CONTENT WARNING: parental emotional abuse, reflection on the death of a minor, fire
Morgyn
After spell practice and another lesson of magical theory with Sage Ó Sé, I return to Glimmerbrook.
The longer I spend in the Realm of Magic, the worse I feel physically arriving back here. Reality hits as hard as the biting cold, and I end up being sick near the waterfall again. I try flicking ice-cold water on my face to ground me in reality, staring into the grey sky and watching the snow fall. As I do so, a friendly and familiar face spots me.
It's the wolf. I run my hand along the velvet-smooth fur on its head.
Its eyes are beautiful, like sapphires, but there is something surreal
about them. I have to wonder...is it a normal wolf, or is there
something else to it? It seems very intelligent, even for an animal as
naturally smart as a wolf.
Is it really a magical entity? Was it created in
the days of old to protect the Magic Realm and the town of Glimmerbrook, or does it merely have an unusual coat?
Perhaps it is not a magical wolf. I imagine if that were the case, it would be ethereal in
some way.
"Can you understand me, dear wolf?"
It makes a dull, quiet sound.
"It's
a pleasure to make your acquaintance again," I say, holding out my
hand. It places its paw in my palm.
It makes a sort of whimpering sound, and runs its paw through the snow twice, turning around and pointing into the distance.
"Well, you come and find me if you do, dear wolf. Hopefully we'll meet again on our travels."
On my walk around Glimmerbrook, I spot an unmistakable face...that
perpetually-stern expression and lack of fashion sense is easily
recognisable as Spencer Ember. I knew it. I knew he'd try coming back for me. They missed having someone to push around and control, didn't they?
I feel my hand twitch, and a spark of flame emerges from my palm. I pat it out on my trouser leg before Spencer notices.
"How dare you run out on your mother and father like that- after all
we've given you! You ought to be grateful for what we can give you!"
"We've given you a life that anyone else your age would give anything
for! You should have done as we said- we're your parents! We know what's
best for you!"
And, just like that, I fawn. What good am I? I can cast a stream of flames, a strike of lightning or a beam of ice and yet I just flinch at his words... No, this isn't me. Not anymore. I won't just stand there and take it. I scared off one bully with fire - I can scare off another if I have to.
"You don't know what's best for me! You never have!" I yell.
"All you have ever
done is control me and tried to mould me the way you saw fit. Nothing
has ever been my choice!"
"Then maybe if you made better life choices, we wouldn't have to keep making them for-"
A
raucous barking sound erupts from the trees, and out it jumps, like a cloud of black smoke. Spencer falls backwards into the snow with a yelp.
"What? What's this? Is this your
familiar? Did you summon it to attack me with your 'magic' powers? Is
that what you did to your mother?"
My mother? I haven't seen her here recently...
"It's a wild wolf. It doesn't want you here, so you should leave."
"I'll
leave when I'm done trying to drill some sense into your skull! No
child of mine is going to run around the woods waving a stick pretending
to be a magician! You're sixteen-"
"Seventeen!"
"-Seventeen years old. You can't just live out pointless fantasies from those ridiculous books for the rest of-"
It snaps its jaws at him, and he clutches his head, mumbling to the wolf to stop, but it seemingly isn't doing
anything other than growling...
It jumps and lunges at him, kicking up a flurry of snow as Spencer hurtles away, far from its bared fangs.
I wonder what it did to make
him suddenly react the way he did, clutching his temples and begging it to stop? Maybe it is a magical wolf, after all. Its demeanour completely changes, and it turns to me, with bright eyes.
I kneel down and hold out my arms and, just like a pet dog, it jumps
up for a hug. Its fur is soft and warm in this bitter cold.
"Thank you, dear wolf."
The sun sets and sprinkles glitter on the River Glimmer, leaving all in the distance tinted in a pale orange and gold ombre.
Sage Ó Se says
she was named 'Áine', after a sun goddess who is part of her home
country of Innisgreen's mythology. Very fitting for her, seeing as whenever she is
around, everything seems a little brighter. She casts her own light upon
all the students of the academy.
I
sit down on the cobbled floor beside the magic portal, watching as the
sun goes down on this world before I escape to another. For the first
time in what must be years, something as fleeting as the sunset gives me
a warmth in my chest that just might be a feeling of appreciation.
