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Chapter 5 – The Homecoming of the Mage
The snow sparkled around Gakupo in a wide circle. But outside of the softly defined shape, the world was black, devoid of any features he could discern. It was like being inside a lantern abandoned in a dark cavern; without any big effort on his part, Gakupo could pretend he was inside of a huge unlit room, with walls and a vaulted ceiling just beyond his sight.
The only sounds were the creak of the fire concentrated on the palm of his hand, and his own shallow breathing. The energy that possessed him when he escaped the tower was gone: he felt dizzy and disoriented, and the idea of being alone in such an enormous space filled him with anxiety. But wasn't this what he had wanted all along?
I should be feeling happy I got to experiment like this. Who knows how long I have left.
The side of his face and his chest were strangely numb. He knew the wounds were swollen and covered in blood, but he felt nothing. He didn't try to touch them.
To his left, the carpet of snow stopped abruptly on a jagged line; there was a chasm of some sort, though it was too dark to see the other side, even when Gakupo stood by the edge, holding the flames before him. He lied down by the edge, letting the flames hang above his head like a will-o'-wisp, and closed his eyes, exhausted.
The snow is so soft and warm…I had no idea…
The flame above him flickered and dimmed. But before it could go out, a tall figure entered its diminishing circle of brightness. With a movement of his staff, the unconscious youth rose from the ground, levitating in the air like a leaf floating on water.
"Our carriage awaits, son." The mage smiled affably. "It's time to go."
After leaving Kaito in bed at home, Luka and Meiko headed for the Hall of the Elders. As they expected, the seven leaders were gathered there, discussing the situation. The girls were ushered inside the inner chamber by a guard and were met with disapproving stares.
"Where's the mage?" One of the female elders asked.
Luka breathed deeply. Her position as friend of Gakupo was going to hurt her credibility, but she hoped the elders would be wise enough to listen to her and Meiko, if only for their own sake. Kaito and she were going to leave Oto as soon as he felt strong enough to depart, but that didn't mean she wanted to see it threatened. "Verdirrama betrayed us," she began.
Some of the old men and women before her gasped, while others eyed her with suspicion. One of them, a priestess of the Lady, addressed Meiko. "Explain this, child."
Meiko turned a little green under all the attention, but saluted the priestess formally and replied, only a little shakily, "We found the mystic stealing the sacred relics. When we confronted him, he used his magic on us and Kaito Fuuga was injured. We live because the mage decided it was better to escape, even if it meant sparing us. He took the sword and shield of El Gris with him."
That was more or less correct, Luka mused. Kaito wasn't hurt –not physically, in any case–, but at least that was a good excuse to explain why he wasn't here with them.
The more pious members of the elders made the sign of warding with their fingers, while others merely looked outraged.
"The mystic used Gakupo was a distraction," Luka interjected, enjoying the involuntary cringe that the invocation of his name caused to the elders. "Verdirrama hoped to see the city destroyed; he wrongly thought Gakupo would take his revenge for all the pain you've caused him."
"How dare you speak to us like that!" A stout woman shouted.
"Why listen to anything the beast's friend says?" the leader of the merchant's guild local office argued, "Who says this isn't some scheme of theirs?"
"How can you be so blind?" Luka raised her voice, exasperated. "Verdirrama used the town's fear for his own motives. And you made it so easy for him too! You like having a scapegoat to point at whenever things go wrong in Oto, don't you?!"
"Remove this filthy girl!" The priestess called the guards, "The perversity permeating her words is disgusting."
"No need to throw me out, I'm leaving," Luka said as coldly as she could manage.
Meiko hesitantly started to follow her, but the priestess called her with a severe expression. "Not you, Meiko. You're going to tell us everything you saw." The girl looked extremely uncomfortable at the idea, but nodded obediently.
Luka marched in front of the guards, feigning complete tranquility. But as soon as she was outside in the night air, she took off running. If Meiko confessed what she had seen, Kaito was going to be in a great deal of trouble.
When Luka arrived at the Fuuga home, she noted with surprise that the interior of the house was brightly lit. She was completely sure it hadn't been that way when they left Kaito in his room. She entered cautiously, but soon discovered the cause: Kaito was in his father's room, sitting on the floor amidst several articles of clothing. In his hands, he cradled an elegant dress uniform: a long white jacket and blue pants, with golden decorations.
