Magician Reborn (Book 2)

by Paul Sobol

  The countdown was set to five minutes. There was nothing that could stop the process now, short of destroying the particle accelerator, and he had taken every precaution to make sure that would be highly unlikely. The Master smiled, but there was not a trace of mirth in the gesture. A noise from behind made him look away from the monitor and noticed his guest had roused. “I was wondering when you’d come around.”

  Alex tried focusing on the source of the voice, but he was still too groggy to see clear enough. “Who…? Who are you, and why am I tied to a chair?” Not the best questions to start with, he thought dimly. But he did recognise the need to stall for time. Whatever had happened since the ordeal in the desert his situation had certainly changed for the worse, considering he was once again blocked from his mana.

  “All in good time my young friend,” said the Master, who turned back to the computer monitor and tapped at the keyboard several times. Satisfied with some unknown result, the tall thin man turned back to the only person in the room. “You may remember me, many years ago. We rarely spoke to each other, but by some freak co-coincidence you and I took a rather interesting journey together. As to why you’re bound to the chair that may become apparent soon enough.”

  Head slowly clearing, Alex furiously thought back. He dismissed the time as Xander, being too recent, so it must have been his first life. The part about taking a journey together triggered the memory, and it dawned on Alex exactly who he was dealing with. “Dr Sullivan? But you’re…”

  “Dead? I supposed I am, but it wasn’t the explosion that killed me. Like you, I was sent to that place of darkness, the Pit it was called. However, that is where our stories diverge. Rather than being saved I spent a long time being tortured. Very unpleasant, would hate to go through it again. But it did eventually lead to one positive outcome: my knowledge of science, especially concerning alternative energies, helped my torturer to achieve a life-long goal.”

  Something tugged at the edge of Alex’s mind, but the thought refused to coalesce into anything coherent. He had to stall for time. Knowing his best friend, Simon would have contacted the Order by now and already formed a rescue party. “So, Doctor, somehow you’ve returned, and plan to do what?”

  The man in front of the computer merely smiled in response. Reaching up he removed a delicate pair of gold-rimmed glasses and set them on the work table behind him. A long white lab coat was casually taken off next and, unhurriedly, folded neatly over a chair. Unsure what was to follow, Alex couldn’t help but show surprise as the man undressed down to his underwear. Furiously trying to come up with some witty retort to lighten an already awkward situation, Alex could only sit and contemplate what horrible violation might occur. Thankfully he was completely wrong.

  On the other side of the room, heavily shielded windows showed Alex a large opened chamber closely resembling a bank vault, but rather than money or gold inside it was dominated by a huge machine surrounded by a mass of wiring and circuitry. If he didn’t know any better, he guessed it to be a particle accelerator, ominously similar to the one at the Laboratory he had worked so long ago at. Another piece of the puzzle suddenly fit into place, and Alex couldn’t help but follow the logical path of reasoning to its horrible conclusion.

  Dr Sullivan, the lead quantum astrophysicist at the facility, was now attempting to recreate the conditions that had caused the initial explosion and subsequent expulsion from their universe. No, the good doctor didn’t want to die again; he was trying to re-establish a connection to the hell world. But that didn’t make sense, Alex thought, why would he want to go back?

  “Unless I’m mistaken Dr Sullivan, you either left your favourite toothbrush behind on that forsaken fire-blasted rock, or something very important is there that you want.”

  “Indeed,” the semi-naked man said, “for thousands of years that so-called rock has been home to some of the worst nightmares imaginable. Every demon, fallen angel, force of darkness, has been banished there and made to wait out eternity. I’m just opening the door to let them out.”

  “You’re insane. Unleashing those demons into this world would be our doom, why are you doing this?”

  “I haven’t exactly been honest with you,” the doctor said as he turned and typed something on the computer consol. Alex stared in mute disgust as the man’s skin bulged and stretched, as though something beneath were trying to get out. At the weakest points the skin began to tear and red scaly flesh appeared beneath. Like a snake shedding, the tattered skin of Dr Sullivan fell to the floor with a wet sickening sound.

