Beyond the Skies

by FrostTheWolf

Scroll 33- Ancient Teachings (Part 2)

Beyond the Skies- Ancient Teachings (Part 2)

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By the time that everyone had the chance to look over the books that Hugo brought into the chamber, it felt as if another hour had passed by. Yet, unfortunately, they were unable to find anything inside what he brought that could pinpoint what was strapped onto the wrists of the twins. Despite finding several relics that bore similarities to what Trevor and Raquel possessed, the objects that were listed had no traits that would show that they had a will of their own. Even when re-reading the text to see if they had missed something, they came up short, and it wasn’t exactly helping the current situation.

“Well, that didn’t help,” Trevor grunted in annoyance, “Now, we’re back to square one.”

“D-don’t be so certain,” Hugo tried to speak up, “I-I’m sure there’s something else that we could do-”

“Have you thought of anything?” Calvin then asked, “Because we’ve been trying to look at these for so long that I feel as if I'll fall asleep if I try to read another page.”

Now, the mabu scholar was a bit hesitant. While he was trying his best to be positive and help, he couldn’t think of an answer to Calvin’s question. Most of the faculty were busy, either with teaching class or they were out on an assignment, and those who weren’t busy were probably not the best qualified for this. Flynn was more than likely flying his airship or stuffing his face with enchiladas at the school cafe. Tessa took today off to go visit her old village back in Woodburrow, and Cali decided to go with her. Mags was more than likely tinkering away in her workshop, and Buzz was… well, probably busy with his own duties, as head of security.

Yet, it was as Hugo was about to give up that Raquel happened to say something this time, “So, let me see if I get this straight... We came here to see if what my brother and I had forced on our wrists was some kind of ancient relic or something from here… and we found nothing. What exactly are we going to do now?”

Then, something began to click in the scholar’s head as he looked over to the others. “M-Master Eon, I-I might have an idea.”

“Oh? What’s that, Hugo?” the Portal Master asked.

“I-If what we’re looking into is something that may be ‘Ancient’, then m-maybe we would have better success if w-we talked to an Ancient?”

Even though what Hugo suggested sounded like a possibility to Master Eon, everyone else that was in the room was rather confused by that. “Uh… An ancient what? Some kind of object-”

“No no no, t-that’s not what we mean by ‘Ancient’ right now,” the scholar quickly tried to correct himself, before looking over to Calvin, “I remember I told you about them, so did you want to tell them or-?”

“Uh… I guess? Though, I only know a couple of pieces, so feel free to fill in the gaps,” the Skyshifter replied, who tried his best to give a simplified explanation, “When Hugo means Ancients, he means the beings that were responsible for creating pretty much everything in Skylands with Mind Magic a very long time ago. In fact, the M.A.P. was, from my understanding, their home.”

“So… they’re what exactly? A precursor race?” Raquel asked.

That just had Calvin look back at his friend with a puzzled look on his face, “Pre… cursor? What does that mean?”

“It’s pretty much a fancy word that means something or someone that came before something else later on,” she explained, “Like how radio was a precursor to Television back home.”

“Something of that nature, yes,” Master Eon added, “Over the years, we have uncovered a lot about the Ancients and their creations. Some of their creations were used for good, while others… not so much. However, despite everything that we’ve found on them, no one had actually met any of them, and it was believed that they had all vanished or passed on. That is, until a few months before we met you, Calvin.”

“W-wait a minute,” Twilight now stuttered at this, “Y-you’re saying that you met… an Ancient?”

“Not just met,” the Portal Master continued, “The last time that the Skylanders faced a major threat from Kaos, this Ancient was… more or less his accomplice.”

“Uh, who’s Kaos-?”

“Dark Portal Master. Wants to conquer Skylands. Small in size, but has a big ego,” Calvin summarized.

“So, he’s a BBEG?” That just had mostly everyone in the chamber look back at Trevor in confusion, before he let out a sigh, “You know, big bad evil guy?”

“When you put it like that, yeah. That’s basically Kaos,” Calvin replied, “Doesn’t help that the amount of power he has at his disposal is much greater than his personality.”

Raquel now raised an eyebrow as she folded her arms, “Care to give an example?”

“If I remember correctly, he’s pursued several different ways to gain power in order to take over the Skylands, and whenever he’s confronted directly, he uses the full extent of his power to try and win. Not to mention that whenever his plans are foiled, he ends up pursuing something new to further his schemes,” the Skyshifter explained, before he looked over to Master Eon, “Does that help?”

