The young wizard was constantly doing his best to assist those souls that belonged to the spiritual realm as he lived his new life in the 21st century. Those were once living and breathing human beings that now needed someone to talk to them in order to help them find the path to achieve inner peace. Nevertheless, Philip also had the feeling that danger was just around the corner. He could feel its energy getting stronger every day. Especially because everyone in the spiritual realm commented on his power incessantly. In addition to that, his greatest enemy was immortal, and he was surely rushing through centuries to finally meet Philip somewhere, someday, somehow. One day, the executioner would reach the time when Philip lived and the young man's life would be at stake, just as those of the ones he loved.
In the day that followed the robbery, Philip worked hard. He taught several classes, and was exhausted when he finally arrived at the hostel. He lied on his bed to get some rest before he bathed. He had the feeling that something strange was stalking him.
Suddenly, his cell phone beeped with a text message
"Hey, baby! We had quite a night yesterday... I thought those bandits were going to kill me and that we would never see each other again. I just can't stop being surprised by what you are able to do."
"Please, Alexia, don't tell anyone the things you know about me. People wouldn't understand..."
"What really happened yesterday? Can we meet Friday night? NO unpleasant friends this time." She smiled as she typed.
"Sure! I miss you."
"You look tired."
"I had a busy day! But tomorrow I will be as good as new."
"Get some sleep my love. See you on Friday, then. Kisses."
Alexia also had a very busy day in the office and was exhausted. All she needed was to relax.
As Philip and Alexia texted each other, two cops were in a routine car patrol a few blocks away. Unexpectedly, the one that was driving stepped on the gas. His eyes were frozen as if he were mesmerized, and they widened when the car entered the wrong-way street. Many drivers tried their best not to crash in the patrol car. A few yards ahead, the patrol car ended crashing right into a huge truck that was parked. The accident was so serious that both cops died instantly.
People gathered around the accident while ambulance sirens echoed in the distance.
"Back off! Now!" Said a firefighter. The loud sirens were certainly a sign of bad news.
A few moments later, the patrol and the truck exploded. Huge flames spread all over the place, causing people to run in desperation to save their lives.
Philip was almost falling asleep when, suddenly, he opened his eyes. They were burning in flames as they usually did whenever something supernatural was in the air. At the same time, at the accident spot, the two cops emerged from the fire. To everyone's surprise, they both were without a scratch. The two men stared at everyone, including the firefighters and the paramedics. Nobody could believe what they were witnessing. The cops seemed completely safe and sound. At the same time, they were gradually becoming transparent like shadows in the night, until they totally disappeared in the pitch dark.
Meanwhile, in the hotel room, Philip stood up from bed and went to the bathroom. He was looking for signs of spirits. He opened the door of his room and walked down the hall. Nothing. He went to the window and saw smoke rising to the sky, followed by a bonfire and a lot of action. His eyes then gradually returned to normal.
"What is going on? Something bad is about to happen, I can feel it. I need to be careful, and protect Alexia. I can't let her get hurt when around me, like Verena was.", Philip thought to himself.
Down in the cemetery, owls hooted as the light that illuminated the steel gate surrounding the funeral area blinked intermittently. Spiders crawled on a tomb where two evil spirits stood by. These ghouls now inhabited the bodies of the two cops that had been just killed in the fire a few minutes ago. The stone over the tomb began to move slowly. From a breech, a hand appeared. It pushed the heavy stone that had its body covered for much too long. It was the rebirth of a spirit in a human form, this time in the body of a woman in her fifties.
The woman and the two cops looked at each other.
"Maurizio and Belami, why did it take so long?" Asked the reborn woman.
"It wasn't long. We chose the victims carefully. As police officers, we can easily get into any place."
"I can get into wherever I want. The body of a woman is a great advantage. I can use force as well, or even magic. Now we need to carry on our mission. Find the Phantom Man and finish him off."
"Our orders are to find him and keep him alive, so that our leader will eliminate this threat once and for all," said Maurizio.
"It can't be that difficult to find such a powerful wizard. He'll surely be noticed once he uses magic," said Belami, anxiously.
"I can smell magic at distance. Of course, our boss is way more powerful than anyone else. But he sent us here for a reason. And this is because we are the best in the underworld realm," Silene added with confidence. "Our target is an insecure young man. He'll surely run away from us like a scared puppy."
"Klaus promised to make us immortal the same way he is," said Maurizio, joyfully.
"That's right. And since he became an immortal, he is more powerful than ever. And the proof is that he brought us from the underworld," she added. She was a strong woman who had the two former cops under her thumb.
The three laughed loud in pitch dark, amidst hundreds of tombstones that marked the territory of those who wanted to rest in peace for the eternity. The led lamp continued to blink. The cold wind blew the hair of each one of the three incarnated spirits. In the silence of the night, they began to concentrate themselves in order to tune information coming from the supernatural world, anything that could point a direction towards the Phantom Man's whereabouts. Out of the blue, Belami grabbed a spider crawling in the hair of Silene and put it in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed the bug, then he licked his lips to feel the remaining taste.
