Imago: Chapter 4 - Practice, Research and Determination

Áine

When the young witches discovered their powers, they did not understand them. 

They were afraid of themselves, and others were afraid of them. In an attempt to simplify the teaching of magic to young and old alike, the witches categorised the manipulation of magic into three 'schools'. They also created symbols to represent them.

The intention was that the symbols would not be recognised by anyone with no knowledge of magic - not too similar to the animals they represent but not too different. They were scrawled on the front of safe places for witches. Occasionally, some tattooed them on their hands and used them as greetings for witches to subtly let other witches know they were safe around them.

Practical magic, represented by the level-headed, stoic Wolf, was the use of magic to assist with the hardships of everyday life- from creating food from seemingly nowhere, to cleaning, to being able to duplicate certain items. Practical magic had its place in all sorts of corners of life from my day to the modern day, including major medical advances, allowing wounds to be thoroughly cleaned to increase survival rates beyond what mundanes could manage at the time.

Mischief magic, represented by the proud, playful Cat, was the use of magic to fool others. From practical jokes to self-defence. From zapping your friend's hand to surprise them, to showing someone their worst fears. Mischief magic was a common alternative to those who had interest in Untamed magic, but were wary of the dangers. With Mischief magic, you could get your revenge without causing physical harm. It was also a useful non-violent self-defence technique. At one point, it was only practiced by small pocket communities and not taught to outsiders until Katlego Anansi taught it to her adopted son, Moeti.

Untamed magic, represented by the fearless, headstrong Dragon. Originally known as 'wild magic', it is closest to the typical magic used by the witches of old. Considered by many to be the strongest school...We witches considered ourselves an extension of Nature and Her unpredictability. We used Her power to defend Her and our own people. Manipulating the powers of fire and ice, removing curses...even playing with the very fabric of life and death itself, which nobody back in my day would dare attempt - at least, if they did, it was never recorded. In the eyes of the Untamed mage, anything and everything becomes possible...

 

 

 

In the staffroom, we are discussing the future of the balance.

Ethren and I are not getting any younger. Ethren's arthritis is growing worse, as is my own illness. Ethren is only in his near-fifties, though he doesn't look quite that old. Keisha is only in her thirty-fourth year, still going strong. In the middle years of this realm, I encouraged the Practical and Mischief Sages to change every few years in a relatively-close timeframe to usher in a new 'era' of magical education. I wanted to keep the education of spellcasting fresh, but also refused to give up my own position. Now, I have no choice. It will be the first time for over a century that all three Sages will change at the same time.

  

Ethren plans on having Simeon Silversweater become his successor as the Sage of Practical Magic. Aged thirty-five, he is a member of the stern Silversweater bloodline and is the oldest of six siblings. He is a skilled spellcaster and a good mentor to the younger students. Some of the students describe him as being the 'boring but intelligent uncle' and he's known for his kindness and willingness to help anyone that asks.

 

Keisha is insistent on Leonora Faba becoming her successor. Around Simeone's age, and a bloodline caster like him, she has been perfecting the art of mischief since she was young. Somehow, even with her near-constant trickery and hijinks, she is still more level-headed than Keisha is- as well as less accident-prone. That said, I will always appreciate Keisha for her humour and for her smile. She has kept us all going through dark times. Leonora has witches' pallor, much like me, and it seems to run in her family, but it isn't quite as severe as most cases, thankfully.

Morgyn's progress is unbelievable. They are already studying from the Master-level tomes, even if they can't quite get to grips with them yet - and their writings on arcane history and magical theory are surprisingly in-depth. All of that burying themselves in the history of magic has done them wonders. They have just recently earned their Acolyte certificate, which takes most people at least a year or longer.

 

They are not the anxious child that gingerly stepped through the portal some months ago. With the help of burgeoning friendships and a newly-emerging burst of self-confidence, Morgyn almost seems a completely different person these days. It reminded me of the old times, watching the vibrant butterflies emerge proudly from their chrysalides in the early summer. 

 

  

It seemed as if the world became a stage to them, and they had a talent that they wanted to show to everyone. Some students described them as 'energetic' and 'theatrical' at times.

