ULTRAMagic Interlude - Chapter 12
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Another day had passed, with Blood-Wraith feeling slight unease that morning. He had a dream the night prior that was fairly odd. It featured him and a figure that resembled Dunja… going to school? Specifically she was walking him to the place in question. The realization of how strange the situation was jolted him awake. If that dream meant anything, he was not sure what it was. After contemplating it for a couple of minutes, Blood-Wraith figured it was time for breakfast and got out of bed.
“Good morning, Blood!” Aureolus greeted him as he sat down at the table.
“Hey, Aureolus, Vex… Wait, who’s cooking?”
“That would be Valentina,” Vexation replied. “She arrived 10 minutes after you fell asleep last night. I offered to prepare breakfast myself, but she insisted since she-and I quote-just showed up out of the blue…”
Valentina then entered the dining room with the rest of breakfast. She was casually dressed, wearing a black, modest blouse and a sky blue dress going down to her ankles. “Good morning, Blood. You don’t mind if I stay with you while I’m in the Unlight, do you?”
“Hey, Val. No, I don’t mind… you have normal clothes?”
She chuckled. “Of course I do, silly. Did you think I’d wear my armor or angelic robes all the time?”
Blood-Wraith thought about it for a second and chuckled. “Yeah, makes sense. Come to think of it, I need to get my armor on soon.”
“Is it because of that thing you can’t tell me about yet?” Aureolus asked.
“Yup.”
“Are you sure you can’t tell me about it yet? I promise I’ll keep it a secret.”
“Nope… Yes… NO, ARGH! Sorry, Aureolus, but it’s top secret.”
“Aw man… Can you give me a hint?” This made Blood-Wraith groan, causing Vexation and Valentina to laugh.
“Blood, I will admit that I do have a rough idea of what’s going on” Vexation stated. “To satisfy some curiosity, I will say that it’s wrong to assume certain events are set in stone.”
Blood-Wraith grumbled. “I suppose that’s vague enough…”
“Oh, okay…” Aureolus seemed like he was going to drop it. “This is about Dunja, isn’t it?”
“SHHHHHH!!” Blood-Wraith lurched and put his finger over Aureolus’ mouth. This elicited more laughter.
“Blood, why are you so on edge?” Aureolus wondered.
“It’s because I’m being knighted in two weeks and a lot is riding on this thing I can’t discuss…”
“Well firstly; congratulations, Blood,” Valentina cut in. “Secondly, he has a lot of responsibility now, Aureolus.”
Vexation nodded. “Doubly so given the guild about to be founded.”
“A guild?” Aureolus questioned. “What guild? Tell me!”
“Yeah, that…” Blood-Wraith started to elaborate. “Me, Val, and the others ran into a weird angel who had ULTRAMagic back in the labyrinth. He said he wants to round up ULTRAMagic mages to form a guild to help keep the Cosmos safe.”
“Oh wow…” Aureolus was amazed by this development. “Good thing I’m getting my own set of soul fragments then!”
“Pardon?” This caught Blood-Wraith off guard, causing him to nearly drop some of his food.
Vexation smiled. “Yes indeed, Blood. Aureolus wants to become an ULTRAMagic mage. He already has five as is.”
“Really now?”
“Yes,” Aureolus replied. “I’ve got one from Vex, dad, uncle Englehart, your dad, and Brenna’s dad. I was thinking about asking your mom for her fragment, but I’m a little nervous. After that, I’m not sure who to ask.”
This was quite the news for Blood-Wraith. “Well, I can’t help with that last one. You’ll have to let it come naturally.”
“Why not ask Blood for a fragment, Aureolus?” Valentina proposed.
“No, it wouldn’t work. My instincts are telling me I need someone else.”
“Trust your instincts,” Blood added. “That’s something Brenna has already told me… Plus I’m pretty sure the one I gave him before the Dark Grand Desert already counts.”
Valentina thought about it for a second and nodded. “Oh, I see. You’ll have to forgive my ignorance as the type of entity Aureolus is is a bit new to me.”
