The sorcerer followed the scared little boy, quickening his pace. “Little rat — little rat, you will regret stepping foot to my territory!” He hissed as he began to cast a spell that would make move and run as fast as the fastest animal on the planet. A Peregrine Falcon.
“Wings that are light, gifted with the power of flight. Across the sky —” He raised the black staff on his hand as he ran. And with the last command, “ — is where I spread my wings and fly!”
He turned into a peregrine falcon, spread his wings and began to fly. He glided in the sky and effortlessly caught up with the pesky little boy. “I knew there was some big rat or cat that had been hiding in my house!” He spoke through his small beak, yet his voice was loud. “All my leftovers were missing! You thought I was stupid to not notice them, huh?!”
Kane yelped and tried to run faster. A few twigs cracked and the scent from the morning dew evaded his senses.
He remembered this part of the forest.
“I’m almost there..” He whispered to himself with a grin. Yet he did not dare slow down. But that grin disappeared and turned into a frown when he couldn't spot the Yew tree that signified that he was in the middle of the forest. “No way…” He mumbled to himself but was loud enough for the sorcerer to hear.
Noticing that the boy stopped running, the sorcerer went back to his human form. He was dressed in a blue and white robe while a white cowl covered half of his face. An ancient summoning circle was tattooed on the back of his right hand.
While the little boy was still mumbling to himself, the sorcerer took careful steps towards Kane.
“You will pay for intruding here…” He whispered softly, raising his staff again, to conjure a wicked spell.
“An ugly creature cursed to be loathed. Something unclean, something green, something that looks eroded. Green skin yet isn’t as glorious as a rose — has a stem but it is undeniably gross —” He pointed his hand towards Kane. “ —turn into a frog!”
A ray of light from his staff directed towards the boy.
The sorcerer snickered, imagining how the little intruder would react once he would croak instead of cry. But when the ray of light from his staff deflected from the boy’s back — the sorcerer dropped the staff on his hand out of shock.
His eyes widened and his mouth gaped, dropping and was wide open. “What the —” The sorcerer faked a few coughs, trying to collect himself. “---a fluke maybe?” He told himself. “Maybe I should try again.”
So he begins to cast the spell and enunciates once again. But when his spell was deflected he could only groan and cursed in frustration. “Who are you little boy?!” He asked aloud. “Are you my nephew — a child of my elder sister?! Did she send you to torture me?!”
The boy did not answer. Instead, Kane remained staring at the sky, wondering where his mother was, and his aunt were, hoping they’re still alive.
“Hey you!” The sorcerer called, forcefully stealing the attention of the boy. Kane looked at him with such hopelessness in his eyes, but the sorcerer wasn’t fazed. “Who are you?! Tell me your name!”
“I am Kane.” He answered truthfully. “Now can you please tell me how I can get out of this forest?”
“And why should I tell you?” The sorcerer hissed. He slammed the bottom of his staff against the ground. The earth shook, the small rocks and leaves jumped from the ground. “You are never going to get out of here!”
“Why?!”
“Why?” The sorcerer let out a crooked smile. “Because those who dares to tresspases on the forest under my protection won’t come out alive…” he paused, stifling his laugh. “...or humans. Usually I turn them into frogs, cockroaches and kill them later on. Mercy killing, as I call it.”
The boy lowered his head then spoke softly. “Please mister, I’m telling you the truth, I am lost. I — I need to go back home! I need to go back to my mom!”
“Who do you think you’re fooling?!” The sorcerer’s eyes darkened. “You think I’d release you and let you tell the world about this place?!”
“But I’m not —”
“SILENCE!” The sorcerer said. “You will never leave here — you can never get out of here! You little rat! I will cast a spell upon you that would turn your feet into stone! You will grow old at this place… rot at this place. You will defecate and urinate where you stand. You will not be able to move, nor will you be able to steal as you have stolen from me —”
“But I never stole from you!” Kane cried. “I only left the leftovers you’ve left to rot in your fridge!”
“ —but they were mine still!” The sorcerer hissed. “And how dare you wear my favorite clothes and say you’re not a thief!”
“But I’m only borrowing what I need!”
"No more excuses!" The sorcerer whispered before he placed both of his hands on the black staff. Something that sorcerers do when the spell they would cast was in a higher class. "Alive but slowly decaying, alive but barely breathing. In one place you will dwell, in this place you stay as I cast my spell! I curse your feet to turn into stone! I curse your mind to torture your own!"
"Please no ---" Kane cried when the sorcerer lifts the staff and unleashed his spell.
