A soft breeze hit the girl’s cheek, as the light of the sun began to wake her up. She fluttered her eyes open, looking at the tree branches swaying in the wind just above her, the sun shining through the gaps in the leaves.
The day before felt like a dream. Or perhaps a nightmare. Or maybe it was today that was the dream, some sort of delusion one would get right before death. But no, she was certain the feelings were too real for it to be a dream.
Or more likely it was because of the horse skull-headed creature intently watching her, sending shivers down her spine. Regardless, it felt too real to be a dream.
‘That’s it, maybe I should just go back to sleep’ she mused. She closed her eyes once again, but no matter how tightly she shut them, the feeling didn’t go away.
She opened her eyes and her vision slowly cleared up, that warm voice from before echoing in her head once again.
“Hey, you, finally awake.”
The girl opened up her eyes once again, and looked at the creature.
“If you’re gonna eat me, start with the head.”
Something like an ethereal chuckle echoed inside her head before that voice began talking again.
“Worry not girl-child, for I lack need for sustenance, and my taste does not care much for human meat.”
The girl cocked an eyebrow, half of her mind stuck on what she perceived as an attempt at humor, and half on the fact that it knew what human flesh tasted like. She grit her teeth, and decided to reciprocate the monster’s friendly tone.
“N-name’s Ashe. You?”
The moment the words came out of her mouth she cringed hard. She wanted to put up a brave front, but not only did her voice crack, but it was also quivering. She went red from embarrassment, then white from the fear of showing weakness in front of this creature.
Her tiny hands clenched the furs she was rolled up in, which she remarked were exquisitely comfortable and warm. She contemplated just hiding under the covers for a second, but she knew such a childish tactic would have little to no effect of deterring the creature from any dastardly plans it may hold.
An awkward silence permeated the room, as Ashe contemplated the next move she should make, what she should say, her breaths getting stuck in her throat while the creature stood there eerily still, staring at her.
The sound of shoes clacking against the stone floor broke the silence, as a woman with flowing auburn-red hair strolled in the room, humming a song.
Ashe was captivated, the shiny, lustrous auburn-red hair creating a stark contrast with her dirty, disheveled clump of capillary decoration. The woman’s long pointy ears gave away her heritage, and her pretty face was endearing. She did not look like a flawless princess from the fairy tales her mother used to tell her, but she had an unexplainable aura about her that would make them pale in comparison. She could tell the woman carried herself with confidence, more so than anyone she’s ever met, including that old grouchy mage Yevik, a ball of pride and arrogance himself.
Everything about her spelled grace, from her balanced gait, to her great proportions and figure, to her hands caked in blood.
‘Wait, why is she covered in blood?!’
She stopped in front of an oak desk, dunking her hands in a bowl of water before wiping the mess off with some linen rags.
A melodious voice resounded within the room, bouncing off the stone walls.
“Is the girl awake yet, Seketh?”
“The girl-child has been staring at you for a while, kin.”
The creature’s voice resounded within Ashe’s head, but she could tell the woman had heard it too.
Her eyes widened, as she turned to look at the little girl, smothered within the fur blankets.
“Arcivel’s wreath, you were so still I thought you were not there girl. You startled me!”
The woman seemingly fumbled over herself as soon as she realised she had missed the obvious detail of a child staring at her. Ashe’s first impression of the woman became somewhat more grounded, enough that she realised she was holding her breath until now, exhaling in relief.
“Y-you a witch?”
The girl’s voice quivered delivering that question, almost as if daring to say it out loud would make it true. The woman’s lips arched into a smirk, as she playfully put her arms behind her back and approached the girl.
“And if I am?”
Ashe froze for a second, thinking the woman was certainly at least a little shady, what with living inside a mountain so far from civilisation. The fact that she was so pretty didn’t help, her mother told her stories about witches drinking children’s blood to stay young. The woman suddenly broke the tension with a giggle.
“Apologies, you looked so scared I could not help it. What is your name?”
“Uh, Ashe. And you?”
The woman sat on her haunches and got closer to Ashe’s eye level. She looked at the girl and stretched out a hand.
“Neria. Neria Laevis. The big hunk of bones over there is Seketh. Nice to meet you, Ashe.”
The girl’s eyes widened slightly, remembering the name on the journal she saw on the way in.
“Girl-child, I am known as Seketh, you may call me as such as well.”
The girl jumped at the soothing voice resounding in her head once again. ‘I’m probably never getting used to that.’
She looked towards the boney monster, then towards the woman once again.
“You write books?”
Among so many questions running through her mind, this is the one that came out. She wasn’t proud that it took precedence over ‘what are you doing here?’ or ‘are you going to eat me?’, but she wouldn’t beat herself up over it, given the situation.
“Amongst other things. I practice demonology, do you know what that is?”
