Chapter 5

Once they were all suited up, and after Tarin gave Lily an intercom to talk to them and an actual mask to hide her face. They went off to find the void signal.

Lily ran next to Tarin, “I couldn’t find anything. There’s too many people around here to do magic and not be seen.”

Tarin nodded, “That’s why she’s here. She wants you to not be able to do magic.” They both stopped and looked around, everyone was looking at the two heroes. “How does it feel being a superhero?”

Lily looked confused, “But I’m not a superhero.”

Tarin smiled, “That’s not what they think.” Tarin nodded toward the people looking at them and taking pictures.

“Well, we’ll get Sorra to change their minds now, come on!” She yelled looking around.

Tarin thought there was something wrong with the way she said that, “What do you mean? Do you not want to be a superhero with Sorra?” Tarin asked, now getting curious.

Lily’s eyes widened, and she looked down as she did. “I-I don’t…”

Sorra appeared in the sky and flew next to them, she hugged Lily and asked if they’d seen anything. They said no and moved on as a group. They soon found the void signature, and found themselves in front of a toy shop.

“How evil can a person be to try and shop for a toy?” Asked Max.

Lily shrugged, “Maybe she’s gone crazier than I thought, she’d never go into a toy store. Not one like this.” Lily made a voice when she said this, a childish kind of annoying voice. Tarin started speculating how Lily knew this person once more.

When they walked into the building it was pretty much empty, it was a small, not too popular toy shop. It had been there for as long as Tarin could remember, he’d gotten all his old toys here.

Colton stepped in, “Have you ever watched one of those creepy horror movies when they went into a creepy place and died?”

Sorra nodded, “Basically every horror movie ever created so, ya.”

“Well this feels like we are just in one of those movies.” Colton finished. Tarin looked over the counter and found three, knocked out civilians. Gagged and hands tied.

A creepy voice came from the far side of the store, “You know Lily, we were once good friends.” The voice seemed to shift whenever it spoke, and it sounded like spit spoke with the mouth. “You played with me, and when we both found out we had magic. We went to school, I loved you like a sister.” This was getting creepier by the day and everyone was going into a circle. “You said you’d never liked playing, you loved magic and the mages. I ran away knowing you’d always love it more than me. I was wrong wasn’t I? You came back, with these puny heroes, and are trying to stop me? Why sister, why wouldn’t you play!?” Lily looked like she was frozen, she didn’t talk. She didn’t blink, and now a deranged lunatic in the shadows was talking about some kind of friendship between the two. “You like this one don’t you?” A shadow passed by Sorra, and she shot a blast of energy. Nothing was there. “I always knew you liked ones like her, but I thought we’d just play through it all, but you forgot about me!” A figure appeared in the shadows. A short and sad girl stepped out, and looked straight at Lily. “Why did you forget?” The shadows pushed them out the doors and glass, a giant tendril shot out of the store.

“Sorra, mind trick anyone in the area! Max! You think you can get the tendril under control?” Asked Tarin.

Max smiled, “Only one way to find out!” Max jumped onto the tendril and was waved around for a bit.

Lily looked weirded out, and out of her past frozen state. “Is this normal for him?”

“Fighting a deranged kid with unspeakable powers, and grabbing onto a giant tentacle?” Aaron said, “Sounds about right.” Aaron flew into the air blasting the tendril that had exploded from the store, but Lily stood there. Eyes on the small girl they could see moving her palms, and making the tendril move.

“Eithan! Can you shoot the ki… I mean Velmora!” Tarin said.

Eithan looked at him sadly, “Ya.”

“Not too hard!” Lily yelled.

Tarin shook his head, “No, it’s ok. Only warning shot’s, he won’t shoot hard.” Eithan nodded, and readied a fireball. Now that Tarin saw it, using their abilities powerfully and doing magic wasn’t that different. Maybe that was the difference between the two. Eithan shot a blast of fire right through the tendril and right on the little girl’s shoulder, the tendril dropped Max and dissolved into nothing. 

Velmora grabbed her shoulder, and laughed. “You remember this game Lily! You made the first shot, now it will begin.” Velmora passed into the darkness of the store and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Tarin looked to Lily, “We have a problem.”