Chapter 2: It is time…
Aran and Glen made the leisure stroll through the forest in a short time, coming to a small campfire within a clearing. The fire swelled as Glen faced his palm to it as he sat down on a large buried stone. Aran raised an eyebrow, placing more wood within the small circle of rocks.
"You haven't lost any of your abilities after all this time here, Glen. I'm impressed; I would have assumed that not using your powers here would make your mana atrophy." He said, leaning back slightly when a flare of sparks wafted towards him. Glen chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest.
"I've been practicing in private when no one was looking. Running a magic shop for a while in my younger days helped me explain away some occurrences people saw. Though it was always interesting trying to explain to some people why I was able to summon an Ice Golem to my side from nowhere." He laughed when he caught sight of both John and Pierre walking into the light.
"Aran, it is good to see you," John said, placing his hatchet, shield, and ax near the fire, Pierre set an armored glove next to the campfire. Aran nodded at him, squinting his eyes slightly before noticing John's appearance.
"You look so different without your headdress Dances; I'm surprised that you didn't bring it," Aran noted; John shrugged as Tina was the next to speak.
"I am more appreciative of him without it, personally." She grinned, nodding to Pierre and Glen.
"It's good to see you again, Aran. How is Lilin doing?" Tina asked, taking an arrow from her quiver, stabbing it into the ground and propping her bow against it. Aran nodded to acknowledge her arrival when his eyes brightened in recognition.
"Athena, I didn't recognize you at first. Lilin is doing fine. I suppose that you didn't know, but we have a daughter now; Lillianne." Tina's face brightened into a smile as she nodded to Aran.
"Congratulations. I do not doubt your daughter has become as fine a warrior like her father," She smiled, only to fade when she noticed the fallen expression on Aran's face.
"She is, but I wonder if I've made her childhood suffer because of it." Silence hung thick in the air until Aran turned his attention back to Tina.
"You look quite different then I remember. I almost didn't recognize you when you walked into the circle." Tina blushed slightly and sighed.
"Life and baring a child in this world can cause one's figure change." She replied, her arms subconsciously pulling around her.
"I meant your pointed ears are gone. And your hair isn't as long as I remember." Aran explained, motioning with his hand as he spoke. Tina nodded, running her hand through her hair.
"Elves do not exist in this world, Aran. It is but an illusion spell Grendal placed on them to hide their true appearance. As for as my hair; good cleaning pastes to keep one's hair clean is quite expensive. Hair as long as I did have was not the most cost efficient." Aran nodded his understanding when Carrie came jogging into the circle and placed her pistol on the ground next to Tina's bow. Aran tilted his head, looking at the places where they had set their weapons.
"Have the crystals become so weak that they don't change the fire at all?" he wondered, standing once he was sure everyone was present. When he next spoke, it was with a low but severe tone.
"And so, we are all here. I see each of you made lives in this world when I delivered these letters to you, so I will not take up any more of your time than I need to. I also understand that you all have created new names for this world. However, it will be quicker for me if I refer to you by your Ossyrian names. It is time that you, the Five Masters, return to Ossyria. The Black Mage has risen once again and resurrected most, if not all, the enemies that you slew. Despite the best efforts of Cygnus's Knights, Evan and myself, we were unable to stop his return." They all sat in silence, Tina and Pierre hanging their heads while Glen pinched the bridge of his nose.
"How did it happen?" asked Pierre coldly. Aran shook his head.
"I can only speculate. The Black Witch Eleanor came to the palace in Ereve and fought with the chief Knights, severely wounding her in the process. But she evaded capture. The Knights under Eckhart speculate that she stole the Dark Crystal and used it as a key piece in his resurrection." Tina's face drained of color as her shoulders tensed.
"You don't think…" Pierre snapped his attention to her and cut her off.
"It's the only thing that could have possibly given her enough power to break through the seal, Athena." Everyone remained silent for a long while until Carrie broke the silence.
"Alright, that sounds scary and all, but who is this 'Black Mage' that you're all so scared of? I mean, I've gathered that he was a pretty big deal back in the day while we were in Ossyria, but come on! He's just a man with flashy tricks up his sleeve." She asked loudly. Despite having spent most of her life at sea, even she had heard of this despicable man, but no more than rumors. Glen looked over at her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"No Kyrin, I mean Carrie, my apologies. The Black Mage is a genuine danger to Ossyria existing well before you came into port, or even before you were born. Aran and Tina would be the most versed on who he is." Glen solemnly said.
"Tina?" She asked, raising her eyebrow and looking at her speculatively.
"Yes, Athena and I have known each other far longer than you may think. She was only a child when I saw her the last time." Aran answered, glancing over to Tina until Carrie spoke up once more.
