As we enter the inn where we'll be staying, right near the palace, I'm immediately hit with the smell of meat. Oh, how I've missed meat. You know how you feel bad when you miss a meal? That's got nothing on actual hunger â the hunger that's so bad it makes you want to rip your own stomach out just so it would stop hurting you. I've only been through that a few days, and I already miss someone making my meals for me. Warm food is a luxury few realize they should be thankful for.
"A room for two, please," I ask the innkeeper. I'm purely counting on the fact that Ban has money for this. I didn't bring any with me. "Also, a bath and three meals." I turn toward Ban, then sniff him a little. "Make that two baths."
He just gives me a glare. "We needn't be so wasteful."
"Sparing myself from dying of stink isn't wasteful."
"Are you being difficult on purpose?"
"Perhaps. Still, it'd be a bitch to die of infection. We need to get cleaned up, then I'll look over any scratches we might've gotten."
Begrudgingly, Ban nods, and then the innkeeper hands us our key. "The meals should be ready in an hour. Shall you take your baths right away?"
"They're already prepared?" That's odd. Normally takes a bit to bring the water in, then heat it up. "They're not one of those baths that you let multiple people use in a row, are they? Those things are a health hazard."
The woman gives me a short laugh, bringing a hand to her chubby cheeks. "Oh, my. I wouldn't be speaking to a med school student, would I?" Oh, if only. Had I been born in a richer family, that would have been the option I went with. Cooking is all well and fine, but healing is what I like. That might be why my mana is better suited for it, too. "Don't you worry, young man. We have two separate ones prepared already. Lots of people coming in, many mouths to feed. We're busy all the time."
Ah, right. I'm not the only one who came for the Festival of Death. Everyone either wants to see if they're the Child of Light and Shadow, or just to join the magic knights. There aren't any better jobs in the entire kingdom than those, and that's basically the only way mages can stop others from discriminating against them. Of course, there are also people who just come there to watch. The tests mages are put through tend to be brutal, so they're treated like sports. What's not to love about watching mages work themselves to death? Exciting!
Taking the key, I head toward the living area, though something catches my eye as I walk; A girl is looking at me. She's a few years younger than me, and can't be over 15. The glare she's giving me is cold and scary. What'd I do to her? I don't remember seeing her face again. She's one of those people from the east â the ones with the odd eyes, always looking a bit narrowed. I should watch out for her. She might be a thief after my stuff.
Then I notice the meal she's having, and realize it's one of the more expensive ones. Someone with that kind of money would not have the need to rob another. "Ban," I whisper, making sure I don't look directly at the girl.
"I know," he replies, hand already on the knife he has tucked into his pants. "Keep walking. Go and take your bath. I'll stay here and watch her, then we'll switch roles."
Sounds like a plan to me. I do exactly that, and sigh with relief as my worn out body hits the hot water. Normally, I didn't even get to take warm baths in our house. Hot water was hard to come by, and we couldn't waste the firewood for it. Things would've gone so much differently if only my mother wasn't so prejudiced against mages. Imagine the things I could do for them if only I knew how to! Why couldn't she ever see how needlessly stubborn she was being? Mages are people, too.
As I relax in the tub, I decide to take out the urn I've placed the djinn in. As I open the top, Raksha materializes in front of the bath, his arms crossed as he scowls at me. "What do you want, master?"
"Being polite really doesn't work if you're gonna give me that look," I inform him, crossing my legs as I pour some bath salts inside, letting the bubbles stir.
"Forgive me for failing not to glare at he who kidnapped me, master." Oh, my, a snarky one! I like him better than Ban already.
"Just call me Jonah," I reply, mixing some of my mana into the bath to let the bubbles spread faster. "It's about time I tell you what I took you for."
"That is the least you can do, yes."
"I'm not gonna make you my slave," I tell him. Though he's doing his best to hide it, I can tell he's terrified of the situation I put him in. The tough guy exterior is just a camouflage. He's not old enough to pull it off properly. I know I'm not. "I want you to teach me magic."
