Revived: The Archmage's Return to the Urban World

Chapter 4

Jake yawned then glanced at a clock just outside his father’s building. It was already 12 noon and he hasn’t eaten anything yet since yesterday and the MMA fight that he would be joining was scheduled at 9 o’clock. 

“Ah! That old man! If I could just use my mind control again!” he said while clenching his teeth. “I’ve never been so hungry my entire life. I have to eat something so I can use my magic.” He looked at the Aetherlock and its bright red gem turned dark. “Ah, so you won’t work if your owner’s energy is also low. I guess I can’t do anything now but to look for food.”

He looked around, hoping to see someone he knew or a small shop where he could ask even for just a glass of water. But there was nothing. All that was there were luxury shops and expensive fine dining restaurants. 

“But complaining will do nothing. I have to do something.” He stretched his back and arms then he started to walk away though he didn’t know where exactly to go. 

He was about to cross the street when a black and shining limousine stopped in front of him. He would avoid it until the door in front of him abruptly swung open and what he saw coming out of it made his jaw drop.

A young woman came out of the car. She had long brown wavy hair. Her lovely brown eyes were enticing. Her complexion was as white as snow, which contrasted nicely with her exquisite black mini dress.

“Caroline?” he uttered while his eyes were fixed on the beautiful lady.

The young woman came to stop and glanced at him. Then tears welled in her eyes, and without saying anything, the woman jumped on and hugged him. 

“Big brother! It’s you! I-I am so glad to see you again!” The woman's crying hindered her voice.

“Caroline… I thought you’ll be living abroad for good? W-Why are you…”

Caroline let go and wiped the tears in her cheeks and eyes. “I heard what happened to you. I really wanted to visit you but I couldn’t because of school and dad doesn’t want to. However, I’m on my break now, and there’s nothing dad can do to stop me. OMG! I am so happy to see you fine and well!”

He smiled and took the woman’s hands. He was about to say something when his stomach growled like a lion. 

He scratched the back of his head. “Ah… I am sorry about that.”

“I have a lot of questions but I think you have to eat first.” Caroline said which he answered with a nod. “Alright. Let’s go eat something first.”

His sister took him to a fancy restaurant nearby. And there, while eating, he told her everything, aside from his magical skills, about living in a magical world, being betrayed, killed, and sent back to their reality. He knew his sister would never be able to take in any of it, and she might think he was insane.

“They told me that you had no chance of waking up, or if ever, you’ll be in a vegetative state forever,” Caroline said.

“That’s what I knew as well. But let’s just be thankful that I am back. Alive and kicking. Right?” he replied with a smile.

Caroline nodded joyfully but the smile on her face suddenly vanished. “But is it true that you’ll fight Sebastian? I mean, I am worried. You’re not a person used to fighting.”

“Do you also think that I am dumb and weak?” 

“No!” Caroline responded immediately. “You’re the best brother! And you don’t know how devastated I was when father kicked you out five years ago.” She looked away and tears started to well in her eyes again. “Also, that’s the reason why I decided to just live abroad. I hate father, and I hate that Sebastian!”

“We both hate Sebastian. He is just using father and the company for his own good. That’s why I have to put a stop on that tonight,” Jake responded.

Caroline took his hands and looked at him with moist eyes. “But can you really do that? Sebastian is a monster in the ring. He uses an illegal enhancement drug and that gives him incredible power. Brother, you’ll be in grave danger.”

He held his sister's hands tightly then he smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll be careful and I promise to show you the new me.”

“But…” Caroline hesitated. “Is that a promise?””

“Yeah. Promise.”

After that, Caroline received a call from their father. The old man wanted her to go to his office for a talk. Caroline refused but Jake told her to go. He knew his father very well and he didn’t want his sister to suffer because of him.

“I booked a hotel room for you. It’s just in the next block. You can stay there as long as you want and you can use their amenities,” Caroline said after standing up. “I will also send some things you can use later like gloves and stuff.”

“Okay. Thank you, Caroline. And I am so happy to see you again,” Jake replied.

“I’ll see you later. If I see that you’ll be in danger, I’ll stop the fight no matter what, okay?”

He gave a little smile and nodded his head but said nothing. Then the driver called Caroline, and she hugged him one last time before running to the car. 

Jake checked into the hotel Caroline recommended and was promptly shown to a 5-star room. Delicious food continued to arrive, and he was given a black duffel bag containing a pair of grappling gloves and a pair of black boxing shorts.

