The Gods of Jueses: Quest for the Golden Spark

-JOHN-

SUNDAY
There was a knock at the door. When I opened it, Jas was standing in front of me. 'You alright?' she asked.
'Seems like it,' I replied. I felt alright. In fact, I felt even more than alright; active like never before. Refreshed and full of energy.
'You better be,' she said, 'You were gone for the whole day. Professor Wolfbane has summoned you. It's his class next which he doesn't want you to miss at any cost.'
The whole day? She gotta be kidding me! But now is not the time for all this. 'Um...which class is it?'
'Metamorphose.'
'Meta...what?'
I still don't get it. How come I am able to write the words correctly when I  can't even hear them right?
'Hurry up, or I will be out again,' Jas replied desperately.
That surely wasn't the right answer but I nodded. I picked up my hoodie and followed her. She led me through bunch of passages which ultimately opened up into a classroom. The students had already settled. All were wearing hoodies.
'What's up with these hoodies?' I turned to Jas when I sat down as she was just behind  me.
'Um...unlike our old school,' she explained, 'this school has a uniform, you see. And since the Potter-Revolution, we all are sorted into-'
'Wait a minute. Which revolution?' Did I hear her right? Potter revolution?
'The Potter Revolution. Long story. What you need to know about it is that all you see here that reminds you of Harry Potter is all owing to that revolution.'
I looked around. At the moment, nothing reminded me of that movie series. Except for maybe the rooms, the atmosphere,  the dining hall I had gone to before and a bunch of other things. And could those be...talking portraits? No. That idea is too crazy. Even crazier than summoning fire.
'So as I was saying, we all are sorted into houses. Fortunately, the Nerds didn't agree  to name them Gryffindor and all that, but except that, everything's almost the same. Those who are wearing red hoodies are called Kokkins, the Yellow one's are Kitrinos, Dysthymos are the blue ones and Prasinos are the green hoodies.'
'And the white ones?' I asked, as I noticed nobody else had that one, except me.
'Those are the Aprosdiuoristi. The yet-to-be-sorted ones.' she replied.
How do I even remember this word right now? I guess I will ask Jas about it, later.
'So where's the sorting hat?' I grinned.
'Nerds didn't allow adoption of everything in that series. The students are sorted randomly. Anyone can be in any house. Just like that.'
'Man, That's-'
POOF!
A figure appeared out of nowhere into the centre of the room- a cute little brown puppy. It barked. All the girls awed at the same time. Suddenly, it  started to growl and roared. Everyone gasped. Some even screamed. It started growing, and grew into a...Wolf? A Werewolf! It was full black with muscular arms and legs like that of a professional football player, snow white fangs and talons the darkest shade of purple. It opened its mouth and just when it was going to roar, shrank into Professor Wolfbane.
Everyone was too startled to speak. There was an uncomfortable silence. This guy is such a show-off.
'So class,' Professor broke the silence, 'what you just saw was an example of what you are going to learn.' He paused for a few moments, then resumed, 'As you may know, Metamorphose is the art of changing your shape, your identity. We Jueseans, if trained well, have the ability to change form into any creature. It's our bodies that distinguish us from others after all.'
He paused again. There was silence for about a whole moment.
'So, let's start with a hound,' He snapped his fingers and vanished.  Everybody around me rose up, and I did tht too. I noticed a grey hound in the middle, where professor had been a moment ago, growing in size. A heartbeat later, a five feet high, deadly looking  animal stood where Professor Wolfbane had been. It had razor sharp talons and fierce eyes.
Then, after tons of screams and Ohs he changed back into his usual form. There was silence again. I was so tempted to ask Jas if this guy had been a librarian before.
'So, all you need to do is picture the hound you want to change into, then use the spell- Skylos Metamorphae! And if luckily anything goes wrong- keep calm, imagine your real self and chant Anares Metamorphae! So, who's going to be the first one to mess-up out of you all?'
This man is really motivative. If luckily anything goes wrong? What does he want? Man!
There were lots of volunteers still, and I wasn't one. Yet, all he said was, 'Why, you don't want to try master Gemison?' The next moment, about fifty eyes were staring  at me with astonishment. I sprang up.
'I want to...Professor. But, you see, I knocked out at my very first practical. I don't think I have any more energy left to mess-up.'
He grinned, 'Don't worry. Nobody's going to laugh at you...maybe. Come, try it!' Professor said.
