“Finally… my life’s work!” He exclaimed as the magic circle in front of him showed promise. The mana from the surroundings was continuously being drained into it.

Zircon, the greatest sage of this era. One of the heroes that ushered in a time of peace. He racked up a lot of achievements during the war with the demons. He spent all the money he earned to continue his research.

He reached the peak of all sorts of magic, save for one.

Right now, he was on the verge of fulfilling that goal.

“By my decree, come forth—?”

The flow of mana suddenly became unstable.

“Tch.” He bit his lip. The spell required copious amounts of mana. He had theorized his mastery over other kinds of magic would fix this issue. Elemental magic to simulate the natural flow of mana. Gravitational magic to create a focal point. Space magic to outsource that mana elsewhere. Time magic to inject precise amounts of mana at specific points.

Still, it was probably the unnatural kind of mana that was making it unstable. He had no choice. The amount of mana needed was absurd.

Well, he did. That would be to sacrifice other living beings. But he would never resort to that. For what did he fight for if he resorted to that?

The flow of mana reversed. The best thing he could do is to contain the explosion. No, it was an implosion.

“Well, shit—”

That day, the great sage Zircon disappeared without a trace.

-----------------

“I’m alive?” His vision started to clear. Sound slowly started to return to his ears. It was loud. There were a lot of people talking. Some weird beeping noises.

He turned around to see a vehicle. Odd design. A horseless carriage was not uncommon. Magic cores became easy to come by. Behind that vehicle were more of the same kind. He almost thought they were a swarm but people could be seen inside them. They were making beeping noises in his direction.

“Out of the way, pervert!” One yelled.

“Pervert?” He turned around to see this so-called pervert. Instead he saw some strangely dressed people talking amongst themselves. One of them was talking to someone who seemed like an authoritative figure. They were pointing at him too.

That man took out a strange device from his pocket and pointed it at him. “Freeze, pervert!”

“Pervert? Me?”

He only needed to look down to confirm. True enough, he was naked. But that wasn’t the bigger issue. He expected some flabby old legs when he looked. But for some reason, his legs seem more youthful. More…spry?

The man pressed a button on the device he was holding. Nothing happened. It was then that he took out a larger box-like contraption and started talking to it.

“We have an untagged individual. Requesting backup. I repeat, we have an untagged individual.”

“I should get dressed,” Zircon nodded to himself. With a snap of his fingers, a small void appeared.

Good. His inventory still worked. There was barely anything in it, though. He used most of his things for the experiment. There were some decent clothes at least. They moved on their own, sliding out of the void and wrapping around him.

Seeing what he did made the man panic. “A nano-user! Calling all units! It’s a nano-user.”

Hearing that, someone screamed and panicked. People started to run away.

Within the mayhem, someone approached him and tried to pull him by the wrist. “This way!” From their voice, they sounded female. Highly likely younger than him> He was an old man, after all.

“Freeze!” Noticing that, the man shouted. “I said freeze!”

They pressed a button. This time, they were targeted at the girl. Immediately, an electric current ran through the girl’s body. She fell over and started to convulse.

“Put your hands up!” The man shouted as Zircon tried to help the girl.

“She’s going to die at this rate,” he muttered to himself. The current ran through his wrist as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

“I said—”

“Shut up,” Zircon cut him off. The electricity flowed through his arm. It ran through his body and going through to his extended hand. Like a bolt of lightning, it shot at the man and knocked him off his feet. It wasn’t lethal, only enough to paralyze them for a few seconds.

“That’s how you use lightning to incapacitate,” he muttered and looked around at the chaos and mayhem. A place he was very unfamiliar with.

“What… or where the hell did I get myself into?”

------------------

[Basically people have a tag on them that marks them as property. And that means you can be identified immediately. And you can have devices that can mess with those tags. Abuse of power is not uncommon and terrorist groups wanting to be free from being 'tagged' try and fight the system. Had to figure out how to get the protag in that world though, among other things to make them stand out.]

