"illusion, manipulation, love, death, charm, reflection, privacy, appearances, depth, duality, and secrets, these are the things associated with the moon and its Arcanum is understanding the true nature of the relationship between appearances and reality."
"I already know that, teach. That's literally the first thing i learned." Deadpanned a 12 year old Zill with a frown. "Is that really why you called me here today?"
"Of course not, I'm only saying it for formalities. I've called you here because it's time for you to go through your final test as a student."
"Final test? Does that mean...?" Asked Zill, his eyes widening in realization as he stared at his teacher.
"Yes, after this, you'll no longer be my student." She said causing Zill to go silent. "Oh, don't be depressed, it's not as if you won't see me again. Now, time to focus on your final test."
Zill focused on his teacher, eager to learn what his final test as an apprentice will be about.
"From the first day i began teaching you, you've displayed immense talent for magic. So immense, you might just be the most talented student I've ever had the pleasure of teaching.
"You've had other students?" Zill asked his teacher curiously, tilting his head.
"No" she deadpanned before chuckling. "It just sounds cool when i phrase it like that."
Zill frowned at her joke before sighing. "I should've seen that coming." He said tiredly, rolling his eyes.
"Sorry, sorry; force of habit. Now, for your final test. The test that is most detrimental to your to be life as a mage and can very much decide your role in this life. That test is-"
But before she could finish, someone entered the room abruptly and interrupted her.
"Zill!" It was Rayla. "C'mon, it's time for the departure. Don't you wanna see me off?"
"Oh." Zill remembered what today was and immediately got up. "Sorry, teach, but i have to go."
His teacher nodded calmly, letting him know it was okay to leave.
Zill nodded before leaving with Rayla, leaving his masked teacher alone in the room.
"There's no way he'd just sit down and do nothing about this, but i suppose this should be part of the test too. I mean, it's not everyday that you witness an archmage in training let alone teach one."
Then, out of the blue, a message arrow arrived from the sky delivering a very interesting order.
xxXxx
Ever since the death of the dragon king and the destruction of his only egg, some things between Zill and Rayla were very tense.
Specifically, the topic of their parents.
Rayla believed that they abandoned their duty while Zill knew otherwise and tried to tell her in a way that wouldn't reveal too much. This naturally caused many problems for the two.
And in the midst of this argument, Runaan was the one to break the fight.
'No one will accept that answer unless there's proof.' And those words echoed through Zill's mind to this day.
"Zill" Rayla kneeled in front of her brother as the other members of her assassination group said goodbye to their loved ones. "whatever happens out there, please stay safe. It doesn't matter what did really happen with our parents, I'm not about to lose the only family I have left."
Zill smiled genuinely at her words before faking his expression.
"And you better come back alive, okay?." He replied acting concerned and worried as if he wasn't planning on following her on this quest for over a decade.
"Aww, you're worried about me?" Rayla teased as she playfully ruffled Zill's hair.
Zill pushed her hand away with a laugh. "You're messing up my hair." He said with a pout.
The two laughed before Runaan approached them with a serious expression. The two turned to him before he spoke calmly.
"Rayla, it's time." Rayla nodded before following Runaan while giving Zill a wave that he gave back.
As Zill silently watched as his sister depart to her mission, his shadow slowly grew until it cast itself upon a wall.
'You're still going through with this?' Shade asked calmly, tilting his head. 'It won't change anything.'
"A lot of things changed already." Zill whispered, smirking on the inside while keeping an worried expression on the outside. "Who's to say this won't too?"
'This will end horribly.' Shade countered calmly.
"Not if i have something to say about it." Replied Zill calmly as headed back home.
Shade shook his head, giving up the argument, before retreating back to looking like a normal shadow.
Zill slowly made his way back home to prepare for the journey.
xxXxx
"Food, drinks, map, other supplies, note for Ethari to find...that should be everything." Said Zill with a smile as he checked a backpack before putting it on. "Ready for adventure, Shade?"
Shade shook his head. Zill decided to ignore that reaction and sneaked his way out of his house, away from Ethari's eyes using magic.
'Thankfully, the only one who can really sense my presence is Rayla.' Zill thought to himself as he slipped from his home without trouble.
Once he got out of the house, he made sure to avoid all other elves, which wasn't too difficult, and headed towards some tree and drew a spell rune in the air in front of him.
"Curso Perpendiculum!" Said Zill before running on the tree perpendicular to the ground and hurrying to the top of the tree. "Phew, always scared to mess that spell up."
'Now comes the worst part' Shade's shoulders slumped down.
"You got a better idea?" Asked Zill in raising a brow as he looked at his counterpart.
Shade went silent and looked the other way, trying to avoid eye contact. Zill, ignoring that reaction, looked back at his teacher's temporary house in Silvergrove.
"Sorry, teach, but you're gonna have to wait until this adventure is over to test me." Said Zill to the air with a smile before turning to Shade. "Ready?"
Shade took a look at the moon above them before nodding. Zill donned a determined look before taking a deep breath and speaking.
"Umbra Lunae!" He said summoning his other half into the third dimension.
Shade stretched above the trees and transformed into an elastic rope. Zill watched with anticipation as he confirmed Shade's elasticity was perfect for jumping.
'Just be careful and don't fall, we share the pain, remember?' Shade reminded his other half
"Pfft, please, I practiced agility with two assassins, this is nothing." said Zill before jumping on Shade like a trampoline, giving himself a lot of forward momentum. "Woo!"
Zill then began bouncing above the forest, covering a much ground in little time, and although he did mess up a few jumps here and there, he came out largely unscathed.
And soon enough, he caught up with the assassins group before they made it to Katolis and began watching from the darkness.
xxXxx
As Rayla headed towards Katolis with the group of assassins, she felt too much doubt.
Not about her fighting skills, her ability to kill.
She hadn't really ever killed anyone before. She did, however, practice on illusions cast by her little brother...and she failed it.
It was too realistic and honestly, Zill looked kinda happy she didn't go with it.
But not this time; this time, she'll actually do her job and kill someone properly and make her brother and Runaan proud.
So why did she feel so much doubt? Was it this familiar feeling she had.
The same one she feels when her brother is hiding using magic and watching her. Was that it? Why was she feeling it now? Zill was all the way back at Silvergrove.
Rayla ignored the feeling and tried to focus on the mission that she still couldn't fulfill.
And Zill watched her from his hiding place, sincerely hoping that wouldn't change at the moment.
xxXxx
Sorry for the short chapter. I didn't want to just jump into the canon right away, so i made this to lay out some groundwork like changes in character and such over the years.
Also, tell me how if i managed to properly portray Zill and Shade as opposites.
Tell me how i did. Leave a review.
Toodles.