x C u r s e d x ((Open//Mature))

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In Market Chipping the beautiful a splendid May Day celebration had just gone underway at the break of dawn. The sun must have been awfully sleepy that day for it lazily rose from behind the smoke blue mountains, slowly cascaded its warm delightful light across the valley then finally reached the ever waiting Market Chipping. The second sunlight poured through their windows, the towns folk of Market Chipping where awake in a flash, ready in seconds and dressed to impress! Everyone was celebrating! And when I say everyone, I mean EVERYONE.

Even the terrible eater of hearts, Wizard Howl, was blissfully enjoying the morning with a skip to his step. He charged down the stairs, cleared the last two and landed with a graceful thud. The young man with hair the color of a pale daisy gave a wide and bright smile.

His apprentice Michael arched a brow curiously at the Wizard. Michael was a young lad, in his late teens no doubt while Howl was in his early twenties. The red brown color to Michael's hair and his tanned skin made him appear to be a well-off farm boy, not a wizard in training. Howl seemed to dance himself over to the hearth where a small flame bubbled to life amongst the logs.

The fire seemed to groan and crackle. Howl leaned over the hearth carefully but smiled into the plum of smoke. "Calcifer wake up. It's a wonderful day!" Said Howl.

"What makes it so wonderful?" Inquired a curious Michael almost nervously. The second he asked however Michael should have known better. For the last week Howl had been prancing off into Kingsbury where a young Miss lived. Just yesterday she had admitted to having fallen in love with the Wizard. This only meant, naturally, it was a good day for Howl. He was sensible again! "The poor girl!" Cried Michael while Howl simply smiled at him.

"She'll be fine." Replied Howl. With a swirl of his arms Howl turned back to Calcifer, the flickering Fire Demon. "I said wake up!"

"I am awake." Hissed Calcifer as he perched himself onto a log. Soon the log began to fade to an ash color, then white directly beneath the Demon. "What's so important that you need wake me?"

"I was thinking last night," Began the Wizard thoughtfully, glassy eyes turning from the light of the Demon. Calcifer snorted at the few words. Howl shot a glare at the Demon before continuing. "After re-reading a few old spells of mine and throwing some together I thought of a new transportation spell. It'll be my own creation, naturally." He walked to the workbench, tossing aside whatever paper and spell Michael was currently busying himself with. The lad gasped in horror. He had been up all morning working on that! Howl fetched himself some chalk, a shimmering blue dust of sorts and a jar filled with black liquid. Immediately the young man pranced to the door.

On the door itself Howl began to scrawl chicken scratch across the wood and on the stone floor beneath. The designs were tribal in a way with only a few bits of actual writing. He created a large circle on the wood with the chalk then threw a pinch of royal blue powder at the door. It hissed like Calcifer usually did. With the jar of ebony liquids he uncorked it then poured it into a puddle in the middle of a triangle at his feet. Michael was hovering behind him, jittering about to see what he was preforming. Howl knelt down, dipped his finger in the ink like liquid then began to make another drawing. It was in the shape of a black star.

Howl immediately backed up. Michael was caught off guard by this and was sent stumbling backwards. With glass-bottle like orbs Howl watched the door closely. Even little Calcifer was peering out of his hearth, waiting for something dramatic to happen.

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"I don't think it worked." Said Michael lamely. Howl tossed his head to the side to glance at Michael when the door began to crackle. Everyone looked to the door immediately. It sounded like fire chewing through a log. A thin veil of smoke began to rise. "You set the door on fire!" Michael exclaimed.

Howl puffed his cheeks. "I did no such thing!"

"Look!" Calcifer stated just as the door rattled. In seconds the door tore open as if an ogre was tearing it off its hinges. It flew open as far as it could and beyond it...Nothing. Everything went silent again. "....What did you....do?" Asked the Fire Demon nervously.

"This doesn't look like a Transportation spell at all, Howl." Michael stated. Howl had wandered closer to the door, inspecting it carefully. Outside there was absolutely nothing. It resembled his Black-Side door with the feeling of nothingness. But this...felt heavy. Howl reached a hand out into the vast darkness. It felt like putting your arm in water, dense. Howl gave a 'Hmmm' sound which caught the others attention. "What?" Again it was Michael.

"Howl stay out of it. It feels powerful. Like magic gone bad." Informed Calcifer warily.

"I think I'll be-" Howl froze when something seemed to wrap small, clammy fingers around his wrist. His eyes narrowed, he saw nothing, not even his own hand any more. "What?!" He could not pull back. There was a jerk on his arm then. Michael yelled for Howl but it was too late. Howl was totally engulfed in the darkness and behind him slammed the door to his castle.

+ + +

Traveling through the pitch black void felt like traveling through a section of space where all the stars had died. There was a feeling of sorrow and dispair that overcame the young Wizard. It made his stomach twist but that was not the entire problem. Looking around Howl could not identify any part of himself! From the hands he had known all his life to the simple white tunic he wore over black slacks. Was he gone as well? Lost in this emptiness?

There was a creak somewhere in the void before him. A small fleeting glimmer of light caught his attention. Thankfully he was moving toward it. It felt like he was floating on the tides of the calm ocean as he went along. He had never felt so....lost. The light grew until it wrapped around him tightly. A pressure on his chest made him cough and choke for fresh air.

+ + +

It would be difficult to describe what had happened next for Howl had been completely unconscious after something pressed on his ribs. He woke when a chill, smoke filled air washed over his body. Locks of golden hair tickled his jawbone as he awoke with a grumble. His pale blue-green hues fluttered a couple times before finally adjusting to the new light. It was nothing compared to sunlight, almost dull when compared to a beautiful day in Ingary. The air was thick too. Like Calcifer when he got terribly hungry.

The buildings, tall and standing at his sides were strange as well. They were built like the ones in Kingsbury but as ugly and tarnished as the ones in Porthaven. Even the small strip of concrete he was laying down on was as dirty as an actual dirt path. How mind bending!

"Where am I?" He mused curiously as he roused to an upright position. It clearly wasn't a place he had been before. Howl soon mastered the ability to stand once more though shakily. He made his way to what looked like an open street for horses and their carriages to pass. When he reached the paved road he found it strangely empty, as if the town itself had been deserted. "No people. Hmm..." Thought the wizard aloud.

((ooc: This is open to anyone. I put mature just to be on the safe side of things. You can decide where Howl ended up like in a futuristic world or what-not. There will be Monsters though and the traveling back to his world of Ingary. Also, this is how Howl's curse begins. =3))