Soplat stood dazed, staring in the direction of the settlement. He clung to the hope that what he feared was a lie. Ignoring Maho, the child he was meant to protect, he sprinted through the forest, weaving between trees and leaping over trunks knocked over by the explosion's shockwave.
He soon reached the clearing where the settlement once stood, unaware that Maho was following closely behind. All that remained were smoldering wood and ash clouds falling like snow. Grief gripped his heart. "Why, why did she have to do it?" he asked himself as he wandered through the ruins, searching for any sign. With each passing second, his steps grew heavier. He finally stopped in front of a figure burned beyond recognition, but he knew it was Ioana. Her skin was charred to black charcoal as she knelt with a single limb, the other missing, clutching Soplat's staff. Her skin crumbled under the passing breeze.
Soplat dropped to his knees, tears in his eyes, his body trembling with heavy sobs. He tried to touch her face, but it crumbled under his touch. "Why did you have to go this way? You should have told me; we could have found another way," he sobbed.
"I am a very selfish person," he remembered Ioana saying once, as if her voice echoed in his head. That was what she would have said if she were here.
"But you aren't here. What will I tell Ellen? I can't face her knowing this happened," he asked again, as if Ioana were still with him at that moment.
A recent memory surfaced, one that occurred before he and the child fled into the forest. "Tell Ellen to check for Camera Secretorum" she said. Soplat did not know what that meant but he will deliver that message
As he knelt before his staff, he recalled the first time he met his master. He had just earned the rank of mage and needed to be taken in by a master to advance to sage. Unfortunately, no one wanted him. He went around the academy, pleading his case to different masters. All of them either refused or said they would get back to him—a polite way of saying no.
Desperate, he started offering money. His family was wealthy merchants with influence, but only in the ground city. They had no sway in the citadel, as they were just a normal family without magical talent. When Soplat was discovered to have magic talent, all focus was on him. He was to carry their name to the citadel. As a child, there was immense pressure on him, and now it seemed he would fail them.
He kept trying other Magus, receiving the same results. He attempted to see one more Magus but was disrespectfully thrown out by the Magus's students without even meeting him. Deciding to return home to the ground city, he didn't know how he would face his father and admit his failure to secure a master.
Taking a longer route, he pondered his next steps. Rounding a corner, he encountered citadel guards, known as "grays" for their pale gray uniforms, preying upon a woman. She wore the typical attire of ground city women—a free dress that passed the knee, red with spiral patterns outlining her curves, and neat sandals that seemed new. Her clothes were quite tidy for someone from the ground city.
Normally, Soplat would mind his own business, but he decided to intervene. It was easy; after waving a few coins in their faces, the grays left, pretending nothing had happened. With the grays gone, Soplat finally got a good look at her and realized she was quite pretty, even without cosmetics.
"Thank you, young magus. The name is Ioana, and I would like to show my gratitude by offering you a drink at my home," she said. Usually, Soplat would decline such invitations, but perhaps due to her captivating aura or his reluctance to face his family, he agreed.
He also remembered meeting little Ellen that day. She was so small, full of light, and she lifted his spirits as they drank beer while Ellen sipped fruit juice. Soplat shared his struggles, explaining that no master had chosen him. Then, the unexpected happened.
"Mama is a magus too; she could probably help," little Ellen said. Soplat remembered laughing at the statement.
"What, you don't believe me?" she pouted, her cheeks puffing up, looking more cute than intimidating.
"Mother, tell him!" Ellen urged. "She's not lying; I am actually a magus," Ioana confirmed.
Soplat recalled how tense he became upon hearing those words, searching for a quick exit, fearing it was a trap. "You'd already be dead if I wanted you to be," she said, pointing to his cup, as if she knew how tense he was. She was right; he had drunk so easily, unaware if it was poisoned. She flicked her finger, and in an instant, he was lifted and restrained midair.
"Wow," little Ellen exclaimed.
"Do you believe me now?" All Soplat could do was nod, as that was all he could manage. She released him. "I know you want me to take you as my apprentice. I won't refuse, but my only condition is that before you can graduate to Sage, you must find true self."
"And how will I find that?" Soplat asked. He remembered her smile as she said, "ohh thats simple, Just follow me."
As he knelt before Ioana's crumbled remains, he asked, "How will I find my true self?" He continued to weep, unaware of Maho also going through her own emotions behind him.
Soplat grieved for a whole day while Maho crouched nearby, hugging her knees, watching. She had initial returned to check for her father's remains, hoping to find something to bury and give a proper send-off. But when she reached the smoldering ash, she found nothing. She thought of burying one of his belongings, but the explosion had destroyed everything. So, she just left returned to Soplat's side.
As she sat behind Soplat, she tried to grieve for her father's death, but no tears came. She knew why. She never loved her father, nor did she hate him. He was an important figure in her life, her only family. Most people in the village disliked her, thinking she looked down on them, and Maho did. Hetr father never gave her anything important to hold onto because he himself was not important—just one of those passersby in one's life.