The girl ran her tongue over her dry lips then pursed them, shaking her head.
“Are you able to walk? I would like to show you.”
Ashe nodded her head and made to get up. She thought it would be best to acquiesce in this situation, realizing her feet were now bound in bandages, as well as some of the deeper scratches on her body. Ashe looked at the creature standing silently a few feet away, as it peered back at her with its abyssal sockets. It nodded subtly, and Ashe nodded back.
She took the woman’s hand and was pulled to her feet. They walked hand-in-hand the way she saw her come in, each step uncomfortable for Ashe, as her feet were still raw.
Neria noticed, and stopped for a second. Ashe looked at her, and noticed a green light flash in her eyes, as soft moss started sprouting from the ground, creating a carpet she could walk on. Neria smiled at the girl, and prompted her to walk on the moss with a nod.
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Her eyes widened and jaw slacked, looked between the woman and the moss. Old Yevik would probably lose his mind if he saw someone cast a spell without any sort of catalyst or incantation. She apprehensively put her foot down, noticing with delight that it was both warm and soothing. Neria’s eyes lit up, as if she saw something marvelous. The woman led her down the corridor lit by a myriad of lights encrusted in the ceiling, each shining like a little sun.
They walked for about twenty seconds before they reached the room she had seen yesterday. The room reminded her of her family’s garden, the trees they hid under to escape summer’s heat, and the table they would eat lunch outside on. Except theirs was not covered in blood. Like yesterday, a little humanoid creature was lying on top of it, half of its torso opened up and kept in place with some clamps while another small humanoid creature, this one furry, was soaking up the blood with linen cloth and dumping it in a bucket on the side. It was furry, like an animal, but it had pitch black eyes and a distinct lack of a nose.
“This is Ald, my familiar imp. Demonologists use rituals to summon and bind demons, as well as study and hunt them.”
The woman pointed towards the carcass on the table. It was a lot less gruesome without the blood, and Ashe had helped her father slaughter and skin rabbits before.
“That is an imp as well, one brought to our world without being bound.”
“So it’s like an untied dog?”
Ashe scrunched her forehead. Neria beamed a smile at her, and pet her bird’s nest of a hair.
“Exactly like that. It is a dangerous existence, especially to the unprepared. This one I found in a village outside the forest, gorging itself on the local cats and dogs. It was only a matter of time until those ran out and it went for more substantial prey.”
The furry creature got off the stool it was using to reach the table, and walked towards the girl. It hunched its back to make itself smaller and stretched out a three-fingered hand towards Ashe. The girl made to shake it, but the creature stepped in and ripped out a strand of her hair.
Ashe gave out a yelp and threw an aggrieved look at Neria. The woman giggled.
“It is for a scrying spell. I surmise he has already taken a liking to you. It would seem you have potential.”
The girl looked at Neria with confusion in her eyes.
“Potential? For what?”
“Magic, child. A scrying spell requires its subject to have an ample amount of mana, and it would seem you are such a subject.”
The statement left Ashe dumbfounded, the old mage back home had always drilled it into them that village rats would never be fit for something as grand as magic. The man always grumbled that his station was too great for teaching children how to count, but he always answered their questions at the end. The woman ran her hand gingerly through Ashe’s hair.
“Would you like to become my apprentice?”
This once again left Ashe thunderstruck. Her, learn magic? Yevik would probably shout at the woman that a village urchin like her would not be able to appreciate the intricacies of such an art form.
“What… would you be teaching me?”
The woman smiled and placed a hand on her back. Ashe started feeling something in her body, like a hot breeze flowing through her and connecting to Neria and the outside.
“To begin with, this. If you can feel it, then I am right, and you truly have an affinity for magic.”
The breeze started getting hotter, and now it felt almost like being submerged in hot water. Ashe scrunched her brows together.
“It feels like I’m drinking hot soup, but instead of settling in my stomach, it’s spreading everywhere.”
The woman smiled, pulling her hand away while still pouring her mana in.
“How does it feel now?”
Ashe closed her eyes, concentrating on the feeling.
“It’s still there, but I can feel it flowing out.”
Neria kept circling the mana towards the outside of Ashe’s body, and Ashe could feel the energy leaving her body. It left her with a sense of longing, as she focused on the fleeting feeling. She could feel its remnants, almost as if the energy made grooves in its path, making it easy to follow. Ashe wanted to follow it, grab it and bring it back. It was the most comfortable she’s felt in ages. She could felt something stirring inside, almost as if it wanted to go after the breeze that was leaving her body. She directed with all her willpower, and wished for it to bring the breeze back. A huge grin bloomed on the elvekin woman’s face.
Ashe was disappointed to find she could not hold the breeze down, but the stirring feeling inside of her was still there. It felt good, but somewhat unpleasant at the same time. It was sweet like swallowing hot tea with honey, but it also felt like swallowing live ants, all of them crawling up and down her gullet.
