Disclaimer: I do not own Maplestory

The Spy with Epilepsy

A Maplestory one-shot

Author's Note: This one-shot will explain much of the history of Phil. As said in the summary, it contains spoilers up to 3.4 (Part III, Chapter 4). The setting of the actual one-shot will sort of connect with the first few events of the first chapter of part one.

Both of his parents were of the Warrior class. His father, who was a Spearman, met his mother when she was a Page; both of their levels were in the 60's.

Although it seemed to be a good relationship at first, it all changed after they got married. His father, being a "man" and "stronger," leveled faster, and reached his Third Job Advancement sooner than his mother. She eventually did reach her Third Job Advancement, but it was soon topped off by her husband reaching his Fourth Job Advancement.

However, even though he was more powerful (an entire job rank higher) than his wife, he would still scorn her for hunting "too slowly" (or at least, slower than him), even though at times she was a very crucial "party member" to him through her three elemental charges (Fire, Ice, and Lightning), status effects of charged blow and threaten, and combat orders. There were also several times that she "saved" him with her HP recovery. But none of that was "remembered" by him.

A few levels later, after he was content with dark impale, power stance, monster magnet, berserk, rush, and the various skills of the beholden, he began to settle down with his wife, whose level was at the early hundreds by then and had mastered the three elemental charges. They still hunted a little, but not as much.

A few years later, she gave birth to a son, which they named Phil.

Phil began his life in Henesys.

Although his life wasn't tragic, you couldn't exactly call it the best, either.

His mother, who, by now almost always stayed at home, would care for everything else; many times it seemed like she was a single parent.

His father often went off raiding Zakum and other monsters with a party or parties. He would return at random times, hauling a huge fortune back with him. However, the "fortune" would be quickly used up. His father would squander the "fortune"—about 70 percent it —and the other 20 percent would be used by Phil and his mother. When there would only be 10 percent of the amount left, his father would once again take off, as suddenly as he returned, and raid more monsters with more parties.

This became a sort of routine.

Then one day, his father didn't come back at the expected time from a raiding party (although he did eventually return).

This persisted even after the first time, the returning home late.

Eventually, it was found out that he had a girlfriend (even though he already had a wife) whose name was Alice (who herself also already had a spouse), through letters that were found and intercepted.

This eventually led to a divorce.

His mother, who had reached her age of late 50s, could no longer take care of the entire property, hunt monsters, and take care of Phil at the same time, who was barely suitable for applying for a job. So she sent him to his cousin, Amy.

Amy, a high leveled Priest, lived in Ellinia. Not yet married, she lived by herself in a single-story house. She really didn't have anything else to do at the time anyway, and accepted the "job." Phil was sent to her in one day's time. At that time, Phil was 9 years old.

She did a very good job taking care of him. She provided for all his needs, even showing him the basics of hunting monsters, since he was nearing the appropriate age to get a job, as well as the basics of taking care of oneself, like cooking. She had planned for Phil to become an Ice-Lightning Wizard.

However, when he reached the age of ten, something struck him that prevented him from getting a job at the appropriate time.

At first, he began acting weird. Amy took her to Grendel to see what had happened; of the wildest theory, he was possessed.

It was something that Grendel only recognized as epilepsy.

The seizures that resulted from epilepsy were devastating. At first, he had just the small ones, the absent seizures, where he zoned out. But the worst was yet to come. Then later he had the biggest kinds, the tonic clonic, or grand mal, seizures. He would suddenly seize up, and shake uncontrollably.

The Magicians had no cure for epilepsy.

There were times when he had seizure after seizure every hour. He couldn't even get out of bed. Anything that he was taught, he immediately forgot the next day.

These seizures lasted for four years. When he was finally well again, he took the first job advancement as a Magician, miraculously having enough intelligence to be applicable for one, for Grendel knew that every seizure damages brain cells.

He certainly was lucky enough.

When he took the first skill book home, he spent all day reading it, studying every skill. This went far into the night. After the book was put away and he went to bed, he had a grand mal seizure.

Unbeknownst to Amy, the next day, when he woke up, he forgot that he had become a Magician, along with pretty much everything he had learned from the book.

The next few days, Amy took him traveling, believing that, since he knew the basics of a Magician, he could effectively protect himself from snails and other lower level monsters. And after all, she herself was a Priest, and a high leveled one at that.

