GRIM is a two-thousand-year old sorcerer who had just been resurrected three days ago. He remembers the man who resurrected him, an old man with one golden eye. The old man promised him a kingdom to rule, a kingdom of darkness, if he returned the favor…by killing a boy in purple hair whom they call Jacob. The old man told him not to underestimate the boy, now he can see why…as he flew straight into a tree.
The air crackled around Sinister Jacob as he slowly pulls out the knife from his left hand, his gaze fixed on the man in bandages who slowly raised himself off the ground.
"This it interesting," Sinister Jacob said. "Your magic…ancient magic." He smiled.
Grim brushed off the dirt from his shoulder. "You could tell the difference?" a hint of surprise in his tone.
"Yes, it is strange really," Sinister Jacob frowned, "I know certain things but I don't really know how I know about them."
"I can also tell that there is something different about you, you are not the same person as you were moments ago," Grim tensed as he sensed an evil aura emanating from the young boy, it felt familiar.
"Let me guess…ancient Egypt?"
"Correct. Is it that obvious?"
"Yes, never had a thing for history. But you're old and forgotten, it will be the same once I kill you again."
"You think you can win against me?" Grim asks.
Sinister Jacob smirked. "Isn't it obvious?"
Without another word the darkness swallowed Grim and he appeared on Sinister Jacob's side. Sinister Jacob lunged, but Grim ducked under the punch and grabbed him low, lifting him off his feet, taking him to the grass, then eternal darkness. As Sinister Jacob tumbled through the darkness, he felt the absence of air, his senses reeling from the disorienting journey.
Interesting.
Suddenly, the man materialized before him, his mask repaired. In this domain, his domain he was the master. Sinister Jacob tried summoning his purple flames but they were extinguished. The bandaged man lunged and caught Sinister Jacob on the side of his face, but to his dismay, it was like hitting a wall. The kid has become a lot stronger, and his eyes turned a deep shade of purple. Now it was Sinister Jacob's turn, he quickly snapped a punch to the man's head, then grabbed his collar and pulled him down to meet his knee. Suddenly they were on the ground rolling, Sinister Jacob grabbed the man's ankle before diving in a pool of darkness, they traded punches and then-
-they were on mount Himalayas, the snow covering Sinister Jacob's sight. He nearly lost him for a second, but he caught the man by the ankle again, and swung him high up, then he followed with a burst of purple flames, and caught up to him in mere seconds, and they collided, went spinning through the air, they plunged into the darkness once more, Grim disentangled himself, and this time…
"Oh," Sinister Jacob said, and he crashed.
Sinister Jacob lay there in the broken ground, looking up at the pitch black sky, and managed a shaky breath, the air tasted like acid. Not fit for human beings. The man tricked him. His body was smashed and his limbs were twisted. He slowly healed his spine and neck, he raised his head and looked around. Nobody. His bones made cracking sounds as they realigned. He stood up. He found himself in a desolate landscape, devoid of any life and color. But the wired thing was, it felt familiar. Has he ever been to this place before?
"Strange," he muttered to himself.
He tried summoning fire, but it didn't work. How…why?
Before he could contemplate any longer, something huge grabbed his jacket from behind, lifted him off his feet and slammed him head first into the ground, forming a small crater. He reached out with one arm and swung it at whatever was holding him, he felt the grip disappear and slight gust of wind. Sinister Jacob stood up, healing his face. He looked up and saw a humanoid-type Oscuro, Category six…the smarter ones.
"Are you a human?" the creature asked, its tone menacing.
Sinister Jacob frowned at the question. "Am I not?"
"I don't know," the creature scratched its head…it was actually thinking.
Sinister Jacob smirked. "Aren't you going to kill me?"
Then suddenly the creature looked up. "Oh yes." It remembered.
