I walk the corridors of Kamar Taj; the stones and decorations tell me the story of the pce, it’s a magical pce, withstanding the time as innumerous masters of the Mystical Arts learn within its walls.

  I stop at an open space and there I observe some apprentices training. They are repeating a routine of movements while accompanied by a master of the temple the robes separating them as the trainers wore simple gray robes and the master a green one.

  It's a peaceful sight, stone carved floor gives them a firm ground to stand, the nature invigorates the air they inhale and exhale and in harmony they increase their proficiency on the art.

  “It’s inspiring...” I hear as Tao puts herself by my side. “Future masters in their apprentice stage perfecting themselves... what will they become is a question that makes me wait for the answer.” She is wearing a bck robe this time and a soft smile adorns her lips. “Would you have a moment to accompany me?”

  “Yes, lead the way.” I part ways with the sight and follow her.

  “Did you sleep well?” She asks with a pyful curiosity.

  “Yes... I did, thank you.” I feel a little bothered but need to keep the courtesy, specially to someone that is extending their hand to us. “Where are we going? Something wrong?” I ask dispassionate.

  More than that, I am walking side by side with someone that years ago would make my fan boy blood boil, yet I do not feel joy.

  “Do not be impatient, I just want to talk and maybe clear things between us.” She admonishes me.

  “Sorry... It’s just... seeing them training remembered me of when I, my brother and father would train.” I can’t keep pretending the situation is not affecting me.

  “Don’t be, losing someone is... difficulty.” She says putting a hand on my shoulder. “But that’s why I’m here, I promised to help, right?”

  “Yes.” I say expectant as she guides us to what I think is the library.

  We enter greeting the librarian that I came to know as master Khan, she walks about some shelves and pick a book flipping through some pages and nodding to herself.

  “I will need a strand of your hair” she asks which I reluctantly give to her. “This spell is a little tricky, but maybe it will help you finding your brother.”

  She starts to manipute the hair strand inside a magic sigil disintegrating it into energy and pushing forward, the sigil pauses in front of us vibrating and turning until it stops spins rapidly and vanish making both of us pause in a momentary silence.

  “I will not give you another...” I say looking to her head with a frown which caused a twitch of her eyebrows in what looked like a minute distress.

  “The spell didn’t fail... But couldn’t be completed.” She expins and starts to think.

  “Why so?” I ask not really understanding what the spell is for.

  “It means your brother is alive, but we can’t go to him.” She drops this making me freeze on the spot.

  I take some time to think and realize what she wanted to do, face palming myself on the process.

  The situation is not clear, but it can be a good and a bad sign, he is alive but can’t be found, I can’t guess why. Nonetheless knowing he is alive already made everything worthy.

  “Thank you, dy Tao, just this already put me more at ease.”

  “It’s nothing... Though I would like to discuss something with you.” She guides us to a table summoning a tea set and pouring us some. “It came to my attention that you are quite knowledgeable about this world despite never been here.”

  “Yeah, Thrud confronted me about it too.” I look to her debating if it should be something I should disclose. Being honest, I can’t be too at ease with someone I just know, but her help just now proved to me that she is willing to compromise. “I won’t expin the details of how or why I know but suffice to say that I know a lot about this universe, despite being years since I came to think about it.”

  I them starts to mention somethings that came to me, like the Eye of Agamotto, Stephen Stranger, the infinity stones and of course the mad titan.

  “That’s a lot to take in.” She comments as she sips her third cup of tea... mine is cold.

  “Don’t mention it, and I still must share it with Thrud and knowing some great problems that may threaten our lives and the lives of the innocent I’m tempted to deal with them.”

  Not just we have the mission to find my brother, but as you find yourself in a situation that you can help someone else should you prioritize? Most of those peoples can do amazing things and are pivotal in stopping great dangers like Thanos themselves, but should I interfere?

  “What stops you?” She questions looking me in the eyes.

  What stops me? The fact that I can screw everything over and... “Fear, I think.” I answer.

  Let’s be honest, the fact I know that a lot of shit will hit the fan not necessarily make me able to stop it and my brother is too important to me. On the other side I could do a lot of good and... wait a minute.

  “Shit. I hate you... You already saw this didn’t you? You used the stone...” I curse her, I should have now, this cunning old fox.

  “Language, boy.” She says with a sassy smile. “Come, you and your friends have a lot to learn so you can stay in this world for a while.”

  *

  * *

  A few months has passed since we arrived at Kamar Taj, Thrud got used pretty quickly to the lifestyle of the pce and even improved upon it, since receiving instructions of how to blend in she and Fen who assumed a smaller form now travel around in hopes of finding some traces of my brother, while hunting and enjoying the time.

