"The Aegis is not the standard weapon we teach here." Professor Larkin called, his powerful voice heard easily by the entire class with little effort. It was late November, and the class was finally ready to begin learning how to use weapons. They sat inside, since the island was now being covered in several layers of all too white snow. They were in the Grand Hall, which was completely empty for thier outside classes, but were fortunate, as the higher years were still outside in the snow.
There was only one table, and Professor Larkin stood behind it. Several cases were on top of it and everyone in class was extremely eager to figure out what was inside.
"Some in the Old World do not approve of what we teach here to our students." Professor Larkin continued. "Thousands of people have petitioned the Ministy of Magic to change our curriculum because they deem it 'unnecessary'. It is true, however, that we do not need to train you how to use weapons. But since the founding of this school, the very essence of our society has been to train you in both the magical and physical. Magic is an extremely useful and efficient tool in our world. But over time, witches and wizards have become over dependant on magic. Like spoiled children, they would not know how to survive without it holding their hand everywhere they went. I have seen witches and wizards chose to Apparate even the shortest of distances, such as from their bedroom to their kitchen, or three blocks to the bar for a quick drink. The New World tries to remove that crutch in society. By training you to defend yourselves without magic, we are decreaseing your possible dependancy. Weapons are a part of that. This is one of the biggest differences in our New World."
"As I said before, the Aegis is not a standard weapon. Few wizards will bother to carry it outside of these halls. Once they have learned to use it, most never pick it up again. Same goes for many of the other weapons I will teach you. But the point is this: Even if you never pick that weapon up ever again, you will know how to if you need it. See?" Professor Larkin looked around at each of them to make sure they were listening before sighing, saying, "You may now come and get your Aegis." There was a rush of movement as everyone ran forward to try and pick out their weapons, apparently in the belief that some were better than others. Snow and David patiently stood back until there were only two left and grabbed them without hassle, which granted them looks of approval from Professor Larkin. Together, they moved to the back of the group and seated themselves a few feet away from their classmates so that they could continue the conversation they started when they entered the classroom.
"So that language we read was Elvish?" Snow asked in disbelief, for what seemed like the hundreth time.
"Definately." David replied firmly. Both of them opened their cases and saw that the Aegis took some assembling.
"So Oasis was originally home to the Elves then." said Snow, as he pulled out the blade, which was inside a leather sheath, same as David's.
"That's the theory anyway." David agreed, as he took out all the parts and gazed at them. There were no instructions, and it seemed like part of the lesson was figuring out how to assemble it on your own.
"But how?" Snow wondered as he slid the crossguard on the metal tang at the end of the sword. "I mean, from everything I read, the Elves did not favor magic. They would speak with the trees and ask them to grow in certain ways, and stuff like that. Don't get me wrong or anything. They're amazing. Only thing better than anything made by the goblins is something made by the Elves. It's fucking hard to find though, and can sell for several hundred thousand Galleons, or so I've heard." David slid the wand chamber on over the tang and then fastened the metal sleeve for the handle over it while he thought. Nearby, a boy, Alex Parkins, grew impatient and kept jamming the wand chamber into the handle sleeve, apparently unaware that the reason it would not fit was that it was backwards. After a few hard jabs, it sparked and exploded, tossing Alex through the air and blowing apart his Aegis.
"History is made by the victor." David said while he screwed on the pommel carefully. "History is rarely written by those who lost. I think the Elves may have been more able than what the wizard's who wrote about them thought. A civilization can expand in time. But alway, during that expansion, they will either meet other civilizations or something else. It has happened hundred of times throughout the history of man, when a population that deems themselves civilized comes across a foreign population of people, they often times are deemed savages."
