035 - Sky Beyond Sky

"Alchemist?" She wiped away his spit from her cheek, pressing down harder onto Magnus' chest. "Now why would you go and mention Alchemists?"

"Hnngh!" Magnus gasped for air, his ribs cracking.

"You really hate Alchemists, don't you? They do that to you? Well, I'm not an Alchemist, you can be certain about that. Consider this a mercy."

The dark skinned woman stomped down hard. Magnus' flesh erupted, the black veins shattered, his bone splintered and cracked. He cried out in agony, arms and legs flailing, his mind flashing black and white, gasping for air . . and then, death.

Magnus' spirit form emerged, attached by several red threads to his corpse.

This it too much. Much too unfair. From the pot into the fire . . into a bigger fire, ah hells.

Before he could so much as bring himself to focus Magnus felt a sudden chill. A dainty hand passed through his ghostly chest and took hold of a red thread yanking it out.

"!" A jolt of violent electric agony ran through his awareness.

The woman stared straight as his spirit wide eyed. She let go of Magnus' red thread, from her finger an identical red thread emerged. It pressed against Magnus spirit body, pushing it forcefully back into his body.

Magnus panted heavily, his chest heaving and mangled. She pressed a finger into his wounds, a cool wave washed through Magnus. His flesh knitted back, the cracks in his skin healing, a refreshing feeling spread down to his bones.

The woman cleared her greasy black hair from her face, staring fiercly into Magnus’ eyes and scowling. Magnus gasped for air, his chest ragged. She drew back, pacing back and forth amdist the filth, looking from Magnus to the telescope and muttering.

“Must be luck . . fate . . chance . . bloody mindedness,” she sighed, wrinkling her nose. “Bloody mutt, now of all times? It could work out . . I could . .”

She paced up and down the room for the better part of an hour, finally stamping her foot and declaring with an air of finality "It’ll work! I accept!"

"Awoo!" Sif wagged its tail cheerfully.

"...."

"From this day forth you will be my fifth disciple. Name?" The girl stood over Magnus.

"...."

"Your name?" She asked a second time, kicking him viciously in the leg.

"..."

Her expression hardened, she kicked him again. "Very well! From now on your name is Dolt. Dolt the Dumb, Dolt the depressingly mute, Dolt the . ."

Ring! Ring!

The bell beside the telescope chimed. "Hold that thought!" She ran through the filthy room and began scribbling notes. "And, I'm not an Alchemist!" The giant white wolf trotted over to a pile of bones and began gnawing cheerfully.

Magnus moved, he could move again - there was no force keeping him down, his injuries healed at a startling rate. He sat up, breath ragged, head aching.

Pain! I can feel pain! My head, my neck, oooo, my bloody leg! Ah ha ha! Magnus coughed violently, spitting up a mouthful of black blood. Every part of him ached, the cuts on his skin throbbed, the black lines under his skin were like thorns, his nerves and muscles trembled. I can smell! Oh ye gods, I stink! The yellow pus oozing from sores and blisters on his face stank worse than a month old corpse.

If I try to leave now, will she stop me? Her strength, and that wolf . . What can I do now? I can leave. I can go back out into the . . out to wherever the hell I am and find the Witching . . oh. I can look for . . go to where the Alchemists are and . . She killed me! Stomped on my chest! And brought me back to life . . ah hell. What the hell do I know? He sighed, closing his eyes.

Live.

Pa Lund's voice echoed through Magnus' mind.

Magnus, you have to live.

Whatever you do, however you do it.

Stay alive, no matter what!

With an air of resignation Magnus called out loud as he could. "My name is Magnus, not Dolt. Magnus Lund."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up . . . seven, twelve . . Meridie and the two . . north and north and . . ." She slammed the notebook down. "Done!"

She skipped across the room and squatted down at Magnus side. "Right. Magnus. Magnus Lund. Magnus, Magnus, Magnus. Hmm. I prefer Dolt . . alright. From now on you, Magnus Lund are my fifth disciple. Do you know how lucky you are?"

Magnus stared back glumly. "Do I have a choice?"

"Of course! You hate the Alchemists, right?" She grinned. "You have living threads, a whole bunch of them! That means you have the very best choice of all!"

"..."

"My name is . . . call me . .” she scratched her head, "Ok. Call me . . Kujata. Yeah, I'm Kujata. That, or Teacher. Or Master. No, wait, big sis!”

Magnus felt his head spin. Talking to this woman was worse than being hit by the blue lights . .

"Look," Kujata jabbed Magnus in the chest. "This isn't the best of times for me to be taking on the burden of a disciple, but well, it works into my plans. Especially someone like you. I will give you a chance for revenge, whatever the Alchemists have done to you, you can repay ten fold, a hundredfold! Don’t think about it too hard boy, this is the opportunity of your lifetime!"

Magnus eyes blazed at her words. Too good, too good to be true. Only shitty things happened to him, time and time again. Pa Lund and Uncle Willis injured, dying . . the failed experiment . . Rolf . . being tricked by Caj, beaten by soldiers. He bit down on his tongue. Surely, this is just another thread of hope, another rug that is about to be pulled out from under him in some way.

Kujata watched his pained expression with a light smile. "Trust me. You're special. The living threads prove that, look." She held up a finger, a dozen red threads shot out into the air. "We're alike, you and I. And even if you don't trust me, I can show you how to the path to being strong, the path to trampling on all those pesky Alchemists, right?"

One of her red threads pierced Magnus' forehead, in his mind appeared the sun and the moons and thousands of stars. A world, a whole planet spun slowly far beneath his feet.

Above the planet was a gigantic winged bull with a thousand red eyes. Magnus felt as if he'd plunged into the depths of an ocean, rattled to his very core.

The bull snorted, a fiery wind rushed out and hit the planet. In an instant the skies caught fire, the oceans boiled, the continents crumbled and fell, the whole world trembled. . .

"Power," Kujata pulled the thread out. "Strength. You and I, Magnus, understand?"

"Big sis!" Magnus cried out.