A drained Valandt awoke, his eyes bloodshot and tearstained. Valandt went to a sink and began to splash water over his face, he then heard a familiar voice. “I told you it was magical, it made your mother and father disappear” the figure sitting on Valandt’s bed was Kaiazal.
“You!” Valandt exclaimed “you‘re the one that gave me that knife. I should kill you where you stand” Valandt instantly felt his grip on his anger loosen.
“If only you could kill me” Kaiazal smirked.
“What is it that you want this time” Valandt snarled.
“I was hoping you‘d killed Schard so I can get on with our deal”
“Not yet” Valandt picked up his axe.
“Ah well, In your own time” Kaiazal smiled. A knock at the door then prompted Kaiazal to disappear, Valandt breathed a sigh of relief as he went to open the door. A messenger stood on the other side. “What ?” said Valandt, bluntly.
“I bring news from Lord Enzaghe. He has the captured the one called Shadow” Valandt’s mood began to rise as he heard this.
“Where are they ?” Valandt asked.
“Hazajaro castle milord” the messenger responded.
“Prepare my carriage, I am to go to Hazajaro.” as Valandt spoke the messenger nodded acknowledgement. Valandt then paused and looked at the messenger “Is that all?” Valandt’s impatience began to grow.
“Yes sir” the messenger then bowed and left before Valandt had the chance to scold him. Valandt dropped his axe on the bed and pulled out his clothes for the ride to Hazajaro. Valandt pulled on a blood red pair of leggings and then a red shirt with a gold streak at the shoulders. Valandt was unused to dressing himself but he was desperate for a quick depart for Hazajaro, he wanted a piece of Shadow. Valandt felt something he rarely felt as he put his brown boots on and laced them up, which might have been mistaken for independence. To finish, Valandt opened his wardrobe and took out his prized red jacket. It was made of the finest rare materials, with names Valandt couldn’t remember or pronounce. The jacket had a tail which stopped at the back of Valandt‘s knees and which he thought looked very impressive when it was flowing behind him in the wind. Today however it was a beautiful day. Valandt strode to the balcony and took in a deep breath of the wonderfully fresh air that was all around today. The sun beat down heavily on Legia castle and the nonchalant sounds of birds filled the air. Valandt looked to the sky and it was cloudless, everything seemed right. From his balcony Valandt could see a group of children coming to play in the fields, Valandt focused on them and could see that one of them was carrying a picnic basket. Valandt smiled at the innocence and beauty that emanated from the children and felt calmer. Valandt continued to look around and could see a young couple sitting underneath a grand oak tree by the horizon. The scene filled Valandt with a sense of harmony and peace which soon faded as he walked away from the balcony, picked up his axe and left the room. As Valandt strode to the front the messenger that gave him word of Shadow’s capture approached him. “Is my carriage ready to go?” Valandt asked.
“Yes sir, its waiting for you now at the main entrance”. Valandt sighed, he had a feeling today was going to be a good day. Valandt made his way to the front entrance, it was then his temporary enjoyment of things was spoiled as a guard was not watching where he was going and bumped right into Valandt. The guard dropped a book and casually mumbled an apology to which Valandt took offence too. “Do you perform all your duties with such awkwardness ?” Valandt asked, to which the guard froze suddenly. The guard did not reply to Valandt to begin with, which incensed him more. “I order you to look at me and respond soldier” Valandt ordered, to which the guard slowly got to his feet and looked at Valandt. Valandt jumped back as he recognised the face of the clumsy soldier, it was Schard.
