Prologue…
It swirled slowly as it had always done. The four of them -or three depending on how you looked at it- had argued over it for centuries. They couldn't decide whether it was shimmering mist or simply light that appeared foggy. This shimmering substance made up the whole landscape of their holding. Shimmering mist, foggy light and more shimmering mist as they like to describe it. They were all at the moment suspended in midair, if this place even had air that is. This was pretty much all they had ever been whenever they were brought back to this place. There wasn't a single solid object on this side.
All four -or three- of them were silent. Silence was something they had learnt to exist with. After all one does run out of things to say to one another after two and a half millennia of being in the same depressing unchanging place. The fact that this wasn't the first time they had been brought to this place didn't make matters any better. They were all glad in their own way that the place had only been designed to hold them as they waited, not to drive them crazy. All four -or three- knew perfectly well they would have lost their minds long before present time if it had been. From time to time they did talk, but mostly they just stayed silent.
A gasp was heard bringing to an end the current five century long bout of silence. "I felt it," it was the voice of the one with long straight jet black hair. Her hair turned the vibrant yellowish-orange of flames at the last two inches of it. This matched the exact colour of her eyes which also seemed to be ablaze with a fire that spoke of wisdom, strength wit and at close study, warm humor.
A disinterested sigh slipped forth from one whose tail swayed lazily from side to side behind her. She rolled her eyes at these words, "Here we go again," she murmured the tone of her voice reflecting the disinterest apparent in her expression.
"I felt it too," one of the other remaining two spoke up. Her smile clearly showing that she dared to be hopeful. The last one said nothing. Her expression barely showed any recognition to what the others were going on about. The last one was the exact mirror image of the third. So much so that except for one quirk in their natures, it was absolutely impossible to distinguish between the two of them.
The truth of the situation was that all four of them had felt it. The significance of this, was not lost to any of them. Normally it was the flame haired one who could sense them. The fact that all four could feel his presence this clearly meant he was powerful, really powerful!
The fact that they could sense his presence however, did not necessarily mean that he would find them and free them. In the last two thousand five hundred years other four just as powerful as whoever it was they were sensing had come along. All four had either gone away or met their end before they had ever had the chance to free them. They all knew it would only be temporary freedom, they would once again end up here after a time… as they always did. They all however, so badly wanted this illusion of freedom, even if just for a decade or so.
The disappointment of this hope being once again dashed as it had been a number of times before was what the one whose tail still moved languidly and the one who feigned unawareness felt they wouldn't be able to take. Especially since this was the longest they had ever been stuck in this place at a time.
The flame haired one was the only one who had the ability to sense them all even the not so powerful ones. She had over the millennia she had spent in this side, learnt to deal with the disappointment of not being freed whenever one of them came along.
The one who had a hopeful smile on her face, only did so because her nature compelled her to do so. A deep sense of both dread and hope however engulfed all four of them. In spite their different dispositions, they all so badly wanted for this to be the time they were finally brought back to the world of mortals. For whatever span of time they would be allowed.
Despite the fact that they had all been just been silent for the past five hundred years, the silence that followed the small exchange bore heavily down upon them. And in spite of them trying to hide it, they all were studying the shimmering mist around them. It had all the tell-tale signs. It was shining brighter, moving a bit faster in more distinct patterns rather than the slow random movements it exhibited most of the time. It was undeniable, he was close!
"What do you think it will be this time?" the one feigning unawareness finally spoke up when at last the silence became too uncomfortable. "Death, or will he simply never know we exist and go on with his life. Leaving us to rot here for another two thousand five hundred years?" She asked her voice deceptively indifferent. None answered, they all knew what she was doing. It was a defense mechanism. She was preparing herself for the worst so that if indeed it did come to pass, it wouldn't hurt as much.
"No. This time, he'll find us," the flame haired one spoke up her voice firm with conviction.
"Don't make promises you can't keep" the one who had feigned unawareness spoke silently, her voice now a bit less indifferent.
"I never do," the flame haired one replied closing her eyes. A look of concentration crept onto her face.
