Apostate Mages

The days slowly went by for Mariella in comfort and lazy bliss. The Doctor, who gave his name as Armen, said that if she had no where else to go then she could live with them in his home. Maya being the playful spit-fire that she is, was all too happy with the idea.

She followed Mariella everywhere she went like a little duckling following its mother. She even insisted that they call eachother sisters and swore to always be by her side no matter what.

She was a sweet and adorable girl. Marella respected her personality quite a bit. It was rare to see a young human girl so strong, and spirited. She had a strong sense of justice, and always treated others kindly unless proven they were bad people. No matter what the other children said about Marella, she always stood up for her.

There was nothing Maya wanted more then a sister. After her mother died, her father never remarried so the idea of another sibling was lost to her. But now things were different! The Maker sent Mariella to her for a reason, and she couldn't help but want to be closer to her.

Such a clingy duckling following someone might annoy others, but to Mariella, she found it cute and almost touching. She couldn't remember her past , but she had the feeling that it had been a very long time since someone genuinely cared about her. Such warmth was rare in this world, and she happily welcomed it with open arms.

Following Mariella around wasn't the only thing she did. She also helped her alot with understanding the world that she had completely forgotten. She shared books, stories, and all information she thought that she would find useful.

Because of her, she learned that this world was full of alot of amazing things. There were animals with amazing strength and intelligence called mystical beasts. People called Mage's that could perform magic and spells that made the impossible possible. And there were even those that could cultivate their martial strength and or magic to become immortal, though they were rare. She also learned that their Kingdom was one of the only Kingdoms left that believe in slavery. There was even a whole kingdom dedicated and ruled by Elves, she was just unlucky to be born in the wrong kingdom.

Unfortunately though, for everything that seemed to amaze her, there was also somthing that equally disappointed her.

For example, the weak were treated as trash by the Noble and Royal family's, and were regarded as disposable. The basis injustice didn't end there, below the poor commoners were the elf's who were enslaved and sold as cattle. Elves weren't even recognized as citizens, and were deprived of basic rights. Children were tore from their parents and sold to the highest bidders just to be treated terribly and openly abuse by their new owners.

Humans weren't just racist against Elves though, any race that wasn't their own were also discriminated against. Because of this, most of the different races lived in their own kingdoms and kept to themselves avoiding humans completely. If they traveled out of their kingdoms then they would also most likely be enslaved, so they were rare to see in these parts.

Because Maya and her father knew the Prejudice that Mariella would face once she left the comfort of their home, they tried to work out a plan to help keep her identity a secret. They wanted her to live a good life.

****

Inside their home, the three talked about how they would go about hiding Mariella's identity. They sat in a circle and went back and forth on what to do. Well, Maya and her father did. Mariella was more of an observer, and mostly just listened.

"Papa, all they have to do is take one look at her and know she's not human! How can a human have colorless hair, and pointy ears? Even her eye color is rare!" Maya's face had a full on pout, and she stuck out her lower lip pitifully.

Doctor Armen knew his daughter's words weren't meant to hurt anyone, but the way she said things so bluntly made him worry. He let out a tired sigh before answering.

"Her hair and ears might be a problem, but blue eyes aren't unheard of for humans. Most Nobles have blue eyes, so we don't have to worry too much about that. As long as we could hide her hair color and her ears,then she could live a completely normal life."

"What about magic, Papa? Maybe magic could disguise her elven features. Then she can blend in flawlessly!"

Armen took in his daughter's words with serious consideration. Magic might very well be their only real option at this point. The problem was, who would cast such a spell for a poor doctor's family and on a half-elf girl at that?

Magic was especially rare nowadays. The number of Mage's that could cast spells and use magic were dwindling out. He had never seen a Mage in his whole life, let alone getting lucky enough to find one that would be willing to help them. It would be near impossible!

Just as he was about to tell his daughter that she shouldn't get her hopes up, Maya stood up from her chair almost knocking it over. Her face full of realization making her clear eyes shine.

"Oh, I know! The Witch of the Woods! I met her once deep in the forest. She healed a scrape on my leg with magic after I got into that fight with a beast. If we find her, I bet she would help Mariella!"

A woman hiding deep in the forest? That didnt sound like a mage, but a Apostate instead. Mages were trained in the Tower of Mana, and were approved by the royal court to practice magic only under their supervision.

Apostates though, were considered to be rogue mages that lived in hiding so their powers wouldn't be regulated and controlled by such people. They openly renounced imperial law, and the political beliefs of normal humans. They craved freedom, and chose to live in exile rather then being controlled and constantly monitored by others. Consequently, they were hunted down because they didn't follow the rules.

It was illegal to not report to the Tower of Mana after one discovered their magic capabilities. No matter how old they were, where they came from, or even if they were nobles. If they had magic, then they would be sent to the Tower of Mana, controlled by the imperial government, and would be placed on quite the restriction on how they can use their magic.

That being said, willingly going to an Apostate's home was practically asking for their heads to be chopped off by the king himself. It was too risky.

Mariella understood this fact as well. It was one of the many things she was disappointed about learning after waking up. She remained silent, and stared at the ground as she listened to the father daughter pair bicker between themselves.

"No, I can't let either of you do that. If anyone were to know that you went against the law then you would be put to death for harboring an apostate."

"But Papa, who else can help her? You think a mage is just going to fall out of the sky and be willing to do unapproved magic for a stranger? No! Asking the Witch for help Is the only option! Besides, we are allready breakingthe rules by hiding her, we might as well break another!"

They went back and forth for hours before deciding to temporarily agree to disagree. The sun had allready set and all three of them were exhausted from arguing.

After she confirmed that everyone was asleep, Mariella silently slipped out of bed and made a V-line to the door. Each step thoughtfully placed in order to not make a single sound.

Once outside, the crisp and fresh air gently brushed past her with a welcoming embrace. Her silvery white hair cascaded behind her and elegantly danced backwards with the wind. She looked like a beautiful immortal goddess with the way the moonlight made her whole body seem to glow.

She didn't bother with something as bothersome as shoes, they felt restraining and unnatural to her. The grass beneath her feet was slightly wet, but the coldness from it was refreshing.

Her surroundings were almost pitch black, with only the moon as a sliver of light. Despite not being able to see much in front of her, she wasn't scared. She spent years in darkness, and this was no different nor any scarier.

Fear was the last emotion that she would feel at that moment, in fact, she felt pure excitement instead.

Somthing inside that forest had been calling to her since she had woken up, and after listening to Maya about a Witch deep inside that forest, she felt as if it was fate calling her. This was something she had to do. She didn't think it was right to involve Armen and Maya in any more trouble, so she decided to go on her own.

Without any more hesitation, she took long confident strides into the forest without so much as a glace behind her. Leaving behind only her fleeting thoughts.

[Maya, Doctor Armen, I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly. I promise I'll come back after I find what I'm looking for.]