Master Mage

“Wow! This continent just goes on forever! But I was really hoping I could see all the way to the sea...” Mari perched on the uppermost point of a white tree, peering out across the horizon. To her disappointment, her enhanced eyesight combined with the Opal palace being built on an elevated hill did not in fact allow her to see across the entire continent. She settled back on her haunches. “It is pretty, though.” She mused to herself. “The sky is real clear and blue today, too.”

"Mari!” She looked down to see Azreal calling for her. “Yeah?” His head snapped up and his mouth fell open in shock. “Wha-! We are at the royal palace, not our home! Get out of that tree! Right now!” He snapped at her. Mari rolled her eyes. “O~kay!” She jumped off the tree and hurdled the fifty-plus feet down to the ground, landing lightly in front of Azreal. The mercenary rubbed his forehead in frustration. “You can’t just take off on me like that! This is the King’s palace; you need to have some respect! You can’t just stick your nose wherever you want, whenever you want!” He scolded.

The guards in front of the palace watched the two with a mixture of shock and amusement. They hadn’t even noticed Mari scurrying up the tree. She’d gotten excited when the two were climbing the stairs up to the palace and taken off ahead of Azreal and, once she reached the flat courtyard and saw the crystal fountain and all the white trees in front of the gate, she couldn’t help but want to go for a climb. The white trees were even bigger than the pine trees in the forest around Teatris and it had triggered her unceasing curiosity about how much she could see from the top. ‘Well, at least I’m not getting dirty looks for one.’ Azreal consoled himself. ‘But I still wish she’d wear shoes in public.’ He sighed. ‘Well, she isn’t human. Can’t help her natural instincts and quirks.’

“You’re just proving why leaving you with Zircon is the best option.” He huffed. Mari simply gave a crooked smile in response. “It’s me, Azreal. The king requested my presence.” He approached the closest guard. The armored man stared at Mari. “She’s my friend.” Azreal answered his unspoken question. “She’s going to see the court wizard while I meet with the king. She’s a non-combatant. She’s not part of the unit.” The guard nodded them ahead as the gate slowly opened. “I’ll let the king know to expect you.”

“You’ are going to be staying with me.” Azreal grasped Mari’s hand firmly as they waited. “We’re going into the palace grounds now and I’m not going to let you go off on your own. You being you, I’d probably never find you again.”

“Yeah, sure.” Mari agreed absently, swiveling her head around to take in the architecture as they entered the main courtyard. “Where’s your friend at?” “Zircon is the court wizard, so he has his own workshop.” Azreal explained as he led Mari off on one of the paved side paths. “Though, calling it a workshop under-sells it. The man has a library three times bigger than the royal records! But he is a wizard, after all. He's probably about as old you? He's a few hundred years old, at any rate. Zircon functionally immortal at this point because of his mastery of magecraft.”

Mari took up a strange, half hopping gait, motivated by wanted to hop on the unique pattern of the stone path. ‘If only I could be so carefree all the time!’ Azreal smiled as the force of her movement made their arms sway. “How did you end up meeting him, anyway?” Mari asked. “I know you said it was because of your work as a mercenary, but you’re not the type to use spells or artifacts.” “The king had to do a security check on me to make sure that I was trustworthy.” Azreal felt a sudden twinge of nostalgia. ‘How long has it been since I’ve seen him? A year maybe? All of Nacre could burn to the ground and it would be at least a decade before Zircon looked up from his research long enough to notice.’

“He had Zircon do a soul gaze on me. It's a lot like your ability to read people’s natures, but it’s actually showing him their thoughts, feelings, and memories. He's momentarily jumping into your mind to experience the world the way you have. Typically, a wizard can only do it once on a person because too much meddling can result in some...nasty consequences of literally viewing another’s consciousness.”

“Oh, so you two became friends after that?” “Yeah, I guess. It’s kind of hard to tell. Zircon is...well, if you can get a solid read on him, it’ll surprise me.” Azreal brushed his hair back with his free hand. “Wizards perceive the true nature of all things in the world and are so long lived that it gives them unique perspectives on life. Zircon is...a major downer.” Mari giggled, finding it rich coming from the serious and moody Azreal.. “Seriously! Don't laugh! I don’t know how else to describe it! He’s been around long enough to be completely over everything. He’s always grumpy and focused on the worst outcome. But he’s a good person and means well. He’d just rather focus on his magecraft and his projects and let others reap the benefits of the advancements he makes while he stays in his own bubble.”

