NARRATOR: The war between sorcerers
was fought in the shadows of history
and the fate of mankind rested with the just and powerful Merlin.
He taught his secrets to three trusted apprentices,
Balthazar, Veronica, and Horvath.
He should have trusted only two.
Veronica and Balthazar witnessed the savagery
of a sorcerer beyond evil,
Morgana le Fay, Merlin's most deadly enemy.
We are but servants.
-Merlin. -Horvath!
You betray me?
(GASPS)
I am no one's servant.
Well done. Now get the spell.
NARRATOR: And so it was. Morgana gained sorcery's most dangerous spell
known as "The Rising, "
giving Morgana the power to raise an army of the dead
and enslave mankind.
Veronica sacrificed herself for Balthazar
by drawing Morgana 's soul into her own body.
But Morgana began to kill her from the inside.
To save Veronica 's life and to capture Morgana,
Balthazar trapped them both in the Grimhold,
an inescapable prison.
Over time, Balthazar fought many sorcerers
who tried to free Morgana,
trapping them in layer upon layer of the doll.
Eventually, he captured Horvath as well.
As Merlin lay dying, he gave Balthazar his dragon ring,
saying it would guide him to the child
who would one day grow to be Merlin's successor,
the Prime Merlinean.
The Prime Merlinean is the only one
who can kill Morgana.
NARRATOR: Balthazar would search for centuries.
And never, it is said, will Balthazar waver from his quest,
for mankind will never be safe
until Morgana is destroyed by the Prime Merlinean.
(ALARM CLOCK BUZZlNG)
Hey, T ank. How did you even get up here?
DAVE'S MOM: David? Field trip today.
Don't forget to wear clean underwear.
She means me, not you.
(KlDS LAUGHlNG)
You're not supposed to be doing that, Dave.
Now!
BECKY: David.
That's cool.
...which means that before Ellis lsland and the Statue of Liberty were built...
DAVE: (WHlSPERlNG) Pass it to Becky.
OSCAR: Pass it on. BOY: Pass it on.
GlRL 1 : Pass it to Becky. GlRL 2: Here.
MS. ALGAR: Let's go.
Get on the ferry. Get your bags. Stay close. Here we go.
Hey, stop!
Excuse me, excuse me.
No!
No, lady, don't!
No way.
(EXCLAlMlNG)
The second emperor of the Han dynasty
Iocked his least-favorite wife in this urn for 1 0 years to the day.
They say you open it up, the same thing will happen to you.
I'm sorry. I'm looking for this note.
Have you seen it? It kind of just blew into your store.
A note?
It blew into your store.
(STAMMERlNG) It was just a...
Coincidence.
Yeah, it was just a coincidence.
I have something I'd like to show you, Dave.
-How'd you know my name was Dave? -'Cause I can read minds!
It's on your backpack.
Come over here.
This is very special
and if it likes you, you can keep it.
I better not. My teacher said I couldn't be gone for long.
She knows I'm here.
You're a bad liar, Dave.
That's good.
DAVE: Oh, boy.
No way.
I have been searching a very long time.
Magically, here you are.
That ring on your finger means something, Dave.
It means
you're going to be a very important sorcerer one day.
And your first lesson begins right now with your very own Encantus.
Do not move, do not touch anything.
(THUDDlNG)
No way.
When am l?
New York City.
Not where. The year.
You are wasting my time.
What happened to "don't touch anything"?
That's not very sporting of you, Balthazar.
Be quiet.
It's not you. He's been like this for 1,000 years. I'll explain later.
I need the Grimhold. Where's that doll?
(EXCLAlMlNG)
HORVATH: I'll have that doll.
(EXCLAlMS)
I want that doll.
Leave, Dave! Leave now!
David Stutler! Don't ever leave your...
There's these crazy wizard guys in there!
They're made of roaches!
No! Don't go in there! The store's on fire! Don't go in!
Those guys are
crazy.
MS. ALGAR: You really shouldn't tell stories. Let's go.
BOY 1 : Ew! He peed his pants!
(KlDS LAUGHlNG)
A jar broke. It's just water! There was a fire!
BOY 1 : Yeah, Stutler had a leak.
BOY 2: He's such a geek.
(BEEPlNG)
Good morning. What is that? Oh, right.
Good morning, beautiful.
Hey, heads up.
Oh.
Happy birthday.
Thank you, Bennet.
You're up early.
Professor Heiderman wants me to give a presentation to his Physics 1 01 class.
What? Teaching long division to English majors?
I know. It's like the Peace Corps, but it's Heiderman's class.
Hey, Bio nerds are getting drunk tonight.
