[IC] The Return of Magic - An Intro

[NoriWasHere]

The Return of Magic:

Act 1 - An Intro

It has been millenniums since magic graced the mortal realm with her presence. What was once a driving force behind the advancement of humanity has become a thing of myth and legends. There are no books, no information, and most importantly, no mention of the world that once was. When people think of a mage, they think of magic in a game, a cauldron, and a black cat. When people think about humanity's past, they see the achievements alone, not those who pushed them forward. This is by design. Humankind is filled with fear of those who are different, of those who could wield powers that rivaled the gods. Those without powers hunted those who had them, and before long the last mage died. The hunters thought they had killed off the last of magic, and they figured it would never return.

They were wrong.

Magic has returned to the mortal realm. Her presence is weak but present all the same. This has brought forth a new generation of witches and warlocks. Their powers are weak, their knowledge of their history is non-existent, and their options for advancing their abilities are limited. A question hangs in the air over the heads of each mage. What will they do with their newfound powers?

The answer will be revealed soon enough. Each mage has received an invitation to learn. A mysterious benefactor has offered each one the means to journey to an old mansion tucked away from civilization. It is up to them to decide what to make of this opportunity.

One already has.

A single mage inside a lonely car barrels down the road to her future. And she is having a mental breakdown.

- - - - - - - -

"In one mile, your destination will be on the left," the GPS shouted, breaking the silence that Alora had grown accustomed to. Her car screamed to a stop as she slammed her foot down on the brake. Her hands gripped the steering wheel with enough force to cause the rubber to squeak in pain. The grip would subside, return, and lose its strength rapidly. Her left hand shot off the wheel, found her right one wrapped around it, and rubbed them together. The car seemed to echo with each breath she took, with each one faster and shallower than the last. She could feel her thoughts follow the rabbit hole into her dark spaces. Was this a scheme to kill her? Would this be someone who sought to hurt her? Could it be her family plotting to permanently cut her out of their lives? Who else would get her to leave her life behind and travel across the country on a whim?

Alora pressed her back into her seat and looked up at the top of her car. After a few tense moments, her breathing started to relax, as did her hands. They flew off the wheel and onto her face, covering her eyes. She rubbed them a few times before she dragged her hands down her face as she let out a muffled "fuck".

"The card worked for a first-class ticket, a hotel, and this fancy car rental," Alora spoke as she rationalized the situation. The invitation that she had received had come with a prepaid card. It was a semi-gloss silver color, with "the benefactor" etched onto the front. It felt fancy, at least it felt fancy to Alora. "I was able to buy breakfast, a coffee, and pay for tolls." She paused as she sat thoughtless for a moment. "If this was my mind going crazy, would the card have worked? Would I be all the way across the country?" Alora pulled her eyes off the roof and looked at the map on her phone. Before continuing her train of thought, a sensation outside the vehicle drew her attention.

A single, brightly colored leaf was floating through the air. It wasn't the first to fall, but it was the first that caught Alora's attention. Alora took a deep breath and reached out to the leaf. She concentrated, closing her eyes as she did, and tried to feel it fall through the air. She could feel a slight, cool rush of air as it floated downwards. Exhaling, she opened her eyes and watched it touch down on the road's asphalt. Alora could feel the rough texture of the pavement beneath as if touching it herself. A quick smile broke and then faded from her face.

Alora knew what she felt. She could feel nature all around her, and her connection to it had only grown stronger since her powers first appeared. This was not some trick that her mind played on her, this was something she could feel, and this was something that she could do. She could not quantify what she was doing nor explain how she could do it, but it was true to her nonetheless.

Above, she could even feel the weakness between the leaves and the branches they were connected to. It would take a slight breeze to dislodge them and bring them down. Or a tug. Alora rolled down the car window and crossed her arms on the door. She pushed her head out while her attention shot skyward. She focused on the connection between the leaves and the trees and pulled. At first, the leaves did not move; they stood their ground and refused her command. Alora, unphased, raised one hand palm open and slowly began to close it to form a fist. She took a deep breath and slowly pulled her hand down. Above, the branches and leaves attached began to obey. In a quick motion, Alora ripped her hand down, and with it, the canopy gave way.

A torrent of color descended from above. While the pull motion was sudden and powerful, the fall was gentle and peaceful. Alora could feel the sensation of the descent all around her. She felt the cold and brisk air rushing alongside the leaves in front, behind, and to her side. It was intoxicating. The rough texture of the ground was the only thing to break her free from staying in that moment.

"This is real," Anora whispered. Alora pulled herself into the driver's seat and placed a hand on her shifter. In a quick motion, she was back in drive, and her foot was on the gas. As the car lurched forward, the radio began to play a fitting but an oddly specific song.

She had questions that needed answers. She eventually turned into a long, windy driveway. The driveway was lined with trees and bushes that had long since died. It took five minutes of driving before she arrived at the decrepit mansion. Her eyes darted from the ruined roof to the desecrated porch and back to a massive dead tree resting on the house's side. To Alora, this indicated that this place had not been inhabited for a long time. Alora could not help but shake that someone, or something, was watching her from the house. The more she thought, the more it felt like the house was watching her.

Against her better judgment, Alora exited her vehicle and headed toward the door. She did not know what was ahead of her or her future. She knew that she had these powers, and someone was going to explain what they were and why she had them.

----

As the rest of the new mages arrive, they will notice many of the same things Alora did. From the broken house to the tree on the side and the unnerving presence that beckons them inside. Whoever this mysterious benefactor is, he certainly has an affinity for horror. The location itself indicates this. However, what he has in store for this group is anything but known. Will this benefactor keep up his end of the bargain and offer to train these wielders of magic? Or does he have some nefarious plan in store for the party?

The party is at a crossroads, and they must choose which direction to go. Shall they travel down the road less traveled and head towards a more magical future? Or will they follow the path they have always traveled and forgo their destiny? Will they even have a choice?

[Dragonfly 9]

Matthew and Nyx

Matthew was...curious, to say the least.

When he had first gotten the letter, it was during a major case of frustration for him, due to not being able to find anything substantial on his magic.

He had long learned to not ask the college's librarians for help on finding some(given that they were incredulous at best and mocking at worst), and since then tried to find any books on the subject by himself, only to find nothing.

He then went to the town he was in's local library, only to, once again, find nothing.

And he quickly dismissed going to anyplace that specialized in lost media, because he suspected that what he was looking for, if anything, was much, much older than any sort of lost media he could find there.

Eventually, when he got back to his apartment, he fell onto his bed and screamed into his pillows in frustration, only for him to hear Nyx start reading the letter in goofy voices.

"Give me that!" He had said, sitting up abruptly and snatching the letter from out of Nyx's feet when he saw it.

"How rude!" Nyx teased, tsking. "Have you ever thought of saying "Please" or "Thank you" for once in your life?"

