A Testament Of The Dark Magician

Roland sunk into the weightless embrace of darkness. Shades of the first time he awoke in this world returned to him. It was strange, losing consciousness while still very much being awake. He wondered if this was the AI system's fault.

'Omega? Omega, can you hear me?' 

Silence greeted his mental voice. 

Shit! Am I dead… again! 

Roland had no clear sense of time, so he had no idea how long he had been in this state. After a while, the silence started to feel comfortable. 

'Right, so looks like I'm stuck in this place. But where am I exactly? I can't imagine this is what death feels like. Hmm, perhaps it's a completely different state of being. Like being asleep or, worst case, stuck in some kind of lucid coma.' 

Roland started to wonder if there was a chance he could resurrect again if he died. The chances of that were quite slim. But he entertained the idea anyway. What else could he be doing right now? 

The gentle silence was like a metronome, one that lasted for what felt like an endless amount of time. There was a part of him that pleasantly enjoyed it, but he also didn't want to go crazy imagining what if this was all—silence and darkness.

A chime suddenly broke the quiet. 

Roland blinked and saw many texts accompanied by a pixelated 3D dimensional screen appear before his eyes. 

{Debug Mode Activated} 

{Estimated reboot time…} 

{2:57 seconds} 

{Select Screen Menu} 

{Personal Information} 

{Systems Information} 

{Mental Sphere alimentation in progress...standby} 

Roland gazed wordlessly at the list of floating options. But his gaze truly lingered against the last one at the bottom. 

Roland simply thought about the option he wished to explore and then 

{Mental Sphere alimentation selected

} 

{Mentality estimated to be...Special tier} 

{Mentality diagnostics activated} 

{system translating host desires} 

{ %Searching for a method to increase Mentality} 

{Reloading shortlist} 

{Database files added} 

{Memories...first death recorded...second death recorded...Encrypting Secret Folder of the Mind labelled... #S#U#T#A13#8890ioke2#...Download commencing...Boot sucessful}

{...}

{Playback found}

*Static*

"Sh-..."

"It wasn't my fault...I tried...I tried to make it right. They turned against me. I Promise...I never-hyuk! I-I never meant to k-k-kill-ku...Ku-pauahaha-aha...you almost believed me. Idiot! Buahaha- you should never trust Demi Gods...my lonely traveller...poor-Thomas, still chasing gho-"

*Static*

{Playback ended}

Roland heard a distinct distortion from above. The grey matter broke away, and shards of colour fell through the expanse from above. 

Roland felt vertigo and weightlessness. Seconds passed, and his whole world turned black again. 

*Whining sound* 

A bright light pressed against Roland's eyelids. He gently flickered his eyelids apart to the welcome of the bright and very blurry outdoors. 

A running stream ran through the woodland ground.

Tall, misshapen trees sat against a moss-covered sloped hill rising steadily away from him. Roland tried to work out where he actually was right now. He attempted to manoeuvre his body to one side, but instantly, he found out something was terribly wrong. 

"Wait…why-why am I in chains?" 

An iron chain wrapped tightly around his entire body, bounding him in a cocoon of rusty metal. A door groaned noisily open behind him. The heavy chains rattled when he strained his neck backwards to take a look.

Roland's brow quickly narrowed. Behind him was an open-walled, spacious room built into the trunk of a giant oak tree covered in moss. The interior was made of stone with various appliances you wouldn't expect to see in a forest. He felt his scalp numb when he locked onto the tall workbench with iron clasps against the top and bottom. 

It looked just like...

"A-to-torture rack?"

From the shadows, three ghoulishly dressed figures slowly walked down the only stone steps. Once they unveiled themselves beneath the natural outdoor light fazing through, Roland saw their appearance better. He was at odds with what to call it. The best way he could describe what they were wearing was a jacket of brown leaves woven into an oversized coat.

He could only tell they were human by their bony arms sticking out.

Roland could feel his chest tightening as they approached him. He had a horrible feeling about all of this. There were no signs of anyone from the knight's company. No grumpy-faced Aeomon, horse, or anything he remembered seeing before he blacked out. 

