Chapter 16: Head in the Stars

Cold water washed away the blood and grime of the day. Wyn sank into the tub of cold water, blowing bubbles as her mind wandered. That day had been a long one, and her mind needed time to recuperate. It has just been fight after fight, day after day. So much had happened, yet Wyn didn’t feel like she knew any more than before. It mostly reinforced what Wyn had already thought. Magus really wasn’t human, was he?

Wyn shook her head. That was hardly a problem. Wyn had many inhuman acquaintances. At least one. Who was more a friend to her sister than her, but she was sure it still counted.

It was a mission to learn more about Magus’ past, but she found a bit more about herself, too. Notably, how she was still a complete and total failure. Her plangensoul hadn’t changed a bit. No grand hints towards any specialty or affinity. Despite a change from the crown princess to a lowly adventurer, nothing still had manifested itself. It was the same emptiness that it’d always been. Not that they were known to change much, but still. Even if it had been a benefit during the fight, it still stung a little, seeing how little had changed even after a year.

Whenever Wyn thought to the past, her heart panged with regret. She wanted nothing more than to drown her head in the tub until her breath gave out. But what did Magus think, when he tried to remember? He hadn’t shown any reaction when she relayed her conversation with the creature, but he never showed any reaction ever. Though she couldn’t even say that was true anymore. It wouldn’t hurt for him to show just a bit more — anything, really.

Wyn stepped up from the tub, letting the water wash down her body. No real sense in dawdling. Stepping out of the washroom, she glanced around at her room. Small, fairly empty. Just a bed, an empty desk, and a small closet.

She wouldn’t be surprised if it would be one of the last times she saw that room. The Gigant Forest was sprawling. Considering Magus was found in its depths, there were sure to be more secrets that the trees hid. Perhaps they’d even find his Mother hidden amongst the trees. They could hardly be bogged down in their search by having to return to the Guild every night. She’d let him enjoy this last night gambling or whatever.

Once Wyn retired to her room, he went back to wandering around the guild mindlessly. He stared absent-mindlessly at the adventurers as they came and went, just sitting at an empty table. More than once, an adventurer came up, inviting him to the party hall for a game or two. He had turned them down, though he didn’t know why. His mind was hazy, his thoughts clouded. He couldn’t possibly play to the best of his ability under these conditions. This must be why he had refused. Yes, this made sense.

In other words, he needed something to clear his head. What did someone do to clear their head? A distraction? That might clear away the bad thoughts. If he wanted a distraction, a game of poker would suffice. But at the same time, that didn’t seem right. Perhaps he should step out for fresh air. According to the adventurers, air from outside a building was better than air inside one, though Magus has yet to see a difference.

The night air was cold. From the clearing around the building, Magus glanced up. The stars glimmered in the night sky. Using a nearby stump as a stool, he sat down, just watching. He leaned back on his arms, letting the cool air wash over him. Across the sky, a band of stardust stretched across, splitting the dark blue in two. He raised a hand, pinching his fingers as though he could just pluck a dot from the sky. The numerous glowing lights reminded Magus of the woman’s dress, the one Wyn called his Mother. He had never really thought of it, but it made sense. Every person had a mother. It only made sense that he would have one. As he stared, he could almost make out her shape. One star here, another star there. Connected together, it was as though she was there. Watching him from above. How ridiculous. He shook his head. The distances between stars were so vast, to connect them in such a way would be wholly arbitrary, no rhyme, no reason. There was no image in the sky.

“Enjoying some star gazing?” An adventurer walked up to Magus, sitting down next to him without invitation. Magus glanced at them, before returning his attention to the sky. The man wore a cloak that covered every but his mouth, running down to his entire body. The cloak itself was pure white, trimmed with gold along the sides and decorated with ornamentations. It was as though the man couldn’t decide between trying to hide his identity or broadcast it to the whole world.

“I suppose I am.” Magus nodded.

“You know,” The man raised a finger. “There’s a much better spot to gaze than down here. Want me to show you?”

Magus nodded. From under his cloak, the man revealed a wooden staff, which he tapped on the ground.

