Passport to Prodigia

There will be swear words, you have been warned

Started production on August 24th, 2024

Prologue

A long, long, long time ago, before the wind and before the snow, there were the stars and the sea. The point where the tides and cosmos met was the planet of Sypso, furthest from the sun. A race of magical deities lived there, the first Fairies and Humans: of which resided the powerful and most ancient race of Astralith Faen, the ones who gave humans magic and technology. Astrea was the first to dare to do so, and thus humans prospered. Humans, fairies, dragons, elves, all races alike managed to discover more and more, reaching the lands of Lorth, Huv, and more, with Prodigia and Xeter being the last to be discovered, 1245 years and 946 years ago respectively.

Yet Astrea did not have everyone’s best intentions at heart. She wanted control and to weave destiny itself to suit her, and whispered in the ears of those who supported her, guiding them to greatness and their eventual fall. A battle spanning decades ensued, culminating at the Battle of the Starlit Peak, where Astrea was sealed off in a prison in the astral depths of the sky. People used magic responsibly, and all was well.

Astrea has many a time tried to free herself, each time failing. Her closest attempt to liberation was the reign of the Order of Influence in Prodigia, yet that still failed miserably. No one was foolish - or, more truthfully, desperate - enough to try and help him. But perhaps Astrea’s chance would come.

She set her sights upon one specific man that had been bested in battle most recently - a dejected man, suffering from self-doubt and regret, once at the top of the world.

He would serve as Astrea’s puppet well.

Part One: Prodigia

Chapter 1: Leave or Stay

Katie was quite fed up. Paddy had, for about the fifth time, brought about two boxes full of ripe strawberries and bananas into the dorm room and plopped it down on the vanity beside the blender.

“Katie? I have a brilliant idea!”

“Oh my fucking god, not again.”

“You said that the past five times.”

“The fact this is the fifth time you’ve tried is for a reason.”

“Relax, Katie. It’ll be just fine. I just need to empty - ” Paddy motioned before Katie jokingly slapped her with a couch cushion. “Just fine?! The last four times you tried to make the (she started mocking Paddy) ‘pErFEct SMootHie tHaT hAS EvER cOme InTO eXISteNce’, I ended up having to clean up the floors and wipe all the fruit juice stains away!”

Katie took several deep breaths, before relaxing. “Look, I’m sorry for screaming, Paddy. But you don’t need four f*cking boxes of fruit to make a smoothie.”

Paddy’s shoulders drooped, before she placed the boxes in the mini-fridge. “You realise you can just place them in the college dorm room and let everyone pig out?” Katie walked after Paddy. “You know the people in Sycamore House are complete and utter gluttons, right? Remember that time you threw gum in the common room?”

Paddy felt Katie’s arm around her shoulder as Katie kept talking. The memory was really funny, yes. She’d walked into the common room (there was not enough bleach in the world to erase the sight of two seniors kissing) during a senior function and screamed, “WHO WANTS GUM?!” at the top of his voice before throwing about twenty sticks of chewing gum into the common room and running off. The screaming and commotion was lovely as everyone clamoured for the gum.

The memory alone caused her to double over and laugh. “You know how to make me laugh. Want to visit Whami?”

———————

Whami sat by the desk, typing word by word out on his computer. There was a website he frequently visited, called Fandom, where he would post his work for all the world to see - the creation of his creativity, come to fruition, displayed upon an audience to judge. Whatever he thought of, went, no matter how crazy or wild it was. Shine on, you crazy diamond.

Eons away, miles across from the edge of the ever-expanding universe, one of the eldest ones writhed inside her prison above the stars, with nothing but the void and her regrets. But plans came to fruition. If it was the creator's law, the maker's order, that humans could not have magic - and now she saw why - then she would seek out this creator with a fury, no matter how many people she would have to manipulate, how many lives lost or forcefully taken. Weaving lies from the inside, she started to plot.

Whoever the creator was, they would have to have such power to create such a beautiful, yet morbid, universe like this. If she could take that power for herself, then she could rewrite the past and the future to suit her needs...

Whami sat by the desk, closing his computer and calling bedtime. One of these nights he'd see his dreams come to life…

He turned on the Beatles and called it a hard day’s night.

Chapter 2: Echoes of What Came Before

The big day had finally arrived. Returning from Xeter, their friends at Team GREAT would be hosting a grand interplanetary trip across the entirety of the Core System, the solar system where Prodigia resided, to Huv and Chethither, to Sypso and beyond. It had been postponed many, many times due to logistics problems.

"Next week?! Oh my gosh, it's finally happening! This is amazing! I literally thought it would never happen, like, at all," Nova whooped and did a small victory dance on the spot. Fuchsia sipped on a mango juice box and grinned. "I am so ready for this."

“We really should get packing. It’s going to be quite a long trip - we’ll need lots of clothes. How are we going to get there anyways?”

“All those are questions for a later time.”

Across the hall, Crios bumped fists with his friend Cameron, both students equally eager for the upcoming fieldtrip. It was clear that the entire group was buzzing with anticipation, their thoughts consumed by the prospect of exploring new worlds beyond their home. As more and more students piled into the hallways, everything seemed to come together.

As the bell rang, signaling the start of another school day, the friends reluctantly parted ways, each silently counting down the days until their grand interplanetary adventure could begin.

———————

Florian was quietly humming to himself during staff break (what the students called 'recess', completely oblivious to how much work professors had to put in and how little personal time they had), enjoying a freshly baked Hawaiian pizza and a non-fat oat-milk latte with six pumps of artificially flavored syrup while watering his plants. It was quite a serene scene, where nobody could even consider bothering him.

At least, that was until Nova barged in.

"Hey, Florian! I wanted to check on you-" Florian spat out his latte into a nearby flowerpot, causing it to grow into some sort of mutant tree with giant flowering branches that shook furiously: upon sight, Nova winced at the unsightly tree. "As I said, I had a few questions - well, substantially more questions than I had initially anticipated - but, how will we be getting to the other planets?”

“We have fundraisers. As a result, we raised enough money to build a - shoot, I shouldn’t be spoiling the surprise. You’ll find out next week.”

“And is everyone from Team GREAT coming?”

“As far as I know, yes. Grace, Rohan, Evergreen, Ashley, and Tanner. And even Amathine at that. You remember Amathine, don’t you?”

The memories of Amathine, when Nova and her friends had met her three years prior, flooded back like a tidal wave, drenching Nova in nostalgia. “Yes. Yes, I remember her. I also remember how Tanner tried to fly by propelling himself with his guitar and broke his arm. He was a bit of a klutz.”

“Pizza slice?”

“...no. I don’t think pineapple on pizza is the best choice.”

“As the self-proclaimed greatest pizza critic in all of Prodigia, I hereby claim that pineapple on pizza is far too slept on.”

“Not as slept on as you on the job. Remember Monday’s class?”

“Hey! I took sleeping pills because there was a lot of noise on Sunday night!”

“Yeah. Rrrrrright.”

Nova soon found herself, back facing the wall, slumped against the cracked corridor with the door to the Earth Tower locked. “Man! Testy, testy!”

———————

Nova met up by Fuchsia’s dorm room, where they hung out and slept, with recording equipment. With renewed focus, the two friends set about transforming Fuchsia's dorm room into a makeshift news studio, for Nova’s new local news broadcast channel for the Academy - SuperNova News! Nova meticulously arranged the recording equipment, ensuring the cameras and lighting were optimized for their broadcasts.

"Okay, Fuchsia, let's talk through the plan for this news series," Nova said, her brow furrowed in concentration. "We need to make sure we cover all the key details of this - ” she added flair for dramatic effect - “ - ‘epic interplanetary journey’ in a way that's engaging and informative for our viewers."

Fuchsia nodded, her mind racing with ideas. "Right, this isn't just some personal vlog - we're responsible for delivering high-quality news coverage that will capture the imagination of our audience. No pressure, right?" She chuckled nervously, but the determination in her eyes was unwavering.

The two friends spent hours brainstorming, outlining their stories, and rehearsing their delivery. They knew that as the official news reporters for this momentous trip, they had a responsibility to their viewers to provide an unparalleled level of coverage.

"We're going to need a killer opening sequence, something that really sets the tone and gets people excited," Nova mused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “Can you get me my computer? Should be by your dresser when I gave it to you yesterday night, I need to edit.”

“Why do you have 50 gigabytes of anime?” Fuchsia raised an eyebrow.

“I’m trying to make my own anime comic thing, okay? I need inspiration, and a set-in-stone artstyle, and a good storyline.”

“I thought you gave up 2 months ago.”

“I gave up on drugs 2 months ago.”

“You did drugs?”

“That’s dark humour for you. Yes, I gave up on the comic two months ago. Fine, I’ll delete all of it.” Exasperated, she selected the 50GB and deleted the files before setting up the editing software. Nova's fingers danced across the keyboard as she navigated the editing software, her brow furrowed in deep concentration - dragging elements, text, and audio files until she had a perfect opening sequence.

As the minutes ticked by, the opening sequence began to take shape, transforming from a series of disjointed ideas into a cohesive, electrifying introduction. The friends worked in tandem, their creative energies feeding off of each other, until finally, Nova leaned back with a satisfied grin on her face. “Well, that should be it. A globe spinning, with the title “SuperNova News” spinning across in 3D. It was perfect.

“That should be perfect. Time to start recording!”

Nova hit record, before stepping back into the green screen that Fuchsia was setting up. This resulted in Nova being covered in bright green cloth and tangled up across the floor… Fuchsia doubled over laughing. Setting everything up again, Nova clicked record, stepping back to where Fuchsia was.

“Welcome all, to the first broadcast of SuperNova News! In today’s broadcast, we’re going to go over next week’s trip and everything about it…”

———————

Whami prepared a delicious smoothie as he sat down by the common room, chatting with Paddy and Katie. They were watching the current football game - for reasons unknown to everyone, Whami was a Chelsea supporter. Chelsea was currently in the lead by 1 goal. As the final whistle blew, the three friends continued their lively discussion, dissecting the match and debating the merits of their respective teams, occasionally broken by deafening cheers and boos from Paddy and Katie.

Whami's smoothie, now half-empty, sat on the table, a testament to his ability to multitask – enjoying a refreshing drink while immersed in the football game. Chelsea ended up winning 3-2, as the superior team does. Liverpool can go eat shit.

Chapter 3: She’s Leaving Home

Summer vacation back in Xeter had all but ended, and now Grace, Rohan, Evergreen, Ashley, and Amathine had finished packing everything for their short return to Prodigia. Gale, the Head of the Academy and Keeper of the Archives, had already discussed all the logistics beforehand: Team GREAT would be flying over to Prodigia to serve as tour guides. The prospect didn’t seem too enticing, but the original members of Team GREAT were all good friends with the Academy students, especially Nova and Fuchsia: those two had also helped Amathine adjust to life in Prodigia, and as a result Amathine was quite fond of them. No time to be reminiscing now, though. It was time to embark.

“Summer went by fast, hasn’t it?” Amathine set off towards the airport, where their flight had been booked to Lamplight Outskirts. The last time Amathine had been in Prodigia, she had been 11 - almost three years ago. Quite a lot had happened since then - obviously, she’d aged three years older - but lots of events had happened during her stay at Xeter, which just so happened to be the second leg of the Passport to Prodigia trip.

That reminded her. Wait - where was her passport?

Reaching into her bag, she found that her wallet and passport were completely missing. Nothing. Zip. Nada. Looking to her friends, she suddenly exclaimed, “Hold on. Where’s my wallet and passport?”

Ashley tapped her on the shoulder, cheekily waving her wallet and documents in the air. “Took you a while to catch on. Here you go,” handing everything over to Amathine.

“Don’t make jokes like that!” Amathine whispered to the loudest of her ability. “You had me genuinely scared for a moment!”

“All in good faith, all in good faith. Hey, you’d better look up, because we’re at the airport, you might crash - ” Ashley replied before crashing face-first into the wall.

“Deserved,” Amathine laughed as she pulled Ashley over towards the airport. Evergreen motioned to everyone to go over to the check-in counter, somehow ahead of everyone else. “Alright! Let’s do this!... how are you all still back there?”

Cue Amathine, Ashley, Rohan, and Grace hurriedly racing towards the check-in counter, their baggage trailing behind them. Once all that was done, it was a race to the security area - and after that, the gates and the airplane.

Rohan was first to board. “Well, here goes. Hopefully nothing goes wrong,” he muttered as he searched for his seat and his friends’: they were all on a table together, six seats facing each other. Perfect! That would be enough for all six of them. That was when he remembered.

Sighing, he plopped down his bags and set his carry-on suitcase in the overhead compartment. The empty seat reminded him of… Tanner. Precious and pure, too innocent for this world, he was killed about six months ago. Maybe seven? The details were a bit fuzzy. Taking a deep breath, he motioned to everyone. Everyone got in their seats, and Team GREAT set flight towards Prodigia.

———————

As the plane touched down on the vibrant soil of Prodigia, the excitement in the cabin reached a fever pitch. Amathine, Rohan, Evergreen, Ashley, and Grace exchanged eager glances, their hearts racing at the thought of reuniting with familiar faces and venturing out to new horizons.

Once they disembarked and collected their luggage, they made their way through the bustling airport, the air buzzing with energy. The vibrant sights, sounds, and smells of Prodigia filled their senses, igniting a sense of adventure.

“Alright, everyone, keep an eye out for Gale!” Amathine called out, scanning the crowd. Gale, the Head of the Academy and Keeper of the Archives, had managed almost all of the logistics and managed everything in organizing their trip and would serve as the guide to the guides for the duration of their short stay in Prodigia.

As they moved toward the Academy - it was around recess, where everyone was having fun in the common rooms and outside, a small gray figure with yellowish, insect-like wings with an air of authority and warmth emerged from the crowd. Gale’s presence was commanding yet approachable, his smile welcoming as he spotted the group that he remembered so familiarly from all thoseyears ago.

“There you are!” he exclaimed, striding over with open arms. “Welcome back to Prodigia! It’s wonderful to see you all again.”

“Gale!” the group chorused, rushing forward to greet him. He embraced each of them warmly, making them feel at home.

“I can’t believe it’s been three years since I last saw you, Amathine,” Gale said, stepping back to take a good look at her. “You’ve grown so much!”

Amathine smiled shyly, feeling a mix of nostalgia and excitement. “It’s great to be back! I’ve missed Prodigia quite a lot, and I expect so have they,” pointing towards Team GREAT.

“Nice! So you’re here, with Grace, Rohan, Evergreen, and Ashley. Where’s Tanner?”

They looked at each other. Gale didn’t deserve to know. But they’ve never lied to him before… and he certainly didn’t deserve to be lied to on the first day of their reunion.

“He’s dead. We’ve managed to move past it… but we still miss him. I feel like we should be honest with the Year 10s as well.”

The expression on Gale’s face was unmistakably genuine shock and sorrow, before momentarily switching to a pretend face of joy and warmth. “I’ll feed it back to them. Lots have changed back at the Academy since you left… Remember the old swimming pool? We renovated it, also there’s a new Earth Tower Common Room, Evergreen might want to check that out.”

Evergreen beamed. “There’s a new common room? Can’t wait to see it!”

“Right, that is quite enough dillydallying. You can stay in the guest rooms tonight… and tomorrow we’ll reintroduce everyone to you all,” Gale started. “Until then, you can unpack and we’ll go our separate ways.”

The Academy loomed overhead, the brilliant floating island it sat atop gleaming furiously in the sun, its shadow looming over Lamplight Town and beyond as a reminder of its legacy and majesty.

———————

Whami finished typing out another chapter as he met up with Paddy. Paddy had just had a falling out with one of her former friends, and blocked him after a lot of very serious things had happened, leaving Paddy feeling in the shit. Katie knew, and Paddy felt safe to confide with Whami. To be fair, there were plenty of other nice people in the server, like DivingSun, Pandora, Horus, Violet, and a whole slew of other people she could talk to that they trusted. She could manage.

Shutting his laptop, Whami went off to make himself a smoothie and switched on the television, chilling to the Beatles and AC/DC.

———————

Astrea arose from her slumber once more, the endless chains that could not be broken shackling her to this prison in the stars, another plane separate from the dimension she’d come from. Bitterness, though slightly numbed by the centuries spent writhing and wasting away in her prison, doing nothing but causing tumult and chaos in the places she used to call home, flowed through her veins as a reminder of the alleged crime she had committed.

The convict, proven guilty of blessing humans with the ability to become wizards, mages, poets, bards, anything one could imagine. Only those blessed by whomever had formulated this universe were permitted to perform such power, such a benefit to their lives.

Astrea had stood before the council, knowing full well she was guilty of everything mentioned. There was no point in trying to deny it. She had disrupted the Order of the Creator. She had to pay.

So what was the point in denying? There was only one possible outcome: death. A life taken to restore order in the universe.

Astrea seethed. She'd only ever tried to help people and bring forth prosperity. If she couldn't help, then she would rend the heavens and destroy. And whoever this creator was, she needed his or her power to suit her needs.

The worst part was? The very leaders of the wizards stood up upon the council seats, subjecting the one who had blessed them to a fate worse than death.

Anger washed over in Astrea's soul, before darkness and shadow, a purple haze of the pure manifestation of agony, bitterness, and wrath, with Astrea's tormented scream consumed the council in the void.

This was the beginning of the the Sypsoan War and the Battle of the Starlit Peak. Once humanity's guide, now Astrea would wreak havoc upon those the council had deemed unworthy of magic. She would take control, weave destiny to suit herself. One faerie against thousands of forces from each nation. But though she fought valiantly - she didn’t have strength in numbers, and was driven back to the spire of the Starlit Peak. This humiliation still burned like a vengeance within her. And the first human to learn magic from Astrea - Damian, the Prince of the Wizards - imprisoned her in the cosmos personally. The pain of her physical form dissolving into dust as her soul was trapped within the stars still lingered.

Millenia had passed. She was close to finding her next puppet. All she had to do was continue observing for the perfect opportunity. If the Creator had brought this Order upon the universe, then she would free herself through her puppets and travel across the universe to slay the Creator and gain their power. Then destiny would weave itself to suit her…

All she needed now was patience.

Chapter 4: Leaving Home Ain’t Easy

Nova and Fuchsia, having finished recording the first broadcast of SuperNova News, sent it over to Gale for review. Having been accepted, they called it a day and decided to go to the common room. It was about an hour before dinner, and they could afford to spend some time outside. Gale had said he was coming, and all of the Year 10s had to be outside. Everyone from Crios to Bannard, Ziang to Korathius, Aurora to Lillian. Even Gina, who’d been the newbie about three years ago, was quite experienced and ready to face whatever was thrown at her. Nova and Fuchsia went out towards the green court as Gale approached, with the Wardens: Florian, Ada, Callum, Anaia, and Brooke, for Earth, Ice, Storm, Fire, and Water.

Gale started first. “I assume you’ve all packed, considering all your luggage is here? The departure is in two days, so any last-minute things should be done now. Until then, I would like to share with you… a surprise.”

Florian and Ada stepped aside, as Callum, Anaia, and Brooke moved to the right for the grand reveal - a wooden door.

“Shoot, they’re not here yet.” Florian started.

Anaia glanced around. “I think we started the grand reveal sequence a bit too soon.”

“Uhhh, this is a bit awkward but - ” Florian reassured everyone before the doors flung open, to reveal five familiar faces from three years ago.

Nova and Fuchsia’s faces gleamed with ecstasy and recognition as their old friends showed their faces for the first time in eternity - Amathine and Team GREAT had returned. “Look who’s here!” Nova shouted, waving enthusiastically. Her smile was as bright as ever, and she rushed forward to embrace Amathine. “You made it!”

“Of course we did! I’ve been looking forward to this for ages!” Amathine replied, returning the hug with equal enthusiasm.

Rohan was next, high-fiving Crios. “What’s up, man? Ready for some adventures?”

“Always for you,” Crios grinned, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “I hear you’ve some incredible plans lined up for us?”

Fuchsia stepped forward, her arms open wide. “Welcome back to Prodigia! It’s about time we all reunited. We’ve missed you!”

Ashley joined in, pulling Fuchsia into a warm hug and spinning around in a circle in glee. “It’s so good to see you again! I can’t wait to explore everything with you! You’re still short as ever,” she added cheekily.

Bannard, always a bit more reserved but equally excited, gave a nod. “Glad to see you all again. This is going to be fun.”

As the groups mingled, laughter filled the air. It was clear that the bonds forged over time and shared experiences had only deepened. The anticipation of new adventures blended seamlessly with the joy of reconnecting, making the moment feel electric. The anxiety of going to horizons unknown to them, and the pain of loss and grief was momentarily forgotten.

“Alright, everyone, let’s gather around,” Gale called, guiding them into a semi-circle. “We’ve got a lot to cover, and I want to ensure you all have the best experience possible.”

With the warmth of friendship surrounding them and the promise of exploration ahead, the group felt ready to embark on this new chapter together, eager to create lasting memories in Prodigia once more.

Chapter 5: Passport to Prodigia

About two days passed since Amathine and Team GREAT had landed on Prodigia to prepare for the Passport to Prodigia trip. Everyone had packed, and they were just about ready to board. The Pasport to Prodigia trip had begun. Fuchsia tried feigning confidence in front of all of the students. "Hey. Nova. Do you think I've underpacked? I think I've underpacked."

"Don't worry. Everything will be just fine. Besides, the last two ones were complete disasters, so I think everything should be swell."

“There were other trips like this before? I thought this was the first one…”

“That was a joke.”

The students boarded the bus parked by Lamplight Outskirts, and several people sighed in relief. The bus was, evidently, air-conditioned.

"Alright," started Gale, "Enjoy the air conditioning while you can, because it won't last long. This trip will be very long, but thankfully you’ve got Team GREAT here to show you the ropes. Florian and Anaia will take over. I need a nap."

Amathine looked confused. “Can this bus fly or something? How does a bus take us to different planets? We needed a plane to get here, to be fair.”

Gale had a smug smile on his face. “Like this! Navem mutatio!”

The bus instantly transmogrified into a brilliant wooden ship whose shadow rivalled that of the Academy.

“Volare navis, aerolum glissa!”

The ship took to the air with everyone inside, the cabins already full of everyone’s possessions and amenities to keep everyone entertained. Evergreen teetered as she grabbed onto the windowsill, her possessions spilling. Trying to keep the mood, she smiled as she collected everything. “I’ve never heard of magic like that. I mean yes, I have in Xeter, but I didn’t know we could do it.”

“This is advanced magic, real magic, unauthorised for Academy students. We were meant to teach you all this stuff outside of the elements when you all turned sixteen, in Year 11.”

A collective ‘ooh’ from the students.

“Right! Let the Passport to Prodigia journey begin!” Gale declared with majesty as the Academy Ship set sail towards the first planet.

———————

Gale eventually retired to his room, leaving Florian, Ada, Callum, Anaia, and Brooke to tend to the group. If Team GREAT weren’t there, the Academy Ship likely would’ve dissolved into crazed madness. Nova and Fuchsia retired to the deck as the stars gleamed in the night sky, like several sets of eyes watching them.

“The stars are bright tonight, Fuchsia.”

“They are. Do you feel sleepy? ‘cause I honestly don’t. I slept in during the morning ‘cuz I’d finished packing everything.”

“Not really. I guess we can stay up.”

The two friends leaned against the railing, the cool breeze brushing against their skin. They began to share stories and dreams about all the amazing places they could explore at Huv and Xeter, the people they would meet, and the adventures that lay ahead of them with their good friends Bannard, Ziang, Korathius, Crios, and Cameron. The night felt alive with infinite possibilities, and the stars seemed to twinkle in agreement.

“Remember that time we got lost in the market?” Nova laughed, recalling a past adventure. “We ended up trying all those weird snacks!”

Fuchsia chuckled, shaking her head. “Yes! And I still can’t believe you convinced me to try that spicy jelly thing. I thought my mouth was on fire!”

As they looked back on memories, the bond between them grew stronger, their laughter echoing into the night, thankfully unheard by the tired students in the cabins. The ship gently rocked beneath them in the air and the cosmos stretched infinitely above.

———————

In their cozy cabin, Crios and Cameron lounged on their bunks, the gentle rocking of the ship providing a soothing backdrop. The dim light from a nearby lamp cast a warm glow, creating a comfortable atmosphere as they relaxed after the day’s excitement.

Cameron tossed a pillow playfully at Crios. “So, what do you think about this trip so far? Pretty wild, right?”

“...yeah. It is. Definitely feels surreal to be this far from home. Everything’s gonna be unknown, unfamiliar, we already had a taste of it when Gale did the cool spells. And if I’m being honest… I’m not too excited.”

Cameron shot up. “What? Why?”

“Everything’s either unfamiliar or going to be. I miss the old days when everything was simple, and grounded, and familiar. Direct. Easy to understand. I can’t… fathom having to wrap my head around all this new stuff that we’re going to see and do.”

“I’ve been hiding it from everyone, because I don’t want to look like a pus - a chicken in front of all my friends.”

