by Sean Davies
“They removed you from our world,” Winston concluded.
“And the magic, and even themselves,” Omniosis added. “Their spell was used in the centre of your world, and like a vortex it sucked the magic out of the world. We Archmages, who are dependent on magic for survival, went along with it. A few clung to your world, but starved of sustenance they split into mindless feral beings that would eventually lead to the spawning of the creatures that you know as Vampires, Werewolves, and regular Mages.”
The Archmage waved his armoured hand and the clouds below parted to show a plain barren Isle in the middle of a clear lifeless sea, with a glowing orb of white energy at its centre. The image zoomed in far enough to see little figures plodding around, talking in groups and doing spells.
“We Archmages and the worlds magic was too powerful to be annihilated, so we were pushed here to an empty sub-dimension beneath your world. This was the Gloom when we first found it. The extracted magic created a reflection of reality, and as you can see, it wasn’t so bad then. It was just like a blank canvas for us to paint our world on, as long as we remained near the source of magic that is.”
The image shot forward through time showing the Archmages changing their new isle to their will. Every wonderful type of building imaginable shot forth from the ground or manifested from thin air, skyscrapers to towers, and quaint cottages to enchanted fortresses. The magical Isle grew and grew both outwards and upwards around the sphere of light. But then things started to go darker. It was barely noticeable at first but it was definitely beginning to change.
“We were unaware of the degrading quality of this place. As you can see, the closer things began taking a turn for the worse. Everything we made began degrading so we threw more magic at, but the more we tried fixing our work, the quicker it corrupted. It was an awful cycle.”
The buildings on the image below began deforming and merging together, and the waters around the Isle began turning black. The Archmage zoomed in further to show his people turning mad and having violent fits of rage. Their flesh peeled from their faces, and some were even melding into their corrupted surroundings.
“Some of us realised what was happening; that the closer we were to the source of magic, the greater this worlds degrading qualities were. We tried to get the others to leave but they were too dependent on the magic source to tear themselves from its presence. We made for the twisted reflection of the three continents, but as you have already seen it wasn’t enough to fully negate the effects of this dimension. Both physically and mentally deformed, most of my remaining people you know as Demons. But a small group of others and I came up with a slightly different way to preserve ourselves.”
The Isle below continued to deform. Winston already knew what was coming, for he had seen it with his own eyes. Everything twisted, coiled, melted, and oozed together, both people and buildings alike, until all that was left was a mountain of flesh sitting in an ocean of black water. The Archmage faded the image until it had returned to the gold and white clouds below, and then pointed to the glass above.
“We stole the idea from our enemies,” he continued. “The rebel Archmages retreated from us as soon we all appeared in this world and we weren’t sure where they had gone, until we looked upwards past the clouds.”
The two bright stars amongst the fading ones seemed to burn even brighter as Winston stared up at them. He had the strangest feeling that they were listening to the Archmage too.
“Ever the outsiders, the rebels had removed themselves from the magic as much as they could, disregarding their physical forms and becoming nothing more than the little dots of light you see now. They had lost their power almost completely, but interestingly enough, from what we could discern, their minds remained unchanged. We chose to come halfway; far enough above to remain sane and relatively unchanged, but not so far that we would lose all of our powers.”
“Where are these others that you mentioned?” Winston asked. He had a feeling that he already knew the answer by looking at the amount of masks on the Archmage.
“That brings me to the next part of my story, Winston,” Omniosis replied. “We came up with a plan to return to the real world but we now lacked the power. We merged ourselves into one being to enhance our powers. They became me, and together we are Omniosis.”
“Right...” Lewis said, taking in all of the shocking information. “So what’s this plan to get back to the real world?”
“You and Winston are already part of the first stage,” Omniosis replied in an amused tone.
“We are?” Lewis turned to Winston with a confused look and he shrugged in response.
The Archmage gestured to the library of magical books. “I created the books, of course! I filled them with power and sent them to your world. You see, I have been looking for individuals capable of wielding great power – enough power to help me cross over and bring the magic back to your world with me.”
“But if you can send the books to our world, why do you need us to help you cross over, or any other Book Wielder for that matter?” Lewis asked confused.
“Because he can’t leave the source of magic,” Winston replied. “He’s reliant on it for survival so he needs to come over with the magic, and he doesn’t have the power to do both simultaneously.”
“Very good, Winston,” the Archmage said impressed. “I don’t even have the power to get myself across, let alone force the source of magic over too. Even sending the books was highly taxing. I sent them across hoping to find people like yourselves, people who would be able to take on the mammoth task of restoring the world to its former glory, people who would save me from this gloomy dimensional prison.”
“You need me to make portals,” Winston said.
“Precisely Winston, precisely,” the Archmage said, clapping his hands together. “The quill was the instrument of my race’s downfall in the hands of the two foul witches that brought us here, but in your hands it will be my salvation! But mere portals will not be enough. There is more power in the quill, your books, and yourselves than you realise.”