Presto continued to examine the parchment he had found at his beside through the night to no avail. The first sentence bothered him, the second even further. “Of the three, the second is the king” Presto read back his translation of the first sentence which was followed with him reading aloud his translation of the second sentence. “Once the king is with the Glovaicalum, Goreoth will return”. Presto was stumped, here he had, in written form exactly how Goreoth would be able to return to Legia, but it was in riddle form and Presto had grown to loath riddles. Presto’s head was hurting, he was not used to this relentless use of his brain. Presto put the parchment to one side for a second and paced around the room, stretching his legs which had almost become redundant over the past few days. “Once Valandt is with Schard, Goreoth will return” Presto had begun to talk to himself instead of thinking. “But then the first part makes no sense” said Presto, countering himself, he then felt his headache once more. Presto bashed his head with his hand “Come on think” he said, spurring himself on. Presto began to circle the centre of the room and intensified his concentration, he was desperate. Presto walked over to the parchment and picked it up, he held it out in front of him and studied it as he walked. “Once the king is with the Glovaicalum, Goreoth will return” he sighed after he read the words and began to reflect on them to the point that his headache increased. The words in between king and Glovaicalum bothered Presto, on the page it was written as `Yisl Jign` which translated into modern Legian was `is inside` which disrupted the statement altogether. Presto took a deep breath as he put down the parchment and attempted to clear his head, just for a moment and gather his thoughts. Presto walked to the balcony attached to his room and took a walk around it, treating himself to the glorious sunshine that was spread across the land that day. A refreshingly cool breeze hit Presto’s face and he smiled with how incredibly good it felt. The look on Presto’s face soon changed when the breeze without warning became very strong and began to blow the parchment around in his room. Presto frantically ran back into his room and jumped about, trying to catch the document that had got caught in the up draught. The parchment began to drift toward the balcony and Presto felt his heart skip several beats. If Presto lost it, there was no way he could figure out how Goreoth was to return and subsequently, there would be no way to stop him. Presto dived for the parchment just before it headed onto the balcony and missed it by the narrowest of margins and fell to the floor. Presto watched in horror as the parchment continued to drift out over the balcony. Knowing he would only have one chance, Presto ran to and leaned over the balcony, outstretching his hand as far as he could. Presto’s fingertips were touching the paper but he could not get a hold onto it. Just as Presto was about to give up hope, another gust of wind came along and blew the parchment into his grasp. Presto snatched it from the air and lay down on the stone floor of the balcony, his heart still racing from almost losing the parchment. Presto panted and attempted to calmed his breathing down, his back against the wall of the balcony. Presto then took out the parchment and looked at it. With Presto and the parchment now being in the sunlight he could see it a lot more clearly and something instantly caught his eye. Presto rubbed his eyes to make sure he was not seeing things but it was no illusion. The first sentence Presto had originally read to say “Ojv Tuhe Zthri Tuhe Xidonz Lizs Tuhe Ktio” but because of the age of the parchment and the faded nature of the writing he had misread the word `Ktio` when in fact it was `Klic`. Presto smacked his forehead at how he could make such a ridiculous error. Presto paused and frantically racked his brain, trying to recall what the word `Klic` meant. “Key” exclaimed Presto, snapping his fingers as it came to him. Presto then calmed himself and read the corrected statements aloud. “Of the three, the second is the key” Presto read out the new first sentence. “Once the key is with the Glovaicalum, Goreoth will return” Presto paused as he read the second sentence. “Wait..” he said out loud “its not `with`, its `is inside`” Presto then rearranged the second sentence once more. “Once the key is inside the Glovaicalum, Goreoth will return”. Presto began to think more intensely than he had ever done before. “If the second is referring to the axe, then if the axe enters Schard...” Presto dropped the parchment and felt his jaw drop with it as he worked it out. Presto then ran out the room, desperate to find Valandt before it was too late.
Valandt stood frozen with shock as Schard stood before him for a moment. Valandt’s expression changed to one of malice as he pushed Schard away and lifted his axe above his head. “You thought you could get away with turning your back on me eh” said Valandt as he punched Schard in the face, knocking him to the floor. Valandt walked along and leaned over Schard’s body. “Pathetic. That's what you are. By killing you I‘m actually going to do you a favour” Valandt completely despised Schard and showed it in his voice. Valandt kicked Schard mockingly a couple of times and laughed at how feeble Schard now seemed. It was only then that Valandt began to wonder why Schard was not fighting back. `Surely a magician with powers such as he would not stand for this treatment` thought Valandt, then he realized `but surely someone such as Schard would not need to dress as a solider`. “Down on your luck ? Kaiazal left you to fend for yourself ?” Valandt smiled as the miserable look on Schard‘s face gave him the response he desired. “Ha” Valandt said sincerely “You deserve it”.
“I may have done wrongs in my life. Things I'm not proud of but..” Schard at last spoke.
“But what? there‘s no defence for you. Truth is that having you dead will be the best thing that could happen to Legia” Schard backed away from Valandt as he spoke and began to get to his feet.
“How do you work out that one ?” a confused Schard asked.
“I‘m going to get my father back” said Valandt confidently, to which Schard laughed.