“Why, yes, actually. In fact, that might make this explanation a little bit easier,” he continued, “The Ancient that was Kaos’ accomplice is known simply as Brain. From what we understand, back when they were in the process of creating everything in Skylands, Brain was at odds with his colleagues over the methods in which he used his magic. This led to him standing up to the other Ancients, as he used his magic to brainwash everyone into mindless servants. However, his plan was thwarted by the magic of the dragons, since they were immune to mind control, and as punishment, he was encased in a jar and locked away for a thousand years.”

“Wait, if that’s the case, then did this Kaos guy intend to find him?” Trevor asked, “Or was that just an accident?”

“I would think the latter, but given that it’s Kaos, it would be wise to not make any assumptions,” Master Eon replied, “However they met, we know that Brain was originally helping him with his plans and even going as far to have Kaos help him try and brainwash the entire Skylands again when their plans fell through, only for that attempt to be foiled the same way as before, by the dragons. Yet, when he was confronted by Spyro and the other Skylanders after they defeated Kaos again, Brain was quick to try and strike a deal with us, going as far as to offer his knowledge and services while also proving his loyalty by shrinking Kaos down to size and trapping him inside a jar. Yet, how he escaped from that is unclear.”

“Hold on a minute,” Raquel then spoke up, “You’re saying that you are letting a being who brainwashed everyone that lives here twice just stay here? Isn’t that risky?”

“I-it may, but just because Brain is staying here doesn’t mean he’s unsupervised,” Hugo spoke up, “O-our head of security, Buzz, routinely checks on him, to make sure that he is true to his word. From what Buzz told us last time, it sounded like Brain was more interested in trying to reacquaint himself with all the knowledge that he had missed over the years than anything else.”

“Okay, but I had a different question,” Trevor now said, “How exactly do you think this ‘Brain’ can help us with our current dilemma? That’s the part that I’m having trouble understanding.”

“Well, since the Ancients were responsible for creating pretty much everything in the Skylands, the possibility that what you have in your possession being a relic made by the Ancients is presumably rather high,” Master Eon answered, “After all, from what we know of the Ancients, they are rather knowledgeable and also rather… lazy. Some of the Skylanders at the academy can speak from experience of the number of times they found contraptions made by the Ancients just lying around pretty much anywhere.”

“Anywhere? Like, it's possible that something would be buried in someone’ backyard or something?”

“Please don’t remind me of what happened when Flynn found that Ever-Burner and decided to use it for a summer cookout,” Hugo groaned, “It took us weeks to clean up the mess he made, and some of the ashes almost got into the library.”

At that point, Twilight decided to interject before the conversation would get sidetracked. “So, where exactly can we find this… Brain? You mentioned that he stays at the Academy now, but you never said where-”

“And why exactly would you be looking for me?”

Immediately, everybody turned around towards the back door of the chamber to see what could only be described as a floating sapient brain with one eye and three tentacles, two that served as arms while the third acted as his body. He looked around the entire room, but seemed to be focused on Hugo and Master Eon as the scholar cleared his throat, “O-Oh, hello, Brain. W-what brings you here?”

“Well, I was trying to lay down for a nap, but I heard some commotion farther down the hall that kept me awake. When I went to go see what the fuss was about, I overheard all of you talking about my old colleagues,” the Ancient retorted, before he looked over towards Twilight, Calvin and the Twins. “And who exactly do we have here? New students that have just arrived?”

“Not quite,” Master Eon interjected, “Brain, this is Calvin, Trevor, Raquel and Princess Twilight Sparkle. Calvin is a student here at the academy under the tutelage of Master King Pen, while the others are his friends. Everyone, this is Brain, the Ancient I was mentioning earlier.”

“H-hello,” the Skyshifter muttered, a bit caught off guard by the recent series of events as he tried to introduce himself the best way he could. However, as the Ancient looked him over, his attention seemed to be less focused on him and more on what was around his neck.

“Where did you get this?”

That had Calvin blink, caught off guard by the sudden question as he shook his head for a moment, “I-I’m sorry, what-?”

“This,” the Ancient repeated as he pointed to the necklace, “Where did you get it?”

“Have you… seen Calvin’s necklace before?”