 

 

"Áine, I understand that Morgyn has come leaps and bounds from when they first started, and that their spellcasting talents are incredible...but they lack experience, is all."

Morgyn is soon to be only seventeen years old, and they have only been a spellcaster for a few months. It would be some years before we planned to hand our role down to the next generation of spellcasters, but even then, Simeon and Leonora had much more experience both in magic and life, as Ethren said not too long ago...

 

In time, I will convince him that Morgyn Ember has what it takes.

 

 

On the duelling grounds, Morgyn has a relentless tenacity I have never seen in anyone else. 

 

 

Considering they have only ever been in friendly duels with other students, the strength of their raw magic is exhilarating. Although I believe Morgyn and I make a good partnership of mentor and student, there is still much that I do not know about them, that even I cannot read... though my meeting them whilst out in wolf form at least gave me something: they do not get along with their family. 

 

I'm unsure of how to approach the subject. It's up to me to safeguard the younger students especially, but I feel Morgyn is not one who will willingly reveal much. I don't want to take too much advantage by hoping they'll reveal more to me in my wolf form. They have a good support network in the other students, at least. Perhaps they'll feel comfortable telling me something eventually.

 

From Louis's perspective, a duel is a bit of fun to be had after lessons. From my perspective, a duel is a way into a fellow spellcaster's mind when their words reveal nothing to you. In the heat of battle, you see another for who they truly are. As their eyes begin to lightly glow with the growing magical charge, I can see the determination in them. Even in a friendly magical sparring match, Morgyn is not willing to back down. Regardless of the opponent, or the triviality of the competition, Morgyn will stop at nothing to become the victor.

The main draw of Untamed magic for most people is the power over something largely considered to be out of human control. I feel there is a little more to the curiosity that Morgyn cited during their interview. I have come to wonder...What,or who, in their family made them feel powerless enough to warrant their interest the Untamed in the first place?

 

So that they do not become unwell with overcharge, I sit and chat with them after the duel with Louis to bring them down from their overexcitement. It's only been a few months and yet they look so much older.

 

Magical charge is an incredible feeling. Your magical power increases whilst charged. Everything seems clearer, easier than before. The butterflies in your stomach awaken such an excitement in you, that you wonder if you have been transported back to your childhood. However, magical charge is only incredible when it is controlled. When uncontrolled, it can lead to all sorts of complications. At its worst, it can cause death.

 

"Morgyn, I believe there is something I have not told you. Some in this realm do know this, and I don't know if you will believe me. You've read the Brief History of the Occult, haven't you?"

 

"Indeed. Cover to cover, over and over, in fact."

 

"And if I told you that I was the Áine Ó Sé written about in much of that book?"

 

"That's impossible," Morgyn retorts. "She was born three-hundred...years..."

 

"Don't you think I look a little too identical to the statue in the middle of the foyer? That very little changed lookswise in the past three-hundred years about our lineage?"

 

 Their words get stuck in their throat. "But - how? How are you still alive?!"

 

"Immortality potions, Morgyn - a recipe lost to time. I wanted to live long enough to ensure the safety of the spellcasters of the future. I am the last of the true witches." I think back to my family, and I realise there's something Morgyn would be overjoyed to hear. "Come to think of it, perhaps you might also be interested to know that my adoptive father lived between man and woman."

 

Their eyes are as wide as a cat's. "Really? All that time ago? That's amazing."

 

  

"Indeed. We had no words it back then as we do now. I wonder which one he would've gone with..."

 

There isn't a day that goes by where I don't miss every single one of them. Katlego, Owen, Reynold, Clementia, Oskar, Violeta, Maddie, Eli, Daniel...Róisín...

 

Sometimes, Morgyn can be a mirror that reflects a more familiar time. They share a few mannerisms with my older brother Owen, but their wavy blonde hair, green eyes and kindness...without a doubt, they make me think of Róisín.

 

"Sage Ó Sé?"

 

Morgyn taps me on the shoulder to check I'm alright. 

 

"So, you made this place?" they ask, their voice full of childlike wonder. "This entire realm is of your own design?"
 
"Back in my day, there came a time where we realised killing Lord Volpe stopped nothing. It only made existing problems with witchfinders and the Jacobans of old worse. I was forced to build an educational institution in another dimension. Of course, there is the portal in Glimmerbrook, but you would be surprised by how many people do not try to cross though it."   

