One night, as I am innocently browsing the CYAO category on Imagechest, zooming in to read the impossibly small text on my phone's tiny screen, while thinking about the Magical World Of Harry Potter and how I'd like to go there to have magic, to have adventures, to just feel alive…like I matter, like I have real power.
When I'm suddenly yanked out of bed and sucked into my phone's screen and into a well, I think a dark ages Wizard's cottage given the way cleaning utensils moving on their own keeping the place clean a cauldron with an azure liquid in it bubbling while it's held up by some invisible force.
A man…wearing a pointed hat and robes of what seems like a starry night sky, while using a long staff of dark wood with a pointed crystal mounted at the top of it.
"Hello there, I noticed that you like CYOA's so I thought I'd give you some free powers. you might wonder why I would do such a thing, well it's because I honestly think you would use these powers to do great things in the wizarding world. One of my acquaintances, on the other hand, thinks that you would probably just abuse any powers you were given using it or them to provide yourself with simple pleasures, so we made a bet. If you help Harry Potter and or his cohort's, directly or indirectly, within your time in that world I win the bet. If you help that upstart Voldemort, or no one but yourself she wins the bet…given that you've helped well over a thousand people in your twenty-nine years of life I have a feeling that you'll help Harry, and so I'm gonna stack the deck a bit and give you ten points instead of the six I offered the last bloke who turned into Gellert Grindelwald." With that said the wizard summons the last power picker CYAO I was looking at and hands it to me, I don't say anything…because really what am I supposed to say, to all of that?
I begin looking over the list much more intensely than I did through my smartphone's screen, "Ahh, take a seat young man, no need to keep standing there like that and ohh, here's your cellphone." The wizard says to me with a grin while waving his hand making a chair form behind me and my smartphone that I didn't even realize was on the cobblestone floor with a freshly cracked screen floating up to me at chest height.
"Hmm, sorry young man it seems I broke your device's screen when summoning you here." The wizard apologizes, snaps his thumb and index finger of his right hand, the phone glows with a soft green light and the crack in the screen disappears.
"Uhh-thank you." I offer up to him in reply and find it very hard to take my eyes off of him as my phone moves in the air and slides into the pocket of my sweatpants.
"Think nothing of it." The wizard waves off my thanks, and though I don't mean to, I can't help but frown at the aged, slightly hunch backed, gray bearded old man.
Suddenly a woman appears in a hurricane of purple fire, "So this is the champion you have chosen to carry out our wager." The raven haired amethyst eyes woman with a killer body and beautiful face asks as she gives me the side eyes looking me over like I'm a disgusting insect.
'Beautiful but a total bitch…though I guess I could be wrong and that she'd prove me wrong if we got to know each other.' As I'm mentally evaluating her a light glow shines in her eyes and the corners of her lips twitch.
"I guess he'll suffice…old man." The woman almost snickers but not quite, amusement shines in her eyes as she gives me one last contemplative look.
"Well then here's my offer, help no one only look out for yourself and I'll give you one hundred points and a second CYAO list to choose from…" Something about this woman's offer makes a feeling of greed and raw desire burn in my chest, but the thought of the golden trio leaving them to flounder through all the shit that they deal with, all the normal people Voldemort kills…the For The Greater Good Dumbledick, ensuring Harry is nothing more than a sacrificial lamb to be slaughtered, makes me unable to accept her offer, which she seems to decipher by some means, and strangely she offers an almost fond smile to the much older wizard.
"I like corrupting these righteous champions you always seem to find just as you think that you're about to win our bet, old man." The sneer in her voice is unmistakable but it's not directed at me.
"Hey umm…are you Myriddin and Morgana?" Both the wizard and the woman's postures stiffen before the woman bursts into a bout of laughter and the old man just sighs in annoyed fondness as he looks at me.
"It has been a long long time since anyone has pronounced those names we once went by…" The woman murmurs and suddenly she's in my personal space and her left hand is caressing my cheek…in a way that both makes me feel like I'm about to die or that I'm going to be turned into some kinda pet.
