(Colt)

I don't want to be here, sitting in this classroom, listening to the teacher drone on about something I studied a month ago. But it's been two months since I returned from wherever I was, and a month since they got me back in school.

Tyler still shows up from time to time, but I tell him to go away every time. Why won't my mind leave me alone?

"You know," he says, and I sigh, wishing he'd just shut up and leave me alone. "You've got some really pretty girls in your class. I was reading the notes that Anna and Jess were passing each other, and Jess thinks you're really cute. You should try to be friends with her, so you have at least one friend. It being a pretty girl won't be bad, either."

A guy can't just go up to a girl and try to be friends with her, you stupid hallucination.

I give him a quick glare, then look at Jess. She has brown hair and eyes, and is really pretty. Even if I could gather up the courage to talk to her, it's not like she'd want to be friends with a crazy kid.

It's almost time for the final bell, and I can't wait for it to happen. Then, I can get out of this stuffy place, and hopefully, away from the damn hallucination. He likes to sit in on my classes, and I can't figure out why my hallucination would do that.

"Code red," a voice comes over the intercom. "Code red. I repeat, we are in a code red."

No! I need to get out of here.

We all do as we're supposed to, the teacher locking the door and turning off the lights, flipping the paper in the window as we line up against the wall with the door. The door sits into the room a little bit, so we're hidden from sight, here.

The class falls silent, as we wonder what's going on. Ten minutes pass without the code red lifting, and every now and then, someone tries our door. We can hear gunshots as well.

After nearly half an hour, our door is busted open, and a man walks into the room, a mask over his face. He's got guns, and when he raises the one he's holding, I don't think, I just act.

First, I'm standing. Then, I'm halfway across the room, his gun moving to point at me. Then, I'm to the side. Those guns are magical ones, filled with magical bullets. I suppress my Mana almost instinctively, so he doesn't know I'm a magician.

He fires off a shot of a blazing bullet.

The bullet slams into my chest, throwing me back into a wall. I groan.

"Huh," he says. "You took that better than most do. That's fine, though, little Black – you'll die soon enough."

"Idiot," I stand up, rubbing my chest, then pulling off my flaming shirt and let it drop to the floor. "You just admitted that you're here to kill me."

"You and your brothers," he frowns. "Even a more powerful Black shouldn't be able to resist a bullet like that so completely."

"Aura," I smile at him. "It's a wonderful thing, ain't it? I could barely trigger it in time to protect myself. I'm going to give you one chance to put down your guns and surrender. Fail to do so, and I will kill you."

"Kill me?" He laughs. "As if! I'm going to kill you, then your two brothers, who have hidden themselves somewhere in this school."

So they're still alive. That's good.

"Want me to kill him?" Tyler asks. "That'll really fuck with their heads."

"Shut up," I look at him.

"You're bold," the assassin laughs, aiming his gun at me again. "But – wait – how did you resist the fire?"

"The fire?" I look at my chest, then back at him. "You mean… why did magical fire do absolutely nothing to me?"

I hold up a hand, a dozen Firebolts forming.

"Any fire magician worth a damn can't be hurt by that which they wield."

I launch the Firebolts, and then pierce his body, ending him. Tyler whistles.

"Not the same kid who killed that bitch."

"Shut up, Tyler!"

Looking around, I see the shocked faces of my classmates. I'm not even sure how to begin fixing this. Does the magical community have some way of altering memories, so people don't remember magical events like this?

They don't seem too shocked by the magic, though – more like that I was using it. Which is weird, because people don't know about magic.

"Colt," Mom's voice enters my head. "Colt, it's time to wake up."

I wake with a start, staring at Mom in surprise.

It was all a dream.

And yet… it felt so real.

"Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Are there magic guns?"

"Yes," she nods. "Though most decent magicians won't use them. They're often used by magical terrorists. The Cleaners have so much hassle with dealing with them, too, because they don't care if the mundies see."

Cleaners… probably the people who 'clean up' the mess.

"Why are you asking?"

"I had a really weird dream," I shake my head. "It felt so real, Mom."

I tell her about it, and she frowns, listening intently.

