The otherworldly pixie

The best gifts ever

Philip was overjoyed that Kane finally found out about his powers. And also surprised that Kane was an elf. But this meant that he finally had someone he could talk to.

That night after Kane showed Neroclius the difference between their powers. Neroclius apologized and gave up on the bounty. Philip was happy, but it enraged him how weak he had been against Neroclius. He headed to his office and met up with Kane like he did every day, except today was going to be different.

When he got into his office, Philip closed the door and let Joy out of his bag. He'd been bringing Joy to the office, and then Joy, Philip and Kane would chat while Philip and Kane worked. On this particular day, however, Philip was particularly restless. He had received a message from Beowulf that the fruits of his hound hide were ready. Philip would get some cool weapons and finally have another opportunity to fight more enemies.

He kept getting distracted while working and looked around his office. He saw Kane sitting, his back to the door. Joy fluttered around carelessly. Philip's desk was full of secret weapons, and he was tempted to get them out and practice. His restlessness helped him complete his work which would have taken the whole day by noon. 

At this point, he could barely contain his excitement. He got up and went up to Kane. 
He said, "Hey Kane, Beowulf texted me and said that a weapon I'd sent into making is ready. I'm heading off to the IM."

Joy, flying right there, came and sat beside Kane's Laptop and exclaimed, "Yay, a new adventure."

Kane was unusually silent. Usually, when someone addressed Kane, he would reply almost immediately.

"Hey, Kane? You alright?"

"Philip, I am not doing anything important, so if it would not trouble you, could you kindly take me along? I haven't been to the IM in a long 35 years." Kane's voice spoke up. You could sense pain in his voice. Philip decided it'd be better if he didn't ask too many questions.

"Sure, Kane. But I am not so confident in my powers. I have never tried taking another person with me."

"What about Miss Joy here?"

"She's a Pixie. That's different from a humanoid. "

His eyes immediately drooped. It was an unintentional gesture, but Philip decided this was a moment to try out if his powers were strong enough.

"... But that doesn't mean that I can't try."

Kane immediately cheered up, and then Philip decided that he was going to take him to the IM.

Philip put his hand on Kane's shoulder, and Joy jumped onto Philip's shoulder. Philip imagined being in the IM. And then he felt a sensation he had never felt before. 

Usually, when he jumped dimensions, it was like the world around him faded and changed to another scenery. It was somewhat like diving into a pool. But this time, he felt something different. Philip felt a tug in his stomach. For a second, his powers weakened. It had never happened before, but from what Philip had researched, it would drop him into a dimension led by chaos. If using his powers was like diving into a pool, what he felt then was like falling into tar. 

He felt that he would be stuck forever. If he had been alone, he'd have had no problem doing that, but at that moment, two lives depended on him. Philip pushed his powers beyond their limit, and a voice spoke into his ears, "There is a price to pay for such a task. You are making your vessel push past its limits. To bite off more than you can chew, one must sacrifice."

Sacrifice? Vessel? What the hell is this voice talking about, Philip wondered.
He realized he didn't have enough time to worry. He spoke inside his head, "A sacrifice shall be made then. But for now, lead me where I want to go. NOW!"