"Then fill me in; I only know the stories and rumors." She demanded. Aran adjusted his footing, taking his Halberd from around his shoulders and setting it on the ground before clearing his throat and beginning.
"The Black Mage used to be a Sage named Corus, just like our goddess, Minerva. But when a severely wounded man thrown through a portal came under his care, Corus changed. Whether out of thanks or out of some semblance of self-preservation, the man taught Corus Black Magic. It twisted Corus into a being whose sole purpose was to destroy everything. He preached that after everything of the corrupted world had been wiped away; he would rebuild it and together with Minerva, they would rule it with an iron fist. Minerva reminded him of the Pillars of Time, powerful magic stones, Rhinne had explicitly forged to prevent the world from being destroyed. But The Mage countered that all magic, no matter how powerful, can be broken with enough force.
Eventually, the arguments became wars, and Corus became The Black Mage. These wars became so intense that it led to Minerva separating what is now Victoria Island away from the mainland of Ossyria, out of The Mage's reach save everyone she could. The mission of protecting the people on the island was given to us Heroes by Minerva, leading to her end. That monster slaughtered her with a surprise attack. After the other Heroes and I learned of his sin of killing Minerva, we learned of his plan to steal the power of time from Rhinne, goddess of time. Any man with the ability to kill Minerva is dangerous enough; but if The Mage possessed enough power to rend a goddess's power away, there was no telling what he would do with Rhinne's power added to his own.
After learning of The Mage's plan, we Heroes went to the Temple of Time and faced him directly, eventually able to seal him away within the center of Victoria Island. Despite our victory, a trap set by The Mage sealed us away in Ice. During the fall from the temple, I stayed conscious long enough to see that I had fallen the great Aquian Sea, and was sealed for the next 1000 years. " Carrie's shoulders slumped, blankly staring into the fire.
"Wow, I never heard that story before." She whispered, supporting her elbow with her knee and laying her head over into her hand.
"I remember crewman Bain saying something about The Mage and his disciples not long after the Nautilus made port. I thought it was just from us being at sea too long, but I never thought there was more to the story." Glen nodded, hanging his head.
"Yes, they have always been there, lurking in the shadows of history." He said when Pierre spoke up.
"What happened to the warriors that helped us in coming to this world?" he asked flatly, all of them turning to him.
"Whom are you speaking of Pierre? We came on our own." Tina answered, making Pierre shake his head and wave his hand.
"No, I mean the young woman with the strange pistol and the Nova warriors. Have you forgotten all they assisted us with?" Pierre asked with a huff as they all thought for a moment until Kyrin perked up, snapping her fingers.
"Oh! I know who you're talking about! The gunslinger! Her name was something mechanical sounding; Jett! Yeah, I remember her. And the other two. They were named, uh…"
"Tear and Kyle. What happened to them Aran? They seemed quite concerned when we left." Interrupted Pierre, locking eyes with Aran who sighed heavily and shook his head.
"Kyle, Tear, and Jett all returned to their world. I don't know what happened to them after that." Pierre nodded his understanding. In legends, The Nova were fierce warriors, defending not only Ossyria but also their own country from an enemy never saw while Kyle, Tear, and Jett were with them.
"What about the Nautilus?" Carrie asked, standing once again with concern thick in her voice. Aran thought for a moment before answering.
"We used it to help get as many as possible to Herb Town via Aqua Road," Aran answered when John set a hand on his shoulder.
"Were all of them able to be saved?" he asked. Aran nodded.
"Most of them were saved and are in the farthest point in Herb Town. We managed to use the Pirate's Den to hide the Nautilus thanks to the cooperation of the Pirate Lords."
"What about the crew?" Carrie asked, each question making her face show more and more concern. Aran sighed heavily and shook his head.
"Muirhat has yet to be found or return. While we were taking some of the last people from Victoria away, an army of Skelegons was closing in through Henesys. Just as we were readying to leave port, the Nautilus stalled. The three Whalians that were maintaining the Core in the engine room became weak from hunger. As a result, one of them passed out. Sharyl took his place, but it was taking too long to restart the drive crystal. Muirhat volunteered to give us some time by stalling the advancing hoard. Your sister tried to stop him, but he went anyway. That was last any of us saw of him. I went back after the initial attack, and this was the only thing that I found." He reached behind him and pulled out a dirty white cloth Muirhat used to cover his eyes. Carrie dropped her shoulders and whispered.
"Muirhat…" she whispered, taking the bandage and sitting down. Aran straightened, reaching back for his halberd, Maha, and held it over the fire, which flared slightly as Maha himself appeared, looking earnestly at all of them.
"Masters, it is time that you return to Ossyria. The time for the Mage to fall has come." Aran said sternly. When none of them moved, Aran pulled Maha away and stood it up next to him.