"Your grandfather," she says. "Is prone to bouts of psychic visions. From what I remember of his conversations about it, he was around your age when the first one happened. If there's an assassin who will do such a thing, then you'll need to go under a little protection. We'll make arrangements for all of you to have guards nearby, and the school watched."

"School's canceled," Daniel enters my room, glancing at me with disgust before looking at Mom. "Some dumbass is using magic in public, and it's not a mess the Cleaners are able to handle, so the schools are shut down, to protect people."

"What kind of magic?" Mom asks.

"It's… unclear," he answers. "The magician is small, and wearing a black cloak with gold, silver, and copper chess pieces and card suits decorating it. The magician I talked to said that the magician doesn't appear to have a Mana Pool, and yet he's cast magic that I'm sure even Grandpa couldn't compete against."

That cloak…

"What's he doing?" Mom asks.

"Causing chaos and panic," Daniel answers. "He's got an army of toys following him."

"An animator?"

"Possibly," Daniel nods. "But it seems the toys are sentient on their own. Regardless, it's causing problems. He's not actually hurting anyway… yet. They're worried that he's going to start soon, though, and the Magic Terrorism Emergency Defense Squad can't do shit to him."

"Who's there?" Mom asks.

"Dad, for starters," Daniel answers. "From the report I got, the magician stops any and all magic before it reaches him. He just dissipates it, most of the time, but sometimes, sends it back to the caster."

Two different magics, on top of his animation… isn't learning more than one type of magic difficult? I can barely use Light Magics on top of my Fire Magics, and they're related.

My Gravity Magic is apparently something else entirely, as no one knows what enables someone to use it, but if they can, they can, regardless of other magics.

"So they're a powerful magician," Mom stands. "I really wish your grandfather was still here. He'd probably be able to create a gravity field around the mage, and trap them there as they exhausted themselves."

"There's more," Daniel says. "He's making demands."

"Demands?" Mom asks, and Daniel looks at my T.V.

I got moved into a better room, and even have my own T.V. The bed's a lot more comfortable, now, though I've only really used the T.V. to have some background noise.

Daniel turns it on, and pretty much every news station is covering it, so he just picks one. I usually have a cooking or animal show running, when I need background noise.

"-continuing to cause mayhem, here in Apex," the news anchor says. "To those just joining us, there is someone using what appears to be magic attacking Apex with an army of toys. Yes, ridiculous, but we should be getting live footage soon."

"From what our on-site reporter says," the other anchor says. "The apparent magician is being fought by a group of others, who seem to be attempting to protect the citizens. As of yet, no word on what, exactly, is going on has come in, but-"

"Here it is," the first anchor says, the screen splitting in two to show what's going on. "A live feed of what's going on here in Apex."

There are forty magicians or so surrounding the smaller one. The magicians are attempting Group Spells as they fight off the toys. The smaller magician just remains where he stands, a golden staff tipped with a glowing crystal clutched in one hand. He has his hood pulled up, concealing his face.

The outfit, that design… it reminds me of him, of the boy my hallucinations say was my kidnapper.

"Colton?" Mom looks at me. "Colton, you're shaking."

"Him," I say. "I think he's the one who kidnapped me.

The attacker lifts his staff up to the sky, and balloons begin to fill the air, floating in one spot, not drifting in the wind that appears to be blowing through the streets.

A Group Spell completes, and blasts towards the smaller magician. It strikes a balloon, then rebounds back towards the magicians who cast it. They hastily cast barriers and run to the sides, to avoid being taken out.

Instead, the building behind them takes the blast, crumbling.

The smaller magician sweeps his staff in an arc, then spins it once, striking the butt of it into the ground. The land around him quakes, the magicians stopping in their casting, their focus disrupted.

Then, the army of toys attacks, swarming past the magician.

"It's almost like from a cartoon," the first anchor breaks the silence of the studio. "What is going on?"

"There were reports," the other anchor says. "That he was making demands. Our reporter on the scene has yet to tell us if she found what they were, but-"

Daniel mutes the T.V. and looks at Mom.

"He's powerful," Daniel says. "To sustain so many spells at once, stop Group Spells, and basically ignore every law of magic there is? I don't know what this magician is, but I don't think Grandpa could stop him."

"But why toys?" Mom asks as someone enters my room, one of the staff apologizing before backing away. "What is a member of the MERS doing in my manor?"

