Wow! Chapter 6 already? Even I'm surprised. Consider it a Memorial Day surprise. At this point, I'm caught up with what I already had written. From here on, I'll be writing new material (and taking some from the old story). So the updates may come a bit farther in between.
NEW CHARACTERS ADDED TO CHARACTER SHEET ON PROFILE! Go see what Tiffania looks like after two years.
Though I'm always grateful to have my loyal readers reviewing after each chapter, I would like to get some input from my quieter readers. PLEASE take the time and review! I might have missed something. And I always answer reviews... ALWAYS.
Review Responses:
Ridli Scott: Bruh, of all the things to comment on… THAT'S what you chose? XD Nah but I might throw it in as an omake
kevinkocher1: I do not know who this Nagi is but he sounds stupid (don't answer, I actually do)
Ospery: Ohhh believe me friend. I have no plans to abandon this story
Appbeza: Slow down dude, the story just started… At this point, Saito has to go with the simplest explanation for two reasons: 1, the humans from Earth don't know anything about magic and 2, he doesn't know what causes the eclipse portals. Remember, they need access to the Romalian Archives to figure it out, which means they need a familiar, which is how they ended up in this situation in the first place.
New Universe Returns: Grazie
And NOW... ON WITH THE SHOW.
I own as much as Jon Snow knows: nothing
Evening, SWORD Headquarters
Brussels
Night had already fallen on the city of Brussels. Yet SWORD headquarters was alive as ever as everyone piled into the briefing room. The monitors to the sides showed the faces of the regional directors, scattered throughout the world.
Director Reynolds stepped up to the front of the room as he began.
"I want to thank you all for agreeing to stay here this late. I'm not a fan of overtime either but the situation demands it. Let's get started".
Reynolds turned on the projector and a map of the Pacific Ocean appeared on the screen.
"As you no doubt have heard on the news, Hawaii Air Traffic Control lost contact with Oceanic Airways Flight 29 earlier today. A 787 carrying 114 passengers and 8 crew from Los Angeles to Sydney, all signals flat lined at 2348 Hours Local Time, 0948 Zulu. No distress signals and no radio calls beforehand were reported. The aircraft did not change altitude prior to disappearing and preliminary data from ACARS indicates all signals from the aircraft ceased simultaneously".
"At the same time, our monitoring systems recorded a massive anomaly in the vicinity of the last known location of Oceanic 29. A Class 2 Breach".
The staff listening to the briefing began murmuring softly at this.
"Some of you seem to realize where I'm going with this" continued Reynolds. "We have reason to believe Oceanic 29 may have encountered the breach we detected."
The murmuring stopped and the temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Everyone in SWORD knew that encountering a breach was incredibly dangerous. At high speeds, it was essentially a death sentence for any aircraft. For some in SWORD, that reality was all too real.
Just a year prior, an AeroFrance 777 had encountered an Anomaly that had developed into a breach. As the plane flew though it, the forces encountered had torn the plane apart. More than 200 people had died and only a few intact pieces of debris were ever recovered.
Officially, the incident was labeled a mechanical failure. However, many in SWORD remembered the despair they'd felt during the investigation and subsequent cover up.
"I know some of you might be thinking this is a repeat of AeroFrance 258. Rest assured that what evidence we do have seems to indicate the plane entered the breach intact"
The murmuring picked up again at this news.
"Our preliminary searches… Quiet please" he continued. "Our preliminary search has turned up no debris, no oil slicks, nothing to indicate the aircraft broke apart as it entered the breach. However, as you know, Anomalies are unpredictable. We do not have confirmation the plane made it through to Avalon. Or if it made it through intact."
"Therefore, our current goal is to locate the aircraft in Avalon. Intact, or otherwise… Field Coordinators, follow the packets we sent you and coordinate your field teams to scatter TDO (Tran-Dimensional Observation) drones and search the ocean near the breach on both sides. The plane was flying westward so they might have managed to land near Rub-Al-Khali. Pay attention to every detail. Even a whisper might tell us where the plane went."
"Is everyone clear on their assignments?" finished Reynolds.
With no questions being asked, he nodded.
