The figures’ eyes glowed like a branding iron, their fingers’ wisps of shadows steepled under his chin, the face lacking a mouth to sneer at the man seated across the obsidian desk. A voice asked a question, “What are you willing to die for?” And I had no answer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I pondered the witch’s question a moment, taking all the due consideration it was owed. She sat like she was a lounging empress of old. Still, the question hung in the air, and I let it writhe in uncertainty for a moment before I answered.
“I’ve been asked that question before, and my answer has changed since then. The value of a good secret cannot be understated, and I will not give you the knowledge you seek. Thank you for your time.”
I stood up from the chair I had been inhabiting during that tense moment, stretching my arms above my head and groaning slightly as my muscles protested the sudden movement. Putting my arms down I turned and started walking towards the door, hoping she would stop me and this meeting hadn’t been a waste of time. I heard her shift behind me, and then a faint stirring of magic before the door closed softly, and the bolt slid shut with a dull click.
“Wait. I have something that will interest you.” She said calmly and with authority. I carefully wiped the sly smile off my face, and having successfully restored my face to neutrality, turned around to look at her satisfied face.
“I know how to exorcise your little devil.” She said, seeming more than a little smug. I started a bit in shock, and it must have showed on my face. “It must be hard, living with that in your head.” She continued. “I saw the signs, the glowing eyes, your shadow twisting and turning. How far has it progressed, I wonder? Can you hear it? Does it whisper in your ear, do you see things that aren't there? How long can you keep control, I wonder. How long until you destroy everything around you. I can help you, get rid of that vile thing.”
I paused, thinking it through. It’s surprising that she knew how, and it told me she was a lot more important than I thought. The news wasn’t particularly relevant to my current situation, but it did mean she was either more well connected or higher up than I thought. Tricky, tricky. I hesitated a moment more, then opened my mouth to speak.
“An exorcism for knowledge on the Crows' leadership. An interesting offer, one that would tempt many men. I can guess what an exorcism would entail, and I think I'll have to pass on that offer."
"It'll kill you, eventually, in such a damning way your soul will burn and be consumed, your spirit forged into chains your body will wear, connected to it for an eternity of brimstone and blood." She spoke, dire certainty practically dripping from each word. "The exorcism is your only option to live."
"No offense Miss Alviera, I'll take my chances with the devil I know." Turning back to the door, I used a bit of magic to turn the lock held in place by her magic, the unmistakable scent of sulfur emanating from me as I did; the telltale sign of devil's and demons. With the smell of sulfur already in the air, a subtle twist of magic, and her earring appeared in my hand. The lock resisted for a brief moment before it clicked open.
"Well, when you change your mind, I'll be waiting for you, unlike you I have all the time in the world." She said, shifting in her chair. I was glad my back was turned because the smile was back on my face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I walked outside to the midday sun greeting me, the cobbled street cluttered with noise and people. Colors littered the building, brass contraptions gleamed in the sunlight, and the sky overhead was crisscrossed with falling stars of light and overgrown ships of metal and fabric. My eyes settled on nothing in particular, just letting the blues and greens and browns and everything soak in, the vibrancy unmatched by any other city. Vultune. The City of a Thousand Colored Skies.The busy thoroughfare thronged with activity. Constantly moving people, carts weaving in and out, the long limbed autowalkers looming over everyone. The hiss of steam and the cries of hawkers intertwined to make a syncopated melody of human and machine.
I stepped into the broad street, joining the current-like flow of the foot traffic, letting it push me about. Elves, dwarves, humans, and the like, all moving to wherever their needs take them. I needed to get to Sunset Street, but I wasn't in any hurry. I enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the city, and the "little devil" inside loved all the humans around to peer into, the little ball of fire in the back of my skull growing more and more agitated as it shifted its attention from person to person around us.
"I'm not a little devil." It said. It's voice burned in my mind, causing a spike of pain. "She said I'm a little devil, don't make that mistake. I am a very big demon."
"A very big demon someday. Today maybe you're just a little devil. A little tiny devil." I murmured quietly. A sharp stabbing pain appeared behind my eye. "An annoying little devil." The pain intensified for a brief moment, then eased off.
"So why do we have her earring? What did I miss?"
"Just a job to pay our way forward. The professor wanted it, he says it does some powerful magics or something. Maybe a key? Most of it went over my head.”
“Sounds like you need to pay more attention to the details. You know what they say about us and details.”
“That was bad, even for you. Besides, I thought you weren’t a devil, but a big scary demon.”
“I never said anything about scary.”
“Says the talking demon living in my head. You have to admit it’s a little scary.”
“Are you saying I'm scary? How unexpected of you, I thought you were fearless.”
