There were not many things Magnus was scared of. But his angry mom was an exception. This was on his mind as he was immediately taken to the trauma centre to be given first aid.
"It'll be all right, sweety, we will contact your parents soon and they will be here." A nurse sweet-talked with him.
Magnus was not in pain and he wasn't even trying to hide it. But these doctors had forced him to lay on his belly on the bed as they thought he was burned on the back.
He didn't have a problem with that, but at the moment, clothes from his back were burnt and he could feel the air on his back and ass. It was wide open for the view.
"Actually, my mom works here. Also, can you please put some cover on me? I feel cold." He asked nicely.
The nurse didn't seem very smart as she put the blanket on him. She shouldn't have done it because if he was really burnt then it would have irritated the wounds.
"What's your mom's name? I'll tell her to come then." She asked kindly.
"Her name is Grace Grant, she's a heart surgeon." He reveals.
"Oh, you're Ma'am Grant's son. I'll go and call her quickly." She got up and left.
Meanwhile, Magnus quickly rubbed his back on the blanket and wiped it all clean so that the normal colour of his skin could be seen.
He then laid straight instead of on his belly and looked around. Soon he noticed Bobby was there too, eating an ice-cream. So he called him.
"I thought you weren't injured." Magnus inquired.
"I wasn't. But they still brought me here. I was about to call home and go away when I saw them giving free ice-cream. So I stayed. *Lick*" Bobby replied.
"Hehe, bring me one too. Ah... I'm hurt... I can't move..." Magnus acted.
Bobby got alerted, "Just wait here, mate."
Soon, the two bros were seen happily eating ice cream.
"Magnus... Thanks... If it weren't for you... none of would be seeing the light again." Bobby suddenly said.
Magnus was surprised by Bobby's sudden change of tone. He patted Bobby's shoulder.
"I did it for myself too, Bobby. I didn't want to get burned either." Magnus calmed him down.
But Bobby suddenly frowned and looked where Magnus patted him.
"Dammit, you wiped your hand on me..." He complained, making Magnus laugh.
After they had eaten, Bobby asked Magnus something that made him serious.
"Hey, Mag. What happens when you die? I saw what happened to the bus driver... I... he was laughing not long ago when we were getting on the bus and then suddenly he... I feel weird." Bobby shared his thoughts. He was just 9 years old, these thoughts were common to arise.
Bobby may act silly and funny, but he was still a smart boy. He was good at his studies too because his parents had taught him that if he doesn't like living in near-poverty then work hard and try to change the situation. That was Bobby's motivation.
Magnus took a long breath. He also wasn't sure what happened.
"Bobby, I feel that we are too young to talk about such things. It was frightening seeing him like that. I was honestly a bit scared, thinking that my end would be like that. That was why I tried so hard to break the window.
"But it also opened my eyes. We are so... weak... so easy to break. Our bodies are like glass." Magnus said.
Bobby nodded. "What should we do to get strong then?"
"I don't know... Exercise maybe? A lot of it and keep ourselves prepared for any worse situation. That's all I can think of." Magnus thought loudly.
"Hmm," Bobby stayed quiet after that. He was a bit shaken.
They were sitting silently when suddenly a figure rushed to him. It was, of course, his mom. She was frightened already. First, the fever had kept her scared and now this. It was bad for her health.
"MAGNUS..." she reached his hand and held it.
"How are you? Are you hurt?" She asked.
"No mom, nothing happened to me. Just got my clothes burned, I'm as good as you saw me in the morning." Magnus tried to clarify before any misunderstandings arose.
"Didn't any doctor see you yet?" She asked and looked around. She saw a captain ranked doctor checking other kid's injuries.
"Captain, where is my son's file?" She asked. She herself was a lieutenant colonel.
The doctor turned to Grace and recognised her, "Ma'am, we have not checked him yet. Let me get the records from paramedics."
He quickly brought a file and looked for Magnus' name. His brows furrowed when he saw it. It stated severe burns on the back but Magnus seemed fine,
"Magnus, can you show me your back? I need to check if there are any burns." He said.
Magnus happily showed him as this also reduced his headache. When the doctor saw him fine, he immediately crossed the report.
"Magnus is fine, Ma'am, you can take him home." He declared and went to treat other kids who were severely injured.
Grace turned back to Magnus and stared daggers at him. But she didn't say anything and just checked his temperature by placing her hand on his forehead.
To her worries, he was still as warm as before.
"Magnus, your mum will grow old early if I keep on worrying so much." She said.
"Mummy, it's all fine. I am healthy and uninjured. Maybe, I am just special... or weird." Magnus tried to calm her down.