But one thing that the sorcerer did not expect was how such high level spell still bounced off the boy's body as if it was a simple curse, a simply spell.
“Oh no —” The sorcerer hissed after the magic was deflected to a familiar place. His face went pale and his eyes were filled with terror. It’s as if his world went into slow motion when the spell landed on the place he wished it wouldn’t touch. “ — the cave.” He hissed. “The dragon!” He screamed.
His anger towards the boy diminished after he heard the dragon let out a shrill cry. And when he heard its great wings flutter — strong winds coming from the direction of the cave, the sorcerer knew he was done for.
“Damn it!”
He turned himself into a mighty eagle and soared towards the cave, wishing that whatever he thought of didn’t happen yet… and that it wasn’t too late.
Kane on the other hand remained crouched down on the ground, begging the god his mother introduced to him — and begged the other beings that he watched with his aunt Cindy on Meetflix to save him.
“Please help me… please help me… please, please, please!” He mumbled with closed eyes. But minutes had passed, his feet hadn't turned into stone and he still felt himself. Kane looked around and realized the sorcerer was nowhere to be seen.
“He’s gone.” He sighed the words out, and he felt a sense of relief rush inside of him. He felt so afraid that he didn’t hear anything except for the spell the sorcerer casted upon him. Neither did he feel the strong winds caused by the mighty wings of the beast. His heartbeat reached up to his ears that he missed to hear the eerie cry of the monster that the sorcerer kept in a cave.
It wasn’t until the creature’s shadow loomed above him that he realized something huge — something monstrous was flying in the air, circling round and round, as if it was learning to fly again.
“COME BACK HERE YOU OVERSIZED LIZARD!” The sorcerer screamed as he flew in the air, riding his staff to catch the dragon before it could escape.
“How in the world…” Kane whispered to himself as he watched the sorcerer try to catch the dragon using a magical golden rope which he pulled from his right front pocket.
The boy arched his neck up and watched with a smile, stifling his laughter after the sorcerer failed to capture the dragon again and again.
And just when the sorcerer thought things couldn’t get worse…
…the Dragon destroyed the barrier made to contain it and escaped.
“NO!” He screamed in frustration and then casted a spell to get back on the ground. The moment his feet touched the grass, he stumped and thumped and cursed to himself wishing his parents would never find out. “Shit!”
The dragon was unleashed, and the war that signified the peace between the pillars disappeared --- destroyed by his irreversible spell.
"This is bad..." The sorcerer whispered to himself as he tried to catch his breath. "...this is awful!" He said.
When he looked at the boy, his anger faded for the time being.
"I don't care who you are ---" He exclaimed as he pointed at the boy. "---but you're going to help me catch that dragon!"
The great beast that once ruled the skies swooped high above lonely green lands and rugged plains. Its eyes, like fiery beacons of nobility, gazed down at its troubled home which used to be a land of magic, magestries. Its red shiny scales reflected on the calm ocean like diamonds. The calm seas grew restless as the mighty dragon’s wings rushed and lightly brushed the waves. Ever majestic by nature, and what a sight to see.The wind roared through the mountains and valleys, high above the disturbed lands. Every moment of quiet calm seemed to be subsequently shattered by screams and the ‘fallen ones’ spells echoing through the air. The rock of the unmovable mountains cascaded towards soft earth and grass scratched at flesh and fur, as if it hungered for life. Little by little the land that used to host the three pillars was decaying. Neglected and discarded. It was now known as the Forgotten Land. But the land of the forgotten isn’t as blotted out of everyone’s memory after all. The
Half of the world was covered in darkness, while half of the world was still blessed by the presence of the sun. At first, everyone thought the eclipse was a temporary thing… but when three days had passed and the moon still covered the sun, the townsfolk, city people and villagers of half the inhabitants of the Earth knew it wouldn't end anytime soon. Without the sun’s presence, creatures of madness that lurked in the dark came out of their hiding, killing anyone on sight. May it be an old woman, a young man or a little child. Lunora died in front of him. And how she was devoured by ghastly beings almost made him faint. It happened when she visited the store and asked him to accompany her for coffee… but instead of having a snack, they became the snack.The creatures from the depths of the shadow world ate everything and only spit out the bones. And when Pip was about to be devoured, he shifted into his demon dog form and ran. With hind legs and paws of a dog, he was able to run fa
