Warlock Ch 21. Haven City's Gate
Damian's eyes widened as he took it all in. The city felt more real now, the energy buzzing like a live wire. People—or, rather, supernatural beings—moved about in groups, laughing, talking, going about their business. What struck him most was how… normal it all looked. They were all wearing modern clothes—jeans, jackets, sneakers—nothing like the medieval robes or cloaks he had imagined when Evelyn first mentioned the Magic City.
But despite the familiar fashion, they still looked different. There was a man across the street with pointed ears and skin that shimmered like the surface of a lake. His features were sharp, too perfect to be human—Damian guessed he was some kind of fae.
Nearby, a woman with pale skin and crimson lips was walking with a slow, elegant movement. She used an umbrella. Her eyes were a deep red that made it clear she wasn't human either. A vampire, probably.
Damian's gaze drifted further down the street, and he blinked in disbelief. A man was standing near a market stall, casually chatting with the vendor, but protruding from the back of his jeans was a wolf tail, lazily swaying from side to side.
'A werewolf?' Damian guessed, though the sight of it still threw him.
Nothing about this place felt like what he had imagined. And then there were the creatures. Damian looked up, his mouth dropping open slightly. Instead of cars zipping by in the streets, he saw people flying overhead. But they weren't sitting on brooms like in some old witch movie—they were seated on staffs, hovering above the ground.
"Okay, this is… a lot," Damian muttered, still trying to process what he was seeing.
Evelyn glanced at him, an amused smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Yeah, I figured you'd say that."
"Everyone looks so... normal," Damian said, his voice edged with disbelief. "But they're not. I mean, they're obviously not human, but they're walking around like this is just another day for them."
Evelyn chuckled softly. "That's because it is. This is their normal."
Damian shook his head. "I don't know what I expected. Like, I knew this place existed, but... seeing it like this? It's not what I imagined."
"What did you expect?" Evelyn asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know," Damian said, gesturing vaguely at the bustling street. "I thought it'd be more... I don't know, medieval? Witches in robes, werewolves in leather armor or something. And maybe more brooms?"
Evelyn laughed. "We've evolved past the point of wearing robes and flying around on brooms. Magic isn't stuck in the Middle Ages, Damian. It grows and changes, just like everything else."
"Yeah, but... that guy has a wolf tail sticking out of his jeans," Damian pointed out, his voice rising slightly as he gestured to the werewolf across the street. "How is that normal?"
Evelyn smiled, glancing at the man. "That's Garth. He doesn't bother hiding it unless he's going into the human part of the city. Here, nobody cares."
Damian blinked, trying to wrap his head around it. "So, all these people—or, I guess, creatures—just walk around like this? Like, there's no problem with vampires and werewolves and fae all mingling together?"
Evelyn's smile faded a bit, and she glanced at Damian, her expression turning more serious. "It's not as simple as it looks. Sure, everyone's going about their day, but there are still tensions. The factions keep things in check, but there's always an undercurrent of competition. Power struggles, rivalries. Just because they coexist doesn't mean they get along."
Damian looked around again, his gaze lingering on the fae with the shimmering skin, then the vampire, then the werewolf. "So, it's like... what? Some kind of cold war between all these groups?"
Evelyn nodded slightly. "That's a good way to think about it. The factions have agreements in place to avoid outright war, but that doesn't mean there isn't conflict. It's more subtle—political, magical. Sometimes, it's about control. Other times, it's about survival."
"And now I'm a part of that."
"You've always been a part of it," Evelyn said gently. "You just didn't know it until now."
Damian stared at her, then back at the street. "I guess I didn't expect it to look so... normal." He paused, glancing back at the creatures flying overhead. "Well, except for the people flying around on staff. "
Evelyn laughed again, shaking her head. "Yeah, that one's a bit harder to explain. But you'll get used to it. This City isn't as chaotic as it seems once you understand the flow of things."
Damian raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure 'getting used to it' is as easy as you make it sound. I've spent my whole life thinking I was just a normal guy, and now I'm supposed to be okay with werewolves shopping for groceries and fae casually walking down the street like it's nothing."
Evelyn's expression softened, and she glanced at him, her tone becoming more serious. "I get it, Damian. It's overwhelming. Trust me, when I first came into this world, I felt the same way. It takes time to adjust."
Damian nodded slowly, processing her words. "So, all this—" he gestured around them at the bustling streets, the magical creatures walking past, "—is just the tip of the iceberg?"
Evelyn's eyes darkened slightly, a flicker of something unspoken in her gaze. "Yeah. There's a lot more to this world than you've seen so far. The factions, the politics, the magic... it's deeper than you can imagine."
"I guess there's no turning back, huh?" he said quietly, more to himself than to Evelyn.
"No," she replied softly. "But you're not alone in this. I'm here to help you, and so will others once you meet them. You just have to trust the process."
Damian gave her a sideways glance. "You keep asking me to trust you. It's not that easy, you know."
Evelyn smiled gently, her eyes softening. "I know. And I'm not asking you to blindly trust me. But trust that I want to help. Trust that you have a purpose in this world, even if you don't see it yet."
They walked in silence for a moment. Damian's mind raced with questions, but he knew pushing for answers right now wasn't going to solve anything. He needed time to process, to figure out where he stood in all of this.
They rounded the corner. Damian noticed something different. The street ahead shimmered slightly, a faint line dividing it from the rest of the city. He stopped, his heart picking up speed as he realized what it was.
Evelyn paused beside him, her gaze following his. "That's the gate," she said quietly. "The border between the Magic City and the normal part of Haven City."