Sophia and I stepped back into the warp gate that funnelled the citizens of the Immateria City to and from the city of London above. The bright lights and bustling energy of the underground city gave way to the greenery and open sky of the Old English Garden. The Battersea Power station loomed in the distance, silhouetted by the low afternoon sun."I can't believe all of this has happened in just a day," I remarked, taking in the view. "Most of it still doesn't even seem possible.""You'll get used to it, Parker," Sophia said, patting me on the shoulder. Her words were gruff, but there was a hint of compassion in her eyes. Maybe having been properly registered by the Immateria Council had relieved some of the stress she was feeling now that neither of us was set to be executed."So, what's the plan?" I asked, as we made our way out of the park. "Do you have some kind of Immateria tracking spell that we can use to track this guy down?""Please," She snorted, "Spells like that are stric
When Sophia had said that she wanted to go to a bar to get some drinks in as a way to help hunt the vampire I’d half thought that she was joking. Three rum and cokes later and with a slight buzz in the back of my head from the alcohol I could see that couldn’t have been further from the truth. I felt a little uneasy being back in a club after what had happened the last time. I knew that I was a lot less vulnerable now that I was an Immateria. When I’d brought up the issue with Sophia she’d told me that a knife would now simply bend against my skin if anyone tried to stab me with one. It was a comfort, but the anxiety was still there. My heart raced in time with the drum and bass beat and I sat as far into the corner as I could, watching people dance on the dance floor. It didn’t help that I now had a significantly enhanced sense of smell, either. The entire room smelt of sickly sweet drink and fresh sweat. Sophia didn’t seem to mind, though. She was in amongst the medley, dancing
I had never before seen Sophia exhibit genuine kindness and compassion towards someone.Oh, she had certainly put on a convincing act in the past, pretending to be a caring and empathetic individual. But this time, as she gently soothed the sobbing girl in front of us, there was an unmistakable authenticity to her words and actions."It's all right," Sophia said, her voice soothing and reassuring. "We've been assigned to investigate the mysterious disappearances in Soho, and we believe they're part of a larger case. But you don't need to worry about the larger details right now.""You're going to find them?" the girl asked, her eyes shining with hope."We'll certainly do our utmost," Sophia promised with an easy smile. "Why don't you start by telling us what you know?"The girl glanced down at her feet, as if she longed for the ground to open up and swallow her whole. But then she took a deep breath, steeled herself, and began to speak."There was another girl who worked with me at th
My stomach churned as Sophia and I turned onto the alleyway. I’d taken a life myself, drunk someone else's blood, but that had been different. The person I’d drunk from was a criminal and I’d done it quickly and quietly, it hadn’t been like what had happened here. The chairs and tables of the coffee shop down the alley were strewn about left and right, some broken and dented. The alley was rich with the coppery scent of blood. Blood that was flowing freely down the slight incline of the alley. My fangs threatened to poke their way out of my mouth but I fought against the sensation. Now wasn’t the time for me to feed. We crept down the alley as quietly as we could. Sophia took the lead, crouched slightly and taking slow, cautious steps. It wasn’t until we got halfway down the alley that I was able to see the rogue Immateria for the first time. I wasn’t sure what I had been expecting. Some wild and ravenous beast-like creature, perhaps? Something tall and ethereal with too thin li
Sophia stomped down the street, leaving me struggling to keep up with her as we made our way back to my car after her defeat by the rogue Immateria. The tension was palpable as I started the engine and we sat in silence for a few moments, with me behind the wheel and Sophia beside me.I finally mustered the courage to break the silence, my voice hesitating as I asked, "Are you okay?"Her gaze, blazing with animosity, met mine before the fire in her eyes flickered and died. She breathed out a quiet, "Yeah," but the tremor in her voice betrayed her."The Council needs to be informed and they won't be happy about it," she continued, her voice tinged with a hint of resignation. "We have to go back to the Undercity.""They can't expect you to bring rogue Immateria down every time, can they?" I said, trying to lighten the mood as I navigated the car through the deserted streets of London.Sophia's glare was back, her voice cold, "You clearly don't understand the Immateria Council yet."We d
I was jolted awake by a sharp blow to the back of my head. I rubbed the spot, wincing at the sting, and groggily turned to see Sophia standing over me with a smirk on her face."You have a whole bed at your disposal, yet this is how you choose to spend your night?" she chided, arms crossed over her chest. "Honestly, I wonder why I bother."I rubbed my neck, muttering a grumbled response as I turned back to the invention I had been working on before I drifted off to sleep. "You bother because if you didn't, you wouldn't have this new toy to play with," I said, still feeling a bit groggy.Sophia approached the workbench and peered over my shoulder, studying the device I had been tinkering with. "What exactly is it supposed to be? A flying contraption of some sort?""It's not a flying contraption, Sophia," I responded, trying to hide my annoyance. "It's a quadcopter outfitted with a bit of tracking magic-tech. I call it magitech."Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Magitech? That's a new one.""
It hadn’t taken us long to get back to the Q-Park on Poland street. It was around 4 AM and the streets of London were completely empty, too late for people in the clubs and too early for people trying to make their way to work. I pulled the quadcopter out of the trunk of the car and looped the video feed screen and controller I had synced it up to around my neck. The drone was small, with four propellers and a compact camera attached to its underside. The Talisman was attached to the front side of the drone. It would act like a magnet, dragging the drone in the direction of the rogue Immateria after it caught onto the rogue Immateria’s signature.“You’re sure this thing is going to work, right?” Sophia asked, leaning against the side of my car. “As sure as I can be with an untested piece of technology, sure,” I replied. “There’s any number of things that could go wrong, but as far as I’m aware the science and magical theory are sound.” “Alright then, it’s worth a shot,” She shrugge
Sophia took the lead, her movements graceful yet deadly as she crept into the room where the rogue Immateria's lair lay hidden. The sharp tips of her taloned fingernails gleamed in the dim light, ready for any sort of attack or defense.I followed close behind, my wand clutched tightly in my hand, pulsing with the knowledge of the few spells it had stored within its psychic matrices. If I were alone, I would have been at a severe disadvantage against the rogue, but with Sophia by my side, I felt slightly more secure. I shook my head slightly, thinking about stuff like that would only be a distraction and distractions would get me killed in a fight against a creature like the one we were about to come up against. "Fulgur ab aethere," Sophia whispered, her voice barely audible.In an instant, a burst of bright light filled the room, crackling with the power of electricity. Mighty shocks of thick lightning rained down upon the rogue's makeshift home, built from piles of scrap and garba