One eye into the well

I would have pointed and laughed at myself had I witnessed the event. The sun came down to pound my brain into mush for a solid minute, as I writhed in agony so flagrantly, I was thankful for the heft of those doors that slowly closed themselves behind me.

The guards merely stood still, it was well known that after this minute that my suffering would subside. It was my claim to fame in this paltry little circular land.

Finally, I had the strength to get up and crawl, a little shambling boy of 8 stumbled out the gates of Scire. My current greatest regret was my less than favorable shabby attire. Appearances all put aside for the moment, (and just for the moment, I was actually quite vain) I needed a cloak to hood myself from the sun.

I wasn't a vampire or something bizarre, let's just say that sunlight gave me a headache. The people all looked at the boy who ducked and used his small little nubs on the tip of his arms to blot out the light from the sun.

Like a little golem, running around, I heard people point and go "There's that mad bastard, oh sir Scire, how will he escape the fire? That lad actually made a bastard so mad!" They laughed and lauded that the one who fathered me is surely in a terrible spot. Two bastards? In this society, women rule.

It would not be out of the question for her to dissect him of his untamable member that so callously spews its milk into vessels. Regardless of voices - I needed a plan.

First, as per the moon, and my own mind. Get a damn cloak to shade yourself, with the bonus of returning to anonymity after. These people had just earned themselves disaster.

I was quite spiteful, too.

Regardless I shambled along, crawling like a spider or crab woud, shading myself from that light up above, a senseless and psychotic sensation flooded over me as I realized I must have looked too strange, too inhumane to claim myself of normal flesh and blood.

My mother or father or their mothers or fathers must have been crazy, insane just as well. I once read a book called 'genealogy for commoners' and it was almost spread across bloodlines in between. The sins of the mother goes on to the child indeed.

Soon I had hobbled into a store, there the clerk instantly shooed me away like I was a rat. I took a cloak and ran out the store, but that large man came bumbling after me, shouting with that disgusting throat chirping like a bird nonstop.

"Thief! Thief!" he spurted with vocality. In this kingdom, there were guards of all houses - or lords walking about. Not a great place to commit a crime, still I was just so sick of the sun. Naturally I could have, and thinking back, should have pickpocketed somebody.

Alas, where would I learn this? A mere book cannot teach action.

So there I go running, a few knights come following me. Only the truly annoying and virtuous bunch that are known as the 'knights of sanctus' would bother a child stealing a simple shabby cloak.

I continued to reel across the streets as men in chain mail and sun-engraved cloth gave chase.

There was a well in the center of town, a well that had a known fortune.It was said all thrown in shall be returned many fold - but only if its something truly precious. The righteous ones had me against the well, I stepped up as if to throw myself in.

"Hold, damn beasts!" I shouted in the whimpering voice of a child.

"Child. Relax." the guards soon said. "You are Galdur, yes? Come, let us return you to your parents."

Parents? I laughed, but there was nothing funny. I was quite stuck all of the sudden, in this moment, and every moment for a minute every day - I felt absolute weakness. Quite frankly, unacceptable. What did I need? Power, I had none. Money, I had even less.

So what left is there? I looked to the moon, which was covered by the lights of the sun. Suddenly I realized. I needed to see the moon! And then I couldn't help but laugh!

You, see. I got the name Galdur from an old tale of gods. This one was invincible, except for one small weakness to some common herb. Hardly invincible in that case. I couldn't help but relate - for that herb was the sun to me.

Alas, I took that name,twisting it ever so slightly, but I debated strongly between another.

Odin.

An all-seeing god whose sole thirst was wisdom. I felt it was a bit too mighty for me at the moment, but I still like the name quite a bit. One vague story details how he once threw his eye in a well, to gain knowledge. See he may become truly all seeing.

At that moment, the moon whispered it true. I did indeed have a short steel dagger given as a form of protection. I unsheathed the dagger, pointing at the sun-bloomed blossom engraved guards in front.

I had quite an audience now, for it was time for the first act of my grand play! One day, the world will know my name.

Oh, god. The pain. The pain. But once you stab it in you can only go deeper, the audience gasps and steps away, and I know that my name will become truly famous today. For that day, a child tore out his eye, and threw it in the well, laughing the whole time.

Still, I was crying. Light Headed and dazed, after a while, there was no more pain. I looked up at the sky, and felt sight cut in half in a single moment of sheer madness for the world to see. I was now half blind

A-ha, half the sun had been defeated. I soon fell into a slumber, and before my body sunk into the well, I was caught.

----------------------

Ahhh, the maddened spinning spire within. Down in the well, a tall dark shadow played. It danced in a fountain of blood and brain, networks of strings all around.

Like a spider with his threads, it pulled each one to hear a sound, a different shadowy line crossed every path. And as my eyes connected to the shadow, my mind turned mellow and dumb.

I felt numb. I heard it speak.

"Child, is it knowledge that you seek? I would give it to you, but alas, your mind has already been stolen by that lass."

"Hmmm, still. Child. I admire your sacrifice and pursuit of the truth. You are allowed a blessing.

