If what Principal Yuanchi said was true, Matin was in danger.
‘I must stop him!’ Zair ran through the halls, trotting like a possessed demon brushing past other bemused students. She had to get to the Well quickly before Martin… before he ended up ‘challenging’ these spirits to get his companion. How was she to know that magic worked differently for a boy? The pact allowed him on the path of magic… but that didn’t guarantee his safety.
‘The spirits will challenge a boy…’ Zair heard the words of the sphinx in her mind. She had no time to debate the ‘fairness’ of it. Why was there such a difference? Magic was magic, wasn’t it? Why did a boy have to go through a ‘trial’ to prove his worthiness? It made no sense to her.
The demon girl had finally run out to the courtyard, panting at the effort of getting there so quickly. Her hooves could certainly be fast, when necessary. Gasping for a moment, she saw a couple of other students heading towards what she assumed was the center of the school. She felt a strange… energy there, tantalizing her demon-half. If only she could fly! She was about to run again when a teacher appeared before her, floating down with magic.
“Is something the matter… Miss Zair?” A woman with draconic skin asked, folding her robed arms. Large claws still visible despite the gesture. Her red claws looking quite vicious in the sunlight.
Of course, Zair recognized her. “Miss Lalira!” The demon-girl looked happy to see her. “I- I need to talk to Mara…”
Lalira nodded. “Hm… Yes… I suppose we do,” The dragon teacher said sadly. “Come along… don’t worry. I was not going to let anything ‘bad’ happen to him. Do not be concerned.”
Her calm but stern words startled Zair. The dragon-woman gestured her to follow alongside her as the two made their way towards this magical center. “Then… you know? You knew everything?” It would seem she was in a lot of trouble… she could handle that of course. She had been in trouble before… never for helping to sneak a boy into an all-girl’s magic school though.
“I’m a dragon. Of course, I know.” Lalira said with a faint grin. “Any danger presented to the students I become acutely aware of.”
Danger? “Mara… Martin isn’t a danger.” Zair tried to defend her friend. “He just wanted to learn some magic.”
The Dragon-teacher rolled her eyes. “I’m more concerned that he’s a human, then a boy. His gender isn’t the issue,” She continued walking. “There are boy’s magic schools you know… some are excellent magical knights… it’s a different art. Instinctually different… a boy shouldn’t know certain things…”
“Is that why you asked him the… question?” Zair wondered thinking back to that lesson.
“Yes. If he got it wrong, I would be obliged to send him away. There was no reason for him to know the secret… I had hoped to spare him this and send him back to Earth with no memories.” She walked with Zair towards the end of the courtyard and under an archway.
This was where the school for the youngest students were. It was almost like a slimmed down version of the larger castle… It even had its own smaller wings to the side. Zair observed a bridge that was connecting two buildings together giving a faint glow of energy.
“What are you going to do?” Zair asked.
The dragon-woman shrugged. “The only thing I can do… send him back to Earth before he causes more trouble.”
Zair looked in alarm. “But why! He hasn’t even had a chance to cast any magic.”
“No.” The dragon said firmly.
The girl paused as she stared at her... trying to find some way around the problem. “Well…maybe you could… turn Martin into a girl? Then he could fit in-”
“…turn him into a girl?” The dragon said as if she had heard this a thousand times before. “No. I will not.” She said firmly.
Hm? “… why not? Is that impossible?”
The dragon-woman looked down at the demon girl slightly annoyed. “Not impossible… not at all... not for a dragon… or the highest-ranking devils…. Changing someone’s gender permanently is both elementary and the most dangerous spell one can do at the same time. I would not advise it. There are consequences.”
“Why not!” Zair stomped her hooves in annoyance. Magic can do anything right?
The dragon-woman patted Zair’s shoulder. “You remind me… of someone Zair. She was… a great student…” She said sadly. “Trust me when I say, a permanent gender transformation is not to be taken lightly… it can rarely be done intentionally, without a catch… and as far as I know, impossible to reverse.”
