The Tale of Abgon: Rylan's Destiny

"Repeat after me: sword-fighting is an art. You must learn to master the arts," Julio the Master Swordsman commanded in a stoic voice. "Perfect, see? You're getting the hang of it, Rylan."

"Sir, I hate to interrupt our lesson, but I don't want to master sword-fighting," Rylan muttered. "I don't think I'm a great fit with swords."

"That's impossible, noble Rylan, you were born for sword-fighting!" Julio yelled in excitement. "You just need to be more passionate, and take pride in your work!"

"Sir, it's not for me, I know it's not," Rylan insisted.

"What do you suggest is for you then?" Julio asked, pretending to care.

"I want to study magic. It interests me more than stupid sword-fighting," Rylan replied in a heartbeat.

"Excuse you? Magic is not allowed in Brickelwhyte. You know what we do to magic users, right?" Julio replied angrily. "I've had enough of your shenanigans. You're going to jail for even thinking about it. Maybe once you've been there for a while then you will start to appreciate the art of sword-fighting. Get out of Brickelwhyte Village immediately! I don't want to see your goddamn face around here. You filthy, naughty, evil magic user! Get out of my sight, or I will kill you myself!" The Master Swordsman shouted out. Followed by many explicit words echoing out and swords clanking on the creaky, wood floor.

***

A young man ran away from the scene as fast as he could and into the dark forest of Abgon. He looked young based on his incredibly soft-looking face, his wavy shoulder-length hair, and his innocent, beady puppy eyes.

"This is all my fault," the boy muttered to himself with guilt. "If I didn't have such an outburst over magic and swords, none of this would have happened. It's just-- Julio keeps...pressuring me to be the greatest swordsman of all time...but I'm not a swordsman. I'm not a great fit for swords...I prefer magic. It has always interested me..."

The boy looked down at the dirt path with a slight smile on his face when he mentioned the word, 'magic.' "It just has a nice ring to it. They'd call me, Rylan, the Sage!" He smiled to himself. "One day, they'll see my talent..."

As he slowly strolled through Abgon, he couldn't help but look at the beautiful foliage. The leaves on the trees looked like they were out of a fantasy with their abnormal lavender and turquoise colors.

Rylan then looked down to what his left hand was grasping: it was a small dagger. He forgot to return that to the master swordsman. "Y'know what? Screw you, Julio! I'm keeping this dagger just to spite you!" He screamed out loud to himself and for nature to hear.

"Hey, you! Can you keep it down in the forest?" A mysteriously, feminine voice whisper-yelled.

Rylan spun around, trying to find the source of the voice. "Who was that? Show yourself! I'm not afraid of any demonic beings!" He panickly yelled.

"Woah, woah, calm down. I'm Mikaela. Just be glad that you didn't run into my sister... she's incredibly hostile," Mikaela answered as she revealed herself from behind a tree. She had beautiful, orangey-red hair that got caught in the branches and leaves of the tree she was by. She held a black witch-like hat in her hands by her chest.

"Wait? Are you a witch?" Rylan asked in a calm voice.

"Why do you sound so calm saying that? Are you a hunter? Is that why you have that dagger?" Mikaela asked nervously as she grasped her hat like it was a shield.

"What? No. I just escaped from the evil hands of a swordsman master. He doesn't like the fact I want to study magic," Rylan explained calmly.

"Y-you want to learn about magic?" Mikaela's voice asked in a whisper while quivering.

"Yeah, it has always interested me. I hate being a swordsman. One day, my dream is to be known as 'The Sage,'" Rylan answered confidently.

"Follow me then," Mikaela muttered quickly as she motioned with her hands for Rylan to follow her through the forest. "I will warn you though, careful around Abgon forest, you may encounter my hostile sister."

Rylan reluctantly followed Mikaela through the forest of Abgon as the sun was setting. It was getting quite spooky, but Mikaela would always look behind her to make sure Rylan didn't lose her. Rylan couldn't help but notice that Mikaela's eyes glowed up in the dark as if she was a cat. They were a neon lime green color. It spooked him out at first but he eventually got used to those beautiful, glowy eyes looking at him.

