Chapter 4 Change

Monday's, everybody hates them. but this particular Monday would be the best anyone had ever had. This particular Monday, would show everyone just how big the Multiverse actually is.

8th hour had just started. For Nate, that's study hall with mr. Decker, and Sam wanted a rematch.

"All right Nate," Sam said, "I tweaked my deck and I'm ready to go again."

"All right Sammy," Nate said, "but before we begin, our usual standings?"

"I'll put up my glint-horn buccaneer."

"Then I'll put up a thunderkin awakener."

"Excellent, shall we begin?"

"I'll even go first," Nate said as the two Rivals prepared their decks, "I'll play an island, then I will use that Island to summon an artificer's assistant." Nate put the card on the table like he has done so many times before, but this time, the creature came out of card. A small bird about half an inch long, 1/4 of an inch wide, and a third of an inch tall.

"WHAT?" everyone in the room yelled all at once. the bird that Nate had just summoned was on top of the card, and hopped around a little but it never left the card's surface.

"What the hell kind of card did you just play?" Sam asked completely awe struck.

"Same kind I always do," Nate said not able to take his eyes off of the bird.

"Well, do something."

"Uh, I end my turn?" The bird didn't disappear, but just kept hopping around on the card, "can you do something like this?"

"Maybe?"

"Play something."

"I play an island and end my turn," Nothing happened.

"That's it?"

"Screw you Nate, I don't have anyone drops in my deck. Just take your turn and see what happens."

"All right fine. I play another Island, then for two of any I put a millstone on to the field." When the millstone card hit the table, and actual Millstone came out of the card. The ends of the millstone just touch the sides of the card width wise and it was about 3 in tall.

"Holy crap," Sam marveled.

"I get to scry one because I played an artifact... I'll keep it."

"What happens if you tell the assistant to attack?" One of Nate's classmates asked.

"I... Don't know."

"Send it at me."

"Are you sure?"

"I want to know what'll happen to."

"Okay, I send my artificer's assistant to attack." Nate turn the card sideways and watched as the small bird took flight straight for Sam. Sam defensively put his arms up as it rammed its beak right into his arms.

"You okay?"

"Yeah... I'm fine."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it didn't hurt at all."

"Huh, okay. I end my turn."

"I'll play a mountain and then for a blue and a red, I summon a lightning stormkin and end my turn." When the card hit the table, a lightning stormkin, five and a half inches tall and 1 and 1/2 inches wide came out of the card, it hopped up and hovered just above the card. "I guess I can do it too."

"My turn. I'll play an island, then for one of any I will put a Pyxis of pandemonium on the field." A small Pyxis about 1/4 of an inch around and half an inch tall came out of the card. "I played an artifact so I get to scry 1... I'll keep it. Then for two of any and tapping my Millstone, you put the top two cards of your deck into your graveyard. I end my turn." Nate tapped the millstone's card, the millstone didn't turn with the card but the wheel made a single rotation.

"I play an island and end my turn."

"I will also plan Island. Then for a blue and three others I will summon a scholar of the stars and since I control an artifact, I get to draw a card," The Scholar was the same size as the stormkin, but she had a book in her hand. "Then I will tap my pixs and we both Exile the top card of our library face down," when Nate tap the Pyxis, the opening began to Glow of faint yellow light for about 3 seconds then faded, I end my turn.

"I play an island and end my turn."

"Mana flood?"

"Mana flood."

"I plan Island. Then for three of any I summon a skittering surveyor," the little spider robot formed on top of the card, it's telescope head extending and shrinking a few times, "I get to search my deck for a basic land card... Right on the bottom. I will tap my Pyxis and then for two of any I tap my Millstone and you put the top two cards of your deck into your graveyard. I end my turn." The Pyxis and Millstone did their respective actions when they were tapped.

"I'll play an Island, then for a blue and for others I summon a boreal Elemental and end my turn." Instead of the creature rising out of the card like the others did, some Mist sworld above the card and solidified, giving the elemental shape until it was completely formed. "That was cool."

