Larkin burst out of the construction yard, sacrificing stealth for speed. Fortunately none of the other five kids had hung around, but he also couldn’t actually see any of them. He found himself jogging back the way he’d come, trying not to panic.

  There was no sign of anyone as he reached the main street - not a flicker of Melody’s hair, nor of the hulking sight of Bill. He couldn’t see any of them.

  Shit, shit, shit!

  The curses were swirling in his thoughts as he looked desperately around.

  What am I going to do? If I couldn’t work out where they were going, then … then I’ll be stuck in this boring life.

  He spun around and found himself staring right at Cyril as the weedy boy stepped out of a nearby shop. Without giving a glance to either side, the boy started walking down the street picking at the pack of sweets he’d just bought.

  He was humming cheerfully to himself.

  Larkin gaped after him for a moment then hurriedly started to follow.

  Cyril didn’t set a quick pace, nor did he glance back, and so Larkin just followed after him for fifteen minutes before the boy turned into a block of flats and went inside.

  That was easy, Larkin thought, glancing at the building name as he walked past. But what next?

  A moment’s thought, and a glance at the time, soon had Larkin heading home. Even if he knew where Cyril lived, that alone wouldn’t help.

  I need to wait for him to emerge. Then follow him.

  But he would need to prepare, at least a little. So he went home, giving a cautious glance at the sight of his parents sitting slumped together in front of the TV, before he got himself dinner.

  He packed his school bag with spare clothes, a water bottle, and some granola bars he found lying in the cupboard.

  And only then, after setting multiple alarms, did he try to sleep.

  - - -

  The moment of disorientation that greeted Larkin when his phone’s alarm went off told him that he’d somehow managed to sleep. But he didn’t feel particularly fresh as he got dressed as quietly as he could and then made his way downstairs.

  He remembered what Cyril and Patricia had said. The five of them have been chosen, by Soas he imagined, and were going to save some other world. It wasn’t any surprise to Larkin that he hadn’t been included in that number. But…

  I want to be, he thought fiercely. Or maybe, despairingly.

  His parents were lying on the couch, basically in the same position as Larkin had last seen them. He stared at the sight for a long moment before turning away from them and leaving the house.

  He might not be tasked with saving the world, but he could do without that expectation. He could still get to see a new world!

  He didn’t know when exactly Cyril and the others were planning to meet. But he reached the weedy kid’s place at a quarter to four, which he hoped was early enough.

  Finding a relatively unobtrusive bench beneath a tree, he ignored the bird droppings liberally decorating the place and sat down.

  And now to wait.

  The glacial creep of the hours proved horrifically trying for Larkin. The pitch blackness of the night gave way to a grim dawn, accompanied by a fitting drizzle of rain. And then that in turn became slowly sprinkled with sounds until the drone of early morning commuters arose as dawn gave way.

  And all that time, Larkin was dwelling on just one question.

  What if I’ve missed Cyril?

  Could the other boy have left even earlier than Larkin had arrived? Or had he left from a different entrance? Or could Larkin have simply missed him leaving?

  The uncertainty developed into a growing, knowing, conviction. Accompanied by a horrible sense of realisation.

  Larkin had fluffed it. Had wasted his chance. His one opportunity to get away from all this crappy, boring world.

  When Cyril finally wandered out of his apartment building, Larkin’s view across the street was obscured by a steady stream of people walking by. He jumped up, peering at the other boy before a sudden rush of resentment went through him.

  Did the idiot sleep in or something?

  A glance at his phone showed that it was ten minutes to eight, and Larkin kept muttering to himself as he followed after the other boy. The complaints from his cramped legs after sitting on that cold bench for hours did little to improve his mood.

  Fortunately, the other boy seemed as oblivious of any possibility of being followed as the previous day. There was a heart-stopping moment when Larkin had to run for the bus that Cyril had just boarded, but the other boy hurried up to the top deck without a second glance even as he jumped on behind him.

  And that bus deposited Larkin beside a large park. Where he saw four familiar figures waiting.

  Cyril had been late, he was sure of it.

  Larkin loitered by the bus stop as Cyril strode casually over to the group and exchanged a few words before all five set off again. Away from Larkin, so he had to again run to not lose them.

  All five were carrying heavy looking bags, so at least they weren’t moving too quickly.

  But where were they going?

  The park certainly wasn’t anything fancy, just a wide open green space. And the five seemed to be heading straight out of it, via a sidegate. Larkin lingered there as the five went down the passageway and then followed. But suddenly raised voices had him quickening his steps.

  “... think you are? Huh?”

  The angry voice greeted Larkin as he came to a halt, grabbing hold of a concrete post and leaning on it to peer around the corner. The carpark beyond was an ugly little space, only large enough for four cars together. If they were neatly parked.

  The cheap Honda was not so placed, but instead sat sprawled at an angle, as though deliberately blocking all the spaces.

