Joseph George

"Are you ready?" Jade asks Hunter who positions himself next to the corpse of the Soul Snatcher.

"As ready as I can be," he replies. 'So I just hold his hand and wish he was alive to form a link, right?'

[Basically ... Yes. I must say: you lucked out with Chelsea; Necro-links aren't always pleasant, and sometimes the resurrected might be aggressive]

'Like a Zombie?'

[No, it's more of a -- yeah, like a Zombie]

"Alright Joseph ... It's time to wake up," Hunter said holding the man's wrist. He felt the man's body turn warm before he opens his eyes. The necromancer let go of the wrist and watch as the corpse sit up straight.

The resurrected soul roll to his feet and began marching toward the trio with his hands outstretched. "Er ... What's happening?" Leah said.

"Stay where you are," Hunter instructed but the corpse persisted, marching forward without halting.

'Is this the Zombie type resurrection you were talking about?'

[Yup]

Leah quickly draws her gun, aiming at the mindless, walking corpse, "Should I shoot at it?"

[No!]

"No," Hunter said to the younger vampire before turning back to the corpse. 'Mr. George calm down," Hunter said.

[What are you doing? That's not the same man that you fought, that's an empty shell that should be submissive to you; assume an authoritative tone]

Hunter stepped forward, "Stay where you are!" He commanded and the corpse stopped moving. "Return to the examination table." It does as ordered, retracing its steps and returning to the table.

'What now?'

[Place your hand on its forehead]

Hunter placed his hand on the forehead of the resurrected. He closes his eyes and begins to feel himself seeping into Joseph's memories.

...

Hunter opens his eyes to find himself in a small, white room with a white door.

"What in the world?"

[Go through the door]

"Sure. Earlier, you mentioned something about the body just being a shell ... That wasn't the case with Chelsea, was it?"

[It was at the very moment you resurrected her. However, the moment you banished her from this realm to the in-between, she gained consciousness]

'Huh?'

[Necromancers can't bring someone back to life]

'Like at all?'

[Yes. The resurrected body is merely a shell without its soul. Hence, it is a puppet controlled by a master; the necromancer. It is only possible to revive someone through necromancy only temporarily]

'What if the necromancer is powerful enough to rival the council of mysticism?'

[Hmm ... Then it could be plausible. Although the chances of failure far outweigh that of success and even if the necromancer succeeds, the resurrected wouldn't be the same person they once were]

'Interesting ...'

Hunter pushed the door open and finds himself in a different location; a room walled with translucent plastic. On one side of the room was a sink and a mirror hung above while a toilet seat was on the other side.

The door was glass and opposite it was a bed on which a man sat with his arms crossed. The man was Joseph George wearing an orange jumpsuit.

The door slides open and a guard walks through. "You know what day it is today, Joe?" He asks.

"Of course," Joseph replies, "get me out of this hell hole," he says rising to his feet and walking out of the room with the guard closely behind.

Hunter follows after him but instead of the hallway, he appears in an office. There was a large wooden desk with seats on both sides. In one of the seats was Joseph, he had long ditched the orange jumpsuit for a jacket and dark trousers.

He looked at the watch around his wrist before sighing loudly. The door swings open and an older woman walks through. "Mr. George," she called, her voice almost sympathetic. "Yes?" He said rising to his feet, "where is she? Where's my daughter?" He asks.

"Miss Rhys was quite adamant about not welcoming any visitor," the woman said.

Joseph raised an eyebrow, "Miss Rhys?"

"She ... changed her last name some time ago," she explained. Joseph closed his eyes, he felt as though someone had driven a dagger through his chest. "Did you tell her that it was I, her father?"

"Yes, she got hostile and ... spoke profanely when she heard it was you," she stated.

Joseph felt his knees weaken and fell back to the seat. "You're the dean, right? Can't you let me see her anyway? Please ... I haven't seen her in thirteen years ... Help me out?" He pleaded desperately.

"I wish I could help you Mr. George but my hands are tied. I'd advise applying for guardianship at The Bureau after sorting yourself out. Miss Rhys would need some time to come around so the most important thing is that you're there for her when that time comes," she stated.

The man rubs his temple as he sighs. He rises to his and thanks the woman before heading out of the room.

Hunter follows after him and just like the first time he did, he appears in a completely different location, only this time it was an old apartment with Joseph seated on a couch talking to a shady-looking man. "Have you finally come to your senses?"

Joseph frowns but his expression swiftly turns neutral. "The location has low security you say?" He asks.

"Obviously. You think I'd send you to a complex job on your first day back?" The man said, more of a statement than a question.

"First and last ... You said my cut would be high?"

"Yeah, yeah ... 25 percent then you can go back to live with the missus," he stated.

"Miss," Joe corrected, "it's my daughter," he said.

"Yeah ... Walk me to my car?"

"Sure." The both of them walk out of the house with Hunter closely behind. The sprite appeared in the middle of a road late at night. Joseph climbs over a fence approaching some other men leaning close to a large truck, six in all; dressed in all black along with ski masks covering their faces.

The hybrid walks toward them with a backpack on his back. One of the men stepped forward and took off his mask, it was the same person that had visited him in the last memory Hunter saw. "Do you have it?" He asked.

"Of course, it's right here in my backpack," Joseph stated tapping his bag.

"Let me see," the man said extending his hands toward the hybrid.

