As she walked up the stairs to visit Quaith as he requested, Omini tried to keep the dream she had just one night ago fresh in her mind. She was very anxious to hear what he would tell her. Since her visit with him three days ago, her pains had intensified and she resorted to taking more of the potion and she was now almost out of it. Once she reached the Arch mage's quarters, she was dismayed to find that he wasn't there, what was however was a note on the door that said. "Went to teach fire magic in the gardens, sorry I couldn't be here to counsel with as I promised. You may. I you'd like join my class for the lesson and afterwards we can talk." Omini was amazed by the man's ability to see things before they happen. He knew that she would be here at this exact time, for this exact reason, and what she would have wanted to do. What she didn't understand was why, if Quaith could see in the future that well, didn't he foresee the attack at Sable? Perhaps he did, but why wouldn't he have done anything to stop it? She would have to ask him once she found him in the gardens.
With the knowledge she had just obtained, Omini went strait to the gardens which was all the way down the tower stairs, across the massive campus of the magic school, and through the gates guarded constantly looking for trespassers. Once she made it half way down the stairs, she net up with a young couple walking rather slowly. She was about to pass them when she noticed what they were talking about. "I heard that they've made it to Talist and completely destroyed the entire city. Thousands of them." They both looked worried about what ever they were talking about.
"If they're not stopped soon they could wind up here in a few weeks. That's what I don't like about Aradnia, we've got Boric to the north and they've never real liked us. We've got Rerit to the east they never given us any trouble before, but they've still got the power to hurt us pretty bad if we really piss them off enough. We've got the goblin attacks coming up from the south from Enzik and we don't know why they hate us so much. And if that's not enough we're right next to the most fought over place in Farren the Crosic islands. All in all if we do something stupid, we're screwed." At first Omini didn't know what the two were talking about until they mentions the goblins and then she remembered about the attacks just yesterday to the south.
"I don't think it really matters because we have Quaith, surly he could stop them couldn't he?"
With that they reached the bottom of the stairs and Omini went out towards the gardens. As she walked further away from the two she heard them talk in a lower voice. "Who was that behind us?" They were clearly talking about Omini.
"That's that one girl who has the 'spirit pains', I don't see why she even tries to lie about it. Everyone knows that she's just saying that to get closer to Quaith. What does she want with him anyways, other than his attention and pity?" This angered Omini. They had no business to ask about her actions, they didn't even know her. If she hadn't been in a hurry to find Quaith she would have tried to contradict what they said. So she did as she had always done and kept her mouth shut and kept on moving.
The wizard high order was a very large and sometimes confusing place, spanning the entire area of a well sized city. There were dozens of huge schooling buildings used to teach magic to those interested, and quarters for all of the scholars, faculty, and anyone else needing a good, safe, nights sleep. It was the safest place to be in Aradnia after all. There was the high counsel building near the center, this was where any decision to be made concerning magic in any way were made. Above all of the other magnificent buildings, only two of them were considered to be prime over all others was the library, which contained scrolls with the knowledge of trillions of spells. No living being, was it mortal or immortal had ever learned all of the spells and techniques in there. The other was the great tower, standing over all other buildings; it was a reminder for all who opposed the order of magic. Inside were the high priests quarters and places for arcane spells and rituals requiring large amounts of space and resources at arms reach. The tower was also riddled with hundreds of secret passages and rooms full of the most powerful magic items. Omini didn't really care about those places at the present moment, she had her mind set on one place in the entire world and that was the gardens.
As she finally reached the gardens it was about midday and the first sun was about ready to set and the second was just beginning to rise. This was the perfect time to visit the gardens. As the suns were setting and rising the colors of the diverse plants brighten creating a warm sensational feeling and resting even the most troubled mind. The sky began to darken as it always did at this time of day and after an instant of darkness the most brilliant light shone through the sky. Despite all of Omni's great hurry to meet with the wizard high priest she couldn't help but pause to gaze at the paralyzing beauty that she was so fortunate to be amongst.
The sight though amazing was soon ended and Omini quickly began to search the labyrinth of plants and walls surrounding her. She could hear the faint talking of several people very close to her yet she couldn't see them. They had to be on the other side of the wall she was next to. After several wrong twists and turns she finally managed to find the group.
