Chapter 3
The four stood over the map as it lay on the dining room table, looking at it in a mix of awe and curiosity.
“So do you think it’s made from the same stuff as the Book of Flight,” Maddie asked as she ran her finger over it.
“I mean,” said Kozui, “the Book of Flight’s like, made of Ceteha’s actual skin supposedly. You think she drew a map on her skin?”
“I doubt it,” said Leo as he picked it up and stretched it. “This doesn’t feel like parchment, not like the Book’s pages. I think it’s just a construct of magic. That explains the glowing dot.”
“It couldn’t be,” said Sialei as she snatched it from Leo, glaring at him and putting it back down on the table. “Magic doesn’t work like that. It only makes things that have already existed. You can’t just make a completely new material with magic! Besides, even if you could, making the map would be pointless. Anything it creates disappears over time. You don’t see plants everywhere I use my magic, do you?”
“I mean,” Maddie out a finger on her chin, “I guess it’s still possible that it’s magic. Just a different kind of spell than what you guys use.”
“Okay Maddie,” said Sialei slowly, looking up at her with a little concern, “do you… know how magic works?”
“It’s… never really explained,” she admitted. “In the series it’s just kinda like Harry Potter. You know, a gift inside of you, or something like that. It’s never really given a source.”
“Oh Ceteha’s nails,” Leo groaned, hand over his mouth and noise in that universal annoyed gesture, “Sialei is gonna give one of her lectures.”
“Let’s go play with that big dog,” said Kozui as he pointed at Winchester, who was coming down the stairs and looking at the strangers with a tilt of his head.
“You know dogs don’t like me,” he replied with a cross of his arms. “They dislike me quite a bit.”
“What about that little guy,” asked Kozui with a grin as he pointed down at Barry, who was rubbing up against Leo’s ankles and purring.
“… Maybe he might like me,” he replied, trying to act nonchalant as he picked up the small cat. Barry made a small noise as Leo lifted him up, but immediately moved to lie over Leo’s left shoulder. Maddie looked at the scene and gave a small chuckle.
“Barry only sits on your left shoulder,” she said. “Unless you’re sitting down. Then he’s always on the right shoulder like a parrot.”
“He’s purring very loudly,” Leo commented as he scratched Barry behind the ear.
“He has a loud purr box,” Maddie replied with a smiled before looking back towards Sialei. “So, if magic isn’t just something that’s there, then what exactly is it?”
“Magic is something in you heart,” she said as she put both her hands over her chest. “It’s something that the universe gifts you. When we say a spell, we are talking to it. Ancient philosophers called spells the language of magic. No one knows why some humans can talk to it and others can’t, but one thing we do know is that when we use spells, we’re speaking to the universe itself, asking it for something and it grants us what we need.” She smiled at Maddie. “So at least for us, there’s no such thing as another kind of magic. It all comes from the same source, the universe itself. And that’s why everything we create disappears. We only have it for as long as it’s needed. Once we don’t need it anymore, the universe takes that energy back.”
“Oh,” Maddie replied. “Well then I guess the map can’t be made from magic. Then what is it made from?”
“No idea,” said Kozui as he leaned down and rubbed the top of Winchester’s head with a big grin. “But does it really matter? It’ll lead us to the Tower of Song, or at least the pieces of it. I mean the voice from the Book said we had to find it, and then it made a map? Now way that’s a coincidence. I bet the map’s gonna show the pieces to us when they gather enough power to be useful.”
“That… makes a lot of sense,” said Maddie in surprise. “You’re pretty smart Kozui?”
“Why does that sound like you’re surprised by it,” Kozui asked, looking a little insulted by her tone.
“Just never pegged you for that type,” she replied. “So what can we do until we figure out where these pieces are? How are we supposed to do anything? I mean, this map shows us where we are and that’s just it. And the prophecy said to return the Principles of Life. Meaning more than one. If the Tower of Song is one, then what are the others?”
“No idea,” said Leo as he sat down on the couch, Barry moving to his other shoulder and just sitting there. “Maybe the Tower is the first thing we need to find before everything else.”
“Sounds a little complicated,” said Sialei as she kneeled down by Kozui, petting Winchester. “We don’t even know what all we’re looking for.” “Except an old song by Leonard Cohen,” Maddie joked. They just stared at her and sighed. “Never mind.” She sighed and looked back at the table, looking at the map and picking it up. “But then does it just show us another dot whenever a point shows up on the map?”
