The Campbell Chronicles Relic
Chapter 9
Nicholas and Wanda appeared in a large circular room on top of an ornate circle carved into a marble floor. Arches ringed the walls, each showing a scene from a different place.
One showed a volcano. A River of lava swam through obsidian rock close to the portal, heating the room.
The one directly across from it showed a mountaintop covered in snow. Snow danced through the room on an icy wind.
The two temperatures clashed in the air, creating a heavy fog charged with potential.
Beside the mountain portal sat a portal to a jungle. Tall trees stretched high into the sky. Dirt and dried leaves blue out of the portal and across the tile floor. They slipped into an ocean portal, drifting away on the currents.
"This way," Wanda said, leading the way to a spiral staircase almost in the center of the room.
"Where are we?" Nicholas asked as he followed her up the staircase.
"I'll leave it to my master to reveal our location; this is her home, after all."
"Fair enough," Nicholas conceded, hoping he wasn't about to meet some cult leader.
As they walked, Nicholas stared forward, taking her in and expanding his senses outside his body.
Wanda Nelson was 5'7" tall with long, wavy Auburn hair, tanned skin, and green eyes. She wore a long red leather coat that hugged her arms, showing off her defined muscles. Black spandex clung to sensuous hips that swayed with each step.
A frown slipped on Nicholas's face as his senses collided with a magical field that distorted his perception of space. 'That's it, I really need to study magic,' he stared at Wanda's back, 'depending on how this goes, maybe I could trade something with her to teach me.'
They stepped onto a curved half-moon landing.
Two Nicholas's right, sat a table with a vase of crystal roses in them. Directly across from the table, beyond a pillar that supported the staircase, was a set of double doors.
Wanda made her way to the double doors. They opened as she drew closer, and Wanda led the way into a large room with a long rectangular pool in the center.
At the opposite end of the pool, a woman sat cross-legged in the air, but that wasn't what drew Nicholas's attention.
Bookshelves lined the room's length, stretching higher than Nicholas could see. Scrolls, Stone tablets, and thick leather-bound tones floated through the air from shelf to shelf.
Despite coming from another world with mutant/meta-human abilities, not even Brigadoon had this much written knowledge at the height of its power.
Wanda went to the pool, and white circular platforms rose. As they made their way across the water, Nicholas stretched out his senses, probing the books. He could sense the power in them as one drifted past him; he inhaled, and the light around it flared briefly as he pulled in a bit of its power.
The woman's blue eyes at the end of the pool locked onto him.
Nicholas opened his eyes and inclined his head as he digested the energy. It was different but similar to his bio-reality energy. He wondered if he could get around the limitations of his bio-reality energy manipulation by applying magical principles.
Stepping out of the rectangular pool, they stopped before the floating woman, and Nicholas took her in.
She was 5'9" tall, with curves highlighted by a white blouse and black tights. Her tanned skin resembled someone from the Mediterranean Sea, her blonde hair was the color of spun gold, and her bright blue eyes held an inner power.
She stared at Nicholas as he took her in before finally gazing at Wanda, "Who is it you have brought into my home, Wanda dear?"
Wanda bowed at the waist, "Knowledge master Tiffany, may I introduce you to Nicholas Campbell."
Trinity turned her gaze back to Nicholas. "It's a pleasure to meet you, but I don't understand why you are here."
Nicholas inclined his head to Wanda, "You would have to ask her; I was fighting a woman causing damage to reality when your apprentice showed up, tied me up, allowed the woman to escape, and brought me here after I mentioned knowledge of other worlds."
Interest sparked in Trinity's eyes, "You know of other worlds?"
"My ancestors came from another multiverse after theirs was destroyed and built a city here."
Trinity stilled, "What was the name of the city?"
Nicholas stared at her, taking in her tense shoulders and unblinking stare.
"Brigadoon," he answered slowly, "Why?"
Nicholas's sharp hearing picked up the hitch in her breath, slight dilation of her pupils, and her increasing heartbeat. He stepped back as Trinity leaned forward.
"Tell me the history of this Brigadoon."
