We argued and fought on who would wear,
The crown since it created such a scare.
However, Roland stepped forward and sent the beasts back inside,
But had his soul destroyed in the process, and we all cried.
Yet the task was done and Magia was saved.
But we wondered if the darkness was engraved
In the future of Magia, so we saw,
That Roland’s plan did have a flaw.
Should the Black Crown be worn once more,
The monsters will come out through the opened door.
If we let that happen, up couldn’t be told apart from down,
So with all of our power, we had to destroy the crown.
However, even though we tried with all our might,
We couldn’t destroy it, something wasn’t right.
It took long before we learned, the crown was enchanted,
We hoped we would succeed, but our wish wasn’t granted.
Since destroying the crown was out of our power,
We would leave it unbroken until the right hour.
The Black Crown will be separated into several parts.
These will be hidden, unfound even after our life departs.
Until the time is right once more,
The only ones who could find it will be the four.
Four with the mark of the crow,
Four who will have to undergo
Through fire and snow.
Through life and death,
Even if they’re at their last breath.
The four will save us all.
They will be evil’s downfall.”
“That was a lot of rhymes,” Vanessa observed. “What happened next?”
“Then, they split the crown into five pieces and hid them,” Mr. Hale explained, “Since then Magia has had peace and was never again bothered by monsters.”
“I don’t get it, what does Magia’s history have to do with us? I thought you were going to tell us the reason for sending us to Earth and bringing us back here right now,” David asked, confused.
“I know this may sound unbelievable to you, but you have to understand when I tell you this. Even we were surprised when we found out. At such a young age…” Mr. Hale said.
“What! Tell us,” Olivia now demanded, her excitement and curiosity rising rapidly.
“You four are The Four, the four from the prophecy. The four with the mark of the crow.”
The four didn’t know how to react to what they were told. The news was as shocking as when they were told that they were magian. So many emotions circulated around their heads. Too many, that all of them fainted.
When they all regained their consciousness and Hale helped them up, they still couldn’t believe what they were told.
“What do you mean we’re the four? It can’t be possible! It was already unbelievable enough that we’re magian, and now we are some sort of legendary saviors.” Vanessa expressed all of the four’s feelings.
“Yeah, how can it be us? We are still kids,” David remarked.
“I know by now, that this is the most shocking thing that I have ever told you. You are still very young, and we expected the four to be well, older. But we know for sure that you are the four,” Mr. Hale answered.
“How?” Olivia doubted.
Mr. Hale responded, “You were all born on April 17, 6785. You were told by your stepparents that you were born in 2008, but as you all know…”
“Time is different on other planets,” Eric answered him.
“Precisely,” Hale spoke. “Anyways, don’t you think it’s strange that you all share the same birthday?”
“Well I guess, but that’s just a coincidence,” David assumed.
Mr. Hale smiled. “How about the fact that you each have a crow-shaped birthmark on you right hands?”
“So what?” Eric asked.
“You each have the mark of the crow,” Mr. Hale answered.
“There has to be a reasonable explanation for all of this,” decided Vanessa.
“There is,” Mr. Hale started speaking. “You are the four, don’t you see? You were all not only born on the same day, but the exact same second; I should know, I was there. You all have the mark of the crow, and ever since you four came back to Magia, strange things have been happening.”
“What strange things? And who were those three men?” Vanessa questioned.
“Before this year, we didn’t even care about the whereabouts of the crown pieces. However, when we dangerously neared Fractus Month which comes in a couple of years, we grew worried. We were scared that the prophecy would break and the crown would be found by someone else. Someone with dark intentions to bring back the dark beasts and set havoc on our world. Should the Second Shadow War happen, the magian race won’t survive this time. Not without some unfortunate soul being destroyed. We refuse to let that happen on our watch. So we at A.S.H. had to take action and collect you from Earth early. We put you on Earth in the first place because…”
“Because why?” Vanessa interrupted.
“Some terrorists had received information and found out that you were the four. You weren’t safe in Magia anymore, so we found some pleasant mortal families for you. Your former adoptive parents happily took you in because they had always wanted children. Unfortunately, we did have to take the memories of them, and every other magian who knew you, to keep them safe from harm. We now know that the three men attacking the restaurant are the same terrorists who endangered you before we sent you to Earth. We have had suspicions that they have been following us, following you. Now we know that they are after you, we have to limit where we go,” Mr. Hale explained.
“So we really are the four,” Eric said.
“What do those three men want from us?” David queried.
“Isn’t it obvious? They want to find the crown,” Vanessa said.
“But why? Mr. Hale just said that in order for someone to use the crown, they would have their soul destroyed! Only a fool would go looking for something like that,” Olivia said.