Breakfast went smoothly from that point on. Talking was fairly relaxed since Blood-Wraith was no longer being questioned over stuff relating to Dunja… Everyone finished their food and cleaned up, ready to start the day properly. Something felt off as Blood-Wraith put on his armor in his bedroom, however. It felt like someone nearby was in distress. He could not shake the feeling, causing him to look out the windows frequently. Since it was a good time to see his family, he figured a quick trip over to the Raynot mansion would get his mind off things. This was foiled when he had to dodge an end table flying out the window.
Blood-Wraith burst through the front door to see Dragoslava chasing after a frenzied man and his parents trying to get fallen furniture out of the way. “Dad! Mom! What’s going on here?!”
“Desislav,” Radovan replied. “Something’s gone wrong and driven him quite mad. He woke up screaming and went berserk.”
“We haven’t been able to figure out what it is yet” Rose said as she straightened out a painting. “...but I do have an idea we can try to at least calm him down.”
“What do you have in mind?” Radovan asked.
“She’ll be here any second now…”
“ALRIGHT, WHERE’S THE EMERGENCY?” Thora exclaimed as she burst through the doors herself.
“You’re still here, Thora?” Blood-Wraith questioned, surprised.
“Yes indeed, kiddo. Rose wanted me to stay here for a little bit just in case I brought back something from the labyrinth… and I see that it’s a good thing I stayed. Where is he?”
“I presume you can sense the trouble already?” Rose inquired.
“Yeah, it’s the satyr boy-Desislav, right?”
“I trust that you have a means of calming him down?” Radovan asked. He seemed anxious given that he was unsure how to handle the situation at hand.
“I don’t know for certain, but I’ll try my best. I’ve had to look after two boys, a girl, and grandchildren after all…” Thora answered as the flowers on her arms perked up.
“Hold up, what’s going on though?” Blood-Wraith asked as more crashing could be heard.
“Like I said, we’re not completely sure,” Radovan answered. “From what I heard, it sounds like he’s panicking over something, referring to things from his past and our past.”
“Oh dear, that’s not good in the slightest,” Thora remarked. “I really wish Sigmund was here at the moment…”
Rose used the mansion’s personal phones to get a hold of Dragoslava. After a few failed attempts, she was able to instruct her to get Desislav to go to the entrance. She did this by literally pushing him in the right direction. Desislav was a loud mess and could not think straight at all. He barreled through the hallway until he hit a cloud of a calming scent. His tantrum finally came to a stop when a lullaby-like melody entered his ears. The person who was singing gave him a hug, fully calming him down. It was like he was being consoled by a long lost parent.
Thora finished her song once she felt he was alright. “It’s going to be alright, Desislav.”
He sniffled. “Thanks, mom… Wait a second! Hold up!” Breaking away, Desislav could see that the elderly tree person was clearly not his mother. “Who are you? You seem familiar…”
Thora smiled and put her hand on his shoulder. “Well you’ve already met my husband…”
“Are… are you Sigmund’s wife?”
She gave him another hug. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Thora.”
Unable to hold back her impatience, Dragoslava took Desislav by the shoulders and looked him dead in the eye. “BOY, we are NOT doing this again! Tell me what the issue is, NOW.”
“Issue? There’s no issue. This is all just a nightmare I’m about to wake up from…” Dragoslava promptly slapped Desislav across the face, causing everyone else to wince. “Ow…”
“You. Are. Awake. Desislav, what happened to your legs!?”
He finally looked down, only to see a pair of slightly bloodied human legs. “Oh… It wasn’t a dream. I… I don’t know…” It almost sounded like he was going to faint.
Blood-Wraith was beyond confused, but was starting to put two and two together. “Guys? Did we ever figure out who the tar man was?”
“The what?” Radovan and Rose asked in unison.
Dragoslava thought back for a second. “Um, no… I don’t think so. What are you getting at, Blood?”
“Hmm… I may need more information and context, but what if the tar man was someone familiar to Desislav? Maybe even related to him? And if it was close enough that the power Desislav took, the obsidian magic… it probably needed a human body to accommodate it… Annoyingly that’s all I got.” He was drawing a blank beyond that point.