"What's the matter, Masters? The Black Mage has risen, and your home is under attack! You and the crystals are needed back in Ossyria, more than ever!" he bellowed when Glen stood and hobbled to him.
"Aran, believe me, we all want to return. But we no longer control the crystals. That power has since moved on to our descendants." With disbelief in his eyes, Aran stared at all five of them, and then to their weapons. It was only then that he understood why the fire hadn't changed when they set their arms down next to it.
"Then they crystals have diminished far more than I thought they would have. Why didn't you tell me this from the beginning?" Aran demanded. Pierre stepped forward with a lowered brow and wide, earnest eyes.
"We've told you now. With the crystals within the children, it only means that we will need to train them. It would be no worse than if we were to return to Ossyria."
"Yes, but at least you still have your strength and the fighting knowledge from before you came here," Aran huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes.
"If that is the case, then we need to leave in three days. Be sure to have everything you need by then." Aran announced, picking up a bucket of dirt and tossing it on the ashes, smothering them as the Masters all silently left. When Dances returned to his home, Yasmin was absently reading the book she had bought at the dime store not long ago. When she heard John come in, she quickly put the book down and shuffled to the kitchen, leaning against the counter with her arms crossed against her favorite snowman pajamas.
"So, what's the damage?" she asked. John looked back up into her eyes, blinking slowly.
"We have three days until we leave."
Slowly, Ergoth stepped through the dark halls, to the throne room where his new master sat. As he walked through the door, he could see The Mage rolling The Dark Crystal over his fingers as though it were a coin. Beside The Mage, a crystal ball displayed six people silently speaking around a small fire.
"Master, why not go to world? Take crystals easily. Playing is waste time." Ergoth asked in a deep, gravelly voice. The Mage turned his scorching gaze to him, making Ergoth tense and shift his stance, ready to defend himself. Sharp clicks of heels on stone echoed through the hall as a woman walked up to The Mage from the shadows.
"The Master has different plans Ergoth. Besides, simply taking them wouldn't serve his purpose." Said the sultry voice of Eleanor, leaning enticingly against The Mage's chair. Whispers of hundreds of murmurs began to rise around them all, turning his attention to the Dark crystal in his palm. Ergoth tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.
"Power is less? How that be? I think crystals power is never less." Ergoth exclaimed. The Mage turned his gaze back to Eleanor, as thick, hiss-like sounds echoed until a high-pitched voice interrupted The Mage's whispers.
"Then if all it takes to get their power back is use, why did you bring us back to life?!" The voice belonged to Pink Bean, a creature resembling a sizeable pink pillow with tiny purple horns. Ergoth looked back to the waddling creature before continuing the thought presented by Bean.
"Only make trouble for Masters. What is meaning?" Ergoth asked. The Mage stood and held out his hand to Pink Bead, narrowing his eyes as whispers rose in their ears. One of Horntail's three heads weaved its way into the room and thrummed in the back of his throat, speaking with a breathy growl.
"If all you are doing is bringing us back, only to send us back to our graves to 'train' the crystals, why bring us back at all? Your disciples would be plenty a challenge," Huffed the hydra, small flames flaring between his teeth. The Mage blurred as Horntail found himself driven into the ground, while Pink Bean went flying in a random direction. Ergoth scrambled at his neck from the Mage's iron grip, after pinning him to the wall next to the door. Growling hisses buzzed in their ears while the light in The Mage's eyes became brighter, tightening his grip around Ergoth's throat. Horntail growled in discontent, re-adjusting his jaw and spitting out a glob of blood. Eleanor picked her weight off the chair, walking to the middle of the room.
"He is right you know. It would be much easier to send you back to your graves right now than to explain himself to such simple-minded fools as you." She said. Ergoth clenched his jaw, gasping for breath as Pink Bean spoke, trying to sound Intimidating despite his squeaky voice.
"If all you did was to bring us back to kill us, using us as tools for your success, then I want no part in it. We did not agree to this!" Bean shouted. The Mage smiled as he let go of Ergoth and faced the giant talking marshmallow. Eleanor walked over to the Mage, placing both hands on his shoulder, leaning against his arm.
"You're correct, Pink Bean. That isn't the agreement. The Mage only gave you the chance to gain revenge on those who had killed you before." Eleanor answered while The Mage gazed intently into Bean's eyes. Ergoth struggled to stand and glared at the Black Mage. But he averted his eyes when The Mage looked over his shoulder to him, overpowering Ergoth's glare, making all except Eleanor leave.
"You know master; there is no reason to be so harsh on them." Eleanor smiled. The Mage sat down again and waved his hand over the crystal ball. The image of the masters departing their meeting appeared, while agitated whispers hung in the air around them.