(EXCLAlMlNG)
And we invited cheerleaders from Princeton.
Oh. So there's smart cheerleaders.
So, seriously, you're saying you don't want to go out on your birthday?
I got to finish my Tesla coil project if I want to graduate.
Dave, are you familiar with the gray wolf?
Oh, no, please, Bennet. Not this again with the gray wolf. I can't...
The gray wolf is a pack animal.
He must find a mate. He must hunt and grunt.
He must participate.
You're going to get booted out of the pack!
Alone. Eaten by a hungry bear.
That's a real pick-me-up pep talk, and I'm ready to go get the day.
DAVE: No, no.
Oh, man.
Everything okay down there?
(STUTTERlNG)
I should just leave, right?
Right.
Wait. I'm sorry. Becky?
Becky Barnes.
Dave!
We were in fourth grade together.
I do know you. Dave Stutler.
-Right? -That's me.
Yeah. You're that kid.
What was that place called?
-Arcana... -Arcana Cabana?
Yeah.
-So, did you transfer? -Yeah, I did.
And got some help. Treatment.
Yes, that was weird.
You know what? It turns out it's just a glucose imbalance.
Hallucinations?
-Not uncommon in young subjects. -Ah...
Right.
It's a great anecdote.
(CLATTERlNG)
DAVE: Hey, Becky.
Becky? Hey, Becky?
So how are you enjoying Physics 1 01?
BECKY: My brain just does not think physics.
So, what does it think, then?
Music, mostly.
-So, this is me. -(EXCLAlMlNG)
You work at the radio station?
Yeah, I do an afternoon show.
Are you kidding me? That's so cool!
It's just college radio. Like, seven people listen to it.
I'll be listening. That's one more. You can round it up to eight.
(THUNDER RUMBLlNG)
(SPARKlNG)
I think that's our antenna!
-What's going on? -ANDRE: Hey, gorgeous.
The whole mixer is toast, and Freddy called in sick.
(DAVE CLEARlNG THROAT)
Sorry to bother you.
Where does your engineer keep his equipment?
Who's this guy?
So, the good news is you're still transmitting.
The bad news is your return loss, way too high.
All right, if I know what I'm doing,
we should be good!
(SOFT MUSlC STARTS PLAYlNG)
(GASPlNG)
Yes!
-Thank you. -No, please, it was my pleasure.
I could tell this is all pretty important for you.
My show is the one thing that... Well, you know.
Mmm-hmm.
Physics. That's my thing.
I'll see you around.
You didn't ask her out!
You just fixed her antenna and you left.
That's not the point. She will remember me.
"She will remember me"? Who are you? Braveheart?
Bennet, I blew my shot at getting this girl 1 0 years ago.
I can't do it again.
Now get out of here before you get electrocuted.
BECKY: (ON RADlO)...and it's a miracle we made it on the air tonight.
This show may not matter, but the music does.
This is Becky Barnes, WNYU Radio, hoping there's music all around you.
(SECRETS PLAYlNG ON RADlO)
(CLATTERlNG)
I don't understand. Why did you have to buy this piece of junk?
Junk? It's an antique!
Antique? It's a piece of junk from a flea market!
Am I the first one out?
(THUD)
That's a yes.
Our 1 0 years are up, Balthazar.
When I get the Grimhold from young David,
I'll tell him you said hello.
Cheerio, Balthazar!
(GRUNTlNG)
HORVATH: I thought B- was generous.
I've recently been released from a 1 0-year sentence,
during which the only reading material available to me
was your so-called report on Napoleon Bonaparte
from your school bag.
Your analysis was obvious, your prose was weak.
-I was nine. -lrrelevant.
Where's the Grimhold? That doll you took from the shop.
The doll held something very powerful.
Something very important to me.
You had it last.
I want it back.
Listen, I'm...
-I threw it in the street. -Where's the Grimhold?
It's been a long time. I don't actually know where it is.
I'll cut the truth out of you.
Sweet.
(ELECTRlClTY CRACKLlNG)
Get him.
(GROWLlNG)
Wolves? No, no, no, no.
Oh!
(BUZZlNG)
(BEEPlNG)
Thank you.
Wolves.
(GROWLlNG)
(WHlSPERlNG) Man, oh, man, oh, man, oh, man.
(SNARLlNG)
No, no, no.
Oh, no!
Kill him.
No!
Puppies?
Oh, my.
No way.
Where's the doll, Dave?
Him, him.
(TRAlN HONKlNG)
All right, get up here. Now! Now! Hurry!
Oh, no!
(GASPlNG)
(GROANlNG)
This is not happening. This is not happening.
