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"And you are absolutely certain I won't come home to chaos?"
"Sí, mamá." Bruno nodded.
His mother gave him a probing look that made him sweat a bit before sighing.
"Very well." she sighed, "We will return in a few days. I trust nothing will go horribly wrong in that time?"
"Even if it does..." Bruno smiled while barely resisting the urge to knock, "I'll take care of it easily."
Alma nodded before getting on the wagon with the others.
"¡Adios, Brunito!" Alma called as the wagon began moving en route to Bogotá.
"¡Adios, mamá!" Bruno answered.
"We'll miss you!" Mirabel shouted.
"I miss you already!" Bruno smiled.
"There's a stockpile of food if you get hungry!" Julieta hollered.
"Got it!" Bruno called.
"Don't let Camilo cause too much trouble!" Félix laughed.
"I only promise to try!" Bruno chuckled.
"Don't overexert yourself too much, pa!" Kate shouted.
"No promises!" Bruno grinned much to the newly minted doctor's annoyance.
"See ya soon, Hermanito!" Pepa called.
"One hour!" Bruno bellowed, "Only by one hour!"
The wagon was soon out of earshot with most of the Madrigals shouting their goodbyes and well wishes.
Things went pretty well for the first two days with the help of Luisa and Isabela. Even though it was a bit of a struggle to keep Camilo out of trouble. But, the relative peace and quiet weren't meant to last due to the same Madrigal that Bruno only promised to try to keep out of trouble. They had bought some herring from the traders that apparently had been aging in brine for over a decade. Bruno would rather have his fish fresh whenever he's in the mood for it, thank you very much. But, it didn't stop the three from eating it and trying to talk him into trying just one bite.
"Come on, Tío B!" Camilo groaned, "It's literally nectar of the gods!"
"The only thing I consider nectar of the gods is my herb-infused aguapanela after a long day of visions." Bruno retorted.
"Seriously, Tío," Isabela grinned, "This fish is delicious!"
Bruno just shook his head as he felt his Gift warning him to not even so much as lick that fish.
"I'm normally not much for fish either." Luisa admitted, "But, this brined herring is awesome!"
"I'll stick to my seasoned salmon, gracias." Bruno insisted while eating said salmon.
"I don't know how you can just eat ordinary salmon with all of this brine-aged herring in front of you." Camilo chuckled.
"Easy." Bruno smiled, "I take my fork, get a piece of salmon, put it in my mouth, chew it, and swallow it."
"You know what I mean!" Camilo yelled incredulously.
"I do." Bruno admitted, "But, nothing will get me to eat fish from who knows where."
Camilo sighed and shrugged, "Suit yourself."
The three ate the rest of the herring and sat there with satisfied expressions.
"Well, I'm sending my taste buds into early retirement." Camilo smiled lazily.
"Why?" Bruno questioned while working on the last half of his piece of salmon.
"I'll never have anything that tastes that good in my lifetime." Camilo sighed.
Bruno just rolled his eyes fondly.
"Yeah." Isabela smiled, "That was the best fish I ever had."
"Amen to that." Luisa nodded, "You really missed out, Tío."
"I'd rather miss out than ignore my Gift warning me to not even so much as lick that fish." Bruno argued, "Every time I ignored it has nearly cost me my life, my dignity, and whatever's left of my reputation. In that order."
"But—" Camilo tried.
"Nope." Bruno shook his head as he finished off his salmon, "I've made that mistake several times already and I'm not taking that risk again."
"It had to have been wrong at least once." Isabela pointed out.
Bruno shook his head, "It hasn't been wrong so far."
"Eh, your loss." Camilo shrugged, "That herring was so good that it's making me want more fish."
The girls started laughing and only stopped when Camilo sounded louder than normal.
"Seriously." Camilo smiled, "It was some good fish."
Bruno got up when he finished his salmon and rinsed the dish he used in the sink.
"Now, I need to feed my rats along with the new ones that I rescued." Bruno told the three while rummaging in their new fridge, "I don't understand why the new ones like these so much. They smell horrible and I can only imagine how they'd taste. But, eh, to each their own... I guess."