Cameron walked over to Crios’s bed. “What’s this? My best friend Crios, king of the Coliseum, is worried about learning more spells he’ll master easily? Relax! You have the skill and the ability, and you have the experience. You just need to have the courage.”

“What you said was very corny and cliche, please never say anything like that again.”

“Yeah, I noticed.”

Crios sighed as Cameron chuckled. “Exactly! We need some freedom to get into trouble! Remember last time we tried to sneak out for that midnight snack run?”

Crios’s sullen expression instantly melted into laughter, shaking his head at the memory. “How could I forget? We ended up lost in the Academy’s maze of hallways!”

“Exactly!” Cameron said, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “And we found that hidden lounge with all those snacks. Best decision ever. I tell you, those strawberry gummies were peak.”

Crios shook his head. “Invalid. Percy Pig is better.”

“What’s Percy Pig?”

“It’s amazing. I brought a pack with me…” he opened up his small backpack, beside his main one, to show many sweets and chips, enough for a feast fit for a king - or in this case, his protege in tow. No one knew but them, and it was their secret to share… just like the brilliant cuisine they were going to dine on.

———————

Paddy was doing much better. Whami had talked to her and Katie, and they’d been talking about the upcoming performance of Magical Mystery Tour, the school play. Casting and auditions were currently up, and Paddy and Katie had seriously thought that Whami would make a brilliant Paul McCartney, minus the purple hair. He never really knew how he had the purple hair in the first place… maybe he was just born with it. Paddy’s hair was gentle and nice, a plain and simple brown with slight pink streaks towards the fringes. Neon was definitely the best colour, maybe next to purple. Not a deep, royal purple, but a light, gentle hue.

Whami retired to his dorm and flicked open his computer. He was currently averaging about 3 hours of screen time per day - he could’ve sworn it was more? Maybe his new routine of going to the swimming pool to exercise threw off the average. He flicked open Google Docs and started to write.

Intermission

The tip of the peak of the spire was drawing near. Soon, she would run out of road to be pushed back to - and then she would have to face the unimaginable choice between dying a painful death on the rocks, being trampled by the thousands of soldiers and troops waiting beneath, or being slain at the hands of the first person she had given magic to. Astrea fired blast after blast, but it was no use - they had strength in numbers, and though she was one of the eldest and most powerful Astralith Faen, she was only one faerie.

Prince Damian readied his spear and told the troops of Sypso to stand down. This last fight was a personal one, and they would need to save their energy for the magically modified monsters that Astrea had sicced upon the kingdom of Sypso - most of which had been killed, but some of them just wouldn’t die. In fact, they fought better when the odds were against them.

Damian smiled. “You really thought you could get on our good side just because you gave us the very thing you tried to use as a weapon against us? You are beyond apologies and truces, after all the deaths you alone have caused. Villages burned, forests uprooted. Innocent men, women, children dead because of your misuse.”

Astrea laughed sarcastically, avoiding Damian’s gaze. It was hard to imagine that Prince Damian was once an innocent person who just so happened to come across Astrea playing around with astral magic and offered to learn how to perform such feats. That night when she was summoned and slaughtered the Astralith Council was a dark night, and when the attacks on several local Syspsoan villages started - orchestrated by she herself. “To be fair - I want to make it clear that I don’t really care at all.”

“You do care, you sick freak. I can see it in your eyes.”

Well shit. She’d forgotten eyes could show so much with a single expression.

“I’ll make this simple for you. Surrender all use of magic and restore everything you destroyed, or be sealed away in the stars, able to see our progress and not interfere with it!”

“Oh, I don’t think I’ve interfered with enough yet. If you don’t mind, I’d like you to stop being in the way.”

Damian growled, a low growl full of pain and grief from those he had lost. He raised his wand, casting a spell - the most difficult that had been taught.

“Stella anima vinculum!”

Astrea kept backing up. She was at the spire - one, maybe two more steps back and she’d fall several miles to her death. The rune had been drawn, the wand motion set in place. Regret flowed into her head and her veins - why did she have to teach them that specific spell? It was human nature, to hunger for more power and knowledge, and this was the oversight that Astrea had made when teaching Damian and the rest of the humans how to be wizards.

Her skin started glowing - this was most definitely not natural. The glow intensified, and a searing pain shot through her mind and travelled down into her veins and arteries. Damian said nothing as he watched Astrea, her old mentor, collapse into the other plane. A single tear rolled down his cheek as his soldiers retreated upon a hand signal to them from Damian. A flare was shot into the air - a signal of victory, and peace.

“Nexum telaperta!”

The prison was dispersed into the stars. Not one single voice in the area was one of sorrow or despair, as there was much to be merry and joyful for. A song of peace echoed through the land.

Only one person left with even the tiniest bit of regret in their hearts.

———————

“Let’s all get up, and dance to a song, that was a hit before your mother was born ~ ”

Whami was absolutely stealing the show, putting the ‘Magical’ into Magical Mystery Tour. In the bustling auditorium, Paddy and Katie sat in the front row of the audience, their eyes glued to the stage where Whami was in full swing, singing "Your Mother Should Know" from Magical Mystery Tour as the three other lead roles walked behind him. There was almost a rhythm to Whami’s walk and stride that simply couldn’t be replicated - like Paul McCartney in his youth was performing live once again. Paul McCartney, however, didn’t have purple hair, a dapper suit, and the personality of a legend. The atmosphere was practically electric, with colorful lights slow-dancing around the room, enhancing the vibrant energy of the show.

“Though she was born a long time ago, your mother should know!”

Background dancers pranced in the background as confetti and balloons and all sorts of odd and ick were thrown rhythmically around the stage. Whami could barely hear himself over the audience clapping - perhaps it was the fact that nostalgia was playing right into the hearts of all the parents and grandparents in the seats. The students - save for Paddy and Katie - weren’t having such a pleasant reaction to the 60s music.

Paddy kept on clapping as it transitioned into the reprise of Magical Mystery Tour, and eventually Hello Goodbye. Katie joined in after a bunch of nudging and pushing from Paddy to join in. Balloons flew across the crowd and landed on peoples’ heads - though no one was really dancing to the music, the joy in the room was almost tangible, and Whami’s charisma was undeniable. The show was a celebration of music and nostalgia, and it was clear that everyone - at least those who could appreciate the era - was having a blast. For those who rolled up for the Mystery Tour, satisfaction was indeed guaranteed.

Chapter 6: Escaping Gravity

Nova and Fuchsia leaned against the railing on the deck, the night air cool and refreshing. Stars twinkled overhead, and the gentle rocking of the ship added to the peaceful ambiance. Yet, despite the serene setting, neither of them could sleep. Perhaps the nap was too refreshing?

“I do wonder who Amathine was talking about back in Xeter,” Nova mused, glancing over at Fuchsia. “Can’t believe it’ll be, what? Two weeks before we can meet them? I mean, it feels like forever.”

Fuchsia nodded, her chin resting on her arms. “Right? I’m really curious about those friends of hers. She seemed pretty excited about them. But I can’t help but think there’s not much on Huv except for the natural trails and stuff. Xeter’s where it’ll really be fun. I think she introduced us to them?”

“True, but that just means we can focus on exploring them,” Nova replied, her excitement bubbling over. “Those trails could lead to some incredible sights! Plus, it’s a chance for us to bond with Amathine and her friends.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Fuchsia said, her eyes lighting up. “And who knows? Maybe we’ll discover some hidden gems along the way—like local spots or cool activities we didn’t even know about.”

“Gem… that sounded familiar, maybe she mentioned something about gems in Xeter. Maybe there’s a jeweller that’s really famous? All that could turn into an adventure in itself. I wonder if anyone else is up.”

Turns out, a lot of people were up, experimenting with spells that they had begged Gale to teach to them. Ada was trying to defuse the situation, but then Crios accidentally hit her with an ice spell. “Glaciem forma!” Ada was knocked straight off her feet, into a trolley. Massaging her back, she looked back and had a brilliant idea.

Cameron fist-bumped Crios as Anaia helped Ada fill the trolley with drinks - juices of all different sorts, the aroma of apple and orange and lemon and grape wafting through the air, water and fruit squash and soft drinks of all kinds stacked neatly. The trapdoor leading to the main staircase creaked open as Nova and Fuchsia quietly came in, more than eager not to disturb the action.

“Looks like a party in here!” Nova laughed, glancing at Fuchsia. “Shall we join in?”

Fuchsia nodded, her excitement rekindled. “Definitely! This is way more fun than just waiting to sleep.”

Together, they joined the group, ready to add their own energy to the mix and embrace the unexpected adventure of the night, with unexpected spells and grand drinks to spice up the scene. Bannard and Ziang were playing foxes and hounds with Korathius, while the exasperated Gale was now teaching Crios how to make a portal. Callum and Brooke were helping Anaia and Ada get drinks. Where Florian was, no one knew.

“For the last time, it’s Nexus apertus via! Please stop bothering me, because I am not teaching you any more ancient spells. Three is enough. We can’t have you knowing more than the teachers, you still have two more school years to catch up on!”

“Fine…” Crios sighed and waved, grabbing a drink and thanking the four Wardens. Where was Florian anyways?

Korathius retreated to the lowermost cabin where the most windows were, to let in the most light - surely Bannard would not look for anyone here. However, the loud blaring music did not help matters. So that’s where Florian was… dancing to Michael Jackson and watering plants, two activities that probably have never been used in a sentence in tandem.

“This might be a weird question, but how do the plants not die?” Korathius asked.

“Lots of care, with water, light, food, and even soothing words and music - and yes, Smooth Criminal falls into the category of ‘soothing music’ - ”

“This is Thriller, not Smooth Criminal.”

“Oh, the song changed. Anyways, quite a lot of care goes into maintaining these plants for later use. Plus, the pots are glued down.”

“That explains more than it really should.”

“Quite.”

Meanwhile, Crios and Cameron were still experimenting with new random incantations, seeing how different variations of one spell affected the outcome. Evergreen, Amathine, Rohan, Ashley, and Grace laughed as they reminisced upon the nostalgia of all those years ago. It was quite a vivid night, and slowly but surely the sun came up.

———————

Whami packed his bags as he prepared for a walk with Paddy and Katie. His computer, in case inspiration struck him for a new chapter; his music player, in case he felt like busting his moves in front of everyone; all the essentials, like snacks and drinks and bottles of water. The serene summer leaves rustled in front of him, soon sure to turn golden-brown and fall to the floor in a gentle dance. His characters were something special to him. They were specifically made to suit him, his mood, his interests at the time. His love for the Red Hot Chili Peppers had surely waned, but it had left quite a mark on his storytelling - and now, his love for the Beatles and AC/DC and Michael Jackson did the same. They set off.

———————

“Glaciem icica formula!”

An icicle materialised as the surrounding air chilled, shooting at the old carpet. With a lazy flick of his wrist, Gale repaired the carpet and destroyed the icicle into several atom-sized particles. Crios pumped his fist. They were now going to try to recreate spells they knew with incantations.

“Lumen cadent!”

A Falling Star Smash was summoned, singing the carpet barely. Gale was now getting exasperated, regret clear in his eyes. The carpet was repaired once more.

———————

Whami, Paddy, and Katie arrived at the park entrance.

“Hey guys! How’s everything?” the old man who always fed the ducks beside the bench waved as the trio approached. Whami, Paddy, and Katie waved at him as they went through the gates.

“Life’s good! Classes are over, I played a simply fabulous Paul McCartney in the Magical Mystery Tour play, Paddy and Katie hang out with me all the time! Nothing crazy has happened.”

“Always good to see you hang out.”

“Perfect! We were just about to explore the park,” Katie said, her excitement evident. “There’s a lot to see, and the weather is amazing.”

“You all can lead the way,” he waved his hand nonchalantly. “I have places to be, and the sparrows in the city center won’t feed themselves.”

The group set off together, ready to make the most of their day in the park. Sadly, that day wouldn’t last long, as the next section would promptly explain.

———————

Bannard located Ziang in the latter’s cabin, the door slightly ajar. He leaned against the doorframe with a smirk. “That’s not a really hard-to-find hiding spot. Not really creative either. Make this harder for me!”

Ziang looked up from his spot on the bed, a book in hand. He raised an eyebrow, unfazed. “What can I say? I thought I’d keep it simple. Besides, I was hoping to get some peace and quiet.”

Bannard chuckled, stepping inside. “Peace and quiet? In this place? Good luck with that. You know we’re all searching for you, right?”

“Yeah, I figured,” Ziang replied, a grin spreading across his face. “But I didn’t think you’d find me so quickly. You must be losing your touch.”

“Or you’re just not trying hard enough,” Bannard shot back, crossing his arms. “Come on, let’s make this interesting. Next time, pick a spot that’s actually hidden. I want a challenge!”

Ziang laughed, shaking his head. “Alright, alright. I’ll make sure to step up my game next time. But for now, you can join me for some downtime. Wanna find Korathius? I hear music in the bottom.”

“Sure.”

Crios thought of ways to experiment with the portal spell, before thinking of some new additions.

“...Nexum averta! Nope… Nexum telaperta!” Crios playfully waved his wand around sporadically - but the spell worked this time, perhaps too well. Portals appeared all over the place, opening portals to places as far as Proxima Centauri and Saturn, to Earth and Lorth and the fabled lands of Zephyron and Vespera. All sorts of bits and bobs were pulled into the vortex created by Crios, from dirt to stationery to music players. Some of the portals closed instantly, while others stayed for longer.

Gale looked up. “Oh come on, I just had the carpet reupholstered!”

Amathine looked up. “Oh shoot. That is not good.”

Then Evergreen and Rohan. “You sure that’s supposed to happen?” “Okay that is not meant to happen, I can feel it.

Ashley and Grace simply facepalmed.

The light continued to shine as the floor started to crack and splinter. They were directly above Huv now, around thirty minutes from landing - but with this, it would probably be thirty seconds. The windows cracked, the floorboards came up. In the bottom cabin, Florian and Korathius suddenly noticed the Michael Jackson stopping: then the windows cracked and the floorboards gave in. Rapidly descending, the Academy Ship started to fly into a freefall.

———————

“Well, there’s a cool fast food place that we could check out - ” Whami started before the ground shook. “Oh shoot, what is that?!”

Katie stepped back, ripping Whami out of reach of the chasm. A blinding portal appeared, the other side unclear.

“Okay, what just happened?” Paddy facepalmed. The portal opened into a vortex, threatening to suck them in - at least that was what they thought was happening to them when they saw Whami resisting the pull, his backpack straps already giving away.

An unknown person - Crios’s - voice echoed through the chaos. “I might have... overdone it with the spell!”

“Overdone it?!” a girl - Amathine - shouted, scrambling to keep her balance. “We need to stabilize the ship before everything from the other side comes spilling into the common room! Quick, Evergreen? See what you can d- ”

Katie grabbed Paddy, but to no avail - Paddy reached out towards Whami. Whami looked back with one final smile.

“I don’t think this is going to end well. Here goes nothing… hey! Like I always say… I have to dip for a few minutes.”

Whami touched Paddy’s fingers for a few moments, before he looked into the light, the pull too much for him to endure or resist. It was probably time to give up trying to fight the pull.

And in that moment, with the blaring sound of a ship crashing into splinters, Paddy and Katie ran after Whami without looking back as they disappeared into a flash of white light.

Part Two: Huv

Chapter 7: The Night Comes Down

The dust settled as the portals closed, the light closing in on itself as all was left in darkness, the only light left coming from the sun, light-years away. The tinnitus ringed in Nova and Fuchsia’s ears - they’d just been about to return to the deck when Crios made that royal fuckup and destroyed the Academy Ship, not even a day into the trip. All sorts of bits and bobs lay around them, no doubt from the portals opened. Evergreen pushed some planks off of Amathine, who was pinned under a floorboard. As a whole, other than a hole in the bottom of the hull and some ripped sails, the Academy Ship fared quite well.

A bruised and battered body lay, a shirt in vivid purple, slightly ripped and tattered. Another kid in teal was shaking the body, while a girl in blue and a boy in red were looking around at the wreckage. The kid in teal helped the kid in purple up, the latter of which looked around in awe.

“This looks awfully like - like what I was planning for the next part of my book,” Purple rubbed his head.

“There’s my man! Sore head, but back from the dead,” said Orange.

Blue and Navy simply walked around, surveying what happened. Purple looked up, to see Nova standing in front of him. Purple simply jumped back in surprise.

“Aren’t you the girl from my book? You have the exact same clothes - and appearance - this is cool! My name’s Whami, the brown hair girl is Paddy, and the blue girl is Katie.”

Paddy motioned over to Katie to come over.

“Cool! My name’s Nova.”

“I think I already know that, judging by the character description. That’s Fuchsia, Amathine, Evergreen, Crios, Rohan - how do I know all of your names?”

“No idea. Probably just recognised us from somewhere, who knows where.”

“Really weird. Where is this?” Whami continued, looking around.

“We’re at Huv, by the looks of it. Wanna come with us? Gale lets us bring guests on if they want to join, should they have permission from a higher authority,” Nova offered.

“Sure!” Whami said, excitement evident in his voice. “Paddy? Katie? Wanna come with?”

Paddy eagerly ran ahead while Katie ambled behind slowly, processing everything that had happened. Two minutes ago, they had been going for a walk in Canterbury City Centre… and now they were on a completely alien planet with a bunch of people that, up until now, were not real - as far as they were concerned.

What went on in Whami’s head remained to be a mystery for all who surrounded him. As for now, they kept going. The airport was meant to be about a hundred meters in front of where the ship had crashed, which meant they would have to walk… Whami picked up a guitar that had been slightly chipped from the wreckage, putting his finger on the second fret.

Nova immediately grabbed the guitar away from Whami. “Do not.”

Whami laughed. “You knew, didn’t you? Alright, lead the way to wherever you’re all going.”

Fuchsia lifted some floorboards off of Crios and Cameron, while Amathine dusted off Rohan and Ashley. Gale flew around, surveying the destruction, and feeding everything back to Florian, Anaia, and Brooke while Ada and Callum jotted down how much of the Academy Ship was damaged and what spells and repairs would be required to fix it.

Korathius walked up to Florian. “Well, it seems that glueing the pots down didn’t save any of your plants from the worst of the damage.”

“Go away,” Florian shooed Korathius towards Bannard and Ziang. The broken radio was now playing some half-baked, glitchy version of Come Together.

Gale gathered all the students into a crowd. “I sincerely apologise for being foolish enough to teach my students spells above their skill level, as it has resulted in some minor damage to our transportation,” he pointed towards the gaping hole in the hull, wooden boards falling off.

“We will now make the walk towards our hotel where we will be staying, before visiting some natural trails! Be sure not to wander off, as there are native halfling tribes who know magic more advanced than you. They also speak in languages that you may not be able to decipher, and there are also untamed monsters here outside your scope. Please do not disturb them.”

“Shouldn’t you have taken care of that beforehand?”

“Zip it.”

Anaia, with a spring in her step, spun around and motioned for the kids to follow her. Everyone followed, Cameron comforting the visibly flushed and embarrased Crios. Nova stayed behind, motioning to Whami and company to follow.

“I - would it be appropriate?” Whami raised a finger.

“Absolutely! You all coming with or what?” Nova waved over to them as she ran off to catch up to Fuchsia.

Katie walked up, placing a hand on Whami’s shoulder. “To be fair, there’s not much we can do right now than sulk, so we might as well follow. These people seem rich, maybe they can afford some extra hotel rooms! Otherwise, I don’t mind sleeping outside,” she joked.

Whami sighed. “Fine. We’ll catch up.”

He ran ahead, leaving Katie and Paddy to run along. “These people seem cool! I wonder why Whami doesn’t trust them,” Katie started.

Paddy shrugged in return.

———————

Gale and Florian were paying for the hotel rooms when Nova sauntered in, with Whami, Paddy, and Katie in tow. “These dudes kinda got sucked in through the portals that Crios - ” she added through gritted teeth - “ - opened, and now they don’t have a place to stay. Can you buy some extra hotel rooms for them?”

Gale choked back a sob as he counted the extra costs. “This was meant to go towards the brand-new teacher’s lounge for after the trip,” he added with a sniffle. Extra money was added onto the counter. “Hold on, why am I paying for them? They’re not officially part of the trip.”

Nova retorted (in a playful manner instead of a rude one), “Guests can and will be able to join the trip if they so wish and have permission from a higher authority. In this case, the higher authority is me.”

“Fuck’s sake.”

Amari, the person at the lobby, smiled. “Just one more game, and you can win that money back.”

“I don’t gamble.”

“Your loss. Anyways, I’m here part-time. In about two weeks, I’m going back home to Xeter - this is just a summer job. I’ve got bills and rent to pay, and debts to clear. Also, Josh does miss me from time to time.”

Gale replied hastily. “You shouldn’t be teaching the kids here bad habits, Amari.”

“It’s not too late to get into gambling if you get bad grades,” Amari joked. Nova perked up at the mention, looking away from Whami and Fuchsia and rushing over to Amari.

“Is there a casino near this hotel?” Nova joked.

Amari clacked a few buttons as he counted up the total price of the hotel rooms, before replying. “Indeed there is! Go out the door, turn a right, walk until the first left, go left, and you will see a fountain.”

“Oh?”

“The fountain is completely fucking irrelevent. Turn the other direction and go to the right, before turning another right corner and stopping at the cool flashy building.”

“Go on, go on.”

“No, because you’re already there. Say hi to the lobby dude, go in, and pray to the gods that you win big. Where was I? Ah! Your hotel keys,” Amari laughed as he handed the keys to Gale. “I’m only working part-time, remember. I’ll be back in Xeter by the end of the month. Can’t keep Josh waiting.” Amari smiled as he handed the keys to Gale.

Whami opened his wallet. “I think I can pay for our hotel rooms. I’ve got 300 pounds, I think that should cover two weeks.”

Amari looked confused for a moment. “What’s pounds?”

“You don’t use pounds here?”

“No, we use gold coins. I’ve never heard of these pounds in my life - HEY! You can’t pay with paper!” Amari had noticed Whami fishing out £10 bills.

“This is money.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“Right, might be some confusion…”

Gale sighed, levitating the money away from Whami’s hand and transmogrifying it into a stack of roughly 900 gold coins. (For future reference: £1 = 3 gold coins.)

“There is still hope for the new teacher’s lounge after all!” Gale smiled. As they left for their hotel rooms to unpack for the next two weeks, Gale seemed to have an extra spring in his step as he made his way to the corridors.

Chapter 8: Just One More Game

Nova and Fuchsia unpacked. They had, of course, chosen to sleep in a room together, being the best friends they were - before unloading their recording equipment, which somehow had not been damaged. “Can’t believe all our gear’s perfectly fine after the crash,” Nova started. “It’s like there’s some protective charm on it for some reason!”

Fuchsia smiled. “That’s definitely a good sign! We can continue SuperNova News for episode two, and we can also take - ” she paused for dramatic effect - “ - pictures of our adventures!” as she pulled out a camera.

“I wonder how Amari’s doing. He seems nice! I wonder who Josh is as well. Might be a friend of his. Gale’s letting us run free for a while until we visit the trails.”

Nova smiled as she looked out of the window. Though the unknown forests and woodlands remained unknown to them, there was at least some point of solace that they could rest and confide in while they geared up for the trip. Huv’s soils and skies teemed with magic everywhere, from the clouds to the vines to the mushrooms.

“Should we go out for a walk?”

Fuchsia smiled and nodded. They grabbed the camera.

———————

Crios was already outside, looking around at what they had to explore. The residential area gave way to a large village, with a castle just above on the tallest hill overlooking what was below: farms, mills, masons, and all sorts of buildings dotted the fields, interconnected by a series of roads. It looked awfully like home - Lamplight Town, which now felt miles and miles away. Whami, Katie, and Paddy exited the doors to greet Crios.

“Hey, Crios!” Whami called out, waving enthusiastically. “What do you think of the place?”

Crios turned, a smile spreading across his face. “It’s incredible! The village looks so alive, and that castle is amazing. I can’t wait to explore.”

Katie joined them, her eyes sparkling. “There’s so much to see! I heard there’s a market nearby that sells all sorts of local goods from your friends. They chat about an lot of stuff.”

Crios nodded, his curiosity piqued. “Let’s start with the market then! We can grab some snacks and talk to the locals.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Whami agreed, his energy infectious. The group began to make their way toward the village, eager to dive into the adventure that awaited them - the villagers waved at them as they sauntered through the dirt floors. They seemed a bit shorter than the average wizard, but the magic they worked was unmatched to what Crios had seen so far.

“Man. I have a lot to learn,” Crios sighed.

Whami smiled. “I don’t even know any magic. In fact, where I come from, we don’t even think magic exists. We think it’s a hoax, and that science is just too powerful for any sort of supernatural events to happen. Doesn’t stop us from coming up with interesting ways to incorporate it into stories and stuff! Have you heard of Harry Potter?”

“No, what’s that?”

“I used to absolutely love that series. Absolutely brilliant. Basically, this dude has his parents epically killed by a big great evil and goes into the care of his really mean uncle and aunt…”

Whami went on and on about Harry Potter as Paddy and Katie sauntered down with him and Crios. The group continued to walk down the gravel-scattered paths of the high street.