Matthew paid her no mind, his thoughts currently on reading the letter. When he finished reading it, he looked at Nyx thoughtfully, and asked:

"Nyx, is this another one of your elaborate pranks?"

To which Nyx replied:

"What, you think I would go through that much effort just to be immediately called out? I don't know whether to be amused or annoyed!"

"Nyx, be honest with me: Is this a prank or not?" Matthew asked while staring up at Nyx. While his tone was almost commanding, his eyes were almost pleading for her to tell the truth.

Nyx, in response to Matthew's eyes, curled up a bit into herself and looked away from them in an attempt to resist. Matthew noticed this and pleaded through his eyes even more, and when Nyx looked back for just a second, Matthew was fully doing his version of the puppy dog eyes.

"...Fine, fine, I didn't do it!" Nyx exclaimed. "Just, please, stop doing that! You look even more pathetic than you already do when you do that!"

"...Thank you," Matthew said, turning his eyes back to normal and starting to look over the letter. "Do you know where you got this?"

To which Nyx just pointed over to the window, causing Matthew to drop the letter and go over to it.

One short conversation about "magical windows" and a few days later, Matthew was driving with Nyx in his rented car towards the address that was on the letter, with Nyx very badly singing to the music Matthew had put on in order to relax and unwind. Needless to say, thanks to Nyx, that wasn't working.

Eventually, after what had seemed like forever, Matthew finally found the house, thanks to his phone's erroneous GPS.

As he stopped the music and got out of the car, much to Nyx's protest, he noticed the dilapidated state of the house and another car already parked outside it, with a woman standing outside the house.

As he put the dots together and Nyx went back inside his mind, he began to walk over to the house and wondered...

Did she have magic, too?

[DELETED08740]

Jay

Jay stared at the red number on her phone notifications bar go up. 27 unread emails from last week. 51 now. All from the same person. She hovered a finger over the reply button. "Auntie, please stop sending me... |". No, no. Not like that. The finger instead pressed firmly on the delete button. She grimaced and then elected to take another big swig from the jug of coffee.

The taxi driver gave a nervous flicker through his rear view mirror. "Haven't spilt any." She said, with a reassuring wave, cradling the jug tightly in her arms. Look, see. Secure. Totally in control.

The taxi driver was entirely unconvinced. Still, he had the courtesy enough to pretend to be convinced, proffering the non-sequitur, "You must be a big coffee drinker."

"Uh, yeah. I guess so." That was a lie. She didn't normally drink coffee. She didn't even like the stuff. Yet she had already went through several litres of the stuff ever since she picked up her first batch at the beginning of the trip, fingers drumming on the plastic lid incessantly as she felt it replace her blood stream twice over. It was probably better that way, since pounding headaches meant less time to think about - she reached for the word - disclosures. Disclosures that despite the world insisting on placing in her way, Jay would much rather ignore.

She opened her emails. 52. No, stop. She turned off her phone. Don't even go there.

Instead, Jay picked up the closest other thing by her side. The sleekly written letter that was written by the self-proclaimed "master of the mystic arts". All her basic intuition told her it was probably a cult - no, definitely a cult. Even with so many strange phenomena being rattled off on the media, even with her so called 'dreams' being unpleasantly...well, not dreams, her gut reaction slammed the verdict down. Magic, sure. Mystic arts? Delusional.
Whatever. I've already gone off the deep end. Jay thought drily, eyeing the creepiest looking driveway to have ever been conceived. Hope at least the cult robes are cool.

The gravel growled beneath her shoes as Jay slid out of the cab. Gnarled tangles of roots and dead branches clutched at the driveway up to the mansion, which itself was comprised of broken planks and moss-eaten stone. A sighing old thing, crumbling under the weight of its own history...and something else, half-ineffable. The cab driver threw another quick glance at down the overgrown mansion in the distance, at the weird white-haired lady with a suspected coffee addiction, and made a wise decision to simply continue on his way. And Jay made a questionable decision to simply watch the cab scarper its way back past the greying foliage.

I'm definitely fine. Jay thought, then threw back her head and downed the rest of the bitter caffeine.

[ColouredCyan]

The day before

Gwyn, set the letter down, trembling slightly. A shakey hand removed her glasses to clean them on the bottom of her pyjamas. The candle light flickered, swaying in rhythm with her deep breathing.

Nope, it really did say all that.

It had to be a prank, an eloborate ruse. Somebody caught wind of her enquiries, her odd behaviours and habits, her witchy inclanations and put together a little story, strange and vague enough to push the buttons, forcing her to investigate further. The destination wasn't even that far, deep enough in the forest to have a good laugh at her when she turned up for her invite only occult party, but not far enough she'd have to wait for a convienent time to make the trip and not enough to set them back should they need to fund a taxi all the way upstate. If we were to assume it was just a joke at her expense, was there anything she had over looked? No date was given so if she just tucked the note and card away in a drawer and forgot about it for a few months, they'd have have to camp out for an eternity, at which point, who was getting the last laugh then? And the name of the card could be easily explained, you can order them with all sorts of silly customisations on these days, she'd done it herself, and as long as she wasn't buying an expensive watch or a plane ticket, who'd question the name?

It had to be a prank because the alternative wasn't worth thinking about.

Creatures.
Hunters.
Danger.

The mere thought quickened the heart. Believing this meant believing her quirky candle experiments, her flashing of ordinary A4 and her enhanced fireworks weren't a toy to be played with, but a martial art she'd learn to defend herself with. It meant being thrust into a conflict she wanted no part of, had no stake in, but was inextricably linked to just because of her unusual affinity with fire. She could feel her heartbeat in her mind, thumping, interrupting thought. Throat dry, mind swirling, trying to map out the situation in just her head was beginning to fail her. She flipped the note and grabbed a pen.

| Go | Stay
__________________________________________
The Letter | Tutored Magic | Not Tutored Magic
Is Real | Fight Badguys | Die
__________________________________________
The Letter | Laughed at | Nothing
Isn't Real | Abducted |

Abducted. Where did that come from? Was that a real concern? Someone targeting her specifically would likely use danger and magic to draw her in. But could they afford to stake out the location for long? Probably. Unlike a simple joke it might be worth it to them as long as she got caught. But who? Why? And how would she mitigate the danger? It was all getting too much and there was still one last variable to check. She got up from her desk slowly, careful not to pass out and showered, trying to calm herself and failing miserably.

Life had been a blur for the last hour but she found herself infront of an ATM in the dead of night, staring at the balance. Since opening the letter the world had a dream like quality, real but not quite real. Now she was sure it was the world that wasn't real. This was elope to a foreign land and live like a queen for months kind of money. No abductor and certainly no prankster would dare risk this much, you'd barely break even. Gwyndolin ejected the card, withdrawing nothing.

Jesus.

