Spellcrafter-Delta

by Christopher Kirkland

  “Good to see you, Miyato.” Autumn sounded relieved. “Don’t let him get away.”

  “Oh, trust me,” Miyato pulled back his hand that was sprouting out the wire to prevent Vedi from moving. “After what I saw him do to Victoria this bastard is going nowhere.”

  “You’re a lifesaver,” she replied.

  “No. I wish I was,” he glanced at Victoria. “Don’t call me that.”

  Vedi managed to free his sword and cut through the wire holding him in place. Miyato produced more wire with his Imagination magic and sent it after him again. Vedi sliced clean through it and continued to run. Chris tried to stand to give chase, but Autumn held his arm and told him it was too dangerous.

  “Miyato will handle Vedi,” she told him. “You stay with me. I’ll keep you safe. That’s my priority right now.”

  Chris turned his attention back to the Headmaster who had an extremely displeased scowl. Chaos removed his mask and smiled. He looked to be about thirty with graying black hair, brown eyes, and he had a scar across the right side of his face near his eye.

  “Brood, you couldn’t help yourself, could you?” The headmaster said nothing. “Not even for an old friend. Not even when you know our cause is just.”

  The headmaster looked up at him slightly. Chris could not see his whole face. His right of his eyes was being covered with his hat and the other of his red eyes showed fury. He stepped forward and raised his elbow to strike. Chaos raised his sword horizontally and blocked it, a shockwave came soon after. The headmaster began effortlessly blocking Chaos’s attacks and redirecting his fire back at him. All the while Autumn was continuing to shield him from harm, and Miyato was trying to restrain Vedi. The wire was digging into Vedi’s arm slightly and cutting him as he struggled. He pulled back hard in an attempt to bring him closer, but Vedi took his opportunity to throw a hidden dagger at him. Autumn quickly shielded Miyato and called out to him, to ask if he was alright.

  “I’m fine,” he turned back to where Vedi was. “He got away.”

  “It’s fine just get over here into my shield!” she urged. He made his way over and knelt down beside them.

  “It’s not fine. He killed two people. One was a mage,” his wires dissolved in his hand. “The headmaster can at least deal with Chaos.”

  “Since it’s a one on one, he can. They’re evenly matched and my grandfather knows Chaos very well,” Autumn reassured.

  Chaos slashed his sword hard and sent flames over the area. Autumn struggled to hold the barrier up, but she managed. The headmaster launched himself into the air and fired down water which removed the fire, and then froze it in an attempt to stop him. Chaos slammed down his sword which erupted fire to prevent himself from freezing. He shot a storm of fire at the headmaster who merely absorbed it into his hand. Chaos used his fire to cover the area in flames, once it cleared he was gone. The headmaster extinguished the flames once again and adjusted his hat. He said nothing, he looked at the children huddled together under the shield, and then the dead soldiers, Sorcerers, and students.

  “Well done, Autumn…” he said, Alliance planes flew overhead.

  The enemy bombers were gone and their remaining forces were in full retreat. A few more planes came into the atmosphere bearing golden Alliance symbols. They began dropping off troops and Wizards from other worlds.

  The headmaster extended his hand and healed Autumn’s injury. He let out a long sigh and lowered his head in frustration. Chris noticed that the whole time he had not spoken. To be fair what would be say? What would anyone say? This was horrible.

  “What happens now?” Chris asked.

  “Now I guess we clean this place up and work with the other worlds,” Miyato said. “War is completely unavoidable now.”

  Chris noticed something in the alley behind the headmaster. It was a girl. She had black hair, brown eyes, a red dress, and black shoes. She smiled at him before vanishing. She looked just like Victoria; his heart sank.

  “What? You look spooked.”

  “I just saw...I thought I saw Victoria,” Chris told them. “It looked just like her.”

  “What?” The headmaster turned quickly to see and began running in that direction.

