Darren awoke in a daze, his vision was blurry and his head felt like it was splitting with every blink. He slowly turned his head and took in the four dark grey walls around him, a sink and toilet in one corner with a small polished metal mirror. And the door, large and heavy, black wood with metal bands across it. Small runes and symbols glowed dimly around the frame. He rolled onto his left side and felt a searing pain in his shoulder and forearm. The memory was fuzzy, but he remembered the knife slicing through the air, and his arms. He fell off the slab he was lying on and onto the cold stone floor. He was barefoot, but his arms had bandages wrapped around them. Sluggish and heavy, he dragged himself to the mirror and looked into it. He saw an absolute mess staring back. Both eyes blackened and a large gash on his forehead that had been stitched. The memory of the pommel of the sword came back in a flash.
“What’s happening to me?” he asked as he put a hand over his eyes, blocking the dim light emanating from a single symbol on the ceiling. He gently wiped the hand down his face trying to rub away the tiredness without touching the bruising around his eyes. He looked into the mirror again, and noticed something with his eyes wasn’t right. He leaned in close and winced as he pulled the lid down exposing the eye more. His irises were purple, a light and vibrant purple that unsettled him. They had been brown his entire life, and he’d never heard of getting hit so hard your eyes changed color.
“What the fuck is happening?” he asked again, starting to panic. Then he saw it in a flash. The bedroom, the face of the tall man that had attacked him, dressed in all black. But the man was sitting on him, smiling, he seemed even larger than before. Darren couldn’t breathe, felt like he couldn’t move. He fell back and landed hard on the stone as the vision cleared from his mind. He sucked in a large breath and looked around, still in the same room.
He heard a heavy clunk from the door, it opened quickly thumping against the wall. The angry men with black and blonde hair were standing there, armed but with weapons sheathed. Now that things were calmer he could see that they were barely men, maybe two to three years older than himself. The blonde one walked in first watching Darren closely. The black haired one strode in and slammed the door behind him. They just stood there for a moment looking at him. The blonde one chuckled and put his hand on his sword.
“Who are you, and who is your mage?” the blonde man asked.
Darren looked at them blankly, eyes darting between them and the man’s sword.
“Answer now or I’ll split your skull instead of your scalp.” the blonde man said, pulling the sword part way from its sheath.
“Okay, shit.” Darren said, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m Darren, my name’s Darren Kelly and I don’t know where I am or what’s going on.”
“You’re a guardian.” the black haired man said calmly. “So who are you paired with? The purple of your eyes shows it’s someone in my family, but I don’t know you.”
“My eyes weren’t purple yesterday. What do you mean paired with?” Darren asked scooting back from them until he hit the wall.
The two men looked at each other for a moment.
“Tell us what you remember.” the blonde man said, letting go of his sword and leaning back against the far wall.
Darren told them everything. Waking up in the night, being pulled through the purple and black hole, being attacked, and defending himself the only way he knew how. His confusion, his fear, he hid nothing and thought he had no reason to. The two men just stared at him silently as he spoke taking in the events in question. As he finished with them beating him senseless the room fell silent. They just stared at him for a long time, occasionally glancing at each other, their expressions changing repeatedly. Darren didn’t know what they were waiting for, or if he should speak.
“Where am I?” Darren asked.
They each glared at him in a way that made him wish he’d stayed silent. He just put his hands up again and looked away from them.
“Well, if he is telling the truth then he killed to protect her and I cannot have a problem with that.” the black haired one said.
“I didn’t kill that guy, he got knocked out the window when I flew in and that pissed the tall guy off but that wasn’t my fault.” Darren said defensively.
“Oh so you put the one out the window as well? You got them both then.” the blonde one said.
“Got them both?” Darren asked as it sank in. “Wait, the knife guy died?” his stomach dropped.
“Choked to death it seems.” the blonde replied.
Darren’s head spun, he thought he had just choked the man unconscious not to death. He couldn’t remember how long he held the choke but he just meant to stop the attack. He had killed him, not someone innocent, but still he ended a life. He wasn’t sure what to feel, and the world wouldn’t give him the time to process. He felt an intense panic again and images overtook his vision. He saw the tall man sitting on him, and the shorter man he’d seen through the portal trying to tie his hands. His small pale hands, with sleeves of a sweater he didn’t recognize. Everything seemed hazy and hard to understand. The vision slowly subsided and he could see the two men with him in his cell again. They were watching him with curious eyes.
