Unravel

"Watch where you're going, Mickey!" Sarah called out as she smirked at him from across the crowded cafeteria.

Mickey simply rolled his eyes and continued walking, trying to shake off the embarrassment. He was used to Sarah's snarky comments, but they never failed to bother him. As he made his way to his usual table with his friends, he couldn't help but feel the need to respond.

He confidently turned back to face Sarah, adjusting his leather jacket with the cool demeanor of someone who had seen it all. His jet-black hair fell effortlessly across his forehead, adding to his mysterious aura.

With a sly grin, Mickey retorted, "Think you can handle a challenge, Sarah? Let's see you try and beat me at a game of chess later."

The challenge caught Sarah off guard, and for a moment, she was left speechless. Her friends exchanged confused glances, unsure how to react to Mickey's unexpected confidence.

The day carried on without further incident as Mickey and Sarah went about their school routines. The excitement of their upcoming chess match buzzed through the hallways, causing a mild disruption amidst whispered conversations and curious stares.

Finally, the moment arrived. After school, Mickey and Sarah met up in the library, where a small crowd of curious onlookers had gathered.

Mickey, with his eyes fixed on the chessboard, sat across from Sarah, who nervously adjusted her glasses. The game commenced, and they moved their pawns, knights, and bishops with calculated precision. Mickey's reputation for being an expert chess player had set high expectations for the outcome of the match.

As their moves progressed, the crowded library fell into a hushed silence, with everyone captivated by the intense showdown. Mickey's mind was focused solely on the chessboard, determined to prove his worth and settle the score with Sarah once and for all.

But in the midst of the battle, a sudden disruption shattered the stillness. The library floor trembled, causing everyone to look around in confusion. A gust of wind whipped through the room, rustling pages and causing papers to fly into the air.

Mickey and Sarah locked eyes, their chess game now forgotten, as they tried to comprehend what was happening. Colors flickered and danced around the room as if different elements were colliding, creating a spectacle.

Without warning, fire erupted from Mickey's hands, casting an eerie glow across his face. The flames danced and crackled, mesmerizing everyone in the library. His astonished classmates gasped and stepped back, unsure whether to be terrified or in awe.

"Look, his hands are on fire!" A girl screamed

As Mickey realized what had just occurred, he quickly withdrew his hands, extinguishing the flames. He glanced around, noticing the shocked expressions on his friends' faces and the nervous whispers that filled the room.

Sarah, her glasses crooked from the sudden display of pyrotechnics, clutched her chest and took a step back. The shock had left her speechless, staring at Mickey with a mix of fear and intrigue.

"Umm...this...it..."

Mickey stumbled for words, attempting to explain what had just happened but finding himself at a loss. The power he had exhibited was beyond his understanding, leaving him confused and overwhelmed.

The librarian, shaken but quickly regaining composure, approached Mickey cautiously. "Young man, I think it's time we speak with the principal about what just occurred."

Mickey nodded solemnly, realizing that his life had taken an unexpected turn. The chess match he had intended as a form of retaliation had resulted in a bizarre display of power. The incident left him grappling with a newfound unknown force coursing through his veins.

___

As the principal's office door closed behind Mickey, he couldn't help but wonder how his life had changed so drastically in a single day.

"What a bad time to be going through this." He muttered.

Back in the principal's office, the librarian had recounted everything that had transpired to the principal. Unfortunately, from the severity of the matter, the principal had concluded by expelling Mickey, telling him he doesn't belong in a school for normal kids because he wasn't normal.

"Nothing in this world is normal anymore!" Mickey scoffed as he walked away.

Without bothering to linger at the school as he wasn't welcomed any longer, Mickey collected his backpack from the locker and made his way home. As he walked past, he noticed groups of students engaged in their own affairs. But Mickey wasn't part of any of that, and he didn't want to be. Cliques never welcomed him; he was always the outsider, a carefree lone wolf.

Upon finally arriving at his humble apartment, Mickey swiftly began his tasks in his petite room, large enough to house only a snug bed and a desk. His inherited radio emitted a droning hum in the background; nevertheless, Mickey cared less about its contents.

