The air was
thick with tension as a lonely outline dashed across the soft forest ground,
his long flaxen locks streaming after him. The figure was limbless, and was
carrying a long, silver staff with a purple orb at the top, wore a purple coat
and a hat with a yellow star that covered his eyes completely. Houdini the
Magician. As the father of Rayman, he was well known, and for his magical
abilities, well respected. Houdini didn't appear to be in even the slightest
shades of tired, as he skidded to a halt in a clearing with a dead tree at the
end. "Show yourself, Ales, I know you're there." Houdini called out,
piercing the ground with his staff and stepping forward into the clearing.
"Ah, yes. Houdini. Well, I actually didn't think you'd find me..." A
voice responded from the forest in front of him. Houdini tensed as a much
smaller creature than himself appeared on the highest branch on the dead tree
in front of him. The creature was a Teensy in every obvious way, but this one
had a sort of malevolence in his beady black eyes that was uncommon among
others of his kind. He wore a shiny black coat with a purple tunic underneath,
and a black magician hat with a star, very similar to Houdini's.
"I honestly thought you'd lose
me out here. We're very far from the Glade, you know..." Ales spoke
calmly. "Ales Mansay...you fooled everyone, you tricked them to believe
your lies... but I, Oh ho...I know your tricks. You're not fooling me. Not
fooling me a wink. I saw right through your feigned friendliness." Houdini
said, wagging a finger. "Mm...yes. You did manage to find out about my
little scheme. But trust me, It's all for the better. A better that you wouldn't understand. The lums those
sorry saps are supplying me with are going to help me build machines upon the
clouds that I can use to destroy Polokus, and the entire Glade of Dreams.
So...in a way, those idiots are helping
me destroy them. And they don't even know." Ales said confidently, an evil
grin creasing onto his face.
Houdini clenched his jaw. "Bastard! Don't
speak of my son such a way. Rayman is no fool, and he will stop you. Oh, yes,
you'll be forced to live in exile forever." Houdini glowered, balling his
fists at his sides. "You know, Houdini, you're fairly acceptable for
becoming a helper of mine..." The Magician Teensy said thoughtfully.
"Think about this, if you decide to join my side, you'll get to live. I'll
have you right by me the whole time. We are two in the same kind, you and I.
Magicians. I was poked fun at by my peers when I was in study. They said I had
poor magical skills. Don't try and tell me the same thing didn't happen to you,
Houdini..." Ales spoke, pacing unhurriedly on the branch of the tree, not
taking his beady stare off Houdini. "Ever been rejected? Told you weren't
good enough? Mocked? Ridiculed? Cast off for being different?" Ales asked.
He's
using his tricks. He's trying to swindle me. His words are a lie, a hoax, a
ruse and a scam and a cheat. I won't fall for it. No sir. Not again.
Houdini thought. "No..." The blond haired magician whispered.
"Mm?" Ales mused, tilting his head slightly to the side. "What
did you say?" Houdini looked up with his fists raised. "I said no!
You despicable little Teensy! I won't abet your impious decisions, fiend! I
made a promise to Betilla! I will protect my son, and I will protect Polokus
and the Glade. Your lum gathering plan ends now!" Houdini shouted, prying
his staff from the ground and holding it out in front of him, letting it's
purple glow dimly illuminate the dark forest around him. "Oh, Houdini.
Always so obdurate. You don't know what you're going to miss out on. If you
join me, we'll get to see the ones who once scorned us and rejected us burn in
the glorious inferno of retribution. We'll take over this stuck-up Glade and
reform it in our images! Are you not imagining this? You could have everything
you ever wanted. Now, what is your proper answer?" Ales spoke in a
convincing manner with a smirk.
Deceitful
bastard! "No. I already have everything I ever wanted. The only thorn
in my side, is you, my friend. You will be the one who smolders. Your
perfidious actions are over." Houdini retorted, spinning his staff in his
hand expertly. Ales' grin disappeared and his unnerving black eyes narrowed.
"So be it. You've made your choice and so you'll burn too. You will all
pay for the humiliation brought upon me all those years ago. And after you're
gone, I'll make it a point to destroy your so-called family before anyone else." Ales growled, jumping down from
the branch. "In fact, I'll even
invite Mister Dark! We'll have the best time bringing torment upon those who
you love. And I'll be reminding them of your childish promise." Ales said before letting out an evil snicker.
Houdini felt his heart skip. My family is
the most important...No...I'll destroy Ales here and now. I will protect the
Glade. "Then the di has been cast, my friend. We will see who
prevails. But know this, your imminent fate has been sealed!" Houdini
cried before giving a gentlemen's bow, waving purple sparks behind him.