"They may not be worthy of being called your followers, but where else would you find such fine fodder for your plans? Pink Bean and Horn Tail especially will provide enough challenge to advance the crystal's power quite far," Eleanor said, sitting down on the arm of his throne. The Mage turned his gaze to her for a moment before turning back to his ball, more whispers rising.
"Yes, there are others. However, I wouldn't want you to waste your time, energy and power searching when you've already spent a considerable amount bringing them back." Eleanor stood once again and leaned forward to fill The Mage's gaze with her ample bust and lovely face.
"Besides, the power that you will gain by training those children to use it will be nothing short of magnificent," Eleanor emphasized while The Mage's eyes appeared to smile, nodding slowly and grunting his approval. Eleanor stood once more before crossing a hand over her chest making a small bow.
"No, thank you, my master."
The next day, The Five woke up early, signing into Maplestory and playing through various quests given by NPC's within the game. Bosses and monsters fell by the dozens. While playing, they also scoured the internet, trying to find anything regarding the Aran class until it was time to sign out and get ready for school.
Everything seemed normal, boring even, despite the enormous hole still in the middle of the football field. It and the scabs, bandages, and stitches on the students were the only things remaining to give any indication that something had happened the previous day. School went by with the same boring lessons. P.E. came and went, along with other classes in a blended blur. The only highlight of the day was the arrival of the local news van coming to report on the giant crater. It was all so disappointing.
Once school was over, The Five to a diner, laughing and talking about anything that came to mind until Jenny redirected the conversation.
"Hey, did you guys happen to notice anything weird when that light came down?" she asked, trying to speak over her mouthful of burger. Olsen thought for a while, then pointed his finger into the air when he remembered something.
"I did notice some rather strange pink sparks while I was home training yesterday," he said, grabbing his soda and taking a big drink. Helen held up her hand and rubbed her fingers and thumb together.
"Everyone that I helped with the first-aid kit told me that whatever I did took away all their pain. And I noticed this weird purple glow on my fingers."
"You glow in the dark?" Jack asked with a laugh, making the others giggle as well. Helen shook her head.
"No, it wasn't in the dark. It almost looked like purple glitter glue," Helen replied, pulling out her smartphone to look up theories of people gaining powers. Matthew crumpled up his burger wrapper and slumped back in the booth.
"You know, now that you mention it, ever since that light came down I've been noticing small bursts of red light coming from my hands every time I practice in the backyard," he said, reaching for his milkshake. Olsen and Jenny both looked to each other.
"Do you think it has anything to do with the Light we saw at the school?" Olsen asked, casually reaching for a french fry. Helen shrugged as she scrolled through her phone.
"It could. A light coming out of nowhere is strange enough. It would be pretty cool if it were though." Helen answered, clicking off the phone and sliding it back into her purse.
"I just hope it doesn't mean that we're all going to be some hideous mutation or something," Jenny said, taking another bite of her burger. The Five of them sat in silence for a while, contemplating these colored glows until Matthew broke the silence.
"Have you ever gone down to the docks at sunset?" asked Matthew to no one in particular. Jenny swallowed her fries quickly, reaching for a soda to wash them down and speak.
"No, not really. Don't you get in trouble though since it's you know, THE DOCKS?" replied Jenny. Matthew laughed and flipped his hand.
"Nah. There's a deserted section after about 5:30. You wanna go? I go there a lot to think." Everyone looked at each other back and forth. None of them had any important assignments due the next day, and so they decided to go. As they walked, they hung onto each other's shoulders and sang loudly words that they had made up to a song from a MapleStory town called Ludibrium.
"Take all your cares and fears in this big world,
Make a big basket and throw it out.
And you all have a great time!
Don't think about it at all
Take all your cares and trash them
Don't look back at all!"
They stumbled through words a few times, forgetting what it was they had made up while walking where Matthew led them. Once there, Matthew directed the other four to the waters drenched in colors of red, yellow, orange and pink. Olsen jumped up to the cross brace of a nearby crane, flipping and jumping up the crane.
His movement caught Jenny's eye as she watched as he climbed the crane's struts. She knew that she had nowhere near the same acrobatic abilities to, but climbing would mean she would be alone with him. It would give her the opportunity to tell him about the feelings she has harbored for him ever since she reached her early teens. After looking around for a bit, she found the ladder leading up to the control cab and began climbing the crane.
On the ground, Jack stood silently near the edge of the dock, letting the gentle breeze from the water wash over him. It was strangely familiar to him, even though the only time he had ever really been close to the water was during a trip to a section of the beach next to Lake Erie. Even on that trip, it felt like the water was where he was supposed to be.
"It's a beautiful sunset," Helen said as she sat down and dangled her feet over the edge of the dock. Matthew walked up beside her and crouched down.
