Chapter 3: Barrett Wingfoot, Hidden Pain?
Barrett sat outside of the inn in Al De Baran, looking at the rising sun in the sky while he still could. The sky was getting gradually cloudy, which signaled for rain. Barrett didn't know what to think of the day. He had spoken to Nale, his Bard friend, about why he had brought two orphans, an Acolyte and a Mage, to see him. When he discovered that he was to train them, he was fairly opposed to the idea. But after careful consideration, he came up with an idea that he had planned to put into action before it began to rain. He wondered if it was going to work, though, looking down at the small box he had within his cross-legged lap. Opening it, he took out a small pastry, a doughnut, and was about to eat it before Nale, who had managed to make his way out of the front door without help, joined him. Barrett called him over so he could carefully sit down and enjoy what he could of the morning.
"What are you up to, Barrett?" Nale asked, leaning against the wall of the inn with a sigh.
"Sitting and eating doughnuts." Barrett responded, looking out to the crowds. At that moment, a Merchant woman walked past, pulling a cart behind her. Barrett blinked at this, taking a bite from his doughnut as he examined the cart. It was fairly plain, but had a beautiful floral decoration on it, probably used to draw attention to the goods the Merchant was selling. He smiled as she walked past, making a totally random comment.
"She has flowers on her cart." He said.
"What?" Nale didn't understand. After all, he couldn't see them. "Cart? You mean a Merchant?"
"Yeah, she had flowers on her cart." Barrett responded, his mouth full as he had taken another bite of his doughnut.
"Ah, flowers." Nale sighed happily. "Flowers are nature's sprinkles, the beauty of life…"
Barrett heard these words and thought to himself. Nale normally rambled on in random bouts of philosophy when he was around, or at least it seemed this way. The young man never really understood what the blind Bard was ever talking about. But at that moment, he began to make a small connection. Finishing the doughnut he had, he took out another and examined it for a moment, the gears in his head shifting. Soon, it was like a light bulb in his mind switched on, as he suddenly smiled in a new, curious realization.
"So… life's like a doughnut!" Barrett smiled to Nale, holding a doughnut that had sprinkles littered about its surface.
"A doughnut?" Nale gave this a little thought before cracking a smile. "Yeah! Life can be seen just like a doughnut!"
"Finally, Mr. Frugen, Mr. Wingfoot, we're done." Mystic came outside with Jinx to see what Nale and Barrett were doing. They had both been told to take a bath and wash their clothes, which was an order from Barrett. He called it part of their training. They looked much better all clean, and their clothes looked much less ragged. Barrett smiled brightly, scarfing down his doughnut and standing up quickly, walking over to Mystic. She looked at him awkwardly as he rested his hands on each side of her head and leaned in, sniffing her hair. She blushed deeply, and Jinx stared in shock.
"Mm, she smells much better!" Barrett proclaimed.
"What are you doing!" Jinx shouted.
"Well, I hope you two enjoyed your bath." Barrett said, ignoring Jinx as he brushed his hands off on his shirt. "Today, your training starts."
"Be careful with them Barrett…" Nale began to speak.
"We'll start with endurance!" Barrett shouted as he reached out, grabbing Jinx and pulling him close, punching him in the stomach once. This knocked the wind out of the poor Acolyte, his legs giving out and making him fall to the ground, clutching his stomach. Mystic gasped in fright.
"Mr. Wingfoot!" She shouted.
"What?" Barrett didn't understand what he had done while poor Jinx was gasping for air.
"Hey." Cloud said, grabbing Barrett's attention before he kicked the Knight in the shin, making him fall to the ground, clenching his teeth. "Leave them alone."
"Ouch! Sorry!" Barrett apologized.
"You should be ashamed of yourself, amigo." Nale said to Barrett. "I was thinking more of a field test anyways."
"Hm?" Barrett sat up. "You mean in there?" Barrett pointed to the Clock Tower in the center of town.
"If you're pointing to the Clock Tower, then yes, in there, dude." Nale said with a smile.
"But why would you want to go in there?" Mystic asked.