  Chris looked over to where the Headmaster was standing and felt sick to his stomach at what he saw. Penny was standing there with little to no emotion on her face. She looked rather injured, but mostly okay. Tears were running down her face as she approached, “Chris? Is that Tori?” She managed, her voice shaking. “Is that my sister…?”

  Chapter 13

  Fantasy’s lie

  A large funeral was held on the outskirts of the city. There were about 1000 deaths on their side alone; some were civilians. They made sure every person had their own coffin. Victoria was buried in a separate area since she was a mage. Chris left purple flowers on her grave since she seemed to like that color, she always did wear it a lot. Ian left a gift that she had previously given to him, Autumn left a plaque commemorating that was she a mage, and Megan apologized that she was not there.

  The dead were put to rest and that was that. It didn’t stop the feelings of those in the city or those who had come only to help stop the attack, but it gave them some peace of mind. The only person who did not attend the burial was Penny. In fact, Penny had not said a word since she found out about Victoria's death. She didn’t talk to anyone, and he didn’t recall seeing her eat. She just stayed in the dorm under the covers laying there, occasionally getting up to go to the bathroom. He had to force her to at least drink, which she had done reluctantly and after a bit of arguing.

  In truth, Chris felt guilty. He couldn’t save Myra or Victoria. He blamed himself for it, and the simple fact that he had witnessed both stung even more. It felt like everything he had accomplished when he came here was for nothing. He trained, he fought, he got his partner, and he made friends only to watch the person who brought him here in the first place get struck down. He had given up hoping that he would wake up from this dream. He walked over to the nearby tree that casted a bit of shade over her grave, and sat down in its shadow. Ian sat with him.

  “You alright?” Ian asked.

  “Is it weird that I don’t know how to answer that?”

  “Nope.”

  “I just don’t know what to think. I feel sick,” he replied as he stared at the grave.

  “It’s normal. I get it...Want to talk about it?” he offered.

  “No, no... I uh don’t want to talk about it,” Chris replied. “But thanks.” He paused a moment and then looked at Ian. “I’ve just never seen someone die right in front of me before...Her blood was all over me...She told me to protect everyone and apologized for dying, but it was my fault.”

  “You can’t blame yourself. You’re still new, and anyone can die at any time. All you can do is keep fighting,” he admitted. “It’s a bittersweet deal that they kill us, but we don’t kill them. The moral high ground sucks sometimes I know.” He placed his hand on Chris back. “But think of it this way, because of you Autumn was able to find one of their generals and stop him from doing damage. On top of that she located their leader and the headmaster had time to come help.”

  “He’s right,” Megan assured him as she sat across from him. “You did really good.”

  “I guess.”

  “Is Penny okay?”

  “I don’t know she doesn’t want to talk to me...I think she blames me,” he told them. “Guys I don’t know I think she hates me.”

  “She doesn’t she’s just hurting. She’s not blaming you at all,” Megan told him.

  “Man... This really sucks,” Ian said quietly as he looked at them both.

  “I think we should get our minds off of this...After this let's go train. Maybe we can try to distract ourselves,” Megan offered.

  “Good idea…” Chris agreed reluctantly.

  He wasn’t sure how excited he was after all of this. In truth, he didn’t want to train. He really just wanted to forget everything that happened
. He looked over the people at the funeral. He noticed Emily.

  “I’ll be back,” he told his friends.

  Chris walked up beside Emily and looked at her for a moment and then at the grave.

  “Emily?”

  “Yes, little brother?” she answered quietly. She was holding Victoria’s orb in her hands; running her hands over its shape, perhaps for comfort.

  “Are you okay...?” he asked out of concern, stepping closer.

  “Of course,” she faked a smile, he could tell. “It’s just like her to leave without saying goodbye, but still thank you for this. I’ll probably keep it in my room.”

  “Emily…” he tried. She was walking away already. He debated going after her, but he figured she needed time like everyone else who had lost someone that night.

