Homecoming

Cole raised his hand and tried to mimic the gesture that Gray made in the air. Nothing happened. "Why can't I do what you did? What am I doing wrong?"

Gray's voice sounded the same, coming from the place he was standing when he became invisible. "I am unable to perform this little trick without calling upon my knowledge of the arcane arts. You, on the other hand, can accomplish the task with your inherent abilities."

Cole makes a confused face. "I can? Why am I not invisible then? Do I need to activate the power somehow?" Cole knew the bare basics about Heroes from school: they have powers from magic. Beyond that, normal citizens didn't get to know much of anything.

"One thing at a time, Cole. Patience. Take a deep breath. In your mind's eye, watch the flow of mana throughout your body." Gray spoke in a tone that was slow and calming.

Cole follows his instructions. He closes his eyes and concentrates. He is surprised to sense a current moving inside himself. He knows it to be mana. The liquid-electrical essence moves through him not in a biological system, but rather flows like water. The mana moves to parts of the body that have less mana stored in it, shifting the high-mana areas to achieve an equal balance throughout the body. There is constant gentle motion like the surface of a lake in the wind. Cole takes deep breaths. The mana responds. When he inhales, mana flows toward his lungs and heart. When he exhales, mana flows down to the base of his spine. He breathes in this way for ten breaths before hearing Gray speak up once again.

"Good, well done. A Hero who cannot control his mana is a Hero who cannot control his power." Gray said, a note of approval in his voice this time. He instructs Cole further. "Next, you must learn to activate your mana. Focus on the mana well at the base of your spine. Keep your attention on this energy. Inhale. When you exhale, imagine yourself vanishing from view in the same way that I did. Focus on that intention."

When Cole gave his attention to himself vanishing, he lost focus on the mana well. When he was thinking on the mana well, he was unable to imagine himself at all, much less imagine himself disappearing. His breath becomes quicker and less steady and his frustration wins: he opens his eyes and lets out a huff. "That's not exactly working. Is there another method I can try?"

Gray's voice is further away now, deeper into the charred forest ahead. "Sure, you can try running. That might work."

Cole can't decide if that was sarcasm or not. Too afraid of being left behind, he continues walking on the path. As he walks, he makes another attempt at splitting his focus between the mana well and the mental image of himself disappearing. His efforts are a struggle to say the least. By giving all of his attention to his inner work, he walks automatically further and further unalert. The lush forest he arrived in falls away behind him and he is surrounded completely by the charred and smoking oak stumps and ash of a foreign world.

Suddenly, something is wrong. He can feel it. The sensation was almost like he was being watched, but it was more intense, more urgent. He looked up in the direction he sensed it and his eyes get as wide as they've ever been. Massive, hulking monsters resembling hyenas have spotted him and are running flat-out towards him. A pack of three. The monsters are roughly 100 meters away, closing the distance quickly.

Cole makes a panicked call to Gray. "Gray, what am I supposed to do! They're going to eat me alive!"

From directly next to him, Gray says, "Run if you cannot disappear. It is your only option for now, child."

Cole curses under his breath, then turns 180 degrees and the toe of his boots dig into the dirt as he begins sprinting away from the hellhounds. He glances behind him. He simply isn't fast enough. It's a matter of time until he is devoured. They gain, moving closer and closer. He can hear their grunts and growls more clearly now. They sound as though in stereo, and the feeling of pinpricks runs up and down Cole's back.

He feels hot, humid breath on his neck and enters pure panic mode. Desperate for an escape, he tries to disappear once again. Something unexpected happens. When he starts to focus on his mana well, before he can even give a thought to himself becoming invisible, the magical energy inside him rushes to consolidate in his legs, feet, and core muscles. Cole immediately notices the wind rushing faster against his face. The sound of the hellhounds pursuit falls away slightly.

I got faster? Not exactly invisible, but it works.

He chances another glance behind him. He really is faster – he's put about 15 meters of distance between himself and the hellhounds again, and was extending the gap. He looks back to the path, and he's run off it and directly toward the lush green forest again, where he is confronted directly with the massive trunk of a tree.

SLAM!

Cole jerks awake upon impact, his heart beating so hard he wonders if he's having a heart attack. It takes a moment, but he regains his bearings in the basement of the branch office. The pool of mana he was using for support sits bone dry now, apparently completely absorbed by his body. The only source of light in the room is the steady green glow of the crystalline knife on the floor. 

Thinking of the blade, he touches his abdomen where the knife pierced through and finds himself completely intact. He sighs heavily in relief. His legs feel steady when he stands, and he tests the rest of his body with some simple stretches. I'm fine, I think. I feel pretty much normal. Physically, anyway. Cole takes a few steps and picks up the glowing knife. He holds it close to his face, observing it carefully. My first treasure as a Hero. The crystal that formed the blade was not a material he had ever seen before. The edge was serrated and incredibly sharp. The sickly green light gave it an intimidating aura. The handle was two pieces of hardwood joined together around the crystal and wrapped smoothly with leather to seal the construction and provide a comfortable grip. 

Cole gave the branch office a final search, confirming that there was nothing else of value for him to take with him. The crystal knife had found a place in one of his transport tubes. In all, six of them were filled – the other five carried the paperwork he was able to recover. He walks out of the doorway and is only a little surprised to see that it's almost sundown – he figures he must have slept for at least four hours, maybe more.

He throws a leg over his bike and slides a chunky black key into a matching port between the saddle and mageglass tank. The machine emits a low-pitched hum that Cole finds comforting. He has spent the last three years as a courier; Cole's bike was where he spent most of his time. There was no place that Cole was more confident than in the saddle of his bike. He switches the headlight on, causing a wide flood of red light to spill out from between the handlebars. The red-shifted light was an innovation of Second Era Enchanters to preserve the user's darkvision. He rode for just over an hour to get back to Beanfield, moving on and off various interconnected roadways. He preferred to ride on the less-common roads because they were safer from bandits and tonight was no different.

The ride gave Cole time to think on the events of the day. He had been through a lot, both good and bad. Katrina is going to be so excited when I tell her that I'm a Hero now. This is a huge step up from being just a simple courier. Surely Mr. Dewford would allow me to work for his firm, it's not like there are a lot of Heroes in the area. Beggars can't be choosers, after all.

I don't think the paperwork will be worth too much, but that knife has to be worth a good bit, right? It might not be the most impressive weapon, but it is magic treasure and definitely Hero-quality equipment. Oh, I guess I might want to keep it, actually. At least until I can get a weapon that isn't so… stabby? Something about using a knife that's been through my abdomen just doesn't appeal. Maybe I can barter for a less traumatic option from the Enchantworks.

All concerns for tomorrow. Tonight is for celebration.

Beanfield was nothing much to look at: the largest building in the town was the government building at a towering five stories high. Cole's apartment was in a three-story building near the center of town. When Cole arrives, he rolls his bike into the lobby and quickly bounces up the stairs to the second floor. There are four apartments on this floor. Cole walks to the furthest door on the right-hand wall.

2C

BRIDGES

The name and number were burned into a thin plank that hung by twine on the center of the door. It was a touch of rustic charm that the superintendent's daughter created last year as gifts for the Solstice. Cole swings the door open and practically leaps into the main living area, unable to contain his excitement. 

"Kat, you're never going to believe it! I was- Kat?"

She wasn't there. She's always home in the evenings. What the hell? Suddenly there was an ice cold weight in the pit of Cole's stomach.