He put everything aside and sat on the floor, with his knees crossed. He closed his eyes and concentrated until memories flooded through his head. He remembered fighting using combatja, a fierce hand to hand martial art from Eldramoria that focused on weak points and twisting joints.

With his eyes closed, he gently stood up without using his hands, and a green glowing aura encircled him. He softly closed his hands and began punching and kicking in the air, mimicking the images in his mind. He practiced all of the techniques he could recall before gently opening his eyes. 

“Good thing this knowledge is still here,” he said with a smile while looking at his hands. “But I must know how to get my full magic back, and the reason why I was sent here.” Then he glanced at the Aetherlock which stone turned radiant red.

He touched the ring and casted a spell then a bright green sigil appeared below his feet. “Stars from above. Give me the strength of an Eldramoria Warrior!” The sigil illuminated a very bright light, it enveloped him, then that entered his body through his eyes. 

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “All right! I am all set. This spell will last for a week. I hope that this is the same as before,” he said to himself. 

Jake passed the time watching TV and eating at the hotel until the time arrived. He went back to his father’s building and there a black van was already waiting for him. The driver in black suit handed him a cellphone and that rang right after he took it.

“Get in the van or you can just run like a coward you used to be,” that was what he heard when he answered the phone. It was his father’s voice.

He chuckled. “Make sure you’ll have an ambulance ready, dad.”

“Sure.” Then the call ended. 

He handed back the phone to the driver before getting in the car. “Let’s go. I don’t want to be late,” he said. 

It was a half an hour drive from the city center. They arrived at a bar in the outskirts of the city. It looked like an ordinary bar where youngsters go whenever they want to have some beer and have a good time.

“Is this the place?” he asked the driver after getting out of the van.

“Yes,” the man answered. “Please follow me.”

Jake followed the man as he entered the bar. The place was crowded and many of its customers were already staggering, some were already sleeping at the counter despite the loud and bouncy techno music that was playing. 

They got to the back of the bar, where the restroom was. They entered one of the cubicles and behind that was another door.

The driver faced a device and Jake saw a red light flashed from that. Then the door automatically opened. Jake’s eyes widened in amusement when that happened. Then screams and shouts were immediately heard just below them. 

“Please enter. Someone will guide you downstairs,” the man said to him.

“Sure. Thanks.”

He jumped inside the door, which immediately shut after his first step down the staircase. 

The screams and shouting became louder and louder as he went down. And for unknown reasons that put a broad grin on his face. When he eventually made it to the ground, his eyes opened with delight. He saw a gigantic octagon ring with two men fighting in the center. And hundreds of people surrounded them, waving their money in the air.

“Good evening, sir. Are you Jake Drummond?” a man in a black suit appeared behind him and asked.

“Yeah.”

“Please follow me to your room,” the man said then showed the way to him. 

He followed the man, but he came to a stop when he realized who was inside the ring. The fighter had blonde hair and wore nothing on his top. His muscles were all toned, and his eyes were bloodshot. And that man just slammed the opponent's face on the floor, shattering and bleeding its nose.

Jake smirked and shook his head in disbelief. It was Sebastian.  And just after that, their eyes met. 

Sebastian asked for a microphone which the referee gave right away. 

“Welcome to hell, brother!” While staring at him, Sebastian yelled. That attracted the people's attention. The place fell silent, and everyone in it turned to gaze where Jake was standing. “Father told me everything. I guess you’re so done in your life for you to decide to fight me here.”

But he didn’t respond. He just crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Sebastian while grinning. 

“Oh! Smiling, hug? Do you think you'll survive here?!” Sebastian yelled. “Real men fight here! This place is not for a stupid, cowardly, and weak ass boy like you! Now, I’ll give you a chance to scram and never show your face to us again! You’re such a disgrace to the Drummond family!”

“Well technically, you’re not part of the family,” Jake replied as he walked towards the octagon. People moved away from his path. “You’re just a fruit of a miserable mistake my dad made.”

It started to get noisy again as people began whispering to one another about what they heard.

Sebastian’s nose flared and his breathing started to get heavy. “What did you say?!”

“I know you’re not deaf and that you heard what I said,” he replied. “Dad! Where are you?!” he then shouted. 

He looked around and he saw his old man sitting in a balcony on the second floor looking at him while sipping whiskey from a crystal glass. 

But the old man didn’t say anything and just glared at him.

“Make sure you prepare the ambulance I asked of you this morning,” he said. And with his bag, he jumped into the ring. “Let’s make this one as quick as possible.”