Saved.

This shit slaps.

A 13 year old, magical girl falls through a portal into a new world, where there are no magical villains to fight. There is only high school and homework to do.

Reversekai: you stay in your world, but the population of a whole other one gets transported into yours.

Oi, stop playing with my emotions, I just picked those up

yeah the energy is very underworld.. 3 (iirc)

Wonderful! Beautiful story! Thank you!

“Are you Casey Shen?”

“That’s me.”

“Electrical engineer, specializing in radio-frequency analysis, at Johnson and Rich Aeronautics?”

“Mm-hm.”

“Originally from St. Joseph, moved to Engelsheim for work?”

“Yup.”

“Excellent. Mr. Shen, my name is Miles van Recht, and I’m a prosecutor for the City of Engelsheim. If my reports are to be believed, you’ve caused us quite a bit of trouble.”

“With all due respect, I still don’t know why you have me here.”

Miles knit his fingers. “Have you heard of Nighthawk?”

A smirk crossed Casey’s face. “Course I have. Didn’t they force some politician to confess his crimes on live television?”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

“Seems like a good person. Why are you chasing them?”

“Well, they stole $1.17 billion from Lawrence Waters.”

“Waters can afford it. Besides, didn’t you find it?”

“We did- in the bank accounts of over eighteen thousand of the employees Waters had just laid off. This case is grand theft on an almost unprecedented scale. We must bring Nighthawk to justice.”

Casey scowled. “I think Nighthawk just ticked off a bunch of rich jerks, and now, like a good little soldier, you need to make your masters happy.”

Miles pressed on. “Didn’t you work for Waters? Here, on your resume, it says you worked for one of his companies.”

“I did. So what? You think I’m Nighthawk because we both have some beef with Waters? I can give you eighteen thousand others who do.”

Miles shook his head. “I’m not done yet. Nighthawk also unlawfully breached Waters’s privacy.” He pulled out a small circuit board. “Do you know what this is?”

Casey peered closely at it. “I do, but any tinkerer worth their salt could tell you it’s a camera.” He pointed at the lens.

“It’s not just a camera. It transmits a video stream wirelessly to an off-board recording device, which can be anywhere within five hundred yards of it.”

“Your point?”

“Well, it’d take a pretty skilled electrical engineer to rig up something like this, wouldn’t it? Perhaps one with a background in radio transmissions?”

Casey shook his head. “You really think I’m Nighthawk.”

“You seem a likely candidate.”

“So, based on that, you barge into my home in the dead of night, haul me away in cuffs, and interrogate me in this dungeon?”

“Mr. Shen-”

“What happened to ‘innocent until proven guilty’?”

“Calm down, Mr. Shen.”

“Besides, I didn’t hear you complaining when they helped you catch the art forger, or bring down that trafficking ring. Or didn’t you see those calling cards Nighthawk left for you?”

“Nighthawk is one of the biggest thieves of all time!”

“So is Waters! You don’t become as rich as he is without being one.” Casey took a deep breath, and leaned forward. “You're a man of justice, Prosecutor van Recht. I trust you will bring in the right thief."

WC: 476. Feedback welcome!

Ha, just maybe I will, but it'd require coming up with an actual conflict, and I'd be afraid it'd just turn into an alternate How to Train Your Dragon, lol

Your character had their isekai life, at the end of their story before their death another portal opens and sends them to yet another world. Although this time they find themselves in the middle of an arena and in their prime. Not long after countless other portals start to form.

I genuinely don't know what you're asking.

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Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.

Reminders:

>* No AI-generated reponses 🤖 >* Stories 100 words+. Poems 30+ but include "[Poem]" >* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail >* [RF] and [SP] for stricter titles >* Be civil in any feedback and follow the rules

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Burning Issue

The picket line was long. The message clear. Equality for all! Chanted the disenchanted.