"Now breathe in slowly and hold your breath for as long as you can. This will help you concentrate the mana within you. Once you can fell the energy swirling through your hands and chest, envision a small ball of any color. Now very slowly mold the ball into the first thing that comes to mind. Be sure to never work to quickly in this process for it will surly corrupt your end product. This is a very important lesson to keep in mind through all of your lives, especially if you extend on becoming a fire mage, take your time. If you think that you're ready to release the energy direct it towards the wall." Omini had always enjoyed watching Quaith teach. Even the simplest lesson seemed like an adventure, or journey, even though you're trying to reach a certain destination you're still having fun along the way, and no matter what it's like in the end you still wish it lasted longer.
Slowly as the students Quaith was teaching grew confident in what they were doing they're hands began to glow yellow-green. On student was overcome by the enormous power they had created and fell backwards releasing the deformed shaped mass of energy ten feet into the sky where it burst into a flame for a split second before it disappeared. As another student slowly released her energy, the mass was already forming in her hands. It appeared to be just a small ball until a blinding flash came from it and as the student released the ball it burst into the shape of a dove made completely of blue flames. It began to flap and fly strait towards the wall and when it hit, the shape of a crescent moon was permanently imprinted on the wall beside thousands of other shapes that had been imprinted by young students. Some of them were hundreds of years old and not one of them was the same as any other.
"Ah, Vanta, your symbol from now until you cast your last fire spell is to be the crescent moon, the symbol of serenity. ……….oh Omini, I didn't even see you over there. Come, join us. We were just having a sort of inauguration ceremony for my first year students. You see the symbol is a direct communication with their spirit and their minds. It's a rather amazing thing to see don't you think?"
Omini sat down next to one of the nine students and said. "I've never seen anything like it before. But what significance does the symbol have though?"
The student next to her stood up in an outrage and snapped. "The symbol has every significance, you fool! It means everything and nothing at the same time! Without it we would never be able to judge each other without knowing them, since each symbol defines their personality! I would figure that since you've been spending so much time around head master Quaith, you would know the least about his favorite class, taking up time that he could be teaching! You…"
This bazaar outburst even surprised Quaith, not even with all of the knowledge he possessed he couldn't explain to himself why this student would explode with this kind of anger, nor did he understand why he didn't foresee any of this happening. He quickly shook all of these thoughts out of his mind temporarily and took control of the situation. "Nimis! This is all uncalled for! She was merely asking an innocent question! I swear, what's gotten into the world? Is anyone out there still sane? This young woman has a problem; she came to me in search of help and answers that none of you ever cared to even try to give her. You all knew that she had these problems due to all of your little rumors and the like. So the question is, if you're so angry that she's using up my time which happens to belong to me, why didn't any of you help her? You think I'm treating her any different better than you, in afraid you very mistaken. I'm giving her the same help that I would give to anyone of you. I'm here to help all of you. I find it to be very insulting that you think I would be so greedy and pursue my own interests and completely neglect all of your needs."
The student stared at the ground, unable to make eye contact with the man. "Master, please forgive me. I didn't mean to misjudge or insult you."
Quaith sighed "I think all of this war, confusion, and heat is starting to get to us. Class is dismissed for the day. Be here tomorrow same time for the rest of the inauguration."
Once all of the students left Quaith tired to Omini. "I'm deeply sorry about my student he can tend to be rather hot headed at times. But he is most definitely one of the most talented students I've ever worked with he just has very little patience at times. But any way, how has the potion been treating you?"
"Well head master, things have seemed to be changing. The pains I feel have begun to intensify and it's coming in less predictable waves. Before, I could tell you the time of day when each wave came, now there completely random and last longer. It also seems like the potion is getting less potent or something because it only lasts for a short while. And something even more bazaar is happening. Every time I get one of the waves of pain, there's this symbol, it's so difficult to explain. I see it but not with my eyes its still there when I close them. I can feel it but I don't have to touch it its like I already know everything about how it feels. All I have to do is think about it and I can feel it. I drew it to the best of my abilities, I'm not exactly the most talented artists but here it is." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper the size of her hand and gave it to him.
"Well, this is rather odd that the feelings have…….." It was just then that he looked at the piece of paper and dropped it. There was a ghastly look of fear on his face that alarmed Omini; she had never seen Quaith look so upset. "You see this every time you get the pain? Oh my…. This, this, I, I must look further into this, until I can help you I suggest you stay in the tower or at least near it." Quaith stared in silence at the paper that now lye on the ground next to him.
"So what do you think this means? I mean this is beginning to feel like much more than "spirit pains" as many of the other students have begun to name them. I don't even think I can deal with the grief that they're giving me not to mention the pains and the dreams. "Quaith immediately looked up at Omini.
"I don't remember anything about you saying you were having trouble with your dreams. When did this start?" Omini didn't like the feeling that Quaith reaction gave her.
