All of a sudden, everything around us collapsed. We found ourselves standing in an empty lot with a chain link fence surrounding us. A bright blue sky was above us but there was an eerie silence. No way, this was like the time I investigated the abandoned building with Ichizen all those months ago. What the hell just happened?
“Jin, how long did you know?” Kei grabbed the man’s shoulder.
“I thought something was off when we entered the fortress,” Kisai answered, stretching his left hand out towards the sky.
“Wow, I didn’t even sense anything. They got us good,” Michael said.
“Hang on, did this fortress never exist in the first place?” I still was trying to wrap my head around what happened.
“It exists but not here. This was a damn good illusion,” Kuan answered, taking off his glasses with a sigh.
“Wait, that’s impossible! How did everything feel so freakin’ real? The cut on my face is definitely not fake!” Champ protested.
“If there’s an entire group of high level mages, anything is possible. The first step is a buy-in. Once there’s enough convincing evidence, synchronization will occur,” Kei explained.
“Those were real people we fought, Champ,” Lionel said, struggling to his feet.
“My head is spinning! You’re telling me that we fought real people but it all happened here?” Champ struggled to comprehend the situation.
“The fortress we saw is an illusion, but we were able to enter it. Why?” Kisai asked the man.
“Something similar to an artificial dimension, right?” I grasped a small piece of the puzzle.
“Yuki’s onto something. Champ, starting to understand?” Kisai grinned at my response.
The exterior area of the fortress wasn’t an illusion nor were the people outside guarding it. However, it would be strange if there weren’t people coming in and out. In addition, there had to be people coming to the fortress that weren’t aware this wasn’t the actual one. Unlike a normal artificial dimension which copied the area itself, the interior of this false fortress was sophisticated. No one realized this so it must be the “synchronization” Kei spoke about before.
“I think so,” Champ replied, jotting down notes in a memo pad.
“If you just don’t understand, you can admit it. No one will judge you,” Kisai remarked, grinning as usual.
“Ignoring Jin’s condescending words, the attention to detail within the fortress was extraordinary. The distortions you noticed must have been very minute,” Kei said, glancing over at Kisai.
“So as long as you believe this is real, then nothing is wrong. But once someone starts noticing things are off, that’s when the reality of this place starts collapsing,” I summarized.
“Nice!” Kisai nodded at my words.
A glimmering light then appeared above us. A few seconds later, it coalesced into a stern woman wearing an eyepatch over her left eye. She wore armor but the insignia on it wasn’t the knight’s guild one.
“I didn’t think our charade would end so soon. However, if it’s come to this, then I have no choice but to invite you over. However, getting here won’t be easy, Jin,” the woman warned.
“Madame Charlotte, you’re so scared of me that you won’t show up here personally,” Kisai taunted, shrugging his shoulders.
“Your confidence remains as high as ever, Jin. If you wish to come here then find the keys. You’ll find the map once you clear the obstacles I’m sending over your way right now,” she revealed as her projection dissipated.
“Why do they make things so hard?” Kei rubbed her forehead and sighed.
“Nah, it’s pretty easy,” Kisai disagreed.
A purple blade appeared in his left hand. He swung it and released a blast of magic into the air. A small explosion occurred and then a large mechanical contraption appeared. It was constructed out of a variety of different sized cogs, all spinning in a clockwise direction.
“So cool,” Kuan said with sarcasm as he aimed his gun at it.
“I got this,” Kisai said, shaking his head at him.
“That thing’s huge. You sure he doesn’t need our help?” I watched Jin dash toward it.
“Jin said he got it,” Kuan repeated his friend’s words, shrugging his shoulder.
“Right,” I responded, not believing his words.
Kisai morphed his purple blade into a bo staff, twirling it around in the air as he neared the mechanical opponent. When he was inches away from the enemy, Kisai slammed his staff into the ground. Bursts of wind struck the contraption. The mage transformed his bo staff into a spear and hurled it at the largest cog. When it slid into one of the cog’s teeth, the spear exploded, drenching Kisai’s opponent in water. Seconds later, a thick layer of rust coated the enemy. With one palm strike, Kisai shattered his opponent into pieces.
“‘Course Jin has to show off like always,” Ichaival said, shaking his head in amazement.
The mage raised his hand into the air and grasped a halberd. He swung it backwards and blocked an attack from an unknown assailant. Kisai spun around and stabbed his weapon into the now visible enemy. It struck their stomach and they dropped to their knees. Angling the halberd tip, the hero drew a circle around them. It lit up and trapped the enemy inside. Kisai struck the ground with his palm and sharp pointed rocks flew up from within the circle. The projectiles pierced Kisai’s opponent in the legs and arms. Snapping his fingers, the enemy became petrified, unable to move.
“Smooth as always too,” Ichaival commented.
“Hmm, good to see you that you haven’t lost your touch, Jin. Use the map and find us! I’ll be waiting along with the rest of the faction leaders!”
A scrap of paper descended from the sky and Jin snatched it with his thumb and pointer finger. He glanced at it for only ten seconds before calling Kei and Micheal over.
“Uh, has Kisai always been that good?” I questioned Ichaival and Kuan.
“Pretty much,” Kuan responded.
“He’s too fuckin’ good. Remember that he’s not even at full power yet,” Ichaival reminded me.
“I can’t believe he found the weak spot so fast. His magic manipulation was off the charts too! Kisai is a terrifying man,” Champ said, pushing his glasses up onto his forehead.
“Don’t know why you’re all complimenting him. It’d be a surprise if he wasn’t that good,” Lionel pointed out before coughing.
“Oh yeah, you’ve seen him at full power before. What’s he like?” Champ pulled out his memo pad.
“Uh, pretty much the same I guess. He just hits harder. I don’t know what to tell you man. Watching him fight won’t teach you anything. It’ll just make things more difficult. Isn’t that right, Tomo?” Lionel glanced over at me.
“Kisai’s pretty unconventional with some of his stuff. But I wouldn’t say you can’t learn anything from him,” I disagreed.
“Makes sense coming from you. Since you gotta use all those different powers, Kisai might be the only one besides Tess that could actually help you out with that,” Lionel realized.
“Don’t talk so much,” Kuan suggested, pointing at the blood coming out of the man’s wounds.
“S***,” Lionel uttered, clenching his teeth in pain.
“I’ll take you in for a check-up. Lilith will owe us,” Kisai said, finished speaking with Kei and Michael.
“Wow, you’re a savage,” Champ exclaimed.
“He would have taken him in no matter what. Don’t be tricked,” Kei disputed.
“Would I?” Kisai flashed his usual grin.
“What’s the plan?” Kuan massaged his neck.
“Find the three keys Madame Charlotte hid. I already know the locations but let’s do it another time. I want to talk to Tess about it,” Kisai answered.
Kisai stayed behind to escort Lionel for a check-up. Everyone else headed back home including me. An illusion on the outside but so intricate on the inside. Also, what was the capability of the actual fortress and who awaited us there? Those were just one of the many unanswered questions after today’s excursion.
