The two figures were looking at Angie and moving forward in lock step. Cold boots against the cobbles, Angie was bent over eyes closed thinking.

When she finally heard the footsteps, she looked up and saw the two approaching figures.

They wore dark black clothes with a hint of blue, cloaks that never touched the ground and never rustled. Their faces were covered by stark wooden masks.

The figure on the left was tall and lanky. A full head taller than their companion. Their mask a white, with the mouth forming a taught line. to their right, who while being shorter, was filled with muscle was the second masked figure. A dark green mask that has numerous gashes and damage done to it.

Like someone hit the face with a blunt ax day after day.

Its mouth in a snarl with wooden teeth all chipped and damaged.

Angie instinctively took a step back and looked between the two of them.

The figures stopped 20 feet away, then faster than Angie could understand the hands of the shorter figure glowed with brilliant white flames. Roiling around the body before disappearing, not into smoke, for this fire was smokeless.

The tall figure leaned back and lifted their head up to the cloudless sky and spread out their arms.

Angie had the stunned look on her face before realizing she didn’t like any of what was going on. She began to make to leave, fully wishing to engage my ability to make her walk faster.

I gave her that power, she didn’t possess it.

And I did not want her to run away, I wanted her to fight.

The shorter figure charged forward in a leap as Angie darted backward. Their fist slamming into the cobbled street and shattering a portion of it.

A small shockwave emanated sending pebbles into sky to rain back down.

Angie screamed into her head for my help. To get her out as quickly as possible.

“No dear, I can’t do that currently” I say with a calm.

“WHY!” Angie shouted back.

She landed on her back and is scrambling away from the short figure. Who looked up finally and looked to move onto her.

“The tall one, I believe he’s stopping me from doing that” I say.

No, the tall one isn’t doing anything of the sort. But a lie she won’t understand. She can’t see the strands of magic. The tall one is powering the short one. Letting them share energy to get even a small amount of the power I possess.

“I surrender” Angie shouts at the two figures.

Neither react and continue to move forward.

Ordered to kill any signs of the power. The Azdarian Academy of Magic has no sense of balance to these things.

Angie realizes her plea doesn’t work and than shouts to me.

“Please Help!”

Now the woman wants the help, finally.

“Sorry dear, I cant help you, I can power you, give you the gifts, but I cant use them” I say.

“You have to do it” I add.

“What” Angie shakes her head and gets up to run away.

As she flees the short figure lumbers after her the tall one still looking up to the moon.

“Haya, can’t help you now child, she died long ago” I remark giving one last view of the moon before returning attention to Angie.

She skittered outside an alley before fleeing into it. The short figure stopped at the entrance and peers in. They walk excruciatingly slowly through the alley. Trying to add gravitas and tension to themselves.

“Please” Angie pleads, desperation in her voice.

Desperation is useful to get someone to do something. They just might go overboard.

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“I can give you energy, think of them like the tree and hold out your hand” I say.

“What!” Angie shouts back at me aloud. The figure falters a step, only I notice.

Yes masked child she is one of those, not a false one, a true bearer.

Angie tries to look at me but simply lets it be known she doesn’t wish to kill the masked assailant.

“Death or life” I say.

“Simply choose who gets which” I add.

Angie closes her eyes and then holds out her hands, palm out, arms fully outstretched.

She begins to speak the tongue. The unknown language of this place.

The masked figure fully stops and crouches down, the smallest head tilt trying to decipher what Angie is saying.

You would never understand masked child. That language is beyond you.

True fire shot out of Angie palms, like two great bulls rushing down the alley barreling every scrap and refuse blocking their path. The fire slammed into the masked figure in a burning incineration.

The masked figure fell into the cobbled street outside the alley and screamed loudly. A wail that woke up all the neighbors not woken by the fire.

Angie opened her eyes and closed her palms the fire was extinguished instantly. No lingering fire, no smoke or wisps left hanging. No ember. Even the heat disappeared.

Walking forward in a tentative step Angie peer out of the alley and saw the masked figure writhing on the ground in pain. Their back burnt badly.

The figure turned and looked at Agnie the clasp holding the mask burnt away leaving the mask to fall at the sudden motion.