Zair sighed. There didn’t seem to be any way to stop this from happening. “Can we convince the spirits not to fight him?”
“Easily.” The dragon said. “That was in fact, the plan.”
“R-Really?” Zair smiled. “How?”
“Simple… the most powerful spirit can issue the challenge… so it wouldn’t be thousands of challenges. Just one… and the others will step aside.”
“The most powerful? Who…?”
“Me.” With that the dragon-woman suddenly took on her true form… her humanoid body vanished in a spark of red light. Her torso bulking up greatly as her clothes just vanished. She now had large red scales, with huge wings behind her back. A reptilian face of inhuman nature but eyes of enormous power. A large tail behind that was just as bulky yet somehow elegant formed behind her.
Zair stared up at the sight. “Oh…damn…” Zair’s head was spinning.
The dragon roared… powerful aura of energy emanating from her body. “This is the only option where nobody gets hurt.” She said using a form of telepathy on the demon-girl. “I won’t... hurt him. I am obligated to accept the challenge. I’ll send him back to his world!”
Martin felt apprehensive for some reason. With Sarah and Tahera, the three had been led to a picturesque garden. There were flowers laid out in intricate patterns and a pristine, beautiful pool of water. Lilly pads were laid out as a path towards a central pillar, atop which stood a glowing crystal.
Was this the Well of Power?
It had to be.
The three approached cautiously, quietly taking in the scene. Martin checked his disguise carefully. With so many people around, he was concerned his true gender might be revealed and cause issue. The fact the dress fit so well was… disconcerting.
The surrounding castle could not be seen from here with the thick trees blocking the view. A gentle wind blew that felt oddly warm, almost tropical with a lovely aroma from the plants. Martin drew his attention to the central structure as other students seemed to line up towards this large crystal, the centrepiece of the fountain.
It was a gorgeous fountain. Pools of water as pure and clear that he had never seen before. There were circular lily pads, somehow able to support the weight of the various students, being used as steppingstones towards the crystal. He watched one of the girls- a rabbit girl, step inside the crystal, enclosing her body on all sides. She closed her eyes.
Martin continued to watch. It was like she was sleeping. Strange lights surfaced from the water and danced around like planets around the sun, as the rabbit-girl slept inside the crystal. The crystal glowed a pale white light as each small orb orbited, falling inside and zipping in and out. Martin glanced around and saw a teacher watching over the girl. A cat girl?
“That’s right Nya. Focus on your magic… what you hope most from it. One of these will resonate with you, Nya.” She had a ‘magic stick’ in her hand with a similar though smaller crystal at the end of it. It gave its own gentle yellow glow.
Martin had to smile at the sight. She was the cutest cat-girl ever so far! She was… very short- only about three feet tall. The kind looking cat-girl was wearing a cute bow around her neck that had a bell fastened on it. She wasn’t quite as anthro as he might have expected but had the ears and tail of a black cat and blonde hair. She had a very pretty face wearing a cute white dress with small breasts evident. She appeared to be barefoot. “Uh... who’s that...” he asked Sarah.
The fox girl grinned. “That’s Professor Caterina. She studies humans. I hear she likes venturing to the human world but has some… weird reports about it.”
“Hu..mans?” Martin gasped. That…made sense. Why wouldn’t this world have people who studied humans, as much as the human world studied the magic folk? He imagined what such a cute cat-girl would find in the human world- and bit his lip slightly. “Oh… I’m sure humans would… treat her well.” He hoped they didn’t treat her like a pet.
“It looks like a spirit is manifesting…” Sarah pointed to the crystal. “Look!”
It was quite mesmerizing to watch.
Martin observed the pattern of lights. They each glowed different colours, passing through the crystal and girl inside. Eventually one bead of energy remained, the others scattering and returning to the pool. This isolated bead shimmered and changed into an animal… a white rabbit. However, that wasn’t all. After taking form it also imbued itself into a necklace with a rabbit shaped locket around the bunny-eared-girl.
