Blanco could feel fat beads of sweat falling down his back as the situation devolved out of his control so fast. Seeing 82 suddenly contact his target was unnerving enough, but then feeling Tav’s gaze straight on him through the camera was another level of freaky. Fortunately, his existence remained concealed! The old alchemist had taken the blame for it all. The vampire had to repeat this to himself several times, for the anxiety had gone to such a degree he could even feel his dead heart stirring again.

Once he had calmed down, the monster immediately reached for his old phone, pressed the number 8, and waited.

“Come on, come on. Pick up, damn it…!”

Click.

“I’m busy.” The voice of the alchemist sounded distant, partially covered by the unmistakable sound of magic being cast.

“Alright woman, calm down. Calm. Down. I know what you are thinking.” Blanco spoke quickly, trying to muster all the charisma he didn’t have. “You’re thinking you should totally go there and wipe the memories out of Tav's brain! But should you really? The answer will surprise you!”

“You knew about this. About the book.”

“I had no idea until a few moments ago, when you mentioned it!” The vampire lied with the same naturality he breathed. So, none at all. “I swear I had no idea!”

“We will speak about your payment later.”

“Gods damn it.” The monstrosity swore under his non-existent breath for a moment, before speaking clearly. “Woman, 82, don’t do it.”

“I am leaving now.”

“WAIT DAMN IT! WAIT!”

Click.

“Shit!”

That kid was as good as remembered now. And not only would 82 deduct stuff from his payment, G would totally do it too if he learned something happened to Tav. Trying to think fast, the old beast tapped 2 on the phone while keeping his eyes on the screen.

Click.

“Hey Blanco!” Giovanni’s young voice sounded as upbeat as ever. “How unusual of you to call instead of sending a messag–”

“82 learned of the book and is now chasing Tav.”

“qué.”

“She’s at her house right now, demanding that Tav give up the book.”

“How did she learn of the book? Did you tell her!?”

“No I didn’t! I have no idea how she learned of it all!” Blanco was legitimately unaware of how he had caused this entire mess. Even if he were aware, he would probably deny it. “What are we going to do!?”

“Alright, everything will be fine as long as Tav gives up the book. It’s a shame, but I guess there’s no other way.”

“Yeah. Sad but true.”

“Maybe after that I can wrestle some information out of her. Maybe we can compensate Tav for the bad experience, I could try to teach her and—”

“They’re gone.”

“qué?”

“They’re gone. There was a flash of magic, I blinked, and they’re gone.”

“Oh no.”

Giovanni hung up immediately after. Every second was of the essence now. Every moment counted in the Second Layer of Reality, after all. And if the man’s assumptions were correct, that’s exactly where Tav and Mustafá had ended up right now.

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Damn it. Damn it all. Damn absolutely everything!

My eyes dart from place to place while my arms cling to the bothersome book on my chest. Face her!? I don’t even know how to properly cast and she now wants me to face her!

“Weren’t you just joking a few minutes ago about being all powerful now?”

Not now!

I have to think of something, quickly. I don’t want to give up the stupid book but I have no idea what else to try!

“I … I… is there really no other way!?” I protested.

“No.” Mustafá shook her head slowly. “I will not repeat myself. Give me the book.”

This woman shows no emotion, it's like talking with an android, I think she barely blinks! My hands tremble, for a moment I actually think of throwing the book at her and running… but no.

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“No?!”

No. This book has given me something to actually do, a meaning to the days I thought lost. I am not giving it away so easily. What would I do with money anyways!? Just waste away? Lay back and waste it on stupid things while life passes me by!?

“Don’t start with the ‘money doesn’t buy happiness’ narrative. I will punch you.”

It’s not even that.

I just… don’t feel like money can replace the feeling of having a purpose in life.

“You can probably have both! Just find another purpose or something, I don’t know!”

No.

“... Why do you want this? What’s with this book that’s so important to so many people!?”

“You don’t know what you’re holding, do you?”

“It’s proof that magic is a language, yes. I know that! How have people not figured that out though!?”

“You underestimate the actions of the Brotherhood.”

So there is a conspiracy going on. And apparently the cloaks had something to do with it, probably a ‘hoard of knowledge’ situation or something.

“The knowledge you hold right now. It is not meant for Man.” She suddenly said, taking a step towards me. “Mankind has wasted its chance with it for long enough.”

“Mankind can change, improve!” How did we get to this argument, I have no idea… “Just because you lost faith in us, that doesn’t give you a right to hoard this kind of knowledge!”

She didn’t like that. Oh boy she didn’t like that, I can notice it in the way her eyes narrow a little bit. She’s locking on.

“So you refuse to cooperate?”

“Y-Yeah! I am not giving this away!”

“So be it.”

I feel a pull on my neck, as if there is something wrapping around it and squeezing, yanking an invisible chain. This woman didn’t even move a finger and I am already in trouble! Then, a new light shines right from behind Mustafá’s figure, a blueish hue that soon swallowed it all. I wince, for some reason my head hurts,and even as the light dies down that blue tone remains and taints it all, changing the colours of everything.

