The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Beginning

Posted by fffffplayer1 on 14-12-2014.

The Beginning

A baby was once born! And as his parents looked at it, they had no idea what greatness he was going to reach. For he was going to be the Peculiar Enchanter known across many Kingdoms and Realms, bearing many names, taking many forms, travelling to many places, but also times.

His parents named him Wiz, which meant in the archaic form of their language Pure and Benign or something like that. That was his birth-name for in those realms of Crux where he was born, one name was given by the parents after the birth and another was given later, when the character of the person was formed. And this after-name, as it was called, could be given by family, friends or even the person himself.

Wiz was a child of Argenturegnum, the Silver Kingdom of Castellar Regnum. In that area of the Castle Kingdom there were silver mines and so it came that Wiz was much familiar with this sort of metal. This land was a medieval type realm from the very old times, even before the Regnum was split. And so Wiz grew up in such an environment that he later found Morcia and generally the Knight’s Kingdom quite intimate.

It wasn’t known from the beginning that Wiz had a talent for magic. It sure seemed that some extraordinary things were happening around him, but no one connected that to magic. It was only when Wiz was twelve years old that they found out. And they found out in a most tragic way.

Wiz was just returning from a trip to the nearby woods. He liked to go there and watch the wildlife. He had a notebook with him in which he often drew things that he saw and took notes about them. Even from then he was quite interested in gaining knowledge and he drew it from wherever he could. The luckiest of his times, Wiz would meet some magical beast. He was a boy fascinated by magic and liked watching the extraordinary.

This time he had come across a kelpie. Kelpies are magical creatures that can take the forms of other beings. Wiz knew to recognise this one, besides its looking like a horse in a lake, because the creatures usually had a different behaviour from the one fitting the kind whose form they had taken.

Wiz usually returned later, but this time he had a motivation to go back to his village earlier. There were rumours that some Sorcerer was passing by these areas. Wiz hoped that he would be able to meet that renowned Mage. This and the kelpie caused him to be extra cheery that afternoon.

Entering the village, Garvus, a friend of his only one year younger, spotted him and headed for him running. Locking his eyes on Garvus, Wiz stopped moving and waited for Garvus to reach him. Then, just one second before the speeding boy reached him he made a step to his left. Garvus left behind him and crashed on a cart that had stopped nearby. Both boys had a good laugh about this.

“Did you hear that the Orange Wizard came to Otter’s Spring the day before yesterday?” the boy exclaimed cheeringly.

Otter’s Spring was a village some leagues away, one of the nearest one to Burkborrow, their own village.

“Really!? This means that he could pass from here, too! I really want to see how an actual wizard is! In all those stories I’ve read, they seem like very interesting people, wicked or not!” Wiz replied.

The two boys kept talking as they headed to the direction of their homes, which were quite near to each other. Wiz passed his threshold soon and found his mother cleaning the living room; she was always cleaning something or doing some other housework job. The boy left his bag where he kept his notebook, some food and a dagger –in case he met something or someone aggressive– on his bed. Then, he went to talk to his mother about what he had seen in the forest.

Wiz heard his father coming. He had travelled to Otter’s Spring some days ago, so as to sell some of his merchandise. Wiz’s father was the blacksmith of the village. However, he was considered the best in the general area, so he could also sell his products in other villages as well. Wiz could always tell when the cart he heard was his father’s, despite it’s not really being different from the other carts’ sounds. Perhaps you could call it an extraordinary ability.

He ran outside to meet him. His mother was already out for some job of hers and found her talking to the muscular, bulky and tall man who was his father.

“-elling you, that Orange Wizard is not going to bring anything but harm!” she was saying.

“I didn’t like his face much either!” his father, so different in shape and size than Wiz, agreed.

“What about the Sorcerer?” the boy asked excitedly.

“I heard him talking in an inn at the Otter’s Spring saying he’s coming towards this direction, though he’s just a passerby! If you want my opinion, the faster he passes by the better! Magic ain’t a thing you should meddle with! That man especially…” at that point he stopped.

Wiz had not heard the second half of what his father had said. His enthusiasm was peaking. And in that peak of excitement, Wiz’s eyes glowed and the workshop of his father, next to their home and in front of which they were standing, exploded.

The shock wave blew them all some metres away. Tongues of flames licked the wooden buildings next to it and fire also threatened to expand in other buildings on which flaming pieces of wood had fallen. None of them was seriously hurt, so Wiz’s father looking shocked ordered “Quickly! Inside the house!”

Wiz and his mother obeyed instantly. After that they waited for his father to return sharing frightened glances. Eventually the man got in the house enough time later. He seemed to be scorched in several places.

“We extinguished the fire wherever it was! The village is safe!” he said collapsing on a chair.

None of them seemed to refer to the subject that bothered all of them. Finally, his father did after some minutes.

“Wiz! Did you do that?” he asked.

“I’m not sure! I think I felt something as this happened! But I didn’t do it on purpose!” Wiz confessed.

“What are we going to do?” his mother worried “Not only our son was seen by everyone doing magic, but also the workshop was destroyed!  How are we going to live?”

“Don’t lose hope, Mira! Tomorrow I’ll go next doors to restore whatever’s left in the debris! And they might not have realised it was Wiz that did that!”

The day had started very well, but it finished tragically. Not all considered it a good thing to have magic –even worse if you didn’t know how to control it– and destroying your father’s smithy while discovering you do have magic did not make it any better. So, Wiz felt miserable that night when he went to sleep. He tried to find a way to make up for what he caused, but could not.

That night, Wiz had troubled sleeping. He had many nightmares and woke up often, not easily going back to sleep afterwards due to the busy thoughts in his mind. At one moment near dawn he woke up once more, but this time he got up quickly and was very alert. He had decided.