  Later that day, Chris was called into the Headmaster’s office. Autumn told him it was because of what he had seen and to ask him questions. The main room was red with brown lining along the walls, it wasn’t too particularly bright, and it was extremely organized. His desk was brown with the Alliance symbol on the front. He sat behind it. The hat he usually wore was hanging on the nearby coat hanger.

  “So, you saw Victoria?” he asked. “Even though we know for sure she died?”

  “Yes sir,” Chris replied with a nod.

  “Then that confirms my fears,” he placed his face into his hands. “That was a Shadow.”

  “A Shadow? I don’t get it.”

  “A Shadow is an inverse of yourself. Some things may be the same like looks or personality, but more often than not it’s like looking in a mirror,” he continued on. “They may walk, talk, and fight like you. They may be completely different and only share looks and name; however, they are extremely dangerous.”

  “So, I have one?”

  “Yes. I don’t know where it could be, but they come from the Shadow Realm. Everything in there is for the most part a mirror of the Light Realm which is our universe,” he explained. “If your Shadow kills you or is nearby upon your death, it will take your powers and begin to use your powers and its own.”

  “Can you kill your Shadow at least? Then--” Chris began.

  “No. If you kill your Shadow you will be erased from existence. No one will have any memory of you, and although the events in which you took part in will continue, no one will know who did them,” he warned. “I will have everyone I can go on the hunt for Victoria’s Shadow. She’s off world by now, but I can almost guarantee that she will not use her new powers to help us.”

  Chris shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The chair was extremely nice, but because he was so nervous he was hardly sitting back in it. This whole situation had him completely on edge. There was a darker version of Victoria somewhere out in the universe now, and that really didn’t sit right with him.

  “Also...I am sure you’ve noticed the rather strange happenings as of late?” Headmaster Brood asked Chris, a serious look in his eye. “The wolves, the alarms not going off, and now the local village may need our assistance,” he stood up and faced the wall. “I believe there is a traitor in the city.”

  “A traitor?”

  “Yes, I am all but certain. Don’t worry I don’t believe it is any of your friends, but we will do a full investigation. I’m having the Life teacher check the alarms and the wolves for any signs of who it may be,” he turned back to Chris. “You may go. Times are hard, but we will heal. Protect your partner. I can tell she’s not doing well.”

  “Yes sir,” Chris replied, taking his leave.

  The headmaster recommended that he see a grief counselor, but Chris insisted that he was okay. He had told Megan and Ian that he did not want to train, and that he would another day. Penny needed him, and he felt responsible for the way she was. If he had been better, Victoria would still be alive.

  As he made his way through the battle-scarred town he saw reconstruction taking place. Most all of the buildings had been repaired (minus the guard station that was in shambles.) He was trying to avoid going near the part of town where it had all happened. What reason had he to want to go toward it? That street held so much sorrow.

  Chris arrived back at the dorm and knocked. No answer.

  “Penny?” he asked. “Are you in there?” There was movement from within, but no answer. “I’m coming in okay?” he said as he turned the knob and entered.

  The room was dark and lonely. It was rather cool and although he couldn’t see much, he could make out Penny’s figure. He turned on the lamp on the nightstand between their beds and sat on his own, focusing his eyes on her.

  “Penny?” he began. “I’m really sorry…”

  “It wasn’t your fault. It was bound to happen…” she replied emotionlessly.

  “I know but I could have… something… anything,” Chris struggled to find the right words as he continued on. His voice was thick with resentment as he clenched his fist in attempt to calm himself.

  “Chris...Please...It’s alright. I’m fine.”

  “Fine? This isn’t fine though. This is--”

  “Chris…”

  “Yes?”

  “Please? I don’t want to talk about it anymore…” she mumbled from under the covers.

  “But...I’m worried about--”

  “Chris,” she snapped back. “Stop. This is why I didn’t want a partner! I’m fine on my own, just leave me alone,” she yelled. Chris saw her fingers curl into fists. In a small but fierce voice, she hissed, “I don’t need you okay?”

  “...Sorry…” he answered, somewhat hurt.

