Fredozy
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Chapter 68: Wherever he is
🕑 Added 2025-08-24 14:08:29 +0000 UTCBack in the original universe, it had been over a month since Kai had vanished unexpectedly after touching that damn button.
They had tried everything from rituals, scrying, traveling spells to locator charms but none of it worked. Every lead ended in frustration, every page of Penny's traveler books turned into another dead end.
Worse still, they had no idea where Kai actually was. A location would have made things a lot easier. Without one, it was like trying to find a single grain of sand in an endless desert. The reality was brutal; they couldn't exactly search for a person in "wherever" without a direction now can they, and outside of Earth lay countless realms, planes, and dimensions. Too many places he could be.
And because if that reason, the burden weighed heavily on Penny. He had pushed himself past his limits trying travelers' rituals, dream-walking, astral projection. But the problem was that Kai's mind wasn't like anyone else's. Even when he had been standing right in front of Penny, his psyche was impossible to crack. Now that he was gone, it was even worse.
His mind, Penny often referred to as a living labyrinth brimming with walls and barriers, dense with magic that rejected intrusion like a body rejecting poison.
Penny sat cross-legged in the common room, sweat dripping down his temple as he strained once again. His eyes flicked open in irritation when he felt the presence of Quentin and Alice hovering nearby, whispering, while Eliot and Margo lounged noisily on the couch.
"Do you two have any idea how distracting that is?" Penny snapped, rubbing his temples. "His mind is… impossible as it is and you both aren't making it easy to concentrate. It's like trying to punch through a mountain. A very smug, very magically armed mountain."
Quentin stopped pacing and looked uneasy. "We're just… we're worried, okay? You're the only one who's got a shot at reaching him and yet even you can't get to him."
Penny glared. "And I told you, that's because I can't force my way in. Whatever he did to his own psyche, it's not your average lock and key type situation. It's a vault up there in his head. I couldn't get inside when he was here so what makes you think I can get in now that he's not without a fully concentrating?"
Margo rolled her eyes. "Well, that's just peachy isn't it. Vault-boy vanishes into thin air and Traveler-boy can't do squat."
Eliot lifted his glass and added dryly, "Not exactly what I'd call a recipe for confidence."
Quentin shot them a look. "You both aren't helping you know that."
Alice, who looked like she hadn't slept in days, folded her arms under her chest. "There has to be another way. Maybe… maybe something he left behind. A breadcrumb." She glanced at the others, voice hesitant. "What if we tried the button again? Maybe something went wrong with the spell that was supposed to disable it."
Penny snorted. "The spell was fine Alice we didn't mess it up. But it unraveled the moment Kai was spirited off. Whatever force took him, it wasn't the button alone."
Before he could say more, the door creaked open. Dean Fogg entered the room. His shade covered eyes scanned the group, carrying that familiar mixture of exhaustion and authority.
"You called me in for this…again?" he asked dryly. "Do you know how many magicians go missing every year? It's always one thing or another with you students, a spell gone wrong, a forbidden ritual, some idiot summoning the wrong thing." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And your great idea was to badger the one person already breaking his brain over it?"
Alice was the first to speak up, voice trembling slightly. "Dean Fogg, is there any way at all to make contact with him? To know if he's safe or even help bring him back?"
Fogg let out a humorless laugh. "If Kai doesn't want to be found, he won't be found."
Eliot sat forward, frowning. "It wasn't exactly Kai's choice to be lost or teleported to God knows where in the first place."
Fogg nodded slowly with amusement. "Oh yes. Yes. And magicians of his caliber don't simply vanish by accident. Either he's trapped somewhere beyond your reach, or…" His pause was deliberate, heavy. "…or something extremely bad has already happened to him."
Quentin shook his head, pacing harder. "There has to be a way back."
Fogg sank into a chair, his tone weary. "The best I can tell you is this: there are paths. Fragile, dangerous paths between worlds. If he's… wherever he is… your only chance is finding someone who knows how to open them."
"Shit," Alice muttered under her breath.
Margo tilted her head. "What's that, Blondie? Speak up."
Alice hesitated, then looked at Quentin. "I… might know someone who can help."