"I come here to think sometimes. I think I even wrote a report here once." Jack nodded, agreeing with Matt.
"Well, it's better now that I'm here," Jack answered, flexing dramatically which made the three of them laugh. Meanwhile, Jenny reached the top of the crane, walking carefully over to Olsen who sat with one leg dangling over the edge of the boom while looking out over the water.
"What are you doing up here?" Jenny asked as she came and sat down next to Olsen. She hugged her knees to her chest while being careful to keep away from the edge, slightly chilled by the breeze that blew.
"Just thinking." She looked away so he wouldn't see her blush as she heard his ever so slight French accent. She was quickly brought back to reality when Olsen began speaking again.
"Jen, I don't know why, but for a while now I've had this feeling…" Jenny turned quickly to him. Was he going to confess first? Was the guy that she had a massive crush on about to tell her that he liked her? Was she prepared for this? Jenny's tongue felt numb, and her hands felt clammy. Her heart began to pound so hard that she could hear it in her ears, and hoped that Olsen couldn't hear it.
"…It's been nagging at me ever since I can remember. I've always had the feeling that I wasn't going to stay here, that I wasn't meant to stay here." Jenny hung her head. As Olsen's words plowed through her, she felt her heart deflate. Jenny had built so much tension within herself that it almost hurt to hear him say he had a feeling that he was about to go away. Regaining her composure, she turned her head to him, still laying on her knees.
"How do you mean?" she asked, trying to hide her clenched hands and pursed lips.
"It's as if there is a feeling that something bad is going to happen. When or how it's going to happen remains unknown, but deep down you know that it will happen."
"Yeah, I know that feeling," Jenny nodded, awkwardly twirling her shoelace.
"That's how it feels to me. It's as if all of us, not just me, are going to go very far away from here very soon. I don't know. I just have that feeling is all." Olsen turned his gaze towards Jenny, who wasn't prepared to meet his gaze, and her entire face turned red.
"Does that make sense?" he asked. Jenny turned her face back into her knees quickly and nodded.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn It! I just can't say it! What do I do? What do I do?" she thought, clenching her jaw and fists. Olsen chuckled and stood.
"Anyway, that's what's going through my head." He said as he walked back towards the ladder leading down to the docks. As he climbed down, Olsen saw a group of four men dressed in baggy pants and thin tank tops walking towards Matthew, Helen, and Jack. The three of them took no notice of the men until one of the men with a large '71' tattooed on his cheek called out to them.
"I guess no one told you this is our dock. You in our zone, so get your sorry asses outta here before something happens."
"And what happens when we don't move?" asked Helen, getting up and standing slightly behind Matthew. Jack rocked his head to the side as he got back up, while Olsen and Jenny stood behind the men.
"Oh, girl's got game." Said a second man, stroking his bushy black beard while walking up to Helen and reaching out for her arm. Matthew grabbed onto the man's forearm a lot harder than he ever remembered being able to and pushed the man away. Helen backed away from the man's reach until she and Matthew noticed a red glow on the man's arm in the shape of Matthew's handprint. However, as the light faded, there didn't seem to be any visible wounds from it.
"Oh, so you want to fight, do ya? Then come at me, lemme see whatchu got." The man challenged. Matthew chuckled in response and shook his head and began walking away with Jack and Helen. Olsen and Jenny walked around them, taking long strides to catch up to the rest of them.
"You're not worth it," Matthew said flatly. The bearded man chuckled under his breath, calling out to them as the five left.
"I see how it is, you just gonna chicken out like all the otha punks around here. You ain't nothing but a…"
"Just shut it already," Jack called back over his shoulder and continued walking until there was a loud double click behind them.
"You wanna say that again you little shit?" the tattooed man demanded. A third man with a bright green bandana pulled his shirt up to reveal a pistol secured in his belt. Olsen felt his arms become numb and his legs become heavy as he turned and caught sight of the gun.
"He doesn't have to prove anything to you," Jenny called, turning around to see the bearded man holding a gun at arm's length approaching them. The sight of the barrel and the sound of the hammer being cocked back made all five freeze in place.
"Well, that's too bad. Since yo boys here don't seem like they want to man up, I'll just take what I want." Again, the bearded man walked towards Helen. Olsen's mind screamed at him to do something, but the sight of the gun kept him grounded. Matthew and Jack twitched to do something but froze again when the bearded man and the fourth man reached for their weapons. With slow movements, the bearded man draped his arm over Helen's shoulder, pointing to the various people within his group with his gun.
"My name's Geo. That's Hector with the beard, Ian in the bandana, and Ricky in the back there," he said with suggestive tone, looking over to Jenny who shifted her feet, ready to run.