That breaks his façade a bit. "Are there not any human mages who can do that?"
"There are," I say, bringing some of the bubbles to my hair, "but none of them can match you. Well, the Apostles might, but they're the enemy."
"Are they not the elite guards of the kingdom?" Raksha muses, slightly smiling at my predicament. "You would turn against your own people?"
I close my eyes. "My family are my people. Them and no others. Two of the Apostles came for my mother, forcing my brother and father into hiding. I don't even know if they're alive. The only reason I've come this far is the fact that I refuse to think about them too much. I need to keep my eyes on the road ahead, and take one step at a time. I know I have the potential to contend with the strongest of mages, but human mages aren't good enough to teach me much. I need someone more in tune with mana â a magical creature â a djinn."
"And you think you'll be able to keep up with my explanations?" he challenges, now full-on smirking as he makes a breeze flow through the room, making me shudder. I dive deeper into the tub, making sure my shoulders are underwater, then huff at him.
"Can't be too hard to do if an idiot like you can handle it."
"You underestimate the gap between us, Jonah. We djinn are perfectly in tune with our mana. It is a part of us, same as our limbs. For you, it is a foreign tool you need to learn to wield. For us, the knowledge of using it is something we are born with. How could I describe it to you when calling it my instinct would be the closest thing to a truthful description?" He holds up his palm, which is now carrying a small fire, as proof. "I simply think of a fire appearing here, and it blazes to life. You, however, would have to will your mana toward your palm violently, yet making sure it is contained. The attribute of fire comes from controlled rage, which is hard to pull off during battle. The differences are easy to see. Even a blind man could do it. You will never be a match for us-"
He stops after I hold my palm out, a flame twisting on top of it. "Like this, right?" I tease him. It really was as he said. When healing, I move my mana gently, but this time I simply forced it to rush to my hand, twisting it along the way, also making sure it didn't slip out of control. The fire appeared all by itself. I really am a genius. "Please don't talk down to me again, Raksha. Though I have no intention of enslaving you, I might come up with a punishment here and there."
"T-That's not possible," Raksha protests, looking bewildered. "You cannot do that. It takes a human months to learn offensive magic. What are you, Jonah?"
I shrug, extinguishing the fire. "I guess I'm just talented. You should see me do healing magic. Now that's a show."
He pouts like a child, averting his eyes as I step out of the bath. As soon as my underwear is on, the window to the room breaks, and I turn toward it. The girl from before â she's standing there, a dagger in her hand. She comes at me without hesitation, slicing at my face. The only reason my nose stays attached is that I fall back into the tub, dodging most of the attack. What's this? How is she here? Isn't Ban meant to be keeping guard? What happened to him? Is he dead? Do I fight? Do I run? Do I leave Ban behind?
I glance at the ground next to the girl's feet, and see the urn. That is the one thing I'm not leaving the inn without. If I have to risk fighting her, then so be it. She has no magic, anyway.
The girl brings her dagger down, but I grab it by the blade, slicing up my hand as I hold her arm away. She seems surprised just a bit, and I start pushing back, pulling myself out of the tub. She can be as sneaky and speedy as she wants, but she's still just a tiny little thing. Even someone like me can overpower her. The only way I'm getting screwed here is if the dagger turns out to be poisoned. Well, I guess there's no sense in worrying about that now.
I slam my head into the girl's as hard as I can, and she lets the dagger go, staggering back in shock and awe. I focus some of the mana into my fist, then punch her across the face.
To my own shock and awe, mana flows into her cheek, blocking my attack successfully. She's a mage! But how!? There is no mana in her. I hear Raksha chuckle behind me, which can only mean he's aware of how the girl's doing this. That rat bastard is really gonna pay for that one.
The girl looks up at me, murder in her cold, grey eyes. "We can stop now."
Still holding the dagger by the edge, I frown at her. "What?"
