The Mage

My back pressed against the jagged corner of my laboratory as the strange misty figure gazed into my eyes. The breath I was breathing felt as if it was not my own, for I could not manage to maintain myself. Every breath was thin, collapsing in on itself. My throat dried from the tense atmosphere. Even my heartbeat rang throughout my ears, invading my thoughts. As their presence was forced into my own, I could feel every breath trickle down my face. Brushing up against my skin, I noticed the cold and icy feeling it brought. It felt as if I was being frozen to death. This figure was so close to me that I could hear the way the mist was moving in the atmosphere. It sounded as if it was slithering in the stillness, which brought a feeling of uncertainty to me, unsure if it was the actual mist that I was seeing.

Even though I was filled with fear, I was still enriched by the thought of where it came from and how long it was trapped in the book. This was the only creature that had managed to live within the void. Perhaps it was the alchemist within me, but I could not help but have many questions. This figure brought a sense of fear into my very soul, at the same time, however, I needed to obtain as much information from them as possible. So, with courage, I asked, "Who are you?" The mist retracted in response to my question. It seemed offended by my attempt to get to know more about this entity. After a few seconds, it backed away from my face, retreated over to my desk, and sat down in my chair. Sitting in my chair, I noticed the power that seeped from the entity. It commanded the space of the room just by simple body language and dominance. To keep this leash upon me they laughed sinisterly and responded, "You shall call me The Mage." The name of this entity was unknown to me, and it consumed me with fright. It brought an ominous feeling to my chest, and all I could do was ponder over the name itself. The Mage seemed powerful and could instill fear into the hearts of whoever she pleased. This was because no one would fully understand her capabilities, not even myself. Her very ambiance was intimidating; an outward rage upon the world could be seen within her, and it wished to be directed at something or perhaps someone. 

They then grasped the pen that was lying on my desk, continuing to laugh evilly. The atmosphere dimmed, and The Mage's body tensed, and their gaze returned to me, "I was trapped in that book for over one hundred thousand years!" She slammed her fist on my desk, which made me jump. Electricity shot through my whole body, feeling a sense of dread and evil intentions. The Mage's jaw clenched in hatred; to her, that book was a prison, and she was forced to be within it not of her own free will. Part of me wondered how she ended up in this book. But I did not want to ask the question because I feared what The Mage would do to me. The Mage's origins were unclear to me. All that I know is that she came from the darkness. Although, I could sense that she was full of anger and a need for revenge. Whoever did this to her, she wanted to pay it forward.

The Mage then spun around in my chair and faced a window to the outside world, focusing her attention on the thoughts that danced around in her head. She became one with her mindless world, "I was once a princess, a monarch that ruled over this land. However, kings and queens and lords alike decided that I was a mere morsel, and they bound me into that trash of a book and threw me into the abyss. To be quite fair, I did something rather sinister. I had to kill somebody, but I thought it was in my best interest." The Mage then pierced her gaze towards me, snapping out of her trance and reverting to her savage ways as if she was trying to hint at something like she was planning on killing me or using me shortly, "I wanted to become Queen of this region and the only way to do that was to cut the root system. My father and my mother were ghastly, of course, so I had to take care of them." The more she spoke, the more I wanted her to stop because I feared if she shared more, I would become a vessel. This Mage was sentenced to one hundred thousand years of imprisonment because she tried to kill the king and queen of her time, which was her mother and her father. The Mage craved power, and an iron will over those who were weaker than her, and she enjoyed this feeling of making others cower before her. I'm assuming the king and queen tossed her into space because they knew that she was going to hurt the kingdom, to take it into a time of unjust rule. The Mage's attempt at killing them just sealed her fate of being thrown away, and others hoped that she would never return, yet here she was sitting in my chair.

Though history never mentioned a princess who was exiled into the space that surrounds us. One hundred thousand years ago, there was a king and queen named Gilbert and Leana. They only ever had a son who took over the throne after they passed, which is our current king. However, if they erased their daughter from the history books to remove embarrassment from the throne, no one would know of this princess's existence. My mind raced around at the different possibilities of what would have happened. For there was no mention of an attempted assassination of the king and queen of that time. This Mage claims to have been the princess during that era, though there was no trace of her throughout history. I was completely dumbfounded as to what the royals did to get rid of their daughters' treachery. A murderer in the royal family would stain the bloodline forever and mark an uprising with the people, which is most likely why they kept it a secret all these years. Currently, she has gotten free, and I am stuck in a hostage situation with this supposed princess. I needed to get out and fast so I could report her whereabouts to the guard. For she may be plotting an attack on the king, he is the only one who would remember The Mage's exile. He was his sister's brother, and The Mage may not be particularly happy with the fact that he is king. So, I had to warn the fairy guard that this princess's murderer escaped from her bonds.