  Thankfully Alex hadn’t eaten in some time, unsure that his stomach could have remained so calm during the surprising revelation. “I should have guessed you were a demon.”

  Zareth, exposed in his true demonic form, laughed. “I am a Demon Lord, General of the Vile Legion. For countless eons I led an army of minions across the universes, destroying everything that stood in our way. I strode at the head of ten million Damned against the very gates of heaven. I alone was responsible for the destruction of two higher realms and even dared challenged the Gods.”

  Alex’s features remained neutral, clearly unimpressed with the long list of titles and achievements. “Save the speech for someone who might care. So you’ve done a few bad things, but as usual you got caught and now you’re just resentful. I understand. Life’s never fair and you’re just a product of your upbringing.” Alex had no idea what he was rambling on about, but clearly it was confusing the demon which should hopefully buy some more time for the rescue party to arrive.

  “So go ahead,” he continued, by now convinced he was just antagonising the red-scaled brute for the hell of it, “open the doorway, it will make it easier to deport your ass back to Hell.”

  Zareth smiled maliciously, showing rows of razor-sharp teeth.

  “I admire your courage magician. If you didn’t have to die I would have liked to send your ass to that rock, as you put it. The doctor barely lasted a day, but you, you may actually live long enough to become one of the Damned. You see, I wasn’t born a demon,” he said, flexing large rippling biceps and unfurling bat-like wings, “I was turned into one. But as you said, enough of the speeches, it is time.”

  Turning back to the console, Zareth monitored the rising energy levels, making small adjustments as it progressed towards critical mass. The huge accelerator on the other side of the glass was humming very loudly now, and in the open space of the chamber a cloud of ionised gasses formed in a beautiful display of colours shifting through the spectrum. With the collision chamber opened and exposed the newly created exotic high-energy particles flooded the surrounding area with radiation, creating the rainbow effect. The temperature rapidly increased and light bulbs began to melt and burst, throwing the room into semi-darkness, illuminated by tiny bursts of energy as particles collided and disintegrated.

  With energy levels at the maximum the accelerator was now producing the desired exotic particles required to complete the portal. In a strange blending of science and magic, Zareth knew the gateway was nearing completion. All that was needed was the final key. Striding purposefully across the control room the demon lord, with an astonishing display of strength, picked Alex and the chair up and heaved them through the shielded glass window. In a shower of shattered re-enforced glass, Alex and chair sailed inevitably through the burning air, headed straight towards the maelstrom of coalescing energy. For the briefest of moments Alex felt pain, but then blissful nothingness as the super-heated air quickly disintegrated his nerve endings. Within moments his clothes, hair, skin, even the chair, burned away in a flash of reacting energies. Nothing remained to hit the ground, except for a small amount of molten metal from the chair.

  Zareth couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle as the body and chair vaporized in the energy cloud. The rush of heat through the broken window barely bothered the demon lord, having lived most of his life around fire and magma. Zareth quickly became serious and began preparations to open the portal. Gathering dar
k powers he fashioned the portal’s basic structure using raw energy swirling out of the accelerator. Within minutes the doorway between realms would be opened, and his Host once again free to ravage and pillage its way across the cosmos.

  The thought pleased Zareth. He briefly marvelled at how Fate was being so fortuitous; the key, the single-most important component to re-opening the portal, was practically delivered to his very doorstep. The chances seemed astronomical, and yet it had happened that easily.

  “Alex, open your eyes.”

  For a moment that seemed about the hardest thing in the world to do, but stubbornly his body obeyed and one eye opened a crack. The sudden re-introduction of light to his eye sent a flash of pain through his consciousness and instantly regretting the action. The traitorous optical apparatus was quickly shut tight once again.