"These people, who are able to survive on the land in peace, are almost always victims. Plague spreads from these new invaders. The invaders try to force their religous views on them, killings hundreds in the name of what they view as divine justice in the name of their god. Overtime either a war starts, or the native population is absorbed. Either way, they are basically destroyed. I think the same thing happened to the Elves, and wizards were the invaders. Greed, Envy, Jealousy. We wanted their weapons. We wanted what they had. We wanted it all. So, we took it, little by little. In time, the Elves were forced to this place, this Oasis, their final bastion against the world of men. It was only a matter of time before we found them here too." David looked at his finished Aegis and noticed that all the seams sealed themselves together. He held it up triumphantly and looked at Snow, who had stopped and stared at his shoes.
"What's up?" David asked.
"Do you really think that's what happened?" Snow asked, looking in David's eyes.
"It's a theory, but yes. I have not seen evidence to the contrary." David replied gravely.
"That is seriously messed up." Snow shook his head, continuing his work at last.
"Have you not noticed it before? Our entire history is paved with the cobblestones of such events, both in the Wizarding World as well as Muggle history. And each new generation is born thinking that this is how things have always been without even realizing that they are wading knee deep in the blood and broken bodies of the fallen."
"Are we no different?" Snow asked, as he finished his Aegis as well.
"No." David replied somberly. Professor Larkin noticed that they were complete and called for the classes attention.
"See, ladies and gentlemen? This is an Aegis." he said triumphantly, holding Snow's as an example. "Each and every one of you will learn to fight with this. Even if you don't use one, if you every face one, you will be aware of what they can do. But this will be just a piece of enchanted metal to most of you. Sure, you can cast spells with it, but few people are actually compatible with this weapon. Take this for example." He twisted open the pommel and placed his wand in the chamber then slid it into the handle, where it would be in contact with the tang of the blade.
"Excrime!" Professor Larkin cried, and when he swung the sword, a fireball flew from the blade and lit the table on fire. He drew his wand from the Aegis and extinguished the flames before handing Snow back the weapon.
"That is what most of you will expect out of your Aegis." David raised his hand and Professor Larkin nodded in acknowledgement.
"Excuse me, Professor, but you keep mentioning compatibility." David said. Professor Larkin's expression brightened and a smile crinkled the corners of his mouth.
"Right you are. Thank you, Crowley. I had forgotten to explain that further." Professor Larkin agreed. "You see, there have been times when witches and wizards have accomplished Resonance with the Aegis. In their hands, the latent magic within the Aegis changes its form to suit the user."
"Changes how?" a girl asked.
"I do not know." Professor Larkin admitted. "I have not seen it happen, nor have I heard of anyone who has or can tell you what it looked like. Anyway, enough with the history lesson. Mr. Crowley, Mr. Hiruma, if you would please." David flipped the weapon so quickly it looked as if the Aegis had been that way all along. He pressed the pommel with his palm and twisted it, feeling it pull free, and pulled out the wand chamber. Inside, David clearly saw more Elvish in a spiral pattern along the inside of the handle. He drew his wand and slid it into the wand chamber and twisted it closed, feeling it click as the wand and the metal tang of the blade made contact. David was sure that the entire area around him vibrated once, like a enormous heartbeat, but quickly dismissed it as his imagination. He twirled the sword deftly so that it was upright once more and held it firmly. The handle was long enough for two hands side by side, but overall the blade felt like it did not really have any weight behind it. Slowly, David went into a well practiced swordplay that Professor Larkin had taught them weeks earlier, but quickly augmented it, choosing to hold the Aegis one handed while his left arm remained at his side. Something was missing.
"That is not what you were taught, Mr. Crowley." Professor Larkin reminded him.
"It's wrong." David replied, looking around the room, certain he would see what he was looking for somewhere nearby.
"Excuse me?" Professor Larkin asked, blinking as if had misheard him.
"The weight of the blade and the length of the handle make it far easier for me to use one handed, Professor." David replied. "Using it with two hands like you suggested leaves me with far too many openings. A-hah!" David ran across the Hall, with the entire class staring at him as if he was mad. Snow was the only one able to catch up with him in time to see what David was interested in. It was a shield.
