Spoiler
In a cold stone chamber deep beneath the Keep stood an ancient magi. No one had remembered of his existence for centuries. The magi's hands were gnarled and wrinkled, and the hood of a purple robe covered his thin, white hair. In one hand the magi held an ebony staff, topped with a vicious looking skull, and in the other hand he held a calendar.
The magi smiled as he examined the calendar. Even in the dim torchlight, he could make out the date, October 31st. This was night he'd waited so long for - a blue moon on Halloween!
The magi put the calendar into the pocket of his robe and withdrew a vial filled with a mysterious, smokey substance. Holding the vial in his hand, the magi began to chant in a strange, ancient language. As the magi chanted, the torches seemed to grow dimmer, and the room became still colder.
By the time the magi finished his chant, the room seemed nearly pitch black. With a flourish, he threw the vial of mist to the ground. The vessel broke, and the contents filled chamber, making it even more difficult to see .
The magi finished his spell in the common language of the magi. "I hereby summon all the creatures of the night to my side!"
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"Here you go, boy," Ryan said, holding out a steak to Shadow, his Telvian Panther. Shadow sniffed at the steak curiously and then snapped it out of Ryan's hand. In almost no time at all, the steak was gone and Shadow was happily licking his paws.
Most people would be asleep at this time of the night, but not Ryan. Most of Ryan's creatures were nocturnal, so Ryan was, too. Ryan took care of the sort of creatures that most magi considered "dark": Hellhounds, Cestoadas, Mist Stalkers, and the like. Not everyone liked or trusted such ominous, mysterious creatures, so many magi abused or abandoned them. Somehow, though, Ryan had always loved dark creatures and been particularly good at caring for them, so he always took them in.
As Shadow was continuing to wash up after his steak, and almost imperceptible wisp of smoke drifted into the room. As the smoke drifted closer to Shadow, the Telvian Panther suddenly stiffened and stopped licking its paws. Mechanically, as though in a trance, Shadow stood up and left the through the open door.
Ryan looked down the hall after Shadow. Shadow almost never left Ryan's side, and when he did, he always used his magic to disappear from view. Right now, though, the Telvian Panther was perfectly visible.
Something was definitely wrong. That much was clear to Ryan. The magi apprentice could see a thin trail of smoke going down the hall, branching off into every almost every room along the way. Out of each room that the smoke entered, dark creatures, like the ones Ryan cared for, were making their way out into the passageway. They all seemed hypnotized, like Shadow. None of them used their powers to disappear or move more quickly than the rest, and none of them made any noise. They all just shuffled silently down the hall, following the trail of smoke.
After a second, Ryan decided to follow the creatures. He didn't know what was affecting the creatures, but he was going to find out. Nothing acknowledged Ryan as the apprentice slipped into the the group and followed the trail of mist with the creatures. They simply walked around him as though he wasn't there.
Before long, Ryan and the creatures he was following entered into the empty library and joined an even larger group of creatures. In the silent, ominous crowd, Ryan and the creatures walked up to a large hole in a secluded corner of the library. The trail of smoke led into the hole.
The crowd of creatures began to file into the pit, so Ryan followed them. The hole dropped into a stone ramp, which wound in a spiral deeper and deeper into the ground. Ryan was beginning to wonder if the tunnel would go on forever, to the center of the world and beyond, when the ground abruptly evened out. After a short tunnel, a lavishly decorated doorway led the way into a chamber. The trail of smoke entered the chamber and stopped just before a purple-robed magi who was standing on a raised pedestal. Creature after creature filed into the room, but instinct told Ryan to stay hidden and watch from the tunnel.
The dark creatures surrounded the magi in the purple robe, neatly grouped by species. Just to the magi's right sat a massive pack of Hellhounds, their dark flames providing most of the chamber's light. At the man's left sat a group of skeletal Mohirors. In the back of the room, closest to Ryan, were the Telvian Panthers, Shadow lost within their ranks. Every sort of creature associated with darkness and night was represented within the chamber. Ryan could even see two bone Dragons in the far corner. Each creatures were still in a trance-like state; they were all sitting stock-still and silent, gazing intently at the magi in the purple robe.