“You get a rabbit,” the cat-girl said to the bunny-girl, using the crystal on her staff on the resulting locket. It seemed to be providing her with insight and information on the companion. “Lovely! Nya. It looks like this rabbit will bring you luck. That’s... an awful lot of luck-based magic on you! Try not to overly rely on it nya!”
The bunny girl touched the necklace and blushed a bit. “Thank you!” She walked quickly away from the fountain, using the lily pads surrounding it.
“Next up Nya- Sarah Fira!”
It was now Sarah’s turn. “I wonder if I’ll get a fox,” She laughed. “Though over specialising isn’t a good idea- are you okay Mara?”
Martin wasn’t sure what it was. He felt like he was being watched… every pore was sweating. He felt this strange fear that was making him struggle just to be near this place. The nausea was making his stomach hurt. “I- I’m fine…” He stammered.
“Come on Sarah! Let’s get your companion Nya!” The cat professor gestured.
As the girl before her, Sarah entered the crystal and waited.
“Good Nya. Now think on what you want… the kind of magic… the relationship you have with it.”
The fox-girl sighed. Magic was a little complicated sometimes for her. She was blessed with powerful illusion magic but... who could live on illusions? She wanted something lasting… to have magic that could heal people and help them. Not just simply give dreams that were fleeting and temporary… but to respond in aid to others. The energy waved all around the fox-girl as bead began to take form. It was a yellow colour, slowly turning gold with white tones of healing energy. It turned into a white furred dog. Medium sized, but with a very happy disposition and long tongue.
“Nya! How wonderful! Dogs are so caring and joyful.” She used her stick on the animal... despite the professor being a cat, the dog seemed quite happy with the teacher. She placed her staff’s crystal on it. “Hmm.. this one is extra special. Its licks can heal injuries. Not just physical injury but emotional ones as well, even magical ones. It will help you a lot with healing magic.”
Sarah was pleased as the dog started to lick her. It was everything she wanted! “Oh my! Ha… oh that tickles!” The Dog glowed briefly and turned into an earring, which attached itself onto Sarah’s pointed ear. The fox-girl beamed a smile and hopped off a Lilypad and back to the edge of the pool. “It’s going to be okay Mara!” Sarah smiled again. “I know you’ll get something great!”
Martin wasn’t so sure. Every instinct was telling him to flee… to get away from here before ‘something bad’ happened. It was almost like a magnet pushing him away. Still, he stayed… he didn’t want to look like a coward. Why was nobody else feeling this? Sarah was waiting for him… he had friends here now in this school of magic.
Professor Caterina looked through her notes. “Tahera! You’re next dear. Come on.”
The buxom Demon-girl, Tahera sighed. She clearly wasn’t too enthused by this. Martin could tell by the way her heart shaped tail flicked in annoyance. “Yeah… let’s just get this over with...” she said with an annoyed tone. Unbelievable that she was even doing this. Though she paused slightly glancing back to Mara. What was wrong with her? Tahera could sense the fear… what was she so afraid of? “Don’t worry… it doesn’t look like it hurts,” she tried to assure her new friend. She guessed even magic folk could find this all a bit weird. “Well... time to get this over with.” She stepped inside the crystal, which felt like going through a curtain of energy. She folded her arms not intending to sleep through this but wait and watch.
“So, what kind of magic are you after?” the cat girl asked looking her over.
“I dunno,” Tahera shrugged. Maybe nothing? She just wanted to be free… to find a way out of here. She could imagine that…
Orbs of energy circled around her, much as they did all the other girls. Allb but one returned to the water, with one spark going through her body, gaining mass as it did so… forming into an animal spirit. The spirit took the form of a bird. It appeared to be a rather cute yellow canary. Tahera stepped out of the crystal, surprised by her new companion, especially as the bird decided to take position on the top of her left horn. “Gah! A bird?” It glowed and took shape as a large golden necklace appeared around her neck, dangling close to the edge of her cleavage. “Oh, come on!”
The cat-girl laughed making her bell ring around her neck. She tapped the necklace with her stick. “I think it suits you Nya! A bird can be a wonderful companion. She will help you with gravity manipulation magic and fight. Perhaps more.”
