All Chapters of STRANGE MAGIC : Chapter 11
- Chapter 20
34 chapters
TRYING TO FIX IT BACK
When Darren finished explaining the strange dream to his parents, the house fell into a heavy silence. His mother’s hand trembled as she set down the wooden cup she was holding. His father’s face grew pale; even the flickering lamp on the table seemed to dim, as if reacting to their fear.“Darren,” his father finally said, his voice quiet but firm, “dreams like this are not to be ignored. They come for a reason. You must be careful with every step you take from now on.”His mother nodded, her eyes filled with worry. “Yes, my son. We’ve warned you before. There’s something strange about your powers. If the king or the royal guards find out, we could all be in danger. Promise us you’ll be cautious.”“I will,” Darren replied softly, though he didn’t sound entirely convinced. His father studied him for a moment longer before letting out a long, weary sigh.“Let’s eat,” he said finally, trying to steady his voice.They moved to the dining table. The smell of roasted grain and herbs filled
THE THREATENING
The sun was sinking low behind the hills when the trader began walking toward Joran’s compound, his heavy boots pressing against the dusty road. The air felt thick, almost watchful, and even the birds seemed to hold their breath. Joran was outside the compound, sitting quietly on a wooden bench, lost in thought when he noticed a shadow moving from a distance. He squinted his eyes, trying to see clearly who it was.As the figure drew closer, Joran’s heart began to beat faster. The man’s shape, his gait—it all felt familiar. Then, as the rays of the fading sun caught the man’s face, realization hit him like a spark of lightning. It was the trader.A sudden wave of unease washed through Joran’s chest. His legs trembled slightly. He didn’t know what the trader wanted or why he was coming directly to his home. But something about the man’s expression told him this wasn’t an ordinary visit. Still, he swallowed his fear and steadied himself, forcing his hands to stop shaking. He refused to l
UNAVAILABLE
The sun was high in the sky when Joran reached Darren’s compound. The air was warm, carrying the faint scent of dust and smoke from the nearby fields. He looked around, expecting to see his friend somewhere outside, maybe tending to the animals or chopping wood. But the place felt strangely quiet, too quiet.He knocked on the wooden gate once, then twice. No answer. He called out, “Darren! Are you there?” Only the rustle of leaves replied. After a few minutes, Darren’s father appeared from behind the house, wiping his hands with a small cloth. His expression was calm, though lines of worry traced his face.“Ah, Joran,” the old man said kindly. “You’re here early. Darren went hunting this morning. He hasn’t returned yet.”Joran’s shoulders dropped slightly. “He went hunting?” he repeated, trying to hide his frustration. “Then I’ll wait for him.”Darren’s father looked at him carefully. “Is something wrong, my boy? You look troubled.”Joran took a deep breath. His jaw tightened. “Yes, s
LATE NIGHT
It was already deep into the night when Darren finally returned from the forest. His clothes were dusty, his face drawn with weariness. The moon was hanging faintly above the trees as he led his way home through the silent path, the sound of crickets echoing all around. His steps were slow and heavy — every muscle in his body ached from the long day of hunting.When he reached the compound, the house was still lit by the faint glow of the kitchen lamp. He could smell the food still lingering in the air. Inside, his parents were sitting at the table having supper, speaking softly to each other.He pushed the door open and greeted them, “Good evening, Father. Good evening, Mother.”His father looked up sharply, surprised to see him coming in that late. “Darren,” he said slowly, “where have you been? It’s already past nightfall. You were supposed to be back long before now.”Darren sighed and rubbed his neck. “I was in the forest, Father. I stayed too long hunting. I missed a lot of anim
NO TIME TO THINK
Morning light bled slowly through the thin fabric of Darren’s window curtain, but it did nothing to soften the heaviness curled tightly inside his muscles. The first thing he felt, even before he opened his eyes, was the pain—sharp around his ribs, dull behind his shoulders, and a throbbing pulse at the base of his neck. It dragged him awake, reminding him of the nightmare that had twisted through his sleep and left him gasping in the dark. He couldn’t remember every detail, but flashes clung stubbornly to his mind—shadows chasing him, the forest burning, a voice yelling his name.He drew a shaky breath and pushed himself upright. His body protested the movement, and he let out a quiet groan. Sweat clung to his skin, cold despite the warmth of the room.“Just a dream,” he muttered to himself, rubbing his face with both hands. “Just a nightmare.”But the ache remained, refusing to let him forget how real it had felt.After sitting on the edge of his bed for a few moments, Darren finall
