Sometime later, the group is sitting down on a down log, taking a break from all the walking.
URI
Man I'm tired...
WICKSTON
Yeah! Me too.
URI
(Chuckles)
Tired from what? From riding on top of my head for hours?
WICKSTON
Hey, it's hard work!! You move your head a lot!
URI
I will be sure to keep my head as still as possible for you next time, your grace.
WICKSTON
Thank you, finally some respect around here!
The Fiddler watches them have this silly exchange and starts laughing.
THE FIDDLER
(Laughing)
Such banter, you two must-have known each other for a while now to have such rapport. It's cute.
URI
You think so?
THE FIDDLER
I do! It's nice to see a Witch and their Familiar to have such a strong bond!
URI
Oh, he's-
They both look at each other, then back at The Fiddler, Wickston's head kind of drops a little.
URI
He's... He's not my Familiar actually...
THE FIDDLER
Oh... My apologies, I just assumed because of how close the two of you are... Heh silly me.
URI
Oh... yeah.
THE FIDDLER
If you don't mind me asking, where is your Witch, Wickston?
WICKSTON
We think she is in Floralia!! And Uri is helping me get there!!
THE FIDDLER
Oh!!! Ok, ok! So That's why! So Uri, you're helping him get home? That's really kind of you.
WICKSTON
I agree!! Uri took me all around the big city in search of my Witch! It was a lot of fun!
THE FIDDLER
So, if you don't mind me asking, where is YOUR Familiar Uri?
Uri's eyes get really wide, a feeling like lightning shoots up his spine, he freezes for a moment... then turns his head away from them.
NOBODY
Isn't that just a fantastic question Uri!? Where IS Kairos?
URI
I... I don't have one...
THE FIDDLER
You don't? I thought all Witches have Familiars? Aren't you guys like bonded at the soul, fated to find each other and stuff?
NOBODY
Oooh~, someone's a big old liar!
WICKSTON
Hey, yeah!! Where is your Familiar Uri!? I'd love to meet them!
NOBODY
(Creepily Singsongingly)
Tell'em~!
Tell'em~!!
TELL'EM~!!!
URI
I... I don't wanna talk about it...
THE FIDDLER
Oh...ok. Well... Why don't you tell me about your magical background? I haven't really seen you do any magic yet. And I gotta say, I'm rather fascinated on the subject.
Uri's face pales devoid of its color, he starts kind of shrinking into himself. Rubbing his hand anxiously on the log, picking away at the bark.
THE FIDDLER
I find Witch magic to be fascinating!! I mean being able to practice all kinds of magic, regardless of species, I mean come on!
The more he talks about magic, the more excited he gets, and the more Uri visibly becomes increasingly more uncomfortable with each word.
THE FIDDLER
Though I'm not a Witch, I have always been fascinated by how magic affects us. I've studied all kinds of magic! Not just Demon, but Witch, Tritone, Fae-
URI
-I can't use magic.
The Fiddler stops in mid-sentence, gives him a weird look.
THE FIDDLER
I'm sorry for assuming... Are you not a... Witch...?
URI
I mean, If you wanna get Technical, yes I am.
THE FIDDLER
Then... you can do magic?
URI
No.
THE FIDDLER
...What? You have no Familiar and you say you can't do magic... Well... what kind of Witch are you...?
NOBODY
Ooooohhh!!!! Right in the gut!! Yeah, What kind of Witch are you, Uri!?
Uri pops up from the Log angrily.
URI
What kind of Witch am I!?
NOBODY
Oooh this is getting good! Go 'head tell'em! Better yet, why don't you SHOW HIM!
URI
It's none of your business what kind of Witch I am!
THE FIDDLER
I...I'm really sorry, I didn't mean anything by it! I won't pry...
WICKSTON
But Uri CAN use magic! He stopped time on a truck, so that it wouldn't hit me!
URI
Wickston!!?!? Shush!
The Fiddler scratches his head, confused.
THE FIDDLER
He... stopped time...?
NOBODY
How long do you think you can keep the charade up!? It's only a matter of... Time!
(Wicked laughs)
URI
Can we just drop this, ok! Please...
At the same moment, a mysterious figure standing atop a tree, from afar blows a note combination on a piccolo, cherry blossom petals begin to rain down from the skies.
The Fiddler hears the whining sound of a piccolo echo throughout the trees of the forest; he looks up into the sky recalling its familiarity. Uri looks at him confused.
THE FIDDLER
Did... did you hear that...?
URI
Hear what??
Wickston
Hear what??