The other three were silent for a moment at her words. A glance was shared between them as it dawned on them what she meant and what she planned to do.
"What do you think you are doing," her voice was fierce as her tail stopped mid motion.
"Keeping my promise," the flame haired girl spoke calmly not breaking her concentration.
"Stop it! Right now!" she demanded, "You know what happens when you influence events," she hissed. The fact that the flame haired girl was ignoring her, only served to agitate the tailed one further.
A small smile crept onto the face of the flame haired girl, "Is that actual concern I hear in your voice?" she teased still maintaining her concentration.
"The backlash is going to weaken you, making you a liability. So yes I am concerned, for myself," she said her voice cold. None of the others actually believed a word of it.
A sudden gasp from the flame haired girl caught everyone else's attention. Her eyes were now wide open. Emerging from them, was a bright orange yellow glow. They all knew she was seeing some place else totally different from where they were.
"Impossible!" came the shocked whisper from the girl...
**********************
"ROZZANE LANE, ARKWOOD AVENUE," came the strangled cry of the little old Asian man as he sat bolt upright in his bed. Despite the fact that his whole body had been in horrific pain, his mind had been quick and sharp enough to sift through it all and listen to the words that he'd spoken. Or more precisely, had been spoken to him.
He remained seated up stiffly as the last vestiges of the pain slowly ebbed away. Finally with a sigh he arose out of bed, muttering to himself as had become his habit of late. With a flick of his hand, he set off the spell that he had done so many times that it came so naturally and easily to him as blinking did.
He knew that to most it would seem odd to start packing in the middle of the night. If he had his way, he too wouldn't have started packing right away. But he knew that if he didn't start moving right away, the revelation would once again come to him. The next time however, even more painful than the first time. The pain of receiving messages from the universe always became worse with subsequent revelations.
He came out from the back of the store which had also served as his home for much longer than he wished to remember. He surveyed the many seemingly innocent and worthless looking boxes and books. They carried more secrets and knowledge of the universe than he cared to actually know of.
When he'd started this work he had found it so frustrating to be the keeper of secrets and yet not be allowed to know them. More than once he had succumbed to the gnawing curiosity and desire to know. He had on occasion tried to find out what at least one or two of these secrets were. The punishment had been severe. With the passage of time however, he had lost all interest in what it actually was that he guarded.
"One of you may be leaving soon," he spoke softly as he watched them jump off the shelves and fly into the packing boxes that he’d conjured from thin air. With another tired sigh he turned away from the items that were packing themselves, and walked over to the counter.
Reaching beneath it he pulled out a crystal orb the size of a basketball and placed it on the counter top. Focusing his mind on the emerald fog that slowly swirled within it, he spoke in a voice much stronger and clearer than one would expect of someone his age. "Rozzane lane, Arkwood Avenue."
Though he knew that the address could mean any of a number of places around the world, the orb would know where exactly he needed to go. He watched the swirling fog clear up and an image of his destination form on the orb. He studied it keenly burning every detail into his mind.
Once he was sure he had every detail right he stepped away from the orb letting the image fade back into emerald fog. How the orb always managed to send him to the right place he had never come to know. For the past thirty five thousand years however, it had never once been wrong.
Once everything was packed in their designated boxes, he stood stock still focusing all his magic on the image in his mind. For a few seconds nothing happened then all of a sudden he vanished into thin air. He together with everything else except for the store itself…
**********************
A satisfied smile crossed his features as he stood in the shadows across the street from where store was, or more accurately had previously been. For the past forty years he had watched the old man under the orders of his master. For the past forty years he had found out nothing worth his master's attention. Not up until now. At last he had something to report back. "A new one has come into being!" he murmured to himself excitedly.
Finally he would once again have a chance to prove himself to his master. He now had a chance at redemption. The smile on his face widened at this thought. Maybe he'll even let me be the one to kill him he thought to himself. He turned away from the store he too vanishing into thin air...
Chapter One: A new Master…
Dan was every bit the average nerd. He was not popular by any means, had all his assignments done on time, and scored straight A's in all his subjects. He could easily comprehend complex mathematical and scientific concepts, he however could not make heads or tails of how to approach, let alone talk to a girl. Which was one major contribution to his current state of being a virgin.
