Chapter 15

Part 1

“Fate Lyle Isley, 21 years old. Senior at Benson college. For a total of 3 days, one month ago, you went missing with absolutely no trace, and then suddenly reappeared…” A police officer, one who probably likened himself to some hardboiled TV cop, thumped a clipboard on the desk in front of me. The bright light the asshole trained onto my face was blinding. “Fate…I’m going to call you Fate. Fate, I need you to understand my position. Across the city there has been chaos the past month and a half, and let’s not mince words, shit has been utterly bonkers! You went missing, and then claimed to not remember anything, then suddenly, your back; and in little under a month, one day after the mass killing in the Greenville ghettos, we find you with a different hair color, an abrasive tan and beating another man half to death!”

“…” I’d stopped listening to what the man was saying because of his insistence on rambling and spitting when he spoke. My mind was also more preoccupied with thoughts of what I’d done. I nearly killed Ken with my own hands! Regardless of how much I hated him, I didn’t want to kill him! It was like with the tall man, the other homunculi and that warlock bastard! (I need to learn to control myself…but it’s not like losing my temper normally. It’s like a switch flipped and I just can’t turn it off in time.)

“You listening?!” The officer slammed the table and it made me realize where I was. In questioning with the police, which was a bad situation. If any of them found out about Anesha, I’d be putting all my friends lives at risk, so I resigned to stay quiet. “Son…I’m trying to help you, but you have to help me help you.”

“…” The look on his face as I silently stared off into space; out of the corner of my eyes, I could see him frowning. Another officer knocked on the door and leaned in to whisper something. The ‘hardboiled’ officer interrogating me frowned and got up.

“Come with me.”

Part 2

“You’re free to go. Keep your nose clean, son.” Just like that, I was out!

Amazed, but for whatever reason, I was freed! The instant I was given my phone by the receptionist, the heat warmed my hand like I’d pulled something from the oven! I expected tons of messages, and that is what I got. One stood out to me, from Gabby.

[You owe me. I talked Ken and his family out of pressing charges. From now on, just avoid being around him, please!] What a dreadful feeling. I slogged out onto the sidewalk and plopped down on the bench at the bus stop.

People were heading home for the day themselves, following the sun as it set. Messages poured in, all from the club, asking if I was fine, and saying that we needed to talk. Goosebumps, suddenly! Anesha was on her way, so I could expect the reason the streets were becoming more and more desolate were obviously because of a ward she’d placed on the area. I just sat back, waiting for whatever was coming.

“Fate…” She called; her normal haughty tone, absent. “Today you made quite the ruckus.”

“…Sorry…I…got angry.” I got to my feet and faced her, sitting atop her broomstick, still dressed as she were in the clubroom.

“You must learn to control that anger. In recent times, your control over both the flow of mana exiting your body and keeping yourself in shape has been truly commendable, but should you continue to have run-ins with the authorities, I’m not sure how long we can maintain our arrangement.”

“…I’ll do better, I swear! Just please! Let my friends stay safe. I know…” It disgusted me just thinking of the next words that would escape my lips. “I know…that in your compassionate benevolence, you allowed me to at least share what was happening with them and it means so much to me. I’ll do everything you order, of course!” Anesha shielded her face slightly, obviously smirking from the shower of complements I’d heaved onto her.

“Very well…I plan to return to my home within the barrier. I’ve deemed it necessary for us to be able to contact one another at any given moment. For now, return to your home, and when I’ve finished this project, you shall be made known.” Anesha gracefully floated away atop her broomstick, having never even laid boots on the ground. As the witch vanished into the night sky, the bus finally showed, and people returned to the streets. The driver called to me, and I got on, leaving the police station behind.

I stretched my legs and prepared to read through the myriad of messages from everyone. From Chester, his normal exaggerated character shining through, was a message clearly meant to keep my spirits up. [Greetings and salutations my comrade! As I have spoken with Gabriella, I’m aware that you should be getting released from incarceration soon. When you are freed, please respond to this!] Thus, I did.