Wiz stood up and grabbing his backpack, he went to fetch some things he deemed necessary. He’d dwelled on it and had decided his parents were better off without him. Thus, he should run away, because there was no way they’d let him go if he notified them of his intentions.

He didn’t prepare for too long a time for fear of his parents waking up and finding out. Soon he was off the house. It was still dark outside. He walked fast, but soundlessly while he was near the house, so that they wouldn’t hear him, but started running once he reached the central road of the village. He passed the square of the village and continued towards the North-West. He had decided he’d go to the nearest city and see if he could earn a living there.

Yet, all of his plans seemed to crash when he saw a figure in the dark in front of him. There was no reason to believe the person would let him go and there was no way that he could get away without being noticed. Wiz thought that probably his only chance was if he was straight forward. He didn’t need to seem even guiltier than a person who sneaks out of the village before the sun has even dawned.

“It is pretty early for a little boy to be wandering alone, don’t you think?” said the voice of a man who sounded rather old.

“It is pretty early for an old man to be wandering alone, too!” Wiz replied, trying to recognise the man from his voice not being able to see his face.

“I am not really as old as I sound, you’ll see it soon! It’s not long before sunrise!” the man pointed to a bright line formed by the light starting to pass over a mountain range “And I’m not that ordinary of a man!”

At that moment, as if of magic, a ray shed light on the man’s face and Wiz made out a hairy face. There were long hair and a beard. The pointy end of his head indicated that he was wearing a hat: a pointy one!

“Are you the Orange Wizard?!” the boy was awestruck and surprised, almost forgetting his troubles.

“Please! It really is Mardolf! I’ve had enough people calling me ‘the Orange Wizard’ or ‘the Sorcerer of Oranges’ and so many other names, the one worse than the other! Why are you sneaking out of the village in the dark, boy, anyway?”

“Probably, for the same reason you are sneaking in in the dark! Not to be noticed!”

The wizard chuckled slightly “Clever! But the question remains, why are you sneaking out of the village?”

“Because they’re better off without me!” the boy said sadly.

“Oh, what a sad thing to be saying in such a young age! The only sadder things are what caused it and what will follow it! Tell me m’boy, how come you are doing such a self-sacrificing, yet reckless thing?” the sorcerer sounded weary and even in the darkness he looked sadder.

“I just found out I have magic, but I also destroyed my father’s workshop! But I shall save my parents from my untrained powers and the words –perhaps even the hatred– of people!”

“Turn back, boy, this isn’t going to help you and it won’t help your parents either!”

Suddenly, Wiz had an idea! If magic caused the problem, perhaps magic could also solve it!

“What if you taught me?!” Wiz said excitedly “I could become your apprentice! That way, I’d master my power not causing problems with it and I could use it to help my parents!”

In the little, but increasing light, Wiz could see Mardolf’s eyebrows frown and his face wrinkle with sorrow.

“I wish I could help, but I am not doing this anymore, mastership! It usually doesn’t end well! And even if there wasn’t that, your magic is different than mine and I could barely teach you much or help you make any good use of it. I am sor-”

“Please, isn’t there anything you can do?” the boy lost his enthusiasm.

“Let me finish! I am sorry I can’t help you in that! But”   he stressed the word “I have a friend of mine, who really fits your style better and he might accept you, if you are willing to leave the village of course!”

Wiz looked up at Mardolf, his disappointment turning back to excitement and as the tip of the sun appeared behind the boy, he could see the orange robes and the still slightly blonde tufts of hair of the wizard.

“But all of that only if your parents agree of course!”

Wiz’s parents had a nasty surprise when their missing son suddenly returned together with the renowned wizard passing through the area. Mardolf tried to calm them down, but it took him a while. In the end they sat on the couch and almost got over the fact that his son had tried to run away and had returned with a master of magic.

Once that had been achieved, Mardolf told them of his discussion with Wiz. He explained to them the advantages of Wiz’s leaving to become the apprentice of a magician. But he also talked of the drawbacks, the basic one being his leaving. He told them that it was up to them and Wiz to decide what they wanted to do, but whatever it was, Mardolf would do whatever he could to help them.

Wiz’s father looked at his son with sorrow on his face. Could he let him go? How would he manage without his parents? And how they would manage without him, especially Mira? But on the other hand, could he make him stay? It was apparent that his powers could only grow and uncontained they could cause major destructions! And Wiz wouldn’t be able to handle the fact that he would cause all that! Perhaps, all of them would be driven out of the village, too, and then they’d probably starve. He couldn’t do this to his family! Sending Wiz to the sorcerer was the best solution they had, despite the pain they would all have to feel.

Once Wiz’s father had agreed, his mother couldn’t argue. It was decided then, Mardolf would take Wiz to that wizard and see if he’d become his apprentice.

“Alright then! I’ll see you on the noon, when I’ll come to take you!” the mage said and he got out where now sunlight had overcome darkness.

Wiz walked in one of the roads of the village. After passing a lot of time hugging his parents and crying with them and sharing words of love. Now, he had gotten out to say goodbye to his friends. He knew that when he’d return a similar scene would follow, but this had to be done, too.

As he walked he suddenly saw a girl, slightly younger than him, though it didn’t seem, because in that age girls grow faster physically than boys. Wiz recognised her. He had seen her from afar once or twice, but he knew her more as a name. She was a daughter of the rich family of the village. They weren’t really that rich, but by village standards they’d got all the wealth of Crux. She had also given him access to the little library, which seemed like an invaluable treasure to Wiz, her family owned, though she hadn’t appeared in person then. This was the first time Wiz talked to the blonde girl, who was now wearing a pretty white dress.

