XVII - Master Magician

Shien rapidly breathed his first breaths, sitting up from his bed within Saitori's secret base. He took off his white VR headset and examined the bedroom. Shien shook his legs and stood, almost tripping.

"Mom? Are you here?" Shien stumbled into the hallway to see other players awakening from their bedrooms. "Mivange?"

He walked across the players until he found a beautiful girl with brown hair and deep blue eyes wearing a blue blouse and skirt. Shien adjusted his kimono and walked to the familiar girl, his soulmate.

"Mivange!" Shien ran after her.

"Shien!" Mivangeline embraced him. "I'm so glad we didn't have to look for each other hard!"

"Me too!"

The two of them hugged and kissed each other until they spotted Enshiron and Elysia watching.

"Now those two would be the lovebirds we know!" Enshiron twitched his purple fox ears.

Elysia laughed, wagging her white tail. "Shien and Mivangeline, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-"

"Shut up, you stupid fox!" Shien tackled Elysia.

"Oh, you want to fight already? Bring it on, half pint!" The white haired and purple-eyed Elysia scrubbed Shien's black hair.

"Bite me!" Shien tackled Elysia.

Enshiron scratched his purple hair, turning his green eyes to Mivangeline. "My lady, good to see the very commander herself in real life!"

"Good to see the best sniper I know!" Mivangeline fist-bumped the Vulpi archer.

After the four friends greeted each other in real life, they spotted a woman wearing a blue UICA blouse and skirt. She had blue eyes and blue hair styled in a bun. It was Saitori, who was bandaged from her duel with Maika. She ran towards the four friends.

"You're Saitori, Mom's boss," Shien greeted.

"I'm flattered, you remember me," Saitori smiled at Shien before turning to the commander. "Mivangeline, thank you for helping activate my antiprogram. I'm sorry if calling you to lead was too sudden for you."

"No, Saitori. It was my pleasure," Mivangeline shook hands with the UICA boss. "I learned a lot. It was rocky at first, but God gave me a great team."

Saitori shook hands with Elysia and Enshiron. "I'm glad you all escaped Cyanic Odyssey safely."

"Where's Mom?" Shien asked.

"That's why I'm here," Saitori sighed. "Shien, your mom needs you more than ever!"

***

"Ouroboros Fang: Baneful Dreadscythe!" Isrina's limbs swung scythed muscles at Oreic's flaming fists.

The Master Magician saw his students walking over to help, but he stopped them. "No! Stay back! This is my duty!"

"What sort of lesson do you have for your dear students, brother?" Iagen's voice hissed from Isrina's mouth. "Why don't we teach them why you're my dumber brother, and I'm the smarter one?"

"Perhaps this would be a good time to teach my students why God uses the foolish to shame the wise!" Oreic held his fiery palm in a deadlock with Isrina's bleeding arm scythe. "I'm sure they would be delighted to know why, despite my brother's superior intelligence, he was never destined to be the Master Magician!"

"How dare you! I'll show you who's the real Master Magician! Ouroboros Fang: Lunar Misfortune!" Iagen commanded Isrina to hurl dislocated arms at Oreic's palm strikes. "Ouroboros Fang: Draco Animus!"

Isrina's arms morphed into dragon heads that breathed fire. Oreic countered by using two index fingers to cast a flamethrower back. Both combatants walked closer to each other, strengthening their flamethrowers to see who would wince first.

"Mom!" Shien's voice called, stopping the flamethrower standoff.

Isrina's eyes enlarged in tears, stopping her body as she heard the voice of her Little Chickadee. Isrina, Oreic, and the Vulpi students turned to see Saitori bring Shien along with Mivangeline, Elysia, and Enshiron.

"M-my Little Chickadee, I-I failed you," Isrina cried, embarrassed that Shien had to see her possessed.

"No, you didn't!" Shien jumped onto his mother. "I love you, Mom!"

"W-what? I-I'm possessed! I'm not a perfect mother! I couldn't end Hernamidos, our family's generational curse. I didn't find you a beautiful wife! How can you love me?"

Shien smiled, looking at Isrina's blue eyes with his brown eyes. "You're my mom! And you're the best mom ever! And Jesus loves you!"

Isrina wailed uncontrollably, hugging her son tightly. "My Little Chiakdee! I love you!"