That perked everyone up. Eliot smirked. "Well, well."
Penny rolled his eyes. "And you're mentioning this now?"
Dean Fogg rose to his feet, already heading for the door. "Don't say I didn't warn you. Paths between worlds usually have a cost. Make sure you're ready to pay it. And please don't for any reason allow any nefarious entity hitch a ride back to our world while conducting your search. Those things are a pain in the ass to deal with"
---
Later, Quentin and Alice found themselves walking into a mansion that felt… wrong. Inside, it resembled a Roman-themed orgy. Men in white robes mingled with women in flowing dresses, laughter and moans from ladies with their legs up in the air and a man eating away at their soft spots, a man in the far end was kissing a lady while another was on her knees stroking his manhood. The air was heavy with perfume and enchantment.
Quentin’s jaw dropped. “Jesus. It’s like the TARDIS in here. What sort of magic is this?”
Alice glanced around, unimpressed. “Thibadeaus planar compression. It’s really not a big deal.”
Quentin frowned, suspicious. “Alice… whose house is this?”
As if on cue, a voice called across the room. “Alice.”
They turned. A man with glasses approached, a chain in his hand leading to another man wearing a collar. Quentin’s eyes widened as the man with glasses smiled faintly.
“Hi, Dad,” Alice said.
Quentin sucked in a sharp breath, completely unprepared for that revelation.
---
Meanwhile, across town, Julia ended a tense call with her sister about their mother… again and pushed into a café. Her stomach twisted with anticipation. For weeks she had been working nonstop, chasing leads, burning herself out trying to track Kai. He had vanished without warning and without answering her calls or texts, and the silence ate at her.
A voice cut through her thoughts. “Wow, you should see the look on your face, girl. You look desperate.”
Julia turned. Marina was already there, leaning casually against the table, cigarette dangling from her lips. When Julia sat down, Marina raised an eyebrow.
“You’re late.”
“Family drama,” Julia muttered, brushing her hair back. “So? You said you had something interesting.”
Marina smirked. “Well, it’s not much more than we had when you first came to me about your boyfriend.”
Julia blinked. “What, he’s—?”
“Oh, relax.” Marina flicked ash from her cigarette. “Unless… oh, don’t tell me. You two haven’t even fucked yet?”
Julia flushed, caught off guard. “That’s none of your business, Marina.”
Marina burst into laughter. “God, you should see your face. Priceless.” She leaned closer, lowering her voice. “For the record, if you don’t want him, I definitely do.”
Julia’s jaw tightened, her glare sharp. The tension between them sparked.
Marina chuckled, raising her hands. “Alright, alright calm down girl. No need to hex me on the spot. Let’s get serious.”
Julia folded her arms. “Then talk.”
Marina’s smirk softened into calculation. “A thought occurred to me yesterday whilst procuring an item.”
“More like stealing,” Julia said flatly.
“More like permanently borrowing,” Marina corrected with a grin. “Anyway, it would seem we’ve been looking in the wrong places. He’s not here and I don’t mean here as in this city or continent no. He’s not in this dimension. That’s why every spell, every scrying attempt we’ve tried comes up empty. But… I know a ritual. Something that can open a path or act as a beacon of sort and him a path to follow back from wherever he may be. Dangerous, of course. But what isn’t?”
Julia leaned forward. “Tell me about the ritual .”
Marina tapped her nail on the table. “It’s called The Veil-Tethering Rite. You’ll need one of his belongings, something infused with his essence. The ritual takes two casters you and me. It creates a tether between dimensions. But once it’s open, the magic burns like fire. Hold it too long, and it’ll consume you.”
Julia’s pulse quickened. “And what’s the process?”
Marina leaned back. “That’s the complicated and delicate part. You’ll just have to trust me to carry it out with you.”
Julia narrowed her eyes. “What’s in it for you Marina, I know you want something in return so what is it?”
Marina’s grin returned, sly and sharp. “Why, a favor, of course. And for Kai to realize he owes me.” She winked.
Julia exhaled slowly. “Fine. Whatever it takes.”
Marina’s smirk widened knowingly. “That’s the spirit.”