"You both are way too pretty to be hangin with these piles of crap. Why don't you come with us and we can…" Olsen's leg streaked past Helen's head and slammed it into Geo's forehead, his shin flaming with pale pink light, flinging Geo away from Helen. The rest of the remaining men grabbed their pistols and aimed Olsen.
"You wanna try that again?!" Ian demanded angrily.
"Seems like they ain't so useless after all," Geo said, getting up while holding his head as he steadied his steps. Olsen set his leg down slowly, his entire body burning with a desire to move, to beat these guys, to do something. But with a gun now trained on him, his options were limited to being faster or distracting them. His movements were more rapid than the average person, but he would need to be A LOT quicker to disarm these punks. Once Geo had steadied himself, he quickly walked over to them, shoving Olsen aside and forcefully pulling Helen forward.
"Don't touch me." She demanded as she pulled away. The man reached out and grabbed her arm again, holding up his pistol to her cheek.
"Maybe you'd like to meet the back side of my piece upside your head? Yeah, that's what I thought. Come on, we gonna have some fun tonight." Geo laughed pulling Helen away. Matthew and Olsen flinched, but the end of Ian's and Ricky's guns stopped them. Hector walked around them and grabbed Jenny, dragging her away as well. As Helen struggled, her arms and hands glowed a dim purple color making Matthew and Jack look at each other in confusion.
Geo suddenly let go, shouting that he had been burnt, allowing Helen to begin running away. She made it only a few feet before she was grabbed and shoved to the ground by Geo. Roughly, he rolled her over and pulled her shirt off while reaching for the button of her pants. A green glow flashed around Jenny, allowing her to get away from Hector and clamber up onto a dumpster, holding the lid shut as he tried to get in. Helen screamed for help just as Geo reached for her bra until Jack kicked the guns away from Ian and Ricky in one blur of movement. He then swiped both of them across the face with a hard punch into the water, crossing his arms when the guns fell into his hands with the butt of the grips touching.
Matthew was about to tell him how stupid he was when a transparent, red flame engulfed Jack and spread to the guns. The light concentrated around the ends of the barrels as the sound of cannons roared. The shot screamed past Geo, putting two large holes in a dumpster, making him stop and look back to see Jack leaping in, fists glowing red.
The impact hit with the sound of distant thunder, throwing Geo off of Helen. Olsen and Matthew stared for a minute until they realized they were no longer in danger. They both ran for Helen, Matthew grabbing her crumpled shirt and Olsen helping Helen to her feet and leading her away from the area. Jack moved like a flash, slamming his fist into Hector as he clawed at the dumpster containing Jenny, knocking him unconscious.
Geo struggled to his feet, reaching for his pistol and aiming at Matthew, Olsen, and Helen as they ran. He was quickly met with four fast punches and sent flying into the water as Jack somersaulted backwards. Matthew turned around when he heard the splash, staring in awe and confusion at Jack. Olsen led Helen to a space between buildings near the dock, turning around to see what had happened. Helen backed against the wall, shivering while holding her arms around herself, still feeling Geo's cold hands slithering across her body.
When Jenny no longer heard the sounds of Hector banging on the dumpster, she carefully pushed up the lid to see Jack standing in the middle of the dock, a red glow surrounding him as though it were a slow-moving flame. After climbing out of the dumpster, she kicked Hector in the gut where he lay twice, then turned her attention to Jack.
"Jack, are you ok?" Matthew asked as he approached Jack. As Matthew neared, the red glow stopped, and Jack collapsed to the ground unconscious. Both Matthew and Jenny rushed to his side to try and catch him before he hit the ground but were too far away.
"We need to get Jack back home," Matthew commanded, reaching to pick Jack up when he realized he was still holding Helen's shirt.
"Don't you think we should take him to a doctor?" Jenny asked as she was handed the shirt and Matthew picked him up over his shoulder.
"And tell them what? 'My friend collapsed after beating up four guys while he was glowing'?" Matthew asked.
"It's better than taking him home! What if he has internal bleeding or something?" Jenny asked, walking with Matthew as he made his way off the dock.
"In either case, we need to get him away from here. Maybe Jack's mom will know what to do." Matthew answered, passing by Olsen and Helen, coxing them to follow. Jenny gave Helen her shirt, staying with her as the five made their way to Jack's house.
"Now, tell me again what happened?" asked Carrie, placing a second cool towel on Jack's head as he lay unconscious in the living room of his house. Olsen put a hand over his mouth, running down his chin before beginning.
"We were down at the docks just watching the sunset from a spot that Matthew told us about, when a group of four men announced the dock was theirs, telling us to leave. I asked them what would happen if we didn't, and they all pulled guns, two of them reaching for Helen, and Jenny. The next thing I saw, a red comet thing hit a dumpster, and then Jack was rushing the guys. His whole body was glowing red. He punched two into the water, kicked a third into the water, and knocked out the fourth. After that, he just passed out." Olsen explained for the fourth time, looking over to Helen who sat at the end of the kitchen table staring down at the ground, rubbing her arms vigorously.
