The Man in White
Kent contemplated Madame Strooge's revelation about herself, as if he didn't see through it. It's just logical to think that no one would know that much information without being part of the actual order. It's even funny that he went through three out of the four schools of magic, he has the will to enter the Navita Court, knows someone from the Dark Court, and he's now currently holding some tomes from the Light Court. It's almost nightfall, and Kent is still outside, walking towards the wind carriage station. When he saw the signage, he felt a bit nauseous, reminiscing his earlier encounters with the vehicle. He can't hide his admiration despite the instability of the ride, it is made by Councilor Hime after all, from the Navita Court, which he badly wants to enter.
As he was walking towards the signages, he was hit by a girl in white robes. He looked at her long black hair coming out of the hood, and can't help but notice that her hair is somehow familiar to him. "Isidore?" He called out. "Don't just shout out my name, run!" She said as she noticed some men in assassin robes following her, they both ran oppositely from the carriage station's direction.
"What is this, Madame? Why is your life in danger?" He asked Isidore while they were running away. "Is this really the time for chitchat, Monsieur Cheval?" She said with an irritated voice. The men were catching up with the two of them. "For the love of all that is holy!" Isidore shouted and she ran faster. Kent eventually caught up to her, he's used to running distances anyways, for he walked and ran to get from library to library. Though their speed is now faster than their earlier running one, the men still caught up. "I can't take this anymore," Isidore angrily said while Kent only looked at the path. "Spiritual Way E, Animae Domnus!" She shouted and suddenly three faint wisps appeared from her back, going towards the assassins following her. When the wisps eventually made contact with the assassins, they were enveloped in faint light which put them to sleep? Kent's eyes widened as he was what has happened, how can this young girl, in possible the same age as her even use magic? As far as he remembered, you can only enter the Lyceum when you're 16, at the same time, mages who enter can not go out of the school, if one was to do so, they can never return and pursue the path of being a mage. "How did you?" Kent asked. "Once again, Monsieur Cheval, this is no time for chitchat, if those were the only assassins following me, I would have taken care of them," Isidore seriously said as they entered a dark alley. "Spiritual Way E, Praexo," she chanted and they were hidden in a curtain of faint light. "That oughta drop them for a couple of minutes, Praexo conceals everyone visually, but doesn't hide their soul essence, so mages of high caliber can still detect one concealed by that spell, but those assassins are nincompoops, I doubt that they'll see through it," she said as she was heavily breathing. "So how did you learn magic?" Kent asked, he was genuinely curious, for he has never met any youth use magic before. "I'm sure you've heard from Madame Strooge, but I am the Princess of Ivory, and our kingdom is the center for healing, of course the royal family would know a bit of Spirit Magic," she replied to Kent.
He was genuinely surprised that she could do it so proficiently though. "I see, it proves to be useful right now, huh?" He said to her. "Well, we wouldn't be alive and breathing if I don't know a bit of spirit magic," Isidore said proudly. Her eyes looked at the bunch of tomes that Kent was holding. She took one and observed it. "This is a tome from the Court of Light, where did you get this?" She asked. Kent was nervous, for he know if he said that it came from Madame Strooge, it would put her in immense danger. "Tell me, I won't blab, don't worry," she said with a smile. "They're from Madame Strooge, she gave them to me, for I am genuinely interested in magic," he said, and Isidore's eyes sparkled as he said that. "Are you going to the Lyecum, too, monsieur?" She said with glee. "I'm not yet sure. I don't have the resources to travel there, my gold coins are lacking to travel to Catherine," he said with a sorrowful tone. "Ahh, 'tis sad that something is holding you back, if I could pilfer some of my family's riches, I would've given them to you," she said to Kent. "Oh, goodness no, I can't stomach the notion of myself accepting gold coins from a Princess," he said while looking at her. "You have to, silly. Here," she gave a pouch to him, "I think we can split the gold coins that I am holding right now." Kent looked at the pouch and wondered why she was showing kindness to him. "I can never accept this, Madame Isidore," he denied. "Monsieur Cheval, I think it would be best to take some offered help than holding on to your pride right now, huh?" As she said those words, flashbacks of his past earning only a few by working odd jobs went over his head. "Besides, I have plenty of gold coins at home, this is merely a speck of dust in what I am holding," she said with a smile. Kent had no choice but to take the pouch. "Thanks, madame," he said to her. "Cut the Madame, call me Isidore," she said with a smile. "I'll agree if you cut the whole 'Monsieur Cheval' thing and call me Kent," he replied. "Oh, of course," she said as she looked into his blue eyes.
As they were waiting for an opportunity to come out, Kent can't help but notice Isidore's appearance, she's a princess after all, so her beauty is mesmerizing, with long black hair that's always down, her beautiful black irises, and her ruby lips, you'll know that she's an aristocrat judging from her appearance. Likewise, Isidore glances at Kent from time to time, she was this drawn to Kent due to his deep, blue eyes, and his messy hair. In her mind she was attractive and was worth drawing to, despite his stressed out look and thick eyebags. Being a teenage girl, of course she sought out for him.