  I on the other hand, after talking with her decided to study magic with Tao and prepare myself. Not having other option… I mean, really. Although I had to tell Thrud everything I knew which this time rendered me a few days of silence and some sparing where I was beaten merciless.

  “So, any luck today?” I ask her as I read a book while seated on my bed.

  “No, Fen and I got to some pces on Africa, but still no luck...You?” She answers while taking out her clothes so she could enjoy a bath.

  “I checked the spell again, same result.” I do it with some frequency to guarantee my brother is still alive, but the reaction is always the same. “I talked with Tao though; we will soon go back to New York.”

  “Already? I thought you would try to at least master some of the topics here.” She pauses looking to me with a very lifted eyebrow, sarcasm noted.

  “We still need to find Brother I can’t just take my time here, besides there is basically the focus of whatever will happen going forward.” I expin taking my eyes from the book and looking to her. Sarcasm ignored.

  Then I noticed she is close to me, almost naked, hands on the hips. Her lips and eyes shining on the weak light of our room. Yes, we still on the same one.

  I feel my face getting hot and turn back to the book. ‘No Id, bad Id.’

  “H-how is the colr?” I try to start a talk.

  “Oh... Perfect, talked to a vendor in the streets of Cairo, he tried to scam me since I talked in English with him first... ha, you should have seen his face when I asked for a discount from the vendor next to him.”

  The colr in question is something I created while studying some Nordic incantations on the library, possess an All speak spell to help her talk with strangers around the world. The twist is that you chose what to speak and by doing it with a guided knowledge you eventually learn the nguage.

  “What you bought?” I sneak a gnce to her.

  “Shawarma.” She answers while getting her towel and going to the bathroom.

  I look to Fen who looks back to me snorts and goes back to bite a bone, probably from something they hunted and brought to be served on the canteen of the temple.

  I close my book and put it on the nightstand, get myself comfy to sleep since it will be a long day tomorrow.

  Those few months passed fast since the day the old fox convinced me to just do what I wanted about my foreknowledge; she told she checked using the time stone and this is the best way, of course she refused to eborate citing that talking to much about the future is too risky and me too should be wary about it.

  I can’t deny that I enjoying been here, meeting the sorcerers and learning with them, including the old fox herself.

  With a light feeling I close my eyes and let myself drift into sleep.

  *

  A new day ahead of us, I wake up felling refreshed, Thrud is snoring in a deep sleep while shamelessly stretched on the bed. Fen is not better as he ys with his belly up and tongue out probably dreaming about something if the twitching paws indicates anything.

  I get out of the bed after dealing with my morning wood, Umbra already covering my body forming my usual skintight suit as I go to the bathroom, there I wash my face and use the toilet.

  I stop in front of the mirror examining my left eye, my face is still pale as ever, the scar over my eye and lips remembering me of an unpleasant time... Always make sure there isn’t a second Dreki lurking around… or anything for that matter.

  I touch my right arm felling it through the thin skin that Umbra created over it. My left leg is next. After my check-up I go out stopping to look to Thrud for a moment. Shaking my head I step out of our room.

  Walking across some sections of the temple I arrive at the library, opening the door I step inside, master Khan already set on his duties.

  “Good morning, master Khan.” Since getting here I have been training my English finally achieving fluency, of course I keep an All speak amulet with me for precautions.

  “Good morning, d, going for another reading marathon?” Khan smiles to me pausing his work, we became quite acquainted since I come here sometimes… ok, a lot of times.

  “You bet, today I will finish the enchantments session.” I’m already going to the shelves.

  “Good reading.” He nods and goes back to his duties.

  I get to the shelf with more advanced enchantments books and scrolls and started selecting some. “Let me see… Enchanted Utensils by Poppins… Live Home by Epaminondas… How to turn books into prisons by R.L. Stine… Who cssifies those books?” I ponder taking them.

  “…Hear me out, with this. We won’t have to risk ourselves ever again.” I hear a male voice as I take the books and get them to a table.

  “Are you sure? Where did you find it?” This time a female voice asks as I sit.

  “Doesn’t matter where, look.” The man says showing something.

  “That’s… hum… yes, could work.” The woman’s reluctance vanishes suddenly.

  I stop paying attention, now opening one of the books I chose. It’s common to see apprentices and even masters discussing ways to protect themselves from the eldritch terrors they usually face.

