Chapter 15: Instant Regret

Thanks to FiikVul and SonikkuKuro for giving me a boost of motivation to get this one out. Might be some mistakes, wrote this in 30 minutes.

Aexia was the first one awake and waited for the others downstairs. She had a hard time sleeping, her mind occupied on all these issues that plagued her and spent time reviewing Esteban's notes.

The foremost expert on the history of magic, Esteban Vin Glacio, kept meticulous notes on everything that could be considered relevant to magic.

(I wonder if someone will take his place now that's he's gone. Such a waste, never could control his temper sadly. Still, his work will live on. I'm surprised he had accurate transcripts from the sealing, I was sure they'd be lost to time.)

Zankas Orel, the name made her shiver. The sealing had required the strongest mages of their day to sacrifice their lives in order to complete the ritual. The notes she'd found in Esteban's house detailed the location of the sealing and the names of the mages who had gone.

Some of these families still existed, which meant that Zankas had not managed to absorb their power but that they had died and their heirs inherited it. One of the mysterious aspects of magic was how it transferred from one person to another. It took a few years but finally scholars were able to prove their findings: If a mage has children, they will inherit the magic upon the mage's death but if no living heirs exist, it will flow into the nearest non-mage human being nearby. Having multiple children also dilutes the strength of the magic, all the way down to 1/64th, the lowest percentage of mage blood one can possess and still use magic.

(This gives me some hope at least. If we manage to get enough mages together.. maybe we can end it for good. I do wonder if there are any links between this Krajek and Zankas, it's too much of a coincidence that they're both here at the same time.)

She had asked the guards to investigate this newcomer but they had come up empty. It seemed the trail ended at a border town named Lanzhou, where he worked for a few weeks.

(Is it possible he's with the Theocracy then? That town is the closest to their territory. But his strange powers.. they wouldn't tolerate that, just like they kill mages on sight.)

Some parts of his story didn't line up, such as coming from another country across the sea. Many had tried to make that voyage but none had lived to talk about it, the treacherous western seas destroyed everything. One such expedition had managed to leave from the east but they had found nothing and came back empty handed.

(If there truly is another kingdom across the ocean that can create that strange weapon that Krajek killed Esteban with..I truly fear for our sake. I wish we had more time to examine it, figure out how it works.)

What surprised her the most was how it was not magical in nature. She had used all manner of spells to try and decipher what types of enchantment were present on the weapon but nothing worked, which made her believe it was not magical at all. Either the enchantment was too strong for her to uncover or it was simply an invention they had never seen; both choices equally as frightening as the other.

The wooden stairs creaked and Aexia saw the shadow of two men descend the stairs and head towards her table. She did not look at them and continued sipping on her coffee while waiting for them to address her.

Mordain: "Good Morning Exalted. Was your rest adequate?"

Aexia: "Not nearly enough. I don't have the habit of staying in these type of establishments. Still, it will have to do. It is you who will be working remember, I am merely here to observe your handiwork."

Krajek: "Yeah we know. I'll eat while we walk, ready to go?"

Aexia stood up and followed the duo outside.

(He irritates me to no end. No respect at all! Still...I should try to find out more about him. He managed to brush me off yesterday, I'll try a new approach this time.)

She watched as Krajek pulled out some kind of rectangular shape out of his strange portal. He then peeled it and ate what was inside, a brown looking substance that seemed solid.

(That looks...disgusting but it smells sweet.)

Aexia: "What is that?"

Krajek: "An energy bar. Don't have the time to stop and make a big breakfast, I want to get this over with. I've got other things to do than running errands for a king."

Mordain: "Emperor Krajek. There is a big difference. Don't let anyone catch you saying this, it's an insult to the royal family."

Krajek: "Okay okay, but to me it's potato potato. I don't see the difference."

Aexia: "The Emperor has kings serving him, that is the main difference. Did you never have a history lesson?"

Krajek seemed a bit nervous in his reply to her.