Tahera stepped off… touching the dangling necklace. It felt so weighted like this… like it was designed to tease her with her situation. It brought so much more attention to her body then she liked. Was she really stuck with this? She touched it, to take it off- but this simply made it vanish and the bird appeared again! It circled around her a few times… then the yellow feathered bird flew off briefly, circling around Mara waiting for ‘her’ turn. The demon-girl watched this bemused already by her animal companion. “Weird...” Tahera’s vision seemed to shift… She saw this strange energy, an aura.
There were a lot of different energies around that mysterious girl.
Caterina ticked something on a scroll. “Zair?” She called out. “Hm… not here? Okay Mara, you can go next.”
Tahera continued to stare at her. This ‘girl’ was like a tornado, rising hot and cold air meeting, where she was at the heart of it. Why was that? What was this difference causing such a schism in magic? Sparks of energy were dancing around her like lightning, in a calamitous looking dangerous arc of power. “What’s going on…” then she could see this weird string… reaching back to herself. She looked at her hand where the azure string ended. She was linked to this girl... magically?
“Nya! Come Mara!” Caterina called seeing her hesitation.
Marin gulped. He had to jump a bit to hop on each Lilypad to reach the center… the feeling of vertigo increased exponentially. However somehow, he made it.
“Okay Mara Nya! Enter the spirit world… think on your relationship to magic… and a companion will be granted to you!”
“A… companion.” He sighed in thought, adjusting his dress again with a slight blush. Could he really have one? What did he want in one? It would be… special. He wasn’t sure what it would be though. Martin touched the crystal a little fearfully. It was almost like a solid wall… He pushed harder… Unlike the others who felt it like a curtain of light, to him it was like a sheet of lead. It took… effort. However, he was finally inside. The sparks of energy started to dance around him… turning a glowing red.
“Nya? That’s not right…” Professor Caterina blinked. Even more orbs emerged from the depths of the water to circle around the crystal. Hundreds of them… more so then with any of the other students.
Martin felt numb as the orbs of energy flowed around him. Each one seemed to impact against his body. It was like being hit by small rocks! “AHH!” He screamed- a rather girlish scream as the octaves of his vocal cords adjusted suddenly.
“Nya! She’s being attacked?!” Caterina looked shocked but seemed to understand the... implications. How in the world could a boy even ‘get’ here? Well, that could be answered later. Her ears twitched slightly as the cries changed into a more girlish tone. A boy couldn’t sound that convincing, right? It was enough for her to doubt the initial conclusion even if that was the most likely. There were powerful wards that instilled instinctual fear for a boy to even step into this area. It shouldn’t be possible!
Another ball of light, much larger and glowing red suddenly emerged. Of course, Caterina didn’t need her wand to know who -that- was. “Lalira…” The other spirits immediately fell away, casting themselves back to the pool. It was now just this single large and very powerful spirit shining in red… so large that it enveloped the entire crystal.
Caterina looked sadly.
“What’s happening to Mara!” Sarah looked in alarm. The other students were all just as confused and looked to Caterina.
“So… a boy has come to challenge Lalira…” The cat-girl frowned. She expected this to be over quickly… only a fool would try something so dangerous, but Lalira would do the minimum. She knew she wouldn’t harm the child… but this was going to be hard to watch.
However, something ‘very’ strange happened. Bright feathery wings of magic appeared behind Mara’s back… soft white feathers made of light, coming out of the crystal, and even reaching past the orb of red light that had enveloped Mara. The crystal rose slightly into the air glowing brighter as it levitated with its passenger inside. A humming sound was heard as the magic resonated against the structure.
“Nya?” This confused Caterina even more as she looked at her own crystal and the larger one. “Nya- what the heck is hap-” The resonating energy seemed to be calling… something. A bracelet on Caterina’s arm glowed, changing into a tiny monkey. It looked a bit like a lemur or pigmy marmoset. Larger than normal eyes showing a high degree of intelligence with a long tail. “Monchi?” Her own animal companion was called without her intention…
…but more so as the same thing was happening to every other student across the school. Each companion seemed to hear the call and was compelled to take their light-form, going into the crystal to join Mara … and perhaps even more from further away as magical energy was suddenly collecting about her body.