Guess she was getting ready to meet her generous benefactor. But for now, bed.

Today

Despite that her faith in the letter had been bolstered late last night, Gwyndolin was still nervous as hell. Something about being confined to the back of a taxi didn't make her better either. When she closed her eyes it was difficult to distinguish between the beating of her heart and the rhythmic pounding coming from the engine. It was the longest 20 minute journey of her life, and it wasn't going to get any easier after she stepped out of the taxi.

Not knowing if she was about to step into a trap or start the long journey of progressing her ability and forging herself into battle ready witch was beginning to make her sick. She pulled out the letter from the front pocket of her Supreme Hoodie, reviewing her notes from last night. Yup, just as crazy as she remember them being. Imagine a list of demands that started with "Show me magic". Lost in thought, in contingency planning, the time passed faster, for better or for worse, and eventually the car came to a halt.

"This is as far as I can take you, little miss, you take care now."

"..."

"Thanks"

She collected her stuff from the boot and stood watching as the taxi disappeared. It wasn't too late to back out now. She could leave, nothing would come of it, nothing except never knowing if she was truly safe. She breathed deep. C'mon Gwyndolin, you can do this. She left the suitcase on the grassy verge, the noise it made rolling on tarmac would be too much to bare right now and she could always come back to collect it. She slipped her hands into the pocket, the firepower she was weilding wasn't particularly comforting. Tightening her grip, she walked nervously up to the congregation. It was do or die time.

"You got it too." Gwyndolin stated. It was a question, a question she hoped they'd answer in the affirmative, because if they didn't....

Well, lets not worry about that right this second.

[Timemaster]

A few days before

Ashe looked at the invitation and the card with wonder. On one hand, she could keep the card and continue as before. Her newfound ability would be more than enough to keep her safe from whatever creatures and hunters this benefactor talked about.

On the other hand, what if she couldn’t escape or defeat them? She read and saw a lot of movies to know that at one point or the other, the protagonist always finds themselves outnumbered or outclassed. Not that she believed that she’s a protagonist but it was the closest thing to her current situation.

Taking one last puff of her cigarette, Ashe shook her head. What would be the worst that could happen? She arrives there, someone tries to rape her and she teleports their dicks in China or she gets there and learns more about her ability and how to better control it. The benefits outweigh the risks after all.

Today

As the taxi dropped her off about a kilometre away from the mansion, as per Ashe’s instructions, Ashe paid the driver and watched as the car went away. She could be called a lot of things but dumb wasn’t one of them.

Ashe approached the mansion on foot, occasionally taking out her binoculars and scouting up the place as she got closer. If this was a rape game or something like that, she won’t be taken down easily. Broken trees, outgrown garden, mansion looking like it is about to collapse. For someone who had the money and means to throw around, this benefactor was not taking care of his place of residence. Unless, of course, it was all a ruse to keep people in the dark. Who’d even suspect a place like this would hold, potentially, a bunch of magicians?

She watched as a few cars parked in the driveway and people came out of them. Maybe others who received the same invitation or maybe the benefactor’s henchmen. Eventually, after a few more minutes of checking the surroundings and not spotting any trap, Ashe took a deep breath to ground herself, she moved her hand in a circular motion while concentrating on a place between the potential magicians and then a portal opened in front of her. Stepping through the portal, Ashe took a cigarette out and lit it up as she got on the other side. Releasing a thick smoke around her as she appeared between the gathered people.

“ Either you all can do some magical mambo-jambo or I got the wrong mansion and you clearly didn’t see me appear out of a clearly not-magical portal and this is all an elaborate prank on national TV. ” said Ashe with a grin on her face.

[Ashley Levierre]

Arriving at the Forest

"Here we are. I don't know what you're looking for out in the forest, but here's the furthest I am willing to go. Good luck out there in the woods!" came the rough voice of the taxi driver as he not-so-gently applied the break.

The taxi pulled to an abrupt halt in the middle of an empty road. One quick glance around the surroundings would reveal how empty and desolate the road was. There was not even a single vehicle in sight. This was the only road that led into the stretch of forest. Nothing could be heard other than the ever-incessant whir of the engines and the puffs of smoke chugging out of the exhaust pipes.

Morgan reached into his pocket, fished his wallet out, and opened it. Slotted within his wallet was the prepaid card that came with the mysterious postcard that Morgan had received just two weeks ago. A week or so ago, Morgan might have hesitated with the use of the card. After all, who would air drop a card with an unspecified monetary value so easily to someone else. With how the postcard and package had just lightly flitted into his room, it was definitely much more likely for the entire package to have just been a prank, or that the card had been empty.

However, Morgan was desperate. Desperate enough to grasp at any straws that offered even a faint slim chance of survival. There was no way Morgan could bear any more of the pain, suffering and wounds of society. Humans and humanity hurt themselves way too much and easily. Just a simple walk to the supermarket and back and Morgan could experience at least two to three people hurting themselves by accident or otherwise. Morgan would always end up with cuts and bruises each time he deigned to leave the house.

Morgan quickly paid the taxi fare with the card he was holding. Without a moment's hesitation, he got out of the taxi, retrieved his bag pack and headed off along the road leading into the forest. He had no idea what to expect when he arrived at his destination, but Morgan was willing to bet everything he had on this last chance.

Journey to the Cabin

As Morgan took one step after another, the serenity of the forest became more and more oppressive. The forest was silent and quiet. The pause button seemed to be on. Even the rustle of the leaves as the wind blew past the nearby trees seemed muted. Morgan took another glance at the map application on his phone to ascertain that he was heading in the right direction and continued walking.

There was definitely something good about all the silence and inactivity around Morgan. At the very least, if there was nobody around, there would not be anyone getting hurt, and Morgan's weird... magic would not activate and cause him even more pain.

As Morgan trudged onwards, he began to wonder what he would discover when he eventually reached his destination. Throughout his whole journey, his mind had been preoccupied with where else he needed to go and what mode of transportation he needed to take. He had taken a domestic flight, took a train, and then at the train station, hopped onto the taxi that had dropped him off in front of the forest for the final lap of his journey.

It was only now when Morgan was so close to where the postcard had asked him to go that he finally had the chance to think about what he was supposed to expect. The postcard had mentioned a tutor. Could the final destination be a school for what the postcard termed "warlocks and witches"? Yet, the postcard mentioned that magic had not been seen for thousands of years, so it seemed less plausible that the location mentioned on the postcard was an academy. Maybe Morgan would meet a wise sage with knowledge beyond his or her years.

Or, was it possible that these "warlocks and witches" were evil and did the bidding of the devils and demons of old. Morgan did not fail to notice how the address contained "666", the so-called "Number of the Beast". Was it possible that he was being invited to a cult? Would he end up being forced into eternal servitude under the devil? Morgan's footsteps faltered at this point. However, he had already come so far, that there was no turning back. The only thing he could do now was to continue on to see for himself what the invitation was about.

