Path of Wizardry

The safe-room Amy found herself in was a small, stone basement with only a single grated window looking out to the outside. From what little she could see from her position, she reckoned she was a decent distance from the city in some valley between the hills that surrounded it. A single iron door led out of the room, but it was locked up tight, with no key in sight for it. Although, she imagined, an application of that same forbidden magic might unlock it, especially now that she was a Journeyman. And what a frightening realisation that was.

She could feel the mana trickle out of her, that which seemed endless before diminishing to what feels like nothing at all. Restlessly, Amy examined herself, trying to distract her from the bloody unconscious Archmage on the floor beside her. Similar to her Apprentice ascension, the nature of her mana pool seems to have changed. Like how it had indeed become a mana pool upon Apprentice, it seemed to lose that distinction at Journeyman, the boundary between mana and flesh seeming indistinct. There was a core, a focus at which her mana still congregated, but it was far more diffuse amongst herself. It was more like a mana body than anything else.

Despite the remaining ascension high running dry, that feeling of utter power still coiled underneath her muscles and bones and everything that made her herself. Reaching slowly out to the wall, Amy channelled some of her mana into her hand as it grabbed one of the bricks in the wall. With ease, it crumbled like sand under her grip. Pain lanced through her heart at that, yet it was not enough to dissuade her from trying it again, crumbling another brick to pieces. The mana expenditure seemed extreme, the same it was for an Apprentice at first, but she imagined that like that Tier she'd eventually enhance her body so that it would be less exhausting and far more casual. And, still, her heart thumped out of her chest, wrapped in unnatural pain.

She couldn't ignore it anymore. Staring inwards at the core at the centre of her chest was her worst fear. As soon as she recognised its existence, murmurings and ramblings filled her ears, words that she couldn't comprehend yet their meanings were conveyed nonetheless. Demands. They were all demands, tearing her in every direction, pulling her mind apart as she listened to them. Some were subtle, small infringements on her psyche, influencing her from the shadows. Others were far more blatant, screamed into her ears as loudly as the silence of the room.

Tainting her entire mana pool was a cloud of Fae and Unknowable, its terrible snakes and tendrils reaching out and wrapping themselves around every iota of her being. No body part was safe from its corruption, its influence, intertwining itself with veins and arteries and beating in time with them. Another spear of pain shot through her, seemingly random, forcing her to curl over and lurch.

"...Felin. I need Felin," Amy muttered, almost trying to convince herself. Did she? Do I?

Fae manifested itself in the air the instant she desired, some coming from her lingering ascension mana and some from within her chest. With a practised hand, the Spellform drew itself in the air, her mana moving with surprising vigour and almost exactly according to her desires. Before she knew it, the Spell was cast and her Familiar descended down upon the plane, a look of utter despair clear on his face.

"Amy," He said breathlessly, looking everywhere at the room, at the man in the corner, and - most of all - at her. "You're... you're a Journeyman."

"...I am," She said after some time, suddenly unsure.

"Then it's as I had assumed. The Archmage," Felin glanced at Harrison, "He attacked you?"

"What do you last remember?"

"A Starfire Spell came out of nowhere and destroyed where you were hiding, but the Spatial suppression from the Spell locked onto and banished me."

"...Probably a good idea that I didn't summon you back then."

"Probably."

"After you left... I tried my hardest but I just couldn't stop him. I thought I had gotten a good hit on him but he just healed it all away. I was on the run for so long that... I had to ascend. Or else I would've died."

"Well, that ascension high of yours certainly did the job," Felin stared at the body strangely, squinting slightly. "Where are we?"

"I... don't quite know. He tried to escape her with some ring of his, but I... I used that magic you said I shouldn't use and followed him through."

"...And there was no other way?" He asked her with a tired look in his eyes, floating over to her carefully.

"Not one I could see."

Felin gazed at her intently, his eyes travelling up and down as he inspected her, before settling on what lay at the centre of her chest. Finally, he spoke, "I see."

"Is it permanent, Felin?" Amy blurted, teary-eyed. "Will I be able to stop... hearing them? I just- I- I can't. It's so o-overwhelming. I can hear it, all the time."

