Chapter 6- I Get a Shiny New Name
Balestrom began the lesson, and by the end of the day I could cast a pretty decent Thunder Snake. Afterwards, I headed over to Ambrose's tower to ask him about a last name.
When I approached the tower I heard voices coming from inside. It sounded like Ambrose and his owl, Gamma, and I didn't want to disturb them, so I leaned against the wooden door and waited. Coincidentally, it was also an exceptional spot for eavesdropping. I didn't intend to eavesdrop, at first, but their urgent voices drew me closer to the door frame.
"Look, Gamma! Finally, we have found one!" Ambrose exclaimed.
"Whoooo?!" came Gamma's voice.
"A young Wizard! A student with amazing potential… enough, perhaps, to save Wizard City!"
This troubled me, twice now, I had heard of some mysterious threat to Wizard City.
"Oh really?" Gamma cooed, "Where?"
"A very, very distant realm… My goodness! On a world that does not even believe in magic!"
Could this wizard be from Earth too?
"I wonder what manner of Wizard they might become. Perhaps we should consult the Book of Secrets…"
It grew quiet all of the sudden, and I waited a minute or two before knocking. I heard Ambrose's voice calling me, so I crept open the door. "Excuse me, sir, but I had a question. If this isn't the right time I can come back later…"
"No, no, ask away young wizard." Ambrose urged.
"I was wondering," I paused, "About my last name." I waited for something to sink in, for him to exclaim "Why of course!" and tell me who I was. But he said nothing, he just stood there, staring intently at me while stroking his long white beard. "I was just, uh, wondering if I had one. Or if I could get one? I'm not sure how that works here." Ambrose finally jumped in.
"Here, in Wizard City, every wizard has his or her own last name. They can either choose it on their own, or consult the Book of Secrets. Do you wish to get a last name, Grace?"
"Um," I mumbled. I realized then that the only reason I had come here was to try to make a connection to my family, but that wasn't going to happen. I sighed. "Yeah, I mean yes, I would like to get a last name."
"Would you like to choose by yourself, or consult the Book?"
"Can I…"
"Yes?"
"Can I see the Book of Secrets, please?"
Ambrose led me to the book pedestal in a corner of the room. "Just turn the pages, and the Book will guide you." It sounded a lot easier than it looked. Let the book "guide" me, sure, of course, that makes sense. I sighed and opened the book.
The second I did so, words started swirling around on the pages. I saw the words "fairy", "blade", "mist", and "golden" zoom by on the page, and I was suddenly confused. Was I supposed to just pick a word or two for my name? Was this it? I rested my hand on the page, and the words started glowing. Words flew across the page, fading and glowing and fading again. It happened so fast that I hardly noticed when the page went completely blank.
I lifted my hand from the page, and gasped. I understood now. I wasn't choosing the words, the words were choosing me. And the name that chose me was beautiful.
Ambrose frowned. "Grace Nightwhisper. I'll have to change your registration papers." And with that, he left.