“Magic?”
Carter’s laugh was short, incredulous. The word sounded even more ridiculous now than it had in the store. “Are you fucking with me?”
“No, I’m not.” Killian’s expression was dead serious. He raised his hand again, the gold ring shining. He spoke the same spell, his voice resonating with a power that made the air vibrate.
“SUMMON! Artemis!”
The firearm materialized, forming from shimmering light. Carter’s face went slack with astonishment. His cynical laugh died, replaced by a stunned, gaping silence.
“Still think I’m bullshitting?” Killian asked, his voice flat.
Carter was quiet. No words. The impossible was happening. Killian dismissed the weapon with another spell,
“ARTEMIS. Seal!”
It vanished back into the ring.
“How old are you?” Killian asked, his gaze analytical.
“Twenty-five,” Carter replied, his voice barely a whisper.
“You’re young. So you weren’t around before Unity. What I’m about to tell you might be hard to believe.” Killian’s eyes looked right through him.
“Everything you know is a lie.”
He let the words hang, heavy and ominous. “The language you’re speaking now is called English. I know you think there’s only one language, but that’s wrong. Before you were born, there were over 7,000 languages on the planet.”
Carter’s mind spun, his reality cracking.
“No fucking way. That’s impossible,” he replied, his voice shaking.
“The world couldn’t function with that many languages. Seven thousand? You sound insane!”
“It’s true, kid. They were hidden and replaced with one language. You know it as Thaylic. This happened twenty-six years ago.” Killian’s gaze didn’t waver.
“I’m guessing before you broke the glass, you were getting bits and pieces of English here and there.”
Carter thinks about the wakeup word he saw in his mind weeks ago.
“Yeah… you’re right,” Carter admitted, the strange symbols on the billboards and street signs flashing in his mind.
“Your connection to magic must be strong.”
“Umm… Well, okay…”
“I can’t speak Thaylic anymore,” Carter said, the words a torrent of confused frustration. “I can’t even read it. I tried writing a note in ‘English’ to see if my parents could understand it too.”
“You can’t understand Thaylic at all?”
“No,” Carter replied.
Killian was quiet, a thoughtful, troubled expression on his face.
He can speak English perfectly, but he lost the ability to understand Thaylic? How is that? Killian pushed the thought aside.
Carter spoke. “I’ll just assume you’re telling me the truth.”
“I am.”
“What about my parents, and Leo, and the people at the store, and my co-workers… Why were they trying to kill me?” Carter asked, the memory of their blackened eyes sending a fresh wave of terror through him.
“Because of the Safeguard,” Killian replied. He saw the confusion on Carter’s face. “Like I said, the world’s languages were hidden and replaced twenty-six years ago. It was a spell placed on the world called Unity.
The Unity spell has a protection called The Safeguard. Which is what you experienced.”
He paused, his eyes scanning the quiet neighborhood outside the window.
“There are eight billion people on the planet. You’re not the first person to break free from Unity like this. If someone under the Unity spell hears you speak a language that isn’t Thaylic, their brains will… shut off.”
“Shut off?” Carter repeated.
“Correct. Their true selves get shoved deep into their subconscious. They turn into homicidal maniacs who won’t stop until you’re dead.”
“T-that’s… insane.”
“My parents, Leo, my co-workers… They all said the same thing about orders from a ‘king’ or something.” Carter remembered their robotic, unison voices, a chill down his spine.
“Yeah, he’s the one who did this.” Killian’s voice was grim.
“I don’t know much about him. My boss does. I don’t know much about the ‘king,’ but I know he wants control. Magic power comes through language. For a guy trying to control the planet, you can imagine how much of a pain it would be if millions of people could access magic.”
“He forces everyone to speak Thaylic. It can’t be used to cast magic.”
Killian looked out the window, his body suddenly tense. Two black SUVs pulled up near the house, their dark shapes a clear threat.
“But… we can’t stay here. We need to leave.” Killian turned back to Carter.
“I don’t even know you, and you want me to go with you?”
“Yeah. Or you can try to survive on your own without ever speaking again. Your mom and dad, your friend… They’ll wake up in a few hours. You’ll just trigger the Safeguard again if you stay here. Unless you’re suicidal, then you don’t have a choice.”
He let the grim reality settle in.