"That knife you're holding â it would have killed you if your heart was dark. It has not, so it is not. We can stop fighting, then." Is she out of her mind? She comes in here, ready to stab me in the face, on the off chance that my heart might be dark?
"Who sent you?" I ask. She just blankly stares at me, hand outstretched. She can't be serious. "I'm not giving it back until you tell me who sent you."
"Apostle Ryan." A short and simple reply. Though I'm sure most people around these parts know which one of them that is, I myself do not.
"Refresh my memory a bit. It's getting fuzzy."
To my horror, her next answer is, "Shadow magic." Then, she turns around and tries to flee, but I reach out and grab the back of her cloak, pulling her back.
"Oh, no you don't. You're telling me more." I bend down and grab the urn, then look at Raksha, who's still amused by all this. "As your master, I order you not to let her run from me."
The djinn sighs, lightly floating above ground, then flies so he's standing in the girl's way. "You heard him, Miss. I'm afraid I'm in no position to disobey."
She stares at him, then at me, then back at him, and nods.
"Does she know who I am?"
"The boy who saw her." Good. Clear and concise answers. She's getting this. Also, this confirms the shadow woman has no clue I'm the son of Mirra. Also good.
"How did you find me?"
"I got lucky. We came to the same inn."
"You had no clue where I was prior to that?" The girl shakes her head, then glances at my hand, still gripping her clothes. I let go right away. "Sorry."
Now, where do we go from here? She's an assassin after my head, but she's also just a little girl. If I incapacitate her, she'll come after me another day. Do I kill her?
I look down, and realize that, though she's doing her best to seem brave, she's just like Raksha. There's fear behind those cold, grey eyes, and it's directed at me at the moment.
"I won't hurt you," I find myself saying before I can even decide on my course of action. "You can relax."
Her eyes widen at that, the mask finally cracking.
"Don't give me that look," I tell her. "I'm not about to kill a kid." If I wind up capable of murder, anyway. I think I would be, but it's gonna be tough. I'm definitely not doing it now, though. Who knows what her circumstances are? She's just a kid, so I doubt this is her choice. That could have been Kieran if his life was different. Different situations form different people, though that doesn't make one better than another.
"You won't?" the girl asks, and I shake my head. "But I tried to- to-"
"To kill me," I finish for her, holding my hand out to Raksha. "Heal me, idiot."
He scoffs, but complies. It takes him a bit, and he's definitely worse than I am. Guess he's not as all-powerful as I thought. Even the djinn have their limits. "You need to learn to speak to your betters more properly, human Jonah." That's it.
"Go stand in the corner and look at the wall. Don't turn around, and do not speak."
Raksha turns red, but complies, embarrassing himself even further. I'm probably gonna be getting lip for this one later, but this is kind of an important moment, and he's ruining it.
I hear a sob, then look down at the girl. There are tears streaming down her face. Oh, brother. No, don't do this to me, kid. I can't. I'm busy.
My hand quickly finds itself resting on top of her head as she blankly stares at me, incapable of speaking.
"You don't like killing do you?" I ask, but she doesn't reply, so I keep going. "That's fine. There's a place where you can stay. It's a church to Slan that takes in any who are capable of providing work. You can learn to work a kitchen, right? Go there. It's in the slums â the only church there. You can't miss it, and no one's gonna look for you there. They don't ask for information before taking you in, so it's where a lot of foreigners go. You'll do fine."
Then one of the other windows bursts into shards of glass, flying toward me and the girl. I grab her by the arm and throw myself on the ground, so only our backs get cut. I hear a loud thud, meaning someone huge must've jumped in.
"What a pathetic disgrace," a gruff voice says. I look up and see a middle-aged man with blond hair and blue eyes, wearing silver armor. "I told Ryan no good could come of putting you to work, Yukiji. You've been nothing but a burden since the moment you were born. I'll deal with you in a minute." He then strikes at me with his mana, knocking the urn from my arms. Crap! Not that!
