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huffle-dork · 8 months ago

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Swap Across the CrystalVerse Chapter 10: Shadow City

Read Swapboys | Crystal’s AUs

Read SITCV | SATCV Masterpost | AO3 Link

“—so it's not just ghosts," Jack says. He's spent the past few minutes explaining the state of this universe to Bro, about the vampires and werewolves and witches in the city. "But don't worry, it's usually pretty safe in Scuabyrg. There's this group called the Night Council—well, there's one in most major cities, but the point is they're basically the government for all these secret creatures. They make sure people don't get hurt. Everydays, as they call the normal humans. I dunno if you'd count as one in their eyes. I do, even though I have a 'special power' or whatever."

The car is driving steadily down the near-empty city streets, keeping after one of the magic trails. Said trail is getting steadily more blue.

Bro nods along and hums, “I dunno- my brother is always telling me my powers are like magic. So- don’t really know if I’d count as an everyday, I guess.”

Chase leans in from the backseat. "I'm pretty new to all this magic stuff, but personally, I think you're a special case. Witches here have, like... rules to follow to get and use magic, so you're not one of them. And you're clearly not a vampire or anything."

"Hmm." Jack nods. "Yeah, Chase is right. You'd probably be something special. Your friends might be, too. Maybe. Do they use magic? I don't remember if you've told me."

"Alt does!" Bro says with a smile, "He's all about magic. It's become like one of his favorite things- but I think he's pretty good at it. Jackie is human. Fucking great lad though- he's a parkourist! And like the best dad i know~ .... but that doesn't really have anything to do with being special magic." He laughs.

"Ah, parkour?! Hell yeah, fucking great." Jack grins.

"I did parkour when I was in uni," Chase says. "I mean... sort of. We didn't really know any parkour moves, we really just jumped around. I'm honestly surprised I didn't die, looking back on it. I did fuck up my ribs, though."

"Whoa, hey!" Jack raises his eyebrows. The magic trail they're following is joined by a second one. "Your trails are merging together, other Chase."

"Does that mean that Alt and Jackie have met up?" Chase asks.

Bro leans up to look better and then grins, "Huh! I guess so! Well- that makes things way easier!"

“Do you think they found some of our friends, too?” Chase wonders.

“Maybe,” Jack says. “I hope they weren’t too scared.”

"My friends? Nah- they're tough lads. ...well Jackie maybe but- I'm sure he's fine." Bro snickers. "I'm assuming your friends are also like- supernatural things too?"

Jack grins. “If he’s as tough as our Jackie, you’re probably right.” Then he nods. “Yeah. Jackie’s a werewolf, Schneep and JJ are vampires, and Marvin is… well, sort of a creature. He’s a witch.”

“He’s been helping with the whole… how did I die thing,” Chase says.

"Oh! Dude- that's wicked." Bro grins. "We don't have things like that at home! I mean, besides magic- I'm guessing witches are pretty similar to magicians-"

"Probably!" Jack agrees. "We have different types of witches here, depending on where they draw their power from. Plants or earth magic are probably the most common sources, but with practice, people can learn to draw power from anything. Death, breathing, the fucking... concept of chaos itself. And then there are spells and rituals to do their magic."

"It's pretty interesting," Chase says. "But sometimes a bit hard to follow. I'm not good with all this magic stuff, I think."

"Oh neither am I- Alt's the one that gets it the most. I'm just there to support him- even if I don't understand a lick of it sometimes." Bro laughs.

"I'm with you guys, too," Jack says. "All I know is magic is the sparkly stuff. Usually. Unless it's darkness magic." He chuckles.

The car turns a street corner, and the headlights shine on an unusual sight. A large brown wolf is running down the street.

"Whoa!" Jack slams on the brakes, causing him and Bro to lurch forward. Chase stays where he is. "Okay, there they are!"

Behind the wolf are several other people.

Bro catches himself on the dashboard and shakes out of his head. His eyes widen as he sees the wolf. "Oh- that's a biggg wolf!"

Then, he sees the familiar spark of Alt's magic and he grins. "Hey!" He gets out of the car and then uses some of his super speed and flying to grab Alt and scoops him off the ground into a hug. "Alt!"

Alt yelps and then squirms in the hug. "Chase! Jesus- why do you always tackle me??"

"Cuz what if you were in danger and just really needed a hug?" Bro says defensively but with a teasing edge. "Can't a big bro be worried for his lil brotherrr~?"

Alt rolls his eyes and pushes Bro's face away as he glitches out of his grip.

The wolf skids to a halt, looking at Bro flying in comical shock.

"Whoa!" Marvin jumps. "Wow. Jeez." He takes a moment to get his breath back. "Was not expecting... the flying."

Alt, you didn't mention that, JJ says.

"Or the speed," Schneep says. Unlike Marvin, he and JJ are not breathing heavily.

Alt blinks, "I swore we said he was a superhero-"

"Yeah but I only mentioned he could fly with Schneep and other me." Jackieboy pants, also out of breath.

"I'm full of surprises!" Bro says cheerfully. "Hi everyone! I'm Chase- but you guys can call me Bro so other me doesn't get confused!"

Jack opens the car door. "Hey guys."

"Hello, Jack," Schneep says cheerfully. "I see you found someone!"

"Yeah, he showed up in our house. He freaked Chase out, and then Chase freaked him out. Oh, Chase came with, by the way."

