• Chapter 1

    For years, Alexander had been planning for this day. This would be the day he finally accomplished his life long dream. He ran through the plans in his mind for the hundredth time. Enter the warehouse from the side entrance on the second level. Then nail the two guards who will be at the base of the stairs. But I have to be careful not to waste too much magic on them. I need every bit of energy I have for the real threat. From there, I can sneak past the other guards into the warehouse office. That's where he will be. And with him, the Blade. I'll have to fight him to take the Blade. This was where his plan stopped. Alexander had no idea how the fight with the Dark One would play out. He could only hope to be on the winning end.

    Bracing himself for the fight to come, he bolted up the fire escape and through the door, readying his magic as he ran. He raised his arms and began to speak the words to dispatch the guards, when he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. The Blade was sticking two inches out of his abdomen. Damn it! He knew I was coming... Alexander collapsed, his energy flowing out of him and into the Blade, due to a powerful enchantment.

    “Tie him up. Make sure he cannot use his magic. Can't have him running off, now can we?” Alexander heard the Dark One's raspy voice, the voice of one who had given his soul in exchange for power unmatched. No... I have to get out of this. Calling upon the magic of the Cloak, Alexander shifted himself out of the warehouse and back to his house, so he could recover from that failure.

    “I see you do not have the Blade, Alexander.” Alexander jumped at the unexpected voice. “Master Tull, I was not expecting you to be here. It is good to see you again.”

    Tull smiled. He was a middle-aged man, but his age did not inhibit his combat abilities. He had seen many battles, and had the scars to prove it. He was a foot taller than the average male, with long silver hair and deep blue eyes that always seemed lost in memories. “Aye, lad. I have missed you. But now is not the time for pleasantries, I am afraid. Seeing as you do not have the blade, I can only assume the Dark One retains possession of it.”

    “Forgive me, Master. I have failed to collect the Blade. The Dark One was expecting me; he caught me in the stomach with the Blade.” Alexander looked down at his stomach and found that the wound had completely healed. The only evidence that he had ever been hurt was the blood-bordered hole in his shirt.

    “You were lucky to have the Cloak and the Stone. Were it not for the Cloak, you'd have never gotten out of there. And were it not for the Stone, you'd have died once you got back.” Alexander knew the powers of the three Talismans already, but he also knew Master Tull enough to know that the lecture was coming yet again. He sighed and settled himself in his chair, prepared to sit there for another hour or two.

    “The three Talismans were forged by the Seraphim to combat the hordes of Hell. The Talismans are the Blade, the Cloak, and the Stone. The Blade has the ability to claim the soul with a single blow. The Cloak has the ability to transport the wearer across great distances. The Stone can heal any wound, physical or spiritual. But the greatest power lies in the use of all three Talismans together. When the three Talismans are in the possession of one person, that person has the ability to open a portal directly into the After Realms. The Dark One intends to go there to claim the lands as his, using the demons that reside there to storm this world and claim it as well. Our task is to stop that. We will collect the Blade from the Dark One and open the portal ourselves, then toss the Talismans through the portal. Thus they will be sealed away for eternity, and our world will be safe.”

    Alexander had heard it a thousand times before. He knew what he had to do, and he did not need his master to remind him of his failures. “I will get the Blade, Master. I will.”

    “Good. Now, go get some sleep. It seems we have a bit of planning to do before you attempt this again.”

    Chapter 2

    Alexander woke to the sound of swords clashing. Instinct set in, and he was out of bed and fully armed within seconds. Silently gliding out of the room and down the hallway, he soon discovered what the source of the noise was.

    “Master, seriously? You're playing my Oblivion game?? You better not have saved over my file!”

    “Show some respect, child! Besides, we have planning to do.”

    Alexander flinched as Master Tull pulled the plug to the Xbox 360.

    “What is our plan, Master?”

    Tull sat down on a large armchair, his demeanour serious. “I think this time I will be going with you.”

    “What?!” Alexander was shocked. Tull had not been in a real battle in years, and the Dark One had the Blade. “Master, forgive me, but I cannot allow that. You would stand no chance against the Dark One.”

    Tull just laughed. “Calm down, boy. I can hold my own in a fight, even against one such as he. Now, here's the plan.”

    Three hours later, the two men were back in front of the warehouse. It was as bleak and dreary this time as it was the last. Alexander mentally braced himself for the upcoming battle. He could vividly remember last night, and the feel of the Blade tugging at his soul.

    “Ready, child?” Tull's voice cut through Alexander's thoughts, pulling him back into reality. “Yes, Master.” They travelled up the fire escape together, arriving at the same entrance that Alexander had used last night. “GO!” Tull cried, and the plan began.

    Alexander saw Tull kick the door down and charge into the warehouse, catching the guards by surprise. Meanwhile, Alexander shifted himself into the warehouse office, where he knew the Dark One would be. And he was right.

    “You have returned. Come to fight this time, or are you merely planning to run away again?” The Dark One was clearly taunting him, and Alexander fell right into it. Calling up his magic, he charged straight at the Dark One.

    The Dark One pulled the Blade from its sheath and swung at Alexander's waist. Alexander leapt back, and chuckled. “What do you find so humourous? Does your coming death make you laugh?” The Dark One was no longer taunting. Now he was angry. Just what Alexander wanted.

    “Come get me. If you can.”

    The Dark One bolted toward Alexander with rage in his eyes. Alexander quickly sidestepped the attacker, then turned around and fired all of the magic he could manage to summon. He watched as the Dark One crumpled to the ground, before collapsing himself, and falling into the darkness.

    Chapter 3
    As soon as he woke, Alexander panicked and searched around, looking for the Dark One. All he saw were the undecorated walls of his own bedroom. And Master Tull, sitting in the armchair from the living room.

    “How did that get in here?” Alexander was still groggy from tapping out his magic energies.

    “I moved it, of course!”

    “What happened to the Dark One?”

    Tull sighed. “You hit him with everything you had, Alexander. And he fell, yes. But he is not dead.”

    Alexander pounded the nightstand with a fist and shouted. “Damn it! All of our work for nothing!”

    “Calm yourself, Alexander. I said he is not dead. I did not say we failed.”

    “What do you mean, Master? What happened?”

    Tull settled into the chair a little more, getting ready to tell his story. “After taking care of the guards at the stairs, and more guards on the ground floor, I came to the office to see if I could assist you. By the time I got there, I saw that you had felled the Dark One, but you were also fallen. The Dark One was not dead, I knew that. But I took the three Talismans, opened up the portal, and sent them through it with the Dark One.”

    “Is that wise, Master? Won't he just use the Talismans to return?”

    “Thankfully, the Talismans are not round trip.”

    “So our job is done? We can go back to our normal lives?”

    “Yes, Alexander, at least until the next issue arises. Now, get some more rest, take some time to relax.” Tull left the room, taking the big chair with him. Alexander laid back down to get some rest. He could vaguely hear the sounds of swords clashing from the living room. He had better not save over my file... Alexander drifted off into a much-deserved sleep.