Mari had the expression of a curious child as the two approached the workshop. Azreal released her hand, figuring that she’d be too excited to meet Zircon to wander off at this point. He pressed his shoulder against the door and nudged it open. “Holy-!” Mari’s jaw hit the ground. “This man just collects junk like no tomorrow.” 

The two surveyed the piles of discarded items crammed into every corner of the front room. “His library and workspace are in the back.” Azreal groaned. “Be careful.” The two gingerly picked their way through the heaps of forgotten things, twisting their bodies into pretzels to avoidtripping. There was some of everything in the chaos. So many items, in fact, that it all blurred into an indistinct mass.

“What is he doing with all this stuff?” Mari asked, jumping carefully over a long-since toppled pile of twisted metal pieces. “Like I said, he does magic research. He’s always trying to invent new items or ways of doing things. He cycles through ideas and materials like no tomorrow and just...tosses them and forgets them?” Azreal ducked to avoid a blunt instrument sticking out of a pile of decaying crates. “I’m not entirely sure why. Laziness? Too fixated on his next idea to bother and then forgets that everything is still crammed inside the building? I gave up trying to figure out the reasoning behind Zircon’s behaviors a while ago. The man rarely leaves this place. And he doesn’t even have a bed! He sleeps maybe a few hours a week at his desk. Crap!” Azreal caught an armful of glass containers that fell lose after he bumped into a sagging wooden cabinet. “Eww!” He wrinkled his nose at the purple sludge that inched its way up the inside of the jars. “I don’t even want to know what this was...”

After what seemed like hours, the two finally made it to the back of the building. The large double doors were ornately carved with images of mythical creatures and animals. The area around the doors was seemingly the only space in this place that wasn’t overtaken by junk. Azreal knocked on the door. “Zircon! It’s Azreal!” No response. “zircon! Are you there?” Azreal knocked again. ‘Stupid question. There’s no way that he’s out. He’s either passed out or so engrossed in his work that his brain’s not currently on the mortal plain.' After a series of increasingly loud knocks, Azreal simply shoved the door open. “We’re coming in, Zircon!”

“Oh. My. God!” Mari’s eyes widened. She’d never seen so many books in one place before! Or a room so high and wide! Immediately, she knew that the room had been enchanted to provide more space. While the western wall was covered in floor-to-ceiling windows, the other three walls were covered with built-in bookshelves that were seemingly not enough, given the stacks of books piled around on the floors and tables. Vials, crystals, strange plants, scientific implements, and strange objects that Mari couldn’t name covered every available surface. While this room was messy, it was obvious that it’s occupant took care of it, unlike the main room they’d had to traverse to make it here. There was a certain type of order to the chaos, and the room was devoid of the musty smell and piles of dust that covered the other room. Ornate and exotic-looking furniture littered the room. “How did he get this many books?”

Azreal let out a laugh. “A few hundred years is plenty of time to get your hands on rare tomes. A lot of it is in extinct languages or about arcane stuff that I can’t even comprehend. He’s let me read some of his books, but he never lets me borrow them because he doesn’t want anyone ruining his precious research materials.”

“Well, no shit! This stuff is priceless! Not to mention an irreplicable part of history and the progression of modern magecraft. Who in the hell would just let you waltz out with something that will never exist again?” The two looked up at the seemingly endless stretch of bookshelves. Perched atop a ladder that seemed as fragile as a bundle of twigs was a young man in black robes with a long tangle of bright red hair. ‘You could probably see him from the moon with hair like that!’ Mari thought as the wizard scowled down at them. “Did you just come here to whine and bitch about what a jerk I am?”

Azreal sighed. “Heh, you haven’t changed any! No, Zircon. I didn’t come here to be a pest. I have to see the King and I brought a friend with me that wanted to introduce to you. Not that I need a reason to want to check in when I haven’t seen you in a while.” “Rather bold of you to think I’m the one who needs to be looked after.” Zircon snarked as he stepped off the ladder and slid down its side. In an instant, his smug face was an inch from Azreal’s. “I’m not the one who had a near death experience with demonic creatures after years of nothing but middling injuries. And I’m not the one who’s dancing with death and bodily injury everyday. I’m not the one who will literally run back into a battlefield I helped create to save people.” With his hands on his hips, Zircon gave a mischievous, cat-like grin as he poked Azreal in the forehead. “Oh, and I’m also not the one who was dumb enough to take a sarcastic dare to eat mana decaying mushrooms and ended up hallucinating and high as a kite for a week!”

