(A/N: Hi everyone! This is my first ever fanfic! I had a pretty interesting story in mind using the Harvest Moon AP Universe. All AP cast will be present, plus new characters! I also may have changed the personalities of some AP characters, so they won't be quite true to their game counterparts. Tori is the name I gave Molly/Hikari in my game file, just so no one gets confused. Please let me know what you think! I am a full time Grad student STEM major, so writing is like...my absolute worst skill. If anyone is interested in being an editor let me know! Please leave reviews and comments I'd like feedback! Enjoy!)

CHAPTER 1: First Star of Bond

"So..." the Witch said after taking a sip of her tea, "Did you bring me the tablet from the Harvest King?" Tori sighed, remembering the trek she had to go through to obtain the relic.

A few days ago, amidst her farm chores, a loud crash had echoed through her farmyard. Curious and worried that a barn animal may have gotten hurt, Tori went to find the source of the sound. As she approached the entrance to her home, she saw a disoriented fairy sprawled on the ground.

"Finn!" She exclaimed while slightly laughing, "I thought you were going to be busy helping the Goddess! What are you doing here? Are you okay?"

Finn collected himself and floated up towards Tori's face. "TORI!" Finn yelled frantically, his tone matched his flailing movements. "The Harvest King needs to see you! He says it's absolutely urgent!"

Tori looked around her farmland and scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Can't it wait? I have a lot to do Finn… the animals need their feed, I need to harvest the rest of the crops and-"

"NO! It has to be NOW NOW NOW NOW! Please Tori!"

Tori sighed and accepted defeat.

"Ugh fine, he better have a damn good reason!" Tori mounted her horse and together they strode towards Flute Fields; Tori explained her situation and asked Renee if she could finish up her tasks for her.

"Of course, Tori, hurry on though! You don't want to keep the King waiting!" Renee gave Tori a small rucksack of goods, to Tori's surprise, and waved goodbye. Her neighbors were always nice people, although some had chaotic family lives. Finn wasn't going to accompany her, as he had to return to the Goddess, and was only relaying the message.

"Ugh, I wonder what's so important that it needs to be now." she groaned, "That arrogant man needs to learn that not everyone runs on his schedule!"

She was so distracted by her internal venting that she didn't even notice she was already at the entrance to the mines. She got off her horse and pondered for a bit.

"Hmm, I'm actually not sure how long this will take, it's not good to leave you out here long, Arcturus..." Her horse neighed in reply.

"Oh wait, maybe I can ask Owen! he's probably here right now!" Tori exclaimed. Arcturus seemed to give a dismissive response.

"Oh, he can just walk you, I know you're particular about who rides you."

Tori entered the mines, but saw no sign of Owen. She did however, find Luke. She frowned instantly.

"Heya Hothead! Where ya headed?" He asked. Tori rolled her eyes. "I need to speak to the Harvest King, but I need someone to take Arcturus home."

"Well I got nothin' better to do, how's about I take her?" Luke offered. Luke teased Tori often and always slacked off at work; she wasn't sure this was such a good idea. But she was in a rush, and didn't have another option.

"Sure. Here's my barn keys. Please don't make a mess of things, okay?"

"Haha gotcha! I won't let you down!" He snatched the keys excitedly and ran outside towards Arcturus. Tori could hear Arcturus buck in anger outside and Luke try to calm her. She took a deep breath, then entered the Upper Garmon Mines Entrance.

Each floor she trekked became colder and colder. "Even in the warm spring breeze this cave is still icy as ever" she scoffed. She beat herself up a little for letting Finn rush her, maybe she would have remembered to bring a jacket.

Tori made a pit stop on the 25th floor to recover some energy. The year or so of experience she's had with these caves did nothing for her endurance in them. She felt like she was going to pass out at any moment.

"That's right, Renee gave me a bag of stuff earlier, didn't she?" She pulled it out and inspected its contents.

"Oh Renee, this must have been your lunch…" Tori's voice echoed through the caves. The bag contained a bottle of water and a container of vegetable stew. Now that Marimba Farm was able to grow amazing crops, they started exploring the ways they could cook them, with help from Chase and Maya, the town's celebrated cooks (However, Yolanda was the true artesian of the craft). Tori savored each spoonful of stew until she hit the bottom of the container. The warmth helped her cope with the freezing temperatures within the cave, and gave her the energy to venture forth the other 20 floors. After about a few hours, Tori finally arrived to the 45th floor, excited because she remembered about the hot springs in the area.

"Yes yes, when I get there I'm going to the spring right away! That jerk can wait a bit I'm sure!" she said as she wiped cold sweat off of her forehead. Once she was at the exposed mountaintop, she darted towards the springs.

"I know you're here, Tori. We have business. That can wait." The King's voice boomed.

She barely managed to get her hands in the water by the time he said that. She bit her tongue though, and kept her mouth shut as she walked towards his throne area on the other side of the mountaintop.

"Alright, what's so important it had to be dealt with right now?" she asked in a rude tone.

The King laughed, "You humans don't understand manners! You are all so caught up in your frivolous lives-"

"Yeah, okay, get to the point I thought we didn't have all day," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"And yet you took almost the entire day getting here, didn't that fairy tell you it was urgent?!" The King matched her tone.

"I can only get here so fast, maybe next time COME DOWN INSTEAD?" She said mockingly.

Her emotions were getting the better of her, and all she wanted to do now was punch him in the face.

"It does not matter, I suppose" he said, bringing down his tone, "Let me show you…"

With a bright glow, the King willed a strange tablet to appear before the both of them. For a while, there was silence as they both studied the tablet. Finally, no longer able to contain her curiosity, Tori spoke.

"So... what is it then? Other than a cryptic rock?" The King glared at her and replied.

"It is just that. It speaks of a prophecy. I don't exactly know much other than that. The Witch in the forest might be able to help you with that, though."

