Yaric rushed after the boy, trying to keep up as he was led through the campus grounds. His stomach was roiling, but whether that was due to the stress of what was about to happen, or from being pushed to exhaustion so recently, he had no idea. Probably both.
A week ago his life was normal, or at least he believed so, working hard every day to keep the flour mill running; and now here he is being summoned to the council chambers of the most powerful group of people in all of Malvec. From average village life to living in one of the two capital cities, about to start training in combat and magic, and with even the near future a complete unknown to him.
They finally entered into a great reception hall, blowing Yaric away as he swept his eyes across the massive room and vaulted ceiling. Everywhere he looked he saw magnificent paintings, carvings and tapestries. The wealth displayed was beyond anything he’d ever imagined, and he started to wonder if this was how all mages and wizards lived.
A man in academy uniform was waiting beside a reception desk, and immediately made his way over. He had clearly been waiting. Yaric didn’t notice the courtier until he was almost in front of them, too amazed by the fine detail and decoration all around him.
“Finally, you’re here. They’ve been waiting for you. Come, come.” He acknowledged the messenger, sending him on his way while waving Yaric forward. “You are to come through at once. What is your full name?”
“Yaric Miller sir.”
“Miller? I do not recognize that family name. I take it you have no title?”
“No sir, I’m far from nobility.”
The courtier just nodded as they made their way to two massive double doors, each looking like they cost more than his entire village. The four guards stepped forwards and pushed the doors open as the courtier stepped ahead of Yaric.
“Yaric Miller, potential Prospect, sponsored by High Wizard Lloyd Chen of Lekton, as summoned by the Council.” He announced loudly, before stepping to the side and waving Yaric through.
Yaric entered the room, again taken aback by the wealth and power on display. An extremely intimidating marble counter ran almost around the room, with dozens of what had to be powerful mages and wizards seated behind them, towering over him and staring down at him in silence. Directly across from him the counter rose even higher, four people looking down with an empty space to their far left.
In front of him though was Lloyd, looking very cheerful and smiling happily towards Yaric like there wasn’t a care in the world. Yaric stepped towards Lloyd as Lloyd waved him over, all the while looking around at all of the faces staring down at him.
“Come on, you just need to have one final scan and you can get on with your new start here.”
Yaric swallowed and nodded as he arrived next to Lloyd, noting a large contraption that had been placed before the extra high seats of the council.
A large cylinder stood on the floor, over a meter tall and almost as wide, looking like obsidian. It had dense inscriptions carved all around it, not unlike the stone used to test his power and affinities. Two pieces jutted out from the sides of the cylinder, opposite each other and parallel to the floor, slightly lower than his waist, with what were clearly seats at their ends. There was already someone sitting on one of the seats, an extremely large man who looked like he may be a Duke or Marquees based on his clothing and jewelry. The look on his face wasn’t very friendly though.
The woman sitting in the very center of the council cleared her throat quietly, and Yaric looked up at the middle-aged looking woman, with greying hair and gentle eyes. “Yaric Miller, have you been informed about the events that are about to take place and the reasons thereof?”
Yaric hesitated for a second, before shaking his head. The woman just continued looking at him as she slowly raised her eyebrows.
“Ahem, I mean no. No ma’am.”
“Council Member is fine. What we have here before you is a simple testing device. A mind bridge is used for a few different things, but one of those is that it will allow us to detect even the minutest traces of mind magic at work.”
Yaric gave a start and whipped his head around to face Lloyd. Lloyd for his part just squeezed Yaric’s shoulder, and said gently, “It’s just a test that will ensure there are no traces. I am already certain that there aren’t, like I told you. The test is more to put other people’s minds at ease, as no one else was there.”
“Come, come, I haven’t got all day,” the large man seated on the mind bridge grumbled.
“Hold on,” the woman interjected, “the boy must know what this entails and must be made aware of the background.” She looked back up to Yaric before continuing, “The mind bridge will draw power from the user, allowing him to see into the mind of the subject. It essentially allows any mage or wizard with enough power to cast powerful mind magic spells, even though it would normally require a Mind Mage to perform such spells. I feel you should know that the most common use for mind bridges is in interrogation of suspected spies. We do not believe you yourself are, but aspersions may be unjustly cast.”
