This is a tale that goes back to 1979, when, one day, a plan was set. A mageman (which is someone who has magic) named Armani used to live in a town called Naperville. It used to be his town, or at least he acted like it: he used to tell people what to do, where to go, and even go to further limits by choosing people’s futures -- and by that, I mean death or survival.
One man called Jeremy used to hate Armani. He hated being treated like a slave and constantly kept on getting arrested, and one day, he had enough. But this time, he developed an extreme plan: assassination. He had been planning this for months, preparing the equipment and his crew. He felt like he was invincible when he was building this plan. When the day finally came, he and his friend had everything perfectly ready until he got to know the horrible truth. His friend had turned on him. He was, for all this time, on Armani’s side, and had backstabbed Jeremy, by turning him into Armani.
On that day, Jeremy faced trial at Armani’s Fate Council, which was where the mageman decided what happened to the people of the town. Surprisingly, this time Armani chose survival. But this is not what you think it is. The people ruled to survive had to go into a machine, a deadly one, which is said to be enchanted, and the only place where a person can see the supreme mageman. Basically, it is like a machine to put a person to sleep with a lot of pain, like the machine is torturing you. It sets a timer of 30 years, and once you enter the machine, there is no escaping. Once it is initiated, be ready because it is going to give you one hell of a ride.
30 YEARS LATER…
STATUS REPORT #1
“Now, we are here, in the year 2009, on the day of April 23rd. Exactly 30 years ago Jeremy was sentenced to survival. That means that today is also the day he comes back to this world. He doesn’t know it, but he has changed, his body has shifted in ways he couldn’t have imagined. The positive side is that he is really strong and tall, but he doesn’t know that, secretly inside him, an allergy is growing. “
STATUS REPORT #2
“The doors have opened, and Jeremy steps out. He is wearing a brown t-shirt, which is ripped from the elbows and has black stains, black pants which are just a bit dirty but it is clearly not visible, and he is carrying a backpack. It seems that he has a map in his hands as well, but it looks ancient. It seems that he has no idea what he is doing. He is speaking in English but his long beard and scary face make people think he is a lunatic. This scares everyone, as nobody wants to be near a lunatic, or a mad man. Obviously, this mission is for him to do and I mus”— CONNECTION LOST
STATUS REPORT #3
“It seems that our connection was lost last time, but that is not a problem since I have been monitoring test subject #28 safely. He is trying to adapt to this new world and has picked up a habit that is commonly referred to as hitchhiking. He is trying his best to attract cars, but I am not sure if it is working. But this has me worried because I don’t know if he knows where he is going. But the effect shall guard him for a while, I might have to recite the chant again, but more of that later. Oh right, after 1 hour, 37 minutes, and 18 seconds, he found a car now. The wait isn’t that… HEY WAIT!”
STATUS REPORT #4
“I am on the hunt now, as Jere–, or may I say test subject #28, might be in grave danger. Long ago, way before humankind was on planet Earth, people believed that mageman were walking on our planet, a whole lot of them. That was until the humankind meteor landed on Earth. Like how the dinosaurs went extinct, mageman also ceased to exist. But a few of them survived, and these people were enraged, as they believed that humans were their enemy and the murderers of millions. Like Armani, the one who I believe has taken test subject #28 is another mageman, and this time I fear he is much more powerful. But you must be wondering why they want to take test subject #28, right? That is because he is the most valuable item on this planet. With his knowledge, I fear that the mageman might be able to do what they are not able to do for a long time.
Bring the dead mageman back to this world.
Luckily, humans cannot see the mageman, as their spells keep the invisible from the human race. I, on the other hand, can see them, as I have learned the spell to reverse this effect and make the mageman visible only for me. That is why I was sent on this mission, but let’s see what happens next.
STATUS REPORT #5
“Now I finally have a visual on the test subject–, you know what, since I am going completely disobeying my orders, let’s start calling him Jeremy. Wait, what is happening to him? It seems like he is sneezing, he looks all red and seems like he is about to faint. I know I can’t do anything, but let’s research. Wait a minute, the bossman told me he had an allergic reaction to… oh my God.
Jeremy is allergic to mageman.
STATUS REPORT #6
“This is huge but dangerous. I have to do something but I will have to wait. I do have to follow some of my orders, and for now, all I have to do is wait and observe. Speaking of observing, it seems like Jeremy is trying to escape! The ropes are pretty strong, but maybe Jeremy is stronger. Oh my God, HE IS! I have to write this down, he has super strength! But wait, oh no. Why is he looking at his map? His map is wrong in all manners! If he tries to go to the village where he used to live, I fear that he might be walking into enemy territory: the Mageman Land.
STATUS REPORT #7
“Knowing that he has escaped, I have to be careful. With the evidence I have, I believe he is going in, a place where many do not have the courage to go. Humans believe this place is full of animals, dangerous ones. Obviously, they don’t know the real truth and create something rational for them to believe in. But back to Jeremy, I can see he is sweating after running so much. “SYSTEM FAILURE!” Oh no! They've spotted me because of that sound. Here we go now.
