Beastly | Arcane Silco

Five

"Vastayan magic is different to the kind human mages possess; it is deeply rooted in their ancestry and being. It stems from the actual source, the Vastayashai'rei, who created a link between themselves and the spirit realm. Though unlike them, some Vastaya, specifically those with a weaker link, have to regularly renew their magical abilities, be it through regular contact with a natural substance or through deep meditation. If not renewed, those weaker Vastaya would wither, their bodies return to the Earth and their spirits to the realm of the dead."

- The Magic of the First Lands

With each bubble that rose to the top of the aquarium, her eye lids got heavier and harder to keep open. Three days had passed since she'd spoken to the doctor properly, three days since she found the book she desperately tried to decipher but with no luck. It turned out that reading was significantly harder than she thought. It hurt her pride a tiny bit, she had to admit, as a small part of her had hoped she would be able to manage on her own, even if that seemed impossible.

The fish in the tank, three big, brown creatures whose sharp teeth and dark eyes made them fit right into the waters of this city, eyed her curiously as they swam their monotone, never ending cycles.

She raised her gaze towards them, a deep sigh escaping her as she rested almost her entire upper body on the desk she was sitting at, asking herself whether she had been swimming in cycles just like these fish were now, with the only difference being that her tank had been bigger.

The book lay open in front of her, the only reference from which she could draw conclusions being the large image that dominated the right page. Portrayed was a landscape, filled with magical plants, animals, and three winged figures. They resembled a mixture between a human and a bird, making the woman wonder whether these were other Vastaya.

"Vastaya," she whispered to herself, stretching the word and studying its syllables and letters. She scanned the left page for a word that resembled it, trying to find a clue whether her suspicion was right, when she heard the door unlock behind her.

Calm steps entered the room as a shadow fell upon the fish tank, earning a deep sigh from the woman crouching over the desk.

"I see you are still trying to decipher the book," said the doctor as he closed the door behind him, balancing a tray on his right palm. The smell of porridge materialized underneath her nose, her growling stomach responding to it almost instantly. "Have you made a decision?"

Groaning, she pushed herself away from the desk and leaned back against her seat just as he came to a halt next to her, setting the tray down with an expectant look in his eyes. Half of his face was once again covered by the cloth, which made it hard to read his expression properly.

Her eyes fell onto the porridge and the handful of berries gracing its surface. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, loosening her posture in an attempt to stop her stomach from rumbling. He didn't have to hear the way her body ached for the food he was giving her, and she had a hard time concealing the fact that her mouth was watering. She wondered where he even got the berries from, but didn't want to seem interested so she didn't ask.

"I am doing quite well on my own, thank you." She avoided his gaze by following the fish to her left with her eyes, but they barely paid attention to her.

"Is that so," he replied with an almost amused sound in his voice. It irritated her, but she didn't react to it. He clasped his hands together behind his back, studying her for a moment before following her gaze to the fish tank. "I see you have taken a liking to my pets."

"Pets," the woman scoffed, pausing for a moment to let the word linger in the air. "Who gave you landwalkers the right to steal an animal from its natural habitat only to lock it away and put it on display. Is that all they are to you? Decoration? Does it make you feel powerful when you feed them, knowing that without you they would die?"