Caterina pointed her crystal towards Mara gleaming more information. It seemed she had some kind of… protective light around her now, being supplied by the allied beings. It rivalled the power of the dragon spirit itself…
For a moment everything was still…
“Is this the power of… a human?” The cat-girl wondered in thought.
Helen wasn’t quite sure what had happened after that odd magical explosion. For some reason she had found herself in the magic world. Indeed, a small block had been pulled over. This wasn’t… an unusual event, rare as it was. Sometimes a town would mingle or swap places, bringing with it artifacts, entire buildings or people. Usually, people were asked to vacate the area and the authorities would deal with it.
However, Helen recognised this place. The church had swapped places with an area of the world she had met… him. In fact, he was there now.
“Hello!” He smiled.
Helen gasped. Her… ex-husband. She stared at him in stunned silence.
“Sorry… didn’t mean to startle you.” The devil-man responded. “I just saw a familiar face… would this help?” The devil started to change his appearance to a human-like look. Paler white skin, though unsettling red eyes on blonde hair.
“Damien?” Helen couldn’t believe it. That really was him. At least in his human form. “No- I’m not going to fall for that again! Just… use your normal form. I only want the truth!”
“As you wish.” He released his illusion, returning to his full devil form. The devil creature looked quite ‘handsome’… larger than typical horns jutting from his forehead in the shape of a ram. He had pointed teeth and nails as claws. A devilish tail behind him as he stood in a slightly hunched position. “So what do I owe the pleasure of your visit to our humble world?”
“I- I was in a church-“ she started in confusion. “Then there was this… light. I appeared here.”
“Oh right, well so have you and about a dozen or so other humans… Make yourself at home. My shop is just here…”
With nothing else and perhaps the sheer confusion and disorientation of being warped to the other world, Helen followed her old routine and headed to Damien’s magic shop. It looked like a nick-nack store of various goods, mostly quite ancient. The bell on the door rang gently on entry.
“Would you like a cup of tea?” Damien asked. “I was hoping to hear how our daughter is doing.” At that moment a weird magical light-bulb fell from the roof. Damien glanced up at it embarrassed. “Heh… the place has seen better times” he said picking it up. “Now where is that replacement…” He looked among his drawers for a new light source.
Helen looked at the shop with all the confusion she could muster. She was now in her ex-husbands company… in the Magic world. “I- I suppose I should get back home-“
“-If you want to. There are -many- portals… Though I dare say, magic isn’t exactly ‘random’… not for me. So, I was hoping you might tell me what brought you here. What were you thinking about? Me perhaps?” He chuckled at that. “You didn’t want to buy a magic-light, did you?”
“No- urgh!” Helen groaned. “I want nothing to do with you again!”
Damien looked rather hurt. “Well, maybe my daughter would like to-“
“She wouldn’t either!” Helen spat.
“Yes yes... so you say.” Damien shrugged. “I am quite happy to leave you alone as per the contract. You are the one who came to me though. So… let’s see. I can see you were… lamenting being… just human,” He smiled. “Lady, you have some serious issues.” The devil gave a chuckle.
Helen narrowed her eyes. “I don’t need a lecture from the bloody Devil!”
Damian sighed. “Hey, I’m not ‘The Devil’… not anymore.” He quickly added. “That was all in the old days. I never stopped liking humans… that always got me into trouble though,” He sighed. “You know, a fish never laments that it can’t breathe air… yet you say it’s a miracle it can breathe underwater. I find humans most perplexing… probably why I was attracted to you.”
“I don’t want that attraction!” Helen growled. “You are literally Evil!”
