Child of Spellcasters
The World Outside
It turned out, Goth and In did allow Col to sleep through the night without waking. Col wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or grateful.
" I am not helpless you know." He protested as they put out the embers after a quick breakfast.
" You were sleeping so peacefully." Goth took this opportunity to tease him, " Sleeping like a babe, you were—"
Col thwacked Goth's head, smiling. " You're a scoundrel."
" Aye, I am." Goth sighed in mock resignation. Col pulled his hair back and tied it together, before packing his things and mounting his horse.
oO
Goth kept a steady eye on Col as he scanned the area for any threats. He could tell even with his and In's efforts, Col was still suffering. It couldn't be helped, magic cannot solve everything. He just hoped that Col would heal soon; heal as much as can be healed, at least.
The horses snorted to each other, Myst prancing and Flame grunting in annoyance. In suddenly held a hand out, signaling the others to stop. Frost and Myst halted.
" What do you sense?" Goth asked, reaching out with his Enchanter abilities as well. Col, a little too troubled to concentrate, settled for waiting for the others.
" Something is in the woods." In answered. " Something older than us, and perhaps more experienced and powerful. I think it senses us here."
" We might need you Col, do you think you're up to it?" Goth asked.
" Of course." Col looked a little offended. " I'm not useless."
" We didn't say you were." Goth answered. " Come on, let's hope it's not interested in us."
They rode on, but after a moment, Col whispered to In,
" I sense it too."
" Don't draw your weapons, it's probably harmless." Goth warned the others. They nodded.
" It's following us though."
" Hopefully it's just curious."
" We are too young for this."
Col suddenly tightened. In stiffened as well.
" Run." Col warned Goth.
" What?"
" He's right. Run!" In kicked Flame. " Jia!"
" Jia!"
" Jia!"
The horses sped off. They dashed forward, Col looking back to see a gray horse following them.
" Halt!" A voice called. " I mean you no harm!"
The three friends slowed, finally stopping, and turned around, their senses alert. The stranger was wearing a gray cloak that covered his face, a quiver of arrows, and a bow. A gleam revealed the hilt of a sword at his belt. The stranger threw off his hood, revealing an aristocratic face with his hair tied back but a silver circlet around his head. Gray eyes, aged with wisdom, glittered under brown eyebrows.
" An Oracle, no doubt the Silver Oracle." Col blinked at his friends. " What is he doing here? I thought Oracles like to stay stationary."
" We do." The Silver Oracle answered. " And I am here because this is near the borders of my dwelling."
" Oh." The three young friends faltered. " We did not mean to trespass." Goth said quickly.
" And you did not, you have not arrived yet." The Silver Oracle answered. " I know who you are, I know what you mean to do. I wish to offer you hospitality at my dwelling, and also perhaps, to unlock what lays dormant for some time," This was directed toward Col. At the sight of dubious expressions, the Oracle continued. " Fear not, I am a close friend of the Blue Oracle, who lives in your area. No harm shall come to you, this I vow, in the name of all that has passed and all that will come."
" Alright." Col nodded, accepting this vow. " We will come."
" Are you sure Col?" Goth asked.
" He means us no harm, and the vow is acceptable." In answered. " And I want to know how powerful an Oracle you are."
Col looked at In in surprise, but In only smiled at him.
oO
The Silver Oracle's shrine was very different from the Blue Oracle's, because it looked more like a shrine. The feeling of unearthliness bothered the Mages a little, though In and Col suffered undoubtedly less than Goth, who had no Cleric blood in him at all.
" Come, make yourselves at home." The Silver Oracle gestured. " Here none but the worthy step through, and you will find peace and rest here."
Col did not mention they had only been traveling for a day, but he suspected that the words were meant more for him than for his friends, and more for his soul than for his body. He followed the Silver Oracle, and his friends followed in turn. They keep by each other, after all.
The Silver Oracle left them to their own devices. Cobadra sat down on the bed. They were all sharing one room, with a large table and several chairs.
" He knows we're coming." Goth was not impressed.
" Of course. He's an Oracle. And one of the most powerful Oracles at that."
" It sounds like he's going to give you training, Col."
" How can you train someone to become an Oracle?"
" I wouldn't know." In shrugged. " I was never ' trained'. He said unlock, specifically. Maybe your powers haven't woken yet?"