  Feeling my left eye sting, I stop what I’m doing and reach for it, commanding Umbra to retract. As Umbra retracts from my eyeball, what looked like a normal eye now takes a metallic shade with cravings and runes on the globe, the gold of the metal encompasses all of it apart from the Iris that’s purple resembling more of a liquid amethyst. With my eyelids wide open I grab it and pluck it from the eye socket, closing my it immediately.

  The sphere on my hand now more visible is an artifact containing the Eye of Heimdall, it’s creation involves a long story but suffice to say that is one of my most useful creation, despite having reduced effects compared to the original and sometimes needing some repairs and calibration since it’s in constant contact direct with my body.

  I do just that, having not enough energy to let it pristine again, I calibrate it using the function of the runes scribed on its body.

  After I’m done, I put it back blinking and moving it a few times to check, no more sting, perfectly. Umbra cover it again making it look like a normal eye but doing so stop it from working. ‘it’s not a problem since I don’t use it unless necessary, I heard what overreliance on it did to the original owner so, no thank you.’

  Going back to the books, I started reading again, this time not stopping until lunch.

  Using a basic spell that I learned to know time, I closed the book and get up, arranging them back on their pce.

  Getting out the library I saw that Khan is preparing to close the library for the hour and saying bye I got out. At canteen I take my lunch and sit in my usual table on the corner next to an edge with a good view.

  *Grumbles*

  “Why did you not wake me up?” Thrud soon showed up behind me grumbling as always after waking up.

  “You and Fen spends a lot of time going to one pce and another, so I thought it was best if you rested a little more.” I expin eating my fill.

  “Thanks… but I lost breakfast.” She is more upset for losing a meal than for not waking up early but soon she focuses on her pte as Fen goes to the kitchen to be pampered by the staff.

  “Hey kid, Master Mordor is calling at central patio, time to select some people for field work.” Master Kaecilius shows up, his well-kept appearance and discipline hiding a broken man turned cold by his past.

  “Yes, master. We will be there shortly.” I answer with courtesy knowing he wouldn’t accept it any other way.

  *

  Getting to the main patio of Kamar Taj, Thrud, Fen and I sees the masters orienting some of the apprentices and Master Mordor overseeing the gathering.

  “Hey Thrud, Id, interested on the field job?” A man with rough voice calls us directing his question to me. By his side a woman in her te twenties.

  “Hey Musa, not much, just learning the process.” I nod to Lisa while answering Musa, who is one of the apprentices, he is an African man even taller than Thrud. His specialty is on Eldritch weapons, we sparred sometimes.

  The Woman on his side is Lisa, a quiet American woman who has quite the friendship with the Musa, aways with him. She has a well-trained body and a beautiful face, brown hair and eyes. Has excellency on offensive spells.

  As everyone interested already arrived, master Mordor call our attention and starts expining.

  “Alright everyone, as is known we will start some field work with the most prepared apprentices so you can get some real experience.” He let those words settle letting the more excited ones to manifest. “Although I warn all of you that, despite being accompanied by a master, what we do is dangerous and the possibility of you not coming back is real.” This time he caused some nervous reactions among those present. “That’s why-”

  *Shriek*

  A terrible shriek interrupts Mordor who looks to the source, beyond one of the buildings a bck column extends a few stories in the air. As everyone is distracted by the unexpected occurrence, some masters call attention to the danger it represents but before anything meaningful is made some creatures appear atop the building.

  The creatures have vague silhouettes making difficult to identify what they are however one thing is clear when you notice their deformities; more limbs than necessary, eyes on the wrong pces, they are not from this world and are clearly hostile. As if to prove the point they vibrate in a horrendous chorus and with a bang they shoot something.

  *Bang*

  Something hits the ground by my side exploding it into debris, I fell something hot spsh on my face, looking to the side my eyes widen as I see that Musa id on the ground with half of his upper body destroyed in a gory scene of meat, blood and organs sprawled.

  “Ahh!” Lisa screams desperately and chaos start.

  Some Apprentices started running while the masters spring into action to battle the creatures now advancing. They create shields and portals to protect and evacuate the ones that are running, while the creatures rain us down with projectiles made of what looks like bones. Those brave enough to stand their ground are rewarded with a creature attacking and sometimes succeeding in mauling them down.

  I try to regain control of myself as I notices one of the bones projectiles coming at me but Thrud already holding her hammer smacks it aside.

  “Get yourself together Id! You are letting you guard down!” Thrud grabs me close.

  “Sorry, I’m alright, thank you.” I’m not, something feels strange, my body is too lethargic, normally I could deal with the projectile without breaking a sweat but right now if wasn’t for Thrud I would have been drilled.