Azreal turned as red as a beet. “D-don’t bring that up!” He swatted the wizard’s finger away. “I was still just a kid and, anyways, you make it so hard to tell if you’re being serious or not! How was I supposed to know anything about magic plants? That’s your area of expertise, and I trusted you! It’s not my fault you’re a jerk!” Zircon casually waved his hand like he was swatting a gnat. “Hey, that’s harsh! Can you blame me for wanting to mess with humans? You lot are so easily led astray, and how could you expect me to pass up on such a great target? You always just waltz on in here without a care in the world and never think that I could have some sort of trap set. Killing you would be as easy as snapping my fingers, but you never seem to recall just how powerful I am.” 

Azreal rolled his eyes. “Sure, Zircon. I know you. You talk big, but you aren’t the killing type. No matter how annoying you find humans, you aren’t a cruel person. A bully and a weirdo, yes, but you’d never actually do something like that, that’s why I never consider the possibility of you doing something so wildly out of character. Besides, that would mean taking time away from your work, and you’d rather keel over at your desk then be pulled away.” “Urgk!” Zircon twitched, Azreal having successfully jabbed him in his week spot.

“Ah, whatever!” Zircon let out a long breath and ran his hand through his hair. “I’ve been busy working on stuff for this current...incident. It’s painful to admit, but it looks like I’ll be having to go out in the field with you soldiers. These stupid demons are the kind of things you need magic and faith for so...I’m the pinnacle of magic in this kingdom so the king plans on working me to the bone. He seriously better give me a bonus when this is over. I already have my eye on a legendary wine that’s been around since the old era, so the throne better be ready to pay up!” Even though the wizard’s words were brash and boastful, both Mari and Azreal could tell that there wasn’t as much truth behind them as the Wizard pretended. ‘He’s incredibly dramatic.’ Mari noted. ‘And he uses his big personality to thin people out. Either push them away or find the ones who are willing to put up with him not willing to sugarcoat things or hid his feelings. He does care, even though he’d like to make you think he has no feelings besides being unamused.’

“Well, that’s too bad for you, but it’s reassuring to know you’ll be by our side to face the enemy.” Azreal replied honestly. “With things as they are, we need all the help we can get. With your power and experience, I can’t think of anyone better to help us.” Zarcon clicked his tongue and turned away, tugging at his collar. “Flattery isn’t gonna get you extra brownie points, mercenary.” His words were entirely unconvincing.

“Huh?” Zircon suddenly spun around. “Who’s that?” He pointed, finally noticing Mari. “A girl?!” “You just now noticed?” Azreal rolled his eyes. “I told you I had someone I wanted you to meet.” He nudged Mari’s arm. “This is Mari. We met about a month ago and she’s been living with my family ever since.” He gave Mari a reassuring look. “This is Zircon. I probably should have talked about him more since you didn’trealize I had any friends...but he’s real!”

“Hello!” Mari said brightly, giving a little wave. The Wizard’s bright purple eyes went wide and, in half a second, he was up in her face. “Are you for real, Azreal? Is this a fricking joke?” He squeezed Mari’s cheeks and stared into her eyes. “A unicorn? How? How did you find one? They’re so reclusive that they’re widely believed to be extinct! It’s rare that they show themselves to humans, let alone live among them? What the hell did you pull? Is she actually real?” Zircon babbled and poked at Mari’s face. “That mana and holy aura doesn’t lie! And the horn and white hair makes it obvious!” 

“But we don’t always look like this in our human forms.” Mari sputtered out as he pinched her face. “We all have pale hair and bright eye colors, but it varies. My niece has pale pink hair and eyes and none of my aunties had both the same hair and eye color as each other.” “So you can be a human or a unicorn?” Mari nodded. “Fascinating! We know so little about your kind, but that’s not surprising. With your divine powers, Unicorns have natural-born access to powers that even us mercenaries can only dream of.” “It’s not that we can’t live around humans. Most unicorns don’t want to. They’re all scared of their own shadows. I’m not like that. I’m a weirdo.” Mari stated confidently as Zircon flicked her horn in amazement, seemingly attempting to discern its composition and function. “Pft!” Zircon bit his cheek in a failed attempt to cover his laugh. “Hey, I like humans! They fascinate me! I was always bored with other unicorns and never got along with my family because I was so nosey about humans and other creatures. So I took off on my own a few hundred years ago. Bask in my glory, cause you’re never gonna get to meet another unicorn.”