"I just wanted to take a few of his things with me, when we go," Kaito explained, after he noticed her standing awkwardly next to the bedroom's door. His eyes were overflowing with tears, but he smiled. "But then it really hit me, being inside his room. He's never coming back." His fingers caressed the smooth fabric of the jacket. "I can't even bury him."
"Kaito…" Luka took a step closer, unsure of what to say next.
"It's ok," Kaito said, then made a face. "Actually, no, it's anything but ok, but you know what I mean. You don't need to say anything."
"But I do," Luka retorted. She sat on a chair, in front of Captain Fuuga's orderly desk. "I need to apologize for being such a coward. And I need to thank you for being there for Gakupo, when I couldn't."
Kaito looked at her with a melancholic version of his usual mischievous grin. "Not that I did that last part for you, but I appreciate the sentiment." His face grew more serious, as he studied her face. "Do you understand how I feel about him, Luka?"
"…Yes."
"Is that going to be a problem?"
Luka shook her head. "We need each other, if we are going to save him and foil whatever Verdirrama is planning." She averted her eyes. "And even putting everything aside, I do miss you."
"I've missed you too, you're a funny girl." Despite his light tone, he was obviously being sincere. He lowered his eyes to the garments in his hands. "So, you think I should take this? It's a bit too ostentatious, but people might be more willing to answer questions if an officer is asking."
"Ah!" Luka brought a hand to her mouth, after she recalled her earlier apprehensions. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Change into it and let's go."
"What's the rush?" Kaito frowned slightly.
"The elders are interrogating Meiko as we speak. She likes you, but I don't know if that will be enough to keep her quiet."
Kaito jumped to his feet, alarmed. "Get some food from the kitchen. There are also a couple of lanterns inside the cupboard. I'll get the backpacks." He threw the uniform over the bed and began to unbutton his jacket.
Luka agreed and ran to the kitchen. She found a couple of cloth bags in the pantry and began to stuff them with cheese, nuts of different kinds and other long-lasting foods. It was going to be cumbersome to drag those bags around, but it wasn't like they would have the opportunity to buy dinner in the middle of the woods.
Her task done, Luka carried the bags and the lanterns to the living room, where she found Kaito in his father's uniform and boots, checking the backpacks. The jacket and pants looked a bit too big, and their wearer a bit too young, but it was worth a try.
"I think we're good to go," Kaito said. He gave Luka a little pouch and an envelope. "Here, we shouldn't keep our money in one bag."
Luka hid the pouch inside of her coat, and then opened the envelope. She gave the letter inside a quick look, although she was familiar with the content. After all, she had written it herself, months ago. It was addressed to her parents, explaining that she was leaving town with Kaito and Gakupo, and begging their forgiveness. It still applied to their present situation pretty well.
"I wish I had thought of handing this to Meiko," she lamented. "Who knows if they'll get it, if I leave it here." Luka placed it on a table near the door, hoping that Meiko or one of the guards might find it eventually.
Luka then put on the backpack waiting by Kaito's feet. Like the letter, they'd been waiting for months in case they managed to get Gakupo free. She grabbed the bag of food and the lantern, and took a few steps, trying to get used to all the sudden weight. At least she was wearing comfortable tall boots; carrying all this baggage on high heels through the wilderness would've destroyed her feet.
"Are you going to be ok?" Kaito asked, worried. "I think I can carry some of it for you."
"No, it's alright." For the moment, at least. Luka wasn't sure that she wasn't going to change her mind five hours down the road. "Let's hurry."
Kaito nodded, and quickly and easily shouldered his own bags. Luka gave him a brief look of envy, and then headed for the door.
Outside, the night was still peaceful, even with the odd spectacle of the crumbling tower in the distance. Luka and Kaito stood in the road outside for a moment, listening. The evening's air carried the sound of a group of people approaching, likely guards. They glanced at each other and began walking at a quick pace towards the northern woods.
Luka was visiting his cell, it seemed. Gakupo could smell the perfume of flowers, next to his bed. But something felt off. By now, he was all too familiar with the exact dimensions of his bed and the stillness of the air inside his prison. Yet there was a rustling sound nearby, which took him a few seconds to identify: it was the sound of trees, swaying in the breeze.