Rylan couldn't see anything now, it was pitch black in the forest. However, he could hear a windy breeze and water dripping around. He inhaled some of the air and was immediately disgusted.

"Mikaela? Where the hell are you taking me? It smells awful," Rylan quivered.

"To the greatest place I know... my home... I just have to get through this swamp first," Mikaela cheerfully replied.

"Wait... are you saying you go through this daily? Just to get through to your home? Why do you sound so happy?" Rylan asked as he raised his right eyebrow in shock, though no one could see it.

"Ahahaha~ That's cute. You think I actually walk through this? Nah, nah, nah. I transform into an owl with my transformation potion, then I fly across the swamp," Mikaela laughed.

"Transformation potion?" Rylan asked again.

"Oh, it's a potion I created. Basically, whatever animal I'm thinking of, I turn into that animal for a couple of hours. Typically, I think of owls because they are absolutely stunning creatures, and also because I love the night," Mikaela explained.

She splashed and smashed the potion bottle against her tough, dark skin. A mint green fog against the dark night sky was all Rylan could see. After the mint fog disappeared, Rylan felt something grab him and lift him up into the air. Whatever it was it had terrifying claws and was unexplainably strong. Such a tight, terrifying grip as well, but Rylan couldn't see any of it though. He was blinded from the dark, midnight sky.

He blacked out.

He woke up to Mikaela staring at him. He could tell it was Mikaela because the background behind her was a lamp-lit witch's hut.

"Wha- what happened? Did I miss anything?" Rylan hesitated.

"No. You didn't miss much," Mikaela replied back cheerfully.

"Where did you go? I blinked and you were gone, and I couldn't find you anywhere," Rylan asked, anxiously demanding an explanation based on his agitated movement.

"I was still next to you, you just didn't recognize me. Didn't you remember the conversation about the transformation potion?" Mikaela reassured. "I'll cut you some slack since you're new to this whole magic business."

"Wait, you were the thing that grabbed me tightly and lifted me in the air?" Rylan asked.

"You've got a lot to learn about magic, my dear," Mikaela chuckled while putting her hands in front of her mouth to drown her cute laughter. She turned around towards the oak door. "Well, follow me. This is the place."

Inside the small, lamp-lit hut, it looked a lot bigger. There was a small reading nook full of what looks like a bunch of magic spellbooks. Next to the reading nook was a large cauldron, with a wooden spoon in it already. It seems to have been recently in use. In the nearest corner towards the door, there was a stack of small, creepy-looking dolls. Other than these abnormalities, it looked like a normal-looking home that someone would generally live in.

"What are these creepy dolls?" Rylan asked Mikaela.

"You're saying you don't know what these are? These are voodoo dolls. All I'd have to do is take a hair, sweat, or blood sample and inject it into the doll. Then let the torturing commence!" Mikaela explained evilly. "I only really use it for vengeful purposes though. I'm not that evil."

"C-can I have one?" Rylan asked nervously.

"Sure, you can. I'll even give you the book about voodoo magic for you to study about it," Mikaela cheerfully replied as she pointed to the small reading area. "Have a seat, get comfy. Just don't move from that area." She then stepped outside the hut, and through the window, Rylan could see her gathering the disgusting water from the swamp.

Rylan plumped down in a cozy, wooden chair next to the bookshelf and began his reading. He managed to read that book three times, but he noticed that Mikaela hadn't returned. "Huh? She only went to get that disgusting water... where'd she go?" He looked out the window in shock and noticed Mikaela was nowhere in sight. "W-where is she?" He panicked.

"Maybe I should try to investigate around here. I just hope she's okay," Rylan muttered to himself while looking around the hut. His eyes fixed their attention to a black, mahogany, fancy-looking door that seemed out of place with the hut's aesthetic. Of course, his curiosity got the better of him. "Was that there before? I swear it wasn't, but maybe I wasn't paying attention or maybe Mikaela's body was blocking that view. Is there a chance she's behind this door?"

