Sneaky Wizard

NOWEL

I traipsed through the shady corridors leading to the White Wizard chambers. A death-like chill caressed my skin as I mounted the stairs that led to his fortress. When I got there, I was surprised when I found the door ajar. I swallowed back all my fears and entered.

I was expecting a ghost to jump out of nowhere and startle me to death. But none of that happened. His chambers are scarier than I thought they would be. Skulls and various contents of sacrifices and instruments of magic. A giant book on his desk with the title of the book written in an old language that only he could understand.

As I explored the room, I was shocked to not find any sculpture or imagery of the eye god. Just paintings of scary beings that could give you nightmares for eternity.

I thought the White Wizard receives oracles from the eye god. But it seems like the white wizard is being dubious about his teachings. I shook my head.

I came across a tiny book in a dark golden color written in block lettering.

To summon the devil. It says.

My bones chilled as my eyes scanned the title.

Why would a royal wizard have a spell book that can summon the devil? Is he part of the occult or something? I wondered.

"Get your hands off that book before I shred it into pieces."

My heart went on a brief stand-still at the sound of his voice. I slowly withdrew my hand away from the occult book, and I gradually moved to face the haunting stares of the White Wizard.

I tried my best to remain calm and not be frightened by him. But mare looking at his appearance is enough to send volts down my fragile spine. There's more to him than being a wizard. I have to keep a watchful eye on him.

"What are you doing here in my chambers...all alone?"

I gulped.

I moved back when he grabbed the tiny book and hid it in his pockets.

I eyed him with suspicion as he did that.

"Yes?"

"Oh. I...I...came to ask you why you drafted such a wicked task for Team B?"

He chuckled. "You mean why I drafted such a wicked task for your demon?"

I gasped. So it is to harm Michael. What a bastard can he be sometimes?!

"Why? Is it too much for your demon to handle?" He derided.

"With all due respect Elys, You are endangering other people's innocent lives by drafting such an abomination."

"Oh. So your demon is not innocent in this case?" He asked with a spark of realization in his ungodly eyes.

What?!

"That's not the point...what am I even- all are innocent! And you are being unjust to them by giving others a simple task and them a difficult one that they can never pass!"

"Too difficult to pass? Even for a demon?" He asked as he tilted his head a little bit to the right.

"What are you trying to prove or gain from all of this? That the only reason Michael could be strong enough to kill a bunch of wraiths in a forbidden temple filled with sinful monks is that he is a demon!" He flashed me a sinister smile that had me hanging for a moment.

Then it hit me.

Wait a minute! He is indeed a bastard! That is exactly what he is trying to prove. Elys is being reckless because he wants to prove that Michael is a demon. And he is ready to do this even at the cost of many innocent lives!

I was shocked.

"Is...Is that...what you're trying to prove?"

He answered with another irritating smile.

I moved around the table as fast as I could to face him. "Is that what you're trying to prove, you bastard?!"

The smile on his ugly face vanished immediately after I said those words followed by a threatening glare.

"I warned you. I warned you to stay away from Michael. What in the hell is wrong with you? And why are you so obsessed with demon hunting?!"

"I also told you the other day that a sharp mouth comes fast problems, didn't I?"

What the-?

"Are you now trying to say that it is my fault? Really? Now you're trying to make me feel guilty?"

"I'm trying to make you regret insulting me. You drew the battle line yourself when you chose to side with that demon. Besides, I can't open my eyes and watch demons have important positions in my country. Demons can't be redeemed, and are never meant to be happy. The better you understand that fact will be the better for you."

"What if I told you that he is harmless? For the love of sanity, he saved my life!"

"And he could take it too! That is what demons do Princess. They come into your life and make you trust them completely with that same life. They are Fallen angels for heaven's sake! We don't mess around with the condemned!"

Con...demned? It took a lot of me to process the meaning behind those words. The weight that word carried.

"And what if this one is different? Have you ever thought of that before?"

He scoffed.

"As I've always said before, I don't take risks. I follow what my heart says. For I am not a foolish man to believe that a demon can be different."

I bit my lips. I never thought saving Michael from this death sentence in disguise of a test going to be this hard and challenging.

What am I going to do now?