Our eyes blazed with barely suppressed rage; sisters were getting real about getting a fair deal. The factory had ground to a halt, and we keenly felt our muscles flexing in the silencing of mechanical beasts that fed on our labor. Female employees dominated our workplace. Cheaper by the hour! Boasted the men upstairs with dollar sign eyes and empty smiles.

First, they sent down a junior executive; his face turning beetroot at the lie that he had come to ‘negotiate’.

“Negotiate?”, I roared at him, after being informed there would be no sackings if we quietly returned to work. But we were tired of being good girls and he was ill-prepared for an army of righteous women.

“We’re not here to negotiate, we are demanding!” I continued. Not once in his young life had a woman spoken to him so assertively, except perhaps his mother. I took pleasure in seeing his mouth hanging loosely like a barn door blown open from a freak wind. With his Adam’s apple bobbing ineffectively, anything further he had to say caught in his throat. “Go back and tell your masters, we are here to stay until we get equal pay.”

The hapless young man scampered off, confused yet responding to my order. My order! I savored the moment like an exotic treat tasted for the first time, which indeed it was. I felt a brief moment of pity for him, but as they say, it’s the 70’s man, get with the plan!

I scanned the picket line and saw the exchange had briefly silenced the chanting, then after the collective gasp, it resumed louder and more strident than before, buoyed by our audacity.

Only Mary faltered and looked as though she wanted to hide behind her placard rather than hold it aloft like a battle sword. As a single mother, the young woman had everything at stake during this gamble to make history.

“Hold strong Mary,” I said, giving her a level look. “Our fear is what will keep them winning.” Smiling weakly, she nodded. Then lifted her sign only to half-mast so it still looked like a distress signal, but she stayed. How I admired her bravery!

By the second day, no one had broken our number, and it was the arrival of the reporters that saw the Big Cheese himself come down to speak to us. Bad press was the last thing he wanted, considering women were the consumers of his goods.

We had won! Triumphant we hugged each other, then marched through the gates of the brassiere factory. Tomorrow there would be a picket line somewhere else; change was in the wind.

Not a single bra was burnt during the strike, a misnomer about this period if ever there was one. Besides, we had only wanted to bite the hand that fed us crumbs, we all had a personal stake in the humble bra.

(WC: 498)

Shade Grimstone had no clue why or even how he had gotten to this... place.

He had spent hours drilling Draxx about it, yet the centuries year old demon that inhabited his mind apparently had no bloody clue.

Of course the locals weren't able to help. The concept of hell and demons eluded them, they did have magic though, entirely useless magic but magic nonetheless.

He has interrogated just about anyone who would stop and talk, which was just about everyone he encountered. By the 9 lords below, surely at least one person could be rude, but no, they all insisted on being falalala-fucking intolerable. Shade took a deep breath consoling himself. He had to find out just what he was doing here and find a way back.

He had defeated Grimlax the risen but no doubt he still had minions back home trying to wreak havic. He couldn't risk them hurting Aunt Lena or Mav, or... Well that was about it, the rest could go burn for all he cared.

Which was just about what he wished he could do to all of the little sweet individuals that surrounded him.

Apparently the world, as far as the locals knew, was made out of just about every cute and childish thing possible. There were 5 kingdoms total, Robot Land, Blanketopia, Candy Kingdom where he currently resided, The Fuzzy forests and Barbie world.

When he'd asked about the political situation, the answer had frightened him to the core. Of course there had been everlasting peace. Of course nobody had ever bothered to assassinate anyone. Of course wars were based in pillow fights and competitions of skill and of-fucking course they were all functional democracies with no kind of tyranny what-so-ever.

The whole thing was just intolerable. Did it really have to be all good? Like seriously even the food was fucking amazing, and apparently nutritious despite being composed entirely of candy.

Shade had pretty well lost it after the fourth day of it all. So he fired a fireball at a candy cane tree to the dismay of the townsfolk and the veritable joy of Draxx. Of course the demon had told him to burn a person next but he'd long learned to tune the dark thoughts out.

