WARNING: This fanfic contains homosexual sex scenes.

DISCLAIMER: With the exception of Lai's girlfriend, the characters and places in this fanfic are not mine! I assure you they will be returned to their rightful places in perfect condition - and I will have made no money from their adventures! This story is a work of fiction, and I acknowledge that I have taken uncountable liberties with the Orphen plot and characters' personalities / sexual persuasions. In no way do I mean the characters, or their creators, any harm or disrespect; I write this purely to show my love for the series in my own special way - nothing more, nothing less.

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't seen the end of the first series, I recommend that you do not read any further.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This was written for D-Chan's White Day fanfic contest. The criteria was that Majic had to be the main character, and it had to be set on White Day. I wrote it whilst there were a bunch of people outside my house, beating up a car they had just run off the road! So, it might not be my greatest work, but I hope you'll still enjoy it!

~ Enchantment ~
By Level4Chaos

Part One

I'm doing it again. I hope he doesn't notice... it's the third time I've done it today! I don't know why I do it, I guess it's just a little something to take my mind of the seriousness of study...

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being taught things by my new master - he shows me things I'd never even dreamt of before! It's just that... it gets repetitive. I suppose we'd move onto something beyond simple fire summons if I was any good at it. I mean, I know the theory inside and out - I can rattle off intermediate incantations no problem, but when it comes to putting them into practise, I'm hopeless at even the most basic of spells.

And so I daydream...

A lot.

It's probably just because I miss Master - Orphen - nothing more. He never gave me time to think! If it wasn't fighting some magical monster, it was piecing together clues to the Sword of Baltanders. Those days seem so long ago now, though it's barely been four months since Orphen's battle with the Bloody August.

Hartia, my new master, is so kind to me. He understands how I feel about Orphen's disappearance, and he lets me get away with a lot more than he should because of it. I think he misses Orphen, too - but he doesn't show it as blatantly as I do.

He has Lai, the Tower's resident psychic, to keep him company. It's only during lessons, like this one, that I ever see them apart. They're desperately holding onto the friends they still have, I guess. It must be hard for them to live with what they've seen. It's hard for me - and I didn't know Childman or Flameheart that well. To see them both perish as they did... no one deserved that.

So when I see my master and Lai standing by the window together, I know they're talking about the past... they're always talking about the past, about Orphen in particular. (It must be strange for Lai, since his expertise is in the future.) And so they cling to each other, holding on to the one constant that remained after Azalie's selfishness took everything else from them.

But I don't mean to sound like I'm wallowing all alone here! I've met some really nice friends. Namely Eris, my study partner.

She supports me when my master gets tired of repeating the same thing over and over and eventually leaves me to work it out on my own. It hurts me when he does that. Orphen used to just yell at me and let me know outright that I wasn't any good. Hartia always says encouraging words, but he looks at me like I'm one big disappointment.

And that's when I need Eris the most. She's always smiling, and always ready to tell me it's okay. I really like her.

Mind you, no one I've met so far could ever hold a candle to Cleao! I'm actually finding myself missing her... her taunts, her insults, her temper. What I'd give to have someone throw something at me! Everyone here is so serious.

Hartia has (or had) a mischievous streak - the encounters with him dressed in that ridiculous Black Tiger costume confirmed that - but looking at how stoic he is right now, no one would have guessed it. The slight frown creasing his brow tells me he's disappointed with me for failing yet another attempt at my spell casting.

"Majic." He said sternly, crossing his arms over his stomach, "I know you can do this spell. Here..."

Oh great, he's going to show me again! That's when it happens... when I start to daydream.

It's late at night, and I'm revising something from an ancient spell book by candlelight. There's a knock at the door, and right away I know it's him.

Hartia moves to stand behind me and places his hands on my shoulders, rubbing them in a loose massage.
"You're so tense! It's no wonder you can't summon the power required. Relax a bit..."

Orphen would never massage me. He'd just tell me I was being stupid and do the spell for me - that's the difference between learning from set criteria and learning through life experience.

I'm not tense... I think Hartia's just looking for an excuse to explain why I'm doing so badly today. Bad student equals bad teacher - that sort of thing. I've heard whisperings that the Elders have taken a great risk letting him succeed Childman (he's too immature for such an important position or something), and any hiccup like a student with miserable grades could well risk his future at the Tower of Fang.

He tries so hard, but he's not...

He's not...

Orphen.

The man Hartia still insists on calling 'Krylancelo' is my true master, my teacher... my idol. It doesn't matter how good a sorcerer my new master is, he can't teach me what I don't want to learn from him. When we first met, I loved him because he was Orphen's dear childhood friend, and I love him now as my own friend... but I cannot love him as my master.

He doesn't want to be here any more than I do; and he doesn't want to teach me any more than I want him to... He's too young to have so much responsibility, but he bears it anyway. For Childman? For Orphen? For Lai? I don't know what's in his heart, but if it's anything like mine, I say we should both make a run for it and get out of here before this place sucks the life from us!

