Cambrian’s Emporium of Everything (Multiple Settings)

Amoral Delights (Original Modern Fantasy)

A/N: So I had this idea last night while laying in bed and it stuck with me enough that I decided to write it out today. This could be my next novel-length story... or it could be a one-shot. That all depends on the reaction I get here and on other websites. Basically, if you enjoy this piece, let me know please so I know there's an audience for it. If you didn't enjoy the piece, also let me know so I know not to waste my time taking it any further.

Without further ado, either the first or the only chapter of Amoral Delights

-x-X-x-

Free Write

Themes: Morally Grey, Fantasy, Master/Slave

Summary: Caleb is your typical young homeless man, failed by the foster system and ultimately forced out onto the streets where he's survived for years on his own. Except for all the ways he's really not. Like the magic. The magic is definitely not typical.

-x-X-x-

As an explosion rocks Caleb awake, his first thought is that the decrepit factory he’s chosen to camp out in for the night has given up the ghost and is coming down upon his very head. Would be just his luck, truth be told.
 
Except, the cement rocking beneath him doesn’t last all that long, and even as his eyes snap open and he’s up on his feet in an instant… he doesn’t see any signs that the building is collapsing around him. Instead… Caleb hears voices.
 
“End of the line, Alyssa! This is as far as you go my dear!”
 
The first voice is the most pompous voice Caleb has ever heard. A man’s voice, rich and deep in tone, and sounding entirely cavalier and arrogant to his ears. Someone definitely used to getting their way… or rather, someone currently getting their way and all too happy to gloat about it too.
 
“Fuck… you!”
 
The second voice is much more feminine, and far more strained. Almost like whoever it belongs to is choking on something. Caleb’s brow furrows as he sees lights coming from down the hallway of the abandoned offices he’d set up camp in. Lights coming from what should have been the unpowered factory’s main hall.
 
His curiosity gets the better of him, truth be told. He knows better. Of course he does. A homeless youth just barely over the age of majority, Caleb had spent the last several years not just living on the streets but surviving on them. He knew better than to investigate. The far safer options were either hunkering down or gathering his things and fleeing.
 
Unfortunately, the second option is out of the question. Not only is the only exit from these offices out through the factory’s main hall, but also all of his things are strewn about the place, including the portable generator he’s using for heat. Powered by gas siphoned from cars all over town this past day, the damn thing is way too clunky for him to carry it away without putting it in his pilfered shopping cart… and the shopping cart had to be left outside because it wouldn’t fit through the hallway.
 
As for why he doesn’t just hunker down… something is telling him not to. Something is urging him onward, pushing him to slowly make his way down the hall and find out what’s going on. It’s a feeling that Caleb has had before… and one that he’s usually followed over the years, rarely to his detriment.
 
“Oh my dear… heh, poor choice of words.”
 
Even as Caleb’s feet carry him down the office hallway towards the lights, the conversation continues. The man sounds amused as all hell, while the girl… the girl is angry as can be, growling while still choking on whatever is around her neck.
 
Finally, Caleb is able to poke his head out to see what’s going on. Of course, when they said seeing was believing… the homeless young man didn’t think this was what they meant, because even seeing it with his own two eyes, it was unbelievable.
 
There was a literal wizard out there. The man’s voice belonged to a tall, distinguished looking fellow. But he wasn’t dressed in an Armani Suit or anything like that. No, he was wearing a literal set of wizard robes, glistening with gold and covered in bizarre patterns that make Caleb’s head hurt just looking at them.
 
There’s no pointed wizard’s hat atop the man’s head, but instead there IS a glittering silver circlet with a massive green gem that has to be an emerald in the center of it. The man is wielding what can only be called a wizard’s staff in his right hand, complete with a big glowing orb at the top of it… and his left hand is stretched out towards the far wall.
 
Pressed up against the wall is the girl. Short platinum blonde hair and blue eyes, she’s wearing a brown leather corset over a white blouse and a pair of leather leggings that hug her body like nothing else. She’s flush along the factory wall, her arms and legs spread eagle and even as she strains against some invisible hold, she makes no progress. Likewise, her throat seems to be further compressed, forcing her to have to strain to get the words out.
 