"Come to think of it, wasn't there some kind of explosi-h-hey wait! P-put me down!" He voiced in alarm, feeling his body being lifted without warning.

Without further warning, Roland was hoisted from the ground and carried into the eerie-looking room behind him. The place smelt damp, like old wet socks and foul odours, just as he'd imagined it probably all was down here. Waking up to this wet and not-so-wonderful place, Roland remembered the clear contrast to the pristine and opulent room he first awoke inside, where his bedspreads were warm and soft. 

He shook his head to free himself from those distractions without saying a single word. They placed him against the sturdy wood table before strapping him in. 

"Hey! Are you all deaf? I asked you to let me go! What the hell is going on?" He asked, a little less aggressive this time.

The two ghoulish-looking figures had already started returning to the stone stairwell without saying a word. They ascended towards the only door inside of this creepy place. The third assailant was fiddling with the padlock and chain on his left wrist. Roland could already feel the air of difference from the looseness of the chain. He started to pray and remained still, hoping the chain wouldn't be tightened. A few minutes of frustration later, the third figure had given up. No words were expressed, but grunts and hisses were heard as it turned its back towards him. The figure stomped loudly up the stairwell before slamming the door shut. 

Roland whistled aloud out of relief. This wasn't yet an entire year, and he had already been put into more death situations than he could count. And to think, this was the life the previous Roland lived daily.

'That's not counting my execution, of course.' He smiled wryly to himself in thought. But with how his days were going here, if things continued along this path. He was sure death wasn't too far away. 'Can I even die? If my body self heals then...surely...' He swallowed a nervous gulp. Again. 

The door opened, but this time, Roland looked confused as he observed an old man dressed in rather lavish robes gingerly descending the stone steps. 

"I should've known a Highborne brat could not be trusted. Honestly, I was planning on killing you earlier if you hadn't brought that find to my attention. The existence of ancient magic." 

Roland was a little too shocked to really listen to anything being said to him right now and remained silent and still. First, due to his experience in the military, he already understood this situation pretty well: a good old-fashioned hostage situation.

Now, these situations were as common as finding a rebel child pulling out a gun on you once your back was turned. Roland had actually been kidnapped once as a child. He was held captive for 13 days before a patrol unit found him, supposedly a ransom was refused.

His brows furrowed deeper, remembering a world that grew alien to him with each passing day. Undoubtedly, a day would come when he completely forgot about himself as Zachary.

The assailant took his final steps. Beneath the natural outdoor light, his presence unveiled itself. He wore a heavy, deep blue robe. His build was slender and slightly tall. Bags of wrinkles hung against his sallow skin like old leather. And every hair against his face was snow white. The elder approached the bench with both arms folded behind his back. 

Roland shuffled away a little. He felt something indescribably troubling about the look in the eyes of the old-timer. 

"Hmm, your temperament seems off? You're usually riddled with anxiety and hysterics. I had come here with a plan of hexing you to keep your mouth shut. Hmm, so what's changed, little bastard." 

Roland finally started to panic. Not only did this old weirdo have intel on him that he didn't know about, but he was also perceptive and openly direct about it.

In this situation silence was his best action.

"Nothing to say? Tsk! No matter whether you try to talk your way out of this or adopt this newly learned behaviour of calmness. Nothing changes for me. I only want one thing." 

There was a brief pause after the elder said those words. Roland held no words to say back. Scared he would somehow reveal he wasn't the original Roland. He scanned the inside of this hidden abode instead. Old, tall shelves filled with books and empty jars. A large blackboard aligned against one side of the wall, with symbols and sketches of strange misshapen creatures drawn out against it in chalk. Sealed, hefty trunks sat on the further corners. Not to mention a suspicious-looking robe, satin. 

Roland felt he was beginning to get a clear picture of things.

After deliberating his next move, he exhaled a calm breath, wetting his lips before parting them aside to say. 

"I…I don't know what you're talking about." 

