Daniel rubbed his eyes. “Are you real?”
The lady looked down at her shadow reflected by the parking lot’s lights. And then punched the rear of a car next to her, shattering the rear window. “Is this enough?” She asked as multiple car alarms triggered.
“Jesus, we can’t stay here,” Daniel muttered, then grabbed the lady’s hand. “Let’s go.”
“Wait, where are we going?!”
“My truck.”
“What the heck is a truck?”
“You just punched one.”
Daniel quickly sprinted through the wide parking lot, and he didn’t stop until he arrived at his F-150 Raptor. He unlocked the doors, and the lady jumped into the passenger seat. Daniel sprinted to the driver’s side, hopping in. After turning on the truck, he pulled out of the lot and drove off to a different exit where the police were less likely to use. He pressed hard on the gas pedal, driving the truck out of the area.
Once it was clear and merged into traffic, he slowed down to speed.
“What are you?” Daniel asked. “You didn’t appear here for no reason, right?”
“How perceptive of you,” the lady said, putting on her seatbelt. “So, this is a truck…These chairs, though, are very comfortable.” She looked out of the window and looked at the scenery. Her elbow pressed on the window switch, pulling the window down. “Oops! What did I do?”
Daniel, with one hand on the wheel, pulled the window switch. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Your elbow just pushed the power window switch.”
“If I click it again, the window goes down?” The woman asked while her finger hovered over the switch.
“Yes, but let’s not do that right now. What’s more important is who the heck are you?”
The streetlight turned red.
“Well, Daniel, my name is Lian; some call me Morgan.”
“How did you know my name?”
Lian got comfortable with the seat. “I was scouting with a team. We were looking for someone suitable. Our home planet, Raal, is a difficult subject for anyone to comprehend and believe…Once we found out about you, I summoned a portal and dropped the two books on the bed.”
“So that was you?” Daniel asked as the streetlight turned green.
Lian nodded. “And you got it, right?”
“No, it wasn’t with me when I went back in time,” Daniel said.
Lian snapped her fingers, summoning two books from the rear seat. “Found them for you.”
Daniel turned the steering wheel a little to the right. It led to a detour that directed to an exit that enters Colemond Highway One (CH1). “This is unbelievable,” he muttered as he pressed on the gas pedal to merge with the highway.
Wham!
“Is that more believable?”
Steam was emitted from Daniel’s forearm after the punch. He grimaced as he heard the sizzling noise like it was a pan cooking. At first, it was sore, but his right forearm muscles then relaxed. “Now I do…But why did you do that to my arm?”
Lian was observing his arm until the vapors evaporated and the sizzling sound faded. “Good strength and fast regeneration,” she muttered. “Ok, so you did read the basics…I was only testing your qi. Based on my punch, it’s building up well.”
She was right as Daniel felt like a boiling pot from his abdomen. The stomach growled loudly. Like a dragon’s breath, he exhaled and coughed smoke. He rolled down his window and involuntarily burst into flames while the truck was moving at seventy miles per hour. Lian summoned a spell and fired right to his right side.
It struck, splashing out water. But it worked as the growling noises ceased, and the flames stopped. He pulled himself in and touched his right side. It was soaked. After he rolled up the window, Daniel asked Lian, “What was that? It splashed like water, but not even wet."
“A basic spell. This spell deflects or disables anything related to heat.”
“Fascinating,” Daniel muttered. “Let’s hold our thoughts until we get to my home. Just sit back and enjoy the view of Colemond if you haven't already.”
20 Minutes Later. 11 PM
Colemond has two highway systems. One was in conjunction with Interstate 45 and the Colemond Highway System (CH). There were five highways under the CH system. Colemond Highway One (CH1) was the city’s central highway that ran from west to east. The parking lot where the fight happened was part of a venue. And today was its inauguration. It was located in the west, and Daniel’s home was in Northeast Colemond.
Daniel turned left at an avenue intersection that entered his gated neighborhood. It was on hilly terrain. Most of the homeowners will get the view of Downtown Colemond and the rest of the city from this point. Lian was fixated on the scenery. Lights ruled the city at night. The tall skyscrapers in Downtown Colemond fascinated her.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
When the two arrive at Daniel’s home, the view of the city remains, and Lian couldn’t stop looking at it.
“Love the view?” Daniel asked as he unplugged his seatbelt.
“Yes…We love the beauty of brightness at night, but I never see something this large.”
“Sounds centralized.”
“It is. Most kingdoms and cities are centralized. All of them have beautiful lights. And only a few towns can get so lucky…I can’t wait for them to see this.”
Daniel thought momentarily before he turned off the truck. He grabbed the two books, exited his truck, and closed the door. “Come on, let’s talk inside.”
His house was six thousand and twenty-eight square feet. One story and a detached three-car garage on three acres of land with no swimming pool. It had a nice patio with a view of the city. Daniel left his truck in the driveway. Lian got out of the truck, and the two headed inside through the front entrance.
Lian headed in first, and the lights turned on. “Woah, it’s like magic.”