The worst part was, immediately after witnessing the destruction, the town in it's entirety had organised an adhoc feeling circle around him, attempting to get him to disclose his frustration. Unfortunately to their lack of understanding the last therapist he had come to with any form of issues had turned out to be the spawn of Beelzebub and the dredging up of some pretty bad memories had caused him to literally fly away and sulk.

Which was what he was doing now.

Kicking at a loose rock candy pebble, Shade muttered to himself. He really shouldn't be mad, but the whole thing was just too much. Maybe when he was five this would have been the best thing ever, but then he remembered his mother had been sucked into a portal to hell when he was 5 so maybe not even then.

It wasn't like he was incapable of understanding niceness, or tolerating it but....

Shit. He was incapable wasn't he. The thought ht dawned on him. He'd gotten so wrapped up and used to the grim dark world that lay beneath, that he actually balked at the idea of talking about his feelings, or receiving a hug.

When was the last time he'd hugged Aunt Lena, or not attempted to squirm away from her when she tried? When had he last disclosed all the shit he had to deal with?

Fucking hell, he finally realised, the breakthrough of the century dawning on him. He had to fly back to the town, say something, thank them maybe, no that was too far, but at least see if there wasn't something to learn from them. Maybe that was the answer, he had to learn to be nice again before he could return back home? That was how all the sappy kids shows worked right? He heard Draxx groan but mentally flipped the bird. He knew what he had to do now.

.......

As he flew back towards the town on wings of pure shadow, Shade actually felt embarrassed. He wanted to apologise, to explain his behaviour, to ask them forgiveness. It almost twisted like bile in his throat, but it was, how would his Aunt put it... Ahh yes, "the right thing to do".

He was practising the words in his head, how he should say it, and then he heard the screams, not of joy, but terror and pain, an unfortunately familiar sound. Followed by the smell of burning sugar and the sudden feeling of heat as he approached.

He could see the smoke, clear as day now, of course the sun never set in this land either. The clouds of thick pungent smoke billowed up from burning houses engulfed in roaring, green, flames. Not hellfire he thought, but faerie magic.

He landed with a thud, summoning cola from the town well and balling it up as he muttered a brief spell and enchanted the liquid before him.

He shot concentrated streams at each house, dousing the flames, screaming shrilly as they died down.

It took him thirty minutes, but eventually all threat of the flame was gone and he was able to assess the damage.

It was a massacre. Everyone lay dead, Candy Cane Colin, Lollypop Lorry, Minty Marvin. Decapitated, split open, cracked and burnt, their sugary syrup blood soaking the sugar grass and turning the dirt to mud... cake.

He wheeled around at the sound of a snapping twig, his black eyes landing on the sight of a heavily injured Cadbury bunny. The Baron, Carollus Cadbury, a stream of steaming cocoa flowing from a wound rent in his side.

He was weak.

"Carollus, who did this to you?" he asked holding the old man tentatively.

The Chocolate Bunny's voice was ragged, speaking in between coughs that spluttered wet cocoa powder around him.

"I.. don't know dear boy. I... have never... seen such... we possess no word for it.. but it is deep and dark...." he shook his head, a single melted tear falling from his beady eye as he looked at the devastation.

"They were.. dark, wearing armour.. harder than Jawbreaker. Their eyes- they glowed, a million different colours... and-and they seemed to fly, on wings like crystals. Their leader... A woman.. she had long black horns, a crown of them, deep golden eyes, and skin like the whitest coconut. She is... angry"

Shade nodded, his suspicion growing.

"Please dear boy, I grow.. weaker by the second...please save them"

"Save who?" Shade asked.

"She took them... The children and the strong... Those she did not kill.. She put them in bindings... She tied them to some kind of cart. Please... I"

Shade nodded, his eyes growing wet. "I will Baron, I will save them, I promise."

The Baron nodded, smiling weakly.

"I'm sorry... our hugs weren't enough. We only... Wanted... To help."

"They were Baron, they WERE. " He wanted to tell him, tell him everything, his realisation, his desire to learn, to try, but it was too late. The Baron had breathed his last.