David lifted it from the empty armor and hefted it as few times to check its weight. It was a round shield, wide enough to cover David's side completely, but not enough to limit his mobility at all.
"Are you crazy?" Snow asked him as he saw the big grin on David's face.
"Not everyone can fight the same way." David replied. "Using the Aegis with two hands leaves me too open to attack."
"Professor, may I ask for a favor?" David said when Professor Larkin approached him.
"Would it have anything to do with our class." Professor Larkin asked doubtfully, glancing down at the shield disapprovingly.
"Can you be my sparing partner for a minute?" David asked.
"Mr. Crowley, I do not think that this is the appropriate time." Professor Larkin replied. "We are in the middle of a lesson. For what possible benefit would a sparing match in the middle of class present?"
"The rest of the class is still putting the Aegis together. Only Snow and I are finished, and I do not wish to disturb the class." Professor Larkin stared David in the eye and looked down at David's hands, which bore his Aegis and a shield.
"You wish to test yourself against me?" Professor Larkin wondered, as if he could hardly believe the insanity that had possess his student.
"No, Professor. Just your prefered technique." David replied, rocking Professor Larkin on his heels. Snow grabbed David's sleeve and pulled him roughly aside.
"Are you out of your fraggin' mind?" Snow hissed quietly. "Professor Larkin is the Weapons Master of the entirety of the New World. My parents told me stories about him when I was a kid, and you dare question his judgement."
"People are as different as their fingerprints. Why can't their fighting style be the same way?" David wondered.
"Because two months ago, you had never even held a sword, and this man has been fighting longer than we have been alive." Snow growled, smacking his head. "Makes no damned sense."
"Let me ask you a question, Snow." David said calmly. "Your father has been training you since you were a kid, right?"
"Yeah, of course." he nodded, confused.
"And any of those teachers ever teach you weapons?" David continued.
"A few of them, yes."
"Have you tested your Aegis yet?" David wondered, pointing at the sword in his hand.
"Er...no?" he replied. David indicated for him to test it and immediately Snow had immediately deviated from what Professor Larkin taught them, but to David's amusement. It was an amazing whirling display. Snow was never faceing one way for more than a few seconds as he struck in sweeping strikes that would have slashed through anything in its path. He leapt and spun with agility and grace that defied gravity, seeming to stay in the air longer than he normally would have. And it was not only the used of his sword, but David saw sweeping kicks mixed in there, always just ahead or behind his sword strikes. Snow was a tornado of enchanted steel and death, and David had no doubt that anyone would be hardpressed to get through those deadly cuts. When Snow finished, he shrugged and looked at David, confused as to what was the problem.
"Was any of that what Professor Larkin taught us?" David asked.
"No." Snow replied sheepishly.
"Was all of that from one instructor?" David asked, pushing Snow more.
"Well, no." Snow said slowly as it dawned on him.
"See? You created your own entirely unique swordsmanship. Your instincts in martial arts automatically overwrote what he taught us and chose the best of everything that you learned. Professor Larkin's technique works best for him, but not for you or me. Any of our classmates go into a fight using this technique, odds are they will be cut down. I'm sure we are fortunate that he teaches the same technique to all his students for the past decade, since if they fight they'll fight each other with the same technique." Snow was now nodding now that he saw the truth of David's logic.
"Man, where did you learn all of this stuff anyway?" Snow asked increduously.
"Books." David admitted. "Lots and lots of books."
Professor Larkin had enchanted thier weapons so that they would not be able to actually harm each other, but the force would remain the same. The Professor had changed his mind, thinking that it was for the best that the class, who had finally finished assembling thier swords, see that his technique was indeed the best. It was a matter of pride. David's approval of his instructor dropped significantly after he was told. The Professor, a man many years his senior in both age and experience, had turned David's request into a ego boost, which sickened him greatly.