"Well…" Barrett crossed his legs, sitting on the ground as he tilted his gaze to the marble walkway, becoming very somber. "… Did you ever hear the tale, or read that book? The one about the Child of Prophecy… and the Equivocator? I knew them both, they were really cool guys… I went with them towards the final battle, at what used to be the Cathedral of Glast Hiem. I shouldn't be saying so much… but Nale trusts you, so I will too… When I got there, we met a man named Ayndi. He was a real crazy guy, and cruel. He was violent and ruthless, driven insane by the darkness of that place… He… He…"
"He what?" Jinx sat up, questioning Barrett.
"… Ah, who cares?" Barrett jumped up with a smile. "I need to get in there, and I've been disallowed for a long time… But you, Acolyte kid, you've got a record of sneaking into places, don't you?"
"What a change of attitude…" Cloud said.
"Wha? Um…" Jinx didn't know how to respond.
"I hear that Jinx has quite the reputation with the Prontera guards for going into places he shouldn't." Nale grinned. "Ain't that right, amigo?"
"Yeah…" Jinx admitted.
"Don't be so sulky today!" Barrett laughed. "You're going to do just that, and it's going to be for the good of the world!"
"You mean for your personal purposes." Nale corrected him.
"Shut up, Nale." Barrett said. "Here's the plan…"
Not too long from then, the plan Barrett came up with was put into action. The Knight simply went to put on his gear before they had begun, which seemed to change him a bit. Jinx, Mystic and even Cloud were surprised to see him. His armor was fairly simple, light and maneuverable. It looked different from the usual Knight attire, though. He wore a kind of bodysuit beneath it, blue in colour, and had a silver chain mail shoulder cover. On his chest was a white piece of cloth that had the Prontera Crest stitched into it, which was tucked into a thick brown belt. A loincloth, blue as well with a white lining, hung down to cover his legs, where no armor was worn except for silver greaves. The only other armor on him was a pair of lightly plated silver gauntlets, and a steel helm that rested on his head. As he moved, his blue cloak with a white lining along the hem would flow behind him, concealing most of the view of his sword, which was strapped around his waist, the sheathe over his back, horizontally. It seemed to be slightly curved, holding what looked to be a fairly oriental sword.
Barrett approached the clock tower, looking up at it. He shifted his shoulders under the weight of his chain shoulder cover, not quite used to wearing his armor. He had to admit; it had been a while since he was required to wear all of it. He didn't quite like it, either. Wearing his armor reminded him of all the pain it brought, and the blood spilled because of his decision to become a Knight in the first place. He remembered the dark path he took once, all because of that choice. But he knew he needed it. A long time ago, an evil man, the one that took him captive, had informed him that the clock tower was filled with spawning evil. It contained a portal that only the Equivocator could seal – or rather, the Equivocator's hand. He knew that it had to be closed as well when he went inside with Jinx. He stopped before the clock tower, smiling to himself. He had been trying to get in for years. He really had to hand it to Nale for bringing the perfect circumstances to put his plan into action.
"Yo!" He raised his hand, holding within it, an unlit torch.
"Hm?" A man, clothed very simply in a metal half-helm and simple clothes, holding a spear, looked up at him. "You again?"
"Yes, it is I, worthy adversary!" Barrett responded as he walked up the steps to the guard, being the only thing between him and the tower.
"Listen, buddy." The guard began. "You've been coming here every other week for the past three years, and every day, you're told to go home. This place is restricted okay? It's off limits, and you can't come in. Even if you are a Knight from Prontera, it's a direct order from the King. This clock tower is off limits to every person in Rune-Midgarts until he says otherwise. So go away."
"Oh but this time is different." Barrett grinned after listening patiently to the guard speak to him. "Because this time, while you were going on about the law that I know full well about, my little friend has snuck in behind you before you could even notice."
"What?" The guard turned around to see Jinx running into the tower. He went to stop him, but was suddenly knocked unconscious by Barrett, who clubbed him in the back of the neck with the unlit torch. The man fell to the ground, and Barrett quickly dragged him around behind the tower and out of sight, positioning him as if he were sleeping.
"Okay, if anyone asks who did this to you, it was Baret." Barrett said. "It was Baret,not Barrett."
"Okay!" Barrett looked around the corner to see if anyone was watching. He saw that Mystic and Cloud were waiting nearby. He waved them in, and they moved, hurrying into the tower. Barrett hurried in after them, stopping at the door to look at the crowd that was too busy to even notice him. He gripped his cloak and threw it aside for a cheesy dramatic effect as he proclaimed that he was invincible. Cloud came back and dragged him inside soon after. Barrett quickly lit his torch then, holding it above his head. He'd never been inside before, so he was curious. It was even more dark and brooding than he had thought.