Great! Me, again. Why in the world? Of all these here, why me?
I descended to where Professor Wolfbane was standing.
'So....' his expression was pitiful or maybe it was that amusing look, whatever; but he sure was enjoying the show.
It was my turn. I needed to at least try. Don't want to be laughed at because of cowardness. I guess nobody wants that. Most of the population of the world doesn't even want to be laughed at, let alone be it because of cowardness. Everyone wants respect. Everyone wants people to look up to them, to care for them. Everyone wants to have some value, some importance. They want their existence to be acknowledged. Many don't show it. It's a desire of their heart, hidden deep inside. Maybe even from themselves.
The best way to learn about the default wiring of the human brain is kids; small babies. As we grow the veils of pride, shame, basically the knowledge we are granted by our elders about what is right and what is not, hide or modify all the functions of the brain. The kids cry very fast, even for small things. They laugh hearty laughs that make the viewers happy from the inside. They are thought to be childish features and abandoned as we grow. And that is what has ruined the world. But that is not the topic of discussion right now. Kids cry when they don't get what they want. They get angry. Why do people get angry when insulted? Because we want respect, and we don't get it. It's simple. Our heart weeps like a kid at that time. It gets furious. Yet many hide it all under the cover of fake public identity, act like they don't care. I am also like everyone. I always want to prove my worth. Prove myself. Even when I don't show it.
I closed my eyes and thought of Brayan's pet who was about three feet tall.
'Speak the spell only when the picture is crystal-clear in your mind,' Professor advised.
I thought about it. Maybe Brayan's pet would do. I imagined all the details of its body I could remember and then cried,'Skylios Metamorphae!'
I began to descend. I could feel myself shrinking. It hurt.
Yes! It's working!  I thought.
I would have jumped with excitement had I not been in the middle of turning into a dog. But just then, all of a sudden my head began to ache really badly. My arms puffed into purple colored biceps, and I am sure Brayan's pet isn't purple. My nose and jaw elongated. I could feel my teeth turning into talons and my nails changing into long, sharp fangs. My whole body turned purple, furry but muscular. My vision changed, it grew as sharp as it could. Now I could even see that the boy on the extreme end of the class was drooling, and the one beside him was chanting something...
Wait a minute...is that Persil? But why is he staring me like that? What is he muttering?
Then something even stranger happened. A voice hissed in my head- a voice strangely familiar.
                        'Come to your master. Come to me.'
I looked at Professor Wolfbane who was staring at me with a really surprised expression. I ran out of the class against my will, like somebody had hijacked my body.
I ordered my limbs to stop running, but it was of no use.
In the galleries I was pacing through everybody screamed and shouted and jumped out of my way. Some even ordered me to stop, but I didn't. One of them pointed his finger towards me and said something like Stacy or Staci that almost made me stop, temporarily. The next moment I was running again with full speed. Suddenly a bright light appeared just ahead of me. When I got closer I realized that it was actually a dead end.
Now  there is no path. There's no way I can go past this.
Then I felt a surge in my body. My forelimbs tightened and my hind limbs bent. I was praying what my body was preparing for wasn't what I was thinking it was. But the next moment I knew it was what I thought it shouldn't be. I jumped. Ground was  about a hundred feet below. Yet I jumped.
Who is doing this? I cursed from the depths of my heart.
'I am,'  The voice hissed in my brain again, 'Fear not, for not even a scratch will be received Come to me, your master.'
THUD!
I landed on my feet and in a really strange place. It was totally dark except the silver gates ahead of me which were half closed. No wait...they were closing. My body ran for it. There was a barely a four feet wide gap left  between those gates, and they were still closing.
I cannot make it. Just give up, whoever you are.
Just then my jaw opened and some sort of black energy emerged from it. It changed its form into a staff and got stuck between the two gates. I slid past it just in time for the staff to break and the gates to close.
The scene changed. I was standing in a cave. The atmosphere was damp. I moved ahead. After a while, the path tunneled right. I met two more gates, this time full black with some strange symbols on them. Although black, they were shiny. I saw a really old yet strong man standing on all four of his limbs, growling like a hound at me. When I turned around, nothing was there. Even the path through which I came had disappeared. I turned back. The old man was still staring at me. His face resembled that of my dad's to some extent. I rose my right 'hand' to touch the gate, The old man did the same at the exact same time. It was a solid surface, as smooth as a...mirror!