"Petty." David said to himself as he rechecked his shoe laces. Snow was the only one who stood near him, and patted David on the back in response. They were outside in the snow, standing in the large flat meadow where they normally held thier classes. Many students from other years were confused at the group of first years in the snow, but once they heard about the sparing match between a student and a Professor, they crowded up hillside to watch. Their instructors were even present, yelling out words of encouragement to both sides. Snow patted his back and pointed behind them. David looked back and saw that all the windows that faced the meadow were filled with the excited heads of students.
"Seriously, doesn't anyone have anything better to do? Like learn something?" David groaned as he turned back to Professor Larkin, who stood a good forty yards away, warming up.
"You sure you want to do this?" Snow asked, watching the Professor warm up. "My dad told me that sword felled many trolls in its day."
"All stories are exaggerated." David replied. "But they always have some basis of truth." he added as he watched the Professor execute a powerful swing that made the blade whistle.
"I imagine this is your doing, David." said a voice behind him. David turned and smiled as he saw Professor Merlin step onto the side of the meadow close to David.
"Professor Merlin." David smiled, then shook his head when he realized what was said. "I am trying to prove that Professor Larkin's technique does not work for all students."
"Yes, David." Professor Merlin agreed with a thoughtful frown. "But did he not also say that the Aegis is not a widely used weapon and that most of the students will never pick it up ever again? He isn't teaching them to master the weapon, David. Just how to use it if the need arose in the future."
"Oh. Right." David grimaced at the hidden chastation.
"Now I see why you're his mentor." Snow said to Professor Merlin, who laughed and nodded.
"Nevertheless, David, I am in your corner." Professor Merlin said with a sigh.
"Thank you, Professor." David smiled at his mentor.
"Sword and shield, huh?" Professor Merlin observed.
"Wow, eyes of an eagle this one." Snow muttered.
"Professor Larkin is not only use his Aegis against you, but use his magic as well. I am sorry to say, David, but the cards are heavily stacked against you. All I can say is to try to maintain some sort of dignity and pride during this sparring match, but there is little else you can do." Professor Merlin stated.
"I already realized I was no match, Professor. But if I can get even a single blow, then I think my claim will have enough merit." David replied. Professor Merlin blinked at David several times before slowly asking, " Is that what this is about?"
"David. Professor Larkin teaches you what he knows, but does not care less if you chose to supplement your own style in its place as long as you can meet the class requirements." Professor Merlin informed, dealing David a mental blow. Snow would not stop laughing for several minutes. Professor Larkin stepped into the meadow to signify that he was ready and calmly waited for David.
"It is not too late, David." Professor Merlin said, gripping David's shoulder.
"No. It is too late for that now." David replied.
"Alright." Professor Merlin conceded, then added, "Reflecto." before leaving David alone.
"Good luck." Snow said, giving David a soft high five. David turned and cracked his neck, then drew his Aegis from the ground he stuck it into.
There was no bell. There was no referee. As soon as Professor Larkin began to charge, the crowd roared in approval. It was so loud that David did not hear what Professor Larkin said as he swung his Aegis. David leapt aside as a shockwave of air tore apart the ground behind him. David sprinted to his right, in a wide arc towards Professor Larkin as spell after spell whizzed past behind him. David dove into a sidelong rolled as the ground below his feet exploded, but rolled onto his feet and charged at Professor Larkin as another spell whizzed past David's right.