On the side, the fountain that Amari mentioned spewed forth water in a gracious arc into the glistering air, the bust of what appeared to be a king holding a goblet standing proud. To the right, the casino that Amari seemed to like, its lights flashing in the distance illuminating a sky that was already bright as the sun, eons away.

> Soldier Rupert Price - yo misette
> DivingSun - hi katie
> Soldier Rupert Price - jsyk we’re down on main street, if u need us text us by the fountain
> DivingSun - alr
> DivingSun - whos w u
> Soldier Rupert Price - whami and paddy
> paddymelon - yo! :D
> whamikaze - paddy get off they’re having a chat

Paddy and Whami looked at each other, before doubling over and laughing.

As the group approached the fountain, the cool mist from the water felt refreshing against their faces. The sunlight caught the droplets, creating tiny rainbows in the air. Crios couldn’t help but admire the craftsmanship of the statue, its details intricate and lifelike.

“Look at that!” he exclaimed, pointing to the goblet the king held. “It’s like he’s offering something to everyone who passes by.”

Whami leaned in closer, inspecting the fountain. “I wonder if there's a story behind it. Maybe we can ask a local!”

Katie nodded enthusiastically. “Let’s do it! I’d love to know more about the history of this place.”

Paddy stepped back, taking in the scene. “You know, this is way cooler than I expected. I thought Huv would just be a bunch of nature trails, but this village has so much character.”

As they stood by the fountain, a friendly villager approached them. She was a woman with a warm smile, her clothes adorned with colorful patterns that spoke of the local culture.

“Hello there! Welcome to our village!” she greeted, her eyes sparkling. “Are you new here?”

Whami stepped forward. “Yeah! We just arrived and were curious about the fountain. Do you know the story behind it?”

The woman chuckled softly. “Ah, the Fountain of Kings! Legend has it that this fountain was built to honor a great ruler who brought peace to our lands. It’s said that those who drink from it will be granted good fortune.”

Whami started. “What did the great ruler do? This sounds inter - ” before being cut off by Crios grabbing Whami’s water bottle and dunking it into the fountain, chugging the entire canteenful in one gulp.

“You could have at least skied it. Please tell me you didn’t backwash it - URGH you backwashed it! Crios, you’re fucking disgusting.”

“I can’t pass up the opportunity to drink magical mystery water that gives you good luck.”

The market that Katie had overheard from drew nearer. The aroma of all sorts of seasonal fruits and vegetables - some common, like apples and oranges, and some being more of a rarity, like gently pulsing root vegetables labelled ‘Glowroot’ and tiny pods with motes of light shining out, labelled ‘Whispering Peas’. All kinds of other produce lay in neat little stands and stalls, with locals stood proud behind them, advertising their quality products.

Eventually, the gang arrived at a stall advertising flyers for a guided, pre-defined tour of the Huv outskirts. The stall owner offered 15 gold coins for one flyer - Crios offered to pay for all of them, but Whami took what used to be his £300 and forked up around £120 worth - 40 gold coins.

“You - you really didn’t have to do that - I could have paid,” Crios stuttered.

“I wouldn’t have spent it on anything useful anyways,” Whami looked away, his expression darkening slightly before returning its usual jovial self. “So! Who wants to continue?”

———————

Amari’s shift ended as Bannard went down the stairs, checking his texts as Amari checked out, the next employee sauntering behind the counter. Amari counted his pay - 60 gold coins an hour, racking up to a profit of $180.

“Hey, how was your day?” Bannard asked, glancing up as he reached the bottom.

“Pretty good! Just wrapped up my shift,” Amari replied, stowing his phone in his pocket. “What about you?”

“Not much, just catching up on messages. I think the others are exploring the market,” Bannard said, a hint of excitement in his voice.

Amari nodded, then turned his attention to the counter, where the next employee sauntered in. He counted his pay, running the numbers in his head. “Sixty gold coins an hour,” he muttered, jotting it down on a notepad. “That racks up to a profit of $180 for the shift. Not bad at all!”

Bannard smiled. “So what are you going to do with your pay?”

“I’m going off to the casino, of course.”

“Valid. Aren’t you afraid that you’ll lose it all, though?”

“No. I’ve been doing this for about a year at this point. I have… strategies.” Amari looked away as he flicked open his phone.

> AmariC - hey josh
> AmariC - hows life m8, life treating u well?
> JoshT - yep <3
> JoshT - hows the office life
> AmariC - i don’t have a business card calling me a useless fuck XD
> AmariC - yet XD XD
> JoshT - :P
> JoshT - excited to go back in 2 weeks? paul and dave miss u
> JoshT - :)
> AmariC - :0
> AmariC - :D :D :D
> AmariC - alr bye

Amari turned back to Bannard, the latter of whom had a few questions to ask. “Who was that? I think they’re cool to have a friend like you.”

“My boyfriend, Josh Taylor. I’m in a band with him and two of my other mates. Dave Styler and Paul McStarl. Well, Paul McStarl isn’t his real name, it’s actually Paul MacCarthy, but he came up with that name himself.”

“Seems neat. What music does the band make?”

“Hair rock. Not sure if you’ve listened to much.”

“Don’t think so.”

Amari packed his bags as he set off to the casino.

“Nice meeting you, kid.”

“Bannard.”

“Nice meeting you, Bannard.”

And Amari set off towards the casino to wager his pay.

Chapter 9: Life Trailing On

Amari Chapman stepped outside the retail office, his already overly tanned skin basking in the sun for the first time in what seemed like years - though half an hour didn't last that long. It had been about a year since this had happened, and the words Amari spoke next were probably the ones he had the most enjoyment saying in years.

"I quit."

He shut the door behind him, the door click drowning out the pained shrieks of his old boss. The wall muffled his screams - "No! You can't quit! BETRAYER! You - you are useless! You were always worthless to begin with!" culminating into one final howl of unadulterated anger - Amari didn't listen as he walked down the road. His business card, with his job title "Utterly Incompetent Fuck", now in the mud, where it would remain for the following years since. Amari was 15. This was about a year before now.

Killjoy, bad guy, big-talking small fry - those words fit Amari's boss perfectly. One who never had a heart of his own, yet expected the utmost loyalty from his employees'. Soon, he'd be sure to scrounge for new employees, finding a new toy to replace Amari. He'd never had a single day of sick leave, never seen more than 28 gold coins per hour in a single day, never went unpunished or unberated with even the most microscopic fuck-up. He'd never had a heart, right from the start. Amari let those thoughts sink in. He was right to leave. His boss was insane, a sewer rat decaying in a cesspool of pride. Student loans and rent weren't that expensive anyways... or so he hoped.

Slowly, though, Amari realised that he'd made a mistake. No matter how fucked up his boss was, that was his only source of income. He'd just cut his only stream, lost his only method of making a living. Whatever.

A flashing light drew him in, the neon colours of red and yellow and green and blue inciting and inviting him to come closer. Dances of light, like an ever-enticing ballet, with slow jazz music in the background - exactly what he liked. The doorway, like open, warm arms, embraced him.

Amari flipped open his phone.

> AmariC - hey bae @JoshT > AmariC - i might be a bit late home, you mind coming over like 30min l8r > JoshT - yo amari > JoshT - sure, can do > JoshT - cya :D <3 > AmariC - <3

Alright. This was it.

Amari stepped through the entrance of the casino, and everything went to shit after that.

———————

Amathine strolled along the forests with Ashley and Rohan. The sunset sleeping had begun to rise, and the sky was now a dim orange, with swirls of red dotted around. The fireflies acted as the sole source of light, save from the dying sun that would soon be reborn behind them again. She liked fireflies. It reminded her of home, back in Prodigia. Watching them fly around in predictable but almost random patterns, it was hard not to crack a smile.

“This place is genuinely quite nice. A lot nicer than the websites and brochures pictured Huv to be.”

Ashley smiled in return. “It’s definitely hard not to think it’s pretty here. Especially the sunsets. Reminds me of the sunsets in Xeter. That’s definitely what I’m most excited for this trip. And we’ll see some old friends again.”

As they continued along the winding path, the sounds of nature enveloped them—the rustle of leaves, the distant chirping of crickets, and the soft whisper of the wind. The beauty of the moment filled Amathine with a sense of tranquility, a feeling she had longed for.

“Let’s find a nice spot to sit and watch the sunset,” Amathine suggested, glancing around. “There’s something magical about experiencing it out here.”

Rohan led the way, and soon they found a clearing where they could sit on the soft grass. As they settled in, the last rays of sunlight dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in deeper hues of purple and blue. The fireflies began to glow more brightly, creating a mesmerizing dance around them.

“This is perfect,” Amathine said, her heart full. “Just look at how beautiful it is.”

The three friends sat in comfortable silence, soaking in the magic of the moment, each feeling grateful for the adventure that had brought them to this serene place.

———————

Crios continued to object at Whami paying for everything that he, Katie, and Paddy were buying. Besides, Whami wasn’t buying anything at all. No souvenirs or anything that he could use to remember the trip by. Why?

Paddy skipped down the market, observing all the exotic fruits and interesting produce that Huv had to offer. It was certainly nothing like the boring old cabbages and lettuces back in Canterbury - here, the lettuces were sharp as glass, the leaves crisp and fresh. An aura of wonder emanated throughout each and every stall, but Whami seemed to have none of it. His blank poker expression remained throughout the entire walk as he forked over stack after stack of coins. Perhaps he missed home, or was just tired.

Whami was quite tired. He didn’t get much sleep - his dormmates would keep him up well after eleven, talking about subjects he quite frankly didn’t want to hear about: once they argued so loud about incredibly inappropriate topics that a teacher came in, and Whami had to cover everything up by claiming they were talking about how dolphins would steal other and kill other baby dolphins, though he didn’t really know whether it was true or not.

“Why are you footing the bill for all of us? You’re not even buying anything for yourself!” Crios finally spoke up.

Whami shrugged, his expression remaining blank. “I’m fine. Just enjoying the experience,” he replied, his voice lacking enthusiasm.

Crios said nothing as his concerned expression grew. There was Amari, probably off his shift and walking towards the casino. Some of the locals bartering goods in the town square, drinking from the Fountain of Kings, and everything in between. He decided just to let Whami be Whami. After all, Crios was enjoying the walk, and there was no reason why Whami paying for all of their expenses should put a damper on his enjoyment. If anything, he was saving money.

Life was well. Save for the occasional disaster, everything would be fine.

Chapter 10: The Inner Light

Astrea continued to search, trapped within the stars, for whoever the creator was. After previously failing to liberate herself through the Puppet Master, she had continued to look at the Academy Students and where they were going. Right now, they were at Huv - one of the only places in the Core System that she had not yet touched, and rightfully so. It was peaceful and no one there seemed to hate her - so she had let it go untouched, unravaged by her wrath. If Astrea was to succeed, she would need to raise an army of her own. She would need to find impressionable minds to manipulate.

Amari stepped foot into the casino, strategies and possibilities streaming through his head. What would he try his luck at today? After all, luck seemed to be at all-time high for him at that particular moment in time. It might be time to take a gamble. But where to…? The slot machines? The blackjack tables? The plinko machine? Yes. The plinko machine, that’s what he would try today. It was relatively safe, and there aren’t any other players to beat you up in a singleplayer game.

“Is it possible to rig the plinko machine?” he wondered, eyeing the colorful board with its cascading pegs. He ran through various strategies in his mind, considering the odds and the mechanics of the game. What strategy should I use against the other players?

He approached the plinko machine, observing the patterns of the balls as they fell. Each drop seemed random, yet he sensed an opportunity.

“Maybe if I time my release just right, I can influence where it lands,” he mumbled to himself, his competitive spirit ignited. As he prepared to take his turn, a familiar thrill coursed through him. The chance to win - and perhaps treat his friends - too enticing to resist. Amari was no stranger to the rules of plinko, and how unbelievably difficult it was to hit a jackpot. He didn’t need a jackpot this time round, though. Hotel lobby worker life was treating him well, and he only needed some extra money to pay off his student loans. No one outside of his boyfriend and bandmates knew about his gambling addiction, unless Amari told them - and he just appeared to be so much of a nice person to seem concerning.

As he placed his coins into the machine, he felt a sudden shiver run down his spine. Was someone watching him? There must have been someone on security duty, watching him contemplate his strategies. Each decision he made could either set him on the path to win big or lead him down a path of destruction.

With the casino's lights flashing around him, Amari focused on the game, determined to make the most of his luck. Little did he know, the stakes were higher than he could ever imagine. Perhaps he wouldn’t go all in. Pocketing half of his paycheck, he placed around 50 gold coins in the board and placed the chip. Bouncing around as it descended, the chip landed in the x2 slot. 100 easy coins. Nice.

The lights flickered slightly, as it did on most days, though slightly more than other days. The electricity had been faulty recently, but it didn’t seem to bother the other gamblers in the area.

Astrea continued to survey. Perhaps she had found her first pawn: all she needed now was to play him to her cause. Then, within just a week, she could move on with the other students to Xeter. She had been there quite recently - to be fair, six months was merely a blink of an eye for someone who had existed for eons and been imprisoned for millenia.

Assuming her spirit form, Astrea descended. The way she moved around the physical plane in spirit form was quite akin to a virtual reality headset, scrolling and swiping and zooming. There he was now, the boy with the red hair in blue. This was how she usually appeared before her previous victims - without a warning or cue. The master of puppets, the bringer of innovation, the failed entrepreneur. And now the gambling addict.

“Well hello there,” Astrea interjected. “An injustice happened to me not unlike yours, millenia ago. Perhaps I’d like to get to know you.”

“I have a boyfriend, you know,” Amari returned without even looking at Astrea.

This was not quite going to plan. “What the fuck? Do I look like I’m flirting with you? I’m literally thousands of years old, even if I don’t look the part.” Amari certainly didn’t react to Astrea very much like everyone else had, with shock and borderline fear.

“What do you want me for?”

“In due time, I shall reveal all. But I can’t trust myself to reveal my secrets to you without your loyalty.”

“And what do you want from me?”

“I was once a deity. I gave all humans magic, breaking the Creator’s cosmic law, sentencing me to death - because of an act of compassion. I assume you have felt dejected and rejected before.”

“A business card reading ‘Utterly Incompetent Fuck’ doesn’t constitute helping an ancient cosmic being.”

“I could give you a pay rise…”

“I’m in. Tell me more.”

That was rather easy, Astrea thought. Amari was not unlike the previous man she had visited: both certainly valued money. Amari simply had a better character than the other one. She’d almost forgotten his name… ah well. She would recognise him in due time. For now, she had Amari to tend to.

“Good,” she said, her spirit form glowing brighter. “Together, we will unleash chaos upon the Core System. You will help me gather the impressionable minds I need.”

Astrea continued to weave her words, trying to detect a sliver of intrigue beneath Amari’s unfazement. There was a hint of reluctance beneath his repressed enthusiasm. It was clear he wasn’t entirely on board with her motives but was willing to play along, perhaps thinking it couldn’t be much harm.

“I don’t like chaos for chaos’s sake. Just tell me what you need, because you seem like a cool person. Where I come from, we don’t use magic too much, but I’ve grown to appreciate it. This creator seems like a bit of a jerk.”

Amari stepped away from the plinko machine as the people at the blackjack tables continued to become more agitated. It was very likely that some newbie was winning against the veterans, which would often end in a fight and many injuries. Amari had been quite careful to avoid the multiplayer games: even though they gave more of a thrill, Amari still valued his body’s structural integrity - that is to say, he liked having his bones intact.

Astrea looked at the blackjack. Yes, a brawl was surely brewing. Two muscular men in black suits had just cuffed someone looking around 20 or 21, and people were starting to beat him up: the victim had evidently just won the game, Astrea looked. One perk about this virtual reality thing is that everyone was treated like an NPC, no matter whether they were sentient or not. Should she choose, she could look into peoples’ minds. Someone was pushed over towards Amari, before they scanned around and looked for something to throw at the person who pushed them. All they could process was “enemy” and “obstacles to the enemy”: grabbing Amari’s shirt, he looked towards his attacker and readied his aim.

Amari kicked and bit at his attacker’s arm - he was no stranger to casino fights, many of which he had earned his scars from, so he knew how much they could hurt - but his attacker didn’t let go. Astrea had to step in. Never before had her allies been in danger so fast: she had to do something.

The attacker’s fist loosened magically as Amari crumpled to the floor, before being knocked back by a spell that apparently had no incantation, possibly invented by Astrea herself to not let her victims see - or hear - it coming. With a hand wave and another gesture, everyone involved in the fight suddenly found themselves crumpled against the wall, clearly injured with bruises. Astrea dusted her hands - even though non-tangible spirits couldn’t get dust on their hands - and helped Amari up.

“I think you’ll find it evident that I treat my allies with due respect.”

Amari shook as he took in what had just happened. Within the span about two minutes, he had been roped into a casino fight and nearly been used as a weapon against a bunch of strangers, and a deity who he’d known for less than five minutes had just saved him from sustaining several injuries. He’d also been able to make a profit off of it. No matter what he thought, he was in this with Astrea now. He owed her, and Amari could tell you from experience that debts must always be paid.

“...thanks.”

His luck really was turning up.

Chapter 11: Always

Amathine, Ashley, and Rohan settled into their spot in the clearing, the vibrant colors of the sunset casting a warm glow around them. The fireflies continued to dance in the air, illuminating the dimming twilight.

“This is so peaceful,” Amathine said, leaning back on her hands and gazing up at the sky. “I could stay here forever… sadly, we have to go back in like, ten minutes.”

Rohan nodded, his eyes fixed on the horizon. “It’s like nature’s own light show. Back in Prodigia, fireflies were basically nonexistent outside of Firefly Forest. Do you think that funny merchant would give us anything if we just grabbed some of the fireflies here and smuggled them back home?”

As they sat in comfortable silence, the beauty of the forest enveloped them, and Amathine felt a sense of contentment wash over her. “You know, I’ve been thinking about how much I miss home,” she confessed, her gaze drifting to the flickering fireflies. “Prodigia is magical in its own way, but this place... it feels different.”

Rohan turned to her, curious. “What do you mean?”

“Back home, everything is structured. There’s a rhythm to our lives, but here, it feels more... free. I like that,” Amathine explained, her voice soft.

Ashley looked up from her phone, her expression thoughtful. “I get that. Sometimes it’s nice to break away from the routine and just let things happen.”

“Exactly,” Amathine replied, her heart swelling with hope. “Maybe this trip is what we all needed—a chance to explore, to grow.”

“Since when did you become the wise mystical philosopher in the group?”

“Ever since we met Gemini, you probably just didn’t catch on.”

“I do wonder how she’s doing. We won’t have to wonder for long, we’ll meet her in a week.”

Rohan looked at the time. “Ah well, better head back.”

———————

Whami had since retired to his dorm and began sleeping as the sun set and the moon rose, with Paddy sitting beside him, talking to Katie. Bannard stood by the door, waiting for Amari to come back. They’d grown to become quite close friends over the course of their unexpected stay here, and Amari seemed like quite the nice person to be around.

Amari stepped in through the door, a minor cut on his arm but still a smile fresh on his face and 100 gold coins in his bag. “Hey guys! I’m fine, got into a fight at the casino but I’m fine and kicking. I also won quite a lot of money.”

Katie raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile on her face. “You’re not going to turn into a gambling addict, are you?”

“Who says I’m not one already?”

Only a concerned look spread across Katie’s face.

“Never mind,” Amari shrugged as he retired to his room. Katie shrugged, before looking back at Paddy. Being the precious cinammon roll she was, she was sitting next to Whami and playing around with some bits and bobs she found on the floor, probably some toys that the previous guests had lost. Whami looked like he had just hiked up Mount Everest five times back-to-back, and was now just preoccupied with getting as much sleep as possible. It was quite cute.

Amari looked on the outside as he opened a scratch ticket. His first one was a loss, but he ended up winning around 550 gold coins from the next. Astrea materialised in Amari’s office, gently sitting down on the couch.

“So, course of action.”

Amari took in everything she had told him ever since the casino brawl.

“We travel to Xeter, and try and find the man who you met about six months ago, because you think he’s important. Then we meet up with pookie bae Josh and the rest of my band, and we try and help you. I still don’t know why I should help you, but I guess it’s just because you helped me.”

“I know why you chose to join me. Debts must be paid. You of all people would know that.”

“Yes. Yes, I would. Then everything is revealed, and we try and amass an army to help your cause… we find this Creator that you spoke of and avenge your death sentence?”

“Precisely. The problem is that I don’t know who the Creator is. I have had many suspects, but none of them proved to be the one I was looking for.”

“I see.”

By the time Amari finished those two words, he was thinking about gambling again. Gambling addiction withdrawals were the most horrific things he had ever experienced, to the point that Amari saw gambling as an escape in addition to being a way to treat his friends and himself.

“You’re a good man, Amari Chapman. After all, all the world’s just a game. Treat every life like it’s our last one.”

Amari smirked. “That would be where we disagree. When we run out of lives, we tell life, ‘just one more game.’”

———————

Several days had passed. During this time, Whami had spent most of his time in his room, writing down stories. Even if he wasn’t feeling too well, he could still use his life as writing material. Occasionally, he went out on trips and such: the natural trails were more beautiful than any sight he had seen back in Canterbury, where the rain never stopped and the bricks fought wars with the plants. Paddy had continued to stay by his side. He was lucky to have someone like her around him.

If he had counted properly, about a week and three days had passed. A day here seemed to last the same time as it did back on Earth, as he had imagined. Perhaps he could try and do magic if he put effort into it? He had never attempted it before.

Picking up his wallet, he walked to the door as Paddy stood in the doorway.

Paddy smirked at Whami. “You’re up early, I see.”

“I wanted to try my hand at doing some cool magic, so I’m gonna pop to the wand shop.”

“Magic, huh?” Paddy raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What kind of magic are you thinking about?”

“Maybe something simple to start with, like the stuff that Crios and Nova were doing,” Whami replied, his heart racing at the thought. “I’ve been reading a bit about it, and it seems like fun.”

“Judging by how Crios’s magic turned out, you’d do well to try not to accidentally turn yourself into a bat or kill yourself,” Paddy joked.

“I would aim to avoid that. Too much paperwork to fill out,” Whami joked. “Alright, I have to dip. Bye!” He waved back at Paddy as he jogged outside of the hotel towards the wand shop.

The crisp air filling his lungs, Whami ambled down the path until he reached the wand shop next to the Fountain of Kings, the memory of Crios stealing his water bottle and swallowing a mouthful of the fabled magical water still fresh in his mind. The sign read ‘OPEN’, inviting Whami to step in and observe the many wands for sale.

As Whami entered the wand shop, he was greeted by an enchanting atmosphere. The air was infused with the scent of polished wood, and shelves lined with wands of all shapes and sizes stretched as far as he could see. Wands with all sorts of exotic wood types were proudly displayed on racks and shelves and all sorts of containers, free for everyone to pick. An aura of power exuded out from them, as if whoever the wearer was would bear unimaginable strength.

One particular wand stood out to him in particular. An oak staff, with a purple glowing crystal embedded in the tip, leaves growing from within the wood like life beginning to bloom. The price tag was valued at around 2500 gold coins - most definitely not enough for him to afford. Opening his wallet, he noticed something odd. A note was in his wallet where the gold coins would be.

I was cleaning your room yesterday while you slept and felt generous, so I snuck some of my winnings in your wallet. I also told Paddy not to mention it XD gambling can be an escape, but I also use it as a way to treat my friends, and you seem like enough of a friend to deserve this

- Amari Chapman / Hotel Receptionist

The secondary section of his wallet had 3000 coins in it.

P.S. Not all of this money was from yesterday. I’ve been saving up.

What a nice guy, Whami thought. He scooped out 2500 coins, leaving behind 1400 from Amari’s gift and his original £300 that Gale had converted into these little gold cylinders. It was quite hard to get used to paying with these instead of handy little paper notes, but Whami could get by.

The shopkeeper, a stocky, bearded man with a fine gossamer-white mustache, smiled as Whami set down the coins and the staff, much to the shopkeeper’s delight.

“A fine choice for a wand. This specific one comes from the heart of Prodigia, belonging to a dark wizard, a master of puppets.”

“Like the Metallica album?”

“What’s Metallica?”

“Don’t ask me, I don’t voluntarily listen to them. Or do you mean a master of puppets like one of those freaky dudes you find at the circus?”

“There is great history to be learned from this. So pay attention.”

“Fine, dad.”

“And do not call me dad.”

Whami gently laughed to himself. Once again, he was successful in infuriating some random stranger through reference to rock ‘n’ roll. After all, rock ‘n’ roll wasn’t noise pollution, and neither was him speaking his mind. Whami slammed down about 200 more coins as a tip, which somewhat restored the smile in the shopkeeper’s mouth. Motes of purple light floated out from the crystal - it comforted Whami in an unusual way. Amari was definitely going to get a promotion, and Whami would preach for it personally. Thanking the shopkeeper profusely, he returned for the hotel.

———————

As Whami greeted Amari at the counter, Amari smirked as he saw the staff in Whami’s hands. No doubt had he discovered his gift to Whami, he thought.