“I would… rather die… you bastard.”
 
The wizard grins wickedly at that.
 
“I know you would, Alyssa. But your parents would be quite displeased if I were to end your life. This is better. For everyone.”
 
She gurgles her defiance, glaring at him. The wizard, meanwhile, takes a step forward. Only, this brings him into direct line of sight with the hallway that Caleb has snuck down… and before Caleb can properly pull back and press himself against the shadowed wall of the hallway, the wizard’s eyes snap to him, immediately clocking him.
 
“Oh? A homeless vagabond? Wrong place, wrong time boy.”
 
Caleb’s eyes widen as the wizard almost contemptuously waves his staff in the direction of the hallway. In the direction of HIM. Seemingly out of thin air, a torrent of flame explodes forth, spiraling towards Caleb. Certain death. It’s coming too fast for him to dodge. All Caleb can do… is put up his hands in a futile effort to try and block.
 
Well, it would be futile, normally. Only… Caleb has never been normal. All his life, he’s been the very definition of abnormal. They used to say his parents abandoned him to the system because he was unmanageable as a baby. That he drove his poor mother so insane that she’d begun claiming he could move things with his mind just to get admitted to a mental hospital.
 
But as Caleb had gotten older, he’d come to wonder if his mother might not have been crazy at all. He COULD move things with his mind. He could do a number of things that he’d come to learn ordinary people could not. Unfortunately, not all of Caleb’s special powers were entirely controllable.
 
His life had been one foster home and orphanage after another. Sometimes he’d get good people, but it didn’t matter. The inexplicable would stack up around him and eventually even they would accept that it was all him… that he was the one causing it, even if he didn’t know how. Then, he’d be shunted on to the next group.
 
His last foster family… wasn’t so good. And Caleb had been old enough to know that he had another option, an option that the government would never truly offer him. He could run away. So he had. Ever since, he’d been on his own. He’d lived on his own. And he’d survived in no small part thanks to abilities he had never, ever been able to understand.
 
Until now. In the present, as that torrent of magical flame comes crashing down on him, Caleb finds himself focusing on a single thought.
 
I want to live.
His hands stretched out in that futile gesture; Caleb feels something flicker to existence in front of him. Forming from his open palms, a shield pops up… and blocks the flames. Of course, Caleb barely has a chance to be amazed by his own ability before the magical flames begin to overwhelm his flimsy shield. The pressure is immense and Caleb cries out as he drops to one knee in just a couple of seconds.
 
He’s still going to die, he realizes. He’s not strong enough. Except just as the shield is about to break and the flames are about to overtake him… the magic cuts out. He’s saved not by his own strength, but by the wizard stopping his spell and pulling his staff back, a bewildered look on his face.
 
The aristocratic looking spellcaster seems absolutely shocked for a moment. So does Alyssa, both of them staring at Caleb with wide eyes now.
 
“A Potential… here in this place… how fortuitous. You know Alyssa, maybe you have some value after all, to have forced me to chase you here…”
 
Caleb slowly pushes himself to his feet. For a moment, he feels exhausted, dead tired. But that feeling quickly vanishes, almost like he’d emptied an internal reservoir but it’s quickly replenishing itself. It’s not a feeling he’s completely unfamiliar with. There have been a handful of times where his special abilities have drained him like this… but never so fast. And the recovery has never been this fast either.
 
“You, boy! What is your name?”
 
Fidgeting under the wizard’s imperious gaze, Caleb finds himself unable to lie.
 
“… Caleb, sir.”
 
He can tell the use of ‘sir’ immediately earns him brownie points with the man as well.
 
“Ah, surprisingly well mannered. Now that I can appreciate. Know this, Caleb. You stand in the presence of High Wizard Reynad Sinclair.”
 
Caleb’s eyes widen at the title. He’d already been thinking about the man as a wizard in his mind, but High Wizard sounded way more special. Of course, just as that thought is passing through his head, Alyssa scoffs from over on the wall.
 
“So… eager to flaunt a… three day old title… Reynad.”
 
