Archive of Our Own

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PrologueSmall rocks crunched underfoot as the pair climbed the hill. The pebbles that were disturbed rattled down the slope, chipping away at the landmass. The path grew ever more worn.Ba-bump. Ba-bump. She could hear her heartbeat throbbing in her head. The girl panted as she stared down at the task below, managing her steps so as not to fall. She first thought to treat it as a sort of game, stepping to and fro, looking for stable footholds, but gradually, she was flagging behind him.“Come on, Ellyn. Keep up.” The weary man said. She peered up to see his head slightly turned to view her in his peripherals. “We have a long way to go.”“I understand.” Ellyn cringed inwardly at how far behind she was. She took a hurried, misjudged step, and the rocks slipped out from underneath her foot. “H-Hah!” She exclaimed as the loose rocks tumbled down behind her. She hurriedly righted herself, regaining her footing on more steady ground.“I could have already made it past this hill, in fact, halfway to the next town if it weren’t for her.” Simon sighed, stopping while he waited for his apprentice to catch up to him. He watched her semi-large, fumbling form with narrowed eyes. She peered up at him from under her wide-brimmed leather hat, behind those foggy spectacles. Upon noticing his hardened look aimed at her, she averted her gaze. He squeezed a fist, softening his expression somewhat. “Calm down. It’s not her fault. She’s just a girl.” When she reached his side, he continued to climb. His long legs made easy work of the hike, and when he realised this, he reluctantly slowed down even further for his apprentice. He worked to keep a steady pace to match her own, to not leave her behind.It was a nice day for travelling, Simon supposed. The graceful sounds of nature surrounded them. Leaves and grass rustled in the wind. Flora of all shapes and sizes surrounded them on their trek. Small clouds crept across the sky at a snail’s pace, casting shadows down upon the landscape. A clear sky accented the brilliance of the day, and he periodically heard his student’s gasps of awe behind him.His “student”...“Let’s stop here.” Simon said, breaking the peaceful silence. Before them was a small clearing of flat boulders and logs, a place that had forever served as a resting point for travellers nearing the town at the foot of the hill. A small, ashy firepit lay in the center, and the grass around it had flattened. Conveniently around the clearing were tall trees, their branches extending over the campsite to provide some shelter. Little pin pricks of light adorned the area.Simon sat down on one of the boulders, despite barely feeling fatigued. He removed his rucksack from his back, letting out a small grunt of relief as he did. He rolled his shoulders, rubbing his back with calloused hands, before retrieving his drinking flask. Meanwhile, on the other side of the camp, Ellyn practically collapsed onto one of the logs. She let out an embarrassed noise as the aged wood creaked under her. Simon looked to her and she laughed nervously.“Sorry, hehe…” She trailed off before coughing, thumping her chest with a fist as she caught her breath. Her chest heaved underneath her baggy travelling clothes. Simon viewed her with an exasperated expression as she rummaged through her belongings, removing some of the items and placing them onto the grass. At last, she procured her drinking flask, helping herself to a generous mouthful of water before directing her attention to the gorgeous landscape below.The bustling residents of Euret were going about their days, and the distant sounds of chatter and work reached the pair’s ears. There were people walking and talking in the street market, and students from the Magical Academy enjoying their lunches outside. The white stones of the town shone under the midday sun, and a grin spread across Ellyn’s cheeks as she admired the spectacle. Simon exhaled through his nostrils, rubbing his thighs as he followed her gaze. He yearned to progress further on their journey, but he let Ellyn have her moment, while her breathing returned to normal.“Simon, may we have lunch now?” Her voice brought his attention back to her. Simon paused for a moment, surprised at the question.Right. He was not alone anymore.“Sure.” He simply said. Ellyn grabbed a small cloth package from her kit, and undid the string carefully tied around it. She unveiled a sandwich, with a small slip of paper on it. Simon arched a brow. “What’s that?” Ellyn flinched, surprised that he was paying attention.“Ah, well, it’s a note from my Mom.” Simon grabbed his own lunch while she read the letter aloud, already satisfied with her answer. “Dear Ellyn, hope you’re doing well on your travels so far. Stay safe and be careful! We love you, wishing you all the best!” Ellyn smiled to herself, slipping the note into her bag before beginning to eat. They ate in silence together, looking out at the town....How did he get into this situation, again?Chapter 1It all began with a proposition.It was almost sunset when Simon arrived at the humble town of Euret. The orange light reflected off of the white stones the residents used to build their paths and buildings, illuminating everything with a steadily fading vermillion glow. The dishevelled traveller ignored any stares aimed his way, though most of the townspeople recognised him. He trudged toward the grand structure towering most of the town, located at its outskirts. It was convenient for the vagabond to head in its direction, for where he was going lay just next door.The Magical Academy stood proud as ever, a constant beacon of knowledge and history. It was reminiscent of a small palace, decorated with beautiful stained glass windows of artwork made by students, past and present. One wing was reserved for an enormous library, another wing for boarding, eateries and laundries, and the final wing for classrooms. Some students were walking out of the building, talking to each other or going their separate ways. They were dressed in the traditional uniforms of the school - dark coloured robes with gold hems. The colour of their robes indicated their level in the school; viridian for younger children, crimson for middle aged students and navy for those soon to graduate. The older students in navy paid him no mind, while the younger magic users cast him wary glances.Above the main entrance into the courtyard was the school’s emblem, an open book with magical auras surrounding it. “Magical Academy” was written above it in gold plates. Below it in a similar design were the words, “Collaborantes Excellentiam in Magia”.“Striving for Excellence in Magic.” Simon gazed at the words with an empty look, before continuing to the right of the school. After much walking, he finally reached the building he was searching for. A two-storey house which could have been described as a miniature version of the Academy. Several windows were stained glass, featuring only the most exquisite art crafted by the academy’s students. A small yard surrounded the house, enveloped in a short wall of white stone. Small flower bushes lined the walls and the stone fence. A cobblestone path led towards the main entrance. A quaint red mailbox sat at the start of the path, with the name “Alfred Gentrinov” on it in silver lettering. Simon observed the flowers with vague interest. “How Alfred ever has time for the school and his own hobbies is beyond me.” He walked up to the door and knocked, standing back with his hands in his pockets. “Headmaster! There’s a knock at the door. D’you think it’s him?” A muffled female voice came from within. Steps were approaching the doorway from inside. Simon furrowed his brows.Were they referring to him?“Perhaps, Ellyn. Would you mind opening the door for me?”“Certainly!” After a few moments, the grand oak door swung open. Behind it was a female student dressed in navy, and Headmaster Alfred. “Hell--oh?” Her face changed from a beam to a faltering smile. Simon narrowed his eyes somewhat.“Ah, Simon. Welcome back.” Alfred smiled. Simon side stepped to allow Ellyn to step out. She was gazing at him with a look he couldn’t quite identify. Was it disappointment, or intimidation? Simon supposed it could be either. His unruly week-old beard and the unpleasant hair would be enough to put off anyone. Though, even when he was cleaned up, he cared little for the thoughts of others anyway.“...Good evening,” He finally said. He arched a brow, glancing at the girl. “Who’s this?”“This is Ellyn, one of my finest students.” The Headmaster smiled warmly to the girl. Simon looked her over. She was a chubby, pale brown girl with black, circular glasses. She had a dark brown leather satchel around her torso, and she was holding some tomes in one arm. Ellyn was slightly shorter than him, barely reaching up to his shoulders. She bowed to him. He frowned at the gesture, shifting his weight on his feet.“G-Greetings, Simon! It’s a pleasure to meet you, at last!”“Nice to meet you.” Simon said. She straightened up. Alfred chuckled at the exchange. He looked the same as ever, dressed in purple robes indicative of his status as Headmaster of the Magical Academy. His silver, curly beard reached halfway down his chest, with semi-long hair tied back with a ribbon. Simon smiled inwardly when he noticed Alfred’s beer belly had increased ever so slightly. Perhaps these were some stressful nights for the teachers at the moment?“Well, I best be getting home, Headmaster. Lots to do. Thank you for the books!” Ellyn waved to Alfred, who responded in kind. She hopped down the cobblestone path and headed off. “So, what do you think of her, hm?” Alfred cast his companion a curious look. Simon glanced at him, then to the girl who was getting farther and farther away.“Not particularly noteworthy,” Simon shrugged. “Peppy, if anything.”“And is that a good thing?” Alfred stepped back to let Simon in, and shut the door behind him.“It doesn’t matter much to me.” Simon moved to take off his hefty knapsack, but an amber aura surrounded it, slipping it off his shoulders. He frowned at the older man, whose eyes were glowing with the same colour. “I could have done that.”“I know, I know. But why don’t you let me take care of it?” Simon rolled his eyes when his boots began to glow. He lifted one leg off the ground and it slipped off, and then the other. The items floated in the air next to Alfred. “Head upstairs and clean yourself up. You know the routine.”“Thanks.” Simon responded gruffly. He padded upstairs in his socks. The oak staircase matched the doors around the house, the corridors were painted with a baby blue, accented with a decorated royal blue and red carpet. There were a few dressers and shelves against the walls, filled with general tomes or worldly knick knacks that the Headmaster had accumulated over the course of his long and storied life.He found the bathroom with practiced ease, and was greeted by an orange glow pouring water from a bucket into the metal basin. He was impressed. Alfred was as good as ever at visualisation, to be able to organise a bath for him while downstairs. The water continued to shimmer an orange hue as Alfred heated and purified it. Simon stripped from his worn out travelling clothes, before bathing himself with a brush and soap so thoughtfully provided, ridding himself of the dirt, grime and oil on his body. At last, he stepped into the bathtub and sank into the hot water. He let out a pleased exhale, gazing wearily at the tiled ceiling.He submerged himself into the water, closing his eyes.It was about an hour later when Simon finally came downstairs. Alfred looked up from the saucepot he was stirring to see Simon beside him, surveying its contents. A hot, meat and vegetable stew bubbled away, and a loaf of warm, baked bread lay nearby.“May I taste?” Simon asked. Alfred nodded. Simon pulled open the drawer at his hip, which revealed a tray of utensils and cutlery. He grabbed a spoon, and Alfred smiled at this.“The boy remembers where everything is.” Alfred thought. Simon got bits of everything on his spoon, and ate it. He closed his eyes in thought while he tasted the stew. Alfred looked him over while he did. The man before him almost appeared to be a different person than the rugged vagabond that entered his home earlier. He was clean-shaven and bathed, with a haircut he did himself. It was more a trim, but Alfred could tell, that Simon took his time. He was dressed in an airy linen shirt, tidy brown pants with a button fly, and new cotton socks.“You’re staring again.” Simon said, opening one eye to view his old teacher. Alfred chuckled, turning his attention back to the pot.“Hmm, well, I was considering how well-presented you look. I’m surprised you haven’t returned with a potential partner yet, hoho.”“That’s not my concern at this moment.” Simon sighed. He licked his lips, before adding some pepper and salt to the stew.“Thank you, but you know I’m getting on in years, hm?” Alfred responded, earning him an eye-roll from his companion. How many times had they gone through this song and dance again? “I wouldn’t mind being finally able to see what you make of yourself in the future, my boy.”“It’s a long-time coming,” Simon moved around to other cabinets and drawers, leaving some bowls and a ladle by Alfred, and laid some spoons at the table. He grabbed some glasses and filled them with water from the keg barrel laying at the end of the kitchen bench. “It might not even come.”“I’m sure it will. Sit down, Simon.” Simon sat down at the head of the small dining table, and Alfred served them their food soon after. Generous slices of bread lay on their plates, and they used big spoons for the stew. Alfred grinned, nudging his guest. “Let me know if you want seconds, hmm?”“Thanks,” Simon said, before beginning to eat. While eating, Alfred watched him devour his fill, and a warm feeling began to spread in his chest.As much as Simon was a fully-grown adult, Alfred could not help but treat him like a son.After dinner, Alfred prepared a pot of tea and they sat in Alfred’s study room. It was a cozy room situated at the back of the house. Bookshelves from floor to ceiling covered every inch of the walls of the mini-library, sans one. The wall on the left of the doorway was primarily a giant glass window, with a small door leading outside. A cobblestone path led from it to the Academy, marking this place as the Headmaster’s official office as well. It faced towards the mountains, a forest and the river that led into the sea encasing part of their town. However, it was covered in heavy drapes that were otherwise suspended by decorated yellow ropes during the day.The bookshelves lining the walls were practically bursting with ancient tomes, worldly knick knacks and bottles or jars containing an assortment of items within then. From intricate crafted ships to mysterious potions, the labels on most of them had long since faded, so the contents were only known to Alfred. There was no need for a ladder, as the Headmaster would telekinetically bring down books to peruse.To the right of the entranceway was Alfred’s desk, littered with papers and scattered books. On the left of the doorway in the corner of the room was a workbench, with a complex glass apparatus, several empty bottles and corks and lastly, small pots to use as gas burners. At the far end of the room was a fireplace with two single sofas faced towards it. A coffee table was situated between the two, holding the tray and their teapot. “...life in the Academy is progressing quite well, we’ve even been having record numbers of new students enrolling here. There are even some that send enrolment requests by carrier pigeon, and…” Alfred trailed off momentarily, to sip tea from his porcelain cup. He studied his former student while he did, who had his eyes closed. Simon’s cup lay on the coffee table, and he was resting back on the sofa, his hands on the arm rests. Alfred’s next words held a hint of amusement, “Well, it looks like you’re asleep. Bit of a shame, considering the proposition I wanted to offer…”“...Go on?”“Why, Simon. That’s been your first words in a whole hour.” Simon’s eyes opened to shoot an impatient glare at the Headmaster, who chuckled. “Hohoho. Unfortunately, I would much prefer to explain more tomorrow.”“Why not now?” Simon replied. But Alfred was getting up from his chair, and stretched his joints with a few pops and groans. He smoothed out his robes.“I’ve got to step out for a moment, before the people I wish to speak to resign for the night.” Alfred gave him a warm smile. “Come to my study tomorrow morning, after you have had breakfast. I will explain more then. Goodnight, Simon.”“Goodnight, Headmaster.” And with that, Alfred left the room. Simon could hear the distant sounds of him heading out into the night.“Wonder what the old man wants,” Simon mused, as he stood up from the sofa. He stretched, before pouring himself another cup of tea. Fortunately, it was the last, so he did not need to worry about having to drink more. “Seems like Alfred drank it all…” He stared into the fire as he drank the warm liquid. When Simon pulled it from his lips, he noticed a stem floating upright in the water. “Hm.”He studied the items on the mantle. There was a clock in the center and a whittled duckling made by a grandson of some sort, but the rest of the items were photographs. Magic had brought civilization a long way - it could capture a moment from the viewer’s vision and it would be replicated perfectly on paper with art supplies nearby. It could be copied as many times as needed. Some of the photographs featured class photos, others candid of students performing an experiment or a spell. His gaze lingered on one.It displayed a group of students in their graduation robes, scrolls in hand. He recognised himself, grinning with his friends and an arm slung around……Simon finished the tea, and put out the fire. He promptly washed the teapot and the cups used, before heading upstairs to bed.“Wonder what Alfred wants,” He pondered again, staring up at the ceiling. “Is it really that important? I can’t afford to waste a day here.” Simon drummed his fingers on the bed for a few moments, before sighing deeply. “If he provides extra provisions in exchange, it may well be worth it.” He hated to admit it, but he was curious. Curious enough not to take off at first light like he tended to. “It’s probably to run some errands, teach a class or hand-deliver some letters to other places I visit. I’ll be out of here by midday tomorrow. Can’t take too long.”At least, that is what he hoped.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sunlight was peeking through the curtains when Simon stirred awake. He burrowed further into his warm blanket as he yawned, groggily coming to his senses. “Damn, it’s cold.” He thought, wrapping the blanket tightly around his shoulders, before sitting up and facing the curtains. It was evident they were not drawn all the way, given the slit in the middle where the sunlight was pouring in. He grumbled as he stood up, stretching before checking the day outside. “Later than usual…” Simon yawned. He padded over to the bathroom to splash his face with cold water, before checking his appearance in the mirror. Bags under his eyes, clear frown lines and the start of his facial hair kicking back in. He rubbed his chin with a grimace. What was the point of shaving again, anyway?Simon changed into new clothes and walked downstairs to the kitchen. A complete breakfast was awaiting him. A pot of warm oats lay on the stove, with a nearby coffee pot. A bowl of fresh fruit lay on the dining table. Simon helped himself to a generous helping of oats, a rejuvenating cup of coffee and an apple. He steadily became more alert as he ate, which left him much more rested and ready for the day than usual on his travels. He washed the dishes before taking a cup of coffee with him to Alfred’s study. As he approached the great double-doors to the office, he heard voices coming from within.“Wait, so, what does that mean for me?” Simon recognised it as that girl, Ellyn, from yesterday.“You’ll be able to bypass your exams. This is a special final assignment for you and you alone.” Alfred replied. Simon halted outside the door, his hand hovering over the doorknob. He furrowed his brows, and listened.“But what if I fail?” Ellyn asked. “What if something bad happens?”“You won’t.” Simon felt it right to finally knock on the door. He heard a noise of surprise from the girl, before Alfred answered, “Come in, Simon.” The door shone a tangerine aura, and it swung open, allowing Simon access. He saw Alfred sitting at his desk, with Ellyn sitting at one of the chairs in front of it. Her deflated, empty satchel lay on the floor at her feet. Simon’s knapsack sat by the mahogany desk as well. Alfred beckoned him over. “Have a seat, Simon. How much did you hear?”“Only the last few sentences.” Simon sipped his coffee. “It’s not often for you to grant a student an assignment like that. What’s it all about?”“It’s related to the proposition I wish to make to you…” Alfred began to explain. Simon glanced at the girl beside him. She was silent, staring at the desk, somewhat troubled. But when he looked back to Alfred, he saw a smile stretched across his features. He clapped his hands and rubbed them together, before steepling them.Oh no.Simon knew that smile from a mile away. That familiar twinkle in his eye, the way he trailed off to add a dramatic pause, and the clap…“I would like Ellyn to temporarily accompany you on your travels, as your protégé.”
…
An uncomfortable, pregnant silence filled the study. Ellyn had stopped breathing, peering up at the grinning Alfred, his hands clasped on the desk. Simon had paused drinking his coffee, a glare fixed on the Headmaster. He removed the cup from his lips, and placed it onto the mahogany desk.“No.” He finally said. “Absolutely not.”“Why not?” The Headmaster still had that smile plastered on his face, but the air of it had changed to a unnerved, unyielding one. “She could be of benefit to you - someone to take over half the night watch, and--”“Stop.” Simon cut him off, leaning forward in his chair. “Above all that, she’s another mouth to feed, and to take care of. You know the Realm is a cruel place for those who practice magic. It would be far better off if she remains here, where it’s safe. She’s a liability.”“Simon, I’m trusting you to take her under your wing and act as your apprentice.” Alfred slowly, but firmly, explained. “It would be beneficial for her to join you in order to learn more about the Realm beyond our town to better serve our community.”“There’s nothing that is out there that she can’t learn here.” Simon said flatly. He dismissively gestured to the room and Alfred. “You’ve got your books, and you’ve had your fair share of travelling. I don’t see why you can’t teach her.”“But Ellyn cannot learn worldly experience and true wisdom from books or my stories alone,” Alfred replied, with great patience. It was as if he were speaking to a stubborn child. “Only you can grant that. You would know better than I do in this day and age, and I trust that you can keep her safe. And I think that it is about time you had a companion to spe--”‘Enough!” Simon stood up abruptly, taking his coffee cup with him. Ellyn looked at him with concern, but he paid her no mind. “I must decline,” he said, and turned to leave the room. But the heavy wooden doors swung slowly, but threateningly closed, with a firm dark orange aura. Simon turned around to face Alfred, who had a stern expression upon his face. His irises glowed with resolve.“Simon Perriweather Cabrera,”Ellyn shrunk in her chair at the Headmaster’s tone of voice.“This is no way to repay what I have done for you these past few years. I have had to pull many strings to ensure your travels were able to continue. Your provisions have come from out of my pocket and the kindness of my heart. The least you can do is accept my offer.”A heated tension hung in the air as the men outfaced each other. However, it was painfully clear who held the winning cards.“...Fine.” Simon sighed deeply, closing his eyes. He shifted his weight onto one foot as he rubbed his head in exasperation. “But I expect more provisions this time. And extra funds.”“Already sorted, as I knew you would ask.” Alfred resumed his smile. He opened a desk drawer and handed Ellyn a large pouch of gold coins, rattling against each other. “Go out into the market and buy what you need to prepare for the journey. I hope 2500 ducats is sufficient for this time around?” Simon took his bag wordlessly, and moved to the door. Ellyn put the money inside her satchel, put it around her torso and followed him out the out. Alfred watched on and took a deep breath.“I hope I did the right thing.” He thought, before returning his attention to the papers on his desk.As the pair walked through Alfred’s house to leave via the front door, Ellyn recalled the conversation she and the Headmaster had several weeks prior to Simon’s arrival. She was studying in the library after school, working on some upcoming essays when the Headmaster had asked her to take a break with him. They walked through the halls of the school together.
“Have you seen the man who visits my home every few months?” Alfred had asked her. Ellyn frowned in thought, before recalling the individual in question. She wondered why she had rarely seen him around. Euret was not a large town, but not a tiny one either.

“Yes,” Ellyn had replied. “Who is he?”

“His name is Simon. He was one of my best students. He travels around now, and he’s a little rough around the edges, but I’m sure you would make a fine companion for him. He could use the company.”
