The Wielder of Death Magic

“Anything to keep my business afloat.”

“Tis settled. From today onwards, Aceline and I shall be part of Ansoft. Treat it as if we’ve signed a contract. Don’t announce it just yet,” he looked on through the ceiling towards the studio, “-let us prepare a song first. Tis Aceline’s big return, I won’t spare any expense.”

“I expected so from you,” back on his feet, “-I apologize for the plea, tough times tough decision. What about payment?”

“I’m thinking a 70-30 split in our favor.”

Hands to his chins, “-let me think,” the eyes shut, “-deal.”

Amsey’s helicopter returned to its nest. Aceline and Igna stood beside the helipad and waited. She threw meaningful glances around the premises, tis the first time the sun warmed her skin, the first time the wind chilled her into a shiver.

.....

“How about it?”

“How about what?”

“The deal,” the lift opened, “-are you interested, or no?”

“I am,” her stance firmed her words, “-no way I’ll fall behind again.”

“Good,” it dropped to the ground floor, “-Aceline,” they stepped out, “-life here is monotonous. Do as you wish, there’s plenty of food to go around. As said before, I have ulterior motives. éclair’s looking for small jobs to get us in the market. I’d highly advise starting a social media account. The Arcanum is a beast o’ thing.”

Forward an hour later, Igna locked himself in the basement. In the alchemic room, narcotics were soon stacked in a hidden compartment. Cheap produce turned white-gold, the narcotic of preference, Angel’s Dust. God’s Ale became a classic; the reputation and prestige increased the price of a single bottle with only a single source of distribution, godfather Renaud’s faction.

The idol could be found in the studio slumped over a desk. Bright hue grazed her face mercilessly, the keys tapped at a slow pace. Learning new skills was very much a hassle, not so much for fast learners. The Arcanum soon bore no mysteries, from old videos to idols of the present, she scoured and digested the competition. ‘Idols and movie stars are different. The latter is more sought after and highly paid, the former is but the road to stardom. The agency of choice is Leina, five of their top artists are A-list celebrities, they’ve stormed the world of cinema. Once the populous locks onto their favorites, there’s no stopping the snowball effect. As for music, I see a lot of genres and bands. Can’t gauge a correct estimate on who’s the best. Apexi has more singers than Ansoft. Xius and the best guitarist in the world, Vorn and their elite band of musicians, and S-Kiss, a three-man band favorite by the ladies. Good music requires good people and good faces, how sad a truth,’ she glanced to the empty recording room, ‘-I’m really alive, I can’t believe it. A new chance to sing and accomplish what I sought out. This time, Igna’s at my side,’ a blissful smile eased her slouch, ‘-always at odds end, our past life sure was a mess. War and the greed for power, I saw everyone succumb to the dark side and never return. Who am I kidding, I’m no different. I was lost and fell prey to drugs and sold myself to climb the Alphian ladder after my talents were shunned. I hate the industry but adore the music, everyone’s trying their hardest.’ Bored of the research, the fingers dubiously scrolled and stumbled on random videos, ‘-this is...’ the speakers rattled, ‘-Igna’s guitar.’ Awestruck by the skill, ‘-another video,’ she clicked to see him playing the piano, ‘-what is this guy made of.’ More videos showed more instruments, he did it all, ‘-how inhumane can a person get?’ the lips furrowed in frustration, ‘-what about this?’

“Ahem, hello?” a well-dressed Igna shuffled away from the camera, “-Hello, hello,” instruments stood behind. “-Igna... is it recording yet?” whispered a soft voice.

“Yes, it is!” he fired,”-cut me some slack, why do we have to do this again?”

She sat and held a pure smile, ‘-what are they doing?’ the eyelashes blinked at the shenanigans.

“A message to our future selves,” the voice jumped into shot, “-hello, hello,” she sharply turned to kiss Igna, “-my name’s Alicia Raze. I’m petrified,” she sat on Igna’s lap, “-future me, I hope we’re doing well. Meeting your mother and aunt was a fright and a half, I can’t believe people like them exist.”

“No badmouthing my guardians,” he pinched her cheeks, “-and for future me, nothing I’ll say will make sense. Come on, you’ll probably cringe at this,” he shrugged, and softly caressed her cheeks, “-this little lady here sure is a mess.”

“Don’t make me out to be a freak,” her pitched heightened.

“Yes, yes,” he ambled to the camera, “-I hope the future is great for the both of us. I want her to be happy and live a normal life. My world and hers differ, still, she allowed me to experience the companionship of another. I can’t ask for more, listen to me, future self, if something ever happens to her, I know you’ll never forgive yourself, but for my sake, try to keep calm. We both know the pain of losing someone precious, the list is long and without end. Don’t seal the heart anymore, we’re reincarnated, let’s live and enjoy it.”

“Stop talking to the camera...” she groaned.

“You told me to do this video,” he returned.

“NO, I WANTED TO DO IT SO WE COULD HAVE MEMO-” a shadow crossed the screen, the video cut.

“-I-Igna?” the headphones muted the outside, “-d-didn’t see y-you,” her face flushed.

“Obviously,” he closed the videos, the mood suddenly changed, “-I wish you never saw it.”

“Why not,” she brazenly stood to his might, “-you and her have such a charming relation, I felt the warmth... what happened?”

Straight-faced, “-she was murdered.”