The magi laughed in a raspy cackle. "Creatures!" he shouted. "You are now at my command. You are to obey me without question. If you do, you will be rewarded! Failure, on the other hand, will not be tolerated."
"Stop!" Ryan said, impulsively jumping out from his hiding place. Ryan knew he didn't stand a chance against the purple-robed magi, but he didn't care. He couldn't simply stand by and do nothing the help the hypnotized creatures.
"Stupid boy," the evil magi laughed. "Do you really think you can stop me? I have countless creatures at my command. My power extends far beyond even these creatures. As we speak, every creature of darkness in the world - yes, the world - is traveling to this place at my command. Even if all the magi in the Keep were to band together against me, it would not be enough. No common boy like you is going to defeat me.
"You there!" the magi pointed to one of the Telvian Panthers. "Destroy him!" The mass of Telvian Panthers parted, leaving one in the middle, walking slowly towards Ryan.
The Telvian Panther the magi had chosen was Shadow. Ryan could hardly believe it. Would Shadow really kill him, after all they'd been through together? Ryan remembered how he'd first bought the neglected, dying Telvian Panther hatchling nearly two years before, how he'd raised Shadow with as much love and care as he could possibly have given the Telvian Panther, how they had eventually become like best friends. The glaring creature before Ryan didn't seem to remember any of those events, though. Shadow glared at Ryan as though they were worst enemies.
As Shadow came within pouncing distance and crouched, Ryan gulped. He wanted to run, scream, do anything to try and get away, but all he could do was stare at Shadow. It was as though he was frozen in time. As he stared his imminent death in the face, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Shadow and the other creatures. He had tried his best to help them, but his best hadn't been good enough. All Ryan had succeeded in doing was destroying himself, and the creatures were still hypnotized by the magi in the purple robe. Ryan desperately loved the creatures, and he wished he could have done so much more to help them.
As Shadow crouched in front of Ryan, the Telvian Panther's expression softened. He was still staring at Ryan, but he didn't look hypnotized anymore. Shadow had stopped glaring , and there was a loving light in his eyes that hadn't been there a second before. Shadow walked up to Ryan and rubbed the young apprentice's leg affectionately. It was obvious: The spell had been broken.
It wasn't just Shadow that had been freed from the spell. All throughout the chamber, creatures began to move and make noise. The difference from the near-silent, still chamber just a moment before was obvious.
"C'mon, Shadow!" Ryan called. "Let's get that magi." The creatures parted as boy and companion raced toward the evil magi was standing. When they got there, the purple robed man was on his hands and knees.
"You stupid boy!" the evil magi roared. "Do you not realize what happens when a spell of that magnitude is broken?!" The magi's skin was beginning to glow. Suddenly, there was a bright flash. Ryan closed his eyes and looked away. When he opened his eyes again, the evil magi was gone. All that was left was his purple robe and black staff, which was no longer in flames. For a few seconds, Ryan and Shadow simply stared at the robe and staff, then they ran to find an older magi.
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"So," Master Noah, Ryan's teacher, said. "You say that he disintegrated after the spell was broken?"
"Yes sir," Ryan replied.
"I see. I have heard of a spell like the one you described, that can only be performed during a blue moon on All Hallow's Eve, at midnight. I've heard rumor that it's capable of controlling every dark creature at least on the continent, if in the entire world, just as you described. If your story is true, Ryan, you may have just prevented a very serious calamity. The Keep is indebted to you."
"Thank you, sir." Ryan said. "I'm glad I could help." As Master Noah left the library, Ryan looked down at Shadow. He didn't know what had caused the Telvian Panther to snap out of its trance, but he was glad that Shadow was okay.