"You rushed me here over something you don't kn-Wait what do you mean? Why do I have to do this?" Tori answered in shock.

"I rushed you over because it's an ominous prophecy. That much I know." The King asserted.

"It speaks of destruction; the etched drawings also seem to suggest that as well." He stated, staring off into the distance.

"I want you to figure it out, and find a way to prevent this prophecy." Tori crossed her arms.

"I do not like humans, you know that. But I trust you, Tori. If the Goddess put her faith in you to restore the elements, then I believe I can do the same." His plea seemed very unorthodox of his character. He always had an air of superiority about him, but at this moment he seemed to be level with Tori. It almost seemed as though he was afraid...

"Okay. I'll take it to the Witch. Are you sure she can figure this out?" Tori asked.

"She and the Wizard are skilled in a variety of archaic languages and hieroglyphics" the King explained, "However, she seems to be more communicative and answered my call before the Wizard did. So, she is expecting you."

"Alrigh-...aaaah she's all the way in the freakin' forest! AUGH!" Tori cried in frustration.

The King simply rolled his eyes. "Humans..."

"Tori, the tablet, do you have it or not?" The witch repeated. She snapped her fingers in front of the reminiscing Tori to bring her back to the present.

"Uh? Oh! Yeah, it's in my bag, let me grab it." Tori rummaged through her bag. She pulled out the slab of rock, realizing she never bothered to notice the engraved pictures on it. It seemed like some kind of beast with some strange markings attacking a vague stretch of land and its people. That's all she managed to understand from a glance, though. She took a few sips of her tea as well, and she watched the Witch study the tablet closely.

and she watched.

and she watched.

Tori began tapping her feet loudly as her patience began dwindling. She could feel her anxiousness begin to get the better of her. She was never a patient person.

"You know, the few times you've come over, you always do that, and it's distracting!" the Witch commented.

Over the course of the year, once Tori restored the Witch to her true form, they both became good friends. However, they did not see each other often. Tori was always busy with fieldwork, and the Witch must've had some business to attend to. Tori knew the Witch had some kind of knack for languages, but she never knew to what extent.

"Well, maybe if you hurried it up..." Tori said in a low growl.

The witch sighed. "This language is from my mother's era. I know bits and pieces, but not the whole story." she said as she bit her lip. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.

"SYLVIA!" the witch called. Tori looked curiously at the upstairs door the witch was facing. A bit passed, and the knob began to turn. Out from the door emerged a beautiful woman in loose, long raven hair and tired red eyes. She only had her bra and underwear on, and she looked like she'd been sleeping.

"Babe, it's 3AM, what's going on?" the woman said, yawning and stretching a bit as she waited for a reply.

"I know love but we have an important guest, just come down!" she yelled towards her.

"Okay, okay" the woman said as she made her way hovering down the staircase.

"That's my partner, Sylvia. Succubi were very prominent in this era so she probably understands this better than I can." the witch explained.

Tori nodded until she realized, "Wait did you say-"

"Yes, I'm a succubus, does that bother you human? Why are you here so late anyways?" Sylvia retorted.

"She brought an important tablet for us to decipher love, but I can't seem to understand this writing. I'm trying to understand the drawings as well…"

The woman began hovering over towards them, and took over the tablet. From there, Tori thought, her features were clear. She had pointy ears, and a tail. Her crimson eyes stood out against her dark, spotty complexion and for a moment Tori blushed and looked away. She distracted herself by taking gulps of tea, until she realized she was drinking air.

"So…how long have you guys been an item?" Tori asked sheepishly as she stared down her empty cup.

"We met about a week after you came last, so, probably a few months, I think," The Witch replied, "Isn't she great?"

The succubus was still examining the stone tablet, until something caught her eye.

"That there" the succubus pointed to the beast-like drawing on the relic. "It looks like the Wizard's markings. And it's on the same eye." the succubus continued, "The words scribbled next to it also say 'Mage' in Ulduni."

The Witch's faced turned into a scowl as she digested her lover's words. "I knew there was a reason I never liked that weirdo!" she yelled. She collected herself though, and continued to process the meaning of the succubus's words as she refilled her and Tori's tea.

Tori only sat there, confused.

"Ulduni, Eh? That's the oldest language in existence. Most magical beings used to speak the language. However now, only the succubi pass down its remnants." The Witch remarked.

"I don't really understand much, it's all complicated garble, nothing I've learned before." Sylvia said, "But some of these pictures look like beings we know of now. Like this right here kind of looks like the Goddess...more like an artist rendering don'tcha think?"

Sylvia laughed as she looked at some of the drawings. But what she said was right, the woman in the drawing (if it can even be recognized as such) kind of looked like the Goddess, even these weird indented circles look like they could be floating fairies...

The Witch and Sylvia continued discussing the contents of the tablet. Tori sat and thought about their comparison of the beast and the Wizard. She recalled the many times she'd seen the Wizard, but he would either scoff or look the other way. The townsfolk said the Wizard mostly kept to himself, and out of all the townspeople he was the only one she hadn't befriended. She tried for a while, but friendship is a two-way endeavor after all. Could he really be the beast in this photo? The last Tori spoke with the Wizard, she didn't recall such insignias on his face.

"Tori, I think we came to a conclusion of what this means!" The Witch said brightly. Light began shining through the Witch's windows, and the sounds of chirping birds became prominent. It was daybreak. Tori was slouched on the Witch's chair, sleeping like a baby.

"Tori, silly! wake up!" the Witch said as she shook the sleeping girl.

"Eh-Ah! What what!" Tori yelled, breaking from her small nap. She wiped some drool off her face.

"Ah, she's a sleeping beauty, just like you babe!" Sylvia laughed.

"Oh shut it!" the Witch replied.

Tori tried to remember what had been happening the past day or so as they continued their loving exchanges.

"Anyways, Tori, we think we figured it out" the Witch stated excitingly.