"I hope you are right. Okay, you rest here, I will finish my work and we will go home together. I will call your dad too. Bobby, is your mum coming?" She inquired.
"I haven't called home yet," Bobby replied as he ate his 3rd ice-cream.
"Call them and tell them that I will drop you off. Stay here with Magnus until then." She suggested and went back to her department to work. She had to do some minor surgeries today.
Bobby was happy with this arrangement. There wasn't anything to do at his home anyway and he liked spending time with Magnus, or at his home because his family had a colour T.V. and they would watch Tom & Jerry, Scooby-Doo or some movie. T.Vs had become common in those days but still cost a decent amount of money.
They just passed their time, talking and waiting till the evening. But then a policeman came to talk to Magnus.
Surprising to Magnus, the policeman was actually Tom, the constable who had found Magnus when he was lost. Tom was also a bit surprised but not much. He specifically came to look for Magnus and he had a hunch that this was the same kid.
"Hello, kid. How are you? I'm here to get your statement. Do you have a guardian here? I need them to oversee." Tom said. He was being professional at the moment because this incident was not a small matter. The journalists were already roaming around the hospital, trying to smell some sensational detail or something else.
"Yes, my mummy works here. But she is busy. Why do you want to talk to me anyway?" Magnus asked with interest.
Constable Tom smiled and patted Magnus' head, "Magnus, I am proud of you. Don't act so humble now. I recorded statements from your teacher and other kids. All of them said that you saved them. You even saved your teacher's life from imminent death. I'm sure the police will reward you later for your bravery."
Magnus scratched his head in nervousness. "Ummm... is there any way to not spread the news about me? I'll be grounded if my parents find out that I acted so dumbly. It's brave for the world but for them, it would be stupid."
"Haha, I understand, Magnus. But I'm afraid, this matter is out of my hands now. An official investigation will be launched soon, and this accident involved children, it's a sensitive matter, so the police, as well as the city government, will be taking this very seriously." Tom explained.
In defeat, he sighed. But then he looked at Bobby and had an idea, ~Yes, when will he be of use?~
"Bobby, are you hurt a lot?" Magnus asked.
Bobby stared back with a questioning gaze, "No, it's just a little bump."
"Good, then for the next 5 days, you should come to my place after going home today. We shall play and watch movies." Magnus proposed. His plan was simple, that his parents wouldn't be able to say anything to him with Bobby around.
"REALLY? wicked, I shall come then. My mummy never says no to visiting you." Bobby was happy.
But Magnus had no idea how much this whole thing was going to explode soon. A 9 years old kid, saving all his classmates and the teacher, that was a story straight out of superhero comics. It was a piece of perfectly sensational news that the masses would enjoy reading, so, how could the various news houses not capitalise on it?
The newspaper and television news-media was already on the rise so nothing could stay ignored for too long.
Soon, Magnus' mom came and he gave the vague statement to Tom, trying not to let his mother know much. He told everything he did, omitting the fact that he was able to heat the metal to bend it.
After that, they headed home after dropping Bobby at his home. By the time they reached home, it was 8 PM.
Adam had already come home and had cooked dinner for them. They washed up and sat down at the dinner table to eat. In the background, the television was showing BBC1 channel that was showing news at the moment.
[NEWS: Today, a tragic accident occurred when a school bus collided with a dumper, causing a fire in the bus. The driver died on the spot, but all the 30 children and the teacher were able to reach to safety, all thanks to the heroic 9 years old, 5th grader, Magnus Grant. When the emergency door did not open due to being stuck, Little Magnus broke the window, bent the safety bar and helped everyone get out, not just that, he saved his teacher, who had passed out due to smoke as she had asthma. His heroic deed is being talked about all across....]
Magnus had frozen in his place, the spoon just hovered in front of his mouth as he was about to eat. His parents were also frozen, but they turned their heads back towards Magnus.
Magnus felt a bit nervous, thinking that a scolding was going to come soon. But, to his shock, his mum and dad got up, came to his side and hugged him tightly.
His mum left a kiss on his cheek. His dad patted his back while repeating, "I'm proud of you, son."
"Sweetie, you did the right thing... but be careful from now on. Okay?" His mum added.
A big smile crept onto Magnus' face. ~*sigh* I was worried for nothing.~
*Knock Knock*
*Doorbell*
Suddenly, someone knocked and rang the bell. It was night time so they were confused about who it could be.
Adam went to check it out. But he was left shocked. There were about 10 people in front of his house, and 4 policemen were trying to move them away as they flashed their bulky cameras and clicked photos.
[You can see Magnus' parents on my Discord - https://discord.gg/DgHkrAn OR see them on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mister_immortal_novel]
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You can read 20 advance chapters on -patreon.com/misterimmortal.