"You know of the events?" The agent asks, then glances at the T.V. "Apparently so. His demands concern the Black Family."

Mom looks at me, and I know that she's thinking about my dream. Someone was trying to kill us.

Speaking of… I didn't see Dad at all. I couldn't be sure, though, from the distance. Was he already killed in that fight? Or did I just not see him?

"What are his demands?" Mom asks.

Before the agent can respond, she shushes him, grabbing my remote and unmuting the T.V.

Fire swirls near the boy, along with a flurry of ice, of water, of dirt, of air, of light, of shadows, and of lightning. Eight beings appears in front of him, each surrounded by their element, each around the late teens.

"What just happened?" The first anchor asks. "It appears that eight new magicians appeared on the scene, and the ones who were fighting before now look thoroughly confused. These new magicians likely aren't their allies."

"No," the second anchor comments. "But they do appear to be trying to talk the first one down. Unfortunately, we don't have a camera on the ground, so we can't hear what they're saying. It looks like they're arguing. They-did he just smack the fiery one in the head with his staff?"

Yes, he did. I recognize three of them, from my hallucinations. Kirta, Aure, and Torgi. The one who is likely Tyr smacks Torgi again, then throws a hand up, the God of Fire finding himself trapped in a bubble.

A literal bubble, as if Tyr blew a giant bubble with Torgi inside of it, shimmering slightly in the spring sun. Torgi summons up his fire, but it doesn't penetrate, and he pouts at Tyr.

At least, I'm pretty sure he's pouting. Hard to tell, from this distance.

"I know them," I say. "At least, three of them. They were there – I saw them."

"Are you sure?" Mom asks, and I nod.

"Then that explains his demands," the agent says. "They concerned you, specifically. His first demand is that he be taken to you. He won't say the others, until it's been fulfilled."

"It seems to have calmed down a little," the second anchor comments. "As the newcomers argue with the magician attacking the city. He seems to prefer smacking them with his staff over attacking them in other means, though, which means that they are likely his own allies."

The magicians surrounding them finish their single Group Spell, and a massive blast washes over the group in the center from all directions.

"Whoa."

When the magicians are finally drained of their Mana, the spell fades, revealing a bubble surrounding the others and the army of toys. Tyr's hood fell back, confirming it's him, and he does not look happy.

"WE WERE TALKING HERE!" His voice roars through the streets, and I heard it from both the T.V. and from here.

He filled the city itself with the sound of his voice, and it felt ancient, primal, and full of rage.

Tyr raises his staff up into the air, and fortyish bolts of light flash out, piercing each of the magicians, killing them. At least, if the giants holes in their chests are anything to go by, he killed them.

"Shit," the agent says. "Hit with an Evanescence, and still didn't go down. He didn't even look phased by it."

"An Evanescence?" I ask.

"An undoing," Mom nods. "It's a powerful spell that takes a lot of power. It has a long casting time, and there's no way to conceal it. It undoes the existence of anything in its blast. It's only ever been authorized three times, and each time, it was against a powerful foe. This is the first time it didn't do anything."

So he can stop a spell that can't be stopped?

Just how powerful is he?

One of the magicians is still alive, and Tyr points his staff at him, saying something. The camera zooms in to the other magician.

Dad

He left Dad alive.

The air around Tyr ripples, then he vanishes, and the other eight look annoyed.

In a flash of golden light, Tyr appears in my room, and he looks cross.

"Is that enough?" He asks, staring at me.

"What?"

"Is that enough?" He asks. "To prove to you that what you think happened did happen? Or do I, the Almighty Tyr, need to pull out even more powerful magic from my godly ass?"

I'm scared right now. What's going on? They can see him, too, right?

"Hey, Tyler," Tyr looks past me. "That's a nasty spell on you. How is it even sustaining itself?"

Tyr narrows his gaze, looking at me.

"How are you connected to a Mana Reserve?"

A Mana Reserve? I'm not, though. If, on the chance that what I thought happened did happen, then Kielra severed my connection to it when he took back the necklace.

"In fact," he steps closer. "How are you connected to one larger than any I've ever sensed before? And on Shira's Peak, too? I would definitely notice… unless it was there…"

He looks suspicious.

"Who in the hell did you meet up there, Colt?"