It was dark, and the walls seemed damp. Below the cock tower was a cavern with underground lakes within it, so condensation could have at least reached the first floor. It chilled the air a slight bit, and the walls were lined with limy green moss along the prick-patterns. Listening in the silence, the sound of busy gears haunted the corridors. Of course, these gears were the things working the clock. The darkness was so thick; the four of them could hardly see three feet in front of themselves. The three teenagers were a little reluctant to continue. The place seemed more dark than any other they had entered, and they looked to Barrett for guidance. Barrett himself felt awkward standing within the tower, as it gave him strange feelings… painful, fearful feelings. He looked at them then, becoming fairly grim and serious.
"Alright guys, I have a bad feeling about this place." Barrett said. "I feel like something awful has taken place here… But there is a portal here as well."
"A portal?" Jinx blinked.
"That's why we're here, Jinx." Mystic said.
"You have to close the portal." Cloud said as he held up the small casing that held Linkin – The Equivocator's – hand inside. "So let's get to it."
They all agreed, and got their weapons ready. Jinx had received a small steel mace, while Mystic held a small wooden wand. Cloud, being merely a Novice, had little experience with any weapon. But still he held with him a mighty steel Falchion. All of those paled in comparison to Barrett's weapon, which he drew in a manner to show that he was ready for anything to come his way. It was a long sword, slightly curved with remarkable craftsmanship. It was not standard for a Knight to carry such a blade; in fact, it was against the rules for Prontera Knights to wield that kind of blade. It wasn't made in the Mainlands of Rune-Midgarts for certain; it was a foreign sword from a foreign land. Regardless, it looked very strong, and it was large, probably taking a strong person to wield it. The Knight moved ahead of the group then, taking the first steps into the tower.
It was like a large, dark maze of sorts. The sound of gears echoed through the dark, damp passageways, and it gave no clue as to the source. It seemed as if an ominous presence lurked over the four of them, the torchlight offering the only sense of safety in the building. Everything was made to put nerves on edge, but it seemed to be getting to Jinx. He stopped at a small junction, looking around, getting an awkward feeling. The rest stopped and looked at him, asking what was wrong, but he couldn't respond. The young man could hear voices, but they weren't talking at him. He could hear voices, talking to each other. He lowered his mace curiously as he looked all around him. Suddenly, a gruesome sight startled him, stumbling back until he hit a wall, staring at an empty space with wide eyes. A sort of scene played out before him, but he knew it was only a hallucination. Yet the feelings it drew out struck him hard.
"Blood!" Jinx cried, and Cloud moved over to him, grabbing his arm.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked, shaking the Acolyte.
"There's fighting! People are fighting! No… not fighting… murder! People are being murdered!" Jinx cried as he sat back, sliding down against the wall to sit on the floor, watching the scene unfold before him, the others couldn't see it… A figure that Jinx could see even passed through Barrett like a spiritual entity, and he was unable to stop it.
"People are being stabbed… someone's head… cut right open! Split in half! So much blood is spilling…" Jinx's eyes were wide. "How… A man… A man with a red vest! He's killing them all!"
"Snap out of it!" Barrett hurried to Jinx.
"Stop it, leave him alone!" Mystic shouted, making the Novice and the Knight look at her.
"Leave him alone, it'll go away soon." Mystic sighed. "Just leave him alone…"
Jinx acted like a paranoid dog for a few minutes afterwards until he broke into a pathetic fright. He dropped his mace, curling up against the wall. Mystic moved over to him and kneeled down, hugging him around his shoulders softly, rubbing his back, and trying to comfort him. Barrett and Cloud were speechless, shocked, and confused. Mystic calmed Jinx down until he remained quiet against the wall. Mystic looked up at the two and saw their questioning gazes, sighing as she went to explain to them exactly what had happened.
"This happened before." She said. "When our foster father's wife was found dead at the alter of the church one night, Jinx saw her. We were both shocked; she was such a nice lady… But when Jinx got close to the body, he started to act like this. We were only little, so I didn't understand what he said… things about abuse, sadness, sorrow, and suicide… I didn't know what any of those meant."
Both the Knight and the Novice were quiet.
"So… is he some sort of psychic or something?" Barrett asked.
