ancient magic. The walls of the city collapsed and a black cloud poured in. Fifteen ghosts from the whole army were killed, but for each enemy there were three hundred lives of Leonard’s warriors. The castle gates did not last long, and the king was captured by evil spirits.
And when there seemed to be no hope, one of the students of Master Avinius appeared. The young man possessed the rarest gift – the spells of Darkness. Few people could see the Forces in their original form, but even fewer people had power over them. Avinius, for example, ruled over the Light. And this young man, with the power of thought, was able to disperse an entire regiment of the enemy. The ghosts disappeared into oblivion, only their armor and shields remained to decorate the nearby lands. The war has been won. Everything would be fine. But Leonard became extremely paranoid. He strengthened his security so that no one would take him prisoner again, as during this war. Then the madman ordered the young man to be arrested, too, because he was afraid of the powerful magician. They say that he even ordered the death of the queen, accusing him of conspiracy. It is impossible to say whether this is true, but she was no longer seen within the castle walls.
***
– Avinius found me. He called me the Chosen One. And I saved the kingdom from certain destruction! – Dell continued to tell. «And ended up in prison because of it!» Such is the king’s gratitude for freedom! You know, Khan, the world is not fair. I was only remembered as the villain who tried to attack the king. And not as a savior! After the feat, I was left completely exhausted, and did not even try to resist when the guards grabbed me. But the Element, which endowed me with Strength, filled me with hatred and malice, making me stronger. I broke the prison into a thousand pieces and was freed. And along with me – other powerful magicians who were outlaws. Together we went to the royal castle, in the name of revenge!
***
But Dell, of course, didn’t tell everything. He forgot to mention that the spirit of Antimonik came to him in a dream and offered him Power. And Dell did not reject the offer.
He awakened the Dark Army of Spirits again. The All-Powerful Element endowed him with a new talent – he became the new Dark Lord, the embodiment of Evil and Horror in a human body. The gates had not yet been completely restored, and collapsed again under the onslaught of the rebels.
They say that Avinius personally killed the student when he had already raised the black staff cursed by the Darkness over Leonard’s head. Dell died, but his shadow wandered for many years: first, Leonard was found dead in his bedchamber with a hole in his chest. Then many others who participated in the persecution of the caster of Darkness died from unknown causes. They said it was the spirit of a black rebel.
***
– Dell, Black Rebel! This can’t be! – Superstitious fear was visible in Khan’s eyes.
– Don’t believe me? – with these words the guest grabbed the Advisor’s wrist. But the Head of Parliament did not feel anything. The hand went right through.
– You really are a ghost! But this cannot be. I dream about you! The dead cannot meet the living!
«It turns out they can,» the ghost’s face was adorned with a demonic smile that would make anyone tremble. – An hour ago, members of my order performed a ritual, and here I am in front of you. But I’ll disappear soon. I want to be alive again. There is one secret in the vault for making a Revitalizing Stone.
– I’m not a king. And even if I want to get into the First Level Security vault, I won’t be able to.
«That’s why I came to you,» with these words an ominous smile appeared on the ghost’s lips. – Royal Advisor Khan. You have achieved the highest title a mere mortal could desire. But I see right through you! Even now you are missing something, although you don’t know what exactly. And I’ll give you a hint: the crown is missing.
– You won’t be able to give it! – Khan didn’t even deny that he wanted to wear the crown.
– I – no, of course. But I can help you achieve your goal. And in return I will get life. Sounds like a good exchange to me.
– This is impossible.
– Nothing is impossible. Half an hour ago you didn’t believe in the existence of ghosts. But I stand before you as a living, or rather, non-living example of the opposite. Fate is always so unpredictable! You don’t risk anything. If you do not become king, I will not be able to come to life, so there is no reason for me to deceive. Moreover, I have my own interest in the fall of Henry’s crown!
– What if, having become king, I deceive you?
– You won’t deceive me. So, do you agree? – Dell asked.
«Yes,» Khan answered.
– Hurry up. Create this sign on your left shoulder.
An image appeared in the air:
– What is this?
– Seal of fidelity. In case of betrayal, you will turn into ashes. Without her I will disappear. And this way I can feed on your energy to live and give advice. What did you want? Nothing appears out of nowhere and disappears without a trace. In order for me to appear before you, the Order had to sacrifice a child. And this is too much, even for a sect of dark magicians.
No one should know about our little secret. The Order of Vernikov will be at your personal disposal. I will warn Master Simon personally.
– Simon, the head of the Royal Guard – the leader of the sect of dark magicians?!!
– Have you stopped being surprised? But what about the Advisor – the future king? Will this news also surprise you? So, first, get rid of the Brotherhood of Defenders of the Crown. First of all, from Master Avinius. My mentor has not forgiven me, and will be an ardent opponent of revival. And he is a strong enemy! Maybe he, too, will decide to use the magic of Light to destroy the prison in which he will be put, and will go to kill the king, like I once did? I want to look at this!
– If not for you, he, and not me, would have been the head of Parliament. This is the second time you have promoted me up the career ladder!
«You must also get my staff out of the Vault,» Dell said.
«Black staff…» Khan whispered with awe in his voice.
– Yes, the same staff that I tried to kill Leonard with before my death. Darkness-cursed staff. Only he can kill the king. Be careful to handle it with silk gloves. Otherwise the curse will kill you! Touch causes instant death. Many people think that Avinius killed me. Nonsense! I died by accident! I touched the staff. And for many years he found himself in a gloomy world of Darkness and Horror. Many people go crazy, but I turned out to be stronger than the Element under my control. But death became the beginning of a new life for me! And soon I will become even stronger, my king.
– I’ll kill Henry and end up behind bars! – Khan exclaimed.
«Listen to me, and everything will be fine,» Dell said. – The secret of reincarnation will help. Including in the fight against these Defenders of the Crown.
Dell handed Khan the book, and he began to read: «Once upon a time there were two sisters. One inherited the beauty of her mother, and young men came from all the principalities to see the land on which she walked. And the second was smart, like a mother, and she had no equal in magic. The sisters got along well with each other until they met the princely governor. Between two sisters, he chose one, whom he married. And his choice fell, of course, on the beauty. But the second girl cried sleepless nights until she came up with the right way to be with her beloved. She touched her sister, and immediately they swapped bodies. And now only one belonged to intelligence, beauty, and a beloved young man. And only the elder, who perfectly mastered the power of Light, could