“Hey.” Simon had broken the silence between them, once they had stepped outside the house. He had his hands in his pockets and gave the girl before him an aloof look. “Tell me how this ordeal started. When did you hear about me?”“U-Um,” Ellyn avoided his gaze, looking downwards instead. “A few weeks ago, he told me who you were, and that I could make great company. Last night, he came to my house to tell me to come to his office in the morning, and that’s when I found out what the Headmaster was planning.”“That old bastard,” Simon grumbled, loud enough for the student to hear. “Making decisions like that without consulting me first.”“W-Why didn’t you say no?” Ellyn asked, chancing a peek at his eyes. However, he fixed her with an exasperated gaze.“...I was concerned I wouldn’t receive aid from him anymore,” Simon sighed. “As much as I hate to admit, these provisions help.”“I-I see.” They stood there in silence, before Simon turned around.“Come. I doubt Alfred would listen to anything I had to say right now. We best get to the market.”“Okay.” Ellyn followed after him quietly, heading towards the street market. It was not a difficult place to locate - one simply had to follow the loudest source of noise in Euret. Within a few minutes, they had made their way to the town square, where all of the stalls were set up. A bright variety of stalls greeted them, each with different coloured themes. It was supposed to make their business stand out, however, as Ellyn had always noted with a smile, when everybody was unique, nobody was. The place was practically packed with people doing their morning shopping, however it was set to increase during the middle of the day. A few stalls were yet to open for the day. There were a few mothers with their children browsing the food stalls for ingredients, a few truant students checking out weapons displays and merchants having animated conversations over some earlier customers. Ellyn was only familiar with the food section of the market, given that she had little need for the other stalls. She gulped as Simon brought her around to the travelling-oriented shops. They first stopped by a stall selling tents, and it was run by a wiry old woman who was working on a new tent.“Hey, Minerva.” Simon greeted her. She looked up and grinned. She was dressed in humble old clothes, with messy hair tied back into a ponytail.“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Simon. And who’s this student here? Are you teaching at the Academy now?”“She’s…” Simon looked to Ellyn and exhaled. “...my companion. We would like to view your selection of one-man tents.”“Wait,” Ellyn intervened. “Shouldn’t it be… two person?” Minerva started to laugh across the table, and she leaned in, eyeing Ellyn with a glint in her eyes. Simon gave her a quick glance, with what almost appeared to be a flash of curiosity in those normally lifeless eyes.“Oh, did you want to share with the young man here?” Ellyn’s eyes widened.“W--Wait, that’s not what I--”“I’m afraid he’s not very interested in women, he hasn’t had his eye on anyone in a loooong time, dearie. Hehe!” She pulled out several packages of tents from underneath her stall table, obscured by the tablecloth. “I’m only kidding there, girlie. Simon, why don’tcha tell her why it’s one-person only?”“...You and I will be swapping the night-watch.” Simon said, without looking at Ellyn. She sighed in relief. He opened a hand, beckoning for the pouch of gold, and Ellyn retrieved it for him. She watched silently as Simon checked out the tents, before purchasing one and putting it in his knapsack. He caught her staring at it, and said, “We’ll need to get you one of these too. Might as well, with the funds Alfred has given us.”“R-Right!” Ellyn said. She bowed to the merchant. “Thank you very much!”“Anytime, dearie. Feel free to return it if it isn’t up to your standards, Simon.” Minerva replied. Simon nodded and the pair left. They came to the clothing and armour shop, and Simon left Ellyn there to try on some gear while he bought some food. She explained that her father had some old clothes she could wear, but bought a new pair of boots with buckles to fasten them, gloves, a belt and a protective hat with string she could tie under her chin to keep it on her head. As Ellyn put the items in her satchel, she realised how foolish she must have looked, but the shop owners approved of it and Simon found it adequate. They last thing they bought were weapons. Ellyn’s breathing hastened as they neared the displays. The man who ran the shop, John, recognised them both. He was an everyman with brown hair and a moustache, son of the blacksmith in the town. He brought some of the weaponry to the market to attract a wider audience than back at the shop alone. “Hello, Simon. And the little missy who stops to stare at my weapons.” John greeted them. Simon gave Ellyn a sideways glance before nodding. Ellyn sheepishly looked away. She had taken a few minutes after shopping on some days to admire the craftsmanship of the weapons, always saying that she was just looking, but here she was, actually buying one.“Hello, John. May we browse your dagger collection? Also, what would you recommend for a beginner?” Simon asked. John procured a cloth roll, and unrolled it, revealing a variety of knives and daggers fastened to the cloth. Ellyn’s breath hitched. They began to talk about the different daggers and how they might suit Ellyn, before John gave her a small, but simple one. A scarecrow made of straw was perched beside the stall, and Simon demonstrated a swift stab, before prompting Ellyn to do the same.“This is just to see if it feels good in your hands. Don’t worry about looking foolish.” John said. Simon folded his arms, standing back. Ellyn’s right hand went clammy, and shook slightly, holding the blade in her hands. She readied herself, copying Simon’s stance, and then stabbed the scarecrow in the stomach, before pulling the weapon away. “How does it feel?”“Good.” Ellyn said.“Not too heavy or too light?” Simon asked. Ellyn began to panic when he studied her. She stared at the weapon in her hand, hoping for an answer from the inanimate object.“I-I don’t…” Ellyn did not know how to respond. “I think it feels fine…” But then John gave her another dagger, which was heavier.“Here. Try this one, and a lighter one, so you know the difference.” John smiled patiently towards her, and she nodded. She tried the blades before feeling more comfortable with the balanced one picked out for her. She thanked the shopkeeper and purchased it for a cheaper price, due to being somewhat of a regular. Simon seemed pleased, though he didn’t express it. Before the pair finally stopped by a place that sold large backpacks for travelling. They bought Ellyn one, but just after making the purchase, an uproar began in the market. People began to scream and shout as crashing sounds filled the air.“What’s going on?!” Simon yelled, before the pair saw what was rampaging through the stalls.A pack of wolves were tearing through the stalls, chomping down on the foods and striking at anyone that dared to draw near. In a similar way, animals could harness their inner magic like humans, however it tended to result in out of control rampages. Their eyes flashed crimson, and some objects flailed about at random, since they lacked control of their powers. A few particular wolves were chasing around the livestock, and some pigs and chickens fell prey to the canines. Blood stained their mouths as the white feathers of the hens became soaked in red. Ellyn cowered in fright behind Simon, who became tense, surveying the damages.“W-What do we do?” Ellyn cried. “Shouldn’t we run?”“It’ll take a while for the town guard to come, I’ll stop these beasts as best as I can.” Simon pulled the newly acquired dagger from its sheath on his belt. He looked to Ellyn. “Can you fight?”“N-No, I--LOOK OUT!” Ellyn’s eyes flashed an electric blue as her hands instinctively shot up. Simon turned to see a crate, covered in a matching blue aura. It fell to the ground and Simon cursed. Alfred was going to assign him someone, much less a graduating student, who couldn’t use offensive magic? What was he teaching at that school? He pulled Ellyn behind a stall, removing his knapsack from his shoulders. “Alright, Ellyn. Cover me. Stay here, and stop what you can. I’ll take them on.” Simon rushed into the fray, eyes burning a fierce green as he levitated some of the carnage and objects around him. He propelled the broken wood and boxes at several wolves, who were thrown off their feet. Others were engaged in combat with a few of the shopkeepers wielding blades, including John with a sword of his own. However, some of the beasts noticed Simon attacking their friends, and charged towards him, claws outstretched for some serious damage. Simon’s hands shot down to the ground, and then raised upwards, creating a wall of green fire around him. Ellyn gasped as she saw some of the wolves in midair, who could not stop, rush into the flames. She could hear the sounds of Simon struggling from within. Some of the other wolves who touched it were burned. They whined and snarled in agony as they crashed around the empty stalls, sending some of them aflame.Simon’s wall of fire soon dissipated. He was fighting the wolves with his dagger whizzing around with a trail of green following it. He was using the broken wood and other boxes to fend off the wolves. He was panting heavily, and in the corner of his eye, noticed Ellyn’s arms waving about as she managed the situation, putting down thrown objects by the wolves and extinguishing the flames. However, he saw a wolf in the mid-distance lock its eyes on her. It rushed towards her and Simon made a run for it, jumping over the stall.“Get down, Ellyn!” He shouted. Ellyn whipped around and saw the mighty beast bounding towards her, and she collapsed to the ground. Simon stood above her, sending green fireballs in the enemy’s direction, averting it from where they were. However, a few of the wolves still alive began to circle around Simon and Ellyn’s position, poised to strike. The man had trouble keeping his eye on all of them.One jumped from behind him.Ellyn’s eyes shone a pale blue, and a shimmering bubble formed around the pair. Ellyn held up her hands, keeping the shield intact as the wolves jumped into the dome, attempting to get to the humans within. Simon fended off what he could, his dagger flying around wildly before at last the sound of hooves thundering on stones approached the square. The wolves attention was directed to the guards in armour, composed of both wizards and people equipped with weapons. They took on the last of the mob, the more ferocious, while Simon knelt down beside his apprentice, who was visibly shaken on the floor.“Ellyn! Ellyn, are you alright? Are you hurt?” Simon checked her over and she shook her head. Her breathing was stuttered.“A-Are… Are you--okay?” She asked. Simon looked at her bewildered, before looking down at himself and at last noticing his wounds. There were a few shallow gashes here and there, but the rest were scratches. Now that the adrenaline was beginning to wear off, they began to send sharp pains through his body.“W-Well… I--” Simon put a hand on his arm, and closed his eyes, trying to summon some magic to heal his wounds. He gritted his teeth as he barely managed to scrape up some will to pour energy into healing his more severe wounds, but he felt Ellyn’s hands cover some of the other ones. “What are you--!” Simon was cut short when the hot sensation of another person’s magic flowed into him, healing his injuries as well. He shuddered as his body rapidly functioned to seal up the injuries. He cracked open an eye to see Ellyn’s determined but exhausted expression, her eyes glowing a calmer blue now.As the sounds of battle resided, so did the bubble around them. At last, it was fully gone, and the wounds had mostly healed on Simon’s body. The scratches were barely visible, while there were green and blue hues under the skin where the magic was still fixing the insides, soon to disappear.“...Thanks for that,” Simon said, looking down at himself. “If I had to heal those myself, I would’ve been stuck here another day.” Ellyn nodded, and he helped her up from the ground. As she dusted herself off, he looked her over. “Not bad for a student with no offensive prowess, I suppose.” Their knapsacks were lying beside where they were, behind the stall. The town guard was checking on the other civilians around, with the magic users healing those who needed help the most. The pair put on their knapsacks. Simon looked worn out. “Let’s get back to Alfred’s, then we’ll come back to help out here.”

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The clean up progressed smoothly, from Ellyn’s perspective. The town residents repositioned any stalls that could still be used, and a grave was dug for the wolves and slain livestock. Simon and Ellyn assisted in the square, returning items to merchants and cleaning up where they could. Few words exchanged between the pair, sans for when they were returning to Alfred’s home to report for the day.“Why can’t you use offensive magic?” Simon had asked her. He was walking in front of her, so his expression was unreadable. Ellyn rubbed her hands and studied them while she spoke.“I--I just can’t. I can’t muster up the will to do it.”“But you can use water for putting out fires, or light a gas burner for your experiments, can’t you?” Simon stopped, and turned around to face her. “Offensive magic like fireballs or winds are just those on a bigger scale.”“B--But I can’t… I can’t bring myself to use that kind of force,” Ellyn admitted. “I’ve tried to, so many times. Alfred tested and re-tested us to make sure that we could. The students that could fight had studies and opportunities to become members of the town guard and such, while people like me focused on supportive magic, beneficial for the community.” She wrapped her arms around herself and looked down at the ground.“I can’t bring myself to hurt someone.”When Alfred had returned home following another school day, he was somewhat surprised to find Simon and Ellyn sitting in the study room on the sofas, at the fireplace. They had made a pot of tea and were sharing it, waiting for the Headmaster’s return.“Hello, you two.” Alfred said when he came towards them. They barely moved. He stood by Ellyn’s seat, who peered up at him, her eyes half closed. “Good afternoon, Headmaster.” Ellyn said. She slowly gestured to the teapot, and it glowed a dark blue hue, about to lift off of the ground, but Alfred put her hand down. “That won’t be necessary. I would like to hear your accounts of today. I’m assuming you two were caught up in the wolf rampage in the market this morning?”“Yes,” Simon answered, holding his tea and the saucer in his hands. “We were.”“How did that go?” Alfred asked. Simon tapped his cup with an index finger as he stared at the crackling fire.“We had just finished purchasing our supplies when an uproar arose in the square. We saw wolves attacking, with eyes glowing red. We and a few others handled the situation as best as we could until the town guard arrived. Thankfully nobody was killed, but some livestock were slain. Magic users around quickly restored any injured persons to good health.”“We--we um, helped with the clean up.” Ellyn added. “And then we came back here to give you our reports.”“I see. I heard that you were protecting Simon with a shield during the latter half, just before the town guard arrived?” Alfred looked to the girl. “Good work.” She nodded with a smile, but then Simon stood up.“Headmaster, how could you pair me with someone who is unable to use offensive magic?” Simon narrowed his eyes at the older man. “It reiterates my point that she’s a liability. It’s best for her to remain where it is safe.”“Hmm..” Alfred stroked his beard thoughtfully, as he observed the young girl watching him from his seat. “While you could say that, Simon, I think it is fair to say that she covered your back fairly well.” He patted Ellyn’s head, much to her surprise. He smiled at his former student. “I think even you could recognise the value in having somebody to rely on.”“If I’m to die, I’d much rather do it on my own, rather than with an innocent person with me.” Simon put the cup and saucer down on the table, and folded his arms. “Today was a fluke. We were fortunate to get out alive.”“Simon, I do not want to hear you speak that way in front of me,” Alfred spoke sternly. “If I’m being honest, your lack of a companion has worried me for these past several years, and I would rather have you alive than dead. You’ve changed from the once kind student I knew, and continuing in this way won’t help your situation.” Simon stayed quiet, and Alfred exhaled, moving towards the fire and warming his hands. Simon noticed the Headmaster was viewing the picture of him when he had graduated with his friends. After a moment of silence, he said, “Ellyn, you best be getting home. I imagine you must be quite exhausted after today’s ordeal. I expect to see you bright and early tomorrow morning. Breakfast shall be served here.”“Yes, I will. Thank you Headmaster,” Ellyn bowed, and then to Simon as well. “Thank you, Simon.” She took her bag which was lying on the ground, filled with her share of things to carry, and was about to leave via the glass door before Simon stopped her.“Wait.” Simon said. “If you decide to come, you must leave all magic-related items behind. No robes, no notebooks, and no potions. It takes up space in your kit. Do you understand?”“Yes, Simon.” Ellyn paused, and then added, “Thank you.” She left, the door quietly closing behind her. Simon stepped to Alfred by the fireplace, and they continued to warm themselves before Alfred began to speak.“You must be wondering what kind of student Ellyn is.” Simon gave no response, so Alfred took it as a sign to continue. “She’s nothing too extraordinary, not like your graduating class. She’s above average, yes, does well in her studies, but she lacks.. competence, in offensive magic. She is quite competent at healing, however, and has the mental capacity to withstand much magical pressure before becoming too fatigued to continue.”“And let me guess, she’s a good student with a positive and respectful relationship with her teachers?” Simon scoffed, and closed his eyes. “You’re sending her with me to be my friend. That’s what this is about.” He rubbed his hands, before putting them in his pocket. Well, I have no need for a companion.” Simon turned and walked towards the door to leave, but Alfred’s words halted him,“I heard you exerted yourself during that fight, Simon.” Alfred said, without turning to face his former student. “You must have realised that thanks to her healing abilities, you’re able to venture out tomorrow morning rather than later.” Simon said nothing, only putting his hand on the doorknob. It clicked when it turned. “Give her a chance, Simon.” Alfred said. “You won’t regret it.”And with that, Simon left the room.Simon awoke when the sun’s rays were barely even peeking out over the horizon. His guest bedroom window faced the east, so Simon could observe the blue hues of twilight covering the area. He yawned, before getting dressed for the day. He changed into his travelling clothes and traversed downstairs, to find Alfred already making breakfast in the kitchen. He padded over to the pot of coffee beside Alfred.“Good morning, Simon.” Alfred greeted him. He was already dressed in his purple robes for the day ahead, hair combed and tied back. Simon poured himself a fresh cup. “I suspect our dear Ellyn will be arriving soon. Would you mind waiting by the door for her?” “Sure.” Simon said, before walking out of the kitchen. He came to the front door, and on second thought, decided to step outside. It was cold, though Simon hoped that would wake him up. He walked down the stone path and put his coffee on the stone wall while he stretched, looking in the direction Ellyn was to be coming from. He only had to wait a couple of minutes before he saw a short figure coming towards him. It was the girl. When she approached him, she was panting, and bent over to catch her breath.“Hah.. good morning, Simon.” She said. Simon drank up the last of his coffee. He gave her a look over. She was dressed in regular, loose travel clothes like him, presumably from her father. The wide-brimmed hat they brought was on her head, dutiably fastened under her chin. She wore a dark red top with gold hems, and underneath it was a linen shirt. They were fastened by a belt, with her dagger sheathed on her left hip. Her pants were tucked into her boots, which had two sets of buckles on them. Simon found himself somewhat pleased she listened to his instructions, but he wouldn’t admit that to her.“Good morning, Ellyn.” He said. He swirled around the dregs at the bottom of his mug, before meeting her gaze. His face held a solemn expression. “I’m giving you one last chance to reconsider, and tell Alfred that you're declining his assignment. What happened yesterday is an example of the dangers one would be facing on such a journey." Simon shifted his weight onto one leg. "The real world out there isn't some fairytale where goodness always wins. It's no place for a naive magic user like you. It's far too dangerous for those who practice magic out in Sangala. The Realm disregards them for what the rogue wizards did a long time ago. I trust you know why."At first, Ellyn was stunned. She had not heard Simon talk this much before. Nevertheless, she answered after a moment's silence. "The wizards who were overcome by demonic influence, who created Summoning Gates to the Netherworld, allowing monsters to come through?""Correct." Simon responded. "So like I said, Alfred's got no idea what he's sending you into if you come with me. You're going to get yourself killed, especially since you lack offensive competence. I can't make any promises to protect you." Ellyn bit her lip, before she said,"A-And you could have been seriously injured back there in the square." Simon blinked at her, before she continued. She stood up straight this time, looking into his eyes. "I understand it's dangerous, but I want to do what I can to help. Alfred's normally right about these things, I can learn about the world beyond our town, and--" She was cut short when Simon stepped toward her, leaning into her with a stern expression."You're only coming with me because Alfred thinks I need a friend." Simon stared her down, and Ellyn looked back to him, trying to keep a determined gaze. He straightened up and turned around swiftly."I..I get that." Ellyn said with a small pause. "But I want to go anyway." Simon's shoulders were stiff, but she saw him loosen them. They dropped."...Fine."After some breakfast and last-minute checks, the pair set out from Alfred’s place in the morning. The first couple of days was Ellyn getting oriented with travelling, and more importantly, interacting with Simon, and setting their personal boundaries. Her new teacher was not one for chatter while walking, because it was best to use one’s energy into hiking rather than talking. Simon could practically feel the restraint emanating from her as she refrained from asking unnecessary questions.She had even made a few mistakes along the way. On their first night, Simon erected the tent and ordered Ellyn to gather some tinder and dry firewood for their camp. Eager to impress, Ellyn accepted.“Of course,” Ellyn had so cheerfully replied, and rose a hand. A cool blue aura surrounded some dry twigs near the campsite, and she was about to wave them over when a stern command interrupted her train of thought.“No!” Simon harshly whispered. Ellyn flinched at the sudden word, and the blue aura dissipated. The sticks clattered onto the grass. “Walk over and pick them up yourself. No magic allowed. We could be seen.”“I see, I apologise.” Ellyn bowed her head and rushed over to pick up the materials needed for the camp. The feeling of embarrassment after being reprimanded overrode any weirdness she felt about picking up sticks she normally would have with magic. He took some flint and a stone from his kit and instructed her on how to start a fire. She said little else to him that evening.There was also some teaching that had occurred. Ellyn hated to admit it, but she was out of her comfort zone. Gone were the classrooms and her notebooks, and her friends. She was a sole student to a man she didn’t feel entirely wanted her there. She contemplated her decision several times, but told herself that it would be too bothersome to ask to return to Euret, and dangerous for her to turn back alone. Around midday on their second day of travel, they were passing through a forest and encountered several bushes of small, curious purple orbs. Keen to show off her knowledge of herbs and berries, she attempted to identify them, and was correct.“These are wildeberries, aren’t they, Simon?” She asked, having skipped ahead when the pair spotted them. Simon let out a small noise of affirmation, and he stopped beside her. “They’re safe to eat. It helps keep you alert.”“Indeed,” Simon said. He took one and ate it. “At least some of Alfred’s lessons are up to scratch.” She found herself smiling as they picked some for the journey ahead, happy to have aided in some small way.This was how their teaching went. He would point out something to her, like a plant, an animal or a particular landmark, and would comment on it briefly. She could sometimes identify some of the things they encountered, a few plants here and there. It was more detailed when it came to camping techniques, like setting up their tent and what things they could cook, but other than that, it was nothing out of the ordinary,As they hiked across the landscape, the magic student made sure to make use of the time in her head. As she mindlessly followed her mentor, Ellyn repeated her knowledge to herself, reviewing facts and aspects of the things she had seen. She wished she could write it down to review later, but she couldn’t bring anything. And besides, there was either barely any time to pause for a break, or by the time they had set up camp, night had rapidly approached. Simon disliked having large fires as well, saying that it could attract unwanted animals to their camps. She had been struggling to repeat her knowledge mentally, and one time as she was counting the things she had learnt, she bumped into Simon from behind by accident. Fortunately they were not on a hill, but the glare he gave her told her to never keep her gaze downwards again.On their fifth day of travel, they had finally come to a tiny village. They booked a place at the inn, and he instructed her on what they did at a town. Apparently they took odd jobs from the bulletin board or its equivalent in every town, and so Ellyn found herself doing farmwork and tending to chickens, learning how to do these tasks using as little to no magic as possible, while Simon handled the heavy-lifting chores, working himself to near exhaustion through the day. They replenished their supplies and set off, on their way to the next town, Jywill.And finally, Simon would stop earlier than expected for their camp on every other day.“Are we going to catch some game?” Ellyn asked. She had seen a rabbit or two on their travels, and the pair had caught one, but Simon shook his head.“We’re going to train you with your dagger.” Ellyn gulped, as they pulled out their daggers. “Relax,” he said. He took a stance, and she followed suit, next to him. “Just copy me.” He would demonstrate some strikes, and she would copy as best as she could. When she had gotten used to copying them, Simon would observe her as she practiced, making sure her form was correct and her balance was stable. He refrained from touching her, opting to show her the correct form and her copying, although she wished he would move her hands himself. They had yet to spar together, but Ellyn hoped that day wouldn’t come for at least a few more days to come. He reassured her they would be using sticks they had found, but Ellyn was still fearful of the prospect.This is how their days went. Wake up, travel, practice, then sleep. Rinse and repeat. Ellyn found herself falling well into the pattern after the first three days, and sometimes practicing her knife-fighting during her shift for the nightwatch, though without moving her feet too much and rousing Simon from his sleep. Unbeknownst to the girl, Simon had occasionally watched her midnight training take place, before she sat down a bit away from the tent, a little out of breath from the workout. She would throw some sticks into the fire, survey their surroundings and wait until her turn was over.But their peaceful routine was soon set to change.

