AN: So, just to clarify something: I have not yet seen any of Loud House Season 2, and i wont for a while. If i did, i would just constantly worry about contradicting any new information. So here is how im gonna do it - Ill wait until the season is over and will then watch it in a marathon. After im done im going to go back and rewrite anything that should be changed because of any potential new information.
In other news: We are 24.000 words into the story now, and the prolouge is finally over. Yay. ^^ (Sorry again for any awkwardness. I know im not that great an author, and im really self-concious about that kinda stuff. But as long as at least some of you guys/gals like it im satisfied. =)
"How about you calm down."
Lincoln had no plans to do so anytime soon.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?! Didn't it occur to you that maybe, just a thought though, I should be informed about something like this?!"
Liam just shrugged.
"No? What's done is done. Ashes to ashes. I don't really see your problem."
"You don't...you...what?! You are going to do something about this right now! Its your fault he's in this position! You're so proud of yourself, of everything you accomplished, so fix this!"
Sometimes Liam really hated interacting with such emotionally fragile people. But on the other hand these were usually the most useful figures in whatever he was planning at a given moment, so he tolerated it. Barely.
"First of: How is this my fault exactly?"
"How? Its your stat-"
"My statue, huh? Do you think I chose to be in this situation? Robbed of most of my power, forced to be errand boy for someone whose biggest trouble in life is childish pre-pubescent nonsense?"
Lincoln wanted to interject something, but found himself at a loss for words. As a result he calmed down a bit.
"I...i guess you're right...but still..."
Liam still couldn't believe how easy this was. If things back home would've always went this smoothly he probably wouldn't even be here right now.
"But still indeed. Because even though I'm just as much a victim here as your little friend, I will still help. Because I like you."
The boy dried his eyes with his hands.
"Really?"
"Really. Show me the way."
"W...what? To Clyde's?"
He nodded. Lincoln didn't have to be told twice. He ran downstairs while thanking his magical friend and opened the door. But instead of the outside of his home he found himself in another familiar location. Clyde's room.
He was starting to question how that could be but then remembered all that happened today and simply accepted it. Stranger things had happened. Time seemed to flow normally again too.
"Is he...still alive?"
Liam appeared behind him, startling him once again.
"Yes. He will die from natural causes. Of course it could also be that the hospital his parents will put him in will try to extend his life as long as possible, never realizing that it is pointless."
Lincoln walked up to his best friend. Right now it didn't look like anything was wrong. He turned to face Liam.
"So you'll reverse it? Make it so he can wake up again?"
The wizard shook his head much to Lincoln's confusion.
"I can't do that."
"What do you mean you can't do that?!"
"I can't dispel or reverse any spells that have the statue as a source. If I could then this day would have been drastically different, I can assure you."
His confusion grew to anger again.
"But you told me you would help!"
"I will. Observe."
The wizard pointed at Clyde. The child's body began to glow in a faint red and a thin line connected it to Liam's hand. As soon as they were fully connected he opened his palm, and closed it into a fist in short succession. Clyde's body jerked shortly in response and was still again a second after. In fact he was stiller than before.
"...What did you do?"
"I finished the job."
His jaw dropped.
"You what?! I thought you were going to help him! Is killing someone the same as helping them now?!"
Liam sighed in frustration.
"How about you just wait a second before criticizing me, aight?"
With that he did the same thing he had just done in reverse. He pointed at Clyde's body, which began to glow a blinding blue, formed a fist and then opened his hand again in quick succession. And just like that Clyde began breathing again. Only for a few seconds though, as time stopped once more.
"...You can just bring people back from the dead?..."
He grinned.
"Id like to say yes but sadly I'm not that powerful. Not even were I at full capacity."
"Then how did you do it?..."
He shook his head.
"You know what, never mind. Thank you. I honestly...dont know what I would've done if he just died like that..."
Liam glided back onto his feet.
"Lincoln, do you still want to learn magic?"
The boy cocked his head.
"Uhm..yes? But what does that have to do with anything?"
"Because this is the perfect opportunity to explain to you the most important aspect of a mages existence. The very foundation of everything that makes us what we are."
He was intrigued now. Of course he would have preferred if stuff like lessons in magic would happen at a time were he wasn't just recovering from an emotional rollercoaster, but with Liam he had to take what he could get.
"Don't worry, this is just a crash course. I will give you the relevant textbooks with all the boring details later."
"Are you reading my mind right now or something?"
If Liam heard the question he didnt show it.
"Listen. This is important."
"Alright, alright..."
One of the mirrors around his neck enlarged again, this time it had just the right dimension for an adult human.
"Magic is everywhere. Not only in my world, but in all worlds. This world is just in short supply."
He added "In very, very short supply..." in a barely audible whisper.
"And the magic that is everywhere around us seeps into our bodies from the day we are born. In magic-rich worlds such as mine, this leads to people like me. In...worlds like this one...it leads to people like you. Understand?"
Lincoln nodded, still not knowing where his teacher was going.