“Eh… really?” Damien asked. “I just have my little shop here… I sell light bulbs at a discount. I don’t really need to do all that much… but say if you must I am Evil, sure.” He sighed a bit as he started to fix the magic light bulb. He waved his hand and the light flared into life. “I must be quite insignificant, to fall for ‘just a human’ though…” He said with a wink. “Unless you see me as quite lowly too? So, what is it? Am I some great evil, or a lowly unimportant being? Given I love you, you’ll have to work that out.”
Helen gulped. “I’m just a human at your whims… you could do anything you want-“
The devil scratched his horn. “Um… are you asking me out again?”
“No!” She yelled. “What I mean is you have magic, I don’t! You magic folk are full of magic, and we are just plain and ordinary!”
“Oh… I rather like plain and ordinary,” The devil-creature sighed. “Do you lament your relationship with our daughter? You are her mother… what in the world is wrong with you, to say you are so lowly? You have given literal life to another… Dear, just what the heck ‘do you want’ that will satisfy you?”
Helen gulped. She never liked it when Damien used that tone. It was like he knew her… and those desires. She was lamenting being ‘just human’… and the freakin’ devil she had a relationship with was chastising her about this. How much worse could this get?
“This was a mistake-“ Helen frowned turning to leave.
“A moment more if I could ask?” The devil requested carefully. “I can’t stop you leaving of course… in some ways you just leaving would make things a little bit easier. You can go back and wallow in your home, Zair can be away from you and…well I suppose you could take up a hobby. However… I can offer you something else? Something you do want… and always wanted… I suspect the very reason you married me in the first place…”
Helen stopped. Maybe she knew it was wrong… this was- well- ‘used to be’ the devil in some old life that was rarely spoken about. “W-what do you mean…”
“What I mean is… I can elevate your status. You can become something more. Something ‘more then human’… that you crave so much. So how about it? I’ll agree… I’ll do it.”
“It’s not just that… Zair…”
The devil grinned. “Oh right. You want to be ‘friends’ with Zair rather then her mother… how silly of me not to consider that… Okay fine, It’s all yours. I have ways to change your fate into the greatest of riches… if you wish to trade your humanity… so… I suppose the question is, if you truly do not wish to be human, Zair’s mother, as much as you didn’t want to be my wife… do you want me to take you down that path? Helen of Earth? All you need to do is say yes.”
Helen paused. “I thought you only sold light-bulbs.”
“I have a... secret drawer. You know from the old days… for old times sakes… hm…” He tapped a hidden compartment and began to ruffle through it. “Let’s see… Horn of Gabriel… Spear of Destiny... nope… nope… oh a picture of the magic-girl that defeated me- good times… I wonder how she is… poor kid,” He muttered. “Ah, here’s a few good ones. Mermaid perhaps? You get to breathe underwater. Maybe you could visit Atlantis. That used to be on Earth for a while in the past too you know. Fun times, I was there… once.”
Helen frowned again. Was she really considering this? “I… really rather keep my legs- but I do want to be something other then human…” She admitted. “You owe me… for all the… pain and suffering.”
“Right…pain and suffering,” The devil smiled. “I owe you. What was I thinking!” He chuckled a little and placed a small piece of paper. “Standard reality augmentation contract… just like the one you made me sign to stay away from my own daughter and yourself… just sign here. Everything you want is yours.”
“What exactly… would that give?”
“What you wanted. I will remake your reality as you desire. You get what you want…” The devil explained. “…’everything’ you want… Power, the chance to be something other than human… and you get to spend more time with Zair.”
“In exchange for my soul?” Helen queried cautiously.
“Nah… it’s not exactly what I deal in. I… only want you and Zair happy. You have already paid by bearing my child… I am just saddened that alone does not fill you with any joy…”
Helen knew she should just… turn away. However, she did need a miracle… she was literally praying for it and Damien had the power to change… so much for her. She knew he could have made her a literal Queen on Earth… She had hoped when marrying him that he would provide… more. So much more than just ‘Zair’. However, he just wanted to ‘be Dad’ to Zair and run a stupid shop- why not use that power and influence to have more! There were others that were getting far more then her and they didn’t even have a supernatural connection! Why was the devil so… lame?
