Paraworld Zero (48 page)

    Councilor Bromwell pushed a button on the table, and the air around the
teenagers ignited with wisps of green. He then turned a dial a few notches to the right and said,
“I’ve adjusted the electro-magical waves in the arena, and I’ve lit them up so you can see them.
Go ahead, Simon, and show us something you can do.”

    Tonya handed Simon her wand and stepped back. The young man pondered for a
moment on what spell he should cast. Then, with a smile, he looked up to see how high the ceiling
was.

    “Oh, you’re just gonna love this!” Tonya said, realizing which spell Simon
had chosen.

    The young wizard pointed the wand at his hand, snapped his fingers, and said
the word, “
Shawnee.
”

    He immediately turned his head, so as to not burn his face, but soon realized
the normal burst of fire he had come to expect was not there. Instead, a tiny flame flickered at
the end of his thumb.

    “Very impressive,” Principal Payne said with deep sarcasm in his voice.

    The committee roared with laughter, which made Simon flush with
embarrassment. A gust of green vapor swooshed through the young wizard’s body, causing him to
extinguish the little flame with a violent sneeze.

    Suddenly, the committee members stopped laughing. Simon turned to Tonya, who
was staring at him with a shocked expression on her face. He then looked down and realized that a
faint blue aura surrounded his body. Every time he came in contact with the green vapor, his aura
would turn red, as if fighting with the E.M. waves.

    “Is this some kind of joke?” Principal Payne asked irritably.

    Councilor Bromwell turned the dial to its highest setting, which flooded the
arena with a green fog. Within the thick haze shone the red silhouette of Simon, pacing around,
rubbing his nose.

    “Very interesting,” the old wizard mumbled.

    Tabatha leaned over Griffen’s shoulder and whispered something to Councilor
Bromwell. When she was finished, the old man put his hand over the button on the table to make
everyone think he was masking the E.M. energy. But at the same time, he cast a spell, which
subtly rotated the dial until the green waves disappeared from the arena entirely.

    “Mr. Kent,” Councilor Bromwell said, looking up, “there’s just one more thing
I would like you to do.” The ultramage pulled a wand out of a drawer and flung it. Animated, the
wand flew towards Simon—twirling as it went—until he caught it in midair. “Point the wands in the
same direction, if you will.” Simon obeyed. “Now cross them and say the word…” The old man paused
for a second and then said, “
Valamure.
”

    The committee members stirred in their seats after hearing that deadly word,
but Simon, being innocent, knew nothing of the spell.

    The fledgling wizard crossed the wands and said gently, “
Valamure.
”

    Nothing happened.

    Leander Payne started to chuckle but stopped when a thin stream of gray mist
shot out of the wands. Within seconds, a large wraith was floating in the air above them. Tonya
screamed, and the committee members jumped out of their seats.

    Bromwell turned the dial to its highest setting. Surprisingly agile for one
so ancient, he jumped over the table and ran into the arena. The teenagers cowered as the
gruesome wraith descended rapidly through the green fog—its mouth opening large enough to swallow
them whole.

    “
Actcheem Surapido!
” the ultramage yelled with both hands outstretched.

    The menacing phantom vaporized just inches from the group of teenagers.

    “What is the meaning of this?” Mr. Doyle roared, while running to his
daughter’s side. He turned to Simon and snapped, “You could have killed us all!”

    “I d-d-didn’t mean to,” the boy stammered.

    Lady Cassandra pressed the button on the table to make the E.M. waves
invisible again. “Everyone, please! Just calm down!”

    “Ladies and gentlemen,” Councilor Bromwell said in a loud, austere voice, “I
think this interview is finished. Please proceed to the conference room so we can make our
decision. I will join you shortly. Children, you may wait in the courtyard.”

    Dejected, Simon trailed after the others, but Councilor Bromwell stopped him.
“Please stay,” the wizard said quietly.

    Simon looked into his weathered face. The old man seemed frail and worn, but
a twinkle shone in his eyes—those eyes that seemed to peer into the eternities and into his very
soul. Simon felt naked before those eyes. They exuded magnificent power and something else…
love.

    “Sit down,” the ultramage said.

    Simon sat on the floor. He looked around the dark coliseum and saw that they
were alone.

    Councilor Bromwell raised his hand, and thousands of tiny lights appeared in
the air above them. “For eons of time, sentient beings have looked up into the heavens and asked
themselves, ‘
Where do I come from?
’” The tiny lights above began to rotate slowly. “God created man in
his own image—both male and female. That is a universal constant in all the paraverse.” The old
man looked down at the boy and asked, “Simon, do you believe in God?”

    “Yes. I think so.”

    He nodded. “God has given us a minute taste of his immense power. We can
create life… and we can crush it. We can teach our children the ways of righteousness and the
pathway to Heaven. We have the power to build and to organize wonderful things out of raw
materials. We are truly
godlike.
”

    The lights in the darkness moved together until only one sparkling light
shone.

    “In the beginning, there was but one world.” Several more lights grew out of
the main one like appendages. “Then, others were patterned after the first. Now there are
numerous worlds—countless, like the sands of the sea. But each new planet is still linked to the
first—receiving power and energy from a central location.” The lights lined up in a row, with the
original light shining brightly in the center. “All exist in tandem with each other—parallel, if
you will.” The long strand of lights rotated on a central axis until it finally appeared as one
tiny light just like before. “Coexisting at the same time and in the same place but in different
dimensions.”

    Mesmerized by the scene, Simon looked into the man’s ancient eyes and felt a
strange peace come over him.