"Let's get to it then. Dismissed"
Late Afternoon/Early Evening, Tristain Academy of Magic
Tiffania had finally recovered enough to get out of bed. She, Louise, and Saito had moved to Colbert's office to discuss the myriad of issues regarding the current situation. Outside, the sun was beginning to set.
"Dinner is being prepared for our guests. They will be shown to their chambers afterwards. It'll be a bit of a tight fit involving moving some of the staff around but we should have enough room for everyone" explained Colbert after sitting down.
"Food should be a non-issue once the necessary requisitions are put in to the Palace. Although I might take you up on your offer of some supplies from your father to ease the burden on the Crown, Lady Valliere".
"As I said, he'd be more than happy to help once he learns of the situation" replied Louise.
"Now then, there's the matter of Professor Westwood's Familiar" continued Colbert.
"Is now really the time to be dealing with this, Headmaster? I think we have bigger problems than finding a lone Familiar" interrupted Louise.
"I'm afraid, Lady Valliere, that this matter is quite important and a bit time sensitive. If you wish to be able to access the Romalian Archives when you're summoned to Romalia in a month's time, you'll need that Familiar".
"I think, Headmaster, what Louise is saying is that we should deal with this plane situation first before we focus on the Familiar" added Tiffania.
Colbert's face remained unmoved.
"I'm sorry Miss Westwood, but I really must insist on finding and sealing the Familiar as quickly as possible" he said.
Saito's eyes narrowed. The past two years of dealing with not only combat, but Halkeginian politics had lent him a sort of second sense when somebody was not being entirely truthful.
He's hiding something… he thought. But why?
"Headmaster is there a reason why this HAS to be done now? I mean, hell if we deal with this now, we'd need to find a way to identify the Familiar and then explain to them the situation. I doubt it's going to be that easy…"
Saito's sentence went unfinished as the door to the office opened and Agent Hansen stepped in.
"Ah, I can come back later. I need to speak to you two alone" he said pointing to Saito and Louise.
"Actually, Agent Hansen. There's an issue that you might be able to help us with" said Colbert quickly.
Puzzled, Hansen stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.
"Alright. Shoot" he said.
"Lord Hiraga, you might be able to better explain the situation to someone unfamiliar with magic" said Colbert looking at Saito, with an embarrassed grin on his face.
Saito shot back at Colbert with a glare. Really? You're making ME do this? he said mentally.
Looking back at Hansen, Saito gulped as he tried to find a way to explain the situation to Hansen so that he'd help them.
"You mentioned that the plane was probably brought here by an Anomaly" he began hesitantly. "That's not… entirely accurate".
Hansen's eyes narrowed.
Brussells
Reynolds sat down at his desk after the briefing. This whole situation was one he'd had no desire to repeat, especially after the AeroFrance incident.
His phone suddenly went off and interrupted his musing.
"Sir, I have the Australian SWORD Director on the line for you"
"Put her through" he said, sighing.
His computer screen blanked for a second, then on it appeared the face of Australian Division Chief Meyers.
"Director. I hope I'm not catching you at a bad time"
"Now's as good a time as any Meyers. What do you have for me?"
"We've combed over the passenger manifest and found something interesting."
Reynolds leaned forward in his chair.
"One of our agents was on board the plane."
Reynold's eyebrows shot up. This was definitely a lucky break. An agent could prove to be useful if they found the plane. Agents were highly qualified and could always think on their feet, a useful trait if the plane went down in a remote area. Plus, all agents had knowledge of Avalon, which lent itself well to the situation.
"That's good news Meyers. Who's the agent?"
"His name is James Hansen. He's been with us for only two years and was on leave in the US. He wasn't due to report back to duty for another week."
"Anything I should know about him?"
"Aside from being a major fantasy geek, which ironically lends itself well to his job, he has a knack for thinking outside the box. Remember that theory on how Avalonian humans might be transplants from Earth? You know we we haven't found any humans in the other continents in Avalon. You of all people remember how that little hypothesis got the egg-heads thinking."
Reynolds smiled.
"Yes, now I remember him. Smart kid, that one. Well, if they're all still alive, he'll definitely prove useful to them"
Tristain
"So all this is nothing more than a summoning gone wrong?" asked Hansen incredulously.
