It Begins (2)

Once school ends I head back home while Drew hurries to meet his team before they rendezvous with the rest of the Five to continue their stakeout.

At home, I quickly find myself bored and with almost nothing to do. For the past few months, I had been learning something new every day, whether it be magical or normal, but now that classes had finished in the Metorium, and I have read everything I will need in high school, there is little left for me to do. Except for practice, of course.

My Pre-protector exams will be coming up next month, and in our last class in the Metorium, after informing us about the Trumps, Master Speller also said a few things about our upcoming exam. It would be similar to the Apprentice exam in that they would be testing three things: our knowledge of what we had been taught, our combat ability, and the purity of our Uua. This is why Master Speller had cautioned those whose purity had fallen below his standards. If they did not improve within this coming month, they would fail the exam.

Thirty minutes into my practice session my phone begins to ring. It is an unknown number. For a moment I deliberate leaving it as is and going back to practice, but on second thought that would be stupid. I pick up the call, feeling a bit irritated at whoever it was that decided to interrupt my practice. "Hello."

The voice on the phone is female, and her tone is strangely urgent. "Hello, Ian, listen we don't have much time…" Even though the voice on the phone sounds a bit familiar, I am about to interrupt to ask the caller's name when I hear what she says next. "…we found where the Fasuru is- where it's going to. Bardis Academy..."

I feel a bolt of electricity run through me. Bardis Academy. That is where Emily and I go to school. The monster that burned down a concert is going to my school. And Emily is still at school. My palm begins to sweat, but the voice -who I recognize now to be the Erhaz girl I had met before with that boy- is not done yet.

"...you have to inform the guardian fast. The Fasuru's target is currently in the school. There's undoubtedly going to be a battle and when that happens everyone in that school right now is going to be in danger. Please, be quick!"

My hands are shaking and my breathing shallow when the call finally ends. Her voice rings in my head for a few seconds I stay completely still, my brain struggling to process what I just learned. Then my mind fixates on one thing. My sister is currently in danger. The Majin had shown its complete disregard for human life during the concert, if it gets to the school and begins its battle… well, I doubt it would hold back to avoid hurting people. I need to do something and I need to do it quick.

I need to call Hugo. With trembling hands, I begin to search for Hugo's number on my phone. Seconds pass and I feel frustration begin to grow as I fail to find his number. Then something clicks in my head. I had never bothered to get his number. My mind goes blank. Then I remember that Drew has it, and I have his number.

I begin to call Drew. Once. Twice. Thrice. He doesn't pick. A sense of urgency begins to grow in my heart as horrible scenes flash through my head. Getting to school and finding my sister's body. My mother crying after finding out her only daughter had died. A funeral. No. No! I can't just stay here and keep trying Drew's number. What if he never picks? The longer I stay here, the higher the chance that today will be the last day I'll ever see my sister alive.

My body acts before my mind. A second later I'm out of my house and sprinting towards the school, praying to any god who could hear me that I would not be too late, while my mind races trying to think up a way I could get my sister safely out of there. A solution then pops up. It might not work, but at the very least it is worth a try. I outline a noer within myself and activate it.

I stop running. I am not in the city anymore, instead, I am surrounded by lush green grass, with trees sparsely dotting the landscape at irregular intervals. In front of me is a snow-white deer with intelligent-looking eyes. Somehow, I managed to get into the Lands.

"What is it?"

I don't know if it would be able to help me or not, but right now this is the only thing I feel I can do. Anything else would probably end with help getting to my sister too late. "The Majin, the Majin is heading towards my school."

The Watcher is immediately alert, but I am not finished speaking yet. "…I tried calling Hugo but I don't have his number. Some of my friends do, but they aren't picking up my calls, I think they're in the middle of something. I don't know what else to do."

It speaks. "We need to get to the Metorium. Hugo is not currently in the bookshop, but I think I know where it is."

My heart immediately resists that advice. "My sister is still in school."

It goes still, then it lets out a soft sigh, an understanding expression on its face. "That complicates things. Ah. There is one way I think I can help you, however, we need to be able to see the Majin for it to work. And also… ah. This isn't how I wanted things to go, but we need to bond if we want things to go smoothly."

I agree immediately. If the Laen trusted this thing enough to leave it here, then I would too. At least I would, to save my sister.

The green eyes of the deer fade away, reverting to a very normal shade of brown. Then the Fasuru that had been possessing it rises out of it. It has long hair like vines, with a small slit on its forehead. Just above that slit is a single long antler, branching out every which way. Its upper body is that of a man, but the rest is that of a horse, just like a centaur. It turns to me, with both eyes closed, and gives me a calming smile before it dashes into me.

For a moment I feel uncomfortable, as though my body had been filled to the bursting point. Then things return to normal. A moment later I hear its voice in my head. "I'll try to take control of your body now. It might be a bit uncomfortable since this is your first time, but please don't resist too much."

I feel an unknown force trying to move my limbs and immediately I am revulsed by the sensation. I know I could resist it, but instead, I repress the revulsion, watching as my body begins to move without too much input on my part. So this is what it feels like to be possessed.

"If we want things to be optimal," the Watcher says as it transports us back to the real world, "then merging our minds too would be the best. But, I understand you might not be ready for that yet. Can you tell me where your school is? You don't need to say it out loud, just think it and will for me to hear it."

It begins sprinting the moment I oblige it. It uses Burst as it runs, yet it is somehow faster than I had ever been even when I had been using it. As it runs it speaks to me. "I'm sorry I am so slow. It's been too long since I used a human body and things are a bit unfamiliar to me. If I try to use my skills instead of yours, things might end up unpleasantly for you. We could, however, get around that by merging minds, but to humans, that is more unpleasant than normal possession so I won't force it on you."

Moving at unprecedented speeds, it explains its plan to me.