“What did you see just now?” the blonde man asked.
“The two men from last night. They were holding me down and tying me up I think. But they seemed bigger, bigger than when I was there. Or, I was smaller?” Darren said as he looked down at his hands. He noticed faint markings on his arms, just barely visible poking out from beneath the bandages.
“He must be her’s.” the blonde one said.
“You will stay here, we must speak with my father.” the black haired man said “My name is Avarith, his is Leon.” he gestured to the blonde man.
“We shall have food brought while we figure this all out. Just try and rest for now.” Leon said, their demeanor much different than when they entered the room.
They walked out and secured the door behind them. Darren didn’t think he could be more confused. The black haired man, Avarith, had shot fire at him, from his hand. Leon had busted through a heavy wood door like it was paper. And Darren himself had killed, he’d choked that man. Cut off the blood to his brain until it ceased to function permanently. He looked at his hands again, just sitting against the wall in the cold hard cell. Unsure if he should be sick, or just thankful he hadn’t been stabbed to death. A small slot on the door popped open and a food tray slid through it. He had no appetite but could feel his hands were shaky and forced himself to eat some. Whatever would come next, he would need his strength and wits about him.
****
Silvia had been unconscious for an entire day. Archard had called in his niece Beraina, the most gifted healer in the family, to check on her. She had run a full diagnostic both physically and magically and found nothing amiss. Just the echoes of powerful magic from an unknown source outside of herself. If anything Silvia was in a healthier state than when Beraina had last seen her. She detected magic on her distant cousin.
Avarith and Leon found themselves sitting in her room for most of it. They, along with Archard, had always been the closest to her in her family. They had looked after her when her father died and when she didn’t quicken on her tenth birthday. Because of this the two of them only left her side to question the stranger they had found alive in her room. And here they sat, at a small table by the window those men had come through, idly playing cards and talking, waiting for her to wake up.
Silvia flew out of her bed in a stupor, landing on the floor on her hands and knees. She let out a small scream and looked around the room, now well lit and full of familiar faces. She immediately began sobbing. For them it had been several hours, for her it seemed only seconds passed since the men were on her. Her arms clung to her own shoulders as Avarith came to sit next to her and pulled her to him.
“Shhhh, it’s okay now, they’re gone. Leon and I are here.” he said in a low soothing tone.
“I don’t know where they came from.” she balled “What did they do to me?” she looked up at him with tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Nothing, they did nothing to you.” Leon said as he sat on the bed behind her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Silvia let out a trembling breath and tried to calm herself. She pressed her hands to her face and just sat there, with the only people who made her feel safe.
“What did they want?” she asked shakily after a moment.
“I’m sorry cousin, we couldn’t say. Both of them died.” Avarith told her.
“Good.” she spat out the word with hatred “I’m glad you killed them for what they did.”
Avarith and Leon exchanged a glance.
“Actually Silvia, technically you killed one of them, or had a hand in it. And someone else killed the second.” Leon told her “You looked after yourself, without our help.”
Silvia looked at Avarith, confusion on her face.
“Silvia, we have to talk, now that you’re awake.” he told her “What do you remember?”
“I just remember them on me, one hit me and... I thought I was going to die and… Then, I don’t know. I had dreams I think. I was in a cell, small and dark, the ones in the basement. I looked in a mirror and I was a boy, I was so confused and didn’t know where I was.” she stammered through it all. “But that can’t be right, I know where the cells are. I played there when I was young, when no one was in them.” she was rambling.
Avarith placed a hand on her shoulder to slow her down. He looked at Leon.
“That settles it, Av.” Leon said “Take her to your father, I’ll collect our guest. We need to sit down and go over all of this for them.”
Avarith brought Silvia to his father’s rooms. They walked in and found Archard and Erol standing at the end of the entry-way sitting room. Her uncle hugged her and motioned for her to take a seat near the fireplace.