And yet, Chase is not visible in the backseat.

Bro laughs as Jack tells the others of their encounters, "Oh yeah he scared the beejesus out of me! But, he's pretty cool!" He then blinks and looks around, "Oh uh- where did he go??"

"What is he like- invisible or something?" Jackieboy jokes.

Jackie shifts back from wolf form slowly. He winces, pressing a hand to the worst of his burns. "I know you're kidding, but yeah, Chase can do that. He disappears. Actually, more accurate to say he appears, because invisible is the default state for--"

"Ohhhh," Schneep says slowly. "Chase, you do not want to shock them, do you?"

A voice comes from just outside the car. "Yeah, I think you guys should explain, first."

"Right, yeah, we never mentioned that, did we?" Marvin says. "Uh... Chase is a ghost."

Alt and Jackie exchange looks and then look back at the others.

"Like... because he...?" Alt asks quietly, afraid to say the whole sentence.

"Y-Yes but- not in the way you two must be thinking. They're actually trying to find out why it happened cuz other me doesn't remember! But, he's really chill!" Bro explains with a shaky smile.

"Oh... well-" Jackieboy says, "at least we know. It's okay, Chase, you don't need to hide."

"Are you sure?" Chase asks. "People get really freaked out."

"Better to just rip the plaster off, I think," Jackie says, shrugging.

"Real quick explanation," Jack says. "Ghosts still have the sign of their death on them, especially if they were killed. So you're going to see some blood. And sometimes parts of them don't appear, they just fade away."

Come on, Chase, I'm sure it's fine, JJ says.

"...okay." And then Chase appears, slowly fading in. He looks just like he did when Bro first saw him.

"Oh, fucking hell!" Marvin jumps. "Eyes, Chase, the eyes!"

"God damn it. Sorry." Chase blinks, and his eyes appear as well.

Alt and Jackie do jump a bit at seeing the eyes. But, they try their best to calm down. Though, they look at Chase's wound with trepidation. Not as much as Bro had when he first saw though.

"T-Thanks for the warning guys," Jackie says. "Nice to meet you, other Chase."

"Yeah- for sure," Alt says, looking a bit spooked still but trying to hide it. It's just- hard seeing the splitting image of your brother... dead.

Chase smiles shakily. "Nice to meet you, too. Weird to see a shorter version of Jackie."

"...Am I that much shorter??" Jackieboy asks, looking at his other self.

"Yeah, sorry." Jackie is about half a head taller than his counterpart. "Don't feel bad about it, you get a growth spurt when you turn into a werewolf, I'm pretty sure I was your height before that."

"Fucking! Magic bullshit!" Jackieboy cries, throwing his hands up in the air. Bro and Alt laugh.

Then Chase looks at Alt. "So... you're my brother in another universe? That probably explains your expression. Don't worry, I'm used to people freaking out."

"You get used to it," Jack says, leaning back against the car seat. "I've seen ghosts all my life, they're freaky, but mostly harmless."

"Gee, thanks," Chase says.

Alt flushes a bit and gives him a weak smile. "Uh... yeah sorry- just... hard to see. But, not your fault."

"He's not freaky! He's cool!" Bro says, putting his hands on his hips.

Chase laughs, the sound strange and echoey. "Thanks, Bro. That does make me feel better."

"So." Marvin folds his arms. "Now that we're all together, we have to find that Magnificent guy."

"How bad is this guy, anyway?" Jack asks.

"He almost burned down the Harvest Moon," Schneep states.

"...he's pretty fucking bad," Alt mutters, "Now that he knows there's magic around... he's gonna be looking for a source of it."

Marvin bragged earlier that he's the most powerful witch in the city, JJ says, Marvin smiling behind him as he signs it. And that means Magnificent might go after him?

"There are a lot of witches around, though, right?" Chase says.

"I know there are quite a few in the hospital," Schneep says. "To help with magical injuries."

"The most magic in the city would probably be at City Hall or the library," Jack says. "City Hall is where the Night Council meets, so there's sure to be a lot of witches there. And the library has a secret stock supply of magical texts."

"He'd go to a place with more magicians... he drains people of their magic to use for himself," Alt says darkly. "He doesn't care who he has to hurt to get it."

"Maybe... he got pretty beat up by those wolves in the pub though," Jackie points out.

"Oh really? Fuck yeah!" Bro grins.

"Hell yeah!" Jackie punches the air. "We're great, aren't we? That's my pack! Heartwoods 7 for the win!"

Bro and Jackieboy laugh at Jackie's enthusiasm.

Schneep rolls his eyes and looks at the visitors from the other world. "Heartwoods is the name of an apartment complex. Floor 7 is all werewolves, it's one big pack that Jackie's a part of. He's really excited about it."

"Of course I am, they're like, my best friends," Jackie says.

"Should I be offended?" Jack mutters.

"Besides you guys."

"Aaaanyway," Marvin says. "I say we check out the library first. City Hall has witches, but it has wolves and vamps, too. The library is pretty much only witches. Or, I mean, the secret section is. Anyone can go to the library itself."

Much easier to get into the library, too, JJ adds.

Alt nods to Marvin and JJ, "Yeah... that's a good place to start at least. ...I'll know when we find him."

"Alright... everyone who can't teleport, get in, then," Jack says, indicating the car. "We'll meet the rest of you there."

"Yay! No more running!" Jackieboy cheers, happily heading towards the car.