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On their sixth day of travel, Ellyn sat down a foot away from Simon, who was preparing their dinner for the night. A foot or two away seemed to be the closest acceptable distance to sit from each other. The sounds of the river rushing nearby their camp filled the atmosphere with a calm ambience. She was a little sweaty and she panted, having just finished practicing with her dagger. Ellyn drank from her drinking flask as Simon spoke.“We’ll be arriving at the next down, Jywill, in two days’ time.” Simon said gruffly. He turned over the rabbit game over the fire, which they had caught with a trap they had set a bit away from their camp while they trained on her skills. “We’ll be stopping there for a while there.”“May I ask why?” Ellyn asked, studying the food over the fire. She snuck a glance at her mentor. She had appreciated that Simon was speaking up a little more. It wasn’t quite comfortable friend-levels of conversation yet, but the occasional command or instruction. Of course, Ellyn still felt some minor negativity from him, but Ellyn assumed that was how he might be the entire trip. She never asked, though. “There’s more odd jobs on their bulletin board there that we can take,” He explained. “It’s worth staying for more than a day or two.”“I understand.” Ellyn nodded. Her mentor stood up.“Take care of the meat. I’ll be back.” He wandered off a bit away from the camp, into some shrubbery. She scooted over to his place on the log he had been sitting on and turned over the rabbit, looking away from the silhouette of Simon as he relieved himself. She sighed, placing her chin in her hand as she contemplated the situation."I’m learning more and more about being a traveller…” Ellyn pondered. “It’s been good to step out of the classroom, I suppose. I got to see another town for the first time!” Ellyn peeked at Simon, who had squatted down out of sight. “I miss being at home though…” A hand moved over her heart and she frowned. Her breathing stuttered for a moment, and her eyes began to water. “Is this what homesickness feels like? I’ve never journeyed outside Euret this far before. I wonder how my parents and friends are doing… I wonder if they’re curious about where I am. I didn’t even... get much of a chance to say goodbye.” She rubbed her eyes with a sleeve, blinking away the tears. “No, I can’t cry now, not now!”“Are you alright?” Simon’s voice came from nearby. She flinched, to see Simon standing above her. He must have finished while she was lost in thought.“Y-Yes! I’m just fine, uh-- the rabbit’s done.” Ellyn took the game off of the fire, and he retrieved their wooden plates. They assembled their meal with other vegetables and foodstuffs with minimal words passed between them. They dug in quietly, gazing into the fire as they did. When they had finished, Simon volunteered to wash the dishes while Ellyn grabbed more twigs and wood for the fire. He came back, and sat down on the opposite side of the camp.“Ellyn,” He began. She blinked at him, and he paused for a moment. He had barely called her by her name over the past week of travel, so it was still unfamiliar on his lips, and to her hearing it from him. “To continue from earlier, you’re feeling homesick, aren’t you?” He picked up some twigs off of the ground, picking off the leaves and throwing them in.“I-I think so,” Ellyn replied. She played with her hands. “It feels… like a tightness, in my chest. I’m surprised that it hurts this much.“You’ve never left Euret before, it’s natural to feel that way.” He looked into her eyes. She was focusing on her hands rather than him. “Look at me.” Their gazes connected. “Think it over. We could still turn back and return you home. Better now than later on, when we’ll be much further away.”“I understand, Simon.” Ellyn nodded. He yawned and stood up.“Good to take the first watch?”“Mmhmm.”“Good. You know when to wake me.” Simon retreated into their tent, and Ellyn pulled out her cloak from her belongings. She wrapped it around herself and stared into the fire while becoming lost in her daydreams and thoughts. She scanned their surroundings periodically, and threw twigs into the fire before her thoughts returned to Simon and their journey.“I’ve learnt a lot about being a traveller, and it’s certainly useful knowledge but…” Ellyn tightened her cloak around herself when she realised something. “I haven’t even learnt a thing about magic, have I?”That last statement have her some pause. The only thing she had learned was not to use it. Everything they did was physical. He wouldn’t even permit her use of a water purifying spell, instead saying that heating it would make it safe to drink. At first, she was repulsed by the idea, but after realising how thirsty she was, he gave into the concept. The warm water tasted strange to her at first, and she worried whether it was truly clean or not, but over time those thoughts faded away. She had to get used to it.“Is this all the journey’s going to be? Just travelling? Aren’t we going to learn anything about magic?” Ellyn thought somberly as she viewed the closed tent flaps. There was a small open slit she could see into, but there was just darkness beyond that. She exhaled deeply. “I guess it’s good that he has someone on night watch now, but I don’t see the point in me being here very well.” She squinted up at the sky to see where the moon was. On their first night, Simon had pointed out a location in the sky where the moon should be, designated when they should swap. She attempted to try to last longer than that point, but she was barely able to keep herself upright on her seat when the time came. Her eyelids felt so heavy, and she felt woozy when looking around. Simon had woken up on his own on the fourth night, when she attempted to give him more time to sleep. He lectured her, before sending her to bed.“It was irresponsible of you,” Simon had said to her. “What if an animal took advantage of the situation? You have to remain alert and awake.” She had nodded meekly, cheeks burning of shame before slipping quickly into unconsciousness. She learnt better than to try to do something nice for her mentor risking her own health and wellbeing in the process. It was unnatural at the time - she was so used to praise, for staying up late to finish her homework or abandoning breakfast to get to class early or on time, but she realised now that wasn’t an option. She needed her strength and nutrients to even get herself moving in the morning.Ellyn resumed observing the fireplace, poking it with a stick. She blew into the flames, and a small smile spread across her cheeks as the fire picked up again. She looked around. She was tempted to use magic to get some twigs for the fire without moving from her seat, but he was an extremely light sleeper, from what she discovered attempting to do this on their second night. Any large rustle of the foliage woke him up. She supposed it was a habit, from the fact that he often journeyed alone.“It’s been a few days in, Headmaster…” Ellyn drank some water. “I’m still not really sure why you sent me. I’m barely able to talk to him, and I don’t know how to reach him as a friend. This mission could have gone either way with somebody else. Why did you send me, when there were more higher ranking students to send? Why not a town guardsman, who knows how to fight with a weapon? What makes me so… special?” She picked up her knapsack, and hugged it to her chest. It clunked a little with some of the items in there, but she yearned to feel some comfort. She missed the hugs of her friends and family. Her eyes started to water as she rubbed her cheek against her bag, squeezing it as she did. After much resisting, a suppressed, barely audible sob worked its way out of her throat. Her heart ached.“I can’t go home now, that would be an inconvenience to Simon. I should be grateful for this chance to explore the Realm but… I--I miss my family. I miss my father, my mother, and my friends… I want to go home.”What the hell was he doing?Or rather,Why the hell did Alfred think he was capable of taking care of an adolescent, much less a student?Simon’s habits stuck even when he had someone on nightwatch. At first, he thought his troubles sleeping came from the subconscious idea that he didn’t trust her, but then he came to realise that his habit of sleeping in small patches at a time and then jolting awake to check his belongings and the surroundings kept him awake often. Normally Ellyn would be observing the fire and their surroundings as normal when he checked via the slight part in the tent flaps, so he would go back to sleep, but this time, he was stirred awake by the sound of her softly crying while she cradled her bag in her arms. He wasn’t a bloody parent, and he certainly had no idea how to comfort a frightened girl.“It’s probably her homesickness coming in real hard.” He mused, as she straightened up somewhat, wiping the tears from her eyes with her sleeves. When her hands moved from her face, her eyes were faintly glowing a sorrowful light blue, with flicking hints of dark blue as well. He exhaled deeply from his nostrils.The colours of someone’s magic reflected that of their personality, though it didn’t mean their irises were restricted to the one colour. Every person is unique, and different magic shades meant different things. “Back there at the wolf rampage, her eyes were a bright blue. That must be her frightened colour.” He had thought, on their journey. Tinges of pink represented affection, more often than not, and red or darker tinges of their primary magic colour for physical pain or fatigue. Peoples’ eyes could glow when overwhelmed with intense emotion as well, and so Simon had honed his ability to rein his thoughts in when in certain situations, so as to not reveal his status as a magic caster.In the end, Simon resolved to pretending he had just woken up, which stopped her sniffling very quickly. He crawled out of the tent, and she averted her gaze. Her eyes were a little puffy. “I-It’s still not yet time,” His pupil uselessly began. “The moon’s still a bit away.”“Don’t worry about it,” Simon grunted, rubbing his eyes. He took his blanket out of the tent. “Go get some sleep.”“A-Alright, I will.” She replied. He swapped positions with her. She flapped out her cloak before crawling into their tent, and after a few more minutes of sniffling, and some tossing and turning, the sounds of her quietly snoring filled the atmosphere. Simon stretched, stoking the fire.He didn’t hate her, if he was being honest. Of course, he was irritated at the Headmaster for forcing his hand like that, and she made a few mistakes, but other than that, Ellyn had listened and followed every word he had said. She practiced her dagger skills during the night while trying to make as little noise as possible, which tuckered her out more but displayed her devotion to her learning, as stupid as it sounded. She didn’t talk back or chatter incessantly.The wizard plucked a small, dead plant from the ground, and began to pull off the twigs, throwing them into the fire. Simon didn’t know how he truly felt about the situation. For the first time in a while, his head swam with questions, instead of being so silent. He hadn’t needed to consider another person in his travels for a long time.“Should we turn back?” The traveller contemplated his options. “Hmm. Alfred wouldn’t be too pleased about that. It’s only been about a week, and two when we return. He’d probably blame me for not trying hard enough.” Simon grimaced, clenching a fist. “Old bastard.” He threw the whole plant into the fire. “But it would be the safest thing to do. After that wolf rampage, he should have let her remain there. He should understand if I explain it to him.”Simon glimpsed at the tent. “Perhaps she’ll change her mind about going with me in Jywill.” He re-adjusted his position, before observing the surroundings, listening for any noise out of place. Jywill wasn’t the friendliest towards magic wielders, but it wasn’t the worst. “If I can make her see how bad it can be out there, maybe she’ll ask to go home.”And so, Simon had settled it. He would take her home after going to Jywill.

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It was late evening when the pair arrived at Jywill. Simon could hear his student haggardly breathing behind him - not quite out of breath, but worn out. It was fortunate that the last stretch of land was a dirt road on smooth plains, with the town easy to spot in the distance. Were they still in a forest or on a hill, they would have stopped much earlier for the night. But Simon urged the pair to continue until they reached the town, with the promise of a warm meal and comfortable beds to sleep in. Ellyn had nodded, trudging along behind him wordlessly. At the very least, she got to admire the visible stars above them that were coming in as the sun set on their eighth day of travelling.Jywill was a larger town than Euret and the previous one, though not as big as its next neighbour, Aproth. It was lit by welcoming lanterns around the streets, and from inside some homes and buildings. The streets were filled with people out and about with their friends, heading to eateries to have dinner or browsing the night time street market.“Jywill’s known for its night time street market on weekends,” Simon told his apprentice as they walked through the streets. She stayed close to him, not wanting to get lost in the crowds. “Though, they mainly sell food rather than the normal provisions we would be interested in.”“I-I see.” Ellyn replied. She pressed her arms to herself as she noticed the townspeople warily glancing in their direction before turning away, probably content with how they weren’t causing any trouble. Nobody was using any magic, so she supposed it was a good idea that they were wearing normal travelling clothes rather than robes. She followed Simon towards an inn situated in a small square, with an eatery on the ground floor. There were patrons sitting around with hushed but lively conversations over dinner, both at the tables set up inside and outside the place. The town square was a little ways away, with a regal fountain and many stalls set up around it. The sounds of children playing and running around filled the atmosphere, and it made Ellyn smile. She admired the beauty of the town lights, almost bumping into Simon once or twice before following him inside the inn entrance way. Ellyn breathed in through her nostrils eagerly as they walked toward the counter, feeling reinvigorated by the prospect of cooked, good food.“You again, then?” The man, presumably the owner, questioned as Simon caught him wiping his countertop clean. He was a burly man, starting to grey in age. He had some stubble coming in, and was dressed in a lightly stained, slightly yellowed apron. His sleeves were rolled up. He pulled out a small book and a pencil from under the countertop. Ellyn studied the menu board swinging from above him, listing out the foods and their prices. “Same order as always?”“Yes, thank you.” Simon nodded, and pulled out a pouch of coins from the bag on his belt. As he opened it to fish some money out, the man behind the counter took notice of the girl beside Simon.“Who’s the girl?” The man gestured with his chin at Ellyn. He fixed the traveller with a quirked brow. Ellyn rose a hand and smiled uneasily in a greeting.“She’s my companion,” Simon responded after a moment. “She’ll have the same order too.” He heeded her from the corner of his eye. “Do you want a pint?”“Uh--no thank you. I’m happy with some water.”“You heard her.” Simon set down a fair amount of gold and silver coins, and the owner slid them off the table into his hand. He appeared happy with the amount, putting them into a chest under the counter. Ellyn presumed he had eaten here many times over the course of his travels, for the owner to recognise him and know the prices without checking the menu board.“Alright, you two take a seat. Outside as always, right?”“You know me.” Simon cracked a wry smile, putting the ducat pouch away on his right hip. Ellyn blinked at this, before his eyes locked with hers. Her gaze darted away.That was the first time he had smiled the whole trip.“You coming?” Simon asked, starting to walk outside. Ellyn nodded and followed him. He picked the table closest to the alleyway. Ellyn wondered why he had picked this spot as they removed their kits, placing them onto the floor at their feet.“Could it be for some sort of way out?” Simon had taken the spot which allowed him to look into the alleyway, while Ellyn couldn’t see it from her seat. “A quick escape route? Maybe there’s an intersection back there.” Of course, the pair had encountered no situation like this before, but Ellyn felt it didn’t hurt to theorise about these sorts of things. She was in an unfamiliar place, and she examined their surroundings, considering possible ways of escape. Simon hadn’t told her to, but judging from the way he looked around carefully in most areas, she learned wordlessly that she needed to be careful too.“We’ll be sleeping in this inn tonight,” Simon began. They were sitting across from each other, at a two-person round table. In the middle there was a small box with cutlery sticking out of it. Two glasses lay upside down. “We’ll be staying here for several days as we pick up some jobs. Do you remember?”“Yes, I do. We’ll talk about it tomorrow, right?”“Yes.” And with that, he said nothing else for the rest of their meal. Ellyn thanked the owner as he presented their meals to them, and their drinks soon after. Simon refrained from touching his tankard while he ate, meanwhile Ellyn took sips of water throughout her meal. He watched as her eyes appeared to twinkle softly when she ate, and she smelled the dish as she ate. He suspected that if no one were watching, she would have lifted it to her nose. It wasn’t a noteworthy meal, just some cooked meat, baked vegetables and gravy on the side, but Ellyn ate it like she hadn’t seen a proper feed in ages, devouring it faster than him. Simon found it weirdly difficult to focus on his own plate while she had a pleased expression plastered over her face, thankful to be eating some food which wasn’t some game roasted over a fire. He supposed that getting to eat good meals was pleasant between the hard nights of travel, though not as good as his companion was taking it.The two finished their dinners and sat in companionable silence, reclining in their chairs for a small while. Simon had shifted in his seat, folding his legs and resting an arm on the backrest as he drank his beer. They took in the sights of the nightly activities of the people around them, which served as yet another learning experience for his student. Practically everything was.But suddenly, they heard a clunk sound. Simon took a gander in the alleyway to his left, and saw two silhouettes of male figures conversing. One of them had apparently knocked his knee into one of the crates stacked near the corner, and it moved a bit. Nevertheless, they didn’t seem to have noticed the wizard watching from a fair distance away. They were talking, loud enough for the conversation to echo along the walls and enter Simon’s ears. His gaze flicked to Ellyn, who was looking into the alleyway, also listening in.“What’s the situation like here in Jywill?” The first man asked.“Not making much progress. There’s a strong disregard for magic here, so there’s only been a few people interested in our cause.” The other replied.“I see.” Ellyn observed Simon narrow his eyes, intently viewing the conversation. He was going to drink, but on second thought, he silently placed his cup back onto the table. He looked tense. Ellyn frowned, wondering why he was reacting in this way.The first man let out a groan. “The Summoners are still finding specific materials to make the gate with, and they’re training to be able to do it.”“Do they really think they can tame the beasts to their will?”“Yeah. Eleanor’s the best out of all of us at magic, and she’s taking all of the necessary precautions, so that what happened last time doesn’t happen again. Don’t worry, the time’s drawing near, my friend, and soon, we won’t have to live hiding our abilities any more. Those ungifted bastards will pay for what they’ve had to make us endure. A superior race like us deserves to trample on them instead.”“Come on, Ellyn.” Simon whispered. She noticed him staring solemnly at her. “We need to get out of here.”“O-Out to the inn?” She whispered back. She was confused. “What were those men talking about? Does Simon know something about them?”“Maybe. Just out of here.” Simon slid out of his seat, not moving the chair, and Ellyn, after much difficulty, did the same. They slowly proceeded to put their packs o as the men continued to talk, oblivious of their surroundings. Ellyn gazed at her teacher, who stared into the alleyway with an unreadable expression on his face. Was it fear? Anger? It was like… he had a bad feeling about the situation--Crack!Ellyn’s hand had moved carelessly, and the empty glass of water she had finished fell onto the stone floor. A large crack appeared down the side of the glass. Simon swooped down and hastily put it onto the table. The men had ceased talking, and in the corner of his eye, Simon could see that the men had spotted them. They ran down the alleyway and Simon cursed.“Hey! Who…!” They ogled Simon.Simon gave them a withering stare.“Y--You… You were…” One of them began, but the other stepped forward, pointing accusingly at Simon. Ellyn’s breath hitched as she watched the events play out, eyes wide.“You were using magic just then, I saw it!” Ellyn and Simon took a step back as the men approached them. She became acutely aware of the other patrons in the inn who had ceased eating, and were staring. Several stood up, and Ellyn stepped back, hiding more behind her guardian.“Gentlemen, please, we were just leaving--” Simon tried to explain, but the one accusing him cut him off, fist clenched threateningly.“Don’t lie to me! I saw you, you picked up that broken glass off the ground, and about to run!” The man shoved Simon. Her teacher glared defiantly back. “Y’weren’t even gonna leave any money for the damages, you cheap, no-good magic types!”“Get outta here!” One of the patrons shouted from her seat. She was an older woman with a baby in her lap. She held it close to her chest. “Your kind aren’t welcome here!”“W-What do we do?” Ellyn whimpered as people advanced toward them. Simon was holding out an arm, protecting her as they backed away, approaching the other side of the square. A grimace was spread across his features, eyes darting about as he watched the citizens for any sign of an attack.“Cursed magic users!”“Y’won’t get far in causing trouble here!”“Disgusting wizards and witches, all of you! Go to hell! Demon spawns…!” The crowd pressed in, led by the two men who were leering at the pair. A glint of malicious mischief shone in their eyes. Simon scowled. He felt his pupil gingerly grip his sleeve behind him, breathing heavily. Her hand trembled in the corner of his eye.This wasn’t the example he had planned for.Meanwhile, in another part of town, another pair were walking. The first was a slim, agile woman with ginger hair tied into a braid that reached midway down her back. She was dressed in light, mobile clothing, mainly dark viridian and browns. Strapped on her back was a crossbow, but a special kind - a repeating crossbow, one that could store and fire multiple bolts at one time. A pair of daggers were attached to her belt at the hips.The final most noteworthy detail was a gold-plated pin on right chest, bearing the emblem of an eagle in front of a shield. The second individual was a taller man, who was more broad and buff than his companion. He wore chainmail and a top underneath bearing the arms of another kingdom, two swords interlocking in front of a blue and white checkered shield. He furthermore wore metal leg coverings and arm guards. The man was tapping a long, pole-like mace in one hand as they patrolled the streets. He had a rugged, hardened face with dirty blond hair down to his shoulders, and a gruff moustache.“It’s about time for us to head back to the inn for the night watch to start,” The woman yawned, stretching her arms above her head. “Shall we, Max?”“Sure Klare, let’s go.” The man affirmed. The two were strolling through Jywill side by side, observing their surroundings. The place seemed as lively as normal, for a weekend night. “Not much happening today, huh?”“I’m glad there hasn’t been any major issues,” Klare reached around to rub her neck, and rolled it in a circle. “But I could be calling it a bit early.”“It tends to be the night watchers who have these sorts of things occur,” Max shrugged. He kept his eyes on a stall selling cooked fish as they walked past it. “And after this, it won’t be our problem anymore. We can ride to the next town at first light tomorrow. Though, I’m considering returning here after we report back. Some of that food is salivating.”“Roast meat and vegetables not doing it for you anymore, Max?” Klare nudged her partner. Max let out a huffed chuckle. “Look who’s talking. You’re the one who’s always complaining when we’re on the road.” They were about to go around a particular corner, when they heard an outcry.“Don’t lie to me! I saw you, you picked up that broken glass off the ground, and about to run! ...Y’weren’t even gonna leave any money for the damages, you cheap, no-good magic types!”“Did it have to be now?” Klare groaned. They exchanged a tired glance, before jogging over to where they heard the voice come from. There was a commotion happening outside a small restaurant, conveniently under the inn the pair were staying in. A crowd blocked their view. Max cleared his throat, raising a booming voice above all the others.“Alright, what seems to be the problem here?” People turned to see Klare and Max. They parted for them as the two made their way through the gap. “What’s going on?” There were four in the center of the crowd, two men standing opposed to a man and a young girl. From their attire and the bags on their backs, they appeared to be travellers. Max estimated that by their fatigued expressions and stances, the pair had just arrived in town. Klare frowned as she saw the fear in the girl’s wide eyes as she cowered behind the older man with her. They were almost backed up against the other side of the square. Behind them was an alleyway.“Knights-errant, correct?” The girl’s protector began. He must have recognised the crests on their clothing. He looked worse for wear, sporting a slight beard and somewhat unruly hair. “These men were accusing me and my companion of using magic, because we accidentally disturbed their conversation. We meant no harm.”“Is this so?” Max asked the men. Their eyes were darting about, and their bodies were tensed up. Max’s grimace deepened, as one hesitated. The other spoke up.“No! They’re lying to save their skins,” The man spat, with some spittle landing on Max’s chainmail. He jabbed a finger at them. “I saw them using their magic, and I caught them trying to get away with it! They were going to use it against my friend and I if we said anything. They’re a threat to the Realm!”“Please,” The traveller interrupted. He was holding out a hand, trying to calm the situation down. Klare looked between him and the girl. “Believe us. We don’t practice magic. We’re mere passers by and--”“Oh yeah? What if I do THIS?!” A townsperson lunged forward around the traveller, reaching for the girl. He shielded her, but it was too late. Impulsively, her eyes shone a surprised cyan as she pushed an arm forward. The man fell back as if a wind had shoved him. The traveller swore under his breath.“Run!” He shouted. Before the people could react, his arm raised upward from the ground. A curved wall of electric green fire rose up from the ground, blocking the crowd from the alleyway. Through the flames, Max and Klare saw him grab her hand and begin racing down their escape route.“You saw them!” The man who had been crying so loudly against the pair shouted. “They’re getting away! After them!” Max and Klare exchanged a look, before splitting up into other laneways close by. Some members of the crowd, in particular the men, followed the Knights-errant in their frantic search for the travellers. After some leaps and bounds over small walls and squeezing through tight spaces between buildings, Klare caught sight of the pair trying to recuperate in a small laneway. She was alone this time, but the travellers spotted her and ran. Klare rushed to catch up with them, and cursed when she saw them disappear into a crowd of people walking by the lane they had emerged from. They were running through the street market. Klare followed in their wake, weaving around drunkards and slow-walkers browsing the stalls. Most of the people were disoriented, but Klare kept on their heels, breaking through the market and chasing them down the main road down the town. She mentally lamented about she could have been relaxing in the inn bath by about now, but shook it off and continued the chase.“Simon, I-I can’t… keep this up, much longer!” The girl was panting and wheezing, beginning to flag. Simon was starting to slow as well.“Don’t stop, we have to make it out of the town! Into the forest!” Up ahead was the open gateway into the forest connecting Jywill to the next town, Aproth. She furrowed her brows, before slowing down, reaching over her shoulder and pulling her crossbow free. She took aim at the older man running.“Not if I can help it.” The arbalist muttered as she fired off a bolt. It struck Simon’s arm. He let out a wrangled cry of pain as his free arm flew to his arm, but he turned around. Klare’s eyes widened. The girl whipped around too, and upon seeing her companion in his injured state, gasped. Her eyes shone a fearful shade of light blue.“Simon!”“Go, Ellyn, go!” Simon waved her off. She hesitated, but she ran into the forest. Klare fired off another few bolts to target his legs, but he raised a hand. His eyes glowed a shining green with tinges of red. Her bolts stopped in mid air, surrounded by a matching aura.“What the…?” Klare gaped incredulously at her stopped bolts, temporarily lowering her weapon. Simon glared at her, and with a groan of pain, grabbed the bolt from his arm and yanked it out. The bolts fell to the ground, and he gripped his bloodied arm. His hand began to glow as well. He ran into the forest, and Klare watched him go. A hand clapped on her shoulder.“Did… we lose them?” Max was panting. “We need to get the horses, and chase them down. They’ve disturbed the public peace, assaulted a townsperson, and fled from knights-errant. They won’t get too far if their plan is to make it to Aproth. They don’t have anywhere else to go.” He was correct - the forest was sandwiched between two hills which were tough to traverse, especially at night time. They seemed extremely fatigued as well, which would make tracking them down easier.“Shouldn’t we go in the morning?” Klare asked. Max was silent for a moment, before sighing.“Yeah. It’s no use catching them now. We’ll be on their tracks tomorrow. They won’t get too far in their current state.” Max said. Klare walked forward, and her companion followed. “What’s up?”“Just retrieving some bolts.” They walked on, until they reached the grassy part where her bolts lay. Beside them was a bolt with blood on the sharpened, metal part. Klare picked up the discarded ones, and held the bloodied bolt in her hand. Max looked at it curiously.“He pulled it out of his arm, in front of you? What happened?”“He stopped my bolts mid-flight with his magic, and then pulled this one out of his arm.” Klare retrieved a cloth from a small bag on her belt. She wiped the blood off of it. “It’s still usable. A plus, I suppose.” She stared at it a little while longer. “Why didn’t he try shooting them back?”“Right. Well, we better get heading back.” Max said gruffly. They turned around to walk back.“Of course.” Klare replied, a tone of pensiveness hanging in the air.

