Chapter V
While
I'd always been average in just about anything, my direction sense
was one of the exceptions. I'd always been able to find my way, I
knew where the cardinal points were at all time. And I could remember
any path I'd seen. In another life I would have been a great
explorer. In this one, I instead my karma made me become a cubicle
farm worker and a couch potato.
I
got to the place quickly, I knew the corners of downtown pretty well
and took short cuts in alleys and parking buildings. I reached a
towering building, a deluxe apartment complex by the look of it.
The
guard at the both didn't seem to notice me. A good thing considering
my attire. I looked like a hobo...
Apartment
81. Which as I found out, was the top floor. It was actually the
penthouse...
As
the elevator opened, I knocked on the metal door, which looked out of
place with the regal corridor deco. It looked like a bunker's door...
Actually, thinking about it, It probably was.
I
waited a minute before knocking again, right on time as a woman
opened the door...
In
front of me, stood what I presumed was a woman, her short hair,
gender neutral clothes and demeanor made her androgynous. Her small
breast were the only thing giving her gender away.
That's
what I noticed at first. It took me a second to register a few pieces
of information...
One,
she was armed, pointing the biggest handgun ever in my direction.
Two,
her eyes were luminescent aquamarine. And I mean literally
luminescent.
Third,
her skin was teal colored...
I
didn't think before acting and tackled her to the ground, as I did,
she fired a shot from her handgun, which was the size of a small
violin... When she pulled the trigger, a thunderous boom filled the
corridor and my ears went deaf for a full minute, the gun screamed
like a raging god of death and destruction. The bullet thankfully
missed me by about a tenth of an inch.
We
wrestled the gun from each other’s control and tried to pin the
other down. She was obviously a better fighter than I, but with her
being a few inches over five feat and me only a hair below 6 with
broad shoulder, gravity was definitely on my side.
Kicks
and punches were thrown, mostly with me on the receiving end. It
lasted for a full minute of brawling, screaming and until a weak
voice cut us both.
Leaning
against the wall, was Camilla. Wearing nothing but pink jammies. She
looked like hell, with her hair a mess and sunken eyes.
"Will
you two just stop?" she said in a tired voice
The
teal lady, nimbly swept away from me declaring "That guy just
assaulted me!"
"Assaulted?
You pointed a BFG at my face!" I yelled out. Well sort of.
There's a lot of insulting and sexist terms I removed from this bit
for tastefulness’ sake.
The
raven haired lady sighed and helped me back up. "Look, just
forget about this. Both of you." She nodded at the other girl
and said "Ezekiel, this is Nova." And then "Nova, meet
Zeke. "That… thing
is Nova?" I said in disbelief, staring at the blue-green woman
next to me.
Camilla
nodded and turned to Nova "Can you leave us for a while? I'll
take care of him." Without a word, she left. Disappearing
swiftly behind a door into one of the side rooms.
"What
is she?" I asked in a low tone.
"Human."
She replied in a firm voice and commanding voice.
"Humans
aren't that color with cat like glowing eyes!"
Camilla
just let out a sigh of pure irritation and dragged me forcefully to
the living room, sending me crashing onto the couch. As she sat down,
legs crossed she explained a few things to me.
"Look.
I know it's hard to take, but she's just like you and I. I didn't
want you to see it right away, it often scared novices. But there's
a law to magic. Everything you do come back to you. As you change the
world, you change yourself. Nova's special appearance comes from
that."
"So
we all become... Like that?" I said, stopping myself from saying
monster at the last second.
"Yes
and No. It takes along time for the effect to kick in. And It only
does as your own powers progresses. For a full transformation, one
must be an arch mage's level of power."
"Full
transformation? Are there partial ones?"
"Yes.
Eyes, are the window of the soul, it changes rather quickly, within a
few years of reaching a noteworthy magical strength.
Zeke?"
"Eh...Yes?"
"It'll
seem weird, but stare into my eyes, don't look away"
I
did as she said not sure where she was going.
"Look
into the eyes, not at the reflection or the eye itself, see yourself
passing thru it. Send your sense all over the place."
I
tried. It didn't do anything. But I'm nothing if not stubborn so I
continued. On my fifth try, it happened. My eyes burned as if I'd
been in a dark room, and someone turned the light, clashing musical
notes assaulted my ears, indescribably feelings crossed my body. And
finally, I looked back at her.
Gone
were the sunken eyes and pyjamas, instead I saw her in tight studded
leather, a cloak around her shoulder, glowing symbols running across
her skin A long golden, ruby tipped staff in hand. But more
importantly were the eyes. I saw them, uniform black except where the
iris should have been, instead, pure white flames danced across her
eyes. I felt a silent pressure upon me, a need to cower down from the
sheer aura of power she radiated. She wasn't just any chick. She was
something more. And she shone by the light of her determination...
A
moment latter, someone grabbed me by the arm, and shook me strongly.
I blinked several times and looked at my left. Camilla was there, her
spiritual image super imposed upon her current look.
"You
need to close it Zeke!" She said nervously.
I
gazed at her distantly, as more images came to mind, like ghosts from
the past haunting the room and coming rushing toward me.
"Picture
a mirror in your mind, slowly, get thru it, leave the reflection
behind. Separate yourself from the world beyond. Focus on what lies
on this side. The mundane, the physical world.
I
tried as she instructed me. But the me from the reflection grabbed my
arm, pulling me in. Dragging me back to his world...
Oh
crap...
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