The Book of the Magi

by Billy Spencer

  Matius kept twirling his staff as Lucuris came closer, and closer, he could see the hunger in the young Mages eyes, and was delighted by it. “Never in all my days have I met someone as unique as you Lucuris.Oh if you were one of these stupid young adults who thought life wasn't worth living for, or who were always pissed off at the world, we could have had some fun. You would be on this side besides me, as a partner in the upcoming event,” Matius said to Lucuris as he tried to plant a seed of his evilness, his wickedness in Lucuris’s mind.

  Lucuris kept focusing his body and mind, and tried ignoring everything Matius was saying. He was having a hard-enough time just dodging the demons who seemed to be coming after him, but would fail, mostly because one of his friends or their familiars would stop them dead in their tracks. “The task of the ancients, let me wield your power and light the skies with your illumination. Give me the power I call upon you, Thor, the god of thunder, grant me the power to smite my foes,” Lucuris said out loud as his staff started to charge up even more, as small bits of static electricity started to dance wildly around his black crystal.

  Matius could see Lucuris getting close to him and wanted him to feel the true wrath of a Warlock. He wanted him to feel everything between his body, and let the darkness drip into his brain and heart. Matius stopped swirling his staff and then pointed it towards Lucuris and just smiled at him. “I hope you like being insane kid, let the darkness take you and envelop your body,” Matius said to Lucuris as a thick dark mist started to creep out of Matius’s own crystal. As the mist started to seep out voices of the underworld, souls of the tortured started to come out from the mist. Faces of the dead appeared within it, trying to break free from the darkness.

  “What the hell is that,” Lucuris said to himself still flying towards Matius.He didn’t know what that mist was, but he could see souls within it, and he didn’t like it at all. “It doesn’t matter what tricks you use to throw me off Matius, I will defeat you,” Lucuris said to Matius as he aimed his staff at the black mist and shot a large thunderbolt towards it, to try and destroy it.

  Lucuris’s attack hit the mist dead on, and as the lightning struck it the souls of the dead screamed in horrible agony that could be heard for miles away. It was the whisper of death. “You see no problem at all, you are weak,” Lucuris said to Matius as he stopped to see that the mist was completely gone.

  “You think it would be that easy to beat me? Please boy, try not to insult me. Darkness consume him,” Matius said out loud as the black mist appeared out of nowhere and headed towards Lucuris faster than the eye could catch. Before Lucuris could do anything to defend himself, the darkness of the torture souls latched onto his arms and legs, and started to cover his whole body. “Got any last words?” Matius said to Lucuris placing his hand behind one ear, trying to hear The Black Mage gasping for air, and trying to attack the mist.

  Lucuris could not feel his arms or legs, he couldn’t even move them, the only thing he could see was the disgusting face of Matius, and just seeing him dance in the sky in a jolly manner. He felt alone and unsure, as many emotions started to take place within him. He was scared, and wanted this all to be a dream. For once he wasn’t a brave man, like he thought he was. As the mist started to continue covering him, and trap him in the darkness of screams, and cries of tortured souls, the only thing Lucuris had on his mind, was not destroying Matius.It was also not him trying to stay calm or be strong. The one thought that overwhelmed the rest was him wanting his mother, and he begged for her and pleaded for her with each passing second. It was the only thought he kept replaying in his head, that he wanted his mother and didn’t want to die. His emotional defenses were down, and Lucuris was a little baby again, as the black mist devoured him, as the last image he saw was Matius smiling, and then nothing but darkness.

  Chapter 31

  The Darkness was all that Lucuris could see as he opened his eyes. He thought he was dreaming, it was nothing but pitch black, and all he wanted to do was wake up. “hello, is anyone there?” Lucuris said out loud as his voice echoed throughout the darkness, nothing, and no one replied to him. Lucuris could feel his fear grow larger and larger by the second. Feeling uncomfortable being in an unknown place by himself, with no one there by his side.