" Maybe. The most I've done is Enchantments, Sorcery, Wizardry, and a little bit of Necromancy." Col swallowed. " Maybe if I'm trained in Necromancy, I can bring her back."
" Let's hope so." In's tone suggested that he doubted it. Col himself was dubious.
oO
The Silver Oracle came to Col that night. Though Goth and In wanted to go with him, they stayed behind. The Cleric led the boy to a chamber. On the walls hung circlets of all types.
" Oracles are rare." He said. " Like Sorcerers we are few in number. It is custom to create a circlet for new, young children of our kind."
" You have made one." Col said quietly.
" You were difficult, Blue Dragon." The Oracle answered. " In you lie the hopes of all races."
" What do you mean?" Col asked.
" A war is coming." The Silver Oracle answered. " In it many will die, and many who live will die as well. You have prolonged the delay with your coming, but you have seen yourself the horrors of war. It has begun. Our wills are failing. Discontent upon discontent fueled fury on all sides. But in you," He stepped forward, raising his hand to touch the boy's forehead, " There lie the powers of all that is magic in this world. You are the link, you are the soul, you are the very core that was created when this world was born. You alone can make them understand how they too, are connected."
Col hesitated. " How?"
" That is not my place to say." The Oracle answered. " But I can tell you, the wind blows hard upon the road. The most one can do, is show you the way." A cobalt circlet, lined with sapphires and inscriptions, appeared in the Cleric's hands.
Col understood. It was custom for Oracles to wear circlets, only because circlets awaken their power. Once it is woken, they do not need the circlet anymore, but most prefer to. Now the Oracle wanted Col to awaken his own powers. All he had to do, is take the circlet.
Somehow, Col was afraid. He didn't want to know. Will there be more deaths like that of his mother? Of course there will be. What if Goth and In die?
The Oracle was waiting. Col took the circlet and guided it to his head. As soon as it settled, he saw it. Deserts, sand, the world of his dreams at night. Visions of the Pharaoh swirled, the axe that ended it all and started it all. Several paths seemed to swirl as they gathered to make a future. Col opened his eyes. He was back in the real world.
" You may go." The Silver Oracle told him. And he went. He did not speak to his friends when they questioned him. He simply lowered his head down upon Goth's pillow, circlet and all, and shivered. After some hesitation, Goth lied down beside him, but even his friend's presence did not ease Col's troubled mind.
oO
The Silver Oracle did not appear the next morning, but nevertheless Col insisted they pack and start leaving. Thanks to Goth, whose confident presence drove away most of the nightmares, Col slept rather well that night. Goth, unfortunately, did not.
" He frightened you, somehow, didn't he?" Goth demanded. " With that new circlet of yours. What did he make you see?"
Col adjusted the saddle on Frost, refusing to answer.
" Col, please, tell us." In tried to reason with him.
" I saw my own death, alright?" Col finally snapped. " And despite all things, seeing that, and how things will be, how things have been, is not comforting!"
His friends were silent after that. Col went on, " And the worst part is, I can't change it. I already set the course when I agreed to come over to Goth's dwelling. If I had just gone home, Mom wouldn't have been killed, and I wouldn't be in this god-forsaken place trying to learn the crafts I hate!"
Frost nuzzled Col, trying to comfort him.
" There are many forks in a road, Col." In said after a moment. " Oracular visions merely show the way, not where it leads."
" I also saw my past." Col paused. " In the mortal realm."
" Oh, that." Goth sighed. " It just keeps getting worse and worse, doesn't it?"
" I knew I was killed somehow." Col answered. " I didn't know I died…that shamefully."
" Don't think on it." Goth answered. " You know if you believe it too much, you'll inevitably follow it."
" Kind of hard when you're an Oracle." Col mounted his horse.
" Shouldn't we at least bid farewell to the Silver Oracle?" In asked.
" He knows." Col answered. " And you won't find him today. He wants us to leave now, because if we don't things might get worse."
In mounted his horse at that. Goth followed in turn, and the three trotted out of the fenced field and onto the road that leads to the main path.
" What are we to do when we meet the rest of the Clerics?" Goth asked.
" I am to say I am a Dragon Oracle." Col answered. " You two are my brothers, with little magic."