I try but I can't turn away from those amethyst eyes, even though everything inside of me is screaming at me to do so, a look of boredom…with something hidden behind it crosses her facial expression, and burns in her eyes.
She snaps her fingers and the CYAO sheet that I hold in my hands glows faintly, "I added an option or two…" She mutters and then vanishes the same way she appeared.
"Carful with that one…I fell for those eyes once too when I was around the age your are now, so listen to this old man, be careful young man…she becomes obsessive of those she fancies." Myriddin or Merlin says to me with a tired sigh and expression on his face as he forms a chair behind himself and flops back into it.
"She fancies me…why there's nothing special about me…in fact I'm a grade A-Plus loser."
"Mmm, I once thought similar of myself before someone offered to help me see myself for who I am and not who I thought of myself as…I hope you find someone who does the same for you…now I don't mean to rush you but you should hurry up and make your choices." Myriddin mutters softly, seemingly lost in his memories of the past.
"Hmm, hey mister Myriddin…I notice magical power is on this sheet. Does that mean if I don't choose it I won't be able to perform magic, even with going to the world of Harry Potter?" A look of something I can't quite place flashes across the old man's face but it almost looks like pride in me for asking such a question.
"That would be a likely outcome given that magic died in your world long ago…I had to tax my own magic reserves to bring you here." Myriddin confesses to me with a wryfulness to his voice and facial expressions while his eyes dance with a certain twinkle.
Selecting Magical Powers For 3 perk points, I begin reading over the flavor text, choosing this option gives you the ability to develop magical powers of your own. You begin with an ingrained intuition based basic set of spells such as a simple mana beam and basic healing, but with the right training you will be able to learn any magic system in any universe. This option also greatly increases the strength of any of the other magic options.
'Down to seven points now…' It feels like a physical blow to lose three points on something I'd hoped would be an inherent/natural ability.
My next choice is Illusion Magic for
1 perk points, as the flavor text gives me the hope that I can use it to cast media from my world to enjoy, in the world of Harry Potter. Illusion magic allows you to create perfect illusions in a 50 foot/ 15 meter radius around you. These illusions work on all normal human senses. You can choose who can and can't see these illusions.
'It might also be good for fucking with someone's head and luckily it only costs one point…which brings me down to six points.'
Mind Reading for 1 perk point as for the flavor text, mind reading allows you to read the mind of any person you look directly in the eyes of. You can also choose not to read someone's mind, taking mind reading also grants you a degree of protection against having your mind read.
'Five points left, gonna go with Immortality…it's pretty cheap for what it is…'
Immortality for 1 perk points this power gives you eternal youth with twenty-five being the oldest you will look, you gain perfect resistance to disease. You can still be killed by use of force, though should this happen you can choose to be reincarnated within your race. If you are reincarnated, you will carry over all your powers and knowledge.
'Down to four points now…' Next up I chose Summon Servant for 1 perk point, This ability allows you to summon/create up to five servants of your own description, these servants do not have a soul, and personalities are not as deep or as varied as those of real people, though luckily that also means that they are more replaceable. You can summon up to five servants every day and every time you summon a new servant and you're at the maximum capacity the servant summoned for the longest time will disappear. These servants cannot/do not have any powers that you do not have yourself.
'Down to three now…'
Pocket Dimension for one point this is a personal pocket dimension you can travel to at any time. You can take anything and anyone you want with you. The pocket dimension is an empty space the size of about a small town. You can choose how the inside looks and feels, so for instance you could have a beach town with access to a fake ocean of fresh water to swim in with a pleasant temperature. You cannot summon objects from inside of the pocket dimension to yourself. You can also choose the flow of time in comparison to the outside world, as you've taken immortality if you die you will reform within your pocket dimension over the course of seven days.
'Down to two points now…really wish I had more points…Teleport looks good even though I can do something similar with magic…'
Teleport for 1 Perk point, this teleport power allows you to teleport to any location you can see. You can also mentally imprint/mark up to seven locations that you will always be able to teleport to no matter how far away you are from them, this method of teleportation cannot be blocked by magic, or magical protections.