"Oh?" Tori said, partly curious and partly sleepy. She could really go for some coffee.

"Yes, well, it seems to tell of a cyclic prophecy. A demon will come and ravage the lands, and destroy the Goddess and her elements, or fairies as we know them." The Witch explained, "I don't know when this will occur, or how much time we have left, but Spring is always seen as the season of rebirth. So probably a year, minimum."

"The beast is the Wizard. They have identical features. He's a demon, according to the relic." Sylvia interrupted, "It seems like he's key in this."

"Ugh I hate that rotten brat, he's always so stoic, drawl, and serious. A demon living amongst humans? Crazy!" the Witch said as entered the kitchen.

Sylvia stayed sitting with Tori at the table. "From what I know, he's really into stars. One of my succubi friends tried to go, well, y'know, steal his seed, but he doesn't seem very in tune with his male instincts," Sylvia laughed a bit while Tori gave her a disgusted look, "He kicked her out and now has some magic barrier up." Sylvia said, tracing a circle on the table with her finger.

"Hah, or maybe he's gay!" the witch retorted from the kitchen.

"Ah, you'd know that quiet well, wouldn't you?" Sylvia smirked.

The Witch gave her a loving stare back, then sighed.

"I don't know how we would stop this. The Wizard tends to keep to himself too." She said as she joined everybody else at the table. She had brought some muffins from the kitchen.

Tori stared at the beast in question. "Last time I saw him, when I asked him to help me fix you, I didn't see these sigils on his face."

Sylvia took a muffin from the center of the table. "I see him around sometimes in this forest. There's something wrong with that eye. He covers it." She stared back at the tablet. "But I've seen it. If he hides it, it's probably because of this." She shrugged.

"I don't know either, I'm not really friends with him or anything. I don't know anything about that man." Tori sighed.

"Say..." Sylvia pondered, "Maybe we can control him? Isn't he like you, babe? Wizards and Witches can't give out their real names."

Tori stared. "That's true, I don't know your name Witch. What is it?"

"It's said that if a Witch or Wizard revealed their true name to someone, that person can control them," the Witch said matter-a-factly. Tori frowned, hoping that she could call her friend something other than simply "Witch".

"But, if we did know his name, we would theoretically be able to stop him, by controlling him, wouldn't we?" The witch gave a sly smile as she concocted the plan in her head.

"This doesn't even seem well thought out. We don't even know who or what the Wizard is or what power he has. We're taking the word of a rock here." Tori stated as she took a bite from one of the muffins.

"Ah! That's your job Tori!" the Witch said.

Tori stopped mid-chew. "Mmbeg chur parchen?"

"Yeah, babe and the Wizard don't get along too good. And he's yet to know you. It's perfect!" Sylvia exclaimed.

"Woah, wait hold up, don't make plans for me! I don't really understand what's going on!" Tori urged, she practically spit muffin crumbs out of her mouth.

"Please Tori, manners!" the Witch exclaimed in disgust. "At this rate, I'm never sharing my snacks with you ever again!"

Tori angrily finished chewing her muffin piece and swallowed. "Okay. NOW EXPLAIN!" she growled.

Sylvia laughed at the disoriented human and took another look at the relic as her lover explained the plan to Tori.

"You're going to befriend the Wizard, and eventually, by getting to know him and either by finding clues leading to it, or by earning his trust, he'll tell you his name. You should also try to find any more clues on this prophecy. I'll do the same."

"I already tried step one. He doesn't want to be friends." Tori said dismally.

"I know for a fact he likes these! Maybe go by his place and ask for your fortune read and offer this?" the Witch said while she rummaged through her black bag. She pulled out some weird purple mushroom. Tori recalled seeing a few on the way to the Witch's house several months back, but avoided them because they seemed poisonous.

"This looks like I want to poison him? No?" Tori stated while she had the uninviting mushroom in her hand.

"What? No, no, Tori. It's a Fugue mushroom. It's useful in magic and such. He's quite fond of them, last I remember." the Witch stated.

"Ah, I sometimes see him around the forest picking these." stated Sylvia.

"Ugh but what if this goes wrong? What if I can't do this? What if-" Tori was cut off by the Witch who pulled something else out of her bag.

It was a bracelet filled with pink crystals. Tori's face lit up with curiosity; she'd never seen crystals with that hue before. The witch clasped the bracelet around Tori's wrist.

"Uh, what's this? It's really pretty..." Tori asked, completely enchanted.

"It's a crystal bracelet infused with my magic. You can use it like a communicator of sorts. If you need me, just will it and the bracelet will call for me. It's easier than you coming here anytime you have a question or problem, I know you're busy with farm stuff."

The Witch pointed to her own wrist, and Sylvia's. "We have our own too."

Tori bit her lip. Once again, the weight of the world was on her shoulders. They wanted her to befriend some beast disguised as a Wizard. Sylvia sensed the doubt Tori was emitting.

"If you are the human the Witch speaks of, the one who rang the bells of legend to restore the elements, then you should have no trouble doing this." Sylvia said in a serious tone. "By the way, I'm sorry for being rude earlier," She continued, "Don't worry, you have us here to help you. We won't leave you stranded in this."

The succubus's words were oddly reassuring. Tori could feel the fear picking up, but this had to be done. Who knows how much time was left before the prophecy came true.

"Like I mentioned before, I think we have until next Spring," the Witch said thoughtfully, "Magical items tend to appear when they are needed." She pointed to the magical item in question, the relic itself.

Tori gathered her things, as well as the mushroom the Witch gave her.

"I should be heading out then, thanks for your help guys," Tori said as she walked out the door, "Sleep well!"

"Sylvia... I have a bad feeling about all this. Something doesn't seem right..." The Witch said after locking the door. Sylvia stared at the window, watching Tori walk into the distance.

"I feel the same." she replied. "I'll see if I know anyone else who speaks Ulduni."

Tori paced towards her home, excited to finally reunite with her bed. In the distance, she was able to see her farmland.

