The Most Arbitrary Wizard

Chapter 5: Chapter 1: The Truth 3

Sean: "?"

’What’s he talking about? A mental patient?’

’Chris??’

"Pah! You sons of bitches, don’t even think you can catch me!" Chris cursed, then chanted a string of trilled syllables that sounded like some kind of Spell. Then he shouted, "Pass through wall!"

He grabbed a throw from the sofa, pulled it over his head, and charged headfirst into the nearby wall.

"THUD!"

It happened so fast that Sean couldn’t even react. With a dull thud, Chris’s eyes rolled back in his head. He’d knocked himself unconscious. He slumped against the wall, his tongue lolling out, inarticulate whimpers sputtering from his throat. freewebnovёl.ƈom

The room fell silent.

The two officers: "..."

Sean: "..."

He didn’t even have time to be surprised.

’So, my old friend had Vanished into Oblivion recently because he’s been in a mental hospital this whole time?’

’...Damn it, and I almost believed him.’

"Our sincerest apologies, sir." The shorter officer signaled his partner to help the man up and apologized to Sean again. "This was our mistake. We’ll pay for the door and compensate you for the disturbance. When would be a good time? We can schedule someone to come and replace it for you."

Sean’s gaze remained on Chris. He’d had his snarky thoughts, but he couldn’t help but feel sorry for what had happened to his old friend.

"Can you tell me which hospital he’s in?" he asked.

"Florist Hospital," the shorter officer replied. "Is he a friend of yours?"

Sean nodded. "When he wakes up, please tell him I’ll come see him in a couple of days, and that he should take care of himself."

"Have the door fixed this morning."

"Alright." The shorter officer pocketed his ID. "Then we won’t disturb your rest any further, sir."

The two officers left, half-carrying Chris between them.

Sean stared at the drafty doorway, a sigh escaping him. An image surfaced in his mind: Chris from two years ago, vibrant and full of energy, a pack on his back as he announced he was going on an outdoor adventure.

’He was such a normal guy. How did he end up like this?’

’With a head full of ideas like that, he was clearly not just a little sick.’

Sean then recalled what Chris had said earlier, and he felt a pang of guilt. For all he knew, Chris’s condition was a result of reading his novels. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Chris had even recited the Spell incorrectly. That string of trilled syllables from an old language was also a concept from his books, but its effect wasn’t to pass through walls. Quite the opposite, in fact. The affix in that phrase meant "to make something hard." So, even if Chris were a genuine Wizard, he still wouldn’t have been able to get through.

’Bless his heart. Aigh...’

With all the commotion in the middle of the night, there was no way Sean could get back to work. He did a quick tidy-up of the messy living room, sat back down on the sofa, and picked up the mug next to his laptop, planning to have a few sips of hot milk to calm his nerves.

But as he brought the rim of the mug to his lips and tilted it back, things once again took a turn he hadn’t anticipated.

He could clearly see that the milk, which should have been liquid, had seemingly congealed into a solid mass. It was stuck inside the mug. Even as he slowly tilted the mug to almost ninety degrees, the milk didn’t budge. Not a single drop came out.

Sean’s eyes widened, and his heart gave a sudden, inexplicable THUMP.

"No way..."

CRASH!

Without warning, a crow shattered the window and burst into the living room. Its feathers were a blazing crimson, like a ball of burning flame. It shot past Sean’s face, then smashed through the window on the opposite side of the room to get out.

Sean’s hand trembled in fright, and the mug slipped from his grasp, falling to the floor.

"SMASH!"

The glass mug shattered on impact, sending shards flying everywhere.

But the milk remained perfectly intact, still holding the shape of the mug, as if it were a block of solid iron.

...