Ales didn't waste a moment. He sped
forward with incredible Teensy speed, then sent a shockwave of energy towards
Houdini. The skilled Magician swiftly sidestepped before waving his staff in
front of him, then sending a single lightning bolt towards the Dark Magician
Teensy. Ales took the hit and recoiled, but not for long before he sent a wave
of dark magic spiraling towards Houdini. Not moving quite quick enough, Houdini
was smashed into by the wall of malevolent darkness, but immediately returned
to his feet. "Well, well! You've improved." Houdini smiled, brushing
off his coat. "Improved is not the correct word, more like all the magic I
hid from your imperceptive friends." Ales hissed in response. "Maybe
so," Houdini said, tipping his hat and sending forth a ball of blue
sparks. Ales ducked, but the sapphire sparkle turned around quickly and made
contact with the back of the evil magician's body, sending the sparks into a
shower of cerulean magic that wrapped themselves around the magician.
Ales cried out, grimacing harshly
before crouching then forcing his hands outwards, blasting the magic away with
a small wave of purple and black energy. Houdini smiled as he watched each of
his sparks land on the ground and disintegrate into nothing, leaving a black
and blue smolder mark on the forest floor. Ales would not let up, and instead
sent forth a dozen bursts of fire.
"Oh ho! It seems you have not forgotten your Teensy training!"
Houdini exclaimed casually, sidestepping and bowing to avoid each of them.
"Of course not, fool! You take me for an imbecile?" Ales yelled as he
continued to throw fireballs. "No, no. Do not misunderstand, Ales."
Houdini said, hurling a globe of jade-hued flame that broke into five smaller
orbs as soon as it approached the dark magician. Ales held up his hands, but
was only able to block two of them while the other three make contact at his
left, right and back sides.
Ales' shiny black coat was now
ripped in places and burnt, and there was visible blood staining his purple
shirt. "Do you honestly think that will be enough to stop me?" Ales
barked, holding his arms out to his sides, letting lightning gather in the
palms of his hands. "Ah, I'm just warming up." Houdini retorted,
grinning mischievously. "This will be more than enough to warm you
up!" Ales growled, hurling two lightning strikes at Houdini. Not moving
quick enough, both of them hit, sending the magician hurling backwards. Houdini
met his balance just before he crashed, causing him to skid on the ground and
retain his stability. "Well met, Ales," Houdini complimented, as a
trail of smoke lifted from his singed coat. "But, I'm afraid you're not
quite good enough!" Houdini shouted, penetrating the soil with his staff,
causing the earth to shake, forcing Ales backwards onto the ground. Quickly
seizing the opportunity, Houdini cast out several blades of ice that hit Ales
and shattered immediately, releasing frigid air around the dark magician. Ales
hardly appeared fazed as he got up from the ground and was not concerned by the
glacial atmosphere Houdini had created. "Ice? Is that your best?"
Ales mocked, grinning evilly.
Houdini simply grinned. "Mm!
Seems as if my lesser magic doesn't achieve much. Then, I must use a great deal
of extra potent vigor!" Houdini cried out. With swift and graceful
finesse, The blond magician spun lightly around in a circle, ending with a bow
then sending one, two, three blasts of cobalt and golden radiance that spiraled
towards Ales with remarkable swiftness. Each one of them met it's mark, sending
Ales flying backwards into the trunk of the dead tree. Ales slid down the dead
bark of the tree slowly and appeared dazed for a mere second before
disappearing, as if into a shadow. Houdini gasped in surprise. "Ales! Show
yourself!" He shouted into the open, only to hear his voice echo back.
A few more moments of silence passed
before Houdini felt a sudden puncturing wave of immense pain bolt through his
entire body. His eyes went wide and his jaws parted to let out a rasping gasp
of alarm. Looking down, he saw a spear of pure magical darkness impaled
straight through his body. He turned his head slightly only to see Ales holding
out his hand, with the base of the spear emanating from an aura of darkness
around it. Abruptly, Ales jerked his hand back and the darkness dispelled,
leaving Houdini to fall to the ground, holding his chest in one hand, shakily
grasping his staff in the other. Ales simply paced around the wounded magician,
a few visible cuts dripping blood on his face. "That was a spike of wholesome,
twisted dark magic. Having been skewered by
such power will unquestionably consume all your magic, rendering your magical
abilities crippled." Ales said, a self-satisfied tone hidden somewhere in
his voice.
"Hmph. So I see. My friend, you
are too clever for your own good. You had plenty of time to perfect this power,
didn't you." Houdini choked through a mouthful of blood. Ales smirked.
"Oh, yes. After all, those unintelligent friends of yours had no
suspicions whatsoever. I had as much time as I could ever want." He said
smugly, kneeling slightly to be at an eye level with Houdini. "Dark magic
is nothing to be proud of." Houdini coughed, still holding a smirk as a
pool of blood formed on the grass around him, staining it claret. The Magician
Teensy looked daggers in rejoinder. "Proud? Proud?! Is that what this is
about? You fools were never proud of me! I tried so hard to impress the others,
but I was always seen the same way. A freak. An outcast. And now, you're trying
to stop me from gaining the vengeance I so badly yearn for?! You have no right
to speak, Houdini!" Ales snarled, tears visibly forming in his eyes.
