The Mind of a Sorcerer.

'Damn... It would be a shame if all these people were to meet their end all of a sudden.' Richard thought to himself as he walked through the corridors of the huge Bane mansion,

In the courtyard, several servants and magicians scurried around, going about their mundane and not-so-mundane tasks

'Aiya! I see your mind is as black as ever, Richie boy. I'm telling ya, hell will be a very good place for you.' A voice that seemed illisory, yet crystal clear rang out.

Richard chuckled a bit, "Haha... No, thank you, Raz-or. I have no plans of dying any time soon, so I'll have to reject your offer for the ten thousandth time."

"C'mon... Don't be such a wuss. The eternal torments of hell become quite enjoyable after a while." The voice snorted out an ominous laugh.

"Honestly, I wonder if you are actually on my side."

Richard had his gloved hands in his pockets as he strutted across the corridor with a relaxed smile on his face. This was a very different picture from the image he had projected to his grandfather.

This Richard had something in his eyes. Something dark and unnerving. Like he was being haunted by a thousand demons every time he closed his eyes.

Upon reaching a bend in the hallways, he came across a gaggle of familiar faces. The smile on his face deepened.

"Oyaya... Looks like somebody is going to have his hands full." Another voice said, different from the first illusory voice. This one sounded quaint and benevolent but hid boundless evil within every syllable it uttered.

"Miss Cupid. I see you've awoken from your slumber. I am sure my heart is still comfy as ever."

A light chuckle came from the depths of his soul,

"Richie dear, I assure you I want nothing more than to rip your heart out and drain you of all life in your body. However, you are too precious to me. Your heart is so dark as well. I'd rather have it produce so many more dark thoughts instead.

Hearing the words that would have been enough to scare the skin off any other person, Richard simply chuckled.

Soon, he was stopped by the group that was approaching him from the other end of the hallway.

"Ah... It has been a while, Miss Clair. I'm sure Uncle is doing well." Richard said with a smile that turned his eyes into slits.

The woman in question, Claire Estoc Bane, was young and fair, with porcelain skin and a head full of raven black hair. Her face was perfect, as though it was carved from marble, and her beauty was something that would make many men stop at the streets just to have another glance.

However, her eyes were deep, dark, bottomless pools of mirth and darkness. Behind her was a group of both servants and magicians who stared at Richard with disguised bloodlust. It was as though they could barely restrain themselves from gouging on his flesh right there and then

'So scary...'

"Cut it, Richard. The council is great with your actions and decisions. We can't have you going around playing vigilante. I do not care if we are related. I will send you to hell myself if need be. Your grandfather won't protect you forever."

Her voice was cold and indifferent, but her words were callous and disturbing.

Despite that, the smile on Richard's face never shifted,

"Hehe... I see you are doing great indeed. If that will be all, then I will take my leave." Richard said as he made a move to leave Caire's presence.

"Who said you could go anywhere, insect?" Claire said, the pools of darkness in her eyes burning with dark light.

Richard stuck his tongue out, "Ah, so sorry, forgive me."

There was silence between them before Claire spoke up,

"You might be a member of this family, but you are worthless. You might be worth something now due to your unique circumstances, but your potential is a pile of compost."

The shadows in the hall became deeper, and the gloomy air that was further pronounced by a lack of sunlight coming from the sky simply made everything worse.

"However, know this and know this well. If you try to act in a way that does not suit your post and standing, then I will be forced to take your legs. Then your arms and eyes and every other organ you do not need to live. Do I make myself clear?" Claire said in her characteristic cold voice.

Richard nodded like a woodpecker...

"Of course, of course. If that is all, then I will be on my way."

Richard made another move, and this time, she didn't stop him.

"Haha... That was a close one." Richard said with a laugh as he walked away from the group of people who didn't like him one bit.

'You should have taken her head off, you brat. You being so passive every time want to tear your body apart and kill all these humans myself.

"Calm yourself, Fenrir. There is a season for everything. This is merely the season of patience." Richard said to the emptiness before him as he continued down the hallway.

'Richard. Even we Demons feel pity for you when we see what you go through. Are you sure you don't want to kill them all?' A s9ft voice came from above him.

