The Beginning of the End of Magic

Grimoire 01 - Chapter 04 - The Might of the Empire [Part 01]

Finn was leaning against the window as he stood inside the tram. Even though it was relatively empty, enough for a pair of hands to count, he did not take a seat. He gazed out of the window as the scenery changed ever so slowly. The light from the setting sun coloured the city in an auburn hue, which brought about a feeling which was a stark difference compared to the day. Every now and then, the glass windows on the nearby buildings would directly reflect the sunlight, causing a flare, which created a dynamic atmosphere.

Random thoughts filled Finn's mind as the tram occasionally stopped at the respective stations, and moved along thereafter.

"Gh!?"

Finn flinched as a sudden surge of pain surged from within his heart and coursed throughout his limbs. He quickly clutched his chest, scrunching his tee roughly as his body inadvertently lurched forward. Thankfully, he managed to grab a hold of the handle bar nearby, saving him from a fall. He then noticed his breathing had instantly became ragged and he could also feel heat slowly enveloping his entire body.

He knew the feeling. It was something he felt a long time ago, back when he was still a child. But it was undeniably unmistakable.

He immediately looked back up, out of the window, and towards the direction of his new home, the studio apartment.

Gaheris!

Thankfully, the next stop would be the one he had to alight, and the tram itself was already in the process of braking. Before the tram came to a full stop however, Finn jumped out of the tram and bolted across the street, deftly dodging any oncoming vehicles along the way.

Horns were blaring and shouts were plenty. But all of that was not of a concern for Finn at the moment.

Something had happened to Gaheris.

That alone was all that was in Finn's mind as he navigated his way through the streets and even took shortcuts via haphazard alleyways. He did all he could to shave off as much time as possible. Judging from the familiar buildings that started to fill his surroundings, he knew it was not long now. But at the same time, he noticed something odd.

The streets were devoid of people, and even looking through the windows of nearby buildings and the like, there was no sign of life.

It was true that the number of people walking the streets will be considerably lesser, when taking into account the time of day and their location, that being the outskirts.

But it would surely never hit zero.

Yet, that was the current situation.

Shaking off the uneasiness and sense of dread, Finn continued forward, and pushed himself ever so faster.

It was then, when he hit the last corner, that he finally reached the street their studio apartment was on, and... an adverse scene filled his view.

Shards of glass, numerous nuts and bolts, and even pieces of structural steel littered the ground near their studio apartment. Had there been any flow of traffic, it would have certainly come to a halt. Tracing the trail of debris, Finn's eye naturally landed at the source, a half broken balcony.

Which belonged to their unit.

Finn searched frantically around the scene, but to his chagrin, Gaheris was nowhere to be found. It was then that he noticed trickles of blood, leading right back to the entrance of the building.

Finn burst through the front doors to the main lobby and made a mad dash up the stairs, straight towards their unit, 3001. Not reaching for his keys, Finn braced himself as he put all his strength and slammed the door open.