Bro pouts, remembering he shouldn't be flying. "Okayyy back to the car-"

Alt can't help but snicker- knowing Bro hated how slow cars were too. "Don't worry bro, I'm sure the time will just fly by~"

"Yer so mean to me!"

"It's gonna be a tight fit," Jackie says. "That comes out to... other me, Schneep, other Chase, Chase, and me."

"Well I'm not really there," Chase says, passing his hand through the car as an example.

"Yeah, but you do make things cold where you float."

"It is not the cold I mind, it is the static electricity," Schneep mutters.

"Chase, if you're okay with it, I can just summon you to the location," Marvin offers.

Chase shrugs. "Fine by me. I can explore the city some more."

Great, that means there's just enough seats for the rest of you, then, JJ says.

"I call front," Jackie says, climbing into the passenger seat before anyone can object.

"We're keeping the window rolled up," Jack says jokingly.

Bro and Jackieboy laugh and get inside the car. But, Bro makes sure to knock Alt in the shoulder playfully and give him a soft smile. "Don't do anything reckless until we get there, alright?"

Alt chuckles and nods, "I'll try my best. See you guys soon."

"Everyone buckle up," Jack says. Then he puts the car in gear and drives off.

Marvin looks at Alt. "Let's go, then." He holds out his hand for the teleportation.

I'll see you there, JJ says, and walks into a shadow and disappears.

Alt nods and takes Marvin's hand, glitching them towards the library.

----------

Magnificent appears on a city street with tall buildings all around. Offices, it looks like. Some of their windows are lit up in whites and yellows as the late shift works, but many are dark. Street lights shine circles of white light on the sidewalk and road.

Magnificent staggers and leans up against the closest surface he can, biting back curses and he grips at his bitten arm. Fucking mutt...! He needs a power source... fast. He's running dangerously low... and he's ravenous. His eyes search around the area, trying to find the biggest source of magic around.

There are pockets of magic all over the city, all varied in the way they feel. There are a couple distant sources of powerful magic, but the closest source nearby seems to be on the street corner. Coming from what looks like a small restaurant or convenience store.

Magnificent is past the point of thinking rationally right now- he's in pain and starving. He stumbles into the store.

At first glance, it looks like a normal corner store, with various items on sale and rows of aisles with snacks and small items for sale. But it's an illusion. Magnificent can see the wares ripple, their images briefly falling away to show more fantastical things beneath them. Strange plants and bottles of glowing liquids and lots of crystals. Behind the counter is an older woman with red hair, a few white strands mixed in. She's a witch, and the magic in her burns as fiery as her hair does.

"Oh, uh, welcome!" she says. "Um... can I help you?"

Magnificent chuckles deliriously and bares his fangs at the woman. "Why... yes, my dear. You can." He then teleports behind her and tries to grab her from behind, aiming to drain as much magic from her as possible.

The older woman gasps. She reaches into her pocket for something and her skin suddenly gets really hot, to the point of burning Magnificent. But--he still drains her. And she soon slumps over the counter unconscious.

Magnificent hisses at the burn but- no consequence. He has magic flowing through him again. But- its still not enough.

"Ella, was that someone?" A man with black hair and a beard comes from a door behind the counter. He's magic too, this one feeling cloudy and electric. He sees the sight and gasps, pulling a wooden wand off a display hanging on the wall.

Like a vicious animal Magnificent turns towards the man, grinning wide as the light catches his unnatural eyes. In a flash he teleports so he's in front of the man, lashing out to grab his face and drain him too.

The man cries out, trying to aim the wand at Magnificent. A bolt of lightning fires from the tip but misses Mag by a hair, and soon he slumps as well.

Magnificent lets the man drop to the floor and then throws his head back with laughter. He studies his veins as they glow with stolen power- and he starts to feel more full. He giggles and feels more like himself. There was always room for more but for now, he's satiated. He hums as he now takes in the tiny store, lookin over the trinkets- searching for anything else of use.

"Damn. Who pissed in your cornflakes this morning?"

What the hell? The store had been empty before, but now, there's a man in the corner, lurking in the spot where a large shelf casts a shadow on the wall. He's dressed in all black, from the overlarge black leather jacket, to the black tank top with "Bite Me" written on it in red, to the black ripped skinny jeans, to the tall black boots whose soles lend him at least an inch of height. His hair is brown and messy, and his eyes are blue with a ring of green around the pupil. Silver rings cover his fingers, and his pale skin has a gray tint to it.

Magnificent freezes and then whips around, lighting his hands on fire as he growls towards the voice. He glares at the man, then stops, finding himself momentarily confused. "...Alt?" But he gets over his confusion quickly. His cub wouldn't dress like that.

He stands up and regards the man coolly, but keeps magic at his fingertips. "...You look like someone I know, Who might you be?"

"I've gone by a lot of names," the man says, walking towards Magnificent. "These days I like Anti. Short and to the point. But now that you know me, I gotta know you. Who are you?" His eyes flick up and down, scanning Magnificent. "You look like a witch, even a witch I know, but there's no fucking way a witch can do that fucking shit." He gestures at the unconscious witches.

Magnificent chuckles, "Of course you are." He shakes his head then holds himself taller, "I am Magnificent. I'm more than a mere witch. I'm a sorcerer from another universe."

