Nine

The stairs leading down into Ghaldor’s workshop were a little sus. It was one long, winding stairwell that descended deep into the bowels of the castle. The usual gray stones looked much darker the deeper you went, with the material looking almost black in the low light of the candles placed along the wall at various intervals. The air was heavy down here, with a metallic odor that was so thick you could almost taste it. If this were a horror movie then this place would definitely be where a gruesome, bloody murder scene would take place.

Thankfully, I wasn’t descending into spookiness alone. Griselda was escorting me as usual. She had shown up after breakfast to take me to my appointment with Ghaldor. I followed her eagerly through the halls, excited at the prospect of being able to learn magic. My happiness swiftly ended upon seeing the dark entrance leading down into the wizard’s workshop. And now we were currently headed down the creepiest set of stairs ever.

The scary descent eventually ended and we soon found ourselves in a dark underground corridor that was even scarier. It was almost completely black down there, absolutely devoid of light except for the few torches placed on the walls every few paces. These sources of light provided brief illumination before the brightness faded into complete darkness once again. Griselda and I made our way through this dismally lit hall, me cringing every time we entered an area of dark. There were doors and various side passages that I could make out in the shadows but I definitely wasn’t too eager to see what lay beyond, so I happily ignored them.

“This place is pretty big,” I said out loud. We had been silent for way too long, and I thought talking would make the trip not as scary. I was wrong.

“I believe these used to be the dungeons,” Griselda said. “This was where they used to put enemies of the kingdom. Before they built the jailhouse in town, that is. They say that sometimes, at night, you can hear loud screaming still coming from the deepest, darkest areas.”

Griselda! Why’d you have to tell me that part?

Straight ahead of us, I saw a faint green glow shining in the black. As we approached closer, I realized that the glow was coming from a set of weird rune-like symbols etched into what looked like a giant steel door at the end of the hall. The door was large, about ten feet tall by eight feet wide, with the glowing runes at the exact center of the foreboding metal structure. There were sixteen of them in total, each spaced out evenly to form a large circle. Griselda reached out and pressed the eastern-most rune. The symbol reacted, as it stopped glowing green and instead began to gleam a deep purple. The maid then spoke out loud.

“Lady Amelia is here to see Master Ghaldor,” she said to the air.

The purple rune blinked twice before turning green again. A few seconds passed before I suddenly heard a loud grinding sound which began shaking the walls. The door moved, sliding slowly into the wall, making an opening in front of us to reveal a brightly lit room beyond. Inside I could see what could only be described as a classic mad scientist’s laboratory. The room was lit up by bright yellow light emanating from inside several glowing glass orbs that were bolted onto the high ceiling. Numerous tables and benches filled the room, on top of which were various instrumentation such as beakers and jars and bubbling cauldrons. There were also varying assortments of esoteric machinery strewn about, their functions a complete mystery to me as I watched them sizzle, spark, and spit out small flames. And along the stone walls hung all manner of pictures and diagrams, many of which depicted strange-looking plants while a few others resembled old-fashioned blueprints for the numerous gadgets in the lab. One notable image I spotted was a full-color illustration of the insides of a fish with the various guts labeled in acute detail.

I soon spotted the long-white bearded form of Ghaldor, standing in the center of the lab. He was surrounded by three people who were listening to him as he instructed them on some arcane information that flew right over my head. I couldn’t tell what the three’s gender was, or even much of their appearance, due to the full-length beige hooded robes they were wearing. Their faces were also covered by white-beaked masks that resembled those that the medieval plague doctors wore. When the wizard noticed me, he waved away the three who then quickly scurried off to different parts of the lab to continue whatever work they did down here.

“Amelia! So good to see you!” Ghaldor said excitedly as he made his way towards me.

“Good to see you, too,” I told him with a smile. I pointed to one of the three masked individuals and asked, “Who are they?”

“Hmm?” Ghaldor followed my finger to see who I was talking about. “Oh, them.” He quickly waved his hand in dismissal, as if the identity of the three were of no consequence. “Just my apprentices. Ignore them.”

Okay.

“Of more import is the news I just heard about you,” the wizard said with a smile, his normally narrowed eyes wide with excitement. “Is it true that you can read any written language that you see?”

“Um, I guess. I was able to read all the books in the library. They all looked like English to me, even though Griselda said they were written in a different language.”

“Remarkable!” Ghaldor laughed. “Let’s try a little experiment then.” He waved and snapped his fingers impatiently, causing one of his apprentices to grab something off a nearby table and rush towards him. Ghaldor snatched the item from their hands and presented it to me.

It was a stone tablet with numerous chips and cracks marring the surface. I was able to make out some words etched into the face of the stone, though it was very difficult to make sense of them due to the tablet’s condition.

“I can see some words on it,” I said.

“Can you read them?” Ghaldor asked, his voice somewhat tense.

“I think so,” I told him. I squinted, holding the tablet closer to my eyes as I tried to discern the worn-out language on the ancient stone. “Something… brought forth… uh… without… something, something… through ancient covenant…” There was a big chunk of the face chipped off so a lot of the middle words were lost to time. I continued reading. “... so all are equal in… Never… sacrifices… we belong… as one… warriors from on high… to protect us from… the Ten.”