I taste sour in my mouth.
Take it easy, Dave. Deep breaths.
What?
Now that is not happening!
BALTHAZAR: What's wrong? What is it?
No, no, no, no!
You are not doing this to me again!
Do you have any idea what my life has been like for the last 1 0 years?
I've been stuck in an urn for the last 1 0 years.
So have l! A figurative urn of ridicule.
Do you know that in certain parts of the tri-state area,
they still refer to having a nervous breakdown
as "pulling a David Stutler"? Did you know that?
Try to be a good listener, Dave.
That doll is called the Grimhold.
It is a prison for the most dangerous Morganians in history,
each one locked up in a layer of the doll.
Horvath wants to free his fellow Morganians and destroy the world.
This must not happen.
Yeah. For sure.
The truth is, you have a very special gift.
You need to see that.
I just want to be normal.
Normal life. I want to forget about that day at Arcana Cabana.
I want to forget about magic. I want to forget everything.
-You should duck. -What?
(EXCLAlMlNG)
You want to forget magic?
Then why did you keep the ring?
I was going to sell that on eBay.
You're still a bad liar, Dave. I like that about you. It's a good sign.
You have the gift.
No, I have a life.
You're the last person Horvath saw with the Grimhold.
That puts you on his list.
So unless you want him to turn you into a pig who just loves physics,
then you better help me find that doll before he does.
This is crazy. You see how crazy this is, right?
All right. All right.
You help me get it back, you're done.
-Really? -You can walk away.
Can you please put my dresser back?
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
What are you... Oh, no.
Please don't do that. What are you doing?
(THUNDER RUMBLlNG)
What?
-Whoa. What is that? -It's my Grimhold tracking device.
Biometric pressure spell displaces the atmosphere above the doll.
Looks like downtown.
If we can track the Grimhold, so can Horvath.
-So why don't we just take the eagle? -Too high-profile for a trip downtown.
-I'll have to call you a tow. -Won't be necessary.
Yeah, but this car's been impounded for 1 0 years.
This is low-profile.
(ENGlNE STARTlNG)
She missed me.
I'm going to give you the basics. Strictly Sorcery 1 01. Put on the ring.
(STAMMERlNG)
Nothing's going to happen.
Yeah?
(EXCLAlMlNG)
(DAVE SCREAMlNG)
Kidding. You've heard how people use only 1 0% of their brains?
Sorcerers can manipulate matter because they're born with the capability
to use the entire power of their brains.
Which also explains why molecular physics comes so easily to you.
So, wait. Is sorcery science or magic?
Yes and yes.
For now, all you need is a basic combat spell.
Making fire.
What causes molecules to heat up?
They vibrate.
Everything we see is in a constant state of vibration,
thus the illusion of solidity.
But how do we take that which appears solid
and have it burst into flames?
We will the vibrations to go faster. Step one, (lNHALlNG) clear your mind.
Step two, see the molecules.
Step three, make them shake.
(EXCLAlMlNG)
-Got it? -No! I definitely don't "got it."
Trust the ring, Dave. And keep it subtle.
Civilians mustn't know magic exists. That would be complicated.
Says the guy in the 350-year-old rawhide trench coat.
DAVE: I threw it in the street.
It's been a long time. I don't actually know where it is.
I threw it in the street.
Don't go in there!
BOY 1 : Ew! He peed his pants!
DAVE : The store's on fire! Don't go in! Those guys are...
It's just water! There was a fire!
I threw it in the street.
But where?
(KlDS CHANTlNG)
(CAR HORN HONKlNG)
Get out of the way, freak! I need to pull in there!
Are you addressing me?
Hey, don't mess with me.
Where was l?
Chinatown.
(CHEERFUL MUSlC PLAYlNG)
This is it. I'll get the Grimhold. Keep an eye out for Horvath.
Hi.
Can I help you? Do you have an appointment?
I'm sorry to trouble you. I'm looking for a...
Well, it's rather strange. It's a nesting doll. It's about this big.
Angry-looking Chinese gentleman on the front.
-Nesting doll? -Yes.
It's possible. I collect so many objects.
(SPEAKlNG CANTONESE)
Ah!
You speak Mandarin.
Ah.
That was Cantonese, Horvath.
The Grimhold. Where is it?
HORVATH: An old associate of mine speaks impeccable Cantonese.
He lived about 200 years ago.
Know him? Sun Lok.
Of course you do. You locked him inside the Grimhold.
Whoops.
Opened it.
Whoa!
Are you all right?
Looks like...
What the...
Yay!
I'm like one of them.
Dave?
