Trials of a Planeswalker Ch. 01: Rising

A bright flash around him and he was suddenly on a new world.

"Good, not many can Planeswalk skillfully enough to follow another's path. You did well." Jace complimented him.

"How on Earth did you do that so fast?" Blayne exclaimed.

"I am much more skilled than you. I've been a Planeswalker for years and have fought against and alongside a dozen other Planeswalkers. I've learned much." Jace said, "For now, put that out of your mind. Look around you."

Blayne nodded and look up. He looked around and was shocked to find burning fire all around. Hundreds of hanging leafy trees were on fire in all directions. Their trunks were charcoal black and nothing but dirt covered the ground. Fire traced every leaf and vine in these trees, and yet there was no smoke. Nothing seemed to be really burning up.

"Welcome to the Grove of the Burnwillows. This is a special area for those using red and green mana in unison. Life and destruction in beautiful synchronicity. Tell me Blayne, what do you see?" Jace asked, "And do not fear. I am protecting us from the fire's burning touch. So tell me, what do you see?"

"I see trees that are on fire... wait, no... trees of fire themselves." Blayne corrected himself, "The trees are made of fire. How does that work? How do these burn without going out?"

He stepped towards a tree and found a shimmering transparent barrier block his path. A small barrier surrounded them and kept the heat of the trees away. A slight breeze blew through the trees around them and burning leaves flew from the trees, curling around their barrier and lifting away on the wind.

"In this plane, fire has different physics. It does not burn out like normal, but burns eternally until some force intervenes. You must learn that each plane is unique, even if only in a tiny way. Look there, that is a fire flower. Only seen on this plane and worth kingdoms. Born here on this plane, that flower will burn forever. The only problem is that if it's removed from this plane, it's fire will go out." Jace explained, pointing at small, bright orange flowers that grew around the base of the burnwillow.

The flower grew on a bright green stem and it's petals were burning bright. Blayne squatted down and looked closer at it.

"So what of Ravnica? Things seem on the edge of war." Blayne asked as he observed the flower.

"Things are always on the edge of war. The guilds constantly bicker and fight. It used to be that a great enchantment known as the Guildpact held everything together, but that's long gone. Things are unstable, but everything will work itself out. Things always do. But even if they don't, we are Planeswalkers. We can simply leave that world behind." Jace said, "We have no attachment to them and no obligation to help them. It's better to let the guilds handle their own problems. Come follow me again."

"I don't know if I can. I'm not feeling so hot." Blayne swayed a bit as he stood.

"Right, you are new. You cannot Planeswalk as fast as me. Here, take this." Jace said, digging inside his cloak.

He held out a small glass orb maybe an inch across with a swirling strange gas inside it.

"What's this?" Blayne asked.

"It's an orb of AEther. I learned how to make these from an old foe of mine and they make Planeswalking much easier. Just break the orb and try to Planeswalk. The released AEther will make the trip much faster and easier." Jace said, "I'm only giving you this once though, they are very costly to make."

"Alright." Blayne said, "How should I break it?"

"It doesn't matter. Just make sure you're focused on Planeswalking when you do." Jace said, kneeling down.

He closed his eyes and began to focus. Blayne did the same and Jace was gone after just a few minutes. Holding out the orb, he threw it at the ground before him. It tinkled and shattered. A soft waft of white fog floated up from it and Blayne felt himself hurled forward. He was thrown into the Blind Eternities in a sudden rush. His feet hit the pearlescent pathway and he gasped loudly. It had been so fast and so uncontrollable that he couldn't believe it hadn't killed him. He looked up and found Jace only feet from him.

"Come." Jace's voice seemed far away and his body wavered in and out of existence.

In the AEther, it appeared that only his own body was solid and constant. Even another Planeswalker nearby was ghostly. Blayne figured he must appear just like that to Jace, ghostly and half-existing.

He stepped forward and followed Jace down the twisting paths. It didn't take them long to return to Ravnica. Blayne was careful to follow Jace's exact pathway into Ravnica. They reappeared exactly where they had left, within Jace's sitting room.

"So how do you do that? How do you appear in an exact place? I've only managed to throw myself randomly into a plane." Blayne asked.

