"I heard about it, but I think it's fake, and you're not going to scare me with it," a merchant said dismissively. "It's just an urban legend, made up to scare people."
"But I swear, Morris. I saw it with my own eyes!" the customer insisted. "I was at the hospital when the ice monster attacked. It was terrifying!"
"I'm not a child," the merchant said, rolling his eyes. "The days of magic are long gone, it's dead. Even those rumors about wizards working for the government secretly are probably just that - rumors. Take your change and go, I don't have time for this nonsense."
"But it's not nonsense!" the customer protested. "You don't have to believe me, but I know what I saw. I'm not making this up!"
The merchant sighed, clearly exasperated. "Listen, I've got a business to run. If you want to believe in fairy tales, that's your business. But I'm not interested."
The men continued to argue, oblivious to the swirling sand and the cold wind that whipped past them. As they argued, the sand and wind coalesced into two young boys, standing inside the merchant's stall.
"What do you think, Oliver?" Robert asked, eyeing the chocolate bars and meatballs laid out on the shelf. "Should we get the chocolate or the meatballs?"
"I've been craving something greasy and savory, not the slop they serve us at school," Oliver replied. "I'll go for the meatballs."
"I hear you on the greasy, savory thing," Robert agreed. "But I've got a sweet tooth, so I'll go for the chocolate. Let's try to take a few to make sure he does not notice anything."
The boys each reached for their chosen treats and, keeping one eye on the merchant, began slipping them into their pockets.
"When did those boys get here?" the customer asked, pointing at the two boys who were now casually helping themselves to the food on the shelves.
Morris, the shop owner, turned around in surprise. "What are you doing?" he yelled, his voice rising in panic. "Get out of my shop, right now!"
But the boys exchanged knowing smiles, turned and fled deeper into the store. Morris chased after them, but they were too swift. He was losing them, and fast.
"You can't get away from me!" Morris growled, knowing that the boys would eventually reach the end of the stall, where they would have nowhere to run.
The boys rounded a corner and came to a dead end. They turned to face the stall owner, who was advancing towards them with a menacing scowl and flexed biceps.
"Oliver, you thinking what I'm thinking?" Robert said with a sly grin. "Ready?"
"Let's do this!" Oliver replied.
The store owner scowled at the kids as if they were lunatics. Weren't they supposed to be on their knees pleading with him not to hurt them? instead, they were just grinning and talking casually.
He was about to pounce on them but stopped abruptly when he noticed their bodies fading at visible speed.
"What the..." He muttered with disbelief, and slowly, right in front of his eyes, the first boy turned into a flurry of snowflakes while the second boy turned into a cloud of fine brown sand and drifted away.
Morris was overcome with a sudden weakness and sank to his knees, still trying to process what he had just seen. The boys had vanished, as if they had never been there at all. But how was that possible? Was his shop haunted? Was it magic? His head was spinning with questions. He sat down on the floor, his expression one of utter confusion and fear.
-----
"That was awesome!" Robert exclaimed as they materialised in a wheat field. The sun was setting in the distance, casting a warm, golden glow over the landscape.
"Excited about your first crime? soon you'll get to kill people." Oliver said without looking at him. They sat down on the ground, laying out the stolen food in a napkin, and they began to dig in.
"What do you mean kill people? Why would I kill people?" Robert asked as he tossed a chocolate bar into his mouth, his brows furrowed with confusion.
"Ask Poison, he'll explain better," Oliver replied.
"Excuse me, Poison, what does he mean kill people? I don't wanna kill anyone," He whispered to himself.
"People who oppose you, like him and many more to come." Poison answered lazily.
"Why would I kill him, no matter what he does, I won't kill him." Robert said.
"Experience my boy, experience," Poison said.
"And wait, what did you mean by many more to come?" Robert asked while casting a side glance at Oliver.
"You're still young and inexperienced kid, I can't tell you anything else, it's an experience that you must go through." Poison said. He was starting to get sick of the questions.
"But..."
"Bye!"
As Robert finished the last bite of his meal, he let out a contented sigh. But then he noticed the time and his expression turned serious.
"We'd better head back to school," he said, rising to his feet. "It wouldn't be good if they found out we were missing."
"Yeah, you're right," Oliver replied, "Let's get a move on."
They stood up, packing away their things as they prepared to head back to school. But before they could take a step, a voice spoke from behind them.
"Good evening, gentlemen," the voice said, its tone friendly but authoritative.