"Pretty much. We had no idea this could even happen. I mean, hell, our plan was for her to summon me" replied Saito.
Hansen said nothing, digesting this new information.
"Well from what I know from the summoning, it seeks out the best candidate no? Well, who knows what would happen if that candidate were flying at 35,000 feet traveling at more than 500 miles per hour?" he said.
"That's what I figured happened" replied Saito. "Maybe SWORD might be able to better study the summoning spells once we reestablish contact"
Hansen nodded.
"Speaking of SWORD, what the hell happened, Hiraga? Your last check in was 4 months ago and it was nothing but a half-burnt note" he asked the Japanese familiar.
Saito looked at Louise before speaking.
"We've been having some trouble with Louise's World Door Spell. Whenever we try to open the portal to Earth, the connection keeps bouncing around from location to location. I sent a note last time but I wasn't sure it made it through until now."
Hansen racked his brain trying to remember what the note said.
"Yeah, I remember that. All we got was 'Portals not working. May be tied to—'. The rest of the message was missing".
Saito nodded. "Yeah, it said 'Portals not working. May be tied to Anomalies. Working to find solution'".
"How's that come along? Have you found anything that might point as to what's causing these damn things on Earth? They're getting worse, you know. Could it be more summonings gone wrong?"
"Summonings were my first guess, but I haven't found any evidence to confirm that. The Summoning Ceremonies only occur in the Spring and most mages here summon creatures from Avalon itself. All we have been able to confirm is that the Anomalies are related to Void magic."
Louise decided to chip in at this point.
"The Romalian Archives are the best source of knowledge when it comes to Void Magic. However, the Church has not been forthcoming until recently. They promised they would allow us to review their tomes on Void in exchange for having Tiffania here summon her familiar."
Hansen digested this new information. In his mind, this reiterated the need for closer contact between Earth and Avalon. The need for an easy way to travel between the two worlds without relying on the unpredictability of magic. Tightly controlled, of course. Can't have those with questionable intentions setting up shop here.
But this changes things. If these summonings aren't the source of the anomalies, then what might be causing them? We need access to those Archives. But then there's the matter of the Familiar…
Colbert chose that moment to broach that very subject.
"Speaking of Professor Westwood's Familiar, as I was saying before you came in, Agent Hansen, we must determine who it is at once and seal the contract soon".
Hansen's head snapped to the old Headmaster.
"Whoa whoa whoa mate. Now granted, I understand this whole thing was an accident. But you're asking someone to pretty much give up their life to become bound to a mage. I don't think they'll take to kindly to that".
"If we are to access the Romalian Archives and find a solution to your world's Anomalies, the Familiar must be identified and bound to Professor Westwood" Colbert shot back.
"Look, I understand that would be the easiest thing to do but it's not that simple. Headmaster, there's someone down there" he gestured towards the window "who's a familiar to Miss Westwood here. I can almost guarantee they're not going to take too kindly to not only finding out they're the reason we're all here, but that they were brought here to be bound to a mage for life".
Looking at Tiffania, he continued.
"Whoever it is, they'll likely refuse to become bound altogether. I mean, c'mon, whoever it is probably has a life on Earth they're not going to be too happy to leave behind".
Nobody noticed Colbert shaking his head at this.
"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, Miss Westwood. But people don't take too kindly to having their hand forced. Nor are the passengers particularly happy to even be here in the fist place" finished Hansen, looking at Tiffania.
There was an uneasy silence in the office before someone spoke.
"I'm afraid that regardless of their decision, the presumptive familiar's choice is a bit more complicated than that, Agent Hansen. Should they decline to be bound, there would be consequences. Severe consequences" said Colbert.
Everyone's heads snapped towards the bald Headmaster.
"Wait, what? What consequences?" asked Saito. "Is this why you kept insisting this be done now?"
Colbert nodded. Sighing, he stood up and walking towards the window, he spoke.
"What I'm about to tell you is supposed to be secret. If the Church finds out I told you this, they could label us heretics".
Turning around, he looked at Louise before speaking.
"Lady Valliere, you remember your time here at the Academy. You remember how I insisted you complete the Familiar Contract with Saito?"
Louise nodded.
"You said that the Summoning Ritual was a sacred ceremony and that I had to complete it".