  “Fine, have it your way, but it’s such a beautiful day and I know you of all people would appreciate it.” The voice sounded familiar.

  Alex rolled over with a groan. He didn’t remember feeling so tired, and wanted nothing more than to rest a while longer. “Kiara, what are you doing here?” He didn’t know if that came out clearly, most likely heavily mumbled since his lips refused to work in sync.

  “And where is here?”

  “Hopefully this is Heaven, which means I’m dead and can sleep in as long as I want to now.”

  “If this were Heaven,” he heard a rustle as if someone were moving close by, “then this wouldn’t hurt.”

  The kick to his shin was real enough which Alex couldn’t ignore. Opening his eyes fully he was greeted by the most beautiful woman in a long flowing white gown. “Ow. There were plenty of other, less painful ways of getting me up.”

  “I know,” she said, squatting down next to Alex in a rather un-lady-like fashion, “but I’m pretty sure you’ll forgive me this time.”

  Kiara reached down and grabbed both of Alex’s hands, which were easily twice as large as hers. “Get up, you’ve still got unfinished business to take care of.”

  “What are you talking about? Having recently discovered I’ve been living someone else’s life for the past seventeen years, someone I cared about a great deal was brutally murdered before my eyes, and a vengeful demon lord wants to destroy the universe using my death as a means of opening the portal from Hell. I think I’ve done more than enough.”

  Kiara rolled her eyes. “You sound very much like someone I knew. Of course that was a very long time ago, but sometimes it still feels like only yesterday. I see something of him within you. He was the most gifted, passionate and creative magician ever to have existed, but he was also very emotional. He would often act on a feeling rather than logic or reasoning, and because of this his enemies could manipulate his actions by already knowing his reactions.

  “He lost someone too. Like you he died a little inside and became resentful, even bitter, towards those who still loved him. But there came a point where he had a choice; to slide further into darkness or rise above it all and continue living as the kind-hearted person he was. I believed in his goodness, and when he returned from the brink of despair he vowed to continue to love. Never lose the capacity to love, for once it’s gone, it won’t come back.”

  “What happened to him then?”

  “He devoted his life to maintaining the Balance, which wasn’t always easy, but he did the best he could. Eventually though he felt his efforts weren’t enough, and at a critical moment sacrificed his life to save an entire world. Most didn’t even know what he had done, but because of that selfless act he was marked by Fate, and every so often when the need for a hero is dire he returns. He has existed throughout Time as one being or another, living on different worlds, and because of this he has a rather unique perspective on life. Maintaining the balance between good and evil within the cosmos is a huge burden for him, one he takes very seriously, but there are always those willing to help that can make a big difference in the end.”

  “Sounds like someone I know, well…not exactly. I think I dreamt about him.”

  “Those we’re not dreams, Alex,” Kiara looked deep into his eyes, silently imploring him to remember. Wake up, my son. “They’re memories. His last memories. The Shadowmage is reborn when the Balance is threatened; however, this was not his time to awaken. I rescued you from Zareth’s clutches. I was not meant to interfere, but I had to, and because of my actions the demon lord eventually escaped his prison. Now he threatens your world with destruction. That is the price of upsetting the Balance.

  “But you can fix this?” Alex pulled slightly away from the young woman, a look of hurt and confusion on his face. “Millions will die, just because you saved one life? You should have let me die!”

  “You don’t understand,” she came forward and held his head tenderly between both her small hands. “The Shadowmage is my son, and nothing comes between a mother’s love. Now, you must awaken. The Balance must be maintained, and there’s only one person who can do that. Awake!”

  Chapter Twenty Three

  “What do you mean he’s dead?” Silver shouted.

  “I can’t sense his presence anymore,” said Simon who had his eyes shut tight in concentration. “He stopped for several hours just to the East, not too far away now, but the psychic connection I shared with him no longer exists.”