Gakupo opened his eyes. Whatever that place was, it definitely wasn't the tower. He was in an airy bedroom, probably in a second or third floor of a building. And he wasn't alone. The girl in a white and blue uniform beside the bed – not Luka, an unfamiliar girl with long ivory hair dyed pink at the tips – smiled cheerfully. "I'm so glad you're awake, master!"
He stared, his mind blank. He hadn't talked with anyone new in so long, much less someone of his own age. He stretched out his hand and touched her cheek. "Are you really here?"
The girl giggled, unperturbed by the contact. "Of course I'm here. Master Verdigris said you would feel some confusion at first, don't worry. My name is Maika, I'm your personal servant."
"Servant?" Gakupo repeated, certainly feeling extremely confused. He took another look at the room they were in, before it dawned on him that he was using both eyes, as if nothing had happened. He touched his face, then the flesh of his chest, under the simple tunic he was wearing. Aside from a little tenderness of the skin, there was no trace of his injuries.
"Ah, the master said I should show you." Maika turned towards the nightstand and grabbed a mirror. "He wasn't able to save your original eye, I'm afraid. But this one should serve you as well as your old one. Sit up, please." She positioned the mirror before him, so he could take a look.
An eye of flame; that was Gakupo's first impression. His right eye was the same as always, indigo with specks of sky blue. But the left iris was like a sunset burning inside of his eye, rabid crimson and gold like a wolf's gaze.
"The beast is coming out!" Gakupo gasped and pushed the mirror away, frightened. As Maika tried to keep her grip on the mirror, the youth backed away from her, pushing the covers out of the way, until he was on the opposite edge of the bed.
Maika finally recovered and sighed with relief. "Oh, it's intact. Master, please be more careful! This is a very expensive object." She placed the mirror back on the nightstand and turned to look at Gakupo. Only then she noticed his fearful expression.
"That eye is a gift from Master Verdigris, to replace the one the awful boy sliced. There's nothing wrong about it." Maika stated. She climbed onto the bed and surrounded his neck with her arms. "It's going to be alright, Master. You're safe now." She pressed her body against his, in what seemed to be a very deliberate gesture.
"…What are you doing?"
"Doesn't it feel nice, to lay in bed with someone in your arms?" she whispered into his ear. "Why don't you relax for a bit? Later, if you wish for a meal, I'll bring it to you. Master Verdigris will see you in the evening, so you have time to unwind."
Gakupo pushed her away, his chest pounding. "I don't know you! I have no idea what you're talking about!"
Maika seemed almost as puzzled as him. "I told you, Master Verdigris picked me to serve you. I'm here to satisfy your desires."
"Who's Master Verdigris?! Where am I?!" Gakupo stumbled out of the bed and went to the nearest window. The view made him stop and cling to the frame with white knuckles.
"This is the Theurgic Nation of Alm-Ardjalus," Maika proclaimed theatrically and embraced him from behind. "Master Verdigris is the First Warmage, our ruler and protector. He saved you from the cold, when those ignorant bumpkins chased you out."
Gakupo remained silent, staring in awe at the gardens outside of the window, the regal walls of the castle beyond them, the many towers farther still, the hints of a great city. Enormous flying vehicles swam above in the cities, against everything he knew about the natural world.
Maika's hands caressed his body, as she continued in a purring tone. "This is not a city seized by obscurantism and fear, like Oto. Here, you'll be the beloved son of the court and Master Verdigris's prized disciple. And I'll be by your side, to fulfill your needs. The nightmare's over, my sweet master."
Gakupo looked down at her hands, more doubtful than attracted by her touch. He turned around and cupped Maika's face with his hands. She seemed real, altogether too real, and warm and perfumed and pleasant. Driven by an obscure impulse, he bent down and kissed her briefly.
I wonder if this is how it's supposed to feel, he thought. It had little flavor, if that was the case.
Nevertheless, Maika smiled happily at him and kissed him back, with much more passion. "You'll be happy here, I promise."
"Don't promise me anything," Gakupo said curtly. "It's meaningless." He looked around, and spotted a decorative basket of fruit over a table. After days of being too tense to eat properly, he felt pretty hungry. "Could you bring me some breakfast?" He eyed the sky outside. It didn't seem too early in the day. "Or any kind of meal? You can tell me more about this place while we eat, right?"
