COBALT: The Red Phantom (Book One)

Chapter 12: Molve Bait (Part 1/4)

This was a super massive chapter, and I'm still looking into cutting down any fatty scenes, so don't be afraid to point them out here, or anywhere else~

          Káel had left dinner early again, banking on the liklihood that Truvius wouldn't drop in on his conversation with Phantom while the two stood in the small study room, ignoring Puff as he gnawed on a desk leg.

          "How could he see you?" Káel whispered, holding his phone as the short video played over and over again. Phantom's voice clear as day as he jumped into the frame at the last second.

          Phantom shrugged, tranced by curiosity as he stared at the video. "Why don't you ask your little magic box?"

           "It's an inanimate object."

          "An inanimate object that can see? What a strange invention," Phantom chimed, squatting to stare at the back of Káel's phone. "I'd love to pay your people a visit some time." 

          Káel smiled. "You could, but make sure it's during Halloween." 

          The passive insult flew past Phantom as he grabbed his chin in deep thought, suddenly snapping his fingers to announce his epiphany. "I know! Your magic box lacks a life force, so it may explain its abilities to ignore the curses influence. Curses typically don't see the need to extend their reaches to the unliving, so your magic box was able to see through it and channel what it saw to those who are supposed to be affected."

          "Really?" Káel grinned at his extra useful phone. "Cool."

          "That's a theory, don't go believing everything people throw at you. Especially on this planet." Phantom stretched his arms and sighed. "Now there's the Zodraic Battery issue. You'll have to make it, and good luck because it requires-"

          "Lumience? Yeah, I figured. How do we make it?"

          Phantom raised his finger to silence Káel. "And magic. So we'll have to get your dragons cuff off... Is it just me, or are you intent on drowning yourself in complicated projects?"

          "The faster I get back to Earth, the better." Káel pulled his pen out of his pocket and looked around. 

          He didn't have any paper, in fact he didn't have any of the required school supplies, excluding the stuff the school had provided him with. He'd been mooching stuff off of Truvius and Talli, and looking at their textbooks in an attempt to at least try and look interested during class, but the teachers would undoubtedly catch on sooner or later.

          Káel grabbed his empty envelope that he'd fortunately forgotten to get rid of, and scribbled down the broad list of instructions and supplies Phantom shot at him. By the time he was finally done, the envelope looked more black than white, covered in messy ink.

          He looked at the envelope dejectedly, his hopes like the brilliant spatters of white held down by it's thick net of black. "This is gonna take awhile..."

     —————    

          The next day was rough. 

          The only teacher that didn't try to press Káel for the real answer surrounding his disappearance was Mr. Mudelin. 

          He couldn't care less.

          In fact, he'd refrained from singling Káel out the entire class, and Káel found his lack of fulfilling his expectations oddly unsatisfying. He even gave him a book full of beginners spells and told him to study it in his free time.