Anti's eyebrows raise into the air. "Ohhhh. Okay, so you're either one of those crazy cult witches, or you're telling the truth and those crazy cult witches are right. But honestly, I'm gonna guess the second one. Cause again. What the fuck was that." He walks around Magnificent and starts checking out the unconscious witches.

Magnificent laughs, shaking his head. "Even simpleton mortals can guess true things, it seems." He glances at the bodies of the witches and grins wickedly. "I siphoned their power to use as my own. It's a crude method- I have a more elegant ritual back in my own world but... too little time to do that here." He grips at his injured arm again and growls, "Plus... the beasts made me waste power... I was too hungry. Fucking hate that feeling..."

Anti glances back at Magnificent, looking down at the injury on his arm. "Werewolves? Yeah, they fucking suck." He pointed at one of the shelves. "The bottles with green stuff inside are healing potions. You're lucky it's not a full moon, I doubt even sorcerers from other worlds are immune to lycanthropy."

Mag's eyes widen at this and he hurriedly teleports to the shelves and grabs the potions, downing them quickly.

They taste like lemonade with a weird plant-like taste mixed in. His arm starts to tingle around the injury, and his skin slowly starts knitting together.

"Don't drink too many," Anti calls. "You'll get sick." He crouches down by the unconscious man, leaning in close to his neck. When he pulls away, he looks a little less pale than he did before, and there's a red substance on the inside of his lips that he licks off. He then stands up and watches Magnificent, curious.

Magnificent stops once he feels the wound close altogether and he flexes his arm to make sure its healed. He sighs in relief and then glances back at Anti. He tilts his head curiously, studying him back. "...You're a vampire." He then looks back down at Anti and snorts, "That would explain the fashion sense."

"Heh. Catch on quick." Anti smiles, flashing the fangs. "Most people think the fashion thing is just a gimmick I'm doing. Even if I was to tell them, they'd just be like 'yeah, sure kid, that's cute,' and not realize that I'm older than them and not joking." He leans back against the counter. "So. What're you doing here, then? If you're from a whole 'nother world?"

Magnificent laughs. He leans up against one of the walls, "Well... that's the thing. Usually when my annoyances prance into other universes I try to tag along but... this time I had no idea. And I still ended up in one. And now well... I won't look a gift horse in the mouth." He grins sinisterly, "So many worlds to see... magic to steal, copycats to kill. It's all too much fun to pass up~"

Anti nods. "Cool. So... annoyances? Lemme guess, there are other people from other worlds here too, and they hate you."

"Yes. A bunch of dirty do-gooders who thwart my plans constantly. A duo of brothers. And... well. The human they cart around. The brothers pose a significant threat but the human is useless."

"They always are," Anti agrees. "Alright. I know all that now. Are you gonna go try to find these guys and stop them? Maybe kill them?"

"Mmm... mayhaps. Usually I go to find my other self and drain them- especially since most have unique magic. And knowing my cub... he's probably already found him." Magnificent grins, "But of course- if there's a bigger source to steal or even control then... that will also do nicely~"

"Yeah, I think I know your other self. He's... an 'annoyance.'" Anti snickers. "So. Can I come?"

Magnificent blinks and then grins, "... I don't see why not. It might prove useful to have an ally so versed in this world~" He laughs.

"Hell yeah." Anti grins wide, stretching his arms above his head. "I was so bored. So where are we gonna go, Mag? You want a big source of magic? I know a couple."

“Ideally yes.” Magnificent giggles. “And a bigger source means common knowledge.. meaning we’ll lead all our annoyances to one spot~!”

"Alright. In that case, we could go to City Hall, or to the library," Anti says. "Those are the two biggest spots. Tons of magical shit, a lot of witches go there. Library might be better, if we break into City Hall the whole Night Council is gonna show up, and I don't think we should start with something that fucking big."

“Hm… no. I already caused quite the scene in a pub earlier. As fun as it would be to take down something called the Night Council- I think subtly is best at first.” Magnificent chuckles. He then gestures at Anti. “Well then, Anti. Care to lead the way?”

"Fucking 'course, Mag." Anti flashed another fanged smile. "Hope you're fast." And with that, he ran out of the shop.

Magnificent is not expecting him to just- run. But he does laugh and teleport after him.

-------------

The public library is a big box of a building, with a pair of stone statues out in front. One depicts a woman with bird wings--an angelic figure--and the other depicts a creature with large bat wings--some sort of gargoyle. There are benches out front, too, and it's here where Marvin, JJ, and Alt wait for the others.

"Hang on a moment," Marvin says, tracing a circle on the ground with a stick and drawing some weird squiggly lines inside. The ground isn't soft, and the end of the stick isn't marked, but his movements still leave behind black lines. "I gotta summon Chase."

Alt glitches closer and watches curiosity, tilting his head. “…never seen a ghost summoning before.”

"It might be different in your world, if a way exists at all," Marvin says. "But here it's pretty simple if you're a witch. You just gotta draw these runes along the edges and the radiuses...radia? Radi? I dunno. And then in the center you write down the runes symbolizing who you're calling. It's easier for stronger spirits, and Chase is probably the strongest spirit I've ever seen. Weirdly so. That's why I think some necromancy bullshit went down with his death."

Alt blinks in surprise, “Really? That strong huh? Hm… yeah that’s… hm.”

Marvin pulls his mask down over his face and taps the circle three times. On the third, the black lines light up. Marvin chants something in Irish. "An dtiocfaidh spiorad Chase Brody amach." A beam of light shoots up from the center of the circle, and ghost Chase slowly fades into existence.