There was one point of worry though: The "creatures that the mages of old banished" and the hunters mentioned on the postcard. Were they likely to be watching Morgan now? Morgan felt a shiver run down his spine at the thought of being caught unawares and attacked before he reached what he deemed as a momentary safe haven. He quickened his footsteps and willed himself to walk faster.

The Cabin

Morgan took a look at the map on his phone. The map indicated that his desired location was just a turn ahead. Morgan slid his phone into his pocket - he did not need to use the map application any more. Morgan continued walking and as he rounded the bend in the road, the sight of a desolate, lonely building standing there amidst a clearing in the forest. A dead tree stood right beside the house, bringing with it an ominous feeling.

The roof of the building seemed to be in disrepair and it was unlikely that there was anyone living in the building. Morgan took out his phone and the postcard again - perhaps he had made a mistake and this was not the right destination? Thoughts that he would be forced into a cultist group surfaced in his mind yet again. Morgan wondered if it was not too late to turn around. He could not imagine having to spend a night in a building that was as exposed to the weather as the building in front was.

As Morgan was trying to decide what he could do, he heard a small commotion just to the side of the house. He saw a dark circular space expand in the middle of a group of four people - three women and one man. "Dark circular space" may not be an apt description of what Morgan witnessed. It seemed more like light was just non-existent within that space. Morgan did not have much time to ponder on what he had just seen before a woman stepped out of the circular space, lit up what seemed to be a cigarette and seemed to be speaking to the rest of the people around her. Morgan could not hear what she was saying, but he was drawn to find out more about each of those people and their supposed "magic".

Morgan slid his phone into his pocket yet again and after taking a deep breath, as if to encourage himself, started silently and slowly walking towards the group of people gathered near the house.

[Zapdos]

I deleted this post due to withdrawing from the roleplay.

[redraider1]

Sally sighed as she hauled her luggage up toward the house. This... didn't exactly seem too promising, but she had to play it out. If she didn't, she'd be left wondering for the rest of her life. And then, she got her answer in the most spectacular way possible.

There were already several people there, and a new woman joined them. But it was how she appeared that got the redhead's attention. Stepping out of- a hole in reality or something? Was that even a thing?

I guess that solves one problem, at least. Sally went up to the group, dropping her bags to give her arms a much-needed rest. She looked around at the rest of the- witches? Sorcerers? What was the proper term here, anyway? "So, you all got the weird, creepy letter too? I'm Sally. Sally Jenkins. I-" Come on, say it! whispered a little voice in the back of her mind. You know you want to, and when are you going to have a better opportunity? She dropped her voice into a horrible impression of the little boy in The Sixth Sense. "I see dead people."

[Hellion]

[:: The Day Before | The Last Drop ::]

Mae felt comfort in familiar places, and the quaint coffee shop that seemed to have been a landmark within New York City since the beginning of time was no exception. It was simple, not over-the-top like most flashy establishments in the area, and it just had a warm, homey feeling even in the busiest of hours. The girl sat in her usual spot, the corner booth near the rear of the room, just across from the bar. She'd been there going on two hours, with a black laptop, a plate of half eaten fries, sliders, and her third root beer, which was already screaming inside her bladder. But, despite the fact that she had to piss like a racehorse, Mae Galanis was in the middle of an online business transaction...

With multicolored lights glaring from the laptop screen against the girl’s olive skin, and fingers poised against the keyboard typing furiously with the ease and efficiency of a professional, she continued through endless code of the online game's infrastructure. A deep dive through several layers of firewalls and various security protocols that seemed to constantly change every few seconds was no simple task, but also not impossible for someone who knew where to look for work-arounds.

::::::::::::::::::::::::

[J!nX]: Yo, when should I expect the shit I paid for?
[J!nX]: u ain't holding out on me, right?
[J!nX]: I know u got my deposit through paypal. O.o??

[ΝØ∀Δ]: Patience.

::::::::::::::::::::::::

The “client”, some kid who apparently found her through the dark web as a potential dealer in all kinds of virtual gear for just about any online game on the market. Of course the more rare the commodity, the higher the price tag, but if it meant less grinding for drops and unlocks and more time showing off all the latest hardware and looking like a badass doing it, then gamers would pay up.

A few times in the past she’d been caught, had a few slaps on the wrist and was told to “stay out of trouble and keep a low profile”, but a girl needed to eat regardless. Besides, no one is getting hurt and her real identification is always hidden under countless layers of digital security that would take a massive jackhammer program to rip apart.

An email marked “urgent” popped up on her phone, but she was too far gone and embedded into penetrating the game server's database to have even noticed.

::::::::::::::::::::::::

[ΝØ∀Δ]: Done. Check your IG mail.

[J!nX]: NICE!!!! omg thx!!! ur teh best!!!

::::::::::::::::::::::::

Before any further communication took place, Mae carefully backed out of the multi-level firewalls, and when it was safe, severed the connection and trace of her even being there. At least she had hoped so. Breaking various cyber-laws wasn’t exactly what she had planned for her young life, but at the same time, it was easy money and she did what she enjoyed:

Tinkering.

Sure it happened to be at the expense of someone else, whether it was changing grades via a low security system or accessing confidential documents from a Fortune 500 company’s mainframe, Mae enjoyed the challenges that came with it. And if things went sideways, which happens, she would always make sure there was a way out.

Mae rubbed the sides of her head, feeling the twinge of a headache forming as it typically did from prolonged diving, as she closed her eyes for a moment to refocus her mind. A few moments later, the vibration from her phone caused her eyes to open and see the unopened “Urgent” email beckoning to her. The sender? Who knew, because the domain wasn’t anything she was familiar with.

Spam? Probably.

Yet she read the email and couldn’t help but wonder if this had been a joke. But days went by as she sat on the thought of what was being said within the text. Mae always had a feeling things were not altogether right with her. There was something inside that certainly wasn’t considered normal for a human to have. For years she figured her mind was simply playing pranks, or perhaps it was just too much reading into fantasy and science fiction hype. But even the digital Visa Gift Card that had been attached to the email came up as valid, which had been more than enough to cover any travel and food.

Intuition eventually took hold, and she continued to feel the pull of whoever this “benefactor” was, urging her to travel to GPS coordinates indicated in the email.

[:: Present Day ::]

The Honda Civic stopped at the foot of the pathway that led up to the house, and the Uber driver turned a bit and pointed. “Looks like a few people have already shown up to whatever this is”. He said in slightly fractured English and shrugged. “Is this like a rave?”

“No idea really, but I’m here, so-uh, thanks.” Mae half-smiled and stepped out of the back of the car.

“Just be careful, okay?” The driver said as the door closed. The guy was nice, and seemed to genuinely care, or maybe just hoping for a bigger tip.