"The magic forms an imprint in and around our bodies. It mimics us. It copies us. There is basically a second person with us at all times, that is exactly like we are. Observe."
The mirror floated over to Lincoln. In it he could see his reflection like usual. But there was something else too. It was barely visible. There was a faint blue outline around his body, like in a comic. In addition to that there was something that vaguely resembled a stick figure on his reflections body. Afterwards the mirror floated in front of Liam. His reflection was practically a smurf. Everything was blue. The glow wasn't even faint. Lincoln felt a little inadequate in comparison.
"Chin up, my friend. My imprint looked like yours once too. Hard work and perseverance, you remember?"
"Yeah...yeah I do. But what does that have to do with resurrection exactly?"
"Patience, boy. I was getting to that."
The mirror took its place around Liam's neck again.
"Resurrection is impossible. When someone dies, that's it. They're dead. But the imprint is left behind. And as long as the body is still intact it is relatively easy to make the imprint inhabit it. Remember, its basically a second you anyway."
Lincoln scratched his head.
"So what does that mean exactly?"
"It means that I haven't brought your friend back to life. Not exactly. I have more or less let an exact copy of him take his place. As the two share the same memories he will be none the wiser of course."
"...Well, if they are the same anyway does it really matter?"
Liam smiled.
"Interesting. But to answer your question, no, not really. But that's not all there is to it. There are certain advantages and disadvantages that come with being brought back like that."
"And those are...?"
"The advantages are twofold. Since your imprint is the thing that you channel your magic through a person that is a personified version of that will have his or her power increased about tenfold. Since your friend is a non-mage anyway though this wont affect him at all."
"Oh...so are you...you know...dead?"
Liam let out a surprise chuckle.
"Me? Heavens, no. Most certainly not. Though I don't blame you for assuming. I certainly came closer to deaths door than I would have liked countless times. But no. Natural survivor, I guess."
"Alright...What is the other advantage?"
"The other advantage is another thing that wont be of much use to him. Due to certain circumstances regarding the spell that allows mind control, people who have been brought back from the dead are immune to it."
Lincoln figured that that would probably be a pretty big advantage in a world were spells like those were commonplace.
"Now lets move on to the disadvantages. Again, two major ones. Firstly, and I think that should be obvious, people who have been brought back can not return again. If Clyde dies now there's nothing anyone can do about it. His lifespan and general life expectancy remains unchanged though, so unless he is a soldier on active duty I don't think this will be a problem."
Lincoln agreed. At least he got another chance to live again.
"The second disadvantage is a more serious one. The imprint copies everything about us. If we grow and learn, it grows and learns. If we change, it changes. Left alone, the imprint loses that feature."
"...What, so you mean that Clyde has lost the ability to learn things?"
He shook his head.
"No, he can still learn things. And he will still mature with experience. But all in all, he will never grew beyond the person he is right now. Everything that defines him today will define him until the day he dies."
Lincoln looked down at his sleeping friend.
"...Thats...thats..."
"Its better than him being dead, right?"
He sighed. Internally he was fiercly debating with himself.
"You're right...And its not like something is wrong with Clyde, right? He is great...And that means that whatever happens he can't change for the worse at least, right?...Maybe its for the best that he stays like he is..."
He sounded like he wanted to convince himself.
"Yes, maybe it is. How about we return now? There is still so much to do, and so little...alright, we have all the time we want, but we still achieve nothing by staying here and watching your friend sleep."
"Yeah..."
Lincoln sighed and slowly moved back towards the door. Once he was back inside his house, Liam moved his hand and closed the door behind the boy. He floated over to Clyde, shook his head, and touched the sleeping boys arm.
His body was aglow with yellow light, shining through his closed eyes, coursing through his veins, tainting his flesh.
"Believe me, friend of Lincoln..." Liam whispered before vanishing.
"This is a mercy."
Lincoln was still lost in thought when Liam drew information out of his parents. He felt a touch on his shoulder and once again his thoughts ran at super speed.
"This thing you can do is really useful, you know?"
"Yeah, don't get used to it. Overusing it is not healthy. I just thought you might need it right now..."
"Thanks anyway."
Suddenly a book fell down before Lincoln.
"Here. I thought that might cheer you up."
He picked up the book and scanned the title.
A Beginners Guide to Casting
"The rest are in your room. Don't worry about being found out, they'll look like comics to anyone else."
"Thanks but...i thought I need magic in my body or something to cast spells?"
He chuckled. Lincoln jumped a bit as the location around him changed. Once everything returned to normal they were standing in his parents bedroom. Before he could ask what the point of that was his wizard friend pulled a little metal star out his robe pocket. It was painted yellow, with a little mirror in the middle.
"...And what is that exactly?"
"This thing is called "The Star of Acadia". It was the national treasure of one of my rival nations before I razed them to the ground. It has a...peculiar little secret."
He threw the star in Lincoln's direction who barely managed to catch it.
"And that is...?"
"It basically functions like a video-telephone, always connecting to Acadias royal chamber."