Dan however, was a bit different from most other nerds. Not in any exceptional way though. He only happened to be a smarter than your average nerd, a lot smarter! With an IQ of 187 Dan was indeed quite proficient in taking on just about anything his high school curriculum had to dish out. Dan hadn't taken any official pen and paper IQ test. But the numerous online IQ tests and a few tests that he had devised himself had averaged at this figure. This however did not make him any less hard working.
To go with his extra ordinary IQ Dan had a scientific mind to match. Dan never believed in anything he couldn't empirically prove. He was more comfortable thinking about facts and figures than he was fantasizing of the wild and fantasies and things most others his own age let their minds dwell on.
Dan was well aware that he would most likely finish high school a virgin with absolutely no prospect of scoring any action in the period that was to follow up before going off to university. His empirical mind had also calculated the chances of him being laid in campus and even those seemed to be in the negatives. Did all this bother him? The answer to that was yes, very much. He had however made peace with the facts and chosen to invest himself in ensuring he had a successful future. Nerd or not, he was sure to get laid when he was filthy rich.
Dan was a loner not due to his inability to make friends but his choice not to. Being the smartest one in the room was not always a good thing. He absolutely hated playing down his intelligence to placate idiots around him with pea sized brains and Jupiter sized egos, which eliminated the jocks. He completely hated having to keep on repeating or explaining himself, which eliminated the average crowd that neither belonged to the smart nerds or the troll jocks.
And for the life of him he couldn't think of anything he hated more than the short sighted goals most other nerds around him seemed to constantly engage their minds with. Like how they were going to lose their virginities even though it was sorely clear that they had a better chance of growing wings than being laid anywhere within the next decade. Consequently, he spent whatever time he had to himself on his own.
Dan would not have minded being a nobody as far as popularity went so much, except that his bigger brother Jim was one of the most popular guys in school. A star football player and also known for the number of chicks he'd slept. It was a joke among those they went to their school, that whatever chick in the school that Jim hadn't fucked yet was probably a virgin. It wasn't that Dan was jealous of him in any way, form or manner. It was simply that Jim had made it his life's purpose to pick on Dan and make all of his high school life a nightmare that Dan couldn't wait to get over and done with.
As he had many times before, Dan once again found himself high in the air. He was being held up there by the numerous well-muscled arms of the members of the football team. His brother was at the head of the procession as they carried him through the hallways. The other students pointed and laughed.
Dan did not bother trying to fight them off, no need to fan the flames. He only hoped the no one had thrown anything too messy in the dumpster outside school. This was where he knew he would end up. You'd think after doing this about a million times already they'd either get tired of it or become a bit more creative. But no, as they had repeatedly proven, diminutive minds were fascinated by only rudimentary and trivial practices.
The hands disappeared from beneath him and gravity took course. Dan grimaced as he landed in what he deduced to be banana peelings, stale yoghurt and the cafeteria's refuse from the previous day. The cackles and raucous laughter from those outside the dumpster echoed within it. He knew that they wouldn't leave him alone till he came out of the dumpster and they had had a chance to see what their cave-man-pass-time had achieved.
Dan slowly picked himself up from the garbage.
Swinging a messy leg over the rim of the dumpster, Dan pulled himself out of the dumpster. His shoe had soaked in something slimy causing him to slip and fall over landing most humiliatingly on his butt. The laughter went up once again renewed by this. It was only now that Dan noticed that Heather, captain of the cheerleading squad had joined the football players in enjoying his humiliation as they took pictures and videos.
All these would most likely end up on the schools social website where all the members of East End high would be sure to view them and further his torment. The site was student made, so none of the teachers would actually see them.
"No afternoon classes, get home quickly, clean self, clean clothes, review unfinished assignments..."
Dan's mind had already separated itself from present events and was mapping out how to best deal with the rest of the day. Sooner or later they would all lose interest and walk away. They didn't have enough brain cells to maintain concentration past a given period of time. Dan had to fight off the smile that threatened to creep onto his expression at this thought. Surely enough, they did start to move away one by one after three minutes or so... a new record.