"Seems strange. I would have thought if people were desperate enough, they would cross through."

"It is the same reason that one who does not believe in ghosts would never sleep overnight in a graveyard, Morgyn. A man may firmly believe the portal would lead him to nowhere, but would he want to walk through and find out, or would he want to live the rest of his life convinced that he is correct?"

Morgyn's expression changes a little. "Sage Ó Sé, I have to confess something...My mother's signature on the form...I forged it. She didn't sign it."

I barely react to their admission.

"I'm so sorry. Please, don't kick me out. Coming here changed everything for me! I can't go back."

"I won't. If you are safe here, Morgyn, and you feel safe here, then here is where you shall stay. You're sixteen now, you are old enough to leave home without your parents' consent. There's little they can do."

They shiver. "They might try something."

"I promise, Morgyn, you will be safe here." 

I am the Sage of the Untamed; some of the rules exist to be broken. Throughout history, people have sought safety, escape, community and comfort in the world of the occult. If Morgyn were safer here than at home, then I was more than willing to let them study if they were serious about it regardless of the forged signature.

Ethren says that I cannot take everyone under my wing, and that the safety of absolutely everyone is not my responsibility- but, the way I see it, all modern-day spellcasters are my children. As it was back then, it is my duty to protect my children. If history somehow repeats itself, then I will retaliate. It still claws at my heart to remember Ethren's words: 'You can't save everyone'. 

I know that from experience.

When Morgyn was still fairly new to the world of magic, I told them to never doubt themselves, and to never let anyone stand in their way, no matter what. 

  

I am incredibly proud of their progress, both as a person and in their magical prowess. To see someone so timid come out of their shell the way they have, it was a beautiful thing. It has taken very long to eventually find a dedicated student of my school of magic, but the wait has been worth it.

It is the dead of midnight in Glimmerbrook, and the blizzard is showing no signs of letting up, and neither are the howling winds. Regardless, I must continue my patrol...

 As I wander through the night, I can see a lady with blonde hair, braving the snow, shining a torchlight in front of her. I can hear muttering to herself from here... 

"Where are they? They think they can run away from us...We know what is best for them, and it isn't magic!"

Given the words and resemblance...I wonder if it is Morgyn's mother, Wilhelmina. I run over to her. Either I will frighten her and she will run, or she will stand, fight, and regret it.

The woman stands her ground and glares at me, yelling at me to 'shoo!' at the top of her voice. 

 

"Move, cur, or I'll skin you and wear you as a scarf!"

Let us see how brave she is, when she hears my voice inside of her mind...

 

 

"Do not tell me to leave. This is not your home. I am the protector of these woods, and of the spellcasters who reside here and everywhere else. I have power beyond your comprehension. If you dare come here to do harm to my children, I will be forced to exercise that power."

"I suggest that you either treat this place and its inhabitants with respect, or that you leave."

The woman's face is struck with horror, and she screams and runs through the snow, tripping and falling face-first on her way back to wherever she came from. If she returns, I will not shy away from using whatever force is necessary. 

 

 

 I will do everything I can to protect my children. 

 

 

Morgyn
a month later

Today is my seventeenth birthday. I was not prepared to celebrate at all until my friends barged into the library and told me, in these exact words, to 'put down that book and get your ass out of that chair' since they were taking me out to celebrate. It feels strange. It's the first time I've ever celebrated a birthday, or had anyone be enthusiastic about it. I try to feign my own enthusiasm. I appreciate what they've done, it's all just a little alien to me.

 

Darrel, Emilia and I plan to go out somewhere. Grace and Tomax have taken me to the restaurant - the well-known Hangry Karen. Though it looks like the sort of place where you'd get a thirty Simoleon burger with no sides, the prices are rather fair. Given that Tomax is still a little...off...about losing his chance with Emilia, it's for the best that it's just us three tonight.

 

I order an enormous sirloin steak that I can barely finish. Grace and Tomax say there are presents waiting for me in my room when we get back.

 

 "So, tell me some more about yourself - are you with anyone?"

 

"No. I don't know when or if I will find anyone. For now, I'm focusing on my studies."

