Cliff Emmetson and the Origin of the Portalis

Chapter 2: Common Foes

     Cliff paced in the room as he waited for Sabrina's arrival. He went through his notes on how to work the Portalis as he heard a quiet knock from outside. He quickly tiptoed over and let in the young wizard. She shivered at the coolness of the room.
"It's a little chilly in here, Cliff." She said looking up at him. He nodded.
"I know. That's why I chose it. Nobody would ever want to come in here." He said chuckling.
"You got that right!" Sabrina said with a shiver. Cliff quickly grabbed a blanket from one of the bins and threw it over her shoulders. She sat on a stool as Cliff introduced the Portalis.
     "So have you ever wondered the possibilities of teleportation? I mean, no one can teleport, let alone large masses of people or piles of books." He said as he took his wand out of his holster in his left arm "so what if... there was a way to connect wizards from all over? And humans? To make a safe passage for wizards and humans to quickly travel." He said smiling. He turned and saw the key was already in the keyhole. Shrugging and suspecting he had left it there form the night before, he took a breath and unlocked the Portalis. He held up his wand to command a place, but it quickly opened before he could speak. It speedily gained life and the inside warped before becoming a liquid glass surface, mirroring Cliff and Sabrina's amazed faces. Cliff dropped his wand and stepped closer to the majestic object.
"It worked..." he mumbled. Sabrina gasped and smiled.
"This... this is amazing!" She exlaimed "oh, we can use the Portalis for rescue missions, and quickly navigating through busy places and..." Sabrina's mind raced with the endless ideas as Cliff slowly reached a hand through the Portalis. As he slowly slid his hand back to his side of the portal, a reflective liquid dripped form his arm and fell to the floor, oozing across the wood and moving toward the Portalis as if magnetic to it. He then slowly stepped through. There, on the other side, Cliff saw compete darkness. Lightning flashed as he realized he was standing on a wet and rocky shore. Where is this? He asked himself. Sabrina followed and held his arm, trying not to fall from wet rigid rocks. They saw another person on the far side of the island across a sea of water. Sabrina lifted her wand and called "Luminate!" The wand let out a strong beam of light that showed them the landscape around them. There, across the dark sea, stood a tall and dirty man dressed in a black cloak. He was no more than ten years older than the two students but a head taller than Cliff. He raised his tall and crooked wand and aimed it at the two wizards. A muffled spell was cast by the man when suddenly, a red streak of light came flying at them. Cliff reached for his wand, but realized he didn't have it, so he did the second best thing, he quickly grabbed Sabrina and jumped back through the portal. The two fell to the ground as the red streak of light flew above them and hit the door, bursting it into flames. The door crumbled as Cliff quickly grabbed his wand and cast a spell at the Portalis, commanding it to shut. He then ripped the key out of its socket as the Portalis slowly faded towards the floor. As it moved downward, a loud screech shook the room from the other side of the Portalis, sending ripples on its reflective surface. Suddenly, a giant griffin burst from the Portalis, it's jet black wings and silver talons ripped through the tapestry and sent shreds of the artifact flying. Sabrina and Cliff tried to stop the beast, but it strategically dodged the spells. It seemed to be possessed by another wizard. The wizard in the Portalis! Cliff turned to see the Portalis close completely, not allowing anymore danger to pass. The griffin burst through the broken door remains and through the school, causing havoc on its way up. Sabrina recognized the animal instantly.
     "That's a Dark spirit." She gasped. Cliff and Sabrina followed loosely after the griffin, trying to stop it, but it was too quick. The students burst out of their rooms and the professors tried to calm the children and stop the beast. The Headmaster ran out of his office as the griffin flew straight towards him. He sent a spell at the animal as it quickly dodged the bright blast of energy and it shrieked as it flew off into the moonlit sky. Cliff and Sabrina made their way to the edge of the school as they saw the griffin fly deep into the horizon.