This time Dan did allow himself a smile as he turned and walked away once the last of them, his brother, had left. Trying his level best not to spread the mess to areas that had not been touched by the grime, Dan slowly made his way away from the school.
In the state that he was in, Dan was, understandably, attracting glances from those he passed on the way home. Some amused, some surprised, some concerned, others disapproving. The one thing they all had in common is that they all wrinkled their noses when he got close.
Dan came to a sudden halt, confusion marring his features. Why was he in town? From the school, there were two routes that led home for Dan. The shorter one of the two, passed through the woods and appeared right at their back yard. The other, which was much longer, went through town. This was the route he currently found himself on. His left hand, being the only clean one rose to scratch the back of his head.
"Could have sworn I went left" he muttered to himself his head shifting back and forth between where he'd come from and where he was headed to if he chose to keep with the path he was on. Then it slipped into view. The wooden sign board with chipping paint looked very much like the items it advertised;
DESTINY'S ANTIQUE SHOP... your fate at a fair price!!!
Dan was conflicted, between rolling his eyes, sniggering or falling to the ground in a hysterical fit of derisive laughter which would best convey his thoughts on shops like this. To Dan, destiny was what people used as an excuse whenever they couldn't fully comprehend or explain events in their lives. He had no time for such nonsen...
It was only when the bell above his head chimed, announcing his entrance that Dan realized that he was now standing in the store. His confusion deepened "what the...?" The words escaped his mouth as his mind failed to wrap itself around how he was moving from point to point today without his actual knowledge of it!
"Be with you in a second" a strong voice called out from the back. Dan could not for the life of him understand why he wasn't turning around and walking out of the store. He didn't believe in such fantasies as fate, magic and all that other stuff to do with such. He believed in what he could touch, see, test and prove. So why was he now browsing through the shelves as if searching for something in particular? It struck Dan as odd that an antique shop should only have boxes and books. The boxes were like the miniature versions of treasure chests you see on pirate movies.
"Can I help you?" Dan jumped in surprise as he turned to find the smiling old Asian man quietly regarding him. His ears told him that the strong voice was coming from the one before him. Yet looking at the frail-looking old man before him, Dan could not understand how this could be.
‘No you can't, because I don't believe in destiny, magic, fate or any of that mumbo jumbo,’ is was what he'd meant to say. However on opening his mouth. "I'm looking for something, not sure what it is yet but I'll know it when I see it," is what came out.
The old man's smile widened as a knowing look crossed his expression almost as if he knew exactly what Dan had just been thinking. "Take as much time as you need," he said kindly before turning and walking back to the counter.
It was only when Dan started moving once again that he realized that he was still covered in dirt and grime. The shop owner however had acted as if oblivious to this fact. He stole another glance at the old man, who was watching Dan from the counter. Dan had the feeling that the man held more mystery to him than what met the eye.
Dan continued to move through the shelves that seemed to possess an endless supply of small treasure chests. His logical mind had now settled on a concussion as the explanation for all the odd behaviours of the day. He must have hit his head harder than he thought when they threw him in the dumpster.
How else could one explain the fact that he couldn't remember taking the town-route to his home? Or even crossing the road to enter an antique shop? And why he was moving through the shelves as if he knew exactly what he was looking for?
Dan came to a stop as his eyes finally locked on it. There was no shred of doubt in Dan's mind that this was what he had come for. His eyes slowly scanned the ornate markings and carvings on its surface. Dan could not think of any form of art that he had ever seen more beautiful than what now lay before his eyes.
His hand slowly rose towards it. Immediately his skin made contact with the wooden box, he felt as though there was a bond between him and whatever was inside. The longer he held it, the tighter his grip on the box became and the more real the bond with whatever was inside became to him.
Pulling it from the shelf Dan studied the carved images on the wooden surface. A large bird which seemed to be in flight trailed by flames. Two tigers that laid side by side on a grass patch. From his knowledge of tigers, Dan knew that no two tigers looked alike, their markings were as distinct as human fingerprints. Yet the two that were carved on this box were the exact mirror image of the other. Only a master craftsman could have carved the same exact form to this level of detail.
