“I don’t know what happened really dad, but one day we will both meet mom again,” Lucuris said to Lucien as his outreached hand grabbed his father's.Lucuris then turned towards his father and hugged him, and held him for a few moments to just show him that no one is ever alone.
Lucien held his son tightly patting the back of him while shedding tears, that ran down his cheeks and onto his son’s robes. His heart sank to the floor, his mouth became dry, and his eyes burned from the tears he shed. “I missed you so much Lucuris, not a moment went by when I was trapped with that monster that I did not think of you. You were always on my mind...When I found you in this darkness, at first, I didn’t believe it was you, but I knew it was you, just by the warmth of your heart. The same warmth I felt from your mother,” Lucien said to Lucuris as he smiled while looking back at the memory of his Serenity.
Lucuris took the white crystal held it up above him and Lucien, and stared into it, trying to see what it held within itself. “How do I use this crystal dad? Do I say some sort of chant or something?” Lucuris said to Lucien as he kept staring at the mysterious object.
Lucien then reached out and grabbed Lucuris’s staff from the side of his hips and then quickly grabbed the white crystal from his son’s hand. “In order to harness both crystals powers we must meld them and have the white and dark powers unite,” Lucien said to Lucuris as he broke the black crystal from the staff. He knew that time was running out for them, that he had to teach Lucuris a way to stop the dark menace that was trying to cover his sons’ dimension. He could feel that shadows trying to come towards them, the shadows that have been trapped in darkness for centuries and wanted a way out, through the two of them.
Lucuris could start to hear faint whispers and started to look around the room and saw that the white room was starting to fill with darkness. “Dad give me my crystal and staff back I need them both to fight off whatever this is,” Lucuris said to Lucien as he started to rush towards his father who took the items he held and went a few feet away from him.
“There is no time for you to try and waste efforts my son. You can’t stop darkness with darkness, it only makes them stronger,” Lucien said to Lucuris as he bent down with both crystals in hand and started to chant in words that Lucuris did not recognize. Lucien knew that this was their only hope, he thought they had more time, time for him to at least explain to his son. He knew that he could not fail his son again that he had to meld both crystals together and show his son the next level of a Mage.
Lucuris could hear and see the shadows try and cover the walls, ceiling, and floor of the area they were in. He started to hear crying, to hear anger that was coming out of the shadows. “Oh no, please don’t come near us, just stay away. All we want to do is just leave,” Lucuris said out loud while trying to shield his dad from the shadows as they were starting to approach them both.
“Your shadows stay away, never return,” Lucien said out loud as he looked up with both crystals in each hand, starring with fiery red eyes, his power was increasing, and the heat coming off him was so hot that Lucuris had to back away a few feet. Lucien could feel the power seeping thru both crystal as they both turned into liquid in his fist, he then placed his hands together and started to chant even louder as the room started to turn red as fire began to run around the room chasing the shadows and vaporizing them. “You are a Mage my son, but you are no ordinary Mage. The Order may be broken right now, but you can fix it, you can change the old guard,” Lucien said out loud as his hands turned red and the crystals started to forge. He could feel their liquids becoming solid as the dark and light combined. Lucien then grabbed Lucuris’s staff and placed the crystal on top of it, where the black crystal once rested. “Ice of fire, cool of the winds, slow of time,” Lucien whispered softly as the room, himself and the crystal began to cool down drastically.
The shadows no longer trying to attack them, no longer trying to steal their bodies and possess them. The room just lit up a dark purple color, and the crystal that was attached to Lucuris’s staff was as purple, and glowed with intense power. Lucuris stared at the object for a few seconds, feeling nothing but amazement at what his father made. “You made my black crystal into this purple crystal father? Where’s the white one?” Lucuris said to Lucien as he held his staff with both hands and massaged the crystal with his fingers.
Lucien looked at Lucuris and then sighed a bit at the simplistic nature his son had. But he then started to remember that he was once so new to the way of Magic that he saw a bit of himself in his son. “The crystal that is held on your staff is a Chaos Crystal. It holds the powers of light and dark. Gives you access to both arts of Magic, but also can cause corruption on the user,” Lucien said to Lucuris as he looked at the staff and the Chaos crystal that was still beaming with light.
“wait what do you mean able to corrupt? this crystal is going to harm me?” Lucuris said to Lucien as his arm holding the staff was beginning to tremble with fear of the unknown.
“The crystal is able to corrupt your soul, to have a chance to give in to the darkness. But you also have the light on your side, it’s why both crystals are needed to balance each other out. You are strong Lucuris, you just have to not give in to evil temptations,” Lucien said to Lucuris as he rummaged through his robe looking for something.
Lucuris could feel his heart sink a bit, thinking about the evil deeds of men, the evil thoughts he could have and what would happen if the darkness overcame him. Would he try to kill himself in the madness? Would he try to kill his loved ones? Or even worse, would he be like Matius and just be a shell of his former self. “The madness that goes on in my world, needs to be dealt with. I don’t know if I’m the person to do it, but I want to try,” Lucuris said to Lucien as he grasped his staff with both hands and began to try and channeled the Chaos crystals power.
