"Do it. AGAIN."

 

 

 

 

 

Seated behind his desk, the Headmaster maintained a stoic posture, his gaze fixed upon the swirling images within the crystal ball. Adopting a Gendo pose, He was doing his best to ignore the fact he was being yelled at by the king's advisor, and the anguished father of the first assault victim, Kyle Simran. The advisor's long, flowing, hunter-green hair cascaded onto the desk as he leaned forward. His voice was filled with intensity as he confronted the Headmaster, "The third prince has been viciously assaulted! If the safety of my son wasn't enough to ignite a sense of urgency within you, then this incident should serve as a wake-up call!"

 

Relaxing into his chair, the Headmaster contemplated the impassioned man before him, stroking his white beard thoughtfully. "And what, may I ask, would be the result of such actions?" The Headmaster's calm demeanor seemed to incense Kyle further, his face reddening with frustration. With a deliberate gesture, the Headmaster adjusted his gray robes, a subtle reminder that he held immense power as the kingdom's most formidable wizard, implying that he was not one to be dictated to.

 

The headmaster relented to Kyle’s pressure with a sigh, "Here."

 

"Watch." The Headmaster extended his hand and placed it over the crystal ball, his fingers gently touching the smooth surface. The crystal responded, its colors shifting and merging, evoking the ethereal essence of the astral plane as it intermingled with the fabric of reality. With a commanding tone, the Headmaster uttered the words, "Reveal Reed Ratliff." The swirling motion within the crystal momentarily paused, then focused on a single point, steadily expanding until all that remained was an abyss of profound darkness—a void devoid of any discernible presence.

 

Kyle senior stared at the result, not comprehending what he was seeing, "He's hiding somewhere dark?"

 

Shaking his head, the headmaster let out a long, suffering sigh. His expression shifted to one of deep frustration and weariness as he shook his head in disbelief, "As I elucidated in my letter to the king, this is not merely a realm of darkness. Even in the depths of an abandoned coal mine, there exists residual energy. However, what we witness within this crystal ball is the darkness of the void." He pointed an accusatory finger at the crystal, emphasizing his point. "Reed Ratliff, I'm afraid, is simply... nowhere."

 

Kyle rubbed his forehead, "He is nowhere on school grounds. So he escaped."

 

The Headmaster's initial confusion gave way to a newfound sense of intrigue and excitement. He stared at the crystal ball intently, his eyes filled with fascination. "Ah, but you see, if Reed Ratliff were not present within the confines of the school grounds, we would be left with a clear crystal. However, the paradox lies in the fact that although he is physically here, his essence seems to elude our perception. He exists within the boundaries of the school, and yet, he is nowhere to be found." The Headmaster's tone took on a cheerful note as he marveled at the unprecedented phenomenon before him. "This is truly an extraordinary occurrence, I've never seen anything like this before!"

 

Exhausted and perplexed, Kyle ran his hands over his face in frustration before slumping back into the guest chair. Gazing at the crystal ball through his fingers, he pondered the situation. "So, he must be protected by some kind of ward?"

 

The Headmaster shook his head in response. "No, if he were warded against detection, there would be no reaction at all. Besides, considering we possess Reed's complete and true birth name, it would be extremely difficult for him to ward himself against detection, if not impossible." The Headmaster clarified, raising a finger to emphasize his point.

 

It was Kyle's turn to Gendo pose and stare at the darkness of the crystal ball, "Theorize. Give me something to take back to the King. No matter how crazy. Just... give me something."

 

The Headmaster's response was filled with a hint of exasperation as he met Kyle's gaze with an expression of annoyance. Rolling his eyes, he proceeded to count off on his fingers as he explained his theories, "Theory one: Reed may have altered his true name. The only known method to accomplish such a feat involves transforming oneself into a lich or a demon."

Kyle winced at the implications, "Go on."

"Theory two: Reed may have been subjected to an incredibly potent curse, causing him to no longer believe he is Reed Ratliff. If this is indeed the case, then our task would be to convince him of his true identity as 'Reed Ratliff,' which would restore the crystal ball's functionality."

 

Kyle nodded in agreement. It appeared that he found the second theory more favorable, "Odd, but possible."