On the other side was a form that Dan could only describe as the form of a demon. Large bat-like wings that were at the moment closed and tucked behind her back. A tail rose out from the tip end of her spine just above her ass, which despite being made of wood still caused a stirring in Dan's pants. Her breasts seemed to float on her chest defying gravity. In spite of being made of wood, Dan could very easily tell they were a D cup. The expression carved on its face was a sly smug smile, as if it knew exactly what effect she was having on him.
"I seriously need to get laid," Dan said shaking his head in an effort to get himself back to reality as he realized he was lusting after wood. Dan turned and walked back to the counter.
"Aah the three guardians, a fine choice. One of the strongest in my possession, or so I've been told," the old man intoned. Dan couldn't help but wonder at how he seemed to have a deep and robust voice that spoke of youth when he was so obviously not.
"Uum... Guardians?" Dan inquired unsure what the man was going on about.
The old man nodded towards the carved figures on the box. “them," he said in an explanatory tone.
Dan looked down at the box in his hands "Uuh... They are four," he said refraining from further inquiring what the old man meant by Guardians. He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear whatever fictitious tale the man had made up in his mind just so he can make a sell.
The old man smiled warmly once again that knowing look still gleaming in his eye. “Well, that all depends on how you look at it," the old man said his smile widening. Dan spared the box another glance, he couldn't see how anyone could see three instead of four forms carved on it.
"Uuh, right," Dan finally spoke looking up from the box. Placing it on the counter, Dan tried to reach into his back pocket with the only clean hand he had. The result was him having to twist his torso to the side to make it even halfway possible. Doing this caused something else to slip into his field of view.
Dan's hand stopped mid-reach as his eyes fixed on a very old-looking leather bound book. It was one among many other books on display just like the little treasure chest had been among many others. Yet something about this book seemed to be much bolder and demanding much more attention that the rest around it.
Dan moved away from the counter to it. Just as with the box he'd left at the counter, the book felt as if it was where it should be as he held it.
"I don't think that is your thing" the old Asian man's voice came from right behind him causing him to jump once again. How the hell did he move so fast?
Dan's grip unconsciously tightened around the book as he regarded the old man. His mind was trying to understand why he would be trying to stop him from buying more items from his shop.
"A bit too advanced for you," he said "I doubt you'll even be able to read it.”
When he was sure the old man wouldn't grab for it, Dan opened the first page. “The grand book of wizards past, wizard present and wizards to come. The bloodli..." a harsh noise came from the old man's throat cutting Dan off. Dan looked up in surprise barely conscious of the fact that he'd closed the book and was now holding it tightly behind his back.
"I am the keeper of secrets, it is not for me to know what they are!" The man's voice was cross as if Dan had just made a big mistake on purpose. Dan simply stared. "So you can read that?" there was a note of both surprise and awe as the man's voice came back to normal.
Dan now found himself questioning the man's state of mind. "Uuh...It's plain English," Dan said unsure why the man would have thought him unable to read the book.
The old man regarded him for a few long seconds as if trying to gauge something about him. Dan watched as a smile slowly crept across the old man's face.
"You really don't know what's in your hand, do you?" the old man said as if this fact explained a lot.
"An old leather bound book,” Dan answered though he was sure it had been a rhetorical question.
The man once again paused for a second looking at him. “And what is it you've just left at the counter?" the man asked as though curious what his answer to this would be.
Dan glanced at the small chest on the counter suddenly hating that he was so far from it. "An old wooden box with finely crafted images on it," he replied. Dan seemed to have replied exactly as the old man had expected as his smile turned to light chuckles. He turned and walked back to the counter. Dan followed close behind wishing to reunite himself with the small treasure chest as soon as possible.
"You're in for quite the adventure," the old man said smiling at him as Dan reclaimed the box from the counter. Dan almost asked what he meant by saying that, but thought better of it. "Tell you what, if you promise to take care of both the book and the box and return them both to me once you are done with them, you can have them both for free," he said.
