The Magician of Miracles

[Jevan perspective]

The sun rose, its light seeping through the window to flood the room, while I was still awake. I had realized for some time now that I no longer needed much sleep or food. It seemed to be one of the gifts that came with the Authority of Miracles. I recorded this note in Jevan's original notebook.

As I flipped through the pages searching for anything additional, I underlined the most important points I had gathered so far, a mix of my own experience and what Jevan had left me:

First: To assimilate the Authority of Miracles you must fulfill the wishes of others. The deeper and more urgent the wish, the higher your level of assimilation of the Authority. I picked up a sheet of paper from the table and turned it between my fingers. Slowly, I changed its shape, folded it, then returned it to its original form.

Second: Every Authority has a fixed basic ability, and sub abilities that form according to the nature of its wielder. If you are a cook, you will gain abilities tied to fire or tools, and if you live by justice, your powers will lean toward that.

The basic ability of the Authority of Miracles is simply granting wishes. Alongside it come enhancements to physical abilities and extraordinary self healing powers. Strangely, all this manifests even in the earliest stages of assimilation. Unlike other Authorities like fire, where at first you can barely light a spark enough for a cigarette. It seems the Authority of Miracles is one of those exceptional Authorities that grant useful abilities right from the beginning. Looks like I was wrong? The Authority of Miracles is truly amazing!

As for the sub abilities? So far I can only play with small objects like pens or paper. I can change their shape to a certain degree then return them to normal. According to Jevan's notes, these sub abilities reflect his interest in magic. Perhaps he was obsessed with magician tricks as a child, but I was there for much of it, and I didn't see anything like that. No, well, if I think about it… I was only with him for a few months in the early years of his life. Then I disappeared for several years and returned again for only a few days before vanishing once more. Maybe during that time he developed an interest in magic?

As for granting wishes, the law is simple: you cannot grant a wish for yourself unless you pay an equivalent price for it. As for the wishes of others, I have yet to find any clear limitations.

I closed the notebook then stretched out on the chair.

Now I had a clearer picture of what I should do next. I needed to grant more wishes, and find a way to get rid of these spirits circling me like flies. I had no intention of seeking out that researcher, nor did I want to fight all the gangs of the Lower District. The foolish decision I made was because of the mask; I had nothing to do with it at all.

How would I defeat all these strong people? True, I had become a member of the Night Wolves, but I was still just one member in the end. And since they tried to recruit me despite the massive misunderstanding that painted me as some maniac who loves killing, that meant they weren't in great shape themselves. Well, I won't say that aloud in front of the spirits, of course. I'll act as if I'm intent on fulfilling their wish, but in truth I simply won't.

I felt a little sorry for Raghu, but I wanted to return home as soon as possible. I wouldn't fight a losing war for the sake of a bunch of dead men.

I glanced again at the spirits around me. I could feel their desires, albeit faintly for now. But that sensation grew stronger each time I assimilated my Authority further. At some point, even with the mask on, I would be able to hear their desires clearly, and worse, they might influence my decisions directly. In fact, it had already happened once.

I take back what I said about the Authority of Miracles being wonderful. Damn this Authority!

I rubbed my face with my palm then shouted:

"Raghu, I know you're here, show yourself."

He appeared before me immediately, rubbing his eyes like someone just waking up.

"What do you want?"

"Why do you look like you just woke up? Ghosts don't sleep, do they?"

He rubbed his chin with his thumb:

"Oh, that explains why I can't sleep."

I covered my face with my hand:

"Forget it. Listen, I want you to present a new deal to the other spirits."

"What kind of deal?"

"I'll grant them another wish."

"Other than that grand wish of wiping out most of the gangs in the Lower District?"

"Yes. One wish for one spirit per day. The condition is that it must be within my ability."

"And the price?"

"That those spirits disappear from in front of me."

"I don't think they'll agree, but I'll try to talk to them."

Raghu vanished into the whirl of spirits surrounding the room. He was gone for several minutes before reappearing again.

"They've agreed, but with one condition."

"And what is it?"

"After you fulfill the wish of a spirit, that spirit alone will stop appearing before you. The majority prefer to wait until you bring down most of the gangs in the Lower District."

I sighed and said:

"Agreed."

The disappearance of one spirit at a time was better than nothing. Though I couldn't fathom their logic at all. Some of them were gang members, and I had even killed some of them myself, yet now they wanted the gangs destroyed? What kind of sense was that? But honestly, that wasn't my problem. I wasn't even sure these spirits thought normally after death.

But wait, what about the spirits I myself had killed that were now floating around me? If those belonged to that researcher's control, and somehow managed to reach me, then what about the others? And why could I see them too?

As I was sinking deeper into this problem, a loud knock came at the door. I grabbed the mask from the pillow and put it on quickly. Then I opened the door to find Corvin standing behind it, speaking rapidly before I could say anything:

"We must leave immediately. The Claw has begun searching the neighboring shops."

His knees were trembling, but for the first time he seemed to be speaking to me normally… somewhat. I couldn't help but feel proud. I patted his back then started descending to the ground floor. But when I glanced back at him, his face bore a blank expression I couldn't understand.