#original stuff has a whole layer of nerves for me since at least with fanfic people already love the setting/characters

[ghostinthegallery]

For the WIP ask game, could you tell us about that "chapter 1:"? The lack of information in the title is intriguing me

I am glad my vagueness lured you in! This is my one WIP that isn't fanfic. It's my first attempt at original serial fiction, and something I actually intend to publish/try to monetize via patreon etc. It's exciting and nerve wracking (i love you fanfic but you do not pay the bills)! But at least the story is fun (to me). Very adventure focused, D&D-esque, magitek and also there's a big train. And dragons. (Movie trailer voice) IN A WORLD where magic is performed by artisans and craftspeople working spells and creating powerful artifacts, five Sorcerer Kings rule five cities, but beyond lie ruins hiding secrets and treasures of a bygone age. Pyrrha, an engineer, illegally enters these ruins in order to find the tools that will let her enter the mythical Tower in the center of the world, which has been calling to her in her dreams since childhood. She's looking for secrets and boy howdy, does she find some secrets. Excerpt:

“Ha!” she exclaimed. “Thought you could trap us, bastard.” “What’s going on?” Tim asked. Pyrrha beckoned them over and showed Tim and Remi the inside of the hollowed-out rock. It looked nearly identical to the box locking the door to the ruin, though this device contained several more interlocking gears and what appeared to be a blinking alarm signal.  “It’s a circuit alarm,” she said. “If I’d broken the connection by removing the core in the box, this alarm would have tripped. Odds are something else nasty would have happened too. I’d have to examine the lock more closely, but an incendiary rune or stunning spell might have been smithed into the metal if—” “Just get it done.” Remi folded his arms. “We don’t have all season.” “Fine.” Pyrrha grumbled, fighting down a bit of embarrassment at her over-explaining. It was so easy to do with work this intricate. But now that she understood the mechanism it was simple to dislodge and remove the true core. She took out the now harmless alarm for good measure, slipping it into her pocket. “What do you think you’re doing with that thing?” Remi loomed over her, hand drifting closer to the mace on his hip. Pyrrha swallowed. “Just in case we get over our heads. We can break this, which will imitate breaking the circuit and call for help. I’d rather be arrested than dead.” Remi stared down at her, eyes hard. His hand darted out, quick as a viper, and grabbed her jerkin. She yelped as he dragged her up, bringing her face close to his. The bracers on his wrists hummed with their own potent energies, making her skin tingle. “You betray us,” he hissed. “You’re dead. You hear me, Red?” “Remi!” Tim shouted. Pyrrha heard the rasp of steel being drawn from its sheath. “Put her down.” “I want to hear your answer,” he said, still locking Pyrrha’s eyes with his own. “Did. You. Hear. Me?” Pyrhha nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I heard you.” “Good.” He released her so suddenly she felt off balance. Only the steady strength of her prosthetic leg kept her from falling over.

[crystalninjaphoenix]

The Second Principle of Magic

Septics Inverted

A JSE Fanfic

So fun fact about the title: recently when I’m stuck, I’ve been googling “phrases related to (blank)” and taking part of those as the story title. So you can totally google this title to get the full phrase. Anyway, about the story itself. This is the longest one I’ve done in a while, but that’s because I don’t think there was a good point at which I could’ve divided this in two. We need to get Schneep back! Or at least, the boys need to, with the help of some new temporary allies. Anti’s not in this one much, but I think that’s okay. Happy reading, guys

Read the intro story: Part One | Part Two

Various other AU-related stuff found here

Taglist: @awkward-bullshit @watermelonsinmyattic @asunachinadoll @a-humble-narcissus @odysseus-is-best-boi @acuriousquail @beerecordings @human-being-kinda @romanticslimecreature @bloodygoldensam @rachelclutch @septic-nebula-art @toboboby @the-parentheticals @rammypaige @jc-pavanne @amyxmiaplay @rats-this-username-is-taken @immabethehero @eridangan @bupine

Somewhere in the apartment, a clock chimed five. The shadows had moved significantly, sunlight warming different spots of the room. Chase appeared to be sleeping in his chair. And Jackie was about to lose his mind.

“This is taking too long!” He paced the room, ignoring every twinge from the not-entirely healed wound on his leg. “It shouldn’t be taking this long, if Anti’s supposed to be so powerful. Where is he?”

Jameson, sitting on the sofa, took out his watch and checked the time. {He said it might take an hour,} he ventured. {And...well, perhaps his estimate could have been a bit rough...}

“Or maybe something happened!” Jackie said, throwing his hand in the air. “Hell, he’s not exactly fond of Henrik, maybe he just decided not to do anything.”

