Crow

by Vishnu Pinnaka

  “Thank you, Vanessa,” Wanda spoke. “Now would Mr. David Gonzales please come forward?”

  David stepped forward and took a deep breath. Everyone else had done great, and he knew that he could too.

  “Please make the carpet disappear,” Wanda asked.

  David nodded and made the carpet vanish with ease.

  “Very good,” Wanda said taking down notes. “Now please make it reappear.”

  David did as he was told and the carpet came back.

  “Thank you,” Wanda said. “Please create a purple cushion now.”

  David spun his hands and created the pillow.

  “Good,” Wanda uttered. “Now finally, we will begin the last duel.”

  Wanda created a final dummy. It pulled out its sword like the others and David pulled out his. They both began to fence. The clashing blades created a very loud sound. Whenever the dummy swung its sword at David, he blocked it and then did the same to the dummy. He tried to grasp the handle and balance the blade. Sometimes it was very hard with the dummy swinging its sword. David soon had enough and swung his sword so fast that it knocked the dummy’s out of its hand like Eric did. He then imagined a blue blast coming out his sword and hitting the dummy. It wasn’t long before it happened. A lethal blue blast came out of David’s sword and hit dummy. It fell over and didn’t get back up.

  “Thank you,” Wanda said. “I’ve taken down the results and I have got say, I’m impressed with all of you. Preston, you have done an excellent job of training the children. All four of you have passed with flying colors. You are now ready to get your mirorvators. Preston, take the children to the Technology and Science section where Skylar will be waiting for you.”

  “Yes, Wanda,” answered Hale. “However, there is something else.”

  “What, Preston?” Benjamin questioned.

  “Eric here has been having a dream,” Mr. Hale said and pointed at Eric. “It’s a recurring dream which Eric has been having every night now. He also can’t dream because of the health circumstances he has which makes the case even stranger. All of these factors prove that dream needs to be investigated, today.”

  “Of course, Preston,” Benjamin spoke. “Wanda and I will meet you at The Dream Room.”

  Mr. Hale nodded and led the children out. He led them to the main room and they all walked into the elevator. Mr. Hale pressed the button which sent the elevator to the bottommost floor. “We keep all the technology very low.”

  Once everyone got out, Mr. Hale led the four to a Hover-X-Velocity. “Let’s use a Hover-X-Velocity, the Technology and Science section is kept safe away from the main room.”

  After everyone got in, Mr. Hale drove forward. The drive was much longer than the one the four took when they first came to the agency. Finally, Mr. Hale stopped in a room where multiple other Hover-X-Velocities were parked. Once everyone got out, he led them to the next room.

  The four gasped once they saw the Technology and Science section. It was a very large laboratory, almost as stately as the main room. The walls were white, and the ceiling was made completely out of glass which allowed you to see the rocks beneath Crow City. There were multiple small elevators leading to each floor. Along with that, many elevators also led to wide platforms covered with a glass dome. On these rostrum were scientists studying technology. The entire room was filled with technology and gadgets. The whole place looked very technological.

  “This place has the most electronics I have ever seen in my life,” Vanessa said admiring it.

  All of the four were very fascinated and astonished.

  Suddenly, a tall young woman with blonde locks walked forwards.

  “Hello there, Preston, and you must be the children. I am so glad to finally meet you at last! I’m Skylar Carson,” she said kindly and shook each of the four’s hands.

  The four liked her.

  “Wait a minute, are you somehow related to Carson’s Search Department?” Olivia asked.

  Skylar laughed. “Yes! It’s owned by my little brother. How did you know?”

  “Eric and I visited Everett Wintergreen’s ice cream factory,” Olivia spoke. “He had a little crisis then and his factory was being searched by your brother’s company.”

  “Everett and I go way back,” Skylar spoke. “I have never seen my brother do his work, is he good?”

  Olivia and Eric decided that, sometimes, a lie should replace the truth. They both nodded yes.

  “That’s good to hear. Anyways, I assume that the children passed their test?” Skylar asked.

  “Yes,” Mr. Hale answered.

  “Very good! I always knew you children could do it from what Preston has told me. Now it’s time for you to get your mirorvators, more commonly known as MVs,” Skylar said as she led the children to a small set of glass stairs which led to an area.

  As the four climbed the steps to the area, they saw that there were many rows of stands. On each stand was an MV.

  “Preston probably told you the basics of a mirorvator,” Skylar spoke. “MVs may look like smart watches, but they are much more complex. Since you four have traveled to Magia, you know that MVs can transport you anywhere you want to go. You can use a mirorvator to leave headquarters, but you can’t use one to enter it. This is in case an agent loses an MV during a mission, we have to make sure a terrorist doesn’t find it and use it to infiltrate headquarters. Mirorvators can also store weapons inside of them. They are able to store anything inside of them actually. This gives you an extensive inventory. However, unlike a Captionem Crystal, there is a limit on the amount of things which you can store in it. We are working on making the storage space in these MVs more voluminous. Another thing mirorvators can do is determine what something is if you press a button. Once you press the button, the MV will scan the object and tell you what it is, where its from, and what it can do. MVs can determine plants, people, non-living things, and anything else you could think of. Mirorvators are updated with any new information A.S.H. learns. This gives each MV a large database and they can answer almost all questions you have, as long as the agency has the answer. Researchers are constantly finding out more information, so the mirorvators are updated almost all the time! There are many more things that an MV can do, but these are just to name a few to save time.”

