The bright sky. The warm soft breeze. The noises of a driven city. It was familiar to Cecelia, despite being in a foreign land. There was familiarity mixed with unfamiliarity. It had been three hours since Brian and herself have ventured out into the city of Mord. It was a rather interesting city to Cecelia. The buildings were familiar, but clearly had foreign twists. If Cecelia was forced to compare the style to something from her home world, the closest would’ve been European.
Street-wise, they were far smaller than what she was used to. There was barely enough for foot traffic, carriages, or carts. Thankfully, despite what seemed to be chaos, the overall street system was easy enough to understand and follow. Clearly marked signs and local guides quickly expediated the initial exploring of the city. Several times Brian and herself were approached by taxi-equivalents, but Cecelia never took up those offers. While she didn’t know exactly how much each coin was worth, some of the offered prices were clearly above their budget.
Mord was divided up and structured not unlike her old world. There were commercial, residential, industrial, and business zones. Though there were differences in what was exactly in each zone. Magic-based businesses were rather prevalent, hinting to Cecelia that it was widely available to the general public. In her initial scouting, she wasn’t able to find some fantasy-stable organizations. While it was childish, she wanted to see if there was something like an adventurer’s guild.
Central Market, the city’s main hub for food-related activities, was incredibly large. It wasn’t something that Cecelia expected. While she wasn’t able to gauge exactly large it was, it was certainly far larger than any supermarket by several times. Based on information given by the locals, market-related buildings or zones had either red roofs or at least a red flag—it appeared that if it was red, it was either market-related or food-related.
The market was an important part of the exploration. There, Cecelia was able to get a feel on how much the currency was worth. Based upon her information gathering, she had enough to feed both herself and Brian for at least one month. That was able to relieve some stress that she felt. A quick detour from exploring the city for lunch was had at the market, given the strange lack of anything edible back at the abode.
With the initial exploration of the city done, there was only one thing left for Cecelia. While exploring the city was fun and important in figuring out her exact situation, she needed information. The city’s only public library was the key to that. The grand five-story building, lavishly embellished with sculptures, etchings, precious metal plating, and painted windows gave it an upper-class feel. The average person that visited the library wore clothing that was at least one level higher than the common folk, based on their attire. Cecelia herself should be adequately dressed, though Brian might stand out just a tad bit. Regardless of how intimidating the library was, the information in there was crucial.
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“Just write down your name here and…” the clerk handling Cecelia droned on regarding the registration process. Surprisingly, the library wasn’t actually as terrifying or hostile as it seemed on appearance. The registration itself didn’t seem too hard so far. At first, Cecelia feared that Brian, being the unnatural human, he was, would raise suspicions. Thankfully, but strangely, he was able to handle his registration process fine enough.
“Alright ma’am, we just need your magic signature here and that would be it,” the clerk smiled and presented the bottom of the library card to Cecelia. Panic immediately flushed through Cecelia’s body. Magic signature. Magic signature. The bottom of the metallic plate had nothing, and there wasn’t really any indication of what to do. Was she suppose to press it with a thumb? Cursing herself, Cecelia pressed her thumb down on the plate. Hopefully, just hopefully, this is what the clerk meant.
A soft light outlined Cecelia’s thumb the moment she touched the card. It wasn’t a long process before the clerk took back the card and inserted it into a device. That wasn’t a long process either as the clerk pulled out the card and gave it to Cecelia soon after. Strange symbols now etched themselves where her thumb once pressed against.
“The library card,” the clerk began, while filling in the last pieces of information on the registration form, “is vital for any transaction done with the library. Transactions referring to visiting or leaving the library, and checking out any books or tomes. Tampering with the card itself magic-wise is prohibited. Physical modifications are allowed as long as it doesn’t interfere with the magic process itself. Though, I’m sure you won’t tamper with it, but it is library policy to inform new members.”
One last professional smile and a wave. Cecelia, taking several steps away to join Brian, who sat down at a bench, took a deep breath. The magic signature requirement shook her up, thankfully it appeared that the clerk didn’t notice.
