Chapter 17: Respect

Stunned silence filled the room for what felt like ages as Dane tended to his wound. Tahir slowly clenched his hand opposite Dane, gripping the sheet hard enough that it began to tear on his fingers. Blood rushed through his body in molten waves as his hair stood on end. Tahir's eyes became wide as he pursed his lips while sweat began to bead on his forehead.

"You…"

"Pardon?" Dane asked, finishing the dressing and looking Tahir in the eye.

"You are the one..." Tahir whispered. Dane lowered his brow, holding out his hand as a dark mist pulled from Tahir into his palm.

"I see. Your Darkness holds much pain…"

"Shut up! You know nothing of the pain you caused!" Tahir seethed, trembling as his grip on the bed sheet tightened further, digging into his palm.

"How is it you come to blame me?" Dane asked, clenching his hand around the small ball of mist until it disappeared.

"You and those that follow you wasted your time escorting the rich when you should have been protecting us from those things!" Tahir rolled out of the bed, grabbing up his dagger and knocking Dane to the ground, holding the dagger to his throat.

"If you had been doing what you were supposed to then my wife and daughter would still be here!" With a swift wrench of his arm, Tahir readied to plunge it into Dane's chest, only to hit the ground when Dane teleported away.

"Why?! Why weren't you there for her?!" he screamed, lunging after Dane once again. Dane palmed the knife away from its path, slipped it from his grip then pinned Tahir to the wall. He said nothing, as Tahir writhed and flailed under his grip.

"Why! Why why why why why?!" he screamed, his voice eventually giving out from the strain and relaxing his struggle. Dane released him, turning him around with a serious yet kind stare.

"I know the pain you feel, for I have been there once myself. But you cannot let it consume you." Tahir slumped, his horse voice speaking in only a whisper.

"Why did you save my life? I was on the verge of seeing my family again. Why bring me here and keep me from seeing them."

"I didn't bring you here. I found you on the steps of our chapel after a knock came to the door. You were badly hurt from a wound inflicted by an Omen. And those wounds take careful treatment, else they will fester into ash the way your arm had." Dane let out a sigh, retrieving the dagger he had thrown to the floor and held it back to him, handle first.

"Take a day and rest. Your journey it appears has been long. When you are rested you are free to leave or to stay." He said kindly and Tahir took the dagger back and Dane left him in the room alone.

"My enemy and my savior. One in the same." He thought, staring down at the dagger in his hand. He was still furious, torn between his aching heart and his sense of duty. In the meantime, he would take up the offer to rest. Tomorrow he would at least try to convince The White Mage to come with him back to Arentia and speak with his contractor merchant.


"Master Dane, do you think it wise to leave the weapon with him? He did try to cut your throat with it after all." Vieren asked.

"Let him be Vieren. He has experienced a great loss and has yet to have that pain healed. His pain is dangerously close to becoming a festering well that will never heal, and the Darkness has nearly taken him completely. We must do all we can to ensure the healing of that wound." Dane replied, walking into his lab past the Stalactite Crystal chandelier that served as an information depository. As they walked, the sound of Mars's voice bellowing in the halls caught them.

"Master I insist that you do something about your daughter! She has interrupted my class numerous occasions today and is making it nigh impossible to teach the day's lesson." Mars huffed, dragging the early teen with him by the arm.

"You've been teaching one of the fundamentals of general magic wrong! Of course, I'm going to interrupt you!" she said, flinging back her platinum hair and straightening her Greek inspired robes.

"Rhinne, how any times have I ask you to wait to voice your concerns until after the class?" Dane asked, kneeling down to her level and putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Enough times that I've lost count." Rhinne pouted, crossing her arms and looking away from Dane.

"I know you are more powerful and understand magic in a much different way. But you must remember that we down here in Usoria don't have your abilities." Rhinne pursed her lips harder, looking further away from Dane with an almost comical scowl.

"Now then, what is this fundamental of magic that Mars is teaching wrong?" Dane asked as Mars spluttered and stuttered.

"Master, I have…" Dane held his palm to him, silencing his protest.

"Mars here says that all magic is only usable by harnessing the power within your own body to direct energy of the world through your mind and shaping it into the desired spell. But that's wrong! You use and shape mana that comes from your life force to empower and shape a spell. That then alters the world around it into the desired effect." Rhinne explained, swinging her hands in multiple ways to show diagrams of the human body and where points of energy exist within the body. Dane studied the diagrams for a moment before kneeling don to Rhinne's level once again.

"I am sure that your explanation is correct. But once again, you and your mother's powers are far greater than that of we humans here in Usoria. It stands to reason that the way you use and empower magic will be different as well." Dane explained. Rhinne crossed her arms and huffed, reluctantly agreeing to what Dane said, following after some acolytes after she had been dismissed.

"I still find it hard to believe she is a teenager after only been seven years." Mars muttered to Dane, watching her leave.

"You do remember that Time moves differently while she is with her mother." Dane replied distantly, beginning to turn for his lab once more, at which Mars and Vieren followed.