“We’re just waiting for someone, then we can make everything clear for you my dear.” Archard said, a somber note in his voice.
Silvia did her best, to contain her curiosity and emotions, and to wait to see what they meant. She pulled her knees to her chest in the large armchair they set aside for her.
The door opened suddenly, Leon walked in and stepped to the side. Silvia felt her stomach drop as the boy she had been in her dream walked in behind him. His clothes covered with dried blood, his arms bandaged, but the purple eyes surrounded by bruising were the ones she had seen in the mirror as she slept.
“I was him, in my dream.” she stared at his face “Who is he?” she asked, looking at Avarith.
Darren looked around the room, taking in the new faces of the two older men across from him, and recognized the girl that was tied with rope when he first arrived.
Avarith motioned to him “Introduce yourself, if you would be so kind.”
“Uh I’m Darren, I got pulled through a hole and thrown at a guy.” he said to the room.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Pulled through a hole?” Silvia asked, looking at her uncle.
“It appears you have quickened, Silvia. You’ve become a mage and unlocked your magic as of last night.” Archard said, holding her gaze “And this young man is your guardian.”
They waited patiently as she took this in. The only sound was the crackling of the fire next to her.
“I’m her what?” Darren interjected. As he did he felt strange feelings welling up inside him, excitement and panic, even more confusion than he had before. It all felt foreign, like it didn’t belong. It became so overwhelming he felt dizzy and took a small step back. Leon caught his shoulder to steady him.
“How is that possible?” Silvia asked “After all this time?”
“We aren’t entirely sure.” Archard said as he looked between her and Darren.
“Divine circumstance always unites a guardian with their mage in the mage’s tenth year. And yet, yours never arrived, we never truly knew why this was. It appears it may have been because he wasn’t here to find you.” Avarith added
Silvia looked at Darren as if for the first time. He stared back and they each felt a strong sense of deja vu, like the person in front of them wasn’t a stranger.
“You pulled him through from his world and threw him into one of the men in your room, knocking him out the window. Darren killed the other when the man tried to stab him, succeeding to some small degree.” Leon said, slapping one of the bandaged cuts on Darren’s arms.
Darren winced and pulled the arm away, rubbing it absently. “Sorry to interrupt, but I don’t know what any of you are saying.” he looked to Archard, who he took to be in charge. “Where am I and why?”
“No, I’m sorry.” Archard said, “You’re new here and know how none of this works. Silvia here is my niece. Our family is one of nine in this country that are gifted with magic. We work to protect and help those around us that are not so blessed. When a mage becomes old enough they meet a preordained partner who is a conduit for their magic, unlocking it. Once they meet, they both become so much more than they were before. You are her conduit, her guardian.” he gave the boy a moment.
“So magic exists and I’m magical?” Darren asked flatly after a moment “Is this a coma dream or something? This is fuckin' absurd.”
“You aren’t magical, you are a vessel for her magic to work through.” Avarith explained.
Archard continued “Due to the stress of her attack, fate saw fit to force your connection across worlds it would seem. We still do not understand how or why. But once that happened she pulled you to her in her time of need, and you fulfilled your duty perfectly, protecting her and killing her attackers.”
“That’s what we do.” Leon said from behind him.
“So you’re a ‘guardian’ too. Which would make you paired with him?” Darren asked, pointing to Avarith.
Silvia stood abruptly and walked over to Darren, staring directly into his eyes. He was startled but met her gaze, he started to feel a strong buzzing in his head and an overwhelming stream of mixed emotions. He stepped back from her and broke their gaze to let his head clear. She had felt it too, but was too intrigued to stop it.
“So that’s why I dreamt as him. I wasn’t dreaming but seeing through his eyes for the first time.” Silvia finally understood her visions.
“And what does that mean?” Darren asked, refusing to look at her again just yet.
“Mages and their guardians are connected, deeply. You can see through each other’s eyes, feel emotions, and eventually share words without speaking.” Archard explained “It will be intense and uncontrollable at first, but as you hone the skill it will be something you do as simply as breathing.”
“So when I kept seeing those men tying me up, what was that?” Darren asked.
Silvia looked at the floor, remembering the moment the men woke her up.