“Now,” Cecelia began after resting a bit, watching people pass by. There were all sorts of magic displays in the library, far more than outside. There were various elemental creatures, made up of either earth, wind, water, or even fire, flew and walked around. Given that some acted like pets to certain people, Cecelia chalked them up to be familiars. “We need to gather information, specifically about where we are and how things work. Plus, we also need to gather some books on magic in general. The ones back at the house just focused on summoning. If it’s fine, I’ll be the one reading and you’ll be the one finding the books. That’s, uh, fine with you right?”
Brian simply nodded his head.
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The books just kept stacking themselves higher. Isolating herself from others, Cecelia occupied a table for four for herself. Occasionally Brian would come back with one or two new books. The man was awfully efficient at locating exactly what she wanted, which helped in expediating the information-gathering session. At times, she had Brian take pauses, allowing herself to catch up and for Brian to gain some knowledge as well.
Judging the clock nearby, it was around 5:00 PM. Many hours by now have passed. There was no way for Cecelia to digest the dozens of books that laid on the table and retain crucial detail within the timeframe. A good deal of the books was skimmed. Few were read thoroughly. No doubt important details were lost, but that didn’t really matter too much. What Cecelia wanted was a general idea of how things were or worked. In the future, she would be making several visits to the library to build upon that foundation.
One area that Cecelia did focus most of her attention on was magic. Perhaps it was her own excitement getting the better of her, but it intrigued her the most. There was no way for her to adsorb what would normally take natives years of training to learn, but she pressed on. The magical sights that she saw so far ignited a small flame within her. Yet, even in this frenzy of excitement, something caught her eye.
Stolen novel; please report.
Magic was split into two: natural and unnatural. At first, Cecelia expected this to refer to environment-based magic and human magic. However, that was quickly proven wrong. Natural, according to the books she read, were inclusive of both nature and human-based magic. Everything she saw so far was natural, except for one thing: Brian’s summoning. If her understanding was correct, natural magic follows the principles of the world. Which then means unnatural didn’t.
Cecelia glanced at Brian, who was reading through book regarding Persi’s history. Summoning, in this world’s conventional sense, refers to shaping elemental magic into some form. They were typically either a dog, a cat, or some kind of bird. Summons made of flesh or bones didn’t exist—excluding necromancy, which was a totally different subject. Summons are strictly made, never really actually summon from somewhere else. Furthermore, any summon required continued magic to sustain themselves. Magic signatures, which are akin to DNA or a finger print, are the same between a summon and its master. If the strange symbols on the bottom of the library card represented a magic signature, then Brian’s and herself were totally different. Cecelia furrowed her eyebrows.
“When I summoned you,” Cecelia checked their surroundings, her voice low, “I didn’t summon you from somewhere else did I? You were created?” Something bugged her. If Brian was created from nothing, then how did he know basic information about the world?
Brian flipped a single page, before looking directly at Cecelia. His eyes glanced down at the book Cecelia still had open. A human smile, something that Cecelia saw for the first time. The created man replied, monotonously, “That is correct master. Your magic formed me.”
Any unnatural magic ability was tightly regulated, something that every book touching the subject made abundantly clear. Regardless of how innocent an unnatural ability was, it was always met with hostility in the beginning. From being able to heal wounds beyond what natural magic can accomplish to even mind-control. Reality-bending was even seriously mentioned. In Agoi’s past and even present, people with such abilities tended to find themselves hanged, tortured, sacrificed, or exploited.
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The sun was setting as night approaches. The light posts illuminated the streets softly. The city continued onwards still, even with little sunlight left. Shops were still open, but the atmosphere had a change to it. Day time was focused on work, whilst night focused on fun. The streets were dominated by adults enjoying themselves. Bars were far more packed now than they were in the noon.
City guards were seen patrolling the streets far more frequently than before. Their caps, similar to a kepi, and tunic frock coats made them stand out against everyday clothing. They were far more modern than Cecelia expected. There were no hints of metal armor, just either plain fabric or leather. Mord guards’ color theme were dominantly black with purple as a secondary color. The emblems of an eagle clutching a scroll was proudly presented on their uniforms.
Cecelia and Brian had stayed at the library for an hour longer, before they had decided to leave. The revelation damped Cecelia’s mood, but the thirst for knowledge drove her. When they did decide to leave, the city had transformed itself. Moving through the streets cautiously, without trying to alarm anyone, the pair stopped at a small restaurant before continuing.