She shivered as the disturbing look in Geo's eyes kept flashing through her mind and the ghost of his hands on her body lingered. Jenny walked to her and tapped her shoulder making Helen jump and whimper but calmed when she saw Jenny sit down next to her, speaking quietly enough that only Helen could hear.
"You okay?" Jenny asked, reaching out for Helen's hand.
"No, I'm not alright. I want to go home, but I want to make sure that Jack's alright first," she muttered. Carrie squinted her eyes; something had happened to the poor girl, but none of them had explained anything beyond Jack passing out after punching four people. Turning her attention back to Jack, Carrie shifted the towel on his head as Pierre and Glen came through the front door.
"Jack'll be fine guys. It sounds like he just went a bit overboard." Carrie assured them.
"But what about that red glow we saw?" asked Olsen.
"You might have been worried about Helen. Lots of weird things can look like they happen when someone you know is in trouble." She said with a sad smile, her thoughts turning to Muirhat. Helen looked over to Jack and walked over to the couch, sitting down on the floor. Carrie reached for her hand and shook her head when she noticed Helen reaching for Jack, her hand glowing a dim violet.
"But…"
"Helen, he'll be fine. It's late. You should be getting home. Pierre, would you make sure they get home safely?" She asked. He nodded firmly and led them out the door, Jenny offering to go over to Helen's to make sure she would be alright. Glen then turned back to Carrie, reaching into his jacket for something.
"Are you still going to keep them in the dark?" Glen asked sternly.
"It's for the best, Glen. If they knew about who they are, they would get themselves into far more trouble. Were you able to find it?" she asked when she heard the garage door open, signaling that Mark had just come home. The sound of the door hadn't reached Glen as he shook his head and pulled out the elegant crystal bottle from within his jacket.
"It took me a bit of time, but I managed to find it." He replied, pulling an elegant bottle from within his jacket, when Mark walked in from the garage.
"Hey babe, did Jack and the others have a study session or…what happened to Jack? And what's in that bottle?!" he asked when he saw his son passed out on the couch. Glen and Carrie looked at each other: it was time to try and convince Mark that what was about to happen was very real.
"Mark, honey. Do you remember that story I told you when I woke up in the hospital? That wasn't a story; it's real. Jack's powers as a pirate have been steadily getting stronger. Why do you think that we've had to buy him a new punching bag every couple of months? Today he just tapped into far more power than he was ready for." Glen shook the bottle in his hands as the thick, blue liquid inside emanated a soft light.
"Right, and my sister is a mermaid. Carrie, those things were something you dreamed from hitting your head." Carrie objected and motioned to Glen. The old man walked to Jack, pulling the top from the bottle with a long glass rod attached, and dragged it across Jack's mouth. The boy's entire body glowed blue as Jack instinctively swallowed, then rolled over on his side, fast asleep.
"It's not," Carrie answered. Mark blinked his eyes a few times trying to mentally explain what he had seen: maybe he had too much coffee, or the lighting was weird for a second. Jack didn't just glow blue for a moment, did he? Carrie went to the safe above the mantle, took out the revolver, and held it straight out. The motion caught Mark's attention, watching in dumbfounded disbelief as the same blue glow engulfed her arm, spreading to the gun as she pulled the trigger.
An ear-splitting roar shook the house as a blue bolt shot into the night, making the nearby windows explode. After dropping his hands away from his ears, Mark slumped onto a second couch within the living room, trying to wrap his head around everything that he had just seen.
"Everything that Carrie told me is real? This magical land called Ossyria and the Nautilus is real?" he thought, looking over to Jack, and then to the bottle in Glen's hand.
"What did you just give Jack?" he asked, trying to keep himself from shouting. Carrie sat across from Mark on the coffee table, putting the pistol next to her.
"Jack used up all his Mana, something that every human has within them. It's a byproduct of his Life Force that we can harness for special abilities. A person only has a little bit after they are born, but with training, you can have more. Jack had drained ALL of his Mana and passed out because his available mana supply is still small." Carrie explained, as Glen sat down next to Mark and put a hand across his back.
"The potion I gave Jack is a Mana restorative. Rest is the only safe way to restore the remainder. If one were to rely on potions, it could kill you," he said. Mark let his head fall into his hands. It was all too much. His wife was some kind of freak, and his son was another freak, and he was a freak for marrying a freak. All of what he had seen only existed in fairy tales and legends, not real life!
"Everything will make sense soon," Glen explained.