“I learnt that you’re leaving for the big city to become a great wizard!” the girl announced rather than asked.

“Where did you hear that? It’s hardly been decided and how would you know I even have magic!” Wiz was confused.

The girl laughed at his confusion “Those who have ears hear!”

“And would you consider that most don’t have ears?”  Wiz asked.

“Not the ears I’ve got!” she said stressing the word I “It’s a pity you’re leaving! I rather liked you!”

The girl’s British-like accent was more apparent than ever upon the saying of these words. It wasn’t very usual to have this sort of accent in those places. It indicated descent from a more urban area of the kingdom. Wiz had one, too, but the girl’s was more intense.

“You barely knew me!” Wiz noticed slightly perplexed.

“I don’t need to meet you, to know you, Wiz the Peculiar!” the girl seemed to enjoy this too much.

To add to his confusion, she had used a strange foreign word for Peculiar. Wiz had to search all over his mind to remember his stumbling upon it in a book and the meaning it had in it. He didn’t understand the choice of her words.

After that, with no warning the girl turned around and left. For a minute, Wiz’s look was empty as he tried to solve the puzzle of this quizzing conversation. It continued to baffle him for a long time afterwards.

It was noon. Wiz had finished goodbye-ing his friends and packing. Saying goodbye to Garvus was probably the saddest of them. Yet, saying goodbye to his parents was something of a whole different kind.

Mardolf came at that time. If Wiz had a clock he’d know Mardolf had knocked on the door precisely on twelve o’clock! His mother opened the door and he got in. He turned to Wiz.

“Because this might be your last chance to make a choice, Wiz, are you sure you realise what this parting means? And are you willing to face its consequences?” he asked.

“Yes, I am sure! And there isn’t anything else to do!” Wiz said with tears on his eyes and cheeks.

“Well then, have you told your last goodbyes and made your last preparations?” Mardolf inquired.

Wiz nodded.

“Then, I guess it is time! There’s no good in delaying it! Come Wiz! I am sorry for all of you” Mardolf told them with truthfulness in his eyes and got out of the building.

“Goodbye!” said Wiz with sorrow and his parents repeated the words to him “I shall write to you!” and not being able to stand it anymore, Wiz turned around and followed Mardolf.

As he got out, he heard his mothers burst into tears again. And it was almost the last time he heard his mother’s voice.

Mardolf was waiting outside. He was looking at the people passing by. Some of them looked at him, too. Wiz went and stood next to him.

“Is there any private place where we can go? Where we won’t be seen? Other than your home, I wouldn’t wish to alarm your parents!” he asked.

“Perhaps, we could go out of the village in the woods nearby!” Wiz suggested, although he wasn’t sure in what way Mardolf meant he’d alarm his parents or why he wanted a private area.

“That would do nicely, I suppose!”

The two of them started walking together, an odd pair the two of them. One tall bearded, long-haired, almost white and almost old man wearing orange robes and wizard hat, holding a staff, together with a short boy with messy brown hair, a travelling cloak or whatever they are called and a backpack almost too heavy for him to lift. Soon they were out of the village and going towards a little area covered by trees.

Once they were in it, Mardolf instructed Wiz spreading his arms: “Grab on tightly! We are going to transport magically!”

“If you can travel magically, why do you bother journeying through the land?” Wiz asked while grabbing Mardolf’s arms.

“As you’ll probably learn, part of a magician’s job is to know when to use magic and when not to! Now, let’s go!”

All of a sudden, there was this very bizarre feeling. Firstly, it seemed like they were moving in an incredible speed (but actually with a great acceleration). There was this feeling of wind over his body and it mostly seemed like they were going up. His stomach seemed to want to go upwards in his body, while his lungs wanted to swell. Yet, there was some quite intense pressure on his chest as if the air wanted to crash him. Lastly, his legs felt as if they wanted to stay down. Overall, it wasn’t the most pleasant feeling in the world.

Fortunately, it ended a second later. Yet, it left Wiz dizzy, out of breath, stumbling and with a feeling as if he was going to vomit soon. Mardolf surveyed him and smiled slightly.

“You get used to it, in time! Usually at least!” he noticed.

“Very… reassuring!” Wiz found the courage to be sarcastic.

At that point, Wiz took his time to take in his surroundings. They were in a huge green valley with some occasional trees and some hills and mountains on the background. But the interesting thing was the tremendously enormous city lying before him. It might not have been that big, but to the eyes of a child who has only ever been in their village, it would seem pretty gigantic. There were tall strong walls around it with towers appearing often. Wiz noticed the little figures on the wall and the towers that were the guards. The two of them were standing on a paved road leading to the big gate to the city. The two minifigures started walking towards that place.

There were some guards around the gate, but they let them past with no trouble. It’d be bad for the trade to search every little person coming in. It wasn’t night, so they let people in. The only problem was that they weren’t the only ones who wanted to get in, so they had to squeeze in the crowd, which was going in slow. It only got worse when a man on a cart approached and started yelling at all of them for closing the entrance and delaying him.

In the end, Wiz and Mardolf managed to get in and away from the crowd. Wiz was happy to be out of the mass of people. Where he’d grown there were almost never so many people gathered in one spot.

“So, Wiz! Welcome to the capital!”  Mardolf announced.

The city was full of buildings bigger than any Wiz had seen before. They were all made of stone more than wood. And the building got more and more luxurious as you went towards the centre, though Wiz couldn’t see them well yet. In the centre lay the castle where the royals dwelled. It was quite majestic. The people in the streets were loud, busy and a lot.