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Fwomp!Almost in the blink of an eye, everything happened. Ellyn was mustering all of her strength and courage to make it into the forest behind her mentor. It got increasingly darker by the second, as they left behind the town lights, heading for the shadows in the forest. All of a sudden, a black arrow zoomed past her shoulder and got stuck in Simon’s upper arm. He let go of her hand instantly, and Ellyn stopped. Redness began to bloom from the spot, staining his dirty shirt a dark crimson.“Simon!” Her eyes were wide as saucers, and she froze in place, not knowing what to do next. But he forcefully waved her away. As he shouted, his irises sparked to life with a green that flickered between light and dark, with tinges of red.“But I can’t just…!” The pupil hesitated, looking desperately at her mentor before at last racing into the forest. She ran as far as she could from what she could barely see under the moonlight. It was fortunately a clear night, so the moon's gentle rays lit up parts of the forest. There were moments where she nearly ran into trees and stumbled over a protruding root from the ground, but she pressed on, getting further and further into the forest. Her heard pounded in her ears, and her senses began to blur, as the surroundings grew darker and darker and the lack of sleep got to her. She was exhausted, but her fears got the best of her. She held her hands together, rubbing them, before leaving a small pocket of air inside them. After a moment, a small, pale blue ball of light grew from within, and she released her cupped hands, letting it float in front of her. Her mind was frantic with worry as she trudged forward, using the light to illuminate her way through the forest. After a while, she began to check behind her, but upon not seeing Simon multiple times, began to panic."What do I do?" Ellyn frantically thought. “What am I supposed to do? Wait? Turn back? No, I can’t, what if they’re chasing us through the forest?” She surveyed her surroundings with rapid movements, but felt herself get dizzy. She tried to shake it off, but almost hit her head against a tree. She collapsed to her knees, leaning against it, finding it hard to move. Her calves burned from the running, and her chest ached. She coughed, thumping her chest and gulped in huge mouthfuls of air. She tiredly pulled off the knapsack from her back, dropping it beside her. She sat like that for a minute, until she blearily considered the orb patiently floating beside her. “Wait--oh no! I’m not supposed to be using magic!” She reached out and clapped it within her hands, dissipating it instantly. “What was I thinking? What if they saw me with my light? What if they find me? Am I an idiot? Haven’t I learnt anything?” With the absence of the comforting light, the dark thoughts began to rush in. Everywhere around her was pitch-black. The stars weren’t visible above. She couldn’t hear any signs of human movement. The forest was dead silent, and very, very cold. The dark thoughts suffocated her from all sides, overwhelming any train of reasonable thought she might have had up until this point.“What’s going to happen to me?” Ellyn pulled her knapsack into her lap, holding it tightly while she panted and coughed. “What do I do now? What if they captured Simon? And then they’re going to find me! And put me in jail--or--or kill me? What am I supposed to do now? I was never taught what to do in situations like this…!” She began to hyperventilate, as she recounted the events of the evening. She pictured all of the outraged townspeople’s faces when she pushed away that man with her magic. The horrifying image of the arrow in Simon’s arm.She stopped breathing when she considered he might have been killed with more arrows. He defended her just so she could escape.“What have you done? What have you done?” Ellyn whispered to herself beginning to tremble. Her eyes welled up with tears. She didn’t try to suppress her dark thoughts, and they overwhelmed her. The tears burst free, and she began to sob. She took off her glasses, placing them inside her bag bag before burying her face in her hands. Her body wracked with sobs as she coughed and sputtered all over her dirty palms. She gripped her head, pressing her fingers hard into her scalp. "You're such an idiot!" Ellyn choked on her words, struggling to berate herself. "You dropped that stupid glass and gave us away to those guys! We could have been sleeping in a hotel right now, and he wouldn't hate you so much. He's dead. And it's your fault!" She doused her sleeves in an ugly mess of her tears and nasal mucus, but she was too far gone to care. Her eyes began to hurt, and when she opened them,she could barely see the bright blue glow of her irises on her hands through her tears. She buried her face in her hands again, unsure if she was crying harder now because of the pain or because of her thoughts. "Look at what you've done! I never should have left!"After essentially sparing the ruthless Knight-errant, Simon had darted into the forest. He cursed constantly under his breath as he nursed his wounded arm, feeling agonising pain at its epicentre. When he was a suitable distance from the forest outskirts, he remained still behind a tree, forcing himself to cease breathing to listen to see if he was being followed. When he was sure he wasn’t, he finally let his guard down, and clenched his free hand into a fist. When he released it, a tiny green light floated out, and settled by his arm. He rolled up the sleeve, sucking in air through his teeth as he examined the wound. There was a hole there, bleeding profusely. He bowed his head, steeling his resolve and mustering up the strength to do what he had to next. He could barely keep himself on his feet, but after a moment’s hesitation, he moved his free hand onto the wound. He closed his eyes, and his hand began to glow a faint light green. He shuddered as the magic forcefully seeped into the open wound, speeding up the healing process. He fell to his knees, hissing as the red-hot sensation flowed through his body like a wave. He forced himself to be silent until he was sure the wound had stopped bleeding, and his body was working on fixing it under the skin.Simon panted as he stared into the forest beyond. Exhaustion constantly dragged him down, making his eyelids feel heavier and heavier. It was becoming more and more difficult to stay awake. But he knew he couldn’t sleep yet. That would put her, and him, in danger.“Ellyn…” Simon reminded himself. “I need to find her.” With a groan, he steadily rose to his feet. After a moment’s contemplation, he put his hands together and summoned more balls of light to illuminate the forest as he jogged. He nursed his arm as he darted about from tree to tree, checking around the bases to see if the girl was hiding around them. He ran on and listened carefully for any sign of human activity, but after a while, he stopped to consider his options and to rest. His heart pounded in his ear, and he rubbed his head, when at last he could hear the muffled sounds of someone crying in the distance. He ran towards it. He saw the glow of blue light momentarily, before it faded away.“Look at what you’ve done!” He heard the girl cry. He slowed to a walk, approaching her carefully. He didn’t know how to proceed. “I never should have left!”Those words made him pause.He watched her, from a moderate distance. He panted as he wracked his brain, searching for a way to deal with this situation. He’d been alone for so long, that he… forgot what to do in these kinds of situations. He drew a blank as the sounds of her sobbing filled the atmosphere. She was so lost in her sorrow that she didn’t even hear him coming close.“I’m sorry,” She sobbed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” He swallowed a lump that settled in his throat. Awkwardly, he finally began to move again, stopping beside her. The green light made her look up. He knelt beside her.“Ellyn, I’m here.” Simon said. He thought that was a good start. She squinted at him and her breathing was stuttered. She was trembling. Her cheeks, hands and sleeves were drenched in her tears. “I’m okay, I’m here now.”“S-Simon?” She stammered. He nodded. He studied those faintly glowing eyes, somehow striking in the darkness all around them. They stood out against the green lights of his orbs floating around. But she kept her eyes downwards, squeezing her bag. “Leave me,” Ellyn began. He could barely comprehend her words as she choked them out. “I’m a failure. A n-nuisance! You--you were, right, I’m--I’m really just a burden after all… everything was my fault, I’m… I’m sorry I ruined it for you--!”“That’s enough, Ellyn!” Simon cut her off. She whimpered. “It.. wasn’t your fault. It was an accident. Mistakes happen.” Despite his words, she continued to sob uncontrollably in front of him. Several times she attempted to stop, trying to gulp in shuddering breaths that she wound up sputtering out again. Her body shook. He regarded her with a helpless look in his eyes, and his gaze lingered on the bag she was so tightly holding to her chest.
…
Eventually, Simon sighed deeply, and crawled over to the tree to sit beside her. He put his rucksack down, and sat with his legs crossed at the ankle. He awkwardly wrapped an arm around the young magic student, cringing at his inability to comfort another individual properly.. She initially squirmed in his arm.“N--No, stop, w-what are you…?” Ellyn whimpered.“Settle down,” Simon said. He winced at the words which just came out of his mouth. “I’m… here. It’s alright. I’m… not mad or disappointed in you.” He contemplated squeezing her or rubbing her arm, but he couldn’t will himself to do it. Ellyn was half-turned, leaning against his shoulder, hiccuping but steadily quietening down. Her body twitched and she sniffled occasionally, but after about half an hour, she was still. Simon looked at her, finding the girl asleep on his shoulder, her hands loosely around her bag in her lap. Her breathing was steady and even, small puffs of warm air coming from her mouth. Ellyn shivered a little in her sleep. He gazed at her solemnly, before his eyes began to glow. His rucksack quietly opened, and he retrieved his blanket. It floated in the air, shimmering with a faint viridian, before settling around the girl and himself. He sighed deeply as he dimmed his lights, before making them disappear. Simon peered out into the darkness beyond and yawned.It was going to be a long night.When Klare came into the hotel room following her bath, Max knew something was off instantly. She didn’t greet him as normal, and her eyes were downward. Something was on her mind.“Klare?”“Uh, yes?” She looked up. Max was regarding her with concern from his bed, where he was reading a small, weathered book.“I wanted to know if there was something on your mind.” Max yawned, putting the book on the bedside table. Klare exhaled through her nose. She padded over to her bed, pulling out her bag from underneath and stashing her clothes in there. “You seem troubled. What happened?”“Back when we were chasing those magic users, I fired off some bolts at the older one - Simon.” Max gestured for her to continue. “He took one to the arm, but stopped the rest mid-flight with his magic. But then, he let them fall to the ground, and pulled out the one in his arm, before running into the forest. I don’t understand, he could have hurt the townspeople, but he only did what was necessary to run away.”“That wall of fire he shot up could have burned some people,” Max said with a hardened expression. “Either way, you know that those magic types are unpredictable. Those actions might not mean anything. You can’t trust them, even if they don’t end up hurting anybody.”“But it was a deliberate decision he made not to harm me.” Klare got into her bed. She pulled out her comb, and began to brush her auburn hair. “It’s different from the normal behaviour we see from magic kind.” Max didn’t reply for a while, and they sat in silence. Normally, magic wielders would deny that they could practice magic over and over, in a desperate attempt to save their skin. If they were found out, they would retaliate in anger, and wouldn’t hesitate to use their magic to make their getaway or kill those who opposed them. The two of them had first hand experience with these kinds of events, along with countless stories and reports from others. Klare went on to add, “That girl didn’t mean to shove the man either. She was only acting instinctively. It was a natural reaction I or anybody would have had in a situation like that.”“Klare, are you sympathising with those two?” Max gave her a cold stare. “It’s not wise to start reading too deeply into what offenders, and especially magic folk like them, do. It just makes matters difficult. We’re here to uphold the laws and expectations of the Realm, and sympathising with magic users is off the table.”“I know.” Klare replied curtly. They didn’t exchange words for a moment, before Max sighed.“If you want my opinion, I’m interested to hear what they have to say for themselves, without that man cutting them off. He only escalated the situation and made things worse. One of us should have stayed behind to hold them for questioning, but we were lost in the panic with the other townspeople. For all we know, they could have been magic users too.”“Do you think it was some sort of diversion, to let them get away?” Max furrowed his brows.“And potentially land a young girl like that in trouble? Hm, that’s pretty heartless of them, I’ll give them that.” Max yawned, and blew out the candle on his bedside table. “Well, we’ll have to see what the travellers say when we find them. I’d take their story with a grain of salt, though. You can’t trust those wizards.” He was getting himself comfortable in bed. “What do you think? Do you believe their story?”“It appeared genuine enough.” Klare was looking down at the ground, hands still brushing her ginger locks. They were still bent throughout, having been in a braid for the longest time. “They seemed like they were put on the spot. It wasn’t their fault that someone provoked them. Anybody would react that way to someone lunging at them, pushing them away like that girl did. With or without magic.”“Perhaps, and there does seem to be more to the story anyway.” Max said. He turned over in bed, facing away from the candle on Klare’s bedside table. “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow. Goodnight.”“Goodnight.” Klare said. She finished brushing her hair, blew out her candle, and laid down in bed. But sleep wouldn’t come to her for a while, as she recounted the events of the night once again. The image of that girl’s terrified eyes glowing was burned into her memory.But eventually, after a short while, Klare finally fell into a dreamless sleep.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Whatever Ellyn’s head lying on was warm. When she came to, she instinctively nuzzled against the “pillow” she was on, and gripped the blanket around her, curling up a little. Behind her, she heard a groan, and the hand that was on her shoulder shift.Wait. What was going on?Ellyn opened her eyes, and squinted to see. It was still fairly dark, but the forest was beginning to take on a very faint blue glow, the sign of twilight before the dawn. She could barely see it, but it was enough to study her surroundings. She was lying on the ground on her side, with a few roots from the tree behind her poking up into her legs and body. She turned her head to see her head was lying on someone’s leg.Her eyes widened.“Are you awake?” She heard Simon’s gruff, sleepy voice. She blinked confusedly, before turning over. Her back leaned against his abdomen as he blearily rubbed his eyes and yawned. She began to feel her face heat up as she stared up at him. The warm hand that was loosely draped around her shoulders hung hesitantly in the air as he studied her with an aloof expression. He raised a brow.“O-Oh, yes, I’m sorry…” Ellyn sat up, and the blanket that was wrapped around her fell. She stiffened up as she held it, noticing that it wasn’t hers. It was Simon’s. She awkwardly shuffled back and sat next to him at the tree. Her knapsack was lying at her feet, and she put it beside her. “What happened?”“Seems I fell asleep when doing the night watch,” Simon grumbled. He rubbed his neck with a pained groan. Ellyn frowned, regarding him with a concerned expression. “During the night, you were beginning to slip from my shoulder. I put you down so you could sleep better.”“I-I see,” Ellyn’s face was burning hot. She supposed it was a good thing, given the cold forest they were in. She noticed the blanket still draped around her legs and yelped a little. “I’m sorry I was so inconsiderate, I didn’t mean to cause you any discomfort, I--”“It’s fine.” Simon waved it off. Ellyn noticed another blanket was draped loosely on Simon. It was hers. He began to fold it as he spoke. “Drink some water. Oh, and here.” Simon pulled something out of his vest pocket, and handed it to her. It was her glasses, wiped decently clean. There were a few dirt marks but Ellyn took it gratefully, slipping them on. She thanked him meekly, and he continued to speak. “I wanted to speak to you about our next course of action.”“So, um, what did you have in mind?” Simon didn’t respond to her question for a moment, just taking a deep breath and sighing.“To be honest, I had considered taking you home. I was hoping Jywill would prove to be enough to change your mind.” Simon pulled out his drinking flask from his bag, taking a sip. “But of course, that didn’t go as planned. We’ll have to keep--”“Wait, but, what happened? You were hurt!” Ellyn intercepted. After a moment, Simon rolled up his sleeve, showing the girl his arm. It was perfectly fine now. “Oh.” He unrolled his sleeve and Ellyn clenched her hands into fists. “I... I’m still sorry I let that happen, Simon. It was my fault that--”“Don’t be.” Simon raised his hand, stopping her from talking. “It’s in the past now. What’s done is done. Mistakes happen, and we need to keep moving forward. It’s too risky to head back for now, since we’ll be recognised. Do you understand?” Ellyn nodded. “But as time goes by, people forget, and more prominent offenders will be on their minds. We can slip by then.”“Right. I understand.” Ellyn peered into the forest. “So… will you be sleeping or…?”“No need.” Simon handed her the blanket. She put it in her bag, and began to fold up his. “We should start moving soon, and escape the forest before dawn.” Simon rolled his neck around, and his shoulders. Ellyn felt pained as he watched his pinched expression. Sleeping upright like that didn’t do wonders for the body. He likely hadn’t slept as much as she did. “I don’t know if the Knights-errant who chased us last night are in the forest or not. I suspect that they could be searching for us here soon, hence why I believe we should leave as soon as we can. We’ll eat some rations and be on our way.”“Okay.”After eating a light breakfast, the two began their trek through the forest. Ellyn followed wordlessly behind her mentor as they progressed further and further towards the edge of the forest. The sun was starting to rise, and the sky began to take on a cool pink. Clouds were settling in. Ellyn frowned. “It’s going to rain soon.” She thought to herself. “That’s going to be troublesome for our journey.” Her attention moved to Simon’s bag, moving up and down slightly as he walked. She heeded the back of his head, with its messy hair, with a contemplative look. “Now that I think about it…” Ellyn pondered. “Why are we travelling?”Neither Headmaster Alfred nor Simon had given any indication as to what Simon’s purpose in travelling was. Simon certainly hadn’t broached the topic with her, and before the journey, she just assumed Simon was some travelling spirit, who couldn’t stay in one place. However, over their several days of travel, she didn’t get a listless feeling from him, wandering from place to place with no particular reason. He was constantly cautious of his surroundings, stopping at even the slightest unnatural noise or rustle from a bunch of bushes. Ellyn assumed this might be a learning journey, studying new herbs or magic that she had never seen or encountered before, but she wasn’t allowed to take anything to record her learning with her. It certainly didn’t give off the vibe of an “excursion” either.“There must be some reason.” Ellyn mumbled out loud. Simon turned his head to look at her.“Hm?” Ellyn noticed him and flinched.“Oh, nothing. Just thinking to myself, is all. Sorry.” Simon regarded her with an unsatisfied look, before facing forward once again. Ellyn followed him meekly, before he began to speak.“You must be wondering why I said we needed to leave when we overheard those men talking,” Simon said all of a sudden. Ellyn was caught by surprise, before she hummed her affirmation. She saw his shoulders drop and stiffen. “They’re… a troublesome group. It’s best to stay away from their business. What happened back there was an unfortunate mishap. But we just have to move forward.”“Of course, Simon.” Ellyn replied. But as they continued, Ellyn began to get a strange feeling in her gut. It warned her of bad times ahead, that perhaps they would see this group again. It didn’t feel like it was over yet.And soon, she would come to realise how right she was.“I suspect they’ll be trying to sneak out of the forest while it’s still dark.” Max said, as the two of them dressed and readied themselves that morning. They were preparing to leave as soon as they could. He gazed out the window, at the forest on the outside of the city walls. “We’ll ride through and find them in Aproth. If we don’t find them there, they’ll likely have moved to the larger town, Ymmel. We’ll alert the authorities there too.”“Right.” Klare checked her repeating crossbow, examining its stock. Six bolts were loaded into its magazine. There were some out there that could release multiple bolts at once, but the arbalist preferred this type more. She strapped it to her back. Together, they brought their bags down from the second floor of the inn, and packed the horse’s saddlebags before at least hopping on and beginning to ride out of town. They were at a walk while the horses got used to moving around again, before picking up the pace in the forest.Unfortunately, as the night guard reported, they hadn’t found the individuals who started the ruckus in town. They were probably lying low for the time being. Even as Klare journeyed into the forest with her partner, she wondered what would happen when they ran into that pair of travellers again. Though she wouldn’t admit it to her partner, she found herself hesitant at the thought of arresting them. “Why didn’t he fire back?” Klare thought. “What are those two up to?”The sun was beginning to rise on the sleepy city of Aproth. It warmed the buildings with a milk orange and pink glow, as the city’s residents began to wake up for the day, starting to head to work. There was a particular wagon being loaded in front of a small building, with two horses strapped to it. One of them was black, and the other brown. They snuffled quietly, hoofing the ground absentmindedly, not yet fully alert. A boy, who had finished loading the wagon with crates and barrels of food and other supplies, stepped down carefully with a bag. He was no older than seventeen, with sandy hair and brown eyes. He walked over to the horses, and held the bag open. Within it was some hay, and the horses happily moved in to eat. When one retracted, the boy fed them an apple as a man came outside from the small building. He wiped his brow with a sleeve. As he leaned against the doorframe.“That seems to be about everything,” He said. “How’re the horses looking, Ben?”“They’re still waking up,” James replied. The ebony horse finished the apple and he stroked its snout, before it dove in for some more hay. “We’ll be ready to leave soon, once the horses are fed and watered. Are you going to get the mistress, Jared?”“Yeah.” Jared rose a hand, and yawned. “I’ll be right back.” He turned and headed back inside the building, and approached the two individuals sitting on the beds. The building only had two “rooms”, the one downstairs, and upstairs. There were three beds downstairs, and three upstairs, along with a wardrobe and some shelves. One of the people was a woman with curly, long black hair, and the other a gentleman with short, blonde hair. Both were wearing cloaks, and the woman was sewing up a satchel while the man was eating some breakfast.“Good morning Clarissa, Albert.” Jared greeted them. They nodded back.“Take care on your travels,” Clarissa nodded to him. Albert was still chewing his food, so he merely nodded. “We'll arrive at the castle as soon as we can, once we’ve stocked up enough and recruited as many people as we can.”“Excellent.” Jared said. “It will be good to see you there soon. Don’t be late.”“We won’t.” Albert said. “You can count on us. This is our chance at freedom.” He smirked. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”Jared left the two to head upstairs, and approached the figure kneeling down in the center of the room, sitting back on her legs with her hands resting palm up on her thighs. She was a beautiful woman, with dark brown hair that cascaded halfway down her bag. However, the most striking thing about her at that moment was that her entire eyes, iris and whites, were glowing a dark magenta. If Jared squinted, he could also perceive a dim, red halo around her hair. She was unblinking, and almost didn’t seem to be breathing.“I’m almost finished speaking to our friend.” Eleanor spoke in an unnaturally monotone voice. Her face was still as a stone while only her lips moved. She said nothing else, and Jared took it as his cue to kneel in front of her, his arms outstretched. After a couple of moments, the red haze in her eyes began to fade away. When at last her eyes became clear, she wobbled, and fell into Jared’s arms. He embraced her, and rubbed her back.“What did he say?” He asked. He nuzzled her gently.“He said our plan was moving accordingly.” Eleanor squeezed him a little, before kneeling back up. She gripped his gloves, looking down at their joined hands. “Soon, I will be prepared to open the gate.”“I understand.” Jared replied. Though they were fairly clear, they were still clouded over, with her irises possessing a small red tint. Her brown irises did well to hide them from being too noticeable at a quick glance, however. “Did he say anything else?”“He is steadily taming the beasts beyond our world. He promised me that they will obey us when we finally bring them to our plane of existence.” She squeezed his hands, and smiled. “Our ally is just as eager as I for that day to arrive.”“While all of magic kind may not know it yet, soon you will be crowned as the new ruler of a realm where magic can flourish, my lady.” Jared stroked her cheek, and she leaned into it. “Thanks to you, magic users will be able to continue their lineage without fear of persecution from those who lack our gift. We will be able to live in harmony again. This upcoming bloodshed is necessary for that future to come.”“I know.” Eleanor nodded. She leaned forward for a kiss, and Jared humbly obliged, holding her chin gently between his fingers. He hummed as he stroked her long brown hair, but his hand slowed. He clutched it instead. He knew that as much as he tried, he wasn’t enough for her. He was never going to be. She mistook his stillness for concern.“Don’t worry, darling.” Eleanor pulled away from him, gazing into his eyes. She cupped his cheek in her soft hand, and he placed his over hers, smiling tenderly to her. “Soon, we will rule this realm like we deserve.”“Of course, my Queen…”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Wake up.”Ellyn awoke to a hushed green light hovering around her face, but beyond that, the world was still dark. She rubbed her eyes, blearily coming to. She grumbled as she felt an aching pain that had settled in her back, and the heavy weight of her knapsack still on her person. She was half-sitting, half-lying on something.“Here.” She peered up to see Simon holding out her glasses to her. His face appeared haggard in the shadows thrown across it by the faint glow. She was about to take it, but noticed her hands were a bit dirty. She wiped them off on a cleaner part of her clothes before gratefully accepting them. There were no tear or dirt stains on the lenses, but they had a white tint, indicating he had rubbed them clean with likely a piece of his clothing. He also gave her his drinking flask. “Drink some water too.”She drank from the flask, taking a moment to catch her breath before turning back to him. “Is it… my turn for night watch?” He shook his head.“Not quite. I wanted to speak to you about our next course of action.” Simon said, before pausing. He cleared his throat. “Can you sit up now?”“O-Oh!” Ellyn finally noticed she was leaning on him, and her arm was resting on his leg. He was also a bit stiff, and his face was turned away awkwardly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you!”“It’s fine.” Simon quietly responded. Ellyn groaned as she pushed herself off of him. She arched her back and stretched, yawning a bit as he adjusted his position. “So, um, what did you have in mind?” Simon didn’t respond to her question for a moment, just taking a deep breath and sighing.“To be honest, I had considered taking you home.” Ellyn blinked at him. “I was hoping Jywill would prove to be enough to make you change your mind.”“I… see.”“But of course, that didn’t go as planned.” Simon rubbed his head, and he yawned deeply. “We’ll have to keep--”“Wait--weren’t you hurt?” Ellyn cut him off, inspecting his arm. There was still a bloody patch on the fabric there, and a hole. “There was an arrow embedded in your arm! What happened?”“I fled, and pulled the bolt out once it was safe.” Simon explained. “And I healed it afterwards.”“With magic?”“...Yes.” Simon slowly replied. Ellyn looked downcast.“I’m still sorry I let that happen, Simon. It was my fault that--”“Don’t be.” He raised his free hand, stopping her from continuing. “It’s in the past now. Mistakes happen, and we need to keep moving forward. It’s too risky to head back for now, since we’ll be recognised. Do you understand?”“So we just keep travelling until we can come back?”“In a sense, yes.”“But--wouldn’t those… Knight-errants…”“Knights-errant.”“Right. Those people. Wouldn’t they be searching for us as we travel?”“At first, yes,” Simon exhaled. “But then as time goes by, people forget, and more prominent offenders are on their minds. We can slip by then.”“Right. I understand.” Ellyn nodded. She peered into the forest. “What… time is it?”“It’s very early morning. I was thinking that we should start moving soon, and escape the forest under the cover of darkness. I heard those Knights-errant pass by our hiding spot a while ago.” Simon rolled his neck around, and his shoulders. Ellyn felt pained as she watched his pinched expression. He likely hadn’t slept much, or at all, while she did. “I’m not sure where they are now. I suspect that they could searching for us in the forest, hence why I want to leave now. Do you understand?”“Yes.”“Alright. We’ll eat some rations, and then be on our way.”“I suspect they’ll be trying to sneak out of the forest while it’s still dark,” Max said as they tethered their horses to a couple of trees, on the outskirts of the forest. The horses put up some fuss, but after they were watered, they settled down to graze quickly. “So we have to be ready for them.”“Right.” Klare pulled out her crossbow from her back, checking its stock. It had six bolts loaded into it. It was a repeating crossbow, a special type that could store up to several bolts at once. There were some out there that could release multiple bolts at a time, but the arbalist preferred this type more.The Knights-errant had made it through the forest without seeing hide nor hair of the travellers. They reached the outskirts and had planned to tether their horses in one place, while they patrolled around the forest edges.