Chapter 4: Beyond the Realm of Magic
Imported from SF2 with no description.
Aaaanyway, let's continue our little bizarre adventure, shall we?
It feels like déjà vu, waking up at the same position and at the same time as yesterday, but with my clothes thrown around by that grateful intruder (well, he didn't kill me, so I'm half sarcastic). Yet, the difference is that now is Monday and I have classes to go.
Well, more like a project exam. That night was weird, but lucky. The intruder left no marks on my bottles, and they are basically untouched. My papers aren't that lucky, though, but luckily I've made my necessary papers into a binder. I feel like the day to talk about my project has come. Despite of what happen last night, I can still concentrate on the project…
When I walk there, though, I realize something is different on me. Unlike last night, my lower body had become draconic and soft plates starting to grow from it. Scales have finally covered my whole body and I look more draconian than a half-humanoid Hidden Beast. This surprises me since this kind of progress naturally takes some weeks or more than a month. Is it because of the stress of last night?
Another surprise comes when I tried to grab my project. I see my hands are no longer capable of grabbing things due to the wings that grow with three of my fingers. It folds correctly and when I open it, it open into a full wing! I feel like a bat now.
But then this poses a problem. How the hell am I supposed to take my things? Wyverns aren't especially good grabbers. Well, Liza was right. In this state I might need to train myself how to fold my clothes with only two fingers each. But in the meantime, levitating magic might work. These bottles weren't that heavy so I won't take up too much mana.
Fast-forward some hours later, I've finally finished my examinations. Now, with the coming summer, I don't know where to go. Orwallis is a pleasant tourist town with a college, but for someone who have lived here for two years, it is not going to be fun anymore since I know all the places already. Since the year 1999, there is a strict rules regarding travel beyond the walls. Aside from the need for bodyguards, travel by train and cars are forbidden except if there is a permit. The permit itself is far more than what I make. I know the Badlands is dangerous, with so many monsters and animals that cannot be let near the city walls, but I can't just live inside Orwallis all my life, right? Sure, I'm not even an Orwallis citizen, but what is so bad out there? Last I remember we always camp out there and the animals are pretty nice to us. We even talked to a dragon when I was 6 (but of course, that's because my mom is a magi and I'm a Hidden Beast. Mythars have an ability to talk to their feral counterparts. I recently found out that we have the same anatomy and tongue, so we can talk to each other. Mom knew a magic to let her talk to him, too).
Well, at least the beach is packed with locals, knowing that they can't go either. The sea itself is dangerous if there is no sufficient magic to protect the ships. Techs have worked around it, but even they are still limited in function.
I usually like seeing the sunset by the lighthouse. It's always a good view from the lighthouse base. Seeing that now my arms had practically becomes wings, seeing the sun might let me forget about them a little…
“Hey, kid, you've completed your exam, huh?"
That familiar voice startles me to the point I fell towards the sea! Yet, somehow by reflex, I extend my arms and the wings save me from hitting the rocks below. So this is what feels like to have wings like a wyvern. I feel so light.
Oops, before I forget, I gotta fly up to that intruder. I flap my wings like how a bat flies and I am propelled up. I get to the base in no time.
“Huh, now that I see your wings, I am convinced that you are a Discord after all," said the intruder. “Last night, those wings weren't that big, but now, it is enough for you to fly normally. Not to mention, your face is completely draconic now."
“Then why am I a wyvern instead of a dragon? If you know my father, you know that he was a dragon Mythar with wings on his back. My paternal grandfather looked like him too."
“A Mythar Discord have something similar to a mutation, but it is cleaner and far controllable. It happens at the early stages of a Hidden Beast transformation. I bet your mother is also perplexed by the fact."
“Then why aren't you getting any mutation?"
“Pure Mythars don't get that kind of problem, yet they run a risk of becoming a feral."
This surprises me more than it should. He really said that?
“Impossible! There is no way you devolve like that! Are you telling me that this 'Discord' thing is not a magical thing?"
“It's obvious enough, kiddo. There is another force that we magical creatures cannot grasp, with only a select few can. We call it Discord because it does not make the same resonance with our plane, but some believe that this is a supernatural magic."
“Supernatural…magic? You mean a magic revolving around spiritual matter? I thought that is just a fiction."
“Well…it's kinda hard to talk to a Mythar who doesn't know anything about advance magic knowledge. I might bore you with things you won't understand. Anyway, I gotta warn you, though. There is a killer on the loose in this small town."
