In a nice top-floor apartment, in a good area downtown. A place where the current occupant claims the rent wasn't nearly as much as he is actually paying for it, and will constantly convince himself it was not that much. There in the main living room, a man in a hooded sweatshirt sits watching as another man in a much more professional three-piece suit, whose visage is just a bit too perfect, and his team cordoned off the area.
This was par for the course for Ailill Dumnorix, though the place was a bit small for his normal clientèle. He did have to admit it was a nice area with a lovely view. Looking out the front window that looked over the downtown area. He stood letting his team do their work looking for clues or traces of the man’s missing object. Ailill was more interested in their mysterious black card member. He looked lost.
"What the hell kind of insurance do I have?" The man Nicholas Knight muttered, which made him chuckle. He loved getting that reaction, when his clients used his services. After all, it was what they paid him for. Not to mention it was fun.
Today, Ailill had come down personally to meet the man who had suddenly appeared in their database as a client. Something that should have been impossible, without all the required hoops he always had them go through. It was such an anomaly that if it wasn't for Nicholas’s anomalous first use, they might never have brought it to his or anyone's attention.
Nicholas was just like any other client, even when he first came to their attention. That was until he began to use their services. Severe blood loss from a wound with no footage of him even entering the building. Then he called, except he seemed to know absolutely nothing about navigating the world of the rich or magic. The only two qualifiers to be one of his clients. He had called himself and didn't use any people. All records showed Nicholas had received a recent windfall at some prestigious business. Still, it wasn’t enough to qualify with them. This Hero Inc. had somehow enrolled him in their services and he wanted to know how. Who are you, Mister Knight? He asked himself as he turned to the still-confused man.
Nicholas was just an average-looking man, about six feet, with brown hair, an average face, blue eyes, and messy hair. Wore a hooded jacket that he could tell wasn't designer, but a step above a chain store. Maybe something from a third party. His jeans looked simple and cheap. He kept a doll with him through the entire process, that looked to be silently judging him. There was nothing that screamed money, or even new money except the apartment.
Then there was what he called them about; a book. Nicholas had called his people down about a stolen book. What kind of book could you possibly have that is worth my time? Ailill was used to these kinds of calls from his ultra-wealthy clients as they tended to call them over every little thing. Which had never been an issue, they were his paying clients. So until proven otherwise, he was treating this like a normal case, as they investigated him.
He turned and walked back to Nicholas, "So only one book was stolen?" This was for clarification sometimes the clients forget other items or would rather not admit to them.
"Yes."
“We have no sign of entry and a single book. Nothing else was even disturbed?” Ailill asked for confirmation.
“Nothing we could find.” He replied tiredly.
“We?”
His eyes darted to the doll and back quickly, “My friend Drystia; she helped me make sure nothing else was taken.”
“And there was no way for her to take it without you noticing?”
“Or reason.” He added seriously.
“Now. I know you are a bit distraught for having your home invaded and violated.”
Nicholas's eyes scrunched looking at him oddly.
Ignoring his response Ailill continued "We will do our best to retrieve your stolen, what was it? A grimoire? " Ailill sneered at the term. The kid probably found some book that looked old and claimed to have magic. Or maybe one of the reprinted Crowley books. He was such a pain in my ass.
The kid rolled his eyes, “For lack of a better term yes. It is very powerful and in the wrong hands insanely dangerous. I should never have even had it out.”
Then why did you leave it on a coffee table where anyone could just snatch it if it's so dangerous? He thought internally. Ailill didn't think for a second it was as dangerous as he was saying. Magic hadn’t been for centuries but it was possible it contained information they didn't have, or maybe something leftover. "With that information, we'll make it our utmost priority to locate the stolen tome."
Shelly, Ailill’s top agent sets a laptop down on the table in front of Nicholas, and whispers in his ear, "The footage is ready."
“Great!” Aillill clapped his hands as he sat and grabbed the computer. “Now. As you know this building has security cameras and I've been informed there is no footage of anyone entering your place.”
“Like the footage is missing?” Nicholas asked.
“No here let me show you.” He pulls up the laptop with the security footage already up and ready to play.
