Alice and Warlock

A/N: Hey guys, it's Hayate. Um... yeah i published all five chapter of the prologue a few days ago. It wasn't ment to be up, just this chapter. Enjoy. I'll add the other chapters when i finish editing and fixing some problems. Enjoy.

Alice and Warlock Prologue Chapter 1

Magic is the greatest accomplishment. With it comes the ability to create, break, summon, or whatever you wish, all with the use of your mind and your surroundings. But what is the price you must pay for such power?

It was during an afternoon. The sun was out, the weather was good, and the wind carried the smell of fresh roses.

An eight year old boy, dressed in an oversized black cloak, stood in the middle of a highly elaborated circle unfitting with the green grass that it was drawn on.

“Father, Father, watch! Animate!” The boy held up his arms. Raising his staff into the air, a puddle of water lying motionless next to him started to flicker and soon it started to dance around him. It was not enough; pointing at the ground he recited an incantation, making roots pop from the ground around him. The roots soar into the sky like butterflies, tangling around the boy, protecting him from an unknown threat. With a snap, the roots were lite of fire. Protected by the dancing water, the scorching hot flames did not harm the boy. Moments later the fire disappeared and the water returned to the puddle and the root turned to ash and was carried away by the gust. “I did it!”

“Yes you did son.” His father who looked barely past his twenties walked toward him and softly patted the boy’s head. “You are already a professional at this.”

“Are you proud of me daddy?” Looking up at his father, the boy asked, he was waiting for his father to praise him more.

“Yes I am, my little mage. You are amazing.” Lowering his hand, his father started to tickle the boy, causing him to burst into laughter. “You are a genius born once in a thousand years.”

“Daddy, stop it! No stop it!” The boy still laughing tried to free himself from his father’s arm. The boy dropped his staff, unable to muster any strength to fight against his father, he flailed his arm futilely.

Ding dong ding dong. The doorbell rang.

“Ah look like we have a guest. Zach, clear the magic circle and come inside. I’m going to go greet our guests.” His father suddenly stopped his barrage of tickles. Slightly disappointed that his father stopped praising him, Zach obeyed his father. “I’ll have the maids bake you some cookies for your achievement.”

His father winked at him and casually walked into the house.

“Yay, I love cookies!” Zach, with a newly appeared motivation, picked up his staff in a hurry and started to break the magic circle still engraved on the grass. The incantation circle, drawn by him, could only be destroyed through the reverse process in which it was made.

Walking into the house quietly to surprise his father, he overheard their conversation as he entered the living room.

“Magus Nasos, please you must protect it, only you can do so!” An old man in a black suit sitting across from his father in the living room, plead him. The man was around his seventy. His face was worn out and his hair was grey. Next to him was a black briefcase wrapped in seals that was slightly glowing in the dim living room. It must be one of father’s followers he thought. “If we left it to anyone else, it will be in constant danger. No one messes with you; this is the perfect place to keep it.”

“Just call me Nasos, I am not the Magus anymore, I’ve retired John. You know that. I can’t protect it for you; my family comes first, if I have that around me, it will put my family in danger.” His father denied the man’s request. Looking at him, Zach knew he has never seen this man before. What does he wants from father, Zach thought. Numerous people visited father, requesting him a variety of things but this was the first person who father rejected.

The old man placed down the tea cup in a quickly with rage and looked at father.

“Nasos! You know the new Magus is a complete fool! He will be enchanted by it and use it! Please, just this one request. It will not be long, just hold on to it for a week.” The man was persistent; he wouldn’t give up no matter what my father said. “I will not bother you or your family again, so please! You and I know what would happen if “they” manages to get it.”

“But…” His father hesitated.

“It will mean the end of the magic world. The old man pushed forward. “If they get it, sooner or later your family will be in danger. You and I know it so please… ”

“I don’t know...” Linking his fingers together, he placed his head on it, thinking extremely hard. “My son has just turned eight a few days ago, I must teach him, guide him, nurture him till he... if we have this around he might touch it or worst…open it.”

“Ah Zach… where is he?” The old man stood up and strolled around the room. “I want to see him.”