Eyes narrowing as they snap to the blonde, Reynad sneers for a moment… before wiping his face clean of the expression and sighing instead. Smiling ruefully, the High Wizard shakes his head.
 
“Belligerent to the last, Alyssa. Such a shame too. I would have treated you well.”
 
Alyssa manages to spit at the ground in response to that.
 
“I refuse to be your slave.”
 
“Slave?! You couldn’t be my wife, but you would have been a concubine at the very least! Cared for, spoiled, looked after. Your life would have been one of comfort and luxury. In return, all that would have been expected of you would be children. Hopefully children that would not… share your condition.”
 
Alyssa snarls and it’s clear Reynad has scored some point in this conversation that Caleb can barely follow. Of course, he knows he should be quiet but…
 
“I’m sorry. But… what’s going on, Mister Sinclair, sir? Wizards are real? What I can do… is magic?”
 
Sliding his gaze back over to him, Reynad Sinclair smiles thinly.
 
“Please young one, call me High Wizard Sinclair. And yes to both of your latter questions. Wizards are indeed real… and you are one of us. Or rather, you have the potential to become one of us. Hence the word ‘Potential’ to describe you. My but you are a special find, Caleb. How you managed to slip through the cracks, I do not know…”
 
He trails off, perhaps noticing the growing confusion on Caleb’s face. After a moment of thought, the High Wizard nods decisively.
 
“Allow me to start at the beginning. Yes, magic is real. Yes, there is a hidden magical society. You may have heard of Harry Potter?”
 
At Caleb’s hesitant nod, Reynad scoffs and shakes his head.
 
“Forget anything you know about all of that. There’s no… wizarding world, so to speak. Well, not one hidden among the denizens of Earth. We wizards do not sequester ourselves away from mundane civilization, nor are we stuck centuries in the past. It would have rather hard to rule Earth from the shadows if we couldn’t operate a computer or use a smartphone, after all.”
 
Caleb’s eyes widen at that last bit. Rule Earth from the shadows? Seeing his shock, Reynad grins.
 
“Ah, yes. You might have also heard of the Illuminati? Well, obviously we don’t call ourselves that… but for all intents and purposes, we fulfill the role of such a shadowy organization. Fingers in every pie and on the pulse of power in every domain the entire world over. Earth is our playground and through our careful stewardship, the masquerade is maintained.”
 
Careful stewardship? Now, Caleb might be homeless and thus a little disconnected from society at large these days, but he’d seen quite enough growing up to know that civilization was a shitshow. Things were going tits up all over the place, weren’t they? Wars. Famine. Human Suffering. There seemed to be no end to the bad stuff from what Caleb remembered, even if he hadn’t had much time the last few years to worry about anyone but himself.
 
But from the way Reynad was talking, it wasn’t like the wizards had only ruled Earth the past few years anyways. It sounded like they’d ALWAYS ruled Earth.
 
“I can see from the look on your face that you have doubts regarding some of my words. Speak, boy. What troubles you?”
 
Shit, he wasn’t used to interacting with people and he hadn’t properly hidden his true feelings. Caleb ducks his head and tries to thread the needle to avoid angering the High Wizard too much.
 
“It’s just… aren’t things pretty bad sir? Here on Earth, I mean.”
 
When Reynad doesn’t immediately bite his head off, either metaphorically or literally, Caleb hesitantly raises his head. The High Wizard has a smile on his face.
 
“Perhaps. It doesn’t matter though.”
 
What?
 
“Tell me, Caleb… have you read a lot of stories about magic? About fantasy creatures like dragons and what not? About things like Camelot and King Arthur and Merlin? Legends and Myths passed down from hundreds or thousands of years ago of magic that once existed on this very Earth.”
 
As a child, yes. He’d been a voracious reader back when it was a hobby he could afford to indulge in. Rather than say all that though, Caleb just nods.
 
“What if I told you most of it wasn’t myth? Most of it… was entirely true. Dragons did once roam these lands. As did pixies and elves and dwarves and gnomes. Magic was once a vibrant force on Earth, and all those stories you read… most of them have at least a kernel of truth to them.”
 
