The Mage Paradox [BOOK THREE]

Chapter 6: Survivours in the night

"You're sure you want to go to this dimension?"

"What choice do we have Diggie?" Harith sighed. "Harley's in there and we have to save him."

"We are together, it will be alright," Lylia added with a confident smile.

Diggie massaged his forehead. "It's risky, even if you have company, may I remind you guys that you guys are kids, going on a death-defying adventure to save this careless mage from another dimension."

Harith cleared his throat. "They have me, plus, I'm not a kid, call me that again, and we will eat you for thanksgiving."

Diggie snorted. "Whatever, I will never understand cats. Also, with all due respect, you can't protect them all by yourself."

The leonin tried to argue further, but he didn't know what to say, because Diggie was right, he can't protect all of them by himself. Before he could ask something else, a bright flash of light interrupted them and they heard someone scream: "Where's my brother?!?!"

The light grew dimmer and the group can make out a tall figure with braided white hair a distance away. Everyone instantly recognized that figure.

Harith whipped around to face Diggie. "Well, we have a companion, are you happy?"

⌛ 

Why am I so stupid??

Harley blamed himself for being so careless, even though it isn't his fault. He was hyperventilating while hugging his knees close to his chest. He couldn't think of a plan, not when he is in 'who knows where' and this place has murderers roaming. Including himself. Every time he always gets himself into trouble and made everyone worry. First, he fell off a cliff, now he's stranded in another dimension. For one reason, he couldn't get home. So he tried to stay alive until his friends came, eventually.

The weird thing was, the room was very cold, yet Harley didn't feel cold at all. Maybe because he was wearing a white collar shirt and a dark blue jacket, with some very long socks that were tucked into his short loose pants.

He eventually started to calm down and thought of a plan, even though he doesn't know where to start. Harley sighed and buried his face into his hands. He heard the door open with a click and soft footsteps that he heard many times in Erudito that made him fill with hope, but in this case, no.

He felt a hand lift his head from his hands, forcing him to look into Angela's eyes.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

Harley shrugged.

"Come with me," she let go of Harley's head and out of the door, beckoning him to follow her.

He followed venom Angela out of Octo's room and down the hallway that was lightened up with purple light, and a weird green tint that Harley couldn't tell where it came from. He noticed the walls were made of metal, which reminded him of a secret base could have, or the basement of Erudito's laboratory.

At the end of the hallway, was a pair of metal double doors, once Angela stepped into its line of sight, the door slid open revealing another room, without windows. There was a big table with 5 chairs that floated in thin air, and Harley had to remind himself that it wasn't magic.

Tucked at the corner of the room were more technology Harley didn't recognize and some computers. A silver-haired Gusion was browsing something in the computer, while Hanabi looked at a picture of a boy that looked like a younger version of her, but a boy. Grock was filling his gas tank with something that made Harley feel light, and Octo, his other self was scraping a part of the wall which was all stone and not metal.

He shuddered.

Angela clapped her hands for their attention. They looked up and it immediately made Harley feel uneasy.

"So this is the guy?" Gusion got up and walked towards the genius mage.

Angela nodded while Gusion studied him. "Where did you come from?"

Harley hesitated. "Land of Dawn...?"

Gusion nodded, not able to take his eyes off him.

"He should stay, Harley is our friend and ally," said Angela.

His other self scraped the wall sharply. "Octo," he corrected.

Hanabi rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Can we trust him?" Gusion asked them.

Octo shot him a look. "He's me."

"That's the point, he's you, but he's not evil like you,"

Octo rolled his eyes. "Trust me, I wouldn't betray you guys even if I was evil or not."

"I agree, Octo is super loyal," Grock grunted. "And he's my best pal,"

Harley's other self smiled for the first time since he's been here.

"But, This guy is good, and Octo is evil, I don't think good will stay on the side of evil," Hanabi cast a suspicious glance at Harley.

"Then don't let him listen to your plans, isn't that easy?" Grock asked.

"Yes," Octo got up from the metal floor. "And I'm gonna go and have some fun with myself," he smirked.

"Okay, go and take good care of yourself, I suppose," Hanabi smirked under her mask. "Don't do anything funny,"

"I won't," he winked at Harley.

The mage tensed. He's definitely gonna do something funny.

"Now get your doppelganger out of the main room," Gusion commanded. "And out of my sight."

Octo obeyed and pulled Harley out of the main room. Harley followed Octo out and down the hallways and in front of them was an elevator. But Octo didn't press the button of the elevator, he just stood there with his back on Harley. And he knew why, that's what he always does when he doesn't want to look at someone in the eye. But Octo forced himself to turn around and look at himself in the eye. 

"Come with me."

⌛ 

A portal opened up in Zlatan and Cyclops came out along with the others. They gasped once they saw the beautiful city before them all torn and broken.

'Venom really outdid themselves," Lylia sighed.

"It's a pity that we didn't get a chance to save this city," said Cyclops.

Harith cleared his throat. "Remember the mission, find Harley and get out of here asap."

Another figure appeared in the portal and stepped out, revealing Lesley who held her enormous sniper rifle. 

"Where is my brother?" she asked while looking around Zlatan, incensed.

"Don't worry, Lesley, Harley must be somewhere around here," Nana eyed her surroundings.

Lylia saw something at the corner of her eye. She whipped around to see a hand waving at her from behind the ruins of a cupcake shop. She recognized something about it, and to everyone's surprise, she ran for it.

"WAIT, LYLIA!" Harith yelled.

"She lost her marbles." Dyrroth sighed, translator bud popped in his ear.

Lylia emerged behind the ruins of the cupcake hop and gave them a sign that it was alright. They cautiously approached the ruins and saw a boy about eleven for twelve behind Lylia.

He wore blue head shades and a white suit which was covered in dust and was torn up. He gestured for them to follow him and be quiet and they obeyed.

"What makes you sure this guy is trustworthy?" Harith whispered to Lylia, waiting for his cat's senses to tingle.

"Because I recognize him from the Academy of Magic," Lylia whispered back. "His name is Hester, and we could really use some help right now."