Chapter 18

I was reeling.

Kendranen Mir! The wizard who ... 'created' me. And maybe a key to find out what happened to him. And perhaps a key to this mystery that had pulled me into another world. And ... a cat? I was still just in some kind of reactive mode. Going from one thing to the next like a soccer ball bouncing from foot to foot. Where was the goal? Was there even a goal? And who were the players?

I closed my eyes and shook myself inwardly. If this was a game, I would already be plotting my path through the system. Finding out how to get equipment, how to get supplies, how to "level up". Instead I kept getting hit by new things in this world before I could even respond to the previous ones.

The sun was getting lower in the sky - it was way past noon and heading toward evening. I looked out the window and saw the sprawling city. A crazy maze of streets, people of all walks of life moving about. Horse drawn carriages of all shapes and sizes traveling to some unknown destinations. Trails of smoke in the distance. Something in the sky caught my eye. Was that - was that a zeppelin in the air? I shook my head in wonder.

This was real. It HAD to be.

I could smell horses, smoke, and other less pleasant things. I lifted my hand before my face. I mentally turned off the camouflage spell that made me look human and looked at my arm. The blue orb was pulsing faintly in my chest. At every pulse, I could see lines of light traveling across my body - almost like cars traveling down narrow, angular, twisty roads - to the tips of my fingers and toes. Oh my gosh! I had toes again! I wiggled them and chuckled inwardly.

"Uh. Um. Aegis?" Archive began.

"Yes." I coughed. The camouflage covered my body once again. Somehow clothes appeared as well? I mentally shrugged. Magic.

[Query: Are you ready to receive this message, Aegis?] Interface sounded insistent. I had a mental image of a puppy bouncing up and down - eager to fetch the stick. I smiled.

"Okay, okay guys. Yes. Let's hear the message." I took a deep breath.

A figure appeared before me. He was dressed in a gray business suit, all trim and straight lines and edges. I nearly fell out of bed … AGAIN.

"Whoah, what is this? A hologram?" I asked.

The man stared off vaguely to my right. It was as if he was looking out the window.

He was not as old as I envisioned. He looked about 40-ish. His short cut hair was slightly gray - more salt and pepper. It matched his suit. He had a kind looking face with a close cropped beard in sort of a soft goatee. He seemed extremely clean cut, businesslike. I was expecting a floppy hatted, wrinkly, hunch backed wizard with a big staff and sticks in his hair. What I was looking at was more like an older Bruce Wayne or something. His eyes were a deep blue. Impossibly blue. And, he was wearing a monocle. That seemed a little cliché.

"Hello Aegis. My name is Kendranen Mir. I know you have a lot of questions. And, as a matter of fact, I have a lot of answers. However, I'm sorry to say they will not come easily. If you are seeing this projection, it means my worst fears have come to fruition, and I was not able to prevent the events from unfolding as I had predicted. In all likelihood, I'm dead. Or worse. I'm very sorry to be placing you in this position, Aegis. But I see so much potential in you. Potential that was about to be horribly wasted in your own world. You see, you were dying. And that was not something any of your world's science would be able to prevent. "

I cringed. I had accepted death a long time ago. But this place had given me a new hope. Facing that mortality again was hard. I bit my lip.

"Why me?" I asked.

The projection continued on, seemingly unable to respond to my question.

"You are probably trying to speak to me, but unfortunately this is merely a projection. I have instilled within you a "program" - is that how your world calls it? It's an interface that allows your spirit to reside within the body of the magically animated golem I have created for you. This body has abilities far beyond your wildest imagination. But those days are ahead of you. I must ask several things of you, Aegis. First, that you trust me. You will discover many people of this world will at first seem to be one thing, and they will instead be another. This world is full of what you call "magic" but it also has science as well. There are many more wizards like me. And some of them are not nearly as … scrupulous as I am. You must keep yourself hidden within my castle. I'm sure by now you have encountered your counterpart - Bright."

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He paused to smile. He had nice teeth. His eyes smiled as well. I found myself liking this poor guy.

