Chapter 25: Magic and escape!

"You're saying you can teach me magic?" Lucian asked with a questioning look on his face.

Hornby, who was in the next cell nodded.

"That's right. I'll teach you a magic spell for long-range attacks, and in return, you help get me out of here."

Lucian took another peek through the steel bars to take a look at the guards. He counted four of them, two sat at a table playing cards, while the other two stood to the side as they chatted between themselves.

"And just how do you plan to teach me how to use magic when there's a wall between us. I dont even understand magic, let alone have any idea how to use it." Lucian said.

"Dont sweat the small stuff. Trust me, If I can learn it, so can you." Hornby said with a grin.

"But look, pal, we dont have much time, I need an answer now. You in, or not?" Hornby asked, pressing Lucian for an answer.

Lucian didn't like the sound of the pits and he knew he had to rescue Hestia before it was too late. So that meant he had little choice.

"Alright, let's do it," Lucian said.

"Alright!" Hornby said a little too loud, flinching as he realised.

"Shut up back there!" One of the guards shouted, only leaning back on his chair to take a peek.

"Yes, sir. Sorry!" Hornby said.

Thankfully the guard quickly went back to playing cards and paid them no attention.

"Ok, so what first?" Lucian asked.

"Ok, so the first thing you have to do is."

Meanwhile...

Hestia awoke to find herself in chains, locked in a cage that sat inside a fancy room. She instantly tried to use her fire magic to break free of the chains and binds. However, it was no use.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you child." Gilly's voice said as the doors opened.

Hestia snarled as she remembered who he was.

"What have you done with my master!" She shouted, the anger in her voice showing.

"My, it's a good job I placed a magic seal spell on you while you were unconscious, otherwise I would be toat right about now, I can imagine," Gilly said as he poured himself a glass of wine.

"As for your master... Well, he will be dead soon." He said, swirling the wine around in the glass.

Hestia's eyes opened wide as the words sunk in.

"No..." She said softly.

"Master can't die. You'll see, he will kill you for this!" She then shouted, refusing to believe it.

"Believe that you want little goblin. But the truth remains the same either way. You will soon be my slave and you will fight for me in the pits." Gilly said as he took a drink.

Hestia snarled and bore her fangs at him as he slowly walked closer.

"No Sleep child, I need you in tip-top shape for the tournament after all." He said as he waved his hand that was covered in black smoke.

The magic hit Hestia in the face, and soon she fell back, despite trying her best to fight, the magic took hold and soon she was laid unconscious.

Gilly smiled at his handy work, but he smiled even more as he looked her body up and down, his face showing lustful motives.

-TOA-

"What do you mean to draw out my magic! I told you I dont know how to do it!" Lucian said as loud as he could without alerting the guards.

"Well, just try!" Hornby shouted back.

"I told you, it feels like your gonna piss your pants. Only try and draw that feeling up into your finger and then let your mind do the rest!"

Lucian still didn't get it but gave it another try. After all, this was his only ticket out of this prison.

"Imagine all of the energy in your body and draw it towards my finger... Then, imagine the element you want to use and let my mind do the rest." Lucian thought as he aimed his finger at the lock on his cell.

Lucian was trying to concentrate as best he could, even to the point where he was going red in the face, but still, nothing happened.

"Arh, I give up!" He said as he dropped his arm and almost kicked his bed.

"You can't give up, you were so close that time!" Hornby said knowing that Lucian was his only ticket to freedom.

Lucian sat on his hard straw bed and interlocked his fingers as he tried to think.

"I need a break." He said to Hornby, who agreed.

"Ok, just take a minute or two and we will try again." He said as he leaned back against the stone wall, with a worried look on his face.

Lucian couldn't help think of how useless he was again. The memories of his dead friends and now Ron, how he was powerless to save them coming to mind.

"If I dont do something soon even Hestia will."

"You really are pathetic aren't you little hero." Satan's voice suddenly said, interrupting him.

"What do you want?" Lucian asked.

"If you're just going to insult me then leave me alone," Lucian said.

The demon lord chuckled to himself at Lucian's response to him.

"Actually, I came to offer you some advice." He said.

Suddenly a burst of smoke started to float away from Lucian's body before it started to take the shape of a more person.

Lucian was shocked to see a tall man with long white hair and grey skin, his eyes were as red as Lucian's own and his body was covered in strange tattoos.

"What in the..." Lucian said not believing his eyes.

"Surprised?" The man asked.

"Demon?" Lucian asked.

"How? What?"

"Roll your tongue back into your mouth boy." The demon lord said.

"This is one of many forms I can take. I thought it most fitting for this situation..." He then said as he took a look around.

"Oh don't worry, by the way, no one else can see me."

"How can I see you?" Lucian asked as he stood to his feet.

"I am merely an illusion, cast from my own magical powers that reside in your body..." He said as he looked Lucian up and down.