"Admittedly, that was a bit of a lie, Lady Valliere. The real reason is much more serious than even that" replied Colbert.
Taking a deep breath, he began.
"Several years ago, I received a letter from a counterpart in the Albion School of Magecraft. He told me he'd had a very curious and unfortunate incident occur during the Springtime Summoning Ceremony".
"In the letter, he detailed an incident in which one of his young students summoned forth a rat as their familiar. The student, repulsed by the concept of being bound to a 'mere rodent', rejected the creature, and sent it flying away of the Academy with a wind spell."
"Within a few weeks, the student fell deathly ill. The healers determined he was losing his magic and there was nothing that could be done. He died a few days later".
Nobody spoke as Colbert continued his explanation.
"It is believed that when the Summoning Ritual is performed, the summoner is entering into a magically binding contract with a very powerful and ancient magic. And by not sealing the familiar bond, a mage would be violating the contract. The punishment for which is the loss of the mage's magic, resulting in death."
"If, Professor Westwood's presumed familiar refuses to be bound, she would lose her magic in a matter of weeks… And die" finished Colbert.
Everyone had a mix of reactions at this revelation. Shock… Horror… Relief… Then more horror… It was Saito who spoke first.
"Hold on, last time Tiffania summoned a familiar, it was well over a few weeks before she and I sealed the Contract. Why didn't she lose her magic then?" he asked.
"I'm not entirely sure, but I believe it may be due to the fact that neither of you rejected the contract outright. In fact, knowing you as I do Lord Hiraga, I would go so far as to say you would have willingly sealed the Contract had you been aware of it. I believe it is this that kept Professor Westwood from losing her magic".
Seeing as his explanation did not seem to satisfy everyone, he continued.
"There are many in Academia, myself included, who believe that the magic involved in summoning and binding familiars has some sort of intelligence. Some scholars go so far as to say it's even sentient. But short of scouring the Romalian Archives or asking the Founder Himself, there's no way of completely understanding the Magic".
"This sort of Ancient Magic is heavily based on intent. When Professor Westwood summoned Lord Hiraga, the magic must have sensed that he would have accepted the bond and been content to wait until you two sealed it on your own. My gravest concern with this unknown familiar now is that, based on Agent Hansen's assessment, they may not be so willing to do the same."
Colbert's long-winded explanation had rendered the entire room speechless.
"Well, shit… This changes things" said Hansen.
Everyone looked at Tiffania, waiting for her to say something.
She had a curious mix of sadness and anger visible on her face. Sadness and anger at the fact that her presumptive familiar might not accept the contract, thus sealing her fate. Sadness and anger at being forced into this type of situation, into having to make this choice in the first place.
She felt someone's hand on her shoulder. Looking over, she saw Saito had his hand there reassuringly.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure the Familiar accepts. I won't let them condemn you to death" he told her.
Tiffa merely nodded.
"Thanks… I'm sorry; I'm just overwhelmed at all this. Though the question remains. There are over 100 people down there? How will we know who my Familiar is?" she asked.
The answer came from an unexpected source.
"I can help there" came the unmistakable metallic voice of Derflinger.
Pulling the sentient sword out, Saito held it so all could see.
"I'll know who it is once I'm near them. Just walk me near the people from the transport and I'll let you know".
Colbert moved to stand up.
"This is good. They should all be getting ready for dinner, so we'll have them all in one place. Let us do this tonight at dinner then"
Dinner at the Academy was a very different affair from what normally took place.
At Colbert's insistence, the usual prayer was done in silence. The bald Headmaster had also warned the students beforehand that any rudeness would be punished severely. In his words, none of that "noble/commoner/you can't sit with us" nonsense would be tolerated tonight. Some human traits were truly universal no matter which world you came from, and the Headmaster knew now was the time to create as welcoming an environment for their unwilling guests.
Every spot on the tables was occupied as 122 people crammed into the Dining Hall. Those without spots sat on the floor against the wall as meals were brought in.
The more haughty nobles sneered at having to sit with these "commoners from another world". The Headmaster's warning was still fresh in their heads, though, so they held their tongues.
However, there were many among the students who were curious about life on Earth. They had come of age hearing tales of the great hero Saito Hiraga who came from another world to fight the Ancient Dragon. As such, many struck up conversations with the foreigners. Or at least tried to.