"Yes, but it is still hard to wrap my head around." Mars answered.

"Please excuse me Master Dane, I have some business I need to attend to." Vieren called, waving to the two of them as he left. Mars became serious as they neared Dane's lab, speaking in low tones while Dane searched for his key.

"How goes the research?" Dane sighed deeply, leaning his head against the door with a solid thud.

"There is still much to know. I can't make it darker, I can only add more. Light can still be produced, but I have hit a wall in how much power I can gain from it. I'm sure I'll be able to get passed it in time." Dane smiled, unlocking the room and opening the door.

"Shall I have some food brought to you later?" Mars asked, at which Dane nodded and closed the door behind him.


The next day, Tahir awoke to the sound of acolytes training in the front yard, letting out hard yells as they moved through stances with their staff weapons. Going to the window, Tahir pressed his face against it to see the acolytes in the dull glow coming from the surrounding crystals. Sometimes as they moved, the whole group's staves would light up with bright white bursts temporarily blinding him.

Once his curiosity was satisfied, he reached for his clothes, put on his dagger and adjusted the pendant hanging around his neck. As he held it up, he thought back to the man dressed in the black a gold cloak. Was it that man whom he should thank for bringing him here? If so, where would he find him? His thoughts were interrupted when he felt his stomach groan.

"I supposed I should eat something, and then I'll have a look around. I don't want to stay here too long and risk losing my contract." He thought, walking out into the hall where a few clerics of the order were walking from room to room. Some carrying what appeared to be vials of a dark substance. Others were carrying stacks of books or scrolls to and fro. Unsure of where he could go for food, he asked one of the passing clerics which incidentally was heading that way himself to meet his wife for breakfast.

"I am Vieren, one of the leading Clerics here in Aurora." The ceric said extending his hand which Tahir took in response.

"Tahir. Tell me, why is it that you disappeared seven years ago? The world has only gotten worse since your abandoning the world." Tahir answered with a sneer. Vieren nodded and sighed.

"It was a gamble we all took with Master Dane. Mars and I are teaching the Acolytes here how to harness and use light to combat Omens. We find them from time to time within the Forest of Peace, and have dispatched them."

"Then why don't you take that knowledge out into the world and held defend it! There are people dying daily from their attacks! All of you have so much power that could make the world a better place, and yet you hide yourselves away here in this forest doing what?!" Tahir snapped, his teeth clenched as his voice echoed off the marble walls.

"We have been studying how to find and harness the Ultimate Light so that we may use it to purge the world of Darkness."

"The world needs you now!"

"Yes, I know. But Master Dane has also been studying how to use Darkness to enhance the light we can use."

"So, what's the hold up? Use this Darkness to power your light and wipe out the Darkness."

"It is not so simple. The Darkness that permeates the world is thousands of times more powerful than even Master Dane is capable of combating. We must find the Ultimate Darkness and use that to empower our light." Tahir lowered his brow, his hand ever close to the handle of his dagger. But there was something about what Vieren was saying that made him never fully reach for it to slay this cleric.

As he sat with him and his wife for the morning meal, Vieren explained the basis for their research, what the Ultimate Light was and how despite the light's power, still wasn't enough to overcome the Darkness as a whole. As they spoke, he also watched the interactions between Vieren and his wife, noting that there was a well-defined area around them where the air and the world seemed lighter. After his wife left, Tahir prodded Vieren for more information about this Ultimate Light. It was intriguing that a couple could be the source of this light and that the feelings one felt while together, or even apart, is what gave these Cleric's their power.

"But what of people that aren't part of this… this… sect. Are they able to produce this light?" Vieren chuckled a bit as Tahir called them a sect but answered.

"In fact, all humans can create this light. We've found it doesn't necessarily come exclusively from couples. It can come from family, friends, even pets. Though the light coming from couple is the most potent." Tahir's face slowly fell as realization came over him.

"Can the light protect against Darkness without using it as a weapon?" He asked, his voice becoming serious.

"Yes. In fact we have found in most cases it can stave off or eliminate most lesser forms of Darkness." Tahir slumped back in his chair, pushing his hand through his hair as his breathing became fast.

"It wasn't you that was responsible for their deaths. It was me." Tahir whispered, putting his other had through his hair but barely making it through as the strength left his arms, His whisper might as well have been a shout in the quiet meal hall; chills began to run up his spine and the color drain from his face.

"It was me. It was me the whole time!" Tahir wailed, burying his face in his hands shaking hard as the thought continued to spread through his mind like a cancer. The world fell away from him and all he could hear were his words repeating over and over in his mind that he was responsible for their deaths. Everything around him sounded as if it were far away in a dark room.

"It was me, it was me the whole time!" he muttered to himself, clutching at his face with his fingers until a strong hand wrenched him into the upright position and a burst of light exploded in his eyes. When the rainbows he saw finally faded, a girl was standing before him with Dane standing off to the side.

"Tahir, Look at me. Tell me what has made you so distressed in clear and precise words."
Dane instructed. Tahir began to explain in a convoluted flood of words when Dane gripped his shoulder hard, harder than he thought physically possible for a mage.