Special thanks to *Douglas Flower* *Umar Latif* *Julian Rocamora* *Darrien Steely*
Thank you for your support!
"Please close the door, Mister Grant, we will disperse the crowd. Sorry for the inconvenience." The policeman told him.
Adam quickly closed the door and looked at Grace and Magnus who stood in the hallway and stared at him.
Adam chuckled, "Haha... I think our little Magnus has become famous now."
"Good thing he doesn't have school for the next 5 days. He should stay at home and let the matter settle itself." Grace advised.
"Mummy, I have asked Bobby to come over for 5 days. Can he stay with me?" Magnus asked.
"Sure, sweetie. I will bring lots of snacks and storybooks tomorrow for you two." She agreed instantly.
So, Magnus happily went to his room to sleep. But, on his bed, he just rolled over from one side to the other. He waited for an hour, 2 hours, 3 hours. He still couldn't sleep.
His mind was not at ease. What happened today was so bizarre in all sense. Magnus was a kid who liked the stories of heroes and superpowers. But he also understood that all these were fake made up stories.
But what happened today had changed that thought. First, the talking portrait. Then the bus incident. Him being able to bend steel and then not getting burned by fire.
He decided to try something to check things. He got up, slowly opened the door of his room and went to the bathroom. Luckily, they had 2 bathrooms, one downstairs and one on the first floor, which only he used.
He locked the door and went to the sink. He put some water in a mug and then dipped his hand in it. He felt that the water was cold at that moment.
Then he tried to replicate what he did with the metal rods in the bus. He imagined his hand on fire.
Soon enough, he felt it, the water's temperature had changed and it was still rising. But he didn't think about the heat limit of the ceramic mug.
*CRACK*
It cracked with noise and the water fell in the sink. It was radiating steam, that's how hot the water had gotten. It was boiling.
Magnus looked at his hands with worry. He didn't know if this was a blessing or a curse. ~What is wrong with me?~
He continued some experiments while being more careful now. He spent an hour or so using his powers and he finally felt somewhat tired. So, he went back to his room and fell asleep.
During the night, while sleeping, Magnus felt something hurting him on his neck. As if some kind of a sharp stone.
His eyes lightly opened while still being sleepy. He felt something around his neck. A locket. In his sleep, he simply pulled it and threw it away.
As he slept, the locket that had fallen a good distance away. Flew back to Magnus and tied itself around his neck.
...
Next Morning,
Magnus woke up with the same itchy feeling on his neck. He saw what it was and to his shock, it was the same wooden locket, tied with a black thread around his neck.
~Weird, didn't I throw it last night?~ he wondered.
But then he remembered what he did last night and felt very excited. He really had powers like a superhero.
~I wonder if I will be like Superman. But I'm weak right now. I know what happens to heroes who try to act before training properly. They get beaten and realise they are not strong enough.~
He quickly went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth and went downstairs. He was staying at home but his parents still needed to go to work. The news was still talking about him and a few journalists were still outside their house.
He took a seat at the dining table where his dad was reading the newspaper calmly. He was reading a report about Magnus. There were speculations that Magnus would get some kind of reward. But he didn't care. Magnus was safe, that was the best reward. He put the paper down and ate breakfast.
Breakfast was simple sandwiches and orange juice. Magnus too, happily ate. But when he proceeded to pick another sandwich from the tray, his hand bumped onto the glass.
It started falling down. Magnus rushed to catch it mid-air and to his shock, it was hovering in the air until Magnus grabbed it.
He thought that nobody saw it, but in fact, his father did. Adam rubbed his eyes, ~Why am I seeing such things? Did I not sleep well last night?"~
Magnus happily continued eating. Grace didn't see anything so she didn't react.
*DONG DONG*
The doorbell rang. Grace went and checked. It was Bobby. He had come with a small backpack with his clothes to stay at their home.
"Good Morning, aunty, uncle." he politely greeted and came into the dining room.
"Okay, Mag. We're leaving for work too. I have cooked lunch for you two. There are also a few snacks. Have fun." Grace instructed him and then left after giving him a kiss on the cheek.
As soon as they went out, they were confronted by some journalists, asking them to interview Magnus. They had been waiting there like hyenas. They tried to come to them and talk but the couple ignored them and left in their cars. Journalists also didn't have enough guts to push it too far as both were military personnel. They didn't want to end up in the news themselves for trespassing.
Magnus closed the door and looked back, "So, what do you wanna do today, Bobby?"
Bobby shrugged his shoulders, "It's your house, you tell me."
"Hmm, let's watch a movie. We can't really go out today with all of them waiting for me." Magnus decided.