"Why?" Nicholas narrowed his eyes as he turned to Wanda, "Why did you bring me here? What gives you the right to kidnap me?"
"Excuse me?" Wanda's eyes narrowed, and her hands went to her hips as she leaned forward, "I did not kidnap you; you seem to come along willingly enough."
Nicholas conceded part of her point; he did willingly step onto the spell circle, "I was weak after expelling the spirit that destroyed my home; you appeared and tied me up."
"You were fighting a being of chaos in an area where mortals could get hurt and cost thousands of dollars' worth of property damage."
"Which I would've fixed."
"What do you mean by expelling the spirit that destroyed your home?"
Trinity's question broke through Wanda and Nicholas's argument.
Nicholas stared at Trinity. 'Why is she so curious about what happened to my home?'
In the end, Nicholas decided to tell her there wasn't anything that could do with the knowledge; after what happened, maybe talking through it would help it settle within his mind.
"The day Brigadoon was destroyed, I was battling a being called the exterminator with my parents. My grandfather, Samuel Campbell senior, sacrificed himself to cause the exterminator to detonate.
My parents and I were tasked with containing its energy. One by one, we fell. Before her fall, my mother transferred knowledge of her ability to me. Sensing it was about to die, the exterminator injected its soul into that knowledge.
The next thing I know, I'm waking up in a science facility; since then, I've been trying to survive.
I had business in Metropolis. While conducting that business, I sensed reality fraying at the edges. After concluding my business, I went to investigate, where I found a woman named Lilith Wolf, the daughter of a lady of chaos called Shivering Jemmy. We fought, and I absorbed a portion of her chaos energy.
Wanda stiffened.
"The chaos energy I absorbed awakened the exterminator within my soul. It escaped my body and began attacking.
Lilith and I joined forces to fight it after it attacked her. We were losing to it when it suddenly turned into orange smoke and disappeared."
Wanda spoke up, "Another individual had been there shortly before I arrived, but their energy was too faint for me to follow or make anything out."
Trinity nodded slowly before focusing on Nicholas, "What were the names of your parents?"
"Samuel Campbell Junior and Alexi Summers Campbell, why?"
Trinity gestured, and Golden threads shot from her chest, weaving to form a tapestry in the air.
Campbell Family Tree
Penelope Campbell + Charles Xavier of Earth 1610 – Samuel Campbell.
Penelope Campbell + Jeric the Green Martian – Jinks Campbell.
Samuel Campbell + The Bride of Spiders – Yin Campbell.
Samuel Campbell + Zarda of Earth 31,916 – Jean Campbell, Willard Campbell, and Amelia Campbell.
Jean Campbell + Jean Grey of Earth 295 – Jackson Campbell and Sarah Campbell.
Willard Campbell + Diana Carlisle (daughter of Vanessa Carlisle of Earth 295 and Kevin Sydney of Earth 295) – Dante Campbell, Frederick Campbell, and Francine Campbell.
Dante Campbell + Willow Carosella (daughter of Guido Carosella of Earth 295 and Edith Freiberg of Earth 31,916) – Samuel Willard Campbell.
Frederick Campbell +Gamemnae (Atlantean goddess) – Arthur Campbell, Sophie Campbell, Trinity Campbell.
Arthur Campbell + Vivian (the lady of the lake) – Arthur Pendragon (descendent).
Francis Campbell + Hephaestus (Greek god) – Hector Campbell.
Hector Campbell + Yuda, the Kryptonian goddess of the moon – many descendants.
Samuel Willard Campbell + Alexi Summers (daughter of Xander Summers, the son of Lorna Dane and Alexander Summers of Earth 295, and Mandy Jones, the daughter of Arcanna Jones of Earth 31,916 and Forge of Earth 295) – Nicholas Campbell.
Eyes wide, Nicholas stepped forward, running his fingers down the names of the family he lost, causing them to shimmer in the air. He looked at Tiffany, "You are Trinity Campbell, daughter of my great uncle Frederick."
"I am."
Nicholas turned back to the names.
His family lives, he turned back to Tiffany, "What happened on Mars?"
