There is Power in Death

Chapter 3

So this place is big, I definitely won't get lost in this maze of a house. At least there are elevators, which hopefully won't be too hard to find. Talan has given me a tour of the first 3 floors, which were all massive. My room is on the top, which is apparently the smallest floor.

The elevator stops and opens to yet another hallway lined with rooms. This house looks more like an apartment complex or fancy hotel. The only differences are the facts that the bedrooms are somehow huge, almost like the TARDIS, and that it's a magical building somewhere between the living and dead realms. 

Talan opens the door to my room. The rooms can't get confusing unless you somehow forget your own name. I was told that the numbers on the doors change to the occupant's name when they move into the building

The room is as big as the others that I've seen. It looks like your generic 1 story house. There's a bathroom, 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. There is no laundry room because the clothes magically clean themselves. All of the rooms are empty, but they all have the same magic tablets in them to choose furniture and whatnot. I already have a good idea of what I'm going to do with the rooms.

"I will be back in an hour to teach  you basic magic and how to reap souls. Please be fast when you're settling in." Talan tells me, reading from a clipboard that disappears like his tablet from earlier.

"Okay. I'll be as fast as I can!" I stick my thumb out enthusiastically.

With that, Talan leaves. I decide to start on the living room, because it's the closest as of now. The tablets all have several categories; bedroom, bathroom, game room, living room, kitchen, and dining room. I have no use for a dining room, but I can use all the other rooms. I choose a couch, TV, bookshelf, and coffee table for the living room. Nice, simple, and easy to keep clean. 

The next room is the kitchen, which already has a stove, sink, counter, and fridge. What is doesn't have is a dishwasher and dishes. I don't need much dishes, but don't know if I'll ever have guests over so I choose several pots and pans, and four plates, bowls, cups and four of each piece of cutlery. All the dishes appear in the sink so I have to find places in the cupboards and drawers for them. 

The first bedroom is turned into a game room and a room to just chill in, with beanbag chairs and gaming consoles. I go to the bathroom, which doesn't need anything added to it. The final room is my bedroom. I never liked having a complicated room, so I add a bed, desk, office chair, and some posters of my favourite TV shows and bands. 

I look at the time and see that I still have thirty minutes left until Talan comes to train me. There is a gift shop in the lobby, although one would need money to buy things there, and I haven't even been taught how to work here, much less got my first pay. I also don't have a phone, so scrolling whatever social media Phanters might have isn't an option. The best thing to do to pass the time is read or watch TV.

I could always go on the laptop, but TV seems like a better choice. I flop down on the couch and turn on the TV. Scrolling through the channels I realize that the only good thing on are reruns of Friends. I have time to watch one episode so I may as well put it on.

Half an hour goes by fast and I soon hear the doorbell ring. I open the door as Talan walks in holding a phone, and a bag with what I assume is magic things. He takes a seat on the couch and waves me over.

"First things first, in this bag is a tablet, a pamphlet explaining the job and building, and another pamphlet for magic learning. I will be your mentor and will start with teaching you magic as I said before. The magic should come easily, seeing as you're officially my apprentice. The first trick you should learn is how to transform your magic item." He hands me the tablet and continues on, "Hold the tablet in your hands and imagine it turning into another inanimate object. You should be able to feel the magic."

I close my eyes and imagine the tablet turning into a phone. I can feel energy flowing through my body as the tablet changes.

"Whoa! That's amazing! I did that?"

I honestly had my doubts about it but that felt cool.

Talan smiles at me, "Yep, a lot of newbies react that way. Others will think of themselves as witches and go insane. Did that seem easy?"

"Yes, but I already have a good sense of how magics tends to work because of all the shows I've watched, so it was very easy."

"That's a good thing. Believe it or not, the way magic is described in shows and books is pretty accurate most of the time. The next thing is shape-shifting. This is a mandatory skill to learn. The fastest way to learn it is to think of an animal that you know a lot about, and picture yourself morphing into it. Like how it's described in Animorphs, Although you probably don't know what that is."

I stare at him blankly, "I am happy to inform you that I have read all of the books and watched the whole series, so yes, I know what Animorphs is, and get that reference."

He gawks at me, obviously surprised, and begins ranting about how nobody knows about the series anymore.

I don't have time for that. I close my eyes and picture myself turning into a bat. The whole experience feels weird as my body shrinks. When I open my eyes I'm small and can't see that well. I don't try to fly because I can't see and would wreck the place, so I turn back human.

Talan is still ranting and doesn't seem to notice that I morphed into a bat and back human.

"What's next?"

"Huh? Wait, you didn't even- oh," he only now seems to realize that he basically zoned out, "Next is reaping souls."

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