“No idea,” said Sialei. “We’re just going to have to wait and find out.” Then, in a flash of light, the map closed up, turning into a glowing ball of white light before disappearing into the eight note pendant on Maddie’s neck. “Whoa. I’ve never seen anyone able to use a storage spell on something so small.”
“I don’t think that was a storage spell,” said Maddie softly as she looked down, gently brushing the tips of her fingers over it. “This isn’t made to store anything. It’s just a normal choker I got at Hot Topic.”
“Hot Topic,” repeated Kozui. “How can a topic be hot? Unless you mean like a topical ointment medicine, but even those are just warm.”
“It’s a, ugh, never mind.” Maddie reached to the back of her neck and unclasped it, pulling it off and looking at it. “It looks identical to how it did before. I really don’t think it’s the choker.”
“Could it be you,” Sialei asked, examining Maddie with a different look, more analyzing than before when they’d met.
“No way in hell,” she quickly replied, stepping away. “I don’t need you analyzing me! Look, as much as I fantasized about being a magical person as a child, I’m not. Magic isn’t a thing here. My mom’s name is Melissa Sangster and my father’s name was Harold Sangster. You don’t really get more normal than Melissa and Harold.”
“Melissa,” Leo repeated. “That is a very strange name.”
“Maybe to you guys,” she replied with a glare, hands on her hips. “Anyway, it’s not me.”
“I don’t sense anything special about her reki,” said Kozui as he looked at her. “She feels the same as any other magicless human.” He stopped petting Winchester and held out his hand. “Can I see that necklace?”
“It’s actually a choker,” Maddie said as she handed it to him, “but I don’t see any reason why you can’t.” He took the choker and his eyes glowed with a soft blue aura.
“There’s no spell on this either,” he said with confusion. “I don’t sense the magic of the map either. I could just a moment ago, but it’s gone now.”
“What the fuck,” said Leo. “Magic doesn’t just disappear like that. At least the ability to sense it doesn’t.”
“Not if there’s a blocking spell,” Sialei reminded.
“Someone has to be constantly casting that,” Leo pointed out. “And the only way we wouldn’t sense them is if they were in the necklace.” He rubbed his chin. “Unless-”
“There isn’t a tiny person living in my necklace,” Maddie shouted angrily and quickly, running her words together as she snatched the choker from Kozui and started to put it back on. “I don’t know what’s going on, but that isn’t it!” She finished and put her arms back so she could gesture with her hands. “It’s probably just some sort of, I don’t know, difference between Earth and Adulia. We don’t have magic here so Earth items might just react strangely when you use Adulian magic. It might just be reacting to the fact that the map came out of the same symbol. Like I said, this choker is available at the biggest nerd store in the world. Well, the biggest one that you can actually physically go to. Not to mention thousands of stores probably have near identical products.” She tucked her hair behind her left ear. “They’re mass produced items. There’s nothing special or different about this particular one.”
“What’s mass produced,” asked Sialei, making Maddie sigh.
“Maybe I need to introduce you guys to a thing call a library.”
“Hey,” said Evan as he opened the front door, “so it turns out the park is closed and-”
“Esha fiashia na salanari eishi kra,” said Kozui with a glare as he leaped towards the door and at Evan, speaking all of that in less than a few seconds before water swirled around both of his extended arms. “Who the hell are you?!”
“What the hell are you saying,” Evan asked with a glare. “What the hell kind of special effects are you using and why are you in my house?!”
“Kozui no,” shouted Maddie as she threw herself between her twin and her new companion, arms extended protectively in front of her brother. “Don’t hurt him! This is my brother, he lives here!”
“But he looks the same age as you,” said Sialei.
“We’re twins genius,” she retorted.
“What’s a twin,” asked Leo, making Maddie sigh.
“Great,” she growled out, “I guess you guys don’t have the twin genes in Adulia.”
“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!” Maddie groaned and placed a hand on her forehead.
“This is gonna be a long day.” She turned around towards her brother, grabbing the collar of his letterman and pulling him and pushing him into the living room area before shutting the door. She took in a deep breath, pulling her hands over her freckled face before putting them together. “Okay, so… you know that manga I finished this morning?” Evan nodded. “Turns out it’s real? And now they’re in our house? I mean, I’m not exactly sure how it happened, just that Damien Monroe, that’s the villain in the series, he managed to steal their entire universe, but Mere, and these three were saved and sent here.” She gestured to the C3. “Now there’s this magical glowing map that’s retreated into my choker and also there’s a prophecy and I feel like I have to help them now because the map to help us find what we need for it is kinda trapped in my choker and oh god I feel like I sound like a crazy person.” She groaned, a hand on her forehead. “I feel like if I told anyone but you this that I’d be shipped off to the nearest Psych Ward.”