“No, I haven’t,” the Ancient admitted as he looked over to Twilight, “However, I can feel the power that courses through it, and it's… rather familiar.” Shortly after, Brain’s eye shifted back over towards Calvin as he asked another question, “If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly do you use this trinket for? Is it just an accessory, or does it have another purpose?”

Calvin looked over towards Master Eon, to see if it was okay to use his powers inside the chamber. When the Portal Master nodded his head, the Skyshifter began to recite the catchphrase of the first Skylander that came to mind, “All Fired Up!”

Before the Ancient had the chance to comment, the magic from the necklace began to take effect, as Calvin transformed and took on the form of Spyro, an action that startled Brain at first, but after a few seconds, the Ancient began to realize something, “That trinket… allows you to shapeshift? Into anything?”

“Not exactly. I can only change into other Skylanders and what I can do is… limited,” the Skyshifter replied, before he let his transformed state time out, as he was forced to revert back to his original form, “I was training under King Pen to get better control of this, as well as the Imaginator I created. Why do you ask?”

In response, the Ancient gave off an amused chuckle as he looked back towards the young teen, “Well, let’s just say that you’re not the only one with such gifts.” With a motion of his left tendril, the Ancient’s body began to glow and shimmer, as his form morphed in shape. In a matter of seconds, he changed from his original body to that of a bipedal owl. Unlike Hoot Loop though, his form was much taller, and he wore clothes that made himself appear as if they were an esteemed professor.

“H-how-?”

“Hmm? Rather surprised now, are we?” Brain replied, his voice changing a little in his new form, “Well, my former colleagues and I were known for some of our other powers and capabilities, aside from Mind Magic. One such power was being able to shapeshift and change forms, should it be necessary. Yet, unlike mine, your abilities have been altered and changed to something specific.”

At first, Calvin was still trying to process everything in his head. Yet, before he had the chance to say anything back, Brain continued right where he left off, “However, my question from before still remains. Where did you get this? I know that people have a habit of finding artifacts of my kind scattered all over the place, but if that is what I think it is, then it shouldn’t be possible for this to be in your possession.”

“Wait, I thought you said that you hadn’t seen this before,” Raquel asked as she scratched the back of her head, “Now, I’m confused.”

At that, Brain was quick to notice the wristbands on both of the twins as his eyes widened a bit. As he took a moment to compose himself and go back to his regular appearance, he let out a deep sigh. He motioned a tendril, and in a matter of seconds, a chalkboard manifested behind him, “Well, it appears that a history lesson is in order,” the Ancient said, before he looked over to the Portal Master, “That is, if you would allow me.”

“I see no reason as to why not,” Master Eon said.

“Good. Then, let’s get started right away,” he remarked as the chalk on the wall began to write on its own, “Now, I’m pretty sure that everyone already knows the extent of the creations that my former colleagues and I had made a long time ago already. However, what’s probably not so well known is the amount of times we ended up pushing our creative minds a little too far and ended up making costly mistakes, where a simple idea can turn out to be far too powerful.”

“Uh, I think-”

At that, Brain turned to Hugo, “If you were going to remind me about the fiasco involving the so-called Rift Engines, let it be known that I was sealed away before this happened. What I’m talking about is further back before that and before the… falling out I had with my former colleagues.”

That had Hugo immediately apologize for interrupting, before hastily going into his backpack to get out parchment, ink and a quill, to take notes as the Ancient continued where he left off. “Back then, our focus in making the Skylands was to have it be a world of peace and prosperity. However, back in the day, we did not even consider sealing away our magic, for we thought that there was more work to be done after we finished creating what you call the M.A.P.”

That had surprised both Hugo and Master Eon, for this was something new that had not been shared before. Yet, for some of the others that were in the room, all it did was pique their curiosity. “If that was the case, then what changed?”

“I’m glad you asked,” the Ancient smirked, “That change happened when one of our colleagues began working on an idea that was far too ambiguous, and we didn’t realize it until it was too late. Shortly after the Skylands was created, he began to start researching on how to imbue objects with magic. At first, it didn’t seem like that big of an issue, and he seemed to be doing this to merely satisfy his own curiosity. However, when he started orchestrating tests, that was when things became problematic.”

“W-what happened?”

At this, Brain now showed what looked to be the silhouette of an Ancient among several different people that looked to resemble species that were common to the Skylands, “Well, instead of conducting tests among his peers, this particular Ancient chose to give prototypes of his work to mortal beings he trusted. Despite the fact that they were good friends with him, the fact that these ‘candidates’ had such objects in the first place led to envy among their friends and family. Some of them were even stolen by loved ones, because of how much power they had.”