“Another thing… That king. He doesn’t work alone. He has people that show up wherever the Safeguard is triggered. To… clean up the aftermath. You escaped the first time you triggered it, but they’ll be here any minute. We need to go now.”
Carter looked at his parents and Leo, lying unconscious on the floor. Leaving them hurt, but putting them through that horror again was worse.
“Okay. I’ll go with you.” Carter’s voice was heavy with resignation. “But, based on what you said… Nowhere is really safe then. Won’t we just trigger the Safeguard anywhere?”
“Oh, that’s what this ring is for.” Killian held up his hand, showing the golden, flower-engraved ring. “It allows me to function in the outside world. You’ll learn about this later. But you’re right. For you, nowhere is safe right now.” He turned and walked towards Carter’s closet. “I’m taking you to my headquarters… In the Sky Dimension.”
SKY DIMENSION!? Carter thought, the words sounding like fantasy.
Killian put his hand on the closet doorknob. He spoke another spell in English, his voice resonating with power.
“OPEN! Library!”
He twisted the knob and opened the door. The sight was miraculous. The back of the closet was gone, replaced by a swirling, vibrant portal of rainbow colors, a white spiral at its center. Killian stepped through. Carter took one last look at his parents and Leo.
“I promise you they’re fine, kid.”
“You can come back later.”
Carter got up and walked through the portal with Killian. The transition was instant, a disorienting feeling like stepping through pure light.
Now In The Sky Dimension…
He came out into the cool, damp air of a dark alley. Looking up, he saw a bright, sunny blue sky. They walked forward, toward the street the alley connected to, and emerged into a bustling, vibrant city.
A massive street paved with white stone led to a large, gleaming marble building at the city’s center. The city itself was beautiful, a breathtaking mix of ancient and modern. A magnificent white city rose from a mountainside, its palace crowned with a gleaming golden dome that touched the clouds.
Grand staircases cascaded down the sloped street like a waterfall, connecting terraced levels of elegant buildings with arches and columned galleries. Below, in a bustling plaza, countless people in colorful robes and armor moved about their daily business, while merchants’ stalls dotted the wide stone squares.
It felt like ancient Rome. The shining citadel at the top of the hill was white marble that caught and reflected the sunlight.
“Ah, we’re here.” Killian said.
Carter was completely flabbergasted.
We were just in my bedroom… Now we’re here.
The thought was a dizzying, exhilarating shock.
“Holy shit, it’s real… Magic is fucking real!”
“Where are we?” Carter asked, his voice filled with awe.
“This is the Sky Dimension. More specifically, the Marble City. You can’t tell from here, but this city exists on a massive, floating flat rock in an endless sky. If you fell off, you’d just keep falling for eternity. There is no bottom.”
“That seems kinda stupid, to be honest.”
“The edge is miles away. You’d really have to try to fall off. Trust me, when the entire world is a homicidal deathtrap, this is the safest place there is.”
The people of the Marble City traded, mingled, and used magic. Some created things from nothing, others moved things without touching them.
“How many people live here? Were they all brought here like me?” Carter asked.
“Last I asked, about a million people lived in the city. It could be more. Some were brought here like you. Others have lived in the city for generations. Hundreds of years.” Killian said.
“Don’t they just get rings like you?” Carter replied.
“No, these are special. We can’t just give rings out to anyone. Like I said, the guy who created Unity has a shit-ton of people serving him. He controls the planet, not just through the Safeguard. Banks, fortune 500 corporations, media enterprises, etc. Pretty much everything. Only a few thousand people have a ring and can come and go here. There’s a process. If you want a ring, you’ll have to become a member.”
Carter replied, a hint of his old cynicism returning. “Are you in, like, a magic powers club?”
Killian stopped, then burst out laughing, a loud, booming sound that echoed in the plaza. City inhabitants turned to look.
“BWAHahaha! Magic powers club, kid? I know I call you kid because you’re young, but that was the most ‘kid’ thing you’ve said yet. But sure, you could call us that.”
“The combat teams here go out into the outside world and defend this place.”
Combat teams? Like fighting with magic? Carter thought. That sounds pretty badass!
“Are you on a combat team?”
“I was, a long time ago… I have a uh… ‘special’ status now.” Killian’s tone was cryptic. Carter wondered what he meant.
“Before, you said you had a boss. Is he the one who runs this place?”