He pulled out a rectangular tin and pulled the tab. The smell alone had the poor seer reeling. Camilo on the other hand...
"Sardines?!" Camilo grinned with a crazed expression.
"Yep." Bruno gagged, "I don't understand why people like this stuff... Ugh, smells like something crawled in there and d—"
Bruno didn't get a chance to finish his sentence due to nearly getting tackled by his crazed sobrino.
"Fish!" Camilo cried while trying to reach for the tin of sardines.
"Camilo!" Bruno yelled out of shock, "Those are for mi ratas!"
"Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie!" the crazed shapeshifter shouted.
"Get off of me!" Bruno shoved them away as gently as he could without injuring them.
"FISH!" Camilo grinned while trying again a second time.
"Camilo!" Bruno scolded while holding the crazed changeling back, "I told you these are for my rats and you've had more than enough fish!"
Bruno shoved him off and used his magic to create a strong wind to keep him at bay. But, Camilo was still determined to get those sardines. They shifted into someone strong enough to fight his wind and stomped towards the terrified chronomancer.
"Luisa!" Bruno yelled in increasing panic, "¡Ayúdame!"
Luisa ran at Camilo and restrained them before they could get to Bruno.
Bruno's eyes flashed, "Tiger!"
Luisa quickly grabbed Camilo by their scruff and wrapped her other arm around his torso just as they shifted into a terrifying tiger.
"FISH!" Camilo snarled as they struggled futilely against Luisa's grip.
Bruno's eyes flashed again, "Gorilla!"
Luisa wrapped her thick arms around their neck and arms as they shifted into a massive silverback.
"Fish!!!" Camilo screamed through the hold Luisa had on them.
Bruno's eyes flashed once again, "Snake!"
Luisa grabbed them by the head and had her foot on their legs as they shifted into a boa constrictor of a massive length.
"Fissssssh!" Camilo managed to hiss out as they struggled to break free.
"What has gotten into them?!" Isabela asked fearfully as she helped by wrapping them in thick vines as they continued to shift into a bunch of animals.
"I have no idea." Bruno shook his head before his eyes flashed, "Elephant."
Luisa hurriedly moved out of the way as Isabela wrapped her strongest vines around Camilo's arms, legs, and neck when they shifted into an enormous elephant.
"FIIIIIIIISH!!!" Camilo trumpeted as they struggled greatly against the vines.
"Can you figure it out?" Luisa asked nervously.
"I'll try." Bruno shrugged before his eyes went off again, "Bear."
Isabela tightened her vines as Camilo changed into a grizzly that would give Antonio's bear who calls himself Claws a run for his money.
"FISH!!!" Camilo roared as they started biting at the vines to no avail.
Bruno looked closer at Camilo as they shifted between all sorts of animals and Isabela barely managed to keep up.
"Mismatched pupils... Erratic behavior..." Bruno muttered before feeling their head, "Ay, they're burning up... Intense craving for—"
"Fish!" Camilo shouted while shifting into a boar.
It took a moment for Bruno to recognize the symptoms before muttering incredulously, "I thought that illness wasn't real."
"What illness?" Luisa asked.
"They called it Bacterial Pisces Dementia in a show I Saw in a vision dream." Bruno explained, "It's a disease that infects your head and turns you into... Well... That."
"Fish!" Camilo squawked as they shifted into a pelican.
"Is there a cure?" Isabela asked.
"The only cure is to wait it out." Bruno answered, "Also, we can't feed the disease."
"Why?" Luisa asked.
"If they eat so much as one of these sardines they'll be stuck that way forever." Bruno replied.
"How long do we have to wait?" Isabela asked while struggling to contain a constantly shifting Camilo.
"We have to wait 24 hours and they'll be back to their normal self." Bruno answered before chuckling, "Probably sore in places they didn't know could get sore."
Isabela chuckled before remarking, "Well, that'll teach Camilo not to eat stuff from strange places."
"Uh, didn't you eat the same herring they did?" Bruno questioned fearfully.
