Living History

Wisdom

I almost fall out of my seat.

"That- that's it? He just- dies? Just like that?"

Auroya's voice is low but amused. "You weren't expecting some grand finale showdown between him and the Soul Mage, were you?"

"Well- I- yeah, kind of!"

She gives a short laugh. "That's not how the world works. Not everyone gets revenge at the end."

"What was that machine he was working on?"

"It was mutiny." Her voice turns even lower. "The Soul Mage didn't like the idea of the council, and he liked torturing mundanes with his powers. He wanted to be able to pick the council members out of a crowd and murder them. At the time, the council didn't move together for safety, as it does now."

I sit down again, leaning back against another chair. "So what happened to the Soul Mage?"

"That is explained in a later story, but with the man's memories - the real memories - they were able to track down the Soul Mage and take him in."

"And the family?" My stomach twists at the idea that they never find out what's going on. Surely there was a happy ending somewhere?

Her expression softens as she says, "Never recovered. They were shown his memories countless times but nothing ever changed their minds. That man was well and truly erased from their lives."

I clench my hands together in my lap. "That's awful."

She nods. "It is. But," she adds slowly. "I think you can now understand why they take this so seriously. Had the husband not been arrested and just happened to be at the right place for the council to question him, they might've never found the Soul Mage. He would've gone on killing countless people and ruining even more lives without anyone knowing what was happening." She looks at me sternly. "That's the power that you have, Xena. That's why it needs to be controlled."

I jump up. "But not by the council!"

Auroya also stands gracefully, her hands out in front of her like she's ready to blast me with energy, but she doesn't.

"Perhaps not, but there does need to be some kind of restraint. Don't you agree?"

"I-"

Do I agree that I need to be watched like a dangerous animal just because of the magic I have?

Don't be stupid. It's not like you're strong purely because of training. You're strong because you have something no one else has. That's not pure strength, that's an unfair advantage. Of course they want to lock you up.

"Think about it this way. I know you're good, Xena, but what if your mother had these powers? Think of all the havoc she could wreak if she wasn't controlled."

I shudder at the thought. If she had this kind of power, and no one could stop her... Even though I'm different from her, I understand the idea.

"I suppose so," I reply quietly. Auroya's arms drop to her sides, then she walks over to sit in a chair next to me.

"Having this power doesn't make you a bad person. It's what you choose to do with it." She gestures down the hallway. "Imagine all the chaos Rhenyan and I could cause with his powers. With my knowledge and training. But we choose to use our strengths for good, so the council may not like us but they have no reason to lock us up. You've got it harder than we do, but it's still your choice to make. You don't have to be what they think you are."

"But they know me. It doesn't matter if I've never hurt anyone, they're already suspicious of me." I shake my head. "I could do all the good in the world, but my magic has already been tainted by the past."