It turns out that finding a trail of a thousand year old dragon was trickier than he thought. Three days had passed since their journey to find and capture the dragon began, and since then they found only a single scale that was sitting on the forest floor. A scale that shines even though there’s not a single spot or spark of light. It shines like a flickering ember, like a diamond. And because dragons are majestic beings, spells don't work on them. The scales deflects magic, spells and hexes, making the Sorcerer far more irritable. “Maybe we should ask for help, mr. Fraco.” It was just a simple suggestion, but it made Fraco, the sorcerer’s blood boil. “Am I asking for your opinion?!”Kane frowned. “No…” “Then shut your trap!” The boy casts his eyes down with a sigh. Ever since they’ve journeyed to find the dragon, the sorcerer was always shouting at him. Either Fraco would glare at him, roll his eyes --- calls him twerp and more. And even though the sorcerer told his name to the
Lights were down and the city that relied on electrical power for lights, warmth and their phones to find each other and their missing relatives were set back to the stone age. Men looked for dry sticks and tattered clothes to make torches, while the women ransacked abandoned homes of those who perished or escaped to look for either gas, grease or molasses for the fire. Pip felt like he won the lottery when he crashed against his high school buddy named Dalton Draco. They literally crashed against each other when the power went off, turning off the remaining street lights and scaring the souls out of the remaining survivors. Creatures appeared in every direction, snarling and slithering on the ground. With Pip’s amazing senses, he managed to find the fastest route out of the middle of the city. As he did, he tried to convince the humans, but they shunned him and called him a monster, A syndicate and worker for the monstrous snakes, orcs and blob-like creatures of a hundred eyes. A
Soon the assembly among the Sorcerers and leaders of the world came to an end. They left the protected chamber while saying their farewells, each showing their respect by showing their wrist where a symbol had been tattooed on their skin. A tattoo that signifies their promise to keep the location a secret. When most of them set off and went on their own ways, Theodore called for Gretta of Theal. The old man pointed at a door on the west side of the chamber. "This way." He said. Gretta followed the latter quietly and gave a signal to the others who's waiting for her. As they went through the door, slowly they descended on a spiral staircase which leads to a secret room. The room was dark and had thin air that reminded the Sorceress of mountains from the Himalayas. A spark of fire came from a match, then Theodore proceeded to light twelve candles. The room turned bright and it revealed centuries old wall paintings of the past. The room was shaped like a crescent moon, and the ceiling
A woman runs about the room, pounding on the walls, the floor, hoping to spring some sort of trapdoor, and come across some secret entrance. “Help me!” Her loud screams can be heard in the empty room. A room with no doors. No window. A single bed, and during the night, that man appears. “Help me! Please… spare my life!” And as she begs for mercy, the laughter in her ears is getting louder, unbearable. “Help me! Please! Help, I can’t take it anymore!” Her calls were unanswered and she screams in frustration to the bare walls. She lost her sense of time. How many days had passed since she had been trapped? Used. Abused. Being touched. Nonconsensual. The terrifying face of the man. Everything. She was afraid of his entire being. “Tch. How noisy.” Cynthia froze at the sound of his voice. It’s him again. A man. Cynthia whirls around. “When…” Her lips trembled as she whispered. “...when will you let me go?” A wicked man chuckled, seemed untouched and unfazed by the dank and dust of
"I am but a man bound to this stone forever," the handsome man responded. He held up a slender wrist and she saw that a manacle with a black chain kept him bound to the stone, and with only a few feet of chain between his and the rock. "I have been here for quite some time, and so I have learned a great many things. I shall give you what you seek, if you wish it, my lady."The young woman was outraged with the injustice against the handsome man. She asked her, ‘What could he have done so wrong to be tied up like an animal?’ But she did not dwell on the thought for long, because the words he said tempted her."What do I seek? You mean you can grant wishes?" The curious girl said, stupefied."Yes, my dear sweet girl. I can tell from your eyes that there is something you want indeed, is there not? Wish for it, and it will come into being."The young woman knew what she wanted, for it was always something she longed for in her dreams. She knelt on her knees and pleaded,"Please, oh noble