Either way, the girl traversed along the path flanked by tall trees and thick brush, turning the flashlight from her cell phone to illuminate the way. She eventually made it to where others were gathered, and before she could even take in the sight of the old mansion, a light beamed from her peripheral and she turned her head to see a figure stepping out of what could only be described as some kind of portal or gateway.

“Holy shit.” She mumbled, curling a lock of her dark hair around an ear, and not quite sure what to do at that point, but at the same time, there was really no turning back.

[ColouredCyan]

No sooner than she had turned up and nervously shuffled into the group accumilating in front of the Manor SOMEONE FREAKING PORTALED IN LIKE IT WAS FREAKING NOTHING!.

CREATURES!
HUNTERS!
DANGER!

The letter was all real. Had to be now. It was the only explanation. Other people could do magic, and it was different to hers. More impressive too, not that this was a contest. And congregated here, where the letter said too. Her heart and mind were still racing, locked into fight or flight mode, what could the others do? How long had they been studying? What had they found before they turned up? Did they all get the exact same letter?

Stop. Slow down. Release the grip before someone gets hurt. No one else seems quite as worried about all this. Breathe. But wow... This is what she'd been looking for, all this time. Hours in libraries and Museums, here in the states and abroad, even the smallest clue that someone could do anything that defied natural law like she exerienced. Nothing but fakes and frauds, people desperate for attention and money, drowning out anyone who might have had an actual talent. But not today. Freaking portals, dude. She sighed with relief, finally some answers. Her facial expression softened from nervous with fear to nervous with excitement. Now that the danger was over for now, maybe she could play it a little more cool-ly than she had been.

Pushing her glasses back up her nose, she retrieved her letter from her pocket, careful not to also retreive the other thing. She smiled at Sally.

"So, you all got the weird, creepy letter too? I'm Sally. Sally Jenkins. I-"
"I see dead people."

@redraider1

"Yeah, bizarre huh? I couldn't sleep, thought I was going to get abducted, sold at auction to the highest bidder like a prize heifer at a cattle market and made someone's seventeenth wife, if I was lucky. Gwyndolyn, by the way."

Hold up. Portals are real. She wasn't joking. Gwyndolyn was facinated.

"You really see dead people?"

[redraider1]

"Well, ghosts, but yeah." Sally shrugged, as if this was the most natural thing in the world. Of course, natural had gone out the window a long time ago. "They don't talk or anything, or if they do, I can't hear it, so it's not like I'm getting anything useful out of it. It's just... spooky."

She looked around at the- coven?- with mild amusement. Aren't we a motley bunch of magicians? "Why, what do you all do? Consort with demons? Conjure up beasts from the depths of Hell?" She laughed nervously- with her luck, that's exactly what they all did.

[Hellion]

===============

Eyeing the one who appeared from some unknown “portal” suspiciously, Mae joined a few of the others who had shown up to the undisclosed address, checking the GPS on her phone only to realize that it barely registered within a ten-mile radius. Something was off, especially when dealing with a satellite tracking system. There would have to be a lot of electro-magnetic interference in the area, or was it something else? Either way, the girl felt something wasn’t quite right with the area.

She overheard the brief exchange between the pale girl with the thick-rimmed glasses, and the other who was quite the redhead. Something about “Seeing dead people” or “ghosts”, causing Mae to vaguely smirk at the chatter.

It was all a lot to take in, and no doubt the others who were present felt the same way. Overwhelmed? Confused? Hungry? Geez, when was the last time the girl ate?

“What the hell are we doing here?” Mae finally spoke up, mostly to herself, but anyone who was within a few feet would have understood. She surveyed the front of the house, it’s hauntingly beautiful façade, and eerie vibe that was probably compounded by virtue of the fact that it was smack in the middle of fucking nowheresville.

Impulsively, she checked her phone as though something had come up. She never did hear back from Ella, one of her best friends, who she had sent a few text messages to shortly before embarking on the trip. What was there to say other than she would be gone for a bit, but to keep in touch? I mean, Mae certainly wasn’t going to admit that she was following instructions from a mysterious email and meeting someone who could help her with whatever shit was going on in her mind and body.

But she knew she wasn’t normal. Not like her family or friends.

She needed answers.

[VarionusNW]

James Isaac Keening

James threw the door to his room open and rushed to close and lock it behind him, the act taking him several seconds longer that it should have. His breathing was panicked, and his thoughts were scattered into white noise. He paced around the room, absentmindedly fiddling with random objects from among the mess while trying to focus on anything in particular.

His mind flitted between escape plans. Jumping out the window and just running to nowhere in particular was certainly an option. He could play it cool, but someone was bound to ask how or why he turned his test and an entire pencil to ash. Well, crawling into bed and just waiting for death certainly had its perks, considering he just definitely failed thermodynamics. Anna was likely to kill him over this too. Wait, no, she'd take it as some sort of rebellion against the system probably. Okay, his sister could be informed, but not for a while at least.

James' mind halted for a second as his hands had begun to solve a Rubik's Cube. What had even happened? It was the first exam of the semester, and he wasn't that worried about it. Well, he had only gotten two hours of sleep, and the only studying he had done was last night, but that was normal. Despite normal circumstances, then, James had somehow gained and activated this new ability. Even just thinking about it, his body tensed up. He desperately did not want it to activate accidentally again, or ideally ever. He could get by without the ability to turn paper to dust.

Admittedly though, he was curious, and learning to control it would at least prevent similar incidents. For now, he would keep it firmly locked up and try to regain some sense of normalcy. If the word online was anything to go buy, this magical power stuff wasn't going to be worth it. Most people would likely be quite happy to suddenly have magic, but James was primarily annoyed.

James had finally settled on crawling into bed for an early sleep. He tossed the cube to the ground, and as it skittered towards the door he noticed something. There was a letter on the floor that must have been slipped under his door at some point. Who the hell would send him a letter? He was already bad at responding to texts as is, so archaic snail-mail wasn't exactly the smartest choice.

Despite his confusion at its existence, James picked the letter up and opened it. It didn't improve his day, and it made his mid-afternoon nap no longer an option. Screw the 'not telling Anna' grace period, this was an emergency. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed his sister.

"Get the hell over here, right now."

---

One Month Later

James found himself stumbling along the side of a narrow road. The pavement was cracked, marred with disuse, and lined on both sides by sprawling weeds. He shoes felt as if they were seconds from falling apart, full of holes and fraying all around, but his steps were fall from careful. He had stopped caring about the weight of each footfall several hours ago, though it could have been days ago, he wasn't sure. Every step received the full brunt of his weight, carrying his body entirely by the momentum of the last heavy step. His knees constantly threaten to buckle, and a painful mass of blisters had certainly formed on the bottom of his feet, though he refused to check. To stop would be to die.

