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Forget him! Your only task at hand is to find the burn!
But wait. Wasn't he....do I know him?
You don't know him. You don't know any of them! Forget him, forget them all! Escape the veil and find the burn now! These aren't your friends. They want to keep you from finding me. They're traitors who I'll deal with once you've carried out your responsibility to your homeland!
R-responsibility? But I- I don't know you. I know them. I know I do! You're a—AGH!!!
I could feel myself losing control once again. Something else was pulling strings I never knew existed. It's as if not only my body, but my very will of being was forcefully hijacked.
That's right, soon you'll understand your place. You'll break, and when you do, I'll show you true power myself.
Y-yes. Deepest apologies. I will arrive at the burn precisely at the time that the prophecy described. But first, I need to find a way to break the veil. I believe I am also being pursued by mages and wards. I can hear their wingbeats not far behind.
Good report. Your enhanced flying abilities should be sufficient to lose them. Breaking this 'veil' should be no problem. As an Echelon Five, conjuring a counter veil should take no time to teach you. Before I do that however, I want you to prove your loyalty.
Loyalty? I am loyal to you.
In due time. There is an individual; your closest pursuer behind you on your right. You knew this person before. I want you to make an example of him, permanently, without hesitation, or pity. He is acting contrary to my motives, and ending him will encourage others to desist from acting in accordance. I have no desire to spill any more Atlantean blood than I have to.
As you wish.
He was right. They are only delaying the inevitable. I must do this for Atlantis.
I made a turn through an opening in the clouds. The intense wind and rain couldn't hinder my movements. I had free roam of the skies. And when this 'person I knew' got close enough, one slash should be enough. I don't want him to suffer.
Through the opening I created behind me in the grey vapor, I saw my target.
A panther-shaped gargoyle.
I have no memory of this Morpher, perhaps he is someone I knew in Human form? Someone I care about? What if I'm killing a family mem-
NO!!!! Don't say that word! HUMANS aren't MAGUS'S! Don't even compare the two! Humans are YOUR enemy. When they are all dead, like they should've been before I was betrayed by my so called "family", then Atlantis can have a better future! A safe future! Anyone who fails to realize that, even a Magus; is an enemy and should be treated as such. Now......end him. Or I'll have you make his death a longer, more painful one.
The Gargoyle stopped mid-turn once he spotted me. The smaller creature levitated cautiously, speaking with the voice of someone I indeed knew.
"Paige! It's me! Elliot! Please, let me help you! I'm not angry, I just want to talk! Please! This isn't you!"
I flinched and resisted the temptation. Managing to get one last warning from my old self out.
"Run, please, before— I—."
One wing thrust was enough to get me in close enough to slash his unguarded gut open with a talon. He didn't cry or grunt in pain. Even the wind itself seemed to pause its torrent so I could listen.
The silence was the only thing screaming.
The last tear of the woman I once was streaked down my face. I couldn't bear to look back at the murder I failed to stop myself from performing.
I'm so sorry Elliot.
We must work on your emotional attachments later. His death will not have been in vain. Unfortunately, our only ally is control through fear. If we can control our enemies as well as friends, they will never realize the advantage they have over us. If we overcome that, more will flock to our side, and together, we can defeat the very filth that made us subject to our own fear of them.
I don't understand. Why must I kill Paige's old friends?
Because young one, the circumstance demands it. You aren't my only ally. In order to make Atlantis ripe for my return, and in order to exemplify my harmony with my other allies, you had to perform the act. As we speak, my other plans are already in motion. Now....pass through the veil while I tell you how. It shouldn't take you more than a day to reach a place called Sicily. Free me at the burn there, and I'll show you what glory awaits you.
What-What's the burn?
A prison, and where I need you to free me from.
I-I understand.
The counter-veil took no effort to conjure once I arrived at the boundary. A quick wing movement and mental hex using the voice's instructions, and I was out of the hidden world.
I had entered the human world.
Saturn's Rings Cafe, Northern Island, Hyperborea
Rachel
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I had sat down in the section of the restaurant where they serve exotic food-Human food. Also my favorite kind. Derik and Gemini had sat across from each other, and I sat next to Derik. We were waiting for Grace to finish her last class of the day. Tomorrow was a big day for all of us. We would find out what kind of Magus's we were. I already found out what kind of Morpher I was a couple weeks ago when I played Tiers. I accidentally morphed for the first time there. It's not uncommon for Magus's to reveal their abilities before the phases start.
