Isaac sat in the car's front seat, gazing outside of its window. His expression was not one of apathy, but determination. He glanced at the driver's seat, where his father, Jack Prozac, drove. Jack's white hair was neatly combed, and slightly shorter than Isaac's. It did not have the faint tint of blue which Isaac's had.
"May I juul in here, father?" Isaac asked. Jack watched the vacant road with anticipation.
"Very well." Jack permitted. Isaac reached into the glove box and took a drag of a juul, rolling down the window to blow out the vape.
"Funny, they'll outlaw mango pods before they outlaw arson." Isaac complained, lamenting the bitterness of the juul.
"That reminds me. Did you happen upon any answers regarding The Arsonist?" Jack asked.
"Nothing conclusive." Isaac shook his head. He took another drag, but Jack snatched it from his hand.
"You're gonna ruin your lungs, you know, you're only 15." Jack warned.
"If you say so." Isaac looked to the window once more. He knew that he would be transcending those normal human boundaries which damage the lungs through mere juul soon enough. Isaac's training in Witchcraft with Lucerose Serpentime was to commence within a few days of his release from juvie. Of course, Lucerose was vague in his explanation, as he was with most things, but Isaac had learned to accept that his promises would be fulfilled one way or another. His very freedom was a testament to that.
"So, Isaac, you're supposed to return to school tomorrow." Jack sighed. "I'd like you to do me a favor, please." Isaac saw a pensive glare in his father's eyes. "Lay low. Please." Jack pleaded.
"Lay… low?" Isaac asked, looking as though he had seen a ghost.
"I admire your sense of justice, I really do. But The Arsonist's identity, it's too big a fish for you to chew on."
"And just what is that supposed to mean!?" Isaac dug his nails into the car's armrest.
"Don't play dumb with me. You're just one person, a child no less. This arsonist, you have no idea what kind of power they've got. You're talking about war with much of this city's underground, Isaac. That's not a war you can win with determination and wits alone." Jack warned. Isaac looked at his faint reflection in the car's window.
"You're right. I would need more than just those things. One could even say I would require…" Isaac gazed into his own eyes as he paused. "Power."
Isaac's off white denim jacket followed him like a cape as he walked into his school. He reached into the pocket of his black skinny jeans and revealed his juul. Isaac's eyes wandered around the halls as he walked towards his first period class. He noticed a student walk into the bathroom with a plastic bag of purple crystals in hand. Isaac blew out a puff of smoke. Isaac snuck over to the bathroom and peeked inside. Four kids were gathered near the bathroom sink, huddled around this bag. Isaac gazed curiously as money was exchanged between the four, and he got a good look at the purple crystal. They began to crush the crystal, but one of the kids locked eye contact with him. Isaac quickly closed the door and looked at the hallway. He saw countless students walking in a vast ocean of motion. The bathroom door sprung open.
"The fuck do you think you're looking at!?" Isaac quickly ran back, attempting to run off, but he was grabbed by the collar. Some punk looking person about a year older than Isaac with a crazed expression glared into Isaac. Just as Isaac was about to fight him off, his attacker was punched square in the face by someone else. The senior football quarterback, Zachria Pyre, threw the man down. Isaac knew this was him as evidence of his trademark, crimson red and spiked hair.
"Hey just what do you think you're doing!?" Zachria berated the punk and ripped the purple drug from his hand. Zachria took a moment to analyze the strange drug before throwing the punk down. Looking up fearfully at the towering man, the punk scurried off. Zachria shook his head and looked back at Isaac.
"Sorry about that. Sons of bitches can't control themselves." Zachria helped Isaac back on his feet.
"Thanks for the help, Pyre." Isaac, despite being tall for his age, was forced to look up at the 6'5 behemoth.
"Ah, don't mention it." Zachria shrugged. "Stay safe now." Zachria patted Isaac on the back and walked away. Isaac shook his head dismissively once he had become just one of countless footsteps in a vast storm of walking.
"So a new drug's caught on since I left, interesting." Isaac thought to himself, cooling his nerves with a hit of his juul. Isaac put his vape away when he noticed the classroom's door, then walked in. As Isaac approached his desk, he let his eyes wander around the classroom, regaining his familiarity with the place. Just before he was able to sit down, he noticed a differently familiar presence in the desk right beside his own. Lucerose, clad in that same pink coat, eyed him closely. Isaac was surprised for a second but his composure was quickly restored. He sat down and turned his attention to Lucerose.