Was he even walking in the right direction? The last time he checked the phone, which was now dead, he appeared to be on the last road before reaching the address, but some cruel act of fate could have pulled him off course.

A noise rattled the loose stones of the road. A car was coming. James veered into the weeds, going deep enough that hopefully it's passengers wouldn't notice him. He couldn't take the risk. Eventually he deemed it safe enough to come out, with vines ripping more holes out of his hoodie. The stumbling continued for an indeterminable length of time, punctuated by the occasional rush into the bushes.

The only sounds James could hear were the blood rushing past his ears, his breathing, and his head throbbing. His body felt like it was falling apart, and his brain was minimizing his surroundings to compensate. The world was a blurry, half finished painting, still white at the edges. Eventually A large brown smudge materialized on the left of the road, at least he thought. He lurched in that direction.

The shapes unblurred, the details filling in. It was some sort of large house, an old mansion? Very old, at that. There were too many greens and oranges where only the greys and beiges should have been. Windows missing, fallen boards, an unkempt lawn, vines and tree branches invading the home. This must have been the right address, the one from the letter. James was pretty sure he was still holding onto a scrap of it in his right hand. It was clenched tight, and it did feel like he was holding onto paper. There were no other buildings for miles, this had to be the one.

James focused his vision on the mansion, but despite that some of the smudges kept moving. People. There were people in front of the house. Not good. It looked like some of them were talking. Another person popped out of nowhere, as if through a portal, though James tried to pay that little mind. He adjusted his glasses, as useless as they were with the lenses covered in dirt and sweat and put his left hand into his pocket. He wrapped his fingers around a rock.

James walked as nonchalantly as he could with legs that barely held him up, approaching the group. They all seemed to be waiting around, but he didn't exactly want to get caught up in that. He tried to wave as he walked, raising his hand to only about chest high, though he dropped his arm when he realized he was just flopping the half-charred letter in his grip about instead. He quickly strode up the steps and towards the door.

He hurriedly reached for the doorknob with one hand, knocked on the door with the other, and tried to pull it open.

[Randomness]

Location: 66 Mystic Lane, MA

Interaction:

---

“Badum bababadum. Badum bababadum. Ooooooooooo, badum.” Xan was drumming the edge of his steering wheel in time with the beat of the song playing on the radio. A wireless receiver was plugged into the center dash, connecting his phone to a radio station on the console. He sang to himself, swaying and bopping as he drove down the near empty road. The music stopped. After a moment of silence, the voice of a woman, speaking much louder than the music that was playing before.

“In one mile, turn left.” The sound of fast paced drums and complicated guitar rifts began to play through the speakers once again. Xan turned down the volume as he looked more closely up ahead. The road was surrounded by pretty much nothing. There were acres of land between anything man-made. He peered at his phone mounted next to the center console. The dimmed screen just before going back to sleep displayed a map of the surrounding area only had one square at a time. If each square was a building, there really wasn’t much around. All he could see was the yellow line of road and the light shade of green of for the empty space between.

“In 200 ft, turn left, 666 Mystic Lane.” Xan chuckled as he saw his turn come up. 666 Mystic Lane, that was definitely not a coincidence. Whoever the benefactor was had a sense of humor. He thought it was funny once he finally absorbed the possibilities the letter propositioned. He thought it was still funny now. It made him all the more eager to meet the benefactor. Even if it turned out to be nothing but a farce, this was something he wanted to check out.

Xan had left the hotel he was staying at just an hour ago. He kept the room, just in case he’d need to return. The whole trip across the country to get here took him four days. Xan took several stops. If he was going to drive across the entire continental united states, he’d might as well make it an adventure. Besides, there wasn’t a date on the letter, so it wasn’t like he would be late. Even if the letter threatened potential danger, he survived this long. What was a few more days? It’s not like he’d be hunted that quickly between receiving the letter and him decided to take it up on the offer. If it was that urgent, there would have been a date, or a time to meet, or something else less ambiguous.

Xan saw his turn quickly approaching. He sharply turned the wheel, barely pressing down on the brake. The car groaned at the sudden change in direction, threatening to ride two wheels. The tires squealed as they barely clung to the asphalt. Having successfully prevented a roll over, Xan continued to drive down the drive way. If the map was to be believed, the actual house wouldn't be fore another short while. Gravel crunched underneath the tires as the large yellow hummer drove along the winding path. Xan could feel just how little care the driveway received. It was riddled with potholes, and Xan could feel most of them. Either side of the pavement was covered in plant life and weeds. If that wasn’t enough, most of them were dead. Xan thought magic would have made keeping up the yard work a breeze.

One final turn along the winding driveway and the residence had come into view. Xan was not terribly surprised to see the state it was in. The condition of the long driveway was more than enough of a teaser of what to expect. What had surprised him though was the gathering of people outside the door. Xan’s first thought was that one or all of them was the benefactor, but he quickly overruled that. Of course Xan would not be the first or only magician to somehow resurface, if the letter was to be believed. So then he questioned how everyone would have been here the same day, or even at the same time. For the last hundred feet or so as he circled in front of the house, he couldn’t think of an answer. He concluded that it must have been one of those magic things. He pressed down on the brake, the car coming to a stop near the few others already there.

"Arrived."

Xan opened the door and took a step down, looking up at the dilapidated building ahead of him. Xan guessed in the interest of humor, the benefactor grabbed the first building available that had such a theme accurate address. Either that or he didn’t have time to fix up the place before he and everyone else arrived. He closed the door to his hummer behind him, locking it with his fob. He walked up to the group who seemed huddled near the front door, but it didn’t look like any of them were interested in trying the door. As he approached he waved. He was dressed black slacks, black sneakers, and a dark gray sweatshirt. His hair was over his eyes, and the shadows of the nearby trees partially hid his figure.

“Greetings, my comrades. I can see that I was not the only one to receive such an invitation. Tell me, why hasn’t anyone tried the door?” he spoke in a low voice, but loud enough for the group to hear. He walked methodically, as if he purposefully tried to appear threatening. As Xan came upon them, the light lifted and he smiled. “How awesome that it’s not just me. You are here because of magic, yeah? Why are we chilling out here, and not inside? That guy over there is already at the door, lets not leave him to enter by himself, yeah?”

[Dragonfly 9]

Matthew(and some Nyx)

Matthew's jaw dropped at the portal woman, but the moment was ruined when she opened her mouth.

A joke.

She told a joke at this time, in that way, in that manner?

...Okay.

The good news was that, considering the portal, magic was real and he wasn't losing his mind.

The bad news, however, was that not everyone was taking the existence of it seriously, even when they had it themselves.

"Oh, ha, ha, very funny," Matthew said to the portal woman, rolling his eyes. "Trust me, if I and the rest of us didn't have any magic, we would be reacting way worse than we actually are."