Daniel almost chuckled. “It’s just Earth technology. It senses movement at the entrance, and lights come on to welcome us home.”
“Hmm…Why do I feel we are so behind?”
“I mean, you guys have magic. We didn't have any until its first sightings more than a decade ago, but it has never been tested by the public.”
“I’ll explain in a bit.” Daniel guided Lian to the living room and placed his books on a table before he went to the kitchen. “Do you want any drinks?”
“Water for now, thanks,” Lian said as she made herself comfortable on the big couch.
Daniel came back with iced water and handed Lian a metal cup. And he got a can of Coca-Cola. “Hmm…Where should I begin?” He popped the can open and poured some in his glass. “Earth is in the year twenty-nineteen. Fourteen years ago, there was a summon that happened worldwide where runes and chaotic magic erupted.”
Lian, who was sipping her cold water, stopped and put her cup down on the coffee table. “Runes? What does it look like?”
“Some could be stones or islands filled with engraved Chinese writings .”
“Yue language?”
Daniel nodded. “Yep…Did y’all do that?”
Lian took her time and thought for a minute. Her hand was pressing on her face. “This brings back horrible memories…Raal was destroyed because of a global war that lasted for almost half a century. For a long while, the non-aggressors like me had to make an escape plan early, so we could depart the planet if things didn't go well. Some of us took Raal’s resources and sent them to a habitable world in advance.”
The connection to the 2005 incident Daniel experienced led him to chug his entire cup. “Because you’re here, that means Raal is gone. So, where’s the scouters you spoke of?”
“They’re still in the realm between universes, called the Middle Ground.”
Daniel sighed but decided without a doubt. “Bring them here, then. You need to know that sending these stone runes and secret places was fourteen years ago. Ever since, wars, skirmishes, and tensions have been widespread to get their hands on the resources and locations.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t go back. When I arrived to meet you, that was my last ticket to Earth. We just have to wait until they come out of the Middle Ground.”
“Good lord…They'd better come by tomorrow,” Daniel said, standing up. He headed to the dining table, grabbed the two books, and headed back to the living room. “My hope for peaceful days is a joke."
"Why so?"
"Nothing has been happy. Hate is constantly growing as the world wants a piece of those runes…And I want that to end."
Lian nodded. "We both do want the hatred to end, but soon, we have to release that hate and fight it. Then peace will come."
"You are optimistic. Well…With that out of the way, how will studying basic training of Raal Magic go forward?” He turned to the last page, where he stopped reading. Page three hundred and sixty-three.
Daniel handed the chunky book to Lian, and she glanced through the contents of the page. Afterward, she looked at the window. “Do you want to start now or wait until the morning?”
“Wait until the morning. Is my backyard big enough to start the lessons?” Daniel asked and stood up.
Lian followed Daniel to the patio, placing the book on the couch.
They viewed the backyard. With three acres of land, most were never occupied. The two conversed on where it was safe to practice. Based on the book, there were three key objectives of basic training. The first was qi development, which accounted for the majority of basic training, and there were plenty of spots to do so. The second was physical training, and a barrier was required. And the last objective was education; everything from the book and essential knowledge from Raal’s users of magic had to be kept.
The two agreed to do it here. However, Daniel had a thought of an abandoned former high school track and field stadium in Central Colemond.
He showed Lian a picture from his phone, and the location was considered, but Lian wasn’t certain until after the first lesson. The two went back inside the house, and Daniel wanted to stay up for the night. Time-travelling two days back from the hospital before noon screwed up his circadian rhythm.
Daniel’s house has five bedrooms and six bathrooms, and only the eastern part of the house was used. All accommodations and such only used about four thousand square feet. The remaining two thousand out of six thousand and twenty-eight weren't used and blocked off with a solid and painted concrete wall.
Because he lived alone, four bedrooms are guest rooms. He let Lian pick which room she wanted to stay in for the time being.
There were two hallways, which were divided by the kitchen. All the bedrooms were on the left or in the first hallway. Straight ahead were five doors. Two on the left and two on the right. Those were the four guest bedrooms, while at the dead end was the fifth door, and that was Daniel’s room.
Lian liked the view of the city, so she ignored the right and only looked to the left. She opened the first door, revealing a minimalist bedroom. A queen-sized bed with a wide window, a bookshelf, a small office table and chair, and a personal bathroom. It was painted white.
She then opened the second door and had the same furniture and layout. The only difference was the darker colors. A mix of black and gray, and quickly, Lian claimed this room. “This is perfect. I’ll take this.”
“Alright, if you need anything, let me know.”
Lian nodded and closed the door.
Daniel went back to the other room, closing the door.
He was about to tidy up the living room, only to receive a phone message. He had three notifications. Another one popped up. All four were from Mother Elaine, who was Daniel’s mother figure. Hence, the “Mother”.
Her messaging at this hour was rare as she was a morning person. Not a night owl. Daniel opened the first message she sent.
“You need to come over as soon as you can.” The message was written. “The cops are coming.”
Daniel turned and sprinted into his room.