“The world that has any being of intelligence is confusing my son. But you are not alone, never alone in the battle of good and evil. Remember the friends and loved ones you have, remember who you are always. The people of your earth feel alone at times, lost in the midst of the shadows, but you Lucuris be the person who holds the lantern up and show them the way,” Lucien said to Lucuris as he placed his arm over his son's shoulder.
Lucuris began concentrating on the crystal, he could see in his mind memories of his upbringing, memories that he held inside himself. The first time he got a comic and felt so happy to just be able to get it, the time he once got jumped after school by some people who were bullying him and wanted to take his stuff, he could feel it all happiness and pain. To him it felt like a constant flow of emotions going in and out of his body, but he also could feel that as time went on the pain and happiness would intertwine. That even though he had a happy memory, sadness follows it, or if a sad one entered his mind happiness was right behind. It was an odd feeling to Lucuris, but he knew that he had to endure it, to protect the people he cared for.
The Chaos crystal kept beaming bright and brighter as time went on. Lucuris could feel the power growing inside of him, he could feel stronger with each passing second, it was almost an addiction to him.
“I shouldn’t have tried this. It’s taking too long Lucuris, let go of the staff now,” Lucien said out loud as he screamed at Lucuris. Lucien tried walking towards his son, but the power of the Chaos Crystal was keeping him away. It seemed as if Lucuris couldn’t even hear him, his son’s eyes just stared at the crystal intensely and didn’t move an inch.
As soon as Lucien could move and try to rush Lucuris the room went pitch black, and for a second it was consumed by darkness. But as time went on the room started to be lit up as a purple light began to pulse. Lucuris held the crystal out as he stood there admiring it. The crystals power attached to him, as he wore a Mage's rob. A long trench coat that went all the way down to his feet, but a dark purple version of it, with a purple Mages cap and veil. His hair no longer the color it once was, was now more of grey like clouds on a stormy day. Lucuris eyes turned to
his father as he stared deeply. His eyes so powerful that the power of the Chaos crystal was beaming off them too.
“Lucuris son, is that really you?” Lucien said to Lucuris as he slowly approached his son. He knew that the Mage was his son, but he didn’t know if the darkness took over the light.
Lucuris stood there with staff at his side, gazing at his father. “It’s ok dad...I will lead the people into a new dawn,” Lucuris said to Lucien as he started to move towards his father.
Lucien was relieved to hear his son still be himself, he was worried that it would have taken over him and corrupted his body. “Now what shall we do son? Are you ready to finish this fight?” Lucien said to Lucuris as he took out his staff and looked to the right of him, staring into blankness.
“With you by my side father, I am ready for anything. Let’s hope it’s not too late. I will stop Matius from killing people of my planet, no matter what,” Lucuris said out loud as he held his staff out and held it tightly, feeling his blood rise from thinking of Matius and all that he has put him through.
The thought of darkness and despair didn’t cloud Lucuris’s mind no more, he was afraid to be alone in a world that was full of destruction and blood. He doubted himself and the powers that were given to him. But his father showed him a path he could follow and build upon, a path that people of his dimension and planet could follow for he would lead them into the light as the one to hold the lantern out and to keep it lit.
Chapter 33
The spell encasing Lucuris was wailing with pain, as dark red and purple light started to erupt from it and exploding and covering the sky in a dark gray clouds for a few seconds.
Nick and Abigail could see two figures standing where her brother was trapped. She couldn’t tell at first until she saw one of the figures eyes and she knew who it was. “Guys its Lucuris, he’s free he’s…. different,” Abigail said as she and Nick charged heading towards Lucuris rushing through demons who got in their way.
Jessica also saw Lucuris but could not head towards him because she and Odin were surrounded by demons. They have been fighting for what felt like forever and she had the cuts to prove it. “Lucuris will be okay with Nick and Abigail, but for now we must mow these beings down and send them back to where they came,” Jessica said to Odin as she held her sword forward and thrust it in the body of a demon who shrieked in pain and desperately tried to slash her throat before it collapsed with any life it had inside of it.
“Matius, you tried to stop me, but you will not stop the both of us” Lucuris said to Matius as he stood in the air with his father and aimed his staff at the warlock.
Matius turned with his decaying body, with just a smile on his face. “You think you two can stop me…Oh how foolish you are boy you fell for my master’s trap,” Matius said to Lucuris as he started to laugh as the skies grew darker, and darker.
