The wise are flung forward,

Great lights shine,

Friends are now lost,

Yet the wise are few,

And must seek out the restoration.

I lay awake to night’s cold embrace, as I seek the words lost to most. Only a few know as to why these words are hidden, I am not so fortunate. Pictograms are all I can go off, as the works by the very nature are arcane. I do not fully grasp these writings, but I must as they hold secrets, secrets that I could use to make the world more splendorous. Be it the incantations to cast forth a great spectacle or create such baubles that kings would pay me handsomely. Oh, the wonders of the old world are too many to say, but I sit here in my tower on the northeast of White Talon. Surrounded by moats deep with clear waters, I hear crickets chirp, frogs croak, and owls call peace is set on the night. But I must rest now, for tomorrow my class will require me.

As I cast out a small spell of austru, a soft, cold wind blew out my candle perched on the sill of the cobblestone window. As I lay fast asleep, dreams of flora, fauna, winds, and rivers move into my head. I dreamt of that fluffy, white, pristine snow that was to follow in the months ahead. So soundly was the night, Nius be praised, for she gave the earth life. I now embrace the darkness that was between my eyes and the outside world, no ilk of the day disrupts me.

As I laid comfy on my straw bed, whose contents were bought from a farmer, not far from White Talon. I soon felt an uneasiness befall on me, as I twist and turned by an urge of heat came over me. I decide to wake from my slumber, to reach out for that cooling ale pitcher, one my assistant brought to me. My eyes came open, I yawned and stood against my bed. With a slow pace I walked towards that succulent morsel to parch my throat, a loud smash knocked upon my bedroom door. Thud!

Odd, who could be at this hour for I thought that all students would be, like myself, asleep. Thud! There it was again, should I answer the door, or could it be just some of the brooms cleaning the halls. THUD! THUD! THUD! At this rate I will never get back to sleep, I must have to show those brooms what time it is. As I walked to my door, I could hear mumbled screams, this is quite strange. Slowly I turned back the knob and a student trembled behind it, “Whatever be the matter, do you not know the time boy?” I said, disgruntled by this annoyance.

“Master Julius, Master Julius,” the boy spoke with a rush of fear, “you must come with me to the courtyard, at once.” Baffled by this sudden request, does this boy forget that he is in my presence? If he would like a request for some private lessons, then like all the others, a formal letter is needed, and a witness must be signed off. “If you requested some tutoring, for I assume an upcoming test,” I said dreading this interaction, “then apply for a letter like your fellow peers. Now if you would excuse me, I am very tired of both today and this conversation. Goodnight,” I said closing my door. “You must listen to my request,” the student said, pushing his arm towards the door. “It is a matter most dire. The students have become turned to stone, b-b-by some act of high transmutation,” he said breathing heavily.

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“All right, all right,” I said lividly, “if this would appease your jitters, then I shall follow you.” The student calmed down by a hair, but still, on edge, he shook my hands and made follow. Climbing down several flights of stairs, out the tower, through the great hall, past the classrooms we went to. By the time we reached the courtyard, I found that the sky was washed with lights even though the great clock said three at night. I found many students, professors, staff, and coworkers standing in awe of the lights. However, the lights were casting odd shadows and I did not see that by their gazes in awe were in fact, them standing as stone. I crept towards them, one I touched and examined that they were indeed just that, stone. Could this be of a natural phenomenon or the work of a caster whose malice is great? “What must we do,” asked the student shook in fear, “are we in mortal peril?” Hesitate I became, distraught with utter horror that made such a transmutation, I looked to the plants and found them wilting away. The trees themselves, some older than even I, became dried, malnourished, and twilight. “Uh, uh, uh cast… cast obstructionum,” I said to the student, and I was developed in a resonance resistive field, whose colours glister by reflections against those bright lights in the sky.

“What is it that you seek?” a voice said unto me. As I stood trying to fortify my position, someone else spoke to me. With words that are slimy, worm-like, and horrifying. One whose very presence seeks to underplay my resolve and fortitude. “Who art thou?” I asked in nervous curiosity. “Who, me? Nothing special, if that is what thou wonders. All I want to know,” the voice said in a cold whisper, “What is that you seek most of all?” I became too frightened by this horror; a voice that is too calm, in such a dire situation to be true. “If you can hear this, fowl being, I know not of what voice you speak from. Though you could never grant such an inclination. So, I shall give you an answer,” I said sweating from my brow, “Give mortal life, so that I may find the answers to the past.”

“And so it has been done. Another satisfied customer,” the voice spoke with an easy, soft deminer. Suddenly, my heart dropped, it felt akin to a lead ball sinking in my chest. I became heavy, my eyes grew too much to keep up, sparks of resonance only now coming from my tips. I fell silent and blacked out under the sheer pain of it all. I could not think, all I sought was an end to this pain, a burning, blistering, division of my very body. I ached for so long, that when I woke, vines and snow were on top of me and my clothes were eaten away by moths. I tried to cast induere so that my clothes would return to my body, but flickers of resonance I only saw. But a small patch of flowers stood up, and they melted away the snow around them. I picked one up and plucked its petals, in one fell swoop that pedal came out like a firecracker.

I tried to cast any spells but to no luck, it was as if that all my resonance was gone. The only magic laid with these flowers, it had scales like pedals with purple tips, red body, and a fiery golden end to them. The flowers looked to be enchanted I thought. And I began to ponder, was that request I made to that… that voice, a curse and not a true pleasureful wish. I went to my room and found the only clothes I had left. I took the few books I had that were in any good condition and left White Talon. To the world, I must go, a place that I have not seen for many a time, and find that wretched voice who straddled me with a convoluted curse. If not to lift it, then to cure those effects by stoney demise. I had now a spirit that could not be diminished by anything other than vengeance, and I would find those dutiful enough to help me.