“I almost feel like these two are more trouble than they’re worth,” Klare grumbled as she sat down on a log. “We could have had a warm bath, and sleeping in the Jywill Inn right about now, if it weren’t for them.”“Before the day’s over we’ll be in Aproth. Don’t worry.” Max said assuredly, walking over to her. He handed Klare some bread, and her flask. She ate quietly. Max stood a bit away from their spot, watching the forest edges with what little light there was from the moon. The sun was set to rise soon, and the blue tint of twilight was coming in slowly.The travellers couldn’t escape any other way. They knew as well as the Knights-errant did that Jywill was no option, and the forest was sandwiched by hills that were tough to traverse, which led to nowhere useful. It would take days to hike them.They were going to come through this way, no doubt about it.Ellyn owlishly peered beyond the trees. She could barely make out the dim hues of twilight a small ways ahead. They were just on the forest outskirts.She watched the dark silhouette of Simon as he crouched-walked towards a couple of trees with some bushes. He was scouting a ahead, keeping an eye out for the Knights-errant. When he deemed it safe, he would wave to her, and she would advance to his position. They had been at this for about a short while now, and with every moment that passed, Ellyn felt more and more uneasy.She had just crawled over to her teacher’s new location when he leaned close to her, whispering.“They’re here.” He pointed in a direction along the forest edge. “Can you see the horses?” Ellyn squinted, but couldn’t discern the shadowy shapes in the distance at all.“Not… really?”“One of them snuffled quietly earlier, but it doesn’t matter. Those two must be patrolling the forest’s edge, and left them there to not make any noise.”“I see.” Ellyn’s breath hitched. She imagined them getting caught. “I can’t afford to make a single mistake here, or else I’ll jeopardise our journey.”“Our plan is to move close enough to the forest’s edge, and watch until they pass by our position. We move when it’s safe. Do you understand?”“I understand.” “Remember to stay low to the ground, and listen carefully. ” Ellyn nodded, and Simon set off, slowly making his way to a thick couple of bushes very close to the treeline. She knelt on one knee, ready to move, waiting for his signal.…He seemed to be sitting there for a while, trying to discern where the Knights-errant were. Ellyn kept on lookout too, but her other leg began to ache. She slowly moved down onto all fours, believing she didn’t make too noise when she moved.Suddenly, she was pushed down by a weight on her back and legs.“Whoomph!” Ellyn’s face smushed into the grass below. She tensed up and began to breathe quickly. She panicked as a hand grabbed her forehead, angling her head up. The cool metal of a knife brushed by her throat. “Don’t even think about using magic,” The woman above the young girl spoke with a firm demeanour. She couldn’t see what was going on. “You don’t want this to end badly.”The sound of someone else - Ellyn presumed the woman’s partner - was heard as he walked through the forest, moving past the shrubbery in his way. She could hear Simon grunt softly, as the man grabbed his clothes.“Stand up.” The deep voice ordered. “You magic meddlars put us through a lot of trouble, you know that?” Ellyn heard Simon being roughly pulled up. “Start walking.”“Come on,” The woman got off of Ellyn, but held onto her clothes too, as she struggled to her feet. “Let’s go.”“W-Where are we going?” Ellyn whispered, trembling a little. The woman wordlessly walked her out of the forest, and were behind Simon and the man. She noticed the mace and axe strapped to the man’s back, and the armour he was wearing.But more importantly, she was overcome with immense shame and embarrassment for letting the situation happen in the first place.And now, their journey was going to be over.“Look at what you’ve done,” Ellyn miserably thought, as the group approached the horses. The man, who was a bit taller but considerably broader than Simon, pushed him towards a log. “This is all my fault.”“Sit down.” Simon obeyed the command, and after a light push from the female, Ellyn sat down too. She left a small space between them. She eyed the Knights-errant as best as she could in what dim light there was. The axe-wielder had his arms folded and was glaring at them. The woman was holding a weird contraption - it appeared to be some sort of crossbow. She was taller than Ellyn, but shorter than her teacher, by her estimates. She figured that the woman would shoot if Simon or Ellyn tried anything.“What do you want?” Her mentor broke the silence, intently staring at them.“For the trouble you have caused?” The man shook his head, chuckling sardonically. His face hardened again. “Most of your funds and supplies. I don’t think I need to repeat why.” Simon exhaled heavily through his nose.“I see.”“And an explanation of what really happened,” She added. “That man and his friend were just causing a scene to get away. What happened?”“Well--” Simon was cut off.“No.” She directed her sights onto Ellyn, who gasped. “I want to hear it from the girl.” Simon blinked before turning his attention to his apprentice. He shrugged and gestured to the people with a hand.“Go on, Ellyn.” He said tiredly. “Tell the truth.”Klare watched carefully as the girl before her, Ellyn, took a few deep breaths, calming her nerves. She heeded the Knights-errant with fear in her eyes. She was trembling. Klare found herself softening her gaze a little, but kept her crossbow up. She had encountered people like this before - people who appeared innocent; who played on your sympathies, before they backstabbed you or ran away.But this girl seemed too young to be that kind of person. She looked frightened, afraid of the world around her. She was unsure of herself and what she was doing, and it tugged at Klare’s heart strings when she asked where they were taking her and Simon, even if it was barely a short walk away.Ellyn began to speak.“Um, so, Simon and I,” Ellyn gestured to her companion and herself. “Had just arrived in Jywill, and we sat down at a small restaurant to eat dinner. We had just finished eating when those two men were talking down the alleyway, and we could hear them. Um…” Ellyn looked to her teacher, who gave her an exhausted glance in return. He was a little hunched over, and Klare presumed he didn’t acquire much sleep during the night.“Keep talking.” Max ordered tersely. Ellyn tensed up and faced away. Klare gave Max a sideways glance, before returning her focus onto the girl. She struck the arbalist as just a young adult, perhaps still a student of some kind from a magic school. She was likely treating this as seriously as getting a stern talking to from a headmaster, except worse.“Yes, sorry, so um, Simon said we should leave, and we got up, but I knocked over my flask by accident. Simon picked it up but the men got upset we disrupted their conversation, and then I think they got mad because we heard, so they accused us of using magic, and…” Ellyn shrugged sadly, and gestured with her open hands. “You know the rest.”“Right.” Max said with a hint of agitation. He exhaled deeply. Klare saw him squeeze his sleeve.Surely he could have realised the same things about the girl too, right?“You do realise what you did back there, right?” Max finally added. He sounded conflicted. “You pushed a man with your magic down, and ran away from us, the Knights-errant. That is unacceptable behaviour.”“I-I’m sorry…” Ellyn choked out. Klare blinked. She was breathing a little faster. “It’s all my fault, I reacted the way I did and I dropped the flask, it’s all my fault.” She looked up, and Klare could make out the tears welling up in her eyes. “Please don’t punish us too badly--I won’t do it again, it was all an accident…”There was an uncomfortable silence in the air, as Max and Klare stared at the girl attempting not to cry. She sniffled and hugged herself, focusing on the ground. Simon was also watching her, but he didn’t move his arm to touch her, much to Klare’s surprise. He returned his attention to Max, and Klare remembered what they were here for.“Well, unfortunately, it’s too late for you both now.” Max stepped forward. “We are here to uphold the laws and expectations of this land, and you two must pay the price. Open your packs and--”“Wait,” Klare found herself saying. Simon and Max eyed her, the latter with a quirked brow. “You, Ellyn.”“Uh, yes?”“What were the men talking about?”“Um..” Ellyn sniffled, and wiped her nose clean with her sleeve. “I… I don’t really understand, but they were talking about a group called ‘The Young Summoners’...? They… seemed to be talking about opening some kind of gate…”Klare’s eyes widened, as did Max’s. That girl did not just say that.“In that case, we must alert the higher powers at onc--” Max began, but Simon interrupted him.“No! You can’t.”“Excuse me?” Max replied with incredulous exasperation, who now stepped towards Simon and grabbed him by the front of his clothes. “This is a threat to the whole Realm of Sangala, and you’re to tell me that we cannot alert the Governor about this? We cannot let an incident like those of long ago happen again!”“Look,” Simon glared back at Max, raising his hands in defence. “It wouldn’t be a wise idea. If you alert them and word of this gets out, the group would know, and they would become increasingly more difficult to find. We caught them off guard now, but if this--”“What do you mean we?” Max shook Simon, baring his teeth. The wizard glowered at him. “We don’t need you and your little witch girl to help us find these culprits! You cannot be trusted. For all we know, you could be one of them, trying to get back to your little clan to help destroy the Realm!”“It takes a magic user to figure out what’s going on here,” Simon responded with indignation. “And remember, those men back there were ruthless in exposing my companion and I. You should realise that we are not affiliated with those kind.”“That is not going to help you in this situation.” Max let go of Simon, pushing him down to the ground. Ellyn made to reach out to him, but didn’t. “Your kind cannot be trusted. Open your packs, now!”“Hang on, Max.” Klare interjected. Max groaned. “What did you say earlier? It takes a magic user to find them?”“Why are you trusting these people?” Max asked his partner, taken aback by her sudden sympathy. He jerked a hand at them. “We should take their supplies and bring them to Aproth for immediate assessment. There’s no need to ask anymore questions!” “I just want to clarify a detail, is that so much to ask?!” Klare glared back at Max. She contemplated Simon.“Yes, it would.” Simon looked pointedly at Max, folding his arms. “I have an understanding of how the group seems to operate, and so we may be able to figure out how to counter their plans.” Ellyn stared at her mentor aslant, with a mix of surprise and more than a little shock at this revelation. He adds, “I’ve been watching them for a while. They’re bad news, and it seems like action must be taken now.”“What’s your point, traveller?” Max walked over and leaned down to Simon. He was unflinching.“My point is, we could help you. You spare our supplies and supervise us, and in return…We help stop the Young Summoners.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Who in the governor’s name did this guy think he was?Max blinked, rendered speechless by the absolute stupidity of this meddling wizard on the grass before him. That man, Simon, was staring back at him, defiant. He didn’t shy away from the intense eye contact.Max wasn’t afraid to say it.He hated this man’s guts.“I don’t even know where to begin with you lot,” Max rose up, towering over the two. While Simon was unfazed, his little witch girl over there shrunk back, clearly intimidated.And damn right she should be.“But there’s absolutely no way we’re letting you help us. You’re the lowest of the low! You’re all a bunch of cowards who use magic, because you can’t fight like real humans.”“That’s enough, Max.” Klare stepped forward, pulling Max’s arm. He glowered at her. “You musn’t let your prejudices get in the way of our mission. We live to protect the realm, and that is our first priority. This includes magic users, even if we don’t think so.”“You’re playing into their lies,” Max gritted his teeth. He pulled his arm away from her. “They could be lying to save their skins. You know how those people are.”“You sound like that man from earlier,” Klare frowned, clearly disgusted with his behaviour. “You said you were interested in hearing out more of their story.”“And we have--”“And now it concerns us.” The female Knight-errant interjected. “If what Simon says is true, we are the only force that can stop this ‘Young Summoners’ group. And whether we like it or not, that is what we are going to do now.”“We don’t even know if they are telling the truth.”“I might be able to prove it.” Max and Klare fixated their gaze back on to Simon, who hadn’t spoken in a short while. “I know they had a base of operations in Aproth. It may not still be in active use, but it’s worth checking out and around the city.”Klare nodded. “Then it’s within our best interests to.”“You’re listening to them now? Are you part of them or something?” Max looked accusingly at Klare. He couldn’t believe this! His partner, his ally, was standing up for these people. She knew just as well as he did what magic users were like, from all of the criminals they had seen in their service. They weren’t to be trusted.“Maximilian,” Klare glowered at her partner. “I am a Knight-errant who strives to protect the realm, as you do. I still don’t trust these magic users yet, but,” Klare watched them, more specifically the girl, who was staring back with her mouth slightly ajar. “I’m willing to put aside our differences just for this. And besides, we have business in Aproth too. It poses no inconvenience to us.”“... Fine!” Max turned around abruptly. He went to go untether the horses. “But those two are walking.”“At least allow my apprentice to ride with you.” Simon added, stepping to the arbalist. She raised her crossbow at him, and he backed up, raising his hands in self-defence. “She’s only a girl.”Klare hesitated for a moment, but then spoke. “...I’m sorry. I can’t.”“It’s okay, I understand.” Ellyn replied. Klare turned away, moving to untether her horse and prepare. From the corner of his eye, Max could see Simon quietly conversing with Ellyn.“Are you feeling well to continue travelling?” He asked his companion. “As I have said before, I can’t promise your safety, especially from this point forward. I don’t know what might await us.”“I’m okay, Simon.” Ellyn nodded. “We’ll… be okay. I feel it.”Max rolled his eyes as he got on his horse. The horse stomped and hoofed the ground, before being directed to turn. Klare was walking the pair out of the outskirts of the forest and onto the worn path towards Aproth.“You’re walking in front of the horses, so we can keep an eye on you.” Klare told them.“That’s understandable.” Simon responded. With a grunt, he hefted his rucksack on his shoulders, re-adjusting it. He looked down to Ellyn raggedly, who was at chest height to him. “It’s not too far. Let’s go.”“Okay, Simon.”Now that there was some more light, Max could get a better view of the magicians.Simon was a tanned, but fair-skinned man, which was to be expected of a traveller. He was lanky, but Max figured he could pack a punch in a desperate situation. He didn’t wear a hat, and his dark brown hair was messy; clearly in need of a cut. He had an aloof disposition, with a five o’clock shadow causing him to appear extra haggard.And almost like a polar contrast, Ellyn was a plumper one, with pale brown skin. She wore a pair of thick, somewhat foggy spectacles under a wide brimmed leather cap. She was carrying a bigger pack than Simon. Her ebony hair was tied back in a somewhat messy ponytail.Max squinted at their backs as they began to walk. He and Klare followed a short distance away.“I wonder why that girl is with him,” Klare pondered quietly. “They don’t appear related, or behave like they are.”“It doesn’t matter,” Max gruffly replied. “We just focus on getting to Aproth, and checking out that hideout. And then, we take their supplies and funds. We can continue the search ourselves, with a group of proper Knights.”“You realise we could use them, right?” Klare asked. “Think about it. Remember what that man was capable of back in Jywill?”“How could I forget,” Max rolled his eyes. “Along with every other magician we’ve seen on our travels. Your point?” Klare huffed. “Their combat capabilities can be very useful in our mission here. They know better than you or I about the dangers we’re facing.”“I still don’t trust them.” Max breathed out of his nose sharply. “I’m only going with them because you seem to, to some extent. But if they make a mistake, they’ll wish they hadn’t.”“Of course.”How was Simon going to get them out of this situation alive?This whole incident had thrown his plans into a loop, and now here he was, walking to Aproth with practically no sleep. He had a fearful apprentice relying on him, and two Knights-errant breathing down his neck.Brilliant. Just great.“And it’s all her and Alfred’s fault,” Simon grimaced, sliding a hand down his face. He grumbled as his hand came to the rough and unruly texture of the beard that was starting to grow there. “No, no, it isn’t. This is just how the situation came to be. I need to deal with it.” He yawned deeply, and felt himself stagger slightly.Ellyn immediately spoke up from behind him, and he frowned. “A-Are you okay, Simon? Do you um, need a shoulder to lean on?”“I’m fine, don’t worry about it.” He waved her off, and they continued trudging along the path to Aproth.…He was under a lot of scrutiny right now.He could understand why, for the Knights-errant. He was a magic user, who had indeed indirectly threatened the people in Jywill with walls of fire. And it could also be seen as too convenient that he spoke about that group, just when he and Ellyn were about to have their supplies taken away from them. Their food and money were still on their backs, but he was uncertain for how long for.And then there was his “student”.Simon couldn’t really imagine what she must be thinking of him right now. He hadn’t told her the significance of the ‘Young Summoners’ after Jywill in the forest, until just then. He imagined she would have asked eventually - it was inevitable.But here she was, following his every word still. Of course, she was undoubtedly questioning some of them in her head, but it didn’t cloud her need to follow him. She had to - there was no one else to rely on, except for him. “Face it, Simon.” He told himself. “You weren’t cut out for this, no matter how much older you get.”And now, his past was catching up to him. He couldn’t ignore or run away from it any longer.The sun was barely beginning to rise on the sleepy city of Aproth. It warmed the buildings with a mild orange and pink glow, as the city’s residents began to wake up for the day, starting to head to work. There was a particular wagon being loaded in front of a small inn, with two horses strapped to it. They moved slowly,not yet fully alert.. A boy, who had finished loading the wagon, stepped down carefully with a bag. He was no older than seventeen, with chocolate hair and cool blue eyes. He walked over to the horses, and held the bag open. Within it was some hay, and the horses happily gave in to eat. He fed one of them an apple absentmindedly as a man came back outside. He wiped his brow with his sleeve, as he leaned against the doorframe.“That seems to be about everything,” He said. “How’re the horses going, James?”“They’re still waking up,” James replied. The horse finished the apple and he petted its mane. “We’ll be ready to leave soon, once the horses are fed and watered. Are you going to get the mistress, Jared?”“Yeah.” Jared rose a hand, and yawned. “I’ll be back.”Jared turned and headed back inside the inn, upstairs to their room in the corridor. He was careful not to walk too loudly, to not disturb the other sleeping patrons. He knocked delicately on their door.“Eleanor? It’s Jared.”“Come in.” Jared entered, and quickly closed the door behind him. He turned to view the rest of the room, but paused when he saw what was happening. The lovely Eleanor was kneeling down in the centre of the room, sitting on her legs with her hands resting palm up on her thighs. Her eyes were glowing a dark magenta. This would have been normal for a magic user, except her whole eyes shone maroon. If Jared squinted, he could also perceive a dim red halo around her hair. She was unblinking, and almost didn’t seem to be breathing. “I’m almost finished speaking to our friend.” Eleanor spoke, but it came out unnaturally monotone. Her face was as still as a stone while only her lips moved. She said nothing else, and Jared took it as his cue to kneel in front of her, with his arms outstretched a little. After a couple of moments, the red haze in her eyes began to fade away. When at last her eyes became clear, she wobbled, and fell into Jared’s arms. He caught her, and rubbed her back.“What did he say?”“He said our plan was moving accordingly.” Eleanor tapped his arm and he helped push her back up, so she was kneeling again. She gripped his gloves and was looking down at their joined hands. “Soon, I will be prepared to open the gate.”“I understand.” Jared replied. He gazed into her eyes. Though they were fairly clear, they were still clouded over, with her irises having a small red tint. Her brown irises did well to hide them from being too noticeable. “Did he say anything else?”“He is steadily taming the beasts beyond our world. He promises me that they will obey us when we finally bring them to our existence.” She squeezed his hands, and smiled. “Our ally is just as eager as I for that day to arrive.”Eleanor leaned forward for a kiss, and Jared humbly obliged, holding her chin gently between his fingers. He hummed as he stroked her long dark brown hair, but his hand slowed. He clutched it instead.Jared knew he wasn’t enough.He was never going to be enough.She mistook his stillness for concern. “Don’t worry, darling.” Eleanor pulled away from him, gazing into his eyes. She rested her hand on his cheek and he placed his hand over hers, smiling tenderly to her. “Soon, we will rule this realm like we deserve.”“Of course, my Queen…”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The group had arrived in Aproth at midday. They headed to one of the many inns in the city, and checked in. After that, they moved to tend to the horses in the stable. Max had delegated tasks there, commanding Ellyn and Klare to go buy some supplies from the marketplace. In the meantime, he would take Simon to the supposed old hideout and investigate. But first, they took some of the horses’ saddlebags and went upstairs to their rooms.They had rented two rooms, as they only had two single beds each. Ellyn followed Simon up the stairs, and he moved a bit slower than normal, huffing as he got to the top. They walked down the corridor, and Ellyn watched as her mentor slowly shuffled into his lodging. He had his back to her as he hefted off his rucksack onto one of the beds. He stretched, and there were popping and cracking sounds as he did this, while she blinked in concern. At last, he finally stood still for a few seconds, having a momentary respite to himself. He browsed the sparsely decorated room. The magic student was about to open her mouth and step closer before she was stopped.“Shouldn’t you be getting to your room?” The axe-wielder’s intimidatingly deep voice came from beside her, and she bowed her head.“I--I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” She hastily stepped out of the way, and Max moved inside. She scurried off to the room down the hall, where Klare had walked into.She didn’t notice Simon looking at her when she left.Ellyn headed to her room with Klare, though she somehow would have preferred sharing with her mentor. She didn’t really know these two enough to feel comfortable sleeping together. “Klare is nice enough, at least,” she thought, as she put her belongings on her bed as well. She shuddered at the thought of sharing with Max. “Why are you and that guy together?”Ellyn beheld Klare at her bed, who was opening some of the saddlebags from the horses. “Huh?” “Why are you travelling with Simon? You don’t seem related or anything.” “Um, well, my headmaster, at the Magical Academy…” Ellyn began, but hesitated. “Should I be telling her this? Does that even make any sense?”“...Right… those exist?”“Yeah, it’s a place to learn and hone our skills…” Ellyn awkwardly trailed off. “Is she… not going to like hearing about magic studies?” She peeked over at Klare, who was busy searching for something. A pile of clothes was sitting on the bed as she kept rummaging through her things. She unfolded a shirt and considered it, before frowning and tossing it onto the pile.“...So, is he your teacher?”“In a way, yes. The headmaster and him are old friends, and he asked me to go along with Simon on his journey. He wanted me to uh, learn, about the realm so I can help my community more when I get back.”“Don’t get out much, huh?”“Not out of Euret, hehe…” Ellyn found her drinking flask and drank from it. Klare finally seemed to find what she was looking for. She threw Ellyn a coarse, brown cloth bag.“Here. Catch.” Ellyn examined it curiously before Klare started walking to their door. “It’s for carrying the supplies we’re going to buy. Come on.”“Okay.” Ellyn quickly hurried out the door with her, and the Knight-errant locked it, putting the key inside one of the pockets on her belt. They passed by Max and Simon’s room, and judging by the silence, it appeared they had already left for the hideout.Klare and Ellyn went to the marketplace in the city, and it took Ellyn by surprise. She gaped in awe at all of the colours around the stalls, and the sheer number of different people who were manning them, or buying the things on display. The place was crowded and Ellyn was hesitant to go in.“Come on. You’re not here to enjoy yourself.” Klare declared, starting to disappear into the crowd. Ellyn hurried after her.Ellyn obediently remained by Klare’s side as she browsed through people’s wares, from equipment to goods. She admired the craftsmanship of some of the items, like gloves with a decorated back of jewels, or shiny rapiers laid out on some cushions. She loved the wide variety of fruit and vegetables that were piled high, which filled the air with a fresh, organic scent. It was welcome amongst the hustle and bustle of the massive marketplace. Ellyn even found it somewhat amusing as Klare tried to bargain with a merchant for several apples, and was clearly on the losing side. In the end, she had to pay the full price like any normal person had to, and they were dumped into Ellyn’s bag.“Be careful with our things,” Klare told her when she noticed Ellyn holding it from the opening. The bottom contents were dangling down near her knees. “It can be dangerous here.”“Dangerous?”“There can be pickpockets who take your money from your belt without you noticing,” The arbalist explained with exasperation. “Or people who slice open our bag with a knife.” She sighed, and turned to examine some bananas in the shade. “Keep our sack close to you at all times. Do you really not know anything?”“I-I’m sorry, I understand.” Ellyn pulled it up and hugged the contents, keeping it to her chest. Klare gave the girl a once over with a quirked brow, before dismissing it and continuing to shop around. Ellyn was standing idly by Klare as she enquired about the cost of some lettuce, when she noticed something. As she observed her surroundings, a particular spot piqued her interest. Across the marketplace, her eyes happened to lay on two people - a woman and a man, who were arguing with a merchant over some purple berries. They were dressed in dark clothes with dusty coloured cloaks, and one of them had a satchel on. The argument appeared to get more intense over time, with exasperated hand gestures and dismissive waves from the owner before at last, the man aggressively forked over a couple of coins. Ellyn tried to resist laughing as the merchant counted up the coins at a torturously glacial pace after they had fallen onto the floor, before at last, the pair snatched up the berries, whisking them away into their bag. The couple stormed off, and Ellyn kept their eyes on them out of curiosity. They seemed to be angrily muttering to themselves, standing still as they examined the contents in their bag. Her gaze drifted back to the salesman, who was conversing with another merchant to his right. They were obviously having an animated discussion about what just happened. Ellyn was about to look away when a faint yellow aura surrounded some of the berries on the table edge. The merchant wasn’t watching, and his wares just flew down. They whizzed off the table, around the feet of other stalls before flying straight towards the pair. Her eyes widened as she noticed the man’s eyes glowing with greedy delight. It flew into the satchel.“K-Klare--Klare!” Ellyn instinctively reached out to touch the Knight-errant, but stopped mid-motion. “Wait--I can’t just…”“Hang on, I’m busy! What price is this again?” She was still talking to the merchant about some of the other prices for what he was selling.“Klare! This is serious!” Ellyn couldn’t stop herself, and ended up touching the armour on the back of Klare’s shoulder. This finally sparked a scary reaction.“What do you want?!” Klare growled, whipping around. She saw Ellyn shakily holding out an arm, pointing towards the pair. Klare snapped her gaze to them.“I-I saw some magic users over there, they were stealing…!”Now the only problem was, they had noticed Klare and Ellyn too....They bolted down a street.“Hey! Stop!” Klare rushed towards them, weaving in between people roughly as she ran. “Get out of the way! Knight-errant coming through!” “Sorry! Sorry!” Ellyn apologised to the people profusely. She followed meekly, half-bent over as she tried to follow Klare’s open trail left by her running. They soon broke out of the crowd, and the arbalist sprinted towards and down the alleyway. Ellyn wasn’t too far behind, but the weight of what they had bought so far was slowing her down. Klare’s legs were pumping and striking the ground nimbly as she dashed after them into the street, with Ellyn following as best as she could behind.The pair were looking back at the end of the street, and were terrified when they saw Klare rushing towards them. They ducked into an alleyway and the Knight-errant gave chase, and Ellyn was starting to flag after the many turns they were doing. The chase was made even harder by the magic users toppling over crates and barrels they passed by to slow down their chasers.“Keep up, Ellyn!” Klare called, and Ellyn mentally willed herself to press on, speeding up a little bit. She was struggling to hold on though. The weight brought on by the lack of food and a good rest made it hard for her to keep going.They at last reached a point where the couple had finally outrun them, and they turned a final corner. The Knight-errant came to it a few seconds afterwards, and ran in. The magic student finally got to the corner a small while afterwards, panting and nearly slamming into the wall there. Ellyn pushed herself off and was about to continue running when she stopped. She found Klare standing there, looking very irritated. Her body was tensed up and she was panting.In front of her were several dark paths, and a veritable maze of turns and corners in them.
