The Demon, the Wizard and the Swan (On Hold)

In the days of old

**1012 A.d**

A woman stood over a boy's body with an entire tribe behind her. The boy appeared to be dead but his chest inflated and deflated which meant that he was alive but sleeping. It was a ritual, for candles and chalks were dropped on the ground. She said a few words and held the boys hand, almost immediately her consciousness was thrown into another dimension. It looked like earth, smelled like it too but it was different. Giant caves that touched the sky, moving mountains with little stones below it to convey humans to their destination and people that flew about like it was nothing. A girl passed through her, screaming that it was the year of heroes. A year of heroes? Does it mean that this was what she had been seeing in her dreams and visions. A year where mutants, gods, demons and angels were a norm. And they walked among humans like equals? This was an abomination. And she needed to stop it before it got out of control. She saw something that looked like a demon. It had green eyes, red hair with horns on it's head and fire burning around it while it walked. She had been looking at it and wondering what sort of sorcery this was when people started to scream and run away from it in terror. They all passed through her when she noticed that she could not be seen. She was relieved because the vision felt so real. The demon started walking towards her but she told herself that she was a spirit in this dimension and she could not be seen or touched. Or so she thought. For as the demon came very close it stopped and grabbed her hand. She was shocked and asked herself whether she was asleep or awake. This was the first time that  anything of this nature was happening. The hand of the demon began to change color to red burning into her spiritual skin and she felt her powers leaving her. She cast a spell and woke up in her body. She looked around and found that she was back to the ritual. The King of the tribe looked at her in concern but she gave him a reassuring look that everything was alright. The boy was then carried into a cave with markings and  the men that had laid him there walked out. She turned to the people
Woman: Wait here. I will go in alone and complete the ritual.
One of the women looked at her in disgust
Woman 2:Listen Chikanne. What ever you do now won't matter anymore. The boy must be buried in this cave and that is final
Chikanne: Kesi, I know. I'm not planning anything. I just want to pay my last respects to Omca. Once I'm done, the curse would be sealed for a thousand years.
The King: Hold your tongue Kesi. She has not done anything wrong. Chikanne we will wait here. Go and pay your last respects and then finish the ritual.
Chikanne nodded and went into the dark cave with nothing but  the little fire she created with her hands. She reached the end of the cave and knelt down where the boy had been laid
Chikanne: Dear Omca, I'm so sorry I couldn't be a better teacher. You were different from the tribe members. While they all despised you and called you names, I loved you like a mother would love a son. I watched your mother die after your birth and I also watched her become the Oasis of the lost. I tried to keep you as my son but the rule of the tribe is that a witch can never have a child but can have many students. So I took you to the King. I watched you grow and I helped you hone your powers. You still need to work on your fire controlling ability. Haha. You are a wreck when it comes to it. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you when you needed me the most. I watched you come into this world and now I have to see you leave. I hope the God that brought you into this world can take you back in peace. Goodbye my valiant warrior. Till we meet again, in the land of our past heroes.
She broke down in tears as she did the final rites. The ground began to shake, the wind hammered against the walls of the cave and as all these events unfolded, her powers were being drained from her system. She screamed as the last drop of magic left her system and encased the boy in the curse. She kissed his forehead and left the cave as the men rolled a boulder over it. The King hugged her as she broke down in tears but the deed had been done. Her valiant warrior was no more.
The King: What happened to you?
The King asked Chikanne as he pointed to the burnt mark on her wrist. Oh no! The demons hand had really burnt into her skin both spiritually and physically. She excused herself from the presence of the king and headed for the shrine. There she mixed concoctions which she used to open the spiritual realm. Through this medium she could talk to both demons and angels alike and get powers from her ancestors.
Chikanne: Oh great spirits of our land, it is I Chikanne. The mouthpiece of the gods. I ask that you come forth and help me on this rough path that I have begun.
As she spoke a snake began to slither in from the window and then it became a Spirit being
Spirit: What do you seek?
Chikanne:  I just want to know whether he is going to be okay
Spirit: He doesn't belong to us, why should we look after him in his journey?
Chikanne: Because I've begged you to. I've given my life to your service and haven't asked for anything in return. Just do me this one favour.
Spirit: Very well. Why do you have the mark of the devil on your wrist
Chikanne: The mark of the devil? I got this during a vision.
Spirit: With this mark on you, your magic will be gone forever.
Chikanne: How do I get my powers back?
Spirit: You will need to give your soul to very thing that tethered itself to you
Chikanne: But without my soul, I am not human
Spirit: That is the only way. Do you want your powers back or not.
Chikanne: I want it
Spirit: Very well, Take this knife and slit your throat. When you awake, your powers will be multiplied by a hundred fold. But I must warn you, you will be the very destruction of what you seek to protect.
Chikanne: Is that the only prophecy?
Spirit: I am afraid it is. I leave you now. Good luck on your journey. May your ancestors protect and guide you.
With that being said the spirit vanished, leaving only the witch. She looked at the knife and knew that if she didn't do it, she would be disgraced and killed like a dog. She remembered the look on Kesi's face whenever she was disgraced and vowed to never give her the satisfaction of seeing her suffer. Without a second thought she slit her throat and fell down in her pool of blood.
The sun was too bright pouring in through the window. What had happened, oh, she had slit her throat. She touched it and found that it was completely healed. Just that there was blood splattered all over the floor. She tried to perform her magic and found out it was better and easier than before. The mark on her hand had vanished. She was free. A girl knocked on the door and walked in.
Girl: Good morning ma
Chikanne: Good morning, Brin. How are you doing today?
Brin: Fine ma
Brin looked at the blood on the floor and gasped. It was so much that no one could surely survive it. But she dared not ask questions, after all Chikanne was a great witch and everything she did for the tribe was good. Chikanne watched her in disgust as she started to clean up the room. This was Kesis first born. She could kill her and nobody would even notice. She thought of different ways the girl could die. First a knife in her belly cutting upwards, secondly her hands falling off with her legs and head and thirdly all her body parts being hung on the wall as a trophy. She shook her head and thought that was too cruel but then she noticed that everything she had thought of in her head had actually happened. Brin hung on the wall with all her body parts detached from each other. What had she done? She had killed a child. She didn't intend to but she had no control over it.  She thought of how Kesi would cry when she found out about her daughters death and laughed for joy. Why was she laughing anyway. She had just murdered an innocent girl. She wondered if she could kill Kesi the same way she did to Brin. She stood up and walked over to Kesis cabin. There without thinking she killed everybody both women and children. Anybody that was a friend of Kesis was an enemy to her. She felt happier the more she inflicted pain on them. News had gone round the tribe that she was now a murderer and the warriors got word from the King to kill her on sight. She came out of the hut and released fire from her hands burning everyone to crisp. She started to walk towards the palace killing anybody that dared block her path. When she got into the palace the King stood up and swung his sword towards her but she dodged it and used her knife to slit his throat. She flew up into the air and killed everyone who tried to escape till her whole tribe was gone. She came back to her senses and found out that the spirit had warned her against this. She would have her powers but she would destroy the very things she was sent to protect. She found it easier to kill than to save. But to stop herself from doing more damage to the neighboring tribes she flew towards the river and fell into it drowning herself in the process.