“Clear the view, unveil the horizon, gaze upon the heavens and grant their light to us. Visions of Starlight.” In a moment, Magus found himself sliding down the slope of Guilabaster Hall’s roof. “Oops!” The man grabbed Magus’ arm, helping him right himself.

Magus stared at the man, causing him to look away.

“Impressed? It’s—”

“A teleportation spell. Creating a small tunnel between two points. That is impressive.”

“Right?” The man nodded, his voice rising. “It’s impressive! But that’s not all it does. It finds the area with the least obstructive view nearby first. A spell purely to find the best spot to watch the stars! My own creation. If you want, I could teach it to you.”

“I see.” Magus nodded along. The man sat down, smoothing his cloak along the shingles.

“I was surprised you knew that. Then again, one look at it’s obvious you’re no ordinary adventurer. A magus?”

“I am, technically.”

The man nodded, before holding out a hand. “Theodore Haevnglaive.”

“Magus.” The two shook hands, though Theodore couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“Magus? That’s your name?”

“Temporarily. Unfortunately, I have forgotten my true name.” Theodore gave Magus a pitying glance. “Fortunately,” Magus continued. “I am blessed with a wonderful partner who has promised to help me recover my memories.”

“If you made it your name, you must be quite confident in your abilities? Show me a spell, pretty please?”

“Unfortunately, I cannot. Due to my present circumstances, I require my companion to draw enough mana to cast.”

“Interesting.” Theodore gave a supporting nod, turning back to the sky. “Good companions make any journey better. I myself am traveling with four others. They like to stand out, so you’ll probably meet them soon.” Theodore gave Magus a small wink, not that he could see it under his cloak.

For the next few minutes, the two simply laid atop the roof. Theodore raised an arm, pointing at a dot in the sky.

“Do you see that star there? That’s Phul. If you trace it down this way…” As Theodore’s arm moved, white lines began to glow high in the sky, connecting the dots until a full image formed. A man wielding a sword and a shield. “That’s the constellation of Maol. And that…” Theodore went on, drawing and connecting numerous stars to one another, turning the sky into a tapestry of myths. Each was a story from Emijililan legend, some mighty hero or monster from long ago. Magus pointed at a star.

“Can you draw one from here?” Theodore obliged, mapping out line by line. After the 10th line, it was less drawing a constellation and more simply drawing on the sky. In the end, though, it was a near perfect portrait of Mother.

“What constellation is that?” Theodore asked, intrigued.

“It’s not…” Magus didn’t finish the sentence. He turned away, and his eyes felt strangely moist. “The concept of constellations is strange. The distance between stars is much too vast to form any images. Such arbitrary groupings of clusters, I can not understand it.”

“What are you talking about?” Theodore sat up. “The distance of stars.” He turned to Magus. “Constellations aren’t created by any concrete pattern. You’re right in that sense, they are arbitrary. But they’re records of our stories, our history and our desires. They may not be really real, but they reflect us, like staring at a bright, beautiful mirror. After all, who else can look at a bunch of dots in the sky and say what’s what?”

Magus turned to stare at the constellation shining in the sky, as it slowly faded into the ether. He couldn’t understand a word of what Theodore said, but even still, the panging in his heart seemed to subside somewhat.

“Magus? Where are you?” Magus perked up. He could hear Wyn calling him from below.

“Is that your wonderful partner?” Theodore asked. “You should introduce me.”

Magus nodded. “Then let’s go down now.” Theodore nodded, before pausing.

“Um, right. My spell brought us up here, but it can’t—”

“Bring us down?” Magus grabbed Theodore around the waist. “Then leave it to me.”

He slid down the shingles, twisting his body down as they fell. With a thud, the two landed in some bushes, Magus holding Theodore up.

“Hey, are you—” Theodore started. Magus stood up, brushing branches and dirt off his body. “Alright then.”

Wyn ran at them, alerted by the noise.

“Magus, what are you—” She stopped, noticing Theodore. “What’s… what’s he doing with you?”

“Oh my.” Theodore perked up. “I certainly didn’t expect her to be your companion. Now this is interesting.” He held out a hand to Wyn.

“Theodore Haevnglaive, Wing of Emjira. It has been too long, Princess Emjragard.”