“We’ve… lost them…!”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Max kept a watchful eye on the traveller walking in front of him. He wished he wasn’t staggering at random moments like a complete buffoon. Even the axe-wielder had handled more sleepless nights than this guy.Nevertheless, he kept his guard up. He was prepared to punch him if he tried anything funny. This would normally be the case for everybody, but because Simon was one of those pesky sorcerers, Max’s senses were heightened. He couldn’t afford to be caught off guard with this guy.He was more than capable of being a match for Max.His fingers itched for his axe.“We’re here.” Simon said, stopping in front of a building on the corner of a street. It was a fairly plain brick building, unremarkable in many ways. There was no light coming from within, and Max peered into the windows. They were a bit dusty and the corners were filled with cobwebs, but it seemed to be empty. The magician reached for the rusty door handle, and grunted when he found that it was locked. “I’ll handle this,” Max announced, about to pull the scrawny man out of the way. It appeared to be a fairly aged lock, so a simple shove would be able to knock it down. “Hang on, you can’t.” Simon held up a hand. Max seethed. “Does this imbecile think I can’t do it?”“What now?”“Look. The door’s lock has been enchanted.”“What?” No matter what way Max looked at it, it seemed plain to him. “What are you talking about?”“There. Look carefully.” Simon squatted down, pointing to the door handle and the lock. Max bent down, squinting at the black hole. “There’s a yellow glow. It’s hard to see because the lock is a similar colour, but if you focus, it becomes visible.”…And sure enough, Max finally saw it. Or at least, he thought he did. The door lock seemed to have a small yellow glow coming from within, for just a moment. “How did you notice?”“I felt it when I touched it.” Simon admitted. He drew back to full height, groaning as his joints popped. “Only a magic user can open this door. Give me a moment.” He closed his eyes, and furrowed his brows in concentration. He kept a hand near the door handle, his fingers poised around it like a pair of talons about to snatch up their prey. His fingers twitched, as the lock began to shift to a pale greenish tone. Max watched on with disbelief before at last, the lock clicked open and the door swung slightly ajar.“Useful,” Max squinted at Simon. “But that’s a very troublesome skill to have.”“Relax. I’m being watched like a hawk from a Knight-errant. I don’t plan on playing any tricks in front of you.”“You better not.” The two of them entered the building, and the magician waved a hand across the room, lighting the candles there and the small fireplace tucked away at the back of the room. Max frowned at this, before going on to search the place.The room wasn’t very spacious, but it could fit several people for a hideout. There were three beds lined up away from the entrance, behind a simple folding partition. There was also a large table near the fireplace with some chairs around it, and a large cabinet in the corner of the space. Upon checking it, Max discovered some clothes and some food. It wasn’t fresh, but certainly still edible.“People are still using this base.” Max noted, examining an apple from the stock. The traveller investigated under the beds, and under the covers too. Max noted he wasn’t using magic.“I gathered that. There isn’t a layer of dust on everything, and one of the beds is still barely warm. I’m guessing the residents will be back soon.”“We’ll wait outside for them to return here, and then we’ll interrogate them.” The Knight-errant patted the rope wrapped around his body, hanging from his shoulder like a satchel. “And then we’ll decide what to do with you two.”Suddenly two people came out from behind a corner and ran into Simon and Max. Simon fell to the ground with a woman on top of him, while Max quickly caught the man who had stumbled into him. The man gave him a quick once over. Max realised he had made the right choice when the man’s eyes glared golden at him, just for a second. The man growled.“Let go of me!” The man struggled to pry his hand away, but Max was too powerful. Max restrained him against the wall, and the man’s eyes were now burning a bright yellow, apparently more taken with something over Max’s shoulders. “I said--let go!”“Duck, Max!” Simon shouted, and Max reacted, letting go of the man and ducking down. He heard a crash above him, and wood clattering on his head and onto the ground. The man’s knees buckled and Max pulled him down with a resounding force. He crashed, and his head hit the pavement, and he was knocked out.“Let go off me, you sicko! Look at what you have done!” The woman was struggling against Simon, and was reaching up to claw at his eyes. Max was about to crawl over and help, but Simon noticed the wood next to Max glowing an intense pink. His gaze flicked back to the woman and he let go of one of her hands, much to his chagrin. She immediately scratched her long nails on his cheek and Simon let out a sharp cry of pain, before clamping his hand over her shining rose eyes. Blood seeped from his fresh wounds. He turned his gaze back to the wood and with a piercing emerald gaze, ceased their movement as they settled back to the ground.Max saw this.“Get off of me, get off!” She shouted. Max crawled over and held down her hands. He was just about to figure out what to do next when his partner came racing around the corner. Her eyes widened as she saw the two offenders on the ground.“What happened?” Klare knelt down, pulling out a strip of cloth from one of the bags on her belt.“These two ran into us, and they were going to use magic against us. We pulled them to the ground.” Max answered. She went to go tie the cloth around the woman’s wrists which Max had forcefully pulled together, but Simon stopped her, still struggling with the woman whipping her head about. “Tie it around their eyes, so she can’t use magic!” Simon shouted. She was thrashing about, so it was difficult to get a good hold, but at last with some magical help from Simon, the blindfold was firmly tied around her eyes. And for safe measure, her wrists were bound too. “H--Hah, I--I made it…” Ellyn finally came around, puffing with a face as red as a tomato. She was holding a bulging sack in her hands, and she was bent over, noting the people on the ground. She lifted up her fogged up glasses. “I--Is this, them?”“Who’s them?” Max asked. He was sitting the woman up with Simon and Klare.“These two were seen stealing--something,” the Knight-errant gave Simon’s protégé a sideways glance.“Some--berries.”“Berries, from the market. We lost them, until we heard the commotion.” The trio grunted as the woman continued to kick and shout, until Max unceremoniously draped her over his shoulder and brought her into the building, with her futilely trying to whack him in the back with her bound hands in the process. One of the chairs in the building glowed with a soft blue aura, and Max pulled the woman off his shoulder and down onto it with only a little force. He noted that, as much as she squirmed, the woman wasn’t going to be able to knock the chair over. Klare and Max proceeded to tie the woman to the chair. Simon and Ellyn brought the man in with them and tied him up as well. Ellyn kept her control on the woman’s chair as she continued trying to struggle.“You won’t get away with this!” The woman shouted. The chair held still. “Those two girls were liars! We’ve done nothing wrong!”“You went to harm us with magic and assaulted one of us,” Max’s voice boomed. “That’s a serious offence.”“You Knight-errants, so high and mighty!” The woman screeched. “You’re such scum! All of you!”Simon had a dark look upon his face. He held out a hand to Klare. She gave him a final cloth, and he tied it around her mouth, reducing her screaming to muffles. She continued to struggle nevertheless.“Let’s discuss our next plan outside.” Klare said. The four moved outside, but Ellyn kept an eye on the woman through the window, continuing to hold the chair steady. Simon watched her blearily, before turning his attention to Max.“What’s the plan now?” He asked.“We assess the two inside, and see if they know anything about the next rallies coming up.” Max stated. “We’ll figure out what to do properly, after we have a word with them.”“What should we do?” Klare gestured to the three of them. Max observed the exhausted traveller before him, and the girl by the window, with her brows furrowed as she kept a hold on the woman. He hated to admit it, but… magic had its uses.Sometimes.“We’ll need someone with magic to be here and keep them restrained.” Max added with a hint of irritation.“I’ll do it--”Max interjected. “Simon, you’re in no condition to continue. You’re going back to the inn. Ellyn,” The girl in question perked up. “Give me the bag.”Ellyn handed Max the bag full of supplies, but the traveller stepped forward, attempting to stop him.“What? You can’t do that.” Max ignored him, and handed his partner the room key.“Klare, you’re taking him back to the inn.” Max handed Klare the bag. “Reimburse the merchant on your way back. I trust that the berries were in his satchel, which got squashed during our fight.”“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you?”“I don’t want the girl and Simon back at the inn together. They could escape, or overpower you if they went together.” The traveller stared at him incredulously, but remained silent. His face changed when he at last realised something.…“Wait,” Klare began. It appeared she had reached the same conclusion too.“You want her to stay here with you?”No.No, no, no.No, no, no, no, no.Ellyn did not want to be stuck with Maximilian.That was so out of the question.“You can’t be serious,” Simon responded quickly. Ellyn felt thankful that he was standing up for her. “She’s just a girl - she’s not fit to stay here with you and interrogate them.”The arbalist piped up after the traveller as well. “Max, honestly. Do you really think it’s appropriate that a young girl like her be with you for this?”“I--I promise I’ll be good, back at the inn…” Ellyn finally added in her own input, but Max turned to her.“No. You’re staying here with me. I need to keep an eye on you.”“Max, are you out of your mind?!” Klare snapped.“Enough!” He harshly said. “You two, get going. Ellyn, with me.”“I can’t let you do that.” Simon stood in the doorway. Max huffed.“Relax, wizard. Those two are restrained, and with their blindfolds on, can’t magic anything. She won’t get hurt.” Simon appeared as though he wanted to launch a rebuttal, but it was clear he lacked the mental clarity or strength to say anything further. His apprentice stepped closer to him. It looked like she was about to reach out, but her hand didn’t move much from her side.“S-Simon, just go and get some rest. You’ve done a lot today, and I want to help.”Max watched as the magician heeded his apprentice for a couple of moments. He seemed to be contemplating it deeply. Finally, he sighed.“...Promise me you will be careful around those two. Do you understand?”“Yes, Simon.”“Alright.” He moved to lean on Klare, and together they made for the marketplace. Ellyn watched them go before turning to Max. “A-Are you sure I can do this?” Ellyn asked. “I-I’ve never done this before.”“Relax. All you need to do is keep them restrained with your magic. You’re not to speak, got it?” Max had a serious expression.“Alright…” Ellyn gulped. “This is such a bad idea…”Max opened the door, and together they walked in. It appeared that the woman had calmed down. The man was still unconscious, his head hanging down. Ellyn’s breath hitched as Max walked towards the woman. He yanked down her gag.“I’m not saying a word to you.” The woman spoke with such malice. Almost to accentuate that, she sucked up, and spat a blob of saliva in front of her. It landed on Max’s person naturally, and he grimaced. Ellyn kept her chair steady with a shaking hand.How were they even going to get information out of these two?Ellyn deemed it impossible.“I heard you lot outside. And you’re the worst kind of people too. I’ve had enough of you ruffian Knight-errants and your meddling.” To Ellyn’s surprise, she faced in her direction. “Manipulating young magic users into doing your dirty work… how despicable.” She said with complete venom.“That’s enough,” Max barked. “I know you’re part of the Young Summoners group that’s been causing trouble around the realm. I want answers. When are your next rallies, and where?”“Like I’m going to tell you.” Max was circling around the table, lurking. “I’m not an idiot, you know.”“You’ll be quite the idiot if you don’t answer my questions,” Max cracked his knuckles loudly. He was boring holes into the woman with his eyes, and Ellyn pressed her back up against the wall next to the doorway. She dared not breathe. “Your fates lie in my hands now. Either you can be thrown into a dungeon to rot, or punished by death.”“How corrupt,” The woman snarled. “But your threats don’t scare me. What good is a couple of lives if it will ensure the future of magickind in Sangala?” She cackled, before turning her head to Max next to her unconscious friend. “I can’t wait until you pathetic lowlifes are treated like scum, tenfold of what we have to suffer.”Ellyn saw Max glowering with murderous intent. Everything this woman was saying was pushing all of his buttons. His body was tense as he shot daggers at her, which the young magic student knew he so desperately wanted to do.Ellyn knew violence wasn’t going to be the answer here.But Max was about to go for it.Max huffed, “You sound so tough now, lady.” he thumped his fist into an open hand. “But soon you’ll be singing a different tune.”“What are you going to do? Punch me?” She laughed. “And in front of the girl? She’s barely an adult. You’d be tainting such young, magically gifted minds with the cruelty of such violence. You disgust me. We magic kind could do with a realm without any of you lot!”Without a word, Max swooped around the table and punched her square across the face. The sound of bones cracking filled the deafeningly silent room.Ellyn winced and her hands flew to her mouth. Tears sprung in her eyes and she pressed her legs together. She was trembling, and breathing quickly. The woman spit out presumably blood, and was breathing haggardly.“You’ve scarred… the poor girl.” The woman chuckled weakly. “You monster. I’m not… telling you anything.”Ellyn opened her eyes and although the tears blurred her vision, she could see Max reeling back for another blow.“W--Wait, Max! Stop!” Max hesitated, but in the end, swung his fist once more. Ellyn gasped in horror, as there was another painful crunch. She was reluctant to step forward.But she had to.He was going to kill her!Ellyn found the strength somehow to run forward, pulling on Max’s arm. “Max, please!”“I told you to shut up! You are forbidden from speaking!” Max yanked his arm harshly away. “This is for the greater good of Sangala! Stay back near the door!”“No! I’m not going t-to do that!” Ellyn was glaring at him through her tears. The woman let out a weak chuckle.“What.. do you want to say, girlie?” She asked, mockingly sweetly. She coughed up blood and Ellyn shuddered.“Please, Max, let me talk to her. It sounds like she might be persuaded if I offered her a deal--”“We don’t DO deals. You are forbidden from speaking again!” Max growled at her. He jerked a hand at the door. “Go outside!”“Shut up, you barbarian,” A magenta glow shone through the woman’s blindfold, and the door swung open. “Leave.”“I’m not leaving, until you give me an answer!” Max grabbed the front of her cloak, and the woman spat blood into his face. He was snarling loudly.“M--Max, please! Just wait outside, d-do as she says!” She was pulling on his shoulder. “This is the only way we can get our answers! You’re only making the situation worse!”“I’m not allowing any magicians to remain alone in a room and plot against me and the Realm! Your kind are not to be trusted!” He was shouting in Ellyn’s face.“Max, you have Simon! I have nowhere to go!” Ellyn stamped her foot. Tears were flowing down her cheeks as she observed the woman’s bloody face, “Leave, so I can talk to her!”A bright red glow surrounded Max’s clothes and equipment, before he was forcefully flung outside onto the pavement. Ellyn gasped as he quickly recovered, and was rushing to get back inside when the door slammed closed in front of him. Max’s screaming was clearly audible outside. The pallets of the beds rose up with a pink aura, and stuffed themselves along the outer wall, blocking out the sound. They fit snugly, and his voice became muffled and distant.“Honestly, who did that man take us for?” The blindfold slipped off of the woman, and Ellyn gasped in surprise. “Simon, was it? Thinking we could be stopped with just blindfolds. Visualisation... isn’t all that uncommon.”“W-Who…” Ellyn backed up, away from her. “W-What…”“Well,” The woman smiled, a bloody grin. “Let’s talk.”“Thank you. Goodbye.” Klare waved goodbye to the merchant. She joined the lanky, miserable looking man waiting for her nearby, and together they walked back to the inn. The arbalist was holding their supply bag close. He yawned deeply, and was slightly slouching now.“We should go back there,” Simon grumbled. “It’s not a fit situation for her to be in, interrogating hostile magic users, let alone with your partner.”“Max won’t hurt her for no good reason. Besides, since when did you care about her so much?” Klare quirked a brow. She their their bag to survey their goods. Everything seemed to be in order. “You two don’t seem so close.”“It’s Alfred, her headmaster, who paired me with her.” Simon muttered. “He’ll kill me if harm comes to Ellyn.”“Why is she with you?”“So she can learn,” The wizard sighed, inspecting the street. “And apparently, be my ‘friend’.” Klare huffed, and a small smile spread across her features.“And you don’t seem like the ‘friendly’ type.”“Yeah.” He replied matter-of-factly. They said nothing as they continued to the hotel.They headed upstairs, and Simon shuffled into his room after Klare unlocked it. But of course, she had to come in with him.“I can handle myself,” He grunted. “I’m tired, not helpless.”“I know, but Max told me to keep an eye on you.” The female Knight-errant eyed his cheek. The scratches weren’t bleeding profusely anymore, but they appeared painful. The traveller was removing his boots. “Need me to tend to those scratches?”“No, thanks. I’ll fix it later.” Simon collapsed onto his bed.He fell fast asleep almost instantaneously.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When Simon awoke, it was late evening. The orange glow was peeking in through the curtains. Candles were lit around the room, the sound of their flames burning provided a peaceful ambience. The distant bustle of people enjoying the nightlife could be heard in the streets below.The traveller yawned and sat up, rubbing his neck and surveying the room.He found his student asleep, kneeling by his bedside. Ellyn was slumped over near the foot of the bed, on the left side. Her head was buried in her arms. A lonely plate and cutlery set lay beside her as she snored lightly. Her glasses were sitting next to her on the bed, still open.The wizard also noticed that his bedside table had something on it. It was a plate of cold bread, some berries, and some fruit. It was clear someone, or rather, Ellyn, didn’t know what time he was going to wake up, and didn’t want to disturb him.“Ellyn…” Simon grabbed the bread, and broke it into pieces, eating them one by one. He regarded the girl sleeping by his bedside with mixed emotion. Why was she sleeping there? “It doesn’t look like she’s changed or bathed, either.” The mentor mused. He picked up her glasses absentmindedly when he finished eating, thinking to wipe them clean for her but he stopped when he noticed something.There were blotchy stains on the bottom half of the lenses.
“She’s been crying.”