{Anti wouldn’t do that,} Jameson stated flatly. {He has his principles.}

“How would you kn—oh. Yeah.” Jackie was still getting used to the fact that Jameson and Anti knew each other. It was a little...odd. The two of them were so different, after all. “Well, whatever. It stands that he’s taking too long, and it makes sense that something could’ve happened, whatever that is. “ Jackie paused in his pacing. “Which means that we’ll have to do this ourselves.”

“Oh yeah, great idea.” Chase, apparently not as asleep as he appeared, lifted his head. “You remember what happened last time? I’m pretty sure Marvin could’ve killed us if he hadn’t gotten distracted.”

“Oh shush.” Jackie stomped down the part of him that agreed with Chase’s words. “We are not leaving Henrik to be...I-I don’t even know what Marvin wants with him, but we are not going to let it happen.” He patted his belt instinctively, before remembering the police took all his weapons. He grunted in frustration, and whirled around. “Jameson, do you have anything in this place I can use?”

Jameson looked mildly surprised, but nodded, slowly, and pointed to a door. {Down the hall, last door on the right.}

“Whoa, hang on a moment!” Chase scrambled to his feet and rushed across the room to block Jackie from moving forward. “Alright, dude, I don’t want to let Schneep get hurt either, but we can’t just rush in there! We need a plan!”

“Do we have time for a plan?!” Jackie demanded.

“If we don’t want to get killed, yes!” Chase grabbed Jackie by the arms. “Look. You were there. You remember what happened to—to everything in that whole area! It’s only luck that neither of us died! And I know it sounds cliche, but we’re not gonna be much help to Schneep if we’re dead, are we?”

Jackie stared at him. Then took a deep, slow breath. “Alright. Plan, then.”

Chase nodded, not bothering to hide his relief, and let go of his arms.

“So what’re we gonna need?” Jackie asked. “Are we going to take him out, or...?”

“Y’know, I don’t think we can,” Chase said, shrugging. “Maybe we should just try not to run into him.”

“Well, that’s if that’s possible,” Jackie mused. “Maybe we should pack something, just in case.” His eyes suddenly widened. “Wait...shit, we don’t even know where he is.”

Jameson coughed, drawing the others’ attention. {I do believe I have a solution for both of those issues. The locating, and the, ah, firepower.}

“Really?” Jackie asked, intrigued. “Well, do share.”

Jameson took his phone out of his pocket and started swiping and tapping across the screen. {I...recently made contact with a pair of magicians,} Jameson said slowly. {They got word of a black magic magician in the area, and are searching for him. I’m sure if we tell them that we may have a way to help find him...}

“We do?” Chase said, latching onto the last part. “What?”

{I have Marvin’s soul seeker,} Jameson explained. {None of us can use it, since none of us have any natural magic, but perhaps these magicians can. I’m sure I can negotiate their help on this venture. We both...both want to find him, after all.} Something flickered across Jameson’s face. Something...sad, almost grieving. But it’s quickly gone.

Jackie nodded. “Okay, so we get these magicians on our side, and together we track down Marvin. Then what?”

“Then we stealth mission it, bro,” Chase said. “Sneak in, get the doc, and get out. Don’t get killed in the process.”

“I can work with that,” Jackie said, bouncing on his heels. God, finally they were going to do something.

A grin tugs at Chase’s mouth. “You seem excited. And bouncy.”

“I’m worried about Schneep, I’m tired of waiting for the glitch bitch, and I haven’t taken my brain-stop-giving-me-useless-energy-please pills in at least a week,” Jackie said. He laughed a bit. “Of course I’m bouncy. Jameson? When can we meet these magician guys?”

Jameson was silent for a moment, frowning down at the screen of his phone. Then he nodded. {They just responded. Luckily, they know where this place is, so we don’t have to worry about you two being seen in public and possibly arrested. Perhaps half an hour from now?}

“Got it,” Jackie nodded. “Now all we need are the weapons. In case the worse happens, you know. Let’s go get ‘em.”

- - - - - - - - - -

░░▒ ░▒ ▒░

░ ▒░

░ ▒░░ ░

Anti glitched upright with a scream, sounding more electric than organic. Before he knew what was happening, he was on his feet, knife in hand.

“Whoa! Hey, Anti, it’s okay! It’s all fine!”

