A Wizards Beginning: Part Nine

Ramek felt the Dark Power's grip loosen around his throat. Then, it let go and staggered back, holding his chest. His hood fell off, revealing his face. A sleek Bruce's combed fur was under that hood. His eyes returned to a dark black, all signs of evil disappearing. But Ramek saw a flicker of red in the eye. The evil wasn't gone. It couldn't be fully defeated; only diminished beyond recreation. The Bruce in front of him gave a whimper and then disappeared.

     Then, Ramek felt an odd tingling sensation and looked around him. The cave was now getting fuzzy. Rocks were disappearing before his eyes. Soon, he found himself back in the whitewashed stairwell. He had to rub his eyes because of the unusual brightness.

     Ramek searched around quickly. Delor was gone. "Delor, are you here?" he asked. The vision of the pink Zafara being taken into the wall by the Techo henchman repeated in his mind. "Delor!" he shouted, a little louder this time.

     "Down here..." came a cry from below. Ramek started to run down the stairs, jumping past three at a time. The pink Zafara came into view, lying on the ground, panting.

     "Delor!" Ramek smiled and ran over to her to help her off the ground. "I did it. I DID IT!"

     Delor returned the smile. "I know. You did great."

     Ramek was proud. He knew, somehow, what he had done would make a difference. Well, he knew how. The Dark Power was defeated and the Wizarding world could return to normal again, instead of living in fear that the Dark Power would destroy their plans. Then, Tyvek popped up in his mind. His Counselor - he hadn't seen him in a long time. The last time he remembered was when he was reading from a book, sending Ramek on his Initial Journey. "How do we get home?" Ramek asked. He wanted to be home. To see his owner, his room, his Counselor.

     "We?" Delor asked, a face of worry coming onto her face. "This is my home."

     Ramek looked at her. "You aren't coming back with me. But..." Ramek looked at his friend. He was always under the impression that once this was all over, Delor would come to Neopia. "Why not?"

     "I can't leave here," she said, though she didn't sound sad at all.

     Ramek looked at her questioningly. "Can't or won't?"

     "Won't." Delor looked the other way, trying to avoid Ramek's eyes.

     "Why not?" Ramek asked. "You hate it here, don't you?"

     Delor chuckled. "I hated it here because of the Dark Power. Now...now it's just like any other home. Word will spread on the streets quickly that the Power has been defeated and this alternate world will soon return to normal."

     "You're coming with me," Ramek said. He wasn't going to let Delor stay here. "You can't fight it."

     Delor looked at him. "Do whatever you want. I'll get back here eventually."

     Ramek smiled and grabbed her hand. "Now, tell me how to get back."

     Delor sighed. "Horath Neopia Moonlit Ceeasar."

     Ramek looked around in the stairwell one last time before the two of them were transported into a darkness. Ramek tried to speak, but nothing came out. He attempted to do so many times, but soon he gave up and stayed in the eerie silence.

     Then, after a few minutes of being in the darkness, a small light emerged far away from Ramek. The light started to expand in size, until it almost blinded the Draik. He looked over to his left to see how Delor was doing. She had her eyes closed, trying to block out the light.

     Ramek and Delor then went through the light and were pushed hard into the ground by an invisible force. Ramek got up dizzily and looked around. He was in his room. The familiar wooden paneling surrounded him. His bed, desk, and bookcase almost seemed as if they would pop up and walk across the room to greet him. The furniture was a sight for sore eyes.

     He noticed that Delor had gotten up next to him and was hovering near Ramek, looking at a book that had been on the bed. "Wow, strange book," she muttered as she returned it to its place at the foot of the bed. Ramek caught the title on the book and stifled a chuckle. Dictionary.

     Ramek then turned his gaze to the door. It was slightly ajar and Ramek knew he hadn't left it like that when he left because of a fear that his owner would come in and see him being sent away on his Initial Journey. The yellow Draik walked toward it and touched the bronze doorknob, which was cold under his claw. He swung it open to reveal a hallway, where a balcony overlooked to living room. Ramek made his way to the wooden balcony and peered over the side into the ornately decorated living room. And he saw his owner, sitting on the couch with a cup of tea in her hand. Then, he noticed Tyvek sitting on the couch opposite, his cup of tea on the coffee table in front of him.

     Ramek didn't say anything for a moment and just surveyed the scene. Had Tyvek told his owner everything or did she know some made up story? From the shocked expression on his owner's face, he figured she knew the truth. "Rachel!" Ramek called out to his owner. Her gaze drifted to the balcony and she smiled, dropping her tea to the ground in a clatter.

     "I'll fix that," came Tyvek's voice and Ramek saw him muttering a few words, his finger pointing at the broken tea cup. In moments, the cup disappeared and the stain evaporated.

     Ramek returned his attention back to his owner, who was now running up the stairs, her arms open wide. Ramek walked toward her, waiting to be embraced in a hug. In only a few seconds, he felt two strong arms around him, bundling the Draik tightly. Soon, Ramek squeezed his way out and gestured Delor out of the doorframe, where she had been standing the whole time.

     "Who is this?" Rachel asked, pointing his finger at Delor, her black hair in her face from the hug.

     "This is Delor," Ramek said as a short introduction. "I met her on the Journey and...she's a good friend. She came back with me." Delor smiled and gave a quick wave of her hand.

     Just then, Tyvek came bounding up the stairs and gave Ramek a pat on the back. "Good job," he exclaimed cheerfully. "I knew you could do it!"

     Ramek gave a quick smile and turned back to his owner. "You know...I missed you," he said. And it was true. He had always taken Rachel and his possessions for granted and when they were gone, he was nervous without them.

     "Same," Rachel replied as she embraced him in another hug, this time letting him go a bit more quickly than before. "So..." she said as she started down the stairs, gesturing Delor, Tyvek, and Ramek to follow.

     As the three were making their way down the stairs, everyone was silent. Ramek felt awkward because of this and tried to start a conversation. "Is this all I have to do? Can I stop Wizardry now?" Ramek asked, even though he knew the answer to the question.

     When the four of them reached the bottom of the stairs, the green Ruki answered. "The Statement is a serious thing." He paused for a moment to sit down on the couch. "It's not a 'you say it' and you do the Initial Journey. It's...more than that. The Statement means you're signed onto Wizardry for life, unless you fail your Journey."

     As Ramek sat down, he bitterly regretted defeating the Dark Power. If he had failed, he wouldn't be in danger from Wizardry anymore. "But..."

     "There is still more training to be done, even after the Initial Journey," Tyvek continued, ignoring Ramek. "Now, we can hop right on that after you get a good nights sleep. I knew you must be tired after fighting the Dark Power."

     Ramek gave a sarcastic chuckle. "Tired? Tired? I could fall asleep and not wake up for a few weeks." He put his head back against the couch and closed his eyes. He was tired, though he hadn't noticed it before. It had been a long day and he was glad to be home, but he was exhausted. The Dark Power was gone. Couldn't he take a break from the Wizardry for a while? It wouldn't affect anyone. Ramek knew his Counselor would wait for him, no matter how long he rested. "I want to go to sleep..." Ramek said in a whining tone.

     Rachel laughed. "Yeah, I think you deserve it." That statement was met by a series of murmurs, stating their approval. "Here, I'll bring you upstairs."

     Ramek felt two hands close around him and then his body bumped up and down as Rachel carried him up the stairs. Through the hallway, and into his room. Ramek hit the covers softly and then felt a quilt being put on top of him. He then curled up in the blanket, rested his head on the pillow, and fell asleep.

To be continued...