Chapter 7: Magic Users

Alex reaches the clinic after having the message received by Miriam. She usually gives jobs in her office whenever she finds him or in her office. Why would she summon him at a clinic?

He pushes the door open and finds Miriam at the lobby. He approaches her and she takes notice of his presence.

"Ah you're here! Right on time." Miriam says.

"For what exactly?" he asked.

"Follow me."

Miriam walks to the halls and Alex followed.

"Why am I here Miriam? You usually give me jobs in your office or out of earshot." Alex asked skeptically.

"You'll see." She responded.

They reached the door of their destination. Alex noticed a name on the door.

'Dr. Constance Blaire.'

They both entered and the office is everything you'd expect from a hospital. He then notices a woman in her late 20s with lilac hair with a cowlick ahoge on top of her head and her eyes have different colors, suggesting she's heterochromic, one blue right eye and pink left eye. She wears a white lab coat, purple dress, black gothic belt and stockings. He could sense magic emanating from her.

"Dr. Blaire. This is Alex Crowe and he's here for..." Miriam introduced him but she got interrupted.

"Ah so you're The Alex Crowe. I've heard so much about you. And yes I know why you're here, so we can begin."

"In the case, I'll leave the two of you to your business." Miriam chimed in and left while closing the door behind her.

Blaire walked up to her cupboard and pulled some flasks, then the cupboard started to shift, revealing a secret elevator.

"What is this?" Alex asks, now being skeptical.

"What you're here for is meant to be classified but good ol' Miriam spoke highly of you, and you must be pretty special if she hires you to be her attack dog." Blaire replied.

Alex growled quietly at the memory of Miriam once referred to him as a dog for he finds it demeaning.

The two entered the elevator, closed the cupboard behind them and they descended.

"So what else has Miriam told you about me?" Alex asked.

"Don't worry kid, it doesn't matter to me if you're The Reaper or not. But I am interested in your powers." Blaire explains.

They reached the bottom and exited to the next room. The room is filled with shelves of flasks, potions, and books. A big table in the middle of the room with messes of chemistry set. A tarp of eldritch runes printed on them. The whole setting was enough to tell him.

"You're a witch."

"I was. Now I'm a practitioner of spells, potions, runes and rituals and use them to heal people or empower them, but I have knowledge on medical procedures even without the use of magic." Blaire replied as she puts on a purple witch hat she took from a coat hanger.

"How come I never heard of you before?"

"I recently moved to town and I'm an old friend of Miriam."

"Why here?" Alex asks.

"As a witch I study magic. Histories states that humans were able to use magic before, but now whatever trace of its existence left lies dormant and scattered around the world. Overtime, the majority of the people remained oblivious to it, that is until Empire City, where the fallen Governor-General tried to create an experimental magic user legion."

"Hrrnmph." Alex grumbled before Blaire continued.

"But then I heard about you, and I suspected that you may be something different."

This peaked his curiosity. "Elaborate."

"Crowe, do you know what the term magic-user is?" the witch asked.

"Yes I remember reading about it in the book, but it might be interpreted differently." Alex answers.

Then Blaire took this opportunity to give him a lecture.

"Magic-users are more than just having gifts to manipulate the elements and aspects of the world. They can be divided in three types of classes. The first class is the manipulation of fire, ice, water, earth, wind, flora, lightning, and shadow. There are also those who developed animal traits and appendages known as Anihumans, they're only adept in the use of wild magic. They are basic class because they are the worldly elements. However the second class are others that have prowess over force defying power, such as the manipulation of time, blood, technology, etc. Those types of magic can only be wielded by a stronger magic user which is a little rare in the magic-user community. There are others who are gifted to enhance aspects of body and mind, which are often used by warriors and psychics."

"And you? What is your magic?" Alex asks.

"I specialize in runic magic. I basically can do anything if I scribble a rune or chant a spell." Blaire answers.

"And what does this have anything to do with me?" Alex asked.

"Unlike the first two types, the third class were complex, specific, and limitless. It grants the user special powers if they abide by certain rules, the harsher the rules, greater the power one may command. In a very real sense, that type of magic is a sort of--"

"Curse, right?" Alex interrupts with a frown. "Does that apply to revenants?"

"Yes, as well as supernatural beings, gods or humans with specific requirements to take on as such. According to what Miriam told me, you attack your enemies and drain their life energy to heal and siphon their energy to power your dark eldritch magic. That's a third-type magic." Blaire replied.

Alex rested his chin on his fingers and muses.