"I love you, Mom!"

Use the Ouroboros Fang! Iagen squealed in Isrina's mind. Why won't your body follow my command? I order you to kill Oreic now!

Oreic walked to Isrina.

"Uncle Oreic!" Shien jumped.

The red-haired and purple-eyed Vulpi patted Shien's head. "Good to see you in good health, Shien!"

"O-Oreic," Isrina looked down, unable to face her longtime friend. "I'm sorry for everything I did. You must hate me now. I'm unworthy and unclean."

"Not to me, and not to God," Oreic knelt to Isrina. "I forgive you, and so does the Lord. Be healed!"

Master Oreic tapped Isrina's forehead, making her faint as Iagen was kicked out of her. The apparition of Iagen, the exiled brother, manifested. Iagen glared with his red pentagram eyes as his face melted into a snarl with deformed fangs. The dark-haired and robed Vulpi stood before his brother, the Master Magician.

"Why, Oreic? Why were you chosen? I studied the scriptures more than you! I had more experience than you! You were always behind! I'm wiser! Why was I denied my right to be the Master?"

Oreic sighed, looking at Enshiron and his other students to make sure they were watching.

"Iagen, my brother, it's true that I wasn't as bright as you, but you fail to accept that God can choose the foolish things to do his work. Iagen, you wanted to be Master Magician for the title, not for the humility of teaching fellow students. God sees and chooses the surrendered, not the ones who are prideful and self-righteous!"

"I hate you, brother!" Iagen's spirit roared. "Ouroboros Fang: Hellsing Squamata!"

Oreic huffed as Iagen crawled like a lizard, jumping at the Master Magician with bloody paws. He knew what had to be done.

"Farewell, brother," Oreic touched Iagen's face.

Iagen screamed in agony as Oreic's hands burned him into dust. As he vanished, Isrina woke up. Shien, Mivangeline, and Saitori comforted her as Oreic turned to his watching apprentices, including Enshiron.

"My students! Some of you asked me why we're called to forgive. You asked that if we're gifted with magic in our Vulpi blood, why don't we use the holy thunder to judge the wicked?"

"My friend, Isrina, was broken. She was suffering from insecurities about being a good enough mother. And so, my brother, Iagen, took advantage of her. It's easy for us to judge with our magical powers, but let me ask all of you. If we're out there throwing holy fire at the wrongdoers, can they ever heal?"

The Vulpi students twitched their fox ears, gasping in realization.

"No, they can't," Enshiron answered as Elysia stood by him. "Only through forgiveness can the fellow lost have the chance to repent."

Oreic nodded to the Vulpi archer.

"My students, using martial arts and the magic in our Vulpi blood is a discipline, not something we use to destroy for gain. It's self-defense, self-control, and what we use to defend the brokenhearted. You're all called to be more than merely warriors and magicians. You're called to forgive those who are hurting. Have you all learned something, my students?"

"Yes, Master Oreic!" The apprentices nodded.

"I think we all did," Enshiron smiled.

Elysia then laughed. "I see why Shien calls him Uncle now."

Meanwhile, Shien brushed the dirt off his mother's red braided hair.

"Oreic was teaching the Gospel," Mivangeline told Shien.

"Yeah! I noticed! That's my uncle!"

"He's your uncle?"

"Well, not literally, but he's like an uncle to me."

Isrina then looked at Mivangeline's long brown hair and deep blue eyes. "You're so pretty."

Shien jumped, introducing Isrina to Mivangeline.

"Mom! This is Mivange! We went through so much in Cyanic Odyssey! She told me about how God loves us and we don't have to work for his favor! Isn't that amazing?"

Isrina then shook Mivangeline's hand, crying with joy. "M-my son found a beautiful girl!"

Mivangeline patted Isrina's shoulder.

"You have a very exceptional son, Isrina. Saitori called me to lead the players, and I was a beginner. But Shien helped me fulfill my duty as a commander and even taught me your Avian Form. I truly believe the Lord sent your son to teach me so much."

Saitori nodded to her. "I'm glad I chose you."

Shien's mother then hugged Mivangeline tightly. "Welcome to our family, Mivangeline."

"Why accept her if you don't accept your true child, Mother?" Something snarled through a respirator.

Everyone turned to the droid with magenta eyes shaped like lightning bolts. It was Thalamoid.