Some soft mumbles came from the young magic student, and she shifted. Ellyn groaned as she slowly rose her head and stretched her arms, before peering up at her mentor. She squinted, indicating that she was short sighted. But he could see the telltale puffy eyes. They didn’t seem to be too recent.Did she cry herself to sleep?“Si...mon?” The girl said. She rubbed her eyes.“Hello, Ellyn.” Simon began, but he wasn’t sure how to continue. “What am I supposed to say?” His companion was looking at him and the plate of food still on the bedside table. He followed her gaze. “Did you get that for me?”“Mmhmm.” She nodded, before hunching her shoulders up. “I didn’t know what to get you, and I didn’t want it to become cold, so I thought…” She trailed off, but seemed more depressed. “I’m sorry if you wanted hot food. I didn’t want to disturb you.”“It’s alright, Ellyn,” The traveller said. “This is fine.”…This was an unusual feeling for the man.There was such a mix of emotions stirring up within him. What did he feel for this girl? What to say first? Simon struggled to put his feelings into words.Why did she care?“I appreciate it.” He finally said, after a moment of silence. The words tasted odd on his tongue. He hadn’t formed those syllables in a long time.The magic student blinked at him. “Thank you.” A sad smile spread across her features.“That’s something at least,” Simon thought hopefully. But then her nose twitched and flared, and the smile changed. She pulled her arms close to her face, and her body shook once.She was going to cry again.“Ellyn, what’s wrong?” The mentor got off the bed and knelt down next to his pupil. She didn’t want to look at him, shrinking away while trembling. “Look at me.”The young girl turned her face to him, loose tears beginning to flow down her cheeks. “P--Please, please don’t yell at me. I’m sorry.”“I won’t yell at you Ellyn,” Her teacher said softly, but that didn’t seem to reassure her. She squeaked and buried her face back into her hands.“I’m s-scared,” She stuttered. “S-Scared that you will.”Something happened.And she didn’t want him waking up to lecture her just yet.Was that it?“P-please don’t leave me.” Ellyn croaked, and Simon finally made to touch her shoulder. He awkwardly squeezed it, unsure if it was making any impact at all.“Whatever it is, I won’t leave you.” He said. “It will be alright.”There was a knock at the door, and the girl curled herself up more. Max opened it and peeked his head in. He saw the scene and looked off to the side, a strained grimace across his features. “Sorry to interrupt,” He started. “But Klare and I are discussing our next course of action in her room next door. Come in when you’re ready.”“Alright.” Simon responded. The Knight-errant closed the door and the wizard looked to the girl still whimpering softly. “Come on, Ellyn. Drink some water and have a bit more sleep.”“O-Okay.” She sniffled, and got up. She sat down on the bed morosely and Simon gave her his drinking flask, which she drank gingerly out of. His pupil laid down on his bed and looked up at her mentor.“Have a rest,” He said. “I’ll be back.” Ellyn mumbled her affirmation before closing her eyes again. He took a small branch of berries from the plate, and left the room.The traveller knocked and opened the door to Klare’s room. He found them sitting on the opposite beds, talking.“Hey Simon, feeling better?” The female Knight-errant asked. She sucked in the air through her teeth as she once again noticed the wounds on his cheek. “Are you sure you don’t need help with those injuries?”“I’m fine,” He replied. He sat down on the bed next to the axe-wielder. “I can fix it now.”“How are you going to do that?” The arbalist quirked a brow. Simon didn’t answer her question, and instead looked at his hand. His irises glowed a moderate green, which matched the aura his hand was encompassed in. Klare and Max watched with eyes wide as he pressed it to his cheek. The wizard frowned as the magic seeped in, and when he pulled it away after a couple of moments, it was nearly fully healed.“How did you do that?” The male Knight-errant was bewildered. He was studying the magic user’s cheek with disbelief. The skin was still a little discoloured and greenish, but it was clearly healing underneath the skin. “How does magic even work, anyways?”“You two don’t know how magic works?” Simon looked to them. Max and his partner shared a mutual look of confusion before the wizard sighed. “How do I explain…” He rubbed his head before beginning to speak.“All beings need energy to move and do the things they need to do. And when we get tired, we replenish it by eating food and sleeping,” He explained. “Our brain acts like a muscle, just like the ones in your body. It has to be exercised like a calf or a bicep would to be stronger. There’s no difference between how normal muscles and magic-oriented brains work, they just show in different ways.”“Right…” Max breathed out. He looked at his arms, and then at Simon. “So magic doesn’t just “happen” with no consequence?”“No, not at all. It uses up energy, just like how lifting and moving would for normal body muscles.” Simon touched his cheek. “Healing uses up a lot of energy. Even small wounds. It’s because we have to force the body to rapidly heal itself.”“What if you sustained a big injury?” Klare was intrigued.“The general blood loss, pain and shock would render someone incapable of healing themselves, and would require a great deal of energy, likely multiple wizards, to heal that.” He gesticulated with his hand. “Of course, that would render them fairly helpless afterwards.”“You sound like a teacher,” The arbalist cracked a wry smile. “Are you sure you aren’t one?”“I was once, in a sense.” Simon continued eating his berries, with a downcast, faraway smile. He looked up at the two with a resolved attitude. “In any case, what is our next course of action? Or more importantly first of all, what happened to Ellyn?”“We know the next rallies are taking place in another big town called Ymmel in a week’s time,” Klare said. “It will take us about five days to reach it in time. We’ll be leaving tomorrow morning, at first light. Max and I arranged for an additional horse to join us.”“I thought you were going to cut us off here?” Simon let a small sardonic smile cross his features. Max huffed.“I was planning to, but it seems like you two will be imperative to the mission,” The axe-wielder rolled his eyes, before grumbling. “And that girl is hiding something.”“What do you mean?”The axe-wielder sighed deeply and folded his arms. “When we interrogated those two offenders, I wasn’t making any headway with them.” Max was contemplating the floor as he spoke. “And then when Ellyn decided to pipe up and offer them a deal, they kicked me out to speak with the girl alone.”The wizard nearly choked on his berry.“You let that happen?!” Simon rose his voice somewhat. Max glared back.“They threw me out using magic, and blockaded the entrance. There was nothing I could do but wait. Now if you could quiet down so I can finish the story…” The Knight-errant cleared his throat. “After a while, the door finally swung open again, and Ellyn said they had reached an agreement. The two first demanded that they be kept alive in prison before they would talk about the next rallies. I had to swear on my honour to ensure this would be the case, and then they told us about the rallies.”“We took them to the jails, and asked Ellyn what happened,” Klare continued. “But she wouldn’t talk. She began to sob uncontrollably, until we let her go. She got some food for you and herself, ate, and then stayed by your bedside.” She shrugged. Simon exhaled deeply from his nostrils. “Do you think you know what happened?”“I might.” He conceded. He looked grim. “That group knows dark magic, and I wouldn’t put it past them to do something like this.” “Something like what?” Max asked. The wizard looked solemnly at the axe-wielder, which unnerved the bigger man. “Uhhh…?”“They’ve formed a pact with her.”Unbeknownst to the adults discussing their plans in the other room, Ellyn had gotten off Simon’s bed. They were speaking too loudly for her to sleep, and the walls were practically paper thin. She still couldn’t hear them clearly, though. However, curiosity had overtaken the young one, and so she crept out of her room, tiptoed over to the door and watched through the keyhole. Admittedly it would look strange to anybody passing by, but she could hear the chorus of people below in the taverns and whatnot. The girl would know if someone was coming by a mile.“What type of pact is this you speak of?” Klare asked. “Is there any way to break it?”“No. It’s a magical pact, forged in blood. I suspect Ellyn has a cut somewhere on her body.” Simon replied.“How did he know?” Ellyn frowned as nursed her arm with a feeble hand. “Of course he would know. Simon knows everything.”“Then we should make the prisoners take it off of her.” Max said tersely. “We can threaten them with their lives.”“It’s not that easy. I think the agreement made was a very difficult and complex one.” Her teacher folded his arms. “It’s probable that Ellyn had very little choice in the matter.”“Do you think you might know what she agreed to?” Klare piped in. “Maybe we could work around it if we had an idea.”“I’m assuming the prisoners are at least being kept alive in exchange for the information on the rallies,” Simon reasoned. “A blood pact prevents the truth from being hidden. What they’ve said is truthful. In any case, it’s furthermore not uncommon for there to be additional terms to keep the participants silent about what was agreed upon.”“So what should we do about it?” Max sighed irritatedly. “The girl can’t tell us what happened in there, but she could pose a threat. She might have to kill us.”“I doubt it,” Her mentor shook his head. “She would have tried to by now, as clumsy as it would have been. We just have to observe when the effects take place. We shouldn’t place undue pressure on her to tell the truth, because it may make matters worse.”“How will we know when the effects are being shown?” Klare looked concernedly at Simon.“Likely when she isn’t acting normally. Naturally she would have told you the truth about what happened in the meeting room, but from what you two told me, it’s clear that the pact was preventing her from doing so.” “So all we can do is keep travelling until these terms make themselves clear to us?” “Yes.”“But for all we know, it could still be to sabotage our mission.” Max growled. “We can’t have someone like that on board with us.” Ellyn’s eyes widened.“You said we were imperative to the mission,” Simon glared back. “She is not being left behind.”...Was he standing up for her?“Let me remind you that you have no choice in the matter,” The axe-wielder wasn’t backing down. “You’re still our prisoners.”Klare sighed. “Max, we can’t leave her anywhere. She needs to come with us. She’s just a girl.”…“Just a girl”....Of course she was.“I really am just useless…” Ellyn’s heart sank. “You’re only here because you’re helpless.”Her eyes began to water, and she wordlessly pulled herself off of the ground. The adults were discussing the plans for tomorrow, but the girl didn’t care anymore. She headed back into Max’s room, and trudged over to the window.“Ooh, you shouldn’t think like this, Ellyn…” She gripped her head. “But--you really can’t do anything right. You let those Young Summoners talk you into a corner, and you said yes. Now you’ve made a problem for everybody.”She pressed her forehead against the cool glass, and the tears started to flow down her cheeks.Eleanor was kneeling by the campfire in the forest. The sun hadn’t properly set yet, but the woods were dark and it made the small clearing the trio had found feel claustrophobic. The bright embers nevertheless, lit up the woman’s face. She moved her lips in silent conversation, and her eyes were clouded over with a strong red tint. Her hands lay palm up on her thighs.If James was being honest, it freaked him out a little bit. He wasn’t sure if their lady was being possessed, or communicating with the demon in the other world sometimes. Occasionally, he was afraid she’d never return from that state. Their beautiful leader for a brighter future.The teenager was watching this as he groomed one of their horses, who was quietly grazing and hoofing about. The graceful beast belonged to their leader. Apparently its name was Lydia. The mare wasn’t fully trusting of the errand boy yet, but she permitted him tend to her. James was happy to be of use in this group.It was better than how he was treated back home, for sure.Jared was sitting next to Eleanor, cooking and warming their food for the night. His horse, Ruth, had already been tended to. The group had caught two rabbits during the journey. It was certainly far easier to catch game when one could use telekinetic magic to ensure the kill. The teenager was happy to be learning more and more than he what he would have learnt on his own back home.At last, her eyes shifted back to their normal colour, and Jared crawled over and caught her. He held her tenderly, and James stopped tending to Lydia to sit down and listen.“It seems two of our people were captured,” She said. “Clarissa and Albert. A small group of travellers appear to be on our tail, and it’s likely that they leave from Aproth tomorrow morning.”“That’s only a day behind us,” Jared frowned. “What shall we do?”“Our ever so observant friend says that they are a disorganised group,” Eleanor picked off a twig from the ground, and mindlessly threw it into the fire. “Two Knights-errant, a traveller and a young girl. Not a very impressive group to take us down. They won’t get very far, since difficulties and tension preside amongst them.” “So what’s the plan?” James asked.“Our ally is arranging for a suitable demon to aid us,” Eleanor stared deep into the fire. “We shall summon it once we’ve traversed the network of caves on our way to Ymmel. It can remain there and feast on the creatures in the surroundings, becoming strong enough to kill them.”“What if it succeeds?” Jared inquired. “What will become of it?”“There are some demons who are willing to listen to orders, because of their strong desire to come to our world. I trust it will obey, and only strike at those that come in its vicinity. This, our friend has reassured me.”“We’re sure it’ll stop our pursuers?” James tilted his head. “But can it even contain itself to not attack the towns nearby?” He wondered.“Do you doubt me so, James?” Eleanor’s eyes glowed wickedly for a moment, and the teenager gulped.“N--No, not at all, my lady,” He stuttered. “I just wanted to make sure.”“Don’t worry, James.” She closed her eyes, smiling smugly. “Those travellers are just little nuisances in our grand scheme for justice.No one shall be able to stop us.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When first light hit, the travelling group had just finished spreading their supplies amongst the horses, to ensure a relatively even weight distribution. It was good that Simon and Ellyn didn’t have any heavy weaponry to add to the pile. The magic pair were set to be riding on the sturdy horse that Max and Klare had acquired for them the day before.It was also the student’s first time on a horse.It had been a fairly embarrassing ordeal getting on it. With minimal difficulty, her mentor had gotten up onto the equine. It shook its mane and the girl patted it, gulping to herself.“Could I even get onto this thing?” The magic student looked at the saddle space behind her teacher with concern. “What if I fall off, what if I can’t…”“Is this your first time getting on a horse?” Simon asked, as he reached a hand out to his pupil. She gingerly took it. “Use the stirrups and heave yourself up. You can’t hesitate.”“I--I don’t really know if I can…” The girl hesitated. It was too high. She couldn’t--there was no way.“Come on. It’s a learning experience.” He encouraged her. “You’ll get used to it.”Ellyn took a readying breath, before stepping onto the stirrup, and heaving herself up.The girl could have sworn she almost could have accidentally broken her teacher’s arm or something as she scrambled to get on the equine. He sounded pained, and the pupil was secretly thankful to the powers that be that she got on the horse on the first try. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. She would have hated to do it again.“A--Are you okay?” She asked her mentor. He rolled his shoulder and rubbed it, sighing. “I--I’m sorry if I.. I hurt you.”“It’s fine.” The traveller reassured her. “You’ll get better at it as we go along.”…“S-So, um, where do I…” Ellyn was pressed flush against Simon’s back, and her hands hovered with uncertainty by his elbows. “Do I wrap my arms around his waist? Or is that too personal? Maybe I should have ridden with Klare instead--I guess I’ll just…”The mentee was about to move her hands to hold onto his shoulders, but he instead grabbed her hands, and wrapped them around his waist. “S--Simon, I…” Her hands trembled. He looked over his shoulder to the magic student in the corner of his eye.“It’s alright, Ellyn.” He said quietly. “It’s fine.”“O-Okay.” She replied meekly back.It wasn’t, truly.Here she was.Hugging her mentor so intimately.This… this wasn’t supposed to happen.She could feel his body underneath the clothes… and he was warm. Her fingers were interlocked, and resting respectfully over his abdomen, and she wouldn’t dare to let them drop downward. That would be so inappropriate…!...But why did she feel herself enjoying this?“What obscene thoughts,” Ellyn frowned to herself. “I--I shouldn’t, this is improper, why do I…”“Are we ready to start heading out?” Max rode his horse into view. They were parked outside the stable next to the inn, and Klare soon joined him. The girl hunched up her shoulders and faced away from him.“Yes. We’re ready.” Simon responded. She could feel his body rumble when he said that. And she could hear his breaths. She could smell the rough scent of him.She shouldn’t be noticing these things.She shouldn’t feel like resting her head on his back.“Alright. Let’s get going.” Max led the way, with Klare in second and Simon in the rear. This was going to be such a long day, if Ellyn’s thoughts were going to be this distracting during the horse ride....Her hands hadn’t moved at all.They were perfectly positioned right where he had placed them, and the fingers were intertwined, but there remained an uncomfortable air between the magic casters. She wasn’t relaxing them.“I wonder what she’s thinking about back there,” The older man mused. “She hasn’t made a sound since we left.”Although the pair had generally agreed to refrain from talking on their journey, it was reasonable because they needed to save their breath while trekking across the landscape. But now that they had a horse, there was nothing else to really do except, well..Talk.“Ellyn,” He found himself muttering under his breath, a little over his shoulder. “Hn?” She replied, nervously. She heard him, to his surprise.Simon looked at the Knights-errant ahead, and judged that they were too far away to hear him converse with his student. It was good, since they hadn’t had a moment alone in a while. He decided to make use of this.“We know about the pact you made with those two Young Summoners,” Her mentor said. “I understand it must have been a difficult decision.”…“I-I’m sorry…” She mumbled out loud. “I just didn’t know what to do, and I…”“I’m not disappointed or upset. You had no choice.” The teacher stared down at his reins, and at the hands trembling slightly on his abdomen. Why were the words hard to form? “I’m… sorry, that you had to go through that experience.”Simon listened expectantly for his companion’s reply. Despite his initial grievances at having been assigned the young girl to accompany him, he hadn’t intended to drag her into such dangerous situations. She hadn’t done anything to warrant being in this position. ...Did she not know what to say?Simon reflected on his words again, considering them over before at last her hands released. Though clammy, they gingerly gripped his shirt and she leaned against him gently, resting her forehead against his back.“I’m glad you understand.” She mumbled back at last. “Thank you.”When the group had at last reached the forest, Max announced that it was time to walk the horses. It helped them continue on without the weight of the humans on their backs. They first took a break to water the horses, before the group began to walk.The Knights-errant were walking side by side, and the magic duo were behind them. The recent break had gotten people talking, so the axe-wielder took upon himself to ask..“How did you two end up together?”“Us?” Ellyn asked. She recalled that she had only told Klare this story. “Um, well, the headmaster of my school back in Euret assigned me to accompany him.”The axe-wielder seemed satisfied with this response, but the arbalist prodded further. “This is your first time away from home, isn’t it Ellyn?”“Yes. How did you know?”Klare chuckled. “Just by how amazed you looked at the marketplace back in Aproth. I think I was concerned you would walk off to go walk around the stalls.” Ellyn had a dorky smile on her face when she said that.“And how about you two?” Simon joined the conversation. “We’ve barely heard anything about you two.”The male Knight-errant waved off the question dismissively with a hand. “It’s nothing you need to know.”“Come on Max,” Klare playfully batted her partner’s arm with the back of her hand. “We’re travelling together. There’s no use in hiding it.” Taking his silence as consent, she began to speak. “I’m from Tharlet, and Max from Delren. They’re neighbouring cities in this region, and our knights are friendly towards one another. We happened to be paired together to travel and do good deeds.”“Do you um, travel around a specific area?” The young student enquired. “Or can you go wherever?”“We generally stay in this region. Jywill, Aproth, Ymmel and a few of the other towns around here are where we go.” Max answered. “Euret’s surrounded by mountains and is in a different region anyway, so it’s not in our jurisdiction.”“I understand.” Ellyn nodded. Simon glanced down to her by his side. She seemed appreciative that there was conversation amongst them.“It’s a good thing we’re together,” Klare nudged her partner. “This one always wants to work, work, work. I swear he would forget to eat if I didn’t remind him.”“Klare,” Max leered at her mock-threateningly. His partner shrugged with a carefree smile.“Just informing our new travelling party what they’re in for.”Eleanor and her group had made it to the caves deep in the forest. There was a network of them that led through to the other side of a large plateau. Normally travellers would have spent the rest of their afternoons preparing to go in the following day, making torches and such. It was easy to get lost in there.“Are we stopping here, lady Eleanor?” James asked. He was riding in the wagon behind the courses with their belongings. It was a good thing that he was a fairly lanky boy, he didn’t take up too much space and didn’t add much weight to the horse’s strain.“No,” She replied. “We must continue through the caves now. That group may still catch up to us, and it’s not worth the risk.”“I doubt we’ll make it through before dark.” Jared squinted into the dark opening. They could still do make it however, because they could summon their own light sources to guide them.Being a magic wielder had its perks.“Our friend shall show us the way just in case,” Eleanor said. “We will get out of there by dark most likely. We need time for our demon ally to prepare for our pursuers. In the meantime, Jared, go and find us some game. We’ll need blood to draw our summoning circle.”“Understood, my lady.” He got off of his horse, and went off to do his task. James jumped down and checked on the horses, keeping an eye on Eleanor as she placed her hands on her thighs, beginning to speak to their otherworldly friend.James wondered what the monster was going to look like.The Knights-errant and the travellers had stopped for a break in a small clearing. Ellyn and Klare went to relieve themselves a bit away from where the group was parked, while Max and Simon watched over the horses. The magic user was idly patting his horse while feeling it an apple when the axe-wielder broke the silence.“Look, I never said thanks for what you did back there in Aproth,” He rumbled. The traveller glanced over at him from the corner of his eye. He was staring his horse intently while petting its snout. “Telling me to duck when we were fighting those two magic users. Thank you. I owe you for that.”“It was nothing.” Simon responded after a moment. The two men hadn’t spoken much when they were alone in Aproth. It was a few mutters here and there in their hotel room, but that was about it.The magic wielder didn’t need to be honest to admit this. He didn’t still like Max. It’s clear he had a strong disdain for those who practiced magic, and of course leaving him with Ellyn was a bad idea. He had an idea as to why the Knight-errant might feel that way, but it wasn’t a good time to ask yet.So they continued feeding the horses quietly.Klare came out from the bushes, dusting herself off. Ellyn waved to her politely before they began to walk back to the horses. She was fidgeting, and so the Knight-errant opened her mouth to say,“Did--”“W-What’s the name of the weapon you use?” She asked the older girl abruptly. The arbalist looked at her in surprise. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt!”“No, it’s fine, uh,” She took a moment to process Ellyn’s question. The girl had spoken quite fast. “My crossbow? It’s like a bow and arrow, it fires bolts which are similar to arrows. I load a bolt into it like an archer would, but keep it taut until I need to fire it.”“Aaah, I see.” The magic student smiled thoughtfully, nodding to herself. “I understand.”Klare didn’t necessarily know how to reply, but it seemed like the girl was happy to learn a bit more about her and her crossbow.Come to think of it, when was the last time she had spoken to a girl like this…?