"Wow, talk about touchy," Nyx said in his mind. "Haven't you ever heard of, y'know, jokes?"

Matthew just rolled his eyes at Nyx's comment and, noticing that they hadn't been invited in yet, looked curiously at the door.

When two other men arrived and did something with said door, Matthew just nodded at the second man's remark about it.

Finally, they were actually going somewhere with this!

[NoriWasHere]

The Return of Magic:

Act 1 - An Intro

Scene two - The house beckons

The sound of the others arriving caught Alora by surprise. Her attention had been locked on the house itself. She turned around, raising her hands up as she did, and conjured forth her magic. She did not mean to but she still did not control her power. Two lines of flowers sprouted forth towards the source of the noise, hitting the feet of a mage who had stepped out of a portal. The flowers were a variety of colors and types, though they were pretty. Alora breathed a sigh of relief as the group appeared to have been invited by the benefactor as well.

"Makes sense," Alora whispered as she took the mages in. There was no way she could be the only one who had magic bestowed on her. She was not the main character even in her own story. She was curious though, as it was evident that each mage had a power unique to themself. One could do some form of portal magic, one mentioned they could speak to the dead. The others had yet to reveal their powers, and Alora wanted to know more about these individuals. She rubbed her temple as dark thoughts entered her mind once again. Could she trust them? While she had no reason to not, the letter made no mention of any other. She scanned the faces of the mages before a calming sense fell over her. None of these people felt like a threat, at least on the surface. Yet, her attention lingered on Matthew for a brief moment. There was something about him that seemed off.

Alora took a deep breath and flashed a quick, but genuine smile. "I was not crazy, I knew this was real," she whispered. "I, uh, can control and feel nature? I can also cause plants to grow," she motioned to the flowers on the ground, "that is the best way I can describe it." Alora paused as took in a deep breath. "I'm Alora, and I am guessing that you all got the same letter from a benefactor. Does anyone.. anyone kn-..," Alora's voice trailed off as a strange sensation fell over her body. "What does.. Does anyone feel strange?" The confusion grew on her face as her body was pulled around against her wishes. It soon faced the door. To the others, it looked like she turned around. Alora started to panic as she could no longer move nor could she divert her attention from the front door.

Something inside the house forced her focus onto the structure itself and prevented her from tearing it away. There was something hidden underneath the facade of this dilapidated mansion and it had begun to make its presence known. Alora's breathing began to quicken as she tried to fight whatever spell she was under. She could not speak, nor could she move a muscle. Each second that passed felt like more and more senses became muted. Her breathing quickened and soon its sound filled the air. She could not sense the clothes she wore and the only thing she could hear was a rhythmic wind. It seemed to emanate from the door out of the house. The wind rushed over her body out to the forest before it pulled itself back. Again and again, Alora felt this sensation. Again and again, this wind washed over her body and she felt like her energy was draining.

Was the house breathing?

Alora was not alone in her stasis. Matthew, and Ashe, would feel their focus fixed on the mansion. No matter what they would try they would be unable to break the spell. Something inside the house had the trio under its control. If any of the other mages attempted to touch or pull them out of their trance they would feel a pulsating vibration. As the spell reached its peak over the trio, it broke and they would have complete control over their bodies again. They would feel a slight weakness as if they ran a mile and back. Alora looked around at the group as she took a step back.

"What the fu-" Alora started as she breathed in and out before the sight of a lone individual reaching for the doorknob caught her attention. As he went for it Alora, Matthew, and Ashe would all feel the sensation of the spell taking over again. This time felt different. It felt calmer, and they could now move their bodies. Alora sensed that if that door was opened something would happen. "No don't open that doo-" Alora tried to shout but the wind billowed forth from the house again and it was deafening. Alora groaned as her hands struggled to cover her ears. The rest of the group would feel the rush of this wind for the first time. Once his hand connected with the doorknob the door itself slammed open and James would be thrown back against the railing.

Alora, Ashe, Matthew, and James would all rise in the air before they were pulled inside by the unseen force. As they flew through the air, a trail of flowers were conjured forth in the dirt behind Alora. The only words that would leave her mouth were "HOLY SHIT." The rest of the group would be unaffected by whatever spell was cast.

- - - -

From the outside, those who remained would start to see a very curious sight. The house itself would start repairing. The broken floorboards of the porch would start to become whole once again. The tree that broke the side of the house would groan as it was pulled away and find itself planted in the ground once again. The tree would sprout with leaves in a violent visual explosion of color. Glass would rise from the ground and find its home back in their panes. And finally, once the exterior of the house looked pristine, the group would see the interior light up and pull it back together. As the commotion of the repair subsided, the group outside would hear a faint song playing from within.

- - - -

The group pulled inside would find themselves planted on a couch in a massive living room. Adorned with various pieces of art and expensive-looking decorations, the room had a very regal look to it. In the corner, they would notice a record player that had begun to play a song. A door on the far side of the room would swing open. They would see a few cans of soda float into the room, as well as various snacks. The snacks would find a home on a table in front of the couch while the drinks would float in front of each person.

The drinks would move forwards and backward. First a coke, then a Pepsi, and then water, and so on and so forth. Was it asking them which one they preferred? Alora pointed with a shaky finger towards a can of coke and it shot towards her hand. As she grabbed it she watched as the can opened. She looked down at the drink and back up with a bewildered look on her face. A broom and dustpan floated into the room and started to sweep the floor. In the room behind the door, the sound of a stove being lit could be heard.

Alora, drink open and in hand, could only shout one thing.

"WHAT THE FUCK."

[DELETED08740]

Jay

Jay had hung back near the edge of the driveway, lingering where the gravel met the grass and offering courteous floaty waves as people trickled in. Jay was perfectly still, leaning against a gnarled tree, listening to both the wind breathe through the thicket and observing the nervous expressions of the growing crowd. They all seemed roughly around her age, all wearing roughly modern attire and nothing too outwardly striking other than travelling light. Most of all, they seemed to ask the same sort of question; "Is this for real?" If this was indeed a scam, then she was not the lone fool - though it seemed suspiciously narrow of a demographic. If this was a cult, she'd have a lot in common.

Oh, and by the way; someone had walked through a portal.

Huh?

Jay mentally ratcheted along, slovenly evaluating what she had just seen. A circle of electric blue burned through the air, and seemingly, a red haired woman had manifested in their midst, as if stepping through a doorway never seen before.

Oooh.

Huh.

Jay's head itched from a low drone of a headache, a dull pressure sitting inside her skull. Some kind of beast growling at the entrance of her thoughts, demanding audience. Jay dismissed it with habitual ease.