 

Love is a terrifying emotion, and I admire the bravery of anyone willing to give in to it so easily. You are easiest to manipulate when you are head-over-heels for someone. It's different for Darrel and Emilia- the feeling is mutual between them and they are both kind souls. but there are many out there who are just waiting to take advantage and drain you. It's a scary thought.

 

"What's your type, then?"

 

"My type? I've no idea."

 

 "Hmm, I reckon I see you with a tall, dark, handsome type, myself."

 

"Oh? Heavens, I don't know about that... So who is winning the journey to Virtuoso, then?"

 

"She is."

 

Grace chuckles to herself. "No need to be salty, Tomax. I can't help being better than you."

 

 

After finally managing to finish the steak, Grace and Tomax and I chat amongst each other. Grace tells me some fascinating things about Katlego Anansi. I unfortunately already know them, but I appreciated her sharing the information with me and so said nothing. How wonderful it is that the children of the Sages still exist today. The Annorins are still going strong, as are the Anansis. Tsuna never had any children. I wonder if Sage Ó Sé ever had any children?

 

The entire restuarant begins singing the birthday song, and as much as I want to hide, I see a waitress arriving with a birthday cake designed in the shape of a burger. To many a teenager, this is just part and parcel of a birthday. To me, it changes everything.

 

My face begins to ache with tears, and I do everything in my power to hold them back. Seventeen years of never having celebrated a birthday, never having been truly been appreciated by anyone, and now my friends have taken me out for a birthday meal complete with my first ever birthday cake...

 

 "Well, then! Make a wish and blow out the candles."

 "Very well...I wish that all my friends in the Magic Realm do well and get to where they want to be in life."

 

"That's no fun!" Tomax exclaims. "It's your birthday. It has to be about you?" 

 

 

 I chuckle in my throat. "My wish has already been granted, Grace."

 

"Okay. And what wish is that?"

 

"A wish for safety, joy, and good company. I wished for it as a child, and now I finally have it - and it's only thanks to yourself, Tomax, Darrel, and the rest of the Magic Realm. I can't thank you both enough for this. It's the first time I've celebrated a birthday and the first time I've ever had a birthday cake. I hope you both know just how much you mean to me. This might be one of the best days of my life so far."

 

 

 

After coming back from my outing with Darrel, Emilia, Louis and Miles, there are a bunch of presents left in my room. Leo Viridis, Cecilia, Louis and Miles's older brother, knitted me a pride flag decoration. Grace and Tomax bought me another pride flag. Amongst those gifts were some plushes, which now have pride of place at the end of my bed.

 

Sage Ó Sé had bought me a wonderful and generous gift - clothes, and some artist materials. How did she know I like drawing, I wonder? I suppose being Sage, you get good at reading people.

 

I once thought myself incapable of any kind of love- platonic, romantic, or familial.

 

Spencer and Wilhelmina had moulded me in a way in which I had to feign all sorts of emotions to survive and attempt to garner their approval. Growing up, my brain did what it could to quell any kind of strong feelings, positive or negative. No child deserved to grow up in a home devoid of love or comfort, but somehow, I found a way. For a long time, I felt completely disconnected from the world, and so I found solace and company in books about worlds other than the one I was born into. 

 

   

Many reflect on their childhood in a way that brings back pleasant memories of sunny beaches and rambunctious parties. I never had any kind of reflections like that. The only reflections that come to mind are the screaming faces of Wilhemina and Spencer, the constant crushing reminder that I would never be enough.

 

My only pleasant childhood memories are losing myself in tales of fantasy- knights and dragons, princesses in beautiful dresses, spells and sorcery. In my mind, those are my equivalent of others' memories of family holidays- the excursions in my mind to distant lands of myths and legends. 

Lately, it seems that I am overrun with emotions, many of them positive. I am never quite sure how to handle these feelings- what might be gratitude, joy, comfort- they make me confused and leave a sickly feeling within me. They are all alien to me, and the more I give into them, the more I run the risk of returning to my old, subservient self. 

 

However, my appreciation for Sage Ó Se...I am unsure if I can ever show her just how thankful I am of her. She is like a mother to us all, and we all appreciate her guidance. 

 

Thank you, Sage Ó Se - for everything you do.