“Those were her dreams as she lay unconscious, from the toll the magic took bringing you here.” Avarith told him “That is when we finally understood that you were her’s.”
“Which is why you started feeding me and stopped threatening.” Darren replied.
Leon smiled and patted him hard on the back “Of course, you’re part of the family now.”
Avarith chuckled “You should bathe and have some proper food. I’m sure you’ve not slept much since Leon knocked you unconscious. It will be easier to understand on a full stomach, but know you’re among friends now.”
“And you just trust me, just like that?” Darren asked.
“Fate plays many cruel tricks, but it does not connect a mage and guardian unless they are of like mind.” Archard said from across the room.
“So any friend of Silvia’s is a friend of yours.” Darren replied.
“More than that, guardians are accepted as full family members.” Archard told him. “We will set you up with a room near hers. A training space separating the rooms that you can both use at your leisure, you will have all you need. Until that is finalized you can use Leon’s room to wash up and sleep for tonight. Get him settled, boys.”
“I have a lot more questions.” Darren said sternly, standing his ground.
“And they will be answered, but you’re covered in your own blood and need real rest.” Archard’s voice left no room for argument.
Leon patted Darren on the back again. “Come on, you smell like death.”
Darren hesitated a moment longer but left with them.
The door closed behind them and Archard walked over to his niece and hugged her again. She let herself be held and took in a deep shuddering breath. Her uncle stepped back and wiped her hair from her brow and just stared at her.
“How are you doing, little one?” he asked, “I know it’s a lot to take in.”
“I’m ready, uncle. This is all I wanted, I don’t care how or why, this is what I was born to do.” she replied, resolute and steadfast.
“Your father’s daughter, through and through. Nothing could slow him down for long, and you seem more like him every day.” a note of sadness hung in his voice. “Your training will begin tomorrow, Avarith will take the lead on your studies, his brothers can take over his contracts for now to give him time to work with you. Your guardian Darren will need extra time, not only for his weapons and combat training, which Leon will oversee. He will need the knowledge of our world. Knowledge of the families, what we do, the kingdom and why we risk ourselves. It will be up to the three of you to teach him that, together. The next few weeks will not be easy, long days, sweat and blood await you. I know you can do it. And if he is yours then he will be more than capable as well.” He rubbed her shoulders. “Anything you need, do not hesitate to come ask me. I have much work to do, but I want to be as much a part of your training as I can be. This is the beginning of the rest of your life, Silvia.”
“Thank you uncle, I’ll make you proud, I promise.” She said, hugging him again.
Erol walked over and patted her on the shoulder, giving her a determined nod, a small smile hid behind his bushy beard.
Her mind raced as she made her way back to her room. The trauma of the night before was temporarily replaced by eagerness. She looked down at her hands and realized she had the runes on her forearms. The ones that allowed her to pull out her Index, the guide through which she could select her powers. She gripped the air above the symbols on her left arm and pulled it out as she’d seen her family do a thousand times. It opened like a rigid translucent scroll being unraveled from her arm, small tufts of purple smoke radiated from it. It stayed open as she scrolled through the symbols, finding the ones she recognized from having studied them for so long. She could finally select them and begin to use them, she could hardly wait for the morning.
“It all starts tomorrow.” she said to herself.
She walked into her room and closed the door behind her, she looked up and saw her mother, sitting in one of the chairs across from her bed.
“I’m glad you’re okay Silvia.” her mother said flatly.
“Thanks.” Silvia didn’t move from the door.
“Archard tells me you are a mage now. That somehow you’ve quickened at this late stage.” her mother replied.
“Yes, that is one of the things that happened to me.” Silvia’s voice was cold, her face flushed. Of course that woman only cared about the part that affected her. Not that those men had come into this very room, struck me, tried to take me.
Her mother rose and walked over to her, she reached out and though Silvia pulled back, she lightly rubbed the place where she had been hit.
“Those monsters, I can’t believe they would hit you, a mere girl.” her mother clicked her tongue. “And such a bruise on your pretty face.”
Silvia looked away, hiding the bruise and walked past her mother to the window.
“Well I’m glad to hear you got your powers, at least some good came of it.” her mother said from behind her. “You must be elated.” She could hear the smile in her mother’s voice.
