The Necromancer stood up as blood gushed from his wounds.
The Ancient dark magic staff had expended all of its energy, but the evil staff had a mind of its own
and was determined to retake as much energy as it could. The staff began to
absorb the dark power of the Haunted forest, the cursed clearing, the undead
minions and the Necromancer himself. Dark energy swirled around the Necromancer
but he refused to give up the staff even though it was killing him. He held it
tight against his body as the dark energy stripped the flesh and organs from his
bones. The undead minions all collapsed to the ground and their souls were
released into the air. The demons of the Haunted forest fled from this realm as
they feared their energy would be drained from the mad Staff’s power.
The Mayor
could barely stand and had to watch the madness unfold as he struggled to his feet.
When the energy and flashing light faded the Necromancer stood before the Mayor
as a skeleton. The Skeleton was fused with the power of the staff. The Staff
held his magic, his life force and his soul and the Necromancer held the Staff.
It was even more important to him now than it had ever been.
The mayor
couldn’t fight and even if he could he didn’t know how to kill a skeleton
wizard with so much power. The Mayor stood up defiantly. He didn’t think he
could win, but he had to try. He had to fight, even with his last breath.
“Foolish Mortal. I have been reborn. I am the most powerful undead wizard of
all time. I have been reborn as a Lich and my power surpasses all. I have power
over death itself!!” The Lich Shouted. At that moment Death appeared. The Grim
reaper wore a black cloak and carried a scythe, he floated in front of the Lich
and his cloak seemed to fade into the shadows. “As a mortal you tried to bend
the laws of life and death to your will, you twisted the laws of reality to
match your selfish desires. I cannot take mortals before their time so I had to
sit and watch as you sinned against nature. But you are no longer mortal, you
are an abomination that claims to have powers over me. Alright then
Abomination, do your worst” Death said, its voice came from the air and not its
skeletal mouth. Each word that Death spoke echoed and sent chills down The
Mayor’s spine.
The Lich
wasted no time and held out his staff sending his strongest spell at the Grim
Reaper “Lord of Death, you shall bow to me!” Shouted the Lich as the magic of
the staff blasted the Grim Reaper and surrounded him. Death spun his scythe
through the air and the magic spell dissipated. “Fool” Death said then in a
blink was next to the Lich, then in another blink the Grim Reaper had slashed his
Scythe through the Lich.
The Lich
was thrown back and damaged but was not destroyed. His life force was safe within the
Staff. The Lich was quite possibly immortal, but he was not stronger than Death
itself. The Grim Reaper summoned a dark portal below the Lich. Shadowy hands
rose up from the portal and grabbed onto the Lich, dragging him down into the
ground. The Lich screamed as the shadow hands pulled him into his dark prison
deep down into the earth. The ground shook and the Lich slowly disappeared
underground.
“Thank so
much” the Mayor said as his voice quaked with fear. He knew Death was a natural
force and not a villain like the Lich, but it was still terrifying to be in its
presence. Death nodded to the Mayor “You have also contributed to this victory
young Mayor. You and John Baines” Said Death. “What will happen to the Necromancer?
Or the Lich or whatever he calls himself” Asked the Mayor “He will be sealed
underground for eternity. But I fear he will regain his power one day and
return. He will return but will need to use all of his energy to do so. Only
then will he be able to be destroyed once and for all. So I hope that there
will be mortals as brave as you when that happens” Death explained.
“I want to
be there when he comes back. I will do anything to make sure the Necromancer
doesn’t come back to destroy the world” The Mayor said. The Grim Reaper was
surprised “it is within my power to do this but there is a price. You will be
immortal, free from dying of old age, but you can still be killed by other
means. Also you will only be immortal while standing on these Hallowed grounds.
You may leave the forest to see your family, but as you reach the end of your
life you must never leave the forest or you will die the second your foot
touches the outside world” Death explained.
The Mayor
was overjoyed to have a chance to protect his people and the people of the
world. “Thank you so much for this chance, I will not let it go to waste. I
promise. But these grounds are not hallowed or holy, are they?” Asked the
Mayor. “Yes, this was once the burial site of many heroes of the ages. This was
the site for the heroes of not just the Autumn Forest but of many lands as
well. The Necromancer corrupted that energy and turned it to dark energy. The
land and forest will be forever scarred, the Haunted forest will be free from
demons but the spirits and creatures of the night still lurk within. The land
will remain blackened and twisted but the dark energy has been removed and
sealed within the staff. This land is once again a holy land, the burial site
of heroes and many dead who lost their lives to the Necromancer” Death
Explained.
“Speaking
of Heroes” Death said. Then appeared next to John’s body. “Arise John Baines,
you have not left his world yet” Death said. The mayor watched a ghost of John
appear and step back into his body. John’s eyes opened and he slowly stood up.
“John you have done well. I know you have heard what the Mayor has asked of me.
I ask you now, do you wish to join him in guarding this land or will you move
on to the afterlife?” Asked Death.
“I wanted
to be free for so long. Now I am free from the Necromancer’s curse and I feel
as though a weight has been lifted. I would very much like to go to the
afterlife, but I cannot rest as long as the threat of the Lich is still
present” John said. “Very well John. I will make you immortal as long as you
stay within this land. Magical weapons and spells can still kill you but you
have nothing to fear from mortal weapons. Since you have already used up your
lifespan you cannot ever leave this forest and if you do, you will die. When
you and the Mayor die you will go to afterlife and welcomed as heroes” Death
explained. John and the Mayor nodded to show they understood.
“Before I
leave, I will bestow one more gift” Said Death. The Grim Reaper floated over to
the ground where the Lich was buried and stuck his finger into the ground,
pulled it out then dropped a small seed into the earth and buried it. “This
plant will sap the Lich’s power, delaying his return and making him more
vulnerable. The plant will grow over the years and it will transform the dark
magic of the Lich and the land into the holy energy this land once had. After a
time the land might actually recover and become a place of beauty again. What
the plant grows into is entirely up to you. It will take any form you wish. But
protect it with your lives” Death said. Then before John or the Mayor could say
anything, the Grim Reaper vanished.
John walked
over to the seed and looked down at it. “It can grow to anything? What should
we grow it into?” Asked John. “I have always been fond of Halloween, the people
in the Autumn forest never get into it as much as I do. Maybe we can grow it
into a symbol of our victor, a symbol of a new holy land of the dead, a symbol
for Halloween. What do you think, John?” The Mayor asked. “It sounds like you
want to grow a Jack-o-lantern” John said with a sigh then smiled. His smile was
determined but a little frightening “If we are going to live in this hallowed
end of the world and grow a Jack-o-lantern as a symbol, then I guess you can
call me Jack” Said Jack, his broad smile and wide eyes combined with the scars
on his face really did make him look like a pumpkin that was carved on
Halloween.
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