“Overconfident.” He muttered. “It’s gonna get you killed.”
Chris pushed his sword away and began to swing at him again, but during his third swing he felt a sudden searing pain on his arm. Hunter had grabbed his arm and burned him with his Fire magic. Chris screamed out in pain and staggered back. Hunter kicked him back hard in the gut, Chris fell over and curled up.
“Over choreographed,” Hunter paused for a moment and brandished his sword. “Hard to believe you’re related to my ex.” He said to Chris. “Can you still get up?”
Chris heard himself saying no, but he still stood anyway, almost falling over. From the corner of his eye he could see Penny getting up and leaving the stands.
“You can’t go on like that. You can give up.” He said. “No shame in losing. Just know you would have died, and it would have been pathet--” Chris attempted to jab his blade at Hunter. Hunter stepped back in surprise, narrowly dodging.
“You talk too much…” Chris said through gritted teeth.
He was breathing heavily, and he could feel his fast healing helping him out. The pain was slowly dying away. Hunter smiled and began to collide swords with his opponent.
“You’re easy to push over the edge...I wonder how long it will be until you lose control.” Hunter wondered aloud.
“--op it…” Chris’ voice came, shaky, panting, and only slightly audible.
Hunter slashed Chris across his face and let him fall. He stared down at Chris calmly.
“At least Emily is useful. I can tell you’ll be a deadweight. You don’t even realize how much of a burden you are on her.”
“--op it…” he tried again, unable to fully speak anymore.
Chris swung his sword weakly at Hunter’s feet, unable to see very well. The blood from his forehead was now trickling down toward his eyes. He half closed them to keep the blood from getting in them.
“Know when you’re beaten, Spellcrafter.” Hunter said simply as he swung downward.
There was a loud sound of metal colliding. Penny was in front of him, shield raised, blocking the blow entirely.
“I think I should train him,” Penny walked closer to him, holding her ground. “That’s my decision.”
“He needs to learn the hard way, you know. After all, that’s how you learned, isn’t it?”
“That’s not what he needs, and I know...I think it’s best you go.” She said calmly as she lowered her arm.
He looked at Chris for a moment and then left, ignoring the crowd that they had attracted.
Penny knelt down to Chris, “You can hear me, right?” To Chris, her voice was muffled. “Hang on, okay? Your fast healing is struggling to keep up.”
The last thing Chris saw before he passed out was a girl in a white outfit and wizard hat, he did not get a good look at her. She had pink hair, and she had asked what happened. As everything went black Chris once again had a dream. This time, he saw fire everywhere, what looked like to be Penny lying face down on the ground, and two figures towering over them.
As he awoke, he shot up like a bullet, panting. Penny leapt back slightly in surprise, but stayed beside him. Realizing it was all a dream, he relaxed and laid on his back.
“Are you alright?” She asked. “I’m sorry I-- well I--” she seemed almost in a panic. “I didn’t know he would be so...rough. Do you feel better?”
“Yeah, but why did my fast healing not kick in?” he questioned.
“It failed, because you are not used to being so injured. The more you fight, the more your body will get used to fast healing. In fact, your body will start to use less mana when you heal, allowing you to do it more efficiently. So, one of two things happened...either you burned so much mana that you couldn’t even fast heal…or it couldn’t keep up and fell behind.” She hypothesized.
“You saved me then?” he asked. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome for saving you, but I can’t save anyone...at least not by healing them. At most, Death magic can heal minds and give a temporary boost, but I can’t heal you...You actually should thank Megan if you see her again.”
Chris took a deep breath and sat up again, “I guess I suck at fighting, right?”
“No, you’re new at it, but you’re fast. You surprised the heck out of him when you went straight for him. Off guard or not, he barely got away.” She smiled. “From now on I’m training you and we’ll start slow, and we won’t train here. I want to go somewhere more private where you can relax.”
“I didn’t feel fast…” He admitted, “I felt helpless…”
Penny looked at him silently, and quietly. What was she supposed to say after all? It was her fault that happened to him.
“Let me make it up to you.”
“You don’t have to...I think I just need time to...I dunno...think….” He said honestly as he got up and began to walk off.
“Wait! Won’t you get lost on your own?” Penny pleaded. “Wait…”
“I’ll be fine…” he said as he left the training area.
Chapter 7
Cold War
Chris wandered around the city aimlessly, his hands in his pockets. He just wanted space at the moment and he didn’t care to make Penny feel worse for just trying to help him. He felt he would only get in the way and that if he couldn’t even defend himself, he would die and possibly get other people killed in the process. He sat on a bench in front of a cafe, not knowing where he was, but wanting to sit and think.
How could he have fooled himself so easily? Gatchi was not trying to kill him or even injure him, only convince him to go with her or capture him. Victoria was the one she was trying to kill and they didn’t seem to be pulling punches. If nothing else, Hunter taught him that he was indeed being too cocky, and that it would get him killed...if that had been a real battle, he would have died, possibly getting Penny killed too.