Yaric looked down, trying to think about how this might impact his life at the Academy. 'Will people in Lekton think I could be a traitor? Could people spread stories even after the test is done?'
He didn’t get far before the woman spoke up again. “What I have just told you is merely for you to be aware of the issue as it stands. You do not have a choice. To study at Lekton, you must undergo the test. Before you do, we have a few questions for you. Regarding your interactions with the Mind Mage Den Virgo.”
“First of all, what did Virgo tell you regarding your status as an arcanist?”
“Nothing ma’am. I mean Council Member. He never said anything and I didn’t even know either until Lloyd told me.” Seeing the woman start to raise her eyebrows exactly as before he hurriedly added, “I mean Council Member Lloyd.”
Chuckles broke out around the entire council, and from the large man at the mind bridge especially. He was laughing loudly as he pointed at Lloyd, trying but failing to speak.
“I mean High Wizard Lloyd?”
“Sadly, High Wizard Lloyd Chen is not a member of this council, though not for lack of effort on our part. But do remember, this is a formal session of the Council, and proper etiquette is to be maintained.”
Yaric nodded and swallowed, realizing his mistake before she could respond and quickly speaking up. “Yes, Council Member.”
The woman nodded in acknowledgement and immediately continued, “And how did Den Virgo speak of arcanists in general. Did he ever voice any views or opinions on the subject?”
“No Council Member, he did not. He never spoke much. Mostly about what work he wanted me to do or what he wanted me to buy for the house.” Yaric’s voice started breaking at the end as recounted his experiences with the man who murdered his parents. “I would say we didn’t speak at all, he just gave orders.”
“So, he wasn’t very hands on in raising you?”
Anger bled through as Yaric’s reply, his eyes tearing slightly, “That man did not raise me, he used me as his slave. He lied to me my whole life. He did nothing that wasn’t for himself!”
Far from upset at his outburst, Sandy smiled sympathetically before replying softly, “Of course. We just needed confirmation. We know you have been through a very trying time.”
Lloyd stepped forward at that, “If I may High Wizard Ives, as you all know, Virgo murdered the boys’ parents. VIrgo also forced him as a child to run a flour mill by himself, one that had been worked by two adults before. And he regularly tortured the boy with mind magic that few here, even on this council, would choose to face. Until a week ago this boy thought Virgo was his uncle. Family who had taken him in. It’s only been a handful of days since young Yaric here discovered the crimes committed against him. Discovered how much of his life had been a lie. Even then, he found out immediately after this that he was an arcanist, and had what little remained of his life turned upside down when he had to leave everything behind to start an entirely new life here. This Academy already owes him much for our failures. Failures he paid for. Let’s not make him live through his tragedies all over again.”
Sandy smiled at Lloyd, her smile becoming more sympathetic as she looked toward Yaric and gestured her arm down towards the mind bridge. Yaric took a deep breath to steel himself, and started towards the device.
“Humph… You say the boy never knew anything, but you couldn’t know that. Living with him day in and day out, it’s more likely that Virgo was training him. The boy may even have known about his parents’ murder, what better…” the man seated at the mind bridge trailed off as a pressure unlike anything Yaric had felt before pressed on him from behind, like a sun had sprung into being, freezing him mid step.
Most of the council pushed themselves slightly back, the sudden intense silence broken as a hum that could be felt rather than heard sprang up, coming from seemingly everywhere at once.
“Eli,” Lloyd’s voice echoed out, cracking like a lightning bolt even though it was said softly, “the boy is not some political pawn for your games.”
Eli looked nervous, but as he glanced around at the council surrounding him on all sides he chose not to back down. “Games? There are no games in this Council. No, this is a great concern, and it is my duty to ensure that this great Academy is kept safe. Safe from insidious influences. Safe from influences you may have brought in through our front door! If the boy was in league…”
“ELI!” Eli was cut off again as the pressure spiked even higher, this time radiating off Lloyd in waves as hidden runes flared up around the room, brightening intensely before sputtering out and dying completely, the ornate stained-glass windows rattling in place as Lloyd’s voice boomed. Many in the council now rose to their feet and stepped back hurriedly. Eli noticed the reactions throughout the Council and glanced back up to Sandy, only to see her simply sitting in place and watching Lloyd. She clearly did not intend to intervene.