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To Ellyn’s delight, there had been a few more intermingled conversations throughout the day. Max taught the magic student about the importance of cleaning a horse’s hooves. Klare asked Simon a little bit more about magic. She was relieved to hear that they wouldn’t need to make more torches before heading into the caves, since they could summon balls of light to guide their way. The axe-wielder had raised no audible objections to it. They were tentative conversations between people, but it nevertheless made the girl feel a little happier.They had found a recently used campfire spot on their way. The group decided it was a decent place to rest, and so they used it for the night. All of the chores were done fairly quickly, and they even had a makeshift tent set up. Ellyn was initially going to bring materials for a tent back in Euret, but she thought her teacher had one. He didn’t, so she was grateful to be seeing some actual shelter now.They were all chatting around the campfire, quiet conversations here and there about a few topics. Dinner was simple this night, to keep rations steady for the next couple of nights. Magic came up again, somehow.The arbalist led the conversation. “If there’s ever something I’ve wanted to ask a magic user for a while, it’s what happened during ‘that’ incident two decades ago.”“What do you think happened, first of all?” Simon said from his place across the campfire. His apprentice was sitting a few feet away, warming her hands by the fire. “I can help dispel any rumours if we know what you think.”Ellyn was happy to see her teacher interacting more with the Knights-errant, even if just a little bit. He hadn’t spoken to her this much when they were travelling alone.“Is it worth even bringing up?” Max grumbled. He surveyed their surroundings while he spoke. “From what I’ve seen, it looked like a bunch of crazy wizards decided to spawn a bunch of monsters. People have said that they were testing out summoning monsters to take over the realm.”“T-That’s not what happened at all!” Ellyn piped in. When she saw the male Knight-errant look at her she shrunk back a little. “I-I mean, that’s not, what I was taught in school…”“It seems like there’s differing stories between sides,” Klare sighed. “You can’t figure out who to trust.”“I could tell you, for what it’s worth,” Simon said. “I’ve investigated that topic before, and it’s what the Young Summoners happen to believe as well. It can help us better understand what the group wants.”“What’s there to add that we don’t already know?” Max asked. “But you might as well add in your two coins. It’s not going to change what happened anyway.”Ellyn looked at the axe-wielder concernedly, before her mentor took a readying breath. He began to speak.“A century ago, a Golden Age of Magic began. Magic and non-magic users flourished in harmony as they used their skills to benefit and further humanity. There was much developments at the time that we must give credit for today, from medicine to better architecture, equipment and so on.However, the pioneers of magic eventually became obsessed with discovering more about it. They began to get competitive and greedy for knowledge, and negativity festered throughout the community. It’s a detail that most people wouldn’t know as it wasn’t too publically spread, but nevertheless…It is believed that due to the negative emotions they brewed, that they became open to evil demonic influence.”“That sounds like a bunch of horsecrap,” Max interrupted. “How are we supposed to believe that?”“It’s true, otherwise, how else would you explain the demonic invasion that occurred later on?” Simon replied. The Knight-errant fell silent, and the wizard continued.“The demons began to communicate with them from another world, which the wizards yearned to tap into. It told them to craft summoning gates to connect them.The wizards were oblivious that other gates were being crafted. And in their haste to be known as the first to discover this new world, they became reckless, and their minds were slowly overturned by the denizens of that world. The magic that they were so affluent with became the connection between the worlds, and soon they completed the gates. They unleashed a monstrous invasion. That was a quarter-century ago.Fortunately, as we all know, humanity emerged triumphant from this experience, but not without much bloodshed and carnage in the process. The magic wielders and others destroyed the gates. Following this, there was much debate about what to do. Magic ultimately couldn’t and wouldn’t be outright forbidden, but since then, it has been looked down upon by the public.Magic users are generally seen as a threat because of this past event, however that kind of summoning would take intense preparation, training, and multiple wizards to feed their power into it. It’s not something any average magic wielder can do.”A thoughtful silence hung in the air as everyone absorbed Simon’s words.“So what does that mean for the Young Summoners?” Klare finally said. “What do they hope to accomplish?”“Based on history and the discussion we’ve heard so far, I’d say that they were planning to cause another summoning as well. Magic has become much too oppressed and they’re a group that has risen up for magic kind. I believe they want to wreak revenge from the suffering that they have faced, but with the necessary precautions to prevent an out of control rampage.”The wizard looked at the people around the campfire. “I… I think they mean to rule the realm.”“Then we should be alerting the higher authorities at once!” The axe-wielder stood up abruptly. “This may be an issue far bigger than what our little team can handle.”“We are only two Knights-errant,” Klare went on to say. “If their plans are of that scale, we would need more arms than what we currently have.”“We mustn’t yet,” Simon stopped them with a hand. “While their end goal may be vast, we don’t know the numbers we could be expecting. We need to attend the next rally to get a better idea of what we’re dealing with.”“And how do we know you’re not just having us escort you two to the bigger group to kill us later?” Max squinted at the man across the fire. “You still can’t be trusted.” The mentor had opened his mouth to reply, but his pupil beat him to it.“S-Seriously? Again, with the, the evil wizard thing?”“Ellyn,” Her teacher tried to stop her, but she stood up, standing defiantly before the Knight-errant. “No, Simon,” Ellyn spoke. She was trembling, and her hands balled into tight fists. “You need to cut that out! We’ve told you the truth about who we are, why can’t you just believe us?”“Well, why can’t you,” He jabbed an index finger at her. “Tell us what happened in that hideout? How do we know you weren’t just making a deal with them for later?” Ellyn gripped her left forearm uneasily, and Klare stood up to grab her partner’s arm.“Max, that’s enough--”“Why do you think we’re all bad people!?” Ellyn rose her voice at him. It cracked as she struggled to form the words. “C-Can’t you see we’re human just like you!?”“Because you backstabbing lot killed my family and my friends!”…Max was panting heavily. He was leaning into the girl’s personal space, directly in her face. She wasn’t breathing. At last, she drew in a shuddering breath.“I’m sorry for my, um, outburst.” And then, she sat down again, with her eyes lowered to the ground. An awkward silence hung in the air before people gradually expressed that they were going to sleep. The axe-wielder began the first night watch.Ellyn had her back to him, so she didn’t notice the male Knight-errant gazing solemnly at her while she struggled, before finally managing to slip into unconsciousness.At last, Eleanor’s group had made it through the caves, with thankfully minimal difficulty. They kept their light orbs floating around them as they rode out of the opening. It was early nighttime now, with a clear sky and a bright moon illuminating the rural landscape. The rising moon shone down on a large area at the mouth of the cave, a sight she observed with a pleased expression.“Jared, James, we’ll leave the wagon and horses over there,” Their leader pointed to a spot just ahead of the cave. “We shall draw our summoning circle here in the moonlight.” Quietly, the trio got down and grabbed the game Jared had killed. Eleanor was kneeling down at the cave entrance, and the men joined her. “I will mark out a circle with my magic. Paint the ground with the blood of the animals.” Soon, her eyes glowed red and her lips began to move. One of her hands lifted up, and purplish-red lines began to indicate where to mark. The men used their magic to crudely paint the outline on the cave-floor with the blood of the animals. It wasn’t as big a circle the errand boy had expected, but he figured that they weren’t summoning a very large creature. There were too few of them to be able to conjure up that much energy in any case. The men placed the dead game in a pile in the centre, and James hoped they would be away from the stench quickly.When they had finished marking the circle, Eleanor spoke again. “Kneel beside me, and join hands with me. I must use your power to fuel this summoning.” Obediently, they did as they were told, and immediately, James felt a chilling sensation run up from his arm to his head, and throughout his body. Instinctively, his magic kicked in, and it flowed towards a small spot on the ground that the mistress was concentrating on in the circle. The orbs of light around the group faded away, as the three focused on their spell.It was difficult to maintain, and James felt himself starting to tremble. But his burning curiosity helped fuel him, and his newfound resolution made his magic come out stronger and more freely. The spot was beginning to widen, and a blob began to form within it. A dark silhouette was contained within, and it kept getting bigger, and bigger. The boy could feel himself start to sweat with the exertion, and it felt like his brain was being torturously roasted as more of the monster came into existence. James felt his energy slipping away, depleting a little quicker than the adults with him, and when at last when he felt completely burnt out, he ceased standing firm, but remained holding hands.He watched tiredly as the silhouette began to take shape. It was like a little bear, except it looked more agile and dangerous. It snapped its sharp teeth to test them, and opened and closed its claws. The half-conscious teenager couldn’t see it in more detail beyond that.But he knew it was terrifying.At last, the light around the beast dimmed, and faded away. It viewed the offering before it with a malicious grin before starting to chomp away at it. Eleanor began to speak.“It will feast on the game to gain strength,” Eleanor looked haggard in the dim light. She barely struggled to her feet, and James and Jared soon followed. “It won’t attack us, but we best get ourselves a fair distance away.”The group left the demon behind as it feasted on the corpses of the animals. It slurped and munched and snapped its blood-stained jaws loudly, gurgling gleefully as it enjoyed its meal. To the boy’s surprise, he swore the little form got bigger and bigger, its body shifting in unnatural ways as it continued to eat. James was happy to get further and further away from it, as the horses steadily galloped to a safe distance away from the summoning circle.He didn’t want to be around to find out what it would become when their pursuers had to face it.She was right.As Max sat there, observing the forest around their camp, he knew it to be so.The girl was right.There had been a lot of consideration over the past two or so hours he had been awake as to whether to speak to her now as they changed over for the night watch, or just to leave it and let Klare or Simon take over. But the axe-wielder was once raised as a Knight of Delren - he knew how important trust and open communication were in a group. His moral code battled with his feelings before he at last threw a couple of twigs into the fire, and knelt down beside the sleeping girl. She was curled up and snoring lightly, and the wizard was just a few feet away.“Ellyn,” He said quietly. She wasn’t waking. Awkwardly, he reached out and gingerly touched her shoulder, shaking it a bit. “Wake up. It’s time for changeover.”“W-What…?” Ellyn groggily sat up, and Max sat down next to her, as quietly as he could. She looked around for her glasses, and he saw it in the dark shadows. He gave it to her, but frowned as she shrunk away a little, after hesitantly taking it from his hands. “Um…?”“I wanted to talk to you.” He said. When Ellyn didn’t respond, he sheepishly added, “Is that alright?”“Y-Yes!” Ellyn covered her mouth. “Yes, of course,” She replied quietly. “Go on?”“I’ve been thinking about our… talk tonight.” Ellyn remained silent, so he took that as a cue to continue. “I’ve had family who fell to the monsters that invaded the realm back in the incident. And I have had friends who encountered ill-meaning wizards and unfortunately died by their hands.”“You uh, you know you don’t have to tell me these things, right?” Ellyn interjected. She wasn’t looking at him, but the ground. “It’s okay.”“No, it’s something you should know. And I’m… sorry, for what happened back there in Aproth. I put you in harm’s way because of a poor decision I made. That’s unforgivable.” They looked at each other simultaneously, and he awkwardly looked off to the side, scratching the back of his neck. “I… forgot, that magic users are human too. And that more importantly, you’re still a young girl in this world. It was unjust of me to expose you to a danger like that.”After a moment of silence, Ellyn slowly said, “I understand. I forgive you.” She fidgeted with her hands. “I’m sorry for speaking up the way I did in the interrogation. I just didn’t know what to do and I--I got… when you--you punched that woman I…”Max placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright. It’s in the past now.” She nodded and sniffed, before the two sat quietly for a moment.…Ellyn wordlessly lifted up her left arm to Max, who looked at it curiously. “P-Push up my sleeve.”Gingerly, he did so. He noticed a moderately sized, careless cut, just after her elbow on her forearm. It glowed a faint magenta, and the axe-wielder figured it was enchanted.So the pact really did happen.“W-What’s going to happen to us now?” Ellyn looked at him worriedly, after she pushed down her sleeve again. “Are we still going to Ymmel and investigating the rallies?”“Yes. We’ll make a decision from there. We’ll discuss more later, alright?” Max yawned, before pointing to a place in the sky. The girl seemed a bit relieved with that answer. “Change over when the moon reaches that position.”“Okay.” And with that, the big man got up and went to sleep in his original spot, by Klare.He felt he had a slightly lighter heart than before.

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The group set out again at the first sign of daylight. By Max’s estimates, if they moved quickly, they could potentially get to the end of the network of caves by nightfall. It was a convenience having magic wielders around, who could cast spells for balls of light for the group, sparing them the use of precious torches.With quick work, they had made it to the caves by midday. Max elected that they get off their horses and walk. The magic pair promptly summoned the group’s sources of light, and initially the horses were a little ruffled by the green and blue balls of light. But when they were calmed down, they began to head inside.Max and Simon covered the front, with the Knight-errant holding his hand axe in case anything happened. Ellyn and Klare covered the rear, with the former having her crossbow at the ready.The magic student peered about their surroundings warily, and especially so when they approached the incoming intersections. She was by no means claustrophobic or fearful of the dark, but she found herself worried about being stuck in such a place with creatures that she couldn’t easily escape from. It didn’t help matters at all when Klare whispered to her not to look up. “Bats could be lurking anywhere in here.” The arbalist had said, which made the hairs on the back of the girl’s neck stand on end. She shivered as goosebumps began to pop up all over her skin.All of her worst fears were confirmed when the group ran into a small colony of them.“Get down!” Max had called, and the magic student practically dropped to the cave floor, shielding her face with her arms. She shrieked as she felt some of them come near and bump into her, screeching angrily. Her balls of light rushed in close to the girl, scattering and confusing the bats as they flew away. Max was waving his axe about while Simon got rid of them with his own sources of light and a few flames. A majority of the bats rushed off after much clamour. The rest clung to the walls and the ceiling warily.“Are you alright, Ellyn?” The comforting voice of her mentor came from above her. She peered up to see him offering her his hand. “Stay near me. We’ll be out of here soon.”“O-Okay.” She gingerly took his hand, before awkwardly releasing it and letting him walk on. The others were calming the horses and the wizard’s apprentice spread out her orbs of light again to comfort them somewhat. When the group was alright, they pressed on.They had been travelling in the caves for a while now, and only had to backtrack once when they accidentally found a dead end. Ellyn was no longer so frightened, but she hovered near Simon and petted the horses to keep her company. The Knights-errant’s horses were fairly used to this, but the one for the magic duo seemed a bit skittish at any sign of bats. The girl felt a kinship with the animal.However, things started to change when they were about halfway through.A foul stench began to fill the air, permeating the already suffocating cave air with death. And the sound of flies buzzing about started to echo around the cave walls, causing great anguish to the travellers within. Ellyn instinctively covered her nose up with a hand, but also couldn’t decide whether to cover up her ears as well.But that wasn’t the worst thing they encountered.A ghastly, gurgling growl came from the darkness beyond. It sounded threatening, yet eerily joyful, as if some worthy prey had finally stepped into its dominion. The protégé bumped into her teacher by accident when the group stopped. But he didn’t glare at her, instead looking ahead into the dark abyss of the cave with a dour expression.“W-What was that?” Ellyn stepped back awkwardly from her mentor. Klare was pointing her crossbow ahead.“Something big,” Simon said unsettled. “Are we sure we’re headed in the right direction?”“Yes.” Max replied. “And this is the only way forward.”“What should we do?” Klare asked. “Could it be a bear?”“No, it’s too deep in the caves to be a bear…” The teacher held a hand out in front of his student, much to her surprise. The horses began to get antsy, and the girl was having trouble keeping the one she was holding onto calm. One of Simon’s green spheres of light steadily moved forward.And then, far ahead in the cave, there it stood.Bright, glowing yellow eyes pierced through the darkness. And then another pair above it. And another, and yet more and more.Ellyn couldn’t describe what she saw.It was like a giant, hairy bear, crossed with different species of animals she couldn’t quite recognise. It was about the size of one of their horses, but far more intimidating in presence. There were small antlers on its head. A snout with an enormous jaw and rows of bloody yellowed teeth that opened and shut like a bear in anticipation for its next meal. Its body was a patchwork of differing furs from animals, all matted with blood and dirt. Flies buzzed around it, and its body expanded greatly as it greedily gulped down the air in the cave’s surroundings.They were trapped in the caves, with nowhere to go, and stuck with whatever that thing was.The monstrosity lunged forward.Klare was quick to fire off a bolt into one of its eyes. Before its hands could fly up to it, she fired another one into another eye as well.The beast was enraged. When it moved its hands away, Max threw his hand axe directly at the face. It cut deeply into the monster’s snout. It roared, sending a mighty quake through the surroundings. Max grabbed ahold of his mighty axe from his back, and with a battle cry, rushed forward to tackle it head on. Simon was right behind him, launching flame attacks which lit up the caves with a furious green light, causing the creature to grunt and groan from the strikes. Klare was firing off the remaining bolts she had before hurriedly restocking, next to the magic student. The girl was trying to keep hold of the horses with her magic, holding onto the reins to prevent them from getting away. They stomped and reared, utterly terrified by the beast, and Ellyn had to push herself and Klare away a bit to avoid getting trampled.The abomination became even more terrifying as it lit up in flame. It slammed Max down to the ground, making a seemingly frustrated roar of triumph, almost deafening in the small confines of the cave, and was about to slash at him with its giant paws when the wizard launched some of his spheres of light into the beast, driving it back off of the Knight-errant. Max yelled as he rushed forward once again, embedding his steel axe into the face of the creature, causing it to yelp in surprise. However, it shook it off with a maddened snort, and the axe flew behind it. Simon was too preoccupied with all of the spells he was casting to be able to bring the weapon back to its owner.“W--What are we going to do?! How are we going to defeat it?!” Ellyn panicked, as the monster engaged Max head on in combat. Klare finally loaded up her crossbow again, with a wild eyed expression aimed at the monster.“I don’t know,” She said. “But it won’t be easy! Can’t you do something yourself?!”“W--What do you mean?”“Look at Simon! He’s using fire to fight back! Can’t you?!” Klare fired off some more shots when she got a clear chance, as Max grappled with the monster, launching punches directly to the bloodied snout. She looked at her nearby companion to find her trembling.“I--I can’t!” She said. “I don’t know how to fight!”“You mean you can’t do what Simon is doing?!”“N--No! I--I never learnt!” Ellyn shouted, and Klare swore under her breath.“Just sit tight there, keep an eye on the horses!”However, the beast finally managed to overcome Max, throwing him down behind itself, and the wizard was clearly unable to keep fending it off and away from the horses. The girl turned white as a sheet when the monster roared again and ran towards the horses and the two of them. The monster was weakened, drowning in emerald flames and covered in wounds and bruises. Klare pulled out her dagger and threw it in between a pair of eyes, causing it to yelp once more, before scrambling back with the magic apprentice and the horses.And that’s when the magic student got her brilliant, but desperate idea.Her teacher’s energy had been depleted, so all of his light sources were burnt out. Ellyn’s blue spheres were all that remained.It was the most risky thing the girl had ever done, but it was the only option open to her.With a wave of her hand, the lights flickered out.The cave was drenched in darkness.Everything happened so quickly.The hapless cries of her companions flooded Ellyn’s ears. She drowned them out.It was drawing closer and closer at a devastating pace.The young magic caster’s eyes shimmered a brilliant blue as she focused her energy. At last, she reached out with her hands, and a spectacular blue flash of light burst forth towards the abomination. The monster began to glow, and before it knew it, it had crashed onto the floor before them, a clear look of maddened confusion on its multitude of remaining eyes. The girl and the horses scrambled further back as it attempted to crawl to them, but failed. “What have you done?” Klare asked incredulously, but the girl’s eyes were still shining a magnificent blue, and she was straining with the effort. She cried out, before at last, the beast kept still.…A thunderous snore echoed throughout the cave surroundings. The female magic wielder weakly brought forth a couple more spheres of light, her eyes shimmering a pale blue as the team observed the beast. It was still burning.But it was also fast asleep.“It’s… asleep!” Ellyn called out. She was panting heavily. Everybody stared on, speechless. “W-What... Are you waiting for?”Almost robotically, Max retrieved his axe. He drove it into the abomination’s skull, killing it once and for all with a loud crack. He swung it several more times to ensure the kill, before at last giving up. The beast no longer breathed, and its body sagged, overcome by death. Simon tiredly returned the embedded hand axe to its owner from the monster’s snout. Max looked at his ally, with a look of relief.It was defeated.Following the battle, the group got a considerable distance away from the battle with the beast, before finally stopping to rest.Ellyn and Simon were tired, and famished. They scoffed down a larger portion than normal, with the reassurance that there would hopefully be some berries and game to catch outside later. Initially Klare rose an objection, but the two told her it was necessary to keep their energy up, and more importantly, the light sources going. They nevertheless ate as quickly as they could, so they could help Max who was sitting against one of the cave walls. Klare was tending to the axe-wielder when the two finally approached.“You’re sure you’ll be able to heal me?” Max looked at the pair in disbelief. He sucked in a breath through his teeth, trying not to move too much.“We’re sure.” Simon replied with at least some hint of reassurance. “Now, I’ll have to warn you, it’ll be fairly painful. The skin repairing itself quickly isn’t the most pleasant of sensations.”“Just get it over and done with.” Max weakly urged them. They knelt down beside the man, before closing their eyes. Klare moved herself away, stepping back. Their hands were resting on some of the larger wounds, and magic began to flow into them.It was unlike a pain Max had ever experienced.Max was shouting wildly, thrashing about. Klare hurried got down to keep his legs restrained. The magic wielders held down his arms as their viridian and cerulean magic seeped into the deep cuts. He howled in pain as they did this for a good couple of minutes, before at last he lost his strength and lay there limply, softly panting through it.As Max’s wounds glowed in their healing, Simon and his student sat down to eat and rest a bit more. They ate part of the Knights-errant’s shares as both of them lacked the appetite to eat after the events that had just taken place. Upon ensuring the horses were watered and fed, and cleaning out their hooves some, Klare retrieved Max’s drinking flask and sat down next to her partner. He was groaning lightly in pain, likely hovering between drifting in and out of consciousness.“How are you feeling?” Klare asked, before helping him take a sip of water. He twitched a little, gritting his teeth before sighing deeply.“As well as I can be, in the, nrgh, current situation.” Max grunted. His head lolled off to the side. “How am I looking?”Klare checked on the injuries. The smaller scratches were gone or just about, while the larger wounds were healing well. It was… unusual, to see such things coloured with teal hues since the colours mixed, and the skin moving quickly to repair the damage.They were truly indebted to the magic pair.“We will talk more when we get out of the caves, alright?” Klare gently patted his shoulder. “For now, you can ride the horses after a rest.”“Sounds like a plan.” Max said, before closing his eyes.“I heard what you said back there,” Simon said. They were resting a small ways away from Max and Klare, to give them their space. She looked to him curiously. “You said don’t know how to fight? Why not?”“Headmaster Alfred has two sort of, ‘groups’, for the Academy,” Ellyn admitted. “Those who could will themselves to use combat magic, and those who could not. I’m one of the latter ones, so instead I uh, learn more, supportive skills to help the community, and those who defend our village.” She looked down and absentmindedly flicked a pebble across the floor. “Like that sleep spell.”“Alfred doesn’t push his students to learn offensive magic?” Simon quirked a brow. He frowned. What was that old man even teaching them at their school anymore? “While it may be difficult to conjure at first, it’s a crucial skill to know.”“I-I tried to, I really did!” His protégé immediately replied, who had a downcast expression on her face. Simon got a feeling of sad resignation from the girl. “I practised a lot. And he tested the students repeatedly. But in the end, I just can’t do it. No matter how hard I try.”Simon looked to her and sighed. He hadn’t initially been up to teach the girl more than survival tips. But the situation called for it, so it was an issue that needed to be addressed. “Then I will teach you,” The mentor said at last. “It’s vital to know how to defend yourself. While today we escaped with our lives, that strategy incredibly risky. That sleep spell worked well only because the beast was already weakened. It cannot apply to every situation. Do you understand?”“Y-Yes, I understand.” Ellyn nodded. She looked a bit meekish, so he added as an afterthought,“Good thinking on the sleeping spell, in any case.” She looked a little happier, but still a little crestfallen. She nodded and hummed a small affirmation. Was he being harsh or something? Perhaps she was feeling doubtful about her abilities. He would do his best to fix that problem soon enough.

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Hello everyone! The name's Flow. I wanted to relay a few important things to my readers.First of all, thank you very much for reading, or adding TT to your reading lists! I see you all doing these wonderful things and am so grateful to know people are interested in this story.I'm sorry an update hasn't come out in so very long. I've been so busy with uni creative writing work and doing my best to improve on my skills that I haven't had time to work on this novel. I planned to complete it for Nanowrimo but other stresses got in the way.I'm pretty determined to re-work this story again, now that I've had a year's worth of writing knowledge under my belt, and I know I have the potential to do this story well, but I haven't been able to put pen to paper. I want to do this story justice. I've been thinking about this novel almost every day, working on getting to know the two main characters in my head, Ellyn and Simon. I keep thinking about them and how much I want to present their story in the best light possible.If you're wondering how you might be able to help, I'd really appreciate it if you left some comments for my story. Feedback about what could be better, maybe even what bits were your favourite. I can see that people are reading my story, but I never know if they're actually enjoying it or not. Most of the reads are for the prologue/chapter! Creators feel validated when people leave physical responses to their work. It feels like they're impacting people, that they aren't working for nothing. I understand that creating something free like this should just be the sake of it, but I've sincerely put my all into this story when I've been able to and it's been disappointing seeing a lack of response. I'm actually in a depressive rut about this. Gushing about how much you like a creator's work can really provide them with the incentive and inspiration to continue.I'm sorry that this little update has been a pleading one, underwhelming at best. I've drawn some little bits and sprite work for a TT game I had been considering, so I could put that somewhere in this work or on an image sharing website or -something-.Thank you for reading, and if you scrolled to the bottom, here:TLDR: Please, please, please leave feedback on my work to show that you would like me to continue and help motivate me to.