"I know it's scary, and I know how horrible it feels," He tried and failed to reassure her, "But... this ascension, it's for the best. At Apprentice, you couldn't feel this. That doesn't, however, mean that it wasn't there. It's always been there, lurking underneath the surface. Journeyman has simply... made the problem more evident."

"I could feel it, you know? When I was ascending, I sensed all the mana I was taking in and- and it was there. Fae. Unknowable. It felt... wrong. And why did that wrongness also feel so damn good?"

"Magically speaking, the problem has been made worse," Felin said bluntly. "You have taken in corruptive mana into yourself, integrated it with you at your very core, at your ascension. Yet, practically speaking, it's the same problem as before, just easier to deal with. At Apprentice, you didn't have the mana to both have that corruption issue to any severe-enough degree, or to find a way to counteract and defend against it. While one could argue that it's worse now, it's a problem that you can and will be able to handle. You just need time. Time to settle, like you did with Apprentice, and time to find a new balance with everything going on in your head right now. Ironically, the most important thing right now isn't the corruption."

"What?"

"Maybe more pertinent is what you're going to do with the waking Archmage in the corner or how you're going to get out of here."

"...He's waking up?"

"Oh yes. You're on the same Tier as him. Although your Command seeped in deep, it can only linger so long with his resistances. Especially with one of his nascent Sk- magics."

"...Like the same one you can't talk about?"

"Not the same magic, but the same concept, yes. Except, he's done it the proper way and probably succeeded in the transformation at his Archmage ascension which is why it seems to have stuck around a little despite his overall failure. It seems to be... Immutability, yes. Or could it be Everlasting? No, that's another thing I'm sensing. What a difficult thing to fight against in your case, right?"

"I can't run. He knows my face, my real one, and I don't even know how to get out of here. I-"

"I know, I know. Which is why this little Familiar of yours already has something in store for you that can suppress him."

"...You do?"

"Of course I do, Amy, why did you think I was being so nonchalant about it?"

"I don't- Never mind, how do I do it?"

"Why, it's actually quite easy," He smirked mischievously.

* * *

Archmage Harrison Clarke noticed the interdiction on his mana the instant he roused himself to consciousness. Strange constructs of some Element he couldn't quite see stabbed into his mana system, stopping its circulation and all of his infusions and enhancements. All of his limbs were chained to the ground with the same constructs, not even allowing an inch to move. Even his Spellchains were restricted, his constellations broken and prevented from use. And the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the horrifying face of the Witch.

Memories of things he couldn't remember threatened to crawl in and invade his mind, that of her visage, the one that made him think of nothing but it. The Witch was here, the Apprentice girl that had fooled the continent, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"What do you want?" He spoke first, hoping to gain some sort of advantage. This wasn't some experienced agent of The Forgetting, this was someone who was young and naïve. He could influence her and play on her feelings and possibly even find a way to get out of here free. And, of course, her in shackles.

Yet, the Witch did not speak; she only stared at him, as if seeing straight through to something beyond him, beyond the real world and to something other.

"Speak dammit!" Harrison yelled, fighting against his restraints.

"You will answer a few questions of mine," The girl dared to demand of him, her expression eerily calm.

"What do I get for it? You can't expect me to-"

"Freedom."

"...Right," He scoffed, not believing it for a second, as slow realisation seeped in. That wasn't the face of someone who'd let him go, allowing him a way to betray her. No. The second she was finished with him, he was as good as dead. He could hope though. As much as he rebelled against the idea of acquiescing to the girl, it seemed to be his only path forward. Or he should at least present a facade of giving up. "Ask you damn questions."

The Witch cocked her head to the side slightly, as if listening to someone. Great, she's insane too. After what felt like an eternity, she finally spoke, "What is The Forgetting?"

"...Are you seriously asking me that?"

"Please be precise. I won't repeat the question."

"...Fine," He shook his head. "The Forgetting is when some old fogies forgot about some things and panicked about it. The end. Happy?"

"You're really not taking this seriously, are you?"

"Why should I?" He grinned leaning in towards her face, taking pleasure in tormenting his murderer. "I'm dying by the end of this regardless so what's the point?

"So be it," The Witch leaned back, standing up straight. She shot a look over at something on the other side of the room before continuing, "I suppose I'll just have to make you talk."