"According to my father, after the exterminator destroyed Brigadoon, Jackson Campbell, Jean Grey Campbell, and Hector Campbell led a portion of the survivors and green Martians on an expedition throughout the universe."
"Some joined Atlantis; others went to teach early humans."
"Do you know what happened to Hector and the ones that left our solar system?"
Trinity pointed to the family tree, "Hector eventually married the Kryptonian goddess of the moon. Krypton is gone now, but I'm assuming some survivors joined his party of refugees long before Krypton's destruction."
"Assuming?"
"I know that that branch of our bloodline still lives, but they haven't reentered the Milky Way solar system."
"I'm surprised about that. Our family had some tensions with the planet Krypton."
Trinity's eyes lit up, "Really."
"A few of our family members have explored the solar system."
A pen and book appeared in Trinity's lap, and she began writing.
"Krypton did not take too kindly to us arriving on the planet unannounced. There was a short fight, and our ancestors escaped. However, those actions put us into conflict with the guardians of the galaxy, who we already didn't like since they had modified the green Martians and did not undo the damage done to humanity by another alien race."
Silence settled between them as the family tree faded. The only sound was Trinity's pen gliding across the paper.
"So," Nicholas asked as the quiet became too much, "what happens now?"
"Well," Trinity began, "I haven't seen family in a long time. I would like to get to know you."
"I would like that; I'm eager to hear what you know about how our family developed while I was," he paused, searching for the right word, "indisposed."
A smile spread across her face, "Maybe you could help add what you remember of Brigadoon's knowledge to my library," she gestured to the shelves.
"I can do that. Maybe while we talk, you can teach me some magic."
"It's a deal, but while I record what you say, Wanda will take care of the practical part of your study."
"What?"
"Seriously?"
Trinity clapped her hands together. "I won't have my only apprentice fighting with the only family I have seen in." She glanced up before waving her hand. "Well, that's not important."
"You can't just assign me to train someone."
Trinity raised an eyebrow, "Do you have any pressing engagements."
"Well, no, but…"
"Good."
Wanda sighed; when her master got like this, it was almost impossible to change her mind. She turned to look at Nicholas, who absorbed chaotic energy without mutating. Maybe she could learn something from him.
Nicholas looked at Wanda. She was powerful, and he wasn't really mad about being captured. She didn't know if he was a threat. Plus, she was hot, so it made it easier to forgive her.
"Fine," Wanda exhaled.
Nicholas nodded.
Threads flowed out of his body and weaved into a duplicate. "You know what to do."
Nodding, the duplicate vanished through a portal.
Nicholas turned around to find Trinity and Wanda staring at him, "What?"
"You opened a portal in my tower," Trinity explained, "you shouldn't be able to do that."
"Housing the exterminator sold changed me; even with it gone, those changes persist, allowing me to absorb most forms of energy. After tasting your magic," he gestured to the bookshelves, "I gained enough of an understanding to use quantum strings to create a portal through your magic."
Trinity's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and a slight grin spread across Wanda's face. "You may be interesting to teach after all."
–XX –
The man from the docks floated cross-legged in the air over the moth-eaten carpet of his motel room. Yellowed walls peeling with age surrounded him, and orange energy flowed through his body, highlighting every muscle and nerve.
The single bed in the room remained unused; bedbugs crawled across the pillows.
Slowly, his eyes opened, revealing pure white orbs. His skin shifted, taking on the color of fresh blood, and his nails turned black, extending into sharp points as he uncrossed his legs and dropped to the floor.
Smoothing back his hair, he stared into the cracked mirror hanging on the wall.
He wore a red button-down shirt, suspenders attached to a pair of black slacks, and polished black shoes. Focusing on his sharp features, he thought about what he had learned now that his soul had been healed.
He was Mephisto, but not just any Mephisto; he was the combination of Mephistos devoured by the exterminator as it ate universe after universe.
However, as powerful as Mephisto was, they did not die. His incarnations came together, surviving inside the exterminator to be released when the people of Brigadoon destroyed it.
Raising his right hand to his face, Mephisto stared at his palm. He wasn't the Mephistos' of those other worlds, and he was in a universe different from the ones they were born from. He was his own man. He would carve out his place in this world.