For a moment, Shade held him, weeping into the warm chocolate. When he stopped, he found his arms and clothes covered in sticky melted chocolate.

He attempted to scrub it off the best he could, but it held on remarkably well.

Shade stood up, finally, he had made a promise he intended to keep. One he would've if not for the blow to the head he received then and there.

The hardest part of breaking ships is defusing them. Years of training and practical experience still meant multiple deaths a year, the tally increasing.

I was senior at 7 years. Lucky.

The battle-scarred indigo-purple ship changed colors depending on the angle of station lighting.

"Alright, ship. What are you hiding?". The only sounds were my suit breathing apparatus, and occasional radio chatter on the general band, from Station Ops. I waved the access key at the hatch; a metal playing card with the ship's name: The Stygian.

Shivers down my spine (which may actually be a auth scan, with these old ones). The door opened.

Inside, the Standby Power Fusion Reactor attempted to ignite and failed, causing reverberations throughout. Wall sconces lit with a blue flame; emergency magik. Engaging suit thrust, I entered.

Engineering. That's where I had to go, that's where any remaining power would be. Then the real work starts, dismantling. Each wall had a map, my suit's HUD did too. Passing each wall, there were dark stains. Pulling up the ship's history, there had been a hostile boarding. Rare, but it happens.

"Successfully defended, neat." The wiki article went into how several heroes defended the ship in hand-to-hand wand battle. Was a big deal, for its day. Almost there.

"Engineering. Fantastic." I used my access card, it failed. Time for manual bypass. Pulling apart the door panel, my own wand made quick work of the security codes, and I was in.

The ship responded.

"YOU ARE NOT AUTHORIZED HERE." A blue flaming skull appeared in front of the security console. A hybrid magic-computer, part AI and part soul, the ship's security system was designed to defend with psychology as well as advanced security tactics. Each ship was built with top-secret security defusal protocols, different per ship. I requested them from HQ.

"Hey, Kelvin, you there?"

"Yeah, what did you need?"

"I need the defuse codes for the Stygian."

"Oh, that one. Wow. You know they originally wanted to preserve it, but they already have several examples as museums. Let me request auth."

It was several minutes before a response.

"Okay, sending them over now. Be sure to repeat this exactly or you're going to have to exit and re-enter the room."

The codes appeared on the HUD.

"Thanks, Bob!"

"Anytime, Cynthia."

I began the sequence, the auth keywords in brackets.

"Oh ship. Your service in battle was [glorious], and the people you served live on to tell the [tale] of your [glory].

[do a dance, doesn't matter what kind]

This was new. I did a little dance and spun around.

"Oh [great] ship, you may now rest, your service is over. Authcode [1884656399 Alpha Delta Sierra Ampersand Oscar Octothorp 550272].

[You may rest.]

With wand ready, the skull faded out and my wand absorbed the last vestiges of power. The wall sconces went out, and the wand glowed bright. The next ship would receive this power and memory.

"Base, I have it. The ship is safe for decom."

"Great, we were concerned the security system would activate, it got James last week on the Intrepid. Thankfully the system didn't have enough power left, and he's fine now."

"Heading back, see you in a few."

Glad you enjoyed it! Check out some of my other stuff if you like this, it's kinda my wheelhouse.

This was fantastic, and the foreign language I had no subtitles for made it more mysterious, more emotional.

"I believe the power of friendship will defeat the darkness that haunts the rainbow forest!" The princess, Sugar Plum, exclaimed.

"The power of friend--- Are you serious right now? 'The darkness' is literally an old wizard living in the woods, give me a map to his house and I'll go snap his neck and we all can be back for dinner."

"Havoc, how could you even suggest such a thing! You would take the life of another just to have an easy way out of this mess? It's your fault for destroying his sugar tree on your way in, you just need to apologize."