  “Shouldn’t you brats be in school?” A short, squat guy with a buzzcut was saying to Patricia.

  He was standing right in front of the girl, staring down at her while his two friends chuckled to themselves inside the car.

  “Let’s not be hasty.” Melody said. “We just need to get past…”

  Buzzcut didn’t even glance her way.

  “Shove it, missy.” He growled. “It’s this prissy little girl I’m speaking to.”

  The response he got was a titter of delighted amusement.

  “Poor fool.” She cooed. “It was me she was talking to.”

  The man blinked at her, very briefly, before an angry expression clouded his face.

  “Patricia…” Melody called, but her raised voice was swallowed by a sudden crackling noise.

  There was a flash of heat so intense that Larkin could feel it from where he was hidden; the man with the buzzcut was swiftly enveloped in flames. He didn’t even have time to scream before his knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground.

  Patricia giggled, a horrible sound, before turning her head.

  “Burn, worms.” She laughed, and the two men in the car couldn’t even begin to move before they were trapped in a hellish oven. Their agonised screams were, at least, mercifully short-lived.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “Stop that.” Melody shouted, rushing forward to grab Patricia by the shoulder. “What are you doing?”

  The smaller girl gave her a disinterested smirk.

  “Just burning some fools.” She replied flippantly, brushing the blonde’s hand away. “Anyway, where to now Soas?”

  Larkin fought back the bile rising in his throat, and then had to admit defeat as he stumbled back down the passageway and threw up his dinner from the previous evening. He was still shaking when he peered back into the carpark.

  Patricia was gone, presumably into the alleyway that the others were now slowly heading into.

  “The girl is off her rocker.” Bill was saying, glancing at the burnt car before hurriedly looking away.

  “That’s an understatement.” Alexis told him, staring down at the corpse of the first thug with an unreadable expression on her face.

  “What’s done is done.” Cyril said with a shrug. “They weren’t good people, anyway.”

  Despite the scrawny boy’s words, his face was pale and he quailed at the horrified look Melody gave him.

  “Let’s go.” He muttered, heading into the alleyway.

  Bill followed after him, as did Alexis. Though the girl turned and glanced back at Melody.

  “There’s still time to decide against this.” The wannabe reporter told the blonde girl.

  Who took a deep breath but then shook her head.

  “No, I can’t do that. Not after what Soas told us.” Melody paused, staring again at the burned corpses.

  “But I can’t accept what she’s doing, Alex.”

  The brown-haired girl just nodded at that, and then both headed into the alleyway.

  I need to follow them. Larkin thought, having to really push himself.

  He gave the smouldering piles a wide berth, doing his best to forget that a moment ago they had been living thinking people.

  Focus on the alleyway, he told himself. Ignore the murders you just saw. Focus on the alleyway.

  That mantra worked. At least to the extent that he made it across the scene. But his whole body was still quivering as he rounded the corner. There was a short alleyway beyond that, which turned at a sharp ninety degree angle. There was no sign of the others but Larkin's ears pricked up as he heard that mechanical fizzing sound.

  The portal is open!

  With that thought, he hurried down the passageway and went around the corner.

  And walked straight into Bill.

  “You were right, Soas.” The large boy called. “Someone was following us.”

  And then Bill frowned, looming over Larkin.

  “Hey, do I know you?”

  But Larkin’s gaze was drawn past him, towards the swirling vortex of another portal that stretched across the alleyway.

  “He goes to our school, you big lump.” Patricia told Bill, her sudden presence next to the blond boy bringing Larkin’s attention back to her.

  The larger boy blinked at Larkin, no real recognition on his face.

  “Just stop him following us, Bill.” Melody called out, voice numb. “No one’s going to believe anything he says about this.”

  The blonde girl said those words just before she followed Cyril through the portal. Alexia followed after them, with a single frown aimed back at Larkin.

  Seeing the portal so close, he took an instinctive step forward.

  “Float.”

  At Bill’s words, Larkin suddenly realised that his foot was no longer touching the ground. And he only succeeded in moving further upward with his instinctive flailing.

  “You’re staying right here.” Bill told him, giving him a confused look despite his firm words.

  The moron still doesn’t recognise me. Larkin thought with an agonised snort.

  The large boy gave a shrug, and then a grin and a wave.

  “See ya, mate.” With that, he turned and went through the portal.

  Which left Larkin alone with Patricia. And he really didn’t like the look that she gave him.

  “Once again, I have to tidy up loose ends.” The dark haired girl said with a sly smile. “Poor me.”

  The girl then gave Larkin a puzzled look.

  “I don’t know why you’re here.” She muttered. “I can’t say I ever really thought about you.”

  The girl tilted her head to one side.

  “What’s his name? Larry? Larping? … I can’t remember. Not that it matters.”