Alt glitches a bit at the beam of light and then smiles as Chase appears.

Chase steps out of the beam of light--though maybe it's more like 'drifts' out--and looks around. "Been a while since I've been here," he says. "Y'know, libraries are great. I never really thought about it before."

Alt looks back at the library and smiles, “Libraries are great. Good place to go if you need someplace warm too.”

Marvin swipes his foot across the edge of the circle. "Hey, Chase."

"Hey." Chase leaves the circle through the bit Marvin cleared--it must have been working as a barrier. "Hi Alt. Hi JJ."

Alt grins and waves too, “Yo~!”

JJ smiles and waves. Good to see you. We still have some time until the others reach here.

"Oooo, y'know what we could do, then?" Marvin pulls out a deck of cards in a clear plastic case.

Alt blinks at Marvin and then grins excitedly and glitches to be next to him on the bench. “Tarot reading!!”

“Exactly!” Marvin says excitedly.

“Oooo,” Chase says, sounding very much like a stereotypical ghost. “I’ve never seen you do one.”

I suppose we did have some downtime after all, JJ says.

“Mm-hmm.” Marvin smiles at Alt. “So, what do you want to try? I can do a three card or five card fortune telling, a love reading, a personality assessment—a whole bunch of stuff.”

“Hmmm…” Alt puts his fingers on his chin to think. “…I dunno man. Whatever you wanna give me I guess! I’m curious just in general!”

“Alright. Hmm, I like doing personality assessments for new people.”

You did that with me, I remember, JJ says.

“Yep.” Marvin spreads the cards out on the bench between him and Alt. The backs of them are blue, with silver designs that look like crystals around the edges and an eye on the center. “You’ll need to pick five cards for this. For this first one, think about how other people think of you. Especially your friends and family.”

Alt nods and tries to think of that. Hmmm Chase calls him prickly. Which is accurate. He’s a bit cautious about new people and being touched sometimes. But he also knows his friends see him as kind- even if he felt he didn’t deserve that sometimes. He goes to draw a card.

When he flips it over, the card has an illustration of a man in medieval-type clothing with a hood pulled over his head, holding a bow and arrow towards the sky. The card is upside down, but Alt can read the words "The Hood."

"Ah, the Hood, a rebellious figure," Marvin says. "When it's reversed like that, it often means someone who's tough on the outside but has a heart of gold. Others see you as sometimes difficult to approach, but worth the trouble."

Alt chuckles and nods, “Yeah that sounds spot on.” Huh… the illustration reminds him of something… something fuzzy from another adventure. Why is it so hard to recall?

"For the next one, think of what you do," Marivn says. "You know, like hobbies and your job and such."

Alt thinks- is magic a hobby? Probably. But also he likes to tinker with things- he wants to learn how to build stuff with magic in them. And his shows- his illusions. Guess his life did kinda revolve around magic now. He draws the second card.

This one has an illustration of a man wearing a cat-like mask, one hand pointing up towards the sky and one pointing down to the ground. At his feet is a white cat with gray patches. It's titled "The Magician."

"Hey, same hat!" Marvin says, delighted. "The Magician is a force of will power and ambition. Someone who takes potential and makes it powerful. Your 'role', so to say, is often someone who likes making things happen, perhaps taking on big projects."

Alt beams and glitches slightly in place. “Yeah I like making things! Magic- art sometimes- I wanna figure out how to do like… I dunno- magic machines or something.” He shrugs.

"That guy in the picture has a mask like yours, Marvin," Chase says.

And that cat sort of looks like Higgins, JJ adds.

"Yeah, I've noticed. That's one of the reasons I bought this deck."

Alt looks at the cards closer and blinks, “oh yeah huh… I see it. That mask gets used a lot by other Marvins too.”

"Must be a universal constant," Marvin says. "Do you have a mask?"

Maybe that bandanna functions as one? JJ guesses.

Alt smiles timidly and fiddles with his mask. “Uh… yeah I guess mine in this one… not nearly as cool though. Dunno if I could get away with wearing a cat mask though.” He chuckles.

"Oh yeah. Well, anyway. For this next one, think of... it's hard to describe. Your power, your capabilities, things you can do. Sort of similar to the last one, but more like... like if you were pushed to a limit, what would that be like?" Marvin says.

Alt blinks and thinks of this new prompt. Pushed to his limit huh…? Brief flashes of his Phoenix form comes to mind- raging electricity and bright light. He feels like that fits more than well enough- so he draws another card.

The illustration of the card is bright and vivid, showing a silhouette that's breaking apart into pixels. Two green eyes shine in the dark face, and a long scarf winds around the figure's neck. The title is "The Glitch."

"Oooo, one of the last cards in the sequence," Marvin says. "Interesting, interesting. The Glitch--or the Error--is a figure who breaks the rules. Not intentionally like the rebellious Hood, it is just in its nature as a mistake. Either you don't think very highly of your abilities, or your abilities exist outside an established system, and are therefore very powerful."

Alt blinks in surprise. That looks like Anti from the IV universe. Scarf and all. Guess if Alt had to think of “glitch” he’d be the first one he’d think of. He laughs, “I think it’s a little bit of both?”

"You seem pretty capable to me," Chase says, giving Alt a small smile.

