A Shock to The System

CHAPTER TWO

ASH

I couldn't feel.

I couldn't hear anything but my heartbeat and the hum of fluorescent lights.

I could see that I was sitting in a dimly lit room. The walls were bare and had no personality. There was one flickering light on the ceiling. The only actual thing in the room was me.

Then, there was a voice.

"Ash...". It sounded like a ghostly whisper, reaching out to take me away.

"Ash...", it called out again and again. A soft, tingly feeling came over me, starting out my chest before running all through my body. It felt unfamiliar and...hot.

"Ash..."

'If I'm going to die, please make this quick.'.

"Ash!". The voice yelled my name. It sounded as loud as a thunder clap. I squeezed my eyes shut in panic, and the previously harmless tingle became hotter and hotter and then it was burning me from inside out.

"ASH!". I let out a cry of pain. I couldn't see anymore, and I don't know if it's because my eyes were shut or if it was because there was nothing to see anymore. The heat within me grew more intense, the tingle grew more frantic...and then the feeling exploded out of me.

The last thing I remember seeing was dust and the sound of crashing.

But I could see the moon and the stars.

And for some reason, everything was tinged in red.

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"Ash!".

I jerked awake with a small yelp, and my head knocked into Iris's arm. Her face was an inch away from mine.

"Ow! What the heck! Why are you in my room?", I snapped at her. Iris may be my best friend, but she never came into my room without knocking first. She made sure of that after she walked into me without a shirt hanging upside down from my bunk bed wearing a tin hat made of aluminum foil. She was forever traumatized, and therefore, the no-entering-without-knocking rule was born.

I blinked to clear my mind, and that's when I noticed the pearly white sheets and the soft turquoise green walls, and realized that this was not my room at all.

"You're in the hospital wing, which is welcome to all students. I have every right to be here.", Iris replied with an indignant sniff.

"Yeah, but you're also in my personal space, which is not welcome to all students.". Iris rolled her eyes.

"You've been freaking knocked out for three days, and you want to argue over this? Don't you have anything better to talk about?", she asked me.

"Okay, how about this: why am I in the hospital wing in the first place.". I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain zigzagged through my chest. I dropped back down with a cough. I immediately tried to get up again.

"Hey, hey...", Iris said, trying to get me to lie back down. She looked around the room nervously.

"I have to get Nurse Maybelle. She said that you had visitors.", she told me, beginning to get up again.

"Wait!". I tried to get up again, but my arms faltered and fell back down.

"What happened to me...". Iris was at the door when she hesitated, looking back at me.

"They'll explain everything, Ash, because I don't even know. I'll see you soon.". Then she walked out, closing the door behind her. I sank back down on the bed, feeling lonely as ever. I hated it. Luckily, it didn't last for long, because the door opened, and in walked Alvathorn of the Shadows. All my ability to think suddenly left me as he walked to my bedside, pulled up a chair, and sat down. He suddenly conjured a greeting card and offered it to me like we were old friends.

I took it because, well, it's not every day that the most powerful wizard among the Magikal Race comes to see me. I began to open it, but Alvathorn of the Shadows stopped me.

"Not now,'' he told me. I closed the card, but kept it in my hands. There was an awkward silence. At least, it was awkward for me.

Alvathorn of the Shadows looked me up and down, and he looked perfectly comfortable doing it. He took in my curly dark brown hair and my lighter brown eyes, and the only thing I could do was stare back. He had green eyes and graying black hair. To a normal person, he looked like he was in his forties. I knew that he was actually around three-hundred and fifty years old. The more powerful the wizard, the longer their life span.

"Hello, Ash.", he said finally. I gave him a sharp nod.

"Alvathorn of the Shadows.", I addressed him respectfully,

'Why is he here? Did I do something wrong?'

I relaxed a bit when he smiled at me and shook his head.

"Call me Alvathorn, please.". I nodded, trying to recall exactly what I was supposed to do when I was in the presence of higher powers.

'Stay quiet, don't speak unless spoken to, do not ask any questions-'

"What happened to me?", I demanded before I could stop myself. I winced at my stupidity and tried to avert my eyes. I thought he'd be angry, but when I looked back at him, he was smiling.

"You-may have overused your magic a little bit. Your magic is still a little rusty, but with a bit of practice, who knows what you could do.", he told me.

"What?".

Alvathore leaned forward in his chair a bit.

"You managed to impress us with your magic at the trials, Ash. Your magic is strong. Very strong.", he said.

The trails? I knew that every wizard took them when they turned seventeen to measure their power, but I had no memory of taking them. Or me "overusing" my magic.

Unless...

"The dream", I whispered. "It was real.". Alvathorn nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes, strange dreams about when you used your magic is a common side effect. Bed-rest is the best solution.”, he said.