“He’s asleep.” His father lied. Still staring at the box he paid no attention to the old man as he pick up a family picture framed in a blue frame decorated by artificial flowers.

“Isn’t it a bit too early…?” The old man had a questioned look. The old man turned his head away from his father and looked through the window and at the sun that shined ever so brightly.

“I rather keep him away from the likes of you.” His father replied. Zach noticed that his father was becoming hostile toward the old man.

“Ah, your son Zach, a true genius just likes you, said to be born once every half millennium. Your prized possession…” What he is talking about, Zach thought, still hidden from view. “Hiding your son from the magic association isn’t…”

“Are you threatening me?” His father glared at the old man. Without a drop of emotion his father said, “I will kill you if you even think about something as stupid as that.”

“Calm down Nasos. I dare not reveal the truth. You do not give empty threats and I do not lie. His secret is kept with me. But a word of advice, if you want to keep him hidden…try harder.”

“You did not come here to talk about my son, if you have nothing else to say, please leave.” His father was about to snap.

“I know what I am doing is very cruel to you but please reconsider.”

“…”

“This is all we will ever ask from you. We will not intrude into your life anymore…”

“…Fine! Leave it to me but you owe me John.” Father finally gave up. Deciding it was the best course of action, his father let out a sigh that Zach could even hear from far away. “Just know that after this, I won’t be helping you anymore.”

“Thank you, oh thank you. You don’t know how much trouble you saved me.” The old man placed the picture back to its original spot and picked up the briefcase and handed it over quickly to father who took it reluctantly. The man looked extremely relieved handing it over to father. “Now I must go.”

Picking up the small black hat placed on the table in front of him swiftly, he stood up and walked out of the room quickly. Through the glass window Zach could see the old man leaving from the front door and vanishing into thin air.

“You can come out Zach. I know you’re there.” Turning around, his father looked at the entrance of the room, more precisely… at Zach.

“Sorry daddy, I overheard your conversation and didn’t wanted to disrupt you.” Shyly, Zach walked into the room twiddling his thumbs. Not able to look at father, he stared at the brown bear rug on the wooden floor. “Sorry daddy.”

“Son… look at me.” Father noticing that Zach couldn’t look into his eyes told him to do so. “Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter if you heard it or not, you don’t have to worry about anything we talked about. Now, Zach come sit next to daddy.”

His father placed the box down and wit his hand patted the spot right next to him.

“Ok.” All this time Zach thought his father was going to be mad at him but it was the opposite. The couch was extremely soft; it felt like he sitting on a cloud. “Daddy…”

“What is it Zach?” Focusing on Zach, his father asked him, directing his view at Zach.

“What was mother like?” Since he was born, he has never seen his mother since she died from delivering him. There weren’t many pictures of his mother in the house. From what his father told him, she was more audacious than him, more powerful, and even nicer than him which Zach couldn’t believe. Father and mother, after only been married for a year, had Zach.

He asked this question countless times and sometime his father would tell him something new. The maid walked into the room and placed a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in front of Zach and left just as fast as she entered.

“Ah, your mother was a wonderful person.” Father picked up a cookie and looked at it. “She was the kindest person in the world but also the most sinister person. Her cooking, oh what I would do for her cooking…”

Stuffing cookies into his mouth, Zach listened attentively to his father’s story. This story, the one he heard millions of time over and over again yet the only story that he would never get bored listening to.

“Father, if I become someone like you, like a Magus. Could I be able to… revive mother?” Night had arrived and Zach was being tucked in by his father. Hearing what Zach said, his father stopped. For a few seconds, Zach could hear the chirping of crickets and the rustling of leaves against his window and the howl of the wind.

“You will become someone more than me, so don’t limit yourself to something like that. And don’t talk about reviving the dead, your mom wouldn’t approve of that, you know that.” Not getting mad at Zach but instead happier, he continued to tuck him in. “But I’m glad to hear you want to revive mother but you know it’s a crime to even try.”

“…”

“Good night son.” His father kissed his forehead and started to leave.

Slowly, Zach faded into the dream world as his father left the room quietly, not making a single noise.