A Human's Desire

The Human

I walked into the small, quaint building and was immediately hit with the stale, dusty air that had become far too familiar. The bell above the rickety door gave out a clear pinging, announcing my entrance along with the creaky floorboards. It was a square, dingy room, littered with strange equipment of all kinds that made it difficult to walk without stumbling and sending vials and old parchment scattering across the floor. Most of the walls had shelves and bookcases cluttered with faded scrolls and worn books. The only light sources were jars of tiny exotic bugs that gave off a powerful blue light, giving the room an impression of perpetual twilight.

From across the long wooden table that occupied the only empty space left, but was just as unorganized as the rest of the room, Alkius jerked his head out of the thick, ancient book he constantly pored over and smiled at me. He was tall and thin, and the only hair he had was a white beard that fell from his face in a tangled mess. His eyes were a clear, deep blue that gave the impression he was wise beyond his years, and he had quite a few of them under his belt.

"Ah, there you are, stranger. I was beginning to think you finally gave up on all of this and decided to skip town. Not that I'd blame you." He scowled. "No one quite appreciates the Old Arts anymore. Especially not young ones like you."

I rolled my eyes. "You think I'd give up the opportunity to study under one of the most renowned wizards after all of these years?"

He grumbled, "That was a very long time ago, back when people still cared about the art of spell casting. Wizards, warlocks, sorcerers, druids, all of us are becoming outdated. Finding a dedicated apprentice is a miracle of its own. You know, when I first discovered my talent for the Old Arts-"

I cut him off, knowing that his tangents about his youth could go on for hours. "Well you don't have to worry about that," I said quickly. "I have no intention of abandoning my studies this far in. My abilities still need a lot of polishing. In fact, the reason why I've been absent this past week was because I was preparing for my next ritual. Oh Alkius, you're going to like this one. Everything is almost in place now." A cold eagerness crept into my voice at the last sentence.

Right as the words left my mouth, Alkius froze with his hand outstretched towards whatever book he had been reaching for and narrowed his eyes. Instantly, the air in the room changed. It became thick with tension and suspicion. I thought, Finally the truth comes out and this pathetic charade I've kept up for four years can come to an end.

Without turning around, he said slowly, "Would this ritual of yours have anything to do with that book of Dark Magic you've been reading? As I recall, that wasn't part of the curriculum I gave you."

Not surprised that he knew about my secret reading habits, I asked, "Do you know what kind of things are written in that book? I had been wondering how long I would have to wait to find a spell powerful enough to end all of this, but it turns out that that book had the perfect answer to all my problems. Unfortunately, senile fools such as yourself think you know what's best for everyone and hide information unnecessarily." My smile never left my face.

"The rituals that are written in that book are dangerous and destructive," he replied calmly. "Humans are not meant to come into contact with the creatures that are awakened by performing them. No, even more than that, we are too weak."

I laughed bitterly. "That may be, but I would rather be consumed than live another day pretending to give a damn about you people. And as I already said, the preparations are complete. All I need to do now is set everything into motion."

He asked, "Why did you come back? Why would you bother telling me? It's as if-" The words died in his mouth. With a sudden realization, he finished quietly, "As if you want me to try and stop you."