  After a moment’s pause, Patricia shrugged, and that nasty smile returned to her face.

  “You can just stay here.” She said in a faux gentle voice. “No need to get all het up about it.”

  With an overly friendly whack on his shoulder, which sent him moving slightly backward in the air, Patricia turned and walked through the portal. And it was only as her shadow faded into the light that he realised he was on fire.

  Oh god!

  Without thought, he tried to flail at his shoulder, even as he tried to drop to the floor. But all he succeeded in doing was floating around like an idiot.

  Stop. He thought desperately, as he saw the flames rapidly move down his shoulder. Go away.

  STOP!

  The smack of his hip crashing into the ground had him hissing in pain before he started frantically rolling around.

  I have to smother the flames, he thought. Get them out, get them…

  Larkin came to a sudden halt as he realised that there were no flames around him. Just as Bill’s strange gravity-defying powers had stopped, so had Patricia’s fire.

  Relief coursed through him, even though it was tempered by a sense that he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. But despite a long period of waiting, nothing happened and Larkin found himself relaxing. Even as he began to wonder at his deliverance.

  Maybe their abilities stopped working when they went through the portal? Some sort of drop in the connection?

  Then his eyes widened - the portal!

  Looking up, he saw that the portal was still there. But much reduced, and the grinding noise indicated it was shrinking further. It was now barely the size of a regular door, and he found himself scrambling ungainly towards it.

  No, don’t close! Not so close. Don’t let me lose this chance.

  That was going through Larkin’s head as he staggered forward, making as much progress with his hands as his feet.

  And, blessedly, the portal was still there. It was so small that he had to crawl through, imagining the edges closing around him.

  But he got through, the coils of lights washing over him. He had a brief sense of weightlessness, accompanied by a heavy chlorine smell, and a dizzying crackling of light all around him.

  It’s amazing…

  The thought drifted only faintly through his consciousness, as he stared out at the spinning panoply of lights. And then, as just as quickly as the lights appeared, they vanished; no, they were blocked.

  By a display of blue light. On which white words formed.

  YOU HAVE MET THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE NULL MAGE CLASS.

  Larkin only had a moment to take in those words before they shifted and changed, leaving a new message.

  APPLYING BENEFITS OF THE NULL MAGE CLASS.

  He felt his eyes start to widen at that, but then his whole body seemed to seize up.

  “...Ugh.”

  He couldn’t speak, couldn’t scream, as his muscles all seemed to clench tightly at once and then try and pull away from each other. He felt panic flood through him, but then even that was obscured by a painful buzzing noise in the back of his head.

  Over seconds that seemed like hours, Larkin felt the pain in his skull grow to an inferno. He suddenly felt that he wasn’t floating free in this colourful backdrop; no, he was hanging trapped - like a fly caught in a web - while his brain was eaten alive.

  “...”

  The sudden slackness in his thinking came as merciful relief. He could feel his thoughts, both cares and dreams, seem to drift away. Like a rubberband stretched too far.

  At least it’s over, he thought - the final coherent words he would make.

  Before another blue pane of light cut over his vision.

  POTENTIALLY IRREPARABLE MENTAL DAMAGE IDENTIFIED. ASSIGNING COUNTERMEASURES…

  He lazily blinked away those words, but then another appeared to block his view.

  YOU HAVE BEEN GRANTED THE CALM MIND SKILL.

  Larkin stared at the words for a long, long time. And then comprehension came over him, much like suddenly appearing from some great depths and taking the first clear breath in ages.

  What the hell!? Did I almost crash out there?

  Larkin had a long moment - he couldn’t recall afterwards how long - while he just floated in the spinning display of swirling colours. He could distantly feel his body continue to twitch and fritz, and could practically feel distant pinging going off in his brain.

  But for that period of time he felt completely adrift. Like his mind and body were entirely separated.

  Until he got a whiff of chlorine, and heard a mechanical-like noise from nearby.

  And then he became aware that he was lying in a field of grass, and the sound was coming from behind him. His hands numbly felt at the grass around him for a moment, feeling an almost baby-like fascination with it.

  With a huge force of will, he raised his head and looked over his shoulder to see the portal close. An act that was accompanied by a dull pop of displaced air.

  I made it.

  It was a vague thought, though after a moment he felt delayed adrenaline flowing through him. He scrambled unsteadily to his feet and gazed around.

  He was standing on a gentle incline of grass, a few trees dotted across the middle distance. And above him was a pale sun just coming up over the horizon.

  There was also, he realised, no sign of anyone else.

  Thank god for that. He thought, feeling a slight chill as he thought about Patricia - and that parting smile she’d given him.

  He started to turn around to more fully take in his surroundings, when suddenly another pane of blue light formed in front of him. And emblazoned on it were new words.

  WELCOME, LARKIN SMITHSON, TO THE WORLD OF SYSTEMIA.