Suddenly, from the mist, Gatchi appeared with red demon-like wings as she grabbed Chris by his shoulders and flew away into the mist. The last thing Chris saw before he couldn’t see anymore was Victoria running after them. Chris attempted to raise his sword.
“I wouldn’t do that if you value your life,” she said simply.
Chris rapidly began to think of options to save himself from this situation. To Chris’ left he could hear a soft whizzing that grew louder and louder. From out of the mist came Victoria’s orb of energy once again, striking Gatchi causing her to drop Chris and fall out of sight. Chris began to fall. The weapon flew underneath him, so he landed on it. It was soft and fuzzy now. Even though it had not changed visually, it was pleasant to the touch for him. He wondered to himself if she could change its feeling based on friend or foe. He was slowly levitated to the ground to see Victoria dodging Gatchi’s sword attacks and avoiding everything she could. She would occasionally counter with a kick or a swipe from her hand.
“Hey!” Ty’s voice sounded. “Don’t forget about us!” He began to fire his pistol.
Gatchi quickly ran at Ty, blocking the shots with her sword and swinging at him. His gun exploded in his hand and knocked him back into Jackie. They were both knocked to the ground.
She turned to see Victoria’s orb coming at her once again; blocked it. Sparks flew. Gatchi parried and charged again at Victoria, who dodged out of the way by moving right. She was slightly cut on her shoulder as she passed.
Chris surprised Gatchi by attacking her from behind. She ducked under Chris’ first swing and hit him in the stomach with the hilt of her sword, being careful not to use the blade on him. Victoria moved to attack Gatchi, but she caused hands to come up from the ground and grab her would be attacker. Victoria could no longer move, but because Gatchi was trying not to hurt Chris, she wasn’t trying to fight as much. Chris began swinging somewhat randomly in her chest region, and then surprising her by cutting her leg.
Victoria watched, she was impressed. An untrained fighter was sometimes more dangerous than a skilled and trained one. Gatchi couldn’t predict his moves, she didn’t know what to do, and Chris didn’t need help. Even so, she had to help him, she couldn’t take the chance. She attempted to move her hands, but she couldn’t. She could just move her wrists enough to control her orb. Gatchi and Chris were still battling near her. Gatchi was now on the defensive, blocking any attack coming her way, she had given up on offense. Victoria’s orb came from nowhere, striking Gatchi in the ribs and leaving her exposed. It came back around to hit her again in the head, knocking her to the ground. Chris came over her and held his sword to her neck.
“You actually beat me and you aren’t even trained...You don’t know a thing! I don’t care if you had help! I was beaten by a traitor and a weakling…” Gatchi spoke furiously through gritted teeth. Ty and Jackie came over a while after both looking confused as to what had happened in their absence.
“We came over to help, but you don’t seem to need it.” Ty observed.
“Whoa! He’s like a superhero now!” Jackie cheered, slapping Chris on the back who winced. Gatchi glared at them all together at once.
“Finish her so we can get out of here.” Victoria told him. Chris did not move, he merely stared at her.
“I don’t need your pity, end it. I’m not scared of any of you. At least I’m not getting killed by the traitor!” She spat at Tori.
Chris moved his sword to the side and released his grip, and it vanished from existence. He knelt down beside Gatchi.
“What are you doing, Chris?” Victoria asked as she watched him. She didn’t seem as surprised as the other two.
Chris extended his hand without a word to anyone but Gatchi, “If you let us out, you can go.”
“Why?”
“Because I still think of you as a friend despite trying to kill me. I mean you seem nice and I don’t get what the heck this whole thing was about, but honestly, I don't care. I don’t want to kill you, because all of us are alive and I don’t like the idea of it. So, let us out and you can go,” he offered. “Plain and simple. I really don’t want to kill anyone. I just want to find my sister. So, I say you let us out, you get to leave, and that’s that.”
“I don’t get it...he’s letting the crazy girl who tried to kill us go?” Jackie asked Ty.
