Summoner: The Book of Dimension

74 Peter’s Magic

Although Peter had expected it, what happened wasn’t much to his expectation. Perhaps it was the worry and pressure he felt about handling the situation that made him think that maybe his idea of summoning should’ve been his own actions as well. If he was to choose between Zack and Ray who he wanted to ask to summon as well, it should be Ray.

Knowing Zack, he was the type to follow what he wanted or what he thought could be better for him first before the others. Well, it had been going on since they knew him.

Peter and Ray walked to the two Zack. The other people watched in horror and surprise, sharing murmurs with one another. The shadow monsters might attack soon, and now here they were, having another problem. “How did this happen?” Peter asked and the two Zack looked at him at the same time, which surprised him.

“I don’t know!” the two Zack explained at the same time, mirroring the same movements. “I just wanted a mirror answering all my questions. The summoning failed again,” the two Zack said.

Peter and Ray couldn’t believe their eyes. It was the kind of horror that they wished wasn’t true. “How do we fix this, Pete? They look alike. One is just a reflection, but I have no idea who,” Ray turned to Peter.

He sighed and thought through. “Do you have any idea? I’m out of ideas right now,” he said and waited for Ray to pitch in some idea. “Anything can do,” he said.

It was one of those rare times that Peter was out of the idea. He would always be the one to pitch an idea. Before, Peter would rarely suggest something because he was discouraged that people won’t even consider it. Thus, he would just feel rejected. But after some times that people considered his ideas were great, it started to lit up his mind to produce more ideas. It gave him the courage to share his ideas that people around him started to depend on.

Ray hummed. “Uhm, how about asking things about him?” he asked Peter in a quiet voice, quite not sure.

It clicked in Peter’s head. “Oh, like, to ask him things about the secrets we told him?” he asked and nodded at his own words. “Let’s do that, then.”

Almost a year before they graduated, the four of them including the before-alive Josh had a get-along party to celebrate Peter’s birthday. Long story short, they got drunk and started telling each other their secrets. Most of the time, Zack listened and didn’t share about him and he kept those secrets safe.

The two nodded at each other and turned back to the two Zack. “A year before we graduated, when we got drunk, I told you something about my ex. What’s her name?” he asked the two Zack since he didn’t know who was real.

The two Zack paused and looked like they were thinking, before they said at the same time, “Francine Florence!”

Ray looked at Peter and sighed. “They got it right,” he said although Peter heard it with his own ears., losing his patience.

“No, there has to be one mimicking the real Zack,” Peter was determined to know who’s who. He couldn’t just take the other and leave the other. That would be unfair and dangerous as the mimic could be a potential danger.

As a solution, breaking the glass could not be a good idea since he didn’t know how it could affect the real Zack. Since he was open to other magical possibilities, breaking the glass could have a contradicting effect. If they broke the glass, the possibility of actually breaking—killing—the real Zack was high.

It was just Peter’s hunch, though, as he learned a lot about magic. Especially knowing magic could have not just one effect. His hunch I question was that the magic mirror Zack summoned had a contradicting effect. But he didn’t want to bet that hunch in exchange for another life. He had lost Josh. He didn’t want to lose another friend just because he didn’t listen to his hunch.

Finally, Peter took his turn to ask Zack. “I’m going to ask you three questions. Whoever answers first is the real Zack,” he challenged, squinting his eyes at the two. “I have keen eyes. If I see someone late even a millisecond, that’s the fake Zack.”

The two Zack nodded at the same time. Peter wasn’t sure if it would work but he hoped it would. “I thought you’re going to ask one?” Ray asked.

“I didn’t say we’re to ask only one,” Peter said with his eyebrows creased. It was not the time to argue with Ray. “We have no time for this,” Peter said.

Ray just nodded ad let peter be. “So,” Peter started. “What’s the first thing I do when we meet in dorms or at school?”

The two Zack looked at each other at the same time, looking no different from each other. They turned to Peter and said at the same time, “Nod.”

Peter sighed. That was one down. “Okay. Every Christmas, what time do I greet you and the others?” he asked. Now, that was a little challenging, as Peter assumed. The mimic wouldn’t be able to guess—if that was his trick—to tell what time he send them because it was a random same time but he did those for three years, so he must remember.

The two Zack thought hard as they stared at the ground. “8:49 in the morning!” the two Zack screamed at the same time. They guessed it right this time, too. “Quit copying me!” the two Zacks shouted at each other. It just looked weird to everyone watching.

He was left with one question. But he made it extra tricky. He was confident they could finally determine who was mimicking the real Zack. “Final question. What did you give me on my birthday last year?” he asked.

“Notepad” only one of them answered, while the other one was puzzled. Peter grinned and he already knew who was mimicking.

He walked to them with his arms crossed over his chest. “What do we have here,” he said, looking between the two Zack, the other still puzzled.

One Zack crossed his arms. “See, you can’t copy me,” he said looking at the other Zack. 

Peter nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re right. The mimic cannot copy the real Zack,” Peter said and glared at him. “You cannot copy the real Zack,” he said.

The puzzled Zack finally grinned as well, realizing the situation. “That’s right. We never met after three years. What am I thinking hard for? Of course, I won’t be able to give you a gift because we’re away from each other!” the real Zack smiled in happiness but Peter just grimaced at him.

“I never received a single birthday gift from you, what are you saying?” he rolled his eyes.

The mimic was surprised and he didn’t expect the turn of event. He didn’t like it because he should’ve been living as Zack but the real Zack was winning. “I’m going to reveal your secret,” the mimic said to the real Zack.

He was surprised so he quickly took the glass with a wooden base and took it to a corner which made the mimic move as to how the mirror moved. The mimic revealed its form. It still looked like Zack but a hologram. Zack promised Peter and Ray that it won’t do anything against their interest.

Although Peter was curious about the secret, he had no time for it and it was his turn to summon.

He created a summoning circle and with one glance outside the window, he could still see shadows roaming around. Other than that, it was peaceful that it was so suspicious. He was running out of time. The only thing that would actually work was Ray’s sword.

He finally recited the mantra he made.

An object from the Atlanchi World;

Pages filled with magic spells.

Help me control creatures from another world.

In my name, Peter Cohen, I summon you into this world.

After the whirl of wind disappeared, the portal came.

A book that could control the creatures that came from the world of shadows was what he wanted to summon. However, something appeared there that was not much to his expectation.

A skull head appeared there, standing on its jaw. “Was my summoning a failure too?” he asked himself and walked to the skull head and picked it up before looking at Ray and Zack.

Zack chuckled. “That’s even worse to a mirror who mimicked me,” he said.

“Why did you summon me?” the skull head spoke without moving, but its sockets were filled with yellow light. It spoke English.

Peter was surprised, but he kept his cool. “I actually meant to summon a magic book, but I summoned you,” he said. He actually felt bad and disappointed. He was so confident that he would summon a book with success this time.

The skull head didn’t speak for a while but it jumped on his hand to face Peter. “I’m a dead magician from the 1800s, I can teach you magic if you want,” the skull said.

Peter was delighted to hear that and smiled. “Teach me magic.”