The devil watched almost amused at the bubbling desires inside Helen’s head.
Helen stared at him. “You are wrong. I am happy with Zair… however I am just a human and she’s… more. As you are… more… more than a… mortal…”
“This is not something I wish to debate, but sure. Fine. So, let’s agree you wish to be something ‘relatable’ to Zair… not just her mother… something very powerful… perhaps like a special friend?” The devil started to write up the list… as if he had done this a million times before (which who knows maybe he had?). “Oh… how much power do you want?”
“… All the power you can give me.”
The devil blushed slightly at that. “Uh… huh. Well for that you would have to marry me again,” He teased. “Kidding Kidding! Eh… fine. I’ll give you what I can… you know this probably isn’t going to end well for you. Such desires are very… destructive.”
“I want what I want,” Helen frowned. “Can you give this to me?”
“Sure… sure…” The devil gave her the contract. “Sign…” His tone was almost menacing… briefly.
Helen looked the contract over. It was… surprisingly, exactly as the devil said it would be. She would gain as much power as he could give, in exchange for her humanity- which was written in bold underlined and capital letters. A surprisingly clear contract with no weird legalese about it. Helen looked at the part for payment just in case- which simply had null and void, already paid for with Zair mentioned.
She took out her pen and signed the contract.
Wonderful … take care now!” He sighed a bit as he set his drawer back closed with a magical seal. “What do I get out of this? … you out of my hair…”
The spirit world…
Existing either somewhere between Earth and the Magic-world… or beyond the magic world itself. Sometimes its location in the cosmology was greatly debated even among scholars of the magical world. It was a chaotic world, that took form based on the mindscape of those present to a certain degree. The mind influenced the world but that world influenced the mind just as much, for those unprepared for it. All ones fears were realized, the existential crisis of being ‘alone’ manifested into something far more then just a dream… it was real.
Martin felt his breathing become heavier. It was dark… very dark. Where was he? Was this the spirit world? Why did he feel…“AAH!” Martin cried out in pain. It was like a thousand voices all giving contradicting viewpoints. He couldn’t process it all. Then it felt like everything was expelled out and all was quiet…
Opening his eyes, he saw a land of grass and trees. He was outside in the wilderness. Trees of various impossible colours, pink, green and blue were around him. Where was the school? He took one step onto the grass…
... a snake bit him.
Martin gasped and cried out in pain as the snake flickered away. He could see blood trickling where the bite had gone. The boy winced, crying in the pain. “H-Help- “. Limping and in pain, he tried to continue to find someone. An eagle flew down from a tree… he gasped as its claws tried to go for his eyes. He quickly dodged it holding up his arms, though now his forearms were bleeding. “W-what’s… happening…” He tried to look for help but there was nobody here. It was like this entire world was trying to kill him.
Why?
Martin had to move. The question could wait… He had to move on and find someone. “Help!” He called out again, his leg now feeling very numb from the bite. He heard a howl and a dog start to run towards him. Fearing he was about to get mauled he tried to brace himself-
but the dog started to lick him. The wound on his leg healed instantly. The dog’s presence felt so… nice and warm as he touched its fur. “Huh… you’re… you’re Sarah’s companion, right?” The dog barked happily as it gave him another lick on his face. Martin felt somehow assured by this strange creature. “You’ll… help me? I need to get out of here,” he asked.
A small bird suddenly fluttered near him. Another friend? “You... you’re Tahera’s companion, right?” He asked. The canary fluttered to his shoulder and gave a tweet. “… thanks. I mean- at least I got you guys… but what is this place? Nobody mentioned this- AH!” The trees attacked. The very trees! Vines pulled at him upwards, causing the bird to flutter in the air near him and the dog to bark. The vines started to tear into his dress. The costume that protected his identity. “S-Stop!” He begged. The plants were relentless as they continued to tear through the clothes. Thorns scraped against his skin now leaving him semi-naked. The wand… yes.