Suddenly, it hit her.

"Shit! My crops! My animals! How long has it been?" Tori yelled, to no one in particular. Judging by the sunlight, it seemed to be about 10. That meant she was gone for about a day. There was so much to do, yet all she actually wanted to do was sleep. And she couldn't even do that after her chores. She had a new assignment. She sighed as she approached her entrance. She reached for her keys, and realized that they were not in her pocket. She grabbed the door knob though, and it opened, to her surprise. Even more of a surprise was Luke, who was asleep on her chair. She approached him as he snored away and proceeded to shake the life out of him.

"Aah!" he yelped.

"Oi, it's just you Tori" Luke yawned, "Dang girl, long night?" he noticed the bags under her eyes.

"Guess so." She sighed, "Thanks for taking care of the place."

Luke jolted up and stared at her alarm clock "Aw shit—Pops is gunna kill me! I'm late! See ya!" He ran out of her house. She tried chasing him down at first.

"Wait! My keys!"

She groaned and figured she'd ask for them back later. No one in this town kept locks, anyways. Tori only chose to as a way to keep her animals inside; The chickens managed to learn to open their coop doors.

She began her arduous daily tasks: watering her crops, tending to her animals, shipping out any goods, and cleaning up around the area. To her surprise, she seemed to have a lot of free time after farm chores; it was only 15:00. She was still nervous about going to meet the Wizard, especially with all the information she was given. He could be a monster.

"Maybe I should ask around town first…" she spoke to herself.

"Yeah, that's a good idea!" She yelled.

"What's a good idea, Tori?" Renee asked as she turned her head confused. Tori didn't even notice Renee had walked over towards her house.

"Ah, nothing, I guess I'm speaking to myself again, just planning crop stuff out." Renee smiled. "Hey, I also wanted to thank you for your lunch the other day, it was sooo good~" Tori said as she rubbed her tummy. She didn't realize she still had some dirt on her hands from the yardwork.

"Tori your shirt!" Renee laughed a bit and tried to remove the stain with her hankerchief.

"Ohh its fine, I'll wash later anyways." Tori said, grinning.

"I see. You're very welcome as well, I'm glad I was able to help you out. I hope everything worked out with the Harvest King." Renee said.

"Yeah, he just wanted me to keep an eye on things, never good to let your guard down, even if the tree is restored, y'know?" Tori crossed her arms behind her head. "I hope that wasn't your lunch I ate, you work about as hard as I do!" Tori recalled all the times she had seen Renee tending to the animals at the Horn Ranch.

"It was only leftovers, Tori," Renee began walking towards town, and waved, "I was just passing by and wanted to see how you were doing. I have some errands to run, have a good day!"

Tori waved back. Conversations with Renee always put Tori in a good mood. She was determined now to befriend the Wizard. Maybe they could also have lively conversations like she has with Renee. She grabbed her bag and made her way to town, to investigate what people already knew about him.

[Past: Spring]

Tori stopped in front of the door and grabbed at her knees, gasping, trying to catch her breath. "Knock Tori! Knock!" Finn said in a panic.

"Hold on, I need to breathe, I'm, …hah, I need water…"

The door opened and a figure appeared before them. The purple figure removed his hoodie, and revealed his face to the out of breath Tori.

"…Yes…?" The fortune teller spoke. He looked down and saw the redhead panting.

Like her, he was also tanner than most of the folk in town. His messy hair was a nice platinum grey; it reminded her of moonlight. His teal eye was beaming at her in curiosity. His other eye was covered by his bed head and small braid. His entirety smelled like coffee beans; For a second, Tori seemed lost in his presence. She had forgotten she ran all the way over from Fugue Forest.

"I…heard you at my door…," The fortune teller said, breaking the silence, "Do you have business with me…?"

His soft-spoken voice jolted Tori back to reality, she was gasping again. The wizard stared at her fairy companion.

"We, need, your help!" She said between gasps.

"We…," The fortune teller replied, "The sprite…as well…?"

"Ah! He can see me!" Finn hid inside Tori's sweaty hair.

"Yes…I can see all beings of magical origin…like me…" the fortune teller responded.

Tori finally caught her breath and cocked her head. "What? People here told me you're just some 'eccentric' fortune teller. You're magic?" she asked skeptically.

"I'm a Wizard…humans don't seem to understand…"

Tori waved him off, figuring she'd deal with this topic at another time. "I came here because the Witch has some curse on her. She's a frog. Finn said you can help. I guess if you're magic it makes sense."

The Wizard held a hand over his mouth, but that wasn't enough to stop his laughing fit. Tori frowned.

"Hey, c'mon stop, I need that green bell from her. It'll fix the Goddess tree or whatever."

The cloaked man adjusted himself, and opened the door wider, reluctantly inviting her inside. She furrowed her brows at him and entered his house. If he hadn't told her he was some kind of mage, she would have figured it out then. His entire house was magic-themed in some form or another.

"She's….an idiot," the Wizard said bluntly, "I told her…not to do it…" He picked up a large book from the center table, and flipped to a specific page.

"She thought…she could use a spell…to restore that tree…" He approached Tori and gave her a peek at the page.

"It says here…to reverse the spell's effect…you need Good Cornmeal, ...Hibiscus, …and Perfect Butter." Tori was wide-eyed.

"You're helping me though, right? Some of this, I mean, the cornmeal alone is a summer thing- "

"No. Be off now…" He said as he pushed them both out the door. Once again, the duo found themselves outside.

"Wow! He seems rude, doesn't he?" Finn said as he fluttered about.

"Are you kidding?! He's an asshole! This will take forever!" Tori yelled outside his door.

"You hear me you freak! YOU'RE A DICK!" she kicked his door, leaving a noticeable dent. With that, Tori ran off, mentally planning how she was going to pull this off in a timely fashion.