Everyone pondered this, trying to make sense of Blood-Wraith’s thoughts, until Thora spoke up. “Reasonable observations, Blood. My dear Sigmund always said magic anomalies can occur when something drastic happens.”
Dragoslava nodded. “Yeah, He’s been feeling bad ever since he defeated the tar man and took his magic.”
Radovan stroked his chin. “Well whatever be the case, this place needs to be cleaned up. Thora? I’ll trust you have some medical skills beyond my skill set, so would you be okay with making sure Desislav is alright while Rose and I tidy up?”
“No problem, your grace. We just need a clean spot to sit.”
Dragoslava gave a frazzled laugh. “Here, let’s go outside instead. Fresh air and what-not…”
While Radovan and Rose cleaned things up, the four found a bench in the backyard. It was by Rose’s massive garden, which had become quite unruly. Thora started by sensing Desislav’s magic. Everything seemed alright, so she looked at his soul. Strangely it indicated another individual that was still Desislav. Again, this made her wish Sigmund was present. He was more of an expert on such matters than she was. Regardless, she cast a healing spell on Desislav’s legs just to make sure nothing was injured.
“Alright, Desislav, get up and walk around for me a little bit,” Thora instructed.
“Uh, sure…” walking on human legs was a bit tricky, but Desislav got the hang of it.
“Heh, a little fact about me: I’m actually nose blind to my own scents. Don’t be afraid to let me know if they start stinking. I won’t be offended. Quite frankly I get worried that my smell is too strong at times.”
Dragoslava nodded, recalling earlier. “Yeah, I noticed that. The scent you used on Desislav was a bit intense…”
Blood-Wraith glanced around, looking for someone. “Hey, Thora? Where’s Auda?”
“Oh, I sent her back to the village to let everyone know I’m coming home. I imagine Tusk’s losing his mind at the moment. Hopefully Skari and Hertha aren’t yanking his chain too much.”
“Skari and Hertha? Who are they?” Blood-Wraith asked.
“They’re my other kids. They always liked to mess with Tusk given his strange habits, as siblings do…”
Radovan and Rose stepped out into the yard. Desislav went over to them and gave an apologetic bow. “Radovan, Rose? I’m so sorry for what I did…”
“It’s alright, Desislav,” Radovan assured him. “You didn’t actually do that much damage, and the damage you did was easy to repair. You may not realize it, but I spent years fortifying that mansion, no thanks to Milosh… Quite frankly, I’m glad it was just you and not something else.”
“I still feel bad though…”
“Well, would you like to help Drago and I get my garden back in order?” Rose inquired. “I’d imagine something fun and peaceful is in order after all that.”
“I did not volunteer to do gardening…” Dragoslava pointed out. “...but I’ll happily help out anyways.”
Desislav looked at the overgrown garden, feeling an urge to get it back in order. “Sure, that sounds great.”
“Do you want me to go see if Corentin and Kresimira are free?” Radovan asked.
“Certainly, that would be fine,” Rose replied. “You’re welcome to join us, Thora. Although I imagine you’re anxious to see your family again.”
Thora nodded. “No two ways about it. Definitely let me know when the garden is ready though.”
“Absolutely. Blood? Would you like to escort Thora back to her village since you’re a knight now?”
This made Blood-Wraith feel giddy and proud. “Sure, mom… I mean, yes, your grace.”
“So you’re a knight now?” Thora inquired as they walked through the mansion.
“Not officially. The knighthood ceremony is still a couple weeks away.”
“Well still, it’s an honor to be taken home by you, Sir Blood-Wraith.” Thora could sense him getting excited on the inside by being acknowledged as a knight.
Blood-Wraith gestured for Thora to stay where she was once they were out in the open. He then assumed the form of Golden Dragon. “Here, hop on so we don’t have to walk.”
“My goodness, Blood. Aren’t you a little gentleman? Riding atop a dragon, I never thought it… Thank you, Blood. I hate to admit it, but my old bones are a tad weary.”