A small green glow darted in front of Anti’s face, drawing his attention. Details of the world slowly loaded in. The people came first. It started with Jack, standing nearby, reaching out as if to steady Anti if he started to fall. Then came four others, one after another. They all looked alike, with dark hair and similar builds. Sam was close by, hovering in the corner of Anti’s vision worriedly. Then the room started to register. It looked vaguely like a doctor’s office, one you would go to for a check-up. Except there was a layer of water on the floor at least an inch deep.

“W̨h̡er͝e is this?” Anti asked, slowly lowering his knife. Then two of the other people in the room finally clicked in his mind. He shot them a look. “Ah, it’s you two. Emo and pink.”

“Nice to see you too, Anti,” Dark nodded from where he was standing in the corner. “Are you sure you don’t want to take me up on my offer to help anytime soon?”

Anti rolled his eye, turning his attention to the other one. “Wilford. Been a while.”

“Charming to see your face outside of a TV screen,” Wilford drawled. He was lounging against the nearest counter, holding a drink of some kind. No idea where he got that from.

“And...I don’t remember the other two’s names,” Anti said.

Jack huffed, exasperated. “This is Edward. He’s the House’s doct—guy who heals people. And that’s G.”

Edward smiled a bit in greeting. G nodded once.

“Oh, now I remember.” Anti tilted his head. He made eye contact with G and didn’t look away. He was still having trouble figuring out the electric signal around that one. “So where am I?”

“Well, you’re in my office,” Edward piped up. “We thought it would be the best place, since we weren’t sure if...” He paused, looking for the right word. “...things were going to turn out okay.”

“You...you really should’ve seen what happened.” Jack smiled, but it was shaky clearly backed by nerves. “Um...how much do you remember about what happened?”

Anti switched his attention back to Jack. “Well, I lost a fight pretty badly, and thought it would be a good idea to come here. So I did. And I saw you. And then everything...b͞r͢ók̷e͠.” He wasn’t sure if there was a better word for it.

Jack nodded. “You were...i-it was...I’ve never seen you act like that before. There were so many glitches, a-and not just computery, they kind of looked like...I don’t know, like shadows or something. And your eyes were open but you weren’t moving or reacting to anything and I just—” Jack took a deep breath. “I-I was...it was kind of...scary.”

"That sounds bad,” Anti admitted.

“Scans revealed a lack of structural integrity in your body,” G suddenly said. “It appeared as though it was dissolving into an unknown energy, in addition to the damage done by the acidic substance.”

“Yeah, I do that,” Anti said bluntly. True, usually he was in control of the dissolving, but it wasn’t unexpected. “What do you mean by ‘acidic substance?’”

G paused. “The origin of the liquid was unable to be determined.” He didn’t sound too happy that he wasn’t able to figure it out.

“Whatever it was, it was purple,” Jack explained. “And it kept...acid is the only way I’m thinking to fucking describe it, it was burning up your body. We had to wash it off.” He kicked at the water covering the floor, making a splash. “Now, I-I don’t know how accurate this is, but it must’ve been, like, some sort of super-strong magic.”

“It was.” A concentrated blast of Void magic. Anti hadn’t been prepared for that, but he was planning on it now. Speaking of which... “I need to leave.”

“Whoa, hey, you can’t just leave!” Jack said, taken aback. “You were fucking missing chunks of your body just a few minutes ago! And an arm!”

“Well, I’m fine now.”

“Yeah, how did you manage to heal from that?” Edward wondered. “For the past hour or so, there was no change. And then all of a sudden the missing bits filled up with static and it was all better!”

“I don’t have an answer for you, doctor.” Anti’s voice suddenly lowered. “And I advise you not to go looking for one.”

Edward suddenly paled, taking a step back. Then he fixed a smile on his face. “Well, now that this whole mess has been taken care of, I have other things to do. G, let’s go.”

“But—”

“You have paperwork, don’t you? I, uh, don’t think we’re needed here anymore.”

G still looked like he wanted to protest, but he folded his arms and followed Edward out of the room anyway. Dark and Wilford did not go with them, staying in their spots. The two of them exchanged a look.

“Alright, you know, it’s good that you’re doing better,” Jack said. Sam settled on his shoulder and nodded. “But we don’t know if there’ll be any lingering effects or anything. Oh, and if...this happened to you after one fight, what’ll happen if you go charging in now?”

“It’ll be fine, Jack,” Anti said, voice softening a bit to sound reassuring.

“You don’t know that!” Jack said, eyes wide. “Y-you can’t just—what if something more permanent—I-I don’t know!”

“Now, forgive me for butting in,” Wilford said, butting in. “But it sounds like you could do with a little bit of help, camera man.”