Havoc pulled out his knife, waving it in the direction of the two beings before him, "Listen here, Mr. Unicorn and Princess whatever-whatever, it is not my fault that a dumbass 'Superhero' from my universe missed their mark and blasted me in this sickening sweet nightmare land. This much pink is not natural, by the way."

"My name is not Mr. Unicorn, it is Hank. And I understand your need to get back to your land, scary knife man, but that is just not the way things work here! You need to bring the seeds and apologize to the old wizard. He must be very sad about his precious tree."

A shrill scream could be heard from the forest, the trees swaying and shaking as if alive and terrified of the noise.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure he's so upset and for sure not going to kill us the minute we set foot in there."

"Of course not! No one would ever do such a thing."

"Well, good luck with this Princess, if you won't do things my way then I guess I'll leave you to deal with the mess." Havoc made it for about 10 feet away before he heard the most disgusting sound he had ever heard, a child crying.

"Wh--Why is Mr.Knife man being so mean to us, Hank! All-- All I wanted is him to apologize and make the scary forest go awayyyy."

"Stop that." Havoc warned, pointing at the Princess, slowly walking back towards them.

"My Princess, please do not be sad. It will be wonderful again, I promise!"

"Why are you being so mean, the wizard just wants his tree back and to make friendsss."

"I'm serious. You better stop that crying, little girl."

"Whyyy are you such a m-m-meanie!" She blubbered out between the sobs.

Havoc shushed the princess, which he realized too late he shouldn't have done, as she threw herself to the ground and was having a full-blown temper tantrum, her legs beating against the ground and her wails drawing the shrill in the forest closer.

"Okay. Okay! We will get find the stupid Sugar tree seeds and take them to the wizard. I'll even apologize if you just- STOP!"

The princess' whining immediately ceased, and she sat up with a wide grin on her face.

"Oh, that's just wonderful! We must go now! Come on, Hank. It's such a lovely day for an adventure." She started skipping into the forest, ignoring the shrieks of the large creature that was surely waiting for them.

"I think I prefer getting shot. Hell, I would rather get stabbed 12 times before I hear that crying again." Havoc mumbled as he sheathed his knife and followed the Princess and the unicorn, Hank, into the forest.

Keep going!

The flash of light is was blinding. I had just been going about my day, happy as can be, when it took me by surprise. The sudden blinding light wasn’t the strangest thing about the morning though, no, that title was reserved for the figure that stepped out of the light.

He wasn’t exactly odd looking, but there was an aura about him that had me on edge, stepping back against the garden walls when he smiled at me.

“Ah, there you are! Congratulations, you’ve been selected by the universe to be granted three wishes!”

“I’m sorry, what?”

His smile dropped and he pinched his nose as I stared at him, dumbfounded. The man looked like your average businessman, only more, somehow. Something about him shifted in the air, like a mirage in the desert.

“You have been selected by the universe to be the lucky recipient of this year’s three wishes. What do you wish for?”

“That makes no sense. What, are you supposed to be a genie or something?”

He looked like he was losing his patience with me, but before he could react negatively, a static shock jolted through the air between us, making me jump and him plaster a placid, neutral expression on his face.

“Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner.” He said drolly, crossing his arms.

“But… Aren’t genies supposed to be, I don’t know,” I waved my hands in his general direction, trying to avoid his gaze, “floating blue men in lamps or something.”

He looked to the sky like a parent begging for patience with their child.

“Do I look blue, or floating?”

“Well, no. But-“

He held up his hands, making my words grind to a halt.

“Djinn are no longer bound to the vessels since the accords, we have a union now, and the union says one grantee a year. You are my grantee for the year.”

“Wait, a union? For genies?”

“Yes.”

“Is that why you’re dressed like that?”

This time he couldn’t resist rolling his eyes as he took a seat on my garden bench.

“Yes. I do have a life outside of being your friendly neighborhood wish granter, you know.”

“Oh. Right. What do you do?”

“Besides granting wishes? Law. And I do have a meeting this afternoon, so if you could move things along, that would be grand.”

