Episode Two: The Girl Stolen from the Past

 Manifest: A Shattered Future

Episode Two: The Girl Stolen from the Past

               A cool breeze swept through the street and carried the scent of blossoming flowers. Though he had almost reached his destination, Romulo smiled and leaned over to smell a rose in a nearby garden. But when he tilted his head, some strands of his auburn hair fell upon the wet dirt. He straightened out his back and looked around, hoping that no one had seen his blunder. When he saw Altair standing just outside the infirmary with a disapproving stare, Romulo chuckled and shook his head.

               “It’s a beautiful day to stop and smell the roses, wouldn’t ya know?” Romulo said to his friend.

               But Altair simply shook his head and pulled his glasses off his face. He briefly wiped them with the edge of his gray shirt, returned them to his face, and answered, “Shouldn’t you take this more seriously? We still haven’t found that conjuror from last night. His monoliths are totally recharged by now. He could attack again as soon as he wants.”

               Even as he approached from a distance, Romulo could see light wounds and gashes on Altair’s dark skin. Trying to stifle his optimism, Romulo remarked, “We just have to wait for news to come in. No way we can patrol everywhere. Speaking of which… what brings you to the infirmary?”

               “They woke me up early. They asked me to rig up something for some patient they’ve got in there. Some energetic girl’s missing a leg, so I fashioned her something. To be honest, it’s no better than a plunger, but I don’t have time to come up with anything else,” Altair explained.

               “Funny you should say that, she’s actually the one I came here to see! Did you get a chance to talk much to her?” asked Romulo.

“Of course I didn’t; you know me better than that. I helped her affix the seal to her stump, told her how to screw in the pegleg, and left it at that. My time’s better spent on strategizing, anyway.”

“It’s a shame you didn’t get to talking, ‘cause you both have a missing memory in common. She’s got no clue who she is or how she wound up here,” Romulo remarked.

Altair chuckled and teased, “That is completely different. I probably lost my memory as a battle injury. She’s just forgetful!”

Romulo shook his head with a quiet laugh before stepping inside. But to his dismay, when he entered the infirmary, he saw that it was filled with overworked medics, wounded civilians, and injured conjurors. Because Elena had comparatively light injuries, Romulo knew the medics would relocate her to a back room so as not to take up space. Romulo poked his head into several back rooms until eventually he found her sitting on a white cot, playfully fumbling with a pair of monoliths.

“Heh, you should be careful with those! You wouldn’t want to manifest something here by mistake. Where’d you find those things anyway?” asked Romulo.

Elena giggled and answered, “I had them with me when I washed ashore! There was kind of a lot going on, so I didn’t really notice until after I got here. They look just like the ones you used to fight that guy on the beach! I even found a few spell cards with me. I hope this doesn’t sound crazy, but I kinda had a dream about it… using them, I mean. Like I manifested a sorcerer to help me fight.”

“That’s… fascinating. I didn’t realize when I found you that you were a conjuror just like me! That’s what that was, right? A memory from your life before?” Romulo wondered.

But Elena shook her head nervously and explained, “I don’t think it was real! I mean it felt real. It felt like I had just lived it days ago, but the world wasn’t anything like this. There were cars, and a lab, people shuffling into tall buildings. It didn’t look anything like this! And besides, I didn’t bring out my sorcerer for war. It was like a game with a friend. We were practicing! We didn’t want to hurt each other or anyone else. We played a long game and then went out for fast food. A fried chicken sandwich. That doesn’t sound like anything I’ve seen here.”

Romulo scratched the back of his head and looked over her belongings. Several spell cards sat beside her wooden pegleg, and her red monolith lay dangerously close to the edge of the mattress. Her blue monolith rested beside her flesh leg as she peered around the room. Even as her light brown eyes scanned the room, she seemed to fixate on minor details that seemed mundane to Romulo. She stared at cracks in the wall or leaks in the ceiling. She watched a small trail of ants walk into the nearby sink. A gurney stood in the corner of the room, and several tools lay out upon it, shimmering in the incandescent light.

“We’ve got a couple diners and a restaurant here and there, but I don’t really know what you mean. Sorry about that. Do you think it’s possible it was a dream intermixed with a fantasy? You seem strong. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were a conjuror,” Romulo suggested with a smile.

