Escapology has one thing going for it that probably made Harry Houdini such a superstar in his day and a legend in the present. Everyone wants to escape from something. Taxes, contracts, illness, work, the multitude of burdens that we chafe under are shadows from which we want to escape. - James Randi

Alex was getting pretty good at picking up gold bricks and using them to squash ants.

"Are all chosen ones so weak?" Alex asked his Generals.

'Sir, this particular man seemed very arrogant and foolish, and this environment is perfect for Lord's Seal cards. It's important not to underestimate your future opponents.' Scott answered.

Alex nodded. After resealing the gold blocking the entrance, he looked at the squashed body of the chosen one. The red boxing gloves were beginning to turn into light spots. 'I wonder what'll happen if I use a Seal card on those boxing gloves...Maybe I can Seal them?' Alex tried out his idea.

"Seal!"

The boxing gloves turned into light balls, but instead of flowing into the card, a light string was connected between them and the card as the gloves flew into the eyebrows of the dead man on the ground, bringing the string with it. Alex's brows furrowed.

As soon as the string touched the man's head, another light ball came out of it, moving along the string and into the card. "Did it work?" Alex looked down at the card with bright eyes expecting to see a pair of boxing gloves or maybe a cartoon Muhammad Ali. Instead, all he saw was an old copper key.

"What the hell is this trash?"

Alex focused his consciousness onto the card to see if he could understand what was inside. There, he saw a man, but it wasn't Muhammad Ali. The man wore an old early 20th-century style suit. His hair was dark with gray on the sides. It was parted such that it resembled miniature wings, as if he could fly away at any moment.

"Who the hell are you?" Alex asked.

The man appeared traumatized, completely clueless as to what was happening. He was suddenly dragged from his master's inner world into a black space, and now an unknown voice was speaking to him. "I'm...I'm Harry Houdini Sir. If I may ask, what am I doing here and what happened to my master?"

"By your master, do you mean that arrogant retard wearing a blue suit?"

Houdini wasn't sure how to answer that. If he said yes and his master found out, he would absolutely be tortured for many years. "My master was indeed wearing a blue suit last I saw him..."

"Oh...that's him on the floor. I've turned him into the new carpet."

Houdini went pale.

'Houdini...I feel like I've heard that name...Wait, isn't that the name of the clown who used to do card tricks at kids parties in Brooklyn? Bozo Houdini...that's right. How did this guy end up as a General?' Alex's evaluation of the Rodwell family just fell to the bottom.

Houdini had no idea that he went from being the greatest magician of all time to a children's party clown in Alex's mind from that moment on.

"What happened to you? How did you get here? Where's my Muhammad Ali?"

Houdini's forehead was sweating. "Lord...Muhammad Ali was a fellow General under my...former master. As to what happened, I'm not entirely sure. I was suddenly pulled out of my master's inner world and arrived here in this dark space."

Alex thought about it. "I see. If that's all the information you have...then you can go die now."

Houdini was panicking. 'How do I escape? How do I escape?' Then his eyes cast a glint as he remembered something. "Wait, Lord! I can be useful to you!"

"No thanks. I don't need balloon animals."

"No, Lord! The lock! The locked door in the gold vault! I can open it for you!" Houdini was nearly crying now as he screamed desperately.

At this, Alex was intrigued. "Oh...how?"

"Lord, my soul item! My soul item is the Universal Escape Key! It's a key that can open any lock once a day! If my former master is indeed dead, although I do not know how I am here, that would mean I am currently not bound under a soul contract. Lord, if you were to contract me as a General, then you could use my soul ability!"

Alex considered this. "Should I agree? Hmm...I have locked myself out of my apartment several times already." Rather than only seeking immediate benefits, he was considering for the future.

"Alright, I'll try to form a soul contract with you. Don't resist." Alex proceeded to connect his soul to the General in the card. Soon after, Houdini appeared above the city of Cardopolis. This was the strangest day of his life since he became a General, but when he saw the city of cards...his eyes shined!

"Alright, let's see your soul item," Alex said to Houdini who now lived inside Cardopolis.

"Right away, Lord." Houdini immediately turned into a copper key in Alex's hand. Alex didn't waste any more time and quickly went over to the locked room at the end of the hall. He inserted the key and watched it radiate light once it was turned. Then he heard a click and the heavy metal door slowly retreated, revealing a small metal room.

Inside the room, there were three displays housing three items. When Alex's eyes fell upon them, he dropped to his knees and began to shake his fists in the air like he just won the World Cup.

Author's Notes:

This arc will happen in the United States. If you have some Generals you would like to see, let me know in the comments!