Anti whirled to face him. “I’ll be alright,” he said, exasperated. “I was just a little unprepared, and underestimated him. I hadn’t seen a Void in a while—”

A high-pitched whine suddenly pierced the air, leaving a ringing aftertone. The surroundings seemed to crack, for a moment showing nothing but blackness. Then it settled. Anti froze, and slowly turned to look at Dark. Though his posture hadn’t changed, and he hadn’t taken a step away from his spot in the corner, Dark was...tense. Shoulders a bit stiffer than they were a moment ago, hands gripping the top of his cane a bit tighter. If he’d been breathing before, he certainly wasn’t now.

Anti’s eye narrowed. “But you have. Haven’t you?”

Dark glanced at Wilford, who looked as if the sudden shift in the atmosphere had soured his mood. Then Dark nodded once. “It’s been some time, but...yes.”

Jack looked back and forth between the two of them. “Wh...what’s a Void?” he asked. “Is...is that something to do with Marvin?”

“Well...” Anti shifted on his feet. “Yes. A Void is a human consumed by black magic.”

“Oh, it doesn’t have to be black magic.” Dark straightened his tie. “Anyone who goes messing about where they shouldn’t, who finds themselves drawn in by a dark force, could just as easily turn into an empty Husk. It’s just that black magic is the most common means.”

Jack backed up a bit. His brows drew together as he tensed, concerned. “‘Consumed by a dark force’ doesn’t sound too good.”

“It isn’t,” Dark agreed. 

“I...” Jack opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He rubbed his arms, shrinking a bit. Sam scooted closer to his neck, pressing against it as if to reassure him. “I’m...not sure how to feel about...that happening to Marvin.”

“That’s okay,” Anti said softly. “You don’t have to figure it out right now.”

Jack nodded, covering his mouth with his hand. He walked over to the nearest chair and sat down.

“Are...you alright?” Anti asked hesitantly.

“Fine,” Jack said. “No, I-I mean...I’m a bit...I don’t know. Just...give me a moment. Keep talking, it’s okay.”

“Well...if you insist.” Anti turned back to Dark. “You’ve known a Void, then? In recent times?”

Dark and Wilford exchanged a knowing look. “Fairly recent, yes,” Dark said.

“Haven’t seen the chap in a while, though,” Wilford muttered.

Anti’s eyes narrowed. “Is it another one of your doppelgangers?” Neither of them answered, but that was an answer in and of itself. Anti sighed. “I swear, every time I see you two, another one pops up.”

“Have you met the new three?” Wilford asked cheerfully.

“This isn’t the time for that,” Dark chided. Wil chuckled, taking another sip of his drink.

Anti folded his arms. “You know, I think I will take you up on your offer to help.” If he was being honest, he didn’t really think he needed it. He wasn’t planning on holding back the next time he ran into the Void. But it couldn’t hurt to hold as many cards as possible in this game. “I need you to tell me everything you know about Voids.”

Dark raised an eyebrow. “Everything?”

“Yes, everything,” Anti repeated. “I said it’s been a while since I’ve seen one, better brush up. Do all Voids have the same weakness? What about abilities?” He paused. “And do you know if there’s any way to undo what’s been done?”

“Well, in that case.” Dark rolled his shoulders. “Might as well get comfortable, because this will take some time.”

- - - - - - - - - -

Jackie had never seen real magicians before. Other than Marvin, of course, but he’d always known Marvin was something of an outsider when it came to this magical community. Until Jameson had filled him and Chase in on the situation, Jackie hadn’t even known magicians had governments. So he had no idea what to expect, waiting in the lobby of the building underneath Jameson’s apartment.

Yet somehow, when the two magicians showed up, he immediately thought they looked like how magicians would. They introduced themselves as Frederick and Yvonne. Frederick was taller, with dark hair and eyes, and a swirling tattoo along the side of his neck. Yvonne’s hair was dyed purple and blue, her eyes lighter in color. They wore the same sort of professional clothing, but there was something about it that seemed a bit...well, magical.

“So you two are the ones Mr. Jackson mentioned?” Yvonne checked the message on her phone. “Jackie and Chase, right?”

“Yeah. I’m Jackie, that’s Chase.” Jackie gestured at Chase, who nodded but didn’t say anything.

“Alright, got it.” Yvonne pocketed her phone. “So, neither of you practice magic, but you’re aware of it, right?”

“Um...yeah. That doesn’t like, break any magic laws, does it?” Jackie asked cautiously.

Frederick made a huffing sort of laugh. “No, not at all. Look, the ABIM, and really all the people in charge all over the world, aren’t concerned with secrecy on an individual level. As long as people as a whole don’t know. That could cause...so many problems.”

