The Professor didn’t attempt to stop me as I stomped back up the stairs to the library. I barely remembered the way back to the area of the house thanks to how badly I had been breaking down in the moments before I’d drunk the newborn's blood, but I managed all the same. Just the thought of what I’d been forced to do made me want to heave. Sophia was close behind me, and while she hadn’t said anything I could feel the tension in her footsteps. It was as if she were expecting me to turn around at any given moment to try and attack the Professor. I’d been tempted, but I’d already made my choice. If I were going to disobey her command I would have done so when she’d issued it, not now. The Professor was an issue that I would deal with at some point in the future, though. That much I was certain of. I made it back up to the library, grabbed the idol, and then tossed it over to Sophia. She caught it deftly with one hand and pocketed it without hesitation. “Let’s get out of here,” I
While I had expected Sophia to want us to return to Gunnersbury park straight away she actually had me drive us back to Battersea Power Station so that we could travel back down to the depths of the Immateria City. “Your head isn’t in the right space,” Sophia had offered as an explanation as we travelled through the warp gate down to the city. “You need time to chill out before we go on any missions. It’s understandable considering what the Professor had you do.” I wasn’t about to disagree with her. The last thing I wanted was for us to get into a sticky situation and then for me to be the reason we ended up failing, getting captured or worse even killed. “We need to try and come up with a plan, anyway,” I said. “Whoever the rogue is they won’t be able to take over our minds without the idol, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still going to be powerful. Not to mention we don’t know how many people he’s taken over. They’re basically like hostages at this point.” Sophia agreed with
“So the concept is simple,” I began to explain. “From reading a bit about the nature of magic and the way the Immateria interact with it I’ve been able to narrow down that certain types of magic need to be transmitted through the neutral magical field that’s present throughout the world.” “Right,” Sophia said with a quirked eyebrow.“Well, with that in mind, I’ve developed a device that will saturate an area with higher levels of that neutral magical field,” I continued. “It’ll then give that field a positive charge, which won’t hurt anyone in the area, but will stop anyone from being able to transmit anything through the field.” The realisation dawned on her slowly then all at once, “Which means that you should be able to stop the rogue from giving any instructions to the people they’re controlling, right?” "Exactly," I nodded, proud of my work. "But before we put it into action, I need to make sure it works. And the best way to do that is by testing it on the bond that allows you
I took a deep breath and followed Sophia into the grand lobby of the mansion, my hand resting loosely on the hilt of my wand. We’d come this far, and I was determined to see this mission through to the end. As we entered the lobby, I was struck by the beauty of the room. The high ceiling was adorned with intricate mouldings, and the walls were covered in lush, golden wallpaper. But that beauty was marred by the sight of several people slumped against the walls, their eyes closed in a deep sleep. Sophia and I exchanged a knowing look. When they had been disconnected from the rogue Immateria the people must have instantly fallen asleep. Perhaps it was their brain's natural defence against such a psychic onslaught. Whatever the reasoning behind the sudden unconsciousness of the humans in the mansion was beside the point. The fact they’d been knocked out meant they’d be less of a hassle when the fighting began. The last thing we wanted was a bunch of people running around like headl
The black vortex of magical energy consumed everything in its path, and for a moment I thought I was going to be simply wiped from existence with the rest of the furniture. But when the field passed over me all I felt was a little bit of a tingling sensation. Clearly, the effect wasn’t as potent on living creatures as it was on inanimate objects. I wasn’t sure how my clothes survived the transition, but I wasn’t about to start complaining either. “I told you I was a god!” The rogue gloated, he was floating a few feet off the ground now, his eyes glowing a dark ominous red. “Well, this is the stage of my godhood! In this space anything I will becomes reality, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me!”I rolled my eyes and pulled out my wand, readying a spell. This rogue was like some kind of b-movie villain, and I was ready for his boasting to stop. Sophia was already standing in front of me, her fists crackling with arcane energy. She shot the rogue a hard look. “You’re not a god
The aftermath of our battle with the rogue was nothing short of catastrophic. The once grand and luxurious halls of the mansion had been left in ruins, as if struck by a tempest of dark magic. Splintered pieces of furniture littered the ground, and the walls were scorched black with the residue of powerful spells. It was as if a dragon had descended from the sky and unleashed its fury upon the building. The very air was thick with the scent of smoke and char, and the creaking crackles of destruction echoed hauntingly through the halls. It was a grisly reminder of the power of the Rogue Immateria, who had wreaked havoc upon what would have once been a beautiful and peaceful place. Everywhere I looked, evidence of his malevolent influence was apparent - shattered vases, broken mirrors and torn tapestries. The most poignant sight was the way the floor had been singed with the outline of a great symbol. The lines were scorched into the woodwork as if they had been seared into the ve
As Sophia and I made our way through the building of the Immateria council the weight of our failure hung heavy on my shoulders. The Rogue had slipped through our grasp, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that our mistakes had put much more than just ourselves in danger. As usual, the council chambers were dimly lit, casting long shadows across the ornate furnishings and polished floors. The members of the council were all gathered around their table, their expressions grim as we entered. “Well, well, well,” one of them drawled, “News of your return to the city has already spread to us, and we are well aware that you were unable to defeat the rogue.” I gritted my teeth, but Sophia stepped forward with the same calm confidence that she always seemed to embody while dealing with the council. “The rogue was more powerful than we anticipated,” Sophia explained, “And not just that, he mentioned… a patron, an unknown source that was giving him assistance.” The mood in the room changed a
I sat at my desk, surrounded by a chaotic jumble of books and notes that were scattered across the table. My quill scratched across the parchment as I tried to wrap my head around the intricacies of magic. Without Sophia to distract me, I was finally getting a chance to do the one thing that I had been longing to do since I was first introduced to the world of the Immateria.Science, with a little bit of magic thrown in for good measure. Actually, it was more like science with a lot of magic thrown in. Back when I was just a mere human, I had created technologies that people had only dreamed about. My masterpiece was a marvel of engineering - an incredibly marketable piece of hologram technology.I had designed it for use in communication and entertainment, but my dreams went beyond that. I had always wanted to create something like the holodeck from Star Wars, or the holographic communicators from… well… everything. But alas, that specific piece of technology was now owned by my old