"Of course," Maika recovered her smile. She bowed deeply and approached the door. "Please wait here, Master." She exited the room, giving him a glimpse of the sumptuous sitting room outside.
Gakupo sat back on the bed, the familiar sense of unreality gripping him. Even after all the evidence, he still wasn't sure he wasn't going to lie down, only to be woken by the sound of Kaito's footsteps. He briefly recalled his friend's face, twisted into something alien by rage.
"This is real, I'm out of the tower. I got away," Gakupo tried to convince himself. "None of them can hurt me." From what Maika said, here they seemed to look upon the beast's powers with more benevolence. Perhaps he was finally going to be allowed a normal life again.
The servant girl returned soon, pushing a little cart brimming with delicious-looking food. She began to set the table for him, while Gakupo observed her. "Did you already eat? I thought you were going to join me." He mentioned hesitantly.
Maika glowed with enthusiasm. "You want me to eat with you?! Yes, yes, master!" She quickly pulled another glass, more cutlery and napkins from the bottom of her cart.
"Why do you call me master in the first place? I get that this Verdigris is an important mage, but I'm only going to be an apprentice, right?" Gakupo sat at the table, and Maika hurried to fill his cup.
"But you're a mage!" Maika exclaimed, as if it was all the explanation needed.
"I am?"
"Of course, and a very promising one! How could I not show my reverence?"
When Gakupo didn't change his expression, she sighed. "You used to live in a very backwards place. But here we recognize that mages are our betters, as it should be. I'm privileged to even speak with you so freely!" She took his hand, with the devotion of a pilgrim before a religious icon. "I can touch you…" Her eyes glinted. "And you're as handsome as I hoped you would be."
"Um," Gakupo offered as reply. What was he supposed to say to something like that?
Maika giggled again, covering her mouth. "Oh, my, I'm babbling. Please enjoy your meal, master." She sat and waited attentively for him to start tasting his breakfast.
Gakupo carefully cut a portion of the confection on the plate (some kind of pastry he had never seen before) and watched the filling slowly ooze out. He took a cautious bite, and found it was actually quite good, sweet but not overpoweringly so.
After eating half of it, his curiosity spiked again. "You said mages were revered here, right?"
Maika nodded.
"As in, they're the elite? How does this place work, exactly?"
"Like I said, Master Verdigris rules us. He has a council of lesser mages serving under him, the Five Cloistered. You are going to be our seventh mage."
"Oh." It still sounded strange to him to hear that term applied to him. Did Verdirrama know? What was he scheming if that was the case?
"Of the five masters, Arevalo runs the colleges and schools of the nation, Rossemara is in charge of industry and research, Invicto of roads and city planning, Castelo of agriculture and livestock and Blanca of bureaucracy and law." Maika counted off with her fingers. "Master Verdigris is in charge of the armies, and has the final saying in all questions of governance, of course."
"So, am I expected to help run this place, in the future?" Gakupo boggled at the idea. Kaito had always tried his best to keep him up to date with the lessons at the House of Gifts, but he still was woefully unprepared to something of this magnitude, even if he wanted the job.
Maika seemed to recognize his worry. "Oh, Master Verdigris has everything prepared. You'll have the best tutors available."
"What if I don't want to stay here?"
The girl tilted her head. "Where do you want to go?"
That was true. He had no home and no family to return to. Lily and Gumi were still living with distant relatives, and they probably had no memory of him and their parents. And after all this trouble, it was unlikely that those same relatives would be willing to put up with him.
Of course, he could always just wander the land, taking odd jobs and seeing the sights. But it didn't seem all that appealing, now that it was going to be on his own.
Maika slipped off her chair and kneeled by his side. "I know you said no promises, but…I can assure you that you'll live well here. Please give us a chance."
Gakupo pulled her up. "I'll stay, if you stop acting like I'm some sort of god. I'm not that different from you."
"Oh, master, you're so generous!" Maika gushed and threw her arms around his neck. Gakupo exhaled, resigned.