At first, things were rather silent, as everyone tried to process what they had heard. Yet, it was after a couple of moments that Twilight had a question, “So, what did you do?”

“The only thing that we thought was the best course of action. Once we had retrieved the artifacts from their former owners, we banished his prototypes and confiscated his research, so that way, something like this wouldn't happen again. Yet, the whole fiasco in itself led to many questioning whether or not to keep Mind Magic around. Ultimately, it led to a decision that I personally disagreed with at that time, and we all know how that story ended,” Brain told them, before having the chalkboard and chalk disappear with a flicker from his eye, “But here’s the thing… Ancient relics in Skylands, especially prototypes, are like boomerangs. No matter how far you try to throw them, they always find a way to come back around and land at your feet.”

For a moment, Calvin felt as if that meant something and wanted to ask Brain. However, it was at this time that Trevor interjected, “If I may, do you remember what those prototypes are? Like, anything specific about them? Most of us here already know what exactly Calvin can do, but you see,” at that point, he raised his arm up to show what was wrapped around his wrist, and Raquel did the same, “We came here trying to figure out what these were, and given what you covered in your ‘lesson’, I was wondering if our situation was somehow relevant.”

That had Brain stop for a moment, before closely examining what Trevor showed him, as well as what was on Raquel’s wrist, too. It was as he did this that a sense of shock and realization hit him, as his single pupil shrank down in size. “Oh… dear me.”

“Is something wrong, Brain?” Master Eon then asked.

“No, no. It’s fine,” the Ancient insisted, before looking at the twins, “As for your question, there were a few different prototypes that were made. Yet, there are two different items that could possibly resemble what you might have, those ones being a bracelet that allowed whoever it to create objects at will, while the other was a bracelet that allowed whoever wore it to control psychic based magic, such as telepathy and telekinesis.”

At that, Raquel couldn’t help but ask one other question, “I-Is there a way we can know for sure? Like, whether or not these are the same prototypes you remember?”

That had Brain pause for a brief moment, before he began to ponder a bit. “Hmm… There might be one possible way to know for certain. However, I must ask, have either of you used magic before?”

Both Trevor and Raquel were quick to shake their heads. “As far as either of us could tell, not really. Why do you ask?”

“Well, in order for this to work, that needs to change,” Brain told them, before he closed his eye for a brief moment, as the Ancient’s body shimmered, “Luckily, it shouldn’t be too difficult to help you get started. Though, I will need you to hold still. If either of you move… well, let’s just say that it’s going to hurt a lot more than it should.”

“Woah, wait a minute,” Calvin spoke up, “H-How does this relate to what Raquel just asked? I’m confused about that.”

At this, the Ancient turned back around towards the Skyshifter, “Well, considering that most of the research on these particular objects no longer exists, all we can really do is rely on theories. From what we know, outside of being rather uncomfortable, these particular artifacts haven’t really displayed any unusual properties to them. Therefore, I believe that the reason why is because there’s something missing, much like how a machine is dormant if they lack a suitable power source.”

“Oh, I get it,” Hugo now spoke up, “So, you want to ‘introduce’ a source in the hope that it would have the artifacts be in a more active state?”

“That’s right,” Brain nodded, before he looked around the entire room briefly and turned his attention back to the twins, “Yet, in order for this to work, I’m going to need your cooperation. This won’t be easy, but if we are able to successfully do this, then we can determine whether or not they are the same ones that I remember from long ago. So with that in mind, are you up to the task?”

Both of the twins looked to each other, before they took a moment to converse among themselves. Despite Brain’s insistence on the matter, Trevor and Raquel weren’t exactly so quick to give an answer and had some doubts. To them, this seemed like a point of no return. However, if they were going to learn what exactly had been placed on them and what it could allow them to do, they had to take some risks.

So, after a minute or two, the twins looked back at the Ancient and gave them their answer. “We are.”

“Alright then, follow me, and we can get started right away,” Brain told them. Yet, it was as he and the twins were about to leave that someone else spoke up.

“Mr. Brain? Do you mind if I come along?” Calvin asked, “You know, for support?”

“I don’t see why not,” the Ancient nodded, “In fact, perhaps I could assist you afterwards with your own relic.”