Richard's brows shot up in surprise, "Even you too? Why do you all seem exceptionally violent today?"

Then Richard shook his head, "Killing all these people would be no fun. I won't get a kick out of it. I have many more interesting hobbies to pay attention to. I also have school and searching for a girlfriend. I'm never going to find one if I go on a massacre, right?"

Hearing the voices bicker in his head, Richard chuckled and proceeded down the hall. Soon, he arrived in front of an ornate door. The door was covered in arcane runes and sigils. On the doorpost, were a few words written in the abyssal tongue.

Looking at it, Richard shook his head slightly and opened the door. Immediately, a fresh, damp wind hit him.

"Ha... Feels good to finally get out of that house."

He stepped through the public toilet's door and adjusted his clothes before continuing on his way. He had a black coat draped across his shoulders, a pair of black slacks with suspenders, and a white vest that had its long sleeves folded to his elbows.

Richard turned his head to stare at the grey and gloomy sky. He had never seen the sun nor had he basked in its warmth his entire life. All his days, he had only known gloom.

'This is so nice.' A refreshed smile made its way onto his face as he walked.

Soon, he hailed a taxi that was headed where he wanted to go.

"Oi, boss. where you head'in?"

Richard grinned, "Take me to South Lepton, please."

"Sure thing."

As they drove, Richard suddenly spoke up, "Ah, this weather sure is nice."

The cab driver laughed, "I haven't heard a single soul say that to me in my lifetime! I think the weather here is shit. Haha!"

"You think so? I think it is great. It brings back fond memories."

The cab driver thought for a while, "Well when you put it like that, I guess it does kinda give you some comfort."

The conversation then died off a bit. After a few minutes of silence, Richard spoke,

"Old man, let me ask you a question..."

The cab driver raised an eyebrow in surprise,

"Erh... Sure. Ask away!"

A sadistic smile appeared on Richard's face,

"Do you believe in magic?"

"Magic? That stuff is better left for kids and the mentally challenged. Although I think most kids are mentally challenged." The cab driver trailed off...

Richard chuckled, "Yes, I also believe that. The ability to warp reality and shape the world into how you view it to be is nothing short of ludicrous. It is merely humanity's greatest attempt at playing 'god'."

"Of course. Invented by madmen I tell ya." The cab driver nodded in approval.

However, Richard's next words stunned the man,

"However, there is some truth to it. The basic theory behind magic's existence is mankind's attempt to be like God. One story says that magic was taught to us humans by a group of angels known as the watchers. And why? Because they were going against God's will. So if God exists, then we can truly say that his antithesis, magic, will most certainly exist as well."

Silence...

"B-boss... All that just seems scary. I'm sure magic doesn't exist. And God isn't something humans like us can ever hope to understand. Right?"

Richard nodded his approval, "Indeed. That's a very good observation. However, have you ever wondered why a concept such as magic was even born in the first place?" Richard asked.

"No..." The man shook his head, clearly starting to feel uncomfortable as he gripped his steering harder.

"You see, if magic is a direct rebellion against God, a being that supposedly created us all, why would we want that? Shouldn't we be content with what we have? Or is it simply human nature to want what we shouldn't?"

At this point, Richard's grin cut so wide across his face, that if the cab rider glanced back, he would more than likely collapse in fear.

Richard took a deep breath to calm himself,

"Magic is a casual relationship, born from man's desire to stray from the original path designed for us. In my opinion, if we are going to hell, might as well get there in style, right?"

"We are here!"

The cab driver slammed on the brakes and yelled at Richard who seemed surprised.

"Ah... So quickly?"

Sweat poured down the back of the cab driver as he shivered in fear, 'This kid... Something is wrong with this kid!'

"Thank you so. much for the ride..."

Richard handed the cab driver his fare, who grabbed the money without even counting it and stepped right into the acceleration, disappearing into the slight fog.

"Man... I think I spooked him a bit."

'Richie, your ideas on magic theory would certainly cause a mundane such as him to fall into madness. Why even bother going through the trouble."

Richard laughed it off, "Don't worry. That guy will be fine.i didn't say much."

With that, Richard turned around to stare at the five story mansion behind him.

"Finally, I can get a bath..."