"Just because no dark magic courses through your veins, doesn't mean you're any less of a threat," sneered Alicia, her voice a biting serpent's hiss.

"No, no, no, little girl. Thanks to you, I am a newborn babe, experiencing the magic of the world for the very first time," purred Agosh, a manic glee dancing in his eyes. "Interesting fact for you, Miss. Necromancers need Protos particles and accepting the idea that everything in this world is a tool to satisfy desires. And also an advanced understanding of living creature anatomy!

Because I am a practitioner of art H̶̨̙̦͎̠̣̼̮̓͂̇̏̂͋̎͊å̷̡̬͎̟͍̺̞͇̊̿̐̀̒̾̚͠l̸̡̡̮̙͉̼͙̖͗͗̉̈́͆̕͠͠å̴̢̲̹̹̭̭̮̪̓̀̋̉͂̈̽͠r̸̯̟͓̝̹͍͚̘͛̀́̄̈́̓͐̋ ̷̡̛̼̞̤̥̣͓͇͐̽̇̂̽͐̕M̴̢̹͎̞̲͉̲̹͐̿̀̍͛̈́͐̕ð̸̡̛̠̹͓̺͇͙̪͆̎̇̈́̏̇̕ľ̸̳͉͎̬̠̻̤͕͂͋͗̽̀̕͝ð̴̹̥̜͓̻̱̜̽̃̒̓̓͐̎̂͜¢̷͙̤̬͚͓̝̯̟̇̈̀̐̍̾͊̽h̵͎̭̜̣̻͍̩̻̎̌̇̓̅̒̓͝—Necromancy, in your people's tongue—my mana cultivation in this

current state is useless unless I consume Protos particles again."

"Too bad there are no Protos particles on this train," scoffed the girl.

"Therefore… come closer, come closer to me, lady. Let us talk.”

But Alicia did not budge an inch. "This is as close as I'll get," she said through gritted teeth.

The necromancer's grin ear-to-ear grin did not falter. "Still afraid of me, are you, little girl? A mere human in a glass cage?" He cackled. "Long time no see. How is your relationship with Orb? Have you discovered any... interesting tidbits about the two of you?"

"I've learned something," said Alicia, finding herself reluctantly seated on the cold metal floor, legs crossed. Despite her reservations, she found herself curiously drawn to the conversation.

Agosh let out another laugh. "I see. No wonder you want to go to Vanir. You want to complete those missing links of your destiny and look for the other children."

Orb emitted a warning bark towards the necromancer, while Alicia scowled as if Agosh had the ability to read her innermost thoughts. "So ye ken the Nostradame prophecy too?"

"Of course, of course, of course I know, fool! And so do those who sent me. It's absurd that they believe in the predictions of some moronic astrologist, don't you think?”

That was again on the necromancer’s lips, the mysterious employer who used his services. "Who sent you?" Alicia interrogated him.

"Don't know, can’t tell, don't care. You won't get anything from me just like the Magisterium mages before you." Agosh then approached the front side glass then crouched down. The distance of the glass confinement was indeed higher than the floor, so he saw Alicia as if looking down on her. "Come, come, come. Let's not talk about who sent me. I want to hear about you. How does it feel… after knowing your fate as a Child of Miracles?"

"It's like being stricken by responsibility far heavier than the Eternal Emperor," Alicia mused as she put Orb down. "At least, I already know most of the reasons they are after us both. Khaos directs them to hunt me. So that I, as the Child of Miracles, may disappear with the light, and It would take the world like the other realms It has swallowed. I must prevent that.”

"But Khaos is arduous to stop, My Lady. It's been eons and Khaos has become more and more intimate with the earth. Meanwhile Arcane…" Agosh's finger pointed downwards while making a whistling sound, slowly fading. “But if this would make you rest assured, I agree that Khaos should not devour the earth… I mean, come on. You're kidding, Khaos? There's nothing fun about eternal darkness. What a tiring dismal…”

"Then why did you try to kidnap me and Arcane?"

"Simple, I wished to experiment! I want to pursue all my desires with the power of Khaos, and when that power becomes more prevalent on Earth, I'll simply erase it with the might of Arcane. The world’s destruction is then nothing but a dream! Imagine living without consequences, like a god! I saved the world in my own way." Agosh Grendi explained in feverish excitement.

Alicia's wrath boiled over the necromancer's audacious proposition, she rose right away. "That's impossible! You can't toy with powers like that!" she argued. "Arcane is a gift from the Silent Divine, the source of all kindness. It will reject me if I become your servant."

But the corpse mage, his grey hair cascading over his masked face, could not help but emit another chuckle. He shook his head, as if in disbelief or perhaps to mask his simmering anger at Alicia's naivety. Either way, a one true intention Alicia was difficult to discern. "How naïve you are, dear. Why do you think the country that possesses the strongest power source is now the most hated in the realm? It would be unfair for the Arcane to always be associated with goodness, while the mages of the Eternal Empire are shedding innocent blood with that very might—all under the pretence of Divine will. Not to mention, their grave sin of committing genocide against the family and supporters of the Second King, not long ago. But all of that was swept under the rug when the Eternal Emperor became the sole leader on the throne. Ave Caesar! Makários Romýlos!”