    “For countless years, men and women have searched the parastream for that
original world that spawned all the others. Some have even gone mad in their pursuit. In the end,
Paraworld Zero continues to eluded us… that is, until now.”

    “
What?
” Simon asked in surprise. “You don’t mean—”

    “Yes,” he said calmly. “Earth.”

    Councilor Bromwell remained silent for a few seconds to allow Simon to
register what he had just said. He sat down on the floor, across from the young man, and said,
“Many, many years ago, there was another Earthling who left Paraworld Zero.”

    “Who was that?”

    “The first High King. Since then, the firstborn son of the royal family has
always been given the same power that you possess: the power to store electro-magical energy
within himself.”

    “So that’s why I’m able to use magic when no one else can?”

    “Yes. But your gift is a two-edged sword. Outside energy prevents you from
releasing your own inner power. On Earth, your body was saturated with electro-magical energy,
and that is why you could not perform magic.”

    “So is that also why I get sick when I come in contact with E.M.
waves?”

    The old man looked puzzled. “Is that normal on Earth?”

    “No, not really.”

    “Hmm, very interesting,” he said, rubbing his chin with his fingers. “I can’t
answer that.”

    “Well, this is a lot to take in,” Simon said. “So you don’t have the
coordinates to get me back to Earth, do you?”

    “I’m afraid not. But do not fret. I have a feeling that your place is here,
among us. I will see to it that your schooling is paid for and that you have a place to
live.”

    “So I’ve been accepted?” Simon asked excitedly.

    Councilor Bromwell chuckled. “Of course,” he said. “You’re the most gifted
child in the known paraverse. The committee will have no choice but to accept you.”

    “And my friends?”

    “That is yet to be determined.”

    Simon sighed.

    “Is there anything else I should know about you?” the old man asked.
“Anything at all?”

    Simon thought for a moment and struggled within himself. He gazed into the
man’s kind eyes one more time, and a warm comfort, even greater than before, filled his
soul.

    “I have dreams,” he began.

    “Yes, I would assume you do.”

    “No—I mean, my dreams aren’t normal. Ever since I received this medallion
from my mother.” Simon pulled out the strange medallion and continued, “I’ve been dreaming about
this young woman. She tells me things, and they happen.”

    “What happens?”

    “Well, I can understand other languages without even using magic. Oh, and
poison doesn’t seem to hurt me!”

    “Very interesting,” the old man responded. “Anything else?”

    “Yes,” Simon began slowly. “I just saw a painting of the woman in my dreams.”
He started to get teary eyed. “And she was wearing this medallion.”

    “Interesting.”

    “I think…” he said slowly. “I think that she was my… my…”

    “Mother?”

    “Yes.” Simon wiped a tear from his cheek and said, “She died giving birth to
me. This medallion is all I have left of her.”

    Councilor Bromwell put his arm around the boy and said, “God works in
mysterious ways, and so does Lord Theobolt. I can’t tell you why he has a painting of your mother
on his walls, but I can say this: Sometimes a remnant of those who have passed on remains to
comfort those in need. Now that you are in an environment where you can be influenced by magic,
your mother has finally found a way to comfort you. I suggest you keep that medallion safe. Keep
it under your shirt, and wear it at all times. Don’t let anyone know about it.”

    “Why?”

    “Let’s just say, it’s important to keep sacred things sacred. For now, I’m
going to insist that you speak none of this to anyone. Not about Earth, not about your mother,
and especially not about your special powers. There are those who would try to exploit your gifts
for their evil purposes, so it is important that we be careful.”

    “Okay,” Simon agreed.

    “Now you’d better get back to your friends,” Ezra said, standing up.

    “Thanks,” Simon said. “Thanks for believing me.”

    “You’re welcome. Now run along.”

    Simon was almost to the door when Councilor Bromwell called out, “Oh, and
take good care of Holo-649 for me. She can be a pain in the neck sometimes, but she will always
be loyal to you.”

    “I heard that,” Holo said from within Simon’s pocket.

    “I will,” Simon said as he exited the arena.

    Lady Cassandra appeared out of nowhere and walked up to Councilor Bromwell’s
side. “Does he suspect anything?” she asked.

    “No.”

    “Should we tell him?”

    “No—not yet. Let us wait and measure the boy’s character. We must keep a
watchful eye on him—for the time being.”

    At that, both ultramages began to walk out of the arena. One after the other,
they disappeared in mid-step.

    

    

    The dark, mysterious figure tossed the stolen datachip in the air like a
coin. He looked intently at a computer screen, which showed the image of thousands of round
metallic balls.

    Suddenly, the datachip was ripped away from his hand.

    “Give me that,” Lord Vaylen rasped. The chip floated across the room. Vaylen
opened his bony hand, which revealed part of the inscription from Simon’s medallion; the markings
had been seared into the flesh of his palm. He clenched his fingers around the datachip and
hissed, “You have a lot to learn, young one.”

    “Of course, Master,” he responded coolly. The cloaked figure removed his
hood, allowing his face to touch the light. He was Francis Eugene Oswald: otherwise known as
Butch.

    “But you’ve done well so far,” Lord Vaylen continued. “I think you’ve finally
earned the right to call me Father.”

    “Thank you…
Father.
”

    Lord Vaylen turned to the computer screen and punched in some keys to bring
up an image of a wiggling sneaker worm.

    “The mole among us still needs to be found,” he rasped. “But I think it’s
safe to continue our plans.”

    “What about Simon and the others?”

    “They’ve shown that they can be a hindrance to the work, but I think we can
deal with them.”

    “I have a feeling we’ll see them again soon.”

    “As do I,” the dark lord said, softly caressing the worm on the computer
screen. “As do I.”