MAGIC: The Rise of Tom Salisbury

The Plan

"You're indeed he. The chosen one. Yet, the road is still to be walked on. The treasures still to be unearthed. So many passages will appear to mislead… "

"I need to copy this out, this sounds familiar to all those ancient riddles. This book has one sinister attribute of erasing previous texts. I don't know if it's an Android device in disguise, it updates its software. '' Tom brought out his notebook and pen and immediately set to work. 

"... Golds have been stolen, silver has been vandalized, bronze holds no glamour. The sacrifice of oneself to achieve true Immortality. On the way to understand yourself, to unravel the origin of man. At the base of the world. "

"You have conquered the first hurdle that has diminished the substance and cognition of many a past who have dared to tread on the maps of this book. The unworthy shall not read thereof. I have questioned you, opposed you, and tested you, and you have proved yourself capable in both mentality and intuition to journey the way of the earth with Heka! Run thy race, Tom! "

"Jesus! " Tom shouted. How did his name get here? How did this book know his name? He didn't go further to jot. He just sat there, eyes as wide as saucers and his mouth large enough to fit a tennis ball. A while later he glanced down at the book only to receive an even bigger shock. 

Right there on the book a 'Salisbury ' sketched in blood has been attached to the 'Tom'

"...Tom Salisbury. "

Tom was now shifting uneasily on the seat. This is probably more than his head can take. 'What have I done? What have I seen? What just happened?' These questions were screaming their way to crescendo in Tom's head promising him momentary madness.

Tom's head started getting hot. This is not a headache, it's simply an overloading of the operating system in every man's head. However, after a while, Tom calmed down after rubbing his head furiously for some minutes. He had never experienced a stress of this level in his young life, the closest to this is when chemistry starts talking jargon and moving in an unprecedented manner. Okay, no its physics, metaphysics in particular; all those wormholes and black holes and time holes and all the holes that can be attached to another word are pretty stressful and whenever you try to make some sense out of those holes, your brain gets stuck with superglue and starts overheating, as simple as that.

After about five minutes, Tom settled down, drank from his water bottle, and exhaled heavily. 

"Okay, since you're talking to me, there must have been a way you used to sense me. So, I am going to be asking you some questions right now and I hope you answer me please." Tom begged.

"What, sorry, who are you? Tom asked

" Your book cover" was the answer from his head.

"What? You are answering from my head?" Tom could not fathom it, he was half-expecting that a lot of murderous voices will boom out of the book or a screech of writings in blood will start unraveling themselves on the book, however, the next he hear is a voice booming from his head as on that day he first touched the book; when it was arguing with him.

"Okay," he could not afford to lose this moment. He had to keep focused and ask his questions so that he wouldn't go mad. It will be a huge embarrassment if his classmates hear that he was admitted into a mental home just because of reading a book. They would cheer and jeer at him, finally, he has met his doom since he will not allow books to be, acting all sainted up to make them feel inferior, he has gotten what he deserved. That would be the general reaction and he knows that. He can't allow himself to run mad, his future will certainly almost irreversibly bleak if that happens and he's at serious risk of running mad more than you can admit if this indescribable mayhem continues.

He looked at the book cover, 'Order of the Chalice, Guardian of the Lost Arts'

"What do you want me to do?" He asked again

"Ascend"

"Ascend to where?"

'No reply'

"Okay, but what's all this, what are they for, and why me? Why me? Am a boy." By now he was exasperated.

"Because you're the best," the book started answering from the last question. "The most suitable candidate, you can fail and may fail but you can rise and you may rise. Most men can never rise and will not rise because of who they are, because they do not possess the energy to and they were not chosen. But you, son, you're he, and you're chosen. The eras dissect and the periods intersect. The nexus of life is beyond human understanding."

