Hiroshi and Tall Boy walked out of the abandoned house. As they stepped outside, the bustling sounds of the town greeted them, but this time, the attention wasn't focused on Hiroshi.
Instead, all eyes were on Tall Boy, his towering height made him impossible to ignore, people stared in awe, whispering amongst themselves, wondering why someone could be so tall.
Some were even startled, unsure of whether they should approach him or just keep their distance, but Tall Boy didn't care; the stares didn't faze him in the slightest, and Hiroshi, too, had grown accustomed to being the subject of attention, he noticed that the two of them shared this in common: neither of them cared about what others thought, it was an unspoken connection between them, but Hiroshi chose to keep quiet, not bringing it up aloud.
Tall Boy glanced at Hiroshi and, after a brief pause, explained their plan for the journey ahead, "It's a far journey," Tall Boy said casually, "so we'll need to take a bus, after that, we'll walk the rest of the way to see The Seer" ,His tone was nonchalant, as if he had done something like this many times before.
As they moved through the crowd, Tall Boy suddenly added, "I need to use the bathroom." Hiroshi rolled his eyes, an annoyed sigh escaping his lips, "Hurry up," he muttered, not particularly in the mood for delays.
He stood outside, leaning against the wall of a nearby building, arms crossed and eyes scanning the street.
Inside the bathroom, Tall Boy entered and immediately noticed another person in the stall, the man felt a strange shift in the air like something shadowed the space around him, when he looked to his right, his eyes widened in shock.
There stood Tall Boy, towering over him with an intimidating presence, the man could barely comprehend how someone could be so tall, he instinctively took a step back, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he nervously glanced up at Tall Boy's face.
Tall Boy with a slight smirk, simply met the man's gaze, the man quickly turned away, practically stumbling out of the bathroom in a hurry, clearly unnerved by the encounter,
Tall Boy sighed, rolling his eyes, "If only I was born like this", he muttered under his breath, a trace of bitterness in his voice, "Not granted the power…", he sighed softly,
When Tall Boy finally finished his business, he walked back outside to find Hiroshi waiting, his patience worn thin, without a word, they continued on their way, heading toward the bus stop that would begin the next leg of their journey.
Hiroshi and Tall Boy continued their journey, the bus ride carrying them deeper into the outskirts of town, the landscape changed gradually, buildings turning to scattered shacks and then to almost nothing at all, just endless stretches of road and distant trees.
Hiroshi sat by the window, his eyes watching the world blur past. Despite the stillness in his expression, his mind was loud,
He glanced at Tall Boy, who sat beside him casually, with his eyes closed, as if he had not a single worry in the world, Hiroshi turned back to the window and sighed inwardly,
"Am I making the right choice?" he asked himself, cause trust didn't come easily to him, He'd always been alone, always taught that relying on others was dangerous, and now here he was, on a bus heading to an unknown place, beside a stranger who called himself half beast, Hiroshi clenched his fists slightly, "I have to try… Even if it's hard…", he muttered to himself quietly.
After a long stretch of silence and bumpy roads, the bus finally came to a stop, they stepped off and began their trek down a narrow, quiet path.
The trees around them thickened, the air turned cooler, time seemed slower in this part of town, like they were walking away from reality itself.
Eventually, they reached a clearing, in the middle of it stood a large, weathered tent, its cloths old and frayed at the ends, the colors were faded, with patterns that looked mystical but hard to decipher, Hiroshi frowned at the sight,
"This is it?", he thought, being skeptical, He turned to Tall Boy who met his gaze with a knowing smirk, without a word, Tall Boy made a small gesture toward the tent, signaling for them to go in.
Hiroshi hesitated at first, His instincts whispered caution, but his curiosity pushed him forward, After a moment, he nodded, taking a slow step, then another until both of them entered.
Inside, the space was dim, lit by candles placed carefully around the interior, at the far end of the tent sat an old woman, her long white blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders like snow, she wore layered robes of deep purples and blues, and in front of her sat a small round table, at the center of the table was a glowing crystal ball, mist swirling inside it like a trapped storm.
The woman's eyes crinkled as she smiled warmly at them, "come, sit
I've been expecting you two", she said in a calm, almost melodic voice,
Hiroshi's heart skipped a beat, he stared, caught off guard, how did she know they were coming? But he didn't ask, something about her presence silenced him,
Tall Boy leaned forward with confidence, "We need your help", he said simply,
He reached into Hiroshi's bag and gently pulled out the wooden box, Hiroshi allowed it without protest, watching closely, Tall Boy placed the box on the table and opened it, revealing the shard,
The woman's gaze shifted to it, and she inhaled slowly, then exhaled as if centering herself, her fingers hovered over the shard for a moment, and then she looked at them both with a more serious expression,
"If you wish to understand this fully", she said softly, "then I must take you way back and tell you about… The Great Wizard",
Hiroshi leaned forward, his frown deepening,
She waved her hand gently over the crystal ball, it began to glow brighter, the mist inside dancing violently now, swirling in vibrant patterns of blue and silver light…..
The story of The Great Wizard---
800 years ago, there once lived a powerful wizard in a village named Mizukami.
It was a peaceful place where the people lived joyfully, their hearts full, their spirits high, they sang during the day, and danced under the moonlight, never worrying about war, hunger, or fear, and this peace was made possible by one man , The Great Wizard.
He perfected his powers over the years and granted himself countless abilities, with them, he became a guardian of Mizukami, protecting it from danger and evil forces, the villagers loved him dearly, praising him endlessly, calling him, "The Light of Mizukami",
Out of that love for his people, the wizard made a decision, a truly heartfelt one, He used his unmatched powers to create a magical staff, and within it was a powerful crystal known as the 'Wishing Orbuculum'.