 

The headmaster shifted in his seat, "Theory three, Reed's soul is imprisoned somewhere on the school grounds and his body is possessed by some sort of vengeful spirit." Kyle’s eyes grew wide at the implications. as the headmaster continued, "Theory four, he has been transformed into a new being entirely by some unknown process and thus his old name no longer applies to him."

 

Kyle narrowed his eyes, "Explain?"

 

The headmaster reached down to open a drawer in his desk and pulled out a folder he handed to Kyle, "You know that special student you sent me? The one with the dual mana cores?"

 

Kyle nodded as he took the folder, "Yes. I-" His eyes grew wide, "Wait a minute. You aren't trying to tell me-"

 

The headmaster cut Kyle off by reaching out and wiggling his fingers over the crystal ball, "Reveal Priscilla Pureheart." The crystal swirled again like before, going through the same motions to eventually reveal nothing but void, "On a hunch I tried to scry for her. Never had a reason to before."

 

Kyle leaned in close to the crystal, "No." His eyes flicked up to look at the headmaster, "No." He slowly started to stand up, "No. I reject this. This-"

 

The Headmaster snorted, "The universe does not care about your so-called sensibilities. I know exactly what Reed is and I know for some reason everyone hates him for it. I don't understand why. I find him fascinating, and this..." He gestured toward the darkness of the scrying crystal, "Just fuels my curiosity. I haven't heard of many half-dwarves surviving birth, much less growing to adulthood. We have no clue what is normal, but Reed may have somehow attracted the attention of higher powers, and this..." He dismissively gestured at the crystal, "Maybe part of the process. Who knows?"

 

Kyle clenched and unclenched his fists, "Blast. Blast this all to Hell." He gritted his teeth, "AND I am the one who is stuck with explaining this to the king!"

 

The Headmaster leaned back in his chair and smiled softly towards Kyle, "It seems we're living in interesting times, are we not?" He reached out and tapped the crystal ball. The darkness inside winked out, returning to a transparent state. Kyle could see the headmaster through it, all warped and twisted.

 

"Interesting Times, Indeed."

 

---

 

The ground rolled with dark fog crackling with violet energies.

 

It felt like Ryan was walking through a Gwar concert except the fog machines weren't as crazy. It was hard to tell where the ground ended and the sky began. In the distance, there was a lone figure. It stood with its back to Ryan.

 

"Hey!" Ryan called out as he walked closer. His voice echoed and returned from all directions, over and over. He jerked his head around, trying to see everywhere at once. A rolling rumble overwhelmed Ryan as it passed through the area.

 

Another voice called out to rise above the discordant din. Ryan could only make out two words, "Let me-" Before there was a sharp cracking sound that cut off the voice.

 

Ryan's eyes snapped open, his senses jolted to full alertness as the sound of another sharp crack was heard right next to his head. Disoriented for a moment, he quickly surveyed his surroundings, trying to determine the source of the noise. Before he could gather his bearings, a final crack split the air, causing the tree branch he had been lying on to finally give way under his weight. Ryan felt a moment of weightlessness as his body descended through the air, crashing into the shrubbery below. After a brief struggle to free himself from the tangle of vegetation, Ryan finally managed to extricate himself, cursing under his breath the whole time. Taking cover behind a nearby bush, he peered out cautiously, keeping an eye on the path ahead.

 

Looking upward, he noticed the night sky through the sparse branches above. Something was amiss. The moon appeared unusually close and oversized, taking up a significant portion of the sky. Ryan extended his arm and held his hand out flat. It was barely able to cover the object hanging in the firmament above him. With a mixture of disbelief and resignation, he realized that either the moon had somehow started orbiting Earth significantly closer than the last time he had seen it, or this wasn't the planet he was born on.

 

Carefully maneuvering out from under the canopy of trees, Ryan cautiously emerged into an area where he could get a clearer view of the night sky. To his astonishment, he noticed that the familiar constellations he had grown accustomed to were nowhere to be found. There was no Big or Little Dipper. No Southern Cross. There was one of the recognizable patterns of stars he had learned to navigate by. Instead, the sky was filled with a multitude of bright and visible stars, but their arrangement was entirely foreign to him. Ryan realized that his training in nighttime navigation was rendered useless.

 

Ryan would later admit to himself this was the exact moment he finally came to accept he was no longer on Earth.