“What fool told you that ?” a smiling Schard asked
“This fool” Kaiazal stepped from out of the darkness and Schard’s smile instantly disappeared.
“You trust him? you‘re more of a fool that I thought” Schard’s panic was beginning to show as he faced Valandt.
“Can you just kill him so we can get this over with” said Kaiazal, slightly disinterested. Valandt stepped forward and raised the axe above his head, Schard cowered and closed his eyes. “No! Stop!” came a shout from Valandt’s left, it was Presto, who ran out in front of Schard. “Its a trick, if you kill Schard then the Goreoth‘s seal will be broken” explained Presto to Valandt, to which Valandt turned to Kaiazal.
“The boy speaks lies. He is afraid that if Gyraicus returns he will be kicked out of his new found life of luxury in the castle” Kaiazal said to Valandt. Presto backed off a few steps as Valandt lowered the axe to the floor. “You know what is right. Remember how you felt when you killed your parents. You owe it to them to do this, to bring Gyraicus back” Kaiazal continued.
“No! How can you listen to this, this lizard man. If you kill Schard we are all doomed”. Kaiazal turned his attention to Presto and showed his anger “I did not come all this way to have my deals spoiled by a little boy” Kaiazal then threw a ball of energy at Presto. Presto then found himself trapped inside it. Kaiazal walked up to the ball and smiled. Presto then began to try and punch his way out of the ball but to no avail. Kaiazal turned to Valandt and walked up beside him. “You are the Gloariax. Fifty percent pure evil. It is in your blood to kill. You killed, and you liked it. All you have to do is end the life of someone you don't even like. Kill Schard and you will have your father back”.
“What is this about Goreoth‘s return?” Valandt asked, almost robotically as he kept his eyes firmly locked on Schard who stood frozen with fear backed up against a wall.
“Ask the wizard” Kaiazal then continued, without letting Valandt ask for himself. “Schard. You traded your alliance to one with myself, is what the young wizard spoke of true ?”. Schard refused to speak for a moment, at first he was too frozen with fear to talk and then he declined to give Kaiazal an answer. Kaiazal then walked up toward Schard and looked him callously in the eye. “I cannot say I've heard anything of this” Schard eventually responded, to which Kaiazal then turned to face Valandt once more. As Kaiazal motioned to speak, the energy bubble surrounding Presto burst and he stepped forward once more. “Valandt listen to me. You are not a killer. Kaiazal is preying on your darker side and telling you like it” Valandt stood, still with the axe in hand, then Presto’s eyes suddenly sparkled as he realized something. “Go ahead, kill Schard” Presto smiled as both Kaiazal and Valandt looked at him with confused looks on their faces. “Kill the traitor. However, kill him with this” Presto conjured an impressive long sword out of nothing and held it out for Valandt to take, Kaiazal instantly became irate.
“No!” shouted Kaiazal “The axe...” Kaiazal stopped and looked at Valandt “He didn't tell you did he?”
“Tell me what?” Valandt turned his head to Presto, intrigued.
“If you kill Schard, Astral will awake, unharmed and in perfect health” Kaiazal smiled as Valandt lowered his brow and turned to Presto.
“Is this true?” Valandt asked Presto, who bowed his head.
“Yes. Killing Schard will cause the demons in her to die but.. ” Kaiazal cut Presto off by magically forcing his lips shut. Kaiazal walked around Valandt once more. “Give up. Surrender to your evil” Kaiazal whispered into Valandt’s ear. Valandt then felt his body be taken over by something inside him, the dark side of him that had killed his parents. Valandt could not hold back and was powerless to contain his furious anger. Valandt charged at Schard and held the axe above his head, then lowered it into Schard’s body, cutting his chest open. Kaiazal began to laugh as Schard’s blood began to ooze out from his body. Valandt instantly regained control of his body and dropped the bloodstained axe. Presto ran to Schard and Schard looked Presto in the eye. “In my knapsack there is my last potion, restores whoever drinks it to perfect health, I cannot use it, it is too late for me, take it and use it as you see fit. You will know what is right. You are the wizard of the kingdom now, do not abuse magic like I did” he spoke slowly and had to stop constantly for he was coughing up blood, Schard then faded and died. Kaiazal laughed louder than ever before and disappeared, his voice then echoed around Legia castle. “You were a fool to trust me Valandt, for now you have broken Goreoth‘s seal. The God of Evil returns to reign terror once more” and with that the whole castle began to shake.