“And?”
“And I don’t know. At most we’ve seen increased aggression and an almost frenzy like state, but whenever they come into the Light Realm, the universe we live in, their symptoms disappear before they can be seen. So, the Sorcerers blamed us for not caring. They placed an embargo on us, so we tried to negotiate...It never happened. Guns and swords were pulled...magic flew...No one survived. Because of this, the Alliance declared war. The Alliance won the War and the Sorcerers had to give up all of their planets and return to where they came from...so now, both sides are recruiting for magic users and soldiers. We already have weapons readily available...the Empire is rapidly constructing them which has made many military figures on our side uneasy.”
Autumn paused a moment and took a breath before continuing on. “Now we might be going to war because of planets. They’re saying that they are dying in the Shadow Realm and we need to help them. We aren’t helping because we have seen nothing, and our senate believes that the story is fabricated. We aren’t trading anymore, and I would say it’s only a matter of time before someone decides to make a move...it depends on who pushes the hardest. That obviously isn’t all of the details, but there you go.”
“Wow, they really hate each other…” Chris said slightly shocked.
“That’s right.”
“Is that why I was picked up?”
“That, and your sister felt it was time, yes. Any more questions?”
“No... you and Penny are the only ones to give me actual answers. Thank you, Autumn. I’m still beyond confused, but that helped. Information overload...I’ll get used to it.”
She smiled and nodded. “I like helping out. You are very welcome...someone has been trying to call me. Bye, Chris.”
Chris looked to his right, she was gone just like that. He thought about how weird it would be to do that every time someone needed you. Ian was still not back and so he got up and went to look for him. He was heading in his direction.
“I was coming to get you. Got your answers?”
“They really hate each other.”
“Even more lately.” Ian said. “Let’s get you back to Penny. She probably thinks you took off.”
◆◆◆
Ian took Chris through a part of town that he had not seen yet. They passed by fancy restaurants, a few mansions, large houses, more dorms, and there was construction going on slightly outside of the city. Chris was surprised the whole planet was not civilization, but the Wizards wanted to keep Terminus beautiful.
“So, Ian, how can we tell what type of magic I have?” Chris asked. “I want to know if it’ll be something crappy.”
“None of the magic types are bad, but they are all different and serve different roles...For example, Penny and I are Death magic users. We can take life and give it to another or ourselves, summon dead things, obviously, and we can be Healers, Damage Dealers, or Tanks.”
“I get it...but then what are you guys?” Chris inquired.
“We are both tanks. Penny is more defensive using her shield. I’m a little different. I’m like a damage sponge, I heal so quickly that it takes a lot to drop me.” He had a smug look now. “I’m pretty tough to kill.”
“That’s impressive,” Chris admitted. “How long have you been here?”
“Just a year... a little over that…. You know, but I guess you’ve got it rough finding things out, and starting from scratch.”
“I’m adjusting...slowly.”
“Well classes start tomorrow, it’ll help. I heard Penny is trying to train you.” He assured. “So, you’re fine.”
“Well no, Hunter.” Chris explained the entire situation; Ian knew some details, but not all. They continued to walk toward the dorm as they spoke. Ian was a very good listener.
“Well, Chris,” Ian said finally after letting Chris vent. “That’s not what Penny told Megan, or what Megan told me. Penny is going to teach you personally so you can get a head start on training, class, and maybe magic. I’m not too sure about that last one, but I do know she feels like crap for thinking Hunter could train you. He and Emily didn’t end very happily. I dated your sister too, but I never beat up on you.”
“Why did she think he could? Err...rather why did she think he could train me?” He queried.
“He’s a good swordsman and he’s tough. He’s fairly good at magic, and he dominates in competitions out in the training area. To me, he thinks like a Sorcerer...action first.”
“He doesn’t seem to like me much either,” Chris added. “I swear he seemed like he was trying to kill me.”
“Nah. Hunter can be a bit rash sometimes, but I don’t think he would kill you. He still cares about Emily too much.” He moved his hands behind his head and looked up at the sky.
“Still if he messes with you again, let me know, bud. I know Emily is going to tear into him when she gets back. Your sister has some strong lungs, a strong voice, and she isn’t afraid to use it.”
When they arrived at the dorm, there was no sign of Penny, and so Chris assumed Penny was inside. There were a few people in the park today. A few kids playing with a kite, a parent watching them and reading a book, which had a boy with a scar holding a wand on the front cover, and someone else just running around. Ian knocked at the door three times before leaning on the brick wall and folding his arms. There was the sound of movement from somewhere within, before Penny’s voice answered from within.
“Who is it?” She asked.
“It’s the police, open up!” Ian ordered, using a deeper voice than his own.
Penny laughed. “Do you have a warrant, officer?”
“I do, in fact ma’am,” He continued. “I’ve also found a missing person. Please open the door so I can have a look-see.”
“Give it up Ian, you’re not getting in here unless you’ve found Chris.” She declared.
