When Two Worlds Meet

Lock and Key

Virgil's POV

I reached my little hut just as the sun dipped below the horizon. I felt my broom shudder awake under my fingers and I felt my shoulders relax as I released it. It floated up in front of me shaking itself like a dog. I smiled faintly at it.

My broom had belonged to my father, who must have been very skilled with magic to attract the attention of my mother. I didn't know how, but he had enchanted his broom to become a sentient being each night after the sun went down. This type of magic was stronger under the moon and in the darkness, which was both a blessing and a curse. I liked being able to sleep with someone or something watching my back. I slept easier and deeper. But it was difficult because it wasn't awake during the day, the time it would be most useful. I could still fly on it, but it wasn't my companion during the day.

'let's go inside, heart' I signed quickly. I didn't know how it understood me without eyes to see, but it always knew what I was signing. I'd chosen to give my broom a nickname because it made it feel more like a friend than an object. I called it 'heart' for several reasons, the first one being that it was made from the wood of the Purple Heart, a very rare and beautiful tree. The second reason was because it had the biggest heart of anyone I knew. It was sweet and caring and thoughtful, which I know sounds kind of weird for a broom, but it's true. It was as faithful as a dog and even more sweet.

Heart floated behind me as I walked into my little hut. There wasn't much inside, just a table, a cabinet, a bookshelf, and a cot. I stood by the table as I took off my pendant and Heart came over to watch (though, again, it doesn't have eyes; don't ask me how that works. I don't know).

I lit a fat, white candle, placed my pendant on the table, and pulled the crystal key out of my pocket. Now that I saw them beside each other, there was no denying that they were part of a set. Not only were they made of the exact same color of crystal, but they were also the same style of craft. Even an idiot like me could tell they went together.

They glittered in the flickering light of the candle, taunting me with their hidden secrets. I picked them up, trying to figure them out. As I studied them, I realized that the decorative markings around the center hole of my pendant matched the markings around the end of the key. 'Of course, idiot' I scolded myself, closing my eyes in irritation. 'The pendant is the lock. The crystal is the key. Put them together and...' I opened my eyes. I didn't know what would happen.

So, of course, I locked the little key into place. Their delicate ridges caught together and put up a small resistance. I gently turned the key, trying not to break it off. The pendant turned on a previously unseen line, turning in a circle. It didn't seem to be doing anything and I grunted in frustration. Heart seemed to look at me in exasperation; I realized that it must need a boost of magic.

I pursed my lips unhappily. I really sucked at magic. I struggled to do even basic spells, so I didn't think I'd be able to do this, as simple as it was. But I wanted to try. So I placed one finger about an inch above the key and closed my eyes in concentration.

I reached into my core of quintessence, slowly allowing my magic to come within reach. I reached for my magic, trying to grasp the slippery coils of energy. It was like I had an enormous dragon hiding inside of me, a well of power. When I was little I'd been excited by this and had thought that meant I was powerful, but then I realized that everyone had a similar well of power in them. It didn't matter anyway, because while the others could easily control their powers and bend it to do their will, I could barely even touch it.

I managed to just barely reach my core, after a minute of heavy breathing and strenuous work. I desperately tapped the magic, which seemed to be shying away from my touch. I opened my eyes as a tiny purple spark, thinner than a thread, leaped from my fingertip to the key. Immediately, the pendant lit up like a lantern. It was filled with bright orange and black light, illuminating all of the room's corners.

Fear chilled my chest as I watched streams of magic spill out of the pendant, as though there were unseen depths hiding within the little crystal. Orange and black light continued to flow out, but soon blur and silver joined the mix. I backed up hurriedly until my back hit the wall, desperate to get away from the roiling masses of light and magic and quintessence. Heart followed me to the wall, seeming concerned about my reaction. 

The magic seemed to get thicker and more solid as more poured out of the pendant. I wondered, panicking, if it was going to fill my entire hut. It didn't seem like it was going to stop anytime soon. So I ran to my door and was about to open it and run off into the night when I heard my name.

"Virgil." The voice was beautifully ethereal and sounded as though it were being whispered at the end of a long tunnel. But I faintly recognized it, as though it were from a long forgotten dream. I slowly turned around, unsure what I would see. I gasped. Standing there, in the middle of the room, were my parents. 

Author's Note: Sorry for the cliffhanger! I can't do this whole section in one chapter. So I have to break it up. Love you guys! -N.E.R.D.