  “That is so impressive!” Olivia commented.

  “Thanks!” Skylar smiled. “These are the newest models, which I helped design. Anyways, we are here to pick out four for you. These will help you in your missions.”

  She then walked toward the stands. She touched her own mirorvator and pressed a button. Suddenly, four stands started to glow green.

  “This is extra added security,” Skylar explained. “A couple of weeks ago, we found that some MVs were stolen. So we enchanted all of the stands so that no one can pick them up, unless they press a button on their own mirorvators. The stands which glow green are the ones with the mirorvators which you can pick up.” She picked up the MVs from the four stands and headed back to the children.

  “These are for you,” she said as she handed one to each of the four. “I want you to try them out. First, can each of you use your mirorvators to teleport from your current location. All you have to do is click the travel button and press distance. After you do that, type how many feet you want to move and in which direction. I want you to move five feet north.”

  The four nodded. It took quite some time before they figured out how to project the holographic buttons. It took even more time to locate the travel button amongst the many others. However, they all soon found it and typed 5ft north in the distance space. Suddenly, lots of purple light came out of their mirorvators and each of them vanished. They all later reappeared, five feet ahead of where they used to be. They all also realized something. When they first traveled by MV with the agents, the sensation was horrible. But now, they felt fine. They deduced it was
probably because they weren’t traveling with someone else using the same mirorvator.

  “Very good,” Skylar said. “I believe that we are finished! You now officially have your MVs and I will register you in the database as permitted to own one.”

  “Thank you, Skylar,” Mr. Hale spoke. “However, there is something else.”

  “What?” Skylar asked with a now serious expression.

  “Eric has been having a dream which should be impossible since he has a condition which doesn’t even allow him to have dreams! Eric keeps having this dream every night for the last couple weeks. It definitely means something and we intend to find out in the Dream Room. Can you join us?” Mr. Hale asked.

  “Of course,” Skylar answered. “Lead the way.”

  Mr. Hale led the group out of the Technology and Science section and to the main room. They then boarded a Hover-X-Velocity which Hale drove very far away. He finally stopped in front of a lonely corridor. After everyone got off, he led them through the corridor and finally into another room.

  The Dream Room looked much more eccentric than any other room the four had seen in A.S.H.’s headquarters. In the middle of the room was a small chair. At one wall was the largest black screen the four had seen before. Next to the screen was a section separated from the area with the screen and chair using a wall made of glass. Behind the wall was a table with some screens.

  “This is the Dream Room,” Mr. Hale spoke. “Whenever a citizen has a recurring dream which they can’t explain, they come to City Hall. There, a few agents bring them here to find out what their dream means. Usually, the dream means something normal, such as reminding a person to diet or pay their rent. However, there are times when the dream means something serious. In Eric’s case, I believe it’s a serious dream. Once someone finds out what their dream means, they are taken back to City Hall, and their memories of A.S.H. Headquarters are erased. The way this Dream Room works is that the person with the dream sits down in that chair. The chair has the power to read the person’s dream and the dream will be projected onto the screen allowing us all to see. Slowly the screen will reveal what the dream means. Never has the Dream Room not been able to decode a dream.”

  “So this room will tell me what my dream means?” Eric asked.

  “Yes,” Mr. Hale responded.

  Suddenly, Wanda and Benjamin walked in.

  “I see you’ve already arrived here, Preston,” Benjamin said. “Hello Skylar.”

  “Hi Benjamin, the children have got their MVs,” Skylar replied.

  “Good,” Wanda spoke. “Now let’s began the process. Eric, you will go sit in the chair. Meanwhile, the rest of us will operate the room behind the glass.”

  Eric nodded and walked towards the chair, everyone else went behind the glass wall.

  Wanda and Benjamin pressed a button which turned on the room. The main lights were turned off and multiple smaller ones were lit up. The chair was now glowing and Eric sat down.

  All of a sudden, Eric felt a ticklish sensation inside of his brain. Then something happened inside of his head, he could now clearly see his dream. It was like a hand went into his head and pulled out the dream from his memory. Eric wasn’t the only one who could see this, everyone else could see it too. It was being projected onto the screen. Suddenly, a voice started speaking:

  A crown of wonder magically split.

  Hidden in eclectic places, barely lit.

  The first piece hidden in the Soulscape with death.

  The second in the Aquadeaux where you take a deep breath.

  The third in the crimson realm of flames and fire.

  The fourth in the glacial world where the cold is dire.

  “This dream is telling us where the crown pieces are,” Benjamin said excitedly to Wanda.