“You’re making a mistake…. Anyone would kill you the second they had the chance.” Gatchi told him, curiously looking for any signs that he might kill her anyway.
“Your guard is down. I could try to kill you in an instant.”
“That’s your decision, but I don’t think you’d do that.”
“The heart of a Wizard won’t help you, the moral high ground gets you killed every time. One day you’ll see that…” She looked him directly in the eye, he shook his head calmly.
“Then I guess that’s my problem to deal with, unfortunately. I don’t think I have it in me to kill, and I don’t think I want to try. If I have to kill someone I want it to be a last resort.”
Gatchi thought silently for a moment. She looked at Chris and then at everyone around her before nodding. The white mist disappeared, they were back in the street, the rain had stopped, their weapons were gone (minus Victoria’s). It was a cold night, the moon was full, and the stars shined brightly in the night sky.
Gatchi looked at Chris and then slowly got to her feet, curiously looking at him the whole time. She seemed very confused; not because she was being allowed to live, but because of how after everything she did he still called her a friend.
“...I don't understand you. You must have something wrong with you. If you continue to be like the Wizards, you will only get yourself, and other people you care about killed. You’ll see.” Gatchi ran off, disappearing down the road and going somewhere out of sight.
“You let her go,” Victoria said. “Good.”
“Wait. Wait. You wanted me to kill her.” Chris reminded her.
“Wizard’s don’t kill. Most people kill at least once, but you didn’t, so I don’t have to lecture you. Now, we need to go. I need you to say goodbye to your friends.” Victoria explained.
“What?! Just like that? No way are you gonna just do all this voodoo crap and then abduct our friend!” Jackie said, slightly outraged.
“Jackie...” Chris began. “She knows where my sister is. I have to go.” Jackie paused and looked at him, slightly peeved.
“Fine, but if you don’t come back, I’ll come find you and take you down a few.” Chris looked at Ty, who just nodded and took Jackie by the arm.
“Hey, Chris! Wait!” Jackie called to Chris. “You...stay alive okay? I don’t want to find out someone like that got the better of you...kick butt! And save lives! Be good!” Ty began to pull Jackie again. “Don’t do drugs and don’t abuse your power!” They too disappeared after a while.
Chris looked at Victoria who just smirked and commented on how strange Jackie is compared to Ty. Chris agreed, but explained that she was the first one there for him when no one else was.
Victoria looked at Chris and took his arm. She explained that she would need to teleport them, because that is the fastest way to get back to Terminus. She left a teleport code, and thus she can use her magic to teleport if she remembered it. She only needed to get them into the sky and out of sight so no one would see them vanish and panic. Chris agreed. Victoria waved her hand in front of the sky and a broom flew from the school’s direction. Victoria must have stashed it somewhere. The broom hovered in front of him. Victoria mounted her magic broom and looked at Chris.
“Aren’t you getting on?” She asked kindly.
“Is it safe?” he questioned anxiously.
“I forgot you’re an Earthling and you’re new to this...I’m sorry,” she laughed slightly. “Yes, it is definitely safe, but if you’re scared, hold onto me. You’ll love what you see.”
Chris got on behind Victoria and sat down carefully. It felt awkward for him and he could not imagi
ne flying like this for long periods of time. He wrapped his arms around Victoria and they began to ascend. It only took a few moments for her to begin flying full speed at the sky. He held on tighter, deeply afraid to fall, he hated heights. He could feel his stomach turning and his heart dropping the faster and higher they went. His eyes were shut tight throughout the entire process.
“Hey...Are your eyes closed? Open them.” She told him over the wind. She slowed the broom to a gentle flight.
Chris opened his eyes and sat himself up slightly. They were just below the cloud cover and down below he could see the lights filling the night. Buildings, cars, signs, everything, all from a skyward view. He felt his jaw drop, he had never been on a plane and rarely got to leave his hometown. To Chris, this was indeed the most breathtaking view he had ever seen.