Isabela's right eye started to drift a bit which made Bruno more nervous. He was a little relieved when it forced itself back to normal. But, his fears were confirmed when a crazed smile grew on Isabela's face and her eyes became just as crazed.
"Why yes, I dooby dooby did!" Isabela grinned before charging at Bruno shouting, "Fish!"
Bruno forced her away with a gust of wind while crying out, "Luisa!"
Luisa restrained Isabela and had to grab Camilo when they managed to break free of the vines.
"I guess it looks like we're on psycho duty, Tío." Luisa smiled awkwardly as she restrained the two.
"Yep." Bruno nodded as he aged the vines into dust before they could grab the sardine can.
"No fish for them for the next 24 hours." Luisa sighed.
"So... What about you?" Bruno asked nervously, "You ate the herring too."
"Well, I almost never get sick." Luisa shrugged, "Maybe I'm immune to this Pisces Dementia."
"Are you sure?" Bruno gulped as he aged another grabby vine into dust.
"Yeah, I feel fine." Luisa smiled.
Bruno gave her a look as he aged more vines to pieces.
"Seriously." Luisa defended herself.
Bruno's look only grew sterner as he continued to take time from the vines.
"Ironclad constitution." Luisa swore.
Bruno was about to accept that when his Gift practically screamed at him that Luisa was not fine and to get rid of every last fish in the house. He looked at Luisa and his internal warning system was confirmed when her eyes became just as crazed as the rest of them. She even put the two down with that dreaded smile on her fevered face.
"FISH!" Luisa screamed much to Bruno's horror.
Bruno shrieked and quickly shoved every last sardine down his throat. The taste was even worse than he imagined as the slimy fish slid down into his poor stomach. But, he'll gladly eat straight out of the garbage if it ensures the health of his family. He whistled for all of his rats and loudly ordered them to eat every last fish in the house. Even the fish in the cellar. The three tried to charge for the cellar which Bruno saw coming a mile away. Casita slowed them down as he summoned a bunch of sand, sent it at the door leading to the cellar, and aged the sand to solidify it into sandstone. He even reinforced it by hardening it with his magic to where not even Luisa could smash through it.
Bruno stood in front of the blocked door and scolded, "None of you are getting any fish!"
"Now this is what I call a catch of the day!" A man shouted loud enough to be heard inside Casita.
"Yeah, I've never seen this many cod fish in all my years of fishing!" Another man laughed happily.
"And look at how big they are!" The first man grinned.
"Yeah, you'd think they were tuna fish!" The second man crowed.
"Miércoles..." Bruno gulped.
"FISH!" The three screamed as they charged towards the front door.
Bruno tried to block the front door. But, he wasn't fast enough and building a sandstone wall took time he didn't have. Casita tried her best to stop the three from getting to the door. But, not even a magic house can stop a rampaging Luisa, a shapeshifter, and a highly-skilled chloromancer. Bruno resorted to blocking the door with his body in the hopes that they wouldn't dare risk injuring their tío. Those hopes were dashed when they charged right through him and broke down the door. He was pretty badly injured after getting run over by three sobrinos.
"I think I just coughed up my spleen." Bruno wheezed as he shakily reached into his ruana for an arepa.
It took a few seconds for him to find and eat the arepa. He sighed as the bruises healed, the aches faded, and he felt something that broke crack back into place and mend. Bruno quickly got up and saw his three fish-crazed sobrinos charging for that donkey-driven wagon full of fish. He knew he couldn't catch up to them on foot and thanked God that he spent the last few months practicing his teleporting. It only took him a few moments of concentration for him to feel like he was being pressed and pulled on all sides. His world turned into a green blur and split into many images and sounds before coming back together all at once. When the moment of disorientation faded, he quickly realized he was on the wagon full of cod the size of him.
"¡Mis amigos!" Bruno shouted which startled the fishermen, "You need to get to the village as fast as you can!"
"Wh-why?" one of them asked.
Bruno pointed directly at the three crazed Madrigals all screaming for fish and sprinting right at them. That was all the prompting the frightened fishermen needed for them to urge their donkey into a gallop. Bruno knew they weren't going to be fast enough to keep them away. So, he did the only thing he could think to do:
Slow them down.