Caleb isn’t slow on the uptake. The High Wizard keeps using the word ‘once’.
 
“Not anymore?”
 
Reynad looks pleased by the fact that he’d caught on.
 
“Indeed, boy, indeed. See, magic on Earth has died out. All the other races… much like we’ve done to so much mundane wildlife, humanity pushed them all out. In our pursuit of power and ever expanding need for space, we wiped every other source of magic off of the planet… except for us. Even the oceans, which were once home to truly eldritch horrors, have been so choked out by plastic that humanity has been able to run massive cabling across the ocean floor in our bid to connect the entire planet through the internet.”
 
Caleb tries to imagine it. It’s not too hard. Though… the idea of eldritch horrors like Cthulhu getting choked out by some sort of massive set of plastic soda rings like a turtle would was… honestly rather ridiculous. And yet, Caleb can believe it. Really, he has no choice but to believe it until he’s given evidence otherwise.
 
“The Earth is dying, Caleb. Not in the way you might have heard about online…”
 
Remembering Caleb’s homeless state, Reynad amends his answer.
 
“… Or perhaps saw on a news report while passing by a TV in a storefront. But it is dying. Without magic, the Earth will eventually become lifeless. It will… reset and in a million years when the planet’s magic has regenerated, life will return to it anew.”
 
That’s a lot. Like, a lot a lot. But Reynad just laughs at the dismay on Caleb’s face.
 
“Ah, but not to worry. Do you think we would just be resting back on our laurels if our imminent doom was upon us? The Earth might be reduced to a withered husk of itself at this point… but it’s not the only world out there. And we ARE wizards, meaning that we have portals.”
 
“Portals?”

Reynad smiles at the awe in Caleb’s voice.
 
“Indeed my boy. We, the rulers of Earth, have set forth into the greater cosmos. Reaching across dimensions, we’ve uncovered plenty of garden worlds still teeming with magic just like ours. Some of them even have people on them, and we’ve settled among those people, spreading our reach farther and farther. Even if civilization on Earth is going downhill, even if Earth itself is currently nearing the end of its life cycle… WE will live on. And so will you.”
 
Caleb chokes on his own spit.
 
“M-Me?”
 
“But of course! You are a Potential, Caleb. You have the ability to become a wizard just like me. No doubt, all your life you’ve been ostracized and prejudiced against, haven’t you?”
 
After a moment, Caleb hesitantly nods. Reynad smirks, a smarmy thing as his eyes glitter.
 
“It’s because they couldn’t understand you or your power, Caleb. And it’s been a long time since the peasants of this world bowed down in fear to what they don’t understand. These days they just try to destroy it. Even when they recognize our superiority, even when they see just how much more powerful than them you are… they do not submit. A shame… but let me tell you, it’s mostly an Earth problem. The vast majority of the worlds we’ve found and settled ourselves on are respectful and deferent to your average wizard.”
 
High Wizard Reynad Sinclair was an incredibly pompous, egotistical individual, Caleb found himself thinking. But then, he also had magic, the ability to travel to other worlds, and the backing of an entire organization of wizards who apparently ruled the Earth and maybe other planets as well.
 
… So yeah, maybe he had good reason to be pompous. Still, Caleb can’t help but glance over at the girl, Alyssa.
 
“What… what about her?”
 
Reynad follows Caleb’s gaze to Alyssa and his eyes harden.
 
“A terrorist.”
 
Huh?
 
“Surprised? I did tell you we were akin to the Illuminati. Did you think we would not have our enemies? Did you think that my earlier statement applied just to you? There are so many non-magical humans now. Too many, some might say. Billions upon billions of them. They don’t fear magic anymore. Most of them don’t believe in it. And when they find out its real, they don’t grow too frightened to even move… they get jealous. They get envious. When they find out they can never do it, that magic is an innate thing that you either have or you don’t… some of them decide that if they can’t have it, nobody should.”
 
“Nobody SHOULD have it, Reynad! You forgot to mention WHY the Earth is dying! You forgot to mention just WHO led the charge against all of the other magical races! You-urk!”
 
Reynad clenches his fist closed and Alyssa is choked into silence. Glancing to Caleb, the High Wizard offers a half shrug.
 