"You don't have ANY magic?"
"No nobles? That is blasphemy"
"What are the women like?"
Despite the enthusiasm of these nobles, most of the passengers were in no talkative mood. They despaired at being separated from their families and friends. They despaired at what they knew the news would be back home. "Missing plane… Passengers feared dead… No survivors… etc…".
As a result, the conversations quickly died down and quiet whispering and murmurs replaced the normally lively dinner.
Hansen sat in a corner, contemplating the conversations in the Headmaster's office. He'd decided to keep the truth about the summoning to himself, fearing retribution against the mages and Tiffania in particular.
Still, he couldn't help but agree with the others' assessment. The Familiar would have to accept. He would help Saito convince them. Condemning an innocent person to death because of events outside their control was simply unacceptable to him. And if it helped find the source of the anomalies, then so be it. If the Familiar later reneged on the contract… Well, they'd cross that bridge when they got to it.
Looking back at the rest of his fellow passengers, he could all but feel the despair hovering over the meal.
He glanced over at Saito, who was walking around with Derflinger, trying to identify the Familiar.
He seemed to have stopped in front of a section of the table and had Derflinger leaning into his ear.
Looks like they found out who it is thought the Australian Agent.
The meal continued in near silence until one passenger, a psychologist, decided he wanted to do something about the melancholy in the air. Standing up on the table, and drawing quite a few looks from the students, he spoke.
"Um, everyone. May I have your attention please?"
The meal stopped as everyone looked up at the man.
"First, I want to thank our very generous hosts for this meal" he began, glancing at the Head Table. Looking back at his fellow passengers, he continued.
"I know many of us are having trouble processing what we've been through today. It's truly been a crazy day. My name is Doctor Benjamin Gates, I'm a clinical psychologist…"
Everyone just looked up at him with different looks. The passengers out of curiousity. The Halkeginians wondering what the hell a psychologist was. Taking a chance he continued.
"If any of you want to talk about what's happened, I'll be outside after dinner holding a bit of a talking circle. If anyone has anything they want to talk about, how they're feeling and whatnot, feel free to join in. I know it's a tough situation. But I know we'll get through it" he finished.
Stepping back down, he was met with a smattering of polite clapping from a few of the more optimistic passengers.
Hansen looked on as many passengers filed out the door to their accommodations.
He walked over to Saito, who was having a conversation with Derflinger. Louise, Tiffania, and Colbert joined them as well.
"Did you manage to find out who the Familiar is?" asked Hansen.
Saito said nothing and merely pointed to someone walking out the door.
Hansen's eyebrows shot up.
"Well… I was certainly not expecting that… Is there a way to be sure?" he asked.
"Have them hold me. I should be able to confirm it's them" replied Derflinger.
"Here, give me the sword. I've got an idea on how to approach this" said Hansen.
The psychiatrist's idea had not been as ill received as previously thought. Already, there was a large group of about 28 people gathered in a circle, under the moonlight.
In the center, a small fire burned, illuminating the passenger's faces as they talked about their experiences. By now, nearly everyone had gotten a turn speaking.
"I don't know, man" said one American. "I really thought I was gonna die back there. When we went through all that turbulence, I thought that was it. Game over for me, you know?"
The other passengers muttered in agreement.
"All I could think of was my girlfriend. How I might never see her again" the man continued. "But we made it. We're in the last place I expected but we're alive."
Colbert, Louise, Tiffania, and Louise stood off to the side, waiting for Hansen to bring forth the Familiar. They couldn't help but overhear and Colbert in particular was intrigued at this sort of therapy. From his all too brief impression of the psychiatrist, this sort of treatment could well be put to use with war veterans in Halkeginia.
"Well Michael, we're going to make it back soon enough. When we figure out the next solar eclipse, we'll just fly on through back home. So tell me, what are you going to do when you get back?" asked Dr. Gates.
Michael stood up for emphasis.
"This whole experience made me realize what's important to me. The thought of never seeing Veronica again made me feel like shit. So when I get back, I'm going to kiss her, and ask her to marry me" he said with determination.
This solicited claps and cheers from the other passengers.