"One, you are allowed one string. Into the minds of men and beasts, you will see the vague mist of thoughts and memories. If you prove worthy, you will be given more."

Now, upward you go to your cosmic mistress once more."

---------------------

Then I awoke from the dream, and once more came to the world. A little dark stringy shadow turned inside, it was not magic - but something different. My mind felt a true chilling unease at the meaning and implication. Was that a mage who had become something else?

Or was that a beast of unknown origin? All known bestiaries claim that there are beasts that can talk. In fact- whole races of demihumans born from coltish lustly interspecies love making.

It matters not, big problem again for old Galdur. Little Gald, he was trapped again. Are you fucking kidding me? I wiggled my arms desperately but alas a jacket kept me locked in place with my arms hugging my own body still.

A doctorish man came in with a doctorish lab coat and asked me many questions with a clipboard and a parcel and pen.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine. Please let me go."

"Im sorry, but we need to determine you are of safe mind, and clearly you are not."

"Why do you say that? Oh…you mean the eye thing? The guards forced me into it." I retorted like a wronged child. I was still young and held this advantage.

"Why did you do it?"

Damn, how to explain why? How? Explain I read an old fictional tale and took it to be real? Perhaps. But it was already known how mad I was, they finally locked me up for self harm - the damn birds hate it when you refuse to fly in an arrow.

"I…read it in a book." This was better than telling me the moon spoke to me. Suddenly I remembered the string, and with the ease of moving a finer I shot a little dark invisible beam into his head. Thoughts were truly vague, but I understood he was currently diagnosing me with acute schizophrenia.

This was bad, time was of the essence indeed. Mages are said to grow in between these ages the most of 8-18. Get them while they're young, right? Except, now I was in a sanitarium.

---------------------

This was true madness, looked in day by day with nothing at all but books to read over and over again. They atleast allowed my movement, but kept me locked in a room. It had one bed and a chair, a bookcase with old books, mainly religious. Mainly of the great golden light they praised.

I looked to the moon and it whispered a plan.

Every Single day, there came quite a nice woman. A nurse who gave me a meal and a sedative. A concoction that brings you down. It took the form of a small blue pill.

It was not hard to pretend to swallow it. Keep it under the tongue, but be careful not to dissolve it. Take a big gulp and pretend it was disgusting. I would yawn or pretend to scratch my nose as my tongue foisted the pill silently into my palm.

What was truly hard was eating after, the nurse was forced to make sure I ate a little of this strange sloppy stew she put in front of me.

I ate it happily, pretending it was fine. I pretended I was a hungry boy, and I could tell this nurse was thinking "Poor child." as the shadowed line dug in, I also reminded her of her own kid. Fate may sing to my tune still.

After a week or so, I had collected a handful of pills. The nurse came in, I faked swallowing that pill again. It was time to make my escape. It was time to enact my plan.

A truly simple plan, but they are the most precious. I gasped and eyed a spot behind her and said "Spider!". The woman jumped and turned at nothing, as I quickly put the handful of piles in that same steamy sew. It dissolved them quickly as I stirred.

"Where?!" she was still hoping about. "Ah, nevermind, just a shadow." I said, as she sighed and relaxed. I sort of felt bad. I took that fateful dramatic bite, and said "Ew." as I spit it out. It was a lucky thing, it always tasted weird.

"It tastes weird," I urged her to take a bite, she consented and took a smile bite, her face contorted but she swallowed it. "Tastes like usual to me." she shrugged.

I continued to shake my head. "Come on, gald." She even took a pet name and placed it on me. I acted as an insolent child. "You have to eat." she said. Amazingly, she took another bite and faked a smile. "See?"

One would have been enough, two was sure to knock her out within the hour. Now I just needed to kill the hour dead, and I had seen a play or two, read many a book. It was time to take my acting coat off the hook.

"Im…lonely." t'was a little boy choking up, locked in a small room all day. Inside her mind I even felt a small plan formulated for her to help me get outside. It was appreciated, but the deed was done.

I talked on and on. "I never knew my mother, all the other kids had mothers. When I saw them together…..It made me sad."

She shook her head sympathetically and yawned. Some more babble about my father, Kessem the now known and new to be upcoming prince consort. I spoke of Taran too, and at the end of the hour. Her eyes had closed as she slept on the chair.

I took her keys, and used them to open the damn door. It was quite quiet on the floor, I snuck around and eventually, I saw a door with light blooming, the only problem was the guards looming.

More acting, "help! The nurse fainted, and the guards ran into the room not far away. I quickly shut the door and ran. I had just, just barely enough time to take out that key and open that metal door. The guards were on my foot, and on the outside, I saw a green and lucious land.

This must be the East of Solari. There were wide plains trees, grass, plants and hilly backdrops. Downward the path went outside, and I was thankful for this once more. I managed to fall down, using gravity and recklessness to tear my way through the branches and sticks.

They did not follow me into the forest, I heard them shout and run back in. I'm sure some sort of search would begin. I continued rolling down the large forest on this gargantuan earthly lump of a hill this mental prison was built upon.