“Damn. Okay I’ll just take Chris and leave then, ma’am. Good day to ya.” He whispered to Chris as he walked away. “I’ll give her three seconds before that door opens.”
There was the sound of the door unlocking, before flying open to reveal Penny running out. Ian continued to casually walk off and waved his hand behind him, as if to say you’re welcome. Before Chris could say anything, Penny hugged him. She seemed relieved to see him, and Chris began to realize that Penny actually did care.
“Are you okay? You know what, stupid question...You obviously weren’t. I’m so so sorry...I had no idea he-- I’m sorry, let me make this up to you!” She apologized as she released him and held her left arm with her right hand.
“There’s nothing to make up, I’m okay. Thank you, Penny,” he said to her as he placed a hand on her head. “It’s good to know I have you watching my back. Just don’t let me blackout again,” he joked.
She smiled, releasing a sigh of relief. Penny then told Chris about how she had begged Megan to help her find him, and so Megan told Ian. However, Ian told the both of them he would find Chris on his own. During this exchange, she had also declared to train Chris. She knew she could train him better than Hunter did, and so she would.
“I’m so sorry,” She said again. “I really want to make this up to you.”
“No. You did nothing wrong. I’m glad you’ll help me get better. I’m seriously glad you’re even going out of your way to help me.” He told her.
Later that day, after getting something to eat, Penny led him out of the city and into the grassy plains. It was just them, he was not allowed to bring his weapon, and she didn’t have one either. He wondered how they would train with no weapons.
“I want you to block okay? I’m not actually going to hit you just yet. Just focus on blocking.”
Her palm came near him, but it did not make contact. He tried to block, but it was too late. Her fist came forward next, he blocked with his left arm. They continued, his reflexes improving each time. She began to move faster, he matched her and blocked appropriately. After that, she showed him the “correct” way to punch. She demons
trated as she explained. He would need to turn and use his weight in the punch, but not go overboard. He mimicked her perfectly.
“Well now, you’re getting good. I can see you’re a fast learner. You’re doing great!” She praised.
“Thanks, but that was easy.”
Penny’s fist came from nowhere, Chris blocked it just in time. She leapt into the air and performed a spinning kick, this time he blocked with both arms together. He then countered by throwing a punch, which she caught effortlessly.
“Too much. I could have thrown you or even flipped.” Penny began.
Chris quickly flipped Penny so she fell; laying on her back, slightly shocked. She smiled as she sat up, “Well no one has been able to do that to me before.” Penny admitted, dusting herself off.
“You brought it up. I just used it against you because you seemed slightly off balance, and you were talking.”
“I knew you would learn fast.” Penny approved. They continued to practice, and each time he got better. He got faster, flinched less, and began attacking more efficiently. Penny was growing more impressed with his prowess.
“You’re not allowed to do anything else until you answer this question, Chris.” Penny looked him straight in the eye. “Why do you fight?”
He sat there in silence, unsure of his own answer. He was brought here after all so he had not given it much thought. The answer that he had conceived seemed cliché. His reason wasn’t anything to marvel at, so he wondered if he should fabricate one.
“Don’t think,” Penny waved her hand in front of his face. “Just say it.”
“To protect Emily since she’s my only family and my friends, of course.” He shrugged, it wasn’t necessarily cool, but it was true.
“You need to remember that or you might find yourself fighting worse, giving up, or destroying what you are fighting for.”
Chris felt something different inside of him. Not necessarily physically - mentally he felt stronger. He felt like he could do just about anything, if he had remembered his reason for doing so. It was like something had awakened inside of him, it might have always been there or maybe not, but it was there now.
“Reach out your hand. Picture that sword your sister gave you, and focus. Feel it in your hand...and call for it.”
“Should I close my eyes?” he asked.
“No, you can’t do that in an emergency situation. Just summon it. It will come, hopefully.”
He held out his hand and pictured every detail of the sword. At first, nothing happened, but then the sword materialized in his hand. There was a flash of white and blue, a few particles here and there. There was his weapon in his hand, its owner had called it and it had come.
“First try. Not bad...not bad,” she clapped. “You’re gonna have an advantage tomorrow in your classes. Seriously, many new students struggle or can’t do it at all.”
“It was easier after you had me say my reason,” He shrugged. “Even in the Imagination Realm I couldn’t get it to go.”
“Well guess what? You just used magic for the first time.”
“That was magic?”
“Yup. There is no hocus pocus...you simply cast. You wanted your sword, you called, it came.”
“Can you tell me my magic type then?” he asked.
“Probably Ice or Death I guess. I don’t have the skill to read you. Megan can and teachers and definitely Mages too...People strong with their magic.”
“Can I try casting a real spell?” He pleaded.
“No,” She said suddenly. “That’s dangerous. You’ll be taught by your magic school teacher.”
“How is it dangerous?” he questioned, extremely disappointed.
“Boom,” She said as she pointed at him.
“I’d explode?!”
“You need to go slow. Imagine a full bottle with no top gets turned over.”
“You said boom!” he yelled.