"Don't worry about yourself, Alt, I'm sure you can take care of yourself." Marvin nods, agreeing with Chase's statement.

Alt’s face turns a little red as he smiles shyly. “Heh.. thanks.”

"Alright. Second to last one. Think of your past. Who you used to be, how different you are now, and how it's all shaped you."

Alt’s smile fades a bit as he thinks about his past. Honestly? He doesn’t like thinking of it now… his present is so much better. His past was filled with so much hurt and hate… being Impulse, being lost on the streets… lonely and just so so angry. The him from back then felt like a completely different person now. With this in mind, he draws the card.

The card is a very simple illustration of a small child sitting cross-legged on the ground, a light shining down on them and protecting them from the darkness around. In their arms is a beat-up plushie of some sort of pink animal in a paper crown. The title is "The Orphan."

"I never liked that title," Marvin mutters. "The Orphan is someone who is lost, often without guidance and looking for a sense of safety or home. You probably spent a lot of time on your own, not sure what to do. I'm... sorry."

Alt stares at the card with a heavy feeling in his chest. He slowly nods. “…yeah…” He then looks up and tries to smile at Marvin, “I-it’s okay now though… I’m not alone anymore.”

You have your brother and your friends, right? JJ says. He smiles gently. You're very lucky. They seem great.

"I'm glad it's better now," Marvin says quietly. Then he clears his throat. "Alright. Last card. Think of the opposite of yourself. Something you don't want to be, with a personality composed of the worst qualities to you."

Alt’s eyes burn with hatred as one name comes to mind: Magnificent. Power hungry and obsessive, vindictive and hurting innocents. He also thinks of the King, even if it sends shivers down his spine. He would never be like them… controlling the weak and believing themselves to be like gods. With this in mind he draws the final card.

The card that he draws then depicts a man sitting at a banquet table filled with food, and yet his face is thin and sunken. There's something familiar about the static, tattered cape he's wearing. And the title? "Hunger."

"Ah." Marvin nods. "Hunger, a never-ending want for something, often coming with the ambition or arrogance to harm others to fulfill the want. So, you don't want to be the sort of person who reaches for power no matter the cost. That's a good thing to not want to be."

Alt feels his breath leave him as he sees the card. He’s- he’s seen this one before. Where? Where… It hits him like a ton of bricks.

He’s in a beautiful glowing forest, a tunic on and chainmail weighing on his arms and chest. He’s.. on the ground, playing a game with two fair folk. What were their names,..? Lasta and Caba. They call Mag and mu Rith the King the name of the card… Hunger.

Alt gasps slightly and grips at his head, his mind suddenly aching. He… He forgot so much from that journey. Seeing the card again brought some of it back.

Marvin blinks. "Are you alright, Alt?" he asks with surprising gentleness. He reaches out to touch him supportively--and in the process knocks some of the cards onto the ground. He glances down at them, frowning.

"Alt?" Chase asks. "Do you have a headache?"

Anything we can do? JJ asks, leaning a bit closer.

Alt snaps out of his thoughts as Marvin reaches out and he looks out at the others, glitching slightly. “Oh s-sorry I just…” He grips at his wrist and adds quietly. “…I’ve seen that card before but only once and… I didn’t… remember where until just now.” He laughs bitterly. “It… wasn’t a great experience. M-More dark magic shit so…” He smiles at the others, “But I’m okay. Really.”

JJ and Chase exchange glances. "Okay... if you're sure," Chase says. "Let us know if we can help."

"Yeah, we're happy to," Marvin says. He bends over and picks up the cards that fell. "But, um. Also... this is strange, but... the cards fell down in a rough row, that's not... how cards usually fall..."

JJ glances at him. Is this really the time for something like that?

"I'm just saying. If Alt's okay... I want to talk about it."

Alt blinks and then tilts his head at Marvin. “…a rough row? Huh… well-yeah sure. Go ahead.” Honestly, he could use the distraction.

Marvin nods. "Here. They were laid out like this." He lays them out in front of Alt, recreating it for him.

The Hero: A man in a red hoodie and black mask, standing atop a modern building.

Flood: A body of water, with rain falling from the sky into it. Beneath the surface are humanoid creatures with tails instead of legs.

The Doctor: A man in a white coat and glasses, sitting at a desk and looking thoughtful.

The Moon: A path leading from a body of water across a field, with a full moon looming large in the night sky.

The Hierophant: A man with dark hair and black eyes--though one is half green--sitting on an ornate chair.

The Shadow: Someone dressed in white standing against a wall, a black shadow cast behind them in mirror image.

Fracture: A colorful background broken by a black, branching crack.

Remembrance: A coffin, half black and half white, surrounded by monochrome roses.

"I... don't know what it means," Marvin says slowly. "Do they mean anything to you? I think... I think that this sequence is supposed to be significant."

Alt knits his eyebrows together in confusion, looking at the sequence. He tries not to shudder as he sees another card he remembers. “I’m… not sure actually… I mean… the first one kinda looks like a hero I know. And we did meet some mermen earlier… huh…”

"Mermen? Oooo, cooool," Chase says. "Hey, are merpeople real in this universe?"

"If they are, they don't interact with us at all," Marvin says. He stares at the sequence, tilitng his head. "...huh. If the first two seem familiar, maybe... maybe this is like a fortune telling for your journey. Probably more literal than most readings are. So, first was a world where you met a hero, then was a world of water, then was a world where... a doctor played a key part? Or maybe logic and science? And the moon is here."