“I never understood that,” Chase muttered. “Like, in books and stuff. Why’s it a secret?”

“Hmm, go talk to government officials looking to weaponize anything, and then if you’re still confused, come back to that question,” Yvonne chuckled. Then her face fell into a more serious expression. “Anyway, the sooner we get going, the better. Jackson said that a friend of yours got caught up in this?”

Jackie nodded. His hand fell to his belt, restocked with blades that Jameson kept stashed for emergencies. If there was ever an emergency, this was it.

Frederick and Yvonne looked at each other. “...sorry about that,” Frederick muttered. “You know, that it happened. But if we hurry, we can get there before anything bad...well.” He cleared his throat and straightened. “We’re going to need the soul seeker.”

Jameson nodded. One moment please, he signed. He’d brought a backpack with him, which he now took off and set on the ground. After a moment of digging, he took out a small, spherical object wrapped in a white towel, which he passed to Frederick.

The magician unwrapped the towel, revealing the soul seeker. It looked the same as ever—a glass orb filled with swirling smoke. Frederick rested a hand against the side, and watched as the smoke turned a dark forest green, then gathered together in the center and began branching off, like a miniature tree. “Okay, good, it works,” Frederick nodded. He passed the seeker to Yvonne. “You do it, you’re a better tracker.”

“Why thank you very much.” Yvonne flashed a smile, taking the seeker. The moment she took it, the branching green in the center burst apart into a wild tempest, the mist now pale sky blue. She took the sphere in both hands, looking down at it as her brows furrowed together in concentration. The mist suddenly flickered wildly through a few different colors and modes—gray-red that dripped at the sides, olive yellow that roiled like a sea in a storm—before landing on purple. Dark violet sparks snapped angrily at the edges of the glass containing them. Yvonne’s expression suddenly shifted—to surprise.

Frederick seemed to notice that. “Is...is something wrong, Eve?”

“No, it’s nothing.” Yvonne shook her head. “Let’s just...just do this.” She blinked, and her eyes started to glow sky blue. Almost too quietly to hear, she began muttering words.

{That...was recognition.} Jameson’s words projected into Jackie and Chase’s minds, but only to them. To the magicians, he remained silent, checking the time on his watch. {She recognized the seeker’s memory of Marvin’s soul. How...odd.}

“Got it!” Yvonne looked away from the seeker, her eyes retaining their glow. “I can see the way. C’mon, let’s go. You three are coming, too?”

“Of course we are!” Jackie said. “This was our idea.”

“Great, there should be room in the car for all of us,” Frederick said, doing a quick head count.

“Car?” Chase asked, surprised. “Can’t you just...teleport us, or something?”

Frederick laughed. “Oh, if only. It would take so much power to teleport even one person farther than a few blocks. No, cars are faster.”

“Especially with how far away this feels,” Yvonne added. 

Well, the three of us are ready, Jameson signed. Let’s go.

Frederick sighed. “We have to adapt the translation spells for signed languages.”

“He just said they’re ready to go, don’t worry,” Yvonne said. “Besides, I’m sure there are transpells for signs somewhere out there.” She tucked the soul seeker underneath her arm, not letting go of it. “I’m driving, by the way.”

“What?! No, it’s my car!” Frederick protested.

“And you don’t know where we’re going, so I’m driving,” Yvonne insisted.

Frederick sighed, but waved his hand, as if relenting. 

“Why are we standing around talking? There’s no time to lose!” Jackie headed towards the door. “Let’s find them.”

- - - - - - - - - -

They had to abandon the car eventually, as the tracking spell led them into the forest surrounding the city. There, even though the late summer sun wouldn’t set for another two hours at least, the trees darkened the area to evening lighting. Luckily, Jameson brought a flashlight, and the magicians were able to conjure orbs of soft light as they walked onward.

The longer they walked, the more anxious Jackie became. He and Chase had gotten lost in these woods...was it only earlier today? God, it was hard to believe. So much had happened since the wreck. Speaking of which, now that they were actually starting to do something, Jackie was replaying the events of the crash over and over. Nerves were starting to eat away at his composure. But he had to push through them. It was just like facing any other criminal. Except instead of guns, this one had magic. But in both cases, you didn’t want to be caught.

“So, remember, we want to get in and out quickly,” Jackie said quietly. Something about the forest made him want to lower his voice. “This is a rescue mission.”

“Damn right it is,” Chase agreed.

Frederick turned to look over his shoulder at them. “You two can do it that way if you want to, but our job is to take in any sources of black magic. That includes this magician.”