“Thanks for the gift, Amari. I will personally be vouching for you to receive a raise.”

“I leave in four days, as do all of you. I don’t need a raise, at least not right now.”

“Don’t be daft, your service has been impeccable. This gift was the last thing you needed for me to be fully convinced of your top-notch work. You should be proud of yourself. I will personally go to the manager and demand a raise for you.”

“You’re too kind.”

“I know I am,” Whami replied with a posh accent. “If you don’t want me to, I can always show you the stuff I’ve been writing. Want to come to my room? Oh, hi Paddy!” Whami offered as he waved to Paddy, who was just about to go outside for a walk.

“It’s the least you could do.”

Amari walked behind Whami and entered his hotel room, the latter of whom plopped open his 2022 MacBook Air and showed his stories to everyone else. “So, this series I’m currently working on has two books, the first one is finished. We have Scar Tissue and Passport to Prodigia, and I’m working on Passport to Prodigia right now.”

“What’s it about?”

“The funny thing is, all of you are the characters here. In the first book, which is set in Xeter, we have Gemini, Jaden, Milo, and Jacob, and they face off against Chet Sterling with the help of Amathine, Rohan, Grace, Ashley, Evergreen, and Tanner. Tanner unfortunately dies of stab wounds, and Chet Sterling is defeated. Gemini and Jacob become a couple, and a mystical fairy called Astrea scares the living daylights out of Chet Sterling. Then, I have a cool self insert which leads directly into Passport to Prodigia, where we learn Astrea’s backstory, she tried to give everyone magic and ended up entering an alternate dimension where she can mess with stuff using a cool VR headset magic thingy…”

Amari barely registered anything after Astrea was mentioned. Somewhere, deep inside, he could tell that Astrea had been alerted of Whami’s presence.

“And then I get sucked through a magic portal and everyone in my stories becomes real! I’m not surprised, the universe is infinite, surely an infinite universe would contain everything that could possibly be, including you!” Whami tapped Amari on the nose playfully.

Astrea smiled. This boy, this sweet, innocent child, had no idea what he had just revealed to the very man who was bound by blood to the goddess that he spoke of. Amari’s hands shook, as several thoughts sunk in with the force of a truck, as if he’d been hit by, he’d been struck by a large vehicle.

“That… seems very interesting. Alright, cheers. I need some air.”

Oblivious, Whami smiled back. “Bye, Amari! And thanks for the money, I’ll still campaign for your raise!”

“Yes, yes, yes, all very well. Have a nice day.”

Taking in everything from the past five minutes, only a few points were coherent in Amari’s disorientated mind. Astrea had given all of humanity magic, and was punished for it. Amari had to find the famous entrepreneur Chet Sterling in Xeter. And, probably most important of all, there was a definite possibility that Whami could be the Creator.

Chapter 12: Shadows Illuminated by Fireflies

Another night had passed. Whami had succeeded in giving Amari his raise after speaking with the manager, and Paddy had invited Whami out for a dinner with Katie and Nova and Fuchsia. Nova and Fuchsia later organised a 3v3 game of football and invited Korathius, facing off against Paddy and Whami and Katie on the football pitch. Whami and Paddy and Katie ended up winning 3-2, because Whami was a Chelsea fan which is undoubtedly superior to all other football teams, especially that poxy little shithole team of Liverpool. Amari stayed in his dorm, talking to Astrea.

“So I take it we have found our current target?” Amari mused.

“There is a possibility that we have found our Creator. Of course, all my calculations before have been wrong, but all the evidence seems to point towards this possibility. He must die.”

“Whami is just a child.”

“Amari Chapman. Do not forget who you are. Do not let morals hold you back, the innocence of… the innocent - I couldn’t find a better word - keep you from doing what must be done, what comes natural. Do you understand?”

“Only if worst comes to worst. I might have my priorities fucked up, but I’m not a killer.”

Astrea smiled. “If that is the best I can get from you, I will take it. I can handle compromises.”

Amari smiled back. “Deal.”

“Fine choice of words, partner.”

Astrea’s image dissolved into blue light, as Amari got up and contemplated his choices. It might be best to talk to Josh.

> AmariC - hey josh
> JoshT - yo
> AmariC - excited to see me again?
> JoshT - ofc <3
> JoshT - wyd
> AmariC - there’s someone i would like u to meet, shes kinda important
> JoshT - go on
> AmariC - you know chet sterling? we have to find him
> AmariC - you’ll understand when i introduce you to astrea
> JoshT - cool cool, excited
> AmariC - <3
> JoshT - love you too <3

That was all right. Crios and Cameron were exiting, probably planning to horse around in some far-off forest and sustain incredibly horrific injuries. Off they went towards the natural trail that Amathine and company ventured to previously - had they gone down even further, they would have ended up outside of the village and into the halfling tribes. They were quite nice, albeit quite territorial - just don’t anger them and you’d be fine, don’t mess shit up and you’d be fine.

Crios and Cameron were the type of people to mess shit up.

Amari sighed. Today was a weekend, and he planned to use it to the fullest. Thankfully, his manager was very nice (and had indeed given him a raise) and allowed him, along with other employees, to use their weekends. He also had sick leave, a privilege that he had never experienced prior to this summer job. Back to the matter, Crios and Cameron were bound to cause severe damage like the troublemaking brats that they were. He left a note to his manager that he wouldn’t be in for the day, and slammed it on his table.

There everything was. Time to make sure nothing horrific happens.

———————

The halfling tribes bustled in their own village far over to the west of the hotel through the woods. Amari had just left the hotel, pushing open the glass doors and running after Crios and Cameron as to make sure no major damage happened. These children were not about to cost him several paychecks worth of money in damages, not to mention how horrifying the hospital fees would be should those little shitters get themselves severely injured.

Honestly, why wasn’t Gale supervising everyone? These kids must be really mature if Gale, the head of the Academy, trusted these children with going off into unknown places that have been uncharted by their community.

Crios and Cameron skipped through the trails, oblivious to the dangers that lurked through the woods. To be fair, these aforementioned ‘dangers’ weren’t actually posing a real threat to them, as the two weren’t provoking them. The bustling halfling village opened up through the paths, as the number of fireflies decreased and the lights glowed brighter in the distance.

“We should cause some trouble there. It would be funny, and we’re only here for a short time,” Crios interjected.

“You sure?”

“Absolutely. Besides, it’ll be fun!... and both of us have our magic completely under control. Maybe we should stick to Academy-taught spells for now.” He flicked through his spellbook and checked for any interesting spells. These spellbooks had gone through several changes, and many spells added in and removed almost from existence. However, Academy custom spells had a striking difference between advanced magic: rather than an incantation and a rune, you merely had to say the name of the spell alongside the rune as well.

Crios flicked to the Shadow magic page. Ever since the Puppet Master had been defeated (heheheheh Metallica), Shadow magic had become more widespread and commonplace among wizards in Prodigia - though it had never really become… contraband, in a way, outside of Prodigia. Magic was magic, and those living outside Prodigia weren’t about to let one little spanner ruin it for everybody.

The village teemed with activity - halflings, which really looked just like humans but shorter, of all sorts of professions walked around the square. Some were blacksmiths, working away at the forge to craft all sorts of tools; some were farmers, picking all sorts of mystical crops - the Glowroot and Whispering Peas from the stands Crios saw with Whami and Paddy, and some other vegetables like Black Durian and Amber Celeriac, which Crios only knew the names of because that was the label of the boxes they were going into.

Barrels of fish and all sorts of produce were being lugged around by fisherman and merchants, as the children played in the village square, chasing each other in circles. Crios almost felt guilty causing trouble here.

Morals are for fools. Crios readied his wand, told Cameron what to do after the initial spell, and smiled - not a cruel smile, but the smile of a prankster knowing the consequences of what he will do and still enjoy it. Crios was not a cruel person. He was merely a comedian, which basically equates to the same thing.

He drew the rune for a thick fog in the air, providing a warm purplish glow that was just dimmer than the light of the fireflies.

“Murkiness.”

A thick fog covered the village, much to the chagrin of the inhabitants, choking out their view and covering their eyes with an opaque deep purple hue.

“Honestly, what were the people in charge thinking when they made this spell? It could have been something cool, but no. ‘Murkiness’. Such a horrible name. Alright, wanna prank some people?” Crios laughed as Cameron got up.

Amari continued to race as despair dawned on his face. Crios and Cameron had already started to mess shit up. Fog choked his brain like a purple haze all in his brain (I’m really pushing it with the rock references, aren’t I?), as he pushed aside the opaque mist. Crios and Cameron, the casters of the spell, were resistant to the effects - but sadly, the halflings affected were not. Cameron switched around several barrels as the children bumped into each other. Crios laughed before ringing a bell that was on someone’s equivalent of a front porch, leading a halfling that was quite squat for one of their kind to trip over. This was a perfect example of how a perfect society could fall apart in mere minutes to bad decisions.

Several angry halflings screamed confusedly throughout the commotion. “What the bloody hell?! I can’t see anything!” “Where’s everything gone?!” A halfling guard, roughly the same height as Cameron though looking three times as old, grabbed Crios’ shoulder and turned him around, axe in hand.

“Enough messing around, we all know it was you two who started everything. Guards?!” the guard screamed through the fog as footsteps pattered around. The soldier ripped out a chain as Crios realised that he had definitely made a severe and continuous lapse in his judgement. The footsteps pattered faster as Crios mouthed one word to Cameron: run.

The footsteps draw nearer and nearer as Cameron looked around frantically, the guard narrowed his eyes to observe Crios’ expression. His own, however turned into one of shock and pain as his pupils dilated, before he fell to a ground. The man standing behind him, knife in hand, was Amari Chapman.

Amari let the bloody knife fall to the ground, hands shaking. Astrea’s voice radiated throughout his head.

“Good, good. I see you are not afraid to risk a life to preserve the ones of those who matter.”

No, no, no. This is a mistake. What have I done?

Crios and Cameron were simply dumbfounded. “Since when were you here?”

I took a life. I took somebody’s life in cold blood. What have I done?

Cameron spoke up as well. “How on earth did you find us? Last we checked, you were in your office, chilling. Playing gambling simulators or something.”

The fog didn’t recede.

“I believe it is the perfect time to leave?”

Amari said nothing as he stared at the body, horrified at his own undoing. He had set himself down a path that he could not simply walk away from - but so long as no one knew, he would be fine. Right?

More halfling guards approached as Amari struggled with his thoughts. The mist started to cool as the purple haze slowly dissipated, and the body slowly became clearer and clearer to others. A murder had taken place out of nowhere in their peaceful society, and the culprits were standing in plain sight.

Astrea smiled to herself. Conflict between nations was just what she needed to further her cause. Amari was loyal, and Crios and Cameron were needed for her plan to continue. Of course all three would make it out alive. They were valuable.

Amari looked around as more troops came. From allying with Astrea, to learning that Whami might have created him and everything he knew, to this, the week had not been treating him well.

But as Crios and Cameron looked around, to realise the shit they were truly in, everything dissolved into one singular word.

RUN.

Intermission

300 years ago

H. Gren, surrounded by the hum of machinery and the faint glow of bioluminescent fungi. He mused over his latest experiments, the air thick with the scent of chemicals and something akin to burnt ozone. His eyes flicked to the rows of cages lining the walls, each housing a variety of mutated creatures - fiery phoenixes with elongated beaks and feathers that shimmered like molten gold, alongside devilish magma beings that writhed and pulsed, radiating heat. More were labelled to the side

As Astrea appeared before him in her spirit form in his lab on Lorth. The cages contained all sorts of mutated animals, and Astrea observed the great fiery phoenixes with long beaks and the devilish magma creatures, all packed like sardines in giant fiberglass cages.

“I assume this shall be our next batch for our army?” Astrea smiled.

Gren turned to face her, a smirk playing on his lips. “Indeed, Astrea. These specimens… are unlike any we’ve created before. Each one has been strategically engineered to harness elemental powers that will serve us well in our quest. These ones right here specialise with fire, my personal favourite.”

Astrea floated closer, examining the cages. “You’ve outdone yourself, Gren, as always. The phoenixes will be invaluable for their fire-breathing and regenerative abilities, and the magma creatures… well, they’ll make quite the impact in battle.”

“Just wait until you see their strength in action,” Gren replied, pride swelling in his chest. “I’ve pushed the boundaries of their genetics. They’re not just creatures; they’re living weapons.”

Astrea nodded, her expression thoughtful. “And what of their loyalty? Can we trust them to follow our commands?”

“Loyalty, my dear, comes from necessity. We can’t trust them until they trust us. Should they stray from our will, their bodies will reject themselves, and… let’s just say they’ll feel the consequence, and so will anyone potentially trying to turn them against us. I’ve created some genetic sequences that prevent this from happening, but I’ve still had yet to work some of these out.”

“Excellent,” Astrea said, her voice smooth like silk. “With this army at our disposal, we can finally enact our plans without restraint. Whoever the Creator is, they will not see us coming.”

“Exactly,” Gren affirmed, his excitement palpable - he was trying his hardest not to sound like an excited child on Christmas Day. “With your magic and my science, we can reshape this universe as we see fit. No longer will we be pawns in a cosmic game.”

———————

Weeks later

The battlefield lay sprawled across the charred plains of Lorth, contrasting the vibrant lab where Gren had once worked and toiled for years. Smoke billowed into the sky, mingling with the dark clouds that loomed overhead, while the sounds of clashing metal and the roars of mutated creatures filled the air. H. Gren stood at the forefront of the chaos, his eyes scanning the horizon as he prepared for the battle ahead. Where was the king and his royal sword, come to strike him down?

Astrea appeared.

“Gren! Gren, are the rest of your creatures ready?”

“I simply could not have anticipated an attack of this size, this early! The remaining creatures are strong, but the loyalty safelock has not been put in place.”

“We can’t take our chances with this, Gren.”

Onward, the King shouted his cry. “Today, we end this paltry rebellion!” the King bellowed, his voice carrying across the battlefield. “For honor and for peace!”

Astrea’s laughter echoed, a sound that sent chills through the ranks of the King’s soldiers. “Peace? You’ve only ever known tyranny, King! Your reign ends here, and so does the reign of the Creator!”

With a swift and unwavering motion, she raised her hand, summoning a wave of energy that surged toward the enemy. Gren joined her, directing the mutated creatures to charge forth. The fiery phoenixes dove from the sky, their wings igniting the air, while the magma creatures surged forward, leaving trails of molten rock in their wake. Robotic spiders decimated armies as poison flowed plentifully from their metal mandibles, the ground being crushed into splinters. Gren smiled.

“I expect we can take our chances. We seem to be doing well. A god and a man who has achieved godhood… against one puny army?” Call it hubris, but Gren laughed as he pressed a remote. From the depths of the earth, his lab collapsed into rubble as seven mighty Jormungandrs, serpents of the blackened sea, rose up and into the sky.

“Consider this one last gift! They’re slightly premature, and I’ve still got some kinks to work out, but they should do just fine in doing you in.”

The King’s face fell as he reached the crest of the hill next to the ruins of Gren’s lab, a flicker of despair crossing his features as he beheld the monstrous serpents. “What have you done?” he shouted, his voice strained. But in that moment of desperation, he felt a surge of determination course through him. Drawing on every ounce of his magic, he reached out with a wave of energy, attempting to weaken the minds of the Jormungandrs.

“You can’t control them. They are MINE to control, and MINE alone! Your efforts are worthless!”

“I’ve always been a fighter. There’s - no - giving - up - now!” The King screamed before saying nothing, putting all his energy into weakening the Jormungandr’s minds. The serpents writhed and thrashed, as the King’s magic surged, a final desperate attempt to reclaim control. The effort drained him, consuming his strength until he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

In the aftermath, Gren watched in horror as the Jormungandrs, now free from his own influence, turned their gaze upon him. Their eyes glowed with ancient rage, and the air crackled with their fury.

His hubris had caught up with him. If he had taken the time to make sure everything was safe, or chosen not to take the risks, then he may have prevailed.

“No! Stand down!” Gren shouted, panic rising in his chest. “I created you! I made you! I am your god! You are mine!”

But the serpents were beyond his control. They lunged forward with terrifying speed, their immense bodies coiling around Gren. He struggled against their grasp, but it was futile. The very creation he had deemed his ultimate weapon was now his undoing.

Astrea continued to fight, but turned back as she noticed Gren. Rushing backwards to keep Gren from suffering a painful death, she flew like the wind towards the remains of the lab. A deafening crunch was heard, and Astrea stepped foot before H. Gren - just too late. Poison leaked from Gren’s heart, as it spread to his brain. Hubris had been Gren’s undoing, and the last thing he saw was Astrea’s tearful face. Lorth had lost a king. Astrea had lost an ally.

The Jormungandrs saw the cruelty of Gren’s soul and took no mercy on his limp, lifeless body, toying with it and throwing it in the air, taking turns biting it. Astrea could not take this. With a scream of pain, she forced the Jormungandrs into the air and threw them into the stars. Where they landed, she did not care. All she hoped was that they would suffer, for how they took the one person she cared about since she’d been imprisoned.

Astrea looked around. Is this the future she’d created?

Chapter 13: Band on the Run

Amari sprinted through the dimly lit streets of the halfling village, his heart racing. The sounds of chaos echoed behind him - shouts, the clatter of armor, and the cries of terrified villagers. Crios and Cameron had really outdone themselves this time, and the tumult and havoc echoed behind them.

“Did you have to throw the fucking barrel?!” Amari screamed as armor clanged and swords wildly swang.

Cameron, panting as he ran, shot him a guilty look. “I mean, I thought it would distract them!”

Amari, around consistently two meters in front of the two, seethed. “Well, you have certainly succeeded in doing that.” The halfling mob continued to grow as the wizards, armed with torches and staffs, sprinted after the three. They were quite agile for their short stature.

“Just keep running, we can’t let them catch us!” Amari spat, pure unadulterated adrenaline fueling his speed as they rounded a corner. The village was a maze of narrow alleys and small homes, and he hoped they could find a way out before the guards closed in.

“Why don’t we go back the way we came - ” Crios began before Amari shushed him.

“You got us into this in the first place, you can’t talk.”

They said nothing as they continued to run. As the three ran deeper into the forest, Amari's heart still raced - not just from the panic and exertion, but from the knowledge of what they had left behind. The halfling guard’s limp body lingered in his mind, a reminder of the cost of Crios and Camerons’ complete and utter recklessness.

But for now, they were alive, and that was all that mattered.

———————

Whami stood in the clearing just outside the hotel, excitement bubbling within him. Paddy and Katie stood aside to a tree, watching Whami with his new wand in hand. A surge of energy and possibility shining inside of Whami, the sun filtering through the trees and casting dappled shadows on the ground, he turned to Paddy.

“Okay! I think I came up with a bunch of cool spells, let’s see if they work. Lumen cadent!” Whami excitedly chanted, a gentle golden hue emanating from his wand, illuminating the afternoon sun.

Katie clapped. “That is pretty impressive. You got more?”

Whami’s smile faltered. “No. No, I do not. This is like, the most basic training spell that everyone is taught. It is also the only spell I know. So boo hoo.”

Katie still smiled. “It’s still quite impressive. You’re not from here, so it’s a bit surprising that you’d be able to pull stuff like this off.”

“Yeah, I really need to learn from Gale. Speaking of which, where is he?”

Gale was in the lobby, chatting with Florian, Callum, and Anaia, discussing the different courses and events that they could set up and how wizards could learn about the culture of other human civilisations. Words were being thrown around in heated, but controlled, discussion.

Whami stepped into the lobby, where a different person was sitting at the counter. Strange. Where was Amari? Never mind that, Gale and the others were having an interesting discussion and he wanted to join in. Amathine was sitting there next to Ashley and Rohan.

“Hey Gale! Hi… I take it this is Florian, and I don’t know who the other two are.”

“Anaia.” “Callum.”

“Neat! What are you talking about?”

“Plans for the trip, once we get to Xeter and Lorth. Chethither and Sypso can wait until later. We can have interactive experiences and write notes about different planets, before discussing what we can learn from them.”

Amathine smiled brightly. “That sounds amazing! I think it’s really important for us to understand the cultures we’ll be visiting. It’ll give us a deeper appreciation for their magic and traditions, and help us relate to others more.”

“Exactly,” Anaia chimed in. “Creating hands-on experiences enables us to make learning processes more engaging and challenging, opposed to just… sitting in a room and listening to professors yap on about boring things from 300 years ago.”

Callum leaned forward, clearly invested in the conversation. “And we should consider how different magical practices influence their daily lives. It could lead to some fascinating discussions.”

Gale smiled. “It was the right decision to hire you.”

“After all, we are the best.”

“Debatable.”

“Non-debatable.”

As Gale, Anaia, Florian, and Callum bickered playfully, Whami couldn’t help but admire the chemistry these four had with each other, chemistry he had not seen this flawless since the Beatles.

———————

After what felt like an eternity of navigating through the dense woods, with infuriated halflings still on their tail, Amari, Crios, and Cameron finally emerged at the edge of the hotel grounds. The familiar sight of the building was a welcome relief, and they quickened their pace toward the entrance.

“Thank goodness we made it,” Crios breathed, glancing back to ensure they weren’t being followed. “I thought we’d be stuck out there all night.”

Amari cursed, a root lodged in his ankle, his body still feeling the effects of the sheer amount of adrenaline coursing through him. “Let’s just get the fuck inside and lay low for a bit. We need to figure out our next move.”

As they approached the entrance, Amari pushed the door open and stepped into the lobby. The warm, inviting atmosphere contrasted sharply with the chaos they had just experienced. A few guests milled about, and the clerk at the front desk greeted them with a smile.

“Good day, Mr Chapman!”

“Thank you thank you thank you okay bye”

Amari boarded up the doors and placed a sign saying “Closed” on the outside. As the three continued to run down the hallway into the lobby, Amari took a quick glance at the discussion happening there. Gale, Florian, Anaia, Callum, Amathine, Ashley, two other kids, and - Whami. This was the man that Astrea wanted to kill. But - he looked so innocent, looking over and waving to him.

Never mind. “Come on, this way!” Amari urged, glancing over his shoulder to ensure no one was following them. Once inside his small office, he closed the door and locked it behind them, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Okay, we are safe for now. We are safe and that is what matters. Our luck can’t last forever,” Amari repeated to himself. He opened up his favorite gambling website and wagered 100 digital gold coins on a plinko game, winning 200 back. His luck wasn’t in the shit for now.

Crios and Cameron talked, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the halfling guard he had killed. The guilt gnawed at him. “We’ve caused enough trouble,” he muttered under his breath.

“We did everything we could. You were just protecting us - ”

Amari’s hands gripped on his table. “But at what cost?!”

That shut Crios and Cameron up, temporarily.

“You think it’s easy to deal with the consequences of this? I have a job here, and I can’t afford to get dragged into your chaos!”

Cameron’s expression fell significantly. “We’re in this together, right? We need to figure out how to handle it.”

“Together? This was your idea of fun, not mine!” Amari snapped, his voice rising. “I’m the one who has to keep my head down while you two run around causing trouble! What were you thinking?”

Crios, visibly frustrated, pushed off the wall. “We were trying to have a good time! You could’ve said no if you didn’t want to come along.”

“I didn’t want to come along. Knowing the shit that you two fuckers do, I had to come to make sure that you didn’t mess anything up. And you did. And people died today, because of your actions, and someone threatening to do unimaginable things to you. You can’t afford to get expelled, I can’t afford to lose my job.”

As they began discussing their options, Amari felt the weight of responsibility pressing down on him. He wanted to support his friends, but the frustration of their reckless choices continued to loom large.

They had to find a way out of this, and quickly - or face the unimaginable consequences.

———————

Whami, Gale, and Amathine finished their conversation with Ashley, Anaia, and Callum, laughter still echoing in the air as they discussed plans for their upcoming trip. The energy in the hotel lobby was vibrant, filled with anticipation and excitement. Paddy and Katie stood by, chatting excitedly about the future.

Just as they were about to head toward the exit, Whami paused, sensing a shift in the atmosphere, his usual precious innocent demeanor fading. “Hey, does it feel a bit… tense in here?”

Ashley got up from the table, looking towards the window. “I don’t feel - HOLY HELL WHAT IS THAT?”

They rushed to the window, and their hearts dropped. Surrounding the hotel was a massive crowd of furious halflings, their faces twisted with anger. Shouts and cries filled the air, and the tension was palpable.

“Uh-oh…” Whami breathed. “That definitely does not look good. And why are the doors boarded up?”

Unboarding the doors, Whami cautiously stepped outside the hotel with his arms up in the air to signify that he meant no harm. Without a moment’s hesitation, about four or five of the strongest halfling guards were onto him, and Whami was on the ground, tanking several kicks to the torso and chest.

The chief halfling guard motioned everyone to stand aside, as he pinned Whami to the door. Paddy screamed and rushed to the window, yelling at him to let Whami go - but the guard did not. Examining Whami’s face, the halfling guard squinted as Whami breathed heavily, arms heavy with bruises.

“This isn’t the man we want. He didn’t kill our fellow guard… but someone here did.”