"Alex, Was there...a time where your powers went out of control?" Blaire suddenly asks.

Alex almost flinches at the question, then looks down to the floor. After a brief moment of silence, he finally answers.

"There was....Why do you ask?"

"Anyone who calls it a Curse are usually people who hate their magic. Magic is a part of a person and it has existed before humanity was born. If you are not accepting your power, then you may come across some dire consequences. It will fight back and eventually consume its users."

"Heh, why would I accept it? I didn't ask for a power that steals and destroys lives. It took the lives of people that never needed to die! I swore that I'd never use it unless it was convenient. Whatever happens to me will be my problem." he snapped.

Blaire wasn't fazed at all, but she could see there was pain in his delivery so she assumed there was trauma that caused him to loathe his power, which would indeed cause a problem.

"I see...if you're really insisting on this, then I will help you."

Blaire walks to the shelves to collect a few things before laying them out on the table.

"What's all this?" Alex asks confused.

She grabs a mortar and pestle and puts the ingredients in and crushes it. "I'm making a concoction that'll help you sync with your magic without consuming you."

Blaire added a yellow colored liquid in the mortar and mixed the contents until it glowed. She dips in her two fingers.

"Give your left hand, and bandages off." she requests.

Alex almost forgot that he had black bandages wrapped around his left arm for a reason. He removes it to reveal his skin is completely black from hand up to the arm, almost like it's corroded, an effect of his dark power.

She takes his left hand and draws a rune on his hand.

The rune glowed until its light died down with the rune still present in his hand. Alex proceeds to rewrap arm, covering it.

"There, this will do for now but it's temporary. To make it permanent, you have to accept it." Blaire says.

"Why are you doing this? Judging from your stance, you're clearly not doing this for free." Alex asks.

"Perceptive. In exchange for my services, I need you to do me a favor....well more like a job, really." Blaire answers.

"What would you have me do?" he asks.

"Remember that young man you rescued from the mine?"

Alex nods in response. Then Blaire's expression turned serious.

"...he's gone missing. I want you to find him."

____________________________________________

(Elsewhere)

Skies and stars brighten over a city made of white marble built above the clouds. However this was no ordinary city made nor this location was in the human world.

This is Ivory Citadel, home of the angels in the heavenly realm.

In one of the angelic towers, sat a woman with white hair, glowing blue eyes and fair skin with an angelic symbol that glowed light blue on her forehead and she looked livid.

Donning a white button up tunic with gold linings, brown tight pants and white thigh high boots. She has white and gold chest armor and brown belts over a blue sash wrapped around her hip with a cross insignia attached to it. Gripping her thin broadsword that shines cyan with both hands.

Tapping her fingers impatiently, she lifts up her sword, getting ready to leave.

"Where are you off to, Sauriel?" a man's voice spoke in a soft, gentle tone.

The woman angel known as Sauriel turned around to see a fellow angel man.

The man had long flowing silver hair, a pale complexion, and white eyes which would have mistaken him for blind. He wears a white robe with brown linings and a waist wrap that holds a book and the same cross insignia. He also has four grey wings on his back.

"Azrael." Sauriel greeted sternly as the aforementioned angel tucks away the wings into his back out of sight.

It seems that the interaction between these two angels isn't exactly a good one. Sauriel has always been the stubborn one as Azrael is more of the calm one.

"I ask again, where are you off to? The Council ordered you to stay." Azrael says.

"Do you not understand?! Unholy darkness is plaguing the human world and we stay our hands?!" Sauriel barked with outrage.

"The Council has already dispatched the scouts to investigate this matter."

"And yet none know of the name responsible, but I do."

Azrael knew where this was going. "The boy has no play in this factor Sauriel, it is one of our own. You cannot assume such." The four-winged angel tries to reason.

"Hold your tongue Azrael!!! We all know his dark power at its fullest potential is a threat not only to us but to the Creator as well. He was never supposed to have that power and now darkness has spread across the earth. Someone must address this." Sauriel stubbornly argues as she faces the balcony.

"What will you do sister? Smite him? You know intervention with human affairs is forbidden."

"A minor crime at best but I will not be stopped. He is not human anymore and I will fulfill my duty as an Arbiter of Order, no matter the cost. You should know that as well, Angel of Death."

Sauriel reveals her white wings and flies off, leaving Azrael in the tower.

"This is quite the predicament. I must report to the Council and stop her from harming the boy."

Azrael unfolds his four wings and flies off to the main temple.