The Mage Paradox [BOOK THREE]

Chapter 17: A ludicrous gift

Three days after the kids and Lesley left the torn-up Zlatan, let all the citizens from the bunker and the ones imprisoned in the castle back into another dimension of the Land of Dawn. All of them went back to their dimension of the Land of Dawn and recovered their wounds.

Dyrroth had to go back to the Abyss early for what reason they don't know about, and a couple of hours later, Ruby showed up and they had to be sorry that he left early.

And by the looks of it, Ruby is done with her mission. Though she's not fully healed yet, she insisted to drop by as she didn't see them for a long while. (They saw her slump in disappointment when she was told that Dyrroth was gone.)

Lesley said she had to leave the treehouse early as she had her missions to do, ("Probably trying to contact Gusion again." Harley groused.) And surprisingly, Diggie dropped by.

He demanded that he would have a word with Cyclops and the next day, both of them were gone.

But after all this, Harley still received his late birthday gifts. Cyclops gifted a star amulet that shines when he puts it on, Diggie's gift was an owl clock that hoots repeatedly when it's breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner, and bedtime. The weird thing was this clock hoots for an hour or two when it's midnight and Harley had to fling it out of the window.

Ruby gifted an eyepatch ("Looking hardcore!") Chang'e sent him a crescent moon pin all the way from Cadia Riverlands, ("Why do I feel like Cyclops and Chang'e have the same tastes in accessories?") Nan gifted an apple pie,  ("Oh my God, leonins make the best apple pie.")

Harley was fumbling with the bottle of liquid that Dyrroth gave him right on his birthday. It shone gold when he looked at it from the left side, but it looked murky and brown when he looked at it from the right side.

When you drink this, you will be immune to all spells, and whoever cast that spell will get it instead, like when I try to hit you with my specter, I will feel the scratch instead, might be useful for you. Dyrroth's words echoed in Harley's head.

No coincidence, this liquid is just like that spell called Vengeance. Harley thought. And it might come in handy.

He sat the bottle on the table beside him and looked up at Harith who continued to stare at him while lying on the bed.

"So you finally woke up after three days," Harley marveled.

"Shut up," Harith yawned, sitting up. "For someone who stabbed me way too hard."

"Haha. Come to think of it, I should have just stabbed you with a real knife if I remembered what an ape you are."

"Now you are just being spiteful-"

"Says the one who didn't know what it's like to see his other self die." Harley lashed, turning away with folded arms.

Harith met his eyes. "He died?"

"I am not gonna repeat myself," Harley blurted, drifting his gaze to a pillow. "I tried to give him a chance, but it seems that he has chosen his own."

Harith exhaled. "Good riddance, that guy's worst than you are."

Harley was tempted to say "He is me." but he swallowed it down and bit his tongue.

"That spiritual pressure of yours," Harith brought up a few moments later. "I saw you transform into a rainbow something before I completely passed out, what was it?"

Harley lifted his gaze from the pillow. "Cyclops said it was my ability's true form, he checked it in his tablet that he brought back and found some data on it." he started to chew on his lip. "He said it was 'Dream Caster' or something. You know, before I knew the name of it, I called it 'Stellar Magician' can you believe that?"