"Who do we have here? Youths ripe for picking," said a creepy voice to those two. Isidore was shocked to know that one could sense their essence, and from the voice patterns, she can dissent that it was a bestial. "Run!" Isidore was currently thinking of a plan to escape the bestial, while Kent was nervous at the sound of that voice. They heard claws being dragged along stone walls and wooden boards, which was a classic formation of a building at their medieval type time. "Follow everything that I say," Isidore said authoritatively, Kent just nodded at her assertions. "You think that a low level spell can keep me at bay, how cute," the voice said in an even more disturbing manner. "Run!" Isidore shouted. She and Kent immediately ran away from the alley, to the dusty roads of Ana. "How cute of you to think that you can run away from Ozwick," the bestial said, and he flew towards the two and revealed himself. The two glanced at the bestial, dressed in all black with glowing red eyes, twitching every second, his dysmorphed face shocked them, it's as if they were seeing a nightmare from older tales.
The two kept running and running, but they could not keep the pace up, they knew that eventually, Oswick will catch up to them. "Can you use those tomes that Madame Strooge gave you?" Isidore asked Kent. "No, I don't think so, I've only read about mages, but I haven't practiced their methods of using their own spells," he replied to her question. "Can you possibly learn how to cast some of them for the next ten to thirty minutes?" She asked her. "I don't know, Isidore. Why don't you cast them? You know how to, right?" He said. "Are you a complete and utter moron? I'm a Spirit Practitioner, not a Light one. Crossing disciplines is already a difficult task in itself, I'm not even a mage yet," she annoyingly said. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll try."
Isidore and Kent entered a path leading to the butcher's field in Ana. "Trying to hide, aren't we?" Ozwick said and laughed maniacally. "Brislebats!" He screamed, and a swarm of shadow bats were conjured, seeking to follow the two. "No!" Kent said. "Spiritual Way D, Praesisum!" Isidore said, and a prismal barrier appeared on them. "That'll hold them," she proudly said to Kent. "If you think that a low level spirit spell can block my attacks, then you're either stupid or delusional?" Ozwick said and he maniacally laughed. "Shadow Flux!" He said and the bats melded into the ground. The barrier Isidore has set slowly turned black because of the shadow seeping through it, and it eventually shattered. "Run, Kent! Run!" They both away.
"I'm just toying with you both. It's fun seeing prey running," he said and he sought out for them. Kent was very anxious, for he has only read about the bestials, and he never met one in his life. "You better know how to use a spell now," Isidore said, "I'm going to try something." In an instant, Isidore conjured a wooden staff adorned with a diamond at the top. "Spiritual Way D! Chronosegn!" She screamed and hourglasses made of light appeared next to Ozwick and melded into him. "That oughta slow you down," Isidore said.
"How cute," Ozwick said, "Restrain." Twelve rods of darkness appeared and latched on to the two, paralyzing them. "No more tricks, say goodbye, youngsters," he maniacally said. "Way of Light E, Luxiens!" Kent screamed and three beams of light stroke Ozwick an pushed him away. "That hurt a bit! Die now, brats!" Ozwick lunged towards them.
"Violet Garden!" They heard someone scream and Madame Strooge jumped in front of Ozwick and made him float while darkness is seeping through his veins. "A high ranking mage, eh? How lucky am I tonight?" He said. "Let's run!" She said and she held Isidore and Kent's hands. "Enough jokes!" Ozwick screamed and a dark sphere engulfed the three. "It has been fun, now it's time to feast!" He said as the three anxiously waited for their demise.
"And what is an upper bestial doing? Torturing weak ones, shouldn't you prey and stronger opponents? You're pathetic," a man said from behind, he was wearing an all white robe, and nothing can be seen from his face or body. He reached his hand out and the sphere of darkness shattered. "That voice, that aura, could that be?" Madame Strooge said. "And what are you talking about, mage? I am an upper bestial, I can take you on," Ozwick said as he launched javelins of darkness towards the man. With a snap of his fingers, the javelins turned into energies of life. "You better know how to dodge," the man snidely said, and he commanded the javelins to get hurled at Ozwick instead, impaling him. "If you think that this is enough to kill me, then you're delusional," the bestial replied. "Hmm. I can see immense injuries from light magic, who has casted that spell that hurt you?" The man asked and he immediately looked at Kent, "I see, it's him." The man immediately went near Ozwick, "Lunabalto," and a circle appeared at his feet in which light has cascaded, immediately incinerating the bestial.
The man went down to Kent and handed him a letter. "Lad, why don't you go to the Lyceum and become a light mage, your soul screams that you are one," he said. "Valor," Madame Strooge said. "Don't blab about me, okay, Miranda?" The man said. "But, sir, I have no gold to go to Catherine. "I'll have riches delivered to Madame Strooge tomorrow. Venture out into Catherine by nightfall, the Lyceum will be waiting for you," the man commanded and he left the two.
"Who was that, Madame Strooge?" I asked. "You'll know soon enough," she replied to Kent. "I already sent an immediate parcel to your family, Isidore. I also sent one to Monsieur Florence, Kent. Why don't we stay at the library and drink some tea and eat some crumpets while we wait," she delightfully said, and they walked back towards the library.