Book 1 | Agent 34 and the Desert of Beasts

Chapter 26 | Inside the Devil

Agent 34 felt sick to his stomach. He looked up and saw dozens of orbs that floated around him in midair, surrounded by inky blackness.

Where am I? He thought to himself. Agent 34 looked down and saw nothing below him. He had no body!

Fear ran inside him. Then he remembered what he did.

He was inside Braunick's mind.

These floating orbs were Braunick's memories.

Agent 34 moved over to an orb somehow and looked inside it. It projected a memory of Braunick's, each are one that happened in his life.

Agent 34 saw two little kids, one elvish and one human. Both fought each other playfully with sticks. Quickly, the elf kicked the human's feet out from under him and the kid fell onto his back.

The elf child stuck his stick at the human's neck and ripped the child's stick out of his hand. The human began to cry and run away.

Pity for the child welled up inside Agent 34. He then directed himself to another orb, this time it showed a human washing dishes. A man in a crown walked by and complimented the human on his work, and when the crowned-man left, the human growled at the man and swore to kill him.

Startled, Agent 34 went to another orb. 

It showed the same human, with that same elf from earlier. The elf was with another group of elves, and the human was trying to follow him. Suddenly, the group of elves turned around and chased the human.

Suddenly, all the orbs began to shake.

Another orb slowly floated over to Agent 34. This orb was different. It was completely blacked out, just a cloud of darkness was all it was.

"Who must you be!" The orb shouted, shaking all of Braunick's memories. "And why are you in my mind!"

Agent 34 was startled that the orb called it his mind. "Why would I tell you?" Agent 34 replied.

Suddenly, Agent 34 was flung across Braunick's mind and hit the edge of it. He almost fell out of Braunick's mental barriers, but luckily stopped himself before he did.

"Get out!" Braunick's orb roared. 

"I imagined you to be more human, Braunick," Agent 34 stated. "But you look more round than I thought."

"You think I'm round? Kid, you look exactly like me! Everything in the mind is represented by an orb! Your mental presence is as well," Braunick's orb hovered over to Agent 34's. "Leave before I kill your mental capacity!"

Agent 34's orb brushed against Braunick's as he flew around him, and Braunick's orb roared in frustration. "I never granted you access here, kid!" Braunick muttered a curse, then stated, "Fine, whatever. Guess I will have to use spells to get you out."

Suddenly, blasts of magic roared to life and chased after Agent 34's orb. Agent 34 mentally ran away from them, but they were hot on his tail. Quickly, Agent 34 was tackled down as magic shoved him towards Braunick's mind's ground.

Agent 34 looked up to see Braunick's orb hovering over him with black clouds holding him down. When Braunick saw Agent 34 trying to cast spells at Braunick, he said, "Kid, you can't cast spells without a wand."

"Then how are you doing it?" Agent 34 asked.

"I'm doing it in real life," Braunick explained. "Your weak mind gave up your body to enter mine, and only a powerful spellweaver can bring you back. But who would do that if your mind is dead?"

"No!" Agent 34 bellowed.

"That voice.." Braunick muttered. "You don't happen to be...Agent 34?"

Agent 34 started thrashing against the black clouds holding him down. "Let me go!" He roared, and Braunick just laughed. "You did this to me! You stole my memories and my past! I swear, you're head will be mounted on a wall!" 

"Hmph, you did acquire a gem, correct?" Braunick asked, and Agent 34 didn't respond. Braunick groaned. "Fine, I curse that gem and bound it to your hand forever until this curse is broken. Bye, pipsqueak."

Agent 34's face went to horror as Braunick's orb faded from his point of view and Agent 34's mind left Braunick's body.

~ ~ ~ ~

"Agent 34!" Ismara slapped his face hard in an effort to wake him, and it worked.

Agent 34 jumped, and opened his eyes, the bright sun beaming down on him.

"Agent 34!" Ismara cried, and wrapped her arms around him, sobbing. "We thought we lost you! Don't ever do that again!"

"What happened?" Agent 34 asked.

"You did the wrong spell!" Arenia cried. "Instead of trying to enter Braunick's mind, your mind left your body and entered Braunick's! He could've easily killed you if he wanted to!"

"I lived though." Agent 34 said.

"Barely. What did he do?" Ismara asked.

"I saw some memories of his brother and him as they grew up, and then he mentally attacked me and once he discovered who I was, he cursed me. I forgot exactly what the curse was." Agent 34 explained.

"Erm," Ismara gulped. "I think I know what the curse is," she grabbed Agent 34's right arm, and held it up for everyone to view.

A purple gem was in replace of his hand.