“When I first came to this planet,” Victoria began over the wind. “I had to take in the view...although the pollution and violence is ridiculous...I can’t deny that view,” she smiled.
“You have a nice planet.”
“Yeah...yeah, I guess I do.” Chris agreed as she flew them up into the clouds.
Chris caught his final glimpses of his home, his school, and the hospital where he was born. It all vanished as they passed through the clouds. Victoria reached out and let her hand scrape the clouds, and so naturally, Chris did too. It was cold and although it was somewhat wet, it felt good to him, and then he remembered a dream from his childhood that had followed him for years.
“You’ve never flown before?” She asked him.
Chris was not listening anymore, this had always been his dream. To take to the sky, but he had never imagined that when he did, he would be leaving everything behind to find something new. He had never imagined that he, of all people, was special. Why did the thought of leaving make him slightly...sad?
“Have you said your goodbyes to this place?” Victoria’s voice came again over the whistle and howl of the wind.
“I’m...not sure if I’ll be able to let it go despite how much I hated being alone. Mom, dad, Emily, Jackie, and Ty...we all shared memories here and I’m unsure if I’ll come back...If I’ll ever want to. It’s strange,” he admitted. “I feel relieved and--”
“Scared.” she concluded. “I get it...You remind me of my sister that way, but I’ll tell you this...Terminus is so worth it, and to me, the view is more beautiful, you’ll see.”
They flew a while longer before they were now out of the clouds. He saw nothing but the moon saying farewell, the stars shining as bright as before, and the city limits below them. Behind him, he could see his home. His old home. Victoria’s words echoed in the back of his mind...that Terminus is worth it and seeing his sister again...and he thought to himself...reminded himself, that being a family was worth it too.
Victoria looked back at Chris, “Time to see your new home. Ready?”
“I... honestly don’t know if I am,” he held onto her tighter. It’s been a crazy day already,” he hesitated as he said this.
Victoria smiled and laughed softly, “By the way...that password...You’ll never believe what I decided it to be because of your sister. It might put you at ease.”
“What?” Chris inquired.
“Trust me.” She said, focusing her attention forward as they teleported, vanishing into thin air and ripples of reality.
Chapter 5
The Girl from the Dream
As they appeared over the green forests and plains, there was the occasional lake or body of water. Chris thought he saw animals from up above, but he wasn’t sure. Here, it was day, and even though it was a different sun, it felt so welcoming and warm. Despite flying for what seemed like forever, there was no city yet. Chris began to wonder if they were off course, but Victoria told him that she made sure they were farther so they would not fly directly into a building. He did not mind the view, though it was undeniable that most of this planet had clearly not been touched by anything but nature, and at most, had been explored. It was so… tranquil.
It appeared to be almost sunset in the city since the horizon was slowly becoming an orange color. In the distance, Chris could see a city with somewhat tall buildings. One of the many buildings was a clocktower. From a distance, the city was large. There was a village to the right of the city, it was not as close, but there appeared to be a lake between them. There were no structures beyond the city or the village, the rest was plains, and beyond the plains were forests. Victoria flew lower to the ground and toward an area filled with shops and people. As she lowered them, she took care not to land on anyone, but it was easy since they stayed out of her way. They both dismounted and she took a moment before she took his arm and began to take him along the street. The ground appeared to be cobblestone. The buildings on this part of town were not as high, but shops littered the area.
Here, there were people just like on Earth, but cleaner. They seemed friendlier to one another, sometimes waving as they passed. He also noticed things like cat-people, aliens (at least they were to him), and so many different species and races. There were individuals in robes, colored outfits, military-esque attire, guards patrolling streets, children, and he thought he saw a few pilots.