[I’m fine. I’m really freaking tired, so I’ll call you tomorrow after I sleep my ass off.] Then I came across a message from Demica.

[1. You’re stupid. 2. Holy shit, whatever is going on with you and that witch woman, it’s too interesting. She is coming with us to the Jasontown Swamplands and I’m going to interview her, and you will talk her into letting me, no excuses! 3. You’re lucky that Perry, Gabriella and I all spent hours explaining the incident, otherwise we’d have lost our chance to go on the trip. 4. Message me if you need help! I know you and Chester keep your secrets and guy stuff amongst yourselves, and yes, that idiot can be very understanding sometimes, I’ll admit; but I’m your friend too and I care about you! I’m sure all the things that have been happening with that witch are very personal and scary, but I’m your friend and I’ll always, always have your back!] It read like an e-mail, but the earnestness of it got through to me. I’d known Demica and Chester for so long, I couldn’t even remember when we first met. Ever since childhood, we’d been friends, trailing together through some of the worst times in our lives.

[Hey Fate, hope you’re alright! I know you probably just want a break from all that stuff with Anesha and whatever is happening. If you want to hang out, I’m always online and we can just talk MMA or play some games, so HMU!] Knowing that Teddy, someone who was hurt by a homunculus that’d chased me down, still cared, meant a lot. [Speaking of Anesha Kyteller, what kind of person is she? What do you guys do? She seemed really strong when she threw Chester. What do you guys normally do?] For some reason though, that line of questioning came off sounding a bit strange. I replied to all the messages with simple hellos, thanks, and telling all my friends I’d speak with them in-depth later.

After some time, the bus finally reached my stop and I walked home. Every so often, I’d notice police officers walking the streets, eying suspicious people, and keeping watch from inside their cruisers. The whole department must’ve been on high alert after what happened in the developmental part of the city. I just wanted to sleep, anything other than seeing my own bed past the point I’d entered my home would’ve been infuriating. The instant my hand touched the doorknob, I should’ve known not to enter. A muffled conversation from the other side of the metal door played out, but just single-mindedly, I pushed open the threshold.

“Fate…? Is that you?” That masculine, strong voice, of course it was him. “What happened to your hair?” I was frozen in place. Unable to respond, I looked at my mother sitting at the dining room table alongside him - my father.

“Zahn, don’t. He’s been very busy lately. I think it’s for a girl or something…” Mom attempted to cover for me, but I just couldn’t put together a sentence.

“A girl? June, I know something’s been happening with him. If Trent hadn’t called me from down at the precinct, he’d probably still be there.”

“…I know…it’s just, he’s got a lot going on. Go to bed, sweetie.”

“No! I haven’t even seen Fate in years, and over the course of a few weeks, I hear about him more often in the news than I have from his own mouth, in 13 years! I want to talk to him!” He got up and walked over to me, still dumbfounded in the doorway. It’d been years since I’d seen my father face-to-face, so I’d forgotten how tall he was. The long, graying hair atop his head really did look like mine, and his wrinkled skin was only a few shades darker; it was maddening how similar we looked! “Fate, you called and told me that something might happen to you, then you went and got into trouble with the police. Whatever is happening, you’re worrying me and your mother.”

“Don’t you pretend to care about her or me now!” Finally, I was able to speak, but it was soaked with vitriol. “Just go back to your real family and leave us alone.” I was holding back so much, afraid if I snapped, I’d rip that man’s head off his body. His brow furrowed and he just let me walk by without another word. “Mom, I’m really tired. I’m going to head off to bed. Erna may need to come by at some point, but she’s fine for now. If…he doesn’t just leave, I’ll make him. Goodnight, mom.” I gave my mom a kiss on the cheek and dragged my battered body into my room, closing the door softly behind. Even before I’d reached the bedside, my eyes became heavy; I couldn’t fend off falling into a deep sleep, collapsing with my back sliding down the door.

