I hadn’t realized I was asleep, but the sound of talking wakes me up. I’m in a bed that doesn’t belong to me, in a room I’ve never been in. The last thing I remember is getting touched by mask boy and my body just lit up. I turn my head. There’s a small table. A single cup sits in front of Levi. Across from him is mask boy. The two are chatting, it seems pretty calm, almost joyous. Did they bring me here?

“Welcome to my apartment,” Mask Boy gives me a little wave when he realizes I’m awake.

“What did you do to me?”

“A little burst of my magic. Nothing that would kill you.”

“That didn’t answer the question. What kind of magic was it.”

“Pain.”

“Pain?”

“Pain,” he shrugs his shoulders and tilts his head. I hate every time he tilts his head.

“Why did you bring me here?”

“You could show some gratitude, your friend Levi here has been the most delightful guest.”

“Hey,” Levi smiles showing all his teeth before sipping some of whatever is in the cup.

“We need to go,” I stare back at Levi before realizing I’m wearing my mask and he can’t read my expression.

“Funny enough, we were talking about leaving. Pull up a chair.”

I don’t have much of a choice here. I don’t have any of my knives and that was the only way I could manage to be close to an even footing with him. Levi seems to have chosen the masked magician over me, so I can’t count on him to help me out. I get out of bed and take a seat in one of the old wooden chairs at the table.

“Can I offer you some Soda?”

“Soda?”

“It’s like juice, but it’s carbonated.”

“I don’t know what that means. I’ll pass.”

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“It’s really good,” Levi interjects.

“Who’s friend are you,” I ask him.

“You should listen to him. I told him about how we’re going to the top of the Phaethon Mountains so you can kill the sorcerers and bring back the light.”

“I didn’t say I was going to kill them,” I respond instantly.

“Well, you didn’t say much.”

“What did he tell you,” I turn to mask boy.

“He told me you’re on a journey to bring the sun back. But, I don’t think you’re old enough to ever have seen the sun.”

“I haven’t.”

“But you’re sure the sorcerers took the sun, with malicious intent?”

“I’ve heard stories. I don’t know if they took it. One of the stories said that the sun is trapped behind a doorway to another world. The one thing I’m sure of is that the sorcerers have something to do with it, and that the answers are at the top of those mountains.”

“You’re just going to run off without a plan, and fight anyone that gets in your way while you play detective?”

“What are you getting at,” he’s frustrating me.

“I’ll tell you, but for now, let me tell you another story.”

“I’m guessing I don’t have a choice.”

“Just hear him out, he doesn’t mean any harm,” Levi interrupts.

“Fine, what do you want,” I turn to the masked manipulator.

“First, a story.”

“Fine, just get on with it,” I smack the table in frustration.

“Once upon a time, the world had sunlight. It had technology,” a word I don’t know. “Electricity was plentiful. It was powered by the sun. You don’t know what the sun is, it’s a big star that lights our planet. It provides warmth, as the planet rotates around it, we get seasons.”

“Wait, for real,” Levi asks.

“Yeah, there used to be a bigger focus on the science. Science was as important as magic. The two were intertwined and that’s where the trouble began. See, there was a group of sorcerers who wanted to harness more energy of the sun, more than science could. But to do that, they needed to focus the energy of the sun into a single vessel. They tried different things, over and over again. Finally, one sorcerer managed to drain the energy and focus it somewhere up on the mountains. The sorcerers had a little town of their own up there. With the energy of the sun, they had an infinite amount of power. But, one sorcerer got greedy. He drained more and more energy, until there was almost nothing left of the sun for the rest of us. Still, it wasn’t enough. In the end, all we were left with is a single beam of light that travels the world based on what their little system gives off at the top of the mountain. We fight for scraps, and that’s not right. A wrong has been committed, and someone needs to right that wrong. I’ve wanted to do it for a long a time, but I could never do it alone. We both want the same thing. Alone, neither of us could do it. But together, we might stand a chance. I’m not asking to come with you. I’m asking you to join you on my quest. My quest for redemption,” he pauses. “Sorcerers should not have to carry the weight of one person’s mistake.”

Another story about what the light is, and how it went missing. He seems serious. If he really wanted to kill me, he could have. Most importantly, he wants to get out of this damn town, and so do I. His voice and body language told me he’s serious and he might be more prepared than I am.

“When do we leave?”