She took him to Perion first. When she was buying stuff from the potion shops, Phil somehow slipped away. He wandered into the Warrior's Guild. Believing that he was still a Beginner, he saw all the cool Warriors wanted to become one. He received a blessing from a skeptical Sitting Bull and a skill book of the Warrior's basics. He came out and saw Amy Teleporting all over the place looking for him. He ran up to her and, after sorting things out, they went to the taxi that would take them back to Ellinia. She saw the book, of course, but did not take much notice, not believing that that could be a Warrior's skill book; convinced herself that it was the Magician's text, and that he had brought it along with him for some light reading.

She could not have been more wrong.

They went home, and he began reading the new book. She was too busy doing her own business, and continued to believe that it was the Magician's book that he was reading.

Then the same thing happened: He read too late, had a seizure in bed, and forgot everything.

After the visit to Perion, she had thought he's just a little Magician. How much trouble could he get into at towns? And he knows better than to leave the town. Besides, he'd get scared by them. So, when they went to other towns, she allowed him to do whatever was in his interest. And of course, Phil didn't get into any trouble. At least, none that would wreck things or hurt people.

The following days, she took him to the other places as well—Kerning City, the Nautilus, and, their last place of visit, Henesys. A few days elapsed between each visit.

The same thing happened every time at each place, and when they returned to Ellinia: he took a first job advancement, got the respective job advancement's text, returned with it, read it too late, and had a seizure, causing him to forget everything.

The entire time, Amy suspected nothing; she was too busy with her own things.

-X-

One day, when Phil was 15 years old, he went out by himself. He had told Amy, and she had allowed it. His seizures seemed to have decreased, and she trusted him.

He went to Henesys, and a freak blizzard came.

Amy saw it, because Ellinia was such a high place.

She also saw that Phil had not returned.

She then went out herself to find him.

When she finally found him, he was buried under a snowdrift, unconscious and barely alive, perhaps only surviving to that time because of a combination of Magic Guard, some fire magic, and other various skills, which was virtually exhausted by that time.

She carried him in her arms and took him home. Finally, through extreme intensive care, he narrowly escaped death.

He shouldn't even have been alive.

-X-

A while later, Amy fell in love with a man named Julian who was a Pirate, and Julian, vice-versa. At first Julian accepted Phil. However, after he realized that she spent more "attention" on Phil than on him, he began to despise Phil, for Julian wanted Amy to spend all her attention and time on him. Amy tried to make Julian change his mind, to no avail, for Julian turned out to be extremely stubborn and forceful, always wanting to be in command, and not allowing anyone to disagree with him. Julian was disposed to get rid of Phil quickly and quietly.

Phil saw the situation at hand very quickly. A while later, Phil left by himself to avoid further trouble. He took his books, the few other possessions he had, and the money he was given when he was sent to Amy, which was more than enough for him at that age. Phil had been told about it, and Amy knew about it as well; she had not touched it, for she knew it was not hers, and was to be left to Phil. Julian was never told about it, and had no idea it even "existed."

Amy became extremely worried when Phil disappeared so suddenly. Julian was more than pleased about it, and "comforted" Amy that Phil was old enough to take care of himself.

Phil went to Henesys, the place where he had lived for most of his life. The house he used to live in was already bought and owned by others. Instead of going there, became a nomad, wandering around places, with no permanent home.

For the next year, he lived by himself. He would go hunting every once in a while. He met people, nice and mean, generous and greedy. People who gave him mesos, people who asked him for mesos. He would often listen in on conversations of others, gaining new knowledge. Of the many things he heard, one of them was about the subject that when someone reaches level 30, it was time for their second job advancement.

So that was what he did when he reached his thirtieth level.

Going through the same process for all five jobs.

Author's Note: So there you have it. What do you think?

Additional Notes (Warning: These are massive plot spoilers. Read at your own risk)

1.1

This is why Phil accidently loaded 4 arrows into his crossbow, and seemed to be so "out," as he constantly forgot things from seizures.

1.2

The reason why he doesn't remember leveling up is because he had seizures, and they are also the reason why he lost conscious so many times (like in Eos Tower).

By the way, the "it" means epilepsy, and the "them" are the seizures.

("Do you think it's because he has…it?" General Maestro asked slowly.)

("So he would forget that he leveled up when he has them." Jr. Officer Medin said)

1.3

The pills that Agent Marco gave Phil, which he told him were vitamins, were actually seizure medicine. (Although it is not said, he continued to take them after the one time that was mentioned; these more or less cured his seizures.)

1.4 and 1.5

Yes, he does have a cousin.