Part 3

…All laid out before me, blood, feathers, ink, and dancing purple particles. They flowed about in the dark, as I ambled forward, feeling my feet sinking into a deep bog as something gripped my legs, trying to drag me down. Light faded as my head was slowly pulled beneath the surface. Whatever held me, furiously tugged, voraciously reaching up further along my body! I looked down, and saw them…the victims of Lauritz! Faces distorted by welt sized tattoos, torn apart by his magic, agonizing and groaning, begging for help! Begging for my help! I couldn’t save them; I couldn’t even save myself, in the end. I only survived by chance. Suddenly a new sensation, it rode up from my hip, shaking; when I looked, it was Lauritz, his mangled visage quickly clinging to my body!

“Young man…” Gnarled hands, barely connected by broken tendons and torn flesh gripped my face with incredible force! A ghastly skull, half shattered, oozing viscera, missing an eye and tattooed, met me, smiling! “Tell me your name…”

*Buzz!*

“Guh! What?!” I yelled, pulling my phone to my face, answering the buzzing with an exasperated scream!

“Ug-sorry!” The line disconnected.

“…Shoot…I’m dumb…” That mouse like response was obviously Erna. The dream had ended so abruptly, I wasn’t prepared. Feeling like a jerk, I called her back. “Sorry, I was tired.” The phone screens showed that I’d slept all the way into 3AM.

“Whatever…I’ll stab you though…if you yell at me again.” The quivering in her voice spoke a different story from her words. “I’ve set up…everything at home now. The police wouldn’t let me…come back home for a long time. And I got back my jacket on the way!” Rarely did Erna express glee, but clearly that weird belt jacket was important to her.

“I’m happy for you. Sorry to cut to the chase, but how’s the head?”

“Stranger…than before. The eye, it follows me now, like it did you back then.”

(Must be because of the mana that came off of me. I’ve had some of my blood get onto Erna and even used more of my powers near her than the others, not to mention all the time she spent pressed against me. She’s fully in the deep end now. I’m going to have to make sure to keep her close and safe!) I placed my back against the cold wall, wincing as the sensation of every wound, down from my nearly severed nose, punctured hip, and multiple other injuries shifted. It became noticeable once I’d woken up further, my bedroom was dark and silent; two things that persistently were holding a prevalent and antagonistic role in my psyche at the time. “Erna, I need you to study that head as much as possible. Homunculus research could be what I need to have the seed extracted from my body.”

“…” Erna went silent. She was probably deep in thought, but the empty air of her not speaking and leaving the vacuumous room before me, the void-like atmosphere only served to feed my anxiety.

(Say something…) I almost begged.

“Oh…sorry. I’m here. I…was thinking. There are…a lot of things…I don’t know about with you. With your body…I…want to study you too. Not just the head.”

“One day, we’ll do that. It’s weird, but I can feel it…somewhere in my body, around my chest and collarbone, the seed is there. It’s like a lump of heat, constantly building, radiating energy. Which is why I think the key to removing it safely is in homunculus studies.”

“…Maybe…but why not have a regular surgeon extract the seed? I’ve been keeping…the head alive, with…modern medicine and adding wax every so often. If I keep learning, I should be able to keep you alive through a surgery…if it’s like removing a tumor, but doing it alone would be really hard…”

“…I know…I’m putting so much on your shoulders. I’m sorry. Thing is, like I said, I can feel energy…mana radiating in my body. I’m afraid if a person were to open me up, the mana could just empty out and…kill someone at this point.”

“Huhuhu…I see. I’ll do whatever I can…to make sure you survive…it’s kind of cool, you know?” Erna began chuckling to herself. I got up from the bed and walked to the window, needing some fresh air to aid in clearing the sense of isolation, which melted away bit by bit with Erna on the line. Moonlight seeped in through the window, creeping along my arm as I held the drawstring. “Your show…and club…everything since I first saw you…has been…interesting. I…didn’t have much…reason to keep going forward. I feel…needed, maybe…” I strained to hear everything Erna said and still missed most of what she muttered.

