Chapter Theme: War of Change by Thousand Foot Krutch
Faster! Faster! Just jump over that… that's a log I think? No matter, just… jum- DAMMIT.
I groan and clutch my head. Numerous newly-healed injuries scream at me in protest. Yup. That's gonna leave a mark.
Footsteps. My heartbeat speeds up in my chest. Dammit. They… they're coming. Well… who is they again? They… they… The footsteps get closer, so I push my musings to the side. It'd probably be a better idea to run now and ask questions later. All intuition points to that, and if I've learned anything, intuition never lies.
I push myself to my feet, using that stupid log as a support. More footsteps. Gotta get out of here!
Okay. So… how did I get out here, in the middle of the forest beaten up like I've been to hell and back? Well… as you can probably expect, it's a long story. Just… ugh. Let me start from the beginning.
The first thing I remember… Well… If you're asking about in general, I really don't want to spill my life's story just yet on account of it being longer than you'd think. But with how this fiasco started? Just let me back up a little bit.
My week has been a horror show. Sure, my life has been hell for a while now, but this particular week has been worse than normal. Huh. I guess getting captured and nearly killed by your worst enemy kinda has that effect on you. You know, at this point the only thing that could make things worse would probably be the end of the world. Oh wait. That already happened. So… scratch my previous statement… nothing could possibly get worse.
You're probably screaming at me for jinxing everything. Heh, I would be too if it wasn't for the fact that irony and murphy's law both happen regardless of some poor fool invoking them. Luckily, this poor fool has had enough of murphy's bullshit and just wants to get it all over with.
Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked.
My name's Alegreya. Alegreya Aria Pines. Though… between you and me… please. For the love of the Axolotl, don't tell anyone.
It's hard enough keeping my home universe a secret, and with all of the people I've ticked off over the years, I've got a lot of unsavory characters looking for me.
The reason why keeping my home a secret? Well, you see, my universe is something called a "unique variant". It means what it sounds like. Out of the entire Gravity Falls dimensional cluster, my world, also known as Arcane Falls, is the only one of its' kind.
To that extent, I am the only Alegreya Pines that currently exists in the multiverse… See where I'm going here?
Damn. I guess I got sidetracked again. My apologies, my brain just runs a hundred miles a minute, so keeping my attention on one thing for an extended period of time is almost impossible.
So where were we?
Oh yes, my week… Ugh. My week. Okay, fine. Here we go.
Just… keep in mind a few things.
Firstly, Nightmare Realm is not pretty. (I mean, it's in the name, so you'd kinda expect that.)
Secondly, being friends with criminals is a double edged sword. One moment, you're robbing a bank together, selling off the loot on the black market and splitting the profits, the next, your "bestie" is selling you out to your worst enemy. I'd be pissed, but it's how things work in the darker side of the multiverse. It's not like I wouldn't have done the same thing…
Scratch that, I'm pissed as hell! That bastard saw how scared I was, and he didn't do a damned thing! When I get my hands on him, I swear to god I'm going to beat him into the next millennium!
...Sorry. I guess I got a little carried away there. Let's just say that I've got a few grudges to make fair on. Yeah. Let's leave it at that.
Anyway… I'm going to spare you the gruesome details… but… uh...
Actually… is it bad that I don't remember everything that happened in that god forsaken place? I don't know too much about psychology, but I'm predicting that whatever horrors I underwent will come back to me in the cursed hours of the night, when nightmares reign and demons play.
If anything, I guess that's something to look forward to.
Another thing about me; I'm a magician. No, not one of those "pull a rabbit out of a hat" or "your card is…" magician, but an honest to goodness battlemagic and fireball-throwing magician. I've been practicing magic for… a while now, so you'd think that I know a lot. Typically, I do. But today?
Well… after doing something to escape the Nightmare Realm… I did magic? I know, I know. The lack of specifics is probably killing you, but think about me! I'm the goddamn one who did it, and I can't even remember what is was I did! If I wasn't preoccupied with staying alive, I'd probably be pulling my hair out over it.
All I remember is the sweet, sweet musical sound of a certain dream demon screaming in rage and pain. That's a good memory if I do say so myself.
Okay. So this is what we've got. So I… did something magic. That's what I know for sure. And… it did something to Bill. I'm… pretty sure about that too. And… I'm out of magic. Whatever magic shit I did used up all of my energy, so I've got that burning feeling in my chest. But beyond that… I've got nothing.
If I was thinking this at any other time, I'd probably go on a verbal rant to fate or whatever god may be out there, but as you already know, I'm in the middle of a situation here.
Blind. Yeah, did I say that already? I'm currently blind and stumbling through the forest. Whatever happened before all of this somehow… burned my eyes out? I think? As I said, it's all a little fuzzy, but it's safe to say that the cotton stuffed into the holes in my face are good indicators.
I let out a cry as something pulls my wobbling legs out from underneath me. As I go down, I get a face full of dirt.