I struggled to gather my thoughts, trying to reconcile everything I thought I knew about the magical side of life with the image of the man before me. He began inspecting his nails while I stared.

After a few minutes, he sighed and stood back up.

“Look, I know it’s a lot to take in, but I really do have things to do, so if you could get on with it I’d appreciate that.”

“Right, of course. I’m sorry.”

I continued to stare dumbly at him, watching in fascination as his mouth flattened into a thin line, just like an ordinary man. It was so strange. It took me a moment longer to shake myself out of my stupor, but when I finally did, questions began to race through my mind. What should I wish for? Will he distort my wish? Will there be karmic repercussions? Finally, I settled on the most burning question to voice aloud.

“What would you recommend?”

His brows shot up at that.

“What would I recommend?”

He pursed his lips and inspected me, looking as if he was just now truly seeing me as a person rather than a number.

I nodded slowly, waiting for his response.

“Let me tell you a story,” he said, before launching into a series of tales, each one more worrisome than the last.

He told me of the last handful of wishers he had dealt with, picking apart their wishes and where they went wrong and why, as well as tossing a few older wishes from times long past when he claimed to have had more autonomy in the granting process.

When he finally finished speaking, I swallowed nervously.

“Why did you tell me all of that?” I asked hesitantly.

“Because,” he said with a grim look, “You asked for advice. What common thread did you notice in the wishes?”

“Uh… they were vague, and selfish.”

“Exactly! And,” he slapped his knee with a grin, “they all thought they were clever. They figured they knew everything and chose not to read the contract!”

“Contract? Like a negotiation?”

“It can be, but nobody ever actually negotiates. I can’t give for free, there are always terms and conditions. The universe wouldn’t allow an unchecked wish.”

“I see… so your advice is… to read the contract, negotiate, and be specific?”

“Exactly!” He shouted with a wide grin.

I mean, it's an interpretation. Or he's lying to explain his lack of parents at his age of appearance.

I've done some stuff with these characters on my personal subreddit. I took a bit of a break but I'd like to get back to writing and this might be a thing to write about. Hmm...

If he claims to be an orphan now… does that mean his water spirit mother is dead? Could he love now?

Seraphine sat cross-legged on the grassy field, her long blonde hair blowing gently in the breeze. Jack sat opposite her, his eyes focused intently on her every word.

"Now, the key to using spells is to first understand the elements that make them up," Seraphine began. "Each spell is composed of a combination of energy, intention, and visualisation. Do you understand so far?"

Jack nodded eagerly.

"Good," Seraphine continued. "Now, let's start with a basic spell for creating a small flame. Close your eyes and focus on the energy within your body. Imagine it flowing through you, gathering in your hands. Now, with the intention of creating a flame, visualise a small spark in the palm of your hand. And with that, speak the incantation 'Ignis'."

Jack closed his eyes and did as Seraphine instructed. He could feel the energy within him begin to gather and flow. He focused on the intention of creating a flame and visualised a small spark in his hand. He spoke the incantation, "Ignis."

When he opened his eyes, a small flame danced in the palm of his hand. He looked up at Seraphine with a huge grin on his face.

"I did it!" he exclaimed.

Seraphine smiled back at him. "Well done, Jack. Now, let's try something a bit more advanced. This spell will allow you to control the elements of wind and air."

Seraphine stood up and gestured for Jack to follow her. They walked to the edge of the field, where a small tree stood.

"Now, focus on the energy within your body and the wind around you. Visualise yourself controlling the wind, bending it to your will. Speak the incantation 'Aeris'."

Jack closed his eyes and focused on the energy within him and the wind around him. He visualised himself controlling the wind, bending it to his will. He spoke the incantation, "Aeris."

As he opened his eyes, a gust of wind blew through the field, causing the leaves of the small tree to rustle and sway. Jack couldn't believe what he had just accomplished.

Seraphine clapped him on the back. "Well done, Jack. You're a natural at this. With practice, you'll be able to master even more powerful spells."