So it was a dreary day, choked with mist that the Queen discovered that she was getting too old to live much longer, and the thought terrified her to her old bones. She wished to live in luxury forever, but she saw that it was impossible. Then she remembered the handsome man on the pond, and how his magic had made this all come to be.‘If he could do all this for me…’ the old Queen thought, ‘then why not make me live forever? That would make all my worries disappear, won’t it?’ So the old Queen left her castle for the first time in many years and set out alone to the forest with the pond. She had to stop many times, for she was very old and weary. Yet finally, she made it to the clearing. She did not see the handsome man, but she did see that the low fog was thick and cold. It swarmed around his ankles, sucking the warmth from her body. The old Queen ignored this and walked to the edge of the pond. She called out for the handsome man to appear at the top of her trembling old voice un
“What?” Bosy asked.“I need some fucking air,” Ken said, tracking Donghae’s movements across the ballroom.“Balcony, out that way,” Bosy said and gestured with his glass. “Leave Hero with me?”Ken scoffed and then pushed Meer up. He took Meer’s hand. He barely managed to smile at the men he passed on his way to the balcony. He kept Donghae in his line of sight, and made sure that Donghae saw him slip outside.The balcony was large, and there were already couples around it, engrossed in each other’s bodies. Ken led Meer to a shadowy nook created by two columns. He held him tightly and took shuddering breaths. “Fuck, this night is just getting fucking worse.”Five minutes passed, and then Donghae appeared in front of them. He lit a cigarette. Ken grabbed his arm, and practically threw him against a column.“Ow, Ken, that hurt,” Donghae said and rubbed his shoulder.“Tell me. Now.”Donghae’s eyes flicked to Meer. “I’d rather not.”“Trust me. It’s alright if he hears.”“I don’t trust slav
Ken frowned, but Meer smiled. Another kiss. “There’s a predator in the form of your best friend coming up on us fast.”Ken sighed and pressed his forehead against Meer’s.“Might Ken!”Ken turned around, keeping Meer pressed against the wall. Bosy wore a black suit, shirt and tie. All five of his slaves flanked him. They all wore tight white pants. Bosy grinned at him. “I didn’t actually think you’d come.”“I had incentive.” And just to piss Bosy off, he asked, “Where’s your wife?”Bosy’s eyes narrowed. “Probably on her back with one of her lovers.”Bosy had done the proper thing. Married a girl, sired an heir, and then set them up in a separate estate. It made Ken sick. He was expected to do the same thing. And before he was thirty.He sighed. “Sorry, Chunnie. I’m in a bad mood.”“You’re in a bad mood? With Hero here? You’re crazy. I came over to get a closer look at him.”“You’ve seen him.”“Not all dressed up,” Bosy said with a leer.Ken shut his eyes briefly and then moved to the s
Ken groaned when something dug into his side.Someone chuckled above him.And then lips pressed against his neck, traveled down his shoulder.“Ken, you have to get up. I already have coffee ready. Don’t you want coffee?”“What time is it?” Ken mumbled.“Eight fifteen.”“Fuck.”“Like I said, you need to wake up.”Ken rubbed his eyes and forced himself to sit up. His whole body hurt. “Fuck,” he said again. He tried vainly to remember what appointments he had today.“Where’s my cell phone?”“Nope. You are not calling in,” Meer said. “Yoona already called when you weren’t there at eight. She told me to remind you about the Choi deal.”Ken shut his eyes and feel back to the bed. “I hate dealing with the Choi’s.”“Do you like dealing with anyone?”Ken opened one eye and grinned. “You.”Meer blushed and looked away.Ken tugged on his arm and Meer let himself be pulled. He curled up against his side. Ken leaned down for a kiss. Meer smiled against Ken’s lips. Ken’s fingers found the hem of Me
The guy clicked his tongue at him. “You’re a terrible liar.” The drink arrived and the guy sipped at it. “My name is Aiden.”“Now who’s the liar?”A hand settled on Ken’s thigh. “What if I told you I wanted you to fuck me? Would you think I was lying?”“No, but no thanks.”“Oh, come on. Let me be your angel for the night.”Ken froze, and then shut his eyes in defeat before turning to look at the guy. He smirked and downed his drink.“Come on, Might Michael,” he said, proving he knew exactly who Ken was. “Let me take you to heaven.”Ken let him take his hand. He led him through the club, past drugged out bodies moving to a steady beat. They entered a dark hallway, and as they turned corner after corner, went down a set of stairs and then turned more corners, Ken started getting nervous.Finally, he stopped and opened a door.Ken entered a sparsely furnished room lit by a single bulb. Couch, table, a couple of chairs. As soon as the door shut, the guy was pressed against him, laying bit