"I'll plan Island, then for a blue and one other, I will summon a diligent excavator," the excavator rose out of the card with a magnifying glass in one hand and a rock in the other, she looked at the stone through the magnifying glass for a second before putting them both into the bag hanging at her side, "then for one blue, I cast Arcane flight on my scholar," when Nate put the enchantment on to the scholar of the Stars, he grew blue feathered wings made out of energy. The Scholar than flap his wings once and Rose up so he was floating just above the card, "wow, I will then send my scholar, surveyor, and assistant to attack."

"My stormkin will block your assistant, my Elemental will block your scholar, and I take one damage." Everyone watched in pure fascination as the creature struck each other and fell dead, all except the elemental, witch disperse into a lingering cloud of frigid mist, the bodies of the physical creatures disappeared when their corresponding cards were put into the graveyard and The Cloud of mist fully dispersed as well. "So all I got left on my field is my stormkin."

"I then pay two and tap my Pyxis and Millstone. Then I end my turn."

"I will play a mountain and end my turn."

"Yes! I will play an island then for one of any, I will put a fountain of renewal on the field," a fountain as wide as the card and 3 in tall rose out of the card, "then my excavators ability activates and the top two cards of your deck go into your graveyard," the excavator pulled a shovel out of her bag and shook it twice at Sam, putting the shovel away afterwards, "then for two of any I tap my Pyxis in Millstone. I end my turn."

"Ugh, I play a mountain and end my turn."

"To start, Fountain of renewal activate and I gain 1 life," the water in the fountain started to Glow for a few seconds then faded away, "for six of any, I summon a particle Wanderer," a giant stone hand shot up out of the card zombie style and pulled the rest of the 7 in tall construct out with it, "I played an artifact, so your top two cards go away. Then I tap my Pyxis and end my turn."

"I play an island and end my turn."

"First my fountain activates, then for two of any I put the Blackblade reforged onto the field," when the card was put onto the table, an anvil rose out of the card with several shards of metal on it. a shimmering figure made out of stardust then appeared holding a hammer. the figure then struck the shards with its hammer five times and disappeared, revealing a fully formed Blackblade, "My exivator's ability activates and I have my wanderer and survivor attack."

"My stormkin will block your wanderer, but before damage, for one red I cast maximize velocity to make my stormkin a 3/3," a rocket pack materialized on the stormkin's back and ignited, boosting his power, "then for two red and one other, I cast direct current," When direct current was put onto the table, a large Tesla coil rose out of it, crackling with electricity. the Tesla coil then lit up and shot a bolt of lightning at the wanderer, lowering back into the card afterwards. "Both of our creatures die and I take a total of three damage." The stormkin shot lightning out of his hands to finish off the massive construct while the wanderer lifted its club arm and brought it straight down, crushing the elemental and causing a small shockwave that knocked into Sam and crumbled into a pile of rubble. Current score; Nate 22, Sam 15.

"And finally, for two of any, I tap my pyxis and millstone. I end my turn."

"Finally a creature! I will play an island, then for one blue and two others, I will summon a cloudkin seer and draw a card." some fog swirled above the card, shifting into a humanoid shape and solidified to reveal the cloudkin. the elemental raised his hands and a small cloud formed over his head only to dissipate soon after, "then I will do it again," Sam said having drawn his second cloudkin seer, "Then for a blur and one other, I summon a sky theater strix and end my turn." There was a small puff of feathers with a small bird standing In the middle of where it happened.

"First I get one life, then for seven of any and tapping and exiling my pyxis, we put all permanent cards it exiled onto the field," When Nate exiled the pyxis, it floated up up into the air and tipped over, letting out a flow of liquid light. Once the light stopped, the pyxis fazed out of existence, "I got three islands, two sparring constructs, and an aviation pioneer which comes out with a thopter token," a pile of parts rose out of each of the sparring contructs' cards and burst outward to show the constructs ready to fight. when the aviation pioneer Finnished rising out of the card, she tinkered with some parts she had in her hands and threw them at the the thopter card next to her, causing the thopter to come out of it, "And since my sparring constructs entered the battlefield, the top four cards go into your graveyard."