REPORTS CONNECTION LOST…
“Hey, look there! Someone has been spying on us,” one of the mageman said.
“Wait, isn’t that… John, Jeremy’s dad?” asked one of the other magemen.
“Let’s check,” they said in unison.
They are coming closer to me, and they know who I am. All mageman know that I can see them, but at this moment, I was more worried about Jeremy than myself. I have to fight them, but I prefer not to. How about I run?
WHOOSH… I ran at lightning-fast speed.
When I was making the spell to be able to see the management, I might have given myself super speed, but more of that later. I am currently trying to close the doors of the Mageland and lock it, stopping the magemen from being able to reach me. It is really heavy but I think that I can do it.
“AHHHHH, BOOM,” I screamed with all my force after the noise that the door made after being sealed!
I looked behind my back and what I saw terrorized me. Just by looking at him, it shocked me. All these years, I thought he was dead for years, but there he was. Armani, sitting on a throne and he acted like he didn’t age a day.
“Well, well, well. Now, I am the leader of all and have so much power. Yet here we are, like 30 years ago when I sentenced Jeremy to survival,” he said and laughed while pointing somewhere.
I looked in that direction and I saw him, Jeremy, this time in front of a machine. I remembered what it was: the Survival Machine. I felt all the anger in me rise, all the hatred came out. I wanted to plunge out of the ground and shatter him. But I kept my cool, as Jeremy’s life was on the line.
“No, not again. Please, take me instead. He has already suffered enough, I beg you,” I said desperately.
“Are you sure? What can this pathetic boy mean to you?”, he asked me, surprised.
“DON’T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY SON LIKE THAT!,” I screamed at him.
“Oh, your son, I see. Let me think. But remember the one who enters never leaves. The one who enters feels unimaginable pain,” he waited for my answer but I stood quiet. Instead, for the first time in 30 years, I finally heard his son.
“Don’t do this dad, I can handle it. Just promise me you won’t do it,” he said.
I was emotional and shocked, and Armani laughed.
“So be it, THROW JEREMY IN THE MACHINE,” he stated!
“NOOOOO!”, I screamed.
I plunged at Jeremy. The door was closing, and every second his fate was being decided again. I would not allow him to be punished like this again, and this time, I don’t care what happens to me. The guards tried to stop me, but I am too fast for them. Jeremy tries to stop me.
“STOP, DON’T DO THIS!”, he cried.
I didn’t listen to him and went running straight at him. I knocked over everything around me and phased through the enchantment avoiding Jeremy’s escape. When I did this, Jeremy was launched on the floor. But this was my plan the entire time. When Armani said that he is the leader of all, he made the biggest mistake ever. He said that he was the leader of all, which means that if he dies, all magemen die.
“Armani, this ends now. Come fight me like a man, leave that silly throne of yours and stand up to save your people,” I said.
“We don’t need saving!” screamed one of the mageman.
Others agreed with him and said the same.
“A challenge, I see. Ok. Let me come down,” he said while getting up.
Just as he got up from his chair to battle me, the plan started taking place. I took this opportunity to grab him and throw him to the ground, but I kept on being careful every step. Just as I took him to the ground, I remembered that he has super strength, so I kept on swearing right to left so that he wouldn't hit me. Just as I was about to throw him in the machine, he launched himself in the air and landed behind me.
“You didn’t think that I would leave this world that easily, right?” He looked at me smiling.
I didn’t respond and went right at him. This fight took so long, and it was like Zeus versus Kronos. I ran so much and so much sweat dropped that I thought this battle would go on forever. I was exhausted and I was worried that that would be the key thing for Armani to win. And like always, I was right. Just as I stopped to take a breath, he came sliding under me to hit me from behind. He stood up and grabbed me by the shirt, ready to remove me from this planet because for him, I was the enemy. But he does not care.
“No John, this is how it ends,” he said with a wicked face.
He put his hand out high and tall and was ready to slice me with his deadly knife, which has killed millions. But just as he was ready to slice my head out, a spear went through his heart. I recognized it immediately: it was the one he used to kill my dad. Armani looked behind him and uttered his last words.
“I will take revenge–”, but before finishing the sentence, he fell to the ground.
I looked up to see who it was: Jeremy.
"Jeremy, how – you know what, thanks. ", I said surprised.
"No problem Dad, but why are my hands and my body turning all red?”, he looked at me and asked.
“That must be because of your allergy, but you must tell me. Did you tell them anything, absolutely anything?” I asked him with a serious tone.
“Not much, really, only how I have these cool dreams all the time of a dude doing magic, and some wizards rising from the ground. It was really cool dad, there was even fire everywhere! But I am guessing that isn’t really important, right?” he asked me.
“Yeah, not important at all son”, I said sarcastically.
I try to put on my best poker face, but my son might have just triggered the beginning of something much worse than WW3.
Part 2 Coming Soon