CHAPTER 18 - Another World

The woods...South Park area...

Peter glanced behind him in alarm — to know who had grabbed his arm.

"Hey I just wanna say thank you" a girl said.

Peter stared at her in slight surprise — as he tried to remember where he had seen her before.

She was one of the children who were kidnapped.

"Thanks for saving us" the girl said — as she stared at him with warmth.

As much as he'd like to be appreciated by a girl, Peter knew he was running out of time.

Glancing alertly at the police man — Peter saw that he was still busy talking to the sexy reporter.

And as if to hasten him up — the ethereal voice spoke up in reminder;

_{You will be summoned in the set time below.... prepare yourself}_

[00:00:30]

This time the timer began to flash red — which made Peter's heart to skip a beat as he wordlessly pulled his arm from the girl's grip and dashed deep into the forest.

Faster and faster he ran as the timer began a countdown before his eyes.

[10...9...8...7...6...5...4....]

Glancing to his side — he saw the golden staff flying steadily beside him.

Staring at the staff made him to have a few milliseconds of reminiscence — as he remembered the previous day when the staff crashed into the bus.

Back then, he saw it as an object of terror — but with the few hours that he has spent with the staff — he had begun to see it as something more.

[...3...2...1]

_{The set time has elapsed..... activating portal}_

'Eh? — did it say a portal?'

Peter was wondering if he heard wrong — when an electric spark appeared few meters before him — thereby forcing him to stop in his tracks.

~Bzzt~

The electric spark grew larger as arcs of electricity extended out from it on all sides.

Peter watched with wide eyes as the electric spark — which was now as huge as a football — suddenly expanded to form the outer rim of what looked like a dark space.

_{You have been summoned to the land of Reager.....step into the portal and begin your journey}_

Peter stared at what the ethereal voice referred to as 'the portal' — and he couldn't help but shiver in fear.

From the intimidating flashing electric arcs — to the dark space at the center — he felt like he would vanish forever if he dared to step into the spooky portal.

_{You have been summoned to the land of Reager.....step into the portal to begin your journey}_

"Uh...."

At this point, Peter was indecisive as he gazed at the portal in the hopes that it would vanish — to be replaced by a less scarier one.

But unfortunately for him — the electric arcs flashing around the portal suddenly swirled around him as he was forcefully held in place and pulled towards the portal.

"What the?!...hey let me go!"

Peter was greatly shocked — as he didn't expect that he would be taken against his will!

"Hey stop this!.....come on!"

As he yelled in fear while being dragged closer to the dark space of the portal — he subconsciously glanced at the golden staff and noticed that the staff wasn't restricted by any electric arc.

'Why isn't it helping me?'

From the few hours they had spent together — he had come to the understanding that the staff would always be willing to intervene if he was ever in danger.

But now it surprisingly floated beside him without bothering to assist in any way.

"Hey....help me!....attack!...attack!"

Peter was very much unwilling to be dragged into the portal — because the closer he came to it — the more he saw it as a dark abyss.

But no matter how much he called for the assistance of the staff — it showed no effort to help.

"F**k this!" Peter made up his mind to use a magic skill — as a form of resistance to the electric arcs.

But before he could make good on that act — the electric arcs suddenly swung him forward into the portal — as it rapidly shrank and vanished, leaving the forest in silence.

*************

Chinatown Kentucky.....southern district....

Mocheda shook and spasmed again as the glowing light in her eyes receded — leaving her with a shocked expression as she stumbled and fell — only to be caught by master Chang.

"M-master am sorry"

Mocheda spoke weakly in master Chang's arms.

"It's okay Mocheda — you need to rest"

Master Chang carried her to a mat and dropped her while he boiled a pot of tea.

Mocheda sat up as master Chang brought her a cup of steaming tea which she sipped and glanced at him with a complicated expression on her face.

"Master I.....am sorry for what you just saw"

"Hmm" master Chang replied with a solemn look on his face.

"I accept your apology — but first I want you to tell me the truth"

"What truth?" Mocheda asked as she stared at him.

"The truth of where you actually come from"

"Huh??" Mocheda raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"I know you're not from this world" master Chang went straight to the point.

"At first I was not so sure — not until I began to uncover the stories about the mysterious lady M — whom appeared suddenly and began to assist the American law enforcement in solving the most difficult of cases"

Master Chang and Mocheda stared deep in each other's eyes — as he noticed the questioning look in hers.

"Of course that was not enough to come to a conclusion"

At this point — master Chang stood up from his sitting position and walked to a hidden compartment in the wall — from which he brought out what looked like a smooth rock wrapped in a piece of cloth.

As soon as he brought the rock closer to Mocheda, it began to glow.

"This is the only souvenir I was able to get — though after going through a lot of treacherous challenges — from the most amazing place I have ever been to"

"A seeking stone?" Mocheda stared at the rock in shock — as her eyes flashed in recognition.

"You know this?" Master Chang asked.

"Yes I do — where exactly did you say you got it from?"

Master Chang didn't answer immediately — as he stared at Mocheda with a thoughtful expression.

"Master I would tell you everything you need to know — but first I need to know where you got that stone"

Mocheda had a look of insistence as she stared at him.

"It's from the land of Agatha" master Chang simply said.

"Agatha?" Mocheda seemed confused.

"Are you not aware of such a place?"

"No am not — though I know there are other worlds out there — am just not aware of where they are and what they are"

"Other worlds?" Master Chang raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Staring at him thoughtfully — Mocheda seemed to hesitate slightly — until she sighed and spoke.

"Master I need to explain something to you — but first I need us to come to an agreement"

"What agreement?"

"After I help you win the martial school contest — you will take me to this world Agatha — I need to see it for myself"

***************

Passing through what looked like a tunnel that was filled with dark clouds — Peter came into a bright open space.

This space was so bright that it took sometime for Peter to adjust his eyes to the brightness — but when he did.....

"Oh my God!"

He discovered that he was floating in the sky — actually he thought he was floating — until after a few seconds, he began to drop.

He was falling! — from the sky!!

He could literally feel his heart pounding at his throat.

Seeing the clouds around him — and the land below him — he couldn't help but scream in terror.

"Ahh!!!"

Glancing at his side — he saw the golden staff falling beside him.

"Hey help....help me!!!"

He cried out hysterically — as his arms and legs swayed in the air uncontrollably.

He knew that he shouldn't have passed through the portal.

'Damn it! — damn it! — damn it!!'

There's a moment in life when you'll have no other choice but to give up and accept your fate — when you're faced with the inescapable and inevitable.

Seeing as he was getting closer to the wide expanse of land below him — he couldn't help but sigh and lament bitterly.

'So I guess this is how am going to die'

Glancing at the staff that was still falling beside him — his eyes flashed in anger.

"I can't believe that you were protecting me all this while — just to let me die like this!!"

Few moments later — the land below had become clearer — as he discovered that he was about to fall into what looked very much like a farm.

Closing his eyes and bracing himself for impact — he was expecting to feel the pain of his bones being crushed.

~Wuuumm~

Waiting for the excruciating impact — he noticed that he had yet to feel it — which made him to slowly open his eyes that were shut tight.

Huh???

He was actually floating — just few meters above a huge bundle of hay.

While he gaped in perplexity — the gravitational suspension ceased — as he fell into the bundle of hay.

While he struggled to come out of the bundle of hay — the ethereal voice spoke up.

_{Welcome to the land of Reager}_

_{Head over to the magic academy to begin your training}_