thought of getting sick because there is no room for it. He was welcomed by the darkness, deep silence, and strange small sounds from nowhere. He stepped into the house and dropped the bag on the floor while observing the surroundings. No one ever tried to turn a lamp on.
"It is so unusual that no one is home yet at this hour," he uttered.
The boy began to feel scared, but he was trying to be brave. His family needs him, especially his siblings.
"M-o-m? Anne! Where are you?" he shouted as he was calling their names.
He couldn't find anyone from outside, so he was hoping to look for them inside their small house. Their stuff is everywhere.
"Mom, please don't do this! I'm scared!" he yelled at the darkness while his hands were trying to grab something he could hold on to.
No one is answering him. It's pure silence everywhere and it's killing him. He wanted to cry because he couldn't imagine that he was going to lose any of his family members. He started to rattle and think of bad things that might have happened to them. The poor kid sat down in the corner while trying to relax his mind and cope with the situation. He looked for the torch, but he couldn't get any.
"You don't have to look for them, son." The voice of a stranger.
He seemed very different.
He said in a very deep and husky voice, "I have already ended their grudges, their sufferings, and I have already made a deal with them."
Alexander was startled by the voice. He is beginning to panic. He looked around to see where the voice was coming from.
He courageously asked the trespasser, "Who are you? What did you do to my mom and my siblings?"
"I'm your father. Don't you recognize my voice?" he proclaimed, and suddenly the whole place turned bright.
He closed his eyes because he was afraid of what he was going to see. Besides, it is shocking to the eyes when sudden light enters it.
"Father?" he shouted lightly.
He came towards him and hugged him. He can feel his coldness, his unidentified strength, and that kind of look in the eyes that he can't bear to glance at.
In a worried tone, he asked, "Where's Mom and the rest of my baby sisters?"
"They're gone. I have ended their suffering. I have made a deal that I'm going to give you a better life if you're willing to offer your souls," he explained.
He can't believe what he is saying.
"No! You can't do this to your family. She's your wife and your children! How could you do this?" he shouted at him violently and hit him hard on his broad shoulders.
He held him so tight that he couldn't escape and looked into his eyes.
"Don't you want to become wealthy? Like very wealthy? I can afford you a mansion, a car, and anything you wish for. You just have to come with me!" asked Alexander in a convincing voice.
"I want them, but I need my family. They are more special than any material things," he cried.
"Don't be a hypocrite! I know you're always being bullied. They see you as a loser like me, they treat you badly and they can even kill you if you can't even protect yourself. Son, safeguard yourself before anybody else. I am still here and I love you. I have done everything to get rich quickly and be with you. You will be my successor! I'll show you how much in life I can offer to protect you and everything we have now. Just give me a chance!" Maxi explained.
Alexander believed that his dad was out of his sanity.
"What about Mom and my siblings? What will happen to them?" he asked while his face was full of tears and his father was trying to wipe them out.
"They're fine. They won't feel worthless. They accepted their fate in exchange for our fortune. This is the best thing that ever happened to our lives. Let's live with it!" His father continued, and he looked crazy.
He couldn't imagine what his father could become.
"You killed them?" he blurted in anger.
His father did not answer, and he doesn't care. Alexander couldn't help but weep loudly.
"What have you done? You're evil!" He madly beat him in the face, but he was numb.
He is heartless and ruthless. He still couldn't believe what was happening. In the hours after he left, he lost everyone he loved.
Maxi admitted the crime and told his child, "I have killed my friends and my family because I have to dedicate them to the Lord! He bestowed me with the power and the fortune that can never be found."
"What are you saying, father? I don't understand," the child continued crying in his father's lap.
He is confused with broken hearts. Max took him into his lap so he could barely move.
"I was so drunk and I found myself in a dark place. I was alone and hungry. I woke up and slept in darkness for two nights. That's why I was not able to go home. I met this powerful thing and he promised to give us everything I had wished for. It was good luck and your future charm, son. He brought me to a different dimension before we sealed the deal," he stated in a firm tone.
His eyes were rolling with no other emotions aside from obsession over his possessed power.
"He said that I have to sacrifice thirty souls to make the magic work. If the magic has resumed its energy and its guard has regained its power, then he is going to grant my wish. And my only wish was to become a forever billionaire. I would like to spend it with you alone," he said in a very loud voice and laughed like a bad man possessed by evil.
His voice scares him. It was accompanied by the sound of thunder and splashes of lightning outside. He can hear tiny voices and strong winds rejoicing with him. The kid can't say more words. He is acting blank and his conscience can't take the fact that his father took the lives of thirty people to easily achieve his ambitions.
"Come with me now! I'll present to you our new life," his father said, trying to please his son, who is still in doubt.
"I wanted to see Mom and my sisters," he demanded.
Maxi took Alexander to one corner of their house. He looked around and saw the dead bodies. They were floating in their own blood, and he could no longer identify their faces. They looked horrible. He has seen the tool that his father used. It is a sharp knife with the symbol of a red horn on its handle. In front of us is a small altar with a red candle on it. He can't hold his tears while seeing the lifeless bodies of his beloved family. He was taking the small journal and the small pendant with the diamond beside the altar, but his father took them from him.
"You can't have this. This one belongs to me, I own everything starting today," Maxi said harshly.
"We have to go now while no one is aware of what happened," Maxi declared, and he dragged Alexander out of the scene.
"I'll go with you, but I wanted to ask you something." He appealed.
"Just say it and I'll do it," Maxi answered.
"Can we drop by at the convenience store nearby? I wanted to say goodbye to my boss," he said, asking for permission from his father.
"Boss?" he smirked.
"Yes, I have been working for him and he gave us food. I wanted you to give him money so I can somehow pay him back, then I'll go with you," the boy insisted.
He boastfully answered, "Fine, that's easy."
He looked back at the dead bodies while his father was holding his hands. He didn't feel strange after what happened. Everything seems ordinary, aside from the gestures of his father. He looked so strong, confident, powerful but fierce. He is different from the man he used to live with. He grew up with a man who knew nothing but to beat his wife when she couldn't offer him anything. He was a loser and a drunkard. It's not the complete opposite, but all he has seen are his bad sides. His greed and his selfishness. That is something he must be wary of because his life will never be secured with him. He did him the favor of following his request. He dropped by the store and left his boss a white envelope with a note in it. His boss was surprised after opening the envelope, but he had no chance to question him. His father did not waste any time and quickly escaped from that place. At any moment, someone will discover the crime they have committed.
- Writer