Though admittedly, it felt really nice to have someone admire him for the powers inside of him, instead of fearing or at best tolerating them. And even if this girl was a little peculiar, perhaps she could be good company. As such, he pulled up a chair and made Maika sit by his side. "Here, help me finish…whatever this thing is called." He picked up the fork and offered her a bite.
Maika seemed so happy at this that for a moment Gakupo feared she would burst. It was almost funny, how she seemed so enraptured with him. Still, they managed to finish the pastry and his tea without further incident.
"Can you tell me more about you?" Gakupo asked later, as he watched Maika clean the table. "How did you become a servant?"
"Oh, I did very well at school." She smiled proudly. "So when the first rounds of results were published, I was recommended to enter the service of the palace. Milena herself picked me to start training as a personal servant to the seventh mage."
"Milena?"
"Master Verdigris' servant." Maika tapped her chin. "Well, one of many. But the other girls are only there to be used. Milena has power. He listens to her and even gave her a daughter." Her eyes briefly met Gakupo's, then she looked away, for the first time showing some shyness.
"Er, are you and I expected to...do the same?"
"Nothing would make me happier," Maika replied in a low tone.
Gakupo stammered, then looked out of the window. "Can we take a walk outside? It's been ages since I've seen a tree or a bush or a bee or grass or…" He trailed off.
The girl blinked, then nodded. "Of course! I'll prepare a bath so you can get dressed. Excuse me." She again exited the room, this time through a second door to his right.
Gakupo approached the window, wishing it had a sill wide enough to sit on. He instead rested his arms on the frame, dubitative. Everything was suspiciously accommodating, but he decided to wait and see. After all, he still needed to meet this Verdigris. "I'll be fine. I'm doing ok." He leaned his head on his forearms and closed his eyes. "Don't be scared. Everything will be fine."
The trees continued to rustle outside with every gust of wind. A very old memory surfaced from the bottom of his mind: tall trees and a sunny field, laughter and a kite flying in the breeze. Gumi and Lily and Mom were sitting under a big parasol, watching them. Dad let him hold the kite's line and began to sing an old song about a fighter kite that cut down the moon.
Gakupo began to hum. The song was almost gone from his memory, aside from a couple of stanzas. He repeated what he could recall, over and over, trying to draw the rest from the recesses of his mind.
A girlish voice cut in, singing the following line. He turned around, surprised.
"I didn't mean to interrupt," Maika said somewhat sheepishly, "but you seemed to have trouble remembering the lyrics."
"I did. Could you sing it for me?"
"Right now? The bath is ready." She pointed towards the half-closed door.
"Um, I guess later, then." Gakupo awkwardly passed by her side and entered the bathroom. He made to close the door, only to find Maika was right behind him, rolling up her sleeves. They stared at each other.
"I think I can do this on my own."
"I could rub your back, or wash your hair," Maika proposed. Seeing his expression, she hesitated a bit. "Are you dissatisfied with me?" Her eyes clearly displayed how terrifying the prospect was for her.
"Look, you're making me a bit nervous," Gakupo understated, taking a step back. "Can we first get to know each other before you decide you want to rub my back?"
Maika's wide-eye stare was really starting to scare him, but she calmed down as suddenly as turning off a light. "I'm sorry, master. I'm just so excited at finally being able to be with you."
"I appreciate it, really. But please wait outside, at least today."
"…Yes, master." She hung her head, clearly disappointed, but complied.
Gakupo locked the door behind her and leaned on it, shaken. It was already taking a lot of him to speak with this girl for so long, but her obsession with him was starting to get deeply unsettling, no matter how pretty or pleasant she was.
But it isn't just me, she idolizes all mages, he told himself. I wonder if everyone here is like this.
To distract himself from his growing anxiety, he took a look at the bathroom. It was as posh as everything else on this place, decorated with white marble and dominated by a big round sunken tub, full of steaming water. Another mirror reminded him of the disconcerting eye he now had. He made a face at his reflection.
"Just get in the tub, seventh mage," he told himself. "I'll be ok."
The tub did seem rather inviting, despite everything. He hadn't been able to take a proper bath in ages; all he could do inside his cell was to rub a wet rag against his skin, or at best, splash himself with a bucket of lukewarm water. So he sank in the hot water with a contented sigh, and just soaked for a while.