"You must remember the place, you must have been there before. Then you simply focus on that location unwaveringly when you step into the plane. Your Spark will carry you where you want to appear." Jace said, "I had planned on showing you more worlds, but each Planeswalker has a different walking ability. I've done a lot of it and I'd like to think I'm more skilled than most. You'll get better."

"So is there anything you can do to help me get home?" Blayne asked him.

"If you'd be willing to let me, I may be able to look in your head and see if I can heal your amnesia." Jace said, "But it may be a bit uncomfortable."

"If it'll get me home alive, you can stab me in the hand." Blayne said eagerly.

"Alright. Well take a seat." Jace said, pointing at the chair behind Blayne.

Jace dragged the other chair over and looked closely at Blayne.

"This will be easier if you relax." Jace advised as he put his hands on Blayne's head.

Blayne took a breath and closed his eyes. He slowly centered himself and focused on his breathing. He felt the mana flowing through the world around them. The over-arching power of blue was undeniable. It filled the rivers and lakes all around them. He could see why a mage like Jace would settle here. It was a nexus of blue power.

A painful probe jabbed into his mind. Jace's mind was cold and logical, nothing like Selesnya's mind had been. He sifted a little harshly through Blayne's head. He felt his memories moving around. He saw things from his childhood and thoughts of his mother. His memories of exploding things on Regatha flashed in his mind. The word 'Chandra' was grabbed and held while more memories were sifted through, apparently looking for more about it. When none could be found, he moved on. His mental probing started to reach areas of his mind that weren't conscious. Memories he didn't remember appeared and feelings he never felt passed over him.

His head spun wildly and he passed out.

*******

CHAPTER 10 - HOME

Blayne snapped awake and he sat upright. His head throbbed and he groaned.

"I warned you it wouldn't be a pleasant experience. Minds aren't meant to be treated like that, but it had to happen. Tell me what you remember?" Jace asked.

"Ohh damn that smarts." Blayne grumbled, holding his head as he rocked back and forth.

Pain lanced anew through his forehead and new memories filled his mind.

"Oh sonuvabitch! Sonuvbitch! Sonuvbitch! I have to go!" Blayne yelled, "Give me one of those damn spheres! Now!"

He leapt to his feet and held his hand expectedly out to Jace.

"Now god damn it! I can't fucking wait!" Blayne screamed at him, an aura of deadly magic starting to radiate from him.

"I wondered how you would react to learning your past. Here you go, last one." Jace smiled, pulling a small glass orb from his coat, "I'll need to make more."

Blayne wasted no time, throwing it on the ground at his feet. The glass shattered and shot everywhere across the floor. He was gone in the blink of an eye, lunging into the AEthers. He raced across them, his route burned like fire in his mind. He knew exactly where he was headed. He only hoped that he was in time. His feet carried him swiftly across the pearlescent pathways of the nothingness and worlds raced by him. He knew right where his home was and he knew time was of the essence.

A single jump from the path and he leapt headlong into his world.

A flash of bright blue and he gasped loudly. Familiar scents struck his nose. Familiar sounds roared dully from outside the apartment. He looked around the small apartment, as he had landed in the living room.

"Mom! Mom, where are you?" Blayne cried out.

He turned and raced down the short hall. He stuck his head into his bedroom and found it empty. The bathroom was empty and his mother's bedroom was the same. He ran to the front door and ripped it open. Bright yellow police tape crisscrossed the door.

"Oh god no!" Blayne yelled, the tape burning away at his magic.

He slammed the door behind him and started down the hall. A policeman standing at the end turned around and called out to him.

"What're you doing in there? That's a crime scene!" The officer called.

"Where's my mother?" Blayne yelled, "Where is she?"

"The woman assaulted in there? She's in the hospital. What were you doing trespassing there?" The officer said.

"Which hospital?" Blayne cried, picking the officer up off the ground in the grip of telekinesis.

"New York General." The officer screamed in fear as his feet kicked wildly.

Blayne flipped around, letting the man fall into a heap on the ground. He raced down the hall and leapt at the window. An entire chunk of the wall exploded outward at his power. He arced into the sky and raced off between the tall buildings of New York. The sky was dark and the cars' headlights lit the street below. He was carried on a mixture of raging mana and pure emotion.

Wind screamed by him and he ripped around a sharp corner. He saw the hospital at the end of the street and quickly landed in front of it. Someone behind him yelled in surprise.

"Dude, where did you come from! You were flyin' man!" The guy yelled in both shock and awe.

