Tales of magic: grimoire of transmogrification
Chapter 27
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Arc 2 - "The hunter and the beast"
Chapter 11- "Saved by the fire."
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The bloodstained forest suddenly sprung to life.
The tortured souls of the innocent cried out in joy. Their oppressors shall soon be vanquished.
The evil flame that rose up from grounds of the forest became the instrument of their salvation....As well as their annihilation. They are not dismayed though. Many of them have been in bondage for so long, that death felt like a blessing to them. Sure enough, in death they might find freedom..and peace.
~ Anon.
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????
Pitch black darkness. That was all Jordan could see. For some reason, his eyes were shut tight. And he couldn't open them up no matter how hard he tried.
And he really tried.
However, all of a sudden, his eyes opened up. He felt as though they had had a mind of their own. But at least, he finally saw something other than black.
'A person?'
The room wasn't well-lit. Only a dim light coming from a small partially closed window was reaching the room. Jordan would have made a move to open the window. He was unable to move.
He was just standing still, staring straight ahead as the silhouette of a person steadily walked towards him. When the figure reached the illuminated area of the room, Jordan finally got a glimpse of who it was.
"Veronica?"
The lady appeared crestfallen. She stared right at Quill with a disappointing glare.
"Veronica.."
Veronica continued to pace towards Jordan until she stopped right in front of him. Then she did the unexpected. She slapped him across the face.
The moment her hand met his cheek, he felt a strange sensation all over his body. It was very uncomfortable, but it wasn't pain.
'What is going on?' He closed his eyes instinctively. When he opened them, he found himself in a bright area. So bright that he blinked several times to get used to it. A familiar looking girl scowled at him, and then walked away.
"Why do you look so surprised? You got exactly what you deserved, Jordan." A familiar voice commented from his side.
"Lancaster?"
But it didn't look like the Lancaster he knew now. 'Lancaster' was a bit shorter than usual. And he didn't have his earrings anymore.
'What's going on?' Jordan questioned in his head. He didn't get an answer.
'Journal, I don't know what's happening? I can't even use Inscribe right now. That probably means I'm not a Mage. Then what am I? Me from four years ago? Did I go back in time, or is this some kind of dream?'
'More importantly, what did I do to make Veronica so angry at me?'
Jordan mulled it over in his head, before concluding that the best way to get answers was to ask questions.
"What did I do to her?"
"What? You're acting stupid. You must be really embarrassed..." Jordan just stared at him. He continued.
"You kissed her."
'What?!! I kissed Veronica! How did that happen?'
"You seem to be in shock. Are you okay?" Lancaster asked.
"Yeah. Yeah. I am."
"Then let's go."
'Wait a moment. Am I really dreaming, or is this reality? Maybe my entire life after this point was a dream? What a wierd thing to think...but this doesn't feel like a dream. It really doesn't.'
Jordan pinched himself. It hurt.
'Damn. It really isn't a dream.'
Jordan and Lancaster trekked across town before finally finding themselves in their destination- The Middlesworth bakery. Jordan had interrogated Lancaster about what date it was and he had discovered that it was exactly four years ago. He was 13, and Lancaster was 20. On their way, He had made sure to get a good look at the town. It was Weidson. Just a bit different. For one, the barber on the 13th of Dale's street wasn't there. Instead, there was a pawn shop. Also, there weren't as many phonebooths as there were in 1886..
'It really is 1881.'
They walked to the door and Lancaster kicked it open. As usual, there were a throng of people, trying to have a slice of Lloyd's bread.. Business was booming, exactly how Jordan remembered it.
They had to push their way through the crowd of hungry customers inorder to get to the counter. On the other side was Risa who had her hands full trying to attend to the customers. She still managed to wave back at them with a smile, when Lancaster did the same to her.
'The bakery hasn't been renovated yet. It's still as small as it was when it was first built.'
Jordan pinched himself again. It still hurt.
Lancaster jumped over the counter, and Jordan followed. The door on the other side was opened from the inside. Lloyd Middlesworth wore his warm smile again. Lancaster greeted him, but Jordan stood still, as though his feet were stuck to the ground.
He saw it coming. He knew he would see her.
He still cried.
'Lisa..'
Lisa was standing there, right next to Lloyd. She was smaller than he'd remembered, but it was her. She was alive.
"Jordan, what's wrong?" Lancaster asked. It was more than a bit jarring to see him sound so caring and empathetic. The sentence just made him break down even more.