“What?! What on earth are you talking about, no one here killed anyone! I can swear my life on that!” Whami pleaded for the innocence of his friends, but both sides knew that this boy did not know the whole story - or was hiding something.

“You lie. Either that, or you do not know. Let us enter.”

“Also, you’re like, half my height. How were you able to beat me like that?” Whami quipped, a feeble attempt to deflect the tension with a tad bit of humour.

“Silence, pitiful wench.”

“No need to do me like that,” Whami stepped aside as the chief halfling guard struggled to reach the doorknob. Watching them fumble, he decided to open the door for them. “Fine. Just don’t blame me if you end up regretting this,” he muttered under his breath as he swung the door wide, bracing himself for the storm that was about to enter.

The five guards surged forward, their expressions fierce. Whami took a step back, his heart racing as he prepared for the onslaught of questions and accusations that would surely follow. He glanced back at his friends inside the hotel, worry etched on their faces, knowing they were all in this together now.

———————

“Welcome to our latest broadcast of SuperNova News!” Nova, joined with Korathius, Bannard, and Ziang, stood next to Fuchsia. “This round, starring Korathius, Bannard, and Ziang!”

Fuchsia grabbed the microphone and did a stylish twirl as she spun the microphone around in her hand. “Let’s kick off with what has happened between now and then. We have three new guests travelling with us - Whami, Paddy, and Katie.”

Bannard nodded, adding, “Absolutely! Each of them has already made a significant impact on everyone here. Whami’s just a delight to be around - he’s just so precious and pure and innocent, not unlike Tanner from a few years back. Paddy’s also such a sweet girl, you can never feel horrible around her. Plus, Katie has brought so much energy to our tightly-knit group!”

Ziang took a step forward, his expression serious yet visibly excited. “And let’s not forget our trip to the natural trails in the hills of Huv! We explored some breathtaking landscapes and learned about the diverse ecosystems there. It was an eye-opening experience that reminded us of the beauty in the world around us. We even took photos! Here they are!”

“Right!” Fuchsia interjected, her eyes sparkling. “We had a chance to connect with nature and appreciate the wonders of the environment. It was a perfect blend of adventure and education!”

“And of course, we can’t overlook our meeting with Amari,” Nova said, turning to her fellow hosts. “He’s been a key figure in our journey, helping us navigate the complexities of our adventures and sharing valuable insights. He’s also just a really nice receptionist.”

Fuchsia grinned, raising the microphone high. “That concludes this edition of SuperNova news. Stay tuned for more updates and adventures from SuperNova News! We’re just getting warmed up!”

The ending sequence played out as Nova shut the camera. “That was brilliant. That was actually brilliant.”

Suddenly, the commotion from outside the hotel room. The noise grew louder, filled with shouts and the sound of commotion that echoed through the bricks and the walls. “What’s happening out there?” Fuchsia asked, her expression rapidly shifting from excitement to genuine concern.

Nova nodded, her brows furrowing. “I don’t know, but we need to check it out. It definitely sounds serious.”

They approached the front, where Whami stood amidst the chaos, appearing tense and slightly in distress. The chief guard was addressing the crowd, his voice booming over the din. “We know someone here is harboring the murderer of our fellow guard! We will find out who it is!”

Whami’s voice, although much softer, also stood out. “Please, please, everything can be worked out, I just don’t know who killed your friend. I’ve only seen a few people today, Gale and Florian and Callum and Anaia were in the lobby today with me and Paddy, Amathine and Ashley were with me as well, and then I saw Crios and Cameron and Amari - Amari! He’s a receptionist here and is quite familiar with everything on Huv, I’m sure he can take care of everything, I’ll lead you there right now.” And, at a slightly faster pace, he speedwalked over to Amari’s office, the five halfling guards shimmying behind him.

Amari heard a knock on the door, seeing Whami’s concerned face.

“Amari! Amari, I need your help, there’s a bunch of really short wizards in guard outfits and they say a murderer is hiding here, and they started kicking me and I’m scared and - ” Whami started, before the halflings were presented to a brilliant view of a hand grabbing Whami’s collar and dragging him into the office, before the doors closed. Confused grumbles emerged.

“Do not fucking open that door. These soldiers are looking for us. Crios and Cameron made a royal fuck-up and I had to save their royal asses, and I… I - I ended up - ”

Whami was immediately there to comfort Amari. It took a good deal of reminding for Amari to remember that this was the man that he was supposed to help kill. “Spit it out, everything will be alright. You and the funny short guards can talk everything through, and everything will be alright in the end.”

“I… I - I killed the halfling soldier. They were going to imprison Crios and Cameron because they made a spell that created lots of fog, and it was my responsibility to look after them when Gale wasn’t around.”

Beat.

“Well that complicates matters.”

“I think the three of us can step out and calmly talk everything out. If they try and initiate violence, we fight back, but otherwise we treat the halflings with respect and diplomacy. Okay?”

Crios and Cameron nodded, before getting up.

Amari approached the chief halfling guard calmly - by now, the whole of the Academy students were being consulted by Gale, the Wardens, and Amathine and Team GREAT. It seemed that, in the matter of years, Amathine had turned from someone who sought out help to someone who gave it to people who needed it. Nova was proud of her for that.

Several dozen halflings had gathered at the hotel lobby, watching the scene unfold.

Amari calmly walked over to the guard. “Greetings. My name is Amari Chapman, and - ” he started as a spear was thrust mere millimeters from his throat.

“It was you. You murdered our fellow guard, and you must pay the price. A life for a life.”

Astrea’s image appeared to Amari. She had lost far too many allies, and was not about to lose another one. Creeping over, now her hand was on his shoulder, and Amari turned around to see Astrea standing behind him. This - of course - sparked quite a lot of confusion and anger amongst the five halfling guards, who could not see the image of Astrea.

Astrea spoke. “Do not be distressed, Amari. I am here to help.”

Under his breath, Amari scream-whispered, “How the living fuck am I supposed to get everybody out of this situation?!”

“Leave everything to me.”

And a great fissure appeared in the ground, swallowing several of the halflings whole, much to Amari’s horror. The fissure closed, and Astrea dusted off her hands.

“I don’t believe that was supposed to happen?” Amari yelled.

A pause, and then every single halfling in the vicinity was immediately at everybody’s throats. Whami immediately dove and pushed Amari out of the way of an incredibly furious golden-haired halfling that was wielding a sword, no doubt trying to kill one of the two to avenge the lives lost. Amari, now hyperventilating as he took in everything from the past two days, kicked Whami over to the adjacent wall.

“What are you doing?!” Amari hissed at Whami.

“I can’t let you die. You’re worth far too much, you have a band and a boyfriend and people you have to return to, I just can’t let you die!”

Gale was busy flying around, evacuating the students and using fancy spells to pack up all their belongings for them. “The hotel’s no longer safe. Find a safe space and stay there, or make your way to the Academy Ship! Florian, Ada, Callum, Anaia, Brooke, help fend off the halflings! Paddy, Katie, Whami, just run - Whami?”

Whami unsheathed his staff, the oaken staff with the great violet crystal. Forming a rune in the air, he chanted: “Lumen cadent!”

Instantly, a gentle light shone through the hotel lobby, distracting the halflings for a second. “No, no, no, I need something more powerful. Lumina cadent! Lumen iris cadent! Lumen - Lumen cadent… Lumen cadent maxima!”

That last one seemed to work. A blinding light shone through the lobby: Amari, Gale, and the Wardens instinctively turned away or shut their eyes, but the eyesight of pretty much every halfling in the lobby - and Whami’s - was virtually eviscerated. Sheathing his staff, Whami pushed aside a halfling and fumbled for the door, ears ringing. All he could see was an oversaturated white, as he fell out of the doorframe and clumsily pushed through more furious halflings, trying to find the tree where he had hung his backpack - before grabbing it and attaching it to his back. Turning back to look at Amari - what was the point? he was pretty much blind anyways - but Amari’s expression was laced with worry and determination, as he gave one last glance to Whami before he looked away and retreated to his office.

Gale bolted out the door after Whami, tapping him on the shoulder. “Quick! To the ship! It’s safe there, just follow us, everyone else is there!”

The ship? Last time he was at the ship, it had been in splinters.

Rubbing his eyes, vision still poor from his own blinding spell, Whami linked arms with Gale and started to run at just enough pace to keep up with the Academy Keeper. Dozens of halflings, each in strikingly different clothes and wielding different weapons, improvised or not, but still sharing the same fury and seeking vengeance, continued to chase after them. Nova, Fuchsia, Korathius, Bannard, and Ziang were at the front: Gale and Whami were at the very back, the most vulnerable to attack.

There was the ship in the distance - the hole had already been patched, the torn sails repaired, almost like new. Amathine was helping usher the students into the ship, as she saw Gale dragging the blind Whami across the plains as the halflings attacked the village, a chilling reminder of how terror and desperation could turn civilised men into savages.

The Academy Ship grew in the distance - they must be getting closer. Amathine grabbed Gale’s hand, and the three practically threw themselves into the hatch. Whami collapsed on the floor, coughing, as his vision cleared, while Gale reassured Amathine that everything would be fine before taking to the cockpit.

“Everyone in? Okay! Volare navis, aerolum glissa!” Gale chanted as he drew the runes, before the ship rose once again and the students could get a good look of the carnage that had sparked. The village was being raided and attacked by the livid wizards - shops went up in flames as the Fountain of Kings went tumbling down into a mess of marble. This was no petty revenge scheme - this was war.

Dragging Whami’s unconscious body up the stairs, Amathine lay him down on the sofa in the common room and placed a blanket on him before retreating to the deck, where Nova and Fuchsia were. The ship took flight, sailing towards the stars that shone ever so brightly - and it was onward, to new ventures and friends.

The Academy Ship continued to drift through the stars, as Gale and the Wardens made a course towards their next stop - Xeter. Amathine, Ashley, Rohan, Grace, and Evergreen were especially excited for this, because the possibility of meeting old friends was certain - and there were plenty of old friends waiting for them there. With luck, they could move past all the horrors that happened here.

And they drifted through the infinite cosmos.

Part 3: Xeter

Chapter 14: All My Favourite Songs

“Now listen to me, you put the capo on the second fret, you put your fingers here, then you keep strumming as you remember the chords, and boom! you get the basic guitar pattern of Norwegian Wood,” Jacob Doswell smiled as his girlfriend, Gemini Sterling, practised with her guitar.

“I think I’ve got the hang of it!” she replied with a smile, strumming the correct chords as the notes weaved themselves into a somber yet lilting melody.

Jacob lounged on his chair, one arm draped over the armrest and the other around Gemini’s shoulder as he tapped his fingers to the rhythm. “Sounds good, Gem! You’re really getting there, that’s actually crazily accurate.”

Gemini and Jacob were alone in the cozy living room, the soft afternoon light streaming through the windows. The air was filled with the gentle strumming of Gemini’s guitar as she continued to practice, her fingers dancing across the strings with growing confidence. “I hear Amathine’s coming over tomorrow with the rest of the students from the Academy. I’ve heard about some of them, they seem really nice.”

As she continued to play, they both fell into a comfortable silence, the sound of the guitar filling the room. Outside, the sounds of Xeter came alive, with birds chirping and the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze. The park that Jacob used to study in teemed with life, from the chirp of the crickets to the birdsong and rustling of leaves in the breeze. The traumatic memory of pigeons attacking him by the fountain still hung around in the back of his mind, but he had already experienced several horrific events that no one should ever go through.

“How’s Jaden and Milo?” Jacob asked Gemini as she placed her guitar on the guitar rack, satisfied with her progress.

“They’re doing well. Last I heard from them, they were fishing over at Mystic Pond.”

“Tell them I said hi!” Jacob smiled.

“You can do that when we go over in half an hour.”

“Excited.”

“Me too.”

Wrapping up Gemini’s guitar practice session, Jacob got up from his chair and walked to his fridge, offering Gem a drink. “So, what do you want? Apple juice, orange juice, milk?”

“What about that mandarin tea you have?”

“Shut up, that’s strictly for me and me only, you know that,” Jacob smirked back, his internal laughter bubbling to the surface. Gemini approached the fridge, gently elbowing him in the side - enough to mildly discomfort him but not enough to cause any pain - before pouring herself a cup of apple juice and taking a gentle swig.

“So, what do you want to do after this? Wanna visit Jaden and Milo?”

“Definitely! I’m curious to see what they’ve caught. Plus, I haven’t had a good fishing story from them in ages,” Jacob replied, feeling the thrill of the impending visit.

“Same here! I’m sure they’ll have some wild tales to share,” Gemini replied, her enthusiasm almost visible in the air.

Jacob nodded, feeling the warmth of the moment. “Alright, let’s finish getting ready, and we can head out. I’m looking forward to hanging out with them again. We can invite Amathine and the lads over tomorrow as well, if she’s not busy.”

Nodding, Gemini gave Jacob a gentle kiss before walking to the shoe rack to get ready to visit her friends. The prospects of making more friends and allies the following day was one too promising to turn down, and both she and Jacob eagerly awaited it.

———————

Jaden and Milo were by the dock in the pond behind Mystic Pond, where Amathine had first introduced Gemini to Nova, Fuchsia, and the students that she would meet tomorrow, talking to each other about the upcoming trip. Jaden had been in contact with Amathine, but not the rest of Team GREAT: Gemini was more than eager to hear what Jaden had picked up from their good friend.

Turning around, Milo waved over to Gem and Jacob, Jaden following suit. Gemini knelt down to sit on the dock, high-fiving Jaden. “Hows my girl?”

Jaden smiled back. “Everything’s brilliant. I’ve been in touch with Amathine, and Milo’s showing me how to use the magnet fishing rope.”

Milo got up, dapping up Gemini. “How’s everything, Gem? Has life been treating you well?”

“It’s been a while, life’s amazing right now. How’s Samuel?”

“He’s also doing well. He is currently taking knitting classes from Zara - though he’s not too good at it. He’s made a decent sweater, but it looks more like a tea cosy.”

“Don’t be mean to him,” Gemini laughed.

Milo sat down again, inviting Gem and Jacob to sit on the dock with him and Jaden.

Milo shrugged, a playful smirk on his face. “True, true. But I can’t help but tease him a little. It’s all in good fun!”

Jaden leaned back against the dock, watching the ripples in the water. “So, what’s the plan for tomorrow? Are you excited to meet everyone?”

“I can’t wait!” Gemini replied, her enthusiasm bubbling over. “I’ve heard so much about everyone from Amathine. It’ll be great to finally put faces to names.”

“Just wait until you meet Nova and Fuchsia,” Jaden said, her eyes lighting up. “They’re incredible. You’ll love them!”

Milo sat down again, inviting Gem and Jacob to join him and Jaden on the dock. “Come on, sit with us! Let’s enjoy the view while we catch up.”

They all settled down, their legs dangling over the edge of the dock as they soaked in the peaceful atmosphere of Mystic Pond. The sun began to lower in the sky, casting a warm golden light that shimmered on the water.

“This place is perfect,” Jacob said, taking a deep breath and smiling contentedly. “I’ve missed hanging out here.”

“Same!” Gemini agreed, glancing around. “It feels like home.”

“Because it is home, silly.”

As they chatted and laughed, the worries of managing the logistics and details of the upcoming trip for the past few weeks faded away, replaced by the comfort of friendship and the excitement of new adventures just around the corner. It was certainly something to be excited for, and one that they eagerly awaited.

———————

Paddy stayed by the unconscious Whami’s side as he continued to sweat, face contorted into visible pain, no doubt from the injuries he’d sustained from the halfling manhunt. Breathing heavily, Whami continued to toss and turn as Paddy waited.

Katie approached, shaking her head. “I don’t think he’s gonna get better for a few hours. He’s been like this all night, and his face is really pale. He just needs rest.”

“I can’t stand to see him like this!” Paddy snapped back, voice clearly distressed. “Whami wasn’t even in the way, he was just trying to understand what was going on and - and - now he’s like this!”

“The blindness should be temporary.”

Paddy said nothing as she knelt by Whami, softly crying.

Evergreen walked over from the other side of the large common room, where everyone was chatting and trying to recover from the helter-skelter that had been yesterday evening. Crios and Cameron were more concerned about what would happen to Amari than anything, while Gale was quite worried about how they would possibly make amends with the halflings.

“Whami should be fine, I administered some sleeping pills so he shouldn’t be in that much pain. I’m genuinely concerned about him, he seems like such a nice guy.”

Paddy said nothing as she continued to hold Whami’s hand.

———————

Darkness, as the light grew further away. Darkness all around him, a poor, blind wretch who had no one around him. It was so hard to hold on when there was no shoulder to lean on, nobody to support him. Everyone who cared seemed like a million miles away.

Outstretching an arm for a saviour who was never there, Whami silently cried as he fell through the void. The pain wouldn’t recede, no matter what. What was hurting him, and who, and why? These were the questions ringing through Whami’s head, and his blind eyes could not see the answers.

Suddenly, cold all around him, and a drowning sensation. Gasping for air, Whami thrashed before opening his eyes - he had nearly drowned a few years ago, and though he was capable of swimming very well, the incident was still more than slightly traumatic.

Inhaling sharply, Whami looked around, feeling around for the shore. His vision slowly returned from the corners of his eyes, though his sight was obscured by his tears. Wiping them away, Whami frantically looked around. This had to be a dream.

Voices rang out from his surroundings - his own.

Worthless. Liability. Unimportant.

“W-what? Who’s there?”

Useless. Nuisance. Always in the way.

“Who’s speaking? And why do you sound like me?”

You know, deep down, that I’m just describing you. You know that you’re a liability, and everyone here would be better off without you.

“That - that’s not true! Paddy doesn’t think I’m a waste of space, Katie and Amathine and Nova and Fuchsia and - and - ”

You really think that? Your friends had to practically drag you back to safety because of one fuck-up you did. Your stupid little mind cannot comprehend how useless everything you tried doing yesterday was.

“I was only trying to help!” Whami cried out to his own voice.

Nova’s only nice to you because she’s a nice person. Amathine’s the leader, she’s obligated to be friendly to everyone. Gale’s responsible for everybody, including you. No one genuinely chooses to like you. Your little pookie bae Paddy -

This seemed to tip Whami over the edge, and he found himself breaking into a scream. “PEOPLE CAN BE NICE TO OTHER PEOPLE FOR REASONS OTHER THAN BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO! YOU - YOU HAVE CLEARLY NEVER EXPERIENCED SOMEONE EVER SHOWING AFFECTION AND CARE FOR YOU! AND PADDY ISN’T MY POOKIE BAE!”

The voice, unfazed, almost broke into a laugh. How pitiful. This child really thinks he can amount to anything. You only write your books because it’s an escape from the worries of the real world. You seclude yourself. You hide.

Whami shut his eyes. “No. No. I am not listening to you.”

Heh. How laughable. I will always be here, reminding you.

Squeezing his eyes tighter, Whami started to cup his ears. “No. No. I’m not listening to you! Get out of my head!”

You and me are one and the same. The only difference is that I choose not to hide myself away.

Whami felt like his mind could literally pop out of his head, pain searing through his body like twelve white-hot knives stabbing him in the back. His knees buckled under the weight of his own dreams, and in the chaos he heard someone screaming. It was probably him.

Wake up! Wake up!

Worthless. Pathetic. Liability. Loser. In the way. Nuisance. Unlikable.

Wake up!

Whami suddenly found himself in the common room sofa, covered with a warm blanket and his water bottle and backpack by his side, and Paddy, Katie, and Evergreen kneeling beside him. The blindness had receded. He could see, and he could see the relief in the three’s eyes. The voice in his head had been lying.

“You’re back!” Paddy’s worried face melted into a broken smile, and she tackled him in a giant hug. Gingerly, Whami placed his arms around her back. Everything was alright in the end. The voice had been lying. Everything was okay.

If only he could make sure everything stayed okay.

Chapter 15: Turn to Stone

The sun shone brightly over Xeter as the students, Gale, and the Wardens made their way through the bustling streets toward the baroquesque fountain of Cashy the Great, by the city centre. Excitement buzzed in the air, and the vibrant energy of the city was palpable as they navigated through the throngs of people bustling around the city square, talking and chatting and generally having a great time.

Amathine raced ahead with Ashley and Grace, while Evergreen and Rohan stayed back to talk with Gale and Florian to catch up on what had happened during their tenure in Xeter. Turns out, quite a lot - the spellbooks had been revisited and completely reworked, and a new island had mysteriously popped up: Dragon Isle, they called it, and rare and mystical creatures resided there.

“That sounds amazing! I’ll be sure to check it out when we get back!” Rohan smiled.

“It’s brilliant,” Gale replied. “You have to see it for yourself.”

Whami, desperately trying his best to put on a smile despite feeling quite horrible inside, and also incredibly tired beyond no end, linked arms with Paddy as he struggled to stay awake. Head tilted to the right, onto Paddy’s shoulder, Whami continued to amble slowly forward. This entire trip had been taking a serious toll on him, and he was really starting to regret ever choosing to go on that walk in Canterbury. It wasn’t fair of him to drag Paddy and Katie into this, either.

This didn’t stop Paddy from trying to keep everyone’s spirits up. “Cheer up, Whami. Take a look at the surroundings, everything’s amazing and beautiful!”

Whami managed a weak smile but didn’t have the energy to join in the enthusiasm. “Yeah, amazing…” he replied softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Slowly, the crowd moved towards the fountain of Cashy the Great. Amathine, talking to Ashley and Grace excitedly about the new prospects of meeting old and new friends and seeing new places, almost tripped and fell facefirst into the fountain if it weren’t for someone grabbing her by the collar in the nick of time.

Straightening her posture, Amathine stood up, dusted herself off, and looked behind her to thank whoever saved her from a very cold and wet fate. The look in her eyes of pure joy, though, was unmistakable as her face shone like a thousand suns, upon the sight of -

Gemini smiled, her hand outstretched. “Welcome back, Amy.”

Amathine immediately rushed forward and crushed Gemini in a gigantic hug, containing all the memories that they’d spent with each other the previous winter break. Spinning around in circles, Amathine’s laughs of pure unadulterated joy and glee were just too heartwarming for everyone to see.

“OH MY GOD GEMINI! HOW HAS IT BEEN? IT’S BEEN SO LONG!” she squealed, mixing her speech with cheerful laughs.

As Amathine opened her eyes, she caught sight of more familiar places. “Jaden! Jacob! Milo! You made it!”

“Who’s this?” Gemini asked, noticing Whami. “Is he part of the group?”

“Yes! This is Whami,” Amathine introduced him. “He’s been through a lot, but he’s one of our best friends.”

“Nice to meet you!” Gemini said warmly, offering a friendly smile. “How are you doing?”

“Uh, hey. I’m alright,” Whami replied, trying to sound enthusiastic even though he felt drained. “I’m a bit tired.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m a bit tir - okay that joke wasn’t funny, we can all agree on that,” Gemini remarked. “Good to meet you, Whami!”

Each of the four had a distinct look to themselves. Gemini’s gentle red hair and scrappy blue vest contrasted with her blue eyes, but it all came together to give Gemini this really helpful and kind appearance. Jaden, with her black T-shirt and pink hair, made her look like both the most level-headed person and someone unafraid to experiment at the same time. Milo looked gentle and kind, but definitely wasn’t afraid to put up a fight if he or his friends were in trouble, and Jacob looked like he was ready to take on the world should it turn against him.

As they skipped down the sidewalk, Gemini filled Amathine in on everything that had happened between their brief return to Prodigia and now. “Sycamore Academy is organising a brand new archery and economics club, and we are planning on building a sports centre near where the airport is. Samuel’s taking knitting lessons from Zara - ”

“ - he knitted a nice sweater, but Milo says it looks like more of a tea cosy,” Jacob interjected.

“I told you,” Gemini giggled, “don’t be mean to him!” she placed her hand on Jacob’s shoulder.

Amathine grinned slightly. “You all have grown closer than when I last saw you.”

“Well, Jacob and I are dating, and Milo and Jaden are together too. Of course we’d be even closer.”

A beat.

“That came as a surprise. Did you not tell us?” Amathine remarked.

“We got Grace and Rohan in on it, we just made a deal with them not to tell you.”

Grace and Rohan skipped ahead. “Yes, I can 100% confirm that.”

“You all are such complete rascals. How do I deal with you?” Amathine smirked.

Nova and Fuchsia stayed behind with Crios and Cameron, staying quiet. The guilt was clear on Crios’ and Cameron’s faces - not only had they probably destroyed their reputations in Huv, they had also likely started a gigantic war there. Amari was most likely dead, if not captured.

“Amari can’t be dead. He’s far too strong.”

“Did you see those halflings? Did you see how badly they beat up Whami? I’m telling you, those haflings are powerful. Look at the state Whami’s in,” Nova rebutted Cameron’s statement as she pointed at Whami, still leaning on Paddy’s shoulder, trying to ignore the throbbing in his arms and legs from the bruises he’d gained the night before. The mild pain surely would pass by the end of the week. All things must pass.

“Isn’t Amari coming back to Xeter in a few days?”

“Yeah, that’s what I heard him say.”

