Halo: Magicka

"Ahh Big Bwo where you going?" A small child looked at me tearfully as I was about to leave the house. It was a bleak day but seeing my little brother's expression made me smile.

"Baby Bro, you know I need to go to school, you do this every day," I grinned and went to give him a little hug. I smiled as he melted in my arms,

"You just want to see a little more magic, don't you?"

He nodded his head that was resting on my chest,

"You little rascal, you know you can say that."

Pulling away, I noticed the shy grin he had on his face. Looking at a toy in our house, I began remotely manipulating it to fly around my little brother. After a couple of minutes, I put it down and whispered to him,

"you know baby bro, you'll be able to do some of this stuff one day as well, I'm going to train you when you're a little bit older. Remember you can't tell mum or dad about this."

I swore I could almost see stars in his eyes and he nodded vigorously. I laughed as I patted him on the head one last time, grabbing my bag to go to school.

...

"Ayo J, what's your plan?" I spoke quietly, my voice low enough that no one else in the corner of the playground could overhear. The other kids ran and shouted in the distance, but here, in our little shadowed corner, the air felt heavy.

Jameson—J, to me—leaned back against the rusted metal fence, arms crossed over his chest. His usual cocky smirk was absent, replaced by a tight frown.

"Of course, Mr. Magic Man would be thinking the same thing as me," he said, his voice carrying a weight it didn't usually have.

I didn't smile at the nickname this time, "but honestly, if you feel it too, then there's gotta be something to it."

We both fell silent for a moment, watching the playground. Kids ran across the asphalt, laughter bouncing off the brick walls, but there was something… hollow about it. Like everyone was playing pretend, clinging to what was left of normalcy.

"You see how the teachers look nowadays..." I continued my voice barely above a whisper, "how their eyes are sunken, how they glance out the windows like they're expecting something to show up? How the city's quietly reinforcing itself? How some kids just… aren't coming to school anymore?"

J's eyes flicked down to the scuffed tips of his sneakers. He nodded.

"And Ethan," I said, my throat tightening slightly as I spoke his name, "he and his family might not even be on this planet anymore, man…"

J let out a sharp breath through his nose, shaking his head slowly. "I've been feeling it for weeks now, Eli. Something's coming. Something big. And the grown-ups know it, even if they're not saying anything."

The two of us stood there for a moment, the weight of our unspoken fears settling around us like fog.

"What do we do?" J finally asked.

I swallowed, feeling the familiar hum of Magicka deep in my core. There were things I could do, and things I had to do. But I couldn't tell J about that—not yet.

"Listen J, if anything happens, try to make it to my house, since you're only two streets away from me. Give me a call as soon as it happens though..." I said as I glanced up at an image I hoped would never come.

J still oblivious, pushed himself off the fence and clapped me on the shoulder, "Alright, Magic Man. Let me know if you see or hear anything. The same goes for me."

"J, look at the sky behind you."

The bell rang, and the brief stillness shattered as kids and teachers alike began flooding out.

Several violet-coloured ships of alien design seemed to be hovering in the atmosphere above the city.

J turned around quickly, his expression shifting from casual to one of confusion. His eyes widened as they locked onto the ships hovering ominously above the city. The purple glow from their underside cast a strange light over everything, making the entire city feel eerily silent.

"What the hell...?" J muttered, his voice barely audible over the rising murmurs of the other students who were beginning to notice the ships as well.

I felt a knot tighten in my stomach. The energy in the air shifted, heavy and unnatural. The Magicka inside me hummed with an intensity I hadn't felt in a long time. This is it. They're here.

"That's the Covenant," I said, my voice steady but low, "They're coming for us."

J whipped his head back at me, disbelief flashing across his face, "The Covenant? Are you serious? They're—here?"

I nodded grimly. "I don't know what they're after, but this is bad. We need to get our families. Now."

J didn't ask questions. He knew enough to trust me. The distant rumbling of the ships filled the air as the others in the schoolyard started to panic. Some screamed, others ducked for cover, but I could see the way the teachers were looking around, too, like they knew something was coming.

