Mistakes and Magic (Book 1)

Don't Bring A Knife To A Magic Fight

Above art is the final cover art for this story. I figured I'd put it here so you can get a better look! Shouldn't need to be said, but please don't steal.

The one-shot that started it all. Enjoy!

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Anti walks along an empty sidestreet in the middle of the night.

I'm lonely ~

So very lonely ~

"Good. Then you probably won't mind having some sudden company?"

Anti looks around in confusion, searching for the source of the voice.

"Marvin? Show yourself!"

A sudden blue glow appears from all angles, partially blinding Anti. He squints and makes out the outline of a person coming out from his right side.

"How'd you know?" He grins, hands clasped behind his back.

"Blue magic. It's pretty fucking obvious."

"I didn't use magic until after you called out for me. So, again, how'd you know?" Marvin asks slowly.

The glow fades out until it's just his glowing blue eyes amidst the darkness of the deserted street.

"Lucky guess." Anti growls, summoning his knife.

"Ooh~" Marvin claps his hands once he sees Anti's use of magic.

Anti's expression turns somewhat confused but he stays focused.

"What do you want?" The demon's voice bounces from building to building and back.

"Company." Marvin's hands are, once again, behind his back.

"Surely you jest. Now tell me what you're really here for and why it's me you're bugging."

"No reason, really. Just wanted to know something." He circles around Anti, taking long strides and stopping in front of him.

"Spit it the fuck out then! I don't have all night."

"Actually, you do. You've been cursed to not be able to possess him at night and I can help you break that."

Anti stands there, shocked, knife falling from his loose grip before his expression turns angry and he summons it back, slashing at the masked magician who backs away with precision.

"There's no way you seen that coming!" Anti yells at Marvin's back as he walks away.

"I have my ways, young one."

"I'm one ego younger than you, ya fuck!"

"Yeah. I was first, yet you get all the attention. Not really fair that I'm willing to help you, is it?" He turns around and narrows his eyes at the demon who growls in return.

"So why is it that you want to help me?"

"To make my name known!"

"And why would I help you do that?"

"Because I can help you break this curse! Otherwise, you'll be wandering aimlessly every night singing these horrible tunes with your stupid glitch voice."

"I don't trust you. You're a sucky magician."

"Oh really?" Marvin stops pacing and balls his hands into fists for a second before opening them to reveal bright blue magic. "Would a sucky magician be able to do this?"

He raises one hand and points it at Anti's knife, making it disappear, then puts his hands in his pockets and resumes pacing.

"Oh wow! A disappearing trick! How'd ya fookin do it?!" Anti asks sarcastically while holding his hand out to summon his knife back.

Once.

Twice.

"Where the fuck is it?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Were you looking for this?" Marvin pulls Anti's knife out of his pocket and dangles it by the handle. "Quite a strange obsession if you ask me."

"Nobody asked you so give it back!"

"Oh? Why not let me have it back since it was mine first? See, always forgotten."

"Yours? Quit playing around!"

"You want it back? Fight me."

"I need it back to do -"

"No. With magic. If you know how to summon objects, you should know the other basics."

"Fine." The knife disappears from Marvin's hand and Anti whimpers quietly. Marvin grins as he walks away to circle his prey again. "What's with you and pacing?"

"Just a trick I picked up. Helps me keep an eye on someone better."

"The someone in this case being me."

"Precisely."

"How often do you corner people in abandoned streets that you've had to come up with techniques to make sure they don't get away?"

"Plenty. No need to worry, young one."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Nah. I quite like it. Reminds me that you're not the only one. Isn't that right Marvin?" He faces his right hand side and a second Marvin shows up, identical to the the first.

"Yes, Marvin. You are quite correct." Marvin #2 disappears and the original laughs at Anti's confusion, then abruptly stops, turning serious again.

"You know nothing." He hisses at the demon, disappearing and reappearing right beside the glitch. "Yet you're so powerful! And you don't want to ... build on it." He disappears again and is suddenly standing against a wall on the opposite side of the street. "There's so much I could teach you!" He disappears and reappears on Anti's right side, holding his shoulders.

Anti turns around quickly, throwing Marvin off balance and teleporting place to place super fast, ending up back in front of Marvin with a hand out to help him up.

"I do know some stuff; I just need to be able to master it."

Marvin smiles and graciously takes the demon's offer, limping for a second after standing before summoning two chairs and sitting down in one of them, hand out to tell Anti to sit.

Anti shakes his head and starts walking away, before being pulled back quickly.

"Anti, do you want my help or not?" Marvin asks, almost impatiently.

"Thanks, but no thanks. Just my knife back?"

"No problem buddy. Come find me anytime but now," he points in the direction of the sunrise, "get back to Jack and do your thing." He pats Anti's back and hands him a knife.

Anti looks it over, confused. "This isn't my knife."

"No, it's not. It's the one I started keeping after Jack gave you mine to use. I want you to have it. Goodbye, Antisepticeye."

And in a flash of blue magic, Marvin was gone.

"He only gave me this because he wanted his back." Anti says out loud, looking off into the sunrise. "But it'll do."

He starts walking back the way he came.

"Look out, Jack. I'm friends with a jealous asshole magician now."

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So, basically, I write at night. I was tired and liked where it was going, then it took a complete turn and the whole fucking mood changed. Now I hate it and want it to burn in hell, but I don't want to trash it so it's staying the way it is.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

Bai!

Edit: Some events (timeline-wise) may not match up throughout the story. I'm trying but I've already sorta ruined it. Sorry.