A desperate wish.

That is the circumstance in which it is necessary in order to meet the Wizard. The place in which one meets the Wizard matters not. For time does not exist for such a being. He is capable of anything you could possibly dream of. So long as you are desperate enough for it.

He is beyond death. Beyond life. Those concepts seem so arbitrary. For what is life but a quirk of matter. With a snap of his fingers he can bring back the dead. Just like that.

For a price.

It was for a death in which the Wizard met an oddity.

There have been many that have come and gone who were on the verge of death. Their desperate wishes to stay in the realm of the living and willing to give any price. However, this one was unique. This one was not willing to pay the price and would rather a different wish. One that was more desperate than for his own life.

"If I were to go back the price I would pay would be that I would lose all of my memories? And it would be permanent?" He asked.

The Wizard eyed the young man in front of him. "That's right. Your body suffered quite a lot of damage and you are still quite young. There isn't much that you can offer in this point in time. It is asking for another life."

The young man was silent for a moment, before he asked. "You're capable of granting any wish? Any wish at all?"

"Of course. So long as you wish for it desperately enough. I will be able to grant it easily." The Wizard answered.

"I wish that my wife will have the strength to get on with her life, find happiness and surround herself with people who will love and care for her." The man replied without a hint of hesitation.

The Wizard eyed the person before him in curiosity. There had been those that chose to return and take their chances. There were even those that delighted in losing their memories. There were even a few who spurned his goodwill altogether and chose death. "Why? It is such a simple thing. A wish that every being wishes upon their death. That a loved one will move on upon their death. What makes yours so much more desperate than the rest?"

The young man smiled as he started to speak about his wife, "She's not the most beautiful woman in the world. She's short-tempered and has low self esteem issues. Sometimes I have to talk her through her anxieties in order to calm her down. She's extremely stubborn, obsessive and sometimes she drives me insane. However, she is the kindest soul I have ever known. I've found her willingness to help others to the point of self sacrifice as admirable as it is infuriating. We're so different, yet we can still talk and understand each other in spite of this. We have gone through so many obstacles together and weathered many storms."

"In this moment in time she is the love of my life and I know her. How could I possibly leave her alone like that?"

"You could always go back to her without your memories." The Wizard suggested.

"Like I said. I know her. How could I possibly go back without any of my memories? I would no longer be myself. She would give up everything to take care of me. There would be no point. In the end it would be the same as death."

The Wizard was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "If there is such a thing as an afterlife in the end, the price would still be at the cost of your relationship with your wife. If you were to meet there you wouldn't remember her."

The young man smiled wryly at the Wizard, "I'm an atheist. I don't believe in an afterlife. Though there was something that my wife told me she believed in once."

The Wizard looked at him questioningly.

"She believed that all of time: past, present and future were happening all at once. So at this very moment as I'm making this wish. I am also meeting her for the very first time. We're also getting married at court. We're out on a date and having the time of our lives. I would rather believe in something like that, because even if I am forgetting from this moment onwards, those moments exist for us, always."

The Wizard laughed softly at this, for he had never heard of such a thing. Who knows maybe it could be true. "Before I grant your wish. Tell me, what is your name?"

"Rafael. Rafael Gutierrez."

The Wizard leaned in close towards Rafael and smiled. "You have been a very interesting guest, Rafael. Your wish will be granted, of that I can assure you."

With a snap of his fingers, all of Rafael's memories were taken and he was sent back to meet his inevitable fate. The Wizard felt nothing, but interest. He wondered.

What was this woman like? He wanted to see the effects she made on those around her. He also wondered.

Would he ever get a chance to meet her if she one day had a desperate wish?

AN. I've always liked the idea of the Wizard being present in all of the Cheritz games. This idea was always going to happen, but it was hard to put into words since I'm basically killing off my husband and putting into words his feelings for me. I swear I'm not conceited! T^T

It's actually based on conversations we've had before and the way that we view each other. It also helped that I could ask for his input on how he would have reacted if he really was put into that kind of position.

I also hoped I managed to portray the Wizard right, since he isn't really human. I kind of imagined him as a being that just finds us very interesting when we do things he doesn't expect.