"I love these tidbits," he said, delighted with the snack.
Silene and Maurizio just looked at him. Belami looked somewhat odd to them. The stubby man froze when he saw a line of rats crossing the spaces between the tombs. He was just about to enjoy a new dish when she interrupted his meal.
"Come on... We have a job to do."
Maurizio and Belami began to go to crowded places, while Silene searched for news in newspapers and magazines. Soon she learned that the Internet was a more powerful source of information. She bought a tablet and learned with the salesman how to handle it. Since she was more intelligent than her partners, she soon discovered that a museum had been invaded by a strange not so long ago. When she saw Philip's photo, she immediately recalled the image the master had shown her.
"This is the one. The guy who broke into the museum is the one that we're looking for... My master will be glad to know about it," she said full of vanity.
A few blocks away, in the hostel, Philip had finally managed to disconnect and get some sleep. How long would he rest until he'd have to go back to action?
Within a few hours of sleep, he had a strange dream of a different world.
He was hand in hand with Alexia while they were flying over Germania. At some point, he looked down and saw Juan, his old friend. A fresh wind blew the two lovers' hair.
"Phil, I'm amazed! I could never imagine that one day I would be flying like a bird. What is this place? It's awesome!" said Alexia.
"I want you to meet my master. He's a dear friend," said Philip
From above, they saw the little house where Juan lived. A river of crystal water ran nearby. Philip and Alexia landed beside the white-bearded old man.
"To what do I owe such a pleasure? It's wonderful to see you again, Philip."
"This is Alexia. She comes from the future, where she defends people in need. She fights for justice."
"It's good to hear that something will improve in this world. Nice to meet you, Alexia! My name is Juan, and I am your humble servant."
"The pleasure is all mine, Juan. I have the strange feeling that we have already met!"
"It's nothing but a strange feeling, my dear. Few people know me since I live in my own world."
Alexia looked at him with curiosity. She felt some kind of affinity with the old man.
"Can we spend a few days here, master?"
"I wish you could, young man. I truly enjoy visiting this land, but the world is in danger. Our greatest enemy is immortal, and you seem to have forgotten that. There's no time for touring. You need to study his ways and the weapons he uses. Be sure that they're not ordinary ones. He'll always use evil strategies to defeat us, for now he's aware that you're stronger than ever."
"I can beat him up, Juan."
"You should not forget what happened in the past. Courage and prudence must walk hand in hand if one wants to avoid traps. Right now, the enemies are joining forces in your world. Klaus got the Book of the Dead and will use his power to send his servants after you. Always remember that even though the dark lord and his creature can't make it through time portals, the spirit world is not subject to time boundaries."
"Does it mean that spirits are able to perform time travel, master?"
"Those that are recruited by him are perfectly able to travel through time. Aided by the book, Klaus has the power to contact any spirit he wants. Be careful, my boy, and protect the girl. It's incredible how she resembles Verena, isn't it?" The wizard looked at her face. "She even carries the scar she got during the fight with the beast!"
"What do you mean?"
"The world carries its own secrets. Don't you remember the unusual way we came to meet each other? Sometimes, the greatest explanation to life comes through a milestone, a marriage, a child, anything that we really desire. That is when you realize that the beauty of happiness requires no explanation."
As they talked, the waters of the river began to get agitated and the sky got darker announcing the approach of a storm.
"How do we get back, Phil?" Alexia sounded worried.
"Have no worries, young lady. You'll return to your world soon enough. Many lives depend on you..." Juan said, and then looked at Philip "Remember, son! You need to train with the weapons you have. The sword you took with you has the power to destroy supernatural beings, but what good is a powerful tool if you don't know how to handle it properly? Don't forget the spells that the Book of Souls gave you. You ought to remember one by one, so that when the time comes, you'll know how to use them. Maybe your prize lies on saving lives. Who knows? Perhaps that is the very reason for your existence. I'm confident that it'll make your heart glad. I can see through you."
"Juan, what else do you know about Klaus' plans?"
"I know nothing more, but I'm afraid what they can be. In any case, you need to be prepared for the worst. The power of darkness is strong and dangerous. Off you go... A storm is coming."
The wind blew over the young lovers. The smell of wet earth announced a heavy rain. With wet faces, they stared at the dark clouds. Lightning and bolts illuminated the forest. They could hear the thunder and feel the chilling air on their faces. Philip and Alexia looked back to talk to Juan, but he was gone.
Silence was back when Philip opened his eyes. He realized that he was having a dream. The young wizard had spent a long time away from training with his sword, Night Fury. He needed to get back to it immediately. That was the dream's warning.
Philip recalled every word that Juan had said during the dream. Now he had the fully understanding that danger was closer than ever.
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