Crystal Sight (Empires SMP fanfiction) (ON PAUSE)

The Crystal Tower

"I'm... Gem." I said reluctantly. He nodded.

"A fitting name." Gandalf said and snapped. A tray of cookies flew into his hands, causing my eyes to go wide. He offered me one. I was stunned, unable to reject it. I just held it, curiosity piqued.

"How?" I asked. He chuckled.

"Magic." He said as simply as someone would talk about the weather. I just looked at him. He sighed.

"Don't have it from where you're from?" He asked. I shook my head.

"No. It was a very... industrial kind of place." I said. He nodded, then stood again.

"How would you like to learn?" He said, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"Um."

He clapped his hands together twice, and we were suddenly sitting in an office. The majority of the room was the desk, and the stone walls were lined with bookshelves. An exit without a door led across a bridge to a moon shaped structure.

I took a step back in surprise at the change of scenery. Gandalf pulled a large, black and gold tome from the shelf. He handed it to me, along with his staff.

"All you need to know is in that Deepholde. That purple book on my desk, Grimoire, is where you record what you learn. I have great faith in you, Gem of the Grimlands." He told me, stepping out onto the bridge. I frowned.

"What? Where are you going?" I asked. He looked at me over his shoulder.

"Away. I pass the torch to you now. You will do great things; I promise you that." Gandalf said.

"But what if I don't want to learn this?!" I had to yell over the wind. He gave me a wry smile.

"I know you do, daughter of the Grimlands. This is how it has always been. You will see one day. I leave the Crystal Cliffs in your capable hands, my child." He said, and in a sudden flurry of black feathers, he had turned into a Raven and started flying away.

"Wait! Come back!" I yelled after him. But he was gone, lost to the storm. I felt paralyzed. He had just left, telling me to learn magic, something I didn't even realize was real until a few minutes ago.

I stepped back into the office. It felt, strangely, like home. Like this was what I was meant to do.

So, I studied.

. . .

Three Years Later

I stood on the bridge of my tower, stroking the gray fur of my cats' head as I looked over the forest valley below me. An abandoned house sat on the cliff edge. I hadn't ever really taken the time to explore it.

It had been three years since I had begun my studies, although I wasn't able to consider myself a Wizard yet. I had a lot to learn still, and I hadn't done anything important enough to hold that label. For now, I was a mage.

The Tower sat on the edge of a cliff face, the cold stone walls lined with amethyst. A river rushed by, somehow able to force its way up the mountain only to go flying off the edge again. The Crystal Cliffs, Gandalf had called it. A fitting name.

I turned on my heel and began the hike to the valley to practice. I had never been able to figure out how the staff worked. All I knew was it was supposed to help amplify your power, but I never could figure out how to do that.

After a few minutes of walking, I reached the forest floor, my cat, who I had named Gandalf (You know why) close behind. He laid down on his side in a patch of sunlight, cleaning himself. The cherry blossom trees shed an occasional flower, making me feel at peace.

I focused on the target in front of me. Closing my eyes, I felt the wind gently blow across my skin. I reached out, willing the air to bend to my control. The wind picked up, and Gandalf gave a surprised meow. I didn't let it distract me.

I stuck my arm forwards, breathing in and out. In. Out.

Once the wind reached its zenith, I willed it forwards.

The sudden sound of a hurricane blasted my ears. I gasped, opening my eyes. A roaring tempest blew around me. Gandalf hissed, running up to me. The trees rocked, threatening to fall at any moment. My cloak fluttered around me. The target had been ripped to shreds by the hurricane force winds.

I stood in the eye of a hurricane. I had summoned one in the middle of a landlocked area.

Cursing, I stuck both arms out and willed the storm to dissipate. It didn't.

Panicking, I flung my arms, willing it to blow away instead. Sweat dripped down my brow from the sheer concentration of the spell. My arms trembled, and my legs felt weak.

With a shout, I put all my energy into a massive surge of wind.

The hurricane suddenly blasted away, its clouds flinging in every direction at hundreds of miles an hour. I fell to my knees, completely drained. Gandalf pawed at my shoulder, concerned.

I shakily rose to my feet, using a tree as support. I smiled slightly, scooping Gandalf up with one arm.

Then I heard something screaming.

. . .

I grabbed a branch as a walking stick, looking up to the sky. Gandalf wiggled out of my arms in protest.

High above, I could see a person with metal red wings falling from the sky, a flurry of all sorts of colorful words streaming from his mouth.

I said a word I hadn't said since I had almost been kidnapped in Mythland when I was fifteen.

Raising my arm, I cast a purple ball of energy at the falling man, catching him right before he plowed into the ground with a mighty thud.

Gandalf immediately scurried over to him, meowing at the guy like him falling from the sky was the biggest inconvenience to his little cat life ever. I hobbled over.

The man had messy ginger hair, blue eyes that shined with mischief, a black bomber jacket, a white undershirt, dark brown cargo jeans, and dark grey combat boots. He waved Gandalf off, causing the small silver cat to hiss.

"Darn cat..." He growled. I marched up to him.

"What was THAT?! You could have gotten us BOTH killed!" I yelled at him. He stood, brushing dirt off himself.

"I'm sorry, princess, but I was a little busy trying not to die!" He snapped, turning around. He frowned when he saw me.

"Gem?" He asked, shocked. I narrowed my eyes. Then I realized who had just fallen into my valley.

"Fwhip!" I cried, launching myself into my brother's arms. He took a step back in surprise.

"Gem...? What? You're alive?" He said softly. I held back tears.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have run away." I said. He let me go.

"You were proclaimed dead. How long have you been here? What are you wearing?" He laughed.

"Three years now." I responded. He hugged me again. This time I broke down.

I had found my brother.