Magi and Djinn World Tour! Student of the Dark Arts –

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Chapter 5: Don't Push Me Away

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John skid through the side streets as the warning rung through his ears. A vampire knew that Raku was here, as John's protégé in the dark arts.

This was a mess, really and surely. He was so close to the stop between the wall that led back to his flat. The boy was looking down on his arse for being so damned reckless. How could he have known that Atticus the immortal sorcerer would be summoning spooks to terrorize his crew?

He'd remembered the rumors of that mad man. He was bound to a jealousy that came with vain aging and a lacking grave on the prospect. So much so, that he was a literal dog for any life force his magic could tear from a breathing body.

And Raku, Raku had had plenty to own, plenty to steal as well.

A well of manna, power from his father, a literal god of the space time continuum. Azag would shine on his grave should he ever make the reasons clearer. They needed a better location to hide.

Atticus would hunt Raku down and make John watch in the way he had with Astra…

Throwing open the door, John yelled to Raku, to Chas and those who were listening briefly. The rooms stunk if sage, yet not fir much longer. The boy was waking up, his head on the arm of the sofa, relaxed and drowsy.

Chas was coming from his bed, blind as a bat in the dark as he groaned at the magi by the door.

"Set off a man will you, John. What gives? It's not even morning-

"We have to leave. Raku? Go pack your things, Chas and I will have the car in back –

"Wait a tic!" Chas wagged a finger as his eyes poured open, his annoyance and confidence fathering while the winded word spoke. John had more energy, yet with that many packs a day, he wasn't sure to tell exactly the strength of his lungs.

"What's all this? Did you end up with more enemies asking fir body parts?? I told you –

"It's not that. The demon. The dead walker god. It was summoned." John clung to the walls and whispered words as sigil and sigil appeared. Raku's head rose up, his golden aura spiking as John had predicted. "Act as our catalyst, lad. This won't take much long –

"JOHN! What are you after??" Exclaimed Chas, frustrated, pulling his hairs out one by one. "Raku is not' a tool, you knew that wh –

"He's a power - source." Correrected John, Raku following with a frown and a nod as well. "It's the truth, Chas." Raku said.

"The one that summoned that death god, was a dangerous warlock by the name of Atticus Grey." John finished, Chas gawking back at his old roomie.

"That bag of bones is ba –

"He knows about us, about our newest houseguest…I am making this apartment an untraceable point to demons, and creating a linked road between here, and the House of Mystery." John proclaimed. "They can't get in, so we'll be safer there in the House while we think of ways to strengthen our magical energies. Raku still has classes to attend, after all." Grinned the blonde magi as Raku took in a breath. "How long should I hold for?"

"As long as you can. I'll tell you when to stop. Repeat after me…."

/

The room turned sideways in a tilt as Chas clung to a wall. The spiral in his skull made Raku cling to one too as the boy breathed, his eyes dry of tears as he kept chanting with John. Fire of light and his heritage of transport all showing by that golden glow as it lit up the entire room, they kept chanting with that light growing even brighter.

Until …silence.

"We're inside. It's done." John drooped his arms in a hunched position and wiped his brow. The room looked the same as Chas scrambled to open a doorway. "Still…masking, was that it?"

"It's similar to making this cloaked, we don't have to stop time, then?" Raku swallowed, catching himself as he fell into the sofa, yawning and gripping a pillow right out in front. "That was great self-control of your magic, and yes." John praised by his answer. "This gap in space allows for us to step once instead of take a leap into the house without a real worthy destination. The apartment, the doorway," John turned to the door behind him and shut it, touching the knob as it soon changed shape. "It'll be able to revert as long as the spell is easiest on the caster. Chas, I'll teach it to you and the boy. It's just a few words."

"Better not be an entire bloody tome to memorize. I had it then, when you took us to meet Jasper's daughter. She's still in connection." Chas groaned and let go of the wall to eye the frame. "Did you enchant it to open only for us? What about Atticus?"

"He can't get in without a key."

Raku lifted his head. Chas turned to John, their eyes…

"No, bloody – John!"

"What?" Raku's mouth fell open a crack with a raspy, sleep filled voice. "Where is the key?"

/

"You pulled him into this." Chas paced in the room of a wizarding sort; the House of Mystery was there only for John, gifted to him by an ally of the Sandman and co. "What does it take to –

"It won't hurt the lad. He just has to strengthen his defences while I report Atticus and have him charged like before –

"Before? Before!" Chas threw up his hands as Raku slept off in a guest room of the mystic home. His eyes were dry, , yet his heart weighed far too much as he scratched at his chest.