The screen played showing an empty hallway with their door and most of the hallway. "Let’s speed it up a bit" The footage fast-forwarded over the next ten hours the entire time only showing the door, and when Nicholas left with a giant of a woman. Then nothing until they got back. Ailill found the footage showing when they left and the door. The door was left slightly ajar the entire time.
"Did we really not close the door?" Nicholas asked seeming horrified by the idea.
Can't imagine you just misplaced it? Ailill shook his head. "While it is unlikely. I must ask are you sure you did not misplace it?"
"Yes...Maybe. No.” Nicholas looked confused before his gaze turned hard. “Yes, I am absolutely certain."
"Ok. That’s all we need. We will attempt to find the book, but with so little to go on it will be a challenge.”
“Oh.” Nicholas’s face fell.
“Yes, but that has not stopped us before.”
“Thank you.” The rest of his team had already packed up and left it was just Ailill standing and saying his goodbyes.
Everyone had left leaving only Nicholas and Ailill. “I might have to do my own searching.”
Ailill smiled before replying. “Couldn’t hurt.”
#
In a much more reasonable one-bedroom apartment, not quite as high up. A place located in another area of the city, where your more average citizen resides. Alice Bennet is also known to most of her friends as Officer Bennet, something she insisted her friends call her. She just liked how it sounded. However, the title lately had become a bit strained since she was almost put on unpaid leave a few weeks ago for her so-called mental health. She knew what she saw on the tape, and how his eyes changed. Detective Mercer was the only one to believe her and had requested her for a long-term surveillance operation.
Alice couldn’t believe it. She had been asked to join a joint task force with the FBI, a massive boost to her career, so she was entirely skeptical about the entire thing. After all, she was just chewed out by the chief for doing her own investigation into the Knight guy without approval, and she thought it had to have been some kind of mistake or cruel prank. Until she read who they were surveilling. She couldn't believe it. She must have been on the right track and accidentally crossed into something. No wonder she got chewed out. For them to grab her, up for this. They were either just grabbing her to keep her out of their way, or they read her reports. She was hoping it was the latter.
Now. Now she had to muck it all up. After weeks of nothing, though admittedly weird behavior, there was nothing. Sure the two would stay for days inside without leaving, and sometimes Nicholas would leave without the doll then show up with it. Or the woman would leave the place without anyone ever seeing her enter. They figured there must be a secret way in or something.
It was just supposed to be a sweep, something a little dodgy but technically above board. Or at least that is what Mercer told her. Bennet wasn't one hundred percent on that, but with the backing of the FBI, she thought it was fine.
Still, she was only supposed to sweep the place. No evidence of them being there. No touching anything. Just find out how they are getting out without them seeing them. Buy the book. It called to her in a way she hadn’t heard since childhood. Before they sent her away. It pulled her like magic.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
She paced back and forth ever since she got home. Her heart beat out of her chest every time anyone spoke to her. Even now she was terrified of the stolen book as she stared at the cover:
Mana, Magic, and Cultivation
A comprehensive guide for absolute beginners.
By Rixar
#
There was no way it was real. It couldn’t be. That’s what all the doctors told her. There were no glowing lights in the abandoned house. No little girl who liked to play pranks with her. That was just her. She had gotten in so much trouble for playing in the abandoned house. The house after twenty years did not degrade at all. The house the flying little girl showed her how to throw her voice, and hide in places adults won’t look. No that was all her, toying with her babysitters and parents. Scaring the neighbors. Even after she stopped they kept coming saying she was still doing it. No one believed it wasn’t her. Besides none of that was real.
But. What if. What if. She thought she was going crazy again when she saw Nicholas’s eyes light up. Same with the footage of the door. The room that didn’t exist. Except others saw it. This might be a way to prove it was real. That she was never crazy. Or that she was crazy and always had been. That terrified her.
Alice had been going back and forth constantly reaching to open the book only to pull back as if burned. “Do it, Alice. Just do it and you’ll know.”