“Why didn’t we teleport inside the city near the wizard’s home?” Wiz asked, as they started to walk towards the inner parts of the city.

“There are spells not allowing such things. That would make it far too easy for the sorcerers of the enemy to break in!” Mardolf explained.

“And who’s the enemy?”

“The other six Kingdoms! Though I believe this one is allied to the Ferrum Regnum at the moment! But it is an unfortunate thing the Seven Kingdoms are in constant war with each other!”

They kept talking of this or that. They went ever closer to the centre of the city. By now, they were already in a richer part of the capital.

“You told me in the morning that my style of magic is different than yours! How did you know that?” Wiz remembered.

“A wizard can sometimes see things that are not so apparent to others! They just need to know where and how to look!”

That reminded of what the girl from the village had said. It created him new questions, but he worded none, for they were mostly concerning the girl.

Soon they reached a second smaller wall surrounding the area where the richest and the aristocrats lived. There were many guards there, too. This time they were asked of their business inside the centre of the capital.

“I am the wizard Mardolf the Orange! I am here to see the wizard Geidrich (pronounced Ga-i-drih, the h voiced) the Azure!” Mardolf informed them.

“Mardolf the Orange, yeah! I believe you have access to the area! And the boy?” the guard asked.

“He’s with me!” Mardolf said simply.

The guard avoided his impulse to tell him that was obvious and let them pass, for wizards, at least some of them, were considered some sort of aristocrats in those realms and they were feared as much as they were respected.

It wasn’t long before they reached a particular castle-like mansion, after they were let in. Mardolf stopped at the gate.

“Won’t you come in?” Wiz asked.

“This is something you’ll have to do on your own! So, goodbye! I might not see you after that, if you succeed, but if Geidrich doesn’t take you, I’ll be there to return you. And good luck!”

Then, as Wiz blinked Mardolf was gone; vanished! Wiz was surprised at first, but he thought it should have been expected by a wizard and that he should go on with his quest. He turned to the gate of the fence surrounding the garden around the mansion. To his surprise, he found it was open. He would have sworn, though he didn’t really swear, that it was closed a minute ago.

Wiz got in and closed the door behind him. He walked on a path that went through the garden and led to the doors of the mansion. Soon, Wiz found himself knocking on the door. A servant opened it almost immediately and said “Please come in Master Wiz, you are being expected!”

Wiz didn’t bother asking how he was being expected or how they knew his name. He just told himself: Magic! The boy followed the servant, instead, where he led him. They reached a wooden door and the servant knocked. A voice came from within “Come in!” The servant opened the door and pointed inwards for Wiz to get in.

Once he did, Wiz realised he was in book paradise! He had never seen such a massive amount of books gathered in one place and now he did, he loved it! The door closed behind him and as Wiz still surveyed the library’s book the voice of the forgotten by Wiz man spoke again “It is amazing, isn’t it? All these books? It is a miracle I manage to take them with me every time I move out! Or rather it is… magic!”

Wiz suddenly remembered where he was and what he was doing and he felt worried the enchanter might get angry he neglected him. But when he looked at the man he saw a kind and generous face. Wiz guessed –and he didn’t know where that guess came from– that the man was about the same age with Mardolf. Yet, he looked older having all-gray hair and beard and more wrinkles. On the other hand, he didn’t look as tired from life as Mardolf did. His robes were azure much like his name indicated they’d be, but he was wearing no pointy hat. He had a book in his arms and many others some open, some not gathered around him on a table or some chairs.

“Come and sit! Don’t worry, I won’t bite!” he said “So, your name’s Wiz?”

The boy replied affirmatively as he approached the table and then sat on an empty chair.

“Mardolf informed me you’d be coming! And you are twelve, yes?”

Wiz nodded.

“Good, good!” Geidrich approved as he got up and left his book on the table “Tell me a bit about you!”

While the boy talked, the man surveyed him walking around him, looking at him from any angle and sometimes making some note, like “He’s in a pretty good form, too!”. At one point he even smelled Wiz.

“Don’t you have any last name?”

“Not really! Only a birth name, but I’ll probably get an after-name at some point! Don’t they do it like that here, too?”

“No, they do! I just forgot the customs of this place!”

“Are you not from these realms?”

“Well, right now I am!”

Wiz stared at his odd answer.

“So, you want to become my apprentice?” Geidrich finally enquired.

“Yes indeed!”

“Well, then! There is a task I have all my candidates undertake. If you succeed, then I’ll take you as my apprentice! Come with me!”

Wiz followed Geidrich to a window. Part of the garden was visible from there. Geidrich looked at it for a tad and then pointed to a tree.

“You see that tree? I want you to go and bring me the fruit of it! And deliver it before the sunset!”

The tree looked like an apple tree. Yet, there were no apples on it. But there was one fruit on the top. It looked like an apple, but it was golden!

“Okay, it doesn’t seem too hard, but there’s probably a catch! I shall see you later with the fruit!” Wiz said with some confidence.

“Why are you so sure you’ll do it?” Geidrich asked.

The boy stood in the exit and said “Because there’s no point in not being!” and then he departed.

Out in the garden, it took Wiz some time to find the right tree. Once he was there he started thinking on his tactic. The tree was too tall to simply grab the fruit. He tried to climb it, but when he thought he reached the top and got out on the upper side of the tree, he actually found himself falling from the completely opposite side. He looked for something that might help him climb without getting inside the branches. To his surprise once more, he found out there was a small wooden ladder left on the wall nearby. It was about the height he needed. He grabbed it and carried it, despite its being slightly too heavy for him. Wiz placed the ladder on the tree and started climbing it. But when he neared the top, some unknown force jettisoned him away.

“So, magical tree!” Wiz decided as he fell down on the ground.

