The Arch-mage Argos was the most powerful mage on the continent. He was a wise old man with the knowledge of almost everything. Sadly, when he was young, he was an absolute fool. He stupidly signed away his life to some duke for some quick cash and now here he was as an old man serving that duke's child. The new Duke knew how to use all the resources at his disposal, unlike his father and Argos was considered to be a resource. This guy was overworked. Design the equivalent of an atomic bomb in one day and then make some magical weaponry for the Duke's sons the day after. Argos was ecstatic when he was told he could take as much time as he needed on his next project to ensure quality. What was that project? The most insane and complicated thing you could imagine.

  It was a tower. It was a special tower. A tower that not even kings could enter or escape from. He was scared of his creation, he knew that if he was trapped in there, he would never get out even if he was the one that created it. He pitied whatever creature would be trapped there. He was relatively sure that even the ruler of demons couldn't break free.There wasn't really a way for him to test that.

  He placed his masterpiece inside "the vault forest" like he was told. It ended up upside down somehow, but it probably didn't matter. Whatever beast or monster that this place would imprison most likely didn't care if the ceilings were the floors and the floors were the ceilings so he left in. Just a floating tower in a heavily guarded forest. No one really knew what it was for when it was completed. The Duke never captured any dangerous monsters to fill it. Whatever the case, nothing could ever get out. Nothing.

  He was sure of it.

  Arion watched as his sister was dragged unconscious to the edge of the forest. He flinched every time her head hit a rock, he hoped her headache wouldn't be too bad when she woke up. Cassion didn't even bother to accompany them. Arion usually got along with his brother but this was too much. His father didn't even care about his own daughter's health, he just cared that he had the power to control her. His father continued to drag Rinaye into the forest. The birds looked hungrily at the sleeping girl, hoping for their next meal. They walked deeper in the forest than Arion had ever been before. He couldn't see any of the landmarks that he remembered anywhere. Finally they came to a large structure. Two stone columns in an elongated upside down "L" shape reached upwards to the doors of an upside down tower. It was strange. The top of the tower was facing the ground, its point hovering about eight feet in the air. The bottom of the tower faced the sky, its base closing in the closer it reached upwards, like a second point.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  What was this place?

  The group climbed the stairs built into one column and reached a short bridge that led to a sinister wooden door. Arion could feel the magic radiating off it. If you messed around with it, it would become dangerous. His father placed a silver key in the door's keyhole and it opened without a sound. They all walked in the hollow tower, magic supporting their feet. The mage that had come with them picked up his sister and placed her in mid air, she just floated there supported by magic, forever asleep.

  As soon as Rinaye had been safely placed into the tower, the shadows began to grow. The same eyes that had attacked that evening were there once again, glowing with anger and a sense of protection. The shadows crept forward, pushing out everyone but Rinaye who was still floating asleep. The door slammed shut with a bang and they started to walk back.

  Arion made sure to mark a path so he could find this place again, even just to talk to her somehow. He missed her company already. Why did he have to have a father like this? Why did he have to have a family like this? Why didn't they ask her? Why didn't they understand? Allison must have been scared. She was asleep for years with her only company visiting her in dreams. When she could finally, actually, meet her, she saw her get abused. He would lash out if that happened to him too. Her power was incredible, he once tried to measure it to see how much she had. It was immeasurable, the amount she had, but she was just a kid. The same age as his sister. It was beyond believable that everything that happened was Allison trying to help Rinaye. No one listened to him, though. They told him to stop trying to protect his sister. They told him to stop making things up. No matter what he said, he was still a kid too. Just ten years old. Nothing he did could change that everyone already decided. His sister was a monster. She made a deal with the devil. That's why a demon protected her.

  He couldn't change their minds.