This Orb could grant even the most impossible desires, at first, The Wizard used it to help the villagers in kind and generous ways, curing the sick, helping the barren conceive, restoring lost memories, and even bringing peace to broken hearts,
People's happiness grew even more, and the wizard thought he had finally achieved something beautiful, but as time passed, human nature began to twist.
Their wishes became more selfish... and dangerous, they wanted power, not just for protection, but to dominate, some wanted to become like the wizard himself, to possess magic, to rule, to destroy their enemies and to become like gods.
Even rulers from far off lands came, threatening Mizukami if The Wizard didn't give them power, chaos brewed and greed consumed many, the harmony that once surrounded The Wizard shattered into shadows of jealousy and ambition,
It displeased The Wizard greatly.
He could no longer bear the sight of what his kindness had turned into, and so, he made a decision.
He would separate his powers and cast them far away,
The Wizard created 50 books, each containing a different fragment of his powers, from fire to hypnotism to time, to deceit and revealing, to illusions and strength, etcetera, he sealed his abilities into them.
As for the Wishing Orbuculum, he shattered it into 50 crystal shards, these pieces, holding unfathomable magic, were scattered across different places, hidden in places no one would think to look.
But the powers were part of him, dividing them weakened him terribly, his immortal body slowly dissolved, and The Wizard , The light of Mizukami, turned into dust that scattered across the earth, never to be seen again.
The Seer paused, a deep sigh escaping her lips, her old eyes shimmered slightly with sadness as she looked at Hiroshi and Tall Boy,
"Even after he was gone" she continued, "men didn't stop, they searched and searched, hungrier than ever, some found books through pure determination, others by accident or even luck, and they used them… for good or evil....most used it for evil",
She shook her head slowly,
"Power has poisoned the hearts of men, it whispers to them while twisting them",
Her eyes glowed faintly, "As for the shards... they remained hidden for centuries, Until now, as the modern world expands, the shards are slowly resurfacing, the energy they give off... it stirs the world in strange ways",
She fell silent once again, the crystal ball dimming in front of her,
Hiroshi sat still, stunned, he had known bits of The Wizard's legend... but never like this, never the full story, it was mesmerizing and terrifying as well, that piece of crystal shard he carried was part of something far more powerful than he'd ever imagined,
Then suddenly, it hit him.
"The Magician...",
Hiroshi's eyes narrowed, he muttered just loud enough for Tall Boy to hear, He's trying to find the shards… to recreate the Orbuculum…",
Tall Boy tilted his head, "Who the hell is The Magician?",
Hiroshi clenched his jaw and told him everything about the man who first discovered a Book, and how he turned against him after Hiroshi refused to join him, about the SPELLZ he summoned and lastly about the threat he posed, but honestly,
Tall Boy wasn't surprised.
"Power makes people think big", he said calmly, "Even I've had thoughts like that, that's why I wanted to team up with you in the first place",
Hiroshi sighed heavily, "He might use the shards for something terrible, something that could affect all mankind",
He turned to the Seer, "Is there a way to find the rest of the shards?",
The Seer nodded and reached under the table, she brought out three small glowing compasses, each shaped like a circles, with needles that vibrated lightly,
"These compasses are connected to the crystal's energy", she said, "Each shard, wherever it is, causes strange and unnatural phenomena, these will help you trace them, but... it won't be easy, searching for all of them on your own? Impossible",
Her voice was soft but clear, "You'll need much help",
Hiroshi and Tall Boy both nodded silently, understanding the weight of her words.
Tall Boy reached into his jacket and pulled out a fat stack of cash. Hiroshi blinked in shock,
"Where the hell did you get that?",
Tall Boy smirked, "I have my ways",
The Seer chuckled and gave him a warm, appreciative smile, she placed the compasses in their hands and bowed her head, "Good luck, boys, youll need it", her smile never left her face.
Outside the tent, under the wide sky, Tall Boy stopped and turned to Hiroshi,
"So...what now?" he asked,
Hiroshi looked at the compasses, then at the shard, "I need to stop The Magician before he finds any more shards, I'll find them first… before him and anyone with evil intentions does",
He added quietly, "You don't have to help me, if you dont want to",
Tall Boy shrugged, "I finally have a reason", he said with a grin, "You asked me why we should be partners, this is it, I'll help you, besides... finding shards and seeing what they can do? Sounds fun",
Hiroshi shook his head with a faint smile, deep down, he knew he couldn't do this alone, having Tall Boy by his side was a relief,
"But we'll need more help", Hiroshi said, "A team",
Tall Boy nodded, "Let's head back and figure it out",
And with that, the two turned, walking away from the old tent and into the beginning of their true journey.
As Hiroshi and Tall Boy walked away from the old Seer's tent, the wind carried a soft stillness across the outskirts of the place, the dust from their steps rose gently, fading into the warm dusk.
But from behind a broken pillar near the edge of the ruins… something moved,
Hidden in the shadows stood a figure tall, unnaturally still, with eyes that burned like molten gold, it wasn't human,
It was a SPELL.
Its body flickered faintly, like a mirage, cloaked in magic, its glowing eyes locked onto the two boys disappearing into the distance,
Through those eyes... another was watching.
Somewhere far away, in a chamber thick with enchantment and velvet darkness, The Magician sat upon a throne made of ancient stone and black vines, his face was unreadable, half shrouded beneath his twisted hat, but his smirk slowly widened,
He leaned forward, golden light reflected in his pupils the same golden glow as the SPELL's gaze,
He brought his hands together slowly, fingers clasping with a soft, deliberate snap,
"Interesting…" he whispered,
A dark chuckle escaped his lips as he leaned back, eyes never leaving the vision from his SPELL,
"Let's see where this goes....",
Fade to black. . . . .