“Maybe maybe! But I don’t know; I just don’t know. Hey, Romulo, can we go for a walk or something? It’s kinda stale here, and they already dressed my wounds. I don’t really want to stay for very long,” asked Elena.

After pondering for a moment, Romulo moved closer to her bed and offered her his arm. Elena contemplated as she stared at his hand, but when she glanced over to the pegleg which would have to support her weight, she relented and gleefully accepted his help. Despite her small frame, Romulo found himself surprised by her strength when she lifted herself off the mattress. She shakily steadied herself on her new leg, but it proved itself able to uphold her weight even though it could not keep her balanced. Once upright, Elena gathered her belongings and followed Romulo toward the door. He led her out through a side door and stepped into an alleyway. The bright daylight overwhelmed Elena, but the cool ocean breeze kept the air cool. Romulo guided her toward the nearest street, and when they arrived, Elena took a moment to look at the humble buildings around her. Even as they began walking through the quiet city, she excitedly looked at every shop she passed.

“Do you know how to manifest a sorcerer?” asked Romulo.

“Well… not entirely. Yesterday I saw you make your monoliths reverberate first, then they released some energy and made a sorcerer. It was the same way in my dream! I guess I just don’t get how that works,” Elena admitted.

Romulo chuckled and said, “I don’t really get how it works either; I don’t think anyone does. But when these monoliths resonate, it’s like they lock onto the frequency of a sorcerer, usually one that they’ve entangled with before. If we can make it to this field nearby, would you maybe wanna have a practice match?”

“I think I’d like to practice. I know I’d like to practice! But, well, wouldn’t it hurt the guys we manifest? I saw you fight the monster on the beach. Your sorcerers shattered when they fell!” Elena worried aloud.

Romulo nervously laughed as he scratched his head and answered, “I can’t really say for sure. I haven’t thought a lot about it, but I don’t think it seriously hurts them. I mean, my Rogue of Broken Justice has suffered some really brutal defeats. Then, after my monolith recharges, I can manifest him again just several hours later. Completely unscathed, like it never happened at all. Besides… not to sound callous or anything, but I’m a soldier. I’ve fought more battles than I can count, all by compelling the sorcerers I conjure. Even if our sorcerers get hurt in this battle, it’s the difference between 10,000 and 10,003.”

Elena stared at Romulo with wide eyes as they walked together, but then she giggled and nodded in agreement. Romulo smiled when he saw that his words had convinced her, and then he glanced ahead at an open field beside an old bakery. A few other citizens pushed wagons along the cobblestone street in the background, but Elena struggled to keep herself balanced as she walked. Romulo could tell by the way she walked that she had used a prosthetic leg in the past, but her makeshift pegleg struggled to accommodate the uneven ridges in the road. Even when they crossed onto the grassy field, Elena had to fight to stay stable and upright. He watched her with a gaze of concern, but she seemed proud of herself in spite of her struggle. Convinced that she could handle herself, Romulo bounded to the other side of the field and unsheathed his blue monolith. He struck it with a small hammer, forced it to reverberate, and then set it on the field as it unleashed a vortex of azure light.

Romulo explained, “When your monolith resonates, it can synchronize with a special frequency—one that it has locked onto in the past. So with this resonance, I can manifest my main defender: Ice Crystal Barricade!”

Elena watched as an enormous behemoth of ice ascended from the blue monolith. The temperature quickly plummeted as spirals of snow and ice danced through the air. She stared into the eyes at the center of the giant ice wall, and then it slowly advanced. Its icy body stretched so far that it blocked off the field. Romulo passed a card to the sorcerer he had conjured, and then Elena excitedly unholstered her own monoliths. She smacked them against each other, felt them vibrate in her hand, and then dropped her red-colored monolith onto the field. A vortex of crimson energy emanated from the stone, and in just a matter of seconds, a sorcerer materialized in the heart of the energy.

               Shortly after Elena manifested her Summoner of Cyclones, it materialized a spell card in its hand. Because this jogged her memory, Elena quickly reached into her pockets and located several scattered spell cards. Though she seemed uncertain of the spells themselves, she excitedly said, “This is the same sorcerer I used in my dream! My Summoner of Cyclones. That’s so exciting!”

