Disclaimer: I don't own Magic: the Gathering.
WARNING: The following chapter contains coarse language and graphic violence.
As Arrathir was about to concede, the doors of the arena burst open and a large group of creatures flooded into the room. They had snake-like bodies and triangular heads. Their arms ended in two scythe-like 'hands.' Arrathir (as well as most of the players in the room recognized the creatures. They were Slivers; a long-extinct race that had been cloned back to life by the Cephalid during Project Riptide in the Onslaught block.
Slivers were tribal creatures, each possessing a special ability, such as haste, flying, or first strike. However, being a tribal species, Slivers could share their abilities with other Slivers when in proximity to each other. For example: Shifting Sliver was a ghost-like Sliver that could easily slip through solid objects, making it unblockable, except to other Slivers. If a Shifting Sliver came near another Sliver, that Sliver would gain Shifting Sliver's ability. This way of sharing abilities made Slivers very powerful when in large groups. Since they had a relatively low mana cost, they could easily swarm and lock down the field early on in the game.
Arrathir had never taken to Sliver decks. He thought they were cheap because once a few key Slivers got out, the game was all but over.
The Slivers slithered around the room, attacking the duelists with their claws. Arrathir saw a Winged Sliver dive-bomb at a duelist and slit his throat.
This is not good…
Luckily for Arrathir, he was at the far end of the room, but the Slivers were rapidly approaching.
Can't you do something? It's going to be a slaughter!
Give me control and I might.
Arrathir's other self took over. Closing his eyes, he began charging his mana and released his spell.
"PLAGUE WIND!" he roared.
An icy wind swept through the hall. The Slivers froze where they were and fell over, writhing in pain as the spell dissolved their bodies into nothingness. Finally, all that was left were the dead and wounded bodies of the duelists.
"And you can't regenerate now!" said the other Arrathir.
There was an explosion and a hole appeared in the roof. A woman dressed in a purple cloak flew in, riding a Winged Sliver.
"Impressive," she said when she saw her Slivers were gone. She advised the other Arrathir "So this is the reincarnation of the Keeper of Black Mana?"
"Who are you?" roared the other Arrathir.
"My name is of no importance since you are going to die!' said the woman "You've defeated my other Slivers, but dare you face…the queen?" The woman charged her mana and summoned a new Sliver. This one was much larger than the other Slivers had been. Arrathir felt a chill: The Sliver Queen. The matriarch of all Slivers. A 7/7 legendary creature with the ability to create Sliver tokens.
Can you manage another one of those Plague Winds?
Sorry, that last one drained me of my mana. You're on your own, but my suggestion is to get the Hell out of here. That woman is a Planewalker.
Arrathir took over and decided to follow his other self's advice. Gathering what little mana he could, he summoned Havoc Demon.
"Come on!" he said to Eva, but she was in shock. Grabbing her, Arrathir put her on the demon's back and got on behind her. "Havoc Demon, get us out of here!"
The demon spread its wings and flew out of the hole in the roof.
"After them!" said the woman. The Sliver Queen approached the Winged Sliver and instantly sprouted wings. It took off after the Havoc Demon, the woman following on her Winged Sliver.
As the Havoc Demon flew on to an unknown destination, Arrathir looked behind them: the Sliver Queen was catching up.
"What the Hell is going on? And get your hands off me, you pervert!" shouted Eva, apparently out of her shocked state. Arrathir realized that in trying to stay on the demon's back he was hugging Eva tightly.
"Now's not the time!" he shouted, over the roaring wind "If you want to live, shut up and hang on!"
The demon dove into the streets, grazing skyscrapers and it zigged through the buildings in an attempt to loose the pursuing Sliver Queen. Arrathir was having another "Star Wars" moment. He saw himself in the Trench Run from the Death Star attack. The Havoc Demon was Luke's X-Wing and the Sliver Queen was Darth Vader in his TIE Fighter. Only this time, there was no exhaust port to blow up the Death Star and no Han Solo to save his sorry ass.
Fortunately, the Sliver Queen was not as maneuverable as the Havoc Demon or perhaps it was not experienced in flying in tight spaces. It crashed into a building and exploded in a shower of mana.
"I'LL GET YOU, KEEPER OF BLACK MANA!" yelled the woman "MY SLIVERS WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND KILL YOU!"
When Arrathir was sure they had lost her, he instructed the Havoc Demon to land in an alley. Both duelists got off and Arrathir banished the creature. As he turned to face Eva, he was met by a solid right hook that sent him sprawling.
"What is going on, freak?" Eva demanded, standing over him "Who the fuck are you?"
"It's kind of a long story," said Arrathir "The first thing you need to know is that the world of Magic: The Gathering is real." He told Eva everything: his journey to Domino, Khell's arrival and the beginning of his mana training, Battle City II, and the awakening of the Keeper of Black Mana.
"And you expect me to believe this bullshit?" said Eva when he'd finished.
"You mean the ride on a Havoc Demon and almost getting killed by Slivers didn't convince you?"
"Wait a minute," said Eva "So it wasn't you who beat me in the first round! It was your spirit! I wondered why you suddenly went from a babbling idiot to a good duelist! You cheater!"
"Well, technically, the spirit is still me," said Arrathir.
"Where is he?" said Eva "I have a bone to pick with him!"
The other Arrathir appeared in spirit form beside Arrathir, who was surprised. The spirit had never done this before.
"Hello," he said.
Eva swung out at him, but her fist passed through him and hit Arrathir instead.
That's another one for the record! You getting you ass kicked by a girl!