The Archmage outstretched his hands making Lewis and Winston flinch, but no spell shot from them. Instead, the Book Wielders were shrouded in clouds of energy. They could feel themselves growing in power, their subconscious minds filling with spells and magic beyond their comprehension, and they felt better than they ever had done in their lives before.
“Now your potential has been unlocked. It will take time for your minds to fully grasp the magic and abilities that are now available to you, but your books will assist in the learning process,” Omniosis said cheerfully. “Also, you will no longer feel drained when you come here. You are now a new form of Supernatural, as you would call it; half human and half Archmage, as is the true destiny of the chosen Book Wielders.”
“Whoa, your eyes are white, man!” Lewis said to Winston. “You’ve got small black rings around your irises, then pure white, then your pupils.”
Winston looked at Lewis. “Yours are black,” he said slowly.
“Really? What, all black?” Lewis asked shocked.
“Well, black irises and pupils. The rest is white,” Winston replied.
“Cool, very cool. Thanks Omni!” Lewis said cheerfully.
“You are most welcome, Lewis. Winston, are you pleased?” the Archmage asked sincerely.
“Yes... thank you.” Winston tried to sound grateful but he was still uncertain about the whole situation. “So if you don’t need a portal, what do you need?”
“A full merger. You see, the quill will allow you to alter reality in some ways. The full extent will only be limited by your own personal power, Winston.” Omniosis once again waved his hand at the floor and it changed into a bird’s eye view of the real world. “For my plan to work I will require you to merge the Gloom with our world at these three points.” Purple markers appeared over Imperia City, Industria City, and Tropica City. “Your greatest cities merging with the Gloo
m will weaken the barriers between the two dimensions, I will cross over with Gloom City, and then each subsequent merger will increase my power until I will be able to assist you with bringing the source of magic across at your Central Isle.”
Winston thought of the Flesh Mountain. “You want to bring that thing to the real world?!”
“Only momentarily, Winston. You will be able to penetrate its exterior with the quill’s magic, and then I will be able to siphon out the magic and distribute it across the world. Without the source, my lost and deformed kin will be put out of their misery, the two dimensions will once again be one, and the foul sorcery of the two rebellious witches will finally be undone. That is, if you’re willing to help?”
“Of course we are!” Lewis said enthusiastically.
“We are?” Winston asked Lewis in astonishment.
“Definitely,” Lewis replied defensively. “Omni made the books, and they found us. We’re chosen to bring magic back to world, man!”
“What do you have a problem with, Winston?” the Archmage asked. “Is it that you still don’t trust me? I understand that it’s a lot to take in, but this is what you were made for. This is your destiny.”
Winston chose his words carefully. “What you’re asking is a monumental task. We won’t just be able to casually merge the biggest cities in the world with the Gloom, and there will be resistance from humans and Supernaturals alike.”
“But you will have an army at your disposal,” the Archmage said kindly. “I wouldn’t expect you to do this alone.”
“What army?” Lewis asked.
“The ones below – the Alternatives, as you call them,” Omniosis replied. “They will fight for me, and they will definitely fight for you, Winston. You’re a hero to them. I even have some sway with my old kind, the Demons. They will aide our cause.”
“It just seems a bit... extreme,” Winston replied. To do what Omniosis wanted bordered on global domination.
“Are you not actively engaged in spreading your gang, a gang you’re not even running I might add, across the face of the planet?” Omniosis asked in a curious tone. “Did you not just engage the human Inquisition forces on Central Isle? I watched the whole thing from here and I thought it was a magnificent idea, by the way.”
“Think about it, Winston,” Lewis said enthusiastically. “The world would be ours to do whatever we want with. We wouldn’t be working for the gangs anymore, they’d be working for us! Supernaturals would be able to live openly with the humans, no more hiding at all. It will be great!”
“That does sound good,” Winston agreed, “but where do figure into the end game of this plan, Omniosis?”
“Ah, that little matter. Now I won’t lie to you, especially as you are to be my salvation; I intend to take my old position back. The world was once mine, and so it will be again. But you are partially Archmage too now, so the world will rightfully be yours as well. That is, if you don’t have any objections about sharing it with me?”
Lewis looked at Winston with pleading eyes.
“Fine, we’ll do it,” Winston said. He’d come this far, and he might as well carry on.
“Yes, nice one Winston! Oh, this is going to be so good,” Lewis celebrated.
“Thank you, Winston. I shall forever be in your debt,” the Archmage said sweetly. “I will begin the preparations shortly and let you know when I’m ready. Do you agree that your Capital, Imperia City, is the correct place to start?”
“Yes, and I think I have some ideas to make things easier for us,” Winston said. The idea of being co-owner of the world seemed more appealing to him than he first imagined, and if the magic was forced out of the world wrongly, wouldn’t they be doing the right thing by putting it back? “We can just expand on our plan with the Shadow Circle to help, if Lucius is up for it. And the Imperian Governor is still hiding in the secret rooms at the Hotel Noir; maybe he can get the Military Peace Keepers on side for us now that the Inquisition has been crippled.”