"She is very … unorthodox. But it is in her nature as a Being of Mana. You must treat her with kindness, friendship, but also respect. She is an example of what I just mentioned. On the surface she may seem to just be a bubbly girl with powers. But beneath the surface she is far more. You must NOT let her get into the wrong hands. She is as much a part of you as your interface, or your own very soul. Remember this!"

His face had turned red. I cringed a bit. Even though it was just a projection, he was a formidable man. I would never want to be on his bad side.

"Secondly, you must become a student of magic. You are a being of magic, and science as well, but more than that. More of that I cannot say for now, but suffice to say I have created a few more artifacts that will help you learn magic. One has the appearance of a book. It is called Archive. "

I looked down at the book. The eye blinked at me a few times. It seemed to be smiling.

"Archive is a magical manifestation of all my acquired knowledge. It will help you learn to use magic. In time, you might even surpass me. I have instilled that potential within you."

I sucked in my breath. I felt like I was getting my "quest". Every time I was convinced this world was real, things like this happened, that reminded me of a game. I was so confused.

"What about the cat?" I asked.

"Lastly," he continued - still ignoring me or unable to respond - "I need your help. You must find who has … put an end to me. With all my powers and resources, they have kept themselves unknown to me. There are many dark powers in this world. And many that will be glad to see me dead. But of them I am keenly aware. The force that acts against me is of a different order."

I remembered the malevolent presence I had almost encountered when I first came to this world. And the hooded figure that literally beat me with my own arm. And then there was the cat.

"What can I do? I'm a nobody? I don't even know the first thing about magic." I asked.

The wizard turned toward me and looked me in the eye. I froze. My body would not respond.

[Warning: something has taken over our functions. I am unable to compensate.]

"Aegis. This is no game. This world is not a plaything. These are real lives at stake. You are their Aegis, their shield. I believe in you. Live in this world. Make friends. Take your time and learn magic. You cannot rush this. You will only be able to face our enemies once you have learned how to use the innate abilities within you. Find out who put an end to me, but do not seek revenge. Only shield, only protect."

The wizard walked toward me and touched my forehead. My whole body was tingling like I had pins and needles. He looked at me with his impossibly blue eyes and smiled. He reached up and removed his monocle. My hand automatically reached out for it without my will doing anything to stop it.

As he placed it in the palm of my hand, he began to fade.

"Oh, and one more thing. Don't trust the cat. She is not your enemy, but … she is also not your friend. She is nobody's friend." His last words were wistful as he faded away fully.

Suddenly I could move my arms and legs again. I gasped for air, even though I didn't really need to breathe. I looked down at the palm of my hand. The monocle was still there. It felt like more than just a piece of glass and wire.

[Attention: High levels of mana and complex electronic activity detected in the device in your hand. ]

"Huh. No duh..." I whispered.

I looked over at Archive.

"Did you see all that, as well?" I asked.

"Yes, Aegis, I did." the book responded.

"That's good. I'm hungry. I'm going downstairs to get something to eat. Is it OK to leave you here or should I put you under the bed or something?" I ran my fingers through my hair and took a deep breath.

Archive's eye widened.

"Heavens no, my boy! That will be quite unnecessary. I will be fine here." The clasp closed again on the book, and the eye closed. It looked like a … well a really creepy book.

"Interface, is there any way to keep track of this room while we go downstairs. Like a magic ward or something?"

[Affirmative. I can detect if anyone comes near this location. ]

"Great! I'm starving. Let's go get some food!"

[You know, Aegis, you don't really require …]

"Hush! The last thing I need right now is some lip from you. I've just had the great and powerful OZ give me some huge quests. I need some time to sit down and think about everything. And the best way for me to do that is to go downstairs and eat in the nice crowded lobby while folks chit chat about their lives. OK?" My voice was getting higher and higher pitched.

[Affirmative. Good strategy, Aegis.]

I pocketed the monocle and strode downstairs to the noisy tavern lobby. The door closed with a click behind me.