I looked up from the tablet and saw Ghaldor beaming at me with delight. “That’s all that’s on it.”

“Amazing!” The wizard clapped his hands, causing me to flinch. “That tablet is written in an ancient, unknown language that dates back to prehistory, the days before the Empire! No one, not even I, has been able to translate it. Until now. Oh, Amelia, you have no clue how remarkable this is!”

I still had some questions about that. “I thought you said I could only understand spoken languages.”

“I said that Heroes could only understand spoken languages,” Ghaldor said while chuckling. “You are special, after all. Not just your regular, run-of-the-mill Hero. It makes sense that your Translate ability is not as limited as theirs is.”

“What does that mean?” I asked, still very confused.

“Well, you see…” Ghaldor stopped speaking as he frowned. He then began to rub his beard in thought. “It might be easier if I just showed you.”

“Show me what?”

“Something glorious,” he said quietly, his voice almost a whisper. “Something magnificent. The full summit of my life’s work.”

The wizard shook his head, ceasing his thoughtful expression before smiling once again. “But first, I believe we have to test your magical affinity.”

Oh, crap! I almost forgot! If this test went well, I could learn magic!

I grinned excitedly as I followed Ghaldor deeper into the lab. Griselda remained by the door, which had closed somehow without me noticing.

“Here we are,” Ghaldor said as he stopped in front of a table holding a strange-looking apparatus. It looked like an old CRT computer monitor except it was constructed of bronze. The screen was flat glass and behind it was a weird black liquid with glowing green swirls swimming within. “This device will measure your magical affinity in terms we can understand. In this case, it will be a number from zero to a thousand. It does this by calculating the amount of magical ‘density’ your body has. The higher the number, the more magical affinity you have. If you score 230 or higher, you qualify as an initiate and are free to mentor under a qualified teacher of the magical arts. In this case, that would be me.”

“I see,” I said with a nod. It seemed simple enough.

“Let me show you how this particular machine works.” Ghaldor moved up in front of the glass screen and placed his left palm on it. The liquid behind the glass went wild. The green swirls swished around in the black goo like a school of panicked, glowing fish, before they flared up brightly, bathing us in greenish light. When the slow faded, a loud tapping sound emanated from the machine. The taps went on for a few seconds until a strip of metal was spat out from the side of the device. Ghaldor picked the strip up and handed it to me.

On the strip, the number 1000 was etched into the metal.

“My affinity level is of course much higher than that,” the wizard explained. “But since the measurement only goes up to a thousand, that’s all it can display.”

Wow. This thing was like a scouter from Dragon Ball Z. It measured your power level! I wonder how high mine will be.

“Go ahead, then. The machine is ready for you.” Ghaldor stood away from the device, allowing me to step up to the screen. I copied his actions, placing my hand on the glass and waited.

At first, nothing happened. The green swirls were just sitting there in the goo, languidly moving this way and that through the thick blackness. I thought that maybe the machine had been switched off, but before I could say anything the green swirlies began to move. Slowly at first, then they began to pick up some speed, swimming around the black liquid like half-dead squid. They moved nowhere near as fast as they did for Ghaldor. Finally, the swirly things glowed brightly, though it faded just as quickly. There was exactly one tap from the machine before it spat out the metal strip.

Ghaldor picked it up and read the result. “Unfortunate. Just as I predicted,” he said sadly while handing me the strip.

Etched on the metal was a 0.

I felt myself cringe at the number. A zero? Really? That was pathetic!

“Maybe I can get the number up by studying?” I asked hopefully.

The wizard shook his head. “I’m afraid that’s not possible. Although a magician’s affinity level does get higher the better he gets at magic, he still needs an amount of affinity to grow. You have no affinity for magic at all within you. Everything in this world has magic within it: animals and plants, even inanimate matter. A handful of soil has a magical density of 20. The only things in this world that have no magical density are Heroes. You are not from here, after all. It is a well-known fact that Earthworld is a place where magic does not exist.”

Well, this sucked. I really, really wanted to learn magic! This was a fantasy world, after all. It’s such a waste to be living in a magical world and not be able to do any magic!

I tried not to let my disappointment appear on my face, but Ghaldor definitely noticed. He placed a steady hand on my shoulder and tried to reassure me. “Do not let this setback trouble you. Though we magicians may be rare, you are something much more unique. You are a Hero! Trust me. Once you get your powers, you’ll forget all about magic.”

I guess he did have a point. Having superpowers is just as cool as being able to do magic. Maybe even more so. I guess it would depend on what kind of power I would get. Hopefully, it would be an awesome one to make up for my non-magicalness.

Even though I was still disappointed, I put on a cheery smile for Ghaldor’s sake. He didn’t need to see me moping around. The wizard returned my smile and gave me a soft pat on the head. “Now then, I believe I still have something to show you.”