He said it plainly and honestly. But his honesty drew an ugly frown against the elder's wrinkled face. 

"I warned you beforehand. Do not meddle with my affairs. Do not attempt to deceive or betray me. For these things will promise you a date with the reaper of souls." 

The elder moved his hands back to his front. Sitting between his two fingers was something Roland wasn't expecting to see. It curved slightly towards the pointy end and was entirely made of black wooden material. In his world, such things were a myth. However, it seemed anything but, considering this would be the second time he saw one again.

'A wand?' Roland said to himself inwardly 

The elder shook his hands free from his heavy sleeves and lazily held the wand towards Roland's legs. 

"Talk, or I start misplacing your bones." He said it coolly and as easily as breathing. 

Roland believed him and swiftly tried to drum up a plan. 

"I…I.. it's back at…the castle-yes I've left it at the castle." He stammered nervously. 

Whatever he was supposed to have, the likelihood was that whatever the old Roland had would be hidden there. 

Only the elder didn't look at all impressed with his verdict. 

"You're lying." The elder said, narrowing his willow brows together. He removed his wand from Roland's knee and moved closer towards his head. 

Roland could only curse his rotten luck. The heavy chains had practically sealed his fate. Although he was having some joy in loosening the constraints around his left wrist. He just needed more time to thoroughly pry his hands from the shackles. 

The elder stopped beside Roland's head and gave him a deep look. His eyes turned towards his torso, where Roland watched his withered old hands cautiously approach his chest. 

'Shit-shit-shit he better not do anything weird to me. Damn it! I need to get out of here quickly .' 

While he tussled and struggled with the iron constraints, the elder wasn't moved and settled his palm against his chest. Roland stopped squirming. There was a sudden chill resting beneath the elder's palm. Roland observed the elder's impassive face grow pale. His eyelids softly closed, and he fell into a silent trance. 

Roland knew this was bad news, and he really wished Omega was functional at this point. But he received no response each time he made a mental call to the system. 

'I need to find a way out of this.' He was panicking, not afraid to admit it.

He searched around the stone walls again. An iron scalpel sat against a short table pushed against the wall. A few feet away. He could only reach it once he broke out of these bonds. A glint of determination sparkled within his gaze. 

The elder's eyes snapped open like a lizard. Roland could see the old timer cycle through a few emotions: confusion, sadness, and then anger. 

The elder seemed to have recognised something.

"You despicable lying little –" 

*knock-knock* 

"Grh! Who is it! I told you I will not be disturbed." The elder turned his back towards him and walked to the first stone step. 

The door sneered open, and another strangely dressed figure appeared. 

"Forgi-forgive my rudeness Lord Ai. B-b-but we've met a problem. Ahem. Someone has broken into the hideout." The burly figure said softly. 

Roland continued fidgeting his sore wrists away from the narrow hold. He just needed to make sure he wasn't caught. 

"Shit! The patriarch probably knows then. And would've sent an expert by now to find him. No matter. Now I know the little prince has eaten the Old black Nyn Root. There's only one option left for us to take. Kukuku." 

The old man turned around slowly, giving Roland enough time to stop his escape plan. The elder stared at him with a cruel smile. Chills ran down the boy's spine.

'This psycho's going to do something crazy to me isn't he. Damn you omega damn you leaving me at this time. And what the hell did you do…Roland.' 

 "Gather our things, burn what we don't need and begin evacuating. Once I've concluded matters here, I'll initiate the self-destruct array. We'll set purse up in a new hideout." 

"Y-yes, my lord, your will shall be done." Said the fellow, bowing its head and leaving. 

"Now then, my conniving little friend. Our deal was for you to secure the Old Black Nyn Root for me, and I'll give you the grimoire you wanted to help improve your pathetic constitution. Remember." 

Roland could vaguely recall something written in those cryptic letters the old owner of this body had left. He mentioned a book that revealed the truth, confirming his crazy ideals and conspiracies were right. Roland focused on what was mostly important from those ramblings.

'That thing was called a…

"Grimoire?" He muttered under his breath.