One of the ships, larger than the others, began descending slowly toward the ground. The purple lights flickered, and the low hum turned into a menacing thrum, vibrating through the pavement beneath our feet.

"They're preparing to land," I said, urgency creeping into my voice. "We need to move—now."

J looked at me, his face set in determination. "I'm with you, Eli. Let's get out of here."

Without another word, we broke into a sprint, weaving through the panicked crowd of students. As we neared the edge of the playground, I took one last glance at the ships. The Covenant had arrived, and there was no going back. Whatever was coming next, we had to be ready. My mind was racing with possibilities, my one conclusion being to curse.

'"Fuck!" I grumbled, 'This isn't a scouting party, this is basically the turning point in a covenant skirmish, they're going to be able to puncture more holes in UNSC spacial defences now to send small parties down.'

I kept my hand on my phone, ready to call my family the moment we made it to safety. My family needed to be kept safe, and I couldn't risk them getting caught up in this. The battle was just beginning.

"Jameson. What I'm about to do now, I need you to swear that you will not tell a soul about it, or you risk your very soul," I said as put my hand out as we kept sprinting. Rousing my Magicka from its sleep, I thought about the spell I saw in the mysticism tree that was a derivative of Soul Trap,

[Soul Contract]

Jameson nodded as he took my hand, "I swear Eli, anything as long as we can save our families quicker."

My Magicka flowed into him and connected to the core inside of him, if he intended to say anything, he'd experience excruciating pain and if he still kept on... he'd die. I nodded as I changed my mentality, it was time to reveal some cards.

[Fortify Speed x2]

[Fortify Agility x2]

[Remote Manipulation]

I enhanced both of our natural abilities and provided a push from behind and just in case he tripped over, I could grab him from behind and correct his course.

In five minutes, we'd reached J's house. I reset the reinforcements on him, giving him at least another 8 minutes with them,

"Remember, grab them and come to my house, if you don't call in the next ten minutes, I'll call you. Just in case, I'll also leave you with this..."

[Fortify Endurance x2]

[Fortify Strength x2]

[Fortify Health x2]

[Fortify Luck x2]

[Stone Skin x2]

Sweat began to form on my brows as I enhanced both of us, I waved at him before I simply used [Remote manipulation] to fly over the houses and through our window.

Crash!

I looked up before...

The world around me slowed as the sharp crack of a gunshot split the air. I didn't even have time to register what happened before the impact hit me. My head snapped to the side as I felt something hard strike my head, the sting blooming into a searing pain.

For a moment, all I could hear was the ringing in my ears. My legs gave out from under me as the force of the blow knocked me off balance. I hit the ground, but not hard—something had caught me. The spell I'd used, the enhancement of my speed and reflexes, had kept me from collapsing completely, but the disorientation was overwhelming.

I groaned, feeling nauseous. I reached up with one hand, fingers trembling as I touched the tender spot where the bullet had grazed me. It was only a bruise, but it felt like more.

And then I heard her voice—clear, trembling, and filled with disbelief,

"Eli?!"

My mother stood in the doorway, the gun still in her trembling hands, eyes wide with shock. She hadn't meant to hit me. I knew that, but in the chaos of the moment, she'd reacted as any mother would in the face of danger. The instinct to protect had triggered, and the gun had gone off before she even realized I was there.

"Mom…" My voice was hoarse, barely a whisper, but I forced myself to sit up. My head spun, and I could feel my vision blurring, but I needed to speak to her. I needed to save my family.

'[Remedy]' I thought as I felt my bruise heal, and my fatigue dissipate a little. Unfortunately, I was still concussed and nauseous, Ah, so this is when that spell is needed...

'[Minor Dispel]'

She dropped the gun as she saw that I was okay, her hands flying to her face as she gasped, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Eli, I didn't mean to—oh god, I'm so sorry, I didn't see—it's just—Eli, how—"

"Mom, it's okay," I choked out, pushing myself up with a groan. My body feeling like a well-oiled machine bounced back as the effects were so minor now. But I couldn't stop now. Not when the Covenant ships were still out there.

I staggered toward her, reaching out to steady myself against the doorframe. My mind was foggy, but I had to act.

"Where's Dad? We need to leave."