Robert and Oliver whipped around to face the speaker, their eyes wide with surprise. Standing before them was a tall, imposing figure, wearing a dark red robe.
"How did you...?" Oliver watched the young man with an astonished but cautious expression. The young man who seemed to be in his early thirties sized them up calmly.
Even with their heightened senses, a byproduct of their connection to the ancestor souls, the boys could not detect the man's presence. It was not some technological trickery, for they could sense the faintest electrical currents. No, this was something else entirely. Something beyond their understanding. This man's power was unlike anything they had ever experienced, and it sent a chill down their spines. It only meant one thing, the innocent looking man in a dark red robe had some sort of terrifying magic that surpassed theirs.
"Who are you?" Oliver queried cautiously.
"You don't need to know who I am," the man said, his voice calm and measured. "Let's just say I'm a wizard, and I'm here on behalf of the Black Fraggers' headquarters. And to avoid any unnecessary conflict, I need you to put your hands behind your back."
As he spoke, the man gestured with his hands, and Robert and Oliver watched in amazement as the leaves and wheat around them began to swirl and gather, and formed a long leafy rope.
"And why should we do that?" Oliver asked, taking a step forward. His first thought was that the man housed the plant ancestor soul.
"Because it's an order," the man replied calmly. "And if you don't, I'll have to resort to more drastic measures."
"And if we refuse?" Oliver blurted confidently. As he spoke, the wind began to howl around them, and snowflakes started to fall from the sky and the temperature of the area dropped.
"Young man, your power is insignificant compared to mine, so I suggest you don't waste my time," the man said, ignoring Oliver's power display. "Now put your hands behind your back, or else, like I said I'll be forced to take more drastic measures."
"I ask again, what if we don't?"
"Don't be foolish young man," The man scoffed, "You know, current wizards are ranked in the order of, common wizards, mystic wizards, legendary, formidable and lastly supreme wizards. You two are just common wizards and can barely control your spells. You only know basic and raw moves while I am a far more advanced mystic wizard. The only advantage you two have is that you have ancestor souls that enable you to turn into elementals and be able to exert the power of recently advanced mystic wizards, which in no way is impressive. I am a peak mystic wizard one step away from the legendary level, so you'd better not do something stupid, cus the consequences could be severe."
A large ice ball shot towards the man's face as he finished speaking but a gaint branch burst out of the ground and smashed the ice to bits. A proud grin appeared on his lips, his eyes burning with power.
"I repeat, do not do something stupid," He warned.
"Oliver, wait," Robert said, holding up a hand to stop him. "Let's talk this out with him."
"You're making a mistake," Oliver replied, his voice shaking with rage. "We can't just give in to this guy's demands. We have to fight back!"
"But I think it's better if we just try to talk our way out," Robert said, trying to remain calm. "Maybe we can find a way to resolve this peacefully."
Ignoring Robert's pleas for caution, Oliver raised his hand and a massive tornado burst forth from the ground, engulfing the man and throwing him high into the air. The man rose higher and higher, until he was nearly 100 meters in the air. As he reached the peak of his ascent, the tornado dissipated, leaving the man suspended in mid-air, helpless. Oliver stood below, watching as the man began to fall, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Is that all you've got?" the man yelled, his voice booming over the sound of the wind. He pointed a finger at a nearby tree, and its branches began to grow and extend, forming a sort of net that caught him in mid-air.
"Oliver, we're outmatched," Robert yelled. "We need to get out of here, now!"
"Stand aside Robert, I'm gonna teach this fool a lesson," Oliver yelled back, his voice filled with rage. A long icicle appeared in his hands, glinting in the sunlight. But before he could move, branches and roots sprouted from the ground and coiled around him, binding him firmly.
He turned into the wind and escaped the binding.
"Must be another one of your ancestor soul's passive abilities, elemental morphing, right?" the man shouted down from the tree branch, which was now more than fifty meters high.
"What's your ancestor soul's passive ability?" Oliver asked, a wry smile on his face as he spat blood onto the ground. The branches had almost constricted him when they bound him.
"I don't have an ancestor soul," the man said, his voice becoming serious. "That's why I was sent to find you two. My organization has been looking for you and your partner for a long time." He paused, then shook his head. "But I won't say any more. My master wouldn't mind if I returned you two covered in blood."
He gestured with his hands, and the tree branch shot towards Oliver like a whip. The air was filled with the sound of cracking wood, and the ground shook with the force of the spell.