"What the hell!" I shriek, spitting out dirt and who knows what else. I scowl and feel around for the offending obstacle that ever so graciously offered me a place on the ground. Before I manage to turn up with anything, the footsteps stop. Someone breathes heavily. I freeze and try to angle myself toward the sound.
My back presses up against a rough wooden surface. I don't think that my pursuer can see me. It seems like the thing I tripped over was a log that had a miniature valley of some kind behind it. I steady my breathing.
Keep calm. Let it in and out. Harness the fear and use the energy from it to survive. Focus on anything else. Focus... Focus on your intellect. I flinch as my uncle's voice comes to the forefront of my memory.
Bright flashes of light burn spots into my vision. It's magic, but something is different about it. It brings back memories of past trauma. It feels like the rift. It feels like the very atmosphere of Weirdmageddon. Suffice to say, it feels wrong.
I turn to the dense sphere of energy that sits like a swollen sun at the center of the underground room. Adrenaline rushes through my veins as anxiety takes over my mind. I can't breathe. The air is swamped with magic as the sphere grows.
He… he stands next to me, terror etched onto his face in an expression that surely mirrors mine.
"Great Uncle Ford!" I screech, "W-what is that?!" My damned stutter. I almost forgot about that. He says something in reply, but the sound of his voice is lost in the hurricane of magic swirling around us. I'd known fear before, but this…
Some unseen force grabs me and pulls me towards the well of magic. I choke out a shriek and try to resist. He's startled by my scream and even more startled by the fact that I'm being pulled in, despite there being no effect on him whatsoever.
I cry out, swiping at his lab coat; anything within reach to keep me from being pulled into that… that thing.
"Grunkle Ford!" The last thing I see is his horror-stricken face, the light of the magic reflected in the cracked lenses of his glasses.
For a moment, there is no air, no heat, no sound. The only thing I can hear is the rushing of blood in my ears, and even that seems like it's fading. My panic beats against my chest.
Then it feels like a string attached to my chest snaps. In a single instant, all sensations come crashing back to me. I let out a gasp in surprise. The air smells like burnt flesh and fresh blood. The laughter of one I'd hoped to never see again rings through my ears.
"Alegreya?" I'm snapped from my flashback as… someone calls my name. I'm sure that you all remember why that should be unlikely, with disturbing implications.
I try to make myself flush with the log, hoping and praying that it hides me. The burns and cuts under my bandages shift, causing my lips to pull into a grimace.
"Kid, come on. I'm not gonna hurt ya," They sound like a human man, though the voice… it's also… familiar in a way. But then again, there's no way I can trust him. He… he probably has answers.
I strain my ears. Breathing, slightly strained from exertion. We didn't run too far, so he's somewhat out of shape. His footsteps, they were loud with no attempt to hide; either he's not an experienced hunter or he didn't think that I'd be much of a threat. In both cases, I have the upper hand.
I feel up the log behind me. It curves towards me and meets the earth at an angle. If I could climb up and use the tree next it to steady myself, I could use the sound of his footsteps and the direction of his breathing to accurately predict where he'll be.
I push away the annoyance of my aches and pains slowly returning. It seems like my adrenaline is starting to wear off. Heh. If there was ever a negative side effect of "focusing on your intellect", this would be it.
I run my tongue over my pointed incisors and lick my lips. A short breath escapes my nostrils. Okay. Let's do this.
I carefully turn my body so that I'm facing the log. I place my bandaged hands on the bark and feel with my left over to the tree. I feel a smirk pull at my lips as it's right where I thought it'd be. In a few deft movements I'm on top of the log, pressed up against the tree. From the sounds I'm hearing the man make, I can tell that he's on the other side, facing away from me.
Facing away from me. I grimace. In order for this to work, I need him facing me. I let out a sigh and creep out onto the log, ending in a crouch. At this point, if he were to turn around, he'd be able to see me.
"Hey buddy!"
"W-wha- Alegreya! Ther-" I don't allow him to finish. As soon as his voice's volume indicates that he's facing me, I spring from the log. My aim is true, and I land right on top of him, knocking him to the ground.
He lets out a strangled gasp as I grab him by the shirt collar. He tries to get up, scratching at my hands in an effort to get me to let go. I tighten my grip and jab my knee into his chest.
"Where am I?" I snarl, "And who are you?"
"Ack! Al-Alegreya!"
"How," I force my voice to remain steady, "do you know my name." It's phrased as a statement and not a question. I've found that that's usually a good method to get answers.
"I-" He sounds like he can't breathe.
I frown and loosen my grip on his collar. It's probably not a good idea to let him choke before I get what want from him.
He lets out a breath, "Al- okay, okay! I won't call you that!" I realize that I pulled at his collar again as he tried to say my name.
"Answer my questions."
"K-kid," I'm taken aback at how… broken his tone is, "It's… it's me, your Grunkle Stan."
Everything except for his voice goes silent as my world comes crashing down.
"You- you're home."
Here we are! The first installment of the Warlock Files, and Alegreya's just figured out where she is. This'll be loads of fun!