As they continued to walk, and as Gemini and Amathine catched up on everything that happened, they slowly arrived at the place where they were going to stay. The Palace Hotel, just a half-hour’s worth of walking from Scyamore Academy, loomed ahead in the distance.

Whami whispered something to Paddy, who skipped ahead to Gemini. “What’s the hotel going to be like? Is the clerk nice?”

“I’ve never really talked to them, but the staff seem normal. We’ve got a band who practices there, and their lead singer is currently working a Sunday job. They’ll go back to touring around Xeter, and they’ve already recorded some good songs. I’ve Got a Feeling, Don’t Let Me Down, All I Want is You, and - ”

“Those are Beatles songs.”

Gemini turned back as she kept walking. “Oh? Who are the Beatles?”

“You’re telling me that you don’t know of the Beatles? John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr?”

“We’ve got a Paul MacCarthy, he’s the lead drummer, we call him Paul McStarl. That’s his name, it’s got a nice ring to it. We also have Josh Taylor and Dave Styler, they do guitar and bass respectively.”

Josh? Dave? Paul? These names did ring a bell. Contemplating the answers, Whami finally spoke up again. “Do you know who Amari Chapman is?”

“Yeah! He’s the lead singer. He has a bit of a gambling problem - ” (Whami silently thought to himself, just a bit of a gambling problem? You should try living in the same hotel as him for a week, before remembering that he and Amari were still friends and he still cared about him.) “ - but he’s actually quite a sweet guy. They practice in the basement every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. It’s a soundproof basement.”

“Glad you’re all… tightly knit together. You’re like a small community of close friends. I respect that. If you’ll excuse me, I desperately need some good quality rest.”

And with that, Whami was instantly asleep on the couch. As the group continued to chatter excitedly about their wishes and the adventures that awaited them, Whami knew that while he might not be fully in the moment right now, he was still part of something special.

That thought brought him a small measure of comfort.

Chapter 16: Raise Your Hands

The home office was almost comfortable compared to the high-rise buildings and cold, corporate offices of last winter, those of which he had since abandoned. This man was briefly at the top of the world, and had the population literally under his thumb - but one mistake, and it was all gone. It was a humbling experience, to say the least. He’d lost quite a lot of friends and a lot of allies, mainly due to poor choices - but in the end, all that was behind him. He got up from his chair and opened the curtains, letting in the sunlight.

Chet Sterling heaved a sigh, the sound echoing in the stillness. Life was peaceful, to say the very least. He ambled over to the coffee machine, the familiar ritual providing a sense of normality. As he brewed a cup of his preferred golden-brown roast - soothing to the taste but weak on the caffeine - he savored the comforting aroma that filled the space around him. He didn’t need too much energy; the days of rushing to meetings, chasing after deals, screaming at shareholders and playing god were long over. That ship had long sailed.

But beneath the surface of this newfound tranquility, a lingering fear gnawed at him. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the world still hated him, that the shadows of his past mistakes loomed larger than the sunlight spilling into his office. The whispers of betrayal and disappointment echoed in his mind.

“And now, what has everything become?” he whispered to the clouds that could not hear him.

He had most definitely changed. Finding himself in his plain black vest instead of his fancy suit, and his leather shoes exchanged for less expensive sneakers, Chet’s living had truly turned around. But the scars had driven themselves deep into his very tissues and his mind, and they would never truly leave him. If only he could go back.

Sipping his gentle cup of coffee, he decided to get up and take a walk for the first time in about a week. The trees and the grass were surely doing quite well, definitely greener than it had been the previous winter. It was almost refreshing to be outside without the worry of his businesses going under, or his extensive meetings, or the stock market changing outside his favour.

It was a new day. Best to make the most of it.

———————

It was a new day. Best to make the most of it.

Amari stepped off the transport shuttle, inhaling the crisp Xeterian air. The familiar sights and sounds of the bustling city enveloped him, stirring memories of laughter and adventure. He had missed this place - the lively streets, the vibrant cityscapes, and the unmistakable energy that pulsed through the heart of Xeter.

The brief moment of nostalgia passing, Amari set off back to his flat. Priorities, priorities, priorities. Did Josh and his mates deserve to know about what happened with the halflings? Did Whami deserve to know what Amari’s mind had been cooking up? No, no, no, all of them were too pure and innocent, they didn’t deserve to know. Priorities. He had to find Chet Sterling, the man that Astrea so desperately needed to see.

Setting down his bag, he moved to the window, letting the sunlight filter in. Outside, the city was alive with activity. He could hear the distant chatter of people, the sound of laughter, and the occasional honk of a vehicle. It felt good to be back.

Though, it certainly was quite bittersweet. He had particularly enjoyed his tenure in Huv more than any other job he had had in the past few years, certainly more than his tenure at the retail shop.

After freshening up, Amari grabbed his phone and decided to reach out to his boyfriend. They hadn’t had a chance to catch up in a while, and he was eager to hear what had been happening in the city while he was away.

“Hey Josh! I’m back in Xeter,” he smiled, feigning innocence and utter obliviousness to the sheer horrors that had happened during his stay. “Remember Astrea, the person I talked to you about? I’ll introduce you, and Dave and Paul, to her today.”

No reply.

Amari sighed, smiled, and walked out before the phone rang. Josh was on the phone!

“Amari! How’s everything? We haven’t seen you in so long, all of us are so excited to have you back!” Josh’s excited voice rang out on the phone.

Amari, quickly rushing back to pick up the phone, smiled. “What else is new? Has anything cool happened here?”

“Yeah! I’d like to introduce you to Gemini Sterling, she’s accompanying a bunch of students that look like they’re in Year 10! One of them is currently sleeping on the couch, I kind of feel bad for him, he looks like he’s a bit injured.”

“I think I met them… they stayed over at the hotel I worked at.”

“Really? That’s brilliant!” Josh exclaimed. “Want to head over to my house now? Dave and Paul are with me, we’ve just finished wrapping up our rehearsals. I don’t know when CNTRLA will start performing, but hopefully it’s soon.”

Amari smiled. “See you there.”

Heading off to Josh’s house, with his belongings and suitcase in tow, and his favourite pair of fuzzy dice in his shirt pocket, Amari felt a sense of calm for the first day in a long time. His luck was finally turning up. It was time to move forward, not dwell in the past.

———————

“Josh! Dave! Paul!” Amari cheered as he burst through the door of Josh’s house, where Dave and Paul were. Picking up Josh in a giant hug, careful not to damage the instruments or Paul’s prized drum kit, Amari spun around in circles out of pure excitement and joy of being back where he was familiar with.

“Oooh - ” Josh winced slightly at the suddenness of Amari’s welcome. “I don’t believe I travelled all the way from the hotel with our mates and all our equipment just to break my ribs,” he joked. There were no hard feelings, Josh and Amari were very close.

“Josh. Always the funny one. Have you written any good songs?”

“We’re rehearsing I’ve Got a Feeling right now, I think you’ve got the lyrics memorised?”

“Absolutely,” Amari reassured him. “You don’t need to worry, I’ve been rehearsing quite hard! Whenever I wasn’t gambling, of course. Don’t you worry, any of you. When do we want to start rehearsing?’

“We’ve just taken two for a water break. Want to start?” Paul smiled.

Within two minutes, the entire band continued to jam to their own recordings. Josh’s guitar was probably some of the best in Xeter, as far as they knew. There was probably some obscure guitarist that none of the four knew of, who was godly at playing the guitar.

Everybody had a hard year / Everybody had a good time / Everybody had a wet dream / Everybody saw the sunshine

I’VE GOT A FEELIN’ / A FEELIN’ DEEP INSIDE / OHH YEAHHHH / OHH NOO

Paul was also quite brilliant on the drums. It was no surprise: sometimes, during their local concerts around school, the audience reached volumes so loud that he could only play based on the movements of Josh and Amari’s actions. He was absolutely cracked.

ALL THESE YEARS I BEEN WANDERIN’ AROUND / WONDERIN’ HOW COME NOBODY TOLD ME / ALL THAT I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR WAS SOMEONE LIKE YOU!

A delicious guitar riff by the one and only Josh Taylor.

I’ve got a feeling / A feeling deep inside / Oh please believe me / I’d hate to miss the train

Whenever their next concert was, it was bound to be brilliant. As they wrapped up their performance, Amari and Dave heard gentle applause coming from the other side of the room.

Amari turned around. “Why, thank you for your brilliant applause - ARGH WHAT THE LIVING FUCK WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE”

Astrea laughed gently. “Outstanding performance, Amari. I assume these are Josh, Dave, and Paul?”

Dave stepped coolly up to Amari. “Who on earth is this?”

“This is a most inconvenient time for you to appear, I haven’t even introduced you to them yet!” Amari, struggling to stifle his laughter, yelled at Astrea. “Oh, that reminds me. This is Astrea, I met her in Huv, she’s not really here, this is just an image. Apparently she gave everybody magic and was sentenced to death for it, and now she wants revenge against the Creator, she calls it, who created this rule.”

Josh faltered. “I have a lot to catch up on. This happened during your time in Huv?”

“Yes. She saved me from a casino brawl, and as every good gambler knows, debts must be repaid.”

“She seems… cool.”

Astrea looked around, before sitting on the floor.

“So, Astrea! This is my pookie bae Josh - ” Josh laughed gently: they had both come up with the nickname a few weeks after they began dating. “ - and he’s the lead singer of our band. Dave and Paul are our good friends, we met together in Year 7. And now they play bass and drums, they’re absolutely brilliant.”

Dave laughed. “Amari, the flatterer.”

“Flattery lets you go places. Don’t forget that.”

Astrea grinned. “A man of good values. I can always value that.”

“So you want to kill a god because they sentenced you to death for giving people magic? Doesn’t really affect us, but if it was an act of compassion, it just seems like a bit of a dick move for them to want you dead.”

“Humans were nothing without it. They were barely clothes, pitful little creatures that had nothing left to lose, just barely escaping starvation. The humans on Sypso, who I gave magic to, were the very same people who imprisoned me.”

“They seem like hypocrites,” Josh mentioned.

“And that is why I need someone powerful to release me from the prison so that I can royally kick the Creator in the ass. I have found many, many people in the past, and they were very close to succeeding. But there’s always that one fuck-up that happens that sends everything crashing down. Professor H. Gren of Lorth, Emperor Ming, the Puppet Master - and I think I’ve found my next person, who can help me. They are no god, but they will certainly help me well. I think we can relate.”

Josh continued to listen. “Who is this person?”

“I need you four to find Chet Sterling, the great entrepreneur.”

“Chet Sterling?! We havent seen or heard from him for six months! All I can remember is us buying the headset, then we just chatted to each other for like two weeks straight with this bloody piece of metal on our heads, then we took it off, and after that Chet Sterling was gone!”

“Coax him into coming out, then. Like coaxing a nut out of a shell. Use advertisements, posters, sings songs about money, whatever you want. Just make sure that Xeter knows of Chet Sterling once more.”

And with this Astrea disappeared, leaving CNTRLA to figure everything out.

This was no longer a band on the run. This was now a band on a mission.

Chapter 17: In and Out of Life

Now it’s a beautiful day, the postman delivering letters to a lover, and the clouds were illuminated by the rising sun overhead. The bustling city of Xeter drew to another wake, and as did Whami, who had finally caught up on his sleep schedule after a very, very hard two weeks. Feeling much better, he finally packed up his stuff and moved to Paddy and Katie’s hotel room.

Some posters stood out among the usual helter-skelter of concerts and parties and events: an advertisement asking for the location of a Chet Sterling. Who is Chet Sterling, and where has the man at the top of the world gone? Gemini was stood there, grinning slightly, though a hint of worry in her eyes. Without a doubt, this Chet Sterling had hurt Gemini in some way - perhaps they were related? - and Whami decided he had good reason to be concerned about Sterling.

“Get a load of this poster, it’s been about seven months since he was relevant. I doubt he’d go all the way here just to put up some posters.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Whami noticed a slightly hurt expression on Josh’s face. Why Josh would be hurt by someone who he barely knew, that was beyond him.

Amathine and Jacob, who were standing next to Gem, laughed gently as well at the prospect that Chet Sterling could ever return to the spotlight.

Josh stood up, posters and tape in hand, and coolly walked out of the door, motioning to Amari, Paul, and Dave to follow him. Before long, they were out the door, each looking for areas of high activity where their posters could garner the most attention: the city square, the park, the school, anywhere. The name of Chet Sterling was so controversial, so hated now that any mention of him was sure to light a fire to a conversation that would likely last for hours on end.

As Whami stood there, lingering at the doorway, he couldn’t help but feel a mix of concern and curiosity. What had Chet Sterling done to elicit such strong feelings? And why did it seem to affect his friends so deeply? He decided to follow them and see what Josh and Amari were possibly getting up to now After all, in a city as dynamic as Xeter, every day held the potential for new adventures - and perhaps answers to questions that had yet to be asked.

“Bye, Gem, Amathine, Jacob! I’m just going for a walk with Amari!”

Gemini turned back and waved goodbye to Whami, who smiled and stepped out of the door. Everyone was content and pleased with themselves, and Whami could only hope that this feeling lasted. It was quite sweet to see his friends doing well. No time to lose, Whami thought, and he caught up with the fab four.

———————

The door slowly opened, as Chet Sterling finally stepped outside his house. It felt nice to be back outside again, as the autumn leaves, dried and golden-brown, slowly fell to the ground. Going on a calm, daily walk was starting to become a routine. Perhaps the park, with the river and the fountain, would serve his mind well. As a child, he had liked to frolic around the stone paths as well - with Samuel… and Zara. How would he present himself to them? It had been so long since he had isolated himself.

“Best not to dwell on the past.”

The park was empty, for the most part. Just some teenagers with some posters, likely looking around for places to advertise whatever product they had. Why didn’t he take this approach all this time ago? His short-lived return had already been so anticipated -

“No, no, no. Don’t dwell on the past.”

Two kids with golden-brown hair and red hair respectively, and two more kids, both with brown hair, and one in purple. Working brilliantly together, a team helping each other and working flawlessly together. Almost like -

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Don’t dwell on the past!” Chet whispered to himself.

What were they even advertising anyways? Lemonade, a bake sale, a yard sale? Maybe photos or prints or -

Oh.

Chet Sterling saw his own face on the posters on the wall. Who is Chet Sterling, and where has the man at the top of the world gone? carooned the papers, and in this moment Chet Sterling knew that there were still people after him.

Don’t dwell. Don’t dwell. Move forward. Move -

Soon, Chet Sterling found himself turning his heels backward and swiftly hiding away back to his apartment. How humbling, this year had been for him! The footsteps continued to ring, though further and further away, and further away yet, and Chet breathed heavily as he slammed the door shut. Nowhere was safe. He was safer by himself.

“Did you hear anything?” Amari looked around. “I could have sworn I heard - WHAMI! What are you doing here?”

Whami jumped, and fell backwards. “Amari! I - I just wanted to see what you were up to - and I also wanted to explore, and you were just a good excuse to let me - how have you been? Is everything okay after I left you in Huv - I’m sorry for not helping you - I just - ”

Amari laughed. “Look at him. He’s so innocent. Come on, I’ll help you up. There’s a dude called Chet Sterling who we need to find. Brilliant hair, teal eyes, loves money - ”

“He was literally right there, twenty seconds ago, about twelve meters away. Then he saw the posters and just booked it.”

“Perhaps we need a bit more coaxing. We’ll see what we can do. Want to buy something?”

“Sure! I’ve got some money, I still have some leftover from Huv after buying my cool wand - ” Whami showed his crystal staff - “ - say, did you enjoy your raise?”

“I didn’t really get to enjoy it. Say, would you like a temporary job?”

“That would be cool!”

He almost felt guilty choosing to give Whami this job. However, he had two main missions for Astrea right now: find Chet Sterling and find the Creator. And with growing suspicions that Whami was indeed who Astrea needed, he needed a way to make him vulnerable enough until Astrea was freed.

“There is a retail store, just on the other side of the city. It’s really nice there, I used to work there as well, but… left to start CNTRLA with Josh, Dave, and Paul. I’m… pretty sure you’ll have an amazing time there, it p-pays quite well. 28 gold coins an hour, I know it’s not much, but - ”

“28 PER HOUR? OH MY GOSH I’M GOING TO BE RICH!”

Dave stepped in. “It’s like this man has never seen money in his life.”

“I have a lot of money, I just can’t be bothered to spend it.”

“Fair,” Amari butted in. “They’re accepting internships, usually last between two weeks to a month, and then you’ll have job experience! Simple. Just look up Oasis Retail - ”

“Blur is better.”

“What’s Blur?”

“Rivals with Oasis, another band that is inferior to Blur.”

“Never heard of them.”

“Oh right - no one here knows who the Beatles are, so no one would know who Oasis are - ahh I’ll be on my way. Hopefully someone around here knows who they are, bye Amari! It was fun catching up!” Whami smiled as he walked away.

Amari sighed. “Bless him. He’s so innocent. I almost feel bad for doing this… alright, back to work guys, we have to find Chet Sterling. He may have strapped a headset to our fragile skulls for about two, three weeks, but he is someone we have to find.”

Josh smiled as he kept placing posters. Soon, the masses would see the posters, and someone was bound to give them information. It was only a matter of time.

Chapter 18: Back to the Old Place

“The Consumer Rights Act dictates that, yes, I can, now get me the fucking manager.”

“Y-you - you have to leave. Right now!” Whami, mustering up every little bit of courage he had, retorted back at the customer, the latter of whom had a cruel smile on her plastic face.

“Leave?” the customer, a middle-aged woman with horrific makeup and a disgusting wig, replied with a snarky, almost sarcastic tone. “Oh, I won’t leave. I demand you listen, listen to every last word I say, now get me the manager.”

“He - he’s not here - ”

“Useless! That’s what you are, useless! I know over a hundred people who would happily take your job and do an infinitely better job than you - oh, get up!”

At this point, the screaming woman was hollering at Whami, who was now on the floor, sobbing as he tried to block his ears from the woman’s beratement.

“It’s only my first d-day on the job! You could b-be asking anyone else - ”

“Is this what you call customer service? Lying on the floor and trying to get someone else to do your work for you? I don’t care that it’s your first day, people expect results on the first day. You’re a disgrace to this store and a disgrace to society. Look at yourself! Get up. Get up!”

Whami, right now, was basically frightened out of his wits and was just trying to de-escalate the situation, to no avail. Surely this wasn’t a repeat occurrence, surely this wouldn’t happen every single day.

Finally, at last, the manager came over, donning a black shirt - a contrast to the red of Whami’s, and the other employees around him’s. He felt out of place. The other employees had so much more experience than him.

“Is there a problem, miss?” the manager - a tall, broad-shouldered man with a clean hairdo, his name tag reading ‘Rivers Bennett’, approached the woman. Almost from Jekyll to Hyde, the woman’s tone instantly sweetened, and suddenly she was just such a good-natured angel with a sweet-as-sugar smile.

“Oh, everything is just brilliant. I was just wondering about the quality of the Rimsky series products.”

“There may be some issues with manufacturing right now, so I suggest you wait for a few weeks to buy them.”

“Why thank you.”

“What a sweet person. And Whami?” Rivers snapped his fingers. “Stop lying on the ground and start stocking the shelves.”

Frantically nodding, Whami pulled himself to his feet and scrambled to grab a few boxes.

Delia, the employee at the counter, a decently tall woman in a gentle green sweater and a wild set of hair with round glasses, laughed to herself. “The interns always get it the worst. Bless him.”

———————

Two hours in, and Whami was in his office with Delia, the other employees, and black-shirt manager Rivers. He completely despised it here. At least it paid well, he thought. There were always things that he could pass the time with, like writing his book. Surely everything would blow over.

There was the voice in his head again, reminding him how useless he was. Rivers was right, and Whami was nothing but a buffoon who pretended to know what he was doing.

Google Docs was open in the corner, and Whami continued to write. This time, he was writing some songs that he could record once he got back to where he once belonged: his dorm room in Canterbury, which seemed a million miles away at this point. Chances were, it was. He continued to write.

From out of nowhere, his laptop was picked up by Rivers. “And what would this be? A secret code? A money laundering plot, to get your filthy peasant hands on more money than you deserve? No! Poems! Look at this, the intern thinks of himself as a poet!”

Whami suddenly gained a sharp interest in his shoes as his face turned red.

“The lady in the bakery serving up some goods to the customers waiting by the window, is standing there in her designer clothes as the traffic lights tell the drunks to slow.”

A round of laughter from the other employees, while Delia sipped her cup of coffee.

“And the beggar sitting there thinking life is getting better as the coins jingle in his cup, the money flows, and you’re looking out the window thinking ‘can I escape the daily grind?’”

“The only thing you need to be escaping from, Whami, is the pay cut that I am about to give you. Poems! Isn’t this hilarious? Get back to work, and don’t let me catch you coming up to Rhi to beg for supplies. The rations we have given you are more than enough to last you months.”

Whami edged his vision to the tin can that was labelled “Staples”. A pitiful five staples were arranged in the tin, enough to last him about a day or two. How was Amari able to sit through this? Slowly, his respect for Amari greatened, and his respect for himself dwindled.

Hopefully Amari was doing well at this point.

———————

Gemini was starting to become increasingly paranoid. If Chet Sterling was a trending topic, that could only mean that he was staging another return - and everyone knew what happened the last time he’d done so. Chet likely would not have the courage to ever show his face to the masses again - but what if he did? So many people died last time - Preston, Marilyn, Tanner -

Hold on. Did the other kids know about what happened to Tanner?

Nova and Fuchsia were hanging out in the common room, talking about Xeter with Amathine. Gemini appeared to them, gently waving, as Fuchsia waved back with a smile plastered on her face from ear to ear.

“I feel like we should start… being honest to them about what happened,” Gemini whispered to Amathine, who still had a somber expression on her face. They’d been asking about how Tanner was doing, especially because he hadn’t seen the two.

“I’ve been trying to avoid the subject, I think I should just tell them.”

“Being honest? Honest about what? You’re our friends, you wouldn’t lie. You’re not the type of people to lie.” Nova laughed.

“...about Tanner.”

“Oh yeah! You told us that he was busy with training in Xeter! When could we meet him?”

“I…” Amathine struggled. Gemini was behind her now, patting her on the back. “It’ll be fine.”

“He’s…”

Nova and Fuchsia’s smiles slowly melted. “Amy? What’s wrong?”

“Tanner’s dead. He’s been dead for about six months. Chet Sterling stabbed him in the stomach during the winter when we were trying to stop him from brainwashing the entirety of Xeter. Gemini didn’t get to see much of it because she was being dragged into a portal that led to a hellish dimension.”

Nova and Fuchsia instantly had their smiles wiped away like castles in the sand washed away by waves in the sea.

“We didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

“We all miss him.”

“At least you’re finally being honest to us,” Nova smiled through the sadness.

“I don’t know how we could break it to you. Oh look, Amari and Josh are back. Should we just pretend that this conversation never happened? I don’t want them to think anything bad’s happening.”

Amari waved before retreating with Josh, Dave, and Paul to the basement, their posters in hand. “Hi, Gemini! Hi, Amathine! And you two, Nova and Fuchsia, the duo that didn’t fuck everything - ”

“I think that’s quite enough of that,” Gemini’s smile wavered as she closed the door. She clearly didn’t like it when people swore, and Amathine had been friends with Gemini long enough to know that fact.

Into the basement the fab four went.

“Alright, we’ve gotten the word out with the posters,” Amari said, leaning over the table with pictures of Chet’s possible whereabouts. “Now we need to figure out how to actually find him. If he’s trending, there’s got to be a way to track him down.”

Josh nodded as well. “Whami said he’d seen Chet when we were in the park. We know he’s shown his face around, so if he goes into hiding again, we’ll just have to coax him out.”

“He’s always been one for huge ad campaigns. Sterling Enterprises used to be among the richest companies in all of Xeter, perhaps we could do something with that? Or a giant ad billboard, right in the city square, where everyone can see it.”

“That’s a brilliant idea,” Dave smiled. “I’ll get to work designing it, and Paul can wire it up to the billboard! Right next to the statue of Cashy the Great. Paul?”

Paul was in a corner, playing with his drum kit and coming up with fills, potentially to use for their next song. “Oh! I’ll get to designing, should be done and wired in about an hour.”

Astrea appeared to Amari and simply stood there silently, watching, almost creepily like how Yoko Ono would just sit there during the Abbey Road sessions - only Astrea wasn’t screaming her fucking head off every other minute. An hour was merely a tiny dot in the timeline that is life, and they could easily wait that time. It was just a matter of time.

Chapter 19: Gold Over Love

Gemini grew increasingly quite fed up. Chet Sterling had, for about the third time, brought about fifty headlining stories to the media. And now, a huge billboard advertisement was placed in the middle of the city square, right where the most people would see it? There was a nagging feeling that Chet Sterling was not behind this, but who else could possibly work the media so well? Surely no one else had this much experience in this field.

