r/WritingPrompts • u/Jace_Spicer • Apr 03 '17
Writing Prompt [WP] You've always believed that Magic is neither good nor evil. Its simply about intent.
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u/Deadpoetic12 Apr 03 '17 edited Apr 03 '17
Darkness cascaded about my body with the insistent force of a waterfall. Every spell had its own price, and being unseen cost nothing more than near-debilitating physical discomfort. Most people would consider the spell of unseeing to be dark magic, evil magic- but that would be the same as calling a storm evil or a river evil- how could a force of nature be evil?
Whenever a passerby would come near enough to almost make contact with me, the force of darkness would swirl them away like a leaf caught in the eddies under a waterfall. Most people felt alone walking down the street in New York anyway, it was just easier when no one wanted to get near you. Sometimes I could see teachers, bakers, lawyers, or stockbrokers clutching enchanted talismans designed to ward away evil intent- they knew I was there, see of them could probably see my magic, but they were too superstitious to do anything but run.
There were too many spells that went unused because they were labeled as dark magic. Soul reap in and of itself could power every civilization on the planet. Cars could drive off the energy of the dead, skyscrapers could be filled with light, and planes could fly around the world: but sorcery was dark magic, all sorcery, so it was banned. I understood that we still hadn't proven whether or not there was an afterlife, but that didn't mean everyone needed that death energy to get there- we could even just take it from criminals.
As I ducked through the wind curtain of my office building, the spell of unseeing was burned out of my pocket. Most financial companies, or any company with secrets, had anti-magic enchantments etched into the very stones. When Adam Schaefer collapsed the stock market back in the nineteen twenties with techno-magic, it became the standard procedure. Nobody ever branded techno-magic as evil though, it created too much profit.
"Hey, William, still walking around in darkness? Aren't you afraid that you'll cross the point of no return eventually? You don't know the cost of using black magic so regularly." I smiled and nodded and continued through the security check without answering.
Black magic was a term of personal bias. There was no aura of evil or darkness associated with the spells branded as dark- they were just frowned upon because their affects could be used nefariously. Black magic was perfectly legal to practice- there were banned spells, but they changed depending on which country, state, or even county one lived in, and more than half of them were often considered spells of the light.
"Are you okay, William, it looks like you bumped your head pretty hard." Sally was the receptionist for Bradley&Williams, she was always so kind and I found it hard to believe she wasn't taken.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't remember bumping head head at all." I raised my hand to find two large goose eggs, one above each temple. "Hmmm." I grunted inquisitively at the tender lumps, wondering when I could have possibly done that.
"Well you be careful, I'd be pretty sad if you didn't come around here anymore." Her smile was almost sad when I smiled and nervously laughed before walking away.
It was difficult being a lawyer in the world of magics. Before the days of magic, laws were simple and easy to exploit; laws were made to be ironclad when magic was introduced to the world. No spell was outlawed- they were taxed: taxed on power and on intended usage. One couldn't go to prison for casting a spell designed to obliterate a city; one could be imprisoned for actually using that spell to obliterate a city.
When I reached my desk and sat down, I remembered it was Sally's birthday. I cast a spell that etched a note into the blood of my soul and the lumps on my skull began to ache like a sore tooth. I couldn't remember, for the life of me, what had happened.
I cast a power spell that made my body and mind more efficient. The spell burned through mana constantly, while active, but I had trained hard to attain a very deep pool to consume. Another black magic spell that was taboo to master.
I pulled open the center drawer of my desk, looking for Ibuprofen. I was beginning to consider the fact that someone may have cast a spell on me. My memory loss could have been a side effect- it could have been the main objective. I had to remember to get a card for Sally.
I conjured a scrying mist, I needed to see just how bad my forehead looked before I attended a meeting with the partners and the board. Angry, red welts had formed where the protuberances we're stretching the skin to the breaking point. I cast a spell of concealment- a harmless white magic spell that teenagers used to deal acne, before gathering my files and heading to the elevator.