[Present: Spring]

"Wizard? Oh, the fortune teller—well you know, he's…eccentric…"

"Him? Isn't he some shut-in?"

"Now that you mention him, I never see him go out…"

"Actually, he likes to watch the stars from the church grounds. I saw him there while visiting the gravesite…"

The townspeople's words echoed in Tori's mind. She shielded her eyes from the mid-afternoon sun while resting under some trees in the Garmon Mines area. She felt like at this point she was just stalling the inevitable; nothing anyone told her was particularly useful, or something she didn't already know before. The bear cub nearby had approached her and looked at her longingly. She smiled and scratched its head lovingly as its mother watched from the entrance of the spring.

"Oh! I wonder if the Goddess' knows anything about this." Tori said. The cub let out a loving growl. "Guess it's settled then," she got up and the cub playfully ran back to its mother, "Time to go see her." She made her way to the entrance.

She walked carefully across the ruins, making sure she didn't slip and fall into the water (like she had before). She stared in awe at the beauty of the tree ahead. Around this time, last year, it was at its final hour. Now, it was massive, and blooming beautiful blue flowers. Colored specs began to approach her and surround her.

"Tori!" the fairies called out to her. "Yay! You came to visit!"

Finn shot out from behind the lot, and gave Tori's face a hug. "Tori! I miss you so much!" Tori giggled and pulled in the surrounding fairies for a big hug. "It's been a while! How are all my little pipsqueaks!"

"We're still bigger than Finn!" Collin smirked.

"Hey! So what! Tori says I am tiny but mighty!" Finn retorted as the rest of the sprites laughed amongst themselves.

"Now, now, what have I told you all about picking on each other?" A voice spoke. It sounded like waves against the shore; powerful, yet calming.

The sprites made way for the Harvest Goddess and swarmed her playfully. She laughed a bit, and looked at Tori.

"Hello, Tori, what brings you here today? A visit?" She gave Tori a loving smile, one she imagined a mother would give their child.

"Not particularly, I wanted to ask about someone, about the Wizard." Finn grew curious, he wondered if this had something to do with what the King had told him.

The air in the springs began to change, something felt off. The Goddess was still smiling at her, but it no longer felt motherly, just distant.

"Boys, can Tori and I have some room to talk?"

"Aw, can't we hang around a little longer?" Alan pouted. The Goddess held him close.

"Another time, okay? This is important." The sprites sighed and pouted, but with that, disappeared. Tori did not like where this was headed. Why did she need to send the sprites away?

Suddenly, the warm aura surrounding the Goddess felt cold as ice. Her smile twisted into a stern expression.

"Tori, dear, why do you ask about…him."

"Well, I don't know if the King already told you-"

"The tablet. Yes. He did. What of it?" The Goddess crossed her arms. Tori was so taken aback, she had never seen this sort of demeanor from her before. She was always loving towards all beings. Or so Tori thought.

"The Witch believes the Wizard might be the beast engraved on the relic. Prophesized to bring destruction to the lands, yadda, yadda…"

"I see. Do you believe this to be true?"

Tori scratched her head. "Well, the resemblance….is there. But, I don't know."

The Goddess closed her eyes and appeared to be deep in thought.

"Stay away from that man, Tori. His reputation…precedes him. He's nothing more than an unwanted soul. Taking up unwanted space."

Tori was somewhat appalled by what the Goddess had just said. Furthermore, she was confused about his 'reputation'. All she had heard was that she was some weird shut-in.

"I'm not surprised, really. He's a cold-hearted Sorcerer. Perhaps, all his years as a recluse has given him time to become even more powerful..."

"If it were up to me, he would cease to exist." She remarked coldly. Tori looked away, onto some blue petals in the water.

"Ah.., well, I just wanted to know if you knew anything about him. The Witch and I decided I should befriend him, get his name, and control him, and stop him, if he is the beast." Tori poorly explained. She was a little intimidated with the comments the Goddess was making.

"Tori, you have such a big heart," for a moment, it seemed like she returned to her original persona, "Don't waste it on some trash in the wind."

Tori, hesitantly, bowed. "I see. Thanks for your insight Goddess."

"Oh, child, there is no need to bow to me." She pulled Tori up and gave her the same smile she had before. It's as if the previous interaction was simply a dream. The tranquility returned to the area.

"Take care of yourself, Tori." The Goddess' cupped Tori's face with her hand and rubbed her cheek. "You are in my thoughts, always. Don't let the darkness taint you." Tori nodded.

"That's all I wanted to ask. Thanks." Tori wanted to leave as soon as she could. She tried her best to hide her discomfort.

"Until next time, Tori." Tori gave a half-hearted smile and headed off.

The Goddess' stood there, digesting what Tori had told her. She seemed panicked and began backing away until she bumped into the tree. She fell to her knees and grabbed her head, trembling. The paranoia enveloped her entirely.

"I'm next aren't I? He's-he's coming for me. Just like her…"

It had been two days since the Witch and Sylvia had asked her to befriend the Wizard. She was confused, anxious, and nervous. The past few days did anything but make her feel more confident. She adjusted her tank top as she sat idly on her shipping box. She'd finished the day's work, and found herself in a mental struggle of whether or not to go on and confront the Wizard. She anxiously twiddled her thumbs. She shook her head and bit her lip, then ran off towards the town. It was now or never.

She adjusted herself and sighed, attempting to prep herself for what was to come. "Ouhkay girl, you got this". She stared at the bracelet on her wrist, "Wish me luck, Witch". She approached the Wizard's doorstep and saw the old dent mark she left on it. She ignored it and knocked.

A bit of time passed and no one answered.

Tori gritted her teeth, slightly annoyed that this was already going poorly. This time, she put more force into the knock. The door creaked open a little bit.

"...Do you have business with me?" The voice said. "Uh, hehe, yeah actually I-"

"I have...important priorities to attend to. leave." The voice replied, taking her by surprise. This time she really couldn't keep her anger in check. Just as the voice was about to close the door, she shoved her foot into the opening and leaned on the doorway.