“I’m not sure if I’m not gonna do that yet,” he said as he crossed his arms, looking over the rest of the people in his house. “Which one of you chuckleheads decided to mess with my sister?” He went right up to Leo. Even though both of them were fairly tall, Evan had at least a good two inches over Leo. He grabbed the front of Leo’s shirt and lifted him up. “Was it you?”
“Back off,” Leo growled out, “before I claw out your eyes.”
“Put him down,” Maddie yelled as she ducked under Evan’s arm and pushed the two away from each other. “They didn’t do anything to make me think it, at least probably nothing intentionally. I figured it out. They use magic and Sialei was flying!” She gestured a hand to Sialei. “She’s part fairy!” She turned towards her. “Show him!”
“You sure,” asked Sialei. “I mean, you said magic isn’t normal here.”
“He’s my brother,” Maddie replied. “Trust me.” Sialei nodded and took in a deep breath as her wings slowly unfurled, shining with green and gold.
“Holy shit,” he said slowly as he watched her gently flutter her wings and lift up into the air. “Oh my God.” She gently floated back down held out her hands.
“Sharasi kanio mila naya sey.” Evan’s eyes glowed with golden light before he shook his head.
“What the fuck did you just do,” he asked accusingly, pointing an angry finger.
“It’s just a communication spell,” said Sialei calmly and with an unintentionally charming smile. “You’re Maddie’s brother, right? We’ll need your help figuring out what to do now. Tell me, have you ever heard of the Hot Topic?”
“Enough of that,” said Maddie as she stepped between them. “We have more pressing matters, like figuring out what’s next.”
“And figuring out how to get the map out of Maddie’s choker,” added Kozui. “If we want to find the pieces of the Tower then we need to have access to the map, but Maddie’s choker stole it. I have never seen something like that.”
“Well I don’t know how to get it out,” she snapped. “I mean it just went and floated itself in there!” Evan stepped behind his sister. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on but he knew she was tense.
“Easy there,” said Evan as he rubbed her shoulders. “Deep breaths. In and out, no need to get angry.” Maddie glared, but took in a deep breath. “I’m sure Kozui didn’t mean to sound accusatory.”
“Yeah I guess,” she grumbled.
“Anyway, so Maddie’s choker has the map so you guys don’t know how to find these broken pieces?”
“Not a clue,” said Leo. “It just happened.”
“When,” asked Evan.
“It just happened a shokar before you came into the room,” said Kozui. “Maybe two.” “The fuck’s a shokar,” asked Evan, full of frustration.
“You know,” said Sialei with a smile, “100 of them makes a rotun! And there are 10 of them in a day.”
“I’m starting to think they don’t tell time the same way we do,” said Maddie.
“How can they not?”
“I mean,” Maddie shrugged. “They’re from a different universe! You can’t expect everything to be the same universe to universe.”
“Well alright then.”
“Wait,” said Sialei, “then how do you guys tell time.”
“Well we-”
“We don’t have time for this,” said Maddie, glaring at Evan and cutting him off. “We need to figure this out, and hopefully before Mom gets back from her business trip. This is the first time she’s left for one since Dad passed and we need to take care of it before she gets back. Otherwise we just end up making her think she has to stay with us, even when we’re in college!”
“Well then what do we do,” Evan proposed. “I don’t know anything about that stupid manga-”
“Magic Blood.”
“Or the world they came from-”
“Adulia.”
“Or even the city they come from!”
“Leo grew up on a farm outside of Caronia, Isabel grew up on the Narali reserves, and Kozui grew up with the Khan tribe from the country of Vant Uls, but they all met up in Pertopolis.”
“That is,” Kozui trailed off, “honestly that’s kind of creepy that you know all of that information.”
“Well I thought it was a fictional book series,” she said defensively. “How was I supposed to know any of it was real?!”
“Point is,” said Evan as he looked back and forth between everyone, “we still have absolutely no idea where to go from here.”
“I have an idea,” came a voice, seeming to echo all around them. Everyone started to look up, guarded as they looked around.
