Author's Notes: Well… here's the epilogue. I like the ending better than I expected to. Ah, ironic justice…


Apprentice of the Mystics

A few years passed. Janus had surpassed Slash and myself, challenged Ozzie, and made himself the new leader of the Mystics. Slash didn't like it. Ozzie didn't like it. But they knew when they were beat, so they were quiet about it. He was smart about dealing with them: He kept them close. The three of us were his top associates. And before too long, working so closely with him, even Slash came to see that this was no longer a weak, slow little kid. They came to call him things like "Great Magus" and "Sir Magus."

As soon as this happened, the playtime stopped. There were no more familiar conversations, and there was no more little princey or even Janus. Only Magus, as it should be. There were statues built in his honor, and songs written for him (horribly cheesy ones, I might add). I became my apprentice's servant. After the initial disappointment he felt at our complete change in positions to each other, he got over it. …I did too, I suppose. We found other projects to busy ourselves. He was working on a major summoning, when he had any free time. I was practicing magic, commanding the troops, and generally wreaking havoc.

Let me tell you, I would die for Sir Magus. I nearly gave my life for him on the day those three adventurers charged in, hell-bent on killing him. The silly over-dramatic frog boy was back with some friends. I had been there when Magus had changed him. He recognized me… Who wouldn't recognize such beauty? But of course he thought I was a woman. Silly froggie… I gave him a good slapping for that. Ganged up on me as they were, though, they managed to take me out. When I woke up, aching all over, the castle was still. Ozzie and Slash were in similar condition, and Magus was nowhere to be found. Ozzie declared that Magus had left us, or maybe he had even been defeated, and that he was once more king of the Mystics. I had my own opinion on the subject. I knew Magus wouldn't let himself be defeated by a bunch of humans… even if one of them was a frog hell-bent on vengeance.

So we moved away and rebuilt. Ozzie's fort wasn't nearly as impressive as Magus's castle, but it was all right. I missed my room and my privacy, though. But life goes on, I suppose.

Much to our disgust, a similar group of adventurers sought us out again. It was the quiet boy with red hair and a sword from before, a girl with a gun wearing some weird helmet… and Magus, scowling and brooding as much as ever, it seemed. That really surprised me. So Slash and I fought them individually, while Ozzie tried to set traps for them and failed miserably. Then all three of us faced the three of them together. The two humans I didn't know fought determinedly, but with no real cause other than to win. Magus struck out at Slash with his scythe, a very impressive new one.

And then we faced each other with narrowed eyes. I glared at his impassive face for a moment. Then I grinned and winked.

"Nice to see you finally following my advice… princey," I mouthed to him.

His mouth curled up in a cold smirk. "Then you know I take little pleasure in what I'm about to do?"

I nodded. "I know. But hey, you got to take out Slash, right? And Ozzie's next. You'll have your fun."

"I suppose." He gave me a slight nod, and then dashed at me with his scythe, faster than I thought a human could. I managed to bend away from the blow enough to only catch part of it. I screamed in pain and crumpled to the ground, using the remainder of my energy for one last spell…

……………………………………………………………

Magus's face was set in a deadpan expression as he struck his former teacher. But his expression broke as the Mystic shrank as he fell, dropping to the ground and racing off into a shadowy corner in a streak of tan and brown. The blue-haired sorcerer laughed quietly to himself, and nodded slightly.

"…As I would expect. You always did make a good cat." He turned away, using the movement to slash at Ozzie, who let out a high scream and retreated.

A few moments later the cat crept up to the doorway that the others had run through. It seemed to smirk to itself as it trotted out past the humans and hit the switch to the right of Ozzie, who was encased in an impenetrable ice shield. A good tactic for defense, by the way. Too bad it kept him from moving in time.

Magus smirked too as the cat jumped lightly down the hole after Ozzie and raced out of the fort.