Next: Chapter 13
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
Another day had passed, with Blood-Wraith feeling slight unease that morning. He had a dream the night prior that was fairly odd. It featured him and a figure that resembled Dunja… going to school? Specifically she was walking him to the place in question. The realization of how strange the situation was jolted him awake. If that dream meant anything, he was not sure what it was. After contemplating it for a couple of minutes, Blood-Wraith figured it was time for breakfast and got out of bed.
“Good morning, Blood!” Aureolus greeted him as he sat down at the table.
“Hey, Aureolus, Vex… Wait, who’s cooking?”
“That would be Valentina,” Vexation replied. “She arrived 10 minutes after you fell asleep last night. I offered to prepare breakfast myself, but she insisted since she-and I quote-just showed up out of the blue…”
Valentina then entered the dining room with the rest of breakfast. She was casually dressed, wearing a black, modest blouse and a sky blue dress going down to her ankles. “Good morning, Blood. You don’t mind if I stay with you while I’m in the Unlight, do you?”
“Hey, Val. No, I don’t mind… you have normal clothes?”
She chuckled. “Of course I do, silly. Did you think I’d wear my armor or angelic robes all the time?”
Blood-Wraith thought about it for a second and chuckled. “Yeah, makes sense. Come to think of it, I need to get my armor on soon.”
“Is it because of that thing you can’t tell me about yet?” Aureolus asked.
“Yup.”
“Are you sure you can’t tell me about it yet? I promise I’ll keep it a secret.”
“Nope… Yes… NO, ARGH! Sorry, Aureolus, but it’s top secret.”
“Aw man… Can you give me a hint?” This made Blood-Wraith groan, causing Vexation and Valentina to laugh.
“Blood, I will admit that I do have a rough idea of what’s going on” Vexation stated. “To satisfy some curiosity, I will say that it’s wrong to assume certain events are set in stone.”
Blood-Wraith grumbled. “I suppose that’s vague enough…”
“Oh, okay…” Aureolus seemed like he was going to drop it. “This is about Dunja, isn’t it?”
“SHHHHHH!!” Blood-Wraith lurched and put his finger over Aureolus’ mouth. This elicited more laughter.
“Blood, why are you so on edge?” Aureolus wondered.
“It’s because I’m being knighted in two weeks and a lot is riding on this thing I can’t discuss…”
“Well firstly; congratulations, Blood,” Valentina cut in. “Secondly, he has a lot of responsibility now, Aureolus.”
Vexation nodded. “Doubly so given the guild about to be founded.”
“A guild?” Aureolus questioned. “What guild? Tell me!”
“Yeah, that…” Blood-Wraith started to elaborate. “Me, Val, and the others ran into a weird angel who had ULTRAMagic back in the labyrinth. He said he wants to round up ULTRAMagic mages to form a guild to help keep the Cosmos safe.”
“Oh wow…” Aureolus was amazed by this development. “Good thing I’m getting my own set of soul fragments then!”
“Pardon?” This caught Blood-Wraith off guard, causing him to nearly drop some of his food.
Vexation smiled. “Yes indeed, Blood. Aureolus wants to become an ULTRAMagic mage. He already has five as is.”
“Really now?”
“Yes,” Aureolus replied. “I’ve got one from Vex, dad, uncle Englehart, your dad, and Brenna’s dad. I was thinking about asking your mom for her fragment, but I’m a little nervous. After that, I’m not sure who to ask.”
This was quite the news for Blood-Wraith. “Well, I can’t help with that last one. You’ll have to let it come naturally.”
“Why not ask Blood for a fragment, Aureolus?” Valentina proposed.
“No, it wouldn’t work. My instincts are telling me I need someone else.”
“Trust your instincts,” Blood added. “That’s something Brenna has already told me… Plus I’m pretty sure the one I gave him before the Dark Grand Desert already counts.”
Valentina thought about it for a second and nodded. “Oh, I see. You’ll have to forgive my ignorance as the type of entity Aureolus is is a bit new to me.”