"Look pal, I really need my fortune read. Please? I'll give you this in return." Tori said as she pulled out the mushroom from her bag. "Ehh? How about it?"

With that, the door opened all the way. In the entranceway, a man several inches taller than her stared her down with his lifeless teal eye; the other one seemed covered by his messy grey locks. He was wearing a purple coat with strange insignias. His brown skin reflected off the midday sun. Even though Tori had spoken with him before, she found herself yet again lost in his presence. He grabbed the mushroom from her hands and was inspecting it in the sunlight. Once satisfied with his inspection, he spoke.

"This...better be urgent." The wizard said. He stood aside and allowed her to enter his house. Tori glared at him in response to his comment, then made her way inside. It was the same as it was the last time she was here; magic-themed decor and some eccentric items here and there, most notably the large telescope. The center of the room had a large table, and many books were sprawled about. His crystal ball was atop one of the books. "Have a seat over there.." He said, pointing to the messy table. He walked over to his (messy) kitchen, and grabbed a mug. As messy as his place seemed, it smelled like coffee beans and felt homey. She noticed he was making some coffee from an old coffee machine, and took the opportunity to make conversation.

"You like coffee huh? It practically smells like a college freshmen dorm in here, and looks like one too!" Tori said, chuckling at herself.

"A...what?" Judging by the tone, he seemed both confused and offended.

"Ah, nevermind." Tori said, rubbing her head sheepishly. "Just another memory of my old life." No one in Harmonica Town really knew what college was except for a few people.

He made his way his divination table and sat down, still inspecting the mushroom in his hand.

"So..." he began, "Where...did you get this?"

"Fugue Forest I believe!" she said ecstatically; it was a miracle they were having some sort of conversation. He pinched his nose, and sighed in frustration.

"I ...know it's a fugue mushroom," he continued, "What I mean is...where in the forest?"

Tori didn't really catch that too well, she was too pent up by the frustrated sigh he let out a few seconds ago.

Who does he think he is acting this way towards me? Sure I may have barged in a little but his attitude is really getting on my nerves I-

"Well...?" The wizard pushed on. Tori snapped back into reality and realized she didn't really know the specifics. She didn't think it was important to ask the Witch that. She tried to think of a good excuse.

"It's interesting," he began again before letting Tori answer, "I haven't seen these in the forest...for such a long time..."

Could he find out I'm lying? Maybe I'm being too paranoid?

"It was a lone one I saw 20 minutes into the forest. I just figured it was rare. The townsfolk tell me you like rare things." She answered, hoping it was a good enough reply.

He raised his eyebrows, and looked away, "Tch, those humans know nothing of me...all they do is gossip..."

Well, he has a point, Tori thought. This town is so small that any little piece of information spreads like a wildfire.

Ah, when people found out me and Kathy broke it off... She shrugged at her own thoughts.

The Wizard noticed Tori was deep in her own thoughts.

"Let's begin then..."

"Oh, do I need to do anything?" Tori asked.

"Yes..." The wizard replied," something very important..."

"Oh? What is it!" Tori's curiosity got the better of her once again and she was drawn in, leaning towards his side of the table, completely immersed.

"Be quiet."

Tori sat back down, grinding her teeth in an attempt to calm herself down. For a long time, the Wizard sat there in what look like an attempt to channel the crystal orb. Tori tapped her legs anxiously. Force of habit; she hated waiting around. This wasn't even about the fortune; to her it was about establishing a friendship to find out more about him.

Oh shoot, what excuse do I use to come back tomorrow? Ugh...

"Interesting..." The wizard said. He sounded annoyed.

"Yeah? What did you see?" She asked.

"Nothing..."

"What do you mean nothing?" Tori asked, confused.

"I can't… see anything" he continued, "I can't see your future."

He scratched his head, clearly bothered by his failure.

"Mmmmm, so what happens now?" Tori asked curiously.

"This... has never happened before" The wizard said, "there could be...many reasons for this."

"Which one fits this situation?" She continued asking, "Am I going to die or something?"

She tried to be a little humorous with the last part, but wasn't sure if the intention got through to him.

"No, I would know. I would see." He said in a daze. He began to mumble to himself, perhaps trying to find an explanation for this. Tori noticed his sharp molars peek through. A demon, huh, she thought.

"Hey," she said loudly, trying to catch the Wizard's attention. He turned to look at her, noticeably bothered.

"Thanks for helping me a while back with the green bell. I really couldn't have done that without you. Even though, y'know, you kind of left me doing some of it solo..." Tori figured if she said more (somewhat) friendly comments it would convince him to pursue a friendship.

"Wait...do you even know my name?" she asked curiously. The Wizard gave her a glare.

"Why are you asking...such irrelevant questions? I'm trying to figure out what-"

"So that's a no." Tori said frowning. She had made so many attempts to befriend the Wizard, even worked alongside him to help heal the land; she'd thought he would know her name at the very least. He rolled his eyes.

"...Names...are something humans should take more seriously..." The Wizard said, as he scribbled up some notes. The wizard ignored her and left the divination table, making his way upstairs. He rummaged through some drawers before speaking again.

"Look, Victoria..." The wizard started. Tori was mildly surprised.

"It's Tori." she said stoically. The Wizard didn't correct himself, "I remember well…the name of the person who thoughtlessly dented my door…"

Tori turned red and looked down at her feet. At the time, it felt right, as he had left her and Finn to pick up all the pieces themselves. Looking back though, especially after the turn of events, it was a poor idea.

"Anyways…," The Wizard continued, "I can… try using my tarot deck. A little more limited in what I can tell you...but works, nonetheless."

Tori thought about the many times she'd seen people try those back in her previous life. She always thought they were silly, but after the things she's seen the past year, she was willing to give them another chance.

"Alright." She answered.