"let's go get another steak." Ryan said, scratching behind Shadow's ears. "You deserve it." As the the sun made its way into the dawn sky, Ryan and Shadow left the library.
The magi smiled as he examined the calendar. Even in the dim torchlight, he could make out the date, October 31st. This was night he'd waited so long for - a blue moon on Halloween!
The magi put the calendar into the pocket of his robe and withdrew a vial filled with a mysterious, smokey substance. Holding the vial in his hand, the magi began to chant in a strange, ancient language. As the magi chanted, the torches seemed to grow dimmer, and the room became still colder.
By the time the magi finished his chant, the room seemed nearly pitch black. With a flourish, he threw the vial of mist to the ground. The vessel broke, and the contents filled chamber, making it even more difficult to see .
The magi finished his spell in the common language of the magi. "I hereby summon all the creatures of the night to my side!"
***********************************************************************************
"Here you go, boy," Ryan said, holding out a steak to Shadow, his Telvian Panther. Shadow sniffed at the steak curiously and then snapped it out of Ryan's hand. In almost no time at all, the steak was gone and Shadow was happily licking his paws.
Most people would be asleep at this time of the night, but not Ryan. Most of Ryan's creatures were nocturnal, so Ryan was, too. Ryan took care of the sort of creatures that most magi considered "dark": Hellhounds, Cestoadas, Mist Stalkers, and the like. Not everyone liked or trusted such ominous, mysterious creatures, so many magi abused or abandoned them. Somehow, though, Ryan had always loved dark creatures and been particularly good at caring for them, so he always took them in.
As Shadow was continuing to wash up after his steak, and almost imperceptible wisp of smoke drifted into the room. As the smoke drifted closer to Shadow, the Telvian Panther suddenly stiffened and stopped licking its paws. Mechanically, as though in a trance, Shadow stood up and left the through the open door.
Ryan looked down the hall after Shadow. Shadow almost never left Ryan's side, and when he did, he always used his magic to disappear from view. Right now, though, the Telvian Panther was perfectly visible.
Something was definitely wrong. That much was clear to Ryan. The magi apprentice could see a thin trail of smoke going down the hall, branching off into every almost every room along the way. Out of each room that the smoke entered, dark creatures, like the ones Ryan cared for, were making their way out into the passageway. They all seemed hypnotized, like Shadow. None of them used their powers to disappear or move more quickly than the rest, and none of them made any noise. They all just shuffled silently down the hall, following the trail of smoke.
After a second, Ryan decided to follow the creatures. He didn't know what was affecting the creatures, but he was going to find out. Nothing acknowledged Ryan as the apprentice slipped into the the group and followed the trail of mist with the creatures. They simply walked around him as though he wasn't there.
Before long, Ryan and the creatures he was following entered into the empty library and joined an even larger group of creatures. In the silent, ominous crowd, Ryan and the creatures walked up to a large hole in a secluded corner of the library. The trail of smoke led into the hole.
The crowd of creatures began to file into the pit, so Ryan followed them. The hole dropped into a stone ramp, which wound in a spiral deeper and deeper into the ground. Ryan was beginning to wonder if the tunnel would go on forever, to the center of the world and beyond, when the ground abruptly evened out. After a short tunnel, a lavishly decorated doorway led the way into a chamber. The trail of smoke entered the chamber and stopped just before a purple-robed magi who was standing on a raised pedestal. Creature after creature filed into the room, but instinct told Ryan to stay hidden and watch from the tunnel.
The dark creatures surrounded the magi in the purple robe, neatly grouped by species. Just to the magi's right sat a massive pack of Hellhounds, their dark flames providing most of the chamber's light. At the man's left sat a group of skeletal Mohirors. In the back of the room, closest to Ryan, were the Telvian Panthers, Shadow lost within their ranks. Every sort of creature associated with darkness and night was represented within the chamber. Ryan could even see two bone Dragons in the far corner. Each creatures were still in a trance-like state; they were all sitting stock-still and silent, gazing intently at the magi in the purple robe.