  “Yes, it is! This is what the prophecy must have meant when the four would help us find the crown, all we have to do now is go to these locations, find the crown, and come back to destroy it,” Wanda uttered.

  “Quiet everyone, the dream is going to tell us where the final crown piece is,” whispered Hale.

  On the screen, the last part of the dream appeared. The dream version of Eric came into view.

  The adults gasped anxiously. The four where also very jumpy. They wanted to know where the final crown piece was. However, before the room could reveal what happened, something went wrong with the room. It kept speaking:

  The last piece hidden… hidden

  “What’s wrong with the room?” asked Olivia.

  “I don’t know,” Benjamin answered.

  “The Dream Room hasn’t malfunctioned ever,” Skylar said, confounded. “This is the only dream that has ever managed to break it. It must be because of how serious and powerful it is.”

  “We are so close to knowing where the final piece of the crown is,” Hale said getting more and more anxious.

  The room kept on speaking, but its voice became distorted. It was clear that something was very wrong with it.

  The… last… hidden… piece….

  Hidden

  Hidden

  Lost

  The screen and chair then exploded. A small fire was created. Eric immediately got out of the chair and ran behind the glass wall to join everyone else. The adults took action and used their magic to put out the fire. Once all of the chaos was over, everyone relaxed.

  “This was the first time the Dream Room couldn’t decode a dream,” said Skylar.

  “At least we know where most of the crown pieces are,” Mr. Hale uttered optimistically.

  “So do we,” a very sinister voice said and laughed.

  Chapter Thirty

  A Skirmish At Headquarters

  “Surprised to see us?” the leader of the three men taunted.

  “You again,” Mr. Hale said angrily.

  “Is that any way to talk to your guests?” the leader sadistically said. “How very rude. You really need to learn some manners.”

  “How did you get in?” Benjamin demanded.

  “Well, let’s just say, when you closed the front door,” the leader spoke, “someone left that back door open for us.”

  “It doesn’t matter how you got in,” uttered Wanda. “Who are you?”

  The three men merely continued to laugh.

  “Answer the question,” Mr. Hale said furiously. “Who… are… you…?”

  The three men stopped laughing and the leader spoke, “I am Sylvester Esoterik, leader of the Dark League.”

  “So you’re called the Dark League,” Skylar said. “That’s what we’ll call you when the public knows about your arrest.”

  “Arrest,” the leader taunted. “You really think we want to stay here? We just came to find out where the crown is. Now that we know, we have no pleasure staying here. However, who doesn’t like some, fun, here and now?”

  All three of them laughed sadistically.

  Mr. Hale stepped in front of the four protectively.

  “I won’t let you hurt them,” he said.

  The men didn’t stop laughing.

  All of the four were scared, but Olivia was terrified. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was much more scared than the others.

  Suddenly, she felt something strange. She felt as if someone was pulling her back. She looked behind her and saw something which horrified her. A long, sickly arm cloaked in black really was pulling her! The hand was coming out of a black tear. She couldn’t explain it, but it was a rip. A rip in reality. Olivia wanted to scream, but she couldn’t. She tried to shout for help, but before the words could come out of her mouth, the hand pulled her into the rip.

  When she opened her eyes, she wanted to scream even louder. She was no longer in Magia, but in the most horrifying place she had ever seen. The sky was a dark purple, the ground was black, and there were barely any trees. It was
just a plain. At the edge of the plain was a very large manor. It looked ancient. The manor had black walls, and the black roof tiles were falling off. The entrance was a set of scratched doors which could be accessed by a faulty staircase. The manor was made up of many towers, spires, and rooms marked by broken windows. The garden seemed untended for years. Vines creeped onto the entrance staircase and many mushrooms and shrubs littered the yard.

  Olivia couldn’t stand to stay near that manor any longer, so she ran. She kept running away from the manor and didn’t stop even when her legs got tired. As she ran, she grew more and more scared. Soon she couldn’t even stand to look at the place, so she covered her eyes with her hands as she ran.

  Finally, after she couldn’t run anymore, she stopped and opened her eyes. What she saw was very strange. There was nothing. Nothing was the simplest way to put it. There was nothing, but black. There was no sky, no ground, no trees or anything. It was just an infinite expanse of emptiness.

  “W-w-where am I?” she asked herself.

  “Where you should be,” answered a hair-raising voice.

  Olivia turned around to see who it was. Her fear was rising, but she desperately wanted to know who had been tormenting her.

  Suddenly, somebody walked towards her. As Olivia looked closer, she finally saw who it was. It was a tall man dressed completely in black. He was still too far away and it was too dark for Olivia to see his face. Finally, he came close enough and Olivia was shocked once she truly saw him. He had a ghostly pale face and purple hair. His sinister eyes were also purple. However, that wasn’t even the strangest thing about him. He didn’t even seem solid. Olivia couldn’t explain it, but he didn’t look firm at all. His person was very wispy. His legs were barely visible amongst the mist which surrounded him. On his face was an ominous smile.