" Oh, now we have little magic. I like that!" Goth snorted. " But if they find out we're not actually brothers—"
" We'll have to do the ritual soon." Col answered. " That way they won't know. In has an advantage; he is part Oracle, and Oracles are the only ones with suitable relationships with all other spellcasters. I don't know what to do with you though, we'll have to see. If they find out you're a Sorcerer, we'll have to leave immediately."
" How soon do we have to perform the ritual?" In asked. Mages prefer to do the ritual at least when they're fifteen, because at that time they are given the privilege of making such decisions themselves. All three were apprehensive at the thought of doing it too early.
" We're less than a year younger than necessary." Col pointed out. " It's not like we're doing this when we are ten."
" That's true." Goth nodded. " How far is the nearest Cleric community?"
" A week's journey." In answered.
" That far?"
" They like to keep away from Mages, remember?" Col pointed out. " A week's journey is the fastest. If it rains, or something happens, or if the Elves suddenly come along, which I doubt, it will take longer."
" Beautiful." Goth sighed. " Now we have to worry about Elves too."
" And other creatures, like trolls, gargoyles, possibly vampires,"
" Vampires?"
" Vampires?"
" They do exist."
" We're going to encounter vampires?"
" And I thought Necromancers were bad."
" I'm not saying we're going to." Col sighed in exasperation. " It's just a possibility, if we take a wrong turn."
" That is very comforting." In said dryly. " I suppose you know where the wrong turns are."
" No."
" So you're saying we really might encounter vampires. Gargoyles are okay with me, but vampires. Who suck blood, and move around at night. We're going to meet those."
" I didn't say we were."
" How high of a chance do we have of meeting them then?"
Col hesitated. " Pretty high."
" Oh, there we go." Goth slapped Myst's neck, exciting an annoyed snort from the stallion. " I'll really sleep easier at night."
" I'm really sorry." Col sighed. " That's also why I'm in a bad mood this morning."
" Oh come, at least we can watch out for those better." Goth suddenly turned a worry eye on Col. " How were you going to die?"
" How did you die?" In asked.
" I died naked by an axe of an executioner with thousands of Egyptian peasants cursing at me." Col answered flatly. The other two flinched. " The axe which cut my head off, and was meant to be held up for everyone to spit at."
In cursed and Goth looked sick. " No wonder you have nightmares." The latter commented. " Why did they kill you?"
" I was an idiot." Col answered, and the others realized he didn't want to elaborate.
" Surely this time it's much better?" In said hopefully.
" I'm going to fall into Firemouth." Col answered.
" The Firemouth?" In cried, " The deadliest volcano in this realm? How would you manage that?"
" Fighting against a Necromancer." Col answered. " Or some kind of Druid that looks like a Necromancer. He or she will fall in, and drag me down with her. Him."
" Then I guess we will just have to help you avoid Firemouth then," In said doubtfully.
" And afterwards, I'll enter the mortal realm some thousand years later, lose my parents again, and become ' Seto Kaiba'."
" Surely it would be much better, if you don't go to the Realm of the Dead?" Goth blinked.
" I wouldn't know. I couldn't see that far." Col answered.
" Odd. You seem to have seen far enough already." In pointed out. " Oracles can't see the end. If you saw all the way to your future self, then at least that means your demise at Firemouth is just part of the way."
" That brings me great comfort." Col grunted sarcastically. " Dying at Firemouth is not enough. I have to go through more."
" Maybe it won't be so bad." Goth rubbed Col's shoulder from his mount. " Tell me, do we still live?"
" You certainly did after I died." Col answered, smiling a little. " At least you two seem fine. Unless you two get yourselves into trouble, you should be immortal like the Enchanters."
" Then we'll come looking for you when you become this ' Seto Kaiba'." In promised. " If you don't hide from us, that is. Make yourself noticeable. Make yourself famous. Make yourself rich. That way, even Goth could find his way to you."
" Are you insulting my navigation skills?" Goth exclaimed, rising to the bait.
" Goth," In sighed with mock resignation, " Your performance at the Cave Tunnels did not show much promise."
" I will have you know," Goth countered, " That it was you who held the map!"
" I will have you know," In responded in turn, " That it was you who insisted we should go straight ahead instead of turning!"
Col started laughing at the antics of the two, before the two turned on him.
" Col, what do you think?"
Col nearly fell of Frost. " I—I'm staying out of this."