Chet Sterling grew increasingly frightened. Someone was after him, for sure. People wanted to know where he was, what he was up to, what he could possibly be doing. The masses hated him, yet they wanted to see more of him. And the boys he saw in the park - surely they had to be behind this. But why? He’d never seen them before in his life. And the Astrea woman on the boat six months ago - it was all too much for him to take. Too much. He wanted to be done with everything, if only he could change his identity, everything about him.

Amari grew increasingly determined. Sterling was in his grasp, within his fingertips, and soon Astrea would be able to have a heart-to-heart with him, just as she had desired. With a little help from his friends, he could do anything. And with a god on his side, there was just about nothing he couldn’t achieve.

Whami was still slaving away at Oasis Retail, and had for about three days at this point. It was a sad existence, but he had poured every ounce of effort into this job. Rivers was even treating him marginally nicer, which meant that instead of getting a slap in the face for every mistake he made he only got a slap on the wrist. He didn’t particularly like Delia. It was clear that she’d been at Oasis Retail for a long time, and she didn’t even lift a finger when she saw the horror of Rivers to his employees.

On the third day, Rivers made an announcement. “I would like to announce that someone here is getting a bonus and a reward. No, it is not Delia. On that note? Delia, there’s a new display with the Rimsky products that we - ”

“On it!” Delia immediately left her booth and scrambled to the Rimsky keyboards. Within five minutes, everything was finished, and a neat pyramid of packaged keyboards were proudly on display by the entrance.

“Terrifying,” Rivers mumbled. “Our newest intern, Whami, has been selected for a pay rise from 28 coins per hour to 32! Additionally, for sheer effort alone, we will be selecting him for a reward! Delia, Brittany, Adam, James, come with me.”

Whami beamed. For once, his work was being appreciated. This was about the happiest he had felt in weeks - and to think he used to be so full of energy. He missed the company of Paddy and Katie, who were always there for him.

“Come on,” Delia smiled. Was there a hint of deviousness in the corners of her lips? Adam and James, the other employees, looked quite frightened - but almost not for themselves. Whami got up and followed into River’s office.

“Sit in the chair, and we’ll give you the reward. No, it’s not edible,” Rivers joked. “But it will stay with you forever.”

Adam and James, out of the corner of Whami’s eye, could be seen shaking their heads and waving their hands, almost out of fear for Whami’s safety. Brittany was signing something Whami couldn’t understand, and all three were panicking.

“So, I literally need your permission to give you this present?”

“Why would I refuse a gift? That would be impolite,” Whami questioned. “Sure, I don’t see the harm in it!”

“Bless him,” Delia laughed. “He’s so innocent.”

“Well, you have given us your consent, and you don’t see any harm in us doing so,” Rivers started. “Delia? You may proceed.”

“What is it though? I just - ” Whami asked, before Delia clamped his mouth open and shoved a fresh cloth in his mouth, before she tied Whami to the chair - Brittany, Adam and James simply stared in horror, frozen to the ground. Rivers gingerly held up a metal rod, glowing red-hot, with the Oasis Retail logo engraved on it. Within a few seconds, muffled screams of shock and horror echoed from Whami as he shook and thrashed, Delia holding him still. Rivers shoved Whami’s left sleeve up, and in no time at all, the searing pain shot through Whami’s arm like a million white-hot knives stabbing him everywhere.

And just like that, the pain was gone. The restraints were removed, and Whami crumpled to the ground in a mess of tears and scarred flesh.

“Oh my god, Rivers, what the fuck?!” James screamed. “He’s literally three days into the job!”

“We expect results from our interns, and he has shown results with flying colours. This is his reward.”

Delia smiled before lifting her left sleeve. “Yeah, it’s true. Here’s mine!” And the logo of Oasis Retail was shown branded on her arm as well.

Whami simply curled into a ball, sobbing. He was truly alone in the universe, he thought. The voice in his head continued to nag at him, drag him down.

“Oh, get up. It’s nothing. You should’ve seen this coming, with how good you’ve been doing recently. Not like our last interns. One of them performed so horribly we had to kick him out, the other slapped a customer. And don’t get me started on the one that punched me and then quit. A disgrace to the business name.”

Whami said nothing as he slowly inched towards the door. There was nothing he wanted more than to leave this place right now. Breathing heavily and massaging his arm, he frantically texted Paddy as he stumbled out of the workplace.

“Look at the people who work here. Always overreacting.”

———————

Amari sipped his cup of coffee as people clamoured by the town square with Josh, Dave, and Paul, intent on scoring a jackpot on his scratch card. He had distanced himself from his addiction for Astrea’s desperate need to see Chet Sterling, and it felt good to unleash the monster again. This was his sixth scratch card. He’d won about 400 gold coins out of the day alone.

What remained of Sterling Enterprises loomed overhead from the city centre as people stared at the billboard. Gemini had a flushed expression on her face, as Jaden and Milo consoled her and patted her on the back. The fear was apparent in her eyes as the possibilities ran through her mind, as Jacob paced around, thinking. What could come out of this?

The city streets were full of people staring. How is it that the people of Xeter were so easily manipulated? It was almost too easy.

“Mmmm. Society. Don’t you love it?”

Unbeknownst to the crowd of endless people huddled in the city centre, Chet Sterling was nowhere near. Rather than waiting behind some door, ready to present himself to an audience who despised him, he was sat in his home office, watching a live broadcast of what was happening, waiting for the crowds to disperse.

This should not have worked as well as it did. Amari, Josh, Dave, and Paul - they were four kids, that’s all, but somehow through sheer dumb luck and circumstantial events, they had the entirety of Xeter in the palm of their hand.

Whami pushed his way through the crowd, cradling his battered arm, as he tried to reach the hotel where he knew Paddy would be. Why was there so many people? What was going on? He couldn’t see beyond the endless bustle of heads and bodies of the passers-by.

Where was the bloody hotel? Whami thought. The park was over there, so surely the hotel should be near. Finally, the hotel was in sight. He pushed open the great glass doors, found his way to the dorm where Paddy and Katie were, and collapsed on the floor.

When he awoke about two minutes later, Paddy was leaning directly over him, staring at the fresh brand on his arm. “Oh my god, what on earth did they do to you?”

“I’m fine - Paddy - I’m fine - ”

“No you’re not! What happened to your arm?”

“Believe me - I’m fine - don’t worry about me - ”

Katie spoke up. “But you’re not fine. You’re severely hurt, and we care about you a lot. What’s going on? We need to get to the bottom of this, so that we can figure out how to help.”

“You don’t need to waste your energy worrying about me. Please. I don’t want you to be - ”

And with this, Paddy grabbed Whami’s shoulders. “It’s not up to you to decide whether we should be worried about you! Just because you think you don’t deserve to have other people care about you doesn’t mean that you don’t!”

“I’m the person people turn to when they need to open up about themselves, not the other way round.”

This sentence seemed to break Paddy.

“But - you have to stop treating yourself like this! I can’t - ”

“I just need some space right now. Please,” Whami sighed, his voice full of pain from the previous few weeks. And to think he used to be so full of energy. Whami crawled into his bed, pulled the covers over his body, and turned against the wall, quietly crying.

Paddy sat on the bed, gently pulling the covers over Whami’s shoulders. Surely everything would turn up for him, surely a chain of fortunate events would happen soon enough to restore Whami to his bubbly self. Surely everything would be alright in the end.

———————

“And now that we have everyone in one place, we can move on to the next step,” Josh smiled. “Amari and Paul did most of the logistics, we just need to get our stuff on the roof. The hardest part will be Paul’s drum kit and the amps.”

Amari smiled, before looking back at Gemini. The four of them, their little plan to show Chet Sterling had most definitely sent her into a decline, and she had most definitely been much less content and more paranoid. She was now sitting by the bench, discussing matters with Jacob, Milo, and Jaden.

“So, we discussed this back at the hotel? If Chet Sterling doesn’t appear, we will host the rooftop concert on the roof of Sterling Enterprises. He has not appeared so far - so! Let’s grab our gear and get a move on,” Amari encouraged everyone.

“This is his chance to prove his allegiance to us and Astrea. After all, he has nothing left to lose.”

“Everything he loves is gone.”

Chapter 20: Everybody Had a Hard Time

“Alright, Paul, here we go, just get yourself up on that ledge there, don’t mind the wreckage and the blood stains, wherever that came from - ” Amari grabbed Paul’s arm as he helped him up the staircase that led to the roof of Sterling Enterprises, and what remained of the ruins of Shiawase Labs. Josh and Dave carried the amps onto the roof, as they looked out towards what was a true birds-eye view of Xeter. It was almost beautiful, and it would not be a lie to say that the four had contemplated staying here forever.

“And now the drum kit,” Dave smiled as he returned to the staircase to lug the heavy equipment up the stairs, helping Paul onto the roof. Josh dusted off his hands as he prepared the amps and the microphones. The crowd was slowly starting to disperse, but everyone was still gossiping in the streets.

“This is it,” Amari said, glancing at his friends. “If we pull this off, we might just get Chet’s attention. He can’t ignore a rooftop concert in the heart of the city… and on his property, no less.”

“Are you sure he’ll show up?” Paul asked, tightening the straps on his guitar. “I mean, he’s been in hiding for so long.”

“Exactly! He’s been hiding,” Amari replied, a spark of excitement lighting his eyes. “But he can’t stay hiding for so long. If we get enough people to notice us, he’ll have to come out of his little shell.”

A guitar strum as Amari donned his guitar, and the sound waves reverberated throughout the entire city square. Within five minutes, everyone was gathered around Sterling Enterprises.

Gemini looked up. “Hold on - where’s everyone going now? Surely Chet Sterling isn’t here - no. No. He wouldn’t have the audacity. He wouldn’t - WHAT IS AMARI DOING UP THERE?!” she and Jacob yelled in unison.

“And a one, and a two, and a one two three four - I’ve got a feeling, a feeling deep inside, oh yeah - ” Josh belted through the microphone. “I’ve got a feeling, a feeling I can’t hide - ” before Amari joined in on the singing.

“Oh please believe me, I’d hate to miss the train, oh yeah, oh yeah!”

“And if you leave me, I won’t be late again, oh no, oh no!”

Amari shredded on his guitar with a delicious riff, before screaming, “All these years I’ve been wandering around, wondering why nobody told me, all that I’ve been looking for is SOMEONE WHO LOOKED LIKE YOU!”

Jacob got out of the bench, cautiously walking towards Sterling Enterprises as the cameramen who were filming the live broadcasts also switched directions. There was no point, really - no one was watching the broadcasts. Everyone was congregated by the concert. Everyone but one person.

“It’s the kids. It’s the kids from before. What are they doing on top of my property? Why are they doing this - I can’t let people see my face, I can’t. But - but - ah, fuck it.” Chet Sterling, in his plain white shirt and light brown trousers, a contrast to the dapper suit that used to be a symbol of his wealth and power, quickly donned a coat before rushing out of the door.

“Everybody had a hard year / everybody had a good time / everybody had a wet dream / everybody saw the sunshine / everybody had a good year / everybody let their hair down / everybody put their socks up / everybody put their foot down”

Josh and Amari were clearly having perhaps the defining time of their lives. Dave and Paul played on the sidelines, enjoying themselves as much as Josh and Amari, as they let themselves live life in the moment. Any moment now, Chet Sterling would appear. Well, that was the first song completed. Onto the next song.

Chet Sterling rushed through the square to see what the fuss was all about. The park loomed in the distance, then the school, then the bank, then the train station, then the city square, then the newly rebuilt Camp Guillermo - and Sterling Enterprises, surrounded by civilians, clamouring to see this legendary moment. The memories flooded back like a train smashing into a brick wall - the pain, the deaths, the horrific crimes that happened, that he caused, and some children could just have a laugh and play some songs up there like nothing had ever happened?

It was time to stop running away from his problems.

Pushing his way through the crowd, Chet Sterling trudged his way to the front where Amari, Josh, Dave, and Paul could see him the easiest. With nothing to increase the volume of his voice with, Chet cupped his hands over his mouth, before yelling: “WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING? WHY ARE YOU UP ON THE ROOF OF MY BUILDING?!”

He then turned to the crowd, clearly distressed, before asking, “What’s going on?! Why is there a bloody band playing on the roof of my old building? Is there any explanation to what on earth - ” Looking around, trying to find people to consult, Chet looked towards the light and saw Gemini.

Oh god. Not Gemini. He hadn’t seen her face in months, yet it still rang fresh in his mind. This was the one person he had hurt the most, even before everything happened.

“I - I just - ”

Gemini looked towards Jaden, Milo, and Jacob, who were equally annoyed at this specific moment to show up.

“I haven’t been planning anything, I promise! I don’t know who’s behind the posters - and the ads - and everything regarding me, but I promise I haven’t been doing anything!”

“So,” Gemini smiled, her normally warm and bubbly voice suddenly cold as ice, sharp as a dagger. “How is the life treating you?”

Chet stayed silent.

“Or perhaps, lack thereof,” Jaden laughed, before fist-bumping Milo. “Good one, right?”

Chet Sterling opened his mouth to speak, but Amari held Josh’s microphone in his hand and turned on the amplifier. Amari Chapman’s voice radiated through the city square.

“I would like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we've passed the audition! As for you, Chet Sterling, there is somebody who I would like you to meet. Just a few minutes, we need to get the drum kit off the roof. And do you mind telling us why there are blood stains on the roof? It’s more than concerning.”

Gemini blushed and turned away.

“As I said, I hope we’ve passed the audition! Paul, Dave, Josh?” Amari smiled as he headed down the stairs with Josh, grabbing the equipment and heading down. As the four exited the front door of Sterling Enterprises, Amari looked over at Gemini as if to say, Yes. It was us. What are you going to do about it?

Gemini returned a look as if to say, How could you do this to us?

“Sooner or later, Gemini, you’ll learn the difference between what you want and what needs to be done. Sooner or later.”

———————

“I really wonder where Amari is,” Whami mused as he sat at the table with Katie. Paddy was off making everyone some smoothies, like she had done so often while sharing a dorm with Katie. “I just hope he’s doing well, I trust him a lot.”

In a corner of the room, Nova and Fuchsia were deeply engrossed in a shoot-them-up game, their laughter and shouts of excitement echoing as their spaceship dodged asteroids and fired away at targets. The enjoyment on their faces was palpable, and it was encouraging to see everyone embracing a moment of joy amidst the chaos outside that they were completely oblivious to.

Whami couldn’t help but smile. Surprisingly, he was enjoying himself too. After putting a damper on writing his book, he had decided to focus on living in the moment, experiencing life as it came. This shift in perspective seemed to have a positive ripple effect on Paddy and Katie as well; they were more relaxed and happy, their laughter mixing with the sounds of the game.

“Paddy’s getting better at making the smoothies. She’s learned that she doesn’t need twenty bloody boxes of strawberries to make four small cups, at least,” Katie remarked. This statement was a cause of mirth to everyone, and the three started laughing.

Whami nodded, feeling a warmth in his chest. “Yeah, it really is. Sometimes you just need to step back and enjoy the little things.”

Paddy approached with four cups of strawberry smoothie, carefully holding two in each hand. “Glad you liked them,” she smiled.

As they chatted, the door swung open, but it was just a breeze that slipped in, rustling some papers on the table. Whami turned to look at the others, a little anxious about Amari’s absence.

“I’m just wondering though, Amari’s been gone for a while. I wonder if he’s okay,” Whami mused. “Best not to worry about it. Smoothie?” He offered a glass to Paddy, who smiled and accepted it.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Katie reassured him. “He probably got caught up in something. You know how he is.”

“Yeah, but I can’t help but worry,” Whami admitted, biting his lip. “What if he’s in trouble?”

“Let’s not dwell on it too much,” Katie suggested, taking a sip of his smoothie. “Why don’t we focus on having a good time while we wait? He’ll show up when he’s ready.”

“Good idea,” Whami said, forcing a smile. “We can play some games too. It’ll help take my mind off things.”

The group shifted their focus, laughing and enjoying the moment, and though there was still this incessant nagging in the back of his head, Whami was able to ignore it and live in the moment.

As the game continued, the laughter echoed through the room, but in the back of Whami’s mind, he couldn’t help but think about what might be happening out there. Whatever it was, he hoped it wouldn’t pull each other apart. Something had definitely been off in these recent weeks, and it was certainly something worth being concerned about.

———————

Chet Sterling followed Amari to his own office, which Amari and Josh had invited themselves, and Dave and Paul, into Chet’s own property. Life came at him fast.

“So, Sterling. I believe that there is one certain individual that would like to see you.”

“And who is it? Certainly not Gemini, or some random shareholder, or somebody I would know. What do they want from me? Or are you just messing with me?”

“She’ll be asking the questions,” Amari coolly replied. “Please, take a seat. And get comfortable.”

This only seemed to infuriate Chet Sterling even more. “What do you want from me?”

And with this, Astrea’s spirit materialised in front of the five. “It’s not about what you want from me, but about what I want from you.”

With a frightened yelp, Chet Sterling jumped back and edged towards the back of his chair, scooching the seat as far back as possible to put as much distance between himself and Astrea. Oh, god. Not her. The mere thought of her was enough to send him into a nervous sweat, as he had spent the better of six months desperately trying to get her out of his head. That encounter on the boat still rang fresh in his mind.

Chet Sterling was aghast. “Who - who are you? What do you want with me, a broken man with nothing left to offer?”

The fairy, shrouded in starlight, turned back to face Sterling.

“An injustice happened to me not unlike yours, millenia ago. It is my time to seek revenge.”

“What are you?!” Chet Sterling backed against the seat of his boat.

“I must return to my prison. But in due time, we shall meet again.”

He’d always dreaded the day when he saw that accursed face for the second time, but there she was in glowing robes like Lucy in the sky, the pale blue skin shining slightly, and those bloody eyes -

“Are you going to say anything or are you going to keep staring like a bloody buffoon?” Josh spoke up in the end, to a Chet Sterling who was huddled in his blanket, hyperventilating out of sheer shock and horror.

“Fine! Fine. I don’t know what it is you want, but whatever it is, I guess I’ll have to join. I don’t have anything left to lose,” Sterling sighed.

“You still have plenty left to lose. You do not just realise how fortunate you still are, even after everything. There are many people in far worse situations than yours. Reputation isn’t everything,” Amari stepped up before trying to console him.

Standing up, Chet Sterling donned his coat, before turning towards Amari.

“There’s only one part that you’re wrong about. Reputation isn’t everything.”

“Reputation is the only thing.”

Intermission

“Alright kids, this is a platform called Prodigy!” Mrs Christie smiled as I opened my iPad. I was only nine years at the time, and was surrounded by my friends who were equally eager to get into the game. “Make a new account, and log in.”

Username: whami34

Password: maths63

This game was everything I had dreamed of. The pixellated artstyle was adorable, the dialogue, the way everything came together to form something that was mind-boggling and amazing for me at the same time. I’d always wanted a career in game development - my mother had warned specifically never to play any games, lest I develop an addiction and focus on things less important than his studies. Well, now I could satiate both the desire to perform well academically and the desire to play a real game for the first time.

Alvin Bronzerunner woke up in the bed for the first time, to be informed of his first day at the Academy by none other than Noot, the cute little sprite with his petite blue cap and his little nubs for feet, and the little speech bubble above his head.

I smiled eagerly as I continued on and on through the game - my first TripTrop defeated, choosing Charfoal as my starter pet (the superior one of course), navigating my way through Lamplight Town as I collected fireflies and smelted frozen somethings with reckless abandon. But eventually, the novelty disappeared, and people moved on to other subjects. What with the pandemic happening, and new games like Fall Guys and Among Us popping up, and TikTok dominating the screens, no one could be bothered with Prodigy anymore.

No one but one person.

I saw the link at the bottom of the wiki page.

> https://prodigy-game-fanon.fandom.com/

And it would be my undoing.

———————

Nova: Welcome to SuperNova News, today we'll be going to the planet Sypso. Uh... Eve... can you not? We're in the middle of a broadcast here...
Eve: STUDENTS! ARE! YOU! SEATED?!
Walter: That's not how you're supposed to do it.
Eve: *shrugs*
Nova: Welcome to SuperNova News, today we'll be going to the planet Sypso...
Florian: Lalala... having fun in the garden... *watering plants* ...and getting a pizza... One month has already passed, right? No, two! Noot: Oi, Florian! I need an update on that world trip situation.
Florian: Ask Eve about this.
Noot: She's dealing with Sam... on the roof of the Astral Tower. He always does things like this, stupid things. I'm trying my best to keep my cool- *gets splashed by water* SAM! DETENTION! NOW!!!
Crystal: Sam also said that his siblings are coming.
Nova: News has ended. Back to you, Fuchsia.

Prodigy Comedies was a cute creation. BFBF had to hand that to RJ, the author of this - one page in so many brilliant creations. Forged by Obsidian and Smart-Alecky, the longest pages on the entire wiki, and people eagerly chatting about what could possibly come next. Perhaps BFBF could try his hand at making a new chapter for Smart-Alecky? After all, the pages on this wiki were open to edits and additions, right? That was what Fandom was for, and it was not too different from Wikipedia.

Everyone here seemed just seemed like award-winning authors to him, and BFBF wanted to be among those ranks. It was a prospect that was quite enticing to him. Cautiously, he clicked “Add new page” and typed the pages in.

———————

It was childish, was it not? This entire “DaniMilkmanGamedev” persona. It was long, and people wouldn’t understand it, and it was stolen as well. He needed a new name. A better name, to call himself by. It was a must, a need, a requirement. But what to pick?

DaniMilkmanGamedev deliberated for a long time. Those game developers on Scratch, and on the App Store, all had simple, quick, memorable names. Griffpatch, Coltroc, The_Chaotic, Will_Wam, Kamibox.

Perhaps he could mush something together somehow? He put some combinations together. Patchbox, Kamikeeper, Wamibox, nothing just seemed to fit. DaniMilkmanGamedev was a terrible name, and he regretted choosing it four years ago. But it was here to stay until he could think of a new identity.

It was so, so, hard, trying to give yourself a brand new outside. A whole new you, a brand new appearance, new identity. It could just be so confusing to those who already knew him, to he himself. Did he want to switch?

Will_Wam. He wanted to be called Will_Wham, but it was taken on Minecraft.

Will_Wham. Kamibox. Kamikaze. Whamibox. Whamikaze.

It was perfect! It flowed well on the tongue, it was short, quick, and catchy, and it was memorable. Whami smiled as he got to work making a new account and changing his YouTube channel to fit.

Make a character? Nah, he could worry about that later. There was an extension he liked to use, Manganum, that helped him organise tasks and boost productivity. Maybe he could take a picture out of its book. Put the initials wk. in there, put the numbers and whamikaze in small font and lowercase. This was perfect. He liked his new identity, was comfortable with it, loved everything about it. People seemed to warm up to it as well.

Perhaps making a new identity for yourself wasn’t so hard at all.

Chapter 21: Let There Be Dark

“Our first plan of action,” Astrea smiled, “is to find more allies to join our cause. We then, going after Amari’s judgement - which has rarely been wrong - put our targets on Whami. All evidence points to him being a possible Creator - which means that he has caused every ounce of pain that has ever happened in your lives. Amari and Josh can choose who they would like to recruit.”

Chet Sterling attempted to speak of. “The last I saw of Whami, if you are referring to the Liverpool-hating boy with the purple hair and the T-shirt, he was merely a child.”

Amari interrupted. “How do you know he hates Liverpool?”

‘He walked like a Liverpool hater.”

Astrea made a gesture. “If you may, now. Sterling, my dear, have you forgotten that you are not above fighting - not above killing children?”

“That was for self-gain. I have left that path, given it up! I will never return there.”

“And we are taking you down a new, better path. Or are you afraid that some of the things we must do will… say… tempt you? into old ways?”

Chet growled. “You can’t dictate what I’m capable of and what I’m not!”

“But the Creator can. And you don’t want to be controlled by someone else, don’t you? You like to have the control… to yourself.”

Josh spoke up. “Enough arguing. Amari, who do you want to recruit?” He motioned over to Amari, who had a smile, a cheeky smirk on his face. “Oh. I have a truly devilish idea.”

Rivers Bennett was busy counting his money as Amari walked through the door. “It has been many moons since I have walked through the doors of Oasis Retail. How goes the life without me, Rivers?”

“Late, is the hour in which you, the abandoner, chooses to appear. How do you sleep at night, knowing how you disgraced the Oasis Retail name? Have you come to grovel, to beg for your job back, or for a rematch?” venom dripping from Rivers’ voice coldly sounded from across the room.

“Astrea, if you may.”

Astrea’s spirit shimmered into existence, and with a smile, she snapped her fingers. Instantly, a deep red outline surrounded Amari’s right hand and he laughed, before stopping and staring dead silently at Rivers, “A rematch does sound delightful. But the others, you don’t have to share this fate. Join us.”

Delia was the first to speak up. “I’d rather die than betray Oasis Retail. It’s all I’ve ever lived for.”

“I can give you a pay rise…”

“I’m in. Tell me more,” Delia sauntered over to Amari, as Rivers’ expression quickly dissolved into that of shock and anger. His own employees, betray him in such an instant, and being enticed by nothing but the prospect of a pay rise?