You should run.
(LAUGHS NERVOUSLY)
(SPEAKlNG CANTONESE)
Sorry. Sorry. I'm sorry.
(CROWD SCREAMlNG)
(ROARlNG)
(GASPlNG)
Be still.
(SCREAMlNG)
Balthazar!
Oh, God. Come on.
You skipped the first step!
-Clear your mind! -Skipped the first step.
(EXCLAlMlNG)
(PEOPLE SCREAMlNG)
Clear my mind? Are you insane?
Little bit.
Oh, man.
This is it.
Clear your mind. Believe.
(DAVE EXCLAlMlNG EXClTEDLY)
Yeah!
Go Team Magical Stuff!
(DAVE EXCLAlMlNG)
Did you see that? Did you see what I just did?
I did it.
(POLlCE SlRENS WAlLlNG)
It can't be.
Unbelievable.
Hey, what do you got? Did you see what happened here?
You know what? Bottle rocket meets paper dragon in this Asian festival.
Lit it up like a birthday cake.
We got swamped with calls saying there was a real dragon.
(LAUGHlNG)
Between you and me, Cap, I think some of these folks
were hitting the sake pretty hard.
Sake's Japanese, actually.
Carry on.
-"Sake's Japanese"? -Well, it is.
-I was in character. -Oh, right.
You may now return the ring to me.
I'm a man of my word. You helped me, we're done.
Right. Right.
I'd like to learn some more.
We'll need a place to work.
Somewhere under Horvath's radar.
I think I can help with that.
This was originally a subway turnaround.
They let me work down here
because some of my experiments skew a bit dangerous.
Oh, my professor has a hookup, so nobody knows we're down here.
Oh.
I didn't have a chance to give you this before.
Your Encantus.
I remember it being bigger.
Pocket edition.
The Encantus is our textbook.
The art and science and history of sorcery.
Including our recent history as well.
Come on.
See? There you are.
Oh.
Before we can put Horvath back inside the Grimhold,
we must first turn you into a sorcerer,
which begins now.
Step back.
-I really was doing stuff. -Eyes open.
Mouth closed.
(EXCLAlMS)
This is the Merlin Circle.
It focuses your energy.
Helps you master new spells.
It is where you will learn the Art.
Step inside, you leave everything else behind.
Once you enter,
there is no going back.
So, I should probably pee first?
Better safe than...
I can hold it.
I am Balthazar Blake,
sorcerer of the 777th degree,
and you are my apprentice.
Sweet.
Your ring is not a piece of jewelry.
It projects the electrical energy of your nervous system
into the physical world.
Without his ring, a sorcerer is powerless.
The only other thing a sorcerer needs
is a nice pair of pointy shoes.
Your rubber soles block the current.
Plus it helps to look classy.
These are old man shoes.
Excuse me?
I love them.
A lot.
I haven't seen that cane since I saw a picture of it when I was a boy.
You've been locked up a long time.
And now I'm out.
And I need soldiers.
I got one kid.
He ain't old school.
One will do.
Your ingenuity and your heart
will give you an advantage over Morganians.
They rely only on the power of their magic.
But if you're up against the wall, there's only one weapon of choice,
the plasma bolt.
Nothing. There's nothing.
I got it! I got one! I got one!
That's underwhelming.
God.
Again.
Ow! Ow! Ow!
(READlNG)...and invite my soul...
And again.
See? That's what padding is for. Oh!
DRAKE: So, out of a bath full of jewels, I'm going to emerge, right?
And everyone's going to think I'm me.
I reach into the big top hat and I pull myself out,
but I'm a woman.
A ball of fire, right, a baby sitting in a nappy, but I would like a tiger.
If I could get, like, a tiger jumping out of a leopard.
But not out of its mouth, that's been done, I'm sure, somewhere.
Gorgeous. Just perfect, darling.
Yeah. Yeah, now, keep it straight up sinister.
Oh, do tell me this is a joke.
Sorry, are you lost?
So, you're what passes for a Morganian these days.
Maxim Horvath! You are one smoking man of...
Will you excuse us, ladies?
Yes, excuse us, ladies.
Bob.
Sorry.
So, they tell me you're some kind of entertainer.
Five sold-out shows at the Garden, plus back end on the pay-per-view.
Did you ever see Morgana pull a rabbit out of a hat?
Look, my master disappeared when I was 1 5, vanished!
Left me with nothing but an Encantus
and some prescription-grade abandonment issues.
So I improvised.
Well, the time for improvisation is over.
Balthazar Blake may have found the Prime Merlinean.
He wears the ring?
Mmm.
