The

Crossroads
The roads spread in all directions around me. The usual ones like north, south, east
and west, but also dark tunnels, littered with (Human?) bones, that burrow deep into
the bowels of the Earth and celestial streets that spiral into the glittering night sky.
The signpost’s of no help, written in crude symbols that make no sense, even to a
Magicai. One tunnel seemed infinitely more inviting than the others, as if someone
had turned on a neon sign saying, “Go this way”, that I couldn’t ignore. Stepping
towards the tunnel, I conjure up a flame to light my way.

The flickering light from the flame turns the cavern walls an eerie bronze colour, I
remember the thirty odd teenagers who had disappeared over the past month. Was
this what had happened to them? Abducted into an alien realm, starved to death, or
even worse?

More runes are carved into a small portion of the cave wall. I examine them, relying
on the instinct that had carried me through so much of my life. Another thought
strikes me. Is this another plan of the government’s to relocate the Magicai, and then
terminate them? No, I would have to be extremely stupid to fall into one of their
fragile human traps. I’ve been very careful to leave no trails in my wake, only killing
when necessary. No, it can’t be the humans.

This leaves only one other faction. As if emphasizing my point, the sound of twisted
laughter bounces through the cavern. Samedi. One religion or another worship him
as the god of death and the baron of the crossroads, but he’s actually an insane
Magicai who somehow was granted immortality. As a result he’s now so powerful
some say he has become a god.

Not likely. I’m not going up against him. No w-.

Crack!!!

The tunnel collapses behind me. I throw myself to the ground and rolling forward,
back onto my feet avoiding the rubble. The fire in my palm is extinguished,
everything goes black. They say there’s a reason every living thing fears the dark
and now I know why. It’s that sense of emptiness, that there’s nothing left.

In my moment of panic, I let loose a powerful blast of fire that lights up the cavern. It
strikes a black figure at the very end of the tunnel, of whom I catch no more than a
glimpse. Samedi. Knowing I have no other choice, I charge down the tunnel hurling
balls of fire. The chamber bursts with light as each ball of flames is deflected and
used to light the candles the line the walls. At my command, smoke rises from my
fingertips and hurls itself at the God. The smoky chains wrap around Samedi’s body.
His gaunt figure smiles and he flicks his hands. Something pulls itself from the
ground and grabs me in a bear-hug like hold. Lightning explodes from Samedi’s
hands and everything goes black...

And like the others, I lose.... He wins.