'Yeah definitely an overpowered ability, I guess remote viewing is my next choice damn there's still so much I want on this sheet…like Ki, and Super form like a Saiyan's super Saiyan form.' Shaking off my sense of greed and hunger for more I select remote viewing as when combined with teleportation it makes it even more badass.
Remote Viewing for 1 Perk point,
With remote viewing you can see any location you know or have previously been to, you can also see through obstruction…like clothing, to use this ability your eyes must be closed can only form one invisible eye at a time, if you also have teleport you can teleport to any location you can see with your remote viewing.
Morgan's voice suddenly sounds in my head, "I don't want to lose to that old fool of a wizard, he'll take away one of my most prized possessions. So I've got a deal for you, I'm willing to give you 5 extra perk points, but in return I'll put a spell on you that makes sure you will never directly help his last living direct descendant in that world…that being said should you find yourself directly put in danger by not helping said descendant the spell will break and you can help him or her. Take my deal after all there's no guarantee the world you're going to is exactly like the books and movies from your world…" Morgana whispers in my head her voice making me teeter at the edge of a cliff.
I hear Myrddin sigh, "She's tempting you…" It isn't a question, Myrddin knows Morgana well enough to know that she's trying to bribe me.
"Hmm, I can offer you only 3 more points but it comes at a cost. I'll give you 3 more perk points, for this exchange I'll put a spell on you that forces slash compels you to help 200 people every twelve months for the duration of your time in that world."
"I-Morgana is offering five points…to not aid a specific person, unless my life is directly put in danger by not helping said specific person." I can't help the groan that slips out of me because in the end three or five points still won't grant me everything I want from the list.
"Wh-what kinda help does your stipulation "help people" entail, is it limited to say financially, or like tutoring people, if I were to gain a monetary reward from it no matter how small would it void my efforts to help them?" Myriddin smirks at me.
"Hmm, I don't see a problem with you gaining benefits from aiding people…though you should go into without asking for a reward, if rewarded for your efforts by the ones that you aid or by those who see your efforts to aid others and wish to reward you for your efforts I hold no problems with such things."
I nod, "So say I opened a soup kitchen but cannot always be directly present for its operation, but say I only supply it with resources like food, blankets and the like would that count as helping people and can it be the same people every year." Myriddin's eyes twinkle in pure joy and maybe a hint of mischievousness at my question.
"I find such a thing acceptable…and so would my…spell that I place on you, you know you are far more intelligent than you give yourself credit for…" A genuine smile forms on Myriddin's face and I just know that he can tell that I plan on playing the house to get points from both him and Morgana.
"Alright you drive a hard bargain but I accept." I say to both Myrddin and Morgana while offer my right hand to Myrddin to shake, while Morgana purrs in my head sounding very pleased with herself, while Myrddin I do my best not to smirk as the counter on my slip of paper goes up to eight points while my earlier selections continue to glow slightly.
Shapeshifting for 2 perk points, there are many lesser forms of shapeshifting, but this version gives you the ability to shapeshift into any living being you have personally seen. Shapeshifting into something of about equal weight and size takes about five seconds. If you're shapeshifting into something that's bigger or smaller than you it takes twice as much time for double the size difference. You can always shapeshift back into your original form, or forms if you chose to have your body reshaped. You cannot gain learned powers through shapeshifting, but you can gain powers that are unique to a species.
'Six points left to go…damn I'm so damned brilliant getting points from both of these oldies…'
Final Form for 2 perk points, with this you now have a super form with a cool transformation and everything. You will start out with only being able to use your first super form for about half an hour a day. Once you have spent enough time in this form and can comfortably change into it you will be able to use it for much longer periods of time. It may even become your base form with enough training. You will be able to transform into your next form and so on once you reach a certain threshold of comfortableness with each transformation. There are 3 forms total, each will multiply the strength of every ability you have by a factor of ten, including mundane abilities like reaction time and strength, but also any powers you choose from this list.
'Super Wizard Bro!' I cheer in my head while imagining a version of Goku in super Saiyan forms wearing wizard robes and holding a wand while bitch slapping snake face around.
"Four points left." A soft murmur slips out of me.