Krajek: "Uhh well, don't forget, I'm not from around here. We don't know much about your customs, same as you don't know about ours. Now, do you want an energy bar or not?"

(He's trying to shut me up with food! Clever but I am curious about it. Such strange things, even the words he uses I have no idea what they mean. I must try my new approach..something friendlier.)

Aexia: "I shall taste your..ehnherjie baar...thank you."

Aexia watched closely, knowing he'd be reaching into his power once more to procure the food for her. A small circular light could briefly be observed before it vanished and was replaced by the bar.

Krajek handed it to her and she took it in her hands, touching and feeling it, checking for warmth or coldness but it was simply in a neutral state.

The texture was something she had never felt before. Very smooth to the touch completely surrounding the food. She turned it around, looking for a small opening where she could take the food out from but none stood out.

Krajek: "You need to pull on it, sort of like peeling a fruit. Think of it as the shell or exterior."

Aexia: "But..this is man made? How does one seal it in such a way?"

Krajek: "It's a very complicated process. Think of it like as if its a water pouch with no spout."

She pulled at the strange material and it gave way, revealing a brown shape.

Krajek: "Wait, do you have a peanut allergy?"

Aexia: "Allergy? What is that word?"

Krajek: "It means, do you get sick from eating peanuts."

Get sick from eating food? She had a few upset stomachs in her life from eating old meat but nothing from anything else.

She shook her head  dismissively and took a bite. The texture was rough, coarse even but the taste was sweet, almost like some pastries. Harder chunks were also present and she crushed them with her teeth, the taste of the peanuts coming strongly now. She was pleasantly surprised and devoured it in short order.

She was not a great cook by any means but knew her way around a kitchen and she had no idea how she could make this if she wanted. Slowly, she started to think that perhaps he did come from another country, there was simply no other way to explain all these inventions she;d never seen before. The wheel began turning in her head.

(If they're as advanced as they seem to be, maybe we could finally break the deadlock we've been stuck in against the theocracy. How come we've never heard of them before though?)

Making contact now of all times and only sending one person? Suddenly, her heart sank as a thought crossed her mind. Is Krajek their emissary? Why would he be here alone then, no guards or escort? His strange power, is he the strongest from their kingdom? What rank or title does this Krajek hold. She had been insulted about his lack of respect for her title when perhaps it was she who should have acted with more deference.

And then the worst thought of all; by arresting him and conscripting him, did they just declare war on his whole kingdom? Would they instead side with the Theocracy?

She began having trouble breathing and her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach, like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. She lowered her head and looked at the ground, unsure how to proceed now. Perhaps it was not too late to apologize.

(Oh god, what have we done...)

Mordain and Krajek turned around, seeing how Aexia had stopped walking and looked pale.

Krajek: "Oh god, I fucking asked you if you were allergic to peanuts."

She looked up and saw Krajek rushing towards her with a sharp object in his hand. She tried to back away but fell down as she walked backwards.

Before she had time to react, he stabbed her in the thigh with the object and a sharp pressure began to pulse in her leg.

Aexia: "Argh! Wh-what are you doing?!"

Krajek: "I'm giving you an epi-pen! It's to cure you from your allergy!"

Aexia: "I'm not sick!?"

Krajek stepped back, confused.

Krajek: "But..you were pale and stopped walking, it looked like you'd fall down at any moment. I had to go back to my world to get this thing for you! Do you know how hard it is to get an epi-pen when you don't have an allergy?"

She looked at her leg and pulled out the object. It came out easily and she did not bleed much from it. It looked like someone attached a sewing needle onto a tube of some kind. Anger flared in her, she clenched her fists and stood up, ready to unleash a fire storm on him.

What happened before Krajek stabbed her began to rush back into her mind and she took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

(There's no harm done..it was a misunderstanding. I'm okay. I'm okay.)

As she calmed herself and thought back quickly on the event, something jumped at her. A word. A peculiar word that Krajek uttered; world.

Aexia: "We need to talk Krajek, privately."