"Not to long after our last meeting, perhaps about three days later. They seem to all be the same, it's so simple but it seems to have such a powerful meaning, I just can't understand it." The two sat down on an old wooden bench. The nails holding together had almost been completely eroded. Omini didn't even think that she would be able to sit on it with out it falling apart beneath her.
"You don't know much about this bench do you, Omini
"No, I don't. I know its old, but that's about it. I take it this bench has more than moss and rust in it?" Quaith shook his head.
"No, that's all it has accept one thing you didn't mention. It has something that everything has yet very few people ever think about it. This bench has a story behind it, a story that few people know of and even fewer people can understand. Do you care to listen?" Omini knew this had some type of significance to what he was trying to explain to her. This was his preferred means of teaching, especially when he had trouble just saying it right out in the open.
"Believe it or not this bench has been here longer than the great tower, before any of our magic touched this land." Omini couldn't believe this, the tower had been here for ages and magic had been there for even longer.
"Are you trying to tell me that this bench has been here for more than six thousand years?" this finally broke Quaith's stare and he looked up to Omini.
"Yes, and so has the wall that my students were casting their inauguration spells towards. It's hard to believe that wizards have been using this wall to see themselves for that long isn't it?"
"I don't get it, if this bench and wall have been here for that long they would have eroded away until there was nothing left of them but dust. How would they have persevered for so long?" Quaith laughed out loud.
"Omini, there is more to life than rot and decay. Think for a moment, haven't you been paying attention in any of the classes you've been studying? Magic can last a very long time so long as its source is still providing the energy."
"What does this have to do with the bench though? And how is it possible for a spells source to last so long?" Omini was getting very confused very quickly, this was one of Quaith's downfalls, and he sometimes forgot that he wasn't talking to arch mages and headmasters but a young wizard who only knows a few small spells."
"Sorry, I know I sometimes get a little carried away. This place that you and I are sitting is one of the most important places in all of Farren. This was where magic was discovered. The great Omini itself sat in this place and cast the very first spell placing its symbol on this very wall." He then pointed to the symbol that was darker than all of the others. That's when it hit her, that's when she realized why Quaith was so troubled by the symbol that she drew, it was the same thing with only one difference the oracle's symbol was a five pointed star pointing up with an eye in the middle, all of this was within a larger more faint star, Omni's was the same star accept it was upside down and the larger star was darker and the smaller one was lighter.
"Master Quaith, you can't be serious." Omini was now very scared; this was very clear in her voice. Quaith took a deep breath and, from the way he looked prepared to have a very deep conversation with her.
"I'm afraid not, the symbol you're dreaming about is the exact opposite of the oracles."
"So what does this mean? There has to be some kind of explanation."
"I …I … don't know Omini, I just don't know. I know it must mean something significant but what?" The fact that even the most powerful wizard was getting stressed over this issue was more than she could handle.
"What do you mean you don't know? What about you psychic thing that you do, like when I would walk to the door and you'd know who it was exactly when I would knock? Why don't you use that?" Quaith just bowed his head and sighed."
"I think is time that we continue this discussion elsewhere." Quaith waved his hands across her eyes and snapped his fingers, immediately they were inside his chambers, this was making Omini think she was having another one of her dreams, there was a magical shield around this entire tower that made it impossible for any kind of transporting spell to be used either to leave or to enter. Yet some how Quaith had just proven this to be false.
"Just because there's something in your way doesn't mean you can't get through now does it? I'd explain but I think you'd more interested in knowing this. This 'psychic ability' you speak of does not exist the only reason everyone thinks it does is because I was born with a very observant personality I knew you were coming because I could hear your footsteps and by the way you were walking I could tell you were in some kind of distress, I knew that you were about to knock because I know that once you reach the top of the stairs you change the speed and pace at which you walk and I knew that it happens to be seven steps from the stairs to the door. I also tend to get to know people very quickly which is how I knew that you'd be back as soon as I said you should be and not a moment too soon or late, because you are a very curious person and would do almost anything you could to learn about what is harming your soul. This probably seems to be quite a surprise but I must stress to the highest extent that you must tell no one about this because it could desperately harm the chances of our survival in the world." Omini was at a loss for words, she had just been told one of the greatest secrets that Quaith had kept in his complex mind and yet she still didn't care, she was concerned with what was going on with the symbols.
"Ok but why is it that you don't understand what I'm seeing? Master Quaith, all of this is scaring me so why don't we at least try to put what we do know together to see at least where we are right now."