God, he hated the Senator’s parties. It was less a dinner and more of an excuse to get drunk, show off and trade slaves.At precisely nine, Yoona buzzed him. “Ken, I’m sorry, but Lee Sungmin refuses to talk to me anymore.”“Patch him through, NaNa.”Ken lost himself in work.At eleven he was considering going home and taking a long lunch. And then Yoona buzzed him again. “Bosy is here to see you.”Ken shut his eyes and sighed. “Send him in, Na.”Bosy sauntered in, once again dragging the tall Doushiten named Justin behind him. Bosy flung the kid onto the floor, and hooked the handcuffs to the arm of the chair.“Hey, Yunnie,” he said.“Bosy. What do I owe the pleasure?”“Just bored, thought I’d visit. I’m going to go use your bathroom.”Ken studied Justin. He didn’t look up, head lowered. More bruises and cuts covered his back and neck and chest.Ken spared the bathroom a glance and then rose. He moved around his desk and sat in the chair. Justin flinched, but didn’t pull away, when Ke
They finished the run in silence, Ken contemplating that. It wasn’t until they returned and Meer dropped to the floor to stretch that Ken asked, “Why haven’t you killed me and made a run for it?”Meer had his legs spread, almost in splits. He leaned his upper body to the floor and stretched his arms out. “That would be dishonorable.”“Why?”“Okay, so it wouldn’t be. But it’d be stupid. Because honestly, where am I going to go?” He lifted his legs off the floor, moaning, and Ken had to swallow against a sudden dry mouth. He could only imagine how stretched Meer’s quads were right then.“You’re staring.”“You’re flexible.”“Part of the training.” Meer sat up, winked at him and then lay on the floor. He pressed his hands flat by his head and then pushed his body into an arch. “You should be stretching after a run like that.”“Probably.”He kicked his legs up, effortlessly moving into a handstand. He held it and then bent his knees. He did a couple of pushups and then let his feet fall to
Meer woke him up at five-thirty.“Fuck, Meer, it’s Saturday.”“I’m sorry, Master. Is there a different time you’d like me to wake you up on Saturdays?”Ken squeezed his eyes shut. “Just later. Eight or nine.”“Very well, Master.”And then it registered. Ken sat up. “Meer?”Meer turned at the door and lowered his head. “Yes, Master?”“Stop it.”“Stop what, Master?”“Stop that. What is wrong with you?”“I don’t know what you mean, Master.”Ken growled, stood up and stalked over to him. “Knock it off.”“If Master would tell—”Ken grabbed his shoulders and pushed him against the wall. “Don’t do this, Meer.”“Do what, Master?”Ken pulled him back and then slammed him against the wall again. “Don’t.”“Why not?” That defiant look was back in his eyes. “Because you said so. Master?”Ken sighed. He moved his hands from Meer’s shoulders and then put them against the wall. He let his arms bend until his forearms rested against the wall. Their bodies aligned. Ken let his head fall to one of his a
“What?”“Justin. It’s Justin.”“What’s Justin?”“Bosy’s …”“You know Bosy’s new slave?”He nodded. “We were … not friends. More like rivals, I guess.” Meer sighed and sat up. He played with the buttons on Ken’s shirt, not looking him in the eye. “Our families were allies. Our kingdoms shared a border. Justin and I are First Sons, heirs to be king.”Ken gasped.Meer smirked. “I know, right? Hence the irony of life, thing. Anyway. Our rivalry mainly stemmed from our birth status. Technically, we were the same rank, but Justin was a First Child, First Son, and I had eight older sisters. But I am older than he is. It seems stupid now, but then, it mattered a great deal. We competed in fairs and mock battles and for women.”Meer stopped, finally met Ken’s eyes and then climbed off his lap. Ken followed him into the kitchen. “I always mocked him. Told him one day, he’d be my slave and he’d have to wash my feet while I sipped champagne from his family goblets.”When he started making tea, Ke
“I’m not here for me, Yong. I don’t know if rumors have circulated yet, but I bought a slave and he needs clothes.”The man’s eyes narrowed. “There are stores for—”“Considering his status as my first slave, I decided that he should only have the very best. I can’t have him running around looking like an uncivilized foreigner.”“This is completely unprecedented.”“Yes, I realize that. But I’m sure you can find a way to compensate the inconvenience.”“Of course, Might Ken.” And Ken was certain there’d be a hefty “service charge” on this final bill. “We’d be happy to supply you with everything he needs.”“Thank you, Yong. He needs everything, all the way down to socks and underwear.”He called over a couple of other associates.“Hero, stand up,” Ken said, voice shaking when he said ‘Hero’. Meer stood immediately. One of the others took Meer’s measurements and Yong shouted at the other one to start taking clothes to the dressing room.Ken and Meer locked eyes. Meer had that look again, t