A female face, of Augburn air fell, eyes wide with searing pain and her teeth grit. A snarl on her lips as she looked at Angie. Tear weltering in her eyes.

The girl was in shock.

Jumping from grief and pain, to shock and anger. Unable to choose any one emotion or to stay in one.

Angie and the girl stared at each other for a time before the woman collapsed. A sad heap in the middle of the street.

Another corpse here in Azdar.

Angie whimpered and almost fell to her knees and looked like she was about to be sick.

As Angie stands there knees buckled in shock as well I thought for a second.

Should this person be killed.

The lanky one should recognize Angie but if we save this ones life Angie’s name will be more well known.

She would be hunted.

She would have to use the power more.

Yes, yes.

The girl’s life should be save.

As I was deliberating a distant shout of shock could be heard. The connection from the tall one to the short girl has been severed.

“Angie, you can help her” I say as calming as I can sound.

“Simply put your hands upon her, give her energy, she will heal from it” I say.

Angie stands frozen staring at the body.

“ANGIE” I shout in her head. That scream makes her yelp and jump. She is crying, a small trail of tears.

“You can help her” I say.

Angie nods and walks forward, before kneeling at the edge where the woman is sprawled out.

Angie puts here hand on the girls shoulder and says in a croaky voice.

“okay”

The same purplish energy as when Angie walked envelops the woman, flowing out from Angie’s hands and into the woman.

The energy wont heal her, just give the body the energy to heal itself. More than is ever thought possible for a simple body to do.

I stop the flow of energy into the injured woman. it wouldn’t be useful if the Academy thought the girl was corrupted by my deviant magic.

“It is done” I say.

Angie nods and looks in the direction where distant footsteps can be heard. The tall one is running here.

Her face blanches and she turns and flees from the lonely and dark cobbled street.

Looking back for the briefest moment to see the chest heave up and down.

Heading off into the city she doesn’t even realize she is using my power to help her move quickly. Leaving only a trail of purple footsteps that turn into nothing.

I turn and look to the woman and her companion rushing to help her.

Sad little things they are. Not true souls.

Angie ran to her apartment as hard and fast as she could. The magic made her move like a haunted spirit through the large city.

Here in this late hour no one takes notice and Angie has no reason to pay attention. She runs in a flurry, her feet making the sound of a rattling drum upon the cobbled streets.

Accompanying her on this journey, I remain silent. Better to let her tire herself out and burn all the energy I have given her.

When the forces from the academy show up she will ask me for more energy. Begging for any help against what is to come.

We will be able to handle them easily.

Inside her apartment she falls to a corner by a wardrobe, covering herself in clothes and blankets.

I watch her, and sigh internally.

There is going to be a long journey till we get her used to this.

Not even a month ago when she first heard me in her ear did she freak out like this. But this time it can be used.

This time I have an enemy. One who just tried to kill.

One who will come back and attack again.

Oh yes, the academy despite all their efforts will serve my goals here. Now I just need a place of focus, an area where the realms are thin.

She cant make a tear as she is. The energy alone will kill her. No, we must find one already formed. Or find the thinnest point. Which means I must take her to a mage.

The academy has plenty, and it has plenty who hate and fight against it.

We can find one I am sure. There are errant mages abound, most just stay quiet since the academy began its deeper prosecutions.

There are few things as dangerous as errant and wild magic and mages after all. The ones who wield it must be masked.

Angie wakes up head in a thrum. She is pushed up against the wardrobe in her room, piled under blankets and clothes.

She stands shaking her head hair falling in a loose wave.

“uhhhhh” Angie says in a low whine of annoyance.

She kicks out both her legs and lightly stretches before hunching over the way one does at home alone.

She thinks about last night, a bit of color seeps from her face.

“Spirit, are you there” She says.

Ah yes Spirit, suppose that name may work as well as any.

As I am about to respond I Angie is looking around, anxious.

I puzzle this.

“Spirit” She says in a tentative and long voice. Drawing out my new given name.

Ahhh, I see. She wants comfort of me, of the familiar.

Ha.

“Yes, used a fair amount of energy to feed you” I say.

No I have far more energy.

“Oh” She says, shrinking her form as she sits on her bed head downcast.

“Thank you” She says.

Then she quietly stands up and puts herself into her bed, planning to sleep away any coming trouble.