Blayne ignored him and walked into the hospital. He strode up to the front desk and shoved a grizzly looking man out of the way.

"Where can I find Caroline Abasset?" Blayne demanded.

"Hey you, I'm here to see my brother. Move it!" The large man growled, looking down at Blayne.

"Fuck off." Blayne said idly to him, "Look I'm her son, I have to see her. What room is she in?"

"Can you supply some form of identification that you are related to the deceased?" The nurse behind the counter said.

"The... the... what?" Blayne stuttered slowly.

"Hey, kid, just because your mommy is hurt doesn't mean you get to..." The man started.

Blayne glanced at him. The impact knocked things over on the secretary's desk and ruffled Blayne's clothes. The man was blown across the lobby and he hit the brick wall with such force that the bricks cracked and mortar fell from the wall. An aura of mana radiated around Blayne, glowing visibly in all colors of the spectrum. People screamed and ran for their lives. Blayne's eyes stared straight into the secretary's and she sat frozen before him.

"Where." Blayne said softly.

"She... she was... cremated two days ago and... and... her belongings are in police custody." The secretary stammered, "Her remains were shipped... to the last surviving relative... her daughter."

"Where at?" Blayne asked.

She read him an address and he turned. Everyone in the lobby had run away and the secretary behind him fell out of her chair. He walked out the automatic doors and launched into the sky. Fire flickered around him and he raced towards the south side of Manhattan.

He found the apartment building that resided at that a dress and found the proper window for the apartment. He pulled it open and stepped inside, entering the dark apartment.

"Hey sis? Robin, are you here?" Blayne asked the darkness of the living room.

There was a shuffling from the bedroom and the door opened. His sister Robin came out in pajamas. Her brown hair was a mess and her eyes were red. She stopped cold when she saw him, her eyes going wide. He let the mana in his body flicker out and dissipate. The glow emanating from him stopped and he smiled, at least happy about being able to see his sister.

"Blayne..." Robin said hoarsely.

"Come here sis." Blayne said, holding his arms out.

She cried out happily and leapt into his arms, hugging him tightly. Tears spilled from her ragged eyes and she sobbed heavily. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. She cried loudly for quite some time and it comforted Blayne a lot to know that he wasn't alone anymore.

Robin slowly calmed down and she stepped back.

"I... I don't... know if this is real or not..." she sniffled, "But it's the sweetest dream I've had in days."

"It's real sis. I'm real. I'm so sorry I've been gone." Blayne said, grasping her hand, "Come on, sit down."

"Let me get the light." Robin said, turning.

"No, just sit down." Blayne said.

He raised his hand and created a bright orb of gentle yellow light. It floated away from him and hung in the air.

"What is that?" Robin asked.

"Magic." Blayne said, "I've got a lot to tell you, but it has to wait. You've got to tell me what happened. Since those men broke into the apartment with mom and I, I don't know what happened."

"Magic... how can you do that?" Robin asked, oblivious to what he said.

"Robin, please. I know it's hard. But what happened?" Blayne asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Well... she got hit on the head pretty hard and when they found her in your apartment, she was unconscious. In the hospital, they said she... she probably... wouldn't wake up." Robin's eyes filled with tears and her voice shuddered, "She was in a coma! Until... until just the day before last... she never woke up..."

Tears splashed down her face and she fell against Blayne. He wrapped an arm comfortingly around her and he clenched his eyes. He had hoped his memories were wrong, but that sliver of hope was gone. He remembered everything.

That night he had been asleep and his mother had been in the kitchen when they broke in. Their apartment wasn't the only one broken into, but they were the only ones that had been home on that floor. Apparently the thieves hadn't been planning on them being their either. They had hit his mother over the head with a crowbar and came after him when he woke up. He freaked and suddenly found himself in the twisting and raging AEthers. After which he woke up in the jail cell. The awakening of his Planeswalker spark had been such a shock to his system that he lost all the memory that surrounded the event.

"I'm sorry sis. I'm so sorry." Blayne whispered, rubbing her hair gently, "If I hadn't been such a twit..."

He fell silent, his voice unable to continue. They sat together for a while, Robin's crying slowly stopping again. Blayne felt like he wanted to cry too, but it would only make things worse for Robin. It made him feel better to hear her breathing slowly descend into soft sleep. She dozed quietly against him and he wrapped his arms around her. Her body was light and soft in his arms. He carried her quietly to her bedroom and tucked her into bed.

