Michael awoke with a gasp. His body felt alien and the room around him felt unreal. Made up. Up was down and down was up. He gasped for air again and only then noticed the book, which had finished rifling through its own pages and was currently closing.
He looked around and saw the circle of mages, of different species, all staring at him. They must have felt that the power they had been feeding into the artifact was no longer being accepted. Indeed, the pillar of light seemed dimmer, not as brilliant. The sound of hooves around him made Michael turn and nearly stumble. He realized he had halfway gotten up.
“Easy, m’boy, easy. How are you? How do you feel?” Narh asked.
“Wh- How much time has passed?”
“Time?”
“How long was I in there for?” he clarified.
“You weren’t. You never left. I take it your mind was transported somewhere else?”
“Yes, sir. It was. I think.”
“I see. To answer your question, it all happened in seconds. You closed your eyes, the book opened and you opened them again after the book stopped waving its pages around. Perhaps… less than five total seconds.”
“Five seconds. It… it felt like a lot longer than that, sir.”
“Time dilation. Mind capture. It seems we’ve run into a powerful artifact. Come, sit. We need to understand what happened.”
The fat centaur personally supported Michael, who was still swaying on his feet, until they reached a table. He made him sit and drink a couple of pleasant tasting potions, which made Michael feel both rejuvenated and, weirdly enough, stuffed.
In the meantime, the centaur had beckoned over a couple of mages, though they had no wands in their hands, but a pen and a quill.
“Michael, these two are |Scribes|. They have Skills allowing them to put down to the written word an experience, better even than any storyteller could ever imagine themselves telling a story. So don’t feel unnerved if you find yourself giving more details than necessary or suddenly remembering something.”
“It’s alright, sir. I knew as much.”
“You did?” the centaur asked, sounding surprised.
“Uhm, yes. I knew such Classes exists, so I figured a detail-oriented mage like yourself would spare no effort in cataloging a magical experiment.”
“Quite right, my boy.” The centaur grinned. “They will also be using truth revealing artifacts. Primers have nasty ways of hiding their secrets, even from their readers. We hope these might help.”
“Yes, sir.” Michael smiled.
“Well then, Michael. Tell us what happened. And you two, no interrupting him until he’s finished. Any Skill you use, you’ll use non-verbally.”
“Yes, sir. The first thing I should mention is that this Primer is of dwarven origin, though you could probably already tell this from its cover. But it’s an unusual Primer, from what I could tell. It has a number of magical rules inscribed within its very structure. One such rule detects the race of its reader. It didn’t accept me, sir. It only accepts dwarves and, weirdly enough, gorgons. I felt that hit me first. I was in a dark room, by the way. I felt like floating, but I could tell which way was down. After that, I felt something else hit my mind. I should mention, it wasn’t like an intelligence, it was like… more like the feel you get from passing through a ward that analyzes you. Right, uhm, the second pulse of magic looked through my memories. I know this because I saw scenes and remembered things that I had no cause to remember. It stopped when I remembered professor Sinestra, then carried on until the present day. That’s when I felt the third pulse of magic. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but I figured it out at the end. Because, the fourth pulse of magic relayed a message for me. I both saw and heard it, though I didn’t recognize the language. But I understood it. Like messages for Classes and Skills. It told me the following things, sin quick succession. I didn’t deserve to read this. I know of someone who does. I will bring this book to that someone. I am allowed to rest for two thousand heartbeats. Then I must go. Nothing will happen if I actively try to deliver the book. But after the first ‘period of grace’. If I stop… I… die? Sir, I just remembered that! If I stop, I die. I need to get that book to professor Sinestra.” Michael said, jumping out of his chair.
“One second, my boy.” the centaur said, alarmed. “We need to find out if it’s safe.”
“Sir, please!” Michael said, shaking with nerves. “How long are two thousand heartbeats? Oh, no, I can feel my pulse going up. I need to-“
Michael tried to move, to race and get the book before finding out where professor Sinestra was.
But he was stopped.