He felt where the burn was-healed and gone. The scars were gone, the pain was gone, and his face was unscathed. He dropped his arms and laid back, looking up at the passing clouds. He began to ask himself what Penny meant by having trained in a similar way and not wanting him to go through it. After all, she seemed so calm all of the time...except that one time the day before when she seemed angry during the show at the dome. She seemed like a great fighter, and she was different from everyone else.
His thoughts were interrupted by a male voice, “Man, you look bummed out.”
The guy in front of him was wearing a brown collared shirt, dark blue jeans, and black sneakers. His short hair was seemed freshly cut. He had what appeared to be green eyes, he had slight facial hair developing but not much unless he didn’t want it to, and a slightly cocky smile.
“Yeah, man, I’m talking to you,” he laughed. “You look like you got dumped, or lost a bet, or beat up.” Chris sighed slightly.
“Oh okay, so it’s the last one again,” the male said again.
“Look what is it?” Chris asked, slightly irritated already.
“Oh nothing, just being a good person and checking up on you like I was told.” He admitted. “A girl with pink hair who is super bossy told me to check on you because she didn’t have time.”
“Pink hair?” Chris sat up. “Okay, so you know what happened?”
“Yup.”
“What was her name?”
“Megan Fairyhorn...She’s an Earthling, actually, from Japan...or what was Japan anyway.”
“I wanted to thank her...I almost died.”
“Nah, no one would have let you die. Trust me. At least not here...elsewhere, they might just check your wallets.”
“I know. I came from Earth too, but you knew that right? What’s your name anyway?”
The guy thought for a moment and then put one foot on the bench and smirked, “You may call me the Presage or Harbinger of Death!” he announced triumphantly.
“No.” Chris shook his head.
“Okay fine, then you can call me Ian...before you ask, no, I don’t have a last name. Orphaned since
I was born.” He said casually. “And I am here to assist you!”
“...Okay. That’s...different,” Chris tilted his head curiously. “I need to get back to Penny. She’s probably waiting at our dorm right now.”
Ian laughed and wrapped his arm around Chris, “Buddy, you are lucky to be alive. She didn’t even kill you.”
Chris made a slight face, “I mean she did punch me.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Penny was messed with pretty bad when she first came here...her sister too. They had to get used to it, but people warmed up to them and you know.”
“Why?” Chris questioned. “They aren’t different.”
Ian smiled a little. “Man, I forgot you’re from Earth, you’re new, and you know nothing...It’s really not my place to say. Penny will tell you if she wants. I will say I’m not a born Wizard.”
“What does that even mean?”
“A little of this. A little of that,” he said casually.
“Ian, seriously. Why are you being so difficult? I’m already confused.” Chris groaned, feeling irritated.
Ian’s smile dropped to an extremely serious expression. “Because I don’t want you to think less of her. She’s been through a lot and so has her sister...Actually, everyone has. It’s best not to ask, but remember this though, the Dreadful sisters are just normal girls. Don’t listen to any other crap people try to feed you, got me?”
“I don’t fully understand.”
“Just trust me and take my advice,” Chris could tell he was being very serious, and this was obviously important, so he agreed to take his advice.
Ian and Chris began walking back to Chris and Penny’s dorm room. He didn’t know the way, so Ian was taking him back. Ian explained that Penny would eventually tell him what he had neglected to, and that it would be wrong to tell him. It had to be her, because she was just that sensitive about it.
It was sometime in the afternoon by now. Chris wondered if Penny might be unhappy that he left so suddenly. He decided he needed to give his mind a break, after all he had been trying to wrap his head around everything that had occurred so far. Perhaps it was best to just go along with it.
“So, have you gotten your magic school yet?” Ian asked him as they walked along one of the many streets, cutting through the grass.
“I wasn’t even sure if I would get one. It’ll probably be something lame…” Chris laughed. “Like pulling stuff out of my hat.”
“What? No... There are multiple schools of magic broken up into subclasses. Elemental...Spiritual...Balance...even Void and Time. But, Void is rare. Time...is not for us. There’s an organization that manages time actually.”
“Are they on our side?”
“Well, I don’t know. I don’t think they pick a side. I guess they pick the side they deem to be right. They appear, they disappear. The come, they go.” Ian explained. “Even Megan doesn’t have much on them, but apparently the Headmaster knows a little.”
“Whoa wait, so they’re like the Illuminati?” Chris asked. “That’s scary.”
Ian chuckled and elbowed Chris, “They won’t hurt you if you’re a good person from what I hear. Only a few select people get to become one. I haven’t even seen one myself. They blend in. Anyone could be one. We just call them Timeturners. They have their own agenda.”
“Okay, okay, you’re making my head hurt. I’m already confused. Can you just explain why we are at war with the Sorcerers and leave it at that for today?” Chris pleaded. “I need some answers before my head explodes from all of this.”
“Autumn can explain,” he dodged.
“Why not you?” Chris persisted.
“She’s the headmaster’s granddaughter and she’s headmaster in training. So, she can give you a history lesson while I get some food.” He said casually as he walked off to the market area.
“I’ll be back for you.”
Chris folded his arms and watched him go, too tired to fight with him. He seemed nice at least. Autumn was nowhere to be seen and he did not know the way to the headmaster’s office.