  “Please save us,” Mysterious voices started to wail as their words continued to plead in agony, and sorrow. The voices of the damned, the souls of the forgotten. “Why have you left us all alone?” The voices continued as Lucuris just stood there staring into nothingness, feeling their sadness and anger, feeling their hopelessness.

  “Is this what Matius meant by me feeling Despair...he wants me to feel like there is no hope. Maybe he is right...I’m just trapped here. No track of time, no track of night and day, nothing,” Lucuris said out loud to himself as he started to hug his body and rock back and forth.

  “The Day is long, the night yearns for us, but with it you can see as we march on,” a mysterious voice sang as it echoed through the darkness. Lucuris could feel the words in his heart, they were a bit uplifting.

  “Who’s there? what do you want?” Lucuris said out loud as he began to walk forward into the darkness. To try and find someone, or something who lived in this endless shadow. A shadow he so desperately wanted to escape from.

  “The night always comes, but tomorrow brings a new day, tomorrow brings endless winds of change,” The mysterious voice continued to sing, as the chants and echoes started to become stronger and stronger.

  Lucuris could hardly take it anymore, he didn’t know if what he was hearing was part of Matius magic ability, or was he going crazy. “I just want to go home, please, just lead me home. I’m lost without a way, I’m lost without my friends,” Lucuris said out loud as he started to cry and weep, by just thinking of the same word repeatedly as it hammered through his brain. The word Home, which to some may be some object, someplace of where they live, but to him home was much more than that it was where his roots were. To him it was where his loved ones were, fighting a battle without him.

  “As these winds change, so does our destiny, but always hold faith, always lead the way,” The mysterious voice echoed as it started to fade into the darkness.

  ` “Lead the way? Lead the way where? Please, I'm begging you, help me,” Lucuris said out loud as he continued to cry, feeling more helpless by the moment as his last and final hopes were dashed away from him.

  As he couldn’t feel anything but sadness, what seemed to be seconds to him turned into minutes. Lucuris knew with each passing minute meant more time for Abigail, Jessica or any of his friends to be in harm’s way. “what if they die, what if they are all dead...Jessica, dead. What about Nick or even Joey,” Lucuris said in a small whisper as he tried to wipe the tears from his eyes.

  At that moment though when Lucuris was beginning to lose all hope within him a light shown in front of him as it started to grow, larger and larger engulfing the area he was in with a bright white light. Lucuris slowly got up from the floor, and looked around him side to side, but saw nothing but emptiness. He then looked at his hands, his feet and could see them, he could see his own body. “My god what is going on here,” Lucuris said to himself as he held his hands out just staring at them. For however long he was in the darkness he thought he would never see anything ever again.

  “You heard the call my son,” A male voice said out loud and then a small door out of nowhere opened right in front of Lucuris,and out walked a Mage like himself, at least to Lucuris he dressed the part, but his colors were off. Instead of this person being shrouded in black, he was more covered in a purple outfit, but he covered his own face just like Lucuris, only revealing eyes that were nothing but white.

  “Me hear a call? Who are you? and why did you call me son?” Lucuris said to the mysterious man as he started to walk closer to him with his staff held tightly by his side. He didn’t know who this person was, but for some reason he felt familiar.

  “Never would I dream to see the day, that you would
be walking in the same steps I did. I thought I protected you from this madness, but I guess faith is a strange mistress,” The mysterious man said to Lucuris as he took off the veil covering his face and showing nothing but a large smile.

  Lucuris was confused, he didn’t know what was going on, but just felt his heart, his body, and his emotions just strike out at him. Feeling like he was joyful to see this person, like this person held some sort of spell over him. “What is going on, what are you doing to me?” Lucuris said to the mysterious man demanding an answer as he pointed his staff at The Mage.

  The mysterious man chuckled at Lucuris’s antics, and took out his staff and tossed it to the side. “It’s so good to see you are a strong man. That fateful day separated us, long ago on our planet,” The mysterious man said to Lucuris as he came even closer to him.

