Hi. Things are going to get a little more intense in this chapter. Thanks to everyone who is following and commenting.
Flim-Flam ran as fast as he could. He was used to running, especially when he was in trouble, but this time he was at a distinct disadvantage. Not because he ran slowly, but because the people who were after him had magical abilities.
As he ran, he thought about how he'd gotten himself into all this mess. He remembered how it had all started because he had disobeyed Vincent. Flim-Flam regretted having moved that crystal ball. If he'd stayed in his room, he wouldn't have ended up in a parallel universe where people with magical abilities chased normal humans.
As soon as has arrived that one reality, Flim-Flam was very surprised, as he saw in the streets people using the magic at the everyday activities. Magic is everywhere, no one thought it was strange that he appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the city.
His curiosity grew every moment and he watched everything around him. He looked with real admiration at the street vendors making the fruits float to the customers and to the people flying on flying carpets.
Vincent and the others would like the place. Flim-Flam thought it was just a matter of time before the gang came after him, so he wasn't too worried and took the opportunity to walk a little.
That's when suddenly an unexpected scene broke his distraction. Flim-Flam saw in the crowd men, apparently soldiers, running after a girl who was fleeing at high speed. The girl was still running when suddenly one of the soldiers started to make her float.
"It was a good run, little girl. I was still kind and let you run a little, because I could have caught you whenever I wanted."- said the soldier speaking as if he had done her a great favor.
"Let me down"- speek the girl, probably knowing that wouldn't happen. "Let me down, please."
"That's not how things work, girl." said the soldier opening a portal and taking the girl who was still floating with him.
Meanwhile, the rest of the townspeople completely ignored the scene and continued as if nothing had happened. Flim-Flam was in shock, but was thinking of a way to help the girl. As she passed close to him, the eyes of Flim-Flam and the girl met. It was like she was trying to tell him something he couldn't understand. That was enough for him not to be able to stand still anymore.
"Let her down," said Flim-Flam, grabbing the soldier's leg before he went through the portal.
The man looked at the boy confused. He stopped walking and said:
"She's a normal human. You know the rules." -he was still talking when he noticed that the pendant on the string he wore began to glow. Not just his own, but in all the other soldiers as well.
"The boy is also human."-said the other soldier pointing to the glow and to Flim-Flam.
Flim-Flam barely had time to absorb what was happening, as he began to feel that the ground was getting farther away. That's when he noticed that he was also floating and that one of the soldiers was holding him in the air. He tried to get down, but he couldn't.
"Why are you doing this?" asked Flim-Flam, promising himself he wouldn't cry. Wanted to go home.
The soldiers laughed as if he had asked the obvious.
"Let me down. My friends are coming."- Flim-Flam said more to himself than to the soldiers. He needed to think that the gang was coming after him and that he was going home soon.
"Also humans? I'm sure there are enough cells for you and your friends."-said one of the soldiers still with that evil laugh.
"If i weren't in a hurry, I would wait for your friends and will took you all together. But I think you'll have to at ahead and wait for your humans friends there."- said another soldier leading him towards the portal.
"There where?"- asked Flim-Flam knowing he wouldn't like the answer.
"You'll find out." - Said the soldier crossing the portal with him.
Flim-Flam kept trying to order them to let him go down while the girl seemed to have accepted her fate.
After going through the portal Flim-Flam found himself in a kind of dungeon. Other soldiers seemed to be waiting for new prisoners. A man who appeared to be the leader of the soldiers snapped his fingers and a magic bracelet appeared on Flim-Flam's arm and on the girl's arm.
After putting the bracelet on him, the soldier finally let him down, only to try and push him into a cell. At that moment he saw a chance to try to escape and ran as fast as he could away from the cells. He called the girl to accompany him, but she seemed afraid to try to run away.
He knew he was at a disadvantage because they could make him float at any time or use some other kind of magic, but he would still try to run as fast as possible.
The place felt like a maze. He had the feeling of running for several minutes only to discover that he had somehow gotten back to where he started. Despite having run a lot, Flim-Flam found himself again near the cell door and the guards looked at him laughing.
"This is a magic dungeon. The walls move and the beginning is the end. "-they spoke as if they had let him run only so that Flim-Flam could see that it was not easy to escape. . Suddenly, when he was taken back to his cell, he found himself teleported away from the dungeon and the guards. He couldn't believe it when he saw Vincent and the rest of the gang. He's never been so happy to see them all.
"Flim-flam!" - Scooby said dropping him in an awkward hug. Soon everyone joined in the hug. At that moment words were not needed.
"Because uncle Flim-Flam is a child and who is this girl, Grandpa V.?"- a little boy next to Vincent asked him breaking the silence. It was the first time Flim-Flam really noticed the boy. It was also at this point that he noticed that the girl had been teleported along.
"Grandfather? How long was I gone?"- asked Flim-Flam looking at the little boy. He was in shock thinking he had been away for years.
"Long story. Let's go home."- Vincent said getting ready to teleport them. He didn't want to stay a second longer in that place. He sensed a different kind of magic in the air and had noticed that apparently everyone in the street was wizards, using magic freely. It made him wonder where the humans were. He wanted to get the boys out of there as soon as possible. In the passage would leave Dylan in his universe.
"Take me with you. Don't leave me here."- the girl who was in the dungeon with Flim-Flam suddenly grabbed the boy visibly terrified- "They're evil. They hurt humans without magical powers. You have no idea of what they do. They took my parents and then they came after whoever was left."
Vincent was beginning to understand what was going on and it terrified him. Apparently this was a society of wizards where they hunted normal humans. Vincent had to get everyone out of there as quickly as possible. With that in mind, he picked up the crystal ball. Before he could teleport them, the object broke into a thousand pieces. In his hands were only shards of what was the crystal ball.
"Don't so fast, friends."-a voice said coming out of a portal. Flim-Flam looked terrified at the chief of the dungeon soldiers. Somehow he found them and he came along with other soldiers. Looking down at his arm, Flim noticed the magic bracelet he still wore. He tried to take it off his arm, but found it wouldn't come out.
"I don't want any trouble. I just want to take the boys home."- Vincent said trying to keep calm and trying to understand what had happened with the crystal ball. The people in front of him used magic like him, maybe they could come to an agreement.
"I don't think so. You're all coming with us."- Said the chief of the guards, casting some kind of magic against them. Vincent blocked the magic before it hit anyone and formed a magical protective shield. That seemed to surprise the soldiers.
"What do we have here? A wizard helping humans to escape? How dare you help them?"- There was a lot of anger in the soldier's voice. In that parallel universe, wizards seemed to harbor resentment toward humans, probably for something in the past.
"You're not the first magician to want to protect humans." - said the chief of soldiers making a transparent hourglass materialize above his hand - "But I was prepared for something like that."
The moment after the hourglass appeared, Vincent began to notice the magic shield slowly dissolving.
"NOT!" - Vincent shouted as he noticed that the shield was coming apart little by little without being able to do anything and that as much as he tried he couldn't use any magic.
"A really interesting magic. As long as this hourglass is here you won't be able to use any kind of magic. We've already dealt with some other magicians who tried to defend humans"- said the chief of soldiers. -"Get the humans soon and let's get out of here."
Even without magic Vincent would do anything to defend them. He looked at the boys and noticed that they weren't going to give up without a fight either. Maybe everyone together has a chance to come home.
The magic of the transparent hourglass was inspired by a magic present in the Marvel comics. The next chapter will be decisive for the rest of the narrative. Monday I publish the new chapter.Many thanks to everyone who read it. Hugs
.