Suddenly, the wind picks up again, then tons and tons of cherry blossom petals begin cascading from the sky eerily. Wickston starts giggling, running around, and does a little dance in the raining petals. Uri catches some of the petals in his hand and begin studying them.
URI
Cerasus serrulata...? There couldn't be a Cherry Blossom tree for hundreds of miles...
THE FIDDLER
... No...
The Fiddler's face becomes a pale shade of red as he gazes over to Uri's hand. In a panic, he quickly smacks the flower petals out of Uri's hand!
THE FIDDLER
DON'T TOUCH THOSE!!!
URI
OW!! What's your damage!?
(Short Beat)
What the-
As the petals fall to the ground, he watches them dissolve into a putrid pink, poisonous, looking slime, as it burns a hole in the grass below. The Petals begin to rain down heavier, burning the parts of the ground where they land.
THE FIDDLER
We need to get out of here...
URI
How is that even-
THE FIDDLER
NOW!!
The Fiddler snatches Uri by the arm, yanking him in the direction out of the growing petal storm.
URI
Whoa, Whoa, calm down!
THE FIDDLER
Wickston, come on, let's move those toe beans!
Wickston quickly stops dancing, then jumps onto Uri's face, covering his eyes.
URI
GAH!! Come on, Wickston, not again! I can't see! You're getting wax on my face!
They try to flee, but... it is too late; they are already surrounded.
A big pile of the flower petals is created surrounding them, the pile turns to a “Poisonous liquid”. And from out the slime, five devilish-looking hellhounds come crawling out of the thick liquid.
THE FIDDLER
Shit! Get back!
The Fiddler tries to put himself in front of Uri and Wickston, shielding them yet again from the beasts. Uri jerks back, and Wickston tumbles off his head and rolls right in front of one.
URI
Wickston!
Wickston makes eye contact with one, it barks in his face real loud, and he freezes in shock. Immediately Wickston freezes as he relives a memory.
Wickston, in his humanoid form, tears through the forest as fast as his little legs can take him, his breath ragged, eyes wide with panic. Behind him, a wall of fire devours everything in its path, flames clawing up the trees like wild, hungry beasts. The night is alive with the sound of cracking wood and distant, inhuman howls.
He stumbles through a thicket of thorn-laced branches, arms raised to shield his face. Bark scrapes against his wax skin as he pushes through, desperate and breathless.
Then suddenly... silence.
The trees fall away, and the smoke parts but standing in his way, waiting as if it had been summoned from the blaze itself, is a massive Hellhound. Its eyes glow like molten fire, its fur slick with shadow.
It throws its head back and howls, a long, gravelly cry echoing like a war horn through the burning woods.
While the whole area becomes engulfed in flames, Wickston freezes, as we jump back to the present moment.
Uri looks back, notices that Wickston is cornered by one of the Hellhounds. In an instant, he turns away from The Fiddler and begins racing over to Wickston's aid. Quickly, he snatches up Wickston from the ground, only to turn around to see that another Hellhound has cornered him. While that's happening, in slow motion, The Fiddler turns around, noticing that they aren't there, much to his shock.
The Hellhound circle the two of them menacingly; they growl and bite at them. Uri tries to move but can't. They are pulling in closer and closer.
THE FIDDLER
NO!!
The Fiddler turns around quickly and, in one fluid motion, draws out Ol' Zephyr in one hand and his bow in the other.
Effortlessly, he leaps from in front of the hound into a backflip, landing right in-between the two circling them. Then begins ferociously playing on his violin, a bunch of wind starts to whisk all around them, making a dust cloud tornado. It pushes the beasts back.
THE FIDDLER
Uh! Uri could use some help here!
Uri starts panicking, looking around confused.
URI
Uhh...
THE FIDDLER
Uri!! If you have any magic, now would be the right time for a little help!
His panicking quickly evolves into a panic attack; he begins to breathe deep, heavy, and sporadically, fidgeting nervously.
URI
I... uh! I don't...
THE FIDDLER
Uhh, Uri! This is not a long term solution! Could really use a little help here!
He plays with such speed and power, but it's rather too fast to continue for too long. He begins slowing in speed, and so does the Dust Tornado.
URI
What do you want me to do!!!!???
THE FIDDLER
I don't know!! Anything!!!
URI
Uh...Uh!
NOBODY
(Taunting)
Go ahead... cast a spell. That is... if you can control it...
Uri frantically begins looking around for answers. But there is nothing there.
URI
I...I CAN'T!!
At the last second, Wickston's eyes snap back, and he regains consciousness. He jumps out of Uri's arms into the air, his wick ignites brightly as his waxy skin starts to melt, releasing a soothing scent in the air.
