Centum Malediction

Chapter 5-1

Saturday, September 25th. 2010

Alexander

It was a beautiful clear night, something that could be considered unnatural for the Pacific Northwest in late September. Alexander pondered if there was some sort of weather spell at work, but it was best not to jump to conclusions. After all, it could rain at any minute.

Michael and Alexander stood side by side in front of a chain link fence. Shivers ran down Alexander's spine as he recalled the last time he visited the old geothermal plant. He wondered if the monster that lurked within was waiting for them. Had he already prepared for their assault?

Last time he walked through the dirt courtyard. Faerina was leading him then. The door at the end looked bolted shut, but Alexander knew better. It was dismantled in such a way that it looked closed from far away, but anyone could slip through even without the aid of magic.

The plant was  run down in comparison to the nuclear power plant in the city. Alexander wondered if the city ever gave geothermal power a fair shot. It was unlikely that only a few years abandoned could cause a building to become so derelict.

"What's taking them so long?" Michael fidgeted impatiently. Michael was anxious to put all this magic behind him and Alexander couldn't blame him.

"Heather and Brianna will be here soon. They're just finding an out of the way place to park." Brianna had driven them there and dropped them off ahead of time to keep an eye out while they found a parking spot. Michael was clearly ready to give up magic, but was Alexander? There was a part of him that enjoyed the power he had. A part of him that didn't like being afraid. No, it feared fear, and the magic gave him courage. Even now he wasn't tense as he should be. He knew he would tense up in the upcoming battle against the silver beast, but now he felt free. With Xkaein's and Faerina's powers at his disposal there was nothing to be afraid of.

The feeling was exhilarating, a huge burden, gone. He let out a heavy sigh to push out those selfish thoughts. The fear he feared most had already been relieved. He knew if magic existed, then life after death surely did as well. He met Faerina, a ghost, after all. Knowing that would give him the strength to continue living.

"Having second thoughts about giving up your magic?" Michael asked. He hadn't picked up a power to read thoughts somewhere, had he?

"I am actually." Alexander admitted. He felt no shame in his turmoil. Part of him was proud of the spells he obtained.

"Despite what Lom says, I want to get rid of these spells." Michael countered. "Nobody told me about the responsibility that comes with great power. It was fun, at first, but almost dying every couple of days gets old fast."

"Didn't you ever dream of being a hero when you were younger, to want something more to life?" Alexander asked. "These spells have made that dream a reality."

"I never had that dream to begin with. The only dream I wanted to come true was to have a normal and successful family, one that didn't live paycheck to paycheck. My mother left us when I was young. She couldn't handle my sister's illness and decided to deal with the stress in the arms of another man. My father tried to get alimony from her, but she never married her new rich boyfriend, making her appear as an unemployed single mom in the eyes of the court. It's a miracle my dad maintained custody over me and my sister. If she tried to fight it at all we'd be in Hawaii living with that bitch." Alexander thought Michael was finished, but he was quick to continue on.