James, Brittany, and Adam sighed, before James spoke up. “Rivers, you have had this coming for far too long. If anything, this event has happened far too late for what you have done. Goodbye.”

Rivers’ mouth was agape, he was aghast at how his employees could dare to do such a thing. He owned them! They were his, they were bound to him, they owed him until they died. They could not just resign, just like that.

“No. No! You can’t just leave, you can’t just - you are bound here! You are bound to Oasis Retail, no one else can take you away, you - ” Rivers screamed at the unyielding James and Brittany, Adam and Delia. “You - you - you are mine, I own you, you just - ”

Astrea stepped forward. It was apparent to everyone that though she may have still been imprisoned, she still had power here. Not enough, but still some. That was quite an oversight that Damian had let slip through his fingers.

And as Rivers stood up to challenge Astrea, it was not known what horrific mistake he had made. Readying a punch, Rivers threw a blow at Astrea, which was quickly parried. A swift hand motion, and Rivers was held steadily in the air, the breath being choked out of him. Astrea coldly smiled - this little mortal, who dared to challenge her rule? Rivers was only human, but he saw himself as a god.

Well, it was high time something changed.

Astrea gripped her hand tight, and slowly the life drained from Rivers’ eyes. There were no last words or dying breaths, and all that remained of Rivers Bennett was his lifeless body on the ground.

Josh said nothing, though he clearly was not disturbed by the death. Meanwhile, Amari’s mirth was almost palpable. The man who had tortured him for years was dead before his eyes.

“L, plus deserved, plus he had it coming.”

Law enforcement in Xeter, as I have made quite clear, is quite shit.

“I’d say we have quite a lot of people. Astrea, me of course, Josh, Dave, Paul, Chet, Delia, James, Britt, and Adam. I’d say we have quite a lot. So now we look for Whami?”

Astrea smiled. Yes, she had been wrong about who the Creator was in the past, but every step closer to finding them was a step closer to avenging not only her punishment, but also avenging the lives of those who died allying her.

“Precisely so. You are under strict orders not to kill him, though. We still need information from him.”

And so, this made up the Order of the Stars: Amari, Josh, Dave, Paul, Chet, Delia, James, Britt, and Adam.

Whami was in the kitchen, preparing everyone a brand new food invention he had come up with - Choc Pockets, which was basically chocolate spread on a piece of white bread folded in half. There were many variations: Strawberry Choc Pockets included strawberry jam, Toasted Choc Pockets used toast instead of white bread. Nova smiled as she set up the broadcast with Fuchsia, as Gemini and Jaden chatted in the tables opposite. Whami had made the grievous mistake of leaving his computer on the table, set to the Google Docs document that he always had opened. Gale and the Wardens sat by the coffee table, discussing their plans for Lorth.

Astrea, hidden to everyone but the Order of the Stars, entered through.

So this is the child you speak of?

Yes. We believe that he’ll be of use.

Very well. Amari, Josh, you can enter. Everyone else, stay outside the hotel by the fountain. We can’t have almost a dozen people sauntering through a revolving glass door.

There’s nine people in the Order, Astrea. Ten including you.

Yes. Almost a dozen.

For heaven’s sake.

Intricate lores detailing the history of several worlds, expansive tomes that went over the most powerful weapons and artifacts, generations of knowledge that could only be seen anywhere else as the information stored in grand libraries the size of palaces, were contained in just five or six online documents. What on earth swirled around in this madman’s head, if he were to be able to come up with this much information, and have it all be correct? This boy, Whami, his documents, somehow matched up with every single series of events that Astrea had seen transpire.

This was no coincidence. Each time she’d been wrong about a potential Creator, there was always something that was missing. But here? Nothing had been left out.

You can take him now.

Amari stepped up. “Whami? You have to come with us.”

Whami turned over and smiled. “Hey, Amari! Want a Choc Pocket? I came up with this, it’s just chocolate spread between a folden slice of white sandwich bread! Everyone else seems to like it, especially Paddy!”

Don’t you just love his childhood innocence? Most people throw that into the gutter come the age of eleven or twelve. Whami’s only thirteen and he’s still precious like a cinnamon puff. Too pure for this world.

“Yes, yes, that’s all very well. Now come. There is business to be undergone.”

Paddy was skeptical at this point. “Where are you taking Whami, though? Surely it’s safe, what are you planning to do with him? Gemini - is this okay - ”

Whami put an arm around Amari’s shoulder. “Relax! Amari’s our friend. He won’t do anything to me, or you, or any of us! Because we’re good mates. That’s British for friend.”

Oh god, he’s British. Just get it over with, please.

“Yes. We are… good mates. Just - come, okay? And stop stalling.”

Whami beamed, holding out a Choc Pocket. “Hey, Amari! Want to try this? It’s chocolate spread between a folded slice of white bread! Everyone seems to love it, especially Paddy!”

Amari’s expression shifted, a hint of urgency creeping into his demeanor. “Whami, we really need to go. There’s something important we have to discuss.”

Paddy, still skeptical, stepped forward. “Where are you taking him, Amari? This doesn’t feel right.”

“Whami, this is serious,” Amari insisted, his voice low. “You might not understand, but we can’t waste time.”

Just then, Gemini, Nova, and Fuchsia approached, curious about the commotion. “What’s going on?” Gemini asked, crossing his arms. “Where are you taking Whami?”

Without waiting for an answer, Amari turned to lead Whami out, before turning to Gemini. “You ought to know your place, and don’t meddle in affairs that you aren’t ready to meddle in.”

“You - you’re one to talk. While you’re sitting pretty playing with your slot machines, we were off trying to - ”

“Yes, I know. How you and your ragtag squad of adventurers saved Xeter from a cruel fate.”

As they stepped outside, Paddy, Gemini, Nova, and Fuchsia exchanged worried glances. “I’m going with you,” Paddy declared, determination in her voice, before she looked up to see the entirety of the Order of the Stars.

Chet Sterling saw Gemini and gasped. “Gemini! I just wanted to - ”

Amari snapped back and turned to face Chet. “There is no time for niceties right now. We have a mission and we need to accomplish it. Time is of the essence! This is what Astrea would want us to be like.”

“I’m not here to cause trouble. I just want to say that I’m sorry for what I’ve done!”

“This is not the time, Chet Sterling! You need to straighten your fucking priorities!” Amari yelled before something caught his eye. Whami, backing up against the revolving door, backpack and computer strapped to his back, clearly concerned. “Oh no, you don’t. Delia?”

“On it.” and Delia sent Whami flying to the ground, in front of just where Astrea had materialised.

“Brilliant,” Astrea smiled. “We can take some more for… information.”

Nova raced up alongside Fuchsia. “We can’t let you do this! I’ve no idea who you are, but we can tell that you’re not a good person. Let Whami go!”

Josh grabbed her by the hands, uncertain, before restraining her. “I’m really sorry. I have to do this, I’m loyal to Amari and Astrea and everyone. It would be against me to let them down. I could never.”

Delia let go of Whami, as Astrea flicked her wrist and bound him tightly, rooted to the spot. Looking around, Paddy was being held back by Delia now while Gemini was going to blows with Amari.

Chet rushed forward, pleading with Amari to take things step down.

“No! My baby girl - ”

“She got in the way, now she pays the price.”

“You don’t have to do this!”

“Oh? You really think you’re above me?”

“I just - no! But you can’t be doing this! I know I was wrong, I’ve accepted that - ”

“So you think you’re so noble, the martyred villain who had a change of heart. Spare me the funny words, Sterling, and focus on the task at hand!”

Astrea smiled. This was a mere fraction, perhaps a millionth of the chaos she wanted to see in the world. She reveled in this. It was more than chaos: it was creation. “Soon you’ll see, that you will all pay the price for choosing the wrong side. Until then? I suggest you take one last look at your friends. It may be days before you ever see their face again. See you on the next leg of your innocent little trip.”

Whami gasped and spluttered. “Amari - I trusted you - I - Paddy!” the pained words left his lips.

Astrea laughed. “This is a fraction of the pain I’ve been through all those centuries ago.”

And with this, the Order of the Stars disappeared into purple light - and with it, they took Nova, Gemini, and Whami.

Paddy rushed into the lobby. “Whami’s gone. So’s Nova and Gemini. This little group, with Amari and Josh and the other guys, and Chet, and some retailers, and this spirit. This star spirit, Astrea - she said we’d see them on the next leg of the trip - Gale! You have to do something!”

Jaden looked up, as did Crios and Cameron, who had gathered around. The Wardens, and Gale, who were listening, had grave expressions on their faces.

“Astrea? That is a name that I have not heard for a long time outside of the history books. This can only mean one thing. The Order of the Stars has reformed. And if it’s Whami he’s after… tomorrow would be the last day. Everyone should be packed by now, we have spells to organise everything if they’re not. Valigia coniunge!”

Belongings were sent floating into bags as everyone packed up and was called to the lobby, where Gale made an announcement.

“There has been a change of events. A great evil is preparing to be unleashed, and her allies have taken Nova, Gemini, and Whami. We must leave immediately to Lorth, where it is likely she will make operations. Astrea was sentenced to death for giving humans magic, and for that she has started millenia of wars and destruction. We leave for Lorth today.”

“Will they at least be alright?”

“With such a force, it is impossible to tell.”

Katie turned to Paddy. “I had no idea this was going on - I should have known something was wrong as soon as you questioned Amari.”

“It’s fine. You can’t blame yourself. I just hope they’re alright. All of them.”

Jacob’s expression darkened as he turned to Jaden and Milo. “This isn’t the first time we’ve been through really dangerous situations.”

“We can pull through this,” Milo reassured Jacob.

“Together.” Jaden smiled.

Gale pushed open the glass doors next to the revolving door. “Time’s getting short. Follow me.”

Hours later, the Academy Ship set sail for Lorth. This was no longer an innocent trip, but the Academy was on the verge of war against an ancient evil, who wished to rain chaos upon those who wronged her.

Whami floated in limbo, still bound together by the invisible restraints. How much of a fool had he been, to trust Amari? His kind words and reassurance was all for nothing. Amari’s betrayal had stung him more than any kind of pain that he’d ever felt.

You were always a fool. You could never tell the difference between black and white. All you saw in people were good. And now you’re paying the price.

“What do you want now?!” Whami finally screamed, at this voice who had been tormenting him since he’d left Huv.

I want to help you.

“How do you call this helping me?”

I simply ground your mind to reality. Keep your innocent, pure little soul from drifting off from what is real, and what you simply see in others.

“I… I suppose I’ve been… naive. What should I call you?”

Please. I do not need a name.

“Every being deserves a name, or something for others to know you by.”

Very well. Call me Cash.

Cash Cardinal.

“Very well, Cash. But why do you taunt me with these words?”

I can’t give you the answers. That would be too easy. And I must make it known that I do kind of enjoy seeing you… what’s the word? Suffer. Yes, it’s sadistic, but can you really shame someone for being a sadist?

“I - just let me be alone.”

That I can do.

The voice vanished, leaving Whami alone with his thoughts. Nova and Gemini weren’t safe. Paddy and Katie. Jacob. Crios and Cameron, Jaden and Milo. The Wardens and Gale. He’d dragged them all in a wild goose chase after him, and was it all worth it? If he was the Creator, he was responsible for all the pain and suffering that his new friends had felt. It was his fault. What business did they have caring about him?

Astrea smiled, as her spirit materialised with the rest of the Order of the Stars. “We’re here. The three have arrived in their separate holding cells until they are ready to be questioned. I felt this was appropriate for our meeting place for now.”

Amari spoke. “And what significance does this hold?”

The ruins of the laboratory glistened just two football court lengths across from the headquarters where they stood, with the statue of a former king erected in the middle. “Merely sentimental value. It would mean nothing to you, and those around you. You may leave. I will talk to you all later.”

The crowd dispersed, leaving Astrea alone with her thoughts.

“It has been far too long, Gren, my loyal friend. But I have returned.”

“Your death will be avenged when the Creator dies.”

Part Four: Lorth

Chapter 22: Waiting on the Sun

At first flash of hope
We raced down to the sea
Standing there of the cusp of heaven’s door

Can’t you feel it
Knowing spring won’t come
It’s time to accept and live in the scattered sun

The Academy Ship sailed through the stars, making a course towards Lorth. Milo and Jaden sat by the sofa while Fuchsia paced around.

“How come you and the other kids are coming with us? Don’t you have, like, school going on?” Fuchsia turned around and gently asked them.

Jaden smiled back. “School’s been let out for the winter break for the past two weeks. Besides, Amathine got in touch with us and we agreed to chaperone for the trip. And, I just - ” her voice faltered. “It’s hard to stay light-hearted, in light of everything that’s happened.”

Milo spoke up as well. “We can pull through it together. We’ve done it once, we can always do it again.”

Fuchsia sighed. “I only knew her for a few days. What’s to know what will happen to them? I miss Nova so badly already. No one deserves to go through this.”

Amathine stared outside the window, a pensive look etched on her face. This threat was even greater than any she had faced before. Amari and his little cult had potential to bring chaos down on what had order - and this Astrea, whom she had read about, scared her. She was an ancient being who had given everyone magic, and for that she was sentenced to execution and started millenia of suffering. If Amari was in cahoots with her -

She couldn’t face it alone. At least she wouldn’t have to. She looked around, to see Rohan, Ashley, Grace, and Evergreen talking amongst each other - these four, she could trust. Everything would be alright in the end.

———————

“Wake.”

Amari stepped into the cell on Astrea’s order. The door closed shut behind him, a door that was in surprisingly pristine conditions for how long it had been left unattended. Perhaps its creator was such a master at their craft that his work could last centuries after their death.

The light shone on Whami, whose wrists were bound to chains that were tied to the wall and whose legs were bound together with shackles. The teenager had been so lively just the day before, but now his defeated expression showed the truth. Whami has losing hope.

“What do you want from me?”

Amari smiled. “All I need is information. I’d expect you’re quite hungry or thirsty at this point.”

Whami looked away, thinking of something witty to say. He’d love to pretend to have strength, to say that he was feeling no pain, tell Amari to let him starve. But he wasn’t a liar. Besides, he was indeed quite thirsty.

“Yes. Yes - yes, I am.”

“As I said, all I need is information. Astrea must slay the Creator, and we have reason to believe that it is you.”

“I have a Google Doc full of cool stories, so w- so what?! The universe is infinite, everything that could possibly exist will exist! Somewhere out there, is an exact copy of us, only something else has happened instead of one particular event. I don’t understand - why do you want me killed - where’s Nova and Gem?”

Nova and Gemini were on either side of Whami’s cell, Nova to the left and Gemini vice versa. Of course, this meant that both would be able to hear the conversations going on in Whami’s cell completely clearly. Just his lack of luck.

“They will be attended to later,” Amari smiled. “Tell me everything you know.”

“I watched a show where something like what happened with Astrea happened, and I wanted a cool villain origin story for my book! I changed around some events, and I was satisfied with it. That’s everything I know about the Creator.”

Amari scowled. “That just won’t do enough. Will you cooperate, or will I have to coax it out of you?”

“I’m telling you, I’m not the Creator, I’ve never thought of myself as that! Please - I don’t know what you want - I… I just want to go home.”

“And where would you consider home?”

“I don’t know. Canterbury, with Paddy and Katie, I don’t even know anymore!”

Amari smiled. “I’ll let you decide that for yourself. Until then, best get comfortable. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

The cold, unfeeling metal doors shut.

———————

The Academy Ship landed on the ruins of Lorth. A great empire, it was said, had been built here long ago, but had since been razed to the ground in a great war, unknown to any of the passengers on the ship as it had not been taught in their history lessons.

Gale, clearly shook by the events that had unfolded just the day prior, was still trying to keep the mood light despite the tragic losses. Feigning strength and joyousness, he turned to the group and smiled through gritted teeth, “That was definitely an eventful segment of the trip, to say the least.”

No one was amused. Fuchsia was slumped on the sofa, staring depressedly at the ceiling while Jacob, Milo, and Jaden talked amongst each other. Interestingly, Katie and Paddy were nowhere to be seen. Turning to Florian, Gale whispered to him, “Do you think it’ll be okay if you manage them for a while? I need… some time for myself.”

Florian nodded, and Gale left the common room.

Paddy and Katie were standing next to each other, looking at the stars. Lorth looked like it was the size of a marble from where they were standing, a small gray marble floating through the vast emptiness of space. Somewhere on that gray marble was where Whami would be. Where that horrible person, Amari, would be. Whami had saved him from a cruel fate by the hands of the halflings, and now this was his compensation. Josh, Dave, Paul, that crazed woman, the tall man in the plaid shirt, and the other nobodies, and Astrea. She had to be behind all of this. Paddy didn’t know what she wanted to do with Whami, but nothing good could come out of it.

Gale came at them from behind. “Apologies if I scared you, but - ”

“You didn’t scare me. Barely anything fazes me at this point,” Paddy sighed into her arms without even looking at Gale.

“I understand how you guys feel.”

“No, you don’t. This all started when we just wanted to go on a calm walk to take our minds off things. You don’t know what it’s like to have your entire life turned around, and to have to just live with it! The only reason I put up with it, was because the people I were around were likable. And when, for some reason out of your control, they are taken away from you - ”

“Justified crash-out,” Gale interrupted.

Paddy shuddered before taking a deep breath. “Whami is one of the most important people in my life. He’s precious, pure, innocent, he’s never laid eyes upon anything horrific, and I just - can’t imagine anything happening to him - ”

Katie patted her on the back. “Listen, we’ll get through this together. No one has to get hurt, I will promise you.”

“That’s some measure of reassurance.”

“Everyone in the common room is just as worried as the two of you are,” Gale calmly spoke. “We’ll be landing on Lorth in just a few hours, and we have collectively decided to postpone the activities and focus on the larger threat. We will also need to locate Nova and Gemini. And Whami, at that matter. Until then, you really should get some sleep. You’ve been up here for literal hours.”

The ship continued to sail through the endless abyss between Xeter and Lorth.

Chapter 23: Remnants of the Precursors

Amari and Chet Sterling walked amongst the ruins of H. Gren’s lab. A great battle had taken place here, and the stains of brown dried blood still lingered on the dirt floors, a memento of the bloodshed that had occurred long ago.

“I still don’t see why you had to take Gemini with you,” Chet scowled.

“Listen. Now that Nova and Gemini are here along with Whami, the stakes are now higher for them. It is almost guaranteed that they are going to come to us, which guarantees that their losses are going to be higher. Essentially… how do I say this to you nicely?” Amari mused as they continued to walk. Formerly pristine automatons that had rusted over and deteriorated decades ago lay slumped against the walls.

Sterling eventually came to the heart-wrenching realisation. “...so they’re the bait.”

“That’s the word I was looking for.”

Meanwhile, Josh was talking with the other members of the Order of the Fallen Star. Dave, Paul, and Delia were sitting in the front row.

“What we have to focus on is freeing Astrea. She is powerful right now, but she won’t be able to… reach her full potential unless she is freed. Many years ago, H. Gren had nearly figured out how to free her, and then a giant fish ate him after a large battle. Or something. Delia?”

Delia’s hand was raised in the air. “Once she’s freed, how should we go about things with the Creator?”

“If the Academy so wishes to fight us, we must amass an army of our own. They may be children, but they are among the most skilled wizards of Prodigia. Once Astrea is freed, she’ll - do something. I don’t know what she will do, maybe she’ll raise the spirits of the dead to fight among them.

[v · t · e · ?] Fanfictions Comedic Fanfictions Finished Comedic Fanfictions: Prodigy Comedies: Quadruple Trouble  •  The Ancient Breaks the Fourth Wall  •  Theodore and Friends 2: Flora is Frustrated Unfinished Comedic Fanfictions: Amber's Wrath  •  Annoying Jack in the Ice Tower  •  Prodigy Comedies  •  Prodigy Comedies: Fairy Flu Pt. 2  •  Prodigy Comedies: Master Says  •  Prodigy Impossible! (The Prodigy based game show!)  •  Prodigy Laughs  •  Puppet Master Finds The Last Gem  •  Soft-Serve Chaos Drama Fanfictions Finished Drama Fanfictions: Dark Scars  •  Fates Intertwined  •  Fates Intertwined: Extras  •  The Astral Amulet  •  The Lost, The Forgotten  •  The Lost, The Forgotten: Extras Unfinished Drama Fanfictions: Amber Falling Star  •  Balance and Imbalance  •  Clashing Swords  •  Faith Waterfall's Tale  •  Moments of Eternity  •  The Sad Ghost Mystery Fanfictions Finished Mystery Fanfictions: Academy Assignment Unfinished Mystery Fanfictions: Jane the Detective  •  The Mysterious Scepter Romance Fanfictions Finished Romance Fanfictions: Fluttery Love Unfinished Romance Fanfictions: I Won't Let Go Thriller Fanfictions Finished Thriller Fanfictions: Dargon's Bane  •  Dark and Light  •  Eques Astra  •  Evan (Eve's Evil Brother)  •  Fairies Don't Cry~  •  Fight for Honor  •  Forged by Obsidian Unfinished Thriller Fanfictions: Airwalkers: The True Story of the Smartest Kid in the Academy  •  Brooke Riverrunner 1: The Elemental Clash  •  Celesteate and the Existence Eraser  •  Cynicism  •  Prodigy Ending  •  Prodigy Island (Book Adaptation) Tragic Fanfictions Finished Tragic Fanfictions: War of Shadows Unfinished Tragic Fanfictions: A Shattered Heart of Glass  •  Adventures of Charlie  •  Corruption Battles Fanfictions Finished Battles Fanfictions: Jackson vs The Shadowdragon  •  Jackson vs The Shadowdragon (Rematch)  •  Prodigy Final Boss Fight Idea  •  The Test Unfinished Battles Fanfictions: None yet. Adventure Fanfictions Finished Adventure Fanfictions: Kevin Dragonhunter's Adventures  •  Prodigy 2 Return of Magic  •  Scar Tissue  •  The Adventures of Kylie Snapdragon & Ansat Lightningheart  •  The Legend of the All-Out Attack  •  The Life and Legend of an Embershed  •  The Warden Horses: A Myth of Time  •  The Warden Horses: A Myth of Time - Extras Unfinished Adventure Fanfictions: A Day in the Coliseum  •  A Prodigy Flame  •  A Shadow's New Life  •  Academy's Past  •  Adventures of Ansat and Ben  •  Astral vs Shadow  •  Celeste Cloudglider: the Tale of a Wizard  •  Curse of Gelufirn  •  Marley's (Totally Cool) Diary  •  Passport to Prodigia  •  Prodigy: the Chosen Ones  •  Prodigy's Last Wizard  •  The Puppet Master's Origin Story Fanfictions of Unknown Genre Finished Ungenred Fanfictions: Down Memory Lane  •  Dragonborn  •  Elemental Balance  •  First Day  •  Last Day  •  Prodigia's Past Unfinished Ungenred Fanfictions: A History of Prodigia  •  A Prodigy’s Journey  •  A Prodigy’s Journey/Part 1  •  A Study in Philosophy  •  Always Me: Book 1  •  Amethyst Skies  •  Ansat and Ben: Beginnings  •  Darkness of Terror  •  Deceit  •  Emma and the Last Mermaid  •  Fallen Prodigies  •  Fizzy  •  Fly Away Falcon  •  Frozen Realm  •  Gems of Power  •  Hero I  •  Isabella Icecraver: The Tale of a New Wizard  •  Jax Legendshard: Future Spy  •  Journey to 100  •  Kado Makes a Cake  •  Kendra Lightningfire and the Stone of Silver  •  Kevin's Adventures Part 2: Infinite's Wrath  •  Kevin's Adventures Part 3: Shadowy Terror  •  Knight's Honor  •  Memno-Thaza  •  My Prodigy FANON Story  •  Mystylian Skies  •  New Day  •  Onyx Stone  •  People of the Clouds  •  Prodigy Movie Adaptation  •  Prodigy: Elements Rising  •  Rival Rumble  •  Scally Grove  •  Selena Starjewel  •  Smart-Alecky  •  Starter Pets Ultimate Battle  •  Stuck in Ice  •  The Book of Genesis  •  The Chosen One  •  The Last Dragon Mage  •  The Legendary Secrets of the Light  •  The Legends of Prodigy: Book 1  •  The Misadventures of Burnewt  •  The Order's Revenge  •  The Past of Redtide, Frost, Scorblaze  •  The Puppet Master's Arrival  •  The Return of Mary-Sue  •  The Story of Prodraxis  •  The Story of the Mythical Epics  •  The Taken  •  The Wonderful Diary of Aidan Goldenmask  •  Torn Between Planes  •  Wizard Breaks Last Puppet Master Seal  •  Zorra ~ The Tale of a Wizard Fanfictions Subject to be Deleted Fanfictions With No Major Author Edits in 1-2 Years: Forgotten  •  Island Lost  •  Springwood  •  Story of the Mysts  •  The Devil's Dare  •  The Devil’s Dare concept  •  The Many Misadventures of Culix and Worly the Wonderful  •  The Story of the Wardens  •  The War for Prodigy Fanfictions With No Major Author Edits in 2+ Years: None.