The Sages...How do they live? I believe a
Sage lives in the Magic Realm and rarely, if ever, leaves. I realise
that the majesty and fantasy of the Magic Realm is an incredible sight
at first, but over time, it will likely wear off as magic becomes more
and more of a normality to me. Do they ever get tired of having naught
but three or four small islands to visit? Nowhere like this to go for a
stroll amongst nature?
Although I cannot imagine living in it permanently, The Magic Realm was beautiful beyond belief, and I cannot imagine what sort of
physical and mental toll it took to create it- but one must wonder if
magic does not always keep the wonder it initially has for people. Sage Ó Sé tells
me that time and space are like 'lovers, in an eternal dance' with one
another. In the Magic Realm, time and space are warped entirely.
I realise that I have been overthinking this for far too long, and that the sun has almost disappeared behind the mountains.
Áine
I am reminded of a past I do not wish to recall often.
Seeing
Morgyn's father earlier, and his bitter, abusive attitude towards his
own child...I would never treat any of my children the way he did, and
my children are not even of my own blood. Had I not have restrained
myself, I would have torn out his throat. To hear him beg, to hear him
strain to comprehend the words that I spoke in his mind- that
satisfaction would have to do.
When I look at Morgyn, they remind me
of Róisín- especially the vibrant green of their eyes. They carried the
same confidence and energy that she also had.
From their wavy golden hair, right down to their smile...they look a lot like her.
I could not protect Róisín, but I will do everything in my power to protect Morgyn, and all of my other children.
* * *
I find myself gazing out across my realm
again, watching the floating debris and listening to the eerie hum of
magical energy that surrounds this place.
When do I tell Morgyn that I
wish for them to become my eventual successor? Is it still too early to
decide?
Is my request too much weight on the shoulders of someone so
young... or do they have what it takes?
"Sage Ó Sé!"
Speak of the devil... they burst through the portal and stand with me, looking out into the void.
"I have some good news, Morgyn. You will
be receiving your Adept rank certificate soon. Not too much longer, and I'm sure you'll reach Master. I'm amazed at how fast you are progressing through the ranks."
"I mean, most of the other students have other duties or hobbies. This is really all I have. The only reason I am progressing so fast is because of that..."
"Don't minimise your achievements, child."
"Some
of the Master-level tomes make little sense to me, but with some time, I'll come to
learn it. So far, I've learned Inferniate, Chillio,
Zipzap, Necrocall..."
"You've already learned Necrocall?"
"Indeed.
What a fascinating spell, to raise ghosts from remains...I always had a
feeling that ghosts existed, and this place has proven that theory correct."
"Not
on these grounds, Morgyn. Spells that disturb the dead must be avoided. Not only is it unfair to those who have been laid
to rest...but to bring the waking world and the dead together too often
can bring disastrous consequences."
"But...didn't you just say not to minimise my achievements?"
"I am not minimising them, Morgyn - I am merely explaining that, just because you can, doesn't mean you should."
Morgyn huffs. "Untamed magic is all about breaking the limits on what is possible and acceptable, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is, Morgyn - you can learn whatever spells you like, but you must use them wisely. Tell me, Morgyn - what ghost did you call upon?"
"Only a rat. I just performed the spell, saw the ghost for a few moments and it skittered off."
I cannot discourage them too much. After all, Morgyn will need to master all the
Untamed spells if they are to one day succeed me as the Sage of Untamed
Magic. The main drawback for people when it came to Untamed magic, was
that it took a lot longer to master than the other schools and
it was more taxing on the body and mind. It is no lie that some claim
to have been 'driven mad' by it. It takes someone with Morgyn Ember's
sheer determination and will to master the entirety of such a school of magic.
Morgyn lets out a deep sigh. I hope I haven't upset them.
"I want you to know that I am incredibly proud of how far you have come, Róisín."
"Hm? What did you call me?"
Oh, goodness. No, no...
"Oh, never mind. An old student of mine. You resemble Róisín, in some ways, is all. Now, how about you show me some of your progress?"
Morgyn shows me an Inferniate, a Chillio and a Zipzap spell, giving me a smug smile afterwards. They need very little further coaching with these spells. Everything from their stance to their intonation is almost perfect. After we finish, they give me an inquisitive look.
"Sage Ó Sé, I have a question for you...Do shape-shifters exist? And is it some kind of magic, or something else?"