"Slow down. Tell me what is troubling you, slowly." Dane commanded. Tahir took a ragged breath and tried to once again explain.

"I asked Vieren to explain to me what Ultimate Light was, and after he did I asked if normal people could make this light. He said we could and that light can just passively erase darkness. It then made me realize that I wasn't anywhere near my beloved Talea when they were attacked." Dane gently squeezed his shoulder again to stop him, looking him dead in the eye.

"Why were you away from her?" Dane asked.

"We had just had a fight, what about I can't remember, and I left to cool my head. But I do remember clearly telling her that if she were truly a worthy wife she would have done what I asked. It was me. I was the one that killed her by dimming the light we shared. I…"

"Tahir, look to me." Dane commanded, Slowly Tahir turned towards him once again struggling to maintain eye contact.

"Ultimate Light is not so easily dimmed. The light you made with your wife is with you even now. Why the Darkness was able to come that close to your wife and daughter I do not know. But you are not the cause of their deaths. It is possible that if the Aurora had been nearby she might have been saved, or she might have still died. But you need to know and remember, her death is not your fault." Tahir slumped, collapsing into his hands as his tears began to flow. Dane dismissed the other Clerics that had gathered, staying there until he was sure that Tahir would be able to talk once more.

"Tell me about your Talea. What was she like?" Dane asked, almost gently. Tahir wiped his eyes and began to speak despite his sniffling. He talked of how they had met, their lengthy and rocky courtship, and their eventual marriage that brought his daughter. It stung, but he felt as if there was a small bit of hope coming back into his life. A spark of light that he had almost forgotten about. As he spoke, he could almost feel that Dane had been through something similar as he would as a question or remind him of his innocence.

With some counsel from some of the other clerics, he was able to work through the pain that he had accumulated over the years. It was hard as he would often fall back to blaming the order or blaming himself for the deaths of his wife and daughter. But the experience made him stronger, stronger than he thought he could even be. Once he was sure of himself, Tahir explained his reason for coming to find him. Dane acknowledged his purpose but said that his quest couldn't be abandoned. There was still much to know, and time was beginning to run short.

Over time, Tahir began to harbor a sense of respect for the White Mage, and for his daughter Rhinne. Their goal was lofty to be sure, but it was a worthy goal that was aimed at helping the entirety of Usoria. He made the choice to stay with the Aurora, helping where he could in order to accelerate results in their study and practice of Light Magic. There were times when Dane would disappear for a week or two, and it was explained that he would go to visit Rhinne's mother, The Goddess of Time Ariel. Tahir was floored: this man was not only a lover to he last fairy in all of Usoria, but also to one of the three deities that oversaw all of Usoria itself.

"How lofty is this man's power?" Tahir wondered. Time passed with ease, coming to know Rhinne, and the twins, Orchid and Lotus well. He could see why Dane chose Forest of Peace, and now held a slight admiration for the man. Perhaps this man, this White Mage, could save the world. His research results were promising as larger and more powerful Omens would be easily obliterated.

Still, there was a nagging sense that something was wrong here. Why was it hat Mars was so insistent that Dane remain undisturbed in his laboratory? Why was he constantly locked in there for days on end? What were the screams he heard coming from the lab while he was in there? He would have to know one day, but for now, he would respect the wishes of the Order and do what he could to help advance the studies done here.


"We've come quite a long way since you provided us the means for power. This Darkness is an amazing thing." Hilda cooed, resting her arms on the darkly dressed man that lay back on her chest.

"You must also remember that Darkness is not something to be taken lightly Hilda. That which I learned from The Magus said that it can be fickle." The man replied sighing and adjusting slightly into a more comfortable position, laying his head over and closing his eyes. Hilda softly kissed the top of his head, running her fingers through his black hair, careful to avoid touching his horns.

"That may be so. But it is still a great source of power. With it we are nearing the completion of a means for eternal life." She whispered as her lips hovered just over his scalp. The man said nothing as he reached up and placed a hand on hers, gripping it slightly as he fell asleep. Hilda chuckled; it was a strange thing to see him fall asleep like that, especially when he lay on her chest in her arms, but it was still rather pleasant.

He was strong, much stronger than any man she had ever known, a fact made all the more prominent as her gaze turned to his large sword resting on the ground. He was a man always on edge, constantly vigilant against a foe, assassin, or otherwise. Over the course of the previous months, she seemed to slowly gain his trust. And now he was even turning his back to her and falling asleep in her arms. Did he really trust her that much?

His other hand slid down to her thigh, making her shudder just a bit at his touch. Yes, she had just about abandoned all hope of finding love ever again ever since her heart had been crushed by the people of Azwan. But perhaps, even as damaged as she was, she could find something like love with this man here. She reached over to the side, pulling his black and gold cloak over the two of them as a blanket, holding him tighter against her as she adjusted herself slightly, beginning to fall asleep herself under the comforting weight he pressed on her. There would be more to do, Arkarium would make sure of that. But for now, this was all she needed.

"Sleep well, Magnus."