"What?" Felin asked at the same time as Harrison did, the cat darting across the room towards Amy. He was threatening his cloaking with it, risking the Archmage spotting him, but he didn't particularly care from the looks of it.

Amy glared silently at her Familiar who should've known better to ask a question she couldn't answer. In the midst of her frustration, the Archmage laughed heartily.

"Torture? Really? Hah!" He threw his head back, rolling about the best he could through his mana chains. "Nothing you try will work, Witch. You really are young if you don't even know that."

"No, not torture," She smiled slightly, speaking to both her Familiar and captive. "A simpler method of cooperation. Your will matters not, for you will not be around to 'want' anyway. You will be subjugated under my control, made to dance under my strings for all eternity, and speak all I want. Does that not sound like a fine manner of making you talk?"

Felin looked at her in confused horror, speechless, while Harrison's laughter became quieter until it petered off. His eyes blazed as they glared at hers, unwilling to back down and look away.

"If that's what you want, so be it," Harrison spat. "I was never making it out of here alive anyway. This is simply the alternative. So do it, Witch. Kill me. I won't talk."

"Amy," Felin whispered to her harshly. "You could not seriously be considering this?"

Amy merely looked at him impassively. This was the only way forward, the only way she could find out more about the mystery that plagued Felin's past and now her future. Everyone thought her some sort of perpetrator of this event and she'd be a fool to not at least try and get information on it.

"Do you realise what you're suggesting?" He spoke openly now, Harrison's head whipping over to him, his stealth broken. Confusion was clear on the Archmage's face, but he wasn't allowed an opportunity to talk. "Amy, what do you think you're thinking of doing? Because I highly doubt it's what you imagine."

Shaking her head gently, she said, "It would be a new working, a new Spell, but it wouldn't be that hard. I've learned enough about Mind and Unknowable now. It will be easy to seal up his mind. Fae can be spun into twisting that sealing into an exploitation, removing the ability for him to 'communicate' with himself but still allow for him to communicate with others. Thus, I'll get the information I want and we all walk away happy."

"Amy, what you're suggesting is worse than Mind Control. You realise that, right?" Felin strode closer, his eyes dangerously virid.

"...You're lecturing me on morals, Felin? You? The one who bragged about having someone locked up in his realm dancing away for all eternity?"

"Yes, I am, Amy, because while I don't care about morals, you do! The last time I checked you didn't suddenly make a one-eighty on your opinions on the matter. Even when you were planning for the museum, you... Oh. Amy, please, just listen to me about this. This is not the way. You do not want to do this, not really."

"Why? It seems perfectly reasonable to me," She shrugged without a care for the person in front of her. "Harrison Clarke gets what he deserves for what he's done, a terrible, graceless, death surrounded by none of his usual parasites to celebrate it. He'll die alone in the same place he hoped he'd find refuge in, his mind and ideas he deemed so precious to lock away in his diaries fully exposed to the world, until nothing remains of the man but a shell of what once was."

"Amy is not vindictive," Felin growled. "Amy is not someone so careless to suggest what you are. Amy is-"

"How do you know that?" Amy fought back, growing angry. "The only Amy you knew was the scared, cowardly child trapped in Triesen, too frightened by the world to stand up for herself in spite of what she had done. Now? Perhaps I am the true Amy and you simply can't accept that."

"No," He narrowed his eyes, staring deep into her soul. "I know who I chose to be my Apprentice. I know who that child you speak of really was. She was revealed to the world for the first time when she ascended from Mageling, when she had the Sight to See and chose to act, to hope for better and good. She sees the beauty in magic, not the horrid and evil, one who chooses to dance in the rain and appreciate the small things in life, not just the big. So, no. You are not Amy."

For a tiny moment, they were stuck there, Journeyman and Familiar, looking into each other's eyes and finding a stranger. Except, one of them couldn't accept it. They refused to believe that a stranger had replaced them, and so they fought. They pointed out their flaws, and in turn, the cracks in the mask begun to show.

Amy had never erased her Monstrous Visage when it first manifested by instinct. Her's was still the immortal face of the Witch, the very ideal of what she had imagined perfection to be, both the good and the bad. And regardless of that perfection, empowered by her ascension rush, it still wasn't perfect enough.