“What of it? Yes, our magical ancestors wiped out the other races centuries ago in their bid to rise to the top. Obviously, we can’t be held responsible for their actions here and now, now can we? Would it be fair to let the terrorists like Alyssa here judge you and I solely because of what our predecessors did hundreds of years before we were even born?”
 
No… no that didn’t seem fair at all, not to Caleb anyways. He hadn’t done anything to anyone. He just wanted to live and be happy.
 
“Besides, don’t let the girl fool you with her righteous indignation, my boy. See, she’s wound up as she is in something of a backwards way to what I described previously. Alyssa here was born to a magical family and grew up knowing all about magic and having it in her every day life. Only, she was also born without innate magic of her own. A shame, but it does happen very rarely. You might think from the way she’s acting that her parents abused her for this thing that was out of her control. That she’d been tossed aside and abandoned, left to fend for herself much like you clearly have.”
 
… Caleb would be lying if he said the thought hadn’t crossed his mind. Reynad smirks and shakes his head.
 
“Not so. She was raised in the lap of luxury. She was treated like a princess, for all that her deficiency disqualified her from ever pursuing the path of a wizard. She would have continued to be treated well too, as her parents and I made an agreement that she would join my household when I ascended to the rank of High Wizard.”
 
“As… a broodmare…”
 
Reynad looks to Alyssa and sighs.
 
“Really my girl. If only you could have been satisfied with your lot in life, everything would have been fine. Instead, you steal from me, attempt to kill me, and then flee all the way here to Earth. I said it before Alyssa and I’ll say it again… end of the line.”
 
Alyssa glowers angrily, gnashing her teeth. But Reynad is already turning his attention back to Caleb.
 
“Although… heh, perhaps your fate is not to be my concubine after all. Or my thrall, which is what I was going to do with you before young Caleb here revealed himself. Hm. Boy. I have told you more than enough to make an informed decision. Become my apprentice and I will train you in magic and help you become a full-fledged wizard.”
 
Caleb’s eyes widen at that. It’s… very clearly not an offer. More like a directive. Caleb could try to refuse it, but what sort of choice is that? Even assuming Reynad LETS him go, it just means he’s back to being homeless with powers that he can’t fully control in a world that doesn’t understand him and hates him for being abnormal. So…
 
“A-Alright. I mean… yes sir, High Wizard Sinclair, sir. Please let me become your apprentice.”
 
Reynad’s smile is wide and toothy as he begins to walk forward, beckoning Caleb over at the same time.
 
“Of course, my boy. Consider it done. We can perform the Apprenticeship Ritual back in the comfort of my tower. First though, there is another ritual we shall walk you through… the Enthrallment Ritual.”
 
Alyssa’s eyes widen from her position on the wall.
 
“W-What?! You’re going to give me to… HIM?! I-I refuse! Kill me, damn it! I don’t want to be anyone’s plaything! Not yours and certainly not his!”
 
But Reynad just chuckles as he brings his outstretched arm down, sliding Alyssa off of the wall and onto her knees at their feet.
 
“Sorry my dear, but this isn’t about what you want. It never has been.”
 
Then, he nods to Caleb.
 
“Reach out to her, apprentice. Focus your magic into the sensation of… subjugation. This is the easiest form of magic. Enforcing your will over the world… over the non-magical. With the proper state of mind, you can dominate those around you, making them serve you. Either for a short, temporary period, or in a more… permanent fashion. The latter is what we shall be doing today. Focus on dominating the girl permanently. She belongs to you now. Make it so.”
 
He… isn’t sure he wants to do that necessarily. But he does want to perform magic. And he also doesn’t want to piss the High Wizard off. He knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that Reynad could kill him in a second if he wanted to. Caleb might be able to defend himself, but his magic would run out long before his new teacher’s would.
 
So really, he had no choice. With that in mind, Caleb does as he’s told. He focuses on subjugation, reaching out a hand in Alyssa’s direction. The kneeling blonde gasps, her back going ramrod straight and her neck suddenly showing itself. Along her throat, Caleb watches as a glowing set of runes shimmer into view upon her flesh, like some sort of magical collar.
 