               “It is exciting! Do you know how to use your grimoire?” asked Romulo with a grin.

               “No I don’t, no I don’t! I don’t think I’ve even heard of that,” Elena giggled.

               Romulo nodded and explained, “It’s honestly a bit of a silly word, I think. As far as I’ve been told, some conjurors used to keep all their spells in these big dusty spell books. Called them grimoires. Problem is, we’re just ordinary people! The creatures we conjure can cast all kinds of magic, but not us. To me, these spells are just ink. Anyway, older conjurors got tired of tearing pages out of their grimoires all the time, so we instead just made cards with spells on them! It’s hard to sort through them or even keep track of them, but it works better than tearing up a book every time we want to fight! Basically, you just pick a spell you want your sorcerer to have, and you pass it to them when they’re nearby.

               “Mm. Okay, okay, let me try! I found one here. Summoner of Cyclones! Catch!” Elena said excitedly as she passed a card to her sorcerer.

               Compelled by Elena’s command, the Summoner of Cyclones caught the card that she had passed. It then unleashed the magic on the card and enchanted itself with a fearsome surge of power. Romulo watched with intrigue as a tornadic energy swirled around her sorcerer and empowered it. The wind quickly accelerated, and small whirlwinds carried dust across the field.

               “Well done, well done! Now use your Supertyphoon Ceremony! Throw yourself at the enemy and give it your strongest strike!” Elena yelled.

               Romulo watched with wide eyes as Elena’s sorcerer struck his Ice Crystal Barricade with a tornadic force. But even though the punch sent fractures through the body of the barricade, Elena compelled her Summoner to step aside. She then smiled, steadied her still-reverberating blue monolith, and set it on the ground beside her pegleg. With a chuckle, Romulo watched her launch her aggressive assault by manifesting a second sorcerer in a shower of blue light. At that moment, a blade-wielding warrior ascended from the blue monolith and raced across the field. Passersby watched in the background as Elena’s newest sorcerer raced toward its target.

               “Underwater Illusionist! Get ready to strike!” Elena shouted with glee.

               Romulo watched with an impressed grin as Elena’s sorcerer thrust its blade into his living wall of ice, but even this could not force his barricade to crumble. Almost like a submarine, the Underwater Illusionist then rapidly retreated after making its attack. Elena compelled it to race back toward its monolith, keeping it out of reach from Romulo’s attacks.

               And while Romulo held several cards in his hand, he paused to look over the field as he contemplated his next move. He lifted his green monolith and prepared to manifest his sorcerer, but then he saw Elena’s exhaustion from a distance. In addition to stumbling her way across several city blocks, she seemed to be drained after manifesting two sorcerers within seconds of each other. Even from a distance, he could tell that she moderated her breaths in the way that a runner would in a long race. A thin layer of sweat shimmered on her skin.

               “Why am I so tired?” Elena asked with a giggle.

               “I don’t really know why, but it takes a lot of stamina to manifest a sorcerer! It’s possible that our bodies pay part of the price to conjure them. Somehow or another, it’s all connected. Your monoliths won’t recharge if they’re not near you, and they recharge faster if you’re active. Again, I really can’t say why! It’s just what we’ve noticed,” Romulo explained.

               “Okay, I get it, I get it,” Elena said as she fought to stabilize her breathing. But in the meantime, Romulo compelled his Ice Crystal Barricade to shift its body and then unleash a powerful strike. Elena’s Summoner of Cyclones watched the icy arm approach, but then she yelled out, “Summoner! Use your Banishment from the Sky!”

               Romulo grimaced when he saw the Summoner of Cyclones unleash its fearsome curse upon his sorcerer. His Ice Crystal Barricade practically stopped in its tracks, and Elena’s sorcerer ascended with a cyclonic gust. Despite this crushing setback, Romulo struck his green monolith with his little hammer and then tossed it onto the grass. In just a matter of seconds, a silhouette appeared inside a swirling vortex of green light. The snowflakes which danced in the air illuminated with the same green light. Elena watched with excitement as Romulo manifested a sorceress that she had seen once before. In just a matter of moments, the Dancing Wind Priestess raced across the battleground.