Dan paused looking at the man suspiciously for a second. “And what if I am not done with them by next week, month or year, or maybe even in the next decade for that matter?" he questioned not sure he would ever want to be parted from the objects in his hands.
"Even if you need a whole century with them, just promise to bring them back to me afterwards," the old man said his smile never faltering.
"Uum... Not to sound blunt or anything, but you'll be dead in a century's time." Dan said his mind working overtime trying to find the catch in this whole deal.
The man once again chuckled a smile crossing his lips. "I don't die that easy," he said enigmatically.
Failing to find a way in which this could have been a trap Dan finally conceded. “Ok then, you'll have them back soon as I am done with them. Whenever that is," he said adding the last bit for good measure. Just so he made sure the old man understood that they wouldn't be acquainting the shelves of his shop any time soon.
"So where's the key?" Dan asked.
"Key?" the old man repeated for the first time a frown forming on his face.
"To the chest," Dan explained.
"Oh," the old man said as comprehension dawned on his face. "You already have it," he said the smile once again on his lips.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Dan asked the frown now coming onto his face.
"I guess you'll just have to find out, won't you?" the old man replied.
So this was the catch Dan thought. Well, he wasn't giving them back anyway. As per their agreement, they were his till he was done with them. Turning on his heel, Dan quickly made his way out of the shop.
*************************
Dan walked back up to his room with his clean clothes in the hamper. He’d jumped into the shower soon as he'd reached home after which he'd carried the soiled clothes to the washing machine in the basement.
Dan plopped back onto his bed after putting away the clothes in his closet. He laid back on the bed naked as was his habit whenever he was on his own in his room. It was now three in the afternoon his mom wouldn't be home for at least another three hours and Jim a lot later than that.
Dan's father had died of cancer when Dan was only two years old. He had no actual recollection of how the man looked except for the pictures his mom had of him from before the cancer got him. Dan wasn't worried about anyone walking in on him as he was. Jim never came into his room and his mother had learnt to always knock before coming into his room. Which still, she rarely ever did.
Three items were off his list. Dan's head turned to the top of his bedside drawer where his books always were, ready to tackle the last item on the list. The small treasure chest sat on top of his books and the small leather bound book beside it where he'd left them. All thoughts of completing any unfinished assignments were lost. Dan picked it up before lying back on his bed once again to examine it.
A frown formed on his features as Dan looked at the box. The four forms that had been carved onto it, were no longer there. Dan didn't remember hitting the box against anything so they couldn't have broken off. Yet they were no longer there all that was left was a jumbled mess of rough wooden ridges and indentations. His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized wooden box more closely.
In spite of all his confusion, a small smile formed on his lips. On closer study of the box it finally dawned on him what had happened. The image had somehow rearranged itself into the jumbled mess that Dan was right now seeing, and judging by the empty slot at the bottom right corner it was up to him to solve it.
Dan loved puzzles. His fingers started flying across the surface of the box trying to solve it. His smile widened as it soon became apparent that the pieces of the puzzle could only move in two directions alone. Some could move up and down but not sideways. Others could only move sideways but not up and down. Some could only move up and to one side, either left or right but not to the other side or down. Finally others could only move down and to one side as well, but not to the opposite side or up. And with no markings to distinguish which was which the puzzle was all the more complex. The only thing Dan loved more than a puzzle, was a really complex puzzle.
Dan barely noticed the next hour that passed as he kept on trying different approaches at solving the puzzle. He paused to study the progress he'd made so far. He tried to figure out how to best proceed from where he'd reached. After about fifteen seconds or so, Dan heard a click from inside the box. Suddenly all the pieces started moving in a rapid blur, reverting back to the original jumbled way they had been when he'd picked it up from the bedside drawer.
The box must have a time limit switch, Dan thought his teeth gritted at having to begin all over again. In spite of this, Dan could feel his excitement rising at the challenge the box was posing. It was rare that problems challenged him on an intellectual level he loved the challenge.
With this new parameter added to his approach in solving the puzzle before him, Dan's Thumbs started flying across the surface of the box. He moved the puzzle pieces up, down left and right, never once pausing for more than five seconds to review what he'd done and plan what he would do next.