"Just keep going as fast as you can and run through some puddles!" Bruno shouted as he prepared to teleport again, "I'll keep them busy!"
He teleported in front of his crazed family members and couldn't help thanking God mentally for being as prepared as he is. He always made a point of carrying at least one crystal charged with his magic in case he needs to pull more power than he can give from his own reserves. He quickly began doing just that and created a massive sandstorm that caught all three of them off-guard. Luisa crashed head-first into a rock which shattered it on impact. Camilo quickly grew claws and grabbed hold of a tree that was barely hanging on by its roots. Isabela wasn't so lucky and bashed her head on a tree before she could summon so much as a vine.
Bruno couldn't help wincing at their possible injuries, but it was worth it if it means they won't be stuck as fish-craving maniacs forever. He moved the storm away from Isabela when he was sure she was unconscious and kept it going on Luisa and Camilo. The tree that Camilo was hanging on to uprooted and was sent flying onto Luisa along with a bunch of other trees. That made Bruno quickly stop and run to check on them.
"Luisa?! Camilo?!" Bruno fretted, "Are you okay?!"
His fears were assuaged and his bruises nearly mounted when both of them broke free of the trees. Luisa used her strength and Camilo shifted into an angry rhino. Bruno was barely able to dodge the trees and had to age one into dust to avoid getting hit.
"FISH!!!" The two shouted before taking off in random directions before Bruno could stop them.
"Wow!" he heard a young voice shout which made Bruno yelp a bit.
"That was so cool!" another voice shouted.
Bruno looked and saw that it was just his little minions.
"Oh, it's you guys." Bruno sighed while walking over to Isabela.
"Are you okay?" Alejandra asked.
"Yeah, just a little bruised up."
"Is Isa okay?" Cecilia asked.
"She will be when she wakes up tomorrow." Bruno answered as he pulled a tiny purple vial from his ruana.
"Are you putting her to sleep?" Juancho asked.
"Yep." Bruno nodded as he poured the tonic down her throat and encouraged her to swallow.
"How long will she sleep?" María asked.
"Until tomorrow." Bruno replied before asking, "You guys know where my vision cave is?"
The kids all nodded.
"Good." Bruno smiled, "Can you all carry Isa there and make sure the door is locked?"
"Why?" Juancho asked.
"She's sick and I can't let her eat any fish even though she wants it really bad." Bruno explained, "My vision cave is very strong and should be able to keep her from getting out and eating fish."
"Oh." the kids realized.
"Yeah." Bruno nodded, "So, do you mind helping me out?"
"Not at all!" María grinned.
"Gracias, amigos." Bruno sighed.
"¡De nada!" the kids all shouted before getting to work moving Isabela back to Casita and into Bruno's vision cave.
"Now, that that's taken care of." Bruno muttered to himself, "I need to find where the other two went."
Bruno managed to track Camilo to the riverside part of the village where all the fishermen catch and clean the fish to be sold in the marketplace. Bruno barely managed to teleport there in time to stop Camilo from eating the fish by teleporting them away in a flash of green light. Replacing them with a number of Pedros based on how big the fish were. The stunned fishermen stared as Bruno basically bought half their stock in his efforts to keep them away from Camilo.
"Don't just stand there!" an increasingly drained Bruno shouted, "Stop him!"
The men finally decided to get the lead out of their fishing overalls and four of them tackled the shapeshifter to the ground. Bruno's Gift quickly warned him that Camilo was going to shift into a hippo and he quickly reacted to the threat. He teleported straight to Camilo and forced a vial of sleeping tonic down their throat before they could even begin to grow.
"Fiiiiiiish..." Camilo mumbled drowsily before he passed out.
Bruno and the fishermen sighed with relief.
"What has gotten into him?!" one of them shouted.
"Old herring." Bruno answered, "It made him sick and crave fish like crazy."
The men all nodded in understanding.
"Now, I just need to find Luisa." Bruno said to himself before asking, "Does any of you know where my vision cave is?"