The world is blue now.

“Show me your determination.”

Mustafá raises a single hand, her lips move at such a speed I can’t understand what she is saying; and then, from the tip of her index finger, a bubble of light begins to form. It quickly grows to the size of a tennis ball, shifting in shape until taking the form of a beautiful, luminous butterfly.

Where have I seen that before?

I don’t have the time to remember it. The butterfly flutters slowly around Mustafá, until she touches it with another hand and it suddenly transforms, with a burst of light, into a pistol.

“WHAT THE HELL?”

For a moment I am paralyzed. I expected magical light beams or a barrage of elemental forces, not a damn gun!? I immediately turn tail, running to the door and somehow managing to open it in a single motion, did I leave this thing unlocked before!? Questions for later.

“If you are afraid of this, how do you plan on protecting the knowledge you cling to so dearly?”

I hear a bang. I HEAR A BANG! WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!

I run as fast as my body lets me, practically going on all fours at times before turning around at the emergency stairs. For a moment I turn behind me, only to see Mustafá walking right out of my door and aim that damn gun at me.

“Duck.”

I do as she says, not because she says it but because again, she’s aiming at me with a gun! As I duck, I feel how my foot steps badly and the world slows down. I curse my lack of coordination as my entire world starts spinning, and I begin falling down the stairs while there’s a very distant, violent bang.

Everything goes dark afterwards…

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The alchemist simply stared for a moment as she saw her prey fall down the stairs. She blinked a few times, walking over to look down and see that it was, indeed, quite the long way down. Physical damage was dampened in the Second Layer of Reality, so she wasn’t really worried for Tav’s well-being… but a fall like this is probably enough to draw blood. And magical blood tended to attract critters.

With a heavy sigh, the alchemist began walking down the stairs for a moment, her brain racing until reaching the conclusion that every moment she allowed this fool to hold on to that book was a moment she risked the knowledge being lost or destroyed. Feeling urgency push her, Mustafá closed her eyes and whispered an incantation, turning her body into particles of pure light that traveled through the many cables of the building, all until bursting out of a lightbulb on the first floor.

Once she reformed and recovered her human form, Mustafá simply walked over to the emergency stairway exit… and waited. She waited for a good few minutes, until the door opened again on its own. Her prey was bleeding from an arm, it didn’t look serious but it certainly looked painful.

Too bad for her.

“End of the line, Tav. Give me the book or I’ll take it from you.”

“C-Can’t we discuss this!?” Tav trembled, her nervous and stuttering voice was annoying to the alchemist.

“You don’t want a part in this game, kid. If this is the only way to make you understand, so be it.”

Dismissing the gun completely, feeling it evaporate into pure mana on her hand, Mustafá raised it to point her finger at the nervous Bastard, magic gathering as she prepared the confusion spell.

She wasn’t counting on Tav suddenly throwing a spell of her own.

“SMOKE BOMB!”

Using the ‘Ignite’ rune, casting without even having to write it, the bastard burnt a bit of her blood to create a big wall of smoke right in between them. Mustafá fired, her spell flying straight into the darkness and smashing against one of the walls, breaking like glass. She had missed.

“... Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be.”

The alchemist sighed, hearing how her prey ran right back up the stairs. She could try and guess where she would end up again, the two main suspects would be the rooftop or back at her own home… but Mustafá was tired of playing nice. She started giving chase, running after Tav while releasing more light butterflies, letting them fly straight towards the bastard.

Perhaps it was a bit of an excessive display of power… but she was trying to make a point here.

“Jo! JO!” Tav screamed, pointing at the butterflies with her finger… to no avail. That was no way to counter a spell once it had manifested.

Mustafá blinked though. The bastard did know enough to try to counterspell… maybe this would be more interesting than she thought.

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I am not sure where I am going, I have no idea if there is a way to escape this woman… and now there’s a swarm of those magical butterflies following me everywhere! My lungs are burning, my eyes are tearing up, I feel like I am going to puke at any second now and I still don’t have a plan for what to do here!

I want to fight back. I want to fight back so badly!

Even as I can see how those magically charged butterflies come towards me, I want to do something to fight back…

“Leave me alone!”

Swinging my hand to the side, I throw some blood the woman’s way and with a glare, I command it to ignite! I don’t even need to enunciate the rune!

“Why don’t you need to do that though!?”

I am not going to question it nor analyze it right now!

More smoke comes out in a loud explosion. That seems enough to make Mustafá stop for a moment and cover her eyes, and that is enough time for me to run straight back in my apartment.

I need an idea, I need an idea now.

My eyes dart from side to side, trying to figure something out. Okay, what spells do I know, what tools do I have? Using the last ounces of my strength I push to my room and fall on the floor, panting and gasping for air, begging for my life.

In the middle of my confusion, my old bamboo blade falls in front of me. I stare at it for a good moment… and suddenly.

“Inspiration.”

Something clicks in my brain. Maybe I am not dead after all.

Maybe I got this after all… I just need my old marker…