UNNECESSARY CONVERSATION
The sun was standing directly overhead when Joran arrived once again at Darren’s compound. It was exactly noon—he knew because the shadows of the trees were short and sharp, sitting right beneath their trunks as if they were hiding from the light. The day was hot, the air thick with dust, and Joran’s frustration had already been building since morning. His walk from his own compound felt longer than usual, each step reminding him of his anger, his confusion, and the fear he tried so hard to hide.As he reached Darren’s compound, he stopped for a moment and looked around. Everything appeared calm—too calm for the storm that had been raging inside him for the past hours. He expected to see Darren sitting somewhere outside, sharpening a blade or feeding one of the animals he kept. But instead, the compound looked empty. Silent.That silence angered him more.He marched to the small wooden door and knocked loudly. The first set of knocks echoed across the yard. He waited. Nothing. He knoc
THE NIGHT VISITOR
The night sat heavy over Joran’s compound, a thick quiet that made every small sound seem loud. The moon hung high and pale, casting a cold wash of silver over the yard and turning the leaves into black silhouettes. Crickets sang in the undergrowth, small and steady, but their song could not fill the hollowness that had started to gather in Joran’s parents’ hearts since afternoon. They had wanted nothing more than a peaceful evening, but peace had slipped through their fingers as easily as smoke.From beyond the compound wall, a shape moved—deliberate, sure-footed. The man’s cloak blended with the darkness so that at first his approach seemed part of the night itself. When he drew close to the gate, he paused to check the place as if weighing each step. He was not a messenger carrying soft words. He was a dealer of metal and deals that sometimes ended badly. His face had the hard line of a man who believed he could force the world to bend to his will.Rurik’s walk carried a purpose th
LOOKING FOR JORAN AGAIN
In due time, Joran finally returned from where he had gone earlier that day. As he approached his compound, a strange uneasiness washed over him. He could not explain why, but something in his spirit warned him that something might be wrong in the house or with his parents. The air felt heavier than usual, and even the quiet breeze brushing against the trees seemed to whisper danger. By the time he stepped onto the front doorstep, his chest tightened with worry.He pushed the door open gently, expecting to hear the familiar sounds of home—his mother humming in the kitchen, his father tuning the old radio, maybe even a pot boiling on the fire. But instead, the house was disturbingly silent. No voices. No radio. Not even the sound of movement. Only the faint creaking of the wooden floor met his ears. That silence alone was enough to make Joran feel that something terrible might have happened.He stepped inside, looking from one corner of the room to the other. Everything seemed untouche
ANOTHER DAY TO THINK ABOUT IT
It was very early in the morning, almost too early for anyone in the village to be awake, when Darren finally decided to leave the house for hunting. The air outside was still cold, and a thin mist floated lazily above the ground, covering most of the surroundings in a soft gray haze. Darren rubbed his arms as he walked into the woods, thinking that maybe today’s hunt would be better than the last few days. However, as the sun slowly rose, it became clear that things were not going well. No animals crossed his path, no birds landed nearby, and every sound he heard seemed distant, as though the forest itself was hiding from him.After several hours of walking through bushes, stepping over fallen branches, and listening to nothing but the rustling of leaves, Darren realized the hunt was a complete failure. He sighed deeply, lowered his bow, and finally turned around. “Maybe today is just not my day,” he muttered to himself. With slow footsteps, he made his way back home,
WAITING PATIENTLY
After Darren had finished his breakfast, he felt a wave of exhaustion settle over him. The hunt had drained much of his energy, yet the tension between him, Joran, and the trader weighed heavier on his mind than physical fatigue ever could. He rose quietly from the table, thanked his parents with a soft nod, and walked to his bedroom. Once inside, he closed the door gently behind him and sat on the edge of his bed. For a long while, Darren simply stared at the floor, his mind racing. He thought of Joran, his best friend, and how their relationship had been strained lately because of the trader’s interference. He considered how he might approach Joran to mend the situation, yet a deep reluctance stayed in his chest. “What if he doesn’t listen?” he whispered to himself. “What if he’s already decided that he doesn’t want to see me?” The thought made him tense. Darren leaned back against the wall, rubbing his eyes slowly. Then his mind shifted to the trader. The memory of Rurik’s threa