"I don't know." Mystic said.
They gave Jinx his time to rest, but if that wasn't enough, an odd cackling began to echo through the corridors. Another presence was obvious to them, so Barrett suggested that they leave. The Knight picked Jinx up with one arm and slung the boy over his shoulder. Mystic and Cloud got up after him, and followed as he went to make his way deeper into the tower. Though the further they went, the tenser they would get. They didn't move far until they got to a dead end, but when they did, they were reluctant to turn around. It was very dark in that tower, and the cackling that echoed through the halls only got louder. Barrett was the first to turn, just as the eerie laughing died down, only to see a floating figure. He froze in place, as he was looking straight into the eerie eyes of what looked like a stereotypical witch. The old woman was floated on a broom, wearing a sort of creepy grin on her warty face. Even with the young Acolyte on his shoulder, the Knight took the defensive, raising his weapon. This only provoked the witch, and she swooped at him suddenly.
Mystic was the first to move, stepping backwards quickly to get away from the danger. She stepped onto a strange circular design on the floor, and as she did, the indented rings on the design began to glow. She gasped at this, just before her form seemed to fade away, and disappear into thin air. Cloud looked back as Barrett was busied with the task of avoiding the witch, who swooped at the Knight time and time again. It was difficult to move with a child on his shoulder, but he managed somehow to make away with only a light hit or a near miss. He backed away and took Jinx off his shoulder, handing him to Cloud, who took him and helped him away from the fray. He too stepped onto the circular design, and when it began to glow, he became curious. But before any questions could be answered, he and Jinx disappeared like Mystic had. Barrett looked back just soon enough to see the two boys disappear, though gave it little thought as he turned his attentions back towards the witch.
Barrett grinned, calling it on. It took this as a challenge and swooped right at him. Using an enchantment, Barrett's adrenaline began to pump through his veins, and just before the witch got to him, he moved. He ducked aside and quickly brought his blade back towards her. She let out a scream as his blade tore right through her broomstick, causing her to fall to the floor. She was helpless then, without her broom. She quickly stood and ran franticly away from the Knight. Barrett just laughed as her warty round form waddled away in fear. Turning, he moved to the circular design in the floor where the others had disappeared. He looked at it for a moment before cautiously placing one foot on the pad. It began to glow, just like before. He then carefully brought his other foot to the pad, and within moments, he too disappeared.
"Mr. Wingfoot?" Mystic's voice was the first to meet the Knight's ears, and he was delighted to hear it.
"Yeah, don't worry, that old witch isn't bothering anyone anytime soon." Barrett smiled pleasantly to her.
"It's creepy in this tower." She responded.
"It only seems that way because of the darkness." Cloud said, holding Jinx up still. "Darkness makes everything, even the nicest of places seem scary."
"We should keep moving." Barrett spoke up. "I think we're on the second floor, we should find our way to the top. The portal would be up there too, right?"
"Too?" Cloud repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Ah, well, along with monsters and stuff!" Barrett responded. "That's what I meant."
"Ugh… let's go…" Jinx finally spoke up, looking up at them. "This place may be creepy… but people are counting on us, right? So let's do it."
"Jinx are you okay?" Mystic asked.
"Just a little shaken up." The young Acolyte pulled away from Cloud to stand up. "I'll be fine…"
"Right, let's go." Cloud said, handing back Jinx's mace and turning away.
"Hey, lemme lead, you dummy!" Barrett shouted as he ran to get ahead.
To them, the second floor seemed easier on them. It wasn't as dark, lamps lit the walls, and there were bookcases and benches. It seemed to them that the second floor was for visitors, strictly. It was a place where tours should have been held. But instead of people and exhibits, there were monsters of an awkward sort. Some were seemingly made from dust with small demonic wings and faces; others were cursed books with monstrous teeth rather than pages. It seemed to the four of them that the entire tower had fallen under a deep, dark curse. There was not a thing that did not seem evil in the slightest. But there were less life-threatening objects or beings to harm them. It was a simple task, getting to a doorway that led to the third floor. Though the three young teens only became more frightened the further they went. Their Knightly leader on the other hand seemed to only get more dedicated to reaching the top. His purpose seemed dire to him.