"Hear hear" someone said.
Seeing the group fall silent, Hansen took the opportunity to approach the Familiar, who was sitting in the circle.
"Hey, mind if I join you?" he asked his seatmate from the plane.
Victor had taken his turn speaking, though there hadn't been much too say. He was more than content to listen to the others speak as he watched the fire pit.
"Hey, mind if I join you?" asked a familiar voice. Turning his head, he saw his seatmate on the plane, Agent Hansen.
"Hey you're the agent from the plane. Not at all. Pop a squat" he replied.
"Thanks for that. I see I missed the discussion" said Hansen sitting down next to Victor. "Though I can't complain with what I found instead".
Lifting his arm, Victor noticed he was holding some sort of sword in his hand.
"Check it out mate! A talking sword! This magic stuff's pretty wild. Hey, say something" Hansen said to the sword.
"Ugh, what do you want now? Let's just get this over with so I can stop having to listen to your funny accent"
Victor scoffed in amazement.
"Holy shit! Wow… This is for real?"
"Yep! Found this old bugger on an umbrella stand near the door. Someone must have left it there. You want to hold it?" asked Hansen.
"Shit, yeah man" replied Victor. Reaching to grab it, he felt a slight and brief warmth as he grasped it. The sword glowed as Victor held it, the glow only lasting a second.
"Whoa, this is pretty cool. How the hell do you talk?" he asked the sword.
"Ha! This kid knows the right kind of questions to ask. It's a very old Elven soul magic spell. I was once on my deathbed but that Founder Brimir managed to transfer my consciousness into a blade a loooooooong time ago".
"Huh… Cool!" said Victor handing the blade back to Hansen.
"Oi, I figured I never introduced myself. Name's James Hansen" he said, holding out his hand.
"Victor De la Fuente. People call me Vic" replied Victor, shaking Hansen's hand.
The two talked for a bit before Hansen excused himself, rejoining the mages and the headmaster.
"Well Derf" asked Saito as Hansen handed the sword back to him. "Is it him for sure?"
"No doubt partner. It's him. He's been marked by the Void. Although there is something else, very faint, that I couldn't quite place as well. But it's him."
"Alright" said Saito, turning to Hansen. "How do we do this? When can we tell him?"
"The sooner the better. Miss Westwood had her magic drained from today. It is likely not sealing the bond is already causing her reserves to recharge at a slower rate" added Colbert. "I would recommend we do this tonight."
Hansen sighed and ran a hand through his hair, as if to put off what he had to do.
"Alright, meet me in your office. I'll bring him up."
The wait for Hansen and the Familiar in Colbert's office felt like an eternity. Silence reigned as everyone thought of what they were going to say and how they were going to not only approach this, but convince the Familiar to do the right thing.
A firm knock interrupted everyone's thoughts as Hansen stepped into the office followed by the presumptive familiar. He was a tall, brown-haired, fair skinned young man, though he had a bit of an exotic look to him. His eyes showed a hint of confusion and irritation, though they were dominated by a look of curiosity.
"Brought him" said Hansen. "This here is Victor De La Fuente. Incidentally, he was my seatmate on the plane. I told him he's here because he made the sword glow. Which, now that I think of it, isn't exactly inaccurate."
Victor gave Hansen a confused look.
"Wait, what? So why DID you bring me here then? I've had a REALLY long day so I'm REALLY not in the mood for games" he asked the Aussie, irritated at being lied to.
"We asked for you specifically, Mister De La Fuente. And the sword glowing is part of the reason" began Colbert, trying to diffuse the tension. He struggled to find a way to begin the explanation.
"You may have been told that your airplane was brought here by what Agent Hansen calls an Anomaly. I'm afraid that was a bit of a lie. The real reason requires a bit of explanation."
Victor said nothing, but narrowed his eyes.
Colbert took this as his cue to continue.
"Normally, when a mage comes of age, they perform what is known as a Familiar Summoning Ceremony, summoning forth a familiar, or partner, to aid them with their lives as mages. Normally, these familiars are creatures of some sort, usually suited to the mage's abilities."
Victor nodded, somewhat familiar with the concept. Thank god for Harry Potter.