Yaric managed to force himself to look back, where he saw Lloyd standing calmly, his face uncharacteristically devoid of all expression and emotion. His dark eyes though... his eyes were somehow as hard as steel and felt immovable as a mountain as he casually gazed toward Eli, with his robes fluttering about him, as if they were being blown by an unseen wind.
“You are casually throwing around exceptionally serious accusations and assumptions, based on far, far too little evidence, and you're doing this while sitting at the very device that you are about to use to definitively determine his innocence. You can send me on wild chases, cast aspersions on my choices, even curse us all with your presence, but listen to me, and listen carefully. This, boy, is, not, a, pawn, for, your, games!”
“Are you threatening a member of this Council?!” Eli spluttered as he looked around almost frantically, expecting to see support against the blatant show of force, but finding none.
“No. I am merely warning you. If you do not cease your shit at once, the council will be down a member. I do not care for your politics or word games, nor do I care for our history. The boy is off limits. He is under my care, and I will defend him. This is the last time I will speak on this matter. From now on, I will only act,” the temperature in the room dropped and everyone felt the hairs on their necks rise as the room charged with electricity, just before Lloyd’s final, quietly spoken words somehow seemed to vibrate through their very beings, “DO. NOT. TEST. ME!”
Eli felt real fear at that moment, both due to the dramatic reaction from Lloyd, and his colleagues apparent willingness to leave him to his fate. Lloyd’s reaction would cause a scandal and should attract condemnation and punishment, but no one was intervening in any way. Eli had heard others speak of Lloyd’s power before, but even he felt suppressed, and Lloyd hadn’t yet made a move. Almost anything he did now would look either like a defeat or risk some kind of retaliation. Finally, Eli tried to find a middle ground.
“Humph… And I am about to see if the boy can be cleared. This is interrupting the process. Come boy! Sit!”
The pressure faded and then disappeared in a single moment, almost making Yaric stumble as he finished making his way over and sat in front of the cylinder.
“Now, place both hands on top, yes, just like that. Just try to relax first, take a deep breath.”
Yaric glanced across at Lloyd. Unlike everyone else in the room, who were tentatively taking their seats again, some glancing apprehensively at each other with more than a few seeming a little paler than before, Lloyd just stood there as if the last 2 minutes had never happened. Already his trademark smirk was back on his face.
“That’s it. Now, I’m going to start feeding arcana into the bridge. You will see runes light up, but won’t feel anything on your end. The bridge will start to pull arcana from me, and will gradually pull more and more until it has enough to make the connection, at which point I will be able to begin the examination. You won’t feel anything throughout, so just sit tight and relax.”
It didn’t escape anyone’s notice how remarkably informal Eli was now behaving towards the boy.
The runes on the mind bridge lit up steadily, until the entire surface was glowing. Eli sat with his eyes closed, appearing to be very relaxed as he leaned forward onto the flat upper surface. The whole room was quiet, and there was barely any movement as one minute became two, then three as everyone continued waiting silently.
It was at the five-minute mark that Eli began to frown, and after seven minutes he was starting to sweat as he began muttering to himself. Still they sat, no one moving, until after 10 minutes had passed, when Eli opened his eyes and stared at Yaric.
“How are you doing this? Are you using an artifact?”
“Doing what sir? Council Member?” Yaric asked.
“What have you seen High Wizard Collingwood?”
“Nothing Council Member Ives, the bridge is still drawing an increasing amount of power. It should easily pierce even a full Mage by now, I don’t know what this boy is doing.”
“I’m doing nothing? I’m just sitting here?”
“Well I’ll break through eventually, I should see what is going on when I do.”
Five minutes later Eli was really sweating hard, his arcana being forcibly drawn at a rate not far from his maximum. It was at this point that Eli tried to break contact, but the hold was now too firm, and his hands could not budge. Soon after the runes flared brighter for a moment, then began to quickly dim as Eli’s hands were released. Eli held his head in his hands. The backlash from the mind bridge’s attempts to overdraw from him, followed by it’s rapid shutting down when it couldn’t, pierced through his head like an ice pick. The headache was intense, and he was forced to lean forward on the bridge to keep his balance.