"Anyhow... I have appeared to offer you a little advice about your predicament." He then said, changing topics rather quickly.

"And why do you want to help me?" Lucian asked, cocking an eyebrow in question.

"Haven't we already had this same conversation?" Satan asked as he walked around the cell, wiping his finger on the wall, pulling a face at the dust as he did.

"This place is disgusting." He said under his breath as he turned back to Lucian.

"I dont need your help," Lucian said.

"Now fuck off and leave me alone."

"Dear child... Dont you want to save your pet? What was her name again... Ah, yes. Hestia." He said getting a reaction from Lucian as he burst forwards and tried to punch the demon lord in the face.

However, his hand passed right through Satan's head as he turned to smoke.

"Foolish little hero, you can't harm me, I thought I told you, I am merely an illusion." He then said as he reappeared at the other end of the cell.

Lucian turned to face him, biting his lip as he did.

"Alright. Just say what you have to say and get out of my sight." Lucian said, swallowing his pride.

The demon lord smiled as he sat down onto the bed, crossing his legs as he aimed his finger in the air like a gun.

"The foolish mortal in the next cell over isn't far off. But he's a fool if he thinks anyone could learn magic from his teachings." The demon lord said.

"Magic is an ambient force that surrounds all living beings in this world. Now the select few who are lucky enough to be able to draw upon this power. Every living being is also born with magic inside of them. However, if one's internal magic isn't strong enough, one will never be able to call upon the ambient magic. Or use magic at all."

Lucian looked a little lost for words but understood to a degree.

"And how am I supposed to tap into this ambient magic or my own magic for crying out loud.

"I was getting to that." He said giving Lucian a stern look.

"In order for a being to tap into their own magical reserves, they must look deep within themselves, finding the source and then drawing upon it. Once you are able to do that. The rest is like learning from a book." Satan said with a wicked smile on his face.

"That doesn't answer my question though. How am I supposed to." Lucian said.

But the demon lord interrupted him as he appeared right in front of him.

"Now look deep inside, little hero. Look deep and draw out your power." He said before vanishing in a poof of smoke that re-entered Lucian's body, causing him to cover his face with his hands.

"Lucian! Lucian, what the hell are you doing!" Hornby asked, speaking as loud as he could.

Lucian had failed to notice that the guards were rounding the other prisoners up and would soon make their way to his and Hornby's cells.

"Were out of time kid! It's now or never!" Hornby said as he slowly walked to thr back of his cell.

Lucian could hear the guard's footsteps getting closer and he quickly shot up to his feet.

"Look deep. I have to look deep." He thought as he closed his eyes.

"Alright, you sack of shit's its time to take you to the pits!" The guard said laughing as he got to Lucian's cell.

"What the hell is this guy doing?" He said as he looked over to the other guards.

"Hey, you! Get over here before I drop you with this." The guards said waving the remote in his hand.

Lucian was deep in concentration as he tried to look deep within himself to find his magical source.

"Come on, I have to look deeper. I have to find it..." He said.

"Right fuck this." The guard said as he pressed the button, causing Lucian to cry out in pain and drop to his knees.

"Feel a bit more like doing what I say?" The guard asked, waiting to see what Lucian did next.

Lucian tried his best not to let the pain break his concentration as he still tried to loom deep within himself.

Suddenly, inside the darkness. Lucian found a small thread of light.

"What is that?" He thought as he grabbed ahold of it.

He pulled himself through the void of his subconscious, slowly getting closer to the scourse of the light.

"Is this it? Is this the power I have been looking for?" Lucian said as he reached what looked like a burning sun.

Slowly Lucian reached his hand out and placed it into the ball of light, taking a hold of it he suddenly felt a burst of power flowing through his body.

"This is it. This is my magic..." He said as he looked at his body.

"It's so big... So much of it ..." He said as the light grew larger and larger, never seeming to end.

Suddenly another jolt of pain pulled Lucian back to reality as the guard had pressed the button again.

"That aren't to make you a little more cooperative." He said as he watched Lucian drop to the floor in pain.

Lucian slowly opened his eyes so as to see the guard waving at him.

"Now get up you shit, let's go!"

Lucian slowly stood to his feet and once again closed his eyes as he drew upon the power he had discovered.

"Water bullet!" He shouted as he extended his arm forwards, his index finger pointing at the guard like a gun.

Suddenly a burst of water erupted from Lucian's finger. The magic bullet flew so fast that the guard didn't have time to react to what was going on.

The guard was ripped in two as the water bullet left a hole the size of a basketball in his chest, splatting his innards all over the wall behind.

The guard fell to the ground with a rather surprised look on his face, dropping the remote to the floor.

The other guards looked on in horror as the remote bounce off the ground and landed right next to Lucian.

Lucian looked up at the others and smiled, crushing the remote with his foot and breaking free from the steel shackles that bound him.

"Ok. Who's next."