Taking a deep breath she grabbed the book and opened the book her eyes shut tight expecting something. Anything. Nothing happened. No lights, no wind, the book was just a book. Tentatively she opened an eye seeing the page filled with tightly packed words. Seeing it was just a book she let out a breath feeling herself calm quite considerably. Then she tried to read the first word: M . Was as far as she got before her mind felt tired and she couldn’t focus on the page anymore, and she threw the book across the room terrified of what just happened.
#
Silahest Sebastion of the aforementioned Sebastion, from the bastion by the sea, not to be confused with the Sebastion’s by the ocean. Who sell magic seashells by the seashore, where the bastion Sebastions sell shell seas on the horse sea. Silahest was not having a good day at the magic academy. His haven, his home away from home filled with everything he could possibly want about magic. No. He was not having a good day.
Silahest’s parents his father Hest Sebastion of the Sebastion by the sea, and his mother Silas Sebastion formerly Silas Bastion of the west-side Bastioners. Had come to the academy, normally a reason to celebrate, and they did, at first. Then his father dropped the bomb. They weren’t going to continue to pay for his tuition. He had only been there for ten years, sure most leave after a year or so, and he would be an amazing asset back home making shell seas. He had even done his masterwork dissertation on shell seas and their use as magic components for dimensional magic. But he wasn’t ready to leave.
There was so much left to learn, not to mention no responsibility. If he went home he would be constantly wading through paperwork. Trying to get a permit for magic experiments. His license would only get him so far without a permit. He would end up spending any and all money he had to build a lab barely even usable. Nothing that would even remotely compare to what they have here at the academy.
If he stayed he could lounge around with a good magic book. Take some classes, and stay on top of new magic. He would write papers that other people could use to make people’s lives better. Silahest knew he would be able to do much more good at the academy. His parents did not agree. At least they saw his education as an investment for the company rather than Silahest himself.
Now Silahest was left in his room alone, desperately drawing a magic circle on his floor. It was his last desperate hope. An experimental spell he had been working on for the last two years. In theory, it would create a sort of dimensional space that would copy an entire building and its contents, especially the books inside, and store it in a sort of dream copy on the ethereal plane. Then he be able to access it whenever he wanted. It would be the only way to make things tolerable back at home.
He had been waiting till he was one hundred percent sure it would work, and not set off any of the school alarms. But with his parents here, and the guards right outside his room making sure he wouldn’t run; he had no choice. He began the spell. The circle began to glow as he chanted all his being focused on the spell.
All throughout the campus, the tiniest pulse of mana could be felt going through every crevice, scanning every piece of paper, every book, every item. All the way deep down to the heart of the school. Yet not a single alarm started so no one felt alarmed. Far further than Silahest could have ever dreamed. He would have freaked out if he actually saw how far the spell went. He was too focused on just making the spell work. Then the pulse stopped expanding and began to shrink inverting and condensing. A copy of his sanctuary, in a dream. Or that was what was supposed to happen. As the magic shrank it began to become denser and denser till it was just Silahest and his room. With an entire academy wrapping all around him. Then all at once his entire room vanished.
#
Silahest rubbed his eyes, blinking out the sudden spots in his eyes from the blinding light. Did the spell work?
“Fascinating.” He jumped at the sound, from behind him. His head snapped to a man sitting on his bed with a folder and an amused smile on his face. That can’t be good.
“A bit lazy except when it comes to magic. You do want to keep studying magic right?” The man asked Silahest.
“Yes.” Is he one of the deans, or..one of the enforcers?
“What is a shell sea?”
How could he not know? “Shells filled with magical liquid.”
“Like a potion?
Silahest rolled his eyes. “Everyone makes that comparison, but no they are called shell seas because they take the magic liquid and produce a variable sea of it. Ok, not a sea but pour a potion in, and bam you got three doses of that potion. More if you let it soak. Though the effects are slightly diluted.” He didn’t mention that the shells to have that effect were the size of a backpack. The hand-held ones worked the same though could easily be overwhelmed by too much potion. They make great water-flasks when they’re out though.
“Infinitely? So it’s a dimensional shell or it duplicates the magic liquid inside itself.”
Silahest shrugged, “A bit of both. There really tricky to deal with but can also be used in other magic spells.”
“Uh uh.” The strange man closed the folder and leaned forward his tone serious, “Mr. Sebastion.”