"I have chosen you to become the soul, the immortal soul that will bring to earth back the ERA OF MAGIC. "

"What?! What did I just hear? I don't think I heard correctly, did I? Uhm sir, what did you just say?" Tom questioned. Nevertheless, his heart was beating wildly with joy and fear. This is what he had always dreamed about and yearned for so badly. A magic era? That would be the best thing to happen to him only that this is the kind of thing that happens only in dreams. And he is in no Disneyland right now, everything is just getting more complicated and hard to understand.

"But what do I do sir to bring back the magic era, I can't particularly do anything. Am still just a boy and I have nothing, I have no connections, I know nobody, I don't even have a clue on what to do. Where am I to go to do anything to bring back the magic era or whatsoever you call it.?'' Now, this is starting to sound like an old folk tale to Tom. He's now seriously wondering if he had chanced on a mentally deformed and senescent will of a decrepit somehow magically capable old man of a lost time. Things will go awfully awry for him if it was found out that he has been listening to a deformed psycho of a magical man. Of course, the magical will make it look all the more incredulous and grossly stupid. He really needs to sieve through what this Mr. Head is telling him, but there's a caveat, if he doesn't he's sure he will certainly run mad and that's the greatest of all evil of every type that won't happen to him he insisted. However, this will not stop him from at least trying to ask the question. 

"Sir, " as he has learned to call him. "Sorry Mr. Head, how credible, you know I find it hard to believe that there's magic elsewhere and it's laying dormant for all these centuries… "

"millenniums " the book corrected. 

"Yes, millenniums" Tom acquiesced. "So, sir, sorry Mr. Head or I'm ehm sir, how can I possibly believe you? "

"Nice question you asked son, I'm not as crass as to leave you clueless. Now prick your ears and listen to me." Tom immediately turned super attentive and was on guard not to lose any morphism of a word that leaves the book's mouth if it has any. " you have a phone right there, eh?"

"Yea, I do. " Tom answered. 

"if you can, browse about a name you heard and experienced when you dreamt or so you call it yesterday, Sheltiel. "

"what? '' Tom froze. Only he can see His dream, how could this book? And to say… but excuse me, how could he have known the name Sheltiel? Is he a popular name or someone related to him he never knew, maybe he has to ask this weird phenomenon called a book? But as he was still reeling in his confusion and shock, the book continued. 

"Go to G****e, search the name Sheltiel, you'll see the post ranking first dated 2040, which is his personal blog, and the second one which is news concerning him. If this is true and right, then you must know I am not blabbing. "

Tom immediately whisked out his phone and typed the name immediately on G****e. The name Sheltiel came up on the first ranked site; the geek is a tech lover and he was born on 24th July, 20...what? Tom's mouth fell open, he immediately scrolled up to look up the date of the post, alas! 29th September 2039! What the…! Tom's eyes were revolving without boundaries in their sockets. This is a post from the future! For Christ's sake! His mind suddenly went blank, 'is this really true? Are you sure this is not messing with his mind and rupturing his senses? How can… how can he read a post from the future?' His eyes riveted back to the book, now this book looks more mysterious than ever. He recollected himself to tap back and click the second result.

"Shel, the people's heartthrob, and genius tech giant of our time has gone down in the fight against the strongest and most powerful man of our time in the battle of the end, Tom Salisbury. He has fallen victim to the spontaneous rise of Tom to power who has taken the world by storm and has shown himself to be the most capable and talented man on earth. '' If Tom's eyes could widen further, it did. 

"Elder, now I believe, I now believe, I won't doubt you anymore" there's no disputing it, the evidence of this book's credibility is overwhelming. It had given him a glimpse into the future, and a beautiful one at that for him, oh my gosh, who doesn't want to become the most powerful man or woman on earth, having the world at the palms of your hands and everything you'll ever need at your beck and call, this is a future that not many can even dream about let alone live in. Yet, here it is in front of him only if he could say yes. He could never imagine it. But one thing remains unresolved, he can call him elder, master, sir, or Mr. Head, whatever but… 

"But sir, where? "