“How am I supposed to find Autumn anyway?” he asked himself aloud. “Sure, find one person out of many. It's the girl that you met when you first came here, best of luck.”
“Yes?” Autumn’s voice came from beside him. Chris screamed slightly and stepped back. Autumn was now standing to his right looking at him. Unlike him, she was calm. She smiled. “You called?”
Autumn wore a red cloak and black boots, she also wore a red wizard hat, and a golden ring on her right arm. The Alliance symbol was on her back in a light blue color.
“Where did you come from?” Chris asked, completely startled.
“Did you not call for me?”
“Yes?” He managed. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!”
“Chris, if someone calls my name within the limits of the city, I can teleport to them at will. They only have to ask for me.”
“Oh, I get it...it’s like summoning you,” he was starting to calm down now.
“Essentially. I can choose whether I will come, but nine times out of ten I will if I’m not busy. You are new so I took a break from the library and left Emily to finish our work from yesterday.”
Chris made a motion with his hand to show he did not want to discuss Emily. He really didn’t want to talk about her or talk to her at this time. He still felt angry for her disappearing. She was the only family he had left that he knew of, and he felt he would talk to her when he was ready.
“Chris you can’t just ignore her. She really wants to talk to you. I get you’re angry but--” Autumn tried.
“How many books are even in the library anyway?” Chris dodged.
“Well…we call it a library but it's more of an archive. I would say somewhere around one hundred thousand books and almost a million other documents. If I was to include the files on students, I would never get it done. Luckily that’s not my job. That is the Headmaster’s...he wanted to do that personally.”
“Geez...bookworms much?”
“I am at least, yes,” she admitted with a smile. “So that’s probably the best gift you can give me...assuming I haven’t read it.”
“I’ll remember that then.”
Autumn regained her focus, remembering just why she came. “Oh right, so what is it?”
“I want to know why Wizards and Sorcerers hate each other.” He declared. “There’s a war, right?”
“There were multiple wars, Chris. We aren’t currently engaged in wartime.” She began.
“We’ve had a treaty for a while. The Sorcerers are doing everything in their power to provoke us into breaking it and declaring war. Thus, causing the neutral worlds to ally with them against us. I won’t deny that we have done the same, but we haven’t been so easily drawn into another war.”
Chris nodded to show he was still following, so she continued.
“Although we are not at war now, there are still conflicts like the one you saw. In the beginning, there was no magic. There are many explanations as to how we got it, all are legends. Only one is deemed as true as far as history is concerned, but we can never be sure.” She sat on a nearby bench and patted the seat. He sat beside her.
“Is this going to be a long story?” Chris asked. “My head is already spinning.”
“No. It’s fairly short. If anything, I’m giving you a head start in your history studies.” She answered.
“Mankind used to live on a completely different Earth-- by which I mean humans. The Earth you come from is not the original homeworld of human beings. That planet is now named Vexusis,” Chris’s eyes went wide as she said this.
“That planet has no civilization on it now, but your people used to be fairly advanced back then. At some point, they left due to the dinosaurs to search for a new home. Unfortunately, when they arrived, their technology was lost and they had to start over.”
“I thought the dinosaurs were extinct,” he pressed on.
“Your government isn�
��t very truthful, Chris.” she said. “Eventually, in medieval times, magic was discovered. For some reason, this new planet had magical properties and some individuals were given powers. The people back then believed that a magic fountain would give powers to the good of heart, and those that were not would be smote. As the story goes, one day a group of individuals drank from the fountain without the king’s permission and thus they gained dark powers. The king attempted to have them killed, however, they took over the kingdom and killed the king, leaving his son to find a way to defeat the Sorcerers. Against all odds he worked with the remaining Wizards, defeated the Sorcerers, and banished them into the Shadow Realm.”
“That explains the hate for each other...but then what happened?” Chris asked.
“I’m not done,” Autumn reminded him. “The man who reclaimed the kingdom for the Wizards then created the Timeturners, an organization devoted to protecting not only Earth, but the Universe. It is said that he began the organization by combining all of the magic types to form Time and vanishing along with his trustees into an unknown place in time and space. We don’t know much about them, but I met a Timeturner once.”
“Really? What were they like?”
“Well, I don’t know. I can’t fully remember.” She pondered for a moment and swung her feet. “He had blonde, short, shaggy hair, two golden daggers, a black and golden outfit with a dragon engraved on the back, and a super cocky attitude. I don’t even remember his name, honestly. I swear it's like they erase your memory.”
“I guess they aren’t really a secret organization. Ian made it sound like we should be afraid of them.”
“They only interfere to guide us along or prevent disasters. There might be one here right now. I wouldn’t know or worry about it,” Autumn look away to think. “You keep side tracking me.” She tapped her foot. “I forgot where I was...hold on…” she took a moment to try to remember. “Okay got it! So somehow the Sorcerers escaped the Shadow Realm that was locked and they laid claim to planets near a supermassive black hole...They were uninhabited so we didn’t worry about it much, but then they started forcing people off of their home planets claiming that the Shadow Realm was causing them to die. This was never proven, but we’ve looked into it.”
Spellcrafter-Delta Page 7