I try to fight back, but am incapable of a single proper attack spell, and quickly get knocked down by the next push of mana.
"You are also a mage, huh?" the man says, laughing. "Well, ain't this my lucky day? Collecting the heads of mages happens to be a hobby of mine, and yours will decorate my wall just splendidly." He moves his arms again, and I feel a light burn on my arms. "Doesn't seem like you'll be putting up a fight, though. You haven't had a single day of training in your life, have you, boy?" He moves his arm again, and the burns get hotter, making me feel as if someone wearing heated gloves is gripping me. I reluctantly give out a wince, earning myself a sinister sneer from the old fart.
I look at the girl â Yukiji, who is trembling on her spot. "R-Run." Her eyes get even wider at that. Don't just stand there, you stupid kid! Run! He just said you'll be next!
"Do it," the man says, and the girl tenses up. "Don't just stand there, you fool. Get the knife and kill the boy, or you'll be following him into the afterlife. The Hand of Life has no need for weaklings. Either earn your keep by killing him, or be kicked out. You should know by now what happens to those banished, right? You've killed enough deserters to know, haven't you? Hundreds of bodies in your past, and the first time your target speaks to you, you freeze up? Pathetic!"
He's got to be kidding, right? This kid â this frail-looking, pale little girl â she's killed hundreds? There's no way. It takes an army general to do something of that magnitude. There's no way there have been that many assassinations in this kingdom. No one can have that many enemies without declaring war. No one could kill that much and still be human.
"I," Yukiji starts, crouching down to pick up her dagger.
"Do it," the man growls at her.
"You don't have to kill anymore," I say to the contrary as she stands back up, looking like she's about to have a mental breakdown. If I'm right, I'm about to get myself a useful ally in this. Come on, girl. Be sensible! Show some drive!"
"That's it," the old fart spits as she takes a step toward me, walking across the broken glass barefoot. I wince just by looking at bloody feet.
"I don't want to kill," Yukiji whispers, and the man hears her.
"Who gives a damn what you want!? You're nothing but a tool. Do as you're told, girl! Kill him! He's nothing but another target! He should be no problem for a monster like you!"
He's kidding, right? She's as far from a monster as a person can get, with the way she's crying right now, too scared to even breathe right. Still, the man's attention is on her, and I plan on taking advantage of that. I force the rest of my mana into my hand, swirling It ten times harder than before.
"You're free now," I say. "Free to choose."
"No she's not!" the knight says, not noticing my incoming attack at all. Come on, girl. Move!
"Run away, girl," I tell her, putting my hand behind my back as the flame comes to life. All I have to do now is release it. Purposely abandoning the confinements I've placed on my mana should set the fire loose, right? One way to find out.
"I," Yukiji says, gripping the dagger with both hands. "I-"
"Do it," the man growls.
"Run," I say.
"You're nothing but a tool of death! Do as you're told!"
"You're a person, too. Choose for yourself."
"You have no choice. Your fate is already decided!"
"It's never too late to turn back."
"You're a monster!"
"You're just a kid."
"I DON'T WANT TO KILL ANYMORE!" Yukiji cries out, jumping out of the way and throwing the dagger at the knight, who enforces his hands enough to catch it. However, I then swing my arm at him, no longer keeping my mana contained. Just as I theorized, the flames come to life, engulfing the man whole. However, since the attack has all of my mana in it, it comes out stronger than intended, and burns straight through the wall behind the guy, too, sending it all flying in a massive explosion.
I don't bother to check on him, and grab the urn, then Yukiji's hand. "Both of you â let's go!"
As we run through the inn, me still in my underwear, I see an unconscious Ban sleeping at his table, a drink next to him. That little...
"Carry him," I tell Raksha, who seems deep in thought.
"You're taking your would-be killer with you?"
He's got a point...
I look down at Yukiji, shaking against my arm. Damn.
"Yep. Looks like it. Now pick Ban up, and let's go!"
We manage to leave just before the other magic knights get there, riding Raksha's wind to move faster.