Alicia could not deny the truth of Grendi's words, even though it pained her to admit it in front of the corpse mage. But he was not done, "Same thing with Khaos. I opine Khaos and Arcane are just two opposing forces. They have nothing to do with good or evil. People have no idea what Arcane's criteria are for choosing its wielder. The so-called 'Mysterious Divine Will' and 'The Divine saw something in them that we couldn't see' are just excuses that the monks of the Eternal Empire came up with to justify their choices and prevent people from thinking for themselves. I mean, really, ask your ball over there why it chose you. I'm sure it has a very enlightening answer."

Of course, that was the part the girl could not answer. Especially since Orb had said that Alicia would not be able to swallow its explanation all at once. The girl took a moment for Orb to say something. It was a pity, that the sphere remained mum.

"Nothing? Why am I not surprised!” Agosh continued with a smirk. "So, since everything is a divine mystery or simply a random chance, those who are chosen are no different from the mages born among humans. They just have different powers with the same behavior. In the end, they still use the powers they have as a means of satisfying their desires. So, the ambiguity of Arcane's criteria made me think. Khaos is a tool I use to satisfy my desires, and Arcane is a tool to prevent its consequences so that I can keep granting my desires! That's what's called balance. There's no harm in experimenting with this wild magic theory. Don't let baseless excuses get in the way of your creative mind, my lady."

"I don't know what made me chosen by Orb. Orb can't tell me yet," Alicia finally spoke up. "But that doesn't change the fact that I was chosen and not you. Orb is a Divine Will that sees something in me. So no matter how hard you try to seize this might, you won't be able to get it!"

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"See something in you? Do you consider yourself special just because you were magicless at first, and then Orb, with its obscure origin, came to choose you?" replied Agosh.

"And also because I have a goal when I am chosen by Orb. The Prophecy."

A sarcastic tone from Agosh. "Ah, yes. An ordinary girl from the village suddenly turns one hundred eighty degrees because a clairvoyant from five hundred years ago—whose predictions were never accurate—suddenly implicated something about her. How great!"

"That scripture not only implies but actually refers to me through this mark on my hand."

"But the prophecy will come true five periods after it's published, whereas you don't show up until five hundred years later."

"You can't interpret a prophecy literally."

"Doesn't that apply to your statement earlier?"

Alicia pondered for a moment.

"That's true. But I and Orb have studied it a wee bit." Alicia then took off her gloves and let Agosh peek at the burn for a while. "The symbols on my hand are clearly engraved and match those in the scripture, so that's one piece of evidence for me!"

"All right, all right. Fair enough. But so what, if you are mentioned in a prophecy? Does that still mean you are someone special among others? Or is it actually just a suggestion to the fact that people dictate your life to you?"

"You heard my answer before. I was entrusted with great responsibility: stopping Khaos and his plan for the end of the world. Tell me that doesn't make me special," retorted Alicia.

"Cool! Then are your parents, and your friends, as special as you?"

Alicia creased her brows at the direction the corpse magician was talking about. "Why do you ask? They sure are special!" she said.

"Special because they are people you care about?"

"And because they contribute to the life of the world! They don't need to do something that has a big impact so that the whole world knows. But they have a role in the world survival in their own way."

"Oh, that means that everyone is special by nature! Then beggars and addicts are special people too? They don't have a giant role like saving the world but simply sit around, expecting people's pity. In your eyes, are they special?"

"They..."

"I mean, of course, they have a hand in it. They apply the social order class laid down by the sovereigns. They are role models so that we don't end up like them. That way society won't collapse and the earth keeps rolling. But how about me, your enemies, and all the magicians of Khaos? I did something heinous, Alicia. Am I special?"

A disgusted look appeared on Alicia's face. "You are a monster."

"But isn't that what makes me special? I had a hand in bringing you to this moment, allowing you to fulfill your role as the mage prophesied to save the world. But you're too blinded by your own self-importance to see that," Agosh laughed. "Being special is subjective, isn't it? You're special because a prophecy and some divine force say so. Your family and friends are special because they hold a special place in your heart. I'm not special because I hurt you once, and beggars aren't special because you don't meet or care about them. And yet, here you are, belittling me by dwelling on your own supposed specialness."

BAM!

Agosh suddenly pumped his fist toward the glass! Alicia was, of course, taken aback and responded by pointing the Arcane ball at him. Infuriated, Agosh let out a growl, then screeched.