She was taking him to a large building. There were two guards all dressed in red and a bit of armor. The guards that did not wear armor, carried swords on their person or some other form of melee weapon. This appeared to be a heavily guarded area, however, upon seeing Victoria, the soldiers stepped aside and let them pass. It was a grassy area with the large building dead center, completely surrounded by a wall, but it did not make the area seem unpleasant. Victoria approached the black and red door and knocked lightly before the door was opened by a girl with red hair, green eyes, and a large smile. She also wore an orange jacket, a dark grey tank top, black skinny jeans, and brown ankle boots. She had a big smile and seemed to be expecting them.
“Oh, thank goodness you’ve arrived! Ever since he left it’s been chaos and I was about to put Chris’ file to the side and probably lose it!” She said to Victoria as she handed Chris his file.
“Please don’t lose that, just go over to that desk and sign some things where the red markers are!”
“She seems...stressed and... worked up,” Chris whispered to Victoria. “Who is ‘he’?”
“The headmaster has been gone for a while on peace talks and relief efforts. You see, this is also a school where all students learn how to use magic. You can work a normal job, or join the military force, which isn’t currently mobilized at all. Your sister is under General Nick’s command...actually, she is one of the higher ups like me.” Victoria explained. “It’s really a lot to explain and it’ll give you a headache. Just sign, okay?” She advised.
“I’m not signing my soul away for something you don’t explain.” Chris protested.
Autumn was about to say something, but before she could, a voice spoke.
“Is someone here?” the female voice asked. “Tori? Is that you? Give me one second, I’m just in the library.”
“Who is that?” Chris asked, somewhat recognizing the voice. “Is it her?” Chris turned himself to look at Victoria.
Victoria shrugged and smiled. Chris rolled his eyes as she began to laugh. Emily came out of the large brown doors to the right of the room. She wore a black sheer t-shirt, black jeans, and white and red shoes. She was carrying brown folders, but she nearly dropped them all upon seeing Chris. After quickly placing it all on the shelf against the back wall, she ran up and hugged him. He hugged her back, but something was slightly bothering him. She let him go and held him by his shoulders.
“I’ve missed you so much. You got taller and your voice sounds so different…” She commented as she looked him up and down. “It's so good to see you again…”
“People do tend to look different when you haven’t seen them for a year or more. Especially family, he muttered after her remark.
“Yeah, but...here you are. I know it's weird seeing me--”
&
nbsp; “Alive and after more than a year, yeah.”
“You seem mad.”
“No. So what exactly is this place?” He quickly and skillfully dodged her last comment to avoid anything that might have followed.
Emily seemed slightly hurt, but she began to explain. She told him about the Alliance of the Light and the Empire of the Dark, who they could be at war with soon.
“The Alliance has a school here to train students and magic sensitive individuals to properly use the powers they were born with. You probably know by now we have a military of magic users and soldiers? It is the job of a Wizard to protect anyone we can and serve the Alliance, myself included. The Terminus Academy has been teaching people about Partners, never to kill unless necessary, tactics, and everything you would need to know. It is rare to enter the military at your age...unless…” She paused and clearly skipped over something, “You don’t need to know that. I’m not letting you join at this age.”
“Why? You dragged me all the way here, didn’t you?” Chris pointed out angrily. “Without explanation why you left.”
“I was needed because the conflicts between Sorcerers and Wizards...the Empire and Alliance have been escalating...and soon we do believe it will be war.” She admitted. “I had no choice...they told me Earth would be in danger...so I joined up in the military to protect you and our home…But I would have been told to join them regardless.”
“And you couldn’t tell me?”
“There was no time and Earth does not take kindly to either side. They prefer to stay neutral. I couldn’t-”
“Dammit, Emily that’s not the point!” Chris exploded. “I thought you were dead!”
The room went silent. Victoria made a move to calm Chris, but Emily held up her hand to tell her to stay. She nodded and left with Autumn to the library and shut the door.
“Do you even realize how long you were gone?” he asked. “Go ahead, tell me.”
“Three...” She replied quietly.
“You don’t even know!? Emily, it was almost two. The last time you saw me was when I was-” He continued.
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