“Yes, you would. You wouldn’t die, but it would be messy. Nine times out of ten it is an actual explosion. Harmless to the user, but harmful to everyone else. That’s why you need training.” She tilted her head. “You seem scared.”
“Yes!”
“I’ll protect you. That’s why I said no,” she smiled. “But I’ll admit...that was funny.” She began laughing harder than he had ever seen her laugh.
For a moment, the wind blew. The breeze was refreshing, even relaxing. Penny’s long black hair flowed gently in the wind. Chris stared at Penny as she laughed uncontrollably, and he realized he was blushing. He was not blushing out of embarrassment at all; perhaps it was something else about this moment. He wondered to himself how to get her to smile like this more, to laugh and be happy like this. Now that he had seen her like this, he figured she was very cute.
Chapter 8
Per His Request
The next day, school had begun. The school was closer to the heart of the city. It was not just one school; it was multiple schools organized in a neat circle around each other. They were separated small buildings the size of one classroom. The grass was well kept and healthy. There was a stone path leading to each of the schools and to a fountain in the center, each school had a building color and theme. Teachers were outside of the schools welcoming students in. The fountain was white with symbols depicting each of the seven main schools facing their respective direction; Ice, Fire, Storm, Death, Imagination, Life, and finally balance. However, Balance was strange in that the symbol for it was simply a crown with each of the other symbols engraved in it.
It was a rather clear day, there were a few clouds, but no sign of rain. Students were told where to go. Some students were told to go directly to class if they had a partner or were specifically told, and some were told to go to the Balance teacher. Chris and Penny were directed to the Balance teacher. And so, they reported outside, but there was no sign of the teacher. Chris wondered if this teacher was busy, or if they reported to the wrong place, but all of the other students were here, so that couldn’t have been the case.
A twenty-year-old man was approaching from the town. He had blonde hair, orange eyes, and a quiff hairstyle. He didn’t really have a beard, it was shaved, but still there. He wore a grey tweed suit, a grey vest, grey dress pants, and white dress shirt. His tie was black, he wore a tan flat cap with tan dress shoes. He had a black walking stick tucked into his right arm. The handle was a brightly colored blue diamond, the collar was golden, and the shaft was brown. In his left hand he held a large brown suitcase. The class watched him as he approached and there were a few whispers here and there as he stepped in front of the fountain to attend to the class.
“Alright. Hello, please confirm you are in my class. Can we confirm you all are?” He asked. He had a clear British accent. “Okay... Okay. Good, that saves me a headache. It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Now before we get started, I’m just gonna take the role really quickly. However, since there are a lot of you, it won’t be quickly at all,” he said glancing up as he summed his clipboard from midair.
“Are teachers on Earth like this for you?’’ Penny whispered to Chris.
“Sometimes. Most complain about taxpayers' money and others just try to help you get by.” He told her.
“Tax?” Penny asked curiously. He looked confused and astounded as she said this. “Oh, wait I know what that is, the Empire has it. I wasn’t thinking for a moment. They don’t have tax here because we generally have enough money to pay for things we need. Other planets sometimes have tax, but in the Alliance, Terminus does not pay. Some of the money from stores and other things go toward that, but it's just not necessary here.”
“But what if you owe another country… Err...planet or something?”
“There aren’t any other factions, at least in our controlled areas. We don’t have to worry about it. Other planets get wartime tax from the senate, but since we keep the peace right and protect those planets, we get none.” She explained. “It’s not like countries on your planet, and I am very glad it’s not. Th
at seems like robbery to charge those that keep you alive.”
Penny seemed rather emotionless. Just the other day she was smiling and laughing after training. Now she seemed to be back to the way she was when he first met her now that she was around these other students. It’s like she was a totally different person, and Chris couldn’t wrap his mind around why this was.
“Dreadful.” The teacher was still going on with calling role.
“Here,” Penny replied.
“My dad says Sorcerers don’t belong here,” one of the students said. “She’s not one of us. Why does she get to attend?”
The teacher pointed his walking stick at the student, a warning to mind his tongue.
“Penny has more than proved herself in the past, and she will continue to. Many of us here have grown to see her as a fellow Wizard, and if you cannot accept that, perhaps you are not a true Wizard.” He said simply, turning his head for a brief moment to nod at Penny. “Her sister has done good as well, and I expect the exact same respect for the Dreadful sisters as you have for each other, am I clear?”
“Yes sir,” He said grudgingly.
“Early, Kirkland, Moore, Lynn, Jones.” he continued.
“Here,” a student replied. It must have been Jones.
“Why is this not fully in alphabetical order?’’ He groaned slightly under his breath as he read the next name. “Fairyhorn.”
“Here!” Cried a female voice in the front of the crowd. Chris did not get a good look.
“Spellcrafter.” He said again as he looked up. Everyone turned to look at once.
“I’m here.” He replied nervously, avoiding the people looking at him from all directions. Why was he so important? He just got here. Maybe his name stood out…
“Bright.” He continued on as everyone turned back.
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