While he felt the pain, he saw the mansion above him. He looked at one window and wondered whether Geidrich was watching from one of them. Most probably! He wondered whether he was laughing. Not improbable!

Wiz got up and looked at the tree. He searched for something, for a clue that would lead him to the solution of the puzzle. He looked at the trees from many sides and wondered what there was to do!

If magic stopped him from taking the fruit, perhaps magic could help him take it, he thought after a while. Besides he was being tested for becoming a magical apprentice. He tried to concentrate on the fruit coming to him. For a while, nothing happened. Then, he saw the golden apple starting to move back and forth. There was no wind, so Wiz was excited to find out he was casting magic. With his excitement levels rising, the golden fruit started moving like crazy. Wiz was sure that soon he’d see it flying towards him. Instead of that, a branch of the tree detached with a loud ‘CRRRAAACCCK” and flew towards him hitting him on the face. It seemed this tree was decided to make him feel pain on the whole of his body.

When he looked again, the fruit was still. It seemed that this wasn’t the way. For the next few hours he thought of new ways to try and get the fruit, mostly by magical means. Then, he tried to implement his ideas and they either failed miserably like his previous attempts or just didn’t work. Now, the sun was slowly approaching the point where it was not seen anymore and Wiz was getting anxious.

He looked at the tree again and again, from close and afar, from this side and the other. There was no inch of the tree he hadn’t looked at, metaphorically of course. And then as the sun drew closer to the land it lit from the right angle, the right place on the right time for Wiz to notice something glowing by reflecting its orange by now light. It was an apple! Not a golden one! A simple red one like any other Wiz had seen in his life.

What an odd thing! he thought, Why would he have two apples on the tree of the task?

He thought of the sky which was now getting orange near the place where the sun would set. Was that orange for Mardolf the Orange, who would come to get him back? At least he’d be with his parents! Or would he? He had decided to leave them before he’d considered becoming a wizard! Wouldn’t he make the same decision, if he failed?

Then, there was this thought! Geidrich had told him to bring him the fruit of the tree. But he had not told him which fruit! Perhaps, if he brought the red apple Geidrich would accept it. He would have considered trying other ways for the golden fruit, but the sun had already started setting and Wiz had no time. It was all or nothing.

The boy grabbed the apple and cut it off the tree. It did not show any kind of protest to that. He started running towards the door. Soon he was in the mansion and running for the library. At some point, he lost time trying to figure out the way, but he continued faster than before.

He got into the library and collapsed in front of the magician. Geidrich looked at him kindly.

“So?” he asked.

“I have brought you this!” Wiz offered the red apple while he panted.

“I’d accept that, Wiz, but unfortunately it’s after sunset!” Geidrich replied sadly.

Wiz panicked. He started thinking! He had to find a way to stop this! It was a miracle there were no smokes coming off of his ears! And then the saving thought came. He had to think wide to manage the first part of the task. What if he had to do the same with the second part, that being the deadline.

“You told me I should bring it to you before the sunset! You didn’t say before which sunset!” Wiz responded hoping this would work.

“Wiz, do you know what exactly I am testing with this task?” Geidrich asked.

“Not really!”

“I know that you have a great talent in magic! You really stink of magic; any decent sorcerer would see that! I had no reason to test how you do with magic! You haven’t started to learn, yet, so how would you be able to work magic properly! It wasn’t that I wanted to test with this task!”

“So… what was it?”

“I didn’t want to test your intellectual abilities. That you are smart can be seen, if you just talk a little with you! I didn’t want to test your physical strength or your speed. Those don’t really matter much! I wanted to see whether you can think out of the box! What can I do with someone with the most talent in the world, if they have their eyes sealed! A master of magic must be open-minded! So, what do you think? Did you pass?”

Wiz smiled.

“This is really sadist, you know!” he said, but he was grinning.

“Welcome, as my apprentice, Wiz Ardon!”

Wiz froze. Why was this word chasing him? He had once seen it in a book and had barely found out what it sort of meant. Then, this mysterious girl comes and calls you Peculiar, but not really Peculiar! The word she used was Ardon! And then this wizard who is about to become his master names him Ardon, too. What was the meaning of it all?

“What does Ardon mean?” he asked “I thought it meant peculiar, but something tells me it’s not just that!”

“Ardon is a word from the language of Galaz. It means eccentric... or powerful, yet peculiar! The one who is Ardon is the one who surpasses other in a characteristic that making them strong, but also who is different from the others. They are the ones who stand out, but who are not understood! That is you, Wiz! Or who you will be!”

Wiz did not forget his parents. Though he eventually conquered over his feelings of misery, he never forgot. Yet, that did not stop him from enjoying the new stuff happening in his life, not so much in the beginning, but more later. Geidrich taught him very much and not just magic. Wiz learnt history, literature, many languages, mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry. Geidrich also made sure he was in a good physical taste, too. He said that a good wizard should also have a good body. In magic, he was particularly good at Imagination magic, which includes creative magic, but also magic that manipulates Imagination, conjuring and summoning, transfigurations and even fighting magic. He wasn’t that good in defensive magic, divination, potion-making and illusions. He was mediocre at charms, perception spells and alchemy. But all that for the level of a master of magic who was destined to become an Enchanter, the most powerful kind of magic-users.

Wiz was a good apprentice. He learnt easily, though at times came something he really found difficult. He listened to his master more often than not, but when they disagreed on something it was not rare to go against his instructions. Whenever he had some sort of mission, though they were rarely anything difficult or dangerous, he always managed to succeed (unless he disagreed with the task!). Wiz also read a lot. There was a huge amount of books he could choose from and he seemed determined to read them all (the ones he liked at least), even though they increased as time passed by.