The Skyshifter couldn’t help but blink at that, “But… I already know how to use it-”

“It never hurts to have a refresher. Now, come on, let’s not keep your friends waiting.”

As Brain finished speaking, he motioned his head towards the door and led the three of them out of the chamber and down a nearby hallway. Along the sides of the hall were doors that one could only assume led to either classrooms or places that only faculty members could access. Yet, there wasn’t much time to look around, for the Ancient was ushering the three of them through a door at the far end of the hallway that had what looked to be an image of a brain with a professor’s cap and a stretched out scroll behind it.

Once they were inside, the trio of friends had little time to look around the room they just entered, as the Ancient immediately got their attention. “Great, now that we’re here, it’s time that we get started. Which one of you wants to go first?”

That had Raquel blink for a moment, before she looked back at the Ancient, “Go first? I’m sorry, but I’m a bit confused. I was under the impression that you could do both of us at the same time.”

Immediately, the Ancient shook his head and looked back towards both Trevor and Raquel, “That would be far too dangerous for such a delicate procedure. If I were to make even the smallest of mistakes, it could hinder the ability to conjure the simplest of spells for either of you. It’s part of the reason why I wished for this to be done here, to minimize the amount of potential distractions that could disrupt the procedure.”

“So, what you’re doing is like magical surgery?” Trevor asked.

“If you wish to call it that, then yes,” Brain nodded as he folded his tentacles as if they were arms, “Now, back to my question, which one of you wants to go first?”

At this, Trevor just shrugged and stepped forward into the center of the room, “I will. Just stand still and don’t move, right? Sounds simple enough, if you ask me.”

“It is, if you listen to what I tell you and follow along,” the Ancient corrected him as he unfolded his tentacles and moved both of them up to touch Trevor’s forehead, “Now, stand still and close your eyes for me. It’s time we begin.”

Shortly after that was said, a cold chill was felt in the room, as Brain closed his only eye and began to recite some words. Calvin and Raquel watched as the light that was in the room began to fade rapidly. As the seconds passed, the two of them watched as what appeared to be glowing teal lines that looked like circuits ran down from the back of his spine to throughout the rest of the body. As a few minutes passed, both of them noticed that the band on Trevor’s arm began to glow. When they looked a little more closely, they noticed what looked to be an outline of an anvil and a sword burning bright orange in the center of it.

Yet, as soon as this phenomenon started, it ended just as quickly, for the glowing ceased, and light returned back into the chamber as Brain opened his eye. “Alright, that should just about do it. Everything seems to be flowing just fine,” the Ancient replied as he circled around Trevor once before he smiled, “You may open your eyes now.”

It took Trevor a little bit to regain his barings, but after a minute or two, he finally spoke up, “Well, that was… an experience, if I do say so myself.”

“How do you feel?”

As he was asked this, Trevor stretched out his arms before he looked back at the Ancient, “To be honest, I’m not entirely sure how to describe it. I feel like I do every other day, but… it feels like I have more energy than I did before,” he said, before he looked down at his wrist, “Not only that, but this actually feels comfortable now. Warm even, if that’s possible.”

“Calvin and I actually noticed something during the procedure,” Raquel said, which had Brain glance over to her for a minute, “Your band was glowing, and both of us could see some kind of symbol on it for a brief moment.”

At that, Brain couldn’t help but let out a small sigh of relief as he looked back over to Trevor. “That was actually what I was hoping for. Now that you have a source of magic, the artifact is in an active state.”

“So, now we see if what we have here is the same as you remember?”

“Eventually, yes. However, I believe it’s your sister's turn now,” the Ancient said as he motioned for Trevor to walk back over to where Calvin was and have Raquel take his place. Like with her brother, Brain went through the same instructions as before and had her come into the center of the room.

Just like the first time around, when Brain began to recite the incantation, any form of light that was in the room immediately began to fade. Same as with Trevor, glowing teal lines began to form throughout Raquel’s body and move down her spine. However, this time around, there was something different. The bracelet on her left wrist began to give off a dark pink glow, as the magic from it began to coil around the teal lines from the Ancient’s spell and merge together. A pair of glowing eyes began to form on her bracelet, as Trevor and Calvin watched the spell come to an end.

However, unlike her brother, it looked as if Raquel wasn’t exactly taking these changes rather well, “Is everything alright?”

“I’m… not sure,” Raquel said, before she placed a hand on her head and winced a little. After taking a moment to refocus, she looked back towards the Ancient and asked one question, “I-Is it ‘normal’ to start hearing voices after getting magic?”