I stiffened in my position, my eyes kept on The Mage as I slowly crawled my back up the wall, hoping to escape the conundrum I was in. All that was rolling around in my mind was to get out of there and report her presence. The only attempt I could make to escape was to sneak out of there. It wasn't that much of a plan, but I had to try for the sake of the kingdom. If citizens were exposed to this supposed princess's vengeance, they would not last for very long. Escaping was a main priority to protect the people of Cloud Kingdom. I was tasked with this duty as Royal Warlock, so I felt pressure falling at every corner. I could not let the king and queen down. In my attempt to flee, too much adrenaline coursed through my veins as I stepped forward very timidly. I tried to stay as quiet as a mouse, but when my foot touched the ground, The Mage bolted over toward me. I screeched in response, flailing my arms in front of my face in a way to try and deter the monster.

The Mage just stood in front of me, glancing at me up and down as if I were prey. Her mist-like cloak floats aggressively in response to her behavior. Rage could be seen within this creature as her breathing became haphazard and harsh. Then, with a demanding tone, she yelled, "Where do you think you're going?" She huffed and placed one of her misty arms next to my head. Her eyes fixated on me, making sure that I would not escape. Her gaze was overpowering, but I had to think of something. Otherwise, I would be found out. The Mage had to be banished back into the book again, and the only way to do that was to find the king.

All of the wheels in my head spun as I tried to come up with an excuse, but I could not think of anything useful. My mind paced about, but with too much adrenaline coursing through my veins, my brain was left with nothing smart or intelligent to get away with my crimes. Only one thing came to mind, I swallowed the saliva stuck in my throat and tried to breathe in the surrounding air. Shakily, I responded, "Nowhere, miss." My attention averted to the ground because I could no longer stare into the figure's eyes. Their dominant gaze made me feel weak and small in comparison. I knew with that response that I would get in trouble because I was doing something, yet I did not want her to discover my motions.

The Mage's breath trickled down my face as she continued to stare into my soul, "Oh, I quite believe you were going somewhere." She then laughed in a way that brought chills down my spine. My breath halted as I clasped the wall for security. The Mage became taller, looming over me, "You shall be good enough for my plans." My heart skipped a beat, for I did not understand what this meant. But all I could see was the misty figure in front of me, taking up the entirety of my vision. My escape plan wasn't going to work now, and I did not believe I was going to make it to the guard on time. This monstrous mist was going to do something to me that I would not enjoy.

Soon, I was engulfed in the mist, and I could no longer see anything. Fear crawled on my skin for the world felt small. Standing in this void reminded me of the space that surrounds our kingdom, which made me feel unsettled. I did not fully understand how I got into this place, and I did not want to be here. Everything was surrounded by black, and no light was touching my eyes. Nothing could be seen, which brought a heaviness into my body. My lungs collapsed in on themselves as I began to hear voices in the darkness. The voices were light, airy, and mysterious. I did not want these voices near me. However, when I thought of it, these voices became louder and louder, inching closer to me. My heart skipped a beat, and all I could do in response was to run in the opposite direction. I put every muscle into my legs, pushing myself as hard as I could to get away from these mysterious voices. Even so, the voices kept getting closer. I wanted out of this darkness now, but there was no escape.

A hand grasped my shoulder, yanked me down toward the ground, and spoke, "Got you." My breath became haphazard, trying to compose myself, but I simply could not. All my emotions were clouding my mind, I could not think, and I could not speak. Survival was the only thing my body was concerned about. Yet, when light started to emerge, and when I saw the figure, it was none other than The Mage. I was so terrified that nothing came out of my mouth, no matter how many times I tried to scream. I tried to squirm away, but then she grabbed my wrists, and her spirit started melding into my body. The Mage was possessing me, and I could feel my spirit slipping away from reality. Tears fell from my eyes as the world became unclear.

Finally, an unkempt yell fell from my lips, "No!" Then everything faded to darkness.