“Excellent thinking, Winston,” Omniosis said in an impressed tone, “but obvious dangers of what we are planning aside, there is something, or rather someone I must warn you about. That goes for you too, Lewis.”
Winston didn’t like the sound of that at all. “Who do we need warning about?”
“No doubt you have noticed the two brightest stars in the Gloom sky,” Omniosis began. “They are all that is left of the twin witches who caused this mess. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have already attempted contacting you with what pitiful power they have left, but I have foreseen they will manage to contact another, one who desperately wants to communicate with them too. They will use this pawn of theirs to try and confuse you and fill your head with lies. Do not be taken in by their deceitful words, for they are filled with jealousy and malicious spiteful hatred. This pawn will try to destroy you both, I have no doubt in my mind.”
“Do you know who this person is?” Lewis asked.
“Foresight is a tricky thing. It’s hard to say exactly who they will choose before it happens,” the Archmage said, “but my best guess would be an Inquisitor named Alice Eve.”
Chapter 10:
Divine Intervention
The Autocrats plan had worked, but not in the way he had wanted it to.
Alice Eve had now taken control of what was left of the Inquisition. As per Edgar II’s instructions, she had left the Capital in the hands of her forces and returned to the Central Isle, and had recalled the ships guarding the underwater cable work to defend the Isle and increase patrols. Then she had pulled resources from all over the world to begin the lengthy repair efforts, though luckily the attack had only skimmed the surface and left the secret facilities intact. She had ordered the research and development teams to install motion detectors and other high-tech monitoring and surveillance equipment across the shoreline. Alice had also commissioned them to craft her a state of the art suit of power armour, including the inbuilt slim-line weaponry they had equipped their new model of agile Autons with. They were still struggling with developing an effective enough operating system but they had the basic function done now, so they could walk, target, and shoot, but not very quickly.
After that, she had contacted General Wallace and Azalea and given them a detailed account of what had happened. They had obviously been shocked, and she doubted that they truly believed her, so she ordered them back to the Isle at their earliest convenience to see the surveillance footage first hand. She had already done the same with the world Councillors just after the attack, and after the shock and disbelief had worn off they had decided to cover up the Supernatural attack with a half-believable story involving a made up group of Tropican rebels. They had agreed between them to delay electing a new Autocrat from their ranks until after Edgar II’s televised mock funeral (there was nothing left of him to bury), and the joint funeral for all of the victims that had died in the attack. They had unanimously agreed to give Alice their full support in dealing with the Supernatural problem. Once Azalea and Wallace arrived she would go over her ideas to enact harsher sentencing, and authorise torture methods for interrogations and on-the-spot executions for suspected human traitors; if the Supernaturals wanted to play dirty, so would she.
With Alice’s long list of business concluded, she finally had a moment to grieve and to pray. She had made to the top floor of Central Tower (using the stairs, as the elevator had to be rebuilt from scratch) and stood amongst the charred ruins of Edgar II’s study. The windows were gone, along with most of the walls. The roof had collapsed, and all that remained of the big metal doors were melted stumps. It was the first time anyone had been back up there since the few skeletal remains of his guardians had been removed from their burnt out power armour. The foul evil magic had been so hot that most of the bones had been reduced to ash. The only way they knew that Edgar was dead was from the buildings security operating system. His fight to the death with the disgusting puppet woman had sent a shiver down Alic
e’s spine.
Alice walked to the spot where Edgar had died, stared down at the blackened floor, and fell to her knees weeping. Her leader, her Autocrat, her friend from her youth at the orphanage onwards was dead, all because of the evil Supernaturals and their puppet freaks from a different dimension. She felt weak, powerless, and overwhelmed by the responsibility that had been placed upon her shoulders. If a great man like Edgar Aurelius II could not succeed then what chance did she have? She put her hands over her face and sobbed uncontrollably, rocking her head back and forth near the floor. She knew what her duty demanded of her, but how could she keep herself together through these mad times now that he was gone? Where were the Twin Goddesses, and why did they remain so placid when their humble followers were under such ruthless attack?
Something hit the ground with a small thud, interrupting her hysteria. Alice opened her eyes to see that her damned notebook had fallen out of her trench coat’s top pocket. She glared at it through her tear soaked eyes, looking at its stupid open pages glowing in the sun. The thing had enlarged itself with whatever foul magic was contained within. Enough was enough.
“Get the hell away from me!” she screamed at the top of her voice. She went to grab fistfuls of the pages to tear them to shreds but her hands became stuck to them. She tried wrenching herself free, but all of sudden it seemed as though the book weighed a ton, and it remained in place on the floor no matter how hard she struggled. Alice panicked, kicking and screaming and trying everything she could to get free, but nothing worked. Suddenly, the world around her began to spin.