Vivian, the Dark Mage

The dark purple fog retreated slowly into the lamp before fading out completely. A small stuffed bear, which had once been floating at the center of the lamp, fell to the base of the glass with a thump. The girl turned to face the now-empty lamp with a horrified expression.

“The incantation… Master Burkhardt never returned. Without him… nothing can protect us.”

“Hey, Miss Mage?”

“Vivian,” the girl interrupted as she neared the lamp.

“Miss Vivian, you’re really starting to scare me. The… um, Endymion. You said he’s the one who hurt you? And the lamp, what was it supposed to be doing?”

Finley slowly approached Vivian, her right hand nearing the blade on her thigh. She signaled for Matthias to move in, and I watched as the two prepared for their next move.

“The lamp… Master… you three need to leave, before he arrives. We are out of time. Everyone is in danger, I have to go!”

With a wave of her hand, the stuffed bear flew into her arms. She turned back to us with tears in her eyes. Clutching the bear tightly, she charged straight for the stairs.

“Wait!”

Finley threw out her knife, and it struck the ground in front of Vivian. The girl jumped over it without stopping and nearly tripped as she ran down the stairs.

“She’s our only hope of getting any answers right now. We have to stop her.” Finley charged after Vivian, and Matthias rushed past me to follow her.

Something doesn’t seem right here, but it’s too late to stop them now. I can get outside before them and try to stop Vivian there. The townspeople will see me, but I think that’s the least of our worries right now.

I zoomed through the tower window and looked down to find Vivian. The girl was already running through the street, shouting at the top of her lungs.

“Everyone listen! The barrier is gone, we need to scatter! The Knight is on his way, the Knight is on his way!”

That definitely doesn’t sound good. I need to warn my companions.

I rushed to the ground as Finley charged through the door. She slid to a halt when she saw me, and I moved back to prevent any glitchy incidents.

“Finley, listen. That mage, Vivian. She was telling the townspeople to run away. I think that lamp was being used like an hourglass, a way for the Knight to give her some kind of deadline.”

“Deadline?”

“She was saying that the Knight is on his way.”

Finley’s eyes went wide. She turned back to Matthias, who had just stumbled out the door. The sound of a horn echoed from afar, and a flock of birds flew over the town. I could hear dozens of footsteps and doors slamming. I turned to look behind me and was met by the sight of complete chaos.

People in cloaks ran from their homes, some tripping over each other as they collided. I could see some turn invisible as they ran into the forest. Others shapeshifted into various woodland creatures. One mage, who avoided looking up, nearly crashed into me. I flew up into the sky to stay away, and I looked around for any sign of Vivian.

I found her running into the forest, her mauve cloak fluttering as she maneuvered between the trees. I looked down into the dispersing crowd and spotted Matthias, who was squinting up at me. I pointed in Vivian’s direction, and he tugged Finley’s shoulder.

They might not make it in time. I’ll have to find her first, and worry about them later.

I looked toward the place the horn was sounded from. Nothing but trees and grassy plains filled the area. I rushed to where I last saw Vivian, somewhere east of the town. I could see the rebel encampment farther south, barely shrouded by the thick forest.

As I flew through the sky, looking every which way to spot the retreating mage, I found a small lake. Crouched by the water was Vivian, who looked to be out of breath.

The other mages were able to use magic to conceal themselves. Why weren’t you?

I lowered into the forest and hovered behind a nearby tree. Vivian didn’t make any movements, so I decided to get closer. I came to a stop next to her, my reflection absent from the clear blue water. Vivian’s reflection showed her downcast eyes and the stuffed bear held tightly in her arms.

That scar, and the way she talks. She seemed almost like a young adult. But looking at her now, she might not be older than 14.

“Vivian…”

The girl’s head quickly whipped up to look at me. I tried my best to smile, hoping that my facial expressions were visible to her. I crossed my legs and lowered myself to a place just above the ground.

“Why… How did you find me?”

“I can fly up pretty far and get anywhere fast. My body doesn’t get tired or anything. More importantly, why did you run? You said the Knight was coming. Did he… make a deal with you?”

Vivian tightened her grip on the bear, her eyes wavering as she peered into the lake. She nodded slowly.

“He broke Master’s lamp. Master Burkhardt's incantation— it created a barrier around the town. The barrier was supposed to make the town invisible from the outside, so that the Queen would never find us.”

I watched the girl talk, her movements as tense as her voice. Her dark hair fell out from behind her ears, hiding her eyes.

“Master let the rebellion get in his head, convince him that the Queen should be overthrown. He brought mages with him and they built the town together. I was his only apprentice, so I followed him. He enchanted this bear, turned it into a Catalyst. Do you… know what that is?”

I shook my head and motioned for her to continue.

“A Catalyst is an object that is imbued with a spell or incantation. The holder is constantly affected by it. The lamp Master built was made to amplify the range of the incantation.”

“So the Knight broke it, as a threat to your safety?”

“Yes, and as a time keeper. I was to reveal the location of a rebel camp. Master kept records of them, but he ordered me to burn them when he failed to return by a certain moon. I believe… someone in the town was an informant for the Queen. They led the Knight to us. They may also be the reason Master never returned.”

“Ugh, I really am sorry, Vivian. I wish there was something I could do.”

“… I’m the one who should be sorry. If it were Master Burkhardt in my place, he would have done everything to help you. Forgive me.”

Huh, I actually did something right for once.

“You’re forgiven. Now, do you think you’d be willing to follow me and my friends back? We have a camp not too far from here, as I’m sure you already know.”

The girl looked at me with wide eyes. Her irises appeared to be shining, and I felt myself shrink back. I’d never had someone look at me with so much hope. I rose to my feet and Vivian followed. The girl walked slowly by my side, the stuffed bear still held in her arms.

“That bear, you said it was a Catalyst?”

“Yes, enchanted by Master. Although the incantation has likely worn off by now.”

“I’m guessing he made it himself. It looks pretty important to you, does it have a name?”

“… Master used to call it ‘Ursa’.”

“Ursa it is, then.”

I saw the small girl’s eyes soften, emphasizing the dark bags beneath them. We continued on our journey in silence. A sharp shock traveled through my body, and I felt a part of myself slipping away.