Sunrise to Sunset

Chapter 10: Day Tripper

I can practically read your thoughts. You're thinking, "You live in a world with magic! Did you really just pull out a gun?" Well... yes, I did. I've never understood why characters in movies or comics don't use guns. Sure, magic has countless uses and is a superior weapon, but guns can still inflict a lot of damage.

To my surprise, when I pull out the gun, everyone burst into laughter. Peter was laughing, his goons were laughing, and poor Nancy stood there looking confused and embarrassed. I felt more offended than anything because guns are cool! They're incredibly rare too. This particular gun was hard to find, and Donavan took even longer to craft the ammunition for it.

But none of that matters now because today is the day I finally exact my long-awaited revenge on Peter—for the childhood trauma, for disrespecting my girl, for stealing from us, and most importantly, for laughing at my pistol.

With a firm grip on my gun and a steady breath, I aimed directly at Peter's head, expecting to hit him and send his goons fleeing in fear. I envisioned the police arriving and me being hailed as the hero who single-handedly defeated a Nocturnals executive. However, reality took an unexpected turn.

Just as I pulled the trigger, Peter flicked his wand, casting a basic shield spell that deflected the bullet. I knew shield spells were powerful, but damn! I fired another bullet at Peter, then another, and another, until I ran out of ammunition. I had only brought one clip and hadn't thought this through as well as I had hoped.

My failed assassination attempt left me feeling ashamed and humiliated. Peter commanded one of his guards to tie us up and throw us into the cellar until he could decide what to do with us. When the guard approached Nancy with a rope, she surprised everyone by punching him in the face, taking his wand, and unleashing a barrage of random spells at Peter's men.

As more grunts closed in, I made the decision to retreat to a safe spot. It wasn't about abandoning Nancy; it was about recognizing that I had zero magical talent and a weak skinny body that was guaranteed to just get in the way and with me out of the way she would be able to fight a lot more freely knowing I won't get caught up in the crossfire. So I found a secure location to wait until she had dealt with everyone.

However, as I hid, I realized Mona, the kid we were protecting, was missing. I couldn't leave her in danger, even if I were a jerk, so I left the safety of my spot and went in search of her. It didn't take long to find her surrounded by two large guys intent on hurting her. Witnessing adults attacking a child was pathetic, and while I knew I couldn't take on these strong men, I couldn't just stand idly by either. So, I decided to "send good vibes" her way while I watched.

To my surprise, Mona wasn't completely helpless. Armed with a sword and a wand, she fought with all her might. Despite swinging her sword like a madman, the two men evaded her attacks until one of them found an opening and knocked the sword out of her hands. With her weapon gone, Mona resorted to her wand, but her spells failed to materialize correctly. It was clear she was in grave danger.

Without even listening to my common sense, I picked up Mona's sword and launched a surprise attack on the nearest goon from behind, knocking him unconscious. Mona and I teamed up to take down the remaining bully. With her distracting him using her flawed spells and me wielding the sword to deal most of the damage, we miraculously managed to defeat him. It felt incredible to win a fight for once in my life .

Just as I was about to choose my next target, I noticed that Nancy had incapacitated everyone else in the warehouse. She flew past me, engaged in a one-on-one duel with Peter. As I watched their fierce battle unfold, it became evident that Nancy was losing. Peter wielded his original wand with an advantage, while Nancy had been fighting using some random junkie's wand she found on the floor.

Realizing there was a simple solution to this problem, I hurried to the "throne of overcompensation" and grabbed Nancy's wand and made my way back to her but Trying to reach her was a challenge amidst the lightning-fast exchange of attacks between these two master wizards. Each blow they exchanged grew deadlier than the last, making it increasingly difficult for me to get close.

Mona, fully aware of my goal, approached me with a plan. I initially dismissed it as reckless and idiotic, but we were running out of options. Reluctantly, I agreed to her plan. On my signal, we both ran toward Nancy, closing the distance until Nancy locked eyes with me. Nancy saw her wand in my hand and reached out to grab it.

I reach out the wand so Nancy could grab it from my hand but just as Nancy's fingers touched the wand, Peter targeted me with a massive fireball. Following our plan, Mona leaped in front of me, casting a shield spell. Her shield held long enough for me to hand Nancy her wand, but Peter's spell finally broke through, knocking Mona unconscious. Thanks to her sacrifice, Nancy finally had her wand back and could fight Peter with her full strength, finally finishing this fight.

Here's the thing about wizards: it's challenging for them to wield a different wand when they're accustomed to their own. It's like driving an automatic car your whole life and suddenly switching to manual. Every one of Peters goons in the warehouse knew Nancy was a powerful wizard, but they believed they stood a chance because she didn't have her wand. Little did they know about the vast power gap between Peter and Nancy.

Nancy's specialty had always been lightning—a type of magic considered one of the strongest. Instead of a lightning attack, though, she retaliated with something utterly disrespectful. Pointing her wand at Peter, she unleashed the same fire spell he had been hurling at her relentlessly, only hers was ten times bigger and far more powerful. Peter attempted to defend himself, but the spell overwhelmed him, propelling him through the ceiling and into the sky.

I won't lie; that attack was magnificent, even if it meant Nancy had just killed someone. The burst of fire was glorious, and I couldn't recall the last time I had witnessed such extravagant magic. As I stood there in awe, Mona pulled my arm, reminding me that we needed to gather our stolen belongings and escape before the police arrived.

A few hours passed, during which Nancy used basic healing spells to tend to our wounds, while I contemplated our next steps. With Nancy having her wand back, I felt a sense of relief knowing she could protect us if trouble found us again. Despite feeling everything, Nancy didn't question my claim that the Nocturnals were on our trail, and we pressed onward. I was determined to keep pushing until we find Joffrey and save Nancy.