"Ales, that's not true-" Houdini began, commiseration gathering in
his expression. "No. It's too late for that. I've already spent too much
time planning this, and you're not going to just throw all that time
away." Ales hissed.
"So be it. If I cannot use
magic..." Houdini began, slowly standing up revealing the dire wound torn
by Ales' ghastly dark magic. "I'll use the next best thing." Houdini
panted, taking hold of his staff by the orb and flipping it upside down so the
point is at the top, transforming the magic drained staff into a makeshift
foil. Ales let out an irate growl in response, holding his hands out in front
of him and letting several more lances of spiteful gloom emerge, all speeding
directly for Houdini. The blond-haired magician held his ground, and slashed
each of the spells with his blade, causing each of them to burst into small
fragments that immediately vanished into the night. Ales did not falter in
light of Houdini's swift work in halting his spell in its tracks, and sent a
single ray of dark energy forth from both hands. Almost seeing this before it
actually happened, Houdini held up his blade just as the magic made contact,
forcing him to be driven backwards, leaving a skid mark in the grass and
successfully blocking any damage.
"I will confess, you are quite adept in
combat. But despite your talent, you are only a novice in audacity and
nobility." Houdini smirked, holding his blade next to him. Ales didn't
respond, but rather thought quickly and attacked just as Houdini finished
speaking, forcing the magician's blade out of his hand and into the forest
floor just a few feet nearby him. "Disarmed?! How humiliating!" Houdini
exclaimed in dismay before bolting off towards his blade. Ales threw several
shots of magic towards him, which all missed except for the last, which met its
mark on Houdini, opening more cuts on his face and hands. "Do you honestly
think that this will be enough to best the great and powerful Houdini?"
Houdini questioned, starting to sound fatigued as he pried his blade from the
ground and pointed it in Ales' direction, tensing, ready for an attack when the
time was right. Ales, only smiled grimly. "Oh, yes, Houdini. Look at
yourself. Bloody and tired. Now you must think...was it worth it?" Ales
spoke calmly. "What do you mean?" Houdini asked, sounding confused.
"Your family...what have they ever done for you? What purpose do they serve?"
Ales said, crossing his arms.
"M-my family? They are the most
important people in my life..." Houdini said, losing himself to the Dark
Magician's deceitful words. "Right, right. But now...where are they?"
Ales asked before he raised a single hand and Houdini once again felt a
stabbing pain course through him, only much more intense. Houdini's grip
instantly weakened and his staff dropped out of his hand, clattering as it hit
the ground. The magic, forced by Ales'
whim, levitated Houdini just a foot in the air, his hands and body dripping
blood onto the ground as he hung suspended. "Tsk, tsk, Houdini. If only
you would have agreed to join me." Ales said, shaking his head.
"Ales...stop...they never did anything to you...your past has nothing to
do with them." Houdini stuttered, his golden locks sodden with blood.
"Wrong. Everyone in the Glade has something to do with my past. The ones
who laughed at me and spit in my face...they're all still here. All still in
that horrid tree mocking me behind my back. They'll pay. Not just in lums, but
in blood." Ales hissed, pushing Houdini back onto the ground with a single
shockwave of magic. With a injured grunt, Houdini flew backwards onto the
ground, feeling himself unable to move.
"Hm. It's kind of funny. Just a
few moments ago, you were your old self. Jolly and hopeful. As if you even had
the diminutive chance you were going to stop me. Now look at you. Lying in a
puddle of your own claret quintessence. Not so funny now is it?" Ales said
resentfully, holding a burning glare that screamed hatred. "N-no. This
cannot be..." Houdini gasped. "Oh, yes. My dreams of revenge are
finally coming true." Ales said, picking up the blond magician's staff and
walking towards Houdini slowly, with the blade pointing down. As soon as the
Dark Magician was standing just above Houdini, he stopped to smile wickedly,
not showing remorse in even the slightest amounts. "And I'll send Rayman
and Betilla your regards, Houdini." Ales spat before holding the staff
above his head, and bringing it down sharply into the heart of the
blonde-haired magician. Houdini cried out in pain, then went completely limp,
exhaling his last breath.
Ales smirked in self-satisfaction,
then retrieved the staff. Turning around, Ales smashed the purple orb down on a
rock, releasing a golden and glowing winged creature which the Dark Magician
quickly plucked out of the air and put into a pocket on his coat. "This
Lum is going to be the final energy source in the weapon that I'll use on your
family first, Houdini..." Ales said, spitting upon the dead body of
Houdini and laughing evilly as he walked away into the night, leaving
footprints of blood, as every last bit of magic left in the blonde magician
dispelled into the earth and sky of night.
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