  The creatures are getting near as everyone is in a retreating battle. Fenrir growls and dashes to the closest one getting rge with each step and the moment he reaches it being big enough to bite it in half killing it instantly. The creature dissolves as if made of bck ashes.

  “Pull yourself together!” Thrud says and don’t linger using her hammer to jump as if throwing it without letting go electrifying herself in the processes, when she passes by the sorcerers fighting, she spins in the air to gain momentum and smashes on the ground causing an explosion of lighting killing a dozen of creatures and alleviating the pressure on the defenders.

  I look around and find Kaecilius coordinating the frontline to make a line of defense and Mordor that’s giving orders to the masters helping some of the weaker apprentices to escape. I run to the ter.

  “Where’s Tao?!” I ask trying to make myself heard over the noise of what is now a battlefield.

  “Not here! She had to deal with an invasion on the Artic.” He tells me looking clearly worried. “Now evacuate!” He points me to a portal where those who can’t fight are going and goes back to his duties. “Master Khan helps Kaecilius!”

  “Sorry master, I’m not the type to flee.” I say, my words not really reaching Mordor who is creating a shield to protect us from the projectiles. I them turn to where the battle is raging and run.

  “Lad, no!” He tries to call me but can’t let the barrier go unless he risks someone getting hit.

  Getting near to the chaos, I can see that our enemies can only be described as nightmare creatures, since everything in them seems to cause fear and repulse. Not that it’s stopping Thrud and Fen from obliterating any they can reach.

  “Umbra!” I call as I enter the chaos of the fight. Answering my call, Umbra converges from the usual skintight suit into my battle armor that transte into bck metal covering my left hand, left arm, breastpte and shin ptes all of that atop an overcoat that extends to my feet, a half mask covers my lower half of my face, the design remembering a dragons mouth, a hood forming over my head. My right arm is now exposed revealing to be a protheses made of what looks like golden metal and like my Heimdall’s Eye carved with runes and details although with a slim format to look more like an arm.

  “Lux!” This time as I see a creature overpowering one of the apprentices who decided to fight, I call for my weapon making a ring appear on my right-hand middle finger, its thick but simple, having a silver-like body with white glowing runes that fshes making a spear manifest on my hand.

  The spear has a silver body like the ring with most of it looking like it’s made of light including the bde.

  I jump and stab the creature overhead using both hands, still atop it I twist to aggravate the wound and jump back.

  “Run!” I scream to the guy who rolls out and get out the way.

  The creature now completely focused on me recover its bance. Its body mainly a grey skinned flying head with strands of hair framing one big eye at center, tentacles under it hide a worm like mouth with thousands of circur rows of teethes.

  The wound I did doesn’t appear to affect it much, but I don’t care and position myself to attack again, something the creature notices.

  I point my spear to it and a fsh of light burst from its tip blinding the creature who emits a terrible cry, not wasting time I dash and do an upper cut with my spear propelling the head up while cutting its eye in half. As it cries, I jump and seize the opportunity and position of the creature to use my weight to pierce the spear into the eye all the way to the back of its skull killing it.

  As the creature dissolves in ashes, I look for my next victim and find it fast. This time is a dog like freak with no eye and a four jaw like mouth in the pce of the head. I don’t wait to get close and throws the spear at it, the creature tries to roar sensing the threat, but the spear pierces it right in the middle of the open jaws lodging into its insides. I open my palm and a second spear manifests in my hand. I smash its bottom into the ground making the first spear explode killing the dog freak.

  From there on I fight and kill any creature in my reach and like Thrud and Fen I started to call the attention of the whole army. Now fighting more than one creature at time I start to feel at disadvantage and my strange conditions seem to be limiting myself severely.

  A creature tackles me as I use my spear to stop its jaw from reaching me, twirling the spear I take the creature to the ground and pierce it on the head killing it. Still holding the spear in the position with my two hands I clench them strongly felling my body shift as it distorts like a glitch, the time seems to slow down.

  One of the nightmares jumps from behind but I crouch, however only my body does, still standing is a copy of me or more precisely my spectral form, being like a solid ghost made of white energy it has a degree of transparency but it’s tangible. I then use the spear I still holding to stab the creature jumping me. Meanwhile my crouching body dashes to the side jumping and with a bde coming out my right arm I decapitate the creature. “Ha!”

  Using my physical body and spectral form independently I start to kill the now numerous creatures attacking me in a coordinated attack and defense.

  My body that uses the bde on the protheses to attack can use Umbra to create shields that absorbs impacts and nullify attacks using one of my characteristics. The downside of my body separating itself from my specter is that I can’t use magic or any energy-based attack, only physical, the upside is that I can absorb both.

