Chapter 32
From the Book of the All-Seeing Eye
“The Order of the Shining Hand will stand as a pinnacle for society. At times a loving parent, at times a happy friend, and at times a police force, it is the Order’s duty to ensure that the peoples that inhabit this Earth can live in peace and prosperity. It is the duty of every sorcerer to ensure that this is carried out to the best of the Order’s ability. No one shall claim the powers they have been granted as a license to abuse the townfolk with which they live, nor shall they use it as license to do the same against their fellow sorcerers.
There will come a dark time for the Order of the Shining Hand. A demon shall rise from the void, where it has sat waiting for millennia. It shall take the form of a human male, and slowly rise through the ranks of the Order, following its rules to earn respect. Eventually, this man will retake control of the Order that has fought for so long to cleanse itself, and a dark time shall fall upon all who live within his shadow. The townspeople will walk in fear, and the sorcerers will both resent his power and pledge their allegiance to them. All hope is not lost, however.
There is a small group of brave sorcerers, learned in the ancient arts of the very fabric of reality itself, that stand watch for this dark time. Like beacons of light, they shall shine brightly in the demon’s eyes, burning him from afar with their purity and power. From this group two shall arise to challenge the Order’s very foundation. Imbued within them the spirits of the Dragon and the Panther shall sit, and the combined power of the Two will be such that the void itself could not stand against them.
The Order will split, and a great war shall ensue. Terrible will be the cost, but great shall the victory be. For the Dragon and the Panther have stood as guards of the void itself, ensuring that no demon can ever escape without going unchecked. The Two shall stand against the demon, and The Great Cleansing shall commence. Death will fall swiftly for all those that oppose the Two, and long lives for all those that pledge themselves to the Two.
“Sir! I have news!” The guard kneeled swiftly and dropped his head. Rasmus looked him over once and told him to rise. “Sir, we have word from the forest. It appears that the party has left their house, and is headed to town as we speak.”
“Hasn’t Tuukka killed them yet?”
“No, sir. Our spies say that the girl and boy are not alone. There is an older man, who walks with an owl. There is also a panther that walks beside the girl. Also, sir, our spies report of an odd shadow on the ground, despite the clear skies.”
“Thank you. You may go now, and await my instructions.” Rasmus turned back toward the windows, but the guard didn’t move. After a moment, Rasmus turned his head back again. “Well?”
“Sir, I have one more thing to report. It’s the prisoner, sir.”
“Who, Miika? What about him?” Rasmus’s eyebrow twitched upward. “He didn’t die, did he?”
“No sir. It would appear he…has escaped. And taken the blades of the guards he killed at his cell door.”
Rasmus stared at the guard, riveted to his place. As he stared the latter man in the eyes, he felt an inner heat begin to overtake him, and the man began to levitate above the ground. Rasmus stepped forward. “Find him,” he said, walking toward the guard, “or I will kill you in his place.” Before the guard could respond, he was thrown to the hallway, and the doors slammed shut. Rasmus stood for what felt like an eternity before moving slowly towards a bookcase. Grabbing an edge, he swung the bookcase open, revealing a door behind it. Rasmus reached under his robe to the neck, and grasped…nothing. His eyes went wide, and he began to frantically search himself.
No. No, I can’t lose that key! He ran to his desk and, mumbling aloud, watched as his desk shattered apart, revealing paper and miscellaneous small objects. But no key. The windows in the room that immediately shattered couldn’t mask the sound of his scream. Glass and books now strewn across the room from the sheer energy released during his scream, the room was powerless to stop Rasmus as he left and ran to the dungeon. When he got there, he headed straight for Miika’s cell, and stopped short at the pool of blood lying in the hallway. Inside the cell, the two guards had been propped up against the wall. One of them had a stream of blood down his neck that had soaked into his clothes that began at a small gash halfway up his neck. His face was twisted in horror. The second guard may have had a look of surprise, but it was difficult for Rasmsus to see. The guard’s face was covered in blood, and there was a vertical gash - larger than the other guard’s - in the forehead. Whatever had transpired had apparently ended quickly, as both guards’ faces suggested they had been caught off guard.
“Sir!” The silence of the dungeon was broken, and Rasmsus turned on the guard that had appeared at the stairs. “Sir, news from the woods! Tuukka and his pack have encircled the group, and are about to make their kill.”
Rasmus’s mouth was, despite the circumstances, able to form a small smirk. Good. Maybe this day won’t be an entire loss.