“Correct. The Director’s name is Gabriel. We’ll see the boss soon.” Killian’s expression sobered, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. “But… I’m warning you. Don’t freak out when you meet him…”
Carter was a bit confused by that comment.
They kept walking through the city, toward the large marble building on the hill. They stopped at a small, shaded seating area with pillars and a roof. Nearby, trees cast dappled shadows on the stone. A flowing stream of water separated the pathway from a field of green grass dotted with bright flowers.
“Okay, let’s stop here for a minute.” Killian said. “Before I take you to the boss, I want to try something.” He turned to Carter, his gaze intense. “I’m gonna have you use magic again.”
“How did you do it the first time?”
Carter thought back to the accident, to the searing heat and smoke. He tried to recall the moment the glass shattered, but the memory was a blur of adrenaline and terror. He didn’t know exactly how it happened.
“Did anything strange happen before the glass broke?”
“Well… I wasn’t thinking much. I couldn’t think. The heat and smoke from the fire was intense,” Carter said. “But a word came to my mind… Shatter.”
Killian’s eyes widened, his casual demeanor vanishing. He looked at Carter as if he’d sprouted a second head. It made Carter feel like he’d admitted to being part alien.
“That’s strange.” Killian’s voice was a low, serious murmur.
“Why?” Carter replied.
“Because. You’d only know English if you spoke it before Unity. But you’re only twenty-five. You were born a year after Unity, and you’ve only ever spoken Thaylic.”
Killian ran a hand through his hair, pure disbelief.
“That doesn’t make any damn sense. People who break free on their own only get bits and pieces of words from the old languages. They still understand Thaylic. Fluent English is out of the norm.”
He paused, his eyes searching Carter’s. “Did anything else happen…?”
“Well, when the word came to mind, I knew what it meant. And I sort of just… put my hand out and imagined it breaking in my mind.”
Killian’s face looked like he’d seen a ghost. He got up and broke a branch off a nearby tree. He placed it on the stone bench in front of Carter.
“Okay, you’re gonna show me.”
“I want you to set this branch on fire.”
He explained, “Precision control of elements like fire is done through Japanese. But, if you are what I think you are, then it won’t matter.”
Carter looked deeply at the branch. He held his right arm out in front of it, his left hand gripping his wrist for support.
He focused his mind, trying to summon the same feeling from the car crash, the same certainty, the same power. He imagined the branch bursting into flames. Nothing happened. The branch just sat there, unburnt.
“It’s not working,” Carter said, disappointment washing over him.
“Hmm, maybe you’re not one then.” Killian’s eyes held a flicker of doubt.
“When you said you imagined the spell, I almost had a heart attack. Thought-based casting is an incredibly powerful gift. Few people in history have had that ability, so I’m not too familiar with how it works.”
“Is this, like, an important skill?” Carter asked.
“It’s extremely rare. I’ve only heard of three people who could use thought-based casting. One is dead. The founder of this city, Solomon. The current Director, Gabriel. And the king we talked about, the bad guy.”
“Woah…” Carter replied, the weight of Killian’s words sinking in.
“Yeah, having that ability is a big deal here. To use magic, you’d usually need to speak the full spell or use an activation word from a grimoire. Like the gun I used earlier.”
Killian stopped, an idea flashing in his eyes.
“Wait! I have an idea… Maybe you need to THINK about the word while trying to cast it, for your magic to work! Let’s try it again. This time, I’ll give you the word for fire in Japanese. Say it a few times first to practice pronunciation. Then, try burning the branch again. Think about the word while imagining the branch burning.”
He pulled out a note of paper and pen, drew a symbol on it, then showed Carter what it looked like. In a voice clear and precise he pronounced it.
“火 (Hi).”
“It’s the word for fire.”
Carter did as Killian said. He repeated the word a few times, the syllable feeling strange. “Hi… Hi… Hi…”
“Okay, now try the branch again,” Killian said.
Carter raised his right arm again and focused his mind on the branch. He didn’t speak, but in his mind, he formed the word, “Hi”, and imagined the branch burning.
Then, it happened.
The branch burned violently, flames erupting with a sudden whoosh. The fire was so large that people passing by stopped, their faces a mix of shock and surprise. Even though it was a bright, sunny day, the fire’s light was noticeable.
“IT WORKED!” Carter said, a wide grin spreading across his face. “Holy shit… It worked.”
