The Harbinger

In a separate structure located some distance away, the genuine practitioners of magic were engaged in a deep discussion regarding the imminent ritual that was about to take place.

Within the group of esteemed elders among the true mages, there was a detailed conversation unfolding concerning the crucial steps and components required for the successful execution of the ritual.

Meanwhile, the acolytes, who were also true mages, were actively bustling about the designated area, meticulously setting up and arranging the sacred altar in preparation for the forthcoming ritual. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation and focus as every member of the magical community played their part in ensuring that the ritual would be carried out with precision and reverence.

They used different spells and magical artifacts to ensure there would be no error in the preparations or during the ritual, whenever it would happen.

"Are we even sure THE ritual is going to happen?" one acolyte said to another with doubt clearly present in the tone of his voice.

"Do you doubt the elders?" the other acolyte asked back.

"I do not doubt them exactly. But how many years have we heard rumours about the ritual getting ready to be performed but we have never actually done it."

"But this time," another acolyte said, cutting into the conversation while also trying to carry out her task, "the Harbinger has been apprehended."

"The Harbinger was caught?" the acolyte asked, surprised.

Tales and prophecies about the Harbinger was something every true mage had heard quite a lot about over the years. The Harbinger was someone who was said would possess one of their most precious and ancient artifacts – magic mimicry.

After being lost for nothing less than two centuries, magic mimicry would be found in the hands of the Harbinger and from that moment, the prophecy would come into fruition.

Some elders foresaw that the Harbinger would one day have the power and magical strength to bestow upon an entire race, complete annihilation or salvation.

That kind of power in the hands of a person was already very incredible and overwhelming, but in the hands of a mere seventeen year old, the power could be devastating if he eventually reached the level that was prophesied.

The mind of a seventeen year old boy was very impressionable and if influenced by the wrong people, he could grow up and ultimately bring destruction whether intentional or not.

Jake, although a seventeen year old boy, was nothing like his peers and was certainly not what anyone would have expected. Due to his constant leveling up with his system, he had the appearance and the maturity of a twenty year old.

His strength was also undoubtedly on par with a general in the Vedan army and his Melynx bloodline was something which was unknown to almost everyone. It was very easy for a person to look at Jake and immediately underestimate him and Jake was not about to start going around and aimlessly showing everyone his true strength.

At the moment, Jake was forcefully in his mind and even he didn't know where he was. Looking around, nothing seemed to be definite.

The environment was constantly being altered and the brownish fog in the air which looked as though it was mixed with mud was almost slowly swirling in an anticlockwise motion.

Initially, Jake had been standing in an open field with dead grass all around him but now he was standing in the room he had grown up in. His mother's house. Faded. That was all Jake could think about as he took in everything around him.

The whole place was faded and the positive energy that once filled the entire house was gone. Sadness. That was the emotion that Jake was currently feeling for a couple of reasons.

His mother had died in his arms, bloody, stab wounds in her body. The environment altered again and he was standing right in the spot where he held her before she died. He had not been able to find her killer. Where would he even begin to start from? Who could have wanted her dead?

The police had been unable to find anything but he already knew they were useless unless the person involved was someone with power. Political or magical.

Jake had quite literally been a nobody for most of his life. Always getting pushed around by other people although he tried to stand his ground sometimes. He wondered if things would have been different back then if he had the power he now has.

A sudden gust of wind blew which caused the brownish fog to swirl faster ever so slightly and behind Jake, a figure began to form from the fog.

The waist length hair was visible along with the very prominent curves which could attract any guy to her. The head had also formed and now, the very beautiful face of Catherine could be seen.

She still gave off the same fun and friendly aura as when she was alive and her eyes still glistened with compassion.

Jake had also been unable to save her and sensing something behind him, he turned around and saw Cat staring at him.

"Cat?" he called out, his voice breaking slightly with emotion.

"Hi Jake. It's good to see you again." she said.

"How are you here? You're... Dead."

"We're in your mind Jake." Cat replied. "Your subconscious. The feelings you buried so far back in your mind is now resurfacing in a bad way which could be deadly for you."

"What do you mean?" Jake asked but immediately, he felt a pang at the back of his head as if he had just been hit with a needle which affected him internally.

His head had been aching slightly ever since he opened his eyes and saw himself in the brownish fog but he had ignored it and now he had felt this sharp and sudden pain in his head. It could not be a coincidence.

"You can't stay in here for long Jake." Cat said. "You need to leave."

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to save you. It's my fault you're dead."

"It is not your fault." she said and moved closer to him. "How could you have protected me against a three-tailed wert at the time? We were just kids who didn't know what we were doing and you still killed the most werts out of all of us."

"If I had been stronger then, maybe I could..."

"Don't do that." she said and held his hand. "There's nothing you could have done. You cannot let the past define you. Stop holding back."

Jake could see her holding his hand but he could not feel anything. Maybe it's the fact that she was made from the fog, or the fact that the headache had become worse and he was slowly losing the feeling in his body.

Looking outside the room, he thought he saw another figure which was his mother in the distance. He finally let himself be at peace with their deaths. It was time to figure out what he would do when... if he woke up in the real world.

"If I'm in my mind, why is that bad for me?" Jake asked.

"How many people do you know who were actually able to be present in their own mind?" Cat asked with a smile. "And the spell Rheya put on you made you forcefully enter your mind which made the situation worse than it should have been."

"So how do I get out?" He had just fallen to the ground groaning. Another sharp pain surged through his whole body and it was double the pain he felt before.

"You have to figure that out yourself." Cat replied as the fog swirled and the environment altered again. Just like that, she was gone.