"I do." One of the men from the wagon of cod answered.
"Okay." Bruno nodded, "Can you take them there and make sure to lock the door?"
"Sure!" the fisherman smiled, "Anything for the man who showed us the best fishing spots!"
Bruno blushed a bit before mumbling, "Th-thanks..."
"No, thank you." the man smiled as he picked up and carried Camilo en route to Casita.
Bruno cleared his throat a bit before refocusing on what he needed to do.
"Two down one to go." Bruno muttered to himself, "Now, where could Luisa be?"
His Gift answered him in the form of an involuntary vision that showed her eating every last fish in the marketplace. Bruno rushed to the marketplace and teleported every last fish that he saw which cost him half of his life savings. This was much to the confusion of the shop vendors to see Bruno buying up every last fish. Their confusion soon turned to horror and fear when Luisa came crashing through the market.
"FISH!!!" Luisa bellowed loud enough to rattle the rooftops.
The vendors screamed and ran away as Luisa smashed their stalls in her crazed search for fish. The strongwoman grew increasingly frustrated as she began smashing up more and more of the stalls. Bruno knew he had to do something and that something was likely gonna drain nearly every last drop of his energy. He reached out to as much of the plant life around him as he could and took as much time as he could without killing too many plants. The sensation of power from taking so much time at once bordered on orgasmic for him. But, he didn't let it distract him from what he needed to do. He teleported a fish into his hand and whistled loudly to get Luisa's attention.
"Looking for this, ¿Conejita?" Bruno smirked.
"FISH!!!" Luisa roared before charging at Bruno.
Bruno drew on as much power as he physically could without severely injuring himself which led to his hands and eyes glowing completely green. Before Luisa could even tackle him, they both vanished in a bright flash of green much to the shock and confusion of the villagers. They were all wondering where the two Madrigals went and wondered if they were gonna come back.
Luisa tripped over her own two feet from disorientation and it took a moment for her to get her bearings. She was in a world surrounded by mirrors that kept splitting all kinds of images multiple times and bending them in ways that would give anyone vertigo. The crazed strongwoman looked everywhere for a way out and could find none.
"Recognize this place, ¿Conejita?" Bruno's voice echoed everywhere, "Welcome to the Fourth Dimension... Well... Part of it. I like to call this particular area the Mirror Realm myself. There's only one way in and one way out. Both ways are through me because in this world... I am in control."
"FISH!!!" Luisa bellowed angrily.
Bruno's chuckles seem to be everywhere, "You won't be getting any fish here. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Both will lead to you going to the realm of dreams either way. You could let me give you your medicine so you can sleep this illness off... Or... You could fight against me which you and I both know is about as hopeless as trying to punch the wind."
"FISH!!!" Luisa howled while trying to futilely punch a random mirror.
Bruno sighed which seemed to be everywhere before it focused on one spot as he made himself visible, "I should've known better than to try reasoning with you."
"FISH!!!" Luisa roared as she charged at Bruno who used one of the mirrors that changed their surrounding rapidly and tripped her up.
He quickly jumped onto her and forced a vial down her throat before she could throw him off. It was only a matter of dodging her attempts to punch him before she finally collapsed from exhaustion. An exhausted Bruno released his hold on his magic and reappeared in the marketplace with Luisa much to the relief of the villagers. He had to eat his entire bag of peanut butter balls to keep from passing out from the drain of using so much of his power. But, it was worth it to keep his family healthy and whole.
Bruno's relief was short-lived when a furious Señor Manas stormed up to him and glared him down. This was a man who didn't care that Bruno led to the town being renamed Esmerita. You are in for a world of hurt if you screw up his business in any way.
"Uh..." Bruno gulped.
Señor Manas crossed his arms while his glare hardened.
Bruno could only slump in response, "Luisa and I will rebuild the stalls."
His glare only lessened marginally.
"And I'll help you guys catch, clean, and even sell the fish for a month." he mumbled.
Señor Manas only raised an eyebrow.
Bruno let out a sigh before conceding, "And I'll show you guys all the best fishing spots."