The third floor was very dangerous. Once again it was dark, and monsters lurked about each corner of every narrow walkway. Large golems seeming to be made of trinkets and wood marched about, each with the one thought of eliminating any intruders in mind. Mechanical beasts seemed to roam at free will, and gaping holes in the floor would undoubtedly send one falling to their doom. Indeed the third floor was a dangerous place, and the four intruders faced it full-on, getting nearly every enemy on the floor before they would approach the fourth and final door, the door that led to the top floor, and the portal. The young Acolyte was excited, and hurried on towards his goal.
"This is the last floor, right?" He asked, walking to the door. "Well let's go!"
Jinx gave the door a tug, but it did not move. In an effort to see what was wrong, he gave it a few more firm tugs… still, nothing happened.
"Damn it!" The Acolyte cried out in frustration. "It won't budge!"
"Uhm… Jinx?" Barrett spoke up, pointing towards a keyhole in the door.
"Oh… it's locked." Jinx laughed, embarrassed at his naïve behavior.
"Locked? But it can't be locked… we don't have the key! How are we supposed to get passed?" Mystic began to worry.
"Don't worry about it!" Barrett assured with confidence. "The key's gotta be around here somewhere, right? We just have to find it, right?"
"No time for that!" Jinx said. "We've got to get through this thing, and we're getting through now!"
Jinx backed away from the door then and, using all his might, charged. He forced his full weight at the door, smashing it. The old door showed signs of weakness as it jerked back against the old rusty hinges. Barrett grinned then, and handing Mystic his torch, he moved over to Jinx, who was backing up again. Barrett stopped him and smiled brightly down at him.
"On the count of three." He said.
"Sure." Jinx grinned.
1… 2… 3!
The two of them ran at the door with everything they had. Hitting it with their shoulders, they easily knocked it off its hinges and sent it crashing to the stairs before them. It was a large, spiral staircase, and the two just kept running, shoulder-to-shoulder. They grinned to one another and kept running, Cloud and Mystic rushing behind them to keep up. The Knight and the Acolyte both ran all the way up the stairs and well into the forth floor before Jinx skid to a stop in awe. Cloud and Mystic ran up behind them, stopping to catch their breath before the sight before them too took them back in surprise. A circular silver pool stood before them, undoubtedly a portal.
"There's what you came for." Barrett said to Jinx.
Within the portal, Jinx could see that there was another world, with demons and fire, bloodshed and violence. It looked to be a horrible place, and listening to it brought shivers down all of their spines. Barrett gestured to a small pedestal just in front of the portal, it was made of stone, and looked slightly out of place standing alone like it was. It had a small square surface, and Jinx walked over to it.
"Is this…?" Jinx spoke aloud.
"It's a pedestal… do you think…?" Mystic thought aloud as well.
"Yep." Cloud grinned, walking over to Jinx, the preserved hand in his possession, he then offered it to Jinx. "It's a pedestal that this goes to."
"Wow…" Jinx took the glass cover off the hand and took it. It seemed rather creepy to him, holding another human being's severed limb. He looked into the portal one more time, his three companions watching him closely. Jinx looked at the Equivocator's hand again, placing it out before him. Cautiously, he placed the hand flat on the stone face of the pedestal, and it began to react. With a small glow under the palm, the room began to shake slightly. The three teens were a little startled by this, while Barrett simply stood calmly with a smile. Jinx watched as the portal began to fluctuate and ripple uncontrollably like a pool of disturbed water. He could not believe what he was witnessing. Though, peering into the unstable portal, he thought he saw something. A figure ran frantically towards him. Unable to make out what it was, Jinx feared for the worst. It looked to wear ragged clothing, and it seemed to have blades coming from its forearms. It came closer, and closer while the portal was closing, and with each step taken Jinx got more and more frightened. Even Barrett got a little worried. Soon the figure was almost out of the portal, crying out in what seemed to be a bloody rage, and Jinx shielded himself with his arms, holding the hand firmly.
It was to his luck that the portal collapsed on itself and imploded, leaving not a trace.
"Well done young man!" Barrett clapped, showing obvious relief on his face. "You did it!"
"Barrett, I saw something…" Jinx began to speak.
"No need to worry about it now, eh? You closed the portal! It's gone! You did it!" Barrett continued to encourage the boy.
Jinx looked back at where the portal used to be. Nothing showed.
"… I guess I did, didn't I?" Jinx said.
"You did it!" Mystic cried out happily, running over to Jinx and hugging him around the neck. "Even when everyone said you couldn't, you did!"
