CRITICAL POINT/ THE BLACK KING (MAGIC CHRONICLES #1)

Chapter 3

Friday, 4:10 a.m.

Opus Dei Main Headquarters

Rome, Italy

            It was still too early for the buildings along 73 Viale Bruno Buozzi to have any activities. The streets are empty, and the lamps still cast a strong glow. As for the Opus Dei house itself, no light can be found along the windows, all except for one.

        Father Brian Fischer (or Father Brian, for short), received the alert a few minutes ago and has risen from his bed. Wearing his black cassock, he quickly went outside the silent corridors.

          The place stood in stark contrast to the turmoil inside him.

            Father Brian stood in front of the hallway mirror. He touched its surface.

            “Open gate port,” the priest said.

            <Roger, Father Brian.>

        A voice replied from the mirror.

         <Opening gate at t-minus five seconds.>

            A triangular sigil of the Triadic magic system appeared in the mirror. This system is the most reliable in the magical world for creating portals. Through the use of a spirit guide to power the spell, a Triadic magician can send or receive anyone or anything, anywhere. Reflective surfaces are the best mediums for this magic.

        The mirror began to wave like a sheet of water, indicating that the teleportation spell has been activated. With a flash of bright light, he disappeared through it. Seconds later, he emerged from the other side of the mirror and stepped into a different world. Unlike the brick-and-mortar building of the Opus Dei headquarters, the priest was now walking through a cavernous tunnel. Stalagmites and stalactites jutted by the sides. The well-worn cobblestone path was the only indication that the cave was inhabited. There was no outside light, but the walls were giving out a comfortable glow, illuminating the path. Father Brian continued his grim walk.

        He stopped in front a large blast door, made from twelve-inches of solid maraging steel alloy. It was also engraved with several layers of defensive and offensive runes. A sigil formed under the priest’s feet, scanning him. With a ping, his identity was confirmed and the gate’s locks disengaged.

        <Welcome back to Headquarters, Father Brian.>

        The same voice from earlier greeted him as the gate opened.

        Father Brian now entered a bigger cave complex. Black-cassocked personnel milled around him and through the pathways along the cave’s walls. Some were walking briskly, carrying various papers through one of the several tunnels lining the cavern. Others were pushing carts full of strange devices and artifacts, and there were still those practicing magic spells at the nearby sparring area. There were even more such people appearing through teleportation spells at the designated portals.