"Got something in your eye? You're a bit too old to burst into tears like that. Get to work!"
'Lisa is alive... Lancaster isn't a piece of shit..I kissed Veronica..and the bakery is much smaller.'
'What happened! Why do I feel so... bad? Why? What's wrong with me? I should be happy, right? I get to see Lisa again.'
Lisa walked towards him and kicked him in the foot. Then she marched off with a grin.
"Jordan."
"My foot."
"Jordan?"
"My foot hurts...It f*cking hurts. It hurts so bad."
Jordan took a beeline for the door. He bumped into Lloyd, but continued to run until his head slammed against his door. Ignoring the pain, he grabbed the handle an yanked the door open, threw himself inside and closed the door shut.
'She's dead. There's no way any of this is real. It couldn't be. I never kissed Veronica. No wait, I kinda remember something like that. But still. This isn't real. It's some kind of stange dream. Yeah. I'm dreaming.'
'Journal. I can't talk to you now. But if I could, I know exactly what I would have said. I don't understand what's going on with me. I'm supposed to be happy, right? Why is it, that seeing Lisa alive and well brings nothing but tears to my eyes. Not tears of joy really.'
It's because, it finally feels real.
'What? Who the heck are you?'
Doesn't matter. Stop thinking about me. Think about you. You're also forgetting something.
'What am I forgetting? And who are you?'
There was no reply.
He smashed his hand against the wall. He had managed to accidentally prick his skin on a sharp nail sticking out of the wooden wall. It was another thing he remembered from back then.
Jordan's hand bled into his desk. His old journal was still lying there. He moved to pick it up, but stopped before reaching it.
'It'll be exactly the same. Just like it was back then. Another thing I remember.'
The boy turned to his right, seeing a mirror. His reflection was short, with long blonde hair that was well combed but not braided or styled in any way. His head was shaped differently. He wore a plain white shirt and black shorts.
He touched his hair, then collapsed into his bed, lying on his back. He stared at the ceiling with a dejected expression.
The war of the Mages. Hunter. Lancaster. None of that existed where he was now.
'I have to go back. I have to get back to the fight.'
You're sad, aren't you?
"Who are you?"
I've seen enough. I need to hear it from you, though. Do you really want to go back?
"This world isn't real, right? I want to go back to reality."
What if I tell you that the word 'real' can be relative. You could stay here, and live in peace and harmony with your family. You could get another chance. Lisa wouldn't die this time. You might even get to pursue a relationship with Veronica. She isn't dead either, you know.
'Veronica is..'
You forgot. You forgot that she got shot by Hunter. She's probably dead now. And you know it was your fault. Almost the same thing happened to Lisa. I believe it was also your fault.
'It wasn't!'
But it was. You believe it was. You try to escape the guilt, you try to push the blame onto other people. But you know deep inside you could have changed something. Now you have the chance, Jordan.
"It isn't real! It's not! I...I want to get back to the fight. I won't stand to live with cheap imitations of my family and friends. For one, My dad and mom are still alive and waiting for me. I'm going back to them, when I'm done with this. Now f*cking get me out of this!"
You really do, huh? What if this was the last time you got to see them, Jordan? If I let you out, you will die. You know the odds are stacked against you. You know how impossible it is. Just give up, and rest. You know you want to.
"Just shut up, and get me out of here!"
Fine. You want reality? You want the truth? You'll get it.
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1st of May, 1886.
Screaming Woods.
Pridon.
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Jordan opened his eyes again, but regretted it the moment he did. His eyes burnt. But it wasn't only his eyes. It was his entire body.
'It hurts..'
The heat was unbearable, and he could barely see anything. But that wasn't the worst. No, it was the smoke. It was too much.
Something grabbed hold of him, and dragged him across against his will. He tried to fight back, but he failed.
Soon enough, Jordan realised exactly what was so hot. He trembled when he did.
It was fire.
His body was dragged out of the flames and into the air above. There was no doubt in his heart that that was magic.
Finally out the fire, Jordan breathed in fresh air. His clothes were burnt, and his skin and flesh was charred. But he was alive, and feeling the wind around him. He was also flying again. He would never forget the feeling, no matter how uncomfortable it was right now.
Tears found their way out of his eyes.
"Jordan, wake up! Use body replacement and heal yourself. We almost died. Nod your head if you can hear me."
'It's Lancaster. He's behaving like a dick again. Good. I'm back.'
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