Breakfast went smoothly from that point on. Talking was fairly relaxed since Blood-Wraith was no longer being questioned over stuff relating to Dunja… Everyone finished their food and cleaned up, ready to start the day properly. Something felt off as Blood-Wraith put on his armor in his bedroom, however. It felt like someone nearby was in distress. He could not shake the feeling, causing him to look out the windows frequently. Since it was a good time to see his family, he figured a quick trip over to the Raynot mansion would get his mind off things. This was foiled when he had to dodge an end table flying out the window.
Blood-Wraith burst through the front door to see Dragoslava chasing after a frenzied man and his parents trying to get fallen furniture out of the way. “Dad! Mom! What’s going on here?!”
“Desislav,” Radovan replied. “Something’s gone wrong and driven him quite mad. He woke up screaming and went berserk.”
“We haven’t been able to figure out what it is yet” Rose said as she straightened out a painting. “...but I do have an idea we can try to at least calm him down.”
“What do you have in mind?” Radovan asked.
“She’ll be here any second now…”
“ALRIGHT, WHERE’S THE EMERGENCY?” Thora exclaimed as she burst through the doors herself.
“You’re still here, Thora?” Blood-Wraith questioned, surprised.
“Yes indeed, kiddo. Rose wanted me to stay here for a little bit just in case I brought back something from the labyrinth… and I see that it’s a good thing I stayed. Where is he?”
“I presume you can sense the trouble already?” Rose inquired.
“Yeah, it’s the satyr boy-Desislav, right?”
“I trust that you have a means of calming him down?” Radovan asked. He seemed anxious given that he was unsure how to handle the situation at hand.
“I don’t know for certain, but I’ll try my best. I’ve had to look after two boys, a girl, and grandchildren after all…” Thora answered as the flowers on her arms perked up.
“Hold up, what’s going on though?” Blood-Wraith asked as more crashing could be heard.
“Like I said, we’re not completely sure,” Radovan answered. “From what I heard, it sounds like he’s panicking over something, referring to things from his past and our past.”
“Oh dear, that’s not good in the slightest,” Thora remarked. “I really wish Sigmund was here at the moment…”
Rose used the mansion’s personal phones to get a hold of Dragoslava. After a few failed attempts, she was able to instruct her to get Desislav to go to the entrance. She did this by literally pushing him in the right direction. Desislav was a loud mess and could not think straight at all. He barreled through the hallway until he hit a cloud of a calming scent. His tantrum finally came to a stop when a lullaby-like melody entered his ears. The person who was singing gave him a hug, fully calming him down. It was like he was being consoled by a long lost parent.
Thora finished her song once she felt he was alright. “It’s going to be alright, Desislav.”
He sniffled. “Thanks, mom… Wait a second! Hold up!” Breaking away, Desislav could see that the elderly tree person was clearly not his mother. “Who are you? You seem familiar…”
Thora smiled and put her hand on his shoulder. “Well you’ve already met my husband…”
“Are… are you Sigmund’s wife?”
She gave him another hug. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Thora.”
Unable to hold back her impatience, Dragoslava took Desislav by the shoulders and looked him dead in the eye. “BOY, we are NOT doing this again! Tell me what the issue is, NOW.”
“Issue? There’s no issue. This is all just a nightmare I’m about to wake up from…” Dragoslava promptly slapped Desislav across the face, causing everyone else to wince. “Ow…”
“You. Are. Awake. Desislav, what happened to your legs!?”
He finally looked down, only to see a pair of slightly bloodied human legs. “Oh… It wasn’t a dream. I… I don’t know…” It almost sounded like he was going to faint.
Blood-Wraith was beyond confused, but was starting to put two and two together. “Guys? Did we ever figure out who the tar man was?”
“The what?” Radovan and Rose asked in unison.
Dragoslava thought back for a second. “Um, no… I don’t think so. What are you getting at, Blood?”
“Hmm… I may need more information and context, but what if the tar man was someone familiar to Desislav? Maybe even related to him? And if it was close enough that the power Desislav took, the obsidian magic… it probably needed a human body to accommodate it… Annoyingly that’s all I got.” He was drawing a blank beyond that point.