“The High Wizard failed?” came the first question, breaking the silence.
“How can this be? He’s just a boy. There isn’t anyone among us who could withstand the bridge.”
“Did you see how it tried to overdraw from High Wizard Collingwood? It drew his full power and still failed!”
“This is impossible… Even half of Council Member Collingwood’s power could break through anyone in Lekton, the mind bridge does most of the work!”
Everyone was talking animatedly amongst themselves while glancing at Yaric. Lloyd walked up to him and pulled him up, before making a big show of shaking Yaric’s hand in front of the whole council.
“Well done, Yaric! You’ve defeated your first arcanist on your very first day on campus. And a High Wizard of the Council no less! That must be a record! You’re going to be a legend!”
Lloyd twisted his upper body to face Eli. “You as well Eli! Defeated by a Prospect before he’s ever had a single lesson! You’ve set a new record too!” he grinned, completely back to his normal self. “And you were using a mind bridge – wow!”
Eli glared up at Lloyd, his eyes a little unfocused, as blood trickled slightly from a nosebleed that had just started. The backlash was evidently going to be vicious, and Eli made no effort to get up.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“High Wizard Chen, would you please provide an explanation for this? These developments are most concerning.”
“Of course, Council Member Ives, I would be happy to. Although I fear I cannot give as much as the Council would like.” Lloyd gestured towards Yaric, “You see, I tried my own tests after his living conditions came to light, and all of them failed spectacularly. Trying to pierce his mental defenses is exceptionally difficult, as to begin with, it is practically invisible to any spells I know of, and can only be detected through clumsily fumbling around.”
Murmurs once again broke out around the Council before Lloyd continued, “Once your spell manages to feel out the location of his mind, it’s like trying grip a very well-greased ball. A completely smooth ball made of solid iron. Simply getting hold of it is extremely difficult, and penetrating his mind if you do, well... it was utterly impossible for me. I’ve never encountered nor even heard of any arcanist with mental defenses anywhere near those of young Yaric here.”
The discussions amongst the member of the Council intensified until Sandy spoke over everyone, “This is most certainly something we will be coming back to, but Yaric will have to lower these defenses and allow for the scan immediately.”
“I am afraid that will be impossible Council Member, whatever it is that Yaric does is involuntary and continuously employed. The scans I performed were done before any of us knew of his identity as an arcanist.”
“We must break in and ensure he can be trusted!” Eli groaned from the mind bridge.
“You are concerned about undetected spells inside the mind of a boy whose mind you can’t penetrate even with a mind bridge, and while the boy is cooperating? Surely you are joking?”
“We must take every precaution! His defenses themselves are reason for suspicion! He must have been trained by a Mind Mage!”
“I would like to remind everyone here that Den Virgo had nowhere near the knowledge nor skill required to teach someone to defend themselves this effectively. If anyone here can tell me the name of a High Wizard or Mage, even an Arch Wizard or Mage, who could defend themselves against a mind bridge operated by a High Wizard, and so totally, please tell me their name? Anyone? Obviously, there is no such person. This is not something that has been taught simply as there is no one capable of teaching this. I would also like to remind everyone that Den Virgo had no reason to suspect Yaric of being an arcanist, let alone suspecting that Yaric would one day be brought to Lekton. The entire idea is ludicrous in the extreme and paranoid beyond reason.”
The words from the rest of the council members were generally ones of agreement, as Sandy once again took control of the session. “This is most unsatisfactory, however this is no reason whatsoever to condemn the boy. These are all merely suspicions based on conjecture and fear. I for one would rather have an individual with such unique abilities firmly part of our Academy than out there for others to find. Who knows how he could be used by other kingdoms?" The voices expressing agreement grew louder at that, before Sandy continued. “Incidentally, what were his results during the application process?”
“Power 14.6, affinities with Space and Shadow. He also has two other affinities that will require some rehabilitation, relating in some way to Fire and Lightning.”
“Nothing especially remarkable, but very respectable,” Sandy nodded. “Yaric will have to submit to more frequent psychological checkups however, especially as his recent experiences would have been traumatic for anyone to experience.”