The creature lunged, but Sinister Jacob swayed, the creature tried again and again but it was no use. Then, just as things started to get really boring, Sinister Jacob kicked, catching the creature in the gut. The creature spat dark blood and fell. He kicked again and again, shunting it along the ground. It tried to get up and he grabbed its head, started twisting and the whole thing came off. He sighed as he dropped the creature's head and sat down. Bored. But to his surprise, the creature wasn't disintegratibg, instead...it was repairing itself. Sinister Jacob watched in amazement as the creature's head slowly reconnected to its body.
Fascinating.
"Whoa," he said as the creature slowly turned its head. "You can do that?"
"This is our realm," it started. "This is our domain; you're not killing us as easily as you would in your world."
"Fascinating." Sinister Jacob awed.
"But you," the creature pointed its finger. "Will die here."
Sinister Jacob smirked. "Is that so?"
In an instant, Sinister Jacob stood right in front of the creature. He severed its hand that was pointing at him, and with a simple shove, the creature was thrown backward and landed with a thud. Before it could get up, Sinister Jacob landed on it with an elbow to the neck, beheading the creature. Seconds later it was back to life, and it lunged but missed, it's head rolling across the ground. Again it was back to life, again it died. Again, it lunged. Again its head rolled on the grey sand. Again it was on its feet. Again it lay in pieces.
"Uh this is getting boring," he whined as he watched the creature get back on its feet. "This is not so interesting anymore."
"You will not leave here alive," said the creature. "Now that there's more of us."
Suddenly Sinister Jacob was surrounded by infinite number of Oscuros in all shapes and sizes, the air was thick with the scent of nothingness and growl.
"If that's what it is," he sighed. And blurred to the nearest Oscuro and tore him apart. "Let's have some fun shall we?"
The search teams ventured deep into the untamed wilderness of Montana, their footsteps muffled by the thick undergrowth. Miss Melisa, a seasoned sorceress, led Alex and Susan's group, her eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of Jacob and Angela's presence. The search teams communicated through communication earpieces allowing them to coordinate their efforts and share any discoveries.
"Any luck," Chris said, his voice crakeling through the com.
"No," replied Miss Melisa. "Anya? Any luck?"
"Nope," came Anya's voice over the com. "No sign of them."
As the search teams continued their exploration, their ears perked up at the sound of a booming voice echoing through the forest. With a sense of urgency, they hurried towards the source of the commotion. There, they found Angela, a fellow student, fleeing from a gigantic snake with punctured eyes. The snake thrashed wildly, its movements erratic and frenzied. It seemed to be in a state of madness, lashing out at anything in its path. Without hesitation, Miss Melisa's group rushed to Angela's aid, their magical abilities ready to be unleashed. Alex, tapping into his Necromancer powers, summoned shadows that coiled around him like a protective cloak. With a swift and powerful motion, he slashed at the snake's head, leaving behind a trail of darkness. The snake let out a deafening screech as its head was severed, its thrashing coming to an abrupt halt. The forest fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the heavy breathing of the search teams.
Relief washed over Angela's face as she realized she was safe.
"Thank God!" she said, breathing heavily. "Where's Jacob?"
"We were about to ask you the same thing," Alex said.
"I don't know, one time I was fighting this giant snake…then I went over to where I last saw Jacob and he and that bandaged man were gone."
"Bandaged man?" Miss Melisa asked.
"Yes, it was him that summoned a portal beneath our feet."
"Where do you think they are?" Susan asked.
Angela shrugged, she looked worried. "Oh Jacob," she started. "I shouldn't have left him alone."
"Don't worry Angela," Bernard said as he and his group, led by Brad, arrived. "He'll be okay." His tone reassuring.
"Here," Brad said as he handed out her katana. "You'll need this."
She gratefully took it, and unsheathed her katana, she saw her reflection in it.
"How do we find him?" Miss Melisa asked.
"Oh I wouldn't worry about him," Alex said. Everybody's gaze was on him, suddenly he felt hot.
"I agree," Bernard said. And now everybody's attention was on him. "I'd start worrying about the other guy." He smiled.
