Walking down the dimly lit stairs towards the well lit corridor in the basement was a challenge.
Every step he took sent his instincts into a frenzy.
Run! Get away! Don't go down there!
His heart raced, making his head pound. He could barely hear the sounds of his and Wilhelm's footsteps.
His breathing speeds up, worsening his racing heart.
He reached out his hand and put it on the wall. He needed support.
He quickly realized he had lost his composure.
Deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth.
Rhys felt how his heartbeat slowed with every breath. He looked at Wilhelm who was nearly at the bottom of the stairs.
I need to hurry. He took a few quick steps down the stairs and soon he was right behind Wilhelm.
Walking out into the well lit corridor they took brisk steps towards the deeper parts.
Rhys had gotten quite familiar with this basement the last few weeks.
Further in, were Wilhelm's office and a few rooms barricaded with steel doors.
Rhys got increasingly confused. Was he not going to do something nefarious?
"Here." Wilhelm stopped and said.
Rhys snapped out of his daze and quickly stopped. He nearly bumped into Wilhelm.
"Where?" Rhys said, looking around.
Wilhelm pointed towards a steel door.
"There. Come." He made his way towards the door and waved his wand. The door lit up, and some strange character appeared.
Rhys observed
A few seconds later.
The lights went out and the door clicked open.
Wilhelm stepped forward and pushed the door open.
"Lumos." He said and waved his wand.
He looked at Rhys.
"Let's go." Then he walked in.
Rhys took a deep breath and followed inside.
Entering the room he realized that it was a cube. Maybe 3 x 3, it might be a little smaller.
Just then a tired voice spread out.
"Wilhelm… "
Rhys snapped his head in the direction of the voice.
What came into view was a middle aged man sitting on the ground, he had chains to his wrists and ankles.
"...What… are you… doing here." The man sounded out of breath.
"Is… it my turn?" The man took a breath. "Please… I don't … want to … die."
Wilhelm ignored him and turned to Rhys.
"Here Rhys, this is your birthday gift. To practice the killing curse you need a target."
He raised his free hand and pointed at the man.
"Kill him."
Rhys's head snapped from the man on the ground to Wilhelm.
"Kill… him?"
Rhys hesitated. He did want power… but this? This wasn't killing, it was execution.
"Yes, he is useless, too weak to be an experimental subject, and too old to be ingredients, letting him be your whetstone is already good enough."
Rhys hesitated but took out his wand, his hand trembled as he aimed it at the man.
"No!... please don't" The man gathered the last of power and yelled.
"I beg you!"
Rhys felt his hand grow increasingly heavy. He was begging him, was he raw enough to kill a defenseless person begging him to live?
Just then a hand landed on his shoulder. It was Wilhelm.
He leaned in and placed his head next to his.
"Come on, don't fall for his pleas." He whispered, his voice soft, his breath tickled his ear.
"He's nearly dead anyway, come on, don't be boring."
Rhys gritted his teeth. He knew… or thought he knew the consequences of disobeying Wilhelm.
"I… I can't."
The man on the ground breathed a sigh or relief.
Wilhelm frowned in displeasure.
"What! I give you power on a silver platter, yet you refuse!?"
He took a few steps to the side. He was now overlooking both of them.
"Give him your wand!" Wilhelm shouted.
Rhys's head snapped up and he took a step backward.
"What?"
"Let him get the same choices as you!" Wilhelm said.
Rhys turned to look at the man and what he saw made his heart run cold.
He was looking at him with excitement then he looked at his wand with eagerness.
I let you live! Rhys felt betrayed.
Wilhelm looked on.
"Let's see if your mercy on him will save you." As Wilhelm's cold voice spread out in the room, Rhys felt his heart harden.
"No!"
Wilhelm smiled.
"No? Then KILL HIM!"
"NOW!"
Rhys raised the wand, the previous shaking was now gone, replaced by chilling steadiness.
"No… please." The middle aged man said, believing the previous trick would work again.
Sadly, he was wrong. Rhys didn't even hear him, his mind was occupied with the man's betrayal, Wilhelm's coldness, and the fear of being weak.
The more he remembered, the angrier he got. The tip of his wand slowly lit up with a sinister green.
He finally heard the man's pleas… but they didn't work, all they did was remind Rhys of how he had betrayed his kindness, his mercy.
The light grew stronger and stronger, darker and darker.
The negative emotions in Rhys's mind created a feedback loop and fed more negative emotions.
"You… I showed you mercy." Rhys gritted his teeth. "Yet you betrayed me."
"No… please… you misunderstood." The man's voice grew weaker.
Wilhelm felt excited as he saw the green light on Rhys's wand.
A seven year old using the killing curse? It's simply unheard of. He felt excited.
What had he created? Haha.
He had created a monster, using no magic, he only pushed human nature!
Wilhelm felt more and more excited the more he thought about it, his breath quickening.
Then a thought came to mind.
How much of a monster could he make him? With that thought in mind.
"NOW! KILL HIM!" He yelled at Rhys.
Hearing Wilhelm's scream, his face was blank, there was no hesitation left.
He wanted this man dead.
When this thought appeared in his mind. He felt it.
He waved his hand and a green light shot out.
"Avada Kedavra!" He shouted.
The green light lit up the entire room, and a scream rang out.
The spell had connected but it seems his spell wasn't quite strong enough to kill him instantly.
The room shook as the beam stayed connected to the man.
The shadows on the walls portrayed the cruel smile on Wilhelm's face.
Soon the screams stopped, and Rhys stopped the spell.
As the green light disappeared, just then did Rhys step backwards.
He gripped at the wall to stabilize himself. He lifted his hand which held the wand, it was shaking.
He looked over at where the old man had been, in his place was just a corpse.
I… killed him? Rhys thought back on what he had just done.
Was that me? He remembered the indifference he had felt as he fired the spell.
NO! It can't be.
He felt dizzy… the spell just now had consumed too much of his magic.
Just then Wilhelm walked over to the corpse. He kicked it lightly with his foot.
"Good job. I'm proud."
He stood up straight and walked over to Rhys. He looked at his dizzy appearance and reached out his hand and placed it on Rhys's shoulder.
"You know what to do, throw the corpse in the burner and then you can go to bed."
Rhys took a few deep breaths then looked up at him and nodded.
"Yes sir."
Wilhelm nodded and waved his hand, the chains on the corpse disappeared, and he walked out.
Rhys leaned his back against the wall and looked down at his hands.
Was that what it felt like to kill someone? He thought he would feel bad… at least guilty.
But there was nothing. The overwhelming anger and hatred he felt for the man as he fired the spell made it difficult to conjure any guilt or pity.
He looked up at the corpse and took a deep breath.
Let's throw it in the burner and go to bed. He raised his wand and cast Leviosa, he levitated the corpse to the burner room and tossed it inside.
He watched as his first kill burned in the flames.
That will never be me. His eyes reflected the flames. I will never die like this.
He turned around and headed for his room.
...
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CHAPTER END.