The magi laughed in a raspy cackle. "Creatures!" he shouted. "You are now at my command. You are to obey me without question. If you do, you will be rewarded! Failure, on the other hand, will not be tolerated."
"Stop!" Ryan said, impulsively jumping out from his hiding place. Ryan knew he didn't stand a chance against the purple-robed magi, but he didn't care. He couldn't simply stand by and do nothing the help the hypnotized creatures.
"Stupid boy," the evil magi laughed. "Do you really think you can stop me? I have countless creatures at my command. My power extends far beyond even these creatures. As we speak, every creature of darkness in the world - yes, the world - is traveling to this place at my command. Even if all the magi in the Keep were to band together against me, it would not be enough. No common boy like you is going to defeat me.
"You there!" the magi pointed to one of the Telvian Panthers. "Destroy him!" The mass of Telvian Panthers parted, leaving one in the middle, walking slowly towards Ryan.
The Telvian Panther the magi had chosen was Shadow. Ryan could hardly believe it. Would Shadow really kill him, after all they'd been through together? Ryan remembered how he'd first bought the neglected, dying Telvian Panther hatchling nearly two years before, how he'd raised Shadow with as much love and care as he could possibly have given the Telvian Panther, how they had eventually become like best friends. The glaring creature before Ryan didn't seem to remember any of those events, though. Shadow glared at Ryan as though they were worst enemies.
As Shadow came within pouncing distance and crouched, Ryan gulped. He wanted to run, scream, do anything to try and get away, but all he could do was stare at Shadow. It was as though he was frozen in time. As he stared his imminent death in the face, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Shadow and the other creatures. He had tried his best to help them, but his best hadn't been good enough. All Ryan had succeeded in doing was destroying himself, and the creatures were still hypnotized by the magi in the purple robe. Ryan desperately loved the creatures, and he wished he could have done so much more to help them.
As Shadow crouched in front of Ryan, the Telvian Panther's expression softened. He was still staring at Ryan, but he didn't look hypnotized anymore. Shadow had stopped glaring , and there was a loving light in his eyes that hadn't been there a second before. Shadow walked up to Ryan and rubbed the young apprentice's leg affectionately. It was obvious: The spell had been broken.
It wasn't just Shadow that had been freed from the spell. All throughout the chamber, creatures began to move and make noise. The difference from the near-silent, still chamber just a moment before was obvious.
"C'mon, Shadow!" Ryan called. "Let's get that magi." The creatures parted as boy and companion raced toward the evil magi was standing. When they got there, the purple robed man was on his hands and knees.
"You stupid boy!" the evil magi roared. "Do you not realize what happens when a spell of that magnitude is broken?!" The magi's skin was beginning to glow. Suddenly, there was a bright flash. Ryan closed his eyes and looked away. When he opened his eyes again, the evil magi was gone. All that was left was his purple robe and black staff, which was no longer in flames. For a few seconds, Ryan and Shadow simply stared at the robe and staff, then they ran to find an older magi.
************************************************************************************
"So," Master Noah, Ryan's teacher, said. "You say that he disintegrated after the spell was broken?"
"Yes sir," Ryan replied.
"I see. I have heard of a spell like the one you described, that can only be performed during a blue moon on All Hallow's Eve, at midnight. I've heard rumor that it's capable of controlling every dark creature at least on the continent, if in the entire world, just as you described. If your story is true, Ryan, you may have just prevented a very serious calamity. The Keep is indebted to you."
"Thank you, sir." Ryan said. "I'm glad I could help." As Master Noah left the library, Ryan looked down at Shadow. He didn't know what had caused the Telvian Panther to snap out of its trance, but he was glad that Shadow was okay.
"let's go get another steak." Ryan said, scratching behind Shadow's ears. "You deserve it." As the the sun made its way into the dawn sky, Ryan and Shadow left the library.