I am a Unicorn. I say it loud and proud because I'm going to be the most badass one in the Mystic world. Anyone who says otherwise can speak to my posterior left hoof about it. It's a nice short conversation that ends with the other person gasping for air. I wonder why? *insert evil laugh*
What I am was practically predetermined since I had the Magus genes of my father: who is also a Unicorn. It's what I looked like that counted. I had a Champagne tail and mane (I think that's what they call it. Don't much care to find out), just like my human hair color. I also had a tan pelt. My horn was also Champagne. I had no problems with it at all.
"You know, Elves can't morph completely," Derik slumped in sadness. "I mean, sure, our average lifespans can last up to 250 years, and we are guaranteed Magic abilities. But it's just kinda lame living in one body at a time. What if we wanted to have wings, or run faster? Or swim in the Wrist Reefs?"
I never see Derik upset, I decided to cheer him up. "Derp, you can be silly sometimes! You can do all these things! It's called wing suits, working out, and scuba diving in that order! All human inventions! And as far as morphing goes, working out does the trick just fine!" I teasingly rubbed Derik's chest. He pushed my hand away in frustration.
"Ugh, stop flirting Rachel! We broke up a month ago didn't we? Or have you forgotten that over the course of all the other 'relationships' you've had?" Derik was unusually tense today. Usually he was soft headed.
"I forgot we even had a thing." I rubbed my chin; faking deep thought.
"I'm serious Rachel. Please stop joking around for one day!" I almost mistook Derik for someone else with the angry look he was giving me. It made me recoil in shock.
I masked my surprise with scorn. "Well, what's your problem? I don't recall having a problem either, and I mean it this time! Seriously what's the deal with you?"
"Is something wrong Derik?" Gemini asked worriedly. Derik was clutching his locks tightly. Some hair probably got pulled from his scalp. He was beginning to jolt a bit, like he was trying not to cry.
I slowly transitioned yet again from one feeling to another. Something concerning was really bothering him. "Hey. Seriously, are you alright?"
Derik turned his head away from me a little, then sighed. He tried to hide it, but his lip was visibly quivering. "Derik, I'm not going to make fun. What's wrong? I didn't mean to seem provocative. It isn't a bad thing to just be an Elf. You're special as you are."
"No, guys it's not that. I-I just got a call. My si-sister was found.....in the park woodlands a few hours ago.....back home in Caelum."
No.
He said it at a time when the whole cafe was quiet. Every conversation around us stoped. The whole place was looking at him. Gemini and I froze, trying to process the implications of what Derik was saying.
Derik ignored the prying eyes, and his jolts became louder and more audible. He began seething and drooling uncontrollably.
"MY MARY IS GONE!!!!"
The Elf grabbed the nearest wooden chair and smashed it against the tiled floor as hard as he could; turning the seat into fragments. A nearby girl shrieked and others exclaimed as Derik flipped a table and bolted out of the restaurant covering his face and wailing mournfully.
Gemini and I quickly followed him. I hadn't yet processed what Derik had said. It was all so sudden.
Derik had slipped a few feet from the doorway. He didn't bother getting up. Instead he just lied face down in the tundra grass blades, weeping for his loss. His palms were bloodied from smashing the chair, and there were splinters all over his mangled arm.
Gemini kneeled down to comfort him.
"Derik, I'm so sorry, but stop hurting yourself. Calm down, and let's discuss this. We're your friends."
I forgot all about the humor. I reached around Derik's waist and lied down with him in the grass; hugging him. I was afraid of him rejecting my attempt to comfort him, but that wasn't going to stop me from trying.
Gemini got close to the pair of us, and sat down; putting an arm around Derik's shoulder. We were going to let him cry it off for a while. But we never got our break.
As we watched the sky together, we saw a body falling.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
JUNE 29th: Paige has been possessed by someone. Who?
Brace yourselves guys. The truth can't stay hidden for long. The real threat has yet to arrive.
I also hope you like the artwork. I'm considering doing this for every chapter going forward. I might also edit in some new artwork for older chapters. So stay tuned for that!
Questions and theories?