“|Paralysis|, |Deep Calm|, |Silence|.” He cast, making Michael slunk back down in his chair. “Son, listen here. I will do everything in my power to keep you alive. But we can’t act without reason.”
Michael just nodded, in a daze, as Nark turned to his two |Scribes|.
“Report!” The usually jovial man barked.
“I sensed nothing wrong, sir.” The one with the pen said. “My Skills worked on him, no problem. He had no interruptions in his speech and all rememberable details have been pulled out, as far as I can tell. Also, I can tell that the tome imprinted something within him, so that part of his story checks out as well. Probably a curse of sorts. Dwarves are nasty fellows when they want to be, sir.”
“And the truth?”
“Felt nothing from my pen. The boy hadn’t even intended to lie, sir.”
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“Good. And you?” he asked, urning to the second |Scribe|.
“It’s… I felt the same thing, sir. My Skills worked too. All details pulled out, he remembered everything I could make him to. Said everything too. And my quill detected no lies or even half-truths. His fear is genuine as well, though that’s just intuition. Yet… allow me one spoken Skill. |The Whole Story|.”
Michael instantly felt a sharp pain, even in his state and felt something dripping from his nose.
“What was that? Are you mad?” Narh cried out.
“I am so sorry, sir!” the |Scribe| said. “I… that’s my best Skill. I didn’t expect for that to happen.”
“She tried finding out if there was anything left out, sir. Not by the boy, but by the artifact. Maybe it was, but such things are hidden by its magic for a reason. The reader can often die, if forced to remember them.”
“Important things?” the centaur asked.
“No, sir. In this case, probably just details about how the tome itself was made. Wards placed on it, materials used. That’s normally the secrets hidden.”
“I don’t care about artisan fantasies. You! If you ever pull a trick like this again, I’ll have your title.”
“Yes, sir.” The |Scribe| said, chastised.
“|Wake|. No, don’t talk. I simply want you to be alert.” He told to Michael. “As far as I know, we have twenty minutes at a normal heartrate. Ten minutes if you’d been running this whole time. I’ve removed the |Silence| and |Paralysis| Spells, but the |Deep Calm| one should still somewhat be functioning, albeit at a lower impact. I’ve used memory and focus on myself and I can promise you we have at least two minutes until we even have to start to worry. So, Michael, do you trust me?”
“Yes, sir.” Though he said it more from lack of options.
“Good.”
The next few minutes were tense. Narh sent a plethora of Spells towards the Primer, analyzing it. The circle of mages did the same. As far as any of them could tell, the following were true. The artifact inserted an irremovable piece of magic inside Michael. It wasn’t hosting any hostile magic. It truly was of dwarven make. It was currently still magically active, even after being closed. All things being said, Michael’s story checked out.
Which meant professor Sinestra was about to have a big surprise.
“But how would I even find her, sir?” Michael asked.
“How do we find her, Michael. I’m coming with you. And rest assured, the academy can find anyone inside of it. Stand beside me!”
Michael did and Narh called out.
“Gnosis, I call on you. I am Narh, student and tutor of you, past and present. I need to reach the one named Sinestra. I need to bring the one named Michael with me. As a part of you, I demand it.”
That sounded like no Spell Michael heard until now.
“Uhm, sir…?”
“Be ready, Michael. This is something you don’t usually see until after you-“
Out of the corner of his eyes, Michael saw the surrounding area shift.
“-graduate.”
“Wh- Narh?” a voice sounded.
Michael turned and saw… well. It was a Friday. Which some of those here at Gnosis thought it an off day, of they weren’t student. A day to be relaxed. Let your hair down. And Michael did notice that even when holding her Classes, Sinestra only wore a scarf to protect her modesty. In her free time, she wore nothing.
“Oh! Apologies, please, cover yourself, Sinestra.” The centar said, turning around and blocking Michael’s sight with his corpulent body.
Damage already done. So much damage.
“We don’t all share your sensibilities, Narh. But Fine.” She said, before the sounds of rummaging could be heard. “You can turn around now.”
They did and Michael noticed the professor was once again wearing that minimal scarf, though she seemed to be highly amused.
