I was only six when they came for me. Even as a mage, it was rare to see an acolyte—rarer still to see many. But when my abilities manifested, they came in droves...at my father’s behest, no less.

  Any child would be terrified. A father’s love be damned in the face of fear and separation. I did not know I was the problem; I only knew I would not go.

  My cries of dismay ushered in destruction, or so I was told. In truth, the details have become foggy, but images surface every so often. Terror and petrified gazes, pools of red, tortured expressions—it’s all rather... dark.

  I awoke in a different pce, unsure of what exactly had happened, save for the scant memories of horror. But memories fade, given time. The Arcanex teaches us that. It molds us, shapes us into individuals with control. It changes you.

  For better or for worse, I am who I am, and that is all that matters.

  The time would soon come when, well after my adolescence, my days at the Arcanex would end and I would once again set foot upon mortal soil... to see my father again.

  They held a vigil on that final day. The friends I had made, those I had learned to love over the years, all gathered to bid me farewell. A farewell to my teenage years, to my early adulthood. It was bittersweet. Hopeful, yet sorrowful gazes, heartening, yet tearful expressions.

  But when the doors of the Arcanex flew open, and light surrounded me, it was as if I had woken from a dream. And as the world materialized and a kingdom from old memories y before me, a singur purpose had settled in my mind... I would see my father again.

  But the world would yet again change, sooner than I could have expected.

  Kygaron, the kingdom where I was born, y on the horizon, bathed in the golden rays of the already-setting sun. Almost blinding, the light glinted off the waters surrounding it. Built upon a chain of isnds, it stood tall for miles, though the journey there would take at least a day.

  With the memories of the Arcanex already fading behind me, I was eager to get moving, all hopes set on that horizon.

  The road was well-traveled, likely a trade route, as one could see the trails of carriages that had recently passed through. Perhaps one would pass by again, I thought—though whether or not I would be so lucky remained to be seen.

  But as storm clouds billowed, blotting out the evening sun, I would find that luck to be in short supply.

  It wasn’t long before I found myself trudging through mud for what seemed like an hour, my pristine silken garments ruined and soaked, my prior excitement dampened into apathy.

  Eventually, I entered a wooded portion of the road, the thick canopy providing light shelter from the rain. I wiped the excess water from my hair and wrung out the ends of my clothes, continuing forward as it grew darker.

  I would need some light, I thought.

  "Converge," I whispered, pulling in the few scant bits of light from the air, forming them into a bright, orb-like wisp. I bade it to float around me, lighting my way—if only a little. As dark as it had gotten, I was lucky to form any light at all.

  A while longer, and the wooded path was now pitch-dark, the way ahead barely visible save for what y directly in front of me. I had never been fond of the dark.

  The Arcanex trained us to handle scenarios like this, teaching us to still ourselves under the feelings of being lost or astray. And yet, putting it into actual practice felt daunting.

  It was only night, I told myself. It would be fine.

  Then the voices started

  They were quiet at first, muffled by the trees, but close by—human. Any number of circumstances could expin why people would be in the woods at this time of night. But as I got closer, the voices turned into screams, overtaken by even louder shouts wrought with anger and crude sentiments.

  A bright light pulsed through the trees, each fre followed by another pained scream.

  "Die, damned abomination!"

  Following another scream, I pushed my way through the foliage and trees, emerging into a clearing lit by an orb of bright magic, its glow illuminating the entire area like a small sun. A group of armor-cd individuals stood over a man on the ground, their weapons drawn.

  "Stay down and die, you bastard!" a deep-voiced woman shouted.

  The man writhed, his body flinching with every pulse of magic. "Please... no more," he gasped. "I've done nothing!"

  "You trespassed into our home with your vile curse," one of the individuals spat. "You're colteral, if nothing else... security."

  "We know you've been feeding!" the woman accused.

  The man cowered as they inched closer.

  "What’s going on here?" I called out, drawing their attention.

  "This is none of your business, civilian; back away." A deeper-voiced man said.

  The light became brighter, ready to pulse again, the man lying fetal, crying as he prepared himself.

  "Dissipate," I said, with a light wave of my hand. The magic forming the light extinguished, falling apart and leaving only an ambient glow around us.