  “I... I don’t know you, get back! I need to stop Matius,” Lucuris said out loud as he was backing slowly away from the man.

  “You think you are going to stop him like that? Wow…. I have been away for a while. But I guess that’s why you need me here, you called out for your mom didn’t you?” The mysterious man said to Lucuris as he started to laugh at him.

  Lucuris was beginning to get angry at this person, he didn’t know why he was here. All he wanted to do himself, was just to get out of this madness, and return to his planet. “What do you know about my mother,” Lucuris said out loud to the man demanding an answer as he started to grit his teeth.

  The mysterious man took off his Mage cap and bowed in front of Lucuris. “My boy, your mother and I... well we are your parents. She is my all and I hers,” The Mysterious man said to Lucuris as he went up to Lucuris and patted him on the head.

  Lucuris just stood there in shock, not knowing what to think. He never met his mother, but he knew she was alive, but his father, was dead. “There is no way you are my father, my father died when I was a child,” Lucuris said out loud trying not to back away from the mysterious man.

  “My name is Lucuris son...but since you are using my name, I suppose you can just call me Lucien I suppose,” Lucien said to Lucuris as he started to sit down on the floor as he folded his legs. “I did die that day, or so they thought I did...not really the best time to tell this tale, but let’s just say, I met some people on my way down to your planet,” Lucien said to Lucuris as he stared up at him and smiled.

  “So, if you are here, then that means you can help me get out of here right?” Lucuris said to Lucien as he started to feel joy throughout his body. Not only at the thought of getting out, but that his own father was alive and well.

  Lucien began to get up from the floor, and stared at the walls for a few seconds. “This is a grand opportunity...I hope your friends are strong my boy,” Lucien said to Lucuris as he picked up his Mage staff that was tossed to the side.

  “Why do you ask that,” Lucuris said to Lucien as he started to ponder what his father was talking about. He thought maybe a few bolts were unscrewed in his head, but he didn’t see how this opportunity was grand, it was more lifeless than anything.

  “An opportunity my boy, to learn the true art of The Order of The Magi,” Lucien said to Lucuris as he smiled at his son and then tossed him a white crystal. He had a white crystal of his own, but this one was pulsing with great power.

  Chapter 32

  Lucuris caught the crystal with ease and saw how shiny and beautiful it was as he saw small glimpses of his face and could feel the warmness that was being held within the crystal. His body was tired from all that was going on, with the battle continuing outside this small area, and his emotions just going thru different directions pulling him deeper to each side expanding his mind and soul and making him feel bloated and slow throughout his whole self being.

  “I already have a crystal on my staff Lucien,” Lucuris said to his father as he took his staff and showed the black crystal that laid upon it.The crystal that held power that he still did not even know about. To him he thought that the crystal had a mind of itself sometimes, but for the most part when fighting he went off mostly on instinct, when casting the spells he knew about the specifics in mind due to Joey's help and showing Lucuris a lot of their culture, but half of it was just something within his body that he could feel the crystal and power of it flow thru him.

  Lucien went closer towards Lucuris with his own staff in hand and then put it away from sight. He looked at Lucuris and smiled at him. “Who told you that you were only allowed to use one type of crystal my son?” Lucien said to Lucuris as he kept smiling at his son, thinking about how adorable and clueless his young boy was acting. He felt happy to finally see his own offspring becoming an adult, showing his true potential. But Lucien also felt a bit of sorrow, feeling lonely all those years, without his son and wife. Feeling a bit bitter toward the one that caused their separation and all the missed opportunities and events that went on in Lucuris’s life. For a moment the bad thoughts clouded Lucien in a haze, but he then looked at Lucuris and couldn’t help but feel happy for him. “You have all the love in the world, that you get from your family son,” Lucien said to Lucuris as he started to pace back and forth into the blankness, in the area they were in.