Mana spilled from the edges as the Spell began to come apart at the seems, and the true Amy was revealed underneath. Not the one who wore the face of deathly beauty, no. She was, simply, Amy.

Quietly sobbing, her dull green eyes glassy and shaking, she shuddered, "I have to do this, Felin. I have to."

"Oh, Amy," Felin smiled sadly, nustling against her face despite how it wettened his fur. "No, you really do not have to do this. There is always a better way."

"Can we stop the sob story for a second?" Harrison dared to interrupt, completely perplexed. "What the fuck-"

"Silence," Amy commanded, that same imperiousness reappearing for but an instant, long enough to scare her Familiar once more. Still, it did shut the Archmage up.

"Amy, focus on me here, okay?" He tried to be confident, but something in her eyes, something unwanted that had returned, saw through it.

"...How do you know? How do you know that I'm... I'm not like this now?" She asked tearfully. "I want this. I can feel it, so, so, much. I don't know why but I do. I really... I really do."

"I know," Felin admitted. "But you need to think, Amy, think hard. Think about how you were, think about how you are now and try to tell the difference. Try to distinguish between the you that you have become, that you have grown into, and what was forced into you by your affinities. Please, try, if not for yourself then for me. Please."

"...I can't see it," She cried, letting the tears flow freely down her face. "I can't tell anymore, Felin. I just... I can't."

"Then, if you can't trust yourself to see, trust me," Felin said, resting his forehead on hers. "I know you wouldn't want this. So, trust me. Don't resort to this ensorcelling. Don't be like me."

"But I want to," Amy gasped, refusing to meet his eyes. "I want to, be like you. I feel it, everywhere. I want to be more... more like a Fae. I want to be cruel. I want to be vindictive. I want to be unusual and judgemental and... I want to be like you."

"Then.... just this once, don't. Don't be like me. Don't follow me. Follow your own path, the one you've only begun to forge for yourself."

"Hah!" Harrison guffawed. "You cannot seriously be having a drama like this in front of me. Really? Really!"

Amy glared at the man harder than she had before, and yet she couldn't muster an answer to his provocation. Even a Command, or any Fae working or Spell for that matter, didn't seem appropriate. Something in her screamed for her to use it, and yet a small part of that same self rebelled. She was the Witch. So why should she listen to the demands of her own affinities, when she dictated what was right and what was wrong? When she made the Law?

"Just do it," The Archmage smirked, his face locked in a sardonic rictus, "Do what you want to do. What you really want, not what this fucking cat wants. So do it. End me, the way you wish. You're going to, right? Right!"

"Amy," Felin spoke quietly, a strange look on his face which she couldn't quite read. "Do... Do as you wish."

"Do it! Control my mind and ensorcell me and-!"

A Ray of concentrated Coruscation blasted through the Archmage's face, more powerful than anything Amy could've mustered before her ascension. In one single beam, Harrison's head disappeared into ash, his body wanting to slump to the ground but instead held aloft by his chains. The embers of Coruscation still danced around Amy's fingers as she shakily stared at her victim, the one she had just brutally killed.

"...At least that's the last of the ascension mana," Felin muttered while Amy suddenly felt a deep exhaustion seeping in.

"...I thought it was all gone," She stammered, not able to keep her eyes off of the corpse.

"Mostly. As you know, however, mana likes to stick around."

"...Did I do the right thing? Should I have not killed him? I mean... He was goading me into it, right? Trying to get me to kill me in some weird... reverse psychology thing."

"I imagine so, yes," Felin said. "Few people wish for their mind to be corrupted and turned against them. A quick death is far easier on the psyche and the soul."

"...I'll never get any information from this... It's all been for nothing."

"Not entirely," Felin tried to comfort her. "We didn't really need to know what this so-called Forgetting really was. We've seen and read its effects. All that's left is to pursue what we know is lost and see if there's any hints we can find."

"I suppose..." Amy trailed off, watching the mana chains break apart according to her will and the corpse finally drop to the stone-cold floor.

Archmage Harrison Clarke was dead.

And she had killed him.

Turning away to the side, Amy puked.