The morning after the great realisation could only be described in one word.

Tense.

Jason watched his father with curious eyes. He had many questions, so many questions he could feel his brain about to explode from the sheer amount. But he also knew that his dad was a bit touchy about the subject of sorcery, especially after seeing him break down the night beforehand.

But as they sat in the kitchen in a tense silence Jason found that he could not help himself so he ended up asking, “Is the mark on my arm magic?”

Jason watched as his father almost choked on his morning coffee. It was almost as if he had tried to answer mid gulp and Jason regretted asking at that exact moment.

“Um yes your mark is magic,” answered Jacob as he dabbed away the coffee that had sputtered onto the kitchen table with a piece of kitchen roll.

“What is it?” asked Jason as he gazed down upon it.

“It’s a protection spell that a friend of mine put on you to keep you safe from harm and to mask your magical aura,” answered Jacob, “Speaking of my friend. He wishes to meet you. So we can discuss….things.”

“What kinda things?” asked Jason curiously, “Is it magic things?”

“You will find out when he gets here,” responded Jacob as he lifted his newspaper to signal that the conversation was now over. Jason grumbled to himself about how it was unfair but didn’t bother his father with any further questioning.

After excusing himself Jason slowly made his way back upstairs to his bedroom feeling like he was a zombie. He didn’t sleep much the night before. He had too much going on in his mind. So his plan was to collapse onto his bed and fall into an eternal coma.

But the problem was somebody was already on his bed.

The beautiful goth girl Diana smirked at him, “I was bored so I thought I’d bug you for a while,” she said as she tossed his plushy of Stitch at his head, which he caught.

“Now is not the time to have a girl in my bedroom,” he said grumpily as he tossed Stitch onto the abandoned chair by his desk.

“Aw is poor little Jason having a rough day,” pouted Diana mockingly.

“Can you just get out?” asked Jason with a groan of annoyance as he collapsed onto the foot of his bed. Diana however took this as an invitation to lay down next to him.

“Look Jason this is probably the last time you’re gonna see me,” she admitted, “And I needed to let the only person who hasn’t been an asshole to me know that I’m leaving, and that I valued the fact you never bullied me like the others.”

“Woah hold up,” said Jason as he propped himself up on his elbows to get a better look at Diana, “You’re leaving?” he questioned, “Where are you going?”

“Just a private school,” she answered with a sigh, “It’s got it’s own dorms and stuff so I’ll be staying there. But you never know you might see me at Christmas or the during summer vacation.”

“You sound like you don’t want to go,” says Jason softly, “So why are you?”

“I don’t have a choice in this. I need to go,” she answers with a sigh, “Honestly I was looking forward to being your friend. But I guess that’s not gonna happen.”

“We can still be friends,” responded Jason with a gentle smile, “I still have your phone number after all.”

This brought a smile to her face, “You better text me then dumbass.”

“I promise I will,” he says with a genuine smile.

Diana mumbled a soft curse under her breath as her phone began to vibrate in her pocket, “That’ll be my Dad. I’ll text you.”

Before he could respond she had already clambered out of his bedroom window leaving him to stare after her with a dumbstruck look upon his face.

“Goodbye...I guess,” he mumbled before falling back and allowing sleep to take him.

Moments later, or so it seemed, he was awoken by his father gently shaking him, “Come on kiddo you need to wake up.”

“Ugh five more minutes,” he grumbled.

“My friend is waiting for you,” said Jacob firmly, “So get up and splash some water on your face. We’ll be waiting for you in my study.”

Without waiting for Jason to say anything further Jacob stepped out of his room leaving him to sit there and groggily grumble about how he was tired. But nevertheless he still went into his en-suite and splashed his face with cold water to wake himself up a bit more. If he was honest it was actually pretty refreshing.

It just suddenly clicked in his brain as he stared in the mirror at his reflection, that the person who gave him his protective mark was currently sitting downstairs and would possibly have far more satisfying answers than any that he has been provided with so far.

Without wasting any time Jason sped out of his room and downstairs within seconds. He stood in front of his father’s study door and took a deep breath to steady himself.

Jason raised his fist to knock but the door opened before he could to reveal his father standing on the other side, “You took your time son.”

“Sorry,” murmured Jason feeling a bit guilty about having his father waiting for him. Jacob stood aside to allow Jason to enter the study. But the moment he entered he froze with his eyes wide in awe.

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There standing next to the window was a man with long flowing hair and matching beard, but what stood out the most was the pointed ears jaunting out from his head. However, the moment he saw Jason he smiled warmly and approached with his hand extended in greeting.

“Jason how good to see you again,” said Gandor with a wide smile. Jason took his hand and shook it but was still in quiet shock.

“I see you have noticed I’m and elf,” commented Gandor with a chuckle, “But rest assured I am one of the friendly ones.”

“There are non-friendly ones?” managed Jason.

“Like the human race there are good elves and bad elves,” answered Gandor as he broke away from Jason and took a seat behind his father’s desk, “There is good and bad. It is our choices that define which category we fall into.”

“Uh yeah,” responded Jason dumbly.

