Fredozy
patreon
Chapter 75: Revelation
🕑 Added 2025-08-31 08:43:58 +0000 UTCThe first thing Kai did when he stepped into the Plover estate was raise his hand and mutter a string of words that shimmered blue light across the walls. He immediately used the compound purification spell to cleanse the whole estate. A wave rippled outward from his body, shaking dust from the rafters as the stagnant, cursed air broke apart. A sound like glass cracking filled the house, and suddenly the loop spell snapped. The trapped children's souls were released, no longer condemned to relive the same cycle of torment of being assaulted and over again by that child molesting bastard.
Alice, who had been holding her breath since they arrived, exhaled as Kai told her what he just did. Relief washed over her face. "Thank you. I was… worried about them."
Kai gave her a small nod, then turned toward the study.
An hour later
Now, seated in Christopher Plover's study room, Alice paced restlessly, she had a book clutched in her hands. She'd been at it for nearly an hour now, flipping through pages, muttering under her breath.
Kai finally sighed. "Anything?"
She shook her head. "No. Not yet. Most of these spells require a traveler to cast them. And there are no travelers here."
"Christopher wouldn't have stopped there," Kai said, leaning back in his chair. "He must've found an alternative."
His eyes caught on a worn, thin book sitting oddly at the far end of the shelf. He pulled it free and studied the title: 'Anchor Magic: Binding and Translocation'. The book was surprisingly light, only a handful of pages.
Alice tilted her head. "What's that?"
"Hopefully something good," Kai murmured, already flipping it open.
The pages explained: Anchor magic functioned by tying a person's essence to a place, object, or being. When a strong enough portion of someone's essence remained in one location, it could act as a tether in pulling them from one point to another, recreating the effects of a traveler. It could bind a person across continents, even across planes. If the tether isn't strong enough, or if it misfired, the caster could end up lost in the Neitherlands wandering until they stumbled upon the Earth fountain.
Kai frowned, fingers tightening on the page. 'So that's why he was molesting Martin, to leave enough of his… essence in him.' Kai thought in absolute disgust at the prospect before calming down to address another issue.
'So how do I tune the fountain to find my own reality, and not some other one?'
He sighed heavily.
Alice drifted closer. "What's wrong?"
He showed her the book. "This is good news, right? But… I still need an anchor to my reality. Without that, it's worthless."
"An anchor?" Alice asked. "Something that belongs to you. Can you think of any?"
"No," Kai said dryly, then added with a crooked grin, "Unless my stunning good looks count."
Alice giggled, shaking her head.
Kai pushed up from the chair with another sigh. But as he turned toward the door, he froze, tilting his head.
Alice frowned. "What?"
"This says I need an anchor, right? Something that belongs to me." His lips twisted into a sudden laugh.
Alice blinked. "What are you laughing at?"
"I'm an idiot," Kai chuckled, running a hand down his face. "I already have anchors. More than one, in fact."
She opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but before she could, he stepped forward, blurred, and scooped her into his arms.
"Wait—!"
And then they were gone, blurred straight out of the estate and back to Brakebills.
Alice stumbled as her feet touched the ground, clutching her stomach. "Oh my god. Okay. Dizzy. Very dizzy." Then she let out a breathless laugh. "But… that was amazing."
Kai smirked. "Don't sound too excited. I don't want to ruin my reputation as the terrifying vampire magician."
She rolled her eyes. "You could've just told me, what the rush was."
"Where's the fun in that?" He shrugged. "Besides, we have most of what we need to build the spell. And, as I said, I already have my anchor."
"What's the spell called?" Alice asked, curiosity lighting her face.
Kai flipped the book open again. "The veil tethering Rite. It pulls the caster from one sequence into another. The stronger the anchor, the smoother the crossing." He skimmed another line, then added, "But first we need some ingredients. Sage, for starters."
---
In the original universe, the backyard of the Physical Kids' cottage was a mess of dirt and broken grass. Margo groaned, sprawled flat on the ground. Penny leaned over her with a grin.
"Well, I believe that's my win."
"At least now I know how painful that spell is," she muttered.
It had been two days since they began training under Julia's instruction, adapting Kai's method of channeling magic. Two days of bruises, exhaustion, and breakthroughs. They'd all mastered Motus and Immobilus, and had grown dangerously efficient with the Pain Infliction spell. The Bone Breaking spell was still proving difficult, but Alice, annoyingly enough not that they'd admit it, had taken to it faster than anyone. No one said it aloud, but her aptitude grated on them.
Later, in Dean Fogg's office, Julia sat stiffly in her chair, wringing her hands. Her eyes flicked nervously toward Quentin who was seated beside her also looking confused. The last time she'd seen him here, she'd been begging for his help to save him.
Fogg sighed, rubbing his temples. "Relax, Miss Wicker. I'm not going to hurt you."
Julia nodded, though her shoulders remained tense.
"I called you both here because there's something you need to know," Fogg continued.
Quentin leaned forward. "What?"
Fogg actually chuckled. "You know, this might be the first time you've come into my office for this conversation without dosing me with truth serum."
Quentin blinked. "What?"
"I'm telling you this freely. The Beast, this isn't the first time you've gone after him."
Confusion tightened Julia's face. "What do you mean, not the first?"
"Eliza. Or should I say Jane Chatwin," Fogg said. "She cast a spell that put you all in a loop."
Quentin's eyes widened. He shot to his feet. "Wait—wait—oh my God. This… this makes sense." He ran a hand through his hair, pacing before sinking back down into the chair.
Julia stared. "What does?"
"Eliza gave me the sixth edition of Fillory and Further. But, she wrote it. Before she died, she told me, 'All is not as it seems.' I thought she meant… I don't know, that I should be more careful after Mike was possessed. But…" He stopped, his voice cracking. "Wait, If we're in a loop, how many times have we had this conversation?"
Fogg looked at him gravely. "Thirty-nine. This is the fortieth."
The room went silent.
"You see," Fogg continued, "each time you all die, Jane resets the timeline. Always changing something, hoping for a different outcome."
Julia swallowed hard. "What was changed this time?"
Fogg's gaze landed on her. He sighed. "You, my dear. Not being here. That was her change."
Julia and Quentin turned to look at each other, shock written across both their faces.
"Ohhh…" Julia whispered.