"However, there are certain mages, such Lady Valliere here and Professor Westwood, who summon not creatures, but humans rather. In fact, Lord Hiraga here was summoned from Earth as Lady Valliere's familiar three years ago. And he was, until recently, Miss Westwood's familiar as well"
At this, Victor looked at the now identified Lord Hiraga. He turned back to Colbert as the bald headmaster continued his explanation.
"Earlier today, Professor Westwood attempted to resummon a familiar. Needless to say, she was successful, so to speak."
Victor felt a chill crawling down his spine. He had a bad feeling of where this conversation was going.
No… Not…
"Me?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
Colbert merely nodded.
Victor looked around at the others in the room.
The blonde girl, Westwood, had a worried look on her face. Hiraga and Valliere carried stern looks. And Hansen looked, down, likely feeling bad for lying to Victor.
Looking back at Colbert, Victor shook his head slightly,
"No… I mean… I can't… Why me? And why summon the plane as well?" he asked.
"No one knows for sure how familiars are chosen. There are a number of theories in regards to specifics, however the generally accepted one is that the spell is somewhat intelligent and seeks out the best-suited familiar. As for your question regarding the airplane, we believe that since you were on the airplane, the spell was unable to bring only you, and instead brought the plane itself."
"This is… What would it mean for me to be a familiar to her?" he asked, gesturing towards Tiffania.
"Void Familiars exist to defend their summoners as they cast their spells. Void spells tend to be long incantations, leaving their casters vulnerable. You would likely become the familiar Lífþrasir, a sort of booster for your summoner. Essentially, the runes you will receive through the contract allow you to temporarily boost your summoner's magic reserves. Although, overusing it will render the runes inert, which is incredibly dangerous, and could get you killed" finished Colbert, looking at Saito as he emphasized that last statement. The Japanese familiar merely gave an embarrassed smile.
"So essentially, a giant magic turbo button" summarized Victor. "How long does this contract last?"
"I'm afraid the Familiar bond is for life. Very few things exist that can break it before then."
Victor's eyes popped out. Hell no… Nope… Not happening.
"Well… I'm flattered your summoning spell thinks so highly of me" he scoffed. "But I'm going to have to decline. I don't know why it chose me, but I have friends, a job, and a life back home. I can't just give all that up to stay here for the rest of my life."
Looking at the blonde elf, he spoke to her directly.
"I'm sorry. But I can't be your familiar."
"I'm afraid, Mister De la Fuente, that it's a bit more complicated than that" said Colbert.
"What do you mean?" retorted Victor.
Trying to find the right words for someone unfamiliar with magic, Colbert began his explanation.
"When a mage casts the Familiar Summoning Spell, he or she is essentially entering into a magically binding contract with a very old and powerful magic cast by the Founder Brimir himself. In exchange for reaching out through time and space to find a worthy familiar, the summoner must fulfill the contract by binding the summoned familiar to themselves."
"However, if the summoner refuses to uphold their end of the contract by binding their summoned familiar… the Founder's ancient magic will take back their magic… and the summoner will die as a result".
Victor was speechless. He looked at the blonde elf and back at the headmaster.
"No… This isn't… Come on" he said backing up from everyone. "You can't make me do this" he said angrily. "Why the hell would you use that to summon someone and force them into this if you knew this might happen?"
Calming himself down, he looked out the window at the two moons as he asked the question he feared the answer to.
"You're telling me… If I don't do this… If I don't become this… familiar… She'll die?"
Colbert merely nodded.
Victor was silent as he digested this information.
This is bullshit! he thought. Who the hell came up with this? I have to say yes just so she won't die?
He looked back at the professor.
"I have a life back home professor," he said. "I can't stay here forever".
Victor saw the elf look up at him. Victor couldn't help but feel guilty. However much he didn't want to, he'd already made up his mind…
He couldn't be the reason the woman died. But still… There was no way he could leave everything behind…
UUUUUGHHH… THIS IS BULLSHIT!
He looked at her as he spoke.
"If I do this… You realize it's only temporary… One way or another, sooner or later, I have to go home."
The elf had a sad smile come over her face.
"I understand. Will that work professor? Even if he returns to Earth?"