"You can see him?"

"Tyler?" He looks past me. "Yeah, I can see him. I'm Tyr. It's not like he could just escape my notice, like whoever's hiding in the hidden zone on Shira's Peak. You're casting that on him subconsciously, not able to accept he's real. Unless you do, the spell won't lift. And you can sustain it at any distances, because of the Mana Reserve. So tell me, Colt, Paladin of mine – how in the hell are you connected to a Mana Reserve, and who, exactly, did you meet on Shira's Peak?"

"He said his name was Kielra-"

"KIELRA'S ALIVE?" He squeals in excitement, copper, silver, and gold confetti bursting out of him, then exploding into glitter, at his excitement. "I DIDN'T THINK HE'D SURVIVED! Oh!" His eyes widen. "He's playing hide-and-seek, isn't he? Back in a moment."

He vanishes in a puff of glitter, then returns a moment later with a confused-looking Kielra.

"I got him!" He exclaims, a big grin on his face.

"The hell, Tyr?" Kielra asks as my mom, brother, and the age stare in shock and confusion. "First off, how did you know I was alive, and second off, why did you-" he spots me. "Oh, hey, Colt. That's Tyler, right?"

"All gods can see through it," Tyr tells me, and I realize I must have looked confused. "Because we're gods."

"You're more like an adorable, furry little creature I'd like to pet," Kielra says, and Tyr blushes.

"I want to see that, too," I say.

If they're seeing these guys, and this is really happening, then it did happen, right? But only they can see Tyler, so maybe they're just pretending like it?

"I am not taking on my real form," Tyr blushes. "It's embarrassing."

"Like that could be embarrassing to you," Kielra rolled his eyes. "By the way – there are five of us alive, Tyr. You've found one of us."

Tyr's eyes practically bulge out of his head when Kielra says that.

"WHO?" He screams/squeals in excitement.

"Pierve, Neasi, Toura, and Shiis," Kielra answers. "But it'll be a lot harder for you to locate them. I know you only realized Shira's Peak was a hidden zone when you were watching Colt and he ended up there."

"Okay," Tyr looks at me. "Now that was cool. I wasn't expecting you to need to learn Ashes of the Phoenix for a long time. A very long time. Next time, try not to sacrifice all of your LIF. You only have a couple more years before you're going to die again, because of that. So you definitely need to reach the Fourth Tier, so you can gain some more LIF. You'll gain 3 every Tier, after the Second. Also, I'm fixing the bug where you get disconnected from the System for something like that. That was stupid. Tyler got to keep his access, because he wasn't from this world, but it just disconnected you completely. I never implemented it on this world, so it got all wonky when you came here. Fuck it. I'm just implementing the System into this world."

Tyr's eyes glow, and violet glitter swirls around him, then bursts outward, passing through the walls. I find myself reconnected to the System, and a moment later, see the glitter on the T.V., in the news room, and in the live scene of the gods trying to break Torgi free from Tyr's bubble.

"A System?" Daniel frowns. "Like from a story? All these stats…"

"Welcome to the System!" Tyr exclaims, then looks at me, smiling. "You've accepted that the last two months were wrong – that everything before then happened. Welcome back, Colt. Tyler's been freed of your little barrier. Now, would you like to return to the other world?"

"What happened to Grandpa?"

"He's still guarding that stupid mountain," Tyr groans. "He could've just put up a barrier, you know, but I think he wanted to talk with the deity, too."

"Mom?" I look at her, and she looks at me.

"You weren't crazy," she says. "Though I think I might be going there."

Tyler snorts, and I look at him.

"Tyler-"

"No," he holds up a hand. "I understand what happened, Colt. You reverted back into your way of thinking, from when you were here. Had you still had access to the System, that wouldn't have happened."

"Okay," I say, then look at Tyr. "Take us back, Tyr. Send us to Loritar – we're going to take on the Towers."

"The Towers?" He raises an eyebrow. "Not just the Tower of Aura?"

"Of course not," I smile. "Don't we have to beat all three of them for one of the circumstances needed to enter your Kingdom the proper way?"

A big grin breaks out on the god's face, and I find myself standing beside Tyler on a street in Loritar. I look at Tyler.

"Let's do Magic, first."