  "A mage," they all said, averting their attention from the crying man.

  "What business do you have with this man? And why does he lie tortured?" I asked.

  "We're doing only what we were contracted to do." The woman said. The others brought their focus back to the man.

  "You prey on the innocent; is that your job? Lowly assassins?"

  "Hunter's," she said, "Do you know what this thing is?" She pointed to the man.

  "What he is doesn't matter," I said. "I hear only innocent cries and the incitement of bullies."

  "Innocent," she ughed, unsheathing her bde. "Monsters are not innocent. You've wasted enough of our time, Mage. It dies here!"

  The cowering man pleaded once more, "Oh Gods, no more, please!"

  Upon the breeze, my whisper carried, "Void," and a great darkness descended upon the clearing.

  "Wha.... What is this?" a frantic voice screamed.

  "Find them, fight through it!!"

  "Sight of night," I whispered again, illuminating the darkness through my own eyes.

  The hunters seemed to move aimlessly around the area, attempting not to trip and grasping at nothing, some too scared to even move. I waded through them silently, hoisting the cowering man upon my shoulder.

  "Please..." he begged through raspy cries.

  "Quiet now," I said, "I've got you."

  I moved out of the darkness and through the woods, the shouts of the hunters quieting as I gained distance.

  "Thank you," the man said, though groggy. His body soon became completely limp.

  I halted quickly, "Are you okay?" I asked, ying him upon a soft bed of moss that was nearby. His breathing was shallow and borious. "How long were they chasing you?" I muttered.

  I whispered a mote of light into existence once more and ripped off the remainders of his damp shirt, which had been singed by the hunters' spell. "Just breathe..." I said, trying to comfort him, unsure if he could hear me. Burns spread across the majority of his skin as if he'd been caught in a fire. It blistered and scarred, "Gods...."

  His breathing had finally steadied after but a few moments of watching over him, and soon his eyes opened, straining under the light. He gasped heavily, sitting up in confusion. "No, no! Stay away from me, no more!!" he cried.

  "Shh, shh, it's okay," I told him.

  "Wh...where are they?" He said, wiping his eyes.

  "I put some distance between us and them. We should be okay."

  "You..." he said, "I'm sorry... I saw you, but I couldn't..."

  "You don't need to expin. It's alright. I saw what I had to. I would assume your wounds are beginning to heal?"

  He looked at his chest, his burns shaping back into his smooth, pallor skin. "I... suppose, yes."

  "Good then," I said, pulling some spare clothing from my pack and holding it out to him.

  "So you... know what I am?" He said, taking the clothes

  "We had many vampires in the Arcanex. Some came for safe haven, others to learn more of their power. None were much different than I, or you, I'd assume." I shrugged.

  He looked away, "If only it were so simple." He muttered.

  "Might I ask your name?" I said.

  After a moment, he spoke again, "Halcyon."

  "Can you stand Halcyon?"

  "Yes..." he hesitated but pushed himself up. "And... what is your name?"

  "Ah yes, apologies," I said, "It's Sebastien, or Seb, for short."

  "I'll just stick with Sebastien..." He fidgeted with the clothing in his hands, almost trying not to scowl.

  "I'll stand over here... let you get dressed. Do you need my light?"

  "No, I'll be fine," he nodded.

  I walked off to give him some privacy and rested my back against a tall oak. So many uses of my abilities in so short a time; it had taken more out of me than I had hoped. I was lucky his wounds could heal on their own. But this world—I had not walked upon it for so long, and already, I witnessed a man in danger. I couldn't let such small stressors wear on me or my goal. I breathed in deeply, stilling myself.

  Soon came the light snapping of branches underfoot. "Sebastien...?" Halcyon's red eyes glowed in the darkness as he approached.

  "Yes... over here," I said.

  He stepped into the light, the shirt I'd given him unbuttoned at the colr and draped loosely down his frame while tucked into his tighter-fitting woolen pants. A belt of his own seemingly pulled it all together. Rather opulent... in a rugged way.

  "You look... well-suited." I said.

  He scowled again, beating out the wrinkles. "This will work for now."