“We can do it both ways,” Chase said. “But, uh, please don’t give us away.”

“What do you two do anyway?” Jackie wondered out loud. “Are you like those people in the Harry Potter books? The ones I don’t remember the names of, who catch the dark wizards.”

“I don’t remember either, but, uh, kinda.” Frederick nodded. “We’re like magic police. Track down any black magic, and deal with it appropriately. The ABIM even has different divisions, like a police department. Yvonne used to work in the undercover sector, in fact.”

Jackie narrowed his eyes. “How do you ‘deal with it?’”

Frederick shrugged. “Depends on the severity of the offense. Someone just messing about will probably get, like, a fine, or a few months of time-out.” He chuckled, but then his expression fell. “But if the person turns out to be a more serious threat, they can be put away forever, have their magic locked, or even...well. Dealt with.”

“I see.” Jackie fell silent. Part of him wondered how Marvin would rank on that scale. And part of him wondered if he cared if Marvin faced the most serious consequence.

Meanwhile, Yvonne and Jameson were walking farther ahead. Yvonne’s eyes still glowed blue as she followed the trail only she could see. The soul seeker was still clutched in her hands, the mist inside locked on the purple sparks of Marvin’s soul. “Handy that you had this,” Yvonne muttered. “How’d you find it?”

It’s a long story, Jameson signed. The short version is I had to work around a protective spell and a locked desk drawer.

“I’m sorry, what was that last word?”

D-R-A-W-E-R, Jameson finger-spelled the word.

“Oh.” Yvonne paused. “Um, sorry I wasn’t able to get that.”

It’s alright, you’re doing really well anyway, Jameson signed encouragingly. It is lucky you know sign, by the way.

“Well. Thought it would be handy to learn,” Yvonne shrugged. “Still having trouble forming the words myself, though.”

Most people find it the other way around. Interesting.

They fell silent for a moment. Then: “I think we’re getting close.”

Is that so? Jameson asked. Well, in that case, I think this is a good time to show you something. It might come in handy, for what we’re going into.

“Oh?”

Jameson dug into his pocket, and withdrew a silver pocket watch. Here, you can look at it, he said, passing it over.

Yvonne shifted the soul seeker to one hand, taking the watch with the other. “Hmm. This is a talisman, right?” She turned it over in her fingers. “I can recognize the runes, but I’m not very good at reading them. I’m sure you can do all...all sorts of...” She trailed off. She continued walking forward, following the tracking spell, but her eyes remained fixed on the watch.

{All sorts of things with it.} Jameson finished the thought for her. {I have a few questions for you. And a favor as well.}

About fifteen minutes later, the group ran into the walls of a small cabin, hidden between the trees. “This looks important,” Chase muttered. “Is this the place?”

After a short pause, Yvonne nodded. “Yeah, the spell ends here.”

Jackie stepped back a bit, looking at the cabin as a whole. “Not what I was expecting, I’ll be honest,” he said. “But I guess it makes sense that he’d want to stay as far away from people as possible.” He paused. “Antisocial prick.”

“Hey, so fun fact about black magic,” Frederick said. “A common side effect of using it too much is withdrawing from people. Or, you know, society as a whole.”

“Oh. Huh.” Jackie...wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He quickly concluded that Marvin was still a prick and decided to move on. “Anyway, where’s the entrance?”

“I don’t know,” Yvonne said. She handed the soul seeker to Jameson, who slipped it back in his backpack. “Why don’t you guys go find it? I’ll stay outside, keep watch.”

Frederick looked surprised at that. “Really? You don’t want to come?”

“Not this time,” Yvonne said, shaking her head. “But if you call for me, I’ll come running.”

“Well...okay, then.” Frederick frowned, but turned to look at the other three. “So the rest of us are all going in?” When they all nodded in unison, he continued. “Okay. I think stealth would be the best approach. That way you can find your friend and get out quickly, and I can hopefully get the jump on the magician.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Jackie agreed. 

“Yep, sounds solid.” Chase’s hand drifted towards his belt, hovering around his pistol. Just in case.

They found the front door easily enough—it was a small cabin, after all. It was locked, but Frederick whispered a few words, and a wisp of dark green magic twisted around the handle, and suddenly it was open. He frowned at that. “No defensive spells,” he muttered. “That’s not a good sign. Be careful.”

The interior of the house was absolutely wrecked. The furniture was still broken, and there were black trails and indents on the walls, the remains of a struggle. What’s more, the air felt heavy, squeezing the intruder’s hearts in its icy fingers. It was like going too far underwater and starting to feel the pressure.