That makes sense, JJ says. We're sometimes called people of the night, us witches and vampires and ghosts and such. The moon, the night, it fits.

"So these four will be your future," Marvin says. "Somewhere... traditional, or with strict rules. Somewhere with a... pairing? Or a rivalry? Somewhere broken, and somewhere connected to death, but not too connected to death, otherwise the Death card would've shown up."

Alt’s eyes widen. “The last world was very… doctor-y… that means… 4 out of 8… that’s like 50% right.” He pales slightly, looking at what is supposedly his future. “…so we’re not gonna get home for a while… huh…?” He doesn’t like the look of the future cards.

You never know, JJ says. You could go really fast through these worlds.

“Fortune telling isn’t an exact art, this could all be one big coincidence,” Marvin adds, putting the cards back into the deck. “A hell of a coincidence, but it’s possible. Readings have come out as bullshit before.”

“Even if it’s not, isn’t it nice to know what’s going to happen?” Chase asks. “To have a deadline, in some ways? Heh. Deadline. Cause… cause I’m a ghost.” He pauses.

Marvin and JJ stare at him.

“If I can’t make jokes about it, what can I do?” he says defensively.

Alt snorts at Chase's joke. "Yeah... I guess. Maybe we can be a bit more prepared. Guess we'll just have to see."

Marvin nods. “Always good to be prepared. Like I said, if I’m interpreting it right… somewhere with strict rules, somewhere with a rivalry or duality, somewhere all broken and probably not fun to be, and somewhere connected to death, or maybe memory. I dunno. Remembrance is a funny card, it usually means some sort of moment of clarity after a big change.”

Alt nods and tries to put that all into memory. "Sounds like it's gonna be a real fun time... goddamnit it Mag- I swear this is all his fault." He leans back and sighs but then laughs, "Then again... Visiting other worlds isn't always bad. We usually end up meeting really cool people." He smiles at the others.

Marvin smiles back. “Yeah. Maybe if you could find some way to come back without him, you could. I’d love to learn more about other worlds.”

You also love to prove that you’re right, JJ says. Especially to people who call you a crazy cult witch for believing in other worlds.

“I’ve never heard anyone in my life call me a crazy cult witch.” Marvin shuffles the cards absentmindedly.

Alt beams, "Oh I'm definitely saving this place to visit again! This is one of the coolest places yet! I wanna come back and learn so many things- and look around at your shop some more! Maybe you can even teach me to read the crystaleye cards!"

“Hell yeah, I’m up for talking cards any time,” Marvin grins.

Chase perks his head up, looking down the street. “Wait a minute. Is that…”

There’s a car barreling down the road. That does not look like a safe speed, JJ says.

“You think anything faster than ten miles an hour is an unsafe speed,” Marvin says. “Jack is just going a bit over the limit, it’s fine.”

“Bro, he just got his license, are you sure?” Chase says.

“It’s fiiiiine.”

Alt blinks and looks back where Chase is looking and then laughs. "Oh- Jackie is gonna be clinging on for dear life. He's a dad so- he's alll about safe driving."

Chase blinks. “Your Jackie is a dad? I am too! I mean, I was? I mean, kind of hard to be a dad as a ghost, but I still see Stace and Dec around—oh uh, Stacy my wife and Declan my son. I-I hope I can introduce them to all this someday. Or at least to this new me.”

Alt smiles, “Yeah- Jackie has 3 kids. Sweetest things. Though I swear Penny is gonna grow up to be a punk- she has that air to her.” He laughs. He smiles more gently at Chase, “I’m sure you’ll find a way, Chase. They’ll probably be happy to see you.”

The car pulls to a sudden halt outside of the library. Jackie—the Jackie from this world—is the first to get out. “Whoo!” he shouts. “That was so cool!”

Jackieboy tumbles out of the car, looking sick and pale. “N-Next time I’m driving- ohhh my god that was dangerous.”

Seems our Jackies are quite different in ways, JJ comments.

Alt laughs, looking at Jj, “For real.”

Bro hurries out of the car and grins. “Man what a rush!”

Schneep practically falls out of the car after Jackieboy does. “I am going to be sick,” he mutters. “You do not want a vampire to be sick, you will never get the bloodstain out.”

Bro helps Jackie get over, patting his back. "You're okay, buddy!" Jackieboy groans.

“Heheh… sorry,” Jack says, looking embarrassed. “I didn’t want the guys to be waiting too long. Not to mention how dangerous this guy sounds.”

“We’re all here now and that’s what matters!” Jackie says cheerfully. “Now we need to break into the library.”

“No, we don’t need to break into the library,” Marvin says, standing up. “There’s a secret way in.” He points at the gargoyle statue. “That’s enchanted. See?” He walk up to it and puts his hand on the side of the plinth the statue is on. And his hand sinks right through. “It’s an illusion.”

Alt perks up and glitches to be right by Marvin, seeing the illusion and grinning wide. "Oh cool!"

“I always wondered why there was a big hole in the side of the statue,” Jack says.

Marvin chuckles. “Right. You can see through them. It’s also enchanted that only people with magic can pass through the barrier. But I know a way to make an allowance for Jack and other Jackie.”

"I thought the library was public..."

"Probably not the magic part-" Bro comments.

Well even public libraries close at night, JJ says. But you’re right, the secret part is obviously not public.

