That's So Wizard

Chapter 8 - Three Two One

Eldrian thought deeply. He wondered if she spoke of what Urco admitted before. He didn't want to break the man in blue's trust, even if any of them could be the traitor still. It was best to keep that part unspoken, perhaps.

He looked to her, and noticed her hands tighten. It wasn't often the Three showed notable emotion.

She uttered, "Do not take much from here, and do not speak of this place to others. It has to remain here. Contained."

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "Sure. It'll stay a secret."

"Magic is dangerous. Never forget that. We may have a keen understanding of it, but I find it to be more trouble than it's worth more often than not. Somebody with the power to destroy anything they wish... Demons are forces of death and chaos. A wizard can be no different if they can not control themselves. But where are my manners? You likely wish to ask me questions."

"I'm not sure what to ask, really. How about... What made you start distrusting magic?"

"Is it that obvious that something happened? I must be losing my touch. All right, Eldrian. You are correct. Something did happen to me. It happened over five hundred years ago."

"You're that old?" He widened his eyes.

"That is rather rude to say to a woman." She smiled. "Yes. The three of us, though did not join at the same time, all became the eventual Three roughly five hundred years ago, near the fall of our empire. It was around then that we took drinks from the Immortality Panacea. It was enough just for us."

"You're immortal then. Is that right?"

"Not quite. Because we all took from the Panacea, none of us are truly immortal. If I had to guess, I would say we likely only have a few hundred years remaining at the most. Now, back to my story. Like I said, this happened when I was a little girl, far before the fall of our empire. I was about eight years old..."

"Did you have hair back then?"

"What?"

"Hair. I assume you shaved your head when you became a monk. I want to know what hair colour to imagine for this story."

"Is that so important?"

"Yes! Stories need to have imagery or I can't picture it properly in my head."

She nodded. "I had long blonde hair at the time, past my shoulders. I often wore a red ribbon on the top of my head. My family and I lived far from the center of the empire where we worked a farm. It was me, my mother, my father, and three brothers. I mostly tended to animals and learned to cook, and to weave. Life was regular. Boring, but peaceful, and relaxing. It was rough at times, especially when my brothers teased me, but my dad always told me to listen to the wind. He said it always put him at ease, hearing the quiet, whistling noise of the moving air. It was always there. It was comforting."

After a strange pause, she continued. "Everything was alight. Our home was burning, as were the fields. I heard the desperate cries of our chickens and cattle. Demons came, and they destroyed everything... Everyone. The air was filled with black smoke. The flames were not red, no. Some were green, others purple. Much of it was black, but looking back, I am uncertain how much was true or not through my young terrified eyes. Dark magic had completely demolished everything I knew. I still remember the next day. I had escaped, and ended up deep into the empire on my own. The problem had been eliminated. I was alone, however. I sat on a roof top, listening for the wind... I could not hear it."

They stood there for a few minutes. He looked to her. She had moisture within and beneath her eyes, but she refused to look towards him. She shook her head. With both hands, she rubbed dry her face and smiled, clearing her throat.