What? How does Morgyn suspect...
"Why do you ask?"
"Well, I have made a friend in a wolf in
Glimmerbrook- a beautiful wolf, with black fur and blue eyes. However, I
suspect it may either be a magically-summoned wolf, or some kind of
shape-shifter. It seems far more intelligent than your average wolf. It
even saved me earlier from someone. If such a spell exists, I must
learn how it works! I would love to see the world through the eyes of
the animals..." they say, whimsically.
"Unfortunately,
Morgyn, the closest you can get is with the Morphiate spell from the
Mischief school. A very powerful caster could, in theory, morph another
into the shape of a comparatively 'simple' creature temporarily. Think a
rat, or maybe a cat. However, such spells can easily go wrong. You
could instead end up as a pile of mismatched organs and body parts on
the floor. Even if it did work- you also would remember nothing of it."
Their face is coloured with horror at the thought of such a thing. "Mischief magic sounds far more horrific than Untamed."
Many
of the witches of old were shape-shifters, but had one shape
that they could change into, which was either decided by genetics or however their magic chose to manifest itself. I knew
witches who could become cats, deer, tigers...The possibilities were endless.
It's late at night - at least, it would be in the real world. The Realm's sky used to be a brighter pink, but has since dulled to blue and purple.
With Morgyn busy studying - or playing the games console with their friends, one or the other - I tend to the flowers outside of the Magic Realm, which have grown remarkably given the strange conditions here. Ethren calls my name. I wonder what his concerns are this time.
The trouble with Practical casters is their lack of understanding for
other schools of magic. At least there was some overlap between Mischief
and Untamed, so Keisha and I understand each other better.
"What is it this time, Ethren?"
"I overheard what Morgyn said. What exactly were you protecting them from?"
"I chased off someone who sought to harm them, Ethren. No-one was hurt. I merely scared him away."
"Áine,
I understand you want to 'protect your children', but you are far too
old and unwell to keep this up, the shape-shifting and the
over-protectiveness..." he says, trailing off into a whisper near the
end. He and Keisha are the only two other people who know the truth of
the Black Wolf of Glimmerbrook. "What about your illness?"
"If I die protecting a fellow spellcaster, Ethren, then I needn't care. Our ailments do not define us."
"Áine...if
you keep this up, the last thing you want is some kind of revolt
against Glimmerbrook and against spellcasters...If people come to
suspect there is a rogue magical wolf in the countryside, what's
stopping them from following you back here in order to kill it? Or other casters?"
"They
would be small-minded to try and do harm to me. All I am doing is
guarding my people, Ethren."
"Look, we all want to help out our fellow spellcasters in whatever
ways we can, but...you can't-"
"Choose your next words wisely."
"...save everyone."
"I
know, Ethren. I know I cannot save everyone, because I tried, and I
failed, and I watched my fellow witches burn. I watched Róisín burn! I watched my own daughter burn!"
A
ribbon of fire encircles me, and flames burst from my palms. I try to
quell the flames, but it's impossible... I stand back, well away from Ethren.
"So
before you tell me to stop trying to protect my children, remember what
I have seen. I have witnessed our kind be burned, drowned, hung- any
way you can think of ending a life, I have seen it." The flames begin to
subside, and a shooting pain erupts through my entire body as magical
charge crackles around me. "Pacifism and complacency do not drive
change, Ethren- we have both seen it for ourselves over the course of
history."
"Indeed,
Áine. I'm not trying to invalidate those awful experiences, but you
have to realise how much the world has changed for the better over the
past few centuries. What happened to Róisín, I can promise you, it will
not happen to anyone else here. We will all make sure of it- but we have
to do our bit not to be a catalyst for history to repeat itself." He
puts a hand on my shoulder, but I can't bear to look at him. "I didn't
mean to make you feel terrible about the past. I just want you to know
that the world, in some ways, is a better place. It's far from perfect,
but..."
My
muscles ache, and I feel a migraine sensation in my head. I hate to
admit it, but perhaps Ethren is right...I cannot keep holding back, and I
must rest eventually.
I must have a successor.
"Sage Ó Sé?"
Speaking of...
"Morgyn! What are you doing here?"
"I came down here when I heard yelling. I wanted to check on you."
I try to make the flames from my palms dissipate. I suppose I have a lot of explaining to do to them.