Kane Mathews is a young American-Japanese boy who is notoriously lazy when it comes to studying. In a world dominated by science, who still believes in magic? Despite this, Kane often wishes magic were real-until a strange bronze coin changes everyt...
Long ago, in the mystical land of Atrocies, a legendary mage made a fateful decision. With the land’s beauty fading and its power crumbling, he scattered mages across distant lands, knowing that one day, they would be called back to restore their homeland. It was foretold that when the time came, these mages would reunite, forging a new age of magic. To guide their return, the mage planted enchanted coins throughout the universe. These coins would lie dormant until a reincarnated mage fully awakened. When that time came, their designated coin would reveal itself, opening a path back to Atrocies.
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BEYOND THE COIN
Merylene stood frozen in place, her mind a whirlwind of confusion and panic. “I don’t understand... What on earth is happening? Why can't I move? Why can't I scream?” she thought, her body locked in place as if gripped by some unseen force. She was trapped in the dimly lit, cluttered store room, the faint smell of old wood and dust filling her senses. Her gaze, wide with terror, was locked on the small, unassuming bronze coin floating just a few feet away from her.
The coin hung eerily in midair, seemingly devoid of light, yet it pulsed with an energy that sent chills down her spine. The air around it was heavy, thick with an oppressive presence she couldn’t explain.
Beside her, Kane was equally paralyzed, his voice barely above a whisper. “The coin, Merylene... It’s floating... in mid-air?” His wide eyes reflected his disbelief, his voice shaking as if afraid of the very words he spoke.
Neither of them could move, their bodies held captive by an invisible force, their minds racing to make sense of the surreal sight before them. They watched in helpless silence as the coin, still hovering, began to shift. Its once solid form started to dissolve, the edges blurring as it melted into a shimmering, ethereal liquid, the bronze now gleaming with a ghostly glow. Droplets of the molten metal danced in the air, swirling in delicate, intricate patterns around the siblings.
The liquid began to gather, coalescing with purpose. Slowly, as if guided by an unseen hand, it took shape—a door. An exquisite, otherworldly bronze door, adorned with intricate, swirling patterns that seemed to pulse with their own life. The door stood before them, its surface gleaming with an energy that radiated both beauty and danger, its presence commanding their full attention.
Merylene tried to speak, but her body refused to obey. Her heart pounded violently against her chest, her breathing shallow as panic threatened to overwhelm her. “What is this...?” she thought desperately, her mind scrambling to understand. “This can’t be real! This is just a hallucination!”
Kane’s voice was barely audible beside her, filled with awe and fear. “Magic…?” he whispered, his eyes never leaving the door. “Is this… magic?”
The siblings stared at the bronze door, their minds unable to process what they were seeing. The door’s surface rippled like water, and for a fleeting moment, Merylene swore she saw a reflection—an image of a place she had never been to but felt an unshakable connection to. It was a fleeting glimpse, but the familiarity of it sent a shiver down her spine.
Then, as quickly as it had formed, the door began to dissolve, its bronze surface retracting into itself. The magnificent structure shrank, the liquid retracting back into the small, unassuming coin that now clinked softly against the floor as it fell.
The room was silent once more, the heavy presence that had gripped them moments ago dissipating. The stillness was almost deafening, leaving Merylene and Kane standing in stunned disbelief.
The sound of their mother’s voice, sharp and inquisitive, shattered the silence, pulling them out of their daze. “You… you’re telling me that this coin can transform?” She stood at the doorway, her eyes shifting between her children and the coin on the floor, her expression a mix of skepticism and curiosity.
Kane, still overwhelmed by what they had witnessed, nodded vigorously. “Yes, Mother! It can!” His voice was urgent, desperate for her to believe them. He reached out, grabbing her hand as if trying to physically transfer the gravity of what they had just seen.
Merylene, still shaken but trying to remain composed, nodded in agreement. “It’s true, Mother. The coin—it transformed into a door… right in front of us.” Her voice faltered slightly, still struggling to reconcile what she had seen.
Their mother’s skeptical expression softened, her gaze growing thoughtful. She glanced at the coin again, then back at her children. “Oh… that makes more sense now,” she murmured, as if a missing piece of a puzzle had just clicked into place.
Merylene frowned, her confusion deepening. “What do you mean, Mother?” she asked, her voice edged with frustration.
Their mother exhaled slowly, her eyes distant as she gathered her thoughts. “Well,” she began, “some months ago, I found that strange bronze coin in the store room. I didn’t know what it was, so I left it alone. But then, the next week, it was gone. It kept reappearing in different places—always somewhere else in the store room. At first, I thought I was losing my mind. The coin would vanish, then reappear on a different shelf, or closer to the door. I even thought it was trying to leave the room.” She paused, giving them a sheepish smile. “I didn’t want to scare you, so I didn’t mention it.”
Merylene’s eyes narrowed, her frustration growing. “Why didn’t you tell us? We’ve been here all this time!” Her voice was almost accusatory, her mind racing with thoughts of what might have happened had they known sooner.
Their mother sighed, her shoulders slumping. “I didn’t want to worry you. I even spoke to psychologists, friends, neighbors—no one had any answers. It disturbed me so much that I started reading about myths, legends, anything I could find about magic.” She looked at them with a mixture of concern and awe. “That’s when I found stories about the ancient mages. How they hid their descendants across the universe and planted magical items to reveal them when the time was right. If what I read is true, then this coin… it might be one of those items.”
Kane sank onto the couch, his mind spinning. “So, we’re… mages? Or descendants of mages?” he muttered, barely able to wrap his head around the idea.
Their mother nodded slowly. “It’s possible, yes.”
Kane’s eyes lit up with excitement, a smile spreading across his face. “This is amazing! We can perform magic!” His voice trembled with excitement, visions of casting spells and wielding magical powers flashing through his mind.
Merylene, however, was more cautious. “But how do we even know if we can? What kind of magic could we have?” she asked, her voice filled with doubt.
“There’s a way to find out,” their mother replied. “Mages can absorb elements or attributes that align with their magic. If you’re a mage, it will respond to you.”
Merylene scoffed, her arms crossed. “Absorb? That sounds ridiculous.”
But before their conversation could continue, Kane’s voice interrupted, filled with a strange, strained tone. “Uh... Mother, Merylene… I don’t think this is normal…”
They turned toward him, and what they saw stole the breath from their lungs. Kane was engulfed in a dark, swirling aura. His skin glowed with an unnatural black radiance, as if shadows themselves had become a part of him. The darkness surrounding him pulsed, growing thicker with each passing moment, the room’s light dimming as if the very air was being consumed.
The suffocating darkness expanded outward, creeping through the house like a living entity, its presence cold and oppressive. Kane’s silhouette twisted and blurred, the boy they knew dissolving into the shadows.