Finally at the end, I landed, slightly cut up and bruised. Bumps on my skin and an impossible itch. I ran and ran into the land deeper below.

My plan - find a place to hide for a couple weeks. Afterwards? It was all in the mist, and it made me feel a dreadful fright that I never may know what happens next. To be all seeing, is to be perfect.

I ran and ran, a fast little child I was. Not that I ran often, still I was lighter than a dove. Down below, I saw a cave with no glow. Perfectly dark and a den for a beast. It was a good place to hide, as long as nothing was inside.

Down into the den I sunk, into darkness I stepped without much care, bumping into moist slimy cavern walls time and time again. Finally, after a long silence, I heard a deep breath. My heart knew inside this place, still lay sleeping a dreadful beast.

I began to slowly crawl out, going into the light and out of the cave again. What a waste, just then, came a fast metallic vehicle that was sculpted like an arrow. I hid in the bushes.

Out then came a mage, a group of three. Two men, one woman - the mind instantly turns to lust. I wonder what they got up to in that flamboyant metal ride. I guess they either did not notice me or they did not care.

I hid behind the bushes and a tree some 50 feet away. Those three walked into the layer, and I heard a long silence. The moon was whispering

This is your chance.

For what? I asked to no response. I heard shouting and blasting, wizards spoke in elden language to conjure magic. The more advanced ones used a nice staff or wand to conduct a little elemental copulations.

Fire swam out, bursts of light, some cold mists, and blasts of air. The three mages fell back to the beast within, as it crawled out its den - it was a large white saber tooth, its fur was a pure white and airy stripes fell across it. Those two long teeth were whirling tornadoes of sharpened air.

It shot out blasts of wind that smashed the earth in. Ahh, poor gaea. They dodged enough, one had a large staff expelling chilling mist, one had a flaming wand, one had a glove that was glowing of light.

The Woman shot spears of fire that pierced the beast in the shoulder, the glowing glove was hit by a blast but deflected it with a barrier of light. The other man waved his staff making a cloud of that icy mist which shot out little sharp icicles. Like arrows strung from a bow, it hit the beast like sharp needles.

It went on and on, blast after blast dented on another. The woman was hit and fell far away, the staff man sent a flurry of stronger icicles. The glowing glove went up and dodged a swipe, giving it a strong punch.

The beast was turning from the blow when a fire spear pierced its neck, it then fell down slowly, presumably dead. They both ran to the woman to make sure she was alright, they pulled her up.

"Well done guys, go grab a talon and we'll turn in the mission" spoke the fire mageress.

As they casually chattered, I threw a shadow line into that beast, and realized it was still alive. Barely alive, its heart was not even beating at the moment. Still, it had one last attack inside

My chance!

I shouted out "Watch out! It's still alive!" as I threw a pebble at the beast. It assumed it was a final strike and blasted that pebble with all its might, finally, it fell, and its mind erased. Full death.

The two guys certainly would have turned into meat had that pebble not been thrown. Ha! I walked out triumphantly to get my rewards. They all looked at me, and each other.

"A kid? What are you doing here?" the woman spoke. "I'm just…foraging for food." I spoke in the saddened tone of a hopeless one. Like the poor eight-year old boy I was, homeless and on the run.

It was true, things were not turning out well. They all looked at my now deformed, empty and closed eye and their expressions softened so much that I knew I could have gotten anything.

A string in the woman's mind "Disgusting looking child." was the main thought. What the fuck?

Then fate turned worse, as if carried by the sound a group of men in pure white cloth came running. I hid behind the light-glove man, whose thoughts were akin to "this poor child, I can't imagine."

"Ah, esteemed magi, thank you for slaying that beast." more false reverence, "But can we please have that bastard child back? He is insane, and cut out his own eye."

I was back on the woman's thoughts, who was the one who would determine my fate here. When she heard the word 'bastard' her thoughts began to swarm angrily, a flame inside. Looks like she was another.

"Hmph, begone! This child saved my men's lives. I will not allow you to take him back." Thus she spoke with fire coming off the tongue, and the men could do nothing but retreat. Ha! Thank you moon, truly my chance at last.

"There child, you are repaid." She claimed absurd things. That was it?

"Wait, wait! I have no home, no parents, please, I implore you!" I was forced to practically beg this woman, I began to understand why people now bowed their heads to others, a necessity of the weak.

"What do you want? Some gold? Kiz, give him a gold coin." She was a damn heartless vessel. I put one last final effort in, if this didn't work, I would have to just jump on the edge on this flying arrow thing.

I spoke to her weakness.

"My whole life…they dragged me down because I was a bastard, I was kicked out of my home because of it. Magi, I no longer wish to be weak, I no longer wish to beg others, crawl around in shadows of shame. Magi, please. Allow me to learn your ways."

"Please take me into the academy!"

A few moments of silence. Light-glove, who I guess was named Kiz, looked at her with pleading eyes. He was on my side. The other man with the ice mist staff shrugged his shoulders, that was also good.

The woman looked at me, eyes softened, and said. "No."

God damn it.