"Now that I've answered your questions, we can get down to business. Serania has a new king.".

"So I've heard. The King died and his son took the throne, right?", I asked.

"Yes, but more news has come in. The King's eldest son has also been killed. The throne is left to the second-born prince. A seventeen year old boy. A child.", his lips curled up at the last part.

I frowned slightly. A seventeen year old on the throne of Serania? Alvathorn was staring at me expectantly, waiting for me to comment.

"I-I don't think that's going to end well.", I said finally. Alvathorn's entire face lit up.

"Exactly", he said, beaming.

"That's exactly what we want. It wouldn't take long for the people to not want to rely on him. The people will become impatient and rebel. Serania will be destroyed by its own people! All it needs is a little...push.".

I stared at him for a minute, before finally saying, "You want Serania to fall. You killed the King, didn't you? And you killed his son.". Alvathorn nodded his confirmation, and a small tremor ran down my spine.

"What do I have to do with this? What do you want from me?", I asked. I don't know why Alvathorn was here, but I didn't want anything to do with this.

"The most powerful witches and wizards are needed for this operation. I have my own part to play, overseeing everything and creating the plans. We need more powerful wizards and witches to help. Now, to answer your questions, you might as well open your card.", he told me, motioning to the greeting card that I was still holding.

I hesitated, before slowly opening the card. The inside was just white and blank, except for two words.

'Join Us'

I felt my stomach turn. I could feel Alvathorn's gaze on my face, and I kept my eyes on the card.

I couldn't do this. Whatever magic they saw me doing, I wasn't strong enough to do again.

"You can help us, Ash. You could carry out a mission we have for you. You're a powerful wizard. Take this opportunity to prove that you aren't worthless. Your magic-", Alvathorn said softly. I dropped the card in frustration, and cut him off mid-sentence.

"I can't! I can't do magic! It was just a coincidence. Once-in-a-lifetime thing. So, I'm sorry, but-".

"ENOUGH!", Alvathorn snapped. His calm, patient demeanor shattered.

"YOU HAVE TO JOIN! YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE, YOU FOOLISH BOY!", he yelled, his eyes suddenly glowing neon green. I felt wind whip around us, and a neon green tinge to everything.

"YOU WILL JOIN, AND YOU WILL USE YOUR MAGIC!".

I cowered in the bed, trying to protect my head. The wind grew stranger around me, roaring in my ears. Pictured rattled on the wall before falling down. The wind grew stronger still, trying to drag me out of the hospital bed. No matter how hard I tried to hold on, my fingers were starting to slip.

Underneath my fear, I felt anger. Didn't I tell him that I couldn't do magic like that again? He can't force me, no matter who he thinks he is.

"I can't-", I began, trying to talk sense into him.

"YOU WILL, YOU PATHETIC LITTLE-"

"NO!".

The words exploded out my mouth, but they sounded deeper and louder. I stopped short at the sound of my voice, startled and confused.

And then I felt an unfamiliar tingle, starting at my fingertips.

I looked down at my hands and saw red smoke gathering around my hands, and bright red sparks shooting out. I stared at it, captivated.

A tiny voice at the back of my voice was telling me that this wasn't real. That this wasn't real. That I couldn't win a fight against the Alvathorn of the Shadows.

I pushed that voice away until I couldn't hear it anymore. I wasn't going to be pushed around like this. At this moment, I felt like I could do anything and everyone. And I believed it too.

I raised my arms, and dark red smoke swept around the room, overpowering and engulfing Alvathorn's neon green. I felt my magic wrap around and capture the wind. It fought, trying to get out of my clutches, but it took barely any effort to contain it.

'Stop!', I commanded with my mind. The red smoke wrapped itself tighter and tighter around the wind, until it dissolved into nothing.

I pulled my magic back a bit, feeling triumphant. But I still wasn't satisfied. Without missing a beat, I summoned my magic again, and turned it on Alvathorn.

Tendrils of magic wrapped around him, and pulled him up into the air.

"AND YOU", I snarled, and willed my magic to push me off the ground.

"Who do you think you are? How dare you try to hurt me?!", I demanded.

Using my magic, I started shaking him like he was nothing but a rag doll, until I felt my rage die down. I let go of my magic, dropped back into my hospital, feeling very tired. Alvathorn fell out of mid-air, but caught himself in a cloud of neon green smoke. He set himself back on the floor, and turned toward me with an abnormally calm expression.

"I told you you could do magic, didn't I.", he said. I was confused for a second, but then I remembered what we were talking about. I felt even more tired, realizing that he was right.

"You will depart on your first mission tomorrow.", I heard him say. I just closed my eyes and rested my head on my pillow. I didn't feel like fighting right now.

"Your job is to be-friend the prince and to raise a rebellion. You will receive more details soon.".

I fell asleep, too tired to argue.