Lincoln scratched his head in confusion.
"And how exactly is that going to help us?..."
"It still connects there, even now. Even so far from home, even though the room in question doesn't even exist anymore, it still connects. So what we are going to do...is that!"
Right after he said that Liam's fingernail grew a bit and assumed the form of a needle. He murmured something and the mirrors image began changing. But before it could form anything coherent Liam punctured it with his nail. An earsplitting screech erupted from the star and it slowly dissolved into nothing.
"There, done."
Lincoln lowered the hands from his ears.
"Done what? Rupturing my eardrums?"
"Your funny. But no, nothing that simple. Puncturing a mirror that is connected to another dimension is next to impossible. Honestly I didn't even know if I could do it. Evidently I'm even better than I imagined."
"Could you please just tell me what you just did?"
He shook his head.
"My, my, so impatient. Observe."
The wizard used his thumb and index finger to form a hole and held it before Lincoln's eyes. Everything looked normal. Everything but the place where the star was punctured.
"What...is that?"
"I basically punched a hole in reality. You're welcome."
"You did what in the what now?..."
"Its small, sure, really small even. Barely a pinprick. But it still connects your world to mine. And since my world is overflowing with magic, and yours isn't..."
It took him a minute but soon Lincoln put two and two together.
"So the magic is going to come flooding in here now?"
"Yes. The hole will close itself soon enough, two-three years give or take. But by that time everyone who lives here should be able to cast advanced spells already. Of course unless you tell them your sisters wont be able to realize any of that potential. And personally, I think that's for the best. The more mages there are, the more problems will arise."
The scenery changed once again, bringing them back to Lincoln's room.
"You should be able to start learning in just a few weeks."
"...This has seriously been one weird day. And the day hasn't even started yet."
Liam sat down beside Lincoln.
"Here is another present for you."
He touched Lincoln's head.
"There."
The boy didn't feel any different.
"What did you do?"
"Back home you can't really cheat when it comes to learning magic. You see, our planet is pretty self-aware, since it too absorbs a lot of magic on a daily you don't want to anger it. If you try cheating, something that is called a "magical backlash" will happen, rendering you impossible of using any spell you tried to cheat on. Its apparently very painful too. In this world there are no such safeguards though."
"So you...cheated for me?"
"Something like that. I don't want to make it too easy for you. But I also don't want you to give up right away. So I removed the greatest barrier to entry new mages usually face. You should have no problem crafting any rune now. So be happy, no five-hour long prep work for every spell you want to cast."
Lincoln looked down at his hands.
"The other things will still apply though. So let me give you some advice. When you get a quiet moment sometime in the next few days, sit down with one of my books, choose a spell category that speaks to you, and try it out."
The boy looked around and saw the books in question lying in a pile on the ground. It looked like there were about a hundred of them, but they were all as thin as comics. Probably more magic.
"Most mages focus on one spell category over others, due to the difficulty of mastering spells. Id go for summoning if I were you. Its the easiest to learn."
He put the book he was holding down with the others, and it too changed into something resembling a comic. Even after all the strange things that had happened today, it still amazed him every time.
"So what about my wish?"
Liam shrugged.
"Aren't you a little too young for that right now? Maybe you should wait a bit. Try to get your footing when it comes to casting. That should take at least a few years. We can still get around to fixing your non-existent relationship problems afterwards, right? It just seems...more Appropriate that way."
"I...i guess. Im going to have enough on my plate with this stuff anyway."
He pointed at the books.
"At least I'm going to have the very best teacher, right?"
The wizard smiled in appreciation.
"Ah, flattery, my greatest weakness. But to be honest, these books are probably all you need. I wrote most of them anyway. I mean, I want you to learn this stuff by yourself anyway, so I don't plan on helping that much anyway. And since were only tackling your wish after you became at least presentable as a magician, I actually feel kind of...redundant right now. Might as well not be here till you're done."
Lincoln was just about to reassure him, tell him that there was plenty of stuff he could do when he saw him going deathly pale. The mirrors around his neck fell to the ground with a clang.
"Hey, what's wrong? Is everything alright?"
Liam moaned as if in pain.
"No...No, I didn't mean it like that! No!"
Lincoln was about to panic. And in his agitated state, he didn't notice the smirk that crossed his teachers face for but a split second.
"Lincoln, listen to me."
His tone was pained and hurried.
"Take care...of my statue. Let no one...no one else have it. Be careful, and learn. Work on your magic. If you do all that...I will be able to return..."
The boy didn't understand what was going on. But after what happened next he got a pretty good idea. Liam's body slowly turned into mist. Not blue, like from his spell, but colorless. And in a flash, so fast that it was barely visible, the mist was sucked back into the statue.
The noise outside meant that time had started running again. The only evidence that the events of this day even happened were a bunch of strange comics in a heap, and a couple of mirrors on the floor.
Lincoln didn't even intend to start digesting what just happened. He simply sighed, lay down on his bed and closed his eyes.
It had been a long day after all.