Yaric scowled slightly but Lloyd just nodded enthusiastically, as he said, “I have already made arrangements for the boy to see Faruk Bell today, and would like to request that this is made into a regular appointment to be determined by Faruk himself.”
Sandy smiled. “Healer Bell is well regarded, particularly when it comes to treating psychological trauma. I second your request.”
High Wizards and High Mages all around the council chamber added their approvals, and the matter was settled almost immediately. “In this case, we will proceed to vote on completing the admission of Yaric Miller to the Academy. All in favor?”
Hands rose all over the chamber, with less than one in ten keeping their hand down. “Settled. Welcome to the Academy Yaric,” Sandy nodded toward Yaric as she spoke, “now please wait outside for a moment, and I will send High Wizard Chen to accompany you as your sponsor in a few minutes.”
Yaric started to turn and pause awkwardly a couple of times before looking back up at Sandy, “Thank you Council Member,” he bowed his head slightly as Sandy smiled, before turning back towards the large doors he entered through. The guards on the other side somehow knew of his approach as the great doors immediately started to swing open, only far enough for Yaric to comfortably squeeze through.
“This matter concludes today’s session; we will continue with the rest of the items on our agenda tomorrow at 10am. Some of us will need to the time to recover. Dismissed.” Council members started standing and filing out the smaller door behind their high tables. “Not you High Wizard Chen, a moment if you please.”
Lloyd waited patiently as Sandy made her way down and around the counter, before walking to a second door and waving him over. Lloyd followed Sandy into an open corridor, the portico leading towards the private residences of the council members.
“Lloyd, you realize that I can’t just ignore that display you made earlier?” Sandy sounded a little exasperated as she raised her eyebrows in Lloyd’s direction.
“It’s not my fault if Eli bit off more than he could chew.”
“I’m talking about your threats towards a Council Member! Inside the Council Chambers! During a seated Council session!”
Lloyd had the grace to look sheepish at that, but was not apologetic when he replied. “Eli crossed a line. I will not accept that sort of behavior from anyone.”
“YOU crossed a line!” Sandy practically shouted. “You cannot throw your weight around like that! Threatening a fellow High Wizard of Lekton! Threatening a Council Member! Since when did you start using your strength to push people around and force your way?!”
Now Lloyd looked truly embarrassed. “I tried words first Sandy, you were there. I didn’t resort to force until I exhausted every other option, and even then, I only pushed when his behavior became unacceptable. I simply did not accept what was unacceptable, and stopped him with the only tools I had left.”
“I’m not saying Eli didn’t cross a line as well, but he never tried to intimidate anyone into submission.”
“Of course not – he can’t.”
“Lloyd! This is no joke!”
“I know, I know. I’m taking this seriously. Just take notice how you haven’t brought up any alternatives to how I could have reacted?”
“You know as well as I do that today was simply the boiling over of longstanding issues. If you would just stop pretending that you aren’t an arcanist and behave more like someone of your position and power…”
Lloyd quickly interrupted Sandy, “Pretending that I’m not an arcanist? I’ve never done any such thing! I’ll leave being a self-important pompous fool who thinks he’s special just because he was born with a gift, one that was in no way earned, to idiots like Eli.”
“You know full well that every wizard and mage here worked hard to make their gifts what they are! They were born with an opportunity, not a gift!”
“Sure, an opportunity that wasn’t given to most others. That doesn’t make them special. Maybe it’s not a gift, but it is a responsibility.”
“We’ve been over this too many times before - I know I’m not going to make you see reason. But even you have to admit that you are not some commoner. Arcanist or not you are effectively nobility. You need to start behaving more like it!”
“Yes, we’ve been over this before. You should know by now that I am going to be who I am. I am not going to change myself to meet the expectations of others.”
“At least accept an invitation to the Council then! I can make the proposal in a few weeks after some punitive action for your outburst today.”
“I’ve told you, I’m not tying myself down to administration and politics. I’m not the right person for the job and it would only make things worse.”