“You are absolutely right, Vanessa, they do want the crown,” Mr. Hale spoke. “You are also correct, Olivia, except for one factor. You would be a fool to look for the crown, however, there are rumors going around that A.S.H. has been lying to Magia about our history. They say that the crown doesn’t destroy your soul, but gives you infinite powers. Powers that allow you to do anything. Powers far stronger than the ones magians have. Rubbish! The three men are just ignorant fools who believe a blatant lie. Because of their foolishness, they are endangering our entire world! The crown doesn’t give power! Besides their stupidity, they are also heartless. They would hurt children, just for their own selfish needs! Now I can’t lie to you, you are all in danger. The three men may be fools, but they are homicidal terrorists. They won’t stop hunting you until they get what they want. I am a fool myself for thinking I could protect you from the past. I was wrong.”
“So that’s everything. We are the four, four destined to find parts of a crown. A crown which has the power to release monsters that can destroy the world, and we are being hunted by three terrorists because they believe a lie,” Vanessa recapped.
Mr. Hale nodded.
Olivia uttered, “Wait, there’s something you haven’t told us yet. What happened to our biological parents?”
“Some questions are better left unanswered,” Mr. Hale spoke with a hint of sadness.
The four decided not to keep asking him about it. They saw that something greatly bothered him. However, they all still deeply wanted to know what happened to their real parents.
“Any more questions?”
“Only one,” David responded. “Why crows?”
“What do you mean?” Hale asked.
“I mean why crows?
Why is the mark we have a crow? Why are crows so respected even though they have no apparent magical powers? They seem no different from the ones on Earth,” David questioned.
Mr. Hale smiled. “The real reason crows are so respected is because they are the symbol of magic. Whenever something world-changing happens in Magia, crows are involved. There have been many countless times this happened, such as when a crow led Tom Vesper to the Corvo Roses. Crows may not seem different than the ones on Earth, and maybe they aren’t. However, whereas mortals see crows as trivial birds, we see them as magical beings. Sometimes, in order for something to change, all we have to do is look at it in a different way.”
The four nodded. That day, so much had happened. Even though they were told so much, they felt that they still knew very little.
Chapter Twenty-Six
A Victory For The Wrong Side
In the obscure building, the three men were all laughing.
“We showed them! We are a real threat!” Amos cackled sadistically.
“We did, didn’t we?” the leader spoke,“But now we have to get serious. That last attack was just to spread fear. We were reckless. Normally, I would assume that by now that we’re on every wanted poster in the city and the agency is looking for us. From now on, all three of us are on the lam.”
“I love the celebrity treatment! We’re famous!”Amos smirked.
“Not quite, Amos. The agency doesn’t want the public to know our true intentions. They have told no one about the four or the crown. To the citizens of the world, the three of us are just another ordinary terrorist group,” the leader explained.
“Who does A.S.H. think they’re helping by not telling anyone about the crown? It’s not like they can hide it forever. They are just fooling themselves if they think that the public not knowing anything would help them,” said Terrence.
“I would suppose the reason the agency is doing this is to make sure no one else would join us. They don’t want anymore terrorists to help us look for the crown. However, it’s not like we want anyone to help us. We work alone,” the leader answered.
“What do we do now, boss?” Terence asked.
“Now we keep a low cover until our next attack, which will be at the agency itself,” the leader responded
“When will it be, boss?” Amos queried very excitedly.
The leader laughed. “Soon, very soon.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Training
In Mr. Hale’s living room, the four and Hale were sitting down on the couch quietly. The four were still in shock from what they had been told just minutes ago.
Finally, Mr. Hale broke the silence. “It’s fascinating isn’t it, how fast your life changes? One moment you are innocent, but don’t know much. And then the next you learn more information, but…”
“You find out that you’re in danger and are vital to something which determines the fate of your entire world,” Vanessa interrupted.
Mr. Hale spoke, “I know that what I told you was very sudden. I wanted to slowly prepare for the information. However, when that attack happened, it seemed foolish not tell you. I cannot lie to you, you four are in danger.”
“Don’t remind us,” Olivia spoke, scared. “I still can’t believe that we are being hunted by three terrorists to help them find the crown.”
“The terrorists are going to use you for the crown. If we just do nothing, the three men will capture you and force you to bring them the crown. Once this happens, our world as we know it, will end. However, A.S.H. won’t let that happen. Fractus Month is nearing in a couple of years. Before that happens, we must destroy the crown. So the agency brought you back here. You were still young, but time was running out. We needed to find the crown,” Hale said.
Olivia figured out what Mr. Hale was trying to declare, “Are you saying that…”
“Yes,” Mr. Hale answered. “You four will have to go on some missions. Like I said, I can’t lie to you, these missions will be hazardous and unpredictable. However, you will be accompanied by A.S.H.’s superlative agents and myself.”
“You can’t be serious! How can we go on missions to find the crown? We don’t know where the crown is, we hardly know any magic, we aren’t even teenagers yet! You haven’t prepared us for these missions, and do you even know how to destroy the crown when you find it?” Olivia snarled, trying to cover her fear with annoyance.