“Not really. However, given what we’re trying to do, I might have an idea as to what this is,” at that point, the Ancient turned his gaze over to the Skyshifter, “Calvin, can you think of the first thing that comes to your mind, but don’t say it?”

At this point, Calvin was a bit confused by the request. Yet, instead of asking why, he chose to go along with it and think about the first thing that came to mind. When he looked over to Raquel though, he soon noticed a look of shock on her face.

“I-I heard you just now… y-yet, you weren’t saying anything,” Raquel stammered, before turning her attention to Brain, “W-what’s going on?”

“Actually, this confirms a few things,” the Ancient calmly said, “Mainly, your particular artifact is the same one that I remember from a long time ago, and with it, you can now control psychic based magic. One such trait with this kind of magic is the ability to read other people’s thoughts. A nifty trick… However, for someone that isn't as experienced with magic, they might find being able to hear the thoughts of anyone and everyone around them quite overwhelming. Luckily, with enough practice and training, this won’t be too bothersome.”

“Yeah, but that only confirms one of the objects we have,” Trevor pointed out, “What about the other one?”

“Patience now, I was getting there,” Brain said as he now focused his attention on him, “What you have in particular is supposedly an artifact that allows you to create objects at will. So, try to picture an object in your mind and focus.”

“Any object?”

“Ideally, something simple,” the Ancient advised, “Anything too complex would have you burn up your newfound energy too quickly. Given how you just unlocked your magic a little while ago, it’s safe to say that we don’t want that… unless you want to feel completely sore for the rest of the afternoon.”

With that image stuck in his mind, Trevor let out a slow breath and began to think of something that could meet the criteria Brain had told him. However, despite how the Ancient explained it to him, he immediately began to realize that putting it into practice was much harder. Not only that, but despite his attempts to think of simple objects, nothing really seemed to take form, not even something as simple as a coin would take form and materialize.

Then, when he looked back at his band and saw the symbol again, that’s when a thought came to mind. What if the creations he could make weren’t just any particular thing that came to mind, but had to be something specific instead? Maybe the mark was not just some ordinary marking, but a clue as to what he could make. While it was entirely possible, the only way that he would know for sure was to put it into practice.

As such, the first thing that came to mind was a sword.

Moments after he began to picture the blade, the warmth that he felt from the band around his right wrist began to spread outward and take form. Piece by piece, the weapon was starting to come together, and as it materialized, Trevor felt like he could just reach out and grab ahold of it. However, it was as this was going on that he realized that the longer he tried to focus, the more that the warmth he felt was beginning to become rather painful, and his arm felt like it was on fire. When he pulled his arm back in pain, the weapon that was being formed immediately dropped to the floor and broke apart, turning into nothing more than dust and debris.

“An… interesting first attempt,” Brain told him, “Yet, I believe there is room for improvement. How did you feel while channeling magic for the first time?”

That had Trevor look back at him as he tried to catch his breath a bit, before he could give the Ancient an answer, “It was simple at first. However, the more I tried to… well, focus, the more it became unbearable. For a moment, it felt like my arm was on fire. Do you have any idea why that might be?”

That had Brain fold his arms back, before looking back at him, “Hmm, there are many possibilities. Some of those include channeling too much mana too quickly or instability in the particular spell. However, given that your powers had just been awakened and you’re still getting used to them, I can’t say for certain.”

Around this point, Calvin chose to speak up and ask a question that was on his mind, “Was that enough to confirm your suspicions, though? About whether or not these are the same ones that you remember?”

“From what I’ve seen from both of your friends, I can safely say yes,” the Ancient nodded, “However, before I work with you on your own relic, we should probably return to Master Eon and your other companion and discuss what to do going forward.”

That had Trevor and Raquel look back at Brain for a minute, a sign of obvious confusion on their face, “Going… forward?”

“What? Did you really think I would unlock your ability to use magic just to let you try to learn it on your own without any guidance? That would be absolutely foolish of me to even consider,” Brain retorted as he motioned for everyone to follow him out of his chambers before he closed the door.

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Author's Note:

The search for the answers that Calvin and his friends seek wasn't going as well as he would've hoped. Just when things all seemed pointless, they happened to have a chance encounter with someone who not only could help steer them in the right direction, but uncover the origins of the objects they have in their possession.

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