He nodded at that before finally speaking, "I won't say a word to Doña Alma about this."
"Gracias." Bruno sighed with relief before he felt something warm drip from his nose.
He used his hand to find out what it was and it came away covered in blood.
"Are you alright?" Manas asked in alarm.
"Y-yeah," Bruno stammered, "It happens when I overuse my Gift."
"I guess all that teleporting was overdoing it a bit, eh?" Manas shrugged.
Bruno barely kept from swaying, "Just a bit..."
"You need help moving Luisa back to Casita?" he asked.
Bruno nodded, "I barely have enough energy to teleport myself let alone someone the size of Luisa."
Señor Manas nodded before getting a dozen of his men together to lift Luisa and carry her back to Casita. It took a bit more doing for them to get her into his vision cave, but they managed. Bruno tried to keep watch over the three to make sure they don't wake up and start trying to break down the door. But, the drain from overusing his Gift proved too much and he ended up passing out against his vision cave door.
He woke up with a start to the sound of someone knocking on his vision cave door.
"¡Tío!" he heard Camilo's voice shout, "Why are we locked in your vision cave?!"
Bruno practically gasped in relief as he opened the door.
"Ugh, I'm sore in places I didn't think could get sore." Camilo mumbled as he stumbled out of the cave.
"How do you think I feel?" Isabela groaned.
"My head feels like it got ran over by a herd of donkeys." Luisa rubbed her head.
The three got a look at Bruno and all their worries were forgotten in favor of how terrible he looked.
"Wow, you look like you got ran down by all the animals in the Encanto." Camilo commented.
"I feel like it." Bruno mumbled.
"What happened?" Camilo asked.
"We got sick." Isabela answered.
"And I had to chase all three of you down." Bruno finished.
"I hope we didn't give you too much trouble, Tío." Luisa whimpered.
"You guys are never too much trouble." Bruno smiled.
The three smiled at him fondly.
"Now, we need to get downstairs." Bruno stated a bit tiredly.
"Why?" Camilo asked before they heard someone knocking.
"La familia is back." Bruno smiled.
The four went downstairs and opened the front door to be treated to tons of hugs and lots of happy greetings. Bruno had long since gotten used to how noisy his family can be and wasn't too overwhelmed. But, all the excitement in the air didn't stop the family from noticing the terrible condition he was in.
"I hope the villagers were not too hard on you, mijo." Alma commented, "You look exhausted."
"I... Had a rough night, mamá." Bruno tried to explain away.
"Uh huh." Kate raised an eyebrow, "And that's not blood I'm seeing on your mustache. You overused your Gift again, didn't you?"
Bruno winced, "Y-yes. But, it was for a good reason!"
"Well, I certainly hope it was for a good reason." Pepa glared.
"Don't worry, Luciérnaga." Julieta soothed while stroking his face lovingly, "I'll make you some aguapanela and make you feel much better."
"Gracias, hermana." Bruno smiled.
Everyone eventually sat down to a late breakfast. Announcements were made, prayers were said, and food was handed out. The dining room was filled with the smell of good food and pleasant conversations. Even Bruno was getting in on the conversations even though he was so tired that he was on his third cup of espresso.
"I hope you don't plan to do too much today." Kate told him.
"Unfortunately, Luisa and I owe Señor Manas a few... Favors." Bruno explained, "She and I have to head to the marketplace to help him out."
Luisa looked a little surprised but she wisely didn't comment on it.
"Well, I hope Señor Manas doesn't make you do anything too strenuous." Pepa raised a brow.
"I hope so too." Bruno mumbled.
Alma sniffed and made a weird face before asking, "Does anyone else smell fish?"
Luisa, Isabela, and Camilo all discreetly looked at Bruno who was drinking his espresso with renewed vigor and looking down at his sandals.
Meanwhile, just underneath Casita, Bruno's one-thousand-strong colony was having the biggest fish feast of their lives. Every fish that Bruno teleported ended up down there and the rats are going to town on them, bones and all. Even Rosa had to admit that it was the best that the entire colony ate in years.