As soon as he was in range, Professor Larkin thrust his sword ahead, the palm of his right hand pushing the Aegis forward. David spun and leapt sidelong over the blade, his shield deflecting Larkin's thrust downward as David's Aegis came around for a downward stab for the Professor's center of mass. David was staring straight at a wand. Reflexively, David reversed the direction of his sheild and jabbed it into the Professor's wrist as a bolt of white hot lightning barely missed David's right eye as he spun to the right. David got a foot under him and pivoted, increasing his momentum, his Aegis sweeping low for a backhanded slash. Metal rang against metal as David's attack was met by Larkin's own backhanded parry. David pulled his arm in quick and tucked behind his shield and yelled, "REFLECTO!" Flames rolled all around David's shield, which had a spell to repel magic of its curved surface thanks to Professor Merlin's advice. David punched out his shield, which had met an unseen attack from Larkin's Aegis, catching him off guard and knocking the blade wide as David swept it aside to thrust his Aegis into Larkin's core.
"Protego!" Professor Larkin called, catching the sword strike just in time. David smiled wickedly as an insane idea popped in his mind.
"IGNIS RAE!" he yelled. This time, he let his restraint over the wand go, but was surpised when the sensation did not appear. His Aegis grew red and a blast of heat followed by a line of white light thrust them apart violents. David bounced hard once before tucking into an oddly disciplined roll and sliding back up to his feet. Amazingly, David had managed to not cut or burn himself. Steam was rising from his still hot blade and there was a path of melted snow between David and Professor Larkin, with a massive scorched crater in the middle. Professor Larkin rose to his feet and shook the snow off his robes before raising his wand at David. Two fireballs, similar to the ones he cast in the Great Hall, but far greater in size rocketed from his wand while David began his frontal assault with his arms crossed. With a backhand parry, David deflected the first fireball, then the second with his shield, only to see a third, previously unseen fireball coming at him. David jumped then pulled back both of his arms with all his might and slammed them both into the top of the fireball, driving it into the ground. Smoke, fire, and debri erupted all around David as he rolled over the remains of the magically enhanced fire and backhanded as a thrust cut through the black smoke, followed by an enraged Professor Larkin. David ducked low and spun, sweeping a leg, cutting Professor Larkin's out from under him.
Professor Larkin, a warrior seasoned in the harsh spices of war and mayham, accepted the leg sweep and rolled head over heels back onto his feet, then brought his Aegis down with a powerful overhead strike. David cried out and rolled to the side and disappeared into the smoke. Once outside, he rolled into a crouch that turned into a run as spells rained at him from behind. David dove, turned midair, and thrust out his Aegis.
"EXCRIME!" David yelled as Professor Larkin emerged from the smoke and flames. David instantly understood that the fireball would be as big as he wanted, but the larger fireballs took more time, so he cut the spell off short as another wild idea came to him. He hit the ground, rolled sideways, and slid into a crouch with his sword aimed at the fireball.
"Confringo! Deprimo!" David said. The fireball exploded into a shower of flames, then was hit by a jet of air that fanned them, washing Professor Larkin in a wave of broiling fire that melt the snow for several feet in all directions. David knew that it was not enough, and ran in behind the spell. He jumped, spun around, and roundhouse kicked. It was blind luck that Professor Larkin had crouched behind the flat of his blade and a Protection Charm instead of using his blade, because David's heel met the side of Professor Larkin's head instead the edge of his blade. David followed with a shield bash that met the recovering Professor's face as he turned to meet the attack, but the seasoned veteran kept his wits and used the blow to spin around and parry the downward chop from David's Aegis. Professor Larkin let his left hand slip from the handle as he blocked and drove a heavy fist into David's ribs, blasting the wind from the boy's lungs. The punch had enough force to throw David sidelong across the meadow. He had yet to recover when he slammed full force into the frozen earth and slid across the icy surface. But he recovered soon enough and got to his feet, trying to catch his breath.
"I'll admit, Mr. Crowley. You are far better than I gave you credit for. You have a real natural talent for this sort of thing. I am so sorry it has to end this way." Professor Larkin said somberly as he attempted to stall the flow of blood from his nose. David was all out of ideas. He had let his guard slip for only a moment, and now his ribs throbbed so hard it was nearly impossible to catch his breath. David twisted the pommel on the end of his sword and slid open the wand chamber to withdraw his wand when the glowing looping language of the Elves caught his eye. He had forgotten to read it the first time, and this time it was hard to miss. His fight temporarily forgotten, David read it aloud, but not in English, but in Elvish.
