chapter 3: magical class

"We entered a small hall, but it was empty. So, we sat down and waited for Master Shi Nacko. Suddenly, he arrived, apologizing for being late. Our first lesson was about creating a body clone. As he spoke, I noticed that he transformed into a centaur, half man and half horse. It was surreal, but all too real. He explained that to create an illusion, we needed to believe in ourselves and let our chakras flow throughout our bodies. This was the key to harnessing the power of body cloning."

Master Shi Nacko continued speaking, "Now, you both will follow my instructions, alright?" Amma replied, "Okay, Master." But Master Shi Nacko corrected her, saying, "Not you, Amma. Your lesson is to observe and ensure their well-being during this test." Then he addressed us, "Alright, let's begin." As I raised my hand, I said, "sir, I have a question." He corrected me, saying, "Address me as Teacher or Master Shi, not sir. What's your question?" I asked, "How does it feel to have the ability to create clones of yourself?" He replied, "You're about to find out. Just follow my instructions." Master Shi Nacko then instructed us to sit and fold our legs. He said, "Take a deep breath... That's it. Now, focus on a single sound and let it become louder and clearer in your ears." I focused on the sound of his voice, as the hall was silent and his voice was the only thing I could hear.

As I followed Master Shi Nacko's instructions, darkness enveloped my vision. I kept my eyes closed and imagined a long staircase in my mind, picturing myself at the top. Each step was labeled with the word "freedom," with a single letter on each step. Slowly, I began to descend the stairs, moving towards the light at the end. Master Shi Nacko's voice faded away, and all I could see was myself in the darkness, with the light at the far end.

Sobbing.....

       "Help me, help me, please... Somebody, please help me. Help me!"     I could hear a woman's voice calling for help from the distance. I hurried towards the light, but the path was filled with broken glass. I stumbled over them, trying to reach the light quickly. Finally, I reached the light. "You..... You're too late," the woman said with her last breath... Sigh.....

"Wake up.... Please! please! please! Wake up, Jordan!" Amma's voice echoed in my ear. I opened my eyes and saw Amma placing her hands on my face, her eyes glowing white. "What's happening?" I asked. "It's been fifteen minutes since class ended and you didn't wake up," Gina retorted. "And what was Amma doing to me? Why were her eyes glowing white?" I questioned. "She was trying to revive you with her healing spell," Gina answered. "Oh my god, does that mean..." I trailed off. "Mean what?" Gina asked. "Does that mean I'm Amma's experiment?" I worriedly asked. "No, silly! You're not an experiment. I was just trying to bring you back to life, that's all," Amma reassured as she walked away. Gina chimed in, "Meet me at home, bro." Panicking, I exclaimed, "Wait for me! You can't leave me here!" And I ran to catch up with them.