“-I-” the words choked at her throat, “-I-I-I”

“What’s done is done,” he made for the door, “-I came to say tea’s ready,” the handle melancholically shut, the sublime afternoon rays faded for a dim interior. ‘-Why did I...’ between the screen and the person, ‘-how foolish can I be,’ she facepalmed, ‘-I’m such an idiot.’

Onto the world of gambling, the duo arrived at the prime location, the red-light district. Narrow streets and narrower alleys, the premise of said district was entertainment. Escort services weren’t illegal or prohibited, only shunned upon. The moral implication sufficed to keep the sane away. The promenade showed lanterns, smoke pipes puffed clouds, ladies in robes waited, and invited drunkard visitors. Thus, after a five-minute walk, they arrived at the prime location, a remnant of a fountain served as a roundabout for pedestrians, the path splits into the four cardinal points. The northern path headed for the casinos and ‘real’ entertainment district. The eastern part continued effortlessly in Carter Lake’s vague direction. The south, also known as the ‘-main’ entrance, bustled with makeshift theaters, eateries, inns, and taverns. A budget place for the budget holiday. Lastly, the west – it carried to motels and hotels as well as the residential area for the impoverished, one could say the slums, although, the particularly high-standard of sanitation and basic life commodities said otherwise.

Kul scouted a relatively good-shaped one-floor abandoned motel to the southeast. The main attraction was the space of its backyard, the surrounding land was large, very large, and could easily accommodate a manor with space to spare. It also straddled with feet firm on both streets headed in and out of the red-light district.

The more they promenaded, the clearer became the painted picture, ‘-men in tracksuits, local ruffians bearing tattoos of their affiliation.’

“Kul,” puffed Asmodeus, “-is that the place?” he sat near the dried fountain.

“Yeah,” she joined, “-looks out of place, doesn’t it? wasted land. See those men,’ she side-glanced, ‘-they’re the guardians of the district. We must look shifty as hell right about now.” The words fell emptily, the prince ducked out her cautionary warning, “-hey there,” he waved obnoxiously, “-can I ask a few questions?” he locked arms around the men’s shoulder.

“Who are you, mister?” asked one of three, “-this place isn’t for the likes-”

“Chill out boy,” he sealed the man’s lips with a ‘shush,’ “-I can tell you three are from the ruling family. Take me to the leader, I want to negotiate about that property.”

“Look,” chuckled another, “-a big shot trying to invade our territory.”

“A lot of dumbasses have tried to buy the place, they say the same thing; -we’ll get the district to greater heights, let us open up a restaurant or some bullshit. Get outta here, we don’t need any.”

“Au contraire mon ami,” he pulled the three closer, “-I want to open a motel,” he winked, “-my girls are feisty little devils, once you have a taste of them, there’s no going back.”

“Who are you?” they pulled away,

“-a fellow mobster,” he replied.

“What family, what gang?”

“The Raven’s.”

“Never heard of you...” A twist of fate blew harshly at the side. A group wandered into sight. A short and heavy man walked surrounded by ladies and guards.

‘Isn’t that?’ Kul’s stare befell the man who squinted and nodded, a glance to the hurdled mess rose a thunderous, “-what’s going on there.”

“No need to worry,” said the ruffians, “-another drunkard weirdo.”

“Old man Esvalo,” said Asmodeus, “-I didn’t know you were here.”

“Look at you,” he took a swig from a metal flask, “-the talented poker player, Asmo. We met yesterday, what brings a talented man like you here?”

“I’ve come looking for property,” the cheerful smile lowered the initial reluctance.

“Sir Esvalo, please, ignore this fool,” said the ruffians, “-we take responsibility for such trash wandering your territory.”

“Don’t say another word,” thundered a murderous fiend.

“I see the lady is present too,” he gestured, the scenery swapped for a modest smoke-filled room. Yellow lights reflected against the brownish surfaces, a thick sponge of suffocation, and gunpowder filled the air. A table-top fan blew away, “-I’ll reintroduce myself. I’m Esvalo Vermillion, the man-in-charge of the red-light district.”

“You control the land, not the businesses. I heard the Vermillion are loan sharks vibrant from the history of brutality and sheer violence.”

“Good on you,” he complimented Asmo, “-it’s true, we’re the landowner of most of Fulha’s district. Other families come to us if they want to start a new adventure or burn another business to the ground. Nothing’s out of line, the only rule is to not hurt the families’ belongings. Nobody wants a war, not now anyway.”

“Question,” interjected Kul.

“Ask ahead.”

“Isn’t there supposed to be a right-hand man we talk to?”

“Too much hassle. The boy’s a bit on the savage side, he’s at one of the brothels. Sure loves his women.”

“Let’s discuss business,” said Asmo, “-money speaks, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he smirked, “-you want to make a deal on the motel and its land?”

“Yes,” they exchanged firm glances, “-on the condition we do it legally.”

“What you mean legally?”

“I want authentic papers and the actual rights to the land. My deal is simple, we’ll buy and make it the home base for my family, the Raven’s. There’re no gambling houses here, and I know you love a good bit of poker. What you say, up for it?”

“Legally,” he paused, “-lucky bastard. The head of the family loves legal deals, says we don’t need to spill blood for it, I have the papers right here. We can come to an arrangement for the correct price.”

“How much.”

“Ten Million.”

“Are you stupid,” fired Asmo, “-ten million for a shitty building?”

“It’s the land, my friend,” he smirked, “-take my price or get out.”

“Ten million... How about this, old man Esvalo, let’s discuss it over a warm meal, my treat.”

“Sure. How about tomorrow at Konlda.”

“Deal.”