  My specter on the other hand can’t absorb and only uses energy-based attacks even if to imitate a physical blow, can defend myself using energy barrier and cast magic, also can use Lux.

  Using those unique characteristics and the fact that I can be in two pces at once, I coordinate myself to a fwless teamwork like for example while whole I use Umbra to hold a creature in pce using tentacle like creations coming out of my body and project my specter in front of it drilling a hole in its head with a powerful thrust.

  As the fight goes on more people starts to die and we realize that there isn’t less creatures. To makes matters worse I way too tired which leads to weaker attacks and more mistakes. I thought the process of synchronization with this universe was going smoothly but now I’m reconsidering.

  “Thrud! We need to destroy the pilr those things are coming from!” I got close to Thrud through the battle and try to alert.

  “No time! Too many! Focus on keeping people alive.” She rebukes killing two creatures with a swing and pushing another to oblivion.

  “I can’t handle it! Something wrong. Even spectral is taking a tool on me.” I’m too tired, too lethargic, my reflexes are getting slower.

  “Then don’t use it!” Thrud calls a lighting from the sky and fry the creatures around her.

  I reluctantly reunite with my spectral form which diminish my effectiveness, but to compensate I will Umbra to retract from my left eye exposing it and allowing it to function as intended.

  With the eye working things become clear to me, just as Heimdall himself I now can read the creatures around me, although not to the extend I was told Heimdall was capable of, it's still enough to dodge without looking and making my moves so precise that I can preserve my stamina.

  Of course all is not optimal, already being tired and stuck in a battle of attrition, all I can do is dodge by a hair margin and killing the creatures only when is the best move.

  ‘Not good.’ I caught a glimpse of a formation of sorcerers crumbling next to me and while killing one creature that’s too close I run to them.

  “Damit!” I scream as I uses my momentum to skewer and take a creature of a sorcerer, unfortunately was too te.

  I help the fewer other that survived to reorganize while holding the nightmares but with a part of the shield down one projectile those fuckers are still shooting forces me to dodge.

  “Son of a...” I don’t have time to finish, being on the air for just the right time to one of the spiked creatures attack me, with nothing much to do I brace for the impact using Umbra to create a shield, but before the shield is done and the creature reaches me some of the spikes unch from the body hitting the shield and to my dismay piercing my left shoulder and of course, my left eye damaging it. “Bitch!”

  I fly a few meters hitting the ground hard. “Argh!” Having no time to process the pain I try to get up, you can’t stay down on a battlefield unless you are dead, otherwise you will die.

  “Id!” I hear Thrud as my ears ring from the absolute smack I took and feel the hair on my body going straight, creating a shield on my hand I lift to where I sense the danger and feel something hard hit it bring me back to my knees, everything is spinning but I hold on. “Get away from him!”

  Thrud throw her hammer hitting the creature and carving the ground with it through some distance. “Thanks, Thrud.” I sigh looking to the worried woman next to me.

  “Stopping worrying me too much.” She says and snaps her fingers, the hammer flying back to her hand, always cool when she does that.

  We look around and prepare to continue to fight, but a huge sound stops us. Looking to the pilr where the creatures came from its rescinding and the creatures itself emits another chorus of terrible sounds rushing to it, however they run towards Tao that is on top of the building preparing a spell, when she is done dozens of whips manifest holding and strangling the creatures killing them in a dispy of welcomed cruelty.

  We breath in relief as she approaches, those around us calming and reuniting taking care of those who are hurt. Kaecilius, Mordor, Khan and Wong get near, everyone hurt to some degree.

  “Who is the responsible for this tragedy?” Tao asks her sembnce dark and clearly pissed.

  “We don’t know Ancient One, we were reuniting on the patio when all of a sudden the creatures started to pour on us.” Mordor is the first to speak.

  “You closed the pilr, what was there?” I ask drawing the attention of those around me, Thrud on my side and Fen in his bigger form sitting next to us, my hood now down, the mask retracting from my face as I hold my left eye, it bleeds like my punctured shoulder. My blood different from others dripping and vanishing before hitting the ground its color... bck like the night.

  “Kid you...” Mordor starts to speak, but Tao interrupts him.

  “Only more bodies and this.” She takes a paper from her robe, it looks like the page of a book, an old but with intricate designs. As soon as I y my eyes on it, I start to see its content changing showing a spell... to find someone, but with it I can sense it trying to contaminate my mind. Noticing everybody reactions, she stores it again.

  “Dark Hold.” I say as I remember the name, the whisper of a distant memory coming to mind.