“It would make everything better! It’s actually the biggest issue people like Eli have with you! Even if they won’t admit it.” She added more quietly, before noting Lloyd’s confusion. “Some members have ambitions, and most have worked hard for the power and influence they have. Then they see you, drinking with commoners in cheap taverns and pubs, ignoring decorum and doing whatever you want. You have no apparent ambitions. You have no respect for titles. But there you are. People in power respect you at least as much as them. The common people respect you far more. You have more power than any of them, and influence that extends in ways that even I don’t understand. Yet you make no effort for it, and you refuse to even acknowledge it. People like Eli resent you!”
Lloyd continued to walk quietly, deep in thought. No one spoke for almost a minute, until Lloyd finally broke the silence. “So isolate me, push me away. You need to make up some kind of punishment anyway? There you go.”
“That wouldn’t work! Do you even know how many commoners know you?”
“There’s a few I deal with regularly. Maybe two dozen?”
“Hah!” Sandy laughed. “We take appeals at the gates, as you well know. But did you know that every week we get appeals requesting you specifically? By name? Do you know how many appeals request any other arcanist by name? None! It’s just you! You can’t run away from this. People know who you are, and your fame is half the problem. And we haven’t even touched on your power.”
“I was born that way, what could they possibly have against me for that?”
“You are a once in millennium power! Of course they hold it against you! If you used it like they would, used it to push your own ambitions and influence, they would be intimidated, but they would respect that. Instead, they see the single most powerful High Wizard they are ever likely to meet, and the weird anomaly who has no respect for his own station, and find both are the same person!”
“I’m sorry Sandy, I don’t know what to tell you. This is their issue and their problem. I'm not going to pretend to be someone else so they feel better about themselves.”
“I’m not asking you to betray who you are. Just try to take their thoughts and perspective into account. I’m sure you can think of something if you try. But this antagonism and fighting, especially between you and Eli? It has to stop! This council is the highest arcane authority in the kingdom, it's power rivals even the King himself! And yet we just had a petty fight between two members like we were a bunch of little children!”
"I'm not on the Council."
"You know full well what I mean! You should never have let things with Eli get personal like that!"
“You know it goes both ways, right?”
“Yes,” Sandy sighed, “I’m aware. I’ll be speaking with Eli as well. Just try, ok? Please? You’re making my job so much more difficult than it has to be.”
“Fine. I’ll think about it.” Lloyd started grinning as he looked Sandy in the eye. “It’s just so hard when I’m so famous. And so important. And so handsome. I don’t even try. Being so amazing is haaard!”
"I don't recall any mention of 'amazing' or 'handsome'! You're dreaming." Sandy swatted his shoulder as they both stopped in the middle of the corridor.
“I will though. I will think about it. But right now, I need to get back to Yaric and get his admission back on track. Consider me chastised.”
“Go on then.” Sandy laughed as she waved and continued walking. Lloyd started back and made his way back into the empty council chamber. He tried to rush to the immense doors, but wasn’t fast enough, and had to watch them being slowly swung open by the guards waiting outside. Yaric was pacing up and down, still staring around at the opulence.
“Come on, let’s get you back.” Lloyd placed a hand on Yaric’s shoulder and led him out the front entrance, before leading him towards the student quarter.
“How far did you get with the admissions process?” He asked Yaric.
“I just got my schedule and map. I don’t know what was next.”
“Ah, you actually finished then. You don’t need me to do anything, you can find your own way back to your room later. Or have a look around campus and see where you will be living for the next few years.”
“I was told to try find all of the places on my schedule, so I wouldn’t get lost before classes start.”
“Good advice. But for now, we have a healer to see.”
----------------------------------------
Faruk Bell was a rather portly dwarf, impeccably dressed and extremely well groomed. He wasn’t inside his office when Yaric arrived, but was actually waiting outside the door with a welcoming smile. The healer didn’t say a word when Yaric approached, only stepping to the side and waving him through. He closed the door behind them.
“Hello Yaric, my name is Faruk. Please, take a seat,” he said pleasantly, gesturing to the chair that sat in front of his desk. He moved around the desk while he spoke, taking his own seat.
“This is an informal setting, so as long as we are inside this room, I expect us both to be on a first name basis. Is that ok with you?”
Yaric nodded uncomprehendingly. How else would they speak?
“I want you to know, Lloyd has given me a briefing on your situation, but he has only told me the things that he is required to put into his report, which will naturally go on record. It is a very short summary. He also only knows things from his own perspective, so please interrupt me at any point if you think I have something wrong.”