But, I haven't gone this old, have I? My eyes grew wide with astonishment and a slight blend of fear.
'Come to me. Don't waste your time,'  The voice hissed again.  Suddenly my mouth opened and a deep voice growled, 'Kai!'
The gates opened, and I got sucked in. The next moment, I was falling into an endless pit of darkness...
There is not much innovation to add to my fall, so I would write that down just as it went.
One minute later: I am still falling.
Five minutes later: Aaaaaaa!
Ten Minutes: Is there any end to it?
Five Minutes after that: I landed on my feet.
Wow. This dog seriously is unearthly.
Just then, something else caught my attention; two red glowing wolf-like eyes in the fog.
Now where did this fog come from?
'Ah,'Suddenly the voice hissed again. But this time, I was pretty sure it was not in my head... 'So, we finally meet.'
Something about that voice seemed strangely familiar. Those eyes began to move, towards me.
'Fourteen years have I been waiting for this very moment. Arrived has the moment that shall decide the fate of this universe so puny; The moment when Johnathan Gemison will meet the Great Nerd STARKROW!'
This time, for some reason I didn't laugh.
Why does Starkrow sound familiar? But as usual, nothing came up.
A figure shimmered through the fog. It was fairly human and also strangely familiar. I felt my gut stir, and I looked down.
I am human again!
I looked back up. He was now clearly visible. The guy was...PROFESSOR WOLFBANE? Yes, it was definitely him, just his eyes were red...like full, solid red, without any iris or anything. Also, his expression was unusually mischievous. Almost...evil.
'You!' I exclaimed.
'Yes, me,' he said, 'Why do you think you got chosen to show your skills out of fifty students?'
Yeah. He's got a point.
'But why me?' I asked. What have I got? I don't even feel whatever is happening is true.
'Because,' he grinned, 'you can help me to rule the universe! I have a small task for you and your friends too.'
'And we would bother to listen to you just because you are the greatest of all nerds?' I chuckled.
'Actually, not just because of that. Also because you love your father, don't you?' he snapped his fingers and a bubble popped out of nowhere. A split second later, I could see my father in it, lying unconscious. All around him was dark, just lots of eyes were glowing...
'Those are not the eyes of wolves, but something much worse. Now...will you do what I asked for?'
'Leave him! NOW!' I clenched my fists. Maybe this was just an illusion. My father couldn't possibly be in his...
'No, he is very real. You want proof?' He whistled a small tune. In the next blink, I spotted something in the bubble who came running and dug his fangs in my father's thigh. He cried out with pain. That was a horrible cry.
'Stop!' Tears went down my cheeks. My body was shaking with terror. 'I believe you. I will....do anything you ask for...' I managed to say between my sobs. The sight was horrible. That wolf still had his fangs dug in. My father's expression reflected pure, horrifying pain.
'So now we are talking,' he smiled. I wanted to punch him in the face,'If you don't want him to be  damaged any further, just fetch me the Golden Spark.'
'The what?' I asked.
'The Golden Spark. Get it for me as my birthday present, or else I will make sure that none of the bits of your father's soul are ever seen again,' he raised his hand and made a strange gesture like he was clenching something. The next moment, a real sword appeared. It was broad with a black grip and had strange inscriptions on its cross guard. But it's blade was something to be proud of- the shiniest, finest blade in the world; specially designed to reap the very souls from bodies.
'Beautiful, isn't it?' said Starkrow, adoring his own sword, 'Why wouldn't it be? Afterall, it's the Eraidon.'
Okay. So he's that Starkrow. Brother of...whatever his name was, from Professor Da Vinci's lecture.
'Don't fear. I will not use it on you...but I can't say the same for your father. Unless , of course, you do what is asked.'
'But why? Why me? I don't even know-'
'The reason behind it, your friends will tell you. It would be a really exciting journey. I think should come along too, just in case you decide to, you know, try to be...um...how do you people say it? Yeah...fishy.'
The sword vanished from his hand. Starkrow closed his eyes. A black swarm of dust arose from inside him which advanced towards me. I ran in the other direction but it was of no use...it went right through me...
I fall down. My vision got extremely dizzy and I saw blurred images of footsteps approaching me. I heard voices, maybe crying out my name. I blacked out.
When I opened my eyes, I was back in my room. A note was on my bedside table- Whatever happened to you- Pen it down.
And so I did, though I don't get why I should. I am really tired now. Thinking of getting myself some sleep.
Signing off.