Tori's restlessness grew as she waited for the Wizard to set up the tarot cards on the divination table. She began to bite her nails. The Wizard raised an eyebrow as he positioned the cards.

"...That's filthy, Tori…don't leave your nail bits...all over my rug."

"Oh, sorry I wasn't even aware I was-...I guess I'm just anxious." she apologized.

"Yes...your constant foot tapping has gotten the better of my patience..." The Wizard added. She wasn't even aware she had been doing that the entire time.

He snapped his fingers and Tori felt her leg go numb. The involuntary tapping seemed to stop altogether.

"How did you-"

"Let's begin." he interrupted. The cards laid upside down in various position. Perhaps some special set up for a specific fortune reading, she thought. The little moon and star designs on the back of the cards complemented the rest of the house decor. Cliche.

"This card here...," he pointed, "tells of your current issues… known and unbeknownst to you...turn it over..."

Tori followed his directions and flipped the card. Both hovered over it and stared for a while.

"It's blank?" She finally said, confused.

"Strange...and irritating..." He looked back at the cards still in his deck. They all still had arcana on the respective side of the card.

"Flip the rest..."

One by one, she flipped each card with the same result, blank. The wizard let out a sigh.

"I don't know why this is happening..." he paused as he gave Tori a look of disappointment, "It seems I can't be of help..."

Tori felt kinda bad. The townsfolk constantly bragged about the Wizard's abilities to see fortunes and read hearts. It must be rough to have an off day with your most praised ability.

"Ah, it's okay I-"

"So...our business here is over." he interrupted.

He walked over to his entrance and opened the door. Tori wanted to fight back, but she accepted that this interaction wouldn't press further. She got up and made her way to leave.

"Here is your mushroom back…" The wizard presented it back to her. She waved his hand off. "You keep it. I don't need it anyways. It's yours, enjoy and whatever. Thanks for trying to read my fortune." Tori said as she walked out.

The wizard stared at the mushroom as he closed his door. "How could...a human have found something like this..."

"Didn't go well huh? I didn't expect it to, at least not this first interaction." The Witch said, attempting to console Tori.

"This isn't my first time speaking with him. We helped you return to your normal self, remember?" The Witch made a face, recalling how the Wizard purposefully asked Tori to obtain the ingredients by herself to restore the Witch, in hopes that her time imprisoned as a frog would teach her a lesson.

"Did you at least learn anything new? Maybe something important for future reference?"

"Uhhh... he really likes coffee. It smells like a coffee shop in his house." the Witch laughed and rolled her eyes.

"I mean useful information, Tori!"

Tori struggled to remember anything else. Really, she just wanted to forget the entire interaction. It was strange and awkward for both of them. Her, re-visiting her anxious ticks, and him not being able to...

"Oh! He couldn't even read my fortune." She said thoughtfully.

"What? why? that's like, his whole deal?" The Witch asked quizzically.

"I don't know. His orb showed nothing. He said he couldn't see anything, and he even tried some tarot cards. they suddenly went blank, though."

The witch raised an eyebrow "That's...weird, but, I guess I don't know enough about fortune telling to understand how it works." the Witch shrugged.

Tori sighed. The witch tried to give Tori a reassuring smile, while behind her the succubus was enjoying some tea.

"Find some common ground. You know, nerd out over stuff together." Sylvia said between sips. The witch cocked her head and sheepishly smiled.

"Yeah, that's a good plan for now… Sorry Tori, I'm not some kind of friendship expert." she said, "That's your department. that's why we wanted you to try. It's a lot to ask for, but it's necessary."

"Men like him just need some time. They enjoy their walls. Just takes some time figuring out whether they're made of sand, or stone." Sylvia remarked.

"Yes, Sylvia is after all, the resident expert on relationships," she blushed and she continued, "Especially the romantic ones…"

Sylvia blushed. "Don't embarrass me in front on Tori!"

"Don't worry Tori, you got this, give us updates okay! See you!" The witch laughed and the lovers continued bickering. The communication ended there.

Tori grasped at her bracelet and smiled. "I miss being with someone like that..." She began reminiscing about her relationship with Kat. However, it left her a bitter taste in her mouth. She decided to brush her teeth in hopes to rid of the taste, and get ready for bed.

It had been several days since she last saw the Wizard. She constantly kept his image on her mind, and compared it to the beast on tablet. She recalled what the Goddess said to her the other day.

"I'm surprised, really. He's a cold-hearted Sorcerer. Perhaps, all hisyears as a hermit has given him time to become more powerful..."

Her farm duties and chores took longer than usual today; it was about twenty-three hundred hours when she was done with absolutely everything. Her thoughts still felt clouded. She decided to go for a walk into town, hoping to ease her troubled mind. Maybe she'd even stop for a drink at the bar. She got chills at the thought; Kathy still worked there. The town streets were empty and quiet, with only the howling winds as ambience. The street lamps were dimly lit, and only the bar has their OPEN sign glowing brightly across the door. She continued towards the church grounds, hoping to sit at one of the benches and take in last of the Spring breeze. As she made her way up the final steps, she noticed a figure in the distance. She frowned. She wanted to be alone; she figured it must be the accessory shop owner dealing with her grief at the loss of her husband. She's been in much better spirits, but the pastor mentioned that she often visits in the quiet of the night.

As she got closer though, she recognized the purple robe and grey locks. A coincidence, she thought, a very bad one at that. The very figure clouding her mind stood right before her, staring into the vast infinite of the sky. He seemed to completely ignore her presence. She decided to stay back a bit and keep her distance.

"Didn't mean to intrude. Just wanted some alone time" she stated, "I didn't expect anyone else to be out here this late."

He hadn't even asked, but she didn't want him to think she was following him. He turned his attention to her briefly, then looked back up at the sky.

"It's a clear night..." he spoke softly, "the constellations are beaming tonight..."

Tori smiled "Today's the last day were going to see Aries, right? Tomorrow's the first day of Summer."