The air was filled with the scent of ozone and the screams of Oscuros as they rolled on the ground, hundreds…thousands of them lay crumpled on the ground, covered in black flames. It took an hour into the fight for Sinister Jacob to unlock a new ability, black flames, why? He didn't know. How? He didn't know that either. If Jacob hadn't been trying to push him aside to regain control, he would've had much more time to learn about his knew abilities. "Move aside." He could hear Jacob's voice squirming inside his head.
"If I go back now you'd get us killed." Sinister Jacob said. Then Jacob went quiet. "Thankyou." He sighed.
And then just like that…he was falling back into the real world, the bandaged man's hand grabbing him by the neck. Sinister Jacob wrapped his legs around Grim's waist and flipped him mid air, now Sinister Jacob was at the top. With a grunt of dissatisfaction Grim summoned a portal and they both fell into darkness.
As Sinister Jacob and Grim tumbled through the chasm, their bodies battered against the jagged rocks that lined its walls. The air grew colder, and the darkness enveloped them, making it difficult to see anything beyond a few feet.
"They killed my son!" the man rasped as they fell down.
"You mean the snake?"
The man yelled and held Sinister Jacob's head…letting him see where they were going to land. He instantly understood. They crashed onto solid ground. Forming a crater, they found themselves in a desolate wasteland, this time his body was able to withstand such impact. Sinister Jacob hauled Grim off of him and got to his feet, no broken bones this time. The man however lay there, unmoving.
"You really are quite impressive," Sinister Jacob remarked. "May I know your name?"
"Grim," the man said as he rose to his feet. "I will avenge my son, and take your head!"
Grim disappeared into darkness, just as Sinister Jacob was about to lift into the air, Grim came back with a curved sword that pulsed with magic. He lunged and Sinister Jacob swayed. The sword sizzled for his face and he jerked back. Grim lunged again, his sword catching the light as it came straight to his chest. It was pretty in its way. Sinister Jacob caught the sword with his hands, his hands sizzled but he ignored the pain, and he broke the sword.
Grim cursed under his breath with an ancient language and decided to vanish, but Sinister Jacob was fast, he caught Grim with a kick that dislocated his knee, followed by a left hook that dislocated his jaw, lastly Sinister Jacob punched a gaping hole in his stomach. Grim kneeled in pain, coughing blood.
"Well Grim, too bad you're not going to be able" he smirked. "But…it's a pleasure knowing you."
A thought occurred to him. In a single, fluid motion, Sinister Jacob reached out and grabbed the man's head. His fingertips, usually cool, were now searing with a black, unnatural fire. With a sickening crunch, his thumb pierced through the man's skull, burrowing into the pulsing flesh. Simultaneously, his right hand, also ablaze with the same infernal energy, plunged into the man's chest, tearing through bone and flesh, gripping his heart. His body convulsed violently, his eyes wide with terror and pain. But his screams were quickly silenced as Sinister Jacob, like a ravenous beast, began to absorb his essence. A tingling sensation shot up his arms, followed by a wave of raw, untamed power that coursed through his veins. He felt the man's memories, his skills, his very being, all flowing into him. When the man went still, a complete void, Sinister Jacob staggered back, his body trembling with the newly absorbed power.
"This is it," he said with his hands in the air, his fingers displaying a flicker of black flames. He let out an evil laughter. "This power…this ancient power is all mine. Wait until I master this…I'll be unstoppable."
He glanced down at the body, a flicker of revulsion crossing his face. The man, once a formidable opponent, was now nothing more than an empty shell. Then slowly, Jacob started taking control. He lowered his hands, the black flames receding as quickly as they appeared, his eyes once again returned to their natural shade of grey. His heart hammered against his ribs, his breath coming in short, shallow gasps. He needed time to process, to understand.
"How?" he whispered, his voice hoarse. "Why was I able to absorb his magic?"
The voice inside his head, the voice that belonged to Sinister Jacob, didn't answer.
The air hung heavy with the scent of smoke and fear. Dust motes danced in the fading light, illuminating the tense faces of the students and teachers who were frantically searching for Jacob.