" No, you are the judge. The tiebreaker. Tell Goth how poorly he finds his way."
" How poorly I find my way? We got out of the tunnels, did we not?"
" After about four hours of wandering about!" Col sniggered at this, having to nod at the truth of that. " The map showed the way that would have taken us half as long!"
The friends bickered amongst each other, Col quite forgetting his premonition, and several hours passed in that way. When they settled down for a break, it was early in the afternoon.
" Should we do it now?" In asked. Col hesitated, and nodded.
" We have to say it at the exact same time." Goth reminded them all. The three each took out a dagger, and stepped in a circle.
" Remember the words?" Col smirked at Goth.
" We say it all the time." Goth frowned. " Are you saying I'm forgetful?"
" Maybe." Col grinned slyly. " But come, we can argue later. Let us begin."
Each one cut a long horizontal line on both hands. Levitating the daggers so they touch, and clasping each other's hands so the lines are perpendicular to each other, they stood in a circle.
" We, children of spellcasters,
Take this, this solemn vow,
Though not to be on the same day born,
To be on the same day die,
Link our souls and our blood,
Brothers in life and Brothers in death."
There was a loud crack and a wind blew about them. The three figures glowed a bright white, chasing all other colors away. Col felt magic and thoughts pour through him, and shadows of voices whispered in his mind. They chanted it again, and another loud crack sounded. They let go of each other and reached further, so their arms braided against one another, and chanted the verse once more.
It was suddenly over, and the three opened their eyes, not noticing that they had closed them.
" That was exhilarating!" Goth exclaimed. " I guess this means we can help you with your nightmares now."
Col healed his hands. There was no need to leave the wound; the ritual was already performed. The daggers hovered back to their owners, the blood having been cleansed since it was sent to the rest of the realm. Sliding his into its sheath, Col looked up, checking to see how his friends were doing.
" I can sense you more clearly." In observed. " So that's what Sorcery feels like."
" There's also a problem of others sensing that we are Mages." Col pointed out. " We should change our names, in case they figure out who we are. I'm already the Dragon Oracle, but I need training in Necromancy and Druidism, so…I'll be called Azuri, to make it easier."
" Cobalt, Azure, Cobadra, Azuri, I think it will do." In nodded. " I can be called Burgun, for red, and Goth can be Shad, just so it's not too conspicuous."
" Shad?" Goth tested the word on his tongue. " I'll never get use to your names."
" You'll have to." In said exactly what Col was thinking. " Az needs his training, and if you want to stay by him, you'll have to get your own name too."
" Az?" Col frowned. " What kind of name is Az?"
" You offered to be Azuri."
" Please don't change it Az," Goth wasted no time making fun of Col, " Really, otherwise I'll betray you."
" I can be really cruel," In challenged, " And call you ' Azzy'."
Col saw the danger. " Az would be fine, Burg."
" I suppose I deserved that." In sniffed.
Goth snorted. " Really, Azuri is a lot better than Burgun. You should change that name."
" I suppose. If only to prevent Col from calling me Burg." In blinked. " How about Yan?"
" What kind of name is Yan?" Col asked dryly. Goth said something like that at the same time.
" It's better than Burg."
" I suppose it is. But they will see through that. They'll know you at least faked your name."
' We're supposed to be weak spellcasters, correct?" In pointed out. " That would surely be noticeable when we were young. And we might get renamed anyway. You might be officially named the Dragon Oracle, or the Mage Master. It's just a child's name."
Col shrugged. " Suit yourself. I'm going down by the stream to fill some water, I'll be right back."
The stream was fairly wide but shallow, and ran swiftly down. Tasting the water, Col filled the water skins with it, and rose. He looked in the water.
" So you sacrificed yourself, Pharaoh." He said in Egyptian. " Condemned your soul to eternity in an earthly prison. How…fitting." He reached forward, almost as if he wanted to touch the water in front of him. " It won't help me though."
Turning around, knowing that he could never turn his back on the Pharaoh as long as he is destined to be Seto Kaiba, Col stepped over roots and twigs, heading to his friends, who were piling firewood.
Mother. He thought to himself. You knew all along, didn't you? You knew this, that's why you never let me go to the Fort too often. You've been protecting me all this time.
Goth made to suppress the melancholy, but at his gentle advance Col blocked it. He needed the pain. If only to distract himself from the reality that lies ahead.
