Chapter 23
Brianna left Dr. Emerson's office with mixed emotions. While she was relieved to know the location of the Codex Temporis, the weight of this secret knowledge pressed heavily upon her conscience. As she walked across the university campus, lost in thought, she almost didn't notice Chad approaching.
"Bri! What are you doing here?" Chad called out, a smile lighting up his face.
Brianna's heart skipped a beat. She hated keeping secrets from Chad, but she understood the necessity. "Oh, just checking in with Dr. Emerson about some time manipulation techniques," she said, forcing a casual tone.
Chad nodded, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes… Curiosity? Suspicion? "How is he doing? I've been meaning to stop by myself."
"He seems... okay," Brianna replied carefully. “Well, I have to get going. The witches are practicing coordinating their magic. We’ll fight more effectively by employing our synchronized strengths. Especially now that my wacky ability is being added to the mix.”
“Fight smarter, not harder, right?”
She chuckled. “Yeah, something like that.”
He stepped into her space and kissed her. It wasn’t a peck, but it was the kind of kiss that promised more would follow when they weren’t quite so public.
The days that followed were filled with intense training and preparation.
Chad worked tirelessly to expand his Word Warrior abilities under Dr. Emerson's guidance, while Brianna delved deeper into the intricacies of time manipulation.
The rest of the L.A.W. team honed their magical skills, preparing for the inevitable next confrontation with the Aether Pirates.
One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the L.A.W.
mansion's grounds, Chad found himself alone in the library.
He was poring over an older text on interdimensional theory when he felt a sudden chill in the air.
The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he sensed a presence behind him.
"Well, well," a familiar voice drawled. "Fancy meeting you here, young Word Warrior."
Chad spun around to find Damien right behind his chair.
“How did you get in here? This place is warded up the wazoo!”
Damien leaned back and let out a loud laugh. “Your wards don’t scare me. I told you, I can take your powers to the next level and beyond. Even your precious Dr. Emerson can’t teach you that.”
A jolt of surprise left Chad shaking inside, but he tried hard not to let it show.
“Oh, you didn’t know? I’ve been following your activities and watching you train with the good professor.”
Chad rose, casually marked his place in the book, and strolled toward the kitchen, where he knew some of the witches were having an afternoon coffee break. He hoped Bas was among them.
As Chad moved towards the kitchen, trying to appear casual, Damien's form shimmered and flickered, following along like a spectral shadow.
"You can't run from me, boy," Damien's voice echoed, seeming to come from all directions at once. "I'm offering you power beyond your wildest dreams. The ability to reshape your reality to anything you’d like it to be!"
Chad continued towards the kitchen, Damien matching his pace. "And why would I do that? I've seen what you and your pirates are capable of. You bring nothing but destruction."
Damien chuckled darkly. "Oh, my naive young friend. Destruction is merely the first step towards creation. Imagine a world molded by your words, your desires. No more hiding in the shadows, no more bowing to the rules.
“I admire your confidence, but you’re the naive one if you think I’d betray my friends and my entire world.
” Chad's heart raced as he reached the kitchen doorway.
To his immense relief, he saw Bas and Brianna seated at the table, deep in conversation.
They looked up as he entered, their expressions quickly shifting to concern as they sensed his distress.
"Chad? What's wrong?" Brianna asked, rising from her seat.
Before Chad could answer, Damien's form materialized fully in the kitchen, a dark aura pulsing around him.
Bas was on her feet in an instant. Her emerald eyes flashed with fury as she took in Damien's presence.
"How dare you enter this sanctuary!" she growled, her hands already glowing with magical energy.
Damien merely smirked, unfazed by the display of power. "Oh, I dare quite easily, witch. Your wards are impressive, I'll grant you that. But they're child's play compared to the power I wield."
Chad stepped forward, placing himself between Damien and the others. "Leave now, Damien. You're not welcome here."
"Ah, but I haven't finished my offer, young Word Warrior," Damien purred. "Think of what we could accomplish together. The barriers between worlds are mere playthings in our hands. Time itself, bending to our will. You can even bring your little girlfriend."
Brianna's eyes widened in shock.