If it was before the revelation of her unnatural ability, Cecelia may had been less cautious. However, now, she was on edge. There was no denying what she had. Not even being able to summon a small ball of fire was able to reverse her mood. If any of the guards, or anyone, were able to detect her ability, it would without a doubt bring her trouble. Of course, the books themselves mentioned that detecting unnatural magic was hard, but it was not impossible. Chances are no one on the streets could detect it—but Cecelia was certainly not going to bet her life on chances at this point.
A hand suddenly pulled Cecelia backed, while she was lost in thought. At first Cecelia panicked, before noting it was Brian. She was breathing rapidly. Brian’s eyes were barely visible, but she could see him shaking his head. Confusion ran through her, but her questions were answered soon. Not too far away from them, at an intersection, a carriage pulled into view. City guards positioned themselves along the carriage.
The streets were silent, aside from the footsteps of the guards and the rocking of the carriage. The carriage had a particular appearance to it. No windows. Reinforced structure. Most importantly, magic circles lazily rotating themselves. Most people only watched, pausing their actions. The guards moved purposefully.
The guards were tensed. Their eyes constantly switching from the carriage to the streets. It was like they were more afraid of what was inside the carriage than any potential disrupters. The driver of the carriage was another guard, but there was no weapon present. However, Cecelia could note a metal wand. Wands weren’t strictly needed for magic, but they help the user significantly enhance their capabilities. From a small spark to a firestorm.
The driver’s eyes momentarily met Cecelia’s. A sudden chill. Cecelia’s hands tensed. The guard gave a curt nod before returning his attention back to driving the carriage. None of the other guards bothered to spare a glance at her.
As the carriage turned onto another street, people around Cecelia began to stir. There was caution at first, but people began to converse and joke. Soon, it was like the carriage was never there. Cecelia took another deep breath, something that she’s been doing far more regularly than before. It was best to return home at that moment, Cecelia decided. Paranoia and fear were eating away at her.
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In the beginning, the house felt like a prison to Cecelia. Waking up in a strange room, in a strange house, in a strange world. It was rife with mystery with no solutions. The outside world seemed tempting, especially after the appearance of the monster. Now, it felt welcoming and safe compared the outside world. No one at present, aside from Brian, knew of her abilities. She was still, technically safe. If, however, the secret was spilled out, then she was finished. Cecelia locked the door.
At this point, it was evident that the owners of this house either were dead, didn’t exist, or were on a trip. Or, Cecelia glanced at the key, she owned the house. Whoever she was possessing likely owned the house. It was something she considered before, but erred on the side of caution. It would also explain why all the books on the second floor focused on summoning.
Brian sat on one of the dining chairs, observing the map that hanged off of the wall. The man spent most of the day silent, aside from responding to questions. No comments. No remarks. No jokes. He acted human to the library clerk during registration. He only smiled once when his secret was revealed. He was, also, loyal to Cecelia. The only proof of that was the strong feeling in the back of Cecelia’s mind.
“Thoughts?” Cecelia queried, breaking the silence, sitting down on the chair opposing Brian’s.
The man didn’t immediately respond, still glancing at the map. Then, he turned, his face still blank. Brian cocked his head, appearing to be in his thoughts. Then, he spoke, “Persi’s foundation was built upon the backs of many. Compared to its peers, it lacked in quality. Nearby nations had better soldiers or mages. The only thing Persi had were numbers.”
Brian reached into his pocket and pulled out a wand. It was the same wand that Cecelia used to summon him. She had forgotten to bring it with them when they left. Yet, Brian carried it throughout the day. He didn’t mention it to her.
“I do not know much, nor do I have much inside me,” Brian began, “but I know one thing: to protect you. The books taught me there is strength in numbers master.” The man pushed the wand towards Cecelia’s hand. “A single Mord guard can kill me, but a single Mord guard can’t win against two or three of me.”
Cecelia looked down at the wand, before glancing back up at Brian. It was in the back of her mind, but she wasn’t sure. However, Brian was right in a sense. The whispers in her mind also urged her on. Safety in numbers. Strength in numbers. Her hand grasped the cool wooden wand.