After the novelty of the tub finally lost some of its appeal, Gakupo recalled the feeling of Maika's body against his, and the way her hands were touching him by the window. Was she really willing to get intimate with a stranger like him? What had these people done to this girl, to make her so eager to offer herself and call him her superior? Despite the warm water around him, Gakupo felt a chill. There was a small portion of him that felt tempted to accept her, no matter how artificial her advances felt. It wouldn't be the same as having Kaito or Luka back, but it was better than being alone.
As long as you both know what your expectations are, can it really be that bad? A tiny voice argued inside of him.
"I don't want to be put on a pedestal, no more than I want to be seen as a monster," he said out loud.
His mind made up, he turned towards the impressive selection of bottles and jars by the tub, and amused himself trying the different things inside. By the time he emerged from the bathroom wrapped in towels, with his hair still dripping wet, he smelled like an odd combination of many of the concoctions, but not unpleasantly so.
Maika was dejectedly kneeling in front of the door and gasped when Gakupo pulled her up to her feet.
"If you really want to be with me, we're going to be friends," he said. "Stop calling me master."
Maika gaped, shocked.
"Say 'Yes, Gakupo.'"
"Yes… Gakupo." She said in a tiny voice, as if afraid that a lightning bolt was going to punish her at any second.
"Good." Gakupo eyed his long hair, dripping all over the carpet. "Could you help me dry my hair, please?" The usual procedure for him back in Oto was to dunk his head in a bucket, and then use the sunlight coming through the window to dry him off. Letting his hair dry naturally was going to take a while, though, and he suddenly felt very anxious to go outside.
"Yes, ma-Gakupo!" Maika brightened. She make him sit down on a chair and began rubbing his head with a towel. "Do you want to hear the song now?"
"Yes, please."
Maika had a nice voice. It wasn't as velvety and elegant as Luka's voice; but Gakupo tried to push those comparisons aside. It was pointless to keep thinking about Oto and its people. They were completely lost to him.
Maika combed her mage's hair happily, letting her voice convey all the warmth in her heart as she sang. For a moment, she'd been so afraid she wasn't good enough in his eyes. But now he was even speaking of being friends with her. Friends! He was so adorably innocent.
She thought back at the moment when she first laid eyes on him, as the palace attendants brought him out from Master Verdigris' carriage. How her soul had cried, seeing him so dirty and mangled! The people of Oto were truly monstrous. Maika only hoped she would be allowed to see their doom with her own eyes.
"Listen well, Maika." Master Verdigris had said to her gravely, as they followed the attendants and their precious cargo to Verdigris's private workshop. "The Otonians have been torturing him for years, almost driving him to madness."
Maika nearly broke down crying, then. But she swallowed her horror and waited for the warmage to continue.
"He'll only recover with your help. You have to be kind and strong, and devote all your energies to make him happy. Understood?"
"Yes, master!" Maika promised fervently. Her mage had finally come to her, the person she had pledged to love and protect to her last breath.
The group quickly reached their destination: a long room with a row of beds. Verdigris used that space to perform certain experiments that required living subjects. The attendants lowered Gakupo onto one of them and exited the room after respectfully bowing to Verdigris. Maika rushed to clean Gakupo's wounds, after a gesture of the warmage.
"You'll report directly to me; I want to hear about any developments to his condition."
"I won't let you down, master!"
"You better not, Maika. There're many girls hoping to be given this opportunity," Verdigris noted, and turned towards a shelf filled with magical ingredients. "Hurry up so I can begin healing him."
"Yes, master." Despite her best efforts, Maika couldn't avoid shedding some tears as she washed her mage's face. "What happened to your eye?" she whispered softly.
"His jailor's son was a complete degenerate." Verdigris explained as he neared the bed. He was carrying several potions in his arms. "The boy gouged it out to amuse himself."
Maika blanched. "How could the people of Oto allow something so inhumane?"
"They were planning to behead him and burn his body tomorrow," The warmage said brutally. "Such comparatively minor injuries were beyond their concern."
"You must destroy them!" Maika growled, forgetting her own status.
But Verdigris only patted her head with a grave smile. "And I will, given time. For now, fulfill your duties. "
"I will." Maika took her mage's right hand in hers. "You'll be happy here, I promise."