"Well it's never been tested before but as long as the contract is sealed, you should be fine. If I recall, Saito was sent to Earth during the Ancient Dragon Crisis without any adverse effects."
There was an uneasy silence that came over the room.
To Tiffania, it seemed like an eternity before Victor spoke.
"Alright… I don't like this… This type of shit should be illegal... But it's better than the alternative."
There was a pause before he spoke again.
"I'll do it".
Tiffania smiled.
"Thank you" she said.
Victor gave a curt nod, still seething from having his arm twisted like this.
"Alright, so how does this work? Do I kneel or say something, or what?"
Colbert merely looked at Tiffania, who walked up to Victor, wand drawn.
Pointing it at him, and soliciting a slight flinch from Victor, she spoke.
"Pentagon that governs the Five Powers, bless this being and make him my familiar."
Victor felt a tingle go through his body before Westwood did something he was not expecting.
She leaned in and kissed him.
It was a chaste kiss but a kiss nonetheless. Victor was momentarily stunned but went with it.
She broke the kiss and Victor immediately felt something enter him. Or rather, force its way into him. Focused on his chest, the sensation was not entirely pleasant. In fact, it almost burned.
Victor hissed in pain as his chest felt like it was burning. A glow emanated from underneath his shirt.
In his mind, he heard a nagging thought:
Obey
Protect
However, the sensation was brief as he felt another presence force its way into him.
The nagging thoughts went away immediately and the burning in his chest increased as another burning sensation made its way to his back. By now the pain was too much for him to bear.
"AAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!"
Colbert watched in horror as Victor collapsed onto all fours, struggling with the pain.
Tiffania moved to help him, but was stopped by Colbert.
"The runes are being inscribed. There is nothing you can do" he said.
Tiffania looked to Saito, who was grimacing at what he was seeing, remembering all too well the pain of the runes.
Victor could feel another wave of foreign thoughts intruding into his mind. It was as if there were two presences in his body, one focused on his chest and the other on his back, fighting for control.
Obey
Protect
The presence in his back flared once more in a wave of pain as the foreign thoughts in his mind subsided once more.
Finally, a warm, gentle feeling began emanating from his back and overwhelmed the commanding presence on his chest.
Victor felt the pain finally subside, but not before hearing a very familiar phrase in his head. One he'd heard in his dreams:
Mundalfr
Victor collapsed onto his back, breathing heavily as Tiffania and Colbert rushed to check on him.
Carefully sitting up and unbuttoning his shirt, Victor noted a set of runes inscribed on his chest.
"Congratulations Miss Westwood. The contract appears to have been fulfilled successfully" said Colbert.
Tiffania paid him no note as she waited for her new familiar to say something.
Victor noted her look of concern. Though he appreciated it, he still was not too fond of his summoner, considering he'd been forced into this.
"Well… That fucking hurt" he said.
"Yeah, I should have warned you the runes are kind of painful" said Saito sheepishly.
Victor shot him a dirty look as he struggled to stand. The pain in his chest was sharper than the pain in his back… Wait… My back…
"Hey… Westwood" he said. "Check my back… It still hurts like hell."
"Your… back?" she asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, it felt like I got branded back there as well" said Victor removing his shirt entirely and showing his back to Tiffania.
A confused look came over Tiffania at what she saw. And she was not the only one. The others came to see and were just as puzzled.
"Headmaster?" she asked.
"This is… I've never seen this before" said Colbert.
(Play: The Window of Opportunity – Fringe Season 2 OST – Start at 2:50)
"Uhhh… Am I reading this right?" asked Saito.
There, written between Victor's shoulder blades, clear as day, were runes no one had ever seen before.
ᛗᚢᚾᛞᛟᛚᚠ
Translated, they read:
"Mundalfr"
"It says: Mundalfr" said Colbert.
Victor's eyes widened at this, the origin of his strange dreams finally revealed.
MUHUHAHAHAHAHAHA… If you read the old story, you should have seen this whole chapter coming. We'll find out in a bit what exactly Mundalfr means.
I expect to get some criticisms from this chapter. I hope I handled Victor's reaction better than I did in the last story.
Longest chapter so far. I CANNOT reiterate how much I enjoy seeing reviews. If this is your first time seeing this story, PLEASE review. You might spot something I missed and all that.