Magic

"Do you?" the man asked again.

Kai hadn't replied to him the first time. He couldn't. The smell of the death coming off that wooden stick was strong, like a freshly blended mixture of hot spices. Kai had died once, but dying just once wasn't nearly enough for anyone to get used to it.

It took a moment for Kai to let go of the murdering thoughts stuck to him like a dead weight to his ankles. And then he noticed him, that tall man.

'He spoke of Thunder…' Kai remembered.

There was a black hood over the man's head, giving his eyes a darker shade of whatever color they were. A black-white stubble was there on his chin, but his upper lip was bald. Unlike Kai, the man was nowhere lean. Even though there was a cloak around him, Kai could tell the man was big, both in height and weight, just short of being called fat.

"Yes, I have it," Kai replied.

"Where is it?"

"Wrapped around my cock," Kai jested in a sharp tone. "Would you like to see it?"

"…"

The man's lips were pressed tight in a thin line. A slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, and he couldn't hold it any longer. "HAHA!" he burst out in a fit of laughter, loud enough to ring Kai's ears. "Well, you are funny, and that's one quality more than others I can say," he said, the hint of a smile still lingered on his face. "Follow me."

"Where are you going?" Kai asked, not expecting an answer. The man gave a low chuckle as he turned around and walked towards the main door as if he didn't care Kai would follow or not.

Kai gave a last look to the magical crowd, drinking, smoking, and chatting about strange topics in a familiar language. They looked weak to him, incapable of saving themselves even a single stroke of Kai's mirror shard. 'What a false impression!' Kai thought, remembering the wooden stick he knew nothing about, and caught up with the man walking out of the inn with quick steps.

"Desmond Shaw," the man said, introducing himself. "That was not a smart move, angering the innkeeper. Running away at the sight of Wand was even more foolish."

"Wand?!" Kai showed his ignorance. People let their guards down against ignorant men, Kai had learned of it. Desmond was walking along the roadside, passing through the incoming wave of people without bumping shoulders with anyone. But then he paused. He had to.

Twisting his neck, Desmond gave a queer piercing look to Kai. The drizzle had stopped, leaving small puddles of muddy rainwater on the ground. It must be the evening then, for Kai could feel a chill in the air, but no sign of sun even though the clouds had all but gone. Kai saw Desmond's eyes then, brightened by the fading light, and the hood giving up against the natural elements. Brown, with dark circles under his eyes.

"Well, well. Chaos getting sloppy, is it? Sending a newbie like you for this mission…" Desmond mumbled to himself. But Kai was close enough to hear all of it. "Which timeline are you coming from? You don't even know about wands?!" Desmond asked, raising his eyebrows at the end of his questions. Kai didn't reply this time.

'Ignorance and stupidity are separated only by a thin line, son,' his mother had said to him. 'A line thin enough to decide life and death.'

Desmond smiled, not minding Kai's sudden state of muteness. "Now that's a smart move. Not a complete idiot, are you?" A smirk appeared on Desmond's lips, and he continued walking. Kai followed closely, not missing any words if Desmond were to say them.

'I got lucky,' Kai thought. 'This one can't keep his mouth shut for long.'

"It doesn't matter. You aren't the only newbie on this team. But she knows more about this world, even more than me. You know what I mean, right?" Desmond glanced back, and Kai nodded. No, he didn't know. But it was the right gesture for him to keep on talking.

"We are here," Desmond said suddenly. Kai noticed they had just taken one turn after coming out of the inn. A frown passed by his face, thinking if the distance was any longer then he could get to know more from Desmond. A hand touched his shoulder, and Kai's hand went behind to the mirror shard above his hips. Desmond gave a strong but low shake to Kai's shoulder and said, "An advice, forget about everything you have learned before dying. It won't be of much use here. AND don't go roaming the world alone, otherwise, an even bitter death will be waiting for you."

"You gave an extra one," Kai mockingly said.

"Haha, consider yourself lucky I did not charge Mission Credits then." Desmond gave a hearty laugh and tapped on the door with a rhythmic pattern. It was a small hut, nothing special, and the trail of smoke coming out of its low chimney was thin. A different rhythmic knock replied to Desmond's.

Desmond gave Kai a nod, and then the door opened.

"What the…" Kai's jaw almost dropped, and his mouth uttered words unknowingly.

"Amazing, right? I love the expressions on newbies, Haha!" Desmond laughed, and walked off, leaving Kai nailed at his place.

Kai could scarcely believe what he was seeing. The hut, which looked like it could fall with a slight shake of wind, was even bigger than the Inn's ground floor he had left behind. A hall, draped beds, closets full of books, and the blazing hearth. It was like a whole other world.

'I think,' Kai gapingly thought, 'I am in love with this Magic!'