The Hybrid Mage

Act 1: Ch.21 - Heroes & Villains

"Big... Sis...?" I said, lost for words, my jaw dropped open in disbelief.

"You're here," she seemingly replied with a sweet smile. "About time."

Maddox began to walk towards me, the snow crunching underneath her feet as I started to shake with emotion.

"You're here. You're actually here, I knew you would find me." I cried, tears streaming down my face before looking up at my eldest sister with hopefully eyes as she walked right past like I wasn't even there.

What?

I froze. Unable to move, staring off into the maze of snowy trees as my mind went blank.

What...?

"Sorry for misleading you a little," Pandora said, bending down to my level. "We're not exactly with Maddox truly. To be specific you could say we're here in spirit."

I slowly turned my head to face Pandora's green eyes a few inches away from my own. A stiff movement, like a rusty piece of machinery forcing itself to turn.

"Here... in spirit?" I said, barely able to form words from shock as Pandora nodded.

"If you don't remember, when you first met me in that dream of yours those years ago, I told you that our consciousness isn't bound to our body when we dream or rather when we are in a similar unconscious state to REM sleep. So, when we're in that state of mind our consciousness can traverse existence as we see fit."

"I-I remember." I said, nodding slightly. "So, I'm dreaming?"

"Eh, not really. You're not asleep, rather your mind is protecting you but putting your consciousness on the backpedal. The torture to your body and your screaming is still continuing as we speak but this state of mind has allowed us to convene together and be here."

She threw her arms to the side and spun around, gesturing to the beautiful forest that I was familiar with. A forest where it was always snowing.

"So where are we exactly because this looks like home to me?"

"Now that honey," Pandora said with a quick gesture of her finger and a sly grin. "Is the cool part. We are in the past."

"The past?"

"Yes, the past of this very Narrative only we aren't seeing your story from the past."

Pandora quickly grabbed my chair and spun me around to face the back of Maddox who was speaking with someone who I didn't recognise, nor could I see very clearly.

"We're seeing her story from the past." Pandora said, pointing at my beloved sister. "I think you can learn something from seeing a glimpse into her storylines events, even if they are history now. It's why I asked you to tell me about her."

I looked up at this mysterious woman, the Codex of Chaos, a real goddess, Pandora. She looked back at me with a blank but expecting expression. I looked down at my feet before turning my gaze to my sister.

"Maddox is... an idol." I said after finding the words which then began to pore out of me. "She's a warrior more skilled than almost any other, strong, kind, a living legend in the C.F.R known as the Siren due to her abilities. She told me in secret once that her true power allows her to evolve and overcome threats to her as they are happening. She's a teacher who taught me almost everything I know. She's also so loving and selfless, knowing the trouble she'll get into for helping me, knowing the harsh things that'll be said by other family members and she does it anyway. Maddox is... Big Sis and Big Sis is a hero."

"A hero you say?" Pandora said with a speck of annoyance in tone that was so small I dismissed it as my imagination.

"Yeah. She's a saviour of sorts, always protecting the helpless and innocent and only going after the real villains. Even on the enemy's side. Stories spread about through news or told to me by Kyla, her mother, tell how The Siren Maddox will protect D.C.E civilians from being hurt or killed during battles on enemy territory and she'll go out of her way to do so. If that doesn't make you heroic, then I don't know what will. I want to be like her. I want to be hero who does the exact same thing.