Selecting Telekinesis for 1 perk point, choosing this grants you the ability to move objects with your mind. At first you will only be able to apply/lift a maximum of 224 pounds, but the more you use this ability the more force/weight you will be able to apply/lift. To double the total force you are able to exert will take about 3 months of daily training, this power is completely separate from magic giving you an edge over purely magical wielding adversaries.
Now down to three points I feel my shirt becoming drenched with sweat.
Selecting both Share Powers and Convenience, for a combined two points.
Share Powers:
Allows you to share any of your powers with up to 10 people of your choice. Except for the ability to share powers, you can choose what powers you wish to share with people, no need to share all of them if you don't want to. People who you share your powers with start out at base strength, even if you have gained a better proficiency then what you started with. They can become better at using these powers than you if they train more than you.
Convenience:
You no longer have to eat, sleep, ejaculate, defecate, urinate or shower. If you wish to do any of these things you still can do so and unlike before you can now do these as much as you want without any negative effects.
'Okay, it's a toss up between imbue effect, or manifestation…imbue effect is like enchanting items but without needing to know complicated magics to do it, where manifestation allows me to make shit out of nothing as long as it's value is below a thousand dollars…ahh shit Imbue Effect it better in the long run…even if I can replicate it's effect through magic.'
Imbue Effect for 1 Perk point,
This is an option/power for the creative, you can now imbue an effect into any non living object, you can make anything magical now from jewelry, clothes to machines and weapons, if you can dream it up you can now make it…be mindful the more powerful an Imbued Item is the more power it takes to imbue it, also an Imbued Item can burn out and disintegrate do always have a backup plan.
"I must admit playing both I and Morgana is a rather brilliant move young man, you truly do not give yourself enough credit." Myriddin smirks in my direction and then snaps his fingers my perception changes and then I become encased in a comfortable darkness, when I wake up again I am laying inside of a crib, looking around I see a calendar that is either really old or I've been turned into a baby and sent to a world in the year of 1972.
'Okay, this is pretty weird…' A woman enters the room and lifts me from my crib and opens her shirt before bringing my face to her right breast, her expression vacant and…maybe exhausted.
…
My new parents seem to be emotionless drones without any kind of personalities and they are completely average looking, as for my servants they all look like redheaded versions of Scarlett Johansson but with slight wonder hips, and bigger tits they really give off ara ara oni-chan vibes if you get what I'm saying and their personalities are very shallow…they aren't very good for conversation but if you just need people to listen while you vent they're not all that bad.
As for magical schooling in the states, there is Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but it is a private school for the kids of the rich and influential, the rest of us go to normal public schools K-12, those with magic attend a "Special Education" class while the mentally challenged attend a different special ed class...that is much less magical in nature.
As for me I'm insanely powerful but I don't apply myself enough if my teachers are to be believed, I have so much untapped potential, I don't buy it of course as for magical foci while the United States of America are very diverse in foci selection most choose wands, but there are rings, gloves, staves, staffs and a few other things that I can't think of off the top of my head me I don't actually need a foci but I like to wear the foci gloves and use a wand at the same time, the wand for more precise applications of magic alongside the amplifier bonus the gloves for just raw powerful feats that don't require precision, and nothing when I just want to make girls stare at me with googly eyes as my magical energy radiates through a room.
Surprisingly, one of the things I excel at and have been asked to join a research team as a test subject is my extremely powerful/potent ability to heal people, the fact that I'm a natural legilimens and Occulmancer also makes me a rather sought after sought after commodity by the Alphabet Soup agencies.
I've kept my ability to naturally Imbue magical effects into things close to my chest, and only show a middling level of ability in enchantment, when otherwise I'd possibly outdo Master Enchanters.
As for my super forms at seventeen I've just reached the point where I can sustain super form 1 indefinitely and am just reaching a little over an hour in Super form 2, my telekinesis is at the point where I can lift, move around and crush up to half ton trucks like they're Lego bricks.
My lack of ability to make lasting meaningful friendships/relationships with anyone still persists to the point I've given up on making friends entirely, no one seems to notice anything wrong about my parents basically being flesh robots, it's now June and I graduate from high school near the end of the month, the year is currently 1989 and I have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life other than maybe use my magical skills to restore classic cars.