The skies turned a blood red as they began to be pierced with a beaming light. As the skies began to tear a figure came out from it in a robe like Lucuris, Joey, and his father Lucien. Except for this figure wore a red robe, dark as crimson. “So, you have returned to try and stop me yet again…brother,” The figure said as he rushed towards Lucien as his red crystal started to emit a dark red beam from the staff. Lucien darted towards the crimson beam with his staff in hand as he held his palm out and started to chant. As he was chanting a construct appeared in front of him a shape of a shield blocking the crimson beam attack. “I knew you had something to do with this Lucidian,” said Lucien as he held the shield together.
“You will not get away with this…you made me fear you before, but I know that you are the evil that has to go,” Lucuris yelled as he was getting ready to aid his father. But before he could an armored demon slashed at his back piercing his skin.
“not so fast Lucuris, we are not through….you see these people in this town will be the first to go…I will suck on their blood, control them, harm them...I will corrupt them,” Matius said to Lucuris as he smirked and started to come closer as the skies were covered in the crimson red.
Lucuris stood there in the sky with his staff and gasping in pain as he could feel the cuts in his skin. He could feel his blood seep into his robe, and he knew that he had to stop Matius, to do what he could. “you will not take these people…you will not corrupt anyone else. I will fight until my dying breath,” Lucuris said as he held out his staff and starred Matius in his dead, cold, and heartless eyes.
“I guess your death will be it then…good thing your father is distracted wouldn’t want him to witness his son's death,” Matius said as he began to throw bolts of dark light at Lucuris,light that had the piercing sounds of the dead.
Lucuris dodge the bolts of shadowy light and began to speed towards Matius as he emitted dark twisting energy out of his staff as it was roaring towards the warlock. “I may be new to my abilities, and I may stumble a lot, but I learn, and I know that when it comes to you Matius is that your abilities piggyback off the suffering of others. Without the souls to help you, your demons to protect you, you are nothing but a decaying corpse,” Lucuris yelled as his attacked plowed through hundreds of demons in front of Matius.
“You think you can stop me; you think anyone can stop me,” Matius yelled as he started to cast a spell the began to grow into a giant green fireball. “My life has always been in hell, my life has always been broken and I will break you,” Matius said as he continued to gather energy for his spell.
But before he could even finish his cast Nick and Abigail came in behind Matius with both of their familiars. “Our brother isn’t alone in this fight you forget this,” Nick said as he took both of his Divine Guns, took aim and started to attack Matius in the back.
“He’s right you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us,” Abigail said as she rode on zee and began to engulf many of the demons close to Matius to try and give her brother and Nick some breathing room.
“You ready to end this guy Lucuris?” Jessica said to Lucuris as she and Odin flew behind him.
He felt happy to know his friends always had his back. He felt like his friends were his shield and he would be theirs any day. “We have to end this, and end this we will. I don’t know about Lucidian, but we must take out Matius,” Lucuris said to Jessica as his eyes met hers.
“Hang tight to my hand, grab it with all your might,” Jessica told Lucuris as he gripped her wrist tight and for a second, she could feel their hearts beat.
“All for one Jessica,” Lucuris said as he forced himself forward towards Matius with his staff aimed forward and glowing purple and red in a swirl of chaos.
“One for all,” Jessica said as she saw Lucuris hurl himself into the demons and rushing towards Matius with confidence in his eyes.
With the heat of battle all that was racing thru Lucuris’s mind was to protect the people in his town. That they did not deserve any harm and Matius and his master were the ones who would pay. “you look down on us like we are nothing but dirt on the ground. You are a roach, a maggot. You feed on what is dead and what is rotting, you are vile and damned,” Lucuris yelled as he shot a large beam of what he thought and felt was chaos magic towards Matius who guarded himself with a few brute demons. The beam whirled towards him and was sharpening and acting on its own. It looked like claws trying to scratch at everything it passed by. Every demon it touches it lit on fire and turned into ash.
Then it struck Matius with a fierce jolt inside of his body as he shrieked with pain. “You think this is enough to destroy me. I lived in hell and have been tortured this is nothing,” Matius said to Lucuris as he was huffing and screaming from pain. Parts of his decaying body was starting to fall off the skin melting away and showing bone and puss that was hiding underneath Matius.
Lucuris stopped what felt like inches in front of Matius.he could feel the anger and hate filled his body and veins, and it burned. He saw Matius and his decaying body the amount of people who had to die so he could live. “you are a monster…you have to pay for
everything that you did,” Lucuris said to Matius as the anger in his body was about to erupt.
“What I have done? Oh, my boy, my damn stupid boy you have no idea what is to come,” Matius said to Lucuris with a smirk as he grasped his tome from his side and started chanting and laughing at the same time.
He started to chant louder and louder as winds swirled around him. “I have done what my Master wished…no one will take me out, no one will defeat me. Your worlds will crumble, your people will cower. My master has what they need, and so my time, my usefulness has come to an end,” Matius shouted to Lucuris as shrieks and screams came booming. Hundreds of the demons he summoned clawed at Matius ripping him to shreds feasting on his decaying body.
The Book of the Magi Page 21