"Yeah, nice going, Jinx." Cloud muttered. "Coulda gone a little faster though."
"Shut up." Jinx grinned, tossing Cloud the hand.
"Careful!" Cloud scolded as he caught it.
"Yep, we did it but…" Mystic looked to Barrett. "… Mr. Wingfoot? Why did you want to come here?"
"For this." Barrett spoke as he moved away from them. They all followed.
Following the Knight, their breaths were taken away once again. Along one of the walls was a grand structure that none of the teens had ever heard of. It looked like the great face of a clock seeming to be made purely of fine-polished crystal. It only had two hands, one long, one short, but they dawned the designs of the sun and the moon respectively on their faces. The hands seemed to lurk with the passing time, barely moving, but moving slowly. A variety of mechanical tubes, pipes, wires, sheets of metal, and so on framed this clock. It seemed like one huge machine, having but one object before it. It looked like a sort of terminal, to operate the machine. The three young travelers gazed at it curiously while Barrett eyed it with wonder as well.
"Barrett… What is this thing?" Jinx asked.
"My father used to tell… he used to tell me stories about it." Barrett said. "He was fascinated by machines… He said that even some were made with magic. This one is about as magic as they come! This is called the "Ut Alius Vicis," and it is a machine that enables you to…"
"… Travel through time." A voice finished for the Knight, drawing all attention to a man.
A man stepped from the shadows, dressed in a sort of black hooded cloak. His pale blue eyes seemed to catch any given light, and let of an eerie glow from time to time. His silver hair covered one of these eyes, and his fir form was dressed in what looked to be a black vest and brown pants, from what could be seen. His black shoes made ominous clacking noises as he stepped, a sort of odd handle that seemed to belong to a weapon tucked into a belt he wore. He stepped over until he was only a few feet away from him.
"The Ut Alius Vicis was a device created by the Recedentia Os in order to punish criminals in the past." The man said. "I knew you were coming for its use, Barrett Wingfoot, so I waited here for you. I knew you would be here today…"
"Who the hell are you?" Cloud shot at him.
"Silence boy, I do not wish to speak with you." The man said.
"He seems to be a Seer… Seers are people who can see the past and the present. I believe a clan of these Seers invented this machine." Barrett answered for Cloud.
"Yes, Barrett, you are correct." The man said. "But I must warn you of what you are about to do. This machine does not fix every problem; you cannot undo major events that have transpired… not you. I know where you intend to go, and what you intend to do. But do not try, you will be killed."
"You're going to go back in time!" Mystic spoke in a shocked tone.
"… I was going to kill the vessel of the Dark Lord that I heard about…" Barrett was suddenly very grim. "… But I can't do it, it seems."
"Even if by some miracle you were to succeed, the Dark Lord would only find another vessel and it would start all over again." The Seer said. "It is best to go into direct contact with something… smaller."
"And I know just what. But are you going to stop me?" Barrett said as he stepped up to the Seer.
"The Recedentia Os has dropped all ownership of this machine… By all means, use it, as you will. Stand there, and wait." The Seer instructed, moving over to the terminal and beginning to push buttons and twist dials. The three teens watched in awe as the machine began to slowly move. Barrett was jerked to attention. Where as he was confused about the Seer's kindness towards his thoughts, he had no time to question it. The machine began to activate as the Seer continued working away at the terminal. Barrett watched as the hands began to turn in a counter-clockwise way. Faster and faster they went, gathering up what seemed to be an electrical force as it went. Soon, they moved as a blur, and the faces of the hands looked to be marching, the sun and the moon. The electrical energy shot from it in all directions, and Barrett tensed up in second thought.
"This is going to hurt." The Seer muttered.
The energy suddenly shot off the machine and struck Barrett. The Knight cried out in pain, clutching his torso as his body flowed with the energy, the electricity coursing through his body. It put immense pressure on his body, his eyes widening, almost bulging from his skull. The three teens watched in horror as the machine spun faster until the hands could not be seen any longer by the naked eye. The energy that followed it turned into a bright white ring. Soon, the energy began to react, and glow, and soon, a bright flash engulfed the room. The teens clothed their eyes tight and shielded them from the blinding flash. By the time they opened their eyes Barrett had disappeared.
"Mr. Wingfoot!" Mystic cried out.