“Who are you,” Sialei demanded. “Where are you hiding?!”
“I’m not actually there,” replied the voice. “This is just a projection spell.”
“Spell,” repeated Kozui. “So then you’re from Adulia like us!”
“Yes and no,” the voice chuckled. “I’m far more than any of you will ever be.”
“Enough with the riddles,” Leo growled. “Where are you?! What do you want?! Are you working with Damien?!”
“Come to Elizabeth Park,” the voice instructed, “and you’ll find out.”
“Where’s Elizabeth Park,” asked Kozui with a determined look, different from the goofy one he’d had just moments before.
“It’s not far,” she replied, “but it is out of town. It’s a nature reserve, but it’s pretty busy during this time of year.”
“Come on,” said Evan as he held up his keys, “I can drive.”
“What’s driving,” Kozui asked, turning to Sialei, but she simply shrugged as they all went outside. Evan quickly got in the drivers seat of his red Corolla.
“Shotgun,” called Maddie as she jumped in the passenger seat of Evan’s car. Evan turned the key and rolled down the window, looking at Leo, Kozui, and Sialei, who were all just staring at his car.
“See the door behind this one,” he said, sticking his arm out the window and pointing. “That’s where you get in. You,” she pointed at Sialei, “fly girl, you sit in the middle. You’re the shortest and I don’t want the other two obstructing my view.” Sialei glared but Maddie sighed.
“Just go with it,” she said. “Evan’s the only one here who can drive. One of you guys needs to get in on the other side.” Kozui shrugged and went over to the other side and got in, with Sialei and Leo climbing in on the other side. “Okay, any of you guys know what a seatbelt is?” They all shook their heads.
“No time for that,” said Evan as he locked all the doors and shifted it into gear. “We gotta figure out what the hell is going on and get you guys home before our mom gets home. And maybe on the way you can explain what’s going on to me a little bit better.”
General Spring stood on a thick branch in a tree overlooking a meadow with a smirk on her face as she looked out at all of the families playing in the meadow. The diamond shaped gem Damien had given her was placed on her forehead, shining with power.
“Should I simply scare them off, or should I hurt them,” she contemplated with a chuckle. “Oh look at those happily, oblivious living human beings. Just frolicking around in a meadow, flying kites and having picnics.” She held her hand out and a creature that looked like liquid earth surged up from the ground. “I want you to try and destroy these humans. Make them scream and turn the meadow red with their blood!” The creature wordlessly surged towards the people in the field, starting to attack them by spilling over them. Some people were lifted up and others were just covered as General Spring laughed. The screams of the people who had been attacked spilled out through the entire park.
“Esha fiashia na salanari eishi kra! Esha fiashia na salanari sandria na togu!” Almost in a flood, the water washed over the meadow and started to wash away the earth from the creature. At the edge of the meadow, Sialei, Kozui, Leo, Maddie, and Evan stood, watching as Kozui’s outstretched hand directed the water.
“What is that,” asked Maddie, her eyes wide with horror and her mouth covered. “This is horrible.”
“That’s a Haranti,” said Sialei with a glare. “It’s a creature created by magic. It’s a legendary spell though, and no one’s ever been able to create once successfully. The universe won’t just create sentient life. Spells like this take power in order to override the universe’s wishes. It'd take someone who has an entire universe in themselves if it's going to override the power of it!”
“Damien,” growled out Leo. “This has to be his doing!” He held up one of his hands. “Sharai na shun o meki bahn!” His hands quickly turned into claws as he started to run in, clawing at the earth and freeing people.
“What are they saying,” asked Evan. “They’re speaking so fast!”
“They have to,” Maddie replied. “You can’t just think a spell! You have to say it. How the hell else is it supposed to work?”
“Well excuse me,” Evan shot back, “but my extent of knowledge in magic is Harry Potter!”
“Can you two stop fighting,” shouted Sialei as she held up her hands, ready to start casting spells. “We’re in the middle of a battle with an unknown enemy! You two don’t have magic so you can’t help out, but at the very least you can shut up and let me concentrate!”
“Well sorry if my brother is being stupid,” Maddie shot back. Sialei just sighed and ran into the fight with her friends.
“Okay, that was kind of hot,” Evan admitted.
“Don’t even go there,” Maddie glared.
“So here you are,” said General Spring with a laugh as she appeared behind Maddie and Evan. “Finally. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you and getting rid of you for a long time.”