…
"Son, I think you should enlist in the Magical Armed Forces…" I startle at the sound of my mother's voice as she pokes her head into my bedroom, the most life I've ever seen in her eyes as she looks at me with a soft smile on her lips.
"Huh?" I ask her in stunned surprise…she actually seems alive now that I've graduated and no longer robot-like.
"The Magical Armed Forces will give you skills and help sharpen the ones you already have…" My mother continues to say her voice light but there's an urgency to get me to enlist in the Magical Branch of the United States Armed Forces.
Looking at her for a few more seconds the new spark of life starts to fade from her eyes, "Okay, I'll enlist…Mom." The spark returns to her eyes and the smile on her face grows, "You're such a great son, Mason you are truly a blessing to your father and I." I feel my heart ache at her words.
'Why couldn't she be so alive during my second childhood?' The question lingers in the back of my mind as I follow her to the family car a Chrysler station wagon, my Mustang GT 500 Shelby is still in the garage, with it's thousands of magical effects imbued into it the thing is a tank that runs on a never empty fuel tank that doesn't pollute the earth as for my helping 200 people a year I am well past that number thanks to all the help I have provided food kitchens and homeless shelters with monetary support from selling restored classic cars and Imbuing containers of food to never run out or to have the contents expire, with an additional imbuement to make non-magicals thinks that everything is normal and there's nothing magical happening.
…
It is a little jarring how quickly I was able to enlist even though I'm fifteen days away from turning eighteen or how quickly I am being shipped off to basic but seeing my new set of parents no longer lacking personalities or emotions really makes it worth enlisting.
Basic has been six months of hell, I swear the drill sergeants tore me down and built me into a much more capable man, with discipline…not that I like being an individual with discipline all that much but I can appreciate their efforts to make me all that I can be…the combat lessons are much more substantial than the Magical Dueling team I was on in high school, especially combined with mundane combat and weapons training.
The last thing I expected was to be deployed to a magical hotzone with mundane troops and magical ones nor did I expect to be assigned to a protection detail for the Patil family nor did I expect to meet the Patil twins who will be attending Hogwarts in a couple years do to collaboration between the U.N and the I.C.W.
The twins are down right adorable and their mom along with their older female family members are all hot, the twins constantly pester me with questions about the colonies which bugs the hell out of me that the magical community still tries to deflect that the colonies became a super power country, that deserves the respect it's due regardless of its origins.
Even if its government constantly sticks their noses into problems they shouldn't, in sighting more problems or half assed solving the ones counties already have or had.
Mrs Patil, their mother, always gives me an apologetic smile when her daughters call my home the colonies. They do it now just to push my buttons.
It was a rather teary eyed day when I got reassigned, I would definitely miss the twins and their hot cousin Piiela that I was romantically involved with.
Two years and only light combat sees my two years of mandatory service come to an end, just as I was packing up my shit an owl flew into the barracks and presented me with a heavy letter from Hogwarts.
Opening the letter I am rather shocked that I am being offered the position of Muggle Studies Professor with the ability to move to other teaching positions depending on my performance this coming school year of 1991.
'Why the hell would Dumbledore offer me a job?' At the bottom I read that the Patil family has requested for me personally after being given an overview of the classes curriculum through the board of directors, a complaint from them stating that the classes curriculum is gallingly outdated.
I don't take as much time to think over my decision as I probably should before scribbling my reply on a scrap piece of paper and handing it off to the owl who is patiently waiting for my reply.
The owl flies out of the barracks just as some of my squad mates…former squad mates enter.
"So, Sir…you're leaving us?" Mike, the second person I was closest to in this squad, asks me. He's mundane but in the know, and I technically outrank him though he's officially ranked higher than me, I saved his life not long after we were reassigned from the protective detail for the Patil's while they were vacationing in the Middle East, when our Humvee drove over an I.E.D.
"I am…gonna be a teacher at a magic school in Britain…sorry I'm not sticking around to keep your dumbass from getting blown up." I try to joke but Mike picks me up in a bear hug.