"Well well well, I'm starting to see you everywhere now." Isaac mouthed off.
"Why of course. You are my protege after all."
"So you've decided to enroll here. I'll take it, you've also conveniently ended up in all my other classes?"
"Well now, with a deduction like that, I'm sure you'll find this arsonist in no time." Lucerose complimented.
"But I'll need something more than that, you know." Isaac appeared impatient.
"You're certainly an eager one. But don't worry that little head of yours. I'll make you a full fledged witch in no time." Lucerose assured. Isaac sighed.
"I suppose I can't afford to be impatient. Still, I want answers by at least the end of the school day."
"Deal." Lucerose agreed. The elder-millennial English teacher, Mr. Davidore, glared at the two of them.
"Hey I know you're used to being in jail and all but we're in a place called the real world now, so I'd advise that you focus." Davidore singled Isaac out. Isaac sighed and did his best to put his attention away from Lucerose and the world of witches.
"That bastard wants to be in a marvel movie so fucking bad." Isaac thought to himself, twitching his fingers ever so slightly.
As much as Isaac tried to focus on school, it was impossible. It was as though Isaac was in a room filled to the brim with elephants, all the while unable to acknowledge them. In Isaac's mind, Lucerose clearly knew of this too. He always had a look of detachment and amusement of Isaac's predicament. When the classes were done, however, Isaac was confident he would reach some sort of conclusion. Isaac followed Lucerose through the school hallway at the end of the day. As they walked, some guys in letterman jackets ran past Isaac, horsing around in the hallway.
"Seems that some things never change, do they?" Isaac thought as he looked back at them. He noticed one of the football players being Zachria, his hair being instantly identifiable. He turned back to look at Isaac, glaring with similarly red eyes. His eyes moved past Isaac, seeming to glance at Lucerose. Isaac and the football player were both fairly far away from one another, and their eye contact was swiftly broken by the miasma of students passing through the hallway. Lucerose walked over to Isaac.
"My my, it's much more crowded here than I'd expected. No matter." He commented, his wand materializing into his hand. With Lucerose's other hand, he grabbed Isaac by the jacket sleeve. "Slithering Rend." he whispered. The tip of the want shone a bright pink and the two vanished. Isaac fell onto one of the school's roofs, Lucerose standing beside him confidently. "Ah, finally, some place quiet to train." Lucerose stated, satisfied. Isaac stood up and looked around. Isaac watched the hustle and bustle of students leaving school from his position.
"You don't think anyone's gonna be suspicious of two guys rabbling around on a rooftop?" Isaac asked.
"Who said anything about being seen? Well, commander Nask?" Lucerose asked, projecting his voice rather loudly. He looked towards the door which would lead from the door into the school building. A figure dressed in a white coat, plague doctor mask appeared standing beside the door. Isaac recognized them from their presence in the aftermath of his fight against Misodre, seemingly leading the Stealth Force. They tipped the brim of their gray fedora.
"You know, you shouldn't just announce my name so casually." Nask complained in their monotone voice. Nask walked over to Lucerose and Isaac, revealing a black wand in their hand. The wand was sleek and smooth, almost as if it were a staff built entirely out of shadow. A light blue glow began to shine from their wand, which was hard to see against the blue sky. "Moonlight Sunshine." Nask whispered. They quickly shot two beams of light from the wand at Lucerose and Isaac. Isaac blocked the light with his hand, but realized that seemingly nothing had changed.
"What the- what the hell's going on?" Isaac asked.
"Moonlight Sunshine, that is the spell I've just cast. It allows me to completely conceal the presence of whatever I cast it on. Right now, nobody should be able to perceive us at all." Nask explained, their tone not shifting in the slightest.
"God I could just listen to you read the phone book." Lucerose jested.
"Quiet, don't make this take longer than it needs to. I still have to ensure surveillance of Misodre after all, and I'd want to be there in the event that they somehow try to challenge the Stealth Force." Nask quietly scolded.
"Hang on one second, I was able to beat Misodre after just having barely learned magic, you're telling me these members of the Stealth Force aren't capable of-" Isaac cut himself off when he noticed Nask had completely vanished. He felt the tip of Nask's wand touch his neck.