  My brows furrowed for a moment, and I shook my head with a smirk. "I'm sorry to be business, but as the night grows darker, do you know of any vilges or havens nearby?"

  "No vilge is going to welcome me," he said coldly.

  "But you do know of one?"

  He exhaled, rolling his eyes, "There's a vilge to the west..." he said, "Elm, if I recall."

  "And how far is that?" I said, standing up.

  "I can smell them from here..." he paused, almost disgusted, "Maybe an hour's walk."

  "That isn't too harsh. Do you feel well enough for the trek?"

  "You wish me to accompany you?" he chuckled questioningly.

  I nodded, with a little more attitude than intended.

  "Well... if you wish," he said, "But I won't enter the vilge. I'd prefer not to be chased away with pitchforks and ignorance."

  "Noted," I said.

  We pushed back through the trees, avoiding the area where we encountered the Hunter's. The rain had finally seemed to stop, but the trail was muddy.

  "God's," Halycon mumbled as he stepped into the mud. "Well..." he breathed, "Let's be off."

  A cold chill followed on the night air as we trod with silence between the two of us for a time, though soon the trees and woods came to an end, and we emerged to a clear path with a vilge surrounded by fields in the distance.

  "There it is..." Halcyon said. "Not much farther now."

  I smiled and nodded.

  After a while longer of trekking through the muddied path, Halcyon spoke up, "So you're a mage, correct?"

  "Yes... trained at the Arcanex."

  "An Arcanex mage..." he stated, "Were you born there, or taken as a child?"

  He seemed to possess some knowledge of the Arcanex's workings; I had thought that uncommon. "I was sent as a child... or taken; I do not recall."

  He paused for a moment, "Not to pry, it's only that I've lived a few lifetimes. I've met mages from there... but each is so different." He broached another question, "So is this your first time back on Giathall?"

  "Is it that obvious?"

  "I'm afraid so, yes..." Halcyon said, "Not many people would do what you did for me so brazenly. I would go so far as to say nobody would."

  "Is it truly that strange?"

  "To help someone like me? Yes."

  "Oh..." I thought for a moment, "You're a person, aren't you?"

  He said nothing.

  "I would say the people of Giathall should hold better morals."

  With the vilge only minutes away, Halcyon stepped a tad closer to my side. "So what is the story behind your magic?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "It's hardly a common variant. I know of some spells myself, but none that hold so much freedom as yours."

  He was right, of course, an observation that many had made over the years. "Much danger lies in freedom. Have you ever heard of the Aspects?"

  "Only vaguely." He said, "They're magics of old, rarely practiced."

  "A common misconception." I said, "An aspect is less magic and more an innate ability, one you hold at birth."

  Halcyon's face contorted with confusion.

  "There are twelve in total, and to save a drawn-out expnation, I wield one, which allows me to exert my will on the world around me."

  "I... see." He said, "The benefits are apparent, but I see few dangers or detriments."

  "Most are self-imposed..." I said. "I won't use my abilities to strip free will. And as for some other obvious taboos, I refuse to use it to do things even typical magic's cannot."

  "And if the circumstances are dire?"

  "I can't make excuses," I nodded in disapproval. "If I do... making harmful decisions may become easy, and I don't want that.

  "Well... I suppose I understand."

  "Thank you. Many would do the worst with my abilities. I wish to be a paragon in that sense. However egotistical that may sound."

  Soon, we came closer to the vilge, Elm, surrounded by a well-built wall of wood and shaded by a very rge tree that spanned over the entire settlement. It was truly a beauteous sight.

  A pair of guards, armored and tall, halted us as we approached the gate.

  "Be still... and state your business." A deep male voice stated.

  Halcyon turned his head away from the two of them.

  "We're seeking refuge, only for the night."

  "The inn is at capacity right now from what we've heard. I doubt you'll be able to find a room... but you can try."

  The other guard regarded Halcyon. "And what about your friend here... is he okay."

  "He's shy..." I said quickly.

  They both paused, and the deep-voiced one spoke up again. "Hmm... very well, you may step inside. Behave well, mind you; we won't abide troublemakers."

  "Well said," I smiled.