"Fine, and I get two islands, a mountain, a spellkeeper weird, and a goblin cratemaker." water shot out of the spellkeeper's card like a geyser and took shape into the weird, while a medium sized crate appeared on top of the cratemaker's card and exploded, revealing a small goblin with a large bag full of explosives on his back.

"Then for one blue, I put arcane flight onto my excavator, then for two of any I activate my millstone. I end my turn."

"I play a mountain, then for one of any, I sacrifice my goblin to destroy your millstone," the goblin cratemaker ran up the millstone and set up some explosives the blew up the millstone and the cratemaker at the same time. "That took way too long to get rid of. Then I have all of my remaining creatures attack."

"I have my surveyor, Pioneer, and sparring constructs block you're weird, and my thopter and excavator will block you are Seers. I take one damage."

"I end my turn."

"I gain 1 life, and for a blue and two others, I summon another aviation pioneer which comes in with a thopter," this Pioneer repeated the actions of the previous one and made another thopter, "then for 7 of any I equip the Blackblade to my excavator making her a 12/14," when Nate move the Blackblade's card, the excavator picked it up and the Anvil lowered back into its card, "and have all my creatures attack for a total of eighteen. I win." Final score, 23 to -3 on turn 11, and Sam only had 13 cards in his library and two cards in his hand. When Nate declared victory, the creatures and artifacts all lower back into their cards as if nothing had happened. Everyone sat in complete silence.

"That. Was. Awesome!" One of The Spectators said breaking the silence.

"I want to try with my cards!" Another called.

"Me too!" said another. The crowd dispersed and everyone broke his pares to see if their cards would come to life too, and they did. For the rest of the class, everyone (including Mr. Decker) played match after match until it was time to go home.

bBack at Nate's house, everyone was gathered in the basement talking about what had happened that day and everyone had something to say.

"I actually summoned creatures and cast spells!" Tom said excitedly.

"I did too!" Eddie responded, "and it didn't hurt to take damage!"

"it's still going on too," Sylvia said pulling out her phone, "check out the news."

on the screen, a stereotypical female reporter was that a game shop in New York. "We are in our six of what can only be called an 'anomaly'. The game Magic: the Gathering, a worldwide sensation, has come to life. The company that created the game known as Wizards of the Coast, stated that the cards are just cards and they are just as surprised as everyone else by this strange occurrence. Sylvia put her phone away.

"That's amazing," Amy marveled.

"I wonder why this is happening," Nate said, "and what do you think it means?"

"No idea," Eddy replied, "but this is big."

"You think?" Tom asked sarcastically.

"I wonder if this means something bad is about to happen," Sylvia pondered.

"Of course it does," Nate said matter-of-factly, "haven't you seen any game comes to life TV show? Something really terrible is going to happen and completely change the way life is lived. Callin' it now."

"The scary part is he's probably right," Tom said.

"If I am, and I hope to God I'm not, then the damage will eventually become real and some evil organization will take advantage of it," Nate said, "so we should probably tweak our decks to make them more powerful for protection."

Everyone nodded in agreement and spent the rest of the evening trading cards and fixing their decks. The group one through the rest of the week on edge that what Nate said would come, true but it didn't. The cards were still coming to life, but the damage was also still just for show. It was Sunday, October 26th and everyone was finally starting to relax.

"So I guess you were wrong," Eddie said relieved.

"I guess so," Nate responded. Never in his life had he been so happy to be wrong about something.

The group are the small ping and Sylvia checked her phone. When she did, her expression changed from a relaxed mile to one of your fear. "I think you guys spoke too soon, look." She showed everyone her phone again and what they saw terrified them. Life-sized zombie Eternal roamed every street in major cities causing mass panic. Police and military soldiers were shooting at the purple and gold skeletons but it didn't do any good, the army of eternals just kept marching and used their Egyptian style weapons to cut down anyone that stood in their way. Sylvia put her phone away and said, "Nate, you were right."