"Don't flatter yourself, child. I could kill you in an instant." Nask threatened. "And so could Misodre. I was given full details of your fight, your victory was nothing more than a stroke of luck, in addition to Misodre's own arrogance getting the better of them. Misodre and The Arsonist especially, are undoubtedly leagues above you in power. You have a very long way to go." Nask pushed Isaac to the side.
"Which is why you have us, two masters in the art of Witchcraft here to level you from a toddler who just learned to crawl into a seasoned track and field star in just…" Lucerose enthusiastically began before pausing. "How does a week sound?" he proposed, holding up a single finger .
"Just one week?" Isaac asked, confused. Nask too seemed rather puzzled.
"Well, I suppose I'll just have to see how much potential you see in this newcomer firsthand." Nask shrugged, stepping aside.
"You're right. Let's not stall anymore with this pointless bickering." Lucerose declared. A powerful, colorless aura suddenly radiated from his body, pushing Isaac back ever so slightly. Lucerose vanished from sight and appeared at Isaac's side. Before he could react, Isaac was punched directly in the kidney. Lucerose threw punch after punch at Isaac, each just barely dodged or blocked. "What's wrong, Isaac? You were so proactive before, so adamant! Where's that fiery passion I saw when you were imprisoned!?" Lucerose berated, continuing to assault Isaac. Lucerose hit Isaac with a left hook. "Tell me, tell me your fiery passion for justice and ignite it once more!" Lucerose commanded. He threw a powerful right hook straight into Isaac's face. Isaac stood his ground as the fist dug into his face.
"Justice." Isaac turned his head and glared into Lucerose's eyes. A similar aura raged from Isaac's body. Isaac grabbed Lucerose's wrist and pushed it away. "You wish to test my commitment to Justice. Is that it!?" Isaac's aura raged with incredible power, pushing Lucerose away. Nask watched as Isaac's power skyrocketed, still unshaken and stoic. Isaac punched Lucerose straight in the gut, causing him to cough up blood. As the blood was spat from his mouth, Lucerose smiled proudly.
"Incredible, how very incredible!" Lucerose exclaimed, being punched once more by Isaac. This punch knocked Lucerose back quite a bit. As Isaac chased after him, Lucerose grabbed his wand. "Alright, fun's over." Lucerose declared. Isaac threw one more punch at Lucerose's face. "Slithering Rend." he whispered. Just before the punch could connect, a portal blocked Isaac's punch. Isaac coughed up blood himself as his own fist dug into his chest, redirected by the portal. Isaac stumbled back as he recoiled from the sharp pain in his diaphragm.
"You- you bastard!" Isaac shouted. His anger suddenly turned to confusion as he felt the wave of incredible power moving through his body. Isaac looked down at his hands, watching the aura radiate like a raging flame. It felt astoundingly similar to the feeling of power he had in the fight against Misodre.
"That aura…" Nask watched Isaac's power closely and analytically. "So, this is what you saw in him." They turned to Lucerose.
"Hey just what the hell are you talking about over there?" Isaac pointed at Nask. Lucerose approached Isaac, putting his wand away.
"The foundation of all Witchcraft, you see, is Sin Energy." Lucerose explained, making sure to get a good look at Isaac's aura. "Intense emotions, extreme desires, goals which one would do anything to achieve, these things generate Sin Energy, you see. This power which you feel surging through you right now, is all thanks to your unbreakable commitment to your ideology." Lucerose continued, poking Isaac in the chest.
"I see… so it's our dreams which drive our power." Isaac reasoned, taking a second to really appreciate his aura. "But… Sin Energy?" Isaac questioned. Nask walked to the edge of the building.
"Yes. The things which would drive us to commit the gravest sins against our fellow man are what powers Sin Energy. Do as thou will, that is the one doctrine by which all of us abide." They explained as they gazed at the football players practicing from afar. They watched as the crimson haired quarterback, whose jersey read "Pyre" scored a touchdown in the practice. "As such, Sin Energy is the deepest manifestation of who we are as people, and if we're to be moving as quickly as Lucerose says, that should bring us to developing your very own ability, a unique Ego Spell." Nask turned to face Isaac, and Isaac nodded curiously.