"You self-righteous whore! You don’t really want to save the world, do you? Deep inside, you just want people to see you, to recognize you, to love you! You’re not doing this because you are special—oh, no, no, no! You are doing this because you want to be considered speciaaaal! You want people to see you as special because if you fail to do your job…," Agosh sneered, his face pressed up against the glass, his eyes boring into hers. "You will lose everything... You will be exiled again. Me and the others are tools to fulfill that desire. Khaos is the tool that drives the plot, and Orb is the tool that keeps the story going!"

Upon hearing these words, Orb almost darted and shattered the glass prison and the prisoners inside according to the girl's request. Alicia's gaze shimmered, though her eyes welled up with tears. Gritted were her teeth.

"You know nothing of my ambition! You have no right to despise Orb! I only want the joyous world through the knowledge of magic. If no one supports me, I'll do it myself!" the Crimsonmane girl spat back, her voice laced with determination and anger.

Agosh guffawed. How he was fond of Alicia's reaction so much that he gave her a standing ovation. "Alicia, Alicia, Alicia. Calm down, Miss, calm down… I'm just kidding. Just kidding. I just want to play with you, so that you get depressed and cry. I get excited when I see someone depressed and cry. Oh, you should’ve seen your face!"

Disgusting. Utter disgusting. Alicia regretted having intruded into this hellish carriage. Even without the influence of Khaos, Agosh was still the most rotten, lecherous human who deserved to be tortured in the deepest pit of Tartarus. The verbal abuse had become too much, so she backed away, about to leave Agosh.

But the man still wanted to play. "But really? Didn't it cross your mind to record what you just said and listen to how ridiculous you are? Joyous world through the knowledge of magic, come on! If you didn't have Orb what would you do, hm? Throwing those thoughts away and leading a meaningless life to the grave? Realizing that maybe you weren't meant to do great things? I know you can’t help it. Everyone can’t help it. We’ve heard that renowned saying, ‘You don’t need magic to be King Aeëtes’, and we know it is just an empty hope to deceive the children. You know it’s true, because you’re the big girl, living in the big world. But I adore you, Alicia. You still have passion. You are a stubborn wench to dream the impossible and will do anything to make your dreams come true. No need to be special as long as the world can be happy, right? Everything in this world is a tool for a being, Miss. The thing of value to it—what makes something 'special' is how useful it is to fulfill that being’s want. That's the way life has always been. So please, join me, because I too, want a happy world, not bound by pseudo values and degrees. Only humans with their desires satisfied."

"Stop havering," Alicia retorted furiously. "You can't serve two masters. You will prefer one over the other. You only submit to your greed, which Khaos loves. Humans are not just creatures with no purpose other than to satisfy lust without thinking about the consequences and morals!"

"But that's why humans are called living things! A living being is a living being if it has a desire, and it has become an instinct for every creature to try to make the wish come true. Moral? Ha! Moral is just a false limit made up by those who call themselves 'special' with the intention that not everyone can fulfill their desires apart from themselves. The irony, their own morals destroy them. Because of morals, they are actually building a ticking time bomb inside of their restrained self, tinkling, and when the time’s up... Boom! Chaos—the universe’s attempt to correct a mistake within itself."

"You twist your words!"

"Don't you see that this increasingly advanced civilization is instead filled with immoral doers who experience outbursts of desire due to being restrained for so long? Animals, plants, they have no need for morals and the only reason why they suffer more and more is because of humans and their manners…. Your tiny moral standards that brought the world closer to Khaos."

"So when you said I was a special kid who would change the face of the world, you were making fun of me, then."

"Of course, I didn't mean it, miss! Who believes in that prophecy besides you and the bunch of imbeciles that sent me? 'Special' is just a pseudo-phrase for people with giant egos as a coping mechanism because they can't accept themselves as they are. 'Special' isn't a universally recognized measure, My Lady. You and the other kids are just doing tasks that fate has decreed just like the others, just like me... only yours is written in the books. Even if you manage to do that, people will forget what you've done and move on to pursue their passions like the other day. So be careful, don't lie to yourself. You're not special, you're just like me. Don't let time slap you hard, because you will suffer for it! If you are still ignorant, I also have a prophecy for you: The stars have spoken to me: The last person who considers you not special, is the one who shall murder you!"

Suddenly, from inside the glass, the bouncing sound waves tore apart Agosh Grendi's ears. The man fell down while screaming, cursing anyone who activated the prisoner-tamer mechanism

“Fuck! Damn it, I didn’t do anything! I’m just chatting, you fuck!”

"I thought this carriage was clearly not for anyone to enter." A voice came from behind Alicia, startling her. When she looked back, she found a lady whose face contorted into a grave one.

"M-Misstress Odelie?"

"Odelie, with no ‘mistress’," said the female astrologist. Odelie then grabbed Alicia's arm until the girl gasped and pulled her out. The spectacled lass took another gander at Agosh Grendi, who had just released his hands from his ringing ears. For some reason, she felt that this was not would be the last time she would face the necromancer. []