Everyone pondered this, trying to make sense of Blood-Wraith’s thoughts, until Thora spoke up. “Reasonable observations, Blood. My dear Sigmund always said magic anomalies can occur when something drastic happens.”
Dragoslava nodded. “Yeah, He’s been feeling bad ever since he defeated the tar man and took his magic.”
Radovan stroked his chin. “Well whatever be the case, this place needs to be cleaned up. Thora? I’ll trust you have some medical skills beyond my skill set, so would you be okay with making sure Desislav is alright while Rose and I tidy up?”
“No problem, your grace. We just need a clean spot to sit.”
Dragoslava gave a frazzled laugh. “Here, let’s go outside instead. Fresh air and what-not…”
While Radovan and Rose cleaned things up, the four found a bench in the backyard. It was by Rose’s massive garden, which had become quite unruly. Thora started by sensing Desislav’s magic. Everything seemed alright, so she looked at his soul. Strangely it indicated another individual that was still Desislav. Again, this made her wish Sigmund was present. He was more of an expert on such matters than she was. Regardless, she cast a healing spell on Desislav’s legs just to make sure nothing was injured.
“Alright, Desislav, get up and walk around for me a little bit,” Thora instructed.
“Uh, sure…” walking on human legs was a bit tricky, but Desislav got the hang of it.
“Heh, a little fact about me: I’m actually nose blind to my own scents. Don’t be afraid to let me know if they start stinking. I won’t be offended. Quite frankly I get worried that my smell is too strong at times.”
Dragoslava nodded, recalling earlier. “Yeah, I noticed that. The scent you used on Desislav was a bit intense…”
Blood-Wraith glanced around, looking for someone. “Hey, Thora? Where’s Auda?”
“Oh, I sent her back to the village to let everyone know I’m coming home. I imagine Tusk’s losing his mind at the moment. Hopefully Skari and Hertha aren’t yanking his chain too much.”
“Skari and Hertha? Who are they?” Blood-Wraith asked.
“They’re my other kids. They always liked to mess with Tusk given his strange habits, as siblings do…”
Radovan and Rose stepped out into the yard. Desislav went over to them and gave an apologetic bow. “Radovan, Rose? I’m so sorry for what I did…”
“It’s alright, Desislav,” Radovan assured him. “You didn’t actually do that much damage, and the damage you did was easy to repair. You may not realize it, but I spent years fortifying that mansion, no thanks to Milosh… Quite frankly, I’m glad it was just you and not something else.”
“I still feel bad though…”
“Well, would you like to help Drago and I get my garden back in order?” Rose inquired. “I’d imagine something fun and peaceful is in order after all that.”
“I did not volunteer to do gardening…” Dragoslava pointed out. “...but I’ll happily help out anyways.”
Desislav looked at the overgrown garden, feeling an urge to get it back in order. “Sure, that sounds great.”
“Do you want me to go see if Corentin and Kresimira are free?” Radovan asked.
“Certainly, that would be fine,” Rose replied. “You’re welcome to join us, Thora. Although I imagine you’re anxious to see your family again.”
Thora nodded. “No two ways about it. Definitely let me know when the garden is ready though.”
“Absolutely. Blood? Would you like to escort Thora back to her village since you’re a knight now?”
This made Blood-Wraith feel giddy and proud. “Sure, mom… I mean, yes, your grace.”
“So you’re a knight now?” Thora inquired as they walked through the mansion.
“Not officially. The knighthood ceremony is still a couple weeks away.”
“Well still, it’s an honor to be taken home by you, Sir Blood-Wraith.” Thora could sense him getting excited on the inside by being acknowledged as a knight.
Blood-Wraith gestured for Thora to stay where she was once they were out in the open. He then assumed the form of Golden Dragon. “Here, hop on so we don’t have to walk.”
“My goodness, Blood. Aren’t you a little gentleman? Riding atop a dragon, I never thought it… Thank you, Blood. I hate to admit it, but my old bones are a tad weary.”
Next: Chapter 13
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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