The dirt road slithered through the hills. After a few hours, she saw the next village. She stopped on the slope and frowned. This was no village. It was a small town with stone walls and patrolling guards. She took out the map to check. Her gaze was intense as she compared the scattered houses shown on the map with the fortified city in front of her. After a while, she sighed in understanding. This map is too old, it’s inaccurate. She stored the map and listened to the magic. Frowning, she wondered why there were so many signals. What is happening? Is it a town of mist users? I’ve never read about such a place. She cautiously walked toward the gates.
As she got closer, she heard a familiar low hum. More like several different hums overlapping each other. She forced her steps to stay purposeful. A known headache was slowly creeping in. She saw the guard, a soft pink halo pulsing around him. She shook her head in disbelief but walked further, like an automaton mechanically performing step after step. Then it happened. It felt like a dam had broken. Magic signals kept hitting her. She didn’t know which ones were strong and which ones were weak. Clenching her head in pain, she sought the support of the closest wall and then slid down, overwhelmed by suffering.
Time stopped, the town disappeared, and there was only never-ending torture. Then she felt the pain receding. Not completely, but enough to be aware of her body again. She felt a warm hand laying on her head, soft waves of comfort emanating from it. Jessica opened her eyes. A young woman, with dark hair, dressed in a simple white robe, was smiling at her. “Do you need help?” she asked.
Jessica muttered, “I’m lost.” The expression on the woman's face was pure understanding. “Come with me, you’re found now.” A warm hand grabbed hers and gently walked her away. Jessica kept feeling the waves of comfort through the skin touch, dampening the pain. Her mysterious companion said, “I’m a healer, I’ll bring you to the temple.” The scholar was about to protest, but then she gathered enough clarity to think. The healers? Is that where Gareth went? She nodded and carefully made her way through a storm of magic waves.
The temple stood on a hill in the middle of the town. As they ascended the step, Jessica felt the intensity of the magic storm recede slightly. Not free from the pain, but it was bearable. The healer's temple looked smaller than Jessica expected. The woman at her side smiled and said, “It is a small town.” Jessica kept reclaiming her mind, thread by thread. She looked down on the city. “A refuge of mist users? I didn’t know such a place existed.” The healer looked confused. “No, it’s a simple, normal town. The only mist users are me and the other healers.” The scholar looked confused. She felt the world tilt. “What is going on?” She muttered. The warm hand anchored her again. “Come, let’s examine you. I’ll call my master.”
Walking through the dim hallway of the temple felt like floating through a dream. The cold caress of stone woke her up. Jessica felt the grain of the rock under her fingers. Opening her eyes, she saw the outline of her seat. It’s a chair… carved in the hill? Her head was pounding painfully. Through the fog, a spark of her scholarly mind wandered: There’s one like that at the College, in the main experiment room. Eleonora uses it, though we added pillows… A sweet voice startled her back into reality: “Are you going to be okay? I’ll go find my master, it won’t take long.” The lost woman took a slow breath. Her temples were throbbing, but it didn’t feel like another seizure was close. She gave a tired smile, “I’ll be alright.” The young healer gave her a warm smile and stepped out of the room, leaving the heavy oak door open. Alone in the room, Jessica listened. She could hear the magic wave of the healers. Six, no seven of them. A bright flame was moving through the temple. That’s my savior. The flame stopped a few paces away from a bigger, quieter flame. The master flame then slowly made its way towards her cell.
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A man in his seventies entered the room. He was thin-framed, his wrinkled face showed the temperance of a man who chose optimism in a world of chaos. He sat in front of her and asked, “Gwen told me you needed help, some kind of sensory overload?” Jessica looked at the man, “You’re Gwen’s master?” He chuckled, “No, I don’t take apprentices anymore, her master is in town, tending to someone who couldn’t move to the temple.” The College student took in that information. He looks nice, but I would have preferred to talk to a woman.
The healer gave her a warm smile and encouraged her, “So, what’s your story?” Jessica took a deep breath, thinking about how much to tell, then she spoke, “I’m from the College of Magic. The Grandmaster sent me to find someone.” She paused, after a slight hesitation, she continued, “I was the right person for this job because I have a good magic sensitivity.” The old man put a hand over his mouth, looking in the distance, “Mmmh… Gwen told me you thought this was a mist user refuge.” He locked his eyes with her, “Looks like this little trip awakened your ability to the next level.” The scholar student nodded. This hypothesis made sense.
The healer drummed his finger on the table. “So what’s the deal with the one you’re looking for?” Jessica looked at the ground, then she decided to trust this kind stranger. “He got wounded by a hunter, by hunter Chala. He lost an eye, and a black zone grows from it, tendrils spreading further and further under the skin. I hope to find him and help him before it is too late.” The man put his head in his hands. “That’s a fool’s errand, my child. There’s no stopping the shadow corruption.” He then gave her a pained glance, “Especially if the wound was inflicted by Chala.” The young woman's heart beat fast, her mind struggled to refute the cold, hard truth.
The healer got up and asked softly, “I’m sorry, what’s his name? Maybe he walked through here, I’ll ask, or keep an eye out if he arrives.” Jessica simply said, “His name is Gareth.” The old man froze, then looked at her with eyes wide open. “SSHHHT,” he said, a mix of a whisper and a scream. He quickly moved to close the door. A loud thud echoed through the chamber.
The man paced the room, pulling his hair. Jessica felt dread creep in. He finally stopped and slumped in the chair. “Gareth, you’re sure his name is Gareth?” Jessica slowly nodded. The healer looked at her, “Tall, muscular, cracking bad jokes?” The female confirmed, “Yes, that’s my Gareth. You know him.” That was not a question. The healer shook his head. “This is Gareth's home. If she weren’t in town, you would have given the news to his mother.”
Jessica sat in silence. She felt thunderstruck. She grabbed the side of the stone chair, trying to make the world stop spinning. The old man stood up, pained determination on his face. “She can’t know, you have to leave. Now.” He moved toward the door. “I’ll give you supplies, and Gwen will accompany you for a few days, until you master your new ability.” Before opening the door, he turned to her. “Things are… complicated. Gareth would never come here.” The door opened. “You’ll have to retrace your steps.”
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