"You…you put a damned spell on him. Branded him to escape. You have to take it off!"

"I can't if I'd tried. He'll do it. Think of it as his final exam –

"What the bleeding fuck, Johnny?? You promised not to be so damned selfish. That child has a lot of problems and –

"There is a part you still have not seemed to grasp, mate. That boy isn't entirely human. Mortal. His father was a god of space and time that bonded with a hereditary witch that had the power of a storyteller; with Raku's father, a god incarnate of the Sumerian deity Tammuz, he can create worlds. Document their bloody falls AND, his two-sided aspect is the thing that both keeps his power in check, while allowing it to exist with him. He can handle it. I know he can."

~ Mayest we, Constantine? Have a chat, amongst ourselves? ~

John's ears pricked as the dark world of Ignito's realm pulled him inside. "Way to bugger off for this long? Didn't you see the spell being cast, mate?"

~ I did, impressive, seeing as my lordship never asked to pull out of your, lesson. ~

"You knew this was what needed to happen. Don't patronize –

~ JOHN. ~ Ignito hissed, changing is shape into that of a sand serpent like Azag. ~ Endanger my lord again, and none shall have so thine divine RITE to do as thee. You know what this entails? Setting loose our tether? ~

"You're not so reckless. Ignito. The lad is fine, it was –

~ Danger lurks around every corner. ~ Snorted the serpent as its body encircled John's, growing as large as a giant or, dragon. ~ Radu is my charge, my very world and reason until which existence hath not been tampered with since the great fall. If so, should he fall victim to the man, Atticus Grey, ye shant' spake of thine own ills whilst digested. Do you hear thine words, magi? ~ Breathed the shadow aspect. The being resembling a Lord Roku if he were a hermit. John sniffed back. "I gave that child my every word that he'd have his wish to become a guardian. I don't have any intention of breaking our pact even if you assume the worst inside your little cellar, mate."

The serpent blinked before laughing in the magi's face, changing back as it held its stomach and wiped a fake tear away with a grin. ~ Ah, such determination and tenacity. Would it help if I did then ask…. how are you to allow the boy his freedom, if you cannot be where I always am glad to take part in watching, hum? ~

"Bugger of, BLOODY wanker." John sneered, turning to go locate a new door back that he could draw up.

Frowning, the hand the came out, pushed John into a dark wall where time was stagnant and foggy with mystic curses abound. Constantine shut his eyes, hearing an irritated Ignito as the daemon being warned once again. ~ See to it, that I won't have to intervene. Not unless my lord asks of me – yet, he won't. Why, he trusts you after all to save his young soul. See how you do this time, defying a time GOD. ~

Ignito watched John float off as his last words stung the very hardest.

~I'll be watching your every move, John. Sleep well… ~

/

John gasped as he came back to his body. Chas was about to slap the man awake silly, when John grabbed Chas's wrist to right one more wrong. "You passed off on me, mate…were you pos –

"Ignito is a light pissed. I set him off at a bad time…." John groaned and checked the closest clock. "We'll discuss Raku's predicament come sun up. I do need to recover after the night –

"Now, what about my apartment?"

"They won't find it. Raku is a charged battery. Anything that tries to enter won't see a thing there. And any that breach even a single line over, get erased."

"Erased?" Chas went to the door and saw that the same timeless void was outside of it. "Stay the night if you'd rather not risk it. I'd wait until morning." Yawned the magi to his friend.

"Right, then where is the toilet. The wash room? The bedroom I'll be –

"Like any good manor, upstairs." John lazily pointed at the ceiling. "I have full control so it will give you time as wel…" John was found and put on the sofa originally, so that was where he'd stayed once he whistled out a snore. Just as Chas felt trapped here, the world Raku was not inside of, was strangely like home to him. He was in a room with so many, many books and artifacts that the glow had trouble dimming. He had to curl into a ball and coax his own body to understand that no danger was here.

He was safe. John had told him not to worry, that he'd be right here. So, the boy believed his teacher as the other, the shadow of his self, was loyal to the end and watched over eve his enemies. ~ John, your loyalty must run deepest for this child. So, I shall guide it. Your closed heart, for tonight. Shall appear full. Be wise from hereon...~