Yaric remained quiet, just nodding his head again in acknowledgement.
“Did you find the admissions process easy enough?” he asked amiably.
“It was ok.”
“You’ve been placed in your room and given all of your things?”
“Yes,” Yaric replied, so quietly it was almost a whisper.
“I remember how nervous I was in my first year. I pretty much just followed everyone else. Have you received instructions on where you should be and what you should be doing?”
“I did,” Yaric answered, pausing for a moment. “I thought that this was meant to be a checkup?”
Faruk just chuckled warmly. “Yes Yaric, this is. I thought you might want to take a moment before diving straight in, but since you’re looking to get started, we’ll get to it.
“I’m aware that this may be difficult to go through, but I need to first ensure that I understand your situation. Where we go from there is up to you, but let us just establish where things lie before we go any further. You only need to confirm what I was told.
“A wanted criminal, Den Virgo, recently took over your family business. He then forced you to work for him. He also injured you and a friend, before Lloyd arrived and killed him right in front of you. Soon after that, Lloyd discovered your magical ability, and you had to leave your life behind in a very sudden manner. Is all of that correct?”
“No,” Yaric croaked, surprised to find his throat felt like sand.
“Oh? I would appreciate it if you could correct me where I went wrong. Which parts were they?”
“All of it,” Yaric replied quietly. Faruk raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“That is… disconcerting. In your own words, what is the truth of the matter?”
Yaric paused, going over everything the healer had just said, then took a deep breath, and quickly answered, the words just tumbling out. “Den Virgo didn’t take over my family business, he murdered my parents when I was very young. He convinced everyone that he was my uncle, and I grew up believing that he was. I ran the mill by myself, starting when I was nine. He didn’t injure me, he used magic to torture me, and he didn’t injure Sally, he tried to kill her by poisoning her with a gift he told her was from me.”
There was barely any pause between sentences, forcing Yaric to take another deep breath when he finished. Faruk’s eyebrows had been rising higher and higher as Yaric went on, looking almost comical by the time Yaric finished speaking.
“My… ok. That certainly is different. My apologies, it was not my intention to trivialize any of the things that happened to you. Few people ever have to deal with even half of what you’ve already been through. Would you mind if I asked you some questions to clarify what you just told me?”
Yaric shook his head numbly.
“When Den Virgo first arrived, were you old enough to remember what happened?”
Once again, Yaric shook his head.
“And you spent much of your childhood working? You didn’t go to any school?”
“I went to school,” Yaric croaked, once again finding his throat parched. Faruk poured a glass of water and slid it over, waiting patiently for Yaric to drink. When he had finished, Faruk merely inclined his head, motioning for Yaric to go on.
“I had to go to school, Clery doesn’t allow parents to keep their kids out of school to work.”
“So you worked in the mill after school?”
“I had school in the mornings, then I worked until all of the grain was milled.”
“And Virgo gave you the things you needed growing? Food, clothes and the like?”
“I think he had to.”
“Understandable,” Faruk replied, nodding his head. “But he would inflict pain when you misbehaved?”
“He would beat me, but I just did what I was supposed to. He hasn’t hit me in years.”
“My understanding was that he used magic. He only hurt you physically?”
“Yes. The magic was something else.” Yaric stopped there, but seeing Faruk’s expression he elaborated. “If I took too many breaks or he thought I wasn’t working hard enough, he would send me places. He’s a Mind Mage, was a Mind Mage, and he would send me to places for creatures to attack me.” Yaric shuddered at the memory.
Faruk Bell had heard many stories of abuse before, on very rare occasions they even featured magic, but none had ever involved mind magic. Even Faruk paled slightly while Yaric spoke. No other kind of magic made an arcanist as uncomfortable as spells that messed with your mind.
“Yaric,” he said gently, leaning forward slightly, “I’m aware of who Den Virgo was. Every Mage or Wizard within a thousand miles is. He was, as you mentioned, a Mind Mage, and I need you to understand, none of what you experienced was real. You never went anywhere, and nothing actually attacked you.”
“I know,” Yaric replied hoarsely, “Lloyd told me.”
“Did he also tell you that it doesn’t matter that it wasn’t real?” Faruk asked gently.