They switched on the television and started watching. There were just three channels in that era. BBC1, BBC2 and another one.
And right now, there was no movie showing on any channel.
"Well, here goes the movie plan. Let's go to my room and play some board games." Magnus decided.
Both of them went upstairs. Magnus had some cards, monopoly and some other toys.
They played for a few hours while eating some snacks. But one can not spend the whole day doing this. They later went to eat lunch.
"Ah, these are cold," Bobby said as he filled his plate. There were some sausages, mashed potatoes and bread.
"Bring it to me, I will show you a trick," Magnus said.
He took the plate and placed it on his palm. Then he hovered his other hand over the food. After a few minutes, the food started releasing steam.
"Holy smokes, how did you do this?" Bobby was shocked as his eyes widened.
"Hmm, it's a secret. I can't just tell everyone. Not even mummy and daddy know this." Magnus said smugly.
"Come on, mate. I will keep it a secret. I don't have any other friends anyway, and telling my parents is out of the option." Bobby pleaded.
Magnus actually felt a bit bad. That Bobby didn't have any other friend, well, even he did not have a friend beside Bobby but that was his choice. On the other hand, Bobby was very friendly to all but was still ignored.
"Okay, you have to promise me in the name of the god or whomever you love the most. No matter what happens, you will not tell this to anyone, even mistakenly." Magnus stated.
Bobby gulped his saliva seeing the seriousness of the situation. He nodded, "I promise. I promise. This will be our secret for forever. Oh, I saw this once on television somewhere... Until death do us apart."
Magnus facepalmed himself, "Stupid, that's what married people say to each other. Anyway, come with me."
He took him to the bathroom and put some water in the mug. "Touch the water and feel its temperature."
Bobby did as asked. "Hmm, it's cold."
"Now, wait," Magnus said and put his hand in it.
2 minutes later, he gave the water back to Bobby, "Now check."
Bobby had just touched the water with his finger that he retracted it quickly, "Bloody hell, it's so hot. My finger nearly burned. How did you do that?"
"I don't know. But something happened the day I was lost. Since then, I never feel cold, I can run and cycle faster and longer, I no longer get tired easily. I can also generate heat from my hands. I don't know what else I can do though." Magnus explained.
"Woah, you're like some superhero. I'm sure your powers will grow as you grow, that's what happens in the comics." Bobby thought loudly.
"Yes, that's what I guessed. Also, didn't I tell you about the talking portrait in Buckingham Palace? I was not lying." Magnus added.
"Really? Then we must go and talk to it. Maybe it knows about your powers." Bobby advised.
"I know, that's my plan. But I guess it will take some time before these people go away from outside our home. You should come with me when I will go." Magnus said.
But suddenly, he saw Bobby's face turned sad.
"What happened?" Magnus asked.
"Mag, I don't think I will be here any longer. I heard mum and dad talking. We will be leaving this place soon, I will be changing schools too." Bobby revealed.
"What! Why?" Magnus asked. He was also saddened as he didn't want to lose his best friend.
"I heard that... we don't have the money to pay the mortgage this time and the bank will take our home," Bobby said with a sad face.
Magnus felt bad, Bobby was his only friend. He patted his shoulder, "Don't worry, I'm sure things will work out. You heard them talking. If they were sure then they would have told you as well."
*Sigh*
"I hope you are right, Mag."
...
Buckingham Palace,
Queen's assistant came to report to her, "Your Majesty, all the records of the past 10 years have been checked. There has been no child with the surname Pendragon."
The queen was still young right now and had the vigour, she broke the pen in her hand in anger.
"Call the wizards again and tell them to get me in touch with this... Dumbledore. Give them whatever they need but I need this task done." She sternly ordered and bumped the desk with her fist.
The assistant left her alone in her office. She looked down at the papers on her desk. These were there for her signature.
"Hmm? A 9-year-old recommended for George Cross?" She then read the documents completely. Soon, she had a smile on her face.
She quickly called her assistant, "Make sure this next George Cross Award ceremony gets the highest coverage. I will be personally giving it. What better way for a good PR than giving the highest civilian medal to a brave 9 years old child."
"Yes ma'am. It will be done." the assistant left with a bow.
To the queen, keeping the image of the royal family in its highest honour was the biggest priority. People must never lose faith in the crown and as long as people had faith, no one could threaten her.
Though her thinking was flawed because magic does not care about your image.
[Discord - https://discord.gg/DgHkrAn]
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You can read 20 advance chapters on -patreon.com/misterimmortal.
Special thanks to *Douglas Flower* *Umar Latif* *Julian Rocamora* *Darrien Steely*
Thank you for your support!
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