  The gates opened, and we entered the tree-shaded vilge. The streets were empty save for the assumed beggar here or there, sleeping where they could. Torchlight lit the doors of homes and buildings, leaving much of the streets pitch bck, as we moved our way through the town center.

  "I don't want to be here." Halcyon grumbled.

  "It would have been suspicious if you had stayed outside the vilge."

  "I am aware..." he retorted.

  "Ah... there's the inn." I said, "Elm's Leaf Respite."

  "How... quaint." He said as we walked up the creaky steps.

  Outside, the inn was quiet, but upon opening the door, we were hit immediately with the scent of spilled mead and the unwashed masses. We both stood for a moment, my mouth agape and Halcyon expressionless.

  He turned quickly to leave. "No..." I said, lightly grabbing his arm, much to his disdain. "Let us see if there's a room avaible at least."

  He rolled his eyes and followed.

  Many of the townsfolk seemed to crowd in the middle, drinking their weight in spirits and celebrating... of what, I wasn't sure. But in the middle upon a stool stood a short-haired young dy, dancing without falling as she pyed the lute and sang. Many grasped at her feet, but to her it was as if none of them existed. They sang drunkenly along with her.

  "It's so loud in here," Halcyon said as we veered around the crowd. The edges of the inn's entryway were sparsely packed, and soon, we eyed the check-in desk. Behind it sat an older dy, head in hand, with the other grasping at her temples.

  "Ahem... Excuse me," I said, clearing my throat.

  She looked up slowly, "Staying or leaving?" Her voice was irritable and harsh.

  "Um... staying."

  "We have one room... one bed. No refunds, no in-room service. You take what you get." She said matter-of-factly.

  "Ah, perfect," I said, trying to speak over the noise. "We'll take it."

  Halcyon stood irritated at my side as she handed us both keys. "As we are at capacity, there will be an upcharge for the rooms. 100 gold a night."

  Halcyon pounded the desk. "That's extortion!" he said angrily.

  "That will be fine." I chuckled, trying to defuse the tension as I pulled 100 gold from my purse. "Here you are."

  She snatched the gold from my hand, shooting daggers at Halcyon. "Up the steps, third door on the left. Be quiet; If I get a noise compint from you of any kind, you're out in the mud. Clear?"

  "Crystal," Halcyon sneered, shooting daggers back at her.

  "Come on... let's go," I said, patting his arm.

  We made our way up the steps, and the smell and noise died down slightly. The floors creaked underfoot as we came upon our door.

  "Room 3," I said, turning the knob. The door opened to a mostly empty room. Only a bed, a small wood furnace, a chest, and a mirror to decorate it.

  "Quaint was an overstatement," Halcyon said under his breath.

  "It will do for the night..." I said, noticing the single bed, "I'm sorry, I should've asked if you're opposed to sharing a bed."

  "I don't sleep," he said, "It shouldn't be an issue."

  "Oh, well, alright." I said.

  The two of us took some time to get situated and rexed, unpacking some of our belongings. Halcyon did not have much, save for a small bag with a few personal effects he kept hidden; I found it better not to pry.

  We pced our belongings in the chest, and I sat upon the edge of the bed, resting my legs, while Halcyon stood awkwardly in the center of the room.

  "I wish to bathe..." he said regarding his mud-soaked garments and dirt streaks across his pale skin.

  "They may have a bathhouse..." I stated.

  "I will not speak to that wretched woman again." He said stiffly.

  "Then perhaps..."

  Halcyon held his hand up to interrupt me. "Please save your energy; I will find it myself."

  "I could use a bath too. Will you let me know if you find it?"

  He promptly exited the room, leaving my question unanswered and a trail of drying mud behind him.

  With Halcyon gone, I fell back and rested on the bed, which, though cheap, was surprisingly comfortable. It might have been my exhaustion, but this was well needed. I found myself missing the Arcanex and its fading memories. This world was already exhausting me. Though this Halcyon had provided some entertainment, I knew he didn't trust me enough yet, nor I him for that matter. But it was nice not to be alone... I had so many friends before.

  This day marked a beginning. And I had no way of knowing what end would come. And yet, I smiled in hope.