Wiz’s after-name became Ardon. And so it was that he later was known as Wiz Ardon, though not many knew what it meant even in Galaz, because Ardon was actually an archaic word.

Five years passed from that day when Wiz became Geidrich’s apprentice. After that things changed a bit. In that period of five years Wiz only visited his parents twice. The problem was that Geidrich was being held prisoner by the king of the land. The king wanted him to fight for him against the other Kingdoms, but Geidrich refused and so the king wouldn’t let him go. So, Geidrich couldn’t let Wiz travel alone before he was older. The first time with the excuse of going for a mission in Deadly Desert Geidrich was allowed to get out and accompany his young apprentice. Upon returning they passed by Wiz’s village. The second time Wiz travelled alone. There was also a time, his father came to the capital, but his mother couldn’t come.

~~~***---***~~~

Geidrich and Wiz were returning to their home. Despite being a prisoner of the king, Geidrich had persuaded him to allow them live in a castle out of the capital. It was on a hill in the midst of a valley where no one else lived. At one side the valley soon came to a cliff and there was some sort of a canyon between that and some mountains at the opposite side. On the other side the valley ended in a forest, which had the shape of a half-moon or actually a one-quarter-moon.

They had been out to collect some stuff and practice some magic that was either better used out of a building or that had some requirements only fulfilled outdoors. Now that they had completed their task they were going back to the castle.

Wiz was seventeen years old now and he was much more mature than when he met Geidrich, although in all ages he had some maturity that surpassed the one of many with the same age. He had also changed physically. He was taller though he wasn’t the tallest person, facial hair had started growing the past two years and though he mostly liked the sideburns he usually was too bored to shave. His muscles had grown thought he wasn’t too muscular. Geidrich had exercise, too, due to his belief that a proper magician shouldn’t be stopped by physical difficulties. And his eyes… his eyes had this clever bright look on them that made him seem different and special.

The two minifigures had entered the valley through the forest now. And it was then it all began. All of a sudden, a crevice cut the soil just next to them. Master and apprentice, taken aback, looked at the just created crevice surprised.

“What just happened? There was no earthquake for this to appear! How did i…” Wiz said but was interrupted by another crevice appearing on their other side.

“Let’s talk about this in the safety of our castle!” Geidrich suggested and the two of them started running.

More crevices started appearing everywhere round them. The land started shaking, too. As they ran, Wiz was slightly behind his master. He looked next to him and saw a crevice growing just next to him about the same speed with him, until it turned around. Wiz’s cape-mantle was waving behind him as his legs slowly started to swell. Then, one of the cracks of the land was created just in front of him and the piece of ground he was on was raised a little, but quickly enough to jettison Wiz away from itself. Wiz flew forward and fell down hardly saving his head. He got up again and started running. However, with two crevices by his sides, the piece of land started lowering on the one side and thus leaning. It got harder and harder to run without slipping. Wiz did slip at a moment and went towards the lower side of the piece of soil. And that would have been the doom of his hadn’t he been a wizard!

An unknown to an unknowing eye force made Wiz jump higher than he ever could have made, especially in this trap of death. Once he was out of that he saw he was quite close to the castle. He continued running the last metres avoiding the obstacles that emerged in front of him. He finally made it to the castle. As he got in he turned back and before the gates closed, he had a glance of the purple light that had started to emit from the crevices. Then, the gates closed and Wiz felt a final, but enormously bigger jerk. Everything was shaken and then where was the feeling that the whole castle was moving fast.

He looked at his master terrified.

“What was that?” he asked.

“That I am afraid, Wiz, was the most terrible thing it could be. Chaos has arisen! And the battle between it and Imagination is about to begin!”

That was how Wiz Ardon and Geidrich the Azure lived the explosion of Crux. Soon they discovered what exactly all of this had meant. They saw the many chunks of Crux flying around before they’d even taken their position in the soon-to-be Crux System. What they were interested to find out was that after the first few hours, something started interfering with the trajectories of the worlds, so that the Crux System wasn’t created as one would have expected it to be. Neither of them knew what force had caused this change of orbits, but Geidrich suspected it was either Imagination or Chaos.

They expected that foul things were going to happen soon, but the first few days passed and nothing of this sort occurred. Then, a letter arrived with a carrier pigeon for Geidrich.

“Wiz, they are inviting us in the Magical Convention! I knew this would come, but I thought that the state of Crux would discourage them for now. On the contrary, it seems this has given them one more reason to want to gather. They say it’s a good chance to discuss the problem!”  Geidrich told him entering the room in which the two minifigures usually ate “How the carrier pigeon reached us is beyond me, though!”

The Magical Convention was a convention in which wizards, witches, sorcerers, magicians, enchanters, all kinds of magic-users gathered in one place to talk and do stuff together. It only occurred every five years. From what Wiz had heard from Geidrich, it was quite boring not only for the youth, but also for enchanters like Geidrich who had to do with all the magic-users of less power that could become so frustrating. They had good food, though.

“Do we have to go?” Wiz asked.

“I believe we do!”

“I do have a bad feeling about this, though! And what of the king?”

“I don’t think that the king could stop me when Crux is like that! Don’t worry it will only be one day! It’s in one month!”