Martin called for the strange star-wand, sensing the connection to it- but he couldn’t think of what to do with it! He held it tightly, feeling it was the only object that might protect him. He tried to use the edge of it to cut the vines, but they were too thick and the wand too blunt. For a moment he thought he was stuck but… above the vines, a strange small monkey was now cutting at it with using claws on his behalf. With a swift swipe the boy fell… the bird flew to his head, flapping its wings. The magic set him gently to the ground. Confused and disorientated, he looked at the trees and animals bemused… only for the dog to lick him again. “Ah- okay yes, I’m fine now!” He said patting the canine despite its exuberance.
The tiny monkey landed on the ground next to Martin. It folded its arms looking somehow quite annoyed… but also surprised. If it was the fact that it could see Martin’s gender, the other animals, or even the star wand it was anyone’s guess… though perhaps it was a bit of everything.
“This is… very weird.” He groaned in annoyance. “Why is everything here trying to hurt me?” At least he had some friends here. The friendly animals were all looking at him quite strangely too. “What?” He asked them. “Uh… I don’t know anything about this either okay!” Weird… could he understand them?
The three animals glanced at each other… as snow began to fall around them.
The snow quickly picked up into freezing hailstones. Martin realized he was freezing and lacking in suitable clothes. “M-M-Magic. Can’t… kill…right?” This was a world of magic, but it was trying to kill him. What was happening? Why was the magic… rejecting him? Just because he was a boy? Of course… yes… that had to be it. The ice fell harder around him, icy and cold as the sunlight dimmed to night. He was going to freeze like a crystal… become some object of curiosity in the future for any would be travellers on the path of magic.
He laughed… Martin just laughed. “Magic… was not meant for boys… or is that just for humans? Only girls heh… Ha! I must be the worst combination possible…” He continued to walk onwards, not even sure where to go at this point. “Can I at least… know why… who made the rules?” He guessed it was just the way things were… like a lot of things that just were. He saw in the distance eyes of red… beasts, watching and waiting. Then...
All the dangerous beasts suddenly fled… a great roar sounded in the air as a huge dragon descended. The creature was mighty with powerful wings of red. She had those huge claws on its arms…
“…Lalira?” Martin asked.
“Go back boy…” The dragon growled. “Accept your defeat graciously… and I will make this painless…”
“I- I’m here to learn magic!” He shouted. “I won’t leave!” He pointed the magic wand towards the dragon… though it was not intimidated at all.
“You… do not understand. If you choose to fight… then I have no choice… I will not be merciful…”
The three animals surrounded Martin like a protective ring… they each began to glow brightly. Beads of energy appeared, seemingly falling from the sky. The beads hovered briefly, then started to fall towards the magical wand. It was charging up!
“What is this…” The dragon gasped. “No…”
So many creatures… companions… They acted like an army, protecting Martin, even against a dragon! He could sense the power all around him. The boy gripped the magical wand. “You are right… I… don’t understand this… but it seems I am not alone…”
“Enough!” The dragon shouted. “Why do you protect him! What has he done to earn such…”
The energy of all the creatures started to glow once more, forming into a single item… a crown. It placed itself firmly onto Martin’s head, setting itself easily on the pink hair. He… or ‘she’ as she was looking now, pointed the star wand at the dragon. “Cosmic dream power!”
Very few things can cause a dragon surprise. Martin had beaten her once with knowledge… there was no chance of a second defeat…right? Well, apparently yes. The energy of all the animal companions coalesced into the wand and struck the dragon hard…
…in an instant Lalira was down.
Mara had won…
The dragon’s form flickered, taking on her more human appearance. She stared at Mara… and at that crown… the most impossible symbol of authority... a boy… no… “…Yumi?”
Helen found herself in a bedroom. She immediately recognized her daughter’s clothing… However they were huge! She tried to move- only to find herself struggling as she realized she was now on four legs. ‘What the heck- wait why can’t I talk!’ She seemed to be making noises like… cat.
Staring down at her paws she saw cat-like features… but something was off about it. There was an odd glow about them. She had not just been turned into a cat but a cartoon cat!
“MEOW!”