“Well now. You’re a natural, my boy. I’m quite impressed.”
 
Alyssa’s eyes promise pain and suffering and it’s a little off-putting, but Caleb can’t stop now. Not with Reynad looming over him, making sure he keeps going. Finally, the circle of runes finishes forming around Alyssa’s throat. Which is when Reynad suddenly produces a wicked-looking, glowing knife from seemingly nowhere and holds it out.
 
“Good, now take this.”
 
Caleb does, feeling rather numb. He holds the blade rather easily, it not being the first time he’s wielded a knife. Though this is more the size of a combat knife then a pocket knife, admittedly. It’s also covered in runes of its own and as Caleb stares down at it, Reynad continues to whisper instructions into his ear.
 
“Bring it down upon the nape of her neck, where the runes finished meeting. Not too hard now, the goal isn’t to kill the girl. Just rest the tip against her flesh and… let your magic guide your hand. It will form the symbol that most fits you. A symbol that will one day be yours in every possible way. It will bind her to you and complete the Enthrallment Ritual, making her your eternally loyal thrall.”
 
Slowly, Caleb brings the blade to Alyssa’s nape. But he doesn’t focus on his magic immediately like before. Does… does he really want to do this? Does he really want to make her his… thrall?
 
“Go on my boy. Once the Enthrallment Ritual is finished, she won’t be angry with you anymore. She will be completely and utterly loyal. No more pesky thoughts of rebellion. No more anger and envy over having no magic. She won’t just belong to you… she’ll love belonging to you. She’ll enjoy being owned by you from now until her last, dying breath. She will-gurk!”
 
It takes Caleb a second for his brain to catch up with what his body has just done. When it does, he finds that he’s twisted around, pulling the runic dagger away from the nape of Alyssa’s neck… and driving it straight into the heart of High Wizard Reynad Sinclair. Those golden robes he was wearing were definitely magic, and even had magical protections woven into them, because something shatters as Caleb drives the blade through the cloth and into Reynad’s chest.
 
A spurt of blood splatters across Caleb’s face from Reynad’s mouth, even as the wizard looks at him, wide-eyed and shocked. The glowing orb on top of Reynad’s staff brightens up for a moment as though the man is trying to cast a spell… and then dims entirely as it falls from his suddenly slackened gasp.
 
“You… little… cretin.”
 
Those are the last words of High Wizard Reynad Sinclair before the man falls backward and dies, ritual dagger still buried in his chest.
 
Caleb stares down at him with wide eyes for a moment, blood dripping off of his face as he’s forced to come to terms with what he’s just done. And then…
 
“You… you killed him. Why?”
 
Turning around, Caleb looks to Alyssa, still on her knees with the runic collar still etched around her neck. She’s looking at him in shock, awe spread across her features. Flushing, Caleb shrugs.
 
“I just… he was a huge asshole. I didn’t want to own you. I don’t want to own you.”
 
Alyssa looks bewildered for a moment, and then the blonde’s face shutters, becoming expressionless.
 
“Then free me. Only your binding of subjugation still holds me here.”
 
Oh, right. Reynad had ahold of her before, but Caleb must have added further magical restrictions to her movement when he followed the High Wizard’s instructions to dominate her. Feeling guilty, Caleb steps forward, reaching out and fully intending to undo what he’d done. At least it wasn’t permanent, righ-
 
Mid-thought, he freezes in his tracks, his eyes going wide and his pupils dilating as he… as he experiences what can only be described as a premonition. The glimpse into the future shows him letting Alyssa go. They exchange a few words as he glances away in shame that he almost enthralled her. And then the blonde uses that opportunity to pull the dagger out of Reynad’s chest and swipe it across Caleb’s throat just like that, causing his lifeblood to spill down across him front as he chokes to death in front of her.
 
Future Alyssa’s words echo coldly through his mind as the premonition comes to a violent end.
 
“Sorry. But there’s no such thing as a good wizard. Better to kill you now then let you become just like Sinclair and all the others.”
 