One month passed. Still nothing from Chaos, as far as they were concerned at least. And now the two of them were at the Magical Convention. It was evening. Wiz had passed the day having to talk with stupid –yet many of them with a big idea of themselves– wizards and sorcerers or being alone. At the moment, Wiz was sitting on the table with the food and Geidrich had just left to talk to Mardolf. Wiz picked some éclair to eat when a dressed in brown dwarf came and sat next to him. He filled his plate with all sorts of things and as he started eating he looked at Wiz.

“You’re Azure’s apprentice aren’t you?” he asked.

Wiz nodded his mouth filled with éclair.

“I never thought he’d actually find one, with all these requirements he had lately. You know he had his candidates do that ridiculous test for years! Of course, no one succeeded!” the dwarf spoke with his rough bass voice.

“And you are?” Wiz asked.

“Oh, of course! I didn’t introduce! I am Galor the Brown!” the dwarf replied and with one more look at the boy said “I’m guessing you are too bored with these empty-heads, too!”

Wiz smiled. “So, you’re an enchanter, too?”

“Course I am! Why the brick would I be in this brickin’ place, if I wasn’t?! Why wouldn’t I be an enchanter?!”

“It’s just that I’ve never heard of a dwarf magic-user!” Wiz replied defensively.         “Of course! Always this discrimination with dwarves! The fact that we are rare doesn’t mean we don’t exist!” Galor said and drunk some beer “Hmm! I see a friend of mine! I’ll go greet him! Goodbye to you!” and as he got up he bellowed to another minifigure “Hey, Green! Over here!”

Wiz was alone again. A few minutes passed and then a female voice spoke from behind him.

“Certainly, all these éclairs can’t do good to you!”

She sounded young and pleasant, but Wiz did not recognise the voice and that made him even more intrigued. Without turning, he replied “Well, maybe not, but at least you should let me enjoy the only good thing of this gathering!”

“Really?! You only find the food interesting? Isn’t there anything else? I, for instance, seem to find my interest in this boy who’s eating one éclair after another!”

“Oh, I am sorry! I have seen no such boy in this room! You see I only know a boy who eats a variety of food and certainly sweets, but no one who only eats éclairs!”

“Well, perhaps then, the boy whose master is Geidrich the Azure or the boy whose magic is currently driving away strangers, the boy that seems to have so much mystery or the boy that is as bored as me!”

“Hmm! I haven’t heard any of these people! But if you’d like I can help you find them!”  Wiz said grinning.

“Well, come along then! I’m sure they’re somewhere around, Wiz Ardon!” she told him.

“Oh, it seems that my reputation precedes me! Tell me am I popular?” Wiz answered as he got up and turned around.

He saw the girl for the first time and she was really astounding. She had dark blonde, about shoulder-length hair that were starting wavy and ended in curls. She had taken two tufts and passed them behind her head and they connected in the middle where a flower was as if they were one and there were two more separate tufts hanging on either side of her forehead. Her eyes were green, but around her pupils there was a little brown. She was smiling and that added to her already spectacular face. She was about the same height as he and was slim with nice curves. She was wearing a green long dress, the kind that opened and grew wider under the waist. It was slightly décolleté and had short sleeves. She also seemed to have about the same age as he. Wiz found her the most extraordinary thing he had ever set his eyes upon.

“Popular? No, I don’t think so! But I happen to know people who know people who know you!”

Wiz was still gaping slightly. The effect she had had on him caused to be lost for words for a bit. But he recovered soon.

“You do?! Well, that is interesting! I might as well ask you who are those people, but I think there is a question of much more interest! I don’t remember you telling me your name! Would you do me the honour and share this information with me now?”

“But why would you want to know my name, you cunning creature?”

“But to tell my friends who that girl that bored me so much was, of course!”

“You, cunning creature! And how would that be in my interests? I don’t think I’d like to have the reputation of a not interesting person!”

“But if you do tell me, I won’t have to come after you to learn! So, I won’t bother you again!”

“Well, that’s a pity! I quite enjoy your company! So, I’ll never tell you my name, so I can see you again!”

“Now, who’s cunning? Have you no pity on me? I’ll have to come back to you all the time, in hope of learning that precious name of yours!”

“They tell me often that I am pitiless!”

“Indeed they are right!”

“But I will allow you to know a bit more of me, so that you can find me later! I am the apprentice of Azira the Pink! And it’s through her I’ve heard of you, Wiz Ardon!”

“What’s it with half the magical community having a colour by their names?” Wiz asked.

“Hasn’t Geidrich told you? All of them used to be the Council of the Enchanters, a council of the most powerful masters of magic gathered to protect the people of Crux. The council was officially disbanded when their leader Mirian the White was smashed. Yet, they are still friends and often work together!”

“Interesting! I wonder why Geidrich never spoke of that!” Wiz said not with the same playful tone he used previously.

“It’s getting hot in here, you mind if we take this party outside?” the girl told him after a while.

“Not at all!”

“So, you don’t mind if you leave all those éclairs behind?” she asked.

“I can always come back for them!”

The two young minifigures, quite not fitting with all the at least forty years old people that were the majority of minifigures there, walked through the big, crowded, bright and loud room till they reached the big door. Outside it was dark, cold and quiet –as quiet as it could be with the convention continuing inside. They were the only ones there.

The two minifigures talked a bit about this and that and then they heard the music from the room change. The girl’s face brightened as she heard it.

“I know that song! Do you know the First Builder Dance?” she said.

“I actually do! I thought few knew it nowadays!” and then looking at her with a smile Wiz bowed “Would you share this dance with me, m’lady!”

“I don’t know! Would you?” the other replied smiling as well, but she inflected her legs.

The two of them started dancing a quite complicated dance that looked more like the European dances of the past centuries. It was the traditional dance of the First Builders. Despite their being long gone, there were still a few people that knew it.

“So, how did you learn how to dance?” the girl asked.

“You must see Geidrich dancing! He is quite good!” Wiz said in response.

