The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 24

The darkness Logain was trapped in wasn't natural. He could sense the enchantment all around him. The feeling was almost overwhelming, and it threatened to consume him, but he tried to stay strong and fight back. This feeling was similar to the corruption he felt around Cordea. The corruption was trying to take over his body and mind, but Logain wouldn't let it. He was stronger than whatever was trying to overpower him.

Logan cast a simple spell to create a small ball of light for him to see in the darkness. The light floated close to Logain as he walked through the house. However, as he continued to walk, the house felt like it went on forever. On the outside, it didn't seem that large. When Logain tried looking outside to see what was going on, he couldn't make out much of anything. In fact, what he could see didn't look like the field of flowers at all. The sky outside looked dark, almost bloodred and the field outside looked like the corruption he had seen before.

The field they walked into was just an illusion. The reason Logain could feel such a magical presence was because they walked right into a trap. Maira created what she wanted them to see, and they fell for it easily. She pretended to be an innocent girl, but she was far from innocent. Logain met plenty of evil witches and warlocks. He let his guard down after this girl because she was young, and he felt bad for her. She was the witch who created the corruption.

Casimir was still outside with her. Logain didn't know how he would escape this cage, but he needed to figure it out quickly. He needed to rescue the prince. He didn't have enough time to recover after he was poisoned.

It was as though Maira could hear his thoughts even though she wasn't in the house with him. He could hear her voice in his head as she said, 'There's no point in looking for an escape. I built this place intending to keep people locked up here forever. You won't be getting out anytime soon.'

"And why me? We came to help you, and this is how you repay us?" They meant no harm. Logain even offered to help her escape Cordea, but he should have known better. This was why Logain trusted no one, especially not his own kind. He could sympathize with a warlock and a witch's plight, but they were just as awful as humans were. They were made even worse since they had magic to cause complete chaos.

'You're a human lover, and after you told me about your mother, I realized that it must run in your family. After everything our people have been through, why would you side with mortals? They would rather have us locked in cages and forced to do their bidding. They don't see us as people. You of all people should know that, whether you're a halfling or not,' she explained.

Logain couldn't suppress the urge to roll his eyes. "I don't see how I'm a human lover just because I have the prince as my companion, nor am I siding with them. I saw the basement back in Cordea. I know what those people did to you, and I came to save you. Not only me, but Casimir as well. He's not like the other humans. He was just as pissed off as I was when he saw how you were treated."

She scoffed. 'He might have been nice to you now, but he will eventually turn on you. When he starts seeing you for the monster that you are, he will abandon you. In fact, how do you know your prince will even try to rescue you now? For all you know, he could have left the moment you disappeared into my trap.'

"Yeah, I doubt that. Prince Casimir has already rescued me twice. If he had any plans to abandon me, he would have the first chance he had." Logain smiled to himself. He knew that no matter what, Casimir would do whatever he could to save him. The prince didn't care if he had to risk his life to save another. He had already been hurt twice from trying to keep Logain safe.

Logain asked, "So, what did you do with the prince? I doubt you let him leave so easily, especially if you hate mortals as much as you seem to."

The warlock needed to keep her talking as he searched for the exit. Even in this illusion, there would be a way to break free. A human might have gotten lost in this darkness, but Logain wouldn't. He knew what to search for as he walked down the long hallway. If he kept walking, he would eventually find what he was looking for.

'That's none of your concern. I'm done talking to you. Have fun being trapped for all eternity.' With that, her voice faded from his mind.

He was alone in the darkness once more, but he wasn't worried. After being alive for over two hundred years, this wasn't the first illusion Logain ever encountered. Maira was mistaken if she thought she could easily trap the warlock. He might not have had as much control over his magic as she did, but he had way more years of experience than her. She was a young witch, while Logain would be considered ancient. Once he unleashed his magic, she wouldn't be a match for him.

He just hoped he didn't hurt Casimir in the process. He had faith that the prince was okay. After everything that they had gone through so far on this adventure together, Logain knew that Casimir was more than just your average prince. His divinity might have made him special, but Logain saw him for more than that. The prince meant something to Logain.

Which was why he needed to be the one who rescued him. Casimir was always the one risking his life to keep Logain safe, but he had to do something this time. He couldn't constantly be the damsel in distress and wait for the prince to rescue him. This time, Logain would save Casimir. He would defeat Maira and then they would get out of this hellhole of a kingdom.

That was the plan, but first, he had to break free of the illusion. The longer he stayed in this place, the more he could feel the corruption fighting to take control of him. Even a warlock could become corrupted if they stayed in it for too long. It was trying to control his mind and body, but Logain wouldn't let it. He kept pushing forward, not willing to give up. He wouldn't let Maira win.

For a moment, Logain could barely make out anything around him as his vision started to get blurry. The corruption was fighting harder to take control of him. He didn't know how much longer he would last in this darkness. If this was an ordinary illusion, he wouldn't struggle as much to find the escape. He wasn't panicking yet, though. He knew if he let doubt get to him, then the corruption would consume him. He would keep pushing and fighting until he was free of this darkness. He was so close.

Eventually, Logain saw a light in the distance. It was dim and barely noticeable, but it was what Logain was searching for. This tear in the illusion would be his ticket out of there.

Before the darkness consumed him, Logain ran towards the light.