Fools Paradise - 12 Ch 12- The center of being

A room of pure white is where Wittorf found himself. Only a chair and a door decorated this room. It was oddly quiet and unnerving. His heartbeat was all he heard for the longest time. He wandered around the room. Where was he, and what was he doing here? He continued to wander around the room for what seemed like hours. He went to open the door, but it would not budge. He sat in the chair and waited for something. For some reason he could not remember how he got here but he knew he was searching for something. Moments later a young girl no older than six with brown ponytails and green eyes pops her head in to watch him. Wittorf calls out to the girl.

“Who are you?”

Leaving the chair Wittorf walks towards the girl but before he could get to her she closes the door and footsteps can be heard leaving. He had to find this girl. Perhaps she could tell him where he was. He grabs the door handle and this time it turns for him. He opens the door and a brilliant white light flashes and everything fades.

Crying can be heard. Who was it? Oh, it was me. Wittorf is sobbing in a forest. Trees tall and rich with color. Birds chirping in the distance and the smell of rain on the horizon. Why was he crying all of a sudden? More importantly why can he see himself crying? It took Wittorf a second to adjust to his surroundings. He was looking at himself from a bird’s eye view. He was even more confused now. Why was this happening to him? He looked down at himself to find that he was floating in the air just below the tree line. This was too weird he did not want to be here anymore. But something kept calling out to him. He was still searching for something and perhaps this other Wittorf could help him find it.

“Why am I crying again?”

The crying Wittorf stands up and wipes his tears away. It was so weird seeing himself move

“I need to get home before Lana gets mad.”

Wandering off further into the forest Floating Wittorf decides to give chase. He was not sure where he was still, but he knew that he needed to watch over himself. He had a gut feeling something bad was about to happen, but he did not know what.

It starts to get darker as the sun fades and night sets in. crying Wittorf is wandering around seemingly lost. Stumbling a little as he goes. Never stopping his tears which only helped blind the kid futher.

“You’re lost aren’t you?” Wittorf could tell by now this other Wittorf had no clue where he was going.

“I think it’s over there.” The crying Wittorf said out loud.

Wandering through some bushes crying Wittorf feels the sting of the branches and spines of the bush cut into him. Floating Wittorf looks towards the other side of the bush line. It was a terrifying site. Large wolves were waiting there. It looked like a pack had picked that spot to rest for the night. Wittorf was walking into a trap and needed to be warned!”

“Don’t go that way!”

Stumbling out of the bushes the three wolves get up and start growling. Teeth bare and saliva dripping. Floating Wittorf knew the boy would not be able to fend off that attack so he needed to do something and fast. Without even thinking he rushed to get in between the wolves and his other self. The wolves don’t even seem to notice him. They are still focused on the other Wittorf.

What was he supposed to do in this situation? Suddenly a bright light appeared in front of the crying Wittorf. It slowly formed itself into Master Coda. Time seemed to stop after he appeared the only ones able to move are Coda and the floating Wittorf.

“Weren’t you here to find something?”

“I need to save him!”

“You can’t save the past.”

What did he mean the past? He never dealt with giant wolves before. If he did, he would have remembered this. How did he manage to get out of this one? Looking at the scene of the wolves frozen in mid air about to maul Wittorf.

“If this is the past then how am I still alive?”

“Do you not remember what happened?”

Looking back at the scene time starts up again and the wolves continue their decent onto Wittorf. Crying Wittorf falls to the ground scared out of his mind before a bolt of energy comes out of nowhere and hits into the wolf as it slams into a tree. The other two wolves growl and disperse. An older man with a black cloak on, long dark hair and eyes as red as wine walks up to the crying Wittorf.

He was in awe; he had never seen magic before in his life, but he knew it when he saw it. This man was a mage. The man stops in front of the young boy and extends his hand out. It began to glow and surround Wittorf head. For a moment Wittorf could feel his core being examined. He was not sure what the man was doing but he didn’t like it. The light fades away and the older man looks disgusted.

“This was a mistake. I should have left you to the wolves.”

Those words cut like a knife. His savior who just risked his life to save him just tossed him aside and called him worthless. The memory pauses and Coda stands there looking at Wittorf but this time he is not smiling. This was very uncommon for Coda who always seemed to have a smile on his face. Wittorf remember this day. It was a day he had tried to forget and for the longest time it would seem he did. It was the day he decided to become a mage and the day he lost his self-worth. Coda put his hand on Wittorfs shoulder.

“What did this mean to you?”

“It meant everything.”