Marvin runs a finger along the edge of the plinth, muttering some vaguely Gaelic sounding words, the eye tattoo on his hand glowing, and the whole illusion part of the plinth wavers and turns slightly green. “There, now everydays can get in for a short period of time.”

“You guys go on ahead,” Jack says. “I won’t be much use fighting an evil witch. I think it’s better if someone stays out here and keeps watch. I’ll text you if I see anything.”

Alt nods, "If you're sure."

Bro drags Jackie along. Jackie looks apprehensive but also curious. Alt grins and then leads his friends inside.

As soon as the group steps into the illusion, they suddenly find themselves stepping out of a door next to the library’s AV section. Some of the lights are off, casting the shelves of DVDs in shadow, but some of them are still on so everyone can see.

“There.” Marvin points down an aisle towards a set of elevator doors on the wall. “We need to get there. There’s a secret sixth floor.”

“Will the elevators even work at night?” Schneep asks, frowning.

“Of course. With maaaagic.”

"Do elevators ever turn off? Feel like that'd be a waste of electrcity," Jackieboy comments quietly.

"..huh- I never thought of that. Yeah why would an elevator need to shut off?" Bro thinks outloud.

Alt shakes his head, "Let's focus please?" He looks around and shivers a bit, "Though... the lights being off does make it feel kinda creepy in here."

"Creepy?" Jackie says, looking around. "It does?"

"Seems fine to me," Schneep says.

"Well Jackie can see in the dark and you haven't been in direct sunlight in fifteen years, so your standards are a bit fucked," Marvin says.

Alt laughs, "Yeah that does skew things a bit."

The group hurries over to the elevator. Jackie presses the call button and the doors open right away, so they all file in.

Once in the elevator, Alt glitches a bit anxiously.

Once the elevator doors close, Marvin taps on a spot above the floor five button. A glowing white circle appears with the number six on it, which he then presses. The elevator moves, and they wait.

Even magical lifts go slow, don't they? JJ comments. Unfortunate. You'd think they'd figure a way around that.

Bro laughs with JJ, "Dude yeah! If you can magical lifts why not make them like- teleport you or some shit?"

"Maybe some people just like the novelty of it." Jackieboy shrugs.

The elevator doors open again, revealing the secret library. It looks very similar to the library downstairs, with rows of bookcases, small sitting areas, a directory, and a circulation desk. But the style is different. Instead of metal bookcases and modernized chairs and tables, there are heavy wooden bookcases and older-styled sofas and tables. The lighting here is soft yellow-orange, and everything seems to have an art noveau design to it to match the patterns on Marvin's shirt.

The directory lists subjects like "Spellcasting" "Witch Theory" and "Biographies (200+ yr lifespans)".

Behind the half-circle circulation desk is a big illustration of a tree with many branches, all labeled with different words. For example, a Nature branch has an Elemental branch coming from it, which has a Water branch, which has an Ocean branch.

There are a surprising amount of people up here for a library that was so empty in the floors beneath. A man behind the circulation desk waves at them as they come in as he scans a book titled "History of Night Councils."

Alt's eyes start to sparkle as he looks around the library, his smile only getting wider. HIs shoulder buzz and pop with electricity and glitches but he tries to keep himself contained since there's so many people. "L-Look at all of this!!"

"Uh oh- Alt's enamored," Bro snickers.

"Shuddup I didn't give you a hard time in the hero world!"

Chase laughs. "No, I agree, it's so cool to see, isn't it? Even if I don't understand all of it. But... we need to focus. We need to warn these people about Magnificent."

Marvin nods. "Jackie, come on, we're talking to this circulation guy."

"What?" Jackie says. "Why me?"

"Because you're better at talking to people than I am and also those burns will help sell how serious the situation is."

Jackie sighs. "Okay, fine."

Alt shakes out of his awe and goes to follow after Jackie and Marvin, "I can try to help to!"

Outside, Jack sits in his car with the power off, trying to make it look empty. He glances up from his phone to scan the area--and sees someone suddenly appear out of the shadows. And someone else suddenly appears next to them, teleporting into view. "Oh shit," he whispers, and starts writing a text. He hopes it will reach them in time.

"This is the place," Anti says to Magnificent. "There's a secret floor on the top where all the witches and shit hang out."

Magnificent dusts himself off as he stands tall and eyes the library. Oh... he can already feel the magic brimming within and he grins wide, his eyes glowing. "Excellent. We should pay them a visit~"

Anti grins back. "We should. I never liked these uppity fucks. They think they're greater than they actually are. I think the floor is warded against teleporting, so we'll have to go through the library the usual way. Though it's not really all that usual, actually. There's a secret passage here." He walks up to the gargoyle plinth, demonstrating the illusory side much like Marvin did for the others earlier.

Magnificent follows after and then snorts at the magic, "Ah, so simple." He chuckles, "Let's go then~" He heads inside.

#SATCV #SATCV SC #Alt anti #swap magnificent #jackie mann #bro fantastic #godd love the worldbuilding so much #and the tarot card stuff was so fun!#and actually there's a hint to a rp we did before this that we can't publish yet cuz fm needs to get farther along but :)#if you see alt mentioning the king a lot thats why ahgvajhb #i love the crystaleye cards we use them a lot they're cry's version of tarot cards and theyre so cool!!#also? writing mag being desperate and like magic hungry was really fun ajghak

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