“Yes?” Is this where they cart me off for casting that spell? He looked around for any sign of the academy guard finding none. His door was even still locked. Did he teleport in?
“Based on everything I’ve read. I have an offer for you.”
A job offer is why he's here.
“Are you familiar with Hero summoning? Where a Hero is summoned from another world to help a new one in some way?”
“What? Why?” He had heard legends and stories about heroes, even shown an ancient tome supposedly containing a ritual to bring one in a time of need. Why would he be asking about it now? Did I impress them with my spell? Do they want my help casting the ritual?
"I see you are. That makes this easier.” He pointed towards his door. “Open your door."
Confused scared and a bit curious Silahest opened the door to find an office. His eyes widened in horror as he closed the door. He looked between the door and the man. His mouth opened and closed too stunned him to speak.
"Now open the door." There was power in the way the man said it. Sillahest could feel something in his soul respond. His mind shifted the world as the door opened. Outside was the academy quiet, with no sign of his parent’s guards. The halls were silent, everything about it was silent. In all his years in the academy, it had never been so still. He knew this was and wasn’t his academy. It was his copy. It wasn’t supposed to be physical.
"You copied an entire academy, and now it will always be with you. Though I'm not sure how it will evolve as you grow."
Sillahest was barely listening stunned and a bit numb at the entire day. Why not. "What do I do now?
“Lots of options. Maybe you could run a dungeon with your academy being a place for adventurers to seek, and grow. Or maybe just use it as an academy with you at the top. Maybe you’ll become an Archwizard with a secret refuge you can go to. Maybe you’ll be more altruistic and use it as a safe haven for different people. Heck, maybe you’ll go to a place where your academy can grow and uncover even more secrets. The place might evolve into something amazing. So many many options.” The man snorted, “If you wanted you could even be someone’s summons, and when you aren’t there you could explore your new domain here study spells and whatnot.”
He had gone insane. The spell must have broken his mind, the academy was too big. He just latched onto the last thing the man said. Humoring his delusion. “Fine, what would being a summon entail?
“Really, that one?”
“Why not I'd get to study the books when not summoned, and learn new magic. I assume I would just return here when I die or the timer runs out.” The more he spoke the more he liked the idea, but there was no way this was real.
“I can't guarantee that but that’s usually how summons work.”
“Then that one please.”
Even he looked incredulous at Silahest’s interest. “You’re taking this rather well.”
“I've either gone insane, died, or this is a dream. And at this point in my shit day, I'm a bit numb. So I'm going to be optimistic and take the one where I have my downtime and can learn more magic, and see other worlds.”
“Not a bad outlook.” The man turned thoughtful, “Hypothetical question for you before I send you off. If say someone stole a book from you and there are absolutely no leads. How would you find it?”
Odd question. Maybe this is a stress-dream. Silahest decided to think aloud, “Probably a tracking spell, either scent-based to follow the trail or find a hair or something to use. Depending on how long ago. Heat vision to see tracks, or trace to outline things that have been disturbed. Possibly ask the spirit protecting the place if there is one. oh! A word linking spell. Using an exact sentence unique to that book, though it would need to be a nearly perfect copy of the letters, so if it’s handwritten..." This was a fun exercise. He loved thinking of creative ways to use his spells.
“I'm an idiot. Sure use magic. I have an entire magic library.” The man mumbled to himself before addressing Silahest, “Thanks. Now why don't you open the door again.”
Sillahest blinked at the sudden change in topic. “Ok.” He turned back to the door, grabbed the handle, and opened it. With the door open he found himself on a hill where a teenage boy with apprentice wizard Regallia stood looking panicked. Looking left and right he saw it was just him, the boy, and a door. "This isn't the academy. Who are you?" Silahest asked,
“No time!” The boy looked panicked, “Help! The boy said pointing towards a two-story tall wolf heading their way.
Sillahest snapped his fingers, and a barrage of magic missiles appeared annihilating the monster to nothing.
The teen stared stunned. "Now where am I?" The teen passed out without answering and suddenly Sillahest was back in his room. "That was odd. Was that a side effect of my copy spell?"
* * *