As our conversation continued, we made our way further and further down the streets, The crowds changing slowly and steadily, the clothes becoming silk and wæstral, the hair swept up in elaborate swirls and impressive braids, threaded with bolts of cloth and dyed with colors. The buildings grew grander and wider, bricks being replaced with marble and glass, the walkways from stone to carefully laid crystals, empowered by veins of magic.
“Just because we haven’t found what I’m afraid of does not in fact mean I'm fearless.”
“Oh are you still on about that? Why don’t you give it a rest. We’ll get there when we get there.”
The street opened up into a wide plaza, buildings here very subdued in their grandeur, seeming plain and simple. I wonder what goes on in those shops. I mused to myself, as I usually did when I passed them by. Still, I had never actually gone to check.
“I would like that to be sooner rather than later, but regardless, you still have to admit the idea of a demon living in your head would make anyone else afraid.”
“Well clearly they’ve never met me. I am the pinnacle of humility and kindness, traits most impressive to the average human I’m told.”
“Sure, if you ignore everything contradictory.” I still chuckled a little at the irony, though.
At the far end of the plaza, a grand gateway stood; polished white marble pillars, arching crystalline scrollwork connecting them, engraved with the name The Paradise Magic Academy. The gleaming brass gates stood open, allowing us to walk into the college grounds.
The green stretch of grass greeted us, well maintained by the groundskeepers, with a straight path to first building any new student goes to, who’s name is known by the students simply as Entry Hall. A rather regal looking building, with pillars flanking the large entryway, and a domed tower rising above. I took a left, down a different path lined with trees, maple if my knowledge was correct. Or perhaps oak?
“What type of trees are these?” I asked
“How am I supposed to know? I’ve never studied trees.”
“Well what use are you supposed to be if you can’t answer my every question.”
“Ask better questions then.”
“It’s a perfectly reasonable question to ask. Don’t you know how to have a conversation?”
“How do you expect me to know what kind of tree that is? I live in your head.”
“Well how am I supposed to know what you know without asking?”
“I certainly don’t know about trees. That's just ridiculous.”
I passed through the trees, glancing up to admire how the leaves and branches stretched across the path, their green leaves soaking up the sun, rustling softly in the wind, leaving dappled shadows traveling across the gray stone of the path. As much as it would have been nice to sit and admire the view, my feet carried me onwards, towards the Professor.
It wasn’t long before we arrived at his building, a smaller one towards the outskirts of the College. Long and flat, made of a dark gray stone dotted with windows, it stood only two stories tall. At least above ground. I opened the doors and stepped inside, headed down the hall to the stairs leading further down. The lower floors were dedicated to research rooms, isolated so any mishaps won’t result in too much destruction or inconvenience to the rest of the College. The Professor worked in one of these rooms, researching high level magics for the College as well as teaching. His room was on the bottom floor, one part auditorium, one part laboratory.
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I reached his room eventually, and paused before going in. I heard the Professor's voice through the door, talking to the class he was teaching. I glanced around and found a bench to sit down on and let my mind wander.
“Why are we waiting?”
“He’s teaching a class. It would be rude to interrupt, they’re paying quite a hefty sum to be at the college.”
“Why, not like this place teaches anything you can’t learn out there in the world.”
“Don’t let the Professor catch you saying that. He’ll experiment on you.”
“He’d have to get through your thick skull first.”
“It keeps me nice and safe. And I guess you too.”
“Your concern is touching.”
After a while, the door opened and a flood of students came out. They were all dressed in the expensive silk uniform of the academy, stark whites and navy blues. After they all passed, I entered the spacious auditorium, the desks arrayed in tiers, forming a semicircle around a central stage, chalkboards lining the wall, and a large table at the center, cluttered with magical aparati and sheafs of paper, a glowing blue candle at the center of it all. The professor stood behind, dressed in a suit with more patches than not, its deep brown color broken up into a myriad of yellows blues and greens. His white hair was slicked back and tied tight behind his head, his wrinkled face perpetually smiling, with a matching twinkle in his eyes. He glanced around as I approached, then waved a hand at the door and locked it, the magic he used subtle and almost imperceptible to me.
“Well then, since you’re here I presume you have what I asked?” He started, jumping straight into things.
“No pleasantries today? And here I thought we were friends.” I quipped at him.
“Unfortunately I’m on a rather tight schedule today. Classes are in full swing, I have a meeting with Jezzebel later today, my own time sensitive projects, you know how it is. I can only spare a few minutes now, else I’d love to stay and chat.”
“The life of the Professor is very busy indeed. I won’t waste your time then, here it is.” I said as I pulled out the earring, its sapphire gem matching the light of the candle. “It’s a very pretty earring. The agreed upon amount?”
“Yes you’ll find it’s all here you scoundrel. As if I would ever cheat you.”
“You know this business better than me.”