“I learnt from Azira, too, though I had already learnt some dances before I became a magic apprentice! But that woman seems to care about such things more than even magic!”

“What is Azira like?”

“Well, to be honest she is kind of silly! You understand she’s the type of person that would choose pink for her colour! Despite she isn’t all that bright, she really is a powerful enchantress! She just doesn’t use it like others do. She might use it in order to make the perfect dress or to decorate her living room better. She might invent the best make-up with it and so on and so on. Most things I learn are from her husband, who isn’t that powerful, but has a good knowledge of magic. Azira scarcely teaches me something useful and I really don’t swell at the sort of magic she prefers. But when she does teach something useful, it’s really useful! And despite all, she’s a good person and likes everyone!”

“I see you’ve got an interesting master!” Wiz smiled and they continued dancing.

Soon, the song was over and they sat down on the stairs out of the door.

“I am sure you’re an enchantress!” Wiz said not even thinking about what he was saying.

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because you have enchanted me!”

The girl laughed.

“What do you think I am, kind sir, a damsel in distress? Well, be sure I can make it on my own!”

“Dost thou think that all damsels in distress did not think like that, before they got themselves in distress?”

“Oh my hero! You want to save me?”

“’Tis this not what any noble Knight would do?”

“What Knight? Of the old speech?” she laughed at him “And what gift shall I give you, my brave Knight, in promise of what is waiting for you if you save me from dangers unknown?”

“Oh, there is nothing that could surpass the wonder of a tuft of thy golden hair!” Wiz said, jokingly of course.

“Then, so be it! So, shalt these golden hairs bind us forever!” and she actually cut a little tuft of her hair and offered it to Wiz.

Wiz took it and looked at it surprised. He looked back at the girl. He then split the tuft in two and the one half started shining. And while its golden light got brighter and brighter it changed shape. Once the transformation was finished Wiz had a golden flower in his hand.

“For you!” he offered to her.

“How kind of you!” she said and accepted the flower.

They looked at each other’s eyes intensely for a little while. There was warmth in the clever eyes they both had.

“You know, one day I’ll become the Witch of Kingston!” she said suddenly “And I’ll be famous by that name!”

“Where is Kingston?”

“I have no idea! But once I find a place called Kingston, I know for sure it will be the place where I’ll stay!”

“I aspire in making a house that will be able to go everywhere in the Universe, so that I can help everywhere and so that I can see as much of the world as I can!”

“That is one nice aspiration, certainly!”

“Geidrich doesn’t believe it’s possible, but I’ll find a way!”

“I’m sure you will! Are we or are we not enchanters?!” she said and they laughed.

“You told me before that one of the people you find interesting was mysterious! Why do you think so?”

“Because, despite what I already know of him, there is still much I don’t and I look forward in finding out!”

“You know, I think there’s something I can share with you in exchange for your name!”

“You cunning creature, were you trying to trick me all this time, so that I can tell you my name?”

“Perhaps I did! But hear me out! I think you’d be interested in this deal!”

Wiz approached the girl more than he already had. And when she seemed ready to hear him, Wiz opened his mouth "What about a kiss?"

“It is an interesting deal! Come and find me again if you wish for it to happen indeed! And don’t cheat by asking your master what my name is, Wiz! Goodbye now!”

And before he could reply, the girl had disappeared. Wiz lay down and smiled for the millionth time that evening. He liked the mystery of her.

“Where have you been?” Geidrich asked when he got inside again.

Wiz grinned mischievously. “I met Azira the Pink’s apprentice!”

“Oh really? And what did you think of her?”

“I liked her!”

They were back; back at their castle. Only some steps to the gate. Wiz was quite sleepy, but he was in a state of bliss, Geidrich had not expected. At that moment Wiz remembered what She had said about the Enchanters.

“Why didn’t you tell me of the Council of Enchanters?” he asked.

Geidrich was surprised.

“Where did you hear about that?”

“Azira’s apprentice told me!”

“Well, it is a complicated matter. I don’t li-” Geidrich stopped talking.

He had just pushed the gate open. He stood still and was silent as if he was trying to listen to something.

“Someone has broken in!” he announced.

“What?! Who?!”

“I don’t know! Let’s see!”

Once Wiz was in, the gate closed on its own; it didn’t do that usually! The boy got himself prepared for whatever could happen. He was ready, he thought, for anything. But then some magical force knocked him on the wall hard. It was excruciating. Wiz cried in agony when a thick fog spread all around the room. He could hear the sounds of a battle going on, a magical duel. Yet, he was too much in pain to understand what was happening. At one point he heard the voice of the old man cry in pain. His worry for his master helped him stand up. He made a few clumsy and dizzy steps and tried to understand what was going on. However, he could see nothing.

Then, Wiz heard them going to a certain direction. He followed the sound of steps and battle. They ended up in a circular room where the stairways of two towers began going up. Wiz heard them going up, but he in the fog and his confusion he didn’t know which of the two towers. Wiz went to one of the staircases and hoped his instinct would help him.

Going higher and higher, he could still hear the sounds of the duel, but soon he was out of the fog. Wiz continued going upwards until he was on the top, not stopping once due to his growing exhaustion. Wiz got out in the balcony of the tower that was the highest accessible place of it. And to his extreme horror, there was no one there!

Wiz looked at the tower next to his. There were two minifigures on its highest balcony which was slightly lower than his. One of them looked back at him for a moment, as if he knew Wiz was looking. In the starlight, the boy saw an evil grin and two yellow sinister eyes. Then, the minifigure turned back to the other minifigure, who was on the edge of the balcony almost still. And with one move of the former’s hand, the latter was magically pushed out of the tower. And in the starlight, Wiz watched Geidrich the Azure fall to his doom. . .

THE END

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