“Yes I am, I begin training tomorrow.”
“Much better at magic than all those dirty weapons.” her mother said.
“Oh I’m continuing that as well. I’ll be training with my guardian and Leon when I have spare time around my studies.” Silvia didn’t look back, but relished in the disapproving face she knew her mother was making.
Silence for a moment “Well I’m happy for you at any rate” her mother said as she eyed the symbols on her daughter's arms. She lingered a moment longer before she turned and left.
As the door closed Silvia let out a breath of relief. She sat in the chair by her window and pulled up the Index again, mouthing the words of the spells as she scrolled through them.
“It all starts tomorrow.”
****
Leon and Avarith led Darren down the ornate hallways, on the thick vibrantly colored rug that ran the length of every hall. His eyes constantly wandered to the brilliant art and impressive sculptures that dotted the walls to break up the monotonous grey stone.
“I know it’s a lot to take in.” Avarith said over his shoulder “If you have any questions, we will do our best to answer them. The ones we know at least.”
“So what happens now, after I shower and eat?” Darren asked, feeling slightly more comfortable.
“For the rest of the night you can rest easy. We’ll get you settled and let you have a real bed. Being knocked unconscious isn’t exactly sleep, is it?” Leon asked, humor in his tone.
“I guess not.” Darren replied, “And after that?”
“Tomorrow you begin training with him.” Avarith nodded to Leon. “He will teach you combat, while I teach Silvia magic. After a time, once you both know your basics and you can stand to be around each other without reading too much from each other to concentrate, you will train together sometimes. On top of this my father told me we will have to give you separate lessons in history and how our world works so you can be more than a blunt instrument.”
“Hey, being a blunt instrument isn't all bad.” Leon smirked.
“And what if I refuse?” Darren asked.
Both of them stopped in front of him and looked at each other, then back to him.
“No one’s ever refused before.” Avarith said.
“I don’t think you understand Darren, this isn’t an offer. This is your calling. You were born for this, and I don’t think any guardian would want to do anything besides what they were born to do.” Leon told him. “And if you refuse they will probably make me kill you.” he raised his eyebrows at Darren and they began walking again.
He could tell Leon was joking, but he didn’t seem to have many options at the moment. Darren resigned himself to the fact that this was happening, whether he liked it or not. Besides, there are worse places to stay than a fancy castle most likely filled with good food and soft beds. And at least he wouldn’t have to give up training, even if he would miss his gym. And his parents. He couldn’t imagine how they were getting on without him, without any idea what happened to him.
“Can I go home, ever?” he asked suddenly.
Both of them stopped again, this time more serious.
“We don’t know Darren. Truth be told, we have never had someone from another world here, we didn’t even know there were other worlds until we tried to study you with magic. Fate does play many cruel tricks, I think only time will tell how cruel the one it has played on you actually is. We will look into it though, and let you know what we find.” Avarith looked him in the eyes as he spoke.
“Thanks, I guess.” Darren replied and followed them to the room he was staying in. There was a cot made across from Leon’s finely crafted bed. It was a large suite, complete with a sitting room, bedroom, bathroom, and a large walk in closet. There were fresh clothes on his cot, his bag and its contents waited for him there. He had forgotten about the bag, but he was glad to see anything familiar. They dropped him off at the bathroom and showed him how to work the symbols that controlled the water and its temperature. He peeled off his clothes and the bandages on his arms, stuck to his body from dried blood and sweat. He relaxed under the hot water for a while, after washing up he stepped out and shook the water from his short hair. He looked at his arms and saw the cuts seemed to be well on their way to healing. He noticed his arms themselves, that they seemed bigger than before, his muscles more defined. He was already in athletic shape but it was slightly more apparent. He felt better overall, better than he had in a long time. He changed into the new clothes they had left for him. He stepped out of the bathroom and found himself alone. He fell onto the cot, asleep almost immediately, ignoring the food they had left out for him.
Tomorrow would definitely be a day he hadn’t lived before. He could feel some excitement, but couldn’t tell if it was his, or something being broadcast by the girl he had met. I guess we’ll find out in the morning. He thought to himself as sleep overtook him.