“I know that it seems hopeless,” Mr. Hale admitted. “But you don’t realize what’s been happening these past few months. Before you came to Magia, we barely knew anything about the crown and we weren’t getting any more information on it either. However, now we’ve slowly been learning more and more about the crown. It’s like as soon as you came to Magia, someone flipped a switch on destiny. It won’t be long before we find out where the crown is. As for preparing you for the missions, it may not seem like I have done much, but in reality I’ve tried to prepare you every chance I’ve gotten. The reason I took you to the magic factory was because I wanted you to learn how technology was powered here. This will be vital to the missions because you will be using lots of technology and, in order for you to use it, you first need to understand how they are able to function. The reason I took you to the zoo was because I wanted to make you familiar with Magia’s creatures. After all, you will be encountering many strange animals in these missions. The real reason I let you venture off into Crow City by yourself is to make you four familiar with the city which is home to A.S.H.’s Headquarters. Finally, I have been slowly teaching you magic, magic which will help you succeed in these missions.”
“Why do we have to look for every piece of the crown?” David questioned. “Why can’t we just go on a mission to find one piece and then destroy that piece? That way we won’t have to constantly put ourselves in danger and make sure that the crown can’t be fixed.”
“Unfortunately, while I had hoped that would be the case,” Mr. Hale spoke, “something which we have learnt so far is that, just as the crown can only be used if all pieces are combined, it can also only be destroyed with all of the pieces together. It’s part of the enchantment that protects it.”
“What do we do now?” Vanessa asked, “What do we do before the agency finds out where the pieces are hidden?”
“I properly train you,” Mr. Hale answered. “Up until now, I’ve only taught you magic which everyone knows. However, in order for you to succeed in these missions, you will also have to learn other magic. Magic which all agents of A.S.H. are required to learn.”
“What type of magic?” Olivia inquired.
“The main thing is how to create weapons out of nothing and how to use them. This would protect you, should you be attacked,” Mr. Hale said.
“Woah,” Vanessa said.
“We start your training tomorrow. Get some rest,” Mr. Hale announced.
The four were always excited whenever they heard that they would have a magic lesson. But this time it was different. It wasn’t just a lesson, it was a training session. A training session that would help the four embark upon their missions. This time, it was serious.
To the four it felt like an eternity before the lesson finally came. None of them could sleep at all the night before, mostly because they were all thinking of the crown. None of them were ready yet for the missions, but all knew that they were inevitable.
Once everyone was in the room, Mr. Hale spoke, “Today I will teach you how to conjure a weapon. Specifically, a sword.”
“A sword? That’s cool,” Vanessa commented.
“It is, isn’t it? But it will also serve as protection. However, I must warn you, creating a weapon is much more tiring than creating a normal object. You have to focus and move your hands in the shape of the weapon, however in order for you to make it sharper, you have to point your fingers,” Mr. Hale explained.
The four nodded. They all performed the correc
t hand movements and slowly created four swords. While it was very tiring, they had gotten used to it. Before long, the swords were finished. They were made of metal and had plain handles.
“What good would these do to protect us when someone could just use magic? Besides, we don’t even know swordplay,” Olivia inquired, perplexed.
“I will teach you how to use them, but first, you need to learn how to give the swords magical powers,” Mr. Hale said.
“Sword with magical powers? Now that’s even cooler,” Vanessa remarked.
“However, the swords you have created right now are permanent. This is because they are ordinary and aren’t enchanted to do anything. Like I’ve taught you before, magians can create objects, however, we can’t create objects with their own magic powers.”
“Then how do some items here have magical powers of their own? How did Oliver Roland create a magical crown?” Olivia questioned.
“Roland created the crown out of some natural magical materials. Not completely out of his own soul magic,” Mr. Hale spoke. “Anyways, now I want you to create a sword with magical powers, but, like I said, since it has magical powers, it will only be temporary. What you do is create a sword, but don’t let go of it. Now imagine the sword performing some magic and the sword will do so. The sword will only stay magical for as long as you focus, once you lose focus, it will not only lose its magical powers, but it will also cease to exist.”
“What do we make the sword do?” Olivia queried.
“For now, I just want you to create a small blast, like the ones some of you did when battling a practice dummy in our last magic lesson,” Hale responded.
“How do we know if our sword can perform magic before we actually make it do things?” asked Vanessa.
“Trust me, you will know.”
The four started to create another sword each. Once they finished, they all imagined their swords shooting magical blasts. To their surprise, each of their swords started to glow. Immediately, they changed from a metallic grey, to a transparent blue which shone very brightly and lit up the entire room. They truly looked like they were made completely out of magic. Suddenly, each sword shot out a bright blue blast from their blades.
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