Centum Malediction

Chapter 1-8

Saturday, September 18th. 2010

Michael was falling into a pit of pure darkness. There was nothing around him. It was as if he were floating in space. He hit the ground with a large thump, but felt no pain. It was still dark, too dark to see anything. His mind raced to recall what had happened, but the memory was just out of reach. He didn't know anything, who he was, what he had done, nothing. A thin beam of light shone down on him, allowing him to see himself. It was small, but it was light, he embraced it.

"Michael." A voice called out. Was that his name? It was. His memories were beginning to flood back into him. He was hurt, worse than he had ever been hurt before. It was serious, he could die.

"Michael." The voice called out once again. He recognized it. It was a woman's voice. Visceria. What was she doing here? Where was here?

"What do you want?" Michael called out angrily. His voice was surprisingly stable and strong. Wherever here was, it wasn't in the real world, but in his mind. It was just a thin beam of light in an endless void of darkness. He pondered if that light was what was left of his life.

"I can see clearly now, for the first time in a long time, and it's thanks to you." Visceria responded. She appeared before Michael, a transparent ghost. She no longer glowed like she had when charged with energy.

"I killed you." Michael said. There was a long silence as Michael realized exactly what he had done.

"What you killed was a mere projection of me, a lost dream, used, twisted, and broken." Visceria said. "The real me died long ago."

"I don't understand."

"Allow me to explain everything. Long ago the world was a chaotic place of war and destruction. A mercenary, the one you know as the hundredth warrior, flourished in this world. He battled in the wars, perfecting his magic and skill. He learned of different cultures and collected and implemented their magic into his own. When his time finally came, he sealed his one hundred spells into his armor, and you have broken that seal." Visceria seemed much calmer than when Michael had seen her last. He was beginning to believe that the form he had battled truly was twisted and different. At least, she had been acting insane.

"Why was I able to break the seal?" Michael asked.

"You have a heart as dark as the hundredth warrior. The seal recognized this similarity between the two of you and broke, expecting you to reclaim the magic. When you didn't, the hundred spells began to break loose. I am one of these spells, the spell of energy." Visceria answered. "I was created when the hundredth warrior destroyed a technologically advanced society. By using the body of the high priestess he created a spell capable of absorbing energy. The hundredth warrior's biggest threat was others like him. By creating me, he could absorb their magic and use it against them.

"So, there's ninety-nine more of you?" Michael was shocked. Visceria herself had so much power, had caused so much trouble. If there were others just like her running around the city causing trouble it would be pure chaos.

"They are not exactly like me. Each of us have our own purpose. Not all of us have awakened yet. We are slowly pouring from the seal, one by one. You must find the seal and repair it before all of the spells are released." Visceria ordered. "My reflection, the piece of me that you saw before, sought power to combat the other spells in an attempt to save the world from them. The more power I absorbed, the more I lost control of my own morals. None of the spells will be stable out there, alone in the world. They will grow just as insane as I did over time. It's up to you to stop them from escaping the seal, and defeat the ones who already have, like you defeated me."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Michael asked.

"Once you defeat a spell, the spell is yours to use. You will not be alone in this Michael. I will assist you. I am a part of you now. This is why I am able to appear even in the deepest reaches of your mind." Visceria said. "Use my power to stop the others. Find the seal," She moved closer to Michael, until she was hovering right in front of him. She paused and looked around.