The Hellhounds slow down until they fully stop moving and begin yawning. The Fiddler stops playing and sniffs the air.
THE FIDDLER
Sleeping Scent...
The smell permeates the entire area, The hounds pass out unconscious, falling to the ground.
Wickston drops back down to the ground; his body transforms back into his small humanoid form.
URI
Wickston!! That was amazing! How'd you do that!?
WICKSTON
(Out of breath)
It's... It's one of my sacred scents... I had forgotten I could do that...
(Beat)
I think... Something... happened to me...
Wickston lies on the ground limp; The Fiddler quickly picks him up holding him in his arms.
URI
Wickston... are you ok...? You look weak...
WICKSTON
Uri... I remembered something...
THE FIDDLER
Come on, let's get him out of here...
Before they can even get away, more Hellhounds come growling from the bushes. They make a B-line for The Fiddler. 3 of them leap at him, teeth ablaze!
The Pendent glows once more; he feels this urge... this PULL in his body!
URI
NO!!!
(Thinking)
I won't let you hurt them...!
In an instant, as if like a flash of light, Uri appears directly right in front of both of them, shielding their bodies with his own, his bright yellow eyes illumining a beautiful golden glow, burning with determination.
Before The Fiddler has the chance to react, he gets distracted by Uri. That look... in his eyes... is completely different. Strong, Confident... Powerful.
URI
(Gravelly)
...Blackout.
Suddenly, the area is bathed in darkness, a pitch-black void of infinite nothingness completely devoid of sound. Everything begins to slow down for a moment. A big, golden, magical-looking sigil, in the shape of a clock, phases into existence under their feet.
URI
(Gravelly)
...Clockwork.
The hands on the clock start spinning rapidly as Uri begins to absorb all the chronomatic energy beating from it.
He closes his eyes, and with a breath, his eyes pop open, releasing powerful, rippling Golden waves of magical energy from out of his body, blanketing the ground. Then wiping away the darkness, letting out a burst of golden power!
URI
Raaaaaawwwww!!!
All the hellhounds are blown back by the wave of intense, commanding power. The Fiddler opens his eyes to see the hounds suspended in midair... unmoving. He taps one of them; they don't react.
He begins to look around The petals have also stop falling; they too seem to be frozen in time.
THE FIDDLER
Holy shit...
Uri's eyes stop glowing as his body goes limp, falling towards the ground.
THE FIDDLER
Uri!!
The Fiddler sets Wickston down and dashes for him, catches his body right as it's about to hit the ground.
THE FIDDLER
That was... amazing... How did you do that?
But he is unresponsive; Uri just lies there weakened, only able to think to himself.
URI
(Thinking)
What just happened...? This feeling... feels familiar...
THE FIDDLER
...Uri...? Uri!! Can you hear me...? Uh oh...
He starts lightly smacking his face; Uri looks at him in a daze.
URI
(Thinking)
What is this familiar feeling...? And why... does it feel so familiar...
NOBODY
Well, well, well, I didn't think you still had it in you!
Uri's eyes settle open, when he notices the hounds are frozen, his heart sinks into his gut. He regains the ability to speak aloud.
URI
(Terrified)
No... Not again! Please tell me not again!
Uri jumps out of The Fiddlers arms, and starts looking at his hands.
NOBODY
What's wrong, Uri? You don't like the feeling of power?
URI
No...
NOBODY
Don't you remember what true power feels like!? Doesn't it feel GOOD!?
URI
NOOO!!
NOBODY
A God among men! The Witch of Time lives!
His face completely drains of color again... as he begins sweating a lot.
THE FIDDLER
Uri, you look like you're gonna faint.
NOBODY
Finally! You will have no choice but to face your destiny!
URI
(Stammering)
D-Did I do this...?
THE FIDDLER
Yes... I've never seen anything like that in my entire life... I felt that spell in my bones...
NOBODY
Such powerful dangerous magic! I'm sure your little “friend” here is afraid of you now. I'd be afraid of you.
Uri starts hyperventilating.
URI
Oh Gods... Oh GODS!! No! NO! Can't... Breathe... Freaking out...! FREAKING OUT!!
He holds his head with both of his hands, trying to stop the voices, but there is no escape...
NOBODY
What will he think of you now that he knows you're a monster?
URI
...Can't!!! BREATHE!!!
The Fiddler tries to get close to him, he reaches a hand out to console him. He notices that The Fiddler is getting closer to him, he pulls away.
NOBODY
DON'T TOUCH ME!!
URI
Get...!! Away...!! From me...!!
The Fiddler pulls his hand back, concerned.
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