“Yes the new ones always get cheated out of their hard won coin. I know that song and dance very well. Five hundred crowns, as we agreed.” He said, pulling out a bag that clinked most pleasingly. He tossed it at me, and thankfully I didn't drop it and embarrass myself in front of him. I tossed the earring back at him.
“Careful with that, you could damage it! Hasn’t anyone told you how to handle magical artifacts?” He exclaimed, making an exaggerated show of cradling it when he caught it.
“Yes, I believe an old man I met on the streets told me something of the sort.”
“That old man has more wisdom and knowledge than you ever will, I’m sure.” He said, his tone mirthful and bright.
“By the time I’m your age, I’ll be at least twice as smart.”
“I’ll die before I let that happen.”
“Well you look halfway there already.” He chuckled at my reply, shaking his head in good humor. And then he paused, bringing the blue crystal up to his eye, examining it carefully. I almost missed the magic coming from him again, barely anything leaking from the spell he cast. He studied it for a moment, then nodded, seemingly satisfied with what he saw.
“Exactly what I ordered, thank you. Now, I really must be off, I wasn’t lying about being incredibly busy today. Any other circumstance, I’d stay and chat, but I really must be off.” So saying, he started walking up the steps to the door, putting the earring in one of his many pockets. “Do lock up behind yourself, and meet me for dinner tomorrow night?”
“I’ll be there, Professor.” I replied. He waved a hand behind him as he left the room, the door closing with a thud. I idly looked around the room, the dusty chalkboards filled with formulas and such, too many numbers and symbols I didn't understand. The papers and magics on the table drew my eye, but it was more nonsense to me. The Professor’s lecture notes, maybe, talking about Prime Magic Theory or some such high level theory.
I shrugged and followed where the Professor had gone. When I closed the door behind me, I made sure to lock it, then add a little magic to glue it shut, a little present for the Professor. And then I continued on my way, back up the stairs and into the College proper. This time, I did sit underneath one of the trees and relax, watching the branches sway in the wind.
“Five hundred? For that? He must have really wanted that earring.” It said.
“Wasn’t even that difficult, wish all jobs were like that.”
“With no challenge comes no growth.”
“Too much challenge and I might die.”
“And that is not ideal, I take it?”
“‘Not ideal’ is a tad bit of an understatement. Death would be among the worst outcomes.”
“Only if you lack imagination.”
“Funny enough, I tend not to think about my fate being worse than death. I don’t think I’m alone in that.”
“Just another failing of humanity. How long until our next job?”
“It’ll be a couple weeks, these here should last until then. I’m sure Erica will have something for us before we run out.”
“That’s so long. I’m going to be so bored.”
“You’ll get over it, I’m sure.”
“You’ll help, I’m sure. I won’t let you bore me.”
“I know. Good thing I live to be entertaining.”
The time passed quickly, the sun starting to set, painting the sky brilliant shades of gold and orange, the clouds streaking across the sky bathed in the glow. The wind stilled for a moment, and everything was calm. The last rays of sunlight filtered through the trees, the shadows spotted the ground, dappled patterns adorning the path. I needed to get moving unless I wanted to fall asleep here. Unfortunately the groundskeepers generally frowned upon that, at least they did the last time it happened to me.
I stood up, stretching my body as I did so, the pleasurable feeling invigorating me enough to get my feet moving, heading towards the gate, and then back to the Half-way House. The city was still busy this time of day, but this section of the city was almost devoid of activity as the wealthy were sequestered in their homes, with whatever they used for entertainment, waiting for tonight's main event. Soon I passed back into more comfortable grounds for me, the wealthy district safely at my back. From there a short walk carried me to my temporary home.
The Half-way House stood three stories tall, made of gray stone that stood out amongst the wood and clay and bricks of the buildings around it. The roof was a shallow slant covered in reddish brown slate, with a chimney puffing smoke into the air. The third floor windows were all stained glass, which must have cost a fortune when the place was built. The solid oak door had a big brass knocker on it, with a sign hanging from it advertising room and board. Painted in gold letters long since cracked with time, the name Half-Way House appeared above the door.
Opening the door, I stepped inside to a warmly lit room, a fire crackling merrily in the fireplace, the gentle murmurs of an evening crowd greeting my ears from beyond the entry room. The smell of freshly baked bread and savory meat filled the air along with the smell of the fire. The lady behind the counter smiled as I entered, and said “Welcome back! You look like you had a good day.”
“Thank you Erica, I did.”
“Great! That means you can pay me now.”
“I’m not late again, am I? I thought it was due at the end of the week?”
“Oh, it is, but I know how forgetful you can be. Hundred crowns for the week.”
“What would I do without you to remind me?” I laughed as I took out my bag of coins, counting out the crowns I owed. She slid them into a drawer with a flourish, and smiled brightly at me.
“And that takes care of that! Your room is exactly where you left it.”
“Be a bit odd if it moved.”
