"Please… please…" George kept muttering, barely conscious.
"Wake up!" A loud, high-pitched voice snapped him back to reality. He felt small hands pushing against him.
George opened his eyes. The pain in his chest and back was gone. He felt… different. Lighter. Fresh. He glanced around, then jerked back in shock.
A monkey stood next to him.
"What the…" George whispered, staring at the creature. It had brown fur but was standing upright like a human. Stranger still, it wore a tailored suit—probably worth thousands of dollars. The kind of suit George could never afford, even when he was a professional magician.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" the monkey asked, cocking its head.
George blinked. "You're a… talking monkey?"
The monkey frowned. "Is that supposed to be surprising?"
George scrambled back, still struggling to process what he was seeing. "How… How are you talking?"
"I don't know what you're babbling about! Now, tell me—how did you get here?" The monkey's voice grew sharper, more demanding.
"No, no—you tell me! Where am I? And why is there a talking monkey!?"
The monkey huffed, pacing back and forth. "This doesn't make sense. Oztanfil is gone… and now some strange guy shows up…"
George stood up, his military training kicking in despite the bizarre situation. 'Okay, talking monkey… but it doesn't seem dangerous.' He sized up the creature. "Hey, monkey—where am I?"
The monkey glared at him, clearly offended. "Do you seriously not know who I am?"
"Look, the only monkey I know is Curious George. And I don't have a clue where I am," George replied, his frustration rising.
The monkey narrowed its eyes. 'His clothes are odd…' the monkey thought. "I'm Michael. A friend of Oztanfil."
"Oztanfil?" George repeated, drawing a blank. "Never heard of him."
"You really don't know?" The monkey's eyes widened. "Oz. You've never heard of the Great Wizard of Oz?"
George paused. 'Oz… Wizard…' Memories of his father reading *The Wonderful Wizard of Oz* to him as a child flashed in his mind. "Oz? You mean, like… *the* Wizard?"
"Yes! The Great Wizard of Oz! We're in Emerald City! And there's a wizard outside the castle right now, challenging Oz to a deathmatch! If Oz loses, we're all dead!" the monkey shouted, scratching himself nervously.
George stared at him, blinking. "This is ridiculous. Monkeys… wizards… Oz… This has to be a dream."
"A dream? This is a nightmare!" the monkey screeched, pacing frantically.
"Slap me," George said suddenly.
The monkey didn't hesitate. Pah!
George winced, rubbing his cheek. 'Okay. Not a dream.'
"Holy crap… I'm in Emerald City," he muttered.
"Yeah, genius. Took you long enough," the monkey said, still shivering in fear. "Where are you from? New York or something?"
George's head snapped toward the monkey. "Actually, yeah. I am from New York."
The monkey froze. 'New York? Oztanfil came from New York…' He started connecting the dots. "Wait… you're from New York? So, you must be related to Oztanfil!"
George shook his head. "Nope. I've just heard some stories, that's all."
The monkey face-palmed and sat down on the floor, clearly panicking. "We're doomed. Lumindra's going to kill us all. I told Oz not to challenge him, and now he's run off! Oz doesn't even have real power—why challenge a wizard who does?"
George frowned. 'This sounds oddly familiar. Like Oz from the story… pretending to be a powerful wizard.' He started pacing, lost in thought.
As he walked, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in an emerald wall. His eyes widened—he didn't see the old man he'd become. He saw a 17-year-old version of himself staring back.
"What the hell…" George whispered, touching his face in disbelief.
*BOOM!*
The ground shook beneath his feet.
"What was that?!" George shouted.
"It's Lumindra! He's probably furious that Oz hasn't shown up yet," the monkey squealed.
"Lumindra? The wizard you were talking about?"
"Yeah! He's the one challenging Oz. If Oz doesn't fight him soon, Lumindra's going to destroy the entire city!" The monkey was pacing even faster now, biting his fingernails in terror.
George's eyes fell on the ruby ring he was wearing—the one Lyle had given him. The monkey's eyes followed his gaze. "Wait a minute… that ring…"
George raised his hand. "What about it?"
"That's the Persona Ring! I thought only Oz had that!"
George took a step back, confused. "What are you talking about?"
The ground shook again, and in the distance, guards fired arrows at the approaching wizard, trying in vain to stop him. Lumindra's magic deflected the projectiles like they were nothing, and the walls protecting the throne room began to crack.
Lumindra floated toward the throne room door, forcing it open with telekinesis. As he entered, he found Oz sitting on the throne.
"You!" Lumindra sneered. "Why are you in your physical form? Have you run out of ethereal energy?"
Oz didn't respond. He just stared at Lumindra from the throne.
"Am I talking to myself?" Lumindra demanded.
Oz raised a hand, causing Lumindra to take a cautious step back. The legends said a mere flick of Oz's finger could kill any opponent. But instead, Oz wiped the sweat off his forehead.
'Where the hell is the monkey?' George thought, sitting on the throne, pretending to be Oz.
The monkey had convinced him to wear the ring, which somehow allowed him to take on the appearance of Oz. Now, he was stuck in this ridiculous charade, praying it wouldn't get him killed.
"If you won't speak, then I'll attack first," Lumindra growled, stepping forward.
George stood, using every ounce of his acting experience to channel authority. He extended his right arm toward the window, and suddenly, pigeons appeared out of nowhere, flying outside.
Lumindra's eyes flicked toward the pigeons, confused. "You're showing me teleportation tricks?" he scoffed.
But when Lumindra turned back to the throne, Oz—or rather, George—was gone.
"What?" Lumindra scanned the room, trying to detect any magic. But there was nothing. No mana. No energy. Nothing.
"Looking for me?" George's voice echoed from behind him.
Lumindra whipped around, eyes wide with fear. **No mana? How is that possible?** He had heard legends—if a wizard could eliminate the need for mana, they would reach the true pinnacle of magic: godhood.
"How…" Lumindra stammered, taking careful steps back.
George straightened up, holding his ground. "I'll give you one more chance. If you challenge me again, I will kill you."
Lumindra's voice trembled. "But you're the one who challenged me…"
"Are you questioning me?" George's voice boomed.
"No! No!" Lumindra shook his head furiously. "I'll leave! I'll leave!" He quickly floated off the ground and flew out of the throne room.
George held his stance until the wizard was out of sight. Then, he collapsed to his knees, shaking. "I'm alive… I'm alive…"
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