Joe shuffles his deck of cards as he and Tessa make their way up the stairs to the All Father. The edges are bent and torn from years of use, but he continues to toy with them, furthering the damage.
Tessa glances at him out of the corner of her eye. "You really don't need to be nervous."
"I'm not nervous."
"Then you have the worst sleight of hand I've ever seen. Your fingers are so stiff."
"Sleight of hand is my specialty." Joe's hand slips and his cards scatter all over the stairs.
Tessa rolls her eyes and bends down to help him pick them up. "Of course it is. Sure you're not nervous?"
His face flushes deep scarlet. "So what if I am? This whole situation is very daunting. I'm about to be magically awakened, and it might kill me."
The thought hadn't stopped running around in Joe's mind. What if he wasn't ready for this? What if it killed him like Tessa had warned him it might? She said it was the most incredible experience of her life, and yet, Joe was more nervous than excited. This should be his dream come true. He was on the path to becoming the Warp Wizard, not that he knew what that meant, but it still sounded cool. He would be practicing real magic. No more lame card tricks or pulling bunnies from hats. So, why were his palms so sweaty?
"It might kill you, but it probably won't." She offers him an empathetic smile. "You were chosen to be the next Warp Wizard. You have genuine magic running through your blood. The awakening process has only been known to kill people who don't have true magic within them."
Joe studies Tessa, noting the seriousness within her violet eyes. "You really know a lot about magic. I've never met anyone who's as passionate about it as me."
Now it's Tessa's turn to blush. "Well, I try to pay attention in my lessons, even if they are boring. I just prefer to actually practice magic than read about it."
They gather up the rest of the fallen cards and stand back up, climbing the stairs once more. Joe slips the deck back into his pocket for safe keeping.
"For the record, it's perfectly okay to be nervous about all this. I was terrified when I came here a few months ago. At least you're not alone." Tessa's eyes wander up the staircase, not focusing on any point in particular. Only a few stairs can be seen at a time. The colorful fog is too thick for them to see the summit.
Joe continues to watch Tessa. He'd been so focused on himself, he didn't even think about how she went through all of this by herself. Joe knew what to expect once he got to the top, roughly. Had Tessa known anything at all? He tried to put himself in her position. First, finding out you were next in a long line of powerful wizards, then walking up these stairs to her potential death, not knowing when they were going to end, all while being by herself. A shiver ran down his spine. No wonder she was trying to connect with him. For the first time in months, she had someone she could relate to. He was definitely grateful for her company.
"I haven't seen my uncle in month's," Joe suddenly says.
Tessa blinks, snapping out her thoughts. "What?"
"The reason I've been so 'grouchy' lately," he confesses. He takes a deep breath and keeps talking before he can doubt himself. "A few months ago, my uncle went missing after a warp. I've tried so hard to find him, but no matter where I look, he isn't there. I swore I did everything right when we warped that time, but I'm still worried it's my fault he's missing. He's my favourite family member. We're so close. He taught me everything I know about magic. He was even the one to give me The Book. Now he's gone, and I don't know if I'll ever get him back. On top of all that, getting thrown into Horae Manor hasn't been easy either. I feel like I have a million questions, and everyone refuses to answer them. I get having my powers awakened is important, but a quick explanation for what's going on would have been nice."
Joe hates to admit it, but speaking all his fears out loud takes a huge weight off his shoulders. He feels better already. He holds himself back from saying anything else, wanting to give Tessa a chance to respond.
She nods at his confession. "Losing family is tough. I get it." Again, that faraway look appears in her eyes, dulling their glow.
Joe senses another common thread between them. "What happened to your family?"
Tessa jumps. "Nothing," she answers quickly. "They're fine."
"Okay." He leans away. "I thought you didn't want to keep secrets from each other."
"I-" Tessa stutters. "I just miss them. A lot. They're still traveling with the circus, and I haven't seen them in a while."
"Why aren't you traveling with them?"
"They sent me to Boston a few years ago to live with Arwen and have the chance at a normal life. I miss the circus. Normal life is so boring." Tessa huffs and crosses her arms. "When I got the letter to study at Horae Manor, I was so excited to be living a life of adventure again. I honestly don't know what I'd do without magic." Her hand reaches out into the fog, it reacts to her touch by glowing a bright shade of purple. "It's been both a blessing and a curse, but I would never give it up."
"What's the name of your family's circus?" Joe asks, wanting to keep the conversation going.
Tessa bites her lip. "Um, it's a small troupe. You've probably never heard of us. We're mostly based in the south."
"But I-"
Tess ignores him. "So what questions do you have that your dying to have answered? We've got a bit before we make it to the top."
Joe blinks, not expecting the sudden change in topic. "Um, well, why do I feel drawn to you?"
She stumbles, nearly falling back down the staircase. "Little soon to be confessing your love for me, isn't it?"
His cheeks flame red. "No, no, no. Not like that. It's just... ever since we met, I've felt like something was tugging me to you. Is it because we're magic partners?"