Joseph hesitates but hands the backpack to the man. He unzips the backpack and took out a small from it. The man opens the box and whatever was in the box glows so bright it shines on his face.

Joseph looks around before turning back to the man, "shouldn't we leave here before all this?" The hybrid said uneasily.

"Oh, we would ..." The man said nodding to his man who all take out flashlights and points them to Joseph. "What the hell is all this?" He said. "I'm afraid our partnership ends here!" The man says taking out a gun.

"We had a deal!" Joseph exclaimed. "The deal's off," the man said before firing the gun at the hybrid.

Joseph falls to the ground and he heard the others jump into the car and drive off. The wound bled freely; but neither was it dangerous, as he was a hybrid and it would take much more to put him down nor was it painful - at least not as painful as the betrayal he had just been dealt.

Soon, the hybrid heard sirens blaring but he was unable to move. Instead, he lay still accepting his fate. "Not this again ... What is wrong with me?!" he said to himself before passing out.

...

By the time Joseph regains consciousness, he was already behind bars. The hybrid paces up and down the tiny room before furiously punching the wall. Just then, an alarm rings through the entire station and the hybrid's cell slides open.

Joseph stood still and listened, he could hear the alarm and resentment spread through the station. The panic persists and persists and then it all comes to a stop.

Nerve-shredding it was as the sound returned; lonely footsteps slowly approaching the cell. Joseph stood his ground ready to defend himself when a masked individual walked through the door.

"Who are you?"

The person's voice was distorted thanks to the mask, "A friend. I know what you want, Joseph."

"And what would that be?"

"I know you've lost a lot of time. I know there are things you wish you had done differently. I know you wish to be with your daughter."

Joseph clenches his fist, "Who are you?!" He repeated, his voice angrier than the first time he asked.

"Allow me," the masked individual said stepping forward and placing his index on the hybrid's forehead.

[Huh]

The hybrid's sights become dark he couldn't see anything anymore and when they return, he was in an old bungalow, one he remembers all too well.

"This is --"

"Daddy!" A young, blonde girl said jumping into Joseph's arms. The man held the little girl tightly; tears dripping down from his eyes. "I love you my little monster, I love you so much," he stated.

"What's wrong, daddy?" The four-year-old asked, cleaning the tears from the side of his face.

"I'm okay honey. Daddy just missed you a lot is all," Joseph sniffed.

'What is happening?' Hunter wondered.

The surroundings fade away and Joseph finds himself back in his cell with the masked individual standing in front of him. "Take me back, take me back now!" Joseph demanded.

"I can't ..." the masked man said, the distortion in his voice making it impossible to predict his tone, "... Yet. Temporal manipulation is impossible with the type of magic we know. But, it could be achieved with a different type of magic," he explained.

"Black magic?"

"No, it would take something even stronger. With that, I could take you back to that moment and you can relive that moment with your daughter ... You could make different choices and be there for her and watch her grow up," the masked individual stated.

"What would you have me do?" Joseph asked determined.

"First, I'll need something you're familiar with."

.

.

.

A van was parked outside an abandoned building. Inside the dimly lit building were six men, all dressed in black. Their leader, the same man that shot Joseph earlier, had a phone to his ear, making a call. "We'll meet in the same location ... I expect the money in full," he demanded before cutting the call.

"Alright boys, gather the boxes together! We're -- where's Wisdom?" He asked. The men looked among themselves, their number had now reduced to five.

"Wisdom!" One of them shouted but to no response.

BANG! BANG!

Gunshots rocked the building and their leader quickly take cover behind an old desk.

BANG! BANG!

"What the fuck's happening?!" One of the men cried. The leader took out his pistol and grabbed one of the boxes, "you!" He called, drawing the attention of one of his men. "Come with me," he demanded before handing the pistol to the man. The two men sneak out of the building through the window leaving the others in disarray.

They run deeper and deeper into the woods, the leader holding the box close to his chest. All he needed to do was take a right and he'd be at a public parking space - all he needed to do was take this right.

BANG! BANG!

The man fell to the ground, "aargh!" He groaned, blood gushing out of his thigh. "Bossman, are you alright?" His second asked trying to get him back to his feet.

"Shoot him! Shoot him!" The wounded man instructed. The second man turned around but saw no one in the thick, dark bush. "Shoot where? I don't see anything, boss man?!" The man said confused.

"Just shoot!" The leader shouted. The man raised his hand and pulled the trigger on his gun. The sound of discharging firearm resounds through the woods and is soon responded to with another gunshot - a fatal one that kills the man.

The leader cries as he tries crawling away but he could hear rustling as someone crept closer and closer. "Joseph ... Joe ... I'm sorry ... Please ... There's money in a vault below that building, the passcode is --"

"I don't care about money," Joseph said finally appearing in front of the man. He picked up the box and take a peek at its contents. "You want that, you can take it ... Please, please ... Leave m--"

BANG! BANG!

...

"Here's what you wanted, can you take me back now?" Joseph said sliding the box to the man who had broken him out of prison.

"Wish it were that easy," the man countered, "I'm gonna need more than the cosmic sphere for that ... There are more things I'm going to need your help with," the masked individual stated.

"I'm willing to do anything if it means I could go back to that moment," Joseph said, "but I'm not sure if I should trust a man hiding behind a mask."

"That's understandable," the man said before taking off his mask.

[Of course]

'No way!'

"My name is Myrddin Wyllt but you can call me, Merlin."

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