In the normal aspect of the current world, all children were viewed as blank slates at birth and must undergo a series of educational procedures as they get older. The capabilities of a child were judged by how readily his or her mind can process data.

Those with a high capacity receive additional education, which eventually led to a better career path and additional opportunities. Those who can not keep up are dropped from the system and are assigned an apartment and menial tasks.

Mickey was one of the many who was off-the-charts in terms of educational capabilities and was kicked out of the program and must now work at a sewage processing facility.

Ever since, he had questioned the society he has always believed in, but as an orphan who had lost his folks to the war, he could do nothing to change the system.

Seated cross-legged on his bed, Mickey reached into his shirt and pulled out an old medallion attached to a worn, frayed necklace. The medallion was greenish in color, like it was made from some kind of jade rock and covered in ancient symbols.

Mickey mysteriously gazed at the medallion while he traced the symbols with his fingers, never fully understanding their meaning. He could only assume it wasn't any ordinary artifact. If it was, why then would his folks give it to him as a gift from his grandfather.

"Let's try again today," Mickey muttered as he retrieved his grandfather's old notebook from the pile of books on the desk. Within its pages lay various research that he struggled to comprehend.

Yet, amongst them, was what he believed to be a magical incantation capable of activating the medallion. His conviction stemmed from a sketch of the very same medallion next to the incantation.

He flipped to the right page and began reciting while holding onto the medallion.

"In the circle's bound, a pact is found,

Ancient spirits, hear my plea, astound.

Through this medallion, we shall unite,

Grant me knowledge, wisdom, and insight.

With trust and respect, our bond ignites."

After waiting for a while, there was no reaction, not even a shimmer or a glow whatsoever, that would hint that it worked.

"Yet another failure!" He muttered, staring at the medallion. "I'm not damn, I was wearing you when my palm caught fire. You are the next weird thing after the flame. You got me expelled. Why won't you work?"

Apparently, this was his 71st time of translating the spell. The original spell was written in gaelic, but no matter the source he used in translating, it didn't work.

"I guess my only option is to learn Gaelic." He said, falling backward onto his, feeling defeated. Seeking solace in the background noise. The news program caught his attention.

"The tension between rival cliques has escalated. No one knows who to trust as it seems anyone you meet at a nearby shop could possibly be possessed. At this point, war amongst ourselves seems inevitable," the news caster reported.

The war with the demons had been a constant topic on the radio ever since the veil that separated both worlds was torn. The demons that now roamed the material world saw humans to be empty vessels they could just possess or devour.

They were referred to as dark phantoms, taking on various forms, sizes, colors, and elements. However, the tide of the war had shifted with the emergence of humans harnessing the ability to manipulate their essence.

It was later discovered that these individuals had formed pacts with the very demons they fought against. According to them, just as there were evil demons, there were also good ones.

Mickey had fallen asleep in the process of listening. During his little nap, he had a dream.

___

A monochrome void stretched infinitely in all directions, devoid of any discernible landmarks or defining features. The absence of color created an eerie emptiness that consumes the scene, resembling an endless abyss.

Within this desolation, Mickey stood aimlessly, his presence both unseen and insignificant against the overwhelming bleakness of the void.

Lost and adrift, he seemed disconnected from any sense of purpose or direction. His face held a profound sense of longing and confusion.

As he gazed into the vast emptiness before him, it became evident that he was trapped within his own existential vacuum.

Suddenly, he began to hear faint murmurs in a raspy voice that wrapped in the void.

"As nightmares grow, you're not alone because I see you in your dreams, Mickey! It's a twisted world, and as damaged and broken as you are, you will turn to dust when you realize that you live in a world someone else imagines."

Mickey looked around in fear but saw no one.

"You try so hard to initiate a pact with those spells in hopes that it will turn your wretched life around." The voice said.

"But you are doing it wrong. You are already cursed. Your grandfather already enacted the bond between us. It only required the right time to ignite."

"I am Zany Zephyr, your amiable demon companion!"

***