*******

Robin jerked awake, sunlight shining into her bedroom and across her messy bed. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and sighed. The dream had been so sweet. Her missing brother had come back to comfort her in her time of need. He had flown in her living room window and held her in his arms while she cried. Her older brother was dear to him and she loved him very much.

But as she thought about it she realized, with a soft smile, how silly she was. He had magic and he had shown up like a real wizard, glowing with magic. It had been so wonderful that she felt quite better this morning. Her mother was passed from this world and she had spent two days crying since. But now she felt like the sun was shining down in her life again and she could move onward. Her sweet brother had saved her from herself, if only a dream of him.

Walking across the room, still in her Pajama pants and shirt, she opened her bedroom door and headed into the living room. The sound of the television and sizzling Bacon met her ears.

Her heart stopped cold when she saw him. Those vibrant blue and red clothes, the same he had been wearing in her dream. He was standing in the middle of the living room watching the morning news. His hair was longer than she remembered it and he had a definite aura around him. Something was so much... cooler about him now.

"You're awake. Are you feeling better? I'm sorry about asking you the hard questions last night." Blayne said as he glanced back at her, "But I have cool things I can show you. You asked me last night how I could do magic. Just like this."

Bright red and blue fireballs appeared in his hands. He started to juggle them and he grinned widely.

"You know, I couldn't do things like this before Jace fixed my memories. Maybe it was just getting my head straight again or maybe it was finally coming home, but I can do magic a lot better now." Blayne chuckled, tossing up the fireballs.

They popped in small showers of sparks that quickly faded away.

"It wasn't a dream. You are here Blayne." Robin said in quiet disbelief.

"Hehe. I thought the same thing this morning when I woke up. Give me a hug sis." Blayne smiled, holding his arms out.

Robin laughed loudly and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. She kissed him on the cheek and bounced up and down joyously.

"I'm so glad you're here! I can't believe you can actually do magic! That is so cool!" Robin giggled and laughed.

"So... where's mom?" Blayne asked quietly.

Robin's smile disappeared and her shoulders sank. She pointed up at the book case next to the television. On the third shelf, between two candles, sat a golden urn. Blayne had noticed it, but he didn't want to believe that it was his mother. He just had to have someone else tell him so.

"Well at least we still have each other." Blayne sighed, grasping Robin's hand.

*******

"So tell me about where you've been? How did you get this magic?" Robin asked as they were eating breakfast twenty minutes later.

"Since I woke up on Ravnica. I'm what is called a Planeswalker. Someone who can use magic to walk between worlds. It's really amazing. I wish I could show you, but unless you're magical like me, it's impossible." Blayne said.

"So what's this other world like? You've mentioned it a couple of times. Ravnica? Where is that?" Robin asked.

"It's across the Blind Eternities, the AEthers between worlds. It's a world in the... well... have you heard of that steam punk fiction?" Blayne asked her.

"Yeea, yea. It's all water and steam and cool mechanical stuff." Robin modded.

"That's what Ravnica is like. At least that's what the Izzet are like. The Izzet are one of the ten guilds there." Blayne described, "They're these crazy cool scientific inventors. They don't have technology like we do, but they're still really cool. Then there are the Selesnya. They're all kind of like hippies, but they don't just want the world to be green, they want all of society gone for the wildlife to flourish. There's the Rakdos, they're like all murderers and rapists. Sadists and masochists. Their guild is all full of demons."

"Oh wow! This is all sounds so cool! Blayne, you're so lucky!" Robin exclaimed, "Hey, can you show me some magic?"

"Yea, I..." Blayne was cut off by a loud crack of sound.

A whirl of bone chilling air filled the room and someone screamed loudly behind them. Blayne flipped around to see a woman in other-worldly clothes standing there. She wore a split black skirt that showed off her hips and flowed down to her knees, nearing heavy black-leather boots. Her chest was protected in a heavy brown leather cuirass, similar black clothing beneath that as well. She had a thin body, bright red hair and coal-black eyes that were hidden behind curled silver glasses. A gorgeous silver saber was clasped in her hand, it's beautiful ornate grip curled around her entire hand. She gasped loudly and held her hands out to try and regain her center.