"Maybe." She tilts her head to the side, and starts to move again. "But I don't feel any sort of pull to you. Are you sure it's me you feel connected to?"
Joe nods. "It has to be. I started to feel it as soon as we were in that prison cell together back in Paris. It comes from my gut, and it's pretty strong."
"Ohh." Tessa digs through her pockets and pulls out a gold pocket watch. "Is it this?"
His eyes narrow at the watch. It looked familiar to him. "Is that mine?"
"Yeah." She hands it to him. "I sort of swiped it off you when we in Paris."
He takes the pocket watch. The tugging in his gut subsides as he does, as if the watch is exactly where it's supposed to be now. It takes him a moment, but Joe suddenly realizes what this is. It's the timepiece Uncle Joe left him when he leveled up to a time page. He tucks the gift away. "What do you mean, you swiped it off of me?"
Her cheeks turn pink. "Back in the circus, I use to be a pickpocket."
"I thought you were an acrobat?"
"I had multiple jobs." Tessa rubs the back of her neck. "Ticket sales aren't always enough to pay the bills."
Joe stares at his pocket watch. Honestly, he hadn't even noticed it was gone. He should be paying better attention. Still, Tessa had no right to steal his stuff. She was as bad as his sister. "Why would you take this? What else have you stolen?"
"Oh, look! I think I can see the end." Tessa hops up the stairs, forcing Joe to quicken his pace.
If he squints, he can just barely make out the outline of the top platform. The image gradually becomes clearer as they continue to ascend the staircase. Despite their conversation, Joe still has butterflies in his stomach about the whole thing. Not to mention, a thousand questions.
He stops a few steps short of the summit.
Tessa climbs a bit more before realizing Joe is not with her. She turns around, notices his nervous stature, and rejoins him. She places her hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be okay. The awakening process is quick and painless, and the All Father is super nice. Nothing bad will happen to you. I'll be by your side the whole time. I promise."
He looks at her hand, then slowly gazes up into her eyes. The butterflies settle down as he focuses on the tugging pulling him to her. He takes a deep breath. "Okay. Let's do this."
They break through the mist and emerge into a world of magic.
Flames of every color dance alongside the floor, but leave no scorch marks in their wake. One fire twists and turns through the air, changing from purple to blue to black to white. The other fires move and change in a similar fashion, but with different colors. The same magic symbols that decorated the walls of the catacombs are carved into the floor, creating a winding path through the flames. Blackness surrounds them on all sides. It's as if they are standing on a floating sidewalk.
It's hard to see the ceiling, or if there even is one. The flames disappear high into the sky and begin too far down to see if there is a bottom.
"Woah." It's all Joe can manage to get out. The past few days have thrown an overwhelming amount of beautiful impossibilities at him, but this one takes the cake. The thrum in the air was stronger than the magic he had felt outside. It fills his chest and sends tingles down his arms and legs. His head buzzes from the sensation of it all. He's never felt so alive.
Tessa's eyes are closed. She lets out a soft sigh. It sounds almost melodic in this atmosphere. "I forgot how good this place feels." She opens her eyes to look at Joe. "This is the birthplace of all magic. Where all great magicians and wizards have been awakened. This is where the All Father resides."
Her gaze slides up the path and Joe's follows. He can't see around the bend of fire, but he knows the All Father is close. His awakening is about to begin.
The two young wizards move up the path. As they round the corner of flames, they begin to hear a muttering voice. The words are indistinguishable, so they keep moving forward until they come upon the man himself, the All Father.
Unlike everyone else Joe had met, the All Father looks exactly like he expects him to. His grey beard and mustache are thick, completely covering the lower half of his face, but they're well-trimmed and fall no farther than his neck. His hair appears less kempt, and still has a bit of black in it. The messy strands are short, not fully covering his ears. His skin is a pale white and almost glows from the surrounding fires.
He sits behind a mahogany desk in a simple tan suit jacket. Okay, that was not what Joe was expecting. He was hoping for some long robes and a wizard hat. Why did every magical person have to dress so normally?
The All Father hasn't noticed their presence. He continues to mumble to himself in a smooth, deep voice. "If the rate of decay continues to increase at this current speed, all will be lost in a matter of decades. Unless, I can alter the-"
Tessa clears her throat.
The All Father jumps at the sound. He looks up at them with white eyes. "Who are you? How did you get in here?" His colorless eyes narrow and he pushed himself away from the desk. He remains seated, for now.
Joe takes a step back. Apparently, another common trait among magical people was freaky colored eyes, or lack-there-of in the All Father's case. Despite their lack of pupils, they seem to bore into Joe and Tessa.
Tessa straightens her spine. "I'm Tessa Johnson, the next Aether Wizard." Her voice is calm, as if she anticipated this would happen. "We met a few months ago when you awakened me."
His face softens, appearing almost apologetic. "Ah, yes. The anachronism. You'll have to forgive me. I usually don't meet people more than once." His eyes flare lime green. It was so quick, Joe wasn't sure it had even happened. "And yet, you and I are fated to meet once more."
Tessa scrunches up her face. "Why?"