"In the arcane brilliance of the light, I shine.
In the abyssal embrace of the night, I am invincible.
In the eternal serenity of peace, I grow.
In the ferocious blazing fires of war, I fight.
I am defender of my people.
I am the bane of the unclean.
I am death.
Say my name, and I am yours."
A sensation rose within David read those words with a foreign tongue, similar to the sensation he got from the power of his wand, but it was calm. Serene. Almost like its polar opposite. His mouth spoke the words, but he only heard the name in his head.
Leyna'athas, the Ashes of Autumn Night.
David saw the runes on his wand glow and the wand chamber slid shut of its own free will. The oval shape of the pommel seemed to melt and flatten, looking more like an extension of the handle, which shifted beneath his hand and felt more like horizontally ribbed leather stripes. The crossguard widened and shifted shape, into that of a wide and short pentagon with the top point marking the middle of the blade. Snow falling from the sky funneled like a tornado onto a single point in the middle of the crossguard. It grew and grew until there was a large, perfectly round, deep blue sapphire in the middle. The blade itself grew hot and steamed as if it had just been pulled from the flames of its creation. It grew wider, to about a foot wide, but stayed at about three and a half feet long. A groove creased the blade in the from the tip of the crossguard to about a foot down the blade. His Aegis, which had been a short sword before, was now more like a broadsword, or a holy sword you saw in fantasy novels. Remarkable, somehow, the blade had retained it weight and balance. As he stared at its mirror sheen blade, the looping language of the Elves burned itself into the blade on either side of the groove in the middle. On both sides it said one thing: Leyna'athas, the Ashes of Autumn Night. David flipped the sword over and saw that the same thing was written on the other side, as well as another identical sapphire.
David was aware that his jaw as open, but he was not the only one. Everyone that was watching was now completely silent, as if they were no longer sure of what was real or not. Somehow, David had just resonated with his Aegis. Coming out of his shock, Professor Larkin, nose still bleeding, charged David in a fury. David raised his Aegis and cried, "Excrime!" Professor Larkin leapt aside expecting a fireball, as did David, as did everybody, but nothing came. Not even the slightest hint of flame. Baffled, David retreated a few steps and tried a different spell.
"Expulso!" he said as he swung his sword. This time was the same. Nothing happened at all, his Aegis showing no signs of reaction, but Professor Larkin did not dodge at all, and was quickly charging at David, firing fireballs as he went. David felt each of this collide with his shield while he mentally counted the approximate time he expected Professor Larkin to be in range. David swung his shield wide, wincing at the pain in his right side, and there was nothing. Professor Larkin had used that face that David was not able to see him to flank on David's left side. Larkin stabbed and David barely managed to get his shield in the way to get it to glance aside. Professor Larkin swung it overhead and brought it down mightily in a downward chop. David brought his sword up to parry and braced himself for the impact. Before his very eyes, Professor Larkin's Aegis touched his, then was cut in half by David's Layna'athas. The top half of Professor Larkin's Aegis crumbled into ashes mid air while Professor Larkin fell off balance, having expected contact with David's sword. David leapt back as Professor Larkin withdrew his wand and aimed it at David, hatred filling his eyes.
"Expulso!" Professor Larkin growled. David's shield exploded in fiery shrapnel and David's forearm was sliced and impaled by many of the metal shards. David retreated a few paces and held his sword before him in a defensive posture. David flexed his left hand to make sure the damage was not serious and noticed that his fingers left a faint trial of white light. Quickly, David wrote his name and noticed that instead of fading, the words hovered for a second or two before fading away. David smiled and wrote, 'Ignis Rae', but like his name nothing happened.
