Episode I — The Great Awakening Test

Chapter 2: The Fae (Part 1) 

“All right, Mike; this is your chance to show your capabilities as my heir,” Perseus says, coming to a stop while Michael avoids eye contact. Perseus draws closer to him, suspicious. “Is there something bothering you? Spit it out!”

“I don’t feel this is right. Isn’t Tyrone the rightful heir? He is a Cosmic mage too, which is all that’s required—” says Michael, but Perseus interrupts his grandson.

“We’ve already been through this! Your uncle is a werewolf, and as such he is strictly forbidden from ever holding the title of Archmage. But that’s beside the point. What else is bothering you?” Perseus presses, his tone firm.

“I just wish I could choose my path. I’m not sure if this is what I truly want to do . . .” Michael expresses, but Perseus interrupts him again.

“First, you drop out from the most prestigious mage school around, then you come out as gay and refuse to marry the daughter of Agartha’s wealthiest man, and now this . . . ‘I wanna choose my path.’ Will you ever stop giving me headaches?” Perseus lectures him sternly.

“Never mind,” Michael mutters, containing his anger.

Perseus takes a deep breath and places his hand on his grandson’s shoulder. “Oh, Mike, I only want what’s best for you. One day you’ll understand. Now, show us how truly powerful you are. I can’t wait to see what you will be capable of once your magic is fully awakened.”

The two engage in a brief and silent staring contest. Then, Michael lets out a long, frustrated sigh and mutters, “Let’s just get this over with.”

Michael pushes past his grandfather and steps out from behind the curtains. Gebmar and Nyx subtly move aside, feigning ignorance. Perseus follows his grandson, shooting a suspicious glance at the devas.

“You two were listening, weren’t you? Elementals sure do love sticking their noses where they don’t belong!” Perseus pauses, his gaze piercing as he looks up at Nyx. “Now, tell me, and it had better be the truth. Why is Gebmar here?”

“I am officially retiring as the mentor for the Archmage Heir. Gebmar is here to take my place,” says Nyx.

Perseus pales, then flushes red. He shouts, “Wait, what?!”

“It was decided by the Deities themselves. They revealed it to me in a vision.” Nyx smiles enigmatically.

“Couldn’t you have discussed this with me first? How dare you make this decision without my consent?” Perseus snaps.

“Feel free to bring your discontent to the Deities, though I’m quite certain they don’t give a damn about whatever you have to say. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I would like a word with these fellows without your involvement!” Nyx retorts.

Perseus turns around and storms out of the ballroom, loudly slamming the door behind him.

Nyx’s third eye begins to glow as she turns toward the column where Ember is hidden. “Mike’s sister, I know you’re there. You may come out!”

The girl shyly emerges from her hiding spot.

“Ember, you’ve been here the whole time?” Michael asks, surprised.

“Yeah; hope that’s not a problem!” she responds, her smile nervous.

“I couldn’t care less, but if you get hurt for any reason, I’ll just pretend I never saw you!” Nyx cautions.

The sixteen-year-old girl removes her cloak, revealing her face. Her skin is fair, and her eyes are bright green. Her black hair is pulled into a high side ponytail, and the gathered strands are dyed a vivid violet. She’s dressed in pants patterned with black and purple in a funky design, and a short-sleeved shirt.

Nyx turns to Gebmar and inquires, “Do you have your Axis Mundi Dagger with you?”

With a faint grinding sound, a seam opens across Gebmar’s granite chest, revealing a hidden cavity where the Axis Mundi rests. From within, he retrieves a beautifully crafted warbird platinum dagger, its golden handle set with three sparkling gemstones. With a gleam in his eye, he skillfully reverse-spins the Axis Mundi before the mesmerized gazes of Michael and Ember.

The display also captures Eris and Rickiemer’s attention from the mezzanine.

“There it is . . . the Axis Mundi!” Eris exclaims, her eyes widening.

“Gebmar, shift into human form. Don’t go around looking like that,” says Nyx.

Gebmar begins to glow brightly and shrinks slightly in height, morphing into a fashionable and handsome man in his early twenties. He retains his athletic build, with flaming copper-red hair and golden-tan skin. His eyes gleam ember red. He is now dressed in a white leather cropped jacket decorated with dark green stripes, and matching white jeans. Gebmar’s chest remains bare, except for the gold necklace with the enigmatic pendant.

Placing the dagger in a holster on his belt, Gebmar completes his transformation, causing Michael to blush at his striking appearance.

“Cool, he looks like a K-Pop star!” says Ember.

“Shirt?” Nyx asks.

“Screw shirts. They’re boring and inconvenient, always getting in my way in my elemental form. Besides looking fire, this outfit allows me to keep my flexibility!” Gebmar exclaims as he shape-shifts back to his elemental form, his lower torso and arms beginning to rotate independently beneath the cropped hem of the jacket.

The Earth Deva returns to his human form, prompting Michael to lift his hood for a better view. He cannot help but admire his new crush.

His sister notices, and smirks knowingly. She sidles closer to her brother and whispers, “I can see you checking him out.”

“Not sure what you’re talking about,” Michael mumbles, blushing, before looking away.

Gebmar’s ears perk up as he overhears the conversation, a blush creeping onto his own cheeks. With an enthusiastic smile, he turns around, eager to hear more, but Nyx quickly intervenes, pulling his ear and whispering, “Don’t even think about it!”

She transforms into her human form as well. Her rich, dark-olive skin catches the light, and her violet eyes stand out against her complexion. Her hair, a deep plum-purple, falls around her face in soft waves. Despite the transformation, her expression remains calm and unreadable. She wears a deep blue gown adorned with subtle sparkles that shimmer like distant stars.

She turns to Michael. “You may begin your test. And don’t die! Listening to a eulogy from Perseus would be worse than an hour of his ‘motivational’ speeches.” Nyx walks offstage and silently leaves the ballroom.

“Well, it’s time to begin!” Gebmar announces, as he reaches into his pocket and retrieves a small pyramid crafted from dark obsidian. The siblings watch with curiosity as Gebmar holds up the object.

“What’s that thing?” Michael asks, unable to take his eyes off it.

“This is Sah’s Pyramid. It opens a portal straight into your subconscious, where you will search for your magical essence,” Gebmar says, his voice bright with enthusiasm.

“My magical essence?” Michael asks, intrigued.

“The force within your soul that powers your magic,” explains the deva. “You will be teleported into Sah’s Pyramid, where your subconscious will be projected as an entire inner world. The purpose of this test is for you to gain full mastery of your power by becoming one with your inner self and your magical essence.”

“So, are we ready?” Gebmar asks as he carefully places the pyramid on the floor. The Earth Deva slowly backs away. “Now, press the tip to begin. Mike’s sister, move as far back as you can unless you want to be sucked in too.”

Ember quickly shuffles back, putting some distance between herself and the pyramid.

Meanwhile, Michael hesitantly shrugs off the heavy cloak, wrestling with it as it almost drags his shirt up with it. His open shirt briefly reveals the heptagram-shaped birthmark on the left side of his chest. Gebmar’s eyes widen at the sight.

Thank you for reading Chaos’s Key.

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