Chapter 6: Pondering Possibilities

         Rowan staring at Kiri's horrified expression over what he just said, "Yeah um when I wanted to snap Braxen's neck, he kicked me while I fell on the ground, and mentioned that to come back from the war if I was gonna try that again." Kiri's eyes are darting around as if rereading a fine print contract, "A war against who? Please, do you know?" Kiri pleads, Rowan responds with guilt in his tone, "I'm sorry, I do not know against who." He recalls another detail, "Braxen did mentioned that he was given the permission to summon people from other worlds, so that he could use us as solders and turn us into Magi?" 

Kiri parses the information, "We've heard some things along those lines from those who came back, but soon afterwards." Kiri looks in the direction of the corpses, "Before they turned they mentioned that they were dong some field work." Rowan shows a puzzled expression and takes a second to think on it, "Like scouting something, or gathering information?" Kiri confirms, "Yes actually, but also have been tending to the needs of the Magi, general pet behavior forms of service." With a concerned expression on Rowan's face, his mind begins to worry about the possibility of making it out intact let alone alive. "Did any of them knew how to use magic before hand?" Kiri responds defeated, "Some of them did, at least the few we got to knew before they were called into service."

Curiosity gets the better of Kiri, "What cell were you held in in-between your inscriptions?" Rowan puzzled once more about a question, "Ah well, I was gonna say it felt like a week long straight of sticking me but that was most likely me not realizing I could see time was slowing down for me." Rowan continues, "But I was able to focus and speed things back up, I did that when Braxen took a meal break and left me on the table, then he came back and resumed where he left off." Kiri surprised, she grabs a hold of Rowan's arm once more and rereads his runes then presses on them.

Startled, Rowan tries to take a seat back, "Why are we doing this again?! Hey that hur- hurts?" There's no pain, the tattoos are fresh they only happened hours ago. But there is no blood, no soreness, its as if he already got these months ago and are fully healed. He calms down and lets Kiri read his arm, then shifts Rowan to read his back. "What undone, shall be renew" Kiri reads out loud in an inquisitively quiet tone, she takes a long look at Rowan's face. "What plans does he have with you?"

At a lost for words Rowan responds, "I don't know, I was just going to work, then I get sent here barely able to breath." He continues as he spirals, "I see a bunch of people around me dead, and got dragged off to meet this insane man." He starts to break down, "I just wanted to live a comfortable life, with my friends, with my partner, just live in my quiet corner of the world." Seeing Rowan on the verge of tears, Igan walks up and kneels to be at eye level with Rowan.

With a Igan's hand placed on Rowan's shoulder, "You will make it, your soft, scared like borch, but like borch when cornered, can spread fear in hearts of predator!" Igan's voice filled with enthusiasm and blind optimism. "They will call your for aid, you will obey, we've no choice, but you will return, whole, like soft borch!" Rowan tries to be reassured, "So has everybody here been sent out to do something or left to get more runes done to your bodies?" Igan presents his arms, "This, I got this for bringing pails of water." Rowan assumes an amount, "Oh like a bucket or two that should be." Igan corrects, "67 buckets, took me whole day, when last bucket delivered for container, Magi Shur'lee drops me in container then freezes me in place."

Rowan stares at Igan in disbelief but Igan reassures him, "Tis okay, I got better, broke free with impressive physique, I swear she swoon for me." Rowan continues to stare as Igan almost tries to hold back flexing his arms. "What do you mean you got bett-, never mind that, Kiri what do you know about these Magi? Are they like officers, researchers?" Rowan looks back at Kiri as she seems to be putting a puzzle together with eyes then snaps out of it. "Who th-, the Magi? ah, well a Magi is a powerful practitioner of the spiritual arts of magic." Kiri further explains, "They have deep reserves of mana that allows them to call forth and create nearly anything they desire, granted at the limits to their well of mana that their body has."

Kiri gestures to herself, "People like myself have always had the ability to call forth spirits, as they are called, since we were born." She addresses to rest in the room, "but since the Zechs empire found the methods of other worldly calling, we have those who never channeled spirits before." Concern is hinted on Kiri's face, "I'm not sure what their plan is, because if it is true that they mean to make Magi out of these people." She looks at the 3 kids and Eribella, "What are they going to do to awaken them?"

Rowan confirms, "So its not a thing we can learn from reading a book? Its more like exercise or a ritual?" Kiri thinks it over, "Almost, its more like when you first learn to walk, you learn by experiencing it, you look at your parent as they walk, then start to make the leap in logic and try to see if you can walk too." Rowan ponders the thought out loud, "So they would have to try and jump start us by exposing us to magic and to see what we are capable of?" He looks at his arms and thumbs the runes, "Most likely starting with these enhancements."

"Heel!" A deafening voice booms from outside the door is not so much heard but felt. Rowan and everyone in the room is compelled to stop whatever they were doing and stand at attention. Unable to move, the door opens with a bright torch light filling the room. The barer of the torch is a man with the same decorative robes as Braxen but with black layered hair and a beard. His purple eyes scans the room till he finds his mark, "Fio-" he sighs, then begins again. "24579, 24580, and 24581 come with me." Ion, Cyon, and Fion stiffly walk forward and out of the cell with the black hair Magi. The door closes and the room returns to darkness.