Maho reached behind her belt and pulled out Agrilis, Ioana's wand. She stared at it, admiring its beautiful red spiral design and carvings. The wand was neither wood nor metal, but a mixture of both. As she gazed at it, she remembered her mother, or the only memory she had of her. When she was about a year old, her mother held her in her arms and whispered in Maho's ear, "You are different. You are destined for greatness. Never let anyone deem your life a nobody," and she saw her mother's full face smiling at her, but a face she couldn't remember. Maho cried, "I'm crying for someone who abandoned me as a child, but don't worry mama, when I find you, I will make you answer for that."
Her mother was right. Maho was smarter and more brilliant than even the adults she knew. She was now more confident, having manipulated Soplat from calling out to him in the marketplace, teasing him to price her goods, to provoking him into attacking her so he would notice her magical talent, in order to get a chance to be invited to the Citadel. Of course, the chances of her plan succeeding were slim, which is why she had other options, from robbery to simply telling them upfront. She just needed to succeed, and she did. Soplat was too easy, but Ioana was a mystery to her. Maho knew Ioana was aware of her schemes. But her father's death was not part of the plan, and he had to die. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't his fault that the beast she dreamed of came.
Maho stared down at the wand. She was still too weak to protect herself or anything she cared about from this dark world.
Due to Ioana's sacrifice, some villagers managed to escape into the forest. They decided to return to the settlement to assess the situation of their destroyed village. Both Maho and Soplat, still grieving, didn't notice their arrival.
The survivors were led by Friedrich, the deceased chief's third son, and his manservant Wilhelm. The others followed them because they seemed to know what they were doing. Friedrich had a plan, and it involved the grieving magus in front of the staff. He believed that if they had any chance of survival, it was with the magus, who probably had connections they could use. After a few hours, Friedrich decided to take matters into his own hands.
"I am leaving," he announced to the twenty-one survivors, standing up and heading toward the road that led out of the settlement.
"But you said if we came back, we could find a solution," Wilhelm said, quickly following behind him.
"I was wrong," Friedrich replied nonchalantly.
The others were confused, and tension filled the air. They knew they had no chance of survival on their own.
"Wrong? The mage is right there; we just have to wait for him," an old woman with a child said.
"Haven't you figured it out, Issa? All this was caused by the mage and his master. They probably knew whatever those things were coming and never warned us," Friedrich said furiously. Even though Issa was an older woman and Friedrich was only twenty-five, as the village chief's son, Issa couldn't question him. With a grieving voice, he continued, "My father, brothers, and sister were blown up by his master, and you expect me to trust him?"
Everyone was speechless. Their shock soon turned to rage. Without warning, they picked themselves up, charging toward where Soplat and Maho where, their goal to chase them off the already destroyed land. Friedrich followed closely behind them, fanning the flames of their rage.
Maho at first didn't even notice them until their shouts grew nearer. She stood up from her corner, ready to defend Soplat. "Stand back," she shouted.
"Maho, step back. This man must pay for the sins of his master; she destroyed our settlement," Issa stepped up to confront Maho, holding a stone in hand, obviously for Soplat.
"No, he saved your life," Maho replied. "If anything, you should be thankful."
"What life, child? Look around you," Issa paused and stared at her with disgust. "What has he promised you that you protect him so fervently?"
"Step back, Grandma Issa. I'm not afraid to use this," Maho said as she pulled out Agrilis from her belt.
"Do you think we are playing knights, girl? Move, or you will get hurt too," Issa said, preparing to throw the stone. But Maho stood her ground. Everyone around them just watched the exchange, knowing the result would be the determinat of future event.
Before both sides could become violent some thing unexpected happen, Friedrich stepped in. "My brethren, we should stop. We have become monsters. To get revenge, we are going as far as hurting our own. Let's step back find a common ground." he said all things where going according to his plan, the last piece his making the mage take notice of him.
But Issa was not up for diplomacy. "Cattle piss, Friedrich! This child dares talk back to me and threaten me. I always knew she was a snake in a chicken farm, preventing always eating the chicks," Issa said, pushing Friedrich out of the way and throwing a stone at Maho.
Maho replied with a spell, but something unexpected happened. Agrilis absorbed all the energy within her and did nothing, causing Maho to stumble and drop Agrilis. The stone narrowly missed her. The others watched as the stone flew directly and struck Soplat behind his head, causing him to bleed.
They all held their breath, terrified, waiting for something to happen next. The most frightened was Friedrich, who felt this could all backfire on him.
Soplat just stood up and said, "I understand it now." He picked up his staff, his legs wobbling due to kneeling for more than a day. He walked up to Maho and picked her and Agrilis off the ground.
He faced the remaining villagers and said, "I promise I will protect you until we reach a safe place, on this grave of my master.