"I'm out of here!" said Eva, turning to leave.
"Stop," said the other Arrathir, taking control and grabbing Eva's arm.
"Let me go!" said Eva "I'll scream 'rape'!"
"Eva, you cannot go home!" said the other Arrathir "That bitch who attacked us, I'm sure she'll want no witnesses. I guessing she'll return to the arena, kill all those still there, and use the registration forms to find where you live and she'll send her Slivers to kill all who are there."
"No!" said Eva "My parents!" She made another attempt to free herself.
"It's too late," said the other Arrathir "You mustn't go. You want to remember your parents was they were when alive, not dead."
"LET ME GO!" screamed Eva, now hysterical. She struggled wildly and finally collapsed into the other Arrathir's shoulder, sobbing wildly.
Here's your chance. She's all yours.
The other Arrathir relinquished control of the body back to Arrathir who found himself with a sobbing girl on his shoulder. Embarrassed, he put is arm around her and patted her back. When Eva had calmed down, she wiped her eyes and looked up at Arrathir, a fierce look on her face.
"Teach me to mana summon," she said "I want to make that bitch pay! There's nothing left for me now. I've got no home or parents."
"Don't you have any relatives?" asked Arrathir.
"Only a few in Russia," said Eva "I haven't seen them in years. Will you teach me?"
"Well, I don't know if you could learn," said Arrathir.
"But you did!" said Eva.
"That was different!" protested Arrathir "The power of the Keeper helped me."
"Just give me a change," said Eva, a pleading look on her face.
AUGH! How can I say 'No' to that look?
"OK," he said "I'll try, but don't expect immediate results. Most summoners spend their lives training. First, we need to find a safe place to stay. We could go to my mother's house. It should be safe."
Arrathir summoned Havoc Demon again and they flew off. By the time they reached his mother's house, night had fallen.
Arrathir's mother lived in a bungalow in the suburbs of the city. When they arrived, the house was in darkness. Arrathir let himself in through the back door.
"Mom?" he called out "Listen, I know it's been a while since we've seen each other, but I have an emergency. Mom?"
Getting no response, He walked in. There was a blue glow coming from the living room, so he assumed she must be watching television. As he walked into the living room, Eva behind him, he saw a Sliver plunging its claw into his sleeping mother's stomach! Her eyes flew open and she emitted a gurgle, blood pouring from her mouth.
Arrathir never remembered what happened after that. All he remembered was finding himself holding the Sliver's heart in his bloody hands. He had a large gash across his chest that was bleeding profusely, but he ignored it. Suddenly, he heard a low hiss and saw another Sliver in the doorway. Gathering his mana, he summoned a Twisted Abomination and sent it to kill the Sliver. The sliver slashed out at the zombie, but the creature shrugged off the blow and crushed the Sliver with a blow from its scimitar before exploding into black mana.
Exhausted, Arrathir crawled to his bleeding mother's side.
"Mom," he gasped "I'm sorry I couldn't save you."
His mother smiled weakly.
"It's me that should be sorry," she said, coughing up more blood "I'm sorry I was such an awful parent. It's because I was afraid of you, of your power."
"Wait, so you knew?" said Arrathir "You knew about mana summoning?"
"Yes," she coughed "Your father was the same. He would be proud of you."
"Hang on, Mom," said Arrathir, crying "I'm gonna save you!"
"It's too late," said his mother "I'm just glad you came back. I've missed you."
"I-I love you, mom," said Arrathir. He could feel the mana draining from her body, her lifeforce slipping away.
"And I love you, Arrathir," said his mother; closing her eyes and letting death take over.
Arrathir screamed, "I'LL GET YOU, SLIVER BITCH! THIS TIME, IT'S PERSONAL!"
"Arrathir, I-I'm sorry," said Eva.
"Wait a minute!" said Arrathir "I can bring her back! I'm the fucking Keeper of Black Mana! The Guardian of Death!"
No! Don't even think about it!
Shut up, you! It's my mother!
Listen! The powers of the Keeper are not to be misused! Sure, you can bring creatures back to life, but human are different. If you tried to bring her back, she would only be a shadow of herself. A mindless zombie. Do you really want that?
SHUT THE FUCK UP! I never want to hear you again! This is all your fault! If you hadn't existed, none of this would have happened! Go away and never come back! I HATE YOU! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY BODY!
Arrathir felt the spirit locking himself in his soul room.
"Good riddance," said Arrathir, drying his eyes.
Later on, Eva and him built a bonfire and cremated his mother's body.
"Ashes to ashes," said Arrathir.
"Dust to dust," said Eva.
"We're in this together," said Arrathir "We'll avenge the deaths of our parents."
After packing Arrathir's mother's car with all they could take from her house, Arrathir and Eva drove off into the night.
"We've got to get as far away from the city as possible," said Arrathir "If that bitch is a Planeswalker, she could be tracking me from my mana radiations. My family has a cottage up north. I hope we'll be safe there for a while."
The drove all night and when the sun rose the next day, they were crossing the rocky landscape of the Canadian Shield. Eventually, Eva had to drive when Arrathir started falling asleep. They finally arrived at the cottage, a run-down house on the edge of a lake.
"It's been years since I've been here," said Arrathir.
The front door was locked, but along with the card keys was the key to the door. Once they had finished unpacking the car, Arrathir told Eva, "Your mana training begins today."
He led her into the woods and they sat down in the middle of a clearing. Arrathir began explaining the basics of mana summoning.
To be continued…
Author's note: Well, a very intense chapter has come to a close. More thanks to Lu Chao who's been a tremendous help with this fic.