As if opening a window to a stale atmosphere, talk of strange powers started to sprout amongst the other people. Talking to the dead. Portals. Conjuration. It all sounded like it had been lifted straight from a fairy tale. There was a prevailing sense of being unaware of other users of magic, including herself. They all probably had different powers, judging by the variation. And magic was either a collective hallucination of strange young adults out in the wilderness (in which case help was probably out of reach anyway), or it was indeed, as real as the fantastical tales of old. The latter option sounded more entertaining, so Jay crossed out much of her cyncism. Magic was demonstrably real, and she was going to be a part of a magic cult. Which sounded far cooler than a mundane regular cult.

Jay was going to be fine.

But Alora definitely wasn't. The woman had barely spoken up something about being able to control plants when Jay noticed she grew quiet and rigid. Was her eyes bulging? Difficulty breathing? A panic attack? Jay thawed from her position and made her way through the crowd.

"Are you o-" Jay barely could open her mouth when the gust of wind staggered her, and as if snatched by an invisible hand, Alora and two others closest to the house were lifted to the air before being sucked into the house. The house itself had begun repairing on its own, wiping centuries of solitude with supranatural vigour. It felt wildly disorienting despite Jay having never moved, the gloominess of the mansion wiped clean and replaced with a pristine building, complete with a fresh porch and even a revitalized tree.

Did the house just levitate people? Just floated them up in front of her eyes and suck them right on in? Jay squinted at where Alora stood (not that it looked like she was squinting), then at the mansion that was now humming to itself. Yep. Woop, whoosh. Right on in. It could have been a ghost. Definitely a ghost.

Jay shouldered her backpack, strode up to the mansion porch, and tested opening and closing the door. Could it do that again? "Hello? Mr. House?" She said, tugging on the door handle. If it was indeed a ghost, she had to admit, it would be a rather rude one to have flung people around without properly introducing itself.

[Timemaster]

Ashe looked at the suprised or simply friendly faces of the people gathered, even as more would drive or walk towards the mansion. As she stepped out of her portal, it would soon close leaving small traces of, what she called magic wisps that flew up in the air and disappeared.

Some of the others started talking to each other describing their powers. "Seeing the dead" was the sentence that drew Ashe's attention the most. That was clearly a necromancer to be. A good friend to have or a very fun enemy. All the books she read indicated that necromancy was bad but those were books and real life...real life doesn't usually follow the rules set by books.

One of the women moved her hand and flowers grew around Ashe's feet. Stepping on them to prove to herself that those are actual flowers and some sort of illusion magic, Ashe nodded to herself. A druid of sorts. This group of theirs proved to be very interesting, each with different magic types.

An educated guess would be that this benefactor of theirs either understands all types of magic, which would be hard to believe for a mere human to be able to learn in such a small period of time or that their benefactor was not human. One of the creatures the letters spoke about.

As one of the gathered mages approached the door and tried to open it something strange happened. A feeling. Something magical. Ashe's attention was fixated on the house and no matter how much she tried to look away or summon her powers, she couldn't and then the mansion started repairing itself.

Suddenly they were put on the ground as the spell that captured them faded. Ashe felt drained, as if her magic and the other's magic was drained of them to allow the house to awaken.

Once more, the door was opened and this time, something akin to breathing from the house could be felt. Magic was in the air and it was thick. A house cannot breathe unless, if the books were true, it was possessed and if a mansion this big would be possessed then her second hypothesis was confirmed. The benefactor wasn't human.

Soon Ashe found herself imobile and lifted in the air. Herself and 3 more, were being drawn to the mansion. "Put me down you pile of wooden shit! Put me down this instant or I'll make sure to burn you down after I free myself! " shouted Ashe at the mansion. Nothing happened and she was being pulled even faster towards it. With a deep breath, Ashe opened a portal right in front of her and another behind the group. As she was pulled towards it, she went through, appeared on the other side and felt jerked back to the mansion. Stronger this time.

The battle lost with the magic that pulled her inside, Ashe let herself be carried. Saving her strength for later. Eventually, the group that was floated inside was placed on a couch. Drinks floating in front of them. Picking something alcoholic from the selection, Ashe looked around. Drink in hand.

" Chill down princess. It's magic. Haven't you seen any movies? Someone is flexing their magic muscles to show us they're the boss. Think about it, if they wanted us dead, we would be already. Have a drink and wait for it. Worst case scenario, hold tight to the couch. I can't promise where we'll end up but it'll be better than here. " said Ashe to Alora (@MagratheanWhale) as she shouted.

[redraider1]

"Well, I still have no clue who this benefactor is, but I can tell you this much. They could make a fortune flipping houses." Sally watched in amazement as the house repaired itself, but the look quickly turned to horror as flower girl and a few others were suddenly whisked away inside by an unseen force.

Alright, girl. Take it nice and slow. Remember, this is magic you're dealing with. The normal rules don't apply here. Oh, to hell with it. If this person wanted to harm us, they clearly could do so, regardless of whether we tried to defend ourselves or not. The redhead walked up to the house and peered through one of the windows. "Hello? Anybody home? I don't know who you are, or what you want with us, but I think we've earned the right to have some goddamn answers! Do you hear me?"

[ColouredCyan]

Gwyndolyn

"Well, ghosts, but yeah."

"They don't talk or anything, or if they do, I can't hear it, so it's not like I'm getting anything useful out of it. It's just... spooky."

redraider1

Huh, Gwyndolyn mused, spooky indeed. She tried to imagine what it would be like to be actually haunted by silent mouthing watchers. She conjured a pale figure dressed in white in her mind, pining hopelessly, silently, for succor, to be guided to rest but to no avail. Gwyn shivered. Perhaps it was best she just burned things fast. It was nice though to meet people who'd also experienced unexplained phenomena, she was hoping they'd share their little adventures so far, what they'd learnt, what they'd found and hoping the Benefactor could, at the very least contextualise this and at very most explain why we'd been torn from our very normal lives.

Then it happened. Gwyndolyn, buffeted by the force, was struck to her knees. From her new position she could barely believe what was happening. Granted, ghosts are real and portals are real but watching the tree replant itself and bloom was... Don't get me wrong, the house repairing was impressive but fixing the broken glass, stitching the wood planks together again couldn't hold a candle to the spectacle of the tree undying. It was like it had never suffered whatever misfortune struck it in the first place. The flow of the loose branches knitting themselves back to the trunk, the scattered leaves, first uncrumbling from dust, moistening and returning to their rightful position only to explode into colour again was, for lack of a better word, magical.

What had just happened?

Four of the group had been scooped up and withdrawn against their will (she imagined) into the house, leaving her with Colene Sear, The Californian and a handful of others who'd had the good sense to hang back. The poor guy closest to getting in looked like the large door had whipped out at him, tossing him at the railing before tossing him into the air and throwing him inside. Gwyndolyn struggled off her knees and gave the others the We're going to find out what happened to them, right? look before carefully approaching the manor to check if Sally could see the guy who was also flung into the railing yet.