Caleb’s fingers stop half an inch away from Alyssa’s neck. Half an inch away from freeing her from the magical collar. The thing is… he’s had premonitions before. Never anything he could control, and certainly not as frequently as he would have liked them, but he’s had them. They’ve allowed him to avoid getting caught by the police. They’ve allowed him to dodge attacks from other people on the street after his belongings.
 
They even allowed him to flee that night all those years ago before his newest foster dad had a chance to slip into his room and do unspeakable things to him.
 
Caleb trusts those premonitions. He knows they’re real. And that means… that means…
 
“What are you waiting for?”
 
There’s a tremble in Alyssa’s voice that she tries to hide. Maybe that’s why Caleb finds himself feeling vulnerable enough to just spout the honest truth. Or maybe it’s just been a really crazy night and his brain to mouth filter is completely and utterly shot.
 
“You’re going to kill me.”
 
Alyssa goes still. Stiller than the collar is already forcing her to be.
 
“… What?”
 
“If I let you go. You’re going to take that dagger from Reynad’s chest and slit my throat with it. You’re going to kill me. You’ll say sorry. You’ll justify it by saying there’s no such thing as a good wizard. But you’ll still kill me.”
 
Alyssa looks up at him, into his eyes. Whatever she sees there… she doesn’t try to convince him he’s wrong. She just curses and snarls.
 
“Fuck. Foresight.”
 
Foresight. Yes, that was it. He had the gift of foresight. Was that something all wizards had? Caleb didn’t know. He’d killed the one who wanted to make him his apprentice… for the sake of this young woman who wanted to kill him even after he’d saved her. And yet, Caleb can’t bring himself to regret killing Reynad. He has a feeling that the Ritual of Apprenticeship would have bound him to the High Wizard just as effectively as the Enthrallment Ritual would have bound Alyssa to Caleb.
 
… But he had to do something now. They couldn’t just stay like this forever. Caleb’s magic probably wouldn’t last the night, let alone an eternity. To say nothing of his need for food and water. But if he let Alyssa go, she would try to kill him. She might even succeed since he was just a Potential and not a Wizard.
 
He could kill her like he killed Reynad. Wash his hands of the whole situation. But that just put him right back where he would have been if he’d somehow gotten Reynad to let him reject his offer of apprenticeship. Homeless and alone.
 
Or… Caleb’s eyes slide over to the dead High Wizard. More specifically, the ritual dagger embedded to the hilt in the dead man’s chest. Alyssa’s eyes must follow his gaze because…
 
“Don’t you dare!”
 
But Caleb is already moving. He walks over wordlessly and pulls the dagger out of Reynad’s chest with a wet noise. At the same time, Alyssa starts to struggle, forcing him to snap his head in her direction and focus back on subjugating and dominating her again. Like Reynad said though, he’s a natural at this. It’s too easy to hold the non-magical woman in place as he slowly plods back over to her.
 
“Y-You don’t want to do this. You should just l-let me kill you! The world will be a better place for it! If every wizard was dead, every world would be a better place for it! Don’t you see? You heard Reynad! They take and take and take without ever giving back! And you won’t be able to fight it. You’ll become just like all of t-them! P-Please! Don’t d-do it!”
 
She’s right. He doesn’t want to do this. But… he wants to live more than anything. He would have just rolled over and died ages ago if he didn’t have a very, very strong survival instinct. And… Alyssa comes from a magical family. So once she’s loyal to him, she can help him. With learning magic. With getting off of Earth maybe. With… everything.
 
Grasping hold of her by her short blonde locks, Caleb forces Alyssa’s head forward. Nape of her neck. That’s what Reynad said.
 
“Please! I would rather DIE!”
 
Caleb winces. If he does this, there’s no going back. But…
 
“Sorry. I need you alive.”
 
He brings the tip of the dagger down to her flesh, where the runic collar connected when he first summoned into being. And this time… this time he focuses on letting his magic move his hand, drawing the shape it wants to draw and completing the Enthrallment Ritual.

-x-X-x-

Looking for something Original from me to read? Check out !

-x-X-x-

If you'd like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out  and  where I have over a thousand stories!

If you'd like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on 

Thanks for reading!