He quickly broke his attention from the sky and looked straight towards the distance ahead of him. "...So, …you know about the stars?" Tori laughed. She tried to forget what she left behind in her old life, but it seemed to be the one thing most useful in befriending the Wizard.

"Before I came here," she paused briefly, "I studied physics and astronomy in my undergrad. Left before finishing my graduate degree." Even though he wasn't looking at her, she could tell she piqued his interest.

"Tori...can you take me to where you found it?"

Tori looked at the wizard confused. He finally turned around and faced her.

"The mushroom, in the forest..."

She hesitated, realizing she still didn't even know where to look for those. Most she's seen were near the Witches house, and that was months ago. She didn't think her lie would come back to bite her. She stared at the street clock in the corner of the church grounds.

"It's late..." She hoped it would be enough to deter him.

The wizard noticeably frowned. "This is the peak hour...at which they appear."

Tori realized this could be an opportunity to pursue the friendship that was part of her task. Maybe she can learn more information about him this time. But it was past midnight, and she had lost track of time. She shrugged. It's seemed the risk was worth the reward.

"In that case, I guess I can show you then." She spoke. The wizard was already making his way towards her.

"…Lead the way, then..."

The forest was on the other side of town, in Flute Fields. During the walk over, neither really spoke. Tori was too immersed in her thoughts, and the Wizard was not one to speak. At the entrance though, he was the first to initiate conversation.

"I'm amazed, …really," he fidgeted with the door lock, "the forest is full of...otherworldly creatures at night. Humans shouldn't be lurking at such an hour..."

He had no luck unlocking the door. "Fugue mushrooms grow near unnatural amounts of magic activity...the fact that you found one, and left unscathed..." The lock was still not budging. Tori decided her patience with the door ended here.

"Here, I have an idea." Tori pushed him aside and simply kicked the door inwards. The wood frame shattered easily. "Do you...do this to every door…?" the Wizard dejected, remembering the dent she left on his innocent door. She ignored him and pressed onwards.

The forest was usually pretty unnerving to Tori, but she'd never gone at night. Obviously, she had pulled off the facade that she did. But now, actually being here at night, was terrifying. Strange sounds came from all directions, none of which sounded like a typical animal. She kept her eyes on her feet, looking to see if she would ever stumble onto a mushroom, and hoping to not make eye contact with the many glowing eyes peering from the darkness. The wizard followed closely behind.

Finally, by chance, she ran into a very big bundle of them. She felt as if the Goddess herself was smiling at her, what luck. A few mushrooms even seemed to lead away, suggesting maybe more lie in wait. She turned to give the Wizard a look. She expected him to be beaming; he seemed so obsessed with the one she brought him. She couldn't believe she found them and survived the creepy forest.

"This is...alarming." the wizard spoke, with worry in his voice.

She had already grabbed a few and shot him a confused expression.

"Why? Isn't this what you wanted?"

"They're usually...very deep inside..." he closed his eyes, "this bundle was only five minutes into the forest..." Tori still looked confused.

"And? That makes it more convenient for you, doesn't it?"

"It means...some magical beast… is rapidly coming closer to the entrance..." the Wizard heard rustling noises in the distance and tensed.

Tori noticed the change in his demeanor and looked around, then, she, too, heard the growls in the distance.

"It seems your presence... has been noted."

He quickly took her by the hand and turned to make their way back to the entrance. Tori flinched at the rough gesture but suddenly stood frozen. Blocking the path back, a strange white creature covered with eyes, as tall as a tree, stood over them. The top of it split open, revealing jagged sharp teeth. Its pupil-less, bulging eyes locked on them. It let out various screeches, signaling its attack was coming. The Wizard quickly sped off towards the opposite direction, still tightly gripping Tori's hand. He moved at inhuman speeds, and he seemed to run them right through trees. Tori was in awe as they were passing through; as if they didn't exist. Once the Wizard felt they were at a safe distance, he stopped running.

The winds around them picked up, and Tori looked at the Wizard, at the ready with many questions about what had just happened. However, she became distracted at what she saw. The wind pushed away the hair that covered his left eye, and she finally got a good look at his entire face.

She could see the moonlight reflect off of both his teal right eye and gold left eye. Under his gold eye, she noticed the same sigils the beast had in the relic. Just like Sylvia had told her. She stared for a while, and the Wizard took notice. Before he had a chance to say anything, she spoke her thoughts out loud.

"Your eyes…" she said, not giving much thought to what she was saying, still in awe, "they're like...like Albireo..." The wizard was taken by surprise.

Even in the cover of darkness, bits of the moonlight revealed his red face. He turned away from her and covered his mouth, clearly embarrassed.

"H-How p-poetic..." was all he managed to say.

"I mean! I didn't mean it like that! We'll sort of..., it's the first thing that came to my h-head, when I saw your eyes, they-" she paused for a bit, and took a deep breath.

"Your eyes are really beautiful. You shouldn't hide them..." she trailed off.

Clearly, she created an unintentionally embarrassing moment between them both. The wizard barely noticed he was still gripping tightly to her hand. He let go and stepped back a bit, trying to collect himself.

"I-"

The roaring seemed to get closer once again, cutting the Wizard's sentence off.

"We're going to end up...cornered at this rate..." He outstretched his hand towards Tori.

"Don't let go...Ok?" Tori nodded and grabbed his hand, terrified at the growling sounds of the incoming beast. The wizard began humming, and suddenly his eyes began to glow. They both seemed to float, before suddenly disappearing. The beast nearby emitted a low growl. It accepted defeat and went off once again into the deep forest.

(A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! My goal is to have the second one up the week before halloween!

FUN FACT: Albireo is a binary star-one of them looks orange/gold and the other a bit blue-ish teal.

FUN FACT 2!: First Star of Bond is the name of Beta Arietis, a star in the Aries constellation, in Chinese astronomy.)