He IS a thought-based caster. Killian thought, awe and urgency settling over him.
The boss needs to see this right away.
“Seems like you do have the ability,” Killian said, his voice a low, serious murmur. “Let’s get going.”
“Where are we going?” Carter asked.
Killian pointed towards the massive marble building at the city’s center. “To that big-ass marble building. That’s headquarters.”
They continued their walk, the energy between them shifted.
Carter wasn’t just a confused kid anymore; he was something more, something rare and powerful. They arrived at headquarters and went inside.
At Headquarters…
The architecture was a stunning mix of European palaces, with columns, balconies, and statues decorating the rooftops. A peaceful waterway ran between the beautiful white buildings, small boats gliding quietly through turquoise water under graceful stone bridges.
The long hallway they entered stretched out like a fancy hotel corridor, but much more impressive. Tall white columns lined both sides, reaching up to a ceiling decorated with intricate designs and sparkling chandeliers.
The floor was shiny marble, reflecting the lights above.
Killian led Carter to the doorway of a massive council room, the sound of people speaking echoing from within.
“You ready, kid?” Killian asked.
“I guess so.” Carter replied, his nerves a tight knot.
“Like I said, don’t freak out when you see the boss and the higher-ups.” Killian’s voice was a low, final warning.
They entered a large, circular room. Dark chairs were arranged around a raised platform in the center.
Above, a massive chandelier hung from a domed ceiling covered in carvings and paintings.
Tall, arched windows let streams of light in from all sides.
Men and women in uniform sat in the chairs, their attention on the person speaking from the platform. The room felt powerful and elegant.
Killian and Carter immediately stood out. Carter, in his street clothes, and Killian, still disheveled. At the back of the room, two people, a young man and woman around Carter’s age, noticed them enter. The girl had pale skin and straight black hair cut in bangs framing a feminine face.
Her eyes were striking red, and she had unique face markings—a small red heart on one cheek and a blue star on the other. The young man had spiky black hair and intense red eyes. He had a strong jawline and a serious expression, and a large scar ran down his left side, starting above his left eye. He wore all black, with gold hoop earrings but still looked quite masculine.
Carter’s gaze went to the front of the room, to the man talking on the platform and the two figures next to him. His breath caught. He understood why Killian had warned him not to freak out.
The director, Gabriel, wasn’t human.
He looked like an angel. Tall, over six feet, with pale white skin, long, pale white hair, and piercing golden eyes. Large, avian-like wings protruded from his back, glowing with pure, divine white light.
The others next to him weren’t human either. On his right stood a lion on two feet, with the body of a man. A half-man, half-lion hybrid. He had a magnificent golden mane and beard, with small glasses on his nose.
On his left was a half-man, half-chimp hybrid. He had a human face, except for his nose, and thick brown hair covered his cheeks, neck, and limbs. On his back a large pole staff with engravings on it.
Carter couldn’t believe his eyes.
The director spoke, but was interrupted by a uniformed man in the room, gray-haired, in his fifties, speaking with a strong British accent.
“So how long do we wait while they gather strength?” the man said, his voice impatient. “We lost three mages on the last mission! We have to start fighting back, you should understand this.”
“Dammit! The founder would never do this, Solomon fought back!”
“Watch how you speak,” the half-man, half-chimp hybrid said, his voice a low growl.
Director Gabriel replied, his voice calm and steady. “That’s not an option right now, Alistair. We would just draw more attention to the Library. Our human resources are split thin after the last few battles. The new recruits need training.”
“We can’t afford an all-out war with the Order right now.”
Killian cleared his throat loudly, the sound echoing in the silent room.
“Ahem…”
Everyone turned, eyes wide with surprise. Whispers rippled through the room.
“Is that Faust?”
“Killian? He’s here? He never comes to meetings.”
“Killian Faust! Woah, I’ve never met him. He’s a legend…”
“Sorry to interrupt, Director—” Killian said.
“No need to apologize.” Gabriel’s golden eyes held amusement.
“I’m shocked you actually came to a meeting.” Gabriel replied
“You were speaking about new recruits earlier.” Said Killian.
“Yes, we have a new batch of recruits across our branches that will begin training soon,” the Director replied.
“About that…” Killian said, a slow, deliberate smile spreading across his face.
“Well, it’s better if he shows you himself…”