‘Well, this seems to be going well so far!’ Azreal looked on in amusement as the wizard went into full-on researcher mode and geeked out over getting to meet such a legendary being. ‘I figured that their personalities would either mesh or completely clash with how stubborn and intense in their own ways they are.’ “No offense, but could you quit poking me?” Mari asked nonchalantly. “Oh, woops. Sorry about that.” Zircon held his hands up and took a step back, recognizing his own overzealousness.

“Azreal. Seriously, how did this happen?” “Well, I didn’t initially realize that she could be a human when she wanted to be, but we crossed paths while I was on my way back from fighting at the Ibis port.” Azreal tugged on his ear bashfully. “And then...she kinda just...” “We’re in love! He’s my soul mate and I want to stay with him forever!” Mari exclaimed cheerfully as she hugged Azreal’s arm tightly. “...attached herself to me.” After a moment, Zircon burst out laughing so fiercely that he was bent over. “Oh my god, you finally got a girlfriend?! You, Az?” Zircon roared. “You're scared of your own shadow and are practically a saint! And you got a girlfriend? Oh my God, that’s hilarious! And your soulmate is a unicorn? It’s perfect for you! I can’t!” He slapped his forehead repeatedly. “Who would have thought that a recluse like you would ever fall in love!”

“Hey, hey, don’t go getting the wrong idea!” Azreal cautioned as Mari gleefully dangled from his arm. “We aren’t together or anything. Not yet, anyhow. Like I said, she’s special and she chose me.” He slowly lowered Mari back down to the ground. “I couldn’t just kick her out and she’s...to me she’s...ever since she joined my family...” Azreal tried to explain but choaked on his own words repeatedly. How could he sum up what Mari meant to him and how she made him feel? And how could he explain it in a way that Zircon wouldn’t immediately pounce on? It was impossible. “Let’s just say I’m really happy I met her and she’s a friend who means more to me than someone as stupid as myself can explain.” Azreal sighed, patting a grinning Mari on the head. While it was still uncomfortable for him to introduce Mari to people, particularly with her repeated interjections of romantic love for him, it was becoming less embarrassing. “Ah, this is too good!” Zircon wiped his eyes and took a breath. “Never thought I’d see the day! I’m more than happy to meet you, Azreal’s girlfriend! Mari?” Mari nodded and clasped the wizards offered hand. “Likewise! Though I’m still shocked that Azreal has any friends aside from Sariel, let alone someone like you. You're interesting but you don’t seem like the type of person Az would hang around.”

Zircon let out another laugh that quickly descended into a cough. “Urk! You’re a fascinating one, Mari!” He pounded on his chest. “I think we’ll get along fine!” “Anyhow, do you mind babysitting her?” Azreal asked. “I need to meet with the king about what we’re going to do about Tempest and the demons going forward. Mari is highly excitable and hyper, so I’m not about to just let her roam the palace unsupervised. She already started getting nosey and wandered off out in the courtyard. Would it be okay if she hung out here with you until I came back for her?”

“Wait, really?” A giant, genuine smile took over Zircon’s face. “Are you serious? Getting to spend a few hours getting to talk to a unicorn?! Of course! That’s not babysitting, that’s a dream come true!” “Hey, dipstick, you better not try anything weird with her! She’s not an experiment!” Azreal growled. “Do I look crazy enough for that? I fear God and value my soul enough not to be stupid, thank you very much!” Zircon snapped defensively. “I just want to ask her questions! I have so many things I want to ask her! I’ve never thought I’d meet a unicorn in person!” “Okay, okay, sorry to be snappy with you.” Azreal apologized. “I just worry about her, that’s all. Despite what other people might suspect, you’d never hurt anyone. You’re not a mad scientist or a dark wizard. I trust you.”

“Yeah, I’m awesome and you know you know you’ll never meet someone like me again. I know.” Zircon waved Azreal off dismissively as he turned and walked off. “Hey, Mari, how do you feel about tea? I’ll get some started and we can have a little chat.” Mari blanched. “Sure. Thanks.” Azreal bit his lip in amusement. “You’ll be fine, Mari. I’ll be back soon, okay?” Azreal gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Don’t worry, Zircon’s definitely agood guy. This’ll be fun! I can take care of myself, so just do what you need to do.” Mari smiled back