1. Macabre Marmalade (COMPLETED; EDITING)

IV (2.1)

The feeling that overtook him was nothing like he ever felt before. A veritable cornucopia of emotions that danced inside of him but not quite overtaking him. At the same time, he could embrace sullen and morose feeling that has plagued him for years or turn around and reach for the maniac happiness and joy. Mab was talking about spell books and human mages before the Sundering, his boyish voice barely registering. Somehow Todor knew that the tome was not really a spell book but something much more. He was sure it could function as a grimoire of spells but that wasn't its primary function.

The immaterial tugging at his scalp stopped but something else took its place. A presence, a faint impression of something that made itself into his psyche. It wasn't intelligent, or at least not yet. Definitely not in a sense that most people define intelligence. Descartes: 'I think, therefore I am' fails here, this thing doesn't think, it just ... feels. Todor concluded patting the aged leather.

"Do you know what this could mean?" Mab asked excitedly, his eyes shining with excitement.

"It means I am buying it," Todor said flatly.

"Well, of course, dummy. What I am trying to say is that maybe humans can do magic after all!" the boy exclaimed happily.

"How so?" Todor asked as he moved his index finger along the books large spine. Mab slapped his forehead.

"These books were sealed by human magic. All the Morg and Anadori spell casters tried their hands at opening them. They tried destroying them as well but they failed at that too. So, everyone came to the conclusion that only humans can open them but since human magic is gone they became paperweights." boy explained with exasperation in his voice.

"How do you know so much about human spellbooks?" Todor asked eying the boy. Somehow he didn't feel excitement at this discovery just content. It is how it should be. I don't know how I know that.

"Well, since I am half-breed there was a fifty-fifty chance of inheriting the ability to use Anadori magic. But I didn't. So I researched the way to somehow activate my human magic." Mab responded, blushing.

"So, that is your Onodori. To bring back the human magic." Todor said opening the book.

"Sort of, yeah. How dumb is that?" he said turning even more crimson.

"It is as dumb as my own. To bring back the Internet," he said with a chuckle. He turned few pages but all the words were written in some strange glyphs. Mab climbed on a stool nearby and peeked over his shoulder.

"I figured it wouldn't be that easy." the boy murmured staring at the incomprehensible pages.

"At least now you know why your aunt, the Seer, told you to go find Nintendo 64," Todor said closing the book and locking back the covers.

"Huh, I guess you are right. You think it's still relevant to get the console?" he asked jumping down from a stool. "Wait, what are you doing?! Don't close it, you don't know if you can open it up again!"

"If you don't buy the console I will. It had some great games." Todor said with a smirk. "And don't worry I know I can open it again."

"How are you so sure?" the boy protested putting fists on his hips.

Todor snapped his fingers and book clicked. He snapped it again and the lock clicked again, this time securing the heavy tome.

"We have an understanding between each other," he said moving to the main room where shopkeeper lady was still reading her notebook.