With me in tow and Griselda following, Ghaldor exited the lab and made for the keep’s exit. Once we came out of the main doors and stepped outside, I was immediately assaulted by the usual dizziness and panic upon seeing the sky. Thankfully, this case was milder than past incidents and I only needed a moment to collect myself before the world stopped swaying. My body must be getting used to going outside. At the moment, the sky wasn’t as scary as it used to be. Still, I kept my eyes on the ground just in case, and moved to follow Ghaldor’s stride.

The wizard led us to one of the enclosed courtyards on the western side of the castle. I noticed that there were a lot more guards patrolling the area here. The entrance to the courtyard had a contingent of soldiers securing it, the men looking imposing standing around in their metal armor and weaponry. None of them made a move to stop us as we strolled through the entrance, although one of the men did perform a salute after Ghaldor walked by.

Past the entrance was a long tunnel that led through the thick stone walls surrounding us. It was quite dark as there were no candles or torchlight to see through. Thankfully, both openings of the tunnel provided enough sunlight to see us to our destination.

Upon exiting the tunnel we found ourselves in the courtyard proper. The space was wide and open, with manicured green lawns and small, pleasant trees all around us. I almost shrieked when something very large and very heavy stomped right in front of us, blocking our path. It was some sort of giant, about twenty feet tall and wearing a bulky suit of jet-black armor. In one hand it held a massive double-bladed sword that looked to be made of pure onyx; the other hand wielded a thick, rectangular shield that looked like it could stop a tank round. All along its armored surface were glowing green lines that ran up and around the body, looking like some sort of magical arterial system. Numerous runes, similar in style to the ones on the door to Ghaldor’s lab, glowed brightly on various parts of the armor, with most of them collected around the visor of the helmet.

The gigantic knight’s head tilted down towards us. It seemed to analyze us for a moment, one that seemed way too long, before it looked away and began to trudge off towards the other side of the courtyard. It seemed to be patrolling the area, looking for things that didn’t belong here. I guess we had just passed its test, and so we belonged. I was breathing hard as I watched the monster stomp away, my heart thudding angrily in my chest.

“What was that?” I asked, looking towards Griselda and Ghaldor and finding them to be nonplussed at the sight of the giant.

“Just a golem,” the wizard said simply. “But nevermind that, it’s not what I brought you here to see. Come along.”

Ghaldor walked further down to the center of the courtyard, forcing me to follow with Griselda at my side. As we continued onwards, I was able to spot a familiar-looking sight at our destination. In front of us was a large stone platform made of carved white rock. My eyes widened and I took a quick look around me, suddenly realizing that I knew this place. This courtyard was where I had been summoned. This was where the ceremony was held, where I had come into the world through a bright blue light and emerged completely naked in front of a large gathering of important-looking people. The cold stone composing the platform was the very first thing I had ever felt in this world.

It all looked just as it had in my memories of that day. Yet there was one thing I didn’t recognize, most likely since it had been behind me when I appeared. On top of the platform, towards its rear, was a large stone dais. It stood ten feet high into the air and was carved of the same white stone the platform was made from. Seated on the flat top of the structure was what looked to be a metal cup. No, actually it was more of a goblet. The thing was the size of a small trophy and completely made of silver. Running along one side, etched into the metal, was a series of straight lines. Each of the lines ran straight down, with some branching off perpendicularly to form more lines bearing downwards. It looked remarkably like the pattern on a circuit board, with just one exception. The lines engraved upon the metal surface pulsed with an eerie blue light.

I stared wide-eyed at the strange silver goblet, unable to take my sight away from the pulsing blue glow. Whatever this thing was, just looking at it filled me with a strange warmth. It was almost familiar, comfortable. I felt connected to it in some way. Like it was a part of my very body.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

I almost didn’t hear Ghaldor’s question as I was so enraptured by the silver cup.

“What you see before you is the apex of magic. The culmination of over a century of research and development. This is the crowning achievement of my entire career.” The old man’s pride was evident in his voice as he spoke of the enthralling object before us. “The Five Sacred Chalices. Gifted to Altrech during mankind’s time of greatest need. Created by the gods to save their chosen children.” He let out a deep, almost sinister chuckle. “And now, you see the sixth.

“But unlike the originals, this chalice was not created by the hand of a god but by the will of a man. Through blood and toil and torment, mankind has achieved an accomplishment that was previously thought only to be the purview of the divine: the summoning of Heroes.

“Do you understand now, Amelia? Do you see the truth? You are no mere Hero. You are something greater, more important. You are the symbol of mankind’s ascension. For if one divine act could be perpetrated by a mortal, then it stands to reason that all others should be within that mortal’s grasp.” The wizard clasped his fist in front of him as if he were gripping something invisible in the air.

I nodded absently, half-listening to the wizard’s rant. My attention was still focused on the silver chalice, mesmerized by its beauty, by its nature. It was so enthralling. It was like I was seeing myself for the first time.

I was shocked out of my stupor when I felt Ghaldor’s firm hand grip my shoulder. I blinked away the afterimages of blue in my eyes, then turned to look at him. He held a stiff smile on his face.

“Come, Amelia,” he told me. “You and I. We will make the future.”