Frederick shivered, conjuring a small blossom of green light to illuminate the dark interior. “This feels...wrong,” he whispered. “More than the usual dark magic, I mean.”

Jameson waved, drawing the other’s attention. I can locate two other human minds in this building. One through there—he pointed at a simple wooden door in the wall—and one through here. He pointed at another, nearer door. This one had a chair, bleeding stuffing from its upholstery, shoved under the handle. 

“Nice,” Frederick nodded, impressed. “Can you tell who is which?”

Jackie snorted. “I don’t think he would want to shove a chair in front of the room he was in,” he muttered, already approaching said chair. It wasn’t too heavy, but its legs scraped along the floor, so he had to go slow to avoid making too much noise. After a moment, Chase joined him, and the two of them were able to move the chair out of the way. Jameson hovered nearby, while Frederick watched from a ways away.“Alright.” Jackie took a deep breath, hand resting on the door handle. “Here we go.” And with that, he pulled it open.

The room beyond was even darker than the living room. Jackie reached inside, feeling along the wall until he found a light switch and managed to flip it on. A single lightbulb mounted in the ceiling flickered to life. Now, being able to see, it was evident that this was actually meant to be a closet of some kind, though it was empty except for a few cardboard boxes that looked empty. But Jackie and Chase didn’t care about those. Their eyes immediately and simultaneously locked on the figure lying on the ground.

“Schn—!” Jackie couldn’t even get the word out, he was too flooded with a combination of relief and worry. Chase didn’t even say anything, just pushed into the closet and fell to his knees next to Schneep. Jackie was quick to follow, and once the two of them had vacated the doorway Jameson entered as well, though he didn’t kneel on the floor with the other two.

“Is he okay?” Chase asked in a hushed voice.

“I-I don’t know.” Jackie gave Schneep a once-over. Number one thing to notice: he was either asleep or unconscious. Hopefully the former and not the latter. His wrists were tied together with strips of cloth, slightly bloodstained from a few small cuts along his wrists. But the most pressing problem appeared to be the purple-stained veins on the side of his forehead. As Jackie watched, the violet coloring seemed to spread, almost unnoticeably. “It...doesn’t look like he’s in immediate danger?” Jackie guessed.

Chase reached forward and shook Schneep’s shoulder. He didn’t stir. Chase pressed his fingers to Schneep’s neck. “I think that’s steady. And normal,” Chase said. “So there’s that. But what about the purple stuff?”

“I don’t know about that, either.” Jackie pulled Schneep upward, wrapping his arms around him. Schneep’s head rolled to the side, and he still didn’t stir. Jackie was starting to lean towards the ‘unconscious’ option from earlier. He looked up, noticing Jameson nearby. “Hey, can you do anything about this?” He asked. “With your...y’know.” He tapped the side of his head.

Before Jameson could answer, there was a scream from outside the closet.

Chase and Jackie looked at each other, and instantly they were both on their feet, with Chase drawing his gun and Jackie lifting Schneep into his arms. Chase went outside first, passing by Jameson.

While they’d been busy finding their lost friend, it appeared that Frederick had gone ahead and decided to confront the other human mind Jameson had sensed. Now, he was climbing to his feet, having apparently fallen over some of the broken furniture. His eyes were glowing emerald green, cables of magic looping around his hands. Standing directly across from him, only a few feet away and glowing with darkness, was Marvin. 

“I don’t know who you are, but you are going to regret ever stepping foot in my house,” Marvin hissed. And he flung out a hand, black-purple magic splattering away.

Frederick gasped, and raised his hands in turn. A green shield sprang up from the ground just in time. The purple magic splashed against the shield and immediately started burning through, but it gave Frederick enough time to roll away and launch his own attack. Green magic sprouted from the ground around Marvin, wrapping like vines around his legs.

Marvin made a sound of frustration, and dropped a ball of dark violet to the floor, where it burst into bright purple, eating away the vines. He made another ball and threw it toward Frederick, who caught it in a woven net of green light, spinning the ball’s trajectory back around toward Marvin. He ducked as the ball soared over his head and split against the wall. And he screamed. “What are you even doing here?!”

Frederick’s eyes darted to the side for a split second, glancing toward where Chase and Jackie were standing, frozen as they watched the battle between magicians. But that split second was long enough for Marvin to follow his gaze. Purple eyes turned on the two, and immediately flared brighter. “You!” He shrieked. He threw his arm across the room, and a wheel of black light spun to life, heading right for the other two. Chase pushed Jackie, still holding Schneep, to the side. But before the wheel got too close, it suddenly glowed green. Sprouts of emerald light burst from within the wheel, destroying it. 