"We're leaving for Ossyria in two days, and all of you will be coming." Mark couldn't get his head wrapped around what was happening. The whole life that he built was just about to end. His entire career and living were all going to disappear. Carrie moved to the couch next to him, grabbing his hands and turning his head to face him.
"Please, just for a bit, humor me and say that you believe me. Trust me; I'll tell you everything when we're there." Mark nodded absentmindedly, unsure if he would ever be able to accept what he had just seen.
"Is Jack going to recover? Spontaneously collapsing like that can't be good for him," Olsen pressed.
"Yes, he'll be perfectly fine after some rest," Pierre answered with stoic disinterest.
"What about the red glow around him and his fists?" Jenny asked. Sure, she may not have a crush on him like she did Olsen, but Jack was still one of her close friends. Helen could only vaguely hear what was being said. It was as though everyone was talking a long way off while Jenny guided her.
"All will be made clear shortly. For now, go home and rest." Pierre instructed. Reluctantly, Olsen conceded and was about to begin jogging home when he remembered that Jenny and Helen would be alone, turning to follow then when Pierre grabbed his shoulder.
"Olsen, I have some business that I need to attend. I will be late tonight," he said sternly. Olsen nodded and jogged after the girls. Once Olsen was out of earshot, Pierre turned to an empty lot.
"You can come out, Aran. I still can't believe that even after all this time you can't suppress your presence." Pierre scolded as Aran stood and walked to him, setting the end of his halberd down on the street.
"How is Jack?" Aran asked.
"He's unknowingly tripped the Ruby Crystal's power. The resulting fusion made him use all his mana and subsequent energy. I believe your arrival here is what has started the crystals' reawakening." Aran nodded and looked to the star-filled sky.
"It's only been a day since I arrived, but I'm beginning to think three days is too long. This world isn't ready for something as powerful as the crystals. I was there at the docks watching them, and the others too had unknowingly tripped the crystal's power, but not to the severity of Jack." Pierre lowered his brow.
"Olsen left that detail out when telling us what had happened," Pierre said, growling in his throat, crossing his arms.
"Don't be too hard on him. It's the girls, Helen and Jenny, that I would be most worried about." Aran said, following Pierre's stare.
"What do you mean?" Pierre asked, unfolding his arms and staring hard at Aran.
"You mean they didn't tell you Jin?"
"Tell me what? What happened to the girls?" Pierre asked again, this time with a more intense growl in his voice. Aran sighed as his face fell.
"Both Helen and Jenny were nearly raped today. If it Jack hadn't tripped the Ruby Crystal, I doubt that four unconscious people would be the worst that happened." he sighed. Pierre clenched his fists tight enough to make his skin creak. Aran shook his head, firmly touching Pierre's shoulder with his fist.
"We need to leave tomorrow, or else they may fully awaken their powers. Without proper training in a world that accepts the kind of powers they possess, I fear that they will destroy everything around them." Pierre looked up and lowered his brow.
"Tomorrow? Aran, dozens of preparations need to be made to sever ties with this world." Pierre pressed when Aran grabbed his shoulder hard.
"Jin, listen to me! I stayed behind to watch the young men that Jack had defeated. From what I've come to understand of the people in this world, they don't trust, nor do they accept people like you and me. They are terrified of people like us, and it will only cause more trouble if we stay much longer. Minerva forbid they should come after Helen and Jenny again when they are alone, or go after the boys when they are alone." Aran argued. Pierre roughly pulled his arm away, clenching his right hand but remembering that he had already taken off his weighty claw. Aran dropped his hand and turned to leave, stopping to speak over his shoulder.
"I'll convey the message to the others. Be ready to meet where I arrived with anything you will need," Aran commanded. Pierre sighed heavily and shook his head, his upper lip swelling as he pushed his tongue between it and his teeth.
"I'll meet you there." He finally said while Aran nodded and disappeared. Pierre leaped into the air and then was propelled forwards with a hex made of lavender light, heading back home.
"'…And so, when the time is near, the power of those blessed with their power will show itself as a sign that the final battle is nearing fruition.' I guess there's no going against it now. What would you do, master?" Jin thought as he lept through the darkness back home, only accompanied by the silence of the night air.
The Mage's whispers seemed pleased as he tapped his finger on the arm of his chair, watching everything from his crystal ball.
"Why not give them a taste of what's to come if things are progressing so nicely?" Eleanor asked silkily. The Mage turned his pale red eyes to her, narrowing them as if to ask 'why'?
"If they can't hold their own against your pawn, the Stump King, then there's no use in calling them here." The Mage growled low in his throat approvingly, whispers rising around her. Eleanor smiled back, sitting on the arm of his throne while running her long black nails along his jawline and turning his face to her, hovering just above where she guessed his lips to be.
"Indeed, it is an endeavor worth trying."