               With a fearsome gust of wind, Romulo’s sorceress rapidly closed in on the Underwater Illusionist. She struck with all her strength, and though Elena’s sorcerer withstood the strike, the priestess retreated before he could fight back. Elena watched with an impressed stare as her opponent managed to compel two sorcerers at the same time. As the Dancing Wind Priestess retreated to the middle of the battlefield, his Ice Crystal Barricade also shifted right. Just from its movement alone, tiny shards of ice caught the breeze and danced in the wind.

               During the barricade’s movement, Romulo yelled out, “Now’s the time! Cast the Familiar of the Deep Abyss!”

               While Romulo’s sorcerer pushed itself onward with rejuvenated valor, Elena watched with wonder as a mystic serpent materialized from the enchantment. The scaly serpent surrounded the icy structure and gave it an aquamarine glow.

               Despite her excitement, Elena had finally recovered enough energy to fight back. She compelled her Summoner of Cyclones to materialize another spell card in its hand, and then she commanded her Underwater Illusionist to race across the field. As if it were surfing on nothing but its own speed, Elena’s sorcerer closed in on its icy enemy. It used all its strength for a single decisive strike, but the magical serpent sacrificed itself to save its sorcerer. The serpent shattered beneath the Underwater Illusionist’s blade, and then the Summoner of Cyclones descended from the sky with the strength of a supertyphoon. As Romulo winced, Elena’s sorcerer managed to shatter the Ice Crystal Barricade with a cyclonic strike. A shower of broken ice fell to the grassy field.

               Elena excitedly cheered, “I saw that look on your face when I manifested both sorcerers! You thought I was being too aggressive. You thought I jumped the gun. But nope! Look at that, look at that! I brought down your biggest sorcerer!”

               But as her Underwater Illusionist raced back to its monolith, Romulo smiled and replied, “You definitely do fight well! I like the way you compel your sorcerers, but don’t count me out yet; I’ve got a strategy of my own. Wind Priestess, return to me! It’s time to use your Dance of the Fiery Gust!”

               Romulo and Elena both watched as the Wind Priestess performed a mythical dance. Embers materialized in the wind which spiraled around her, and it quickly grew into a blazing gust. Scarlet streams of fire spiraled around Romulo’s sorceress, and then he commanded her to commence her onslaught. She charged at the Summoner of Cyclones and struck with a fearsome blaze. The storm of embers nearly overwhelmed Elena’s sorcerer, but Romulo did not stop here. His sorceress then launched herself across the battlefield and descended upon the Underwater Illusionist. She struck with a cyclone of cinders and sparks, and then she retreated to the middle of the field. In between drafts and streams of fiery gusts, Elena saw a second spell card in the priestess’ left hand; Romulo had passed it to her during her flight.

               But because the fiery sorceress had stepped within striking distance, Elena forced her two sorcerers to surround her lone enemy. She smiled and shouted, “Summoner of Cyclones, now’s your chance to strike!”

               But with a single silent command, the Dancing Wind Priestess counterattacked with the deadly magic of its fearsome spell.

               Elena watched in horror as an enormous inferno engulfed the enemy sorceress and everything around it. While her Underwater Illusionist managed to escape, her Summoner of Cyclones was trapped inside the inferno. Flaming gusts and airborne cinders danced across the field, and fiery shimmers illuminated the nearby buildings. Romulo scratched his head nervously because the fire had caught the attention of bystanders, but then he noticed a familiar face standing on the other side of the cobblestone street. Altair stood with his back against a tree, silently watching the battle from a distance.

               But in the moment that the firestorm faded into a whirlwind of embers, Elena realized with a shock that her Summoner of Cyclones had survived the onslaught. Even though the fire had devastated his body, he withstood the flames and continued to strike with a cyclonic slam. Smoke lifted from his smoldering skin as he completed his assault, and he struck the Wind Priestess with enough force to defeat her. She dropped to the ground in defeat and shattered; Elena’s sorcerer had defeated her with a single punch.

               “I did it, I did it! I took out two of your sorcerers without losing either of mine,” Elena exclaimed with glee.

               Romulo nodded and answered, “You should be proud! You’ve done a very good job; it’s clear that you learn quickly. I almost wanna let you win on principle. But to tell you the truth… I let my sorcerers fall on purpose. I’ve been building up to something, and I want to see my newest sorcerer in action. He may look a little familiar!”