Maybe she’s enjoying this, but this little incident cost me some of my lifespan.
“Sinestra, I am sorry to intrude on your privacy, but you must take this tome. He said, taking the Primer out of a bag of holding.”
Michael almost swore. He didn’t even see him retrieve that.
“…why?” the gorgon asked, suspiciously.
“It is a tome written by dwarves, which can only be read by them and gorgons. In my foolishness I made young Michael read it and he has been charged with bringing this tome to the nearest gorgon.”
“…but my people never had relations by the dwarves. Not even of the bad kind. Maybe we stole from them, but… that’s it.”
“My dear, I understand, but you must also understand this. Michael had been implanted with a foreign piece of magic. If he does not deliver this book to you, he will die. We have ascertained this. We are also sure that if you do not take this book, he will die.”
“And is the book safe? For me?”
“We found no curses placed on it and detected to malicious intent.”
“But is it safe? Don’t lie with the truth, Narh, my people invented that.”
“We cannot know for sure. Yet, my dear professor, that is true of almost every artifact. What we do know is that if you do not receive it, Michael will die.”
Sinestra looked between the two of them. It might have been shallow of him, but he expected the gorgon to be colder. More reptilian. Yet she had a warmth in her gaze when she looked at him. And it was that warmth that made her make her decision.
“Fine. Never a dull day. Give it here.”
“Thank you, professor.” Michael gratefully said, as Narh handed her the book.
“I expect you to be a top student for this, Michael.” She said, but she said it smiling.
“Yes, professor. Uhm, I don’t thi- No!”
“Don’t!” Narh screamed.
But the gorgon had already opened the book. Michael was just supposed to deliver it. The gorgon was just supposed to received it. Narh could have run more tests. But it was such a simple mistake in communication. Or perhaps the gorgon felt something… a pull…
But she opened the book all the same.
Michael got to see what must have also happened to him. The book skimmed in front of her, fluttering its pages, while she held it. For just a few seconds, the gorgon stood there petrified, before the book closed itself and Sinestra swayed.
“My dear!” the centaur said, alarmed. “Are you alright?”
“I am.” She said narrowed her eyes at him. “That was… quite the experience.”
“How are you feeling? Any side-effects?”
“Oh, I imagine there will be some.” She said, smiling once again.
“Good, good. You will need a magical analysis, of course. To see if you have not been affected. Rest assured, I will call for the scribes at once. We must detail every part of your experience.”
“I think not.”
“I- I beg your pardon?”
The gorgon smiled a viper’s smile at him.
“I am not a student, Narh. I do not need to help you. My help comes with a price. If you want to know what my experience was like… well. I will think of a price.”
“But… the book-” The centaur spluttered.
“Is mine. Or at least, that’s what its magic told me. Thank you for the gift, ‘my dear’.”
The fat centaur looked at her, stunned, before letting out a belly laugh.
“Ah, well played, my dear. Well played. Let this be a testament to you, my boy, of the perils in working with in an academy and of working with gorgons both. Sinestra, my dear, please let me know when you have settled on a price.”
“Will do, Narh.”
The centaur made to leave and Michael followed. Or tried.
“Michael.” The gorgon said. “You are the deliverer of this Primer. I felt an urge from the book to reward you somehow. And I agree. Stay. Perhaps there is something to help you, with.”
“Uhm-“
“Stay, m’boy. You are a first year. A private tutoring session is worth more than gold.” The centaur laughed.
And so, he left the room, after which Sinestra pulled out a wand.
From… where?
And cast a few privacy Spells.
“My room is warden, but I thought to be extra sure.”
“Alright. May I ask-“
“Sharaz’Ad”.
A feeling of loss washed over Michael, his mind splitting in two halves which peered at each other, before one dissolved into the other. The artifact’s magic left him returning to it and Michael finally remembered what was fact and what was fiction.
He smiled, remembering the gorgon’s promise to him. And his |Oath|.
“Welcome back, Michael. Now, let’s get started on your first lesson.”