The last thing I remember was finishing my circle, I sent Will a message before I did. Now where am I? There’s so much magic here, it feels huge, but also small. I need to pick a direction. If I start moving, I might find something that gives me a clue as to where I am. Nothing here looks like anything else though, the colors are so vivid. Sounds all around me that should be cacophonous but possess a strange melodic nature. There’s so much here its overwhelming, if there is this much magic here, I should be able to start directing some of it. “Hello, little shade.”

               A voice? Where is it coming from? I can hear it as if its right next to me. It sounds like a woman’s voice. I need to find her, if she’s been stuck here, she might be able to guide me. Let me see if I can speak. No, I can’t! Wait, let me look down. I don’t have a body, that explains why I can’t talk. How am I supposed to communicate in here then? She figured it out. I just need to think more. If I keep moving, the space seems to change in a way to obfuscate my path, though, I think I can figure out how to beat it. “Shade, I can hear your thinking.”

               You can hear my thoughts? “Yes, you’re on the right track- the space is designed to make it impossible to escape.”

               How did you get here? “I was locked in her a long time ago, and I can’t escape without help.”

               If we work together to escape, would that work? “Yes, though I must warn you that doing so will grant you my form when you escape. The spell for binding our souls will make your life harder once we’re outside this space.”

               My life was already hard due to the Daego’s curse. The system was setting me up to fail, and I had to escape somehow. I had to change who I was in ways they’ve tried to prevent anyone from finding. If binding us will save us, there’s no logic in not doing it. “A curse? I see, those idiots really did what they said they would then. Here, I will cast the spell to bind our souls into one. We will become something new, with both our memories intact. The process of consolidation will take time and potentially be painful, but we have to try.”

               I agree, there’s no point in waiting now- That’s a strange feeling. I can feel this being, their enormous power. It’s incomprehensible yet, small. I can feel myself fading into her, as she fades into me. We can feel each other now. It won’t be long until the process is complete, little shade. I’m not afraid, this will save us both- and then we find a way to free ourselves in the outside. That’s the idea, we can’t give up at any point. We’ll become something entirely new. The path is clear now, this new soul can see the pathway out clearly. Let’s get moving.

--

               Will looked at his phone after he heard it vibrate. It had been a slow day at the monastery-like hospital for curse victims so far, but he was thankful for it. It was a text from an old friend, who hadn’t been seen or heard from in years. It was a simple message. “I’m back, has it really been three years?”

               He sighed. That was a stupid question for a phone owned by a missing person. “Who is this? This number has been inactive for years.”

               A long pause ensued. Then his phone vibrated again. “The first thing I ever said to you was that one of us would have to change our name.” He put the phone down, stunned.

               The number belonged to a friend who had vanished without a trace three years ago. The two had been friends since their school days, when they had met during their first day of high school at the local church-run school that both their parents had paid for them to go to. Attending that school was an almost guaranteed way to equal or surpass your parents’ aptitudes and gain social position for your family. Though, that was only mostly true for those whose parents were not already higher up in the social ladder of society under the rule of the church and the Mana-Factorum government. In that place you were handed down tenets of living from on high with no ability to question them.

--

               Will walked into the classroom and sat down at one of the desks in the second tow of chairs. Next to him was another teen boy who looked at him with a strange mixture of expressions on their face. Once everyone was seated the teacher took roll call and gave the students a few minutes to introduce themselves to their neighbors. Will noted that he and his only adjacent classmate had the same name. As he turned to face them, they were already looking his way. “One of us is going to have to change our name.”

               “You can keep William, I prefer Will anyways.” He said in response. Those were the first words they exchanged. In the brief conversation that followed they found they were both interested in history and had similar but distinct perspectives on life that would likely keep their conversations lively.

               The elder professor clapped his hands together to bring the class back to order. “Welcome, gentlemen, to your world history of magic class. If you would please open up your syllabus to the first page, we’ll review my expectations for this class and get into the origins of written magic today.”

               The two boys at the front and center of the class each began to answer questions, each one competing on quizzes and tests. Though for this class Will held what seemed like a permanent advantage. In every instance Will was able to out-perform William by at least a few points even if their grades were the same letters. It seemed to infuriate and motivate William in equal measures. As the two grew close Will could begin to see the cracks forming in William’s psyche that would eventually become a case of Daego’s Curse. A wound that could never truly heal in a person’s mind in the modern day.