“Are you sure you have no elven blood, girl? I do not think I have ever seen a human grasp the movement of mana so quickly.”
The heat inside of Ashe continued to grow, reaching a simmer.
“I’m not sure… I don’t think so.”
“You are going to feel horrible for a while, and perhaps consider this was not a good bargain, but I promise you will be grateful for it later.”
The heat intensified, and Ashe felt like the energy inside of her was trying to break out. Her vision started to blur and darken.
“I don’t… feel well.”
She turned towards Neria, and stretched out her arm.
“Help… me.”
The last of her consciousness faded as the girl’s head kept bubbling, having reached a boil a long time ago.
________________________________________________________________________
Ashe barged into the classroom, arriving first for the day, something quite rare for her. Yevik was sitting at his desk, rifling through some loose papers and placing them in different piles. All of the papers had Yevik’s gibberish handwriting on them, for someone so strict with them, he sure was lax with his own organisation.
“What are you doing there, Sir?”
The old man threw a glance over the rim of his glasses, then back to his papers.
“Sorting out the notes I’ve acquired over the years. I’m currently looking at the elements. I wouldn’t expect an urchin like you to understand the importance of proper sorting, but I’ve ordered and reordered these for weeks trying to find the best placement in which to publish them.”
Ashe was used to the man’s abrasive words. She knew he was grumpy, but he was smart, and usually wanted what was best for them, in spite of his toxicity.
“Can’t you just do whatever?”
Yevik slammed the papers down, causing his pipe that had long been extinguished to clatter on the table.
“Do whatever? I can’t do whatever, because not only do I have to sort these by schools and archetypes, but also by sub-types, usage and potency! Putting cryomancy after enchantment would make no sense, save for drawing the ridicule of my peers. Listen brat, knowing your elements as a mage is important, not just to study them, but to know how to counter them. Most of us only get one, so knowing how to use it to counter the others is important.”
The old man huffed, seemingly having ended his rant. The girl moved to touch one of the papers with her hand.
“Can you teach me as well?”
Yevik grabbed his smoking pipe on the table and lightly smacked Ashe’s hand.
“Teach you? Don’t joke around you gnat, even if you could memorise all of this, there’s no chance a village brat like you would ever find any use for it.”
The man set his gaze on the papers once again, and brought some flint out to light his pipe. The girl became incensed at his crass words.
“I could! What if I became a mage, and got some super rare element?”
He threw a glance towards her.
“Even if you did, you would probably get some common element, like water, or something useless yet fitting, like mud manipulation.”
The girl puffed her cheeks and stormed out, slamming the door on the way out. Yevik took a puff of his pipe and sighed loudly, mumbling under his breath.
“Crazy brat, classes haven’t even started yet.”
________________________________________________________________________
Ashe’s eyes fluttered open, blinking away the blurriness of waking up. Her vision gradually took in the face of the woman named Neria, her eyes were closed and her breathing steady. One of her arms reached around Ashe’s waist, bringing her closer to the woman’s torso.
Ashe’s head was pounding, and her stomach was still turning. She felt like she had wind sickness and had eaten a poisonous mushroom at the same time. She tried to shimmy out of the woman’s grasp without waking her, but the moment she started to move the woman opened her eyes. She smiled at Ashe, her eyes turning into crescents.
“Congratulations, child. You are officially a mage.”
Neria caressed Ashe’s head lovingly, joy clearly visible in her eyes. The girl was embarrassed, this was clearly a result of her intervention, otherwise Ashe would have never done it on her own. Even her mother had stopped coddling her lovingly like this a few years ago.
“How long did I sleep?”
Neria’s slender fingers went to wipe Ashe’s eyes.
“A day and a night, you were exhausted.”
Ashe’s attention diverted to a knock on the doors of the room. Seketh pushed the double doors, carrying a large platter of different dried meats and fruits.
“You must replenish yourselves.”
As the voice resounded through her head, the creature set down the platter on the bedding. Neria trained her gaze on him.
“Can you tell yet?”
Seketh’s fiery dots fixed upon Ashe, shrinking and growing in size. Ashe could feel some tingling, almost as if something was softly touching her skin.
“On the outside it is still, but on the inside it rages like a fire. Somewhat brittle, but charged with energy. This is a rare element, I have probably nary seen this more than a few times before, even back in the Spiral Cities.”
Neria’s smile deepened, glancing at Ashe.
“The element of cinder, a rare combination of earth and fire magic, differing from magma in which element is dominant.”
He once again sent then directed his sight at the girls.
“Spent and burnt, yet smoldering, an element that truly fits you, child.”
Ashe’s eyes clouded with tears. She had become a mage, and had gained her very own element. She had become something she was told she could never become, but in order to get this opportunity, she had to lose her family.