Chad felt a surge of anger at Damien's arrogance. He squared his shoulders and spoke, infusing his words with all the power he could muster: "Damien, I command you to leave this place and never return!"
To his surprise and relief, Damien vanished.
Chad turned toward Bas. “Did I do that or did he? Or, for that matter, did you banish him?”
“Not I,” Bas said. “I think your dedicated practice is paying off.”
The days following Damien's intrusion were tense at the L.A.W.
mansion. Bas had ordered a complete overhaul of their magical defenses, with every witch contributing their unique skills to strengthen the wards.
Chad threw himself into his training with renewed vigor, determined to never again feel so vulnerable in the face of Damien's temptations.
One evening, as Chad was finishing up a particularly grueling session with Dr. Emerson, Brianna appeared in the doorway of the training room. Her expression was troubled, and Chad immediately sensed something was wrong.
"Bri? What is it?" he asked, concern etched on his face.
Brianna hesitated, glancing between before responding. "I... I need to talk to Dr. Emerson. Alone, if that's okay."
The elderly professor nodded. “Of course. We’re done for today anyway. Good work, Chad.”
“Will I see you back at the mansion?” Brianna asked Chad before he departed.
“Yes. I know I’m safer there, but to be honest, I think I’m gaining enough self-confidence to rebuff Damien anywhere.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to kiss her on the side of her head.
As Chad left with a swagger, Brianna turned to Dr. Emerson with a worried expression. "I'm concerned about Chad. He seems so confident now, almost cocky. I'm afraid he might be underestimating Damien's power and influence."
Dr. Emerson nodded gravely. "I understand your concern, Brianna. Chad's abilities have indeed grown tremendously, but overconfidence can be dangerous, especially when dealing with entities like Damien."
Brianna bit her lip, hesitating before voicing her next thought. "There's something else... I'm worried about the future I saw. Your..." She trailed off, unable to say the words.
"My death," Dr. Emerson finished softly. He sighed, his eyes filled with a mixture of resignation and determination. "Brianna, the future is not set in stone. What you saw was one possibility of thousands.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Why are you continuing to worry about the one you saw?”
Brianna felt a palpable pain in her chest and didn’t know if she could spit out the truth.
Eventually, he tipped his head and studied her reaction.
Damn, I’ve never been very good at hiding my feelings. “Okay, here it is. Bas gave me permission to go into the future to see if we would find a way to banish the Aether Pirates for good. Each time I try, I always land at your funeral.”
He rubbed his chin in concentration. “Are you trying to go to other times and places?”
“Yes, I’ve tried a year ahead and five years ahead, but every time…”
“Interesting,” was all he said.
Brianna was glad her dilemma didn’t seem to worry him, but he might be hiding it. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”
“I doubt you’re doing anything wrong, Brianna. You’re just focused on the wrong thing.”
“I—I don’t know how to change that. Both of my parents died in a car crash. My grandpa died years before that. It’s just been my grandmother, my sister, and me for most of my life. I’ve come to think of you as a surrogate father or—don’t take offense—grandfather. I can’t not worry about you.”
Dr. Emerson laughed. “I’m not offended in the least. I’m honored to be thought of as your surrogate grandfather. But worrying about me is exactly the part you need to let go of. That’s why you keep being dragged back to my funeral.”
“You think so?”
“I’m not a psychology professor, but it makes sense, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, in a morbid kind of way.”
He grinned and patted her on the shoulder, but worry now creased his brow.
"It feels so real,” she whined. “And with everything that's happening… Damien's intrusion, Chad's growing powers… I can't help but feel like we're hurtling towards that future."
Dr. Emerson took her hand in his, attempting a comforting gesture. "My dear, our choices shape our destiny. Every decision we make, and every action we take, can alter the course of events. That's why it's crucial that we remain vigilant and make wise choices."
"But what if we make the wrong choices?" Brianna asked. Then she shook her head. “Sorry. I know you can’t answer that either. Too many possibilities, right?”
“You have the crux of it. If we do the best we can with the information we have at the time, we really can’t ask for more than that.”
“Got it. But I thought you had precognition.”
“Even that’s tricky. Most of the time, I see hints, no actionable information or outcomes.”
“That must get frustrating.”
He smiled and rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it.”