 

Overwhelmed by a sense of defeat, Ryan found himself confronted by the harsh reality of his circumstances. The weight of exhaustion, exacerbated by prolonged fatigue, lack of food, and dehydration, all bore down on him heavily. Moreover, he sensed that his body had not fully recuperated from harnessing that volatile energy that he had felt sloshing around inside him. The realization struck him deeply, leaving him with profound hopelessness as he tried to plan his next move. He couldn't rely on his newfound magic. He couldn't rely on the stars. He couldn't rely on anything.

 

Gazing up at the imposing wall that had recently defeated him, Ryan contemplated his options. He briefly entertained the idea of testing it with a rock but quickly dismissed it, realizing that any noise or impact might alert the guards and draw unwanted attention to the area.

Nodding to himself, he fell back on his training, ~The plan remains the same. Escape. Secure supplies. Establish a base. Gather intelligence. I'll worry about the details later.~ One deep breath later, Ryan began creeping along the wall, careful not to touch it. Despite his hopes of finding a way through diminishing, he pressed on. After what felt like an arduous half hour, he reached the edge of the underbrush, revealing a wide-open area devoid of cover, stretching all the way to the main gate.

 

Ryan's observation of the guarded gate confirmed his initial assessment – there were too many guards for him to engage in direct combat, and their unpredictable patrolling patterns made it impossible to sneak past undetected. However, he noticed an opportunity amidst the challenging situation. The light sources illuminating the area were not unidirectional but rather cast their light in a circular pattern. This meant that if he could manage to evade the well-lit area, he wouldn't have to worry about searchlights or similar detection methods. This realization sparked a glimmer of hope, as it presented a potential pathway for him to navigate beyond the guards' line of sight.

 

~Maybe if I had the right gear I could get close, but...~ Ryan let his thoughts trail off as he ran through his options, ~It would be insane to have a place this big and not have more than one gate, but there is no telling if it will be guarded, or locked, or... whatever the wall was.~ He shuddered as he remembered the pain of smashing face-first into whatever that energy field was.

 

~At least this gate is open. If the other one has some sort of magical lock, I might not even be able to open it without being detected or...~ He thought about ways to get past the guards, then shook his head to dismiss the plan, ~No. We go back and we find another option. I'm certain this will only result in getting captured. Better a one-in-ten chance of success than a ten-in-ten chance of failure.~

 

Ryan made a perplexed expression as he questioned himself, "We? Why do I keep thinking 'we'? I must be losing my mind." Taking a moment to collect himself, he rubbed his face and stretched his back, until he felt it crack. Refocusing himself, he resumed carefully sneaking along the wall, back in the opposite direction, ensuring every movement was slow and deliberate to avoid making any noise or disturbing the branches around him. Despite the darkness concealing his movements, he remained cautious. Who knew what strange powers these people might have? Being able to see in the dark might be commonplace, for all he knew.

 

Ryan didn't get far before he became aware of the sound of approaching horses. As the sound got closer, he carefully inched up to the path that ran parallel to the wall. Peering out from his hiding spot, he observed a carriage slowly making its way down the walkway. It was evident that the path was not designed for vehicular traffic, as the carriage periodically shifted and veered onto the grassy edges. Each time this happened, the passengers inside would loudly express their complaints and frustrations towards the driver. In response, the driver would apologize profusely and plead for forgiveness, attempting to appease his unhappy charges.

 

As the carriage continued on its path, Ryan's mind raced with possibilities, trying to make sense of the situation. The realization struck him that the carriage's deviation from the normal route might be due to a special passenger or an emergency, granting them clearance for this particular path. His attention focused on the gate, wondering if the carriage would encounter any delays or inspections there.

 

Spotting a section of the underbrush where it got quite close to the walkway, Ryan swiftly assessed the risks. He decided to take the chance and quickly maneuvered himself to hide behind the vegetation, positioning himself in a spot where he could potentially take advantage of the passing carriage. Thoughts raced through his mind, contemplating the possibility of finding a way to sneak underneath the carriage and cling to its bottom, hoping to use it as a means of moving through the guarded gate undetected. As the carriage approached, Ryan could tell there were three individuals inside, one driver...

 

 

 

 

And No Footman.