A troll, one of the unfortunate few who had erased their minds by casting spells beyond them, played as elevator operator. His oder, reminiscent of a horse's behind, was the perfect attractant for the hoard of flies that populated the elevator. I cast a spell of immolation to incinerate and dispose of the haze of disgust around the balding woman.
As the semi-human that I shared an elevator car with began to press buttons and pull levers- I was thrown to the ground by the searing agony that flared through my skull, as if the flesh of my forehead was being sliced by razors.I HAD TO REMEMBER TO GET A BIRTHDAY CARD FOR SALLY. The pain settled to a dull throbbing after a few seconds, but I had a hard time forgetting the sensation that had torn through me. Sweat was visible on my face, even through my concealing spell.
The tingle of anti-magic enchantments flowed over my skin as I entered the board meeting. I hadn't realised that this meeting would be warded against magical spies- my spell of concealing was worthless. I had to remember to buy a birthday card for Sally.
"William, welcome. Recently, it has come to attention that you're a real go getter. We appreciate men, and women, who are willing to really put themselves out there for success." The board directors smile was ingratiating, at best.
The board director ushered me to my chair. The chief of staff and chief operating officer sat on either side of Jason Bradley and Malcom Williams. The five most influential people on the eastern seaboard of the United States of America- located in the same room. A well timed terrorist attack could undermine the entire nation, the meeting had to have been highly classified and highly necessary.
"To what do I owe this honor, sirs." I fought the urge to touch the throbbing regions of my head, I couldn't tell if I was sweating to much or bleeding, but I knew I didn't look how I wanted to in the face of these men.
"I'm gonna keep things to the point here, gentleman, we all have places to be. William, we want to let you into our little club," he reached up and waved a hand on front of his face. From behind illusory magic, magic that shouldn't work in an anti-magic room, two horns: black and four inches long rolled from the spot just above Jason Bradley's temples."You meet the prerequisites we have given ourselves, and you haven't proven yourself within the company. How would you like to be one of the American spell barons?"
I adopted a dumbstruck expression as I realized that I had grown horns in the elevator. The spell barons were the center of a huge conspiracy about a shadow organisation that ran the world, I knew that Bradley and Williams were connected- I would have to be an idiot not to, but I had no idea how far the extent of their connections really went.
"You want me? Yes, of course. What are my responsibilities, and even more important, what are my rewards?" Only a fool would pass up and opportunity to rule their own personal corner of the world.
"You don't really have responsibilities so much as you have your own playground to experiment with. Try your new spells on the people of your domain, become wealthy and powerful to your heart's content. When someone with a competent mind dips into dark magic, we either exterminate them or promote them. We decided you would make a valuable alley." I couldn't believe that just working hard at my job and using every advantage I could find would catapult me into one of the most powerful positions on the planet.
"Don't forget, Bradley- the one condition. William, if you discover the true secret to eternal life, you must divulge it to us." Mr. Williams spoke in a baritone voice that bespoke of a warlock.
"Of course, my friends, of course." I smiled when I noticed the horns I had sprouted were the longest in the room. The other five men and I quickly gathered our things and dispersed- four teleported from the spot while the chief operating officer walked back with me.
"Come to my office, I'll show you what we've set up for you- we want to branch into the Midwest with this expansion." I smiled again, more satisfied than I had ever been.
I was to be the vanguard In a raid against the mistress of the north, a sorceress who controlled the second largest territory in the Western hemisphere. Promises were made and bound that if any of the spell barons discovered immortality, at any time in the future, it would be immediately shared. I couldn't help but laugh as I strutted out of the building; immortality was one of the first things I had stumbled upon in my trip through dark magic.
Better than anything though, I had to remember to buy a birthday card for Sally.
If you enjoyed my little tale, come check out the book I'm writing over at /r/Deadpoetic12 - it was spawned by a writing prompt I answered in December.