“Eh? B-but I don't know anything about that. There is no news coverage…"
“There can't be any news to be seen if there is no substantial evidence, right? The killer utilized Discord in his crimes, so of course there is no evidence. Discord users does not leave magic particles, and many of their abilities cannot be explained by the Magi, either. I am here to find this Discord user and stop him from killing others."
“But…how do you even know about it? Is that the reason why you are stalking me and thrashing my home like that?"
“That's for another reason that you don't need to know now, Hal Trixija. Just be careful."
Somehow this stranger gives me the creeps and an unsettling aura about my situation right now. A killer on the loose? No trace of magic particles? No proof? What the hell is going on? I might be convinced if this is 1880, but this is the 21st century of the second era. Technology have advanced since then.
Hearing him talk to me about Discords and whatnot made me think that this guy have some screws loose, but he is too convincing to shrug that off as a rant. He knows everything I ask him, even the reason why I am a wyvern and not a dragon.
But still, I can't believe that what he says will be true…some hours later.
The town is small, and no crimes are known to be roaming the streets at night, but this night is different. I am so hungry I buy some microtech food for a midnight grub when I feel the air starting to get cold. Normally, this never happens on summer, but seeing the fog all around me make me suspicious. A chill comes to my shoulder, as if something is trying to kill me from the dark with a thousand knives pointing at me. No, it's as if this fog is made from hundreds, maybe thousands of sharp needles ready to pierce me the moment I lose my guard.
“What the fuck do you want, serial killer?" I said, trying to stay as calm as possible, but in truth, I'm trembling. Whatever that strange told me it should happen sooner or later or I'll be minced meat.
“Oh, for a college boy, you talk shit, huh?" said a disembodied voice. “No wonder your generation is like shit."
“Yeah, but at least they don't mince people to pieces. I know you magic controls this fog to the point it becomes razor sharp. That's how there is no fingerprints or even any evidence except a pool of blood."
“Hah, college boy almost got an A there. Still, you are mistaken. I leave no evidence, even pool of blood!"
Shit, the fog is coming to me. I don't know what I can do to make them disappear. But then, again by instinct, I flap my arm-wings and the fog disperses, yet they return again almost instantly.
“Hah, you may have those versatile dragon wings but you are fighting a fucking fog! I cannot be cut or even blown away! The moment you inhale them you will be shredded to pieces!"
Now what the hell am I going to do? If any of you readers or the writers himself knows something, just fucking tell me!
“You really are a pain in the ass, aren't you, kiddo!"
Oh my gods, my pleas are answered! Somehow that stranger comes and shoots fresh fire from his lungs, dispersing the fog again for a moment before they return. Yet this Mythar calmly walks towards me while erecting a barrier.
“Well, kid, I thought I told you to be careful, especially wandering on an empty street in the middle of the night," said the stranger smiling to me. “Stay inside the barrier. I'll deal with him."
I nod, not knowing if this stranger is capable of defeating the man using this magic. Seeing the fog and its danger makes me realize that the stranger is telling the truth. There is no way an alteration magic can make the fog becomes deadly. Even if the higher-ups are covering this up because it is forbidden, it cannot be implemented since that will cost a lot of mana. Even then, this guy needs to be in the proximity of the area to unleash a fog like this.
“Well, well, never thought I found another victim tonight," said the disembodied voice. “You came at the right moment. I was just getting bored with a clean kill."
“You really take on killing as a hobby, huh, Huba Winsalt?"
“I see. You know my name as well. Now I have a reason to kill you. Yes, killing is something I like! Fuck the law and its goddamn happiness! All I want is to see them die in agony for betraying me like that."
“I see. Then tell me, where did you awaken your Discord?"
“Huh? Oh, you mean this sweet magic? Never thought I, a human, can use magic like this. This fuels my brain with ecstasy of seeing people butchered with a clean slice through their body. Seeing them in a moment of pain and surprise made me so horny…"
“You sick motherfucker."
At that moment, I can see that the stranger is full of rage, enough to make the fog dissipate. When it returns to normal again, the voice said, “Say what you want to me! There is no way you are able to destroy a fog!"
“You are missing the point here, Huba. A fog may be a fog, but as much as it is a gas, it is still water in component. Now, you are inside my effective range!"
I feel something that feel like an enormous energy of magic quickly expand. As a Mythar, I can feel and aware of magic particles. The barrier the stranger put on me expands to a large proportion, think enough to make it visibly purple. There are no fog around us anymore.