"Ego Spell… I take it that it would be things like Misodre's Double Face or Lucerose's Slithering Rend?" Isaac watched as Nask silently nodded. "I suppose I need to get on developing one of my own then-"
"Hang on, we aren't moving that fast now." Lucerose interrupted. "Making your own Ego Spell is the end goal here, you still need to get to controlling your Sin Energy properly."
"Indeed. And on that note, our work here is done." Nask said, walking away from Isaac.
"Hang on, that's it? I'm still completely new to this, don't you have more to teach me!?" Isaac frustratedly asked.
"Did you not listen to a word any of us said? Sin Energy comes from the heart. The only one who can truly understand how to manipulate it is yourself." Nask pushed back in a berating tone. They pointed their wand at Lucerose and Isaac. "Moonlight Sunshine, deactivate." Nask chanted. A light green flash illuminated from the wand and Nask disappeared from sight. Isaac sat down on the roof and started to breathe quite heavily.
"Why do I feel so worn out all of a sudden?" Isaac asked. Lucerose looked down at him. He noticed the flow of Isaac's aura suddenly stop.
"Exactly what I said, you lack control over your Sin Energy." Lucerose explained. "You need to control the emotions which power your Sin Energy, and subjugate them." Lucerose's aura suddenly flared up with intensity, bursting off his body like lightning. It then slowed down to a slow crackle around him, then disappeared entirely. "You recall that book I gave you, right?" Lucerose asked. A look of realization passed Isaac's face.
"Oh yeah, that spellbook. I didn't look at it all that closely while I was in juvie, you know, just didn't want to risk anything happening." Isaac said, somewhat ashamed of himself.
"Check that out while you rest up. Call me if you have any questions or need some place quiet to train." Lucerose started to walk away.
"Hey wait a second." Isaac interrupted. "I… kind of forgot to get a ride home today, and I can't drive… so…" Isaac seemed rather embarrassed. Lucerose sighed.
"Well, I truly detest driving in LA, but, if it's for my dear apprentice I suppose I can manage it." He reached to grab Isaac's hand and helped him get up. A pink flash shone from the wand and the two disappeared.
Isaac walked into his apartment, seeing his father doing some work on his laptop in the living room. Jack looked back to see him.
"How was your first day back, son?" he asked. Isaac realized that he had barely retained anything besides what he had learned about Witchcraft.
"Oh, um, good, I was able to catch up pretty well." Isaac said, his words leaving his mouth with speed.
"Well that's good." Jack said. The two were quiet for just a bit.
"Well I need to uh, study some things. You know, catching up and all that." Isaac walked away to his room. Jack walked over to the window and looked down at the parking lot, which seemed miniscule from such a great height. He watched a black Mercedes leave the lot with some suspicion. Lucerose drove the car with a smirk on his face, taking a puff of his strawberry vape.
"In this life, I suppose it's predictable...." Jack started to think to himself as Lucerose drove away.
Isaac sat in his room, carefully mulling over the details of the spellbook. "...that we all will keep secrets from one another" Jack continued to think. Lucerose drove to a back alley near his and Isaac's school where a few men dressed in black cloaks waited. He reached into his pink coat's pocket and revealed a few ziploc bags of a purple, crystalline substance. He exchanged the bags for a few hundred dollar bills. Lucerose felt the bills in his hand and smirked as he approached his car.
The football player named Zachria Pyre stepped off the field and removed his helmet. He approached a street and waited for a bit. A car pulled up to him and he sat in the backseat. Zachria took out an antique lighter and lit a cigarette. The car drove him deep into the city as Zachria eyed the surroundings.
"Stop." Zachria suddenly commanded, ashing his cigarette. He stepped out of the car and grabbed a black cloak and a gas mask. He put the cloak and mask on and watched the car as it sped off. Zachria revealed his lighter once more and ignited it. "Jack of all Flames." He chanted. A pillar of fire exploded from the lighter, illuminating the street in the dark of night. The fire bended at the command of his hand motions as he carefully manipulated it. Zachria shaped the fire into an arrow shape and aimed towards a building which towered in the distance. The fire shot out at a tremendous speed, and crashed into the structure. Zachria felt a sudden spring of power bursting through his veins as he gazed at the blazing building. Another car drove up to him, sleek and black. Zachria stepped into the back as he fled the scene.