Jack couldn't wait to continue his training and learn all that Seraphine had to teach him. He thanked her and they continued their lesson under the warm sun.

***

During their journey, Jack found that he was learning to let go of his dark past and embrace the lightness of this fantasy world. He found himself becoming a better person, and he realised that he had a purpose in this world. He was no longer just surviving, but he was thriving. He learned that it was possible to change, and that the power of love and kindness could truly change a person's heart.

The final battle was intense and thrilling. Jack and the princess had finally reached Sorathar's castle, and they were ready to take him down. As they approached the castle, they were met with an army of the sorcerer's minions. They were fierce creatures, with sharp teeth and claws, and they were determined to protect their master.

Jack and the Seraphine fought bravely, using the skills and knowledge they had acquired during their journey. Jack used his combat skills and physical strength to take on the minions, while the Seraphine used her magical powers to bind and weaken them. They worked together seamlessly, their teamwork and trust in each other allowing them to take down the minions one by one.

However, the minions were relentless, and their numbers seemed to be endless. Just when it seemed like they were making progress, more minions would appear to take their place. Jack was starting to feel fatigued, and he knew that they couldn't keep this up forever. That's when the dragon they had met earlier appeared, swooping down from the sky and breathing fire on the minions, scattering them and giving Jack and the princess a chance to catch their breath.

With the dragon's help, they were able to break through the minions and make their way into the castle. Inside, they found the Sorathar waiting for them, his eyes glowing with power and malice. He sneered at them, confident in his own strength and the belief that they couldn't defeat him.

The sorcerer began to unleash his powerful magic, sending bolts of lightning and blasts of fire at Jack and the princess. They dodged and parried, using the magical relic the wizard Callum had given them to deflect the sorcerer's attacks. The relic was a powerful magical artifact, imbued with the power of the elements. It had the ability to weaken the sorcerer's magic, making it possible for Jack and the Seraphine to stand a chance against him.

As the battle raged on, Jack and the princess began to wear the sorcerer down. They were able to land several blows and cause him significant damage. The sorcerer, however, was not one to give up easily. He unleashed his full power, summoning a massive storm to strike them down. The wind and rain were so strong that it was difficult to see or move.

Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, the princess had an idea. She used her magic to harness the power of the storm and turn it against the sorcerer. She summoned a powerful gust of wind that knocked the sorcerer off his feet, and then she called forth a bolt of lightning to strike him. The sorcerer was engulfed in a blinding light, and when it cleared, he lay motionless on the ground. Jack and princess Seraphine had defeated the evil Sorathar, and the Eldrdia was saved.

***

The people of Eldrdia celebrated their victory, and Jack and the princess were hailed as heroes. The celebration after the victory was a grand affair. People cheered, laughed, and hugged each other, congratulating each other on a job well done. The streets were filled with music and laughter, as the citizens of Eldrdia let their guard down and celebrated their victory over the darkness.

Jack was beaming with pride and joy, his heart overflowing with gratitude for the friends he had made in this world. He had learned so much from Seraphine, and was able to cast spells with ease now, thanks to her help and guidance.

As the celebrations drew to a close, Seraphine approached Jack with a small smile on her face. "It's time for you to go back to your own world, Jack," she said softly. "But don't worry, you will always have a place here if you need it."

With that, she led Jack to a hidden portal, which she told him had recently appeared as if the land of Eldrdia itself has summoned the portal.

Jack had come a long way since he was first transported to this world. He had changed, and he was no longer the dark and brooding anti-hero he had once been. He had found a new purpose, and he had discovered the power of love and kindness.

The Seraphine asked him to stay in the fantasy world, and help her rule the kingdom, but Jack knew that he had to return to his own world. He had learned a lot from the people Eldrdia, and he knew that he could use that knowledge to make a difference in his own world. He said goodbye to the princess stepping through the portal, and returned to his own world, a changed man. He used his newfound understanding and compassion to help others, and he became a true hero, in every sense of the word.

The end.