Warlock Ch 22. A Bad Liar
Damian took a step closer, staring at the invisible line separating the two worlds. He frowned.
This was it? The "gate" between the Magic City and the normal part of Haven City was just... a line?
He had imagined sothing grand, maybe looming towers or a monunt, or even a swirling portal. But this? This was a faint shimr, like the heat rising off asphalt on a hot day. Barely noticeable unless he was looking for it.
"This is the gate?" Damian asked, incredulous. "I thought there'd be... more."
Evelyn smirked slightly, sensing his disappointnt. "You expected sothing more dramatic?"
"Yeah," Damian admitted, still frowning. "I an, we're crossing between worlds, right? Shouldn't there be so kind of, I don't know, magic portal? A big archway? Sothing?"
Evelyn chuckled softly. "Sotis, the most powerful things are the ones that don't need to show off. This line keeps the two worlds separate. Cross it, and everything changes. You don't need towers for that."
Damian sighed, stepping over the line. Instantly, the world around them shifted. The vibrant, strange sights of the Magic City lted away, replaced by the familiar urban sprawl of the normal Haven City. They were standing in an alley now, the hum of traffic and the distant sounds of people filling the air. This was the city he knew, the one he had grown up in.
He glanced around, trying to orient himself. "So... that alley was the way in?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. It seed so simple, too simple.
Evelyn shook her head. "Not exactly. The line teleported us to an empty place in the city. It's random, so we don't appear in the middle of a crowd. That's why normal people don't even know the Magic City exists."
Damian nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay, so how do I get back?"
"You'll need a spell to cross back into the Magic City," she explained. "It's not like you can just walk over whenever you want. Only people like us—people with magic—can go in and out."
Damian thought about it for a second. "Yeah, that makes sense. Keep the regular folks out of the weird stuff."
"Exactly," Evelyn said, giving him a small smile. "Ready to go?"
He nodded, his mind still spinning from everything he had seen, but there was sothing else tugging at him now—sothing more grounded. "First stop's my apartnt. I need to grab my stuff."
The walk to his apartnt felt surreal. Even though the normal city looked the sa as always—cars rushing by, people walking with their heads buried in their phones—Damian couldn't help but feel detached from it all. It was like he had one foot in this world and the other in the one Evelyn had shown him.
When they finally reached his building, Damian hesitated before going inside. It felt strange, stepping back into the life he had known, as if everything had changed but the world around him hadn't noticed.
He climbed the stairs to his apartnt and couldn't help but think about what he was leaving behind. His life here had been simple—normal. He worked at the bar, hung out with friends, lived with Kai, his roommate. It was routine.
When he unlocked the door and stepped inside, he was greeted by Kai, who looked up from the couch, confusion written all over his face.
"Dude?" Kai asked, blinking in surprise. "I thought you were in your room. You ca ho, like, an hour ago and went straight in."
Damian froze for a second. 'Oh right!' he thought. The shadow, the double that Evelyn had left to cover for him. He had completely forgotten about it.
"Uh, yeah," Damian said, trying to keep his voice casual. "I was... out, but I need to talk to you about sothing."
Kai raised an eyebrow, standing up and crossing his arms. "Okay, what's up? Why are you acting so weird?"
Damian took a deep breath, bracing himself for the conversation he didn't really want to have. "I need to move out."
Kai's confusion deepened, his expression shifting from surprise to suspicion. "Move out? Why? You just paid rent, man. What's going on?"
Without saying anything, Damian searched for his phone from his room. He found it in his work bag. Good thing the shadow Damian brought that ho. He transferred the next month's rent to Kai's account. He could see the notification pop up on Kai's phone, but Kai didn't look reassured. If anything, he seed more confused.
"You're moving out and paying rent?" Kai asked, narrowing his eyes. "What the hell, Damian? This doesn't make any sense."
Damian sighed, beginning to collect his things. "It's... complicated. My relatives—they need . Sothing ca up."
Kai followed him, watching as Damian shoved clothes into a duffel bag. "Your relatives?" Kai's voice was skeptical. "Dude, you're a bad liar. You don't have relatives. You're an orphan. I've known you for years, man."
Damian pressed his lips together, avoiding Kai's gaze as he continued packing. He had forgotten how well Kai knew him, how there were no easy excuses in a situation like this.
Kai's voice softened, concern creeping in. "Damian, what's really going on? Are you in trouble? Did you get involved with sothing... dangerous? Are you running from soone?"
Damian stopped packing, his hands still for a mont as the weight of Kai's words hung in the air. He turned to face him, eting his friend's eyes. "Let's just say... yeah, it's dangerous. But I can't explain. Not right now."
Kai's face twisted with frustration, but there was an underlying worry in his eyes. "Man, if you're mixed up in sothing bad, you can talk to . I'm serious. You don't have to run off like this."
Damian sighed, slinging the duffel bag over his shoulder. "I wish I could tell you everything, Kai. But you wouldn't believe if I did."
Kai scoffed, throwing his hands up. "Try ."
Damian paused, considering it for a split second, before shaking his head. "I can't. Not yet. But I need you to trust on this. I'll be fine."
Kai watched him for a long mont. Finally, he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Fine. But if you need anything—anything—you know where I am."
"Thanks, man," Damian said, his voice softer now. "I'll be in touch."
Kai gave him a tight nod, watching as Damian walked toward the door.
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