“What the?! When did you expand this barrier?!"
“When you told me that you are a human, you are signing your death warrant. This barrier has magical properties that cannot be sensed by you, even if you are using a Discord ability."
“But how can't I see the barrier before?!"
“I condensed it. That's why it's transparent. Now, about that fog water…. You might feel a little bit hot, Hal Trixija. Stay away from the barrier."
Without warning, the barrier starts to catch fire. I run towards the stranger to prevent injuries. The fire he uses is so intense and so hot that it practically makes the air shimmers. I can see that the fog starts to disappear, evaporating from the intense heat.
There is a shriek as the fog dissipates. The voice grows weaker and weaker, as if it is running away. The fire barrier suddenly got turned off instantly, as if it never happens.
By then, I see the main body of the fog user. He is a human, alright, but due to the heat of the fire, he is smoking from it and is burned in half of his body. Seeing his state like this make me realize that the fog is him.
“Y-you motherfucker. That…magical special effect is not supposed to burn me like this! You are not even tired! Who are you?!"
“Me? I don't give shit to a sick guy with a sick fetish like you," said the stranger spitting on him.
“W-what now? Are you going to kill me? You know it's against the law, right?! You cannot kill me! You are making yourself a fucking murderer! I may be dead, but you will soon follow me in hell for doing that!"
“Yeah…you may be the worst piece of shit I've ever known besides Raz, but you still deserve a chance to face the court of law."
Holy shit, this guy is so calm. I've never seen someone like this before.
“But then, your Discord ability is still a problem to me and to the people. That fog ability is dangerous, but…"
The man is slowly engulfed by a dimensional portal. Normally, this needs a lot of mana and four trained Magi, but this guy does it by himself! The man screams and rants and curses the stranger, talking shit to him like revenge and other typical criminal scheme.
Yet, in a turn of event, the criminal is screaming in pain, and before I realize it, he is being crushed inside the dimensional space! His scream echoes before it becomes silent. He is dead, crushed inside an artificial dimension.
“Shits like you are better off dead. I've done the town a favor," he said. “You'll make a nice pie."
I can't believe my eyes. It happens so fast. The stranger comes to my aid, talk like a goddamn action hero, and crush that guy in a dimensional crusher? Damn, I wish I didn't piss him off back in my apartment or I end up like that guy.
I shiver when he turns his head towards me. I never thought the color purple can be this menacing. Well, aside from Liza, this guy is…wait a sec…purple scales? Only a small portion of dragon Mythars have purple scales. Not only that, he knew me from my dad, who died during the Razber war. I know they are war buddies. Liza said her dad never returned to her, too. Could it be…?
“Hey, wait!" I exclaimed to him. “Do you know of a Mythar named Liza Ward?"
He stops at his place, pausing for a moment before turning around to me. His expression looks like he never believes me. I think I must push him.
“I thought it's weird that you have the same shade of purple with Liza. There are many shades of purple, even for a Mythar. Are you her father?"
The stranger doesn't reply and silently turn away. I know he has the reason, but I can't stand a father who does not care about his daughter's well-being. Yet, when I start walking, he said, “So what if I am? Liza is my daughter, so why so worked up on that?"
“Then why are you stalking her like a creep?!"
“I just want to make sure that her boyfriend is not some shit crap who only want to be with her because they are weak. Well, now that it's out, what are you going to do?"
“At least talk to her!"
“Kid…let Liza remember her father as he is. Now…well, she won't be glad to see a dad with sharpened claws and full of blood, right? She's not suffering, you know. Her mom is still alive."
“But…"
“She's better off without me. You too, Hal Trixija. Danny would be so proud of you."
You know what's shit in this scene? I forgot to ask him about how my dad, Daniel Trixija, got killed. I was too overwhelmed by my knowledge that I practically let that go. I wish he tells me that night.
Damn…I'm beat and I lose my appetite. Well, I can still eat it later, right? Now, I don't know what I am going to do this summer. I might as well go to my computer and find something to watch. Now that I only have four fingers, I might as well learn how to type…again. I haven't got any money to buy a new one for my anatomy (well, since this world has tons of different species, not all of us can use a full keyboard).
Still, the night is weird. A serial killer using a fog ability, this strange who is far more powerful than a high mage, and his revelation as Liza's dad? If there's anything so complex and complicated, you got it.
Again, this experience does not ends here. By time, we are all going to go on the biggest adventure I have ever known in my lifetime, and also…
I need to know my Discord power if I want to survive.