"He can't be that far," Susan said, her voice tight with worry.
"Angela said that the man in bandages can use portals," Alex said. "For all we know, he might be somewhere that's definitely not in Montana…maybe Nightshade has him."
Susan shot him a sharp look, her normally gentle face hardened with worry. "No, don't say that."
Alex sighed. "I hope that he's kicking that man's ass."
Finally, they stumbled upon a clearing, a patch of untouched grass bathed in the soft light of the setting sun. Lying in the middle of it, his clothes tattered and his face pale, was Jacob. He was unconscious, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. A gasp escaped Susan's lips. Relief flooded her, a wave that washed away the fear and uncertainty.
"We found him!" she shouted as she rushed to Jacob. Alex at her side.
She kneeled at his side, her fingers gently touching his cheek. He was cold, his skin clammy and damp. She looked at Alex.
"Don't worry," he said. "He's not dead."
"Jacob?" she whispered.
They heard the students rushing over to them, and within seconds they were crowded by fellow students. Miss Melisa and Brad Ingram pushed through the crowd.
"Come on," Brad said as he picked Jason and carried him. "Let's go back to the ranch."
The harsh fluorescent lights of the clinic bed pulsed in Jacob's eyes as he slowly blinked them open. The sterile white walls of the room felt like a prison, suffocating him with their clinical cleanliness. He was back at camp, the familiar scent of old books and lingering magic clinging to the air, a stark contrast to the wild, untamed wilderness of Montana. His head throbbed, a dull ache that pulsed with every beat of his heart. He had a dream, he was in ancient Egypt, there was war and he was part of it. But it felt more like a memory than a dream. A memory that belonged to the man in ancient bandages, the man who wielded dark magic. Grim. He felt a shiver run down his spine, a wave of revulsion at the memory. He…no, Sinister Jacob had stolen the man's life essence, his power, his very being. A dark, unsettling feeling coiled in his stomach, a sense of guilt that felt heavy and unfamiliar.
"Why?" he whispered, looking at his hands. The hands that summoned a shadow portal to Montana…the same hands that pierced Grim like he was made of wax.
He sat up slowly, wincing as a wave of dizziness washed over him, the door swung open and a figure stepped in. It was Angela.
"You're awake," she said. "I was beginning to think you'd sleep for another week."
"Another week?" Jacob asked.
"Yeah, when we found you, you were knocked out cold. It's been a week since"
"I see," he said as he leaned on his pillow.
She walked closer, her every movement graceful, her gaze never leaving Jacob's face. He felt a strange pull towards her, a magnetism that seemed to draw him in, as if he were a moth drawn to a flame. But his eyes were set on one woman…Beatrice.
"I'm sorry," she said at last.
"About what?"
"I left you alone trying to evade the giant snake."
"It's okay."
"No it's not okay." she reacted
Jacob saw tears in her eyes. "You didn't have your weapon, it's normal."
"No," she said, looking him in the eyes. "If I had my weapon, I would've killed that thing in a flash and fight by your side. Instead I didn't and you had to take the man all by yourself. What kind of a friend am I if I can't even help?"
"It wasn't our fault when we thought our trip was going to be safe."
"But it was my fault for not considering the possibility, I failed." Those sad eyes.
Jacob kept quiet for a second, not sure what to say next. But before he could think about it more, she was upon him. Her lips, soft and surprisingly firm, pressed against his. The kiss was quick, unexpected, and electrifying.
"You look…different," she said, her voice almost a whisper. "I can feel it, Jacob. You're…stronger. And I like strong men."
The kiss ended as abruptly as it had begun, leaving Jacob stunned and reeling. He watched as Angela, her face flushed and her eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint, spun around and disappeared out the door, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions. He stared at the door, his mind racing, his heart pounding against his ribs. He had never experienced anything like that. It was a taste of something forbidden, that left him wanting more, even as it terrified him. This was unlike him. Is he really different? Of course he could feel the raw, dark magic coursing through his veins…a power he must learn to tame and make it his own. But his personality is in question.