He opened the door and went down the creaky steps. After going down the sixth step, the door closed shut behind him. He ran back up the steps to open the door. Locked. "Fuck. It's one of those one-way open doors. I think I'm in the right direction though. Mikaela must be down here somewhere." He went back down as quietly as he could. He couldn't see much but a small candlelight glimmering around the corner.

"So many cobwebs and boxes around this area..." Rylan muttered.

"Seems someone has disobeyed the rules, haven't they?" A mysteriously, creepy voice called out. The steps creaked as the footsteps grew louder.

There was a long silence. Rylan froze in place. He didn't recognize that voice at all. It wasn't Mikaela. "I said, has someone disobeyed the rules? I know you're down here," the voice called out again. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Someone doesn't listen to my sister it seems. Such a shame, she's such a sweet girl. Welp, guess I have something to play with."

"Y-your sister?" Rylan muttered under his breath in confusion.

"Oh? Someone is here! I'm sure you know Mikaela?" the mysterious voice asked.

"She's great! Why are you here?" Rylan asked anxiously.

"I live with her. I'm her sister, and you--you disobeyed her orders. You're under MY domain now," the mysterious voice laughed evilly as she chained Rylan against the wall. He felt weak around her presence, he couldn't move a limb.

"Wait, where is Mikaela? What did you do to her?" Rylan screamed.

"She's fine, I'll show you," the mysterious voice reassured as she took out her crystal ball. The ball lit up a mint green color to show that Mikaela was knee-deep in the swamp water. Gathering different collectibles that would be useful to create potions with. "See? She's fine, I would never hurt my sister after all. We have a close bond with one another. Shame that she brought home a rulebreaker...shame, shame, shame."

"Won't hurting me...well, won't it hurt her?" Rylan asked.

"Child, you're quite naive. She's done this countless times, and everyone else she's brought home clearly didn't want to follow her commands. You chose to come down here, now you're under my domain," the mysterious voice explained. "No one will come to save you. Not even Mikaela. She could never hurt me. Hurting me is like hurting her, that's how close our bond is."

"Who are you?" Rylan asked nervously.

"Oh, how rude of me, you'll address me as Magarika or empress or boss or even queen will suffice. It won't be long until you're fully under my command. Doing what I say without a second thought. I am a well-trained Necromancer after all," Magarika chuckled.

"Wait, don't Necromancers deal with the dead?" Rylan asked anxiously.

"Correct. It's only a matter of time before you rot, then I'll revive you to be one of my ghouls," Magarika laughed. "Oh, I cannot wait, and neither can your new friends."

"My new friends?" Rylan asked again.

"The past victims who have fallen for the same old mistakes that you have. Falling for the same trap. Only to be with me," Magarika chuckled again. "They can't wait to meet you!"

"You won't get away with this! You evil..." Rylan cried out only to be interrupted.

"Good luck with that, you cannot escape. The chains tighten the more you wiggle around, eventually, they'll squeeze you to death. Many victims found out the hard way, but I guess it makes my job easier," Magarika chuckled as she took her pointer finger up to Rylan's delicate face, and dug her nail into his skin. Causing him to start bleeding. "One day, pretty boy, you'll be under my control. See you soon."

As Magarika turned around and started to walk back up the stairs. Rylan tried to desperately escape the chains. It was no use. As Magarika said herself, the chains' grip would only get tighter the more he struggled. He felt himself hallucinating and going insane the longer he's been restrained in the chamber.

Every day, his appearance changed.

He started losing more and more weight.

His skin started to lose color.

His eyes looked lifeless.

His energy was draining.

His voice was going hoarse.

His breath would shorten as the days went by.

His mind though only kept on being more insane and delusional.

And all of these kept getting worse until he could no longer breathe. That's when Magarika finally greeted him again. "Are you ready?" She asked evilly.

There was no response vocally from Rylan. The only indication was a slight nod that hung down his neck that screamed, 'please take me, empress Magarika, you have tortured me well enough.'

"Very well, you'll be an excellent servant for me," Magarika chuckled evilly as she lifted up her staff with a skull on it. Sanguine magic made contact with Rylan's lifeless body, engulfing it. Transforming and reviving him into his new form... a Ghoul. A servant to his empress, Magarika.