               In that moment, Romulo forced his black monolith to reverberate with a gentle strike from his hammer. As the stone reverberated in his hand, he took a deep breath and then tossed it onto the ground. A vortex of obsidian energy emerged from the monolith and spiraled forcefully. A strong breeze still swept across the battlefield because of the fallen Wind Priestess, and this wind quickly converged on the black spiral. As it raced across the field, the wind picked up shards of broken ice left behind by the Ice Crystal Barricade. In just seconds, Elena watched a fearsome silhouette arise in the heart of black energy. A flash of lightning then revealed the face of Romulo’s newest sorcerer.

               “I’m afraid this is it. Typhoon Paladin, it’s time to finish them off,” Romulo said as he passed his sorcerer one last spell card.

               Elena watched with shock as the Typhoon Paladin raced across the battlefield and closed in on her sorcerers. As a tornadic energy surrounded him, the enemy forced its right hand to illuminate with the power of lightning. Thunder echoed across the city block as Romulo’s sorcerer attacked with a full-force punch. Elena compelled her sorcerer to defend in any way possible, but it was too slow; her Summoner of Cyclones shattered in an electrical slam.

               Romulo called after his sorcerer, “I think you know what comes next, Typhoon. Invoke the magic of Berserk Heart!”

               To Elena’s surprise, the Typhoon Paladin actually nodded as it cast its final spell and enchanted itself with a furious force. Without any delay, its other hand illuminated with a second glow of lightning. The wind picked up, and many bystanders scattered as if they feared the monster before them.

               Elena winced as Typhoon Paladin unleashed a second strike upon her sorcerer. The electric strike fractured and shattered her Underwater Illusionist; it crumbled with such a shockwave that Elena fell off her pegleg and into the grass. She grunted when she landed, and Romulo ran over to his black monolith. He set his hands upon it to render it motionless, and shortly thereafter, his Typhoon Paladin evaporated. It left behind a forceful swirl of wind, but Romulo dashed through the windstorm toward his fallen friend. As he approached, he saw Altair watching disinterestedly in the distance, but he chose not to call out. Instead, he worriedly set his hands upon Elena and helped her to her knees, but then he realized that she was giggling at her own defeat.

               Elena exclaimed, “I thought I had you; I really thought I had you! Mm. I still need to figure out how to use the few spell cards I’ve got. Let’s do this again soon! I think my sorcerers wanna get revenge.”

               Romulo chuckled and answered, “You fought very well! I would say you’re a natural, but… I get the idea that this probably wasn’t your first time as a conjuror.”

               Elena stumbled upright with Romulo’s help, but then a voice from behind her said, “Your style really isn’t bad. Guys like Romulo always criticize aggressive strategies, but it’s honestly more useful. If have to hold back a squad of conjurors, you could take out five of them before he would take down one. Sure he’s hard to beat, but that doesn’t account for much if he only stops one guy per hour.”

               “It’s you! I remember you! You helped me get this leg earlier today. Thank you again! Are you also a conjuror like Romulo?” Elena asked Altair while Romulo scratched his head.

               “I am, but I don’t like to advertise. At the risk of sounding haughty, most conjurors have no concept of strategy. They learn how to manifest and let their thinking stop there. You have a lot of work to do, but unlike most others… you have potential. Come find me if you ever figure out a way to win a battle,” Altair declared as he turned to walk away.

               Elena tilted her head as she watched him leave, but Romulo laughed and explained, “That’s just the way he is. Altair is… one of the smartest guys I think I’ve ever met. Only problem is, he likes to make sure everyone knows it. Don’t take it too seriously! He’s not as good as he thinks he is.”

               “I get it, I get it! But thank you for practicing with me,” Elena said with a wide smile.

               “You’re very welcome! But for now, let’s get you back to the infirmary. It sounds like our enemies are still at large, so… I’ll have a long night ahead of me.”

               Elena nodded quickly and bounded onto the cobblestone street, but she almost lost her footing. Her pegleg nearly tripped on a crack, but she caught herself on a slender tree. Romulo pushed himself after her, but she quelled his worries when she turned to face him. The two friends then turned toward the infirmary and walked away together.