Marvin screamed again, whirling in between Frederick and the others. “Why won’t you diiie?!” He wailed. It wasn’t clear who he was talking to.

Chase checked the safety on his gun. Behind him, Jackie regained his balance, holding Schneep close to him. Jackie started backing towards the door, while Chase aimed the pistol at Marvin. “Could say the same thing about you,” he muttered. “You got shot, like, twice. But maybe that just wasn’t enough.”

Marvin snarled, black violet dripping from his hands and arms. “I don’t care how many times you pull that trigger. It won’t stop me. Not now! Not with—” He suddenly stopped. He’d noticed someone hovering in the closet doorway that he hadn’t seen before. “You.”

Jameson froze. It was no use hiding anymore, not when Marvin had seen him.

Time might as well have stopped. The two of them stared at each other, neither moving. The others in the room seemed locked in place as well, fixed in place by the air that had turned to a solid, it was so thick with unspoken words and leftover emotions. Nobody moved. Nobody wanted to move.

Then Marvin snapped.

“Get out!” He threw a bolt of darkest violet from his hands. Jameson jumped to the side as it left a black crater in the wall beside him. But it was quickly followed by a barrage more. “Get out! Get out of my sight! I don’t want to see you! I don’t want to hear you! I don’t want you in my thoughts! GET OUT!”

Jameson scrambled backwards, almost tripping over nothing as he tried to get as far from the bolts of burning magic as possible. Though they passed close enough to feel the searing darkness emanating from them, none of them hit him. Maybe they weren’t meant to. Regardless, as soon as there was a slight gap in the onslaught, he turned and ran. Chase and Jackie, seeing an opportunity, followed quickly, fleeing into the woods. 

As soon as they were out of sight, Marvin stopped, panting. He didn’t like the knot of feelings in his chest. He didn’t want to touch it. If he touched it, the knot would beg to be untangled, and he’d get lost in it.

There was a small noise behind him. Anger rose in a wave, and Marvin turned on it. Frederick was still in here. Marvin growled, squeezing his fists tight enough for his nails to leave imprints on his palms. “You. Are going. To die.”

Frederick immediately cast another shield, stronger than his first attempt. Marvin’s magic splattered against it, starting to eat away. Frederick reached into his pocket and pulled out something that looked like a small glass orb, big enough to fit in his hand. He squeezed it, and it shattered instantly, a small wave of blue light spreading away from it.

That was the call for help. Now he just had to last until Yvonne showed up. But looking into those violet, empty eyes, doing so sounded like an improbable task.

- - - - - - - - - -

“Get in the car, get in the car, get in the car!”

“But what about the magicians?”

“Fuck the magicians, we are going to die if we don’t get out of here! Now get in the car or I’ll drive away without you!”

Jackie slid into the car’s backseat, making sure that he didn’t accidentally hit Schneep’s head against anything. Chase was in the driver’s seat, looking through the various storage areas, and Jameson was just closing the door to the passenger’s seat.

“I saw a spare key in here, who the fuck keeps a spare key in their car? I guess magicians do! Ah, there it is!” Chase twisted the key and the car started. He wasted no time in applying the gas, skidding away from the side of the road and peeling away. Only then did he allow himself to breathe. “Jesus christ, that was actually somehow worse than last time. How is that possible?”

Jackie looked out the window behind them. “So...we’re really going to just leave those guys.”

Chase, at least, had the decency to feel guilty. He shifted in his seat. “I mean...I guess we could stick around? See if the come out? I mean, we have a car...maybe if Marvin came after us we could get away fast?”

{No,} Jameson said. {Remember what he did to your van? I don’t think it would be too hard to do the same thing here.}

“...I guess,” Chase said. He glanced back at Jackie, and in a moment, they both understood; neither of them were happy about this.

{At least we got Henrik back,} Jameson pointed out.

Jackie nodded. He was still half-holding Schneep, who hadn’t so much as opened his eyes during the whole commotion. “We got to figure out what’s up with this,” he muttered, eyes landing on the web of purple on his forehead.

“Yeah, but I think we need to get somewhere safe first,” Chase said.

“Back to the apartment?” Jackie suggested.

{Why not?} Jameson shrugged. {I certainly can’t think of anyplace better.}

“What if..." Chase swallowed nervously. “What if he comes after you?”

Jameson didn’t say anything for a while, staring out the window. {I don’t think he will.} The words were small, silent even for a thought.

The rest of the drive back was silent, heavy with unvoiced thoughts.