The All Father either doesn't hear her or ignores her. He turns his attention on Joe. "You, I don't know. Why have you come to see me? Not that I'm complaining. It's always nice to have visitors. No one visits anymore."
Joe's heart is suddenly heavy for the old man. No wonder his mind was starting to slip away. If Cealus had been abandoned years ago, then he probably didn't socialize very much anymore. He didn't know how many people came here to be awakened, but it couldn't have been too many. What was it like to live like this? In total isolation with only your thoughts to keep you company.
Joe clears his throat, his nerves still present despite his sympathy for the All Father. "My name's Joe Arthur. I'm the next Warp Wizard. Tessa and I have come here so that I can be awakened."
The All Father grins. "Ah, an awakening. I love these. Come, let's not waste time. After all, your time is the most precious of all." He chuckles to himself as he stands and steps back from the desk.
With a wave of his wrinkled hand, the desk slides to the shoulder of the platform. Another flick of the wrist, and a curious pattern begins to etch itself into the floor. Joe immediately recognizes it as the symbol for time magic. The shape begins to glow a familiar shade of green.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Step up, boy! Don't you want to be awakened?"
"I-" He stuttered. Yes, no, maybe. The words bounced around inside Joe's head. Yes, he wanted to have full access to his magical abilities and be able to call upon them anytime he wanted like Tessa could with hers. No, he didn't want to deal with all this responsibility he and Tessa were apparently destined for. But maybe, things wouldn't be so bad. Rowena and Cas seemed to be pretty okay.
Tessa places her hand on his shoulder. Calming him, like she did on the stairwell. "This will be the most amazing moment of your life. And think of everything you'll be able to do afterwards." She smiles softly at him, and once again Joe's nerves fade away.
Joe turns back to the All Father and nods once. "Okay. Let's do this."
He steps into the center of the symbol. The thrum of magic shoots up his body, starting in the soles of his feet and racing up to the tip of his head. The intensity of it makes him light-headed, but he holds his ground, feet locked in place.
The All Father wriggles his fingers, a smile playing along his lips. This was clearly the only form of the fun the old man had anymore. "Before we begin, I must warn you. If your body cannot handle the awakening process, it will kill you, and it will not be painless. However, if you truly are a great wizard and your body and mind don't implode, your life will never be the same. Magic is as deadly as it is powerful. If you do not wield it correctly, it will kill you. I need you to tell me that you understand all this and consent to it."
Joe tilts his head. "You mean, you can't tell if I'm a great wizard or not?"
"I could look into the future and see what the fates have in store for you," the All Father lifts his shoulders, "but the future is always changing. Even if you are destined to be a great wizard, your body might not be ready for the awakening yet."
Joe clenched his fists. Tessa had survived and had come out stronger. Why shouldn't he? "I'm ready."
The All Father nods and cracks his knuckles. "I thought so. Let's begin."
And then Joe's world goes black.
A warm ethereal glow creeps into the edges of his vision. The white light pulses in time with his heartbeat, now ringing in his mind. Slowly, the white color morphs into soft green, which continues to grow in intensity until it nearly blinds Joe.
Then it's gone.
Back to the darkness, Joe tries to move his head to see his surroundings, but his body is frozen in place. Or rather, his soul is. He can't quite describe it, but he feels as though he has no body, no sort of physical form in this realm. Or wherever he was.
He suddenly feels warm and his head is buzzing. It's a very pleasant feeling. He sighs, enjoying the energy rolling up and down his body. He would never be able to have a regular massage again. Was this the pleasant feeling Tessa had been bragging about? It was nice, but certainly not the most amazing sensation of his life.
The feeling intensifies, this time radiating from his heart. It grows and grows. Pounding against Joe's chest. Something tears open inside him, like a puma breaking free of its cage. The pleasantness is gone, replaced by a hard pain. He wants to clutch his chest and scream for this all to stop, but nothing comes out of him.
This can't be right. This was supposed to be his magical awakening. But, what if he was wrong. Maybe his body hadn't been ready to accept this much power. This could be his end.
Everything in him tightens up, and just as quickly, releases. Joe would collapse if he could. But he's still standing, and he's still alive.
A symbol appears in the air below him. It's the same weird cross that was on the door to Horae Manor, next to the symbol of time magic. No one had explained to him what it meant, but in this space, he feels oddly connected to it. He floats down to the symbol. As soon as he makes contact, it flashes silver.
The light fades and once again, Joe finds himself in an empty, black space. This time, the space doesn't feel empty. Something pushes in all around him, squeezing him uncomfortably. Like whatever had been released was trying desperately to get back in. The force melts into his chest, settling comfortably in his heart.
The ecstasy that hits him sends him soaring into the air. It's like a blast of warm wind that flies under his shirt and flows to his face. Tingles shoot down his spine and back up again and Joe swears he can hear fireworks in the distance. Green light flares out in all directions. It all makes him feel so lightheaded.
The pleasure fades away bit by bit until Joe is left numb and shaking. The darkness closes in around him, and he slips into unconsciousness.