Like Old Times

When I land on the ground, I stumble a little with my hands out to steady myself. I look around and see a town right behind me. I smile in happiness as I realized it worked! Mago cheers, "Hahaha! You did it! Look at us! Doing missions just like we did before!!"

I giggle and say, "Just like old times." I turn and start walking towards the town and just like the one before, it was completely empty. You could clearly see that fights had broken out with blood splatters everywhere but not a single body could be found.

If I collect the Artifact pieces and finally put an end to all this, everything should go back. In theory but things don't seem to be that simple here. The juiced-up ley lines have been an unstable variable in everything related to magic.

I can only hope that if I pull the plug on the Artifact, all those creatures will drop dead and go back to being nothing more than corpses once again. I quickly walk through the empty town, ignoring the smell and black roots.

Sure enough, it was located in the graveyard once again, and just like the one before that, this one is larger and just as empty. It didn't sit well with my theory. I quickly walk over, lifting my hand but then pausing.

I turn around, looking around with a frown. Once I do this, I will pass out again but this time it will be even longer. That made me think about Aiya and Dade. Where were those two and why haven't they popped up to cause more problems?

Had the presence of the council scared them off? That didn't quite make sense. Knowing Aiya, she'd be biting at my ankles like a rabid dog and Dade would only try to push his plans forward. Where were they?

I send out my magic, trying to feel for them but when I don't feel either one, I can only tilt my head and frown. Had they gone back? I guess that wouldn't be completely out of the realm of possibilities.

I look around, trying to find the closest building to me. Once I lock on a small tool shop, I nod and turn back to the Artifact. I lick my lips, trying to time things. I lift my hand and call the shard to me with gritted teeth.

No matter how many times I've done this now, I never get over the pain. It hits my hand, causing me to hiss out as I spin away. I keep my teeth gritted as I quickly make my way over to the small tool shop but when everything starts to tilt, I bite my lip, trying to push myself.

I take a few unsteady steps before falling over. Before my head can hit the ground, everything darkens and disappears.

When my eyes flash open, I see Abell turn to look at me with large eyes. She smirks and says, [Such a fast little witch. You only have one last one.] I nod, sighing as I cross my legs, getting comfortable. "I tried to make it to a building before I passed out this time, but I didn't make it. I probably resemble roadkill right now."

She snorts in laughter before chuckling. Once again, I can't help but smile at her laughter. For reasons unknown to me, her laughter brought me an unexplainable sense of joy. Maybe it was a gift dragons had that was unique to their race.

When I think about the Artifact, my smile quickly disappears. I sit up straighter as I ask, "Abell, can Artifacts become self-aware?" She remains smiling as she slowly nods and says, [I don't see why not. Magic is a tricky thing and given the right circumstances, nothing is impossible.]

I sigh, not liking the answer but also relieved to know what I may come to face once I've collected all the pieces. It wasn't exactly a good feeling. If it was aware, how was I supposed to... kill it?

But... how could I not? Especially when its only purpose is to do bad things. This was Dade's mess, but it was now my responsibility. That reminds me, someone on the council was clearly helping Dade but who?

I didn't know he was close to them. Did they approach him, or did he approach them? At the end of the day, I guess it really doesn't matter. It just means that someone needs to be replaced and punished.

Artifacts are all made with black magic. They were made with unsavory methods and are extremely dangerous and unpredictable. After several years of pure chaos, the council was formed and together they went around collecting every Artifact and locking them away.

That was over a hundred years ago, but the founding leaders knew that in order to have peace, the Artifacts had to be locked away. They tried to destroy them but nothing they did worked so all they could do was hide them away.

To think that someone was handing them out to people. It was... unforgivable. I can only hope that Vanir stays safe during this time. I don't want anything to happen to him while I'm stuck here. Once I'm able to return, I will go back but only to clean up.

Once everything is done, I will come back and stay in this world with Bolin and the others. Stay with him and see what will happen to... us. It was still an unfamiliar notion, but I didn't dislike it. No, it left a warm and fuzzy feeling in my heart and a smile on my face.

Abell speaks up, pulling me from my thoughts, [Are you ready to face a self-aware Artifact?] I look over at her in silence before saying, "I don't really have a choice. I have to put an end to this, and I have to free you."

She smiles at me and says, [If you need my help when the time comes, just call my name.] I blink in surprise before slowly smiling at her and saying, "I want to be the hero here, how could I let you help me?"

She snorts and says, [You a hero?] I lift my hand to my chest, fringing hurt as I say, "Ouch, no faith in me even after all this time?" She smirks and says, [Just remember to call me.] I smile and slowly nod my head in agreement, but I don't plan to actually call her.

I want to make this right, I want to help her, not have her help me. When the time comes, I will put an end to the Artifact, come hell or high water. Abell watches me with a knowing look deep within her large golden eyes, but she doesn't say a word.

Instead, she stretches out and yawns while saying, [When I get out, I plan on eating all the fish I can. I'll eat so many, I won't be able to fly.] Fish? She was hungry? As if seeing the look on my face and guessing, she smiles and says, [Time is frozen here so I won't grow hungry or older. I just remain stuck in this time and space. If anything, I'm bored. I remember the taste of fish and just thinking about it has me drooling.]

As she says that, drool indeed slips past her lips! That's the most I've ever heard her speaking on her own! My smile grows as I nod and say, "Then I will bring you as many fish as humanly possible. It can be my gift to you for getting out of here."

Her golden eyes sparkle with delight but before she can say anything else, I suddenly open my eyes and find myself laying on the cold ground, getting soaked by the equally cold rain. Mago cries, "Maaaster!! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry that I can't do anything to save you! You're gonna die from the colddddd!! Waaaaah!!"

I scoff, pushing myself up and cracking my neck. Mago sucks in and sniffles before quickly saying, "Thank the gods, you're alive! You've been out for almost two days!" I blink in surprise as I stand up and look around.

I was still in the same empty town, but it was currently pouring. I slowly walk over to the old empty shop, push the door open and walk in. Water drips from me, soaking the floor under me and making a puddle.

I ignore the chattering of my teeth as I use my magic to dry myself off. As soon as I feel myself warming, I sigh in relief and say, "On to the next one."