                                                                                    **2009**

Sixth June 2009. A great day for one of the richest bachelors in history. Well not so much, as the night party he had planned was about to be ruined. The weather had turned into a hailstorm and his friends couldn't get into the bad weather. He felt angry at nature. Why did it need to rain now. Couldn't it do it's business on another lowly peasants birthday? It's his birthday and he had the right to celebrate his day however he felt like. His parents were on a business trip and he was left alone with the butlers Alvin, Javin and Friday. He wasn't going to be cooped up like a dog. He got into his car amidst warning from Alvin that the weather wasn't fair and drove off into the storm. He had gotten the Ferrari from his father as a birthday present and he was about to test it's limits. So he sped off into the distance without slowing down at the corners. Janet Jackson's black cat played on the radio but he didn't like the song. He changed the station and bent to look at the name of the artist playing, when he looked up at the road there was a woman standing there. With everything in his power, he hit hard on the brakes bringing the car to a halt. The woman wore raggedy clothes but what got his attention was how calm she was in the storm. He honked at her and screamed that she should get off the road or he would run her over. The woman still didn't move, so he decided to take matters into his own hands. He took a bat from the back of his car and opened the door getting ready to fulfill his wish. He was going to beat the woman with the bat until she was out of the way but as he got very close to her she held his hand
Woman: Happy birthday Paul. I have a present for you. Unlike the presents that will decay after a few years, this one will last for eternity. You will be a Demon from hell for the rest of your immortal life. I give you this power now because I will need your service later. Now now, be a darling and look after these powers for me.
Paul: What are you talking about? Leave me alone woman!!!
Woman: Hahahahahaha!!! See you in hell Demon.
With that the woman vanishes leaving Paul confused. Guess he had taken too much of the liquor. He got into his car and began to drive back home. He was a little bit drowsy but he was determined to get back home no matter the outcome. The storm began to lessen as he parked the car in the garage. He walked up the stairs into the living room ignoring Alvin's concerned words and headed for his room. The woman had done something to him of that he was sure of, he could feel it but he had no strength to ponder over the issue. His eyes became very heavy as he laid his head on the bed, but before he could give in to mother nature, he reassured himself that whatever the challenge, he was going to overcome them all.

***
A shadow came up against his window pane looking down at him. The figure went through the walls and into the room. It's eyes red as glowing amber and it's hand clutching onto an axe. It looked like a popular depiction of a grim reaper or death. Black smoke left its body continuously making it look like it was burning, but it was not. Paul opened his eyes dreamily and saw the figure that stood before him. He jumped up from his bed to take a better look but the figure had vanished. He stood up and went to the window to have a glimpse of it but there was nothing. There was only lightening and a slight drizzle of rain.