Conquest of Magic

Part 54

Stanley stared at the glistening crystal ball, a relic from his imprisonment. Warm light fell on his face as his fingertips glided over its smooth surface, showing a subtle glow inside. Memories surged back, taking him back in time.

Stanley had felt pain for closeness during the worst of his imprisonment, especially with William, his younger brother. But fate had kept them apart, preventing Stanley from witnessing William's childhood and from experiencing the joys and hardships of being a sibling.

But Stanley's love for his brother knew no bounds. He had poured his heart and soul into creating the crystal ball, a vessel for his dreams and longing, with the imagination that comes from love and desperation. Every night he would force himself to sleep, leaving behind the cruel reality of his captivity to enter a world where he and William might play together unrestrained by their mother's gentle embrace.

Stanley found comfort and hope in those dreams. Despite the years and distance between them, he could only envision the bonds of affection they would create, the joy they would share and the adventures they would go on. He treasured each moment as though it were real, remembering every detail.

The day of freedom finally came. After getting out of prison, Stanley continued to think about his unfinished task, which was the crystal ball that he had given William. He smiled bittersweetly and left it there, leaving his brother with a quiet message of love and yearning.

The memory of their dreams together, a ray of hope in the shadow of the past, accompanied Stanley as he left. And he prayed that William could find the crystal ball and, realise the love that had always been there, just waiting to be discovered.

Stanley grinned at the crystal ball, lost in its glow. William, his half-brother, watched him with a puzzled frown. He couldn't understand why Stanley seemed so happy over a silly ball. He had come here to bother Stanley, but now he was getting the opposite reaction.

Stanley met William's gaze with a sincere expression as if trying to convey something important without words.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" William asked Stanley with his eyebrows creased.

"Did you know what is inside this?" Stanley asked him with a smile. William didn't reply.

"I made this for you when we were kids." A wide smile spread across his face when Stanley spoke. He extended his hand for him to take the crystal from it.

"For me?" He asked in a cryptic tone.

"Take a look." He says and places it in his brother's hand. He paused and stared awkwardly down at the crystal.

When its gentle light washed over him as he stepped towards it, he found himself transported into Stanley's world—a world of prison bars and loneliness, where his brother endured hardships beyond imagination.

As the memories unfolded, William felt a pang in his chest. His throat tightened and his pulse quickened. Deep inside him was this prickling heat that radiated out into his skin, making it ache. The intensity of it scared William, and he thought about walking away, but he couldn't. He had no option but to stand and watch his brother's memories and what he wanted to say to his brother.

William saw Stanley's childhood, his longing for family, and his affection for his stepbrother. It was like a movie playing in front of him. Stanley filled the crystal with his wishes. He adored his half-brother when he tried to sneak into the prison and look for him. His small feet will wake Stanley up even when he has no energy after the constant torture by the guards and lack of food. He would use the little magic energy of his life force to appear in front of his clean and make the bloodied clothes disappear. What William saw was a flawless teenager held in prison like a guest. When William hides behind a pillar and looks at Stanley, he makes magical figures fly out of his hand, and William is amazed by the magic.