Eliot and Thomas looked at the wall that Genesis just passed through as if it wasn't even there; they both were rather speechless, it's hard to grasp how any of this is physically possible, but it's something they're going to have to get used too. After discussing the perks of her ability and the items that she can get for them later in the day, Genesis had to return to her flat before anyone noticed that she was gone.

After a brief silence, Eliot was the first to speak “I don't trust her.”

Thomas looked slightly confused “If you don't trust her why did you let her join us?”

“Because she can be useful to our survival, think about the items she just told us about. We can use those items to get stronger and protect ourselves from the monsters that are literally at our doorstep.” Eliot said remembering the warning his mother gave him, he's still wondering when he will get that call she promised.

Thomas thought about it but it didn't sit well with him, he felt like he would be betraying her just for some inanimate objects. “...I don't know, that feels kinda fucked up to me. Why don't you trust her anyways, she seemed like she really wanted to be with us?

Eliot looked Thomas in the eye “Thomas you think this is fucked up? The world is fucked up mate, people are bloody dying out there, we can't just trust everyone we meet now, we can't even think how we used to. Look at what happened with your aunt, not even a whole day into the apocalypse and we’re already being mind controlled. That proved to me that you can't trust people unless proven otherwise.”

Thomas leaned back into the couch digesting that information, if what Eliot said was true than this world just became a lot more bleak. “You didn't answer the question, why don't you trust Genesis?”

“She’s a liar and a thief. She says she doesn't work with the other group but why was she the one who brought us food instead of Merrick. Do you think Merrick would turn down the opportunity to show a little more good will in exchange for whatever information he thinks we have? Why not instead send in a cute girl who would make our guard go down and start spilling everything we know, the only thing I believed out of her mouth was that she stole the hand item and that she could get us more items, but not for the reason she gave us.” Eliot answered while pushing his hand through his unkempt curly hair, he had a small smile on his face, he couldn't understand why instead of feeling nervous at the idea of a double crossing he felt thrilled.

Thomas was wondering how Eliot came to so many conclusions but one thing confused him “Why would they go through so much trouble for just two random kids and a dog? What information could we possibly have that they can't find on the forums in the satellite that would make them do so much?”

Eliot had to concede that point to Thomas, he didn't even think about that. “I have no idea, and honestly I don't care. As soon as we get those items we’re leaving.”

“...What if Genesis wants to come with us?” Thomas asked unsure if he wanted the answer.

“...Then that proves everything I said was wrong.” Eliot admitted.

Eliot and Thomas just sat there thinking about the conversation before Thomas broke the silence.

“...Eliot, do you trust me?” Thomas was nervous, he already considered Eliot a friend even though they barely knew each other, he felt a bond with him, he didn't want to lose it so quickly.

Instead of answering immediately Eliot thought about it, Thomas was a nice guy he seemed to try and see the good in people instead of the bad. That would probably be his downfall but other then that he proved to be a trustworthy ally in battle and probably number one on the list of Eliot's possible friends.

“Yeah, I suppose I do, Why?” Eliot wasn't sure, but he felt like him and Thomas was having some kind of bro moment.

Thomas let out a breath of relief and then asked what has been on his mind since he saw Eliot walk through the door.“Then if you trust me, we can't be withholding any secrets. Why the fuck does Anubis look bigger and what ability do you have?”

Eliot let out a laugh, he could could understand Thomas’s curiosity, he explained to him what happened with Anubis and instead of talking about his ability he showed it to him. He calmed himself down and entered his mindscape. Eliot was back in his study, his previous location before the silence pushed him back into reality. Shortly after he heard an added melody in the atmosphere it was low and soft but then it's subtly made the song feel richer for some reason.

He quickly requested for the melody to come to his location, Thomas appeared right in front of Eliot just as Kat did when he first figured this trick out. Thomas’s eyes were wide open as he was turning around and taking everything in.

“Where are we?” Thomas asked after a couple of seconds.

“In my mind.” Eliot then explained to him what his ability can do, and how time runs differently there. The first thing Thomas did after Eliot finished explaining was put his hand up and generate an ice cube.

****

After realizing that magic indeed worked inside of his mind, him and Thomas went outside next to the clear lake and began to practice their individual art. Eliot explained to Thomas about the upcoming danger and the large institution his mother spoke off, this information sparked something new into Thomas and made him realize that with the little control he has over his ability he wouldn't make it out alive. He almost died from a small mob of thrall, if that was just the beginning then he's royally fucked.

While Thomas continually destroyed and remade his ice creations, Eliot was going through the motions of learning his first magical spell. The book of Tut vol 1 talks about the ‘forces’ that hold or move the universe and how to use this knowledge in a practical manner of sorts. The first spell was a simple push and the second was a pull, the hand signs were almost identical in nature with small subtle changes in the finger movements, it confused the hell out of Eliot to say the least.

For now he focused on the ‘force push’ spell, which allowed him to send some sort of telekinetic blast from his palm. At first he couldn't get the finger movements down, because unlike the ritual he couldn't do it at his own pace. It had to be quick and precise like a blade, no unnecessary movements and with a speed Eliot didn't think was possible with your hands. The book says that it should take no longer than three seconds for the spell to activate but there were no less than seven hand movements, it didn't make any sense!

Eliot sat there for the next two hours, getting more and more frustrated with each failure. At this point he didn't even care, he thought about just saying fuck the book and waiting until he had enough points to buy another ability. Especially seeing Thomas conjure all sorts of cool things out of ice, it was a real killjoy for him. His confidence from completing the recludam ritual was slowly diminishing to the point of nonexistence and just as he was about to give up and call it a day, he finally succeeded.

His hands took on dim inner glow showing the silhouettes of veins and tendons ‘which was kind of creepy’, he felt the magic course through his body directly into his palms, it was invigorating. It felt like a drug, sending cold shivers down his spine, Eliot cracked a smile while shivering in ecstasy. He stood up feeling like a god, like he could do anything at this exact moment. He looked for something to release the spell, to see just how powerful he really was. He spotted a large rock and aimed his right palm directly at it and let loose. There was an invisible force that hit the rock pushing it only a few centimeters leaving a small amount of flattened dirt in front of it.

‘That's it? All that power I just felt and it moved the fucking rock an inch, God damn it.’ Eliot was really rethinking his choice in choosing the book of Tut not realizing he hasn't taken a single star from a living being to power his magic yet; but the feeling it gave him was already addicting, his inner glow slowly faded returning back to his normal boring hands. The power high cooled off giving him a sense of loss, but other then that he felt completely fine, no exhaustion or weariness. He looked over to Thomas who was still destroying and creating his creations at a faster rate, he looked as if it didn't effect him at all.

‘Maybe we're not being affected by the magic were doing because where in my mind. Holy crap, that would allow us to not only have the advantage of time but also with continuous practice in magic.’ Eliot was beginning to realize just how powerful this ability truly is. With this revelation he sat next to the rock with new vigor to practice, and went through the spell again and again feeling the magic inducing high each time. He failed more times then he succeeded but with every success he felt himself getting a bit more adept in using the spell.

Time quickly flew by and before they realized it, they spent the last four hours training, which was roughly a little more than an hour outside of his mind. Eliot quickly sent Thomas back, and then prepared himself for the inevitable silence once again. He woke up panting heavily, and noticed that the door was being knocked. Thomas was already walking towards the door to answer it, Eliot sat up and patted the sleeping Anubis to wake him up.

“Good morning, do you guys mind coming to the lobby to talk?” Merrick asked with a smile.