  “My friends and sister were all I had until Joey showed up. I never knew what I was missing until joey showed me dad,” Lucuris said to Lucien as a smile broke over his face. He really missed everyone, but also felt happy he was getting this one-on-one time with the father he never had. Lucuris then looked at his crystal and the white crystal and then snapped back into reality, he was confused by what his father said to him. “What did you mean about the use of different crystals, there’s more than one?” Lucuris said to Lucien as his eyes were consumed by the crystal as he tried to stare deeper and deeper inside it to get some sort of clue or answer from the silent rock.

  “Crystals are what we Mage’s use to harness the power within our bodies, within our souls and to emit it out in almost any way we imagine my son,” Lucien said to Lucuris as he placed his hand on Lucuris’s shoulder and stared deep into his son's eyes. “Let me show you what I mean by this my son, let me carry you thru the doors that were locked, the memories that have been hidden for over a thousand years,” Lucien said to Lucuris as he held his son's arms and just stared at him, focusing his energy and trying to show Lucuris what he was not shown by Joey or anybody else.

  The room began to turn and turn as the room started to flicker. Lucuris didn’t know what to think about what was happening around him, all he did was stare into his father’s eyes. “What’s going on father. what is happening around us, the room is moving so fast,” Lucuris said out loud looking at Lucien and just seeing him be as stiff as a statue for what seemed to be hours, and just stare at him with blank eyes as if he wasn’t even there.

  “Keep calm Lucuris...it’s just memories coming into this room, my memories are filling this blank space and shall be shown to you momentarily,” Lucien said to Lucuris as he began to soften his grip and started to breathe lightly.

  The room was slowing down as Lucuris could feel his father's grip loosen on him, and saw that images started to appear all around him of forests that surround towns and had many people in robes either dancing or conversating. He also saw Mages, just like him casting different spells in some sort of celebration, but they all seemed different from one another. Some of the females were wearing white robes or green robes, and then others wore black robes.Lucuris was surprised to see so many variations of Mage in these memories, what he also found strange was their staffs were all different looking but the Mages who were casting abilities always used their staff to cast spells. The spells that Lucuris could see where ones he never saw in person, sure he saw variations of fire spells, or wind spells, but some of the spells used water, environments from the earth itself beyond dirt, or electricity. They were even able to use spells to harness some sort of metal and a strange light power that he could see one Mage cast, but he didn't know what all this meant.

  Lucien could see L
ucuris was beginning to feel lightheaded he saw his son go in and out of consciousness by seeing these images and trying to take in their memory. “The images you see are of our planet my son, in a different dimension than this,” Lucien said to Lucuris as he began to walk around the room pointing at different images that caught his attention.

  Lucuris followed his father looking at the once blank walls now more of a giant television of Lucien's mind. “I see different Mages father, ones who can use different elements, even ones that are beyond what I know, is this what you wanted to show me?” Lucuris said to Lucien as he stared aimlessly at an image of a young girl, who sat in a beautiful garden using her staff to bring out flames who danced together in the sky, as some sort of performance theater.

  “That right there is true beauty,” Lucien said to Lucuris as he smirked at him.

  “Who is she, she seems pretty kind,” Lucuris said to Lucien as he reached out his hand to try and touched the memory with his own hand.

  Lucien stood there next to Lucuris and just admire the image of the woman that stood in front of him. Her face not masked by a veil, her face a light brown, lips cherry red, with beautiful curly hair that stood to both sides of her shoulders. Her smile elegant, and enriching in all the warmness that could warm a body for all eternity. “That my son is the most beautiful women in all the worlds, all the dimensions. Life itself could stand still, a thousand shadows could keep my eyes overshadowed, but nothing could stop me from seeing her. I miss you so much Serenity. One day we will be in each other arms again, as we dance the night away, and be arm and arm in front of a burning fire, watching day turn to night,” Lucien said out loud to himself as he reached out his hand next to Lucuris and just stood there admiring the beautiful woman like his son was doing.