"Hey, you Giant blooded dork set me down!" I joke and the big man that still looks like a teenager sets me down with a sad smile on his face.
"Well, well…well the bossman is leaving us and you're trying to get in his pants Mikey, and you didn't even invite me!" I roll my eyes at Sarah M
Locklin's teasing a spitfire redhead who has pulled my ass out of more than one firefight where I got in over my head fighting fanatical Middle Eastern Magic users since she joined the unit
"Piss of gingerbitch!" Mikey growls and stomps off to his bunk, while Sarah comes over to me and presses herself against my side, "So Bossman wanna have some fun before you leave us for good?"
Letting out a sigh and rolling my eyes as Sarah rubs her hand over the crotch of my fatigues. "Locklin, apologize to Mike, without me around you two are gonna have to rely on each other." At my response Sarah huffs and flops down on my bunk and my folded clothes while pouting at me like a petulant brat.
"Sorry, Mikey…I know you and the boss aren't gay…and that you can't take your eyes off of me in showers." Sarah says teasingly but her apology also carries enough seriousness that I know it's genuine Mike nods in acceptance while also rolling his eyes.
"In his defense I can't either…you are one heck of a beautiful woman, Sarah." I offer, with an honest smile, getting a very rare blush from the obnoxious but good hearted woman, as she looks away from me.
Suddenly there's a sound like someone clearing their throat from the entrance to the barracks turning around. I see none other than Albus Dumbledore in the most flamboyantly hideous wizard robes I have ever seen outside of a movie.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, I expected to have to go to you not for you to come to me." I offer as a greeting making the old man chuckle softly.
"Ahh, yes that would have been acceptable but I called in a favor with an old friend to pick you up from this base, so as to give you more time to settle in and prepare a teaching plan for your future pupils." There's almost a mischievous glint in the old man's twinkling eyes.
"Oi, you…you're gonna be a teacher?!" Sarah asks with barely concealed mirth.
"Why yes he is…he comes highly recommended by the Patil family as he taught the youngest members quite a bit about your world and magic." Dumbledore replies to Sarah's question with a soft chuckling lacing his words, which makes Sarah devolve into a fit of giggles.
Feeling annoyed and a little hurt by her reaction, I push her off of my cot with the power of my mind and finish packing my shit my rifles having already been stored in the cabin in my pocket dimension.
"Hey, you dickhead…you coulda just asked!" Sarah cries out in outrage while Mike starts chucking.
"Ohh sorry…that thought completely slipped my mind." I tease right back and offer Sarah a hand and pull her to her feet.
I'm left stunned though as she jumps up, wraps her legs around me and her arms around the back of my neck and kisses me, "I've wanted to do that since we met, call me or write to me when you have time, Mason." Sarah murmurs in a much softer and more fragile voice than I've ever heard her use, while I find myself staring into her green hazel eyes, a vulnerability that wasn't there even when I had to strip her out of her gear to heal a mess of shrapnel wounds shining in her eyes.
"I will…write to you and Mike both…" My eyes sting a bit as she lets go of me, Dumbledore giving the three of us a bit more time together than he has to.
Grabbing my wand I point it at my squad and dive into their minds, erasing all memories of magic…and myself as per protocol for when magicals are placed in units with none magicals.
Leaving the barracks with both of my friends…former friends who I just mind fucked, left staring blankly at nothing as their minds reorganize themselves, superficially drying the wetness at the corners of my eyes, for what was and what could have been.
"I know it's hard my boy, that's why most wizards and witches prefer to only intermingle with our own kind." Dumbledore says to me while resting a comforting hand on my shoulder and Fawkes his phoenix lands on my right shoulder and lets out a soft sound before brushing his head against my cheek.
"Yeah, I should have known better than to get attached…you know they train us to be emotionally detached from those we'll be placed with but they don't really prepare you for the bonds you form while your lives are on the line, when your Humvee gets a flat at the edge of enemy territory and you spend three days running and fighting to survive, out of rations, water, ammunition…magically and physically exhausted." I mutter not really to Dumbledore or Fawkes but to myself in a flash of fire we appear in a grand circular space made of square stones and filled with magical baubles and paintings.