The best way to defend against fire,
vacuum sphere.
Your turn.
(GASPlNG)
I did it! I did it!
Excellent. Excellent.
-Excellent. -I just did that.
What's wrong with your Tesla coil? It seems to be firing on its own.
Really, really funny.
-This will be hilarious, then. -(CRACKLlNG)
Oh, my God!
Dude!
Beg your pardon. I haven't eaten in 1 0 years.
Yeah. Yeah, fair enough.
You mind if I ask what's so special about this bench?
-No, no, no. -What?
There's no time for that, and too much at stake.
That girl,
she's the one, man.
And you're my mentor, Balthazar.
Aren't you supposed to help me to achieve my personal goals?
Yes! Yes! Except I'm not your mentor.
I'm your master.
And your master says if Horvath catches you out on the street,
you'll die.
Is she worth that?
Think about it, Dave.
And don't eat my sandwich.
Becky! What a coincidence.
BECKY: Oh, hey, Dave.
-Going uptown or... -Are you stalking me?
Not in a threatening way.
Why was I even concerned?
So I listened to your show last night.
-What did you think? -lt was amazing.
I've never actually heard of any of those bands,
which I think is a good indicator that they're cool.
(BECKY LAUGHlNG)
I'm glad someone was listening.
This may come as a surprise to you, I don't get up to much.
Give me the cash. Give it. Come on.
-Give me the bracelet. -Okay, okay.
-Give me. -DAVE: Hey, hey, hey.
(BECKY SCREAMlNG)
That was my grandmother's bracelet.
No! Dave, don't!
You just give me that bracelet back, please.
You better run back to your girlfriend.
Believe me, I wish she was...
You thought she was my girlfriend?
Really? Is that the kind of vibe you got?
You talk too much. Shut up.
What are you doing?
I have no idea what you're referring to. I honestly...
Whoa!
-You seeing this? -Heads up.
COP: Up the stairs!
-Are you okay? -Yeah. Here you go.
Your grandmother's bracelet.
How did you do that? That guy was huge.
I've been doing a lot of cardio boxing lately.
Let me introduce Thunder, Lightning.
Something about you seems different.
I'm wearing new shoes.
-Nice. -Thank you. This your train?
Yes. Thank you.
I just want to tell you that
if you want me to help you with your midterms,
come by my lab.
-I'll text you the address. -Yes, yes, that would be great.
-Yeah? -Tomorrow?
It's a date.
No, no, no. It's not a date! It's a date like an appointment.
No. A date like an appointment!
Love is a distraction.
Sorcery requires complete focus.
Let's go, Thunder and Lightning. There's more to learn.
This is perfect.
The Rising will happen here.
We'll use their satellite dishes on the rooftops.
There, and there, and there.
-Get it done. -My "Best of" DVD drops next month.
Here we go. All right. Move.
Sorry about that. It's just nice for them to see a genuine icon like me.
Fortunately, they'll all be dead soon.
And before that, we need to find the boy.
Well, how do we do that?
We'll wait until he's alone.
Now, focus on control. Set me down slow and steady.
(KNOCKlNG AT DOOR)
Dave? It's Becky.
I'll be back shortly.
Could you please hide? Hide now. Please.
Dave, get back here.
We have important work to do.
-BECKY: Knock, knock. -Yeah.
-Hi. -Hi.
We should go. A library, anyplace...
BALTHAZAR: Dave?
Is that company I hear?
Yeah. Okay. Fine. Becky, this is my...
Uncle. Uncle Balthazar.
Hey, Dave, I'm confused.
I thought you and l were staying in together.
If this is a bad time,
-I can come back. -Yes, actually.
No. No.
Uncle, you and I have plans for later on.
Becky, let's just get out of here.
You know what? It's all right, because I just remembered
I have to go into town to pick up your anti-itch cream.
So, you two stay here. Pleasure to meet you.
DAVE: Okay, enough with the studying. There's something I want to show you.
-What are these things? -Tesla coils.
I was using them to generate something called plasma.
The thing is, I got so fixated on the technical aspects of it
that I almost didn't notice something kind of
beautiful.
I think you'd better step into my cage.
Okay, it's definitely the first time anyone has said that to me.
I'm not surprised.
Just hold on to this bar, please.
Both hands. Yep.
Okay.
Okay, hold on tight and enjoy the show.
(SPARKS SOUNDlNG MUSlCALLY)
Oh, my gosh.
How is this possible?
The coils are firing at such a high frequency
that the sparks literally create soundwaves as they fly through the air.
Which is nerdy.
(LAUGHlNG)
(SPARKS PLAYlNG SECRETS)