  “Just...talk to your sister. You never know when you will lose her like I did mine. You’re mad at her, but once someone is gone they are gone,” he saw her shift, she must have turned the opposite way. “Just...Please leave me alone. I don’t want to eat and I don’t care to do anything else right now. That’s all I need-- To be alone.”

  “Okay,” he turned out the light and headed out of the room, leaving her to be alone as she wished.

  Her words stung but she was right. He had been avoiding Emily and ignoring her. Victoria had died and her and Penny were very close. He needed to fix things with his sister. He had a feeling he knew where she was, but she would be busy helping repair the city. So, he waited for night to come and headed out to find her. She was probably back at the new cemetery where Victoria was buried. He was afraid to try to speak to her, but he knew he wanted to. It had to be done before something bad happened.

  It took him a while to get there, but Emily was in fact in the cemetery. The sun was starting to set by now and she was just out there alone. She wore a long black dress. She usually wore bright colors, but not at this time. She was holding purple flowers close to her heart and she wasn’t really moving. He figured she was still saying goodbye.

  He came over to where she was and sat beside her. He didn’t say a word. He would wait for her to speak first. If she wanted to talk to him she would, and if she didn’t he would try again another day. Chris knew Emily had lost more people than he had so she deserved time to mourn. Even still he couldn’t just leave her, and Victoria was someone she loved.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey,” Chris replied softly.

  “What got you to come out here? I thought you would be with Penny,” she admitted. She seemed to be sobbing slightly, but he couldn’t tell because her hair was covering her face.

  “I was, but I came to find you. I wanted to say-- I’m sorry,” Chris told her. “For being an insensitive jerk. I mean this is hard for you too and I know you were excited to see me--”

  “I wasn’t mad. I just want to be a family again, Chris,” she admitted. “I didn’t care if you hated me for life if it meant you were safe and alive and happy to some degree,” Emily wiped her eyes and sniffled. “If I could see you...That was enough. I wanted to be a family again.”

  “I’m sorry…”

  “Don’t apologize for my mistake...I wish I could have taken you with me, but it was too dangerous...It was my de
cision to leave you…”

  “Why?” Chris questioned. Emily glanced at him for a moment. She said nothing as she returned her attention to Victoria’s grave. He understood now. “Because...You were afraid I would die?”

  Emily nodded and took a long breath before releasing it again, “You don’t have to force yourself to talk to me.”

  “I’m not...I wanted to. I just didn’t know how. It’s been a while along with this,” he used his Ice magic to craft a snowball in his hand and threw it backwards.

  “Yeah...abracadabra…” Chris said quietly.

  He paused a moment to think of a way to make her feel better. He thought of as many past memories as he could to help her. Which one would help her the most? He really wasn’t sure, but he had to try something. Chris was probably the best one to do this.

  “Speaking of magic do you remember when you always tried to trick me into thinking you made things disappear?” he asked her.

  “That was so lame.”

  “Nah... It was funny.”

  “Really?”

  “Watching you struggle.”

  “Brat,” she laughed as she pushed him slightly with her elbow. “God, I remember when you used to steal my stuff too!”

  “Hey, I was helping you,” he said jokingly.

  “Okay, whatever. I had so many dates lined up and going out with friends--”

  “And I helped you catch up on your favorite shows and focus on your little brother,” he finished for her. She returned her attention back to Victoria’s grave.

  “I don’t know if this is weird for me to ask as your sister--” she began. “But do you think she thought of me before she died? Or maybe she’s in a better place...I mean I honestly don’t know if there is a heaven, but I hope so...She’d go there. And be all goody-two-shoes there too…” she was crying silently, but he could hear it in her voice.

  “She did...She told me to protect you and everyone else and that she loved you,” he explained. “She really did love you.”

  “Yeah…”

  They sat in silence for a moment. Her weeping continued for a few minutes before she was too exhausted to cry anymore. Emily had never really cried in front of him. She usually tried to stay positive, and in control of her emotions. She never hid how she felt, but she never let herself get out of hand.