Tarragon

Chapter Twenty-Five: Sight

-Mantis

-June 16th, 2024

I woke up, finally back in my house, and did not feel great. I had a dream about everyone leaving me behind to rot, and falling for the King's operation, getting taken by the Olka.

"How are you doing, Mantis?" Net asked me.

Well, I feel awful for forgetting my friends, it's been so long since I've talked to them. Everything feels like it's falling apart, I rarely talk to you, and I've been caught up in a fight nobody should ever have to handle on their own. I'm so worried the King is going to use me to hurt someone, or kidnap someone and use them as a hostage, I feel so overwhelmed by everything that's happening now, and I wish it could all just stop, and I could have a normal life.

"Wow." Net seemed taken aback.

"Wait, did I say that out loud?"

"Yeah..." Net answered me, "I think you need therapy. I know a few good ones I can hook you up with!"

"No, it's- it's fine. I'm fine, really. I can deal with this on my own." I rejected their offer to help.

"There's nothing heroic about letting your fears fester. You need to confront them, Mantis. You need to actually overcome them, not just let them grow."

"You know what... maybe you're right. What if I went out into the world, disconnected from you all for a week, and spent that time sorting it out," I suggested, "It's at least better than being here, unable to do anything."

"Honestly... sure. That sounds great. You won't be motivated to fight unless you sort out your issues. Go, for a week, talk to your friends, and catch up with them, maybe go around the world and clear your head. We'll be decrypting the encoded Energy, so we can work on it."

Everything was sorted out on their end, so I grabbed my phone, and organized a meetup with my friends at the park nearby. It was a very quaint place, not somewhere you'd expect to see a globally renowned mage who killed the Ice Titan.

I got there about ten minutes early, and played with teleportation while I waited. I stood on the opposite side of the sidewalk to someone, smiling at them while standing still. They turned to look at me, and I remained stagnant. After a moment, a truck passed, and I teleported away, behind a nearby tree. They were very clearly confused, but after a moment continued walking.

Ray and Jaye arrived after a few minutes, and I caught up with them. Ray had been inspired by my ability to teleport, and figured out a similar ability for water magic. Simply, you drop into a pool of water, and can reappear out of any spot, which is especially useful for long-distance global travel.

Jaye had been studying my possession, and figured out something.

Magical Apexes:

Extremely, extremely rare beings. There are six accounts of people gaining the power of an Apex in recorded history. They are supernatural beings, lacking a physical form.

They sometimes watch candidates for being the Apex, occasionally granting people the power of the Apex briefly, before they are selected. Each Apex has a unique magic tied to it. Lightning magic has the Lightning Apex, Water Magic has the Water Apex, and so on.

While it is not necessary, creating new spells is immensely easier with the power of an Apex.

When someone is selected to bear the Apex, they do not get permanent access to the drastic strength. The power is a pool that slowly regenerates, leading many to believe that Apexes have their own pool of Energy, or a similar power.

Jaye believed that I had been briefly possessed by the Lightning Apex, and it made sense to me too.

We spent the day goofing off, and it was nice not to have to worry about battles on a global scale for once. However, once the day had ended, I did not go home. I flew north an hour or so, and fell asleep in the hollow part of a tree.