The streaks of light cascading across my room fluttered. A shadow was cast over the blinds and it began… *Tap…Tap…Tap…* causing me to release my grip on the phone, barely reaching it before hitting the floor. “I’ll call you back!” I hung up immediately, leaving Erna with something she probably wanted to say, but knowing that likely on the other side of my window was Anesha; I didn’t want to deal with the long-winded explanation of who Erna was. I took a deep breath and calmed myself as much as possible, pulling open the window to see the face of an old man!

“Hello, young man.” I stared into the wrinkled old white face of some man. His graying eyebrows connecting to a withering hairline, and a moustache so overgrown, it obscured his mouth, creping down his face stood out to me. “Would you be willing to open the window, I’m quite cold out here.” I was dumbstruck and just complied without thinking. In jumped the old man, his tiny paws landing on the floor with a light thud and brown fur matching my carpet.

“Huh?! What the fuck?!” The old man shushed me with his brown and gray paw, from a no more than two-foot-tall stature! A dog man, or more correctly, a dog with a man’s face! No matter how often I saw weird and wondrous things, my mind remained uncalloused. “You-wha- what are you?”

“Young man, that rude tone is quite unbecoming!” The dog man walked over to my bed and attempted to jump up, falling just short. “Would you mind assisting me?”

“Sure…” I boosted him up onto the bed. After scrambling for my desk light, I quickly shut the blinds. “Are you…a homunculus?”

“No, dear child. I am a familiar. One of lady Anesha’s many. You may call me Bramble. I believe…your name is Faythe?”

“Fate. Wait, I thought giving familiars names was a no go.”

“Ah yes, Lady Anesha’s rule about keeping all those beneath her boot. Typically, my lady would avoid allowing such things, but I was born and named before her birth, however I am also her most trusted adviser.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Before Anesha was born? Where did you come from?”

“A story for another time, dear boy. I have come here as Lady Anesha’s envoy for the foreseeable future!”

“Meaning…you’re going to send messages between the two of us?”

“Quite perceptive, young Fate! In fact, I believe one is coming through now…” In disturbing fashion, Bramble unhinged his jaw, rolled his eyes into the back of his head, and allowed a dark mist to exit his maw. It swelled into a small woman-like form, ¼ the size of any person I’d ever seen before, and as it began taking form, I instantly recognized it as Anesha herself.

“Oh my, the amount of time it took for the old fool to reach you, I should’ve known his rotund body to be less than reliable. If not for him being at least intellectually sound even with his advanced age, I’d have left him to sleep.” She began to complain as particles wafted off the translucent mist. “Fate, this elder gent shall be used for our communication from now on. He does not require much attention, however; the form of a dog does suit him well as he is rather uncivilized at times. You two will likely grow attached, as you have that in common.” Insults, yup, Anesha hadn’t changed. “For now, I believe we’re safe from the Cabinet. Wholly due in fact to my efforts, praise me if you wish, but for the time being I grow sleepy. If there is nothing more that requires my immediate attention, I shall retire for the day.”

I remembered, and almost tripped over myself to convey a message myself. “Ah, wait!” Even in mist form Anesha jumped. “I…uh…pretty soon we’re going on this trip. I need you…to come with us…as a member of the club!”

“…Are you inept?”

“…Maybe. Please come!”

“Fine.” To my surprise, a clearly reluctant Anesha agreed, right away, without provocation! Turning her back, the smoke faded, and Bramble returned to normal…or as normal as a man faced dog gremlin could be.

“A trip you say? Taking the lady to get some relief would be a stupendous idea! I applaud you, young man!” The dog man began scratching his ear.

“Yeah… what is this trip going to end up being?”

End of chapter 15