“Odder things have been known to happen. Speaking of, the Mana Confluence happens tonight, I was thinking of watching it from my roof tonight, care to join?”
“Why, you, me, on a rooftop alone? If I didn't know any better I would think you were trying to kill me.”
“As if I’d need to lure you up there. I know where you sleep, after all.” She said, laughter in her voice and I couldn't help but chuckle. “Go, sit down, I’ll bring you some food while you wait. It’ll be a few hours yet before I can get out of here.”
I followed her directions, sitting down in the common area while she brought out some food to me. I tucked in as she went about her business, attending to patrons, directing her staff, greeting fresh guests from the street, though those became rarer as the time went on. Eventually, patrons started leaving in droves as the time drew close, and she motioned me over. Standing up, I joined her in the hallway, where her infectious excitement spread and I found myself joining in as she bounced around.
“Come on, let’s go! It should start any minute, and I’m not going to miss it because of your slow ass!” She said excitedly, her dark brown hair whipping around as her head snapped to and fro.
“I’m coming, I’m coming, no need to be so mean. I’m just as excited as you are!”
“Hmm, doubt it, but you can certainly try! I’ve been waiting for this forever, since I missed the last one.”
“Well, not forever, the last one was only what, three months ago?” I said as I followed her up the stairs. We stopped by a door which she opened, grabbing a woolen blanket and a pillow.
“Ya I know that, but it feels too long. You want one?” She asked, waving a pillow in my direction.
“And here I thought we would share one, for shame.”
“That’s definitely a yes then.” She said as she grabbed another pillow, closing the door to the closet and heading for the stairs again. I followed along behind as we made our way to the top floor. She nodded towards the ladder leaning on the wall and said, “Grab that will you? My hands are full.” She raised the pillows in her hand to emphasize the fact.
“Yes ma’am!” I grabbed the ladder, bringing it over to the roof access, and propping it up. Erica stepped up the ladder, reaching the trapdoor to the roof and opening it up, revealing the now darkened sky above. She tossed the pillows and blanket onto the roof and pulled herself up after.
“Come on up, the weathers great! Perfect temperature if you ask me, not too hot, not too cold.” She called down to me, and I obliged, climbing up the ladder to join her on the roof. She was right, not too hot, not too cold. I joined her in spreading out the blanket, laughing along with her as we had more trouble than we should have with such a simple task.
Eventually though, we got ourselves situated on the roof, laying down and staring at the sky, making idle conversation, comfortable in each other's presence. And then it started, the main event for the evening.
It started with the air. The sweet scent of summer fading, as the sharp scent that comes just before lightning strikes replaced it. And the air moved faster, almost electric in the way it buzzed around us, whipping across our skin, making our hair rustle and our blanket fly about as we laughed delightedly. And then a noise, a faint humming sound as if a thousand stones started singing, deep and powerful. It emanated from everywhere, surrounding us in its thrumming, drowning out all else; for but a moment it was as if the whole world was resonating in sound.
It started in the very ground, a slight tremor, felt even at the top of our building. As if, a hundred thousand people marched along the ground. As if a thousand hammers swung in unison pounded on the streets, continuously moving the very earth inch by inch. Growing more pronounced with every second, yet never enough to shake us off the roof, never a stone moved out of place. Everything was exactly the same, yet the whole city trembled from the might.
And then there was magic.
And then there was light. With a deep WHUMPF mana exploded out of the ground, the harmless energy that suffused the earth and sky meeting in a brilliant display of color and sight and sound and raw power. A thousand, thousand different colors spread across the sky of Voltune, blues and reds and greens and others we should not see, the whole rainbow mixing and fractalizing across the clouds and stars. The very air was electric, saturated with mana, the sky a kaleidoscope that no mortal could ever hope to recreate.
The patterns and colors continued to expand across the sky, combining and shifting in ever changing patterns, the beauty truly breathtaking to experience. I glanced over at Erica, and saw the lights reflected in her eyes, her skin and clothes basked in the colors. She caught my gaze and laughed and smiled.
“Isn’t it as breathtaking as when you first saw it?” She asked me, “I could never get tired of this.”
“It’s a sight to behold. Truly, if you don’t think this is beautiful, you must not be living.” I agreed. She shuffled closer, resting her head next to mine. Saying nothing, just content to be.
The sky continued its dance of colors and shapes, as the mana mixed and spread, but the initial show was over for the night, the grand spectacle slowly fading as the colors would become more real, the patterns slower and slower, until slowly it would dissipate to reveal the stars on a cloudless night.
Sighing in content, I felt my eyelids slowly grow heavy as the day caught up to me. I was comfortable, and I let them close as I drifted off to sleep. The last thing I heard was Erica saying “Thank you for joining me tonight, Meeko.”
I fell asleep with a smile on my face.