"Excrime!" Professor Larkin yelled, madness filling his eyes. The fireball continued to grow and grow into one bigger than anything the Professor had conjured before.
"Larkin!" Professor Merlin yelled in warning, but the fireball continued to grow.
"David! Get out of there!" Professor Merlin yelled, obviously concerned. "He's lost it! He plans to kill you! Run!" Professor Merlin was trying to get onto the meadow, but an invisible barrier had been erected, preventing anyone from coming to his aid. Finally, the fireball was released, filling David's vision with nothing but roaring flames. It traveled much faster than the ones Professor Larkin had cast before, and David had no chance to erect some sort of protection for himself, so feebly, he tried to protect himself with his sword. The fireball slammed into the side of the sword and the sapphire on the side glowed like miniture blue sun. The blade vibrated from the force of the fireball, but David saw that it was shrinking rapidly. Suddenly, the fireball was gone, and steam was rising from David's Aegis. Professor Larkin stared at David dumbfoundly, as much as everyone else who had witnessed the spectacle. Inside the sapphire, a large, white, and extremely complex rune glowed brightly and David immediately realized what to do. As he swung the sword at Professor Larkin with his right hand, his left hand drew the runological form of the Fireball Spell from memory. A fireball, the same fireball that Larkin cast at David, flew from Leyna'athas and engulfed Larkin in a flaming ball, filled with tormented screams.
There was a knock at his door, deep resounding thumps against the aging wood that led into his chamber. He already knew who it was by peering into his visitor's mind, and the knocking was merely respectful, if not required by the Master.
"Enter." the Master answered softly. Myr entered the room, his black robes hiding his appearance, much like the master he served, who sat upon a stone throne while he waited for the sun to set. "Speak." the master bade.
"Master. I did as you instructed. Larkin was easy enough to control with the Confundus Charm." Myr said as he took a knee before his master's throne.
"Yet...the boy still lives." the hooded one said.
"Yes, Master. It seems he is far more resourceful than I anticipated, but it will not be a problem." Myr replied, with a low head. The master chuckled softly which quickly turned into a phlegmy cough.
"What of the other task I gave you?" he rasped hoarsely.
"Well, my master. I believe I have found one more who may be willing to turn." Myr bowed.
"I have no use for more fodder, Myr." his master growled. "For decades I have been building my armies. Placing men in every branch of government. I have eyes and ears everywhere in the entire world. How many hundred serve me still without even knowing they were ever in my grasp? Even that fool Voldemort did not disturb my plans."
"My lord, He Who Must Not Be Named became the greatest dark wizard in history." Myr replied.
"And yet he was killed...by a child." the master laughed, quieter this time. "And do not forget, Myr. I am no wizard."
"Forgive me." Myr nodded.
"I have no use for simple conjuring and spells. They have not the simplest idea of the true depths of magic. They are merely children, wallowing in a puddle, compared to vast ocean of magics at my command. Why would I need to learn antidotes and potions to halt death, when my very blood is of the most vile poison and death is a cliffnote in the dictionary of my time."
"I meant no offense, Master." Myr apologized again.
"Do not fear me, Myr. Fear is the first step on the path that is ruin and decay."
"It is not fear, Master." Myr replied. The Master sensed the emotions that lurked deep within the recesses of his servant's mind, but he cared nothing of how he was thought of as much as he cared for faithfulness. Myr constantly proved himself faithful, and the hooded one constantly found ways for Myr to be of use.
"Tell me. How did the boy survive." the hooded one asked.
"He was able to Resonate with his Aegis." Myr replied. The master chuckled and nodded in approval.
"Good. That means he is at last able to read their language. It should only be a matter of time now. Myr, I want you to guide him. Guide him...to me." A small snake curled its way up the stone throne and the master touched it with one finger. There was a brief flash of green light and the snake fell dead. The hooded one picked it up and ate it raw with his black rotting teeth.
"Yes...master." Myr replied.