Yaric looked up in surprise.
“I guess not,” the healer continued, looking at Yaric as if searching for something. “It does not matter whether or not those things were real, only that they felt real. We only have an hour today, meant for introductions and to get a feel for where you’ve been, so we can leave those events aside for now. It is certainly something I would like to discuss in the future, should you feel open to it, but for now, just know that there is little difference between going through those things in reality and going through them in your mind. The fear is the same, the pain is the same. Never allow yourself to think that you feel this way over mere nightmares, because they are not,” Faruk explained, looking pointedly at Yaric.
Yaric nodded once again, with a vague feeling of gratefulness welling up in his chest, confusing him.
“That friend that he poisoned, Sally, she’s the one that Lloyd healed? She recovered well?”
“Yes,” Yaric replied. “She's fine now.”
“Excellent!” Faruk said enthusiastically, smiling widely. “You’re clearly happy about that,” he added, stating it as fact, but Yaric nodded in reply anyway.
“I can’t help noticing that you haven’t mentioned anything about this Academy’s failure to capture Den Virgo. Do you not have strong feelings about that?”
Yaric shrugged helplessly. “People escape all the time. He was hiding. It’s not their fault that he hid well.”
“Even though he killed your parents?” Faruk asked softly.
“That makes Den Virgo a murderer. He’s responsible for what he did, no one else. I won’t let anyone shift the blame off of my mom and dad’s killer.”
Faruk smiled softly, looking directly at Yaric for several moments. “Not many adults are mature enough to see things that way. Most of us look for someone we can blame. Someone alive that we can vent our anger on and see punished. I’m very happy to see that you’ve already figured this out for yourself. Do you have any strong feelings about Virgo being dead? I know he died before you found out what he had done.”
Yaric shrugged again, shrinking into his chair.
“He’s dead, that’s all that matters. I don’t care when he died, or how.”
“Even after you found out about the things he’d done to you?”
“I don’t care about what he did to me!” Yaric replied heatedly, showing more emotion than he had since arriving. “He took away my mom’s future, he took away my dad’s future! But they’re gone! It’s done. Nothing can fix it now.”
“I’m not sure that’s entirely true,” Faruk replied, causing Yaric to look up sharply. “What would you say your parents greatest concern would be after the things that have happened?”
Yaric paused for several moments, thinking, eventually replying in a weak voice. “Me.”
“Exactly! You have a great opportunity in front of you! There are so many possibly futures for you to choose from. You could create wondrous items, heal patients sitting at deaths door, feed thousands, or keep everyone safe. Virgo might have taken your parents’ futures, but you can make sure he doesn’t take the future that your parents cared about most of all. Yours!”
“That’s why I went with Lloyd,” Yaric replied flatly.
Faruk beamed. “You’re looking to ensure your parents legacy.”
“No. Well, yes, I want them to have a legacy, even if it’s just me. But I joined to keep people safe. To stop other Den Virgo’s from killing more parents.”
“An admirable ambition,” Faruk replied seriously, inclining his head as he spoke. “One I’m sure you’ll succeed in. Right now, however, we are running out of time, and you’ve given me a great deal to work with already. I want to meet like this regularly, are you ok to meet again next week?”
“I don’t think I can get out of classes.”
“Oh, no need to worry about that. We will set something up for the evenings. There’s no need to worry about anything, I can always pull some strings. Now, I’d like to hear about your hometown if you don’t mind, and we can take things from there.”
“What do you want to know about Clery?” Yaric asked, confused.
“Absolutely anything you want to tell me, it’s completely up to you. The people you knew, the things you did. What did you like, what did you not like. What was life like. Whatever you feel like telling me.”
Yaric paused again, unsure with where to begin. Eventually, he decided to just begin with the town itself. “Clery is nothing big, it’s just a small town on a river. There are lots of farms, and we have cattle as well,” Yaric paused, looking to Faruk, who nodded encouragingly and with a warm smile.
“The mayor has been building new things for the town, trying to expand,” he continued. “He’s Sally’s father,” Yaric added helpfully. “She went to school with me. I usually met her on the way to school, she always waited on the other side of the bridge, next to the river. We walked to school together, and during classes I…