Jacob stepped past his son and leaned against the wall behind Gandor, “We have a lot to talk about son. Take a seat.”

Jason collapsed into the chair opposite from Gandor.

“Jason I know that you have a plethora of questions rushing around your mind right now and I promise I shall answer as much as I can,” speaks Gandor as he leans forwards gazing at Jason with sharp eyes, “However we have much more pressing matters to discuss at this time.”

“It has come to my attention that you have recently had a vision of the night that your mother and sister passed away,” says Gandor gravely, “I know that it may be difficult but I need you to describe to me how it felt when you experienced this vision.”

Jason gulped suddenly feeling his mouth become dry, “Uh it was weird.”

“How so?” asked Jacob curiously.

“I-I don’t know how to describe it,” stammered Jason, “It was like I was experiencing everything through my eyes but when I was a baby. I could feel everything. Mom holding me in her arms, the heat from the fire spell in her hand. T-The sounds…” Jason found himself trailing off and staring down at his shoes. He couldn’t help but feel the tears fall as he remembered the screams and yells of pain from his dream.

“It’s okay to allow yourself to feel this Jason,” said Gandor with a soft voice, “Allowing ourselves to feel pain is possibly the hardest thing you can do. But it is best to embrace it rather than push it down.”

“I could hear screaming,” answered Jason in a hushed tone, “I could hear people crying in pain. And then…”

“Then what?” asked Jacob hastily, “What did you hear!?”

Jason stayed quiet staring down at his shoes as if they were the most interesting things in the world.

Gandor spoke very firmly, “Jacob leave.”

“What!?”

“Leave,” spoke Gandor clearly, “You are not helping the situation. Leave.”

“But-!”

“Enough!” snapped Gandor, “Leave now and allow me to do what needs to be done otherwise I shall force you to leave.”

“Fine,” snarked Jacob as he stepped out of the room taking care to slam the door with an unnecessary amount of force.

“Sorry about that Jason,” said Gandor softly, “Your father has always been a bit hasty, even when he was much younger. You can tell me when you’re ready what else you remember from your vision.”

After a few minutes of silence Jason finally spoke, “I think I heard my sister dying.”

Gandor was silent for a few moments before he spoke in a gentle almost grieving tone, “I am so sorry you had to experience that Jason.”

“What you experienced is what is known as a temporal perspective vision,” says Gandor with a sigh, “This is the ability to experience a memory through the eyes of your previous self, or past self if you’d prefer.”

He stood up and began pacing, “Your power has been growing exponentially. To the point where you have been able to accomplish what takes experienced sorcerers years to perfect. The ability to project yourself into the body of your past self.”

“So your saying my soul time travelled into baby me?” asked Jason in surprise.

Gandor chuckled, “Well that’s one way of putting it.”

“Does that mean I can time travel?” gasped Jason, “Like Doctor Who?”

“I have no idea what a Doctor Who is but essentially yes in a way you can,” confirmed Gandor, “But to perfect this you will need years of training. Which is also the reason why I am here.”

“You’re going to train me?” asked Jason excitedly.

Gandor sighed, “As much as I would love to you will need to receive your training from the Masters Of Chaos.”

“Who?”

“The Masters Of Chaos are the most powerful sorcerers in the world,” answered Gandor as he took his seat again behind the desk and fixed Jason with his piercing stare, “The Masters typically will chose their protégé through trials. These trials allow them to see which young sorcerers are worthy of their time and effort.”

“What kind of trials?” asked Jason a little scared.

“They are typically trials of three. The Trial Of Courage. The Trial Of Fate. Finally The Trial Of Mystery,” answered Gandor, “The Masters will make you carry out each trial in a controlled environment. Should you be lucky to pass all three of these trials you will be on the roster. Once you have made it onto the roster a Master shall chose their apprentice.”

“So some dude will chose whether or not you’re good enough for them to train you?” asked Jason, “Sounds like those guys have big egos.”

Gandor chuckles, “You are more like your father than I thought. He always said the Masters Of Chaos were, and I quote here, egotistical pricks.”

“But as much as you believe them to be egotistical they are the most powerful sorcerers and the best chance you have at receiving the training that you most certainly require. Especially for what is to come to pass.”

“What?”

“That is something for another day,” answered Gandor, “For now your father will explain the rest. But be ready. In the days to come you will be challenged in the trials. But stay true to yourself and your heart and you will be alright.”

“Anyone ever tell you that you are cryptic as fuck?” grumbles Jason as he slouches in his chair.

“Yes,” answers Gandor with a smirk, “Your father.”

Without any further word Gandor’s body turned to mist and disappeared, leaving Jason sitting there with his jaw on the floor, “Okay that was awesome.”

“He knows how to make an exit that’s for sure,” said Jacob as he entered the room once more, “Always gives his answers in parts. That’s for sure.”

“He told me that you’d explain the trials to me,” says Jason as he watched his father sink into the recently vacated seat.

“Actually that would be down to me,” said another voice from the door making both father and son jump to their feet. Jason had jumped in fear, but Jacob had summoned a silver dagger from out of thin air and was ready for battle.