I know, I know... I hassled my father for years about finding a sorcerer to train me so I could attend the illustrious Tower of Fang. What's that thing they always say? Be careful what you wish for... you just might get it?

Why, out of all the wishes I've ever had, did the Tower of Fang one have to come true?!

I don't mean to sound bitter. I'm honoured that they thought I was good enough to be accepted. It's just that my adventures with Orphen made magic so much more exciting than standing around all day being told to attack rocks.

"Come on, Majic. You're better than that! You have so much potential if only you'd lighten up. It's not as difficult as you think."
I know Hartia means well when he runs his hands up and down my arms, but all it's doing is making me yearn for something I can't have... something I shouldn't even desire.

"I just can't do it!" I look up and plead with him, leaning my head against his chest. His scarlet hair tickles my face as he looks down and gives me that expression hidden behind a forced smile. I can't see it very well through all his hair, but it's definitely there. It compels me to add, "I'm sorry, Master."

He sighs and takes my arm in a firm, but gentle grasp, outstretching it and aiming my hand toward the target.
"Feel the magic in your heart..." His other hand touched my chest, as if to show me where my heart was, and I felt tingles! It was as if I had no layers of heavy green fabric draped across me at all... like he had touched my very skin!

I don't know why I keep doing it. Fantasising. I mean, I thought I was straight... Well, until this started happening, anyway. Nothing like this happens when Eris touches me! I don't even know who I'm thinking about, but it's only ever triggered by a guy touching me. I want to believe it's Orphen... but I'm kidding myself that he'd ever be that gentle with me.

"What's wrong, Majic?" Great, he's noticed.
"N-nothing, Master."
"Good. Let's work on your hand's positioning, then." He places his hand over mine, splaying my fingers as he links his between them. "Like this. Now, try it."

He didn't let go - this usually meant he wanted to feel how powerful the blast was as it left my body. I like it when he holds my hand; it makes me happy to know he cares about me. Of course, I usually get so caught up in appreciating the feeling that I fail my spell dismally and end up making idiots of us both. But not today!

It was perfect. I don't think Hartia realised just how perfect. His front pressed tightly against my back, my shoulder locked in his armpit as his arm ran beside mine... and our hands linked together like lovers'. As he felt the charge, he moved his hand to brace my wrist. I know I laughed as the fire shot through my arm and out my burning palm, blasting the target in front of me in a show of orange sparks.

"You see? It's easy!" He was genuinely smiling at me as he pulled me in for a congratulatory embrace. Scruffing my hair playfully, he let me go and beckoned me to follow as he made his way back to the Tower. I didn't realise how long we had been out there for, the sky was afire with a brilliant vermilion sunset already.

"You're improving, Majic." Hartia was still praising me as we walked through the meandering corridors toward the student quarters. "I just hope that you will be able to do something that impressive for your test tomorrow."
I hitched up my robes and jogged to catch up with his quick stride.
"Tomorrow, Master?!" I'd completely forgotten about the test!
"I know." He groaned. "Of all the days to have a test! No one's going to be thinking about magic on White Day. But it is also the night of the full moon, so like it or not, it has to be done."

I felt like my blood had just been drained from my body. First, I'd forgotten the test, and now I forget White Day?! Thanks, Hartia... Eris would kill me if I didn't get her anything in return for those lovely chocolates she'd given me for St. Valentine's Day!

Even though relationships were strictly forbidden at the Tower, for some bizarre reason, the Elders tolerated the celebration of St. Valentine's Day and White Day. I guess it works as a stress release - it'd be nice to know someone liked you, even if they couldn't show it physically.
I haven't been at the Tower long enough to know what happens if a couple is caught stealing kisses (Valentine's Day went suspiciously smooth)... but I'm certain if it's going to happen this year, it will be tomorrow for sure.

"Uhh... Master? Would it be all right for me to go into town?"
"Tonight?!"
"Yes?" I was so nervous, my answer sounded like a question itself... or at least, a plea. "I need to... buy something."
"Most of the shopkeepers would have gone home for the evening. Can't it wait until morning?"
"Master, please? I..." How embarrassing! "Sort of... forgot to buy Eris a present."

"Eris, huh?" I thought I saw a glimmer of Hartia's old personality in his eyes as he smiled. "Well then... this changes everything! Meet me at the Transport downstairs in five minutes. I know the perfect place."

My blush would turn my face to cinders if it got any hotter! I hadn't meant to say her name, and did not realise I had until Hartia made it known. I know he wasn't intentionally teasing me... I think he was more surprised than anything else.

Surprised?! I wonder why? Did he already know what it had taken me years to discover about myself? I wasn't completely gay, was I? I liked Eris a lot... even the mere thought of getting her something nice for White Day and seeing her pretty smile made me happy.

But the thought of receiving a gift myself made me even happier. I wonder what a man like Hartia would give his lover? Whoa! What brought that thought on?! Hartia is not my fantasy man - no way! It's definitely Orphen... Isn't it?

"Thank you, Master!" I quickly answer before he thinks I've spaced out again.