  At Silver’s angry glare he felt compelled to explain further. “If he simply left this realm I can usually tell, but this is like a complete severing of the connection, which means he’s no longer alive.”

  “Dammit,” cursed Silver. They had been closing on Alex’s general position for some time, but now that the link has gone literally dead, there didn’t seem to be any reason to continue the search.

  “Simon, can you scan the approximate area you last sensed him?”

  “I can try.” Simon reached out with his mental powers, sweeping the last known location of his friend. “There isn’t much activity in that area except for two, but they’re not human. I tried going deeper but they quickly shut me out. Didn’t feel like magicians either, and yet they certainly had enough power to fully block me. I would guess higher ‘undead’ or greater.”

  Silver nodded in affirmation. “Vampires and lesser demons couldn’t stop Alex, not unless they had help from something more powerful. Perhaps a lich, elder vampire, maybe even a greater demon. In any case we should investigate and, if necessary, destroy them. We need to find out what happened to Alex.”

  “Since we are dealing with things beyond even our power to handle,” added Archer, “I’ll contact the few members of the Order not tied up with the outbreak. I can’t promise many, but even a few more magicians could make a difference, considering what we felt out in the desert it pays to be prepared for the worst.”

  “Do it,” agreed Silver, “I’ve got a few contacts of my own who might lend a hand on such short notice.”

  Nothing was said for several minutes as the two magicians sent out psychic messages across the world. Meanwhile Simon, taking advantage of the quiet, closed his eyes and tried focusing on Alex’s presence, but just as before he sensed nothing. Sighing in frustration and worry he realised continuing with the search was most likely futile. However, dire events were unfolding and he was determined to discover what had happened to his friend.

  It wasn’t long before their destination came into view, but from their high vantage point it was still some distance away. Overall the flight had been uneventful; although Simon wasn’t convinced it was entirely natural for the three of them to be so exposed. Simon and Archer had rendezvoused at the tribe camp and stayed only moments to talk with the Chief. With Simon in tow the three had simply lifted into the air and magically hurled half-way across the continent in Alex’s general direction. Having never experienced flying in this manner Simon was more than a little disturbed at first, but soon marvelled at how swiftly they passed over mountain ranges, rolling plains and small townships where the people went about their lives completely ignorant of the three high above. It
wasn’t long before the sensation lost its appeal and Simon grew restless. With the end in sight he was practically chafing to get on the ground and doing something.

  From their aerial vantage point they could clearly see how huge the underground facility was. Two giant circles had been marked out with barbed wire fencing and the entire area contained within was flat grassland. In total the circles were roughly several kilometres in diameter, and where they met together was a multi-storied white building most likely housing the laboratories. But as they descended to within a few hundred meters a jagged bolt of purple energy from the facility narrowly missed the three flying magicians.

  Dozens of dark energy missiles were cast skywards, but the three split up making them harder to target. Sensing the facility was heavily warded the fliers re-grouped on the ground near an outbuilding that looked to house backup generators. The magical attack had ceased, but the two magicians knew it was only a matter of time before someone, or something, came to investigate their unexpected appearance. With the element of surprise gone they had to reconsider their initial plan.

  “Now they know we’re here, what’s our next move?” Simon asked.

  “Simple,” replied Silver, “we set up a staging area for reinforcements to arrive quicker. This seems as good a spot as any. I’ll take care of the portal, you two make sure whoever is firing at us doesn’t get too close.”

  Silver moved away a short distance in order to create a temporary teleportation beacon. Archer and Simon made their way around the building to get a better look at the facility located at least a kilometre away. Open space provided an unobstructed view of the large building, but anyone approaching would have no cover to hide behind. It was the perfect killing field.

  Using a spell to bend the air Archer created a makeshift telescope which brought the main building into focus. Combined with her superior elven sight she clearly made out two figures standing in the main foyer. They were uniformed humans, but after consulting with Simon she was convinced they were now plague victims. “Can you disable them from here?”