A smile crossed Dan's expression which had been screwed up in concentration. He could see the rest of the way now. Dan had barely noticed the two hours that had gone by while he'd been trying to put back together the four form. Three of the forms were now already complete, the flaming bird and the identical tigers. Dan's smile turned into a grin as he pushed the last piece that was the tip end of the demon's tail into its rightful position.
Dan had barely admired his work for a second when suddenly the box began producing a rattling noise. It was as if thousands of gears were turning within it. The lid of the chest turning on its hinges, lifted only a millimeter away from the rest of the chest.
A beam of bright light that Dan could only equate to how bright a star must be up close, escaped from the minute gap that had been formed but luckily did not fall in Dan's eyes. However, whether it had or hadn't fallen on his eyes would have been lost on Dan. He immediately felt something indescribably immense awaken within him.
Dan barely noticed that he was now floating two meters above his bed. His whole body spread eagle midair, light of the same intensity as the one coming from the chest he had just managed to open, was bursting forth from all the orifices on his head. His eyes, ears, nose and mouth and also rising out from the lines on his palms.
Dan’s mind was clogged with whatever it was that was slowly awakening within his body. He could feel what he could only describe as ra power slowly diffusing outwards from his core to his very extremities. Dan could feel his every fiber being infused with this power.
Suddenly the lid of the box burst open and the whole room filled enough light to form a second sun. This light however did not traverse past Dan's windows or any gaps that would have allowed this, as if it were trapped within the room.
At this point Dan was barely conscious as whatever it was that was happening within him started overwhelming him. Though he was not sure, Dan could almost have sworn he saw four small figures emerge out of the box slowly becoming larger till they were life sized forms. Then everything went black...
*******************************
The flame haired girl now stood at the edge of the bed looking down at the passed out form of their newest master. The others all stood around the bed, they too regarding him closely. She could understand why they all had expressions on their faces that was a mixture of shock, awe and fear. The one with the tail and the one who had feigned unawareness back on the other side, tried and failed miserably to hide the latter emotion. Back on the other side only she had been able to sense the true immensity of their new master's power. They had all however had a taste of it, as he brought them out of the place they had been in for the past two and a half millennia.
"D.. D.. Did you feel it?" the only one who'd held out hope with her was the first to break the silence as she sputtered out the words. Her voice clearly showing that she was still in shock.
"Yes I did, we all did," the flame haired girl replied quietly. Nothing more was said as they once again paused for a second to look at him as he lay back unconscious on the bed.
In the fifty millennia since they were bound together to serve those to whom they were destined to be released from the other side by, this boy was by far the most powerful they had encountered. Whatever the future held for them one thing was for sure, the time they would spend in his servitude would go down in the books of magical history.
"Well, on the bright side," the one with the tail spoke up for the first time, drawing the attention of the rest. "We are out!" she declared a smile crossing her face as she walked towards the flame haired girl. "When the backlash finally hits you and you become a liability, I promise to make your end quick," she said with a smile.
"You're welcome," the flame haired girl replied she too with a smile, She knew that this was as close to a heartfelt thank you as she would ever get from the one with the tail.
Smiles had also formed on the faces of the other two as it dawned on them that finally after so long they were once again free. The one, who'd hoped that what they had felt meant their freedom was close, walked up to the one with Flame coloured hair.
"Thank you," she said pulling the flame haired girl in to a tight hug. "And don't worry, when the backlash does hit you, I won't let her touch you," she said with a smile.
A scoff was heard from the other end of the room where the one with the tail had moved to. "Try and stop me," she spoke the smug confidence clear in her voice.
"Thank you," the voice of the other one, identical to the one who had just hugged the girl with the flame coloured hair, was heard. Though most of the time her voice was either cold or emotionless, the girl with flame coloured hair could hear the sincere note of gratitude in it.
She nodded her acknowledgement to her, but before she could say welcome, a groan from the boy on the bed brought all their attention back to him.
"He's waking up," the girl with the flame coloured hair said...